Full review index

This is a full review index, sorted by score, with the highest-scored wines at the top.

2010 Ch Montrose 20 (

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Saint-Estephe Second Growth, Bordeaux, France: 14%; $420 [ cork 50mm, ullage 12mm; original en primeur price $352; cepage CS 53%, Me 37, CF 9, PV 1, planted at 9,000 vines / ha; c.18 months in barrel, 60% new; 64% of total crop in the grand vin this year; Montrose website: Vintage: Sept. 27 – Oct. 15, 2010 was particularly dry and relatively hot – climate data characteristics of great Bordeaux vintages (1929, 1945, 1947,1959,1961,1989, and 2009). Wine: ... Perfect maturity and tannins of the grapes, brought a balance between power and elegance, abundance and finesse. The tannins are silky and smooth with complex aromas … ; the 2010 en primeur campaign was and remains the most expensive ever offered. The wines are therefore now rare in New Zealand. Neal Martin, Vinous, 2020: The best 2010s on the Left Bank are some of the greatest wines you will ever drink; J. Robinson, 2015: Dark, concentrated purplish crimson right out to the rim. Brooding and magnificent. Still lots to give. Heady and dense and very Montrose. Substantial and with masses of backbone. Admirable. 2022 – 2040, 18; R. Parker, 2014: This is considered to be among the greatest vintages ever made in Montrose [ by the chateau ] ... opaque black/blue, with an incredible nose of blueberry and blackberry liqueur, with hints of incense, licorice, and acacia flowers. Tannins are incredibly sweet and very present. The wine is full-bodied, even massive, with great purity, depth and a finish that goes on close to a minute. ... (Note: The Chateau Montrose website gives an aging potential of 2020-2100.), 100; weight bottle and closure 565 g; www.chateau-montrose.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, the second deepest wine. Bouquet on the 2010 Ch Montrose is reticent at first, but over 24 and 48 hours it expands considerably, to reveal a relatively aromatic and cassisy aroma with great berry hinting at blackberries in the sun, darkly plummy depths, dark tobacco and cedary notes, yet also excitement and dark roses / violets floral lift. It is in the style of the 2005, 1996, 1975 and 1966, but richer, riper, and more ample than all those, the 2005 closest. Palate continues this seamless amalgam of magnificent pure aroma, subtle oak, and rich berry, more plummy again now as well as cassisy, the merlot coming to the fore. With the 2009, this wine shows a concentration of berry, a weight of body, and a dry extract which are off the scale, yet there is no hint of over-ripeness, heaviness, or dullness. In short, it seems a perfect young Montrose, though reflecting a higher merlot percentage than I grew up with. This is a wine which all New Zealand wine-makers aspiring to make world-class cabernet / merlot should be familiar with. Likewise, those in New Zealand who write about wine, and judge it, also need to be tasting wines of this calibre, so that our results maintain some reality by international standards / do not become too frankly parochial or commercial. There was not the slightest doubt in tasters' minds either: seven (out of 21) votes for first place, and another seven votes for second-favourite. No hint of technical defect crossed anyone's mind. You can see why the Chateau regards this 2010 as the definitive modern example of Ch Montrose: it contains the most exciting features of all the other 11 wines, in a presentation / dry extract comparable only with the slightly over-ripe 2009. A tragedy the chateau did not use 55 or 54 mm corks, for this is a 70 – 90-year wine. GK 07/21

2010 Domaine Auguste Clape Cornas 20 (

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Cornas, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $466 [ cork, 50mm; New Zealand release price $130; winemaking as above; Wine Spectator vintage rating for the year, 98; J.L-L: The bouquet … has an oxtail depth, light meat stock, presents masses of black berries. It is full, abundant, also cool, not over sunny. It is a nose that captures bounty and freshness together, a mark of the quality of the vintage. Boy, this is good! Wowee. The most striking elegance and assured gras richness greets you; this is wonderfully, immediately a Grand Vin, it courses with a brilliant, all-round appeal, its balance primo, 2043 – 46, ****** (NB: J.L-L very rarely allocates six stars, his highest accolade); RP@R. Parker, 2012: Eclipsing even the 2009, the 2010 Cornas achieved one of the highest natural alcohol levels (14%) ever recorded at Clape. ... abundant notes of charcoal, licorice, blackberries and blueberries intermixed with a hint of scorched earth (or is it charcoal embers?), a full-bodied mouthfeel, a seamless personality and a crushed rock-like minerality. The tannins are so sweet it will be drinkable in 2-3 years, and should keep for 25 or more. It is a tour de force in what Syrah can achieve in this hallowed appellation. Kudos to the Clape family, especially Pierre-Marie, 100; no domaine website, easiest background info on the Europvin website, ref. above. ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a sensational colour, the third deepest. Right from the moment of opening, bouquet on this 2010 wine presents syrah ripened to absolute perfection, sweet dianthus and wallflower florals with some darkest red rose, on cassisy berry notes underlain by darkest bottled black doris plums, all enlivened by sweet freshly-cracked black peppercorn. Alcohol lifts the bouquet, yet is restrained. The wine smells wonderfully rich, essence of syrah, yet not heavy. Palate reveals blackcurrants ripened to the maximum, but still critically fresh and aromatic (i.e. none of the sur-maturité notes Livingstone-Learmonth has recorded the Clapes as seeking, quoted earlier), no hint of dark notes such as coffee which so many wine-writers like to use as a descriptor, but which have no place in temperate-climate winestyles such as pinot noir and syrah, impressive berry length resting on grape and old oak tannins, the tannins still youthful and furry, but promising smoothness and beauty, with time. This is glorious syrah, showing one exceptionally rare and desirable attribute in fine syrah: the floral notes are sustained right through the palate. How could the 2010 be more perfect, or more varietally accurate ? No, it is not Cote Rotie: this is closer to Hermitage, and it speaks volumes for the wine style ‘Cornas’. As Livingstone-Learmonth points out, Cornas is critically warmer than Cote Rotie. The 2010 was clearly the most-favoured wine on the night for the group, six first places, one second. Cellar 10 – 35 years. GK 09/18

2001 Ch d'Yquem 20 (

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Sauternes Premier Cru Superieur, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $ – [ 54mm cork; Se 80%, SB 20; average age of vines 30 years, planted at 6,500 vines / ha, average yield just over 1 t/ha = 0.5 t/ac; fermentation and up to 36 months elevation in 100% new barrels; average production around 9,000 cases per annum; now owned LMVH; BBR: Often described as the greatest sweet wine in the world … intensely opulent when young, Yquem develops an extraordinary complexity and exotic richness when fully mature; Robinson, 2009: Light gold, very fresh and gorgeous and complete. Just washed over the palate - so clean and vital and reverberating, not to mention revitalising even to a palate that had been treated to all the wines above already. What a feat! What a wine! Wonderful satiny texture and great balance and charm, 19; Parker, 2005: There are 10,000 cases of this perfect sweet white Bordeaux. The 2001 Yquem reveals a hint of green in its light gold color. While somewhat reticent aromatically, with airing, it offers up honeyed tropical fruit, orange marmalade, pineapple, sweet creme brulee, and buttered nut-like scents. In the mouth, it is full-bodied with gorgeously refreshing acidity as well as massive concentration and unctuosity. Everything is uplifted and given laser-like focus by refreshing acidity. This large-scaled, youthful Yquem appears set to take its place among the most legendary vintages of the past, and will age effortlessly for 75+ years. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2100+, 100; www.yquem.fr ]
Pale gold with a lemon flush, clearly the palest wine of the 12. Initially opened, the bouquet was tending adolescent / awkward, the components more apparent than the totality. But even at that stage one could see there were greater mealy, barrel ferment, and lees-autolysis components than any other of the wines. This is the clue to recognising Yquem in a strictly blind tasting, finding the wine with these distinctive signs of unusually intensive elevage in new oak. The other key component from the outset was the viscosity, the texture, the richness on tongue. It is simply much more concentrated and glycerol-rich than the others. With air and time a wonderful honeyed, stonefruits and botrytis golden-fruited slightly madeira cake and purest palest caramel aroma gradually expanded in the glass, and the extraordinary thing is, there was no hint of VA at all – the purity is phenomenal. In other Yquems over the years I have felt the new oak intrusive, though given the weight of received wisdom about the wine, any vintage of the wine, you are not allowed to say so. But here the fine grained elegance of the oak, and it's lovely mealy / hessian / vanillin aromas and gentle flavours are simply exemplary. This will surely marry up into one of the purest and most elegant Yquems ever. Whereas with most wines one can imagine how it could be better, with this one such thoughts seem irrelevant. Thus for the first time for me, this wine earns full points. Others much more familiar with Ch d'Yquem than I say it will cellar for 100 years. To judge from the lighter 1962 and 1966 wines I have been watching since release, now representing half that estimate, achieving that time will be easy, given such perfect balance and concentration in the 2001. One of the top three wines for the group, on the night. Two days later, unequivocally the top wine, simply perfection. GK 07/14

2003 Guigal Cote-Rotie La Landonne 19 ½ + (

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Cote Brune, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $937 [ Cork, 49 mm; Sy 100%, average vine age 35 years, typically cropped at 35 hl/ha = 4.55 t/ha = 1.84 t/ac; Parker rating for year 96; NZ price at purchase $575; minimum 28 days cuvaison, not usually destemmed, 42 months in 100% new barrels, all 228-litre; Parker in characterising the three Cote-Rotie grands crus, says of La Landonne: extraordinary density and power, as well as a brooding backwardness that is extremely impressive; J.L-L, 2011: the robe is full; the nose is complete, deep, but there is subtlety in it; the prime fruit is dark plum, but it is varied with herb notes, surely testament to the hot year, its southern leaning, and there is a mineral angle as well. The palate is suave, tasty, wholesome – it is at a sweet moment now, even though it still lengthens on its oak raising. Its black fruit is extremely fine and continuous, its core is deep, deep. It still ends on its tannin which provides a crunchy late moment. It remains in thrall to its vintage and to its raising, is a very young wine. 2036-2039, ******; Robinson, 2006: Very intense, deep and leathery. Savoury, very Syrah. Very deep and rich start with very dry savoury finish. Good combination: the severity of Landonne and the ripeness of '03. All three single vineyard wines very consistent styles through the two vintages. Keep this for ages, 19; Parker, 2007: 100; J Dunnuck @ Parker, 2014: the most classic feel, with searing minerality, liquid smoke and bacon fat-like aromas being carried by massive amounts of inky dark fruits. Closer in style to the La Turque, with a powerful, structured profile, it nevertheless has off the charts texture, depth and purity, all of which allow it to thrill even now. It should be the longest lived of the four Cote-Roties, 100; Wine Spectator, 2007: Plush and smoky, with loads of flesh carrying black olive, fig, tobacco, currant and game notes. The broad, powerful finish shows a very roasted quality, with dark, smoky bacon and fig notes and an exotic hint of spice. This is a huge wine that only shows bits of what it will eventually offer. Best from 2010 through 2030. 500 cases made, 98; www.guigal.com ]
Ruby and velvet, amazingly fresh, the deepest colour of the 12 wines. The bouquet is simply astonishing. If cassis character represents the absolute peak of perfection for syrah in its ripening curve, I have never smelt a syrah so vibrantly aromatic and cassisy. The bouquet is mouthwatering, with dusky rose florals as well. It would contrast with a highly cassisy cabernet due to its faint undertone of sweet black pepper. There is a suggestion of new oak in the aromatics, but the bouquet is sensationally grape-dominant, extraordinary. Palate follows perfectly, a glorious depth of cassis flavour, fresh, vibrant, wonderful concentration which seems almost fat in mouth, yet not at all heavy. The flavour seems lengthened almost for ever on exquisite tannins and cedary oak. There is scarcely any hint of the hot summer in this wine. In one sense the wine is still youthful, but there is just a little mellowing, as it embarks on its plateau of maturity. Five people rated this their top wine of the evening, two their second. Cellar 10 – 30 years. Glorious wine, it is hard to imagine how it could be better. Just a trace more florality, maybe. GK 05/17

2005 Ch Montrose 19 ½ + (

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Saint-Estephe Second Growth, Bordeaux, France: 13%; $365 [ cork 50mm, ullage 13mm; original en primeur price $200; cepage CS 65%, Me 31, CF 3.5, PV 0.5, planted at 9,000 vines / ha; c.18 months in barrel, % new likely increasing towards the modern 60%; James Molesworth at Wine Spectator suggests that 25,555 cases of the 2005 were produced, but for the grand vin that is surely a misprint / typo. 15,555 would fit with the long-term average; Montrose website: Vintage: Sept. 23 – Oct. 9, 2005 ... the year of drought. ... by the harvest, the volume of rainfall was less than half the average quantity of the past 30 years; Wine: 2005 impresses by its exceptional power, the amazing pure fruit, and the extraordinary engaging elegance without having the overwhelming charm of the 2003. Stylistically, very classical and very Bordeaux-like, without austerity; J. Robinson, 2017: Tasted blind. Sweet, luscious nose. Lots of raciness and grace. Masses of tannin buried under really rather fine fruit. Dry but not drying finish. Pretty sophisticated. 2019 – 2040, 18; Neal Martin @ RP, 2016: The bouquet is extremely detailed, displaying more red berry fruit compared to the 2010 Montrose that leans towards black. Graphite and cedar emerge with time, even an unusual floral scent that is uncommon with respect to this property, whilst all the time retaining fantastic focus and delineation. The palate is medium-bodied with a ferrous tincture on the entry. There are the first signs of secondary notes (dried leaves and bay leaf), but it is the tannic backbone and the precision that really defines this Montrose at the moment. For certain, it is masculine and structured, yet it has enormous potential, perhaps more than was suggested when it was first released? This is for the long term, 2025 – 2065, 97; R. Parker, 2006: ... a sweet, provocative nose of creme de cassis, crushed rocks, graphite, and subtle wood. Medium to full-bodied, elegant yet powerful, fresh, and nuanced, the acids are higher and the pH lower in 2005 than in 2002. The 2005 should be a long-lived classic, but patience will be required ... some of the highest tannins ever measured. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2035, 2015 – 2035, 92 – 94 +; weight bottle and closure 541 g; www.chateau-montrose.com ]
Ruby, still some carmine, and velvet, the third-deepest wine. This is another wine that opened up dramatically over the 24 and 48-hour interval. It gradually reveals components in the style of the 2010, but more aromatic and zingy, with the cassis characteristic of cabernet sauvignon very evident in the cedary complexity. In the set it is therefore related to the 1996, 1986, 1975 and 1966 in style, but is markedly richer, and better fruited, the darkly plummy higher proportion of merlot filling out the palate nicely. The wine is still essentially primary, but the tannins are starting to soften. It sits with the 2010 beautifully, shares some of its floral complexity, and defines the concept cassis on bouquet even more perfectly, but is not so dramatically rich. Nonetheless, there is a crystalline purity to this wine, and it is still richer than virtually all good New Zealand examples of the cabernet / merlot wine-style, so thus has much to teach us. This 2005 was well-liked, with three first places, and four second-favourite. Though not quite as rich as the 2010, it is technically pure, and will cellar beautifully for another 40 years. On the qualities showing today, some of Parker’s marks for the 2005 seem a little conservative. GK 07/21

2003 Ch Montrose 19 ½ + (

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Saint-Estephe Second Growth, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $365 [ cork 49mm, ullage 15mm; original en primeur price $163; cepage CS 62%, Me 34, CF 3, PV 2, planted at 9,000 vines / ha; c.18 months in barrel, % new likely increasing towards the modern 60%; 15,830 x 9-litre cases; Montrose website: Vintage: Sept. 11 – Sept. 26; Wine: The wines were extremely fat and rich, with no over maturity; the tannins were very powerful, yet very melted and elegant, with impressive ageing potential. 2003 will be a vintage worth being waited for. A vintage categorized to be a historical success for Montrose. In her 2004 report on the en primeur tastings for the 2003 vintage, Jancis Robinson listed Ch Montrose among her top 14 wines of the vintage, along with Chx Latour, Lafite, Petrus, Lafleur and Ausone; J. Robinson, 2005: Very dark crimson, the deepest of all these wines with colour all the way out to the rim. Young, fresh, very frank aromas – still distinctly unevolved. Extremely dry, savoury and mineral – not a hint of the raisiny sweetness that dogs so many 2003s. Wonderfully rich and layered yet dry and savoury on the finish. A hint of unsweetened chocolate with a floral topnote. Great hit on the front palate, then something dry and scrunchily appetising on the finish. Very very long. 2015 – 2030, 19; 2003 Ch Montrose is a critical wine for learning about the diversity of absolute wine quality in New Zealand ... for those who want to learn. It was cropped at 35 hl/ha (4.55 t/ha = 1.84 t/ac), a rate near-inconceivable to most New Zealand winemakers. It has a pH of 3.9, a value near-inconceivable to technology-obsessed Australian winemakers. At the Farr Vintners 2010 blind review of the 2003 Bordeaux vintage, including all the most-famous wines, 2003 Montrose placed fifth overall, out of 100 wines tasted. Farr Vintners, London, are arguably now the greatest and most knowledgeable bordeaux wine merchants in the world. Farr Vintners summary of the 2003 vintage, 2004, on 2003 Ch Montrose: ... a truly great and powerful wine that has perfect balance. This is the greatest Montrose that we have ever tasted and a testament to the vintage. A clear contender for wine of the vintage; R. Parker, 2014: A candidate for a perfect score, the 2003 Montrose has been a superstar since the first time I tasted it in barrel. Showing no signs of weakening, it is an amazing wine from this fabulous terroir. It boasts a deep blue/purple color as well as a stunning perfume of blueberries, black currants, blackberries, licorice and camphor. Dense, full-bodied and rich with an unctuous texture, well-integrated, melted tannins, and a long, heady finish, this big, brawny, super-intense, gorgeous 2003 is just beginning to enter its plateau of full maturity. It should remain there for at least two decades. 2014 – 2034, 99; weight bottle and closure 537 g; www.chateau-montrose.com ]
Ruby and velvet, just above midway in depth. Bouquet is quite different from any other in the set, though in its complex, fragrant, rich, nearly sultry complexity it shares something with the 1990, but here all a little crisper, purer, and more aromatic. It is the volume of ripe darkly plummy berry plus cassis and fragrant cigar leaf-tobacco, all wrapped up in slightly spicy and cedary oak, that is captivating in this 2003. It is beyond words. The palate is velvety, no other word for it, yet not as plush as the 2009. There is just a hint of leafy tobacco-y complexity in the berry that is refreshing and distinctive, but there is virtually no hint of over-ripeness, just the epitome of bordeaux complexity in a ripe year. It is much more ‘straight’ than the 1990: it takes me back to the equally magical 1959. The fusion of all the bordeaux sensory elements in this wine is extraordinary – so different and more complex and subtle than the berry plus oak plus all too often pH control of even the richest Australian cabernet / merlot. This wine was well received, with three first places, three second places, and no hint of technical defect seen. In one sense this wine is forward in its development, compared with classical Ch Montrose, with already some suggestions of tertiary components. It will cellar for 30 years all the same. GK 07/21

1999 Guigal Cote-Rotie La Turque 19 ½ + (

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Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $934 [ Cork, 49mm, ullage 6, release price c.$435; Spectator rating for year 96; a single 1 ha vineyard on the Cote Brune; typically Sy 93%, Vi 7, co-fermented, average vine age 25 years, typically cropped at 4.55 t/ha = 1.84 t/ac; in the winery, fermentation employs punching-down to keep the cap immersed, up to 35 days cuvaison, 42 months in 100% new French oak barrels, all 228-litre, not fined or filtered; Parker, 1997 in characterising the three Cote-Rotie grands crus, says of La Turque: … a synthesis in style between La Mouline and La Landonne … not as tannic or muscular as La Landonne … nearly the same compelling aromatics as La Mouline … the Rhone’s answer to Burgundy’s great duo of grand cru vineyards, Richebourg and Musigny; JR@JR, 2014: Very sweet and intense on the nose. Heady, obviously oaky, but like an exotic, irresistible tincture. Round and worked and ultimately perhaps very slightly soulless but it is designed to give pleasure and it does. The tannins are very well managed. Round and broad but furled for the future, 18; J.L-L, 2011: the nose is intricate, immediate, breezes along really well. In its make-up figure licorice, black berries – it is a more mobile bouquet than the 1999 Mouline’s, the latter a more soaked wine. The palate has a graceful, level layer of black fruit, and does not explode as I would have thought, ending quietly. There are crisp black fruits that do not really expand on the finish. It is muscly, lithe wine whose late stages are intricate, not obvious. The fruit is like plums, nearly heading for kirsch, though it doesn't go that far, thankfully. Herbs feature on the aftertaste, a testament to the heat of the year. To 2033, ****** (NB: J.L-L rarely awards six stars; RP@WA, 2003: The 1999 Cote Rotie La Turque reveals notes of toasty vanilla and espresso in addition to Asian spices, mocha, pepper, blackberries, creosote, and roasted meats. The exotic perfume is followed by a wine with phenomenal intensity, sweet, well-integrated tannin, huge body, and loads of concentrated fruit. It is a tour de force in winemaking. What is so remarkable about this cuvee is its tremendous layers of flavor, awesome texture, and perfect balance. This is an astonishing offering from one of the world’s greatest winemakers. Anticipated maturity: 2006-2025, 100; weight bottle and closure: 573 g ; www.guigal.com ]
Ruby and velvet, the deepest wine of the 12 (though if La Mouline had been included, it was deeper and fresher still). Bouquet projects the most wonderful floral aroma, deepest wallflower and dianthus but with a sweet undertone suggesting violets and dusky roses, plus an aromatic note of freshly-cracked black peppercorns, on sweet ripe cassisy berry with hints of blueberry, all remarkably fragrant. Flower and berry aromas totally dominate any vanillin / oak-related characters. Palate is velvety, wonderfully cassisy berryfruit, the density of berry suggesting a cropping rate significantly less than the Brune & Blonde, the oak almost totally in the background until the late finish. This was clearly the top wine on the night, with a depth and velvety complexity well ahead of the other top wines. [ But, had the La Mouline been in the lineup, once it had been put aside for a couple of days (under ice) with 4 x 100 mm² Gladwrap® sheets in the decanted 750 ml bottle, that wine was even deeper, more floral and sensuous, and more velvety in berry character, almost certainly a 20-point wine.] La Turque was clearly the top wine on the night for the group as a whole, with seven top places, and five second. A near-perfect syrah. Though in one sense approaching maturity, La Turque impressed with its freshness and relative youth as well. It will cellar at least another 20 – 25 years. A great experience. GK 10/20

2010 Le Clos du Caillou Chateauneuf-du-Pape La Reserve 19 ½ + (

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Southern Rhone Valley, France: 15%; $246 [ cork, 55 mm; Gr 50 – 65%, Mv 25 – 50, Sy 0 – 10; some whole bunches, fermented in cuves, cuvaison 40 days; elevation 15 – 18 months in puncheons 30% new; fined, filtered, organic; reviews for this wine are almost completely lacking, so J.L-L is quoted nearly in full: Sleekly fruited, Morello black cherry aroma with wispy coffee notes ... soaked black cherries, plus a curious note of anchovy ... The palate has ... precise, crystalline black fruit at its heart ... Shapely tannins line its sides through to the finale, ****(*); typical production up to 500 9-litre cases; weight bottle and closure: 749 g; www.closducaillou.com ]
Good ruby, a little development showing, midway in depth. Bouquet is simply exhilarating, beautiful aromatic garrigue / floral top notes on red and black fruits, savoury, enticing, almost saliva-inducing. Flavour is extraordinary, black cherry in an aromatic way, potentially velvety texture (despite the given alcohol) which is wondrously fine-grained, the whole mouthfeel reminiscent of a big, slightly spirity, dark Cote-de-Nuits wine. This wine is so rich, the new oak component is near-invisible, yet it adds wonderful vibrancy and length. This is a very special wine, with a totally glorious flavour, to cellar 10 – 35 years. Nine people rated this their top or second wine, in the set of 12. GK 06/17

2010 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage 19 ½ + (

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Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $696 [ cork, 50mm; Sy 100%; 9.3 ha of Sy at Hermitage, Bessards most, then L'Hermite and 5 other vineyards; all de-stemmed, most of fermentation in s/s; cuvaison can be to 4 weeks; traditionally up to 18 months in barrel, 5 – 15% new, the remainder to 5 years old, now sometimes to 26 months; assembled in steel, minimal fining, no filtration; production varies round 2,000 x 9-litre cases; Julia Harding @ J Robinson, 2015: Gorgeous aroma: some oak sweetness but it does not dominate the fragrant fruit that is both red and black - and seductive. The red fruit lifts out of the glass as the wine opens. Supple, finely spiced and still quite closed on the palate but it’s there in all its peppery, scented glory. Firm, compact tannins, very very fine and finishing nicely dry, 19; John Livingstone-Learmonth (note J.L-L marks out of 6 stars, but uses 6 very rarely), 2012: The wine works on all fronts – depth, persistence, pockets of fragrance, is very long, nuanced. Très Grand Vin, ******. 2049-2055; R Parker, 2012: Pure perfection, the 2010 Hermitage reminds Jean-Louis Chave of their 1990. It appears to be a richer, fresher example of what I remember the 1990 tasting like in 1992. The wine exhibits an opaque purple color along with an extraordinary bouquet of sweet blackberry fruit intermixed with creme de cassis, lead pencil shavings, acacia flowers, bouquet garni, meat and crushed rocks. Full-bodied and stunningly rich with laser-like precision, this is a powerful, massive yet exceptionally well-balanced wine that should be forgotten for a decade and drunk over the following 30-40 years, 100; there appears to be no effective website, in 2018; ]
Ruby, nearly carmine still, and velvet, a fabulous colour, the third deepest. First sniff, and the immediate impression is: how could syrah be more perfect? There is a sensuous deeply floral dusky quality, on rich ripe aromatic cassis, all shaped by subtle / perfect cedary oak and a hint of spicy sweet black pepper. There is an element of deeper, darker, ripest dark plums too, but no hint of over-ripeness. Palate is both vibrant and velvet, with the volume of cassisy berry and its dominance over the fragrant but merely shaping oak seeming absolute. Again the black pepper spice is subtle and invigorates the wine. To a person interested in wine style as much as, perhaps more, than wine technology, this seems perfection. Tasters present included some of the most experienced syrah winemakers in the country. Some of the latter however tended to be uneasy about a brett component. It simply had not occurred to me. Since the tasting I have cross-questioned the wine very closely, and noted that one equally-experienced winemaker commented: ‘yes, it is there, but bear in mind that the winemaker may want that level of brett, as complexity’. All in all, I continue to think this near-perfect syrah, of staggering richness, freshness and elegance. Cellar 20 – 45 years. Eight thought this a northern Rhone Valley wine, but tasters did not rate it as highly as I did – some for the reasons given. No first places, one second, two least. Interestingly, not one person thought the wine might be Cote Rotie, illustrating the validity of the concept ‘Hermitage’. GK 11/18

2010 Ch Montrose 19 ½ + (

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Saint-Estephe Second-Growth, Medoc, Bordeaux, France: 14%; $469 [ Cork, 50mm, ullage 12mm; $352 landed; the 2010 wine is CS 53%, Me 37, CF 9, PV 1, all hand-picked, the bunches hand-sorted, the berries optically sorted then again hand-sorted; fermentation in s/s, cuvaison up to 25 days, elevation 18 months in 60% new barrels; average production 16,650 x 9-litre cases; climatically the chateau compares the 2010 wine with 1929, 1945, 1947, 1959 (the greatest Montrose I have tasted), 1961, 1989 and 2009; not known if a consulting oenologist; a Jancis Robinson Top 20 of 2010 wine; JR@JR, 2015: Brooding and magnificent. Still lots to give. Heady and dense and very Montrose. Substantial and with masses of backbone. Admirable, 18; NM@Vinous, 2020: … an outstanding bouquet with graphite infused black fruit, cedar and tobacco, extremely well focused and seeming to gain intensity in the glass. The palate is beautifully balanced with perfect acidity, gentle grip ... fine body and it fans out wonderfully on the persistent finish. Outstanding, 98 (99 at the FV tasting); RP@WA, 2014: This is considered to be among the greatest vintages ever made in Montrose ... an incredible nose of blueberry and blackberry liqueur, with hints of incense, licorice, and acacia flowers. Tannins are incredibly sweet and very present. The wine is full-bodied, even massive, with great purity, depth and finish ... a 50- to 75-year wine, 100; Parker also notes that the chateau considers the wine will cellar to 2100; 2010 Ch Montrose has become so rare, Farr Vintners do not have it in stock – unusual; good website; weight bottle and closure: 563 g; www.chateau-montrose.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, very fresh and clearly the deepest, richest and most saturated of the wines. Yet the bouquet has a freshness to it, just an aromatic edge to the cassis, which is most unusual. Behind are florals, darkest roses and violets, intense cassis more than blackberry fruit, and further below in the nett bouquet impression is sweet oak. In mouth the richness is tactile: oh, how I'd like a dry extract on this wine, it must be well over 30 g/L. Now I have some idea what that fabulous 1959 Montrose, the greatest Montrose I have ever tasted, was like as a young wine. The richness of berry totally overwhelms the cedary oak, yet good acid and the Saint-Estephe tannin (as well as the oak) all give the wine impeccable structure. A glorious Montrose which will cellar for as long as the 50 mm corks hold. Perceiving the quality, since the chateau itself states this is a 90 year wine, a pity they did not use 54 mm corks. Close to perfection. Three people rated Montrose their top wine, and three second favourite. Cellar 20 – 60 years. GK 09/20

1996 Champagne Pol Roger Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill Brut 19 ½ + (

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Epernay, Champagne, France: 12%; $533 [ traditional compound champagne cork; Broadbent rating for vintage: ***** (tentatively, not tasted at point of publication); Wine Spectator rating for vintage: 96 [ second only to 1990 ], Drink or hold. Ripe and intense, firmly structured and potentially long-lived. Cepage not revealed, but Stevenson estimates PN 70 – 80%, balance chardonnay, all old-vine grand cru wines; all MLF, no oak use known but not impossible, en tirage c.10 years; in a previous tasting I thought the dosage around 8 g/L; Robinson, 2006: Still pale gold. Very deep and sumptuous on the nose. Smells like a cross between red and white Côte de Beaune. Lots of lemon cream sensation and very fine bead. Explosive. Still tight and there’s lots yet to come but certainly capable of giving great pleasure now. You almost feel it needs decanting there is so much there! Not especially long. More Pinot than in the past, 18.5 +; Galloni (in R. Parker), 2009: The 1996 Pol Roger Sir Winston Churchill is an immensely rewarding, complete Champagne that is drinking well today but that also has the potential to continue to improve in bottle. Nothing in particular stands out here, but as is often the case with this cuvee, I am struck by the wine’s awesome balance and supreme harmony. Simply put, this is a strikingly beautiful wine from Pol Roger, 95.; www.champagne-bollinger.com ]
Glowing straw, the third lightest / freshest. Bouquet shows a total integration of berry and autolysis that approaches perfection. The hint of red-fruit aromatics is obvious alongside the 1996 Pol Roger Chardonnay, but nowhere near as apparent as the 1990 Bollinger. One could not ask for more perfect autolysis, crust of perfect fragrant baguette. The wine sits exactly between the 1996 Pol Roger Chardonnay and the 1990 Bollinger, more substantial and more pinot noir than the former, yet so elegant and subtle (yet rich) alongside the latter. In mouth the wine is firm, almost austere, astonishingly youthful, the quality of the autolysis substituting for suggestions of oak backbone, as seen for example in the Bollinger wines. The flavour lasts and lasts, yet though rich in one sense, the wine is also almost ethereal. Dosage seems around the 6 – 7 g/L mark, in today's company. An absolutely compelling example of the methode champenoise winestyle, to cellar for decades. The top wine of the tasting, by a wide margin. GK 05/16

2005 Ch Palmer 19 ½ (

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Margaux Third Growth, Bordeaux, France: 14%; $825 [ cork 51mm; cepage this year CS 53%, Me 40, PV 7, average age 35 – 40 years, planted @ 10,000 vines / ha, typically cropped @ c.6 t/ha = 2.4 t/ac; time spent in barrel in better years c.20 months, 45% new, light toast; now rated as one of the undoubted 'super-seconds'; www.chateau-palmer.com ]
Ruby and velvet, some garnet, the middle wine for depth. Bouquet here is the perfect complement to the 2010, just as wondrously pure, but a little more development than expected. The wine has lost nearly all its primary fruit characters, instead showing a rich amalgam of near-floral qualities and 'winey' fragrance on wonderfully rich berryfruit, with the faintest suggestions of browning, plus brown pipe tobacco and cedar. In mouth there is a velvety richness of fruit, the firmness attributed to petit verdot in the 2010 now totally melted away into a glorious lightly cedar-infused near-perfect cabernet / merlot blend. This wine takes me back to the beauty of the 1966 Ch Palmer when it was a young wine – back when at $6.35 one could afford a case of it, even on the salaries of the day. The 2005 and 2010 Palmers are of comparable richness, though the 2005 being more developed does seem fractionally richer. Cellar 5 – 30 years. GK 11/15

1963 Dow’s Vintage Port 19 ½ (

)

Douro, Portugal: – %; $441 [ cork, 48mm; cepage not known, but usually 75% or so touriga nacional and touriga franca; 18 months in older oak (none new), no fining or filtration; considered to be drier than the other Symington group wines; Broadbent has Dow as one of the top five wines of the vintage, but notes in 2001 (after he had tasted it formally more than 43 times) that it was now fully to over-mature, drying sometimes, at best: still sweet, rich with marvellous flavour and length; Robinson in 2006 has a different view, noting that the 1963 is the finest Dow she has tasted, and worth quoting in full (since she rarely scores at the 19.5 level): Mid to pale ruby with a brick rim. Wonderfully mature, complex nose with dried fruits – prunes? – but freshness too. Hint of dark chocolate. Alcohol wonderfully integrated. Then on the palate a real dancer of a wine – perfectly lively and truly tonic on the palate. Real delicacy – not desperately sweet, just beautifully balanced. Very very clean finish with a definite whisper of tannin on the finish. The Syms reckons this would be one of the top four or five vintage ports of the 20th century by anyone’s reckoning and certainly it demonstrated to me exactly what I love about really mature, top quality vintage port – a world away from young ruby, 19.5; Robert Parker, 1989: The 1963 is a classic, a monumental, rich, still tannic wine that will last at least another 30 years, 92; www.dows-port.com ]
Glowing garnet and ruby, a little older than the 1963 Fonseca, below midway in depth. Bouquet is understated, but even at this age nearly floral in a dusky way, with currants and browning red plummy fruits, plus some of the piquancy of orange oil and dried Otago apricots, and a hint of marzipan, all melded into the essence of mature vintage port. Palate is wonderfully rich, long, and sustained, with an integration of fruit and oak that stands out in the set, not at all tanniny yet with a clear backbone and length, finishing smoothly and in one sense almost ‘dry’. It is not the richest or sweetest in the set, but it is ‘complete’. Robinson’s reported comments and assessment seemed perfectly appropriate. Will hold for years. Two tasters had the 1963 Dow’s as their top wine. GK 05/18

2003 Guigal Cote-Rotie La Turque 19 ½ (

)

Cote Brune, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $1,000 [ Cork, 49 mm; Sy 93%, Vi 7, co-fermented, average vine age 25 years, typically cropped at 35 hl/ha = 4.55 t/ha = 1.84 t/ac; Parker rating for year 96; NZ price at purchase $575; c. 28 days cuvaison, 42 months in 100% new barrels, all 228-litre; Parker in characterising the three Cote-Rotie grands crus, says of La Turque: a synthesis in style between La Mouline and La Landonne … not as tannic or muscular as La Landonne … nearly the same compelling aromatics as La Mouline … the Rhone’s answer to Burgundy’s great duo of grand cru vineyards, Richebourg and Musigny; J.L-L, 2011: dark robe; there are wisps of mineral, prune, ground coffee in a very solid bouquet – it shows airs of baked, hot plains and stones which are offset by the relative breeze of the mineral elements that include toasting and mint. The palate bears a lot of savoury fruit – is an affair of real depth and tasty generosity. This has great length, a wonderful roundness with the charge of the hot vintage at the end. Its freshness is striking, with poise and elegance lining up well. 2034-2036, *****; Robinson, 2006: Very interesting menthol note on this energetic, superripe, very opulent wine that is JUST this side of overripe but saved by acidity and freshness. Really dramatic and rich. So rich it tastes almost drinkable now. Tannins deeply submerged beneath a richly embroidered canopy of fruit. Obviously picked before end August, before grapes started to dry. Lots of glam oak, 19; Parker, 2007: 100; J Dunnuck @ Parker, 2016: I’ve always loved the 2003s from the Guigal family and the 2003 Cote-Rotie la Turque has yet to ever disappoint. An incredible perfume of smoked herbs, charred meats, violets, licorice and blackcurrants gives way to a huge, unctuous, powerful Cote-Rotie that has masses of ripe, sweet tannin, full-bodied richness and a finish that just won’t quit. Enjoy this heavenly elixir over the coming 2-3 decades, 100; Wine Spectator, 2007: Incredibly dense and concentrated, with a polished layer of mocha-infused toast pushed by blackberry, black currant, black tea and dark olive flavors. This has tremendous power, but is also very suave, with sweet, exotic fruit notes that linger endlessly on the long, fleshy finish. Best from 2010 through 2030. 210 cases made, 98; www.guigal.com ]
Ruby and velvet, nearly as fresh as La Landonne, but not quite the depth, the third deepest wine. Bouquet here is nearly as glorious as the La Landonne, the same fresh aromatic cassis but a little more dusky-rose floral, and not quite the depth. Once one knows the identity, you try to see how to recognise the viognier component, but it is near impossible. Palate is a little softer than the La Landonne, not showing the extraordinary depth of aromatic cassis that wine has, but the level of fruit and richness is comparable. Oak is detectable, lengthening the flavour wonderfully, but again not dominating. This is beautiful wine too, which could easily be marked as highly as La Landonne. Cellar 10 – 25 years. GK 05/17

1977 Fonseca’s Finest Vintage Port 19 ½ (

)

Douro, Portugal: 21%; $410 [ cork, 48mm; main grapes understood to be touriga franca and tinta roriz, touriga nacional, but no relative ratios found; Parker, 1989: Fonseca is one of the great port lodges, producing the most exotic and most complex port. If Fonseca lacks the sheer weight and power of a Taylor, Dow or Warre, or the opulent sweetness and intensity of a Graham, it excels in its magnificently complex, intense bouquet of plummy, cedary, spicy fruit and long, broad, expansive flavors. With its lush, seductive character, one might call it the Pomerol of Vintage ports. When it is young, it often loses out in blind tastings to the heavier, weightier, more tannic wines, but I always find myself upgrading my opinion of Fonseca after it has had 7-10 years of age. The 1977 has developed magnificently in the bottle, and while it clearly needs another decade to reach its summit, it is the best Fonseca since the 1970 and 1963, 93; Simon Field MW, of Berry Bros & Rudd: When last tasted in November 2010, the Fonseca impressed with both its charm, about which we knew, but also its structural power, about which we may have been less sure. The 1977s Port wines were much lauded on release, but one or two questions were asked as to whether they would ... last the course in the manner of the greatest vintages. Tasting ... the Fonseca was therefore reassuring: the black fruits, cassis and morello, are still evidenced, the spirit has integrated nicely and there is gentle spice on the finish. Fonseca's famous elegance pervades, effortless and evanescent; James Suckling @ Wine Spectator, 2008: What a Vintage Port. Dark ruby center, with a dark garnet edge. Aromas of flowers, blackberry and licorice. Subtle and complex. Wow. What a palate. Full, concentrated and rich, yet balanced and beautiful. Solid and sleepy. Still not giving all it has to give. This is just coming around. Gorgeous and classy. Love it. Drink now, 100; www.fonseca.pt ]
Glowing ruby and garnet, a sensational colour for 41 years of age, one of the two wines showing the most ‘red’ in the ruby, above midway in depth. Likewise the bouquet has a freshness and intensity to it which is remarkable, red fruits more than brown, wonderfully piquant and exciting, orange oil again, red cherry, red plum, currants, nougat and cedary oak lifted by alcohol, and a particular spicy quality reminiscent of cinnamon and grenache. In mouth the wine stands out for its concentration, richness, sweetness and length, while remaining fresh and exhilarating, chock-full of vintage port flavour, with a very long fruit-filled aftertaste, almost youthful. This wine has a great cellar future ahead of it, sensationally so given its 41 years of age. Two tasters had this as their second-favourite wine. GK 05/18

1971 Schloss Schonborn [ Erbacher ] Marcobrunner Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese QmP 19 ½ (

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Rheingau, Germany: – %; $ – [ cork, 45mm; in the handout I noted that the colour appeared deep, but Broadbent’s reviews indicated that may be no worry … and indeed that was the case. There is now an exact wine-searcher value for this bottle: $NZ2,042. The von Schonborn estate in the Rheingau amounts to 50 ha, planted 91% to riesling, the balance pinot noir and pinot blanc, with annual production totalling around 25,500 9-litre cases. Brook comments that though von Schonborn is one of the best-known estates in the Rheingau, quality was inconsistent until 1995. He further comments that von Schonborn is the principal owner of the 5.2 ha Marcobrunn vineyard. Soils are rich in marl [ie calcareous] and consistently yield rieslings that are rich, spicy and full-flavoured, but the richness and body may mean some loss of elegance. No notes for our wine, but to illuminate the colour and vocabulary aspect of our tasting, here are David Schildknecht’s (Wine Advocate) thoughts on the 2009 (NB) of our label: [ The wine is ] amber, viscous, and pungently smoky and spicy. Salted caramel, peach preserves, vanilla cream, and crystallized ginger inform a buttery palate rather incongruously laced with fresh lemon and adhering with formidable tenacity. ... one can only wait for 25-30 years to see whether harmony and further complexity emerge, 91. Half bottles of the current vintage of this TBA sell for €600 in Germany ... and total production of the 2009 was fewer than 70 half-bottles. To further illustrate, Michael Broadbent's 1992 notes on a 1971 von Schonborn Hattenheimer Pfaffenberg Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese: Harmonious, honeyed botrytis, outrageously lovely petroly Riesling, intensely sweet, concentrated, not of this world – no score given; www.weingut-schloss-schoenborn.de ]
Old mahogany with an old-gold edge, brass-rimmed, much the deepest wine. The first thing you notice as you pour the wine is, it is astonishingly ‘thick’. The second aspect is the remarkable freshness and volume of the bouquet, relative to its dark appearance. The fruits are dark, sultanas, sticky black raisins, fresh moist prunes in the best sense, spicy and nutty, a little oak, darkly honeyed with suggestions of beautiful caramel toffee, yet vibrant. Palate is velvet, again the finest moistest Christmas cake or traditional English Christmas pudding with ground almonds and spice, yet so much more exciting, and simply never-ending. One particularly knowledgeable taster of German wines spoke to the wine, describing it as 'ethereal'. For the group, this was the favourite wine of the evening quite clearly, a wine beyond the experience of most of us. Residual sugar must be approaching the 300 grams / litre range. For both this wine and the Kupfergrube, a slight question mark on the developed colour, since the wines were bought at auction, though of Wellington origin. Storage conditions may have been warmer than for the Josephshofer Trockenbeerenauslese, with its thought to be more ‘correct’ colour, as noted below. Could the wine have been even fresher, therefore, in different storage ? Tantalising thought. Memorable, even so: nine top rankings, three second places. GK 11/17

2010 Clos des Papes Chateauneuf-du-Pape * 19 ½ (

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Southern Rhone Valley, France: 15%; $204 [ cork, 50 mm; Gr 55 – 65%, Mv 20 – 25, Sy 10, others 5; all destemmed, 21 days cuvaison; elevation c.12 months in large foudres, no new oak; not fined or filtered; just the one cuvée of Chateauneuf; J.L-L: magic fruit; very long, beats 1990, ******; Robinson, 2012: Lots of black fruits on the nose (c’est très kirsché, says Avril approvingly) and a hint of animal and masses of matter. Lots of tannin and a bit of alcohol on the end. Needs lots of time. Very deep and long, 19; Parker, 2012: ... gorgeously pure black raspberry, black currant and kirsch liqueur notes intermixed with notions of spring flowers, tapenade, licorice and spice box ... full-bodied ... remarkably fresh and well-delineated, 99; typical production 6,500 – 7,500 9-litre cases; weight bottle and closure: 688 g; www.clos-des-papes.fr ]
Good ruby, scarcely distinguishable from the Caillou La Reserve in weight, fractionally fresher in hue, in the middle of the field for depth. The freshness and volume of red and black cherry fruit pouring from the glass here is extraordinary. It is not quite so garrigue-aromatic as the top Caillou, instead just a hint of cinnamon. Palate is a little fresher and more tanniny at this stage, but again wonderful potential texture. Wines like these remind you yet again how coarse in texture so much allegedly premium Australian red wine is, with their almost invariable tartaric acid adjustment harshness, further exacerbated by excess new oak. Clos des Papes has no new oak at all, yet has a superb tannin structure. This and the Caillou La Reserve are Chateauneufs of the highest rank, of a quality rarely encountered. Tasters did not share my enthusiasm for this wine, perhaps because it was wine 12 and fatigue was setting in (with the higher alcohols), perhaps because the wine is relatively subtle, only one person rating it second. Cellar 10 – 35 years. GK 06/17

2013 Trinity Hill Syrah Homage * 19 ½ (

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Gimblett Gravels mostly, a little Roy's Hill, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.1%; $120 [ cork 50mm; DFB; Sy 98.7%, fermented on skins only of Vi 1.3%, hand-picked from on average c.11-year old vines planted at c.3,000 vines / ha and cropped @ 5 t/ha = 2 t/ac; no cold-soak, cuvaison averaged 28 days (though one batch 56 days) with 30% whole bunches retained, mostly cultured-yeast; MLF mostly in tank; 12 months in French oak c.53% new; RS 0.23 g/L; sterile-filtered; dry extract not measured; production 556 x 9-L cases; release date November 2015; this pre-release evaluation bottle courtesy Warren Gibson; www.trinityhill.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, well above midway in depth, not quite as deep as the less-oaked Trinity Hill Gimblett Gravels Syrah. Dianthus / carnations are the signature note of fine Northern Rhone syrah. Even though the bouquet is infantile, there is already a beautiful foretelling of that character. Behind the florality is a tightly interwoven berry and oak synthesis showing a more French quality of elevation than most of the wines. The potentially floral qualities rest on rich ripe deep cassisy berry with wonderful purity. The key issue however in this wine, and several of the fine syrahs in this tasting, is the significant whole-bunch component, and the contribution that technique makes to perceived florality in the final wine. This approach borrows from the 'pioneering' work of Jacques Seysses of Domaine Dujac, in the Cotes de Nuits. I say 'pioneering' because he has merely put into practice certain older or traditional practices in Burgundy, which were becoming lost with the increasing mechanisation of grape harvest and pre-fermentation treatment. Homage clearly has greater oak exposure than Trinity's Gimblett wine, so some vanillin is showing too. Flavours are already very beautiful: this is total Hermitage in concentration, ripeness and depth, all characters near-perfect. The level of oak seems near-ideal by traditional Hermitage standards, the wine showing a sophistication of elevation that outshines the wonderful Matua Matheson wine, making this young Homage already graceful. Later info reveals time in barrel was 12 months, noteworthy. Many new-world tasters would however think it under-oaked. I am tempted to say this is the most perfect young red wine I have tasted from New Zealand. As you savour it, a suggestion of black pepper creeps into the cassis, subtly differentiating it from a high-cabernet wine. This is simply a great young wine, closely matching the finest Hermitage, to cellar for 5 – 25 years, maybe longer. GK 05/15

2003 Guigal Hermitage Ex Voto 19 ½ (

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Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $535 [ cork; Sy 100%, age 40 – 90 years; cropped at less than half the normal 35 - 37 hL / ha (1.7 – 1.9 t/ac), so less than 1 t/ac; fermented in temperature-controlled s/s, 5 weeks cuvaison; 42 months in new French oak; production 330 cases, much less than le Sol; the name Ex Voto embraces the thought of giving thanks; Parker 170: It is the most alcoholic of all the wines at 15%, but its off-the-chart richness, full-bodied, powerful, and amazing creme de cassis flavors along with truffle, crushed rocks, and acacia flowers, are utterly profound. 100; www.guigal.com ]
Ruby and velvet, nearly a hint of carmine, the deepest of the Guigal grands crus, in the middle across the set. Bouquet on this syrah is even more intensely cassisy than la Turque, and going back and forth between the two, it is now easier to detect the presence of viognier in la Turque – marvellous. The concentration of cassisy berry and syrah character is exceptional, what one hopes of Hermitage and these days, infrequently encounters. If one were to be really carping, there is trace raisiny / over-ripe character, yet it is so vividly cassis, and it was after all a hot dry year, who cares. Likewise, there is trace brett, at a level that is frankly delicious. On palate one immediately registers the alcohol. The label gives a completely imaginary figure of 13% (as for all the reds including and above the Brune & Blonde label). Parker records 15% and Tanzer 15.5%. Yet because the oaking is so beautifully incorporated with the fruit, there is no alcohol / oak interaction / harshness as bedevils Australian wines, the palate instead being more dry smooth blackcurrant liqueur. Extraordinary wine, the richest Hermitage I have ever tasted, infinitely desirable. Cellar 10 – 50 years. GK 06/07

2005 Drouhin les Musigny 19 ½ (

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Chambolle-Musigny Grand Cru, Burgundy, France: 13%; $487 [ cork; a Drouhin domaine wine; the meaning of the name lost in legend; upslope from Clos de Vougeot and les Amoureuses; hand-picked, fermentation in wooden cuves, cuvaison up to 20 days; MLF and up to 18 months in French oak up to 100% new; for many the subtlest yet finest of the grands crus; www.drouhin.com ]
Pinot noir ruby, one of the lightest, and clearly oak-influenced. And thus we come to the 2005 Drouhin les Musigny (I'm writing these from least to greatest), already a wine of fable for the 2005 vintage. Thankfully, the wines were presented rigorously blind, yet on being asked to speak to the final flight, there was no doubt in my mind that the middle wine was the best – whatever it was. The quality of the floral component on this pinot defies description, there being every sweet red and brown flower one can think of, and dark roses and violets too. In mouth, the fruit unfolds magically, layer upon layer of dark cherry, perfect acid balance, velvet texture, just everything great pinot noir should be. It is not as oaky as the Chambertin, but it seems richer and more intensely flavoured than even the Amoureuses. Possibly the acid balance is a little soft for the longest haul, but this is exquisite burgundy, the floral qualities suffusing the entire palate. Perhaps this wine will develop the mythical peacock's tail. All the overseas excitement about this wine seems totally true. Those who taste it are privileged. Local pinot winemakers who turned down the opportunity to do so were unwise. Cellar 5 – 25 years. GK 12/07

2003 Guigal Cote Rotie la Turque 19 ½ (

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Cote Rotie, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $535 [ cork; Sy 93%, Vi 7, 100% de-stemmed; average vine age 17 years; cropped at less than half the normal 35 – 37 hL / ha (1.7 – 1.9 t/ac), so less than 1 t/ac; fermented in s/s, 5 weeks cuvaison; 42 months in new French oak; Parker 170: an amazing aromatic profile of espresso coffee interwoven with scorched earth, tar, truffle, incense, blackberry, bacon fat, and flowers. Powerful, thick flavors ooze across the palate with a viscous texture, amazing purity, and just enough acidity and tannin to give uplift and precision … 100; Robinson: Very interesting menthol note on this energetic, superripe, very opulent wine that is JUST this side of overripe but saved by acidity and freshness. Really dramatic and rich. …. Tannins deeply submerged beneath a richly embroidered canopy of fruit. 19; www.guigal.com ]
Ruby and velvet, just below half way in depth of colour for the set, the second lightest of the grands crus. Bouquet is magical, a glorious combination of syrah berry at the point of ripeness where it is losing the lightest dianthus fractions of bouquet, but still is darkly red rose florals, on rich ripe cassis scarcely showing any hot-year raisining. The benison of viognier can be identified, once one thinks about it. This wine is in effect pure, no brett, for all reasonable discussion purposes. Palate is velvety rich. What does Guigal do to achieve such magical oak integration given 42 months in 100% new oak, all integrated into the body of the wine as in great chardonnay. The oak simply is not loud, a vivid contrast to the Grange. Aftertaste is perhaps the most over-ripe component, some chocolate notes in the intense berry, maybe a sort of Black Forest gateau suggestion at this point, yet wonderfully dry and long – just lovely. Alcohol is almost certainly more 14%-ish than the 13 given. 2003 La Turque finishes on berry, not oak, astonishing. Cellar 10 – 35 years. GK 06/07

2004 Penfolds Cabernet / Shiraz Bin 60A 19 ½ (

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Coonawarra and Kalimna, South Australia, Australia: 13.5%; $1,058 [ Screwcap, ullage c.25mm; original price c.$380; this wine is if anything more famous than Block 42, in that it takes its heritage directly back to 1962 Bin 60A, made by Max Schubert after his Bordeaux odyssey, and agreed by all those who have tasted it to be the greatest wine Penfolds has ever made. Penfolds considered the cool year 2004 to match 1962, and hence made this follow-up wine. It shows an incredible sense of heritage and perspective, to wait 42 years to try and make this second bottling. 56% of the wine is Coonawarra Block 20 cabernet sauvignon, the balance being shiraz from Kalimna Blocks 4 and 14, and Koonunga Hill Block 53G. Again, the Penfolds website is infuriatingly vague (and not enough effort made to correct mistakes), but Lisa Perrotti-Brown has access to Peter Gago, Penfolds chief winemaker, and advises that fermentation was completed in new American oak hogsheads, followed by 13 months elevation in similar barrels. Sources vary, but there seem to be about 500 x 9-litre cases of this wine (like the Block 42, but hard to be sure, now that 6-packs are the standard unit for these expensive wines). Victoria Daskal, Managing Editor at The World of Fine Wine, London, 2009: Tangy berries and minty nose. Very good fruit and prevalent oak. Advised to wait, but it is excellent now. Full flavour, layers of fruit, mint, oak, like hitting a flavour tune fork and feeling it reverberate on your palate: zesty and lively and young, 18; RP@RP, 2006: Its blackberry, blueberry, tar, lead pencil shavings, licorice, and spice box-scented bouquet is followed by a wine boasting an unctuous texture buttressed by decent acidity as well as fabulous extract and richness. This stunning blend should have a minimum of three decades of aging potential and be a true collector's item for many years to come, 98; weight bottle and closure: 712 g; ; www.penfolds.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, youthful for its age, in the middle for depth of colour. Bouquet is aromatic, piquant, enticing, with wonderful dark fresh berry characters approaching cassis in quality, though it is hard to tease out the berry from aromatic new oak. The wine has a faint pennyroyal lift, almost subliminal, but making it exciting to smell. It is not euc'y. Palate follows perfectly, not overly rich or overstated, the cabernet speaking much more loudly at this stage, the wine having reminders of a young Bordeaux such as Mouton-Rothschild (with its noticeable oak), but then the palate is softened and fleshed-out by silky shiraz fruit, feeling as if it were free-run juice. Any acid adjustment for this wine is subtly done, it thus pretty well escaping the great peril of many Australian red wines, a spiky added-tartaric finish. When compared with Cabernet Sauvignon Bin 707 of the same year, the wine is gentler, more bordeaux-like, not as obviously American oak, and in particular it finishes more attractively. Great wine, and so far as you can tell not in any way closed or compacted by being bottled under screwcap. Top wine for four tasters, the top wine in that respect, and one second-favourite. Thought to be cabernet-dominant by half the group. Cellar 20 – 40 years. GK 04/21

2010 Jaboulet Hermitage La Chapelle 19 ½ (

)

Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $300 [ cork, 55mm; Sy 100%, hand-picked from vines averaging 40 years age, Le Meal the main vineyard and others at c.2.5 t/ha (1 t/ac); website not forthcoming as to elevage, but Livingstone-Learmonth and Robert Parker have good info: all destemmed, c.22 days cuvaison temperature-controlled to max 30°C, MLF preferably in tank; oxygenation as needed, then 12 – 18 months (depending on vintage) in barrique, 20% new now, balance 1 and 2-year so now a modern approach to elevage; assembly in tank, may be fined, filtered; production now varies with vintage up to 2,900 x 9-litre cases, much less than the latter years of the Jaboulet family, coupled with a large percentage (say, 25%) now declassified to La Petite Chapelle and a further percentage completely declassified; with Jaboulet now owned by the Frey family of Ch La Lagune (who also hold 45 percent of Champagne Billecart-Salmon), the renaissance of the formerly famous but latterly sadly deteriorated Jaboulet house is now well in train. Rumours abound that La Lagune barrels are now in use for La Chapelle. Given the centuries-old links between Bordeaux and Hermitage, this makes sense; overseeing winemaker Caroline Frey graduated in oenology from the University of Bordeaux in 2002, dux of the class. There she met consultant oenologist (the late) Denis Dubourdieu, who she regards as her mentor and inspiration; Jancis Robinson, 2015: Exceptionally dark crimson. Dense yet opulent nose. Extremely ripe. Yet dry on the finish. This is much more sinewy and less offputtingly concentrated than the Grange 2010. Fine-grained tannins. Savoury and dramatic, 2016 – 2030, 18.5; Jeb Dunnuck, 2015: ... a blockbuster in the making, ... not for those craving instant gratification. Massively concentrated and dense, it offers sensational minerality to go with tons of dark fruits, bacon, black olive, beef blood and graphite. Building in the glass and showing more and more mid-palate density and serious amounts of tannin, this serious, chiseled and structured Hermitage needs to be forgotten for another decade, 2025 - 2060, 97+; Robert Parker, 2011, on the achievements of the new owners and Caroline Frey: ... this is one of the great qualitative turn arounds in the wine world. It is welcomed by all wine lovers given the historic legacy of the wines of Jaboulet and the importance of this famous firm in all of France. Ms. Frey, who is also responsible for the brilliant wines produced at La Lagune in Bordeaux, has reduced the amount of new oak for the red wines to about 20% and to negligible proportions for the whites; www.jaboulet.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, the deepest wine, a sensational rich and youthful colour. On smelling this, the immediate thought of young and great Bordeaux first flits across the mind: Mouton-Rothschild or Pichon Baron. Look again and it is exquisite spicy darkest syrah, a touch of black peppercorn in the spice, a freshness and lift in the cassis which is exemplary, and rather more new oak than the 2010 Chave (hence the Bordeaux thought). Palate confirms the bouquet in every detail, the wine perhaps not quite so rich as the Chave, but because of the oak every bit as big in flavour. And even so, the oak does not dominate or interfere unduly with the classic syrah flavour. I’d just prefer a little less. To judge from 1969 Jaboulet La Chapelle tasted recently, this could be a 50 year wine, just. Cellar 20 – 45 years. One top place, and two second-favourite votes. Only one taster thought this a Northern Rhone Valley wine, perhaps on the oak. GK 11/18

2010 Jaboulet Hermitage La Chapelle 19 ½ (

)

Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $399 [ 55mm cork; hand-picked from 40 – 60 year vines at < 2.5 t/ha (1 t/ac); website not forthcoming as to elevage, but Robert Parker reports 15 months in barrel, 20% new oak; Parker, 96+: great wine; Tanzer, 96: intensely perfumed (NZ winemakers please note, how do you smell floral components if the wine is over-oaked, vanillin alone is not enough); Robinson, 18+: real density; www.jaboulet.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a lovely colour and weight, the richest of the Jaboulets. Bouquet impresses first for its wonderful purity, then its eloquent expression of perfectly ripe cassis just grading into bottled black doris plums. This smells at the perfect point of varietal expression, in terms of my ripening curve for syrah (The World of Fine Wine, Issue 34, 2011). When you focus on the bouquet, there are dusky florals too, hinting at darkest red roses and violets, but also mingling with traces of freshly cracked black pepper. Tasting the wine is simply heavenly, it is a perfect condensation of all the aromas on bouquet, into a moderately rich yet not heavy wine of great clarity and focus, illuminated but in no way dominated by new oak. In this key component, it contrasts with nearly all the New Zealand wines. And it is wonderfully fresh. I imagine the 2009 is a bigger wine, but sadly it was not available for this tasting. If it is both larger and as fresh and focussed, then perhaps it is perfection, but meanwhile, this is definitive. Any person who loves syrah, and all New Zealand winemakers who make syrah, and therefore expect New Zealanders to pay them for it, are duty-bound to secure at least a 6-box of this wine. And preferably a dozen, for it will cellar for twice that time. It is an absolute benchmark wine. It is one of the most beautiful young wines I have ever tasted, comparable with 1966 Ch Palmer at release. Cellar 5 – 30 years. GK 06/14

2010 Ch de Beaucastel 19 ½ (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $130 [ cork, 55mm, ullage 16mm; original price c.$146; cepage varies a little each year around Gr 30%, Mv 30, Sy 10, Co 10, Ci 5, other authorised red varieties 8, and white varieties 7; more detail in the introductory sections; Wine Spectator Vintage Chart: … a late harvest resulting in beautifully ripe, racy, terroir-driven wines for aging. The spine of ’05 with extra flesh, 98; Marc Perrin: The main idea of 2010 is ripe, but fabulous balance. We had the same phenolics as '09, but 1.5 degrees less of alcohol ... It's back to the very classic style of the Southern Rhone … the wines are intense, but not heavy; J.L-L, 2013: The palate comes forward on sealed, dark fruits, lissom and live tannins, a joyful abundance ... 2018 – 2045, ****** (NB: 6 stars very rarely applied by J.L-L); JR@JR, 2011: Mourvèdre was especially good in 2010, apparently. Very dense and meaty on the nose. Appetising and no shortage of flesh but no heavy sweetness or alcohol. Really quite racy! Complex. 2015 – 2030, 18; RP@RP, 2012: This is a gorgeous wine ... with loads of bouquet garni, beef blood, blackberry, kirsch, smoke and truffle, this wine is full-bodied, rich ..., 2015 – 2045, 95; JM@WS, 2012: Aromatically, it's the purest Beaucastel I've ever experienced ... It's very intense without any heaviness, with remarkable freshness and purity ... It is clearly classic in quality and is easily among the elite vintages that Beaucastel has ever produced; JM later scored it 96; weight bottle and closure: 873 g; www.beaucastel.com ]
Ruby and velvet, a similar weight to the 2016 but fractionally older, marginally the deepest wine, but much, much lighter than the Penfolds last month. Total wine style is very close to the 2016, the wine pure and lightly aromatic, again the role of mourvedre apparent and reminding of cabernet sauvignon, but the whole wine smelling just a little richer. It is also a little drier / more tanniny, without quite the fresh berry bloom of the youthful 2016. There is a hint of beguiling garrigue, though. Palate is richer and more concentrated than the 2016, the richest in the set apart from the ultra-low cropping rate Hommage à Jacques Perrin, clearly aromatic, the dark mourvedre even more apparent, dark plum and nearly cassis flavours, with wonderful palate depth on the furry-tannins / berry flavours of the mourvedre component. Again the alcohol is very well hidden. I imagine this will take years to crust in bottle, leaving a fragrant soft wine like 1989 now, but pure. Four tasters rated the 2010 their favourite wine of the evening, and another four their second-favourite. Tasters were unanimous there was no brett. Magnificent wine, to cellar 20 – 45 years. GK 05/21

2005 Chapoutier Hermitage le Pavillon 19 ½ (

)

Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $349 [ cork; Sy 100% 65 years average age, from le Pavillon on mid to upper slopes on granite; hand-harvested "just beyond peak maturity"; 100% de-stemmed; fermented in open-top oak vessels, fermentation to 32 C, cuvaison up to 4 weeks; 15 – 18 months in 50% new French oak; regular racking; not fined or filtered; www.chapoutier.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a glorious syrah colour, though not quite the deepest. Bouquet is pinpoint syrah, the sweetest and purest of the four, wallflower florals in a firm way, clear-cut cassis, subtle black pepper, and lots of dark fruit best characterised as darkest bottled black doris plum. This suite of specific syrah varietal aromas is also exactly found in 2006 New Zealand Church Road Syrah Reserve, and 2005 Te Mata Syrah Bullnose, but in both cases without the firm authority of this wine. Palate is the perfect match, succulent in its richness (like the 2006 Church Road Reserve), but again firmer than the New Zealand examples even though seemingly less new oak-affected, wonderful dry extract, great cassisy length, and a clear black peppercorn and berry finish. Not for nothing did Professor Sainsbury describe red Hermitage as the 'manliest' wine in the world ! It is not a very big wine, but is perfectly proportioned. Cellar 10 – 30 + years. GK 07/08

2010 Cable Bay Syrah Reserve 19 ½ (

)

Western Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14.5%; $50 [ screwcap; Sy 97%, Vi 3, grown on a north-facing slope, hand-picked; co-fermented in s/s; 18 months in all-French oak, 33% new; Lisa Perrotti-Brown, 2012: ... warm blackberry, black currant, bacon and charcoal notes with a hint of black pepper. Some oak flavor is evident on the entry but is complemented by good black fruit concentration, vibrant acidity and a medium level of rounded tannins. This Syrah has a long finish and should drink well to 2016+, 89; Michael Cooper, 2014: The outstanding 2010 … is very powerful (14.5 per cent alcohol) and notably concentrated, with layers of blackcurrant, plum, black-pepper, coffee and nut flavours, underpinned by firm, ripe tannins. A majestic red … it should flourish for a decade, *****; www.cablebay.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a fine colour, but not one of the deep ones, the third to lightest. One sniff of this, and there is a florality, a sensuality and a beauty to this wine which is comparable only with the finest Cote de Nuits grand cru burgundy. Yet running alongside that statement, it is also clearly syrah: textbook florals including Prof Saintsbury's wall-flower (likely to be dianthus, then), sweet red roses, beautiful cassis, a touch of blueberry, and subliminal black pepper. This is extraordinarily beautiful syrah. Palate shows a restraint in oak handling which is in vivid contrast to the Guigal, and consequently a softness, suppleness and charm on palate which again takes one straight back to the Cote de Nuits. In a sense therefore it is exquisite pinot noir, but pinot noir on steroids. It is not as rich as the Chave or the Guigal, yet in some ways it is even more beautiful, and technically perfect. It is more Cote Rotie than Hermitage in style, with its softness, florality, and (no other word for it) femininity. Prof Saintsbury did after all hold the view that Hermitage was the most ‘manly’ of wines. On the night this was far and away the top wine of the tasting, 12 first places, three second – an extraordinary unanimity, and a remarkable result. In part that result reflects familiarity: it is telling that not one person present had ever previously tasted and compared the three great Hermitages La Chapelle, J. L. Chave and Ex Voto together (and blind on this occasion). We are isolated in New Zealand, and it is imperative winemakers assemble tastings to counter that. Eleven thought it Northern Rhone Valley wine, but curiously, only 2 Cote Rotie. Cellar 10 – 35 years. GK 11/18

1996 Pol Roger Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill Brut 19 ½ (

)

Epernay, Champagne, France: 12%; $418 [ cork; cepage PN 70%, Ch 30; understood to be no BF; en tirage c.9 years; little detail on the website; current vintage price in NZ c.$265; www.polroger.com ]
Straw, about midway in depth of hue. One sniff however, and any doubts arising from relatively forward colour are dispelled. This is the kind of champagne you dream of, once one has ever tasted Pol Roger's famous Churchill, or Bollinger's likewise RD. The depth of baguette-crust autolysis on bouquet has a quality to it reminiscent of Vogel's Original Mixed-grain lightly toasted, but there is no way the thought of aldehydes intrudes. As soon as you taste it, it is clearly high pinot noir, a certain firmness, richness and backbone, yet not fruity at all. The length of flavour resting on this more-pinot than chardonnay fruit, plus the extended autolysis qualities, together are a delight. Finish is infinite, perfect acid balance, dosage in the middle, maybe 8 g/L. This should hold for some years, but is perfection now. Highly rated by the group. GK 11/14

2007 Craggy Range Syrah Le Sol 19 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.2%; $100 [ cork; Sy 100% Limmer clone, (if like the 2006) hand-harvested @ just under 2.5 t/ac from a stony part of the vineyard; 100% de-stemmed, 2 days cold soak, wild-yeast fermentation in open-top oak cuves, 22 days cuvaison including cold-soak; no BF component; MLF and 20 months in French oak 40% new; RS nil; filtered; release date 1 June 2009, not on website yet, c. 1000 cases (of 12) of the 2007; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, midnight deep, glorious. Not to beat about the bush, Craggy Range's Syrah Le Sol is internationally their most famous wine after a mere six vintages (no 2003), and this 2007 is unequivocally the finest yet. It is the star wine in the 2007 Craggy Range premium releases. I don't have the previous vintages in front of me, but I have attended to each one closely. This wine is both lower in alcohol and lower in new oak than most of them, so on bouquet the saturation of explicit syrah cassisy berry complete with a touch of cracked black peppercorn seems much greater. There is almost a floral component, darkly wallflower, though one is at peril of 'willing' it to be there, so exciting is the bouquet. In mouth all the promise of the bouquet unfolds, aromatic cassisy berry and darkest plum dominant, a touch of black pepper, beautiful balance, no rough edges, a real beauty in the making. The depth of fruit is wondrous. This is both great New Zealand syrah, and a great Hermitage look-alike. It is therefore a praiseworthy retreat from the more heroic winestyle some earlier Le Sols presented.

To my mind, all that is needed now is even more emphasis on the floral component of the bouquet, for that is where the greatest Hermitage excels (and converges with great Cote Rotie). In discussing the wine, CEO Steve Smith related the picking is deferred in the Le Sol block until there is slight dimpling of the berry skin – a trace of raisining in effect. This must run the risk of some sur-maturité, of losing some floral precursors, relative to the sweet 'tree-ripened' fully mature grape at maximum plumpness. Think of how quickly a perfect big black plum changes from immensely fragrant and enticing to blowsy and over-ripe, if left on the tree. Picking a tranche of fruit for Le Sol a critical a few days earlier would not only optimise the critical dianthus and wallflower component of perfect syrah, but also maybe lower the alcohol slightly as a side benefit. The alcohol this year is 14.2%, and it gets away with it. But every point below 14% improves the silky texture of any wine (given full physiological maturity). On the floral side, Te Mata's Bullnose Syrah provides the most consistent New Zealand model so far (the 2005 particularly), since the best sites in the Ngatarawa Triangle have shown themselves to be superior to the Gimblett Gravels in achieving the exact floral components which characterise great syrah. Alongside this Le Sol, the 2007 Bullnose looks decidedly feminine and Cote Rotie-like, compared with the more imposing and Hermitage-like persona of Le Sol. This is the highest score I have given to a New Zealand wine, but whether that means it is the best New Zealand wine I have tasted becomes a bit rarefied. The key thing is, one must cellar it, and other contenders like 2005 Tom when released, to check such thoughts over the years to come. Cellar the 2007 Le Sol for 5 – 25 years, joyfully, for it is going to be relatively freely available, for the first time. VALUE, even at $100, when compared with good Hermitage. GK 03/09

1999 Guigal Cote-Rotie La Landonne 19 ½ (

)

Cote Brune, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $937 [ Cork, 49mm, ullage 7mm; release price c.$435; Spectator rating for year 96; a single 2 ha vineyard on the Cote Brune; typically Sy 100%, average vine age 35 years, typically cropped at 4.55 t/ha = 1.84 t/ac; in the winery, the grapes not usually destemmed, fermentation employs the submerged-cap technique to keep the cap immersed, minimum 28 days cuvaison, 42 months in 100% new French oak barrels, all 228-litre, the wine not fined or filtered; Parker, 1997 in characterising the three Cote-Rotie grands crus, says of La Landonne: … extraordinary density and power, as well as a brooding backwardness that is extremely impressive; JR@JR, 2005: Intriguingly mossy nose. Obviously hidden depths there. Very dry and quite tough at the moment. Very Landonne. Dark and racy yet with richness. Lots of ripe tannin very well complemented by ripe fruit, 19; J.L-L, 2011: a high mix of deep berry fruit, eucalyptus, licorice, Indian curry, garrigue herbs from the hot summer. A downhome, slightly funky note hovers. Decant this. The palate has a really silken debut, carries well with crunchy black fruit transported to us, before a crisp, decisive finale. It is almost still finding its way, is not there yet. It has a fine-tuned, not weighty depth. I consider today the Mouline to be the weightiest of the Big Three 1999s. This has not yet amplified – it runs straight down the line, and has mighty, scented tannins along its sides. Time still helpful here … One of most powerful Landonnes I`ve ever known – to 2036. ******; RP@WA, 2003: … the finest effort Guigal has ever coaxed out of this vineyard. It appears less animalistic than usual, offering gorgeously pure notes of incense, melted road tar, fried bacon, blackberries, blueberries, smoked meats, and vanilla. Literally out of this world in terms of flavor concentration and balance, the finish lasts well over 60 seconds. What is so remarkable about this cuvee is its tremendous layers of flavor, awesome texture, and perfect balance. This is an astonishing offering from one of the world’s greatest winemakers. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2030, 100; weight bottle and closure: 572 g ; www.guigal.com ]
Ruby and velvet, the third-deepest wine. The initial dominant note on bouquet in 1999 La Landonne is a spearmint character, very pure, but far exceeding garrigue complexity, and therefore not totally attractive. I cannot explain it, but happily, it faded. Below are obscured dianthus florals which became much more apparent with air, and good cassisy berry in a more robust presentation than La Turque, showing some reminders of Hermitage … as befits a 100% syrah wine. New oak is much more apparent than La Turque. Flavour is zingy and aromatic, sweet black pepper more apparent here, no hiding the comparison with Hermitage now, with the ripeness at picking perfectly pitched at cassis-level berry complexity and quality, the flavours saturating all corners of the mouth. Aftertaste is long and cassisy, the vanillin / new oak component building on the aftertaste. Though a rich wine, it does not seem quite as rich (in terms of dry extract) as La Turque. This too was popular, three top places and five second votes. In the New Zealand context, these two top wines, La Landonne and La Turque, provided an unparalleled learning opportunity for anyone critically interested in syrah the winestyle. Cellar another 20 – 25 years. GK 10/20

2009 Ch Montrose 19 ½ (

)

Saint-Estephe Second Growth, Bordeaux, France: 14%; $499 [ cork 50mm, ullage 16mm; original en primeur price $292; cepage CS 65%, Me 29, CF 5, PV 1, planted at 9,000 vines / ha; c.18 months in barrel, 60% new; pH 3.7; 17,000 x 9-litre cases; Montrose website: Vintage: The summer settled a hot and dry weather until the early fall ... Our obsession was to find the balance so fragile between the perfect maturity of the berries (sugar, tannin) and the freshness of the juice extended by an acidity. … Wine: an exceptional vintage of grand quality; J. Robinson, 2010: 72% of total production. Picked ... much earlier than Cos! Average yield 38 hl/ha. Extremely dark crimson with strong purple notes. Low-key but modestly confident nose – much more married than some recent vintages. Pretty raw and austere and very much St-Estèphe. Very inky finish. Lovely nose and succulence but a little bit tough on the end. Certainly harks back to classical St-Estèphe in a way that Cos very much doesn’t. 2017 – 2029, 16.5; J. Robinson, 2019: Fresh and concentrated. Really very luscious and beautifully balanced. This is looking most impressive now. Very Montrose and very 2009. Rich and ripe. 2018 -- 2040, 18.5; Robert Parker's first appraisal of the 2009 Ch Montrose in 2010, a wine he has twice subsequently marked 100 points, underlines his skill and ability to evaluate young wine accurately: If you think the 2003 Montrose (which merited 100 points) was powerful (13.2% alcohol), keep in mind that the 2009 Montrose came in at 13.7% alcohol. There is no sense of hotness, only extraordinary transparency and precision, allied to massive fruit intensity. ... this super-concentrated claret possesses a style reminiscent of the sumptuous 1990 combined with the structure of the 1989. ... the finish is endless. The flavor profile bursts with black currant, blackberry, and boysenberry fruit intertwined with hints of spring flowers and crushed rocks. Huge body, sweet tannin, and wonderful freshness make for one of the all-time great wines ever produced at Montrose, 96 – 100; R. Parker, 2014 ... an extremely open-knit and opulent blueberry, blackberry and creme de cassis nose. ... It is unctuously textured – thicker and juicier than the 2010 and more forward. 2019 – 2069, 100; weight bottle and closure 563 g; www.chateau-montrose.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, impenetrably deep, clearly the richest and deepest wine, magnificent. The bouquet is almost as rich and velvety, absolutely plush dusky berry inclining more to blackberry and the darkly plummy, almost suggesting merlot dominance, the cassisy cabernet component losing some aromatics in this warmer year. It is somewhat more Napa Valley cabernet / merlot wine in style, alongside the 2010 and particularly the 2005. Yet the wine is still fragrant, and nearly floral in a dusky, darkest roses way, so there is still much to please the classical claret lover. Palate follows naturally from the bouquet, but this is the only wine in the set where there is a hint of a higher alcohol level coming through, making the oak more noticeable. This wine and the 1996 represent the two ends of a desirable Ch Montrose character-spread, the 1996 intensely aromatic and leaner, the 2009 almost roly-poly in comparison. The style has its appeal, three first places, four second-favourites, but one taster rated it their least of the set. Too big for that taster – interesting ! Conversely, were this a San Francisco-based tasting, the 2009 would probably be the undoubted top wine. The dry extract in this wine is colossal, way over 30 g/L … I am sure. It was seen as technically pure. Cellar 50 years at least, but again, how you wish for 54 / 55 mm corks. GK 07/21

1995 Pol Roger Cuvee Sir Winston Churchill Brut 19 ½ (

)

Epernay, Champagne, France: 12%; $235 [ cork; cepage thought to vary around PN 75%, Ch 25; understood to be no BF, understood to be hand-riddled; www.polroger.co.uk not yet running; PR fluff only on the main website; www.polroger.com ]
Straw more than lemon, above midway in depth. Bouquet is one kind of champagne perfection, showing beautiful pinot fruit, in superbly complex baguette crust autolysis, deep and satisfying. Palate combines ripe fruit with the feeling of richness, yet there is no hint of fruitiness. The integration of the crusty autolysis component right through the palate is magical, lasting long into the aftertaste. There are suggestions of finest cashew, yet the wine is refreshed by marvellous acid as well as the bubbles. Like the 1996 of this label, recently tasted in non-note-taking circumstances, this is near-perfect champagne which will cellar well. It seems more brut than most. Residual could be hard to judge on a wine of this fruit quality and concentration, though. Cellar 5 – 15 + years. GK 11/06

2019 Domaine de Beaurenard Chateauneuf-du-Pape Boisrenard 19 ½ (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 15.5%; $138 [ cork, 50mm; Daniel and Frederic Coulon own 32 hectares in Chateauneuf-du-Pape, and another 25 in Rasteau, all farmed organically and biodynamically. Boisrenard is the top cuvée at Beaurenard, and is included to illustrate a (in one sense) ‘modern’ wine, though the Coulons emphasise tradition in discussing it. The youngest vines in this wine 65 years old, some Gr 122 years, all hand-harvested at c.2.4 t / ha = 1 t/ac ... a cropping rate rarely matched in New Zealand. All (now) 18 permitted varieties are used in Boisrenard … most in token quantities. The bunches are de-stemmed, but the berries scarcely crushed. Cuvaison is all wild-yeasts, can be up to 35 days, in oak vats. Elevation usually 18 – 21 months in foudres and some barriques, 20% new, but according to AC@JR, only 12 months in foudre for the 2019; not fined or filtered; production this label up to 1,650 x 9-litre cases; J.L-L comments on Beaurenard in general: Very good domaine, highly reliable, with admirable quality over the decades ... There is sleek fruit, very consistent quality ... The special red Boisrenard is overtly oaked, so allow plenty of time; for the 2019 specifically, J.L-L allows his highest praise, 6 stars, rarer even than 100 points chez Parker, saying: ‘a fabulous regal wine’: J.L-L, 2020: cask sample; immensely dark robe, almost all black. The bouquet is a sturdy, oaked do, with a firm black Morello cherry fruit aroma at its centre, notes of black olives; it mixes, for now, the cellar and the land. The palate draws on regal reserves of sève [sap] from the old vines, their effortless, uber suave richness, with prime, ripe tannins putting a layer of velvet into the finish. The texture is silken, and the depth comes from within, thanks to the old vines. There is fantastic, gliding richness on the second half, the length exceptional. This is a treat, a wine to leave until 2026, say, which will allow the oak to infuse further - if you open it earlier, you are committing a crime, since there will be too much oak. Its elements from the vineyard are top notch. ... 2050-52, ******; JC@RP, 2022: The 2019 Chateauneuf du Pape Boisrenard is 80% Grenache, with the balance a mix of the other permitted varieties. Fermentation took place in wood (including a small proportion of new barrels), with maturation in foudres. Scents of mint and garrigue accent black cherries and plum on the nose, and I thought I detected a hint of charred oak as well (tasted blind). Full-bodied, rich and velvety, this is a thickly textured, concentrated beauty, with a long, mocha-tinged finish. While it could use a year or two to soften, it should drink well for more than a decade. 93+; weight bottle and closure 623 g; www.beaurenard.fr ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, the deepest wine, a wonderful colour. Like most of the wines, initially poured the bouquet is reticent. It gradually opens up to darkest cassis and black cherry invigorated by lightly-aromatic garrigue notes, and fine cedary new oak suggestions. The berry-rich palate is totally saturated with very fine furry tannins, the flavour incredibly long, rich and satisfying, yet unlike so many deeper wines of this colour these days, bone dry to the finish. This is benchmark modern Chateauneuf-du-Pape in a serious cellaring style, accurately characterised by Livingstone-Learmonth. Boisrenard was the second-favourite wine in the tasting, eight tasters rating it their top wine, and three their second-favourite. The ideal advice would be to buy a case ... and leave it sealed for 20 years. On return you will find treasure. Cellar 20 – 40 years. GK 04/24

1997 Champagne Billecart-Salmon Cuvée Nicolas Francois Billecart Brut 19 ½ (

)

Mareuil-sur-Ay, Champagne, France: 12.5%; $154 [ traditional compound champagne cork; PN 60%, Ch 40, all grand cru vineyards; recent vintages have had no MLF component; some old-oak barrel-fermented base wines; long tirage perhaps 10 – 12 years or so, details not made available; dosage 4 – 5 g/L; website superficial; in a formal blind tasting in Stockholm in 1999, the 1959 of this label (judged from a magnum) won the title 'Champagne of the Millennium', judged against 150 of the finest 20th Century champagnes. A magnum of the winning wine later sold for £3,300; www.champagne-billecart.fr ]
Colour is rich straw, the deepest of the white champagnes. Bouquet is wonderfully pure, fragrant both from grapes and a depth of autolysis almost beyond baguette-crust into lightly toasted Vogel's Multigrain and suggestions of cashew. Pinot noir is the dominant fruit aroma. Palate immediately has this wonderful perfumed lift to it which seems to characterise the house, and it tastes of pinot meunier too, yet there is none in the cepage. Richness and texture of palate, and complexity of white cherry and cashew flavour, are most impressive, the fruit and flavour long and rich, even though the dosage is so low. This is grand cru vineyards, and conservative cropping rates, speaking. The palate is substantial, yet as with other great champagnes, it is not 'fruity'. This is glorious wine, to cellar 5 – 25 years. GK 04/16

1990 Champagne Bollinger Grande Année Brut 19 ½ (

)

Ay, Champagne, France: 12%; $435 [ Broadbent rating for vintage: *****, an exceptional year, the third largest on record; Wine Spectator rating for vintage: 97 [ the best in the last 40 years ], Drink or hold, big, powerful and full-flavored; PN 65%, Ch 35, BF and MLF, base wine matured in all-old oak, seven years en tirage, dosage c.8 g/L; Broadbent, 2002: … highest mark of 25 top champagnes … in Copenhagen, a well-nigh perfect wine with another 10 years to go. *****; Robinson, 2010: Pale copper. Rich and mushroomy on the nose. Broad and firm. Quite a bit of evolution but it's much less evolved than Dom P or Krug 1990. This could be the perfect moment to drink this. Wonderful persistence, 19; Wine Spectator, 1999: A sense of opulence marks this highly concentrated, creamy-textured 1990 Champagne, with its ripe, generous fruit flavors complementing the toasty, honeyed nuances acquired from aging on the lees. Lingering finish. Drink now through 2004. 20,000 cases made, 95 (NB: Wine Spectator Top 100, 1999); www.champagne-bollinger.com ]
Straw, just above midway in lightness. Bouquet is much fresher than the other Bollingers, quite extraordinary, showing great pinot noir depth and nearly aromatic fruit, with crust-of-baguette passing to Vogel's Multigrain autolysis, powerful, beautiful, a kind of perfection in the more substantial Bollinger style. Intentionally placed immediately after the 1996 Pol Roger Chardonnay, so tasters could contrast a chardonnay wine with a pinot noir-led wine, this is a much richer, weightier, obviously pinot-based and more aromatic wine, with a depth of autolysis that is powerful. The contrast is dramatic, flowers and sunshine versus a veal main-course dinner, yet both are beautiful. A wonderful wine in its inimitable way, but even this near-perfection not pleasing the anti-Bollinger tasters. The third most favoured wine for the group, equal with the 1975 Comtes. GK 05/16

2009 Domaine Bonneau du Martray Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru 19 ½ (

)

Aloxe-Corton Grand Cru, Cote de Beaune, France: 13.5%; $179 [ cork; biodynamic vineyards, average vine age c.40 years; full MLF, c.12 months in barrel, 33% new, with batonnage; Domaine Bonneau du Martray is the single largest holding in Corton-Charlemagne at 9.5 hectares; the website is simply a statement the establishment exists, and cannot receive visitors – no info; www.bonneaudumartray.com ]
Lemon, fresher than the 2010. Bouquet is everything good chardonnay should be, near acacia blossom florals, white stonefruits, crushed oystershell minerality, the slightest trace of high-solids odour acceptable at the sub-marzipan level, and likewise the oak playing second fiddle to the fruit complexity. New Zealand winemakers please note. Taken all together there is an integration here which is both powerful (in a velvet-gloved way) and beautiful. Palate however is where this wine triumphs, there immediately being tactile fruit richness of a quality scarcely ever encountered. This 2009 stands out from all the others in this respect, and reminds me of the 1971 Corton Charlemagne I used as a guiding light into chardonnay in early days, except there is more new oak. It is conceivable some could say the acid is on the gentle side, but I doubt it – the richness masks. The colour alone at third to lightest suggests perfect balance. Wonderful wine, richer than the Chartron Chevalier-Montrachet, to cellar 5 – 15 years, at least. GK 05/13

2009 Domaine Auguste Clape Cornas 19 ½ (

)

Cornas, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $293 [ cork, 50mm; New Zealand release price $125; winemaking as above; Wine Spectator vintage rating for the year, 96; J.L-L, 2016: The bouquet ... has a big, deep heart founded around coulis, intense blackberry, with licorice, buffed black leather. It’s still a little rugged. The palate starts on a rich, thorough display of black berry, black stone fruits, courses with vigorous content, and holds nothing back; its richness goes deep. The tannins are bright, and are helping its late clarity. It is only half a wine. The finish is tangy, concentrated on a bite of darkness. It is a bit like 1999. 2026 – 38, ****(*); RP@R. Parker, 2011: As close to perfect as a Cornas can be, this is the single greatest Cornas I have ever tasted. Its black/purple color is accompanied by notes of blueberry liqueur, blackberries, charcoal, incense, licorice and a subtle notion of smoke. This seamless, full-bodied, exquisitely pure, complex, savory blockbuster … will hit full maturity in 5-7 years, and should last for 25-30 years thereafter, 99; no domaine website, easiest background info on the Europvin website, ref. above. ]
Ruby, nearly carmine and velvet, the second deepest wine, not quite so brightly-hued as the 2010. Bouquet on this wine is wonderfully close to the 2010, nearly as floral, not quite so aromatic and black-pepper-lifted, again glorious cassis but also a hint of blackberries in the sun, as also seen in warmer years in Medoc wines. Like the 2010, you can't exactly smell oak, yet the wine would be totally different without it. This too is an exhilarating syrah bouquet, as big-year and warm in style as is possible while still retaining varietal accuracy and authenticity. Palate is just a notch riper than the 2010, more darkest plum and less cassis, less thought of florals suffused right through the wine, yet magically still retaining suggestions of sweet black pepper. In one sense, that is the test of maximum ripeness versus over-ripeness in syrah. Length of palate and finish is slightly softer and not quite as tannin-furry as the 2010. This 2009 was clearly the second most favoured wine by the group, two first places, six second. Cellar 10 – 30 years. GK 09/18

1982 Ch Cos d'Estournel 19 ½ (

)

Saint-Estephe Second Growth, Bordeaux, France: – %; $994 [ cork 50 mm, ullage 8 mm; original price c.$60; cepage then c.CS 60%, Me 40, planted at 8 – 10,000 vines / ha, average age of vines c.35 years, cropped at c.50 hl/ha (6.5 t/ha = 2.6 t/ac); typically 18 months in barrel, % new then c.75%, only slightly less than now (80%); Parker in 1991 thought Cos one of the best wines of the Medoc, its fleshy texture due to the high merlot, and at that point ahead of Ch Montrose; Broadbent, 2002: well-nigh perfect bouquet, gentle, harmonious; surprisingly sweet though finishing dry, good fruit, ****; Parker 1991: … a monumental wine ... explosive blackcurrant fruit ... massive, rich, full-bodied, and loaded with extract and tannin, this remains one of the greatest Cos d'Estournels I have ever tasted, 97; Parker, 2000: Sweet aromas of jammy black fruits intermixed with roasted espresso and vanillin jump from the glass of this young, concentrated, full-bodied, succulent effort. An opulent texture, low acidity, and splendidly pure, concentrated, blackberry and cassis fruit suggest this 1982 can be drunk now, or cellared for another 15-20 years, 96; W. Kelley, 2022: Remarkably youthful and saturated in appearance, it exhibits inviting aromas of sweet berry fruit, plums, licorice and pencil shavings, followed by a full-bodied, fleshy, lusty, almost unctuous palate of notable concentration and depth. Its fleshy core of fruit is still framed by sweet, powdery tannins, 96; weight bottle and closure 567 g; www.estournel.com ]
Glowing ruby and some garnet, in the middle for weight of colour, but the second reddest / most ruby and fresh in hue. Bouquet is restrained, you have to work at it, to reveal a silken and nearly floral delicacy – fading roses – with red fruits dominating now, bottled plums, plus the subtlest hint of brown fruits (for example moist dates) and subtle cedary oak. Palate is supremely elegant, velvety, beautiful berry with fine-grained cedary oak shaping but not obtrusive. Seen as the most balanced and harmonious of all the wines by tasters, seven first places, clearly aromatic, cabernet sauvignon-led, no faults at all. Intensity of flavour, power without weight, very beautiful silky claret indeed, no wonder Jancis Robinson liked it so much. As is so often the case with bottles showing a hint of reductive odours in the first few years after bottling, there is now no hint of that aspect. Perfect maturity now, but has the balance to last some years. GK 11/23

1970 Ch Ducru Beaucaillou 19 ½ (

)

St Julien Second Growth, Bordeaux, France: – %; $ – [ CS 65%, Me 25, PV 5, CF 5; 49 ha, 17 000 cases. Broadbent (2002) considers Ducru, Latour and Cheval Blanc the wines of the vintage *****, and Parker (1991) rates the 1970 the best Ducru between 1961 and 1982, 91. ]
Ruby and garnet. Bouquet on this wine is still very beautiful, as it has been from day one. There is a heavenly integration of (now fading) flowers, cassis, pipe tobacco, cedar, and red fruits. Palate is supple and lovely, still with cassis but mellowed out, all the bouquet characters totally integrated into fully mature classic claret, perfectly balanced, still lovely body, not too oaky as some of the first growths are, the wine drying a little. 750s are at the tail end of the plateau of maturity, or tapering off it, and should be enjoyed in the next five or so years while there is still supple fruit. Wines like this provide the complete answer to the doubters: why cellar wine. Such ethereal silky beauty is hard to imagine in still-youthful wines, let alone the infantile ones off the shelf. GK 03/05

1970 Ch Ducru-Beaucaillou 19 ½ (

)

St Julien Second Growth, Bordeaux, France: – %; $ – [ cork; CS 65%, Me 25, PV 5, CF 5; 49 ha, 17,000 cases. One of the finest clarets I have ever tasted, not big, but very beautiful. Broadbent 1980: classic but undeveloped bouquet; concentrated, deep, stern and unyielding, but great potential. ****, till 2010. In 2002: [ Re the 1970 vintage ] … leaving aside Latour, I rate Ducru and Cheval Blanc as the best wines. The most recent bottles at best superb, sweet-nosed, harmonious, perfect flavour and balance … drying. ***** Parker 1991: the best Ducru between 1961 and 1982. Impeccably balanced, smooth as silk, till 2000 91, and 1996: This wine has been fully mature and delicious for many years, so I was not surprised by how stunning this bottle was. It has always been an outstanding wine for the vintage - complex, rich, savory, and the quintessentially elegant Bordeaux. This beauty continues to reveal the fragrance and finesse that one expects from Lafite-Rothschild but so rarely finds. A fragrant, complex bouquet of cedar, herbs, vanillin, fruitcake, and coffee is followed by a soft, gentle, graciously-constructed wine with sweet layers of fruit. I am not sure how much longer the 1970 Ducru will keep, but from regular bottle, it is delicious and should be consumed. How nice it would be to have a stock of magnums of this wine in the cellar! 92; www.chateau-ducru-beaucaillou.com ]
Ruby and garnet, a good ratio of ruby, one of the deepest. One sniff, and this is heaven, exactly what mature claret or cabernet / merlot from an appropriate temperate climate should smell like: deeply floral even violets, wonderfully mature but not obviously browning cassis, total cigar-box integration of the dark tobacco and cedar, and great volume – just pouring from the glass. Palate follows perfectly, displaying a poise and elegance of flavour so much dreamed about, so rarely encountered, in a wine-tasting career. This wine is still fresh, vibrantly cassisy, yet gentle and harmonious, all the characters on bouquet lingering wondrously on the aftertaste. Other wines (in other tastings) may be bigger and thus score higher for those to whom size is important, but this is perhaps the most beautifully fragrant and poised Bordeaux blend I have ever tasted. Like 1966 Ch Palmer, it has been beautiful from youth to maturity. Now fully mature in a temperate climate cellar, but no hurry. Clearly the top wine in the blind tasting, 15 of 22 tasters rating it their first or second-placed. GK 03/10

2010 Ch Leoville Barton 19 ½ (

)

Saint Julien Second Growth, Medoc, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $240 [ Cork, 50mm, ullage 13mm; $196 landed; the 2010 is CS 77%, Me 21, CF 2, vineyard average age 40 years, planted to 9,100 vines / ha, increasingly tending to organic practice; all hand-harvested, then optical sorting; fermentation in wooden cuves, cuvaison up to 21 days, elevation 16 – 18 months in 60% new barrels; average production 22,000 x 9-litre cases; consulting oenologist Eric Boissenot (also Las Cases); A Jancis Robinson Top 20 of 2010 wine; Farr Vintners frequently imply that Leoville Barton is the quintessential Englishman's claret, a wine which sells itself, year in, year out. For the 2010 they comment in 2011: Pure cassis on the nose with a classy overlay of oak. On the palate this is classically structured with a black cherry and blackcurrant core, ripe, rounded cedary tannins, freshness and impeccable balance. Intense sweet fruit yet dry and firm. Controlled and refined. This is what great Bordeaux is all about, 17.5+; RP@WA, 2013: ... the Leoville Barton is one of the spectacular wines of the vintage ... It is a classic, powerful Bordeaux made with no compromise ... notes of pen ink and creme de cassis, good acidity, sweet, subtle oak, and massive extraction and concentration. ... The beautiful purity, symmetry, and huge finish ... make this one of the all-time great classics from Leoville Barton. Anticipated maturity: 2028-2065+, 96+; website demanding; weight bottle and closure: 592 g; www.leoville-barton.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, the third deepest of the wines, very fresh. One sniff and the excitement / pleasure is extraordinary. This wine shines a laser beam on the concept ‘cassis’ as a marker / descriptor for high-cabernet wines. There is a purity of Médoc character here which eclipses even the Montrose, because the ratio of cabernet sauvignon at 77% is so much higher. Thus there is a freshness and depth of florality giving the bouquet a rare authority, for the West Bank. And it is totally free of the complexity notes sometimes encountered in yester-year Barton. Palate likewise has a freshness and aromatic quality bespeaking perfect ripeness of the cabernet sauvignon, showing what a great and complex grape it is when perfectly ripened in temperate climates, and then not over-oaked. It is not as rich as the off-the-scale Montrose, and does not need to be. This wine too is near perfection for young West Bank claret. The length yet lightness and freshness of the aftertaste is a delight. Two people rated Leoville Barton their top wine, and six as their second favourite. The finest young Leoville Barton I have tasted. Cellar 20 – 50 years. GK 09/20

2000 Ch Leoville Las Cases 19 ½ (

)

Saint-Julien Second Growth, Bordeaux, France: 13%; $535 [ Cork 54 mm, ullage 13 mm; landed cost $300; along with Ducru-Beaucaillou and the other two Leovilles, Las Cases has long been one of the top four wines of Saint-Julien – and considered by many to be undoubtedly the top wine. It is one of the top three (of 12) contenders for the rank Super-Second. Ducru-Beaucaillou has been owned outright by the Delon family since the mid-1900s, following a long acquisition programme extending over most of the century. They also own Ch Nenin and Ch Potensac. Cepage then more CS 65%, Me 20, CF 12, PV 3, but the PV since removed; average vine age 52 years, planted at 8,600 vines per hectare, and cropped at an average of 46 hl/ha = 6 t/ha = 2.4 t/ac; cuvaison to 20 days in temperature-controlled vats variously s/s, concrete and oak; elevation varies according to vintage, but can be to 24 months, with at least 50% sometimes even 100% new oak; the winery has adopted new technology such as reverse osmosis in some years; Brook 2007 considers Las Cases the richest and most powerful of the Saint-Julien wines: A run of fine vintages reaches its climax with the magnificent 2000, with its intense, blackcurranty nose, its sumptuous fruit and powerful structure, its huge tannins and striking length of flavour; JR @ JR, 2005: As deep as Léoville Barton, but with more aroma. Real lift and interest on the nose, then tea leaves on the palate. Racy, lively, and full. A good, racy wine. Very impressive already, 18.5; RP @ WA, 2003: This wine has put on weight and, as impressive as it was from cask, it is even more brilliant from bottle. Only 35% of the crop made it into the 2000 Leoville Las Cases, a blend of 76.8% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14.4% Merlot, and 8.8% Cabernet Franc. The wine is truly profound, with an opaque purple color and a tight but promising nose of vanilla, sweet cherry liqueur, black currants, and licorice in a dense, full-bodied, almost painfully rich, intense style with no hard edges. This seamless classic builds in the mouth, with a finish that lasts over 60 seconds. Still primary, yet extraordinarily pure, this compelling wine, which continues to build flavor intensity and exhibit additional layers of texture, is a tour de force in winemaking and certainly one of the great Leoville Las Cases. In another sense, it symbolizes / pays homage to proprietor Michel Delon, who passed away in 2000. Michel has been succeeded by his son, Jean-Hubert, another perfectionist. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2040, 99; production averages 18,000 x 9-litre cases of the grand vin; weight bottle and closure: 553 g; www.domaines-delon.com ]
Youthful ruby, nearly carmine and velvet, the third deepest and clearly the youngest wine on the table. Bouquet is simply sensational, the richness of fragrant deeply floral dark roses and heliotrope on berryfruit complexed with subtle cedar – the epitome of concept claret (West Bank). This seems a wine of First Growth quality, the bouquet very exciting. Palate is scarcely any less, a velvety depth of cassis, blueberry and bottled black doris plums all lengthened on fragrant cedary oak but in no way dominated by it, the wine showing textbook precision, richness and length, yet not at all heavy. Bordeaux blends don't need to be much better than this: a beautiful wine at the very start of its plateau of maturity. Four people had Las Cases as their top wine, six as their second favourite. A great experience. Cellar 20 – 30 years. GK 11/20

1986 Ch Margaux 19 ½ (

)

Margaux First Growth, Bordeaux, France: 12.5%; $878 [ Margaux First Growth, Bordeaux, France: 12.5%; $878 [ Cork, 53 mm; CS 75%, Me 20%, PV & CF 5; 22 – 28 months in new barrels; 33,000 cases; Peppercorn: At its best Margaux is one of the most sumptuous and sensual of Medoc wines, with all the perfume and finesse of a fine [ district ] Margaux, allied to more body. Broadbent: A masculine Margaux. In 2000: … crisp fruit opening up beautifully; sweet, lovely, attractive but very tannic. Give it lots of time. *(***); Robinson, 2008: Very tight and unyielding. Mineral with a slightly dry end. Still very taut. I would wait awhile for this, 17+; Parker, 1996: The 1986 Margaux continues to be the most powerful, tannic, and muscular Margaux made in decades. Did the 1928 or 1945 have as much power and depth as the 1986 ? The reluctant nose shows aromas of smoky, toasty new oak and black currants, and a few flowers. The wine is mammoth, with extraordinary extract, superb balance, and a frightfully tannic finish. This is a Margaux of immense stature, made in a masculine, full-bodied style. It should prove nearly immortal in terms of aging potential, but will it have the awesome potential I first predicted? 2000-2050, 96; and the last word to the chateau itself, with its website going back through every single vintage of the 1900s, so contrasting with the blinkered here-and-now approach of so many New Zealand wineries: 1986 was an amazing vintage, including the very slow evolution almost of wines from a previous generation; the tannic structure is very tight, very dense and does soften with difficulty over time. The bouquet now begins to open [ 2007 ]; but we feel that it still shows a small part of its huge potential. The palate is full and rich, still firm … ; bottle weight 563 g; www.chateau-margaux.com ]
Ruby and garnet, fractionally deeper and redder than the Mouton, the deepest colour. Bouquet is enchanting. Here in contradistinction to the Mouton, the cassisy berry is in the ascendant, with a depth and complexity even after 30 years including a suggestion of violets florals. For most people the purity of bouquet was stunning, but a couple of experienced tasters felt this particular bottle showed slight impairment. In mouth the comparison and contrast with the Mouton was spectacular, even at the blind stage these two wines showing a complexity and nobility of the fruit / oak interaction which eclipsed the other 10 bottles. The quality of cassis-oriented fruit on palate here is magical, the fruit dominating the oak but still totally shaped by it. The palate is nearly as concentrated as the Mouton, with the aftertaste enormously long on berry, and cedary oak too, but much less so than the Mouton. Comment in the room suggested 1986 Ch Margaux is distressingly variable in bottle, sadly, so every opening is a prayer of hope, and chance. This is the best bottle I have seen, by far. For the group, this wine was almost as clearly top wine as the Mouton, nine votes for favourite or second place, but it spoke more clearly as being of First Growth quality, eight thinking it so. Total balance in this wine seems near-perfect, and good bottles will cellar for another 10 – 30 years easily. GK 08/16

2003 Ch Montrose 19 ½ (

)

St Estephe Second Growth, Bordeaux, France: 13%; $160 [ cork; CS 62%, Me 34, CF 3, PV 1, planted to 9000 vines / ha, average vine age 43, cropped @ 35 hl/ha (c. 1.8 t/ac) in 2003 (against an average of 42 (2.2 t/ac)); 3 – 4 week cuvaison, temperature-controlled; MLF in tank; 18 months in French oak 50 – 70% new; Parker: This superb, huge, ripe wine is one of the vintage's most prodigious offerings … blackberries, cassis, fabulous purity, substantial tannin ... 97; Robinson: ... deep and dense in every way, yet wonderful freshness ... not a hint of over-ripeness ... the tannins beautifully ripe and sustained. 19; price has increased markedly since landing. ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, the second deepest of this set. Top wine of the tasting for me was second-growth Ch Montrose. It showed a concentration of pure cassis, dark florals (violets) and black plum fruit which reigned supreme, essence of cabernet / merlot, shaped by classical cedary oak, but not dominated by artefact-laden charry / coffee oak as is increasingly the trend in modern bordeaux. Palate is unbelievably dense, pure, super-concentrated and crisp, showing wondrously ripe cassis and pipe-tobacco notes, but no sur-maturité. Acid balance is fresh and excellent, and the grape tannins are marvellous, shaped by but again not dominated by classically-styled oak.

This is absolutely great claret, as inspiring to me now as 1966 Ch Palmer was in my formative wine years. It is made in the way bordeaux traditionally has been, essence of bordeaux, Englishman's claret, before public taste shifted towards the more obvious flavours beloved by American wine commentators – chocolate, coffee and other artefacts deliberately added to the wine by the winemaker, via cooperage tricks. In the tasting, my enthusiasm for the wine was regarded as a little iconoclastic by the gathering, perhaps because I draw my yardsticks from earlier vintages (and practices) than most attending. I will therefore note in passing that it is Jancis Robinson's top bordeaux of the vintage. This Montrose should cellar for 20 – 40 years easily (as the aforementioned 66 Palmer has, I can confirm) – it should not be touched for 10 years. Very little reached New Zealand – just a few cases – so if you ever see it at auction, grab it. It won't be cheap – this wine's reputation will grow by the year. GK 10/06

2010 Ch Mouton Rothschild 19 ½ (

)

Pauillac First Growth, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $1,850 [ cork 50mm; DFB; CS 94%, Me 6; average vine age c.50 years; 100% new French barriques for 19-22 months; c.25,000 cases; www.chateau-mouton-rothschild.com ]
Ruby and velvet, still nearly carmine, the second deepest wine. Freshly opened, the wine smells like a caricature of new-world me-too oaky charry cabernet. But as it breathes up in the glass, the oak transforms into beautiful cedar saturated with glorious cassisy berryfruit. The next day the berry is even showing floral and lighter notes of instant appeal, very beautiful. Below the berry and plum there is a thread of pipe tobacco, adding complexity. Flavours in mouth marry cassis and cedar with enormous body, texture and presence, which to my taste (the following day) is compelling, once some of the obvious early oak has blown off / softened. The dry extract here is of reference quality, making so many New Zealand claims to red wine excellence simply hot air. This is a glorious wine, to cellar 20 – 50 years. But who could, at the price now. Even en primeur, it was around $NZ1600 landed. And in the blind tasting, because it had had the benefit of air, it did turn out to be the absolute top wine in 45 – a comfort considering the price. GK 03/15

1990 Ch Pichon-Longueville Baron 19 ½ (

)

Pauillac, Bordeaux, France: 13%; $475 [ cork 48mm; CS 60, Me 35, CF 4, PV 1, average vine age 30 years, planted 9,000 vines / ha; typically cropped at 5.85 t/ha = 2.34 t/ac; 15 – 17 day cuvaison, 15 – 18 months in barrel, 70% new oak, some MLF in barrel; fined, no filtration; production up to 20,000 cases (then); Robinson, 2014: Classic cedary nose ... not as intensely fruity as it once was. A few lightly dusty tannins in the background. Very appetising though. Good fragrance. Opened up in the glass to become an absolutely classic left bank claret with just the right amount of fruit and an appetising but not painful dry cedary finish. I can't see it getting any better though. Fruit is gentle, fading, 18; Parker, 2009: one of this estate’s two or three finest wines made in the last 40 years ... creme de cassis, blue and black fruits, and a hint of licorice as well as an impressively long finish ... another two decades or more, 97; www.pichonbaron.com ]
Ruby and velvet, some garnet, a lively hue, the third deepest wine. Bouquet epitomises the magic of the claret winestyle, showing a sensational volume of browning cassis, cedar and brown pipe tobacco, plus a floral suggestion nearly port-wine magnolia or violets, all totally moulded into a heavenly whole, simply soaring from the glass. Cabernet / merlot doesn't get much better than this. Palate follows perfectly, rich yet light, vibrant cassis, singing, refreshing, not over-ripe, the ratio of berry to tannins (both grape and oak) near-perfect. At a peak, but will hold for years. The loveliest wine experience I have had for years. Top equal wine for the group, 11 votes for favourite or second wine. GK 10/15

1996 Champagne Pol Roger Chardonnay Extra Cuvée de Reserve Brut 19 ½ (

)

Epernay, Champagne, France: 12%; $251 [ traditional compound champagne cork; Broadbent rating for vintage: ***** (tentatively, not tasted at point of publication); Wine Spectator rating for vintage: 96 [ second only to 1990 ], Drink or hold. Ripe and intense; firmly structured and potentially long-lived; Now labelled Blanc de Blancs, Ch 100%, MLF, no oak, 8 – 9 years en tirage, dosage c.9 g/L; in my view, this vintage is benchmark champagne; Robinson, 2006: Extremely lively mousse. Wonderful meat and two veg nose – broad and yet dense. A certain creaminess reminiscent of cream soda. Lots of interest here with something reminds me a bit of Dom Pérignon character. Very tight knit underneath too but there is sufficient bouquet already to keep one entranced, 18.5; Wine Spectator, 2004: Subtle, with elegance and verve, this firm, lean bubbly has graphite, ginger and candied fruit embedded into its marblelike structure. It appears glacial in its advance, so be patient. Best from 2006 through 2015, 92; www.polroger.com ]
Straw yet still with a lemon wash, the lightest wine and a remarkable hue for 20 years age. On bouquet the wine still shows citrussy chardonnay, exquisite crust-of-baguette autolysis, and great purity of mealy chardonnay fruit. Palate is succulent yet taut, perfect chardonnay citrus and only slightly mealy flavours (as yet), fresh baguette crust notes scarcely deepened to any Vogel's analogy, not at all biscuitty, great length. Tastes a little drier than the given dosage, on the acid. A lovely wine which gave great pleasure to many tasters, being the second most favoured. GK 05/16

2010 Vieux Chateau Certan 19 ½ (

)

Pomerol (one of the top growths), Bordeaux, France: 14.5%; $540 [ Cork, 50mm, ullage 12mm; landed $440; the 2010 wine is Me 86%, CF 8, CS 6, the latter unusual for Pomerol, average vine age 50 years, max crop permitted per vine 1,000 g, all cropped at 4.6 t/ha = 1.8 t/ac; fermentation in temperature-controlled oak cuves or s/s, a little cooler than most at 28°C; elevation 18 – 22 months in 100% new barrels; production 5,000 x 9-litre cases. The chateau considers 2010 a perfect year: ... a concise year, with low yields: small berries that were well nourished by perfectly healthy vine canopies with maximum photosynthesis potential. 2010 is a ripe, tannic, balanced wine with amazing fruit and wonderful acidity. The Merlot is dense, vinous, suave, full, and with breed. It simply rolls around the palate. The smaller proportion of Cabernet Franc is lace-like in texture, ripe, complex, flavoursome and very lingering on the palate. The Cabernet Sauvignon is lively, delicious to taste and savoury. Even in such a small proportion, it brings that touch of freshness that is necessary in the final blend. A Jancis Robinson Top 20 of 2010 wine; JR@JR, 2011: ... floral and scented and pretty. Very concentrated and intense. ... Lovely completeness. Great balance and build. Very, very long. ... Very serious – a marvellously intellectual Merlot, 18.5; JR@JR, 2020: Very complex, distinctive nose. Sweet Indian ink on the nose. Wonderfully flattering glossy texture with more nuance than many 2010 right-bank wines. There are depths to this with beautifully ripe tannins in abundance. Why couldn’t everyone manage this? This is an outstanding wine by any measure, with the Cabernet adding so much, 18.5; RP@WA, 2013: Thienpont thinks he has produced three wines - 2008, 2009 and 2010 - that are the greatest trilogy in the history of Vieux Chateau Certan, rivaling what this estate did in 1947, 1948 and 1949; L.P-B@WA, 2020: the nose opens as a complete spice-bomb, featuring notes of fenugreek, cumin seed and cinnamon stick over a core of Black Forest cake, plum preserves and blueberry pie with hints of fragrant earth and crushed stones. Full-bodied, rich and seductive in the mouth, it is laden with layers of black and blue fruit preserves, framed by super plush tannins, finishing epically long and perfumed, 100; owned by the Thienpont family since 1924 ... the much sought-after Ch Le Pin is also in the wider family; the Thienpont family also includes consulting oenologists; Vieux Château Certan is one of the top few Pomerols, in some years (eg 2010) outclassing Ch Petrus; weight bottle and closure: 554 g ; www.vieux-chateau-certan.com ]
Fairly fresh ruby and some velvet, the second lightest wine, with more development showing. There is nothing light about the bouquet, however, it showing a softness, freshness and typicité bespeaking high merlot made fragrant with cabernet franc (and trace cabernet sauvignon, unusual for Pomerol). Bouquet is both floral, roses and lilac, with beautiful fragrant cedary oak quietly underpinning, on plummy, redcurrant and blueberry fruit. So sleek and enticing. Palate is exactly the same, much richer than expected, the longer flavour bottled omega plums and blueberry. This is very beautiful wine contrasting vividly with the more aromatic cabernet sauvignon dominating the Leoville Barton. In their purity and depth of berry flavour, and the subtlety and beauty of their oaking, they make a special pair of 2010 Bordeaux, epitomising the contrast between east and west bank wines. This is near perfection in young east bank claret. Seven people rated Vieux Chateau Certan their favourite wine, and three had it second, making it the ‘top’ wine of the tasting. Half the tasters accurately recorded this as a merlot-dominant wine. Cellar 20 – 40 years. GK 09/20

2001 Ch d’Yquem 19 ½ (

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Sauternes Grand Premier Cru, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $600 [ cork; Se 80%, SB 20, planted to 6500 vines / ha, cropped @ c. 8 hL/ha (0.4 t/ac), average vine age 30 years; BF and 42 months in new French oak; Parker:… this perfect sweet white … with airing, honeyed tropical fruit, orange marmalade, pineapple, sweet creme brulee and nuts … full-bodied, refreshing acidity … will take its place amongst the legendary vintages of the past … 100; Robinson: Quite exceptionally rich, heady and unctuous on the nose … extremely round and complete with just a hint of bitter marmalade … super-ripe … heavy botrytis … 19.5; Wine Spectator also rate it 100 points; price has increased markedly since landing; www.chateau-yquem.fr ]
Lemon with a faint gold wash, the lightest of the three sauternes. So much has been written about this wine from the great 2001 vintage in Sauternes, and so many having described it as the perfect 20-point /100-point wine, it is redundant to describe it further. At this stage it is infantile, the new oak (for 42 months) obtrusive. It is not as rich as I had imagined, the residual sugar being a relatively low 150 g/L, but the concentration, length and aftertaste are superb – a function of the sugar-free dry extract being approximately 50 g/L, an extraordinary figure. The staggering quality is the acid balance, so dramatically piquant and fresh compared with all the 2003s I have tasted. This freshness is where the 2001 sweet Bordeaux excel. In 10 years time the wine should be magical. To quote Robert Parker again: Everything is uplifted and given laser-like focus by refreshing acidity. It will cellar for decades. GK 10/06

2007 Craggy Range Merlot Sophia 19 + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.3%; $50 [ cork; DFB; Me 85%, CF 9, CS & Ma 6, hand-harvested; if like the 2006, cropped @ c.2.6 t/ac; 100% de-stemmed; inoculated ferments in oak cuves; 19 months in 60% new French oak; fined and filtered; production around 2000 cases, exported widely; release date 1 June '09, not on website yet; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby carmine and velvet, a glorious young claret colour, one of the densest in the set, much richer than 2007 Coleraine. And the bouquet is pretty glorious too, explicit merlot florals uplifted by the alcohol, but in this instance, seemingly neither spirity or aggressive. That is I think largely a benefit of subtler use of oak than sister-wine The Quarry shows, though Sophia is still more assertive than '07 Coleraine. Aromas include violets and dark red roses, cassis, fresh tree-ripened and bottled black doris plums, and cedar, all delightfully fresh for the size of the wine. In mouth there is tactile plummy berry of exciting weight, a whole size larger than 2007 Coleraine but not losing anything from size (when compared with the Aroha pinot, for example), and the floral quality on bouquet saturates the palate. This is a big and quite bold wine, but despite the youthful tannin one is left simply with the succulent richness of fruit, and a fabulous merlot flavour made aromatic by new oak. Few countries in the world can achieve this purity of perfectly ripe merlot varietal expression. The total winestyle in youth is rich Saint Emilion rather than Pomerol, cepage notwithstanding, but it will be great to check it out every so often over the next 20 years, and watch this facet of the wine's style evolve. This is one of the finest Bordeaux blends ever made in New Zealand. It will be a wonderful keeping wine, to cellar 5 – 20 years plus. VALUE. GK 03/09

2005 Cloudy Bay [ Sauvignon Blanc ] Te Koko 19 + (

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Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $41 [ screwcap; grapes night-harvested @ 4 t/ac; BF with wild yeasts in French oak with a low percentage new, fermenting so slowly continued to mid-Dec. '05., some MLF; continued LA in barrel till Nov. '06 – a total of 19 months; www.cloudybay.co.nz ]
Glowing lemon, a gorgeous colour. Bouquet is simply sensational. I don't think there's ever been a Te Koko so floral, fragrant and beautiful as this. Just on bouquet alone, this bids fair to be the finest sauvignon ever made in New Zealand. Floral components on bouquet are centred around yellow honeysuckle, but with other more typical Marlborough sauvignon characters such as elderflower too, grading into rich black passionfruit, yellow stonefruit, sweet basil and the spice of ripest red capsicum. Palate adds wonderful barrel-ferment, lees-autolysis and big baguette-crust complexities, with a purity and freshness which makes one wonder if there is any MLF component this year. Yet a certain creamy fatness on the palate suggests there is [later confirmed]. This is simply incredible sauvignon blanc, grown at a true grand cru cropping rate and tasting superbly rich accordingly. Every sauvignon drinker must try this as a special treat, with food. Cellar 2 – 10 years at least, depending on taste preferences. GK 05/08

1977 Dow’s Vintage Port 19 + (

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Douro, Portugal: – %; $203 [ cork, 50mm; main grapes touriga franca, touriga nacional, tinta barroca, tinta roriz; NB: 1977 Dow's Vintage Port has a reputation for many poor bottles, with elevated VA. We have to hope this bottle is a good one; Rupert Symington, 2017, speaking of the 1977 Dow at a tasting with Wine Spectator: I would call ‘77 one of the last of the really old-style Vintage Ports – farmers’ wines rather than négociant wines ... foot-trodden; Broadbent, 1991: Colour loss started mid-80s. The nose endlessly fascinating with sweet fig-like fruit, a squeeze of tangerine, cognac-like spirit, developing fragrance. Consistently exciting flavour, medium sweet, fairly full-bodied, intense, assertive, the grip of a good vintage and a long lean dry finish. Maturity to well beyond 2020, *****; Robinson, 2016: Pale transparent ruby. High toned and subtle orange peel and great freshness. Some treacle and beautifully ready. Hint of roses. Spirit but not too much. Great stuff!, 18.5; Hersh, 2011: Medium cranberry red center and slight bricking on the edge. Intoxicating floral fragrance that filled the room, during its nine hour decant; accented by anise, plum and raspberry notes and a bit of spirit. Fresh, fleshy grape, dark cherry and fig flavors melded with underpinnings of licorice, chocolate and warming spirit. It's developing into a stunning middle-aged Port at 34 years of age, with little signs of nearing peak yet. Rich and multi-faceted, smooth and velvety ... even more so the second day it was opened. The acidity was near perfect and the tannins are tame but omnipresent; while the finish was spicy, warm and extremely long, 94; www.dows-port.com ]
Glowing ruby and garnet, one of the two reddest wines, just above midway in depth. In addition to the browning red fruits quality of the bouquet, there is a piquant note reminding a little of orange oil and dried Otago apricots, exciting, attractive. [ Otago dried apricots are intensely varietal, very different from Turkish hot-climate fruits ]. This wine too showed some of the cinnamon / spicy qualities of fine grenache. In mouth it is rich, sweet, concentrated and long, though not quite matching the 1977 Fonseca. Like the 1963 Dow, there is already great harmony and length on the dry-ish finish, and none of the cooked-prune notes some of the other wines show. Four people rated this their top wine, and two their second. GK 05/18

2006 Church Road Syrah Reserve 19 + (

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Ngatarawa Triangle 70%, Gimblett Gravels & Havelock North, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $35 [ cork; Sy 100% hand-harvested and sorted; no cold soak, inoculated yeast, warm-fermented in open-top oak and s/s vessels, 3 weeks cuvaison, controlled aeration; c. 12 months in burgundy barrels c. 55% new, 500 cases; www.churchroad.co.nz ]
This was the standout wine on the day, particularly for the pinpoint beauty of its wallflower and dusky rose florals, the richness and perfect ripeness of the cassis and bottled black doris fruit, and the elegance, balance and length of the carefully-oaked palate. Great wine, as in previous reviews, but looking even better on this occasion. The opportunity subsequently arose to compare this wine with the 2005 Chapoutier Hermitage individual vineyard 'grand cru' wines, and this Church Road was not shamed by even the best of them. The main point of difference was not in the smells, flavours, richness or varietal specificity displayed, but simply the Church Road being less of a long-term (20 years plus) cellar wine – the winemaker's market-reality reflection of current New Zealand attitudes to cellaring red wines. Cellar 5 – 15 years. VALUE GK 06/08

2010 Craggy Range Syrah Le Sol 19 + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.7%; $105 [ cork; Sy 100%, hand-harvested @ 5.4 t/ha (2.2 t/ac); 100% de-stemmed; no cold-soak, inoculated, c.11 days ferment, total cuvaison 20 days; MLF and 17 months in French oak 38% new, no American oak; RS < 1 g/L; sterile-filtered to bottle; understood to be at least 400 cases (of 12); 8 top rankings, 2 second; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, the second deepest colour, and a great hue too. Bouquet is one of two compellingly floral renderings of syrah in the tasting, showing wonderful deep sweet wallflower and darkest rose, on aromatic cassis and darkest bottled plums more omega than black doris, all framed in appropriately subtle oak. Palate is velvety rich, exhibiting all the qualities found on bouquet, plus some black pepper and great texture, indicating an absolutely grand cru cropping rate. The winestyle is totally Hermitage. The floral and aromatic qualities together with the richness of fruit and subtlety of oak-handling lift this wine into a new quality level for New Zealand syrah. The fruit is superlative. I register I made much the same claim for the 2010 Homage recently, but in this particular showing, 2010 Le Sol is ahead. Both wines will provide sensational comparative tastings for the next 5 – 20 years. Anybody who does not secure a case of each to witness their evolution in the years to come is not only not passionate about wine, but is denying themselves a great deal of interest and pleasure. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 06/13

2010 Trinity Hill Syrah Homage 19 + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $124 [ supercritical 'cork'; hand-picked at about 2.5 t/ha (1 t/ac) from Sy 100%; the grapes de-stemmed, lightly crushed to leave whole berries; shortish cuvaison; c.15 months in French oak mostly new, some lees stirring, not a lot of racking; this wine is the largest volume yet made of Homage, nearly 600 cases; www.trinityhill.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a little deeper and fresher than the Huchet. In the blind tasting the bouquet on Homage is fresher and more vibrant than the Huchet, being wonderfully floral with fresh cassis. Additionally, in this tasting Homage showed a delightful hint of bush honey in the aroma, which I didn't get last time. This is a legitimate facet of Rhone syrah expression, which 1982 Jaboulet Les Jumelles and other odd Rhone syrahs over the years have demonstrated, very particular. Palate weight is akin to the Huchet, but the wine is slightly fresher, as if the grapes were picked a little earlier, with more floral notes and fresher aromatics. There is a savoury hint here too. Homage and Huchet make a phenomenal pair of New Zealand syrahs, with at this moment, Homage slightly ahead. I imagine they will jockey for position over the next 15 years or so. Cellar 5 – 25 years. GK 05/13

2004 Vidal Syrah Reserve 19 + (

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Gimblett Gravels mostly, 7% Tutaekuri Valley, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $55 [ screwcap; Sy 100% hand-harvested; de-stemmed, 80% whole-berry, cold-soaked; MLF in barrel, 17 months in French oak; details on Vidal website shortly; www.vidal.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a great colour, and among the deepest. This wine captures all the elements of syrah, from buddleia to dark rose and boronia florals to gentle black pepper spice intermingled with both aromatic cassis and dark bottled plums. It shows the greatest purity, complexity and depth of syrah in the set, perfectly ripe yet not over-ripe. Palate is exactly the same, rich, long, saturated with flavours, subtly oaked, wonderfully aromatic on skin tannins, lingering long. This is great New Zealand syrah, probably the best so far made in this country, subtler and more complex (though slightly less concentrated) than le Sol, an absolute match for Hermitage up to four times the price. Cellar 5 â€“ 15 years, perhaps longer, for a truly great New Zealand red. This note drafted without reference to the previous one 5/06, for interest. GK 11/06

2013 Greywacke Wild Sauvignon 19 + (

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Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $ – [ screwcap; fruit from both Southern Valleys and Wairau Plains, mix of hand-pick and machine, at roughly 9 – 10 t/ha = 3.6 – 4 t/ac; no SO2 at press, no skin contact, only the lightest pressings used, all juice cold-settled then into barrels, 93% older oak (up to 9 years), 7% new (light toast); long wild-yeast fermentations quite warm initially, usually extending to 11 – 12 months, occasionally longer, MLF typically 66% but ranging from 50 – 75% of barrels; the wine then assembled in s/s with full lees and held 6 or so months; RS 3 – 3.5 g/L, sterile-filtered to bottle; Wild has now grown to 25% of all Greywacke sauvignon; www.greywacke.com ]
Colour is rich lemon, still a wash of green, just below midway in depth. Bouquet is wonderfully evocative, clearly ripe sauvignon with elderflower and freesia florals, plus a hint of red capsicum, on white nectarine fruit. The complexing of barrel-ferment is beautifully done, the wine not at all reductive and only faintly mineral, the oak fragrant, sweet and subtle, the MLF invisible (as it needs to be in quality sauvignon). Palate is vibrant, no other word for it, wonderfully ripe fruit flavours centred on pale stonefruits, with just a little zing from subliminal red capsicum and sweet basil. Oak is superbly subtle here, and the MLF still near-invisible, just a suggestion of glycerol-like texture melding with residual sugar so subtle you barely notice it, due to good acid balance. This is sensational sauvignon blanc defining anew what New Zealand sauvignon could be, mainly because it has palate weight reflecting a cropping rate most New Zealand sauvignon producers would not consider. Cellar 5 – 10 years, maybe longer. GK 05/17

2003 Mt Difficulty Pinot Noir Target Gully Single Vineyard 19 + (

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Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $73 [ screwcap; clones 10/5, 5, 9 years, harvested @ c 1.8 t/ac; 12% whole bunch, 5 day cold soak, wild yeast fermentation, up to 24 days cuvaison; 13 months in French oak 40% new; Robinson '05: This bottling from a single, relatively high vineyard is much deeper coloured and at the moment less distinctive and expressive than the regular bottling. Presumably it will unfurl and overtake the other wine with time. 18; www.mtdifficulty.co.nz ]
Good ruby, nearly a flush of carmine and velvet, much more a pinot colour than the 2002 Quartz Reef Bendigo. Bouquet is dramatically lighter and more floral than the Bendigo, a quite superb Cote de Nuits-like aromatic evocation of the daphne / roses / boronia and violets florals of great pinot noir. Palate likewise is lighter and more fragrant than the Bendigo, yet like it has layers of flavour and the inbuilt succulence of fine pinot, on magically subtle new oak. Those who prefer a deeper richer almost syrah-styled pinot will rate the Bendigo 2002 higher, but this Mt Difficulty is simply one of New Zealand's greatest pinots yet. My top wine of the entire 2007 Pinot Noir Proceedings. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 01/07

2011 Craggy Range Chardonnay Les Beaux Cailloux 19 + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $66 [ screwcap; clone 95 mainly, hand-harvested @ 6.25 t/ha (2.5 t/ac); BF in French oak 42% new; some wild yeast, some MLF, 10 months LA, limited stirring; RS <2 g/L; www.craggyrange.com ]
A remarkable hue of lemon, the greenest of the four chardonnays, always a good sign. Bouquet is simply beautiful, exquisite purity, pale acacia floral notes on white and yellow stonefruits, with crushed oystershell minerality, neither oak nor alcohol apparent. On bouquet alone, one is tempted to say: this is the best Beaux Cailloux yet. In mouth the flavour and texture amply confirm that this is the best chardonnay Craggy Range have so far made. Admittedly they have been slow off the mark with their chardonnay relative to their reds, but this wine changes that perception forever. It has the texture and weight of a good Corton-Charlemagne, the oak is as subtle as best French white burgundy, and the length of palate and integration of stonefruit, barrel-ferment, lees-autolysis and MLF is remarkable. This may well be the best chardonnay ever made in New Zealand. Sadly it is the last Beaux Cailloux till the 2018 vintage probably. Due to leaf-roll virus, the vineyard has to be completely cleaned out and replanted. Therefore, buy as much as you can afford, and watch wonderful mealy and cashew complexities develop over 5 – 12 years. GK 05/13

2013 Church Road Cabernet / Merlot Tom 19 + (

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Bridge Pa Triangle 67%, Gimblett Gravels 23%, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $200 [ 49mm cork; DFB; CS 67%, Me 33; all hand-picked and sorted with great attention to fruit quality for the Tom parcels, at an approximate cropping rate of 6 t/ha (= 2.4 t/ac); 100% de-stemmed, crushed, no cold soak, inoculated fermentation mostly in oak cuves, a fraction in s/s, cuvaison up to 30 days for the CS components, 26 for the Me, with particular attention to aeration; 22 months in all-French oak c.92% new, balance 1-year, successive rackings to clarify and aerate; light fining, not filtered; RS is given as 2 g/L, but that is the non-fermentable sugars: in the usual sense (of glucose and fructose) nil would be more realistic; winemaker Chris Scott estimates 2013 is the driest year in the viticultural zone for 70 years, and not unduly hot; c.500 cases; www.churchroad.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a perfect young Hawkes Bay / Bordeaux blend colour, but far from the deepest, just above midway. Bouquet is simply sensational. Having tasted every wine in the series (loosely speaking) since the debut 1965 McWilliams Cabernet Sauvignon Bin 65/3, and cellared and studied all those worth cellaring, I can say there has not been a wine in all those years to match the quality of bouquet this 2013 Tom Cabernet / Merlot displays. The perfection of the cassis-led berry component is of young Ch Palmer quality. But equally important is the backing-off on oak which has been an issue in the Tom series in some years. Here the fruit, the berry, speaks triumphantly, with a floral component hinting at violets, darkest roses and port-wine magnolia, which is magnificent. In mouth the near-perfection continues. There is all the fruit quality, character and style of better Bordeaux classed growths, yet the wine is not heavy or overbearing in any way, and the highish alcohol is wonderfully well hidden. It seems to me a perfect matching of the Hawkes Bay viticultural and near-coastal regime with that of Bordeaux. Flavour is cassis-led, with bottled black doris dark plum fruit filling out the palate (the merlot component), plus cedary oak slightly more apparent now than on bouquet adding spice and savour. The saturation of berry, the concentration of fruit flavour in mouth, and the degree to which this wine has mopped up the high percentage of new oak, is magical.

Where does this wine sit, in the Bordeaux scheme of things ? The first growths are almost irrelevant, being made for a captive market more concerned with monetary values and snob appeal than actual wine quality. New oak satisfies them, though needless to say there is usually stellar fruit quality too. But at a more accessible level, this 2013 Tom sits fair and square in the second growths. It reminds of Leoville-Barton but is not as dry, and it has an absolute purity that that wine sometimes lacks. It is not quite as rich and weighty and pretend-First Growth as Leoville Las Cases. I have already made a comparison with Ch Palmer, despite the cepage not matching, but it is of that order. Or Pontet-Canet, noting that neither of these two are strictly second-growths, but they are performing at that level. Church Road do not make dry extract analyses, implying they don't export the wine to Europe. On the basis of the 2013 Elephant Hill Airavata with its dry extract over 31 g/L (and also the 2014 Escarpment Pinot Noir Kupe of similar concentration, to hand from the Wairarapa tasting), I would estimate it surpasses the 30 g/L dividing line between real quality, and lesser. This wine needs to be seen in Europe, though there is the risk some will be tripped up by the given 2 g/L residual sugar, see above. It is also worth noting that certain highly-rated older vintages of classed growths in Bordeaux have not been rigorously bone-dry (1947 Cheval Blanc for example measures 3 g/L RS, and has a current wine-searcher valuation of NZ$14,366 per 750 ml bottle), so one needs to be careful before condemning the wine on this technicality. If this step is taken, dry extract via export certification will follow. It is one of the finest Bordeaux / Hawkes Bay blends made so far in New Zealand.

Some comment is needed on the price, which seems to reflect a measure of cynicism on the part of Pernod-Ricard management, that 'the affluent market will take this in its stride'. This is sad in one way. We don't need the Californian 'trophy wine' and money-rules syndrome in New Zealand. Others say, however, that this approach is the only way to have New Zealand's best wines taken seriously in export markets. That too is a sad commentary on human nature. Since the wine is somewhat limited in quantity (of the order of 500 cases), and since the quality is in fact exemplary, these factors once known will add to its appeal as a social status symbol. It will therefore probably sell out in fairly short order. The advice therefore has to be, buy as much as you can afford, and cellar it for 10 – 30 years.

The absolute quality of this wine raises the interesting question, what do the less-critical New Zealand winewriters who have already allocated one-hundred-point scores to demonstrably lesser Hawkes Bay cabernet / merlots from the 2013 vintage now do ? As the actual quality of New Zealand wine advances in leaps and bounds with every good vintage, never has the need for objectivity and international calibration in New Zealand wine evaluation been more urgently needed, but sadly, less apparent. We must not fall into the Australian winewriting model (and trap) of absurd praise of local wines, as if no other wine country existed. GK 06/16

2006 Escarpment Chardonnay Kupe 19 + (

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Martinborough, New Zealand: 14%; $55 [ supercritical cork; hand-picked clone 95 @ grand cru cropping rate; 100% BF with appropriate fraction solids in French oak 30% new, 100% MLF, plus 12 months LA & some batonnage; 20.3 g/L dry extract, < 1 g/L RS; 200 cases; www.escarpment.co.nz ]
Lemon more than straw, nearly a touch of green, a superb chardonnay colour, much more lemon than the standard 2006 Escarpment Chardonnay. On bouquet there is a depth and beauty to this wine that immediately reminds of famous old world chardonnays one has been lucky enough to taste – a Drouhin Laguiche Montrachet here, a Romanee-Conti one there. It smells of every stonefruit you can imagine, not as obvious as golden queen peach, but not as pale as white nectarine. And added to that there is the glorious mealy complexity of beautifully done lees-autolysis and perfect MLF, giving a baguette crust and Vogel's wholegrain toast buttered with palest European butter quality, on a totally dry very long finish. This is fully comparable with the Te Mata Elston I enthused about recently, and maybe is better – a tasting to look forward to (along with Sacred Hill Riflemans, a Kumeu River etc). Palate is bolder than the Elston, tremendously rich, very long, yet subtle in its mealy stonefruit and cashew flavours. One could never tire of tasting / drinking chardonnay of this calibre. It may not be as rich as those great French benchmark wines mentioned, but nonetheless 2006 Escarpment Kupe Chardonnay is clearly fine international chardonnay. It is the best Larry McKenna has made, and perhaps New Zealand's most complete and finest example of the grape yet. Cellar 3 – 10 years, but should hold longer. GK 03/08

2002 Rousseau Chambertin Clos de Beze 19 + (

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Gevrey Chambertin Grand Cru, Cotes de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 13%; $308 [ cork; 30 – 35 hl/ha (1.5 – 1.8 t/ac); 10% whole-bunch, c. 15 day cuvaison in s/s; MLF and up 22 months in French oak 100% new; Coates: Full, rich and oaky on the nose. This is really very special. Full-bodied, rich and opulent. Excellent grip. Very, very classy fruit. Quite magnificent. Very, very long and very, very impressive. Grand vin! From 2015; Parker / Rovani: 94 – 96; www.domaine-rousseau.com ]
Ruby, a touch of velvet, the deepest of the Rousseaus (apart from the village Gevrey). Bouquet is just sensational, a perfect evocation of deeply floral boronia and violets pinot noir, backed by aromatic black and red cherries, and subtle new oak. Palate is velvet, clear dark cherry fruit, beautiful balance with fragrant oak not as assertive as the Chambertin or Clos St Jacques. This is an infant beauty, which in 10 years will be superb indeed, revealing nearly all there is to know about the variety pinot noir. Cellar 5 – 20 + years. GK 07/06

1963 Fonseca’s Finest Vintage Port 19 + (

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Douro, Portugal: – %; $623 [ cork, 52mm; cepage understood to be mainly tinta roriz, touriga franca, touriga nacional; Broadbent, 2002: … a consistently beautiful wine. One of the top ‘63s, and one of the best-ever Fonsecas. In 1998: richly coloured, cinnamon and cress fragrance, still sweet, fairly assertive, tall, shapely, lissom, *****; Roy Hersh, 2009: 1963 Fonseca Vintage Port – It does not get much better than this in the VP world. … heat which arrived in time for the harvest. Fortunately, the nights were considerably cooler and the levels of acidity increased with the extra hang time, along with deeply extracted colors and super-concentrated flavors. “Nearly perfect” was the verdict of the Port trade, at the time. This Fonseca Vintage Port ... offers a stunning nose of boysenberry and blueberry fruit, with violets ... on the palate ... great plum character of Fonseca comes to the fore along with smoky cherry and chocolate that combines for one sumptuous and tantalizing finish. Great body weight, yet it is so smooth that it feels like liquid butterscotch, 97; Richard Mayson, 2016: This is one of the greatest Ports of the twentieth century … lovely mature garnet hue; fine, fragrant and surging from the glass, floral with a touch of savoury cedar; still very fresh on the palate, fine, elegant almost delicate sweet summer berry fruit but all there, still beautifully structured yet gentle, elegant and so, so fresh all the way through to the finish. Long and very fine. Outstanding, 19.5; Neal Martin @ R Parker, 2013: ... a dark russet color. The nose is beautifully defined … walnut, small cherries, juniper berries and a touch of spirit that expands in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with wonderful balance and fine tannins. It has tremendous weight matched by nigh perfect acidity. It is very harmonious, almost honeyed towards the finish with hazelnut and cloves infusing the decayed fruit and hints of menthol on the spicy aftertaste. This is a sublime Fonseca that will last another two or three decades with ease. Drink now-2030+, 96; www.fonseca.pt ]
Glowing ruby and garnet, a little fresher / redder than the 1963 Dow’s, and (remarkably) only fractionally older than the 1977 Fonseca, the third deepest (that is, fractionally deeper than the 1977 Fonseca). The bouquet shows an intensity and beauty of vintage port character which is a standout in the set, yet it is so hard to find words to characterise it. There are red fruits browning now, currants (meaning grape currants), glacé fig and maybe trace prune in the best sense of fresh moist prunes (not cooked), a touch of marzipan, great excitement and an enticing uplift. Palate continues the bouquet, long, rich and sweet, yet finishing a little more oaky / spirity / not quite with the sheer harmony of the understated 1963 Dow’s. Again one can cellar this with confidence. The total quality of this wine appealed to tasters, seven first places, three second. GK 05/18

2002 Penfolds Shiraz RWT 19 + (

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Barossa Valley, South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $169 [ cork; 14 months in French oak 66% new, 34% 1-year; RWT = Red Winemaking Trial; www.penfolds.com.au ]
Dense ruby and velvet, the deepest of the shirazes. One sniff, and this is marvellous Australian shiraz / syrah, and seeing the wine in the same context as the 2003 Chapoutier selections parcellaires serves only to confirm how good it is. Just on bouquet, the great thing about it is it is not euc'y, not boysenberry over-ripe, not too oaky, and not showing perceptible VA, all of which are endemic in premium Australian shiraz. Instead, it shows plush fruit spanning cassis to darkest black doris plums touching on blueberry, with fragrant nearly cedary French oak delightfully subdued and making the whole thing aromatic. It is not quite cool enough to show a floral or cracked peppercorn “syrah” component on bouquet, but it is very close. Palate is the bouquet liquefied, suggestions of boysenberry sur maturité creeping in now, velvety rich as if some barrel-ferment, blueberries too, more oak than the bouquet indicates, immensely concentrated. The berry flavours last and last in the mouth. This wine will cellar for 10 – 40 years, and end up looking much like the 1970 Bin 28 does now - leaving aside the differing oaks. This is not as silly as it sounds, for in those days Bin 28 was truly a premium wine, with much of the fruit derived from the Kalimna vineyard. Great wine – one could not cellar too much of this. GK 07/06

2004 Kumeu River Chardonnay Maté’s Vineyard 19 + (

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Kumeu, north of Auckland, New Zealand: 13.5%; $47 [ screwcap; 100% Mendoza clone @ lower cropping rate than Kumeu River wine; 100% BF in a little more than 20% new oak, 100% MLF, RS nil; www.kumeuriver.co.nz ]
Lemon. In contrast to the 2004 Kumeu River Chardonnay, the Maté’s wine shows a softer and richer bouquet, totally pure and fragrant, with almost a suggestion of acacia blossom and other white florals. The fruit is not as dramatically pure Mendoza in character as the 2005, there being more a mixed nectarine fruit quality complexed by lees-autolysis and baguette crust, which is very attractive. Palate is glorious, oily rich, sensational chardonnay, fine acid balance, near-invisible oak, yet all the complexity derived from total barrel-ferment and lees-autolysis in barrel. This wine reminds me of a 1969 Corton-Charlemagne which gave me immense pleasure from cellar, in the 20 following years. This 2004 Maté’s Vineyard Chardonnay is undoubtedly one of New Zealand's finest examples of the grape to date. With its 13.5% alcohol, it sets a model of restraint and subtlety which some more heavy-handed proprietors in other districts could well emulate. Cellar 2 – 8 years. GK 02/06

1977 Taylor’s Vintage Port 19 + (

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Douro, Portugal: – %; $363 [ cork, 50mm; original price $37.50; the Taylor’s website lists the five ‘standard’ grapes in this order: touriga nacional, touriga francesa, tinta roriz, tinta barroca, tinta cao, though whether the order is significant in terms of cepage is not clear; Taylor’s is often regarded as the longest-lived vintage port, though not the richest or sweetest; Robinson, 2016: Light ruby, this wine ... looked pretty mature. Spicy, earthy nose. Jewelly, round texture indicated that the tannins had retreated well into the background. Gentle fruity core with red pepper notes and more spice on the fairly dry and notably fresh finish. I must admit that I thought it was older than a 1977, 18.5; Roy Hersh, 2007, recalling his top 12 vintage ports of the last 40 years: Magenta color and showing no signs of nearly 30 years old in its appearance. Ahhh, this is what a fine Taylor '77 should deliver ... it is hard not to love this youthful VP. It took some coaxing and time to open up and showed a rich, full-bodied sumptuous Port. The structure is focused and the acidity and tannins are in perfect synch with the bold and brash berry fruit. Totally enjoyable right now and it portends a drinking window that should rival the ... legendary 1945. I beg to differ with those that think this is already at maturity today. Not even close! With at least six hours in decanter I'd probably have gone up another couple of points as I bet some of the spirit on the finish would have shown greater integration (and length), 95+; Parker, 1989: This house must certainly be the Latour of Portugal. ... Of all the vintage ports, those of Taylor need the longest time to mature and even when fully mature seem to have an inner strength and firmness that keep them going for decades. ... The 1977 has consistently been at the top of my list of vintage ports in this great vintage, although the Dow, Graham, and Fonseca are equally splendid. It is a mammoth, opaque, statuesque vintage port of remarkable depth and power, but it should not be touched before 2000, 96; www.taylor.pt ]
Glowing garnet and ruby, with the Graham’s the oldest of the 1977s, the second-lightest wine. On the night the bouquet was restrained to a degree, at the later discussion stage five people (out of 24) thinking it showed just a trace of TCA / scalping. The next day the wine had blossomed, showing an almost browning cassis aromatic quality, with clear reminders of a high cabernet and cedar Bordeaux wine such as Grand-Puy-Lacoste, plus hints of currants and nougat. But it was on the palate that this wine came into its own, there being a fine-grain almost ethereal quality to the texture and flavour, wonderfully subtle yet not weak, long and very beautiful, again with fine claret reminders. Being lighter and drier in one sense, it was perhaps out-gunned by the sweeter wines, with one-only first place vote, and one second. GK 05/18

2010 Villa Maria Chardonnay Library Release 19 + (

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Maraekakaho 75%, Gimblett Gravels 25, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $60 [ screwcap; all hand-picked, the 75% Keltern vineyard immediately west of the Bridge Pa Triangle, 25% Ngakirikiri Vineyard, Gimblett Gravels; clone 55 is 75%, clone 15 is 25; both vineyards c.12 years age; whole-bunch pressed, some juice settling and some juice oxidation; 100% barrique-ferment, 88% wild-yeast ferments maintained 18 – 24°, 50% through MLF; 10 months in French oak 38% new, plus older oak to 2 years, batonnage for 12 weeks only; RS 1.9 g/L; sterile-filtered; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Straw, still nearly with a lemon wash, sensational colour for a five-year-old New Zealand chardonnay. One sniff, one sip, and the short answer is: this is one of the greatest chardonnays ever made in New Zealand. And more importantly, you discover that this wine has been created from the best (that is, the least-reduced) barrels of the 2010 Keltern Chardonnay (discussed below), comprising 75% of the blend, with 25% of the wine from Ngakirikiri vineyard. The beauty and complexity of this wine absolutely proves the nonsense of 2010 Keltern ever being a Trophy and gold medal wine. Yes, even here, there is a just-detectable trace of reduction, but it can reasonably and constructively be described as gun-flint / gun-smoke / cracked greywacke / 'minerality', intimately entwined with stunning fruit and mealy and toasty barrel fermentation characters, all producing smells very close to to crushed hazelnuts (or, if you are particularly sensitive to it), crushed walnuts. The palate is magical, great richness, the peaches a little yellower now, oak framing the fruit, the mealy / nutty flavours and textures extending the palate marvellously. Great New Zealand wine, one to rejoice in, and buy by the case, quickly. There are only 190 cases (of 12) available. Cellar 5 – 15 or more years. GK 11/15

2013 Matua Syrah Matheson Single Vineyard 19 + (

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The Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $56 [ screwcap; DFB; Sy, three clones plus a handful of viognier co-fermented; hand-picked from c.15-year old vines planted at c.3,000 vines / ha and cropped @ c.4 t/ha = 1.6 t/ac; 3 – 4 days cold-soak, cuvaison in oak cuves averaged 14 days with 10% whole bunches retained, mostly wild-yeast; MLF in barrel; 10 months in 90% French oak c.45% new, 10% American white; RS <2 g/L; not sterile-filtered; dry extract 28.4 g/L; production 250 x 9-L cases; released and sold-out; www.matua.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, intense, the third deepest wine, like the Villa Maria, exceptional. This wine epitomises the wonderful floral beauty which syrah can achieve in temperate climates, when perfectly ripened. One runs out of words in trying to pin down florality of this quality, but it is dark and 'sweet', with reminders of wallflowers, darkest roses, violets and a top note of dianthus. Below there is beautiful cassis of benchmark quality, a little cooler and more aromatic than some, enriched by dark plum. Florals and berry are shaped by oak, but the thought of it dominating doesn't arise. The intensity of aromatic cassis firmed by black pepper on palate is of reference quality. Has there been a syrah in New Zealand to so exactly pinpoint perfect syrah varietal florality as this wine ? Palate weight is deceptive. Because the berry quality is so focussed and beautiful, in one sense the wine seems light on the tongue. Yet the fruit weight is in fact well up with better New Zealand practice. This wine is noteworthy for its 10% whole-bunch component in fermentation, and its low cropping rate, one of the two lowest. Dry extract must be approaching the 30 g/L barrier [ later, not quite, showing this is a hard parameter to taste for ]. This is one of New Zealand's top syrahs in the 2013 vintage, matching fine Hermitage. Like the Homage, the wine shows particular sensitivity in its use of oak. Note the elevation of 10 months. This kind of approach will greatly differentiate New Zealand red winemaking from Australian, and takes us much closer to European standards. This will benefit exports greatly. In the Regional Wines tasting, 14 tasters rated this the top wine at the blind stage, unequivocally the most-favoured wine on the night. What a transformation there is at Matua under new winemaker Nikolai St George, after so many years of dreary wines. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 05/15

2013 Sacred Hill Merlot / Malbec / Syrah Brokenstone 19 + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $45 [ cork 46mm; Me 86%, Ma 6, Sy 5, CS 2, CF 1, hand-picked from c.13-year old vines planted at 3,333 vines / ha and cropped @ 7 t/ha = 2.8 t/ac; cuvaison 30 – 40 days, mostly wild-yeast; MLF mostly in tank; 18 months in French oak c.35% new; RS <2 g/L, all unfermentable; sterile-filtered; dry extract 28.4 g/L; production not disclosed; release date August 2015; pre-release tasting bottles courtesy Tony Bish; www.sacredhill.com ]
A lovely fresh ruby, carmine and velvet, not one of the deep ones, midway in fact. One sniff of this reminds of violets, deepest darkest roses, and glorious sun-ripened dark plums, the kind of juicy plum that bursts in your mouth and goes everywhere. You can't help thinking, blind, this has to be merlot, though like some Saint-Emilions with a significant cabernets component, it is aromatic too. The syrah adds to that. In mouth there is a richness of texture, and a weight of plummy fruit, which is benchmark Pomerol. The new oak component is significantly less in taste terms than Helmsman, which may be why I am ranking Brokenstone higher. What a glorious wine, showing both finesse and delicacy yet wonderful richness, coupled with magical oak. It seems fractionally richer than Helmsman. Hill Labs report 2013 Brokenstone has a dry extract of 28.4 g/L, comparable with the 2010 Ch Paveil de Luze used as a marker wine in my April bordeaux-blends article. Only when you taste this subtle Brokenstone wine, do you go back to the Hieronymous and wonder if the latter wine has gained just a bit much dark aromatic character from its higher percentage of malbec. It is hard to believe that Brokenstone would not be a finer wine still without malbec. In the Regional Wines tasting, two people rated this the top wine, at the blind stage. Cellar 10 – 25 years. GK 05/15

2013 Villa Maria Cabernet Sauvignon Ngakirikiri * 19 + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $130 [ screwcap; CS 97%, Me 3, 62% hand-picked from c.14-year old vines planted at 2,720 vines / ha and cropped @ 4.2 t/ha = 1.7 t/ac; cuvaison 35 – 42 days, cultured-yeast; MLF in barrel; 18 months in French oak c.52% new; RS 0.3 g/L; not sterile-filtered; dry extract 31.5 g/L; production 500 x 9-L cases; preview of this totally new special series wine courtesy Nick Picone, all marketing and release details still to be decided; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Colour is a velvety fresh and vibrant carmine and ruby, slightly deeper than the Villa Maria Cabernet / Merlot Reserve, second only to the Elspeth. This wine is a bit out to one side in the tasting. It is both incredibly rich, and so young as to seem awkward. Subtleties such as its floral qualities only reveal themselves after many hours breathing in the glass, deepest violets melding with cassis, all still to emerge. The intensity of the fully ripe cassis character tiptoes towards certain West Australian high-cabernet wines, but the oak handling here while emphatic is still more subtle than most Australian wines. Put this cabernet alongside Penfolds Bin 707, and it seems quite innocent. In mouth the fruit is of a calibre rarely seen in New Zealand cabernet sauvignon. It is riper, richer and even more aromatic than the Mills Reef Elspeth, yet there is no hint of over-ripeness. It has a laser-like varietal definition and clarity which the Helmsman, though very good, just misses, due to more apparent oak. The first impact is reminiscent of Tom MacDonald's original 1965 cabernet, at the time, but the concentration of berry is greater, and the oak both finer and less. Villa Maria have a sensational wine here, with a 50-year cellar life, a wine so infantile now as to be hard to assess. But it is all there, it is all in proportion, it is beautifully clean and it is potentially a very beautiful Medoc-style red. It will score higher in 10 years time. I will be surprised if the dry extract here is less than 30 g/L [ confirmed since writing at 31.5 g/L, wonderful ]; the wine is tactile in its richness. Release details for this Special Edition wine are well in the future, at a level and price-point above current Reserve and Single Vineyard wines. I imagine close liaison with the Villa Maria H/Q cellar shop at Mangere will be essential, to secure it. A triumph. Cellar 10 – 40 years. GK 05/15

2013 Trinity Hills Syrah Homage 19 + (

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Gimblett Gravels 85%, Roy's Hill 15%, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $130 [ cork 50mm; Sy 98.7%, fermented on skins only of Vi 1.3%, hand-picked from on average c.11-year old vines planted at c.3,000 vines / ha and cropped @ 5 t/ha = 2 t/ac; no cold-soak, cuvaison averaged 28 days (though one batch 56 days) with 30% whole bunches retained (this approach only in the ripest years), mostly cultured-yeast; MLF started in tank and completed in barrel; 12 months in French oak c.53% new; RS 0.23 g/L; sterile-filtered; production 556 x 9-L cases; www.trinityhill.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, the deepest of the Trinity wines, wonderfully promising. Bouquet is little short of sensational, showing a lifted quality combining florality, aromatic cassisy berry, freshly-cracked black pepper spice, varietal grapeyness and subtle potentially cedary oak which is top-flight, by any international standards. It is quite different from the great 2013 Villa Maria Syrah Reserve, yet both are wonderfully valid syrah statements. Palate is saturated with flavour, and full-bodied by Northern Rhone standards. By the sometimes bizarre standards of Australian wine evaluation, where florals are not seen, and size is so important, this wine might be seen as medium-bodied. Length of flavour is remarkable, given the youth and (in a sense, at this stage) awkwardness of the palate. This Homage differs from its predecessors in displaying a more apparent whole-bunch component. This will marry in over the next five years, and make the wine even more Northern Rhone / Hermitage (or perhaps more accurately, Cote Rotie) in style. The whole-bunch character might be at a desirable maximum, though. With its balanced more European-level alcohol, this is yet another wine to illustrate the glorious physiological maturity a number of the top Hawkes Bay reds achieved in the temperate 2013 vintage. Simply buy as much of this wine as you can afford, and don't touch it for five years at least. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 11/15

2005 Craggy Range Cabernet / Merlot The Quarry 19 + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.1%; $60 [ cork; DFB; CS 93%, Me 7, hand-harvested @ 2.5 t/ac; 100% de-stemmed; fermented in oak cuves; 16 months in French oak 71% new, fined and filtered; dry extract 28.4 g/L; 350 cases; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, the deepest colour in the tasting. Bouquet is extraordinary, showing a saturation of fully ripe cabernet cassis and darkest plum, infused with potential cedar and subtle violets florals, wonderfully clean, just beautiful. It can be compared with a cabernet-dominant second growth, such as one of the Leovilles. Palate is the bouquet liquefied, total cassis, aromatic fruit much richer than Coleraine, subtle oak, marvellous. The aftertaste is cassis, rich berry, and faint cedar. Four months ago, I thought this the greatest New Zealand cabernet / merlot so far released in the modern era, but now it has to either share that with 2005 Tom, or give way to that wine. Either way, it dispatches for ever the notion that New Zealand cannot ripen cabernet sauvignon. American commentators on New Zealand wines need to note that this is perfectly ripe cabernet, like fine-year classed-growth Bordeaux, not over-ripened like so many Napa Valley examples of the grape. Thus it still retains the magical lightness and florals which make great Bordeaux blends refreshing (to use a Jancis Robinson term), rather than overpowering. This 2005 Quarry offers a wonderfully dramatic contrast between a merlot-dominant wine such as 2005 Tom, and this cabernet sauvignon-dominated one, yet both are superlative. What a joy it will be to compare them one with the other, and with selected 2005 Bordeaux, over the next 20 years. Cellar 10 – 25 years. GK 09/07

2013 Villa Maria Merlot Braided Gravels Single Vineyard Organic 19 + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $60 [ screwcap; DFB; Me 100%, all hand-picked from c.12-year old vines planted at 2,775 vines / ha and cropped @ 6 t/ha = 2.4 t/ac; cuvaison 21 – 28 days, cultured-yeast; MLF in barrel; 18 months in French oak c.35% new; RS 0.24 g/L; not sterile-filtered; production 250 x 9-L cases; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, not as deep as the Cabernet / Merlot Reserves. Like the Library Release 2010 Chardonnay, here again one needs only one sniff, one sip, to say: this is probably the most beautiful and perfect pure merlot ever made in New Zealand. The depth of florality here, bespeaking a perfection of ripening hard to achieve even in Bordeaux (as recent tastings of Chx Petrus and Trotanoy confirmed) indicates both great sensitivity on the part of the winemakers, and the wisdom to pick before over-ripening. Below the dark red-rose floral beauty is deep dark berry, not quite cassis, not quite blackberry, more a particularly wonderful dark plum, fragrant in the sun, all nestled in gentle oak which will become cedary. Palate is every bit as good, a wine of total harmony, great berry richness and plummyness, oak still a little apparent, immense promise. I had this wine open alongside 2010 Ch Palmer, and allowing for youth, there are elements of shared beauty. It is infinitely sad that wines like this, the Reserve Syrah, and the 2013 Trinity Hill Syrah Homage do not seem to be examined objectively by the British wine press. Oh, yes, they are 'objective' by their own lights, but they seem to not assess the wines in totally blind mixed line-ups, with matching vintages of comparable Bordeaux, Californian or northern Rhone wines. So subconsciously, because the wines are judged by them as New Zealand wines, not the European wines they are used to and calibrated to, the New Zealand wines are never marked totally blind and totally objectively. And thus are scored lower, quite subconsciously. Buy as much of this stellar wine as you can afford, keep it 10 years at least without touching it, and then be prepared to be immensely proud of it, as great New Zealand merlot. Wine of this purity and delicacy simply cannot be made from a variety as subtle as merlot, in Australia, for climatic reasons. It will be a reference wine for years to come. Cellar 5 – 25 years, and longer if you like old wine. GK 11/15

2006 Villa Maria Syrah Reserve 19 + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $62 [ screwcap; Sy 100% hand-harvested; inoculated yeast, 21 days cuvaison; MLF and 16 months in French oak 60% new; RS nil; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, one of the deepest. Bouquet is simply sensational, a complete suite of beautifully fragrant florals extending from dianthus / carnations through dark roses to boronia and violets, (apart from the colour) sharing much with fine Cote de Nuits pinot noir, but enlivened by freshly cracked black peppercorn. Palate is rich and ripe, at a perfect point of explicit physiological maturity and ripeness for syrah, embodying all the florals, ripe peppercorn, cassis and bottled black doris plum key descriptors, with sweet ripe tannins. And the dry extract is admirable. I will be surprised if this is not 30 g/L or more – a true grand cru cropping rate. There is a firmness and authority in this syrah matched only by great Hermitage, no matter for how long English wine writers persist in dismissively comparing our syrahs with Crozes-Hermitage.

Because of the pace of evolution in New Zealand red wines currently, aided by a run of benign vintages, I appreciate I am making the following kind of statement perhaps too frequently. Nonetheless, this 2006 Villa Maria Syrah Reserve is one of the greatest red wines ever made in New Zealand, illustrating to perfection the grape-derived complexity our temperate climate can produce in New Zealand red wine, without recourse to unsubtle oak. Likewise, it is probably our finest syrah yet, though there are several contenders. This Reserve Syrah has the most amazing finegrain finish, lingering on perfectly ripe varietal fruit, just beautiful. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 05/08

2013 Te Mata Estate Syrah Bullnose 19 + (

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Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $53 [ cork, 46 mm; original price $50; 3 clones of syrah hand-harvested, 100% de-stemmed; extended cuvaison; 15 months in French oak some new; RS nil; Perrotti-Brown @ Parker, 2015: ... very peppery notes on the nose over a core of lovely black cherry and black raspberry fruit with hints of lavender and anise. Medium-bodied, elegant, taut and muscular, it gives firm, rounded tannins and great freshness in the mouth with lingering cracked pepper flavors. 2015 - 2020, 90+; Cooper, 2016: ... very refined ... and highly fragrant, with concentrated plum and black-pepper flavours and ripe supple tannins. A lovely, sweet-fruited, very harmonious red, it should be at its best 2017 +, *****; dry extract not available; production not disclosed, reputed to exceed 1,500 x 9-litre cases; weight bottle and closure: 580 g; www.temata.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, well below midway in depth of colour. But any doubts on lack of concentration are dispelled with one sniff of the bouquet. This is by far the most sensational bouquet in the set of 12 wines, showing a florality, complexity, and quality of aroma of a calibre matched by for example the best years of Guigal (village) Cote Rotie, or even their Chateau d’Ampuis bottling. The point of picking is perfect to show syrah at its most gloriously floral, confirmed by the given alcohol of 13%, but then all the characteristic classical syrah grape aromas of dianthus, carnations, and old-fashioned red roses are augmented by a quality of oak elevation unmatched in the set. In mouth the wine is not as rich as (notably) Airavata and the Villa Reserve, but it is still pretty good. It is richer than 2013 Coleraine, I think, meaning the dry extract is greater. And the acid and tannin balances are superb. So this wine is a little smaller than some in the company, but it is perfectly formed, little short of exquisite. Total style achieved is Cote Rotie through and through, glorious. Three people rated this their top wine, and it is noteworthy that three thought it the French wine. One could not own too much of this wine, if absolute quality and sheer pleasure in enjoying fine wine at table is the goal of keeping a cellar. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 06/17

2003 Guigal Cote-Rotie La Mouline 19 + (

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Cote Blonde, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $892 [ Cork, 49 mm; Sy 89%, Vi 11, co-fermented, average vine age 75 years, typically cropped at 37 hl/ha = 4.8 t/ha = 1.9 t/ac; Parker rating for year 96; NZ price at purchase $575; c. 28 days cuvaison, 42 months in 100% new barrels, all 228-litre; Parker in characterising the three Cote-Rotie grands crus, says of La Mouline: It is one of the world’s most intensely perfumed wines … the most supple and seductive of Guigal’s single-vineyard treasures; J.L-L, 2011: the robe is still dark; sunny bouquet whose red fruit lies quietly, is latent more than obvious. There is a smoky top air, but the undertone is persistent. There are good waves of fruit and more arresting details such as airs of juniper and coffee. The palate is unusually big and savoury for Mouline, holds abundant gras richness, is sweet and fat throughout. The black fruit is smoky, peppery, very dense and continuous. A good and filled-up wine, and while it is dense, there is a a sweet depth and a succulent, coated finale that is not static, 2030-2033, *****; Robinson, 2006: [ Note that Robinson has scored both the 1978 and the 1983 La Mouline 20 points, a score she in effect never allocates ] Extremely intense and glamorous and appealing. Still young and unformed but opulent spice, great succulence, leathery notes – masses there but great balance. Not hot. And not raisined. Fresh. It’s the intensity that is the key characteristic. Good dry finish and it does taste like Cote-Rotie. Neat and lovely – tastes of purple fruits. Not a trace of heat on the finish – finishes quite dry actually, 18.5+; Parker, 2007: The 2003 Cote-Rotie La Mouline is by far the most delicate and elegant wine (11% Viognier is co-fermented with 89% Syrah) but the enormous aromatics of spring flowers intermixed with creme de cassis, black raspberry, mocha, caramel, and cola, and enormous full-bodied opulence and striking velvety, seamless texture make for one of the most memorable wines anyone could ever drink. This wine should age effortlessly for 25-30 or more years, 100; Wine Spectator, 2007: Racy and defined, with a torrent of pure red currant and raspberry ganache that pours out from the core, around which a mouthwatering mineral note swirls. Has a terrific spine, with iron and spice notes mingling with the endless stream of raspberry fruit. Purer than the La Landonne and the La Turque in 2003, without the vintage's extra roasted power. A really stunning display of fruit and precision. Drink now through 2030. 230 cases made, 99; www.guigal.com ]
Ruby and velvet, clearly ‘older’ in appearance than La Landonne and La Turque, and a little deeper than the latter, the second deepest wine. There is something of the chameleon in this wine, each time you smell it, it seems different. Initially opened, it shows just a hint hint of the baked character betraying a hotter vintage, as in 2003 Brune & Blonde, and the 1998 Gigondas. With air however, the bouquet expanded, presenting a dusky floral dimension, dark red roses and deepest violets maybe, smelling very smooth. As with La Turque, but moreso with the very high level of viognier (11%) in this wine, you search for descriptors. It is totally different from La Landonne, not the vibrant cassis, yet there is a plushness of fruit on bouquet that becomes seductive. You end up wanting to think there are yellow flowers and stonefruit characters in the cassisy and plummy fruit, but only because you know about the viognier. Palate is certainly very different: there is no doubt this wine is fatter and much fleshier, the latter perhaps the key to detecting a viognier component. It seeme a little more tannic as well. Again there is just a suggestion of the year being too hot for grape-derived aromatics, but it is still a wonderful mouthful of wine. As Helen Masters (Ata Rangi) said, you wish you could compare it with a cooler / more ‘perfect’ year, in the way that the Brune & Blonde sequence illustrates. La Mouline was the clear favourite on the night, maybe because of the enhanced textural viscosity, with six marking it the top wine of the night, five their second. Cellar 5 – 25 years. GK 05/17

1991 Villa Maria Noble Riesling Botrytis Selection 19 + (

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Marlborough, New Zealand: 12%; $ – [ cork; three successive picks, the ripest at 43° Brix; 2 x 375 ml bottles, the colours very slightly different but the bouquets and flavours essentially identical, showing how good cork can be … but still raising the thought of how much better the wine would be now under screwcap; winemaker Kym Milne, MW; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Glowing old gold. Bouquet is simply sensational, beautifully botrytised and bush-honeyed riesling with great freshness, clear aromatics and terpenes, still some fresh varietal hints (vanillin and linalool) if you look for them. Hard to tell if a hint of oak, the wine being so concentrated, plus the riesling aromatics. Palate is remarkable, richer, smoother and finer than the Millton, again tasting as if some oak but it could be the concentrated riesling terpenes, the sweetness totally married into the richness and honeyed flavour. With the superb acid balance so many of the 1991 wines in Marlborough showed, the aftertaste is long and almost refreshing. One of New Zealand's greatest wines, ever. Will hold. GK 12/17

2013 Church Road Syrah Tom 19 + (

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Bridge Pa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $200 [ 49mm cork; Sy 100% (mass selection clone) intensively hand-managed in the vineyard to optimise a reduced crop; the crop hand-harvested and sorted, all with great attention to fruit quality for the Tom parcels, at an approximate cropping rate of 6 t/ha (= 2.4 t/ac), all destemmed; no cold soak, inoculated yeast, fermentation in an open-top oak cuve, up to 31 days cuvaison, particular attention to aeration during and after fermentation; 22 months in French small oak 71% new, with racking to both aerate and clarify the wine; RS is given as 2.5 g/L, but that is the non-fermentable sugars: in the usual sense (of glucose and fructose) nil would be more realistic; neither fined nor filtered; winemaker Chris Scott estimates 2013 is the driest year in the viticultural zone for 70 years, and not unduly hot; around 150 cases; www.churchroad.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, just below midway in depth. Bouquet on this new syrah version of Tom is just beautiful, a perfect expression of dusky floral (nearly wall-flower) and fragrant cassis-laden syrah exactly matching fine Hermitage in style. The saturation of berry on bouquet is both extraordinary and superb, totally dominant to oak. Palate does little to dissuade one from this interpretation, and the weight of fruit is sensational: this is a wine to be compared with fine years of either the now re-invigorated Jaboulet La Chapelle Hermitage, or J L Chave Hermitage. It shows cassisy berry filled out with suggestions of bottled black doris plums plus a slight aromatic lift of subliminal black pepper, and gentle oak. It is more forward than the 2013 Villa Maria Syrah Reserve (under screwcap, not in this tasting set), but also closely matches both that wine and the 2013 Airavata Syrah for concentration, thus indicating a dry extract around or better than the 30 g/L mark – wonderful. Unlike the Airavata, there is little or no sign of whole-bunch fermentation evident on bouquet in this Tom Syrah. The quality of dry extract is further confirmed by the way the wine has totally absorbed the 71% new oak – which on the face of it would seem high for fine syrah (Guigal notwithstanding).

This is phenomenal wine, totally of finest international temperate-climate syrah quality. It is every bit as good in its way as the Tom Cabernet / Merlot. It may well be the finest 2013 Hawkes Bay syrah of all: only future rigorously blind tastings will reveal the answer to that issue. The given 2.5 g/L residual sugar will raise a point of order for some critical tasters, but as explained for Tom Cabernet /Merlot, this is unfermentable sugar. Most wineries would omit that in their specs. But even if it were fermentable, one would be inclined to let it pass, given the other qualities the wine shows. This wine is an exhilarating success for Chris Scott, the only regret being there are only c.150 cases of it. But conversely, how fantastic it is that the Church Road winemakers kept this finest parcel of fruit separate, and did not increase the volume with lesser batches. As I have written before, the Bridge Pa Triangle can be every bit the match for the much-hyped Gimblett Gravels, and particularly for syrah and merlot. This wine is the living proof of that assertion, though Church Road does have a prime site within the Triangle. As for the 2013 Tom Cabernet / Merlot, the British wine establishment acutely needs to see this wine, given their often-patronising assessments about New Zealand syrah matching good Crozes-Hermitage. As for the Cabernet / Merlot however, the given residual sugar will need explaining, for those seeking to criticise. It will be a worthwhile exercise, in years to come, to set up rigorously blind tastings of 12 comparable 2013 syrahs including this one, and see if tasters can in fact recognise these unfermentable sugars, against a background of such berry richness. Cellar 5 – 20 years, though it will hold longer. GK 06/16

2005 Blake Family Vineyard assembled tank sample 19 + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.9%; $ – [ cork; Me 40%, CS 30, CF 30 @ c. 1.25 kg / vine, 4300 vines / ha; French oak; the score should be in square brackets [ 19 + ] to indicate the sample is not the final ‘as bottled’ wine; www.bfvwine.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a glorious colour, deeper, denser and more velvety than the 2005 Alluviale, in fact, the deepest colour of the set. Bouquet is deeply and darkly floral, subtle and sensuous. Below the florals the depth of fruit is sensational, pure cassis and darkest plums, plus some toasty new oak. On palate, the concentration of florals and fruit is a joy to behold, the flavour more implicit than explicit, but the richness and dry extract already palpable on tongue. If this builds the bouquet in bottle that the ‘05 Alluviale already shows, and with the finesse of its oak, this will be a great wine. It will be more in a St Emilion style than a Medoc one. It is much richer than the 2005 Alluviale, yet shows no sign of sur maturité. There is a compelling climatic contrast between the near-perfection this winestyle displays, versus the elephantine Caymus. The two wines illustrate just how marvellous the Hawkes Bay climate is for Bordeaux / Hawkes Bay blends. Cellar 5 – 20 + years. GK 11/06

2005 Craggy Range Cabernet / Merlot The Quarry 19 + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.1%; $60 [ cork; DFB; CS 93%, Me 7, hand-harvested @ 2.5 t/ac; 100% de-stemmed; fermented in oak cuves; 16 months in French oak 71% new, fined and filtered; 350 cases; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, the deepest colour in the tasting. Bouquet is extraordinary, showing a Leoville Las Cases-like saturation of fully ripe cabernet cassis and darkest plum, infused with potential cedar and subtle violets florals, wonderfully clean, just beautiful. Palate is the bouquet liquefied, total cassis, aromatic fruit much richer than Coleraine, subtle oak, marvellous. The aftertaste is cassis, rich berry, and faint cedar. This is the greatest New Zealand cabernet / merlot so far released in the post-Prohibition era, despatching for ever the notion that New Zealand cannot ripen cabernet sauvignon. American commentators on New Zealand wines need to note that this is perfectly ripe cabernet, like fine-year classed-growth Bordeaux, not over-ripened like so many Napa Valley examples of the grape. Thus it still retains the magical lightness and florals which make great Bordeaux blends refreshing (to use a Jancis Robinson term), rather than overpowering. Cellar 5 – 25 years. GK 05/07

2013 Babich Cabernet Sauvignon 100 Years 19 + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $ – [ cork, 54mm; DFB; original price $399, has not yet registered on wine-searcher; CS 100%; fruit hand-picked at optimum ripeness from selected low-yielding vines in the Irongate vineyard, cropped at 4 t/ha = 1.6 t/ac, 24 days cuvaison; the wine matured for 10 months in French oak (barriques) c.45% new, at which point the best two barriques were selected and returned for a further 7 months to two of the new barrels; minimal fining and filtering; so far as is I know, the wine has not been offered for review, in New Zealand or overseas: thus there are no descriptions. At the time of release, Adam Hazeldine, Babich chief winemaker, described the wine thus: Sweetly perfumed with violet and blackberry. Hints of vanilla and smokey cedar join also to create a warm and embracing aroma. Sweet floral and dark fruit elements continue on the exceptionally smooth and dense palate. Complex flavours reminiscent of fruit cake, cocoa, leather and tobacco all combine in an harmonious wine that is both serious and beguiling; dry extract 28.2 g/L; production two barriques giving c. 330 bottles and 100 magnums (i.e. 44 x 9-litre case equivalents); weight bottle and closure: 709 g; www.babichwines.com ]
Dense ruby, carmine to a degree, and velvet, a little more age showing than some, the fourth deepest. Bouquet is simply exhilarating. It is like a laser-beam illuminating the concepts of violets, cassis and cabernet sauvignon, the whole aroma one of crystalline purity. There have been odd bordeaux like this for me over the years, but the vibrancy, precision and mouthwatering purity of this bouquet is of a quality rarely encountered. Palate follows harmoniously to a degree that is unbelievable. Normally straight cabernet sauvignon is characterised by its great bouquet and aromatics, but then the palate lacking a little, crying out for softer plummy merlot to flesh it out. Not this wine. The quality of vibrant berry on palate is both long and sufficiently wide, and the depth of cassisy flavour supported by beautiful cedary oak is exquisite. Acid and tannin balances are superb. For those who understand classical Bordeaux, this is is an extraordinary and revelatory New Zealand wine. For those brought up on the writings of New World winewriters, with their preference for big, over-ripe and over-oaked wines – they simply will not get it. This wine epitomises the beauty achievable in cabernet sauvignon in temperate-climate viticultural regions analogous with Bordeaux, in a near-perfect year. Reference to the 100-point Dominus in this tasting, a very highly-rated Californian cabernet, but hot-climate by comparison with the Babich, amply confirms the point. This wine sets a new standard for cabernet-dominated wines in New Zealand. Since it also commemorates a remarkable achievement for a winery in a young wine country, and since there is so little of it, it would be carping to comment on the price, other than to note it is unlikely to be sustained. One person rated the Babich the top wine in the tasting, two their second, so it wasn't a stand-out for the group. My advice is, bide your time, watch out for this wine coming up at auction: it is a fair bet people won't pay the release price. Cellar 10 – 40 years, maybe longer. GK 06/17

2010 Jaboulet Hermitage La Chapelle 19 + (

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Northern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $395 [ Cork 55mm; Sy 100%, hand-picked from vines averaging 40 years age, Le Meal the main vineyard and others at c.2.5 t/ha (1 t/ac); website not forthcoming as to elevage, but Livingstone-Learmonth and Robert Parker have good info: all destemmed, c.22 days cuvaison temperature controlled to max 30°C, MLF preferably in tank; oxygenation as needed, then 12 – 18 months depending on vintage in barrique, 20% new now, balance 1 and 2-year so now a more modern (too modern ?) approach to elevage; assembly in tank, may be fined, filtered; production now varies with vintage 1650 – 4150 cases, much less than the latter years of Jaboulet, coupled with a large percentage (say, 25%) now declassified to La Petite Chapelle and a further percentage completely declassified; with Jaboulet now owned by the Frey family of Ch La Lagune (along with Ayala and 45 percent of champagne Billecart-Salmon), the renaissance of the formerly famous but latterly sadly deteriorated Jaboulet house is now well in train. Rumours abound that La Lagune barrels are now in use for La Chapelle. Given the centuries-old links between Bordeaux and Hermitage, this makes sense; overseeing winemaker Caroline Frey graduated in oenology from the University of Bordeaux in 2002, dux of the class. There she met consultant oenologist Denis Dubourdieu, who she regards as her mentor and inspiration. Sothebys interviewed her in 2012, and say (ungrammatically): The quality of the wines, at both properties, have been undergoing a renaissance and show Caroline's total commitment to quality; this will be an exciting bottle, and I hope the first opportunity for many to assess the resurrected wine in the context of its peers; Robinson, Dec 2012: Deeper colour than the 2011. Very masculine, dense and convincing. Luscious and much softer than I was expecting; the fruit seems to overwhelm the tannins! But there is lots of acidity and freshness here too. Real density, 18+; Raynolds in Tanzer, 2012: Opaque purple. Heady, intensely perfumed aromas of candied blueberry, cherry and violet, with a wild array of spice and herb qualities adding complexity. Cassis, bitter cherry and floral pastille flavors stain the palate, with a vibrant mineral nuance providing lift. Closes with superb energy and cut, leaving floral, spice and blue fruit notes behind. I'd love to get my hands on some of this but between the low yield (reportedly between 10 and 18 hectoliters per hectare [ that is less than 2.5 t/ha = 1 t/ac]) and inevitable high price, who knows?, 96-98; Parker, 2012: This black/purple-colored beauty is revealing more weight and richness than it did last year from barrel, along with great precision, stunning minerality and enormous quantities of blackberry, cassis, beef blood and smoked game intertwined with hints of graphite and acacia flowers. With good acidity and richness as well as abundant, but ripe, well-integrated tannin, this great wine equals the titan produced in 2009. Forget it for 7-10 years and drink it over the following 30-50 years, 96+; www.jaboulet.com ]
Ruby and velvet, some carmine, more oak-influenced (in hue) than the Chave, one of the two deepest wines. Bouquet is glorious, a clear-cut rich sweet floral component worthy of Cote Rotie, florality to warm Prof Saintsbury's (gillyflower) heart. Below is rich ripe cassis grading to darkest bottled plums, a suspicion of cracked black peppercorn, quality potentially cedary oak, and great excitement. This bouquet is exhilarating. At this early stage, the palate does not quite live up to the bouquet. Because the wine is floral, there is the faintest hint of a fractionally less-ripe component. Fruit richness is very good but not on the scale of the Chave or the Guigal, and total acid is fractionally higher. There is therefore the faintest stalk / hard tannin at this early stage, which I expect to marry away totally. The aftertaste is darker fruits than the bouquet, and here the oak becomes a little noticeable, in youth. In essence, this wine is still a baby, awaiting marrying-up. It will become very beautiful. I expect it to approximate perfection on my ripening curve, in another 5 years. Cellar 10 – 25 years. GK 11/14

2013 Villa Maria Cabernet Sauvignon Ngakirikiri The Gravels 19 + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $150 [ screwcap; CS 97%, Me 3, 62%; 18 months in French oak c.52% new; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, the second deepest wine, a classic and glorious youthful claret colour. Bouquet is clearly the most fragrant, sophisticated, and subtle in the set, yet at the same time rich and voluminous. There are top notes of violets and related florals, on intense cassisy berry of perfect aromatic ripeness, all shaped by cedary oak. Palate follows harmoniously, fruit richness of tactile quality dominating the oak, showing great length of flavour yet no hint of heaviness. Notwithstanding the youth of the wine, the alcohol balance is subtle and tender in mouth, and there is no harshness of added tartaric. This is glorious temperate-climate cabernet of international quality, to cellar for 20 – 30 years. It will still be the lovely if frail drinking in 50 years. GK 03/18

2012 Valli Pinot Noir Gibbston Vineyard 19 + (

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Gibbston, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13%; $66 [ screwcap; hand-harvested @ 3.6 t/ha (1.4 t/ac) from 12-year old vines (a mix of Davis and Dijon clones), growing in a season of 910 degree days; ferments include a 30% whole-bunch component, cuvaison 20 days; 11 months in French oak 34% new, the balance first-and second-year; not fined or filtered; 930 9-litre cases; exemplary spec sheets for each wine; www.valliwine.com ]
Maturing pinot noir ruby of some depth, in the middle of the deepest quarter of the 57 wines. Bouquet is an astonishing evocation of a totally Cote de Nuits pinot noir bouquet, rich with dusky rose florals and exquisite sweet aromatic black cherry fruit in the style of a great Morey-Saint-Denis, simply wonderful. Palate shows a richness, pinpoint ripeness, complexity and depth extremely rare in New Zealand pinot noir, the flavours aromatic cherry all through, fresh and vibrant, beautifully lengthened on simpatico new oak. The concentration carries through right to the finish, like great Burgundy. This wine is at a peak of complexity now, but has years ahead of it, say 3 – 12 years at least. There is a certain magic in this wine achieving the top place. In theory one might expect Gibbston to produce the most exciting and burgundian wines in Otago, wines closer to the Cote de Nuits in style, since it is one of the cooler districts there. All too often though, the wines of the Gibbston district fall a little short. This wine is a wonderful achievement, which we as a pinot noir producing country can be immensely proud of. I am unable to account for my remarkably different rating for this wine now, compared with a bottle three (only) years ago. Mild reduction does gradually marry away, but the interval does not seem long enough to account for the difference. Perhaps even with screwcap, there can be some variation from bottle to bottle, for example depending on the level in the tank from which the wine is being drawn / first bottled vs last bottled, etc. [ Since writing this, I have experienced two totally different bottles of the same 2010 Chateauneuf-du-Pape, one somewhat reduced, one perfect. Wine varies so much from bottle to bottle, even to a degree under screwcap, it is hard to be sure of any assertion. ] GK 06/17

2015 Clos des Papes Chateauneuf-du-Pape 19 + (

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Southern Rhone Valley, France: 15%; $162 [ cork, 50mm; the cepage has changed in recent years, now more Mv, typically Gr 55%, Mv 30, Sy 10, the balance other AOC varieties including white grapes; cropped at little more than 2.6 t/ha = 1.05 t/ac; all de-stemmed; some months in vat, then 12 months in big old wood, then assembly in vat 2 months; not fined or filtered; production up to 7,500 x 9-litre cases; just the one wine; R. Hemming @ Robinson, 2017: Redcurrant, black pepper, fine tannin and subtle spice. Delicate and balanced and quite restrained overall – yet there is a long, deep, persistent finish that has plenty of potential. Resonant and graceful. 2017 - 2035, 17.5; J.L-L, 2017: a sweet, red berry fruited nose ... evident ripeness, airs of strawberry, flowers, spice. The palate ... prominent strawberry fruit, and floral, soft tannins ... Vincent Avril says: “The tannins are silken. The phenolics were very ripe, and it’s a good Mourvèdre vintage.” 2039-42, ****(*); J. Czerwinski @ R. Parker, 2017: ... a floral, elegant, unbelievably complex wine. Roses and violets, cherries and stone fruit, cinnamon and allspice and more are carried across the full-bodied yet almost weightless palate, finishing in a swirl of silky tannins and lingering spice. Drink it over the next two decades. 2017 - 2035, 97; bottle weight 638g; www.clos-des-papes.fr ]
Ruby, the third to lightest wine. This bouquet simply represents conventional Chateauneuf-du-Pape perfection, in terms of the more usual red-fruits dominated (raspberry) phase of the wine. It is clearly floral, with wonderful garrigue / bouquet garni complexity, but in a much lighter, more fragrant, hedge-roses and red-fruits style with raspberry, and nearly a hint of beeswax. The bouquet seems totally grenache-dominated, contra the cepage. On palate you feel you can nearly taste a hint of syrah black-pepper spice, but the mourvedre is near-invisible – just part of the backbone of the wine. This is so fragrant in mouth, the oaking again is perfect, and the given 15% alcohol is extraordinarily well-hidden. As the complementary red-fruits phase of Chateauneuf-du-Pape (to the Beaucastel), this is going to mellow into a wine challenging grand cru burgundy. It is very beautiful, and totally pure. Four first places, four second, so the ‘top wine’ on the night. As the definitive example of red-fruits Chateauneuf, it is critical to secure this wine while it is available. As outlined above, a case may seem expensive now, but it will never be regretted. Cellar 10 – 30-plus years. GK 08/18

2008 Champagne Veuve Clicquot Brut Vintage 19 + (

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Reims, Champagne, France: 12%; $118 [ standard compound cork; PN 61%, Ch 34, PM 5, all premier or grand cru vineyards; 5% of the base wine fermented in foudres; MLF employed; en tirage c.6 – 7 years; dosage 8 g/L; www.veuveclicquot.com ]
Quite a rich lemon, below midway in depth (of the whites). Bouquet is simply astonishing, exhibiting rich mealy ‘fruit’ (yet not fruity in the sense of so many New Zealand methodes) with a depth of autolysis which is classically Le Moulin-quality baguette crust, but includes a hint of Vogel’s Multigrain too. Flavour is equally perfect: a remarkable melding of the constituent varieties with nearly cashew autolysis depth and complexity, and a richness confirming the wine is all premier cru and grand cru fruit. Sweetness to the finish is near-perfect at 8 g/L, a level that pleases many enthusiasts (apart from those subscribing to the latest fad of zero-dosage, for the snobs). You can't easily tell from the highly integrated flavours whether chardonnay or pinot noir is dominant, but Veuve Clicquot is typically a pinot-led wine. With the depth of autolysis, it hardly seems to matter. There was comment that the depth of autolysis added a little bite to the very long finish, so perhaps it wouldn't be rated so highly by the delicacy brigade. This wine displays perfectly what yeast autolysis in the methode champenoise class is all about. And the oak-fermentation in foudre component is a textbook example of how oak should be used in the elevation of serious methode champenoise wines. Anyone interested in the methode champenoise winestyle must try this … and secure a case, for reference. Cellar 5 – 25 years, perhaps longer. GK 05/17

2013 Stonyridge [ Cabernet Sauvignon / Petit Verdot ] Larose 19 + (

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Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14%; $304 [ cork, 50mm; DFB; original en primeur price $125 (at which point it sold out); CS 52%, PV 19, Ma 12, Me 12, CF 4, carmenere 1, hand-picked, organic vineyard; yields may be as low as 2.5 t/ha = 1 t/ac; up to 30-day cuvaison; MLF in barrel; oak usually 90% French, 10 US, 65% new; filtered; 1080 cases in 2013; Perrotti-Brown, 2015: ... a youthfully mute nose revealing delicate notes of red and blackcurrants, mulberries and plums with hints of cedar, pencil lead, earth and violets plus a hint of cloves. Quite solid and muscular in the mouth with tons of densely packed fruit supported by a solid foundation of firm grainy tannins and lively acid, it has a very long finish, 94; no Cooper or Chan review; dry extract 30.2 g/L; production 1,240 x 9-litre cases; weight bottle and closure: 586 g; www.stonyridge.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, the second deepest wine, and one of the freshest, a glorious colour. Freshly opened this wine is infantile. Open and decant it hours ahead of using it. It opens up to present a wonderfully vibrant aromatic cassisy version of the concept ‘bordeaux style’. In with the cassis are perfectly ripe blackberries in the sun, enticing. In mouth the berry flavours are vibrant and fresh, even firm, not the singular focus of the Babich 100-Years wine, a more complex array of berry flavours reflecting the more complex cepage. Texture, richness and body in the wine are absolutely of classed growth Bordeaux standards, as the dry extract confirms, with the fruit superbly matched to cedary oak. Acid and tannin balances are exemplary. This is a wine to match and in fact easily surpass the quality of 1987 Stonyridge Larose, which I reported on at the time in National Business Review as being the finest red wine in New Zealand, from the 1987 vintage. The 1987 is still superb today, as fully mature wine, so it follows: cellar this wine for 10 – 40 years, probably 50. For the group, two people rated this their top wine, one their second. In my view, this 2013 wine confirms Stonyridge’s ranking, as one of the top two or three vineyards in New Zealand. This position can only be augmented by winemaker Martin Pickering advising that from the 2016 vintage, Stonyridge will be bottling Larose with leading-edge M A Silva premium ‘One-by-One’ corks. Finally a cork company (this one based in Sonoma County) has solved the technical difficulties of assessing each and every cork by gas phase spectroscopy, and guaranteeing every cork is free from TCA. At a cost of roughly $1.50 per cork, 40% more than a standard 49mm cork, this is the consumer’s ultimate safeguard. Great news. GK 06/17

2013 Elephant Hill Syrah Airavata 19 + (

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Gimblett Gravels 65%, Te Awanga 35%, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $74 [ cork, 50 mm; original price $90; Sy 98.7%, Vi 1.3, co-fermented where possible; all hand-picked from vines of average age 13 years; on average 4 days cold-soak, approximately 25% whole-bunch, cuvaison averaged 14 days, all cultured-yeast; wild-MLF in barrel; 18 months in oak c.40% new; RS nil; sterile-filtered to bottle; Hemming @ Robinson, 2016: Dense, compact style. Impeccable fruit density with a good dose of spicy oak on top, but the primary fruit flavours are fairly simple so far. Glossy, polished and impressive. Just slightly light to finish – doesn’t quite follow through as you might expect from the power of the initial impact, 2017 – 2023, 17+; Worobiec @ Wine Spectator, 2016: Fragrant and juicy, bursting with white pepper, herb and a savory, sanguine bass note, wild blackberry flavors lingering on the firm finish. Drink now through 2023, 88; Chan, 2015: ... a beautifully tight and elegantly concentrated Syrah with black fruits, spices and complex detail, carried by very refined, but serious structure. 10-15+ years, 19.5+; dry extract 31.9 g/L; production 273 x 9-litre cases; weight bottle and closure: 700 g; www.elephanthill.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, nearly carmine, not as young as some, the third deepest colour. Bouquet shows wonderful purity of dusky rose florals on cassisy dark berry and dark plum fruit, all with added zing from subtle black pepper. This bouquet is a near-perfect expression of optimal syrah varietal quality, the grapes ripened to the aromatic fragrant cassis point on my syrah ripening curve. Initial palate is succulent juicy berry subtly firmed by cedary oak, the flavours rich and aromatic and berry-dominant, not interfered with by alcohol, a delight. At this stage the wine seems infantile alongside Bullnose, with its much more sophisticated elevage, but I expect complexity to increase in cellar. Some might feel the oaking fractionally underdone, and the acid and tannin balances a little soft, but give it time. It is on the late palate that the wonderful richness and texture consequent on a dry extract of 31.9 g/L is apparent: you can feel the slippery thickness, texture and body of the wine on the top of the tongue. This wine was far and away the most-preferred wine of the evening, seven people rating it their top wine, and two their second. A glorious New Zealand syrah matching fine Hermitage, or even Cote Rotie – the latter comparison because of its softness. Cellar 10 – 30 years. GK 06/17

2005 Craggy Range [ Merlot / Cabernets ] Sophia 19 + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $50 [ cork; DFB; Me 62%, CF 34, CS 4; average vine age 6 years; 80% new French barriques for 19 months; 2300 cases; Halliday: A faint whiff of cedar, even tobacco, along with black fruits on the bouquet; has great drive and energy to the palate, and a very long finish; JR 2/08: Deep crimson but weaker rim. Very winning and flattering – quite alive and pungent. Round. The Cabernet Franc really helps to give it fragrance and freshness. 17; WS 5/08: Very concentrated, with sweaty saddle leather flavors battling black currant, mineral and violet tones. Lead pencil, peat moss and gripping tannins linger on the leathery finish. Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Drink now through 2010. 500 cases imported. 86; N. Martin 4/08: The 2005 Sophia is a blend of 62% Merlot, 34% Cabernet Franc and 4% Cabernet Sauvignon, hand-picked, de-stemmed and aged for 19 months in French oak of which 80% is new. It displays a less ostentatious nose but has even better delineation with scents of red cherries, wild strawberry and gravel, the palate full-bodied and ripe with layers of thick black fruits on the backward finish. It needs serious cellaring. 93; GK 19; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, the richest, densest and most velvety of all the wines. Bouquet is much more opulent and large-scale than The Gimblett wine, yet at the same time, to first sniff it is reserved, even austere in the sense of very youthful, right now. Darkest fragrant nearly floral plum dominates, but again with cassis qualities too: good merlot really is very bright and fragrant in the New Zealand viticultural milieu. Palate however is immediately sumptuous, no other word for it, the richest of all the wines, with the promise of fresh aromatic fruit flavours to come. It is all tightly held in check by oak, at this stage. It is therefore not as fragrant and accessible as some of the other wines, but it will cellar much longer, 10 – 30 years. GK 10/08

2005 Craggy Range Syrah Le Sol 19 + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $90 [ cork; Sy 100%; hand-harvested @ 2.4 t/ac; 95% de-stemmed, wild-yeast fermentation; 18 months in French oak 52% new; better supply of the '05 @ 650 cases, but 65% will be exported; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, towards the darker end of the set. The degree to which this wine has come together in bottle since my report in April is staggering. There are now explicit floral components on bouquet, violets, dianthus and darkest roses, and the dominance of cassisy berry over oak is dramatic. Alongside the top Guigal and Penfolds wines, 2005 Le Sol is delightfully primary still, extraordinarily pure, the least oak-affected. It is now varietal to a degree that makes most Hermitage wines shrink by comparison. And it is completely free of brett. The result is magical, a great wine of absolutely international stature, even more impressive than in my previous report. In this blind tasting it fully matches 2002 Grange in terms of quality, while differing in style quite markedly. Le Sol could be European, whereas that is scarcely a possibility for Grange. Only on the later palate and finish does it not have quite the superb fruit concentration, weight and dry extract of the Guigal grands crus or Penfolds Grange. A lower cropping rate will be needed, to get Le Sol absolutely into this top league of the world's finest syrahs, showing not oppressive size but infinite length and subtlety – a product of higher dry extract. In this tasting my relative marks amongst these wines reflects a style preference for explicit varietal quality and beauty, the purest wines (those lacking brett or oak artefact) scoring higher. But ultimately, concentration on palate is the ultimate arbiter, if all else be equal. Cellar 10 – 25 years, perhaps longer. GK 06/07

2003 Guigal Cote Rotie la Mouline 19 + (

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Cote Rotie, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $535 [ cork; Sy 89%, Vi 11, co-fermented, 100% de-stemmed; average vine age 77 years; cropped at less than half the normal 35 - 37 hL / ha (1.7 – 1.9 t/ac), so less than 1 t/ac; fermented in s/s, 5 weeks cuvaison; 42 months in new French oak; Tanzer records an actual alcohol of > 14%; Parker 170: La Mouline is by far the most delicate and elegant wine … the enormous aromatics of spring flowers intermixed with creme de cassis, black raspberry, mocha, caramel, and cola, and enormous full-bodied opulence and striking velvety, seamless texture make for one of the most memorable wines anyone could ever drink. 100; Robinson: Extremely intense and glamorous and appealing. Still young and unformed but opulent spice, great succulence, leathery notes – masses there but great balance. Not hot. And not raisined. Fresh. It’s the intensity that is the key. Good dry finish and it does taste like Cote-Rotie. Neat and lovely – tastes of purple fruits. … 18.5 +; www.guigal.com ]
Ruby and velvet, the lightest of the grand crus, and towards the lightest in the tasting. Bouquet on this Guigal interpretation of syrah is the least varietal, the most floral, and the most burgundian of the grands crus. Nor is it as varietal as the Brune & Blonde, but it is a good deal richer and more voluptuous. The 11% viognier adds a wonderful fresh yellow stonefruits and floral vanilla pod quality through bouquet and palate. Palate is velvety rich, burgundian particularly in the sense one thinks of a great chardonnay in the exquisite oak integration and length of aftertaste, yet one thinks of red burgundy too. The texture is simply divine – this wine would be so good with so many foods. And it is pure too. This is an exceptionally hard wine to score, for style triumphs over varietal precision. It does not seem big, yet the concentration and dry extract on tongue is fabulous. Pure hedonism in red wine. Cellar 5 – 30 years. GK 06/07

2010 Ch Palmer 19 + (

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Margaux Third Growth, Bordeaux, France: 14.5%; $699 [ cork 50mm; cepage this year Me 54%, CS 40, PV 6, average age 35 – 40 years, planted @ 10,000 vines / ha, typically cropped @ c.6 t/ha = 2.4 t/ac; time spent in barrel in better years c.20 months, 45% new, light toast; now rated as one of the undoubted 'super-seconds'; www.chateau-palmer.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a beautiful deep claret colour, the second deepest wine. Bouquet shows wonderful darkest roses merlot florality underpinned by both dark plum and cassisy berry characters, at this stage fruit totally dominant over oak. This fruit-dominant ratio in the young wine is noteworthy, relative to so many over-oaked young New Zealand cabernet / merlot blends. The purity and intensity of bouquet is wonderful. In flavour immediately the firmness of the petit verdot component suggests itself, but there is no hardness in the sense of stalkyness such as Pichon Lalande (which until recently had up to 8% petit verdot in the blend) has often shown. The freshness of the wine is sensational, totally belying the 14.5% alcohol. Flavour is long, at this stage finishing on grape tannins awaiting softening. The subtlety of the oak is particularly attractive: this is a classic young claret despite the alcohol. Grelat agreed the 2010 was classic, but 'masculine' (not the usual for Palmer), and compared it with the 1983 (not 1982, in Margaux), or more particularly the 'legendary' 1961. The dry extract is wonderful. Cellar 10 – 35 years. GK 11/15

2002 Penfolds Cabernet Sauvignon Bin 707 19 + (

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Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale & Padthaway, South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $160 [ cork; CS 100%, from an unusually cool dry summer (which means quality in Australia); 14 months in 100% new American oak hogsheads; Penfolds rate the ’02 with the 1996 and 1990; www.penfolds.com.au ]
Dense ruby and velvet, denser even than the ’02 RWT, the darkest of the cabernets. Bouquet is immensely powerful both from intense cassis, and from scads of new oak, reminding immediately of a latter-day version of the recently-tasted 1986 Mouton-Rothschild. On palate, the concentration of cassis is remarkable, the wine intensely aromatic, both intrinsically and from the excess (surely) of new American oak. Yet it has to be said, the level of oak is only a fraction that of the 2001 Grange. The total balance, given the richness, is good (in its style), and both berry and oak linger for ages on the palate, with the ultimate last word going, unbelievably, to the cassis. This augurs well for its development in cellar. Like the 2002 RWT, this is a great example of the Penfolds style, from a great year. Only a few vintages reach this quality of berry flavour, usually these wines being simply too hot-climate. Invest in as much as you can afford, for it will cellar for half a lifetime, 10 – 50 years. 2002 Penfolds Bin 707 will be wonderful in 10, 20 or 40 years – take your pick. Just provide for it ! GK 07/06

2004 Penfolds Shiraz RWT 19 + (

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South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $136 [ Cork 49mm, ullage 17mm; original price c.$80; RWT = Red Winemaking Trial; fermentation completed and elevation 14 months in all French hogsheads (thus contrasting with Grange), 69% new; J. Harding@JR, 2014: Very fine dark fruit. Pure, dry, dark and mineral. Lots of spice but also savoury. Soft and chocolate textured but a lovely dark dry fruit flavour. Very smooth. Has that savoury character of Douro reds but it's softer, smoother and more approachable. Delicious, 18; J. Miller@RP, 2007: … delivers an expressive nose of smoke, leather, grilled bacon, game, blueberry, and licorice. Full-bodied, it is dense, ripe, and layered as well as opulent. More forward than the Magill Estate, this hedonistic Shiraz can be enjoyed now but will continue to evolve for another 8-10 years, 95; weight bottle and closure: 606 g; www.penfolds.com ]
Ruby and velvet, a good colour for its age, well above midway in depth. Bouquet is softer and ‘sweeter’ than the top Cabernets, less aromatic, less oaky, only the faintest piquant lift, instead nearly floral, with exquisite berry inclining mostly to blueberry, some red plum, no overt oak. Palate is beautiful, of syrah quality, great length, purity and depth, not obviously oaky, not obviously tartaric-adjusted, but instead long and 'sweet' on dry extract. I imagine against a very good Hermitage of the same age, the blueberry level of ripeness would seem a bit lush, but as a quality expression of syrah in a ripe year, this RWT would fare very well indeed. The alcohol is well hidden in the succulent berry, and any tartaric addition is well-nigh invisible. One top vote, one second, and mysteriously, two least. Seen as shiraz by half the group. Cellar 10 – 30 years. GK 04/21

2000 Ch Montrose 19 + (

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Saint-Estephe Second Growth, Bordeaux, France: 12.5%; $352 [ cork 50mm, ullage 17mm; original price c.$129; cepage CS 63%, Me 31, CF 4, PV 2, planted at 9,000 vines / ha; c.18 months in barrel, % new likely increasing towards the modern 60%; 15,000 x 9-litre cases; Montrose website: Vintage: Sept. 22 – Oct. 7; August was hot and dry. The weather was still fair in September and the conditions of maturation were ideal. Wine: The Merlots were rich and highly complex. The Cabernet francs were extremely fine and the Cabernets-Sauvignon very ripe, revealing full wines, combining power, finesse and complexity; Coates, 2004: Wine: Classy Cabernet nose. Not a blockbuster. But balanced and very ripe. Fullish body. Very well balanced. Very lovely cool Cabernet. Harmonious and long. Very complete. 2011 – 2030, 17.5; Broadbent, 2002: Vintage: *** to *****, … a very good year, fairly uniform in quality with some really outstanding wines. Wine: Not included; J. Robinson, 2005: Already starting to develop a bouquet of tertiary aromas. Great refinement and elegance. Not quite as dense as the 2003 although no shortage of impact and the same velvety textures but with more obvious acidity. Rich. Should be ready to drink well before the monumental 2003 but not last as long, 18; R. Parker, 2003: ... 2000 Montrose is the finest effort produced since the compelling 1990 and 1989. This gigantically sized, tannic, backward effort boasts a saturated inky purple color followed by a huge nose of acacia flavors, crushed blackberries, creme de cassis, vanilla, hickory smoke, and minerals. Extremely full-bodied, powerful, dense, and multi-layered, this unreal Montrose should last for 30+ years. ... a special wine that has exceptional purity and length. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2040, 96; weight bottle and closure 544 g; www.chateau-montrose.com ]
Bright ruby and some velvet, a classic claret colour at 20 years, above midway in depth. Bouquet is quite different from the younger wines, this 2000 suddenly having spread its wings, with secondary and even hints of tertiary aromas apparent in the cassis, blackberry and darkly plummy aromatic berry complexity. This impression of harmony and complexity is greatly reinforced in mouth, the firmer aromatic cassis component now melding with softer merlot and dark tobacco, to produce a classic claret, fragrant, complex, sufficiently rich to be exemplary by last century standards, but a little lighter than the modern top wines. In this set, its absolute style-mate is the 1982. This is the complete ‘textbook’ claret, the balance of berry and oak perfect, the wine just starting on its plateau of maturity. Being a little more modest than the contemporary wines, only two top places, and two second. But the charm and balance of this 2000 is now ready to provide tasters with a great deal of pleasure at table. Cellar 20 – 30 years. GK 07/21

2008 Guigal Condrieu la Doriane 19 + (

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Condrieu, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $152 [ cork; BF and MLF in new French oak, plus 9 months LA and batonnage; www.guigal.com ]
Lemon-straw, faintly fresher than the village Condrieu. 2008 may have been lesser for the northern Rhone reds, but these whites from Guigal are delightful. Perhaps they are not quite as rich as Americans prefer, which brings them even more exactly into relevance for New Zealanders. The Doriane is the best I can recollect, simply because there is less oak, and brilliant exposition of citrus florals grading to fresh-cut apricots on bouquet, followed by apricot fruit and subtle oak. In mouth, the MLF component is attractively subtle and only just noticeable, the oak is a little more apparent than at the bouquet stage, and the varietal definition is exquisitely accurate. The wine is rich enough to not seem bone dry, benchmark viognier, but a wine for the short term though, I suspect, 2 – 4 years. GK 10/10

2016 Ch de Beaucastel 19 + (

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Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $149 [ cork, 55mm, ullage 15mm; original price $180; cepage varies a little each year around Gr 30%, Mv 30, Sy 10, Co 10, Ci 5, other authorised red varieties 8, and white varieties 7; more detail in the introductory sections; Wine Spectator Vintage Chart: This truly rare vintage is a new benchmark ... warm during the day but cool at night, with an unusually large diurnal swing that led to slow, even ripening across all varieties while maintaining acidity. Reds are laden with fruit, yet extremely racy and fresh in feel, 99; de Beaucastel website: The 2016 vintage in the Southern Rhone valley is exceptional, both in terms of quality and quantity ...; J.L-L, 2017: The tannins are ripe and deep, and approachable, fleshy. This is Beaucastel in the more modern recent style. There is velvet wine within an actually firm casing; it has more foundation than the 2015, *****; RH@JR, 2017: Floral and rich on the palate with gorgeous spice mix and effortless balance. A great wine, with great pedigree – you can taste this in the sheer elegance and intensity, 18; JM@WS, 2019: ... lengthy finish as the fruit unwinds slowly. Concentrated yet precise, 97; JC@RP, 2017: ... amazing purity in its scents of dark fruit and licorice, richness and weight without any excess of alcohol and a finish that goes on and on, 95 – 97 (97 later); still available in discriminating New Zealand merchants; weight bottle and closure: 874 g; www.beaucastel.com ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, the freshest and second-deepest, but neither heavy nor unduly deep, a lovely colour. Bouquet has dark berry freshness and wineyness to it, mourvedre dominant now, all absolutely pure, with trace garrigue aromatics. Compared with the 2015, there is a greater firmness and aromatic quality to the wine, the mourvedre component hinting at cabernet sauvignon as in a bordeaux blend, dark berries dominant over red, almost a hint of elderberry. Palate likewise reveals dark berries more noticeable than the red / raspberry / cinnamon-styled grenache, perfect fresh acid balance, appreciable dry extract, very subtle oak just detectable on the bouquet, and then again on the later palate, where it is hard to separate from the tannins of the mourvedre. The alcohol is amazingly well hidden. The nett balance is such that in 20 years, you feel this wine will show a near-burgundian quality, such as the 2001 and 1989 show now. The tasting group did not assess this wine, so no collective view. No hint of brett. Such perfect balance will cellar for many years, though it is not a dramatically big wine. Cellar for 15 – 40 years. GK 05/21

2009 Greystone Riesling Late-Harvest 19 + (

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Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 9%; $30 [ screwcap; not on website; no info forthcoming; www.greystonewines.co.nz ]
Elegant lemon. Bouquet is intensely floral, with holy grass, freesia, vanilla and subtle acacia notes really obvious on bouquet, confuseable only with fine Mosel at an auslese level of sweetness in a botrytis year. Palate confirms, a perfect balance of nectary fruit yet refreshing lime zest and citrus-like acid, plus beautifully handled phenolics, the flavour and gentle sweetness lingering long in the mouth. Wonderful. Offhand, it is the most beautiful and complex New Zealand riesling I can remember. It should cellar for 15 years, at least, and confuse many tasters along the way. GK 06/11

2010 Jaboulet Hermitage La Chapelle 19 + (

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Northern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $345 [ Cork, 54mm; Sy 100; general elevation etc see Intro; Robinson, 2012: Very masculine, dense and convincing. Luscious and much softer than I was expecting; the fruit seems to overwhelm the tannins! But there is lots of acidity and freshness here too. Real density, 18+; Parker, 2012: ... It should be fascinating to compare the potentially legendary 2010 Hermitage La Chapelle with the prodigious 2009 La Chapelle over the next 30-40 years. … showing more weight and richness than it did last year from barrel, along with great precision, stunning minerality and enormous quantities of blackberry, cassis, beef blood and smoked game intertwined with hints of graphite and acacia flowers. With good acidity and richness as well as abundant, but ripe, well-integrated tannin, this great wine equals the titan produced in 2009. Forget it for 7-10 years and drink it over the following 30-50 years, 96+; website not always accessible; www.jaboulet.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, without doubt the deepest wine. Bouquet is wonderfully rich and fresh, fresh enough to retain cassis though this is just on the cusp, grading to darkest bottled plum (black doris), lovely aromatic complexity in which subliminal black pepper on subtle new oak adds depth. This is much more dynamic and vital than the 2009, much more exciting. Flavours match the bouquet beautifully, again much fresher, tightly wound, more like the 1990, very dry, very good concentration and length in mouth. A magical syrah might have a greater floral component than this wine, but even so this is text-book. I did not taste the 1990 as a young wine, and the 1978 was never sold at retail in New Zealand, so this is the most impressive young La Chapelle in my experience. A heritage wine. It was clearly the most liked wine by the group, with six first-place rankings. Cellar 15 – 45 years, to judge from the 1969. GK 09/14

2006 Trinity Hill Syrah Homage 19 + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.3%; $127 [ cork; Sy 97%, Vi 3, hand-harvested @ c. 1 t/ac from vines 12 years old (the syrah); the percentage Vi hard to estimate, as there is both fruit (strictly 2%), but also fermentation of the red on the much greater volume of pressed skins from the dry white Viognier; 100% de-stemmed; a shorter cuvaison than the Esk Valley Reserve, maybe 15 days; MLF and 18 months in French oak 92% new; 311 cases; winemakers Warren Gibson & John Hancock; www.trinityhill.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, not quite the weight of 2004 Le Sol, but a great colour. Bouquet is dramatically syrah, total Hermitage / Northern Rhone in style, in a clearly more floral and slightly less massive presentation than Le Sol. There is explicit black peppercorn, as well as carnation / dianthus and dark rose florals on cassisy berry. A little charry oak adds complexity, without distortion. Palate shows beautifully fine-grained fruit in very high quality potentially cedary French oak, with cassis grading through to dark bottled plums and berry. It is a more delicate rendering of syrah cassis than Le Sol, and thus in a sense the wine is even closer to classic Hermitage. Academic brett adds to that impression. The wine has absorbed its 100% new oak totally, and shows little evidence of it on palate. This is great syrah, sublimely elegant, competing at the highest level with the Cuillerons and Chaves of the latter-day Northern Rhone hierarchy. It makes the 2004 Le Sol it is up against look a little clumsy, but at the highest level of achievement, let me make clear. On the price front, though, I object to this premature New Zealand setting of inflated prices by people such as Pernod-Ricard (with Tom), Trinity Hill, Stonyridge, and too many pinot producers. I believe our wine achievements as a nation do not yet justify a pricing structure which appeals to trophy-hunters, and at the same time does a disservice to everyday wine-drinkers and New Zealand wine as a whole. And some of the wines offered at these fancy prices have simply lacked the quality needed. At the very least, such ambitions should reflect the excellence of a particular vintage. But, all that said, if one is to include a wine such as this in fact excellent Homage Syrah in future rigorously-blind reviews, one has to buy it. It may be New Zealand's finest syrah so far – if not it is very close to it. It is not the biggest – 'finest' is used advisedly. So, buy as much as you can afford, and cellar it 5 – 15 years. GK 12/07

2006 Cuilleron Condrieu Vertige 19 + (

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Condrieu, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $175 [ cork; Cuilleron makes four Condrieus, all with 100% MLF, like Guigal: the standard cuvee including younger vine material La Petite Cote, all hand-picked from sites above Chavanay, all BF on low-solids in older oak 2 – 5 years, 100% MLF plus LA, batonnage and 9 months in barrel, c. 1300 cases; the Les Chaillets label totalling around 1500 cases, made from older vines (sometimes labelled Vieilles Vignes) on steeper slopes above Chavanay, all hand-harvested with a little sur-maturité, low-solids juice wild-yeast-fermented and 100% MLF in barrel, with up to 30% new oak, plus 10 months lees autolysis and batonnage; the extremely rare Vertige from the top lieu-dit in Condrieu (about 125 cases depending on the year), from even older vines on a steep granite slope, all barrel-fermented with a much higher percentage new, plus MLF, LA and batonnage, in barrel up to 18 months; and if conditions permit, in some years a botrytised late-harvest Les Ayguets from sites above Chavanay, hand-harvested in up to 8 tranches through to December, similar fermentation to Chaillets, usually 100 – 110 g/L RS, up to 400 cases (of 500 ml bottles) – a cellar wine in Cuilleron’s view; Cuilleron is imported into NZ by The Wine Importer (who has ’07 Les Ayguets, $125, but not Vertige), and latterly Glengarry; www.isasite.net/Cuilleron ]
Colour is gorgeous lemon with nearly a flush of green, the most elegant and fresh of the viognier colours. Bouquet is simply sensational, divinely citrus and mock orange blossom floral, clear-cut fresh and canned apricots perfectly aromatic and ripe but not over-ripe, a suggestion of limes, all made piquant by barrel-ferment in new oak. Despite the alcohol and time in oak, the bouquet is totally fresh, aromatic, bursting with grapeyness, so unlike Yalumba's Virgilius where the artefact intrudes and so often dominates. Palate continues the freshness, but in the wonderful richness one can see complexing lees-autolysis, barrel-ferment and subtle MLF characters, and the interplay of oak tannins and grape phenolics. It smells and tastes as if it sees more new oak than the others, but it is not dominated by it – glorious. The wine shows the beauty of a good MLF component, perfect acid balance, slightly less than fully ripe apricots, all lingering long on gentle phenolics, close to bone dry. Cellar 1 – 4 years, maybe six. This wine is essential tasting for all New Zealand viognier producers. I cannot stress the word essential too much. GK 02/09

2004 Penfolds Cabernet Sauvignon Bin 707 19 + (

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South Australia, Australia: 13.5%; $591 [ Cork 49mm, ullage 25mm; original price c.$125; CS 100%, from Barossa Valley including Kalimna, McLaren Vale and 23% Coonawarra; fermentation completed and 15 months in all-new American hogsheads; J. Harding@JR, 2006: Very intense blackcurrant and cassis leaf edge. Very intense pure cassis, sweet ripe tannins but still has a touch of the freshness of cassis leaf. Very very thick pile with just a touch of grip on the very end. After time in the glass: spicy, lavender chocolate (I had some lavender-flavoured chocolate recently!), wonderfully fresh even though it is so ripe and pure, melted chocolate tannins, 17.5; J. Miller@RP, 2007: … it exhibits a classic Cabernet nose of cedar, tobacco, spice box, black currant, and blackberry liqueur. Medium-bodied (13.5% alcohol) but dense and concentrated, with tons of black fruit flavor, the wine is tightly knit, structured, beautifully balanced, and very promising. It needs a minimum of 10-12 years of cellaring and should provide pleasure through 2040, 95; weight bottle and closure: 598 g; www.penfolds.com ]
Ruby, nearly carmine, and velvet, youthful for its age, the third deepest wine. Bouquet is intensely berried, with a light pennyroyal lift but not euc'y, like the 60A piquant and enticing, but the new oak a good deal more noticeable. The purity of berry on bouquet is captivating. Palate likewise is intensely cassisy, a staggering depth of berry and fruit, and much better balance of berry to oak than some of the heavily-handled later 1990s Bin 707s, the depth of fruit such that the length of flavour almost covers over any ‘cabernet hole’ in the palate. Only when you compare the palate carefully with the 60A, do you notice a relative shortness here, compared with the near-succulence of the 60A, with its benison of shiraz filling out the texture. Finish too is not as fine as the 60A, just a little tartaric spikiness is noticeable. It is a pity Penfolds do not pay relatively more attention to mouthfeel and texture, considering world wine standards, and less to pH meters. I would love to see this wine at 45 years, when some of the tartaric may be sparkling crystals on the cork, and the liquid thus gentler. Top wine for three tasters, and second-favourite for another three, so one of the top wines for the group. Recognised as cabernet-dominant by eight tasters. Cellar 25 – 40 years. GK 04/21

2005 Chapoutier Hermitage l'Ermite 19 + (

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Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $422 [ cork; Sy 100% 80 years average age, adjacent the Ermite chapel on top of Hermitage hill on granite; hand-harvested ideally at minimum 13 degrees alcohol; 100% de-stemmed; fermented in open-top concrete vessels, fermentation to 32 C, cuvaison up to 6 weeks; 15 – 18 months in 100% new French oak; regular racking; not fined or filtered; www.chapoutier.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, the lightest of the four Hermitage syrahs, but still good. And the reason is evident as soon as one smells it, for the ratio and influence of new oak is greater than the other three. Like Pavillon the bouquet is redolent of wallflowers / carnations, cassis and darkest plums, though it is harder to pick up the black peppercorn, due to the oak. Palate is not quite as succulent as Pavillon, and the new oak is more noticeable – no doubt accounting for the higher scores for this wine (in many instances). Actual richness expressed as dry extract seems not quite as high as Pavillon, but it too should cellar for 10 – 30 + years. GK 07/08

2010 Guigal Ermitage Ex Voto 19 + (

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Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $574 [ cork, 50mm; Sy 100%; vine age 40 – 90 years; 30% of the fruit from Bessards, on granite, balance Greffieux, L’Hermite, Murets; hand-picked at c.4.55 t/ha = 1.8 t/ac; fermented in temperature-controlled s/s, c.4 weeks cuvaison; 42 months in believed to be 100% new French oak; the name Ex Voto embraces the thought of giving thanks (for locating vineyards in Hermitage), first year 2001; not fined or filtered; production c.800 x 9-litre cases; J. Livingstone-Learmonth, 2014: Here we go: this is a rocking, full, true Hermitage bouquet, an abundance of closely packed berries in the aroma, soaked cherries and a small line of menthol, tobacco. The palate runs with liberal fruit, that is so very long. This has the joy of the great vintage in expressive quantity, the fruit boundless. Eat your heart out, Bordeaux - no wonder Hermitage was shipped there to bolster their wines, 2034-37, *****; Jeb Dunnuck @ R Parker, 2015: The 2010 Hermitage Ex Voto continues to top out on my scale. This extraordinary Hermitage has more minerality and delineation than the 2009, as well as overflowing aromas and flavors of creme de cassis, jammy blackberries, violets, graphite and wood smoke. Massively concentrated, full-bodied, decadent, layered and sexy, it needs short-term cellaring but should be just about immortal in the cellar, 100; www.guigal.com ]
Fresh ruby and velvet, not the depth of the top two, due to the greater oak exposure, in fact below midway in depth. At the tasting this wine was not quite singing: nobody felt any fault showed, but one or two agreed it was quiet on bouquet. So I put it to bed that night with 100 mm² of Gladwrap® in the XL5 glass, and the following day it was transformed. A textbook illustration of scalping, by TCA below threshold. The next day it smelt how it tasted the night before: wonderful cassisy berry matched stride for stride by sweet vanillin cedary oak, the vanillin dominating any grape-floral component, so in one sense the wine presents as a Guigal first and foremost, and Hermitage second. Fruit richness in mouth is colossal, however. How the Guigals get their oak so soft, sweet, cedary and fragrant, I know not. Perhaps for their wines of this calibre, their grand cru / individual vineyard wines, they weather it five or six years instead of the three other conscientious coopers now use. The Guigals do after all have their own in-house cooperage. The length of flavour here is extraordinary, but it is vanillin-infused (rather than due to varietal spice, say). Dry extract here is on a par with the Chave, but the wine being technically faultless, it clearly is a 50 year proposition. As would be anticipated for a wine with this quality of oak, two tasters rated it their top wine, and two their second. Six thought it Northern Rhone Valley. Cellar 25 – 50 years. GK 11/18

1990 Ch Montrose 19 + (

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Saint-Estephe Second Growth, Bordeaux, France: 13%; $1,030 [ cork 54mm, ullage 14mm; original price c.$72; cepage 1990 CS 64%, Me 32, CF 4, planted at 9,000 vines / ha; c.18 months in barrel, % new then unknown, maybe less than now (60%); 18,000 x 9-litre cases; Montrose website: Vintage: Sept. 14th – Oct. 3rd ... the summer was historically hot and dry. The little rain in September favoured the abundance of the harvest, perfectly healthy and ripe. Wine: ... fabulously balanced on the palate, very silky, fine texture showing an incredible length with empyreumatic aromas. [ ie: smelling of burnt organic matter as a result of decomposition at high temperatures – creosote and other empyreumatic oils.]; Coates, 2004: Wine: Rich, full, firm and concentrated on the nose. Still backward. Fullish body. Tannic and backward. Very good fruit. Undeniably impressive. Much more classic than the Cos d’Estournel. The tannin just a little too much. Needs time, 17.5; Broadbent, 2002: Vintage: ***** An excellent vintage. [ Broadbent rates it the best of the 1990s ]. Wine: I disliked intensely its barnyard smell and taste, no rating; J. Robinson, 2009: This is a famous wine, though not all bottles seem in perfect condition. At first, the nose was not utterly pure and precise, but it seemed to clean itself up in the glass. It was definitely sweeter and richer than any Montrose I can think of and was pleasing, flattering and easy to drink with some very fine tannins and just a little dustiness on the finish, 17.5; R. Parker, 2014: Some bottles of this wine have a definite brett population that gives off the notes of sweaty horses ... I suspect that the brett population is in all of them, but unless the wine hits some heat along the transportation route or in storage, the wine will not show any brett. This one tasted at the chateau, as well as those I’ve had from my cellar, have been pristine ... This wine has an incredibly complex nose of spring flowers, blackberry and cassis liqueur, scorched earth and barbecue spice. It is full-bodied, majestic and opulent, with low acidity and fabulous fruit. It is close to full maturity. The wine should continue to drink well for at least another 30 or more years ... absolutely magnificent, broad, savory and mouth-filling. This is one of the all-time modern legends from Bordeaux as well as Chateau Montrose, 100; weight bottle and closure 559 g; www.chateau-montrose.com ]
Ruby and velvet, not so much older than the 2000, but lighter in overall depth, below midway. Bouquet here is related to the 2003, with a great volume of soft aromas even more complex and integrated and tertiary than that wine. The amount of complex berry with brown cigar leaf-tobacco, brown mushrooms, and thoughts of truffles and spices is captivating – another wine to defy description in mere words. The most experienced bordeaux taster in the room summed it up as ‘simply gorgeous’. My reaction to the wine was one of delight, my previous bottle of 1990 Ch Montrose having shown quite a baked character, more as hinted at by the chateau's ‘empyreumatic’ descriptor. Careful tasters did find some signs of brett complexity in this wonderful bouquet, but it simply has to be said, like the 1989 Ch de Beaucastel, the total beauty of the wine on bouquet and its velvety palate overwhelms the technical detail. Palate is immediately closer to the 2003 than any other wine, and yes, on the late palate, perhaps you can see it is not quite ideally technically pure – a little too exotic and spicy. Six tasters rated the 1990 their top wine of the evening, and two more their second-favourite. Conversely, four had it as their least wine, with nine tasters recording brett. Interesting and divisive wine, in which those preoccupied with the detail of technology, pH and the like simply cannot recognise the total beauty and achievement of the whole wine. To an average palate, or even a fairly experienced one, there is very little sign of objectionable brett character in this bottle. But as is obvious from the Net, other bottles are totally different … as is always the case with brett-affected wines. We were lucky. Future cellar life is a gamble with any wine containing brett, but there is the richness of fruit here for good bottles to last many years yet. Just luck from now on. GK 07/21

2002 Sacred Hill Cabernet / Merlot Helmsman 19 + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $45 [ cork; DFB; hand-picked; MLF and 20 months in new French oak; cepage lacking on website; www.sacredhill.com ]
Ruby and velvet, some residual carmine, a remarkable colour, more youthful than the 2004, or the 2003 Andrew Will. Bouquet on this wine is now simply sensational, displaying a combination of violets florals, cassisy berry and potentially cedary oak which puts it in the top echelon of either Hawkes Bay blends, or Bordeaux blends sensu stricto. Palate is similar, the violets florals liquefied through gorgeous dense cassis and black plums, rich, beautifully balanced, long and satisfying. This 2002 Sacred Hill Helmsman is one of the greatest ‘claret’ styles ever made New Zealand (in the post-Prohibition era), and deserves to be in the cellar of all who love Hawkes Bay / Bordeaux blends. A pre-release sample was reviewed favourably on this site May 2004. It will cellar 5 – 20 + years. GK 11/06

2008 Black Estate Riesling 19 + (

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Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 11%; $22 [ screwcap; riesling planted 1998, hand-picked @ 1.6 t/ac; whole-bunch pressed, long 40-day cool fermentation in s/s; 3 – 4 months lees contact and stirring; pH 2.98, RS 48 g/L; www.blackestate.co.nz ]
Lemongreen. Bouquet is simply sensational middle-Mosel riesling, in the style of a textbook label such as best Loosen Wehlener Sonnenuhr or nearby familiar label at a spatlese level. White florals abound, going as far as freesia notes, with holygrass (Hierochloe), citric and vanillin qualities plus surely some botrytis to achieve such complexity, just beautiful [15 – 20% botrytis confirmed ]. Palate is full, lovely pale stonefruits, spatlese sweetness confirmed, fine-grained acid, long, elegant, pure. This is superb riesling, by either German or New Zealand standards, one of the best ever made in this country. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 05/09

1990 Penfolds Coonawarra Cabernet / Shiraz Bin 920 19 + (

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Coonawarra, South Australia, Australia: 13%; $595 [ cork, 49mm; CS 65%, Sh 35; vinification assumed to be similar to Grange, ferment completed in new American oak, then 18 months in American oak, 100% new; not on Penfolds website, strange; www.grayswine.com.au: Commemorative Release - 150th Anniversary Year – 1994. In 1990, with Coonawarra at its best, Penfolds produced another great wine in the tradition of the famous 1966 Vintage Bin 620 ... Released 1994 to commemorate Penfolds 150 years of winemaking in Australia, this wine named Bin 920 is a blend of the finest Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz of the vintage; Halliday, 1994: ... amazingly lush, opulent plummy fruit on the bouquet; the palate has layer upon layer of dark plum, cassis and cherry fruit with equally layered soft and supple tannins running throughout. Will be ready long before Bin 90A, though nonetheless has a 20-year future, 95; Halliday, 1999: Fragrant sweet fruit, an essence of cassis and plum on the bouquet, balanced with subtle oak. A massive wine with layer upon layer upon layer of flavour in the mouth. Nowhere near ready to drink, exceptional concentration. Leave till 2020, *****; Robinson, 2011: Dry and muscular. Alcohol plus acid. Tart for the moment. This one seems to need forever to shine, 17.5; www.penfolds.com ]
Ruby and velvet, the deepest and second-most-red / freshest wine. Bouquet is wonderfully cassisy and aromatic, the oak on a knife-edge as to excess or not, but on balance, the bouquet is ripe, fresh (i.e. not over-ripe), cassisy and cedary, the cabernet component having the upper hand. Freshness continues in the rich palate, wonderful texture again cassis but some blackberry, oak noticeable but there is excellent richness to absorb it. This wine is a nearly-beautiful example of the Penfolds style, without being a caricature of it as so many are. Ideally the oak would be less assertive, though. It has a finesse scarcely known to Grange, with the shiraz fleshing out the cabernet beautifully. Tasters were not as enthusiastic about this wine as I was, no first places, one second. Cellar 10 – 30 years. GK 09/17

2015 Elephant Hill Syrah Earth 19 + (

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The Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $75 [ cork 50mm; Sy 100% hand-picked at 5 t/ha = 2 t/ac, and hand-sorted; 3 days soak then up to 13 days cuvaison in open-top fermenters including cuves, 25% whole bunches retained in fermentation; no press wine in final blend, 26 months in French barrique-sized oak 40% new, 1 month on lees in s/s; not fined, sterile-filtered to bottle; dry extract 31.2 g/L; production 139 x 9-litre cases; ‘Earth’ refers to the older alluviums and soils of The Triangle, often underlain by the Red Metal formation; weight bottle and closure 701 g; https://elephanthill.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a glorious deep serious-red colour, the deepest of the reds. Bouquet is deep, dark and mysterious, dusky florals almost hinting at violets plus a gentle black pepper aromatic lift, melding into deep cassisy berry, understated oak which will one day show cedary touches, clearly temperate-climate syrah, all exquisitely pure. Palate is rich, great cassisy berryfruit depth, and remarkable freshness, sustained by fragrant oak, but not dominated by it, the black pepper developing a little on the tongue, confirming (at the blind stage) that this should be syrah. In taste terms alone, the dry extract in this wine is perceptibly of classical grand cru proportions, marvellous. Later reference to the specs confirmed that supposition. This is the kind of wine-making approach we need in New Zealand, if our red wines are to make the jump to international recognition and fame. A glorious and totally international temperate-climate handling of syrah, to cellar 15 – 40 years. This wine demonstrates yet again the pre-eminence of The Triangle, as the source of the finest and most floral syrahs in Hawkes Bay. GK 06/20

1999 Guigal Cote Rotie Chateau d’Ampuis 19 + (

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Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $159 [ cork, 49mm; original price c.$130; typically Sy 93 – 95% & Vi 5 – 7, average age 40 years, both Cote Brune and Cote Blonde sites used, average yield 4.4 t/ha = 1.8 t/ac; 4 weeks cuvaison; 36 – 38 months in French oak thought to be all new; production around 2,000 x 9-litre cases; John Livingstone-Learmonth, no date: compact, stylish black fruit/pine aromas; good silky, streamlined red fruit, then darkens, gets punchy. Quite full end, persists, with sound tannic structure. To 2022, *****; JD@RP, 2014: a knockout bottle of wine that gives up gorgeously mature aromas and flavors of kirsch, blackberry, game, olive and spice in its medium-bodied, seamless and elegant profile. It’s a rock-star effort that’s drinking at full maturity ... While the single vineyard releases get all the buzz, this isn’t far behind in quality, especially in recent vintages, and can represent an incredible value, 95; weight bottle and closure: 571 g; www.guigal.com ]
Ruby, some garnet and velvet, above midway in depth, but below midway in the ratio of ruby to garnet. Bouquet is simply magnificent, syrah at its dramatic best, picked at the perfect point of ripeness to retain florals in the grapes, and grown in a year without undue heat, further enhancing the florals. The floral analogies are old-fashioned carnations and other dianthus, wallflowers, and an underpinning of dusky red roses. Fruit and berry characters are centred on aromatic cassis browning now, some dark plums, and cedary oak. The whole bouquet is spiced by faint black pepper. This is a simply mouthwatering smell: what syrah should be about, and so rarely is. Palate is equally magnificent, not at all big and heavy, more the size of great Cote de Nuits pinot noir, but the cedary oak a little more noticeable. Tasters liked this wine, four first-places (the highest vote) and two second. The subtle power of the wine was such that nine tasters thought it Hermitage, rather than Cote Rotie. Though a bit oaky in the Guigal style, this wine was a joy to taste. Fully mature now: will fade gracefully for maybe 15 years. GK 11/19

2001 Ch de Beaucastel 19 + (

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Southern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $159 [ cork, 54mm, ullage 21mm; original price c.$105; cepage varies a little each year around Gr 30%, Mv 30, Sy 10, Co 10, Ci 5, other authorised red varieties 8, and white varieties 7; more detail in the introductory sections; Wine Spectator Vintage Chart: Great vintage of racy, structured reds … that have continued to put on weight as they evolve. Best are just starting to open up now, 94; Pierre Perrin, May 2011: Balanced, good ripening this year. It showed a very Grenache style when it was young – juicy, red fruit, black fruit, then it rather fell down and went into this quiet phase; J.L-L, 2013: It has the stamp of Mourvèdre, openly so, and gives licorice and pepper on the exit, a wee note of dryness, ****; JH@JR, 2005: Much more developed than the 2005. A lot more undergrowth and leather and tertiary characters. Very leathery on the palate but not at all lean. No primary fruit remaining but the fruit flesh is still there. And the tannins still surprisingly present, 17; RP@RP, 2004: a classic Beaucastel bouquet of new saddle leather, cigar smoke, roasted herbs, black truffles, underbrush, and blackberry as well as cherry fruit. It is a superb, earthy expression of this Mourvedre-dominated cuvee. Full-bodied and powerful, it will undoubtedly close down over the next several years, not to re-emerge for 7-8 years. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2025, 96; weight bottle and closure: 873 g; www.beaucastel.com ]
Ruby and garnet, some velvet, clearly older, exactly in the middle for depth. I placed this wine in position one for the tasting, to highlight to tasters the wonderful near-floral / aromatic garrigue quality (lavender, rosemary, thyme) some of the best Southern Rhone Valley wines show. Bouquet has a gentleness and potential complexity to it which will in time remind of an aromatic Cote de Nuits wine, certain Clos de la Roche bottlings for example. Both in bouquet and palate, you feel grenache and syrah dominate this year, the mourvedre very much in the background. No alcohol thoughts arise at all. Total palate weight is less than the 2010 or 2015, red fruits browning now, with beautiful harmony and wine-maturity already showing. One taster ranked the wine their favourite, and two their second-favourite, all agreeing there was no brett. A lovely wine eminently approachable now, but will hold gracefully for 10 – 15 years, maybe longer. GK 05/21

1995 Chapoutier Cote Rotie La Mordorée 19 + (

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Cote Rotie, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 12.8%; $218 [ 49mm cork; a 4 – 5-star vintage in the Northern Rhone, according to Broadbent, the wines concentrated with good acid and tannin balance, 90 and tannic for Parker; Sy 100% from the Cote Brune, cropped at c.3.2 t/ha (1.3 t/ac); 12 months in barrel 100% new; Harding in Robinson, 2011: Deep garnet and touch of mahogany at the core. Strong notes of forest floor but still has sweet cherry fruit, a little cooked. Certain amount of VA. Dry papery tannins, quite austere though fresh on the palate, a little angular but not drying (yet). Tea leaves. Slightly awkward wine, 16; Parker, 1997: … The 1995 La Mordoree may turn out to rival the phenomenal 1991. It is the most complex, elegant, and multi-dimensional young Cote Rotie I have tasted from Chapoutier. The awesome aromatics include scents of coffee, black raspberries, vanilla, chocolate, hickory smoke, flowers, and Provencal olives. Super rich, with exceptional delicacy and precision, this wine is less massive than the 1991, but perhaps more compelling because of its extraordinary delicacy. This wine's texture and complexity suggest that Cote Rotie truly is the Musigny of the Rhone Valley, 95; www.chapoutier.com ]
Ruby and velvet, glowing, the third deepest, some age showing. This wine has the most beautiful floral components of any of the batch. The bouquet is sweet, combining red roses with boronia and lilac in a rich, velvety almost pinot noir-like way, but then adding a depth not found in pinot noir. That depth includes shadows of cassis and sweet cracked black pepper corn, almost subliminal. Palate is richly fruity, cassis and bottled plums again all faintly spiced, with some oak framing the fruit. It has reached a perfect peak of maturity, which it will hold for some years. An absolutely glorious wine achieving true Cote Rotie florality and burgundian softness, yet without any viognier. Remarkable. Cellar 5 – 12 years, though the balance is so perfect it will hold longer. Decant well beforehand. Top wine for two people. GK 09/14

1998 Pol Roger Brut 19 + (

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Epernay, Champagne, France: 12%; $106 [ cork; probably PN 60%, Ch 40; www.polroger.co.uk not yet running; www.polroger.com ]
Lemon to lemonstraw. Bouquet on this wine is wonderful, a complete champagne showing a perfect integration of classic baguette autolysis on nearly floral white cherry and apple fruit. In mouth, the wine is equally good, mouthfilling yet fresh and firm, perfect acid balance, not at all aggressive, and a gorgeous aftertaste in which white cherry and baguette crust meld together. This elegant flavour with its perfect acid lingers wonderfully. Dosage is subtly understated. Model champagne. Cellar to 20 years. GK 12/06

nv Pol Roger Reserve Brut 19 + (

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Epernay, Champagne, France: 12%; $79 [ cork; third each PN, PM, Ch; 108 000 cases; www.polroger.co.uk or www.polroger.com ]
Lemonstraw. This bouquet comes close to champagne perfection, showing magnificent clean yeast autolysis as complex and enticing as fresh-baked Vogels wholegrain loaf, on superb fruit. The whole bouquet is rich, yet not fruity in any simple sense. Palate simply extends the bouquet, glorious, matching and surpassing many a vintage champagne, long flavoured, again rich yet not at all fruity, beautiful acid balance and brut dosage. The wholegrain / baguette autolysis lingers long on the superb aftertaste. This is simply marvellous champagne, which will cellar for many years. GK 11/05

2005 Church Road Tom 19 + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $120 [ cork; DFB; release date 2009; Me 65%, CS 35, all hand-picked at c. 2.5 t/ac from 6-year old vines; cuvaison 3 weeks for the CS component, 4 weeks for Me; no BF; 22 months in French oak c. 85% new, no lees stirring; not fined, coarse filter only; RS < 0.1 g/L; 200 cases only; not on website for some time yet; www.churchroad.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, one of the deepest, a magnificent colour. Bouquet is one of the most deeply floral and dusky in the set, darkest red roses and even violets, plus suggestions of lilac and lighter fractions, very beautiful. Below is rich cassis again very deep and dusky, grading into darkest bottled plums, wondrously rich yet not heavy, richer than the 2005 Quarry, and all enlivened by sweet fragrant potentially cedary and cigar-box oak subtly underpinning the fruit. Palate is all the bouquet and more, showing wonderful berryfruit. It can only be compared with a merlot-rich top second growth (except that unlike the previous Toms and some second growths, 2005 Tom shows no hint of brett). Aftertaste is velvety, saturated with dark berryfruits. I would love to have a dry extract for this wine – it is exemplary. This is sensational and essential New Zealand wine, which can walk on any world stage that knows fine wine (as opposed to big wine). Finally after a very shaky start indeed, here is a Tom to match the growing myth of Tom McDonald, the man. This 2005 Church Road Tom may well be the greatest Bordeaux-blend winestyle ever created New Zealand. The fact that it was offered for comparative assessment in this review, in contradistinction to the wines of some aspirants to that status, shows how intense the desire to excel is nowadays in Pernod-Ricard's New Zealand wineries. What a challenge they are now laying down to other winemakers, along with Craggy Range. Cellar 10 – 25 years. GK 09/07

2004 Vavasour Chardonnay Anna’s Vineyard 19 + (

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Awatere Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14.5%; $40 [ screwcap; hand-harvested; whole-bunch pressed; wild yeast, BF in French oak 75% new, and 10 months LA, batonnage, MLF etc; www.vavasour.com ]
Rich lemon to lemonstraw. Bouquet is sensational, the kind of chardonnay smell one might encounter in a bottle labelled Corton-Charlemagne. There is wonderful waxy stonefruit chardonnay fruit, and superb mealy lees-autolysis and barrel-ferment components, somewhere in character between apple shortcake and fine baguette crust. Truly, this is a beautiful chardonnay bouquet. Palate does not lessen the impact, with a weight of fruit which is tactile, richer even than the 2004 Kumeu River Maté’s, yet it is fresh and elegant, the high alcohol surprisingly well-hidden in the big body. This is great chardonnay, one of the finest ever produced in New Zealand. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 02/06

2007 Sacred Hill Chardonnay Riflemans 19 + (

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Dartmoor Valley, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $52 [ screwcap; hand-picked clone mendoza, whole-bunch pressed to barrel; wild-yeast ferments temperature-controlled to max. c. 17 degrees in the barrel; 100% MLF and 12 months LA and some batonnage in French oak new and 1-year; pH 3.46, RS 2.3 g/L; www.sacredhill.com ]
Having averred this might be New Zealand's best chardonnay, it seemed a useful wine to include in this big blind tasting. And it really is sensational, coming through to the top again. It is totally best international practice chardonnay, floral and fragrant and ‘sweet’ on bouquet, long in mouth and ripe all through, not unduly dominated by oak or alcohol. All wine-lovers owe it to themselves to taste and preferably cellar this wine, to be familiar with it and have to hand an absolute benchmark for excellence in chardonnay. It's worth noting this wine has its own dedicated chardonnay vineyard in the Dartmoor Valley, where the grapes are grown ungrafted. This is a cooler site than the Gimblett Gravels, and it shows in the floral complexity of bouquet Riflemans displays. Cellar 2 – 8 years. GK 04/09

1978 Jaboulet Chateauneuf-du-Pape les Cedres 19 + (

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Southern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $ – [ Gr dominant. In a rare example of one of the great man’s blindspots, in 1980 Broadbent did not consider the Rhone worthy of inclusion in his first Cellar Book, and this wine does not figure in the latest. Parker (1997) in 1994 however did not like it: herbal, animal-scented, medium body, some sweet fruit, a lean attenuated style, drying out. 83 ]
Ruby and garnet, in the middle for depth of colour. Bouquet on this wine is sensational, a soft warm spicy evocation of grenache and a dash of syrah etc at it's burgundian best. The play of aromas is infinite, red fruits spanning cherries and raspberries to red plums all mellowed with age, floral / savoury herbes components making the wine piquant, and this wonderful warmth of stick-cinnamon. The wine Parker reports on was simply not the same bottling run, for every bottle from my case has been variations on wonderful. It has confidently been identified as burgundy by noteworthy wine people, in blind presentations. Palate is rich yet drying a little now, not big, silky in a slightly furry way, just slipping past perfect maturity. Magnificent. In the absence of real burgundy in the same blind flight, it can easily be taken for a fine Cote de Nuits. Only the subtle cinnamon might alert an acute taster. Fully mature, yet holding well. Nothing to wait for, and the risk of losing flesh. Glorious with food. GK 03/06

2010 Craggy Range Syrah Le Sol 19 + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.7%; $105 [ 51mm cork; Sy 100%, hand-harvested @ 5.4 t/ha (2.2 t/ac); 100% de-stemmed; no cold-soak, inoculated, total cuvaison 20 days; MLF and 17 months in French oak 38% new, no American oak; RS < 1 g/L; sterile-filtered to bottle; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, the deepest and finest colour in the set. I have written about this wine before. Revisiting it, it seems to me one of the greatest red wines made so far in New Zealand. The depth of precise cassis-laden and deeply floral berry is magic, the richness in mouth is thrilling, comparable with fine Hermitage, and the oak is relatively restrained. It is wonderfully varietal. In the tasting, the wine did not appeal to the group as unequivocally as I hoped. I interpret this as the subconscious predilection New Zealanders have for more oak in their reds than Europe (in general) considers necessary or desirable. Accordingly, this wine shared line honours with the Vidal Legacy, which I had placed last in the sequence, so its greater apparent oak would not carry over into Le Sol (had it been last). Also, in tastings like this, there is a subconscious tendency for tasters to assume the last wine will be the best wine. This 2010 Le Sol will give immense pleasure for many years, and cellar for 10 – 20, maybe 25 years. Buy as much as you can afford. GK 09/13

2007 Church Road Syrah Reserve 19 + (

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Ngatarawa Triangle 55%, Gimblett Gravels 45, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $36 [ cork; Sy 100% hand-harvested and sorted; no cold soak, inoculated yeast, warm-fermented in open-top oak and s/s vessels, up to 4 weeks cuvaison, controlled aeration (syrah is sulphide-prone); c. 12 months in burgundy barrels c. 53% new, c. 600 cases (as 12s); Catalogue: not in; www.churchroad.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a gorgeous colour. Bouquet optimises syrah as grown on the Hill of Hermitage, precise wallflower and dianthus florals, perfect pepper ripened to black pepper, fragrant cassis and a deep underpinning of bottled black doris plums, all made more aromatic by quality oak. Palate likewise shows beautiful ripeness, and great body, length and style totally capturing the intrinsic beauty of syrah. This is in the top handful of syrahs so far made in New Zealand, an absolute challenger to top-flight Hermitage. The market has recognised both that and the fair price – 600-odd cases sold out rapidly. Cellar 5 – 15 years. VALUE GK 07/09

2010 Trinity Hill Syrah Homage 19 + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $124 [ cork; hand-picked at about 2.5 t/ha (1 t/ac) from Sy 100%, mostly Limmer clone, some vines propagated from Jaboulet's la Chapelle vineyard in the hill of Hermitage, vine ages 1994 and 2001; the grapes de-stemmed, lightly crushed to leave whole berries; shortish cuvaison; MLF commenced in tank, completed in barrel, c.15 months in French oak mostly new, some lees stirring, not a lot of racking; this wine is the largest volume yet made of Homage, nearly 600 cases; www.trinityhill.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, the most perfect colour of all the syrahs, and the darkest. Bouquet is textbook Northern Rhone syrah, spicy cassis, darkest plum and gently aromatic oak lifted by a near-floral quality, wall flowers and black pepper. It is a much cooler wine than the 2009, cassis being dominant. In mouth the concentration of berry flavour is colossal, the cassis coming through, yet the weight is in one sense quite light, magical, with beautifully subtle oaking. This wine captures all the memories of great examples of Jaboulet's earlier La Chapelle wines, before the decline. It is very much Hermitage in style. It is therefore totally fitting the wine should be named Homage for the memory of Gerard Jaboulet.

It is hard to juggle all the Le Sols and other fine New Zealand syrahs of the last 10 years such as later Deerstalkers and one or two subtler ones from Waiheke Island in one's mind, but this is either the greatest syrah so far made in New Zealand, or one of the very few candidates. This wine combines absolute concentration with quality of flavour and beauty, and is therefore in a different league from for example, Te Mata's Bullnose syrah, which in its best years is beautiful but not so rich. Many other candidates are clumsy in their oak handling, alongside this Homage. Note how wondrously the 100% new oak has been assimilated. That is what a cropping rate around 2.5 t/ha (1 t/ac) allows – the absorption capability being a function of dry extract. Cellar 5 – 25 years. GK 03/13

1998 Ch de Beaucastel Chateauneuf-du-Pape 19 + (

)

Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Southern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $133 [ cork 53mm; Gr 40%, Mv 20, Sy 10, Co 10, Ci 5, minor vars 15, Mv & Sy destemmed; organic viticulture; up to 18 months in mostly old oak (syrah receives some new-oak BF); flash pasteurisation of must pre-fermentation c. 1 minute @ 80°C; Parker vineyard rating *****, noting Beaucastel is the longest-lived wine of the southern Rhone; Parker, 2003: The 1998 is unquestionably one of the great modern-day Beaucastels, but because of its high Grenache content, it is different from some of the other classics: 96; Parker, 2000: the 1998 is flamboyant … explosive richness, thick, juicy blackberry and kirsch liqueur, smoke, licorice, roasted meats, and truffles. The acidity seems low (analytically it is the same as 1999), and the wine fat, full-bodied, and intense … it will evolve for 25-30 years: 95; Robinson, 2005: Dark ruby. Autumn scents – quite intense. Sweet, herby, lots of acidity. No welcoming core of fruit although the raw ingredients are rather good. Dry finish. Hard work at present!: 16; weight bottle and closure: 860g; www.beaucastel.com ]
Rosy ruby, garnet and velvet, exactly in the middle for depth. Bouquet is quiet, contained, fragrant, complex, not exactly saying grenache or syrah-dominant, just pure, appealing and winey, little or no brett. It is on the palate that this wine suddenly springs into life, displaying a richness and complexity that is both multi-flavoured and multi-layered. It is so rich it seems succulent, a vivid demonstration of dry extract in red wine, gorgeous. The flavour is more obviously grenache-dominant, red fruits browning a little, but wonderfully rich and juicy, with furry tannins more grape (mourvedre) than oak. The aftertaste goes on and on … a whole spectrum of grape flavours, again, just wonderful. This is one of the purest, finest and richest Beaucastels I have tasted: a glorious example of Chateauneuf-du-Pape the winestyle. The second most popular wine on the night, perfect now, and will cellar 5 – 20 years more. GK 08/16

2015 Ch de Beaucastel Chateauneuf-du-Pape 19 + (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $160 [ cork, superb 55mm; cepage typically Gr 30%, Mv 30, Co 10, Sy 7 – 10, Ci 5, the balance the other authorised varieties, but actual ratios vary year to year; all de-stemmed; organic viticulture; up to 18 months in large old oak, though the syrah receives some new oak via barrel-fermentation; flash pasteurisation of must pre-fermentation 1 – 2 minutes @ 80°C; fined, not filtered; annual production 18,300 x 9-litre cases; R. Hemming MW @ Robinson, 2016: Superb juiciness and bramble fruits. Some blackcurrant notes on the palate, a very savoury cigar and cedar character and a gentle Provençal herby note. Loads of breadth and complexity, 2018 - 2035, 17.5; J.L-L, 2017: ... a good, serene inset of black berry fruit which is stylish, also shows tobacco, white pepper. The palate is crisp, purposeful ... The length is good, very Mourvedre-inspired, *****; J. Czerwinski @ R. Parker, 2017: ... an amazing effort, especially when one considers the production volume. Loaded with black cherry fruit and cola-like spice, this full-bodied, richly textured wine never seems heavy or warm, while exotic Indian spice notes linger on the finish. It should drink well for at least 20 years. 2018 - 2035, 96; An earlier review by J. Dunnuck quotes the Perrins as saying that in 2015: the Grenache and Mourvedre were the clear standouts, both possessing terrific concentration, purity of fruit and ripe tannic structure; bottle weight 862g; www.beaucastel.com ]
Ruby, some carmine, and velvet, the second deepest colour. Bouquet is extraordinary, an immediate capturing of all that is elusive about the concept: what does mourvedre smell and taste like. This bouquet is dusky roses, midnight-deep, hints of port-wine magnolia, darkest bottled damson plums, lightest cedar from the oak, all wonderfully understated yet cohesive. Palate is velvet, again those midnight-dark fruits, even hints of black olives in the best sense, on this dark fruit – yet with no hint of over-ripeness. This is the best ‘role-of-mourvedre’ demonstration wine I have seen for AOC Chateauneuf-du-Pape, but it is also one of the best young Beaucastels ever. The oak handling is magical. Buy as much of this wine as you can afford, and feel thrilled to have secured 30-plus years of infinite pleasure. This wine represents the dark-fruits phase of Chateauneuf-du-Pape: to complement it in cellar with the red-fruits phase, a matching quantity of the 2015 Clos des Papes would be a further investment in absolute pleasure. A totally pure wine. Two first places, four second. Cellar 10 – 35 years.

Incidentally, Beaucastel being famous for its high percentage of mourvedre, there is a lot of misinformation in print in the less-thoughtful wine media, suggesting mourvedre smells like some aspects of Brettanomyces. This is nonsense, a miss-correlation. Yes, brett has commonly played quite a role in more traditional winemaking in the Southern Rhone Valley. And yes, mourvedre is commonly grown in the same region. But no, mourvedre well-vinified neither smells nor tastes of brett. GK 08/18

2004 Champagne Billecart-Salmon Blanc de Blancs Brut 19 + (

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Mareuil-sur-Ay, Champagne, France: 12.5%; $305 [ traditional compound champagne cork; Ch 100%, all grand cru vineyards; Robinson records that around 66% of this vintage went through MLF; around 33% old-oak barrel-fermented base wines; c.8 years en tirage, details not made available; dosage 4 g/L; website superficial; www.champagne-billecart.fr ]
Colour is intriguing, much deeper than the non-vintage Blanc de Blancs or even the Brut Reserve, yet there is a yellow glow to it still linking it to Blanc de Blancs. In one sense bouquet is not so clearly autolysed as the non-vintage Blanc de Blancs, but as soon as you taste it, you realise the bouquet is a whole dimension deeper and richer. It is closest in style to a great Meursault, but enhanced by bubbles. Thus the autolysis has an oatmealy depth to it, and stunning purity, enchanting. Palate and mouthfeel follow on perfectly, essence of complex mealy chardonnay, great body (for champagne), perfect acid balance and length. As a young wine it is at a peak of perfection now, but it will cellar for another 25 years, or more. GK 04/16

1990 Champagne Bollinger Grande Année Brut 19 + (

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Ay, Champagne, France: 12%; $434 [ Single bottle; Wine Spectator rating for vintage: 97 – the best in the last 40 years: Drink or hold, big, powerful and full-flavored; PN 65%, Ch 35, BF and MLF, base wine matured in all-old oak, seven years en tirage, dosage c.8 g/L; Broadbent, 2002: … highest mark of 25 top champagnes … in Copenhagen, a well-nigh perfect wine with another 10 years to go, *****; JR@J. Robinson, 2010: Pale copper. Rich and mushroomy on the nose. Broad and firm. Quite a bit of evolution but it's much less evolved than Dom P or Krug 1990. This could be the perfect moment to drink this. Wonderful persistence, 19; Wine Spectator, 1999: A sense of opulence marks this highly concentrated, creamy-textured 1990 Champagne, with its ripe, generous fruit flavors complementing the toasty, honeyed nuances acquired from aging on the lees. Lingering finish. Drink now through 2004. 20,000 cases made, 95; in Wine Spectator Top 100, 1999, wine number 11: Bollinger is at the top of its game … ; www.champagne-bollinger.com ]
Straw with a gold undertone, appreciably deeper than the Deutz: this bottle less CO2 pressure and bubble than expected. A bigger, softer, deeper and more mealy bouquet than the Deutz, clear baguette-crust autolysis plus cashew and even a hint of hazelnuts, with a subtle but clear note of oak complexity from the barrel fermentation. In mouth the wine is totally different in style to the Deutz, being ample, rich, long, the autolysis and baguette-crust grading to stonefruit, cashew and hazelnut, much more body, still good acid but more in balance than the Deutz. It is totally grand cru white burgundy in weight, with subtle oak lengthening the flavour appreciably. A great champagne in its style, at the peak of maturity or maybe a little old for the more fastidious, the oak perhaps to a maximum. Will hold in this style for some years on the pleasing acid balance, for those who treasure older champagne styles. One vote for top wine of the night (in the 12), one second place. GK 03/20

2005 Domaine Bonneau du Martray Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru 19 + (

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Aloxe-Corton, Cote de Beaune, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $ – [ cork; biodynamic vineyards, average vine age c.40 years; full MLF, c.12 months in barrel, 33% new, with batonnage; Domaine Bonneau du Martray is the single largest holding in Corton-Charlemagne at 9.5 hectares; the website is simply a statement the establishment exists, and cannot receive visitors – no info; www.bonneaudumartray.com ]
Deeper lemon than the 2009, but noteworthy that is still lemon, not straw. This is rather different from the 2009, there being a more evolved fruit / autolysis / oak quality to the bouquet adding an almost biscuit note to yellow rather than white fruits. There is a trace more high-solids character here than the 2009, which I would normally mark down. Once the wine is in mouth, however, like the 2009 the sheer majesty of the fruit weight and concentration removes any doubts. This is nearly as impressive as the 2009, the richness of the mealy fruit / autolysis / oak interaction lingering long. There is quite a yellow stonefruits note to it. There is greater minerality here than the 2009, and reminders of Le Montrachet. It will cellar another decade, at least. GK 05/13

2013 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Saint-Joseph 19 + (

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Saint-Joseph, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $100 [ cork 50mm; Sy 100%; said to be made from the oldest vines in Saint-Joseph; cropping rate around 4 t/ha = 1.6 t/ac; 15% whole-bunch; raised in barrels second-year and older, none new; Chave website not functional yet, some information at a merchant website www.shiverick.com; imported by Maison Vauron, Auckland; weight bottle and closure: 633 g; www.domainejlchave.fr ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, quite dense, a great syrah colour, just above midway in depth. Bouquet is enchanting, showing both richness and delicacy in the way only the most perfectly attuned climates can produce, where the grapes ripen just to peak physiological maturity, scarcely beyond. The depth of pure wallflower and dusky rose florality on cassisy and bottled black doris plum is wonderful, of a depth / weight comparable with Hermitage itself. Exquisite cedary oak is barely detectable. Palate is velvety in texture, yet this is not a huge wine by Hermitage standards. But for Saint-Joseph, it must reflect a remarkably conservative cropping rate [ later confirmed ]. This wine shows near-perfect varietal expression, thanks largely to the concentration plus extraordinary subtlety of beautiful oak. Maison Vauron receive an annual allocation of 48 bottles. Cellar 10 – 25 years. GK 08/16

2015 Domaine Auguste Clape Cornas 19 + (

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Cornas, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $228 [ cork, 50mm; New Zealand release price $161; winemaking as above; Wine Spectator vintage rating for the year, 99; J.L-L. 2017: A lot of people think 2015 is a great big year, but it has elegance also. … gunflint grapiness, licorice, a hint of acetate, clear red fruits, violets: the nose is well varied ... it is tight but well filled, has a core of great concentration, with a relative elegance … red fruit, raspberry, red cherry. It ends on a classic Cornas crunch, mineral, pumice stone. This is not a big, black-fruited monster, is a lithe wine, very Cornas, 2046 – 49, *****; J. Czerwinski @ R. Parker, 2017: ... enormously complex and compelling. Almond skin, cherries, blood and herbal notes all combine on the nose, while on the palate this medium to full-bodied wine is firmly tannic but ripe and balanced, with a rich, velvety and nearly endless finish, 97; no domaine website, easiest background info on the Europvin website, ref. above. ]
Ruby, carmine / magenta and velvet, a midnight-deep wine, the deepest wine, totally remarkable for its depth and freshness. Bouquet is sweet, ripe, and deep, but not as floral / aromatic as the 2010 quite clearly, and maybe even less so than the 2009. The difference in age makes that comparison hard, the youth of the wine having its own fresh-fruit fragrance, but the thought arises that 2015 may be an even warmer year than 2009. I wonder if the floral and aromatic qualities of perfectly ripened syrah will emerge, as the obvious youth retreats. There is still delicate sweet black pepper, a vital marker for syrah not being too ripe. Palate is remarkable for its purity and velvety texture, the depth of near-cassis and darkly plummy berry lifted by black pepper a delight. All the reports from the Rhone Valley suggest that the 2015 and 2016 vintages bear the same relation to each other as 2009 does to the more aromatic 2010 vintage following. At this stage the 2015 seems fractionally riper again than the 2009, so it is therefore pushing the limits for syrah varietal accuracy. One person had the 2015 as their top wine, and three their second favourite. This 2015 is a totally modern wine, which dispels completely any lingering ideas that Domaine Clape or Cornas are old-fashioned. To judge from the 1983 today, this can be cellared for 15 – 35 years. GK 09/18

2010 Ch Ducru-Beaucaillou 19 + (

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Saint Julien Second Growth, Medoc, Bordeaux, France: 14%; $468 [ Cork, 56mm, ullage 7mm; $395 landed; CS 90%, Me 10, planted at 10,000 vines / ha; fermentation in s/s, then concrete vats, in better years elevation in 80%, latterly 100% new oak for 18 months; average production 18,300 x 9-litre cases; consulting oenologist Eric Boissenot. Farr V., 2011: Massive, yet precise and very long. The best wine that we tasted in St Julien in 2010 and a truly great Ducru that should surpass even the 1982 in time, 18.5; NM@Vinous, 2020: a seriously fine bouquet with plenty of black fruit, cedar and hints of camphor that blossom from the glass. So much vigour and intensity here, yet it remains beautifully delineated and focused. The palate is medium-bodied with fine grain, supple tannins. There is a fine bead of acidity, fresh and focused, one of the most pliant Saint-Julien crus in this flight with a supple finish that belies that structure underneath, 96; RP@WA, 2013: With loads of minerality ... and slightly more structure and tannin than Poyferre … this is a blockbuster, fabulous Ducru Beaucaillou that should be at its best a good decade from now and last 40-50 years. The proprietor is not alone in thinking this is the finest Ducru Beaucaillou since the 1961. The classic wet rock, creme de cassis, subtle oak and gravelly stoniness of the vineyard come through in this spectacular, full-bodied, gorgeously pure and intense effort. This is wine for the ages that should be forgotten for at least a decade, 98+; unhelpful website; weight bottle and closure: 836 g; www.chateau-ducru-beaucaillou.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, another very fresh and beautiful young claret colour, the fourth deepest wine. Bouquet is bigger on the Ducru, a lot more apparent new oak, a wine wanting to be ‘seen’ as a First Growth, you almost think. Below is beautifully aromatic cabernet sauvignon cassisy berry, but the level of vanillin from the oak somewhat masks any florals, so you think first of heliotrope. In mouth the freshness and youth of the wine is dramatic, glorious cassisy berry filled out with 10% merlot, but at this early stage the level of new oak, highest cedary quality though it is, is a little intrusive. This will mature into a very aromatic and zingy example of classed-growth claret, showing not quite the palate weight of the Leoville Barton. There is just a hint of the New World, yet the suppleness and magic of the Old. Three people rated Ducru their top wine, and five had it in second place. Cellar 20 – 50 years. GK 09/20

1970 Ch Ducru-Beaucaillou en magnum 19 + (

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Saint-Julien Second Growth, Bordeaux, France: – %; $550 [ Spare, but as 750 ml; Wine Spectator rating for vintage: 91: Excellent all-around vintage; structured, lots of fruit; CS 65%, Me 25, PV 5, CF 5; 49 ha, 17,000 cases. One of the finest clarets I have ever tasted, not big, but very beautiful. Broadbent 1980: classic but undeveloped bouquet; concentrated, deep, stern and unyielding, but great potential, till 2010, ****; Broadbent 2002: [ on 1970 Bordeaux ] … leaving aside Latour, I rate Ducru and Cheval Blanc as the best wines. The most recent bottles at best superb, sweet-nosed, harmonious, perfect flavour and balance … drying, *****; Parker 1991: the best Ducru between 1961 and 1982. Impeccably balanced, smooth as silk, till 2000, 91, and 1996: It has always been an outstanding wine for the vintage - complex, rich, savory, and the quintessentially elegant Bordeaux. This beauty continues to reveal the fragrance and finesse that one expects from Lafite-Rothschild but so rarely finds. A fragrant, complex bouquet of cedar, herbs, vanillin, fruitcake, and coffee is followed by a soft, gentle, graciously-constructed wine with sweet layers of fruit. I am not sure how much longer the 1970 Ducru will keep, but from regular bottle, it is delicious and should be consumed. How nice it would be to have a stock of magnums of this wine in the cellar! 92; www.chateau-ducru-beaucaillou.com ]
Ruby and garnet, astonishingly youthful for its age, in the middle for depth. Bouquet is equally astonishing, nearly primary aromatic cassisy berry, subtlest brown tobacco and cedary oak, unlike the modern ‘spirity’ wines so favoured by American reviewers, no alcohol apparent on bouquet, lovely. Palate is the same, all the elegance and pin-point flavour saturation of a wine not dominated by alcohol, the quality of browning cassis remarkable for its age, the oak in equally perfect balance. It is simply remarkable how youthful this wine is ex magnum, relative to the 750 my last review reflects. Classic west bank claret at the pinnacle of maturity, delicate yet amazingly long and sustained, very beautiful. Parker sums this wine up perfectly. Three votes as top wine, five for second-favourite, one of the three top wines. Rob Bishop, avowedly a pinot noir man, thought it well-nigh perfect – particularly pleasing. Nine tasters correctly identified this wine as old bordeaux, with six favouring the Northern Rhone Valley. In magnums, has some years ahead of it: in 750s in a temperate climate, probably au point or agreeably fading a little now. GK 03/20

1971 Domaine Gouroux Grands-Echezeaux Grand Cru 19 + (

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Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: – %; $ – [ 50mm cork; a Corney & Barrow (London) selection; Steven Spurrier notes the vineyard: Adjoins the top of Clos de Vougeot, producing wines with a rich ruby colour and fine bouquet. They are firm and velvety on the palate, in flavour not unlike a good Pomerol, and age superbly; our wine is long past that point, but is included in the hope it will accompany the 1953 Margaux rather nicely, and perhaps make it look younger ….; Domaine Gouroux was well-regarded back then, the vineyards now passed to Jean-Marc Millot amongst others. ]
The amber and rosy garnet colour of this wine was not the palest of the set, by four. Just a sniff and one is instantly transfixed. This is great pinot noir in the full bloom of maturity, wondrously floral still, and actually smelling rich. It reminds me of the great 1945 burgundy John Avery brought out to the National Wine Competition judging (now Air New Zealand) at The Chateau, central North Island, in the mid-1980s. The best aroma descriptors still seem to be boronia and roses now justifying the term aethereal, though also some browning now, on truly burgundian fruit. In mouth there is velvety cherry fruit, ageing obviously but still rich and satisfying, plus secondary and tertiary flavours which are wondrously mouth-filling and complex, just a mite of tannin showing but offset by the fruit sweetness, the total palate impression simply glorious.

This Grands-Echezeaux pinot is four times as rich at 42 years of age as the 2003 Mount Difficulty Target Gully at 10 years of age, loosely speaking. How do we bridge that concentration gap, in New Zealand ? Is it only vine age coupled with cropping rate, or is the absolute concentration of character achieved by perhaps 10,000 vines per hectare, with each vine putting all its energies into half a kilo of fruit, the key ? This wine has all the beauty, complexity, perfect balance, palate weight and texture the 1953 Ch Margaux should have had, but it is dramatically pinot-y, not claret-y / cedary. A simply great wine experience, of a calibre rarely encountered. It is now just slipping over the edge of its plateau of maturity. Unfortunately there is no clue on the bottle whether the grower / producer was Louis Gouroux or Henri Gouroux, neither now practising. Corney & Barrow (Specially Selected by), the original suppliers, could not enlighten me. GK 11/13

2010 Ch Grand-Puy-Lacoste 19 + (

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Pauillac Fifth Growth, Medoc, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $180 [ Cork, 50mm, ullage 10mm; $156 landed; CS 83%, Me 17, planted at 10,000 vines / ha, average age 38 years, all hand-picked; cuvaison to 21 days, elevation 16 – 18 months in 75% new oak; average production 16,250 x 9-litre cases; consulting oenologist Eric Boissenot; A Jancis Robinson Top 20 of 2010 wine; NM@WA, 2012: The 2010 has a wonderful bouquet that is reticent at first, probably because it was tasted just three months after bottling. But there is patently great fruit intensity here: blackcurrant and a touch of pomegranate, interwoven with graphite and sous-bois. The palate is medium-bodied is underpinned by wonderful freshness and vitality, marrying the austerity of both Pauillac and the vintage, with intense ... fruit. It offers stunning definition, the finish quintessential Pauillac – a little aloof, a little aristocratic, but utterly compelling. This will be a benchmark wine for the estate, 97; JR@JR, 2020: Correct, classic claret with an undertow but the opposite of showy. Lots of both tannin and fruit here. Classic Cabernet. Lots in reserve and great length. QGV. Drink 2020 – 2042, 17.5; JM@WS, 2013: This is dense but silky around the edges, with crushed plum and black currant fruit lined with roasted vanilla bean, tobacco and loam notes. Everything hangs solidly through the finish, lined with finely beaded acidity and leaving an echo of singed anise. Best from 2015 through 2028, 93; model website; weight bottle and closure: 602 g; www.chateau-grand-puy-lacoste.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, again beautifully fresh, though below midway in depth. Bouquet has all the charm and cut-through found in so many Grand-Puy-Lacostes over the years, this wonderful integration of florals, berry and cedar already at 10 years showing some of the complexity that lies ahead. The floral note is more heliotrope, due to the cedary component, but it is subtle alongside Ducru. Berry notes are a seamless mix of cassis, dark plum and blueberry, wonderfully pure. Flavours simply recapitulate the bouquet, a suppleness and charm which the Ducru won’t show for another 10 years, yet there is beautiful texture in mouth. This will be accessible sooner than the wines rated more highly (Vieux Chateau Certan aside), a very beautiful wine indeed, deceptively more substantial than it seems. On the night, Grand-Puy-Lacoste seemed understated, with no top places, and one second-favourite. Cellar 20 – 40 years. GK 9/20 GK 09/20

2010 Jaboulet Hermitage La Chapelle 19 + (

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Northern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $311 [ Spare; original price $345; Wine Spectator rating for vintage: 98: Reds are racy ... even better defined than '09; Sy 100%; J. Livingstone-Learmonth advises Le Méal the main vineyard, then Les Bessards, some Rocoules, average vine age 40 years, the grapes destemmed, cooled, usually 22 days cuvaison, some oxygenation, for the 2009 and 2010 c. 20% new oak, the balance 1 – 3 year oak barrique-sized, c.12 – 15 months elevation depending on season, then 3 months (presumably assembly) in vat, at one stage some fining and filtering, not clear currently; production up to 1990 or a little later assumed to be less than 4,000 cases, some years half that, progressively through balance of century and till Freys took over increasing to a max known of 8,900 cases, since purchase 2006 decreasing to historical levels again, the 2009 (a reduced crop year) just under 2,000 cases; JR@JR, 2012: Very masculine, dense and convincing. Luscious and much softer than I was expecting; the fruit seems to overwhelm the tannins! But there is lots of acidity and freshness here too. Real density, 18+; Parker, 2012: It should be fascinating to compare the potentially legendary 2010 Hermitage La Chapelle with the prodigious 2009 La Chapelle over the next 30-40 years. … showing more weight and richness than it did last year from barrel, along with great precision, stunning minerality and enormous quantities of blackberry, cassis, beef blood and smoked game intertwined with hints of graphite and acacia flowers. With good acidity and richness as well as abundant, but ripe, well-integrated tannin, this great wine equals the titan produced in 2009. Forget it for 7-10 years and drink it over the following 30-50 years, 96+; website not always accessible; www.jaboulet.com ]
Rich ruby and velvet, a little lighter and older than the 2010 Palmer, but still clearly the second deepest red wine. A wonderfully floral, fragrant and aromatic berry bouquet, more floral and less spirity than the 2010 Ch Palmer, cassis predominant, dark fruits, astute tasters detecting some sweet black pepper, subtle new oak. Sensational purity. Palate is immensely focussed, intense aromatic cassis-led and dark plum berry shaped by cedary oak, a lovely soft spicy lift from black pepper, and the oak not dominating unduly. Livingstone-Learmonth's concern that the wine is too Bordeaux-influenced in its styling will be solved with time in cellar. The alcohol is at a maximum for delicacy, but well contained. This is going to make a very beautiful bottle, in maturity. Two votes for favourite wine, two as second-favourite, but in a curious result not explored on the night, three as least wine. In a conclusion which would please the spirits of chateaux proprietors past, nine tasters thought this wine from Bordeaux, and five Northern Rhone. This is a glorious wine, which will cellar 20 – 40 + years. GK 03/20

2016 Domaine Janasse Chateauneuf-du-Pape 19 + (

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Southern Rhone Valley, France: 15%; $87 [ cork, 54 mm; the Sabon family established Domaine Janasse in 1973. Both daughter Isabelle and son Cristophe are oenology graduates. Antonio Galloni’s website Vinous rates the wines thus: Combining power, intensity, and sensuality, the wines of La Janasse rank among the very best of Chateauneuf-du-Pape. There traditionally have been three Chateauneuf cuvées, this is the standard wine (formerly Tradition), varying around Gr 70%, Sy 15, Mv 13, Ci 2, the fruit 80% de-stemmed, then cuvaison up to 28 days. Elevation typically 80% in vat or old foudre, 20% in barrels, one third of the barrels new for the syrah and mourvedre, for 12 months, then assembly 6 months in vat; fined, not filtered; J.L-L, 2017: (barrel sample) ... bold black fruits such as prune, ripe stewed raspberry, has a lingering depth. There are garrigue notions, and it will become a real cornucopia of influences as it ages, highly impressive. The palate runs broadly and with style ... spiced black fruits with some tarry tannins ... The finish is wide, persistent, to 2042, ****(*); JC@RP, 2018: The 2016 ... exhibits more dark fruit than I would've expected, with black cherries, black olives and tar all mingling on the nose. In the mouth ... full-bodied, rich and velvety, with a lush, lingering finish ... sheer concentration and ripeness, to 2030, 93; production averages 1,160 x 9-litre cases; weight bottle and cork 618 g; one of the Worth Cellaring set; www.lajanasse.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a lovely colour, clearly above midway in depth. Bouquet on this wine is one of the deeper and quieter ones, but it still has this extraordinary freshness and beauty that typifies the 2016s. There is a dusky floral component, and some subtle garrigue, then a depth of aromatic berry which is more on the darker fruits side, grading to cassis. On bouquet one is not sure about oak. Palate is immediately deep and sensuous, great concentration, exquisite berry with both syrah and mourvedre making a great contribution. Now you can taste beautiful oak, and some new oak, but the extraordinary fruit weight dominates totally. As the standard wine from Janasse, this is remarkably high quality. Cellar for 10 – 35 years. In the group tasting, this was marginally the most popular wine, eight first places, four second. Available from Caro’s and their distribution channels (eg Regional Wines). GK 07/19

2012 J Labet & N Dechelette Ch de la Tour Clos-Vougeot Grand Cru Vieilles Vignes de Plus de 100 Ans * 19 + (

)

Vougeot Grand Cru, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $ – [ cork; a €175 = $NZ279 bottle; the Labet & Dechelette wines are the only ones to be completely made within the Clos. This 200-case Vieilles Vignes bottling comes from part of the crop from a defined plot of c.1 ha planted in 1910. It is made with a high % of whole-bunch, and 100% new oak; no website found. ]
Classic rich pinot noir ruby, a gorgeous colour, clearly above midway in the combined sets, the deepest of Blair's wines. Bouquet is deeply and darkly pinot noir varietal, darkest rose grading to boronia florality, black cherry the main fruit, with an exciting aromatic lift developing with air, faint suggestions of dark plum. In bouquet terms, this is about as ripe as fine pinot noir can be, and retain florality. Palate is sensational, immediately tightening up back to aromatic black cherry, not dark plum, shaped by new oak but not as dominated by it as some of the 2005 wines. Freshly opened this wine was demonstrably good, 18.5, but bespeaking its youth, 48 hours later the floral and enchanting side of the wine, the true 'pinosity', had become much more apparent. This was especially noticeable against some of the more massive 2005s, resulting in the score now allocated. This is far and away the greatest Clos de Vougeot wine I have ever seen, illustrating exactly what is lacking in so many of the more tannic 2005s. Cellar 10 – 30 years. GK 09/15

1996 Ch Leoville Las Cases 19 + (

)

St Julien Second Growth, Bordeaux, France: – %; $ – [ cork; CS 65%, Me 19, CF 13, PV 3; up to 20 days cuvaison; up to 20 months in French oak; no filtration ]
Ruby and velvet, marginally the deepest and most youthful of the six. Bouquet initially is on the burly side, but with more air opens to reveal a marvellously complete claret, the cassis of cabernet sauvignon and plum of merlot in good balance, plus almost a suggestion of blackberry (+ve, but very ripe). Bouquet as a whole is moving into the secondary stage of developmental complexity, with in addition to the fruit notes, much dark tobacco, and lovely cedary oak. The whole bouquet is warm and inviting. Palate is rich, ripe yet lovely natural acid, gentle alcohol, with a complexity and integration of berry, tobacco and oak that lingers superbly. A stylish beautifully balanced claret, rich for the year. This was the favourite wine, for the group. Parker considers it: the quintessential St Julien … one of the great modern-day wines of Bordeaux. Cellar another 10 – 20 years. GK 05/07

2010 Ch Lynch-Bages 19 + (

)

Pauillac Fifth Growth, Medoc, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $376 [ Cork, 50mm, ullage 9mm; $269 landed; the 2010 is CS 79%, Me 18, CF 2, PV 1, hand-picked and hand-sorted; elevation 15 months in 70% new barrels; average production 35,000 x 9-litre cases; no consulting oenologist; SS@Decanter, 2011: Very good concentration of Cabernet fruits, rich and earthy, vibrant, vigorous flavours and packed with energy, 18; Farr Vintners, 2020: [ it is worth noting here that Farr Vintners are as cautious in their marking as JR, so 18 and above from them is approaching sensational, for ordinary mortals. ] Tasted Blind at the Southwold Group Ten Years On tasting. This was the third highest scoring wine of the whole tasting. ... an evocative and rich nose of cassis, graphite and sweet spices. Rich and ripe but supremely refined and driven. The palate is incredibly intense and very pure in black fruit, with blackcurrants, bramble and a little dark cherry. Layers of spice build through the mid palate in tandem with mouthcoating and rich tannins. A wine of great depth and precision, this ... could be the greatest Lynch Bages ever made, 19; L.P-B@WA, 2020: … the 2010 Lynch Bages comes sailing out of the glass with notes of redcurrant jelly, black cherry compote and cassis plus wafts of smoked meats, tar, cigar box and dried roses. Full-bodied, the palate is stacked with red and black fruit layers, framed by ripe, firm, fine-grained tannins and fantastic freshness, finishing very long. 2020-2044, 96; weight bottle and closure: 599 g; www.jmcazes.com/en/chateau-lynch-bages ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, another remarkably fresh wine, the second deepest. Bouquet is incredibly pure, a depth of near-violets florality on highly cassisy berry, all shaped by cedary oak. Freshly opened it was a little reticent, so in bouquet the quality recognised by Stephen Browett did not jump out at you. In flavour it is the freshness and aromatics of the cabernet sauvignon component that strikes you, and the astonishing youth of the wine. It is more berry-dominant than the Ducru and Grand-Puy, but less intensely cassisy and rich than the Leoville Barton. Nor is it as rich as the Montrose. The flavours present a harmony, elegance and complexity that is remarkable, with a perfect balance to oak, but overall restraint. Another wonderful wine, with the freshness and poise of this remarkable 2010 vintage. To a person who has been tasting Bordeaux off and on for 50 years, it is the absolute purity of these modern wines that is compelling. It will be fascinating to watch Lynch-Bages over the next 20 years, and see if the great future for it foretold by Stephen Browett unfolds. Three people rated Lynch-Bages as their top wine, and one second. Cellar 20 – 50 years. GK 09/20

2005 Domaine de Marcoux Chateauneuf-du-Pape Vieilles Vignes 19 + (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 15%; $458 [ cork, 50mm, original price c.$175; Gr 95 – 100%, trace other vars., all >80 years age; all destemmed; cuvaison up to 28 days in vat, then elevation c.18 months in vat (concrete); was older oak elevation pre 2002, and again from 2006 on; not fined, is filtered; organic and biodynamic wine; production c.350 x 9-litre cases; RP@RP, 2007, recorded that the alcohol is in fact 16.7%; J.L-L, no date: The Vieilles Vignes is one of the great Châteauneuf-du-Papes; JR@JR, 2006: Robinson's assessment of this wine is of particular interest. For this wine, and the 2003 equally, she records her highest score ever for Domaine Marcoux (though she does have 20 or so other chateauneuf reviews at 19, and barely a handful higher): Very sumptuous yet not too concentrated – everything in great proportion. Not especially deep colour. Sweet and juicy on the front palate but with great integrity and restraint without being wimpy ... Dry but not drying finish. Very impressive wine that should have an impressively long life. This just hums without battering the senses. Lovely! 2009 – 2021, 19; J.L-L, 2008: ... oily, liqueur style aroma – sweet-toned red fruits, a little nuttiness; the nose is elegant, assured with a herb-garrigue presence. The palate continues in the same vein – straight into a refined, attractive red fruit that has a suave texture, a poised allure. Tremendous harmony here – wow! It is very consecutive and persistent, its refinement classy. The taste is plum, not quite to the extent of kirsch, in its beautiful palate. Gentle tannins pop up here and there. ... Great balance, a wine that shows the striking finesse of Châteauneuf-du-Pape when it is made from Grenache - all or mostly, 2030-34, ******; JD@RP, 2015: The 2005 Marcoux Châteauneuf du Pape Vieilles Vignes is a rock star that’s up with the top 2-3 wines of the vintage. Perfumed, complex and brilliantly Provencal, with sweet kirsch, pepper, crushed flowers and dried earth, it’s full-bodied, seamless and silky on the palate, with no hard edges and incredible length. Opening up in the glass, drink this heavenly Châteauneuf anytime over the coming decade or more, 2015 - 2030, 99; weight bottle and cork 666 g; the website www.domainedemarcoux.fr is a holding page only; some info at; www.chateauneuf.dk/en/cdpen81.htm ]
Ruby and some garnet, lighter to the edge, midway in depth. This wine totally conveys the subtle magic of near-100% grenache Southern Rhone Valley wine, in a softly floral bouquet for all the world like a slightly spirity grand cru Corton. Bouquet blends a pink rose floral with fruit like red-tinged stewed nectarines, really sensuous, and totally pure. Palate is sensational, clearly the richest / greatest dry extract of any of these wines, both succulent and tactile, yet totally dry. There is enormous fruit length, sustained on both the tannins of the year, and what seems trace large wood. This wine was placed at number 12 in the lineup, on its richness, but it followed an equally sensational wine which was darker, more aromatic, and less subtle. Consequently #12 was somewhat overlooked by the group, two second place votes only. This wine is magical now, perhaps at its peak for people who don't follow old wine. It will however hold, and soften, for another 10 – 20 years. GK 07/19

2003 Ch Montrose 19 + (

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Saint-Estephe 2nd Growth, Bordeaux, France: 13%; $316 [ Cork 50mm; CS 62%, Me 34, CF 3, PV 1; Ch Montrose is one of the three finest wines in St Estephe, a district traditionally sniffed at by the superior, but now coming into its own with global warming. The style of Montrose has tended to be more fragrant than Cos d'Estournel, in the good years. Vine density 9000 / ha, and average vine age is around 40 years. The 2003 was cropped @ 35 hl/ha (c. 1.8 t/ac), against an average of 42 (2.2 t/ac); the wine spends c.18 months in barrel with 50 – 70% new; second wine Le Dame de Montrose; at one point the 2003 was considered a likely wine of the vintage, Parker marking it 100, but it has settled back a little from that assessment; however, Farr Vintners report that 2003 Montrose placed fifth overall, out of 100 wines tasted blind, at the 2003 Farr Vintners Blind Tasting held in October 2010, so that is still pretty elevated company; and likewise Berry Brothers & Rudd, another famous London wine merchant, say: “If ever there was any doubt that the wines of St Estephe had triumphed in 2003 then a taste of this magnificent wine immediately put the record straight. A wonderful nose of ripe, pure Cabernet Sauvignon with layers of spicy oak introduces a palate that is at once intense, multi-dimensional, loaded with minerals, black cherries, firm acidity and powerful tannins, all singing in perfect harmony. This is possibly the best Montrose ever made, surpassing its 2000 and possibly even its legendary 1990.” With assessments like that, one has to think that the very severe team at Jancis Robinson are making something of a fetish of scoring wines low, awaiting a perfection that perhaps can never be attained. They have marked it half a point lower in each successive tasting since release, the latest 17, so here for interest is their first impression: Robinson, 2005: Very dark crimson, the deepest of all these wines with colour all the way out to the rim. Young, fresh, very frank aromas – still distinctly unevolved. Extremely dry, savoury and mineral – not a hint of the raisiny sweetness that dogs so many 2003s. Wonderfully rich and layered yet dry and savoury on the finish. A hint of unsweetened chocolate with a floral topnote. Great hit on the front palate, then something dry and scrunchily appetising on the finish. Very very long, 19; Parker, Aug 2014: A candidate for a perfect score, the 2003 Montrose has been a superstar since the first time I tasted it in barrel. Showing no signs of weakening, it is an amazing wine from this fabulous terroir. It boasts a deep blue/purple color as well as a stunning perfume of blueberries, black currants, blackberries, licorice and camphor. Dense, full-bodied and rich with an unctuous texture, well-integrated, melted tannins, and a long, heady finish, this big, brawny, super-intense, gorgeous 2003 is just beginning to enter its plateau of full maturity. It should remain there for at least two decades, 99; www.chateau-montrose.com ]
Ruby and velvet, some garnet, one of the more developed hues, just above midway in depth. Bouquet however is quite the reverse, being wonderfully fresh and fragrant, and even violets-floral, all rising from a cassis and berry-rich wine in which there is no hint of sur-maturité or excess oak. Palate follows wonderfully, the fruit melding with soft cedary oak to produce at 10 years of age a classic claret just embarking on its plateau of maturity. Texture is superb already, nearly as velvety as the Las Cases, the flavour lingering long, neither spirity or oaky. Classic and very beautiful claret, and clearly the most-favoured wine by the winemakers, this warmer-than-usual-year St Estephe tasted like a fine Pauillac in a normal year. Cellar 5 – 25 years, maybe longer. GK 11/14

2000 Ch Montrose 19 + (

)

St Estephe Second Growth, Bordeaux, France: 12.5%; $129 [ cork; price en primeur landed; CS 63%, Me 31, CF 4, PV 2 = cepage in 2000 (Parker), planted to 9000 vines / ha, average vine age 40, usually cropped @ c.42 hl / ha (2.2 t/ac); 3 – 4 week cuvaison, temperature-controlled; MLF in tank; 18 months in French oak 50 – 70% new; JR: 18; RP 95+; WS: 96; www.chateau-montrose.com ]
Ruby and velvet, more colour development than the Cos 2000, in the middle for depth. Bouquet is quiet on initial opening, totally pure, supremely classical, no suggestions of chocolate or toast or contemporary trendyness. The wine gradually opens to slightly roses-floral deep cassis grading to dark plum and light new oak, with just a hint of cedar to come. Palate immediately amplifies the cassis, great concentration, a complex dark plum component more omega than black doris, a vivid impression of skin tannin more than oak, and a potentially velvety texture. This is particularly fine and classical claret, elegant, harmonious and balanced throughout, lingering long in mouth. Cellar 5 – 25 years. GK 08/10

1998 Domaine de la Mordorée Chateauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée de la Reine des Bois 19 + (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $317 [ cork, 49mm; purchase price $70; Gr 70%, Mv 10, Sy, Ci, counoise and vaccarese all 5, some of the grenache 90 years old, some 100+; this wine in the ‘90s contrasted with traditional practice in Chateauneuf du Pape, being completely destemmed, then c.50% of the wine aged in new small oak for 9 months or more, the balance in s/s, with a total elevation of 24 months (since 1998 the new oak has been reduced markedly); filtered to bottle; though other wines in our tasting have greater reputations, for the 1998 vintage this wine currently has the highest price on the new arbiter wine-searcher.com – $NZ317; J. Dunnuck @ R. Parker, 2014: A wine that can flirt with perfection on any given day ... overflowing blackcurrants, chocolate dusted meat, graphite and toasted spice-like aromas and flavors. It has off-the-charts richness and depth on the palate ... and serious length ... a relatively modern-styled Chateauneuf, 97; R. Parker, 2000: ... fabulous symmetry, this is one of the most remarkable Chateauneuf du Papes I have ever tasted, 96; J.L-L, 2008: ... palate black plum or prune fruit has style and poise – it is juicy, unlike many 1998s now, ***(*); bottle weight 642g; www.domaine-mordoree.com ]
Ruby more than garnet, the deepest of the wines. Bouquet epitomises modern Chateauneuf-du-Pape, nearly floral, clearly fragrant, the new oak seeming to intensify the syrah component of the cepage, thus adding cassis notes to the red fruits fragrance. This is a sensational bouquet, defining one kind of Chateauneuf-du-Pape in a sunny year. Palate shows beautiful fresh aromatic fruit, the oak to a max but acceptable, cinnamon-spicy grenache now dominant, the fruit nearly succulent at one point, yet there are still tannins to lose. This is glorious ripe-year Chateauneuf-du-Pape, now embarking on its plateau of maturity, yet with more softening to come. There is already quite heavy crusting in the bottle. Totally pure wine. The most favoured wine for the group, 11 first places, two second. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 07/18

1986 Ch Mouton-Rothschild 19 + (

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Pauillac First Growth, Bordeaux, France: 12.5%; $1,335 [ Cork, 54mm; actual cepage 1986 CS 80%, Me 10, CF 8, PV 2; 20 – 24 months in new oak; 27,500 cases; Peppercorn: Quintessential Pauillac … concentrated blackcurrant bouquet and flavour combined with a richness and opulence that disguise the tannin more than at Latour; Broadbent: Outstandingly the best ’86, spectacular, intense varietal fragrance, packed tight with fruit. In 1994: Nose peppery at first, then it sprang to life; on the palate the sweetness of ripe grapes and alcohol. Full-bodied, full-flavoured, fabulous fruit, very dry finish. 2012 – 2030: **(***); Robinson, 2016: This was always an exceptional wine, but an exceptionally slow-maturing one. It was served blind and seemed immediately like Mouton with its sweet, light mintiness and spice. This opulent monument of a wine has at least cast off enough tannin to provide majestic drinking now. What a treat to encounter this wine again at this exciting stage of its life: 19; Parker, 1994: In 1986, Mouton-Rothschild produced the most profound wine of a great northern Medoc vintage. It requires coaxing and extended airing to bring forth the subdued bouquet of minerals, celestial blackcurrants, smoky new oak, and spices. The wine possesses incredible concentration, full body, fabulous length, and is – well – perfect. 2005-2050: 100; Parker later reported on a tasting of Californian and French cabernets of the 1986 vintage: In most tastings where a great Bordeaux is inserted with California Cabernets, the Bordeaux comes across as drier, more austere, and not nearly as rich and concentrated (California wines are inevitably fruitier and more massive). To put it mildly, the 1986 Mouton-Rothschild held its own (and then some), in a flight that included the Caymus Special Selection, Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Cask 23, Dunn Howell Mountain, and Joseph Phelps Eisele Vineyard. Clearly the youngest looking, most opaque and concentrated wine of the group, it tastes …. of creme de cassis in abundance, exhilarating purity, and awesome layers of finish … impeccably made. Anticipated maturity till 2096; bottle weight 552 g; www.chateau-mouton-rothschild.com ]
Ruby and garnet, still remarkably red, the second deepest wine. Bouquet to first impression is overwhelmingly cedary, cedar of superlative quality, quite magical in a vinous context, but immediately a little voice says, yes but, I want my great clarets to smell of grapes first and foremost. The purity and alcohol zing on bouquet is enchanting, the given alcohol being the usual French nonsense for the era. It is in mouth that this wine suddenly expands fourfold, to become sensationally velvety, all embracing and enchanting. Now one can taste the cassis, browning a little now, which coupled with supreme poise, finesse, and elegance, the combination of berry and cedar in mouth lasts and lasts, with needless to say a divine but cedary aftertaste. Acid balance seems perfect, the wine having freshness right through. Since it seems not quite perfection on bouquet, though, for scoring I side more with Robinson. Perfect now, but will cellar many years, 20 +, drying all the while. By a small margin, the favourite wine for the group, 10 first or second places, but only six ranking it a First Growth, interestingly. GK 08/16

2000 Ch Palmer 19 + (

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Margaux Third Growth, Bordeaux, France: 13%; $606 [ Cork 49 mm, ullage 20 mm; landed cost $298; along with Ch Leoville Las Cases and La Mission Haut-Brion, one of the top three certainties as a Super-Second (out of 12 contenders). The Palmer estate has been in essentially the same ownership since 1938, with the Sichel and Mahler-Besse families now in control. In some years, Ch Palmer has challenged its neighbour Ch Margaux, as the top wine of the district. Cepage CS 47%, Me 47, PV 6 (but the 2000 is CS 53, Me 47), average vine age 35 years, planted at 10,000 vines per hectare, cropped at an average of 46 hl /ha = 6 t/ha = 2.4 t/ac; cuvaison up to 30 days in temperature-controlled s/s vats, followed by up to 21 months in barrel 45% new; Ch Palmer is of interest in that the previous technical director experimented with both lower and higher cropping rates, before settling on around 46 hl. He felt that markedly lower cropping rates compromised the finesse of Ch Palmer; Parker writes of Ch Palmer in general: When Palmer has a great vintage, no other left bank growth is as aromatically seductive to the nose and palate … The style of Palmer's wine is characterized by a sensational fragrance and bouquet … The bouquet has the forward fruity richness of a great Pomerol but the complexity and character of a Margaux. The wine’s texture is rich, often supple, and lush, but always deeply fruity and concentrated. The emphasis on quality can be seen from the 2000 vintage, where 45% of the crop was released as Ch Palmer, 40 % as Alter Ego de Palmer, and the rest sold off. Robinson’s sequential notes are interesting: Robinson 2005: Heady, confident, Margaux nose that suggests something way above third growth status. Very gentle texture. Lovely opulence on the front of the palate, followed by chewy tannins. Round. Not overdone. Great balance, 18; and then in 2016: Light, very fine, mature nose that has more than a hint of old fashioned claret with lightly tarry note that segues into the cusp of floral and fruity. Certainly very light and fragrant – good old fashioned Margaux. Beautiful balance. Long and silky. Dry finish after lovely sweet fruit. The antithesis of bodybuilder wine, 18; RP @ WA, 2010: … an almost exotic floral nose, soft, undulating tannins, and tremendous opulence and flesh, with a full-bodied mouthfeel, silky tannins, and loads of floral notes intermixed with blue and black fruits as well as hints of smoke and incense in its complex aromatics. This wine is drinking beautifully and should continue to do so for up to two more decades, 95; production averages 11,250 x 9-litre cases of the grand vin; weight bottle and closure: 563 g; www.chateau-palmer.com ]
Ruby, some velvet, just above midway in depth. Some people have difficulty with the concept of red wine being floral, but this 2000 Ch Palmer is a textbook experience in fragrant claret. Thoughts of violets as well as darkest roses arise from this totally pure and berry-led bouquet, the depth of nearly cassisy and darkly plummy berry being a delight. This purity and focus on the berry component is unusual in top Bordeaux, cedary complexity being way in the background. Flavours in mouth continue the berry-led approach, simply wonderful cassis softened by bottled dark plums, the oak so subtle, the wine long in flavour though not quite as rich as Las Cases. A very beautiful and classic Palmer indeed, fractionally less intense than Las Cases. Four people rated Ch Palmer their top wine, and seven their second-favourite. Cellar 15 – 25 years. GK 11/20

1989 Ch Pichon-Longueville Baron 19 + (

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Pauillac Second Growth, Medoc, Bordeaux, France: 13%; $301 [ cork, 50mm; original price c.$75; CS 80%, Me 20%, cropped at c.5.9 t/ha = 2.4 t/ac; elevation 18 – 22 months, with around 60% new oak; production of the grand vin varies round 20,000 x 9-litre cases; Broadbent, 2002: A big, ripe, fleshy wine, ***(*); JH@JR, 2017: quite deep and looking younger than its years. Sweet, almost creamy, dark fruit, seems more Merlot than Cabernet on the nose, whatever the makeup of the wine. Plus a touch of menthol freshness. But also has a delicacy and elegance within that sweetness. Still has a very fine-grained grip framing that depth of fruit. Very moreish. Not quite as fan-tailed as the Léoville Las Cases, more power on the palate, 17.5; RP@RP, 1993: The 1989 is this property's finest wine in at least three decades. One of the most opaque wines of the vintage, with a black/purple color suggesting exceptional extract and super-ripeness, its aroma reminded me of essence of cassis and plums intertwined with the scent of smoky new oak. Spectacularly rich and ripe, with layer upon layer of compelling extract, this well-balanced, full-bodied wine has the requisite tannin and depth to age well for three decades. To 2030, 96; weight bottle and closure: 549 g; www.pichonbaron.com ]
Ruby, velvet and some garnet, the deepest wine, and midway in the ruby : garnet stakes. Right from first opening, this wine smelt gorgeous: a lovely depth of fragrant cassisy berry browning now, some complex dark pipe-tobacco notes, and cedary oak. Palate is by an order of magnitude the richest wine on the table, showing perfect ripeness of the cabernet component, a big velvety mouthful of ripe fruit with beautiful oak, no hint of over-ripeness, and great length of classic Bordeaux flavours. I’m sure the alcohol is higher than the given 13%, though. This was one of the most popular wines, six first-places, one second. It is at a peak of maturity, and will hold this form for another 10 – 20 years, then decline gracefully. Definitive claret, in a New Zealand context. GK 11/19

nv Champagne Pierre Peters Grand Cru Extra Brut 19 + (

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Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Champagne, France: 12%; $90 [ supercritical 'cork'; Ch 100%; thought to be mostly a single-vintage blend; www.champagne-peters.com ]
Colour is fractionally paler than the Cuvée Reserve, and perhaps a hint more lemon. One sniff, and having spoken so highly of the cuvée wine, all one can say about the bouquet is the purity is sensational, and the depth and quality of autolysis is extraordinary, as if the wine were 50 to 100% longer en tirage. This bouquet is simply wonderful. In mouth the degree of yeast autolysis complexity is crust of finest baguette, clearly of Le Moulin (Willis Street, Wellington, perhaps the finest baguettes in New Zealand) quality. But the astonishing thing is, this wine is so rich (and I'm sure this could be demonstrated with a dry extract analysis) that the virtually nil dosage (2 g/L) is invisible. This is blanc de blancs champagne of a quality rarely encountered. It reminds me of the quality Taittinger Comtes de Champagne used to be in the 1960s. The depth of autolysis makes one think there has to be some pinot noir in it, but not so, and again there is this pure mineral / chalky underpinning. Anybody with the slightest interest in quality methode champenoise, and particularly in the blanc de blancs style, needs to taste this wine. You will not be disappointed. Cellar 10 – 20 years or so. GK 07/14

2001 Ch Rieussec 19 + (

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Sauternes / Fargues Premier Cru, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $ – [ 49mm cork; Se 89%, SB 8; Mu 3; average age of vines 25 years, planted at 7,500 vines / ha, average yield just under 2.5 t/ha = 1 t/ac; fermentation in both s/s and barrel, then 18 – 24 months depending on the weight of the vintage in 70% new small oak; average production around 6,000 cases per annum; owned by the Rothschilds of Ch Lafite; BBR: Ch Rieussec is one of the richest and most exotic of all Sauternes ... a classic full-bodied Sauternes that is deep golden-yellow in colour and packed with lusciously sweet, honeyed fruits ... its best vintages rival those from d`Yquem; Robinson, 2012: Manages to be both tangy and luscious. Broad. Electric vitality. Lovely and slightly brulée. Not quite as sweet as the Suduiraut. Long and reverberant, 18.5; Parker, 2004: A monumental effort, the 2001 Rieussec boasts a light to medium gold color in addition to a fabulous perfume of honeysuckle, smoky oak, caramelized tropical fruits, creme brulee, and Grand Marnier. The wine is massive and full-bodied yet neither over the top nor heavy because of good acidity. With intense botrytis as well as a 70-75-second finish, this amazing Sauternes will be at its apogee between 2010-2035, 99; www.lafite.com/fr/les-chateaux/chateau-rieussec ]
Gold, the fourth deepest in hue. Right from opening, and long after, this wine shows a slight VA lift to intense golden queen peachy fruit. It therefore becomes a question of assessing whether there is the fruit to carry the VA. Needless to say, no northern hemisphere wine website mentions VA for any of the 2001 sauternes in this tasting, whereas the simple fact is that 25% of the wines have a perceptible trace. Such is the difficulty of finding accurate / objective wine information anywhere, whether on-line or by magazine or book. The winestyle here is quite different from d'Yquem, being noticeably darker in its peachy fruit, with a clear golden syrup pudding integration of the barrel work with honeyed stonefruit. In mouth the wine immediately gains points, for it is rich and luscious, the VA not high enough to coarsen the palate. Fruit concentration is delightful. At the tasting it was more open and communicative than the Yquem, which took longer to unfurl. This won't cellar quite as long as the Yquem, being further forward in its evolution – but should still be good for 10 – 35 years. One of the top three wines for the group, on the night, luscious and lingering. GK 07/14

2015 Gilles Robin Hermitage 19 + (

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Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $125 [ cork, 50mm; Sy hand-harvested from the Les Bessards lieu-dit @ c.5.1 t/ha = 2.1 t/ac, from vines averaging 43 years age; no whole bunch component, wild-yeast ferments with around 30 days cuvaison / days on skins; MLF in barrel; 24 months in French oak perhaps 10% new; thought to be sterile-filtered to bottle, dry extract not available; production c.250 x 9-litre cases; weight bottle and closure: 577 g; J.L-L, 2016: The bouquet is inky, holds very dark small berry fruits with oak-vanilla and coffee beans airs thrusting forward. The palate has a cool, mineral glint ... freshness ... has iron in its soul, is an interesting, highly stylish and intricate wine that will unfurl gradually, carrying multiple nuances. There is real granite ping on the close, a spearmint style clack of freshness, to 2035, *****; J. Dunnuck, 2016: … a big, fleshy, gorgeously layered and sexy red that has lots of tannin, full-bodied richness, tons of cassis, black raspberry and graphite aromatics, with a finish that won't quit. It’s a dead serious Hermitage that’s going to require patience, 94-96; www.gillesrobin.com ]
Magenta, ruby and velvet, the deepest and inkiest of the 12 wines, magnificent. Bouquet is not the most demonstrative in the set, but it has exquisite purity and midnight-deep dusky florals, darkest roses, on quietly aromatic and spicy cassisy berry. Oak is almost invisible, on bouquet. This is very beautiful syrah. Palate has a varietal accuracy and focus which is amazing, the oak now detectable as a shaping influence only, the flavour lingering delightfully on deep cassisy berry, grape tannins as much as oak, and a hint of black pepper. Richness is in the better half of the set. A magical example of Hermitage, to cellar 20 – 30 years. Six people rated this their top example of syrah, by far the clearest vote on the night, while four thought it French. GK 11/19

2005 Domaine Rousseau Chambertin 19 + (

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Gevrey-Chambertin Grand Cru, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $504 [ cork; up to 22 months in 100% new French oak; Rousseau owns 2.1 ha, 16.7% of this pre-eminent vineyard; making approx 725 cases; www.domaine-rousseau.com ]
Pinot noir ruby, below midway in depth. This year, it is le Chambertin proper, not Clos de Beze, that appeals most. It is less obviously new-oaky than some recent years. The depth and precision of precise boronia and violets floral bouquet blending into red and black cherry pinot fruit is just beautiful. In mouth, the palate weight is terrific, perfect near-black cherry fruit, not as acid as the Clos St Jacques or Clos de Beze, more the richness of the Clos de la Roche but purer. This is great pinot noir, showing all the key features required, not over-ripe and not over-oaked. Cellar 10 – 30 years. GK 11/08

2016 Domaine Saint-Préfert Chateauneuf-du-Pape Réserve Auguste Favier 19 + (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $100 [ cork, 50 mm; see standard wine for background; cepage this single-vineyard wine in 2016 an unusual Gr 80%, Ci 20, significant percentage not de-stemmed; cuvaison up to 30 days; elevation up to 30% of the wine in concrete vat, the balance in second- to fourth-year 600s for 14 months; not fined or filtered; J.L-L, 2017: (barrel sample) The bouquet is filled with black fruits ... The palate is rich and savoury, spreads a wide canvas, and finishes with good length ...It’s well and closely packed, and manages a finish with menthol-like cut. The tannins pile in quite thickly, to 2042, ****(*); JC@RP, 2018: ... enchanting floral aromas, intoxicating raspberry and cherry fruit and enthralling hints of Swiss cocoa. Full-bodied, rich and velvety, it nevertheless comes across as fresh and nearly weightless. The use of stems (the wine is all whole bunches) and an elevated proportion of Cinsault has certainly contributed to this wine's soaring aromas and sense of freshness. It's a fascinating wine, to 2035, 97; production averages 1,125 x 9-litre cases; weight bottle and cork 611 g; one of the Worth Cellaring set; www.st-prefert.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet: considering the unusual cepage, the colour is surprisingly well above midway. This wine develops the most astonishing bouquet, all you could ever ask for from a complex southern Rhone, very fragrant on garrigue showing both floral and savoury notes, aromatic, piquant, nearly saliva-inducing. In mouth the fruit has an almost pinot noir-like charm, but the richness and aromatics are greater. It tastes as if there is newish oak somewhere in the elevation, and the length of gently spicy red grape, red cherry and plum (plus cinnamon) flavours is extraordinary. Very beautiful wine, to cellar 10 – 30 years. Available from Wine Direct and their distribution channels (eg Regional Wines). GK 07/19

2016 Maison Tardieu-Laurent Rasteau Vieilles Vignes 19 + (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $45 [ cork, 55mm; Gr 65%, 80 years, Sy 25, 40 years, Mv 10, 40 years; one third of the crop not destemmed; the website implies all the wine 12 months in second-year barrels, then 6 months in foudre, the proprietors noting that elevage longer than usual, given the quality of the vintage; not fined or filtered; pH not given, but stated by the makers to be: astonishingly low … which will give the wine: ... an unprecedented destiny. For both the Vacqueyras Vieilles Vignes and the Chateauneuf-du-Pape Speciale, Joe Czerwinski @ RP notes that the whole-bunch component is raised in concrete, not all in oak of various kinds, as the T-L website implies. This approach may therefore also apply to the closely related Rasteau Vieilles Vignes and the standard Chateauneuf. JR: 17; J. Suckling: 93; J. Dunnuck: 92-94; available from Caro’s, Auckland; www.tardieu-laurent.fr ]
Dark ruby, carmine and velvet, a glorious colour, the third deepest. Bouquet needs time, to reveal enchanting lightly aromatic dark berry notes, hints of nearly-cassis (rare in this district), a lot of dark plum, some raspberry / boysenberry. The fruit is complexed by fragrant but not quite floral garrigue aromatics, and subtle oak with a noticeable dark toasty note. This bouquet smells wonderfully exciting. Palate is rich, fresh, deep, long, nearly velvety, beautiful furry grape tannins, all the berry flavours extended on pure but not too obtrusive oak, and lovely fine-grained, soft, but good acid. The concentration here matches or exceeds good Chateauneuf-du-Pape norms. Four first-places. Cellar 20 – 35 years. GK 04/19

1998 Domaine Vieux Telegraphe Chateauneuf-du-Pape La Crau 19 + (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $65 [ cork; original price; Gr 70%, Sy 15, Ci 5, others 10, hand-harvested from 55-year-old vines in what many consider Chateauneuf's most famous vineyard; cuvaison c.15 days, elevation 12 months in old oak, 12 months in concrete; Parker 6/10: Between 1978 and 2007, this 1998 is the greatest Vieux Telegraphe that was produced. It has taken a good decade for this wine to shed its tannins and come out of a dormant, closed period. It has finally emerged, and notes of iodine, seaweed, black currants, incense, and sweet cherries as well as hot rocks jump from the glass of this full-bodied, powerful wine. It possesses considerable elegance and purity, along with loads of raspberries and incense, in a round, juicy, rich style that is just emerging from the closet. The wine is still youthful and a pre-adolescent in terms of its ultimate evolution. Approachable now, it will continue to evolve for another 15-20 years. Bravo! 95; www.vignoblesbrunier.fr ]
Ruby and garnet, below midway in depth, attractive. Bouquet is glorious, totally grape-dominant, the red berries and cinnamon of grenache, darker berry and spice from syrah, and beautiful winey complexity as if mourvedre contributed well in this warmer year. Palate shows great berry and fruit, slightly furry tannins, negligible new oak which appeals greatly, marvellous length and savour as well as technical purity. Model Chateauneuf-du-Pape. The perfect balance will enable this wine to cellar symmetrically and beautifully into advanced old age, 10 – 15 maybe 20 years more. GK 04/12

2002 Jadot Batard-Montrachet 19 (

)

Chassagne and Puligny-Montrachet Grand Cru, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $375 [ cork; hand-harvested; (guideline) BF, LA, MLF in 30% new French oak; no specific info [then] on website; www.louisjadot.com ]
Lemon more than straw, one of the best colours. Bouquet is exquisitely clean and pure, white stone fruits and a suggestion of acacia florals, with underlying winemaking complexities. Palate makes clear the beautifully subtle barrel ferment, lees autolysis and MLF components, all superbly integrated though youthful, potentially mealy and hazelnuts, fine-grained acid and a suggestion of mineral, new oak underpinning. Not particularly rich, but supremely fine. This wine illustrates why great white burgundy is so admired. It will cellar 5 – 15 + years, harmoniously. GK 07/05

2008 Astrolabe Sauvignon Blanc Voyage 19 (

)

Awatere & Wairau Valleys, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $22 [ screwcap; all s/s; RS < 4 g/L; www.astrolabewines.co.nz ]
[ This review in non-standard format, excerpted from narrative article dated: 24 Dec 2008 ]
Some self-debate here whether to go out on a limb and show the marvellously complex 2005 Te Koko recently commented on, or use something simpler and more classical. In the end, hoping the foods would be simpler (I had green mussels in mind), I went for the deceptively simplest purest most perfect Marlborough sauvignon readily available, the Astrolabe Awatere & Wairau blend. The only choice then was, would it be 2007 or 2008. Either would be ideal, with their superbly fresh citrus, black passionfruit and sweet basil complexity, but on this occasion I bowed to conventional wisdom and used the current offering. A great result, a marvellous New Zealand sauvignon with the body and dry extract to be remarkably versatile with food. GK 12/08

2007 Cloudy Bay Chardonnay 19 (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $38 [ screwcap; clone mendoza predominates, mostly hand-harvested @ 3.8 t/ac; most of the juice is wild-yeast fermented in French oak with a small percentage new, a smaller percentage starts fermentation inoculated in s/s, but all of it completes fermentation in barrel; 12 months LA and some batonnage in barrel, then a further month or two in barrel, c.80% MLF; RS 2.9 g/L; www.cloudybay.co.nz ]
Lemon, a great colour. Bouquet on this wine epitomises coolish-climate chardonnay. It displays beautiful acacia-blossom florals, on mineral-infused stonefruits and cashew. Mineral as I use the term is not a euphemism for reduced sulphurs as marked up by northern hemisphere tasters, but instead is the smell of freshly-cracked greywacke. This wine could at a pinch be confused with grand cru chablis, and more easily with classed wines from the Puligny-Montrachet district. Palate develops marvellous cashew flavours in stonefruit, the result of superb barrel-ferment and lees-autolysis, yet the oak is unrecognisable as such. The texture is rich yet fine-grained, lingering superbly. The ’06 was great, but this 2007 Cloudy Bay immediately becomes the new benchmark for serious South Island chardonnay, matching the 2007 Sacred Hill Riflemans from the North Island, and perhaps surpassing it. All aspiring chardonnay winemakers owe themselves a case of this wine, not only to study its evolution, but also for use in benchmarking exercises. Cellar 3 – 10 years. VALUE GK 05/09

2008 Waimea Estates Gewurztraminer 19 (

)

Waimea Valley, Nelson, New Zealand: 14.5%; $22 [ screwcap; hand-harvested very ripe, whole-bunch pressed, long cool s/s fermentation with cultured yeast and minimal solids; 6 weeks LA and stirring; pH 3.85, RS 6.3 g/L; www.waimeaestates.co.nz ]
Lemon, a great colour for gewurztraminer. Initially opened, there is a whisper of sulphur and mercaptan in the Alsatian style. Decant the wine into an open-mouthed jug, and leave for an hour or two. It then reveals a simply sensational gewurztraminer bouquet of Alsace vendage tardive quality, in which the alcohol is well hidden (gewurztraminer like viognier and grenache hides alcohol well). There are marvellous yellow florals including both wild ginger and yellow honeysuckle, and explicit lychee fruit spiced by citronella and backed by stonefruit. This bouquet (once breathed) is simply stunning. Palate follows on beautifully, sufficient phenolics to give backbone to the strong flavours, excellent acid, ‘riesling-dry’ sweetness (but appearing medium-dry due to the high pH), all combining to give great texture and length. Thank heaven for a wine not made to wine-school formulae – here beauty has come before science. The complexity of flavour suggests there might be some barrel fermentation in old oak here – if so it has been done superbly – but it could be just the depth of flavour on gewurz aromatics [ no oak ]. This is Alsatian grand cru quality gewurztraminer from New Zealand, for $22. It will be better still in a year, and will cellar 2 – 6 years. Keep an eye on it though, noting the pH. GK 05/09

2002 Kumeu River Chardonnay 19 (

)

Kumeu, north of Auckland, New Zealand: 13.5%; $ – [ screwcap; clone 15 and others, 100% BF in 20% new oak, 100% MLF, RS nil; www.kumeuriver.co.nz ]
Lemonstraw. This is one of the pure sweet fruit styles in the Kumeu River premium chardonnay range, like the ‘04 Maté’s. White peach and stonefruits are dominant, with marvellously mealy barrel-ferment and lees-autolysis characters complexing it. Below, one can just detect some of the nuttiness which is overt in the 2003, but at this ’02 level of concentration it is great. Palate is marvellous, rich nearly oily stonefruits and mealy complexity, oak totally absorbed / balanced, the flavour lingering for ever – truly succulent. This is exemplary chardonnay. At a peak now, in one sense, but will cellar 1 – 6 years. GK 02/06

1953 Bodegas Bilbainas Vina Pomal Reserva Especial 19 (

)

Haro, Rioja, Spain: – %; $ – [ 45mm cork; Winesearcher: Avg Price NZ$190; original cost <$5, Ch Montrose then $4.35, so relatively expensive, currently on sale in Germany for €166; latterly related Bilbainas wines are 100% tempranillo from the Rioja Alta, but earlier is likely to have included graciano at least; aged in both large oak and then American oak barrique-sized perhaps including a little new even back then, for an unknown time but probably exceeding four years. Then aged in bottle for much longer. It was seen as a burgundy-style, contrasting with the Vieja Reserva, and released latest 1960s. No tasting notes found from established writers. 1953 highly regarded in parts of Spain, but for Rioja Jan Read rates the vintage 3/10 in a classic sense, contrasting with 10/10 for 1952, also noting that exceptions abound in the Spanish climatic milieu; www.bodegasbilbainas.com ]
Rosy garnet and ruby, simply beautiful, and above midway in depth. Bouquet is of a quality to lose oneself in totally, great Rioja of a quality scarcely encountered these days, with so many consumers thinking oak equates with quality, and too many winemakers scurrying to satisfy that perverted preference. Here the dominant aroma is the very particular red fruits and citrus [ Jamaican grapefruit in the traditional slatted-wood case with one blue-mouldy fruit in it, +ve ] smell of mature tempranillo, fragrant like the 1971 burgundy, fruit-rich, the oak merely shaping. Palate is clearly burgundian, and nearly as wonderful and perfectly balanced as the Gouroux, but not quite so fine-grained – on both the varietal tannins and the American oak. If anything it is richer and more tactile, and more youthful, though that is not quite the right word. My impression of the wine is that it is not quite so perfect as the 1952 of this label, but it is of a quality hard to find today, particularly in New Zealand. This wine too is a great experience, and there is no hurry to finish it. It was imported by one of New Zealand's most discriminating wine merchants from an earlier era, Dick Maling in Christchurch, and became available in about 1970.

Characterising great old rioja is not easy, so it is worth quoting someone long-experienced in the wines of the region. Jan Read (1973) quoted the Spanish oenologist Don Victor de Zuniga as saying of Rioja wines: "independent of the conditions of the harvest and quality of the crop, they present quite distinct properties of nose, flavour, alcoholic content, colour and extract." Anyone who has drunk the wines will recognise and enjoy those qualities. A highly perceptive connoisseur like André Simon may differentiate between the bouquets of Lafite Margaux and Latour, describing them as being evocative of violets, wallflower and verbena; and such descriptions sometimes seem justified ... In the case of the Riojas, they do not seem helpful. Of the old Reservas, all that can honestly be said is that they are glorious and individual old wines, with a roundness and intensity of flavour, a characteristic acidity and a bouquet entirely sui generis and of the Rioja.. GK 11/13

2009 Mt Difficulty Pinot Noir Target Gully 19 (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $85 [ screwcap; several clones, the oldest 15 years at hand-harvest; earlier vintages have been cropped at c. 4 t/ha = 1.6 t/ac; 9 days cold-soak, 7 days fermentation, 9 days maceration, giving a cuvaison of 25 days, 25% whole bunches; 16 months in French oak, some new, MLF in barrel the following spring; light fining only; www.mtdifficulty.co.nz ]
This is one of the finest pinot noirs thus far made in New Zealand. Right from the medium cherry ruby colour, it emphasises that fine pinot noir is about beauty, rather more than weight. The bouquet is breathtaking, a wonderful interweaving of floral notes with sweet mixed-cherry fruit. Palate is soft, enticing, totally burgundian. The standard 2009 Mt Difficulty is seriously beautiful, but this is just magically more concentrated. Every winemaker in New Zealand who aspires to make quality pinot noir needs to buy, taste and own this wine, for reference. Cellar 3 – 8 years, maybe 10. GK 08/11

2007 Church Road Syrah Reserve 19 (

)

Ngatarawa Triangle 55% & Gimblett Gravels 45, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $36 [ cork; Sy 100% hand-harvested and sorted; no cold soak, inoculated yeast, warm-fermented in open-top oak and s/s vessels, up to 4 weeks cuvaison, controlled aeration; c.12 months in burgundy barrels c. 53% new, c. 600 cases (as 12s); www.churchroad.co.nz ]
Rich ruby, carmine and velvet, close to the Mudbrick Reserve. Bouquet is soft, sweet, and deeply floral, with a hint of cracked black peppercorn, plus superb cassis and darkest plum richness. Oaking is gentler than either the Mudbrick Reserve or the Weeping Sands, and the quality of the deep cassisy dark plum is opulent, really velvet, yet with this intriguing sensuous floral and freshly cracked black pepper lift through both bouquet and palate. This is wonderful transparent wine reminiscent of the beauty and style of great pinot noir, but three times the size – loosely speaking. It is a candidate for the greatest syrah made in New Zealand in the modern era, in that it has deeply woven florality right through the bouquet and palate. [ In such a final analysis, it would probably be pipped at the post by 2007 Trinity Hill Syrah Homage.] For the EIT syrahs as a whole, this was the top-rated wine for the group. Cellar 5 – 15 + years. VALUE. GK 06/10

2007 Quartz Reef Pinot Noir Bendigo Estate [ black label ] 19 (

)

Bendigo district, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $75 [ screwcap; 4 clones from 9-year old vines hand-harvested @ 1.8 t/ac, co-fermented with wild yeasts and 20% whole-bunches; total cuvaison including cold-soak up to 31 days; c. 14 months in French oak 16% new; bottled unfined and unfiltered; www.quartzreef.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is dramatically floral and cherry-red fruits, almost a kirsch quality (+ve), wonderfully fragrant, pure and appealing. Palate shows an excellent concentration of fragrant red cherry and some black cherry, on beautifully subtle oak, all as understated as the Rousseau top wines, yet it turns out to be Otago. After the flavour, concentration, texture and dry extract, the oak handling in particular demands the highest praise. This is sensational New Zealand pinot noir, one of the very best ever made, a wine which will eclipse many same-vintage burgundy grands crus. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 11/10

2009 Church Road Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot Tom 19 (

)

Gimblett Gravels 97.5%, Bridge Pa Triangle 2.5, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.4%; $155 [ cork; CS 58%, Me 42; all hand-picked, the dominant cabernet @ 5.1 t/ha (minutely over 2 t/ac), absolutely a serious classed-growth cropping rate, but the merlot at a surprising 9.6 t/ha (3.8 t/ac), and hand-sorted from on-average 12-year old vines; 100% de-stemmed, crushed, no cold soak, inoculated fermentation mostly in oak cuves, a fraction in s/s, cuvaison up to 5 weeks for the CS components, less for Me; 21 months in all-French oak c.81% new, balance 1-year, successive rackings to clarify and aerate; not fined or filtered; RS <1 g/L; 450 cases; Parker: 91; www.churchroad.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, great freshness for the five years, midway in the top third for weight of colour. The wine benefits from decanting a couple of times, to show a rich bordeaux-blend with signs of secondary complexity starting to appear. The berry aromas include much cassis and dark plum, but there are hints of blueberries too, so that blind the mind wanders to syrah. And then there is an aromatic edge that reminds of malbec, too, but on reflection is misinterpreted oak. In mouth the wine is velvety rich, still tannic on grape tannin as much as oak, totally warm-year Medoc in approach, and a big Medoc such as Leoville Las Cases. The cassis component is much more evident now. This is a very ripe wine, at the upper limit of ripeness and oaking for elegance, if we are to match Bordeaux. Winemaker Chris Scott is clear this is the style he wants, but Bordeaux is a tapestry of many colours, as indeed is Hawkes Bay, and as these 60 wines in the tasting confirm. Close tasting of some of the other wines in the Hot Reds Expo would I hope convince Chris that fine claret styles can be made from fresher / more aromatic grapes than 2009 alone, as the 2010 bordeaux are widely acknowledged to have achieved, and 2010 La Chapelle tasted alongside these Hawkes Bay wines vividly shows. Meanwhile this 2009 is one of the all-time benchmark New Zealand reds, like 1965 McWilliams Cabernet Sauvignon, which those long-sighted enough to provide for will be tasting and talking about until 2050. I can guarantee that, having shown that 1965 wine to Hawkes Bay winemakers in 2008. Any chance to secure this wine in auction, therefore, act. As Harry Waugh used to say, there is still a lot of tannin to lose, here, but the result is going to be of international calibre. Cellar 10 – 35 years. GK 06/14

2001 Vasse Felix Cabernet Sauvignon 19 (

)

Margaret River, West Australia, Australia: 14%; $36 [ CS 90%, Ma 7, Me 3; extended cuvaison, partial BF and 18 months in French oak; www.vassefelix.com.au ]
Ruby and velvet. A big sweet ripe and slightly charry cabernet bouquet, smelling of beautiful cassis and darkest plum, plus some barrel ferment components. Palate is gloriously rich, ripe and yet subtle, retaining the complexity of the grape, and not smothering it with oak or eucalyptus. Alcohol aside, this astonishingly Bordeaux-like wine will cellar for 15 – 20 years, and could be run with classed growths. In that company, I guess it would seem faintly minty. GK 06/04

2008 Babich Sauvignon Blanc Winemakers’ Reserve 19 (

)

Wairau & Awatere Valleys, Marlborough, New Zealand: 12.5%; $25 [ screwcap, 7% BF in new French oak puncheons, several months LA; RS 1 g/L; www.babichwines.co.nz ]
Pale lemongreen. Bouquet is immediately clean and crisp sauvignon ripened to the red capsicum and black passionfruit level. Like the Astrolabe Awatere benchmark wine, it shows some sweet basil herbes and even elder blossom complexity. Palate is gorgeous, all the flavour of top examples of the grape, yet drier than most. The Awatere aromatics are readily apparent. This label has climbed to be one of the stars in the Babich range, and one of New Zealand’s best sauvignons, with superbly subtle complexity factors such as barrel-ferment and lees-autolysis built in, the oak near-invisible. This is how oak should be used in sauvignon ! Great food wine, and yet another to show that the top 2008 Marlborough sauvignons are as good as any year. Much too much has been made of Marlborough’s later-season rainfall, in what is intrinsically a low-rainfall and free-draining zone. Cellar 2 – 10 years. GK 05/09

2006 Mt Difficulty Chardonnay 19 (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14.5%; $33 [ screwcap; 100% BF with 'full solids' in controlled cool temperatures; c. 9 months LA, stirring, 70% MLF; www.mtdifficulty.co.nz ]
Lemonstraw. Bouquet is magnificent, opening vaguely like some even richer kind of Bollinger RD, with superlative yeast autolysis from immaculate barrel fermentation in appropriately older oak. And notwithstanding the ref. to full solids in the website, there is no dull high-solids odour – great ! Along with the superb baguette crust aromas is beautiful peach, cashew and stonefruit. Palate is exceptional too, a tactile viscosity of cashew and peach and finest pale butter, like some kind of superb sweet croissant, yet finishing dry. The flavours linger superbly. Cellar 3 – 6 years, maybe a little longer, but already the wine is delicious. GK 02/08

1998 Trimbach Pinot Gris Reserve Exceptionelle 19 (

)

Alsace, France: 13%; $ – [ bottle courtesy Peter Saunders ]
A great bouquet capturing all the floral and complex beauty of the variety – nearly rosepetal in intensity, followed by a crisp (nearly dry), flavoursome, and non-spirity long palate, with orders of magnitude more to say in a varietal sense than our thus-far all-too-often relatively bland and alcoholic offerings. Wonderful wine now, but will cellar for some years. GK 10/04

2002 Trinity Hill Syrah Homage 19 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $100 [ cork; Sy 98%, Vi 2, cropped 1 tonne / acre; MLF in tank, 17 months in new French oak, neither fined nor filtered; www.trinityhillwines.com ]
Dense ruby, carmine and velvet, fabulous. Over the last few years, I have nominated several wines as the best example of New Zealand syrah so far. But all must stand aside, with the debut of the 2002 Trinity Hill Homage Syrah. This is great wine, a wine to put many reputed Hermitages in the shade. Bouquet is a wonderful expression of the variety, showing darkest cassis perhaps concealing deep florals yet to emerge, blackest plums, and suggestions of cracked black peppercorns wrapped up in charry soft oak, as if some of the wine were barrel-fermented. Palate is gloriously rich, long on cassis aromatics and spice, potentially soft, but firm now, as befits a longterm cellar wine, with the oak still to marry in, but not excessive. Style is totally European, and John Hancock speaks of the name Homage embracing the memory of the late Gerard Jaboulet, in whose time their wine la Chapelle was the most famous Hermitage of all. Total production of this excitingly rich benchmark wine was small (a few hundred cases of 6), and it is sold out at the winery. It may be still sparingly available in New Zealand retail (e.g. First Glass, Takapuna, Regional Wines, Wellington), and via Laurent-Perrier (UK) Ltd in England, and Pacific Vine International in USA. It will cellar for 10 - 20 years. Many a Hermitage producer could be respectful of this wine. GK 06/05

2003 Loosen Urziger Wurzgarten Riesling Auslese QmP [ Gold Capsule ] 19 (

)

Mosel, Germany: 8%; $110 [ www.drloosen.de ]
Lemon. The classic smell of fine Mosel, gorgeous acacia and other white florals, vanillin, suggestions of apple and white stonefruits, and beautifully pure botrytis. Palate is a nectar of all those things, beautifully rich and balanced, sufficient acid. This will cellar for 10 – 20 years, on the great purity. GK 11/04

2000 Te Mata Chardonnay Elston 19 (

)

Havelock North district mostly, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $ – [ cork; hand-harvested; 100% BF, MLF, LA and c. 11 months in French oak; < 2 g/L residual; www.temata.co.nz ]
Lemonstraw, a touch of gold. Bouquet on this Elston is marvellous, showing the full beauty of a high-mendoza New Zealand chardonnay at full maturity. There is glorious bottled golden queen peach fruit complexed by lees-autolysis, MLF and oak, into a (best) ice cream sundae and wafers beauty. Palate is exactly the same, even more peachy, a delightful cashew nuttiness on the finish, which winemaker Peter Cowley commented on, suggesting time is running out for this wine. Don't keep Elston beyond 8 years, he said. That depends I guess on how much you like older wines – for sure, this 2000 is sensational at the moment. On checking back, I find in 2004 I offered the thought the 2000 was 'the greatest Elston yet', which ties in nicely with the tenor of this report. Luxuriate in it over the next year or two. GK 03/08

1995 Salon le Mesnil Blanc de Blancs Brut 19 (

)

Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Champagne, France: 12%; $359 [ cork; Ch 100% ]
Lemonstraw, above midway in depth, the hue giving little clue to its blanc de blancs status. Bouquet does not have quite the authority of the Churchill, but in its lighter style, it shows equally remarkable baguette crust autolysis, and is quite magical. On palate the chardonnay dominance shows a little more clearly, but the depth of autolysis still makes the cepage hard to pick. In mouth the palate weight is less than the Churchill, and acid is firm for the year, with clean citric notes in white cherry fruit, plus a touch of apple shortcake confounded by a very brut finish. This is simply great refreshing champagne, which will cellar for decades. GK 11/06

2008 Astrolabe Sauvignon Blanc Awatere Discovery 19 (

)

Awatere Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $23 [ screwcap; machine harvested not in heat of day at c. 4 t/ac, destemmed, cool-fermented in s/s with no solids and a neutral yeast strain; pH 3.47, RS 3.2 g/L; www.astrolabewines.co.nz ]
Lemongreen. Here is the near-perfect straight Marlborough sauvignon, totally a stainless steel wine yet with wonderful complexity (often with sauvignon, due to its aromatics, one imagines a trace barrel-ferment component), achieved it would seem from fruit ripened to a perfect point (or points) of ripeness, and grown at a fairly low cropping rate. It has achieved optimal flavour intensity for a modern sauvignon. Key characters are faintly musky sauvignon ripened to the yellow honeysuckle and sautéed red capsicum level, ample fruit expressed as black passionfruit pulp, and piquant varietal complexity from sweet basil herbes. Richness in mouth is marvellous, acid balance is fresh, and residual sweetness for a sophisticated ‘sauvignon dry’ finish is perfect. This wine will cellar for 10 or more years, depending on preference for older sauvignon flavours. They can be pretty interesting, you know ! GK 04/09

nv Bollinger Special Cuvée Brut 19 (

)

Ay, Champagne, France: 12%; $100 [ cork; PN 60%, Ch 25, PM 15; no MLF; www.champagne-bollinger.fr ]
The colour is indistinguishable from the Pol Roger, surprisingly. Bouquet is drier and nuttier, less floral, more Vogel’s Wholegrain, on aromatic fruit and one imagines, a whisper of oak – unlike the vintage, one can’t be sure. This sample is much fresher and less developed than Bollinger NV traditionally has been. Palate is wonderfully rich and flavoursome, the cherry of high pinot, superb autolysis and mealy complexity nearly of cashew depth, a bigger flavour all round than the Pol, and fractionally drier in dosage. It seems light alongside the 1995 RD, however. Cellar to 20 years plus. GK 12/06

2000 Clearview Estate Chardonnay Reserve 19 (

)

Te Awanga, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $ – [ cork; simpler variations on 2004 practice, qv; www.clearviewestate.co.nz ]
Lemonstraw. Like the 1994, this wine stands a little apart in showing a whisper of Puligny-Montrachet-styled complexity about it, which romantically, one can call mineral, but more prosaically is sulphur-related. It is so subtle as to be academic, but will keep the wine fresher than some vintages. There is also glorious golden queen peachy fruit, and great barrel-ferment and wholemeal lees autolysis complexity. Palate is rich, oily-rich, peaches and best dried figs, the alcohol more harmonious than some, the lees autolysis beautifully mealy and well integrated. Definitive Clearview Reserve Chardonnay, and likewise definitive Hawkes Bay mendoza chardonnay in the rich style, as well. Perfection now, or will hold in cellar 3 – 6 years, maybe longer. GK 10/05

2002 Church Road Chardonnay Reserve 19 (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $31 [ cork; BF & LA in new and 1-year French oak for 10 months, no MLF; www.churchroad.co.nz ]
Deep lemon, very attractive. Bouquet on this wine is little short of sensational, great New Zealand and Hawkes Bay chardonnay, chockful of golden queen peaches and finest glacé figs. Oak and complex wine-making inputs have melted away into wonderful harmony. Palate develops the yellow fruits delightfully, the flavours long and fine and powerful, yet almost delicate on the tongue, with satisfying baguette-crust yeast autolysis and complexity. This is stunning wine, and the aftertaste superb. When Church Road get their Reserve Chardonnay spot-on, it is unbeatable. Interesting to see the more yellow stonefruits characters of the mendoza clone alongside and relative to the more white stonefruits of the top Jadots. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 07/05

2010 Trinity Hill Syrah Homage 19 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $120 [ cork; Sy 100%, hand-harvested @ 2.5 t/ha (1 t/ac); 100% de-stemmed but still some whole-berries; wild yeast, up to 13 days ferment, total cuvaison 26 days; MLF mostly in tank, 12 months in French oak 72% new, no American oak; RS < 1 g/L; sterile-filtered to bottle; around 500 cases; 5 top rankings, 2 second; www.trinityhill.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a sensational colour, the deepest wine. In this tasting, Homage was less together than Le Sol. Even so, the depth of concentrated cassis on bouquet is reminiscent of La Chapelle in the 1980s, and the oak is fragrant and potentially cedary, but tonight standing apart a little. A floral component was not so evident. In mouth the concentration of aromatic cassis is marvellous, and the length of varietal fruit flavour and quality of oak is impressive. The later flavours however continue to show the components, still awaiting some melding and harmony. This wine too will develop spectacularly in bottle. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 06/13

2007 Trinity Hill Syrah Homage 19 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $120 [ cork; hand-picked at about 2.5 t/ha (1 t/ac) from Sy 91%, mostly Limmer clone, some vines propagated from Jaboulet's la Chapelle vineyard in the hill of Hermitage, 9% Vi, vine ages 1994 and 2001; the grapes de-stemmed, lightly crushed to leave whole berries; shortish cuvaison; MLF commenced in tank, completed in barrel, 15 – 18 months in French oak mostly new, some lees stirring, not a lot of racking; www.trinityhill.com ]
Ruby and velvet, the lightest of the Trinity Hill Reds. This is the odd one out, in its 9% viognier, and what a wine it is. Styling is totally Cote Rotie, and immediately the Guigal grands crus come to mind. Like them it has a high percentage of new oak, yet it scarcely shows. The power of the wine is such that is hard at first to say if the wine is floral, exactly, but it is certainly very fragrant. Later one decides yes, clearly dusky red roses. The suppleness of palate is a delight, the cassis and plummy berry showing a little maturity now, slightly more oak than the 2010, the faintest touch of leather in a positive way. It would be great to see this wine in a blind tasting of the Guigal grands crus of the same year, La Mouline particularly. I doubt it will be shamed, and the oak might be subtler. Cellar 3 – 12 years. GK 03/13

2003 Penfolds Shiraz RWT 19 (

)

Barossa Valley, South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $153 [ cork; 15 months in French oak 70% new, 30% 1-year; RWT = Red Winemaking Trial; www.penfolds.com.au ]
Ruby and velvet, the same hue as the 2002 RWT, but not the density. Bouquet is great however, a little fresher than the 2002, with nearly a hint of dark lilac florals and cracked pepper, a distinct suggestion of syrah rather than shiraz. Palate continues in exactly the same vein, beautiful cassis, dark plum and blueberry, a toasty suggestion on the oak as if there is a barrel-ferment component, all a little fresher and crisper than the 2002, but not quite as concentrated. This too is Barossa shiraz at its best, reminiscent of the earlier famous 1970 and '71 Bin 28 shirazes. Cellar 10 – 35 years. GK 07/06

2004 Craggy Range Merlot Gimblett Gravels 19 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.7%; $26 [ cork; Me 87%, CS 5, CF 5, Ma 3; part fermented in open oak cuves; 17 months in 50% new French oak; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, fresh and lovely. If you've ever wondered why people talk about violets in the bouquet of good merlot, and think it's all tosh, just try this wine. The florals on bouquet are simply sensational, perfect violets, backed by soft warm ripe black plummy fruit. Palate is like velvet, great fruit, subtle oak, no winemaking infelicities, just near-perfect fragrant pure merlot of some depth and weight and Pomerol style. Cellar 5 – 15 years. VALUE GK 04/06

2005 Pisa Range Pinot Noir Black Poplar Block 19 (

)

Cromwell, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $37 [ screwcap; no details on website yet; www.pisarangeestate.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, nearly as deep as the standard Peregrine. Bouquet has a kind of midnight darkest red going on velvety black quality to it, deeper and darker than the Peregrine, yet still clearly floral and black cherry, rather than the simpler concept of dark plums. Palate has exactly the same extraordinary quality, velvety, deep, succulent, wonderfully rich, yet neither heavy or porty, beautifully balanced, highly varietal, long in the aftertaste. Oaking is exquisite. Quite simply, buy as much of this and the 2005 Peregrine as you can afford – they are very fairly priced, in contrast to many lesser wines from other districts. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 01/07

1998 Martinborough Vineyard Pinot Noir Reserve 19 (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $100 [ WPN ]
Full ruby. One of the biggest pinots in the entire proceedings, but magically retaining the three essentials for good pinot: striking florals, crisp and fragrant varietal berry, and hints of savoury complexities. Palate weight firm, rich, tending tannic, more obviously a cellaring wine than many, big but not heavy, beautifully balanced and dry. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 01/01

2010 Jean Chartron Chevalier-Montrachet Clos des Chevaliers Grand Cru Monopole 19 (

)

Puligny-Montrachet, Burgundy, France: 14%; $499 [ cork; hand-harvested, organic vineyard practice; BF in 40% new oak, 16 months LA; www.bourgogne-chartron.com ]
Lemon, the third to lightest. Bouquet however is far from the lightest, being quiet but substantial, ripe, fragrant in a crushed oystershell, stonefruit and traces of ground almond way, clear peach flesh, barrel-ferment character, and alcohol. Palate is much bigger, by far the richest of the Chartron wines, pale stonefruit, light oak, clear mealyness from lees-autolysis, and despite the richness a firm backbone of acid. This should cellar wonderfully, 5 – 15 years. Great white burgundy. GK 04/13

2001 Guigal Cote Rotie La Landonne 19 (

)

Cote Rotie, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $353 [ actual vineyard; Sy 100%; average vine age 25 years; cropped 35 - 37 hL / ha; fermented in s/s, 4 weeks cuvaison; 42 months in new French oak; www.guigal.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, the second deepest of these Guigal 2001 releases. Bouquet needs a breath of air / swirling, to become the most complex of the ‘grands crus’, with suggestions of dianthus florals, dark cassis and rich fruit, spicy oak, and herbes de Provence, with an enticing savoury complexity. The spicy nearly nutmeggy oak brings the Bannockburn Shiraz from Geelong to mind. Palate is very rich, again the most complex of the top wines, great berryfruit but inclining to suggestions of over-ripeness like the other two, suggestions of pepper and spice, very dry, firm acid, all relieved by the sustained volume and complexity of bouquet in mouth. The utmost critic would notice there is a little brett in the complexity, but don't be put off by that. Tasting the concentration of this wine alongside the village Brune et Blonde makes one realise how relatively mild and commercial that very pleasant wine has become, with the flowering of the premium wines. Cellar 10 - 20 years. GK 07/05

2006 Waimea Estates Gewurztraminer 19 (

)

Waimea Plains, Nelson, New Zealand: 13.5%; $24 [ screwcap; hand-picked, whole-bunch pressed; www.waimeaestates.co.nz ]
Lemonstraw. Bouquet is classic rose-petal and wild ginger blossom with a beautiful hint of complexing citronella, sweet lees autolysis and almost mealy complexity, on equally classic lychee and pale stonefruit. Palate is both rich yet crisp, beautiful fruit and texture in mouth, near-dry, a delicate gewurz bite giving classical varietal definition, the whole wine totally Alsatian in style, long and satisfying in mouth, and not alcoholic. Apart from excess alcohol, most gewurzs fail the absolute quality test at the aftertaste stage, so many going barley-sugar and inelegant in mouth. This one sails on magnificently, refreshing and lingering for ages. It is quite simply one of the best gewurztraminers thus far made in New Zealand. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 03/07

2006 Highfield Sauvignon Blanc 19 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $24 [ screwcap; SB 100%; a small percentage BF, 4 months LA; RS 1.9 g/L; www.highfield.co.nz ]
Lemongreen. Bouquet is intensely black passionfruit, sweet and clean, some elderflower and honeysuckle florals, scarcely a hint of musk, a marvellous modern Marlborough sauvignon. Palate is very rich, great sweet-basil-tinted black passionfruit, fresh acid but not excess, perfect residual at an imperceptible dry level. This is exceptional sauvignon, and one finds out why on visiting the website. There is absolute mastery of the oak-handled component, but the fruit must be very low-cropped too, to provide such good body at such low residual. A model wine, to cellar 5 – 12 years, on taste. GK 03/07

2009 Saint Clair Gewurztraminer Godfrey's Creek Reserve 19 (

)

Brancott Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $28 [ screwcap; Gw 100%, night-picked for optimum flavour retention from 14-year vines; overnight skin contact, no press-wine, clear-settled juice cool-fermented with commercial yeasts, no MLF component; made as 'vendage tardive'; pH 3.67; RS 8.7 g/L; dry extract 27.4; www.saintclair.co.nz ]
Lemonstraw, the deepest of the whites. Bouquet is sensationally varietal, a combination of wild ginger blossom and yellow himalayan honeysuckle florals on lychee and stonefruit, with clear spice too, and the pungent floral note of lemon balm also hinted at. This can be a negative, but is OK here. Palate is rich, dramatically varietal and saturated with fruit, the phenolics and spice of the variety adding backbone and length to the rich fruit, all sustained by a similar residual sugar to the two pinot gris. For both the pinot gris and this gewurztraminer, they all have the body to go with food very well, but the trick is to match the particular flavours and touch of tannin with appropriate foods, including some spiced / Asian dishes. This wine marches in Alsatian company. Cellar 2 – 6 years, perhaps longer. GK 04/13

2008 Kumeu River Chardonnay Maté's Vineyard 19 (

)

Kumeu, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.5%; $49 [ screwcap; hand-harvested clone mendoza planted in 1990; whole-bunch pressed; wild-yeast fermentation entirely in French oak up to 30% new; 100% MLF; 11 months in barrel with LA; www.kumeuriver.co.nz ]
This magnificent chardonnay bridges the gap between the subtle 2008 Coddington and the bolder 2007 Riflemans, being richer and more yellow-fruited than Coddington, but with the same great finesse. Palate is firmer and finer than the 2007 Riflemans, so some may prefer the greater flesh of Riflemans, some the leaner thoroughbred Maté's. Both are magnificent New Zealand chardonnays, which can be shown confidently to overseas visitors. Cellar 2 – 10 years. GK 10/10

1990 Jaboulet Hermitage La Chapelle 19 (

)

Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13.9%; $842 [ Cork, 54mm; Sy 100; price given is wine-searcher average for that vintage of the wine; general elevation etc see Intro; John Comerford has drawn my attention to recent Forum discussions, with rather many comments that the wine is now inconsistent, many bottles not matching the high praise of Parker. There is speculation it was not all bottled as one batch. We can only hope that in our more temperate climate, New Zealand bottles will be better, but we need to note, 1990 dates from before the general use of temperature-controlled shipping; Robinson, 2001: (8 separate tastings betweeen 1994 and 2011, marks vary 17.5 to 19.5, the earlier marks higher, as here) This is a gloriously glossy standard bearer. It is concentrated, inky, rich and spicy and should ideally be kept for quite a while but there is so much sheer weight that the ripeness of the fruit will console you over the tannic spine should you decide to open a bottle now. It's the purity and freshness of the fruit that is so impressive about this classic bottle, 19; Parker, 1997: (5 separate notes between 1992 and 2000, scores 99 increasing to 100) ... The 1990 La Chapelle is monumental. Tasted several times in 1996 along with the 1989, 1988, 1983, and 1978, it was easily the most intense and complete wine of the group. The finest La Chapelle made since the 1961 and 1959, it is even richer, deeper, and more highly extracted than the perfect 1978. The percentage of new oak was increased to 50% because of the wine's power. The maceration period lasted an amazing 44 days. While Jaboulet experimented with prebottling filtration during the mid-eighties, this wine was put in the bottle with no processing. The huge nose of pepper, underbrush, and black fruits displays amazing intensity. In the mouth the wine has awesome concentration, extraordinary balance and power, and a fabulously long, huge finish that lasts for more than a minute. The tannins are considerable, but the prodigious quantities of sweet fruit and multidimensional, layered feel to the wine make it one of the most incredible young red wines I have ever tasted, 100; www.jaboulet.com ]
Ruby and velvet, the second bottle young for its age, clearly younger than the 1996 or 1999, the third deepest in colour. Bouquet is quiet, understated, not because it is reductive, just because it is incredibly taut. There are browning cassis and bottled black-doris plum components, like the 2010 maybe a hint of black pepper tied up in the oak, and amazingly, as the wine breathes up in the glass, 24 hours later it is fresher, much closer to the 2010, not the 2009. This surprised me, my general experience of 1990 French wines being the year was somewhat too warm for the aromatic characters I seek. Flavours follow logically, a really taut palate, not rich or heavy but very satisfying. The browning cassis component is now dominant, with a hint of brown mushroom. It is astonishing how akin these two wines are, despite there being 20 years between them: they stand above the others. Lovely now, but will cellar another 20 years. Three people had this as their favourite wine. The first bottle opened showed unacceptable oxidation, despite the cork appearing perfect – always an acute disappointment in a bottle at this value. John Comerford generously equipped the tasting with two bottles, in case. GK 09/14

2005 Blake Family Vineyard Merlot / Cabernet 19 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.9%; $ – [ cork; Me 40%, CS 30, CF 30; release date: the future of this wine is now uncertain, with the withdrawal of Mark Blake from the New Zealand wine scene. It originally was intended for 2008 release at about the $80 mark; second wine 2005 Alluviale; www.bfvwine.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, one of the deeper wines. Freshly poured this wine is a little reticent, but with air the bouquet opens to be a little more aromatic than some, the new oak of potentially cedary quality infusing the cassis and darkest plum delightfully. Richness on palate is excellent, real cassis evident, all lingering well. This looks every bit as good as the previous report (30/11/06), and though perhaps slightly oakier than then registered, this too can be compared with classed growth Bordeaux, given the increasing use of new oak there. It has the fruit to blend it away. It might even be richer (in terms of dry extract) than The Quarry – an intriguing thought for tastings in 10 years time. Exciting wine to cellar 5 – 25 years. GK 09/07

2010 Mission Estate Syrah Huchet 19 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.2%; $125 [ cork; Sy 100%; hand-picked from hand-tended vines managed to optimise grape quality; cuvaison extending to 42 days; 15 months in barrel c.33% new; 76 cases; the wine is named for Brother Cyprian Huchet, the first winemaker at The Mission, until 1899; www.missionestate.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a lovely colour, not the deepest of these four syrahs. Bouquet is simply sensational, totally berry dominant, totally syrah, illustrating a rich dark wallflower and darkest rose aroma, some vanillin new oak, hints of sweet black pepper, and rich bottled omega plums. In mouth, the wine is velvety rich, the fruit flavours now expanding to include cassis and blueberry, even a hint of blackberries-in-the-sun, a suggestion of savoury complexity like many Hermitage or Cornas syrahs. The texture is extraordinary, velvety rich, oak more apparent than the Homage, but still relatively in the background. This wine could not have been any riper, if it were to retain clear syrah definition (as opposed to shiraz). In style it is reminiscent of both coolest vintages of Rosemount Balmoral, and the remarkable 2010 Passage Rock Magnus. There are only 76 cases of this velvety beauty, so purchase direct (and soon) from the vineyard is recommended. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 05/13

2009 Craggy Range Syrah Le Sol 19 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $95 [ cork; Sy 100%, hand-harvested @ c.5 t/ha (2 t/ac); 100% de-stemmed; inoculated, cuvaison c. 24 days; MLF and 20 months in French oak 39% new; sterile-filtered; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, the third deepest. Bouquet is simply classical syrah in the sense of Hermitage, dense cassis lifted with soft floral wallflower-like notes, plus wonderful purity and depth. Palate is a beautiful condensation of the bouquet, bountiful cassis grading to darkest plum, potentially cedary oak, perfect balance for an Hermitage styling. The quality of varietal berry is close to the definitive 2009 Church Road, but here rendered firmer by a little more oak. Great to see the finessing of Le Sol over the decade – this should be the finest one so far. Cellar 5 – 15 + years. GK 07/12

2006 Domaine Bonneau du Martray Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru 19 (

)

Aloxe-Corton, Cote de Beaune, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $ – [ cork; biodynamic vineyards, average vine age c.40 years; full MLF, c.12 months in barrel, 33% new, with batonnage; Domaine Bonneau du Martray is the single largest holding in Corton-Charlemagne at 9.5 hectares; the website is simply a statement the establishment exists, and cannot receive visitors – no info; www.bonneaudumartray.com ]
The colour is sensational lemongreen, the palest of the set. Bouquet is in the white stonefruits style of the 2009, but with greater crushed oystershell minerality. It is as pure as the 2009, scarcely any high-solids notes at all. On palate the purity of chardonnay varietal fruit is a delight, still pale white stonefruits, not as rich as the 2005 but contrasting delightfully in the white vs yellow nature of the fruit. The crushed oystershell minerality lasts right through to the aftertaste, very distinctive. Cellar another eight years, at least. This one is not is not quite as concentrated as the top two, but is purer even than the 2009. GK 05/13

2005 Passage Rock Syrah Reserve 19 (

)

Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14.5%; $50 [ screwcap; hand-harvested; 10 months in new oak; gold medal @ 2006 Easter Show; www.passagerockwines.co.nz ]
Deep ruby, carmine and velvet, a great colour. This wine was for me the highlight of the blind International Syrah Tasting presented by Remington Norman. In its beautiful darkest violets floral bouquet leading into rich cassis and blackest plum, it reminded of fine Hermitage. There is a suggestion of black peppercorn and spice, and it is all made aromatic by new oak (with a whisper of fragrant American too, I thought), yet not dominated by it. Sadly the alcohol is 14.5%, so like le Sol, it won't be so simpatico with some foods for a number of years, but it is a wonderful statement about New Zealand syrah. I note that some detractors in previous vintages have grizzled about brett in "all" Waiheke wines, so it is worth observing that in practical terms, this is pure. Cellar 10 – 20 years, particularly keeping it for blind comparative world-wide tastings. This is a really exciting New Zealand red. GK 01/07

2008 Kumeu River Chardonnay Coddington Vineyard 19 (

)

Kumeu, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.5%; $43 [ screwcap; mainly clone 15, hand-harvested; whole-bunch pressed @ 1.75 t/ac (lower than usual); wild-yeast fermentation entirely in French oak; 100% MLF; 11 months in barrel with LA; www.kumeuriver.co.nz ]
Lemon-straw. Bouquet is sensational, showing the subtle acacia blossom floral qualities of finest chardonnay, very sensitively handled in oak. There is fine potential mealyness and white more than yellow stonefruit. Palate shows outstanding poise and elegance, no borderline reduction / toastyness as mentioned for the 2007 Riflemans, just the Meursault-like potential mealyness. This is not a big wine compared with Riflemans, but it is exquisitely fine, and tauter, illustrating New Zealand chardonnay at the highest international level. Cellar 3 – 10 years, if older chardonnay appeals. GK 10/10

2008 Awaroa Syrah 19 (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14.9%; $35 [ supercritical ‘cork’; Sy 100%, hand-harvested @ c.1.2 t/ac, all de-stemmed, cultured yeast, cold soak up to 14 days and cuvaison up to 35 days; MLF and 12 months in barrel 90% French and 17% new, older American 10%; not sterile-filtered; 75 cases, release date Sept. 2009, the proprietor Steve Poletti offers an en primeur programme; website not up yet; ‘Dark dense complex wine from a fantastic vintage.’; www.awaroawines.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. Bouquet is very ripe syrah, tip-toeing into Australian territory in the sense the thought ‘porty’ did pass through my mind to first sniff. On closer examination however it is explicitly black-pepper cool-climate syrah with dark cassis and nearly floral characters (but not as much as 2007 Bullnose), with some blueberry and black olive aromas too. Palate is strange, deeply spicy on the black pepper, rich and nearly viscous like a Napa Valley zinfandel, clearly spirity yet not rough, nor is it too oaky. Yet somehow the wine doesn’t quite gel, presumably because it is recently bottled. The ripeness of the fruit exceeds anything else on the table, the acid balance is appropriate, oak is subtle, and it is intensely varietal as syrah, not shiraz, so (later) no more thoughts of Australia. The closest analogy might be brett-free Californian syrah, or Le Sol, but it is subtler than the latter, with a beautiful pure chewing-on-grapeskins finish. I suspect in another year this will be looking sensational, despite the alcohol, and my mark though a bit gambitous, reflects that. Young syrahs are hard to assess accurately in their first six months or so after release. Te Mata’s Bullnose only blossoms after the 24-months-from-vintage stage, for example. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 06/09

2002 Kingsley Estate Cabernet / Malbec 19 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $39 [ CS 71%, Ma 15, Me 14; www.kingsley.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, not the deepest of the set. This is a stunning bouquet, standing out in this bracket of cabernet / merlot and related wines from the Gimblett Gravels. In its beautiful violets florals, aromatic cassis and dark red berries, plus potentially cedary subtle oak, it is much the closest to classed Bordeaux in style. Palate is aromatic, intensely cabernet, not as weighty as some nor as alcoholic as others, just gorgeous crisp flavoursome fruit of great potential complexity. Marvellous wine, though not as rich as the Villa Merlot or the Unison Selection. Cellar 10 – 15 years. GK 12/04

2005 Blake Family Vineyard Merlot / Cabernet 19 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.9%; $80 [ cork; Me 40%, CS 30, CF 30; release date Sept. 07; goal of Californian proprietor Mark Blake is simply to make world-class merlot / cabernet in New Zealand; second wine Alluviale; www.bfvwine.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, one of the deeper wines. Freshly poured this wine is a little reticent, but with air the bouquet opens to be a little more aromatic than some, the new oak of potentially cedary quality infusing cassis and darkest plum delightfully. Richness on palate is excellent, real cassis evident, all lingering well. This looks every bit as good as the previous report (30/11/06), and though perhaps slightly oakier than then registered, this too can be compared with classed growth Bordeaux, given the increasing use of new oak there. It has the fruit to blend it away. It might even be richer (in terms of dry extract) than The Quarry – an intriguing thought for tastings in 15 years time. Exciting wine to cellar 5 – 25 years. GK 05/07

2004 Craggy Range Merlot Gimblett Gravels 19 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $27 [ cork; Me 87%, Ma 3, CS 5, CF 5, hand-harvested @ c 3 t/ac; 100% de-stemmed; 17 months in French oak 50% new; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, one of the deepest. Bouquet is wonderfully ripe and rich, with violets and dark rose florals nearly as voluminous as Sophia, on round ripe plummy fruit. Palate is velvety plums, great length and depth, not quite the sparkle the extra new oak gives Sophia, but seemingly softer and richer and more varietal as a consequence. A few years ago, the thought of such a pinpoint varietal merlot being available on the New Zealand market in the $20 range was unthinkable. Marvellous wine, to cellar 5 – 15 years. The red wine buy of the year, in my view. GK 11/06

2004 Craggy Range Merlot Sophia 19 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.9%; $60 [ cork; DFB; Me 92%, CF 7, CS 1; 100% de-stemmed; fermented in oak cuves; 20 months in 70% new French oak; release date 1 June ’06; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, great density, and a fresher hue than The Quarry, superb. Bouquet on this wine is back to the obviously violets and merlot-dominant St Emilion / Pomerol style of Craggy's Gimblett Merlot, but a little quieter at this stage. It is more oaky than that wine, but as with most of these top Craggy reds in 2004, the oak handling is exemplary, well matching the richness of the fruit. Bouquet complexity should develop in bottle. The actual freshness and intensity of berry is stunning. Palate is in one sense merely a more oaky version of the Gimblett wine, designed for a longer cellar life. With its percentage of cabernets, continuing the French analogy, this wine will be a marvellous foil for 2003 and 2005 St Emilions and Pomerols, in future comparative tastings. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 04/06

2004 Michele Chiarlo Nivole Moscato d’Asti 19 (

)

Piedmont D.O.C.G., Italy: 5.7%; $17 [ cork; moscato di canelli on hillslopes around Canelli; 6.8% alcohol on website; Moscato d’Asti held in higher regard than the Spumante versions; www.chiarlo.it/English ]
Pale lemon green, very spritz / frizzante. Bouquet is exquisitely clean, heavenly freesias and sweet muscat, sweetly floral, subtle yet rich, lovely. Palate is total asti, exceptionally clean, concentrated, refreshing on the C02 load, perfect varietal definition, medium in sweetness with good acid. This is top-flight. Not a cellar wine beyond a year or so. GK 08/05

2009 Vidal Cabernet / Merlot Gimblett Gravels Legacy Series 19 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $64 [ screwcap; CS 76, Me 24, hand-picked, all de-stemmed; cuvaison varies up to 30 days; 20 months in French oak 50% new; RS nil; minimal fining and filtration; www.vidal.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a great colour. And the bouquet is simply astonishing, being sweetly floral as in violets and also (unpredictably) honeysuckle, on a depth of cassisy berry made aromatic by cedary oak, which all-in-all is totally classed growth Bordeaux. The palate is just as good, saturated cassis and dark plum, yet dry, wonderful length and breadth, very serious elevation (unlike some other reds here), a wine ideally suited to cellar investment. This is one of the great New Zealand bordeaux blends, which will give much pleasure. Cellar 5 – 25 years. GK 04/13

1989 Ch de Beaucastel 19 (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $371 [ cork, 54mm, ullage 24mm; original price $49; cepage varies a little each year around Gr 30%, Mv 30, Sy 10, Co 10, Ci 5, other authorised red varieties 8, and white varieties 7; more detail in the introductory sections; Broadbent, 2003: Chateauneuf-du-Pape was also successful, producing rich, complete reds, *****; Parker vintage chart rating: 94; J.L-L, 2002: ... broad, sappy, impressive big bouquet – loganberries lead the way ... evolves towards fungal, animal airs and a red mineral top note. Shows violets the next day ... wholesome, full palate, filled with brambly fruit ... and a sinewed, red berry texture late in the day, 2019 – 2022, *****; Robinson again has six reviews, most unusual, showing the esteem in which the 1989 and 1990 twosome is held in the UK. JH@JR, 2010: So delicate and perfumed and yet still well structured on the palate. Seems much younger than the 1990. Graceful, silky, juicy and lingering and hardly any undergrowth or leather as yet. A beautiful wine, 2001 – 2019, 18.5; RP@RP, 2003: The 1989 is inkier/purple in color than the 1990, with an extraordinarily sweet, rich personality offering up notes of smoke, melted licorice, black cherries, Asian spices, and cassis. Full-bodied and concentrated, it is one of the most powerful as well as highly extracted Beaucastels I have ever tasted, 2006 – 2023, 97; JS@WS, 1991: Wine Spectator 1991 Wine of the Year: Perhaps the greatest Beaucastel ever produced. Has the class and structure of a great vintage of Mouton-Rothschild. Deep, inky in color, with intense herb, plum, game and spice aromas, this full-bodied wine has an explosion of fruit and an iron backbone. Try the beginning of next century, 97; weight bottle and closure: 663 g; www.beaucastel.com ]
Ruby and more garnet than the 2001, a glowing mature burgundy colour, fresher than the 1990, the second lightest in depth. Bouquet is magical, total vinosity, a perfect illustration of a Southern Rhone Valley wine showing mature, lightly spicy, berryfruit with grenache and syrah dominant. There is some floral garigue complexity, and ‘sweet’ benign brett, with nutmeg and veal casserole (including bouquet garni) aromas, even a suggestion of umami. Palate is rich, soft, silky, superb balance of mature fruit to invisible oak, gentle acid balance, a wine absolutely burgundian in its beauty ... and crying out for a superb main-course. This is Chateauneuf-du-Pape at its subtlest and finest: soft, fragrant, round and velvety. Leaving aside the Mouton analogy, how correct and perceptive Wine Spectator was, all those years ago. Anybody who rejects this wine on a detectable brett factor simply does not like red wine very much / does not know about the joys of red wine with complex meat dishes / has their priorities totally wrong. Top wine for three tasters, and second favourite for one. Eight tasters detected brett, and four thought it excessive. Exquisite and perfectly mature now at 32 years, but will hold for 5 – 8 years more, the aftertaste pure. As with all wines showing brett, other bottles may be lesser. GK 05/21

2002 Girardin Charmes-Chambertin 19 (

)

Gevrey-Chambertin Grand Cru, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 14%; $125
Rich pinot noir ruby. Initially opened, this is softly charry and looking quite modern in its oak treatment. With just a little breathing however, exquisite florals including violets blossom in the glass, in a wine of stunning purity. Palate is essence of pinot, potentially velvety, no excess of oak despite the first impression, saturated dark cherries yet no plummy heaviness, completely beautiful and one of the richest of the Girardins. Cellar to 25 + years. GK 08/04

2005 Craggy Range Merlot / Cabernet Franc Sophia 19 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.1%; $50 [ cork; DFB; Me 62%, CF 34, CS 4, hand-harvested @ 3.75 t/ac; 100% de-stemmed; fermented in oak cuves; 19 months in 80% new French oak; fined and filtered; 2500 cases; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, the second deepest. This is spellbinding wine, showing to perfection dense rich darkest plums-in-the sun aromas which are nearly floral, but all just a wee bit big and spirity and darkest chocolate, a hint of sur-maturité maybe. It is not quite as aromatic and fresh as The Quarry, but then neither is it cabernet-dominant. Palate is velvety, tremendous dry extract, oak beautifully in balance, the plush flavour lingering for ages. This is classic merlot, Pomerol in style, and in the upper equal-to-classed-growth range of the hierarchy. It is great to see even this biggest of the 2005 Craggys showing such restraint compared with some earlier years. In some ways it is a wine of Napa Valley richness too, yet it's cooler-climate freshness and fragrance is always evident. Either this or the more fragrant but fractionally lighter straight 2005 Gimblett Gravels Merlot is arguably the best merlot-dominant wine made in (post-Prohibition) New Zealand, though the marvellous 2004 Craggy Range Gimblett Gravels Merlot, just fractionally cooler and hence more floral, might pip the latter at the post. I don't have it alongside. Sophia will cellar 5 – 25 years, maybe more. GK 05/07

2000 Esk Valley Merlot / Cabernet Sauvignon / Malbec Reserve 19 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $ – [ cork; Me 60%, CS 21, Ma 19; open-top fermenters, MLF in barrel, French oak; www.eskvalley.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, a flush of carmine, younger than the 2001. Bouquet is delightful, the same cassis and dark plum richness as the 2002, but all a notch less ripe and weighty, less oaky, and more fragrant and complex. Unlike the 2002, it is closer to Bordeaux than Australia in style. The palate shows delightful cassisy berry and fruit, attractive integration, and an appealing fruit to oak ratio, altogether more subtle and fragrant than the 2002. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 08/05

2002 Girardin Bonnes Mares 19 (

)

Chambolle-Musigny Grand Cru, Burgundy, France: 14%; $209
A good pinot ruby, a little older than some. Though still a little new-oaky (as most of the Girardin Grands Crus are), this is a magically burgundian bouquet. Stunning florals come first, with roses and boronia, then marvellous cherry fruit, all totally pure and ripe. Palate is long, aromatic, supple, re-stating the bouquet, and leaving florals on the palate – the so-called (and elusive) peacock's tail. Very beautiful wine, richer than the Girardin Clos de la Roche or Chambertin. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 11/04

2005 Sacred Hill Chardonnay Riflemans 19 (

)

Dartmoor Valley, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $ – [ screwcap; hand-picked clone mendoza, whole-bunch pressed to barrel; wild-yeast ferments; partial MLF, 12 months LA and some batonnage in French oak; RS <2g/L; www.sacredhill.com ]
Lemon-straw with a light gold wash, deeper than the 2005 Sauvage. The contrast between the 2007 and the 2005 Riflemans is vivid, but both are great chardonnays. The 2005 is now at its first point of maturity, with mellow and enticing aromas of golden queen peach rather than nectarines, yellow butter rather than white, and stunning baguette-crust complexity. The oak component is now completely integrated and invisible. Palate is rich and round yet still fine and fresh. Though you can smell butter in the best sense, it does not taste of it, and there is no hint of flabbyness. Oak is apparent on the later palate – compared with the top Kumeu chardonnays oak is at a maximum in Riflemans. This will hold for another 2 – 4 years, depending on how old you like your chardonnay. GK 10/10

2011 Villa Maria Riesling Noble Marlborough Reserve 19 (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 10.5%; $36 [ screwcap; hand-harvested; cool-fermented totally in s/s; RS 188 g/L; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Straw with a lemon wash, very good. Bouquet here shows all the subtlety and finesse the Late-Harvest lacks. [ In one sense it is a surprise Villa Maria showed the lesser Late-Harvest wine against such a benchmark wine, but I guess in the context of such a spectacular lunch, and being the eleventh wine in the presentation sequence, they hoped people would not notice.] The bouquet is demonstration-quality pale honeyed botrytis on ripe riesling fruit, citrus with a green limey edge, subtlest marmalade, stunning purity, very high-tech. Palate is simply luscious, gorgeous freshness, excellent richness and nectary flavours, all lasting well in mouth despite slightly low total acid. Villa Maria have off and on (as the season dictates) made some beautiful Reserve Noble Rieslings since the 1990s, and this is one of the good ones. Well worth investing in, and cellaring 5 – 15 years. GK 05/13

2002 Girardin Chambertin Clos de Beze 19 (

)

Gevrey-Chambertin Grand Cru, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 14%; $195
Rich pinot noir ruby. From the moment of pouring, bouquet on this wine is one kind of pinot noir perfection, showing clearcut florals embracing both violets and suggestions of boronia (both gorgeous sweetly-scented flowers, yet it is amazing how many people cannot smell boronia), all made aromatic by finest fragrant oak. Palate is equally sublime, model pinot noir, soft, velvety, caressing, yet firmly aromatic on crunchy cherry fruit, rich yet as light as a feather. Nearly as rich as the Charmes, more floral, a little more new oaky at this stage. Cellar to 20 + years. GK 08/04

2002 Sacred Hill Merlot Brokenstone 19 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $45 [ Me 92%, Ma 5, CF 3; French oak 75% new, 12 months, plus 6 months in 2-year; www.sacredhill.com ]
Dense ruby, carmine and velvet, one of the best colours. Does need decanting, but breathes to a wonderful rich violets and cassis bouquet in which varietal fruit dominates oak beautifully. This is clearly good classed Bordeaux quality. Palate is succulent with cassisy and darkly plummy fruit, and fine oak now appears adding to the good structure. Incredibly, the suggestions of violets continues on the palate, and the concentration of fruit is superb, without being heavy. This is one of the greatest Hawkes Bay / Bordeaux Blends made thus far in New Zealand. It was one of the top two wines amongst tasters generally, with a number of winemakers voting it their top wine. Cellar to 20 years. GK 10/04

2007 Church Road Cabernet / Merlot Reserve 19 (

)

Gimblett Gravels 72% & Ngatarawa Triangle 28, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $38 [ cork; CS 54%, Me 41, CF 5, all hand-picked at c.6.25 t/ha = 2.5 t/ac from (on average) 10-year old vines; cuvaison extended to 35 days for some components; MLF and 22 months in 100% French oak c.50% new, with no BF or lees stirring, just racking; not fined, coarse filter only; RS < 0.2 g/L; www.churchroad.co.nz ]
This wine was part of the Lincoln tasting – these were documented in more detail. It was one of the three blends designed to show complete wines, in contrast to the single varieties introducing the tasting. Being the richest of the three, it was placed last in the line-up. It opened completely consistently with previous bottles and previous notes on this site. It is a much bolder and richer style of Bordeaux blend, emulating something like an antipodean Las-Cases maybe. It will be a great New Zealand red, when cellared 5 – 20 years. GK 10/10

2005 Te Mata Syrah Bullnose 19 (

)

Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $44 [ cork; Sy 100%, hand-harvested, de-stemmed; 16 months in French oak 33% new; www.temata.co.nz ]
The fresh ruby, carmine and velvet hue of this wine stood out, not as dense as the other two top wines, but youthful alongside the other 2005s. The similarity of style between this wine and the Church Road is devastating, both showing an explicitly beautiful syrah florality the Gimblett Gravels do not seem to so easily achieve. Both the Church Road and Bullnose come from the Ngatarawa Triangle, the two vineyards close by each other. Density and weight of the wine is a little less than the Church Road, the whole style illustrating top-notch Cote Rotie, the more 'feminine' side of syrah, to perfection. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 06/08

1999 Guigal Cote-Rotie Ch d’Ampuis 19 (

)

Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $210 [ Cork, 49mm, ullage 9mm; release price c.$157; typically Sy 93%, Vi 7; a blend of 7 vineyards, average vine age 45 + years, typically cropped at 4.8 t/ha = 1.95 t/ac; Spectator rating for year 96; c. 28 days cuvaison, reports on elevation vary, but the Guigal website says 38 months in barrel, the oak all new; J.L-L records the first year for this label as 1995; J.L-L, no date: ... compact, stylish black fruit/pine aromas; good silky, streamlined red fruit, then darkens, gets punchy. Quite full end, persists, with sound tannic structure. Esp 2009 on, to 2022, *****; RP@WA, 2003: The 1999 Cote Rotie Chateau d’Ampuis is the finest example yet … fabulous … a sweet nose of roasted herbs, bacon, licorice, smoke, blackberries, cherry liqueur, and toast. Full-bodied and unctuously-textured with hints of new saddle leather, tapenade, and creme de cassis, this large-scaled, well-delineated 1999 should hit its stride in 4-5 years, and last for two decades, 95; www.guigal.com ]
Ruby and some velvet, above midway in depth. The d’Ampuis sits between the Brune & Blonde and the grands crus in style, but in this 1999 set it is showing much greater oak influence. Bouquet is fragrant, but it is hard to isolate floral notes from oak vanillin. Behind is attractive aromatic cassisy berry, remarkably pure. In mouth some blueberry notes add to the dark cassisy berry, but the wine is not as rich as the grands crus, and the oak shows more. There is quite a contrast between the Brune & Blonde, and the d’Ampuis, in this set, the latter being not so much richer than the village wine, but showing a good deal more oak. In a sense therefore, there is an illusion of quality imposed on this wine, which pleases those who conflate oak with quality in wine evaluation (as in the New World ‘reserve label’ syndrome). That said, Ch d’Ampuis is nonetheless an exciting wine, and it pleased tasters, two top rankings and four second. The oak is likely to become a little more apparent as this wine matures, so perhaps cellar 10 – 20 years. CHECK GK 10/20

1991 Penfolds Grange [ Shiraz ] Bin 95 19 (

)

Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale, South Australia, Australia: 13.5%; $695 [ cork, 49mm; Sh 95%, CS 5; ferment completed in new American oak, then 18 months in 100% new American oak hogsheads; release price $AU140; Penfolds website: perhaps better than the highly acclaimed 1990. NOSE: a beautifully weighted and concentrated wine. The rich bouquet shows an incredible depth of ripe berry spice, tobacco, mocha and green tea aromas with unmistakable Penfolds oak handling; PALATE: The palate has intensely concentrated, mouthfilling fruit flavours showing spicy, rich berry fruit and earthy characters with masses of ripe tannins and integrated oak, finishing with excellent length; Halliday, 1999: a voluptuous and potent bouquet with cherry and plum fruit which is ripe but not jammy, much in the mould of the ‘83. The palate is showing much more than the ‘90 vintage, ripe, and with bold cherry and plum fruit, touches of liquorice and soft but persistent tannins, *****, and on his website, 96; Julia Harding @ Robinson, 2009: Aromatic with a clear eucalyptus note but pretty complex with a herbal and mocha hint, even lavender but also leather. More intense and riper cassis than the 1990. Firm, just a little chewy but soft and chocolatey tannin smoothness and then a silky finish. Very very long. More showy and less elegant than the 1990. Nice freshness, 18; bottle courtesy of Ray Martin, Lower Hutt; www.penfolds.com ]
Ruby and velvet, still surprisingly red, the freshest wine and the second deepest. Bouquet shows a dramatic volume of fresh shiraz, so fresh as to nearly have syrah varietal qualities – and thus it is immediately a rare wine in the Grange portfolio. Like the 1990 Bin 920, the fragrant Penfolds cedary oak is there, and you wish it were less, but it is still a remarkable example of Grange, relative to the often clumsy Penfolds idiom. Palate continues the excitement, the wine still nearly hinting at syrah, particularly the blueberry quality of the fruit, and nearly cassis, no hint of prunes or over-ripeness. This is the freshest and best-balanced Grange I have ever seen, almost a wine to compare with J L Chave Hermitage or (good years) Jaboulet La Chapelle, one of the few one would want to own. Again, tasters were not as enthusiastic about this wine as I was, no first places, but there were two second places. Cellar 20 – 35 years. GK 09/17

2004 Pegasus Bay Pinot Noir Prima Donna 19 (

)

Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 14.5%; $85 [ screwcap; clones 10/5, 2/10 and others, 19 years, harvested @ 2.4 t/ac; 10% whole bunch, 28 days cuvaison; 18 months in French oak 60% new; no fining, coarse filtration; www.pegasusbay.com ]
In colour, bouquet and texture, this wine is a fractionally lighter, more floral and fragrant, more elegant and sensuous, and less tannic version of the marvellous 2003. The depth of black cherry and darkest plum on palate is velvety, and yet the wine is still aromatic and crisp. It is not quite as Cote de Nuits-fragrant as the top two Otago wines, yet the palate is magnificent. Pegasus Bay pinot is evolving into something very beautiful, as the proprietors place more emphasis on building the critical floral dimension of their wines. And with less sur-maturité, it should be possible to get those alcohols down to or under the critical (in sensory terms) 14% mark. Even more so now, a winery to watch. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 01/07

2006 Church Road Syrah Reserve 19 (

)

Ngatarawa Triangle 70%, Gimblett Gravels & Havelock North, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $35 [ cork; Sy 100% hand-harvested and sorted; no cold soak, inoculated yeast, warm-fermented in open-top oak and s/s vessels, 3 weeks cuvaison, controlled aeration; c. 12 months in burgundy barrels c. 55% new, 500 cases; winemaker (to watch) Chris Scott; www.churchroad.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, deeper and denser than the Villa Maria Reserve. This magnificent syrah is very close to the Villa Reserve in all respects, and in its lower alcohol it may turn out to be superior. At this stage it differs essentially in seeming fractionally riper, the intensity of florals therefore being a little less, and the palate slightly softer and richer. There is a sternness in great Hermitage which the Villa shares, whereas this Church Road is more accessible in youth. Many will therefore rate it higher than the Villa, as indeed it may be. Both will be wonderful (and essential) cellar wines, for the concentration and dry extract here is also world-class. There might be slightly more oak in this wine than the Villa, but it does not mask the florality, cassis, dark plum and black peppercorn. Achieving such beautiful varietal flavours at 13.5% alcohol is a great achievement, something which Te Mata have so far had the lead in. Is the Ngatarawa Triangle the top syrah 'terroir' in the country, I wonder ? A stunning new world syrah, totally confuseable with the best of the old world, to cellar 5 – 20 years. And the price is a sheer delight. VALUE GK 05/08

2006 Gunn Estate Chardonnay Skeetfield 19 (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $31 [ screwcap; whole-bunch pressed, BF with wild yeast in new French oak; MLF and LA and batonnage, 10 months in barrel; www.gunnestate.co.nz ]
Lemon. Bouquet is exquisite varietal chardonnay, total Puligny-Montrachet in style, showing good barrel-fermented characters, and fragrant white stone fruits complexed by baguette-crust lees-autolysis, subtlest MLF, and peaches and cream aromas. Palate is wonderfully fresh, rich yet not big or heavy, delightful acid balance, lingering cashew flavours in the stonefruit, total harmony. This is fine New Zealand chardonnay. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 10/07

2002 Villa Maria Chardonnay Marlborough Reserve 19 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 14.5%; $34 [ screwcap; clones 95, 15 and others; 40% MLF; 1 g/L RS; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Lemon. A softer mealier bouquet on this wine, with distinct reminders of Meursault in its splendid complexity. Palate is velvety, the alcohol well-absorbed, the flavours akin to pure peaches and cream and lightly toasted oatmeal, all lingering deliciously. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 02/05

2002 Fevre Chablis Montée Tonnerre Premier Cru 19 (

)

Chablis, France: 13%; $67 [ cork ]
Brilliant lemongreen. This wine shows the most perfect and classical chablis bouquet in this set of 2002 Fevre chablis. It smells of pure white florals of an English garden kind, subtle like linden blossom, plus a fresh-cracked shell-limestone quality, and subtle white stonefruits below. Palate is all the bouquet promises, beautiful fruit and finegrain acid, scarcely new-oaked, subtly flavoured, lingering on the absolute purity of fruit and florals and minerality. Exquisite chardonnay, which will cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 02/05

2002 Villa Maria Chardonnay Waikahu Single Vineyard 19 (

)

Maraekakaho, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $34 [ screwcap; clones 95 and 15, 100% wild yeast fermentation, 45% MLF, 9 months BF and LA in 75% new French oak; 1.8 g/L RS; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Lemongreen, a super colour. This is the consistently outstanding wine of the set for me, in 2003 and now, the bouquet showing a wonderful acacia floral lift on baguette crust and golden peach fruit, epitomising new world chardonnay. I have seen similar bouquets from both Grgich in the Napa Valley, and Gaja in Italy. Palate is mealy and complex, great body, the baguette and potentially nutty flavours reminiscent of Bollinger RD, but bigger, fleshier, all now beautifully integrated. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 02/05

2006 Chapoutier Hermitage Ermitage Le Pavillon 19 (

)

Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $295 [ cork; www.chapoutier.com ]
Ruby carmine and velvet, a lovely not too rich colour, in the middle for depth. Bouquet is syrah perfectly ripened to reveal a maximum expression of wallflower and dianthus florals, the sweet wallflower component being particularly enchanting. Cassis and dark plums-in-the-sun berry aromas accompany the floral quality, magnificent. Palate is fresh, firm, crisp, not too alcoholic, not a huge wine but beautifully balanced, medium weight, the subtlest hint of dark chocolate and black pepper in the aftertaste. This is supremely elegant syrah ! Cellar 10 – 25 years. GK 03/10

2002 Cloudy Bay Chardonnay 19 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $34 [ cool night-picked; 100% BF, all French 20% new; partial wild yeast fermentation, 'most' of the wine through MLF, extended LA 12-months +; www.cloudybay.co.nz ]
Lemonstraw, a gorgeous colour. Bouquet is sensational, with total acacia blossom complexity on beautiful chardonnay fruit, reminiscent of the finest chablis. Palate expands the bouquet into white stonefruits, oatmeal, potential hazelnuts, and a flinty and floral minerality which is stunning, going well beyond chablis towards wines such as Corton-Charlemagne. This might be Marlborough's finest chardonnay yet, not the biggest, but very beautiful. Cellar to 10 years. GK 07/04

2009 Mt Difficulty Pinot Noir Target Gulley Single Vineyard 19 (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $85 [ screwcap; clones 5, 6, 10/5 and 777, the oldest (on own roots) 15 years at harvest; earlier vintages have been cropped at c. 4 t/ha = 1.6 t/ac; 9 days cold-soak, 7 days fermentation, 9 days maceration, giving a cuvaison of 25 days, 25% whole bunches; 16 months in French oak, some new, MLF in barrel the following spring; light fining only; www.mtdifficulty.co.nz ]
Fine pinot noir ruby. Bouquet epitomises fine New Zealand pinot noir, beautifully and warmly floral with violets, roses and boronia, attractive red and black cherry fruit which is not too black, subtle oak, and great excitement. Palate follows through perfectly, great international-quality pinot noir, supple, charming, with layers of flavour, yet not overly dark and fruity as so many Otago examples can be. Not a big wine or a show-stopper in the conventional New Zealand sense, but a very beautiful example of New Zealand pinot noir which is truly burgundian in styling. Cellar 3 – 8 years, 10 in a cool cellar. GK 06/11

2000 Te Mata Chardonnay Elston 19 (

)

Havelock North, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $35 [ whole bunch pressed, 100% BF and MLF; www.temata.co.nz ]
Lemon. This is an almost perfect chardonnay bouquet, totally seamless and beautiful. One cannot see fruit, oak or autolysis as components at all, just this effortless outpouring of a mouthwatering chardonnay smell – white stonefruits, finest oatmeal, button mushrooms (cooked), potential hazelnuts. Palate is succulent and equally glorious, marvellous drinking. This is the greatest Elston yet, and arguably therefore New Zealand’s finest chardonnay achievement. Well, it would be fun to disprove that statement, anyway. Will cellar to 10 years. GK 4/04 GK 04/04

2002 Girardin Meursault les Genevrieres 19 (

)

Meursault Premier Cru, Cote de Beaune, Burgundy, France: 14%; $90
Lemon, fractionally one of the two deepest, but still pretty pale. A rich and complex chardonnay bouquet combining citrus zest and white stonefruits with oak and slight charry notes. Palate is perhaps the richest in the tasting of 12, showing beautiful chardonnay stonefruits, attractive Meursault mealy and lightly mineral complexities, firm acid, great length. This is a potentially classic Meursault, given time in cellar to blossom. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 04/04

2004 Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc Te Koko 19 (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $44 [ screwcap; cropped at 4.2 t/ac; some whole-bunch, wild-yeast BF in mostly older French oak, followed by full MLF and LA for c. 18 months; not on website yet; www.cloudybay.co.nz ]
Lemonstraw. One sniff and this has to be Te Koko in a blind tasting, an extraordinarily distinctive wine that is fast becoming almost as much an icon as the standard Cloudy Bay Sauvignon. The key to its extraordinary complexity on bouquet is the full MLF on top of barrel fermentation and extended lees-autolysis. This approach mellows out the hypoid notes that barrel-fermented sauvignons sometimes produce, and substitutes this extraordinary scrambled parsley and herbes eggs on Vogel's wholegrain toast quality that Te Koko shows. Palate likewise is rich, bigger and more mouth-filling than the Cape Crest or even the Sacred Hills Sauvage, with a texture of complex toasty yet dry fruit that is unmatched. This is by far the most refined Te Koko yet. It has taken me a few years to embrace the style wholeheartedly, but now I will say it: this is one of the great New Zealand wines, and certainly the most distinctive. It cries out for smoked mullet and salad, but would go with an infinity of foods. Cellar 5 – 8 years, maybe longer. GK 03/07

1989 Trimbach Clos Sainte Hune Riesling Vendanges Tardives 19 (

)

Hunawihr, Central Alsace: 14%; $ – [ cork – second bottle available; hand-harvested from c. 50-year old vines; the grapes come from the 1.67 ha Rosacker vineyard in Hunawihr, which has been owned by the Trimbach family for more than 200 years (a Trimbach monopole); it is a grand cru vineyard on limestone planted solely to riesling, but because of the reputation of the wine, they consider it unnecessary to state 'grand cru' on the label; c.750 cases (all variants) per annum (varying), but the Vendanges Tardives is made only rarely, the most recent vintage available being the 2002; according to Roberson Wines of London, 'one of the most coveted wines in the world'; in general Clos Ste Hune is harvested at around 50 hl/ha (7.5 t/ha = 3 t/ac), but would be much less for the Vendanges Tardives. Elevation is primarily in s/s, and there is no MLF; 1989 according to Broadbent "an admirable year, combining abundance and excellent quality *****"; Jancis Robinson describes the wine as rich but developed, and scores it 19, drawing to my attention yet another wine acronym seemingly linked to the Australian Wine Research Institute's never-ending quest to analyse the life and soul out of every pleasant flavour in wine – TDN (the so-called kerosene complexity-note aged riesling may develop); Corney & Barrow (London) have this vintage listed currently at £360, which may be more relevant; the rarity of even the standard Clos Ste Hune Riesling may be gleaned from the fact the most recent vintage available is the 2007, and that is c.$NZ200 per bottle; www.trimbach.fr ]
Light glowing gold, the third deepest. Bouquet is sensational, botrytis of superlative purity, almost nectary but more passing to honeyed, on bottled stonefruits plus amazingly fresh hints of citrusy / zesty riesling augmenting. Alcohol is wonderfully hidden, except there is a substance to this wine that also reminds of subtlest sauternes. In mouth there is not quite the exquisite elegance and harmony the bouquet shows, but instead great fruit richness and some sweetness with both citrus and white and yellow stonefruit suggestions, as well as waxy botrytis. It does not taste as old as it looks until the late finish, when some skin phenolics start to appear. The long finish is again reminiscent of sauternes, with even some suggestions of old oak – big old wood. There was diffident mention of some oxidation, but I prefer my interpretation. The tannin backbone would make it sensational with certain rich foods. Quite an experience, at a peak, but no hurry. [ TDN: rather than just give the (long) chemical name the term is derived from, I have received the suggestion to give the address of the article, for those interested in more info. It is a .pdf, and does not seem to communicate in this way. Instead google: "Aged Riesling and the development of TDN" with double-quotes, and it leads straight to it, first-up.] GK 03/14

2010 Felton Road Pinot Noir Bannockburn 19 (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $ – [ screwcap; average vine age 10 years; cool early spring, good flowering, some crop reduction needed; later summer and autumn an ideal season, producing berries with full physiological maturity at lower brix levels than some years, a very promising harmonious vintage; www.feltonroad.com ]
Good bright pinot noir ruby, one of the deeper ones. This seemed to me the most beautiful and floral of all the pinots, combining complex dusky red rose aromas with boronia, on red and black cherry fruit. Flavours in mouth show great suppleness and charm, clear-cut pinot noir of Cote de Nuits complexity and aromatic quality, with beautiful tannins. The balance of fruit to oak is exemplary, lovely texture, giving great length and good cellar potential. The top wine in the set. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 08/14

2004 Sacred Hill Chardonnay Riflemans 19 (

)

Dartmoor Valley, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $52 [ screwcap; hand-picked clone mendoza, whole-bunch pressed to barrel; wild-yeast ferments temperature-controlled to max. c. 17 degrees in the barrel; partial MLF and 12 months LA and some batonnage in French oak new and 1-year; RS in 2004 < 2 g/L; www.sacredhill.com ]
Lemonstraw. In its youth, this was arguably the finest Riflemans to date, and it is still superb. Fruit aromas and flavours have deepened to yellow stonefruits, but the baguette-crust autolysis complexity is still sensational. Palate is at a first peak of purity, wonderfully mouth-filling and textured, the butter still delicate but not as pale as the 2007. A joy to drink. If you prefer younger chardonnay, time to be finishing this up. Will hold another five years at least, for those who like mature wines. GK 11/08

2002 Trinity Hill Chardonnay Gimblett Gravels 19 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $30 [ the black-labelled one; whole-bunch pressed, LA & partial MLF in French oak; www.trinityhill.com ]
Paleish lemonstraw. A fragrant, toasty and faintly charry topnote on underlying peachy and mealy chardonnay fruit makes for an appealing contemporary chardonnay bouquet. In mouth the oak-related characters retreat, and fruit is dominant. There is outstanding texture and richness of mouthfeel in an almost Meursault-like style, and a long supple balanced finish, which hides its alcohol well. This is excellent chardonnay which can be compared with many fine French examples. It is more succulent than the Te Awa, richer than the Cloudy Bay, and should cellar for 10 years or more. GK 07/04

2009 Vidal Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot Legacy Series 19 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $60 [ screwcap; CS 76, Me 24, hand-picked @ 6.8 t/ha (2.7 t/ac), all de-stemmed; cuvaison varies up to 30 days; 20 months in French oak 50% new; RS <1 g/L; minimal fining and filtration; 350 cases; Robinson: 16; www.vidal.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, a lovely limpid colour, towards the top of the lightest third. Bouquet is showing some secondary development now, the cassis with a browning edge, and as is all too frequent in New Zealand wine, the oak is noticeable. It is however high quality fragrant oak, developing attractively into the cedary quality so desired in the best Medocs, and Pauillac noticeably. Flavours reflect the bouquet, lots of cassis (and even if browning, cassis retains its distinctive flavour), good flesh, the merlot sustaining the palate well. Its not as rich as Tom, but in a way it is fresher, which adds to its attraction. This is sophisticated wine, and an attractive example of a Hawkes Bay blend. The consistency of achievement between this and the 2010 Legacy is highly commendable. I did not realise until the editing and checking stage that I had tasted this wine so many times. Happily the present result is in line, in a rigorously blind exercise. The Robinson score is surely out of line – we all err in this matter from time to time. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 06/14

2002 Sacred Hill Merlot Brokenstone 19 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $39 [ Me 92.5%, CF 5, Ma 2.5; MLF in barrel, 20 months French oak; www.sacredhill.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, deep. A vibrant berryrich bouquet of ripest cassis, darkest plums in the sun, suggestions of violets, all beautifully floral and fragrant. Flavours are velvety, wonderful berry and fruit, oak at this stage in beautiful balance to create total fragrance and potential cedar, without being oaky. This will develop elusive Bordeaux cigarbox complexity, and has superlative berryfruit, elegant balance, and great length. A lovely subtle wine which many proprietors in either Bordeaux or Hawkes Bay would be proud to own. A contender for Hawkes Bay’s greatest bordeaux-styled red in 2002 (though several wines have not yet been shown). Cellar 10 – 20 years. VALUE GK 05/04

2002 Esk Valley Merlot / Malbec / Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 19 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $50 [ screwcap; Me 55%, Ma 25, CS 20; MLF in barrel; 19 months in French oak; www.eskvalley.co.nz ]
Dense ruby, carmine and velvet. A rich bouquet initially showing richness more than fruit characters, so ripe is it, but overall darkly plummy, with the cassis becoming more apparent with air. Flavours in mouth are superbly concentrated, darkest cassis and plums, the chocolate dark ‘energy’ chocolate compared with the Villa Merlot Reserve. Nonetheless the oak is not too intrusive, and there is magnificent length on dry grape skins, fruit and oak. Cellar 10 – 20 years, and probably longer. GK 05/04

2015 Elephant Hill Syrah Airavata 19 (

)

Gimblett Gravels 67% and 33% Te Awanga, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $117 [ cork 50mm; Sy 98.5%, MS clone 85%, clone 470 15, plus 1.5% viognier co-fermented, planted at an average 2,525 vines per hectare and average age 14 years, all hand-picked at 3.3 t/ha = 1.4 t/ac); four days cold soak, cultured yeast ferments, 16 – 18 days cuvaison; MLF later in barrel; 25 months in French oak 45% new, plus 4 months in tank post-assembly before bottling; RS nil: sterile-filtered to bottle; note the dry extract at 30.9 g/L cracks the 30 g/L barrier: will we be able to taste this ? Production c.285 x 9-litre cases; weight bottle and closure: 707 g; R. Campbell: Big, dense and very ripe red that is both elegant and a blockbuster with pepper, plum, berry, coffee and mocha flavours. A concentrated wine that's built to last. Drink 2019 - 2025, 96; JC@RP, 2019: a wine of dark-fruited ripeness and complexity. Plum and blueberry notes pick up hints of cracked pepper and violets, while the medium to full-bodied palate is dense and concentrated yet silky, finishing with hints of vanilla and lingering richness, to 2025, 94; www.elephanthill.co.nz ]
Magenta, ruby and velvet, well above midway in depth. Bouquet is a little different on this syrah, with a deeper duskier note hinting at black olives as sometimes found in the Jamet whole-bunch approach, on deeply cassisy berry, dark bottled plums, and cedar. On palate the richness of the liquid is immediately palpable, as confirmed by the class-leading 30.9 g/L dry extract, with a gorgeous texture. New oak with suggestions of cedar creeps in, and extends the flavour greatly. It is not quite as floral and fragrant as Le Sol, but is longer and deeper in flavour, reminiscent now more of Hermitage proper. This will be a long-term cellar prospect, 20 – 30 years. Tasters liked the wine greatly, three first places, four second-favourites, and six thought it French, second only to the Cornas. GK 11/19

2009 Te Mata Syrah Bullnose 19 (

)

Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $45 [ cork; 3 clones of syrah hand-harvested, 100% de-stemmed; extended cuvaison; 15 months in French oak some new; RS nil; www.temata.co.nz ]
Good ruby, carmine and velvet, like the 2010 not a heavyweight. Bouquet is the 2010 exactly, just melded and more harmonious, the florals and cassis more evident, the black pepper gorgeous and light oak even less visible. Palate gives the impression of being just a little more weighty than the 2010, but that is awfully hard to gauge because, as noted for the 2010, the wine comes together tremendously in the year after bottling. This is arguably the most beautiful Bullnose yet, and therefore perhaps New Zealand's most elegant syrah. It is certainly not the biggest, a number of others seeking size (and oak) before beauty. It will be a magical food wine in a few more years – one could scarcely own too much of this ! Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 08/11

2005 Kumeu River Chardonnay Maté’s Vineyard 19 (

)

Kumeu, north of Auckland, New Zealand: 13%; $ – [ screwcap; release Sept. ’06, ’04 c. $47; 100% Mendoza clone @ lower cropping rate than Kumeu River wine; 100% BF in a little more than 20% new oak, 100% MLF, RS nil; www.kumeuriver.co.nz ]
Lemonstraw. The contrast in the two wines Kumeu River and Maté’s this year is more noticeable than in some seasons. First impressions are of great fruit richness, yellow peaches rather more than white, greater concentration, and more barrel-ferment / lees-autolysis / oak integration and baguette crust mealyness. Palate is equally impressive, nearly an oily viscosity, great golden queen peach fruit, firming oak and natural acid giving an already marvellous texture which will become silkier over the next three or so years, all leading to a long mealy finish. All this is achieved at 13% or so alcohol, further refining the palate quality. This should cellar for 5 – 8 years. Alongside the 2005 Te Mata Elston, the Maté’s is softer, richer, more accessible now. NB: notes based on final assembled blend, pre-bottling. GK 02/06

2006 Gramercy Cellars Syrah John Lewis 19 (

)

Walla Walla Valley, Washington, USA: 13.9%; $93 [ cork; price is simple conversion from US$65; Sy 100% from 2 vineyards; 60% whole bunch fermentation, winemaking detail scanty on website; 15 months in 100% French oak 20% new; this is the winery's top syrah, seeking to emulate Cote Rotie / Hermitage, a four-barrel selection resulting in 97 cases; WA / Miller, 2008: aromas of smoke, meat, game, and blueberry ... in a lean style, it gains its structure from acidity. The flavors are attractive and wine has solid length ... wines to tickle the intellect ... diversity is a good thing. 91; www.gramercycellars.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, in the middle for depth. Bouquet progressively opens up to a very exciting multifaceted display of syrah florals, including a definitive wallflower note, as well as roses, violets, plus some cracked black peppercorn. Below is cassis and fresh dark plums, with no hints of sur-maturité, all beautifully soft and round, yet aromatic too. Palate shows all the bouquet attributes of great syrah, in a beautiful texture, softer and more charming now than Craggy Range Le Sol. This is a superb syrah of a calibre to scare proprietors in Hermitage. Noteworthy winemaking components to my taste include the freshness, the multidimensional aroma complexities which I associate with whole-bunch / ripe-stem use in a warmer climate, and only 20% new oak.

The proprietor's mission statement has much to say to New Zealand winemakers of the bigger-is-better school. Summarised: Harrington's goal ... balanced wines with limited new oak influence that taste of a specific place ... minimalist winemaking ... commitment to quality and dedication to sustainability. We feel that a long term relationship is essential, working with the same blocks in the same vineyards each vintage ... to harvest ripe – not over-ripe – grapes, intervene minimally in the winemaking process, and not to smother the wine with a lot of new oak. We believe that too many wines have excessive alcohol and new oak, are overly fruity and taste like they could be from anywhere. We create wines that display balance, fruit and earthiness, and minimal new oak flavors. This is our passion ... to produce wines that complement food ....

This is one of the finest syrahs I have ever tasted – worth the entry fee to the Symposium to taste this wine alone, and be inspired by it. In my view the key revelation is the use of whole bunch, which ties in perfectly with the bouquet attributes. It also ties in nicely with the views hinted at by James Halliday in the morning, in his chiding Rod Easthope for being a bit closed-mind on the issue. This wine shows to a tee both the wisdom of seeking first to emulate the great French models, and that it can be done in the new world. That is a far cry from being convinced the new world can do better, which usually means size rather than subtlety. On that note, Jay Miller's words (on erobertparker.com) imply he respects the style of the Gramercy, but it is not quite his favourite (which appears to be bigger). Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 01/10

2005 Peregrine Pinot Noir 19 (

)

Gibbston, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $39 [ screwcap; sold out at winery, and regrettably no info on website on wines other than currently for sale; www.peregrinewines.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, about as big as pinot noir needs to be. Bouquet is beautifully fragrant, an absolute crystallisation of pinot noir the variety. The depth of the floral component is magnificent, darkest rose, boronia and violets, on pure black cherry fruit – absolutely beautiful and heady in a dusky way. Palate is crisply varietal, superb black cherry subtly oaked, no more alcohol (at 14%) than some (honestly-labelled) burgundies from the 2002 and 2003 vintages, all lingering long on velvety texture and wonderful extract. Aftertaste is superbly varietal, lightly aromatic, rich yet delicate. Though similar in style to the prestige Pinnacle, this Peregrine is fresher and more floral, giving it an enviable edge at this early stage. The standard wine epitomises New Zealand pinot noir as expressed in Otago, a little more fleshy than fine Cote de Nuits, yet showing many features in common with some of their best modern wines. Peregrine is laying down a serious challenge to Felton Road, who for some time have been regarded as the pre-eminent Central Otago pinot producer. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 01/07

2008 Astrolabe Sauvignon Blanc Voyage 19 (

)

Awatere 60% & Wairau Valleys, New Zealand: 13.5%; $22 [ screwcap; all s/s; RS < 4 g/L, slightly less than earlier years; www.astrolabewines.co.nz ]
Pale lemongreen. Yet another year of perfect Marlborough sauvignon from winemaker Simon Waghorn, who also in effect oversees the viticulture. This probably explains Astrolabe's now consistently achieving such a perfect expression of varietal ripeness at which to harvest, and the contrasting ripenesses needed to achieve optimal varietal complexity. The wine is entirely a stainless steel presentation of sauvignon blanc, yet in this deceptive simplicity of approach it achieves extraordinary beauty and complexity. Bouquet is sweet honeysuckle florals and black passionfruit almost as if there were a little riesling in the wine, but made piquant and savoury from sweet basil-like fresh herbes, and some sautéed ripest red capsicums. Palate delivers on bouquet wonderfully, the cropping rate and associated fruit ripeness so perfect the residual sweetness seems slightly higher than the district average, whereas it is lower. The wine is still 'dry', the entire mouthful richly flavoured, juicy, long flavoured and sustained in mouth. For several years now, this standard Astrolabe blend, and the straight Awatere version in the Discovery range, have been in the top few straight sauvignons in New Zealand – if not the best. This year's wine is simply delicious. Cellar 2 – 10 years, for interesting but different flavours. GK 11/08

2004 Philip Togni Cabernet Sauvignon 19 (

)

Spring Mountain District, Napa Valley, California, U.S.A: 13.9%; $ – [ cork; CS, some CF, Me, PV; US$100; wild-yeast fermentation; MLF in barrel; bottle courtesy of Philip Rich, Melbourne; no website found, but some info at: http://www.internationalcellar.com/184897?id=EetRECKz&mv_pc=352 ]
Ruby and velvet. Bouquet is dramatically cassis, wonderfully concentrated, very pure. There is a little brambly / blackberry richness, but unlike so many Californian reds, this wonderful wine is neither over-ripe, or bretty. Palate is very intense in youth, all cassis, austere in the sense it seems 100% cabernet sauvignon, yet rich too. There are hints of cedar and complexity to come, best Mouton-like. Cellar 5 – 25 years, perhaps longer. GK 10/07

2006 Guigal Hermitage Ex-Voto 19 (

)

Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $535 [ cork; Sy 100%; 5 weeks cuvaison; 42 months in new French oak; www.guigal.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a good weight of colour, not too different from the 2006 Sacred Hill Deerstalkers, though not as dense as the 2007. Bouquet has an extraordinary combination of the wallflower florals indicative of the finest syrah, plus an aromatic cassis and oak lift, which is almost subtlest / coolest-year Grange in quality. Palate is certainly oaky, much oakier than the Cote Rotie grands crus including the straight syrah La Landonne, and palate weight is not as rich as even light year / cool Grange. Varietal accuracy is vastly greater, though. This is gorgeous syrah, not quite the richness of the 2005, the oak at a maximum for European-styled finesse, and with scarcely any hint of brett. Cellar 10 – 25 years. GK 10/10

2006 Amisfield Sauvignon Blanc 19 (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $24 [ screwcap; SB 100% Central Otago-grown @ Lowburn; small % BF; not much info on website; www.amisfield.co.nz ]
Lemongreen. A very distinctive and subtle sauvignon much more in French style, some elder blossom, some subtle lees-autolysis complexity. Palate is ripe, rich, firm, almost a sturmer-apple complexity to it, the oak just perfect, not dominating the variety at all, but lengthening it superbly, 'dry' finish. Total flavour is scarcely varietal, yet well-fruited and fresher than chardonnay, supremely elegant and lovely drinking. See further comment under '06 Craggy Range Sauvignon Te Muna. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 03/07

1996 Deutz Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut 19 (

)

Ay, Champagne, France: 12%; $115 [ Champion wine of the 2004 Challenge; Ch 100%; MLF 100%; perhaps a little BF in older oak; www.champagne-deutz.com ]
Lemon, a little deeper than the Lemaire. The comparison of these two wines is fascinating, and wonderfully instructive. They are both beautiful, first of all, but in its two years’ extra age, and it's MLF component, the Deutz shows a softer and even more intense baguette-crust complexity, producing a great bouquet with tremendous character. Palate is pure chardonnay, plus equally pure autolysis, a little drier on dosage than the Lemaire. Even moreso than that wine, it epitomises the flavour of a chardonnay blanc de blancs, yet it is not fruity. Great champagne. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 10/05

2002 Hardys Chardonnay Eileen Hardy 19 (

)

Multi-region: Tasmania, Yarra Valley, Tumbarumba, Adelaide Hills, Australia: 12.8%; $55 [ Ch 100%: hand-picked, whole-bunch pressed: BF in new and one-year French oak; barrel-selection for freshness and tight acid etc; RS 2.9 g/L; www.hardywines.com.au ]
Lemon with a green wash, sensational for the year. Bouquet is total chardonnay, delightful purity, nearly floral, classical white stonefruits and custard-apple augmented but not dominated by barrel-ferment and lees autolysis, infinitely appealing. Palate is magical, not only for its concentration and length of fruit and varietal flavours, but also for its low alcohol, restraint with oak, and richness, combined with youthful poise and finesse. This is great Australian chardonnay, which will cellar 5 – 12 years. It is in the same class as fine examples of the Leeuwin Art Chardonnay, and is another wine pointing to the future of this variety in Australasia. GK 10/05

1976 Prum-Erben Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese QmP 19 (

)

Mosel Valley, Germany: – %; $ – [ cork; original price $11.10; a Sichel Selection ]
Gold with a flush of old gold, just above midway in depth. Bouquet is just what you would imagine or hope a 35-year-old riesling auslese might be, in an ideal world. The white flowers are now yellow flowers, the nectar has deepened to a sweet kind of bush honey, there are waxy complexity notes from botrytis, all underlain by golden-queen stonefruit, and it is still vividly varietal. Palate fulfils that promise, luscious fruit, beautiful acid balance, still quite sweet, very long indeed. As Stephen Bennett commented, it was well worth the trip down from Auckland for this wine alone. On the late aftertaste, one can detect there may be a little drying in a few more years. Nearing the end of its plateau of excellence, but still some years in this. GK 03/12

2002 Girardin Chambertin Clos de Beze 19 (

)

Gevrey-Chambertin Grand Cru, Burgundy, France: 14%; $209 [ cork; neither fined nor filtered; no info on website yet; www.avco.org/girardin ]
A great pinot noir ruby and velvet, the second darkest of the French wines, yet so much lighter softer and more enticing than many over-extractive New Zealand pinot colours. Bouquet is big, rich, ripe, deep, with sultry dark lilac florals, black cherries, plums, and a suggestion of savoury / gamey / lightly bretty complexity which marries in with the florals superbly. Palate is the high point on this wine, absolutely liquid velvet in its richness of black cherries and plums, yet fresh and aromatic too. Lovely Burgundy in a darker richer style, to cellar 5 – 15 years plus. GK 12/05

2008 Riverby Estate Noble Riesling 375 ml 19 (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 9.6%; $25 [ screwcap; Gm 239 vines planted 1994; first noble wine; virtually 100% botrytised, cold-settled, cool-fermented in s/s; pH 3.45, RS 165 g/L; www.riverbyestate.com ]
Bright light gold. Bouquet is marvellous, clear-cut total botrytis on an equally clear riesling base, showing voluminous white and yellow flowers, nectar, beeswax, golden peaches. Palate follows harmoniously with clear emphasis on the riesling terpenes adding zing to the flavour, rich honeyed sweetness yet good acid balance, all extended on very long flavours in which all these components maintain their balance and relative lightness. I wonder if there is trace oak in this [ No ! ]. If so it is beautifully subtle. Going back to it, it is a delight how the botrytis can be recognised, as well as the grape, yet the wine is totally integrated, fresh and light. Magic. Wines such as this can be deceptively long-lived in cellar – Larry McKenna’s 1987 Muller-Thurgau Late-Harvest for Martinborough Vineyards is still fantastic. It is hard to foretell with new world sweet wines, though, so perhaps 2 – 10 years. GK 04/09

2009 Guigal Gigondas 19 (

)

Gigondas, Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $65 [ 50 mm cork; Gr 65%, Mv 25, Sy 10; average vine age 40 years; cropped c.3.75 t/ha = c.1.5 t/ac; traditional extended cuvaison; 24 months in large French oak, 50% new; c.21,000 cases; www.guigal.com ]
Elegant ruby, some carmine and velvet, the second to lightest and fractionally the least youthful of the wines. Bouquet is simply sensational fragrant Cotes du Rhone / Chateauneuf grenache-lead red, wonderful red and black cherry / red plum fruit, voluminous cinnamon and garrigue floral and spice notes, great excitement in the glass. Palate is already velvety, scarcely any new oak apparent (joy !), yet lovely tannins, a mouth-filling wine that is the most burgundian of the set – a little softness already. The sensations in the mouth as the bulk of the fruit and tannins subside, and the garrigue and spice notes return, is a delight. One thing to comment on: note the cepage. In my experience with southern Rhone reds, wines with more grenache than mourvedre, and more mourvedre than syrah cellar particularly well and develop wonderful burgundian complexity with age. It is this change in cepage that has lead to the relative fall in quality of Guigal's Cotes du Rhone over the last 30 years, now it is syrah-lead. This is magical wine, exemplifying all the best qualities of Guigal's reds over the last 30 years. Like my 1983 Guigal Gigondas mentioned earlier, buy this wine by the case-lot, and treasure it. Cellar 10 – 30 years. GK 10/12

2005 Te Mata [ Cabernets / Merlot ] Coleraine 19 (

)

Havelock Hills, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $77 [ cork; Me 45%, CS 37, CF 18; average vine age 20 years; 20 months in French oak 75% new; www.temata.co.nz ]
Fine ruby and velvet, not quite as youthful as the 2007, naturally. Bouquet stands out in this blind tasting of 60 reds for its harmony, integration, ripeness, florality, and total classed-growth Margaux styling. The violets florals in perfect cassis and black doris bottled plum fruit are enchanting, with potentially cedary oak wonderfully subtle, yet lifting the whole wine. Palate is a little firmer than bouquet still, great length of flavour and balance, a classic expression of the New Zealand Cabernet / Merlot style, reflecting a climate uncannily close to the Bordeaux model. A wine for New Zealanders to be proud of. It is essential in cellar for the '2005 Bordeaux and competitors' tastings keen wine people are looking forward to eagerly. Cellar 10 – 20 + years. GK 03/09

2004 MadFish Riesling 19 (

)

Great Southern, Western Australia, Australia: 12.5%; $20 [ screwcap; www.madfishwines.com.au ]
Brilliant lemongreen, an excellent colour. Bouquet is finest Australian riesling, but also close to some best New Zealand (e.g. Waipara) styles, with vanilla-pod and linalool-laden florals close to both freesia and holygrass (Hierochloe) in aroma, seasoned by clear lime-zest complexity. Palate has heaps of flavour, fresh acid, and lovely fresh under-ripe nectarine flavours, fine-grained and long on an off-dry finish which is I suspect slightly above the ‘dry’ boundary (7.5 g/L). Cellar 5 – 15 years or so. GK 07/06

2002 Villa Maria Merlot Reserve 19 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $42 [ screwcap; c. 18 months in French oak; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Dense ruby, carmine and velvet. A rich ripe smooth bouquet of deeply plummy fruit and a hint of pennyroyal, plus milk chocolate and hessian oak, all smelling delicious. Palate shows fantastic concentration of darkest plums, some cassis, and fragrant oak to a max, producing a long aromatic aftertaste on which the cassis grows wonderfully. An intriguing palate profile. Very cellar-worthy, 10 – 20 years. GK 05/04

2007 Church Road Cabernet / Merlot Reserve 19 (

)

Gimblett Gravels 72% & Ngatarawa Triangle 28, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $38 [ cork; CS 54%, Me 41, CF 5, all hand-picked at c.2.5 t/ac from (on average) 10-year old vines; cuvaison extended to 35 days for some components; MLF and 22 months in 100% French oak c.50% new, with no BF or lees stirring, just racking; not fined, coarse filter only; RS < 0.2 g/L; www.churchroad.co.nz ]
Ruby carmine and velvet, wonderfully dense, one of the deepest. Bouquet is glorious, superb violets-related and dark rose florals on crisp cassis and darkest bottled plums fruit, matched by appropriate potentially cedary oak. This initial impression is confirmed by wonderful presence in mouth, great ripeness, superb body and dry extract, fresh berry, bone dry, absolutely velvety. This is looking to be one of the finest New Zealand Cabernet / Merlots so far. Cellar 5 – 30 years. GK 01/10

2005 Cloudy Bay [ Sauvignon Blanc ] Te Koko 19 (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $42 [ screwcap; SB cropped at c. 4 t/ac; some whole-bunch fermentation, wild-yeast BF in mostly older French oak, followed by full LA (but only partial MLF) for c. 18 months; RS 3 g/L; www.cloudybay.co.nz ]
Lemonstraw. Bouquet is extraordinary, clearly related to sauvignon with plentiful white elder blossom and black passionfruit fruitiness, plus more obscure red capsicum and sweet basil savoury complexities. These are all enriched by baguette-quality barrel-ferment and prolonged lees autolysis and subtle partial MLF, to produce chardonnay-like aromas too. Palate brings up the MLF fatness more, but the whole wine is elegant and restrained in its full-flavoured style. The texture is magical. This is much the most compelling Te Koko yet, and I attribute this fairly and squarely to the incomplete MLF (about 30%) in this vintage. Sauvignon blanc and the MLF fermentation have a difficult relationship, in which the MLF creaminess can easily become either lactic or cheesy and clumsy with sauvignon. Some previous Te Kokos have been simply too bold. This one is beautiful, with complex flavours running out to the corners of one's mouth, and persisting a very long time. In its clearly winemaker-influenced style, it could be rated the greatest sauvignon thus far made in New Zealand. That said, it is only fair to further comment, that many would find the wine too strong, and too complex. For them there is the near-perfect 2008 Astrolabe pure varietal sauvignon also in this batch. Cellar 2 – 8 years. GK 11/08

2002 Clarendon Hills Syrah Astralis Vineyard 19 (

)

McLaren Vale, South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $425 [ Cork 50mm, ullage 20mm; original price c.$250; Sy 100% hand-picked at 2.5 t/ha = 1 t/ac from non-grafted bush-vine syrah planted in 1920 on a site said to be 45° slope; current vintage $A400; no back vintages on website (despite price), current spends 18 months in 100% new French oak; Wine Spectator, 2004: Polished, round and beautifully balanced to bring the blueberry, plum and blackberry character into relief, the lingering flavors riding effortlessly on superfine tannins. More refined, not as big or chunky as previous vintages: 95; RP@RP, 2004: An extraordinary perfume of flowers, creme de cassis, blackberries, roasted meat, new saddle leather, and earth is followed by a wine with sweet tannin, sensational concentration, full body, an unctuous texture, and a full-throttle, tannic finish. Yet it reveals unbelievable elegance and finesse. Too many Euro-centric elitists argue that Australian wines are too rich and over the top, but all of these offerings have been made by someone with great talent and vision who takes the extraordinary ripeness and purity of fruit available from these old vine vineyards and crafts them into wines that are quite European in style ... just richer and denser. The 2002 Astralis is a tour de force. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2025+, 99; weight bottle and closure: 864 g; www.clarendonhills.com.au ]
Ruby, a hint of garnet creeping in, velvet, midway in depth. Bouquet is intriguing, a soft and pure depth of plummy dark berry with cedary complexity factors woven through it. There is not quite the clinical purity of the young Penfolds wines, but instead an almost European complexity, softness, and charm. On palate the fruit is slightly ‘cooler’ than the RWT, hints of cassis and darkest black doris plummy berry, attractive oak of potentially cedary quality, and long, long richness. There is no hint of acid addition to the tail. If comparison with Hermitage was permissible for RWT, it is even more appropriate here, with its extra dimension of flavour complexity. Only fair to mention that this is the first ‘pure’ and sweet bottle of 2002 Astralis I have tasted, previous bottles having some brett complexity. In that regard, two tasters offered the descriptor ‘bacony’ for this wine. Recognised as shiraz-dominant by eight tasters. Top wine for two tasters. A lovely bottle, to cellar 10 – 30 years, noting that each bottle will be different. GK 04/21

2005 Te Mata Estate Syrah Bullnose 19 (

)

Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $44 [ cork; Sy 100%, including clone 470, hand-harvested, de-stemmed; 16 months in French oak 33% new; the winery states: It is more concentrated than any previous vintage and will cellar for at least ten years.; www.temata.co.nz ]
Ruby, a little carmine and velvet, markedly lighter than the 'big' wines. Against the Yering Station and Craggy wines, this is (in a positive sense) almost a beauty and the beast deal. 2005 Bullnose has achieved superbly floral and fragrant full physiological maturity, at a palate-friendly 13.5%. The floral component is sensational, overlapping with fine pinot in its violets, boronia and darkest roses as well as carnations, underpinned by sweet cassis and black peppercorn. Palate is the logical extension of bouquet, already delicious, in the style of both modern Cote Rotie, and Hermitage. Bullnose in recent years has gone from strength to strength, but this is the most beautiful of all. Cellar 10 – 15 years, perhaps more. GK 01/07

2007 Church Road Cabernet / Merlot Tom [ pre-release sample ] 19 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $ – [ cork; indicative price c. $100; CS 50%, Me 50; release date 2011, not on website for some time yet; www.churchroad.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, fresh and dense, a great young claret colour. Bouquet is wonderfully floral, darkest roses / violets giving an exciting lift and excitement to classic cabernet / merlot cassis and bottled black doris plums, plus spice and complexity from vanillin and hessian new French oak. Palate shows great ripeness at a maximum for optimal florality, potentially velvety texture but at this stage with the 'fibre' of new oak apparent in very rich fruit. This is a great young Hawkes Bay / Bordeaux blend, one of the finest such wines made in New Zealand so far. Alcohol aside (which is well hidden) it reminds me of the calibre of 1966 Ch Palmer as it was in an evaluation of some young 1966 Bordeaux 40 years ago. On that occasion I cellared a case, and watched it blossom over the years. It is still great, today. That will be the need for this one, on release probably in later 2011. The style of Tom is closer to great St Julien, however. It sailed through the field of 64 red wines in a rigorous blind tasting, without any doubt as to which was the top wine. Cellar 10 – 30 years. GK 06/10

2007 Church Road Cabernet / Merlot Reserve 19 (

)

Gimblett Gravels 72% & Ngatarawa Triangle 28, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $38 [ cork; CS 54%, Me 41, CF 5, mostly hand-picked at c. 2.5 t/ac from (on average) 8-year old vines; cuvaison extended to 35 days for some components; MLF and 22 months in 100% French oak c. 50% new, with no BF or lees stirring at all, just racking; not fined, coarse filter only; RS < 0.2 g/L; release date August 2009; Catalogue: not in; www.churchroad.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, dense, more carmine than the 2006. As the name implies, with cabernet listed first, the cassis and aromatic component on bouquet is fractionally more evident than the 2006 wine, and it is all less melded. The floral violets complexity component of the bouquet is superb, of a quality rarely seen. Palate tastes fresher too, not as yet quite the great plummy depth of the 2006 but an equal volume of flavour, and all much more cabernet-dominant. The quality of oak handling is delightful. Tobacco complexities are not evident yet, but potential cedar is. These two wines offer further evidence (not that it is needed) of the tasting skills and great palate of Chris Scott, chief winemaker at Church Road. These wines and the Reserve Syrah have yet to receive the worldwide recognition they deserve, and the price (happily for the consumer) reflects this. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 07/09

2009 Churton Sauvignon Blanc 19 (

)

Waihopai Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $25 [ cork; 40% hand-picked @ c. 7.5 t/ha (3.5 t/ac); whole-bunch pressed, limited cold-settling; c.10% BF in non-new French 500-litre barrels with some wild yeast fermentation; 9 months elevation on lees to enhance texture; pH 3.22, RS 1 g/L; biodynamic; www.churtonwines.co.nz ]
Lemonstraw. On bouquet this wine shows the absolute purity the 2011 lacks, with wonderfully ripe sauvignon blanc complexed with some old oak, barrel-ferment and considerable lees-autolysis. In mouth the wine is at a peak of perfection now, the palate showing pale stonefruit flesh, almost invisible old oak adding structure, gentle acid, great length, a marvellous wine. Winemaker Sam Weaver seeks wines which will age, and show mineral complexity and body. This wine fills the bill. It may not get better than it is now, but I suspect this will still be rewarding drinking in another 6 – 8 years. Wonderful with food. GK 03/13

2010 Chapoutier Ermitage Le Pavillon 19 (

)

Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $531 [ cork, 50mm; Sy 100%; purchase price c.$550; cropping and wine-making details as in the introductory ‘Background’ section; www.chapoutier.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a great colour, the second deepest wine. Bouquet shows rich aromatic berry even hinting at black pepper and cassis in this cooler year, but unfortunately the varietal beauty of the fruit is somewhat obscured by far too much and too toasty oak. Below that mask is dense dark bottled plum fruit such as black doris. Palate has the wonderful freshness of berry the very best 2010 Northern Rhone syrahs show, great richness and length, and great cellar potential, but here with the risk the whole wine will be corrupted by the excess oak and end up tending leathery rather than velvety. This level of oak completely masks the floral notes fine syrah is famous for, and pretty well obscures any subtle pepper. Certainly in future comparative tastings of these great 2010 Northern Rhones, Le Pavillon will lose out on varietal precision compared to some of the more subtly raised syrahs from Hermitage and nearby districts, notably from producers such as J L Chave, Domaine Jamet, Auguste Clape, latter-day Jaboulet La Chapelle, and maybe possibly even Guigal’s Ex Voto, but the wine nonetheless will appeal to many. Sadly, these days, many, including too many winewriters, mark up oak. It was well received by the group, two first places, four second. Cellar 10 – 35 years. Wine Spectator quality rating for the vintage 98. GK 10/18

2007 Craggy Range Merlot Sophia 19 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.3%; $50 [ cork; DFB; Me 81%, CF 10, CS 7, Ma 2, hand-harvested @ c. 2.2 t/ac; 100% de-stemmed; inoculated ferments in oak cuves; 18 months in 50% new French oak; fined and filtered; RS nil; production around 2000 cases, exported widely; Catalogue: no description; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, minutely less carmine than the same firm’s Gimblett Gravels Merlot. If the standard Gimblett Gravels Merlot is superb, this wine is exactly the same in its wonderful violets florals, and its glorious bottled black doris and some dark cassis saturated fruit on the palate, but it is even richer, with more apparent new oak. It is absolutely of classed growth Bordeaux quality, and not Fourth or Fifth either. The violets florals run right through into the palate – a wonderful complexity factor only achievable in a cool-temperate viticultural climate. Craggy Range (along with Church Road in this Expo) are making explicit all the promise the Hawkes Bay viticultural region has shown for decades now, since the 1965 McWilliams Cabernet Sauvignon. These two Craggy Merlots are two of the greatest achievements with the variety so far in New Zealand. The challenge now is to get those alcohols under 14% to emphasise even more the beauty of the variety. The magic of the 2007 season (dry, and not hot) has allowed them to get away with 14.3% this year. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 07/09

2010 Trinity Hill Syrah Homage 19 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $133 [ cork, 50mm; hand-picked at about 2.5 t/ha (1 t/ac) from Sy 100%, mostly Limmer clone, plus some vines propagated from Jaboulet's la Chapelle vineyard on the hill of Hermitage, vine ages 1994 and 2001; the grapes de-stemmed, lightly crushed to leave whole berries; shortish cuvaison; MLF commenced in tank, completed in barrel, c.15 months in French oak mostly new, some lees stirring, not a lot of racking; the 2010 was at that point the largest volume made of Homage, nearly 600 x 9-litre cases; the name is a tribute to the late Gerard Jaboulet, John Hancock (then chief winemaker) having worked the 1996 vintage at Jaboulet with Gerard, back when Jaboulet’s Hermitage La Chapelle was world-famous; Lisa Perrotti-Brown, 2012: ... the 2010 Homage Gimblett Gravels Syrah is a little closed, with notes of blueberries and plums plus hints of allspice, chocolate and toast. Medium to full-bodied, it gives a good core of mid-palate flesh supported by medium to high acid and a medium to firm level of rounded tannins, going savory / earthy in the long finish. Drink it now to 2018+, 91; Michael Cooper, 2013: The 2010 vintage is a '7 out of 7 year', believes winemaker John Hancock. Densely coloured and still purple-flushed, it is powerful, with great depth of superbly ripe blackcurrant, plum and spice flavours, framed by ripe, supple tannins. ... well worth cellaring to at least 2015+, *****; www.trinityhill.com ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, a good young syrah colour, precisely in the middle for depth. Bouquet is a little different from the wines rated more highly, there being quite a whole-bunch fragrance to the wine, akin to the Jamet but much sweeter, riper, and more positive. Floral notes therefore include suggestions of buddleia and boronia as well as roses, on vibrant cassisy berry plus black pepper. Oak is invisible initially, on bouquet. Palate is very aromatic, the oak now immediately more apparent, plenty of cassis not quite as sweet and ripe as the Cable Bay, black pepper spice, just a subliminal thought that slightly more ripeness would have been good, to make it more like the 2009. This 2010 Homage is richer than 2010 Le Sol. Voting on this wine was interesting, no first places, but seven second places. So it too was well-liked, and again the caveats expressed re the Cable Bay wine probably apply. Eight thought it Northern Rhone Valley wine, and five further thought it Cote Rotie. Cellar 10 – 30 years. GK 11/18

1999 Torbreck Shiraz RunRig 19 (

)

North-Western Barossa Valley, South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $227 [ cork, 50mm; original price c.$200; Sh 95% more than 100 years old and dry-grown, plus 5% barrel-fermented viognier added pre-bottling; Halliday rates the vintage in the Barossa Valley 5/10; Torbreck Runrig is rated Exceptional in the Langton's Australian wine classification, the first-level group of 22 wines. The wine is too recent to be in Australia's Classic Wines by Halliday; Runrig is the flagship wine of the famous winery and vineyard Torbreck, which visionary Dave Powell built from scratch. His goal was to match the wines of the Rhone Valley. Elevation 30 months in French oak 100% new; production c.600 x 9-litre cases; JH@JR, 2008: Some menthol, maybe even lavender. Perfumed and floral. Rich and spicy and full and very rich in the mouth. Scented but still has chocolate-like tannins. Dry, dark firm, dense and powerful but not overbearing. Elegant in a big style. Moreish but may be too big for some foods? To 2013, 18; L.P-B@RP, 2013: 1999 RunRig presents an incredible nose with complex and layered aromas of smoked bacon, dried mulberries, kirsch and leather intermingling with sandalwood, anise and potpourri nuances. Medium to full-bodied, this is a very elegant wine with vibrant acid and concentrated fruit, structured with medium levels of grainy tannins through the long and layered finish. It is just beautiful. To 2024+, 99; weight bottle and closure: 582 g; www.torbreck.com ]
Ruby and velvet, clearly the deepest and freshest / reddest wine. Bouquet is amazing, no hint of over-ripe Australian boysenberry, instead the characteristic flowering mint Prostanthera floral note confuseable with, and (in moderation) just as attractive as, garrigue complexity, on deeply cassisy exquisitely fresh plummy berry, plus cedary oak of a beauty and subtlety to match the top Guigal. That is saying something. In mouth the velvety fragrant quality of cassisy berry is of a quality rarely encountered in Australian reds. Only to the late palate is there the slightest suggestion of acid adjustment. This is wine-making of the highest degree, the wine exhilarating. Tasters reacted well to this wine too, three first-places and two second. Yet to my absolute astonishment, 16 tasters correctly located this wine in Australia, at the blind stage. It is the richest wine in the set: a dry extract figure would be illuminating. It is approaching early maturity, with 20, maybe 30 years cellar life ahead of it. This lovely wine is a pointer to what could be achieved in Australian winemaking, if the country’s winemakers tasted more widely. GK 11/19

2002 Jadot Puligny-Montrachet Clos de la Garennne 19 (

)

Puligny-Montrachet Premier Cru, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $131 [ cork; Domaine du Duc de Magenta monopole; hand-harvested; (guideline) BF, LA, MLF in 30% new French oak; no specific info [then] on website; www.louisjadot.com ]
Fresh lemonstraw. A big bouquet, combining some acacia florals with an aromatic new oak character, and some winemaking complexities already evident – some hazelnut meal in rich white stonefruit. Palate is rich yet bone dry, elegant stonefruits, fine-grained acid, lingering mealiness, and an exciting depth of flavour. This is great white burgundy, and classic Puligny-Montrachet, more accessible now than the Batard-Montrachet. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 07/05

2002 Esk Valley Merlot / Malbec / Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 19 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $50 [ screwcap; Me 55%, Ma 25, CS 20; MLF in barrel, 19 months in French oak; www.eskvalley.co.nz ]
This wine has recently been reviewed favourably (5/04), so it was intriguing to have it somewhere among the 12 blind wines. On this occasion, it appeared understated on bouquet, but with phenomenal fruit richness on palate, so one has to take the wine very seriously indeed. It gradually opened to dense plummy fruit lifted by some cassis and oak, and the following day was showing a much better indication of its potentially Bordeaux-like complexities – fragrant and berryrich. Except that there is a faint New Zealand tell-tale in the suggestion of pennyroyal on bouquet. This is an exciting wine to cellar for decades rather than years. GK 07/04

2005 Villa Maria Gewurztraminer Ihumatao 19 (

)

Mangere, Auckland, New Zealand: 13.5%; $31 [ screwcap; RS 17 g/L; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Pale lemon. Bouquet on this wine is sensational, fresh, crisp, floral and spicy, with an almost perfect expression of precise lychee and rosepetal varietal fruit lifted with citronella piquancy, and spiced with wild ginger florals. Palate is superbly fresh and crisp, enough phenolics and extract to secure pinpoint varietal character, yet not in any way coarse, perfect acid balance for length of flavour, well balanced to reasonably subtle residual sweetness – medium. It is not quite as fresh as the Johanneshof, but the weight of varietal character is greater. This wine avoids the great weakness of gewurztraminer, a flabby variously 'barley-sugar' finish. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 08/06

2005 Te Mata Syrah Bullnose 19 (

)

Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $44 [ cork; Sy 100%, including clone 470, 16 months in French oak 33% new; www.temata.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, one of the lighter wines. But it is not lighter in other dimensions: if the le Sol is Hermitage, in this tasting the Bullnose is Cote Rotie, the florals much more concentrated at the dianthus and roses part of the olfactory spectrum. Below is fragrant cassis, blueberry and plum, even more floral than the Esk Valley wine. Palate continues in the same vein, berry winning totally, velvety texture and admirable alcohol, flavoursome, the oak much less apparent. This is beautiful succulent wine, almost overlapping with great Cote de Nuits, softer than the other three top wines. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 04/07

2009 Vidal Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot Legacy Series 19 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $60 [ screwcap; CS 76, Me 24, hand-picked @ 6.8 t/ha (2.7 t/ac), all de-stemmed; cuvaison varies up to 30 days; 20 months in French oak 50% new; RS <1 g/L; minimal fining and filtration; 350 cases; www.vidal.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, still some carmine. And then the last wine in the tasting / presentation, and what a success it looked in the line-up. There is just a hint of secondary characters and complexity appearing, and at the same time the berry richness is expanding relative to the oak. In mouth there is a gentleness and roundness to the wine which is totally captivating. This is a Hawkes Bay cabernet / merlot of total Bordeaux style, perhaps St Julien the closest – one of the Barton family ... or Branaire-Ducru. It is a wine to cellar by the case, as well as a wine to draw the students' attention to the international calibre of our best Bordeaux / Hawkes Bay blends. Maybe it is not as rich as Australian or American palates would prefer, but it has that all-important fine wine quality, charm and beauty. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 09/14

1999 Orlando Jacobs Creek Shiraz / Cabernet Limited Release 19 (

)

Barossa Valley & Coonawarra, South Australia, Australia: 13.5%; $60 [ shiraz from Barossa, cabernet from Coonawarra; 12 months in new French & US oak, then 8 - 12 months in oak; seen as the flagship wine in the Jacobs Creek range; www.jacobscreek.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a wonderful colour for its age. This bouquet is sensational. First impression is benchmark cassis, as if the wine were a great cabernet / merlot. Below that is blueberry betraying the shiraz, but it is astonishing the extent to which the cabernet has taken over this wine. Oaking is subtle and smells like firmest French. Palate is equally marvellous, aromatic cassis, great finesse approaching Bordeaux in style, long and lingering on raisiny cassis skins. Beautiful and classic wine which will cellar for 20 – 30 years. GK 05/04

2003 Drouhin Echezeaux Grand Cru 19 (

)

Vosne-Romanee, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 13%; $163 [ cork; a Drouhin domaine wine, the vineyard adjoining Clos Vougeot, average vine age 25 – 30 years; hand-harvested, fermentation (some stalks) and cuvaison in open wooden vats 18 – 20 days; c. 18 months in barrels understood to be about 1/3 new; Wine Direct the NZ agents; www.drouhin.com ]
Good ruby, in the middle of the ‘03s for depth. Bouquet on this wine is the most clearly varietal in the set, with deepest red rose florals far darker and sweeter than buddleia, nearer violets. The florals meld with superb cherry-plum notes which are really warm and sun-drenched, but not roti. Palate is simply great pinot, darkest cherries, darkest plums, a touch of almond (and brett), finegrain tannins in abundance. This wine is velvety and rich, about as big as pinot can be before southern Rhone thoughts intrude, a great illustration of a drought year pinot which is still vividly fresh, floral and varietal. Cellar to 30 years. Wonderful. GK 03/06

2013 Greystone Chardonnay 19 (

)

Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 14%; $37 [ screwcap; clones mendoza and B95, hand-picked; 100% BF in French oak 20% new, with wild-yeast fermentations extending over 8 months, then full MLF; 11 months in barrel; www.greystonewines.co.nz ]
Lemonstraw, the third deepest colour, glowing. Bouquet is simply sensational, combining beautiful rich highly varietal chardonnay with great lees autolysis complexity, plus an elusive component much sought-after in chardonnay, but rarely found, a suggestion of florality. The wine smells rich, shaped by oak but not at all dominated by it, with the autolysis characters spanning the best baguettes through to lightly-toasted Vogel's Multigrain bread. Palate shows a crispness and freshness of peach including golden queen peach fruit which is a delight, the autolysis adding body, mouthfeel and texture, which as you swallow seems glycerol-rich in the best possible way. Aftertaste is golden queen fruit sustained by both acid and oatmeally oak. The oak handling is excellent. The floral suggestion on bouquet comes back to haunt the later palate, with suggestions of golden honeysuckle, and this refreshing acid. A very beautiful wine to cellar 3 – 15 years, perhaps longer. GK 06/16

2006 Church Rd Chardonnay Reserve 19 (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $34 [ screwcap; clones 95, 15 and 9% of mendoza, hand-harvested and sorted; wild-yeast BF and MLF in all-French oak 58% new, balance 1-year, 14 months LA in barrel with some batonnage; RS < 1 g/L; www.churchroad.co.nz ]
Full lemonstraw, a wonderful colour, just a little deeper than the Cloudy Bay. Bouquet is all one could ask of New Zealand chardonnay, showing superb golden queen peach fruit smelling more of mendoza than the percentage suggests, coupled with barrel-ferment, lees-autolysis and MLF complexity notes of baguette-crust quality. Flavour amplifies these themes, and both bouquet and flavour are wonderfully rich, satisfying and lingering, much more complex than the grape alone. This is where winemaker artefact transcends the original. And the wine is not harsh, or excessively oaky, alcoholic, or acid. Great New Zealand chardonnay to cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 04/08

2013 Trinity Hills Cabernet / Merlot The Gimblett 19 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $35 [ screwcap; CS 40%, Me 30, CF 29, PV 1, cropped @ 6 t/ha = 2.4 t/ac; cuvaison c.28 days, cultured-yeast; MLF in tank; 18 months in French oak c.30% new; RS 0.4 g/L; not sterile-filtered; www.trinityhill.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, the third deepest wine. Bouquet epitomises the concept of violets-floral in cassisy berry, beautifully defining the cabernet / merlot winestyle. Berry is totally dominant to good cedary oak, and there is a temperate-climate elegance to this wine worthy of classed-growth bordeaux. In mouth there is a limpid quality to the berryfruit which is enchanting, contrasting with some of the wines which are more tightly-framed by new oak. The ripeness profile / point of picking seems perfect, for maximum flavour and wine complexity. Not a big wine, but big enough, with supreme finesse. Cellar 8 – 20 years. GK 08/16

2013 Villa Maria Merlot Braided Gravels Single Vineyard Organic * 19 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $60 [ screwcap; DFB; Me 100%, all hand-picked from c.12-year old vines planted at 2,775 vines / ha and cropped @ 6 t/ha = 2.4 t/ac; cuvaison 21 – 28 days, cultured-yeast; MLF in barrel; 18 months in French oak c.35% new; RS 0.24 g/L; not sterile-filtered; dry extract not measured; production 250 x 9-L cases; just released; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, in the middle for depth of colour. On bouquet however it is not middling. I wrote last year about the organic 2013 Villa Maria Merlot Cellar Selection which was such a good exemplar of the variety, for a Lincoln University oenology class. It showed the soft floral beguiling nature of the variety very well indeed, in a wine so much more silky and seductive than cabernet sauvignon. If that wine was good, this wine is near-benchmark. The depth of warm violets and darkest roses on bouquet is enchanting, though relative to the organic Cellar Selection Merlot the Braided Gravels bouquet is augmented by sweet oak vanillin. The florals rest on sensuous darkly plummy fruit with none of the aromatics of high-cassis cabernet sauvignon. On palate Braided Gravels is not one of the big wines. It is more on a par with Brokenstone maybe, but the razor-sharp varietal definition is clearer than that wine, where oak confuses things slightly. Like Coleraine, Braided Gravels wins points on its sheer beauty, rather than size. Winestyle is more fragrant soft Saint-Emilion than Pomerol, even though it 'should' be the other way round (on cepage).

In Ngakirikiri and Braided Gravels, Villa Maria and New Zealand have a spell-binding and textbook-quality illustration of the enchanting similarities and differences between cabernet sauvignon and merlot. I don't think a better matched pair has ever been made in New Zealand, if varietal accuracy is the criterion. The Sacred pair are good, but they are oakier and the cepage more diverse. Perhaps there have been Craggy pairings, in years they make The Quarry, but again oak and cepage complications make things not as crystal clear as the Villa two. These two wines speak volumes for the admirably sensitive approach new chief winemaker Nick Picone is bringing to Villa Maria wines, both in picking at pinpoint ripeness where florality is optimal, and then raising the wines with infinitely more care in oak, so that the variety has full expression. All students and lovers of cabernet and merlot in New Zealand need a case each of these two definitive wines, Ngakirikiri and Braided Gravels. Yes, that will cost, but for people truly interested in wine, they will be an investment. They will serve to benchmark tastings for years to come. Cellar Braided Gravels for a shorter time than Ngakirikiri, 5 – 20 years. GK 06/15

2013 Villa Maria Merlot Braided Gravels Single Vineyard Organic 19 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $60 [ screwcap; DFB; Me 100%, all hand-picked from c.12-year old vines planted at 2,775 vines / ha and cropped @ c.6 t/ha = 2.4 t/ac; cuvaison 21 – 28 days, cultured-yeast; MLF in barrel; 18 months in French oak c.35% new; RS 0.24 g/L; not sterile-filtered; production around 250 x 9-L cases ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, clearly above midway in depth. Great excitement in this glass, once the identifications became apparent: the Braided Gravels Merlot is starting to sing. There is a beautiful dusky merlot florality now a little more apparent, which is going to be wonderfully exciting to watch in the evolution of this wine. The bouquet suggests darkest red roses and port-wine magnolia, and maybe violets. Below is dense bottled black doris plum fruit, and suggestions of blueberry and trace cassis, just delightful, though (naturally) not quite so aromatic as the cabernet-led Tom 2013. Palate also is starting to unfold, revealing signs of the promise I outlined in my initial reviews of the wine last year. Villa Maria have some sensational wines out of the 2013 vintage. Their wines will be slow to reveal themselves under screwcap, however. This is a wine to secure by the case (of 12), as a first-class Hawkes Bay Merlot. Given the price now being asked for 2013 Tom, its $60 release price looks more than appealing. Cellar 10 – 25 years. GK 06/16

2004 Guigal Condrieu 19 (

)

Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $76 [ cork; 33% BF in new French oak, 67% s/s, 100% MLF; dry; 2004 exceptional for whites in the northern Rhone; www.guigal.com ]
Lemonstraw. First sniff shows gorgeous yellow florals in a honeysuckle style, leading into clear-cut canned apricots though with the thought of cherimoya too, lightly aromatic, infinitely enticing. Palate immediately reveals a subtle oak component, and the MLF input, giving the wine a breadth of body not so apparent in most New Zealand examples. The flavour is pure canned apricots, slight phenolics giving grip and great length to the flavour, dry. It is good to see Guigal backing off a little on the oak the wines showed to excess over the last few years, which now lets the grape shine through more clearly. Not a big wine when compared with something like Yalumba’s Virgilius, but superbly focused, fresh and varietal. This is the best Guigal straight village viognier in years: it reflects exactly the style we should be aiming for in New Zealand. Cellar 2 - 4 years. GK 08/06

2004 Craggy Range Syrah Le Sol 19 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $80 [ cork; Sy 100% cropped @ c. 2.75 t/ac; hand-harvested, 95% de-stemmed, 5% whole-bunch; fermented in open oak cuves with wild yeast; 21 months in 65% new French oak, no fining, minimal filtration; Craggy wines are not entered in NZ judgings, but like Te Mata, they do enter overseas semi-judgings. Robert Parker reviewed the 2002 thus: One of the finest reds I have ever tasted from New Zealand is the 2002 Le Sol (300 cases of 100% Syrah), which boasts tremendous freshness, concentration, and intensity. It reveals the acidity and definition of a top-notch northern Rhone as well as tremendous presence on the palate as well as remarkable elegance and precision. All of Syrah's characteristics â€“ smoke, licorice, pepper, blackberries, and currants â€“ are present in this beautifully knit, pure, concentrated 2002. Kudos to winemaker Steve Smith. 94; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a magnificent colour, the deepest on the table. Bouquet is intense, the richest of all the wines, but perhaps not the most complex. The fruit is riper than nearly all the others, more bottled black doris plums, but still with black pepper spicy complexity and clear varietal character. At this stage the oak is a bit loud. Palate is velvety rich, and there is no doubt the fruit is amply sufficient to marry up the oak in 5 â€“ 10 years time. Flavour is saturated with berry, some cassis now showing, and blueberry as well as dark plums, long on fruit and oak. Despite its power, from memory this is a subtler wine than the 2002, a little more aromatic, and thus even closer to the Hermitage style than the 2002. If size and power are important to you, this may rate higher than the Vidal Reserve, but le Sol does not have quite the complexity. It will be great to see this bottle in 10 years, for this too is exceptional New Zealand red wine. Cellar 5 â€“ 20 years. GK 11/06

2009 Craggy Range Syrah Le Sol 19 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $110 [ cork 50mm; release price $95; Sy 100%, hand-harvested @ c.5 t/ha (2 t/ac); 100% de-stemmed; inoculated, cuvaison c. 24 days; MLF and 20 months in French oak 39% new; sterile-filtered; N Martin @ R Parker, 2011: What a gorgeous Syrah this is. New Zealand’s finest? Quite possibly. It is taciturn at first, so I give it an hour in the decanter and boy, does it repay you. Pure blackcurrant, cassis and boysenberry on the nose that seems to have been sculpted by winemaker Steve Smith, piece by piece. The palate is beautifully balanced, primal with exquisite blackberry, blueberry and cassis, perfect acidity with a refined, composed finish that can only leave you with a grin on your face. Heavenly: 96; M Cooper, 2013: … deeply coloured and already highly approachable. It has a fragrant, spicy, slightly nutty bouquet. Dense and smooth, with highly concentrated cassis, plum and black pepper flavours, braced by ripe supple tannins, it should unfold well over the next decade: *****; weight bottle and closure: 955 g; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a good syrah colour, the third deepest wine. Bouquet epitomises fragrant, dark-berry, aromatic new-world syrah grown in a temperate climate, showing nearly floral (darkest roses) aromas, fresh trace black pepper, dark cassisy berry, exciting. Palate is rich, wonderfully soft, but neither low tannin nor low acid, just perfect wine balance. Aftertaste is long, beautifully varietal on the cassis and black pepper, sustained. This is a lovely wine. Two people rated it their second favourite wine. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 09/16

2005 Domaine Mongeard-Mugneret Echezeaux 19 (

)

Vosne-Romanée Grand Cru, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: – %; $120 [ cork; vine age 25 – 60 years; wine-searcher valuation $338; www.mongeard.com ]
Great vintage and absolutely outstanding wine. Well-balanced with cellaring potential. Clear, jewel-bright garnet, paling at rim. Attractive and fragrant nose with rose florality, pencil shavings, vanilla nougat, dried cherries, strawberries and violets. Very elegant. Dry and complex on the palate, high acidity and tight structure with low tannins and long length. Palate has flavours of dried rose petals, cocoa powder and well-integrated hints of oak barrel. Vibrant and refined. RD 08/16

2007 Te Mata Chardonnay Elston 19 (

)

Havelock North district mostly, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $39 [ supercritical cork; hand-harvested; 100% BF, MLF, LA and c. 9 months in French oak c. 50% new; < 2 g/L residual; www.temata.co.nz ]
Pale lemon. Bouquet is vividly chardonnay, but taut, understated, totally undemonstrative, a wine tightly in bud, needing a year to start to open. At this stage, there are clean citric-edged white stonefruits, a touch of oatmeal and cashew lees-autolysis complexity, plus some oak-derived aromatics, all evident on bouquet. Palate simply wraps these aromas in flesh, all extraordinarily pure, refreshing acid, fair body, total Puligny-Montrachet in style. Comparing this wine alongside the very good 2006 Penfolds Hyland wine, which has won gold medals in major Australian shows, there is no contrast. The Elston has a complexity, succulence, and texture free from added acid, which is exemplary, comparable only with fine burgundy. Not having a complete vertical in front of me, I cannot be dogmatic: nonetheless, this is probably at least equal to the best Elston so far. Try and leave your case untouched for one year. Cellar 2 – 10 years. GK 03/08

2009 Trinity Hill Syrah Homage 19 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $124 [ cork 49mm; release price $120; hand-picked at about 2.5 t/ha (1 t/ac) from Sy 98%, mostly Limmer clone, 2 Vi, vine ages 1994 and 2001; the grapes de-stemmed, lightly crushed to leave whole berries; shortish cuvaison; MLF commenced in tank, completed in barrel, c.15 months in French oak mostly new, some lees stirring, not a lot of racking; J Robinson, 2011: Another ridiculously heavy bottle from the land of greens. Now this is serious on the nose - I'm tempted to make comparisons with Hermitage here! Great intensity and lovely silky texture but serious depth. Bravo! This is very clever, because it could be enjoyed already and yet it clearly has one heck of a long way to go. Meaty, dense and manly - a great lesson in the Syrahness of Syrah. Lipsmackingly good. Luscious texture: 18; Lisa Perrotti-Brown @ R Parker, 2011: The 2009 Gimblett Gravels Homage Syrah offers ripe, pure blackberry and blueberry aromas with underlying notes of peppercorns, baking spices, earth, tree bark and mulberries. Medium bodied and taut in the mouth, the muscular blackberry and earth flavors are well supported by a firm level of fine grained tannins and crisp acidity. The finish is long and savory. Drink it 2012 through 2018+: 92; M Cooper, 2012: Densely coloured and floral, it has lovely mouthfeel and harmony, with substantial body, concentrated blackcurrant, plum, spice, liquorice and pepper flavours, gentle tannins, and a flowing, finely textured finish: *****; weight bottle and closure: 1042 g; www.trinityhill.com ]
Ruby and some velvet, both lighter and older than the same-year Le Sol, in fact the second to lightest wine. One sniff and the difference between these two benchmark wines is obvious. Le Sol is fresh, vibrant and new-world in style, whereas Homage is mellower, softer, more floral, much more European. Here there are the wallflower florals of great Hermitage, above cassisy berry now browning a little relative to the 2009 Le Sol. Palate is simply great syrah from Hermitage, at a lesser price than many. This is classic syrah in a very complex handling, all kinds of savoury tastes as well as browning cassis, yet long, soft and lovely. Interestingly, nobody rated this their top or second wine, and three had it as their least wine. I wondered if we in the New World are becoming too habituated to squeaky-clean high-tech wines, such as the Australian wine industry favours, wines which sometimes lack vinosity. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 09/16

2015 Greywacke Wild Sauvignon 19 (

)

Wairau Valley mostly, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $37 [ screwcap; fruit from both Southern Valleys and Wairau Plains, a little Awatere the last year or two, mix of hand-pick and machine, at roughly 9 – 10 t/ha = 3.6 – 4 t/ac; no SO2 at press, no skin contact, only the lightest pressings used, all juice cold-settled then into barrels, 93% older oak (up to 9 years), 7% new (light toast); long wild-yeast fermentations quite warm initially, usually extending to 11 – 12 months, occasionally longer, MLF typically 66% but ranging from 50 – 75% of barrels; the wine then assembled in s/s with full lees and held 6 or so months; RS 3 – 3.5 g/L, total dry extract 21.2 g/ L; sterile-filtered to bottle; Wild has now grown to 25% of all Greywacke sauvignon; www.greywacke.com ]
Lemongreen, the second palest, but it does not look weak. This wine is about to be released. It is still a little gawky, the oak noticeable, no floral harmony evolved yet awhile. There is a fresh edge, but picking up a glass idly, again you could easily think it chardonnay, on bouquet. Palate immediately changes that, beautifully rich stone fruit, a sweet basil edge, MLF a little more noticeable at this early stage, perhaps because all the fruit gives the impression of being a little riper this year. Aftertaste does not confirm the thought of oak on bouquet, so expect this wine to harmonise wonderfully with another 12 – 18 months in bottle. Cellar 8 – 12 years. GK 05/17

2004 Craggy Range Syrah Le Sol 19 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $85 [ cork; Sy 100% cropped @ c. 2.75 t/ac; hand-harvested, 95% de-stemmed; fermented in open oak cuves with wild yeast; 21 months in 65% new French oak, no fining, minimal filtration; rave reviews in NZ. Wine Spectator only overseas to hand: "Streamlined and fragrant, with a medley of peppercorn, dark chocolate and black plum flavors. Fresh herb accents, toasty oak and racy tannins highlight the firm finish, which should soften with a year in bottle. To 2011. 91"; winemakers Doug Wisor, Rod Easthope and Steve Smith; www.craggyrange.com ]
Dense ruby and velvet, nearly carmine, one of the lighter wines amongst the Australians, but the deepest of the New Zealand ones. This along with the other New Zealand wines is distinctive in the tasting, showing dianthus-related but dark florals, piquant black pepper, and delightfully rich cassis grading through to darker fruits. It reflects the syrah phase of the syrah / shiraz equation, at a very ripe Hermitage-level of ripeness. Palate builds dark plum fruit onto the cassis, subtle oak, good richness and mouthfeel, a little alcoholic but totally dry. This is an impressive syrah in a slightly massive sur-maturité winestyle, but still retaining its cool-climate syrah credentials. It is now more integrated than in my earlier reviews, but is not ageing unduly. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 12/07

2009 Neudorf Chardonnay Moutere 19 (

)

Moutere Hills, Nelson, New Zealand: 13.5%; $55 [ screwcap; hand-picked from the Home Vineyard near the winery, clone mendoza, average vine age 25 years; whole-bunch pressed, minimal settling; 100% wild-yeast and 100% barrel-ferment not cooled and 100% MLF; 12 months in French oak up to 30% new plus older oak to 5 years, batonnage as needed; pH 3.26, RS 1.7 g/l; not sterile-filtered; not entered in Shows; www.neudorf.co.nz ]
Lemonstraw, perfectly in the middle for hue and depth. Bouquet attractively illustrates chardonnay made mealy by barrel-ferment and extended lees-autolysis, not quite as markedly so as the Elston and therefore a little more new world in style. But even on bouquet, there is the gratifying suspicion this wine is rich and complex. Palate confirms that wonderfully, with mealy and cashew nut complexities a delight, the body and flesh including golden queen peach stonefruit all sensational. Acid balance is refreshing, oaking is to a restrained maximum but on balance not excessive, the length of flavour and concentration in mouth really exciting. The wine hints at Corton-Charlemagne, and its moderate alcohol reinforces that thought – great. In another two years this wine should be mellowing into a great chardonnay, cellar 3 – 8 years or longer, if you like old chardonnay. GK 03/12

2013 Villa Maria Syrah Reserve 19 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $49 [ screwcap; original price $60; Sy 100%, mostly machine-picked @ c.5.8 t/ha = 2.3 t/ac; cuvaison 21 – 28 days, no whole-bunch component, cultured-yeast; 17 months in French oak 35% new, with MLF in barrel; no overseas reviews found; Cooper, 2016: Highly fragrant ... very concentrated, youthful and silky, with pure, vibrant plum and black-pepper flavours, a hint of liquorice, finely integrated oak, and notable complexity and depth. Best drinking 2017+, *****; Cuisine, 2015: A superb Hawke's Bay/Gimblett Gravels syrah ... intense and freshly aromatic with purple fruits, florals and exotic spices. In the mouth it has admirable power. A plush core of dense, brooding syrah fruit has wonderful persistence, and smoothly integrated, fine, ripe tannins back things up harmoniously, *****; dry extract 31.8; production 650 x 9-litre cases; weight bottle and closure: 565 g; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, clearly the deepest and freshest wine in the set. Bouquet is youthful and almost awkward alongside the Bullnose, yet all the components are there: dianthus and carnations florals, cassis and bottled black doris plums, black pepper and new French oak. It is just unknit. Impact in mouth is colossal, simply a wall of cassisy berry-fruit which saturates the tongue, black pepper again, then the oak still almost totally unintegrated. Like the Airavata, you can clearly see the wonderful dry extract rating of 31.8 g/L on the long, textured, almost thick (in the best sense) aftertaste. Like the top two wines, purity in this wine is phenomenal. I fully expect this Villa Maria Reserve to match or surpass the top two in 10 and particularly 20 years time, and unlike the top two, its styling is uncompromisingly Hermitage. The British winewriters who persist in their condescending assessment of New Zealand syrah as matching Crozes-Hermitage, obviously never set up rigorously blind tastings with both winemakers participating, and wines from the appellation to be compared alongside, in the way these two tastings were designed and executed. Two people rated the Villa their top wine of the evening, and one their second. It can be confidently cellared 10 – 30 years, more likely 40 years, under screwcap. GK 06/17

2006 Escarpment Pinot Noir Voyager Single Vineyard 19 (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.9%; $65 [ supercritical cork; Insight Series; hand-harvested from 25-year old clone 10/5; fermented in cuves, 19 days cuvaison including cold-soak; 12 months in French oak 30% new; dry extract 30.2 g/L, RS <1 g/L; 200 cases; www.escarpment.co.nz ]
Big pinot noir ruby, but appropriate, the lightest of the Escarpments. Bouquet is simply sensational. Here is an antipodean expression of pinot noir immediately ready to take its place alongside some grand cru Cote de Nuits burgundies. It is not as floral as Te Rehua (also in McKenna's Insight Series) but it balances that by being rounder, mellower, showing deeper dusky red roses and violets on midnight-soft fragrant fruit. Florals carry right on through the black cherry fruit, suffusing the entire palate with the fragrant magic of fine burgundy. Oak is perfectly in balance to the fruit richness, and the percentage of new is sufficient to spice the wine and augment the bouquet, without dominating. This Voyager is arguably the greatest pinot noir so far made in New Zealand. Larry McKenna has been thinking deeply about pinot noir in New Zealand for a full 23 vintages now, and it shows. Many regard him as the champion New Zealand pinot maker. And other, greedier, producers might like to note the $65 pricing on this wine – no trophy-wine pretensions here. There are 200 cases. Buy as much as you can afford, and cellar 3 – 15 years. GK 03/08

2005 Cloudy Bay [ Sauvignon Blanc ] Te Koko 19 (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $41 [ screwcap; grapes night-harvested @ 4 t/ac; BF with wild yeasts in French oak with a low percentage new, a slow ferment continued to mid-Dec. '05., some MLF; continued LA in barrel till Nov. '06 – a total of 19 months; www.cloudybay.co.nz ]
Having enthused about this wine before, and with the 2006 to hand, this seemed another case where it was very desirable to put the 2005 in again as a kind of yardstick, as with the Riflemans in the chardonnays. The wine is still youthful and fresh, the MLF at a perfect maximum for both the variety (for sauvignon does not take happily to this fermentation) and the winestyle, the wine piquant and (sort-of) varietal in an elaborated succulent way. Te Koko has become a marvellous and pioneering alternative rendering of sauvignon, and is essential tasting. See previous review, 5/08. Cellar 2 – 8 years. GK 04/09

2005 Drouhin le Chambertin 19 (

)

Gevrey-Chambertin Grand Cru, Burgundy, France: 13%; $414 [ cork; the cork is branded Clos de Beze, so a point of interest as to which Chambertin this is – Chambertin Clos de Beze immediately adjoins, both being at the top of the slope); hand-picked @ c. 1.8 t/ac; fermentation in wooden cuves, up to 18 days cuvaison; MLF and up to 24 months in French oak 100% new; www.drouhin.com ]
Good pinot noir ruby, above halfway, close to the Amoureuses, absolutely classic for the variety. Bouquet is different on this wine, the first impression being a similar glacé red cherry note to the Bonnes-Mares, but with a ratio of new oak which is the boldest in the set. More closely examined, the floral component is red rose and boronia, the fruit is cherry through and through, red grading to black, the volume of pure fruit delightful. In mouth, this is a bigger wine than those around it, but the weight of the fruit component compared with (say) the Amoureuses is masked by the oak. This really does need time to unfold, for it is almost tannic now. Exciting wine, to cellar 10 – 30 years. GK 12/07

2013 Villa Maria Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot Reserve 19 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $50 [ screwcap; CS 75%, Me 25, from c.14-year old vines planted at 3,125 vines / ha; 18 months in French oak c.30% new; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, another ‘perfect’ young claret colour, the fourth deepest. At five years of age, these top Hawkes Bay / NZ reds are just starting to blossom. The complexity of bouquet, its subtlety, and its precise bordeaux styling with fruit ahead of oak, are all glorious. Like 2013 Ngakirikiri, there is clear-cut cassis, but the soft floral component here is greater, reflecting the merlot content. Flavours in mouth are still taut and youthful, oak showing a little more now, seemingly not quite as rich as Ngakirikiri. This too is wonderful wine, to cellar 15 – 25 years, though it will hold longer. GK 03/18

1996 Bollinger RD Extra Brut 19 (

)

Ay, Champagne, France: 12%; $336 [ cork; PN 70%, Ch 30; some BF in primary fermentation; no MLF; secondary fermentation under cork; en tirage 10 + years, disgorged 10/07; dosage 3 – 4 g/L; a pity there is no back-vintage info on the website; current vintage price in NZ c.$450; www.champagne-bollinger.fr ]
Straw, the second deepest, initially a worry. But like the Churchill, this too shows an extraordinary depth of benchmark lees-autolysis on high-pinot noir fruit. Again there is no trace of aldehyde it would be reasonable to mention, just great flavour development plus noticeably higher acid. It is not quite as fresh and magic as the Churchill, there is a trace more biscuit complexity, but you need them alongside each other, to even think that. This might not cellar quite as gracefully as Churchill, on the acid, but there is no hurry. Unlike Krug, Bollinger illustrates how oak should be used in champagne elevation. The richness conceals a low dosage, say 4 g/L. GK 11/14

2005 Church Road Merlot / Cabernet Tom [ preview ] 19 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $120 [ cork; DFB; Me 65%, CS 35, all hand-picked at c. 2.5 t/ac from 6-year old vines; cuvaison 3 weeks for the CS component, 4 weeks for Me; no BF; 22 months in French oak c. 85% new, no lees stirring; not fined, coarse filter only; RS < 0.1 g/L; 200 cases only; release date late '09 probably, not yet confirmed so wine not on website; Catalogue: TOM is the very best Bordeaux blend we can produce, and is only made in exceptional vintages. Tom can be Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot predominant depending on the season, with lesser amounts of Malbec and Cabernet Franc sometimes playing a role. TOM is a dense, powerful and complex red wine, with a backbone of fine textured tannin that helps ensure excellent cellaring potential; Awards: 94/100 Robert Parker.com. ‘Outstanding Bordeaux inspired wine that would out-inspire many a Bordeaux’; www.churchroad.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, good density. The quality and volume of bouquet is extraordinary, combining dark rose / violets floral qualities with now-beautifully-integrated cassis, dark plum, dark tobacco and cedar, which is total classed-growth Bordeaux. The harmony of the wine is superb, alongside which many new world cab / merlots seem merely an admixture of berry, fruit, oak and alcohol. In mouth, the wine now seems lighter and fresher than the 2006 Church Road Reserve, and more aromatic, closer to the Esk Valley Reserve. I do not mean it is weaker, instead it has the delicacy and poise of great Medoc whereas the Church Road is more in a darker east-bank style. And there is a complexity of flavour beating all the others. People looking for sheer brawn in their wines as a measure of quality, as in so many highly-touted Australian cabernet blends, and therefore by definition almost less familiar with classed Bordeaux, may find this 2005 Tom understated. That is fantastic: every inch we can achieve which takes us more closely towards the classic Bordeaux model, and further from the American-influenced Australian one, is the measure of quality and difference in our wines we need to captivate the European market. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 07/09

2005 Blake Family Vineyards [ Merlot / Cabernet ] Redd Gravels 19 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.1%; $75 [ cork; Me 40%, CS 30, CF 30; average vine age 5 years; 100% new French barriques for 18 months; 298 cases; Halliday: Very good colour; medium bodied, but complex; good balance of cassis, blackcurrant and redcurrant fruits backed by subtle tannins and integrated oak; long finish and after taste; GK: 19 +; this wine was referred to as: '2005 Blake Family Vineyard Merlot / Cabernet' in the Dec. 2007 review. The name 'Redd' alludes to the proprietor's interest in trout fishing, which first brought him to New Zealand, and introduced him to the Ngaruroro River. Reflecting on the quality of the current gravels in the river for trout spawning, combined with the quality of older now-dryland phases of the same gravels for viticulture, led to the name, which combines two of the passions in Mark Blake's life; www.bfvwine.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, above midway in density. Freshly opened the wine has an aromatic quality on bouquet which is quite exotic, hinting at lemon balm. It quickly marries down into an intensely cassisy wine like The Gimblett, yet richer, moving towards Sophia. Palate is magical, the best points of both wines, wonderfully berry-rich and aromatic, the oak showing a little much at this stage. It is completely in a ripe-year Bordeaux style, Margaux-like (district) maybe, but with more immaculate winemaking than many. Halliday described this as: one of the great wines in the line up. In the 'Evolution' article referred to in the introductory text, I have discussed the unfortunate loss of then-proprietor Mark Blake to New Zealand winemaking. Cellar 10 – 25 years. GK 10/08

2007 Te Mata [ Cabernets / Merlot ] Coleraine 19 (

)

Havelock Hills, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $72 [ cork – superb 55 mm costing c. $2 each; hand-harvested CS 52%, Me 34, CF 14; extended cuvaison; average vine age 20 + years; 20 months in French oak 75% new; www.temata.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a classic youthful claret colour, fractionally deeper and clearly younger than the 2005, but not a huge wine. Bouquet is sweetly floral, more floral than 2007 Craggy Range Sophia, with great cassisy berry reflecting the higher cabernet percentage, still very primary alongside the 2005. Palate is delightfully fleshy for a high-cabernet wine, every bit as good as the 2005 and probably better in the long run, with wonderfully subtle and integrated cedary oak. These two Coleraines are reminiscent of the before-their-time '82 and '83 wines, but now exhibiting more finesse, ripeness, richness and technical control. The Margaux analogy is even more apposite here. They show exactly why British winewriters increasingly say the best Hawkes Bay cabernet / merlot is the closest competitor Bordeaux has. Cellar either of these wines with great confidence for 10 – 20 + years, and open them only for people who appreciate fine wines sculpted in a classical style. Even so, that means buying two cases, to have only one bottle a year over their cellar-life (less than 20 years north of Taupo). Coming back to the wine at the re-tasting against notes stage, it is the best Coleraine ever, I think. Dry extract seems greater than the 2005. The whole wine is in a much more classical and understated Bordeaux / Medoc style than the matching blend 2007 Craggy Range The Quarry. Good too that Te Mata have reduced their price c.7% on their 2007 range, reflecting current economic vicissitudes. VALUE GK 03/09

2007 Felton Road Pinot Noir Calvert 19 (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $65 [ screwcap; several clones hand-harvested at varying yields not above 1.6 t/ac; up to 32% whole-bunch in some batches; up to 9 days cold-soak, cuvaison up to 23 days, all wild yeast; MLF also wild and 13 months in French oak c. 26% new; no fining or filtration; winemaker Blair Walter considers: 'The 2007 Pinot Noirs are wines of unmatched concentration and rich complexity without losing any purity or finesse. They combine the ripeness of the 06’s with the concentration of the 05’s adding a certain extra magic that is unique to this vintage. In short we see them as landmark wines'; introduction to the Calvert concept 25 Nov 2008; www.feltonroad.com ]
Big pinot noir ruby, on a par with the 2007 Block 5, perhaps fractionally the deepest of the Feltons. This wine shows wonderfully explicit pinot characters, even more deeply floral than the standard Felton, yet with the same dark cherry fruit, all a little more aromatic as if the percentage of new oak were slightly higher than the standard wine. The richness of black cherry fruit on the somewhat firm palate (at this stage) is exhilarating. It will be exciting to see if these subtle differences are maintained as the wines soften with age over 3, 5 and 8 years. Great New Zealand pinot, to cellar 5 – 12 years, maybe 15. GK 03/09

2013 Elephant Hill [ Cabernet Sauvignon / Malbec / Merlot ] Hieronymus 19 (

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Gimblett Gravels (CS), Triangle (Me & Ma), Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $81 [ cork, 50mm; DFB; original price $90; CS 60%, Ma 21, Me 19, hand-picked from c.13-year old vines planted at 2,525 vines / ha and cropped @ 3.6 – 5 t/ha = 1.4 – 2 t/ac; cuvaison c.21 days, cultured-yeast; wild-MLF in barrel; 19 months in French oak c.75% new; RS nil; sterile-filtered; dry extract 29.7 g/L; no overseas reviews; Chan, 2015: a nose of ripe blackcurrants, cassis liqueur and blackberry fruit, along with suggestions of sweet black plums, melded with iron-earth and black minerals, and some spicy oak toast nuances. Medium-full bodied, the fruit flavours of ripe blackcurrants and blackberries are plush, sweet and vibrant with excellent freshness and vitality ... extraction and concentration are impressive, but the tannins very fine-grained … a very long, lingering finish, 20; Cooper, 2017: … mouthfilling, with ripe sweet-fruit characters and highly concentrated plum, spice, blackcurrant and coffee flavours. Lush and approachable in its youth, it should flourish for a decade, *****; production 201 x 9-litre cases; weight bottle and closure: 577 g; ; www.elephanthill.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, in the middle for depth of colour, one of the freshest. Right from opening, this wine has an exhilarating floral component evoking violets and darkest roses, as well as cassis and berry. This is another wine to be so fresh and vibrant as to be mouth-watering – on the berry quality. Wines from hotter climates simply cannot achieve this magical aromatic berry quality. This is why the best Hawkes Bay and Waiheke Island reds will have the capability to match the fine classed growths of Bordeaux. On palate despite the risky percentage of malbec (if absolute elegance is the goal, compare with The Terraces) the beauty of perfectly ripe berry-fruit continues, with supporting oak never dominating. Tannins are ripe, acid fractionally soft maybe. The wine is still very youthful, like the Larose, but is on track to become a wonderful bottle of wine, Medoc-style. Two people rated this their top wine of the evening, and three their second. Cellar 10 – 40 years. GK 06/17

2013 Te Mata Syrah Bullnose 19 (

)

Bridge Pa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $50 [ cork 45mm; 3 clones of syrah hand-harvested, 100% de-stemmed; extended cuvaison; 15 months in French oak some new; RS nil; www.temata.co.nz ]
Beautiful ruby with a flush of velvet and carmine, below midway in depth. One sniff of this, and New Zealand syrah has never seemed so beautiful, so fragrant, and so totally Cote Rotie in style. Because of Guigal's oak practices, masterly though they are as alluded to in the Tom review, nonetheless the model for this wine is Yves Cuilleron's Cote Rotie Terres Sombres, rather than a Guigal wine. The depth of dark red carnations, port-wine magnolia and rose florals on this wine is spectacular, behind which is aromatic cassisy berry. These attributes epitomise syrah varietal character at pinpoint optimal ripeness. Flavours in mouth just expand the bouquet, a wine of supreme quality. It is not the richest wine, but it seems richer than the Te Mata norm, and the flavour persists wonderfully, on berry. You could argue this is the most beautiful syrah so far made in New Zealand, noting that syrah like pinot noir is about beauty rather more than size, heft or power. Those for whom only size and weight in the wine matter, will mock the notion that 2013 Bullnose can be scored the same as 2013 Tom. It is remarkably accessible already. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 07/16

2013 Trinity Hill Syrah Homage 19 (

)

Gimblett Gravels mostly, a little Roy's Hill, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.1%; $120 [ cork 50mm; DFB; Sy 98.7%, fermented on skins only of Vi 1.3%, hand-picked @ 5 t/ha = 2 t/ac; no cold-soak, cuvaison averaged 28 days (though one batch 56 days) with 30% whole-bunches retained; 12 months in French oak c.53% new; production 556 x 9-L cases; www.trinityhill.com ]
Ruby and velvet, a flush of carmine, just below midway in depth. Oh, how this 2013 Homage is coming together ! It still has quite a long way to go, but it is transformed from a year ago. It is now really floral, wallflowers and dark roses, on cassisy berry with suggestions of black pepper, bottled plums, and blueberries too. And the oaking is magical, nearly invisible, yet wonderfully shaping the bouquet. Palate is more aromatic than Bullnose, more black pepper, more dark florals, perhaps richer fruit and less oak. Of these three top wines, this will in five years be the most compellingly varietal, I suspect. Naturally, varietal exactitude does not necessarily make great wine. In the other two, their elevation (even though emphatic in Tom) seems a more important part of their greatness. Cellar 5 – 20 years, and it will be different every year. What a great wine achievement. GK 07/16

2017 Valli Pinot Noir Gibbston 19 (

)

Gibbston, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $70 [ screwcap; hand-harvested @ 3.4 t/ha (1.4 t/ac) from 17-year old vines (a mix of Davis and Dijon clones); ferments include a 20% whole-bunch component, cuvaison 24 days; 11 months in French oak 32% new, the balance first-and second-year; not fined or filtered; growing season c.900 GDD; production 715 x 9-litre cases; exemplary website, both for current technical information, and previous vintages; www.valliwine.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, the deepest of the pinots, deeper than the 2016 Esk Valley Syrah. Bouquet has exquisite pinot noir florals capturing exactly the darker faces of pinot noir seen in parts of the Cote de Nuits: violets, lilac, dusky red roses, but all clearly even fresher and more floral than the Valli Bendigo. Palate is fresher than the Bendigo too, seeming lighter, with the florality continuing right into the palate – a wonderfully rare and desirable attribute in fine pinot noir. This will become even more apparent as the wine ages. There is a freshness, suppleness and charm in this wine reflecting great pinot noir, with critically less new oak than the Valli Bannockburn – wonderful. It is clearly a cooler wine than the Bendigo (note the GDD), but both are beautiful. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 06/19

2002 Villa Maria Merlot Reserve 19 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $40 [ screwcap; Me 85%, Ma 10, CS 5; hand-harvested, hand-plunged open-top fermenters, extended cuvaison; c. 18 months in new French oak; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, deeper and fresher than the Kingsley Cabernet / Malbec. If anyone ever doubted that fine merlot can be floral and smell of violets, they should take a sniff of the glorious bouquet on this wine. I admit there is a little pennyroyal and oak backup. On palate the wine is fabulously rich, total bottled black Doris plums, wonderful velvety tannins, a hint of desiccated coconut, quite remarkable. Dry extract on this wine must be over 30 g/L. Cellar 10 – 15 years. GK 12/04

2013 Elephant Hill Cabernet Sauvignon / Malbec / Merlot Hieronymus * 19 (

)

Gimblett Gravels (CS), Triangle (Me & Ma), Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $90 [ cork 50mm; DFB; CS 60%, Ma 21, Me 19, hand-picked from c.13-year old vines planted at 2,525 vines / ha and cropped @ 3.6 – 5 t/ha = 1.4 – 2 t/ac; cuvaison c.21 days, cultured-yeast; wild-MLF in barrel; 19 months in French oak c.75% new; RS nil; sterile-filtered; dry extract 29.7 g/L; production 201 x 9-L cases; release date March 2016; pre-release tasting bottles courtesy Steve Skinner; www.elephanthill.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a glorious colour, among the deepest. Bouquet is wonderfully aromatic, clean, and fresh, reminiscent of a young Ch Montrose (in a way), deepest berry notes and violets. The depth of berry, coupled with perfect ripeness retaining full aromatics and freshness, yet with no hint of leafyness or stalks, is West-Bank Bordeaux at its best. It is more fragrant, and suppler, than the other high-malbec wine, The Patriarch. Arguably (or in principle) it would be a finer or even more subtle wine without malbec, but in this season, with appropriate ripeness even in that difficult grape, it does not let the wine down. It is one of the bigger wines on the table, and in its aromatic Medoc styling showing beautiful ripeness and real richness (also clearly over 30 g/L dry extract), it is very good indeed. Cellar 10 – 35 years, perhaps longer, with great anticipation. GK 05/15

2013 Elephant Hill Syrah Airavata 19 (

)

Gimblett Gravels 65%, Te Awanga 35%, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $90 [ cork 50mm; Sy 98.7%, Vi 1.3, co-fermented where possible; all hand-picked from vines of average age 13 years planted at c.2,525 vines / ha and cropped variously between c.3.7 and c.5.8 t/ha (1.5 and 2.3 t/ac); on average 4 days cold-soak, 6 ferments experimenting with whole-bunch component blended into Airavata, average for finished wine probably 25% whole-bunch; cuvaison averaged 14 days, all cultured-yeast; wild-MLF always in barrel; 18 months in oak c.40% new; RS nil; sterile-filtered to bottle; dry extract 31.9 g/L; production 273 x 9-L cases; release date March 2016, pre-release tasting bottles courtesy Steve Skinner; www.elephanthill.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, wonderful freshness and density, the deepest and richest colour in the set. Bouquet is extraordinary, incredibly rich, fragrant but not exactly floral (yet), much cassis, darkest plum, some blueberry, plus at this stage rather much oak vanillin. It smells very young. The world changes when you taste it. Immediately there is a velvety concentration of fresh aromatic berryfruit of a depth and mouthfeel not previously achieved in New Zealand syrah. Flavours like aromas are youthful in the extreme, tending oaky at this pre-release stage, and it is hard to penetrate the wine. But there is no escaping the richness, concentration and texture of this dark plum and cassis-laden palate. It seems the richest wine on the table, and the dry extract at 31.9 g/L later confirms that is likely to be the case, being of a quality rarely achieved. It is the highest measured in the syrah bracket, noting that few have been measured. Yet the wine is not at all 'heavy', in any sensory way. This wine is all promise at this stage, everything is there except obvious florality. I fully expect the bouquet to develop surprisingly in bottle, like the Villa Maria. The whole wine will gradually unfold, and in five years will almost certainly score higher. In the Regional Wines tasting, four people rated this the top wine, at the blind stage. This is a syrah to ensure you secure literally a lifetime supply. It should cellar for 10 – 25 and maybe 35 years. It will be referred to for years to come, as a benchmark New Zealand syrah. GK 05/15

2013 Sacred Hill Cabernets / Merlot Helmsman 19 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $74 [ cork 46mm; CS 50%, Me 35, CF 15, hand-picked from c.13-year old vines planted at 3,333 vines / ha and cropped @ 7 t/ha = 2.8 t/ac; cuvaison 30 – 40 days, mostly wild-yeast; MLF mostly in tank; 20 months in French oak c.60% new; RS <2 g/L, all unfermentable; sterile-filtered; dry extract not measured; production not disclosed; release date August 2015; pre-release tasting bottles courtesy Tony Bish; www.sacredhill.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, right in the middle for depth. Bouquet is fascinating alongside Brokenstone, clearly showing the aromatic cassis-led character of a high-cabernet sauvignon wine, and equally clearly in the Medoc camp. As with all the top wines, the purity is marvellous. Here however the oak is showing a little more than some, but the fruit is there for it all to marry up, with time. It will become gloriously rich and cedary with some years in bottle. Helmsman has as much cabernet franc as Coleraine, but its character does not show through now, in comparison with that much prettier wine. Helmsman is a sturdier wine, closer to the Villa Cabernet / Merlot in style, markedly richer than Coleraine, another which will blossom after some years in cellar. Helmsman was far-and-away the most favoured wine by the Regional Wines tasting group, nine people rating it top on the night. It is fair to note that in these situations, like judgings, slightly more new oak often raises a wine's ranking. Cellar 10 – 30 years. GK 05/15

2005 Craggy Range Syrah Le Sol 19 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $90 [ cork; Sy 100%; hand-harvested @ 2.4 t/ac; 95% de-stemmed, wild-yeast fermentation; 18 months in French oak 52% new; 650 cases, but 65% will be exported; www.craggyrange.com ]
Dense ruby, carmine and velvet. Bouquet has married up attractively over the last year for this heroic wine, the alcohol retreating somewhat into wonderful black peppercorn-infused cassis and richest black doris plums, beautifully fragrant and spicy. There are even classical dianthus / carnations floral notes creeping in around the edges. Palate is saturated with flavour, enormously rich yet not heavy, perfectly oaked for the size. Except for the slightly burning spirit (which seems more than 14% exactly, and will inhibit its beauty with food), this is syrah in a remarkably Hermitage style too, a world-scale wine. Among the big wines, only alongside the Villa Reserve and Church Road Reserve does it lose a little finesse. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 05/08

2004 Craggy Range Syrah Le Sol 19 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $85 [ cork; Sy 100% cropped @ c. 2.75 t/ac; hand-harvested, 95% de-stemmed; fermented in open oak cuves with wild yeast; 21 months in 65% new French oak, no fining, minimal filtration; release date 1 June ’06; '04 not on website yet; www.craggyrange.com ]
Dense ruby, carmine and velvet, a little denser and older (more oak-influenced) than the Block 14, twice the density of the ‘04 Bullnose, the deepest syrah in both tastings, matched only by the Hatton. Bouquet is quite simply magnificent, rich, ripe but not too over-ripe, vibrantly aromatic Gimblett Gravels syrah. There is a very dark floral component hinting at violets and darkest roses, on a spread of fully ripe cassis and darkest tree-ripened black doris plums, all enlivened by a hint of cracked black peppercorns. The high alcohol seems well-hidden. Palate is exactly the same except the peppercorns are now more apparent in aromatic berryfruit, all ripe, sustained, lingering beautifully. Heaven knows the palate of the Block 14 is superb, yet this is richer still, and made more aromatic by a higher percentage of new oak, and for three months longer. I earlier criticised the huge 2002 Le Sol for being much too over-ripe and too brawny, implying the wine saw itself as competing with Australian shirazes. This wine marks a welcome retreat to a more vibrant, aromatic, and exciting style, which competes head-on with Hermitage proper. It is not as big as the 2002, which may disappoint quantitative tasters, but it is a much finer wine. It outclasses 2003 Jaboulet la Chapelle (tasted blind alongside it) easily. How will the 2004 Trinity Hill Homage compare, I wonder ? This 2004 Le Sol gives the impression of being technically perfect (though the 14.5% alcohol confirms that more attention to building-in an enhanced floral component is still needed – Bullnose is ahead in that). This Le Sol is in the top handful of New Zealand red wines so far made (since Prohibition). Worth tracking down, from discriminating wine merchants only. It will cellar for 10 – 20 + years, easily. GK 05/06

nv Briottet Creme de Cassis de Dijon 19 (

)

Dijon area, Burgundy, France: 20%; $38 [ plastic closure; the blackcurrant variety Black Burgundy is soaked in 20% neutral eau-de-vie for 10 weeks, then sweetened with cane sugar to 300 or more g/L. Cassis quality is a function of fruit quality, the eau-de-vie quality, and the ratio of berries to solution. This is a good one. Cassis is the key descriptor for perfectly ripe cabernet sauvignon, but is equally applicable to temperate-climate syrah. It implies vibrant freshness, in contrast to the boysenberry / raisin qualities typically found in hot-climate syrah / shiraz. A Maison Vauron (Auckland) speciality; www.briottet.com ]
Glowing vivid red, just below midway in depth. Bouquet epitomises blackcurrant liqueur, stunning freshness and purity, the epitome of dark aromatic berries, almost saliva-inducing on the fruit character lifted by pure alcohol. This 'wine' epitomises saturated berry flavour, consequent not only on the concentration of blackcurrant fruit but also the rich texture from 300 g/L residual sugar. Yet the blackcurrants are so tannic, with fresh acid, the 'wine' is not cloying. This is marvellous cassis, which it is a thrill to introduce to such a group of people. Notwithstanding it is almost the key descriptor in red wine evaluation, only two students had in fact tasted cassis. Cassis does keep for some years, but gradually goes a little bit 'brown' and loses its exhilarating freshness. Ideally, keep it in the fridge, for not more than a couple of years. Students are asked to wash away the intense cassis and its high sugar with the viognier, not water, making the point this is a general guideline for serious wine tasting: never rinse with water. GK 10/16

2014 Church Road Syrah Grand Reserve 19 (

)

Bridge Pa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $38 [ screwcap; Sy 100% mass selection clone hand-harvested and sorted, all de-stemmed; no cold soak, inoculated yeast, up to 30 days cuvaison in s/s, careful aeration; 17 months in barrel, French 87% the balance Hungarian, 34% new. This wine illustrates the complexity New Zealand syrah can achieve, comparable with the finest wines from the Northern Rhone Valley. On bouquet, take care to tease out the fragrant cedary oak from the beautifully varietal port-wine magnolia and darkest rose florals leading to cassisy berry and bottled black doris plums. In flavour the oak is still to marry in, but the fruit is sweet, ripe and full, yet so much more complex in its berry flavours than the hot-climate shiraz wine (7). The winemaker (Chris Scott) does not want much black pepper in his syrahs, so he ripens them well, but the spicy magical lift that subliminal black pepper conveys is still detectable; www.churchroad.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, the deepest wine. Bouquet shows all the varietal perfection and complexity of the Te Awa wine, dusky florals, clear cassis and dark berry, black pepper, but all complexed with much more oak than the Te Awa. The nett result is a much more serious wine, made for cellaring. At this point, the Te Awa is the superior varietal wine, the Church Road the superior long-term style. The palate is at this stage overly influenced by oak, but the fruit richness is there for it all to marry up beautifully. Tasters need to dissect out the intense berry and clear black pepper, and assess those components, then project their taste impressions forward 20 years, when the oak will have become assimilated into the fruit structure, and the wine will have mellowed. Less good with food, right now. This is potentially great New Zealand syrah, made in a modern (i.e. highish new oak) Hermitage style. Cellar 10 - 30 years. GK 10/16

2002 Sacred Hill Merlot Brokenstone 19 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $45 [ Me 92, Ma 6, CF 2; French oak 20 months; www.sacredhill.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, deep. On this occasion, undecanted and unaerated, the reductive note previously commented on dampened the wine down, initially. In this state, it does not score so highly. Later, breathed, it reveals a rich violets and cassis bouquet in which varietal fruit dominates oak beautifully. This is clearly good classed Bordeaux quality. Palate is succulent with cassisy and darkly plummy fruit, and fine oak now appears adding to the good structure. The concentration of fruit is superb, without being heavy. This is one of the greatest Hawkes Bay / Bordeaux Blends made thus far in New Zealand. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 12/04

2002 Jadot Chambertin Clos de Beze 19 (

)

Gevrey-Chambertin Grand Cru, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $256 [ cork; www.louisjadot.com ]
Classic pinot ruby, below midway in depth across the 15 Jadots, and marginally the lightest of the grands crus. Bouquet on this wine shows a perfection of dark rosy and violets florals, passing into fragrant red and black cherry fruits. Not a big bouquet, but infinitely sweet and ripe and beguiling. Quality on palate is magical, at the same time firm and youthful, yet the potential velvet of future maturity can be sensed too. Flavour is pure black cherry, and the mouthfeel is as pure and sweet and refreshing as when eating them. Florals permeate the whole palate. Acid and oak (including some new oak) balances are perfect. Several tasters described this wine as the 'complete' pinot. I can imagine it developing the elusive peacock's tail, in years to come. Cellar 10 – 20 years.

As the top wine in the flight, the classic colour of this wine, lighter than many New Zealand pinots, is another reminder that from an international viewpoint, there is no correlation between colour and quality in pinot noir. This is a message we need to keep on remembering in New Zealand, beset as we are by commercial (and some research) influences which equate depth of colour in red wine with quality. GK 04/05

2004 Peregrine Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough 19 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $18 [ screwcap; www.peregrinewines.co.nz ]
Lemongreen. This wine is about as perfect on bouquet as pure Marlborough sauvignon can be: ripest red capsicums, sweetest honeysuckle, beautiful black passionfruit pulp, a hint of bouquet garni. Palate is equally as good, the flavours lengthening the bouquet magically, and adding sweet English gooseberries, on an elegant 'dry' finish balanced to perfect fruit sweetness. This wine must illustrate the kind of cropping rate that bespeaks grand cru quality, as opposed to a more commercial approach. Cellar to 10 years if older sauvignon flavours appeal. This will end up as the 1996 Cloudy Bay is now – perfect mature sauvignon. VALUE GK 10/04

2013 Villa Maria [ Cabernet Sauvignon ] Ngakirikiri 19 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $158 [ screwcap; original price $150; CS 97%, Me 3, 62% hand-picked from c.14-year old vines planted at 2,720 vines / ha and cropped @ 4.2 t/ha = 1.7 t/ac; cuvaison 35 – 42 days, cultured-yeast; MLF in barrel; 18 months in French oak c.52% new; RS 0.3 g/L; not sterile-filtered; dry extract 31.5 g/L; Perrotti-Brown @ Parker, 2016: ... intense cassis, blueberry and blackberry aromas over notes of pencil shavings, cloves, lavender and dried herbs. Medium-bodied, the taut, elegant palate has good ripe tannins and plenty of freshness, finishing with lovely poise, 92+; Cooper, 2017: … substantial body and bold, still extremely youthful, blackcurrant and plum-evoking flavours, showing lovely richness, purity and complexity. It should flourish for decades, *****; production 500 x 9-litre cases; weight bottle and closure: 611 g; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, the deepest and densest colour, and one of the freshest. Bouquet right from the outset doesn't quite capture the crystalline purity of cassis that the Babich 100 Years wine shows. To me the difference is the quality of the oak, this wine showing the more familiar dry hessian notes of ‘standard’ French oak, vs the magical cedary notes one or two of these wines show. But that aside (and it may be merely youth), the volume of the cassis-led bouquet here is wonderful, with great berry purity. On bouquet you also think there is more plummy merlot than the cepage allows. Flavour likewise is a little softer and wider than the Babich, belying the 97% cabernet sauvignon, but the oak has a lot more marrying away to do. The intensity and richness of this wine is such that will cellar for at least 40 years, more likely 50 under screwcap, and thus it has ample opportunity to become ever more harmonious. It is richer than the Babich wine, as is Hieronymus. Dry extract tells. Two people rated this their top wine, and one their second. Since it is still available, this is a wine to buy by the case, for twenty-first anniversaries and other events even further in the future. GK 06/17

2005 Forrest Wines Noble Riesling John Forrest Collection 19 (

)

Brancott Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 9%; $50 [ screwcap; www.forrest.co.nz ]
[ This review in non-standard format, excerpted from narrative article dated: 24 Dec 2008 ]
As New Zealand wine has become more and more international in character and capability, richer sweet courses have remained the food class where it has been hard to find a local wine that really measures up. Many of the rieslings have been too light and total acid too high for food comfort. Latterly with the move towards sauternes styles in Hawkes Bay, fruit ripeness has sometimes been less than perfect, with just a little mean green thread. Or sometimes the wines are over-developed and the oak is too assertive to complement food. And throughout the class, VAs have often been too high to sit happily with food. What a pleasure it is to record that even against a near-impossible traditional olde English Christmas pudding more suited to an old sweet fortified wine such as madeira, this remarkable John Forrest Collection Noble Riesling is of sufficient substance, complexity and botrytis purity to be magical. The wine's key feature is the dry extract and body, additional to the sweetness at 220 grams per litre. Food purists might argue that it is still too light for this assignment, but I thought it worked because of the body, and it refreshed the nose and palate beautifully. Also the subtlety of the oak component allowed the almonds in the pudding – a key feature – to show through delightfully. This Collection Noble Riesling is again one of the greatest sweet wines ever made in New Zealand. It will cellar for a decade at least, and maybe much longer. GK 12/08

2011 Church Road Merlot / Cabernet Sauvignon Grand Reserve 19 (

)

Gimblett Gravels 92% & Bridge Pa Triangle 8, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12.5%; $49 [ cork; Me 77%, CS 23, mostly hand-picked the cabernet c. 3 weeks later than the merlot (just before the rain); cuvaison mostly in oak cuves extended to 35 days for some components; c.20 months in all-French oak c.60% new, balance 1-year, with no BF or lees stirring, just racking; not fined or filtered; RS < 2 g/L all unfermentable; www.churchroad.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, deeper and denser than McDonald Series Cabernet Sauvignon, in the top third for weight of colour. The quality of cassis and berry here on bouquet is benchmark, with wonderful freshness and varietal precision, and a concentration on bouquet which is not only classed growth in quality, but Second Growth in level. In mouth the wine shows that wonderful and rare attribute of velvety concentration, and extraordinary freshness, coupled with a much lighter touch with the oak than some under this label have shown. The quality of fruit here is of a Tom standard, yet they didn't make one. Chris Scott has a fondness for really ripe wines, but when you taste the 2010 classed growth Bordeaux, they have this kind of freshness, contrasting with the sometimes slightly ponderous density of the ripe / sometimes over-ripe 2009s. It would be good if Tom maintained its standard, but was allowed to express some vintage variation in style, provided the quality is there. Bordeaux 2009 and 2010 provide the model. This wine is sensational, it may be lighter than 2009 Tom, but it is more beautiful. Cellar 5 – 20 years, and it will hold longer. GK 06/14

2009 Champagne Pierre Peters Les Chétillons Grand Cru Cuvée Speciale Blanc de Blancs Brut 19 (

)

Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Champagne, France: 12%; $187 [ laminated champagne cork; Ch 100%, hand-picked from a single Le Mesnil vineyard; all s/s elevation; full MLF; c.5 years en tirage; dosage c.4.5 g/L; www.champagne-peters.com ]
Clearly lemonstraw rather than lemon. The first thing to be said is: this is a big champagne showing a lot of autolysis character on bouquet. It is wholegrain Vogels breadcrust in style, as well as best baguette crust. But at the same time it is wonderfully pure and elegant, showing mealyness and an impression of richness without being fruity. Palate is exactly the same, you can feel the richness, there is a wonderful mealy complexity and near-nuttiness of autolysis, but the thought of sparkling chardonnay never occurs. Instead there is this satisfying length of flavour and complexity, hinting at 10 year-old Meursault but crisper, quite lovely. This is great but very complex blanc de blancs champagne, substantial yet light in a sense, exquisite balance and autolysis, some minerality, great length. Part of the quality evident in Les Chétillons results from the old vines in the dedicated Les Chétillons vineyard. One block averages 48 years, and a second 69 years. In the United Kingdom, Pierre Peters wines are distributed by Berry Brothers & Rudd, which is usually a pretty good index of the quality of a winemaker. For Les Chétillons in general, they say: “Les Chétillons comprises three prized parcels ranging from 46-67 years of age, separately vinified then blended into this, Pierre Peters’ magisterial top cuvée. It is the epitome of Mesnil, arguably the greatest grand cru for Chardonnay: with mineral, pure, concentrated power, Les Chétillons can age for decades”. The residual sweetness seems perfect. Cellar 5 – 15 years, maybe longer. GK 10/15

2016 Craggy Range Syrah Le Sol 19 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.3%; $143 [ 50mm cork; Sy 100%, all hand-harvested at 5.35 t/ha = 2.1 t/ac; 80% de-stemmed, 20% whole-bunch, inoculated ferments in oak cuves; MLF and 17 months in French oak 35% new; not fined, filtered; RS nil; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, the third deepest wine. Because the 2016 Gimblett Gravels syrah has less oak, its hue is deeper, but it is damnably difficult to say which is the darker wine of the two. At this early stage, 2016 Le Sol is not quite so wonderfully eloquent and varietal as the Gimblett Gravels wine, but the purity, quality of varietal expression, complexity and potential are self-evident. There are dusky florals, and cassis-like berry, but the black pepper lift is hopelessly entwined with the cedary oak, hard to single out but wonderfully exciting. Palate continues the absolute purity seen on bouquet, with beautiful flavour, balance, persistence and length. As with all the Craggy Range wines, the purity and styling is exemplary, but here again I believe greater concentration and dry extract is needed, to have the wines fully match the standard-bearers from Hermitage and Cote Rotie, or indeed the now-hefty price. But that said, the dry extract here does seem closer to the goal of 30 g/L than 2016 Sophia, for example. Wine is an ever-learning occupation, so notwithstanding previous scores, I think this is the finest and subtlest Le Sol yet – note the alcohol. Cellar 10 – 25 years, maybe a little longer. GK 08/18

2006 Church Road Merlot / Cabernet Reserve 19 (

)

Gimblett Gravels and Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $37 [ cork; Me 83%, CS 15, Ma 2, 80% hand-picked at c. 2.5 t/ac from 7-year old vines; cuvaison approx 24 days for the Me, 28 for the CS; no BF; 20 months in French oak c. 50% new, balance 1-year, no lees stirring, racked 3-monthly; not fined, coarse filter only; RS < 1 g/L; Catalogue:… aromas of dark berry fruit, black cherry, and floral characters are complemented by integrated toast and spice from French oak and complexities of earth, cedar and a hint of minerality. The wine has excellent flesh and concentration, balanced by a backbone of ripe, fine-grained tannins. The finish is long and persistent; Awards: Gold @ Air New Zealand 2008; www.churchroad.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, dense. Bouquet is totally sensational, displaying a great depth of darkest ripest black plums, cassis, dark tobacco, and light potentially fragrant cedary oak. It is hard to imagine how a new world merlot / cabernet blend could smell more like a wonderful ripe-year classed St Emilion such as Pavie (before it became oaky). Palate is saturated and velvety, quite exceptional fruit of superb texture, showing great complexity of flavour, oak handling and balance. This is a great wine, to cellar 10 – 20 years. VALUE GK 07/09

2013 Villa Maria Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot Reserve 19 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $50 [ screwcap; DFB; CS 75%, Me 25, 10% hand-picked from c.14-year old vines planted at 3,125 vines / ha and cropped @ 4.4 t/ha = 1.75 t/ac; cuvaison 35 – 42 days, cultured-yeast; MLF in tank and barrel; 18 months in French oak c.30% new; RS 0.44 g/L; not sterile-filtered; dry extract 30.1 g/L; production 1200 x 9-L cases; released; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Intense ruby, carmine and velvet, the third deepest. This wine needs a little coaxing, initially opened, but gradually reveals intense dark cassisy berry with sweet violets / dark florals, and even some blackberry notes, so clearly a whole notch riper than Coleraine. The flavours are strong, great richness, berry-led, really concentrated, more new oak showing than some. It will therefore need longer than several of the wines to reveal its beauty. Leaving aside the special yet-to-be-released 2013 Villa Cabernet Sauvignon Ngakirikiri, its closest soul-mate in the set is the Mills Reef Cabernet Sauvignon, both reflecting wonderful cabernet dominance. However in comparison with the Mills Reef wine, the merlot contribution to the Villa Maria's palate width couldn't be more obvious – a textbook demonstration of the merits of blending, in the claret class. Given its benchmark dry extract measurement, this wine will be a particularly interesting cellar prospect for the longer term, and should rate higher in years to come. This wine too achieves the magical 30 g/L mark for dry extract. In the Regional Wines tasting, two people rated this the top wine, at the blind stage. Cellar 10 – 30 years. GK 05/15

2012 Valli Pinot Noir Bendigo Vineyard 19 (

)

Bendigo Terraces, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $66 [ screwcap; hand-harvested @ 4.2 t/ha (1.7 t/ac) from 6-year old vines (Dijon clones, plus Abel clone), growing in a season of 1207 degree days; ferments include a 40% whole-bunch component, cuvaison 20 days; 11 months in French oak 34% new, the balance first-and second-year; not fined or filtered; 250 9-litre cases; exemplary spec sheets for each wine; www.valliwine.com ]
Classic pinot noir ruby showing a little more age than the Gibbston wine, in the middle of the second-deepest quarter of the wines. Bouquet here is quite different from the Gibbston wine, but equally a wonderful expression of floral and fragrant pinot noir from the Cote de Nuits, lilac, buddleia and pink hedge-rose florals on all-red fruits, oak again perfect. Palate is limpid, succulent even, all the mouthfeel of fine burgundy, a truly international wine. The cropping rate and dry extract here are of grand cru quality. As befits a warmer viticultural zone in the Otago district, fruit analogies here are more red cherry dominated, again wonderful length and beautifully judged oak. The whole wine shows Chambolle-Musigny analogies. Intriguing that given the reputation the Bendigo sub-district has for being the warmest part of Otago (for grapes), the actual number of degree days vis-a-vis Bannockburn is virtually the same. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/17

2015 Te Mata Cabernets / Merlot Coleraine 19 (

)

Havelock North mainly, some Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $140 [ cork, 50 mm; hand-harvested CS 54%, Me 36, CF 10; extended cuvaison; average vine age 25 + years; 17 months in French oak c.75% new; RS nil; www.temata.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, noticeably deeper and richer than Awatea. And that trend continues with the bouquet, the wine being sweetly and wonderfully floral (violets, dark red roses), with benchmark aromatic cassis and black plum fruit, plus cedary oak of exquisite subtlety, and no hint of leaf. Palate does nothing to let the bouquet down, the berry ripeness being exemplary. For the first time in years, I am not left feeling, it is beautiful as far as it goes, but it lacks pinpoint ripeness (by Bordeaux standards), concentration, body and stuffing. The dry extract analysis I had made for 2013 Coleraine (the review dated 5/15, last two paras) confirms the latter comment, despite the hysterical reviews that wine received. I think this wine is both riper and richer than the 2013, and having tasted and cellared (the better of) them since the inaugural 1982 wine, this is the best Coleraine ever released. It shows a concentration and texture approaching Third Growth Bordeaux, and a purity and elegance exceeding many of them. If the proprietors want Coleraine to more consistently perform towards the level of the extravagant quotations they introduce this year's booklet with, then the message is clear: reduce the cropping rate each year to match the 2015, said to be one third less tonnes per hectare. Meanwhile, for the consumer, buy as much of this 2015 Coleraine as you can afford, and cellar it 5 – 25 years for 'ordinary' people, 40 years for enthusiasts. GK 03/17

2011 Greywacke Wild Sauvignon 19 (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $ – [ screwcap; fruit from both Southern Valleys and Wairau Plains, mix of hand-pick and machine, at roughly 9 – 10 t/ha = 3.6 – 4 t/ac; no SO2 at press, no skin contact, only the lightest pressings used, all juice cold-settled then into barrels, 93% older oak (up to 9 years), 7% new (light toast); long wild-yeast fermentations quite warm initially, usually extending to 11 – 12 months, occasionally longer, MLF typically 66% but ranging from 50 – 75% of barrels; the wine then assembled in s/s with full lees and held 6 or so months; RS 3 – 3.5 g/L, sterile-filtered to bottle; Wild has now grown to 25% of all Greywacke sauvignon; www.greywacke.com ]
Rich lemon, not yet even a wash of straw, just above midway in depth. Bouquet on this 2011 is nearly as beautiful as the 2013, the oak fractionally more noticeable, varietal definition not as precise, so on bouquet the wine could be confused with chardonnay. Palate immediately brings the trace red capsicum zest and basil to the fore, the oak again slightly greater, wonderful palate length, and the MLF as subtle as the 2013. It is the subtlety of MLF that differentiates this wine from Te Koko. It needs to be invisible. Greywacke block MLF in a significant percentage of the barrels. This wine would be divine with food. Cellar 3 – 8 years, maybe longer. GK 05/17

2004 Te Mata Syrah Bullnose 19 (

)

Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $42 [ cork; Sy 100% from a single vineyard, oldest vines planted 1990; includes clone 470 for first time, hand-harvested, de-stemmed; extended cuvaison 3 + weeks, followed by 16 months in French oak 40-ish % new; superb website info; www.temata.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a great colour. Bouquet on this wine is sensational, showing precise syrah varietal complexity as found in the northern Rhone – dianthus and rose florals, cassis and dark plum berry, freshly cracked black peppers, and subtle complementary oak. Palate continues perfectly, the fruit velvety yet spicy throughout, the flavours lingering wonderfully. It is a little more floral and fragrant than the Craggy Range Block 14 Syrah, but slightly less rich. I wrote up the newly-released 2004 Te Mata Rhone winestyles rather enthusiastically in October 2005, so was keen to see if I had overdone it, in my blind re-tasting subsequent to the Te Mata presentation. That allowed the two Te Mata syrah wines to be assessed blind in a group of 22 reds, and Bullnose clearly was the top wine. It is undoubtedly Te Mata’s greatest achievement for the 2004 vintage. It shows a finesse, ripeness and style comparable to that achieved in the 2002 Trinity Hill Homage Syrah (though I have not seen them alongside). These wines really challenge the Rhone, and Hermitage specifically. With all eyes on the Jaboulet ’03 la Chapelle (expected imminently) to see if that iconic label has found its way out of the wilderness of the last 10 years, it will be exciting to see if it matches or beats this 2004 Te Mata Bullnose Syrah. A tasting to look forward to. 2004 Bullnose will cellar for 10 – 15 years, maybe 20. It will be great with food, and should be in all wine enthusiasts’ cellars. GK 03/06

2008 Pol Roger Rosé Cuvée de Reserve Brut 19 (

)

Epernay, Champagne, France: 12.5%; $125 [ standard compound cork; PN 50%, Ch 35, all premier or grand cru vineyards, + 15% PN as red wine; all s/s fermentation; MLF employed; en tirage 6.5 years; dosage 10.5 g/L; www.polroger.com ]
Coppery salmon hue. Once the gas is settled, one sniff and this is a pinot noir-dominant wine, but with remarkable purity of autolysis for a rosé. All too often, rosé methode champenoise wines can be a little bit clogged / muddied, but not here. The flavour is nearly as rich and complex as the 2008 Veuve Clicquot, but on a clear-cut red cherry base. Even when you taste the 100% chardonnay alongside, it is very hard to single out the chardonnay component in this rosé, so highly varietal is the palate, and so lovely the autolysis. Richness here is as impressive as the Veuve Clicquot. Even though it has a higher dosage, because it also has higher total acid, you simply don't notice. It tastes much drier than the next sweetest, the Piper. Cellar 5 – 25 years. GK 05/17

2005 Craggy Range Merlot / Cabernet Franc Sophia 19 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.1%; $50 [ cork; DFB; Me 62%, CF 34, CS 4, hand-harvested @ 3.25 t/ac; 100% de-stemmed; fermented in oak cuves; 19 months in 80% new French oak; fined and filtered; dry extract 28.9 g/L; 2200 cases; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, very deep. This is spellbinding wine, showing to perfection dense rich darkest plums-in-the sun aromas which are nearly floral, but all just a wee bit big and spirity and darkest chocolate, a hint of sur-maturité maybe. It is not quite as aromatic and fresh as The Quarry, but then neither is it cabernet-dominant. Palate is velvety, tremendous dry extract, oak beautifully in balance, the plush flavour lingering for ages. This is classic merlot, modern Pomerol in style, and in the upper equal-to-classed-growth range of the hierarchy. It is great to see even this biggest of the 2005 Craggys showing such restraint compared with some earlier years. In some ways it is a wine of Napa Valley richness too, yet its cooler-climate freshness and fragrance is always evident. Either this or the more fragrant but fractionally lighter straight 2005 Craggy Range Merlot Gimblett Gravels was arguably the best merlot-dominant wine made latterly in New Zealand, until the advent of the 2005 Church Road wines. 2005 Sophia will cellar 5 – 25 years. GK 09/07

2013 Esk Valley [ Malbec / Merlot / Cabernet Franc ] The Terraces: Barrel-Sample 19 (

)

Bay View dissected coastal terrace, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $ – [ screwcap; price unknown; (all figures estimates) Ma 45%, Me 35, CF 20, hand-harvested; all vars co-fermented as one batch; 100% new French oak c. 18 months; RS nil; perhaps 250 cases; the 1-hectare NNW-facing The Terraces vineyard was until recently pretty well unique in New Zealand, being planted on man-made terraces in a natural semi-amphitheatre reminiscent more of some famous Northern Rhone vineyard sites than broad-acre New Zealand plantings. Underlying soil parent materials are young sedimentaries including limestone and volcanic ash. Vineyard practice is special too, the cropping rate being of the order of 1 tonne per acre, all the constituent varieties are harvested on the one day, and co-fermented. Maximum production is 300 cases (of 12). The site was created in the 1940s, but lapsed into pine plantation. It was re-planted to vines in 1989; www.eskvalley.co.nz ]
NB: Provisional / indicative score only. Ruby, carmine and velvet, the second-deepest wine. This too is gloriously ripe cassisy wine, with an even greater aromatic edge to it than the 2013 Mills Reef Cabernet Elspeth, bespeaking the significant percentage of malbec. There is also more apparent oak than the 2013 Elspeth. In mouth this wine shows a concentration of berry, ripeness and potential charm and elegance, which is phenomenal. There is no hint of the traditional stalkyness found in New Zealand malbec, but the flavours are darker than a cabernet-dominant wine, due to that variety. This promises to be a high-scoring wine of exceptional potential – noting that The Terraces is one of the very few exceptions to my general doubts about malbec in New Zealand. Cellar 8 – 30 years. GK 06/14

2013 Villa Maria Syrah Reserve 19 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $56 [ screwcap; Sy 100%, 25% hand-picked from c.14-year old vines planted at c.3,125 vines / ha and cropped @ c.5.8 t/ha = 2.3 t/ac; variously 1 – 4 days cold-soak, cuvaison 21 – 28 days, no whole-bunch component, cultured-yeast; MLF in barrel; 17 months in French oak c.35% new; RS 0.34 g/L; not sterile-filtered; dry extract not measured yet; production 650 x 9-L cases; released; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, intense, the second deepest syrah. Bouquet is hard to tease apart on this wine, at this stage, but there is a darkly floral quality on saturated cassis and a suggestion of black pepper which is closest to the Matua in style, berryfruit dominant over oak in a most impressive way. Understated though. Follow-through from bouquet to palate is exceptional, the concentration and freshness of berry simply sensational. The flavour expands and fills every corner of the mouth, becoming exquisitely varietal. The oak in this 2013 Reserve is subtle compared with the 2010, though still significant alongside the Homage, for example. This is the finest syrah Villa Maria has ever made. It will score higher in a couple of years. The dry extract must be around 30 g/L. One could not own too many cases of this wine, I think, but it did not come through in the most-favoured wine stakes at the Regional Wines tasting. In my view it will outpace the Matua at the 6-year or so point, and be wonderfully rewarding wine to have under the house. It will cellar for 5 – 25 years. GK 05/15

2015 Te Mata Estate Cabernets / Merlot Coleraine 19 (

)

Havelock North Hills mainly, some Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $104 [ cork, 50mm; CS 54%, Me 36, CF 10; ended up a good season, smaller crops than usual, GDD 1405, harvest first half April; release price $140; Cowley, 2017: balanced, ripe fruit and fragrance; Huon Hooke (Australia), 2017: a ripe berry aroma which recalls blueberry, blackberry and raspberry. A fine, balanced but persuasive tannin grip, and excellent persistence. Very stylish wine with a big future. A top vintage, 96; Chan, 2017: The nose ... ripe blackberry and blackcurrant fruit with cassis liqueur, lifted by fragrant dark red florals, subtle notes of dark herbs, and enriched by pencilly oak. Medium-full bodied ... concentrated and intense, layered flavours of blackberries and blackcurrants, cassis and black plums ... balanced by considerable tannin extraction, the mouthfeel very fine-textured ... a very long ... finish, 19.5; www.temata.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, the brightest and freshest of the wines, reasonably enough, and also the deepest. The 2015 is totally different from all the other wines on the table, solely for the reasons of youth. Alongside the 2013, there is in effect no bouquet, in the sense of a hint of secondary development. It is all primary fruit notes, darkly plummy mainly, some blackberry, but a hint of cassis, roses and violets promising wonderful things to come. Palate is the same, a big mouthful of darkly plummy (bottled black doris) fruit, almost as if the wine were merlot-dominant: where are the cabernets ? If the 2013 is any guide, just waiting in the wings. The ripeness achieved in this wine is a delight. It seems to me riper and richer than the 2013, there is no conceivable hint of stalks, yet it is not quite as ripe as the 1998, so there is more certainty of florals to come. This is going to be a great Coleraine, in traditional Coleraine terms, to cellar 15 – 35 years. Even this wine, however, is not as rich as a good second growth. Again, I thought both bottles identical, but the response to this wine differed wildly between the two tastings. For the second group, six rated the 2015 their most-favoured or second wine, yet for the first night, zero. GK 08/17

2004 [ Fromm ] La Strada Riesling Dry 19 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $31 [ cork; described by the winemaker as an ‘oyster wine’ which will age, all s/s. RS 5.4 g/L, pH 2.93, so should be cellar-wine par excellence; www.frommwineries.com ]
Brilliant pale lemon. Bouquet is gorgeous, explicit riesling varietal character expressed as white flowers and holygrass / sweet vernal aromas, softly vanillin, hints of white nectarine, lovely. Palate shows gorgeous varietal terpenes, exact flavours with a citrus underpinning, ‘dry’ finish, and great length on the flavoursome aromatics, yet the wine is not phenolic. There is a hint of lees-autolysis / baguette complexity too, marvellous. How good to see the la Strada wines retreating from the higher total sulphurs of a few years ago. Cellar 3 – 15 years, possibly longer. GK 08/06

2007 Destiny Bay [ Cabernets / Merlot ] Magna Praemia (barrel sample) 19 (

)

Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.9%; $275 [ cork; CS 74, Me 14, CF 7, Ma 5, hand-harvested; c. 12 – 14 months in American 50% and French oak c. 50% new; en primeur offer date 1 April 2009 "significantly" below the above price, release date 1 April 2010; Magna Praemia alludes to great reward, and contains a greater proportion of press juice; www.destinybaywine.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, the deepest of the Waiheke wines, but not as deep as the Craggy Range Merlot. Given some air, bouquet is really something on this wine, deep, dark, but unlike the 2005, clearly floral, varietal and potentially bordeaux-like. The interaction of deep violets and aromatic cassis is as intense as the Craggy wine, at this stage suggesting a wine of great depth yet not over-influenced by oak. Palate shows a richness of fruit, and a quality of cassisy complexity, reminiscent of the 1987 Stonyridge Larose at the same stage. This wine (thus far) encapsulates my vision for an optimal Waiheke Island Bordeaux blend, and confirms again that cabernet sauvignon can be fully ripened on the best sites (and in good years) on Waiheke. It has the potential to be an outstanding New Zealand red of classed growth standard – at what level should await bottled samples. [ NB: the finished wine may differ from this barrel sample.] Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 06/08

2007 Sacred Hill Chardonnay Riflemans 19 (

)

Dartmoor Valley, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $55 [ screwcap; hand-picked clone mendoza, whole-bunch pressed to barrel; wild-yeast ferments; 100% MLF, 12 months LA and some batonnage in French oak up to 40% new and balance 1-year; RS 2.3 g/L; www.sacredhill.com ]
A wonderful glowing full lemon. Bouquet opens just a little reluctantly in the New Zealand context, but considering the French prototype and the barrel work this winestyle may be subjected to, it is understandable. With only slight aeration / decanting it clears to mealy / toasty / autolysed chardonnay fruit, the oak marrying away now, and the autolysis giving a baguette-crust quality of complexity. For chardonnay with its considerable barrel elevage, it is a fine line between a positive nett impression, and tending reductive. The fact some French chardonnays are patently reductive is not a reason to introduce any more of this character into our fresher New Zealand chardonnays, I believe. Like the 2007 Sauvage, the palate is magical, showing a saturation of nectarine fruit and subtle white-butter MLF complexity and texture which is enchanting. Acid balance is fresh and firm, and the length of flavour astonishing. This is great New Zealand chardonnay, which will cellar 2 – 8 years. GK 10/10

2013 Villa Maria Syrah Gimblett Gravels Reserve 19 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $60 [ screwcap; Sy 100%, 25% hand-picked from c.14-year old vines planted at c.3,125 vines / ha and cropped @ c.5.8 t/ha = 2.3 t/ac; cuvaison 21 – 28 days, no whole-bunch component, cultured-yeast; 17 months in French oak 35% new, with MLF in barrel; RS 0.34 g/L; not sterile-filtered; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, the deepest and brightest of the reds. Bouquet is simply reference-quality straight Hermitage-style syrah, showing classic wallflower florals and fresh-cracked black peppercorn spice, on deep dark cassisy berry, with underlying very dark plum qualities plus new oak. Flavour is sensationally concentrated, again comparable with the finest Hermitage, but the wine is a little new oaky, at this stage. Even greater syrah beauty would be apparent with a much lower ratio of new oak, say half the present. Even so the wine has the fruit weight (>30 g/L dry extract) and volume to marry away the oak, over 10 years or so. 2013 was such a strong vintage for reds in Hawkes Bay, there may well be other contenders, but for the moment, this Reserve Villa Syrah and 2013 Trinity Hill Homage form the flankers of a wonderful suite of glorious Hawkes Bay syrah wines. The Villa Maria is the 'straight' syrah, with no whole bunch component, more Hermitage in style, and the Homage as soon as you have it alongside can be seen to be totally different, more floral, more Cote Rotie, reflecting its 30% whole-bunch component. Both wines are benchmark quality. Exhilarating wine, to buy as much as is practical, and wait. Under screwcap, it will be slower to evolve than under cork. Cellar 10 – 25 years. GK 11/15

1985 Delas Hermitage Marquise de la Tourette 19 (

)

Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: – %; $ – [ cork; $39 in 1988; Delas own 6.5 ha on the Hill of Hermitage, and rent 3.5; Sy 100%, some stems in the 1980s; up to 18 months in barrel, a small percentage new maybe in the 80s; Delas now part of the Roederer group (since 1996); www.delas.com ]
Colour is ruby and garnet, but still with good depth and freshness for its age. Bouquet is a perfect expression of syrah in full maturity, dramatic wallflower and carnations florals, good cassis and red and black plums, clear black peppercorn spice, all mellow and harmonious and lingering, yet surprisingly fresh. I showed this wine at the judges' dinner for the Royal Easter Show wine judging, thinking that many younger judges would be unfamiliar with one of New Zealand's most promising red varieties, in full maturity. The response on the night was gratifying, and a conserved sub-sample looked as good in this blind tasting a few days later – not at all fragile. Fully mature, but no hurry. GK 03/09

nv Champagne Pierre Peters Grand Cru Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs [ 2014 release ] * 19 (

)

Cote de Blancs, Champagne, France: 12%; $ – [ supercritical 'cork'; Ch 100% based on 2010 fruit, hand-picked from four vineyards (located in Le Mesnil, Avise, Cramant, Oger); all s/s elevation; full MLF; c.3.5 years en tirage; dosage c.2 g/L; www.champagne-peters.com ]
Lemon. Bouquet is more clearly chardonnay-derived, and less complexly autolysed, than Les Chétillons. Yet the degree of autolysis is still great, this one matching more exactly my concept of best-quality baguette crust, plus just a hint of white mushrooms. Palate is glorious. Somehow the wine achieves richness yet doesn't taste fruity; instead it is powerful in a paler way than Les Chétillons. Again there is lovely minerality on the palate, and it is hard not to write down 'chalky'. As to the finish, the dry extract in the wine is so stunning that the flavour and nett impression lingers long on apparent richness, yet the thought it might be nearly zero dosage (2 g/L) never occurs. This is what a low cropping rate does for sparkling wine, a factor dry extract mockers cannot acknowledge. In a way this wine is purer and more focussed than Les Chétillons, due to the greater autolysis complexity evident in the latter. Many might prefer this wine over the Chétillons, if they don't like too much flavour in their champagne. Cellar 5 – 20 years, a quite wonderful blanc de blancs. GK 10/15

2002 Trinity Hill Syrah Homage 19 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $100 [ Sy 98%, Vi 2, cropped 1 tonne / acre; MLF in tank, 17 months in new French oak, neither fined nor filtered; www.trinityhillwines.com ]
Dense ruby, carmine and velvet, more youthful and a little denser than the Sacred Hill. The volume of bouquet on this wine is astonishing, with a modern fragrant and toasty component (as if from some barrel-ferment) laid over the top of deeply cassisy and plummy fruit. At this stage, the fragrant oak makes it hard to be sure if the elusive floral component of great syrah is there or not, but I suspect yes – time will tell. Palate is sensational, showing a concentration of strictly varietal fruit to match the best wines in the field, yet with much finer oaking than some. Flavours are cassis, darkest plum, and sweet black pepper, spiced with new fragrant oak. It is the most varietally aromatic wine in the set, which makes me fairly sure that florals will emerge. Palate and mouthfeel are classical great northern Rhone of marvellous weight and definition. It is a little softer than a comparable Rhone would be, and presumably will not cellar as long as such a wine, but in every other respect this is great world-class syrah. It is the finest syrah so far made in New Zealand, and makes a nonsense of those who say syrah is not exciting in this country. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 12/04

1998 Te Mata Estate Cabernets / Merlot Coleraine 19 (

)

Havelock North Hills mainly, some Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $89 [ cork, 54mm; CS 60%, Me 32, CF 8; unusually warm and droughty season, GDD 1757, harvest late March to mid-April; release price $55; Cowley, 2017: dark, ripe, rich; Pierre Rovani @ R. Parker, 2000: ... offers explosive black fruit aromas. Medium to full-bodied and velvety-textured, this impressive wine coats the palate with blackberries, black currants, and freshly laid asphalt. ... firm, tannic structure. Anticipated maturity: 2003-2012, 90; Chan, 2008 review: Fruit in wonderful condition. Great richness and power of ripe black berried fruits and plums, sweet-smelling, with sur-maturite, and a touch of portiness. The palate is the richest, sweetest and ripest expression of ‘Coleraine’ yet, the warmth and ripeness oozing in lusciously decadent, rich dark fruits and savoury, jammy nuances. ... massive tannin structure ... without the floral elegance that the Te Mata style is preferred to possess, 19.5; www.temata.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, a remarkably fresh colour considering its age, clearly above midway in depth. The beauty of bouquet for this wine is remarkable. Among the young wines, it is near-identical (in style, not detail) to the 2009, reflecting a warmer year, with not quite the emphasis on florals that is considered ideal for Coleraine. Nonetheless there is a wonderful aromatic cassisy (slightly browning now) quality that lifts the bouquet and gives a freshness and near-florality, complexed by cedary oak of great sophistication which hints at cigar-boxes. 1998 truly was a cabernet sauvignon year, and this wine, with its higher than normal cabernet reflects that. In mouth the wine gives the impression of being fractionally richer than all the other Coleraines, while not matching good classed growths. Flavours are total Medoc, aromatic (the cabernet again) cassis and blackberry extended on cedary oak, perfect ripeness and acid balance, unusually good length and harmony. In this tasting, it certainly gives the impression of being one of the most perfect Cabernet / Merlot wines ever made in New Zealand.

It is intriguing therefore that Decanter magazine has recently announced that 1998 Te Mata Coleraine joins their select band of ‘Wine Legends’. Decanter Wine Legends is an Award that Decanter, London, the best-known British wine magazine, announces monthly. How long they have been running is not clear. Previous winners include: 1961 Ch Palmer; 1969 Guigal Cote-Rotie La Mouline; 1982 Ch de Beaucastel; 1990 Ch Montrose; 1993 Domaine Rousseau Chambertin; and 1994 Tyrrell’s Semillon Vat 1. The interesting thing about these Awards is that for many, they document the cropping rate, as an index of quality. For the six wines listed, the averaged cropping rate is 3.85 t/ha = 1.6 t/ha. In contrast the cropping rate given for 1998 Coleraine is 6.5 t/ha = 2.63 t/.ac, nearly twice as much. Though this figure is less than the norm given for Coleraine (7.5 t/ha = 3.05 t/ac), it is still clearly above the average for the super-seconds discussed earlier (6.05 t/ha = 2.45 t/ac). And as the figures for the other Legend wines show, it is far greater than wines considered ‘great’. Such a difference in cropping rate is both tasteable, as argued in Part 2, and can be verified by dry extract analysis. So in a small-scale way, 1998 Te Mata Coleraine by being a little richer, points the way towards what Te Mata could achieve for Coleraine, if they reduced the cropping rate to Bordeaux Second Growth or Super-Second levels. This wine is perfection now, in Coleraine terms, and will hold this form for another 15 – 20 years. It was the most favoured wine in the first tasting, seven tasters rating it first or second. Though I thought the wines identical for the two nights (when carefully compared side by side the following day), other wines triumphed on the second night, only three people rating the 1998 highly. GK 08/17

2005 Drouhin les Amoureuses 19 (

)

Chambolle-Musigny Premier Cru, Burgundy, France: 13%; $303 [ cork; a Drouhin domaine wine; les Amoureuses – the lovers; a premier cru now rated and priced as a grand cru, adjoining les Musigny downslope; this vineyard contains some of Drouhin's oldest clones of pinot noir; hand-picked, fermentation in wooden cuves, cuvaison up to 22 days; MLF and up to 18 months in French oak up to 100% new; www.drouhin.com ]
Good pinot noir ruby, about halfway in depth, lovely. As always, one greets these wonderfully evocative vineyard names with great anticipation. This wine lives up to that promise fully, showing beautifully fragrant clear florals including roses, boronia and violets, plus fragrant red fruits, and red and black cherry. Again there is this elegant potentially cedary oak the 2005 Drouhins display. Palate takes the wine a step further, the florals suffused right through the flavour, the depth of varietal character enchanting, the whole just beautiful all through. This wine speaks with wonderful authority, both of pinot noir the variety, and a great vintage in Burgundy. Cellar 5 – 25 + years. GK 12/07

2015 Te Mata Chardonnay Elston 19 (

)

Havelock North mainly, Triangle and Woodthorpe, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $36 [ 46 mm supercritical cork (Diam); Ch 100% with some of the Havelock vines inherited from the Chambers Estate perhaps over 100 years old, 85% clone mendoza, hand-harvested; all BF with new oak only 15 – 20% this year; 100% MLF; 11 months in barrel, with considerable lees work; <2 g/L RS; www.temata.co.nz ]
Fractionally deeper elegant lemon. Bouquet is infinitely sweeter, riper, and deeper than the Estate Chardonnay, with a wonderful near-baguette-crust quality of lees autolysis on golden queen peachy mendoza fruit. There is a shadow of cracked oyster shell minerality / complexity, but thankfully Peter Cowley and his winemaking team continue to avoid the oh-so-trendy (but objectionable) entrained sulphides approach. Palate brings all these elements together into a wine of Puligny-Montrachet quality, all a good deal more focussed and substantial than many years of Elston. Having tasted this label since the initial 1984 release, I'm tempted to say this is the best young Elston I have seen. The autolysis complexity is textbook, of a quality rarely achieved in chardonnay, and the palate richness is exemplary. The Brits are wrapped up in some of the Kumeu River chardonnays being the definitive New Zealand chardonnay, but they need to see this one. It combines richness, subtlety and complexity with stellar varietal quality. Cellar 5 – 15 years, maybe longer. GK 03/17

2013 Forrest Syrah John Forrest Collection 19 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $64 [ screwcap; grown on the Cornerstone vineyard, hand-picked @ ± 4.0 - 5.8 t/ha = 1.6 - 2.4 t/ac; RS nil; 100 cases; not on website yet; RS nil; www.forrest.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, the deepest colour in the set. One sniff of the bouquet, and this is great syrah. It is not as floral as 2013 Bullnose, but it is even richer. The clarity of the cassis-led berry and darkest bottled black-doris plum fruit is straight out of Hermitage. Bouquet is complexed by black pepper and oak, but unlike many earlier iterations of the Forrest Collection wines, the oaking is within bounds, just, even by European standards. Palate is aromatic and vibrant on both berry and oak, nearly succulent in its depth and length, simply a superb statement about syrah in New Zealand. Buy as much of this wine as you can afford, and hide it away for five years, to marry up. It will cellar for 15 – 25 years. GK 03/16

2004 Pax Syrah Walker Vine Hill Vineyard 19 (

)

Russian River Valley, Northern California, U.S.A.: 15.5%; $ – [ cork; c. US$65; 85 km NNW of San Francisco; Sy 100%, 525 cases; matured in French oak 80% new; from [ the elegant ] website: "We believe that the cooler climates along the northern coast of California have the potential to produce world-class Syrah, and that is our goal. … We feel the best way to accomplish this is by utilizing Indigenous fermentations, minimal handling, unobtrusive use of the finest French oak and bottling without filtering or fining"; Parker 162 on this wine: "A stunning effort … tremendous intensity along with notes of creosote, blackberry liqueur, cassis, and flowers in a structured, dense, chewy style 93 – 95"; www.paxwines.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a glorious colour, and one of the deepest. Bouquet is remarkable, deep and darkest berry, intensely rich, very ripe but still some suggestions of darkest floral complexity, and still all reasonably fresh. There is a lift around the dark berry like blackest plums in the sun, in which the alcohol plays a part. Palate is colossal, and now one can readily imagine slightly raisined cassis, but the dark plum component is not pruney. The depth and purity of the fruit is great, and the wine is not unduly tannic – just well balanced against its heroic richness. I would love to know a dry extract for this wine, for it is clearly richer than the 02 le Sol, yet dry – as noted elsewhere it is hard to be sure at this concentration. It is maybe not as varietal as best Hermitage or Hawkes Bay (little florals or spice, and noticeable alcohol), but as a warmer-climate extension of those districts, in its intense darkest ripe cassis and magnificent stature, it is clearly related, and syrah, not shiraz. It is exactly the kind of massive yet varietal syrah a cooler-climate taster imagined cooler parts of California could make, beyond the blah and all-too-common winemaking faults. The winery in describing this wine refers to violets and chocolate-covered blueberries in the bouquet, and goes on to say: What starts out as a scary dark and brooding wine is balanced out by really sweet tannins and bright red fruits. A persistent finish that is clean and fresh, in spite of the enormous weight and texture of this beast. Exciting. This was my top wine in the younger flight, at the unbreathed stage, and was the second most favoured by the tasters as a whole. Cellar 10 – 25 + years. GK 04/07

2009 Church Road [ Cabernet / Merlot ] Tom 19 (

)

Gimblett Gravels 97.5%, Bridge Pa Triangle 2.5, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.4%; $150 [ 48mm cork; CS 58%, Me 42; all hand-picked, the dominant cabernet @ 5.1 t/ha (minutely over 2 t/ac), absolutely a serious classed-growth cropping rate, but the merlot at a surprising 9.6 t/ha (3.8 t/ac), and hand-sorted from on-average 12-year old vines; 100% de-stemmed, crushed, no cold soak, inoculated fermentation mostly in oak cuves, a fraction in s/s, cuvaison up to 5 weeks for the CS components, less for Me, no BF or lees work; 21 months in all-French oak c.81% new, balance 1-year, successive rackings to clarify and aerate; not fined or filtered; RS <1 g/L; 450 cases; price will vary around given figure; release date 1 July 2013; [ post-publication addition ] as of 1 August 2013 the wine is effectively sold out at source – a very heartening message to those seeking to produce truly first-class / international-calibre wines in New Zealand; www.churchroad.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, scarcely carmine, remarkably deep and dense, much deeper than the McDonald Series Merlot or even 2009 Ch Leoville-Barton. This is such a big wine, it benefits greatly from decanting and air. That is not a euphemism for it being reductive, merely to say it smells much better the next day, rather than freshly opened. The degree of ripeness here is pushing the limits for temperate-climate varietal beauty, rather like 2003 Ch Pavie or some of the 2009 Bordeaux, but once breathed, it is just on the right side of the line. It is not floral, but it is fragrant, burstingly-ripe black plums-in-the-sun fragrant. Delving deep, one could just say there is cassis, but it is touch and go, the wine lacking the freshness imperative to vibrant cassis expression. Cabernet sauvignon as such is therefore almost invisible in the bouquet. These fruit components on bouquet are framed by appropriate cedary oak.

In mouth, the wine is showing some sur-maturité, clearly moreso than the even richer 2009 Ch Montrose, with suggestions of the chocolate so loved by hot-climate (and other) winewriters who know no better, but there are also black cherries and bottled black doris plums, alcohol, and fragrant oak. It is so ripe it would almost go with black forest gateau, so by classical Medoc standards it is over-ripe and unsubtle. It is however also velvety and wondrously rich, and the year was hot, so while one can wish for more restraint, and better cabernet expression with greater florality, that is, slightly earlier picking, people not immersed in classical Bordeaux are going to love this wine. For those who think South Australia and the Napa Valley make the best cabernets in the world, this is a wine to seek out. Likewise for those who swear that New Zealand cannot ripen cabernet.

Whether or not 2009 Tom is the best yet, as the winery claims, or simply the biggest Tom yet, depends totally on your frame of reference, therefore. I can imagine this wine being demonstrably better, and the even bigger 2009 Ch Montrose tasted with it a little later shows how. On a smaller scale, the 2011 McDonald Merlot right alongside also shows how, and that is 'only' a merlot. Perhaps the 2010 Tom will be such a wine, if the Church Road team were able to coax the cabernet to appropriate / perfect ripeness [ 1 August: No ]. Meanwhile, this is compelling New Zealand wine, representing one climatic extreme but not necessarily the most desirable one. It must be the richest cabernet / merlot ever made in New Zealand, to cellar 10 – 30 years, perhaps longer. GK 06/13

1971 Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt [ Graacher ] Josephshofer Trockenbeerenauslese QmP 19 (

)

Mosel Valley, Germany: – %; $ – [ cork, 46mm; fill height best of set – the wine all my hopes are hanging on, bought at release. Its rarity may be hinted at by wine-searcher recording no 1971 Kesselstatt trockenbeerenauslesen at all (at the time of preparing the notes). A clue to its value overseas may be gleaned from the only older Josephshofer TBA listed, 1959, there being two bottles, $NZ2,600 and $NZ5,100. The von Kesselstatt estate formerly head-quartered in Trier (Mosel Valley), but now in the Ruwer Valley, dates back to 1349. In 1978 it passed from Reichsgrafen (imperial counts) of Kesselstatt to the Gunther-Reh family. Though the estate was already well-regarded, the new owners concentrated on improving quality further, by consolidating the estate, and lowering yields. The firm now owns 36 ha, 12 each in Ruwer, Saar and Mosel Valleys. Vineyards are planted 98% to riesling, 2% experimental varieties. Fermentations where possible are wild-yeast, invariably in stainless steel, there is no deacidification and since 1994 no suss-reserve, and extended lees-ageing is favoured. Traditional oak elevation is used for some of the finest wines. The website carefully says: 'We categorically reject so-called new oenological procedures.' Annual production ranges from 20,000 – 26,500 9-litre cases. The large Josephshof site in Graach was acquired in 1858. Brook notes that he usually prefers the wines from Nies’chen and Goldtropfchen to the rich, broader Josephshof. We have the latter two both at the auslese level, so a rare and glorious opportunity to form our own opinion, corks willing. Josephshof is 4.7 ha (11.6 ac). The von Kesselstatt website describes the monopole vineyard thus: Josephshof lies between the Wehlener Sonnenuhr and Graacher Domprobst sites. It is a south-facing and steep site with an angle of inclination up to 60 – 70 degrees, at an altitude of up to 180 meters. The soils are deep, weathered Devonian slate with a high percentage of fine earth – relatively heavy soils compared with those of the region as a whole. They yield full-bodied, spicy wines with incredible ageing potential. Often the wines have an unmistakable peach aroma with a hint of wild herbs and earthy, spicy components; a measure of the rarity of our tasting is that neither Robinson, Robert Parker in aggregate, or Wine Spectator have tasted this or any 1971 von Kesselstatt wines, despite their high ranking in the USA. No info, nothing known as to elevation but in fuder assumed (for the times), no 1971 Kesselstatt TBAs (from any vineyard) mentioned on the Net – even on Cellartracker; Brook comments further on the wines from the Josephshof site: Fine schist-slate soils with good water retention, so it can be very successful in dry years. The wines are slow to develop, full-bodied, occasionally earthy, and very long-lived. Annegret Reh-Gartner of Kesselstatt compares them to Hochheim in the Rheingau, with their softer acidity; www.kesselstatt.com ]
Old gold and hazelnut, a brassy rim. Bouquet is light and fresh for the wine’s colour, almost a thought of pink hedge-rose florals, obvious fruit yet no clear analogies, a complex of botrytis, pears, sultanas and raisins plus a hint of dried Otago apricots (much more piquant / varietal than Turkish), subtlest oak, all honeyed and slightly biscuitty. Flavour is astonishing, wonderfully fresh, all the bouquet characters yet finishing particularly on the Otago apricot note, excellent acid balance relative to the residual sugar guessed to be in the 200s, the fruit long yet drying in a positive way to the very neat finish. This wine has been in ideal Wellington cellar conditions for its entire life, and the colour is likely to be ‘correct’. The second favourite wine of the evening, six first places, four second. The wine will hold, but the corks won’t. GK 11/17

2007 Sacred Hill Chardonnay Riflemans 19 (

)

Dartmoor Valley, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $52 [ screwcap; hand-picked clone mendoza, whole-bunch pressed to barrel; wild-yeast ferments temperature-controlled to max. c. 17 degrees in the barrel; 100% MLF and 12 months LA and some batonnage in French oak new and 1-year; RS in 2007 2.3 g/L; www.sacredhill.com ]
Lemongreen, a remarkable colour. Bouquet is sensationally pure and subtle, a very understated presentation of mendoza chardonnay, with magical lees-autolysis mealyness and barrel-ferment complexities enriching it. Palate has great texture, white stonefruit more than yellow, baguette-crust buttered with palest European butter flavours, succulent, long, yet refreshing. It is closer to Puligny-Montrachet or Montrachet than Meursault, but there are occasional other new world chardonnays it reminds me of – a Kistler from Sonoma comes to mind. This is great New Zealand chardonnay, one of the finest ever made here. Since there will be no 2008 Riflemans as such, all the fruit having been declassified, the need now is to buy twice as much 2007 as usual. It will cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 11/08

2004 Vidal Syrah ‘not-yet-released’ 19 (

)

Gimblett Gravels mostly, some Tutaekuri Valley, New Zealand: 13.75%; $ – [ screwcap; release late ’06; hand-harvested; not on website yet; www.vidal.co.nz ]
Ruby carmine and velvet, a super colour and one of the deepest, just below ’04 le Sol. Bouquet shows a stunning quality of syrah, with the complete spectrum of varietal aromas – florals, black peppercorn, cassis and darkest plums – needed to define top-quality syrah. The floral notes include beautiful pinot-like boronia scents with suggestions of carnations and darkest roses, melding into a depth of cassis and richness of berryfruit on bouquet which is breathtaking. It is not quite as powerful as le Sol, but it is fresher and more floral. In mouth the berry richness is clearly deeper and denser than the ’04 Soler Syrah, the berry aromatics are greater, and the total oak is both less and finer. I would not be surprised if the ratio of new oak (all French) were higher than Soler, too. The aftertaste is essence of syrah, truly fine Hermitage quality. This wine is the equal of ’04 le Sol in richness, and though it is not as powerful, nor is it so alcoholic. And the blending-in of fruit from a cooler vineyard has optimised the bouquet and hence the varietal delicacy of bouquet, vis-a-vis le Sol, giving not only a greater floral component important in characterising the best syrah wines, but importantly a lower alcohol. This too is one of New Zealand's greatest reds so far, the match of le Sol. It will cellar 5 – 15 years, maybe 20. GK 05/06

2010 Mas de Boislauzon Chateauneuf-du-Pape 19 (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 15%; $85 [ cork 49mm; Gr 70%, Mv 15, Sy 15; cuvaison to 30 days, closely monitored; elevation 12 months half in large old wood, half in concrete vat; no new oak; Les Deux Chenes refers to the two oak trees logo for the estate as a whole; imported by Truffle, Wellington; weight bottle and closure: 637 g; www.boislauzonenglish.photoavignon.com ]
Ruby and velvet, quite deep for Chateauneuf-du-Pape, clearly above midway in the mainly syrah and cabernet field of 27. Bouquet is wonderfully deep, dark, fragrant, nearly duskily floral, as if there were a high percentage of mourvedre and syrah in a grenache base. [ Later checking indicates a significant percentage of both. Robinson states the mourvedre is 20% in 2010. ] Berry notes include darker suggestions of cassis as well as raspberry, on an aromatic plummy matrix, with some cedary and silver-pine oak too, even perhaps a little new oak. The spirit is well-contained. Palate is soft, rich, velvety, tending over-ripe in the modern lush style American winewriting has forced on the world, all a little tannic at this early stage, otherwise beautifully balanced and harmonious, with the darker fruits providing the long flavours. Cellar 5 – 25 + years. GK 08/16

2005 Craggy Range Syrah Le Sol 19 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $90 [ cork; Sy 100%; hand-harvested @ 2.4 t/ac; 95% de-stemmed, wild-yeast fermentation; 18 months in French oak 52% new; better supply of the '05 @ 7800 bottles, but 65% will be exported; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a vibrant colour, the deepest of the syrahs. Bouquet is sensational, an exact capturing of syrah at a near-perfect ripeness point, retaining deep violets, boronia florals and cracked peppercorn, yet showing exquisite berry redolent of cassis and darkest plum. It is confuseable with fine cabernet / merlot were it not for the spice and black / white pepper. This is the most fragrant Le Sol yet, on bouquet, and tasters from hot climates may therefore think it under-ripe. Not however by European standards; I would hope a winemaker from Hermitage would say it was optimal ripeness, no sur-maturité. Palate follows superbly, great fresh cassis, darkest plum and aromatic body, great spice, the new oak marrying into deceptive concentration and richness, and the finish at 14% alcohol seeming remarkably more subtle than the 14.5% of the more ebullient '04 and '02 wines. The whole wine is more subtle than the two previous vintages, reflecting perhaps not only the vintage '05 per se, but also the 5% whole bunch now incorporated – a trend worth exploring further, to optimise bouquet florals and wine complexity. This is marvellous syrah for long-term cellaring, more Hermitage than Cote Rotie. It needs 5 years to soften, and will cellar for 10 – 20 + years. Eight tasters in 25 rated this their top wine, in a double-blind tasting. GK 04/07

2002 Felton Road Riesling Block 1 19 (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 10%; $ – [ screwcap; was $24; the vineyard considers 2002 a near-perfect vintage; the wine late- and hand-harvested, no botrytis, wild-yeast fermentation, 50 g/L RS; Michael Cooper, 2004: … delicate and racy, with green apple and lemon aromas, a distinctly mineral streak, and searching flavours of lemon and limes, sweet and tangy. It should be very long-lived, *****; www.feltonroad.com ]
Lemon with a wash of straw, just below midway in depth. Bouquet is remarkably pure riesling, linalool and vanillin, suggestions of holy grass (Hierochloe), little or no botrytis, delicate. Palate immediately deepens the impression, citrusy riesling aromatics now, even hints of lime still at 12 years, great freshness, juicy, long on the residual sweetness and elegant acid. A perfect wine to illustrate the oft-stated British reportage that riesling is the unsung grape of Otago. Closely matches non-botrytisy Mosel spatlesen in nett impression. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 03/14

1995 Bollinger RD Extra Brut 19 (

)

Ay, Champagne, France: 12%; $228 [ cork; PN 60%, Ch 40; some BF in primary fermentation; no MLF; secondary fermentation under cork; disgorged 6/05; pretentious and inoperable website; www.champagne-bollinger.fr ]
Straw, one of the deeper wines. Bouquet is Bollinger at its finest, cashew-rich, great pinot noir-dominant fruit, a magical hint of oak, perfect baguette crust autolysis. Palate is mealy / nutty on the oak and autolysis, fresh acid, yet though rich in terms of champagne, the whole is in one sense relatively light (in Bollinger terms) and elegant. The depth of flavour however is magnificent, and is long and lingering in the mouth. One can just taste the oak here – this is exactly how oak should be used in the champagne style, nearly invisible, just adding to the cashew component of the autolysis, adding perhaps a shade of hazel. This will cellar 5 – 15 years plus – a wonderful wine. GK 11/06

2013 Craggy Range Pinot Noir Aroha 19 (

)

Te Muna Valley, Martinborough district, Wairarapa, New Zealand: 13.4%; $125 [ 50mm cork; hand-harvested @ c. 3.8 t/ha = 1.5 t/ac; fermentation in oak cuves and s/s, with wild yeasts, and 40% whole-bunch; 11 months in French oak 32% new; RS nil; not fined, coarse filter only; the Craggy Range website now is really model of how to do it – if only other leading New Zealand wineries would provide both this level of documentation for each wine, AND the same details for all back vintages; www.craggyrange.com ]
Perfect pinot noir ruby, clearly the deepest of the three Craggy Range pinot noirs (including the standard Te Muna Road wine in the Wairarapa pinot noir article, for link see under the Index, above), but still a typical pinot noir colour by Burgundy standards. The bouquet is simply beautiful, classic pinot noir, clearly floral in the sense of both pink and red roses as well as boronia, fragrant, aromatic in a subtle piquant way, red fruits dominant. In mouth the zingy red cherry grading to black fruits is exhilarating, the oak increasing slightly now, but the depth of flavour and texture dramatic. The aromatic excitement on palate and perfect varietal expression are totally Cote de Nuits, not Cote de Beaune – marvellous. This wine reminds of a great Clos de la Roche (from Morey-Saint-Denis, close by Gevrey-Chambertin), but is perhaps slightly more oaky than (for example) Drouhin's handling. This is Craggy Range's greatest pinot noir so far, and likewise one of Martinborough's finest to date. What a thrill. This wine vs the 2013 standard Te Muna wine, seems to me to offer the perfect confirmation that dry extract, and perceived texture and concentration, are in most cases linked with cropping rate. Note the clear differences in the two wines. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 06/16

2014 Two Paddocks Pinot Noir Proprietor's Reserve The Fusilier 19 (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $72 [ screwcap – Stelvin Lux; www.twopaddocks.com ]
Classic pinot noir, fractionally above midway in depth. Bouquet is dramatically varietal, beautiful sweet florals including darkest purple buddleia through deep dusky roses to boronia, on red grading to black cherry fruit. There is an exciting lift on the bouquet, taking the wine straight to Cote de Nuits. Palate is almost succulent, wonderful concentration, clearly aromatic in the most positive Cote de Nuits way, the whole wine in its youthful and still fleshy way reminding of vineyards such as Clos-Saint-Jacques, Gevrey-Chambertin. This is benchmark wine in the great 2014 vintage in Central Otago, a wine against which others may be measured. Length of flavour is lovely: I look forward to a dry extract on this wine, it should be over 30 g/L. Cellar 5 – 15 years, maybe longer. GK 06/16

1998 Brunel Chateauneuf-du-Pape Les Cailloux 19 (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $102 [ cork, 46mm; Gr 65%, Mv 20, Sy 10, minor others; main ferment in enamelled concrete vats, cuvaison to 28 days; syrah and mourvedre to barrels one third new, grenache being oxidation-prone in concrete, both 18 months; some stems if needed, now filtered, not sure 1998; J. Dunnuck @ R. Parker, 2015: ... classic notes of dried Provencal herbs, cured meats, kirsch, leather and exotic spices. These carry to a full-bodied, ripe, concentrated Chateauneuf du Pape that's fully mature ..., 92; R. Parker, 2003: A southern Rhone nose of garrigue ... pepper, wood spice, and gorgeously sweet black cherry and plum-like flavors ... impressive levels of glycerin, ripe fruit, and extract. Tannin is present, but it is sweet, 91; J.L-L, 2010: an excellent display of Châteauneuf’s finesse, ****(*); bottle weight 679g; www.domaine-les-cailloux.fr ]
Glowing garnet more than ruby, the third to lightest wine. Bouquet is again glorious: this is one of those Chateauneuf-du-Papes where in maturity, the wine can be confused with a ripe-year Cote de Nuits grand cru burgundy. The depth of near-boronia and lilac florals, plus garrigue complexity, is wonderful, backed by rich red fruits and some hints of grenache cinnamon spice. Palate is approaching full maturity, the tannins softening attractively, long fruit flavours and great complexity, and the florals continue right into the palate. A sensitive taster might detect a savoury brett note in the spice, but it is vanishingly subtle – positive at this level. Quite heavy crusting in bottle correlates with the tannin observations. The second-most favoured wine, four first places, five second. Probably at its peak right now, but will be fine for 5 – 10 years. GK 07/18

2003 Peregrine Pinot Noir 19 (

)

Cromwell 70%, Gibbston 30%, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $38 [ screwcap; clones 10/5 and others, up to 8 years, harvested @ 2.2 t/ac; 10% whole bunch, up to 8 days cold soak, up to 23 days cuvaison; 11 months in French oak 40% new; Robinson '05: Quite deep crimson. Very full, opulent initial impression. Very distinctive. One of relatively few wines with a real beginning, middle and end to it. The 2003 and 2004 vintages here were overseen by Michelle Richardson. Fine tannins, perceptible acidity. 18.5; www.peregrinewines.co.nz ]
Big ruby, a flush of carmine and velvet, fractionally darker than the Mt Difficulty Target Gully. This is another bouquet with dramatically Cote de Nuits floral lift, such as one might find in a great Clos de la Roche not too much influenced by new oak. There is lilac, boronia, dark roses and violets all through, totally pure, against black cherry fruit. Palate is aromatic and classical black cherry pinot, not quite as rich and succulent as the Bendigo maybe, but more elegant. This wine inspired French wine-writer Michael Bettane to comment (approximately): first-rate perfume, delicacy, length; great music, great story. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 01/07

2013 Trinity Hill Cabernets / Merlot The Gimblett 19 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $35 [ screwcap; CS 40%, Me 30, CF 29, PV 1, hand-picked from 17-year old vines planted at 3,125 vines / ha and cropped @ 6 t/ha = 2.4 t/ac; cuvaison c.28 days, cultured-yeast; MLF in tank; 18 months in French oak c.30% new; RS 0.4 g/L; not sterile-filtered; www.trinityhill.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, almost indistinguishable from 2013 Homage, fractionally fresher. The sweetness and harmony of the cassis-laden cabernets fraction of this wine is a joy to smell, merging seamlessly with rich plummy merlot fruit and subtle oak. Palate is near-perfect complex young claret, all potential, cassis again, fine-grained tannins, potentially cedary oak. Like Homage, this wine is softer and more forward than the matching 2013 Villa Maria Cabernet / Merlot Reserve, and so will be enjoyable earlier. A lovely ripe wine, surely the greatest The Gimblett yet, to cellar 10 – 25 years. GK 11/15

2015 Te Mata Syrah Bullnose 19 (

)

Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $50 [ cork, 46 mm; Sy 100%, hand-picked from c.24-year old vines; all de-stemmed, 15 months in French oak usually 35 – 40% new; of the order of 100 barrels made; RS dry; www.temata.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, similar in weight to 2015 Coleraine but fractionally fresher / less oak influence. I was so excited by the 2015 Bullnose, that in setting up the wines for writing up back at home, I opened 2013 Bullnose, to get a clear steer on actual achievements, as opposed to impressions gained in isolation. Bouquet of this 2015 has a depth of velvety florality I do not recall in young Bullnose before. It is stunning, darkest carnations, dianthus and red roses, dark black plums, some cassis, less black pepper than the 2013, and subtlest oak. Flavours in mouth are simply sensational. Again there is the velvety texture of classical French cropping rates expressed as dry extract, showing as beautiful mouth feel, long darkly cassisy and plummy berry flavours, and gently counterpointed oak, with a whisper of black pepper spice. The wine is as rich as 2015 Coleraine, or even slightly more concentrated. It is without doubt the greatest Bullnose thus far produced. It has the concentration of Yves Cuilleron's Cote Rotie Terres Sombres, one of the great (but unsung) Cote Roties. I wonder when the British will stop patronising New Zealand syrah, and give this wine (for example) its just ranking, right up there with some of the finest Cote Roties and Hermitages – but Bullnose markedly on the Cote Rotie side of the pairing. Cellar 5 – 20 years, longer for enthusiasts. The cropping and cellaring comments in the Coleraine review apply here, too. GK 03/17

2013 Church Road Syrah Tom 19 (

)

Bridge Pa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $200 [ 49mm cork; Sy 100%, hand-harvested, at an approximate cropping rate of 6 t/ha (= 2.4 t/ac), all destemmed; no cold soak, inoculated yeast, fermentation in an open-top oak cuve, up to 31 days cuvaison; 22 months in French small oak 71% new; production c. 150 9-L cases; www.churchroad.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, some carmine, perfectly in the middle of the field, for depth. Bouquet is deep, dark and aromatic, superbly syrah-varietal, straight out of Guigal's Hermitage Ex Voto copybook. The melding of rich highly varietal fruit and new oak is astonishing. You can tell there are dark florals defying description, cassis, bottled black doris plums and dark berry, with no hint of mint, but they are all so wrapped up in 'sweet' fragrant cedary oak, you would need superhuman powers of discrimination to identify each clearly. The flavour is the same, wonderfully rich and integrated already, nearly velvety, total Hermitage in its power, presence and weight. In the same way one can feel the 'grands crus' of Guigal are over-oaked, one might feel that here. But the whole package is simply spell-binding, amounting to one of the greatest New Zealand reds made so far. A remarkable New Zealand wine achievement to cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 07/16

1996 Ridge Cabernet Santa Cruz Mountains 19 (

)

Santa Cruz Mountains, California, USA: 13%; $ – [ cork; CS 80%, balance vineyard blend (mainly Me, some PV and CF); Paul Draper's Ridge Estate high up in the Santa Cruz mountains is legendary, the mountain wines often having a finesse, complexity and quality to them which (to the limited extent I have tasted them) some of the larger-scale lower-altitude Californian offerings seem to lack; another bottle reflecting the late Grant Jones' flair with wine; www.ridgewine.com ]
Ruby and velvet, still almost carmine, incredibly youthful. Bouquet is youthful too, smelling of almost pure cabernet sauvignon, very ripe cassis but definitely not hot-climate in style, berry dominant over oak, an exciting bouquet. Palate builds on that impression, the juicy richness of berry not quite Bordeaux in style, but complex and exciting in its own right, fruit dominating the fragrant cedary oak. A long supple aftertaste gives a clue to the future beauty of this wine. This is great Californian cabernet. Cellar 10 – 30 years. GK 12/17

2003 Domaine Alary Cotes du Rhone Villages Cairanne La Font d’Estevenas 19 (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $32 [ cork; Maison Vauron; Sy > Gr, Mv, Co; This is the domaine’s luxury cuvée, new oak. Parker 156: "Revealing loads of Syrah as well as the influence of barrique aging, the 2003 La Font d’Estevenas exhibits pure blackberry and cassis characteristics along with espresso, chocolate, and new oak. Deep, full-bodied, and more internationally styled than its peers, it is a different animal altogether. 4-5 years. 88-90" ]
Dense carmine, ruby and velvet, so carmine one is dubious, and the darkest wine of the set. One sniff and the relief, for here is a glorious wine epitomising the Rhone: sensational florals of violets and wallflowers, wonderful cassis berry grading through into blackest plum, and great freshness on bouquet. No hint of hot year distress here. Palate is just the bouquet liquefied, glorious, oak almost invisible. At this stage the wine is totally syrah dominated, and blind one would think it an exceptional Cote Rotie, totally remarkable. Palate richness is superb, the alcohol is beautifully hidden, acid balance is sufficient to maintain freshness, and the oak is the perfect condiment. Great wine. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 09/05

1990 Ch Angelus 19 (

)

Saint-Emilion Grand Cru (then), Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $850 [ cork 53mm; Me 50, CF 47, CS 3, average vine age 30, but significant old vines, planted 7 – 8,000 vines / ha, cropped at 4.15 t/ha = 1.7 t/ac; 3 – 5 weeks cuvaison, MLF and 18 – 24 months depending on vintage in (now) all-new oak; no fining or filtration; production 5800 cases (then); re-building of this estate began with the 1988 vintage; Robinson, 2005: Deep ruby with a hint of brick at the rim. Very flamboyant, seductive, exotic nose. Sweet palate entry with decadent raw meat and dried fruit flavours. Lovely velvety texture. Gorgeous to drink now – seems as though at its peak but has probably been so for ages. Lots of velvety pleasure, 18.5; Intriguing to note that each time Parker tastes this wine, he extends the peak maturity. Here is a recent evaluation: 2015: A blend of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc, this is clearly the greatest Angelus until the 2000, 2003 and then the perfect 2005. Beautiful, sweet plum, blackberry and blueberry fruit soar from the glass of this opaque, purple wine that still hasn’t lost much in color. Deep, opulent, voluptuously textured, full-bodied and multidimensional, this is a stunner and just now approaching its plateau of full maturity, where it should stay for at least another 20 years, 99; Leve, 2012: this sublime level of quality!, 98; www.angelus.com ]
Ruby, garnet and velvet, a little browner than the Pichon, above midway in depth. Bouquet contrasts with the Pichon, being nearly as fragrant, but the vanillin of new oak much more prominent, and the whole wine one notch more warm-climate / less floral / less refreshing. But it certainly smells rich. On palate you would never know that cabernet franc is the second grape after merlot, rather than cabernet sauvignon, it being amazingly aromatic for a Saint-Emilion. The richness of berry nearly envelops the oak, but even here there is the thought the wine would have been more fragrant and complex if not quite so ripe (or oaky). One is reminded of California, therefore. Aftertaste lingers long, both on rich fruit but rather a lot of oak also. Yet ultimately, the fruit wins. At a peak, but will also hold for years. Top equal wine, 11 votes. GK 10/15

2000 Ch Angelus 19 (

)

Saint-Emilion Premier Grand Cru Classé A, Bordeaux, France: 14%; $876 [ Cork 54 mm, ullage 10 mm; landed cost $355; in the same family (de Bouard) since 1921; cepage Me 50%, CF 47, CS 3 (but the 2000 is Me 60%, CF 40), planted at average 7,500 vines per ha, average vine age 30 years; the 2000 cropped at 35 hl/ha = 4.5 t/ha = 1.8 t/ac; manual de-stemming; fermentation in s/s then, cuvaison up to 35 days, malolactic fermentation tending to be in barrel, 22 months in oak varying from 85 – 100% new depending on the strength of the year; a wine very much in the modern style, with Michel Rolland consulting; not fined or filtered; Brook, 2007: It’s hard to resist the explosive 2000. There’s much new oak on the nose, of course, but also the touches of tobacco and damsons that add complexity; the immense richness and concentration are tempered by the lilting lift and persistence contributed by Cabernet Franc; Robinson’s appraisal of the wine is becoming less favourable over the years: in 2005: Very deep, very thick crimson ... Ripe and flattering. Very intense perfume which seems to fill the entire nose. Wonderfully rich and round with notes of flowers, orange peel, a lovely silky texture. Masses of ripe tannin. Very healthy. Exotic notes. Bursting with life, to 2025, 18.5+, but in 2011: Slightly burnt, tarry notes on the nose. Sweet start, much less freshness than the 2001. Tastes as though it were picked later. A very luscious wine with some strong green streaks, 17; RP @ WA, 2015: Approaching perfection … notes of incense, blueberry and blackberry liqueur, licorice, graphite and spring flowers. A touch of roasted espresso bean is also present. The wine has great concentration, a magnificent, full-bodied mouthfeel, stunning purity, and well-integrated acidity, tannin, alcohol and wood. This beauty seems to be in mid-adolescence with at least 25-30 years of life ahead, 99; production averages 5,830 x 9-litre cases grand vin; weight bottle and closure: 602 g; website tending pretentious rather than informative; www.chateau-angelus.com ]
Dark ruby and velvet, clearly the deepest and richest wine in colour. Bouquet is all-enveloping, a great wave of fragrant nearly floral (heliotrope) blueberry and bottled black doris plums, all lifted and made delightfully aromatic by a higher percentage of new oak than Las Cases. Texture in mouth is velvety, no other word for it, with big rich plummy berry and vanilla-y new oak, yet the oak soft and ‘sweet’ … and adding hints of cocoa. This is a wine to prove the lie to the quote heading up this article, this soft ample textural and faintly chocolate fruit sweetness being exactly what I understand to be the goal of finishing fermentation, and particularly the MLF fermentation, in barrel. The wine also tastes as if the cropping rate is lower than the other top wines, adding to its rich and velvety texture. Remarkable wine very much in the modern style, and catering to the American taste, offering a vital comparison with the classically styled Montrose and Palmer. Three people rated Angelus their top wine, and one second place. Cellar 20 – 30 years. GK 11/20

2002 d'Arenberg Shiraz / Viognier The Laughing Magpie 19 (

)

McLaren Vale, South Australia: 14.5%; $35 [ Sy 93% co-fermented with 7% Vi; 12 months US & French oak; www.darenberg.com.au ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a gorgeous dense colour. Bouquet is deep and rich, big but not too heavy, showing marvellous cassis and dark berry with black pepper. It is sweet, fragrant, only faintly euc'y, not quite light enough to be floral. Palate is saturated black plum and cassis, very hard indeed to tell as shiraz because of the aromatic cassis-like complexity, easily confused with Australian cabernet of the same quality unless one has them right alongside. Though the wine is huge, the oaking is not too heavy-handed, and it finishes pure and skinsy-fresh in mouth. Can one see the viognier ? It is too big and dark to be sure, but maybe there is a floral sweetness in there. In this bracket of wines, the one that 'appears' to be fragrant from viognier is the beautiful but wildly contrasting McRae Wood. This d'Arenberg is glorious McLaren Vale shiraz which will cellar for 10 – 25 years. GK 06/04

2001 Ch de Beaucastel Chateauneuf du Pape 19 (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $115 [ Mv 30%, Gr 30; Sy 10, Counoise 10, Ci 5, 8 other permitted Chateauneuf varieties 15%; must pasteurisation; 12 months large older oak; website requires password entry; www.perrin-rhone.com ]
Good ruby, some carmine and velvet, but no great depth. A deeply fragrant and berry-rich bouquet in the modern style of Beaucastel, grapes first. Among them, mourvedre seems dominant on bouquet at this stage, with its raisiny black plum and black olive characters showing. Berry qualities are remarkably complex, with (unusually) a hint of Australian boysenberry, as well as darker cassis-like notes. Palate is clearly southern Rhone, with herbes de Provence complexity on considerable fruit richness, long flavours, and oak understated and so much cleaner than 20 years ago. Alongside Coudoulet, however, the role of oak is more apparent, the grand vin being much more aromatic. This is not an unduly rich or overpowering wine, or designed to impress as some contemporary Chateauneufs are. It just has quiet power, and great length. One can imagine in 20 years time it will be enchantingly burgundian, and Cote de Nuits at that. Exciting but understated wine. Cellar 10 – 25 years. GK 07/04

1998 Ch de Beaucastel Chateauneuf-du-Pape 19 (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $158 [ cork, 54mm; Gr 40% (this year), Mv 20, Sy 10, Co 10, Ci 5, all 13 AOC minor varieties grown and used, Mv & Sy destemmed; organic viticulture; up to 18 months in mostly old oak (syrah receives some new-oak via barrel-fermention); flash pasteurisation of must pre-fermentation c.1 – 2 minutes @ 80°C; J. Dunnuck @ Parker, 2015: The atypically Grenache-dominated 1998 Chateauneuf du Pape is fully mature and gives up tons of kirsch, garrigue, licorice and a touch of gaminess in its full-bodied, layered and ripe personality. More rounded ... than most vintages ... plenty of mid-palate depth and a great finish, 93; R. Parker, 2001: The 1998 is the greatest effort produced since Beaucastel's 1989 and 1990 ... should keep for 25-30 years, 95; J.L-L, 2013: had the 1998 rated 6-stars (his maximum) for many years, but the latest bottle ***(*); bottle weight 865g; www.beaucastel.com ]
Ruby more than garnet, a lovely colour, midway in depth. As for the Charbonniere, this wine too epitomises Chateauneuf-du-Pape. There is beautiful freshness and ripeness, in a complex bouquet in which red fruits dominate, but there is a depth to the bouquet bespeaking the mourvedre and other varieties Beaucastel includes. On palate there is suppleness and charm indicating the wine is approaching its peak, but yes there is a hint of raisin reflecting the warm year. This seems a totally pure wine, now with only a little tannin to lose. There is some crusting in the bottle. One first-place ranking, but seven second places. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 07/18

2016 Domaine de Beaurenard Chateauneuf-du-Pape Boisrenard 19 (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 15%; $130 [ cork 49 mm, Gr 80-85%, Mv 10, other 11 vars 5%, 60 – 100 years, organic, cropped at c.2.3 t/ha = 0.9 t/ac; 18 months elevation includes new oak; available from Maison Vauron, Auckland, and retailers supplied by them; weight bottle and cork, 616 g; www.beaurenard.fr ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, the third deepest wine. This is another midnight-deep wine, but again there is wonderful purity and freshness, in its fragrant dark berry. Here too the wine escapes the clumsiness of blackberry, and makes you wonder about high mourvedre. In mouth the alcohol does show a little, but even though there is some fragrant new oak, it is harmoniously merged with dark omega plum and berry, some blueberry, great length and richness. More than some, it needs time to harmonise and display itself, when it will earn its high score. This is a wine to cellar for the long haul, when garrigue subtleties and beauty only now implicit will emerge. Glorious wine, with superlative tannin structure, to cellar 20 – 40 years. GK 05/19

2016 Domaine de Beaurenard Chateauneuf-du-Pape Boisrenard 19 (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 15%; $130 [ cork, 50 mm; Daniel and Frederic Coulon own 32 hectares in Chateauneuf-du-Pape, and another 25 in Rasteau, all farmed organically and biodynamically. Boisrenard is the top cuvée at Beaurenard, and is included to illustrate a (in one sense) ‘modern’ wine, though the Coulons emphasise tradition in discussing it. The youngest vines in this wine 60 years old, some Gr 115 years, all hand-harvested at c.2.4 t / ha = 1 t/ac ... a cropping rate rarely matched in New Zealand (Homage Syrah, occasionally). All (now) 18 permitted varieties are used in Boisrenard. The bunches are de-stemmed, but the berries scarcely crushed. Cuvaison is all wild-yeasts, can be up to 35 days, in oak vats. Elevation 18 – 21 months in barrels and foudres, some barriques, 20% new; not fined or filtered; J.L-L has not assessed the 2016, but comments in general: Very good domaine, highly reliable, with admirable quality over the decades ... There is sleek fruit, very consistent quality ... The special red Boisrenard is overtly oaked, so allow plenty of time; RH@JR, 2017: ... the 2016 is Gr 66%, Mv 12, Sy 12 ... Pure preserved cherry aroma. Tough tannic power on the palate. Very chewy. Some liquorice and leather character on the finish, but the flavour range can't soften the fearsome structure, 16 +; JC@RP, 2018: Strawberries and raspberries shine on the nose, followed by a full-bodied palate that's creamy-silky and lush but also bright, lively and long. It's a super effort, 2018 - 2035, 96; production averages 1,250 x 9-litre cases; weight bottle and cork 624 g; one of the Worth Cellaring set; www.beaurenard.fr ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, in the top 10 of the 49 reds for depth of colour, but not quite so vivid due to a greater exposure to oak. This wine has an enormous volume of bouquet, all the Southern Rhone florals plus the vanillin of new oak, sweet and haunting. Below are wonderfully fresh red and darker berries / fruit, all gently spicy, cinnamon mainly. Palate is rich, succulent, more structured than some due to the new oak component, yet the oak still well in the background. Length of aromatic berry on the tongue is phenomenal, the wine a remarkable example of ‘modern’ Chateauneuf-du-Pape. At the blind ranking stage, tasters were accurate in assessing Boisrenard, nine of the 21 correctly recognising this was the one wine showing a clear new oak component. Four top places, six second, cellar 15 – 30 years. Available from Maison Vauron and their distribution channels (eg Regional Wines). GK 07/19

1966 Bodegas Bilbainas Vina Pomal 19 (

)

Haro, Rioja, Spain: – %; $170 [ 44mm cork; tempranillo dominant, but maybe some graciano and grenache; much shorter time in oak maybe less than 2 years; the 1966 vintage well-rated in Rioja as for most of the red-wine districts of Europe; no reviews of this wine found; www.bodegasbilbainas.com ]
Glowing ruby and garnet, a glorious old-wine colour, just below midway in depth. The quality of bouquet on this wine is extraordinary, wonderful sweet saturated berry and lightly vanillin oak, like some heavenly amalgam of great burgundy and fine Margaux (such as Ch Palmer), but slightly more vanillin. Flavours are no less beautiful, berry dominant over oak in contrast to a number of these wines, the most perfect supple fruit: rich, reasonably concentrated yet subtle, not at all heavy or oaky in texture. This is sensational wine, and it has taken 50 years for it to to become so. Hugh Johnson, in his seminal work Wine, published in 1966 by Thomas Nelson, spoke of the value which the traditional wines of Rioja and Dao then offered. I am running two sections together here, but the nett impression was this: The growers of Rioja are longing for someone to appreciate what they have to offer … They are certainly to be counted among the world's best red wines … There is no question of better or less good vintages, as they only issue vintage wine when they are happy about it. Recent vintages are rarely seen, because the wine needs a long time in wood and bottle to mature it. It starts life black and hard, as French wines used to be before economics started to interfere with them … [ They ] have a quality which is found in the wines of Bordeaux – which is not to say that they are like claret – the quality of hardness when they are young, the result of thick dark grape skins full of tannin … Hardness and blackness do not sound particularly attractive qualities. Commercially they are reckoned to be a dead loss. In a way they are good signs: they mean that the wine should last for years, eventually becoming (probably, if not certainly) very much better than a softer and paler wine ever would … 20 or 25 years will probably see it at its best. Since these wines cost so very little they are the obvious ones to lay down in large quantities for anyone who has the space, to see eventual results quite out of proportion to the outlay.

For its first 30 years, this wine was simply 'sturdy'. How vividly I recollect it being patronised by wine aficionados of the 1980s in Wellington, when I proudly ran it in blind tastings. And now, at the 50-year point, this wine has reached its full flowering. Thank God I bought two cases of it, after first assessing it, influenced as I was by Johnson. I have to say, forlornly, that the Vina Pomal of today does not offer the same potential. This wine is yet another treasure imported by one of the most discriminating New Zealand wine merchants of the New Zealand 1960s and 1970s, the late Dick Maling of Christchurch. No hurry at all, the wine is absolutely stable over 24 hours. I hope some readers still hold this wine. Five people rated it their top or second-favourite wine, and slightly more thought it French than Spanish. GK 10/16

2006 Champagne Billecart-Salmon Cuvée Elisabeth Salmon Rosé Brut 19 (

)

Mareuil-sur-Ay, Champagne, France: 12.5%; $310 [ traditional compound champagne cork; 93 % of the wine is PN 50%, Ch 50, a high percentage (perhaps all) grand cru rating, plus 7% PN added to achieve the desired colour; some old-oak barrel-fermented base wines; long tirage perhaps 9 years or so, details not made available; dosage see below; website superficial; www.champagne-billecart.fr ]
Perfect light salmon hue. The purity of the bouquet here is exemplary, beautiful baguette-crust and Vogel's Multigrain autolysis on a bouquet seemingly dominated by red fruits pinot noir, but in an ethereal way. There is little sign of meunier perfume here. The freshness and depth of flavour on palate is again sensational, clearly showing red grapes dominance, yet the autolysis complexity runs right through the palate. In one sense rosé champagnes are not such good candidates for cellaring, because they lose their subtle fresh red-fruits charm, but the characters replacing them are still a delight, in the older wine. So this will cellar for 20 years, all the same. Various sources give the dosage as between 5 and 8 g/L: it tastes about 6. GK 04/16

2010 Domaine Bonneau du Martray Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru 19 (

)

Aloxe-Corton, Cote de Beaune, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $221 [ cork; biodynamic vineyards, average vine age c.40 years; full MLF, c.12 months in barrel, 33% new, with batonnage; Domaine Bonneau du Martray is the single largest holding in Corton-Charlemagne at 9.5 hectares; the website is simply a statement the establishment exists, and cannot receive visitors – no info; www.bonneaudumartray.com ]
Pale lemon straw, curiously not in the lemon half of the set, nor the palest. This is a different wine in that the oak is (still ?) obtrusive on bouquet, and coupled with a light high-solids component it is not so explicitly beautiful in its fruit, at this stage. On palate, one is struck by the higher acid and noticeable oak in white stonefruits, and you can't help feeling as so often in New Zealand, that less oak sits more happily with the wine in high-acid years. These factors detract from immediately assessing the actual fruit weight, but on careful examination it is excellent. Palate flavours are stonefruit and oak-tinged mealy qualities, remarkably close to the 2011 Villa Maria Keltern Reserve, but slightly richer. I think this wine will follow exactly the same trajectory as the 2005, and probably rate higher in five years. Cellar 5 – 15 + years. GK 05/13

2001 Domaine Brusset Gigondas Tradition le Grand Montmirail 19 (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $39 [ Gr 70%, Sy 25, Ci 5; 18 months in older, big oak ]
A good ruby with some carmine and velvet. Bouquet is the most complete and enchanting in the set, soft, full, and fragrant in a spectrum from floral via dark berries to savoury, very beautiful. These wonderful smells totally express the southern Rhone Valley in an aromatic vintage. Palate is silky, rich, spreading out all the qualities of the bouquet in a satisfying long palate, with superb acid and tannin balances, and merely the subtlest oak. Only a bigot could object to the savoury complexity a trace of brett brings to this magical wine. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 10/04

1999 Domaine Brusset Cairanne Hommage a André Brusset 19 (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $ – [ cork, 50mm; original release price $100 ( and $US65), 2016 vintage release price much less; Gr 50%, Mv 50, average age 80 years, hand-picked at 3.25 t/ha = 1.33 t/ac; Gr all destemmed, Mv as whole bunches on top of the Gr, 4 weeks plus cuvaison; elevation 80% in vat, 20% in three-year-old puncheons for 12 months on fine lees, fined, not filtered, production c.230 x 9-litre cases; thus far made only in 1999, 2000, 2012, 2016, so a rare wine; J. Livingstone-Learmonth, 2007: full, quite dark robe; earthy … nose – it is oily, quite hot wine off the garrigue, shows some alcohol. There is immediate grip on the palate, with a rather extracted feel. ... empties a little towards the finish, where there is a 2003 style baking, a dry shape. 13.5°. … the result of excited, over interventionist winemaking. 2012-13, **; Wine Spectator, 2001: A winner. Dark and deep, complex, full-bodied and supple-textured. Tobacco, spice, smoke and plum, with a mineral touch. With its ripe fruit, sweet tannins and black color, here is a wonderful Cairanne. The finish remains velvety – a sign of greatness. To 2009, 93; www.domainebrusset.fr ]
Ruby and velvet, a sensational colour from for a 20-year-old wine, clearly the reddest of the 12, and the second deepest. Bouquet has that amazing deep, dark, velvety and darkest fresh plum (but not prune) character of a high mourvedre blend, wonderfully fragrant and pure, lightly aromatic with hints of rosemary / garrigue, plus a tanniny smell. In flavour the texture is velvety, only word for it, bespeaking a wonderfully low cropping rate, plus the velvety fine-grained dark tannins of mourvedre. With 24 hours development and air, in glass, there is the faintest savoury / spicy brett suggestion, adding to bouquet complexity. Two only tasters rated the brett ‘significant’. In terms of the stability of the wine in cellar, it is simply complexity, of academic interest. There is soft older oak shaping the wine and the tannin balance, but no aromatic resins from new oak. It is hard to imagine how a darker-spectrum Southern Rhone blend could be more exciting, unless one is totally wedded to the lighter red fruits and more pinot noir-like style of grenache-dominant wines. This will cellar another 20 years, easily, it still needing to lose some tannin. This 1999 vintage was the first release of the blend, to honour André following his death that year. It was then priced $NZ99. The 2016 just offered in New Zealand is $52. Perhaps production is now a little greater. This was clearly the favourite wine on the night, eight first places including both Otago winemakers, five second places. Exciting wine. You cannot help feeling that J.L-L's bottle in Copenhagen was unrepresentative, heat-affected in transit / storage maybe. GK 03/19

2016 Domaine Brusset Cairanne Hommage a André Brusset 19 (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $50 [ cork, 50mm; Gr 50%, Mv 50, all destemmed; elevage 80% in vat, 20% in barrels; J.L-L says some puncheons new, no rating; JC @ RP: dark fruit, delicate spice, 94; available from Peter Maude, Auckland; www.domainebrusset.fr ]
Dense ruby, carmine and velvet, phenomenal depth, the deepest colour. Bouquet is quieter, deeper, and riper than the Tardieu-Laurent Rasteau, and beautifully pure. There are hints of dusky garrigue aromatics, but scarcely any sign of oak. The next day the garrigue has an almost floral lift to it, surprising in a wine so dark. First impressions on tongue are sheer velvet, and a richness of fresh dark berry rarely encountered, beautiful. This is mourvedre at its most enchanting, the wine making a nonsense of all the me-too winewriters who mistakenly say mourvedre smells of brett. Oak is there, but the weight of fruit is so great, it is hard to tease the oak out, beautifully subtle. Alcohol seems higher than the figure on the label. This remarkable wine surpasses most Chateauneuf-du-Papes in richness. One second-place. Cellar 30 – 50 years. GK 04/19

2005 Ch Canon-La-Gaffeliere 19 (

)

Saint-Emilion, Bordeaux, France: 14%; $173 [ cork 50mm; Me 55%, CF 40, CS 5, planted to 5,500 vines / ha; up to 26 days cuvaison; 15 – 20 months in French oak, 80 – 100% new; www.neipperg.com ]
Rich ruby and velvet, some age showing, the third deepest, but clearly older than the sensational 2005 Ch Palmer, recently reported on. Bouquet on this wine is wonderfully strong and multidimensional, nearly dusky red roses and violets-floral, but the florals hard to tease out from noticeable new oak. There is superb freshness of plummy berry, brown tobacco and cedar. Palate is velvety, no other word for it, one of the richest wines, beautifully ripe to perhaps the faintest hint of moist best prunes = over-ripe on the plums, but given the quality of bouquet, you can forgive that. The oak approach is absolutely first growth-aspirational; you need wonderful dry extract to get away with it, and this wine has that. This is also one of the higher-cabernets wines, which I concede has influenced my conclusions, it being easier for such blends to be fragrant. But with the opportunity to taste the highish-merlot 2005 Ch Palmer alongside, thanks to appropriate conservation, the Palmer is in another league altogether. Interesting. Cellar 10 – 25 years, perhaps longer. GK 11/15

2010 Domaine Charvin Chateauneuf-du-Pape * 19 (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 15%; $86 [ cork, 50 mm; Gr 82 – 85% averaging 50 years age, Sy 5 – 8, Mv 5, vaccarese 5; whole bunches included, cuvaison to 25 days, 18 – 21 months in concrete, no oak at all now; fined, not filtered; the key factor at Charvin is the production of only one wine, no luxury cuvée etc; J.L-L: classy, full, complex, ******; Robinson, 2011: Sweet, lifted, lightly jammy nose. Sweet elderberry flavours. Very focused with firm tannins. Dry finish, 17; Parker, 2012: ... black raspberry, black currant, garrigue, licorice and lavender characteristics. Full-bodied with undeniable elegance, minerality and precision, 95+; typical production 2,500 9-litre cases; weight bottle and closure: 645 g; www.domaine-charvin.com ]
Ruby, some development showing, just above midway in depth. This is an absolutely wonderful Charvin. There is in an extraordinary vibrancy to the berry quality in Domaine Charvin, due to its virtual lack of oak handling. You feel in this wine the mourvedre is showing an influence far beyond its given percentage, there being vibrant black plum / black olive notes on the raspberry / loganberry backbone. Texture is silky, even though the alcohol is given as 15%. As always (virtually), Charvin is one of the definitive Chateauneuf-du-Papes for its year, if you want to understand the cepage of the district without the complications of oak. The tannin structure here is fresh and just wonderful. One could not own too much of this wine (ugly bottles aside). Cellar 10 – 25 years. Four tasters rated this their top or second wine. GK 06/17

2013 Yann Chave Hermitage 19 (

)

Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $125 [ cork 54mm; Sy 100%, hand-harvested at c. 4.5 t/ha = 1.8 t/ac; destemmed, up to 25 days cuvaison, 12 months in new and 1-year 600 L barrels; c. 500 9-L cases; imported by Maison Vauron, Auckland; weight bottle and closure: 631 g; www.yannchave.com ]
Dense dark ruby, carmine and velvet, the deepest wine in the set of 27. Bouquet is deeper, darker, duskier, than the J L Chave Saint-Joseph, but still darkly floral, port-wine magnolia maybe, on equally dusky cassis and blackest plums. Yet it still smells fresh, plus faintest black pepper, astonishing. In mouth all the flavours are a notch darker than the J L Chave, yet still on the right side of the line. There is no hint of clumsy Australian boysenberry, when syrah is vastly over-ripened to shiraz. Alongside the Langi, this Yann Chave is darker: you would not want it to be any more ripe. In a sense the Langi is fresher, aided by the faint aromatics, and the oaking is subtler too. This is the richest and ripest Hermitage I have seen from Yann Chave, a magnificent wine fulfilling Prof. Saintsbury's turn of the century (Notes on a Cellar-Book, 1920) dictum that Hermitage is the 'the manliest' of red wines. A wine to cellar 10 – 40 years, if my 1969 Hermitage La Chapelle (as seen recently) is any guide. GK 08/16

2010 J L Chave L'Hermitage 19 (

)

Northern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $380 [ Cork 50mm; Sy 100%; 9.3 ha of Sy at Hermitage, Bessards most, then L'Hermite and 5 other vineyards; all de-stemmed, most of fermentation in s/s; cuvaison can be to 4 weeks; traditionally up to 18 months in barrel, less than 20% new, the remainder to 5 years old, now sometimes to 26 months; minimal fining, no filtration; Robinson has tasted 2010 Chave twice, but only as components prior to assemblage. Both times she rated the potential blend highly. The following fragment is from her note for Bessards, because Chave himself considers the Bessards juice as: "the backbone of the final wine and the essence of Hermitage character." Robinson, 2011: It really does communicate the majesty and concentration of Hermitage. Extremely backward, chewy and sturdy. But overall these 2010s share a wonderful purity and are extremely promising, 19; Raynolds in Tanzer, 2013: Inky ruby. Intensely perfumed, heady bouquet displays an array of candied dark fruits, floral pastille and spicecake aromas. Powerful cherry and raspberry preserve flavors stain the palate and show remarkable depth, with bright acidity adding lift and cut. Finishes with bright, spice-accented cherry and candied licorice flavors and superb persistence, 96-97; Parker, 2012: Pure perfection, the 2010 Hermitage reminds Jean-Louis Chave of their 1990. It appears to be a richer, fresher example of what I remember the 1990 tasting like in 1992. The wine exhibits an opaque purple color along with an extraordinary bouquet of sweet blackberry fruit intermixed with creme de cassis, lead pencil shavings, acacia flowers, bouquet garni, meat and crushed rocks. Full-bodied and stunningly rich with laser-like precision, this is a powerful, massive yet exceptionally well-balanced wine that should be forgotten for a decade and drunk over the following 30-40 years, 100; no website found. ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, one of the two deepest wines, less oak affected (in hue) than La Chapelle. Bouquet opens up skinsy, giving the impression of a very dry wine, showing darker riper fruits than La Chapelle, fragrant but not exactly floral. In mouth the fruit richness is benchmark, and the oak handling likewise. You can hardly see the oak, yet it firms and shapes the wine beautifully. Accordingly the wine is richer and softer on palate than La Chapelle, though acid balance is good. On my ripening curve the wine may therefore be a little beyond my point of perfection (i.e. where florality is retained), but it still shows good cassis qualities. So the nett impression is the reverse of the Chapelle, palate here being supreme. The two wines between them say just about all that is necessary to know about fine syrah – indeed 'definitive'. Cellar 10 – 30 years. GK 11/14

2005 Domaine Auguste Clape Cornas 19 (

)

Cornas, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $235 [ 13%; $235 cork, 50mm; New Zealand release price $99; winemaking as above; Wine Spectator vintage rating for the year, 94; J.L-L, 2016: Prune, sweet spice, date, North African breezes show on the bouquet, which is inky, gives airs of pulp of squid, raspberry, a hint of lamb stock, a red meat depth. The palate is closely bound together on its stylish but reserved gras richness, and a fine funnel of tannin to extend it – there is a real good role of tannin here. It finishes on quietly intense juice, from within. This is still closely packed, has strength and amplitude. It finishes on sun-influenced, fleshy content, ******; RP@R. Parker, 2008: ... fabulous aromas of acacia flowers, scorched earth, blackberries, dense cherries, and damp forest floor. Full-bodied with high tannin, but equally high extraction and richness, patience will be required for purchasers of this superb Cornas. Anticipated maturity: 2012 – 2020+, 92; no domaine website, easiest background info on the Europvin website, ref. above. ]
Ruby and velvet, markedly lighter and less youthful than the 2009, above midway in depth. The 2005 shows the pinpoint ripeness of the 2010, but on a smaller scale. There are dianthus and wallflower florals on cassisy berry, just a suggestion of older berry notes creeping in, not as vibrant as the younger wines, but you can't yet say browning. Below the floral notes and cassis aromatics there is again bottled dark plums, the black pepper notes not quite so easily recognised here. Palate shows beautiful syrah at the first stage of maturity, remarkable tannin balance, again shaped by older oak but scarcely flavoured by it. The tannins are just starting to soften, hints of velvet in the texture, great palate length. Three people had the 2005 as their first or second-favourite wine. Cellar 5 – 25 years. GK 09/18

1995 Domaine Auguste Clape Cornas 19 (

)

Cornas, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $410 [ cork, 46mm; winemaking as above; Wine Spectator vintage rating for the year, 91; J.L-L, 2016: Coffee beans, rose hip, striking plum fruit show on the bouquet, with wet stones, mineral, “glimpses” of raspberry. ... The palate reveals beautiful dentelle qualities, with a really consistent, continuous run of fine content. There are absolutely no pauses or false steps. It is a light tread, tiptoe wine of great purity. You could travel far to find a better bouquet. It shows delicate flowers such as primrose on the aftertaste. It is still an STGT wine, has great balance. “Yields were small, ripening was correct enough. Once it was in bottle, it was not liked by commentators – it was very tannic and tight, but it’s starting to talk now,” Pierre Clape. 2033-36, ******; RP@R. Parker, 1997: A candidate for the wine of the vintage, Clape's 1995 Cornas exhibits an opaque purple color, and a fabulously ripe, sweet nose of licorice, black plums, and cassis, followed by full-bodied, dense, concentrated, well-balanced flavors with nicely integrated acidity and tannin. This should be a 20-year wine, 92; no domaine website, easiest background info on the Europvin website, ref. above. ]
Ruby, hints of garnet appearing, still some velvet, below midway in depth. Top notes on the bouquet in this 1995 are dramatically floral, epitomising the dianthus / wallflower / floral aromas that so characterise fine syrah, which Prof Sainstbury so enthused about in his wonderful Notes on a Cellar Book. He was referring to Hermitage, though Cote Rotie captures them more commonly than Hermitage and Cornas. Below, the berry qualities are now moving into the fragrant alchemy that is superb florals plus browning cassis at 20-plus years of age, with some red as well as dark bottled plums below. This seems a slightly cooler and smaller year than the 2010, explaining the heightened florals. Palate likewise is a little lighter, but still a beautiful depth of maturing berry, the tannins softening, the whole wine superbly syrah-varietal. This wine was well-liked, three first places, two second. In some ways, it is perfection now, with its extraordinary florals / almost perfumed bouquet. It will hold another 10 years or so. GK 09/18

2001 Ch Climens 19 (

)

Barsac Premier Cru, Bordeaux, France: 14%; $ – [ 44mm cork (because our 'bottle' 2 x 375 ml bottles); Se 100%; 6,300 vines / ha, average vine age 35 years, typical yield c.1.8 t/ha = 0.75 t/ac, BUT less than 1 t/ha = 0.4 t/ha in 2001; the wine is barrel-fermented, typically one third of the oak new, and aged in small oak for 18 – 22 months, depending on vintage; typically 2,500 cases but less in 2001; RS 118 g/l; The proprietor, Berenice Lurton, states her goal is to produce wines of ethereal elegance and finesse rather than sweet wines of power and weight; in a vertical tasting of Climens held at London merchants Berry Brothers & Rudd, Alun Griffiths MW commented of our wine: a monumental wine which will comfortably outlive all of those who attended the tasting; BBR: Ch Climens is the leading property in Barsac, and produces one of the greatest sweet wines in Bordeaux. If d`Yquem is the epitome of power and concentration, then Climens is the epitome of delicacy, finesse and complexity; in a 2011 comparative review of the 2001 Bordeaux vintage, Robinson rated Climens her top wine, 19, ahead of d'Yquem. Harding in Robinson, 2009: Intense almond botrytis on the nose. Finely mineral and fresh and very very long. Deep, firm and sculpted and not too voluptuous, relatively closed. Stunning in its concentration and elegance and intense spice and purity on the finish, 19.5; Parker, 2004: A prodigious offering, the 2001 Climens’ light medium bold color with a greenish hue is followed by ethereal aromas of tropical fruits (primarily pineapple), honeysuckle, and flowers. It is a medium-bodied wine of monumental richness, extraordinary precision/delineation, great purity, and moderate sweetness. The finish seemingly lasts forever. This monumental effort is the stuff of legends. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2040+, 100; www.chateau-climens.fr ]
Gold, the third deepest wine. I found this wine uncannily close in style to the Rieussec, even though Climens is 100% semillon and Barsac, against the Rieussec from Sauternes and with a little sauvignon. It is a lighter wine, but makes up for it with a floral note reminding of yellow honeysuckle and even black passionfruit, plus great purity. There is no hint of VA here. Flavours marry golden queen peach with botrytis, pale sultana cake, and palest caramel. There is less new oak apparent too. A really golden sauternes, beautiful acid balance, wonderful long flavours, but not among the richest. Cellar 10 – 30 years. GK 07/14

2000 Ch Cos d'Estournel 19 (

)

St Estephe Second Growth, Bordeaux, France: 12.5%; $209 [ cork; price en primeur landed; CS 60%, Me 38, CF 2 = cepage in 2000 (Parker); average vine age 32 years, 80% new French oak barriques for 22 months; JR: 17.5+; RP 91; WS: 96; www.cosestournel.com ]
Ruby and velvet, the second deepest wine, fresher than the 2000 Montrose, but not comparing with the 2005s. On bouquet the Cos immediately presents as taking a first growth approach, with great richness of fragrant fruit but also much new oak and some toast. Happily the days of Cos being dogged by reduction seem past – the purity is excellent. In mouth in one sense, the wine still seems almost primary, a great concentration of cassis and darkest plum, the higher merlot of the cepage more evident now in its rounder texture and softness. It is not as aromatic as the 2000 Montrose, but it is richer, with the oak more evident. I've been unlucky with Cos over the years, so this is the finest bottle I have seen. Cellar 10 – 35 years. GK 08/10

2004 Ch Cos d'Estournel 19 (

)

St Estephe Second Growth, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $199 [ cork; vineyard cepage CS 60%, Me 38; CF 2, average age 35 – 40 years, planted @ 8 – 10 000 vines / ha, and cropped @ c. 2.5 t/ac; www.estournel.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, the second deepest. Bouquet is exhilarating, amongst the December bracket of '04s being the only one to be both classical Bordeaux and approaching first growths in beauty, complexity and depth. It is almost too deep to be floral, instead being darkly cassisy, with huge bottled plum and berry. Berry is complexed by subtlest charry oak, a touch of dark chocolate, but nothing so crass as coffee. Palate is both rich yet light on the tongue, intense cassis, beautiful berryfruit, chocolatey oak, lovely. This has the richness to cellar 10 – 25 years. GK 12/07

2003 Ch Coutet 19 (

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Barsac Premier Cru, Bordeaux, France: 14%; $70 [ cork; Se 75%, SB 23, Muscadelle 2, planted @ 5600 vines / ha, average age 35 years; BF and 16 – 18 months in oak with 50% new each year; Parker: [ no specific notes, but a score ] 92: Robinson: light, leafy nose - not one of the most impressive. Sweet start. Burnt edge. Quite neat and very long. Not bad at all but just overwhelmed by some more complex and more obviously sweet wines. 16.5; no website – the one given in Parker (mistakenly) leads to a red St Emilion of the same name ]
Bright lemonstraw, very attractive. Bouquet is sensational, combining citrus blossom and mock orange blossom florals with fresh cherimoya, lychee, grapefruit and fresh cut pineapple (in a positive sense), plus suggestions of mealyness from barrel-ferment, and beautiful botrytis. Palate is luscious on the superbly pure botrytis, long and elegant, subtle tropical fruit salad, just enough acid to be refreshing, lovely oak. This wine has a delicacy and balance quite unexpected for the year. Very beautiful. Cellar 5 – 25 years. GK 07/06

2000 Ch Ducru-Beaucaillou 19 (

)

Saint-Julien Second Growth, Bordeaux, France: 13%; $399 [ Cork 49 mm, ullage 15 mm; landed cost $200; along with the three Leovilles, Ducru has since the later-1990s been one of the top four wines of Saint-Julien. It is one of the undoubted top six (of 12) contenders for the rank Super-Second. Ducru-Beaucaillou has been owned by the Borie family since 1941. They also own Grande-Puy-Lacoste. Cepage CS 70, Me 25, CF 5 (but the 2000 wine CS 70%, Me 30), planted at 10,000 vines / ha, average vine age 38 years, cropped at 49 hl / ha = 6.4 t/ha = 2.5 t/ac; cuvaison up to 21 days in temperature-controlled vats to 28° max, MLF in vat, then 18 – 20 months in barrel 50 – 80% new. Some fining and filtration. Since the 2000 vintage, a move to more new oak, maybe a lower cropping rate; J. Robinson, 2015: If Bordeaux, Saint-Julien in particular, is about symmetry, proportion and a certain majesty, this Ducru is a very fine example. The great counterpoint of the 2000 vintage – freshness with ripeness, intensity with finesse – is to the fore here. This is complex and just beginning to unwind, 18.5; Neal Martin, 2011: a spellbinding bouquet: blackberries, smoke, a touch of dried herbs and pine needles with stunning delineation and vibrancy. The palate is full-bodied with outstanding mineralite and a sense of symmetry, 97; RP @ WA, 2010: A stunning wine … elegant but substantial … a floral note, with hints of boysenberries, black raspberries, black currants and a touch of background oak, the wine has superb concentration and density, but still has some substantial tannins that are not yet fully resolved. I originally predicted that it should be drinkable from 2010-2030, but I would modify that now to 2015-2035, 95; L.P-B @ WA, 2020: Stunning, 96; production averages 18,300 x 9-litre cases grand vin; weight bottle and closure: 604 g; not very helpful website; https://chateau-ducru-beaucaillou.com ]
Ruby, some velvet, below midway in depth. Bouquet on the Ducru is arguably the most complex on the table, showing much of the berry depth and cedar of the Las Cases but not quite so rich, all made ‘winey’ and more complex by a savoury note which three skilled tasters (one a winemaker) commented was a brett note. At this level it is surely complexity, in one sense adding to the classic style of the wine. Aromatic and maturing cassisy berry qualities are entwined with supple plummy fruit and cedary notes on palate, to produce a wine a little further along its plateau of maturity than the top three. The lightness of touch and long tapering finish are a delight, the whole wine showing perfect ripeness in the classical style. The complexity of bouquet in this wine appealed to tasters, seven first places, three second. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 11/20

1999 Domaine Sylvie Esmonin Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques Premier Cru 19 (

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Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 13%; $259 [ cork 49mm, ullage 8mm; Jasper Morris (paraphrased), 2010: the Domaine formerly Michel Esmonin, Sylvie's father. The upper slopes calcareous, helping explain why ‘Clos Saint-Jacques can be such a complete wine’. Viticulture tending organic; predominantly whole-bunch fermentations for this wine, cuvaison c.14 days. Depending on vintage, 75 – 100% new oak, three-years air-dried, cooper Dominique Laurent; Neal Martin @ Parker, 2014: The 1999 Clos Saint Jacques from Sylvie Esmonin has a sublime bouquet with wonderful tension and focus, surprisingly youthful with dark cherries, balsamic and a touch of sous-bois. The palate is vibrant with good substance in the mouth. It displays palpable spiciness with an elevated, vivacious finish. There is a bullishness and sense of brio about this Clos Saint Jacques that should continue to give pleasure over the next ten years, 93; weight bottle, no closure 594 g; no website found ]
Ruby more than garnet, the second lightest wine. Bouquet here illustrates the inimitable magic of fine Cote de Nuits, floral, fragrant, piquant and nearly aromatic, exciting, on red cherry more than black cherry fruit, and subtlest cedary oak. And it smells richer than the Geantet-Pansiot. In flavour the fruit richness / dry extract confirms the bouquet impressions: where the Geantet-Pansiot is at full stretch, this is youthful, supple, mouth filling, enchanting. Yet it is not ‘big’’ wine, in the sense of Australian reds. I'd love to know the dry extract for this wine: it is nearly succulent, showing what grand cru quality is all about. This is the essence of pinot noir. Tasters thought so too, four first places, seven second, and no leasts. Fifteen thought this wine French, and three New Zealand. The wine is perfectly mature, sweet fruit lingering exquisitely on the tongue. It will hold for some years. GK 09/19

2005 Ch Gazin 19 (

)

Pomerol, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $162 [ cork 50mm; actual cepage 2005 Me 85%, CS 10, CF 5, vines average 6,250 / ha; elevation 18 months in 50% new oak; 5400 cases of the 2005; www.gazin.com ]
Ruby and velvet, the deepest of the wines, and one of the youngest in appearance, but still older than the 2005 Palmer. Bouquet is simply sensational: here is definitive merlot florality at pinpoint ripeness, with maximum dusky roses and violets, yet no hint of under-ripeness on bouquet. The oak is more appropriately matched to the fruit weight than the Canon-La-Gaffeliere, on bouquet clearly the superior East Bank wine. Palate is not quite so perfect. There is wonderful berry and fruit, beautiful subtle cedary oak, but it is not quite as rich as the Gaffeliere, and in the berry there is the faintest hint of leaf, infinitely subtle. This wine illustrates to perfection the near-impossibility of achieving perfect ripeness in cabernet / merlot winestyles. If the winemaker seeks to maximise florality, there is always the risk that grape-seed tannins may not be 100% ripe. Yet to have the grape tannins perfectly tannin-ripe, florality may be lost. Which is the preferred wine of the Gaffeliere and Gazin is a matter of personal opinion, therefore. Both are lovely clarets. Cellar 10 – 25 years. GK 11/15

1982 Ch Gruaud Larose 19 (

)

Saint-Julien Second Growth, Bordeaux, France: 12%; $1,002 [ cork 52 mm, ullage 18 mm; original price c.$66; cepage then approx. CS 64, Me 24, CF 9, PV 3, planted at 8,500 – 10,000 vines / ha, average age of vines c.35 years, cropped at c.50 – 60 hl/ha (6.5-7.8 t/ha = 2.6-3.1 t/ac); typically 18 – 24 months in barrel, % new then probably less than the 33% now; Parker in 1991 felt the wine was Saint-Julien's most massive and backward wine ... the quality consistently high ... the wine demonstrably needing time in bottle; Broadbent, 2002: fruity, cedary nose; mouth-filling and tannic, good life ahead ... but in later years he wondered if a little too stolid, **(**); Parker, 1991: spectacular from cask and has continued to perform well from bottle ... awesome richness ... one of the darkest 1982s ... a huge, spicy, blackcurrant, grilled-meat aroma .. the finest Gruaud-Larose since the 1961, 97; Parker, 2000: An extraordinarily powerful, backward wine with unlimited up-side potential, the opaque plum/purple/black-colored 1982 Gruaud-Larose exhibits an explosive nose of new saddle leather, plums, prunes, black cherry jam, chocolate, steak tartare, and roasted espresso. Unbelievably powerful, thick, and intense, with full body, mouth-searing tannin levels, a grilled steak-like flavor, and a huge, intense finish, this is a monster, blockbuster 1982 that still needs 5-7 years of cellaring. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2030. It should prove to be one of the most profound Gruaud-Laroses made in the twentieth century. In quality, it is a first-growth, 96; W. Kelley, 2022: One of the most powerful, massive wines of the vintage ... Rich, layered and expansive, its deep core of ripe, fleshy fruit is framed by sweet, powdery tannins. As ever with the wines of the Cordier era, the fly in the ointment is that the wine's wild, somewhat animal profile is strongly marked by the presence of Brettanomyces, yet the 1982's intensely characterful, singular style means that I am personally able to overlook that defect. Still youthful, and actually evolving more slowly than the brilliant 1986, this is likely to number among the longer-lived wines of the vintage, 96; weight bottle and closure 565 g; www.gruaud-larose.com ]
Lovely ruby and garnet, the third richest in weight of colour, and still quite a lot of red, fourth in rank. Bouquet is on a bigger scale than the Cos, more berry, more fruit, more oak and very cedary, so much so it has a stimulating effect on the nose. Palate is clearly high cabernet, very aromatic and that component accentuated by the oak, great richness of cassisy and dark plum flavours browning now, a bold wine, thoughts of Mouton-Rothschild, very long. Not quite the exquisite harmony and finesse of the Cos. Again, at perfect maturity now, but with age may one day seem a little too oaky. No faults at all, though tasters reported they had had brett-affected bottles previously. Maybe in those days the wine was not assembled, but bottled barrel to barrel. Two first places, two second places, harder to be sure which variety dominated in this wine – due to the oak I imagine. GK 11/23

2005 Ch Haut-Brion 19 (

)

Pessac-Leognan, Bordeaux, France: 14%; $745 [ cork; optimal en primeur landed in NZ price $745, retail up to $1650; CS 56%, Me 39, CF 5; average vine age 30 years; 100% new French oak barriques for 24-27 months; 15000 cases; Parker 4/08: Another profound effort from Haut-Brion, the 2005 (a 9,000-case blend of 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 39% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc) has bulked up to the point that it is fair to compare it to the great successes of 1989, 1990, 1995, 1996, 1998, and 2000. A dark ruby/purple color is followed by a nuanced, noble bouquet of blue and red fruits interwoven with wet stones, unsmoked cigar tobacco, scorched earth, and spring flowers. The wine is full-bodied, pure, and complex as well as exceptionally elegant with laser-like precision. The tannins are still serious and substantial, and in that sense, this is a completely different style of Haut-Brion than the opulent, silky-textured 1989 and 1990. As I have written before, it comes across as an improved, more concentrated and structured version of the 1995 or 1998. Patience will be required for this stunner. Anticipated maturity: 2017-2040+ 98; WS 3/08: This is incredible on the nose, showing coffee cake, blackberry, floral, coffee bean and vanilla bean, with Chinese spices. A very complex, full-bodied red, with seamless, hyperpolished tannins that caress every millimeter of the palate. Lasts for minutes. So beautifully balanced, I'm left speechless. Is it even better than the 1989? Best after 2017. 9,080 cases made. 100; JR 4/06: 56% M 39% CS, 5% CF (45% [of the crop used] in grand vin). Very very dark crimson with maroon rim. Truly great, very savoury, appetising absolutely classic, true Haut-Brion scents of minerals as a grace note on extraordinary ripeness without fatness. Bravissimo! What delicacy with power! There is masses and masses dug in underneath here – weight and tannin and dryness on the finish but it’s all covered with a fine cashmere blanket. A tiny bit of heat on the end? Extraordinary fan of flavours. Great lift and precision and then length. Absolutely no sweetness – what a contrast to many of yesterday’s St-Emilions! You wouldn’t think they were at all in the same region… 19.5; www.haut-brion.com ]
Ruby and velvet, clearly older and much more oak-influenced than the other top wines, above midway in the set for depth. Bouquet likewise is in a more evolved style than the berry-rich top two, less vibrantly berried, the fruit more floral and integrated with darkly tobacco-y and cedary oak, all wonderfully fragrant. Palate shows exactly the same integration, softer and more mellow, velvety as if an older wine. The quality of cassisy fruit hidden within the wine is still excellent, though, once one looks. Along with several of the Bordeaux, one can only wonder at the evident new oak in young Bordeaux nowadays. It is fashionable to decry new world wines for their excessive oak, but these French wines are an eye-opener. In size and concentration, the Haut-Brion is between The Gimblett and Sophia, more like the Redd, but richer, softer and older. Cellar 5 – 25 years. GK 10/08

1982 Ch Haut-Marbuzet 19 (

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St Estephe Cru Grand Bourgeois Exceptionnel, Bordeaux, France: – %; $24 [ cork; Me 50%, CS 40, CF 10; considered Third Growth level by RP; Parker: A chateau of increasing fame since 1952. Late harvesting, full maturity, long cuvaison, 100% new oak, flamboyant opulent rich spicy wines. The 1982 ravishing, luscious, more like rich Pomerol than tannic St Estephe, gorgeous perfume of chocolate, cedar, blackcurrants … the perfect marriage of spicy vanillin oak and opulently rich fruit. The '82 and '61 are the finest Haut-Marbuzets I have ever drunk … till 2000 93. In the 2003 edition, he feels the wine is now tiring … 89. Broadbent is less impressed: opaque, rich, fleshy *** (It will be fun to see if we have here a perfect illustration of the dichotomy between English wine appreciation and American, the latter favouring bigger, more obvious, styles). GK in 1985 thought it: Enormous fruit, oaky soft and forward. ] ]
Ruby and garnet, midway for depth. Hard to score a wine like this. It is not the richest, but it is arguably the most beautiful in this set. Bouquet is aromatic and sweetly cassisy, with a delightful spectrum of floral notes rather like the Latour a Pomerol, but lighter and much more fragrant with elegant cedary overtones. Palate is perfection, sweetly fruited, at an elegant point of silky soft maturity and finesse, more a lovely Margaux or St. Emilion in style than a St. Estephe, quite remarkable. For the group, this was one of the three top-pointed wines on the night, beauty rating ahead of size, for 22 keen Canterbury wine people. Balance is so perfect it will cellar another 5 – 10 years, becoming lighter all the while. GK 09/08

2005 Domaine Hubert Lignier Clos de la Roche Grand Cru 19 (

)

Morey-Saint-Denis, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 13%; $824 [ cork 50mm; lying between Gevrey-Chambertin and Chambolle-Musigny, the 170 ha of Morey-Saint-Denis are perhaps the most overlooked high-quality terroir in Burgundy. And the grand cru Clos de la Roche is one of its very finest sites. Info about this domaine is sketchy at present, due to family tragedy, but I believe this bottle to be the work of Hubert Lignier himself – a winemaker rated highly by Remington Norman; Christopher Cannan, of Europvin: Hubert Lignier is the reluctant star of Morey-Saint-Denis. He is a quiet, conscientious vigneron who until recently continued to sell half his crop to the negociants, despite the clamour at his door following Robert Parker's description of him as "a brilliant winemaker"; the wine-searcher value would appear to confirm these views; the best info on the Net comes from Cannan and the American firm Rosenthal Wine Merchant, the latter simply describing this wine as: 'the fabled Clos de la Roche'; average vine age c.40 years; viticulture tending organic; all de-stemmed, 5 days cold-soak followed by longish cuvaisons to 20 days or so, all wild-yeasts, new oak may reach 50% in good years for the grands crus, with 20 – 24 months in barrel, no fining or filtration; Robinson, not tasted; Meadows, 2007: [ Meadows gives the impression this is our wine exactly, but at the time of tasting, it was not bottled ] As usual this is the best wine in the range with a simply gorgeous range of seductive if serious aromas that include both red and blue pinot fruit, spice notes, game and underbrush hints that continue onto the classy, pure and wonderfully deep and palate-staining flavors oozing with ripe extract that completely buffer the firm but ripe tannins. This is also built to age and should reward amply 12 to 15 years of patience. A stunner of a wine, from 2017, 92-95; what exactly serious pinotphiles are to make of the following assessment will add interest to our tasting, David Schildknecht in R. Parker, 2007: Lignier’s 2005 Clos de la Roche – from three diverse parcels – smells of black cherry, blackberry, ginger bread and fruit cake, with its pungency of citrus zest and brown spices following on the palate. For all of its baked and roasted fruit and meat suggestions, and its underlying, oily textural richness, this holds a fine edge of fresh fruit, displaying subtly chewy fruit skin character. The long finish brings stony mineral, resinous herbal, and gamey animal profundities, but delightful primary fresh fruit is never far from the surface in this wine, the latest in an illustrious line and demanding of 12-15 years in the cellar, 94 – 96; www.hubert-lignier.com ]
Good rich pinot noir ruby, fresher than the Pansiot, the fourth-deepest wine. Needs decanting and air. On the night, the bouquet was massive, deep, dark, and to the extent you could tell, pushing aside the thickets of oak, deeply fruity. It seemed more heavily oaky than the Pansiot. 24 hours later this wine too displayed a much better version of itself, to such an extent that it now overtakes the Pansiot, the dark cherry and plum fruit much more apparent, with even suggestions of dusky florality and Cote de Nuits aromatics – exciting. In terms of my concept of 'pinosity', which I suspect is a good deal more floral, enchanting and ethereal in interpretation than Allen Meadows' (who invented the term) useage, I simply wish the wine were fractionally less ripe / more floral. And I certainly wish it had less new oak. This must be a pinot in one of the old-school styles, from a year like like 1919, 1945, 1959, 1990. It is certainly built to develop for another 20 years, and should cellar for 50 years from vintage. To that end the quality of the 50mm corks appeared promising. My hope is this wine will develop a much more floral and enchanting bouquet and palate, once the tannins start to polymerise. It is clearly richer than Charmes-Chambertin, more on a par with the 100-year-old-vines Vougeot. Dry extract must be well into the 30s. As in many of these wines, the given 13% alcohol is notional, only. Top or second wine for three tasters. Cellar 10 – 40 years. GK 09/15

2004 Isabel Sauvignon Blanc 19 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $25 [ 10% BF, LA, RS 4 g/L; www.isabelestate.com ]
Palest lemongreen. Already a gorgeous and complex bouquet of sweetest and ripest sauvignon blanc, chockfull of elderflower and similar white florals on subtlest red capsicums and black passionfruit. Palate is more complex, great body, faintest hints of barrel ferment and oak as it should be used (if present) – (later inquiry confirms, yes), and the floral component persisting right through to the gentle but flavoursome 'dry' finish. Great Marlborough sauvignon. Cellar to 15 years, as preferred. GK 11/04

2010 Domaine de la Janasse Chateauneuf-du-Pape Vieilles Vignes 19 (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 15.5%; $262 [ cork, 50 mm; Gr 65 – 90% more than 70 years old, Sy 3 – 20, Mv 2 – 15, other vars 2 – 4; 20% whole-bunch, 28 days cuvaison; elevation 75% in vat, 25% in small wood new to 3 years old for 12 months, then to vat; fined, not filtered; J.L-L: ... blackberry coulis flavour, has smoky tannin inset ... licorice effects late on, ****(*); Robinson, 2011: Open and a bit splayed really. Awkward astringency on the finish. Very chewy!, 16; Parker, 2012: A huge bouquet of pure blackberry and black currant fruit intermixed with charcoal, incense, truffles and spring flowers is followed by a prodigious, full-bodied wine ..., 100; typical production up to 1,250 9-litre cases; weight bottle and closure: 655 g; www.lajanasse.com ]
Rich fresh ruby, the deepest wine. This wine is a little out to one side, the bouquet incredibly dark yet sensuous, an almost midnight-deep dusky red floral and aromatic quality on berry aromatics hinting at super-ripe blackcurrants and darkest plums, all lifted by garrigue aromatics and stunning purity – and alcohol. Flavour is extraordinary: I have never tasted a Chateauneuf-du-Pape like it. The depth of concentration is off the scale, I can't imagine what the dry extract for this wine would be, but it tastes in the mid-thirties, the wine showing an unbelievable texture and depth of cassis and blackberry fruit, exactly as Parker says. Oak is again subtle and simply extends the wine, but the power and weight has a hint of young (but dry) vintage port to it, so to me the wine is not quite so exhilarating as the top two. The alcohol is noticeable. A pity this was not one of the wines with a 54 – 55 mm cork, since it will cellar for 50 years. Phenomenal wine. Seven people rated this their top or second wine. GK 06/17

2005 Domaine de la Janasse Chateauneuf-du-Pape Vieilles Vignes 19 (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 15.5%; $273 [ cork, 50mm; original price c.$115; cepage varies round Gr 80%, Sy 10, Mv 10 … and trace minor vars, the GR >70 years age, perhaps the others too; 20% whole-bunch, up to 28 days cuvaison; elevation 75% in foudre, 25% in small wood up to 30% new, balance to 3 years old, for 12 months, then to assembly in vat 6 months; fined, not filtered; c.1,125 x 9-litre cases; J.L-L, 2007: ... broad, smooth black fruits aroma, with a little pepper at its heart, there is licorice here, too. There is a sense of refinement in the ripe, even very ripe fruit on the palate ... black fruits ... Its tannic structure is the best of the three Chateauneufs from here [ in 2007 ], 2029-32, *****; JD@RP, 2016: A bigger, richer wine than the Chaupin (which is normal) ... Full-bodied, rich, decadent and unctuous on the palate, this beauty gives up fabulous notes of dark fruits, dusty soil, licorice, roasted herbs and toasted spice. It needs a short decant ..., 2016 - 2026, 96; weight bottle and cork 674 g; www.lajanasse.com ]
Ruby and velvet, clearly above midway in depth. Bouquet is amazingly vibrant, youthful and fresh, with a volume of red-fruit grapeyness, plus the aromatics of both garrigue complexity and darker berries as well. Below is a slightly more obvious oak component than the Marcoux, but it is still well in the background. Palate is much younger than the Marcoux, rich, but the darker fruits dominating the flavour at this stage. Both grape and oak tannins are more noticeable here than in the Marcoux, the wine seeming still youthful, with tannin to lose. The concentration of flavour in these ‘old vine’ wines is a delight. Tasters were enchanted with this wine, nine first places and three second, clearly the top wine. It still needs a little time in cellar, I think, to lose some tannin: it will cellar for 15 – 25 years at least. GK 07/19

2001 Ch Lafaurie-Peyraguey 19 (

)

Sauternes / Bommes Premier Cru, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $ – [ 49mm cork; Se 90%, SB 8; Mu 2; average age of vines 40 years, planted at 6,600 vines / ha, average yield just over 2.5 t/ha = 1 t/ac; barrel-fermented and 18 – 20 months small oak, one third new; average production around 6,500 cases per annum; no longer owned by Cordier, and hence its former reputation is now being restored; BBR: Lafaurie-Peyraguey is now unquestionably one of the top half-dozen estates in Sauternes; Robinson, 2014: From a great vintage for sweet white bordeaux, this was extremely sweet and rich. Seemed to have such density that a long life lies ahead, 18; Parker, 2004: This superb, light to medium gold/green-hued Sauternes is a full-bodied, opulent, enormously endowed, moderately sweet offering with plenty of pineapple, peach, caramel, and smoky new oak characteristics. With great viscosity as well as richness, and good underlying acidity providing vibrancy and definition, it should be at its peak between 2008-2030, 96; www.chateau-lafaurie-peyraguey.com ]
Medium gold, in the middle for depth. Bouquet on this wine is much lighter than the Rieussec, almost a lime marmalade freshness and lift, very citrus, yet with botrytis-y pale grading to light golden stonefruits too. It is one of the purest ones, like the d'Yquem. In mouth the fruit / oak harmony is luscious, with a clear glycerol slipperyness, and less new oak apparent. On the later palate, the citrus comes back, now almost like mixed peel. This is both rich, and has great elegance – a beautiful wine. Cellar 10 – 30 years. GK 07/14

2001 Ch Lafite 19 (

)

Pauillac 1st Growth, Bordeaux, France: 12.5%; $574 [ CS 87%, Me 13; 18 – 20 months in up to 100% new French oak; www.lafite.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, but not a big or dense wine. Bouquet is contemporary in the sense of some charry oak notes, but there are also beautiful florals suggesting violets, and intense cassis, berry and darkest plum. The whole bouquet is fragrant, fine, and potentially cedary, a classic expression of high-cabernet claret. Palate is intensely fragrant too, the florals seeming to intensify in mouth to saturate the roof, the texture beautifully finegrain and velvety, yet the berry flavours intense, with the oak shaping yet almost invisible. It is this wonderful combination of power yet restraint, coupled with absolute quality of smell and flavour, which differentiates great wine from those designed rather more to impress. Though this '01 Lafite is not a big wine, it has the concentration and perfect balance to cellar for 10 and 20 years, and still be charming if frail at 30 years. And we in New Zealand could well note these flavours of perfect physiological ripeness, at 12.5% given alcohol. GK 07/04

2003 Ch Lafite Rothschild 19 (

)

Pauillac First Growth, Bordeaux, France: 12.5%; $500 [ cork; CS 86, Me 9, CF 3, PV 2, planted to 7500 vines / ha, cropped @ 33 hL/ha (1.7 t/ac) in 2003 (against an average of 48 (2.5 t/ac)), average vine age 45 years; 3 – 4 weeks cuvaison; MLF in tank; 18 – 20 months in new French oak; Parker: ... creme de cassis ... extraordinary richness, opulence, power, purity intensity and viscosity ... high tannins ... pH 3.9. 100; Robinson: ... all the dancing finesse of Lafite on song ... round and opulent but never heavy, sufficient acid ... 18.5 +; www.lafite.com ]
Older ruby and some velvet, one of the lighter. This too is great bordeaux, and the closest to the Montrose in style, irrespective of commune characters. There is intense cassis and berry, showing a slightly more modern approach to the oak than the Montrose, with a little coffee and char. Berry on palate is not quite as intense and concentrated as the Montrose, but the oak may be more beautiful, I have to admit, and in 10 years time it will be cedary and compelling. This will make a very exciting bottle – many tasters, including most winemakers, rated this their top wine. Cellar 15 – 35 years. Chairman Steve Smith of Craggy Range described it as: sensational wine, perfect ! GK 10/06

1970 Ch Latour 19 (

)

Pauillac First Growth, Bordeaux, France: – %; $ – [ CS 80%, Me 10, CF 10; 60 ha, 16 000 cases. This is the wine for which Broadbent (2002) made the intriguing remark: 'It will still be teasing some of you in 50 years' time .... needs days of decanting time, and hours in the glass, *****. Parker (1991): The wine of the vintage, 99 points. ]
Ruby and garnet, the most ruby and the deepest. Cassis and 'new' slightly nutmeggy oak dominate the bouquet, 'youthful' but only relative to the field. This is still pretty mature wine, with tobacco and savoury and cedary complexities developing. Palate is one of the two richest, but again only relative to the field. It is no richer than the Lascases. Cassisy qualities dominate right through to the finish, just, but every year the oak will increase, for there is a lot of it. A little cabernet monochrome, not as deliciously complex as the Ducru, essence of mature cabernet. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 03/05

1999 Peter Lehmann Shiraz Stonewell 19 (

)

Barossa Valley, South Australian: 14.5%; $82 [ partial BF in 73% French oak, 27 US, then 20 months in new French; www.peterlehmannwines.com.au ]
Ruby and velvet. A very pure bouquet of classic Barossa Shiraz, showing a depth of berry combining cassis, blackberry, and boysenberry with faintest hints of Australian florals as in the McRae Wood, plus attractively fragrant and understated oak. Palate is noticeably concentrated relative to the mainstream Lehmann shirazes, with the fruit flavours settling into the more conventional boysenberry spectrum of Barossa fruit, uplifted by the suggestion of aromatics and florals. This will cellar for 10 – 20 years, to become a classic Barossa Shiraz. Lehmann's shirazes are going from strength to strength, the best more refined every year. GK 06/04

2003 Ch Leoville Las Cases 19 (

)

Saint-Julien 2nd Growth, Bordeaux, France: 13%; $276 [ Cork 54mm; CS 70%, Me 17, CF 13 in 2003, no PV that year; Leoville Las Cases, often mis-rendered Leoville Lascases, is one of the pre-eminent and most expensive second growths. The wines can be a bit massive in youth, and in earlier decades were sometimes tending-reduced as well. Oak use varies with the year, but the best vintages can see the wines spending 20 months in barrel, with 80% new – emulating first-growth approaches. Such years even in the modern era can be slow to unfold. Production is 18,000 cases a year. The chateau attracted some attention for being one of the first to use reverse osmosis to improve the concentration of the must, in lesser years. The technique is now regarded as part of the armoury of winemakers, provided it is used only when the season demands. Second wine now Le Petit Lion, formerly Clos du Marquis; Harding, 2013: Deep garnet. Ripe fruit-cake aromas and spice but with some cedary herbaceous notes too. More leafy on the palate and uncharacteristically juicy. Fine grained and dense tannins but there's good fruit depth. Flavourful not elegant, 16.5; Tanzer, 2006: Plum, tar, cedar and nutty oak on the nose; less exotic than most '03s. Then massive and full on the palate; almost too big for the mouth. As silky as this is, it also possesses very good acidity for the vintage. Finishes with huge but lush tannins and superb length. The IPT [ Total Polyphenol Index ] here is 74, compared to 70 in 2005, and the alcohol is a tad higher, at 13.2%. A perfect vintage of Las Cases for tasters who normally find this wine too rigorous, but this still promises to be long-lived, 93 +; Parker, Aug 2014: An incredibly fresh, lively 2003 (the pH is only 3.6 and the alcohol is 13.1%), this wine offers a dense ruby/purple color along with full body and a remarkable nose of black currants, kirsch, lead pencil shavings and vanilla. Opulent, full-bodied and close to full maturity, it is a seamless classic that will age for 15-20 more years. Kudos to the Delon family for such a brilliant achievement in a tricky vintage, 96; www.domaines-delon.com ]
Ruby and velvet, a trace of garnet, the lightest colour. This wine has a beautiful bouquet too, but it is quite different from the Montrose. The floral component is sweeter and I imagine more vanillin, and there is a suggestion of ripe red fruits as well as cassis, in cedary oak which is sensuous – wonderful quality. This is so different from the surly Las Cases wines of the 70s, an older taster would never recognise it. In mouth the fruit richness is simply velvety, no other word for it, a wine of great dry extract and therefore texture, and the longer you taste it, the finer it becomes. Like the Montrose, it is not big or impressive in any obvious way that the new world wine community might demand. It is simply infinitely harmonious and beautiful, and lasts and lasts in the mouth. Those who have mocked the 2003s need to taste these two lovely wines, now. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 11/14

1978 Ch Leoville Las Cases 19 (

)

St Julien Second Growth, Bordeaux:, France: 12.25%; $332 [ cork; original price $32.95; website has the actual cepage for the year, noting that harvest was completed late, 18 October; CS 55%, Me 19, CF 23 (higher than usual), PV 3, average age of the vines c.30 years; 18 months in barrel, percentage new then not sure, later was 50 – 100% depending on the quality of the vintage; now rated as one of the undoubted 'super-seconds'; Wine Spectator vintage rating for the year, 87, Structured, fleshy and complex; Coates, 2000: Very classy on the nose. This is very lovely. Pure, rich, concentrated Cabernet fruit. Full, composed and aristocratic. This is still very vigorous. Lots of depth. Very lovely fruit. Very long. Very fine indeed, 19; R. Parker, 1995: [ Parker re-rated this wine, initially 93, one of his top wines of the vintage. To judge from its showing in this tasting, his follow-up bottle may have been lesser ... ] The nose is more complex and penetrating than the flavors ... classic, mineral, lead pencil, smoky, earthy scents, with plenty of ripe fruit, and none of the vegetal herbaceousness that many 1978s have begun to exhibit. The attack offers good ripeness, medium to full body, higher acidity than many more recent vintages, and considerable tannin in the hard finish. Although this wine possesses outstanding complexity, the high tannin level may never fully melt away. While it will last another 15-20 years, the 1978 is at its apogee and will slowly dry out over the next two decades, 90; www.domaines-delon.com/en/leoville-chateau_leoville_las_cases_vins.html ]
Ruby and garnet, a glowing and totally appropriate colour for 40-year-old claret, the third deepest wine. This was the wine which, as it was passed round and poured, produced an absolutely sensational volume of infinitely beautiful cedar plus berry plus browning cassis aroma. The strength of this bouquet, including its near-floral notes (but fading now, naturally) is unusual, and not found so easily in the warmer years. Palate follows perfectly, neat, perfectly shaped, not weighty but showing pinpoint ripeness of all components. This fragrant, mouth-filling beauty of flavour is something one hopes for in all bordeaux, and so rarely finds. Even on the aftertaste, sweet fruit continues, still fragrant and nearly aromatic though cabernet sauvignon is a lower percentage than usual, this year. Four tasters rated this their top wine, two their second favourite, and in contrast to all the other ‘better’ wines, nobody thought it California or Tuscany, at all. It spoke of classic Bordeaux to everybody. A thrill. Fully mature, but no hurry. GK 10/18

2010 Ch Le Petit Mouton 19 (

)

Pauillac, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $465 [ cork 50mm; CS 68%, Me 24; CF 8; the second wine of Ch Mouton Rothschild, made from younger-vine sections of the vineyard; elevation less dramatic than the grand vin, detail not available; www.chateau-mouton-rothschild.com ]
A more vibrant and youthful-looking wine than the senior Mouton, the colour ruby, carmine and velvet still, despite five years, the fifth deepest of the cabernet / merlots. Bouquet on this wine is simply sensational. It is more varietal, and less oaky, less artefact, less interfered-with than the Mouton proper. Here there is clear cassis, clear darkest bottled plums, and a dusky florality which goes right through the bouquet into the palate. If one has any interest at all in varietal characterisation, this bouquet is infinitely more accurate and varietal than the Mouton proper. I have never smelt a second wine of this calibre before. But it is a second wine, and on palate there is not the concentration and depth of the Mouton. But again, there is even greater berry character and precision. To repeat, this is sensational wine, perhaps finer than my favourite of the 2010 class growths, Ch Montrose. I love it, but the price is now on the high side, relative to the en-primeur price. Cellar 10 – 30 years. GK 03/15

2007 Domaine Marcel Deiss Altenberg de Bergheim Grand Cru 19 (

)

Ribeauville, Alsace, France: 12%; $142 [ cork; limestone and marl; www.marceldeiss.com ]
Deep golden straw, the deepest of the colours even having regard to its age. As soon as you smell and taste the wine, however, one forgets the colour. This is simply sensational Alsatian wine, despite it being one of these quirky field-blends of everything in the vineyard (tous les cepages traditionnels). Bouquet is like a wonderfully floral pinot gris, the florals including clearly yellow notes which make white wines so exciting – himalayan honeysuckle for example. As soon as you taste it, one's understanding expands, the matrix of the wine being pinot varieties with great body, but still on palate there is this floral lift now seen to be from riesling, botrytis and almost invisible gewurztraminer. Dry extract is magical. Sweetness must be at least 30 g/L, but it is in one sense invisible. The price seems outrageous for the concept, but then one thinks of the Medoc particularly. Grand cru does mean something in Alsace. Lovely now and will hold 10 – 15 years at least. GK 04/13

1978 Ch Margaux 19 (

)

Margaux First Growth, Bordeaux, France: – %; $ – [ cork 52mm; then was c.CS 75%, Me 20, CF ± PV 5; average age of vines c.30 years; time in barrel 22 – 28 months, % new then not sure, later was 100%; the vineyard changed hands to the Mentzelopoulos family in 1977, Emile Peynaud became the winemaking consultant, and the 1978 vintage immediately showed vast improvement over the preceding two decades; Parker says: the style of the rejuvenated wine at Margaux is one of opulent richness … ripe blackcurrants, spicy vanillin oakyness, and violets … of the 1978 he says: a gorgeous seductive bouquet of ripe fruit and spicy oak, as well as tarry truffly aromas … a truly great wine [ in 1991 ] 94; Robinson in 2008: Fully developed bouquet – maybe the bottles are starting to get a little tired? Acidity sticks out a little. Dry tannins and absolutely ready, fresh. Super fragrant but a little tough in terms of texture. Much less concentrated than many other younger vintages but very respectable. 17; www.chateau-margaux.com ]
Glowing near-velvety ruby, not much garnet to the edge, the second deepest. After a mixed batch of Ch Margaux dating back to the 1953 late last year, it was pure joy to find in this wine a near-perfect example of fine Medoc: wondrously fragrant, almost floral though the age factor militates against that a little, instead now introducing a great synthesis of cedar, dark tobacco and browning cassis and berry. This really was the thrilling smell of fine claret at full maturity. And unlike all the other bordeaux, the bouquet was sustained on palate, still clearly good rich fruit and browning cassis, and enough fruit to cover both the cedary oak and any underlying acid, and be long in mouth. In this attribute it differed from all the other Bordeaux. At a peak of perfection, and clearly a much more generously-constituted bottle than the one Robinson reviewed in 2008. Two tasters rated it their top wine. Will hold some years, on the volume of remaining fruit, but gradually decline from now on. GK 04/14

2016 Clos du Mont-Olivet Chateauneuf-du-Pape La Cuvée du Papet 19 (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 15%; $108 [ cork 50mm; Gr >100 years age 70 – 95%, balance Mv & Sy, de-stemmed; 10 months in concrete vat, then 7 – 8 months in big old wood; not fined or filtered; production now around 1,250 x 9-litre cases; weight bottle and cork 616 g; access to the website on far right, obscure; www.clos-montolivet.com ]
Ruby, a wash only of carmine and velvet – so many of these colours are so handsome – below midway in depth. This wine shows aromatic garrigue complexity to the nth degree, perhaps as much as is attractive (giving a thought to Australia), on quite deep red fruits made aromatic by new oak. There is both cinnamon and nutmeg from grenache, plus back black pepper from syrah, the spices unusually noticeable (for Chateauneuf). Palate takes all these components and simply hides them in its youthful richness. The concentration and saturation of flavour are amazing – the wine is so young that the nett impression at this point nearly overwhelms you. Alcohol is quite high, for those for whom this is a key quality factor, yet this wine too has the compelling freshness of the 2016 year. For a darker version of Chateauneuf-du-Pape (compared with the Vieux Telegraphe, say) cellar this magnificent wine for 15 – 30 years. Available from Truffle Imports, Wellington. GK 07/19

2005 Ch Montrose 19 (

)

St Estephe Second Growth, Bordeaux, France: 12.5%; $197 [ cork; price en primeur landed; CS 65%, Me 31, CF 3, PV 1 = cepage in 2005 (Parker), planted to 9000 vines / ha, average vine age 45, cropped at appreciably less than the average of 42 hl / ha (2.2 t/ac); 3 – 4 week cuvaison, temperature-controlled; MLF in tank; 18 months in French oak 50 – 70% new; JR: 15 & 18.5; RP 95; WS: 94; www.chateau-montrose.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, the deepest of the 12 wines, a great colour. If the 2000 Montrose is quiet, the 2005 is in one sense near-silent on bouquet, yet one is immediately impressed by the purity, the (even on bouquet) concentration, the classical emphasis on berry dominant over oak, and again the lack of trendy tricks. Palate seems even more concentrated than the 2000 (which fits in with the reduced crop in 2005), a magical depth of cassisy berry apparent on the tongue, potentially velvety skin tannins, beautiful classical oak shaping but not dominating, an aftertaste of great purity, length and beauty. This will I think eclipse the 2000 in its maturity, but for now it is reserved in comparison. Magnificent cabernet / merlot, to cellar 10 – 35 years. GK 08/10

2004 Domaine de la Mordoree Tavel la Dame Rousse 19 (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $25 [ cork; Gr 100% ]
Good rosé, flushed with red cherry, a little deeper than the Stonecroft. Bouquet is stunning, an alcohol-lifted woomph of rose petal and strawberry-like (+ve) berry and fruit, immaculately pure. Palate shows wonderful dry extract, so rich that, like the Stonecroft but moreso, one wonders if it is bone dry, or perhaps 3 g/L or so residual sugar. Tannins are great, making it serious rosé, and the flavour lasts well, even with the high alcohol. A benchmark wine, illuminating that most New Zealand rosé is too sweet, catering to the pinot gris mass market. The flavours in New Zealand rosé can be so good now, and our potential for making fine subtle world-class rosé is likewise so high, that it would be worthwhile winemakers marketing standard and reserves rosés, the latter dry or virtually so (3 – 4 g/L or less). I guess that is an ideal, so to match the chardonnay judging specification, let's say 5 g. Cellar the Mordoree several years, to taste. GK 02/06

2003 E. Muller Scharzhofberg Riesling Spatlese QmP 19 (

)

Saar, Germany: 9%; $115
Palest lemon. Bouquet is exquisite, a perfect expression of Mosel / Saar / Ruwer riesling: white florals and freesia, hints of lime zest and vanillin, fresher than the Urziger Auslese, wonderful. Palate is pure floral nectar, rich for a spatlese, capturing all the dimensions of the bouquet. Not quite the acid of the Urziger, but will still cellar 10 – 15 years. GK 11/04

2010 Ch La Nerthe Chateauneuf-du-Pape 19 (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $ – [ cork; Gr 42%, Sy 39, Mv 15, balance Ci and oddments; cuvaison to 20 days, malolactic in vat, 12 months in various sizes oak, none new; www.chateaulanerthe.fr ]
Ruby and velvet. Bouquet is ripe, sweet, rich and fragrant, red fruits more than black, subtlest oak, some cinnamon in the sense of spice melding with brown mushroom notes. Palate adds red plums to the raspberry, some darker notes maybe, but the wine beautifully avoiding the lowest-common-denominator (in these hotter days) of blackberry. Finish is long, velvety, and wonderfully elegant, more youthful than the colour. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 07/16

2001 Tenuta dell'Ornellaia Ornellaia 19 (

)

Tuscany, Italy: 14.5%; $ – [ cork; c. US$150; CS dominant, Me, CF; cuvaison 25 – 30 days, MLF in barrel; 18 months in French oak 70% new, balance 1-year; a Frescobaldi / Mondavi joint venture initially; Parker / Thomases 164: "warm and spicy on the nose with superbly focused plum and black currant fruit, much complexity and elegance in its concentrated and supple body, velvety, enveloping …96"; Spectator: 95; Robinson: "Very sophisticated complex nose. Dense, savoury, lively. Intense. Much more Bordeaux-like build. Dry, sandy tannins but great complex, complete fruit too. 18.5 +"; www.ornellaia.it ]
Older ruby and velvet, a little more garnet than the Abreu, but the density closer to the Pask. And whereas the Pask, Pavie and Abreu all skirt around the concept of a great claret style, this Ornellaia zeroes in on the target. Despite the alcohol, this is great wine, reasonably fresh, nearly violets florals, aromatic, cassis and berryrich, subtle oak, intense on a potentially cigar-box bouquet like a great ripe-year Pauillac, with a suggestion of truffles complexity. Palate is equally marvellous, intense, long, aromatic, closer in style and freshness to the Pask, yet twice the concentration of berry and fruit. It is not however as weighty as the Abreu, and almost seems the best of all worlds. Magical. Cellar 5 – 30 years. GK 04/07

2010 Ch Palmer 19 (

)

Margaux Third Growth, Bordeaux, France: 14.5%; $600 [ Spare; original price $490; Wine Spectator rating for vintage: 99, best since 1961 – Ripe … structure … definition of fruit … long-lived: Me 54%, CS 40, PV 6, average age 35 – 40 years, planted @ 10,000 vines / ha, typically cropped @ c.6 t/ha = 2.4 t/ac (but surely less in 2010); time spent in barrel in better years c.20 months, 45% new, light toast; now rated as one of the undoubted 'super-seconds'; 8,500 cases in 2010; JH@JR, 2011: So inviting on the nose: rich dark fruit but so fragrant, it is almost a little floral and just a hint of oak's vanilla sweetness. Finely aromatic and alluring. Then much more serious on the palate. Dense and rich and savoury. Tannins are dense but polished to perfection and the finish is fresh and dry. Great stuff. Not in the least showy but very impressive, 18.5; NM@RP, 2015: the estate team regard the 2010 Château Palmer as their best since the 1983 ... It offers stunning precision on the nose: incredibly fresh and vibrant with the same spine-tingling level of mineralité as the 2005 ... there is a beguiling symmetry here, more focused and linear than the sumptuous 2009, yet with sensational length that makes you wonder what on Earth it will taste like in another 10-15 years, 96+; www.chateau-palmer.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a remarkably deep colour, by far the deepest in the set. The bouquet is spirity for Bordeaux, sadly in the modern idiom, but one can still detect floral hints of violets and dark roses, on darkest plum and cassisy berry, with new oak more noticeable than for the La Chapelle. In mouth the wine is still almost painfully youthful and not together, almost 'too powerful' for Ch Palmer, but (alcohol aside) you can also see considerable potential for elegance and harmony, in this velvety richness of berry and oak. It is just let down a little by the alcohol. I would love a dry extract for this remarkably rich wine: this is still the key dimension in red wine viticulture and elevation that New Zealand winemakers refuse to pay attention to – well, too many of them. 2010 Ch Palmer was the most obvious ‘favourite’ wine of the night, five first-places, and one second-place, but interestingly, seven tasters thought it Northern Rhone in origin, versus six Bordeaux. The 1966 Palmer just managed to be a 50-year-old wine: this 2010 will undoubtedly achieve that goal in cellar … and easily. Cellar 25 – 50 + years. Sadly however (in that context), in catering to the modern generation, the corks now are 50 mm, vs 54 for the 1966. And how much more subtle and fine the wine would be with a degree less alcohol. GK 03/20

1975 Champagne Pol Roger Chardonnay Cuvée de Reserve 19 (

)

Epernay, Champagne, France: – %; $498 [ www.polroger.com; Broadbent rating for vintage: ***, A popular and stylish vintage … acidic, not that this is a grave disadvantage … with champagne; Wine Spectator rating for vintage: 92, Drink, bold but balanced wines; now labelled Blanc de Blancs, Ch 100%, MLF, no oak, 8 – 9 years en tirage, dosage c.9 g/L; no reviews found.; www.polroger.com ]
Glowing straw, remarkable for its age, the faintest wash of fresh gold, just a bit deeper than midway, in depth. Bouquet is exquisite, still a hint of citrus, plus clear baguette character, buttered wholegrain toast, cashew, lovely. Palate is nearly as good, the citrus on bouquet now tasting like citrus zest or even candied peel (as in baking) in a positive way, plus a hint of old aromatic finest barrel-matured Spanish Reserva white (though whether in fact any oak use then at Pol Roger not known), on still almost-succulent fruit. The whole wine is complexed by baguette-quality mealy autolysis with scarcely any deeper / browner Vogel's-type suggestions at all, yet the wine is not in any way 'fruity'. It seems not as dry as some, maybe 9 – 10 g/L. A lovely mature Blanc de Blancs still with time to go. I liked this a little more than the group, the 1975 Comtes being the more popular of the two 1975s. GK 05/16

2003 Ch Pontet-Canet 19 (

)

Pauillac 5th Growth, Bordeaux, France: 13%; $172 [ Cork 50mm; CS 60%, Me 33, PV5, CF 2; the reputation of Pontet Canet now progresses in leaps and bounds, compared with its standing a generation-plus ago. Though classed a Fifth Growth, its pricing now matches the better second growths. The vineyard is now organic status, though not much is being made of that, and is moving towards a biodynamic approach as well. The current proprietor Alfred Tesseron was out here recently with Glengarry wine merchants, and emphasised they were not so much winemakers, the key thing was the grape-growing; the vineyard averages 45 years age, and is planted at 9,500 vines / ha; the wine usually spends 16 – 20 months in 60% new oak; there are about 25,000 cases per annum. Second wine is Les Hauts de Pontet, but they aim to make less of that, so the grand vin does reflect the vintage. If it is not up to scratch, it will be sold off in bulk. They also make the wine for Ch Senejac; Robinson, Feb 2010: Quite full and ripe and rich on the nose .... Succulent and juicy with sufficient freshness. Just a very slightly burnt note on the nose. A bit chewy on the finish. Sweet and flattering, 16.5; Parker, Aug 2014: The spectacular 2003 Pontet Canet is still incredibly young and vigorous. This full-bodied classic boasts a dense purple color as well as a superb nose of graphite, creme de cassis, forest floor, licorice and a hint of truffles, low acidity, and extravagant richness. Most of the tannins have been resolved in this superstar of the vintage. It should continue to drink well for 10-15+ years, 95+; www.pontet-canet.com ]
Ruby and rich velvet, one of the youngest, the second deepest. One sniff, and to anybody brought up on Pontet-Canet in the Cruse days, this 2003 is a revelation. It is a fractionally bigger and richer wine than the Montrose, a wine showing great smoothness on bouquet, and fruit and oak of great quality. The cassis is a little riper / softer / less aromatic than the Montrose, but it is the dominant fruit note. Palate is younger than the top two, the oak still not completely assimilated but the berry fruit is so rich, clearly great pleasure lies ahead. This is a classic example of a wine showing power and beauty without undue weight, as alluded to earlier. It will end up just as rich as the Las Cases, even though it tastes much younger now. Cellar 10 – 30 years. GK 11/14

2007 Domaine Rousseau Chambertin Clos de Beze 19 (

)

Gevrey-Chambertin Grand Cru, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $546 [ cork; up to 22 months in 100% new French oak; Rousseau owns 1.4 ha, 9.2% of the vineyard; making approx 500 cases; www.domaine-rousseau.com ]
Good pinot noir ruby, above midway in the depth of colour sequence, scarcely distinguishable from the Craggy Range Calvert. If there is one wine in the set that displays exemplary pinot noir varietal quality, this is it. The depth of the boronia, violets and dark roses on bouquet is a total delight, the quality of oak is reminiscent of Peregrine's The Pinnacle but subtler, and the aromatic red and black cherry is breathtaking. In mouth, the wine fulfils all the promise of the bouquet, not as rich as a year like 2005 but making up for that in beauty, harmony, balance, and precise varietal flavour. A pinot noir winemaker only needs to taste a wine like this once a year, to be completely focussed for the other 364. Sadly, few bother in New Zealand. Only two winemakers in the entire Wairarapa Valley were sufficiently interested in the absolute qualities sought in pinot noir, to attend this benchmark Rousseau tasting. When you think about it, it is a rare occasion when a Rousseau tasting does not provide a benchmarking experience, so a critical opportunity has been lost here. 2007 was a perfectly serviceable year in Burgundy, Wine Spectator rating it 90 points and noting particular success in Gevrey-Chambertin – Rousseau's centre of operations. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 11/10

2005 Domaine Rousseau Clos de la Roche 19 (

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Morey-Saint-Denis Grand Cru, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $221 [ cork; up to 22 months usually in one third new French oak; Rousseau owns 1.5 ha, 8.8% of the vineyard, making approx 490 cases; Clos de la Roche one of the least-recognised and hence best-value grands crus in all Cote de Nuits; www.domaine-rousseau.com ]
Rich pinot noir ruby, the second deepest in the tasting, but still lighter than many New Zealand pinot noirs. Bouquet on this wine is sensational, more black than red cherries, gorgeous boronia florals with a Lisbon lemon blossom aromatic note, really striking. Palate follows in the same style, darkly fruited yet still light on its feet, rich yet not heavy, not as new-oaky as the Chambertin proper or Clos St Jacques, wonderfully succulent. A winemaker wondered if there might be trace brett, but at this level, if so, it is magic. Cellar 10 – 25 years. GK 11/08

1999 Ch de Saint Cosme Gigondas 19 (

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Gigondas, Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $83 [ cork 46mm, ullage 13mm; original price c.$35; Gr c.65%, Sy c.15, Mv c.15, some Ci; hand-harvested, average yield 3.75 t/ha = 1.5 t/ac; cuvaison in s/s, some whole-bunches; elevation c. 12 months, more than 50% of the wine in concrete vat and large wood, less than half in 1 – 4 year barriques; usually no fining or filtering; tending organic wine; no Valbelle in 1999; J. L-L, 2011: There is a gentle curve of red fruit on the bouquet, which has a grainy depth; that brings in more black fruit beyond, which has good heart, carries licorice with it. Salty, fine fruit lead to the palate – this is fresh, runs straight and true, the freshness is sparkling. It ends on an accomplished length, thanks to a really tasty herbal-floral flourish. The tannins are a bit gritty still. To 2025. [ Earlier comment: Good richness within ], ****(*); R. Parker, 2000: ([1999 is] 70% Grenache, 25% Syrah, and 5% Cinsault) ... sweet aromas of blackberry fruit, roasted meats, and cassis. Chewy, powerful, full-bodied, superbly concentrated, pure, and well-balanced ... to 2014, 90 – 92; www.saintcosme.com ]
Ruby and garnet, some velvet, the third lightest. This bouquet has astonishing freshness and near-florality, the syrah seeming more prominent than its percentage in the cepage would suggest, plus lovely garrigue aromatics. Palate is superb, beautiful berry definition and freshness, the wine not as rich as some of the Chateauneufs, but the flavour still long, any oak understated. This would be a near-perfect Southern Rhone red with food, its palatability enhanced by the low (nowadays) alcohol. Tasters agreed, seven first places, one second, clearly the most favoured wine. Fully mature now, but will be attractive for another 10 years. An infinitely desirable wine. GK 10/19

2002 Saltram Shiraz Mamre Brook 19 (

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Barossa Valley, South Australia: 15%; $22 [ www.beringerblass.com.au ]
Dense ruby, carmine and velvet, denser even than the company's 02 Pepperjack Cabernet Sauvignon, and much denser than the 02 Pepperjack Shiraz. Bouquet is immensely deep, rich and densely plummy, massive, but not as heavy as Aussie wines so often are, in this size range. Palate is unctuously rich, velvety, yet totally dry, with a bottled blackest plums flavour which is subtler than the boysenberry of so much over-ripe Australian shiraz, and therefore more interesting – despite the hint of prunes. Oak handling on this wine is a little more noticeable than on the Pepperjack, but still very good. Total mouthfeel is pleasing, again unlike so many big Barossa shirazes where one feels manipulated by tannin additions, acid additions, and various excessive uses of oak. Whatever has been done here is subtle (relative to the size of the wine). Like the Pepperjack Cabernet Sauvignon, it will be of compelling interest to see how this massive wine cellars, for it is hard to taste whether it is totally conventional, or contrived in some way. Meanwhile, the number of grapes per bottle makes this the original wine bargain. It should cellar for 5 – 20 years, and is worth buying by the case. VALUE GK 09/04

2016 Domaine Le Sang des Cailloux Vacqueyras Cuvée de Lopy 19 (

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Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $70 [ cork 50mm; Gr 80%, Sy 20, organic, (Sy classed as Vieilles Vignes); cropped at 3.65 t/ha = 1.5 t/ac; elevation 12 months in puncheons, age unsure; available from Maison Vauron, Auckland, and retailers supplied by them; weight bottle and cork, 594 g; www.sangdescailloux.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, one of the deeper wines. Bouquet is deep, dark and mysterious, yet floral too in a midnight-deep way. Blind, you ask, is this high mourvedre ? The fruits are dark, but there is none of the clumsy blackberry of over-ripe syrah some of these wines show. It is all uplifted by trace fragrant garrigue aromatics, plus a little spirit. In mouth the depth of fruit is astonishing. This wine is richer than Telegramme. There is not quite the tannin structure of some of the other highly regarded wines in the set, and little sign of new oak, but the balance of berry to grape tannins, and the dry extract and length of flavour, are all sensational. This is a glorious (but darker) example of the 2016 vintage in the southern Rhone Valley, which will lighten up in cellar. Cellar 10 – 25 years. GK 05/19

2016 Domaine Le Sang des Cailloux Vacqueyras Cuvée de Lopy Vieilles Vignes 19 (

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Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $70 [ cork, 50 mm; certified organic wine; proprietor Serge Ferigoulé farms 17 hectares on the Plateau des Garrigues, an area with the famous galets roulés, now biodynamic viticulture, low yields. The Lopy site is 4 hectares, all hand-harvested at 3.65 t/ha = 1.48 t/ha, the cepage Gr 80%, Sy 20. Lopy is the top wine of the domaine. Vinification includes all de-stemmed, up to 25 days cuvaison in concrete, elevation in third year and older 450s, not fined or filtered; John Livingstone-Learmonth: This is very much in the top three domaines of Vacqueyras, and the wines can be cellared for a couple of decades. For Lopy 2016: The length is good. It is nourishing, prolonged, sweet inside, ****(*); Decanter: A gorgeous Grenache expression on the nose, from a parcel of 70 year old vines, showing herbal, plum and strawberry aromas, enveloping and inviting. The Syrah adds structure and bite on the medium to full-bodied palate. It has a lovely quality of ripe tannins, good acidity and freshness, with a very long finish, 94; production averages 1,750 x 9-litre cases; weight bottle and cork 596 g; one of the Worth Cellaring set; https://sangdescailloux.com ]
Big ruby, carmine and velvet, the second-deepest wine. Bouquet is much lighter and more floral than the other deep wine, Cairanne Maximilien, exquisite carnations, dianthus and red roses on complex fruit notes ranging from dark cherry to darkest cassis, all lightly aromatic, really uplifting and very beautiful. Oak here is nearly invisible, totally enhancing the grape beauty and complexity, without being recognisable. Palate is in one sense quite different, the fresher red fruits of grenache jumping to the fore, lovely cinnamon complexity, great length on the fruit richness, and gradually the oak becomes more noticeable, lengthening the palate. Is this perfect oaking ? In this beautiful wine, the 20% syrah dominates the bouquet, with its floral complexity, whereas grenache dominates the palate. What a great achievement. One second-favourite vote. Cellar 5 – 25 years. Available from Maison Vauron and their distribution channels (eg Regional Wines). GK 07/19

1991 Ch Tahbilk Shiraz [ 1860-Vines ] 19 (

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Nagambie Lakes, Central Victoria, Australia: 13%; $ – [ cork; first released in 1979, this wonderfully historic wine comes from a half-hectare un-grafted, pre-phylloxera original Estate planting of shiraz vines, as the winery says: 'amongst the oldest Shiraz vines in the world'. Hand-picked, fermented in century-old oak vats, then 18 months in French oak, the wine is held for four years before release. In 1991 the label was a straight reproduction of an 1875 label, complete with Chateau Tahbilk. Latterly the wording is more modern, but the design remains evocative; the wine is now seriously expensive, around $AU150, but if the style today is true to the earlier wines, it is more worth that than some of the latterday lumbering monsters from other wineries; www.tahbilk.com.au ]
Ruby and garnet, medium weight. Bouquet is soft, fragrant, and really syrah-like in its beguiling wallflower / flowering mint on bouquet. This could easily be confused with 21-year-old Hermitage. Palate is enchanting, almost strong pinot noir, great fruit delicacy, subtlest oak, the kind of beautiful classical shiraz Tahbilk did so well before the desire for new oak, high alcohols, and technically-lead winemaking raised its ugly head. Fruit on palate is simply superb. At a peak of perfection now, no hurry at all, one of the most beautiful Australian shirazes I have ever tasted, fully qualifying as syrah, the kind of beauty in mouth one associates with grand cru Morey-St-Denis, as well as fine Hermitage. Tasted alongside 1994 Delas Hermitage Tourette, the similarity of florality, berry and subtle oaking is wonderful. The Tahbilk is richer and younger though, by far. No hurry here at all. GK 08/12

2015 Domaine Le Vieux Donjon Chateauneuf-du-Pape 19 (

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Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $106 [ cork, 50mm; typically Gr 75%, Sy 10, Mv 10, balance minor varieties, 75% of the vines more than 80 years old; 50% destemming, 18 – 25 days cuvaison, in concrete vat, elevation 18 months in large old wood; not fined but now some filtering; just the one label; J. Robinson, 2016: Lightly medicinal on the nose ... big fruit impact and fine tannins. This should deliver ... Long and spicy. Quite intense. 2023 – 2035, 17.5; J.L-L, 2016: [ barrel sample ] The bouquet is full, elegant, has good promise ... refined black fruit within, and some smoke-tobacco hints. The palate ... in shape to be a well-balanced, top grade 2015 ... lovely poise, and purity of fruit, the tannins carrying fine detail, ****(*); J. Czerwinski @ R. Parker, 2017: ... a floral, violet-scented wine that's supple and ripe. Only medium to full-bodied, it showcases complex garrigue and licorice notes rather than oodles of red fruit and comes to a long, silky finish. 2017 – 2030, 93; no website found, but a good summary in the files of www.thewinecellarinsider.com; bottle weight 638g ]
Ruby and some velvet, below midway in depth. This is yet another fabulous Chateauneuf-du-Pape bouquet, sitting between the red fruits of the Clos des Papes, and the dark mourvedre-dominated Beaucastel. Here the floral notes also clearly have a savoury garrigue complexity to them, on a more loganberry / darker raspberry kind of fruit. In mouth the wine is already velvet, the hint of bouquet garni from the garrigue notes enlivening the flavour. Oaking is again masterly and understated: the pleasure to be had here will be immeasurable. This too is remarkably pure wine, six people rated it their top wine, and one their second. In other words, this is classic Chateauneuf-du-Pape, not too big, beautifully poised. Cellar 10 – 30 years. GK 08/18

1998 Domaine Le Vieux Donjon Chateauneuf-du-Pape 19 (

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Southern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $205 [ cork, 46mm; original cost $58; just the one label; this year Gr 75%, Sy 10, Mv 10, balance minor varieties, 75% of the vines more than 80 years old; 18 – 25 days cuvaison, 50% destemming, elevation 18 – 24 months in large old wood; not filtered in 1998; J. Dunnuck @ R. Parker, 2015: Garrigue, truffle, leather and plenty of ripe fruit flow to a full-bodied, mouth filling and unctuously textured ... palate ... will certainly hold nicely for another 7-8 years, 96; Parker, 2001: ... majestic, old style offering ... a gorgeous nose of licorice, tobacco, dried herbs, smoke, blackberries, cassis, and aged beef ... a classic vin de garde ..., 96; J.L-L, 2008: masses of appeal on the nose ... This is exciting wine ... It is fresher and younger than many 1998s ... sweet charm ... In with the red fruits are cocoa, tobacco leaf, excellent flavouring, ******; 6-star ratings are conspicuously rare in J.L-L's lexicon; no website, but a good summary in the files of www.thewinecellarinsider.com; bottle weight 675g ]
Ruby and garnet, the lightest wine. This note must be indicative / provisional only, since in assembling, proofing, and sequencing the tasting beforehand, this wine had to be rejected for some TCA. It was replaced by the Charbonniere Vieilles Vignes. A 60 ml sample held in XL5 with 100 mm² of Gladwrap® allowed probable assessment of its rank in the field, on following evenings. After 48 hours the bouquet opened up, becoming ripe and rich, with blending varieties evident. Fruit richness and length of flavour in mouth is classic Chateauneuf-du-Pape, and tannin seems sweetly in balance, the wine starting to soften. There is little or no suggestion of new oak. Given J. Livingstone-Learmonth’s perfect score, something he is sparing with, I await the next bottle eagerly. It seems brett-free. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 07/18

2016 Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe Chateauneuf-du-Pape 19 (

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Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $150 [ cork 49 mm; Gr 65%, Mv 15-20, Sy 15, cinsaut and other permitted 5, average age 70 years: concrete vat then 20-22 months in 6,000 litre older oak; available from Maison Vauron, Auckland, and retailers supplied by them; weight bottle and cork, 630 g; www.vieux-telegraphe.fr ]
Ruby, the lightest wine in the set. The first thing to say is, this is a much more understated wine than some Vieux Télégraphes of yesteryear. It is almost a Chateauneuf-du-Pape for pinot noir-lovers, though there is inevitably a little spirit. The bouquet is nearly floral, pink and red roses, a lovely garrigue lift, on all red fruits. Grenache dominates here totally, the minor varieties quite in the background this year (actual cepage for 2016 not known). Palate has succulent fruit richness, made even more fragrant by subtlest newish oak, and great length, deceptively so for a wine so light in total impression. Fruits include the raspberry of grenache, cherry and some red plum, plus cinnamon complexity. This is a beautiful fragrant wine, to cellar 10 – 35 years. GK 05/19

2005 Domaine du Vieux Telegraphe Chateauneuf-du-Pape La Crau 19 (

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Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $132 [ cork, 49mm; original price c.$75; Gr 65%, Mv 15, Sy 15, balance authorised varieties hand-harvested from one of Chateauneuf's most famous vineyards, average age all vines >50 years (then); mostly destemmed, cuvaison formerly shorter, now to 30 even 40 days, elevation c.12 months in concrete, c.10 months in foudre; not fined or filtered; average annual production 16,5000 x 9-litre cases, yet such is its fame it is hard to buy in New Zealand; J.L-L, 2010: Solid, impenetrable nose – a wall of black fruit, soaked black cherries, cocoa, especially dates. The palate is similar – this is really closed now, has droves of black fruit with a lining of firmly founded tannins. The length is good – it is a wine that runs solidly to the line, delivers a full, intense finish. Very deep. “There is enormous difference between the 2005 and 2006 – in 15 years, around 2025, the 2005 will be right there, and the 2006 will be a little old man,” Daniel Brunier. From 2014. 2030-34, ******; JD@RP, 2015: One of the most age-worthy cuvees in the appellation ... classic iodine, seaweed and peppery herbs intermixed with layers of sweet currant, plum and blackberry fruits. Full-bodied, powerful and ripe, with a still youthful profile, this beauty won’t hit full maturity for another 3-4 years, 2015 - 2030, 95; weight bottle and cork 670 g; www.vieux-telegraphe.fr ]
Ruby and a suggestion of garnet, well below midway, the third to lightest wine. The bouquet on this chateauneuf is magical. Like the Marcoux it is one of the subtler understated wines, but it is nearly floral, nearly ‘sweet’, and wonderfully red-fruits fragrant, plus clear saliva-inducing garrigue complexity. Palate pretty well epitomises fine Chateauneuf-du-Pape, beautiful succulent red fruits complexed with the darker notes of syrah and mourvedre, all framed in superb oak much softer than the Janasse wines. You could sniff this all night. The aftertaste rests totally on fruit, a nonsense statement in fact since the oak frames the berry so exquisitely. Tasters were a bit misled by this wine. As a subtle wine, between what turned out to be two oaky wines, it was rather overlooked, no votes. The sequencing should have anticipated this … but the full character of the wine is not always apparent straight after decanting. The subtlety of the wine led many to believe this is a 100% (or nearly) grenache. It is so perfectly balanced it will cellar for years, and even when it is ‘too old’ it will still be beautiful. A wonderful wine, and one of the few said to be under 15%. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 07/19

1996 Domaine de Vogue Bonnes Mares Grand Cru 19 (

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Chambolle-Musigny, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 13%; $540 [ 48mm cork; a 3 – 4-star vintage for Broadbent, 10% more fruit than 1995, at best wines of great balance, charming and seductive; detail available is sparse, de Vogue is by far the largest owner in Bonnes Mares; new oak use is restrained, typically 35% for grands crus such as this; Jasper Morris notes: There is frequently a fascinating aromatic quality, very floral, perhaps suggesting peonies; Robinson has not had any de Vogue Bonnes Mares from the '90s, but rates younger ones less highly than his Musigny; Rovani in Parker, 1998: I loved this … medium-to-full-bodied, tightly wound, sensual, and seductive wine. Seemingly unending layers of black raspberries, cherries, wild blueberries, tangy red currants, and fresh herbs ... in this complex, rich, silky-textured, and profound wine. ... sublime finish ... gorgeous purity of fruit, has a firm yet supple backbone. An extraordinary Bonnes Mares! Projected maturity: 2003-2010+,92 – 95; de Vogue at least in the '90s appeared to use oversize corks, which give an astonishingly good seal, but are the devil to get out; no website found. ]
Ruby and garnet, the third deepest wine. This wine shows the most dramatic bouquet in the set, being both highly and attractively floral (buddleia, roses, clear boronia) but also faintly but distinctly flowering mint or subtle salvia. The closest plant analogy is the Australian flowering shrub Prostanthera. This exhilarating but unusual (for pinot noir) bouquet leads into a near-perfect pinot noir palate, neat, taut and perfectly fleshed, wonderfully subtle oak balance, and aromatic (as the bouquet would suggest), not in the slightest bit heavy yet rich, even powerful, and very long. In one sense this is classically Cote de Nuits, yet in another it is freaky. Hence 11 tasters confidently identified it as Australian, on the faintly minty note. The astonishment evident on revealing the wine as the lesser-year (by repute) de Vogue was one of those lovely moments in presenting wine tastings, not for any smart-arse reason, simply to illustrate the eternal challenge of understanding wine. This is a smaller wine than the Musigny, in terms of dry extract, but a far more beautiful one, at this point. Cellar 5 – 20 years. Top wine for two. GK 10/14

2006 Villa Maria Syrah Cellar Selection 18 ½ + (

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Gimblett Gravels & other districts, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $33 [ screwcap; Sy 100% hand-harvested, all de-stemmed; inoculated yeast, warm-fermented in open-top vessels, 15 days cuvaison; c. 18 months in French and American oak 40% new; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, scarcely less dense than the Villa Reserve. Bouquet on this syrah is wonderfully aromatic, not quite as floral as the Reserve, but with a lovely herbes de Provence aromatic quality grading through to freshly cracked black peppercorn on rich cassis, which is nearly as delightful. Purity on bouquet is superb. Like the Reserve, but in contrast to the same firm's Shiraz / Viognier blend, in mouth this wine shows some of the firmness of great Hermitage, again with intense cassis and dark plums, seemingly as rich as the senior wine. It is just not quite so magically sustained and tapering on the finish. In only 10 years, essentially our syrahs have reached the point where one company can produce volumes of a wine at this quality level, not to mention the Reserve – surely a matter for rejoicing. Cellar 5 – 12 years. VALUE GK 05/08

2007 Paringa Estate Shiraz Reserve Barrel Selection 18 ½ + (

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Mornington Peninsula, Victoria, Australia: 14.5%; $102 [ screwcap; price is simple conversion from AU$80; Sy 100%, hand-picked @ 0.8 t/ac from intensively managed vines to optimise fruit exposure; 100% de-stemmed, c.2 days cold-soak then inoculated yeast, 14 days cuvaison to dryness, no yeast-BF; initial tartaric adjustment at de-stemming, topped up to 2 g/L addition after MLF in barrel; c.15 months in French oak 100% new; medium-polish filter to bottle; 15 Trophies already in Australia, including Best Shiraz @ Royal Melbourne (usually meaningful); 250 cases of 12; Halliday on the 2006: Saturated colour; significantly greater volume of flavour than the Estate, all share the elements of spice and cracked pepper that make these wines so special. 96; www.paringaestate.com.au ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a fresh and delightful colour, in the middle for depth. This is a wondrous wine, a syrah from Australia illustrating perfectly how virtually all the mainland is too hot for optimal varietal quality – if expression as syrah is the goal. It is a little spirity, but there are soft wallflower florals and suggestions of dianthus no more mint-affected than one or two New Zealand syrahs. Despite being wonderfully rich, the palate shows vibrant cassis, a touch of cracked peppercorn, a nearly natural acid balance [ I thought, before detail supplied ], and subtle oak. It seems to have more delicacy and poise than Le Sol, reminding rather more of New Zealand's 2007 Church Road Syrah Reserve, though the pH of 3.37 certainly argues against that impression. From the New Zealand perspective, the Paringa is a sensation, showing (sadly for us) that we do not have the syrah winestyle all to ourselves, in Australasia. Not imported into New Zealand, sadly. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 01/10

2009 Trinity Hill Syrah Homage 18 ½ + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $120 [ cork; Sy 98%, Vi 2, hand-picked at about 2.5 t/ha (1 t/ac); 100% de-stemmed, shortish cuvaison; MLF completed in barrel, c.15 months in French oak mostly new; www.trinityhill.com ]
Ruby and velvet, some carmine, older than some. Bouquet is soft, ripe and plummy, more the blueberry than cassis side of syrah (understandable in the warmer year) plus an intriguing beeswax complexity seen in the Northern Rhone syrahs sometimes. Palate is clearly blueberry, even dramatically so, contrasting vividly with the Church Road. Oak is subtle initially and very fragrant, but builds up in mouth. It must be pretty expensive oak, for the flavour is beautiful. Tasted with some 2009 Bordeaux, the confusion between this and virtually straight merlot is enchanting. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 07/12

2007 Church Road [ Cabernet / Merlot ] Tom 18 ½ + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $ – [ cork; indicative price c. $100; CS 50%, Me 50; all hand-picked [presumably at c. 2.5 t/ac as in 2005] from on-average 10-year old vines; 100% de-stemmed, crushed, no cold soak, inoculated fermentation and cuvaison 4 weeks for the CS component in an older oak cuve, 3 weeks for Me, no BF or lees work; 21 months in all-French oak c. 70% new, balance 1-year, successive rackings to clarify and aerate; not fined or filtered; RS < 0.2 g/L; 500 cases; release date 2011, not on website for some time yet; www.churchroad.co.nz ]
Midnight-deep velvety carmine, ruby and velvet, if anything deeper than the Church Road Reserve 2007, the deepest finished wine of the day, sensational. Freshly opened, there seems almost Napa-like sweetness and ampleness of plummy berry that hints at sur-maturité, especially alongside a relatively 'delicate' wine such as the Cheval Blanc. Yet with air the wine expands into an enormously rich and saturated powerhouse of cassis and darkest plum, both fresh and bottled, with a lot of cedary oak yet to marry up. The Church Road Reserve is much more fruit-dominant and accessible today, and because of the great flesh, at first sight it appears a bigger wine than Tom 2007. But, Tom is in fact huge, richer than Sophia '07, yet still alongside premium Australian wines it is totally fresh and fine-grained on natural acid. The oak at this stage seems greater in the balance than even the Brokenstone Merlot, but the richness though the wine is completely dry is sufficient to allow a 40-year life in bottle. This will become a very special New Zealand wine, if cellared long enough. Whether it will give as much pleasure as the more gently oaked 2007 Church Road Reserve, factoring in you can have three of them for the price of one Tom, will be debated for decades ! Cellar 10 – 40 years, speaking as someone with 40-year old Hawkes Bay cabernets still on hand. GK 01/10

2007 Craggy Range Merlot Sophia 18 ½ + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.3%; $50 [ cork; Me 81%, CF 10, CS 7, Ma 2, hand-harvested @ c.2.2 t/ac; 100% de-stemmed; inoculated ferments in oak cuves; 18 months in 50% new French oak; fined and filtered; RS nil; production around 2000 cases, exported widely; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby carmine and velvet, middling in weight. Bouquet is the same wonderful fragrant and plummy berry style of the best of preceding Sophias, and the best of the new-wave high-merlot Bordeaux / Hawkes Bay blends from New Zealand. It is not quite as floral as the Church Road Reserve, and is slightly oakier, but it illustrates the beauty of merlot well. Palate matches bouquet exactly, fine berry, exciting oak, great length. What wonderful tastings these top 2007 Merlot / Cabernet blends and related wines will provide in 10 years time. Cellar 5 – 25 years. GK 01/10

2007 Craggy Range Pinot Noir Zebra Vineyard 18 ½ + (

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Bendigo, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $47 [ screwcap; not on website yet; www.craggyrange.com ]
A big pinot ruby, but good and attractive. Bouquet is clear-cut New Zealand pinot noir, smelling of flowers and cherryfruits at a perfect point of pinot physiological maturity, but not as demonstrative as the Felton Road standard or the Craggy Calvert. Palate is crunchy black and red cherry right through, a little fresher than either of the Calvert wines, a little richer than the standard Felton, oak not as visible as some, and slightly firmer tannins at this stage than the Craggy Calvert. This is very attractive pinot noir indeed, needing three years or so to optimise its Cote de Nuits styling. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 03/09

2008 Coopers Creek Syrah Chalk Ridge Select Vineyards 18 ½ + (

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Havelock North district, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $26 [ cork; Sy 96%, Vi 4, all hand-picked @ 2.7 t/ac from a hill-slope site with limestone; syrah de-stemmed, 2 days cold soak, co-fermented via wild yeast initially then inoculated, 21 days cuvaison; MLF and 14 months in French oak c. 50% new; RS 2.5 g/L; sterile-filtered to bottle; www.cooperscreek.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, as good a colour as the Paringa Estate, in the middle for depth. Bouquet is wonderfully varietal, clear cut syrah florals on ripe cassis grading to bottled black doris plum, clear cracked black peppercorn complexity, slightly more oak than some, and a weight of fruit reminiscent more of the Clape Cornas (adjusted for age) than some of the fleshy New World wines. Coopers Creek Chalk Ridge Syrah has leapt to the forefront, the last couple of vintages, and the Northern Rhone styling in this wine is sheer delight. The given RS is not readily detectable / apparent. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 01/10

2007 Esk Valley Syrah Winemaker's (formerly Reserve) 18 ½ + (

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Cornerstone Vineyard, Gimblett Gravels, New Zealand: 14.5%; $65 [ screwcap; hand-harvested from vines planted in 1996, de-stemmed; total wild-yeast and wild-malo fermentation, no enzyme, no tannin, and cuvaison extending to 32 days; MLF and c.21 months in French oak 30% new, with 2-weekly lees stirring but no racking; total production < 300 cases, WA / Martin, 2009: (before bottling) ... fine blackberry, plum and cassis. Good earthy notes ... ripe black fruit, nice acidity, svelte, lots of black fruits towards the finish that has a degree of elegance and focus. Good potential. (90-92); www.eskvalley.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a beautiful colour. Bouquet is intensely cassisy and nearly violets floral, with implicit cracked black peppercorn. In mouth the varietal definition is superb, the reduced use of new oak in 2007 allowing the variety to shine through in a style closer to Bullnose Syrah than to Le Sol. This is a lovely rich wine, the best yet under this label, fractionally less aromatic than the Coopers Creek, which will repay cellaring 5 – 15 maybe 20 years. GK 01/10

2015 Elephant Hill Syrah Airavata 18 ½ + (

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Gimblett Gravels 71%, Te Awanga 29, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.2%; $120 [ cork 50mm, low bleach; Sy 98.3% Limmer and 470 clones, Vi 1.7 co-fermented, all hand-picked at an average 4.15 t/ha = 1.7 t/ac; 18% whole bunches retained in the ferment; 5 days soak then cuvaison to 15 days; no pressings in the final blend, 26 months in French barriques 40% new, plus 7 months on lees in s/s; no fining, sterile filtered to bottle; dry extract 30.7 g/L; production 270 x 9-litre cases; Airavata refers to the Hindu king-god of elephants; weight bottle and closure 711 g; ; https://elephanthill.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, virtually as deep as the Earth Syrah, the second-deepest red. Bouquet is rich and very ripe, in comparison with Syrah Earth, some of the fruit ripened just beyond the floral and cassisy phase of syrah to dark plum and mulberry, with just a suggestion of fragrant moist prunes – like Pirathon Gold. In mouth the same ripeness profile continues, the berry rich and deep, a little more tanniny than Earth but not oaky, a hint of char. There is great richness and length of dusky berry flavour, again suggesting good dry extract … later confirmed in the specs. This wine is predominantly Gimblett Gravels, and illustrates the risk of over-ripening syrah on this warm site. The comparison with the Earth Syrah from the Triangle, the district clearly making the most complex syrah in Hawkes Bay, is worth making. Cellar 10 – 30 years. GK 06/20

2007 Church Road Cabernet / Merlot Reserve 18 ½ + (

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Gimblett Gravels 72% & Ngatarawa Triangle 28, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $36 [ cork; CS 54%, Me 41, CF 5; www.churchroad.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. Bouquet is immediately sweet and rich bottled black doris fruit of beautiful ripeness, backed by fragrant new oak. Palate is plump and round, obvious cassis complexity and beautiful potentially velvety texture, all very young at this stage. This wine too is remarkably Bordeaux-like, with superb acid balance. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 06/10

2007 Mt Difficulty Pinot Noir Single Vineyard Long Gully 18 ½ + (

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Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $84 [ screwcap; 5% whole bunch; c.14 months in French oak, 34% new; www.mtdifficulty.co.nz ]
A fine pinot noir ruby, in the middle for weight, a model colour and depth for New Zealand (where depth of pigmentation in our sun is somewhat deeper than Burgundy). Bouquet shows superb red roses and boronia florality, beauty and sensuality entwined, those key features which elude so many pinot noir makers. In mouth it is sensuality that comes to the fore, near-perfect ripeness of red cherry fruit grading to black, near-perfect extraction without too many anthocyanins and tannins darkening the taste, good flesh, subtle oak, and most important, great freshness and balance. So many New Zealand pinots are either leafy / floral and therefore fractionally under-ripe (or worse), or alternatively, in seeking to avoid that, the wines end up over-ripe, with plummy and dark flavours of sur-maturité so much disliked by more sensitive French winemakers. Wines like this make a complete nonsense of the condescending overseas comments we hear about our pinots, along the lines: New Zealand makes great Pinot Noir, but of course it is nothing like burgundy. This wine is like fine burgundy, end of story. A Clos de la Roche look-alike, maybe. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 02/10

2009 Sacred Hill Cabernets / Merlot Helmsman 18 ½ + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $85 [ screwcap; DFB; CS 47%, CF 28, Me 25, hand-picked from 9 year old vines @ just under 2.5 t/ac; cuvaison approx 38 days; no BF; 18 months in French oak 75% new, RS < 0.2 g/L; 250 cases; www.sacredhill.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a great colour, in the top quarter for weight and depth. Bouquet is exciting, absolutely of classed Medoc standard (particularly since some of them are now over-oaked, pandering to new world 'taste' …), a combination of dark red rose florality and cassis aromatics, rich, youthful. Palate is firm, clearly cabernet sauvignon-dominant, lean in one sense and aromatic, but with potential tobacco and cedary notes to evolve. There is also the subtlest trace of sur-maturité flavours, chocolate etc so sought by the media (and judges), but not a part of classic Bordeaux. With global warming, this may have to be accepted, I guess. Though a little oaky, and not quite as rich as the Church Road Reserve, the structure of this wine is classic – it will cellar for 10 – 20 years. Price escalation a concern. GK 06/12

2002 Girardin Bonnes Mares 18 ½ + (

)

Chambolle-Musigny Grand Cru, Burgundy, France: 14%; $209 [ cork; neither fined nor filtered; no info on website yet; www.avco.org/girardin ]
Good pinot noir ruby, with some velvet. In some ways this has a finer pinot noir varietal bouquet than the Girardin Clos de Beze, in that it is more floral in a sweet boronia and dark lilac way, and less savoury / bretty. Palate is superb black cherries, so fresh and crisp and crunchy as to define pinot noir. It is a little lighter and fresher than the Beze, yet has much of the same velvety sensation. If one were fussed about brett levels, this would mark higher than the Beze. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 12/05

2007 Mud House Sauvignon Blanc Swan 18 ½ + (

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Marlborough, New Zealand: 12.5%; $23 [ screwcap; the top Mud House sauvignon; www.mudhouse.co.nz ]
Lemongreen to lemon, the richest colour of the Mud House sauvignons. Bouquet is superbly classical Marlborough sauvignon, white nectarine, red capsicum and black passionfruit with complexing notes of sweet basil and other aromatic herbes, honeysuckle florals, plus faint musky armpit notes at an acceptable level, all very attractive indeed. On palate there is a richness and satisfaction of flavour which makes one wonder, in the blind tasting, is there trace barrel-ferment / new oak there too. When subtle, it is impossible to tell, given the phenolics of ripe sauvignon. Flavour is long in mouth, tasting all free-run, and low in phenolics. Residual sugar is the usual ‘dry’ level for the variety. This is model modern Marlborough sauvignon, to cellar up to 10 years, if mature wines appeal. GK 02/08

2002 Te Whare Ra Gewurztraminer Duke of Marlborough 18 ½ + (

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Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14.5%; $ – [ screwcap; hand-picked; this wine all s/s, made by previous consulting winemaker John McGinlay, a Californian; the Flowerdays took over spring 2003; RS 18 g/L; www.te-whare-ra.co.nz ]
Rich lemon, almost a flush of pale gold. Bouquet is wonderful, explicit gewurztraminer with citrus, citronella and hints of almost balsam-like spiciness on lychee fruit. Palate is saturated with lightly spicy lychee and stonefruit, real body in an Alsatian vendage tardive sense, a totally international-quality wine with a marvellous nearly-dry aftertaste. No hurry if you like older whites, but this variety is often at its best in its first seven years. This is New Zealand gewurztraminer at its best, the alcohol well hidden, and in any case the Alsatian model can be high-alcohol too. Will cellar several years yet. GK 04/09

1999 Chapoutier Ermitage Le Pavillon 18 ½ + (

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Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $543 [ cork, 50mm; Sy 100%; purchase price c.$370; cropping and wine-making details as in the introductory ‘Background’ section; www.chapoutier.com ]
Ruby and velvet, some garnet creeping into the edges so a little age showing, above midway in depth. This for me was the best wine of the second, older, and lesser flight, because of the quality of the not-too-hot-year fruit, and the wine is showing less oak than many. There is nearly cassisy berry but it is browning now, plus more darkly plummy fruit, with oak that does not show excess toast. Palate is softening, harmonious, but like too many of these wines, also oaky / tanniny, the wine now embarking on its plateau of maturity. It is richer than the 2005. There was some some support for this wine, two first places, one second. Will cellar another 10 – 20 years. Wine Spectator quality rating for the vintage 96. GK 10/18

2011 Church Road Syrah Grand Reserve 18 ½ + (

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Bridge Pa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12.5%; $50 [ cork; not on (tarted-up, harder to use) website yet, but 2010 was: Sy 100% hand-harvested and sorted, all de-stemmed; no cold soak, inoculated yeast, c.6 days warm-ferment in open-top oak and concrete vessels, up to 35 days cuvaison, controlled aeration; c.18 - 21 months in French oak c.40% new; www.churchroad.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, far from the deepest. Bouquet is sweetly wallflower floral and darkest roses, on cassis and bottled black doris plummy fruit, far less oaky than the 2010 Church Road Syrah Reserve (which was a bit of an aberration) and much more in a Rhone idiom. In mouth this is not as rich as some past Reserves, the fruit is both lighter and fresher, but it is a vivid and beautiful expression of floral ripe syrah varietal character. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 06/13

2007 Te Mata Syrah Bullnose 18 ½ + (

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Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $43 [ cork; 3 clones of syrah hand-harvested, 100% de-stemmed; extended cuvaison; 16 months in French oak 40% new; www.temata.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, not quite as vibrant as the Vidal Reserve. Nor is the bouquet, the whole wine being more restrained, but wonderfully elegant and varietal. This wine has come together remarkably since the first tasting last spring, and is explicitly varietal with its wallflower florals emerging much more now, plus subtle black peppercorn spice in cassis and black cherry fruit. Winemaker Peter Cowley considers it their best syrah yet. Certainly the wonderful physiological maturity they are achieving in their Bullnose syrah at a relatively subtle alcohol is a model for the whole industry, and demonstrates the disadvantages of excess alcohol in this variety – as shown by some of the overtly plummy Gimblett Gravels examples. Against some of the bigger New Zealand syrahs, Bullnose can look remarkably Cote Rotie-like. I look forward to seeing the 2007 alongside the compelling 2005, when it has settled down a little more. Cellar 5 – 12 years, maybe longer. VALUE GK 03/09

2005 Bald Hills Estate Pinot Noir 18 ½ + (

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Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $40 [ screwcap; some whole bunch; c. 11 months in French oak 40 – 45% new; website implies 2005 not for sale yet, no info; www.baldhills.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, one of the darker wines in the tasting. Like the Peregrine Pinnacle, more oak shows on the bouquet here, but the depth of boronia and violets florals is exciting too. Palate is superb, black cherries, succulent length, darker in style than the Felton Block 3, yet still dramatically varietal. Perhaps there is a hint of darkest chocolate. Finish is long and aromatic. This is very good. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 01/07

2005 Craggy Range Syrah Block 14 18 ½ + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $37 [ screwcap; Sy 100%; hand-harvested @ 3.4 t/ac; 100% de-stemmed, wild-yeast fermentation; 17 months in French oak 54% new; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a little brighter and deeper than le Sol, reflecting less oak exposure. It is one of three deepest wines in the tasting. Initially opened, this time the Block 14 showed a faintly reductive note, easily interpreted as charry oak. Whatever, like all these big wines, it benefits greatly from a splashy decanting. Thus optimised, carnations and violets florals, and rich cassis, bottled black plums and blueberries soar from the glass. It is a little more juicy than le Sol, and less oak-affected. It wins through to such a high ranking because of its precise varietal character. There is no hint of coarse Australian boysenberry / shiraz over-ripeness, just a perfect expression of cassisy rich syrah, subtly oaked. The only reservation may be, if there is a reductive note, and that if needs underlining, that could be a worry under screwcap. Cellar 5 – 20 years. VALUE GK 06/07

2006 Riverby Estate Riesling 18 ½ + (

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Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 12.5%; $ – [ screwcap; Gm 239 vines planted 1994; non-botrytis bunches hand-picked at c. 3 t/ac; cold-settled, cool- and stop-fermented in s/s; pH 2.9, RS 3 g/L; www.riverbyestate.com ]
Lemongreen, paler than the 2007 Riverby. Bouquet is fragrant, showing floral and almost hop-like terpene aromas in a very subtle attractive way, with a nectary undertone. Palate is silky in its phenolics, undeveloped, in the style of the 2007 Neudorf Brightwater. It is more backward than the 2007 Riverby, with the same dry impression. Alongside the 2008 Felton Dry, this wine shines as being a technically perfect really dry riesling. It can be compared with a Jeffrey Grossett example on an equal footing, though it may be too ‘delicate’. Dry riesling is a hard winestyle to get right. It should cellar well, 5 – 12 years. GK 04/09

2017 Pirathon Shiraz Gold 18 ½ + (

)

NW Barossa Valley, South Australia, Australia: 15.2%; $90 [ screwcap; shiraz 100%, harvested at 4.3 t/ha = 1.75 t/ac from old-vine shiraz in vineyards 300 – 350m elevation; fruit all destemmed, cultured yeast ferments, up to 12 days cuvaison, wild malolactic fermentations; 18 months in all French oak, 75% new; not fined or filtered, production 200 x 9-litre cases on the website, 400 on the back label; 'Pirathon' as a label emerged from the grape and wine interests of the Kalleske family. Winemaker initially was Troy Kalleske, whose family have been grape-growers in the Barossa Valley since 1853. Kalleske has now however sold Pirathon as a concept, and it is now an independent winery with new owners, making only shiraz wines. The new winemaker is Adam Clay, a Roseworthy graduate in 2002, and most recently part of the Penfolds red wine-making team. Pirathon has been able to retain access to the old-vine resources from other long-established growers, which are so critical to quality wine in the Barossa Valley. The name Pirathon conveys the thought of peak or pinnacle, reflecting the view that shiraz is the defining or top grape of the Barossa Valley; weight bottle and closure 658 g; www.pirathon.com ]
Ruby and velvet, fractionally older in appearance than the Pirathon Silver and most of the other deeply-coloured wines. Bouquet is darkly berried, fragrant and aromatic, with the faintest touch of flowering mint (Prostanthera) in boysenberry, blackberry and cassisy berry, not blatantly Australian, very attractive. Like Elephant Hill’s Syrah Stone, a thought of sweet moist prunes and ripeness a bit above optimal syrah varietal character creeps in too. Palate points more clearly to an Australian winestyle, the mint a little clearer, carefully hidden acid, and more new oak. This wine is very rich with great dry extract, comparing with Elephant Hill’s top reds. Finish is drier than Pirathon Silver. This is the kind of shiraz quality Penfolds Bin 28 used to have (at best) back in the 1970s. Lovely wine, Australian shiraz approaching ‘concept syrah’, with the all-French oak giving it some restraint in comparison with the other two Pirathon Shirazes, to cellar 20 – 40 years. GK 06/20

2010 Kusuda Pinot Noir 18 ½ + (

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Martinborough, Wairarapa, New Zealand: 14%; $89 [ cork; hand-harvested; nil whole-bunch, wild yeast and a 20 – 27 days cuvaison; c.14 months in French oak 24% new; wine sample courtesy John Comerford; www.kusudawines.com ]
Medium pinot noir ruby, below midway in depth. Bouquet is deeply floral and wonderfully complex, including floral aromas I cannot find words for right now, but including both red roses and boronia qualities, and all a little more 'red' than the darker-fruited young Feltons. In mouth the saturation of cherry fruit is wonderful, a vibrant and youthful wine even more aromatic than the 2010 Felton, part of which results from being a little more oaky. Perhaps the oak is a little high, in fact, but this is exciting pinot noir, already at the forefront of New Zealand interpretations of the grape. The fact that it sits seamlessly in the Felton sequence should not be lost on those who claim it is easy to tell the difference between Martinborough and Otago pinots. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 08/14

2007 Neudorf Riesling Brightwater 18 ½ + (

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Nelson, New Zealand: 11%; $22 [ screwcap; hand-harvested; whole-bunch pressed; all s/s low-solids ferment stopped @ 10 g/L, extended LA; 740 cases; www.neudorf.co.nz ]
Pale lemon, more youthful than the '08 Riverby Sali's Block. Bouquet is clearly floral, restrained, much more understated than the Riverby, but unequivocally riesling with some florals and similar but subtler lime-zest / terpene notes. Palate is smaller too, drier, understated, reminding of the description of some dryish Saar wines as 'steely'. This is the kind of supremely elegant New Zealand riesling to put alongside Jeffrey Grossett top rieslings from the Clare Valley, except the residuals don’t match. Cellar 5 – 12 years, maybe 15. GK 04/09

2007 Villa Maria Merlot Reserve 18 ½ + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $50 [ screwcap; Me 93%, Ma 7; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, scarcely distinguishable from Tom, maybe a little brighter. Bouquet is an extraordinary look-a-like to classed growth Bordeaux, showing all the violets, rose and cassis aromas of the 2007 Tom, plus a little magical extra. Palate has cigar-box and bottled black doris plum richness, plus some dark tobacco, the fruit and acid balance slightly fresher than the Church Road pair. Gradually it dawns on one that this Leoville-Barton-like note may be trace brett, almost totally hidden by the fruit richness and fragrant slightly prominent new oak. At this level, brett has never stopped Leoville-Barton being a gilt-edged wine investment, and the same applies here. This is remarkable wine, which deserves to be raved about in London. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 06/10

1990 Penfolds Coonawarra Cabernet 68% / Barossa Valley Shiraz 32% Bin 90A 18 ½ + (

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Coonawarra and Barossa Valley, South Australia, Australia: 13.5%; $597 [ cork, 49mm; CS 68% from Coonawarra, Sh 32 from the Barossa Valley; vinification assumed to be similar to Grange, ferment completed in new American oak, elevation 20 months in 100% new American oak; modelled on the famous 1962 Bin 60A, yet not on Penfolds website, strange; Penfolds Rewards of Patience: Intense, blackcurrant/raspberry/cedar aromas with hints of tobacco and spice. Palate is immensely concentrated and multi layered with blackberry/prune flavours, underlying sweet oak, grainy tannins and long, smoky finish. All the elements are welded together in a balanced, harmonious whole. Classic; Halliday, 1999: Glorious cassis raspberry fragrance to the bouquet; the palate has fantastic complexity with layers of fruit, tannin and oak welded together into a balanced and harmonious whole. A truly great classic, to be left until 2010, *****; Perrotti-Brown @ Parker, 2012: ... relatively youthful creme de cassis and blackberry preserve aromas with hints of pencil shavings, dried mint and coffee grounds. Medium-full bodied, it is generously fruited with a solid backbone of fine, finely grained tannins and crisp acid, finishing long with lingering black berry and earth layers, 96; Robinson, 2008: Sweet and round. Charming if notably less dense than the row of Granges it was served alongside, 17.5; www.penfolds.com ]
Ruby and velvet, the third deepest wine, markedly older than the Bin 920. Bouquet is in the same cassis-led style as the Bin 920, clearly cassisy but a little less fresh, mulberry as well as cassis, a little more oak apparent. Palate shows similar wonderful cassisy and rich berry, good freshness and length, the ripeness of the cabernet component as good as the Bin 920, but the whole wine skewed to excess oak, not an harmonious balance by Bordeaux standards. The curious feature of this Bin and Bin 920 is the seeming subtlety of the tartaric addition, neither wine being coarsely Australian in this respect. Once again, tasters were not as enthusiastic about this wine as I was, one first place, one second. Cellar 10 – 30 years. GK 09/17

2007 Huia Chardonnay 18 ½ + (

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Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $34 [ screwcap; hand-harvested, all de-stemmed; reasonably low-solids juice starts wild-yeast ferment in s/s, completes in French oak 20% new, balance up to 5 years; c. 60% MLF and 10 months LA and batonnage in barrel; pH 3.24, RS <1 g/L; www.huia.net.nz ]
Pale lemonstraw. Total bouquet on this chardonnay is floral, fruit-rich and mealy, with complexities immediately reminding of Burgundy. In mouth the mealyness is very attractive, making the stonefruit seem even more succulent in texture. Total acid seems higher than the Riflemans, as is the tendency in Marlborough chardonnay, but fruit richness is just as good. This is exemplary Marlborough chardonnay to cellar 2 – 8 years. GK 04/09

2007 Babich Gewurztraminer Gimblett Gravels 18 ½ + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $20 [ screwcap; post-crushing skin contact to increase flavour; cool controlled-temperature 100% BF in old French oak puncheons with some wild yeast; 9 months LA and stirring, no MLF; RS 9.3 g/L; www.babichwines.co.nz ]
Lemonstraw. This is a subtler and purer wine than the Waimea, the volume of English rose varietal bouquet being extraordinary. Below are wild ginger blossom and lychee aromas of good gewurztraminer, all crisper and cooler than the opulent Waimea. Palate is fresher and more fragrant too, just a slight suggestion of the closely-related muscat grape, all slightly sweeter, but the saturation of these flavours is just as good, due I suspect to well-aerated lees-autolysis, and possibly even subtlest MLF [ not likely, on later inquiry ]. It is scarcely a question of better or worse between these two, rather just two wonderfully contrasting styles of Alsatian-quality gewurztraminer to revel in. This wine illustrates an exciting way to make gewurz. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 05/09

2009 Church Road Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot Reserve 18 ½ + (

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Gimblett Gravels 72% & Bridge Pa Triangle 28, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $40 [ cork; CS 51%, Me 49, mostly hand-picked at c.2.5 t/ac from (on average) 12-year old vines; cuvaison extended to 35 days for some components; MLF and 20 months in 100% French oak c.50% new, balance 1-year, with no BF or lees stirring, just racking; not fined or filtered; RS < 1 g/L; www.churchroad.co.nz ]
Rich ruby, carmine and velvet, the second deepest colour in the Hawkes Bay blends. Bouquet is eloquent cassis and potentially cedary oak, in a fragrant classed growth Medoc styling. Like Helmsman it is on the oaky side now, but the total wine achievement in Bordeaux terms is exhilarating. On palate the cassis melds with bottled black doris plum fruit and oak to produce a long aromatic profile hinting at one of the Leovilles. It is a fatter wine than the Villa Reserve. This too is a glorious Hawkes Bay blend to cellar 10 – 25 years. GK 06/12

2007 Babich Riesling Dry 18 ½ + (

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Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 12%; $20 [ screwcap; s/s & stop-fermented, time on lees; pH 3.2, RS 5.3 g/L; www.babichwines.co.nz ]
Lemongreen. The Babichs have long had a feel for the riesling style, one I have followed since ordering their inaugural 1970 Riesling-Sylvaner direct from the winery. [ Which incidentally raises the issue, it is a great pity nobody is taking the understated but at best demurely beautiful muller-thurgau seriously in New Zealand any more. In its subtlety and delicate flavours, this Babich Riesling reminds us that we could make a world-beating example of muller-thurgau as well in New Zealand, particularly given modern knowledge and practice in the vineyard, with consequent increases in wine depth and flavour. ] Back to the riesling. This wine has all the floral delicacy of fine Mosel too, with a softness to the subtle limezest terpenes which, given the dry finish, is exemplary. If you have been disappointed by too many German riesling trockens and halbtrockens, try this New Zealand wine – a revelation. Being ‘dry’, it compares with the subtlest Eden and Clare Valley rieslings too, but is subtler again (though not as dry). Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 05/09

2016 Craggy Range Syrah Le Sol 18 ½ + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $145 [ cork, 49mm; Sy 100% clone MS, planted at an average 6,200 vines per hectare and average age 12 years, all hand-picked at 5.5 t/ha = 2.2 t/ac); three days cold soak, all wild-yeast ferments, 18 days cuvaison; MLF later in barrel; 14 months in French oak 40% new, plus 4 months post-assembly; RS nil: coarse filtration only; dry extract withheld; production c.500 x 9-litre cases; weight bottle and closure: 993 g; R. Campbell, 2018: Elegant, high energy syrah with a wonderfully perfumed aroma. Subtle power. Should develop very well indeed, 98; JC@RP, 2019: The 2016 Le Sol is perhaps the most confident, self-assured expression of Syrah to yet emerge from this benchmark producer. I say that because it no longer relies on weight, power and extraction for its impressiveness, but rather on its wonderful fragrance and elegance. Perfumed notes of violets and cracked pepper lead the way, backed by anise and black cherries. It's medium to full-bodied, with a rich, velvety mouthfeel and tremendous length, echoing with hints of clove, cinnamon and sassafras, to 2028, 94; www.craggyrange.com ]
Carmine, ruby and velvet, a great colour, the third deepest wine. How different this Le Sol is from the wines of 7 – 14 years ago. The bouquet is unusually floral for a Gravels wine – nearly wallflower. I wonder if there were sequential picks. Incidentally, it is now the conventional wisdom on the Net to say that the Gimblett Gravels are most famous for their syrahs. This represents a blinkered and non-thinking approach to syrah. Great syrah is floral, a concept virtually unknown to Australian and American wine-writers … and rather many elsewhere too. And in the warmer years, the most floral syrahs in New Zealand come from the Triangle, and maybe other Hawkes Bay sites fractionally less warm than the Gravels. Early Le Sols were much too much influenced by the over-ripe and hence non-floral syrahs of the Napa Valley, and Washington. Le Sol then was made in an heroic wine style. Now it is much more fragrant, floral, supple, understated, and beautiful. There is nearly a suggestion of dianthus / pinks florals on a dusky red rose component, akin to the Robin but more floral. Behind that is dramatic cassis, the subtlest oak, and imperceptible alcohol. Flavour is remarkable too: after those first burly wines, Le Sol went through a lighter phase matching most New Zealand reds: that is, lacking dry extract by AOC standards. This 2016 Le Sol however is remarkable. Craggy Range are reluctant to advise a dry extract number, but the wine tastes as if it is approaching 28 – 29 g/L. The ratio of berry to oak is delightful: a function of good dry extract mopping up the 40% new oak. Three tasters rated Le Sol as their top or second-favourite wine. It can be cellared for at least 20 years, with total confidence. GK 11/19

2007 Felton Road Chardonnay [ standard ] 18 ½ + (

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Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $36 [ screwcap; hand-harvested, 100% BF in French oak 12% new; 100% MLF, 11 months LA and some stirring; pH 3.41, RS nil; www.feltonroad.co.nz ]
Lemonstraw, a little deeper than the top wines. One sniff of this and the mind immediately goes to Meursault, the wine is so beautifully mealy and fruit rich. In mouth there is an elegant floral sensation reminding of acacia flowers, and the MLF component is slightly more apparent than the other top wines, but all in a totally positive way, no butter. There is a hint of barrel char, just like some Puligny and Meursault producers. This is gorgeous sensuous wine, one of the best chardonnays out of Central Otago so far. Cellar 2 – 7 years. GK 04/09

2005 Babich Chardonnay Irongate 18 ½ + (

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Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $33 [ cork; 100% clone mendoza BF with wild yeasts in French oak 25% new, 10 months LA and batonnage, 18% MLF; RS 2.4 g/L; www.babichwines.co.nz ]
Deep lemonstraw washed with light gold. This is the oldest-looking wine in the chardonnay line-up, which subconsciously tips one into negative mode. Yet as soon as one smells it, the softness and purity of its golden queen peach and button-mushrooms-on-toast fruit complexity is enchanting. In mouth, the velvety richness of its fresh-tasting fruit is superb – real golden queen peach tart flavours. The aftertaste is a great too. Nowhere does the oak or alcohol intrude – this is just gorgeous mendoza chardonnay at full maturity. It is so trendy these days to decry anything but the youngest and freshest, that I wonder if in releasing a wine this late there is a risk its quality might not be recognised. The first Irongate was released from the 1985 vintage – I remember Joe Babich showing it to me with great pride at the winery – so this label is building up a fine pedigree. In its early years it was a non-MLF wine which cellared well, but the role of MLF varies from season to season these days. In this case it has contributed to the softer ampler style. It is perfect now, but will hold several years. GK 05/09

2007 Church Road Malbec Cuve Limited Release 18 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $34 [ cork; DFB; Ma 100%; 35 days cuvaison; MLF and 21 months in French oak 46% new; RS < 1 g/L; cuve refers to the oak fermenters (imported from France) in the winery, a premium Bordeaux approach; release date June ’09, not on website yet; Catalogue: a powerful, richly textured and inky dark wine with layers of plum and blackberry fruit and perfumed aromatics of spice and violet. With careful cellaring the wine will soften further and develop more complex, savoury aromas; www.churchroad.co.nz ]
Carmine, ruby and velvet, a sensational midnight-deep kind of royal purple, very dense indeed. This is exciting wine. Bouquet is darkly floral and fragrant, an aroma I can't find the floral analogy for exactly, but it is velvety deep yet slightly sweet and aromatic, reminiscent of the maroon-flowered native Pittosporum shrub plus a suggestion of canned guavas. Associated with that lovely smell are darkest dropping-from-the-tree ripe plums, and light fragrant oak. Palate is gorgeous, big yet not oppressive, not unduly alcoholic, finer and more silky than top Argentinean examples, and fully ripe. I have virtually never seen a Cahors malbec without brett, but if they can be this fine, re-evaluation of the variety in New Zealand is needed (as Gordon Russell has done for The Terraces). Stephen Bennett MW has consistently said the variety does not ripen properly in New Zealand, though his views are somewhat biassed by adopting an Argentinean yardstick. And in one sense, if 2007 is a one year in ten in Hawkes Bay, then this lovely wine would support his view. Meanwhile, revel in a truly ripe and rich local malbec which is not over-oaked, is technically pure, and shows a floral dimension in the variety rarely seen. The Church Road winemakers say of the Cuve series programme that it is designed to: extend the varietal and winemaking boundaries to deliver exciting wines with unique personality interest. This wine is a triumphant exposition of that goal. Along with Villa Maria’s 2002 Single Vineyard Omahu example, it is the best straight example of the variety made so far in New Zealand. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 07/09

2003 Howard Park Chardonnay 18 ½ + (

)

Great Southern, Western Australia, Australia: 13.5%; $45 [ screwcap; BF, LA and batonnage in 60% new French oak, small % allowed to go through MLF; www.howardparkwines.com.au ]
Glowing deep lemon, quite unusual, attractive. Bouquet shows clear-cut chardonnay varietal fruit with winemaker complexities built onto that: hints of charry oak characters from barrel-ferment in quite toasty oak, and baguette-crust lees-autolysis, all coupled with musk-melon and grapefruity chardonnay fruit. Flavour is long, rich, and mealy, subtly buttery from an MLF component, not too alcoholic, completely dry. Aftertaste is particularly good, long. This is exciting Australian chardonnay, which should cellar well, 3 – 10 years. GK 07/06

2005 Johanneshof Gewurztraminer 18 ½ + (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $30 [ screwcap; website not up-to-date, lacks wine info; www.johanneshof.co.nz ]
Pale lemon. Bouquet is dramatically varietal, not quite the floral complexity of the Ihumatao, but considering the wines are growing more than 500 kilometers apart on wildly differing soil parent materials, the similarity of varietal character is astonishing, complete with subtle citronella lift on the lychee. Palate is a little more acid than the Mangere wine, again balanced by reasonably subtle residual sugar at the medium level, with near-perfect phenolic extraction to optimise flavour without coarseness. The finish is superb. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 08/06

2003 Drouhin Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru 18 ½ + (

)

Chambolle-Musigny, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 13%; $233 [ cork; a Drouhin domaine wine, the vineyard between le Chambertin and le Musigny, average vine age 25 – 30 years; hand-harvested, fermentation (some stalks) and cuvaison in open wooden vats presumably a similar time to the 18 – 20 days given for Echezeaux; c. 18 months in barrels understood to be about 1/3 new; Wine Direct the NZ agents; www.drouhin.com ]
Good ruby, a little deeper than the Echezeaux. Initially opened, this wine is a little reticent, but it is clean, not over-oaked, more clearly a hot year wine than the Echezeaux, with just a hint of roti. Palate however is so rich it seems almost sweet, with a wonderful length of fruit flavour. The roti thread is there though, and perhaps there is a subtlest hint of caramel in deep cherry and darkest plum fruit, plus mushroom and spice flavours, and dense furry tannins. This will cellar to 40 years, on the richness and tannin. Alcohol is markedly more than the nominal 13% on all but one of these French labels. GK 03/06

2008 Te Mata Sauvignon Blanc Cape Crest 18 ½ + (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $28 [ supercritical cork; SB 85%, Se 11 and sauvignon gris 4, hand-harvested, de-stemmed, brief skin-contact; low-solids juice 100% BF, LA and c. 8 months in French oak c. 33% new; pH 3.11, RS < 1 g/L; www.temata.co.nz ]
Brilliant light lemon. This wine is the prototype for all the Graves-style sauvignons now being essayed in New Zealand. Te Mata have been quietly building their complex Cape Crest Sauvignon since the 1984 vintage, well over 20 years, yet it has a relatively low profile. Dog Point’s Section 94 can be seen as its exact Marlborough analogue, with no MLF, thus contrasting both wines with Cloudy Bay’s Te Koko. And in Hawkes Bay, Sacred Hills’ Sauvage is now in the same league. Now the new Alluviale Blanc is joining this intriguing group of wines. But back to the Cape Crest. Here is all the barrel-ferment, lees-autolysis and oak-associated complexity introduced into ripe sauvignon, but without the SO2 and sur-lie reduction attributes some of the other wines in the bracket show. Without the softening MLF, this wine is firmer and oakier than the Te Koko approach. The smells and flavours resulting are very distinctive, sometimes related to hypoid gear oil, as I have observed before. Coupled with the bone-dry palate on Cape Crests, this can make the wine hard to match with food. When achieved however, the results can be magical. At a recent presentation in Wellington, chief winemaker Peter Cowley demonstrated the wines cellar marvellously for at least 10 years, and this one will too. GK 04/09

2004 Villa Maria Syrah / Viognier Cellar Selection 18 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $32 [ screwcap; Sy 97, Vi 3; hand-harvested, co-fermented; cuvaison >15 days; MLF in barrel; 15 months in oak; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, above midway in depth of colour. This wine is from a small batch, for this season available only at the winery at Mangere. Total style and weight are similar to the straight Syrah Cellar Selection. Colour is minutely lighter, bouquet is more floral and berry-complexed and less oaky, with florals ranging from dianthus to violets. Palate shows wonderful berryfruit and is more mellow and softer than the standard wine. The whole style is so close to Cote Rotie as to be startling. This is not a bravura wine in the le Sol style, but it is a winning demonstration of the beauty of syrah varietal character in New Zealand. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 05/06

2004 Te Mata Syrah Bullnose 18 ½ + (

)

Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $42 [ cork; Sy 100% from a single vineyard, oldest vines planted 1990; includes clone 470 for first time, hand-harvested, de-stemmed; extended cuvaison 3 + weeks, followed by 16 months in French oak 40-ish % new; superb website; www.temata.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, above midway for depth of colour. Bouquet on this wine is sensational, showing precise syrah varietal complexity as found in the northern Rhone – dianthus and rose florals, cassis and dark plum berry, freshly cracked black peppers, and subtle complementary oak. Palate continues perfectly, the fruit velvety yet spicy throughout, the flavours lingering wonderfully. It is a little more floral and fragrant than the Craggy Range Block 14 Syrah or le Sol, but slightly less rich. This is the third time this wine has been reported on in these notes since release, and it looks better and better – it is not a big wine, it could be described as understated, but it has complexity and depth and intrinsic quality. Earlier reports are 10/05 and 11/05. Bullnose is undoubtedly Te Mata’s greatest achievement for the 2004 vintage. It shows a finesse, ripeness and style comparable to that achieved in the 2002 Trinity Hill Homage Syrah (though I have not seen them alongside). These wines really challenge the Rhone, and Hermitage specifically. 2004 Bullnose will cellar for 5 – 15 years, and be a great food wine. Highly recommended. GK 05/06

2005 Te Mata [Cabernets / Merlot] Coleraine 18 ½ + (

)

Havelock Hills, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $72 [ cork; Me 45%, CS 37, CF 18; average vine age 20 years; 20 months in French oak probably around 75% new (if like '04); www.temata.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, below midway in depth of colour. This is a quiet wine, the bouquet not demonstrative, another wine remarkably like young Medoc. There are violets-like florals on cassis and darkest plums, all infused with potentially cedary oak in an understated way. On palate the likeness to good Medoc becomes all-convincing, and of classed growth Margaux standard. It is not rich enough to be top classed growth, but it more than matches the already-mentioned Cantemerle. Balance and style are classical for cellaring, though like the Larose faintly acid in the present company. Coleraine is classically made, to cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 05/07

2010 Villa Maria Syrah Gimblett Gravels Cellar Selection 18 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $32 [ screwcap; Sy 100%, all de-stemmed; inoculated yeast, warm-fermented in open-top vessels, 30 days cuvaison; MLF and c. 17 months on light lees in French oak 40% new; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, vibrant, the second deepest of the syrahs. Bouquet is exceptionally deep, rich and concentrated, not quite so floral as the Jewelstone, but seemingly a little plusher, fragrant dark cassis, richest of bottled black doris plums, hints of hessian French oak. This is a remarkable wine. Palate is vibrant cassis, as rich as the Jewelstone but slightly fresher in its berry characters, total acid perhaps slightly higher, great purity, subtle oak. From memory, this seems a subtler wine than the 2009 Cellar Selection, where I recollect the oak being a little obtrusive in youth. Great New Zealand syrah, which at times should be available at a compelling price (if past experience is any guide). Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 06/12

2007 Sacred Hill Syrah Deerstalkers 18 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $49 [ screwcap; hand picked, 100% de-stemmed without crushing, extended cuvaison followed by 18 months in French oak, some new; www.sacredhill.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, the richest and deepest of the various wines in this set. Bouquet on this 2007 Deerstalkers Syrah is sensational, by far the finest under this label so far, with much more careful use of oak. The berry component is a notch riper than the Guigals, quite a measure of blueberry in the cassis softening the aromatics and hiding the florality somewhat. In mouth, the richness and balance is wonderful, though more new oak is evident now, but the length of berry and flavour is excellent. The total style is astonishingly reminiscent of great Hermitage, in a warmer year than 2006 or 2005. Cellar 5 – 20 years, maybe longer. GK 10/10

2007 Babich [ Cabernets / Malbec ] Patriarch 18 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $60 [ 48 mm supercritical cork; CS 49%, Ma 29, CF 22, hand-harvested @ c.6 t/ha = 2.4 t/ac; cuvaison from 15 days to 22 for the CS; 21 months in all-French small oak 40% new; egg-white fined and filtered; www.babichwines.co.nz ]
This was the second of the complete wines in the Lincoln tasting. It opened beautifully, with even more harmony, delicacy and finesse than in the Hot Reds review. It is a marvellous example of a Medoc / Ch Cantemerle weight of classed Bordeaux, with remarkable fragrance and near-violets florality, all beautifully fine-grained. It contrasts dramatically with the Church Road Reserve, yet both are great Hawkes Bay blends. It is exciting to see Hawkes Bay blends developing exactly the same variation in demonstrated style as Bordeaux, where provided the basic quality parameters are observed, the variation is celebrated. With a straight malbec in the introductory lineup, you could see the zingy character it added to the Patriarch, but blind, one would be hard-put to identify that component. This is an elegant Hawke's Bay blend to cellar 5 – 15 years, perhaps longer. It is the greatest red wine ever to emerge from the Babich stable. GK 10/10

2005 Greenhough Sauvignon Blanc 18 ½ + (

)

Nelson, New Zealand: 13%; $19 [ screwcap; s/s wine ]
Elegant lemongreen. The similarity of style between this wine and the Stafford is uncanny, but the whole wine is a little deeper and richer, with almost white nectarine fruit richness on top of vanillin florals, black passionfruit and ripest capsicum. These are sauvignons that make one think of honeysuckle blossom. Palate is richer too, yet the wine is dry analytically as well as by taste. Acid is fractionally the least of these three. This is glorious sauvignon showing all the beauty of the variety perfectly ripe, with no hint of winemaking negatives such as sweaty armpit – exactly as sauvignon should be. Cellar 2 – 10 years, to taste. GK 01/06

2004 Howard Park Riesling 18 ½ + (

)

Great Southern district, West Australia, Australia: 12.5%; $ – [ screwcap; was $31; included to compare and contrast an Australian riesling from a cooler district with the New Zealand wines, Great Southern 2004 rated 8/10 by Halliday, RS usually under 5; James Halliday, 2004: Pale straw-green; spotlessly clean apple and lime blossom; lovely palate, with sweet lime fruit and a dry finish, 95; GK, 2006: intriguing citrus zest complexity to it, almost suggesting mandarin and mock orange blossom, in a very subtle riesling setting 18.5 +; not the easiest website to find things, as the name of the website suggests; www.burchfamilywines.com.au ]
Lemongreen, the second palest, sensational for 10 years. And the bouquet is pretty much up there too, showing a sweet vernal or holy grass varietal delicacy, florality and complexity clearly suggesting a cooler climate than the Clare Valley wines of Jeffrey Grosset, and more like best New Zealand examples of the grape. Palate is better again, the handling of the phenolic subtlety magnificent, palest citrus, seemingly natural acid, attractive fruit, and great length of palate for a 'dry' riesling. Exceptional Australian riesling, to cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 03/14

2005 Felton Road Pinot Noir 18 ½ + (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $45 [ screwcap; 2005 a low-crop year; not much wine info on website; www.feltonroad.com ]
Ruby and velvet, a fine big pinot colour. Bouquet is soft, rich and deeply floral, excitingly varietal pinot noir, in a deep rich phase. Palate melds the dark roses and violets of the bouquet into black cherry, blackboy and fragrant dark plum fruits, with a magical texture which is 'crunchy', as in fine burgundy (by analogy with perfect cherries). And the florals continue in the palate. This is marvellous pinot noir in a slightly fleshy style, neither too oaky or too alcoholic, which will build bouquet and become more sophisticated on palate as it fines down and matures in bottle. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 09/06

2004 MadFish Riesling 18 ½ + (

)

Great Southern, West Australia, Australia: 12.5%; $20 [ screwcap; free-run only; www.madfishwines.com.au ]
Lemongreen, that wash of almost beetle-green iridescence the Aussies sometimes capture in their best stainless steel whites. Bouquet on this wine is stunning, a slightly cooler appley style all through than the Fromm, but the same holygrass / sweet vernal / linalool and floral fragrances, on lovely fruit. Palate is a little narrower and purer than the Fromm, no hint of lees-autolysis complexity, just the pure variety, with terpene flavours and some lime-zest but no phenolics, leading to not quite as ‘dry’ a finish. This will cellar well, 5 – 10 years plus, and could be worth trying for longer. GK 08/06

2003 Chapoutier Ermitage Le Pavillon 18 ½ + (

)

Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 15%; $644 [ cork, 50mm; Sy 100%; cropping and wine-making details as in the introductory ‘Background’ section; www.chapoutier.com ]
Vibrant ruby and velvet, showing relative youth for its age, just below the richest three in depth of colour. Bouquet shows beautifully ripe, sweet, fragrant, darkly plummy berry, a little too ripe for cassis and clearly too ripe for florals, but fresh and fragrant and not too oaky. Palate immediately introduces more obvious oak into the equation, but the strength of ripe berry with nearly a hint of blackberry and blueberry as well, balances the oak pretty well. This is a lovely wine, but tanniny, showing yet again what a mistake so many English winewriters make, in assuming that hotter years can never produce fine wines. In the Northern Rhone Valley, warmth is critically needed. But yes, I concede that a cooler year would have allowed greater syrah varietal expression, as the 2010 and 1999 wines try to show. This 2003 was well-liked by the group, seven first places, two second. Not yet quite on its plateau of maturity, cellar 10 – 25 years. Wine Spectator quality rating for the vintage 94. GK 10/18

2006 Esk Valley Merlot / Malbec / Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 18 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $59 [ screwcap; Me 53%, Ma 33, CS 14, all hand-harvested @ c.1.9 t/ac, and de-stemmed; some wild-yeast; MLF and 20 months in French oak 75% new; RS nil; minimal filtration; Catalogue: aromatics hinting at black fruits and chocolate. The flavours are typical of Gimblett Gravel merlot blends, with fruitcake, plum, black cherry, chocolate and oak spice all evident. Cellaring is recommended to soften the firm tannins; Awards: ‘Super Classic’, Michael Coopers Wine Buyers Guide 2009; www.eskvalley.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, not as dense as some of these top wines, but a gorgeous colour. Bouquet is already deep and beautiful, showing some of the violets floral notes of the 2007 Church Road. Cassis and dark plums are mingled with these seductive floral aromas, plus beautiful oak much more subtly used than in some earlier Esk Valley Reserve wines (though the 75% new above would suggest otherwise). This too is a glorious Bordeaux-styled wine on bouquet. Palate at this stage is primarily cassisy even though merlot is listed first in the cepage, with superbly aromatic berry quality and flavour. It does not seem quite as sumptuously rich as the two Church Road Reserve wines, but like 2005 Tom, the freshness of berry is stunning. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 07/09

2007 Craggy Range Merlot Gimblett Gravels 18 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.4%; $30 [ cork; DFB; Me 87%, CF 13; 75% hand-harvested @ 3.3 t/ac; inoculated ferment in s/s; 18 months in French oak 31% new; RS <2 g/L nil; fined and filtered; Catalogue: Aromas of dark plum, blackcurrant, dark chocolate and cinnamon combine for a bouquet. Texturally, layers of soft, silky tannin combine with dollops of ripe fruit flavours and a hint of oak derived mocha character to form a luscious and long palate; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. One smell of the bouquet and this is merlot as it was meant to be, superlative black plums, some violets, deep yet still fresh, not at all dominated by oak yet still shaped by it. Palate follows on perfectly, plump, ripe, delightful. Though the alcohol as stated is a worry, in the blind tasting it is not noticeable and the wine does not show any sur-maturité, so as with some other wines here, Craggy has got away with it. There is a particularly attractive cassis aromatic twist to the finish, as if there were a little cabernet sauvignon added to spice the wine, but this is the added beauty of properly-ripe cabernet franc. This is wonderful wine, showing again the great potential for New Zealand Bordeaux / Hawkes Bay blends. Cellar 5 – 15 years. VALUE GK 07/09

2002 Esk Valley Merlot / Malbec / Cabernet Reserve 18 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $50 [ screwcap; hand-harvested from 10 and 12-year vines; French oak for 21 months; www.eskvalley.co.nz ]
Dense ruby, carmine and velvet. Berries and plums pour from the glass on this wine, with suggestions of violets too, and oak below. This is a much more vibrant bouquet than the Omahu. Fruit on palate is superb: this is another Villa Group wine really heading in a Bordeaux direction (alcohol aside), like the 2000 Villa Merlot / Cabernet Reserve, except our versions are oakier (as yet). In five years time, this will be softening, developing cigar box and dark tobacco complexities, and starting to be ready to drink with food. A case-buy wine. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 11/05

2003 Greenhough Pinot Noir Hope Vineyard 18 ½ + (

)

Nelson, New Zealand: 14%; $43 [ screwcap ]
Ruby, a little carmine and velvet, a rich pinot noir. Bouquet is magical, with deep boronia-like florals and other dusky flowers on red and black cherry fruit, clean, pure and fragrantly varietal, oak near-invisible, no artefact sideshows. Palate is crisp flavoursome cherry, at a perfect point of ripeness, avoiding plumminess, beautifully aromatic, the florals continuing through the flavour. Classical world-class pinot noir, one of New Zealand's finest examples of the grape yet. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 09/06

2006 Guigal Cote Rotie La Turque 18 ½ + (

)

Cote Rotie, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $535 [ cork; Sy 93%, Vi 7; 42 months in new French oak; www.guigal.com ]
Ruby and some velvet. Bouquet is enchanting, with an almost Cote de Nuits dark rose and violets florality on limpid cassis and dark plum berry. Oak is extraordinarily subtle, considering the 42 months spent in new. Palate is magic, a softness and succulence not apparent in the two Hermitage wines, though it is smaller than both. Oak creeps up on the palate, with hints of chestnutty complexity / subtlest brett. It is not as rich as great years of the Guigal grands crus, but it is very beautiful. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 10/10

2002 Villa Maria Cabernet / Merlot Reserve 18 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $41 [ screwcap; CS 46%, Me 41, Ma 13; 18 months in new French and US oak 80% new; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a similar density but a fresher hue than Craggy’s The Quarry. In this blind tasting, the similarity of style to the Craggy is staggering. The fruit is a little weightier, VA is lower, and oak maybe fractionally greater, but in varietal definition and palate richness, this too is a great New Zealand red in the Bordeaux / Medoc style. For those still hanging on to the idea New Zealand reds don’t keep (a notion that was never true for honestly made reds of appropriate dry extract and true ripeness), it is noteworthy that this 2002 wine looks younger than the 2004 Craggy. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 04/06

2009 Mission Estate Syrah Jewelstone 18 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $39 [ cork; hand-harvested @ c. 6.8 t/ha = 2.7 t/ac from 6-year vines; cuvaison in the order of 4 weeks, 18 months in French oak 40% new; RS 1 g/L; www.missionestate.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, the third richest of the syrahs. Bouquet is a wonderful evocation of the Northern Rhone in one of its most distinguished appellations. The degree of florality is a great pleasure, indicating great sensitivity with the oaking. There are wallflowers and nearly violets, on dense cassisy berry and darkest plum, very hard to tell from fine cabernet-dominant Hawkes Bay blends at the blind stage. Palate shows great precision of fruit ripeness, all still at the cassis analogy, yet there is a pepper component ripened through to sweet black pepper only. Length of palate and neatness of finish are exemplary. This is a delicious wine, extraordinarily lightly oaked by New Zealand (but not Northern Rhone) standards, which will cellar 5 – 15 years, and be most rewarding. Mission Estate chief winemaker Paul Mooney has had a great feeling for syrah, right since his early-in-the-piece 1998 release. GK 06/12

2005 Te Mata Cabernets / Merlot Coleraine 18 ½ + (

)

Havelock Hills, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $72 [ cork; Me 45%, CS 37, CF 18, hand-harvested from vines of average age 20 years; 100% de-stemmed; 20 months in French oak probably around 75% new (if like '04); the winery believes this is the finest Coleraine yet; www.temata.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, below midway in depth of colour. This is a quiet wine, the bouquet not demonstrative, another wine remarkably like young Medoc. There are violets-like florals on cassis and darkest plums, all infused with potentially cedary oak in an understated way. On palate the likeness to good Medoc becomes all-convincing, and of classed growth Margaux standard. It is not rich enough to be top classed growth, but it more than matches a wine such as Ch Cantemerle. Balance and style are classical for cellaring, though like the Larose faintly acid in the present company. Coleraine is classically made, to cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 09/07

2005 Pask Cabernet / Merlot / Malbec Declaration 18 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $48 [ ProCork; DFB; CS 48%, Me 35, Ma 17; machine-harvested @ 2.5 t/ac, 100% de-stemmed, some components finished fermentation in barrel, followed by 18 months in 70% French and 30 American oak, 100% new; sterile filtered; c. 500 cases; www.cjpask.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, below midway in depth. First sniff of this wine, and all one can think of is classic Medoc, a wine like Cantemerle, but so much more generous in its fruit ripeness and sunnyness. Both bouquet and palate are total cassis, with some darkly plummy merlot fleshing it out, but it is not quite as rich and concentrated as the top wines. The most wonderful thing about this Pask Declaration is the oak handling, which despite the 100% new, seems much subtler, lighter than the Cornerstone, contrasting vividly with the heavier approach of earlier years. Hence the emphasis is more on the berry fruit, and the wine will be so much more food-friendly. Cellar 5 – 15 + years. GK 05/07

1982 Ch Montrose 18 ½ + (

)

Saint-Estephe Second Growth, Bordeaux, France: – %; $435 [ cork 54mm, ullage 19mm; original price c.$51; cepage then approx. CS 65%, Me 25, CF 8, PV 2, planted at 9,000 vines / ha; c.18 months in barrel, % new then unknown, less than now (60%); Montrose website: Vintage: harvest Sept. 14 – Sept. 29, no cepage; July, August, and September were hot, very sunny and dry continuously; heat and exceptional drought characterize the harvest season. Wine: The rich nose displays scents of blond tobacco, leather, cedar, redcurrant, and cherry. ... The tannins are neat and defined; Coates, 2004: Vintage: … wonder of the 1982s was the amount of ripe, concentrated fruit. The grapes had been picked with the highest level of natural sugar since 1947. … the tannins were round and sweet, not bitter and hard like, for instance, the young 1975s; Wine: Vigorous, fullish and slightly tough on the nose. But riper and rounder on the palate. Fullish body. Very good grip. Rich, ripe and classy. This is fine, to 2010 +, 17.5; Broadbent, 2002: Vintage *****, A milestone. Rich tannic wines; Wine: harmonious, excellent flavour but it's ripe sweetness hardly denting its tannic astringency. A long-haul wine, ***(**); Robinson, 2016: Subtle, dry but gorgeously smooth-textured with fully evolved tannins. Really fresh with great drive and energy – almost like a fully ripe Cabernet Franc. Savoury, leathery, firm yet round. Admirably long. No hurry to drink this, 19; R. Parker, 1993: This is the best wine Montrose made between 1970 and the legendary wines of 1989 and 1990. ... full maturity at a surprisingly young age. ... dusty, curranty aromas intermingled with the smells of wet stones, minerals, spices, and black fruit. Medium to full-bodied, with excellent concentration and supple, expansive, chewy fleshiness, this large-scaled, low acid Montrose should last for another 10-15 years, 88; weight bottle and closure 566 g; www.chateau-montrose.com ]
Ruby, some garnet and velvet, but (surprisingly) not so very much older in appearance than the 2000, below midway in depth. One sniff, and this wine, like the 2000, bespeaks complete harmony, balance and maturity in the claret / Médoc wine-style. Though cabernet was high in that era, being a warmer year this wine is not notably aromatic, but it is beautifully fragrant, nearly floral in a fading red roses and violets way, with lovely mature berry browning a little now, allowing the cedar to peep through. Palate is supple, harmonious and round, smaller in scale as befits its era, but simply a delight – so smooth. And you can still taste the cabernet. It is exactly the 2000, nearly 20 years later: phenomenal. This is much the best bottle of 1982 Montrose I have tasted, from my case. This wine showed such harmony, that I placed it as wine 12, the final three wines in the presentation being the softer and more fragrant 2003, 1990, and 1982, in that order. After the bigger wines which had come before, it was a challenge to see its absolute virtues, despite the lead-in wines. So while there were no first-place votes, it was a pleasure to record six second-place votes. Fully and beautifully mature, but I imagine past midway on its plateau of maturity. This wine will decline gracefully for 5 – 15 years yet. An attractive example of a 1982 Medoc. GK 07/21

2004 Craggy Range Merlot Sophia 18 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $50 [ cork; DFB; Me 92%, CF 7, CS 1, hand-harvested @ 2.5 t/ac; 100% de-stemmed; 20 months in 70% new French oak; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, one of the deepest, deeper, denser and not quite as fresh as the 2005 Alluviale. Initially opened, the bouquet shows a little oak aggressiveness, but like the Alluviale, decanted it quickly clears. The style of bouquet is close to ’05 Alluviale, but darker, denser, not quite as floral, yet the same deep violets are there. Palate is considerably richer, and the wine is more oaky too, but the precision of the merlot fruit is breathtaking. If the Alluviale is more beautiful, this is more powerful, and will cellar longer, 5 – 20 + years. For absolute definition of merlot varietal character, however, 2004 Craggy Range Merlot Gimblett Gravels is the wine. GK 11/06

2003 Pegasus Bay Pinot Noir Prima Donna 18 ½ + (

)

Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 14.5%; $70 [ screwcap; hand-harvested; 7 days cold-soak, no whole bunch, wild yeast; 18 months in French oak 30% new including MLF the following spring; www.pegasusbay.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, colour at a maximum for rich pinot, one of the deepest. Bouquet is sweet and enticing, elusively floral in a very dark way, bottled dark plums more than black cherries, but nonetheless marvellously pinot noir. It is a little sur maturité alongside the Hope, and thus has lost some vibrancy and floral lift on bouquet. Palate however is marvellous, both intensely rich yet supremely light and burgundian, lingering wonderfully, redolent of the variety. The rich fruit does conceal a fair load of ripe tannins, boding well for cellaring. The whole wine is richer and more ample than the Hope, but not quite so vividly varietal. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 09/06

2000 Villa Maria Merlot / Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 18 ½ + (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $40 [ cork; 18 months French oak; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Ruby and some velvet. A richly fragrant Bordeaux-styled bouquet, with plenty of cassis now complexing out into the oak, and cedary, pipe tobacco and savoury components, including a little brett. Palate is similarly showing some signs of development and softening, with real temperate-climate complexity of ripe berry flavours, good acid balance, more oak than most Bordeaux, but less than some New Zealand. Lovely complex relatively low-alcohol wine which can be enjoyed now, or cellared for another 10 years. GK 11/05

2007 Te Mata Sauvignon Blanc Cape Crest 18 ½ + (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $30 [ supercritical cork; SB 85%, Se 13 and sauvignon gris 2, hand-harvested; 100% BF, LA and c. 8 months in French oak c. 33% new; < 2 g/L residual; www.temata.co.nz ]
Pale lemongreen. Bouquet is immediately complex and appealing, and whether one thinks of barrel-ferment or ripe sauvignon blanc first doesn't matter, for both are in balance, the one optimising the other, to give a premium Graves-style white wine without any of the clog or clutter of many French examples. Below these top notes there is fruit suggesting red capsicums and black passionfruit, and a suggestion of Vogel's Wholegrain bread, all very attractive. Palate is rich, the aromatics of ripe red capsicum, sweet basil and oak, yet a real tactile quality and texture like the Elston Chardonnay, as if the wine had a touch of purest MLF in the blend. This is a glorious example of complex ripe New Zealand sauvignon fully handled in oak, not as overdone as Te Koko, gentler and subtler than the Sacred Hills Sauvage. As suggested for the 2007 Elston, this is probably Te Mata's finest Cape Crest yet. Cellar 2 – 10 years, as preferred. GK 03/08

2002 Esk Valley Merlot / Malbec / Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 18 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $50 [ screwcap; Me 55%, Ma 25, CS 20; MLF in barrel; 19 months in French oak; www.eskvalley.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, the hue scarcely affected by the two years extra time compared with most in the blind tasting. This is another red with excellent floral components, in this case not as purely merlot as the straight merlots. Instead, there is a complex interaction of merlot violets and plums with cabernet cassis and even blueberries plus some cooler red currants. This produces a bouquet like a rich St Emilion with significant cabernet sauvignon, such as Figeac, but more modern. Palate shows more oak again than the two Craggy Merlots, but the fruit is rich enough for it to marry in superbly. There is a little charry and dark chocolate / mocha on the late palate, a nod to the modern style. This very rich wine is totally international in quality, and will cellar 5 – 20 years. I see it has judged consistently in these notes, highlighting the merits of screwcap. This will be a great wine to assess screwcap performance over the 20-year or more lifetime of the wine. GK 05/06

2005 Wooing Tree Pinot Noir 18 ½ + (

)

Cromwell, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $35 [ screwcap; cold-soak 5 – 7 days; 11 months in French oak 35% new including MLF in barrel; www.wooingtree.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, deep for pinot noir. Bouquet is magical, essence of Cote de Nuits pinot, with a deep boronia florals and dark roses note, wonderfully enveloping. Below this is gorgeous black cherry fruit, full-flavoured yet not weighty, unduly plummy, or over-ripe. Palate shows great concentration of fruit, superb aromatics on the black cherry, perfect acid, subtle oak, and great length in mouth. This wine immediately steps into the top rank of Otago pinots. See 2005 Delta Pinot Noir. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 11/06

2006 Cloudy Bay Chardonnay 18 ½ + (

)

2005 Penfolds Cabernet / Shiraz Bin 389 18 ½ + (

)

McLaren Vale, Padthaway, Barossa Valley, South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $43 [ screwcap; CS 52%, Sh 48; 13 months in American oak 26 – 30% new, all hogsheads; some BF material from the Grange, Bin 707 and other top-end red wine programmes; www.penfolds.com.au ]
Dense ruby and velvet, almost some carmine, a classical and lovely red wine colour. Bouquet on this red is first-rate, exciting, berry-dominant, new oak but subdued, a wonderful complexing suggestion of barrel-fermented material clearly detectable, all fresh and fragrant. There is clear cassis from the cabernet component, melding insensibly into dark plum from the shiraz. This is a sophisticated wine, none of the obvious over-ripe boysenberry normally characterising Australian shiraz-influenced wines. Nor is there any eucalyptus, mercifully. Flavour in mouth is poised, fresh, complex, great fruit on palate, beautifully balanced in an opulent style. Though a big wine, it is subtler and lighter than many previous Bin 389s, and more obviously cabernet-dominant than some, too. It is an Australian cabernet blend ideally suited to running in future blind tastings of the promising 2005 Bordeaux classed growths, despite the label commonly being thought of as primarily shiraz. The wine is infantile now, but will cellar wonderfully for 10 – 30 years. Drinking it now is verging on the absurd, or ignorant. A classic, even great Penfolds Bin 389 to buy by the case – especially at the initial offer price of $30. GK 03/08

2009 Villa Maria Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot Reserve (Library Release) 18 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $70 [ screwcap; CS 75%, Me 25, hand-harvested @ around 2.4 t/ac; vinified @ Mangere, 100% de-stemmed; s/s fermentation, cuvaison up to 6 weeks for the CS, 4 weeks for the Me; 20 months in 100% French oak 3-years air-dried and 40% new; RS nil; Parker: 91; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, some carmine, in the middle bracket for weight of colour. Oh boy, this is serious ... the first impression in the blind line-up of 60. Unlike so many of the younger wines, this shows an integration of cassisy berry and cedary oak which is comparable only with classed growth Medoc. The wine is wonderfully fragrant, but any specific floral analogies are lost in the cedar. Its flavours are just starting to show the smoothness and harmony of secondary development, and great elegance. Those who say wines cannot develop properly under screwcap need to taste this wine in a rigorously blind line-up, and at that stage point out the supposedly defective screwcap ones. Though it is rich, like fine claret there is a delicacy in the fruit / oak balance which is most impressive. Thoughts of Grand-Puy-Lacoste here. By strictest Bordeaux standards the wine is fractionally oaky. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 06/14

2010 Jean Chartron Puligny-Montrachet Folatieres Premier Cru 18 ½ + (

)

Puligny-Montrachet, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $144 [ cork; hand-harvested, organic vineyard practice; BF in 30% new oak, 11 months LA; www.bourgogne-chartron.com ]
Pale lemon straw, right in the middle for weight of colour. This wine is fractionally purer than the Chevalier, with more emphasis on stonefruit and mealy lees-autolysis, and less on minerality. Palate is simply delicious, succulent ripe stonefruit, excellent mealy complexity, a better balance of fruit and new oak than some, good fresh acid, lovely balance, great purity, a model Puligny-Montrachet. This is the richest of the premiers crus, but there is markedly less concentration than the remarkable Chevalier. Cellar 4 – 12 years. Classic white burgundy. GK 04/13

1999 Louis Roederer Cristal Brut 18 ½ + (

)

Reims, Champagne, France: 12%; $343 [ cork; PN 55%, Ch 45, no wine info on website; www.champagne-roederer.com ]
Colour is intriguing, not deep, yet the only one of the premium champagnes with a touch of salmon. Freshly-opened, bouquet shows a remarkable briar-rose and strawberry component to the bouquet, very floral and different. Yet there is clear cut autolysis too, and complexity below. Palate is crisp and fresh, light and aethereal, the florals lifting right through the mouth, ending on appley fruit and baguette crust, a little less brut than some. Fruit concentration is in fact good, yet the style is so light, it makes the Churchill or RD look heavy ! Probably not a wine that lends itself to long cellaring, if it is too keep that subtle beauty on bouquet. Nonetheless, it should keep, becoming in 10 years a more conventional mature good bubbly. GK 11/06

2002 Mountford Pinot Noir 18 ½ + (

)

Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 14%; $58 [ www.mountfordvineyard.co.nz ]
An elegant pinot ruby. An eloquent bouquet too, with beautiful rose-like florals leading to an understated richness of abstract berry and fruit which is totally European in style. Berry on palate is wonderful, with a dry extract and succulence to it which is like a great chardonnay, yet with all the flavours of perfectly ripe red and black cherries, and the freshness too. Fruit handling and extraction in this wine respects the delicacy, subtlety, and beauty of pinot noir. Oak handling is superb, essentially invisible yet guiding and shaping perfectly. Real pinot noir, no stalky notes here, and in this tasting New Zealand’s top-equal pinot. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 01/04

nv Pol Roger Reserve Brut 18 ½ + (

)

Epernay, Champagne, France: 12%; $83 [ cork; PN 34%, Ch 33, PM 33; www.polroger.co.uk not running yet; www.polroger.com ]
Firm lemonstraw, an attractive deeper colour. Bouquet on nv Pol Roger this year seems almost as good as last year's magical wine. There is an almost-acacia floral lift on beautiful autolysis, with blended fruit of all three varieties below. Palate fills the mouth with white cherry fruit, baguette crust autolysis, and a long lingering crisp flavour which is marvellous, as non-vintage champagne (though a little higher dosage than the vintage). With the non-vintage wine of this quality, most prestige champagnes alongside it look rather silly. Cellar to 20 years. GK 12/06

2011 Craggy Range Pinot Noir Aroha 18 ½ + (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 14%; $105 [ cork; hand-harvested @ just under 8 t/ha (3.2 t/ac); c.40% whole bunch; 10 months in French oak 35% new; www.craggyrange.com ]
Perfect pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is simply astonishing for New Zealand pinot noir, showing a degree of velvety dark florality, and darkest red roses and boronia on beautiful mixed cherry fruit, which is enchanting. In mouth the velvety impression continues, beautiful pinot noir red and black cherry fruit, gentle new oak, the florality continuing in mouth like a fine but infantile Cote de Nuits wine from a sturdy vineyard such as Clos de la Roche. The texture of this wine is sensational, and surprising since the cropping rate is not 'grand cru' level. It is much the best pinot noir Craggy Range have so far made, and is amongst the best ever made in Martinborough. What a challenge this wine provides to other New Zealand pinot noir producers. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 05/13

2005 Craggy Range Merlot Gimblett Gravels Vineyard 18 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.9%; $31 [ cork; DFB; Me 86%, CF 14, hand-harvested @ 3.5 t/ac; 20 months in French oak 50% new; dry extract 28.4 g/L; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, fractionally lighter than the other Craggy wines. Bouquet is not quite as complex as the best blends with cabernet. It is still superbly midnight-dark florals including violets, plus blackest plum and almost blackberry (in the subtlest sense) as well as cassis, magically fragrant and pure, with subtle oak. It is a little fresher than Sophia, and total east-bank Bordeaux such as a good classed St Emilion in style. And the best thing about it is the alcohol seems lower than some of these wines, though still perfectly ripe. Palate is velvety rich, a little lighter than Sophia but still saturated dark berry flavours, a little rounder than the Church Road Reserve wine, and there is no hint of sur-maturité. The new oak is in beautiful balance, very subtle, making this in some ways the most elegantly precise and floral example of merlot in the country. This exquisitely varietal merlot is suited to cellaring 5 – 15 + years. At c. $31, it is the best-value premium-quality Hawkes Bay / Bordeaux blend available (though 2005 Church Road Cabernet / Merlot Reserve ranks too). For the 2005 vintage, this affordable Craggy Range Merlot Gimblett Gravels is the new gold standard. Anything better than this is unarguably gold-medal quality ! VALUE GK 09/07

2007 Kumeu River Chardonnay Estate 18 ½ + (

)

Kumeu, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.5%; $36 [ screwcap; hand-harvested from 6 vineyards; whole-bunch pressed; wild-yeast fermentation entirely in French oak; 100% MLF; 11 months in barrel with LA; the Brajkovichs see this vintage as epitomising their style; www.kumeuriver.co.nz ]
Lemon to lemon-straw. Bouquet is bigger and richer in this wine than the Coddington, with clear stonefruit framed by oak, the whole wine marrying up attractively into its first suggestion of maturity. Though the wine seems leaner than Riflemans, the intensity, ripeness and purity of varietal fruit is enchanting. Cellar 2 – 8 years. GK 10/10

2015 Ch de Beaucastel 18 ½ + (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $140 [ cork, 55mm, ullage 15mm; original price $160; cepage varies a little each year around Gr 30%, Mv 30, Sy 10, Co 10, Ci 5, other authorised red varieties 8, and white varieties 7; more detail in the introductory sections; Wine Spectator Vintage Chart: Grenache and Mourvèdre excelled; reds are rich, ripe and full of powerful fruit. In the style of 2009 and 2007, with better definition, 97; 2015 regarded by Marc Perrin as a year in which all varieties excelled, the quality comparing with 2001; J.L-L, 2017: The length is good, very Mourvèdre-inspired, 2038 – 2041, *****; RH@JR, 2018: Superb juiciness and bramble fruits. Some blackcurrant notes on the palate, a very savoury cigar and cedar character and a gentle Provençal herby note. Loads of breadth and complexity, 17.5; JC@RP, 2017: Loaded with black cherry fruit and cola-like spice, this full-bodied, richly textured wine never seems heavy or warm, while exotic Indian spice notes linger on the finish. It should drink well for at least 20 years, 2018 – 2035, 96; weight bottle and closure: 864 g; www.beaucastel.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, scarcely distinguishable from the 2016, the third deepest, again not a big or heavy wine. In a subtle way, the bouquet is quite different from the 2016 and the 2010, there being a dark plums-in-the-sun highly berried and richly fruity quality to the wine which is softer than the mourvedre-dominated other two young wines. Palate quality is simply velvety, almost plush fruit yet with a backbone of mourvedre tannin adding interest, great length of flavour, alcohol just noticeable, the oak handling subtle and superb. To my surprise, no first places (perhaps because it was too early in the sequence), one second-favourite, then two least places, reasons not accounted for. Tasters agreed the wine was totally brett-free. Cellar 15 – 35 years. GK 05/21

2004 Waimea Estates Gewurztraminer Bolitho Signature 18 ½ + (

)

Nelson, New Zealand: 14%; $26 [ screwcap; hand-harvested; www.waimeaestates.co.nz ]
Rich lemon, a super colour. Bouquet is out and out gewurztraminer, marvellously varietal with wild ginger blossom and citronella perfumes on rich lychee and peach fruit, plus the faintest hint of smoky bacon – perhaps a small part of the wine was barrel-fermented. The volume of varietal bouquet here is in the top flight of New Zealand gewurztraminers. Palate is rich, pure, full of character, which combined with the near-dry finish means it will be much too spicy, strong, and nearly bitey for some tasters. This is a great success for South Island gewurztraminer, which all too often has tended to be a little wishy-washy. It would be good to taste this alongside Gisborne’s Vinoptima wine. Cellar 2 – 10 years, maybe longer, though gewurztraminer loses its freshness after a time. GK 02/06

2009 Chapoutier Ermitage Le Pavillon 18 ½ + (

)

Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $578 [ cork, 50mm; Sy 100%; purchase price c.$550; cropping and wine-making details as in the introductory ‘Background’ section; www.chapoutier.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, the richest and deepest wine in the set. Bouquet shows wonderful fruit richness and depth, and it is beautifully fragrant – though part of that fragrance is new oak. It is a little too ripe to show varietal florals or cassis aromatics clearly, but the depth of darkly plummy and nearly blackberry fruit is great. It is very much the soulmate of the 2003, but it seems both riper and less tanniny. Palate shows tactile rich fruit, but with a lot of toasty oak too, so like the 2010 there is the risk this wine will lose varietal focus as it ages. It is softer and riper than the 2010, less acid, a seductive wine and more accessible, in a more popular modern style. In the first flight of wines it was well-liked, four first places, two second. Cellar 10 – 30 years. Wine Spectator quality rating for the vintage 96. GK 10/18

1998 Deutz Cuvee William Brut 18 ½ + (

)

Ay, Champagne, France: 12%; $165 [ cork; PN 60%, Ch 30; PM 10; www.pernod-ricard-nz.com ]
Straw, one of the deeper. In the lineup, this looked like a little Bollinger, with lovely crusty autolysis just hinting at cashew, on red cherry fruit, very pinot (as the cepage confirms). Palate is dramatically pinot, perfect poise, fresher and less weighty than the Bollinger, firm acid, very brut, but with superb baguette crust autolysis right through and lingering into the aftertaste, with a suggestion of button mushrooms. One of the two cheapest (of the premium wines), but one of the best. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 11/06

2005 Church Road Cabernet / Merlot Reserve 18 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $35 [ cork; CS 74%, Me 26, 80% hand-picked at c. 2.5 t/ac from 6-year old vines; cuvaison approx 24 days; no BF; 22 months in French oak c. 53% new, no lees stirring; not fined, coarse filter only; RS < 0.2 g/L; www.churchroad.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, hard to differentiate from Tom, maybe fractionally brighter. And bouquet likewise is a little lighter, more obvious florals in the lilac spectrum, again magnificent dark cassis and rich plum, plus a hint of darkest chocolate in the oak component, but very subtle, nothing crass, no coffee. The key difference between this wine and Tom is the velvety saturation of fruit on palate, which is here fractionally lighter, the wine seeming a little phenolic in comparison with the velvety rich Tom, but still outstanding alongside most of the others. Cellar 5 – 15 years. VALUE GK 09/07

2006 Villa Maria Syrah Reserve 18 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $62 [ screwcap; Sy 100% hand-harvested; inoculated yeast, 21 days cuvaison; MLF and 16 months in French oak 60% new; RS nil; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
The perfect hue and density of the colour leads on to a firm Hermitage-like bouquet, and as this tasting was to show conclusively, fine Hermitage at that. This Villa Reserve Syrah illustrates to perfection the stern and more 'masculine' side of syrah. In the context of this workshop tasting, it was great to see a majority of participants acknowledging the excellence of this wine and the Church Road, in the ranking the wines received while still blind. This speaks volumes about the desire of Waiheke winemakers to excel with the variety. Great wine, as in previous reviews, but outclassed by the slightly softer, richer and more fragrant Church Road Reserve on this occasion. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 06/08

2013 Esk Valley Syrah Reserve: Barrel-Sample 18 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $60 [ screwcap; all figures estimates; Sy 100% hand-harvested @ c.3.7 t/ha (1.5 t/ac), all de-stemmed; total cuvaison up to c.30 days; c.16 months in French burgundy barrels c.30% new; production c.400 cases (12); www.eskvalley.co.nz ]
NB: Provisional / indicative score only. Ruby, carmine and velvet, the third deepest wine. The bouquet is very attractive indeed. It is a darker kind of cassis than the 2013 Elspeth, showing beautiful berry with nearly violets florality, sweetest and ripest black pepper, and possibly the faintest hint of pennyroyal (though that may be an artefact entangled with the sweet pepper). Palate is not as rich as the 2013 The Terraces, but it is richer than the 2013 Elspeth Syrah. It has a length and quality of flavour which is marvellous. If the florality and beauty of this fruit is to be maintained, it does not need much more oak (or at least new oak) at all. As it stands it is almost of (better) La Chapelle quality. Cellar 5 – 15, maybe 20 years. GK 06/14

2010 Vidal Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot Legacy Series 18 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $60 [ screwcap; CS 51, Me 49, hand-picked @ 7.6 t/ha (3 t/ac), all de-stemmed; cuvaison varies up to 30 days; 20 months in French oak c.60% new; RS <1 g/L; minimal fining and filtration; 345 cases; Parker: 89+; www.vidal.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, as with some other of these 2010 top wines, not a great depth of colour, in the lightest third for weight. The wine benefits from decanting, to reveal an elegant fine-grained bouquet like the 2010 Helmsman, nearly violets as well as roses, really beautiful, on cassisy and potentially cedary oak. In mouth the wine almost reminds of pinot noir, for the quality and suppleness of the fruit is a delight. There is elegant cassis, clear plum not as dark as some of the other merlots, and even blueberry. The oak is beautifully subtle. The evolving oak approach at Vidal under Hugh Crichton's leadership is great. There is a supple beauty here which reminds me of some of the older wines from Ducru-Beaucaillou. It is not a big wine (note this observation blind correlates with the cropping rate cf. the 2009, showing that dry extract can be assessed by taste), it's fractionally 'cooler' than the 2009 Legacy, but here you are paying for real finesse, and total fine claret style. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 06/14

2005 Chapoutier Crozes-Hermitage les Varonniers 18 ½ + (

)

Crozes-Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $78 [ cork; Sy 100% 60 + years age, from footslopes on old terrace materials adjoining Hermitage hill; hand-harvested; 100% de-stemmed; fermented in open-top concrete vessels, cuvaison up to 5 weeks; 12 – 14 months in various ages French oak; www.chapoutier.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, fractionally the darkest of the syrahs. This wine needs a little time to unfold, to reveal a slightly more new-world syrah of great intensity, more noticeable toasty oak, and marvellous cassisy and darkly plummy fruit. There is a floral dimension too, hinting at violets. Palate is of tactile richness, classical syrah, succulent like the Pavillon, perhaps not quite so noble in its fruit flavours, though that is getting pretty rarefied / precious. Length of flavour at this lower alcohol is wonderful. This is the greatest Crozes-Hermitage I have ever tasted. In the sense it does not come from the steep and rocky slopes of the hill of Hermitage proper, this wine with its perfect ripeness is a critical link to Hawkes Bay syrah. Since it is not as rare (or expensive) as the Hermitage grands crus, it is a tragedy for everybody interested in syrah in New Zealand that the importer chose not to import it – beyond a token few bottles. Cellar 10 – 25 years. GK 07/08

2006 Destiny Bay [ Cabernets / Merlot ] Magna Praemia 18 ½ + (

)

2011 Villa Maria Syrah Reserve 18 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $60 [ screwcap; Sy 100%, 100% machine-harvested at 6.25 t/ha (2.5 t/ac), following inspection and hand-deleting of any defective bunches through the vineyard, the cropping rate getting the wine off to a grand-cru-level start; 100% de-stemmed; cuvaison extending to 6 weeks for some parcels; 17 months in French oak air-dried 3 years, 50% new; minimal fining and filtration; RS < 1 g/L; Parker: 91, Robinson: 15.5; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, in the top half dozen for concentration of colour. This is the finest and most elegant of the three Reserve Syrahs that Villa thoughtfully presented at the Expo. Comparison with the 2012 Villa Reserve Syrah is particularly instructive, when it comes to the varietal character of this grape. The 2011 wine is recognisably syrah in the blind line-up, but in every component is just a little more varietally exact, deeper, plumper, riper, and enticing. In mouth the aromatic cassis grading to bottled black doris plum is spot-on, the black pepper is sweeter than the 2012, there is no white pepper, and the whole wine is plumper. Compared with the 2010 Reserve, it shows a better expression of fruit dominant over oak, as it should be, and as the 2010 La Chapelle displays to perfection. Cellar 5 – 15 years, maybe longer. This is looking very good indeed, yet alongside the 2010 La Chapelle, it shows how much further we must travel, to achieve absolute beauty in syrah. Essentially this means less obsession with new oak. That said, Robinson's score is again overly severe. GK 06/14

1978 Jaboulet Chateauneuf-du-Pape Les Cedres 18 ½ + (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $306 [ Single bottle; original price c.$24; Wine Spectator rating for vintage: Notable older vintage; Broadbent: the best vintage since 1911; Gr 85%, Sy 15; 12 – 18 months in big old wood; Parker considers 1969 the last fine Les Cedres, but Jaboulet were still so serious about this wine from the fabulous 1978 vintage that they bottled it with 54mm corks; JR@JR, 2013: Sweet, spicy and fully mature but a bit muddy by now, 17; R. Parker, 1997 does not seem to have had bottles with the quality the New Zealand supply of 1978 Les Cedres showed in earlier years: medium body, some sweet fruit, and a lean, attenuated style, 83; I have not tasted it for some years, but I hope its more burgundian side can still be seen, in this tasting; website not always accessible; www.jaboulet.com ]
Glowing ruby and garnet, tip-toeing towards full rosé in weight, clearly below midway in depth of colour, but beautiful. Bouquet is soft, sweet, nearly floral, totally burgundian, wonderful fruit and subtlest oak, equally beautiful. Its immediate stylistic partner in the tasting was Le Chambertin, Les Cedres being of similar weight but not quite as old, fading savoury red cherry and raspberry fruit in better ratio now to the very light pure oak, the wine supple in style, and amazingly long and pure for its present richness. And unlike the Southern Rhones of today, the alcohol is invisible. Contrary to the views of New Zealand winemakers still bottling under cork in burgundy-shaped bottles, the result of using 54 mm corks was that after 42 years, the ullage in this bottle was 7 mm, the least of all the bottles, truly amazing. Like the Chambertin, this wine is fully mature to being on the brink of fading, but in a bottle in as good condition as this one, more sweetly-fruited and sustained than the Chambertin (even ex magnum). The wine was even better the next day. 1978 was certainly an elegant year in Burgundy and the Southern Rhone Valley. Eleven tasters correctly located this wine in the Southern Rhone Valley, seven thinking it Rioja. Absolute treasure, but sadly the last bottle in the case. One first place vote, but three second-places. GK 03/20

2010 Kumeu River Chardonnay Matés Vineyard 18 ½ + (

)

Kumeu River, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.5%; $66 [ screwcap; mendoza the dominant clone in Matés, all hand-harvested; wild-yeast fermentation and 100% BF, LA, and MLF; 11 months in barrel usually 20% new but varies; 2010 is seen as the best vintage so far for Kumeu River chardonnay, though 2013 in the wings may challenge; Mate's is the oldest vineyard, planted in 1990; www.kumeuriver.co.nz ]
Lovely lemonstraw, in the middle of this batch of chardonnays. Bouquet is classic Matés, wonderful yellow-accented floral and fruit notes of the mendoza clone, subtle oak, mealy autolysis, subliminal char and reduction, an altogether fine modern chardonnay. Palate is the richest of the Kumeu River wines, clear-cut golden queen peach fruit plus mealy yeast autolysis enhancement of the palate. Even so, palate weight is not as rich as great chardonnay can be, so there is still scope for this icon wine to be more impressive. It does not seem as rich as 2011 Keltern for example. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 04/13

2011 Escarpment Pinot Noir Kupe 18 ½ + (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.3%; $86 [ cork; 12-year old vines, Te Muna Road vineyard, Martinborough, close-planted at 6,700 vines / ha; 19 days cuvaison, 12 months in French oak 50% new; RS < 1 g/L, dry extract 26.2 g/L, not filtered; www.escarpment.co.nz ]
Substantial pinot noir ruby, the deepest of the Escarpments. Best decanted, the bouquet is deeper and darker than the other Escarpment wines, but there is still a clear boronia-related florality on black more than red cherry fruit. Palate is glorious, a potentially velvety wine like fine burgundy, offering clear reminders of the bolder wines of the Gevrey-Chambertin district, and explicitly varietal to the long finish. There is also some overlap with Bendigo-style Otago pinot noirs here. This looks like the best Escarpment Pinot Noir Kupe so far. What pleasure this will give. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 04/13

1999 Quartz Reef Pinot Noir 18 ½ + (

)

Mount Pisa district, Cromwell Basin, Central Otago:, New Zealand: 14%; $ – [ cork 45mm, ullage 16mm; original price c.$35; winemaker: Rudi Bauer; winemaking, see Table; J. Robinson, 2001: But 1999s such as Felton Road Block 5 and Quartz Reef show that extra savoury dimension that Pinotphiles seek once they have satisfied themselves that a region is capable of producing authentic Pinot Noir fruit flavours [no score]; Cooper, 2001: The youthful, intense 1999 is a cracker! Notably powerful and complex, it shows rich colour, very substantial body and sweet fruit characters, with deep flavours of cherries, raspberries and spice and power right through the palate, *****; weight bottle, no closure 657 g; www.quartzreef.co.nz ]
Ruby and garnet, one of the lighter wines, below midway in depth. And then you smell it, and there is a volume of bouquet here which is sensational, totally floral, pink roses with a touch of boronia, totally burgundian, just beautiful. Behind the florals there is attractive red cherry fruit, and subtlest oak. Palate is equally beautiful, an older wine than the Greenhough but capturing burgundian complexity, florality and finesse to an extraordinary degree, wonderful. And critically, this Quartz Reef wine is closer in richness to the Clos Saint-Jacques than the Geantet. Tasters did not respond to this wine as much as I did, partly because I had the advantage of seeing it again the following day, when it had expanded a great deal. No votes at all (for best or least), seven thought it from France, 11 New Zealand. This wine is at full stretch now, but no great hurry in a cool cellar. Decant well ahead. GK 09/19

2012 [ Pernod-Ricard ] Brancott Estate Pinot Gris Marlborough Special Reserve 18 ½ + (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $21 [ screwcap; s/s cool-fermented, probably including some wild-yeast ferments, some lees contact but no oak; a Pernod-Ricard group wine; pH 3.57, RS 9 g/L; cool season but marvellous dry April; www.brancottestate.com ]
Lemon. After so many years of so much New Zealand pinot gris being lolly water made to cater for people who don't really like wine, yet since the grape is a pinot variety, it is capable of such quality when cropped appropriately as in Alsace, what a joy it was in the 2013 Easter Show to find not one but two exemplary New Zealand pinot gris. This Brancott wine is slightly the pick of the two, the bouquet showing pale nectarine flesh, pear flesh and attractive floral notes, all made more interesting by a hint of cinnamon as in Easter buns. Palate shows the body essential for quality pinot gris, perfect handling of the phenolics the variety can sometimes display, great length of fruit in mouth, attractive acid, the excitement of the slight cinnamon note, and a near-dry finish. Lovely wine to cellar 3 – 8 years, perhaps longer. Communicates brilliantly with sweet corn. GK 04/13

2005 Waipara Springs Riesling 18 ½ + (

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Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 10.5%; $23 [ screwcap; regrettably the 2005 notes are no longer on the website (why – we need to encourage New Zealanders to cellar and treasure wine, and to be able to refer to all back vintages, not regard it as an evanescent / disposable commodity), but perhaps the 2006 was made similarly – stop-fermented @ 29 g/L in a spatlese style, 25% of the wine briefly in old oak; www.waiparasprings.co.nz ]
Lemon. Notwithstanding being a 2005, this opens as a very youthful wine, still with some SO2 to assimilate. It benefits greatly from a good swirling, to reveal freesia, rosepetal and citrus-blossom florals on bouquet, on gently lime-infused white fruits. Palate is a little sweeter than hoped, at medium-dry, but showing beautiful fruit and varietal integrity, and a lingering floral and citrus aftertaste. Lovely wine, which should be popular. It will cellar beautifully 5 – 12 years. GK 03/08

2005 Drouhin Bonnes-Mares 18 ½ + (

)

Chambolle-Musigny Grand Cru, Burgundy, France: 13%; $377 [ cork; a Drouhin domaine wine; name from legend; hand-picked, fermentation in wooden cuves, MLF and up to 18 months in French oak up to 100% new; www.drouhin.com ]
Pinot noir ruby, one of the lightest wines. Freshly opened, this wine shows a superficial glacé red cherry character. With air, it deepens to rose red florals, and red and black cherries, with lovely intensity and varietal character. Palate has that crunchy cherry quality of rich fruit, not as oaky as the Chambertin family, the pure pinot fruit persisting well, and delightfully counterpointed by very high quality oak. This is beautiful pinot, accessible early. Cellar 5 – 15 + years. GK 12/07

2005 Ch de Beaucastel 18 ½ + (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $161 [ cork, 54mm, ullage 17mm; original price c.$133; cepage varies a little each year around Gr 30%, Mv 30, Sy 10, Co 10, Ci 5, other authorised red varieties 8, and white varieties 7; more detail in the introductory sections; Wine Spectator Vintage Chart: Third straight year of drought ... Wines show concentration, purity and structure. Great cellaring potential. Rivals '98 and '90, 97; J.L-L, 2011: Classical long-term Beaucastel, a delight for those who like proper tannins in their wines, 2034-37, ******; JH@JR, 2010: Fabulous aromas of sweet fruit, beginning of leather and then really meaty on the palate, seasoned with pepper and spice. Silky texture. Mouthwatering and elegant. Still so much more to come, 18; JD@RP, 2015: Reminiscent of the 1995, the 2005 ... is tight, structured and backward, with high acidity and tannin. Showing notes of blackcurrants, black raspberry, truffle, damp earth and cedar, with medium to full-bodied richness and depth, 2017 – 2035, 95; weight bottle and closure: 870 g; www.beaucastel.com ]
Ruby and velvet, a little garnet creeping in, the fourth-deepest wine. While in theory you can't smell tannin, as opposed to oak resins etc, in simple / plain English the bouquet here smells tanniny as well as winey, suggesting high mourvedre, plus some oak apparent. There is quite an aromatic component, but it seems more oak than garrigue. Palate matches exactly with bouquet, dark tanniny berries with mourvedre totally dominating now, yet the tannins attractively furry, not harsh / spiky as so often seen in New World reds. Length of flavour is lovely, with near-cassisy and darkly plummy flavours dominant. The lighter raspberry / red fruits of grenache are quite invisible. This is a distinctive rendering of de Beaucastel. Jeb Dunnuck's assessment as 'high acidity' I suggest is wrong, just tannin. Again, no first-place ratings, one second-place, and two least. Total agreement that there is no brett. This is very much a de Beaucastel to cellar, for as Harry Waugh so often said, there is ‘tannin to lose’. It will surprise doubters in 20 years. The 2015 and 2005 make an interesting and complementary study pair, in their contrasting tannin styles. Cellar 15 – 40 years, since thankfully de Beaucastel had reverted to 54/55 mm corks by 2005. GK 05/21

2006 Esk Valley Syrah Reserve 18 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $62 [ screwcap; hand-harvested; wild-yeast fermentation, and cuvaison extending to 32 days; 16 months in French oak 33% new, with lees stirring; total production 260 cases; www.eskvalley.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a little fresher and denser than the Homage. Bouquet is more dramatic than the Homage, equally explicitly syrah, uplifted a little on both higher alcohol and subliminal VA. The ripeness level however is one notch below the Homage, so that in terms of the syrah ripening curve I presented recently, there is a little white pepper as well as black in great cassis, with well-developed floral components. On palate likewise, the flavours are clearly cassisy, but total acid is fractionally higher than the Homage or Le Sol. The nett impression is a great mouthful of very fresh flavours, rich fruit, and all subtly oaked. Both this wine and the Trinity Homage make a great contribution to New Zealand's emerging syrah portfolio. The Esk will cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 12/07

2005 Clos Henri Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough 18 ½ + (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $26 [ cork; cropped at 2.6 t/ac; all s/s plus 6 months LA; owned by Domaine Henri Bourgeois, Sancerre (www.bourgeois-sancerre.com); www.closhenri.com ]
Beautiful lemongreen. Bouquet is a perfect fusion of subtlest most modern New Zealand sauvignon winemaking like the Amisfield Otago and the Highfield Elstree Marlborough, with a slightly more reserved but equally modern French approach. The key is the lees-autolysis, I think, complexing the bouquet and palate. Palate is firm, dry and mineral in a meaningful sense of that word, showing elderflower and nearly fine-hoppy fruit, not quite as flinty as the Cloudy Bay, yet drier. The Clos Henri is closest to the Amisfield in total style, just a little more French. This is very satisfying sauvignon blanc. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 03/07

2004 Saltram Shiraz Mamre Brook 18 ½ + (

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Barossa Valley, South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $23 [ cork; a famous label in the 60s, and now remarkably good again, at a relatively lower pricepoint; cuvaison c. 10 days, 16 months in French and US oak some new; RS c. 2 g/L; www.saltramwines.com.au ]
Dense ruby and velvet, nearly carmine, one of the lightest ones (relatively). Bouquet is more complex than the Teusner, perhaps reflecting a barrel-ferment component adding soft oak to rich bottled plum, with undertones of cassis, dark florals and academic brett. Palate adds a little boysenberry to the dominant dark plum, with appropriate oak, and a rich yet 'dry' finish. This is sensational Australian shiraz, for the price, and it shows some syrah qualities too. Many examples three and four times more expensive are no better. Cellar 5 – 15 + years, though it is a pity the corks are not better quality. VALUE GK 12/07

2006 Villa Maria Merlot Omahu Gravels Single Vineyard 18 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $57 [ screwcap; hand-picked Me 87%, CS 13, 100% de-stemmed; MLF and 18 months in French barriques 60% new; no info on website yet; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, but not as deep as the 2006 Craggy The Quarry. Bouquet is in a similar opulent style to The Quarry, with fragrant oak, but the balance here is tipped in favour of the berries and variety: deeply violets-floral sweet rich bottled black doris plums of perfectly ripe merlot. Palate shows up the oak a little more, a chocolatey note creeping in and internationalising the wine somewhat, the berry saturation not quite as rich as The Quarry but the varietal specificity higher, acid slightly fresher. This is lovely merlot, illustrating the precise varietal beauty the variety can achieve in New Zealand. It will cellar for 5 – 15 years. This wine was used as part of a presentation on Bordeaux blends in New Zealand, for the Lincoln University Viticulture and Oenology degree course, to illustrate a fully-ripe phase of merlot. GK 09/08

1975 Heitz Cabernet Sauvignon Martha's Vineyard 18 ½ + (

)

Napa Valley, California: 13.5%; $359 [ cork 50mm; original cost $US35; CS 100%; our bottle has immaculate provenance, direct from the vineyard; Heitz Martha's Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon was widely regarded as the benchmark Californian red wine of its era, for two decades, Wiki notes. 1975 was a well-rated Napa vintage, though it was the 1974 of this wine that sent Robert Parker up to 98 and 99 points; Martha’s Vineyard was then a single 15-acre site on the west side of the Valley, near Oakville. It is not owned by Heitz, but farmed by shareholder partners. The wines of the ‘70s were famous for their intense berry, and mint on bouquet, in some becoming even trace eucalypt – hopefully not obtrusive now, 40 years later. Added yeast, usually a Montrachet strain then. Time on skins in the 70s fairly short relative to Bordeaux, 7 – 10 days. Natural malolactic. After fermentation, up to 18 months in large (up to 7,500 litres) older American oak vessels, racking as needed. Then two years or more in barriques, percentage new around half or slightly more, then, Nevers and Limousin, and some Yugoslavian.
Joe Heitz (1919 – 2000) was a graduate of the UC Davis wine school, and gained immeasurable wine knowledge from working alongside André Tchelistcheff at Beaulieu Vineyards from 1951 to 1959. He was regarded as a forceful character, one who initiated (or at least was at the forefront) single vineyard wines in California, and the use of small French oak for top reds. By the same token, he could be intolerant of other views, scoffing at the notion that ‘his’ Martha’s Vineyard could be tainted by eucalypts (widely grown in the district) or the wild yeast Brettanomyces (virtually known only to academics in the 70s and 80s). Perhaps therefore our wine will be found to be a wine of its times, by demanding latter-day palates.
Robinson, nil; Parker, nil; Wine Spectator tasted this wine in a Napa retrospective article, in 2005. At that point the 1975 was valued at $US392: Aging very gracefully, with appealing dried currant, mint, bay leaf and spicy, cedary cigar box and earth notes. Impressive depth and layers of complexity, too, finishing with a long, persistent aftertaste, 90; John Gilman, 2011 (ref. above), in an 'assembled' vertical of nearly all vintages: The more I drink California cabernets from the decade of the 1970s, the more I am convinced that I have a slight preference for the style of the 1975s over their more highly-touted brethren from the riper year of 1974. The brilliant 1975 Martha's Vineyard is certainly pretty persuasive evidence that 1975 is indeed a great, great year for cabernet in Napa, as the wine is beautifully deep, pure and still a tad on the young side at age thirty-six! The magical and deep-pitched nose offers up a great melange of black cherries, petroleum jelly, cigar smoke, leather, a touch of chipotles, coffee and a very complex base of soil tones. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and powerfully built, with impeccable balance and focus, a rock solid core of fruit, still a bit of tannin to resolve, superb, tangy acids and simply stunning length and grip on the perfectly poised and refined finish. A wine of First Growth depth and dimension by any stretch of the imagination. 2015 - 2075. 97+; From the other side of the Atlantic, Essi Avellan, 2009, well-regarded European (first Finnish MW, 2006) wine commentator, comments on the 1975: This Martha’s Vineyard was tasted in a once-in-a-life tasting of all vintages of it ever made, arranged by FINE Magazines. It showed well and made it to my top 5 of the 35 vintages tasted. Complex lively nose with soft spices, plums, coffee and tar. Attractively fresh impact in the mouth, less pronounced on the palate than on the nose. Elegant and restrained. The wine is at a wonderful drinking age now but there are still 5 to 10 more years ahead of it, 92; www.heitzcellar.com ]
Ruby and garnet, clearly the darkest and most youthful looking / least-old wine. The bouquet is a knockout: a tremendous volume of intense aromatic drying and browning cassis, just a hint of balsam-like aromatics, a lot of oak but good oak, and all clearly in a Bordeaux style. A hotter year in Bordeaux, though, like some '64s, '76s, and many '82s. In mouth the wine is immediately big, and bolder than bordeaux would be, even a first growth. The weight of the tannin is nearly matched by the concentrated currant fruit, but against the Las Cases and the Montrose, and interestingly with food, the balance in the wine is tannin-obvious, shall we say. Nonetheless it is immensely impressive wine, many tasters at the blind stage 'wanted' it to be the Lafite, and it has to be scored at gold medal level. Unlike even the best of the Bordeaux, it still has some cellar life ahead of it, 5 – 12 years or so. A great experience, and the most favoured wine by the group. GK 03/15

2002 Quartz Reef Pinot Noir Bendigo Estate 18 ½ + (

)

Cromwell, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14.5%; $ – [ clones 10/5 and others, 3 years, harvested at 1.9 t/ac; up to 10 days cold soak, 15% whole bunch, 29 days cuvaison; 12 months French oak 42% new; coarse filtration; www.quartzreef.co.nz ]
Dense ruby, some carmine and velvet, big for pinot noir. Bouquet is very dark pinot noir at the maximum point of still retaining florals, and despite the given alcohol, not seeming fumey. Floral notes include darkest roses, violets and boronia, on pure black cherry and darkest bottled plums fruit, much more cherry than plum. Palate is remarkable, concentrated black cherry, not too oaky, and unlike many Otago 2002s, still fresh despite the power and weight of the wine. Fruit to tannin ratio is good, dark and lightly spicy, long flavoured. Great New Zealand pinot, to cellar 5 – 12 + years. GK 01/07

2010 Mt Difficulty Pinot Noir 18 ½ + (

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Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $45 [ screwcap; vines up to 19 years; c.10% whole bunch; up to 4 weeks cuvaison; MLF and 11 months in French oak c.25% new and on lees, filtered; www.mtdifficulty.co.nz ]
Quite big pinot noir ruby, above midway in depth. Right from first opening, this is a clear exposition of dark cherry pinot noir, with clear floral aromas ranging from dark red rose to boronia. In mouth it is simply lovely young pinot noir, quite aromatic, excellent texture and crunchy black cherry fruit, subtle oaking, a new world kind of Cote de Nuits. It ticks all the boxes for florality, depth of flavour without heavyness, perfect tannins, and subtlety. This is the most finely-crafted, explicitly varietal, and beautiful pinot noir in both sets. Lovely wine to cellar for 3 – 10 years. GK 11/12

2010 Passage Rock Cabernet / Merlot Reserve 18 ½ + (

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Eastern Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14%; $40 [ screwcap; CS 85%, Me 10, Ma 5, hand-picked; c.28 days cuvaison in 2010; c.15 months in barrel, all French oak in 2010, 35% new; sterile-filtered; 300 cases; www.passagerockwines.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a lovely young colour. The first impression on bouquet is the wonderful fresh vibrant cassis, totally of bordeaux quality and dominating good berry and subtle oak. There is a florality in this bouquet too which is delightful and equally fresh classical bordeaux – before overt oak use became fashionable. Palate shows great cabernet sauvignon flavours, and a delicacy of both fruit and oak not apparent in Passage Rock wines five or so years ago. The perfect pitch of ripeness is wonderfully judged, no hint of sur-maturité, no hint of stalks. This is not a big wine, but it is very beautiful. It will pose an exciting challenge to wines like Te Mata Coleraine 2010, as well as being great in 2010 Bordeaux tastings proper. Cellar 5 –20 years. GK 10/12

2005 Church Road Cabernet / Merlot Reserve 18 ½ + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $35 [ cork; CS 74%, Me 26, 80% hand-picked at c. 2.5 t/ac from 6-year old vines; cuvaison approx 24 days; no BF; 22 months in French oak c. 53% new, no lees stirring; not fined, coarse filter only; RS < 0.2 g/L; VALUE; www.churchroad.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, not quite the depth of 2006 The Quarry or the 2006 Villa Merlot SV. Bouquet however is more integrated and complete than those two wines, the extra year having served to harmonise the components well. Fine cassis aromatics are to the forefront, with plummy fruit and cedary oak behind. Palate is full of flavour, a classic Hawkes Bay blend with perhaps a little more oak than is ideal, lingering long. Cellar 5 – 15 years. This wine was used as part of a presentation on Bordeaux blends in New Zealand, for the Lincoln University Viticulture and Oenology degree course, to illustrate a younger phase of riper, cabernet-dominant Bordeaux / Hawkes Bay blend. GK 09/08

2010 Passage Rock [ Syrah Blend ] Magnus 18 ½ + (

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Eastern Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14%; $65 [ cork; Sy-dominant perhaps c.80%, CS, Me, Ma, PV; hand-picked; c.21 days cuvaison (because syrah thinner-skinned than cabernet); c.12 months in French oak perhaps 80% and 30% of it new, balance older American; 130 cases; www.passagerockwines.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a fabulous colour, close to the Cable Bay Reserve in weight. Bouquet is very fragrant, showing a lightness, charm and florality surpassing the other Passage Rock syrah wines. It seems to be a product of perfectly ripe and floral fruit, and near-cedary fine oak which might be all-French. Palate is potentially soft, not greatly rich but complex, beautiful berry, slightly oaky at this early stage but lovely oak, great length in mouth. This is a special wine, to cellar 5 – 20 years. There is not much of it.

A word of protest does need to be entered about the bottle for this prestige / top of the range wine. Yes it looks super with its heavy wax sealing, you have to look twice to confirm it is not a magnum, but at 1230 grams it must be the heaviest 750 ml bottle in New Zealand. Jancis Robinson has been campaigning against overweight bottles for some years now, in a world of shrinking resources. It does make sense for the quality of a wine to be determined on taste, rather than packaging. This bottle is even heavier than the ostentatious bottles used for the top-of-the-range Craggy Range wines, which weigh just over a kilo in the case of the bordeaux-blend bottles and just under in the case of Le Sol. The Homage bottle from Trinity Hill is also just over a kilo. In contrast a standard good quality bottle from Bordeaux weighs c.550 grams and one from Burgundy 20 or so grams more. Very few classed-growth Bordeaux proprietors have followed the pushy lead of Mouton Rothschild in using overweight bottles, preferring the quality of the wine to be measured by achievement in the glass – though sadly in this day and age in swanky inflated-size glasses. Swanky bottles are very much a new world indulgence, I fear. GK 10/12

2005 Drouhin Charmes-Chambertin 18 ½ + (

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Gevrey-Chambertin Grand Cru, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $192 [ cork; adjoins le Chambertin, downslope; hand-picked, fermentation in wooden cuves, up to 20 days cuvaison; MLF and up to 18 months in French oak up to 100% new; www.drouhin.com ]
Pinot noir ruby, about in the middle. Bouquet is intriguing and distinctive on this wine, combining florals with red and black cherries, plus a highly fragrant essential oil reminiscent of New Zealand lemonwood blossom (Pittosporum). Palate is gorgeous, clear red fruits, some black, a succulence bespeaking good dry extract, all full of flavour and satisfaction – clearly richer than the Griotte yet supremely subtle. This is what pinot is about. Cellar 5 – 25 years. GK 12/07

2010 View East Syrah 18 ½ + (

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Eastern Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14.5%; $52 [ screwcap; Sy 100%, hand-picked; c.12 months in predominantly French oak a little new, some older American; www.vieweast.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, one of the deepest syrahs. Bouquet is a little different from the top wines, the syrah ripened a little more, the cassis qualities and florality giving way to more blueberry and suggestions of plum notes, the fruit rich. In mouth the wine is impressively rich too, warmer in style than the Cable Bay Reserve Syrah. There is more new oak than the bouquet suggested, but it is fragrant and attractive, and the length of blueberry flavour is appealing. This wine too is immaculately clean. In terms of my syrah ripening curve, this is the absolute maximum, if florality and complexity are to be retained. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 10/12

2003 Wise Wines Chardonnay Pemberton Reserve 18 ½ + (

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Pemberton, West Australia, Australia: – %; $40 [ 2003 not on website, 2002 17 year-old vines hand-picked, whole-bunch pressed, BF in new and old oak 12 months; www.wisewine.com.au ]
Lemon, a flush of green. Bouquet is beautifully varietal, but relatively light and understated: white stone fruits plus mealy barrel-ferment and lees autolysis, in which the mealyness is almost stronger than the oak. Presumably most of the oak is older. Palate is much richer than the bouquet suggests, mealy like a young Meursault, tactile palate richness, lovely pale fruit flavours in a wine which will cellar 5 – 10 years. It is understated alongside the Gunn wine, and is for those seeking top-notch chardonnay without obvious oak. Like the Eileen Hardy wine, it is a pointer to the chardonnay styles of the future. The Pemberton is softer than the Hardy wine, though. GK 10/05

2009 Villa Maria Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot Gimblett Gravels Reserve 18 ½ + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $50 [ screwcap; CS 75%, Me 25, hand-harvested @ around 2.4 t/ac; vinified @ Mangere, 100% de-stemmed; s/s fermentation, 6 weeks cuvaison for the CS, up to 4 weeks for the Me; MLF and 20 months in 100% French oak 3-years air-dried and 40% new; RS nil; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, above midway in depth. Bouquet is understated cassis, pure and clean, less oaky and slightly leaner than the top Church Road wines, and harder to assess. In mouth the purity and focus of the wine is impressive, there is great ripeness of cassis, and much less oak and a subtler approach than the Villa Maria Reserves of yesteryear, or the top 2009 Church Road or Sacred Hill reds. An easy wine to overlook, but this will I suspect be very rewarding in cellar, over 10 – 20 years. A great (and exciting) Hawkes Bay / Bordeaux blend, the specs above highly encouraging and showing refinement over earlier vintages, a wine fully of classed growth standard. GK 06/12

2005 Church Road Cabernet / Merlot Reserve 18 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels mainly, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $35 [ cork; CS 74%, Me 26, 80% hand-picked at c. 2.5 t/ac from 6-year old vines; cuvaison approx 24 days; no BF; 22 months in French oak c. 53% new, no lees stirring; not fined, coarse filter only; RS < 0.2 g/L; VALUE; www.churchroad.co.nz ]
This wonderful wine has already been reviewed on this site (18 Dec 2007). It has classical Bordeaux ripeness, richness and style, and is of classed-growth standard. Acid balance is particularly pleasing – so many New Zealand wines are too acid. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 04/08

2010 Saint Cosme Cotes du Rhone Les Deux Albion 18 ½ + (

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Cotes du Rhone, Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $27 [ 50 mm cork; cepage along the lines of Sy 40%, Gr 30, Mv 10, Ca 10, clairette (white) 10%, the Sy and clairette co-fermented, the other three fermented separately; wild-yeast fermentations include whole-bunch components and the cuvaisons extend to six weeks, wonderfully traditional; note that from the 2007 vintage this wine (which is frequently Louis Barruol's best-value wine) has been from a single vineyard, now owned by Saint Cosme, and is therefore both an Estate or domaine wine and in fact a Cotes du Rhone-Villages wine; the greater part of the 2010 was raised in concrete vats, the balance in 1 – 4 years-old larger barrels. The subtle oak accounts for much of the wine's charm; c.1,590 cases; www.saintcosme.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, the deepest colour, wonderful. Bouquet is deeper and quieter by far than the Gigondas wines, yet in one sense it is the purest too. There is a wonderful dusky florality of darkest roses and violets on bottled black doris plums and cinnamon, and a touch of new oak. Palate is nearly fleshy, yet more fine-grained (less oak) than the Gigondas wines, the darker plummyness lingering long, the wine staying fresh on lovely acid (and a touch of cinnamon). Total acid is not quite as high as the 2010 Gigondas, but nonetheless this wine will cellar very well. Being as rich as the Gigondas wines, and of somewhat similar cepage, I expect it to be in fine form for 10 – 25 + years, notwithstanding a carignan component (which can be a weak link in southern Rhone blends). For the powerful 2009 vintage of this wine Robert Parker states: requires consumption in its first 2-3 years of life. This comment is so far removed from the wine's factual reality in the glass that I opened the 2000 vintage while the 2009 and 2010 were open. The 2000 is now superlative, at an early full maturity, as velvety as fine burgundy and nearly as fragrant, but darker. Buy as much of the 2010 Albion as you can afford. I am buying it for a two-year-old's twenty-first. GK 10/12

2010 Te Mata Estate Chardonnay Elston 18 ½ + (

)

Thought to be Havelock North district mostly, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $36 [ supercritical 'cork'; detail beyond the outline on the website refused; hand-harvested from 'low-cropped fruit'; whole bunch pressed, cold-settled, 100% BF, MLF, and some months in French oak traditionally c. 50% new; best barrels selected and blended and returned to oak giving total c.11 months in barrel; pH 3.28, <2 g/L residual; not entered in Shows; www.temata.co.nz ]
Deeper lemonstraw, above midway in colour. Two wines in the tasting stood out for the absolute beauty of their bouquets, and this was one of them. The volume of limpid chardonnay fruit and cashew mealy complexity on bouquet is enchanting. It outclasses the Neudorf wine at this stage in its magical parallel to the great wines of Meursault and nearby districts. In mouth, it is however narrower than the Neudorf, like most Te Mata wines lacking absolute generosity of fruit, as discussed earlier this year. What is there is lovely, however, the balance of fruit to oak and the flavours a delight, the style wonderfully suited to food. Colour is more forward than some Elstons, but typically the wine cellars well. I can taste no reason why this wine should not follow suit. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 03/12

2007 Te Mata [ Cabernets / Merlot ] Coleraine 18 ½ + (

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Havelock Hills, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $72 [ cork; hand-harvested CS 52%, Me 34, CF 14; extended cuvaison; average vine age 20 + years; 20 months in French oak 75% new; pH 3.54, RS nil; www.temata.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, still some carmine, much younger than the 2006 Coleraine. Bouquet shows a degree of fruit ripeness which is remarkably soft and plummy (and floral too), leading to a palate richness unmatched by the 2006, 2008 or 2010. The whole wine is still on the primary side of the line, relative to the 2006. Palate length and weight are very pleasing, illustrating a fine Coleraine. The alternate years have been good for Te Mata lately – what will 2011 bring, I wonder. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 03/12

2006 Thorn-Clark [ Cabernets blend ] Shotfire Quartage 18 ½ + (

)

Barossa Valley, South Australia, Australia: 14.9%; $28 [ screwcap; DFB; CS 43%, CF 19, Ma 18, PV 8, Me 8, Sh 4; 18 months in French 85% and American oak; www.thornclarkewines.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a densely-saturated and lovely red wine colour. And once it has breathed a little in glass, bouquet is pretty saturated too, with a violets aroma most unusual in even premium Australian cabernet / merlot. There is a faint mint aromatic lift, but thankfully it is not euc'y. There is also wonderfully rich deep cassisy berry, and darkest plums fruit. In mouth, the wine is rich and velvety, the oak reasonably subtle and fragrant, potentially cedary. This is exceptional Australian cabernet / merlot, of a quality which could be run with classed growths from Bordeaux. It reminds me of the top Craggy Range bordeaux blends from the 2005 vintage. Cellar 5 – 20 years, perhaps longer. It is worth noting that some wine people consider cabernet sauvignon can develop a faint mint aromatic component within its own chemistry, citing Mouton-Rothschild as an example. GK 05/08

2010 Te Mata Chardonnay Elston 18 ½ + (

)

Havelock North district mostly, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $36 [ supercritical 'cork'; hand-harvested; 100% BF, MLF, LA and c.11 months in French oak c. 50% new; pH 3.3, <2 g/L residual; www.temata.co.nz ]
Lemon, almost iridescent, spectacular. Bouquet is a delight, the purest of varietal chardonnay augmented by skilled barrel-fermentation, lees-autolysis, and restraint. Palate introduces a vanillin suggestion, chalky, mealy and citrus notes, and good length. Fruit lingers delightfully in mouth, rich in pale stonefruits, the oak-handling being exemplary. This is chardonnay in a classical white Burgundy style fit to persuade even the most bigotted anti-chardonnay person that the grape has great merit, especially with food. It is not the richest or weightiest chardonnay around (for a finely-wrought specimen, check the Easter Show Trophy Chardonnay 2009 Brightwater Rutherford), but the Elston is still lovely alongside. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 03/12

2009 Te Mata Syrah Bullnose 18 ½ + (

)

Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $45 [ cork; 3 clones of syrah hand-harvested, 100% de-stemmed; extended cuvaison; 15 months in French oak 35 – 40% new; pH 3.55; RS nil; www.temata.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, slightly more depth than the 2010. Bouquet is rich, clear-cut wallflower florality and darkest roses, deep cassis and black doris plums, a suggestion of vanilla wafers, wonderful varietal purity. Palate is concentrated, youthful, darkest plum, cassis and hints of black pepper, long and satisfying. This is lovely syrah in a finessed style, not as oaky as some Villa Maria (for example) Reserve examples, and the better for it. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 03/12

2004 Vidal Syrah Soler 18 ½ + (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $42 [ screwcap; not [then] on website; www.vidal.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. Bouquet is intensely plummy and nearly blueberry, with a cassis and black peppercorn edge making it clearly syrah, plus spicy oak adding appeal. Palate is mouthfilling and rich, wonderful berry, almost lush, with great length of flavour in which the berry dominates the oak – unlike earlier Vidal’s syrahs. This is very ripe Hawkes Bay syrah, so ripe it is almost in danger of losing some varietal complexity (though the oak adds to the aromatics, in lieu). Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 03/06

2010 Sacred Hill Syrah Deerstalkers * 18 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $56 [ screwcap; Sy 100% hand-picked @ 5 t/ha (2 t/ac); 100% de-stemmed; 4 days cold soak, wild yeast, 8 days ferment, 28 days cuvaison in total; followed by 18 months in French oak, c.30% new, no American oak; RS < 2 g/L; 200 cases made; no rankings; www.sacredhill.com ]
[ This wine was not in the 2013 EIT review. Since it was not in the 2012 review either, but with respect to its high standing I felt should have been in one of them at least, on return to Wellington and the more detailed examination of the wines, I added it. It was not therefore first seen blind.] Ruby, carmine and velvet, clearly above midway in depth. The volume of bouquet on Deerstalker is as great as Le Sol, but it is less floral and more oak-influenced. Even so, the aromatic cassis and lift of sweet black pepper is exciting. Oak impedes assessment of florality on bouquet, simply because vanillin in the oak is (or can be) floral in itself, so one needs fairly sensitive olfactory apparatus to work out the components. In mouth, however, one quickly concludes the wine has the potential to be floral, that picking was not too late. The concentration in this wine is on a par with the top two, but the actual berry quality is not quite so clear due to the firming effect of the oak. I do not have them alongside, but suspect 2010 Deerstalkers is close to the 2010 Villa Maria Syrah Reserve reported on recently in an Auckland tasting, the fruit balance being slightly in favour of Deerstalkers at this stage. Future comparative tastings of these top 2010 syrahs will provide really stimulating opportunities to follow the evolution of these fine wines. These top 2010 syrahs are arguably the best group of wines of one kind so far made in modern New Zealand. They are closer to the absolute world standard for syrah than our pinot noirs, simply because assessing that variety is so elusive. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 06/13

2001 Pegasus Bay Merlot / Malbec Maestro 18 ½ + (

)

Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 13.5%; $43 [ release July 04, scarce; Me 50, Ma 40, CS 5, CF 5; intense canopy management to optimise fruit quality; DFB; www.pegasusbay.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, but not a big wine – markedly denser than '02 Coleraine, not as deep as 02 Brokenstone. Bouquet on this wine is sensational. With very good wine, it is scarcely necessary to taste it, so fine and enveloping is the bouquet. Here there are overwhelming violets and deepest roses, plus cassis, blackberries in the sun, and ripest dark plums. Oaking is sublime, lightly spicy, and as subtle as any in New Zealand. Palate is fresh and intensely berry-flavoured, a little exotic from the high percentage malbec (when compared with Bordeaux sensu stricto), not as rich as some of the Hawkes Bay wines, but still suggesting a grand cru cropping rate. Complexity of berry flavours against the potentially cedary oak is great, there are absolutely no green or stalky notes, and the acid balance is no fresher than some well-rated 2001 Hawkes Bay wines, or the '01 Lafite. Total wine achievement is as close, or closer, to east-bank Bordeaux than any of the Hawkes Bay wines – an astonishing achievement in Canterbury, more than 1.5 degrees of latitude further south than Hawkes Bay. But then, Pegasus Bay achieved a similar miracle with their 1998 Maestro, and that had significantly more cabernet. Cellar 10 – 15 years. GK 07/04

2005 Unison Syrah 18 ½ + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $40 [ supercritical cork; French & US oak, 80% new; www.unisonvineyard.co.nz ]
Deep ruby, carmine and velvet, another nearly as deep as the Passage Rock. This is one of the most distinctive syrahs in the current New Zealand field. Bouquet has great fruit richness, with a dark plum character like bottled omegas, set off by a dark barrel-char and darkest chocolate complexity. Yet on palate, this chocolate almost disappears, and there is no incongruous coffee artefact. Instead there is just deepest velvety cassis and plum. Quite remarkable. Nobody will regret cellaring this. And importantly, it is one of the 'sweet' Unisons, with no retained fermentation odours. There perhaps is a little brett, just at the trace equals complexity level. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 01/07

2012 Pisa Range Estate Pinot Noir Black Poplar Block 18 ½ + (

)

Cromwell Basin, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $54 [ screwcap; The estate was established in 1995 on the west side of Lake Dunstan and below the Pisa Range, by Warwick & Jenny Hawker. The initial vision was to be a pinot-only vineyard, but that has changed a little. Viticultural practices are conservative, all fruit is hand-harvested, and they are moving towards organic production. The single-vineyard Black Poplar Block wine was introduced in the 2000 vintage, and quickly became a wine to take note of. It is made by Rudi Bauer, but Larry McKenna also now has an input. It includes the fruit from the oldest vines, planted in 1995. There is an unspecified whole-bunch component. It spends c.10 months in French oak, 33% new. RS well under <1 g/L; www.pisarangeestate.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby, below midway in weight. This wine demands a splashy decanting, a couple of times is best, to then reveal a deeply floral bouquet in which violets, darkest roses and boronia can be seen – and more easily the next day. Even on bouquet, this wine smells rich, and as soon as you taste it, ohmigod, this is what grand cru burgundy is all about – in texture. Fruit is pure black cherry, and it maybe hovers on over-ripeness, just a hint of plum. It gets away with it, and retains 'pinosity', but there is a delicate balance between complexity and ripeness / over-ripeness. More is not necessarily better, in ripeness, as several of these wines show. Length of cherry palate, and the role of oak, are perfectly judged. The fruit stays more black cherry in mouth, but it is the fruit weight that is staggering. This is one expression of what great pinot noir, and grand cru pinot noir, should be like. All too often, even grand cru pinot is not of this quality, however. This is a wine to cellar with absolute confidence. It is not as immediately appealing as the Greystone, or perhaps even the Peregrine, but it will overtake those wines around year five, and triumph in the long run. One has to concede it is ripe-year burgundian, but it is burgundian. Pisa Range is becoming one of the great pinot noir wineries in Otago. With more emphasis on florality in the wine, perhaps from picking a little earlier, perhaps from an increased whole-bunch component, or maybe both, this will become a famous site. This is the most serious pinot noir in the set, and one could hardly cellar too much. Cellar 5 – 12 years, maybe 15. GK 06/14

2009 Kidnapper Cliffs Pinotage 18 ½ + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $45 [ cork; no information at all on the website; discussion and inquiry reveals fruit cropped at c.5 t/ha = 2 t/ac, all hand-picked, 100% de-stemmed; a desire for phenolic ripeness in the fruit (which is a welcome contrast to the so-many leafy New Zealand pinotages over the last 40 years, in a variety hard to ripen here), and the adoption of some pinot noir techniques; 7 days cold-soak yet short cuvaison totalling c.13 days, MLF preferably with the alcoholic fermentation but in any case before barrel; typically 10 months in French 300s and 220s, 25% new; www.kidnappercliffs.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. More than any other wine in the portfolio, this wine gives a glimpse into what could be the future of Kidnapper Cliffs, if more attention is paid in the vineyard to achieving maximum complexity on bouquet by avoiding over-ripeness, so retaining florality, and then not dulling the wine in the winery. Pinotage is the absolute cinderella variety of all red wines, and deservedly, most examples being either weedy (New Zealand) or dully over-ripe (South Africa). It is not an easy variety to achieve optimal ripeness with in temperate climates, a bit like malbec in taste terms though it is much earlier-ripening, but here in what is probably the best vintage in Hawke's Bay in 40 years, we see pinotage picked at a point of perfection. Bouquet is darkly floral like some of the over-ripe Otago pinot noirs, with rewarding bottled plum notes. Being pinotage, there are also still some tell-tale lesser notes reminiscent of bottled tamarillos and mixed-colour olives, but they are minor. Palate follows perfectly, beautiful ripeness, subtle oaking, attractive length, the whole wine fresh and enticing, much more so than most in the range. This is the best pinotage made in New Zealand since Nick Nobilo's 1970 and 1976, though they were not as pure as this, and had at least some American oak, if I recollect right. The high score is for pinotage as pinotage – the case can be argued that pinotage will never be a noble variety, and should therefore always be marked out of some number less than 20. I believe the approach taken here is the more intellectually rigorous. Cellar 5 – 12 years, more if you like old wine. GK 08/11

2008 Wynns Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon John Riddoch 18 ½ + (

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Coonawarra, South Australia, Australia: 14%; $104 [ screwcap; CS nominally 100%, made from the best 1% of the crop in the better years only; 22 months in French oak 53% new; RS < 1 g/L; first made in 1982; www.wynns.com.au ]
Densest ruby, carmine and velvet, brighter than the 2006. Bouquet here is again very rich and saturated, but whereas the 2008 Black Label is euc'y, this is not. That raises lots of interesting speculations. Berry notes grade from cassis to bottled black doris on bouquet, plus potentially cedary oak. In mouth the wine is plusher than the 2006, the reduction in new oak really benefitting the wine. The aftertaste is cassis and dark plum more than oak, thus setting the 2008 John Riddoch way above the 2006. Is this wine a sign of the reputed new-age more subtle approach to Australian red wines ? There is some blackberry in the plum, but all in all this is pretty genuine cabernet sauvignon, squeaky clean. This 2008 Cabernet Riddoch offers something to look forward to. Cellar 5 – 30 years. GK 08/11

1999 Mission Estate Syrah Jewelstone 18 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $ – [ cork, 49mm; original price c.$35; Sy 100% hand-harvested @ c. 3.2 t/ha = 1.3 t/ac, from 5-year-old vines; cuvaison c20 days, MLF in tank; 9 months in French oak 55% new; then 5 months in one-year-old barrels; production c.510 x 9-litre cases; light egg-white fining, not filtered; thanks to Paul Mooney, these figures update previous; Cooper, 2002: The opulent 1999 vintage is … dark, weighty and complex, concentrated wine with fresh, warm plum/spice flavours, a hint of chocolate, moderately firm tannin, and outstanding length, ****½; Kelly, 2004: It now shows all the attributes one would expect from fine Northern Rhone syrah: carnations and violets florals, beautiful cassisy berry going savoury and gamey as it develops, some herbes de Provence, a delightful touch of brett complexity adding a hint of venison, and perfect ripeness, not over-ripe. This wine has been exciting since release, 18.5; weight bottle and closure: 614 g; www.missionestate.co.nz ]
Ruby, garnet and velvet, the second-deepest wine, and above midway in redness. Bouquet is less floral than the top three, but still fragrant and pure, on clear cassis-led berry browning now, plus the subtlest oak. Two winemakers noted trace brett, but at this level it is positive complexity. Palate is magnificent, a bigger, plumper, rounder wine than the Langi or the Jamet, yet retaining subtlety and freshness, in exemplary oaking. The nett impression the wine creates is Hermitage-like. It seems certain that in the 1999 vintage, this is the greatest syrah in New Zealand. But it is also one of New Zealand's great syrahs, needing only a touch more florals to match great Northern Rhone Valley syrah. Much credit is due to winemaker Paul Mooney. Again, tasters responded warmly to this wine as well, two first-places, three second. It is at peak maturity now, and will fade gracefully over the next 10 years or so. GK 11/19

2018 Radburnd Cellars Chardonnay 18 ½ + (

)

Mangatahi south of Maraekakaho in Southern Hawkes Bay 52%, and Bridge Pa 48%, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $85 [ screwcap; clone mendoza, hand-picked and sorted, whole-bunch pressed; 85% of the juice cold-settled, 15 high-solids; fermentation in puncheons 50% and barriques 50, 20% wild-yeast fermentations, balance cultured yeast; 100% MLF completed in barrel, plus regular lees stirring, 9 months in oak 50% new; minimal fining, sterile-filtered to bottle; weight bottle and closure 688 g; https://radburndcellars.co.nz ]
A perfect shining lemon, nearly a hint of green, a great young chardonnay colour. Bouquet is sweet, ripe, nearly floral, classic young mendoza-clone chardonnay with its hint of yen-ben citrus aromatics, on golden queen peachy fruit. Below is lees-contact complexity and fragrant yet subtle oak which immediately deepens the bouquet, and draws you in, so you are itching to taste the wine. Palate is vibrant with fresh acid against good fruit, the acid making the oak a little more noticeable now, but it will marry away. On taste alone, you almost wonder if it is a non-MLF wine, on the varietal purity of the yellow-fleshed fruit, plus the long natural acid. Not so. And the subtlety of the high-solids fraction is superb. This is a cellaring chardonnay par excellence, like Tony Bish’s Rifleman showing the advantages of the cooler inland districts of Hawkes Bay, for quality chardonnay. I wish it were a little richer, to guarantee the 20-year mark, but it will be a treat at the 8 – 15 year point. I expect this wine to evolve in bottle in exactly the same way as the 1996 Lawson's Dry Hills Chardonnay, in its day a definitive wine, which I opened soon afterwards, to compare and illuminate. Note the Lawson’s was a little richer, in youth, as fine chardonnay needs to be. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 06/20

2005 Forrest Noble Riesling John Forrest Collection 18 ½ + (

)

Brancott Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 9%; $50 [ screwcap; fruit grown on the 50m terrace, hand-picked at 3.75 t/ha = 1.5 t/ac; long slow cool s/s fermentation; www.forrest.co.nz ]
Pure light gold, not much lighter than the youngest in a batch of 1983 – 1990 sauternes recently tasted. Bouquet is quite different however, the marmalade character of botrytised riesling darkening to a more saturated dried Otago apricots aroma and flavour, with a clear suggestion of oak though none is used. This impression is frequent in noble rieslings. There are thoughts of crème brulée too. Palate is much drier than one imagines from the 220 g/L residual given, the terpenes now quite firm and new-oak-like, the delicious flavours almost overlapping with the lightest of the sauternes, but more luscious. Will cellar for some years yet, even though the colour will deepen. GK 08/11

2007 Mt Difficulty Pinot Noir Pipeclay Terrace Single Vineyard 18 ½ + (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $84 [ screwcap; release date Feb. 2009; 7 clones of PN some up to 15 years age, 100% de-stemmed; c. 6 days cold soak; cuvaison c. 2 weeks; MLF in spring in barrel, and c. 14 months in French oak some new; RS < 1 g/L; not fined or filtered; www.mtdifficulty.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is simply beautiful limpid pinot noir, showing all the dark florality of classic Cote de Nuits pinot. Emphasis is on boronia and dark red roses, but there is lilac too, in red and black cherry fruit. Palate is simply the liquefaction of the bouquet, the floral qualities persisting right through the flavour, in fruit which might be a little soft for long cellaring, but is neither under-ripe, nor low acid. This is the richest of the three Mt Difficulty pinot noirs. Lovely wine to cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 11/08

2005 Church Road Merlot Cuve Series 18 ½ + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $25 [ screwcap; Me 100%; up to 4 weeks cuvaison; MLF in barrel; 20 months in French oak mostly new; RS < 1 g/L; cuve refers to the oak fermenters in the winery, a premium approach from Bordeaux; www.churchroad.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, a lovely colour. Given a glass of this, one can only wonder at and admire what Church Road is achieving currently, under chief winemaker Chris Scott's leadership. This wine is sublimely varietal, showing clear violets and bottled black doris plums, and potential dark tobacco and cedary oak. Palate is equally good, beautiful ripeness coupled with admirable alcohol at 13.5%, no hard edges, subtle oak, the whole wine epitomising St Emilion / east bank claret styling. Perhaps it is already very accessible for long cellaring, but it is wonderfully food-friendly and at a great price. A case of this wine is essential for any even half-committed wine-lover. Cellar 3 – 12 years or so. VALUE GK 11/08

2009 Mt Difficulty Pinot Noir Long Gully 18 ½ + (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $85 [ screwcap; several clones up to 17 years age at harvest; cropping c.4 t/ha = 1.6 t/ac; up to 9 days cold-soak with c. 6% whole-bunches, up to 8 days fermentation, up to 9 days maceration, a similar cuvaison to Target Gulley, but the least whole-bunch component; 16 months in French oak, some new; www.mtdifficulty.co.nz ]
Colour is fractionally deeper in the Long Gully wine than Target Gully, bouquet is a little less but with decanting opens to red roses, and palate is a little more tannic than Target. It may be a little richer than Target – the tannins make it hard to tell. Apart from these differences, which are subtle, the wines are near-identical. Maybe in three or five years time the preference will be the other way around. Comment brief since in the previous article also. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 08/11

2007 Peregrine Pinot Noir The Pinnacle 18 ½ + (

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Cromwell Basin & Gibbston, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $175 [ screwcap; 11 months in French oak 48% new, then 6 months in French oak some new; www.peregrinewines.co.nz ]
Elegant pinot noir ruby, a little age showing. Bouquet is attractively floral and fragrant, both roses and nearly boronia with a vanillin oak suggestion too, sitting happily amongst the best of some 2006 Clos de Beze wines. Palate has beautiful varietal fruit, far richer than any of the Clos de Beze wines, yet is not heavy at all. The wine is totally burgundian, though like some modern burgundies the oak is at a maximum. This is totally grand cru level Cote de Nuits pinot noir / Burgundy. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 08/12

2005 Gibbston Valley Pinot Noir Reserve 18 ½ + (

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Bendigo, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $114 [ screwcap; hand-picked clone 5 and Dijon clones; 15% whole bunch, total cuvaison 21 days; 11 months French oak 50% new barriques, 50% one year old; www.gvwines.co.nz ]
This wine was seen again with other pinots a few days later, while all the Conference wines were still available. Colour is good pinot noir ruby, on a par with the '03 Rousseau Clos de Beze, deeper than the Felton Block 3. Bouquet however is more akin to the '03 Ruchottes-Chambertin, sensationally floral. This is the wine to show all those people out there who pooh-pooh the idea that great pinot noir is about the floral component. The florals here are a little unusual, extending from buddleia right through to violets, at incredible volume. Perhaps the volume is a little high ? The palate is totally pinot noir in mouthfeel and texture, subtly oaked by New Zealand (or French) standards to really optimise the pinpoint varietal character, wonderfully rich, much more substantial than the standard wine. But hiding in there is just a tiny caveat, that earlier question mark, is this just very faintly stalky too ? Time will tell, but in any case this is exciting New Zealand pinot noir, Cote de Nuits-like, yet another slant on exactly what Central Otago will achieve with the grape. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 01/07

2010 Te Mata Chardonnay Elston 18 ½ + (

)

Havelock North district mostly, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $36 [ supercritical 'cork'; hand-harvested; 100% BF, MLF, LA and c. 9 months in French oak c. 50% new; <2 g/L residual; www.temata.co.nz ]
Rich lemon-straw. Bouquet is forward on this year's wine, already showing a fine integration of pale stonefruits, mealyness, barrel fermentation and subdued oak. Palate is less together, the MLF milkyness still to marry in, the oak more noticeable. There are suggestions of both yellow florals and oystershell minerality, on a properly dry finish. This should evolve into an exemplary Elston, which will cellar for 3 – 8 years. GK 08/11

2002 Girardin Meursault les Perrieres 18 ½ + (

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Meursault Premier Cru, Cote de Beaune, Burgundy, France: 14%; $80
Pale lemon. This one smells like a caricature of Meursault, with beautiful oatmealy and baguette crust richness on white stonefruits. Palate is soft, delicious already, nearly as rich as the Genevrieres but not quite as firmly constructed, but still marvellous cellar wine. A lovely accessible Meursault, the oak invisible. Cellar 2 – 10 years. GK 04/04

2005 Yering Station Shiraz / Viognier Reserve 18 ½ + (

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Yarra Valley, Victoria, Australia: 14.5%; $ – [ screwcap; c. AU$50 in Australia; co-fermented with c. 5% viognier; 18 months in 100% French oak; Parker rated the 2003 @ 90; release later in 2007, available in New Zealand though The Fine Wine Delivery Company, Auckland; www.yering.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, scarcely lighter than the Passage Rock. Here is a beautifully aromatic and floral syrah-styled shiraz from Australia, showing delightful varietal specificity. Bouquet and palate have deep varietal florals with only a subliminal hint of flowering mint, and nothing as coarse as eucalyptus. Under these aromatic florals, rich berry characters include cassis, blueberry and dark plum, without lapsing into boysenberry over-ripeness. This wine too, sadly, is 14.5%, but it is a glorious example of modern Australian shiraz presented more as syrah. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 01/07

2005 Corbans Syrah Private Bin 18 ½ + (

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Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $25 [ screwcap; 2005 not on website, if like 2004 is hand-picked, 100% de-stemmed; MLF and 12 months in French oak 30% new; www.corbans.co.nz ]
Dense ruby, carmine and velvet. Freshly poured, this wine has a slightly closed-in character to it. It benefits from decanting, to reveal a robust northern Rhone-styled syrah remarkably like some wines from Cornas: deep cassis, blackest plum, and cracked black pepper all through bouquet. Palate is even more Cornas or Hermitage proper, good concentration, intense dry cassis flavours, oak needing to mellow a little. This is lovely rich wine, needing five years in cellar to blossom. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 10/07

2013 Elephant Hill Syrah 18 ½ + (

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Gimblett Gravels & Te Awanga, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.4%; $34 [ screwcap; Sy 99%, Vi 1, hand-picked; co-fermented with 8 – 10% whole-bunch; 11 months in French oak 30% new; a bottled wine, but not on website yet; RS < 1 g/L; www.elephanthill.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, near the top of the most concentrated third, in colour. Bouquet is raw and youthful, really needing time. There is fresh blackcurrant and hessian oak, quite aromatic, but it is too early to say much. In flavour the wine jumps into focus, there is attractive richness, and exciting cassis and darkest black plum and blueberry fruit, with clear black pepper. The oak apparent on bouquet has all but disappeared into the textured rich fruit. You can't help thinking that if this wine were still in clean old neutral oak, it would become more sophisticated. If this is already bottled, don't touch it for three years, and cellar 5 – 15 years. Score includes an element of speculation, but it's rich, ripe and pure. Tasted alongside 2010 La Chapelle, the varietal precision is marvellous. It needs a little more tannin structure (but not as new oak) and dry extract, but it is not shamed by the comparison. Since this turns out to be the standard wine, the Reserve is awaited with interest. GK 06/14

2004 Penfolds Shiraz RWT 18 ½ + (

)

Barossa Valley, South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $168 [ cork; 14 months in French hogsheads 69% new, 31% 1-year; RWT = Red Winemaking Trial; Robinson: intensely sweet fruit, firm chewy tannins, fresh and peppery. Touch of herbs, even lavender. Pretty oaky on the palate. Very dense. With time in the glass: chocolate orange on nose, very fragrant on the mid palate, slightly abrupt finish. 17 +; www.penfolds.com.au ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, fresher than Grange or Bin 128, deeper than Craggy le Sol, in fact the deepest wine in the set, a great syrah colour. Bouquet is to first sniff disappointing, with a lot of oak, French oak maybe, but as oaked-up as Bin 707 has been till recently. Below that is superb berry richness, with a degree of finesse in the berry ripeness which again is almost cassis and syrah, rather than boysenberry and shiraz. If it weren't so oaky, there might be a floral component here. Palate is Grange-like in weight, but more juicy, more obvious berry including blueberry, plus a charry incipiently chocolatey note on the aromatic oak. I expect a lot from RWT, hoping for finesse, but at this stage this is more the older Penfolds heavy-handed approach to new oak. Nonetheless I suspect it has the concentration to marry the oak away, and develop florals and complexity in 10 – 15 years' time. My mark therefore includes a considerable anticipation factor, in the hope that my first impressions will seem harsh and short-sighted later. Cellar 10 – 40 years. GK 06/07

2010 Vidal Chardonnay Hawke's Bay Reserve Series 18 ½ + (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $23 [ screwcap; website info disappointingly generalised; RS nil; www.vidal.co.nz ]
Colour is a gorgeous lemon, getting the wine off to a great start. And bouquet does nothing to dispel that impression, being quintessentially varietal, lovely white to yellow vanillin florals, clean fruit and yeast autolysis from time on lees, and scarcely any oak showing – a real white burgundy approach. Palate follows on seamlessly, peachy fruit, exemplary barrel-fermentation and use of oak, lees-autolysis and MLF components building the varietal flavour but not dominating it, beautiful acid and gentle oak balance, all long in the mouth. It is not as big and oaky as many 'Reserve' wines (see below), and is the better for it. Cellar 3 – 8 years. VALUE GK 8/11

The fly in the ointment is the labelling. Vidal are now proposing a three-tier series of wines, to match Villa Maria's Private Bin, Cellar Selection, and Reserve. The latter set works reasonably well, though with some caveats as below. Vidal however proposes to play with words, labelling their mid-point wines Reserve Series, and are threatening to use a concept such as Legacy Series or somesuch for their hitherto 'real' Reserve wines. So this is the Reserve that isn't a Reserve.

This latter approach reflects the American-inspired latter-day move to grandiosity in wine labelling, initiated in New Zealand by Craggy Range with their Prestige Series. The French in contrast let the simple wine name itself set the standing, but more objectionable is the fact that for years to come, consumers will think they are getting Vidal Reserve wines, mysteriously now at an affordable price. Surely it would be better to keep the term Reserve meaning something, as has been the fine tradition in the Villa, Vidal and Esk group till now – unlike some other wineries.

When you look at the Vidal website, the pricing structure is chaotic, the proposed Reserve Series being scarcely differentiated from the Estate wines. In the Villa Maria schedule, pricing is even more confusing, with some Private Bin wines costing more than other Cellar Selection wines. Would it be so hard to have a tiered nomenclature, where prices as well as names means something simple and intelligible? For example Estate wines under $20, the middle series under $30, the Reserves over $30. Or as suits. If the firm can't make an acceptable pinot noir under $20, augment both the standing of the grape and the reputation of the winery by not having one in the cheaper bracket at all. The present jumble of contradictory prices ends up trying to be all things to all people, but ends up serving none well. GK 08/11

2004 Trinity Hill Syrah Homage 18 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $100 [ cork; Sy 96 %, Vi 4%, cropped c. 1 t/ac; hand-picked and sorted, high % whole berries; MLF in tank; 26 months in mostly 6-month old French oak; www.trinityhill.com ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, not the deepest in the set. This wine was presented in the blind International Tasting, at position seven. Compared with the six preceding it, it looked dramatically fresh, big sweet cassisy berry with some floral overtones, and mulberry and plummy fruit flavours, rich and aromatic on new oak, needing time in bottle. Total style is wonderfully northern Rhone-like, and one overseas speaker also praised its pinot noir-like silkyness. In my tasting it seemed as oaky as le Sol, but less spirity. Tastings of these top wines in 10 years time are going to be fantastic. [ A peep at a barrel sample of the 2006 Homage (once aerated) looked exceedingly aromatic and Hermitage-like, not over-ripened or overweight, potential florals, classic – and well worth waiting for. Winemaker John Hancock rates it without any question whatsoever, the best ... Homage yet. ] Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 01/07

2010 Felton Road Pinot Noir Block 3 18 ½ + (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $91 [ screwcap; hand-harvested, 25 – 30% whole-bunch, wild-yeast fermentation; 13 months in French oak c.35% new, not fined or filtered; Blocks 3 & 5 are allocated to all markets, principally fine wine resellers and a mailing list. The latter now has a waiting list to be on it, and members need to order a dozen bottles to secure (commonly) a maximum of 4 bottles of each Block; www.feltonroad.com ]
Deep pinot noir ruby alongside the Target Gulley, about the maximum desirable in the variety. Bouquet is much deeper, darker and richer than that wine too, much more in the big Felton Road style, but redeemed by clear-cut florals more in the boronia spectrum, delightfully apparent. Palate being a year younger is much juicier and fuller than the Target Gulley, the cherry component darker / more black cherries, but the oaking is equally subtle. These two wines paint a glowing picture of current achievements in Central Otago pinot, and pretty well span the range of styles as well. Block 3 is virtually limited to direct ex-vineyard purchase, preferably by being on the 'Block list' for advance notice of release. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 06/11

2012 Framingham Sauvignon Blanc 18 ½ + (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $18 [ screwcap; mostly s/s, 7% barrel-fermented, LA and batonnage with even an MLF component (well hidden), RS not given; www.framingham.co.nz ]
Lemongreen. Bouquet is simply beautiful sweet perfectly ripe subtle Marlborough sauvignon blanc: white nectarine, red capsicum, black passionfruit flesh, a touch of herbes including basil, great purity. Palate is rich and long, great length, dryer than some Marlborough sauvignons, a delight. This looks at least as good as Astrolabe Voyage, the de facto gold standard in Marlborough sauvignon, but I don't have it alongside. Cellar 2 – 10 years. GK 04/13

2009 Charles Wiffen Riesling Late-Harvest 18 ½ + (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 11%; $28 [ screwcap; not on website, and info for previous vintage hopeless, not even g/L; www.charleswiffenwines.co.nz ]
Rich lemon washed with light gold. Bouquet is wonderful, clear-cut yellow honeysuckle, yellow peaches, grapefruit and lime zest riesling fruit with honeyed and waxy botrytis complexity, all fragrant and harmonious with low VA. Palate is luscious, lime and citrus and stonefruits, good acid, a little darker than the 2009 Riverby Noble Riesling, not quite as sweet, slightly more grippy on more prominent terpenes, very long. This too is a lovely example of dessert riesling, to cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 08/11

2004 Felton Road Pinot Noir Block 5 18 ½ + (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14.5%; $56 [ screwcap; winery only; probably not filtered; www.feltonroad.com ]
Attractive full pinot noir ruby, nearly as dark as the straight Felton Pinot. Bouquet combines marvellous pinot florals ranging from boronia to violets and deepest red roses, with obvious black cherry fruit, and very fragrant oak with just a hint of nutmeg. On palate the oak is a little assertive at this early stage, but the black cherry fruit is long and succulent, yet crisp as well. I get the impression the acids are little higher on these 2004 pinots from Felton, relative to the 2003 vintage, but I do not have them alongside. Block 5 seems to be fractionally the least acid of the three, or perhaps it is just the richest. I like it the most, despite the lamentably high alcohol, but have to say there is not much in it. It should be a good cellar wine, and as the oak softens, with the volume of bouquet it already shows, it should become as exciting as the 1999 is now, or more so. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 11/05

2001 Abreu Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Madrona Ranch 18 ½ + (

)

Napa Valley, California, U.S.A.: 14.8%; $ – [ cork; c. US$400, but only sold by mailing list, for which there is a waiting list; CS 88%, Me 5, CF 5, PV 2; 500 cases; Wikipedia introduces its article thus: "Abreu Vineyards is a cult winery in Napa Valley, California founded by well-known viticulturist David Abreu"; Parker 157 on this wine: "a sumptuous perfume of flowers, wood smoke, licorice, tobacco, blackberries, and cassis. Full-bodied, with perfect harmony, extraordinary concentration … 97"; bottled unfined and unfiltered; the website does not appear to provide any information on the wines; www.abreuvineyards.com ]
Ruby and velvet, markedly older, a touch of garnet, twice the density of the Pask. Bouquet is closer to the Pavie than the Pask, (to a temperate-climate taster) an all-enveloping warmth of very ripe plummy merlot, complete with dark tobacco-y notes and many reminders of merlot-dominant wines rather than cabernet, as is often the case with warmer climate cabernet sauvignons. In other words, the florals and cassis of cabernet have quite simply been boiled off. Palate is richer than the Pavie by far, and as oaky as the Pask, so it is a very big wine indeed. But, it is not a monster, there still being a succulence in the berry, and a length of fruit to the finish which finally does remind that this is after all cabernet, and maybe there is dark cassis in those massive plums. Nett balance of the finish is in fact more berry-oriented and fresher than the Pavie, though with equally great tannin (or more). This should cellar for 30 + years. GK 04/07

2001 Guigal Cote Rotie La Mouline 18 ½ + (

)

Cote Rotie, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $353 [ Sy 89%, Vi 11; average vine age 75 years; cropped 35 - 37 hL / ha; fermented in s/s, 4 weeks cuvaison; 42 months in new French oak; www.guigal.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, the third deepest in colour. This is the purest of the three top Cote Roties, showing a very ripe berry and fruit bouquet almost beyond the floral complexity which should be the hallmark of great syrah. Instead, the ripeness has regrettably been taken through to almost Australian levels of blueberry and plum rather than cassis. Palate is very concentrated around plummy fruit, crisper and more fine-grained than most Australians, with hints of spice, attractive new oak, and without the savoury complexity of the Landonne. Acid balance is a little softer and rounder than the Landonne, too. Stylistically, the best of Gimblett Gravels syrah is speaking much the same language as this wine, inasmuch as some of them shows signs of sur-maturité too. Cellar 10 - 20 years. GK 07/05

2009 Bannock Brae Estate Pinot Noir Barrel Selection 18 ½ + (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14.3%; $48 [ screwcap; if like the 2008, hand-picked, cuvaison extending to 4 weeks for some parcels; c. 8 months in French oak c.30% new; not fined or filtered; www.bannockbrae.co.nz ]
Rich pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is sweetly floral and ripe, at the black cherry and darkest roses grading to boronia end of the floral spectrum for pinot noir. Palate is both plummy rich yet refreshingly black cherry too, with elegant oak shaping the rich round fruit attractively. A lovely example of the darkest style of Central Otago pinot noir, yet unequivocally varietal. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 09/10

2002 Jadot Chassagne-Montrachet Morgeot Clos de la Chapelle 18 ½ + (

)

Chassagne-Montrachet Premier Cru, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $111 [ cork; Domaine du Duc de Magenta monopole; hand-harvested; (guideline) BF, LA, MLF in 30% new French oak; no specific info [then] on website; info @ www.louisjadot.com ]
Lemon straw. Bouquet here is very fresh, another one with the suggestion of acacia florals on white nectarine fruit, the winemaker inputs subdued compared with the other top wines. Palate is pale stone fruits, good acid, mealy and hazelnut components just under the surface, soon to develop. This is subtle and satisfying wine, though not as rich as the Criots. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 07/05

1999 Guigal Cote-Rotie Brune & Blonde 18 ½ + (

)

Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $99 [ Cork, 49mm, ullage 14mm; release price c.$70; Spectator rating for year 96; typically Sy 96%, Vi 4, average vine age 35 years, said to be cropped at the same rate as d’Ampuis, namely 4.8 t/ha = 1.95 t/ac, but often seems as if the rate a little higher; c. 25 days cuvaison, elevation three years in barrel, 35 – 50% new, plus some in larger barrels; J.L-L, no date: raisin, smoky licorice, even tarry – an interesting do. It is not floral, and the oak raising plays a part in its nature. With air, it becomes earthy, with some violet, so the flowers need coaxing out. The palate starts with black fruit that has some scent present; the fruit is under the parapet, and the wine runs on a tannin/oak ageing theme now., ****; Robinson, 2005: Relatively muted but interesting nose … Muscular, sinewy, masterfully smooth texture without being sweet or obviously oaked. … Smooth texture, not by any means as pure an expression of Côte Rôtie as some earlier bottlings in this tasting but full marks for effort! Some ripe tannins underneath, 17; RP@WA, 2002: … fully mature and gives up mineral-laced aromas of blackberry, underbrush, green olive and spice. Medium-bodied, balanced, seamless and with an overall elegant, yet classical feel, it’s an outstanding bottle of wine to drink over the coming handful of years, 90; Wine Spectator, 2008: Shows a juicy core of macerated red and black cherry fruit woven with mesquite, aged tobacco and bittersweet cocoa. Has a tarry edge on the finish that steadily softens as this airs … To 2012. 25,000 cases made. 90; weight bottle and closure: 589 g ; www.guigal.com ]
Ruby and a wash of garnet, exactly in the middle for depth of colour. This is one of several very floral wines, showing all the beauty that syrah can display, when not over-ripened, in a temperate viticultural climate. Notes of dianthus / carnations, wallflower and lilac predominate, with dusky roses underpinning. Berry is browning cassis predominantly, clearly spicy / piquant and saliva-inducing, lovely. Berryfruit is clearly dominant over oak in the Brune & Blonde wine. Palate confirms that thought, the wine though not as rich as the grands crus, nonetheless still having a lovely velvety quality not so obviously shaped by oak. It is hard to imagine how a Cote Rotie could be at more perfect maturity, than in this 1999. It will hold this form for some years. One taster had it as their top wine, and two as their second-favourite. Cellar another 8 – 15 years. This 1999 Brune & Blonde does seem a similar cropping rate to Ch d'Ampuis. GK 10/20

2006 Pask Chardonnay Declaration 18 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.8%; $40 [ screwcap; BF in new French oak; 11 months LA and weekly batonnage; www.cjpaskwinery.co.nz ]
Lemon, youthful. A change of gear here. Alongside the other top wines, this Pask Declaration is a little more mainstream good New Zealand chardonnay, without quite the homage to Burgundy. Bouquet is explicit golden queen peach suggesting a lot of clone mendoza, with quite marked barrel-ferment and lees-autolysis building up big mealy complexities. In mouth the texture is nearly oily rich on the peachy fruit and lees-autolysis, yet I wonder if there is complete MLF [ winemaker, later: < 5% ] – there is a little more acid through the palate than some wines here, making the wine very fresh against the richness. This is an ideal cellaring wine for lovers of traditional big New Zealand chardonnay, for it has years in front of it. The aftertaste is particularly long and persistent. Cellar 3 – 8 years, maybe longer. GK 11/08

2006 Sacred Hill Chardonnay Riflemans 18 ½ + (

)

Dartmoor Valley, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $50 [ screwcap; hand-picked clone mendoza, whole-bunch pressed to barrel; wild-yeast ferments temperature-controlled to max. c. 17 degrees in the barrel; partial MLF and 12 months LA and some batonnage in French oak new and 1-year; RS c. 2 g/L; www.sacredhill.com ]
Lemon, plus a little flush of straw, not quite as bright as the 2004 though it is lighter. If there weren't several exceptional wines in this batch of chardonnays, this would be marvellous. Today it just has to be relegated to gold medal level. The integration of pale stonefruit with lees-autolysis is very harmonious, in this wine smelling and tasting a little different, more wine biscuit than baguette crust. Fruit flavour and balance is classic Hawkes Bay chardonnay, and the gentle acid balance of all three Riflemans is enchanting. They are not soft wines, but there is no acid edge as so many New Zealand whites show. On balance, Sacred Hills Riflemans is New Zealand's top chardonnay currently. Others have been excellent in some years, but there is a story and consistency building up in the Riflemans wine which is great to read about, and sheer hedonistic delight to taste. Cellar 1 – 5 years. GK 11/08

2008 Mt Difficulty Riesling Dry 18 ½ + (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 12.5%; $25 [ screwcap; hand-harvested; s/s cool ferment; some stirring on gross lees to build palate, 5 g/L RS by back-blending; 160 cases; www.mtdifficulty.co.nz ]
Pale lemongreen. Needs a little time yet to marry up, but bouquet is already extraordinary, showing exquisite lightly aromatic linden or pale acacia blossom florals with a hint of lime and potential nectar, as complex as fine Mosel Kabinett. And on palate, the beauty continues in exactly the same style, but drier than the German model and hence the acid shows more. It would be hard to find a Mosel riesling trocken as beautifully varietal as this. It must be one of the best 'dry' rieslings ever made in New Zealand. Those interested will probably have to ask your wineshop to get this in, for dry New Zealand rieslings do not sell themselves, unfortunately, even though we have had the example of numerous excellent Australian examples over the years. This Mt Difficulty makes a fascinating comparison with them, though it is not as dry as for example Grosset's famous Polish Hill dry riesling. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 11/08

2005 Esk Valley Reserve Syrah 18 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $60 [ screwcap; Sy 100%, from the Cornerstone Vineyard, 100% de-stemmed; c. 4 weeks cuvaison; 20 months in French oak (ex Burgundy) 50% new, enriched by batonnage in barrel; Trophy Syrah and Champion Wine of the recent Easter Show; 1200 bottles; earlier reviews on this website; www.eskvalley.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine in velvet, a little below midway in depth. Freshly opened, and later, bouquet reveals exact syrah fruit characters, with clear cassis in dark bottled plums, a hint of cracked black peppercorns, but at this stage a relative lack of clear florals, due to the more prominent vanillin oak. Florals will come. Palate avoids many of the hazards illustrated by other wines in the group: it is neither spirity or tannic, certainly not heavy, just supple and long, with fresh berry and trace cracked pepper lingering delightfully. The key issue about this wine, harking back to Jancis Robinson again, is that it is refreshing, with obvious berry qualities on palate and finish, and demonstrably varietal too. More detail in previous reviews. GK 04/07

2006 Escarpment Chardonnay 18 ½ + (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 14.2%; $35 [ supercritical cork; hand-picked; 100% BF and MLF in French oak 30% new; dry extract 24 g/L; RS 4 g/L; www.escarpment.co.nz ]
Lemonstraw. If the Skeetfield is a Puligny-Montrachet, loosely speaking, the Escarpment is total Meursault in style, wonderfully mealy on extended lees-autolysis plus MLF following barrel fermentation, beyond cashew to almost hazelnutty. Palate picks up the hazel, and is even more Meursault, the MLF fractionally more tasteable than the Skeetfield, the whole intensely oatmealy, and all a little richer and broader than the Skeetfield or the Desert Heart. Aftertaste is long and nutty, so rich the residual is well concealed. Cellar 2 – 5 years. One could easily pay $120 per bottle for French chardonnay of the quality of this wine, or the Skeetfield. GK 10/07

2009 Felton Road Pinot Noir Block 3 18 ½ + (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $74 [ screwcap; hand-harvested, wild-yeast fermentation; 13 months in French oak, not fined or filtered; Blocks 3 & 5 are allocated to all markets, principally fine wine resellers and a mailing list. The latter now has a waiting list to be on it, and members need to order a dozen bottles to secure a maximum of 4 bottles of each Block; www.feltonroad.com ]
Good pinot noir ruby. Initially opened, bouquet is quietly understated, suggestive only of darker fragrant cherries. Decanted / with air, it expands considerably to a darkly floral black cherry pinot noir with hints of black forest gateau, in one sense a bit debatable. Palate redeems the wine, being densely black cherry fruit, showing great concentration yet not unduly plummy, so my passing thoughts of merlot on bouquet can be put aside. The length of fruit is astonishing. In the sense it is very dark, burgundy classicists may feel this is too far outside the square. At that point one can invoke the logic, it epitomises one style of Central Otago pinot noir, and further, a style which is receiving critical endorsement. It is richer and darker than the Bannockburn label, and will cellar longer, 5 – 12 years. GK 09/10

2009 Felton Road Pinot Noir Calvert Vineyard 18 ½ + (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14.5%; $ – [ screwcap; a good spring and flowering produced a large crop; February however cool and adverse, requiring care with crop reduction should this weather continue; March and April unusually favourable, leading to an ideal crop c.5.5 t/ha of near-perfect fruit; at the time the young wines showed beautiful aromatics and a purity of fruit expression making them seem possibly the best yet; www.feltonroad.com ]
Surprisingly youthful and quite full pinot noir ruby, clearly younger than the 2009 Bannockburn, one of the deepest wines in the set. Bouquet here has a heightened boronia floral component, with a clear citrus oil aromatic complexity, on dark black cherry fruit. This smells inviting, though dark for pinot noir. Thus one approaches the palate slightly dubiously, is it too dark, and plummy therefore, or does it retain the fresh black cherry of quality pinot noir? Yes, it does. It is full, rich and soft, warm tannins, it couldn't be any riper, darker, or more tannic, but it is marvellous. This wine kept moving up in my rankings. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 08/14

2006 Te Mata Syrah Clone 'Mass Selection' [ research wine ] 18 ½ + (

)

Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $ – [ not for sale; www.temata.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, very bright, a little deeper (in youth) than 2005 Bullnose. This wine was presented in the formal tasting sessions, alongside one of the new clones (174), to illustrate the original Te Kauwhata clone of syrah selected and propagated by Alan Limmer, and now widely grown. Comment was offered during the Proceedings, as to how fortunate we had been that the original Government Viticultural Research stock seemed to be of such high-quality. Certainly in my experience of Rhone wines, in this tasting it looked more classically syrah than some offerings, or the more 'modern' (in the sense of consumer wine) clone 174 it was shown with. Total wine achievement is close to the 2005 Bullnose, but with more cracked peppercorn showing, and perhaps just a fraction less fragrant and harmonious. This is a research wine in Te Mata's ongoing viticultural improvement programme, and will not be made available for sale. It was a treat to have samples offered in the Conference proceedings. GK 01/07

2005 Felton Road Pinot Noir Block 3 18 ½ + (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $65 [ screwcap; $56 ex vineyard when available; www.feltonroad.com ]
Ruby and some velvet, much the lightest of the three 2005 Felton wines, or the wines in this gold-medal bracket. Bouquet likewise is the most lifted and floral of the three Feltons, with attractive aromas spanning the lilac part of the spectrum through to violets. There seems to be more new oak than the standard wine, but it has augmented the floral component, not dominated it – in contrast to some of the Otago 2005s. Palate is beautiful, sheer velvet, gorgeous texture, yet a lightness on tongue which is totally burgundian in a rich way. This is a marvellous Felton, much more together than when I last tasted it, not too long after bottling. Cellar 5 –12 years. GK 01/07

2010 Guigal Cote-Rotie Brune et Blonde 18 ½ + (

)

Northern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $95 [ Cork, 49mm, ullage 8mm; release price c.$125; Spectator rating for year 98: low yields, terrific quality; typically Sy 96%, Vi 4, average vine age 35 years, from Guigal vineyards plus 40 growers, said to be cropped at the same rate as d’Ampuis, namely 4.8 t/ha = 1.95 t/ac, but often seems as if the rate a little higher; c. 21 days cuvaison, elevation three years in barrel, mostly small-wood from the 2004 vintage on, 40 – 50% new; RH@JR, 2014: Violets and peppered meat; the authenticity can’t be faulted. Classic, savoury, lovely manicured tannins. Impressive aromatic range and lovely depth of flavour, 17; J.L-L, 2015: The bouquet is a meaty, crunchy red fruited affair, still very close-knit, has a light peppering as well. The palate has an interior vigour; on the outside it coasts along via clear red cherry fruit. Its depth lies below, like an iceberg. The longer you leave this, the more varied and compelling it will become: that is a formal announcement. The content has a savoury angle, lamb stock. The aftertaste is lip smacking, shows rosemary and dried herbs. The exit is lightly salted. Decant this, and wait until 2018. 13.5°. To 2036, ****(*); JD@RP, 2014: … a stunning Cote-Rotie. Made from 96% Syrah and 4% Viognier and aged in equal parts new and once used barrels, it’s medium to full-bodied, elegant and seamless, with rocking notes of raspberries, peppered bacon, coffee bean and violets. Drink it anytime over the coming decade or more, 93; weight bottle and closure: 572 g ; www.guigal.com ]
Ruby and some velvet, a great young Cote Rotie colour, fractionally above midway in depth. This wine is so young ! Right from opening it is fragrant and lovely, yet it expands in the glass for days after the tasting (when kept under ice, the wine covered). Sweet floral notes dominate the bouquet, less zingy than some, that is less dianthus, more wallflower and heliotrope, some dusky rose, on cassis-led and bottled black doris plummy berry. Florals and berry totally dominate the elevation, oak being well in the background. Palate continues the total purity, a squeaky-clean wine, potentially velvety berryfruit, even the thought of red cherry in the young wine, perfect acid balance, and beautiful oak near-invisible – clearly much less oak than Ch d’Ampuis. In the formal tasting this 2010 was set as the sighter-wine for the field. It is one of the loveliest young Brune & Blondes ever – perhaps in this year too Brune & Blonde is as rich as d'Ampuis. No comments at the tasting however, partly due to the wine #1 effect, partly that it seemed understated then, and opened up so much more later. Cellar 20 – 30 years. GK 10/20

2002 Kingsley Estate Syrah 18 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $46 [ screwcap; Sy 86%, CS 7, Ma 7; mostly 12 months in French oak, 33% new; 130 cases; www.kingsley.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, an excellent colour but not quite the magical velvety depths of the le Sol or Homage. Bouquet is classical syrah, and bears some relation to Jaboulet’s la Chapelle of 20 years ago. There are dark florals deeper then dark roses, saturated cassis, blackest plums, suggestions of black peppercorns, and lovely oak  plus a trace of VA. It is closest to the Homage in style. Palate is marvellous, slightly crisper and fresher than several, firmer and more aromatic than the Homage or le Sol (probably picking up the cabernet sauvignon percentage), with a saturation of cassis flavours, plus ripe tannins and soft oak. This too is an exciting wine which is still available at retail. The 2001 was the winner of the Tri-Nation (Australia, South Africa, New Zealand) Challenge 2 years ago. The 2002 will cellar 10 - 15 years, at least. GK 06/05

2002 Clearview Estate Chardonnay Reserve 18 ½ + (

)

Te Awanga, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $ – [ cork; simpler variations on 2004 practice, qv; www.clearviewestate.co.nz ]
This is the palest of all the wines, more lemon than straw, gorgeous. Bouquet on this wine is just like the 2000, but purer, without the hint of France, just glorious golden queen peachy fruit of exquisite purity. Some tasters rated it higher than the 2000, therefore. Like the 2000 and perhaps more so, the palate is superb, again succulent golden peach of textbook definition, with the harmony and integration one hopes the 2004 is aiming for, and little sign of the high alcohol and new oak. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 10/05

2011 Sacred Hill [ Merlot / Cabernet ] Brokenstone 18 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $50 [ cork 49mm; DFB; Me 82%, CS 8, Sy 7, Ma 3, hand-picked from mostly 10-year old vines; cuvaison approx 30 days; 16 months in French oak c.40% new; RS dry; www.sacredhill.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a beautiful young claret colour, minutely deeper than the Petit Mouton. Bouquet is wonderfully clean, rich, sweet, deep and fragrant, in one sense bridging the two Moutons wonderfully. There is a great plummy fruit with darkest almost violets florality, very deep, and potentially cedary oak. Though in a New Zealand context Sacred Hill's top wines often seem oaky, here with Domaines Rothschild wines in the totally blind field of 45 wines, this Brokenstone looks perfectly reasonable. Hence the bridging comment. In mouth the wine is still amazingly youthful, and tannic / furry, but there is a velvety berryfruit quality to the palate weight which bespeaks very serious viticulture and winemaking. This wine is a great celebration of merlot in New Zealand, and a triumph for the 2011 year in Hawkes Bay. It will cellar for 10 – 30 years. GK 03/15

2005 Sacred Hill Sauvignon Blanc Sauvage 18 ½ + (

)

Dartmoor Valley, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $32 [ screwcap; hand-harvested; whole-bunch pressed to 100% BF in French oak new and one-year; wild-yeast fermentation, no MLF, LA in barrel; RS c. 1 g/L; www.sacredhill.com ]
Lemonstraw, quite deep, but still clearly lemon-infused. Bouquet is related to the Dog Point, but lacks the musky complexity, instead showing complex riper fruits all through. This is sauvignon taken beyond red capsicums and even much piquant black passionfruit into pale stonefruit territory, yet somehow still with a refreshing aromatic edge. On palate the whole wine jumps into focus, more clearly oak-handled sauvignon now, but with a palate enrichment and texture which is chardonnay-like, gentler than the Dog Point even though it is appreciably drier. For many it will therefore demonstrably be the superior wine, for both Dog Point and Te Koko are extreme sauvignon statements. To judge from all three, year three would seem to be the perfect point to first sample these complex full-bodied oak-fermented sauvignons. Where available, the 2006 is distinctly angular. Like the Dog Point, Sauvage displays sauvignon complexed by extended lees-autolysis, but not contradicted shall we say, by MLF. Cellar 2 – 10 years. GK 11/08

2005 Esk Valley Syrah Reserve 18 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $60 [ screwcap; Sy 100%, from the Cornerstone Vineyard, 100% de-stemmed; c. 4 weeks cuvaison; 20 months in French oak (ex Burgundy) 50% new, enriched by batonnage in barrel; Trophy Syrah and Champion Wine of the recent Easter Show; 1200 bottles; www.eskvalley.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, in the middle for depth, a little more oak-affected in hue. In the tasting, the bouquet on this wine was special, strongly of cassis, blueberry, and vanilla wafer – the latter quite incredibly so. The floral components are there too, but not quite so pinpoint as some other top wines, and the whole wine smells softer. Palate is succulent, and there the florals spread out over the tongue, into the berry. Dark plum builds too, on oak which already seems much more married-in than at the Syrah Symposium at the end of January. This is marvellous wine, as rich as le Sol and no more oaky, fleetingly available only at the Esk Winery shop north of Napier, and the Villa Maria Winery shop, Mangere. Six tasters rated this their top wine. Cellar 5 – 15 + years. GK 04/07

2007 Craggy Range Sauvignon Blanc Te Muna 18 ½ + (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $25 [ screwcap; mostly machine-harvested @ c. 1.5 t/ac; some whole-bunch, some wild yeast, fermented in both s/s 86% and the balance French oak 10% new; 4 months LA; pH 3.3, RS 3 g/L; small crop due to frost, available only at cellar door, Terroir restaurant; www.craggyrange.com ]
Palest lemon. Bouquet is sweetly ripe and aromatic sauvignon blanc at a perfect point of ripeness, dominated by black passionfruit, but spiced by red capsicum and sweet basil. Palate follows perfectly, not phenolic or acid as good sauvignon so often is, instead just limpid dry fruit in a relatively unsophisticated all stainless steel presentation of the grape. This is lovely wine, and though not particularly rich, it will cellar for 2 – 10 years, if mature sauvignon appeals. This wine too, like the Glasnevin Riesling (qv), is very scarce, available only from the Craggy cellar door, due to the severely reduced 2007 crop in the Martinborough district. GK 10/07

2004 MadFish Riesling 18 ½ + (

)

Great Southern district, West Australia, Australia: 12.5%; $23 [ screwcap; free-run fraction only; commercial label of Howard Park; www.madfishwines.com.au ]
Beautiful palest lemongreen. Bouquet is subtle, varietal to the n-th degree, floral verging on nectary, delicate. Palate introduces more varietal terpenes, benchmark varietal flavours, just in the riesling ‘dry’ class. This is outstanding Australian riesling, really delicate alongside the very good but flavoursome (and drier) Yalumba Hand-Picked. It will cellar magnificently 5 – 15 years. GK 08/05

2008 Stonyridge [ Cabernets / Malbec / Merlot ] Larose 18 ½ + (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.5%; $220 [ cork; CS 37%, Ma 29, Me 16, PV 16, CF 2, hand-picked; up to 25-day cuvaison; MLF in barrel; oak usually 90% French, 10 US, 70% new; not filtered; c.500 cases on average, but varying considerably with vintage; oppressive noise on website obscurely switchable, thankfully; www.stonyridge.com ]
Deep ruby, carmine and velvet, deeper, richer and fresher than the other top wines. Bouquet shows a clear violets and cassis component, on a rich bottled black doris plummy background, at a concentration which is thrilling. It is as rich and full as the Velvet wine, but more aromatic, suggesting more cabernet. Palate likewise is intensely aromatic, an exciting interplay of cabernet cassis and potentially cedary oak, with great latent strength. This wine is clearly of upper classed-growth quality, and dramatically Medoc alongside the contrasting Velvet, so they make a really exciting pair of world-class wines for Waiheke wine-people to rejoice in. Cellar 10 – 25 years. GK 06/10

2005 Mt Difficulty Pinot Noir Long Gully Single Vineyard 18 ½ + (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $80 [ screwcap; some whole bunch, 6 days cold soak, 16 days cuvaison; MLF and 14 months in French oak; not fined or filtered; www.mtdifficulty.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, a little lighter than the Peregrine. Bouquet on this Otago wine shows the same wonderful black cherry fruit as several of the others, but the floral component at this stage is a little more entangled in new oak, like the Peregrine Pinnacle. On palate the wine shows great fruit, good balance, more oaked than some top wines, but still pretty well balanced, fresh, with a great aftertaste. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 01/07

2004 Kaituna Valley Chardonnay Canterbury 18 ½ + (

)

Banks Peninsula, Canterbury, New Zealand: 13%; $20 [ screwcap; 100% BF in 30% new French oak, 12 months LA, 30% MLF ]
Lemon. It is marvellous to see the evolution of fully floral chardonnays in New Zealand, reminiscent of finest chablis. This wine smells of acacia blossom, below which is classic mendoza golden peachy fruit, and attractive mealy lees-autolysis. Oak is initially noticeable on bouquet, but marries in quickly on palate. Palate weight is grand cru chablis, alongside the Corton-Charlemagne of the Anna's Vineyard, but the quality of chardonnay fruit is superb, with refreshing acid. This is an exquisite wine which will cellar for 10 years. It might be the best chardonnay from Canterbury, so far. GK 02/06

2003 Greenhough Pinot Noir Hope Vineyard 18 ½ + (

)

Nelson, New Zealand: 14%; $43 [ screwcap ]
Big pinot noir ruby, fractionally lighter than Kupe. Given a couple of swirls in the glass, one sniff and this is fragrant pinot noir in the top league. Fruit complexity is based on black cherries, but with greater aromatic and more clearcut floral components than Kupe. The enhanced florals suggest the wine is that magical degree less ripe, yet it is still perfectly ripe, with no hint of leafiness. Palate shows tactile richness and stunning pinot noir flavours, slightly more aromatic on oak, just marvellous. Perhaps oak is a little intrusive at this stage, but this too is a pinot of absolute world ranking, in the top handful of New Zealand wines thus far. 2003 has been a wonderful vintage for pinot noir in New Zealand, cooler than 2002 in Otago, so the florals essential to great pinot noir have in the best wines been conserved, against perfect fruit ripeness. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 03/05

2002 Jadot Bonnes Mares 18 ½ + (

)

Chambolle-Musigny Grand Cru, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $190 [ cork; www.louisjadot.com ]
Classic young pinot ruby. Rose and boronia florals are even more apparent on this wine than the top-ranked Clos de Beze, producing a bouquet of silky and sensuous beauty underpinned by black cherry fruit. Some aromatics and spice come from almost subliminal new oak. Palate is one kind of pinot perfection, the fruit both lush yet crisp, the florals seeming to exude from the liquid, even in mouth. Not quite the tannin and authority of the Clos de Beze, but exquisite soft silky varietal pinot of great delicacy, finesse, and character. Cellar 10 – 15 years. GK 04/05

2002 Jadot Gevrey-Chambertin Clos St Jacques 18 ½ + (

)

Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $184 [ cork; www.louisjadot.com ]
Good pinot ruby, on the deeper side of the bracket of Jadots. Bouquet is yet another variation on great pinot noir, though a little more piquant and aromatic, like the Beze rather than the Bonnes Mares. On palate once again the boronia and violets florals merge with clear black cherry fruit, with a little more new oak apparent in this wine. The flavours are again wonderfully fresh, aromatic and crisp, yet not at all acid. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 04/05

2005 Church Rd Cabernet / Merlot Reserve 18 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $35 [ cork; CS 74%, Me 26, 80% hand-picked at c. 2.5 t/ac; 22 months in French oak c. 53% new, not fined, coarse filter only; RS < 0.2 g/L; www.churchroad.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, nearly carmine, also a classic slightly older claret colour. Bouquet is even more Bordeaux-like than The Quarry, not quite so scintillatingly pure, a little more oaky, but at the same time more complex. Every time I see this wine, I am staggered that such an exact classed Bordeaux growth look-like is so readily available in New Zealand nowadays, and for $35. Why it has not sold out within moments of release, I cannot imagine. It is simply one of the best claret styles thus far made in New Zealand, as previously described. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 11/08

2006 Craggy Range [ Cabernet / Merlot ] The Quarry 18 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.2%; $62 [ cork; CS 95%, Me 4, CF 1, hand-harvested @ 2 t/ac; 21 months in French oak 84% new; fined and filtered; RS nil; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a classic claret colour. Bouquet is intensely floral and cassisy aromatic cabernet sauvignon, very fragrant and pure. New oak counterpoints the berry, without dominating. The whole style is totally modern Bordeaux. Palate confirms all the bouquet impressions, with an absolutely silken texture, all slightly fresher and not quite as rich as the 2005 Church Road Reserve, but with stunning purity and delicacy. The lingering cassis flavour is beautiful. This wine should garner high praise in Britain, for it has the freshness several United Kingdom writers seek. By the same token, it will be less popular in the United States. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 11/08

2008 Craggy Range Pinot Noir Aroha 18 ½ + (

)

Te Muna Road, Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $80 [ cork; hand-harvested @ c. 3.1 t/ha (1.25 t/ac); fermentation in oak cuves with wild yeasts and 5% whole-bunch; 14 months in French oak 37% new; RS < 2 g/L; www.craggyrange.com ]
Good bright pinot noir ruby, an ideal colour for the variety, midway in depth. Bouquet amply meets the first requirement for good pinot noir, being delightfully and sweetly floral and fragrant, thoughts of roses, violets, and even boronia. Beneath the florals is fresh cherry fruit, red grading to black cherries. Oak is almost invisible on bouquet, yet shapes the wine pleasingly and adds a touch of cedary complexity. Palate illustrates a slightly aromatic pinot noir of almost Cote de Nuits elegance and depth, with classic cherry palate, the oak slightly more apparent now. The fruit expands in mouth without being weighty, the length of varietal flavour being totally of grand cru quality. Cellar another 2 – 6 years. GK 09/13

2003 Pegasus Bay Pinot Noir Prima Donna 18 ½ + (

)

Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 14.5%; $ – [ screwcap; hand-picked, a low-cropping year; c. 21 – 24 days cuvaison; 18 months in French oak c. 30% new (but since Prima Donna is a barrel selection within the Pegasus Bay wine, the ratio of new oak may be higher); www.pegasusbay.com ]
Ruby, a little velvet, a fine deep pinot noir colour, much fresher than the standard 2003 Pegasus Pinot Noir. This is a big and youthful wine on bouquet, and freshly poured the volume of aroma and berry reminds of a fragrant Chateauneuf du Pape such as Charvin – not at all a bad thing to be compared with, but scary in pinot. But decant the wine and let it breathe, and dusky florals suggesting boronia, violets and darkest roses emerge, on black cherry and bottled dark plums fruit, plus a hint of bacon. It is a pity about these high alcohols in some top New Zealand pinots, but this is exciting wine, big – yes, but on the right side of the line for florals, finesse, aromatics and complexity. Palate is very attractive, truly velvety, no other words for it, all the descriptors you read about in grand cru burgundy, plus – the florals can be tasted, giving a lovely lift. And the oaking is beautifully subtle, more matching (for example) the Felton standard wine, rather than the Block versions. This is potentially one of New Zealand's finest pinots thus far. It is a great step forward in the evolution of both Prima Donna and Pegasus Bay pinot more generally, earlier vintages having been at times ponderous, putting richness before varietal beauty. Cellar 5 – 12 years, maybe longer. GK 07/06

2005 Craggy Range Syrah Block 14 18 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $37 [ screwcap; Sy 100%; hand-harvested @ 3.4 t/ac; 100% de-stemmed, wild-yeast fermentation; 17 months in French oak 54% new; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, one of the deeper. Quite apart from the 'oh, wow ! look at the alcohol' factor, this wine is the dark horse in the race. It does not at this stage have quite the explicitly beautiful floral bouquet of the other top wines, and yet all the floral components are there, understated, on cassis and berry and plum. The palate is marvellous, nearly as velvety as Bullnose, less oaky than le Sol or the Esk, just a lovely mouthful of cassisy, plummy and slightly spicy syrah. The Villa pair look a little acid alongside (which may explain their heightened florals). This is by far the most beautiful Block 14 yet, in its fragrance and poise. Conversely, those who put brawn above finesse will think it lesser than last year's. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 04/07

1979 Ch Margaux 18 ½ + (

)

Margaux First Growth, Bordeaux, France: – %; $603 [ cork 53mm; cepage then approx. CS 75%, Me 20, CF 5, planted at 10,000 vines / ha; 18 – 24 months in barrel, 100% new oak, depending on the vintage; Broadbent, 2002: a dozen notes from the autumn of 1981, fragrance frequently reiterated. Also flavoury, but the raw '79 tannin hard to get away from: ***; Coates, 2002: Quite oaky, certainly concentrated, and almost a little dense on the nose. But very good ripe, rich fruit underneath. Full-bodied, rich, classy, vigorous and opulent. This is certainly a very lovely example. Excellent fruit. Still with bags of life ahead of it. Fine grip. Lovely finish. Complex and classy. Very fine indeed: 19; R. Parker, 1993: This is a classic Margaux in the sense of its elegance and fragrance. A perfumed bouquet of blackcurrants, minerals, flowers, and smoky oak is persistent. This medium-bodied, rich, elegant wine is one of the less powerful examples of the Mentzelopoulos/Pontallier regime, but it is still concentrated and deep. Fully mature, it is delicious to drink and should continue to evolve gracefully for another 15-20 years: 92; www.chateau-margaux.com ]
One of the fresher ruby and garnet hues, just above midway in depth. It is the bouquet that particularly enchants on this wine. Here is all the beauty of a cabernet-led wine, (still) nearly violets florals on cassisy berry and remarkably youthful (considering), contrasting vividly with the more conventionally powerful Ch Latour. As you taste the wines, you realise that the Latour reminds of many Penfolds Australian wines, bowling you over with powerful oak … but can you in fact taste the fruit as easily. Whereas this Margaux is essence of perfectly ripe cabernet sauvignon, and the oak is discreetly supporting, enhancing and lengthening the fruit, but never dominating. Simply a beautiful wine, not a big wine, but with some years in hand yet. Group results were interesting, none rating it the top wine, a couple their second, but interestingly, more thought this wine a First Growth than any other. GK 08/16

2002 Rousseau Chambertin 18 ½ + (

)

Gevrey Chambertin Grand Cru, Cotes de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 13%; $308 [ cork; 30 – 35 hl/ha (1.5 – 1.8 t/ac); 10% whole-bunch, c. 15 day cuvaison in s/s; MLF and up 22 months in French oak 100% new; Coates: This is even more impressive than the Clos de Beze. Brilliant on the nose. Totally complete. Full-bodied, rich, backward and quite splendid on the palate. Excellent grip as well, and, if possible, even more depth and superior fruit. A really brilliant wine. From 2015; Parker / Rovani: 94 – 96; www.domaine-rousseau.com ]
Ruby, lightened by more evident oak exposure, below midway. Bouquet shows intensely floral berry skewed by the vanillin of much new oak, so the floral component comes across almost as freesia or similar. Actual berry specific character is hidden by the oak, at this stage. Palate has a richness and power to it which is impressive, but the beauty of the variety is not yet so apparent in this wine as in the Clos de Beze. In its richness and length of fruit on palate, and a delectable suggestion of Portobello mushrooms, I suspect 10 years down the track, this will be the most explicit and impressive of the three. The texture on palate promises great future pleasure. Cellar 10 – 25 + years. GK 07/06

2013 Cape Mentelle Shiraz 18 ½ + (

)

Margaret River, West Australia, Australia: 14%; $40 [ Screwcap; not on Langton's list, the same label as in Pt I; Halliday rating for Margaret River is 9 for 2013; oldest vines 40 years; flowering cold and fruit set poor, summer better and March coolish, allowing extended ripening; fruit destemmed and berry-sorted, some whole berries retained in ferment; cuvaison up to 15 days; MLF and 14 months in both barriques and oak vats, 20% of the barriques new; the winemakers note they follow a Northern Rhone Valley approach, to retain the refined floral and spice characters of the variety; Mattinson at Halliday, 2015: A core of black cherried fruit champs through an array of clove and assorted dry spice notes. This is a savoury rocket. Peppery, leafy, fruity and firm. Its ripeness/alcohol is at the upper level of where you'd like it to be, but power and impact comes as a result, 94; no recent overseas reviews found; bottle weight 507 g; www.capementelle.com.au ]
Ruby and some velvet, a little older than most, the second lightest wine in the younger set. Bouquet is not light however, improving with air to show almost classic syrah near-florality and cassisy berry grading to blueberry, fruit dominant, subtle oak, not too spirity, a hint of black-pepper spice possibly with faintest mint totally at a positive level. Palate is in the same vein, supple, berry-forward, beautiful oaking, a wine which epitomises the notion that good syrah shows all the charm of pinot noir, but is stronger and more spicy. The nett flavour is long, lingering, and satisfying, a lovely varietal wine. Cape Mentelle really should capitalise on its advantages, and re-brand their top shiraz as syrah. Just to make a point of difference, and indicate its qualities. It depends on how many years in every 10 the moderation in this wine can be achieved, I guess. Nobody rated this their top wine, one second place, two least, nobody thought it Penfolds, and three thought it New Zealand (which made sense). Cellar 3 – 18 years. GK 04/17

2009 Church Road Merlot McDonald Series 18 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $33 [ screwcap; Me 94%, Ma 6; fermented in oak cuves = vats, a premium approach from Bordeaux; up to 5 weeks cuvaison; MLF in barrel; 20 months in French oak 42% new; not fined or filtered; RS < 1 g/L; www.churchroad.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, in the top quarter for weight of colour amongst the Hawkes Bay blends. Initially opened, the wine is warm and inviting, a little oaky. It breathes up to lovely cassisy bottled black doris berry and fruit, with potentially cedary oak. It is fully ripe but not over-ripe, showing the floral highlights of the variety. Palate is soft and very accessible, with excellent concentration and ripeness. This is what merlot should be like. It is a great pity some of the producers of the too many miserable New Zealand offerings labelled merlot do not taste more widely, and register how inadequate their wines are alongside a wine like this, which from time to time is available at $20 (though the RRP is higher). Perhaps this wine is a little fleshy and obvious in style, perhaps it is not intended for long keeping, but it is delicious in a slightly oaky way. These McDonald Series wines are the old Cuve Series, moved upmarket with a new simpler name and a higher price. In the reprehensible way big companies like Pernod-Ricard can so easily do, this series of wines is sometimes being offered to supermarkets and big chains at a discounted price which means they can be retailed for LESS than individual-proprietor wine merchants can buy them wholesale. This is an offensive practice. So at times these wines can be had for $20 – $22, against the RRP of $33, and at such times are compelling VALUE. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 06/12

1978 Jaboulet Chateauneuf-du-Pape Les Cedres 18 ½ + (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $ – [ cork 54mm; Gr 85%, Sy 15; 12 – 18 months in big old wood; Parker considers 1969 the last fine Les Cedres. He notes for the 1978: good richness, full-bodied texture, and good complexity, yet rates it 85, to be finished by 1995. Robinson thought it: Sweet, spicy and fully mature but a bit muddy by now. Past its best. No refreshment left 17; I am hoping it will have more to say, as a few years ago this wine met with an ecstatic reception from noted Australasian wine people, in a dinner setting.]; www.jaboulet.com ]
Glowing but lightish ruby and garnet, the third to lightest. Bouquet is in a word beautiful, floral, fragrant, fading red fruits, aethereal. It could easily be confused with grand cru burgundy / Cote de Nuits, in a rigorously blind tasting. Indeed on other occasions, it has been so confused, and by highly-qualified wine tasters. In mouth, the wine is suppleness and charm personified, totally burgundian, only now the fruit starting to fade a little. Ten years ago this wine was exquisite, multidimensional, wonderful, and it is only slightly less now. It makes the same-year Vieux Telegraphe seem over-ripe and almost burly, at this stage of its evolution. This wine and the Ch Margaux illustrate not only what beauty and subtlety in red wine is all about, but also the contrast between the essential claret style, versus burgundy. Few bottles are so beautiful. Les Cedres was easily the favourite on the night, four first places plus five second places, even though it is fading gracefully now. GK 04/14

2010 Misha's Vineyard Pinot Noir Verismo 18 ½ + (

)

Bendigo Terraces, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $63 [ Screwcap; hand-harvested; no whole-bunch; wild yeast ferments, c. 24 days total cuvaison; c.12 months in hogsheads 48% new; not filtered; www.mishasvineyard.com ]
Quite deep pinot noir, with less age showing than (for example) the 2012 Moutere, in the top half-dozen for depth. Bouquet is understated and complex, opening up with air to reveal an attractive integration of red and black cherry fruit with cedary cooperage, all made fragrant with dusky dark red rose florals. As it breathes it develops a Gevrey-Chambertin quality and complexity reminiscent of the Valli Gibbston. Palate is neat, rich and taut, demonstrating a perfect point of picking, the whole wine surprisingly youthful, not yet mature, with further promise lying ahead. The more you taste it, the better it gets. This is exemplary firm Central Otago pinot noir, offering no evidence whatsoever to those who wish to detract from the district’s pinot achievements by referring to them as fruit bombs. Rather, there is a fine Gevrey-Chambertin quality to this wine. Cellar 3 – 12 years, maybe longer. GK 06/17

2013 Mills Reef Cabernet Sauvignon Elspeth: Barrel-Sample 18 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $50 [ screwcap; CS 100%, hand-picked; around 15 months in French hogsheads (300 L), 45% new; intriguingly, the Chinese allocation will be under cork; www.millsreef.co.nz ]
NB: Provisional / indicative score only. Ruby, carmine and velvet, the richest and darkest colour of the 60. Bouquet is glorious ripe cassis of great purity and depth, still very youthful with dark aromatic edges as if there might be a splash of malbec too. Palate is vibrant with aromatic cassisy berry, showing a ripeness and intensity of varietal berry flavour rarely encountered in New Zealand. The length of fruit on palate is a delight, yet it is not as rich as some. Cabernet alone is always at peril of lacking middle palate. At the moment the young wine promises to be phenomenal, and will score higher if it fills out in bottle. Let us hope it does not end up carrying too much oak. Cellar 8 – 25 years. GK 06/14

1996 Louis Roederer Cristal Brut 18 ½ + (

)

Reims, Champagne, France: 12%; $536 [ cork; PN 55%, Ch 45; en tirage 5 – 6 years; no wine info on website; Cristal tends to be a non-MLF wine; current vintage price in NZ c.$415; www.champagne-roederer.com ]
Lemonstraw, just above midway in depth. Right from the outset this smelt like fine champagne, and followed through on palate. Depth of autolysis is less than those marked more highly, and there is a clear citrus note. Palate is even more citrussy, and mealy too, not a weighty wine, but great freshness for its age. Finish is a little sweeter, fitting in with the 9 – 10 g/L recorded. This will cellar for years. On balance, this was the most-favoured wine among the group. GK 11/14

2007 Te Mata Chardonnay Elston 18 ½ + (

)

Havelock North district mostly, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $39 [ cork; hand-harvested; 100% BF, MLF, LA and c. 9 months in French oak c. 50% new; pH 3.27, RS <2 g/L; www.temata.co.nz ]
Good lemon. Bouquet is immediately appealing, reasonably soft, pure, clearly varietal, nearly floral, attractive white stone fruits, and like Riflemans the oak and alcohol not assertive. Flavours follow on naturally, white stone fruit, firmer and slightly oakier than the Riflemans as might be expected from the more austere winemaking and lower pH, but beautifully balanced with good potential mealyness, all well-integrated and reminding of Puligny-Montrachet in style. Note Elston too comes from vineyards cooler than the Gimblett Gravels, offering the same promise of greater floral finesse. It may look even better in another year. Cellar 2 – 10 years. GK 04/09

2010 Domaine Les Cailloux Chateauneuf-du-Pape (Brunel) 18 ½ + (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $53 [ cork, 45 mm; Gr 65 – 70%, Mv 15 – 20, Sy 10 – 12, Ci & vaccarese 3 – 5; 20% whole bunches, cuvaison 28 days, Gr, Ci & Va raised in vat, Mv & Sy in new and 1-year small oak, 16 – 18 months; not fined but is filtered; J.L-L: ... dark red berry, with classic herbs ... a lovely Grenache heart to it, very true ... is not overdone and heady like so many Chateauneufs, *****; Parker, 2012: gamy, meaty notes intermixed with bouquet garni, licorice, black currants and kirsch ... Spicy, fat, fleshy and evolved and forward for a 2010 ..., 93; typical production up to 5000 9-litre cases; weight bottle and closure: 653 g; www.domaine-les-cailloux.fr ]
Ruby, some development, clearly below midway in depth. This wine demonstrates an almost perfect ‘typical’ Chateauneuf-du-Pape bouquet, at best I hasten to add. The near-floral garrigue aromatics are sensational, again almost mouthwatering, on red fruits and lovely cedary oak, illustrating that the Chateauneuf-du-Pape cepage can handle / benefit from appropriate oak. Palate is lighter than the top wines, but wonderfully supple and long all the same, the enchanting garrigue notes persisting right through, like rose florals in fine pinot noir. It is good to see a pure Brunel too: in earlier years there was brett chez Brunel. The lighter alcohol here coupled with perfect ripeness highlights a fact more Chateauneuf-du-Pape producers need to be thinking about: these wines don't need 15% plus ripeness / alcohol. The whole recent trend to winemakers pursuing over-ripeness in the Rhone Valley has been a consequence of producers seeking high rankings from American-only wine reviewers. It is time to say, the world at large does not want this trend. Cellar 5 – 20 years. Two people rated this their top or second wine. GK 06/17

1977 Graham’s Vintage Port 18 ½ + (

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Douro, Portugal: 20.7%; $255 [ cork, 38mm and 40mm (two half bottles); original price $26 (750 ml); cepage tending to 40% touriga nacional, 30% touriga franca, the balance traditional varieties; Berry Bros & Rudd: Graham is renowned for producing one of the most dense and sweet styles of vintage port ... 1977 offers an impressive bouquet of fragrances reminiscent of liquorice, plums, dried fig, followed on the palate by spice and mocha chocolate notes underlying the powerful, concentrated fruit cake flavours; Robinson, 2004: Thick, sweet and concentrated. Round and full and unctuous. Lots of macerated prunes and confidence. Lively and dense with real richness but a correct structure. Some floral notes and some dry tannins on the finish. Not quite married but a definite tea flavour. Dry finish, 17.5, noting that she recently scored the Graham's 1948 and 1945 both at 20; Parker: Along with Taylor and Fonseca, Graham has probably been the most consistent producer of great port in the post-World War II era; James Suckling @ Wine Spectator, 2008: Aromas of milk chocolate, plum, mint and violet. Full-bodied, with medium sweetness and lots of berry and cherry fruit. Very fruity and fresh. Long and lively. Delicious now, but will improve. Drink now through 2018, 91; www.grahams-port.com ]
Glowing garnet and ruby, with the Taylor’s the oldest of the 1977s, the third to lightest wine. There is something slightly different about the bouquet of the Grahams. It is still wonderfully fragrant and true to style, but all just a little more autumnal, with more obvious sultana / almost the tang of raisins / glacé fig qualities, rather than the hints of red fruits in some of the others. Palate is astonishingly concentrated, richer and sweeter than the other Portuguese wines, yet showing attractive integration with the oak. There is not quite the piquant / enticing quality (and delicacy) some of the wines show, instead a little cooked prune and a hint of caramel maybe, but the Graham’s concentration and length of finish almost makes up for that. Tasters liked this flavoursome wine, five rating it their top, five their second, a thought of barolo mentioned. It will cellar for years. GK 05/18

1986 Tyrrell's Pinot Chardonnay Vat 47 18 ½ + (

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Hunter Valley, NSW, Australia: 12.5%; $ – [ cork, 49mm; original price $21.95; together with Leeuwin Estate Chardonnay Art Series, this is Australia’s most famous chardonnay; Tyrrell pioneered barrel-fermentation and French oak for chardonnay in Australia, from the 1973 vintage; www.tyrrells.com.au ]
Deep lemon, scarcely detectable straw, the lightest wine. Bouquet is benchmark clean straight chardonnay, with a faint fragrance reminiscent of fine Hunter Semillon of similar age, but as soon as you think of that, you have to cross it out, because this wine smells rich. Flavours are still youthful, yellow nectarine not as deep as mendoza, superb lees-autolysis of benchmark quality, with subtlest oak scarcely tasteable yet you would know instantly if it weren't there. This wine is altogether a benchmark experience, showing how far ahead of us the Australians were with chardonnay, in the 1980s. It stood absolutely equal with a 2007 Billaud-Simon Chablis Les Clos Grand Cru seen shortly after. Will hold some years. Top or second wine wine for five tasters. GK 09/15

2002 Chapoutier Ermitage Le Pavillon 18 ½ + (

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Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $ – [ cork; a single-vineyard wine from the upper slopes of the famous Hill of Hermitage; 15 – 18 months in 50% new French oak; this wine from magnum; www.chapoutier.com ]
Elegant mid-ruby, not much sign of age showing, the lightest of the syrahs. Bouquet is wonderfully varietal, a meld of black cherry, cassis and blueberry, subtle oak, the wine lightly aromatic, smelling refreshing and food-friendly. Palate follows perfectly, more big pinot noir than syrah in size, the flavours complex cassis and blueberry, but more subtle than the Craggy or Torbreck wines, and therefore better at table. A spicing of black pepper adds interest. New oak is exquisitely soft and complex, subordinate. This wine is probably approaching maturity in 750s, but this sample being from magnum, is relatively youthful. The smallest of the syrahs, but the most beautiful. Cellar maybe 5 – 15 years. GK 12/17

2013 Yann Chave Hermitage [ Syrah ] 18 ½ + (

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Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $88 [ cork, 55 mm; original price $125; Sy 100%, hand-harvested at c. 4.5 t/ha = 1.8 t/ac; destemmed, up to 25 days cuvaison, 12 months in new and 1-year 600 L barrels; not fined, filtered; good to have a tasting note from John Livingstone-Learmonth, the authority on the Northern Rhone: J.L-L, 2015: The nose is attractive ... black berry fruit, with buffed leather, dark cherry ... ripe, the depth stylish. The palate is generous, tasty, long, fresh as it ends. Good balance here. The dark fruit is seasoned with pepper, spice, and oak just on show as it ends. All parts fit well; it is harmonious, [ to ] 2032, ****(*); Robinson, 2014: Cask sample. In demi-muids [ 600-litre ] for 12 months. Deep blackish purple. Very broad nose with such a weight of fruit that it is initially quite difficult to see the tannins but it is all there and rather exciting. Very long-term wine but one in which the quality can be discerned already. Excellent balance and tension, 18; Dunnuck @ Parker, 2015: ... has fabulous purity in its classic black currants, smoked herbs, pepper and crushed rock-like minerality ... medium to full-bodied richness, beautiful mid-palate depth ... 20 or more years of overall longevity, 92; production c. 500 x 9-litre cases; imported by Maison Vauron, Auckland; weight bottle and closure: 632 g; www.yannchave.com ]
Rich ruby and velvet, not the freshness of some of the New Zealand wines, but the second deepest. Initially opened, the wine is a bit brooding. It opens up to textbook dianthus varietal florals on cassisy and darkly plummy berry, some black pepper, with quite a lot of oak showing, both new and old. Palate is a notch oakier again, a powerful wine, but the first thing you notice is the carnation florals permeate right through the palate, intense, lovely, and unusual. This is an attribute of the finest French wines we still have difficulty matching in New Zealand, both in syrah and pinot noir. The fruit dries more quickly on the tongue than in the top wines, largely due to the interaction with the older cooperage. The richness is not in doubt though, so I suspect this is just a phase. Once this wine crusts in bottle, I think it will be sublime. Like the Villa Reserve, this wine could only be Hermitage, with its power of dark cassisy fruit. Two tasters rated it their top wine, and three thought it the French. Cellar 10 – 35 years. GK 06/17

2013 Sacred Hill Syrah Deerstalkers 18 ½ + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $56 [ cork 50mm; Sy 100%, hand-picked from c.13-year old vines planted at c.2,775 vines / ha and cropped @ 5 t/ha = 2 t/ac; no cold-soak, cuvaison 25 – 35 days with 3% whole bunches retained, mostly wild-yeast; MLF in barrel; 16 months in French oak c.38% new; RS <2 g/L; not sterile-filtered; dry extract not measured; production not disclosed; release date August 2015; pre-release tasting bottles courtesy Tony Bish; www.sacredhill.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a model syrah colour, above midway in depth. This is a quiet one in the field, and thus easy to underestimate. It is riper than the Te Mata, and hence not as floral, but it is also more concentrated, with a gorgeous texture of cassisy berry fruit which lasts and lasts in mouth. At a certain point you realise there is quite a bit of potentially cedary oak, but the wine should harmonise. Like the Elephant Hill, you feel a floral component will emerge, but it is not as concentrated as that wine or the Villa Reserve. Intriguing, a wine not giving too much away at this stage. In the Regional Wines tasting, three people rated this the top wine, at the blind stage. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 05/15

2014 Te Mata Estate Viognier Zara 18 ½ + (

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Woodthorpe, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $31 [ 45 mm supercritical cork (Diam); all BF in mostly older oak; nearly complete MLF; <6 months in barrel, with lees work; <2 g/L RS; www.temata.co.nz ]
Elegant lemon, faintly greener than Elston Chardonnay. Bouquet is strikingly sweet, floral and ripe, redolent of wild-ginger blossom (one of the most beautifully fragrant flowers in the garden, even if you're not supposed to grow it now), yet with lovely yellow fruit behind the florals. Palate follows on delightfully, and is immediately a great step up on any Te Mata Viognier preceding it. Not only is it varietally accurate in flavour, fresh Otago apricots and that ginger blossom again, but it has texture, mouthfeel and presence. In 2007 I used the then current Te Mata Viognier among others to publish a review (10 Aug. 2007, link given above, below the index to the wine reviews) about viognier in New Zealand, and said Hawkes Bay is ideally suited to this grape. I went on to say if New Zealand viognier is to match international models for the grape, it needs more ripeness (for accurate varietal character) and the use of the malolactic fermentation to achieve body and mouthfeel. At that stage the Te Mata wine had very little or no MLF, and rated poorly. The great news for this 2014 wine is that there is almost total MLF, and the wine is transformed. Coupled with its varietal accuracy and palate weight, the oak handling is sublime, with full barrel-fermentation but very little new oak. In sum, this is among the best viogniers so far made in New Zealand. It is not dramatically varietal, as the best Condrieu may be, but neither is it overtly oaky, as some of the top Guigal Condrieu wines (for example) are. And it is infinitely more subtle, fragrant and tender than any Australian example of the grape. Why the public do not love this fragrant and satisfying grape, which matches so many complex fish meals so perfectly, is a mystery to me. I guess they are in the once-bitten, twice shy category, having been put off by the many variously-insipid examples on the New Zealand market made by producers in inappropriate parts of the country, who mostly seem to have no grasp whatsoever of what the grape should taste like. Stick to Hawkes Bay and Waiheke Island examples is my advice (and even the latter is inconsistent), but for a real treat, buy this Te Mata 2014 wine. Cellar 1 – 3 years, only. GK 03/16

2013 Church Road [ Cabernet / Merlot ] Tom 18 ½ + (

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Bridge Pa Triangle 67%, Gimblett Gravels 23%, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $188 [ cork, 49 mm; DFB; original price $200; DFB; CS 67%, Me 33; all hand-picked and sorted with great attention to fruit quality for the Tom parcels, at an approximate cropping rate of 6 t/ha (= 2.4 t/ac); 100% de-stemmed, crushed, no cold soak, inoculated fermentation mostly in oak cuves, a fraction in s/s, cuvaison up to 30 days for the CS components, 26 for the Me, with particular care re aeration; 22 months in all-French oak c.92% new, balance 1-year, successive rackings to clarify and aerate; light fining, not filtered; RS is given as 2 g/L, but that is the non-fermentable sugars: in the usual sense (of glucose and fructose) nil would be more realistic; winemaker Chris Scott considers 2013 is the driest year in the viticultural zone for 70 years, and not unduly hot; like the Babich wine, 2013 Tom has not been sent for overseas review; Chan, 2016: a beautifully fresh, vibrant and aromatic nose ... sweetly ripe blackcurrants and black-berried fruits interwoven with black plums … cedary oak. Medium-full bodied … ripe black berried fruits with black plum notes, spices, ... near seamless … significant extraction … classically proportioned, vibrant and ageworthy, 19.5; Cooper, 2017: … a sense of subtle power. Dark and weighty, it is graceful, with lovely depth of youthful blackcurrant, plum and spice flavours, and a silky-textured, lasting finish. Already delicious, *****; dry extract not measured; c.500 x 9-litre cases; weight bottle and closure: 716 g; www.churchroad.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, midway in depth. This wine has a voluminous bouquet, lots of berry, lots of oak, lots of alcohol, very big and very ripe, a real crowd-pleaser. Digging deeper, there are still cassis aromatics, but it is touch and go for the level of ripeness, there not being the freshness some of the more highly-marked wines show. Palate follows exactly from the bouquet, big, rich, soft and velvety (if you ignore the alcohol) … but the flavours are all tending just a little brown and over-ripe, by classical Bordeaux standards. It is a wine moving towards a hotter-climate wine style, reminiscent of a year in Bordeaux like 2003, where sur-maturité was a widely-acknowledged problem. So Church Road has a dilemma, particularly so since we sit next door to a hot-climate wine country: do you strive to make the most ‘popular’ fine wine, in a market where most consumers adore / are seduced by oak (and alcohol) ? Or do you strive to make the greatest wine by classical Bordeaux wine standards that our very special viticultural climate can uniquely produce. Noting that the French abhor sur-maturité. Tasters liked this wine, five rating it their top wine, three their second. Interestingly, five thought it from California: that is certainly the style the wine achieves. Cellar 10 – 35 years, maybe longer. GK 06/17

2010 Guigal Gigondas 18 ½ + (

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Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $41 [ Cork, 50 mm; now Gr 65%, Mv 25, Sy 10, cropped at 3.9 t/ha = 1.6 t/ac; Parker rating for year 98; elevation two years in large oak, up to 50% new; note J.L-L has quite a different rendering of these ‘facts’, and he is such an assiduous researcher of the Northern Rhone I am inclined to believe him: 60% Grenache, 33% Mourvedre, 7% various others – Syrah, Cinsault, large wood but little new, wine bought from up to 40 suppliers; J.L-L, pre-2013: ... full red. Wide, promising nose that is well-filled, with dark red fruit, mulberry, tobacco, mocha – a bouquet of substance. The palate holds tightly packed dark red fruits with plenty of tannin close beside them. It is more complete and complex than the 2009 Gigondas, has a sense of fire in its veins, a real six-pack style torso. It has a fresh declension, with its southern strength well sustained. Good length, too. From 2015. 2032-2034, ****(*); J Dunnuck @ Parker, 2013: A blend of 65% Grenache, 25% Mourvedre and 10% Syrah that spent 24 months in older foudres, the 2010 Gigondas is a classic effort that offers up quality spice, underbrush, loamy soil and mulled dark fruits to go with a medium-bodied, rich, supple profile on the palate. Beautifully done, with chewy tannin lending some focus and grip on the finish, it should have 12-15 years of longevity, 91; Wine Spectator, 2014: Ripe, with notes of mulling spices weaving around the core of steeped plum and macerated currant fruit. Hints of licorice snap, wood spice and black tea fill in on the fleshy finish. Drink now through 2017. 2,200 cases imported, 90; www.guigal.com ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, above midway in depth. The three Gigondas were placed as wines six to eight in the sequence, and sequenced simply in vintage order, so tasters could concentrate on the difference in style of a grenache-led wine vs the syrahs, and then see how they varied with the vintage, and age. The bouquet on number six, this wine, was therefore a dramatic contrast to the five syrahs Brune & Blonde which preceded it. It was more red fruits, more cinnamon spicy, suggestions of thyme and rosemary garrigue character adding a quite different aromatic quality, compared with the cassis of the best syrahs, just lovely. Palate is in one sense rich and flavoursome, furry-tannins of youth, yet in another sense it is light and refreshing. This is the great thing about good Gigondas: it has not ‘put on weight’ with the clumsy alcohol too many modern Chateauneuf-du-Papes now display. Yes, the alcohol may be a little more than the given 14%, but nowhere near the 15 + % increasingly the norm in Chateauneuf-du-Pape. This wine is uncannily fresh, the raspberry fruit still somewhat separate from the oak, but you feel it will marry up wonderfully, with its gorgeous freshness pointing to a lovely fragrant wine many years down the track. Two people had this as their second favourite wine of the evening, even up against the grands crus. Cellar 10 – 25 years. GK 05/17

2009 Te Mata Estate Cabernets / Merlot Coleraine 18 ½ + (

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Havelock North Hills mainly, some Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $74 [ cork, 49mm; CS 52%, Me 43, CF 5; superb April, warm, cabernet year, GDD 1494, harvest mid-March to early April; release price $85; Cowley, 2017: tight, ripe and intense; Perrotti-Brown @ R. Parker, 2011: ... moderately intense notes of cedar over black currant, blackberry and cloves plus hints of dusty earth, dried leaves … Medium-full bodied with firm fine-grained tannins ... tightly-knit flesh with a lively acid backbone and a long, layered finish. 2013 to 2021+, 93+; Chan, 2011: ... quite ethereal and aromatic [bouquet] with ripe dark red berry fruit and plums and violetty florals showing. The palate features sweet, rich, near exotic red and black fruits on a very powerful, concentrated, highly extracted framework. The tannins are very fine ... The finish is long ... 9-15 years easily, 18.5; www.temata.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, nearly carmine, the third deepest wine, clearly a little older than the 2013. This 2009 wine intrigues me. This I think is the spiritual successor to 1998 Coleraine. Even though the growing degree days don't clearly support my interpretation, nonetheless in Hawkes Bay 2009 was generally thought to be a warm year. This 2009 Coleraine certainly seems to me to be the riper wine of a warmer year, clearly fragrant but not explicitly floral, instead this wonderful aromatic cassisy quality only achievable in temperate climates, great berry on bouquet, fragrant cedary oak augmenting. In mouth the wine is darkly plummy and beautifully ripe, softer than the 2013, less aromatic than the 1998, both perhaps reflecting the slightly higher merlot in 2009, richer than the 2013 too, with perfectly judged cedary oak framing the wine. Length of ripe slightly tanniny flavours is most impressive, not quite as fresh as the 2013, but gorgeous all the same. The wine is starting to show hints of approaching maturity. It will cellar for 10 – 30 years. The 2009 was rated highly by four tasters on night one, yet by none on night two. Again I thought the bottles identical. GK 08/17

2001 Domaine Clape Cornas 18 ½ + (

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Cornas, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $234 [ cork 50mm; Sy 100%; c. 20 months in older 600 – 1800-litre foudres, not filtered; J.L-L: black fruit aroma … very classic Cornas: *****; no website found, good information at the Europvin website, and; www.kermitlynch.com/our-wines/auguste-clape ]
Ruby and velvet, the deepest and youngest of the syrahs. Quality of bouquet here is tremendous, showing classic black-pepper / spicy and cassisy syrah of great complexity, with clearcut suggestions of new oak. Popular mythology has it that there is no new oak in the Clape cellar in that era, but the style of the wine is incontrovertible, in the glass. Palate is sweet, ripe, rich, an even more perfect expression of syrah the aromatic black grape than the 2001 Chave. On palate it certainly shows less new oak influence than the Chave. A glorious pair of wines, the Clape to cellar to 20 years. GK 02/16

2010 Sacred Hill Merlot Brokenstone 18 ½ + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $50 [ cork; Me 62%, CS 13, Sy 13, CF 12, hand-picked from mostly 10-year old vines; cuvaison approx 30 days; 16 months in French oak c.40% new; RS <2 g/L, all unfermentable; lightly fined and filtered; Parker: 92+, Robinson: 16.5; www.sacredhill.com ]
Ruby and velvet, nearly some carmine, but (reasonably) not as fresh as the 2013s, just in the top third for depth. The bouquet here is very beautiful indeed, showing a concentration of ripe berry and florality which is rare in Hawkes Bay blends whether from Bordeaux or Hawkes Bay. There are nearly violets on the floral side, slightly masked by vanillin from rather much oak. Fruit quality is darkest plums dominant, but with quite a cassisy note too, the oak aromatics intertwining with the supposed cassis to perhaps confuse the nose. Concentration is good too, though not as rich as the 2011 Church Road Cabernet Grand Reserve, or 2009 Tom. This wine is totally of classed-growth standard, but Saint-Emilion in style (except for the oak). It is notably fresher than 2009 Tom, and highly attractive. Cellar 5 – 15 years, maybe 20. GK 06/14

2004 Guigal Condrieu la Doriane 18 ½ + (

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Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $ – [ cork; c. US$90; 35-year vines cropped @ 2.25 t/ac; BF and MLF in new French oak, plus 9 months LA and batonnage; Parker 163: "intense mineral notes intermixed with honeysuckle, peach, and floral components … tight … 93"; Spectator: 92; Robinson: "Deeply nutty-flavoured … 15" [ sounds a lesser / bit oxidised bottle, comparable with one encountered a few days previously, at Regional Wines & Spirits, unlike the one below – how fraught reporting on wines is ! ]; www.guigal.com ]
Lemonstraw. Bouquet is a couple of sizes larger than the Vidal, but with remarkable complementarity of the components. Everything in the French wine is just delightfully more obvious – particularly the orange blossom florals, the apricotty fruit, and the MLF component (which is much more apparent, perhaps beyond absolute elegance). On palate the strength of flavour continues bold alongside the Vidal, dramatically varietal, and both the oak and alcohol show more, while the acid is somewhat less. This is unequivocal viognier, well-balanced for a clearly-oaked one, probably at a peak now. Cellar a year or so – I suspect such strength of character will coarsen with age. GK 04/07

nv Champagne Pierre Peters Rosé for Albane Brut * 18 ½ + (

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Champagne, France: 12%; $ – [ supercritical 'cork'; Ch 60% from Le Mesnil grand cru, PM 40% from Damery and Cumieres, rank not clear; based on 2012 fruit, hand-picked; all s/s elevation; full MLF; c.2.5 years en tirage; dosage c.7.5 g/L; www.champagne-peters.com ]
Colour is palest salmon, to first impression just a little paler than is delightful or reassuring. Bouquet however shows exquisite purity, subtle florality, palest pink roses, illustrating the lovely and charming side of pinot meunier: subtlest red currants and the best side of fresh strawberries. Behind that hint of red fruits is beautiful autolysis, just as good as the Extra Brut (this year's). Palate is just as elegant, great freshness and subtle baguette flavours mingling with the hint-only of red currants, an extraordinarily finessed rosé wine. The more you taste it, the finer and subtler it becomes, not something you can say for most rosé offerings, so maybe the colour is just right in terms of phenolics. Meunier has the reputation of maturing quickly, so do not expect this wine to retain freshness as well as some rosés or the blanc de blancs. But even once it goes coppery, I'm sure it will still be lovely. The slightly higher residual sweetness / dosage of this wine is just apparent, once you think about it. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 10/15

2005 Craggy Range Merlot / Cabernet Te Kahu Gimblett Gravels Vineyard 18 ½ + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.8%; $ – [ cork; DFB; in general, this is an export label only, priced around US$35 – however small quantities sometimes appear on the NZ market; Me 80%, CS & Ma 20, hand-harvested @ 3.5 t/ac; 100% de-stemmed; fermented in s/s; 19 months in French oak 55% new; fined and filtered; CEO Steve Smith sees this as akin to a second wine to Sophia; dry extract 28 g/L; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, one of the deeper. This wine too shows the magical cassis and darkest plums of the other Craggys, but with an additional almost blueberry note, which grades into violets florals. Palate shows the gorgeous dusky berry richness of the range, beautifully balanced to potentially cedary oak. It may be a little oakier than the Gimblett Gravels Merlot, but many would prefer it for that. And aromatics are naturally higher in Te Kahu, with the cabernet component. Given that this is the volume spearhead of Craggy's export thrust in Hawkes Bay / Bordeaux blends, and is priced at much the same level as the Gimblett Gravels Merlot, all New Zealanders can be immensely proud of this affordable but champion red actively out there in the export arena. Cellar 5 – 15 + years. GK 09/07

2014 Felton Road Pinot Noir Cornish Point 18 ½ + (

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Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $69 [ screwcap; main clones Dijon 114, 115, 667, 777, Abel, 10/5, UCD 5 and 6, planted at c.4,040 vines/ha, all hand-picked from 14-year-old vines @ an average of 5.5 t/ha (2.2 t/ac), c.25% whole-bunch, cold soak 9 days, all wild-yeast ferments, then c.13 days cuvaison; c.13 months in French oak c.30% new, medium toast; not filtered; RS nil; dry extract 26.4 g/L; production 1,100 cases; www.feltonroad.com ]
Fresh quite deep pinot noir ruby, just above midway in depth. Bouquet is understated yet charming, a deep sensuous Cote de Nuits kind of florality hinting at violets and darkest roses, a little boronia, on red grading to black cherry fruit. Palate is simply lovely pinot noir, totally varietal, a burst of flavour like biting on a mouthful of black cherries, then the fruit beautifully framed by oak, yet the oak understated. This is very fragrant Otago pinot noir showing particularly appealing and complex flavours. It is undoubtedly of grand cru quality, succulent and long and seemingly richer in mouth than the dry extract would suggest, yet dry to the finish. Glorious wine, and highly varietal New Zealand pinot noir, to cellar 5 – 15 years, maybe longer. Group View (Flight 2): 5 first places, 4 second, none least. GK 11/15

2013 Te Mata Syrah Bullnose 18 ½ + (

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Bridge Pa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $50 [ cork 45mm; 3 clones of syrah hand-harvested, 100% de-stemmed; extended cuvaison; 15 months in French oak some new; RS nil; www.temata.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, the fourth deepest syrah, good but not dense weight. Bouquet epitomises the floral qualities which set good syrah apart from other darker red grapes (though merlot from optimal climates comes close). The precision of the wallflower and dusky rose florals here is stunning, matched only by top-notch Cote Rotie (which is not over-oaked, thus ruling out the Guigal grands crus), such as the best Jamet and Cuilleron bottlings. Behind the florals is rich berry embracing both cassis and omega plum, plus subtle beautiful oak. Flavour follows magically, the florality continuing long into the palate, again totally good Cote Rotie in style. There is a subtlety and finesse to this wine unthinkable in Australian interpretations of the grape, so more than likely it will be disparaged by some of their more boisterous commentators. But to anyone attuned to Cote Rotie, this is the real thing. I took the 2005 Bullnose with me, when visiting Yves Cuilleron a few years ago: the consistency of style and achievement by Te Mata with their Bullnose syrahs is a pleasure to record. This 2013 is as good as any vintage to date. The proprietors, being winemakers, say to cellar it 6 – 8 years, but those who like gentle mature wines and the way they are so magical with food, can double that. This is every bit as great an achievement, in world terms, as 2013 Coleraine, and as I have argued in some previous vintages, perhaps a greater one, simply because it shows pinpoint ripeness to optimise the floral / burgundian side of syrah. GK 03/15

2009 Trinity Hill Cabernets / Merlot The Gimblett 18 ½ + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $ – [ supercritical Diam 'cork'; Me 38, CS 37, CF 15, PV 8, Ma 2; hand-picked; the grapes de-stemmed, average vine age 13 years; c.28 days cuvaison; 18 months in 'predominantly' French oak 35% new; www.trinityhill.com ]
Ruby and velvet, a little development showing. The intensity of brambly cassis on bouquet here is a delight, the bouquet being totally of classed growth Medoc calibre. Fruit on palate is phenomenal, but the wine is more tannic than the 2013. It may be even richer than the 2013, so has the substance to cellar and harmonise beautifully for many years to come. The complexity and even florality on bouquet of this wine gives no hint that 2009 was a hot year in Hawkes Bay. It will form an admirable running-mate in 2009 / 2010 Bordeaux tastings. Cellar 10 – 25 years. GK 11/15

2013 Crossroads Syrah Winemakers Collection 18 ½ + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $56 [ screwcap; Sy 100%, 25% hand-picked from c.14-year old vines planted at c.3,125 vines / ha and cropped @ c.5.8 t/ha = 2.3 t/ac; variously 1 – 4 days cold-soak, cuvaison 21 – 28 days, no whole-bunch component, cultured-yeast; MLF in barrel; 17 months in French oak c.35% new; RS 0.34 g/L; not sterile-filtered; dry extract 29.3; production 650 x 9-L cases; released; www.crossroadswines.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a lovely young syrah colour, right in the middle for depth. This wine stands out for its lovely bouquet, illustrating darkest rose and wallflower florals of haunting beauty, on darker cassisy berry and bottled black doris plum fruit. There is subtlest black pepper spice too. In mouth it is not the richest wine, but nor is it oaky, so the varietal quality comes through beautifully. I prefer it to the 'Reserve' Talisman version, which shows more oak influence. Under its new management, Crossroads is becoming a winery to watch. This wine will mature gracefully in bottle, but it is already of young Hermitage quality. It's dry extract is a creditable 29.3 g/L. This is another wine which appealed to me more than the group, though there were four second-place rankings at the Regional Wines tasting. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 05/15

2015 Astrolabe Sauvignon Blanc Awatere Valley 18 ½ + (

)

Awatere Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $22 [ screwcap; machine-harvested in evening, minimal skin contact, all cool s/s fermentation; RS 1 g/L; website: 'a record dry, early and warm season in Marlborough, with growing degree days 10% above the long-term average, and 40% of the normal rainfall'; www.astrolabewines.co.nz ]
Lemon, not quite the perfect green wash of the Taylors Pass wine. Bouquet is very close to it, however, reflecting a welcome return to form for this label after a (relatively – for Astrolabe) disappointing 2014. There is a gorgeous yellow honeysuckle complexity note here, on similar nectarine and black passionfruit pulp fruit, and sautéed red capsicum. This wine too has the magical sweet basil complexity note seen in the Taylors Pass wine, but in addition it hints, merely hints note, at trace musky sweat / armpit aroma. This is a musky thiol character I'm generally down on, but at this level it melds almost insensibly into black passionfruit, as much the purple skin as the yellow pulp. Palate is aromatic and lovely, drier than the Taylors Pass [ confirmed ], and arguably therefore the superior wine. This wine too is a model New Zealand sauvignon blanc, as year in, year out, one or other of the two Astrolabe Sauvignon Blancs from the Wairau or Awatere Valley invariably is. Note however this wine illustrates a near-maximum desirable level of the armpit complexity character. It is worth repeating that the offensively sour sweaty wines which won gold medals in the first few years of this century were an absolute judging aberration, which threatened to derail New Zealand sauvignon blanc. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 04/16

2015 Escarpment Pinot Noir Kiwa 18 ½ + (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $70 [ screwcap 28-year old vines, Cleland vineyard in Martinborough proper; wild-yeast fermented in wooden cuves, 21 days cuvaison, 18 months in French oak 40% new; RS < 1 g/L, dry extract 27.7 g/L, not filtered; www.escarpment.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby, a little older / more oak-affected than the village wine. Bouquet is intriguing, a hint of a thyme-like aromatic as if it were from Otago, understated red rose florals melding with red and black cherry fruit, and sophisticated oak. It is not giving much away on bouquet at this stage, you have to work at it. Palate is neat and nearly as taut as the Verismo, attractive rich cherry flavours more in anticipation than revealed, the oak to a max but the fruit should wrap it up in time. A cellar wine par excellence, relative to the more accessible village wine. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 06/17

2002 Rousseau Clos de la Roche 18 ½ + (

)

Morey-St Denis Grand Cru, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 13%; $170 [ cork; 30 – 35 hl/ha (1.5 – 1.8 t/ac); 10% whole-bunch, c. 15 day cuvaison in s/s; MLF and up 22 months in French oak 25% new; Coates: Good colour. Lovely opulent, rich, gently oaky nose. This has splendid depth, class, harmony and vigour. Long and very promising. Very fine. From 2010; Parker / Rovani: 90 – 92; www.domaine-rousseau.com ]
Ruby, not quite as deep as the Beze, but the hue brighter, less oak affected. This wine takes a little longer to open than the Beze, a trace of retained fermentation odours, but finally reveals pinot noir beauty nearly as explicit as that wine, and in the sense there is less new oak (later confirmed from website), arguably even more varietal – darkest rose and boronia florals, pinpoint varietal. Palate is as rich as the Beze, seemingly more succulent with less oak, long and lingering exquisite dark cherry fruit, very beautiful. Neither of these two are big wines, in the contemporary sense of that term. Cellar 5 – 20 + years. GK 07/06

2014 Craggy Range Merlot Sophia 18 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $93 [ 49mm cork; DFB; Me 61%, CS 20, CF 19, hand-picked from c.14-year old vines cropped @ 6.25 t/ha = 2.5 t/ac; cuvaison not given, cultured-yeast; 19 months in French oak c.42% new; RS nil; sterile-filtered; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, midway in depth in the eight merlots and syrahs, the deepest of the merlots. Bouquet achieves a magical quality very rarely encountered in Hawkes Bay / Bordeaux blends: here is a merlot that truly smells of violets as a glorious top note on dark bottled black doris plums, plus some cassis. Palate shows the best berry concentration of the four merlots, and a much better ratio of berry to oak, all much closer to Bordeaux in style than the other three merlot wines. The floral qualities go right through the palate to the aftertaste: this is lovely fragrant and elegant wine, not big but beautiful. Cellar 5 – 18 years. GK 09/16

1996 Salon Blanc de Blancs Le Mesnil Cuvée S Brut 18 ½ + (

)

Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Champagne, France: 12%; $640 [ cork; Ch 100%; en tirage c. 10 years; Salon compares the 1996 with 1928, on an informative website; current vintage price in NZ c.$525; www.salondelamotte.com ]
Lemonstraw, younger and almost shining, one of the lightest in hue yet not at all weak-looking. Initially poured, the bouquet was not quite enchanting, but the flavour was superb. After 20 minutes or so, bouquet had subtly changed to crumb of best baguette rather than crust, with clear white mushroom notes. In mouth it immediately looked like a high-chardonnay wine, with a purity of flavour and autolysis which is compelling. It simply became better and better. This is one of the youngest-tasting wines in the batch, it is not one of the notably rich wines, but the balance is perfect. Dosage might be around the 8 g/L mark. You feel this would cellar for many years. GK 11/14

2009 Greywacke Wild Sauvignon 18 ½ + (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $ – [ screwcap; fruit from both Southern Valleys and Wairau Plains, mix of hand-pick and machine, at roughly 9 – 10 t/ha = 3.6 – 4 t/ac; no SO2 at press, no skin contact, only the lightest pressings used, all juice cold-settled then into barrels, 93% older oak (up to 9 years), 7% new (light toast); long wild-yeast fermentations quite warm initially, usually extending to 11 – 12 months, occasionally longer, MLF typically 66% but ranging from 50 – 75% of barrels; the wine then assembled in s/s with full lees and held 6 or so months; RS 5.5 g/L, sterile-filtered to bottle; Wild has now grown to 25% of all Greywacke sauvignon; www.greywacke.com ]
Lemonstraw, the deepest wine, still fresh and vigorous for its age. This is the first of the line, marking the debut of Greywacke Wild Sauvignon. Bouquet is more like the 2011, a clean ripe sweet sauvignon component with clear freesia florals melding with sweet basil and red capsicum, just wonderful. It smells rich. Flavour is softer, richer and bigger than the 2013 and 2011 wines, but otherwise very similar, with a rich tactile later palate. The richness almost suggests glycerol, which completely obscures the fact that this is the sweetest of the wines, nearer six than three grams per litre. This wine is on its plateau of maturity, but there is no hurry at all. Cellar 2 – 5 years, maybe longer. GK 05/17

2008 Obsidian Syrah 18 ½ + (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14%; $54 [ cork; hand-harvested, all de-stemmed; cultured yeast, MLF and c.12 months in barrel 20% new French, 40% second-year French, balance older mixed; light fining; 125 cases; www.obsidian.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, fractionally the deepest wine in the Auckland release tasting, slightly fresher than Homage. Bouquet on this wine is pinpoint Syrah taken to the optimal stage of ripeness where soft wallflower florals are clearly retained, and classical cassis berry is just grading into dark bottled black doris plums. This level of physiological maturity with subtle cracked black peppercorns in simple terms matches a wine from a great year on the Hill of Hermitage. Palate is textbook syrah, showing a similar quality of French oak to Homage but not quite so much of it, so the berry definition of cassis and a hint of blueberry is clear, and the firmness on palate slightly less. It is therefore slightly more fleshy than the Trinity Hill wine. This is great Syrah too, and for Waiheke Island the absolute benchmark wine so far, because it is completely free of brett – a joy. Cellar 5 – 15 + years. GK 07/10

2013 Brokenwood Shiraz Graveyard 18 ½ + (

)

Hunter Valley, NSW, Australia: 13.5%; $192 [ screwcap; Brokenwood's top shiraz; all French oak and little or none new – wonderful; Halliday vintage rating Hunter Valley 8 /10 for 2013; www.brokenwoodwines.com ]
Ruby, a wash of carmine and velvet, in the lightest quarter of the non-pinot reds. Bouquet is intriguing, immediately nearly floral, but you can't decide whether that is on vanillin from the oak, or subliminal mint as in flowering mint. Below is a softer spectrum of shiraz fruit qualities than most Australian examples of the variety, mulberry and plummy, ripened beyond cassis, almost conceivable as syrah. Even at the blind stage, you wonder if this is could be a 'Hunter burgundy' winestyle. Palate continues that impression, a little more aromatic now, a little more like The McRae Wood, more serious oak than the Barry Veto, but still acceptable, acid adjustment a little noticeable and detracting slightly. Even so, this is sophisticated wine. What a joy that there are sophisticated Australian shirazes, in this fanciful-price class. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 06/16

2010 Villa Maria Merlot / Cabernet Sauvignon Library Release 18 ½ + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $70 [ screwcap; Me 62%, CS 38, 12 – 14 years age, cropped at 5 t/ha = 2 t/ac; 25% hand-picked, balance new-generation Pellenc Selectiv harvester; cuvaison up to 28 days for Me, up to 42 days for CS; MLF in tank and barrel; 18 months in French oak 60% new; RS nil; not sterile-filtered; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, still almost some carmine, remarkable, near-identical to the great 2010 Ch Palmer, seen the same day. The quality of bouquet here is wonderful, showing vibrant cassis-led berry of great excitement and freshness, on darkly plummy fruit and potentially cedary oak. It is very fragrant but not markedly floral, more darkest roses melding with brown pipe tobacco, totally bordeaux-like. In mouth the freshness of cassisy berry is dramatic, fruit weight is good but not quite the magic amplitude of the Braided Gravels Merlot, and oak might be fractionally higher. 2010 in Hawkes Bay was not as ripe and beautiful as 2009, and this wine therefore reflects a certain tautness. But it is ripe and remarkably under-developed, being under screwcap, so its beauty and full flowering lies in the future. This wine immediately sets the challenge: is this the best cabernet / merlot blend in Hawkes Bay in 2010 ? The fruit sweetness is phenomenal. An essential wine for future 2010 New Zealand / Australia / Bordeaux / California comparative tastings, provided the wines are decanted to standard bottles so a certain class of taster cannot dismiss the wine, having noticed (even in brown-bags) that it is closed with screwcap. Cellar 5 – 20 years, maybe longer. GK 11/15

1971 Jakob Hoffmann Neumagener Engelgrube Auslese QmP 18 ½ + (

)

Mosel Valley, Germany: – %; $12.10 [ cork, 46mm; a second Reserve bottle (the first Reserve, 1971 Dom Scharzhofberg was also TCA-affected) for the TCA-affected 1971 Lauerburg Wehlener Sonnenuhr; no information located on this (presumably former) winery; a Sichel Sohne selection – Sichel was at the time noted for his discrimination; bottle courtesy of the late Ken Kirkpatrick. ]
Lightish gold, below midway in depth. There is a freshness and piquancy to the bouquet of this wine which immediately spoke of mature Mosel, in the blind line-up. There are still nearly florals for example honeysuckle, clear sweet-vernal hay notes, elegant pale stonefruits, all slightly honeyed. Palate continues the harmony perfectly, a lovely gentle balance of honeyed flavours to sweetness and acid, plus a subtle underlying nutty quality perhaps hinting at old oak. All at a peak, very beautiful, time to enjoy. As to ranking, it seems fair to surmise the lighter wines were a little overlooked in the tasting, when ranged alongside such weighty beerenauslesen and trockenbeerenauslesen. This wine was light even by auslesen standards, but it epitomised the great subtlety and charm of fine Mosel in full maturity. One second place, no least places. GK 11/17

2010 Henschke Cabernet Sauvignon Cyril Henschke 18 ½ + (

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Eden Valley, South Australia, Australia: 14%; $182 [ Vinolok glass stopper; biodynamic; CS 84%, CF 13, Me 3; all matured in French hogsheads, 45% new; Halliday vintage rating Eden Valley 8 /10 for 2010; www.henschke.com.au ]
Colour is much older than the field, ruby, velvet and suggestions of garnet, in the lightest quarter of the other reds. Bouquet is a vivid contrast with the predominant shiraz / syrah in the non-pinot reds. Here there is extraordinarily complex cedary barrel elevation and a bordeaux-like berry quality, based on browning cassis, but with some browning plum and brown pipe tobacco, plus faintest mint. Palate shows good fruit weight and dry extract, but because the cassis is browning, it lacks critical freshness and impact against the rather high oak, relative to Bordeaux or Hawkes Bay of the same vintage, fine though the oak is. It is supple, it is not obviously acid-adjusted, but it is warm climate cabernet, sadly. I say sadly because my goal here is to run the wine against 2010 Bordeaux and Hawkes Bay blends. On both climatic and trace mint flavour components, it will therefore defeat even the most rigorous blind tasting format. But because it also has an almost Mouton-Rothschild-like richness and structure, I'm still sorely tempted to try, all the same. Also on the positive side, how good it is to now see more sophisticated (but still lavish) use of oak in a Henschke red, their wines for many long years reflecting the tiresome macho side of Australian wine culture. Cellar 5 – 25 years. GK 06/16

2011 Villa Maria Chardonnay Keltern Single Vineyard Hawke's Bay 18 ½ + (

)

Maraekakaho, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $37 [ screwcap; hand-picked from a vineyard immediately west of the Bridge Pa Triangle, fractionally cooler than the Gimblett Gravels, clone 95 at 79% and the balance clone 15, average vine age 13 years; whole-bunch pressed, some juice settling and some juice oxidation; 100% barrique-ferment maintained 18 – 24°, c.53% wild-yeast ferments; 63% through MLF; 9 months in French oak 37% new, plus older oak to 2 years, batonnage weekly the first 8 – 10 weeks till wine stabilised, occasional thereafter; pH 3.28, RS <1; sterile-filtered; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Pale lemon to lemonstraw, much the palest of the 10 chardonnays. Bouquet shows beautiful white nectarine fruit of the non-mendoza-dominant New Zealand chardonnay style, still a clear barrel char and faint reduction complexity, but infinitely more subtle than the offensive-but-everybody's-me-too-darling 2010, subtle mealy and white mushroom autolysis, and great purity. I did decant this wine splashily, and ventilated it in an open jug for half an hour, to further attenuate 'the Keltern character'. I scarcely needed to bother, the Villa Maria winemakers have done a great job in fine-tuning this wine (and ignoring the Show results last year – praiseworthy). Palate is where this wine triumphs, the quality and richness of fruit, and the subtlety of oak handling being right up there with the Folatieres, and texturally the wine is just as fine. It is richer than the Cailleret, but not quite so complex. A great New Zealand chardonnay to cellar 3 – 12 years. GK 04/13

2003 Mt Difficulty Pinot Noir Target Gully 18 ½ + (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $75 [ screwcap; c. 1.6 t/ac; 25% stalks; 12 months in c. 40% new French oak; www.mtdifficulty.co.nz ]
Classic big pinot noir ruby. Bouquet on this wine is glorious, total florals in the boronia and darkest roses camp, underlain by aromatic cherry fruit more black than red, and grading through to hints of bottled black doris plum - pinot perfection. As with the depth of colour, this bouquet reflects about the maximum ripeness to still retain the cool-climate florals and fragrant charm which transform good pinot into great pinot. The sweetly-fruited palate is wonderfully concentrated, and has the extraordinary quality of the florals on bouquet suffusing through into the sweet ripe tannins of the palate, so all the way through the mouth, the wine is intensely fragrant. When this happens in the finest of burgundies, European wine writers speak of the magical aftertaste, spreading to reveal all the nuances of the earlier bouquet and palate - like a "peacock's tail". This wine has some of those attributes. Oak and acid balances are excellent. This will be great Otago pinot noir, one of New Zealand’s best so far, comparable with many classed burgundies (considering how enormous the range of styles is within Burgundy), without necessarily assuming it is the same as burgundy. Cellar 5 - 15 years. GK 03/05

nv Champagne Pol Roger Reserve Brut 18 ½ + (

)

Epernay, Champagne, France: 12.5%; $80 [ laminated champagne cork; cepage c. one third each PN, PM, Ch; extended cool fermentation of the base wine to optimise aroma; all base wines through MLF, 20% reserve wine, no oak; tirage between 36 and 48 months in cooler-than-many cellars, being 33 metres underground; dosage c.9.5 g/L; c. 112,000 cases; great website, vastly improved; www.polroger.com ]
Lemonstraw, one of the richer colours. The quality of autolysis on bouquet for this wine is sensational, simply text book, combining crust of best baguette with the faintest hint of mealy cashew flour and even a thought of desiccated coconut, though there is no oak. The flavour is even better, the baguette-crust sweetening to brioche flavours of great length and charm. There is also a more complex autolysis component on palate too, hinting at Vogel's Multigrain. It is not one of the driest champagnes, but the fine-grained elegance of the palate is exemplary. A real charmer, to cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 11/15

2010 Clark Estate Sauvignon Blanc 18 ½ + (

)

Awatere Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $19 [ screwcap; three picks for complexity, by machine; cool-fermented in s/s, half held on lees for 3 months; RS 3 g/L; www.borehamwoodwines.co.nz ]
Lemongreen. Bouquet illustrates all the beauty of the best New Zealand sauvignon blanc, beautifully made. It combines some elderflower charm with nettles, English gooseberry, red capsicum ripeness, and sweet basil, plus some black passionfruit extending the ripe fruit notes. Palate has the richness so many sauvignon blancs lack, bespeaking a quality cropping rate rather than a commercial one, and the flavour lasts and lasts in mouth. This is exemplary wine, up there with Astrolabe for quality. Cellar 2 – 10 years. GK 08/11

1997 Mount Langi Ghiran Shiraz Langi 18 ½ + (

)

Grampians, Western Victoria, Australia: 13%; $68 [ Cork, 44 mm; rated Excellent in the Langton's Australian wine classification, the third-level group of 65 wines; Halliday rates the 1997 vintage 10, for the Grampians district; grown on granite-derived soils at 350 m altitude, with summer temperatures reminiscent of Launceston; hand-picked from vines planted in 1963, estimated to be the last shiraz vines picked in Australia, in many vintages; a percentage of whole bunches in the ferment, c.21 days cuvaison; usually matured in American more than French oak, c. 45% new, for around 14 months; Halliday, 1999: Medium to full red-purple; the bouquet has abundant ripe black cherry and licorice fruit, supported by very subtle oak. The palate has abundant ripe fruit flavours in the same spectrum as the bouquet, again with subtle oak. Just misses out on that 'sauvage' spark of the very best Langis, 92; Parker, 2000: Hedonistic and powerful is the black/purple-colored 1997 Shiraz. Exotic, with ripe notes of blackberries, cassis, and spice, this full-bodied, nicely layered wine has considerable tannin, but it is sweet, and hardly noticeable given the wine's low acidity and wealth of rich fruit and copious glycerin. This full-bodied classic should drink well young, yet evolve nicely for 12-15 years, 91; bottle weight 523 g; www.langi.com.au ]
Colour is ruby more than garnet, above midway in depth. Bouquet is totally syrah-like, nearly cassis, great berry still quite dark, not over-oaked, no alcohol fume, and clearly floral in the archetypal carnations / dianthus style (for syrah). Its purity is stunning. Palate follows perfectly, only the faintest flowering mint aromatics, which are no more than the garrigue note in some Northern (and moreso, Southern) Rhone wines, the berry and fruit shy at first. At the tasting, the Edelstone seemed fruitier, but the next day this less showy wine had overtaken it, with berry of almost cassis-like intensity. This is total syrah, more Cote Rotie than Hermitage, wonderful length and balance, nearly some black pepper, more subtle even than the Maurice O'Shea, a little less mint, good with food. Still youthful, cellar 5 – 15 years. This wine epitomises the new face of Australian 'shiraz'. Regrettably I could not match the 1996 vintage theme of the tasting, but for the Grampians Halliday rates the 1997 vintage ahead of even 1996. Two tasters rated this their top wine, no second places, no leasts, and nobody thought it French. GK 03/17

nv Champagne Pierre Peters Cuvée de Reserve Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Brut [ 2010 base ] 18 ½ + (

)

Cote de Blancs, Champagne, France: 12%; $ – [ supercritical 'cork'; Ch 100% based on 2010 fruit, all hand-picked from c.50 grand cru sites through the Cote de Blancs, including Le Mesnil; 40% of the wine from the assembled multi-vintage Reserve 'solera'; full MLF; c.2.5 years en tirage; dosage c.6.5 g/L; www.champagne-peters.com ]
Elegant lemon, fractionally deeper than the two later 'years'. This first 2013-release batch in New Zealand can be recognised by not having any supplementary back label. Bouquet is the richest, most mellow, and most exquisitely baguette-laden of the three Cuvée de Reserves. It is so complex as to be nearly floral. Palate has softened somewhat to show near-brioche 'sweetness' of baguette character, on exquisite chardonnay fruit – yet it is not 'fruity'. The grand cru quality fruit is so satisfying and sustained, you would never pick this as c.6.5 grams per litre dosage. An outstanding 'standard' champagne, and blanc de blancs champagne, of rare quality – if only you can put it aside for 2 years from purchase. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 11/15

2009 Vidal Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot Gimblett Gravels Legacy Series 18 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $60 [ screwcap; CS 76, Me 24, hand-picked, all de-stemmed; cuvaison varies up to 30 days; 20 months in French oak 50% new; RS <1 g/L; minimal fining and filtration; www.vidal.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, more clearly carmine alongside 2009 Tom, and nearly as deep. Bouquet here is a much more vibrant expression of the Bordeaux (meaning Medoc, since the wine lists cabernet first) wine style than 2009 Tom, as the colour alone would suggest. Bouquet shows clear cassis as well as rich ripe plum, and there is a freshness to the wine on bouquet 2009 Tom lacks. On palate the wine is rich, yet it lacks the remarkable palate weight and presence of Tom. The flavours of cabernet sauvignon (cassis), as well as merlot (dark plums) are both beautifully expressed, however, the oak handling is as good as Tom (though still overt alongside some 2009 classed-growth Bordeaux), and the alcohol at 13.5% is wonderfully lower, refreshing the wine. This is a great achievement in a year like 2009. In choosing between the wines, it is very much an issue of Napa vs Bordeaux analogies. Both will give much pleasure in cellar for many years to come, the Vidal for 5 – 20 years. GK 06/13

2014 Neudorf Chardonnay Moutere 18 ½ + (

)

Moutere Hills, Nelson, New Zealand: 13.5%; $55 [ screwcap; hand-picked from organically-grown clone mendoza; whole-bunch pressed, minimal settling; 100% wild-yeast, barrel-ferment and MLF; around 12 months in French oak but only 11% new, batonnage as needed; www.neudorf.co.nz ]
Lemon, in the middle for depth. After the 2010 Tom and 2013 Greystone chardonnays, this wine smells almost demure. The first impression is a subtle florality reminiscent of traditional English primrose, on supremely pure slightly citrussy chardonnay fruit. Lees autolysis and barrel-ferment components are apparent, but much more subtly so than in the Greystone or Tom 2010. Palate is more in a paler Greystone style, not quite the body, total acid fresher than the 2010 Tom, citrus fruit as much as white peach or yellow, the tactile flavours of lees autolysis and barrel-ferment growing in mouth. There is a near-invisible shadow of flintyness / reduction just detectable at this stage, which I expect to marry away over the next three years. The oaking is perfection, no obtrusive new oak (how wonderful this evolution in the oak handling of our chardonnays is), yet the oatmealy flavours and length of palate reflecting the oak beautifully. This is Puligny-Montrachet Premier (even some Grand) Cru quality straight out of Nelson. Cellar 5 – 18 years, maybe longer. GK 06/16

2008 Tahbilk Riesling 18 ½ + (

)

Nagambie Lakes, Central Victoria, Australia: 12.5%; $21 [ screwcap; s/s elevation; pH 3.15, but no RS or other wine detail on winery website, and ’08 not posted yet @ distributor www.redandwhite.com.au; www.tahbilk.com.au ]
Lemongreen. Bouquet is marvellous on this wine, riesling with a measure more sun on the grape skins, introducing subtlest nutmeg and cinnamon-like notes into freesia and holygrass florals. Palate differs from the New Zealand wines in being drier, more spicy, with careful extraction lengthening the limezest palate astonishingly, though the wine is not phenolic. Classic good Australian dry riesling, though bolder than some might prefer. Comparison with the Babich Dry is fascinating, the Tahbilk being a little bolder but just as good. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 05/09

2009 Church Road Syrah [ standard ] 18 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels 75%, Bridge Pa Triangle 25%, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $30 [ screwcap; Sy 100% hand-harvested and sorted, all de-stemmed; no cold soak, inoculated yeast, warm-fermented in open-top oak and concrete vessels, up to 35 days cuvaison, controlled aeration; c.14 months in French oak c.45% new; www.churchroad.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, above midway. Bouquet is very beautiful, showing the carnations and wallflower side of syrah, and dark roses too, on pure cassis and bottled black doris plums. There is an engaging softness to the bouquet, reminiscent of fine Northern Rhone syrah, Hermitage perhaps. Palate is totally cassisy berry dominant, definitive varietal character with the gentlest oak. Arguably this is the greatest commercial syrah thus far made in New Zealand. Considering the price, anybody who hasn't invested in a case of this needs their head read. Simply delicious. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 07/12

2010 Stonyridge [ Cabernets / Petit Verdot / Malbec ] Larose 18 ½ + (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14%; $ – [ cork; CS 50%, PV 21, Ma 17, Me 8, CF 3, carmenere 1, hand-picked, organic vineyard; yields may be as low as 2.5 t/ha = 1 t/ac; up to 30-day cuvaison (in 2010); MLF in barrel; oak usually 90% French, 10 US, 65% new; not filtered; 1000 cases in 2010 (sold out), but varying considerably with vintage; price not given as considerable variance now between full retail price at vineyard, occasional offers around the country, and auction realisations, range $100 – 200; vineyard offers en primeur purchase; website has no wine detail later than 2008 vintage, and detail is meagre; www.stonyridge.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a little deeper than 2010 Passage Rock Reserve Cabernet. Bouquet has that becoming-distinctive Stonyridge lifted and aromatic pennyroyal note on overtly floral berry of great freshness and richness. It is not quite as classically bordeaux in aroma as the Passage Rock, but will fit in well all the same. Fruit and berry richness are good, on potentially cedary and well-judged oak. The wine astonishes for the ripeness achieved in the 21% petit verdot, which shows what a sensational year 2010 was on Waiheke island. I worry a little about the growing percentage of malbec in Larose, which ultimately will I think coarsen one of New Zealand's longest-established and finest 'new world bordeaux' labels. If you taste the wine alongside the Passage Rock Reserve Cabernet, the cabernet sauvignon focus is muddied in comparison. In its ripeness and total style, though, this is exciting Larose to cellar 5 – 25 years. GK 10/12

2007 Thornbury Merlot Hawkes Bay 18 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $20 [ screwcap; hand-harvested Me 89%, CS 9, Ma 2; extended 4 weeks cuvaison; 16 months in French and American oak 30% new; a Villa Maria group label; www.thornbury.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a little denser than 2007 Coleraine. Bouquet is remarkably close in style and achievement to Coleraine, but a little softer, less aromatic and cassisy, more floral and smooth. These characters fit in with the Thornbury being merlot almost entirely, unlike the cabernet-imbued Coleraine. Palate has the same velvety quality of perfectly ripe fruit harvested at a grand cru cropping rate, and raised in good oak. The American component does not stand out, the oak may not be quite so exquisitely (potentially) cedary as the Coleraine, but this is wonderful wine at a sensational price. My understanding is the Thornbury label is (loosely speaking) a winemaker's play-label within the Villa Maria group, to try and achieve something remarkable. They have succeeded superbly here. Cellar 5 – 15 + years. EXTRAORDINARY VALUE GK 03/09

2014 Villa Maria Chardonnay Barrique-Fermented Reserve 18 ½ + (

)

Gisborne, New Zealand: 14%; $37 [ screwcap; hand-harvested mendoza 47% and clone 95, whole-bunch pressed; BF in French oak 40% new, balance second year, 56% wild yeast, 75% MLF; 10 months LA and weekly batonnage, RS 1.8 g/L; no price increase in 10 years; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Lemonstraw, twice as deep as Keltern, yet still more lemon than straw. This is a much more regular chardonnay, with the emphasis on the fruit, not the artefact – thus showing the skills and versatility of the Villa Maria winemakers. Bouquet shows rich white nectarine and pale peach stonefruits, careful oak, some mealy complexities, and a hint of white mushrooms. Palate is equally rich, the oak still a bit prominent in youth, great peachy and mealy flavours, and good length. Perhaps the alcohol is slightly high, but it too will marry away. In another couple of years there will be a palest buttery richness to the palate which will satisfy adherents to the 'big Californian-style chardonnay' school. This is a very good Gisborne chardonnay indeed, to cellar 3 – 15 years, longer if you like old wines. GK 11/15

2004 Cloudy Bay Gewurztraminer 18 ½ + (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 14.2%; $33 [ screwcap; hand-picked; winemaking is artisan Alsatian, BF in old oak, and 6 months or so LA; RS 8 g/L; www.cloudybay.co.nz ]
Marvellous lemon, a superb colour. Bouquet on this wine is sensational, combining magical varietal character with great depth yet not heaviness, plus what seems like barrel-ferment and lees-autolysis complexities (later confirmed). The fruit qualities are lychee, apricots, root ginger, citronella and pale stone fruits such as nectarine: almost a definition of great gewurztraminer. Palate is intense, rich, just above ‘dry’ to cover the varietal phenolics, with a clear Te Koko-like barrel-ferment and lees-autolysis complex undertone, but all much subtler than that wine. However, the winemaker / artefact component could detract, for some. Finish is intense and superb, some gewurz ‘bite’, beautiful acid balance, a wine overcoming the traditional weak point of gewurztraminer with deft ease. This is a very individual, characterful and distinctive take on New Zealand gewurztraminer, and like Te Koko, is possibly a love-or-hate style. It is drier than the Ihumatao or Johanneshof. Cellar 5 - 10 years, maybe longer, for a wine to compete with Alsatian ones. GK 08/06

2004 Te Mata Estate Syrah Bullnose 18 ½ + (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $40 [ cork; Sy 100%; includes clone 470 for first time, hand-harvested, de-stemmed; extended cuvaison 3 + weeks, followed by 16 months in new and older French oak; www.temata.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, clearly a notch deeper than the Woodthorpe Syrah / Viognier 2004. Freshly poured, Bullnose is quieter and less showy than the Woodthorpe wine. It expands in glass, however, and several hours later is wonderfully floral in a darkest roses, and even boronia and violets way, quite magical. This is the finest Bullnose so far, on bouquet. Winemaker Peter Cowley advises that the new clone 470 of syrah has far more floral and spice characters than the old Te Kauwhata clone, and this would certainly fit in with the general observation that thus far, New Zealand syrah lacks the floral complexity that makes good Rhone syrah exciting. Palate picks up on the bouquet, with great berry at a level of complexity which is almost Cote de Nuits (as well as Hermitage) in its finesse and potential savour, yet it develops the cracked pepper of syrah as it lingers in mouth. At the tasting, I preferred the Woodthorpe, for it had more to say, but six hours later, Bullnose has overtaken it. It is a deeper and more serious rendering of syrah. This is a great New Zealand wine in the making, all understatement and finesse, subtler than the Gimblett Gravels style, better suited to food. Cellaring a case would never be regretted. The oaking is magical. Cellar 5 – 15 plus years. GK 10/05

2004 Craggy Range Merlot Sophia 18 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.9%; $60 [ cork; DFB; Me 92%, CF 7, CS 1, hand-harvested @ 2.5 t/ac; 100% de-stemmed; 20 months in 70% new French oak; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a sensational depth of hue, the deepest in this set of cabernet / merlots. Bouquet is as deep rich and complex as any of the merlot blends, but is not as exquisitely pure and varietal / floral as the Gimblett Gravels Merlot. It is more aromatic on the oak. Palate likewise shows some of the redcurrant berry of the cabernet franc, which with the oak makes the wine firmer and a little more Medoc-like. In this tasting it seemed closest in style to the Esk 2002 Reserve. It is an example of a fully international ‘Hawkes Bay blend’ illustrating the Bordeaux blend analogy superbly. It will cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 05/06

2006 Cloudy Bay Chardonnay 18 ½ + (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $37 [ screwcap; clone mendoza predominates, mostly hand-harvested @ 1.9 t/ac; most of the juice is wild-yeast fermented in French oak with a small percentage new, a smaller percentage starts fermentation inoculated in s/s, but all of it completes fermentation in barrel; complete MLF; 12 months LA and some batonnage in barrel, then a further month or two in barrel; www.cloudybay.co.nz ]
Lemon to lemonstraw. Bouquet is immediately beautifully ripe mealy complex and nearly floral (acacia blossom) chardonnay which smells rich in the way good Puligny-Montrachet does. There is a little more toasty oak than is usual in Burgundy, introducing a new world thought too. Palate follows on beautifully, tactile pale stonefruit richness, beautiful incorporation of the malolactic fermentation into barrel-ferment and lees-autolysis complexities, with an acid balance that is harmonious and slightly more refreshing than the 2006 Church Road Reserve, yet the whole wine is gentle, mild and dry. So many New Zealand whites fall down on their high acid. The lingering richness of aftertaste is gorgeous – this wine is made at a grand cru cropping rate [ later confirmed ]. Fine New Zealand chardonnay, providing a wonderful illustration of best Marlborough chardonnay, to compare and contrast with top Hawkes Bay examples as illustrated by the 2006 Church Road Chardonnay Reserve . Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 03/08

2006 Cloudy Bay [ Sauvignon Blanc ] Te Koko 18 ½ + (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $41 [ screwcap; grapes night-harvested @ 3.4 t/ac; de-stemmed and whole-bunch fruit, reasonably low-solids juice BF with wild yeasts in French oak with a low percentage new, a slow ferment continued to Nov.‘06., some MLF; continued LA in barrel till Nov. '07 – a total of 19 months; pH 3.32, RS – g/L; www.cloudybay.co.nz ]
Lemongreen, a little more youthful than the 2005’s pale lemon. Bouquet is essentially in the same style as the refined 2005, the MLF not as obtrusive as earlier vintages, and naturally enough it is not yet quite as silkily smooth and floral. Generous ripe fruit is complexed by barrel-ferment, and lees-autolysis, good oak and some MLF complexities are all evident. Palate is as rich and pure as the 2005, total acid fractionally higher, and again there seems to have been restraint with the MLF – continuing the great improvement of 2005. Varietal character is thus illuminated, not compromised. This edition looks to be as good a cellaring proposition as the previous vintage, 2 – 10 years, to taste. GK 04/09

2014 Te Mata Estate Chardonnay Elston 18 ½ + (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $38 [ 45 mm supercritical cork (Diam); Ch 100%, 85% clone mendoza, hand-harvested; all BF with significant new oak; 100% MLF; 11 months in barrel, with lees work; <2 g/L RS; www.temata.co.nz ]
Lemon straw. Initially opened the wine is a bit confused and oaky, but it quickly opens up to a quite strikingly floral and fragrant mendoza-based example of this noble grape. There are almost orange-blossom notes on yellow stone fruits, more golden queen peaches than apricots. It has some similarities to the Zara Viognier, but can be told from it by the greater apparent barrel fermentation / new oak component on bouquet. The oak follows through a little noticeably at this stage onto palate, and interacts with the acid to give a little youthful edginess. This will mellow out in cellar. Otherwise the wine has beautiful varietal definition, good but not great weight, and a clarity to the MLF component which some earlier Elstons lacked, being faintly milky. In three years this will be benchmark Hawkes Bay chardonnay, scoring a little higher still. And congratulations to the winemakers for not succumbing to / indulging in the ugly reductive fad which bedevils so many current chardonnays. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 03/16

2003 Guigal Cote Rotie Brune & Blonde 18 ½ + (

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Cote Rotie, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $125 [ cork; Sy 96%, Vi 4; average vine age 37 years; cropped at nearer half the normal 38 hL / ha (2 t/ac), maybe 1 t/ac; 5 weeks cuvaison; 36 months in French oak, 60% new; Parker 170: Stunningly rich, it offers a beautiful, sweet nose of cassis, mocha, espresso, bacon fat, black olives, and underbrush. Some smoked meat notes also make an appearance in this rich, lush, opulent wine. 93; www.guigal.com ]
Ruby, nearly some velvet, more a deepest pinot noir burgundy colour, the lightest wine on the bracket. Bouquet is slow to open, but in its own good time reveals simply sensational syrah varietal character, in an archetypal Cote Rotie style. The floral component so essential to top-notch syrah develops wonderfully to show dianthus, carnations, violets and dark rose florals dominating beautiful cassis and dark cherry fruit. It is as pure an expression of syrah as the Craggy Range Block 14, but here showing in the classical lighter Cote Rotie style, against the Block 14's Hermitage-like presentation. Palate is wonderfully ripe, perfectly balanced to oak, in fact the most perfect balance of berry to ripeness to oak I can recollect for Brune & Blonde since the lovely wines of the mid-1980s. There has always been the worry the Brune & Blonde Cote Rotie label has become lighter and less concentrated, as the fortunes of the grands crus have waxed. Even now, it is not rich in the sense la Turque or Ex Voto is rich, but it is just exquisite northern Rhone syrah one could drink all night, unfazed by excess alcohol or oak. New Zealand winemakers who want to know about syrah varietal character must buy a case of this wine, while it is available. It really is a critical wine, essential to learning, and staying in tune. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 06/07

2014 Kumeu River Chardonnay Maté's Wineyard 18 ½ + (

)

Kumeu, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.5%; $69 [ screwcap; mendoza the dominant clone in Maté's, all hand-harvested; wild-yeast fermentation and 100% BF, LA, and MLF; 11 months in barrel usually 20% new but varies; 2014 is seen as the best vintage so far for Kumeu River chardonnay; Maté's is the oldest vineyard, re-planted in 1990, but the mendoza now showing some virus; RS nil; www.kumeuriver.co.nz ]
Lemon with almost a green wash, remarkable. Bouquet is more clearly mendoza in contrast to the other Kumeu River wines, with clear yellow stonefruit / golden queen peach qualities. It smells taut and youthful, firmer than 2014 Te Mata Elston, but the mendoza character links them and invites comparison. Palate is firm, the richest fruit of the five Kumeu chardonnays (but they are all understated), neat and unobtrusive oak, yellow stonefruits again, slight hessian / mealy oak and clear barrel-ferment characters yet to fully assimilate, with finegrain acid lengthening the flavour remarkably. Against Elston it seems the wine of a cooler climate, a tauter wine which will take longer to unfold and blossom. Though somewhat different in flavour and style, the two wines are closely matched in quality. They thus illustrate the diversity in New Zealand mendoza-led chardonnays admirably, and together make fine ambassadors for this variety and this clone in New Zealand. Noteworthy that mendoza also makes West Australia's finest chardonnay, under the local name gin gin. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 03/16

2011 Produttori del Barbaresco Asili Riserva 18 ½ + (

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Barbaresco DOCG, Piedmont, Northern Italy, Italy: 14.5%; $82 [ 50mm cork; the cellar approach to the wines is consistent across all the crus, but detail varies with the season. In general cuvaisons are 3 - 4 weeks, in lined concrete vats, followed by at least 3 years in older large oak variously 2,500 - 7,500 litres; www.produttoridelbarbaresco.com ]
Ruby, one of the deeper wines, but still within the colour-span of pinot noir. Bouquet sets the scene for the whole set, being the most varietally fragrant, dark aromatic cherry, nearly floral but certainly savoury with a lift in a rosemary / thyme sense, neither alcohol or oak obtrusive. Palate shows rich darkish fruit, cherry flavours darker than raspberry, suggestions of nebbiolo tar, and good dominance of berry over abundant fine-grained tannins. Aftertaste is long and highly varietal. This is marvellous Barbaresco, and more accessible than some. Cellar 5 – 25 years. GK 05/16

2014 Dry River Chardonnay 18 ½ + (

)

Martinborough Terrace, Wairarapa, New Zealand: 12.5%; $60 [ cork 50mm; www.dryriver.co.nz ]
Lemon, a gorgeous colour, the second deepest. Bouquet epitomises exquisitely pure North Island New Zealand chardonnay, still a little unco in youth, but with a beautiful expression of pale stone fruits, a quite citrussy / grapefruity note, mealy autolysis nearly reaching baguette quality, no oak showing on bouquet – but without it the wine would be quite different. Palate expands the white nectarine and stonefruits greatly, suggestions even of golden queen peach now indicating clone mendoza, a tactile and textural quality, and obvious barrel-ferment flavours which meld oatmeal and subtle oak with freshening acid. In three years time this will be very beautiful chardonnay indeed, perhaps even with a suggestion of white flowers. Finish is fruit-rich, yet dry, most impressive. Cellar 5 – 15 years, maybe 20. I don't recall a Dry River chardonnay as good as this, in Neil's day. GK 06/16

2013 Te Mata Estate Syrah Bullnose 18 ½ + (

)

Bridge Pa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $50 [ cork 45mm; 3 clones of syrah hand-harvested, 100% de-stemmed; extended cuvaison; 15 months in French oak, around 35% new; RS nil; www.temata.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, above midway in the set, but not as dark as some. That's OK for syrah: Cote Rotie does not have to be deep to be good (as for red burgundy / pinot noir). One sniff, and the interplay of carnations-like and deepest red-rose florals and black pepper is enchanting, on beautifully aromatic cassis. Because of the black pepper spice, it is a totally different kind of cassis to a cabernet-led wine, but cassis it is, supported by bottled omega plums. Alongside the Forrest Collection Syrah, Bullnose is Cote Rotie to the Forrest Hermitage, a little softer and more sensuous and more charming. As with Coleraine, this probably reflects the Te Mata preoccupation with classical qualities such as florality in the wine, and hence fractionally earlier picking, than many practise. Last year I thought 2013 Bullnose clearly outpointed 2013 Coleraine. Now they are much more a matched pair, reflecting the fact that temperate-climate Bordeaux blends take a while to come together. Cellar this Bullnose 5 – 20 years. GK 03/16

2004 Craggy Range Syrah Le Sol 18 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $ – [ cork, 50mm; release price $85; Sy 100% cropped @ c.6.8 t/ha = 2.75 t/ac; hand-harvested, 95% de-stemmed; fermented in open oak cuves with wild yeast; 21 months in 65% new French oak, no fining, minimal filtration; Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate has not had the 2004, but Neal Martin reviewed the 2005 for them in these terms: 2005 Le Sol is simply an incredible wine, a massive nose of black plum, game and a touch of tar, the palate full-bodied with robust tannins and just like the great Northern Rhone producers, delivers a svelte, elegant finish that belies the powerful fruit that charges this wine along. If you doubt New Zealand can make world-class wines, then try this, 95; for the 2004 strictly, Wine Spectator: Streamlined and fragrant, with a medley of peppercorn, dark chocolate and black plum flavors. Fresh herb accents, toasty oak and racy tannins highlight the firm finish, which should soften with a year in bottle. To 2011, 91; bottle weight dry 971 grams; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby and velvet, still youthful, nearly carmine, in the middle for depth. Bouquet is reference-quality young syrah (second only to the 2013 Yann Chave Hermitage used as a study wine while writing up this tasting), combining the three essential varietal elements for the variety, when grown in an optimal climate: sweet wallflower florals, aromatic cassisy berry, and suggestions of black pepper, in a lightly aromatic bouquet of sensational purity. This smells vibrant and exciting. Flavour highlights the pure cassisy berry plus hints of black pepper, suggestions only of blueberry, oak a little noticeable, and a natural acid texture in the long finish. The only slight negative is the high alcohol. These flavours at 13.5 – 14% would add greatly to the wine’s suppleness and charm. Far too young to be good with food, yet. Clearly the top wine of the tasting for the group, nine first places, two second. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 03/18

2015 Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc Taylors Pass Single Vineyard 18 ½ + (

)

Awatere Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $30 [ screwcap; machine-harvested cool at night / early morning, short skin contact, all s/s fermentation again cool; RS 3.1 g/L; 2015 seen as a quality year for Marlborough sauvignon blanc; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Beautiful lemongreen. This is the cleanest, sweetest (on bouquet), most complex, and most rewarding of the six Villa Maria Marlborough Reserve and Single Vineyard Sauvignon Blancs in the 2015 season. The bouquet includes elderflower and dominant notes of white nectarine, black passionfruit pulp, pure white clover honey, and sautéed red capsicum, plus a critical and defining undertone of sweet basil. These are some of the key descriptors for great New Zealand sauvignon blanc, looking ahead. [ The fact that the British market wants something less ripe and less magical is irrelevant. We can easily cater to their taste eccentricities with less ripe / greener-tasting fruit.] In this wine, it is the sweet fruit plus savoury herbes complexity (sweet basil) which makes it (literally) mouth-wateringly appealing. One sniff and the wine cries out for appropriate foods. Follow-through from bouquet to palate is rewarding too, the wine having just enough body and substance to both be pleasing in mouth, and good with food. This body and substance issue, or dry extract as I have been commenting about for red wines in New Zealand since the 1980s, is the key failing of so many New Zealand sauvignon blancs. The reason is simple. In New Zealand they are (in general) cropped at twice (or more) the tonnage per hectare when compared with the leading sauvignon blanc appellations in France, where harvest is constrained by the Appellation Controlée regulations. Even so the persistence of flavour is good, with pure fruit in which very ripe English gooseberries can be recognised too. This wine shows great judgement in timing of picking, and provides a model reference wine for the industry. By classic French standards, it could be richer. Cellar 3 – 8 years, but it will hold longer for those not obsessed with the bizarre single-factor New Zealand fad for dismissing sauvignon blanc as too old after 18 months. GK 04/16

2006 Esk Valley Malbec / Merlot / Cabernet Franc The Terraces 18 ½ + (

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Bay View dissected coastal terrace, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $125 [ cork; Ma 45%, Me 40, CF 15, hand-harvested; all vars co-fermented as one batch; 100% new French oak c. 15 months; RS nil; 269 cases; the 1-hectare NNW-facing The Terraces vineyard was until recently pretty well unique in New Zealand, being planted on man-made terraces in a natural semi-amphitheatre reminiscent more of some famous Northern Rhone vineyard sites than broad-acre New Zealand plantings. Underlying soil parent materials are young sedimentaries including limestone and volcanic ash. Vineyard practice is special too, the cropping rate being of the order of 1 tonne per acre, all the constituent varieties are harvested on the one day, and co-fermented. Maximum production is 300 cases (of 12). The site was created in the 1940s, but lapsed into pine plantation. It was re-planted to vines in 1989; Catalogue: Produced since 1991 and only released when quality matches our aspirations, this is an age-worthy and unique wine; Awards: ‘Super Classic’, Michael Cooper’s Wine Buyers Guide 2009; www.eskvalley.co.nz ]
Good ruby. In a big blind tasting this understated fragrant wine can be confused with syrah handled in a Cote Rotie style, mainly because of the floral red roses quality to the berry which is quite unlike malbec (but a perfectly good expression of cabernet franc and merlot). On palate it swings back to Bordeaux, St Emilion more precisely, with aromatic still firm and slightly peppery berry and red fruit qualities, and shaping oak. It is not an overly big wine, and could be overlooked at first, but the flavour is long and potentially gentle, bespeaking a lower cropping rate than the colour first suggests. The Terraces is in fact a good guide to what a New Zealand wine made to French First or Second Growth (or Grand Cru in Burgundy) standards tastes like, for (varying with season) these vines are cropped at around one kilo per vine, on average. And since there are c. 3450 vines, the 3450 kilos makes roughly the same number of bottles of The Terraces – hence the 300 cases above. Winemaker Gordon Russell takes immense pride in ‘his’ Terraces wine, and lesser years are ruthlessly culled. There is no 2005, ’07, or ‘08 of The Terraces, but there will be a 2009. He has lately referred to it as his aspirational pinot noir made from Bordeaux varieties, which is pushing things a bit – the tannins are very Bordeaux. But by the same token, it is light years away from big black premium Argentinean malbecs. This is arguably New Zealand's most distinctive and sought-after wine, made by one of our most committed / passionate winemakers. A wine to treasure. Cellar 5 – 15 years, maybe 20. GK 07/09

2007 Craggy Range Syrah Gimblett Gravels Block 14 18 ½ + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $30 [ screwcap; Sy 100%; hand-harvested @ 2.7 t/ac; 100% de-stemmed, wild-yeast fermentation in open-top fermenters; 17 months in French oak 42% new; RS <2 g/L; Catalogue: An array of characters such as lavender, black pepper, black cherry and spices combine for an intense and complex bouquet. The palate possesses fine layers of tannin with a ripe mid-palate texture which envelops the rich dark fruits, providing a long generous finish; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. Bouquet is softer and more sweetly floral than some of these top-level wines, more soft wallflower notes akin to Te Mata’s Bullnose Syrah. In mouth the magical thing about this Block 14 Syrah is the florality which suffuses the palate, like a good Cote de Nuits pinot noir. This is by far the subtlest and ‘sweetest’ Block 14 yet, and at 13.5% shows the greater beauty that can be achieved with full physiological maturity achieved at lower alcohols. The whole palate follows this pinot noir-like thought, yet with beautiful ripe black pepper adding spice. This is an understated Cote Rotie-styled wine perfectly shaped for the English / European market, where it might win more friends than the burlier Le Sol. By the same token, it may be overlooked in Australia and America. A wine to rejoice in, the moreso since Craggy have for the 2007 re-priced Block 14 back to $30. In the first draft of the Hot Reds I had it as Value at $38 ! Cellar 5 – 12 years. VALUE GK 07/09

2006 Villa Maria Viognier Omahu Single Vineyard 18 ½ + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $38 [ screwcap; hand-harvested @ 1.5 – 2 t/ac, 100% de-stemmed, 3 hours cold-soak, 100% wild yeast, 100% barrel-fermented in seasoned French oak, 9 months lees autolysis and occasional batonnage, 40% MLF; pH 3.75, RS 3 g/L; the Villa Maria winemakers rate this the best yet; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Bright lemon. Bouquet is a little out of line with the other wines, showing a quite astonishing volume of citrus and mock-orange blossom florals on highly varietal cherimoya, lychee and fresh apricot fruit. This is a remarkable bouquet, paler than the French approach, all the purity of the new world, yet matching the best French in intensity. Palate is delightfully rich, oak detectable but not obtrusive, the wine taut and youthful, the apricots less ripe than the French wines, but the intensity of fruit and the MLF balance are compelling. This may cellar a little longer than most, up to five years maybe. It'll be great to see it in a year, when it has mellowed. One taster described this Omahu as 'a dancing wine, divine'. It is New Zealand's finest viognier yet. GK 07/07

nv Champagne Pierre Peters Grand Cru Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs [ 2015 release ] 18 ½ + (

)

Cote de Blancs, Champagne, France: 12%; $106 [ supercritical 'cork'; Ch 100% based on 2011 fruit, hand-picked from four vineyards (located in Le Mesnil, Avise, Cramant, Oger); all s/s elevation; full MLF; c.3.5 years en tirage; dosage c.2 g/L; www.champagne-peters.com ]
Lemon, slightly fresher than last year's wine. Bouquet is refined and restrained alongside the top two wines, a little closer to the standard expectation for a good bland de blancs: white flowers, suggestions of palest nectarine, beautifully subtle autolysis at this stage as much crumb of baguette as crust, and a hard-to-characterise chalky minerality. In flavour this seems (maybe) fractionally a lighter wine than last year's Extra Brut, but even so the weight and purity of flavour and autolysis again obscures the fact there is only 2 g/L dosage. Oh that the winemakers for Lindauer Reserve Blanc de Blancs, New Zealand's 'standard' good-quality example of the genre, would taste and think about this wine. Then they might ponder what a travesty it is cropping the fruit at a higher rate, and then using 11 – 12 g/L residual sugar to give the impression of body. This year's Peters Extra Brut is again definitive blanc de blancs chardonnay. Only the very best years of Pol Roger Blanc de Blancs match this. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 10/15

2013 Trinity Hill Syrah Gimblett Gravels * 18 ½ + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12.7%; $32 [ screwcap; Sy, a little Vi, hand-harvested, co-fermented, and 25% whole-bunches in the ferments; various lengths of cuvaison, seeking complexity; c.14 months in French oak of varying ages, some lees-ageing and even lees-stirring, in a more pinot noir-based approach to elevation; RS 1 g/L; dry extract 30 g/L; sterile-filtered; released; www.trinityhill.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, the second deepest wine. Bouquet is verging on the dramatic, in this wine, total Rhone syrah florals spanning the full suite: dianthus, wallflower, darkest roses, wonderful, on cassisy and darkest plum berry. There is a nominal trace of an aromatic I can't quite pin down, whether 'usual' syrah black pepper or maybe a trace of balsam, not sure, but it is very Rhone, and more than likely correlates with the whole-bunch component. In mouth the wine is rich and dry, the berry much less oaked than most, with enchanting fruit richness [ later found to be 30 g/L ]. As a 'standard commercial wine', this Gimblett Gravels syrah epitomises the quality of the 2013 vintage in Hawkes Bay. To have this degree of flavour development at 12.7% alcohol bespeaks vines of increasing age, and superb viticulture, as well as the ideal season. It is totally Rhone-like in that respect. It is phenomenal the degree to which this wine mimics a modern soft low-oak Cornas. It needs to be exported to the United Kingdom, quite desperately. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 05/15

2014 Te Awa Estate Syrah 18 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $30 [ screwcap; Sy 100% New Zealand mass-selection = Limmer clone syrah cropped at 6 t/ha (2.4 t/ac), all destemmed, 3 – 5 days cold-soak, mixed fermentations, 15 days cuvaison; 20 months in hogsheads (300-litre) and 15% in puncheons (500-litre), to reduce oak uptake, 35% new. Included to illustrate 'perfect' syrah varietal ripeness, the bouquet showing classic dark red carnations and dark red rose florals, clear cassisy berry plus rich dark plum fruit, a black pepper aromatic lift, and subtle sweet fragrant oak. Flavours in mouth continue the bouquet perfectly, an explicitly varietal wine, and not too heavy.; www.teawacollection.com ]
Ruby carmine and velvet, clearly much deeper than the two French wines, the second-deepest. Bouquet is astonishing for its total berry dominance, showing dark red rose florals more than dianthus or red carnations, on exquisite cassis berryfruit. This is a stunning bouquet epitomising pure ripe syrah varietal character, without too much oak obscuring the varietal quality. It closely matches best modern Saint-Joseph, but is perhaps a little softer. Students were asked to specifically go back and compare the bouquet of this wine with that of the cassis sample, and check how vivid the cassis analogy is. Palate is just as good, capturing perfect syrah berry ripeness. The pepper is now clearly black, not white, and there is no hint of stalk. The wine displays lovely body, and subtle oak revealing syrah varietal character in all its beauty. The wine is surprisingly soft, but not weak. A remarkable example of the grape, absolutely textbook, the oaking exquisite. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 10/16

2002 Villa Maria Malbec Omahu Individual Vineyard 18 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $52 [ screwcap; original price $55; 18 months in French & American oak, 60% new; no overseas reviews: M Cooper, 2005: The super-charged 2002 is … a robust wine, densely coloured, with perfumed, toasty oak aromas, firm tannins and an array of blackcurrant, plum, spice chocolate and nut flavours, ripe, well-balanced and rich: ****½; weight bottle and closure: 598 g; ww.villamaria.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, astonishingly fresh, the deepest colour. Bouquet is extraordinary, a total outpouring of perfectly ripe plummy berryfruit, no baked hints as in the Argentinian malbec and some of the Australian wines, instead black more than red fruits showing perfect physiological maturity and great freshness, shaped by subtle oak. There is a tiny aromatic minty lift. Palate follows beautifully, with exemplary fruit richness, ripeness and balance, sufficient almost to make one think malbec can be a noble grape after all, the wine showing great length on firm but ripe tannins. There is absolutely no hint of leafy undertones here, that observation being sharpened in the tasting by one of the cabernets showing exactly that character. Is this New Zealand's greatest-ever straight malbec wine ? Like the Brokenstone, it is at an early peak of perfection, which it will hold for some years. Cellar 5 – 20 years. Top or second wine for six tasters, the favourite wine of the evening, but not easily recognised as malbec. A great achievement, in which Villa Maria can be justifiably proud. GK 09/16

2005 Te Mata Syrah Bullnose 18 ½ + (

)

Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $45 [ cork; Sy 100% from a single vineyard, oldest vines planted 1990; includes clone 470, hand-harvested, de-stemmed; extended cuvaison 3 + weeks, followed by 16 months in French oak 40-ish % new; Bullnose has not been offered to Robert Parker, but Wine Spectator has seen 5 vintages. The 2004 is rated 91: Bright and zingy, with delightful black pepper and blackberry aromas and flavors that just don't quit as the finish sails on and on. Tannins are beautifully integrated and the wine has real presence. Drink now through 2015.; www.temata.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a little below midway in depth of colour. Bouquet on this wine is enchanting, wonderfully explicit wallflower florals melding into cassis and plums and white and black pepper, really fragrant and suggesting Cote Rotie. Palate is not powerful compared with some of the other top wines, the wine instead showing wonderful flesh and mouthfeel, really pinot-like, as if hardly any pressings had been used. This is absolutely beautiful wine, and like so many Te Mata reds, will be great with food, largely due to the admirably lowish alcohol. It is easy to think this is a light wine, but it is not: the fruit is there for good cellar development. Cellar 5 â€“ 15 years. GK 11/06

2003 Escarpment Pinot Noir Kupe 18 ½ + (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 14%; $60 [ cork; clone Abel, 6 years, harvested @ 1.2 t/ac; 100% de-stemmed, 4 days cold soak, 14 days cuvaison: 12 months French oak 50% new; Robinson '05: Dark crimson. Very sweet with a little oak obvious. Lots of jewelly fruit but quite a bit oak too. Just slightly too much which is a shame – not as delicate as the best Martinboroughs. 16; www.escarpment.co.nz ]
Big ruby, a little more flush of carmine and velvet than the straight Peregrine or Mt Difficulty. This is a little more like the Bendigo wine, not giving its all so readily, and greatly benefitting from decanting. It opens to darkest florals like the Bendigo, darkest cherry and bottled black doris plums, clearly varietal in a deep rich way. Both bouquet and palate are differentiated from the other top wines by a subliminal hint of flowering mint. Palate is closer to the Peregrine and Mt Difficulty, superb black cherry length, not the tannin of the Bendigo. The texture on palate may be superior to the top two wines, and there is no doubt that in five years this Kupe is going to be a contender for the topmost 2003 New Zealand pinot noir. At this stage the bouquet is almost nascent. The aftertaste however is divine, real kirsch. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 01/07

2005 Sacred Hill Cabernet / Merlot Helmsman 18 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $60 [ screwcap; DFB; release date 2008; CS 77%, Me 22, CF 1, hand-picked from 4 year old vines @ just under 2.5 t/ac; cuvaison approx 43 days; no BF; 14 months in French oak 100% new, no lees stirring; RS < 0.2 g/L; www.sacredhill.com ]
Ruby and velvet, nearly carmine, a little more developed than the other top wines. This Helmsman is wonderfully different from the 2002 and 2004 versions, all the initial charry oak-related weight having almost disappeared, and instead the florality of the grapes is clearly showing through. Bouquet shows deep almost sweet florals in the violets, dark roses and lilac spectrum, remarkably Bordeaux-like. Berry is again very dark cassis, darkest plums, plus oak now much more attractively in the background, just adding potentially cedary aromatics on bouquet, and the suggestion of darkest chocolate to palate. Flavour is slightly sterner cassis than The Quarry, a little more oaky, but attractively flavoured, rich, lingering beautifully. Only a slight doubt that VA might be approaching threshold kept me below 19 points. This is another wine to buy with confidence, and run in blind tastings alongside 2005 Bordeaux classed growths for many years to come. Cellar 10 – 25 years. GK 09/07

2005 Pask Cabernet / Merlot / Malbec Declaration 18 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $48 [ ProCork; DFB; CS 48%, Me 35, Ma 17; machine-harvested @ 2.5 t/ac, 100% de-stemmed, some components finished fermentation in barrel, followed by 18 months in 70% French and 30% American oak, 100% new; sterile filtered; c. 500 cases; www.cjpask.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, around midway in depth. The first sniff of this wine is fragrant and floral, another wine to make one think of classic Medoc classed growths. The Pask is however more generous in its fruit ripeness and sunnyness than some. Both bouquet and palate are total cassis, with some darkly plummy merlot fleshing it out, but it is not quite as rich and concentrated as the top wines. It is appreciably richer than sister wine Merlot Declaration, though, and the 2005 Villa Maria Merlot Reserve. The most wonderful thing about this Pask Declaration is the oak handling, which despite the 100% new, seems subtler and lighter than the Cornerstone wine or the Helmsman, and contrasts vividly with the more oaky approach of earlier Pask years. Great ! Here the emphasis is more on the berry fruit, and the wine will be much more food-friendly. Cellar 5 – 15 + years. GK 09/07

2013 Craggy Range Syrah Le Sol 18 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.1%; $100 [ cork 50mm; DFB; Sy 100%, all hand-picked from @ c.7.1 t/ha = 2.8 t/ac; some ferments in oak cuves, in previous years cuvaison of c.20 days, wild and cultured-yeast ferments; 18 months in French oak c.32% new; production understood to be between 500 and 1,000 cases; www.craggyrange.com ]
Carmine, ruby and velvet, one of the deeper wines. As one of my favourites in the batch, what a thrill when the identification came forward, to find Le Sol in the top half dozen. After my last (modest) review, chief winemaker Matt Stafford dropped me a line saying: I don't think you have a representative bottle. Since a totally unpaid winewriter cannot (readily) go out and lay down $100 of private money, to (maybe) primarily benefit a commercial company, there the matter rested. Thus my pleasure in seeing this result. Bouquet is soft, fragrant, much more feminine than some earlier editions of Le Sol, aromatic cassis, black doris plum and blueberry all apparent, oak restrained. Flavour builds the bouquet in mouth, in the most agreeable way, noting the curious fact that the blueberry increases. This suggests later-picking ... but then, the alcohol doesn't. It is a polar opposite in style to the Tom Syrah, not as obviously Cote Rotie as Bullnose, but equally as marvellous a winestyle. It is not one of the richest wines here, but nonetheless has a reasonably long future ahead of it. Cellar 5 – 15, maybe 18 years. GK 07/16

2013 Church Road Syrah McDonald Series 18 ½ + (

)

Bridge Pa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $25 [ screwcap; Sy 100%, 92.5% clone 470 adding interest, hand-harvested and sorted, all destemmed; no cold soak, inoculated yeast, 21 – 25 days cuvaison, attention to aeration; first 6 months in French and Hungarian oak on light lees, followed by 11 months in barrel, new oak reduced to 25%; light fining, not filtered; www.churchroad.co.nz ]
Carmine, ruby and velvet, very young and intense. One sniff of the bouquet, and this is benchmark syrah. When you find the identity, you can't help thinking, what a phenomenal year Church Road had in 2013. This is wine selling in the mid-20s bracket, yet to a casual sniff at the blind evaluation stage, it is (loosely speaking) of classed growth claret standard. Alongside the similarly-priced Craggy Gimblett Gravels wine, it shows a sophistication and harmony of elevage that leaves the Craggy gasping, notwithstanding the stunning fruit quality in the latter. I think I heard Chris Scott say the Church Road winery houses some 5000 barrels, and not one of them American. When wines at this price point display this quality of oak handling, you can see why. This is one of the great Hawkes Bay wine values from the 2013 vintage, and it can still occasionally be found in wine shops. Worth hunting out. Cellar 5 – 15 years, maybe 20. GK 06/16

2007 Craggy Range Pinot Noir Calvert Vineyard 18 ½ + (

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Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $47 [ screwcap; DFB; hand-picked @ c. 1.5 t/ac; 100% de-stemmed, 6 – 8 days cold-soak, wild-yeast fermentation, 3 – 4 weeks cuvaison, MLF and 10 months in French oak 38% new, some lees but no stirring; RS < 1 g/L; introduction to the Calvert concept 25 Nov 2008; www.craggyrange.com ]
Big pinot noir ruby, much the deepest of the three Calvert wines, deep for pinot noir, but attractive. Bouquet is one of the sweetest and most florally complex in the bracket, not overtly floral like some of the slightly leafy / stalky wines, just a smooth enticing aroma of dark red roses, boronia florals, black more than red cherry flesh, and virtually no dark plum – ideal pinot noir. Palate follows perfectly, the florals persisting right through the palate, the fruit crunchy cherry exactly, the oaking totally simpatico with soft tannins adding structure to the long flavour. Though a little riper and richer than the standard 2007 Felton Pinot Noir, and weightier than the Felton Calvert too, only a very cool-climate pinot aficionado would say this wine shows traces of sur-maturité. Much more important is the complete absence of leafy or stalky notes, compared even with some of the other 2007 Craggy Range pinots. A model New Zealand pinot to cellar 5 – 12 years. As with last year's three Calverts, cellaring the set will provide a great learning opportunity. GK 03/09

2007 Mission Syrah Reserve 18 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.3%; $25 [ supercritical cork; Sy 98%, Vi 2; over half 13-year-old vines, bunch-thinned; cuvaison extending to 35 days; MLF in tank; 6 – 8 months in French and American oak c.23% new, the American oak subtle 3-years air-dried made by a French-owned cooper; this wine a barrel-selection; Catalogue: a black pepper nose and also shows small fruit aromas such as dark berries with spicy undertones with a definite floral lift from the Viognier. The palate is rich and full-bodied with fine soft tannins. The wine has great finesse and structure with a powerful mid palate and a very long finish; Awards: Pure Elite Gold @ Air New Zealand 2008, Blue-Gold @ Sydney International Wine Awards 2009; www.missionestate.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet. Bouquet shows the soft ripe florality of syrah handled in a northern Rhone style, almost violets as well as wallflower, deep aromatic cassis and berry, not as much oak as some wines here. Palate deepens the cassis to slightly chocolatey bottled black doris plum, the fruit not quite as magically complex as the Church Road due to sur-maturité, but still showing classic syrah varietal characters without too much over-ripeness, and highly aromatic. This is another wonderful syrah, at the ripest end of the optimal ripening spectrum compared with others here, another wine to highlight the great future for this variety in New Zealand. Cellar 5 – 12 years. VALUE GK 07/09

2010 Church Road Chardonnay Tom 18 ½ + (

)

Tukituki & Tutaekuri Valleys, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $ – [ screwcap; hand-picked from vineyards at Tukituki Valley and Omarunui Road (neither Gimblett Gravels), clones 15 and 95; grapes whole-bunch pressed, not cold settled; wild-yeast and barrel-ferment followed rightaway by 100% wild-MLF ferment; 11 months in French oak 38% new with some batonnage; selection and blending of final wine followed by assembly for some months in tank on light lees; RS <2g/l; only light fining and filtering; www.churchroad.co.nz ]
Straw with a flush of lemon still, the deepest colour but still fresh. Bouquet is fractionally the richest and most clearly chardonnay in the set, with even more depth of golden queen peach / mendoza-like fruit than the Greystone. Alongside that wine, the bouquet is richer, a similar depth of autolysis showing, but noticeably more oak influence, and less or no floral component. Palate is sensational, total acid lower than the Greystone, the fruit quality showing tactile richness, with great body and length. Dry extract here must be exemplary, for white wine, but the winery does not monitor this reference point. Since this wine was so clearly of export quality, one wonders why not. This is a wine to satisfy those seeking rich buttery (finest pale butter) chardonnays as they used to be, but here with a finesse and poise undreamt of in the 1980s. It is astonishing how much new oak has simply been absorbed. This is great New Zealand chardonnay at a peak of perfection now. It will hold for another 10 years, though gradually deepening in colour. GK 06/16

2012 Villa Maria Chardonnay Reserve Barrique-Ferment 18 ½ + (

)

Gisborne, New Zealand: 13.5%; $36 [ screwcap; hand-harvested mostly clone 95, BF in French oak 40% new, balance second year, some wild yeast, 100% MLF; 10 months LA and half the wine undergoing batonnage, RS <1 g/L; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Perfect lemon, just above midway in depth. Bouquet epitomises pure varietal temperate-climate New Zealand chardonnay, nearly citrus and white stonefruit aromas complexed by ultra-pure lees autolysis and subtle barrel work. Palate has lovely texture and body, the MLF component a little more apparent now, oak shaping the wine but wonderfully subtle, superb acid balance perhaps reflecting the cool season, and thus not needing a tartaric addition, compared with most Gisborne seasons. Fruit on palate is so good that you wonder if there could be trace residual, but I suspect it is under 2 g/L (confirmed): this is just fruit richness speaking. This sample was from a magnum, and therefore more 'perfect' than a 750 ml bottle would be, the cool season really letting Gisborne shine. Cellar 5 – 15 years, and it will hold longer. GK 06/16

2014 Craggy Range Syrah Le Sol 18 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.2%; $120 [ 50mm cork; Sy 100% mass selection clone, all hand-harvested at 6.6 t/ha = 2.65 t/ac; 100% de-stemmed, inoculated ferments in both oak cuves and s/s; MLF and 18 months in French oak 35% new; filtered to bottle; RS nil; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, just above midway in depth, less intense than Craggy's 2014 Gimblett Gravels Syrah, but scarcely older. Comparing and contrasting the bouquets on these two wines is an absolute education in red wine elevation. The boisterous vigour of the Gimblett Gravels wine is here tamed and smoothed by oak of great purity and even beauty, not as markedly so as the Sileni Syrah EV, but in that direction. The volume of bouquet is much less than the Tom Syrah, but it is a year younger. A year is a long time at this stage of a young syrah's life, as the Braided Gravels Merlot illustrated (by analogy) in the Cabernet / Merlot flight, and Te Mata's Bullnose Syrah displays every vintage. Bouquet and palate present a superb fine-grain handling of syrah, suggestions of cassis, more dark plums and some blueberry, some black pepper, good length and reasonable richness, though the latter not in the Tom class. It seems a more exciting wine than 2013 Le Sol, from memory, but that is provisional: I need to re-taste that wine. This syrah is not so easily classed with either Cote Rotie or Hermitage, it can fairly be described as in-between in style. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 06/16

1994 Leeuwin Estate Chardonnay Art Series 18 ½ + (

)

Margaret River, West Australia, Australia: 13.5%; $ – [ cork, too fragmented in removing to measure; Halliday vintage rating for district 9/10. Despite Leeuwin Estate's standing, the website has no information on older vintages. Later vintages were along the lines some hand-picked, clone mendoza (known locally as gin gin), vines of some age; not whole-bunch pressed, not cold settled; 20% wild-yeast and 100% barrel-ferment up to 20°, MLF sometimes, not known if this year; 11 months in French oak a high percentage new, batonnage fortnightly; RS <2g/l; not sterile-filtered; not entered in Shows; Halliday, 2011: ...a fine, supremely elegant wine with melon and nectarine fruit aromas surrounded by subtle, spicy oak on the bouquet. The palate is brilliantly balanced, youthful and elegant yet intense, with more of those melon/citrus/grapefruit flavours. An iron fist in a silk (not velvet) glove, which barely shows its 13.5 degrees alcohol, 94; www.leeuwinestate.com.au ]
Colour is very close to the Bannockburn, again straw and gold, fractionally lighter. The richness and purity of bouquet here is sensational, showing more fruit and fresher golden queen peachy fruit than the Bannockburn, but less mealy / nutty autolysis complexity. Again there is a lift of grapefruit zest complexity, on bouquet. In mouth the absolute purity and depth of mendoza-styled yellow stonefruit flavour is a revelation, tasting both fresher and younger than the Bannockburn, but as for bouquet, with less elevation complexity. The depth of fruit lingers amazingly on the aftertaste, so much so there is still a little more cellar life here. Some would say that it is perfect now, still with some fruit sweetness to the finish. Two first-place votes, five second, and one thought it French. GK 08/18

1996 Bannockburn Chardonnay 18 ½ + (

)

Geelong, Victoria, Australia: 14%; $ – [ cork, 50mm; earlier vintages were along the lines of barrel fermentation in French oak 30% new; lees-stirring, c.11 months on lees in barrel; some MLF; J. Halliday, 1998: the bouquet is extremely complex, with pronounced high-toast barrel-ferment oak aromas, but on the palate intense melon and fig fruit comes up to balance that oak. Lots and lots happening here, 95; R. Parker, 1999: ... medium-bodied, tart, high acid example of this varietal. Pear, mineral, and citrus notes give it a fresh, crisp personality, 87; www.bannockburnvineyards.com ]
Colour is good straw and light gold, lively and fresh, just above midway in depth. This was one of the wines which opened up during and after the tasting. It was not initially big or showy, but right from the outset there was still almost fresh golden queen peach fruit, enriched with lovely lees-autolysis complexity showing both uncooked oatmeal, and a more dry-cereal 'weetbix' quality (+ve). The more you smelt and tasted the wine, the more you found, hints of grapefruit and grapefruit zest, then suggestions of Vogels Multigrain bread, oatmeal and cashew clearly but hints of hazelnut too. It was not the richest wine, but it had great purity and length of flavour. There is a dry nutty quality to the finish, some tannin, but no bitterness. The wine is both reasonably rich, yet beautifully dry – simply classic gentle fully mature chardonnay. Eight first-place votes, three second, and two thought it French. GK 08/18

2006 Dog Point Vineyard [ Sauvignon Blanc ] Section 94 18 ½ + (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $37 [ cork; BF and 18 months LA in older French oak, RS 5.9 g/L; www.dogpoint.co.nz ]
Lemon. First sniff of the bouquet here, and one is reminded of fresh hypoid gear oil (if one services one's own vehicles). It is more aromatic and tangy than Te Koko, musky even, but inclined in the same winemaker-elaborated direction. It too has had complex barrel-ferment and extended lees-autolysis, but differs in no MLF fermentation. This keeps the wine fresher, more acid, and more aromatic. In mouth therefore it does not have quite the total integration and magic of the Te Koko, the grape is more recognisable, the acid and oak firmer. The winestyle is therefore closer to Sacred Hill's Sauvage interpretation of sauvignon blanc, but starts with the more piquant Marlborough fruit, and is less dry. Cellar 2 – 10 years, though the older wine will appeal more to tasters with experience of comparable European wines (such as the Graves district and white Bordeaux generally) in maturity. GK 11/08

2009 Trinity Hill Syrah Homage 18 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $120 [ cork; hand-picked at about 2.5 t/ha (1 t/ac) from Sy 98%, mostly Limmer clone, some vines propagated from Jaboulet's la Chapelle vineyard in the hill of Hermitage, 2% Vi, vine ages 1994 and 2001; the grapes de-stemmed, lightly crushed to leave whole berries; shortish cuvaison; MLF commenced in tank, completed in barrel, c.15 months in French oak mostly new, some lees stirring, not a lot of racking; www.trinityhill.com ]
Ruby and velvet, a flush of carmine, not as deep as the 2010. Oh boy, the contrast between the 2010 and 2009 wines is sensational. Both Homages are great examples of the grape, but the climatic differences between the two seasons separates them. Whereas the 2010 is cassis-laden reflecting the slightly cooler year, the 2009 is darkly plummy and almost (glacé) figgy, much riper, almost showing a reminder of the very best (i.e. coolest) years of Balmoral Syrah from McLaren Vale. In mouth the figgy thought really takes hold, the wine just as rich and concentrated as the 2010, and just as beautifully made, but so much riper all through. There is a soft velvety quality in this wine which suggests it may not cellar as long, yet the concentration is so good that in fact it should be long-lived. Which one prefers is a matter of personal style and taste. Australians and Californians might prefer the 2009, Europeans the 2010. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 03/13

2014 Greywacke Pinot Noir 18 ½ + (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $48 [ screwcap; www.greywacke.com ]
Good medium pinot noir ruby, well above midway in depth. Bouquet is deep, subtle, mysterious, very much a kind of pinot noir and burgundy, enchanting. Florals include suggestions of subtle buddleia, violets and a thought of boronia. Fruit style is red grading to black cherry, very pure, so much so you wonder how it will taste. And the answer is, wonderful. There is a mid-palate burst of flavour which expands in the mouth, like fine burgundy, with oak shaping, not yet fully integrated. Greywacke pinot noir really is going from strength to strength. I'd love a dry extract on this wine, too. Cellar 3 – 15 years. GK 06/16

2009 Kidnapper Cliffs Cabernet Sauvignon 18 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $45 [ cork; CS 100%, typically hand-picked @ c. 5 t/ha = 2 t/ac; all de-stemmed, 7 days cold-soak, 13 days total cuvaison, MLF preferably with the alcoholic fermentation but in any case before barrel; typically 18 – 20 months in French 300s and 220s, 25% new; www.kidnappercliffs.com ]
Wow, what a colour, midnight-deep ruby, carmine and velvet, much the darkest of the Kidnapper Cliffs reds. If the wine is okay in sensory respects, that first visual impression says: this could be something. So one smells with heightened anticipation. Intriguing, the first thing that must be said is that in this complete presentation of the Kidnapper Cliffs wines, the reds had been properly decanted, and put back into the bottles. Right from the first moment therefore, this bottle was totally different from the one previously reported on, which was heavy and dull. Being closed with cork, inexplicable variation is perfectly possible, though puzzling. But the double-decanting is more the clue, I suggest, given the ponderous tendency of some the winery's reds. I therefore hope this bottle and write-up represents the batch more faithfully than the previous one.

The bouquet for the ventilated wine is fresh enough to reveal clear-cut, very dark, but still fragrant cassis, right at the limit for quality cabernet in a temperate climate. There is potentially cedary oak in the dark berry. Palate is a little harder, just a little lack of oxygen, but the weight of cassis and darkly plummy fruit plus the finesse of the oak is persuasive. It is a sweeter and richer wine than the pinotage, due to the vastly greater beauty and nobility of the variety. Accordingly 18.5 + here means more than 18.5 + for the pinotage, as noted. The late palate is superb. If this bottle is representative, 2009 Kidnapper Cliffs Cabernet Sauvignon will blossom in bottle, if given sufficient time, and decanted on opening. Mark is strictly anticipatory, therefore, and I will be cellaring this one. Cellar 10 – 40 years, if you like old reds, noting that 1965 McWilliams [Hawkes Bay] Cabernet Sauvignon was still lovely at last tasting in 2008. GK 08/11

2014 Auntsfield Pinot Noir Single Vineyard 18 ½ + (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14.5%; $49 [ screwcap; www.auntsfield.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby, above midway in depth. There is a quiet depth and authority to this wine which, at the blind stage, I asked myself if this might be from the Bendigo Terraces. Bouquet is darkly red-rose floral, a suggestion of boronia, on black more than red cherry, with an intriguing subtle aromatic lift. Palate shows good concentration, black cherry flavours with a hint of plum in a positive sense, quite a lot of oak well hidden by the concentration, the latter giving good length and a great aftertaste. Another wine showing the 'new face' of Marlborough pinot noir, darker than the Greywacke. This wine (though flirting with over-ripeness, and despite the alcohol), the Greywacke, and the Two Paddocks Fusilier, convincingly demonstrate why New Zealand pinot noir is challenging Oregon, to be the second greatest pinot noir zone in the world, after Burgundy. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 06/16

2017 Valli Pinot Noir Bendigo 18 ½ + (

)

Bendigo Terraces, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $70 [ screwcap; hand-harvested @ 4.2 t/ha (1.7 t/ac) from 6-year old vines (Dijon clones, plus Abel clone); ferments include a 35% whole-bunch component, cuvaison 27 days; 11.5 months in French oak 31% new, the balance first-and second-year; not fined or filtered; growing season c.1,150 GDD; production 724 x 9-litre cases; exemplary website; www.valliwine.com ]
Bright full pinot ruby, nearly a wash of carmine and velvet, one of the darker pinots. Bouquet has a wonderfully dusky, sensuous, floral component, quite weighty alongside the Gibbston, less violets and lilac, more dark roses again, but all fragrant and genuinely pinot-y. Palate is lighter than the bouquet in fruit style, yet rich and supple with red fruits and black cherry, plus that key pinot noir concept: ‘crunchy’ cherry freshness. There is refreshing acid too, plus reasonably subtle oak. This will be an exciting wine to cellar, as it develops some of the magic of darker Cote de Nuits wine, as in Morey-Saint-Denis for example. Cellar 8 – 20 years. GK 06/19

2017 Mahi Sauvignon Blanc 18 ½ + (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $23 [ screwcap; SB 100%, a wine created from seven contributing vineyards, the goal being a more complex winestyle; all free-run juice, no pressings; some hand-picked, 22% wild-yeast, 7% barrel-fermented, none of the oak new; 2.5 g/L RS; www.mahiwine.co.nz ]
Pale lemongreen, one of the lighter wines in these mixed whites. Bouquet is immediately sweet, pure, beautifully ripe and subtle sauvignon blanc, nearly floral in a slightly aromatic way, white peach and black passionfruit fruit qualities, a hint of sweet basil, scarcely detectable red capsicum complexity … just enough to confirm sauvignon, lovely. As soon as you taste it, the greater complexity of older oak barrel-ferment and wonderfully pure lees autolysis comes to the fore, with delectable fruit flavours and apparent concentration / dry extract, so rare in New Zealand sauvignon blanc. Finish is nearly dry, marvellous. This is complex, understated, textural and modern Marlborough sauvignon blanc which will cellar for many years, up to 20. GK 06/19

2013 Villa Maria Syrah Reserve 18 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $60 [ screwcap; Sy 100%, mostly machine-picked @ c.5.8 t/ha = 2.3 t/ac; cuvaison 21 – 28 days, no whole-bunch component, cultured-yeast; 17 months in French oak 35% new, with MLF in barrel; production 650 x 9-L cases; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Carmine, ruby and velvet, strikingly deep and fresh wine, arguably the deepest colour of the set. And the bouquet is immediately youthful too. This wine has been backward from day one (that is not a euphemism for reduction), just tightly-wound, self-contained and hidden, almost. This aspect of the wine is reinforced by its being screwcap-closed. Digging deep, there are deep sweet florals, wallflowers, carnations, darkest roses, on cassis-dominated berry. It has much more to say than a year ago, but there is much, much further to go. Oak firms the wine, the kind of oak not quite as soft as Te Mata's. This time round, I see the faintest hint of pennyroyal, but that is very easy to ignore / say it adds to the aromatics. This is squeaky-clean rich wine which will be remarkably long-lived, in this field. In a sense it is the most 'regular' syrah in the set, no whole-bunch for example. It can be cellared with the utmost confidence 5 – 25 years. GK 07/16

2006 Escarpment Pinot Noir Kupe Single Vineyard 18 ½ + (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 14.1%; $85 [ supercritical cork; clone Abel hand-harvested @ < 2 t/ac from Te Muna road young vines planted @ 6600 vines / ha, fermented in cuves, 15 days cuvaison including cold-soak; 12 months in French oak 50% new; dry extract 27.1 g/L, RS <1 g/L; 500 cases; www.escarpment.co.nz ]
Big pinot noir ruby, some carmine and velvet, the freshest colour of the Escarpment wines, fractionally deeper than Te Rehua in weight. Initially opened, bouquet is reticent on this wine, the new oak component showing more than for some. There are again suggestions of Martinborough pennyroyal, and implicit florals on clear cherry fruit. Palate seems cooler and fresher than Moana, very pure, beautifully ripe, and in fact there is no worry about the oak level here. The elegance, balance and poise are delightful, but the beauty is yet to come, I suspect. One cannot ignore the magical harmony of the finish – perhaps it will eclipse the others, in three or so years' time. It will be great to see the complete set in five years time, when the real achievements of this marvellous group of pinots will be on display. It will also be great to see the dry extract increase with vine age, in this new vineyard. Cellar 3 – 12 years. GK 03/08

1996 McWilliams Mount Pleasant Shiraz Maurice O'Shea 18 ½ + (

)

Hunter Valley, NSW, Australia: 13.5%; $137 [ Cork, 45 mm; rated Excellent in the Langton's Australian wine classification, the third-level group of 65 wines; Halliday rates the 1996 vintage 6, for the Lower Hunter Valley; this wine made from the original O'Shea plantings from the 1920s, plus the 1880s plantings already on the site; hand-picked, raised in French oak, no detail; Halliday, 1998: Medium red-purple; a wonderfully scented and aromatic bouquet with cedar/smoky characters introducing a fine, long cherry-flavoured palate, finishing with supple tannins. Gold medal 1998 National Wine Show, 94; no overseas reviews, so another Australian one: A Graham, 2011 (Sydney): Fully mature and evolved with hung game meatiness but no stink. Indeed it’s pretty polished all things considered. Long and tasty, medium bodied Shiraz with that classic, rich-but-not sweet, red earth and leather Hunter Shiraz style. Fine tannins to finish. Steakworthy and deliciously drinkable. Great stuff, 18; bottle weight 521 g; www.mountpleasantwines.com.au ]
Colour ruby and garnet, nicely mature, the third-lightest wine. One of the most enchanting books ever written about Australian wine is Max Lake's Classic Wines of Australia, 1966. He simply raved about wines made by the late Maurice O'Shea, from the late '20s to the early '50s, at Mount Pleasant in the Lower Hunter Valley. I have long been envious of those Australians who have tasted these wines, and wondered a good deal if this was just an early flowering of the excessive pride Australians show in their red wines. I have however been inclined to think in fact it was true, for two reasons. Firstly, 45 years ago I was lucky enough to coincide with a batch of 'distressed' early '60s McWilliams wines from the Hunter Valley, which included 1959 McWilliams P and OP Hermitage, a wine of pinot noir-like beauty. Secondly, Max Lake then, like James Halliday nowadays, reflected a much wider palate schooling than most Australian wine writers display. So … for this wine, made from grapes either tended by, or planted by Maurice O'Shea in the 1920s, one sniff, one taste, and I felt: here is a real shadow of that early enthusiasm. The wine is wonderfully floral and fragrant, like an aromatic Cote de Nuits pinot noir, and this leads into a soft, aromatic, only faintly minty palate of great subtlety and charm, not over-ripe, not over-oaked, not overly alcoholic, in fact highly suggestive of some kind of Antipodean Cote Rotie. It is just a little tannic, compared with the Langi, but also fractionally richer. It will be wonderful with food. In this company however it is almost a modest wine, so I was quite alone in rating it highly. For the group, no first or second places, no least place, and nobody thought it French. Fully mature now, but no hurry at all. GK 03/17

2017 Valli Pinot Noir Bannockburn 18 ½ + (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $70 [ screwcap; hand-harvested @ 3.9 t/ha (1.6 t/ac) from 17-year old vines (Dijon clones only); ferments include a 25% whole-bunch component, cuvaison 27 days; 11 months in French oak 27% new, the balance first-and second-year; not fined or filtered; growing season c.1,100 GDD; production 645 x 9-litre cases; exemplary website; www.valliwine.com ]
Good pinot noir ruby, one of the lighter wines. Bouquet is wonderfully sweet and evocative of pinot noir, violets, dark roses, just beautiful florals on red and black cherry fruits, plus vanillin from oak, exciting. Palate follows perfectly, another wine to illustrate the concept of ‘crunchy’ cherry fruit, the ratio of faintly cedary oak at first sight perfect to add spice, but not dominate the fruit in any way. The wine shows fairly good concentration by New Zealand pinot noir standards, and is long in flavour. Later the ratio of new oak seems a little too high. But overall, this wine is an exciting introduction to good New Zealand pinot noir. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 06/19

2006 Villa Maria Chardonnay Single Vineyard Taylors Pass 18 ½ + (

)

Awatere Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $38 [ screwcap; hand-picked clone 95 chardonnay, BF on full solids in French oak 25% new; MLF and 12 months LA in barrel, 80% of the wine through MLF; pH 3.36, RS < 1; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Elegant bright pale lemon. Bouquet is neat and tight on this wine, showing pale chardonnay from some of the modern clones, I would imagine, subtly evolved with barrel-ferment, lees-autolysis and MLF into a very understated and surprisingly under-developed wine. It looks clearly younger than the 2006 Cloudy Bay, for example. In mouth there are hints of acacia florals, and citric notes in a good concentration of white nectarine fruit, carefully oaked, complexly flavoured in a subtle pale way. Acid is firm. All told, this is an easy wine to overlook. It should however have a most interesting evolution, and is recommended for cellaring 2 – 10 years, at least. GK 04/09

2015 Valli Riesling Waitaki Late-Harvest 375 ml 18 ½ + (

)

Waitaki Valley, North Otago, New Zealand: 9%; $50 [ screwcap; Ri 100% grown on limestone-influenced gravels, cropped at 2.3 t/ha = 0.9 t/ac from an 8-year old vineyard; s/s fermented, no mention of oak; RS 85 g/L against TA 9.7, pH 3.0; not fined, is sterile-filtered; production the equivalent of 135 x 9-litre cases; www.valliwine.com ]
Brilliant lemon, midway in depth. Bouquet is a little unusual in a sweet white, combining Lisbon lemon zest with white button-mushroom botrytis, plus a white-flower floral note. It is exquisitely pure. Palate is immediately aromatic on the citrus zest, yet subtly so, with a waxy depth of quality to it while at the same time being light in flavour and texture. Sweetness is apparent, yet refreshing on the low pH and fine-grained high acid. This is a remarkable and wonderful Otago sweet wine which will cellar for 50 years, changing over the years. It would be fantastic to follow it, from its supreme freshness now through to the mellow golden wine decades hence. GK 06/19

2011 Craggy Range Syrah Le Sol 18 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $105 [ cork; Sy 100% Limmer clone, hand-harvested a little earlier than previous years @ just under 8 t/ha (3.2 t/ac); 100% de-stemmed; MLF and 18 months in French oak 35% new; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, much lighter than Homage, Huchet and particularly the Villa Reserve. This wine is so floral that in the blind evaluation I thought it merlot, for the lovely violets and darkest roses quality of the bouquet. The next day the bouquet expanded to embrace wallflowers and dianthus too in its floral notes. On the berry side there are almost pinot noir-like qualities, the florality on the cassis softening it, that quality accentuated by the low alcohol and very low apparent oak (on bouquet). Palate is deceptive, and the pinot noir analogy still holds. This has to be the subtlest, most feminine, and most Cote Rotie-like Le Sol so far. Yet it is not a small wine, the saturation of fruit on palate is comparable exactly with the Aroha, and like that wine it is simply beautiful. What an evolution in style, almost a revolution, this Le Sol represents in the decade of Le Sols so far. A bit silly to say revolution, because the quality of the season also contributed to the character of this wine. Cellar 5 – 15 years, perhaps longer. These four syrahs, 2010 Trinity Hill Homage, 2010 Mission Estate Huchet, 2010 Villa Maria Reserve, and 2011 Craggy Range Le Sol, say almost everything that can be said about great New Zealand syrah. These are wines of international stature, even if United Kingdom winewriters find it hard to stretch beyond 17 points for them. GK 05/13

2009 Akarua Pinot Noir Reserve 18 ½ + (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14.7%; $55 [ screwcap; clones 5 and 6 predominate in a mix of 7 clones cropped @ c. 5.5 t/ha = 2.3 t/ac; no whole bunch, some wild yeast; a barrel selection comprising 4% of the harvest; 11 months in French oak, 35% new; www.akarua.com ]
Attractive pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is more in the red grading to black cherry fruit camp, with again a supple floral lift adding charm and varietal precision. Here the oak is slightly more noticeable, and it is entwined with a light savoury aromatic note which makes one wonder about the thyme characters sometimes mentioned in Otago wines. It is vanishingly subtle though. Palate is very attractive, beautiful cherry fruit just a little more shaped by oak than the Target Gulley. Alcohol is higher than one might wish for pinot noir, but at this stage the wine carries it well. I am confident it will perform well in cellar, noting that some of the 2002 ripe-year Otago pinots have matured attractively. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 06/11

2005 Clos des Papes Chateauneuf-du-Pape 18 ½ + (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $191 [ cork, 49mm; original price c.$85; one of the few domaines making just the one grand vin (red), plus a generic red; described by J.L-L as the ‘Gold standard estate’; becoming a rare wine in New Zealand; cepage at the time was more Gr 65%, Mv 20, Sy 10, others 5; all cropped conservatively c.2.75 t/ha = 1.1 t/ac in 2005; all destemmed, 21 days cuvaison; elevation c.12 months in large foudres, no new oak; not fined or filtered; annual production c.7,000 x 9-litre cases; J.L-L, 2017: … a hunky, bosky nose, animal with the Mourvèdre in the driving seat, roast meat, dates, black pepper. The palate is chunky – this is a real 2005 – with tenacious tannins. ****(*); JD@RP, 2015: ... decidedly more elegant and finesse-styled now than it was on release ... a perfumed bouquet of kirsch and blackberry-like fruits, licorice, incense, Asian spice and forest floor ... a core of sweet fruit, fine tannin and a balanced, harmonious feel. It’s not a powerhouse, and is drinking nicely today, with another decade of longevity, 2015 – 2025, 94; weight bottle and cork 685 g; www.clos-des-papes.fr ]
Ruby and some garnet, the second to lightest wine. This wine displays yet another beautiful, mouth-watering bouquet of great purity, with wonderful red fruits fractionally ‘cooler’ than the Vieux Telegraphe, but like it with clear bouquet garni / garrigue qualities. Palate has an almost Cote de Nuits / pinot noir quality to it in the first instance, but it is also more ‘furry’ in its tannins, with greater alcohol. But as a wine, in a tasting context, you scarcely think about the alcohol. This too, like the Vieux Telegraphe, simply epitomises the classical Chateauneuf-du-Pape winestyle. Two tasters had this as their first or second wine. It will be beautiful for another 10 – 20 years. Alcohol said to be under 15%, suggesting lower alcohols can be achieved with care. GK 07/19

2015 Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc Taylors Pass Single Vineyard 18 ½ + (

)

Awatere Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $30 [ screwcap; machine-harvested cool at night, short skin contact, all s/s fermentation again cool; RS 3.1 g/L; 2015 seen as a quality year for Marlborough sauvignon; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Good pale lemongreen, twice the apparent weight of Templar. Given the same caveat as for Templar, the bouquet is immediately 'sweeter', more complex, and yet more 'regular' and desirable good Marlborough sauvignon than Templar. It is characterised by beautifully aromatic black passionfruit aromas, complexed with sweet sautéed red capsicums, plus a hint of elderflower blossom. Palate is a great improvement on the Templar, being both richer and drier. The richness and length of pure ripe sauvignon varietal character here is exemplary: it must reflect a conservative cropping rate. This wine is up there with the 'definitive' workaday Marlborough sauvignon, Astrolabe Province, but even for the quality of the wine, $30 is expensive. It's not really relevant that Cloudy Bay Sauvignon is more expensive again: only name snobs buy it. It's been years since that wine has been a leader in the Marlborough sauvignon game. This is beautiful sauvignon, to cellar 3 – 8 or even 10 years, if you like the changing flavours of sauvignon as it matures. GK 11/15

2014 Craggy Range Pinot Noir Aroha 18 ½ + (

)

Te Muna Valley, Martinborough district, Wairarapa, New Zealand: 13.8%; $125 [ 50mm cork; hand-harvested @ c. 6.75 t/ha = 2.75 t/ac; fermentation in oak cuves and s/s with wild yeasts; 50% whole-bunch; 11 months in French oak 30% new; no fining, light filtering; RS nil; www.craggyrange.com ]
Pinot noir ruby, very close to the standard 2013 Te Muna Road wine. Bouquet is (naturally) younger, simpler, and less integrated than the 2013 Aroha, but nonetheless shows an exciting berry-rich expression of highly varietal pinot noir. It simply awaits the development of more apparent rather than implicit florality, and for the intertwining with oak vanillins to be as complex as the 2013. Oak is not quite so apparent as the 2013 Aroha wine. Palate is beautiful red cherry fruit grading to black cherry. In terms of texture, immediately there is a contradiction apparent in this set of wines, for the cropping rate of this 2014 Aroha is given as higher than the 2013 standard wine, yet fruit weight and texture seem better. Presumably this reflects cellar work, in barrel. I envisage this ending up very close to the 2013 Aroha in style and achievement, but just fractionally lighter. A promising young wine to cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 06/16

2004 Craggy Range Syrah Block 14 18 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $33 [ cork; Sy 100% cropped @ c. 3.5 t/ac, hand-harvested, 95% destemmed; 17 months in French oak 40% new; ’04 not on website yet; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, well above midway in depth of colour. Bouquet benefits from decanting or a good swirl in the glass. It is richer and riper than Bullnose, and consequently offers less floral complexity and more plummy depth – blackest plums picked sun-warmed. This is a much more refined and elegant approach to syrah than the 2003 Block 14. Bouquet is glorious darkest cassis and plum with elusive suggestions of darkest florals (violets), thus converging to a degree with good merlot. Peppercorn spice is not explicit on bouquet at this stage, but once one knows the label, it is easily found. Palate likewise is richer than Bullnose, just as complex and black peppercorny, seemingly more youthful and oaky and therefore less finesse at this stage. It is potentially velvety, showing superb dark berry richness. Comparison with the more floral Bullnose is inevitable, for both excel in 2004. That the Craggy wine can be put in the same line-up with that Rhone-styled wine, and create confusion in the blind tasting, shows how much more finessed the 2004 is. The ratio of fruit to oak is exemplary, and the whole wine is beautifully balanced for cellaring. Like le Sol, it is directly in an Hermitage style. This and Bullnose make a marvellous pair, which should be represented in all serious wine enthusiasts’ cellars. Cellar 5 – 15 years, maybe 20. GK 05/06

2008 Isola Estate Cabernets / Merlot 18 ½ + (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14.2%; $37 [ screwcap; DFB; CS 46%, Me 43, CF 7, Ma 4, hand-harvested, 100% de-stemmed; cold-soak 1 day, cultured yeast, 9 days cuvaison, MLF in tank; 11 months in all-French oak 20% new; sterile filtered; 280 cases, second release this label; ‘2008 was the arguably one of the best vintages that Waiheke has seen in over 20 years. Excellent concentration due to a great summer. Ripe black currant and plum aromas backed up with a similar palate. Ripe tight tannins that give excellent mouth feel. The silky tannins as with the 2007 make it so drinkable already. This is exciting stuff for us here at the vineyard.’; www.isolaestate.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a marvellous claret colour, deeper than 2007 Coleraine. Initially opened, the wine seems disorganised. Decant it splashily and leave for a few hours. Once breathed (and it is after all a very young wine, just bottled) it displays a cassis-rich aromatic bouquet which in the blind tasting reminds of syrah initially, on dense bottled black doris fruit with wafts of violets. Oak is now much less apparent. In mouth it tastes merlot-dominant, plummy rich and fat, with a rounder acid balance than the Mudbrick or Weeping Sands. Cellar 5 – 15 years plus. This is a fragrant modern Bordeaux look-alike, a little more accessible than Coleraine ’07 but still firm in youth, reminiscent of some classed Margaux wines, and totally pure. GK 06/09

2004 Viu Manent Semillon Late-Harvest 500 ml 18 ½ + (

)

Colchagua Valley, Chile: 13%; $13.50 [ provisional score – barrel sample; cork; Se 100%, 85 – 90% botrytised, must 44° Brix, 40% BF, balance s/s, then all into old French oak; RS 185 g/L; www.viumanent.cl/ingles ]
Cloudy lemon to light gold. A very youthful wine still to be bottled and start marrying up. Even so, there is gorgeous fruit and beautiful pure botrytis, showing exact semillon varietal character as in fine Sauternes, without the hint of herbaceousness so often seen in New Zealand examples of the variety. The wine is much more citrus-floral / fragrant and varietally aromatic than the broader softer semillons often seen from Australia. At this stage the bouquet is also showing some oak, spirit, and VA, but these will marry up. Palate is luscious, the oak a little high at this stage, but the wine has the richness to carry it, if it is bottled reasonably soon. Cellar 10 – 20 years.

At present the Late-Harvest Semillon is slotted into the Varietal Range. If it is half as good as it looks, it is potentially outstanding wine, and should be released as an occasional Secreto wine, when season and vintage allows. Like the Viognier, it serves notice that Chile will provide us with vivid competition, in styles we in New Zealand aspire to do well in. GK 12/04

2007 Peregrine Pinot Noir The Pinnacle 18 ½ + (

)

Cromwell Basin & Gibbston, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $175 [ screwcap; second release, after 2005 inaugural; 8 clones hand-harvested; up to 7 days cold soak, up to 24 days cuvaison; 11 months in French oak 48% new, then 6 months in French oak some new; not fined or filtered; 83 cases only; www.peregrinewines.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby, the same weight as the Bendigo Block wine, but a little fresher. What a joy it is to see these appropriate colours for pinot noir (in a world sense) becoming more the norm in New Zealand. It has been a long haul. Bouquet is special on this wine, reminiscent of Rousseau or Drouhin grands crus, where you can detect there is fragrant vanillin new oak, melded with the boronia florals, but it is so subtle. Palate like the Bendigo Estate is red fruits prominent, though just like the Cote de Nuits, the florality of fine black cherries is apparent too. Palate however is a little oakier than the Bendigo, but what a superb quality of oak this is. Sometimes when you read of burgundy in 100% new oak, or the Guigal grands crus in 100% new oak for 42 months, one wonders in despair if the French have access to oak of a quality we never see in New Zealand. This wine suggests otherwise. Oak is at a maximum, but the fruit is up to it. Cellar 5 – 12 years, perhaps a little longer. GK 11/10

2004 Dog Point Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 18 ½ + (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $23 [ screwcap; mostly s/s, some wild yeast, RS 5 g/L; www.dogpoint.co.nz ]
Lemongreen, beautiful. A voluminous ripe sauvignon bouquet of ripest red capsicum, black passionfruit and some honeysuckle florals, though the subtlety of the latter is a bit hidden by soft fragrant oak aromas. In addition there are attractive baguette / breadcrust lees autolysis complexities on bouquet, surprisingly so considering the lack of time in which to develop them. Palate is a little more austere than the bouquet promises, the apparent ripeness retreating slightly to remind of other colours of capsicum, plus fresh acid. Body, balance, and length in mouth in mouth are excellent – serious sauvignon at a serious cropping rate. This is a terrific subtly-oak-influenced New Zealand sauvignon in the subtle Mt Nelson style, commercially dry, which should cellar well for 5 – 10 years, perhaps longer. GK 10/04

2009 Mt Difficulty Pinot Noir Target Gully Single Vineyard 18 ½ + (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $85 [ Screwcap; clones 5, 6, 10/5 and 777, the oldest (on own roots) 15 years at harvest, hand-picked at 5 t/ha = 2 t/ac; 9 days cold-soak, 7 days fermentation, 9 days maceration, giving a cuvaison of 25 days, 25% whole-bunches; 16 months in French oak, 30% new, MLF in barrel the following spring; light fining only; dry extract 28.7 g/L; production 280 x 9-L cases; Cooper, 2013: a distinctly masculine style, dark and rich, with layers of cherry, plum, spice and nut flavours, firm and very 'complete', *****; weight bottle and closure: 728 g; www.mtdifficulty.co.nz ]
Perfect pinot noir ruby, the third to lightest. Bouquet achieves the most marvellous expression of, and integration of, sweet florality without any green undertones, with equally sweet highly sophisticated oak handling. The bouquet bypasses buddleia notes (characteristic of marginally under-ripe pinot noir), going straight to pink and red rose florality, with suggestions of boronia. Beautiful cedary oak complexes the bouquet, but does not dominate. Red cherry fruit welds both into a superbly burgundian aroma, totally Cote de Nuits in its excitement and subliminal aromatics. Palate follows totally in synch, red fruits dominant, tannins shaping but not dominating the fruit, the wine fragrant in mouth, no hint of green. This is premier or even grand cru quality from the Gevrey-Chambertin district, as with most of these wines just needing a little more dry extract to fully foot it with grands crus, and thus be breathtaking. But even so, there is a dusky magic in the bouquet of this wine which all the others lack. Cellar 3 – 8 years more. Seven people rated this their top or second wine, three thought it French, and five thought it a $100-plus bottle. GK 07/16

2007 Forrest The White John Forrest Collection 18 ½ + (

)

Various districts, New Zealand, New Zealand: 13.8%; $45 [ screwcap; SB, Ri, Ch, CB, Vi, Gw, each from the district John Forrest considers it does best in, cropped varyingly at 5 – 7.5 t/ha (2 – 3 t/ac; no winemaking detail on website, perhaps varieties suited to it see some oak (but it is subtle); RS 6.5 g/L; 225 cases; www.forrest.co.nz ]
Attractive lemon. Initial impressions on bouquet are of a slightly smoky very ripe sauvignon blanc subjected to subtle barrel-ferment and good lees-autolysis. It immediately forms a good impression alongside the sauvignon. It is hard to pick up the other varieties: riesling always slides imperceptibly into ripe sauvignon, and further along the ripeness pathway viognier does too. Pinot gris just disappears, chenin blanc likewise, chardonnay up to a certain point contributes texture more than flavour, leaving gewurztraminer as the joker in the pack. It is invisible at this stage, a good thing given the style – no point in raising confusion between this elegant wine and an el cheapo variety such as verdelho. Body is lovely, a beautiful rendering of a sauvignon-dominant wine, much subtler than Mugwi, richer than the Woodthorpe, the finish 'sauvignon-dry' (at a stretch – the only detail misjudged). I have been a bit of a knocker of The White concept, and I still figure it is overpriced, but this one is a glorious food wine. And it has to be said, some Bordeaux blancs are more expensive than their sibling Bordeaux rouges. But they are bone dry, so the challenge is still there. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 08/11

2004 Villa Maria Syrah Cellar Selection 18 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $32 [ screwcap; hand-harvested, 12 months and MLF in 40% new oak mostly French; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, fractionally lighter than the Vidal Reserve. What a remarkable wine this is, demonstrating great syrah varietal character, richness and depth amongst wines up to three times its price. Bouquet shows some dark florals, and suggestions of cassis, in darkest plums and bottled plums. Palate is round, rich and velvety, clear blueberries here, riper than the la Collina or the Homage, perhaps verging on a hint of sur-maturitÃ© but still good spice, and probably more pleasing to many. The quality of this wine relative to price offers one of the greatest values on the premium wine market in New Zealand today, but all too often for its top wines, Villa Maria is the victim of its own success. This wine languishes on the shelves, while others more trendy, more expensive, and sometimes not as good, sell out. Cellar 5 â€“ 15 years. VALUE GK 11/06

2014 Craggy Range Syrah Le Sol 18 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $120 [ 49mm cork; Sy 100% mass-selection clone, all hand-harvested at 6.6 t/ha = 2.65 t/ac; 100% de-stemmed, inoculated ferments in both oak cuves and s/s; MLF and 18 months in French oak 35% new; filtered to bottle; RS nil; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, the deepest wine of the eight syrahs and merlots. Bouquet is so youthful and not together, the first thought is: this should not be released yet. But it is. There is intense dark red and black berry, both blueberry and cassis, and just a touch of black pepper, in a wine of great purity. On palate the berry richness flows evenly over the tongue, blueberry dominant now, oak more apparent at this stage, the wine seeming richer than some previous years of Le Sol. This is exciting young wine, adding conviction to some winemakers' claims that 2014 in Hawkes Bay is as good (for syrah and merlot) as 2013. Cellar 5 – 25 years. GK 09/16

2012 Greystone Pinot Noir 18 ½ + (

)

Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 13.5%; $29 [ screwcap; NB this wine squeaked into the under-$30 tasting due to the price at Regional Wines, but is more commonly in the mid-$30s. The Greystone vineyard was established by the Thomas family on the slopes of the Teviotdale hills, Waipara Valley, in 2004. Their winemaker is Dominic Maxwell. The vineyard has become highly-regarded early in the piece. This wine is their mainstream pinot, there is also a quite expensive Reserve. It is hand-harvested from four clones on sloping sites, wild-yeast fermented with a long cuvaison for pinot, then spends 12 months in 30% new French oak. This is the wine that was awarded the Trophy for best pinot noir in last year's Air NZ judging – a correctly awarded Trophy if ever there was one. It has been awarded scores ranging up to 96 points by NZ winewriters, so we have an interesting assessment before us. The wine analysis is of critical importance to the future of New Zealand fine wine, and those who think our pinot noir cannot compete with Burgundy proper, for this wine has a dry extract of 30.6 g/L against an RS of 0.4 g/L. These are grand cru numbers, outstanding for cool-climate viticulture; www.greystonewines.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby, above midway in depth. Bouquet epitomises what the grape variety pinot noir is all about, sweet haunting even caressing florals touching on violets, roses and boronia, then clear cherry fruit and gentle near-invisible oak. Palate emphasises the caressing thought, soft, velvety, seductive even, so one wonders if it has quite the tannin structure for longevity. The fruit ripeness is pinpoint, red grading to black cherry with attractive acid balance. Total style is unarguably Cote de Nuits, and this wine is a real charmer. It is so rich that the fruit sweetness continues right through to the tail, and the wine thus seems sweet to the finish, but the analysis denies that. At this traditional level of fine-wine-making, sensory evaluation reaches its limits. In its total harmony and stylistic veracity, it pretty well matches all the over-$30 pinot noirs. It does not seem as rich and grand cru-like as the Pisa, but in both practical terms and classical European analysis terms this Greystone is for the moment the definitive New Zealand pinot noir. Cellar 3 – 8 years, maybe 12 on that dry extract. GK 06/14

2002 Girardin Chambertin 18 ½ + (

)

Gevrey-Chambertin Grand Cru, Burgundy, France: 14%; $209 [ cork; neither fined nor filtered; no info on website yet; www.avco.org/girardin ]
Great pinot noir ruby and velvet, marginally the deepest of all the wines. Bouquet on this wine is dramatic in its dark lilac florals intertwined with the savoury face of brett, so the whole wine cries out for roast beef. Palate has all the weight and potential velvetiness of the Clos de Beze, but at this stage is more youthful, perhaps due to a higher percentage of new oak. This may one day surpass the other top Girardins, except the brett is higher. Aftertaste is pure black cherry. Cellar 5 – 15 years, maybe longer, for though the fruit is very rich, the ratio of brett may shorten its cellar life. GK 12/05

2004 Howard Park Riesling 18 ½ + (

)

Great Southern, Western Australia, Australia: 12.5%; $31 [ screwcap; www.howardparkwines.com.au ]
Pale lemon. Bouquet is quieter than the MadFish, with an intriguing citrus zest complexity to it, almost suggesting mandarin and mock orange blossom, in a very subtle riesling setting. Flavours on palate are much more apparent, and now one can see the bouquet components expanding to vanillin and lime-zest flavours, on good fruit and acid balance. Compared with the MadFish, the wine is clearly drier, more lime-zest and seemingly less fine-grained, due to the intensity of dry citrus flavours, all very long. They make a marvellous pair of Australian rieslings, less aggressive than so many New Zealand examples, which will be intriguing to watch over the years, and see whether the slightly sweeter MadFish remains fractionally the more delightful. The scores could easily be reversed. This dry wine should cellar superbly, 5 – 15 years at least. GK 07/06

2011 Church Road Merlot McDonald Series 18 ½ + (

)

Tukituki Valley 67%, Gimblett Gravels 31% & Bridge Pa Triangle 2%, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $34 [ screwcap; Me 100%; all de-stemmed, up to 5 weeks cuvaison; 18 – 20 months in French oak 33% new; RS < 2 g/L, all unfermentable; coarse-filtered only; www.churchroad.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, nearly some carmine, clearly darker than the matching 2011 McDonald Cabernet Sauvignon, as if a little malbec had assisted colour, towards the top of the middle third in depth. Bouquet is every bit as fragrant and beautiful as the sister Cabernet Sauvignon, just softer and more plummy. In mouth it is clearly softer, plumper, richer and less aromatic than the sister wine. These two wines therefore illustrate beautifully the essential style differences between West Bank cabernet-dominant bordeaux and East Bank merlot-dominant wines, in general. The oak balance here is more perfect than the Cabernet, its greater richness better carrying the oak. This is where New Zealand merlot needs to be, style-wise, compared to the too-many weedy merlot wines still lingering in the marketplace. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 06/14

2013 Craggy Range Pinot Noir Te Muna Road Aroha 18 ½ + (

)

Te Muna Valley, Martinborough district, Wairarapa, New Zealand: 13.5%; $125 [ 50mm cork; hand-harvested @ c. 3.8 t/ha = 1.5 t/ac; fermentation in oak cuves and s/s, with wild yeasts, and 40% whole-bunches; 11 months in French oak 32% new; RS nil; not fined, coarse filter only; the Craggy Range website now really is a model of how to do it – if only other leading New Zealand wineries (and those wishing to be seen as 'leading') would provide both this level of documentation for each wine, and the same details for all back vintages; www.craggyrange.com ]
A lovely ruby pinot noir colour, just below midway in depth. Bouquet is sweetly and beautifully floral, hints of buddleia, clear roses and port-wine magnolia, a shadow of boronia, on red grading to black cherry fruit. Flavours in mouth show near-perfect varietal ripeness, sweet fruit as if there were trace residual (not so), and appropriate oak, still needing to meld. This is lovely wine, with a burgundian Cru quality of texture to the palate accurately reflecting the Grand Cru cropping rate (in 2013). New Zealand pinot noirs of this bouquet and palate quality are truly burgundian, complete with a touch of burgundian mystery. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 09/16

2013 Te Mata Estate Syrah Bullnose 18 ½ + (

)

The Triangle, Hawkes Bay,, New Zealand: 13%; $50 [ cork 45mm; Sy 100%, hand-picked from c.23-year old vines; all de-stemmed, 15 months in French oak usually 35 – 40% new; RS dry; no other info, the winery not responding to correspondence; released; www.temata.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a lovely colour though one of the lighter ones. Bouquet is one of the stand-out wines for dianthus-led precise syrah varietal quality, as seen typically in Cote Rotie. This is a syrah that on bouquet almost takes over where richer pinot noirs run out, being simply very beautiful. Oak augments the bouquet, but is hard to tease out. The delicacy and purity of cassisy berry and subtlest pepper spices are again exquisitely varietal. In mouth the neatness and tautness of the wine is most impressive. There is no hint of either under-ripeness or over-ripeness, just a perfect fragrant expression of ripe syrah, in a Cote Rotie styling. Its ripeness surpasses 2013 Coleraine, cross-referencing variety with variety. Fruit weight in terms of dry extract also seems fractionally ahead of Coleraine, but is lighter than the syrahs marked more highly in this review. It is is more good New Zealand red for that criterion, however, rather than exemplary. It makes up for that with its beauty. In the subsequent blind tasting, Bullnose crept up the rankings on the definitive quality of its varietal character, and its absolute vinosity. In the field, this year's Bullnose looked a little more oaky than some years, but this is an aspect of their red wines Te Mata are traditionally careful about, and the wines harmonise in cellar and are good with food. In the Regional Wines tasting, two people rated this the top wine, at the blind stage. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 05/15

2013 Matua Valley Syrah Matheson Single Vineyard 18 ½ + (

)

The Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $56 [ screwcap; DFB; Sy, trace viognier co-fermented; hand-picked from c.15-year old vines planted at c.3,000 vines / ha and cropped @ c.4 t/ha = 1.6 t/ac; 3 – 4 days cold-soak, cuvaison in oak cuves averaged 14 days with 10% whole-bunch, 10 months in 90% French oak c.45% new, 10% American white; www.matua.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, in the top half-dozen for depth of colour. This astonishing New Zealand syrah is deeper in colour than the Langi, and shows a similar slight aromatic lift. It is deeply and darkly floral, close to but not quite as varietal as the Yann Chave Hermitage. In mouth the dark fleshy berry blends both cassis and bottled black doris plum in a manner closely matching the Langi, neither being quite as pinpoint varietal syrah as either the Yann Chave Hermitage or the J L Chave Saint-Joseph. It is extraordinarily hard to put into words what the difference is, and in a sense it doesn't really matter. These top five wines are all glorious syrahs, showing great dry extract, length of flavour, subtlety of oak elevation, and nett varietal quality. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 08/16

2005 Craggy Range Merlot Gimblett Gravels Vineyard 18 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.9%; $31 [ cork; DFB; Me 86%, CF 14, hand-harvested @ 3.5 t/ac; 20 months in French oak 50% new; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, the third deepest. Bouquet is superbly midnight-dark cassis and violets, plus blackest plum and almost blackberry (in the subtlest sense), magically fragrant and pure, subtle oak, a little fresher than Sophia, total east-bank Bordeaux such as classed St Emilion in style. And the best thing about it is the alcohol seems lower than some of these wines, though perfectly ripe. Palate is velvety rich, a little lighter than Sophia but still saturated dark berry flavours, no hint of sur-maturité though riper than the 2004, new oak in balance, all suited to cellaring 5 – 20 years. At c. $31, this is the best-value premium quality Hawkes Bay / Bordeaux blend in New Zealand. [ My earlier review of this wine I now think must have been a cork-affected / scalped bottle.] VALUE GK 05/07

2003 Pegasus Bay Pinot Noir Prima Donna 18 ½ + (

)

Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 14.5%; $85 [ screwcap; clones 10/5, 2/10 and others, 18 years, harvested @ 1.2 t/ac; 15% whole bunch, 6 days cold soak, 24 days cuvaison; 18 months in French oak 60% new; no fining, coarse filtration; Robinson '05: Dark healthy crimson. Sweet, quite simple, beetroot and spice. Lots of gas. Distinctive rather than necessarily better than the regular bottling. 16; www.pegasusbay.com ]
Dark ruby, clear carmine and velvet, nearly as dense as the 2002 Bendigo. Bouquet is darkly floral, closer to the Bendigo than the other top wines at this stage, but wonderfully pure. Palate is oakier than some, darkest cherries and bottled plums, a hint of bacon, some spice on the oak, marvellously varietal. In taste terms (bacon apart), one would be hard put to explain how this Waipara wine differs in its regional character (or terroir) from the Central Otago Bendigo. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 01/07

2008 Alluviale Blanc 18 ½ + (

)

Mangatahi, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $27 [ cork; grapes not given, but assumption is sauvignon blanc and semillon; Mangatahi is in the Ngaruroro River valley some 25 km west of Hastings; all hand-picked and sorted, some fruit de-stemmed, some whole-bunch; some barrel-ferment and lees autolysis; www.alluviale.com ]
Lemongreen. Bouquet here is in one sense more complex than the Astrolabe Awatere, in that oak is involved, but in another way it is not so perfectly varietal. Ripe fruit, barrel-ferment, lees-autolysis, and some SO2 are still to marry up, but the direction is clearly towards a complex Graves style. Palate is black passionfruit more than red capsicums, showing good body, great length with the barrel-ferment / new oak component noticeable, again a little SO2 to resolve. This will be exciting wine in a year’s time, and make a fine comparison with wines such as Te Mata’s Cape Crest and Sacred Hill’s Sauvage in Hawkes Bay, as well as the intensely varietal sauvignons such as Section 94 and Te Koko from Marlborough. Alluviale Blanc seems softer than some of these wines, which could help it with food. It is a more substantial wine than the stainless steel Astrolabes, but does not achieve their exquisite varietal definition. Personal preference here, but either way, Alluviale Blanc is a great addition to the ranks of modern sophisticated New Zealand sauvignons. Cellar 2 – 10 years. GK 04/09

2005 Te Mata Chardonnay Elston 18 ½ + (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $38 [ supercritical cork; 100% BF, LA and batonnage in French oak 35% new for 11 months, 100% MLF; www.temata.co.nz ]
Lemon, scarcely different from the Woodthorpe. Bouquet however is very different, in one sense restrained, showing the purer limestone minerality of good Puligny-Montrachet, on pure white stonefruits chardonnay. Palate develops this theme, with a flinty quality on great fruit, beautiful mealy and baguette autolysis, invisible MLF, and subtle oak. It is still youthful now, and alongside the Kumeu River pair it is a little harder and more restrained, but with equally fine promise. The suggestion of limestone minerality is a point of difference about Elston, and the alcohol of 13.5% is as much to be applauded as the Kumeus (reported on 4 Mar 06). This is grand cru-quality wine too, like the Kumeus. Cellar 6 – 10 years. GK 03/06

2014 Two Paddocks Pinot Noir Proprietor's Reserve The Fusilier 18 ½ + (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.6%; $70 [ Stelvin Lux screwcap; mostly Dijon clone 115, some Dijon 667, 10/5, planted at c.2,500 vines/ha, 15 years age; all hand-picked with careful selection at c.5.8 t/ha = 2.3 t/ac; 45% whole-bunch component, balance no-crushing, pre-ferment cold soak 7 – 10 days, then 15 – 20 days cuvaison with all wild-yeast ferments; all the wine 11 months in all-French oak 33% new, medium toast, MLF in barrel in spring; not sterile-filtered to bottle; RS 0.2 g/L; dry extract 27.7 g/L; production 300 cases; www.twopaddocks.com ]
A good quite deep pinot noir ruby colour, fractionally the deepest colour, but within bounds. Bouquet shows the most complex and deepest floral qualities of all the wines, darkest roses and boronia, lovely, totally Cote de Nuits. Palate richness is good without being exemplary, at least of Premier Cru quality, with a suppleness and purity of red cherry flavour which is highly varietal, and totally lacking stalkyness. It will be fun one day (if opportunity offers) to establish if the Mt Difficulty Individual Vineyard wines or some of the Valli labels (for example) match or better this wine, in 2014. This is one of the most exciting pinot noirs so far made in New Zealand, to cellar 5 – 15 years. Tasters did not share my enthusiasm for the wine, only one rating it first or second. Seven thought it from Otago. GK 08/16

2013 Esk Valley Syrah Winemakers Reserve 18 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $60 [ screwcap; a single vineyard wine from the Cornerstone vineyard; Sy 100% hand-harvested @ c.3.7 t/ha (1.5 t/ac), all de-stemmed; wild yeast fermentation in concrete fermenter, total cuvaison 32 days; c.16 months in French burgundy barrels c.35% new; bottled without finings; production c.390 x 9-L cases; www.eskvalley.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a sensational colour, the second deepest. Bouquet is intensely berried, so much so that in the blind tasting you think it is a highly cassisy cabernet carrying a maximum of cedary oak. But as you taste the wine, almost raspberry / loganberry berry notes creep in too, with a wonderful fragrance so complex you can't determine if it is floral or berry notes you are trying to characterise. Palate is glorious, textured, long, aromatic rich fruit sustained by cedary oak at a maximum or slightly to excess, but the richness of the fruit is probably enough to carry it. Personally I would prefer less, acknowledging the Hermitage model. Exciting wine to cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 08/16

2010 Villa Maria Syrah Gimblett Gravels Reserve 18 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $50 [ screwcap; Sy 100% all hand-picked at c.4.4 t / ha = 1.8 t/ac; 100% de-stemmed, fermentation in open s/s vats, extended cuvaison to 42 days some parcels; MLF and 17 months in 3-years air-dried French oak c.60% new, minimal fining and filtration; RS nil; 420 cases only; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a fabulous colour, the deepest wine in the syrah subset. Bouquet is yet another stunning variation on the New Zealand syrah theme. The density and intensity of fragrant cassis is remarkable, though the floral component on this wine gives way a little to the vanillin of a significant new oak percentage, alongside the Jewelstone and Cellar Selection Syrahs. Palate shows a wonderful concentration of berry and fruit, the oak is not too intrusive (though the greatest of the top three), and the length of flavour is excellent. Alongside the Mission wine, the latter is more varietal due to less new oak. It would be thrilling to have a case of each of these top three syrahs, and see how these influences balance out over the 15 year time span these wines are suited to. One could be miserable and just select the Cellar Selection, which reconciles the other two. In truth though, one needs good supplies of all three, as well as one or two other top syrahs not in this great Hot Red offering. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 06/12

2008 Penfolds [ Shiraz ] Bin 95 Grange 18 ½ + (

)

South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $899 [ cork 50mm; Sh 98%, CS 2; some barrel-ferment; 19 months in American hogsheads 100% new; www.penfolds.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a vibrantly fresh and sensational colour, the deepest. When it comes to big Australian reds, and my experience with odd Granges back to the 1965 vintage, it is the lack of immediate negatives which make this wine so initially pleasing. It smells fresh rather than over-ripe, it smells of berries rather than artefact, it is not obviously too euc'y or volatile, and the oak is to a degree restrained. In a powerful way, it actually smells winey, unlike so much of what passes as red wine in Australia, including from Penfolds. In mouth, there is in fact still a pretty unsubtle whack of oak, highly vanillin American oak. But there is some suggestion of cassis, and the freshness of blueberry and bottled dark plum is good. There is some grading to boysenberry though. Oak and VA are within bounds. There is some euc taint, but what can you say: simply that the wine would be so much better without it – but then you reflect the Aussies can't even see it. It is understandable why it is rated 100 points (Robert Parker recently) in a country like America, with a view of wine quality so slanted to hotter-climate and bigger wines. But one only needs to think of syrah when tasting this, however, to wish for even more restraint. And when one thinks, you can buy two bottles of the in-truth-beautiful J L Chave Hermitage 2009 for the asking price of one of these, the plain fact is that trophy-hunting and wine snobbery are distorting objective analysis of wine quality these days. Even so, this is among the best Granges I have tasted. Cellar 10 – 40 years. GK 07/13

2008 Pol Roger Blanc de Blancs Brut 18 ½ + (

)

Epernay, Champagne, France: 12.5%; $125 [ standard compound cork; Ch 100%, all grand cru vineyards, all s/s fermentation; MLF employed; en tirage 7 years; dosage 8 g/L; www.polroger.com ]
Clearly the lightest wine, and the palest hue, the colour is lemon with a wash of green, but it does not look weak. Bouquet is remarkable for its purity, delicacy and subtlety. The fruit has chardonnay-like characters reminiscent of young Meursault, and the autolysis component is supremely pure and subtle. If the Veuve Clicquot is crust-of-baguette with a touch of multigrain, this is more brioche than baguette. The wonderful purity continues in the flavour, suggestions of citrus freshness, and an apple like sturmer (for example), just lovely. Total acid might be slightly low. This is as subtle as the top two are characterful, but it is not at all weak. The third of the outstanding wines. Cellar 5 – 30 years. GK 05/17

2013 Coriole Shiraz Lloyd Reserve 18 ½ + (

)

McLaren Vale, South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $76 [ Screwcap; rated Excellent in the Langton's Australian wine classification, the third-level group of 65 wines; the same label as in Pt I; Halliday rates the 2013 vintage 9, for McLaren Vale; first produced in 1989, harvested from vines planted in 1919; elevation 18 – 20 months in all-French oak, 20 – 30% new; Halliday, 2016: What a treasure trove the McLaren Vale has with vines/grapes/wines coming from ancient vines that signal all is well. The strength of the message is so powerful and clear you wonder why the Scarce Earth programme occupies such effort and time, unfairly taking attention away from the glory of wines such as this, 97; hopefully another review will tell us what the message referred to is, but … no overseas reviews found; Gary Walsh, 2016: I’d have this in the cellar over Grange in a heartbeat, though maybe that’s just me. Dense, brooding and compact wine: it feels almost rude to disturb it now. Blackberry essence, liquorice/aniseed, freshly lathed cedar wood, amaro herbs, spice, rich dark earth. Full bodied, wall to wall shag-pile carpet of tannin, crunch of fresh blackberry acidity, salted beef and liquorice, thundering finish of super length. It’s a black hole of a wine! Drink: 2020 - 2043, 95; bottle weight 774 g; www.coriole.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, just under midway in depth. Bouquet is immediately darkly plummy and rich; it almost smells dense. There are dusky florals akin to the Mentelle, but deeper and darker, gorgeous. This bouquet appeals for its almost total lack of mint, and no euc at all. You do wonder if it is just a bit too dark, too much sun, but there is no hint of vulgar boysenberry. Flavour and texture are a notch richer than the Mentelle, and though it is mostly ripened past cassis and blueberry, it is seriously concentrated at the bottled dark plum flavour point (on my syrah ripening curve sequence). Flavour is rich, textured, and velvety, a hint of black-pepper spice, a beautiful balance of oak matching the berry concentration but subordinate, lovely. Though Australian, it is almost big-year syrah in a New Zealand / French sense, too. This was one of the top two wines in the tasting, seven rating it their top wine, one second, no leasts, three thought it could be Penfolds, and nobody thought it New Zealand. Cellar 5 – 25 + years. GK 04/17

2007 Trinity Hill Syrah Homage 18 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $104 [ cork 49mm; release price $120; hand-picked at about 2.5 t/ha (1 t/ac) from Sy 91%, mostly Limmer clone, some vines propagated from Jaboulet's la Chapelle vineyard in the hill of Hermitage, 9% Vi, vine ages 1994 and 2001; the grapes de-stemmed, lightly crushed to leave whole berries; shortish cuvaison; MLF commenced in tank, completed in barrel, 15 – 18 months in French oak mostly new, some lees stirring, not a lot of racking; J Robinson, 2010: 9% Viognier. Very deep crimson. Very scented and luscious. Lovely refreshment. Wonderful balance. Great integrity: 18; Neal Martin @ R Parker, 2009: The 2007 Homage … has a very intense nose of macerated dark cherries, plum, tar and liquorices. Good definition. The palate is full-bodied, slightly “cooler” than the 2006, good acidity, very well balanced, the new oak very well integrated into the fabric of the wine. Nice grip, very toasty with layers of pure fruit underneath and the minerality showing through more on the aftertaste. It requires 4-5 years in bottle, but the focus is wonderful: 93; M Cooper, 2010: … a densely coloured, majestic red, still very youthful. It has a commanding mouthfeel, with highly concentrated flavours of plums, spices and liquorice, and a foundation of ripe, fine-grained tannins. Its still years away from revealing its full personality; open 2012+: *****; weight bottle and closure: 1048 g; www.trinityhill.com ]
Ruby and some velvet, below midway in depth. Bouquet is wonderfully pure and fragrant, a slightly more restrained wallflower / more roses floral component, on cassisy berry browning a little, lifted with trace black pepper. Flavours in mouth follow on perfectly, all a little older and more melded than the 2009, soft, rich, like the 2009 shaped by oak but in no way dominated by it, a highly varietal and winey expression of New Zealand syrah. It is richer, softer and more complex than the 2007 Le Sol, with true Hermitage affinities. Two people rated this their second-favourite wine. Approaching first maturity, this will cellar 3 – 10 years more, at least. GK 09/16

2007 Trinity Hill Noble Viognier 18 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12%; $30 [ screwcap; sequentially hand-harvested; BF in French oak, plus a further 6 or so months LA in barrel; RS 199 g/L; www.trinityhill.com ]
Rich lemon, the faintest wash of gold. Bouquet is immediately fragrant, clean, enticing, not aggressive on VA, showing wonderful botrytis and gentle citrus blossom on slightly aromatic white stonefruit aromas. It almost reminds of some Rheingau very late-harvest rieslings. In mouth, the true varietal quality opens up, lovely gentle canned apricots with a thought of lychees too, the waxy botrytis continuing totally noble, with refreshing acid to balance the sweetness delightfully. Viognier is usually a quickly-maturing wine, and presumably even a highly-botrytised pure example like this wine won't cellar for too long – say a maximum of five years. This is much the most elegant and satisfying botrytised viognier from Trinity Hill (or New Zealand) so far. GK 04/08

2008 Mudbrick Vineyard Cabernet / Merlot 18 ½ + (

)

Western Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14.2%; $29 [ screwcap; DFB; CS 49%, Me 32, Ma 10, CF 9, hand-picked; up to 20 days cuvaison, cultured yeast; time in French and American oak 80 / 20, none new; ‘Bright bramble and blackcurrant fruit with merlot adding hints of spice and chocolate.’; www.mudbrick.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, virtually identical in weight and hue to the 2007 Coleraine. Bouquet shows clear lifted florals reminiscent of violets, on beautifully fresh cassis, blackberry and darkest plum. The oak is fragrant too, and potentially cedary. Palate is vivid cabernet / merlot, fresh and fragrant dark berry flavours as for bouquet, very aromatic, all fractionally softer than the Coleraine (which is the best in years). Comparison with the Isola is fascinating, each time one looks at them there are different facets appealing. As a pair to cellar, they are going to provide great interest for years to come – both are made by Martin Pickering. This wine is completely pure, the aftertaste is glorious, and it can be cellared with confidence 5 – 15 years. GK 06/09

2014 Villa Maria Pinot Gris Seddon Single Vineyard 18 ½ + (

)

Awatere Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $30 [ screwcap; all hand-harvested; whole-bunch pressed; mostly s/s cool ferment, 20% fermented in older oak with wild-yeast; RS 8 g/L; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Pale lemongreen … with a shadow in it, not quite the perfect hue of the sauvignons, reflecting the red-pigmented skin of pinot gris berries. After the rocky road through the sauvignons, here is a bouquet of great florality, precision, accuracy and charm. So many winemakers in New Zealand over-ripen pinot gris, forgetting the grape is in the pinot family, blindly following warmer-climate uncritical assumptions that bigger is better. The result is lost florality, exactly as in pinot noir. Here there is enough appropriately ripe fruit to secure the exact pinot gris varietal aroma: old-fashioned English primroses. Below the florality is beautiful white stonefruit, and the subtlest mealyness component from barrel fermentation in old oak. The wishy-washy pear flesh characters marked up by so many unthinking commentators are completely absent – glory be. Palate is even better: this is one of those rare wines where the florality on bouquet permeates the palate totally. Body is good in a pinot sense, the barrel ferment components a model of how this technique should be employed with subtle varieties, and the whole wine is simply gorgeous. Ideally the residual sugar would be less than the 8 g/L present, but you can't have everything. This wine gives many an Alsatian or German pinot gris / rulander a run for its money. It cries out for scallops. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 11/15

2007 Sacred Hill Sauvignon Blanc Sauvage 18 ½ + (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $35 [ screwcap; hand-picked, whole-bunch pressed to barrel; wild-yeast ferments; no MLF, 8 months LA but no batonnage in French oak 30 – 40% new and balance 2-year; RS <1g/L; www.sacredhill.com ]
Gorgeous lemon. Bouquet is rich, just marrying-up into the first phase of full development, the fruit, oak and autolysis combining to produce a tangy sautéed red capsicum aroma with hints of Castrol GTX (+ve). Palate brings out the baguette-quality barrel-ferment and autolysis in the fruit, which seems finer, richer and cooler than the 2008, with black passionfruit lingering delightfully. This is a benchmark example of the style, to cellar 2 – 8 years at least. The 2007 illustrates why Sacred Hill's Sauvage is becoming one of New Zealand's most famous serious sauvignons. Along with Te Mata's Cape Crest, Cloudy Bays' rather different Te Koko, and a few other more recent examples of the barrel-fermented style, they provide a satisfying and contrasting alternative to the ubiquitous stainless-steel Marlborough sauvignons. GK 10/10

2007 Riverby Sauvignon Blanc 18 ½ + (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $20 [ screwcap; SB 90%, Se 10; screwcap; 5 separate picks to achieve flavour complexity, @ < 4 t/ac; RS 3 g/L; www.riverbyestate.com ]
Lemongreen, a little deeper than the Matua, not as rich as Te Koko. Bouquet is wonderfully ripe sweet and gently complex sauvignon, a little more complex than the Matua Reserve, simpler but as satisfying as Te Koko, absolutely mainstream alongside the Dog Point. In mouth, the body and dry extract of the wine immediately strikes you, the beauty of the sweet basil aromatics and black passionfruit fruit, plus a touch of ripest red capsicum, all complexed by considerable lees-autolysis and maybe some near-invisible barrel fermentation. [ On checking, there is no barrel-ferment or oak component at all. Good sauvignon blanc so often has this fine oak-like aromatic to it – it is damnably easy to be fooled.] Finish is Marlborough 'dry'. If Te Koko, like Section 94, is a bit too much / too intense for your taste, try this exquisite Marlborough sauvignon. It should cellar well 2 – 10 years, or longer. GK 05/08

2013 Mills Reef Cabernet Sauvignon Elspeth 18 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $49 [ screwcap; DFB; CS 100%, hand-picked from c.20-year old vines planted at 5,000 vines / ha and cropped @ 10 t/ha = 4 t/ac; cuvaison 28 days, cultured-yeast; MLF mainly in tank; 18 months in French oak c.35% new; RS <2 g/L; not sterile-filtered; dry extract not available; production 500 x 9-L cases; released; www.millsreef.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, totally benchmark Bordeaux, the deepest colour. Freshly opened, this wine is taut and reserved, and very aromatic. With air it opens up to be gloriously fragrant, cassisy and more aromatic still, with the deep 'port-wine magnolia' (michelia) and roses florals of fine Medoc. It smells rich yet not plump, most intriguing. Flavour in mouth is simply benchmark cabernet sauvignon, exquisitely handled in oak. This wine has all the subtlety and beauty of fine high-cabernet bordeaux, with none of the brashness so many new-world high-cabernet wines show. It is an easy wine to underestimate, at this early unknit stage, but it will repay time in cellar superbly, 10 – 25 years, perhaps longer. It seems to be of good richness, but details are awaited with interest. What a transformation this wine represents, from the more obvious and oaky Mills Reef wines of 10 years ago. GK 05/15

2005 [ Blake Family Vineyard ] Alluviale 18 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $27 [ cork; DFB; Me 43%, CS 43, CF 14; French oak; second wine of Blake Family Vineyard; www.alluviale.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, about halfway in depth, a great colour. Initially opened, the oak shows a little, but decanted, the bouquet emphasises merlot, superb violets, dark roses florals and dark cassis, magnificent. Below is dark plums-in-the-sun fruit. Palate is gorgeous, perfect physiological maturity of the fruit, great depth of cassis and bottled dark plums berry, subtle oak. This is a beautifully pure, precisely varietal, remarkable merlot / cabernet, of similar quality to the 2004 Craggy Range Merlot Gimblett Gravels I was praising extravagantly only six months ago. Little did I think a challenger to that wine (in that price bracket) would be along so soon. If this is an harbinger of what The Blake Family Vineyard management plans to achieve in New Zealand, there will be a need to get on the mailing list early. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 11/06

1989 Ch Angelus 18 ½ + (

)

St Emilion, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $400 [ cork; Me 50%, CF 45, CS 5; price a wine-searcher.com indication; Advocate 96, Spectator 94; www.chateau-angelus.com ]
Ruby and garnet, maturing. Bouquet is glorious, an opulent amalgam of browning cassis and dark roses florals, rich pipe tobacco, dark bottled plums and cedar, all complexed by gorgeous savoury roast beef suggestions – indicating a little brett. Palate is a velvety melding of all these elements into the magic that is mature Bordeaux. A magnificent food wine, but not one to open for modern winemakers. Fully mature, drying a little to the finish (on the brett, no doubt), but will hold happily over the next 5 – 10 years. GK 11/06

2003 Ch Angelus 18 ½ + (

)

St Emilion Premier Grand Cru Classé, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $275 [ cork; Me 58, CF 42, planted to 7500 vines / ha, average vine age 30 years; 3 – 5 week cuvaison, 18 – 24 months and MLF in new French oak; Parker: ... a beautiful perfumed nose, broad sweet and tannic mid-section, likely to put on considerable weight in bottle. 93; Robinson: ... super-concentrated, almost syrupy, very pronounced tannin, difficult to relate to St Emilion, not my style ... 16; www.chateau-angelus.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, much the densest wine in the set. This is a very big wine indeed, making one think of some Australian examples – RWT for example. But only one sniff is needed to confirm it does indeed show the complexity and magic of Bordeaux, tasters commenting on a floral component despite the lashings of new (but not unduly charry) oak. Winemaker Tony Bish (Sacred Hill) was ecstatic about the quality of the cabernet franc in this wine. Palate is densely berry, cherry-like from the cabernet franc, and darkly plummy from the merlot, but the total tannin load is colossal. The latter component lead some to down-point the wine, noting a bitter streak. I heard brett mentioned too, but the level was academic. The remedy for the tannin is simply to cellar the wine till it crusts, when magically something much softer and more beautiful will emerge – as some of the 1960s big years in the Hunter Valley and South Australia so clearly showed about 10 years ago. Cellar 20 – 40 + years. GK 10/06

2007 Domaine Billaud-Simon Chablis Grand Cru - Les Clos 18 ½ + (

)

Chablis Grand Cru, Burgundy, France: 13%; $119 [ cork; calcareous SPMs in the Kimmeridgian suite; c.18 months s/s elevation, certain of the grands crus may have ‘a short time in oak barrels’; rated 94 – 96 by Allen Meadows; bottle courtesy Blair Walter; www.billaud-simon.com ]
Lemonstraw, faintly older than the Corton. Bouquet is very different from that wine, being sublimely pure, revealing the grape and nothing but the grape, no artefact beyond some lees-autolysis enhancement. It is both floral, acacia blossom comes to mind, and pure pale white nectarine-like stonefruit, plus a chalky minerality not based on threshold reduction. Palate shows pinpoint ripeness, great fruit, fresh yet not in any way assertive acid, the flavour lingering superbly on stonefruit including the stones (in the sense of sucking on the stones). A smaller wine than the Corton, but more beautiful. At a peak now, but will hold some years. Not part of the set tasting. GK 09/15

nv Champagne Billecart-Salmon Sous Bois Brut 18 ½ + (

)

Mareuil-sur-Ay, Champagne, France: 12%; $114 [ supercritical Diam cork; PM 40%, PN 30, Ch 30, an unknown percentage grand cru vineyards, the base wine 2011 vintage but a high percentage of reserve wines; all the base wine barrel-fermented in old oak, plus 6 months on lees in barrel with batonnage (hence the 'Sous Bois'); tirage c.4 years or so, dosage 7 g/L; website superficial; www.champagne-billecart.fr ]
Colour is hard to characterise, not as concentrated as the 1999, yet fractionally more straw. Yet again, the bouquet is wonderful. Before seeing the label, you would think it showed exceptional autolysis, with baguette crust plus an outstanding depth of Vogel's Multigrain crust aroma to it which is beguiling. But when you learn it is the wine with a high percentage of the base wine fermented and held an old white burgundy barrels, it all makes sense. You can scarcely taste oak as such, but the nutty depth of flavour and aromatic complexity in mouth is stellar. The base wine is a year older than the non-vintage Brut Reserve, so it has had nearly 12 months longer en tirage. A lovely wine, but I can imagine delicacy faddists mocking it. Perhaps not the cellar potential of the vintage wines, even though it has so much flavour, due to the high percentage of meunier. Cellaring 3 – 8 years might be best. GK 04/16

2007 Domaine Bonneau du Martray Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru 18 ½ + (

)

Aloxe-Corton, Cote de Beaune, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $ – [ cork; biodynamic vineyards, average vine age c.40 years; full MLF, c.12 months in barrel, 33% new, with batonnage; Domaine Bonneau du Martray is the single largest holding in Corton-Charlemagne at 9.5 hectares; the website is simply a statement the establishment exists, and cannot receive visitors – no info; www.bonneaudumartray.com ]
Lemon, the second to palest. This is a curious wine in the set, there being the high acid of 2010 but not the fruit weight, and the fruit purity of the 2009, but again and even more so not the weight. I used the 2011 Villa Maria Keltern Reserve as a marker wine in this tasting, and alongside that rich wine (by New Zealand standards) the 2007 Bonneau is still clearly richer. There is a lesson in that for New Zealand winemakers keen on making world-class chardonnays. The lingering white stonefruits aftertaste is particularly attractive, like the 2009. Cellar another 6 – 8 years. GK 05/13

2016 Domaine des Bosquets Gigondas Le Plateau 18 ½ + (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $80 [ cork, 55mm; mostly Mv, a little Gr, Sy, Ci, Co, clairette all fermented together in blend, and whole-bunch; extremely low cropping rate of 1.95 t/ha = 0.8 t/ac; elevation 18 months in old 600s; RH @ JR: 17; JC @ RP: supple and rich, 95; 185 x 9-litre cases only; available from Wine Direct, Auckland; www.domainedesbosquets.wordpress.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, another sensational colour, well above midway. Bouquet on this wine has an unusual dusky sensuous florality, very deep, darkest roses and beyond, plus a near-lavender garrigue aromatic lift, just enchanting. Below is again unusually dark but beautifully fresh berry, near cassis, darkest plum, hints of blackberries in the sun, plus a zingy further lift from newish oak. Palate is not quite as rich as the top wines, but still ample, velvety tannins and plush texture, wonderfully long on berry tannins more than oak. This wine too challenges many Chateauneuf-du-Papes in richness: sad that the market is realising this, and the price for the best wines from these other ranked villages now matches many Chateauneufs. Like Hommage, this wine dramatically illustrates the beauty of mourvedre when perfectly ripe. What a dramatic contrast it is to the baked and plain mataro wines that generations of Australians so thoughtlessly made from this (by them, disrespected for so long) grape. No first- or second-places. A great study wine, to cellar 25 – 40 years. GK 04/19

1999 Domaine La Bouissiere Gigondas 18 ½ + (

)

Gigondas, Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $45 [ cork 44mm, ullage 26mm; original price c.$35; Gr c.70% , Sy c.25, Mv c.5, average vine age in 40s; Gr tending whole-bunch but Sy destemmed, extended cuvaison to 40 days; elevation usually more than 50% in 600-litre barrels some new, and up to 6 years age, balance concrete vat; not fined or filtered; 1,500 – 2,500 x 9-litre cases; J. L-L, 2002: Quite tight, cherry fruited nose with signs of oak in with its local garrigue, herbal notes. Good chewy texture on the palate, a clean-cut wine which is tasty, has cut and freshness. The North-West exposure and the vintage combine to give it that freshness, very vintage typical. Licorice features on the finish. To 2015, ***; R. Parker, 2001: a sweet, pure nose of blueberries and cassis, surprisingly tart acidity, a strong underpinning of minerals, ripe tannin, and a medium-bodied, straightforward finish. Although excellent, it is not as impressive as I had hoped it would be. Anticipated maturity: now-2011, 88 [ earlier, to 2015, and 90 - 92 ]; www.labouissiere.com ]
Ruby, garnet and velvet, one of the freshest colours, above midway in depth. This is yet another exquisite bouquet, clearly showing garrigue florals and aromatics on fragrant slightly spicy red fruits, fresher than the standard Santa Duc, closer to the Saint Cosme. In mouth the wine is utterly charming, again lighter and fresher than the Santa Duc, the syrah adding freshness and a hint of pepper, remarkable in a southern Rhone wine. At the point of sequencing the freshly opened wines, I thought this wine summed up everything needed to characterise good Southern Rhone Valley red wine, so I placed it as #1 in the sequence, as the sighter. But, as is almost always the case, it is hard for wine #1 to win through to a high placing, so my ranking does not reflect the group view, no votes for any attribute. Again, this would be wonderful with food. Cellar for 5 – 10 years. GK 10/19

1998 Domaine André Brunel Chateauneuf-du-Pape Les Cailloux 18 ½ + (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $100 [ cork 45mm; originally around $60; usually Gr 65%, Mv 20, Sy 10, minor others, average age 60 years; main ferment in enamelled concrete vats, cuvaison to 28 days; the syrah and mourvedre go to barrels one third new, grenache being oxidation-prone stays in concrete, both 18 months; sometimes some stems if needed, likewise fining and filtering; R Parker, 2003: A southern Rhone nose of garrigue (the Provencal earthy/herb aroma), pepper, wood spice, and gorgeously sweet black cherry and plum-like flavors are intense as well as alluring. Once past the bouquet, this dark ruby/garnet-colored wine offers a full-bodied, powerful, layered impression, with impressive levels of glycerin, ripe fruit, and extract. Tannin is present, but it is sweet. This 1998 will easily drink well for 10-12 years: 91; weight bottle and closure: 677 g; www.domaine-les-cailloux.fr ]
Ruby, garnet and velvet, well below midway in depth, a little older than the Beaucastel. Bouquet is immediately more aromatic than the Beaucastel, suggesting a higher percentage of syrah or mourvedre, which the specs more or less confirm. The aromatics are lifted by a little brett. Palate has a great central body of red-fruited grenache browning now, with considerable weight and body, plus the aromatic blending varieties darkening the flavour considerably relative to Beaucastel. Yet the mourvedre is not at all heavy. This too is lovely Chateauneuf-du-Pape. It was reasonably well received by the group, three first or second places, is perfect now, yet will cellar 5 – 15 years more. GK 08/16

2016 Le Clos du Caillou Chateauneuf-du-Pape Les Quartz 18 ½ + (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 15%; $109 [ cork, 50 mm; certified organic wine; see Le Caillou for introduction; this wine all estate-grown, a single vineyard organic site with galets, cepage Gr 85%, Sy 15, all hand-picked, partial de-stemming, wild-yeast fermentations in oak, cuvaison extending to 32 days; elevation 94% in 600s third to tenth year, some of the Sy in new and 1-year 600s, 6% in amphorae, for 14 months; filtered; annual production varies considerably, from 300 – 1,000 x 9-litre cases; J.L-L, 2017: (barrel sample) The bouquet rests on soaked fruits, blackberry and cassis, a lower note of raspberry, a little menthol, lead pencil, in tune with its quartz soils. The palate bears a good essence of black berries such as loganberry, runs with purpose into a lip-smacking close, where there is tasty raspberry fruit. This works well on its fresh finish, to 2043, ****(*); JC@RP, 2018: Full-bodied, rich, concentrated and velvety, the 2016 Chateauneuf du Pape Les Quartz is a complete thoroughbred ... stunning aromas of crushed stones, tea roses, black cherries and licorice. A powerhouse, loaded with extract, it finishes long and intense, picking up hints of chocolate and star anise. It appears capable of evolving for a couple of stunning decades, 97; weight bottle and cork 612 g; one of the Worth Cellaring set; www.closducaillou.com ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, another good colour, limpid, just below midway in depth. Bouquet is subtle, understated, very pure, gentlest garrigue, soft florals, fresh red fruits gently spiced, exquisitely pure. It is the palate that convinces, so early in the piece, wonderful saturated velvety richness, all the excitement of Chateauneuf-du-Pape but here all latent, the wine still gently in bud. The quality and subtlety of the oaking in this wine is superb. Wines like this make the Domaine Charvin Chateauneuf-du-Pape look totally handicapped. Because Les Quartz came after three sensational wines in the Worth Cellaring group tasting, this wine at number 12 was somewhat overlooked, two second-place votes only. Cellar 15 – 30 years. Available from Wine Direct and their distribution channels (eg Regional Wines). GK 07/19

2010 Domaine de la Charbonniere Chateauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Mourre des Perdrix 18 ½ + (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 15.5%; $75 [ cork 50mm; Gr 69%, Mv 15, Sy 15, Ci 1, hand-picked and sorted; cuvaison to 28 days; elevation Gr and Sy 12 – 18 months in large wood or vat; Mv receives different treatment, fermented in oak, detail unclear; Livingstone-Learmonth says 5% new oak overall; Mourre des Perdrix regarded by the owners as the most feminine of the cuvées; imported by Maison Vauron, Auckland; weight bottle and closure: 671 g; www.domainedelacharbonniere.com ]
Ruby and velvet, older and lighter than the Boislauzon, below midway in depth. Bouquet is more grenache dominant, fragrant red fruits, some silver-pine cedary notes, seemingly all red fruits in contrast to the Boislauzon, even though the cepage is not too different. There are hints of new oak, but most of the oak seems older, no brett, and the spirit is not overt. Palate is less complex than the Boislauzon, and in mouth the alcohol seems a little higher, all on red grenache berry flavours plus some darker fruits, the raspberry browning slightly now. There is good succulence and richness on the later palate, and more old-oak tannin than you would expect from the bouquet. A good representative rich Chateauneuf-du-Pape from this fine year, needing to lose a little tannin. Cellar 5 – 25 years. GK 08/16

1998 Domaine de la Charbonniere Chateauneuf-du-Pape Vieilles Vignes 18 ½ + (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $66 [ cork, 50mm; purchase price c.$60; Gr 100% then, some Mv now, 80-plus years old; hand-picked and sorted, no de-stemming then; cuvaison in s/s; elevation up to 18 months in oak, 50 / 50 large wood and barrels, the latter 15% new, assemblage in concrete; production c.700 x 9-litre cases; not fined or filtered; in checking reviews for this wine, it is clear there is considerable bottle variation, implying brett. I have quoted good bottles – as ours turned out to be: R. Parker, 2010: ... violets, truffle, forest floor, kirsch and raspberries in a medium to full-bodied, heady, dense style. The tannins are resolved and the wine savory, fleshy, and oh, so pure and hedonistic. This is a very satisfying Chateauneuf du Pape that has reached full maturity, where it should stay for at least 5-8 more years, 93; J.L-L, 2009: ... a broad, open bouquet with a smoky, black fruit heart, and rays of sun off the stones in its ample nature – it is really full and young. ... floral garrigue enters after 90 minutes ... black fruit with a prolonged, persistent richness ... truly reflects the warm south ... still some tannic attitude ... not mature by any means. 2022-24, *****; bottle weight 667g; www.domainedelacharbonniere.com ]
Ruby and garnet, just above midway in depth. In one sense, this is the most ‘perfect’ / typical Chateauneuf-du-Pape bouquet in the set, recalling that the Mordorée has new oak, and the Les Cailloux is unusually complex and burgundian. Here there is perfect varietal grenache, red fruits and raspberry browning now, the associated cinnamon spice, and wonderfully fragrant subtle oak, just a trace. Palate like the Brunel shows a suppleness that hints at great burgundy, but it is not as floral and complex as that wine. Somewhere under the sunshine in this fruit, you feel you can taste a whole bunch component, which freshens the palate delightfully. This wine too still has a little tannin to lose, virtually no crusting at all in bottle, so far, so cellar 5 – 15 years. Like the Les Cailloux, but a little less so, there is subtle brett complexity here. One first place, two second. GK 07/18

2003 Yann Chave Hermitage 18 ½ + (

)

Northern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $95 [ cork; Maison Vauron; Sy 100%; 14% of alcohol is historically very high for Hermitage. Gauntley's of Nottingham is a UK firm specialising in Rhone wines. "Yann doesn't possess the 'power-houses' of Hermitage Hill – Bessards, l'Hermite and Meal, but small holdings on the lighter-soiled vineyards of Diognieres and Beaumes. Whilst neither wine can ever achieve the immense power of, say, Sorrel's Greal or Jaboulet's La Chapelle (of old), their wines possess a poise, balance and an overwhelming purity in the top years. Yann also tends to use more wood than Colombier, which makes for a lovely distinction between their wines. His Hermitage is simply fantastic and is acknowledged by everyone except the journalists ... great success in 2003, although there is very little to go around. 2003 Hermitage £24.92: Immense. Inky black in colour with a bouquet of wild herbs, spices, coffee and super-concentrated cassis. Explosive fruit on the palate, beautiful concentration of spices and blackcurrant fruits. Very ripe tannins, exotic and rich with tremendous length. Superb." K&L Wine Merchants, San Francisco, consider that at $60US: "This wine is truly black in color, with a nose of garrigue, spices and black currant liqueur. Make that black currant liqueur that's been condensed into the thickest, most concentrated creme de cassis you could imagine. Tannins are present, but due to the extreme heat of the vintage, they are ripe. And richness? You don't know richness until you've tasted this. Naturally, the wine needs time. But it will repay your patience." ]
Classical ruby, carmine and velvet of a big rich wine, one of the deepest, beautiful. Bouquet is youthful and tight, initially, not flaunting its charms. With air it expands to benchmark syrah ripened to the point of perfection: huge cassis, carnations and violets florals dominate, and other dark red berries and black peppercorn add complexity. Likewise, the palate initially seems a little austere, but it opens to classical black berryrich fruit, with all the aromatics and florals hinted at on bouquet playing out beautifully on the palate, which is exquisitely oaked. The New Zealand syrahs look very over-oaked and clumsy alongside this wine: one would love all New Zealand's syrah producers to buy a case of this. Cellar 10 – 25 years, as definitive syrah. GK 10/05

1990 Domaine Auguste Clape Cornas 18 ½ + (

)

Northern Rhone Valley, France: 12.8%; $583 [ cork 44mm; Sy 100, vine age averaging 55 years, cropped at c. 5.8 t/ha = 2.3 t/ac; elevation 18 – 24 months in all-old oak (then), one fining, no filtration; for many years Clape was the reference point for the district, Robinson referring to him as 'the old master'; Robinson, 2009: Bacon fat - smoky nose. Quite light but beautifully balanced. Ethereal. Wonderfully clean. Proves that Cornas can be worth waiting for, 18; Parker, 1996: Clape's 1990 Cornas is outstanding. The color is an opaque black/purple, and the nose offers up rich, ripe aromas of black fruits, licorice, and spices. Superconcentrated, with a full-bodied, highly extracted, mouth-filling taste, this example of Cornas possesses moderate tannin, adequate acidity, and a smashingly long finish. It is also relatively refined for a Cornas, displaying no signs of the rustic tannin or funky, earthy smells many Cornas can possess. Although it can be drunk now, I would recommend waiting at least 3-4 years. Enjoy it over the next 12-15 years, 91; no website found ]
Ruby and some velvet, below midway in depth but more vitally red / youthful than any of the Bordeaux. Bouquet is simply sensational. Here is all the florality so conspicuously lacking in the Petrus, the wallflowers and pinks and sweet william, just wonderful, on cassisy berry browning only slightly. Palate is a little lighter than I hoped for in such a year, but the precision of berry, the exact syrah varietal character at pinpoint optimal ripeness, and not assassinated by new oak, is wonderful. A very beautiful wine. Only an absolute pedant would ask if there is trace brett. Cellar another 10 years or so, but at a peak now, since it is not a big wine. One top, one second-place, votes. GK 10/15

1990 Domaine Auguste Clape Cornas 18 ½ + (

)

Cornas, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 12.8%; $931 [ cork, 44mm; winemaking as above; Wine Spectator vintage rating for the year, 97; J.L-L, 2016: The nose ... ripe and stylish fruit. It has a wonderful harmony, not a detail out of place ... there is just a little grilling. The palate is silken, continuous, most engaging. Its gras has supreme style. It hasn’t evolved much, and reaches out with sweet toned appeal, is very long. The finish brings a little nutty tannin, toffee, gives Cornas crunch there, dusted moments, close to garrigue herbs. The balance is great, the evolution slow on its content. ... I didn’t consider this a real, true Cornas when it was younger, but it is certainly getting there now. “It is a bit more Hermitage than Cornas, with more elegant tannins than usual.” Pierre Clape. 2034-37, ******; RP@R. Parker, 1997: Clape's 1990 Cornas is outstanding. ... the nose offers up rich, ripe aromas of black fruits, licorice, and spices. Superconcentrated, with a full-bodied, highly extracted, mouth-filling taste, this example of Cornas possesses moderate tannin, adequate acidity, and a smashingly long finish. It is also relatively refined for a Cornas, displaying no signs of the rustic tannin or funky, earthy smells many Cornas can possess. ... 12-15 years, 91; in a now-telling (to climate-change-deniers) aside back then, Auguste Clape noted 1990 was the first year in his entire career when all vats reached 13% alcohol – yet now some seasons achieve 14%; no domaine website, easiest background info on the Europvin website, ref. above; bottle courtesy the late Dr Ken Kirkpatrick. ]
Ruby and garnet, below midway in depth. This is a beautifully fragrant wine, which on John Livingstone-Learmonth’s suggestion was paired with the 2010, as years illustrating perfect climatic conditions and ripeness. The wine to me illustrates delightful dianthus florals lifting and making racy browning cassis berry, so in that respect it illustrates optimal ripening for syrah. A couple of the more technical tasters commented that the bouquet was also amplified by a little Brettanomyces chemistry, a Martinborough winemaker agreeing. Once my attention was drawn to it, I could see and taste the more appealing 4-EG fraction of brett, which is fragrant in its own way. And on palate the wine might show trace drying of the tannins, which would fit in with a light brett component. At this level, a brett component should be seen as wine-complexity, not a fault. The nett flavour is still beautifully accurate maturing plummy syrah, and still surprisingly rich with appreciable fruit. At the dinner table the wine would be perfect. And at nearly 30 years of age, no two bottles will be the same, now. No first or second places, but two least. Well along its plateau of maturity, but ‘clean’ bottles still have life ahead. GK 09/18

1999 Domaine Auguste Clape Cornas 18 ½ + (

)

Cornas, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $366 [ cork, 49mm; winemaking as above; Wine Spectator vintage rating for the year, 96; J.L-L, 2016: The bouquet is sunny, has a blackberry-prune lead aroma … mixed in with sweet spice. It’s not fully on the go – there is variety to come. For now, there are touches of iodine and road tar. The palate proceeds very serenely from the nose, with a rich centre, and a sparkling run of mineral towards the finish. Its abundance is well directed, and it closes on mineral-floral grip. … This is stylish, well formed, most handsome. 2038 – 40, *****; RP@R. Parker, 2002: The 1999 Cornas is a brilliant effort in a Cornas vintage that produced an atypically high percentage of mediocrity. The wine displays soft tannin, but good underlying acidity, terrific blackberry and cassis-like fruit, and aromas of roasted meats, jammy black fruits, hickory smoke, and licorice. Fine purity, sweet tannin, and well-integrated acidity and alcohol result in a seamless impact. This full-bodied, large-scaled offering will be at its finest between 2005-2016, 91; no domaine website, easiest background info on the Europvin website, ref. above. ]
Ruby and velvet, fresher than the 2003, just above midway in depth. 1999 was a fragrant and aromatic year in both the Northern Rhone and Burgundy, and this wine lives up to the vintage's reputation. There is a freshness to the dusky rose florals (a deeper floral note than dianthus) which is a delight, on dramatically clear cassisy berry notes scarcely browning. Palate is vibrant, not as rich as some, almost a Cote de Nuits quality to it, but more substantial and clearly more tannin, with a thought of sweet black pepper. There is a wonderful purity to this 1999 wine, a crystal-clear focus on syrah varietal qualities, yet in some ways it is understated relative to the 1995. It will be good to see it in a later tasting some five years hence. Will the bouquet build ? Tasters appreciated the style of this wine too, one first place, but four second places. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 09/18

2021 Clos des Papes Chateauneuf-du-Pape 18 ½ + (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 15%; $185 [ cork, 50mm; for reds, one of the few domaines making just the one (red) grand vin, plus a wonderfully concentrated generic table red, Le Petit Vin d'Avril; proprietor Vincent Avril much influenced by the wines of Burgundy; described by J.L-L as a ‘Gold standard estate’, with extraordinarily low cropping rates by New Zealand standards, sometimes as low as 20 hl/ha = 2.6 t/ha = 1.05 t/ac, and in 2021 16 hl/ha = 2.1 t/ha = 0.85 t/ac – nearly 40% of the crop lost to frost; the vintage style much respected in each year; cepage averages Gr 45 – 65%, Mv 20 – 40, Sy 10 – 15, and the other 15 mostly in token quantities, 5; all destemmed, 21 days cuvaison; elevation c.12 months in large foudres, no new oak; not fined or filtered; annual production varies greatly with the year, at most 7,500 x 9-litre cases; J.L-L, 2023: from bottle: full red robe; the nose offers airs of mixed red berries, plums with neat definition, a hint of raspberry, along with smoke, cloves, licorice. The palate is bright, peppered, has discreet spine to guide it, collects dusty tannins and herbal tones towards the finish, can expand out, which will help the second half. Its length is restricted for now, as is its late expression. ... is a little under wraps for now, but is very clear, so has a good future. There is lower Syrah because of frost … . Bottled April 2023. From 2026 or so. 2045-47, ****; Vincent Avril, 2022: It’s very drinkable, excites your appetite, is very Mourvèdre; JC@RP, 2023: Cherries, raspberries and truffles appear on the nose of the 2021 Chateauneuf du Pape, which weighs in at 15.1% alcohol. Showing ample concentration and length, this medium to full-bodied effort isn't quite as well endowed as the 2022, but it's still a gorgeous wine, framed by silky tannins and finishing with bright, pomegranate-like fruit, 95; weight bottle and closure 657 g; www.clos-des-papes.fr ]
Pure ruby, a glorious wine colour even though it is the lightest of the 12. Bouquet contrasts dramatically with the equally pure Boisrenard, here all red fruits to the fore, grenache dominating, the mourvedre invisible on bouquet. Instead, red roses and the most complex aspects of raspberries, hints of cinnamon, a piquant hint of aromatics almost subtler than garrigue, beautiful. Palate is simply astonishing, the richness on-tongue a sensation to taste, yet in another sense the flavours all remarkably light. This is the mouth-feel you achieve with a cropping rate of 16 hl / ha = 2.1 tonnes / ha = 0.85 tonnes / acre, numbers our Marlborough factory winemakers refuse to think about, or even acknowledge. There must be very little press-wine in this edition of Clos des Papes for the wine to be so supple at this early age. The given alcohol is 15%, yet as so often, the high percentage of grenache hides it well. This is Chateauneuf-du-Pape at its most fragrant and elegant, yet it will cellar 15 – 20 years at least, becoming ever more burgundian. Notwithstanding being the lightest colour of all 12 wines, the tasting experience of the group showed through with this wine, 12 tasters rating Clos des Papes the top wine, plus one in second place. Cellar 15 – 25 years. GK 04/24

2003 Ch Cos d’Estournel 18 ½ + (

)

St Estephe Second Growth, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $270 [ cork, CS 70%, Me 27, PV 2, CF 1, planted to 8 – 10 000 vines / ha, cropped @ 30 hL / ha (1.6 t/ac) in 2003 (against an average of 50 (2.6 t/ac)), average vine age 35 years; 3 weeks cuvaison in tank, 18 months in French oak 80% new; pH 3.7; Parker: Prodigious … a compelling perfume of black fruits, incense and flowers … extraordinary richness, full body, remarkable freshness … one of the finest ever ... 98; Robinson: ... opulent, rich, fresh and fragrant on the nose .. well balanced, fine tannins … really fine quality. 18.5; www.estournel.com ]
Dense ruby and velvet, nearly carmine, not quite the depth and freshness of the Montrose. Though all agreed the Cos was superb, this was another wine producing a diversity of opinion on style. Bouquet is magnificent, showing no signs of excess heat, merely ripest and richest cassis and darkest plums all rounded out by fine oak, which is chocolatey but more cedary. It is pretty well as concentrated as the Montrose, reflecting the excellence of St Estephe in this drought year. It is however made more in the modern American style, much softer and rounder with chocolatey and coffee notes in the oak, compared with the more classically austere Montrose. Palate is rich, drying tannins of superb ripeness, and great richness and intensity. Fruit is more dark plummy than cassis, as if merlot were dominant, the berry lingering attractively in mouth. The style of oak is again a bit chocolatey at the finish, but this is great wine, of first growth quality. Once it loses some tannin, it will be even better.

But, those who favour this style do not seem to acknowledge that it is moving towards an international one, losing the precise varietal typicity of bordeaux. This is supposed to be the nub of the matter terroir apologists are on about. Perhaps winemakers tend to like this style, because it is more easily achieved than the classical beauty of traditional bordeaux. Like the Montrose, the technical excellence of the wine was praised. It is certainly great to see the reductive phase that Cos lingered in for too many (unacknowledged) years is now in the past. Top wine for some tasters. [Cos also figured in one of the Glengarry tastings, where without competition, it looked superb.] Cellar 10 – 40 years. GK 10/06

2005 Domaine Courbis Cornas la Sabarotte 18 ½ + (

)

Cornas, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $130 [ cork; the Sabarotte lieu-dit formerly owned by Noel Verset, the upper granite part recently sold to Courbis, the lower section to Clape. Some of the vines planted 1914, c. 9000 / ha, but after age 50 c. 2% replacements needed per annum; Sy 100%, all de-stemmed, ferments in s/s; attention to aeration; 5000 bottles only of la Sabarotte, aged 16 months in French oak 65% new, balance 1-year, so wine-making is 'modern'; Sabarotte is regarded as the top Courbis site. Parker 4/07: The richest and inkiest of all is the 2005 Cornas La Sabarotte. Dense purple in color with a nose of liquid rocks intermixed with flowers, blackberry, blueberry, and cassis, the wine is intense, formidably endowed, massive, and unyielding. Give it 3-4 years of bottle age and drink it over the following 15 years. Needless to say, all of these wines are for patient connoisseurs. 91 – 93; Wine Spectator, 3/08: US$85 Dark, brawny and very tight, with a large core of bramble, blueberry, blackberry, olive and sage notes wound up by an iron-fisted finish. Totally backward now, but shows terrific length and density. Should blossom with cellaring. Best from 2009 through 2018. 430 cases made. 94; imported by Maison Vauron, Auckland ]
Good ruby, carmine and velvet, not quite as deep as the Villa Maria Syrah Cellar Selection. Bouquet is special on this wine, showing the heightened florality of perfect Northern Rhone syrah, so rarely achieved. All too often the florals of Cote Rotie are accompanied by leafiness, but here are perfect wallflowers and dark carnations, on the same kind of fragrant cassis and bottled black doris plums as the finest New Zealand syrahs, plus a beguiling hint of bush honey. Palate matches perfectly, not as rich as the top New Zealand examples, more the weight of grand cru Cote de Nuits, but uplifted by sweet ripe black peppercorn. This is exceptional Cornas, to cellar 5 – 15 + years. GK 05/08

2009 Yves Cuilleron Condrieu La Petite Cote 18 ½ + (

)

Condrieu, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $92 [ cork; hand-picked from sites above Chavanay, all BF on low-solids in older oak 2 – 5 years, 100% MLF plus LA, batonnage and 9 months in barrel, c.1800 cases; July offer $69 @ Glengarry; www.cuilleron.com ]
Lemonstraw, in the middle for hue but the straw increasing. Of the nine wines, this 2009 Petite Cote has the most clear-cut varietal bouquet, simply because La Petite Cote does not have so much new oak. Bouquet is orange-ripe apricots and mandarins with clear-cut yellow honeysuckle and orange blossom, beautiful. Palate is at a peak of development, the rich ripe apricots fully expressed, still relative freshness, but in a year's time it will be just a little faded. Tasting this wine, but in truth all nine of the Cuilleron viogniers, is a vivid reminder that even the best New Zealand viogniers exhibit only a fraction of this magical intensity of honeysuckle, apricots and citrus, yet this is nominally the least in his Condrieu range. Oak is totally subservient, body is chardonnay weight, the finish is bone dry. Lovely wine, time to be finishing while at its peak, but will hold a year or two. GK 06/13

2016 Yves Cuilleron Condrieu Les Chaillets 18 ½ + (

)

Condrieu, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $115 [ cork; made from older vines hand-picked with a little sur-maturité from steeper slopes above Chavanay; low-solids juice wild-yeast-fermented and 100% MLF in barrel, with up to 30% new oak; 10 months lees autolysis and batonnage in barrel; c.1,500 cases; www.cuilleron.com ]
Elegant lemongreen. Bouquet is both complex and intensely varietal, showing wild-ginger blossom and canned South African apricots (that is, less ripe than Australian canned apricots) with a lovely complex spicy / piquant depth to it, all complexed by barrel-ferment, lees autolysis, and MLF components. The oak is to a max on bouquet, but still less than Guigal Condrieu. In mouth the oak is a little more apparent, but the fruit is succulent, long and rich with the MLF contributing, tapering perfectly to the finish which is extended by barrel-ferment characters and newish oak. How the Condrieu district magically produces the smells and flavours of full physiological maturity in viognier at 13% alcohol remains one of the great wine mysteries. Cellar 2 – 5 years for optimal freshness, but the wine will hold longer, changing and losing the fresh fruit charm, but still rewarding. Yves Cuilleron is a stellar producer, in Condrieu. A Glengarry wine. GK 07/19

2004 Yves Cuilleron Condrieu Les Chaillets 18 ½ + (

)

Northern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $75 [ cork; Cuilleron makes four Condrieus: the standard cuvee including younger vine material La Petite Cote, the Chaillets label made from older vines and sometimes labelled Vieilles Vignes, the extremely rare Vertige (only 1500 bottles, from even older vines on a steep slope), and in some years a botrytised late-harvest les Ayguets. The standard wine is predominantly s/s, but for the hand-harvested les Chaillets a significant part (at least 80%) and perhaps all of the wine finishes fermentation in oak including some new, with lees autolysis and batonnage. There is 100% MLF, like Guigal. For this wine, Josh Raynolds in Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar had this to say in early 2006: Smoky, ripe aromas of pear, apple and orange pith. Firm and juicy on the palate, with an intense bitter quinine note along with sweeter flavors of ripe tangerine and passion fruit. This has serious weight and velvety texture but also a strong backbone of acid to add focus and length. 92; www.isasite.net/Cuilleron ]
Lemonstraw to straw. Initially opened, the wine is a bit disorganised, with the oak slightly edgy / estery. Once breathed a little, it becomes magical, displaying the interplay of florals, fruit ripeness and seductiveness which lifts great viognier above the increasing number of correct but uninspiring ones. Bouquet shows wild-ginger blossom, canned properly-ripe apricots and cream, and thoughts of baguette crust so delicious as to nearly suggest apricot shortcake. Palate is equally flavourful, oak beautifully balanced, showing lingering fruit with apricot right to the end, yet bone dry. There is wonderful mouthfeel from MLF and lees autolysis, yet neither component is too apparent, clumsy or unduly weighty, as is now all too frequently the case in examples of viognier from Condrieu. Model wine, at a peak of maturity, right now. GK 07/07

2009 Yves Cuilleron Condrieu Les Chaillets 18 ½ + (

)

Condrieu, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $124 [ cork; made from older vines (sometimes labelled Vieilles Vignes) all hand-picked with a little sur-maturité from steeper slopes above Chavanay, low-solids juice wild-yeast-fermented and 100% MLF in barrel, with up to 30% new oak, plus 10 months lees autolysis and batonnage in barrel; 1500 cases; July offer $99 @ Glengarry; www.cuilleron.com ]
Lemonstraw, clearly towards the lemon end in hue, these 2009 wines are phenomenal. Bouquet is really strong on this wine, almost too strong due to the new oak amplifying the viognier, so there is just a whisper of cape-ivy edge to the yellow honeysuckle, quickly passing to fresh apricots and new oak. Palate shows fabulous varietal fruit, again fully orange-ripe apricots and some canned too, closely related to the 2009 Petite Cote but richer and more oaky, so in one sense less explicitly varietal. The new oak does extend the later palate. Pretty special wine, and one can understand anyone who rates it higher than the 2009 Petite Cote, since it is richer and in one sense more complex. My view is this level of oak detracts somewhat. Again, at a peak of development right now, bone dry finish, but will hold a year or two. GK 06/13

2016 Yves Cuilleron Saint-Joseph Les Serines 18 ½ + (

)

Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $75 [ cork; Sy 100%, all more than 50 years age; some whole-bunches; cuvaison to 21 days; MLF in barrel; 18 – 20 months in small oak, 40% new (J.L-L comments, every year less, noteworthy for NZ); fined, filtered; production averages 1,000 x 9-litre cases; www.cuilleron.com ]
Bright ruby, carmine and velvet, just in the deepest 10 of the 49 red wines. Bouquet shows a near-perfect floral expression of temperate climate syrah at full physiological maturity and varietal expression: wallflowers, darkest roses, and violets, spiced by a hint of black pepper, and underlain by near-cassisy fruit, plus subtle suggestions of newish oak. Palate has a refreshing coolness to it amidst the Southern Rhone wines, vibrant varietal flavours, good but not exceptional richness and depth, great length of flavour on the skin tannins first, all extended by subtle oak. The florals and sweet black pepper come back on the long finish. Very beautiful but subtle syrah, not a showstopper, too subtle for some people, I imagine. Cellar 8 – 20 years. A Glengarry wine. GK 07/19

nv Champagne Dumangin Premier Cru L’Extra Brut 18 ½ + (

)

Chigny-Les-Roses, Montagne de Reims, Champagne, France: 12%; $ – [ Diam cork 45mm; original price c.$65; PM 50%, PN 25, Ch 25; full MLF, very high % of reserve wines sometimes over 50%; all riddling manual – totally a small-scale family winery; minimum of three years en tirage; not sure if any oak elevation for this label; dosage 2 g/L, this bottle disgorged 23/7/2014; imported by MacVine International, Auckland; https://champagne-dumangin.fr ]
Lemonstraw. Bouquet is wonderfully pure and very particular, immediately reflecting the high pinot meunier, a very strong apple-blossom / hedge roses floral quality, plus the perfume of Pacific Rose apples perfectly tree-ripened, very distinctive. The florals are complexed with apple and red cherry fruit, and textbook baguette-quality lees autolysis. Palate is elegant, very fine-grained, the first sip noticeably dry but the premier cru fruit quality is so good it easily carries the 2 g/L dosage. Beautiful autolysis extends the flavours in mouth admirably, coupled with perfect acid balance. This is a wonderful example of what lees-autolysis means, in the methode champenoise winestyle. With the high meunier, might be less suited to extended cellaring … so probably nearing full maturity now. GK 06/20

2005 Ch l'Eglise-Clinet 18 ½ + (

)

Pomerol, Bordeaux, France: 14%; $610 [ cork; optimal en primeur landed in NZ price $610, retail up to $1350; Me 85%, CF 15; average vine age 40 years; 80% new French oak for 18 months; 1500 cases; Parker 4/08: A sensational effort from proprietor Denis Durantou, this 2005 is a compelling wine, but purchasers should wait at least a decade to begin the magical liquid tour. One of the monumental wines of the vintage, it boasts a dense purple color as well as a glorious perfume of caramelized blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries, a hint of toast in the backward, fully integrated oak, full body, and exceptional density and richness. Prodigiously concentrated, this layered, broad Pomerol reveals a seamless integration of acidity, tannin, alcohol, and wood. It is a massive, yet remarkably elegant wine that is as singular as it is exhilarating. Anticipated maturity: 2017-2040. 100; WS 3/08: Dark ruby in color. Fabulous aromas of blackberry, tobacco, black olive and brown sugar follow through to a full body, with incredibly velvety tannins that go on and on and caress the palate for minutes. Shows class and complexity. Stunning. The greatest young wine ever from this producer. Best after 2016. 1,375 cases made. 98; JR 4/06: 1st sample: Dark, bright purple. Rich, round, rather cool and long term – fine and refined. Much less opulent than I would have expected. 2nd sample: Rich, velvety, cool and slightly gassy. More than 14 per cent alcohol. Quite different from 2003!! 18 ]
Ruby and velvet, some carmine, pretty well midway in depth. Bouquet is classically fully ripe to over-ripe merlot as one understands it, florals in the deep red roses spectrum, and unequivocal bottled dark plums fruit. In mouth it is velvety rich, much more developed than Sophia, but pointed in the same direction, softer and more mellow. It is not quite evident why this should be 100-point wine in the Parker hierarchy, being neither the richest in the set, or the most vibrant or otherwise remarkable. There is a suggestion of sur-maturité on the palate, but it is benchmark merlot, contrasting vividly with the cassisy cabernet-led Haut-Brion it sat alongside. Cellar 5 – 25 years. GK 10/08

2016 Domaine des Espiers Gigondas Les Grames 18 ½ + (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $48 [ cork, 50 mm; proprietor Philippe Cartoux farms 9.5 ha organically, in three appellations, 3 ha in Gigondas. There are three Gigondas, the Tradition wine, then two individual vineyard wines at a higher price. Les Grames is the second of these, a new addition to the range, cepage Gr 75%, 25 Sy, planted at 5,400 vines per ha. If the cropping rate is similar to Les Blaches, the other individual wine, it is cropped at less than 3.25 t/ha = 1.3 t/ac. Compared with most New Zealand reds, such a cropping rate gives noticeable textural pleasure on the palate. Vinification includes fruit perhaps 80% de-stemmed, three days cold soak, up to 4 weeks cuvaison, elevation 70% in concrete, 30% in barriques some newish for 12 months, then fined but not filtered; JC@RP, 2018: ... scents of garrigue strewn over ripe cherries and stone fruit. Full-bodied, supple, creamy and concentrated, it's another winning Gigondas, an appellation that seems to have excelled in the 2016 vintage, 92; production averages c.1,000 x 9-litre cases; weight bottle and cork 635 g; one of the Worth Cellaring set; http://p.cartoux.free.fr ]
Ruby, some velvet, above midway in depth. Bouquet reveals one of the exemplary wines, beautiful singing garrigue florals and aromatics, some spice, red and black fruits, just archetypal quality for good Southern Rhone wine. On palate Les Grames is succulent yet not heavy, saturated with aromatic grape flavours, so supple you suspect there must be some big old oak as well as a little newish, the integration of gentle oak and aromatic berry being particularly pleasing. This is the kind of red wine that makes you hungry. Cellar 10 – 25 years. No comments from the group tasting, perhaps a little subtle. Available from Maison Vauron and their distribution channels (eg Regional Wines). GK 07/19

2005 Ch La Fleur-Petrus 18 ½ + (

)

Pomerol, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $356 [ cork 50mm; Me 80%, CF 20, vines average 6,250 / ha; elevation 20 months in 33% new oak; 4150 cases; skimpy website; www.moueix.com ]
Older ruby, even some garnet, the third to lightest. Here is another bouquet of power and charm, much more powerful than the light wine colour suggests. This is a very integrated and complete aroma, immediately reminding of the way Ch Grand-Puy-Lacoste used to smell a generation or more ago, implying seamless cedary oak in floral and fragrant berry. Freshly opened there was a hint of leather on bouquet, but that dissipated. Palate is medium weight, superbly and subtly oaked, not big but so long, and so easy to drink. Wonderful. This has already arrived at the start of its plateau of maturity, and beautifully illustrates the notion that 'less is more'. Cellar 5 – 20 years, at least. GK 11/15

2005 Domaine Fourrier Gevrey-Chambertin Les Goulots Vieille Vigne 18 ½ + (

)

Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $298 [ cork 48mm; vines 49 years old; new oak never more than 20%; not fined or filtered; www.burgundy-report.com/autumn-2003/profile-domaine-fourrier-gevrey-chambertin ]
Pinot noir ruby, below midway in depth. Bouquet epitomises the concept of florality in pinot noir, violets, darkest roses and boronia all pouring from the glass, in red and black cherry fruit. There is also a wonderful spicy complexity to which cedary oak contributes, yet it is scarcely identifiable. Flavours in mouth are potentially velvety, lovely texture, good length, with complex fruit in which the florals persist in mouth, the oak still to meld in. Lovely modern wine to cellar 5 – 15 years, maybe longer. GK 04/15

nv Champagne Gatinois Grand Cru Brut 18 ½ + (

)

Ay, Champagne, France: 12%; $55 [ cork; PN 90%, Ch 10; www.champagne-gatinois.com ]
Faintly flushed straw, in the same direction as nv Lindauer Reserve but much subtler. Bouquet however bears no relation. Here is champagne beauty and florality of a quality rarely encountered. In the same way pinot noir can smell of English tea roses, so does this wine. This bouquet is simply exquisite. Behind the floral notes there is pure baguette-quality autolysis, cherry fruit, and the faintest hint of Vogel's Wholegrain. In mouth the pinot noir flavours cannot be ignored, yet the wine is fresh and long. Like the Peters wines, the quality of fruit bespeaks a very conservative cropping rate, and the absence of phenolics likewise suggests very gentle pressing, and a conservative juice off-take. Finish is quality brut, around 8 g/L. This is reference quality blanc de noirs, forming an ideal complement to the Peters wines. And as above, in a country where too many winewriters routinely endorse every tinpot champagne with the equivalent of five stars via fulsome prose, there is an urgent need for wines like this and the Peters two to be much more widely tasted, discussed and understood. Cellar 5 – 15 years, maybe longer. GK 07/14

2005 Domaine Geantet-Pansiot Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru 18 ½ + (

)

Gevrey-Chambertin, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 13%; $268 [ cork 50mm; tending organic in viticulture; all destemmed; 20% lower yields in 2005, no chaptalising; 15 months in 30% new oak, without racking; Robinson, 2007: Very scented and relatively powerful nose. Super charming, but as though with a limp wrist. Certainly not the most concentrated-ever Charmes you will come across but super smooth and correct, 18+; Meadows, 2007: The Geantet wines tend to emphasize fruit rather than structure but in ’05 there is a more interesting balance between the two elements. 2005 Charmes-Chambertin: (from 50 year old vines). As ripe as the En Champs is, this is riper still yet it remains aromatically fresh and bright with intense cherry and raspberry notes on the spicy, pure and earthy nose where the spice and earth notes continue onto the delicious, rich and full-bodied flavors built on a base of concentrated fruit. This is classy if not overly complex at the moment but if the depth comes in time, my range could be conservative, from 2015, 90-93; www.geantetpansiot.com ]
Good rich pinot noir ruby, some development showing, the second-deepest wine in the combined sets. This wine needs splashy decanting, from jug to jug say four times. Once aired, it is quietly new-oaky, with some varietal fruit too. Given 24 hours, however, it has opened considerably, to show the kind of vital aromatic dark pinot fruit that characterises good Gevrey-Chambertin. The degree of dusky dark rose florals melding with the vanillin of new oak is now a delight, the wine having gained 'pinosity' immensely overnight. There are even hints of red fruits in the black cherry backbone. Flavour brings one back in confrontation with the level of new oak, which is basically too high for a variety as subtle and beautiful as pinot noir ... yet the old-vine de la Tour above has 100% new oak … The cherry fruit is mouth-filling and long in flavour, even if elongated further by the new oak. Winemakers liked this wine, though noting the level of new oak. With five first places and two seconds, it was the most favoured wine on the night. Cellar 10 – 25 years. GK 09/15

1999 Domaine Geantet-Pansiot Gevrey-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes 18 ½ + (

)

Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 13%; $44 [ cork 49mm, ullage 8mm; release price c.$75; Jasper Morris (paraphrased), 2010: viticulture ‘lutte raisonée’ ie tending organic but not so circumscribed; critical attention to berry sorting; 10 days cold soak, cuvaison not given; all wines have much the same élevage, 15 months with 30% new oak. Wine Spectator, 2003: Has character, with plenty of fruit and wet earth, good acidity and plenty of cassis and wild raspberries. Medium-bodied, firm but ripe tannins, tempting now thanks to the balanced finish. Pretty Gevrey-Chambertin of good quality for a village. Drink now through 2006. 600 cases made, 88; Pierre Rovani @ Parker, 2001: The medium to dark ruby-colored 1999 Gevrey-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes displays candied red and black cherries in its aromatics. This lush blackberry and cassis-flavored wine has enormous sex appeal to its medium-bodied personality. It is oily-textured and exhibits a long finish that reveals virtually perfectly ripened tannin. Drink 2001 - 2008, 89; weight bottle, no closure 593 g; no website found. ]
Ruby and garnet, light, but glowing, the lightest wine. Bouquet is simply heavenly, intensely floral, nearly boronia, that lovely piquancy of fine Cote de Nuits wine, nearly aromatic, nearly spicy, just so zingy and uplifted alongside the Cote de Beaune wines, shouting out pinot noir – yet somehow demure and understated as well. Palate is not the richest in the set, but is fragrant right through, the florals noticeable right through to the aftertaste (a rare, desirable, and quality attribute in pinot noir), red fruits, exciting. It is not quite as rich as the Quartz Reef, and is near the end of its plateau of maturity – in imminent danger of drying. One person had this as their top wine, one second, but three least, while 14 thought it French, and three New Zealand. GK 09/19

2009 Vincent Girardin Domaine de la Tour du Bief Moulin a Vent Clos de la Tour 18 ½ + (

)

Moulin-a-Vent, Beaujolais, France: 13%; $37 [ cork; gamay grown mostly on granite, hand-picked; traditional destemming and mostly fermentation in s/s, elevation some in 5000-litre old wood, some in barrique including some new; www.vincentgirardin.com/fr/#/Bief ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, the second deepest of these wines. Alongside the 2010 Moulin a Vent, this 2009 both provides a brilliant comparison of the vintages, and illustrates another kind of perfection in beaujolais. Here the whole wine is a notch riper, but it is still dramatically gamay, just slightly less floral, instead more darkly plummy. The volume of bouquet is great, so much a key component of good beaujolais. It follows that the palate is much softer, riper, and more ample as befits a very warm year, yet it still has the fresh charm of gamay. This is classic big Moulin a Vent, and serious beaujolais, the oak more apparent than the Chermette yet still subtle by New Zealand pinot standards. Another glorious wine, which will cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 09/12

2010 Ch Giscours 18 ½ + (

)

Margaux Third Growth, Medoc, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $194 [ Cork, 49mm, ullage 11mm; $121 landed; in 2010 CS 60%, Me 32, CF 5, PV 3, planted at 8 – 10,000 vines / ha; all hand-picked at c.5.5 t/ha = 2.2 t/ac; temperature-controlled fermentation in s/s and concrete, cuvaison up to 28 days, elevation 15 – 18 months in 50% new barrels; average production 27,000 x 9-litre cases; consulting oenologist (then) the late Denis Dubourdieu; tasting notes for 2010 Giscours now show a lot of bottle variation – we shall have to hope our batch is on the better side. The best bottle JR@JR has seen, early on 2011: Quite complex and complete. Just beautifully balanced. This is ripe claret. The sort that Edmund Penning-Rowsell never encountered. Nothing forced nor self conscious. Just great balance and confidence. Fresh finish. Real Margaux. Appetising and subtle. But no blockbuster. Even a little sinewy on the finish, 17.5; then over the years, references to chocolate and tannin, low scores. But a recent bottle for L.P-B@WA, 2020: the 2010 Giscours slips seductively out of the glass with notions of baked black cherries, mulberries and plum preserves plus hints of cassis, pencil lead and dried Provence herbs. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is toting a fair amount of oak with a sturdy frame of chewy tannins, coming through with a long, fruity finish, 92+; model website; weight bottle and closure: 561 g; http://chateau-giscours.com/en/home ]
Fairly fresh ruby, carmine and velvet, right in the middle for depth. With several reports of 2010 Giscours opening variably around the world, it was a relief to decant this, and find a fresh young wine in great condition. Bouquet is model Médoc, nearly floral, good cassis and darkly plummy undertones, light cedary oak, attractive. Palate is less integrated than the Grand-Puy-Lacoste, a youthful wine not quite on the scale of those marked more highly, but attractively aromatic and cassisy, still with good mouth feel. It is not as floral and beautiful as the d’Issan, with its Margaux magic, the Giscours being a richer and more sturdy wine. It still captures the appeal of the aromatic 2010s very well. No votes for top or second-favourite. Cellar 20 – 40 years. GK 09/20

2003 Domaine Grand Veneur Chateauneuf-du-Pape les Origines 18 ½ + (

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Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $70 [ cork; Wine Direct; Gr 50%, Mv 30, Sy25; 35 h/hl (c.1.75 t/ac); 100% de-stemmed; cuvaison 21 days, 18 months in new oak (% unstated); Parker 156 considers: “their top cuvée les Origines may be the finest value of all the old-vine super cuvées … it veers toward the more modern international style of winemaking … large-scaled, full-bodied, chewy, concentrated but low acid and open-knit. … it unquestionably possesses all the typicity of Chateauneuf. 91 – 93”; www.domaine-grand-veneur.com ]
Ruby, a little carmine and velvet. This is a sensational bouquet, showing classical grenache of great purity (apart from trace brett). It illustrates the basic concepts of grenache varietal characters beautifully – subtle raspberry-scented fruit and sweet cinnamon-stick spice, in this case with gorgeous cedary notes. The latter includes the signature smell of the fragrant compound manool, as found in the related conifer pink pine – a wonderful smell. Fruit is noticeably rich alongside the same firm’s Cotes du Rhone, totally dry, seemingly scarcely oaked, very beautiful Chateauneuf which will cellar 10 – 20 years, becoming ever more fragrant. GK 11/05

1982 Ch Gruaud Larose 18 ½ + (

)

St Julien Second Growth, Bordeaux, France: 12%; $66 [ cork; CS 64%, Me 24, CF 9, PV 3; considered First Growth level by RP; Parker: Gruaud produces St Julien’s most massive and backward wine. The 1982: spectacular from the cask, and has continued to perform well, awesome richness and mammoth constitution … a huge spicy, blackcurrant and grilled meat aroma … the finest Gruaud since the 1961. To 2020. 97. Broadbent shares Parker’s enthusiasm: from cask, sweet and packed with fruit and tannin. Later, still intense, plummy, immature, gloriously rich fruit, tarry, full-flavoured, chewy, with pronounced but silky tannins. Needs time. To 2015. ****. Peppercorn on the 1982, in 2002: has the sweet fruit of 1982 at its best. GK in 1985 rated it: Excellent, a big 20-year classic claret. ]
Ruby and garnet, fresher ruby than many, and the deepest of these 14. Freshly opened, new oak is rather apparent, with quite autumnal fruit. With air, the cassis component grows and grows, to become a fragrant and cabernet-dominant Medoc, rich but cool and elegant, classic old-style claret. Palate however returns the oak to notice, so that though the wine is still rich and youthful in one sense, it hasn’t yet achieved quite the perfect near-burgundian harmony of the Haut Marbuzet, or the richness of the Latour a Pomerol. It should be less tannic in another five years, and will cellar 5 – 10 years, perhaps to blossom further. One of the three top-pointed wines on the night. GK 09/08

1986 Ch Gruaud-Larose 18 ½ + (

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Saint Julien Second Growth, Bordeaux, France: 12.5%; $263 [ Cork, 54 mm; CS 64%, Me 24, CF 9, PV 3; 21 – 35 day cuvaison, 18 – 24 months in barrel; 32,000 cases; Peppercorn: great concentration and richness, and decidedly tannic in the last few years, but with maturity they acquire a soft velvety texture with great breed and charm; Robinson, 2016: Salty zesty nose with great liveliness. Sweeter than the 1986 Las Cases served blind alongside it but less dense. A very pretty wine. This has always been one of the most charming 1986s and it's still, just about, in fine fettle. Though I wouldn't keep it any longer: 17; Parker, 1997: There seems to be no doubt about the quality of the 1986 Gruaud-Larose, which in 20 years should rival the extraordinary 1990, 1982, 1961, 1949, and 1928 made at this vast estate. From the first time I tasted this wine in cask, I have thought it to be among the blockbusters of the vintage. It has mammoth structure, a fabulous wealth of fruit, and a finish that seems to last several minutes. This is indeed first-growth quality ... enormous structure, impressive concentration, and massive tannins … a wine to lay down for ones children … 2000-2030: 94; bottle weight 547 g; www.gruaud-larose.com ]
Ruby and garnet, identical in hue to the Margaux but fractionally lighter, the third deepest colour. Bouquet is strong, not quite perfect, initially a faintly varnishy edge on the cooperage deflecting attention from the quality of beautifully cassisy berry. Once it has taken a breath of air, there is great purity and lift, a clean aromatic bouquet with good freshness, contrasting with some of the wines placed earlier in the presented line-up of 12. This wine too commanded more attention on palate, showing astonishing concentration of berry shaped by oak, fractionally richer than the Ch Margaux, a little more oaky too, but the tannins though evident softening beautifully. It is closer to the Mouton in style than the Ch Margaux – Parker's estimation of the wine seems spot-on. It is the finest Gruaud-Larose I have seen. Four people rated this their top or second wine, and seven thought it a First Growth. Cellar another 5 – 20 + years. GK 08/16

1999 Domaine Jamet Cote Rotie 18 ½ + (

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Northern Rhone Valley, France: 12.5%; $491 [ cork, 49mm; original price c.$70; typically Sy 100% from up to 20 lieux-dits, 60 – 95% whole-bunch depending on season, up to 21 days cuvaison; 20 – 22 months in French oak 20% new, both barrique and puncheon size; not fined or filtered, production around 2,500 x 9-litre cases; J.L-L comments in general, that Jamet's sites span all that is great in Cote Rotie, and that: "If you want to taste a wine that sums up the heartlands of Cote Rotie, the classic cuvée [ of Jamet ] should be it." J.L-L, no date: ripe, sunny varied berry aromas, potential; rich, stewed fruits attack, sappy, confit; delicious raspberry, tasty wine. Still very young. More complexity around 2010. To 2036, *****; JD@RP, 2015: One of the all-time greats from this estate is the still inky colored 1999 Cote Rotie. From a hot year that had many vignerons struggling with vinification issues, Jean-Paul compared 1999 to 2009 more than once. Sensationally rich, concentrated and full-bodied, it reveals a classic bouquet of pepper, smoked herbs, black currants and licorice. One sexy Cote Rotie that's just hard to resist, it's drinking perfectly today but will evolve nicely for another decade or more, 97; weight bottle and closure: 555 g; www.cote-rotie-jamet.com ]
Ruby, some garnet and velvet, above midway in depth and just above midway in ruby versus garnet. This wine is even more syrah-specific-floral than the Ch d’Ampuis, showing a magnificent depth of wallflower and dianthus floral aromas without the stalky whole-bunch notes that so often bedevil the Jamet approach. Off-hand this is the most perfect Jamet syrah bouquet I have seen. On palate, the berry qualities behind the florals are not so clearly defined as in the top two wines, but there is good medium-weight fruit, with now just a hint of stalk, and subtle oak. There is also an intriguing near-mint suggestion in the berry aromatics, pointing the taster in quite the wrong direction. Palate is lighter than the top two wines. Tasters liked this wine too: two first-places, and four second. At a peak of maturity now, but should fade gracefully for another 10 years. GK 11/19

2005 Domaine de la Janasse Chateauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Chaupin 18 ½ + (

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Southern Rhone Valley, France: 15.5%; $96 [ cork, 50mm; original price c.$80; Gr 100% , >70 years age, hand-harvested; 80% de-stemmed; cuvaison up to 28 days in concrete, then 12 months in approx 2/3 foudre, 1/3 in 600s, the latter 20 – 35% new, the balance newish; fined, not filtered; Chaupin first made 1989; production 1,650 x 9-litre cases in 2005; J.L-L, 2007: ... sealed-up, tight bouquet ... holds black berries and an undertone of leaves and soil after rain, has more spine to it than the Tradition Janasse. Opulent, fat start to palate, with a creamy black fruits taste. Plenty of grip within, its density is prolonged, its tannins need leaving until 2010+, 2026-29, ****; JD@RP, 2017: ... a monumental beauty that offers loads of ripe blackberries, black raspberries, crushed flowers and garrigue aromas and flavors. Concentrated, layered and unctuous, with a to-die-for texture, no hard edges and a huge finish, this beauty is still youthful and is just now starting to show hints of maturity, 2012 - 2027, 99; weight bottle and cork 667 g; www.lajanasse.com ]
Ruby and velvet, clearly lighter than the Janasse Vieilles Vignes, below midway in depth. Bouquet on this wine is again grenache emulating pinot noir in a slightly spirity way, the wine wonderfully fragrant, a little deeper in fruit colour than the pink nectarines of the Marcoux, here more red cherry / stewed red plum, not quite so clearly floral, but wonderfully fragrant. In mouth new oak has a larger role to play, this wine being quite aromatic (in one sense) and vibrant alongside the sensuous Marcoux. Length of flavour is not quite as saturated as the Janasse Vieilles Vignes, but by Chateauneuf-du-Pape standards in general, this too is a rich wine. It still has a little tannin to lose, and will cellar for another 10 – 20 years. Three tasters had this as their top or second wine, and nine (accurately) identified it as one of the near-100% grenache wines. GK 07/19

2004 Ch Lafite-Rothschild 18 ½ + (

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Pauillac, Bordeaux, France: 12.5%; $1,171 [ cork 50mm; cepage this year CS 90.5%, Me 9, PV 0.5 according to J. Robinson; 16 – 20 months in oak, usually 100% new; R. Parker, 2007: fabulous fruit, impressive richness, refreshing acidity, and sweet tannin, 95; www.lafite.com ]
Ruby and velvet, in the middle for depth, one of the redder wines. Bouquet has that extraordinary nearly aethereal quality which better bottles of Lafite show. There is a nearly-floral quality to the bouquet, but the roses and violets are so entwined with glorious cedar and hints of brown pipe-tobacco complexities, you get lost trying to sort out what you are smelling. Great wine ! Palate follows on perfectly, much greater concentration than you would expect, perfect velvety texture, browning cassis adding to the complexities seen on bouquet, and exquisite new oak subtly shaping the whole thing. Wonderfully understated wine, the polar opposite of the ostentatious Mouton. Cellar 20 – 30 years. GK 02/16

1980 Domaine Lafon Volnay Santenots-du-Milieu Tete de Cuvée Premier Cru 18 ½ + (

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Cote de Beaune, Burgundy, France: 12.5%; $ – [ 49mm cork; a variable vintage, says Broadbent, 3-star at best; the domaine is so transformed now from the presumably traditional (then including some whole-bunch) standards prevailing in 1980, little can be said, except this is the domaine's finest red; Neal Martin had a batch of these wines last year, but sadly the 1980 was TCA-affected. He reports very favourably on adjacent vintages; www.comtes-lafon.fr ]
Rosy light garnet, below midway in depth. On both bouquet and palate, this wine was not amongst the biggest, but it captured the concept of beauty so critical to fine pinot noir / burgundy. The wine is sweetly even wonderfully floral, roses mainly and a hint of violets, on red fruits more than black but browning now, naturally, 1980 not being a powerful vintage. Palate is medium weight only, perfect fruit / acid / tannin balance, simply delicious browning cherry flavours, a wine of great varietal precision and finesse, beautiful. It would be wonderful with lighter foods. Right at the end of its plateau of maturity, it will soon be frail and drying a little, but no tearing hurry. Top wine for two. GK 10/14

2016 Ch Lagrange 18 ½ + (

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Saint-Julien Third Growth, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $157 [ cork 50mm; cepage varies with the year but c. CS 67%, Me 28, PV 5, planted at an average of 8,750 vines / ha, on deep gravels; all hand-picked, 2016 cropped at 6 t/ha = 2.4 t/ac, optical sorting of berries; cuvaison to 21 days, 21 months in barrel 60% new; consultant Eric Boissenot; noted for being the largest of the Medoc classed growths, with 110 ha of red grapes; quality transformed since the take-over by Suntory, Japan, in 1983; Neal Martin considers this 2016 ‘certainly is one of the most expressive Lagrange that I have tasted’; production averages 23,000 x 9-litre cases; www.chateau-lagrange.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a ‘perfect’ young claret / cabernet / merlot colour, the second deepest wine. And the bouquet is near-perfect too, vibrant yet soft, exciting with nearly-violets dusky floral qualities, on sensational fresh cassisy berry totally dominant over beautiful oak handling, with soft and gentle cedary hints far below. Palate immediately has texture and mouth-feel, like the Bordeaux Blanc so different from so many New Zealand Cabernet / Merlots, again reflecting a cropping rate leading to quality and dry extract in the wine. Cassis from the perfectly ripe cabernet sauvignon dominates, fleshed out by merlot. This is a beautiful, velvety cabernet / merlot wine, not big but of a quality all New Zealand cabernet makers should be tasting (and cellaring) regularly. Cellar 10 – 30 years. GK 07/20

1982 Ch La Lagune 18 ½ + (

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Haut Medoc / Margaux Third Growth, Bordeaux, France: – %; $342 [ cork 54 mm, ullage 16 mm; original price c.$40; cepage then approx. CS 55, Me 20, CF 20, PV 5, planted at 6,666 vines / ha, average age of vines c.31 years, cropped at c.50 hl/ha (6.5 t/ha = 2.6 t/ac); typically 18 – 22 months in barrel, % new even then in a good year like 1982 likely to be 100%; Parker in 1991 thought La Lagune one of Bordeaux's shining success stories since its sale first in 1958, and then in 1962, to the Champagne firm Ayala; Broadbent, 2002: sweet, soft, fleshy most attractive, ****; Parker, 1991: As close to a perfect La Lagune as one can hope to find ... a sensational aroma of roasted nuts, ripe black cherries and vanillin oak ... quite full bodied on the palate with significant tannin ... incredibly rich cassis fruit. A powerful, rich, concentrated finish lasts and lasts, 93; Parker, 2000: Beautiful notes of dried herbs, new saddle leather, roasted nuts, black currants, and jammy cherries jump from the glass of this spicy, fragrant 1982. Medium to full-bodied and fleshy, it is the finest La Lagune produced in the last thirty years. Just reaching its plateau of maturity, it appears to have the balance and depth to age effortlessly for 10 more years, 90; not in W. Kelley's 2022 set, so Jancis Robinson, 2022: Rich, sweet, flattering nose. Fresh and at a nice stage of evolution at the moment. Pretty and nicely in balance with a clean, fresh finish. Long. Just right for now. Very well done!, 17.5; weight bottle and closure 569 g; www.chateau-lalagune.com ]
Ruby and garnet, below midway in weight of colour, above midway in retaining redness. Bouquet is sophisticated, showing all the complexity of a West Bank blend, the cabernet sauvignon aromatics apparent but a good weight of browning softer plummy berry also very noticeable. There is also a hint of dark chocolate. Flavour is lighter than the bouquet promises, lovely aromatic berry and cedary oak totally integrated, the flavour lasting long, classic claret again at perfect maturity. One of the most satisfying La Lagunes I have tasted: others expressed similar views, almost astonishment. Top wine for four, and second-favourite for six, but maybe a whisper of brett for a couple of tasters. Lovely wine, perfectly assessed by Robert Parker right from the outset. Again, attractive maturity now, but has the balance to decline gracefully. GK 11/23

2013 Mount Langi Ghiran Shiraz Langi 18 ½ + (

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Grampians district, West Victoria, Australia: 14.3%; $136 [ screwcap; Sh 100%, hand-picked and sorted from a single vineyard 'Old Block', vines 50 years old, on granite; previous vintages have had a significant whole-bunch component and c.13 months in French oak 45% new, the website now less informative; imported by MacVine International, Auckland; weight bottle and closure: 773 g; www.langi.com.au ]
Ruby, older carmine than the J L Chave, and velvet, above midway in depth. Having been assessing Australian shiraz carefully since 1966, my feelings of joy when the ID for this wine was revealed are hard to describe. Here after all these years is a syrah (not shiraz) from Australia, and not tainted with eucalyptus, indeed no more aromatic than some Hawkes Bay syrahs, only faintly more aromatic than the Yann Chave Hermitage. The bouquet is floral, a concept nearly unknown in the Australian climate, but not as deeply so as the Chave, not wallflower therefore, more dianthus, due to the faint aromatic component. Below is cassis and dark plum entirely comparable with Hermitage or the Bridge Pa Triangle, and the wine shows restraint in oaking. Palate is firmer and more oaky than the French examples, but still well well within bounds. This is beautiful wine, not quite the velvety depths of the Chave, but still one to cellar for 10 – 25 years. GK 08/16

2008 Champagne J Lassalle Cuvée Angeline Millésime Brut 18 ½ + (

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Chigny-Les-Roses, Champagne, France: 12%; $89 [ standard champagne cork; cepage varies round PN 60%, Ch 40, all premier cru grapes, average vine age 50 years; full MLF; c.7 years en tirage; may still all be hand-riddled; dosage 8 g/L; 500 dozen only; waffly website, Kermit Lynch much better, more information in Stelzer; www.champagne-jlassalle.com ]
Lovely lemon straw, above midway for lemon hues. Bouquet displays textbook autolysis of total crust of baguette quality, top-quality baguettes, mark you. It is wonderfully fresh and enticing. Flavour immediately shows a presence and weight of dry extract comparable with grand cru champagne, an ideal blend of aromatic pinot noir and smoother chardonnay, against a near-perfect dosage. This is lovely champagne, crisp dosage, to cellar 3 – 12 years. GK 10/15

1970 Ch Latour 18 ½ + (

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Pauillac First Growth, Bordeaux, France: – %; $ – [ cork; CS 80%, Me 10, CF 10; 60 ha, 16,000 cases. Broadbent 1980: Fabulous colour, rich cabernet sauvignon aroma, packed with fruit, flavour, alcohol, tannin, acidity. All the component parts, still austere. ***** Till 2020. In 2002: Immensely impressive … It needs days of decanting time, and hours in the glass. Mouth-filling, concentrated, still very tannic. ***** [ Till 2050, in effect. ] Parker 1996: One of the top two or three wines of the vintage (Petrus and Trotanoy are noteworthy rivals), this young, magnificent Latour is still 5-10 years away from full maturity. The opaque garnet color is followed by a huge, emerging nose of black fruits, truffles, walnuts, and subtle tobacco/Graves-like scents. Full-bodied, fabulously concentrated and intense, with a sweet inner-core of fruit (a rarity in most 1970 Medocs), and high but well-integrated tannin, this enormously endowed, massive Latour should hit its prime by the end of the century and last for 2-3 decades thereafter. This is will be the longest-lived and potentially most classic wine of the vintage. 98 Note however that subsequent to this, he has had lesser bottles, and notes: remember the expression, "there are no great wines, just great bottles, particularly after a wine reaches 30 years of age.". Jancis Robinson 2003: Latour 1970 is certainly the best 1970 I have tasted. And in a vertical of Latour direct from the chateau in the same year: Still quite dark. Brick rim. Minty nose. Very mineral. Supple. Subtle. Relatively lightweight, but very well balanced and long. Very distinguished. Very Latour. 19; www.chateau-latour.com ]
Ruby and garnet, clearly the freshest and deepest wine in the tasting. Bouquet is the freshest too, vibrant cassis, cedary oak, good volume, definitely high-cabernet Medoc. In mouth, there is the same concentration of cassis the bouquet implies, yet there is not the magic of the Ducru. For a wine so highly praised over the years, there is a certain two-dimensional purity and incipient austerity evident, against the multi-hued beauty of the more delicate Ducru. Certainly, the wine has the freshness of flavour and body to cellar for some years yet, but like the Las-Cases, the austerity may increase, leading to a lean and sinewy wine, without the magical softness and fragrance to lift it to the highest level. GK 03/10

1978 Ch Latour 18 ½ + (

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Pauillac First Growth, Bordeaux, France: – %; $927 [ cork; cepage then approx. CS 80%, Me 10, CF 10, planted at 10,000 vines / ha; 17 months in barrel, 85 – 100% new oak depending on the vintage; harvest not completed till 20 October; Wine Spectator vintage rating for the year, 87, Structured, fleshy and complex; Broadbent, 2002: Rated equal with Lafite at Penning-Rowsell's '10-year' tasting, but soon to dry out, lacking conviction in the early 1990s **; Coates, 2000: Splendidly Latour on the nose. Surprisingly soft on the palate. Fullish, velvety-rich fruit. Very good grip. Above all real breed and complexity. Aristocratic and harmonious. Slightly less voluptuous than Lafite. The structure is more obvious. But this is classier. Very lovely finish. Excellent, 19.5; Parker, 2000: Medium garnet-colored with moderate amber at the edge, the 1978 Latour offers a spicy, saddle leather, tobacco, dried herb, earthy nose with sweet fruit trying to poke through. Interestingly, new oak also makes an appearance in the flavors. Medium-bodied, elegant, and fragrant, but possibly beginning to dry out, this fully mature wine requires consumption over the next decade, 90; www.chateau-latour.com ]
Ruby and garnet, the second deepest wine, close to the Las Cases but fractionally older. This was the other great bouquet in the set, again perfect ripeness of the claret varieties, nothing pinched. It is not quite so berry-dominant as the Las Cases, the cedary oak a little more noticeable. In flavour one was hard put to know whether the Latour or the Las Cases was the richer wine, the Latour having a much higher ratio of cabernet sauvignon but also more new oak, both factors making it hard to be sure. The main thing is, like the Las Cases, this is a lovely balanced example of ripe Bordeaux, from a year in which that was hard to achieve. Again, this wine is fully mature, but will hold its form probably longer than the Las Cases. Three people rated Ch Latour their top wine at the blind stage, and seven their second-favourite. Intriguingly, four thought it could be the Sassicaia. GK 10/18

2001 Ch La Tour Blanche 18 ½ + (

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Sauternes / Bommes Premier Cru, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $ – [ 50mm cork; Se 70%, SB 20, Mu 10; average age of vines 26 years, planted at 6,200 vines / ha; average yield c.2.25 t/ha = just under 1 t/ac; most of the Se barrel-fermented, the SB fermented in s/s; the assembled wine aged in new oak 18 – 24 months; production average around 3,300 cases per annum; in 1855 rated second to d'Yquem, then declined; now home to the Ecole de Viticulture et Oenologie, owned by the Ministry of Agriculture; reputation now rising again; BBR: La Tour Blanche's wines are now amongst the richest, most powerful and most exotic being produced in Sauternes today. They have marvellous ageing potential; Robinson, 2002: Slightly green flavours; one can taste the Sauvignon Blanc component at this stage. Nutty. Interesting, but not the richest, 18 … and another Robinson note less, 17; Parker, 2004: La Tour Blanche’s spectacular 2001 boasts a light to medium gold color as well as a big, exotic nose of tropical fruits, honeysuckle, orange marmalade, and creme brulee. In the mouth, notions of peaches, lychees, and caramelized citrus give way to a weighty, full-bodied, concentrated yet incredibly precise and well-delineated sweet white. It is a tour de force in Sauternes! Anticipated maturity: 2009-2035. 97; since these views bear little relation to each other, here's a third: Tanzer, 2004: Pale yellow-gold. Reticent nose hints at caramel and vanilla. Fat and high-toned, with superripe, unctuous flavors of candied yellow fruits and honey. At once chewy and lively, and hiding more than it's showing today. Very strong finish features subtle spicy persistence. Offers terrific potential, but is it as well balanced as the young 2002, 92 +; www.tour-blanche.com ]
Medium gold, right in the middle for depth of colour. From first sniff you could see the sauvignon blanc aromatic complexity in this wine, with real yellow honeysuckle floral notes and great freshness. Many thought it a Barsac, therefore. In mouth the flavours and balance are a delight, just the right amount of new oak without noticing it, almost a black passionfruit flavour creeping in, honeyed, botrytis-y, fresh and beautiful. This is less rich than some, but beautiful and delicious. Cellar 10 – 25 years. Not a common wine in New Zealand, only one of the 23 present had tasted it before. Exciting. GK 07/14

2005 Ch Leoville-Barton 18 ½ + (

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St Julien Second Growth, Bordeaux, France: 13%; $147 [ cork; price en primeur landed; CS 72%, Me 20, CF 8, planted to 9000 vines / ha, average vine age 27 years; 2 – 3 weeks cuvaison in wood; 20 months in French oak 50% new; JR: 18; RP 95+; WS: 96; website is derisory; www.leoville-barton.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, the third deepest colour. Bouquet on the Barton is much more forward than the Montrose 2005. It shows a mouth-watering combination of cassis, dark plum, rich brown mushrooms and faintly toasty oak. The depth and complexity of the wine is enchanting, yet it seems free of the light brett which has characterised the chateau for decades. Palate is firm, deep, rich, a magical spread of flavours, not quite the crystalline classical purity of the 2005 Montrose, just a hint of dark chocolate. Cellar 5 – 25 years. GK 08/10

1978 Ch Leoville Lascases 18 ½ + (

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St Julien Second Growth, Bordeaux, France: – %; $32.95 [ CS 65%, Me 18, CF 14, PV 3. Broadbent ’80: very impressive, pronounced aroma. A real bouquet in the bunch of flowers sense, but still peppery; flavour to match. Excellent aftertaste. More intense than Ducru ****. Broadbent ’02: was at best c. 1990, ‘extra dimensions’. Recently spicy nose but losing body, not exciting. At best ****. ]
Ruby and garnet, still some velvet, one of the three deepest. In the first few hours, bouquet on this wine represented all that is glorious about mature claret: cassis-suffused dark tobacco leaf and cedar, almost faded florals, and darkest plum. Palate is velvety, the bouquet liquefied, the tannins furry and richer / denser than les Cedres, the finish a touch more drying. This is a great wine also starting to slide off its plateau of maturity, yet the flavour is superb and it lasts and lasts in mouth. A lovely Lascases, from an era when it could be reductive. GK 03/06

1976 Ch Leoville Poyferre 18 ½ + (

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Saint-Julien Second Growth, Bordeaux, France: – %; $217 [ Cork, 53mm, ullage 27mm; CS 66%, Me 34; 18 – 22 months in barrel; production around 25,000 x 9-litre cases; Parker was disappointed with Leoville-Poyferre through the ‘60s, '70s, and '80s, despite it having a superb site, feeling vineyard and winery practice were not optimising the vineyard’s potential; Broadbent, 1986: Not a patch on its neighbours, **; RP@WA, 1983: Very soft, flabby, almost soupy, fruity flavors show good ripeness, but little structure, grip, or balance. A sweet, simple, fruity wine that can be quaffed easily, but it does not deliver “classified growth” breed or character. Drink up. Anticipated maturity: probably in serious decline [ in 1998 ], 76; weight bottle and closure: 569 g; www.leoville-poyferre.fr ]
Garnet and ruby, the third-deepest wine, still a suggestion of velvet. Bouquet right from opening is big, aromatic yet ‘sweet’, complex and harmonious, laden with well-browned cassis and dark pipe tobacco notes, some truffly hints, appealing. Palate still shows fruit-weight and texture, the wine second only to Petrus in richness, yet of so much more interest with its cabernet-derived aromatic berry-flavours, and relative 'freshness'. Even in this ‘bigger’ wine, there is a gentleness and suppleness which makes it enchanting with food. It is one of the few wines with a little time in hand, despite being written off by Parker in 1983. Top wine for three tasters, and second favourite for four more, with nobody thinking it merlot-led. GK 10/20

2003 Ch Margaux 18 ½ + (

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Margaux First Growth, Bordeaux, France: 13%; $500 [ cork; CS 83%, Me 12, CF & PV 5, planted to 10 000 vines / ha, cropped @ 30 hL/ha (1.6 t/ac) in 2003 (against an average of 45 (2.3 t/ac)), average vine age 35 years; 3 weeks cuvaison in cuves; 18 – 24 months in French oak 100% new; Parker: ... notes of spring flowers and creme de cassis ... a profound Margaux ... 99; Robinson: ... deep and serious, concentrated, fresh yet not alcoholic, lowest-ever acid levels. 18; www.chateau-margaux.com ]
Ruby and some velvet, older and lighter than the Montrose, the second-lightest in this bracket. This wine engendered a lot of debate, with winemakers praising its technical purity and richness of fruit (though less than Montrose or Lafite, I thought), and some stylists objecting to excessive pandering to populist chocolate and coffee tastes in the oak. The point was well made, that in 10 years, the new char flavours evident now will have married away into the wine. Yet I for one regret that for a wine traditionally famed for its (at best) perfume of violets and dark sweet florals (both Chateau Margaux, and the Margaux commune, at best), it is a pity to bury such unique and individual beauty under something so coarse and commonplace as coffee odours. And coffee is not a part of grape chemistry, unlike tea ! Oak aside, the balance is excellent, tannin seeming to substitute for acid in the hot year. This will be an interesting wine to follow over the next three decades – for those able to do so. GK 10/06

2007 Domaine Montirius Gigondas Terres des Aines 18 ½ + (

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Gigondas, Southern Rhone Valley, France: 15%; $135 [ cork 50mm, ullage 19mm; original price c.$45; certified biodynamic since 1999; no oak in the winery at all, apparently; 80% Gr c.80 years old, Mv 20 c.40 years, cropped at 4 t/ha = 1.6 t/ac; all de-stemmed, cuvaison to 28 days, 18 – 24 months in concrete vats; some filtering, production c.3,300 x 9-litre cases; J.L-L, 2009: Light pepper first nose, reductive, gummy, earthy and some raspberry fruit. Temporary red fruit on the palate – light and uninteresting. This is a Cotes du Rhone level wine, very modest. There is a sweet, toffee sign-off. To 2014, *(*); JD@RP, 2017: Spice, mature red fruits, kirsch and mulled blackberry notes emerge from the medium-bodied, supple, forward and fully mature 2007 Terres des Aines. To 2019, 87; www.montirius.com ]
A lovely fresh ruby and velvet, one of the redder wines, but the third lightest. The bouquet is wonderfully fresh, pink-roses-floral and aromatic, showing beautiful berry character and all the charm of mourvedre when not over-ripened. The whole bouquet has no hint of over-ripeness at all. Palate is equally beautiful, fresh, aromatic, beautiful tannin balance, illustrating to perfection that so often, grenache is impaired by new oak. This wine sees no wood at all, which at higher quality levels may handicap even a Southern Rhone wine, if certain vintages of latter-day Domaine Charvin are any guide. The wine also illustrates to perfection that in a number of instances, the better wines of Gigondas today may display some of the more attractive, even beautiful, features of yesteryear's Chateauneuf-du-Papes, before the trend to greater ripeness, higher alcohols, and more new oak. This Montirius shows the no-oak approach can be very successful. Two tasters had this as their first or second wine. A lovely wine totally atypical of the 2007 vintage; cellar 10 – 15 years. GK 10/19

2000 Ch Montrose 18 ½ + (

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Saint-Estephe Second Growth, Bordeaux, France: 12.5%; $297 [ Cork 50 mm, ullage 14 mm; landed cost $129; along with Ch Cos d'Estournel, Ch Montrose is one of the top two wines of Saint-Estephe. The two have jostled for pre-eminence since the War, first one, then the other, triumphing. At this moment, Ch Montrose is on a roll. It is one of the clear top six, to rank as a Super-Second. The estate was owned by the Charmolue family for 110 years, until sale to Martin Bouygues in 2006. Considerable investment has followed. Cepage CS 65%, Me 25, CF 8, PV 2, average vine age 43 years, planted at 9,000 vines per hectare, cropped at 42 hl / ha = 5.5 t/ha = 2.2 t/ac; cuvaison to 25 days in temperature-controlled s/s vats, malolactic in vat; elevation usually 18 months in barrels 60% new, varying somewhat with season; not known to employ reverse osmosis and similar hi-tech methods; Brook 2007 says of the 2000: The 2000 has super-ripe oaky tannins, but the palate is very backward, highly concentrated and pungent, but for now the the tannins rather overwhelm the undoubtedly rich fruit; such a review immediately invites a recent assessment, for example N. Martin in 2016: ... the question was whether the 2000 Montrose would be paradigmatic of a vintage whereby the wines have remained sullen and broody in their youth. On this occasion, to my surprise I found it more open than the 2005 (which admittedly is not saying that it's open for business!). It is a blend of 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot picked from 22 September to 7 October. I afforded it a couple of hours in the glass and it responded with plenty of pure ripe blackberry and raspberry fruit, hints of cold slate and even charcoal emerging with time. The palate is not as complex as the aforementioned 2005, yet there is wonderful backbone and focus; towards the finish there is a sense of suppleness and refinement that might make this absolutely delicious in 5-7 years' time. Perhaps the 2000 has been usurped by subsequent releases in 2005, 2009 and 2010, but do not be surprised if it evolves into a regal Montrose, 94+; finally a review from R. Parker in 2003, who now with the death of Michael Broadbent has tasted more vintages of Ch Montrose than any other wine-writer, and is likely best placed to assess its ultimate future: This estate has frequently hit the bull's eye over recent vintages, and the 2000 Montrose is the finest effort produced since the compelling 1990 and 1989. This gigantically sized, tannic, backward effort boasts a saturated inky purple color followed by a huge nose of acacia flavors, crushed blackberries, creme de cassis, vanilla, hickory smoke, and minerals. Extremely full-bodied, powerful, dense, and multi-layered, this unreal Montrose should last for 30+ years … this is a special wine that has exceptional purity and length. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2040, 96; he later extended that lifespan to 2050; production averages 16,660 x 9-litre cases of the grand vin; weight bottle and closure: 548 g; website hard to extract information from; www.chateau-montrose.com ]
Ruby, some velvet, midway in depth. Bouquet on this wine is closest to Ch Palmer in style, a wonderful purity of berry with clear floral darkest roses and lilac notes, on an aromatic and clearly more cassisy berry-dominant quality, as befits the higher percentage of cabernet sauvignon (65%) in Montrose, vs Palmer (53%). Like Palmer, oak is nearly invisible on bouquet, but becomes apparent in mouth, the fragrant cedary qualities lengthening the berry flavours considerably. It is hard to tell if the wine is actually less concentrated than the Palmer, or whether just being that bit more aromatic on the cabernet, which is noted for its lighter palate, that impression of less concentration prevails. This seemed the least developed wine in the set, and though it does not seem to me as big a wine as Parker implies, nonetheless it shows remarkable promise for the future. No votes for first or second place, at this stage, therefore. Cellar 15 – 25 years. GK 11/20

1998 Domaine de la Mordorée Chateauneuf-du-Pape Cuvee de la Reine des Bois 18 ½ + (

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Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $70 [ cork; original price; Gr 70%, Mv 10, Sy, Ci, counoise and vaccarese, old vines; this wine in the 90s contrasted with traditional practice in Chateauneuf-du-Pape, being completely destemmed, then at least 50% of the wine is aged in new small oak for 9 months or more, the balance s/s, with a total elevation of 24 months (note in recent vintages the new oak has been reduced markedly); Parker 10/00: an extraordinary nose of pepper, blackberry liqueur, cherries, smoke, scorched earth, and garrigue. As the wine sits in the glass, licorice and creme de cassis notes also become apparent. Awesomely concentrated, with immense body, massive fruit, sweet tannin, and fabulous symmetry, this is one of the most remarkable Chateauneuf du Papes I have ever tasted 96. Ten years later, Parker 6/10 reports: This wine went through a long closed period. It was sensational to drink a year or two after bottling, then the wood tannins in the wine’s structure took over. It remained in that state until about two years ago, when it began to slightly open up, and now it seems to be coming into full form. It still has … 20 more years of drinkability. … notes of blueberry liqueur intermixed with graphite, smoke, crushed rock, and white flowers, the wine is full-bodied, beautifully pure, and all evidence of any barrique aging has been completely assimilated into the wine’s fruit and character. This is a beauty …98. Note, this wine is currently selling for an average of $NZ326 on www.wine-searcher.com; www.domaine-mordoree.com ]
Ruby and velvet, the third deepest wine, only a touch of garnet. Bouquet is conspicuously rich and deep in the set, wonderful berryfruit, the first impression impressive. Parker is spot-on with blueberry. In mouth the body is huge, and the new oak immediately becomes apparent. There is great berry fruit perhaps with hints of sur-maturité, just a thought of raisins and dark fruitcake, plus red and darker berries. Spice and oak intertwine inseparably, making for great complexity on palate. In contrast to the perfectly balanced and classically styled Vieux Telegraphe, this more modern interpretation of Chateauneuf may not cellar so beautifully, if the oak becomes more prominent. At the moment however, it is the richest wine in the set, and was clearly the most popular on the night. Love to have a dry extract for this wine. Cellar 10 – 15 years, maybe much longer. GK 04/12

1999 Domaine de la Mordorée Chateauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée de la Reine des Bois 18 ½ + (

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Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $135 [ cork, 49mm; purchase price c.$70; Gr 80%, Mv 10, Va 5, balance Sy, Ci, counoise, some of the grenache 90 years old, some 100+; viticulture now organic; this wine in the later ‘90s contrasted with traditional practice in Chateauneuf du Pape, being completely destemmed, then c.50% of the wine aged in new small oak for 9 months or more, the balance in s/s, with a total elevation then of 24 months; filtered to bottle; production varies, but c.1,250 9-litre cases; since the turn of the century the new oak has been reduced markedly; R. Parker, 2001: A candidate for wine of the vintage ... amazing concentration of fruit extract (blackberries and cherries) intermixed with graphite and creme de cassis. Spectacularly concentrated, full-bodied, extremely pure, well-delineated, and opulent, this superb wine is forward and accessible. To 2018, 94; J. Dunnuck @ R. Parker, 2014: Domaine de la Mordoree is a reference point estate for Chateauneuf du Pape ... plenty of character in its medium to full-bodied, rich and nicely concentrated personality. Giving up plenty of chocolaty dark fruits, spice-box and cured meat-like qualities ... to 2022, 92; www.domaine-mordoree.com ]
Ruby and velvet, not quite as youthful as the Hommage wine, but one of the two reddest, and the third deepest. Bouquet is in one sense even more exciting than the Hommage, for there is an enormous volume of fragrant red fruits all slightly cinnamon-spiced, a little vanillin from new oak adding to the garrigue aromatics, and all lifted slightly by the piquant alcohol fume. It is totally different from the Hommage, all red fruits browning slightly now, a much more regular but modern Chateauneuf-du-Pape blend. It could be marked higher than the Hommage – style preference comes into it. Both bouquet and palate show total purity, a saturation of cinnamon-laced red fruits, the new oak beautifully subtle so the finish lingers on aromatic fruit, not oak. This is very beautiful Chateauneuf-du-Pape in a more modern style, as is the 1998. It will cellar another 10 years, at least. Three people had this as their top wine. Curiously several people rated it their least wine, but I did not elucidate why. GK 03/19

2005 Ch Mouton-Rothschild 18 ½ + (

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Pauillac, Bordeaux, France: 13%; $1,050 [ cork; DFB; optimal en primeur landed in NZ price $1050, retail up to $1650; CS 85%, Me 14, CF 1; average vine age 48 years; 100% new French barriques for 19-22 months; 25000 cases; Parker 4/08: The 2005 Mouton Rothschild will have to take a back seat to the prodigious 2006 … A blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest mostly Merlot, the dark purple-hued 2005 exhibits a restrained but promising nose of cedar, tobacco leaf, creme de cassis, and toasty oak. Full-bodied, tannic, and extremely backward, with the vintage’s tell-tale acidity, it appears to be even more closed in the bottle than it was from barrel. It does possess a long finish and multilayered mouthfeel. This is an undeniably outstanding, yet restrained, shy wine for a Mouton Rothschild. Anticipated maturity: 2018-2040+ 96; WS 3/08: Dark purple black in color. Complex aromas of mineral, licorice, lead pencil and blackberry follow through to a full body, with ultrafine tannins and a caressing, pretty finish. Has a lovely texture. Shows elegance and refinement. Best after 2012. 95; JR 4/06: 13.1 per cent alcohol compared with the more usual 12.3–12.8 per cent. Extremely deep crimson. Blackish tinge. Very dense and an interesting edge to it but, unusually, intensely sweet for a Pauillac first growth. Even hints of tar and game. Not as dense as some. Very raw at the moment – lots and lots fruit. The tannins are much less marked than on most – perhaps because the fruit is so ripe. Silky texture – but the overriding impression is one of sweetness. Bigger than the 2004 served immediately after but Mouton 2004 looks awfully good, if quite forward, now. Just 64 per cent of the crop went into the grand vin, so this is the smallest production of the grand vin for 25 years (not counting 1991 and 1977 which suffered such extreme weather conditions). 18.5; www.bpdr.com ]
Ruby and velvet, one of the older ones, midway in depth. Bouquet is immediately cedary and fragrant, with a suggestion of the elusive aromatic the Redd wine shows, and an academic touch of brett complexity. Below is cassisy fruit lifted by a trace of VA, more ester than acid. Palate shows a complex synthesis of fruit, berry and oak, all in a softer more evolved style than the New Zealand wines, more what the best New Zealand ones will show in another five years. The quality of the cedary oak on the finish is exceptional, the fruit long and smooth, richer than the Lafite, surprisingly developed. The comparison of this 85% cabernet wine with the 85% merlot l'Eglise-Clinet is breathtaking. Cellar 10 – 25 years. GK 10/08

1966 Ch Palmer 18 ½ + (

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Margaux Third Growth, Bordeaux, France: – %; $1,312 [ Spare; Wine Spectator rating for vintage: 89 … too ‘classical’ and firm for the American palate, so Broadbent: an excellent long-haul vintage; original price $6.35; CS 55%, Me 40, CF 5; cuvaison up to 28 days, up to 24 months in barrel, up to 12,500 cases; I will never forget my first tasting of 1966 Ch Palmer, in assessing the 1966 clarets for cellaring. We were in a caravan in Canterbury (for those were the days when Christchurch was the hub of fine wine importing in New Zealand). It smelt of violets and cassis, and tasted like velvet. It was beautiful from day one, as so many great wines are. Few young clarets have seemed better to me, over the years. Accordingly, 1966 was the first vintage of fine Bordeaux I invested in quite significantly, and those 1966 cabernet / merlots have formed the measuring stick for my entire subsequent wine life, including judging. It was a good year, a very ‘classic’ year. That means the wines had all the bouquet and aromatics and vinosity of the berries themselves, shaped by oak, but not dominated by it, as so many over-ripe Austro-American-styled wines are these days. To modern tasters, the 1966s at release would have seemed somewhat austere, but then, remember, that was in the days when the dictum for Bordeaux was: It is a sin against the spirit of the bottle to open fine Bordeaux before its tenth anniversary. Not a thought the instant-gratification generation readily identifies with.
My liking for 1966 Ch Palmer is not all the romanticism of fuzzy memory. The wine is now rated (in Parker's 2003 edition of his definitive text Bordeaux) as: a great Palmer, one of the three or four best wines of the vintage. Elsewhere he says: When Palmer has a great vintage, no other left bank growth is as aromatically seductive to the nose and palate ... Palmer consistently made the best wine of the Margaux appellation between 1961 and 1977, but with the resurgence of Ch Margaux in 1978 … it is now often runner-up. The style of Palmer’s wine is characterised by a sensational fragrance … the richness of great Pomerol but the complexity of a Margaux; Peppercorn: The reputation of Palmer has soared in the last 30 years … one of the first ‘super-seconds’. The wine is characterised by an opulence and richness that are almost burgundian in the best years, combined with real finesse and breed. Coates, 1999: Magical fruit here. Very ripe and lush. Soft yet full. Impeccably balanced. Fullish, intense, silky-smooth. Almost sweet. Marvellous concentrated, quality fruit. Totally brilliant, 19; By 2002 Broadbent had tasted the wine 22 times (lucky man), and had upgraded it to: *****, not quite the ’61, but superbly balanced. Latterly: a fabulous – no other word – bouquet, sweet, lovely flavour, balance, and finish, *****; www.chateau-palmer.com ]
Ruby and garnet, above midway in depth, three times the depth of the 1969 McWilliams Cabernet Sauvignon. The bouquet on this wine expanded remarkably with air, still nearly floral in an autumnal way, browning cassis, elegant pure brown pipe-tobacco complexity and cedary trace oak, no alcohol apparent, great purity. Once breathed, the palate has an exquisite harmony of cassisy berry browning now, integrated with cedary oak. There are those who aver that old wines collapse soon after opening, but this wine expanded dramatically. Freshly opened it tasted ‘austere’ my notes say: 24 hours later it is supple and very harmonious, beautiful browning berry fading now, but the whole wine smaller, subtler and finer than the loud and often non-floral wines favoured by Austro-American reviewers today. Three first-places, but seven second-place votes, 12 correctly locating it in Bordeaux, versus five in the Northern Rhone Valley. The third of the very highly-rated wines. Lovely old claret, once breathed just hanging on to its peak, from 750s. GK 03/20

1996 Ch Pichon Baron 18 ½ + (

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Pauillac Second Growth, Bordeaux, France: – %; $ – [ cork; CS 60%, Me 35, CF 4, PV 1; up to 17 days cuvaison; up to 18 months in French oak; no filtration ]
Ruby and velvet, markedly older than some. Bouquet is a bigger and browner affair than the Las Cases, with obviously rich fruit in which merlot is showing more than cabernet at present, and all enveloped in noticeable oak which some tasters found to be a bit on the charry / chocolatey side. Palate is rich and very bottled-plummy, oak and tobacco notes developing, almost some suggestions of Pomerol rather than Pauillac, all lingering delightfully in the mouth. This seems as rich as the Las Cases, a big wine for the year, which will cellar another 5 – 15 years. GK 05/07

nv Champagne Pierre Peters Cuvée de Reserve Grand Cru Brut 18 ½ + (

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Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Champagne, France: 12%; $85 [ supercritical 'cork'; Ch 100%; a blend of 15 or more vintages; www.champagne-peters.com ]
Colour is a superb lemon hue. Bouquet is all one could ask of a blanc de blanc champagne, exquisite purity, apparent richness yet not 'fruity' (i.e. no hint of the New Zealand sparkling chardonnay syndrome), and a quality of yeast autolysis which is benchmark, amply justifying the descriptor baguette quality (artisan baguette, not industrial). Using current nv Lanson as a calibration wine in a small blind batch, and leaving aside the obvious pinot noir that wine shows, the critical quality the Peters wine shows is concentration of fruit, mouth feel and presence, yet again without being 'fruity'. The taste of baguette-crust on palate is lovely, with a suggestion of chablis-like chalkyness drying the fruit, and a dosage given as 6 – 7 g/L appropriate to high-quality non-vintage champagne. This is reference-quality blanc de blancs to cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 07/14

1996 Champagne Pol Roger Chardonnay Extra Cuvée de Reserve Brut 18 ½ + (

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Epernay, Champagne, France: 12%; $248 [ cork; winesearcher value; Ch 100%; complete malolactic fermentation; no oak; >5 years sur lie; dosage c.9 g/L; www.polroger.com ]
Good straw, markedly lighter than the 1975 Pol Roger Blanc de Blancs. One sniff – and this is champagne as one dreams of it: glorious crust-of-baguette in finest Le Moulin (Wellington bakery) style, white stonefruits deepening just a little, with hints of mealyness and hazelnuts, just lovely. Palate has the perfect quality you see in good champagnes, of presence and weight and substance, yet no fleshiness or fruitiness. The flavour lasts and lasts, on the subtle dosage say 9 g/L, but the richness makes it seem sweeter. This is glorious, and will cellar for 5 – 15 years yet. This wine too will be offered in a Library Tasting in Wellington, 2016. GK 02/16

2010 Ch Pontet-Canet 18 ½ + (

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Pauillac Fifth Growth, Medoc, Bordeaux, France: 14.5%; $394 [ Cork, 50mm, ullage 13mm; $278 landed; cepage in 2010 CS 65%, Me 30, CF 4, PV 1; fermentation in both s/s and concrete; cuvaison to 28 days; half the wine is matured in new barrels, but latterly a swing away from oak, with one third of the harvest now matured in concrete amphorae; half in new barrels, elevation typically 16 months; average production 20,800 x 9-litre cases; consulting oenologist initially Michel Rolland, latterly Ludwig Vanneron; JR@JR, 2012: Subtle, fresh with really intense scents and wonderful fluidity. Complete. Exciting. Like purple flowers. Long and rich. Great fan of flavours, 18; in the Farr Vintners 2020 tasting, the bottle shown was thought to be sub-optimal (oxidation, reading between the lines), so the chateau later sent a second sample to key people. For the second bottle, JH@JR, 2020 made no score adjustment, but the revised notes say: There's far more fresh cedary cassis fruit, even a sort of stony freshness. Still very firm tannins but the fruit has the freshness and succulence to hold it all in balance. It's big and rich, with a bit of alcoholic heat, 17.5; the same re-supply applied for L.P-B@WA, 2020, who declined to give a score to the first sample (astute !). For the second: … a vast array of black fruit preserves and savory nuances: plum preserves, blackcurrant cordial, black cherry coulis and licorice with wafts of dried lavender, melted chocolate, charcuterie, black olives, truffles and camphor plus a hint of sandalwood. The full-bodied palate is completely filled with black fruits, exotic spices and earthy nuances with a firm foundation of ripe, grainy tannins and bold freshness, finishing with epic length and depth. So much more expressive and seductive than a lot of 2010s at this stage, and yet it is still incredibly youthful, 100; Pontet-Canet obtained organic certification from Ecocert and biodynamic certification from Biodyvin for the 2010 vintage – the chateau claims it is the first (and only) classed growth so certified. They consider the 2010: the finest Pontet-Canet of the modern era; website requires persistence to use, not all detail there; weight bottle and closure: 825 g; www.pontet-canet.com ]
Ruby and velvet, some development showing, just above midway in depth. If there had been a New World foil in the set, this would have been it, the wine showing a certain boldness and aggressiveness beyond the recorded 14.5% alcohol. You wonder if there is threshold VA. Within this big bouquet there is saturated cassis not quite so fresh and youthful as the top wines, plus plummy depths, and cedary oak. It is nostril- clearing. Flavour is big too, almost a mint-like complexity note, great berry richness the flavours all melding together, and a lot more ripeness and oak than most in the field. This wine will appeal more to people who regard florality and delicacy / subtlety in claret as nonsense. One person had Pontet-Canet as their top wine, but three rated it second. Big sturdy dry wine to cellar 20 – 50 years, but looking a bit burly in the company. GK 09/20

2008 Riverby Estate Riesling Sali's Block Single Vineyard 18 ½ + (

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Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 12.3%; $19 [ screwcap; Gm 239 vines planted 1994; hand-picked in two phases, a botrytis tranche later added in; cold-settled, cool- and stop-fermented, all s/s; pH 2.88, RS 15 g/L; www.riverbyestate.com ]
Lemon. Bouquet is absolutely definitive riesling, whether from Marlborough, or Mosel. There are superb white florals including modest English garden flowers on the one hand, yet with vanilla orchid, freesias, almost a hint of frangipani, and citrus florals too, some white nectarine flesh and gorgeous lime zest zip. Palate is medium-dry, lovely fruit, some botrytis complexity showing, again the lime-zest, the whole wine perhaps not quite as subtle on phenolics as Mosel, but the flavour redeems it marvellously. For those who find properly dry riesling rather loses the point of the grape, this wine is the answer. Cellar 3 – 8 years, perhaps longer. GK 04/09

2001 Domaine de la Romanee Conti Echezeaux 18 ½ + (

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Vosne-Romanee Grand Cru, Burgundy, France: 13%; $ – [ cork ]
Good pinot noir ruby, older than the others. A wonderfully explicit pinot noir bouquet, boronia and violets, total florals, on rich black cherry fruits. Additionally there are lovely aromatics, which include a savoury component. This bouquet is absolutely mouth-watering, as great pinot should be. Palate is interesting, not quite as rich and complex as the bouquet promises, the savoury component increasing - a euphemism for a brett component. Frankly, at this level, I love it, because it makes the wine so magical with any kind of grilled or richly casseroled meat. There are tannins on the finish, but the lingering fruit is lovely too. Benchmark burgundy in a quite big and traditional style, glorious with food, a wine to which only technologist winemakers could object. The soul and romance of wine is not very interested in technology. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 03/05

2005 Domaine Rousseau Mazy-Chambertin 18 ½ + (

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Gevrey-Chambertin Grand Cru, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $196 [ cork; up to 22 months in mostly second-year French oak; Rousseau owns 0.5 ha, 5.8% of the vineyard; making approx 175 cases; www.domaine-rousseau.com ]
Pinot noir ruby, exactly in the middle for depth of colour. This is very beautiful wine, not as new-oaky as the top wines and therefore seemingly understated, but with an enticing limpid florality to the bouquet which is explicitly pinot noir. Palate follows on perfectly, wonderful richness without being heavy, red and black fruits in equilibrium, gorgeous acid balance, great length and purity. This is benchmark pinot noir, without any dramatics. Cellar 10 – 25 years. GK 11/08

2016 Ch de Saint Cosme Gigondas 18 ½ + (

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Southern Rhone Valley, France: 15%; $75 [ cork, 50 mm; Gr 70%, Mv 15, Sy 14; Ci 1; whole-bunch and wild-yeast co-fermentation and extended cuvaison; careful elevation 30% in concrete vat, 50% in barrels used one to four times, 20% in new oak; not filtered; production averages 3,000 x 9-litre cases; weight bottle and cork 600 g; www.saintcosme.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, above midway in depth. The bouquet is very pure, nearly floral, faintly aromatic on garrigue florality, wonderfully confusable with pinot noir, a lovely lift to it. The wine doesn't smell of alcohol at all, despite the given number. Palate shows elegant and beautifully perfumed fruit, with the perfect ratio of old oak to add structure and complexity while remaining nearly invisible. There is a wonderful concentration of florals, fruits and aromatics, plus surprising length. This is subtle yet rich red wine, lighter than Chateauneuf-du-Pape as good Gigondas (with its greater altitude) often is, just perfect (except as with all these 15% wines, you wish the alcohol were lower). Cellar 5 – 25 years. Distribution of Louis Barruol’s remarkable wines in New Zealand is in limbo, with the closing of The Wine Importer, Kumeu. GK 07/19

2015 Domaine Saint Préfert Chateauneuf-du-Pape Reserve Auguste Favier 18 ½ + (

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Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $75 [ cork, 50mm; this vintage Gr 80%, Sy 10, Ci 10 – so a little unusual; a whole-bunch wine, cuvaison 5 weeks; elevation 70% in second- and third-year puncheons, 30% in concrete vats, both for up to 15 months; not fined or filtered; certified organic; production up to 1,400 x 9-litre cases; J.L-L, 2016:, [ barrel sample ] The nose ... raspberry fruit aroma with some notions of rosemary, herbs. The palate spiced, crisp red fruits ... the finish is tingling, clear, holds a little rocky tannin, 2030-32, ****; J. Czerwinski @ R. Parker, 2017: It pushes the ripeness up a notch from the traditional cuvée toward blackberry, plum and chocolate but remains lively ... full-bodied and supple, with a creamy texture and a long finish. 2017 - 2025, 94; bottle weight 612g; www.st-prefert.fr ]
Ruby and some velvet, midway in depth. Bouquet is a little different on this wine, showing all the fragrance and complexity of classic Chateauneuf-du-Pape but here in a more modern idiom, lifted and amplified (almost) by the vanillin of ‘new’ oak. The oak is second- and third-year, not completely new, so it is beautifully mellow in mouth, and shifts the flavour of the wine a little, towards a style hinting at Bordeaux or the northern Rhone – except it is so soft. Fruit flavours are a beautiful mix of red and darker fruits, surprising since the cepage would have you looking for a wine with even more red fruits than the Clos des Papes. While the sweet vanillin oak may not be totally approved of by Chateauneuf-du-Pape traditionalists, nonetheless this presentation is going to win over many people. Modern yet subtle, and the price is favourable for a ‘Reserve’ bottling. I could not resolve whether this wine is slightly richer than the standard Saint Préfert: both are exemplary in this regard. This wine was well-liked, as one might anticipate, it combining Old World and New World so seamlessly: five first places and two second. One of the questions in the analysis section at the close of the ‘blind’ part of the tasting was: could this be the wine handled in ‘new’ oak, but only one taster thought so. So this is a modern but subtle Chateauneuf-du-Pape to cellar 10 – 30 years. GK 08/18

1999 Domaine Santa Duc Gigondas 18 ½ + (

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Gigondas, Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $45 [ cork 49mm, ullage 10mm; original price c.$35; Gr 75%, Syrah c.15, Mv c.5, Ci c.5, hand-harvested; not destemmed then, long cuvaison to 35 days; elevation then mostly in large old wood, some in barriques, 20% in concrete vats, for 18 months; not filtered; production c. 3,300 x 9-litre cases; now labelled Gigondas Aux Lieux-Dits; J. L-L, 2001: The bouquet is broad, meaty, has air of pebble dust, light pepper, animal hints – it is quite potent. This is interesting wine with the character to become complex, it is live, works well, has a bonny future. The attack is alert, the red stone fruits run well and integrate with the tannins, and there is a hint of pepper. The ending is good and fresh, which is a hallmark of the vintage, still in the shadow of 1998. Good wine. To 2020, ****(*); J. Dunnuck @ R. Parker, 2016: The 1999 Gigondas is another classic wine from this estate and offers fully mature notes of cedar, spice box and mature fruit in a medium to full-bodied, supple and integrated package. Classic, mature, ready to go and balanced ..., 89; R. Parker, 2001: ... elegant mineral and cherry flavors intertwined with licorice notes. An austere finish kept my score low, but this medium-bodied Gigondas possesses excellent purity, loads of fruit, and a layered texture. To 2011, 89; www.santaduc.fr ]
Garnet and ruby, some velvet, below midway in depth. Again, the bouquet on this wine is wonderful, combining floral notes with garrigue aromatics and portobello mushroom savoury depths, all in grenache-led red fruits well browning now. This wine makes you hungry, just smelling it. Palate is nearly burgundian in style but drier, showing the beautifully integrated flavours of a wine at the pinnacle of maturity, not quite as rich as the Saint Cosme, and a little drier – yet another wine just crying out for food. Fully mature now, will hold at least five years. In the presentation of less- and more-oaked versions of the same base wine, this less-oaked Santa Duc was the hands-down winner. Tasters liked this wine: three first placings, and four second. GK 10/19

2016 Domaine des Senechaux Chateauneuf-du-Pape 18 ½ + (

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Southern Rhone Valley, France: 15%; $83 [ cork 49mm, scarcely bleached; Gr 60%, Sy 22, Mv 17, Va 1; cuvaison to 35 days, a little saignée; elevation 53% in larger wood, 25% in smaller oak including some second-year from Ch Lynch-Bages; 22% in vat; imported by Maison Vauron, Auckland; weight bottle and closure 615 g; slow website; www.senechaux.fr ]
Ruby, below midway in depth. Bouquet on this red illustrates to perfection the aromatic garrigue complexity so characterising better Southern Rhone Valley wines, seamlessly integrated with red fruits, red plums and raspberry mainly, plus trace cinnamon. Palate is immaculate, wonderful fruit / tannin / acid balance, sweetly-fruited yet dry, ripe and long, bursting with flavour, the alcohol well-contained. This wine epitomises all that is beautiful about the 2016 vintage in the Southern Rhone Valley. It is not a big Chateauneuf-du-Pape, more an elegant one in the style of a top Gigondas, with the alcohol remarkably well-hidden, in comparison with the Pirathons. Grenache magic again. It will give immense pleasure at table. Cellar 10 – 25 years. GK 06/20

2001 Ch Suduiraut 18 ½ + (

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Sauternes / Preignac Premier Cru, Bordeaux, France: 14%; $ – [ 49mm cork; Se 90%, SB 10; average age of vines 25 years, planted at 7,000 vines / ha, average yield 2.5 t/ha = 1 t/ac; fermentation in s/s, then 24 months in small oak 33% new ; average production uncertain; BBR: … complex and beautifully harmonious … the wines show at their best with at least 10 years of bottle age. Robinson, 2011: Certainly the 2001 Sauternes are stupendous and are just starting to be broachable. Suduiraut is wonderfully dependable. Very rich yet tangy with flavours of almonds and citrus zest. There's a lot going on here - real depth of flavour, 18; Parker, 2004: A prodigious effort, possibly the finest Suduiraut since 1959, the medium gold-colored 2001 offers notes of creme brulee, caramelized citrus, Grand Marnier, honeysuckle, and other exotic fruits as well as a pleasant touch of oak. With terrific acidity, a voluptuous/unctuous palate, and sweet, powerful flavors buttressed by crisp acidity, it is a phenomenal Sauternes. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2040, 98; www.suduiraut.com ]
Lighter gold, clearly below midway in depth of colour. From the outset, this wine too shows a little VA, and a clean new oak component, the latter (only) linking it with the d'Yquem. As it opened up, golden queen peaches and desiccated coconut thoughts arose, and you forgot all about the VA. But as soon as you put in your mouth, the lovely fruit and cake thoughts on bouquet were roughened by the VA, just a little bit, perhaps because it is not quite as rich as the Rieussec, perhaps because the percentage new oak seems slightly higher. Even so, the nett impression is rich and vibrant, as the score indicates. It was in the top three, for the group on the night, and should cellar well, 10 – 25 years. GK 07/14

1975 Champagne Taittinger Chardonnay Blanc de Blancs Comtes de Champagne 18 ½ + (

)

Reims, Champagne, France: – %; $694 [ traditional compound champagne cork; Broadbent rating for vintage: ***, a popular and stylish vintage … acidic, not that this is a grave disadvantage … with champagne; Wine Spectator rating for vintage: 92, Drink, bold but balanced wines. Ch 100%, MLF, 5% of the base wine is aged for four months only in barrels, one third new, 8 – 9 years en tirage; dosage c.9 g/L; Broadbent, 2002: slightly minty, lanolin nose, very good flavour, perfect acidity, *****; no other reviews found; www.taittinger.com ]
Colour is scarcely distinguishable from the 1975 Pol Roger, faintly lighter, midway in depth. Bouquet is not quite so astonishingly fresh as the 1975 Pol Roger, little or no hint of citrus left here, but wonderful autolysis passing from the baguette stage more to Vogel's Multigrain. Palate is a little drier than the Pol Roger, still equally good fruit, great length, superb autolysis, slightly more nutty to the finish, and a little nearer full maturity. This is another wonderful old wine, which the group rated third equal with the 1990 Bollinger. GK 05/16

1999 Domaine Le Vieux Donjon Chateauneuf-du-Pape 18 ½ + (

)

Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Southern Rhone Valley, New Zealand: 13.5%; $128 [ cork 45mm, ullage 20mm; original price c.$60; Gr 75%, Sy 10, Mv 10, balance minor varieties, 75% of the vines more than 80 years old; 18 – 25 days cuvaison, 50% destemming (particularly the Mv), cuvaison to 25 days; elevation 18 – 24 months in large old wood; not filtered in 1999; production c.4,000 x 9-litre cases; moreso even than Domaine Charvin and Clos des Papes, each with their ‘Cotes du Rhone’ (or equivalent) junior wines, Vieux Donjon makes only one red Chateauneuf, one white. As with the other two, this means the buyer is getting the essence of the place; J. L-L, 2008: the bouquet is moving into a downhome, rather funky stage, with red fruits, overt pepper present, tea aromas also. It is wide, mostly clear for now. The palate red fruit has shoulders, is pretty robust and meaty. It ends on a pepper, grainy, pine-resin note. The pepper and a cocoa effect run through the fruit, showing some of the vintage acidity. The fruit persists well, and the wine is getting there now. “It is a little rustic, or animal this year; it was closed for a long time, but since early 2007 it started to open up,” – Claire Michel, winemaker. To 2024, ****(*); R. Parker, 2000: ... backward, concentrated, dense. It is slightly massive, with lots of up-front fruit. It is a serious, full-bodied effort with notes of dried herbs, smoke, licorice, black cherry liqueur, and cassis, multiple layers on the mid-palate, and that sweet, rich, authoritative finish that comes from old vines as well as low yields. Anticipated maturity: 2003-2015, 90 - 92; the website is just a holding page; www.levieuxdonjon.fr ]
Garnet and ruby, some velvet, below midway in depth. Bouquet is soft, pure and gentle, not quite as much of any character as the Saint Cosme, yet fresh and appealing, lightly cinnamon, the grenache speaking. Palate is complex, integrated, reflecting grenache-led Southern Rhone red fruits browning now, no new oak yet beautiful tannin structure, more mature than the Saint Cosme, and richer. Again, the food-friendlyness of this wine is greatly enhanced by its 13.5% alcohol. Tasters were less enthused by this wine that I was, one first place, one second. The wine is fully mature, but will hold for 10 years or so. GK 10/19

2016 Domaine du Vieux Telegraphe Chateauneuf-du-Pape La Crau 18 ½ + (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $150 [ cork, 50 mm; one of the more famous wines of Chateauneuf-du-Pape, and the price now reflecting that. All grown on the famous La Crau site with galets roulés, in which the Brunier family own c.70 ha. They first planted vines in La Crau in 1891. There are now three main red wines, our wine Vieux Telegraphe proper, from vines over 30 years age, Piedlong introduced in 2011, and Vieux Telegraphe Telegramme from younger vines (including another vineyard altogether). Telegraphe is now a much subtler wine than it used to be, while Telegramme is a little bolder. Cepage Gr 65%, Mv 15 – 20, Sy 15, a little Ci, Co and clairette, average age 65 – 70 years, hand-picked. Most of the crop is de-stemmed except for some old-vine grenache, cuvaison in s/s or oak cuves, extending to 30, sometimes 40 days; elevation 12 months in concrete vats, then c.9 months in 6,000 litre foudres. From time to time a new foudre is added, freshening the oak component a little. Production up to 16,500 x 9-litre cases in a good year. J.L-L, 2017: (barrel sample) The raspberry fruit aroma is very clear, ripely fruited with some husky, baked notes, black raisin, brandy cake, cherry stone. It is imposing. The palate gives strength, muscle, tight packing with tannins that are baked. ... It is concentrated and thorough, a wine of strength, many resources ... It will take much time, will be very long-lived, to 2048, ****(*); JC@RP, 2018: Undoubtedly one of the top vintages of this wine ... classy notes of crushed stones and black tea to go along with ripe raspberries and black cherries. Full-bodied yet silky, there's more power and richness in La Crau than in Piedlong, yet there's commensurate elegance and finesse. The wine grows in intensity on the finish ... hints of tea and licorice, to 2035, 96; weight bottle and cork 629 g; one of the Worth Cellaring set; www.vieux-telegraphe.fr ]
Lightish ruby, a pinot noir colour, the lightest wine in the 49 reds. Bouquet is supremely pure, and supremely subtle in this set of wines: just a whisper of fragrant garrigue augmented by hedge-rose florals, on all red fruits, red cherries but spiced with cinnamon. And then you taste it, and the concentration within these light red fruits is another world. The flavour is crystalline in its purity and subtlety, and its length. This is going to be great wine in later years. At the moment it is so subtle as to be easily overlooked. Consequently there were no votes at all in the Worth Cellaring tasting. The high mark is all for purity, perfect elevation, and potential, cellar 10 – 25 years. Available from Maison Vauron and their distribution channels (eg Regional Wines). GK 07/19

2016 Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe Chateauneuf-du-Pape Télégramme 18 ½ + (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $72 [ cork 50 mm; Gr 80%, Sy 10, Mv 6, Ci 4, average age 40 years; elevation in concrete vat, then 7 months in 3,000 litre older oak; available from Maison Vauron, Auckland, and retailers supplied by them; weight bottle and cork, 612 g; www.vieux-telegraphe.fr ]
Good fresh ruby, appreciably deeper than the Vieux Télégraphe proper, still one of the lighter wines. In a rigorously blind tasting of 21 wines, with time to check, and cross check, and then check again (unlike pressured commercial judgings where there is a perverted status in being the first to finish), it is quietly gratifying to find at the unveiling stage, that you have these two closely related wines totally adjacent, contiguous. Yet this Télégramme is quite different from its senior wine. It is darker and more aromatic, and syrah and mourvedre play a larger part. Like Vieux Télégraph, it is nearly floral, roses again but almost a hint of red carnations too, as if syrah is speaking. Purity is exquisite. Palate is aromatic, also darker, not quite as rich but still lovely, and again unbelievably pure and long-flavoured. These two Vieux Télégraphes make a remarkable pair of wines, infinitely covetable. Cellar Télégramme 10 – 25 years, maybe longer. GK 05/19

2010 P-M Chermette Domaine du Vissoux Moulin a Vent La Rochelle 18 ½ + (

)

Moulin-a-Vent, Beaujolais, France: 12%; $40 [ cork; gamay grown on granite, hand-picked; mostly maceration carbonique fermentation in concrete, wild-yeast, no chaptalisation, minimal S02, 10 – 12 days cuvaison; elevation half in big wood, half in barrels to 5 years age; www.chermette.fr ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, not dense though, above midway in depth. Bouquet is benchmark for beaujolais and gamay ripened to the point of perfection, richly floral with buddleia, roses and violets, beautiful cherry fruit more black than red, no leafyness on bouquet. Palate is fresh, plump, juicy, yet still crunchy-fresh, again no stalks or leafyness, just perfect berry. The oak is unbelievably, vanishingly, subtle. It is extremely hard to obtain this pinpoint ripeness yet freshness in the Beaujolais style. Lovely wine to cellar 3 – 8 years, longer if you like old wine. GK 09/12

2016 Alain Voge Cornas Les Vieilles Vignes 18 ½ + (

)

Cornas, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $110 [ cork 50mm; Sy hand-harvested @ c. 5.8 t/ha = 2.4 t/ac, from vines averaging 60 years age; 20% whole bunch component, wild-yeast ferments with around 21 days cuvaison / days on skins; MLF in barrel; 20 – 22 months in French oak perhaps 15% new; thought to be sterile-filtered to bottle, dry extract not available; production c.1,200 x 9-litre cases; weight bottle and closure: 579 g; RH@JR: More oak spice on the nose makes this a more user-friendly, approachable style than their Les Chailles. Rather delicious crunchy red fruit and yielding tannin that is drinkable now. Smooth, sophisticated, spicy finish, 17 +; JC@RP, 2018: In almost every vintage, it's worth the price difference to step up to Voge's Vieilles Vignes bottling. Certainly, the 2016 Cornas Vieilles Vignes is another huge success, with hints of cracked pepper and briars accenting red plums and then picking up licorice on the long, softly dusty finish. Full-bodied, concentrated and supple, it's approachable now yet looks sure to evolve gracefully for at least a decade, to 2030, 93; www.alain-voge.com ]
Carmine, ruby and velvet, midway in depth. Like the Airavata, this wine too has a clear whole-bunch complexity note in its lovely roses and even violets florals, beautiful aromatic cassis and other dark fruits, and no new oak recognisable on bouquet. Palate is reminiscent of the Hermitage, this wonderful pure deep dark berry, with not quite the lushness of fruit the top New Zealand wines show. Some oak shows on the palate, shaping and lengthening the flavours, but it tastes more of big or older oak, rather than new. This Cornas is more floral than the Hermitage, but then the palate is in a sense more straightforward, and not quite as rich. This wine too was well received, two top places, two second-favourites, and the clearest vote of the 12 for it being a French syrah – seven people. A beautiful and classic wine, to cellar 15 – 25 years. GK 11/19

2007 Villa Maria Merlot / Cabernet Sauvignon Cellar Selection 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels mostly, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $24 [ screwcap; DFB; Me 47%, CS 40, Ma 10, CF 3, hand-harvested; all de-stemmed, 20 – 25 days cuvaison; MLF and 20 months in French, American and Hungarian oak with a percentage new; Catalogue: a bouquet of lifted plums, cassis and cedar characters. Layers of berry and plum flavours combine with complex savoury characters on a palate which is full, rich and soft with excellent length and structure; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a great colour. Bouquet is saturated cassis, really quite remarkable. Below is rich berry showing all the freshness and zing lacking in the even richer Mission Jewelstone 2007, and ample bottled black plums. Palate at this stage reflects aromatic cabernet more than plummy merlot, but that will change in bottle. Being the Cellar Selection, it does not have quite the concentration and expensive oak treatment of the Reserve range, so it is easy to underestimate. Sometimes the Cellar Selection edition can be more attractive than the Reserve, for the same reason – there is more emphasis on the fruit. And given fruit of this quality, this is a gorgeous wine which is going to be available for irresistible prices. It is a little oakier but also more sophisticated than the competing Church Road Merlot / Cabernet. Cellar 5 – 15 years. VALUE GK 07/09

2008 Johner Riesling 18 ½ (

)

Gladstone, Wairarapa, New Zealand: 11.5%; $14 [ screwcap; made in a German style, in s/s, with 12 g/L RS; www.johner-estate.com ]
Pale lemongreen. This is a sweeter wine than the Mt Difficulty, with 'white' flowers just a little less aromatic and more freesia-like on bouquet, plus delicate pale fruit. Palate is beautifully pure, again Mosel / cut dessert apple in style, a dryish kabinett level of sweetness, fine-grained acid, lingering delightfully. Though sweeter than the Mt Difficulty, it is not quite as rich, and therefore may not cellar quite so long. Both these wines have a delicacy and finesse rarely achievable in Australia, and sometimes not in Alsace either, so they are pretty exciting. Cellar 3 – 10 years. VALUE GK 11/08

2006 Escarpment Pinot Noir Te Rehua Single Vineyard 18 ½ (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13%; $65 [ supercritical cork; hand-harvested from vines > 20 years, many clones; fermented in cuves, 15 days cuvaison including cold-soak; 12 months in French oak 30% new; dry extract 28.9 g/L, RS <1 g/L; 200 cases; www.escarpment.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, fractionally deeper than Voyager. This pinot noir is as dramatically varietal as Voyager, and for some tasters, it will be even more varietal. This is a wine optimising the floral expression which is key to great pinot noir, the aromas spanning the full range from buddleia through roses and violets to boronia. It is clearly more aromatic than Voyager, with also the faintest touch of Martinborough pennyroyal. Palate contrasts with Voyager in being a little leaner and firmer, a little less ripe but very aromatic, very Cote de Nuits in style. It is glorious pinot noir, the quality of florals right through to the finish making one wonder: will this be a pinot to later develop the elusive / much talked about (or at least reputed) peacock's tail spread of aromas and flavours on the aftertaste? Like Voyager, this wine too is a contender for New Zealand's greatest pinot yet. For those hooked on the floral component of the grape, it may well outpoint Voyager. Normally that would include me, but I deducted a little for the pennyroyal note. Cellar 3 – 12 years. GK 03/08

2001 Guigal Cote Rotie la Landonne 18 ½ (

)

Cote Rotie, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $ – [ cork; c. US$300; La Landonne a vineyard; Sy 100%; average vine age 25 years; cropped 35 - 37 hL / ha; fermented in s/s, 4 weeks cuvaison; 42 months in new French oak; Parker 156: "Extremely powerful, rich, and backward … 93 – 95"; Spectator: 96, earlier reviews on this website; www.guigal.com ]
Ruby, some velvet, older than most, a little below midway in depth. Bouquet stands out on this wine, capturing all the beautiful florals and fragrance, the wallflowers and dianthus, the underlying berry, which I seek in great syrah, but on this occasion with 10 tasters, I was alone in my enthusiasm. Below the florals and fragrant cassis berry, is a mouthwatering savoury note like perfectly grilled rare fillet steak, perhaps with some truffle paste dressing. Palate is rich yet silky, long, lingering, refreshing acid, elegant, remarkably like somewhat tanniny grand cru Cote de Nuits Burgundy. I thought this lovely wine, and in speaking to the wine noted this amount of brett is pretty attractive, and makes the wine even more food-friendly. Other tasters including winemakers demurred. For a wine like this, I feel a need to refer back to the notes on Brettanomyces I included in the Syrah Symposium report (20 Feb '07), where I suggested some moderation is needed in the new world appraisal of the brett issue (by winemakers, understood). This 2001 Guigal la Landonne is, quite simply, a beautiful wine, and the writings of most of the wine world (to the extent one can actually search most websites for a wine score) seem to agree: as above plus Livingstone-Learmonth 5-stars (note, he marks out of 6 stars, in his new book on the Northern Rhone). Such savoury wines are sublime with food. However, it is only fair to record that in the older flight, no other taster rated the wine in their top three. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 04/07

2006 Escarpment Pinot Noir Moana Single Vineyard 18 ½ (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $65 [ supercritical cork; hand-harvested from 3 clones of PN 25 years, fermented in cuves, 16 days cuvaison including cold-soak; 12 months in French oak 30% new; dry extract 32.3 g/L, RS <1 g/L; 200 cases; www.escarpment.co.nz ]
Big pinot noir ruby, some velvet, the deepest and oldest looking of these Escarpment top pinots, approaching the Dry River pinot noir in depth, but not hue – this is older. Bouquet in this wine is deeper, darker, riper and somewhat less floral than my top wines, but fragrance of bouquet develops in glass, and is augmented by trace brett at a positive level. Fruit is still black cherry, but bottled black doris aromas are creeping in, all complexed with some oak and a touch of barrel toast. In many ways, therefore, this is a more complex wine than the pure varietal Voyager and Kupe, and could be said to be more European in style. It is very ripe, though. Fruit weight is exemplary – as noted previously, we must rejoice that in New Zealand we are finally seeing red wines with a dry extract of 30 g/L, bespeaking a true grand cru cropping rate. It needs several years for the oak tannins to marry into the fruit, and will cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 03/08

2008 Kumeu River Chardonnay Maté's Vineyard 18 ½ (

)

Kumeu, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.5%; $55 [ screwcap; hand-picked clone mendoza 100%, average vine age 22 years; whole-bunch pressed, cold settled; 100% wild-yeast and 100% barrel-ferment up to 23° followed by 100% MLF ferment; 11 months in French oak 30% new plus older oak to 4 years, batonnage weekly initially spacing out to monthly later; pH 3.37, RS 1.6g/l; sterile-filtered; not entered in Shows; www.kumeuriver.co.nz ]
Among the lemonstraw wines, this is the deepest, but the hue is more lemon than some. Initial bouquet is citrus and stonefruits, very neat and taut and understated, very Puligny, nearly a floral component. There is also a slight hint of mineral / chalkyness on bouquet, but here at a totally positive level. Many wines falter on this all-too-often spuriously marked-up complexity factor. Palate is more integrated than some of the top wines, as befits its extra year, it is not the richest but there is great elegance and restraint. Integration of fruit, oak, acid and chalk in the long finish is masterly – you can see why one or other of the Kumeu River chardonnays has figured seven times on the Wine Spectator Top 100 Wines of the Year list. No other New Zealand chardonnay can match that achievement, perhaps because the Kumeu is so European in style, and is therefore so food-friendly. Cellar 3 – 7 years. GK 03/12

2005 Mud House Sauvignon Blanc 18 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $18 [ screwcap; www.mudhouse.co.nz ]
Pale lemongreen. First impression is staggering cleanliness, varietal quality and freedom from SO2, for a current vintage wine. It is ripened to the honeysuckle, red capsicum and black passionfruit stage. Palate is long, highly varietal, dry and flavourful. This is almost enough to make me resile from my earlier urging that no current vintage sauvignons should be released till October, each season. Cellar 3 – 10 years, to taste. GK 08/05

2000 Te Mata Estate Syrah Bullnose 18 ½ (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $ – [ cork; Sy 100%; hand-harvested, de-stemmed; extended cuvaison 3 + weeks, followed by 16 months in new and older French oak; www.temata.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, on a par with the 2004 for depth of colour. Bouquet on this wine is midway between the 2004 and the 2002. It shows darkest rose florals on cassis, blueberry and plum fruit, plus a trace of the savoury complexity that characterises the 2002. Palate shows the Te Mata perfection with oak, with a superb balance of cassisy fruit, berry and cracked pepper spice to subtle oak, all lingering beautifully. This wine is starting to sing. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 10/05

2002 Jadot Echezeaux 18 ½ (

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Vosne-Romanee Grand Cru, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $172 [ cork; www.louisjadot.com ]
Good pinot ruby, one of the deeper Jadots. This is a bigger wine, with a greater volume of bouquet, and initially one rates it very highly. With more examination, it does not have quite the magical interweaving of florals and dark cherries that the top three wines show, and the oak is more obvious. Nonetheless the bouquet is darkly floral, with rich black cherry fruit, and a more weighty suggestion as of bottled black doris plums, plus a savoury component. Palate is more tannic, the wine sturdier all through, well worth cellaring. Comparison of this wine with McKenna's Kupe is interesting. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 04/05

2008 Church Road Merlot / Cabernet 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels & Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $26 [ screwcap; not on website yet; www.churchroad.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a lovely fresh claret colour. Bouquet is sweetly floral and pure, with violets hints passing into fragrant cassis, and good aromatic oak. In mouth the wine is very youthful, the berry qualities seemingly optimised for cassis, not as rich as the top wines, but wonderfully varietal and elegant. Though not a big wine, there is a finesse in this which is most appealing. At the blind stage one felt that if this is cabernet sauvignon to the Black Barn's Cabernet Franc, they make a great pair. Again the acid balance is superb, as we thankfully shed the Roseworthy influence. If this bottle is representative of the wine already appearing in supermarket promotions at $14 per bottle, it is the bargain of the year. Cellar 5 – 15 years. VALUE. GK 06/10

2003 Te Awa Pinotage 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $30 [ cork; cuvaison > 12 days; 14 months in French oak 15% new; www.teawa.com ]
Ruby, a little velvet, not as bright as the syrahs but the depth of colour competing well, in the middle. This is that wonderful thing, a New Zealand pinotage that smells ripe, berry-rich, and fragrant. The grape seems to have a very narrow climatic and cropping-rate slot in which to find optimum ripeness and complexity. So many are either stalky / green / under-ripe, or dully plummy / porty. The actual berry character is always hard to describe, but includes elements of black olives as well as rasp / boysenberry. In this example there is an intriguing floral lift, reminding of the pinot noir parent in the crossbreed. Palate shows lovely berry ripeness, a mix of boysenberry and damsons, beautifully balanced and oaked. This is a very good pinotage indeed. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 05/06

2002 Jadot Criots-Batard-Montrachet 18 ½ (

)

Chassagne-Montrachet Grand Cru, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $375 [ cork; hand-harvested; (guideline) BF, LA, MLF in 30% new French oak; no specific info [then] on website; www.louisjadot.com ]
Lemon straw. This is a fatter bouquet altogether, also with a trace of VA, and the MLF component of winemaking complexity more evident than most in the batch, almost creamy. This leads into an attractive button mushrooms on buttered toast suggestion. Palate expands on this, the barrel ferment and lees autolysis components all beautifully integrated into rich white stone fruits. Palate length is great, the fruit ‘sweet’, with good acid and oak. Not as taut as the top wines, though. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 07/05

2007 Craggy Range Syrah Le Sol 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.2%; $93 [ cork; Sy 100% Limmer clone, hand-harvested @ 2.2 t/ac from a stony part of the vineyard; 100% de-stemmed, 2 days cold soak, wild-yeast fermentation in open-top oak cuves, 22 days cuvaison including cold-soak; no BF component; MLF and 20 months in French oak 42% new; RS nil; filtered; c. 1000 cases (of 12) of the 2007; WA / Martin, 2009: very intense, almost introverted on the nose, closed compared to the Block 14 but the palate is full-bodied with immense chewy tannins, real weight and concentration but good acidity. Huge grip, pure black cherry, cassis and plum but velvety and caressing on the finish. Iron first/velvet glove etc. Unreal. 96; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, the second deepest in its tasting. Bouquet on this syrah is ultra-clean at a ripeness level a little beyond optimal varietal complexity in a temperate climate. Floral character is more attenuated than the Gramercy, but the cassis and black plum is comparable, or perhaps with a little more dark chocolate. On palate, the whole wine is firmer and more youthful, as if pH were lower and new oak much higher. Whereas the Gramercy is sensational (once breathed) now, the Craggy Range needs several years to soften and be accessible. Each year, one feels the need to coax the Craggy winemakers to reveal more of the beauty of syrah by increasing the floral component / reducing the sur-maturité (the top-rated Gramercy Syrah with its significant whole-bunch component is highly relevant to this discussion), and cutting the new oak – certainly needed here. Beauty would also be increased if the syrahs were handled more as if they were pinot noir. Further comment under the Te Mata Bullnose wine, below. We have the Australians to 'thank' for this obsession with new oak for syrah, in the style they deservedly call shiraz. We can do better than that, in New Zealand. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 01/10

2010 Craggy Range Syrah Le Sol 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.7%; $144 [ cork, 49mm; Sy 100%, hand-harvested @ 5.4 t/ha = 2.2 t/ac; 100% de-stemmed; no cold-soak, inoculated, c.11 days ferment, total cuvaison 20 days; MLF and 17 months in French oak 38% new, no American oak; RS < 1 g/L; sterile-filtered to bottle; understood to be c.400 x 9-litre cases; Lisa Perrotti-Brown, 2012: ... aromas of warm black berries, black cherries and black pepper plus hints of lavender, Provence herbs, cloves, and star anise. Medium bodied with just enough fruit in the mouth, it has a medium to firm level of rounded tannins, crisp acidity and a long peppery finish. Approachable now, it should keep to 2019+, 90+; Michael Cooper, 2013: This super-charged syrah ... is hand-harvested when the grapes are 'supremely ripe', in several passes through the vineyard ... the 2010 is lovely – dark and rich, with dense plum, spice and pepper flavours, ripe tannins and great harmony, *****; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby and velvet, midway in depth. Great syrah is floral, like great pinot noir, something winemakers in hot climates such as Australia, California and Washington appear to scarcely understand. The silky beauty of the floral components on this wine, with its suggestions even of buddleia and wisteria, as well as roses and carnations, is extraordinary, matched only by the Cable Bay. Palate however is a size smaller than the top wines: there simply is not the dry extract, the matière, in the wine. Flavour shows exquisite cassis berry superbly handled in sweet cedary oak, and subliminal black pepper, a wine of great beauty. How different this is from the rumbustious pseudo-Californian Le Sols of earlier years. This wine respects the New Zealand climate. It is unbelievably close to the Cable Bay in style, but decidedly lighter. It is out and out Cote Rotie in styling, a wine of of extraordinary beauty. The Cote de Nuits analogy also applies here. This wine did not however resonate with tasters, one second-place vote only. Six thought it Northern Rhone Valley, two Cote Rotie. Cellar 10 – 25 years. GK 11/18

2005 Neudorf Pinot Noir Home Vineyard 18 ½ (

)

Moutere Hills, Nelson, New Zealand: 14%; $60 [ screwcap; no info on website yet; www.neudorf.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, in the bigger style of most top Neudorf pinots. Bouquet is different from the other top wines in this tasting, with a light pennyroyal aromatic lift reminiscent of Martinborough, as if there were occasional eucalypts within the horizon. But below there are mixed florals, red and black cherry fruit, and implicit richness. Palate is a little oakier than some, gorgeous black cherry fruit, great texture and length in mouth, not as heavy and alcoholic as some Moutere series wines have been in recent years, lingering attractively. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 01/07

2007 Guigal St Joseph Vignes de l'Hospice 18 ½ (

)

St Joseph, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $535 [ cork; Sy 100%; new oak for 30 months; www.guigal.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, as bright as any of the Sacred Hill wines. It is staggering how close this wine is to really good New Zealand syrah. In particular its wallflower and violets florality is benchmark, on great cassis berry. Palate is a little lighter than the other wines ranked so highly, but the precision of varietal character and the ripeness of the berry including cracked black peppercorns is stunning. It is significantly purer than the grands crus. The wines of Yves Cuilleron, and Te Mata's Bullnose, both come to mind, as analogues. New oak is unobtrusive, in the mysterious Guigal style. This is another benchmark French syrah for New Zealand makers to study closely. Cellar 5 – 15 + years. GK 10/10

1976 Hermann von Schorlemer Wiltinger Sandberg Riesling Auslese QmP 18 ½ (

)

Mosel Valley, Germany: – %; $ – [ cork; original price $9.50 ]
An attractive lively gold, just below midway in depth. Bouquet is of the same calibre as the Prum wine, all a little fresher, but not quite the depth, again honeyed, a thought of pale sultana cake and grapefruit. Palate emphasises the grapefruit / citrus edge, the fruit delightfully fresh, both honey and sultana cake flavours, all a little drier than the Prum, but remarkable still. This too has a few years left, in this shape. GK 03/12

2004 Villa Maria Syrah Cellar Selection Hawkes Bay 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $32 [ screwcap; wine not on website; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, above midway in depth of colour and also one of the freshest, as if less oak-influenced than for example the Vidal or the Bullnose. Bouquet is very youthful, with tremendous depth of both dark florals and cassis confuseable with cabernet sauvignon, plus great purity. Palate likewise is taut and youthful, but there is beautiful dark berry richness adding blueberry flavours, and superbly subtle (French, I assume) oak, beautifully balanced, in what is emerging as the Cellar Selection style. The absolute quality in this wine is exciting, and a surprise when the labels were revealed – it has come together dramatically in the last couple of months. In two years' time this elegant concentrated wine with its lovely soft finish might just be scooping the pool – buy as much as you can afford. A pity Villa have exploited the current trendyness of syrah, in pricing this wine out of the $20s, and hence away from the market. Cellar Selection initially seemed to offer wonderful quality for the price. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 05/06

2002 Mission Syrah Jewelstone 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $30 [ cork; crop 2 tonnes / acre; MLF in barrel, 15 months in French oak 50% new; www.missionestate.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, like the Vidal. This is an understated but pure syrah bouquet, very close indeed to good Hermitage, or topmost Crozes-Hermitage. Main characters are cassis and black peppercorn, with fine French oak and a piquant trace of VA totally in the background. Palate is remarkable cassis, a little fresher again than the Kingsley, but still beautifully ripe with sweet tannins and lovely extension of flavour on the subtle oak. Mission makes an attractively authentic Rhone-styled syrah under their top Jewelstone label, and hence it tends to be overlooked in our Australian (read, oak)-influenced wine competitions. This will mature gracefully like the 1999 (a seriously overlooked gold-medal quality wine) and be marvellous with food in five or so years time. Cellar 5 - 15 years. GK 06/05

2004 Forrest Syrah John Forrest Collection 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $50 [ screwcap; release date for the Collection July 2006, nothing on the website yet about them; www.forrest.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a good colour, above midway in depth. Freshly poured, this wine is a bit angular – it benefits from decanting and breathing for an hour or two – not for any defect, just to open up and soften. It then reveals a very ripe cassisy and slightly oaky version of syrah, a little over-ripe maybe for retaining optimal floral complexity, but with hints of peppercorn complexity made aromatic by the oak. Palate is very rich, again beautifully cassisy, plus blackest plums and blueberry, but more oaky than classically-styled syrah needs. It is therefore a bigger and brasher wine than the 2004 Vidal Soler, and needs a year or so more to harmonise. A finer wine could be created via a subtler approach, as has been previously discussed for ’02 le Sol. Cellar to 15 years. GK 05/06

2004 Te Mata Syrah / Viognier Woodthorpe 18 ½ (

)

Tutaekuri Valley, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $24 [ screwcap; Sy 95%, Vi 5, co-fermented even though Vi then super-ripe; extended cuvaison 3 + weeks, followed by 15 months in French oak 25% new; www.temata.co.nz ]
This wine too was in the blind tasting, and again it excelled. If the Bullnose is Hermitage in style, this wine is Cote Rotie, more floral, more supple, faintly more leafy, highly varietal, amply meriting its earlier gold medal score. Each of these two marvellous wines should be cellared. A case lot will be needed to check on one per year, over their expected lifespan. Great pleasure will accrue from such an investment. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 03/06

2011 Te Mata Sauvignon Blanc Cape Crest 18 ½ (

)

Havelock North district mostly, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $31 [ supercritical cork; cepage varies round SB 85%, Se 11 and sauvignon gris 4, hand-harvested, de-stemmed, brief skin-contact; low-solids juice 100% BF, LA and c. 8 months in French oak c. 30% new; pH 3.3, RS < 2 g/L; www.temata.co.nz ]
Lemon-green, a shimmering lovely colour. Bouquet is strong, complex, assertive, clearly oak-handled sauvignon blanc with much lees influence, and a degree of complexity suggesting wild yeasts and somewhere a stray barrel of MLF. Winemaker Peter Cowley advises both the latter are unlikely and certainly not intended. As in earlier vintages, this distinctive bouquet has hints of Castrol GTX to it, in a positive way. Palate extends the bouquet, the wine more clearly sauvignon now, the extended barrel work producing lovely brioche / sally lunn (un-iced) flavours which round out the sauvignon. The model for this wine is Pavillon Blanc, a lofty goal, but it certainly is totally modern Graves Blanc in style, and at a 'classed' level. It needs a little more richness / dry extract to challenge the finest Bordeaux examples. Cellar 2 – 10 years, and longer if you like old whites. GK 03/12

2000 Guigal Gigondas 18 ½ (

)

Gigondas, Southern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $55 [ Gr 50%, Sy 25, Mv 25; average vine age 40 years; cropped 34 hL / ha; traditional cuvaison; 24 months in French oak, 50% new; c. 17 000 cases; www.guigal.com ]
Older ruby. Bouquet on this wine is beautiful, essence of the southern Rhone, some dianthus florals and herbes de Provence, fragrant berryfruit far more complex than any simple berry, gentle oak, slightly spicy and savoury, enchanting and very winey. Palate is soft and rich, great fruit based on grenache with its hints of raspberry complexed with cassis and other red berries, all spiced with cinnamon, lovely length, unusually pleasurable drinking. This is succulent alongside the Chateauneuf du Pape, and brings back direct memories of the same wine in the mid-80s. Lovely. Cellar 5 - 15 years. GK 07/05

2003 Guigal Cote Rotie la Landonne 18 ½ (

)

Cote Rotie, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $535 [ cork; Sy 100%, all stems in ferment; average vine age 27 years; cropped at less than half the normal 35 - 37 hL / ha (1.7 – 1.9 t/ac), so less than 1 t/ac; fermented in s/s, 5 weeks cuvaison; 42 months in new French oak; Parker 170: Dense purple to the rim with a nose of graphite, creosote, earth, olives, and black, black, black fruits, the primordial, full-bodied, monumental 2003 Cote Rotie La Landonne is amazing stuff. I suspect this is more akin to a dry vintage port than most Cote Roties ever tend to be, but the purity, the richness, the texture, the length are all out of this world. 100; Robinson: Extraordinarily deep colour. Very intense, deep and leathery. Savoury, very Syrah. Very deep and rich start with very dry savoury finish. 19; www.guigal.com ]
Ruby and velvet, the deepest of the Guigal Cote Roties, in the middle for the set. And to first impression, it is the deepest and finest of the Cote Roties in taste too. The depth of midnight ruby bouquet is wonderful, great cassis, hidden oak, a touch of roti maybe. On palate the concentration of syrah berry is all one could hope a great Cote Rotie would be, the flavours long and savoury and lingering. At the Regional Wines public tasting, I rashly made the comment that, in the Cote Rotie flight, la Landonne could be compared with 2002 Penfolds Grange, since it was the subtlest for ages. That comment looked pretty silly when the next wine was poured, the 2003 Hermitage Ex Voto, but the comment gives an idea of how rich and cassisy la Landonne is, in the context of current Cote Roties.

So why the relatively lower mark ? When one goes back to it, the wine does show rather more roti / hot year character than the other grands crus. And in that roti character, there is quite a noticeable brett component, in the sense of the skin-of-roast-beef savoury complexity, which makes the wine so magical with grilled steak or similar. It really is a bit higher than optimal. That means to a brett-nazi, the wine is clearly bretty, maybe even unacceptably so. In a blind line-up of syrahs, some technocratic new world judges might reject it. I would expect that character to increase, with age. In 10 years time or so, we will present a Library Tasting of some of these syrahs, and check that comment out. Meanwhile, 2003 Guigal la Landonne is a great but slightly flawed wine, too cellar perhaps a shorter time than the other grands crus, 10 – 20 + years, maybe, since brett has the effect of prematurely drying wines. GK 06/07

2009 Olssens Pinot Noir Jackson Barry 18 ½ (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $45 [ screwcap; hand-picked, 9 months in French oak; www.olssens.co.nz ]
Big pinot noir ruby. Initially opened, this is substantial but quiet wine, tending plummy but with appealing structure. Well breathed, it is another wine to expand into a deep sweetly floral black cherry pinot noir showing good balance for the weight of fruit. There are long rich sustained cherry flavours without undue alcohol, and a touch of acid and plum. This lovely Central Otago pinot noir is made for the cellar, 5 – 12 years. GK 09/10

2004 Church Road Syrah Cuve Series 18 ½ (

)

Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $35 [ cork; hand-harvested and sorted; 3 weeks cuvaison; new and 1-year French oak; website access has changed so many times lately as to be tiresome, but is now as shown, or @ www.churchroad.co.nz; these sites differ, and neither is up to date, this wine is not yet listed; www.pernod-ricard-nz.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, above midway in depth. Bouquet is withdrawn when initially opened, but gradually opens to complex dark aromas ranging from violets florals to cassis and darkest plums, plus attractive oak with a slight hint of dark chocolate, plus savoury notes. Palate is immediately black peppercorn and cassis, rich and complex, very dry, some brett (+ve), all very European. This too is great New Zealand syrah, though technocrats won’t agree. Well worth decanting. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 05/06

2006 Hunter's MiruMiru Reserve 18 ½ (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $28 [ cork; Ch 55%, PN 41, PM 4; 100% MLF; 32 months en tirage; dosage @ 8.2 g/L; I regret that in my previous review 11/08 incorrect info for this wine was posted, and has been there for 3 years; www.hunters.co.nz ]
Lemon to lemon-straw, and now none of the excess gas noted in the point-of-release review is apparent – appearance is classic bubbly. Bouquet is markedly fresher than the 2000 Le Brun, not the depth of baguette-crust autolysis, but still good, with faintly citric chardonnay notes too. Palate is gorgeous, delightfully Brut at about 8 g/L [ verified ], lingering fruit and baguette-crust, another great New Zealand methode. Outstanding New Zealand methode only comes along every 4 – 5 years, in fact: this and the 2000 Le Brun illustrate our best, along with the current Nautilus. The 2007 MiruMiru does not achieve the same excellence. This experience indicates how essential it is to cellar good methode champenoise, if the wine's true quality is to be enjoyed. This applies to nv too, when a good one is encountered. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 08/11

2001 Chapoutier Crozes-Ermitage les Varonniers 18 ½ (

)

Crozes-Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $91 [ cork; av. vine age 60 years; hand-harvested; cuvaison c. 5 months in concrete; 100% matured in oak 12 - 14 months; www.chapoutier.com ]
Ruby, a little velvet. Here we come into the full varietal expression of syrah the grape, as seen in the northern Rhone Valley. The key difference is the addition of a superb wallflowers and dianthus floral component to bouquet, on clear-cut black pepper, and classic cassis. These first three varietal attributes are lost when syrah is over-ripened (just like pinot noir). Hence they are rarely seen in Australian syrahs, and there is a danger the Gimblett Gravels in good years will also prove too hot for finesse and complexity in the syrah wines, if winemakers persist in taking grapes through to sur-maturité. Le Sol reflects the (admittedly successful) pursuit of this New World approach to syrah. It would be even better with some less-ripe fruit, for additional bouquet complexity. This Varonniers shows the difference. Palate shows the extreme new oak approach adopted by Chapoutier for his selections parcellaires wines (copying Guigal), but the total palate though rich, has a potentially silky, ‘delicate’, and magical quality which is more pinot noir from Burgundy than shiraz from Australia. Like the Mission wine, it can therefore be easily overlooked, in a tasting of burly Gimblett Gravels wines.

For interest, Robert Parker (who is usually pretty astute in his evaluation of syrah) reckons Varonniers is now the finest Crozes-Hermitage made, and he rates this particular wine 91 - 93 +, mentioning ‘cassis’ and ‘full-bodied’ in notes that read more like a Hermitage wine than a Crozes. It certainly matches the occasional great Jaboulet Thalabert from the 70s and 80s. For me, the great thing about this Varonniers is the florals on bouquet persist right through to the aftertaste, like the so-called peacock’s tail effect rarely seen in great burgundy. The oak is remarkably gentle and well-assimilated already, and unlike many northern Rhone 2001s, the wine is not tending acid. It will cellar for 5 - 15 years, and is still available at retail. Kudos to the Hawkes Bay Winemakers, for supporting the inclusion of such an important demonstration wine. GK 06/05

2015 Church Road Syrah Tom 18 ½ (

)

Triangle 83%, balance Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $220 [ cork 49mm; Sy 100% mostly clone 470, some 174, some MS, planted at an average 4,500 vines per hectare and average age 10 years, intensively hand-managed in the vineyard to optimise a reduced crop; the fruit all now machine (Selectiv) harvested (so no whole-bunch component), followed by optical sorting of individual berries; approximate cropping rate in previous years c.6 t/ha (= 2.4 t/ac); no cold soak, inoculated yeast, 21 days cuvaison; MLF later in barrel; 20 months in French small oak 42% new, with racking to both aerate and clarify the wine; RS < 1 g/L fermentable sugars: not fined, coarse filtration only; dry extract withheld; production c.300 x 9-litre cases; weight bottle and closure: 832 g; M. Cooper, 2019: a highly fragrant, floral bouquet. A very elegant, supple, youthful and harmonious red, it is densely packed, with concentrated plum, spice and black pepper flavours, a hint of liquorice, and a long, refined finish. Already dangerously drinkable, it's well worth cellaring to at least 2022, *****; R. Campbell, 2019: Superbly elegant and fragrant syrah with violet, cranberry, plum and a suggestion of mocha among the more prominent flavours. An elegant wine with a silken and ethereal texture. Should develop well but surprisingly approachable now. Drink 2019 - 2025 +, 96; www.churchroad.co.nz ]
Carmine, ruby and velvet, a very deep, dense colour, the second darkest wire. Bouquet is different from the other 12, showing a lot of new oak, so much so you immediately think at the blind stage: uh-uhh … someone copying the Penfolds approach. But below the vanillin and cedar, there is rich cassis, though the oak-related top-notes drown any floral analogies. Palate is rich, aromatic and vibrant on the still-very-noticeable oak, with a depth of fruit approaching 29 – 30 g/L … I’d estimate. Pernod-Ricard too are shy about admitting to dry extract analyses, but this wine does show grand cru qualities. The saturation of cassisy berry flavours and relatively big new oak makes for a bold wine, so for those who respond well to new oak, this wine was a favourite: two top places and five second. Worth noting that only one person thought it could be French, though. This will cellar for 20 – 30 years, maybe longer, but at the price, few will do so. Pernod-Ricard seemed to be hell-hell bent on capturing some of the marketing pizzazz of the Grange concept in their aggressive pricing, but curiously, thus far relatively little has been exported. In European terms, it would be a better wine with less new oak – but maybe China is the long-term target market. GK 11/19

2006 Muddy Water Riesling Unplugged 18 ½ (

)

Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 13%; $ – [ screwcap; this is a later pick from the same vineyards as the James Hardwick blend, taking hand-harvested botrytis-affected bunches; whole-bunch pressed, no solids in wild-yeast s/s fermentation stopped at 58 g/L RS; some months LA; the name refers to an earlier vintage of this label being the first wine the proprietors tried screwcaps on, hence not plugged with a cork; www.muddywater.co.nz ]
Full lemon. Bouquet on this riesling is very different from the first three, there being clear development to a kind of lemon meringue analogy and richness which is most beguiling. Palate is clearly sweet, more flavoursome still with a hint of best pineapple (+ve – not a euphemism for VA), at an auslese level of sweetness with some botrytis. Such a description does not quite make clear that the wine is tending broad and a little phenolic by top riesling standards – Rheinhessen rather than Mosel, early developing. But it is still wonderfully flavoursome and varietal, and will give much pleasure. Cellar another five years or so, for there is the acid to stay fresh on. GK 04/09

2017 Pirathon Shiraz Black 18 ½ (

)

NW Barossa Valley, South Australia, Australia: 15.3%; $45 [ screwcap; shiraz 100%, harvested at 5 t/ha = 2 t/ac from old-vine shiraz in vineyards 300 – 350m elevation; fruit all destemmed, cultured yeast ferments, up to 10 days cuvaison, wild malolactic fermentations; 18 months in hogsheads, 25% new French, 25% new American, balance older same ratio; not fined or filtered, production 200 x 9-litre cases on the website, 400 on the back label; weight bottle and closure 656 g; www.pirathon.com ]
Ruby and velvet, just above midway in depth, still a big wine. Bouquet shows more Australian flowering mint than the other two, lifted by noticeable alcohol. Again there is sweet bramble-fruited berry, enticing. Flavour adds oak but in good proportion to the rich fruit, with considerable length of complex berry including dark plummy and boysenberry flavours, with some vanillin from the sweet new American oak component, but a dry finish like Pirathon Gold. This very pure wine should cellar 15 – 35 years, easily. GK 06/20

2005 Pegasus Bay Pinot Noir 18 ½ (

)

Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 14%; $45 [ screwcap; not on website yet; www.pegasusbay.com ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, still a big pinot noir colour yet a little lighter than the average of these top wines. Bouquet is amongst the most beautiful in the set, with explicit florals in the roses, boronia and violets spectrum, on red and black cherry fruit, in its lightness yet depth almost reminiscent of a 'reference-quality wine' such as Drouhin Clos de la Roche (grand cru) is in most good years. Palate is rich, tactile, beautifully varietal, subtly oaked, yet not quite as magical as those scored 19. The evolution of the Pegasus Bay pinot style over the last six years or so has been breathtaking. And this is just the standard wine! Another to secure, when it is released. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 01/07

2004 Vidal Syrah Soler 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $42 [ screwcap; 1% viognier; hand-harvested; 80% whole berry in fermentation, MLF in barrel, 16 months in French oak; wine filed under Estate Syrah on website; www.vidal.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, midway in depth. Bouquet is intensely plummy and nearly blueberry, with a cassis and black peppercorn edge making it clearly syrah, plus spicy oak adding appeal. Palate is mouthfilling and rich, wonderful berry, almost lush, with great length of flavour in which the berry pretty well dominates the oak – unlike earlier Vidal’s syrahs. It is a little oakier than Block 14, but as rich. This is very ripe Hawkes Bay syrah, so ripe it is almost in danger of losing some varietal complexity (though the oak adds to the aromatics, in lieu). Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 05/06

2005 Vidal Syrah Reserve 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $55 [ screwcap; Sy 100% hand-harvested; de-stemmed, 50% whole-berry, cold-soaked; MLF and 20 months in French oak; www.vidal.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, not quite as deep as the Corbans Private Bin. Bouquet is very distinctive, an enticing plum-tart, blueberry and vanilla wafer quality to it, which mixes some aroma cues, yet is delightfully syrah. Palate brings up a little more cassis firmness, good berry, subtle oak, a lovely fleshy yet firm fruit quality which lingers well in mouth, still with the vanilla wafer. It is softer and richer than some other top Hawkes Bay syrahs of the year. Cellar 3 – 12 years. GK 10/07

2000 Yalumba Cabernet Sauvignon Menzies 18 ½ (

)

Coonawarra, South Australia, Australia: 13.5%; $40 [ 25-year vines; 22 months in French oak; DFB; www.yalumba.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, fresher than the 2000 Signature. Aha, this is more interesting, a Yalumba red not immediately smelling of oak. Bouquet is out-and-out cassis with a hint of violets, sweet, pure, simple in one sense, but complexed subtly by potentially cedary French oak. Palate is exactly the same, essence of cassis, only slightly oaky. There are suggestions of a cabernet doughnut palate, not quite the complexity the blended 2001 Vasse Felix or 2001 Pegasus Bay Maestro show, but this '00 Menzies is a very clean strict example of beautifully-defined Coonawarra cabernet. Cellar 10 – 25 years. GK 07/04

nv Taittinger Reserve Brut 18 ½ (

)

Reims, Champagne, France: 12%; $90 [ cork; PN & PM 60%, Ch 40; 335 000 cases; www.taittinger.com ]
Colour is clearly medium lemon. The first impression on bouquet is pure and modest, with subtle baguette autolysis, on a blanc de blancs style of fruit. Palate however instantly fills the wine out, with great richness and much more flavour from the soft pinot meunier. Flavours hint at strawberries and cream in the best way, but drier. This wine seems lower in tannins, but not at all wishy-washy. Acid balance, residual sweetness and aftertaste are fine and elegant. GK 11/05

2005 Trinity Hill [ Merlot / Malbec ] The Gimblett 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.8%; $30 [ supercritical cork; DFB; Me 61%, Ma 21, PV 11, CF 5, CS 2, hand-picked at c. 2.75 t/ac; average vine age 10 years; oak 40% new 'predominantly' French for 20 months; 600 cases; WS 2008: Firm and brawny, with peat moss, dark chocolate and black olive character framing black currant fruit. Herb notes, toasty, spicy oak and surly tannins extend through the finish. Merlot, Malbec, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc and others. Drink now through 2009. 542 cases made. 83; Bob Campbell: 93; Halliday: Delicious redcurrant/berry bouquet; a supple, smooth and elegant wine, no more than medium bodied, but with harmony and length to the intense palate; www.trinityhill.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, just above midway in depth. Bouquet is intensely floral and fragrant, showing all the beauty of classical (as opposed to modern) Bordeaux, where the berries spoke louder than the oak and the elevation. There is an almost wallflower / violets / syrah-like floral depth to perfect cassisy berry, wonderfully poised and elegant. Palate follows in the same style, not the biggest of the wines, tasting astonishingly cabernet-like for a merlot-dominant wine, slightly fresh acid, a little lean, but elegant. The florality of this wine wins high praise from me, the whole winestyle reminding of good 1966 or '96 Bordeaux when young – the unqualified bargain of the tasting. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 10/08

2007 Craggy Range Riesling Glasnevin [ Waipara ] 18 ½ (

)

Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 9%; $25 [ screwcap; second crop, hand-harvested @ < 0.5 t/ac with no botrytis; whole-bunch fermentation in s/s, 3 months LA; pH 3.1, RS 23 g/L; www.craggyrange.com ]
Colour is palest lemongreen. Bouquet is essence of pure riesling, all lime-zest, cooking apples and citrus, some vanilla florals, and underlying white stonefruits. Palate is remarkable, a limpid varietal purity which is totally youthful Mosel in style, good kabinett, very beautiful, potentially soft, fragrant. Finish is medium-dry, yet subtle and nectary. This is a potentially great New Zealand riesling, but unfortunately it is never going to have a chance to be seen at anything approaching full development. Craggy Range have decided, unwisely in my view, to restrict the wine to restaurant-only sales. Some may be fleetingly available, though Craggy's cellar door outlet (cellardoor@craggyrange.com, Terroir Restaurant, Havelock North). Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 10/07

1971 Penfolds Kalimna Dry Red [ Shiraz ] Bin 28 18 ½ (

)

Kalimna vineyard, and other Barossa Valley sites, South Australia, Australia: – %; $ – [ cork, 44mm; release price c.$3.10; elevation in 100% American oak, some new; first produced 1959; at that time, still somewhat before the ‘red wine boom’, this wine initially based on Kalimna fruit was a much more serious bottling than the frankly commercial label it is today. There are now so many more expensive Bins in the Penfolds range (eg RWT), with priority access to the Kalimna fruit. The 1970 was superb in its day (Evans, 1978 agreeing), but the 1971 is more highly rated by latterday Australians. The Kalimna wines from those days give us a preview of what can be expected from latterday RWT and similar bottlings, in 40-plus years. Langtons: During the early 1960s it quickly established a strong reputation as an "authentic Barossa type red" which would develop "additional character" with further cellaring. Bin 28 has very clear ripe fruit definition, with plenty of fruit volume, ripe tannin structure and underlying savoury nuances. In exceptional vintages it can age for decades; Penfolds website: NOSE: Intense leather / demi-glace / cedar aromas with honeycomb / apricot notes. PALATE: Fresh, soft, smooth wine with sweet leather / tobacco / chocolaty / liquorice flavours and satin tannins. Finishes long and sweet. Needs drinking soon; Halliday, 1999: a very complex bouquet with strongly bottle-developed chocolate, earth and vanilla aromas. In the palate, sweet, soft flavours coalesce into each other; with its silky texture the wine is still superb to drink now but must surely start its decline within the next five years, *****; www.penfolds.com ]
Garnet and ruby, some velvet, midway in depth. Bouquet is stunning on this wine, showing a quality of browning plummy berry with savoury and even truffly suggestions which is enchanting. In mouth the wine is velvety, no other word for it, a wine showing a perfect fruit / oak ratio, and thus an enviable rarity in the Penfolds scheme of things. It is wonderful with food. In all the years since the release of the 1970 and 1971 Penfolds Bin 28, both of which I bought by the case at the time, I have searched for comparable quality … pretty well in vain … and like many New Zealanders, ultimately you just lose interest in the heavy-handed, over-oaked, acid-adjusted Australian approach to red wine, as it ‘developed’ in later decades. To see this wine now, at full flowering, is a great experience. Will hold but not improve. Four tasters shared my pleasure in this wine, two first places, two second, and four were sure it was bordeaux. GK 09/17

1967 Penfolds Cabernet Sauvignon Bin 707 18 ½ (

)

Kalimna (no Coonawarra), South Australia, Australia: – %; $606 [ cork, 42mm; CS 100%; vinification essentially as for Grange, ferment completed in new American oak, then 18 months in 100% new American oak; first produced, 1964; Penfolds Rewards of Patience, 2010: Fresh, intense, minerally, earthy, spicy aromas with some dark chocolate notes. Well concentrated and elegantly structured wine with praline, spice, mocha, vanilla, earthy flavours, fine cedary tannins and underlying savoury notes. Finishes bitter-sweet. The fruit is beginning to fade; Halliday, 1999: The bouquet is clean, lacking a little of the resplendent generosity of the [ 1966 ]. There are slight vegetal characters on the palate with a whisper of anise, but has that same mirror-smooth texture and fine tannins, ****; Neil Beckett, The World of Fine Wine, 2014: Beguiling nose: faintly medicinal, gently warm, with a dried orange-peel exoticism. Intricate, richly textured ... Ample, full, and rich on the palate, still harmonious but a little leaden, without the complexity that is so captivating on the nose. A generous finish of impressive integrity and length. Drink now. 16.5; www.penfolds.com ]
Garnet, ruby and some velvet, below midway in depth. Bouquet is exceptional, showing an integration of browning cassisy berry and cedary oak which could be confused with Bordeaux, in particular Mouton-Rothschild … which can also be too cedary. Alongside the 1970 Leoville Las Cases it shows a perfection of fruit and berry ripeness which is astonishing. Palate is still showing remarkable fruit, but the cassis is well-browning now with just a hint of decay complexing it. On the later palate yet again you wish for a less heavy-handed approach to the oak, but the berry richness eclipses anything from New Zealand at that time (naturally – there were only two serious cabernet sauvignon wines). It would I imagine triumph over pretty well anything from the fragrant but lean and acid 1967 year in Bordeaux. The nett impact of this wine captivated tasters, it recording six first places and five second places (from the 21 tasters), clearly the favourite in the 12 wines by a considerable margin. It is the pinpoint ripeness of cabernet sauvignon that is enchanting, this wine highlighting the trace under-ripeness in the 1990 Bin 707. At a peak now: the fruit will soon be declining, the hint of decay will increase, and the oak will become more noticeable. Still 10 years in it (if it has been cellared in a cool climate). GK 09/17

2006 Villa Maria Syrah Cellar Selection 18 ½ (

)

2009 Villa Maria Syrah Cellar Selection 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels 65%, Dartmoor Valley 35, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $33 [ screwcap; Sy 100% hand-harvested, all de-stemmed; inoculated yeast, warm-fermented in open-top vessels, 30 days cuvaison; c. 20 months on light lees in French oak 35% new; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, dense. On bouquet, this is much the biggest wine of the Pask / Esk / Villa threesome, with richer berry and more oak. The oak is interfering with the florality at this stage, but will undoubtedly marry up and the bouquet will become more complex. In mouth it is clearly the richest of the three, almost a Reserve wine quality of cassisy berry in bottled dark plum, aromatic oak, some black pepper, and considerable length. If the 2009 Villa Maria Syrah Reserve is conspicuously more oaky than this, the Cellar Selection may in fact be the preferred wine for cellaring, in this excellent year. It is far too young now, but at the very attractive prices this wine and the Esk are offered in supermarkets from time to time, cellaring a case or two of each is only sensible. 2009 is a great year for Hawke's Bay reds, and wine lovers with any foresight must ensure they have a large stock of them. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 08/11

2007 Palliser Riesling 18 ½ (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 12%; $22 [ screwcap; no wine detail on website; www.palliser.co.nz ]
Pale lemon. Bouquet is very neat, taut, and restrained, but clearly riesling in a fragrant lime-zest and vanillin way, like some Eden Valley rieslings. Palate is in that style too (though not as dry), New Zealand riesling 'dry', crystalline in flavour. The citrus component grows in mouth, and lingers long, an elegant riesling which is light but shows good concentration. This should cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 05/08

2009 Felton Road Pinot Noir Bannockburn 18 ½ (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $49 [ screwcap; hand-harvested, 20% whole bunch and wild-yeast fermentation; 11 months in French oak, not fined or filtered; this is the main bottling, a blend of approx. one third Elms, Cornish Point and Calvert vineyards; the most widely available; www.feltonroad.com ]
Pinot noir ruby. Initially opened, it was easy to dismiss this wine as jujube-y and awkward. Decanted / with air, it is transformed into a deeply floral and fragrant sensuous pinot noir on bouquet, rose and boronia notes just starting to appear, subtle oak. In mouth, the texture and richness of fruit is exemplary, oak is subtle, and the red and black cherry flavours linger superbly. This wine strikes a nearly optimal pitch of ripeness which will cellar well, and end up very burgundian, as the 1999 has. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 09/10

2005 Villa Maria Pinot Gris Cellar Selection 18 ½ (

)

Awatere Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14.5%; $24 [ screwcap; hand-harvested; 2 months LA in s/s with occasional batonnage, 2005 not on website but 2004 was RS 9 g/L; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Lemon. Bouquet on this wine shows real varietal character, and even some suggestions of the yellow florals of the wines that epitomise pinot gris magic – best Alsace. (In this case subtlest oak may be contributing to my interpretation). There is great fruit and richness, even on bouquet. Palate shows a little more flavour than the Seddon wine, but perhaps fractionally less ultimate richness, and hence it is slightly more phenolic on the finish. Both are medium-dry. These are two fine New Zealand pinot gris, and well illustrate the impressive grasp Villa Maria is building with this variety, in a few short years. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 11/05

2003 Loosen Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett QmP 18 ½ (

)

Mosel, Germany: 8%; $32 [ www.drloosen.de ]
Pale lemongreen. Another very pure and white florals bouquet, not quite as multidimensional as the Scharzhofberg, but still nectary and fine. Palate has an appley quality in the nectary flavours, and beautiful acid balance. This shows real finesse. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 11/04

2006 Vidal Syrah Reserve 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $56 [ screwcap; Sy 100% hand-harvested, all de-stemmed but 30% un-crushed; cold soak, wild yeast, warm-fermented in open-top vessels, MLF and c.19 months in French oak some new; www.vidal.co.nz ]
The colour is great, vibrant ruby, carmine and velvet, dense. Bouquet is a little oak-assertive at this early stage, but is saturated with rich violets and dark roses florals on cassis, blueberry and bottled back doris plummy fruit. In mouth, the dark plum fruit richness is sufficient to cover the oak, with attractive suggestions of black peppercorn. In another couple of years this should be great New Zealand syrah. Cellar 10 to 12 years. GK 03/09

2010 Coopers Creek Syrah Hawkes Bay Reserve 18 ½ (

)

2001 Neudorf Pinot Noir Home Vineyard 18 ½ (

)

Moutere Hills, Nelson, New Zealand: 14.5%; $ – [ cork; www.neudorf.co.nz ]
[ This review in non-standard format, excerpted from narrative article dated: 24 Dec 2008 ]
Colour has softened on this wine since I last reported on it, but for a seven-year pinot it is still attractively velvety and ruddy. But the key thing is, unlike some other bigger darker pinot interpretations in New Zealand, this wine still smells explicitly floral, varietal and fragrant, a vanilla component like cherry-pie creeping up in boronia-like aromas. In mouth the wine shows great texture, still rich, more a Corton-like wine than Cote de Nuits, long and velvety in mouth. It accompanied the range of foods selected well, from salmon to chicken to lamb shanks, beautifully mouth-filling yet not heavy to the finish. It cannot be repeated too often to the instant-gratification generation, that if red wine is too complement and augment food, as opposed to just accompanying it, then appropriate bottle age, which means cellaring red wine, is essential. GK 12/08

2007 Two Gates Syrah 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $54 [ cork; Sy 100%, hand-harvested; extended cuvaison, aeration; MLF in barrel, 18 months in French oak 50% new, light fining; new and 1-year oak; first release, certified organic; www.twogates.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, not quite the carmine of the top wines, fractionally older. Bouquet shows an intriguing interplay of carnation and wallflower florals on slightly browning (or oak influenced) cassis and dark bottled plum fruit. Palate confirms the greater oak influence, but there is good cassisy berry in a more aromatic wine style. The oaking level is more akin to Guigal's d'Ampuis than the top wines, but it is still dramatically syrah. It is also clearly a notch denser and warmer climatically than the 2008 Mudbrick Reserve, yet has not lost syrah varietal character in the way most Australian examples do. For the EIT group as a whole, this was the second-ranked wine. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 06/10

2010 de Vine Shiraz Barossa Valley 18 ½ (

)

Near High Eden, Barossa Valley, South Australia, Australia: 13.6%; $20 [ screwcap; 18 months in older French and American oak; produced to the specification of the Manly Liquor Store, Whangaparoa Peninsula; no website ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, deep and rich. Bouquet is a delight, elegant shiraz even revealing some suggestions of syrah varietal quality in its deep florality, and nearly hints of cassis. These attributes are augmented by flowering mintbush (Prostanthera) aromas, but one could not say the wine was degraded by euc'y notes. Palate is a little riper than the bouquet suggests, some boysenberry creeping into bottled black doris plums, all rich and velvety and soft, only lightly oaked, long and flavoursome. This wine reflects a temperate vintage in the Barossa Valley, plus the dawning of some varietal sensibilities amongst Australian red-wine makers. A wine to buy by the case, and cellar 5 – 20 years. VALUE. GK 08/12

2006 Highfield Riesling 18 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 11%; $24 [ screwcap; hand-picked off a single vineyard; pH 3.04, RS 36 g/L; www.highfield.co.nz ]
Lemon. Bouquet is as clear-cut as the Highfield Sauvignon, showing pinpoint ripe riesling varietal characters. These include freesia florals and nectar, with an undercurrent of lime-zest. Palate is rich, a suggestion of lees autolysis, clearly medium in sweetness, but perfectly balanced to acid, all very long. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 03/07

2008 Stonyridge Syrah / Mourvedre / Grenache Pilgrim 18 ½ (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.5%; $80 [ cork; Sy 89%, Mv 8, Gr 3, hand-harvested; cultured yeast, 10 day cuvaison (2 days cold soak); MLF in barrel, 12 months in French oak, 30% new initially, then older; not fined or filtered; 75 cases; www.stonyridge.com ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, an attractive colour, though clearly not the depth of the top two. Bouquet is a delight, the trace VA lift acceptable in the wonderful florality of syrah, another wine closely matching Cote Rotie, and thus forming a great comparison wine to the View East. Since the Stonyridge wine is clean / brett-free, the varietal qualities in the syrah-dominant blend can be focussed on totally. Palate is equally beautiful, pinot noir-like in its purity and velvety styling, not as big as the top wines, but so graceful it scores as highly. How exactly the mourvedre component achieved sufficient ripeness on Waiheke to not add a stalky note is a mystery – 2008 was certainly a good season. There is something freaky about the nature of the warmth on Waiheke, for though daily maxima are less than Hawkes Bay, growers report success with both petit verdot and grenache. On the face of it, they should both be marginal on Waiheke. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 06/10

2009 Sacred Hill Chardonnay Riflemans 18 ½ (

)

2002 Vidal Syrah Soler 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.8%; $34 [ screwcap; no info at website; www.vidal.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, nearly as deep as the Kingsley. Bouquet changes on this wine each time one picks it up, being cassisy one moment, bush honey (which is very Rhone-like) another, aromatic and maybe oaky on the third. Today there are aromas of blueberry, and suggestions of Chilean carmenere on dark tobacco-y oak. Flavour is rich and round, slightly broader than the other top wines, yet fresh on cassis too, the oak and alcohol already marrying away surprisingly well. Cellar 5 - 15 years. GK 06/05

2005 Prophet's Rock Pinot Noir 18 ½ (

)

Gibbston, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $ – [ cork; website under construction; www.prophetsrock.co.nz ]
Ruby and some velvet, a little deeper than the Felton Road Block 3. This is a quietly-spoken wine, beautifully pure, suggesting darkest florals in black cherry fruits, subtly oaked. Yet in mouth it seems to expand, with boronia and violets florals becoming even more apparent, in black cherry fruit of great succulence. Oak is beautifully restrained. This will probably be scoring more highly in another couple of years. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 01/07

2003 Te Awa Merlot / Cabernet Zone 6 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $30 [ cork; DFB; wine info obscurely filed under 'Buy Wines', but this one not on website; www.teawa.com ]
Ruby and velvet, quite dense. Bouquet is rich and dark, with a suggestion of sur-maturité in the cassis and darkest plum, yet still perhaps some violets florals, and subtle oak. In mouth the fruit-richness is terrific. There seems to have been a worthwhile increase in palate weight in the Te Awa reds lately. Does this bespeak a lower cropping rate, for the upper-level wines ? Flavours are classic bottled black doris plums and rich cassis, made beautifully aromatic on the balanced oak. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 03/07

nv Laurent Perrier Brut 18 ½ (

)

Tours sur Marne, Champagne, France: 12%; $82 [ cork; Ch 45%, PN 40, PM 15; reserve wines 10 – 20 %; 500 000 cases; www.laurentperrierus.com ]
More lemon than lemonstraw. Bouquet on this one is understated relative to the Pol Roger, firm, very clean, combining baguette and wholemeal crust autolysis with cherry fruit and pinot character at the moment. Flavour is fresh and crisp, with citric notes in good stonefruit / baguette flavours, all slightly tauter than the Pol, more brut than many, and delicious. Cellarworthy. GK 11/05

2007 Saint Clair Sauvignon Blanc Block 11 Cell Block 18 ½ (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $27 [ screwcap; 100% s/s; minimised skin contact; RS 3.5 g/L; www.saintclair.co.nz ]
Lemongreen. Bouquet epitomises stainless steel Marlborough sauvignon, with fruit ripened through the capsicum colours to aromatic black passionfruit, plus sweet basil herbes, and a touch of sweat at an acceptable musky level. On palate there is a little retained red capsicum adding depth and zing, on marvellous fruit richness and length which is attractively 'dry'. This is lovely wine, in its body reflecting a 'grand cru' cropping rate, enriched by lees-autolysis maybe, but not complexed with oak [ these impressions recorded before the website data checked ]. Cellar 2 – 10 years. GK 04/08

2004 Mills Reef Merlot / Malbec Reserve 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $20 [ screwcap; 12 months in 1 and 2-year seasoned oak, MLF in barrel, regular batonnage; www.millsreef.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, towards the deep end of this batch. A little quiet freshly poured, the bouquet on this wine becomes very attractive with air. Violets and sweet plummy fruit of beautiful ripeness pour from the glass, supported by toasty oak. Palate brings up the oak somewhat, but it is far less oaky than the Elspeth series have tended to be. The wine thus reveals highly varietal merlot fruit, in a much more Bordeaux-like balance. And it is cleaner than the 2002 Elspeth series wines too, with no significant brett. This is not a showy wine, and in its lighter oak it may not win the gold medals. It will be infinitely more appealing with food, though. Remarkable for a second-tier wine. The score includes an element of forecast. Cellar 5 – 15 years. VALUE GK 10/05

2007 Spy Valley Gewurztraminer 18 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $21 [ screwcap; all s/s, 4 months LA; RS 10 g/L; www.spyvalleywine.co.nz ]
Marvellous rich lemon. Bouquet is very youthful gewurztraminer, showing beautiful flowering wild ginger, citronella and rosepetal explicitly varietal floral qualities, some lychee and pale stonefruits, plus suggestions of muscat (at this youthful stage). Palate is richly flavoured, excellent acid balance for gewurztraminer, the intriguing varietal phenolics balanced by residual sugar just above the maximum 'dry' level [ confirmed ]. This will gain complexity in bottle over the next two years, and cellar very well indeed for 3 – 8 years. GK 04/08

2004 Longbush Chardonnay Un-Oaked 18 ½ (

)

Gisborne, New Zealand: 13%; $15 [ screwcap; no info [then] on website; www.gisbornewinecompany.co.nz ]
Lemon. On bouquet and palate, this is a superb expression of uncomplicated chardonnay varietal character, white and yellow stone fruits, mouth-filling fleshy flavours, great acid balance, and exactly the right amount of oak to make top-flight un-oaked chardonnay. Not being spirity, this is the best New Zealand un-oaked chardonnay for some time. Hard to get this winestyle more-ish, as this is. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 07/05

2005 Mt Difficulty Pinot Noir 18 ½ (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $40 [ screwcap; hand-harvested @ 1.4 t/ac; 15 – 20% whole bunch, 5 – 7 days cold soak, mainly wild yeast, 16 days cuvaison; MLF and 11 months in barrel on full lees; www.mtdifficulty.co.nz ]
Ruby, some velvet. This wine just smells deliciously of red and black cherry pinot, subtly oaked so that the rose and boronia florals show beautifully. There is an intriguing citrus lift too. Palate is fresh, plump, gorgeous crunchy black cherry fruit, not as big as some wines, yet more aromatic. This is lovely pinot, and another Otago wine with a clear Cote de Nuits spice to it. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 01/07

2009 Black Barn Merlot 18 ½ (

)

Havelock North district, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $60 [ natural cork 54 mm; Me 100%, hand-picked @ c.2.5 t/ha = 1 t/ac from vines 10 years old; 23 days cuvaison, c. 14 months French oak; not fined, scarcely filtered; release several months away; the firm's top wine; www.blackbarn.com ]
In any display / discussion of the Bordeaux / Hawkes Bay blended winestyle in New Zealand, a good example of merlot is of paramount importance. Like the cabernet franc component, however, too many New Zealand merlots are either over-oaked if ripe, or both over-oaked and not sufficiently carefully ripened to accurately express the grape's trademark violets florals. Again, the Black Barn 2009 Merlot shows real appreciation of the Bordeaux model for this grape. It is recently bottled and thus still shy and awkward, so I gave it several decantings and a lot of air-time before the Lincoln showing. It then communicated very well, with real florality and plummy fruit. In a couple of years, I think it will be one of the most varietal and expressive merlots ever made in New Zealand. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 10/10

2015 Elephant Hill Syrah Stone 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $75 [ cork 50mm; Sy 100% hand-picked at 3.4t/ha = 1.4 t/ac, and hand-sorted; 3 days soak then up to 13 days cuvaison in open-top fermenters including cuves, 10% whole bunches retained in fermentation; no press wine in final blend, 26 months in French barriques 30% new, 1 month in s/s on lees; not fined, sterile-filtered to bottle; dry extract 30.5 g/L; production 139 x 9-litre cases; ‘Stone’ refers to the cobble-strewn younger soils of The Gimblett Gravels; weight bottle and closure 705 g; https://elephanthill.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, rich wine fractionally older in appearance than Syrah Earth or even Pirathon Gold. Bouquet is clearly one of the riper wines in the set, deep and darkly plummy but with a clear suggestion of moist prunes, shaped by clean oak. Flavours are dark and concentrated, but not heavy, wonderfully rich berry, a hint of cocoa, lengthened by seemingly charry oak. Again, dry extract is impressive here. This smells and tastes like a warmer climate wine, with even perhaps a suggestion of acid addition, but all very carefully handled and the oak relatively subtle. It illustrates even more clearly that syrah can all too easily be over-ripened, on the Gimblett Gravels. Cellar 15 – 30 years. GK 06/20

2005 Church Road Cabernet Sauvignon Cuve Series 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels 85% & Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $25 [ screwcap; CS > 85%, Me < 15; up to 5 weeks cuvaison; MLF in barrel; 20 months in French oak mostly new; RS < 1 g/L; cuve refers to the oak fermenters in the winery, a premium approach from Bordeaux; www.churchroad.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, redder than the matching Merlot Cuve wine. Bouquet is quieter than the Merlot, more aromatic and attractively cassisy, with almost a subliminal mint aromatic as well. Palate is younger and firmer than the Merlot or the Elspeth One wine, and more savoury. Fruit richness is again splendid, classically Bordeaux, and wonderful value at the price. These two wines make a great pair, being both good new world exemplars of the two varieties, and illustrating the contrasting styles of west bank versus east bank clarets in Bordeaux. Cellar 5 – 15 years. VALUE GK 11/08

2002 Kumeu River Chardonnay Maté’s Vineyard 18 ½ (

)

Kumeu, north of Auckland, New Zealand: 13%; $ – [ screwcap; 100% Mendoza clone @ lower cropping rate than Kumeu River wine; 100% BF in a little more than 20% new oak, 100% MLF, RS nil; www.kumeuriver.co.nz ]
Lemonstraw. In this year's pair, the Maté’s benefits from decanting. It is a little less pure than the straight Kumeu River, showing more of the nutty and charry oak characters I have elsewhere referred to as Corbans Cottage Block character. Supporting fruit is great, however. With a breath of air, palate is waxy rich, richer even than the matching Kumeu River, and the nutty complexity melts away into the slightly buttery (+ve) richness to give a finish which lasts and lasts. The nutty quality makes the wine seemed drier than the already dry Kumeu River. These two wines make a beautifully matched but contrasting pair, though I suspect the Maté’s will dry in cellar a little earlier than the Kumeu River. Likewise at a peak now, but will cellar 1 – 5 years. GK 02/06

2003 Escarpment Pinot Noir Kupe 18 ½ (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 14%; $60 [ cork; hand-harvested; 100% de-stemmed; 5 days cold-soak, fermented in oak, elevage 13 months in 50% new French oak; www.escarpment.co.nz ]
Glowing rich ruby, a little lighter than the Greenhough. Initially opened the wine is reticent. It really demands splashy decanting into a wide decanter or jug. As it breathes lovely cherry fruit becomes apparent, not as floral as the Hope nor is rich and ripe as the Prima Donna, but beautifully ripe. Palate is where this wine picks up speed, revealing qualities which should become apparent on bouquet one day. Fruit is red and black cherry beautifully integrated with oak, with serious tannins for good ageing potential. This will be an exciting bottle to have around in 5 – 10 years, the oak being more subtle than the 1998 Martinborough Vineyards Reserve (also made by McKenna). Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 09/06

nv Bollinger Special Cuvée Brut 18 ½ (

)

Ay, Champagne,, France: 12%; $101 [ cork; PN 60%, Ch 25; PM 15; 5 – 10% of blend reserve wines 5 – 10 years old; minimum 3 years en tirage; 100 000 cases; www.champagne-bollinger.fr ]
Colour is full straw, the second deepest here. Bouquet is unequivocally in the complex, developed, oak-influenced, pinot noir dominant, rich Bollinger style, with almost a hint of rose florals. Just as some tasters like to hunt for brett in red wines, only a fault-finder would claim this wine is aldehydic, rather than gloriously complex. Nett impression is wholegrain yeast autolysis on peachy and maybe some dried peaches fruit, plus a hint of marmite. Flavour is richly mouth-filling, a very big champagne indeed, developed relative to the Pol Roger, not as fresh, the mushroom component more brown mushrooms than white, with an intriguing cashew-nutty and savoury finish to the autolysis flavours. A polar opposite to the Taittinger style, and more brut maybe, but the wine is so rich, it is hard to analyse in mouth. Bollinger is understood to be a non-MLF wine, but one could never tell, from the taste. It cellars well, if one likes the style. GK 11/05

2008 Framingham Riesling Classic 18 ½ (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 11.5%; $24 [ screwcap; mostly machine-picked from 27-year vines; very low solids juice cool-fermented in s/s, stop-fermented; 4 months LA; pH 2.85, RS 17.5 g/L; release date c. Oct 2009; www.framingham.co.nz ]
Lemon. Bouquet is close to the Black in quality, but not quite so Germanic, perhaps having slightly less (positively) botrytis-affected berries. The floral component therefore shows slightly more of the linalool / holygrass riesling signature on bouquet, all beautifully pure and fragrant. Palate is a little more aromatic, explicit riesling with slightly more hoppy terpenes than the other ‘gold medal’ rieslings in the tasting, a hint of grapefruit, a bolder New Zealand style where one can see some links to good South Australian examples of the grape (sweetness aside). Finish is medium-dry, the low pH making it taste drier than it is. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 05/09

2005 Mt Difficulty Pinot Noir 18 ½ (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $ – [ screwcap; hand-harvested @ 1.4 t/ac, the product of a cooler reduced-yield year; 15 – 20% whole bunch, 5 – 7 days cold soak, mainly wild yeast, 16 days cuvaison; MLF and 11 months in barrel on full lees; www.mtdifficulty.co.nz ]
Ruby with a little garnet creeping in. Bouquet benefits from decanting and air, to reveal a highly varietal and quite strong pinot bouquet, with a clear boronia depth of florality. Palate is firmer than Target '09, the tannin level raised like '09 Long Gully, but there is plenty of red and black cherry fruit to carry it. This gives the impression of considerably more cellar life ahead of it. Using it now, it really needs air to show its best, not because it is reductive, just because the fruit seems sternly wrapped up with tannin, and the air exposure loosens it. As winemaker Matt Dicey commented, a dense introverted vintage. Cellar to another 6 years. GK 08/11

2010 Potel-Aviron Julienas Vieilles Vignes 18 ½ (

)

Julienas, Beaujolais, France: 13%; $27 [ cork; gamay grown mostly on granite, average vine age 50 years, hand-picked; mostly maceration carbonique fermentation in concrete, cuvaison 12 – 15 days; elevation 12 – 14 months in 600-litre old wood; no website found, some info @ www.frederickwildman.com/national/winery/potel-aviron and follow lead for this label. ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, the same medium weight is the Chermette Moulin a Vent, just above midway in depth. Quality of bouquet here is exactly between the top two wines, not quite as floral as the La Rochelle but still wondrously floral, and not quite as ripely plummy as the Girardin wine. Palate is chock-full of black more than red cherry fruit, in between the freshness of the top wine and the breadth of fruit of Girardin. It could well be marked top, therefore, this gets pretty subtle. Oak is a little apparent for beaujolais, in classical terms. Another to cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 09/12

2005 Craggy Range Merlot Gimblett Gravels 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.9%; $31 [ cork; DFB; Me 86%, CF 14, hand-harvested @ 3.5 t/ac; 20 months in French oak 50% new; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a model Bordeaux-blend colour, yet not a heavyweight. The wine is little-changed from previous reports, the bouquet is simply sensational for the variety, explicit violets florals, and beautiful bottled black doris dark plum. Palate matches perfectly, ripe, warm, generous without being big, totally of (say) Fourth Growth Bordeaux standard. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 06/08

2002 Penfolds [ Shiraz ] Bin 95 Grange 18 ½ (

)

South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $ – [ cork; Sh 99%, CS 1; some barrel-ferment; 15 months in American hogsheads 100% new; www.penfolds.com ]
Ruby and velvet, the third deepest but older in hue naturally. Bouquet on the 2002 is akin to the 2008, in that it is one of the fresher and more restrained. The quality of berry is at about the same point on my syrah ripening curve as the 2008, or perhaps a little riper, some blueberry, boysenberry starting to displace bottled black plums, too ripe for cassis, good for shiraz but over-ripe by syrah / Northern Rhone standards. There is a lovely smoothing and hint of integration just creeping into the palate here, the berry is starting to wrap up the oak nicely, and the VA is again within bounds. Palate is therefore slightly more velvety than the 2008, but the oak is still unsubtle / very Australian. Cellar 10 – 35 years. GK 07/13

2010 Te Mata Estate Syrah Bullnose 18 ½ (

)

Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $50 [ cork; 3 clones of syrah hand-harvested, 100% de-stemmed; extended cuvaison; 15 months in French oak some new; RS nil; www.temata.co.nz ]
Good ruby, carmine and velvet, scarcely distinguishable from the 2009. Bouquet is classic Bullnose syrah, fruit ripened to a Northern Rhone point of perfection emphasising florality and sensuous charm, berry dominant, oak in the background. Palate is pure cassis grading to bottled black doris berry, subtle black pepper and oak, youthful still, but set to marry up beautifully over the next five years, and cellar 5 – 15 years. At the point of release Bullnose has always been easy to underestimate, it really needs the extra year to harmonise and fill out. This wine is New Zealand's closest approach to fine Cote Rotie, even though there is no viognier – a function of the care taken in selecting the picking date to optimise florality and complexity. The 2010 follows on delightfully from the 2009, both representing New Zealand syrah at its most beautiful, rather than as heavyweights. GK 08/11

2004 Penfolds [ Shiraz ] Bin 95 Grange 18 ½ (

)

South Australia, Australia: 14.3%; $ – [ cork; Sh 96%, CS 4; some barrel-ferment; 16 months in American hogsheads 100% new; www.penfolds.com ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, the second deepest and third freshest of the set. Like the 2008, this wine too demonstrates some finesse in a bold way. The berry is not quite so fresh and suggestive of an appropriate red wine climate as the 2008, but one can imagine suggestions of cassis, even hints of syrah in this wine – the bounty of the cooler year. Most of the palate weight is in fact blueberry and darker bottled black doris plums, and their concentration is fabulous. There is some tell-tale boysenberry, and sad to say, a touch of euc, but this too really has some claim to being fine wine, and nearly syrah, as opposed to being an overstated national monument. Cellar 10 – 40 years. GK 07/13

2007 Nautilus Pinot Noir Four Barriques 18 ½ (

)

Omaka & Wairau Valleys, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $60 [ cork; nil whole bunch; c.18 months in French oak 50% new, 50% 1-year; 75% of wine Omaka hill-slope older soils; www.nautilusestate.com ]
Good pinot noir ruby, above midway in depth. Bouquet is a rare achievement for Marlborough, a pinot showing a depth, complexity and ripeness well beyond the tending-leafy buddleia level of florality so commonly encountered on the younger soils of the district. Along with excess florality, such wines sometimes show excess simple blackboy-peach fruit. This bouquet however indicates achieving full physiological maturity with darker fruits as well as red is possible in the district. Florals include a hint of buddleia-like aromas, but are centred on roses grading to suggestions of the deep and desirable boronia stage of maturity. Palate likewise grades from red fruits to black cherry, and the texture and length of cherry flavour suggests a grand cru cropping rate. In a district where Pinot development thus far has been more quantitative than qualitative, this wine is a key step forward for Marlborough. It presumably reflects vines grown largely on older terrace sites, not young gravels [ later confirmed, Clive Jones: 75% of the fruit Omaka Valley hill-slope older clayey soils ]. As these higher-clay soils are explored in the Marlborough region, all the evidence is there will be much more exciting, complex and physiologically mature pinot noirs forthcoming – a great prospect. This wine is therefore a real milestone and pointer to the more diverse future of the Marlborough district, given its overseas reputation for whites, coupled with some concern as to the 'one trick' nature of its reputation. As an aside, given the increasing effort thoughtful winemakers are putting into making sauvignon blanc so much more complex and pleasing to smell and drink, that concern is I think premature. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 02/10

2004 Esk Valley Riesling Black Label 18 ½ (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 11%; $20 [ screwcap; 14.5 g/L RS; www.eskvalley.co.nz ]
Pale lemon. Compared with the others, bouquet is sweeter and more floral and nectary on this riesling, and is slightly perfumed in the sense jasmine is perfumed. Palate is in a bigger style, the flavour components a little more hoppy and strong, good acid balance, all a little bolder and warmer-climate than the best South Island wines. Stylewise, this could end up in cellar as challenging top Eden and Clare Valley wines (except it is sweeter than their best, just outside the dry class by taste, more by analysis). It is wonderful that Esk Valley are moving towards releasing their whites in their second year, a policy much more in accord with serious European practice. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 11/05

2002 Sacred Hill Cabernet / Merlot Helmsman 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $39 [ release date August '04; MLF in barrel, 20 months in French oak; www.sacredhill.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, minutely darker than the Brokenstone Merlot. A youthful bouquet which is still slightly closed, below which are wonderful cassis, violets and dark plums. Oak is subtler than (for example) the Esk or Vidal Reserves, acid balance a little crisper, and the fruit not quite so rich. The whole wine is very aromatic, moreso than Brokenstone, and should mature into an attractive Medoc-styled bottle. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 05/04

2008 Astrolabe Riesling Discovery 18 ½ (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 12.5%; $16 [ screwcap; Ri 100%, night and machine harvested; fermented in s/s with no solids; RS 13 g/L; www.astrolabewines.co.nz ]
Paleish lemongreen. Bouquet is pure and understated, implicitly varietal at this stage, a little vanillin and lime-zest only. Palate is neat, light and medium-dry, firm acid, like some Mosel trocken or halb-trocken wines in youth. The late aftertaste shows beautiful handling of phenolics. This score includes a considerable element of anticipation – give it a couple of years undisturbed. Cellar 5 – 12 years, maybe 15, noting the winemaker says 18 months (though to a peak). Be fun to check. GK 04/09

2003 Guigal Tavel 18 ½ (

)

Tavel, Southern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $32 [ Gr 50%, Ci 30, clairette 10, Sy 5, others 5; average vine age 25 years; cropped 34 hL / ha; free-run juice, in s/s 6 months; 3300 cases; www.guigal.com ]
Light salmon-flushed rosé. Bouquet is fresh and fragrant, suggesting strawberry jam (in the best sense) and raspberry, with a lovely drying spicy cinnamon note adding complexity and vinosity, classic grenache-dominated rosé. Palate is flavoursome, rich yet not heavy, very dry yet seemingly sweet-fruited, long in flavour. Perfect rosé, for all practical purposes. 'They' always say drink the youngest available, but wines like this cellar beautifully short term, just passing from spring to autumn berry flavours. Cellar 3 - 8 years, if desired. GK 07/05

1983 Jaboulet Hermitage la Chapelle 18 ½ (

)

Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $ – [ cork (superb 55 mm); price at release in New Zealand $37.50, cf an anticipated $390 for the 2005; Broadbent on the Rhone vintage: "a magnificent hot dry summer ... the red wines from both the north and the south were excellent, rich and concentrated with hard tannins which have softened with maturity."; www.jaboulet.com ]
Colour older ruby and garnet, lightening to a burgundy weight. Bouquet is simply beautiful, syrah combining the cassis of Bordeaux with some of the florals of Burgundy, as well as dianthus / carnations, and fresh white and black pepper, all melding into definitive piquant syrah mellowed into full maturity, yet still so fresh. Palate is firm in one sense (thinking of the claret analogy), yet soft in another, very fragrant, absolutely pure, still good fruit, wondrous with food, the acid balance fresh and refreshing throughout. Those who have scoffed at this great wine, and the tannins they claimed it would never outlive, simply showed their lack of experience with the magic that happens when tannic wines crust in bottle – as here. Fully mature, but no great hurry in the next 5, maybe 10 years. GK 03/08

2006 Neudorf Chardonnay 18 ½ (

)

Moutere Hills, Nelson, New Zealand: 14.5%; $71 [ screwcap; 100% clone mendoza hand-picked; non-settled juice BF in French oak 30% new, 100% MLF, LA and batonnage 10 months; dry; www.neudorf.co.nz ]
Good lemon. This is the most distinctive chardonnay in this batch. Bouquet is richly varietal, complexed by the kind of charred oak note that Corbans were famous for in the Cottage Block series in the 1990s. At this stage that character is a little prominent, along with a high-solids note, suppressing subtleties somewhat. In mouth however, the rich golden queen peach fruit is of tactile richness, against firm acid balance and fine texture. The high alcohol seems better hidden than some previous examples of the label. The only caveat about the wine is, if you are not so keen on the faintly coal-tar char note, this mightn't be the one for you. It will marry into the mealy qualities, becoming nutty, in the way walnuts have a little bite to them. Cellar 2 – 10 years. GK 03/08

2001 Rousseau Chambertin 18 ½ (

)

Gevrey-Chambertin Grand Cru, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 13%; $254 [ 100% new oak ]
Classic pinot noir ruby. A voluminous bouquet showing deep aromatic florals (boronia-like with faint citrus blossom) overlain by nearly cedary oak, on red and black cherries and small fruits. Palate has that perfect crunchy cherry texture which is so hard to put into words, but is the essence of pinot, power without weight, perfect acid balance, long and satisfying fruit, the richest of the Rousseaus, but not a big wine. Oaking is in better balance for this wine than some in the range. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 02/05

2002 Sacred Hill Chardonnay Riflemans 18 ½ (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $33 [ clone mendoza; hand-picked, whole-bunch pressed; BF 100%, LA, partial MLF; www.sacredhill.com ]
Elegant lemon. A classic chardonnay bouquet, just a touch of barrel char, then lovely pale stonefruits, oatmeal and vinosity. Palate is succulent, so rich as to make one wonder if it is not bone dry, carefully oaked, subtler than the Te Awa, the flavours lingering as varietal for ages. Cellar to 10 years, but delicious now. GK 06/04

2002 Te Awa Chardonnay 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $30 [ BF and extended LA, 30% new French oak; nil MLF; www.teawafarm.co.nz ]
Lemonstraw, fractionally deeper than the Trinity Gimblett. First impression is of absolute purity of mendoza-dominant chardonnay and beeswax characters, coupled with gorgeous golden queen peachy fruit. Complexity factors include mealy and hazelnutty suggestions, and careful oak, but the beauty of the fruit rules. In mouth the oak increases somewhat, but the peachy flavours are great, with excellent length on fruit plus lees autolysis mealiness, and this waxy texture of fine mendoza fruit. With no MLF, relatively subtle alcohol actually less than that stated, potentially mealy and nutty complexity, and finely-textured oaking, this should cellar for 10 years easily, and still be an interesting bottle in 20. As the similarly non-MLF McWilliams 1981 (Hawkes Bay) is today. Lovely wine. GK 07/04

2005 Guigal Cote Rotie Ch d'Ampuis 18 ½ (

)

Cote Rotie, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $237 [ cork; Sy 93%, Vi 7; a blend of 6 vineyards, average vine age 50 + years; 38 months in new French oak; WA / Parker, 2009: masculine-styled ... dense, concentrated, and powerful, with gamy black currant, spice box, bacon fat, and herb notes, this chewy, tannic, enormously promising ... two decades or more. (94-96); www.guigal.com ]
Ruby and velvet, lighter and older than the top wines. Great to record that this vintage of d'Ampuis shows much less brett than several recent vintages. The syrah varietal quality and in particular the florality of this wine matches beautifully with the top New Zealand wines, augmented by 7% viognier, showing yet again just how exciting syrah is in New Zealand. The ratio of new oak to rich cassisy fruit is higher than the subtlest of the top New Zealand wines, again more on a par with the latest Craggy Range wines, which makes for a long but drying aftertaste, yet it is sustained by the fruit richness. The acid balance is perfection, serving to highlight the harshness of wines with added tartaric. Some thought the wine too oaky, in the ensuing discussion. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 01/10

2002 Penfolds [ Shiraz ] Bin 95 Grange 18 ½ (

)

South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $499 [ cork; Sh 99%, CS 1; perhaps some barrel-ferment; 15 months in American hogsheads 100% new; even with the recent strength of the NZ$, Grange has been increasing in price about 15% per annum for some years now, reflecting continuing strong American demand; Robinson: Balanced and poised even in its extreme youth. Savoury, dense but very smooth tannins, which also contribute freshness. Not yet very expressive though it has bags of sweet black fruit in the mid palate; quite primary. Incredible savoury blackness. 18.5; www.penfolds.com.au ]
Ruby and velvet, not the carmine of RWT or le Sol, reflecting more new-oak influence, but very dense, the second darkest wine of the tasting. Bouquet is intense, showing marvellous berry and a lot of fragrant oak, and all in a very fresh style (for Grange). The berry is not 'brown' as so many Penfolds top reds can be in lesser years. Aroma descriptors do not quite embrace the floral components essential to great syrah, as in le Sol, Block 14, or the top northern Rhone syrahs such as the Guigals in this tasting, thus reflecting a relatively hotter growing climate for Grange, even in a 'cool' year. Even so, there is superb cassis and darkest plum of great freshness and intensity. Palate introduces blueberry into a velvety fruit weight on palate which is magnificent in mouth (if one disregards the excessive oak), and much less raisined than many Granges have been. It is as rich as the Guigal Hermitage Ex Voto, showing just how incredible that wine is – to be of similar size to Grange is saying something about a French wine ! The Voto however shows how oak should be used. Notwithstanding the lavish oak, this is the finest and subtlest Grange I have tasted. It is much oakier than le Sol, needless to say, and clearly more concentrated. The two wines differ quite markedly, yet nett quality is comparable – see discussion under le Sol. Cellar 10 – 40 years. GK 06/07

2002 Villa Maria Malbec Single Vineyard Omahu Reserve 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $55 [ screwcap; 18 months in French & American oak, 60% new; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, great density. This quietly-spoken but giant-sized velvety red was written up in these reviews 12/04, 18.5 (q.v.). In this blind tasting of 25 cabernet, merlot and related wines, it showed up absolutely consistently. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 11/05

2004 Villa Maria Merlot / Cabernet Cellar Selection 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $25 [ screwcap; Me 70%, CS 17, Ma 13; hand-harvested, 100% de-stemmed; 22 months in French oak 40% new; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, but not the density and weight of the ’02 Reserve wine or the Craggys in this batch. Bouquet however is every bit as delightful. Like the Craggy Gimblett Merlot, it is not so serious and oak-influenced, but in many ways it is the better for that, allowing the fruit to shine through. In mouth the clarity of cassis and the beauty of the merlot black plum is marvellous. With the lighter oak, the wine is all one could ask of a top cru bourgeois or even a lesser classed growth. It won't cellar as long as the more expensive reserve wines, since it is not quite as rich, but it is at least as delightful. Cellar 5 – 15 years. VALUE GK 04/06

2005 Richardson Riesling 18 ½ (

)

Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 13%; $24 [ screwcap; the label of Michelle Richardson, formerly chief winemaker at Villa Maria, noted for her rieslings; Robinson: just 4g/l residual sugar so tasting almost bone dry, the balance seems just about right for this refreshing, lightly floral, quite Germanic, ‘cool’ wine which will have an interesting life in bottle. Quite complex. 17.5 ]
Lemon, between the Fromm and the MadFish. Bouquet on this wine is intriguing, clearly riesling yet in the vanilla-pod intensity is a hint of something else, in the nougat / desiccated coconut spectrum. In mouth the flavours reflect the bouquet, great dry extract, some reminders of Mosel trocken style, a little sweeter than the MadFish, lime-zest again. A distinctive style, which should cellar well 5 – 10 + years. GK 08/06

2002 Villa Maria Malbec Single Vineyard Omahu 18 ½ (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $55 [ screwcap; Ma 100%; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Dense ruby, carmine and velvet. Tasted blind amongst a batch of Chilean malbecs, this NZ wine is perfectly ripe, dispelling the notion malbec can't be ripened properly in New Zealand. There is intense darkly plummy berry like merlot, but with an aromatic edge to it reminding of black olives and syrah. Plus a lot of hessian new oak. Palate is velvety rich, tending one-dimensional in the style of malbec, but again, beautifully ripe. One can see in this very good wine why it is nonetheless regarded as second rate in Bordeaux, for there is a certain monolithic quality to the fruit flavours. On the world stage this is internationally competitive top-level malbec, as rich or richer than any of the Viu Manent (Chile) wines, and subtler in its oaking, even though the Villa wine is scarcely low oak. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 12/04

2011 Church Road Merlot / Cabernet Sauvignon Grande Reserve 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels 92% & Bridge Pa Triangle 8, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $49 [ cork 50mm; Me 77%, CS 23, mostly hand-picked the cabernet c.3 weeks later than the merlot (just before the rain); cuvaison mostly in oak cuves extended to 35 days for some components; c.20 months in all-French oak c.60% new, balance 1-year, with no BF or lees stirring, just racking; not fined or filtered; RS < 2 g/L all unfermentable; www.churchroad.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a great colour. At this point in the two-hour tutorial, with eight component wines done, it is time to both examine and enjoy a couple of complete blends, wines which illustrate the great potential Hawkes Bay (and Waiheke Island mentioned too, not forgotten) has for world-class temperate-climate (i.e. complex) bordeaux blends. For this Church Road example, freshly poured the vanillin component from new oak was stronger than my earlier review suggested, but the fruit richness on bouquet is powerful too. Flavour shows a young wine of great fruit interest and complexity, still young and yet to meld. The oak makes it a little more aromatic than ideal at this stage, but the plummy merlot-led berryfruit is convincing. Lovely young wine to cellar 8 – 20 years. GK 09/14

2004 Craggy Range Merlot Gimblett Gravels Single Vineyard 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $26 [ cork; details not [then] on website; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, much denser than the Block 14 Syrah. Bouquet is a whole size larger than the Block 14, a little boisterous in its youth, but much subtler and finer than the 2003. Darkest black doris plums dominate the bouquet, with almost a blackberry-in-the-sun berry fragrance and richness. Behind the oak there are real merlot violets and florals in this wine, which should emerge further as it marries down. Palate shows sensational fruit, wonderfully rich, explicitly varietal despite the oak and alcohol, inclining to the 'garagiste' new wave wine styles of St Emilion and Pomerol. Acid balance is fine-grained and natural – and quite apart from the floral and varietal fruit quality, this is where Kiwi merlot triumphs, and the Australian examples languish – the latter too hard, hot-climate, acid adjusted and coarse. This wine, in contrast, will be velvety in five years. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 03/06

2004 Littorai Pinot Noir Anderson Valley Savoy Vineyard 18 ½ (

)

Mendocino, California, USA: 14.2%; $ – [ cork; US$55; clones 114, 115, 667, 777 & Pommard, age 12 years; 100% de-stemmed, 5 – 8 days cold soak, wild yeast fermentation, 22 days cuvaison; 15 months in French oak 50% new; no fining, no filtration; www.littorai.com ]
Deepish ruby, some velvet, in the deepest three for depth of colour, about a max for pinot noir. Bouquet is immediately big, velvety, fragrant, very deep so at first one asks: is this another over-extracted hefty new world misinterpretation of pinot noir. But exploring further, and with a little air, there is a darkest roses / violets floral-like lift to the fruit, and there are dark cherry notes, so dark they seem almost raisined, but not roasted. On palate the wine completely redeems itself, rich fruit of great poise, saturated black cherry flavours with tannins as much from grape skins as oak, and the wine not unduly dominated either by the fragrant oak or alcohol. Yes, it is very big as pinot noirs go, and some tasters felt it was excessively oaky as well, but it is strictly varietal in a blackfruits style, and has the mouthfeel and structure of grand cru burgundy of a very ripe year, plus good acid balance. I think it has the fruit and dry extract to absorb the oak. There must have been grand cru burgundies something like this, in some of the ‘great’ vintages of the past – 1959, 1949, 1945 (or earlier, though not much new oak in those days). It should be a top-notch bottle in 5 years, and cellar for 15 +. It would not however appeal to those who prefer a dominance of red fruits in their pinots. GK 06/07

2005 Trinity Hill [ Merlot / Malbec / Petit Verdot ] The Gimblett 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.8%; $30 [ super-critical 'cork'; Me 61%, Ma 21, PV 11, CF 5, CS 2, hand-picked @ c. 2.75 t/ac; c. 4 weeks cuvaison; 20 months in French oak c. 40% new; www.trinityhill.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, not as deep as the top two. As for the previous sampling, in the blind tasting this wine opened with a lovely aromatic component on the cassis just hinting at syrah, very fragrant indeed. Palate is closer to The Quarry than the Church Road, and not as rich as the latter but clearly aromatic and cassisy. It is surprisingly firm for a merlot-dominant wine, and a little richer and riper than Coleraine 2005. Like the 2006 Quarry, a warm-climate taster might think it a little too fresh. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 11/08

2004 Xabregas Cabernet Sauvignon Show Reserve 18 ½ (

)

Mt Barker, Western Australia, Australia: 14%; $36 [ cork; DFB; made at the Porongurup contract winery, using Ganimede Italian fermenters which cycle the juice over the skins using the CO2 produced in fermentation. Their reputation is to produce more colour and a softer and more aromatic wine - www.porongurup-winery.com.au; Xabregas is the volume label of Traolach; www.xabregas.com.au ]
Ruby and velvet, as rich as the other top wines, but older than the 2002 Esk. Bouquet is intriguing, different, clearly floral on a very fragrant berry style even more like a traditional St Emilion. There are fragrant red currant qualities suggesting cabernet franc, as well as cassis, all in appropriate oak, and glory be, no euc. Palate is aromatic, good berry and fruit again distinctive in its fragrance, with some charry dark chocolate oak on the rich later palate. This is a lovely rich modern Bordeaux style, but one wouldn't pick it as straight cabernet sauvignon. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 05/06

2005 Sacred Hill Sauvignon Blanc Sauvage 18 ½ (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $ – [ screwcap; hand-picked, whole-bunch pressed to barrel; wild-yeast ferments; no MLF, 8 months LA but no batonnage in French oak 30 – 40% new and balance 1-year; RS <1g/L; www.sacredhill.com ]
Lemon-straw, with a wash of brass. There is intriguing variation in the nature of the fruit in these three examples of Sauvage, the 2005 showing a slightly cooler rendering of sauvignon blanc than the 2007, with slightly more Marlborough cues: sweet basil and yellow as well as red capsicums, plus the same elevage complexities the younger two wines show. Palate brings up the fruit qualities to show beautiful richness and texture, clear baguette-quality yeast autolysis, oak now attractively married away. It is not quite as perfectly ripe as the 2007, and is at the beginning of full maturity now. It will cellar for several years more, but not as long as the 2007. GK 10/10

2009 Pisa Range Estate Pinot Noir Black Poplar Block 18 ½ (

)

Pisa, Cromwell Basin, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $41 [ screwcap; oldest vines 15 years; nil whole bunch; c.12 months in French oak, 33% new; www.pisarangeestate.co.nz ]
Tending big pinot noir ruby, one of the darker wines, slightly older naturally enough than the 2010s. Initially opened, this is the most elegant young pinot from Pisa Range in some time. Even so it is better still with some air. Like the Mount Difficulty, there are clear dark cherry aromas with beautiful florality, here more violets and dark roses, not quite so aromatic. Fruit shows excellent richness, yet is poised and neat, again no heavyness, great persistence, slightly more noticeable oak than the Mount Difficulty. This too is a first-rate example of Otago pinot noir to cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 11/12

2005 Villa Maria Riesling Private Bin 18 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $17 [ screwcap; 2005 not on website, 2004 11.3 g/L RS; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Pale lemongreen. Purity of bouquet on this riesling matches the Felton Road and Coopers, and the varietal characters are similar but not quite at the same volume: white florals and freesia, vanilla pod, and citrus including lime. Palate is neatly pitched between the two, gorgeous flavours, a little richer than the Coopers, low phenolics, medium-dry, another classical New Zealand riesling. Great to have this quality in the basic wine of the Villa Maria range, and at an appropriate alcohol. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 11/05

2005 Kaituna Valley Sauvignon Blanc 18 ½ (

)

Awatere Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $19 [ screwcap; hand-harvested; some LA, no oak, no MLF ]
Elegant pale lemon. Clean ripe complex sauvignon fruit, ripest red capsicum, black passionfruit, stone fruits, and a hint of herbes. Palate is beautifully rich, the flavours at a peak of integration and lusciousness, yet drier than most Marlborough sauvignons. There is lees-autolysis complexity and mineral austerity too, the latter said to characterise the Awatere Valley, versus the Wairau district. This wine has come together marvellously in the last two months. Cellar to 10 years, to taste. GK 02/06

2006 Can Rafols Petit Caus Rosado 18 ½ (

)

Penedes DdO, Spain: 11.5%; $18 [ cork; Me 35%, Ull de Llebre = Te 35, Sy 20, Sumoll 10; RS 1.3 g/L; the back-label website www.stvincentscave.com is not functional, the winery website cumbersome; www.canrafolsdelscaus.com ]
Perfect light red cherry rosé. Bouquet is fragrant, immediately enticing, combining red crab-apple, red cherry and best side of strawberry with absolute cleanliness. Palate is just as good, flavoursome yet light, superbly refreshing at 11.5% alcohol and dry, yet showing the lovely mouthfeel of real rosé, tasting as if made with red grapes. Model in fact marvellous quaffing wine, clearly winey, confirming yet again rosé is NOT best in its first year, despite much conventional wisdom to the contrary. Cellar 1 – 3 years. GK 03/08

2002 Felton Road Pinot Noir 18 ½ (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $47 [ screwcap; the young wine seemed a little on the plummy side of black cherry, but as already noted, this vintage was enthusiastically received. 2012 impressions will be intriguing. Campbell 2008, 93: Strong sweet red cherry, plum and wild thyme characters. A plumper wine than the usual more restrained Felton Road style. But attractive with good complexity, nicely balanced and still with potential; www.feltonroad.com ]
Mature ruby, a rich and lovely pinot noir colour at 10 years, in the middle for weight. Needs decanting preferably into a decanter or other vessel with a good surface-to-air ratio, and standing for an hour. Bouquet is then the most floral, fragrant and complexly varietal in the set, with clear boronia, violets and rose notes on cherry fruit. In mouth the cherries are more black than red, and the charm of the wine is in the gentle oaking, so the fruit quality speaks right through to the rich aftertaste. This wine represents the very best of Otago pinot noir styles, it is distinctively new world yet also clearly burgundian in a vaguely Cote de Nuits way, and it is generally a delight. In a temperate climate cellar it is still remarkably fresh, now at a peak of early maturity, which it will hold for several years. Northern North Island New Zealand bottles will be older. GK 10/12

2002 Cloudy Bay Pelorus 18 ½ (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $42 [ cork; PN 60%, Ch 40; in addition to s/s, part of base wine either fermented in oak cuves, or BF in oak; full MLF, 9 months LA after primary ferment, then after assembling, 3 years en tirage; RS / dosage c. 7g/L; www.cloudybay.co.nz ]
Straw. Bouquet is in a big rich Bollinger style, implying pinot noir as much as chardonnay, and a little barrel fermentation and oak maturation in the first fermentation. There is exemplary baguette crust autolysis on quite rich fruit. Palate matches bouquet, mouth-filling with good body, and both baguette crust and wine biscuit near-mealyness from extended yeast maturation, all lingering long in mouth and wonderful with savoury foods. This is the living proof of why one should cellar (good) bubbly. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 11/08

2006 Esk Valley Estate Syrah Black Label 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $25 [ screwcap; Sy 100% hand-harvested @ 24+ degrees Brix, all de-stemmed; mostly wild yeast, warm-fermented in concrete open-top vessels, c. 30 days cuvaison; MLF and c. 20 months in French oak 30% new; RS <1g/L; Catalogue: very fragrant exhibiting characteristics of plums, dark fruits, pepper, camphor and sandalwood and can be cellared with confidence for at least 8 years. Awards: Top 5 in class, Winestate 2008; www.eskvalley.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, not quite as deep as the top wines. Bouquet on this wine is as explicitly floral varietal as the Church Road, clear dianthus and wallflower on cassis and black fruits. Palate is not quite as rich as that wine or the Mission Syrah Reserve, but is even more varietal, with beautiful black peppercorn spice. It is rounder than the Villa – not quite so fresh. This wine is really starting to sing. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 07/09

2007 Esk Valley Syrah Reserve [ preview ] 18 ½ (

)

Cornerstone Vineyard, Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $65 [ screwcap; hand-harvested from vines planted in 1996, de-stemmed; total wild-yeast and wild-malo fermentation, no enzyme, no tannin, and cuvaison extending to 35 days; MLF and c.21 months in French oak 25% new, with 2-weekly lees stirring but no racking; total production < 300 cases, release date late 2009; Catalogue: not in; www.eskvalley.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. This is a gentler wine than the 2006 Reserve wine, the initial impression being blueberries, softness and florality like the Craggy Range Block 14. In mouth, there is likewise a total Cote Rotie-like presentation of syrah, the emphasis on florality and suppleness, much less stern than the young wines of Hermitage can be, and which the Church Road Reserve shows to perfection. The fruit richness is superb, a rich backbone of cassis plus bottled black doris plum and black pepper, and more oak at this stage than the Block 14. I suspect this gloriously traditional and ‘natural’ wine will score higher in a year or two. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 07/09

2004 Stonecroft Chardonnay Old Vines 18 ½ (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $38 [ supercritical cork; 100% mendoza from 21 years old vines; hand-picked, bunch-pressed; 100% BF in 50% new oak, LA and batonnage 12 months; 15% MLF; www.stonecroft.co.nz ]
Good lemon. Alongside the two South Island wines, this is a little more oaky and boisterous. The depth of golden peachy mendoza fruit is excellent, however, and there is a big baguette crust autolysis complexing it. Palate is rich and waxy, with long peachy fruit extended by the autolysis and by oak. Classic Hawkes Bay chardonnay in a bigger style. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 02/06

2004 Penfolds Cabernet / Shiraz Bin 389 18 ½ (

)

Barossa Valley, South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $209 [ Cork 46mm, ullage 26mm; original price c.$40; CS 53%, Sh 47; elevage 13 months in US oak c.20% new, c. 65% 1-year including some ex-Grange, balance older; JH@ JR, 2009: Vanilla sweetness and some peppery spice over dark savoury rich black fruit. Dominated by oak at the moment. Not ready to drink. Very sweet oak covers the fruit at the moment. A grip of tannin. A bit thick even though smooth. Less finesse in the tannins than the 2004 Grange but quite juicy, 17.5; H. Steiman@WS, 2007: Velvety in texture, with refined tannins surrounding a plush core of currant, huckleberry and peppery spice flavors that linger effortlessly on the finish. Best from 2008 through 2016. 27,000 cases imported, 90; weight bottle and closure: 598 g; www.penfolds.com ]
Ruby and velvet, just above midway in depth. A voluminous bouquet augmented by a little spirit, and a pennyroyal lift, the cabernet component dominant at this stage of the wine’s evolution, quite a cassisy quality. On palate oak becomes noticeable, but the berry quality is so good, it just makes the wine intensely aromatic. As with Bin 60A, shiraz fills out and sweetens the palate, the wine building into a very aromatic mouthful. Only on the finish does the Penfolds preoccupation with pH show up, the tartaric addition being noticeable. All the same, this is an exceptionally flavoursome and harmonious 389, reminding of some offerings in the 1970s. A pity Penfolds were still skimping on corks in 2004, 46 mm, for what is a 50 year wine. Top wine for one taster, and second favourite for another. Cellar 15 – 35 years. GK 04/21

2006 Villa Maria Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot Reserve 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $50 [ screwcap; CS 56%, Me 44, hand-harvested @ around 2.75 t/ac; vinified @ Mangere, 100% de-stemmed; s/s fermentation, with a longer cuvaison than the Merlot Reserve; MLF and 18 months in French and American oak 46% new; RS nil; Catalogue: Creme de cassis, bitter dark chocolate, coffee grindings, dried mint and graphite flow seamlessly from the nose to the palate. The palate is well structured with fine-grained tannins, concentrated, but with an overall elegance that is rare when coupled with this intensity. Anticipated maturity 2013-2018; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet. Bouquet is deep and quiet, with a beautiful quality of floral-infused cassis, which is exactly modern Bordeaux from a classical producer. By that I mean, a wine which is not over-ripe, not over-oaky, is free from brett, but is still essentially aimed at European ideals of beauty. The floral notes are sweetly violets and dusky red roses. Palate is leaner than the top wines, but the quality of the cassis is superb, merlot plums still to fatten, and the body of the wine is floral right through. This is a delightful Hawkes Bay wine, not overly big but very beautiful indeed, unequivocally Bordeaux classed-growth standard. It is almost ‘delicate’ alongside the 2007 Church Rd Cabernet / Merlot Reserve, but then many a good Bordeaux would be too. This Villa Maria Reserve is simply an equally valid and equally exciting interpretation of the classic Hawkes Bay / Bordeaux blend. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 07/09

2008 Guigal Condrieu 18 ½ (

)

Condrieu, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $83 [ cork; 33% BF in new French oak, 67% s/s, 100% MLF; www.guigal.com ]
Lemon-straw. If one prefers beauty and varietal elegance over size and oak, this is the best Guigal Condrieu for several years. Varietal fruit clearly dominates the oak this year, with clear-cut citrus blossom very evocative. Fruit notes on bouquet include both suggestions of mandarin and explicit apricots ranging from fresh to canned. Palate is much subtler in its oaking than recent years, and the wine is admirably fresh, as if this year a percentage stayed in stainless steel without MLF. Not a big or rich wine, but a beautiful illustration of all the yellow-tinged floral and fruit notes which make good viogniers so distinctive. New Zealand producers of pallid pinot gris-like viogniers need to study wines like this, and accept the facts, that this variety needs warmth on a warmest Hawkes Bay and best sites on Waiheke Island scale, if the grape is to display appropriate varietal smells and flavours. Cellar 1 – 3 years. GK 10/10

2005 Drouhin Grands-Echezeaux 18 ½ (

)

Flagey-Echezeaux Grand Cru, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $340 [ cork; a Drouhin domaine wine; adjoins Clos de Vougeot, upslope; no detail on website, but presumably comparable with other grands crus; www.drouhin.com ]
Good pinot noir ruby, a little above midway in depth, clearly oak-influenced. Freshly poured, this wine was darkly floral, a little withdrawn, with clear black cherry fruit. With air it expanded into a deep dark yet still understated wine, perhaps the most tannic and skinsy of the set, with some dark plum too – very marcy. To the extent Drouhin reds could ever be 'heavy', this one tends that way (that is not a euphemism for being reductive). Palate richness for these dark fruits is excellent. In five years time it will justify its score – at the moment it is little anticipatory. Cellar 10 – 30 years. GK 12/07

2006 Kumeu River Chardonnay Hunting Hill 18 ½ (

)

Kumeu River, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14%; $ – [ screwcap; see 2010 Hunting Hill; www.kumeuriver.co.nz ]
Lively straw, the deepest of the Kumeu chardonnays. After all the young wines, what a pleasure to smell and taste a wine with some maturity. Here there is an element of biscuitty complexity creeping into the stonefruit, and no negatives from reduction. Palate is delightful, beautiful fully mature chardonnay surely including some clone mendoza, golden queen and other peaches, oatmeal, gentle oak, lovely balance and length. Eminently drinkable and poised wine, mature now, yet will cellar three years yet. GK 04/13

2006 Corbans Cabernet / Merlot Cottage Block 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels (Me & CS) and Havelock North (CF), Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $35 [ cork; CS 41%, Me 31, CF 18, all hand-picked, 100% de-stemmed; 21 separate fermentation components, up to 38 days cuvaison for the CS; MLF and 16 months in French oak 40% new; not fined or filtered; Catalogue: classic blackcurrant and dark forest berry characters with complex savoury nuances; Awards: Silver @ Liquorland Top 100 2008, Silver @ Air New Zealand 2008; background @ www.corbans.co.nz, leads to detail @; www.pernod-ricard-nz.com//tastingnotes.php? ]
Ruby and velvet, dense, the same richness as the 2007 but clearly older. Bouquet on this wine shows some of the integration and completeness the 2005 Tom shows, being beautifully complex and Bordeaux / Medoc like, with gorgeous cedar and cassis, as well as gentleness. Palate is not quite as good as that wine however, the weight of fruit being more cru bourgeois whereas the bouquet promised more, but the subtlety of oaking and Medoc totality of style is delightful. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 07/09

2004 Mebus Sauvignon Blanc 18 ½ (

)

Wairarapa, New Zealand: 13%; $18 [ screwcap ]
Lemongreen. A lovely fragrant sauvignon bouquet, which in addition to red capsicum and black passionfruit, has a suggestion of subtle cucumber which is delightful at a trace level. This wine has more body than most sauvignons, a richness on palate which could suggest a small percentage of barrel ferment, subtly done (if true). Delicious, anyway ! Should cellar well for 5 – 10 years. GK 01/05

2006 Guigal Cote Rotie La Mouline 18 ½ (

)

Cote Rotie, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $535 [ cork; Sy 89%, Vi 11, co-fermented; 42 months in new French oak; www.guigal.com ]
Ruby, nearly richest pinot noir, the lightest of the grands crus. I admire the florality of La Mouline, and the fragrant and sensuous charm it displays with 11% viognier. Those many New Zealand winemakers who are too timid to deploy more than 5% viognier in their syrah blends really need to think again, and try La Mouline more often (and John Hancock's 2007 Homage with 9% viognier). And in any case, what is wrong with presenting two premium syrahs, one straight wine emulating Hermitage, and one with viognier emulating Cote Rotie. Though with Australia hell-bent on devaluing the concept of Shiraz / Viognier to the lowest common denominator level, perhaps any premium offering is now best simply labelled as Syrah. Palate shares much with pinot noir, but is so much richer. In the Guigal range, the Brune & Blonde is the closest match, but a fraction the weight. Cellar 5 – 15 + years. GK 10/10

2010 Mudbrick Vineyard Cabernet / Merlot Reserve 18 ½ (

)

Western Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14.8%; $52 [ screwcap; CS 80%, Me 15, CF 5, hand-picked; cuvaison up to 21 days; c.14 months in all-French oak 40% new; 180 cases; www.mudbrick.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, deeper again than 2010 Larose. Bouquet on this wine shows a richness and ripeness which is more Hawkes Bay 2009 – more precisely Gimblett Gravels 2009. The cassis of the cabernet is melding into opulent darkest bottled plums of great purity and depth, and fragrant oak. Flavours in mouth are very ripe, again Hawkes Bay / Gimblett Gravels 2009, or like Bordeaux 2009, fractionally ripe for a Bordeaux traditionalist but well-suited to new world palates, all with ample fruit weight. The quality of oak is good but the level is too high (except for winning medals in judgings). It will marry up in the medium term, I think. In one sense this is simpler wine than the Passage Rock Cabernet Reserve and Larose, because of its greater ripeness. Many will prefer it for that, however. Cellar 5 – 25 years.

A couple of points for Mudbrick Vineyard in general. There is a prestige wine named Velvet made in the best years. The 2010 was not shown at the Expo (sadly). The cepage is not given, if it is anything like the 2008 one might guess syrah as well as the bordeaux varieties contributes to a rich winestyle meriting its name, it spends 19 months in all-French oak this time (great !) 50% new, there are 200 cases of it, and it costs $110. Given the reputation of the winery and the performance of the bordeaux varieties reviewed here, it seems a safe bet to add it to one's 2010 Waiheke collection. Secondly, the website is weird, there is virtually no wine info, it is as if wine production were completely incidental to social activity, even locating the skimpy wine info that is there is not obvious. The website needs completely re-orienting and re-emphasising, to give equal weight to the wine component. That is after all the only facet of this place anyone beyond Auckland will ever know. GK 10/12

2013 Te Mata Cabernets / Merlot Coleraine 18 ½ (

)

Havelock Hills, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $90 [ cork 49mm; hand-harvested CS 56%, Me 30, CF 14; extended cuvaison; average vine age 25 + years; 18 months in French oak c.75% new; RS nil; www.temata.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a great colour, not as dense as the Petit Mouton (allowing for hue), but clearly denser and more saturated than the Awatea, and showing a little more oak influence / less youthful. Bouquet is really interesting. On the face of it, it is less floral and less obvious than the Awatea, showing a taut integration of cassis and potentially cedary oak which is all promise, exquisitely pure. In mouth however it is the other way round, Coleraine showing a richness of berryfruit, and a texture and ripeness right through the tannins which eclipses Awatea. It tastes excitingly young and contemplative, all potential, not giving away much now. But it is still not as rich and ripe as either the 2011 Brokenstone, or the 2010 Petit Mouton, a second wine, note. Relative to Mouton proper, the lack of richness and ripeness is dramatic.

The issue here seems to be that proprietor John Buck set his palate parameters for bordeaux winestyles in the 1960s, a time when the world was cooler and wines from Bordeaux tended to be lighter. Even though based in London for a time then (at Stowells of Chelsea), he seems not to have sufficiently registered the odd riper and richer wine of the mid-60s, such as the wonderful 1966 Palmer I have written about frequently over the years. Thus the style determination for the future Coleraine and Awatea which John brought back to New Zealand then, is now out of step with the times. And I say that even allowing for the all-pervasive influence and style preferences of Robert Parker, in the intervening years, which are too much the other way. The truth lies in between.

You just need to look at the wines in this tasting. When the much-hyped Coleraine of the scarcely-matched 2013 vintage is a lighter wine than the second wine of Mouton Rothschild in 2010, something is out of whack. But New Zealand winewriters never talk about these things. I wonder if they even think about them, being apparently so totally mesmerised by the dicta of the proprietors. Dry extract data would settle the issue, but Te Mata rarely make this kind of hard data available. In one sense, Te Mata so believe and impose their own spin, and a credulous wine public so fawn on them, that these matters are never discussed.

Yet in another sense, Te Mata do things wonderfully well. Their website pioneered the quality approach to communicating about wine in New Zealand. There is information for every vintage of their wines that matter, a feature many, many wineries in New Zealand need to emulate, if they are to be regarded as serious winemakers. Naturally, the information reflects Te Mata's favourable view of their wines, but in this context, that is to be expected. Or take the corks. They were by far the first to employ branded, dated, full length Bordeaux corks in New Zealand. They formerly used 53 – 55mm corks in Coleraine, a length used only by the most quality-conscious Bordeaux proprietors. In a sad commentary on New Zealanders' lack of real affinity with wine (despite all the blah), chief winemaker Peter Cowley comments that consumers seem not to have corkscrews suited to long corks, and they complained the long corks broke in two. So now they are 49mm. Many New Zealand bordeaux-blend proprietors, who desperately want to be taken seriously overseas (and at home), still do not even date their corks, despite Te Mata showing the way 30 years ago. If only Te Mata would pay as much attention to classed-growth Bordeaux cropping rates, as to their presentation, their top wine could indeed in all reality still be New Zealand's top red. But now, the tide has come in around them, and there are a number of other Hawkes Bay (and Waiheke Island) winemakers challenging for this title.

But all this said, 2013 Coleraine is in truth a good wine. It just does not fulfil the proprietors' lofty claims for it. It will cellar for at least 25 years, and given the good corks, will still be pretty interesting at 35 years. I do not have many doubts my 82s and 83s will still open reasonably well, for those who like old wine. In New Zealand terms it is therefore an ideal choice for cellaring, to commemorate newborns in the year 2013, 21 years on. But a number of other Hawkes Bay 2013 reds will be too. GK 03/15

2010 Cable Bay Syrah Reserve 18 ½ (

)

Western Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14.5%; $85 [ screwcap; Sy 97%, Vi 3, hand-picked; 18 months in all-French oak, 33% new; www.cablebayvineyards.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, not quite as deep as Pilgrim. This is beautiful syrah, more exactly floral and varietal on bouquet than Pilgrim, with even the elusive syrah wallflower aroma in red and black fruits, and light black pepper. It is slightly cooler than the View East Syrah, therefore. Palate shows similar weight and exact cassis to the Pilgrim, delightfully pure varietal expression, but slightly skewed by fragrant new oak. This too is immaculately clean. It makes a good running mate for Pilgrim, both being roughly the same size. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 10/12

2008 Kumeu River Chardonnay Estate 18 ½ (

)

Kumeu, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.5%; $36 [ screwcap; hand-harvested from 6 vineyards; whole-bunch pressed; wild-yeast fermentation entirely in French oak; 100% MLF; 11 months in barrel with LA; 5,500 cases; www.kumeuriver.co.nz ]
Lemon. The similarity of style between the 2008 Estate and the 2007 Estate is remarkable, the 2008 simply being less integrated and seemingly less rich at this stage, and the oak showing a little more. Both this wine and the 2009 Riflemans illustrate delightfully how the oak marries away in the third year, in fine chardonnay. This is another benchmark New Zealand chardonnay: anything better than this is really special. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 10/10

2009 Vidal Syrah Legacy Series 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $70 [ screwcap; Sy 100%, hand-harvested, all de-stemmed; cold soak, cuvaison up to 25 days; MLF and c.20 months in French oak 33% new; RS nil; www.vidal.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, the second deepest colour, scarcely less rich or less fresh than the Le Sol, remarkable. First impressions are cedar and vanillin, rather more than cassis as in Le Sol, so I hoped that would be recognised as a greater ratio of oak in the wine, or a less vivid expression of varietal / fruit character. This was not achieved, both wines being thought equally oaky. In mouth, this Legacy Syrah is rich and long flavoured, on syrah berry fractionally riper than Le Sol. This faithfully reflects the two vintages. It is a lovely wine, but alongside the leading-edge Le Sol, it does reflect the greater oak ratio we as a nation are still addicted to. This too will cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 09/13

2010 Passage Rock Syrah 18 ½ (

)

Eastern Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14%; $35 [ screwcap; Sy 95%, Vi 5; hand-picked; 21 days cuvaison; c.10 months in French and American oak about equal, one third of the French new; 1200 cases; www.passagerockwines.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, fresher and deeper than the more serious Passage Rock Reserve Syrah, as if less oak influence. Bouquet suggests that too, with both floral and cassis notes, but also a suggestion of riper boysenberry, in great fruit. Fruit in mouth is particularly attractive, supple cassis, suggestions of bottled black doris plums, succulent quality, less oak complexity than the more serious labels so it seems simple (in one sense), yet in many ways it is therefore more varietal and beautiful. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 10/12

2002 Pask Declaration Reserve 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.8%; $50 [ CS dominant, Me, Ma roughly thirds; partial BF for the CS; 20 months in French and American oak 100% new; www.cjpaskwinery.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, one of the deeper colours. This is a huge bouquet among the set of 16 wines, and it is easy to be unduly influenced by the slightly charry American oak showing at this stage. However fruit richness and the depth of darkest cassis and plummy fruit is super, and despite the weight there is freshness and fragrance in the berryfruit – qualities which set it apart from so many Australian cabernet blends much influenced by American oak. The impressions of powerful fruit grow in mouth, to make this a bold and individualistic statement in its own right. It is much more cassisy and cabernet-dominant than most of the wines, well in style, but hard to confuse with Bordeaux – due not only to the level of oak, but also the slightly buttery (+ve) American oak. The wine could be refined, in that area. Cellar 10 – 25 years. GK 05/04

2004 Chivite Moscatel Gran Fuedo 18 ½ (

)

Navarra DdO Califica y Garantiza, Spain: 12%; $25 [ cork; hand-picked; www.bodegaschivite.com ]
Brilliant lemon. Bouquet is stunningly pure, sweet, and varietal, muscat ripened to perfection, no toothpasty / minty undertones, instead nectary and yellow stonefruit florals in profusion. Palate is full sweet, fat as if some botrytis, silky, yet with enough acid and skin contact to produce structure in the wine. This is elegant – always exciting to find in muscat. Cellar 1 – 3 years. GK 03/06

1997 Bannockburn Pinot Noir 18 ½ (

)

Geelong, Victoria, Australia: 13.5%; $40 [ WPN ]
Ruby and garnet. A compelling varietal bouquet, but veering towards the beautifully floral and perfumed end of the pinot spectrum: violets, jasmine, roses, really quite haunting. Dry yet deceptively rich complex berry palate, good fruit, spicy oak, and a fragrant stalky thread noticeable in the comparative line-up. It is fair to say that this character was not universally liked, but those who appreciated it are keen on it as a component of varietal character. Stimulating pinot noir, in its fragrant style hinting at Domaine Dujac. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 01/01

2009 Rockburn Wines Pinot Noir 18 ½ (

)

Cromwell Basin & Gibbston, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $40 [ screwcap; 10 months in oak; www.rockburn.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby. The quality of florals on bouquet is benchmark best New Zealand pinot, clear-cut red roses to boronia aromas on red cherry fruit, beautifully understated in the oaking. Palate amplifies the red cherry, and the florals are suffused right through the fruit, with attractive tannin balance and structure. An understated, highly varietal and attractive wine, contrasting with the more black-fruits wines I have in this review (perhaps arguably) rated highly. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 09/10

1999 Greenhough Pinot Noir Hope Vineyard 18 ½ (

)

Waimea Valley, Nelson, New Zealand: 13.5%; $ – [ cork 45mm, ullage 15mm; original price c.$36; winemaker Andrew Greenhough; winemaking, see Table; HS@WS, 2001: Smooth in texture, with well-focused blackberry and plum flavors that echo nicely on the round finish. Fades a bit on the finish, but otherwise very good. Drink now through 2003. 500 cases made, 86; Cooper, 2002: The fragrant 1999 is another generous red … richly coloured, mouthfilling, warm and concentrated, with sweet ripe flavours of cherries, plums and nuts, quality oak and firm underlying tannins. Still youthful, it’s built to last; open 2002+, *****; weight bottle, no closure 593 g; https://greenhough.co.nz ]
Ruby and garnet, a lovely colour with good glow, the third-deepest wine. Bouquet is initially restrained, but the more you work at it, the more it gives. There is a beautiful subtle florality hinting at violets and dusky roses, still, even at this 20-year point, backed by red and black cherry fruit. Palate is simply lovely, totally burgundian, beautifully layered fruit shaped by oak, yet in one sense the oak near-invisible. Remarkable wine, a great achievement, from a wine on the main Waimea Valley terraces. Tasters were simply bowled over by this wine, which I placed at position 11: eight first places, two second, no leasts, and for country of origin, France 10, New Zealand nine. A great achievement from a low-key winemaker. GK 09/19

2005 Quartz Reef Pinot Noir 18 ½ (

)

Cromwell & Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $40 [ screwcap; no winery info on '05 on website, presumably similar '04; www.quartzreef.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, one of the darker. This wine has features in common with Escarpment's Kupe, as if there were a lees-in-barrel enrichment component, together with great florals from rose to violets, and plenty of dark cherry. On palate some oak aromatics creep into the wine, making it firmer than some, but the richness is excellent and the flavours are classical Central Otago. What a vintage 2005 is turning out to be for the district. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 01/07

2011 [ Rod McDonald Wines ] Te Awanga Estate Syrah 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $33 [ screwcap; 100% Sy hand-picked late April @ 6 t/ha = 2.4 t / ac; 100% de-stemmed; seven days cold-soak, total 35 days cuvaison; 18 months in French oak 60% new; RS nil; www.rmwines.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, attractive. The wine benefits from simple decanting, to reveal a great bouquet, soft, deeply floral wallflower and dusky roses, in style altogether reminding of the sweetest ripest years of Te Mata Bullnose Syrah. This is explicitly varietal temperate-climate syrah, immaculately made. Palate follows on perfectly, quite lightly oaked with the oak fragrant and vanillin, on cassis and bottled black doris fruit, and a lovely touch of black pepper again. It has the richness to cellar well, though it is more an easy-access early wine, low tannins, not so much made for serious long-term cellaring. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 04/13

2006 Escarpment Riesling Late-Harvest Hinemoa 18 ½ (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 10%; $29 [ supercritical cork; hand-picked with c. 30% botrytis; 100% s/s ferment; pH 3.3, RS 123 g/L; www.escarpment.co.nz ]
Lemonstraw flushed with gold, a little forward for its age. Bouquet is simply wonderful, classic botrytised riesling, beautifully pure. Fruit aromas range from cherimoya to pineapple, with quite a lot of apricot along the way. Palate likewise is a little fruit-salad, but it is fresh, richly fruited, luscious with botrytis but not unduly sweet (as the maker says, about beerenauslese in sweetness), all needing another year to really harmonise. Larry McKenna has always had a great feel for sweet wines, being scrupulous in excluding any hint of ignoble rot. His 1987 Muller-Thurgau Late-Harvest made for Martinborough Vineyard is still superb. This 2006 wine is a little different, being richer, and the true riesling introducing a terpene aromatic that makes one suspect there is a hint of oak – not so. Cellar 2 – 10 years, maybe longer. GK 10/07

2004 Esk Valley Merlot / Malbec / Cabernet Reserve 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $52 [ screwcap; DFB; Me 52%, Ma 22, CS 26, hand-picked from 12 & 14 year-old vines; www.eskvalley.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, below midway in richness. Bouquet shows contrary thoughts, the alcohol spirity and distracting, implying over-ripe, whereas the actual berry characters include a cooler cassis and almost leafy (+ve) note, making this one of the closest to a Bordeaux styling amongst the gold-medal wines. Oak is in balance, and aromatics include a light pennyroyal note, like the Andrew Will. In fact, the palate, mouthfeel and entire style of the wine is remarkably close to the Washington wine, with a clear cassis component through the plummy fruit, and lingering fresh richness which shows no hint of the cool (e.g. leafy) characters implied on bouquet. It is richer than the 2004 and 2005 Alluviale, but not quite as neat as the two 2004 Craggy Merlots. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 11/06

2009 Desert Heart Pinot Noir Mackenzie's Run 18 ½ (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $45 [ screwcap; no info; www.desertheart.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is deep and brooding initially, really crying out for decanting. It opens up to a darkly floral and attractive aroma confuseable with best merlot on bouquet, but on palate lightening-up magically to be clearly black cherry pinot noir of considerable depth. It is nicely framed by noticeable oak but at a subtler level than the Mitre Rocks wine. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 09/10

2012 [ Pernod-Ricard ] Boundary Vineyards Pinot Gris Paper Lane Waipara 18 ½ (

)

Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 13.5%; $23 [ screwcap; machine-harvested grapes, s/s cool-fermented, 3 months lees contact, no oak; a Pernod-Ricard group wine; pH 3.57, RS 9.7 g/L; no website ]
Pale lemonstraw. Total style and balance is similar to its stable-mate, yet intriguingly different. The bouquet here is more baked apples, still complexed by tell-tale cinnamon subliminal spice notes. Palate is as rich as the Brancott, but it seems a little sweeter than the modest difference in the specs indicates, and it is grippy on the phenolics. It is a little harder to match with food, therefore. Cellar 2 – 6 years maybe, in case those phenolics increase. GK 04/13

2009 Felton Road Pinot Noir Block 5 18 ½ (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $75 [ screwcap; hand-harvested at just over 5 t/ha (2 t/ac); c. 26% whole-bunch, long cold-soak, wild yeast and a total of 23 days cuvaison; c.12 months in French oak 38% new, followed by a further 6 months in 3-year-old oak; www.feltonroad.com ]
Colour is a variation on ideal, a little denser than the Aroha, not quite so bright, also in the middle of the range. Bouquet is a little less floral than Aroha, yet it is fragrant in an attractive dusky way. In addition there is great fruit presence, black more than red cherries, and great purity, all backed by oak on a similar subtle scale to the Aroha. In mouth the richness of the fruit is a delight, real black cherry in a bursting mouthful of flavour, wonderful acid balance, slightly more oak than the Aroha, great length. These two wines illustrate ideal red-fruits and black-fruits variants on the New Zealand pinot theme, with pinpoint ripeness. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 09/13

2012 Westbrook Riesling Marlborough 18 ½ (

)

Wairau & Omaka Valleys, Marlborough, New Zealand: 10.7%; $20 [ screwcap; s/s cool-fermented, some lees contact; pH 2.7, RS 20 g/L; www.westbrook.co.nz ]
Lemongreen. Bouquet is less obvious than the Thornbury, more delicate, a lovely floral note reminiscent of freesia blossoms, a totally Mosel presentation of the grape. Palate is both floral and appley ( fresh-cut sturmer ), citrus too, good concentration, very fine-grain, the nexus of acid, pH and residual sweetness (invisible) astonishing, the style totally Mosel, though a dryish one. This is outstanding New Zealand riesling, which will cellar to 15 years, perhaps longer. GK 04/13

2009 Bannock Brae Estate Pinot Noir Goldfields 18 ½ (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14.3%; $30 [ screwcap; if like the 2008, hand-picked, cuvaison extending to 4 weeks for some parcels; c. 8 months in French oak c.25% new; not fined or filtered; www.bannockbrae.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby. Initially opened, bouquet is tending plummy and heavy. With air it takes on a new life, expanding to become deeply floral in the exciting dark roses to boronia sector, with clear black cherry fruit. In mouth, the wine like the Mud House shows exceptional varietal quality, due to the magic of older or lighter oak, the black more than red cherry flavours lingering superbly. Attractive dry wine, to cellar 3 – 8 years. VALUE. GK 09/10

2010 Guigal Chateauneuf-du-Pape 18 ½ (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $96 [ cork, 50mm; Gr 80 – 85%, Sy 5 – 10, Mv 5, others 5; bought-in wine from up to 50 suppliers, favouring older vines and lower yields; 24 months in foudre; not fined, filtered; J.L-L: red berry fruit ... a suggestion of flowers ... Strawberry and spice ... palate has good body, is a really structured Chateauneuf ... this captures the vintage freshness and its true depth, ****(*); Parker, 2012: abundant aromas of sweet kirsch, roasted herbs, lavender, Christmas fruitcake and spice ... dense, full-bodied, powerful, 92 – 94; typical production uncertain, both Karis and J.L-L give double the production Guigal does on his website, which says 16,500 9-litre cases; weight bottle and closure: 565 g; www.guigal.com ]
Ruby, some development showing, well below midway. In a blind tasting of Chateauneuf-du-Papes, the Guigal example tends to stand out for its wineyness, its elegance, and its obvious cedary oak component. This is a very fragrant wine, all red fruits, grenache seemingly dominant despite the cepage. Palate is supple, flavour is long, there is not quite the varietal interest because the Guigal style superimposes itself, via the fruit / cooperage interaction. But as a wine with dinner, it is obviously southern Rhone, and will be a delight. The fruit sweetness to the later palate is sensational. In a sense the taste is a little older than most in the set, but it will cellar for years, say 5 – 20. With its lower alcohol, this wine will give much pleasure at table. One person rated it their top or second wine. GK 06/17

2006 Destiny Bay [ Cabernets / Merlot ] Mystae 18 ½ (

)

Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.9%; $115 [ cork; CS 57, Me 22, CF 17, Ma 4, hand-harvested; c. 12 months in American 50% and French oak c. 50% new; en primeur offer date 1 June 2008 "significantly" below the above price, release date 1 April 2009; Mystae alludes to the name given to students entering the schools of philosophy of the great Greek philosophers Plato and Aristotle, and presumably implies the thought of understudy to Magna Praemia; www.destinybaywine.com ]
Ruby, some velvet, significantly deeper than Destinae of the same year. Bouquet and flavour show a riper spectrum of fruit colour and density than the junior wine, with clear cassis and bottled black doris plums, though not the depth of the Craggy Range Merlot. Palate is darkly fragrant, just a hint of violets, deeper and more raisiny / plummy than many, yet light on its feet, totally best cru bourgeois / lesser classed growth in style. The oak seems better concealed here than in the 2006 Magna Praemia, or 2007 Mystae at this stage, so in a sense it seems better balanced – hence the score matching the same-year Magna Praemia though it is not as rich. It is not as fragrant as the 2005 Te Motu, but is a little plumper. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 06/08

2010 Jean Chartron Puligny-Montrachet Cailleret Premier Cru Monopole 18 ½ (

)

Puligny-Montrachet, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $175 [ cork; hand-harvested, organic vineyard practice; BF in 30% new oak, 12 months LA; www.bourgogne-chartron.com ]
Lemonstraw, the deepest of the Chartrons. Bouquet is closer to best New Zealand practice, ripe stonefruit, vanillin new oak, just a touch of char complexity like the Keltern, some mealyness. Palate is clearly more oaky, the same fresh acid of these 2010s a little more noticeable because of the oak, markedly less fruit than the lovely Folatieres and remarkable Chevalier, yet the total impression is still classic chardonnay. There is a complexity in the flavour, and a touch of pale Danish butter, which is seductive. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 04/13

2012 Zephyr Gewurztraminer 18 ½ (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $25 [ screwcap; vines 19 years age; no RS on website; Glover Family Wines, not Dave Glover of Nelson; www.zephyrwine.com ]
Lemonstraw, minutely deeper than the Bladen. Oh boy, after their excessively restrained sauvignon blanc and riesling, the Zephyr Gewurztraminer is the real thing. It is not perfumed like the Bladen, there is just that magical bit of extra ripeness to fill out the bouquet to satisfying yellow florals (as in wild-ginger blossom) and lychee, plus great varietal character. Palate is just as good, the phenolics beautifully balanced on great flesh, real body, beautiful acid balance, clearly drier than the Bladen. This is great New Zealand gewurztraminer, to cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 04/13

2009 Kingsmill Pinot Noir Tippet's Dam 18 ½ (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $33 [ screwcap; www.kingsmillwines.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby, a little age showing. Bouquet is much deeper and richer than the Marlborough and North Canterbury wines, immediately showing a savoury richness of black cherry fruit with boronia florality. There are thoughts of Cote de Nuits here. On palate tannins are relatively high, even though the oak component is not blatant, and the aromatics on savoury fruit are delightful, on a drying finish. This is as rich as the top Escarpments, and will cellar well. Once it has lost a little tannin, it should be a lovely example of Central Otago pinot noir, and very food-friendly. Cellar 3 – 12 years. GK 04/13

2002 Alpha Domus The Aviator [ Cabernets / Merlot / Malbec ] 18 ½ (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $60 [ cork; DFB; CS 38, Me 24, CF 20, Ma 18; cold soak and cuvaison up to 30 days for some fractions; MLF and 23 months in French oak 75% new, temperature controlled; released October 2006; www.alphadomus.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, not as rich as the top wines. This wine too shows an astonishingly Bordeaux-like complexity on bouquet, with similar nuances of fruit, tobacco and cedary oak as ‘02 Tom, but with a little more complexity and purity. The ratio of fruit to oak in this vintage of Aviator is more favourably balanced to the fruit than the 2000, and the tobacco-y complexity is greater. Like Tom, there is a trace of brett, but that merely adds to its astonishing Bordeaux-like complexity. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 05/06

2011 Black Grape Society Pinot Noir The Central Otago 18 ½ (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $59 [ screwcap; season 1120 growing degree days; 12 months on lees in French oak 35% new; a Treasury wine group initiative, owners of Matua Valley; website coming at: www. blackgrapesociety.com, meanwhile some info @; http://treasurytru.com/brand/black-grapes-society ]
Pinot noir ruby, a notch deeper than the Marlborough. Bouquet is much deeper than the Marlborough, yet there are still clear dusky red roses and boronia florality, on black rather than red cherry fruit. In mouth the complementarity with the Marlborough wine is sheer pleasure, the gentle oaking seems essentially the same, all that is different is the darker and slightly more aromatic (thyme ?) black cherry fruit, and greater length and depth. It is not as rich as Escarpment Kiwa, however. Finish is simply lovely on fruit and gentle oak. Cellar 3 – 12 years. What a revolution is underway at Matua Valley, after years of uninspiring at best and awful at worst wines. The introductory remarks to The Marlborough wine are therefore rapidly becoming inappropriate. GK 04/13

1996 Ch Montrose 18 ½ (

)

Saint-Estephe Second Growth, Bordeaux, France: 12.5%; $364 [ cork 50mm, ullage 10mm; original price c.$95; cepage CS 76%, Me 20, CF 3, PV 1, planted at 9,000 vines / ha; c.18 months in barrel, % new likely increasing towards the modern 60%; in 1996 59% of the crop went into the grand vin; 17,600 x 9-litre cases; Montrose website: Vintage: Sept. 23 – Oct. 6; From August to September 17, a very dry weather covered Bordeaux. The grapes gradually ripened in excellent conditions, allowing a good concentration of sugar and polyphenols. Wine: The wines are characterized by velvety tannins. The Merlots are similar to the 1995. The Cabernets are more homogeneous, richer, with more acidity compared to the previous year; Coates, 2004: Wine: Slight touch of reduction over a quite austere Cabernet nose. Just a little sweaty. Medium-full body. Slightly astringent as well as tannic. Some acidity but not really enough. Ripe but not very long and stylish. Good merely. Tails off a bit at the end. To 2012, 15; Broadbent, 2002: vintage: ** to **** A seriously underrated vintage. The late-picked Cabernets were of high quality resulting in rich, fairly concentrated wines. Wine: … bouquet now enriched, great depth; sweeter and fleshier than its neighbour and rival, Ch Cos d’Estournel. Crisp, dry finish, *(****), 2006 – 2026; J. Robinson, 2011: Very developed bouquet that is super correct and pleasing to a classical claret lover. Lovely integrated fruit freshness, vitality. The tannins are dissipated but this is a really nice, fresh wine for now. Not super succulent but very successful. Sucky stony finish, 17.5; early review by Robert Parker, April 1997, illustrating his tasting skills when the wine is an impenetrable 6 months old: The wine reveals ... a young, grapy but remarkably sweet, pure nose of black fruits, licorice, and subtle oak. Thrilling levels of extract, glycerin, and fruit pour over the palate with no hard edges. Along with a well-defined, full-bodied personality, this wine offers plenty of tannin, but it is more than compensated for by the huge quantities of fruit. ... This is a 30-35 year wine, 92 – 94; and then a recent review by Neal Martin, 2016, on the RP website, showing the wine nearly 20 years later: It was served alongside the 1986 Montrose, however, this is a far better wine ... it is that loamy character that defines the nose – freshly tilled, damp soil that tinctures the black fruit – that takes you straight to this particular château. This is classic through and through and very well defined. The palate is wonderful with very fine delineation, pitch-perfect acidity, touches of graphite infusing the red and black fruit that dovetails into a very pretty, floral finish. This is clearly one of the great wines of the 1996 vintage and ... will give 30-40 years of pleasure, 96; weight bottle and closure 555 g; www.chateau-montrose.com ]
Ruby, some velvet, midway in depth. This is the most cassisy, aromatic, and clearly cabernet-led wine in the set, partly because it is relatively younger and still shows some primary berry characters. And, at 76% cabernet sauvignon, it is in fact the highest ratio of cabernet sauvignon. The bouquet has a refreshing and sublimely aromatic quality to it, which it shares to a degree with the 2005, 1986, 1975, and particularly the 1966, though the latter three are clearly older. It is the aromatics of cabernet sauvignon showing through. Apart from cassis and browning cassis, browning tobacco-leaf and some plummy aromas mingle with cedary oak. Palate is very much last-century, a leaner and firmer wine, with very fine-grained tannins reminding me clearly of the 1966 when it was young – a palate-setting wine for me which I was proud to own a box of. Acid is more apparent too. Being so aromatic, 1996 Montrose was set as the first wine in the set of 12, to show the former cabernet sauvignon-led style that Ch Montrose displayed last century. The combination of higher acid and being first wine on the palate, meant there were no first or second places, and one least. So in a sense the wine was slightly overlooked / suffered from its placing. It is a surprise (to me) that Robert Parker has always rated this 1996 so highly, in the sense the size and acid balance of the wine is much more in the ‘Englishman's claret’ mould. But it is textbook cabernet sauvignon. It sits happily with the 1986, the 1975, and the 1966 once breathed. This will cellar for another 15 – 25 years, in its style, ending up much where the 1966 is now. GK 07/21

2011 Te Awanga Estate Syrah 18 ½ (

)

Te Awanga, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $30 [ screwcap; Sy 100% the website implying but not confirming the vines may be 20 + years age, hand-picked; 7 days cold-soak, wild-yeast fermentation, 21 days further skin contact, cuvaison therefore around 33 days; 18 months in French oak some new; www.rmwines.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, a flush of carmine. Bouquet is the beautiful side of syrah, immediately floral wallflower more than dianthus, on cassisy and darkly plummy fruit. In mouth the fruit is soft and velvety, quite a nod to Te Mata Bullnose here in styling, and the oak is beautifully vanillin and soft, not at all spiky. This is lovely wine, and a great debut for Rod McDonald's Te Awanga Estate label. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 03/13

2005 Destiny Bay [ Merlot / Cabernet ] Mystae 18 ½ (

)

New Zealand: 13.9%; $115 [ cork; Me 49%, CS 35, CF 12, Ma 4, hand-harvested @ average 1.7 t/ac; 10 – 15 months in French and American oak about equal, 60% new; released 1 April 2009; Mystae alludes to the name given to students entering the schools of philosophy of the great Greek philosophers Plato and Aristotle; in style it lies between the Medoc-oriented Magna Praemia, and Destinae conceived as more right bank (though the cepage confuses the issue); 610 cases, WWA Certified, in general the en primeur offer for this wine has passed, however persons taking up membership and the 2006 wines will be able to secure the 2005 @ $70 until the 2006 release date 1 August 2009, when RRP for both will be $115. At that date, the 2007 en primeur campaign opens – volumes for the 2007 vintage are maybe half those for 2006, so the possibility arises only subscribers will secure the 2007 wines; ‘Dark and rich with lush texture and fresh berry fruit; lovely structure, great length and racy acidity; smooth, intense and totally balanced;’; www.destinybaywine.com ]
Ruby and velvet, older than the 2006 Mystae and denser, much older than the 2005 Goldie. Bouquet is richer and deeper than the ’06 pair, cassisy berry and dark tobacco melding with quite a lot of oak at this stage. Palate shows good fruit with some maturity, with seemingly more apparent cedary oak than the subtler 2006 wines, yet the mellow flavours and Bordeaux styling of the wine are well apparent, and the richness gives it an edge on the 2006s. There is just a trace of brett complexity, and it is a little too oaky, but its ripeness and richness augur well for future vintages. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 06/09

2010 Trinity Hill Merlot / Cabernet The Gimblett 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $35 [ screwcap; Me 60, CS 17, CF 16, PV 4, Ma 3; hand-picked; the grapes de-stemmed, average vine age 14 years; c.28 days cuvaison; 18 months in 'predominantly' French oak 35% new; www.trinityhill.com ]
Dense ruby, carmine and velvet, an excellent colour, denser than 2010 Te Kahu. Bouquet displays wonderful varietal purity and complexity, nearly a violets floral complexity, the berry dominant over oak, styling a totally modern Bordeaux blend with the cassisy cabernet speaking with a louder voice on bouquet than its percentage composition would suggest, in saturated bottled black doris plum. Flavour follows perfectly, rich wine more perfectly oaked than the Mother's Ruin, plummy merlot on the mid-palate, all firm and taut. This wine is richer and purer than most of the 2010 minor bordeaux checked recently. It would be a sin against the spirit of the bottle to open this before five years from vintage, at the least. If you have to, for the next few years pour it out into a wide-mouthed jug preferably overnight. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 03/13

2003 Two Paddocks Pinot Noir The Last Chance 18 ½ (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $38 [ screwcap; 7 days cold-soak, wild yeast, 20% whole-bunch fermentation, 25 days cuvaison, c. 10 months in French oak 25% new; www.twopaddocks.com ]
Good pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is total pinot, the florals of boronia and dusky roses, black cherries, deep, quieter than the Carrick, yet beautifully varietal. Palate shows a wine where fruit quality is uppermost, not dominated by oak, beautiful crunchy cherry fruit, long flavours recapturing the florals on bouquet, all really burgundian. Not quite the palate weight of the Carrick, though. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 04/05

2010 Churton Pinot Noir The Abyss 18 ½ (

)

Waihopai Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $71 [ cork; hand-picked @ c. 3.7 t/ha (1.5 t/ac) from one of the exciting new-generation old-soil vineyards 200 m. above seas level, sloping 14°, and planted c.5,000 vines / ha; double-sorted fruit, destemmed but retaining whole berries; 7 days cold soak, wild-yeast fermentation 5 days, then 18 days further skin contact making a cuvaison of 30 days – much more traditional; 16 months in French oak 40% new, not filtered; pH 3.8, RS nil; biodynamic; www.churtonwines.co.nz ]
A lovely pinot noir colour, just right, slightly above midway in depth. Bouquet immediately smells saturated with complex floral aromas including cherry-ripe, and red and black cherries. Oak is very much in the background, so the wine seems understated in comparison with the more oaky Otago wines alongside. It is on the palate this wine demonstrates absolute fidelity to the model of grand cru Burgundy. Fruit is more red cherry than black, there is a lovely evolution of dark red rose florality in the mouth, and the style of the wine is (loosely-speaking) Corton. Acid balance and oak complex the wine delightfully and ensure good cellar life. I thought last year that the 2010 Greywacke Pinot Noir was perhaps the best pinot noir yet to emerge from Marlborough, as the new generation of older-soil vineyards come to fruition, but this 2010 The Abyss poses an exciting challenge. Love to have them alongside ! Well worth cellaring 5 – 12 years. Total sulphur is much lower than the average New Zealand pinot noir. GK 03/13

1985 Ch de Beaucastel 18 ½ (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $260 [ cork, 50mm, ullage 37mm; original price c.$40; cepage varies a little each year around Gr 30%, Mv 30, Sy 10, Co 10, Ci 5, other authorised red varieties 8, and white varieties 7; more detail in the introductory sections; Broadbent, 2003: Outstanding reds, rich, long-lasting, *****; Parker vintage chart rating: 89; J.L-L, 2006: mature, but warm and rounded bouquet. Suggests plum fruit, honey, a little vanilla and licorice. Is pretty, true and very representative of the vintage. The palate is more lean than the nose, 2015 – 2018, ***(*); Parker, 1997: ... an opulent, rich, savory style of wine with a spicy, earthy, black-fruited, animal-scented nose, gamy, ripe chewy, concentrated flavors, considerable body, low acidity, and a lush, velvety-textured finish. ... It should continue to drink well for at least another decade, 1995 – 2005, 93; JS@WS, 1991: A seductive wine, with lush flavors. Wonderfully deep ruby in color, with rosemary, tomato and earth aromas, full-bodied, focused raspberry and chocolate flavors, silky tannins and a long finish, 91; weight bottle and closure: 678 g; www.beaucastel.com ]
Garnet and ruby, still a surprising rosy flush to its hue, much younger than the 1983, a little below midway in depth. In one sense this was the surprise of the tasting, the wine showing delightful vigour and relative fruit. The bouquet is now grenache-dominant, red fruits browning now, a little cinnamon from which it is hard to tease out a trace of benign brett. Palate is surprisingly rich (for its age), round, still with remnants of furry mourvedre tannins, and then delight: still fruit sweetness to the finish, as well as tannin. Interesting, and superb with food. One person had the 1985 as their top wine, and three their second-favourite, but it was least for two. Six tasters registered brett, one thinking it excessive. A wine at attractive full maturity: bottles will vary. Nothing to be gained by keeping it for longer, though there is no great hurry. GK 05/21

2002 Villa Maria Merlot Reserve 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $40 [ screwcap; Me 85%, Ma 10, CS 5; hand-harvested; 18 months in French oak 100% (?) new; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Great ruby, carmine and velvet colour. This wine is looking as good as it did when written up in these reviews 5/04 and 12/04. It is slightly less oaky than the same year’s Esk Valley Merlot / Malbec / Cabernet Reserve. Another wine to cellar by the case, since it is an absolute mystery why the wine is still available. This is great New Zealand red wine, showing relative to virtually all Australian merlots, just how appropriate our more temperate ‘Bordeaux’ climate in Hawkes Bay is for this variety. GK 11/05

2011 Villa Maria Viognier Cellar Selection Hawkes Bay 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $24 [ screwcap; hand-harvested @ 1.5 – 2 t/ac, 100% de-stemmed, up to 6 hours cold-soak, 80% barrel-fermented in French oak of which 25% was new, 40% of the total wine through MLF, 10 months LA and occasional batonnage; RS 1.8 g/L; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Lemonstraw. Unlike the quaffing varieties mentioned under verdelho, viognier is not only a noble variety, but also a variety pre-eminently suited to the absolutely warmest parts of New Zealand – Hawke's Bay and Waiheke Island. Great / fine viognier is unbelievably rare on the world scale, and in New Zealand, like syrah, we have the opportunity in the best years to make world-class examples. Thus, I was saddened to hear in idle conversation with Villa Maria winemakers that the market is so disinterested in viognier that the firm may well abandon it altogether. This would be a tragedy, and I urge them not to.

Villa Maria has already produced some of the best examples of viognier ever made in New Zealand, and they have the grapes in the right place (the Gimblett Gravels – Omahu Vineyard), unlike too many other proprietors struggling with viognier in cooler parts of Hawke's Bay. Plus critically, every year their Gimblett Gravels viognier has another year's age, and thus the promise of better varietal expression. But on top of these factors, the Villa Maria winemakers have been attentive to the French Condrieu model, and employed the malolactic fermentation to build in the texture and magic necessary to make viognier great. Few New Zealand winemakers taste widely enough to even have thought this through. So I implore Villa Maria to persist with and optimise their viognier. If the market won't pay the Reserve price for a short-lived variety (in bottle), regard the wine as a flagship. Aim to be famous for New Zealand's best viognier, competing with Passage Rock (Waiheke Island), and export most of it under the more affordable Cellar Selection label to the United Kingdom. And above all, get out and promote the magical smells and tastes of this wonderful and versatile honeysuckle and apricots variety, which is so food-friendly.

The key issue Villa Maria has to face in tackling this goal is that mentioned under verdelho. Too many winemakers are stupidly growing viognier in parts of the country totally unsuited to it, and producing insipid wines which silly wine-judges and winewriters then give gold medals to. This lack of world wine knowledge (and assessing the quality that bespeaks world-class wine) is totally ruining the market in New Zealand for serious viognier from serious / thoughtful Hawke's Bay (or Waiheke) producers. This 'dabbling' mentality in the New Zealand wine industry is one of its key failings.

So after that preamble, what of this wine? The colour is perfect lemonstraw, it smells of yellow honeysuckle and canned apricots (i.e. totally varietal, and ripe), it shows complex elevation, and it tastes nearly as good. It is not quite rich enough and complex enough on bouquet or palate to be gold-medal by good Condrieu standards. But in the context of this review, and with reference to the many poor wines from other producers in New Zealand, this is for the time being gold-medal New Zealand viognier. Cellar 1 – 3 years. GK 05/13

1998 Guigal Cote-Rotie Brune et Blonde 18 ½ (

)

Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $104 [ Cork, 49mm, ullage 10mm; release price c.$59; Spectator rating for year 90; typically Sy 96%, Vi 4, average vine age 35 years, said to be cropped at the same rate as d’Ampuis, namely 4.8 t/ha = 1.95 t/ac, but often seems as if the rate a little higher; c. 25 days cuvaison, elevation three years in barrel, 35 – 50% new, plus some in larger barrels; J.L-L, no date: … overt, spiced bouquet, smoky dark jam; well-packed flavour, sustained red fruits, quite solid. Good weight. Back to the 1980s levels. Chewy finale. From 2005-06. 2013-2015, ****; Robinson, 2005: Round and seductive with lots of ripe fruit – quite different from most other regular Côte Roties. Some tarriness but still the delicacy of the appellation. I’m impressed by this! A complete wine that seems obviously from a successful vintage. Really fruity core without any sacrifice of typicity, 17.5; Parker, 2002: Guigal's Cote-Rotie Brune et Blonde (25,000 cases produced), tends to have 4-5% Viognier included in the blend. The 1998 exhibits some of the vintage's hard tannin, as well as complex aromatics of roasted olives, black currants, creamy oak, sweet cherries, and dried herbs. Medium to full-bodied and structured, with a sweet attack, it will benefit from another two years of cellaring, and last for 15 years, 90; Wine Spectator, 2001: #10 in the Top 100 for 2001: Caresses the palate. Elegant, with mineral, red and black fruit and supple tannins. Seductive balance on the fresh finish, where the firm tannins make a surprise appearance that suggests a bit of cellar time is needed to bring out the best of this red. Best from 2003 through 2010. 31,665 cases made. 93; weight bottle and closure: 565 g ; www.guigal.com ]
Ruby, the third to lightest wine. Though 1998 was a hot year in the Southern Rhone Valley, that means little in the much cooler North, where this wine shows perfect ripeness and retention of floral complexity on bouquet, no sur-maturité. It is sweeter than the 1995, the balance more to wallflower than dianthus, with red roses underpinning. Berry characters on palate are exciting, almost a hint of very red pomegranate enlivening the cassis / blackcurrant, simply a beautifully-balanced palate, berry fruit dominating the oak, excellent acid balance. It is not as rich and soft as the 1999, but it is still a lovely statement about Cote Rotie. One person had the 1998 as top wine of the tasting, and three as their second-favourite. The florality in this wine is stunning, definitive syrah. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 10/20

2004 Te Mata Estate Syrah Bullnose 18 ½ (

)

Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $40 [ cork; Sy 100%; includes clone 470 for first time, hand-harvested, de-stemmed; extended cuvaison 3 + weeks, followed by 16 months in new and older French oak; www.temata.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet. In the blind line-up of northern and southern Rhone wines, the fruit quality on bouquet for this one is impressive, sweet cassis, dark plums, and fragrant oak. But even for Te Mata, so restrained in their oaking alongside most New Zealand wineries, this is clearly the oakiest amongst ten comparable French wines. Palate richness is excellent. One is always apprehensive about presenting a wine in a blind tasting with other well regarded labels, when one has recently published a glowing account. But on this occasion I found no reason to vary from my notes on this site 10/05, and 10 of the 24 tasters rated Bullnose their wine of the night. Worth investing in. GK 11/05

2009 Elephant Hill Syrah Reserve 18 ½ (

)

Te Awanga district, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $50 [ cork; hand-picked Sy 99% and Vi 1, de-stemmed; mostly wild-yeast fermentations; MLF and 16 months in French oak 40% new; winemaker Steve Skinner advises there was a prestige cuvée also in 2009, named Airavata, which featured both 15% whole-bunch and only 25% new oak; he advises they have the new winery dilemma of having to wait for the clean new oak to become 'old', rather than risk buying secondhand; www.elephanthill.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, older than some, midway in depth. Freshly opened the wine is quite oaky, more in the style of Sacred Hill's Deerstalkers (not included), but with good cassisy berry evident below the slightly smoky oak. [The winemaker attributes this smoky character to the Chave clone, contrasting it with the Limmer clone.] The quality of berry moves away from cassis more to blueberry, bespeaking the ripe year, with good richness. The combined fruit and oak is long in the mouth. There is too much oak by classical standards, but the new world likes this approach. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 07/12

2009 Passage Rock Viognier 18 ½ (

)

Eastern Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14%; $30 [ screwcap; hand-harvested; up to 50% BF, only small percentage new oak, up to 50% MLF, 4 – 5 months LA; RS 4 g/L; 250 cases; www.passagerockwines.co.nz ]
Attractive lemon. One sniff and this is like a homecoming – simply lovely viognier, showing clearly varietal character and appropriate ripeness, something so few viogniers in either New Zealand or Australia achieve. On the showing of the last two vintages, Passage Rock Viognier is rapidly becoming the New Zealand reference wine for the variety. Bouquet is sweetly yellow honeysuckle and wild ginger blossom, and fresh and canned apricots. Palate amplifies, limpidly ripe, lovely fruit and acid, invisible oak, invisible MLF, yet the complexity of both is evident in the texture and the way the flavour lingers beautifully – real apricot. It has the freshness of Condrieu, and none of the ponderous qualities so many Australian examples of the grape show. This wine is really something – search it out. Cellar 1 – 3 years. VALUE. GK 07/10

2005 Goldwater Estate [ Cabernet / Merlot ] Goldie 18 ½ (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14%; $60 [ screwcap; DFB; CS 60%, Me 40, hand-harvested @ 0.8 – 1.3 t/ac; cultured yeast and cuvaison averaging 20 days including cold-soak; 18 months in ‘predominantly’ French oak, 50% new; fined and filtered; RS < 2 g/L; 250 cases; ‘Unreleased sample highlighting the excellent 2005 Waiheke Island vintage – release date 01 July 2009. Robert Parkers The Wine Advocate May 2008 92 Points. "This has a superb, intense nose of black cherry, smoke and cedar. Very focused and great breeding. Excellent"’; www.goldwaterwine.com ]
Ruby and velvet, a great hue for 2005. Bouquet is berry-rich and concentrated, with cassis, bottled plums and cedar, another delightfully fragrant wine. There is a touch of Bovril / savoury complexity too, bespeaking some brett, but it complexes the wine delightfully without compromising it unduly, in the long-established style of Leoville-Barton. Palate shows soft toasty oak integrated with plummy fruit of great length, and again the analogy to Bordeaux is exact, for example older-style St Juliens. Finish is long, tapering, no drying on brett here. The Goldwaters state the 2005 vintage is the best red wine vintage for them since 1987. I still have the 1987s from both Goldwater and Stonyridge. While both are good, the latter is exceptional, totally of good classed-growth standard. Their statement adds interest to this wine, therefore.

Scoring a wine like this is so difficult. In an Australasian higher-level judging with winemakers on all panels and sometimes in a majority, it would be thrown out, on brett. At a judging like the much-touted International Wine Show London, where faults are often marked up, it would be gold medal wine. Robert Parker’s Neal Martin has rated it 92 points, noting that both Parker and Martin don’t always recognise brett, sometimes even at quite severe levels of infection. But I am siding with the hedonistic approach on this one, for this Goldie is so absolutely Bordeaux including contemporary Bordeaux in approach, and classed Bordeaux at that (Leoville-Barton quoted above is a second growth.). So gold medal it is. If you are sensitive to brett, don’t buy it (or Leoville-Barton) for your planned Bordeaux 2005 comparative cross-country tastings. I plan to however, since I have the Barton to put with it – and it will be interesting indeed. Cellar 5 – 12 years.

Goldwater Wines has now become something much greater than the original Waiheke dream of Kim & Jeannette in 1978. The winery is now owned by the New Zealand Wine Fund, along with Vavasour, and Clifford Bay. The Goldwaters are still on the Board. They are now one-third owners in the highly regarded Rapaura Vintners, Wairau Valley, Marlborough – hence the succesful Goldwater Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. They are expanding into pinot noir and more sauvignon in the Awatere Valley. In the 2000s they have also acquired and planted 8 ha (20 acres) on the Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, with more affordable Bordeaux-styled reds in view. None of these wines were shown in the Waiheke Expo, the company limiting themselves to solely Waiheke wines. Odd ones tasted in recent years have been very good, however. There are about 10 wines all told in the portfolio (on their website). GK 06/09

2002 Vasse Felix Chardonnay Heytesbury 18 ½ (

)

Margaret River mostly, some Mt Barker, West Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $39 [ BF, LA, and 15% MLF, 10 months in French oak; www.vassefelix.com.au ]
Perfect lemon. An understated but totally varietal chardonnay bouquet showing beautiful white stonefruit, light hazelnuts and oatmeal, and charry barrel mealiness, the high alcohol not intrusive. Palate is rich, devastatingly dry, the alcohol now more apparent and shortening the succulence, but the flavours are great: white stonefruits chardonnay, hazelnuts and subtle oak. Cellar to 10 years, possibly longer. GK 06/04

2012 Chapoutier Ermitage Le Pavillon 18 ½ (

)

Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $695 [ cork, 50mm; Sy 100%; cropping and wine-making details as in the introductory ‘Background’ section; www.chapoutier.com ]
Ruby, some velvet, just above midway in depth. This is a smaller wine in the field, and it is almost as if the makers have backed off on oak accordingly. There is a dusky rose floral quality, and near-cassis and black pepper spice making this wine more clearly syrah than most. Palate is much fresher than many too, fragrant berry definition, again nearly cassisy berry and fruit, attractive acid backbone, and the oak in remarkably good balance to the smaller fruit weight. It highlights the excesses in elevation so many of the other wines show. No ratings from the group at all, a wine to cellar 5 – 25 years. Wine Spectator quality rating for the vintage 92. GK 10/18

2003 Drouhin Clos de la Roche Grand Cru 18 ½ (

)

Morey-St Denis, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 13%; $135 [ cork; named for the limestone outcrop in the vineyard; hand-harvested, fermentation (some stalks) and cuvaison in open wooden vats 18 – 20 days; c. 18 months in barrels understood to be about 1/3 new; Wine Direct the NZ agents; www.drouhin.com ]
Ruby, a more typical good pinot colour, the lightest in the tasting. Bouquet is tending understated, but is perhaps the purest and subtlest expression of pinot here. The floral component is sweet and lovely, more in the boronia camp (but perhaps below threshold for many tasters), with no roti edges at all. Later bouquet and palate is velvety red and black cherry fruit, with the furry tannins of the dry year, but the fruit succulence incorporating them effortlessly, all finishing on good acid. It seems quite the freshest among the French wines in the set, perhaps because it is not as massive as the two top wines. Cellar 15 – 25 years. GK 03/06

2006 Villa Maria Syrah / Viognier Cellar Selection 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $33 [ screwcap; Sy 95%, Vi 5, hand-harvested, all de-stemmed; inoculated yeast, warm-fermented in open-top vessels, 15 days cuvaison; c. 15 months in French and American oak 60% new; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. There should be great interest in the two 2006 Villa Maria Cellar Selection syrahs, Villa presenting us with both a straight syrah, and this wine, which is a blend of 5% of the white grape viognier with syrah, both wines being largely Gimblett Gravels fruit. In the blend the syrah is co-fermented both with viognier juice, and on viognier skins, after most of the juice has been taken off for the straight white viognier (the 2006 Villa Omahu of which is exceptional, incidentally). The interesting detail is, viognier is a grape very high in phenolics, and they bind with the anthocyanins of the red grapes, sometimes producing an even deeper-coloured wine in the blend than the straight syrah. Counter-intuitive, I know, but there it is. And indeed in these two matched wines, the Syrah / Viognier is fractionally the deeper-coloured wine of the two. Bouquet in the Syrah / Viognier is wonderfully different from the straight syrah, both wines showing lovely syrah florals as described elsewhere in these notes, but the blend having additionally, an even more lovely honeysuckle / almost Peace rose fragrance. Flavours are different too, the blend being softer, subtler, more beguiling but less focused on syrah, less authoritative somehow. Alongside the Martinborough Vineyard wine similarly blended with viognier, the Villa is riper all through, another wine illustrating delightfully what Cote Rotie should be, but so often is not, in its marginal northern Rhone climate. These two Villa Cellar Selections are a great pair of syrahs, much the best the firm has offered in this series. Once you have secured the Reserve wine, buy a case of each of these, and compare and contrast them over the next 6 – 12 years. VALUE GK 05/08

2007 Mission Estate Syrah Jewelstone 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $45 [ cork; hand-harvested @ c. 2 tonnes / acre; cuvaison in the order of 4 weeks, 13 months in French oak 50% new; www.missionestate.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, dense, almost black, darker than the 2006 Vidal Reserve. This wine is a little richer, deeper and riper than the Vidal, and hence shows less varietal florals at least at this stage, but even more berry. And it is not so ripe as to lose black peppercorn spice. Palate is rich and youthful, chock-full of fruit. This looks to be in the top stream of Mission Jewelstone Syrahs, a wine somewhat over-looked despite good ones regularly since 1998. It may be the best yet. This is going to be exciting wine to watch – it may rank higher in a year. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 03/09

2008 Grasshopper Rock Pinot Noir Earnscleugh 18 ½ (

)

Alexandra, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14.2%; $36 [ screwcap; 5% whole bunch; 10 months in French oak, 30% new; www.grasshopperrock.co.nz ]
Beautiful pinot noir ruby, fractionally lighter than The Pinnacle. This is wonderful wine, exquisitely pure light and fine on sweet buddleia, red roses and red cherry aromas, so much so one doesn't immediately register quite how burgundian / Cote de Beaune it is. This bouquet is very special, and a little unusual for Central Otago, where the average of the pinot noirs tends darker. In mouth the red fruits expand, some black cherry now too, and the fruit richness seems almost sweet, giving a tactile impression of dry extract. Oaking is beautifully subtle. Textbook pinot noir, with much better physiological maturity than the 2007, and affordable, to cellar 3 – 8 years. VALUE. GK 11/10

2003 Greenhough Pinot Noir Nelson 18 ½ (

)

Waimea Valley, Nelson, New Zealand: 13.5%; $29 [ screwcap ]
Big ruby, a little deeper than the Bonnes Mares. This wine displays a big and clearly varietal bouquet from the moment it is opened. It takes a while to come into focus, though, and one finally realises that it is a little different, because of a faint spearmint edge to buddleia florals and blackboy peach fruit. Palate is fresh and full of cherry / blackboy succulence, with wonderfully understated and careful oak, matching the French. Where the wine doesn't quite match the French ‘03s is in its fresh temperate-climate florals and aromatics, which make it seem a little cooler, but only in the context of the reduced aromatics some of these drought-year French wines show. The finish is superb. This dramatically varietal wine was rated top wine by seven of 23 tasters on the night (blind), and recognised as not French by only two. It therefore represents stunning value at $29. Still sparingly available. Cellar 10 – 15 years. GK 03/06

2005 Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc Cellar Selection 18 ½ (

)

Wairau & Awatere Valleys, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $22 [ screwcap; some LA including stirring; 2005 not on website, 2004 was 2 g/L RS; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Lemongreen. Like the Private Bin wine, this is sauvignon taken up the ripeness scale, so there is no hint of green or yellow capsicums, but more emphasis on honeysuckle, black passionfruit, and stone fruits. Palate goes on to show wonderful fruit, subtle phenolics, great varietal flavour with now some suggestions of reddest capsicums in the black passionfruit, perfect acid, and less sweetness than most in the ‘dry’ class. Though the alcohol is higher than is optimal for finesse in sauvignon blancs, it is well hidden. Cellar to 10 years. GK 11/05

2004 Longbush Chardonnay Reserve 18 ½ (

)

Gisborne, New Zealand: 13.5%; $21 [ screwcap; no info [then] on website; www.gisbornewinecompany.co.nz ]
Lemonstraw, a better hue than the Oaked Longbush. Bouquet is more complexed on this wine, with a big MLF creamy / lactic note in barrel ferment and lees autolysis components, all based on ripe golden queen peachy fruit. Palate is rich, beautifully fruited, acid in balance but oak looming a little large, a good example of serious Gisborne chardonnay, except for its not-quite-bone-dry finish. And maybe there is a little American oak. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 07/05

2006 Chapoutier Hermitage Ermitage L'Ermite 18 ½ (

)

Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $340 [ cork; www.chapoutier.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, not as dense as Pavillon, below midway in depth. Bouquet is in exactly the same style as Pavillon, wallflower sweetness and some dianthus florals with cassis and dark plum. In both bouquet and flavour, this wine is not quite as dark as Pavillon, though there is still a hint of black pepper. Palate is clearly less concentrated than Pavillon, and is slightly fresher, but it shows a similar delightful level of cassisy ripeness, again black pepper, a relatively shorter finish. Another attractive syrah to cellar 8 – 20 years. GK 03/10

2006 Chapoutier Hermitage Ermitage Blanc L'Ermite 18 ½ (

)

Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $361 [ cork; Mar 100%; www.chapoutier.com ]
Lemonstraw, magically the freshest of the four whites. For a very welcome change, here is a Chapoutier marsanne which smells more of the grape than the winemaker, and is free of oxidation. Instead there is lovely nearly-perfumed marsanne aroma with a touch of citrus blossom, more or less reasonable alcohol, plus a clear hint of MLF and lees autolysis mealy complexity, without making a fetish of it. Bouquet leads into a simple mealy perfumed version of a big chardonnay on palate, the MLF tastable (+ve) and softening the wine, all lingering long on nearly dried peach flavours. This wine simply goes to show that quality white wines can be made from the Hill of Hermitage, even if it is still a ridiculous waste of precious land that desirably would be devoted to syrah. This wine also shows that the lavish praise heaped year-on-year on so many heavily oxidised clumsy white Hermitages is simply flannel. This is one to cellar, 5 – 30 years. GK 03/10

2008 Neudorf Pinot Noir Moutere 18 ½ (

)

Moutere Hills, Nelson, New Zealand: 14.1%; $54 [ screwcap; nil whole bunch, wild-yeast fermentation; total cuvaison extending to 26 days; 12 months in French oak 28% new; not fined or filtered; www.neudorf.co.nz ]
Elegant pinot noir ruby, close to the Grasshopper 2008, what a change from earlier days at Neudorf. Oh boy, is this fragrant and floral, there is almost a Musigny-like quality to this quintessentially pinot noir varietal bouquet. The floral components have a light fraction to them, as well as sensuous boronia and dark red roses, fruit is red cherry grading to black, and even on bouquet, it smells rich. The palate is wonderful: taste this alongside the Rousseau Gevrey-Chambertin Cazetiers, which it resembles in some ways, and the vastly richer fruit is a standout. This is clearly a grand cru cropping rate wine. The absolute quality of the Nelson fruit is slightly different from the Otago wines, there being a fragrant hint of sweet leaf, like holygrass (+ve). Is this the best straight Neudorf Pinot Noir so far ? There certainly have been some lovely designated-vineyard wines, but this is great. I very much like the way this label has evolved over the last 15 years. Memorable wine to cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 11/10

2002 Villa Maria Chardonnay Keltern Single Vineyard 18 ½ (

)

Maraekakaho, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $34 [ screwcap; clone 15, 100% MLF, 9 months BF and LA in 45% new French oak; 2 g/L RS; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Lemon. This too is fragrant chardonnay, more focussed on the purity of fruit than the other top wines. There is a floral and grapefruit zest lift which is enchanting. Grapefruit zest continues on palate, and adds an interesting edge to the rich peachy fruit. Oak and alcohol are miraculously absorbed in this wine. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 02/05

2006 Astrolabe Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough 18 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $19 [ screwcap; 4 g/L RS; www.astrolabewines.co.nz ]
Pale lemon. Bouquet is definitive Marlborough sauvignon, showing clear-cut varietal character ranging from sweet basil and reddest capsicum through to black passionfruit, with just the faintest suggestion of musky armpit character mingling with the sweet basil – acceptable. Palate is crisp, flavourful and 'dry', close to the Highfield in style but not quite so rich, less acid than the Cloudy Bay. In the New Zealand Sauvignon class, 2006 Astrolabe Sauvignon Blanc is the current yardstick. Anything better than this is unarguably gold-medal sauvignon. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 03/07

2006 Craggy Range Sauvignon Blanc Te Muna Road 18 ½ (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $24 [ screwcap; 3 t/ac; 40% whole bunch, some wild yeast; 14% BF in French oak 10% new, 4 months LA, RS 3 g/L; exemplary website info though slow to unfold; www.craggyrange.com ]
Lemongreen. This is a most unusual sauvignon, very ripe and very pure, like the Amisfield in some ways in its pear, pale peach and ripest English gooseberry fruit, scarcely any capsicum. Palate is gorgeous, really ripe gooseberry, a totally different sauvignon style. Thankfully Craggy are retreating from some of their coarser, high-alcohol sauvignons of previously. The use of oak in this wine is nearly as subtle as the Amisfield. A great comparison with the Otago wine, both adding a new dimension to New Zealand sauvignon. This should cellar well for 3 – 10 years. GK 03/07

1983 Guigal Cotes du Rhone 18 ½ (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $82 [ cork; New Zealand purchase price c.$14; even the reliable Wine Spectator lets us down, for the 1983, there is now no review. Parker in his 1987 book does say: Marcel Guigal has embarked on a plan to use more Mourvedre and Syrah in its composition and the result has been a series of excellent, full-bodied, surprisingly complex wines in vintages such as 1981, 1982, and 1983. The Cotes du Rhone was grenache-dominant then. Because 1983 was a famous year in the Southern Rhone Valley, several people do mention the 1983 Guigal Cotes du Rhone in their reminiscences: For example, in 2008 an American commentator on artisanwine.blogspot.com noted for the 1983: Guigal's record with Cotes du Rhone speaks for itself, however, and goes back many years. The 1981, 1983 and 1985 Guigal Cotes du Rhone stand out in my memory. When I had a chance to pick up the 1983 for about $30/case in 1990 (when by all rights it should have been dead), I had no hesitation. And it was drinking so beautifully that I went back for case No. 2 and enjoyed every drop. I last tasted the 1983 on 8 May 2010. The wine was soft, fragrant and burgundian, savoury, and very food-friendly … in a fully mature way. So it may be a bit fragile now; weight bottle and closure: 578 g; www.guigal.com ]
Glowing ruby and garnet, immediately attractive, the lightest colour. Bouquet is simply astonishing for the wine-class, epitomising vinosity and complexity, red fruits browning now, nearly pink roses, an aromatic hint of bouquet garni, all soft and enticing, tending burgundian in style like a mature Cote de Nuits wine of some standing. Palate matches, still surprising fruit balanced against harmonious soft tannins, thoughts of browning raspberries and red plums, beautiful acid balance, subtlest oak, long in flavour. Cotes du Rhone does not get much better than this. Top wine for four tasters, and second favourite for another four. In a cool cellar (in the southern two-thirds of the country), will easily hold for its 40th birthday. GK 03/21

2003 Palliser Estate Chardonnay 18 ½ (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $33 [ cork; BF French oak, 9 months LA; www.palliser.co.nz ]
Brilliant lemongreen. This is a remarkable chardonnay bouquet, with similar complex acacia florals and vanillin to the '02 Villa Waikahu, but fresher and lighter. Palate sustains the florals right through, like a fine Mosel of a good year, but here dry and combined with chardonnay fruit weight, supremely subtle barrel fermentation and lees autolysis, and much lighter alcohol than the Villa wines. This is a glorious new world chardonnay, but not a big one. The British market should love it, for it is comparable with (but different from) grand cru chablis. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 03/05

2002 Loosen Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett QmP 18 ½ (

)

Mosel, Germany: 7.5%; $34 [ www.drloosen.de ]
Lemon, faintest straw. One of the most eloquent bouquets in the set, with clearcut sweet white flowers and sweet vernal / linalool florals, making for unequivocal riesling. Palate shows palest stonefruits and white cherries, hints of pure fresh pineapple (without the VA), good body, fine acid almost concealing appropriate sweetness, and a long elegant finish. This can be compared with the 2001. Cellar 10 – 30 years. GK 03/04

2002 Trinity Hills The Gimblett Homage 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $100 [ Me 50%, CS 35, Sy 15; new French oak 26 months; www.trinityhill.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. This is the dark horse in the contest, being a little understated at this stage. With more air and time, beautifully ripe cassis and darkest plums emerge, plus tobacco complexities and quiet oaking. Palate is exquisitely pure, total cassis and plum, utterly Bordeaux in styling and weight. Where has the oak disappeared to ? On the specs, it should dominate, but here, like the Guigal Grands Crus, it is almost invisible. Dry extract must be outstanding, to do that. The percentage of totally compatible syrah in this wine is a pointer to making Hawkes Bay Blends distinctive on the world stage (for our syrah is at the cassisy and French end of the flavour spectrum, not the blowsy boysenberry Australian end). Cellar to 20 years. May well score higher in a couple of years. GK 10/04

2002 Villa Maria Chardonnay Waldron Single Vineyard 18 ½ (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $34 [ screwcap; clones 15 and another, 100% wild yeast ferment, 50% MLF, 9 months BF and LA in 100% new French oak; 1 g/L RS; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Lemon with a suggestion of straw, relative to the top wines. Bouquet here is more complex, with mealy and slightly smoky / bacony barrel char characters showing on rich fruit. Palate is rich, already some hazelnutty suggestions in the mealy complexity, all on succulent stonefruits. Wines like these really do show the dry extract which is the key to greatness. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 02/05

2015 Elephant Hill CS / Me Hieronymus 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels 58%, The Triangle 42, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.4%; $120 [ cork 50mm; CS 41%, Me 22, CF 17, Ma 12, and Te 8, all hand-picked at an average cropping rate of 4.1 t/ha = 1.65 t/ac, then optically-sorted, plus the cabernets further hand-sorted; c.4 days soak then (depending on variety) up to c.15 days cuvaison, all components fermented in oak cuves, and no pressings in this wine; 26 months in French oak 50% new, plus 8 months on lees in s/s; not fined, sterile-filtered to bottle; dry extract 32.1 g/L; production 280 x 9-litre cases; Hieronymus refers to a Weiss-family (owners) ancestor, mayor of Nuremberg; weight bottle and closure 587 g; https://elephanthill.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, a little older in appearance than Syrah Earth, clearly above midway in depth. Bouquet is wonderfully pure, cassisy berry browning a little now, even maybe a delicate suggestion of violets florals on bouquet, grape tannins seemingly more apparent than oak on bouquet. Flavour is long, velvety and wonderfully fine-grain on new oak tannins, with a near-floral lift through the cassisy and plummy dark berryfruits. This wine could not be much riper, if the magic of temperate-climate cabernet sauvignon
winestyles is to be retained. As with Airavata, dry extract is exemplary, showing a value rarely achieved in New Zealand. I did not pick up that it was even richer than Airavata, at the blind stage. Some maturity is already starting to show. Cellar 10 – 25 years. GK 06/20

2005 Waitiri Creek Pinot Noir, Central Otago 18 ½ (

)

Gibbston 60%, Bannockburn 40, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $40 [ screwcap; nil whole bunch; 10 months in French oak 35% new; www.waitiricreek.co.nz ]
Older pinot noir ruby, middling weight. The key to this wine is its wonderful floral bouquet, illustrating the full span of floral indicators of ripeness, from hints of buddleia through roses to deep boronia complexity. It illustrates that in New Zealand as for Burgundy wines of good physiological maturity retain florality as the wine matures. Below are red and black fruits and great varietal excitement. Palate is equally poised, a touch of leaf maybe as the buddleia note might suggest, but clear-cut cherry fruit, good length on well-handled oak, showing some secondary characters already. Like the Mount Difficulty Long Gully, this is not a 'black' Central Otago Pinot, and is the better for it. Cellar 1 – 3 years. GK 02/10

2003 Martinborough Vineyard Pinot Noir Reserve Marie Zelie 18 ½ (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.6%; $179 [ cork; hand-harvested clone 10/5 23 years old, and other younger clones, sorting table; 10 – 15% whole bunch, 4 – 5 days cold soak, up to 20 days cuvaison; 12 months in French oak 100% new, plus 4 months in new and one year; not fined or filtered; 900 bottles only from what is considered to be an outstanding Martinborough vintage; www.martinborough-vineyard.co.nz ]
This wine was not part of the Exhibitors' Tasting, but was seen with the 2003 Rousseaus and other top New Zealand pinots a few days later, while all the Conference wines were still available. It was too interesting to leave out, considering it is likely to become something of a status symbol. Colour is rich pinot noir ruby, a little darker than all the Rousseaus. It was presented blind in a flight of five, four being Rousseau grand crus, plus the Marie Zelie. And the immediate thing to say is, it was fully competitive. As seen blind by 20 or so of Wellington's most experienced pinot / burgundy tasters, it was placed approximately third in ranking these five wines. That is a remarkable result. Bouquet is floral, varietal and fresh, closest in style to the Rousseau Clos St Jacques. Palate is richly varietal too, the balance of black cherry and plum flavours again close to the St Jacques. Where it differs from the Rousseaus in general, and the St Jacques in particular, is in being a little shrill, in side-by-side comparison. This is a function of slightly higher total acid than is ideal, and more apparent and slightly aggressive new oak. We still have so much to learn about oak handling, against the French centuries of tradition. Dry extract will be the key, I suggest, but for now, as for New Zealand syrah (which when good has so much in common with pinot), in general less will be more. This Reserve wine should cellar for 10, maybe 15 + years.

Pricing-wise, I think it is time for somebody in New Zealand to say that this increasingly presumptuous and pretentious pricing for supposedly prestige wines is doing a disservice to the New Zealand wine industry. It is far too early for us to be making claim to world-class wines, at the grandiose level of $179 per bottle. We deserve to be mocked, on this, as Remington Norman did exactly in the Syrah Symposium preceding Pinot Noir 2007. Only a few years ago Trinity Hill scandalised the wine community with $100 bottles. Now in this review we have $157 and $179 bottles of pinot noir. It is time to call a halt, I say. If winemakers want to skite, put a maximum of $100 on their top wine as they perceive it, and leave it at that. Let the consumer decide, if they can find objective reviews to help them. The trouble is, as we saw in the Pinot Conference proper, reviewers can all too easily be diverted from evaluating the actual liquid in the glass in front of them, by knowledge of the label, or in this case, the price. And the other good reason to downplay prestige bottlings is the simple fact, it devalues the standard wine. Martinborough Vineyard's standard pinot has been looking skinny for some time. Siphoning off the best fruit for wines like this Reserve bottling can only aggravate that trend. As the Champenoise have done in recent years, get the standard wine to a top quality level first. GK 02/07

2005 Mills Reef Syrah Elspeth 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $37 [ cork; 100% French oak; not on the website yet; www.millsreef.co.nz ]
Ruby, a little carmine and velvet, much the same weight as the Dry River. My word, what a change in style for Elspeth Syrah. This is subtle, no US oak, all French, no VA, just floral and fragrant red roses, cassis and almost red rather than black plums, yet smelling beautifully ripe. Palate includes blueberry in the spread of small fruits, acid crisper than some, oak delightfully aromatic. On the acid and subtlety, this wine should build terrific bouquet in the bottle, over 5 – 12 years, and be good with food too. GK 01/07

2007 Wooing Tree Pinot Noir Sandstorm Reserve 18 ½ (

)

Cromwell, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $85 [ screwcap; 5% whole bunch; 11 months in French oak 35% new; www.wooingtree.co.nz ]
Colour is a beautiful limpid pinot noir colour, fractionally deeper than the 2008 Martinborough Vineyard, more like the Long Gully but a little fresher, clearly not one of the very dark Otago pinots. Bouquet on this wine is one of the most marvellous in the Conference, explicit boronia florals along with roses and violets, on beautiful red and black cherry fruit showing more black cherry than the Martinborough but very fresh. Palate has a limpid cherry-fruit sensuality to it which is already delightful, showing not quite as much oak as the Long Gully but more than the standard 2008 Martinborough Vineyard. I can well imagine that with cellaring, the florality of bouquet may extend right through the palate of this wine, to produce the elusive / much-talked-about but rarely tasted 'peacock's tail' impression on aftertaste. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 02/10

2008 Felton Road Pinot Noir Calvert Vineyard 18 ½ (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $69 [ screwcap; several clones hand-harvested at varying yields < 2 t/ac; extended cold-soak and cuvaison c.20% whole-bunch; all wild yeast; MLF also wild and 11 months in French oak c. 25% new; no fining or filtration; introduction to the Calvert concept 25 Nov 2008; intriguing new website; www.feltonroad.com ]
Big pinot noir ruby, about a maximum for the variety. Bouquet is supremely sweet and floral at the dark roses and boronia level, on clear red and black cherry fruit and subtle oak. In mouth the florals are quite aromatic and permeate the youthful fruit, though some marrying-up is still needed. Within the Otago tending darker and well-fruited context, this is even more varietal than the Craggy Calvert, but with respect to its oaking it is also a little simpler. Either way, this is fine New Zealand pinot noir, to cellar 3 – 12 years. GK 11/10

2006 Lake Hayes Sauvignon Blanc 18 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $20 [ screwcap; not much info on website; www.amisfield.co.nz ]
Lemongreen. Bouquet is sweet ripe and modern Marlborough sauvignon, a lot of black passionfruit, and honeysuckle too. Palate is pure long-flavoured black passionfruit, more obvious but less complex than the Amisfield, and equally long, a little less 'dry'. The tiny bite of sweet aromatic red capsicum lengthening the finish is excellent. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 03/07

2004 Daniel Schuster [ Pinot Noir ] Omihi Hills Vineyard Selection 18 ½ (

)

Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 13.5%; $60 [ cork; hand-harvested from the home vineyard; open-vat fermentation, cuvaison 22 days, 16 months in French oak, RS 1 g/L, dry extract 31 g/L; www.danielschusterwines.com ]
Ruby, a classical presentation of pinot noir. Bouquet is captivating, sweetly fragrant and spicy, with whole-berry fermentation and floral components of pinot noir alongside a great volume of nutmeg-tinged soft spicy oak. This oak is reminiscent of the wines Gary Farr was making in the 1980s. The bouquet is an exciting and stylish statement about pinot noir, handled in an individualistic and European way, but one does initially wonder whether there will be too much oak on palate. In the comparative blind tasting, however, the palate wins out, with rich cherry fruit sustaining the smooth spicy oak into a long finish, which is very varietal and stylish indeed – 31 g/L dry extract confirms excellent concentration. In one sense, the Omihi makes the top ’04 Otago wines look a little simple alongside, though they are equally fine examples of New Zealand pinot noir. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 03/06

2002 Fevre Chablis Vaudesir Grand Cru 18 ½ (

)

Chablis, France: 13%; $95 [ cork; Fevre domaine-holdings wine ]
Lemongreen. Bouquet here is pure chardonnay, with suggestions of the white florals the grape can display (as in the '03 Palliser), but oak is surprisingly noticeable for chablis. Palate is wonderful white stonefruits plus some mealy / potentially nutty complexity making one think of white burgundy more than chablis, richer than the Montée Tonnerre, gentler acid than the Bougros but still enough for reasonable longevity, and a long lingering aftertaste. Just all a bit soft and ample for chablis: a globally-warmed chablis, I guess, but pretty lovely. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 02/05

2003 Greenhough Chardonnay Hope 18 ½ (

)

Nelson, New Zealand: 13.5%; $32 [ screwcap; mostly mendoza and clone 15; relative to Nelson wine, more BF, new oak, MLF and wild yeast; still available at vineyard ]
Lemongreen, fractionally deeper than the Nelson wine. Bouquet on this wine is in the same style as the Nelson one, but deeper, tauter, drier even on bouquet, with very attractive baguette crust / lees-autolysis complexity. Palate is terrific, total barrel-fermented chardonnay beautifully fresh – one would never know it was a 2003 vintage wine. Flavours are almost floral white stonefruits, great oatmeal and baguette crust lees-autolysis with a faint hint of Corban's Cottage Block character, and the viscosity of a successful MLF component without any of the flavours. This is an elegant rich chardonnay mellowing beautifully in one sense yet scarcely showing any sign of its extra year, remarkably Burgundian, and not at all overblown in the still-common oaky new world style. It will be great with food, and will cellar for 8 – 12 years. GK 01/06

2007 Valli Vineyards Pinot Noir Bannockburn Vineyard 18 ½ (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $55 [ screwcap; 30% whole bunch; 11 months French oak 40% new; www.valliwine.com ]
Rich ruby and velvet, deep for pinot noir, the deepest in its tasting, and the darkest of my top 10. This wine illustrates the darker phase of Otago pinots, yet the bouquet still retains good pinot character, showing fair freshness and a dusky florality centred on boronia, but grading into black cherry fruit and the aroma of blackest plums in the sun. Palate is wonderfully rich, saturated, tannic, about as big as pinot can be and retain elegance, yet again it is on the right side of the line, fresh, black cherry again, a little plummy maybe, with great potential sensuality and a lingering black cherry tannin balance. It therefore represents about the outer limits of desirable ripeness in pinot noir, if the wine is to retain florality, freshness, varietal complexity, and burgundian styling. Darker is not necessarily better, in pinot noir. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 02/10

2008 Villa Maria Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot Reserve 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $50 [ screwcap; CS 70%, Me 30; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, another great colour for a young Hawkes Bay / Bordeaux blend. The fruit richness and sweetness on this wine is exceptional, with slightly more overt new oak, perhaps because the VA is approaching threshold. The total impression is sensational. Palate is plums and cassis in fragrant oak, a firmer slightly leaner wine than the top three, beautifully clean. This too will cellar to 10 – 20 years, and become more fragrant and supple in its slightly oaky Medoc styling. GK 06/10

2005 Kumeu River Chardonnay 18 ½ (

)

Kumeu, north of Auckland, New Zealand: 13.5%; $ – [ screwcap; release Sept. ’06, ’04 c. $36; clone 15 and others; 100% BF in 25% new oak, 100% MLF, RS nil; www.kumeuriver.co.nz ]
Lemon. Bouquet is immediately stonefruits chardonnay and clearcut barrel-ferment and lees-autolysis / breadcrust complexity, with a hint of char, all sweet and clean and attractive. Palate is white stonefruits and nectarine, the richness of MLF without the butter, perfect acid balance for longevity, a hint of mineral austerity, and balanced oak including some taste of the new. This is taut poised wine in a medium Puligny-Montrachet style, which should cellar for 6 – 10 years. NB: notes based on final assembled blend, pre-bottling. GK 02/06

2003 Greenhough Pinot Noir Hope Vineyard 18 ½ (

)

Waimea Plains, Nelson, New Zealand: 14%; $39 [ screwcap; clones 10/5 and others, some vines up to 24 years, harvested at under 2 t/ac; 100% de-stemmed, up to 7 days cold soak, up to 27 days cuvaison; 12 months in French oak 37% new; Robinson '05: Dark blackish purple. Something rather odd on the nose. Sweet start, rather charming essence of Pinot + gas. Probably not a long liver! 16; no website ]
Good pinot noir ruby, much the same weight as the 2003 Mt Difficulty Target Gully, but fractionally older. Bouquet is a little more developed than the wines rated higher, showing beautiful pinot noir varietal character in fragrant oak, possibly with an invisible whisper of brett complexity. Palate brings up the boronia florals on a succulent dark cherry complexity, beautiful lingering fruit, oak slightly more noticeable than some (like the 2003 Prima Donna), and the whole wine a little looser. This is a clearly burgundian glass of pinot noir, crying out for food. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 01/07

2007 Peregrine Pinot Noir 18 ½ (

)

Cromwell Basin 80%, Gibbston 20, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $39 [ screwcap; nil whole bunch; 10 months in French oak, 35% new; www.peregrinewines.co.nz ]
Rich ruby, a flush of carmine and velvet, pretty deep for pinot noir. Bouquet is even fresher and more fragrant and floral than the Valli, totally burgundian Cote de Nuits berry, absolutely exciting. The florals range from buddleia through roses to boronia, the fruit notes being black more than red cherries. It is all just that magical bit cooler than the Valli: in mouth that thought of coolness translates into slightly fresher tannins, a hint of leaf only in a positive descriptive sense, with great poise, zest and balance, and good tannin ripeness. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 02/10

2010 Trinity Hill [ Syrah ] Homage 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $120 [ Cork 49mm; Sy 100%, hand-harvested @ 2.5 t/ha (1 t/ac); 100% de-stemmed but still some whole-berries; wild yeast, up to 13 days ferment, total cuvaison 26 days; MLF mostly in tank, 15 months in French oak 72% new, no American oak; RS < 1 g/L; sterile-filtered to bottle; around 500 cases; Campbell, 2012: Big, rich, velvet-textured Syrah with masses of chocolate/mocha, ripe plum and mixed spice flavours. Is this the best vintage yet of this iconic label? Concentrated, sumptuous wine supported by ripe tannins that suggest great cellaring potential, 95; Chan, 2012: 100% Syrah from the ‘Gimblett Estate' and ‘Gimblett Stones' vineyards, mainly ‘MS Heritage' clone from 15 y.o. vines, hand-picked, destemmed and fermented with a large portion of whole berries to 13.7% alc. The wine was aged 15 months in predominantly new French oak barriques. Very dark, deep, … colour. This has a very refined and tightly concentrated nose of ripe black fruits, graphite and minerals at the core, initially brooding and unyielding, but unfolding to reveal unending layers of dark red berry fruits, violet notes, black pepper and spices. Medium-full bodied, this combines great intensity and concentration with elegance and finesse. Black fruits, boysenberries, dark plums and iron-earth flavours form a densely packed core. The mouthfeel is rich, luscious and near-unctuous, but simultaneously tight and restrained, the textures being ultra-smooth and fine. This has great power and line, with building tannin expression, along with layers of pepper, Asian spices, oak toast and florals that carry though to a very long and sustained finish. This is a multi-layered Syrah with great concentration and immense refinement. 10-12+ years, 19.5+; Cooper, 2013: The 2010 vintage is a '7 out of 7 year' believes winemaker John Hancock. Densely coloured … it is powerful, with great depth of superbly ripe blackcurrant, plum and spice flavours, framed by ripe, supple tannins. Still a baby, it's already approachable, but well worth cellaring to at least 2015+, 5-stars; www.trinityhill.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, one of the fresher reds, above midway in depth. And freshly opened, the colour correlates with a shadow of reduction. Once decanted, pour it splashily from jug to jug five times, and enjoy the transformation. It is like a flower bud bursting. This syrah then combines florality like La Chapelle with a softness of palate which is very beguiling, closer to the Cuilleron Cote Rotie than the others. There is also a shadow of leathery complexity, but in this highly technically-qualified audience, no one mentioned the b-word. The length and richness of the palate is Hermitage-like. This is a beautiful food-friendly wine, astonishingly best-European in style. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 11/14

2006 Hunter's MiruMiru Reserve 18 ½ (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $28 [ cork; Ch 55%, PN 41, PM 4; www.hunters.co.nz ]
Bright lemonstraw. Bouquet is remarkable, combining a citric freshness with attractive mealy and baguette-crust autolysis of textbook quality, just lovely. Palate is full of flavour, really satisfying and long, a little toasty now, great with savouries, everything an affordable bubbly should be. And the dosage at 8 g/L is superb, setting wines like this apart from the overly sweet Pernod-Ricard (and successors) offerings. In the simplest terms, there is no reputable New Zealand bubbly which is not better after two or three years bottle age after release, and this wine vividly confirms that. This delightful wine has body and palate weight reminiscent of fine champagne, but is not 'fruity'. Cellar 2 – 10 years, to taste. GK 01/14

2005 Pisa Range Estate Pinot Noir Black Poplar Block 18 ½ (

)

Cromwell, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $40 [ screwcap; nil whole bunch; c.11 months in French oak c.33% new; www.pisarangeestate.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, some age showing. Like the 2005 Waitiri Creek, this Otago wine also shows that attractively ripe pinot noir retains exciting roses and boronia florality as the wine matures. Bouquet is total pinot noir, not as overtly floral as the Waitiri, but sweeter and perhaps fractionally riper, with beautiful dusky rose qualities and boronia floral notes. Palate is delightful, clearly above the threshold of ripeness that relates to leafy, instead now displaying fine harmony, the florality running into maturing cherry flavours spanning red and black fruits, with good freshness, richness, oak balance and length. There are Cote de Nuits qualities in this. This Black Poplar vineyard wine made by Rudi Bauer has built up an enviable track record for consistency, the wines usually being in the darker Otago style outlined for the Felton Road Block 5. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 02/10

2005 Chapoutier Ermitage Le Pavillon 18 ½ (

)

Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $416 [ cork, 49mm; Sy 100%; purchase price c.$349; cropping and wine-making details as in the introductory ‘Background’ section; www.chapoutier.com ]
Vibrant ruby and velvet, not as deep as 2003, above midway in depth. This wine opened up appealingly in the glass, showing good syrah varietal character a little riper than the 2010, not exactly floral or cassis, but beautifully fragrant on dark bottled plums and nearly blackberry fruit. There is even a hint of black pepper spice, and some garrigue-like aromatics, though like the 2010 they are nearly masked by the oak. Like the 2003, the oak comes in with a rush on the palate, and coupled with the high tannins of the 2005 vintage, there is a dryness on palate now, which I hope with time the fruit richness will cover. The 2005 brings together aspects of the 2003 and 2010 vintages, but it is not as rich. This wine too was popular, three first places and one second, but also one least place – perhaps the tannin load. Cellar 10 – 25 years. Wine Spectator quality rating for the vintage 94. GK 10/18

2006 Mills Reef Sauvignon Blanc Reserve 18 ½ (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $18 [ screwcap; '06 not on website yet, but '05 had 15% BF in French oak plus 4 months LA; www.millsreef.co.nz ]
Lemon. Bouquet on this sauvignon is very different from the Marlborough wines, gentler, riper, with a distinct tropical (e.g. pepino or musk melon) fruit note on the black passionfruit, remarkably like fresh fruit salad. Palate is rich, and continues the fruit salad impression exactly, the mouthfeel close to the Highfield, but the residual higher – though still 'dry'. This is a perfect expression of the warmer-climate Hawkes Bay style, showing quite different fruit notes. It should appeal immensely to those who find Marlborough sauvignons are generally too refreshing. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 03/07

2007 Bald Hills Pinot Noir Single Vineyard 18 ½ (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.6%; $44 [ screwcap; 30% whole-bunch, 11 months in French oak, one third new, balance 1 and 2-year ]
Big pinot noir ruby, above midway in depth, not as youthful as some 2007s. Bouquet is intensely floral, including dusky rose and boronia aromas, with red grading to black cherry fruit teetering towards plummyness, and some sur-maturité. Palate rescues the wine, being fresh, the flavours dark … yes, but not heavy, with sensitive oaking, and great length on the skin tannins, all lingering attractively. A clue to the volume of bouquet is apparent in the slight suggestion of stalkyness on palate, but the total depth of varietal fruit is remarkable – a lovely wine. The benefits of a part-stalk component in the fermentation are well-apparent here. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 02/10

2011 Church Road Cabernet Sauvignon McDonald Series 18 ½ (

)

Bridge Pa Triangle 77%, Tukituki Valley 13, Gimblett Gravels 10, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $34 [ screwcap; CS 85%, Me 15; some components up to 5 weeks cuvaison; 21 months in French oak 37% new; RS < 2 g/L, all unfermentable; www.churchroad.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, nearly some carmine, midway in the second third, for depth. Bouquet is beautifully fragrant, cassis and cedary oak already integrating, very Medoc even Pauillac, lovely purity. Palate carries on exactly as for the bouquet, cassisy and plummy dark aromatic berry with cedary oak to a max, perhaps not ideally plump, but with a good feeling of fruit on the tongue. These McDonald Series wines have offered outstanding value in recent years, with the added excitement of sometimes being available with worthwhile discounts (as I write, for example, $22), allowing customers the pleasure of achieving the case-quantity purchases the quality demands. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 06/14

2007 Sacred Hill Merlot Brokenstone 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $60 [ screwcap; Me 90.5%, CF 4.5, CS 4, hand-picked from 7 year old vines @ just under 2.5 t/ac; de-stemmed, not crushed; open-vat cuvaison approx 30 days; 18 months in French oak 75% new, no BF; no lees stirring; RS < 0.1 g/L; www.sacredhill.com ]
Colour is ruby, carmine and velvet, scarcely distinguishable from Sophia, above midway. If Sophia is a notch oakier than the Church Road, Brokenstone is another notch oakier. Yet the same violets florality and bottled black doris plums of the berry is discernible. Likewise in mouth, one just has to search harder to isolate the rich fruit: it is good. This wine needs time in cellar to harmonise its oak, but on balance it is just a bit too oaky for merlot to excel. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 01/10

2009 Escarpment Pinot Noir 18 ½ (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 14.3%; $49 [ supercritical cork; 70% Te Muna Road, mix of clones, 30% whole bunch, wild yeast, 18-day cuvaison; 11 months in French oak, 30% new; dry extract 30 g/L, RS 1.2 g/L; c. 500 cases; www.escarpment.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby. It is astonishing the degree to which this Martinborough wine can be confused with less dark Otago pinots of the same year. There is a slightly aromatic violets and boronia florality on cherry fruit, with a fair measure of black cherry. It is fractionally riper than the Cornish Point 2008, with slightly more oak influence. The scope for confusing the two districts is intriguing, since so many claim they are worlds apart. This is a lovely example of Larry McKenna's craft, the best standard-label yet, achieving European standards of fruit weight as expressed by the all-important dry extract figure. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 06/11

2001 Penfolds Shiraz St Henri 18 ½ (

)

Fleurieu Peninsula, Padthaway, Barossa Valley and other districts, South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $59 [ cork; 16 months in large old oak; www.penfolds.com.au ]
Ruby and velvet, much the same weight as the 2001 RWT. Both the St Henris benefit from decanting. This 2001 has quite the best bouquet I have ever struck on St Henri, notwithstanding trace brett. There are some dianthus-like florals and thoughts of syrah, on overt blueberry, with underpinning cassis, plum and boysenberry, very rich, much more complex than the 2002. Palate continues the fine berry in quite a peppery tannin structure, still quite oaky despite the stated old-oak-only elevage, the fruit nearly as rich as 2001 RWT. This is a remarkable St Henri, in a bizarre / gigantic way almost offering a promise of pinot noir-styled bouquet and fruit, delightful. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 07/06

2007 Pask Cabernet / Merlot / Malbec Declaration 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $50 [ screwcap; CS 36%, Me 35, Ma 29, machine-harvested, de-stemmed; 5 days cold-soak, main batch cuvaison to 28 days, some partial BF; c.18 months in French and American oak; 2007 not on website yet; www.cjpaskwinery.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, not as dense as the Church Road two, below midway. Wow, what a volume of Bordeaux-like bouquet this wine is showing, with floral and fragrant cassisy cabernet plus good oak leading the pack, thus showing a little more aromatic excitement than the high-merlot wines. Palate likewise is not as fat as some, but it is richer than the Cheval Blanc. The Pask sat alongside the highly-regarded West Australian Cullen's Diana Madeline Cabernet / Merlot in the original tasting, and the contrast was vivid, the warmer-climate wine showing the awkwardness of earlier picking to conserve acid (presumably), and a shrill character all through compared with the naturally-ripened beauty of cabernet / merlot from an optimal temperate-climate such as Hawke's Bay or Bordeaux. I have often taxed the Pask winemakers' patience by commenting on excess oak, so it is a pleasure to record the more harmonious berry / oak balance in this wine. It is still the oakiest of these top six wines, though, and it is worth noting our UK visitors commented on the excess oak in the cabernet / merlot styles. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 01/10

2003 Guigal Condrieu 18 ½ (

)

Condrieu, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $89 [ Vi 100%; average vine age 25 years; cropped 35 hL / ha; 33% fermented in new French oak, 67% in s/s, all through MLF; nearly 12 000 cases; www.guigal.com ]
Glowing rich lemon. Bouquet is textbook viognier, just perfect, canned apricots and florals reminiscent of frangipani and tropical evenings, heavenly. Palate is intriguing, taking the fruit and adding some phenolics, like sucking on the stone of the apricot, to give great length of flavour without heaviness. Some tasters thought the wine could be richer, but it is then hard to retain the freshness - as we see in the Yalumba wines (leaving aside the hotter climate). Drink in the next year or so. GK 07/05

2009 Church Road Merlot / Cabernet Tom 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels 97.5%, Bridge Pa Triangle 2.5, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.4%; $155 [ cork; CS 58%, Me 42; all hand-picked, the dominant cabernet @ 5.1 t/ha (minutely over 2 t/ac), absolutely a serious classed-growth cropping rate, the merlot 9.6 t/ha (3.8 t/ac), and hand-sorted from on-average 12-year old vines; 100% de-stemmed, crushed, no cold soak, inoculated fermentation mostly in oak cuves, a fraction in s/s, cuvaison up to 5 weeks for the CS components, less for Me; 21 months in all-French oak c.81% new, balance 1-year, successive rackings to clarify and aerate; not fined or filtered; RS <1 g/L; 450 cases; www.churchroad.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, a similar density to the 2013 Tom, but older and fractionally lighter. Bouquet now forms a vivid contrast with the 2013 Tom. It is bigger, softer, riper, and more oaky, reflecting an earlier-style Tom, plus the hotter year in Hawkes Bay in 2009 (which contrasts with the cooler dry 2013 vintage). Yet all that said, there is still a wonderful saturation of very ripe cassis and darkest plum fruit which would not be out of place in some classed growths in the hotter years of Bordeaux. Only Australians and Americans think those hotter years better, however. It is imperative if we are to keep Hawkes Bay on its true international winemaking trajectory / destiny, that the fruit characters of the 2013 Tom, not the 2009, be seen as the goal of viticulture and winemaking for premier reds in Hawkes Bay. Flavours in mouth are bigger all round, some melding of oak and fruit now apparent, suggestions of browning in the cassis, some brown tobacco complexity notes, rather more apparent oak than the 2013, but still all a pretty exciting mouthful. You can understand from the viewpoint of the Te Mata Coleraine proprietors, this 2009 could be described as over-ripe, if one prefers a slightly cooler more vibrant and aromatic winestyle. Fair enough, and the 2013 provides that exactly, plus exemplary richness. But as indicated, there are Bordeaux as ripe as this (in 2009 for example, but not quite so oaky), and the wine will give immense pleasure. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 06/16

2005 Chapoutier Cote Rotie la Mordoree 18 ½ (

)

Cote Rotie, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $228 [ cork; Sy 100% of 60 + years, from schist and granite hillside adjoining the Cote Blonde; hand-harvested "at peak maturity"; 100% de-stemmed; fermented in open-top oak vessels, fermentation to 32 C, cuvaison not given; 30% new French oak; not fined or filtered; www.chapoutier.com ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, the lightest of the syrahs. Freshly opened this wine is a little disorganised. With air it settles down to be deeply floral including violets and wallflowers, in clear cassis, bottled black doris plum, and again black peppercorn. Palate brings up the cracked black peppercorn a little more, in a taut cassis-dominated wine like the Pavillon but not as rich. It is not as rich as the Varonniers either, but is more finely tuned, with just a hint of Cote de Nuits in its well-breathed bouquet. In a blind tasting, one might just work out it was Cote Rotie, therefore. Oak is beautifully balanced, much of it new. There is a lot in common with the 2005 Te Mata Syrah Bullnose here. Cellar 5 – 25 years. GK 07/08

2005 Newton-Forrest Cabernet / Merlot / Malbec Cornerstone 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $50 [ screwcap; DFB; CS 42%, Me 34, Ma 24, 65% hand-harvested, balance machine @ < 2.5 t/ac; 70% French oak, 30 US 25% new; coarse-filtered only; c. 900 cases; not on website yet; www.forrestwines.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, just below midway in depth. Bouquet is a little different on this wine, fragrant berry and some spirit, but the oak much more aromatic and reminding of Rioja, presumably therefore including some American (confirmed). With it there is elegant cassisy berry, fresh and fragrant, not quite as weighty as the Craggys. Palate is succulent on the berry, still a little oaky, but all lingering delightfully. This wine reminds of some of the more aromatic and cassisy years of Grand Puy Lacoste. There is also a ghostly reminder of the impact that ultimate New Zealand leading-light cabernet, 1965 McWilliams Cabernet Sauvignon, had at first release, on account of the oak. Cellar 5 – 15 + years. GK 05/07

2008 Felton Road Pinot Noir Block 3 18 ½ (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $69 [ screwcap; 25% whole bunch; 14 months in French oak, 42% new; www.feltonroad.com ]
Good pinot noir ruby, right in the middle for depth of colour. Bouquet is fine Otago pinot noir, clear rose and boronia florals, and red and black cherry fruit. Palate is fractionally harder and more youthful than the 2007 Block 5 at this stage, but close to it in potential richness and integration, and very much in the more aromatic Felton style. This will cellar attractively, 3 – 8 years. GK 03/10

2007 Kumeu River Chardonnay Maté's Vineyard 18 ½ (

)

Kumeu, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.5%; $50 [ screwcap; hand-harvested from vines planted in 1990; whole-bunch pressed; wild-yeast fermentation entirely in French oak; 100% MLF; 11 months in barrel with LA; www.kumeuriver.co.nz ]
Lovely lemon, only a little deeper than the 2007 Riflemans. Initially opened, this wine isn't giving much away, appearing gawky and oaky with fresh hessian edges. It is far too young to be opening – a better idea is to put every bottle aside for 18 months. When next opened, it will then show perfect chardonnay fruit which is both white-flowers floral, and pale stonefruits, with a depth on bouquet which will be remarkable. Palate will be intense yellow-green stonefruits, slightly mineral, the oak quite absorbed. I think this is going to be a topnotch Maté's of great purity, but it is hard to retrieve those qualities right now. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 11/08

2001 Penfolds Shiraz Grange 18 ½ (

)

South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $421 [ cork; 17 months in American oak 100% new; www.penfolds.com.au ]
Ruby and velvet, almost some carmine, one of the deepest. One sniff and this is Grange, almost a caricature of itself, back to the massively oaky style there was some respite from in one or two vintages of the late '90s. Of course there is great berry too, intense cassis and darkest plum, but the level of oak is ridiculous, catering to fetishists. Palate is wonderfully rich, but the berry is a little browning in character, like blackcurrant jam (under cellophane) 10 years old one has found in the back of the pantry. Berry and oak battle it out through a long vanillin and nearly buttery (+ve) palate, with incredible richness. This and the 707 are soul-mates, but whereas the 707 is within bounds (just) on the oak front, this Grange is so in pursuit of its own image, there is a risk of losing the plot. Somebody needs to say, wine is usually drunk with food, had you forgotten. On concentration, it has to be scored highly, but in the sense most Grange is 'consumed' (as the Americans say) prematurely by trophy hunters, rather than savoured by thoughtful tasters, score hardly matters. Cellar for 20 – 50 years, when it might reflect the generous score above. But if you want to see what good shiraz (with some thought of syrah) actually smells and tastes like, get seven 2001 St Henri for the price of one of these. GK 07/06

2010 Escarpment Riesling 18 ½ (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 12%; $24 [ screwcap; hand-picked; s/s ferment; RS 20 g/L; not released yet; www.escarpment.co.nz ]
Lemon. Bouquet is exquisitely clean, and highly varietal riesling in an almost juicy way: some floral notes, lemon and black passionfruit aromas, an undertone of mandarin, lovely. Palate slots in well with the Riverby, seemingly a little bolder in its lemon-fruit flavours, less botrytis, but just as long and exciting on roughly similar residual sweetness. This should cellar 10 – 12 years. GK 06/11

1999 Mission Syrah Jewelstone 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $35 [ 15 months French oak; no archival info @ website; www.missionestate.co.nz ]
Older ruby, some velvet. In the blind tasting led by Alastair Mailing MW, I confidently identified this as a Rhone syrah, Hermitage probably, 1999 possibly. It now shows all the attributes one would expect from fine Northern Rhone syrah: carnations and violets florals, beautiful cassisy berry going savoury and gamey as it develops, some herbes de Provence, a delightful touch of brett complexity adding a hint of venison, and perfect ripeness, not over-ripe. This wine has been exciting since release (for example a review in the predecessor to these notes 10/03, likewise 18.5), but its European styling has not attracted the praise it deserves in New Zealand, over-influenced as we are by the excesses of Australian shiraz. Still a few bottles at the winery. Attractively maturing now, a preview of where fine New Zealand syrah will be going, great with food, or cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 12/04

2002 Mission Syrah Jewelstone 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $30 [ crop 2 tonnes / acre; MLF in barrel, 15 months in French oak 50% new; www.missionestate.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. Initially opened, the wine is youthful, tending oaky and seeming a little closed, but also very cassisy and Medoc-like. Breathed, the cassisy berry expands to embrace fresh-cracked black peppercorns, and dark bottled plums, with the oak now blending with an almost floral / aromatic component. Palate is crisply berry and fragrant oak, showing lovely varietal character in a Rhone weight and alcohol (which is lighter than the predominance of richer, softer wines in the set), and thus reminiscent of the 1999 of this label. Few Crozes-Hermitages are this good, and really this is Hermitage in style. Cellar 10 – 15 years. GK 12/04

nv Laurent Perrier Grand Siecle Brut 18 ½ (

)

Tours sur Marne, Champagne, France: 12%; $214 [ cork; Ch 52%, PN 48; www.laurentperrierus.com ]
Lemonstraw, below midway in depth of colour. This is another of the wines with a bouquet showing rose blossom and strawberry on the bouquet, firmed by clear autolysis and baguette characters. Flavours in mouth are pinot noir-dominant despite the cepage, more the weight of the Deutz than the bigger wines, with fresh acid. Just fine and delicate champagne lingering attractively on a dosage higher than some, the baguette crust increasing throughout. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 11/06

2008 Riverby Estate Riesling Sali's Block Single Vineyard 18 ½ (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 12.3%; $19 [ screwcap; Gm 239 vines planted 1994; hand-picked in two phases, a botrytis tranche later added in; cold-settled, cool- and stop-fermented, all s/s; pH 2.88, RS 15 g/L; www.riverbyestate.com ]
Lemon. Bouquet is softly freesia floral, not as dramatic as the late-harvest Greystone, but fine and fragrant, with suggestions of lemon juice, lime-zest, and sweet botrytis. Palate fills out the fruit delightfully, the lime zest much more apparent but not phenolic, the riesling varietal character assisted perfectly by the 15 g/L residual sugar. The nett impression is just off-dry. This too should cellar for 10 – 12 years. GK 06/11

2006 Esk Valley Syrah Reserve 18 ½ (

)

Cornerstone Vineyard, Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $62 [ screwcap; hand-harvested from 12-year old vines @ 'very low' yields; 100% de-stemmed, wild-yeast fermentation, and cuvaison extending to 32 days; 16 months in French oak 33% new, with lees stirring; residual sugar nil; total production 260 cases; www.eskvalley.co.nz ]
Good ruby, carmine and velvet, closely matching the Sabarotte. Bouquet on this wine speaks volumes too, clear-cut syrah varietal complexity of cassis, black peppercorn, some florals, and more new oak than some of the wines in this batch. On palate, it seems not quite as rich as the top wines, and the new oak more, so the flavour is in one sense more vibrant and attractive. This Esk Reserve wine has married up delightfully since I last reviewed it, and it too will give much pleasure in cellar 5 – 15 + years. GK 05/08

2007 Church Road Syrah Reserve 18 ½ (

)

Ngatarawa Triangle 55%, Gimblett Gravels 45, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $36 [ cork; Sy 100% hand-harvested and sorted; no cold soak, inoculated yeast, warm-fermented in open-top oak and s/s vessels, up to 4 weeks cuvaison, controlled aeration (syrah is sulphide-prone); c. 12 months in burgundy barrels c. 53% new, c. 700 cases (as 12s); www.churchroad.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, one of the densest colours. Once well-swirled or decanted, bouquet on this year's edition of the Church Road Reserve Syrah is very fragrant, clearly syrah yet with a yellow honeysuckle and fresh apricot note, making me wonder if there is some viognier in the blend. There is a depth of cassisy and dark plum aromas which is beguiling, plus savoury oak and even a complexity factor suggesting some barrel-ferment. In some ways the bouquet is more complex than the pure but contrasting syrah interpretations offered by the 2007 le Sol and Bullnose syrahs. Palate is rich, dark, and a little drying on firmer oak than the Bullnose. From memory, the Church Road Reserve Syrah this year seems a more burly wine, not quite as pure and aromatic as the 2006 maybe, and just a touch more European in total achievement. Cellar 5 – 15 years. VALUE GK 03/09

2003 Felton Road Pinot Noir [ standard wine ] 18 ½ (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $ – [ screwcap; average vine age 4.5 years; considered fairly typical growing season, a successful flowering resulting in a large crop, saignée for Vin Gris needed; the wines reminding of the 2001s; www.feltonroad.com ]
Pinot noir ruby, some garnet, above midway in weight of colour. Freshly opened this needs a swirl or two, to reveal a highly fragrant wine in which the floral component is browning, but still clearly on the dark roses and boronia side. Fruit quality is red and black cherry. Flavours include secondary nearly-leathery and oaky-spicy notes, but still with astonishing fruit. This is lovely, as perfectly mature pinot noir from a year showing elegant tannin ripeness, and still fruit dominant over tannin. This should hold for some years yet, another 2 – 5 or so. I suspect this is now ahead of 2003 Mt Difficulty Pinot Noir Target Gully Single Vineyard, which has been my top Otago 2003, but now may be frail. GK 08/14

1998 Guigal Cote-Rotie Brune et Blonde 18 ½ (

)

Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $104 [ Cork, 49 mm; now Sy 96%, Vi 4, average age 35 years, typically cropped at 4.8 t/ha = 1.9 t/ac; Parker rating for year 90; c. 21 days cuvaison, elevation three years in barrel, 50% new; J.L-L, pre-2005: overt, spiced bouquet, smoky dark jam; well-packed flavour, sustained red fruits, quite solid. Good weight. Back to the 1980s levels. Chewy finale. From 2005-06. 2013-2015, ****; Robinson, 2005: Deep and quite healthy ruby. Round and seductive with lots of ripe fruit – quite different from most other regular Cote Roties. Some tarriness but still the delicacy of the appellation. I’m impressed by this! A complete wine that seems obviously from a successful vintage. Really fruity core without any sacrifice of typicity, 17.5; Parker, 2002: Guigal's Cote-Rotie Brune et Blonde (25,000 cases produced), tends to have 4-5% Viognier included in the blend. The 1998 exhibits some of the vintage's hard tannin, as well as complex aromatics of roasted olives, black currants, creamy oak, sweet cherries, and dried herbs. Medium to full-bodied and structured, with a sweet attack, it will benefit from another two years of cellaring, and last for 15 years, 90; Wine Spectator, 2001: #10 in the Top 100 for 2001: Caresses the palate. Elegant, with mineral, red and black fruit and supple tannins. Seductive balance on the fresh finish, where the firm tannins make a surprise appearance that suggests a bit of cellar time is needed to bring out the best of this red. Best from 2003 through 2010. 31,665 cases made. 93; www.guigal.com ]
Ruby with a little garnet creeping in. Bouquet is clearly floral, fragrant, fresh, wonderful, no hint of the 1998 heat some Rhone wines show. In the introduction I had described the key character of perfectly ripe syrah as carnations / dianthus / pinks / sweet william florality married to cassis-led fruit. I could not have asked for a better example than this wine, which shows to perfection the essence of syrah varietal florality. The cassis character is browning a little now. Total bouquet is wonderfully fragrant, berry dominant, oak subsidiary. Palate shows a little more maturity than the bouquet suggests, flavour perfectly summing up the bouquet, extended on fragrant cedary oak which is beautifully in the background. At 19 years of age this wine is at a peak of perfection. It will cellar another 10 years or so. It shows why Guigal’s Brune & Blonde is the reference wine for the Cote Rotie appellation. If a wine is better than Brune & Blonde in any given year, the winemaker has a winner. Tasters did not react as warmly to this wine as I did, it not being a favourite for anybody. This may be because I mark up florality, especially of this quality. GK 05/17

2009 Domain Road Pinot Noir 18 ½ (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $38 [ screwcap; hand-picked, 10 months in French oak; www.domainroad.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby. This is a pinot noir which communicates from the first moment, showing some roses-like florals with vanillin, on red and black cherry fruit. In the glass boronia florals appear too. Palate is gorgeous cherry fruit, just like biting into a perfectly ripe dark red one, subtle oak, great length, elegant balance. This will cellar well, 3 – 8 years. VALUE. GK 09/10

2006 Vidal Viognier 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $32 [ screwcap, BF in older French oak, small % MLF; RS 1.5 g/L; www.vidal.co.nz ]
Light lemon. Bouquet is understated but shows fragrant yellow florals with suggestions of honeysuckle / wild ginger blossom on gentle custard-apple and light fresh ripe apricots. Palate is elegantly balanced, some body in the fruit but still light and refreshing, the oak and MLF components virtually invisible, yet both framing the wine, and filling out the finish beautifully. This is lovely gentle and mild international-quality viognier of great finesse, avoiding the edginess of the Te Mata. It is the best Vidal Viognier yet, perhaps the best New Zealand viognier yet, and being subtle should cellar 1 – 4 years. GK 04/07

2004 Felton Road Pinot Noir Block 3 18 ½ (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $56 [ screwcap; winery only; not filtered; www.feltonroad.com ]
Good pinot noir ruby, the lightest of the three Feltons. This Felton shares the wonderful florals of the other two, but in a way it seems both lighter (buddleia more than boronia) and yet more fragrant. Below there is wonderful cherry fruit, but here not quite as dark, with some red cherries in the black. Palate is classic pinot, lighter in flavour than the other two, but in a way seemingly sweeter, longer and richer. Oak is milder here than on the Block 5 – perhaps a lesser percentage of new. The truth probably is, that each time one tastes these three lovely wines, on one occasion one will appeal the most, and on the next another. All three will cellar beautifully, this one for 5 – 12 years. GK 11/05

2007 Te Mata [ Cabernets / Merlot ] Awatea 18 ½ (

)

Havelock North district mostly, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $33 [ cork; CS 40%, Me 38%, CF 17, PV 5, hand-harvested; c. 20 months in French oak 40% new; www.temata.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, scarcely distinguishable from 2007 Coleraine. This is the sweetest, ripest and finest Awatea in years, maybe ever. In some ways it is more charming than the same year Coleraine, at least at this stage and in the sense it is not quite so new oak-influenced and rich, and will thus be accessible earlier. But in terms of pinpoint cassis character, florality, and Bordeaux styling, this is a lovely wine. The advent of 375 ml bottles is inspired – and should introduce many more people to the fact that the best New Zealand cabernet / merlot is world-class wine. A pity our grasping restaurateurs do not cellar wines, so their customers could more readily appreciate that. Cellar 5 – 15 years, maybe longer. VALUE GK 03/09

1996 Moet & Chandon Dom Perignon Brut 18 ½ (

)

Epernay, Champagne, France: 12.5%; $384 [ cork; PN 50%, PM 50; en tirage 8 – 10 years; tedious, hard-to-use, info-poor website; current vintage price in NZ c.$250; www.domperignon.com ]
Lemonstraw, below midway in depth. Bouquet is less dramatic on this wine, clean, soft, some autolysis and more white mushroom. Palate is distinctly on the easy / agreeable side, gentle acid, not a weighty wine, clearly higher dosage perhaps 10 – 11 g/L. In other words, a 'popular' version of a prestige wine, nothing to frighten the uninitiated. Yet its escapes being bland: you could drink an awful lot of this ! Cellar for some years, since even here the dry extract is pretty good. GK 11/14

1989 Chapoutier Ermitage Le Pavillon 18 ½ (

)

Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $790 [ cork, 45mm; Sy 100%; cropping and wine-making details as in the introductory ‘Background’ section; www.chapoutier.com ]
Ruby and garnet, still some velvet, just below midway in depth. At the tasting this wine was TCA-affected to a degree, but the more professional tasters could see through the fog to quality fruit in behind. Putting the glass to bed with 100 mm² of Gladwrap® allowed full flowering of the wine overnight, the wine then showing fragrant but browning darkly plummy fruit, with some chestnutty notes from the elevation. Palate has beautiful fruit richness and velvety texture, just how you imagine the 2003 will develop. I'd prefer a less overt oak regime, but this is attractive nicely mature wine. I'd like to see it alongside 1991 Penfolds Grange – an unusually subtle edition of that ‘loud’ wine. On the day, it was not realistic to seek a ranking, but a good bottle would have done well. At nearly 30 years of age, it is well along its plateau of maturity, but will hold a few years yet. Wine Spectator quality rating for the vintage 92. GK 10/18

2003 Carrick Pinot Noir 18 ½ (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $37 [ screwcap; 11 months French oak; www.carrick.co.nz ]
A big pinot noir ruby, about the maximum needed for the variety. Initially opened, this wine is youthful and quiet, benefitting from decanting. In a mixed varieties blind tasting, the bouquet becomes gloriously varietal, sweet, floral with boronia, violets and buddleia, attractively deep. There is an excellent underpinning of black cherry and aromatic oak. The quality and excitement of florals on bouquet can be compared with fine wines from the Cote de Nuits, without presuming any equivalence. Palate follows on superbly, rich aromatic black cherries, marvellous acid balance, oak maybe to a max, drying it a little, but that should attenuate in cellar. Not quite the depth and excitement of the Mt Difficulty Target Gully, but fine New Zealand pinot, which will cellar for 5 - 12 years. GK 04/05

2005 Craggy Range [ Sauvignon Blanc ] Te Muna [ Prestige ] 18 ½ (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $44 [ cork; this near-experimental wine does not appear to be on the website; hand-picked; 100% BF in French oak with wild yeast, trace MLF not by design; www.craggyrange.com ]
Deepish lemon. Bouquet is magnificent, though to first sniff in a blind tasting, the taster can be forgiven for interpreting the wine as chardonnay. On closer examination, hiding amongst the barrel-ferment and lees-autolysis mealyness and baguette crust, there is the same beautiful sweet basil-influenced black passionfruit of the 2007 wine, complexed also by trace MLF. In mouth the wine is more clearly sauvignon, with clear reminders of Cloudy Bay's Te Koko, the same great fruit richness, but all reined-in alongside Te Koko, more subtle with much less MLF. At the moment the oak is a little apparent, but in a year's time, this will be a great Graves-styled wine. Options enthusiasts should note this wine is packed into a Dry River look-alike flanged bottle, indistinguishable (especially when in a paper bag). Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 10/07

2010 Villa Maria Syrah Gimblett Gravels Reserve 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $60 [ screwcap; Sy 100% hand-picked @ c.4.35 t/ha (1.75 t/ac), all de-stemmed; up to 42 days cuvaison; MLF and 17 months in French oak 60% new; 420 cases (expressed as 9-litre equivalent) made; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, clearly the deepest of these four premium syrahs, even fresher and more vibrant than the Homage. Initially opened and presented, this wine is very oaky, so much so it fought with the over-spiced main course it accompanied in the lunch. If using it in the next few years, decant it and give it some air, prior. The wine opens to a quality of cassisy syrah which is made dramatic by the vanillin in the oak, plus suggestions of blueberry and blackberry from some riper material. The absolute purity of the wine alongside Huchet and Homage is phenomenal. Flavours in mouth follow naturally, the vanillin oak rather dominating the cassis at this early stage in its life, so the wine loses varietal precision. But the concentration of varietal berry is such that one has to wonder, what will the balance be in five, 10, and 15 years, Cellaring the wine is absolutely essential. This is amongst the finest reds Villa Maria have ever made, but how I wish they would ease up on the oak, and allow the beauty of the variety (as ripened in New Zealand) to express itself more. Syrah is like strong pinot noir, it does not need and is in fact impaired by too much new oak, if purity of varietal expression is the goal. Being under screwcap, it will cellar for 10 – 25 years. GK 05/13

1987 Stonyridge [ Cabernet / Merlot / Franc ] Larose 18 ½ (

)

Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13%; $33 [ cork, 50mm, ullage 20mm; CS 79%, Me 15, CF 4, Ma 2, cropped at c.5 t/ha = 2 t/ac; no chaptalising; 12 months in barrel, 95% French, 5 % American, 65% new; Cooper, 1992: Dark-hued, minty and massively proportioned, Stonyridge Larose 1987 was, and still is, one of this country's most glorious reds; GK, 1989: Colour is intense velvety carmine. Bouquet and flavour are rich, ripe, soft and complex, showing all the merits of blending the four classic Bordeaux varieties cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc, and malbec. Oak, and acid balance, are excellent. This Waiheke Island wine has a generosity of fruit, and a richness of velvety texture, which will be the envy of many a winemaker. Its plumpness in some ways speaks more of Pomerol or St Emilion than the Medoc. It ... will cellar for a decade. Its softness does not bespeak early fatigue, merely excellence of ripe fruit, *****; not entered in Shows; weight bottle and closure: 509 g; www.stonyridge.co.nz ]
Ruby and garnet, an appropriate colour for a 34-year-old bordeaux-blend, midway in depth. Bouquet is pure and fragrant, some cassisy and dark plummy notes browning to a degree now, a little brown tobacco and mushroomy complexity, no obvious alcohol, and very fine-grained cedary oak – all astonishingly bordeaux-like. Palate shows both a texture and an integration of clear berry flavours and very gentle oak which are delightful. They are coupled with natural acid and silky mouth-feel, which is long, rich, balanced with respect to acid, and sustained. It has the same kind of detail, delicacy and enchantment that 1970 Ducru Beaucaillou showed last year, though if they were alongside each other, the Larose would be a little more cedary. Like 1965 McWilliams Cabernet Sauvignon, and 1982 Te Mata Coleraine, but in a much more complex and sophisticated way than either of those two wines, 1987 Stonyridge Larose is an absolute benchmark wine in this country, pointing to the emergence of great bordeaux-look-alike reds in New Zealand. Anybody professing the slightest interest in the emergence of fine New Zealand red wines (as opposed to bulk beverage wines) must ensure they taste this wine, while they can. Note that bottles cellared in Auckland / anywhere north of Palmerston North are now markedly more advanced than Wellington stock from a good cellar. Note also that wine auction rooms advising you that this or that wine has been cellared in ‘impeccable’ conditions in temperature-controlled cellars, never tell you from what year the owner installed an air-conditioned cellar. There were virtually none in New Zealand, when this wine was released in 1989. Fully mature for some years now, nearing the end of its plateau of maturity, and now losing just a little fruit freshness, in Wellington. So, sadly, in the next 5 – 10 years, this definitive wine must be finished up. Top wine for five people, the clearest vote on that aspect in the set of wines, second favourite for another two, and four thought it bordeaux, a number matched only by the actual bordeaux. The analogy I made to Pomerol or Saint-Emilion in 1989 was off-target. This wine speaks now of Saint-Julien or Pauillac. In a similar tasting in 2002, Stonyridge Larose also topped the field, scoring 18.5, with the concluding comment: ‘Fully mature, but no hurry’. GK 06/21

2005 Mount Riley Riesling 18 ½ (

)

Nelson & Marlborough, New Zealand: 12.5%; $15 [ screwcap; website [then] not up-to-date; www.mountriley.co.nz ]
Pale lemongreen. A sweet clean and floral / freesia unequivocal riesling bouquet, with vanillin undertones, plus lime-zest and grapefruit. Palate is unashamedly juicy, but dramatically riesling in flavour, fine-grained acid, sweetness medium-dry. Not a complex wine, but so varietal and delicious that it deserves gold-medal rating. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 02/06

2000 Te Mata Coleraine 18 ½ (

)

Havelock Hills, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $70 [ CS 52%; Me 29; CF 19; French oak, 70% new, 20 months; www.temata.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. The Medoc styling on this bouquet is tremendous, the oak already showing some cedar, on rich cassisy and brambly berry. Palate is rich, the cassisy cabernets dominating at the moment, but there is plummy fruit below. The ratio of fruit to oak is better than the more popular Aviator, and hence Coleraine may be the better longterm cellar prospect. Cellar to 15 years. GK 10/04

1998 Ayala Perle d'Ayala 18 ½ (

)

Ay, Champagne, France: 12%; $153 [ cork; PN 20%, Ch 80; secondary fermentation under cork; now owned by Bollinger; no wine info on website; www.champagne-ayala.com ]
Colour is one of the lightest of the luxury champagnes. Though clearly fitting in with the top wines, this one too has floral and strawberry qualities on bouquet, almost hinting at strawberry shortcake (in a positive sense). Palate is more straightforward, clearcut autolysis, more clearly chardonnay-dominant than the Salon, even more delicate then the Grand Siecle but no weaker, not as brut as some, perhaps because the acid is higher. There might be a whisper of oak in this wine, too. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 11/06

2006 Peregrine Pinot Noir 18 ½ (

)

Gibbston Valley, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $33 [ screwcap; 10 months in French oak, 35% new, RS < 1 g/L; www.peregrinewines.co.nz ]
Carmine, ruby and some velvet, excessively youthful. After the glorious 2005, will Peregrine be able to achieve that standard again with the 2006, particularly since the '06 vintage is being talked up in Otago ? It is almost a disappointment to see this wine released less than a year after vintage, for it is hard to assess at this early stage. Bouquet is intensely floral, in the boronia and violets style last year's wine showed. Palate shows good black and red cherry fruit and real texture, balanced by subtle oak to give good length. Might the acid be a little soft ? The score contains an element of wishful thinking – it will be easier to be definite in six months. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 03/07

1999 Guigal Hermitage 18 ½ (

)

Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $88 [ cork, 49mm; original price c.$115; Sy 100%, average age 40 years; at the time Guigal owned no vineyards in Hermitage, bought-in wines cropped at c.5.2 t/ha = 2.1 t/ac; 3 – 4 weeks cuvaison; elevation 30 – 36 months in French oak c.20% new (J.L-L); not fined or filtered; production around 7,000 x 9-litre cases; Parker, 2003: … a big, masculine, virile nose of roasted meats, pepper, earth, minerals, and black fruits. Currently closed and impenetrable, it should open with another 4-5 years of cellaring, and age for 15-18 years, 90; Wine Spectator, 2002: A gentle giant … subtle and elegant Hermitage, layered with seductive aromas and flavors, from tobacco to green olive, roasted game, mineral and blackberries. Silky mouthfeel, this medium-bodied red is smooth, yet also fresh on the long finish. Will age for years. Drink now through 2015, 93; weight bottle and closure: 572 g; www.guigal.com ]
Garnet and ruby, just above midway in depth, below midway in redness. This wine has a very pretty floral bouquet, such that you instantly think of wallflowers and Cote Rotie. When you actually sniff it side-by-side with the Ch d’Ampuis, the much greater new cedary oak loading on the latter wine is apparent, making it seem much firmer and more Hermitage-like. Below the beautiful florals is silky near-cassisy berry. In mouth the wine is supple and gentle, a smaller scale but beautiful example of Guigal's village Hermitage label, and redolent of syrah the grape as it should be. Tasters were not so attracted to the fragrant subtlety of this wine as I was, one second-place ranking. Seven thought it Hermitage, though. This wine is well along its plateau of maturity, but it should hold for several years yet. In its subtlety and charm, it really bridges the link to good pinot noir. It is so supple it would be [ and is ] magnificent with food. GK 11/19

2002 Unison Selection 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $42 [ Me, CS, less Sy; www.unisonvineyard.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, between the Villa Merlot and the Kingsley Cabernet / Malbec in colour. Initially opened, this wine is minutely reductive, and needs splashy decanting. It then becomes another wine with a remarkably Bordeaux-like bouquet, showing some violets, intense cassis, and potentially cedary oak. Palate is clearly aromatic, in flavour also between the cabernet-dominant Kingsley and the Villa Merlot, with great concentration and length. This is a great example of the emerging Hawkes Bay Blend class of wines, building on the Bordeaux model via addition of syrah. Cellar 15 – 20 years. GK 12/04

2005 Chard Farm Pinot Gris 18 ½ (

)

Cromwell, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $26 [ screwcap; small crop, all s/s implied; only available ex vineyard; www.chardfarm.co.nz ]
Lemon. Bouquet is clean, sweet, and highly varietal, with suggestions of the yellow florals that characterise good examples of the grape in its homeland, Alsace. Palate blends these florals with pearflesh and rich white stonefruit, plus some subtle complexing from winemaking I suspect (part barrel-ferment and lees-autolysis ?) giving attractive varietal richness. Finish is nearly dry, just outside the dry class. The whole mouthful is pinot-like, with the grape dominant, not oak. Lovely wine to cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 03/06

2005 Te Motu [ Cabernets / Merlot ] 18 ½ (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.5%; $100 [ cork; CS c.60%, Me c.25%, balance CF, Sy & Ma, handpicked @ c.1 t/ac; c.2.5 years in predominantly French & Hungarian oak c.30% new; c. 500 cases; www.temotu.co.nz ]
Ruby, a little garnet, some velvet. This is the wine that sets the pace for the time being, in the Te Motu stable. Bouquet is very fragrant, an intriguing blend of browning cassis and bottled dark plums lifted by threshold VA (much lower than the 2002) and complexed by an aromatic quality slightly reminiscent of bay-leaf, but more pleasant. As mentioned for the 2006, this wine is extraordinarily like Graves classed growths in the 60s and 70s –or even certain Pauillacs from the same era. Palate is already harmonious, older than one would hope for a 2005 Bordeaux, but the other Te Motus show they in fact hold their fruit well even when the colour suggests otherwise – the length of fruit on the aftertaste gives a clue to this. The similarities and differences in style between Te Motu and Destiny Bay are a delight, and the contrast between these two more classical producers, and the others mostly more modern, adds further interest and diversity to the range of bordeaux blends now emerging from Waiheke. Cellar 5 – 15 years, maybe longer, on the fruit weight. GK 06/10

2017 Neudorf Chardonnay Moutere 18 ½ (

)

Moutere Hills, Nelson, New Zealand: 13.5%; $79 [ screwcap; clone mendoza 100%, hand-picked, organic viticulture; high-solids fermentation, all wild-yeast, all in barrels only 7% new; full MLF and 12 months on full lees with monthly stirring in barrel, followed by 4 months assembly in s/s; dry; production 362 x 9-litre cases; www.neudorf.co.nz ]
Lemonstraw, an attractive chardonnay colour, the second deepest of the young chardonnays. Bouquet is intriguingly different on this wine, white florals and a quite lifted grapefruity quality of fruit inclining more to nectarine and white peach than golden queen. It is a little more fruit and lees-dominant, less new oak complexity, than the Radburnd. Bouquet qualities carry through to palate, where there is a softness implying MLF, in a flavour showing attractive fruit and nougat-like complexities. The wine is softer and rounder than the Radburnd, earlier developing. The gentle white fruits and lingering aftertaste are lovely. Cellar 8 – 12 years. GK 06/20

2011 Ata Rangi Pinot Noir 18 ½ (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.8%; $72 [ screwcap; Ata Rangi is one of the founder vineyards, and arguably the most highly-regarded winery in the Martinborough (and Wairarapa) district, perhaps because there have been no pompous claims about their wines, no prestige-priced wines, just constant quiet attention to detail, as exemplified by winemaker Helen Masters. And their top chardonnay (Craighall) can be as fine as their pinot noir. Clive Paton bought the first land in 1980, following on the 1978 DSIR report on the suitability of the district for pinot noir by the then Soil Bureau's Dr Derek Milne (the author's conviction later to find practical expression in the Martinborough Vineyard original partnership). Ata Rangi has over a dozen clones of pinot noir planted, including a high percentage of the now-local and highly regarded Abel clone. This wine includes Abel, plus Dijon clones, and a 10% whole-bunch component. Vine age extends to over 30 years, thus some of the oldest pinot noir vines in New Zealand. The wine has 12 months in French oak, 25% new. Dry extract is a commendable 29 g/L against <1 g/L RS. Note that we are tasting the 2011, which will shortly give way to the cool-year 2012; www.atarangi.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby, right in the middle for weight. From first opening, this wine is intensely fragrant, with rose, daphne and boronia florals grading into clear-cut cherry fruit, red cherry more than black, and thus contrasting with the Pisa wine. In the daphne component there is the slightest hint of pennyroyal, perhaps a tell-tale for a Martinborough source in blind tastings. In mouth the pinot quality of the wine is superb, soft yet fresh even crisp red grading to black cherry, perfect oak shaping but in no way dominating the wine, and great length of fruit and flavour. The fruit lightens back to red-dominant in the aftertaste, which is very burgundian, and it seems drier than the seductive Greystone. And yet … that hint of mint just takes the wine out of Burgundy, so we must celebrate this as great new world pinot noir. Is this the best Ata Rangi pinot noir yet ? Cellar 3 – 8 years, maybe 10. GK 06/14

2009 Jaboulet Hermitage La Chapelle 18 ½ (

)

Northern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $345 [ Cork, 55mm; Sy 100; general elevation etc see Intro; Robinson, 2010: Dark blackish purplish crimson. Bloody and savoury on the nose. The fruit here – at last – is in the ascendancy over the fruit [ sic ]. Massively palate-coating oak. You can see how the magnificence of this at triumphing over new oak must have inspired them to treat all the fruit as though it had this ability. Very fine indeed. One of those wines where you can hardly imagine it is simple fermented grape juice. What talent! And it’s all in the fruit, not the winemaking. Great freshness as well as power and majesty. Suave and certainly not earthy, but it should eventually emerge as a great mature wine – though it would be a terrible shame to drink it too early, however seductive it is already. Not a brute! Streets ahead of the rest of the range, 18.5+; Parker, 2012: … the 2009 Hermitage La Chapelle is easily the greatest, most profound La Chapelle since the 1990. ... enormous concentration in addition to an extraordinary bouquet of graphite, creme de cassis, blackberries, licorice, beef blood and a touch of smoked game. Boasting phenomenal intensity, a full-bodied mouthfeel and 50 years of longevity …. consumers should plan on laying it away for 8-10 years, 97+; www.jaboulet.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, not quite the saturation of the 2010, the second deepest. The purity of berry aromas in this wine is a delight, but the more you look at it, the more you realise it is a bigger, softer, plusher and less aromatic wine than the 2010. It is much harder to isolate a cassis component here, or a hint of pepper. In a slight step towards subtlest Australian examples of the grape (as shiraz), the oak here is more the source of the aromatics. Palate is not as good as the bouquet, the tannins are obtrusive, and the complexity of flavour is less, even though the wine is weighty. In terms of my ripening curve for syrah, this wine is tip-toeing into a warmer-climate expression of the grape, lacking complexity. It is still a wonderfully powerful expression of syrah, but there is little hope of a floral component. I expected this wine to be well-liked, but no first-places. Cellar 10 to 45 years. 09/14

2003 Quartz Reef Pinot Noir Bendigo Estate 18 ½ (

)

Cromwell, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14.5%; $70 [ screwcap; clones 10/5 and others, 4 years, harvested at 1.7 t/ac; up to 10 days cold soak, 6% whole bunch, wild yeast, 30 days cuvaison; 11 months French oak none new; coarse filtration; Robinson '05 (on the standard label): Good deep colour. Very rich and broad yet confidence and well balanced, mainly from a new vineyard in the early-ripening Bendigo area. Very sweet and gentle with lots and lots of fruit with no excess of acid or tannin. Very well managed and harmonious although at 14.5 per cent quite big. 18.5; www.quartzreef.co.nz ]
Big pinot noir ruby, a flush of carmine and velvet, close to the 2003 Mt Difficulty. Bouquet is quieter than some top wines, yet with air opens with similar dusky florals to the Kupe (less the thought of mint), wonderfully pure and deep. Palate is not quite as rich and layered as the top wines, nor as oaky as the 2003 Prima Donna, but the whole wine is wonderfully complete aromatic pinot noir in the style of a Cote de Nuits wine of a riper year. This will give great pleasure. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 01/07

2006 Henschke Riesling Julius 18 ½ (

)

Eden Valley, South Australia, Australia: 12.5%; $37 [ screwcap; Ri 100%; pH 2.97; no RS given; Halliday rates Eden Valley 8 /10 for whites in 2006; www.henschke.com.au ]
When it comes to reds, Henschke is a much-revered name in South Australia. But traditionally, the whites have not been in the same class. A pleasure therefore to find this absolutely classic lemongreen 2006 Eden Valley riesling, epitomising the best South Australian dry examples of the style. Bouquet is exquisitely clean, fragrant with vanillin and freesia florals, highly varietal. Palate is delicate lime fruit, not phenolic, drier than almost all New Zealand rieslings. When the pH is below 3 however it is hard to estimate residual sugar. Cellar to 15 years. GK 02/08

2005 Newton-Forrest Cabernet / Merlot / Malbec Cornerstone 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $50 [ screwcap; DFB; CS 42%, Me 34, Ma 24, 65% hand-harvested, balance machine @ < 2.5 t/ac; 70% French oak, 30 US, 25% new; coarse-filtered only; c. 900 cases; www.forrestwines.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, just below midway in depth. Bouquet is a little different on this wine, fragrant berry and some spirit, but the oak much more aromatic and reminding of Rioja, presumably therefore including some American (confirmed). With it there is elegant cassisy berry, fresh and fragrant, not quite as weighty as the Craggys. Palate is succulent on the berry, still a little oaky, but all lingering delightfully. This wine reminds of some of the more aromatic and cassisy years of Grand Puy Lacoste. Cellar 5 – 15 + years. GK 09/07

2011 Coopers Creek Cabernet Sauvignon 'Gravels & Metals' Select Vineyards 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels 90%, Bridge Pa Triangle 10, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $35 [ screwcap; CS 90%, Ma 10 (the Bridge Pa part); c.12 months in French oak none new, 100% 1-year, followed by 18 months in tank; RS 3 g/L; www.cooperscreek.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, right in the middle of the middle tier for weight. Bouquet is soft ripe rich and very plummy, at first suggesting merlot, with vanillin from the oak. In mouth this roundness continues, the wine showing attractive cassis and dark plum flavours, plus good richness, on fragrant and more subtle oak than many here. There is a fine-grain delicacy to this wine again reminding me of the Margaux district. It is still youthful, but on the not-quite-bone-dry aftertaste it is accurately cabernet sauvignon, with more cassis here than on bouquet. Acute tasters object to the few grams RS, and in one sense it should not be necessary. Grapes clearly cropped at well under 5 t/ha convey their own 'apparent' sweetness. I am a little permissive on this: in my view the accuracy of other parameters in our evolving red wine classes is more important. Cellar 5 – 15 maybe 20 years. GK 06/14

2013 Mills Reef Syrah Elspeth: Barrel-Sample 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.8%; $50 [ screwcap; Sy 100%, hand-picked; around 15 months in French hogsheads (300 L), 50% new; intriguingly, the Chinese allocation will be under cork; www.millsreef.co.nz ]
NB: Provisional / indicative score only. Ruby, carmine and velvet, in the top third for weight of colour. Bouquet is dramatically syrah, showing wonderful floral notes including carnations and violets, on aromatic cassisy berry. First impressions are this has been picked at the optimal point for florality. On palate however it is not quite as rich and concentrated as hoped, and might perhaps have been picked a little too soon for total saturation of flavour. Or, perhaps the crop-level did not quite allow the dry extract needed to give the impression of saturation. It is still richer than quite a few Cote Roties. This should be an attractive wine, all the same, to cellar 5 – 12 years. Great to see the ratio of new oak inching back year by year, better allowing the exact variety to speak. GK 06/14

2005 Craggy Range Merlot / Cabernet Te Kahu Gimblett Gravels Vineyard 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.8%; $ – [ cork; DFB; export only, @ US$35, NOT available on the NZ market; Me 80%, CS & Ma 20, hand-harvested @ 3.5 t/ac; 100% de-stemmed; fermented in s/s; 19 months in French oak 55% new; fined and filtered; CEO Steve Smith sees this as akin to a second wine to Sophia; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, midway in depth of colour. This wine too shows the magical cassis and darkest plums of the other Craggys, but with an additional almost blueberry note, which grades into violets florals. Palate shows the gorgeous dusky berry richness of the range, beautifully balanced to potentially cedary oak. It may be a little lighter and oakier than the Gimblett Gravels Merlot, but many would prefer it for that. Given that this is the volume spearhead of Craggy's export thrust in Hawkes Bay / Bordeaux blends, and is priced at much the same level as the Gimblett Gravels Merlot, all New Zealanders can be immensely proud of this affordable but champion red actively out there in the export arena. Cellar 5 – 15 + years. GK 05/07

2011 Villa Maria Chardonnay Reserve Gisborne Barrique-Ferment 18 ½ (

)

Gisborne, New Zealand: 13.5%; $37 [ screwcap; hand-harvested mostly clone 95, BF in French oak 40% new, balance second year, some wild yeast, 100% MLF; 10 months LA and half the wine undergoing batonnage, RS <1 g/L; note the wine is the same price as 10 years ago; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Elegant full lemon, marginally the deepest of these four chardonnays. Bouquet is dramatically chardonnay in the slightly more tropical style of Gisborne, just a hint of mango in white and yellow stonefruits, ample barrel-ferment and lees-autolysis creamy elevation complexity, a hint of barrel char but less than Keltern. One could hardly ask for a clearer demonstration of obvious chardonnay characters. Palate is rich, succulent, new oak more apparent now but well-covered, nearly a brioche suggestion from the barrel-ferment, lees-autolysis and MLF components. Gisborne has a reputation for producing forward fleshy chardonnays, but appearances can be deceptive. I showed the 1986 of this exact label to the judges in this year's New Zealand Easter Wine Show, and it tasted very well indeed, the cashew of late maturity. Cellar 3 – 12 years. GK 05/13

2009 Church Road Cabernet Sauvignon McDonald Series 18 ½ (

)

Bridge Pa Triangle 62%, Gimblett Gravels 38%, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $33 [ screwcap; CS 93%, CF 5, Ma 2; up to 5 weeks cuvaison; MLF in barrel; 18 months in French oak 35% new; RS < 2 g/L; www.churchroad.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, well up in the top quarter for density. Bouquet is shy at first opening, the berry fruit hiding behind oak, but it slowly opens to reveal rich cassis and dark plum nuances. Palate shows the gorgeous ripeness of the best 2009s, with a plumpness and richness which is beguiling. It is not as rich as the Cabernet / Merlot Reserve 2009 from the same stable, which reflects the Bridge Pa Triangle component in the fruit, but the oak is less too so it is attractively balanced. It forms an admirable running mate for the McDonald Merlot, the present wine being sterner as befits high cabernet sauvignon. The ripeness achieved in this wine predominantly from the Bridge Pa Triangle tends to confirm the statement made in relation to the Ngatarawa wines, that their long history of stalky reds reflects over-cropping, not location per se. Cellar 5 – 20 years. VALUE on special. GK 06/12

2002 Mills Reef Elspeth One 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $45 [ DFB; Me dominant, CF, Sy, Ma, CS; www.millsreef.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, an excellent colour. This is the ripest, richest, most restrained and least apparently oaky of the Mills Reef bordeaux-styled blends in 2002. It shows complex cassis with almost a hint of syrah, big dark rich bottled plums, and noticeable oak with subtle VA. Palate is richly cassisy, with the fruit weight to carry the slightly aggressive oaking. This should marry up into an exciting if bold ‘Hawkes Bay blend’, but it is much too oaky to be readily compared with Bordeaux or fine Napa, in blind tastings. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 05/04

2002 Unison Syrah 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $36 [ nearly two years in wood; www.unisonvineyard.co.nz ]
Dense ruby, carmine and velvet, denser than the Homage. First opened, the wine is a little oaky, but it breathes to intense cassis, with some hints of darkest rose florals. Palate brings in darkest plums, beautiful berryfruit length, slightly chocolatey flavours from the oak, yet despite the bouquet oak is not prominent in the flavour. Perhaps there is a barrel ferment component in this wine too. Length of flavour and balance are excellent, and it is great to have the flavours of such ripeness at 13.5% rather than the worrying near-standard 14% or more in most of these wines. This wine too is wonderfully northern Rhone in style. Like the other '02 syrahs, the Unison is a little soft for long cellaring. Cellar 10 – 15 years. GK 12/04

2007 Craggy Range Cabernet / Merlot The Quarry 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.2%; $60 [ cork; DFB; CS 92%, Me 6, CF & Ma 2, hand-harvested; if like the 2006 cropped @ c. 2 t/ac; 100% de-stemmed; inoculated and fermented in oak cuves; 21 months in French oak 84% new, fined and filtered; production around 200 cases, not exported; release date 1 June '09, not on website yet; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby and velvet, some carmine, appearing a little older and more oak-influenced than 2007 Sophia. Freshly opened, and for some time afterwards, first impressions are of an overtly cedary Bordeaux and Medoc-styled wine, in a kind of out-doing Mouton approach. Below is rich cassisy berry, and some plum and depth, but it is not so transparent as Sophia. Palate reveals the cassis much more, with a berry richness which may evolve and stand up to the oak with time, but the wine seems to me not as beautifully pitched as 2005 The Quarry, or 2007 Sophia. Alongside Coleraine 2007, this Quarry wine looks distinctly brash and new world, being both bigger and much more oaky. However, because people love oak, the popular view will be The Quarry is the superior wine of the two premium 2007 Craggy Hawkes Bay / Bordeaux blends. The only way to find out is to secure a case of each, for they will both cellar for 20 years easily. Together with Coleraine and other certain-to-be-top-notch 2007s yet to be released they will provide great interest and satisfaction along the way. My score reflects the fact there is lashings of fruit, and stylistic interpretation aside, it is beautifully made. And it is less oaky than Penfolds Cabernet Sauvignon Bin 707, for example. GK 03/09

2001 Pisa Range Pinot Noir Black Poplar 18 ½ (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $37 [ original price, ex vineyard; www.pisarangeestate.co.nz ]
Good ruby with a flush of carmine and velvet, about as big as pinot needs to be. Bouquet on this wine is beautifully pure, understated, with some florals plus red and black cherry fruit. First impression on palate is the weight of fruit, yet the beautiful expression of black cherry pinot noir character and perfect acid balance is without any hint of superfluous weight, juiciness, or excess oak. This wine shows delightfully how New Zealand pinot can be concentrated and rich (as we know from Burgundy), without being transmogrified into a populist new world fruit bomb. This is classical New Zealand pinot noir, beautifully subtly oaked, as straight as a die, yet to evolve magic. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 01/04

2002 Girardin Clos de la Roche Vieilles Vignes 18 ½ (

)

Morey-St-Denis Grand Cru, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy , France: 14%; $125
Rich pinot noir ruby. On bouquet, this wine combines many of the good points of the Beze and Pommard Girardins into an attractively floral and fragrant, highly varietal cherry pinot. There is new oak showing, but not quite as much as the Beze. Palate is delicious red and black cherries beautifully fresh and flavoursome, long and sweet in the mouth, lingering delightfully. Not as rich as the Pommard or Corton, but a little more floral and complex all through. Clos de la Roche is a marvellous site, often under-estimated. Cellar to 20 years +. GK 08/04

2002 Girardin Corton Renardes Vielles Vignes 18 ½ (

)

Aloxe-Corton Grand Cru, Cote de Beaune, Burgundy , France: 14%; $80
Deep for pinot noir, fractionally deeper than the Pommard, ruby with a touch of carmine and velvet. A good sweet ripe burgundian bouquet, not as floral and aromatic as the better Cote de Nuits wines, but with fine dark cherry approaching plum in weight, and lifted by lightest new oak. Palate is classically grand cru Corton in style, soft, rich, beautiful flavours not as complex as the Chambertins, but maybe exceeding them in generosity and richness. It is silkier and finer than the Pommard. This will be a wonderful food wine, and, with a less prestigious address, it is a more realistic role model for New Zealand winemakers favouring bigger pinots. Cellar 25 + years. GK 08/04

2003 Felton Road Pinot Noir Block 3 18 ½ (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $65 [ screwcap; $56 ex vineyard, when available ; www.feltonroad.com ]
A full pinot noir ruby, fractionally deeper than the standard Felton, lighter than the Block 5. Bouquet is the most complete statement of pinot noir on the day, combining deep florals as in dark roses, with black cherries in profusion. There is no trace of pennyroyal adding spurious aromatics, and the oaking is much subtler than some previous Block wines. Palate follows through perfectly, rich and crunchy cherries, a little more new oak now apparent, excellent acid balance. This looks to me like the fruit of a perfect season for pinot noir in Otago, much more floral, piquant and aromatic than the sometimes over-ripe, ponderous, yet widely-hyped 2002s. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 11/04

2002 Drouhin Charmes-Chambertin 18 ½ (

)

Gevrey-Chambertin Grand Cru, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $142 [ cork; hand-harvested; fermentation in oak vats; MLF and c. 18 months in oak; www.drouhin.com ]
Medium pinot ruby. The emphasis in this wine is on the florals, in the Drouhin style: gorgeous sweet roses and buddleia perfumes on blackboy and red cherry fruit, the blackboy in particular tying in with best Martinborough and Marlborough pinot varietal character. Despite the deceptively light bouquet, there is excellent fruit weight as measured in terms of dry extract, accompanied by a long supple silky yet aromatic presence in the mouth and aftertaste. A classical Drouhin presentation of fine burgundy, in a very fragrant style. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 12/05

2005 Dry River Syrah Lovat Vineyard 18 ½ (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 12.5%; $ – [ cork; release September 2007; www.dryriver.co.nz ]
Ruby, a flush of carmine and velvet, markedly lighter than the other top wines. Bouquet comes into the sensational category, being straight out of Cote Rotie: beautiful dianthus and wallflower florals, a hint of balsam aromatics, and the most delightful bush honey complexity, as is sometimes seen in the Rhone – for example 1982 Jaboulet les Jumelles. Palate is fragrant and supple, a hint of syrah spice, limpid fruit, slightly acid, refreshing. It is not as big as the other top wines, but like the 2005 Bullnose, is beautiful. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 01/07

2011 Escarpment Pinot Noir Kiwa 18 ½ (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $67 [ cork; 22-year old vines, Cleland vineyard, Martinborough; 15 days cuvaison, 12 months in French oak 30% new; RS < 1 g/L, dry extract 28 g/L, not filtered; www.escarpment.co.nz ]
Perfect pinot noir ruby, the third deepest of the Escarpment pinot noirs. The wine needs a breath of air to reveal a stunning pinot noir floral bouquet, sweetly floral ranging from deepest red roses to boronia, and thoughts of violets too. Behind that are red and black cherries and subtle oak, and an intriguing hint of bouquet garni / herbes. Palate epitomises pinot noir, dark cherry, potentially velvety texture, careful oak, lovely length yet no heavyness, not quite as rich as 2011 Kupe. There is a limpid burgundian quality to this wine, which, once breathed, makes it a great New Zealand pinot noir. Cellar 3 – 12 years. GK 04/13

1999 Mount Langi Ghiran Shiraz Langi 18 ½ (

)

The Grampians, Victoria, Australia: 14.5%; $38 [ cork, 50mm; original price $60; Halliday rates the 1999 vintage in the Grampians 10/10; this label rated Excellent in the Langton's Australian wine classification, the third-level group of 68 wines, and rated a Classic Wine of Australia by Halliday; Sh 100% grown on granite-derived soils at 350 m altitude, with summer temperatures reminiscent of Launceston; hand-picked from vines planted in 1963, in many vintages estimated to be the last-to-be-picked shiraz vines in Australia; some years a percentage of whole bunches in the ferment, c.21 days cuvaison; this vintage matured in American oak 85%, French 15, some new, for around 14 months; production c.3,500 x 9-litre cases; Halliday, 2011: an archetypal Langi bouquet, offering a mix of spice, black cherry, mint, licorice and leather. The palate has lively, sweet fruit woven through the more minty/spicy characters of the bouquet, but slightly sharp acidity on the finish needs to integrate, to 2009, 93; RP@RP, 2002: Mount Langi Ghiran's flagship offering, the 1999 Shiraz Langi was closed and tight when tasted. It revealed interesting blackberry fruit notes intermixed with ground pepper, spice, and licorice. Medium to full-bodied, tightly-knit, tannic, and backward, it may merit a 90-point score in 2-3 years, and last for 15+ years, 88; weight bottle and closure: 586 g; www.langi.com.au ]
Garnet and ruby, below midway in depth, and one of the least red wines. Like RunRig, but a little moreso, the initial bouquet on this wine is dramatically floral and aromatic, but more Prostanthera flowering mint than carnations. This floral slightly aromatic character gives a lightness and lift to the bouquet which is endearing, when not too pronounced. This wine is to a max. Berry quality here is not so clearly cassis-led as the top two, just good aromatic berry, with a firmness to it. At the altitude of the site, it is hard to know if the acid is natural or adjusted. It tastes harder than the Jamet, so probably it is. The two wines make an interesting pair. Again this is syrah from Australia, not shiraz – glory be. This wine too was well liked, three first-places and four second. It is further along its plateau of maturity than the Jamet, but should have another 10 years in it. GK 11/19

2005 Mills Reef Cabernet / Merlot Elspeth 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $38 [ cork; DFB; CS and Me hand-harvested @ c. 2 t/ac, 100% de-stemmed; 50% BF in French oak via 'Vinification Integrale' in the 400 litre purpose-designed barrel from Tonnellerie Baron, balance s/s; c. 16 months in French oak 50% new; www.millsreef.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, another developed colour for the year, and not as deep as many. Bouquet on this wine is devastatingly Bordeaux-like, quite extraordinary, like a rich Ch. Angludet or similar, fragrant with cassisy cabernet and merlot qualities in gentle and not obviously new oak. In mouth, the analogy continues, the berries beautifully ripe, lovely round tannins, gentle oak, a long soft aftertaste. This will be ready earlier than some. When the identity is revealed on this wine, what a revelation. There is an exciting re-thinking of oak-handling, and the relative ratio of oak to berry, taking place at Mills Reef. The result is more elegant and much more food-friendly wines. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 09/07

1999 Mountford Pinot Noir 18 ½ (

)

Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 14.2%; $50 [ TE ]
Good ruby, a touch of carmine. A vibrant redfruits bouquet, with blackboy peach to the fore. This wine characterises the intensely fruited cherry / berry New Zealand pinot noir style. Some florals, some oak, an attractive hint of star anise and maraschino too. Rich palate, remarkable concentration, good acid, fine balance. This wine, as with several others, does however make one reflect that fine New Zealand pinot noir does ideally need full physiological flavour maturity at alcohols nearer Burgundy norms. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 01/01

2002 Girardin Chambertin 18 ½ (

)

Gevrey-Chambertin Grand Cru, Burgundy, France: 14%; $209
Good pinot noir ruby. A classic pinot noir, showing beautiful florals, fragrant cherries, softly aromatic oak, and total appeal: one just wants to drink such a wine, even knowing it is an infant. Palate is concentrated red and black cherries, saturating the tongue with their flavour. There is a lovely aromatic lift to this wine, partly Chambertin, partly new oak. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 11/04

2004 Craggy Range Sauvignon Blanc Te Muna Road 18 ½ (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13%; $23 [ screwcap; c.20% BF, c.30% wild yeast, LA; www.craggyrange.com ]
Pale lemongreen. Still youthful with some marrying-up to do, to reveal sweet ripe capsicum and black passionfruit varietal characters. Palate is rich, flavoursome, totally varietal, showing magnificent use of oak to optimise varietal character but not dominate it. This will cellar well, if desired. GK 09/04

2005 Stonecroft Rosé 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12.5%; $19 [ supercritical cork; not a saignée wine, but made from scratch with all the zin; 5 g/L RS; www.stonecroft.co.nz ]
Perfect rosé hue. Bouquet is superbly clean and lightly berried, and knowing it is made from zin, one imagines it is blueberries. There are strawberries too. Whatever, it smells like serious rosé, made from red grapes. Palate is ripe (how, at the Brix indicated by the alcohol, I cannot imagine), with a marvellous balance of fruit to tannins, against slightly fresh acid. Finish is either bone dry, or so close to it as doesn't matter, beautiful fruit, very sophisticated and more-ish. The whole wine style is reminiscent of Tavel. This will cellar for several years, to taste. GK 02/06

2002 Church Rd Tom [ pre-release sample] 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels & Tuki Tuki Valley, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $135 [ cork; DFB; Me 47, CS 44, Ma 9, hand-harvested; 3 – 4 week cuvaison; 12 months in French oak 50% new, plus 6 more months in oak; released October 2006 and subsequently offered @ $100 – 105 several retailers; not on Church Road website; http://www.pernod-ricard-nz.com/Pages/wines/our_wines/tom_2002.html ]
Ruby and velvet, clearly older and lighter than most of the ‘04s, more the weight of the Gunn Woolshed blend. Bouquet is astonishingly complex, a total Bordeaux look-alike, with complex berry embracing cassis, redcurrant and red and black plums. There is also tobacco complexity varying from light to dark in hue, plus potentially cedary oak, and a little brett. Palate too shows all these features, remarkably integrated, soft and forward for its age, in the style of a 10-year-old St Emilion. This is a food wine ! Complexity of flavour goes a long way to concealing that the wine is still lacking real concentration, though one can overlook that for the scoring. But greater dry extract is needed to have this wine justify its price tag. The time-honoured way of achieving this is via an even lower cropping rate than that alluded to on the website. This is the first edition of Tom to measure up to the man it honours – which is exciting – but its pricing and packaging appeals to baser values than love of wine. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 05/06

2004 Gunn Estate Chardonnay Skeetfield 18 ½ (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $27 [ Champion wine of the 2005 Challenge; screwcap; hand-harvested, whole-bunch pressed. BF with wild yeast in new French oak, 10 month LA and batonnage, MLF 100%, RS <2 g/L; www.gunnestate.co.nz ]
Lemon, a suggestion of straw. Bouquet on this wine is in a distinctively New Zealand style of chardonnay, and specifically a classical Hawkes Bay chardonnay. There is tight golden queen peachy fruit complexed by barrel-ferment, MLF and lees autolysis. Compared with the Pemberton Reserve wine, bouquet is more aromatic from barrel-ferment in a higher percentage of newer and fragrant oak. Palate develops the golden peachy fruit to a well textured richness, but with the oak at a maximum. Flavour has something in common with the big Californian, but with the lower alcohol it shows much more restraint and finesse. This will cellar well for 5 – 10 years, in which time the oak should marry away. GK 10/05

2011 [ Rod McDonald Wines ] Te Awanga Syrah 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $33 [ screwcap; 100% Sy hand-picked late April @ 6 t/ha = 2.4 t / ac; 100% de-stemmed; seven days cold-soak, total 35 days cuvaison; 18 months in French oak 60% new; RS nil; www.rmwines.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, likewise not the richest syrah. It is always pleasing when you write up a wine at a certain (high) level, as in my recent report on the 2013 Easter Show, and then later in a much bigger blind tasting a couple of months later, one finds one has allocated the same score to the wine. On this showing, it is almost identical in style to the 2011 Church Road Grand Reserve, highly varietal, faintly more oak, a model expression of fine (not necessarily the biggest) New Zealand syrah, both wines linking with the top Cuilleron Cote Roties astonishingly well. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 06/13

2007 Felton Road Pinot Noir Block 5 18 ½ (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.8%; $80 [ screwcap; 20% whole-bunch; elevage detail (now corrected from the Conference booklet, Blair Walter, pers. comm) is 11 months in French oak, 38% new, followed by a further 6 months in 3-year-old oak; www.feltonroad.com ]
Rich pinot noir ruby, nearly some carmine and velvet, above midway in depth. Bouquet is in one sense quiet, but it defines the darker spectrum of pinot noir florals, darkest red roses and boronia, with a faint garrigue-like (aka Otago thyme, +ve) complexity note, on clear black cherry fruit. Palate fulfils the promise of bouquet totally. At number five in the Pinot Noirs of the World tasting sequence, this wine came as a shaft of light in what had till that point been a sad and deflating experience: how could the organisers think the first four represented world achievements in pinot noir ? But here suddenly was a wine that was floral, beautiful, vibrant and exciting to smell and taste – exactly what great pinot noir should be. This was more what we came for !

Palate is magnificent, immediately reminding me of a great pinot noir I once tasted from Chalone Vineyard (high-altitude California), again vibrant, rich black cherry fruit at a maximum for ripeness but not at all heavy, long and saturated in mouth, bone dry, beautifully ripe tannins, no brett, simply superb pinot noir. On the New Zealand pinot landscape, it is darker in its floral and fruit characters than might be superlative, all black cherry, just a hint of sur-maturité, thus clearly representing the dark phase of Central Otago wines. It is still fresh and tantalising, though, and lingers in mouth well. Aftertaste is cherry on skinsy ripe tannins, lovely, long, perhaps slightly oaky in its youthful balance. This wine encapsulates the future of one phase (the darker phase) of New Zealand pinot noir. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 02/10

2009 Coopers Creek Syrah Chalk Ridge 18 ½ (

)

Havelock North district, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $26 [ screwcap; Sy 99%, Vi 1, all hand-picked @ 2.5 t/ac from a hill-slope site with limestone; syrah de-stemmed, c.21 days cuvaison; MLF and 14 months in French oak c.25% new; RS 3 g/L; sterile-filtered to bottle; www.cooperscreek.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, below midway. Bouquet is totally Cote Rotie, delightfully floral and warm, wallflowers and dark red roses, gorgeous. There is cassis, plum and blueberry on the fruit side, with subtlest potentially cedary oak. Palate continues in this gentle fruit-forward style, totally Cote Rotie against the 2009 Church Road, the trace residual contributing to the gentleness. This is succulent and delicious wine, to cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 07/12

2004 Te Mata Estate Syrah / Viognier Woodthorpe 18 ½ (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $26 [ screwcap; Sy 95%, Vi 5, co-fermented even though Vi then super-ripe; extended cuvaison 3 + weeks, followed by 15 months in new and older French oak; superb website; www.temata.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet. Bouquet is dramatically syrah, wonderfully floral and fragrant, the florals deeper and spicier than pinot noir and violets, not quite as sweet as dianthus, but clearly in style for Cote Rotie (the model). Below is a piquant spiciness of cracked pepper and cassis. Palate shows much the best fruit weight yet under this label, and a freshness of cassis and beautiful round berryfruits, which again can only be compared to Cote Rotie. There is no hint of the over-ripe boysenberry broadness characterising Australian shiraz. The wine is so young, the flavours are not quite integrated yet, with dark berry, cracked pepper and oak remaining separate on the tongue. This is a potentially beautiful wine, which it would be folly not to buy by the case, to follow its evolution and enjoy how attractive it will become over the next 10 years. Cellar 5 – 15 years. VALUE GK 10/05

2005 Esk Valley Syrah Reserve 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $50 [ screwcap; rare (c. 200 6-packs), release ex winery only early March; hand-picked, 100% de-stemmed; French oak 50% new, batonnage in barrel; not on website yet; www.eskvalley.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, not as deep as some. Bouquet is wonderfully clean and aromatic, the new oak showing a little much at this stage, but with air revealing lots of dark rose and violets florals, on cassis in rich plummy fruit. Below is a little black peppercorn spice. Palate is rich too, the quality of the cassis fruit first-rate, all very pure, both crisp and juicy. This fruit with less new oak would be super, and it may well marry up to be that, anyway. It is 14.5% alcohol, sadly, but carries it well. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 01/07

2003 Akarua Pinot Noir 18 ½ (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $40 [ screwcap; www.akarua.com ]
Ruby, suggestions of carmine and velvet, deep for pinot, but no weightier than some of the Girardins. Bouquet is phenomenal: here at last is another wonderfully floral, complex, and cherried wine to match the 1999 Felton Road. The florals are soft, sweet, and sensuous, reminiscent of lilac and violets, almost drowning the fruit. Palate matches with attractive cherry flesh, suggestions of fresh-baked jam tarts, subtle oak, and totally burgundian poise. It is deceptively rich, particularly in the cherry fruit component, though it seems lighter than the Felton Block 3. Oaking is beautifully subtle, so flavour as well as bouquet display New Zealand pinot at its varietal best. Indeed, if anybody asks what pinot noir should smell like, this is the (affordable) bottle to display the answer. This kind of pinot is a so much more fragrant and beautiful expression of the variety than some of the fatter, plummier, '02 Otago wines. In two or three years this should settle down into one of New Zealand's finest pinot noir achievements so far. Cellar 3 – 12 years. Tasted three times. GK 11/04

2007 Awaroa Syrah [ Barrel Sample ] 18 ½ (

)

Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.5%; $45 [ will be supercritical 'cork'; 27 days cuvaison including 5 cold soak @ 8 degrees; c. 12 months in 50% new oak, 90% French, 10 American ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, a close match to the 2005 Bullnose. And on bouquet, the wine is much in the style of the Ngatarawa Triangle wines too, deep wallflower and dusky rose florals, both cassis and soft blueberry fruit, and subtle oak, all totally pure. Palate is a little richer than the highly-rated Villa Maria Syrah / Viognier Cellar Selection, and more floral than that wine, despite having no viognier at all. This Cote Rotie-styled wine highlights the importance of the floral dimension in great syrah, something the Australians haven't thought about much yet, but we can achieve superbly in good years and on good sites in our more critically attuned syrah climate – if the wine is not over-ripened or over-oaked. [ NB: the finished wine may differ from this barrel sample.] Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 06/08

2008 Mt Difficulty Pinot Gris 18 ½ (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $25 [ screwcap; hand-harvested; cool-fermented; 3 months lees autolysis and weekly stirring; no oak; 4 g/L RS; www.mtdifficulty.co.nz ]
Pale lemonstraw. Bouquet is clear-cut pinot family, attractive rosepetal and white pearflesh, some white nectarine, plus some lees-autolysis enhancement evident. Palate continues these winning qualities, pure pinot gris fruit, surprisingly dry yet the phenolics so well handled they merely give the wine structure. This is a lovely example of the variety. It will be a good food wine, as well as cellaring well 2 – 6 years. GK 11/08

2007 Destiny Bay [ Cabernets / Merlot ] Mystae (barrel sample) 18 ½ (

)

Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.9%; $115 [ cork; CS 57, Me 22, CF 17, Ma 4, hand-harvested; c. 12 months in American 50% and French oak c. 50% new; en primeur offer date 1 April 2009 "significantly" below the above price, release date 1 April 2010; Mystae alludes to the name given to students entering the schools of philosophy of the great Greek philosophers Plato and Aristotle, and presumably implies the thought of understudy to Magna Praemia; www.destinybaywine.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, not as deep as the Craggy, but one of the deepest Waiheke reds. Bouquet is rich, ripe and aromatically deeply cassisy, very attractive. Fruit richness in mouth is good too, not as rich as the same-year Magna Praemia, darkest plums, more aromatic than the Craggy (reasonable, it is cabernet-dominated) and on examination, much more oaky, at about the maximum the fruit can sustain. As with the top years of Stonyridge Larose, this wine shows full physiological flavour maturity and ripeness of cabernet sauvignon is achievable on Waiheke Island. [ NB: the finished wine may differ from this barrel sample.] Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 06/08

2004 Peregrine Pinot Noir 18 ½ (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 14.5%; $33 [ screwcap; 10 months French oak; www.peregrinewines.co.nz ]
Ruby, almost some carmine and velvet, big for pinot noir. Bouquet is full-throttle Otago pinot, showing gorgeous floral components blending violets, boronia and buddleia on black cherry fruit. It is so floral, one can overlook the spirit. Palate is aromatic cherries much more than dark plums, with the freshness of cherries counterpointed by fine oak to a maximum at this stage, and a fresh acid balance. This is refreshing wine chockfull of flavour, unequivocally pinot, rather more new world than the Schuster Omihi, but both equally good. It has the richness to need several years to marry up, and become velvety. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 03/06

1985 Guigal Cote Rotie Cotes Brune & Blonde 18 ½ (

)

Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $ – [ cork; usually around 4% Vi; some new oak even then; www.guigal.com ]
Mature ruby and garnet, almost pinot noir in weight. Bouquet is simply sensational, in that wonderful indefinable territory where immediately you can see why Lafite Hermitagé was prized in the 1800s. The wine manages at the same time to remind of both fine mature bordeaux and fine burgundy on bouquet, showing a beautiful harmonious quality which is simply the essence of fine old red. On palate, the browning cassis and lightest cedar still remind of bordeaux, a Pauillac with fine tannins, maybe, yet there is an elegant simplicity to its mouthfeel which is mature (but rather dry) burgundy. Sounds perfect for mature Cote Rotie, therefore. From a temperate-climate cellar in Wellington, this wine is at the apex of full maturity, epitomising perfectly ripe Northern Rhone syrah, and should hold for some years yet. From warmer districts, it may be fading. What a thrill bottles like this are. GK 04/13

2008 Passage Rock Cabernet Reserve 18 ½ (

)

Eastern Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: – %; $39 [ screwcap; DFB; CS 80%, Me 10, Ma 10, hand-picked; c.20 days cuvaison; c.12 months in barrel, 60% French oak, 40 American, 35% new; sterile-filtered; 300 cases, August 2009 release; ‘Strong blackberry aromas with cherry and cigar box full bodied with a long rich concentrated finish.’; www.passagerockwines.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. Bouquet is a little different in this wine, and adds diversity to this set of Waiheke cabernet / merlots. It is not as cassisy as the other top wines, but adds an attractive aromatic note hinting a little at black pepper and the florals of syrah, all made fragrant by potentially cedary oak. Palate is softly cassis and dark plum, thoughts of violets and blackberry too, an earlier-developing and softer wine than the Mudbrick or the Isola. Part of the intrigue of this wine I suspect is a slightly greater maritime influence, a hint of sea-salt maybe. Cellar 3 – 10 years.

These top five Waiheke cabernet / merlot and related blends in this review (note Stonyridge Larose, Destiny Bay Magna Praemia and Te Whau were not in the Expo) illustrate and confirm one glorious thing. In the best years on Waiheke Island, it is possible to ripen even cabernet sauvignon-dominant blends to perfect Bordeaux-modelled physiological maturity. Additionally, their style closely matches the very best Havelock North / Ngatarawa Triangle wines from Hawkes Bay. Note that perfect physiological maturity in each of these places is achievable only once or twice a decade, exactly as in Bordeaux, confirming yet again that the most beautiful wines are made in marginal climates. Such wines optimise the beautiful floral components of cabernet and merlot particularly. This contrasts with the sometimes riper and heavier Bordeaux blends from the Gimblett Gravels. In the warmest years those wines may lose precise Bordeaux elegance and charm, and move towards the bigger and more impressive but not necessarily more beautiful winestyles of the Napa Valley. This is unlikely to be a problem for Waiheke sites. The challenge now is for other Waiheke cabernet and merlot growers to optimise their viticulture to achieve the soft fragrant ripeness these top wines show, with lower total acid and less stalkyness. GK 06/09

2005 Clayridge Pinot Noir Excalibur 18 ½ (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $38 [ screwcap; not on website yet; www.clayridge.net.nz ]
Rich pinot ruby and velvet. This wine benefits from decanting and airing for several hours, to reveal a bouquet which is extraordinary for a Marlborough pinot noir. There is a depth and darkness of varietal florals and fruit to it more closely approaching the characters one associates with Central Otago. Florals are in the lilac, roses and boronia spectrum, a little 'lighter' than the best Otago. Likewise in the berryfruit, while there is some blackboy peach, there is clear red and black cherry. Oak is noticeable, fragrant, but not too dominating. Richness on palate and depth of flavour are remarkable, and the alcohol is much less than some of the Villa Maria multiple award wines. There might be a trace of brett adding savoury complexity. This wine is a great example of what may be achieved in years to come in Marlborough, on optimal un-irrigated sites. It is a great achievement by winemaker / growers Mike and Paula Just. It is amongst Marlborough's finest pinots yet, perhaps the best. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 01/07

2006 Dry River Syrah Lovat Vineyard Amaranth 18 ½ (

)

Martinborough Terrace, Wairarapa, New Zealand: 13.5%; $51 [ Cork, 45mm, ullage 29mm; weight bottle and cork, 615 g; release price c.$62; Amaranth signifies particularly suited to cellaring; Cooper, 2008: … dense and smooth, with sweet fruit delights of blackcurrants, plums, spices and liquorice, showing an almost liqueur-like intensity. Hugely concentrated, with buried tannins, its a compelling wine with a long future; open mid 2010+, *****; www.dryriver.co.nz ]
Ruby, nearly carmine still, and velvet, far and away the deepest wine, extraordinary. Bouquet is amazing too, in a district where syrah is at its limits. There are dusky dianthus and darkest rose florals on tanniny cassis, and clear pepper, all black. Palate is wondrously rich, clear cassis and darkest plum, velvety grape tannins bolstered by invisible oak, the flavour fresh and youthful, still primary, again, extraordinary. The whole wine style is Hermitage, the only hint of qualification being a tell-tale thread of acid. Tasters liked this wine, six first places, four second, clearly the wine of the night, and almost total agreement it was syrah. In the best for the vintage comparison, the pinot didn't have a chance. This is one of Martinborough's greatest wines, so far. It will cellar another 20 years. GK 05/19

2010 Unison [ Merlot / Cabernet Sauvignon / Syrah ] Classic Blend 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $35 [ supercritical 'cork'; Me > CS > Sy, all hand-picked, ratio not revealed, CS picked 22 days after Me; a small percentage of juice taken for rosé; extended cuvaison to 30 days for some parcels, using cultured yeast; press wine blended back to taste; 12 months in barrels and puncheons, 30% new, maybe some American, then 12 months in older large wood; website to be updated; Parker: 89; www.unisonvineyard.co.nz ]
Ruby, some velvet and carmine, right in the middle of the second third for weight. Bouquet here is beautiful. When I assessed it at the blind stage, before knowledge of cepage or maker, I commented on its fine cassis qualities, so reminiscent of refined Medoc. In mouth it is not as big a wine as some in the 60, or the 2009 Selection from Unison. There is a key issue here, often lost on those brought up on Australian reds, that wine does not have to be big to be beautiful. Here there is grace and elegance and charm, lean and shapely. Ballerinas. Cassis is a valid descriptor for perfectly ripe syrah as well as cabernet sauvignon (recall Lafite Hermitagé), so this wine is a fine illustration of the Hawkes Bay blend concept. If you personally have to have a wine so rich as to be tactile velvety, make the score 18. Though the oak is still a little prominent, it is better balanced than the 2009 Selection, and in time will give considerable pleasure at table. Cellar 5 – 18 years. GK 06/14

2013 Babich Cabernet / Malbec / Merlot The Patriarch 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $70 [ cork 48mm; DFB; CS 49%, Ma 27, Me 24, hand-picked from c.22-year old vines planted at 1,832 vines / ha and cropped @ 5 t/ha = 2 t/ac; cuvaison 16 days, cultured-yeast; MLF in tank and barrel; 16 – 17 months in barrel 98% French, 2 US, c.45% new; RS <2 g/L; not sterile-filtered; dry extract not available; production 1,000 x 9-L cases; release date Nov. 2015; pre-release tasting bottles courtesy Adam Hazeldine and John Lang; www.babichwines.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, the fourth deepest. Bouquet is deep, dark and mysterious, not revealing too much yet, at this stage smelling simply rich and dry. Flavour shows a wonderful concentration of dark grape tannins, certainly rich and yes, very dry, berryfruit and skins more than oak, long and fine-grained on the finish. What a remarkable grape malbec can be when it is properly ripe, as it so rarely is in New Zealand. There is no coarseness or malbec-induced stalkyness in this Patriarch at all, the wine is simply reserved at this stage. It must be the ripest and richest Patriarch ever. Don't look at it for five years. The very different cepage in this wine makes it an essential component of any representative 2013 Hawkes Bay red collection. Tasting back and forth through these wines, though, you cannot help feeling that malbec coarsens The Patriarch to a degree, the flavours being obvious rather than magical. Cellar 10 – 25 years. GK 05/15

2009 Trinity Hills Syrah Homage 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $ – [ cork; Sy 98%, Vi 2, hand-picked at about 2.5 t/ha (1 t/ac) mainly from the Limmer clone, also some vines propagated from Jaboulet's la Chapelle vineyard on the hill of Hermitage, vine ages 1994 and 2001; the grapes de-stemmed, lightly crushed to leave whole berries; shortish cuvaison; MLF commenced in tank, completed in barrel, c.15 months in French oak mostly new, some lees stirring, not a lot of racking; www.trinityhill.com ]
Ruby and velvet, markedly lighter than 2009 The Gimblett. Bouquet is more regular Northern Rhone syrah, showing clear dianthus-family florals on cassisy berry browning slightly now, plus rather a lot of oak. A black pepper lift is apparent, too. In mouth the wine might be in an awkward phase, an interaction between berry tannin and oak producing a slight hardness. There is great fruit richness, length of flavour, and potential smoothness, but the oak continues a little prominent right now. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 11/15

2013 Sileni Syrah [ Exceptional Vintage ] EV 18 ½ (

)

Bridge Pa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $70 [ screwcap; Sy 100%, tended for low-cropping; hand-harvested, all destemmed; inoculated yeast, 21 days cuvaison; MLF completed and 10 months in French oak 60% new; RS nil; www.sileni.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, a more evolved colour than the Tom Syrah or Le Sol, and one of the lighter colours altogether. Bouquet here is in one sense quite different from the Church Road and Craggy Range syrahs, yet it is gloriously linked to them too. It shows the smooth warm cedary oak character that Grant Edmonds manages to achieve in his top-tier EV wines, yet on palate the oak does not dominate at all. In much earlier days, Robert Mondavi achieved a similar beauty of palate in his oaking of their Reserve Cabernet Sauvignons. Trying to describe this wine is difficult, all the components being so seamlessly interwoven. It is nearly floral, but the vanillin in the oak confuses that, and the cassis component is similarly so infused with sweet oak, you know it is there but can't pin it down. Fruit flavours also clearly suggest blueberry, implying greater ripeness than most of these syrahs. There is a trace of black pepper spice, but you can only see it when you put the wine alongside a Cabernet / Merlot. It seems nearly as rich as the phenomenal Tom Syrah, but the styling is absolutely Cote Rotie. This is a rare wine on the New Zealand red wine landscape, showing a harmony, integration and totality of style achievement which is remarkable. I suspect some will overlook it, therefore. There might be a trace of residual to the finish of this wine too, but it is very hard to tell when the dry extract is high ... so probably not. Cellar 5 – 15 years, maybe longer. GK 06/16

2004 Xabregas Shiraz Show Reserve 18 ½ (

)

Mt Barker, Western Australia, Australia: 14%; $ – [ cork; price low $30s; made at the Porongurup contract winery, using Ganimede Italian fermenters which cycle the juice over the skins using the CO2 produced in fermentation. Their reputation is to produce more colour and a softer and more aromatic wine - www.porongurup-winery.com.au; Xabregas is the volume label of Traolach; www.xabregas.com.au ]
Dense ruby, carmine and velvet, one of the deepest colours. This is a wonderfully enveloping blueberry version of syrah, with potentially cedary and also slightly charry / dark chocolate oak, plus some florals ranging from buddleia to darkest roses. In mouth, there is a hint of mint, but this is probably noticeable only when the wine is run among a dominance of New Zealand (or French) syrahs. Berry is rich, spanning blueberry to suggestions of boysenberry, with faint cracked black peppercorns. In terms of varietal expression, it is not much hotter in climatic origin than some of the bigger 2002 Gimblett Gravels wines. It has more syrah character than many South Australian examples of the grape, and will therefore be a first-rate example of Australian shiraz to include in New Zealand comparative tastings. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 05/06

2009 Black Barn Cabernet Franc 18 ½ (

)

Havelock North district, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $35 [ supercritical cork 47 mm; CF 100%, hand-picked @ c.3.4 t/ha = 1.4 t/ac from vines 10 and 14 years old; 18 days cuvaison, c. 14 months French oak 66% and balance subtle American oak; not fined, scarcely filtered; release several months away; www.blackbarn.com ]
Good ruby, much lighter than the Babich Patriarch. It is so hard to get clear-cut cabernet franc in New Zealand, most makers thus far not respecting the delicate red fruits fragrance and fine grain of the grape, instead oaking the hell out of it and forcing it into some ugly Australasian vision of one kind of cabernet sauvignon. This Black Barn wine is quite the opposite, with a delicacy to it which is almost burgundian – as is not infrequently said of some St Emilions, where the grape achieves its peak performance. It is not a big wine, but nor is it weak, and the ripeness is pinpoint. This is much the best illustration of the variety I have seen in New Zealand, to cellar 3 – 10 years, maybe longer. GK 10/10

2003 Benfield & Delamare 18 ½ (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13%; $53 [ cork; Me 65%, CS 25, CF 10; 20 days cuvaison, c.20 months French oak 40% new; www.benfieldanddelamare.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, one of the deepest. The 2003 Benfield & Delamare has been eagerly awaited, for the vintage was a great one in Martinborough. Public release was this debut at the Regional Roadshow, but though the wine has been released to the mailing list, and is available at the winery, release to the limited number of trade outlets is expected "shortly". Bouquet is wonderfully full and fragrant, with at this stage, the trademark spicy clove and nutmeg oak dominant, and plummy fruit below. Palate is another matter altogether, with a texture and viscosity to the densely plummy and cassisy fruit which is remarkable, and covers the oak totally. And the low alcohol is magical, the way Bordeaux used to be. Martinborough in its warmest years achieves a similar fruit complexity and flavour to Bordeaux, and this wine is one of the best achievements yet from these two committed proprietors. From memory, only two other vintages of theirs in the last 14 years compare with this 2003. Expensive, but in the top years, the quality and rarity of this wine combine to make it a distinctive and desirable top New Zealand claret style. Cellar 5 – 15 years, maybe longer. GK 10/05

2010 Crossroads Talisman 18 ½ (

)

Hawkes Bay (three districts), New Zealand: 14.5%; $50 [ screwcap; mostly hand-picked; cepage not revealed – see text; 14 months in all-new oak, French 85%, balance American; RS ‘dry’; www.crossroadswinery.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, some carmine, in the top quarter for depth of colour. Initially opened, the wine is tending heavy. With air it opens up to a rich oaky soft wine, with big plummy berry and furry oak. This year's wine certainly hides its "secret" cepage well, there being suggestions of merlot, malbec and syrah dominant, as well as cabernet and others. There could even be pinotage, for there is something different about the blend. Ripeness is impressive in this wine, and shows up many of the other reds in this review. There is a much better ratio of berryfruit to oak here than in the 2009 version, and given vigorous and splashy decanting, it can be recommended. With 10 years in cellar, and decanting, it should be the best Talisman yet, by a large margin. This time round, my impressions of the 2009 were not so favourable, see below. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 06/12

1996 Pask Brut 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, France: 12.5%; $33 [ cork; Ch 80%, PN 20; 7 years en tirage, no MLF, no BF, 7 g/L dosage. Formerly available only ex winery, a little was distributed to the trade after its gold medal win in the 2006 Easter Show. It is now sold out. With the time on lees reminiscent of Bollinger RD, there is some resemblance, but the wine though developed is lighter. Closest NZ comparison 2000 Huia, but without the barrel-ferment; www.cjpaskwinery.co.nz ]
Straw. Bouquet is sensational, a vivid display of exactly what yeast autolysis transformed into finest baguette crust should smell like. There are clear reminders of Bollinger's RD style on bouquet. Palate is pretty well unique in New Zealand bubbly, the depth of baguette flavour marvellous but not marmite-y, showing good body but not at all fruity, and finishing superbly dry with a delicate white mushroom hint. Only the Huia 2000 comes close to this, but alongside it is a little more acid and awkward, with the barrel-ferment / oak component a little obtrusive. This Pask is THE wine to present blind as an aperitif to quizzical overseas visitors keen on wine – few would suspect it was anything but French – and fine French at that. It is the best New Zealand bubbly I have ever tasted, and a great New Zealand wine achievement. Cellar 5 – 15 years, though it is unlikely to get any better. GK 12/06

2014 Greystone Pinot Noir 18 ½ (

)

Waipara Valley, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 13.5%; $34 [ screwcap; main clones Dijon 777 and 115, planted at 2,500 vines/ha, hand-picked @ c. 6 t/ha (2.4 t/ac), c.11 years age; 10% whole-bunch component, pre-ferment cold soak c.4 days, then c.31 days cuvaison with 100% wild yeast; 10.5 months in French oak c.30% new, medium toast; not sterile-filtered to bottle; RS 0.3 g/L: dry extract 29.2 g/L; production c.4,000 cases; www.greystonewines.co.nz ]
Fresh pinot noir ruby, an identical hue to the Cornish, but not quite so deep, just below midway in depth. The bouquet on this wine is simply sensational. To all the knockers and mockers who doubt that the first key attribute of great pinot noir is the floral component, I say simply: assess this wine. If the extraordinary florality embracing buddleia, heliotrope, French pink tea-roses, and even violets and dark red roses is not apparent to you, then quite simply, you are blind to the concept of 'florality' in wine. This difficulty is, sadly, not uncommon. Follow-through to the palate is not quite as complete and near-perfect as the Cornish Point, suggesting that the total achieved ripeness here / the point of picking was fractionally sooner than for the Cornish. There is the faintest leafyness, pretty well subliminal. Accordingly fruit character and flavour is red cherry more than black, which some tasters in fact prefer. But on the other hand, for the second great quality required of pinot noir, mouth-feel and texture, even layers of texture, some say, the richness of this wine is clearly very good. The floral qualities permeate the entire palate, a rare attribute, giving the wine an extraordinary presence. After a couple of years in cellar, it may be more difficult to tell the Greystone from the Cornish Point wine. Cellar 5 – 15 years. Group View (Flight 1): 4 first places, six second, none least. GK 11/15

nv Champagne Pierre Peters Cuvée de Reserve Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Brut [ 2011 base ] 18 ½ (

)

Cote de Blancs, Champagne, France: 12%; $ – [ supercritical 'cork'; Ch 100% based on 2011 fruit, all hand-picked from c.50 grand cru sites through the Cote de Blancs, including Le Mesnil; 40% of the wine from the assembled multi-vintage Reserve 'solera'; full MLF; c.2.5 years en tirage; dosage c.6.5 g/L; www.champagne-peters.com ]
Elegant lemon green, in practical terms indistinguishable from the current year. The 2014-release batch in New Zealand can be recognised by the small and hard-to-read black back-label, advising: info@champagners.co.nz. Bouquet on this wine is also classic blanc de blancs methode champenoise, but still a little on the youthful side. There are clear suggestions of crust-of-baguette autolysis mingled with an impression of white grapes, again of beautiful purity. Palate is one notch firmer (younger) than the 2010-base wine, but otherwise of identical quality, except the autolysis at this stage shows crumb-of-baguette as well as crust. Again the aftertaste is long on fruit, yet the thought of sparkling chardonnay does not occur. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 11/15

2013 Primo Estate Shiraz Joseph Angel Gully 18 ½ (

)

Clarendon, McLaren Vale, South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $85 [ screwcap; 18 months in small French and American oak, around 40% new, some of the fruit is air-dried to contribute an 'amarone' component; c. 400 x 9-L cases; weight bottle and closure: 580 g; www.primoestate.com.au ]
Carmine, ruby and velvet, off the scale for depth, by far the deepest colour. Yet the instant you smell it, it is not in the clumsy style of shiraz, at all. The wine shows a depth of berry which is astonishing, both in its intensity and richness, but also in its point of picking, for South Australia. Dominant fruit notes are loganberry and bottled black doris plums, with some boysenberry, but not the simplistic over-ripe boysenberry of so many South Australian shirazes. It is hard to imagine black pepper – but maybe. You can't help noting vanillin from American oak, which lets the wine down / makes it more Australian. It would be great to see this intensity and purity of fruit without both the 'amarone' component (guaranteed to destroy florality), and the American oak. But then I live in the hope of finding the winestyle syrah in mainland Australia. In mouth the wine is velvety rich, thick and textured in an astonishing way, yet the residual sugar is given as only 1.5 g/L (it tastes more, being so rich), so that doesn't distort things too much. This wine approaches a beauty which finally escapes it, for the reasons given. But it is still magnificent, and infinitely more subtle in its oaking than so many of the better-known icon / national monument Australian shirazes. Also it is not euc'y, there being only a shadow of mint. Cellar 10 – 40 years. GK 08/16

2002 Sacred Hill [ Merlot ] Brokenstone 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $50 [ cork; original price $45; Me 92%, Ma 5, CF 3; French oak 75% new, 12 months, plus 6 months in 2-year; M Cooper, 2005: The brilliant 2002 … a notably complete Hawkes Bay wine, it is dark and overflowing with rich, brambly, spicy, earthy flavours. Powerful, yet very elegant, silky and complex, it's already a delicious mouthful, but has the stuffing and structure to mature gracefully for many years. Don't miss it: *****; Wine Spectator, 2004: Serves up concentrated black cherry, plum and black currant notes folding into generous cedary oak, fresh herbs and vanilla in the brawny tannins on the finish. Best from 2006 through 2008: 88; [ GK comment on that review: the American consumerist approach to cellaring wine really is laughable ... ]; weight bottle and closure: 614 g; www.sacredhill.com ]
Rich ruby and velvet, youthful for its age, above midway in depth. Bouquet is particularly attractive, a dominance of dusky violet and rose florals over bottled dark-plums fruit, shaped but not unduly dominated by cedary oak. This smells for all the world like a modern (slightly oaky) Saint-Emilion. In mouth it is again beauty rather than size or power that creates the greatest impression, a total harmony of plummy berry / oak interaction, lovely freshness and length, oak a little more noticeable now in comparison with the Cos d'Estournel, appropriate alcohol. This is a great New Zealand Hawkes Bay / Bordeaux blend at an early peak of maturity, which it will hold for many years. Top or second wine for four tasters, second equal favourite on the night, but not easily recognised as to variety. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 09/16

2001 Neudorf Pinot Noir Home Vineyard 18 ½ (

)

Moutere Hills, Nelson, New Zealand: 14.5%; $56 [ price ex vineyard; www.neudorf.co.nz ]
A fine pinot ruby, like the 2001 Pisa. A subdued bouquet showing suggestions of violets and deep pinot florals, plus blackest cherries. Palate concentrates the cherries incredibly, to give a mouthfeel which is beautifully rich in flavour, lingers on black cherry skins counterpointed by subtle oak, and hides the high alcohol surprisingly well. Fruit richness and ripeness is wonderful, though possibly verging on sur-maturité, without the piquant freshness of the Ata Rangi or Cloudy Bay. That would explain the understated bouquet. Even so, in this tasting it is New Zealand’s top-equal pinot noir, and demonstrates clearly that pinot can be big, beautiful and highly varietal (as we know from Burgundy), yet avoid the anonymous clumsiness of the fruit bomb approach. Not often that Nelson presents a wine seeming warmer-climate in style than Marlborough. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 01/04

nv Champagne Pierre Peters La Perle Blanc de Blancs Brut * 18 ½ (

)

Cote de Blancs, Champagne, France: 12%; $ – [ supercritical 'cork'; Ch 100% based on 2012 fruit, understood to be not all grand cru, with c.30% Reserve wine, but using only 10 years' selection, not the full 18; hand-picked from estate vineyards in several locations in the Cote De Blancs; all s/s elevation; full MLF; c.2.5 years en tirage; dosage c.6.5 g/L; the L.S.N.V. on the label signifies Light Sparkling Non Vintage; www.champagne-peters.com ]
Colour is fractionally more lemonstraw than the lemon of the latest Cuvée de Reserve. Bouquet is classic blanc de blancs champagne, clear essence of chardonnay, some florality, some baguette, some chalk. I did not open the wines, so cannot comment on how much less pressure this 'cremant'-style' bottling may show. I understand pressure is more 3.5 – 4 atmospheres rather than the standard for champagne of 5 – 6. [ Note the term 'cremant', formerly denoting lower pressure, has since 1994 had a geographic connotation, not pressure. ] It is closest in style to the Rosé, once you take away the red fruit component of the latter. Again there is great freshness, seemingly a little more depth on bouquet than the current Extra Brut at this point, but not quite the authority on palate, being sweeter. Yet the elegance of the blanc de blancs fruit is immediately apparent, as soon as you compare it with the current Moet & Chandon. If you wanted a fine blanc de blancs with less gas, this is the answer. Fruit quality here seems more like last year's batch of Cuvée de Reserve, but not as rich. Cellar 5 – 12 years, but a bit of a puzzle why one has a low-pressure champagne, all the same. GK 10/15

2010 Puriri Hills [ Merlot / Cabernet Franc ] Pope 18 ½ (

)

Clevedon, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14%; $140 [ cork; Me 54%, CF 25, Ca 17, Ma 4, hand-harvested @ c. 5 t/ha = 2 t/ac; 22 months in French oak 75% new; not fined, lightly filtered; will not be released for some time, price indicative; www.puririhills.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet. Needs some air, then the bouquet has that magical violets, cedar and cassis quality that says Bordeaux, really quite freaky. There is a hint of blackberry too, and fine fragrant oak. Palate has great precision and delicacy, a wine which would easily become lost amongst more burly / oaky Australasian bordeaux blends, but one gradually realises there is an enchanting fruit weight and texture. Even so, new-oaking is to a max, but the oak is of high quality and potentially cedary. This wine is totally of lighter classed growth quality. It is exciting to think about how it will look in tastings of 2010 Bordeaux and 2009 Hawkes Bay blends in a few years time. Cellar 5 – 15-plus years, for a very beautiful medium-weight example of an east-bank-styled New Zealand bordeaux blend. GK 08/12

2011 Produttori del Barbaresco Ovello Riserva 18 ½ (

)

Barbaresco DOCG, Piedmont, Northern Italy, Italy: 14.5%; $82 [ 50mm cork; the cellar approach to the wines is consistent across all the crus, but detail varies with the season. In general cuvaisons are 3 - 4 weeks, in lined concrete vats, followed by at least 3 years in older large oak variously 2,500 - 7,500 litres; www.produttoridelbarbaresco.com ]
Ruby, right in the middle for depth. Though lighter in colour, in this wine the bouquet comes across as showing a darker phase of the nebbiolo berry spectrum, aromatic cherries again but a faint suggestion of bottled black doris plums too. The garrigue-like savoury herbes are there as well. Palate shows gorgeous fruit, the same weight as Asili but a darker shade, and those beautiful ripe grape tannins. Cellar 5 – 25 years. GK 05/16

2014 Te Mata Estate Sauvignon Blanc Cape Crest 18 ½ (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $31 [ 45 mm supercritical cork (Diam); SB 87%, Se 10, SG 3; hand-harvested; all BF with significant new oak; little or no MLF, but much lees work and stirring, 8 months in barrel, then further marrying-up in tank before bottling; <2 g/L RS; www.temata.co.nz ]
Elegant lemon green. This is the most outspoken wine in the present Te Mata batch offered for tasting, reds or whites. The interaction between ripe Hawkes Bay sauvignon and a complete barrel-ferment including considerable new oak for this wine gives a quite strident bouquet, with an unusual pungent fruit quality to it when young. I have previously compared this aroma with Castrol GTX. In the intervening years, Castrol's feedstock has changed, and GTX now is milder (also correlated probably with lower total sulphurs), whereas this 2014 Cape Crest is absolutely full-on. In mouth the first thing to strike you is the palate weight. Both this wine and Zara make one think that Te Mata have consciously reduced their cropping rate, to up the ripeness, mouthfeel, dry extract and quality. This wine has tactile dry extract. The flavours centre round white stonefruit and sweet basil. Cape Crest is unashamedly modelled on famous white Medocs and Graves wines, where the sauvignon blanc-led barrel-fermented whites may be higher-priced than the chateau's famous reds. On that analogy, this should be a $100 bottle. Like Elston it needs three (or more) years to harmonise, and may not initially appeal, on bouquet. The high score therefore includes an anticipatory component, rewarding the richness particularly. It will cellar just as long as Elston, and maybe longer, for those not trapped in the conventional wisdom of New Zealand views on sauvignon blanc. GK 03/16

2014 Kumeu River Chardonnay Hunting Hill Vineyard 18 ½ (

)

Kumeu, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14%; $49 [ screwcap; clone 15 predominates in Hunting Hill but a mix, all hand-harvested; wild-yeast fermentation and 100% BF, LA, and MLF; 11 months in barrel usually 20% new but varies; 2014 is seen as the best vintage so far for Kumeu River chardonnay; RS nil; www.kumeuriver.co.nz ]
Lemon, fractionally the palest of the Kumeu River chardonnays. Bouquet is distinctive on the Hunting Hill wine this year, more clearly floral than the other chardonnays, hints of common honeysuckle and white flowers, on white stonefruits with an oatmeal and hessian undertone, like Maté's awaiting assimilation. Palate is slightly more 'mineral' and less rich than Maté's, with suggestions of citrus / grapefruit in the white stonefruits. You can see why Paul Brajkovich in speaking to the wine, mentioned that London tasters saw Puligny qualities in it. It really needs two more years to smooth out, develop some mealyness, and be as accessible as Maté's is, but the fruit richness is there. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 03/16

2005 Stonyridge [ Cabernet / Malbec / Merlot ] Larose 18 ½ (

)

Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.5%; $140 [ cork; DFB; CS 44%, Ma 21, Me 15, PV 15, CF 5, cropped at c. 1 t/ac in 2005; up to 25-day cuvaison; MLF in barrel; oak 90% French, 10 US, 70% either new, or shaved and re-toasted; not filtered; 500 cases; organic; www.stonyridge.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, one of the darker wines. This wine stood a little way apart from the rest, because of its faint mint suggestion on the deep dark berry. Below that is terrific cassis which the subtle mint accentuates, on fruit which smells ripe and Bordeaux-like. Palate is saturated berry, cassis and velvety plums, some dark tobacco, a little oakier than some, and acid fractionally higher than the Gimblett Gravels wines. The amazing thing about this wine is the 15% of petit verdot, yet the wine smells and tastes ripe. No Pichon-Lalande leafiness – another vineyard with a risky amount of petit verdot. No wonder Stonyridge say 2005 is the best vintage ever for the island. Those who like mint in their wines would rate this lovely wine higher, and it is true that many including Max Lake consider cabernet sometimes shows mint aromatics in the complete absence of eucalypts (as is the case here). Cellar 5 – 20 years. Incidentally, the 1987 Stonyridge Larose is currently perfection (cellared in Wellington's climate) – as seen blind not too long ago with 1986 classed Bordeaux. It was fully comparable with several of them. Even so, pricing is too ambitious for Larose. At auction the wine does not approach its retail pricing. And the competition at this quality point is increasing dramatically. GK 09/07

2004 Te Awa Syrah Zone 2 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $50 [ cork; available cellar door only, not on website; 8 days cold soak, wild yeast fermentation, 16-day cuvaison; 15 months in French oak NONE new, 50% 1-year, 50% 2-year; www.teawa.com ]
Ruby and velvet, not as deep as some, closer to the Bullnose. This is another distinctive wine, with an as yet unfocused floral component, on a berry character that reminds of mulberry, as well as cassis and plum. Palate is rich, a little more acid than some, but with intense fruit, and adding blueberry to the mix. Oaking is a little too noticeable at this early stage, but what a joy to have a syrah of this quality raised only in older oak. Even 50% 1-year is obtrusive ! This wine has the physical structure to cellar happily. It will be fun to see just where it fits in to the syrah spectrum, in five and ten years. Recommended. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 01/07

2000 Daniel Le Brun Blanc de Blancs Methode Traditionelle Brut 18 ½ (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 12%; $36 [ cork; Ch 100%; 7 years en tirage; RS 8 g/L; the website is one page lacking any detail as to the wines, strange; www.lebrun.co.nz ]
[ This review in non-standard format, excerpted from narrative article dated: 24 Dec 2008 ]
Bubbly as a class has sometimes not been well judged in New Zealand. It is for example easy to confuse reduced sulphur characters with poor yeast autolysis. At the other end of the oxidation / reduction equation, alleged aldehydes can be confused with appropriate baguette-crust aromatics. Sometimes the notion of total wine style achieved can be lost sight of due to over-concern with technical purity – as can happen with brett in red wines too. So it is good to say that in the 2008 Air New Zealand judging, the judges were right on the button. The 2000 Le Brun Blanc de Blancs is one of the top three bubblies ever made in New Zealand. I tasted it alongside Piper-Heidseck, and though the latter is obviously pinot noir-influenced, the total style achieved in the Le Brun is superior. Total colour and appearance for a 2000 vintage wine is superb, the precise quality of the baguette-crust yeast autolysis is exemplary, while the brut finish is a delight. And the wine has had an appropriate time to marry up in bottle since disgorgement, as shown by the mushroom shape of the cork. Do try and taste this wine: if you like Lindauer Blanc de Blancs Reserve, this Le Brun at twice the price is four times as complex and good. It will cellar 5 – 8 years at least. [ A few days later I was able to compare a remnant with one of the other top three implied above, 1996 Pask Brut, and both of them are totally of good grande marque standard – New Zealand wines to be really proud of. ] GK 12/08

2011 Produttori del Barbaresco Montefico Riserva 18 ½ (

)

Barbaresco DOCG, Piedmont, Northern Italy, Italy: 14.5%; $82 [ 50mm cork; the cellar approach to the wines is consistent across all the crus, but detail varies with the season. In general cuvaisons are 3 - 4 weeks, in lined concrete vats, followed by at least 3 years in older large oak variously 2,500 - 7,500 litres; www.produttoridelbarbaresco.com ]
Ruby, the second deepest wine. Bouquet is just a little more fumey and aromatic than Asili, fragrant red fruits, and the oak showing slightly more than some. Flavour includes nearly a hint of cassis in the dark cherry, with lovely aromatics a little more zingy than the Asili, all with slightly more tannin too. This is lovely wine. Cellar 5 – 25 years. GK 05/16

2006 Carrick Pinot Noir Excelsior 18 ½ (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $85 [ screwcap; c.15% whole-bunch, 18 months in French oak 50% new; www.carrick.co.nz ]
Colour is model pinot noir ruby, still quite deep by French standards, but good. On bouquet this wine reminds a little of one of the Rousseau Grand Cru Chambertins, where from the outset, you can smell the new oak in the young wine, yet there is the fruit to sustain it. With air both red and black cherry fruit, as well as aromatic rose and boronia florality also become apparent. The flavours are intriguing, illustrating the goal of capturing New Zealand's vibrant fruit, yet building-in a tannins-based backbone into the wine, to facilitate bottle ageing. The cherry-rich fruit lingers well.

This is one of the New Zealand pinots striving for the higher ground, the big statement. Thankfully and wisely, Carrick have not made grandiose price claims in the way Martinborough Vineyard have with their $179 Marie Zelie Reserve wine, yet Excelsior though the lighter wine achieves more. Bouquet is to first impression oaky like the Marie Zelie, but both the quality of varietal florals and the depth of cherry fruit are more apparent in the Otago wine. Looking at this wine together with the 2008 Martinborough Vineyard standard wine and the 2006 Reserve Marie Zelie, Excelsior therefore shows a more intriguing balancing of resources, in style sitting between the two northern wines. With many producers striving to increase the cellaring potential of New Zealand pinot, this is an exciting wine, offering a glimpse of the future. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 02/10

2014 Church Road Syrah Grand Reserve 18 ½ (

)

Bridge Pa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $38 [ screwcap; Sy 100% mass selection clone hand-harvested and sorted, all de-stemmed; no cold soak, inoculated yeast, up to 30 days cuvaison in s/s, careful aeration; 17 months in barrel, French 87% the balance Hungarian, 34% new, the first six months on light lees, then 11 months in barrel; RS 2.2 g/L; www.churchroad.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, one of the deepest but not as intense as the Craggy Range Gimblett Gravels Syrah. This bouquet too is beautifully varietal, dusky port-wine magnolia and darkest rose florals on cassis and bottled black doris plums, though there is a trace of pennyroyal. Being a year younger, the wine does not show quite the degree of berry / oak integration the Tom so magically shows, but it is very good – and adds weight to the case for 2014 being exciting (for syrah at least) in Hawkes Bay too. Palate is sweet, ripe and full, winemaker Chris Scott not wanting much black pepper in his syrahs, so he ripens them well. But unlike some earlier years, not so much as to lose the spicy magical lift that subliminal black pepper conveys. Additionally, the oak is less than some earlier years of the Reserve wine, adding to the quality of this edition. This is beautiful wine too, but not quite as rich as the phenomenal 2013 McDonald Series Syrah. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 06/16

2014 Vasse Felix Chardonnay Filius 18 ½ (

)

Margaret River, West Australia, Australia: 12.5%; $28 [ screwcap; www.vassefelix.com.au ]
Lemongreen, the second palest of the chardonnays. The degree of similarity between this West Australian chardonnay, and the Martinborough one, is staggering, presumably reflecting the wonderful varietal quality of clone mendoza, called gin gin in West Australia. The autolysis quality on this Vasse Felix is if anything more magical than the Dry River, crust-of-baguette and hints of cashew. In mouth total acid is slightly lower than the Dry River, but fruit richness is nearly as good. There is just the faintest subliminal suggestion of reduction complexing the palate, so subtle you can't be sure. Fruit quality here is slightly more yellow stonefruits, matched by beautifully subtle oaking, barrel ferment at its best. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 06/16

2014 Two Paddocks Pinot Noir Estate 18 ½ (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $55 [ screwcap; www.twopaddocks.com ]
Full pinot noir ruby, in the top quarter for depth. Decant this wine, to reveal a good volume of red grading to black cherry pinot noir. It needs three more years in bottle, to develop the best side of its bouquet. Palate is already promising, potentially vibrant quite dark red cherry fruit with an undertone of black cherries, oaking beautifully judged. Palate is nearly velvety, pure cherry flavours, remarkable. This will be a gold medal wine in two years, the score here is anticipatory. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 06/16

2011 Misha's Vineyard Pinot Noir Verismo 18 ½ (

)

Bendigo district, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $68 [ screwcap; www.mishasvineyard.com ]
Classic pinot noir burgundy colour in the sense of Rousseau, the third to lightest. One sniff, and wow ! Anybody who doubts the concept of florality in good red wine in general, and pinot noir in particular, needs to smell this. The volume of buddleia and cream / orange / pink rose perfume is staggering, straight out of Volnay. Then you notice it is slightly aromatic too, and the mind wanders to Chambolle-Musigny. Palate is pure red fruits pinot, just fully ripe, one of the most distinctive in the set. This wine is living proof of the old adage, never judge a burgundy by its colour, the wine showing good fruit, flesh and concentration, long and succulent almost, yet dry. This is great pinot noir too, a polar opposite to the Dry River, yet intriguingly, they can hold hands. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 06/16

2009 Pisa Range Pinot Noir Black Poplar Block 18 ½ (

)

Cromwell Basin, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $48 [ Screwcap; oldest vines 15 years; all hand-harvested @ 5 t/ha = 2 t/ac; all de-stemmed; 24 days cuvaison; c.12 months in French oak, 33% new; egg-white fining, minimal filtration; production 400 x 9-L cases; dry extract 27.4 g/L; Cooper, 2013: … dark, powerful and fruit-packed, with dense cherry and plum flavours. Weighty, savoury and supple, it shows lovely richness and harmony, *****; weight bottle and closure: 560 g; www.pisarangeestate.co.nz ]
Rich pinot noir ruby, well above midway in depth. Bouquet displays a deeper spectrum of floral notes, dark red roses, suggestions of port wine magnolia, violets, and boronia, than the Mt Difficulty, on darker fruits. Black cherry dominates, but the point of picking totally escapes incorporating any dark plum qualities. Oak is nearly as exciting as the Mt Difficulty. In mouth the continuity is again perfect, black cherry more than red, oak still to fully marry in, a more youthful spectrum of flavours, and tasting richer [ even though the dry extract is in fact less – it is very hard to assess total dry extract by taste ]. This is a younger wine than the Mt Difficulty, and will cellar for longer, 5 – 10 years. This is the finest Black Poplar wine so far, up to that vintage. Twelve people rated this their top or second wine, one only thought it French, and five thought it a $100-plus bottle. GK 07/16

2013 Jim Barry Cabernet The Veto 18 ½ (

)

Coonawarra, South Australia, Australia: 14%; $34 [ screwcap; CS 100%; French oak, 9 months only; Halliday vintage rating Coonawarra 9 /10 for 2013; www.jimbarry.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, below midway in depth. Bouquet is 'sweet', ripe, darkly berried red, ripened to a point where cassis is at risk of being lost, but still detectable. You can immediately see it is more cabernet than shiraz. The bouquet is remarkably pure, and delightfully subtle in its oaking. Palate is plump, much more clearly cassisy and cabernet now, and the subtlety of oaking is a delight. What a transformation there is in the Jim Barry wines, Armagh aside. This is a lovely wine, showing scarcely a hint of flowering mint (less than The Veto Shiraz) … and highlighting how coarse so many other South Australian reds are. Cellar 5 – 20 years. The only catch with these two Veto wines is, they are only sold to restaurants. GK 06/16

2013 Elephant Hills Syrah Airavata 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels 65%, Te Awanga 35%, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $90 [ cork 50mm; Sy 98.7%, Vi 1.3, co-fermented where possible; all hand-picked from vines of average age 13 years at c.4.8 t/ha = 1.9 t/ac; on average 4 days cold-soak, probably c.25% whole-bunch; 18 months in oak c.40% new; production 273 x 9-L cases; www.elephanthill.co.nz ]
Carmine, ruby and velvet, above midway in depth. What a hard wine to come to grips with, this Airavata is. Like 2013 Homage, the appreciable percentage of whole-bunch complicates and nearly disrupts the bouquet, at this stage, but holds promise of enhanced florality which is yet to blossom – to mix a metaphor. The wine is darkly fragrant, smelling rich, but it is again hard to find descriptors. They include dark cassis and black pepper, as well as dark roses. Palate like Homage seems to find Jaboulet's Hermitage La Chapelle as its role model. It has compelling richness and depth, on beautifully understated oak, but is still not quite together in the way Bullnose is, for example. A wine to cellar, and watch with great interest, for 5 – 20 years. GK 07/16

1994 Quinta da Lagoalva de Cima Syrah 18 ½ (

)

Ribatejo, Portugal: 13%; $ – [ cork, 44mm; release price $US20; this is the first 100% varietal syrah bottled by Lagoalva de Cima – it may be a little old now. This 7,000 ha estate has c.50ha devoted to grapes, and has produced wine since 1888. Annual production is c.22,500 cases. Syrah is not produced every year. It is fermented in temperature-controlled stainless steel, followed by 12 – 14 months in French oak some new. Julia Harding at Robinson has had later vintages, noting the style is more southern Rhone than Australia, and the wines are 'savoury with good Syrah character' – she has marked them to 17; bottle weight dry 737 grams; www.lagoalva.pt ]
Mature ruby, the same weight but slightly older than the 1999 Guigal Hermitage, the second lightest wine. Bouquet is extraordinarily beautiful, sweetly floral (though not the first bloom of youth), browning cassis, in one sense remarkably like mature bordeaux with cedary oak, the whole bouquet epitomising the concept ‘winey’. Palate has remarkably young-tasting fruit reflecting the bouquet exactly, beautifully varietal, markedly fresher than the Guigal, superbly subtle oak, great length with some varietal black pepper noticeable to the late palate, yet the whole wine scarcely weightier than a good Cote de Nuits pinot noir. Very beautiful mature wine at a peak of perfection, gentle alcohol, natural acid, stellar with food. Four people rated this their top or second wine in the set, and more thought it French than any other. Will hold for some years. GK 03/18

2005 Te Motu [ Cabernets / Merlot ] 18 ½ (

)

Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.5%; $ – [ cork; CS c.60%, Me c.25%, balance CF, Sy & Ma, handpicked @ c.1 t/ac; c.2.5 years in predominantly French & Hungarian oak c.30% new; c. 500 cases, not yet released, current vintage is 2002 @ $90; thus far, the vintage of the decade; www.temotu.co.nz ]
Ruby, a little older than the other 2005s. Bouquet is beautifully fragrant, and notwithstanding the cepage, is remarkably reminiscent of St Emilion rather more than the Medoc, the merlot violets showing up delightfully. Below are red and black currants plus plum, and a suggestion of pipe tobacco, beguiling. Palate is firmer than the bouquet, crisp cassis bespeaking the cabernet and plum fruit, potentially cedary oak a little noticeable, long-flavoured and lingering well, suggesting good extract. In contrast to the bouquet, palate is more Pauillac in style, the way Grand Puy Lacoste used to be for example, when it was more oaky than recently. This is much the best Te Motu thus far, the oak having been too generous in earlier vintages. Cellar 5 – maybe 20 years. GK 06/08

2014 Te Mata Estate Viognier Zara 18 ½ (

)

Woodthorpe Terraces, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $31 [ 45 mm supercritical cork (Diam); all BF in mostly older oak; nearly complete MLF; <6 months in barrel, with lees work; <2 g/L RS. Arguably the best viognier thus far made in New Zealand. Note the sweet florals on bouquet, reminiscent of yellow honeysuckle or wild-ginger blossom, then yellow fruits behind the florals. Palate accurately captures the suggestion of fresh apricots typifying the variety, plus the florals, and the wine has texture, mouthfeel, presence, and subtle oak; www.temata.co.nz ]
Lemon. Fresh out of the bottle, the wine is a little reluctant, so preferably aerate a little, and make sure it is not chilled, to reveal clear yellow floral and fruit notes, not white, fruit dominant over near-invisible oak, a lovely winey bouquet. Palate is saturated with pale yellow fruits, yellow nectarine grading through to apricots of reasonable ripeness, the wine feeling as if the grapes themselves were more tanniny than for example chardonnay (viognier can be quite phenolic). This impression is augmented by the wonderfully subtle oak. Persistence of flavour is remarkable, considering it is not a demonstrably 'strong' wine, length, texture and mouthfeel being delightful. Both reflect the wonderfully subtle oak, none new. Cellar 2 - 5 years ideally, viognier is not a grape for long cellaring, in contrast to chardonnay, the youthful fruit-related impressions being important to the winestyle. Tasting the wine alongside an equivalent-quality chardonnay (later) is wonderfully instructive. GK 10/16

2009 Ngatarawa Merlot / Cabernet Alwyn Winemaker's Reserve 18 ½ (

)

Bridge Pa Triangle 60% & Gimblett Gravels 40%, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $75 [ cork; Me 76%, CS 24, hand-harvested @ c.6.25 t/ha (2.5 t/ac), inoculated ferments, cuvaison to about 3 weeks; 12 months in French oak 37% new; RS < 1 g/L; Parker: 87; www.ngatarawa.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, markedly older than the 2009 Villa Maria Cabernet / Merlot Reserve, in the middle of the second tier for concentration of colour. Bouquet is clearly into secondary development, but for the cassis side of cabernet that merely means a slightly browning kind of berry aromatic, just as if you are opening a bottle of black currants of identical age. Below the berry there is slightly lifted / aromatic oak, all fragrant and appealing. In mouth this Alwyn has the concentration so many previous Alwyns have lacked: it is great that the winery has now accepted that we must match Bordeaux cropping rates (especially at the asking price of $75), if we are to effectively challenge them on the tasting table. There is a fine-grained cedary elegance to this wine which is attractive. The oak is subtler on palate than was supposed on bouquet, but it is still to a max by Bordeaux standards. Aftertaste is long and lovely, though cedary. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 06/14

2006 Craggy Range Cabernet / Merlot The Quarry 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.2%; $62 [ cork; CS 95%, Me 4, CF 1, hand-harvested @ c. 2 t/ac; 100% de-stemmed; inoculated and fermented in oak cuves; 21 months in French oak 84% new, fined and filtered; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a magnificent young Hawkes Bay / Bordeaux blend colour. Bouquet is likewise sumptuous, but heavily oak-dominant at this stage, with opulent vanillin overtones immediately begging the question, surely there is American oak in this. The winemaker says ‘none’, illustrating the high vanillin levels in some forests of French oak too. Below the new oak there is saturated cassis, with some blueberry and lots of bottled black doris plum suggestions, more Napa cabernet than Medoc. Palate follows perfectly, the blueberry notes raising a doubt about sur-maturité. This is going to be exciting wine in the years to come, though in an international rather more than Bordeaux style, once it has settled down in bottle. Cellar 10 – 20 years, maybe longer. This wine was used as part of a presentation on Bordeaux blends in New Zealand, for the Lincoln University Viticulture and Oenology degree course, to illustrate a fully-ripe phase of cabernet sauvignon. In the event, it seemed a little over-ripe. GK 09/08

2013 Yann Chave Crozes-Hermitage Le Rouvre 18 ½ (

)

Crozes-Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $49 [ cork 49mm; vine-age c.55 years; all destemmed, up to 28 days cuvaison; 12 months in 600 L barrels, 10% new, c. 2,000 9-L cases; imported by Maison Vauron, Auckland; weight bottle and closure: 569 g; www.yannchave.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a lovely colour, right in the middle for depth. Bouquet is quiet, pure, showing understated florals hinting at the other Chave's Saint-Joseph and its wallflowers but less explicit, on big cassisy and darkly plummy berry. Fruit richness in mouth is near-identical to the Matheson, with the flavours similar too. Subtle oak builds on the later palate, to reveal a wine of extraordinary depth and quality, for Crozes-Hermitage. It makes the lovely 2013 Xanadu Shiraz look a little simple. This wine is already quite soft, and I suspect will not cellar as long as some of these top wines, say 5 – 15 years. GK 08/16

2010 Clos du Mont-Olivet Chateauneuf-du-Pape 18 ½ (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 15.5%; $75 [ cork 50mm; Gr 80%, Sy 10, Mv 6, balance Ci, counoise, vaccarese, hand-picked from 15 different vineyards at 2.6 t/ha = fractionally over 1 t/ac; some whole-bunch components, light extraction, free-run and press-wine raised separately and blended later; elevation in concrete vat and then large old wood; production in 2010 3,250 9-L cases; imported by Truffle, Wellington; weight bottle and closure: 655 g; www.en.closmontolivet.com ]
Ruby and velvet, below midway. Bouquet is fragrant, red fruits again with some browning, an exciting silver-pine / cedary lift on the grenache component, a little fumey on the alcohol, seemingly grenache-dominated. Palate contradicts the bouquet impression, the wine seeming gentle in mouth, not quite as rich as the Mas Boislauzon, showing a more uniform grenache-led red fruits flavour marrying with older oak. The long aftertaste is lovely, seemingly pure grenache. The tannins in this wine are beautifully fine-grained, already. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 08/16

2012 Neudorf Pinot Noir Moutere 18 ½ (

)

Moutere Hills, Nelson, New Zealand: 13.5%; $63 [ screwcap; vine age up to 33 years, all hand-harvested; wild-yeast fermentations; 12 months in French oak 23% new, followed by 4 months assemblage in s/s; not filtered; www.neudorf.co.nz ]
Quite deep pinot noir ruby with a little garnet showing, near the top of the second quarter for depth. Initially opened, the bouquet is quiet. It opens up in glass with swirling (or decanting), to show complex mature pinot aromas with dusky rose florals, red grading to black fruits, and a little more emphasis on cedary oak elevation than the wines rated more highly. Palate confirms the last point, the wine being markedly more cedary than the Valli wines. Length of cherry fruit on palate is beautifully extended on the cedar. There is no hint of the 2012 cold-year stalkyness that affected Martinborough in this vintage. Sophisticated wine but with oak to a max, approaching full maturity, cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/17

2004 Penfolds Shiraz Coonawarra Bin 128 18 ½ (

)

Coonawarra, South Australia, Australia: 14%; $25 [ cork; Sh 100%; elevage 12 months in French hogsheads 22% new; www.penfolds.com ]
Ruby and velvet, not as black as some recent Bin 128s have been, just above halfway in depth. And on bouquet, this is remarkable Australian shiraz, showing a concentration of fine berry characters which matches the Craggy Block 14, though all clearly a notch riper: boysenberry dominant with dark plum instead of cassis. But, the wine is light enough and 'sweet' enough to be nearly floral, with even suggestions of syrah. Oak is subtle, the French oak is so good, and the balance in mouth is both rich and attractive. It reminds me of other attractive years of this label such as 1996, but is a little less oaky, and thus softer. And thoughts of machine picking / mixed berry ripeness simply do not arise. So this is a terrific example of the label, a classic Australian expression of syrah as shiraz, but scarcely mucked up by winemaker artefact. The latter is a key factor in why I am scoring it as highly as Grange, despite that icon (or trophy) wine being 20 times more expensive. And the slightly lower alcohol also makes this Bin 128 a more civilised wine. Most people would get more pleasure out of a case of this, than a bottle of the flash stuff. Cellar 5 – 20 years. VALUE GK 06/07

2004 Trinity Hill Syrah Homage 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $ – [ cork 49mm; release price $100, this vintage not on winesearcher; Sy 96 %, Vi 4%, cropped c. 1 t/ac; hand-picked and sorted, high % whole berries; MLF in tank; 26 months in mostly 6-months old French oak; J Robinson, 2008: This famous wine in a naughtily heavy bottle also contains some Viognier and is obviously extremely concentrated if not exactly subtle. Yields were apparently 17 hl/ha and, I was told proudly, the 2002 vintage is on the list at Gordon Ramsay at £200 a bottle. Wonder how many people order it?: 16.5; Neal Martin @ R Parker, 2008: … the 2004 Homage Syrah has a more open-knit, fruit driven nose with touches of blueberry and violets. Good definition. The palate is medium-bodied, very well-balanced; although not quite as taut as the 2006 with white pepper, game and leather towards the supple, fleshy finish. This impressive wine should drink well over the next 10-12 years: 91; M Cooper, 2007: Arrestingly intense but not tough, it is boldly coloured, with a fragrant, smoky, spicy, complex bouquet. The palate shows lovely density, structure and flow, with layers of fresh blackcurrant, plum, liquorice and spice flavours, finely textured and lasting: *****; weight bottle and closure: 1040 g; www.trinityhill.com ]
Ruby, the lightest wine. And the bouquet matches perfectly, the first nett impression being of an extraordinarily fragrant and burgundian (Cote de Nuits) red, soft, enticing. Flavours do little to dispel that interpretation, the fruit being soft, mellow but still faintly aromatic as in good burgundy, spreading, beautifully framed by cedary oak completely in the background. On the later palate, a passing thought of ripe stalks again reminiscent of good burgundy occurs. This is a very special New Zealand wine, extraordinarily European. How one wishes the European winewriters ever undertook rigorously blind cross-country tastings. Three people rated it their top wine. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 09/16

2015 Clemens Busch vom Roten Schiefer Riesling Trocken Qualitatswein 18 ½ (

)

Mosel Valley, Germany: 11.5%; $38 [ cork; organic and biodynamic; a selection from younger vines (by German standards) on slate in the Rothenpfad vineyard; website is more about the overall approach, and illustrations, than factual info for each wine; www.clemens-busch.de ]
Lemon. Bouquet is more open than the Grauen from the same producer, clearly vinifera but not overtly varietal initially, lightly fragrant on citrus and fresh-cut hay. Palate is dry, but much more varietal in flavour than many of the wines, with less lees influence and artefact, the phenolics much more terpene-derived, the wine gentler, the flavour building nicely in mouth, nearly floral, now clearly riesling. This tastes much more a stainless steel wine, it is gentler than the Muschelkalk, and gives an exciting pointer to quality dry riesling. Cellar 5 – 15 years, maybe longer. GK 03/17

2001 Guigal Cote-Rotie Chateau d’Ampuis 18 ½ (

)

Cote Rotie, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $245 [ Sy 93%, Vi 7; a blend of 6 vineyards; 30 months in small and large French oak; no info on website; www.guigal.com ]
Good ruby, a little carmine and velvet, lighter than the top three Cote-Roties. In some ways this is the most representative of the Cote-Rotie bouquets, showing some of the florals required to lift syrah from the robust to the beautiful, plus attractive red berries including faint cassis, and more cherries and plums. New oak is detectable, but subdued relative to the top wines. Palate is beautifully fresh, classic syrah, not as rich as the ‘grands crus’, a little acid, but potentially elegant and lovely. Cellar 5 - 15 years. GK 07/05

2002 Red Rocks Merlot / Malbec Gravel Pit Red 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $20 [ screwcap; Me 65%, Ma 35; Capricorn Wines Estates subsidiary of Craggy Range; www.capricornwines.co.nz ]
An excellent ruby, carmine and velvet. In a Wellington-based blind tasting of 12 of some of the more eminent 2002 Hawkes Bay Blends, by 23 tasters, this wine was rated one of the top three. The reasons lie in its ripe but not over-ripe Bordeaux-like florals, its fruit complexity in which cassisy, berry and potentially tobacco-y qualities are dominant, and in its attractive mouthfeel, with ripe tannins, soft texture, well-balanced acid and light oak. It is the most complete wine in the set, at this early stage, and there are no technical failings. We can only look forward to seeing how it cellars under screwcap, and also hope that such a magnificent achievement for the price is repeated. Too often, wine companies launch a new wine with a splendid batch to establish the label, and quality thereafter never quite recaptures the original. Cellar 5 – 10 years, and at the price one would have to be very short-sighted not to cellar a case. VALUE GK 07/04

nv Champagne Bollinger Special Cuvée Brut 18 ½ (

)

Ay, Champagne, France: 12%; $99 [ laminated champagne cork; PN 60%, Ch 25; PM 15, c. 85% of the juice premier or grand cru vineyards; 5 – 10% of blend reserve wines fermented in oak, held in magnum under cork for 5 – 15 years; minimum 3 years en tirage; dosage 8 g/l; c.165,000 cases; www.champagne-bollinger.fr ]
Elegant lemonstraw, fractionally paler than the Pol Roger, surprisingly. First impressions on bouquet are of lovely 'sweet' notes almost hinting at strawberry character, as if pinot meunier were high (not so). Backing the fruit is rich mealy autolysis, all a shade more Vogel's Multigrain relative to the baguette of Pol Roger, but wondrously pure. On palate there is the lightest hint of older fragrant oak from the reserve wines, adding nuttyness to the mealy texture, but it is vanishingly subtle. This is not as bold as nv Bollinger used to be, but the fruit richness is wonderful, completely hiding the more sophisticated dosage around 8 g/L. Glorious wine, the real thing, cellar 5 – 20 years. Stelzer comments there has been a revolution at Bollinger in the last 14 years, the style fresher than previously, but no less substantial. He considers the current Special Cuvée the best ever. GK 11/15

2010 Craggy Range Syrah Le Sol 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.7%; $99 [ cork 49mm; release price $105; Sy 100%, hand-harvested @ 5.4 t/ha (2.2 t/ac); 100% de-stemmed; no cold-soak, inoculated, c.11 days ferment, total cuvaison 20 days; MLF and 17 months in French oak 38% new, no American oak; RS < 1 g/L; sterile-filtered to bottle; understood to be at least 400 cases (of 12); Lisa Perrotti-Brown @ R Parker, 2012: Produced from 100% Syrah, the 2010 Le Sol is deep garnet-purple in color with aromas of warm black berries, black cherries and black pepper plus hints of lavender, Provence herbs, cloves, and star anise. Medium bodied with just enough fruit in the mouth, it has a medium to firm level of rounded tannins, crisp acidity and a long peppery finish. Approachable now, it should keep to 2019+: 90+; M Cooper, 2013: This super-charged Syrah has pushed the boundaries in terms of its enormous scale – and succeeded brilliantly … the 2010 is lovely – dark and rich, with dense plum, spice and pepper flavours, ripe tannins and great harmony: *****; weight bottle and closure: 960 g; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, not a huge wine, but the second deepest. Bouquet shares much with the 2009 Le Sol, but is cooler, fresher, more aromatic, more cassis, more black pepper, again a near-perfect expression of temperate-climate syrah at pinpoint peak maturity, for syrah. Palate shows even more cassis than the 2009, but it is not quite so rich and plump, instead real thoroughbred lines, with an attractive long sustained aromatic cassisy flavour lifted by noticeable black pepper. This is textbook new-world syrah. One vote for first place. Cellar 5 – 15 years. [ Date tasted should be 9/16 ... technical hitch. ] GK 10/16

1978 Ch Palmer 18 ½ (

)

Margaux Third Growth, Bordeaux, France: – %; $347 [ cork 54mm; cepage then approx. CS 55%, Me 40, CF 5, planted at 10,000 vines / ha; c.21 months in barrel, 45% new; Broadbent, 2002: A lovely wine and a very good 1978. Seductively rich, ripe, mulberry-like fruit: full, soft and fleshy in its early days. Most recently, sweet, attractive, quite good length and residual tannin and acidity: ****; Coates, 2000: Lovely fragrant nose. Rather more flexible than Ch Margaux 1978. Classy. Laid-back. Not as rich as the Palmer 1975 though. Medium-full body. Crisp and alive. Good grip. Very stylish, ripe fruit. But it is not as complete as the 1975. But it is long, vigorous and very classy. Fine plus. 18; R. Parker, 1993: One of the few stars of this vintage, the 1978 Palmer offers a dark garnet color with some amber at the edge. Its bouquet of dried roasted herbs, spices, and blackcurrants offers considerable fragrance. Full-bodied, lush, and concentrated, with only a vague hint of the weediness that has become such an annoying component of this vintage, this soft, fleshy, corpulent style of Palmer is delicious now and promises to keep for another 10-12 years: 90; www.chateau-palmer.com ]
Soft garnet and ruby, the second to lightest colour. This wine is simply extraordinary. It seems for the last 50 years I have been reading about venerable wine men (always men) confusing burgundy with claret: the notion seemed scarcely conceivable to me. But now I believe it. This 1978 Palmer has a floral / roses perfume like a slightly cedary Clos de Tart, followed by a supple silky palate which is simply grand cru Cote de Nuits. This is now a beautiful supple wine, soft, fully mature, delicious. No great hurry, though. Three people rated it their top wine, none second. A wonderful experience. GK 08/16

2012 Yealands Estate Peter Yealands Sauvignon Blanc 18 ½ (

)

Awatere Valley 80%, Wairau Valley 20, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $20 [ screwcap; machine harvested, long cold-settled (72 hours) to clear juice; cool-fermented in s/s; pH 3.23, RS 3.4 g/L; www.yealandsestate.co.nz ]
Excellent lemon. Bouquet is wonderfully forthcoming, and immensely varietal, illustrating beautifully ripe sauvignon blanc in an essentially straight uncomplicated form. Key characters on bouquet include black passionfruit, a trace of fresh sweat, red capsicums, and best of all a hint of sweet basil, all stunningly clean. Palate wraps all these flavours up in a refreshingly crisp stainless steel presentation of the grape, not exactly a rich wine, but the quality of bouquet and flavour makes up for that, and the flavours linger nicely even so. It is not as rich as the Saint Clair Reserve, but it is cleaner, so they score the same. Rather good with celery. Cellar 2 – 8 years. GK 04/13

2008 Martinborough Vineyard Pinot Noir Martinborough Terrace 18 ½ (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 14%; $58 [ screwcap; 10% whole bunch; 12 months in French oak 33% new; www.martinborough-vineyard.co.nz ]
Colour is pure pinot noir, the limpidity of red fruits, some depth but no black, pinot perfection. Bouquet is the expression of the colour, highly floral from a ripeness point just above the level of buddleia, grading through to dusky roses, violets and boronia, all wonderfully fresh yet fully ripe, explicit varietal pinot noir. Palate likewise says nearly all one needs to know about pinot noir the fruit when optimally ripe, the florality continuing into the red and black cherry fruit, a sensual softness and richness of palate, firmed by but in no way dominated by oak, magic. I am tempted to say this is the most important pinot noir Martinborough Vineyard has ever made, having followed their wines since 1984, simply because of the pinpoint varietal accuracy and ripeness of the fruit, no leafyness or Martinborough mint on the one hand, no overt plummyness or oak on the other. It achieves one kind of perfection, which the seriously worked-on Marie Zelie Reserve wine does not. Critics might argue that the standard wine needs a little more tannin (from older oak, rather than new, preferably) to cellar well, but to have this precision of varietal expression is a great achievement. In fact the oak will be a little more noticeable as the wine ages – to have the fruit dominant now as in Burgundy is great. Every pinot noir maker in New Zealand should buy a case of this wine, as a reference point on the one hand, or a challenge to surpass on the other. This readily available and relatively affordable wine makes phooey of the glib notion that New Zealand cannot make truly burgundian pinot noir. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 02/10

2014 Elephant Hill Syrah Reserve 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels 50%, Te Awanga 30%, Triangle 20%, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $49 [ Screwcap; Sy 99, Vi 1, all hand-picked, co-fermented in both cuves and s/s, 20% whole-bunch component; 19 months in all-French oak, 40% new, followed by 6 months assembly in s/s on lees; no fining, minimal filtration; Cooper, 2017: The stylish, finely poised 2014 ... is dark and purple-flushed, densely packed, with ripe youthful plum and spice flavours, a hint of liquorice, good tannin backbone, excellent complexity, and a long future ahead. Best drinking 2019 +, *****; MaryAnn Worobiec of Wine Spectator rates both the standard 2014 Syrah and the 2013 Reserve at 92 points: the following review is for the 2013 Reserve, since the oak handling may be similar: 2015: Exotic and spicy, with sandalwood, neroli oil, pine needle and star anise aromatics and a lush, velvety core of blackberry, plum and black cherry compote. Whiffs of smoke and savory details push through on the long, detailed finish. Drink now through 2030, 92; the second-tier wine, below Airavata; bottle weight 689 g; www.elephanthill.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, the third deepest wine. Bouquet improves with air to be stunningly different from the other wines, fragrant yet with a dark component we all struggled to find words for. There is this overlay on the cassisy berry which suggests black olives, portobello mushrooms, and even aspects of mocha, yet it is different from the Lloyd in a quite different way, that wine being simply concentrated dark plum. Palate is juicy, rich, beautiful texture from the lower alcohol, a wine which will mature effortlessly into something much more European than Australian in style. The ‘different’ character on bouquet is due to the whole-bunch component, and it is worth noting that it would look ‘different’ in a New Zealand line-up too, unless Trinity Hill Homage or Rod Easthope’s Moteo Syrah were included. Three rated this their top wine, two second, four their least reflecting how different it was, nobody thought it Penfolds but five thought it New Zealand. Cellar 5 – 18 years. GK 04/17

1994 Sonoma - Cutrer Chardonnay Les Pierres 18 ½ (

)

Sonoma Valley, California, USA: – %; $ – [ cork; reasonable-quality year in Sonoma; well-regarded winery particularly for chardonnay; higher-level label; www.sonomacutrer.com ]
Lemon with a wash of straw, much the lightest, freshest and youngest of the whites. Bouquet is clean and pure, a lot of lees and barrel-ferment characters, pure pale peachy fruit, subtle oak as if a significant percentage of it old (even then), highly varietal. Palate is gorgeous, illustrating vividly how much more evolved the 1990s Californian wine industry was than ours. There is a perfect ratio of golden peachy fruit to barrel-ferment and lees-autolysis complexity, all fully mature, not a big wine and drying just a little, but still fresh and vital (to a wine enthusiast, not a winemaker). Tasters recalled the enthusiasm the late Grant Jones had for Californian wines like these, and the zeal with which he followed the NZ / US exchange rate, with a view to stocking his (then inimitable) Regional Wines & Spirits. GK 12/17

2013 Te Mata Syrah Bullnose 18 ½ (

)

Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $ – [ cork 45mm; Sy 100%, hand-picked from c.23-year old vines; all de-stemmed, 15 months in French oak usually 35 – 40% new; RS dry; www.temata.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, similar in weight to 2015 Awatea. Bouquet is sweet, floral, ripe, showing complex carnations and red roses notes on dark cassisy berry, with an underpinning of black pepper. Flavour is quite rich, aromatic cassis and darkly plummy berry with shaping oak, dry, long in flavour and texture, highly varietal. The consistency of Cote Rotie styling in Bullnose for many years now is wonderful, the 2015 just magically richer and riper. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 03/17

2010 [ Ch Palmer ] Alter Ego 18 ½ (

)

Margaux, Bordeaux, France: 14.5%; $ – [ cork, 50 mm; second wine of Ch Palmer; cepage this year CS 51%, Me 49, average age 35 – 40 years, planted @ 10,000 vines / ha, typically cropped @ c.6 t/ha = 2.4 t/ac; time spent in barrel in better years c.18 months, 25% new; bottle courtesy of Eugene d'Eon, greatly appreciated; www.chateau-palmer.com ]
Ruby and velvet, clearly both older and richer than Coleraine. Bouquet is deeper, more oaky, the fruit richer and riper than 2015 Coleraine, and the wine markedly less floral despite the high (49%) merlot content. Plummy and cassisy berry are browning slightly now, and melding with cedary oak, as would be expected given the age difference. Palate is intriguing. Even though this is a second wine (of Ch Palmer, the second-most-famous wine of the commune of Margaux), it is richer in terms of taste and dry extract than 2015 Coleraine. There is the length, savour and complexity of flavour and texture which still sets fine Bordeaux apart from most New World challengers. It is more oaky than 2015 Coleraine, though, and does not have anything like the florality or the rapier-like clarity of berryfruit, so in the simplest terms, it is less beautiful. A wonderful comparison and calibration confirming once again my consistent comments on the cropping rates for Coleraine, but you can't help feeling that a better year of Cheval Blanc would be closer to the wonderful bouquet of the Coleraine, and make a better comparison (if cost were no object). Cellar 5 – 30 years, and longer. GK 03/17

2013 Forrest Cabernet Sauvignon John Forrest Collection 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $64 [ screwcap; DFB; CS 100, hand-harvested @ 2.8 - 4.3 t/ha ( 1.1 - 1.7 t/ac; French oak 33% new; coarse-filtered only; RS nil; 200 cases; not on website yet; www.forrest.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, one of the deepest reds. Bouquet is sensational, not quite as floral as the 2013 Te Mata Coleraine, but even more dramatically cassis-led and aromatic cabernet-dominant Medoc-styled red, though with the faintest hint of pennyroyal. It shows stunning purity and ripeness, and again, compared with earlier Forrest Collection wines, more restraint in oak handling. Berry dominates totally. Palate adds blackberries-in-the-sun flavours, and now a little more new oak than ideal, giving a wine of fractionally greater richness and ripeness than 2013 Coleraine, but not quite the magic interplay of complex aromas and flavours that Coleraine displays. Both wines are great illustrations of how clearly we can emulate fine Bordeaux, in Hawkes Bay. This wine is just a baby. It will cellar even longer than 2013 Coleraine, 15 – 30 years. GK 03/16

1998 R Lemaire & Fils Champagne Premier Cru Chardonnay Brut Hautvillers 18 ½ (

)

Marne Valley, Champagne, France: 12%; $ – [ cork; BF in older oak; no MLF ]
Lemongreen. This bubbly shows a beautifully clean and fragrant bouquet epitomising the white florals, white stonefruits and faintly mineral qualities of fine chardonnay. They are augmented in a champagne presentation by exquisite lees autolysis, leading to light baguette-crust complexity on chardonnay fruit uncomplicated by MLF. This is a textbook example of what chardonnay should smell and taste like – one could smell this all day. Palate and mouthfeel is initially very crisp on acid, yet one quickly adjusts to the superb varietal fruit, with a dry extract and texture in mouth which is excellent. Residual sugar might be in the 10 – 12 g/L area, with a long aftertaste in which white mushrooms are apparent. Unlike many New Zealand blanc de blanc sparklings, this wine is not ‘fruity’ or ‘sparkling chardonnay’, yet it has body. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 10/05

2005 Villa Maria Pinot Gris Single Vineyard Seddon Reserve 18 ½ (

)

Awatere Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14.5%; $30 [ screwcap; hand-harvested; 5 months post-fermentation LA and occasional stirring, RS 12 g/L; 2005 not on website yet; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Pale lemongreen. Bouquet is beautifully pure, in the pale pear-fleshed style that is coming to characterise most New Zealand pinot gris, unlike the yellow florals and flesh of the best Alsace. But this wine does have suggestions of white florals, and hints of nutmeg adding to complexity and interest. Palate is rich, with more flavours than most New Zealand examples of the grape, and perhaps the promise of more bouquet to develop in cellar. The excessive alcohol is well hidden in the fruit richness, and the finish is attractive , the intrinsic phenolics of the variety well covered by medium-dry sweetness. This should cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 11/05

2009 Villa Maria Syrah Reserve 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $ – [ screwcap; this wine not yet for sale, so not on website – if as previous examples is Sy 100%, hand-picked, 100% de-stemmed, fermentation in open-topped French oak vessels, c. 21 days cuvaison; c. 16 – 20 months and MLF in French oak c.55% new, minimal filtration; RS nil; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, fractionally deeper than the Dry River, more CO2 than desirable. And bouquet is a size bigger too, showing both richer fruit and more ripeness, but also more oak. Even so, oaking has been pulled back from the earlier Reserves, and the key characters of the variety show well: dark roses and wallflower florality on deep cassis. Alongside the Dry River, the cassis is darkening to bottled black doris plums. Palate is bigger, richer, rounder and more oaky than the Dry River or 2009 Bullnose, the oak now to a maximum. I think fruit richness is sufficient to ultimately win, though. This wine illustrates the beautiful 2009 vintage in Hawke's Bay very well, in this case via a fine New Zealand syrah, though in a new-oak styling. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 06/11

1987 Stonyridge [ Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot / Cabernet Franc / Malbec ] Larose 18 ½ (

)

Waiheke Island, Auckland, New Zealand: 13%; $ – [ Cork, 50 mm; $33, then; CS 79%, Me 15, CF 4, Ma 2; 70% new oak; Cooper, 1992: Dark-hued, minty and massively proportioned, Stonyridge Larose 1987 was, and still is, one of this country's most glorious reds; in a tasting of 27 claret-styled 1987 blends mainly from New Zealand which was convened by the Goldwaters at Waiheke, I reported in NBR 18 August 1989 that: The results were clearcut. Stonyridge Larose is New Zealand’s top red in the 1987 vintage; in the same NBR article cited for the Goldwater, I reported on a smaller tasting in Wellington, noting for this Larose: Colour is intense velvety carmine. Bouquet and flavour are rich, ripe, soft and complex, showing all the merits of blending the four classic Bordeaux varieties … Oak, and acid balance, are excellent. This Waiheke Island wine has a generosity of fruit, and a richness of velvety texture, which will be the envy of many a winemaker. Its plumpness in some ways speaks more of Pomerol or Saint Emilion than the Medoc; bottle weight 499 g; www.stonyridge.co.nz ]
Ruby and garnet, the second-lightest wine. Nothing light about the bouquet however, this wine almost epitomises the claret style: great aromatic cassisy freshness and excitement with apparent sweetness and lift. Clear cassis melds with cedary oak to achieve a total vinosity that escapes the Gruaud-Larose (on bouquet) and even the too-cedary Mouton. Nett impression on bouquet doesn't quite carry through to palate, but largely because of the company on the day. The Mouton, Margaux and Gruaud-Larose are spectacularly concentrated examples of fine claret as as it used to be understood, whereas the Stonyridge is more standard-weight classed growth. The integration and melding together of berry, oak and acid is superlative, the wine seeming totally in harmony with itself. On the long aftertaste the fruit tapers just a little. A lovely bottle, at a peak of perfection (still), showing beautifully on the day. Martin Pickering, the current Stonyridge winemaker, commented that he doubted their remaining bottles cellared on Waiheke Island would shows the freshness this Wellington-cellared bottle displays. This has frequently been my experience, over the years. The 3.5° mean temperature difference between Auckland and Wellington has an enormous impact on the way wines mature and stay at a peak in cellar. Six people had this as their second-favourite wine of the evening, 11 of the 21 thought it Bordeaux, and four thought it a First Growth. It is results like this, in a rigorously blind tasting for 21 people, half of them winemakers, that confirm Steven Spurrier's view expressed a few years ago (in Decanter), that when it comes to challengers to traditional Bordeaux red wine styles, New Zealand cabernet / merlots can (at best) most closely match fine Bordeaux – relative to cabernet / merlots from the rest of the world. In the entire post-war period in New Zealand through to 1998, this 1987 Stonyridge Larose takes its place with 1965 McWilliams Cabernet Sauvignon, and 1982 and 1983 Te Mata Coleraine, as one of the four greatest New Zealand red wines of that entire era. A great achievement. There are not many bottles left now; those in cool cellars will hold a few more years. GK 08/16

2005 Sacred Hill Sauvignon Blanc Sauvage 18 ½ (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $30 [ screwcap; hand-picked, whole-bunch pressed; BF with wild yeasts in new and 1-year oak; RS < 1 g/L; www.sacredhill.com ]
Lemon. Whereas the Mills Reef is explicitly a climatic variation on the Marlborough stainless steel-dominated style, this Sacred Hill is a stylistic alternative, clearly oak-influenced, in the class that used to be called Fumé Blanc. It shows similar riper-spectrum fruit to the Mills Reef, rich honeysuckle and sautéed red capsicum fruit intimately entwined with oak, to give an attractive melded and full bouquet. It is neither as aggressive as the Te Mata Cape Crest, or as complex as the Te Koko, but oak is still about the maximum. Palate shows great fruit richness and palate length, a dimension of golden queen peaches adding to the fruit character, and a wonderfully dry finish. The wine is so rich, it doesn't seem dry at all. For Sauvage, ultimately the fruit richness wins over the oak, to make this an exciting alternative sauvignon style – if you like oak. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 03/07

2010 Guigal Cote-Rotie Brune et Blonde 18 ½ (

)

Northern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $79 [ Cork, 49 mm; now Sy 96%, Vi 4, average age 35 years from Guigal vineyards plus 40 growers, typically cropped at 4.8 t/ha = 1.9 t/ac; Parker rating for year 97; c. 21 days cuvaison, elevation three years in barrel, mostly small-wood from the 2004 vintage on, 40 – 50% new; J.L-L, 2015: dark red, slight lightness at the top of the robe. The bouquet is a meaty, crunchy red fruited affair, still very close-knit, has a light peppering as well. The palate has an interior vigour; on the outside it coasts along via clear red cherry fruit. Its depth lies below, like an iceberg. The longer you leave this, the more varied and compelling it will become: that is a formal announcement. The content has a savoury angle, lamb stock. The aftertaste is lip smacking, shows rosemary and dried herbs. The exit is lightly salted. Decant this, and wait until 2018. 13.5°. 2033-2036, ****(*); R Hemming @ Robinson, 2014: Violets and peppered meat; the authenticity can’t be faulted. Classic, savoury, lovely manicured tannins. Impressive aromatic range and lovely depth of flavour, 17; J Dunnuck @ Parker, 2014: A wine I reviewed earlier this year, the 2010 Cote-Rotie Brune et Blonde is a stunning Cote-Rotie. Made from 96% Syrah and 4% Viognier and aged in equal parts new and once used barrels, it’s medium to full-bodied, elegant and seamless, with rocking notes of raspberries, peppered bacon, coffee bean and violets. Drink it anytime over the coming decade or more, 93; Wine Spectator, 2014: Shows energy and range, with mouthwatering, briary tannins carrying the core of blackberry and plum paste notes. Fruitcake, pastis and alder details fill in the background. The sneakily long finish presents heft and cut. Best from 2015 through 2025. 500 cases imported, 94; www.guigal.com ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, absolutely in the middle for depth of colour. In presenting this tasting, with five vintages of Brune & Blonde spanning 2010 to 1983, it seemed more important for tasters to focus on the way syrah ages, and the way its character varies with the warmth of summer, rather than trying to work out blind which wines were syrah dominant, and which were grenache. Accordingly the five Brune & Blonde wines were presented first, from 2010 back to 1983, in simple vintage sequence. This format also allowed tasters to focus on the differences in the three grenache-led wines, wines 6 to 8, which followed. Bouquet on this 2010 syrah epitomises the pinot noir-like beauty that syrah can show when not over-ripe. It is not a big wine, but it illustrates pinpoint varietal character, near-carnations / dianthus florals, a hint of black rather than white pepper, red and black fruits including blackcurrant / cassis and some plum, beautifully fragrant, subtle oak. Palate follows perfectly, showing the freshness of the 2010 year, not quite as fat and ripe as the 2009s. This is more the weight of wine the Redman Shiraz used to be at Coonawarra in the 1970s, before Australians became obsessed with oak and size (sadly). Since Guigal’s Brune & Blonde is the benchmark Cote Rotie, against which all other Cote Roties are measured, this is an important wine. It shows dramatically just how good Te Mata Syrah Bullnose is nowadays, in its Cote Rotie styling. Cellar 10 – 30 years. GK 05/17

2007 Mount Difficulty Chardonnay 18 ½ (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $33 [ screwcap; low cropping rate due to season; pre-ferment oxidation, 100% BF and temperature-controlled to max 25 degrees in barrel; lees stirring, 75% MLF; c. 10 months in French oak 15% new; lightly fined and filtered; www.mtdifficulty.co.nz ]
Lemonstraw. This wine needs decanting / some air, to reveal itself and soften a little. I have written before about the linden blossom / subtlest acacia blossom florals that great chardonnay can sometimes show in grand cru chablis, and occasionally elsewhere. Once breathed, this 2007 Mt Difficulty offers the definitive illustration of the style, the bouquet showing enticing florals on pale stonefruits and lees autolysis. In mouth, the wine is certainly crisper than the Riflemans, naturally enough, and the analogy with grand cru chablis is more accurate. The actual richness hiding below the acid could in fact remind the taster of leaner vintages of Corton-Charlemagne. I feel like saying, you've got to taste this wine, but the acid is high and the style tending austerely European, so not everyone will like it, therefore. It is great wine, all the same, to cellar 3 – 12 years, maybe longer. GK 11/08

2013 Puriri Hills [ Merlot / Carmenere / Cabernet Franc ] Pope 18 ½ (

)

Clevedon, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14%; $ – [ cork, 50 mm; Me 70%, carmenere 10, CF 10, CS 5, Ma 5, viticulture tending organic, hand-picked from vines 13 – 16 years old at 5 t/ha = 2 t/ac; all destemmed, cold soaked up to 5 days with wild yeasts, then cultured yeasts; up to 4 weeks cuvaison; pressings kept separate; 23 months in 100% new French oak, blending at time of final assembly; not fined, light filtering only; the 2013 not yet released, price will be of the order of $150; no reviews; dry extract not available; production c. 250 x 9-litre cases; weight bottle and closure: 580 g; www.puririhills.co.nz ]
Ruby, the second-lightest wine in depth of colour. This wine stands out in the tasting for exactly the same reason that Ch Cheval-Blanc stands out in a line-up of Medocs and Pomerols. There is an extraordinary fragrance and freshness of bouquet centred on red fruits, almost red currant and raspberry, as if the wine were cabernet franc dominant. Heaven knows exactly what carmenere character is like in New Zealand, but those two varieties are about 10% each, and merlot 70%. Red fruits are backed up by oak of dazzling cedary quality, vastly different from and finer than the oak in Ngakirikiri. In mouth the wine is hard to judge, at this stage. There is a bit much oak for the weight of fruit, interfering with sensory estimation of both total acid and dry extract. It is not one of the richest wines, but it is probably richer than 2013 Coleraine. As the score indicates, I'm giving the wine the benefit of the doubt. At the moment it is the quality of bouquet that is commanding. The proprietor's goal is to make a great East Bank / Saint Emilion winestyle in New Zealand. The 2010s and now this 2013 wine show that they are well on track. Two people rated this their top wine, two their second. The contrast in style vis-a-vis the other wines was noted, six people thinking this might be the Californian wine. Cellar 10 – 35 years. GK 06/17

2013 Church Road [ Syrah ] Tom 18 ½ (

)

Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $216 [ cork, 50 mm; DFB; original price $200; Sy 100% (mass selection clone) intensively hand-managed in the vineyard to optimise a reduced crop; the crop hand-harvested and sorted, all with great attention to fruit quality for the Tom parcels, at an approximate cropping rate of 6 t/ha (= 2.4 t/ac), all destemmed; no cold soak, inoculated yeast, fermentation in an open-top oak cuve, up to 31 days cuvaison, particular attention to aeration during and after fermentation; 22 months in French small oak 71% new, with racking to both aerate and clarify the wine; RS is given as 2.5 g/L, but that is the non-fermentable sugars: in the usual sense (of glucose and fructose) nil would be more realistic; neither fined nor filtered; winemaker Chris Scott considers 2013 is the driest year in the viticultural zone for 70 years, and not unduly hot; no overseas reviews; Chan, 2016: ... integrated and harmonious aromas of ripe black-berried fruits and plums with liquorice, soft spices, nuances of pepper and Mediterranean spices … an edge of decadence and exoticism to the aromatics ... flavours ... an array of ripe black fruits, black pepper, spices and florals. The mouthfeel is seamless, with very fine, flowery tannins and significant, but stylish extraction ... concentrated ... a very long, intense, sustained finish, 19.5; Cooper, 2017: Delicious from the start ... it is seductively smooth (winemaker Chris Scott aims to 'melt the tannins into the wine') with concentrated, ripe blackcurrant and spice flavours, a hint of pepperiness, gentle tannins and acidity, and lovely fragrance, depth and harmony, *****; production c.150 x 9-litre cases; weight bottle and closure: 824 g; www.churchroad.co.nz ]
Ruby, nearly carmine and velvet, above midway in depth. One sniff and this is a big wine, sweeter, riper, deeper, more concentrated, more oaky, just pouring from the glass. It would be easy to be seduced by such opulence / magnificence. Looking at the wine more closely, the exciting ‘lift’ on bouquet is more alcohol than florals, but the power of berry is impressive. It tastes as lush and dramatic as it smells, but still not exactly floral, and it is hard to feel that even fresh cassis is clearly delineated. All the fruit is very ripe, but happily it is still clearly within bounds. There is no clumsy boysenberry as characterises so much Australian shiraz. So this is a wine more in the style of 2003 or 2009 (that is, hot years) in Hermitage, years with sur-maturité unless the winemaker was scrupulously careful in picking. Chief winemaker Chris Scott is clear-cut about wanting the soft tannins of ripe fruit, but in pursuing this style, he is at risk of losing one of the particular charms of great Hermitage and Cote Rotie, the complex florals. This is a factor we can ultimately match in New Zealand, as the Bullnose already shows. Few other countries can. Tasting further through the wine, the palate is opulent, but later in the aftertaste and swallow the high alcohol consequent on this approach becomes evident. If Hermitage and Cote Rotie be the yardstick, a little less would give more, in this flagship wine. Two tasters rated Tom their first or second wine, and two thought it Australian. Tellingly, nobody thought it French. One detail re labelling. It is too confusing for people un-versed in the subtleties of bottle shape etc, to now have two very different wines both labelled on the front label, simply Church Road Tom McDonald. The striking front label needs moving up the bottle a little, to add below in red: Syrah (or Cabernet / Merlot) as the case may be. Notwithstanding the detail is on the back label. Cellar 5 – 30 years. GK 06/17

2014 Craggy Range [ Me / CS / CFP/ PV ] Sophia 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $93 [ 49mm cork; Me 61%, CS 20, CF 19, vines cropped @ 6.25 t/ha = 2.5 t/ac; 19 months in French oak c.42% new; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, again a good claret colour, lighter than the top three, above midway in depth. This wine has a distinctive very fragrant bouquet, with a clear aromatic component hinting at balsam, on cassisy and darkly plummy rich berry. Palate shows lovely ripe supple fruit, not quite as rich as the top wines, so the oak is showing slightly more, but again the whole wine totally international in calibre and flavour. It should cellar for 10 – 20 years, and hold longer. GK 03/18

2001 Montes Syrah Folly 18 ½ (

)

Apalta Valley, Santa Cruz DoO, Chile: 14.5%; $70 [ cork, 50mm; release price $135; this wine is widely rated as Chile’s top syrah; Montes is a totally new winery, the product of four visionaries in 1987 / 88. They wanted to demonstrate what Chile could do in wine, with more modern methods. By 2005 they had become the fifth largest exporter of Chilean wine. This Syrah Folly represents an experimental wine from grapes planted higher than had ever been proposed before, in the Apalta Valley. The Finca de Apalta vineyard has slopes up to 45°, and is at c.600m asl, in a rainfall zone of c.600mm per year. Drip irrigation is employed, in a manner that stresses the vines. Folly was first made in 2000. It is all hand-picked, and yields are low at 3.5 t/ha = 1.4 t/ac. At pressing, 15% of the juice is drawn off (saignée) for use elsewhere, to concentrate the wine. It is then matured in 100% new French oak, for 18 months. Production is 600 – 700 9-litre cases; Robinson, 2002: Cask sample. This vintage is drier, with more acid, structure and potential. Dense and concentrated, it makes me want to taste it in a couple of years, 18.5 (with Montes Alpha M (once), her highest score ever for a Montes wine); Halliday, 2002: it is a very youthful wine, years away from its peak. But it is technically perfect ... a Syrah which has one foot in the Old World (Côte Rotie) and one foot in the New World, (no score given); Wine Spectator, 2003: This stunner flaunts a wall of concentrated blackberry and black currant fruit surrounding notes of cocoa, espresso and meat, but it's all buttressed by massive tannins, so cellar for maximum effect. Terrific Syrah that doesn't stray into the top-heavy blockbuster style … really impressive. Best from 2004 through 2007, 93;
bottle weight dry 955 grams; www.monteswines.com ]
Ruby and velvet, remarkably youthful for its age, uncannily close to the Le Sol, in the middle for depth. Bouquet shares clear-cut aromatic cassis berry with Le Sol, but is more aromatic, to the point of a light balsam component. There is some black pepper, and aromatic oak a little greater than the Le Sol. Palate is close to the Le Sol too, in terms of cassisy fruit quality and precise ripeness, and high alcohol, but new oak becomes more noticeable to the finish. This wine too has the good texture of natural acid. This was clearly the second favourite wine in the tasting, eight people rating it their first or second wine. It is still too youthful to impress with food. The best Chilean wine I have tasted, both on purity of fruit and quality of cooperage. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 03/18

2004 Villa Maria Pinot Noir Reserve 18 ½ (

)

Awatere & Wairau Valleys, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $52 [ screwcap; hand-picked; 100% de-stemmed, cold-soak up to 14 days; 11 months and MLF in French oak 40 – 50% new; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Beautiful pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is sensationally floral, running the full gamut from red roses to boronia and violets, plus also some of the lighter floral fractions such as buddleia. Below are cherry and small fruits, exquisitely pure. Palate is first and foremost subtle, crystalline-pure pinot fruit which at first sight seems simple red and black cherries, slightly leafy. In mouth however the fruit expands, to produce layers of velvety texture on the later palate, all gorgeously aromatic in the way good Cote de Nuits wines are. It is still a little fresh in its acid balance, which nibbles away at the texture slightly, yet it freshens the wine – some of our pinots are too heavy. But stylewise, this could be good Gevrey-Chambertin premier cru wine, loosely speaking. Presumably the slightly cooler-district Awatere fruit is adding distinction to the wine, and deepening the balance of flavours from buddleia / blackboy to boronia / black cherry cues. If this trend can be augmented, enriched, and softened on palate just a little, Marlborough will really be consistently producing world-class pinots. Remedying the combination of high alcohol and high acid, coupled with the retaining of a slightly leafy / stalky thread, is really the key viticultural issue facing Marlborough pinot. This Villa Reserve will cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 06/06

2015 Neudorf Pinot Noir Moutere 18 ½ (

)

Upper Moutere Valley, Nelson, New Zealand: 13.5%; $59 [ screwcap; main clones UCD 5, Dijon 777, 16 – 22 years age, all hand-picked; small percentage whole-bunch and all wild-yeast fermentations; 12 months French oak 25% new, not fined or filtered, production 401 9-L cases; www.neudorf.co.nz ]
Lovely limpid pinot noir weight ruby, the lightest wine. Nothing light about the bouquet though, the wine presenting glorious varietal florals of Cote de Nuits quality, port-wine magnolia and boronia, slightly spicy and aromatic red cherry fruit, plus subtle fragrant oak. Palate follows delightfully, the fruit impression bearing no relation to the lightness of colour, the whole wine having a Rousseau-like quality to it. The floral sweetness suffuses right through the palate, an essentially burgundian quality only achieved by the great wines of places like Vosne-Romanée and Chambolle-Musigny. The quality of flavour is superb, the wine having a clearly burgundian sweetness to it. Cellar 5 – 12 years, maybe 15. GK 03/18

1999 Domaine Mongeard-Mugneret Echezeaux 18 ½ (

)

Vosne-Romanée Grand Cru, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: – %; $155 [ cork; vine age 25 – 60 years; wine-searcher valuation $734; www.mongeard.com ]
Wine is clear and a pale brick-red colour in appearance, bright and paling at rim. Clean nose, still developing, with fragrant aromas of dried red cherries, concentrated sweet prunes, lifted floral violets and a smoky savouriness, suggesting beef jerky. Dry, soft and plush mouthfeel, drinking very well now. The wine still contains a freshness and high acidity that suggests potential for further cellaring. Intensely concentrated plum and prune characters, along with dried strawberry, stewed rhubarb and floral herb undertones. Long length and light ripe tannins. A lovely wine. RD 08/16

2013 Craggy Range Merlot / Cabernets Sophia * 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.8%; $75 [ cork 50mm; DFB; Me 62%, CS 19, CF 18, PV 1, hand-picked from c.14-year old vines cropped @ 6.25 t/ha = 2.5 t/ac; cuvaison not given, cultured-yeast; 19 months in French oak c.42% new; RS nil; sterile-filtered; dry extract 25.9 g/L; production not disclosed; release date 1 June, 2015; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, below midway in colour depth, lighter than Coleraine. One sniff and you think of St Emilion or even Pomerol, the wine soft and floral / fragrant, not as rich and dark as the Brokenstone, which is even more Pomerol, or as perfumed as the Coleraine. It is not a big wine, but there is beautiful ripe berryfruit underpinning the floral qualities, all tending soft and round as you might expect from a merlot-led wine, and showing distinctly less oak influence than most of the top wines. It is softer and a little riper than Coleraine, a wine aiming for beauty more than power. It thus contrasts rather in style with some of the more heroic reds of Craggy's earlier years. The palate ripeness should allow it to cellar well – in the sense the high cabernets of Coleraine adds to that wine's cellar longevity, so greater ripeness here should match that. Dry extract is more in the traditional range of better New Zealand reds, but the Craggy winemakers feel this will be a particularly long-lived example of the Sophia label, which may well out-perform some of the bigger wines. An interesting wine to follow, therefore, and also to have as a running mate for Coleraine, with which it shares some attributes. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 05/15

1967 Reichsgraf von Plettenberg Schloss Bockelheimer Kupfergrube Riesling Beerenauslese 18 ½ (

)

Upper Nahe Valley, Germany: – %; $ – [ cork, 46mm; the third of the auction bottles, again excellent fill for age. It does not carry QmP, being before 1971 German Wine Laws, but it should be of equivalent quality since it carries German Gold Medal ranking; Broadbent records that 1967 was a very difficult year in Germany, the main crop washed out by heavy September rains, but then fine weather returning in autumn, with some astonishing late-harvest wines made, particularly at the beeren- and trockenbeerenauslese level. Kupfergrube is a south-facing site with weathered volcanic soils high in copper. Pigott notes the vineyards of Schloss Bockelheim are steep and rocky, with Kupfergrube one of the best sites. It has a reputation for steely piquant rieslings with great ageing capability ... 'at the the highest levels of concentration -- beerenauslese and above – the wines can be breathtaking’. Von Plettenberg winery is current, regarded as in the second tier for quality; production around 29,000 9-litre cases, riesling not as dominant as some wineries. The website name www.reichsgraf-von-plettenberg.de is registered, but there is no content on the site. ]
Mahogany, with an old-gold rim, brass-edged, the second deepest wine. The volume of bouquet on this wine is staggering, combining both fresh bush-honey notes with toffee and nutty thoughts, and voluminous sultanas, raisins and dried peaches. Additionally there is a fruit / age / oak interaction which some described as reminding of pedro ximinez, others as ancient Rutherglen Muscat with its rancio complexity, but much subtler. A winemaker commented that the concept ‘rancio’ implied more oxidation that this wine shows. Palate combines all these thoughts into a saturated aromatic nutty and drying but still sweet flavour, which tasters compared with traditional dark Christmas cake, or even moreso, classical moist long-steamed English Christmas pudding. Unlike the cake however, the acid balance keeps the wine (and mouth) fresh, even though the flavours are so dark. Hard to judge, but doesn't seem as sweet as the Schonborn Beerenauslese, even allowing for the higher acid in the Kupfergrube – well under 200 g/L. This was the third favourite wine on the night, two top places, six second, the trockenbeerenauslesen winning on sheer sweetness. A slight doubt about the colour, as explained for the Marcobrunn TBA. GK 11/17

2006 Dog Point Vineyard Chardonnay 18 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $37 [ cork; BF, MLF and 18 months LA in French oak, a small percentage new; RS 1.3 g/L; www.dogpoint.co.nz ]
Lemongreen, attractive. Bouquet is a little unusual for chardonnay, but if one thinks about acacia florals and extended lees-autolysis, and some of Gaja's nearly-scented bread-crust chardonnays, it starts to make sense. The actual fruit is a little hidden in the artefact, but it smells rich. Palate is very rich indeed, pure lees-autolysis of baguette crust and crumb flavour quality, quite firm acid in the Marlborough style, a suggestion of barrel-char throughout. This distinctive chardonnay is a little outside the square, but high-quality. It should cellar well 5 – 12 years, and may rate higher in a year or so. GK 05/08

2006 Trinity Hill Syrah Homage 18 ½ (

)

2009 Mt Difficulty Pinot Noir Long Gully Single Vineyard 18 ½ (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $85 [ screwcap; 5 clones of pinot, the oldest (on own roots) 17 years at harvest; earlier vintages have been cropped at c. 4 t/ha = 1.6 t/ac; up to 9 days cold-soak with c. 6% whole-bunches, up to 8 days fermentation, up to 9 days maceration, a similar cuvaison to Target Gulley, but the least whole-bunch component; 16 months in French oak, some new; www.mtdifficulty.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. This is the quietest of the three Single Vineyard wines on bouquet, at the moment just an implied dusky florality in quite dark cherry fruit. On palate the fruit richness from red and black cherries is close to Target Gulley, the acid is lower than Pipeclay, but there is a slightly burly tannin quality yet to marry in. It is very hard to say which of Long and Pipeclay is the better, indeed one's view can change from tasting to tasting, but they are different. Winemaker Matt Dicey sees this as the most 'masculine' of the Individual Vineyard pinots. Cellar 3 – 8 years, 10 in a cool cellar. GK 06/11

2010 Saint Cosme Gigondas 18 ½ (

)

Gigondas, Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $40 [ 50 mm cork; Gr 60%, Sy 20; Mv 18, Ci 2; whole-bunch and wild-yeast fermentations and extended cuvaison; perhaps up to 70% of the wine is aged in 1 – 4 years-old barrels, the balance concrete vat; not filtered; 3,330 cases; www.saintcosme.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, fractionally the lightest of the wines, still a great colour. Bouquet is complex, with quite noticeable garrigue aromatics and florals, clean cinnamon, lots of red and black fruits, great integration and just an academic level of brett to make the wine even more food-friendly. Palate is gorgeous, similar fruit to the top wines but slightly more oak, so in one sense the wine seems delicate and aromatic. It hasn't quite got the burgundian beauty of the Guigal yet, it is clearly more aromatic, and the flavour lingers on the aromatics. Do not think of the concrete vat component as detracting from the quality of the wine. In fact surprisingly often this cuvée ends up more supple, burgundian and harmonious than the more oak-affected "serious" Gigondas such as Valbelle from Saint Cosme. Another wine to buy as much as you can afford, and rejoice in for half a lifetime. Cellar 10 – 30 years. GK 10/12

2008 Astrolabe Sauvignon Blanc Voyage 18 ½ (

)

Wairau & Awatere Valleys, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $20 [ screwcap; SB 100%, cool-harvested in evening at c. 5.2 t/ac, de-stemmed avoiding skin-contact, and cool-fermented with neutral cultivated yeasts in s/s with no solids; pH 3.38, RS 3.3 g/L; Astrolabe is now famous for this standard-label Sauvignon Blanc – the variety accounts for 80% of production, but there is a good range of other varieties. The wine are marketed in 3 series, the standard blended wines labelled (very faintly) Voyage), individual-site wines labelled Discovery, and occasional special wines labelled Experience; www.astrolabewines.co.nz ]
I have described this wine as the benchmark and definitive example of the Marlborough style, so it was included again to check such an assertion. The result was pleasing, achieving much the same outcome – see previous review for description. The thought that the slightly richer and drier Awatere wine might be even better does not detract from the glorious achievement of this more widely available wine. If you are not familiar with these two top Astrolabe sauvignon blancs from the Awatere and Wairau Valleys (but not the Kekerengu example, which is more a study wine), do seek them out. Any worthwhile wine merchant should stock them. It is probably too good for the price-driven supermarkets, and if it is too maintain its great intrinsic quality, long may that remain so. Cellar to 10 years, if you like the flavours of older sauvignon. GK 04/09

2004 Te Mata Chardonnay Elston 18 ½ (

)

Havelock Hills, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $39 [ cork; 100% BF and MLF in 33% new French oak, 10 months LA; www.temata.co.nz ]
Lemonstraw, a little deeper than expected. Bouquet on this wine is much more complex than Woodthorpe Chardonnay, with a much greater winemaker input adding smells and flavours. To first impression, oatmeal and potential toasted nuttiness dominates, but the underlying peaches and custard, with aromatic but well-hidden oak, is great too. Palate takes all these and adds a subtle fine butter component from the MLF contribution, rich golden queen peaches, and long flavours on quite firm acid. As the wine lingers in mouth, fruit and mealy nuttiness become inseparable, and the aftertaste is gorgeous. Not quite as rich as I was expecting, maybe – certainly leaner (and oakier) than the Villas. The winemaker says cellar 2 – 6 years, and it is more developed than some Elstons have been at release. But 5 – 8 years should be safe, at least in Wellington and south. GK 03/05

2016 Craggy Range Merlot Sophia 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.3%; $135 [ cork 50mm; DFB; Me 58%, CF 23, CS 19, hand-picked from c.17-year old vines cropped @ 4.4 t/ha = 1.8 t/ac; cuvaison not given, cultured-yeast; 18 months in French oak 45% new; RS nil; fined, lightly filtered; RS nil; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, just above midway in depth. Like the Gimblett Gravels Merlot, there is a purity and varietal accuracy to this wine which is a delight. There is more oak than the straight Merlot, so it is a bit harder to tease out the violets exactly, but it is deeply floral and highly varietal, on rich dark berry of bottled omega plum quality. Palate has a freshness to the fruit which is enchanting, the wine positively dancing on the tongue, with almost a hint of cassis complexity, the two cabernets being quite high this year. This wine shows classic Saint-Emilion styling, but with more oak and a New World brightness to it. Again, even though the cropping rate is moving in the right direction, there is not quite the concentration ideally desired, to measure up internationally. As with Aroha, I believe the pricing for Sophia (and more at the winery) is getting ahead of itself. Cellar 10 – 25 years. GK 08/18

2002 Craggy Range Syrah Le Sol 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 15%; $70 [ cork; Sy 100%; 8 – 10 day cold soak, MLF in barrel, 17 months in French oak 55% new; www.craggyrange.com ]
Dense ruby, carmine and velvet, as fabulous as Homage. I waver on this wine, sometimes being put off by the high alcohol (15.4°), which introduces a vintage port thought, but then being enchanted by the saturated berryfruit flavours, and subtlety of the oak handling. It is not quite as complex as the Homage, partly due to the subtler oak, but in many ways it is a purer exposition of syrah as berry - essence of syrah. Cassis, black plums and blueberry are the core smells and flavours. It is a bit too ripe for florals, though one hopes they will emerge with time. The palate is softening already, and assimilating / concealing the alcohol tolerably well. It is spirity with food, though. This too will cellar for 10 - 20 years. Like Homage, production was small, and having been released earlier, it is even rarer at retail than Homage. UK sales are via Capricorn Wines, and USA Kobrand Corporation. GK 06/05

2015 Craggy Range Syrah Le Sol 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.7%; $136 [ 50mm cork; Sy 100%, all hand-harvested at 6.6 t/ha = 2.7 t/ac; all de-stemmed, inoculated ferments in oak cuves; MLF and 17 months in French oak 30% new; not fined, lightly filtered; RS nil; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, the deepest wine. Bouquet lacks the vibrant varietal sparkle of the 2016s, being a bit more massive and oaky. It is still a big and recognisably syrah bouquet, but the oak is more evident than in the younger wine. Flavours follow pro rata, a more oaky rendering of cassisy and darkly plummy berry, black pepper varietal notes developing nicely in mouth, sufficient fruit weight for the wine to be quite long-flavoured, but the new oak is extending the impression of fruit concentration. This level of oak will appeal to many new world tasters, but is greater than nearly all highly-ranked Northern Rhone examples of syrah would show. Cellar 10 – 25 years. GK 08/18

2016 Craggy Range Syrah Gimblett Gravels 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.2%; $34 [ screwcap; Sy 100%, all hand-harvested @ 6.4 t/ha = 2.6 t/ac; all de-stemmed; 16 months in French oak 20% new; fined, filtered; RS, dry; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, the second deepest wine. Bouquet is dramatically fine varietal syrah ripened to perfection, beautiful dusky florals hinting at carnations, sweet black pepper, fragrant cassis-oriented berry, and subtlest oak. It is the restraint in the oak that allows me to say the varietal quality is dramatic. In mouth, quality and charm continue unabated, with seemingly better concentration and dry extract than most of these wines, and near-perfect varietal expression. Worth noting that this level of oak matches many 'grand cru' bottlings from Cote Rotie and Hermitage. It is all too easy to be misled by the top Guigal wines, in the matter of syrah and oak. This is delightful wine, to be bought by the multiple case lot. It will give infinite pleasure with food for many years, whether as a young wine or a mature one. It shows exactly why the best Hawkes Bay syrah totally matches Hermitage and Cote Rotie, and far eclipses Crozes-Hermitage. Cellar 10 – 25 years. GK 08/18

1999 Clos des Papes Chateauneuf-du-Pape 18 ½ (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $129 [ cork, 49mm; cepage at the time was more Gr 65%, Mv 20, Sy 10, others 5; all cropped very conservatively c.2.6 t/ha = fractionally over 1 t/ac; all destemmed, 21 days cuvaison; elevation c.12 months in large foudres, no new oak; not fined or filtered; like Domaine Charvin, remarkable for making just the one cuvée of (red) Chateauneuf, annual production c.7,000 cases; J. L-L, 2015: ... an open and wide display of red fruit with clove, mocha touches, licorice. It’s on the cusp between smily fruit and secondary spices. The palate holds entertaining red stone fruit with fine grain late moments, red berries; it has very joli airborne qualities. There are fresh, winning rays of sunshine in the glass, a wine that enhances the day. There is latent game and graininess in it, and a savoury, strawberry jam presence on the finish. It very digestible, super enhancing wine. Vincent Avril comments: "a year of Mourvedre for us”, to 2030; ****(*); J. Dunnuck @ R. Parker, 2015: A solid step up over the '98, the Clos des Papes 1999 Chateauneuf du Pape (one of Paul-Vincent's favorites) offers a more youthful color to go with Burgundian notes of spice, dried flowers, black cherries and licorice. More fresh and lively, with medium to full-bodied richness, it has a youthful feel and has another decade of longevity, 94; www.clos-des-papes.fr ]
Ruby and garnet, another glowing exquisite colour, quite the lightest of the 12. The volume of bouquet here is a delight, mainly red fruits, a beautiful near-floral garrigue aromatic component, plus great zing / piquant excitement from trace brett. In mouth the whole wine is soft, velvety, burgundian in a big spicy Cote de Nuits way, shaped by older oak but the oak flavours minor, suppressed, exquisitely integrated. As so often, Clos des Papes is the most free-run and charming wine in the set, supple, mature, yet no hurry at all. Even with trace brett, this is absolutely beautiful wine, which would grace any dinner setting. It was the second most-favoured wine on the night, four first places, three second. Two tasters thought the brett ‘significant’. The aftertaste lingers delightfully on spicy almost succulent fruit. GK 03/19

1969 Seppelt Hermitage / Cabernet Bin No. EC4 18 ½ (

)

Great Western & Barossa Valleys, Victoria and South Australia respectively, Australia: – %; $ – [ cork, 46mm; ullage to base neck; in the 1950s and early ‘60s, Seppelt Moyston and Chalambar labels were remarkably high quality. They gradually drifted down into a more commercial spectrum, as first a Bin range, and then later a Reserve Bin range of regional wines, were introduced. This wine was made at Great Western, all the cabernet being Great Western (perhaps a quarter of the wine), but the hermitage approx. one third Great Western, two-thirds Barossa Valley. Halliday in the 1980s described the Bin wines thus: quality remains remarkably consistent from one year to the next ..., almost damning them with faint praise. Over the years, any Seppelt wine with a significant percentage of Great Western fruit is in my experience likely to be of markedly higher quality. The matching ‘burgundy’ label was BW6. The label little known or recalled, today. ]
Ruby and garnet, clearly a flush of red still, the third to lightest wine. Bouquet shows a lovely harmony of ripe berry browning now, the subtlest hint of Australian flowering mint (Prostanthera), almost detectable fading cassis in red berries, plus faintly cedary and totally complementary oak. Palate continues the harmony in a manner astonishing for Australian reds of the era, the palate light yet long, almost cabernet-dominant, the oak subtle yet sustained and of a quality that suggests some French, yet the wine finishes on berry which is remarkably fresh and flavoursome for its age. In its youth my recollection is the degree of toast on the oak was more apparent, but now the balance is remarkable. The qualities which this wine shows today are rare in Australian reds from the 1960s. Few 1969 Bordeaux could compete, it being a weak year there, and further, the shiraz does add body. One of the four most popular wines, three first places, three second. Totally mature now, but not frail, when cellared in a cool Wellington climate. The Stuyvesant House restaurant in Sydney has the 1973 of this label on their list at $AU290. Ullage base of cork to top of wine, 36 mm. GK 04/19

2015 Escarpment Pinot Noir Te Rehua Single Vineyard 18 ½ (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 14%; $70 [ screwcap; 23-year old vines, Barton vineyard in Martinborough proper; wild-yeast fermented in wooden cuves, 24 days cuvaison, 18 months in French oak 30% new; RS < 1 g/L, dry extract 27.7 g/L, not filtered; www.escarpment.co.nz ]
Big pinot noir ruby, the third deepest wine. I am a bit worried about some of the Escarpment wines this year, as the double-blinded wines progressively revealed themselves. This wine too smells first and foremost of this nutmeg-spicy new French oak, which is not the first impression I want in pinot noir. I wonder if Larry and Huw have barrels from a new cooper, this year. Below are suggestions of red grading to black cherry, but it is hard to find. So you check the palate, where the impression is much better. There is vibrant cherry fruit of excellent concentration, and the oak retreats a little, thankfully, to give a wine of much better balance than Kupe. Less experienced tasters love oak, so expect these wines to be ranked highly by those who don't refer to the wines of Burgundy very often. In fact fruit richness here is exemplary, on reflection, and new oak does marry in with time, so this wine should come together attractively over the next five years, and score more highly then. Today’s score anticipates that. If you wanted to be mischievous, the fruit richness here almost qualifies as an Otago fruit-bomb. Cellar 5 – 18 years. GK 06/17

2016 Neudorf Pinot Noir Moutere 18 ½ (

)

Moutere Hills, Nelson, New Zealand: 13.5%; $65 [ screwcap; PN all hand-harvested; all de-stemmed, all wild-yeast fermentation; MLF and 11 months in French oak, 15% new, followed by 4 months assembly in s/s; dry, not fined or filtered; production 303 x 9-litre cases; www.neudorf.co.nz ]
A lovely pinot noir ruby, one of the lighter pinots. Bouquet is immediately floral, sweet, warm, very much buddleia and red roses, subtle, not loud like some pink roses, enticing. Below is red cherry fruit. Palate shows lovely ripeness in this red fruits spectrum, none of the tell-tale stalks some of the Waipara wines show, better concentration than I recollect from some Neudorf wines, altogether long and elegant. This is an understated wine, a gentler more feminine winestyle, more Cru Cotes de Beaune by analogy than Nuits, deceptive. It is a perfect introduction to New Zealand pinot noir, and Neudorf's pricing policy is fair. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 06/19

2004 Passage Rock Syrah 18 ½ (

)

Waiheke Island, Auckland District, New Zealand: 14.5%; $50 [ screwcap; high proportion of new oak; not much info on website; www.passagerockwines.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, a little older than most of the 2004s. Bouquet on this wine is the most Rhone-like of them all, with greater complexity owing to a savoury component on top of florals, cassis, and plum. Palate is beautifully ripe yet attractively oaked, in a mouthfeel and weight that is perfect northern Rhone, Hermitage even. The extra dimension in this wine is a trace of brett, but at a level only highly-skilled and perceptive winemakers would notice. For most tasters it is magical complexity. Don't get too worried about all this current agitation re brett â€“ nobody mentioned it 10 years ago. The wines of the day had it, and they are still being enjoyed. The only detail to note is that its presence above trace amounts does shorten wine life in cellar somewhat. Cellar 5 â€“ 12 years. GK 11/06

2003 Andrew Will Red Mountain Ciel du Cheval Vineyard 18 ½ (

)

Columbia Valley, Washington, U.S.A.: 14.5%; $90 [ cork; Me 42%, CF 36, CS 16, PV 6, c. 17 years average age; c. 21 months in 35% new French oak; one leading Oregon wine merchant comments: [among] Washington State’s great vineyards, one name that consistently appears near the top of any list is [ Andrew Will’s ] Ciel du Cheval Vineyard in the Red Mountain AVA. Famed for the elegance and complexity of the wines it produces …; Advocate 94; www.andrewwill.com ]
Ruby, some velvet, midway in depth. Stylistically, bouquet on this wine is more best New Zealand Merlot / Cabernet than Bordeaux, showing great freshness and cassisy aromatics, and a clear hint of pennyroyal. It is one of those unusual wines where palate is much more convincing than bouquet, with a big burst of flavour like biting a blackboy peach, the suggestion of mint in the aromatics marrying into plummy fruit, attractive potentially cedary oak, and a good ratio of berry to oak. In mouth the Bordeaux affinity grows, however, with a lingering cassisy finish. This rich wine should cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 11/06

2001 Dry River Pinot Noir 18 ½ (

)

Martinborough Terrace, Wairarapa, New Zealand: 12.5%; $100 [ Martinborough Terrace, Wairarapa, New Zealand: 12.5%; $c.100 – Cork, 46mm, ullage 20mm; weight bottle and cork, 569 g; release price c.$60; Robinson, 2010: Sweet, jewelly fruit - not especially burgundian but clean, fresh, lip smacking and a little tannin still perceptible on the finish. Well balanced with no excess of sweetness or acidity. Really quite crisp though sweetness is the overwhelming attribute. Not especially complex but it may develop complexity, 17; Cooper, 2003: The 2001 vintage is already deliciously approachable … intense for Pinot Noir. Fragrant and supple, with concentrated, beautifully ripe fruit characters of cherries, plums and spice, it impresses with elegance rather than power, and is a good drink-now or cellaring proposition, *****; www.dryriver.co.nz ]
Colour is ruby and garnet, the lightest wine of the 12, just, a delightful and appropriate colour for pinot noir. Bouquet stands out in the 12, as being far and away the most varietal and complex in the set, and importantly, one with no caveats. There are clear red rose and cherry-pie (Heliotropium) florals, on red cherry fruit browning somewhat now, plus a clear aromatic piquancy pointing to the Cote de Nuits, very exciting. Palate shows good fruit weight, supple, one of the few not overloaded with tannin, the whole wine warmly varietal, and stimulating throughout. Aftertaste is long, gradually a little tannin appearing. It is great to see a wine from this era exactly fulfilling Neil’s hopes for his pinot noir, at a time when I was being hard on them. This wine is at a peak now, but no great hurry, will hold some years. Six tasters rated this their top wine of the set, and one second place. In the preferred variety of the vintage coupling, both the pinot noir and the syrah are remarkable wines, both could be gold-medal level, but in this assessment I have the pinot noir fractionally ahead. GK 05/19

2012 Saint Clair Sauvignon Blanc Wairau Reserve 18 ½ (

)

Lower Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $35 [ screwcap; juice cold-settled to clear, minimised skin contact; cool-fermented in 100% s/s; pH 3.53; RS 4 g/L; dry extract 26.8 incl. RS; www.saintclair.co.nz ]
Lemongreen. This wine has become an absolute standard-bearer for Marlborough, even though style-wise it is a little deviant. It is not quite the purest Marlborough sauvignon in the way the Astrolabe Voyage so often is, the Wairau Reserve being a little quirky and indulgent. Some years it is simply too sweaty, but this 2012 is restrained. It also flirts dangerously with reduction, but again gets away with it. In a way the wine is much more Sancerre / European, and the body is totally European, fantastic, chardonnay-like, as confirmed by the dry extract. I absolutely cannot reconcile the body, texture, mouth feel and dry extract by analysis with the cropping rate given to me, so there is a mystery there. Part of it is the late-picking of the grapes, I am told. Finish is very long, on a civilised 3.3 g/L residual sugar. Interesting to compare the near-identical residuals of the Yealands and the Saint Clair, against their quite different bodies and style. This is a fabulous food sauvignon. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 04/13

2004 Trinity Hill Syrah Homage 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $100 [ cork; Sy 96 %, Vi 4%, cropped c. 1 t/ac; hand-picked and sorted, high % whole berries; MLF in tank; 26 months in mostly 6-month old French oak; the wine is a tribute to the late Gerard Jaboulet, John Hancock (proprietor / winemaker) having done a vintage at Jaboulet in the earlier 90s, back when la Chapelle was world-famous; www.trinityhill.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, one of the deepest. Bouquet does not immediately open as sweetly as some of the wines, not having quite the purity of those rated more highly. There is an awkward youthful / perhaps cooperage character yet to marry in, and reminding of some (good) Chilean syrahs. With air, more cassis develops. Palate is black pepper and cassis, slightly richer and riper than la Collina but not as pure, not quite as ripe as the Vidal Reserve (or the riper le Sol). Berry on palate is long and very aromatic, from memory the flavours not as Hermitage-like as the 2002, this wine tending more to a concentrated Crozes-Hermitage character. Has the richness to cellar well though, as do the best Crozes-Hermitage reds â€“ witness the 1979 Jaboulet Thalabert right now â€“ and this will almost certainly look different and better in five years. Cellar for 5 â€“ 20 years. GK 11/06

2007 Babich Cabernet Sauvignon / Malbec / Cabernet Franc The Patriarch 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $60 [ 48 mm supercritical cork; CS 49%, Ma 29, CF 22; www.babichwines.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, not as dense as the top wines, but a lovely colour. Bouquet is floral with violets, again in the cassis and bottled black doris berry style, with fragrant and potentially cedary French oak adding complexity. Palate is intriguing, exceptional cassis, the floral quality extending right through beautiful gentle berry fruit, not as rich as some but elegant throughout. This is a real northern Medoc look-alike. It has been a long wait for Babich Patriarch to be cropped at a rate allowing the flavours of proper Bordeaux-like ripeness to be evident, and thus be truly a gold medal wine. This result is therefore very welcome, to someone who has monitored their cabernet sauvignons from the first release in the '70s. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 06/10

2006 Peregrine Chardonnay 18 ½ (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $21 [ screwcap; hand-harvested; part of the wine was BF in French oak 35% new, then held in s/s, the balance likewise but left in the barrels, both batches 7 months LA, some MLF, RS 2 g/L; www.peregrinewines.co.nz ]
Lemon. A big bouquet showing clear varietal character, and clear barrel-ferment and lees-autolysis complexity, with nearly a suggestion of baguette crust, pure, attractive. Palate does indeed introduce a thought of nougat (as the back-label suggests) and MLF complexity, new oak but subtle, very rich. This is great oak handling, and the wine should cellar well, 3 – 10 years. The mealy aftertaste is delicious. GK 03/07

2005 Mills Reef Elspeth One 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $73 [ 50 mm cork; Sy 30%, CS, Me, Ma, CF all about equal; selected barrels assembled; c. 18 months in French oak; 100 cases; previous vintage 2002 only; www.millsreef.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, not as rich as the Church Road Merlot. A clever name this, harking back to the famous Mondavi / Rothschild Napa Valley Opus One cabernet, but clearly differentiated from it. And the wine represents a great step forward for Mills Reef, which thus far has tended to produce red wines appealing rather more to wine judges, but less harmonious at table. This wine, like the 2006 Elspeth Syrah, is a much more subtle creation. The floral and ethereal quality on bouquet is wonderful (if one is tolerant of the high alcohol), the cassis of the dominant syrah fraction melding insensibly with the cabernet, to give what seems a cabernet-dominant wine. I have suggested elsewhere that the concept "Hawkes Bay blend" could perhaps best be exemplified and made distinct by adding syrah to the traditional Bordeaux blending varieties. This wine is the most vivid illustration of such an approach so far. Palate is as fragrant as the bouquet, the whole wine closer to Te Mata's Coleraine in weight, style and acid balance than richer Gimblett Gravels examples. It is a little riper and oakier than the 2005 Coleraine, though. Notwithstanding the cepage, this is going to be an exciting wine to run in future 2005 Bordeaux versus Hawkes Bay red comparisons. Cellar 5 – 15 years or so. GK 11/08

2010 Craggy Range Syrah Le Sol 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $105 [ 50mm cork; Sy 100% mass-selection (Limmer) clone, hand-harvested @ 5.4 t/ha (2.2 t/ac); 100% de-stemmed; no cold-soak, inoculated, c.11 days ferment, total cuvaison 20 days; MLF and 17 months in French oak 38% new; RS < 1 g/L; sterile-filtered to bottle; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby and velvet, the third deepest of the eight non-pinot wines. Bouquet here shows a wonderful coming-together and harmony of syrah fruit and cedary oak. The wine / year seems not quite as ripe as the 2014, cassis dominant rather than blueberry, more apparent black pepper, not as lush. Palate shows syrah ripened to a perfect cassis level of complexity, exhilarating spice, oak and balance, the wine at least as rich as the 2014, and all beautifully focussed. This is worthy of the northern Rhone. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 09/16

2008 Jurassic Ridge Montepulciano 18 ½ (

)

Western Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14.8%; $35 [ supercritical ‘cork’; Mo 100%, hand-harvested; 3 weeks cuvaison; 12 months in French oak 30% new; no fining, minimal filtering; c.210 cases; sold out; www.jurassicridge.com ]
Rich ruby, carmine and velvet. In the blind tasting, this wine like the Stonyridge straight malbec causes confusion, because of its big richly omega plummy style, with complexity notes which don't fit neatly into the main classes represented – Bordeaux blends or syrah. The big fruit on bouquet is lifted by a little VA, and in mouth the texture is deliciously thick, with oak still to marry in. This is exciting montepulciano, free of the brett the original almost always shows. It is quite robust wine (to put it constructively), rather than a finessed one, but so are many from Abruzzi. There is some similarity with the malbecs of Cahors, in that. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 06/10

2005 Stonyridge [ Cabernet / Malbec / Merlot ] Larose 18 ½ (

)

Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.5%; $140 [ cork; DFB; CS 44%, Ma 21, Me 15, PV 15, CF 5, cropped at c. 1 t/ac in 2005; up to 25-day cuvaison; MLF in barrel; oak 90% French, 10 US, 70% either new, or shaved and re-toasted; not filtered; 500 cases; organic; www.stonyridge.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, one of the darker wines. This wine stood a little way apart from the rest, because of its faint mint suggestion on the deep dark berry. Below that is terrific cassis which the subtle mint accentuates, on fruit which smells ripe and Bordeaux-like. Palate is saturated berry, cassis and velvety plums, some dark tobacco, a little oakier than some, and acid fractionally higher than the Gimblett Gravels wines. The amazing thing about this wine is the 15% of petite verdot, yet the wine smells and tastes ripe. No Pichon-Lalande leafiness – another vineyard with a risky amount of petit verdot. No wonder Stonyridge say 2005 is the best vintage ever for the island. Those who like mint in their wines would rate this lovely wine higher, but for Francophiles it raises a cautionary note: if eucalypts are growing taller around this vineyard, it is time to get rid of them. We do not want one of our finest reds showing Australian suggestions. Cellar 5 – 20 years. For those who mock my love affair with old wines, and the cellaring ranges suggested to achieve them, please note the 1987 Stonyridge is currently perfection (cellared in Wellington's climate) – as seen blind recently with 1986 classed Bordeaux. It was fully comparable with some of them. GK 05/07

2007 Escarpment Riesling 18 ½ (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 12%; $ – [ screwcap; was $24; hand-picked; and finally, a younger wine to show the grape at that stage; 2007 a year of good quality but low crops in Martinborough; Larry McKenna is so well-known for his pinot noir, we tend to forget he has produced some pretty lovely rieslings over the years. GK, 2007: Bouquet … lime-zest and cooking apples again, just a hint of cinnamon-like spice, as if there is a little more skin influence. Palate is totally extraordinary. It tastes dramatically riesling, and in effect, totally dry, with low phenolics. Alongside the known-to-be-dry Craggy Rapaura, the Escarpment tastes drier and finer. Yet on examination of the numbers, the latter is 15 g/L residual sugar, normally a clear medium-dry to medium … a function of the phenomenally low pH on this wine, 2.84, … it should cellar for 10 – 20 years, 18 +; www.escarpment.co.nz ]
Lemongreen, the palest, clearly the baby of the set. And bouquet conveys that impression too, still infantile, clearly appley but cooking apples of a kind you can hardly buy now, ballarat for example. Palate is freshly acid but has physical fruit and dry extract, and on careful examination it shows greater residual sugar than the Australians or the Glover, so the acid is well covered. Due to the low pH the wine however tastes quite austere. Some tasters therefore found the wine hard to understand, at this early stage. A wine to cellar 5 – 15 years, awaiting full flavour development. Surprises in store here, I think. GK 03/14

2004 Craggy Range [ Syrah ] le Sol 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $85 [ cork; Sy 100% cropped @ c. 2.75 t/ac; hand-harvested, 95% de-stemmed; fermented in open oak cuves with wild yeast; 21 months in 65% new French oak, no fining, minimal filtration; in the sense 2004 le Sol can be said to be more varietal if less weighty than the 2002, it is worth paraphrasing Parker on the 2002 of this label. R. Parker 155: One of the finest reds I have ever tasted from New Zealand … tremendous freshness, concentration, and intensity… the acidity and definition of a top-notch northern Rhone … tremendous presence on the palate … remarkable elegance and precision. All of Syrah’s characteristics – smoke, licorice, pepper, blackberries, and currants – are present in this beautifully knit, pure, concentrated 2002. Kudos to winemaker Steve Smith. 94; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, as deep as the Passage Rock. This le Sol was not part of the Symposium formal tastings, instead being presented with food. Like the similarly deployed '04 Pask Declaration, this was a mistake, in that context this very youthful wine looking raw and spirity. Yet as soon as it is lined up in my post-Symposium taste-off, it looks wonderfully varietal. There are darkest violets and rose florals, not quite the cassis and precise varietal definition of the Passage Rock, but rich berry, and great length and juicyness on palate. The spirit shows more than the Yering Station or the Passage Rock, and it is the most new-oaky. With all these top wines, we have to learn that 14.5% alcohol is not food friendly. I acknowledge the magical qualities of grenache allow fine Chateauneuf-du-Pape to get away with it (particularly with cellar-age), but syrah is closer to pinot in style, and the marriage with high alcohol is less happy. It is worth noting the superb 2005 Dry River has achieved physiological maturity at 12.5% alcohol. So there is work needed here. I hope le Sol will mellow in cellar. Comparison with the Craggy Range Block 14 wine is interesting, the two being similar in their nearly sur-maturité approach. Le Sol is slightly the crisper and more focussed of the two, presumably reflecting its greater percentage of new oak. Cellar 10 – 25 years. GK 01/07

2016 Escarpment ‘Blanc’ Pinot Blanc 18 ½ (

)

Te Muna Road, Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $29 [ screwcap; this wine is modelled on the relatively full-bodied but scarcely-oaked pinot blancs of the Kaiserstuhl district of Germany; all BF and 11 months in older oak, no MLF; RS 2.5 g/L; www.escarpment.co.nz ]
Lemonstraw, just above midway in depth. Bouquet is both light, yet nearly floral, complex and interesting with subtlest older oak barrel-ferment and lees autolysis suggestions, very pure. Palate shows real pinot finesse, white stonefruits, beautiful ripeness, exquisitely subtle oak, absolutely optimising the variety. I think some years ago I murmured that McKenna’s handling of a Pinot Blanc more befitted chardonnay, but the approach here absolutely optimises the subtlety and beauty of pinot blanc. Length of palate, fruit ripeness, and the subtlety of the phenolics – just enough to provide a delicate structure to the wine, all contrast vividly with the some of the coarser chardonnays in the set. Hard to imagine how pinot blanc could be better: it will be a delight trying this with subtle food. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/19

2017 Neudorf Chardonnay Moutere 18 ½ (

)

Moutere Hills, Nelson, New Zealand: 13.5%; $79 [ screwcap; Ch clone mendoza 100%, hand-picked, organic viticulture; high-solids fermentation, all wild-yeast, all in barrels only 7% new; full MLF and 12 months on full lees with monthly stirring in barrel, followed by 4 months assembly in s/s; dry; production 362 x 9-litre cases; www.neudorf.co.nz ]
Light lemonstraw, just above midway in depth. Bouquet is a model of mendoza-informed Antipodean chardonnay, beautifully pure and sweet, nearly creamy in the sense of finest Danish butter. The complexity on bouquet gives the impression of subtle barrel-ferment and lees-autolysis in barrels most of which are far from new, very beguiling [later – confirmed ]. The bouquet is totally free from trendy reduction. Palate is not quite so subtle, the level of new oak now tastable compared with understated fine white burgundy (though there are new-oaky ones too), malolactic complexity still to marry in, the palate weight good by New Zealand standards and many examples from Burgundy, but not exemplary. It will be much more together and complete in 3 – 5 years. As with many of these wines, setting the price ($79) to cater more for an elite market means that reviewers are justified in assessing it by international standards, not New Zealand commercial / wine show standards. Even so, this is a fine New Zealand chardonnay (one of New Zealand’s best, consistently) which will give great pleasure especially in five years. It also compares well with the finest Australia has to offer (noting that in West Australia at least they also use clone mendoza, as gin gin). How wonderful it is to see leading producers making their top chardonnay with 7%-only new oak. As the notes imply, the ratio could be even lower. With its firm (and finegrain, not added) acid balance, it will cellar for at least 20 years. GK 06/19

2016 Escarpment Pinot Noir Kupe 18 ½ (

)

Te Muna Road, Martinborough, New Zealand: 14.5%; $115 [ screwcap; PN 100% from 17-year old vines, close-planted at 6,700 vines / ha; 18 months in French oak 50% new; not fined or filtered; RS 0.2 g/L, dry extract 28.4 g/L; www.escarpment.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby, just above midway in depth of colour for the pinots. Freshly opened there is a strange smell, needing vigorous decanting / pouring from jug to jug a few times. With air the wine is transformed into an archetypal Martinborough pinot noir, exhibiting what I understand people to mean by the descriptor ‘savoury’. It is a ‘drier’ style of pinot noir than the average of the Otago wines. Once breathed, there is a floral quality to the bouquet, but you have to work at it, slightly spicy red roses, more Cote de Nuits in style than Cote de Beaune. In mouth red fruits dominate, with surprising richness / dry extract, much more than the bouquet promises. The florals continue right into the palate, a highly desirable attribute. Tannin structure is quite strong in the wine, but it is not too oaky, thank heaven. Top of head, this is the best Kupe I have seen, there being an almost Gevrey-Chambertin quality to it. If this is a pointer to the future, McKenna's long-standing faith in his Kupe vineyard will be repaid. Aftertaste is the best part of the wine, promising much. McKenna has long been ambitious for the price on Kupe, and the latest lift continues the trend. There is now some track record, and some consistency. It will be good when the alcohol comes back a bit in the Te Muna vineyard, hopefully with increasing vine age. Cellar 8 – 20 years. GK 06/19

2005 Tardieu-Laurent Chateauneuf-du-Pape Vieilles Vignes 18 ½ (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $83 [ cork, 49mm; original price c.$90; in 2005 Gr 90%, Sy 5, Mv 5, from the La Crau sector; not covered by J.L-L, not clear from Tardieu-Laurent website if details now apply in 2005 vintage, but maybe 66% of crop de-stemmed; no cuvaison detail, elevation then the Sy and Mv in new or newish small wood, the Gr in large wood, for 12 months, then 12 months in older foudre; not fined or filtered; Philippe Cambie consults; JR@JR, 2006: Super-ripe blackberries-in-the-sun sort of aromas. Gosh, one could imagine a trickle of this on a scoop of vanilla ice cream! It’s a sort of crème de mûre kind of wine – so sweet but with the backing and depth to take the alcohol ... The very fine tannins keep it refreshing, 2014 – 2024, 18; RP@RP, 2007: This is a beautiful wine that is more elegant than the regular Chateauneuf du Pape, with raspberry and kirsch liqueur notes ... finesse, acidity, and ripe tannin ... a style midway between the traditionalists and the modernists ... 2014 – 2037, 91 -- 93; weight bottle and cork 911 g; http://tardieu-laurent.fr ]
Ruby, velvet and some garnet, just above midway in depth of colour. Bouquet here is aromatic, a lot more oak and noticeably cedary new oak, so much so you can't be sure if there is garrigue complexity. Red and darker fruits seem equally prominent. Palate is quite rich, as you would hope with the Vieilles Vignes designation, but the high-quality oak almost leads the flavours. This is very much a modern wine, but has the richness to marry up a good deal more in cellar, 10 – 20 years. One taster had it as second favourite, but in contrast, a couple of people had it least, not liking so much new oak in their Southern Rhones. How it is scored could therefore vary considerably. GK 07/19

1999 Te Mata Sauvignon Blanc Cape Crest 18 ½ (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $ – [ cork, 47mm high-quality; probably SB 100% at that stage, hand-harvested; BF in French oak around 30% new, then 6 – 8 months LA with some batonnage, nil MLF, nil RS; www.temata.co.nz ]
Glowing rich lemon, a sensational colour. Bouquet shows sweet vernal, English gooseberry and green kiwifruit aromas, complexed with a hint of sweet basil, plus lees autolysis / barrel ferment qualities which have a suggestion of crushed oyster-shell to them. Total bouquet is sophisticated, enticing, and almost saliva-inducing. It just cries out for sea-foods. Flavour is a little stronger than the bouquet descriptors, resting on bottled English gooseberries and white stonefruits, in which there is sweet basil and suggestions of bouquet garni, but scarcely any sign of even sautéed red capsicum. Oak is fractionally high for perfect harmony with food. Nonetheless there is beautiful fruit weight and length, and a dry / stony / mineral finish, all with no suggestions of undue age.

This is sauvignon blanc beautifully ripened in an international sense, no hints of Marlborough, yet still retaining freshness and excitement. It is the barrel work and elevation complexity which makes the wine so compelling. It is little short of a national tragedy that New Zealanders have been so brain-washed by ill-informed winewriters, to believe that sauvignon blanc does not cellar. This wine is the vivid embodiment of the nonsense of such views. But to achieve this excellence, the fruit must be ripened appropriately, cropped conservatively, and then fermented and raised with respect to Bordeaux tradition, not Marlborough. Kudos to Peter Cowley, Te Mata chief winemaker. A wonderful wine at the peak of maturity. GK 09/18

1995 Eyrie Vineyards Chardonnay Reserve 18 ½ (

)

Willamette Valley, Oregon, USA: 13%; $ – [ cork, 50mm; understood to be made from the oldest chardonnay in the Willamette Valley, using inoculated ferments in the 1990s. Less than 4% new oak, chardonnay up to 18 months in barrel. No reviews found, but the winery is regarded highly. Bottle courtesy Canadian Prof. Ray Hilborn, wine enthusiast and friend of fisheries scientist Canadian Paul Starr, both intermittent visitors to Regional's tasting room, and consultants to the NZ Fishing Industry Board on science-based stock assessment; www.eyrievineyards.com ]
Straw with a wash of gold, just below midway in depth. Like the Bannockburn, this was an understated wine freshly opened, showing some stonefruit, some lees autolysis mealyness, a faint scent which might be oak-related, plus suggestions of oatmeal. In mouth the whole wine expands dramatically, surprisingly rich dried peach fruit, good oatmeal and hazelnut autolysis favours, more oak than one suspected on bouquet, and good balance. It doesn't have the fruit purity of the Leeuwin, or the elevation complexity of the Lafon, the net impression ending up closest to the Bannockburn, but a little less fruit richness, and rather more oak. Some tasters felt the oak dominated the finish a little too much. Like the Bannockburn, you ended up thinking this was wonderful New World chardonnay, owing a good deal to the Meursault heritage. Five first places, two second places, but also two least places. Three people thought it French. GK 08/18

2002 Trinity Hill Syrah Homage 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $ – [ cork 49mm; Sy 98%, Vi 2, cropped 2.5 t/ha = 1 t/ac; release price $100, not on wine-searcher; MLF in tank, 17 months in new French oak, neither fined nor filtered; J Robinson, 2010: Homage is the lowest yield. Big and chunky and quite alcoholic. Peppery. Sweet and a bit hot. Not very complex though: 16.5; Neal Martin @ R Parker, 2008: This is quite muted on the nose, a little faecal and barnyardy – much more rustic than I expected. The palate is medium-bodied, quite elegant, well balanced but just lacking a little vigour on the finish. Cherry, white pepper and fleshy, meaty red-berried fruits. Just a little linear: 89; M Cooper, 2006: … a dark wine with a lovely fragrant bouquet suggestive of plums and violets. Supple, with dense flavours of spices, dark chocolate and plums, its a generous and graceful wine, not a blockbuster but intense, building to a powerful finish. It's still quite youthful; open mid-2006+: *****; weight bottle and closure: 1022 g; www.trinityhillwines.com ]
Ruby and velvet, well above midway in depth. One sniff and this bouquet is totally Hermitage of comparable age, cassis and dark plum melding now (with the elapsed 14 years) with the oak, to be beautifully aromatic, highly varietal, oak well under control, no trace of Martin's concerns. Palate is mellow, hints of brown mushroom complexity creeping into browning berry, a complex and beautifully soft yet rich wine at early maturity. Two tasters had it as their second-favourite wine. It has the concentration to cellar 3 – 8 years more, at least. GK 09/16

2009 Felton Road Pinot Noir Bannockburn 18 ½ (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $ – [ screwcap; average vine age 9 years; a good spring and flowering produced a large crop; February however cool and adverse, requiring care with crop reduction should this continue; March and April unusually favourable, leading to an ideal crop c.5.5 t/ha of near-perfect fruit; at the time the young wines showed beautiful aromatics and a purity of fruit expression making them possibly the best yet; the Bannockburn label introduced to name the till-now 'standard' Felton Road pinot noir; www.feltonroad.com ]
Pinot noir ruby, softening a little, well below midway in depth of colour. With air the bouquet opens to classic Otago pinot noir, showing clear boronia aromatic and floral uplift on red and black cherry fruits. It is not one of the most demonstrative wines, though, and you have to work at it. There was a lot more bouquet 24 hours later. In mouth this is a very dry wine, but not unpleasantly so, with lovely furry tannins. Initially you think it is a little austere, not something I associate with the 2009s in Central, but 24 hours later it seemed to have expanded a whole size. It is still drier and less supple than the 2009 Calvert, but with time this wine might surprise. The tannins are much riper and more elegant than the 2007. This wine too moved up the rankings, with re-examination moving ever-closer to the Kusuda. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 08/14

2010 Coopers Creek Syrah Reserve 18 ½ (

)

Havelock North district, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $45 [ screwcap; Sy 97.6%, Vi 2.4, all hand-picked @ c.7.8 t/ha (3.1 t/ac) from a hill-slope site with limestone; syrah all de-stemmed, 2 days cold-soak, c.10 days ferment, total cuvaison from 28 to 34 days; MLF and 9 months in French oak 40% new, no American oak; RS 3 g/L; sterile-filtered to bottle; 354 cases; no top ranking, 3 second; www.cooperscreek.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, not so much carmine, much less dense than the top wines, below midway. This was one of the two sensationally floral wines in the tasting, the precision and sweetness of the dianthus and wallflower components being breathtaking, exactly comparable with some of the 2010 Cote Roties from Yves Cuilleron also recently tasted with the Hawkes Bay Hot Red syrahs, report imminent. There is a hint of sweet black pepper, lovely fragrant cassisy berry, and almost invisible oak beautifully done. Palate shows real cassis, some soft bottled black plums, black pepper, and oak. The tannin structure of the wine is so good, you have to be a very sensitive taster to immediately pick up there are 3g of residual sugar in the finish. Looking back at one's notes at the 'blind' stage, words like 'plump' are a clue. Syrah winemakers need to study this wine for its glorious florality and exact varietal expression, both components facilitated by more appropriate oak use than most of the wines in this tasting. As I have written so often before, fine syrah is more like pinot noir. We must shed clumsy Australian patterns of oak usage, if we are to optimise our syrahs so they may find their true place on the world wine stage. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 06/13

2005 Church Road Cabernet Sauvignon Cuve 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels 85%, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $29 [ screwcap; CS > 85%, Me < 15; up to 5 weeks cuvaison; MLF in barrel; 20 months in French oak mostly new; RS < 1 g/L; cuve refers to the French oak fermenters in the winery, a premium approach from Bordeaux which Church Road introduced to New Zealand; Catalogue: A wine of power and elegance, this is an earthy, rich Bordeaux-style wine built around a core of ripe Hawke’s Bay fruit. Deep in colour with aromas of dark berry fruit, black cherry, and floral characters are complemented by integrated toast and spice from French oak and complexities of earth, cedar and a hint of minerality. The wine has excellent flesh and concentration, balanced by a backbone of ripe, fine-grained tannins. The finish is long and persistent; Awards: Gold @ Air New Zealand 2008; www.churchroad.co.nz ]
Ruby. Bouquet is mellowing now on this very fragrant 2005 Hawkes Bay cabernet. The integration of cassisy berry and cedary oak is magnificent on both bouquet and palate, producing a wine in a St Julien mould. The delicacy yet length of the cassis / cedar aftertaste is particularly noteworthy. This unassuming wine is an elegant illustration of Hawkes Bay’s stunning potential to achieve world-class Bordeaux blends quite regularly within the next 10 years. The best wines from the years 2005, 2006 and now 2007 provide all the guidelines needed. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 07/09

2010 Alter Ego de Ch Palmer 18 ½ (

)

Margaux, Bordeaux, France: 14.5%; $200 [ cork 50mm; cepage this year CS 51%, Me 49, average age 35 – 40 years, planted @ 10,000 vines / ha, typically cropped @ c.6 t/ha = 2.4 t/ac; time spent in barrel in better years c.18 months, 25% new; www.chateau-palmer.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, fractionally denser than the grand vin, the deepest wine. It is very difficult indeed to tell the second wine from the first wine, on bouquet, in 2010. The clarity and purity of berry is stunning. It is not quite so warmly floral or the merlot so forward, perhaps, but on bouquet the two wines are wonderfully close. Flavours do show up a slight difference, almost as if there is more press wine in the Alter Ego. It is slightly harder, and slightly leaner, but it is still of a quality surpassing many lesser classed growths. How different Bordeaux practice is today, from when I first started studying them. Back then, and all through the 60s, 70s, 80s and even the 90s, the second wines were often miserable affairs. Selection now for the grand vin is so rigorous, and the same approach applies for the second wine in the great estates, that investing in this wine seems essential. Cellar 5 – 25 years. GK 11/15

1986 Bannockburn [ Geelong ] Chardonnay 18 ½ (

)

Geelong, Victoria, Australia: 13.2%; $ – [ cork, 48mm; winemaker then was Gary Farr, of pinot noir fame, a devotee of Jacques Seysses (Domaine Dujac); grapes picked 25 March and 10 April at 20.7 and 21.8° Brix, sugar addition to achieve 13%, 100% BF in French oak 30% new, balance 1- and 2-year; 6 – 8 weeks lees-stirring, then 11 months untouched in barrel; 50% of the wine through MLF; 1.3 g/L RS so sterile filtered to bottle; details Gary Farr, correspondence; www.bannockburnvineyards.com ]
Lemon with the faintest straw wash, scarcely able to be differentiated from the Vat 47, the second palest wine. Bouquet on this bottle was (sadly) lightly TCA-affected, but at a level where one can still interpret the wine clearly. The structure of the wine was so compelling, I included it in the tasting - as a study wine. In the case of this note, evaluation is assisted by last year's tasting of this wine, against the same Vat 47, on which occasion the Bannockburn was even more astonishing for its fresh mealy Meursault or Corton-like elegance than the Tyrrell. Like it, there is still pale peach fruit of enchanting freshness and richness, beautiful barrel ferment and lees-autolysis complexity, and a long mealy palate hinting at cashew. Acid balance is fantastic, against the rich fruit: you would never suspect half the wine went through MLF, as Gary Farr now advises. Like the Tyrrell, this will hold some years. Even flawed, this wine ranked top or second for three tasters – a great example of technical tasting skill. GK 09/15

2014 Mt Difficulty Pinot Noir 18 ½ (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $43 [ Stelvin Lux screwcap; main clones UCD 5, 6, 10/5, planted at c.2,000 vines/ha, average age 18 – 19 years; all hand-picked at 6.5 t/ha = 2.6 t/ac; 7 – 10% whole-bunch, 8 – 9 days cold soak, cuvaison not given but in other years has been around 20 days, all wild-yeast; all the wine in barrel usually around 11 months in all-French oak 30% new, medium toast, MLF in barrel; sterile-filtered to bottle; RS 0.2 g/L: dry extract 26.6 g/L; production 9,500 9-L cases; www.mtdifficulty.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, below midway in depth. Bouquet is beautifully floral, total red roses, supremely varietal, arguably the finest bouquet in the set. Palate shows clear red cherry more than black cherry fruit illustrating a perfect point of picking, lovely balance in mouth, a very stylish wine epitomising good New Zealand pinot noir. There is no way this wine typifies Otago Pinot noir, however. Cellar 5 – 12 years. Again, tasters mostly did not endorse this classically proportioned wine, only one first or second place. Nobody thought it Otago. GK 08/16

2010 Sacred Hill [ Cabernet / Merlot ] Helmsman 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $85 [ cork; CS 45%, Me 44, CF 11, hand-picked from 10 year old vines; cuvaison approx 28 days; 18 months in French oak c.65% new, RS <2 g/L, all unfermentable; Parker: 93+, Robinson: 17; www.sacredhill.com ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, near the upper end of the middle third for concentration. Bouquet is exquisite, subtle, much less loud and more beautiful than some of the other good wines here. But as fine Medoc has shown for many years, before the American influence on desired size and weight in claret winestyles became apparent, beauty is a key component in fine wine. This almost smells of dark red roses, grading into cassis. The flavours of the wine are however a little smaller than hoped for on bouquet, or in comparison with the plummy 2010 Brokenstone Merlot. It is thus a classic Medoc, but not so far up the classed growth hierarchy as some here. It would be nice to open a 2010 Talbot alongside, for example. This is intriguing wine, to cellar 5 – 20 years to lose some tannin, and then open alongside same-vintage bordeaux. GK 06/14

2012 Felton Road Pinot Noir Bannockburn 18 ½ (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $57 [ screwcap; average vine age 11.5 years; a mixed season, good crops from successful flowering, but summer characterised by cool southerly weather and more moisture than ideal; later season markedly better than most of New Zealand, good ripeness, reduced crop; www.feltonroad.co ]
Vibrant deep pinot noir ruby, the second to deepest. This is a deep and dusky wine, yet to develop full florality. The style is close to the beautiful 2010, a warm dark red rose and aromatic boronia floral lift, cherries more black than red, total Cote de Nuits. Flavours in mouth again bespeak its youth, with the cherry fruit and oak still to knit, close to the Kusuda in that component. This is the pick of the last three years, to cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 08/14

2009 Wynns Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon Black Label 18 ½ (

)

Coonawarra, South Australia, Australia: 14%; $44 [ screwcap; CS nominally 100%, average vine age 35 years; 15 months in 84% French oak up to 30% new and 16% American oak a little new; RS < 1 g/L; the 54th year of production; www.wynns.com.au ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. Bouquet is clean and fragrant, nearly floral, with a clear suggestion of cassisy berry and potentially cedary oak. There might be a trace of mint, but the wine is not euc'y, glory be, suggesting a more reasonable set of temperatures at vintage. Palate shows an attractive weight of fruit balanced to good oak, again cassis and bottled black doris plums. This wine overlaps with the Gimblett Gravels in its ripening curve parameters, and the oaking is restrained. It looks to be one to go for, when it is released. Cellar 5 – 20 years. [ 12/11: VALUE @ $20 on special, Glengarry Wines ] GK 08/11

2007 Destiny Bay [ Cabernets / Merlot ] Mystae 18 ½ (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.9%; $115 [ cork; CS 57, Me 22, CF 17, Ma 4, hand-harvested; c. 12 months in American 50% and French oak c. 50% new; the middle wine of the three tiers; www.destinybaywine.com ]
Ruby and velvet, not a big colour, and a little age showing. Bouquet is immensely fragrant, and totally true to the Destiny Bay style, again with reminders of Ribera del Duero in its elevage component, but also very St Emilion premier grand cru, irrespective of cepage. Initially, one might think it light, misled by the colour. But it is on the palate that this wine scrambles up the ranking. Leaving aside the differences in oak-handling, it demonstrates greater fruit physiological maturity than either the 2007 Coleraine Cabernets / Merlot on the one hand, or the 2008 Obsidian Merlot / Cabernet on the other. Both years are great vintages in their respective districts. 2007 Mystae is not a big or rich wine, but it is already very beautiful. As the young vines age, and noting this is their second tier wine (below Magna Praemia), exciting wines can be anticipated from this ambitious / shoot-for-the-stars company. Time will tell whether they're ambitious pricing is sustainable. Cellar 5 – 25 years, deceptive, I suspect. GK 06/10

2005 Glover's Riesling Moutere Dry 18 ½ (

)

Moutere Hills, Nelson, New Zealand: 12%; $ – [ cork – second bottle available; was $17; there is a measure of inconsistency in the wines from Dave Glover, which tends to obscure the odd gem. This one appealed to me at release – I am looking forward to seeing it again; GK, 2006: a strongly floral bouquet reminiscent of freesia, or even as perfumed as jasmine, on sweet vanillin and potentially nectary notes, plus a zing of aromatic hops. Palate is exceptional, with precise varietal definition made the more unusual (for New Zealand) by being bone dry, yet with great body and length of flavour …, 18.5; www.glovers-vineyard.co.nz ]
Lemonstraw, below midway in depth. This wine shows an explicit riesling varietal bouquet: freesia florals, lemony hints, reminders of holy grass again, and clear suggestions of sturmer apples. Palate shows great fruit and length for a dry riesling, with the degree of extraction / tannin handling ideal. The wine has backbone, but is in no way phenolic – quite an achievement in dry riesling. Aftertaste is sturmers and vanillin, long and lingering, lovely. The group liked the wine less than I did, only one other taster considering it exemplary. I suspect this reflects the Australasian expectation that even 'dry' riesling will be 7 g/L residual. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 03/14

2013 Te Mata Estate Cabernets / Merlot Coleraine 18 ½ (

)

Havelock North Hills mainly, some Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $103 [ cork, 50mm; CS 56%, Me 30, CF 14; dry but not unduly hot, a highly-rated year, GDD 1489, harvest late March to early April; release price $95; Cowley, 2017: intense, dense fruit, firm; Perrotti-Brown @ R. Parker, 2015: ... a fragrant nose of blackberries, mulberries and blackcurrants with dark chocolate, cigar box and clove nuances. Medium-bodied, the palate ... restrained fruit and spice layers supported by an impressively seamless structural line of firm, grainy tannins and great freshness, finishing very long, 93+; Chan, 2015: The nose ... ripe blackcurrant and cassis fruit entwined with black and red plum fruit and waves of redcurrant detail ... floral perfumes ... enriched by pencil shavings and toasty oak elements. Medium-full bodied and elegantly proportioned, the palate ... sweet core of ripe blackberry and blackcurrant fruit. Complexing dark plum, herb, tobacco leaf ... balanced by fresh lacy acid ... wonderfully concentrated, elegantly proportioned ... it will evolve over the next 10-15 years and hold for three decades plus, 19.5; www.temata.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, fractionally older than the 2015, still the second deepest wine. And this difference is clearly reflected on bouquet, for this wine has a bouquet, already some appearance of secondary characters, superb roses and violets florals, clear cassis and blackberry fruit, the oak still nearly hidden. In one sense, the highly cassisy flavour shows a perfect point of picking, optimising florality yet no hint of stalks, lovely ripe but slightly fresh tannins, good length. So this 2013 Coleraine is exceptional on bouquet. It is only in palate weight that it does not quite measure up, as earlier discussed. The slightly more concentrated 2015 (and 1998) are ahead, in that respect. Which one prefers will depend on the weighting you give to florals on the bouquet, versus palate satisfaction. This Coleraine with its precise florality, must surely epitomise exactly what John Buck was talking about, when he referred to the florals he found in the 1965 McWilliams Cabernet Sauvignon and the Bordeaux wines, in the history section quoted. This too will be a lovely Coleraine, forming a complementary pair with the 2015. It has to be said, sadly, that for most tasters, the qualities and subtleties of bouquet are much less important than the nett impression on palate. The 2013 did not shine for tasters, a couple each night rating it second-favourite, and one only first place. I thought the bottles identical. Cellar 15 – 30 years. GK 08/17

2008 Destiny Bay [ Cabernet / Merlot ] Magna Praemia 18 ½ (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14.1%; $ – [ cork; cepage CS 74, Me 14, CF 6, Ma 4, PV 2, hand-harvested; c. 12 – 14 months in American c.80% and French oak, 80 – 90% new; Magna Praemia contains the highest % of press wine of the three labels, is cabernet-lead, and aims to be Medoc in style; price not given, since like Stonyridge Larose it is complex, and primarily aimed at the serious wine-lover who will buy 6 or more bottles before release on an en primeur basis, similarly to the Bordeaux procedure. The en primeur price is half or slightly more the final retail price, details via website under 'Patron Club'. The point of difference from Bordeaux is that there, reliable tasters from both sides of the Atlantic report on the wines, and the prospective buyer can identify with a taster who matches the buyer's taste preferences, and act accordingly. In New Zealand that quality of guidance is not readily achievable. It is best therefore to give the price as a range: $175 – $330; www.destinybaywine.com ]
Good ruby. Bouquet gives the impression of being modelled on a Ribera del Duero interpretation of Pauillac, the wine showing cedar and citrus-infused berry fragrance with great lift and excitement. Even more so than the Expatrius, one has to wonder about the emphasis on the oak in the elevage, no matter how good it is. The flavour is exciting, though, with attractive cassisy berry melding with this fragrant oak. The total wine is quite light in the sense (back to Pauillac) Grand-Puy-Lacoste can be light yet long, and deceptive. The distinctive style of this family of wines rests solely on the elevage, yet the fruit is there. Their present direction is taking them away from classical bordeaux, which for me is a matter of regret, yet the achievement in quality terms is comparable. The future will be watched with interest. Cellar 5 – 20 years.

This time around, I'm having difficulty with the pricing structure on these Destiny Bay wines. At first sight one might think that Destiny Bay is primarily seeking a market outside New Zealand, but this is not the case. The proprietors advise that the majority of customers are in New Zealand, but the wines do go to several countries overseas as well. I have been to the winery, and there is no doubt that no expense is spared in making the Destiny Bay wines, with a state-of-the-art winery and many detailed and passionate procedures in fruit cultivation, low cropping-rate, fruit handling and processing all aimed at making the best wine possible, so ultimately I guess my issue is style and achievement. 2008 was a good vintage for cabernet-blends on Waiheke, and I had hoped for more from these three 2008 wines. They were being assessed against 2010 wines from other wineries, which admittedly made it tough for them. From another tack though, wine is already saddled with so much snobbery baggage, that a pricing structure at this level (matched by only one other winery in New Zealand whose wines are never seen in fair blind review) does put a reviewer on guard. As my scores for them may indicate, I do not yet see the wines occupying another stratum. A key difficulty is the wines are stylistically very different. Time will tell whether in future blind tastings up against the wines particularly of Spain, California, and Italy, rather more than classical Bordeaux, the Destiny Bay wines claim their place in the sun. Other New Zealand wineries have shown that it is possible (underlined) to take a high profile and price-leading approach with one's wines, and to convince a surprising number of people for a surprisingly long time on the alleged superiority of the produce. I feel the last thing we need in New Zealand however is a local variant on the Screaming Eagle approach. It does not spread good vibes about wine. Ultimately, auction realisations will be the final arbiter on this matter. GK 10/12

2002 Drouhin Clos de la Roche 18 ½ (

)

Morey-Saint-Denis Grand Cru, Burgundy, France: 13%; $118 [ cork; hand-harvested; fermentation in oak vats; MLF and 18 months in oak; www.drouhin.com ]
Medium pinot noir ruby, one of the lightest in this tasting. This Drouhin is so close to the Charmes-Chambertin in style, and so obviously Drouhin in a blind tasting, that the same notes would serve perfectly well for both. Perhaps the Clos de la Roche is even more floral, and showing slightly less new oak. It is a perfect expression of pinot noir the grape fully ripe, remarkably floral, just beautiful. A feminine style of pinot noir, though interestingly in the blind tasting, several female tasters described the wine as masculine. There is more to the parfumier’s art than one imagines. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 12/05

2002 Rousseau Clos St Jacques 18 ½ (

)

Gevrey Chambertin Premier Cru, Cotes de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 13%; $242 [ cork; 30 – 35 hl/ha (1.5 – 1.8 t/ac); 10% whole-bunch, c. 15 day cuvaison in s/s; MLF and up 22 months in French oak 100% new; Coates: rather more closed-in on the nose. But the palate is very concentrated. Some tannin. Lots and lots of depth. Very good grip. This is a lot less advanced but it is very fine indeed. The wine goes on for ever in the mouth. Great class. From 2012; Parker / Rovani: 92 – 94; www.domaine-rousseau.com ]
Ruby, identical to the Chambertin. Bouquet is reserved at first, midway between the Beze and le Chambertin in terms of the depth of oaking, and at this stage the oak is tending to dominate. With plenty of air, quiet floral components and red and black cherries appear. Palate is pure crisp cherry, the fruit weight not quite as impressive as the Chambertin or Beze, the acid fractionally higher. But the cherry flavours and varietal beauty are still delightful. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 07/06

2002 Sacred Hill Syrah Deerstalkers 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $40 [ 18 months French oak; no info at the user-unfriendly website; www.sacredhill.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, not as youthful as some of the 02s. This is a superb syrah bouquet, pretty much in a classical northern Rhone style, taken up as far as one can go before losing floral and varietal subtlety. Some might say, a little past that, with a hint of sur-maturité. There are still dark roses though, in a deep rich cassis and blackest plums bouquet which is attractively balanced to oak. Palate is succulent, more clearly a bit over-ripe and fat, the oak seeming more prominent than the Trinity Homage, but with black pepper still tasteable. What a fragrant and aromatic Hermitage-like wine this will be, once it loses some puppyfat. Cellar 10 – 15 years. GK 12/04

2005 Clonakilla Shiraz / Viognier 18 ½ (

)

Murrumbateman, Canberra district, New South Wales, Australia: 14%; $80 [ screwcap; Sh 93%, Vi 7%; some whole bunch; French oak; R. Parker 168: The brilliant 2005 Shiraz/Viognier reveals … an exotic, flamboyant bouquet of peach jam intermixed with blueberry and blackberry liqueur. Deep and rich with excellent precision, full body, sweet tannin, and decent acidity, it can be enjoyed over the next decade. 91; available in New Zealand though The Fine Wine Delivery Company, Auckland, but possibly sold out; www.clonakilla.com.au ]
Ruby, lighter than the Dry River. Initially opened, bouquet is distinctive, with attractive florals at the red roses level, uplifted by clear balsam notes (the dried leaves of Canadian balsam fir). As with the Yering Station wine, this is an attractive and rarified take on the flowering mint component sometimes encountered in more elegant Victorian and South Australian shiraz wines. Palate is delicate, low extraction of phenolics, totally Cote Rotie styling, yet persisting marvellously on succulent berry. There is common ground with the 2005 Dry River, both in style and in the approach to the tannins, but the Clonakilla is richer. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 01/07

2008 Mudbrick Vineyard Velvet 18 ½ (

)

Western Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14.2%; $105 [ supercritical 'cork' 47 mm; cepage not revealed, guessing – Me, Sy, CS, Ma, hand-picked; 15 months elevage in 80% new barrels some American (confirmed); 120 cases only, a label made only in top vintages when the desired rich texture can be achieved; www.mudbrick.co.nz ]
Ruby, some velvet and carmine. Bouquet is soft, smooth, very winey and rich, not as explicitly varietal as Stonyridge Larose, but as rich, with aromatic oak perhaps including some American. There is an attractive and intriguing savoury character reminiscent of light brett, but specific analysis shows incidence to be well below threshold. At the blind stage, it was not at all clear whether to class the wine with the Bordeaux blends or the syrahs, and then with the identity revealed, but the cepage not given, the soft fragrant rich plummy fruit could sit with either. There is beautiful floral complexity hinting at both violets and wallflowers, suggesting that both merlot and syrah are prominent, but the blackberries in the sun and cassisy lift in the later palate add the thought of cabernet and malbec too. The mouthfeel does live up to the wine's name, showing superb texture and natural acid, all the quality of a classed growth in a ripe year. This is an excellent wine by any standards, with great flavour, ripeness, freshness and richness. Styling approaches the best St Emilions. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 06/10

2008 Craggy Range Pinot Noir Calvert 18 ½ (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $48 [ screwcap; hand-picked @ c. 2.25 t/ac; 15% whole-bunch component, 6 – 8 days cold-soak, wild-yeast fermentation, 3 – 4 weeks cuvaison, MLF and 10 months in French oak 33% new on lees; RS < 1 g/L; introduction to the Calvert concept 25 Nov 2008; www.craggyrange.com ]
Good pinot noir ruby, a whole size less than the Felton, deeper than The Pinnacle. Bouquet is close to the Peregrine Pinnacle, faintly fleshier, but a similar quality of soft fragrant slightly vanillin oak (which in the first blind tasting at Regional Wines, Escarpment winemaker Larry McKenna instantly picked as a Craggy wine). Palate shows red fruits more than black, dramatically less black in comparison with the Felton, which since the three contributing proprietors harvest all at the same time, goes to show how important the wine making component is in wine style. The palate is a delight, soft, long and sensuous, another tasting sweet on the fruit richness. The increasingly subtle oak-handling in this wine compared with previous vintages is praiseworthy. This wine will give much pleasure. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 11/10

2007 Carrick Pinot Noir Excelsior 18 ½ (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.6%; $85 [ screwcap; 3 clones, hand-picked late April from c. 11 year-old vines at 1.4 t/ac; c. 5 days cold-soak, wild-yeast fermentation with c.15% whole-bunch, up to 27 days cuvaison; MLF and c.17 months in French oak c. 50% new; neither fined nor filtered; 147 cases; www.carrick.co.nz ]
Big pinot noir ruby, nearly on a par with the Pyramid Valley wine, so tending marginal for pinot noir. Bouquet is bold and youthful, much less together than the same-year Pinnacle. The depth of dark florality is remarkable for such a dark wine, and there is an integration of black cherry and quite a lot of oak which is impressive, making the wine later described as boisterous (Pyramid Calvert) seem almost delicate in comparison. Palate is enormously concentrated, nearly too ripe in its balance of black fruits to red, a touch of the old Mondavi Reserve aromatic oak lengthening the flavour further. This 2007 can be cellared with total confidence: the cropping rate must have been very low to achieve this tactile feel of fruit richness (dry extract) on the tongue. One goal of the Excelsior project has been to produce a pinot noir which has longevity in bottle. This one seems richer even than the same-year Pinnacle, and should therefore cellar for longer. It should fine down in bottle and gain in charm. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 11/10

2013 Mills Reef Syrah Trust Vineyard Elspeth * 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $47 [ screwcap; Sy 100%, hand-picked; all de-stemmed to leave whole berries, short cold-soak, cultured-yeast fermentations, total days cuvaison up to c24 days; 15 months in 300-litre barrels (note), 80% French, 20% American, 41% new; not sterile-filtered; released; www.millsreef.co.nz ]
Bright ruby, one of the the lighter colours. Not the lightest bouquet, however, a very fragrant and floral syrah bouquet with suggestions of dianthus, clear red roses, some oak vanillins, and then lots of berry. There seems to be a hint of red fruits as well as cassis and black plum, with a spicy black pepper suggestion. There are reminders of Bullnose on the bouquet, but there is more oak vanillin and less berry here, which would correlate with the American oak component. Palate is pure berry, elegant oak with a hint of char suggesting milk chocolate, again red fruits as well as black, an attractive beguiling flavour, more accessible / less authoritative than the top wines, earlier developing, a lovely accessible style. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 05/15

2012 Valli Pinot Noir Bannockburn Vineyard 18 ½ (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $66 [ screwcap; hand-harvested @ 4.1 t/ha (1.65 t/ac) from 12-year old vines (Dijon clones only), growing in a season of c.1190 degree days; ferments include a 30% whole-bunch component, cuvaison 21 days; 11 months in French oak 34% new, the balance first-and second-year; not fined or filtered; 290 9-litre cases; exemplary spec sheets for each wine; www.valliwine.com ]
Pinot noir ruby of some depth, inseparable from the Gibbston Vineyard wine or maybe faintly younger, at the head of the second quarter of the 57 wines for depth. Again, the bouquet demonstrates all that one could ask for in one phase of precise pinot noir varietal definition. It shows a sensuous floral dimension centred on the buddleia / lilac / pink hedge-rose / violets spectrum, wonderfully fragrant, on red fruits. Palate extends the red cherry flavours, the wine slightly more tannic than the top two, and showing a little more maturity. Oak might be fractionally high, but only relative to the perfection of the top two. Nicely mature now, it will hold 3 – 8 years easily. GK 06/17

2000 Alpha Domus The Aviator 18 ½ (

)

Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $60 [ CS 40% Me 30, CF 20, Ma 10; French oak, 90% new, 24 months; www.alphadomus.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. This was the favourite wine on the night, its combination of vibrant cassis and cedary oak making it very Medoc, even Pauillac, in style. The volume of bouquet at this stage is ahead of the Brokenstone or Coleraine, partly due to the oak. On palate there is great fruit / oak complexity augmented by a little brett, demonstrating what nonsense it is for wine technocrats to damn wines for academic levels of this complexity factor. As the wine lingers in mouth, the ratio of fruit to oak moves a little in favour of oak, so this will not be quite such a longterm cellar prospect as the top two wines. But in the next 10 years it will be marvellous. Cellar 10–15 years. GK 10/04

1983 Guigal Gigondas 18 ½ (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $ – [ Cork, 49 mm; now Gr 70%, Sy 20, Mv 10, cropped at ± 4.2 t/ha = 1.7 t/ac; Parker rating for year 87; elevation two years in large oak, up to 50% new; note J.L-L has quite a different rendering of these ‘facts’, and he is such an assiduous researcher of the Northern Rhone I am inclined to believe him: 60% Grenache, 33% Mourvedre, 7% various others – Syrah, Cinsault, large wood but little new, wine bought from up to 40 suppliers; the extent to which ‘right-thinking’ wine drinkers are blinkered beyond belief is not only indicated, but confirmed by wine-searcher.com having no Guigal Gigondas listed before the 1996 vintage. Likewise even Parker has deleted earlier 80s reviews from his new (but not necessarily improved) website – shame; Guigal records the cepage for this wine now as above, but Parker’s earlier Rhone book notes that Mv and Sy were higher in 1983; Parker, 1987: Guigal feels that 1983 was a mediocre year for Gigondas, but he also admits that his Gigondas in this vintage is his best yet, due to the larger amounts of Syrah and Mourvedre in the blend. This is a rich, full-bodied, powerful Gigondas with loads of peppery, cassis-scented fruit. Drink over the next 5 – 7 years, 87; Wine Spectator, 1986: Classic Rhone, with beautiful black pepper and spice character framing plum, cherry and anise flavors, ripe, intense and elegant at the same time. A real mouthful, 91; www.guigal.com ]
Garnet and ruby, the third lightest wine. 1983 was a magic year for Guigal, and right from first opening this wine shows all the gentle complexity of great Chateauneuf-du-Pape at full maturity, wonderfully fragrant on its red fruits browning now, beautiful cinnamon and a hint of manool / silver-pine spicey character, and obvious garrigue complexity. The oak is nearly invisible and importantly, the alcohol is down where it used to be, when Chateauneuf-du-Pape was more subtle and beautiful than it is now. Palate is simply velvet, light in one sense, and ethereal, yet still heaps of fruit in a light yet mouth-filling way. There is trace brett, absolutely at the positive complexity level. One person rated it the most enjoyable wine of the entire set, and another second, a pleasing result. Fully mature, but no hurry at all – the wine was better still the next day. This wine is now sensational with food, being so soft, aromatic and complex. GK 05/17

1978 Drouhin Bonnes Mares 18 ½ (

)

Chambolle-Musigny Grand Cru, Burgundy, France: – %; $ – [ a Drouhin domaine wine; Broadbent ’02: In 2001, a glorious bouquet, with a sort of cherry-like fruit; perfect sweetness, fairly hefty yet not obtrusively so, lovely flavour with mulberry-ripe fruit. All the component parts perfectly balanced *****. ]
Garnet and ruby, older than the les Cedres, one of the lightest. Bouquet is slow to unfold, and is not quite as floral as the village Gevrey. Fruit richness however is greater, with autumnal red and black cherry, and a hint of spice (from the percentage of new oak) which closes the gap with the cinnamon of les Cedres. The palate too is rich, unequivocally pinot noir, richer than most of the clarets, but drier and less seductive than the Jaboulet. The two wines make a marvellous and instructive juxtaposition. These top three wines were a delight to have together, for all illustrated their districts superbly. They are all now mellow, wonderfully food-friendly, and best used in the next few years. GK 03/06

2001 Craggy Range Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot Quarry 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $60 [ CS 71%, Me 24, CF 4, Ma 1; cuvaison 28 days; MLF in barrel, 19 months in French oak, 70% new; unfiltered; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, perhaps the deepest colour in the Bordeaux comparative tasting of 16 wines. To first sniff this is very Bordeaux, a complex wine with deep florals, ripe cassis and rich and plummy fruit, plus fragrant oak carrying savoury suggestions of trace brett and trace VA. On palate the deep cassisy berry is great, made aromatic by new oak which is more at a new world level, and a slightly fresher acid balance than the '02s. This will marry up in bottle into a fragrant, complex, rich and harmonious wine which will give much pleasure at one level, and cause endless consternation in blind Hawkes Bay & Bordeaux comparisons, in another. Great stuff, every bit as good as the best '02s, just a little different in style ! Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 05/04

2009 Saint Cosme Gigondas 18 ½ (

)

Gigondas, Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $40 [ 50 mm cork; Gr 60%, Sy 20; Mv 18, Ci 2; a small crop due to hail at flowering, which turned out to be in a sense beneficial for handling the late season drought – tannic wines; whole-bunch and wild-yeast fermentations and extended cuvaison; up to 70% of the wine is aged in 1 – 4 years-old barrels, the balance concrete vat; not filtered; 2.900 cases; www.saintcosme.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, the second to deepest wine. Bouquet shows all the beauty of great Chateauneuf, in a wine of greater richness, plummyness and fruit than the 2010. The cinnamon and silver / pink pine (Dacrydium spp) aromatics of grenache are wonderfully apparent, complexed by faint brett. In mouth, the wine is the most burly in the group as befits a 2009 representative. The total acid and the aromatics are slightly down relative to the 2010 Saint Cosme Gigondas, but the plushness of this midnight-dark fruit is sensational. This wine too will give great pleasure for 10 – 30 years. Robert Parker reports that his sample of the 2009 Gigondas showed reduction. The bottling available in New Zealand is perfect in this respect, and the wine can be cellared with great confidence (unless you are paranoid about brett). GK 10/12

2007 Thornbury Pinot Noir Otago 18 ½ (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $32 [ screwcap; hand-picked; 80% de-stemmed, 20 whole-bunch, up to 7 days cold-soak, commercial yeasts; 10 months in French oak 40% new; minimal filtration; a Villa Maria group label; www.thornbury.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby. This is an intriguing wine, showing both lovely pinot noir varietal character and some European styling in its oak handling (that is not a euphemism for brett), making the wine aromatic and spicy. There are clear varietal florals at the darker red rose and boronia level of complexity, on black cherry fruit. Palate is soft, rich, flavoursome, with lingering cherry fruit and slightly cedary attractive oak, subtler and more appropriate than the Excelsior. It is not quite as pure and varietal as the Villa Maria Taylor's, the oak is a little bolder, but it is good rich wine with more ideal ripeness, no thought of stalks. It may not be absolutely bone-dry to the finish. Cellar 5 – 10 years. VALUE GK 03/09

2005 Esk Valley Rosé Merlot / Malbec Black Label 18 ½ (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $18 [ screwcap; Me 91%, Ma 9; 24 – 36 hours skin-contact, low-temperature fermentation, no mention of any oak; RS 6 g/L; www.eskvalley.co.nz ]
Very full rosé, deeper than the Unison. Bouquet continues the benchmark-setting standard of most years of this wine: great fruit clearly from red grapes, already some vinosity, simply terrific rosé with so much more to say than most rosé d’Anjou styles. This is more fine Tavel quality, but not quite as dry and smelling of Bordeaux grapes. Palate is rich, with the fruit complexed and winey, as if there a kiss of oak, not the one-dimensional stainless steel / fruit juice style which is so common, as illustrated here by the Longridge. Tannin ripeness and balance is superb for serious rosé, acid is harmonious, and the finish is long, not bone dry, but close. The New Zealand standard for rosé, which will cellar to five years. GK 11/05

2006 Church Road Viognier Reserve 18 ½ (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $36 [ screwcap; hand-harvested, whole-bunch pressed; 70% of the wine BF in French oak none younger than 2003, plus 3 months LA in oak, 30% wild yeast fermented in s/s, plus MLF; all blended then aged a further 5 months on light lees only; Brix at harvest: 23.6 – 25.8, wine pH 3.8, RS < 1 g/L; www.churchroad.co.nz ]
Lemonstraw. Bouquet has plenty to say, in a clearly French style. The high-solids components broaden the bouquet a little, quietening the florals I look for in good viognier, and there is academic VA. Below those however are suggestions of citrus blossom, excellent apricotty fruit, and complex barrel-ferment, lees-autolysis and MLF components, all with a degree of lushness and indulgence essential to really complex viognier. The lees autolysis and MLF show up to advantage on the palate, blending both texture and baguette-like complexity into apricot fruit. Like the Cuilleron, they produce thoughts of apricot shortcake, though the fruit is not quite so ripe in the Hawkes Bay wine, and there is a slight phenolic nip in the tail. Nonetheless this wine is a marvellous achievement, and the emphasis the winemakers have placed on achieving the right flavours in the winestyle, rather than a technically 'correct' wine, has really paid off. It makes a great contribution to the emergence of this exciting variety in New Zealand. With a little more attention to optimising the floral complexity on bouquet, this will be even better, for it has the generosity and complexity of palate needed for good viognier. Many New Zealand examples fall short in this respect. Cellar 1 – 3 years. GK 07/07

1998 Yalumba Cabernet / Shiraz The Reserve 18 ½ (

)

South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $122 [ CS 71%, Sy 29; 22 months in French oak 22% new, 625 dozen only; rated 98 points by Robert Parker; DFB; www.yalumba.com ]
Ruby and velvet. Even on bouquet, this is immensely impressive wine, with huge brambly berry of great weight and presence, made fragrant by excessive oak, in the Australian style. It is however very high quality and potentially cedary French oak. Palate is velvety-rich, showing immense concentration of cassis, and a fruit quality in mouth comparable with Grange – but in this case made from cabernet sauvignon more than shiraz. The cassis broadens out into milk chocolate and plum in mouth, but always the nagging oak (and high alcohol) takes the magic out of it. One has to score it at gold medal-level on the concentration of cassis, blackberry and plummy varietal character, but alongside it, '01 Lafite from a middle-weight year achieves so much more finesse and sheer pleasure, with so much less. Cellar 10 – 40 years, in the latter part of which it should be attractive with food. GK 07/04

2002 Newton-Forrest Syrah Cornerstone 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $35 [ screwcap; no info @ website; www.forrest.co.nz ]
Dense ruby, carmine and velvet, matching Homage and le Sol. This is more the Australian approach to Gimblett Gravels syrah, with lots of fragrant oak marrying into wonderful cassis and black plum fruit, to give a big and ‘impressive’ wine inclining to the show-pony style. Palate has the same velvety weight as le Sol, with blueberry flavours joining the berry and plum. Black peppercorn and florals are pretty well lost at this ripeness, but it is not so over-ripe as to be boysenberry in the obvious Australian style. In another five years, this wine may well score higher, in a repeat tasting. Cellar 5 - 20 years. GK 06/05

2003 Escarpment Pinot Noir Kupe 18 ½ (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 14%; $60 [ cork; hand-harvested; no stems, no crushing; 5 days cold-soak and fermented in new wooden French cuves, elevage 13 months in 50% new French oak, 50% 1-year; www.escarpment.co.nz ]
Big pinot noir ruby, at a max for a substantial example of the variety, a little deeper than the darkest 2002 Jadot. Initially opened, the wine is a bit reluctant, and benefits greatly from decanting. With air, total bouquet on this wine melds dark florals of the blackest rose and boronia kind, with black cherry and sun-warmed plums. It is a deeper, richer, riper bouquet than the DRC or the Greenhough Hope, not so floral, but wonderfully pure, and clearly deep pinot noir. Perhaps there is a hint of sur-maturité. Palate is concentrated black cherries, the succulent texture of fruit to come, firm tannins but beautifully understated oak, a richness which can only mean a grand cru cropping rate. [Dry extract later found to be 29 g/L]. This is great new world pinot which will cellar wonderfully well. In five years time I expect it to have significantly more bouquet. It is not as complex on palate as the DRC, due to the lack of brett, but in its purity some will rate it higher for that. This is among the finest New Zealand pinots to emerge, thus far. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 03/05

2010 Greywacke Pinot Noir 18 ½ (

)

Southern Valleys, Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $47 [ screwcap; hillside plantings; some whole-bunch components, wild yeast ferments, 15 months in French oak 45% new; not entered in Shows; www.greywacke.com ]
Good pinot noir ruby, just above halfway in depth. Bouquet is simply sensational, an intensely floral pinot noir, a notch less dark than the top two Otago wines. There is a suggestion of buddleia and lilac, but most florals in the rose sector. Fruit on palate is great, not as black cherry as the top two Otago wines, not quite as blackboy peaches as the Escarpment, just a beautiful mixed-cherry palate with slightly more oak than some. I have not seen all contenders, naturally, but in my view this is the most exciting pinot noir so far made in Marlborough. The district has traditionally been the volumetric cinderella area for the variety in New Zealand, having started on quite the wrong foot (wrong clone, wrong reasons, wrong places). This wine is a great tribute to that independent and understated spirit Kevin Judd, and I hope, the start of a remarkable line of wines. Despite the florals, there is the thought of Cote de Beaune here, a rich Volnay perhaps. There are no grands crus in Volnay, but if there were, this would match them. A lighthouse wine for Marlborough. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 11/12

2013 Vidal Syrah Legacy 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $75 [ screwcap; Sy 100%, 20% hand-picked from c.13-year old vines planted at c.3,125 vines / ha and cropped @ c.5.5 t/ha = 2.2 t/ac; no cold-soak, cuvaison 28 days, no whole-bunch component, cultured-yeast; MLF in tank and barrel; 20 months in French oak c.40% new; RS nil g/L; sterile-filtered; dry extract not measured yet; production 250 x 9-L cases; pre-release tasting bottles courtesy Ian Clark, release Sept. 2015; www.vidal.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, below midway in depth. One sniff of this, and the beautiful floral complexity combining dark red roses, dianthus and wallflower is impressive. Blind once again you think this could be the Te Mata syrah in the set. And in flavour the similarity of styling is uncanny, beautiful light fragrant cassis and plummy fruits, and a hint of black pepper. On close comparison there is just a touch more oak than the Te Mata, making the wine slightly firmer and more aromatic. It is a considerably less intense wine than the Villa Reserve, and will be accessible sooner. In the Regional Wines tasting, one person rated this the top wine, at the blind stage. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 05/15

2013 Villa Maria Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot Reserve 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $50 [ screwcap; CS 75%, Me 25, 100% hand-picked from c.14-year old vines planted at 3,125 vines / ha and cropped @ 5.5 t/ha = 2.2 t/ac; cuvaison up to 28 days for Me, up to 42 days for CS, cultured-yeast; MLF in tank and barrel; 18 months in French oak c.30% new; RS 0.44 g/L; not sterile-filtered; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, the second deepest of the Villa Maria reds. Bouquet on this wine is nearly as beautiful as the Braided Gravels Merlot, being deeply and darkly floral, darkest roses and maybe violets, on cassis-led darkly plummy fruit. Below is fragrant oak, potentially cedary. Palate is not quite so exciting right now, maybe simply reflecting its extreme youth, there being great aromatic berry, but also a firm tannic streak, perfectly reasonable in a classic but very young bordeaux blend. This definitely needs to cellar at least five years, preferably 10, to harmonise. At the moment, 2013 Trinity Hill The Gimblett is a more advanced, mellow and bordeaux-like wine, its colour suggesting a rather different elevation. Its not quite as rich though, I suspect, this Villa achieving the magic 30 g/L dry extract. Cellar the Villa Reserve 10 – 25 years, at least: it will be an investment well worth making, as the score suggests. GK 11/15

2007 Vidal Chardonnay Reserve 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels mostly, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $30 [ screwcap; hand-harvested, whole-bunch pressed; BF in French oak 60% new, two-thirds of the wine wild-yeast fermentations, c. 40% through MLF; 10 months LA in barrel with occasional stirring, plus 2 months further in tank on lees; pH 3.32, RS nil g/L; www.vidal.co.nz ]
Pale lemon, as pale as the Stoneleigh, very elegant. Bouquet is exactly what you'd expect the Felton to be, clear pale chardonnay reminding of grand cru chablis, with light oak. There is a lot of barrel-ferment and lees-autolysis here too, complexed with good MLF. The total bouquet is excellent. In mouth, it is firmer than expected, total acid making the oak seem a little apparent at this stage, body not quite as succulent as the top wines, maybe. These top wines show an immensely rewarding diversity of styles, which simply adds to the excitement of tasting them or cellaring a good selection. The total achievement in chardonnay today is so much finer and more elegant than the wines of 10 years ago. Cellar 2 – 10 years. GK 04/09

2010 Tohu Sauvignon Blanc Mugwi Reserve 18 ½ (

)

Awatere Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.8%; $21 [ screwcap; SB cropped @ 6 t/ha (2.4 t/ac); free-run juice settled overnight, straight to barrel % new unknown, wild-yeast and not-cold fermentation; LA and twice-weekly batonnage for some months; RS 4.2 g/L, some filtering and bottled March following; 350 cases; www.tohuwines.co.nz ]
Rich lemon. A very fragrant and voluminous bouquet of ripe sauvignon blanc barrel-fermented in mellow oak, to produce complex florals including not-totally-attractive daisy family (Cape Ivy, chrysanthemum) notes as well as sautéed red capsicum, black passionfruit and generalised fruit aromas. Palate is soft and rich, picking up on the black passionfruit pulp component particularly, and here the seasoned oak really comes into its own, not making this palate spikey. A love or hate wine, I would imagine, not as interfered-with as Te Koko, not as bracing as Sauvage, richer than Cape Crest, perhaps not one for delicacy fans. This emergence of Graves-like (except for the RS) sauvignons in New Zealand is exciting, mostly due to the attention now paid to physiological maturity in the fruit, and conserving those flavours via subtle handling in old oak. This is a lovely example. Cellar 3 – 8 years, perhaps longer. GK 08/11

2002 Kumeu River Chardonnay Maté’s Vineyard 18 ½ (

)

Kumeu, Auckland, New Zealand: 13%; $46 [ screwcap; hand harvested; whole-bunch pressed, wild yeast, 100% MLF, BF, LA in French oak 12 months; www.kumeuriver.co.nz ]
Pale lemon. Bouquet here shows a beautiful integration of slightly charry oak with mealy fruit, for all the world in the style of Meursault. Fruit flavours are maybe a little more yellow-peachy than the Girardin wines, presumably reflecting the Mendoza clone. Fruit weight, acid balance, and mealy complexities plus some new oak enable this new world wine to slot straight in amongst the modern Girardins, a number of tasters identifying it as French. Wonderful to have such ripe and elegant chardonnay flavours and intensity at 13% alcohol, with the Girardins all said to be 14%. One can see exactly why this wine and /or the sibling Kumeu River Chardonnay have figured so consistently in Wine Spectator’s top 100 lists, over the last 13 years. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 04/04

2010 Esk Valley Merlot / Malbec / Cabernet Sauvignon Winemakers Reserve 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $60 [ screwcap; Me 73%, Ma 14, CS 13, all hand-harvested @ c.1.9 t/ac from vines 18 – 20 years old, and de-stemmed; some wild-yeast; cuvaison varies per variety, least for malbec, cabernet the longest 30 or more days; 18 months in French oak 50% new; RS <1 g/L; minimal filtration; around 500 cases (12); Parker: 92; www.eskvalley.co.nz ]
Ruby, at the head of the lightest third, in colour weight. Initial bouquet is most attractive, round red fruits reminding almost of a rich Pommard, pure and fragrant. In mouth the wine fills out and puts on weight, to become a fragrant St Emilion look-alike. The oak becomes more noticeable now, but the fruit richness is sufficient for it to marry up totally. It is not a big wine, but there is a charm to this that gains it marks, and makes it potentially more-ish. And it is fresh throughout, yet (just) avoids leafyness. The malbec is the weak link here. If cabernet franc had been used, the Saint-Emilion comparison might be near-perfect. Pretty interesting and attractive wine, which I would like to watch evolve the next few years. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 06/14

2007 Felton Road Pinot Noir [ standard ] 18 ½ (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $53 [ screwcap; several clones hand-harvested at varying yields not above 2.5 t/ac; up to 30% whole-bunch; up to 10 days cold-soak, cuvaison up to 27 days, all wild yeast; MLF also wild and 11 months in French oak c. 29% new; no fining or filtration; winemaker Blair Walter considers: 'The 2007 Pinot Noirs are wines of unmatched concentration and rich complexity without losing any purity or finesse. They combine the ripeness of the 06’s with the concentration of the 05’s adding a certain extra magic that is unique to this vintage. In short we see them as landmark wines'; www.feltonroad.com ]
Good pinot noir ruby, fractionally lighter than the same year Calvert and Block 5 wines. In this blind tasting of 60 reds, half pinot noir, the result is nearly a total walkover for Felton Road. What a model this winery is, in setting the pace for pinot noir in southern New Zealand - like a latter-day Te Mata for cabernet / merlot. Bouquet is textbook New Zealand pinot noir, explicitly floral in the boronia and dark red roses category, on black and red cherry fruit, beautifully fragrant and clean. Palate follows perfectly, cherries through and through, yet still with the appropriate acid of some underpinning redfruits, showing no sur-maturité / excess plummyness, a little lighter than the Felton Calvert. The oaking is exquisite, gently shaping the wine yet in no way dominating. This is one of the most satisfying standard Felton pinots yet, a reference wine for the vintage which can be run in future Cote de Nuits tastings with confidence. Though slightly 'cooler' than the Felton and Craggy Calvert Vineyard wines, this standard Felton pinot illustrates beautifully what pinot noir without a leafy or stalky thread is like. As noted previously with respect to syrah, the dividing line between leafy florals and really sweet florals is subtle. Yet it is exactly this subtle quality which makes the great wines of Burgundy, the Northern Rhone, and yes, Bordeaux too, so exciting and 'refreshing' as Jancis Robinson would say, in comparison with their more burly competitors from warmer parts of the new world. Cellar 5 – 12 years. VALUE GK 03/09

2007 Mt Difficulty Pinot Noir Long Gully Single Vineyard 18 ½ (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $84 [ screwcap; release date Feb. 2009; 5 clones of PN, some whole bunch component; c. 6 days cold soak; cuvaison c. 2 weeks; MLF in spring in barrel, and c. 14 months in French oak some new; RS < 1 g/L; www.mtdifficulty.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby, minutely the deepest of the three Mt Difficulty pinot noirs. Once breathed, telling these three wines apart, for example identifying them correctly in repeated triangular tests, would be hard. I think this is fractionally the most aromatic of the three, the same faint shadow of fine syrah as in the standard wine. Likewise on the stunning black cherry palate, it is a little firmer and crisper than the other two, and is suited to the longest cellaring of the three. It is not quite as floral, supple and ample as the Pipeclay. Buy as many of these three exemplary Otago pinots as you can afford. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 11/08

2005 Goldwater Merlot G Block 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $20 [ screwcap; Me 100% hand-harvested, vinified @ Waiheke; 100% de-stemmed; s/s fermentation; c. 12 months in French and American oak, none new; www.goldwaterwine.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. Bouquet opened shyly, really needing a lot of swirling to reveal deep florals again in the violets and related camp, sweet, pure, very Medoc (even though it is merlot-dominant). Below is wonderfully ripe cassisy berry and beautiful oak. Palate is sturdy Margaux in style, corduroy rather than velvet in texture as yet, but showing good richness. Aftertaste is berry-rich and classical, shaped by subtle seemingly new oak. It need several years in bottle, to soften and communicate. This wine is beautifully done, though it is hard to believe there is not a bit of cabernet sauvignon in there, to produce such cassisy berry complexity. It teams up with the Craggy Range Merlot Gimblett Gravels and Villa Maria Merlot Reserve, as the new face of merlot in Hawkes Bay. Cellar 5 – 15 years. VALUE GK 09/07

2006 Craggy Range Pinot Noir Calvert 18 ½ (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $47 [ screwcap; hand-picked @ c. 2 t/ac; 100% de-stemmed, fermented in French oak cuves with wild yeast; 9 months on lees in French oak 45% new; RS nil; the intriguing thing about this wine is, the fruit from the one vineyard is shared between Craggy Range, Felton Road, and Pyramid Valley, resulting in three different wines reflecting the winemakers' vision for the one variety – all three are now on the market; www.craggyrange.com ]
Pinot noir ruby, a great colour. Bouquet shows beautiful clarity and depth of precise dark rose and boronia florals, on clear red and black cherry fruits. And then on palate, the floral qualities are diffused right through the crisp, perfectly pure, dark cherry fruit. This is a great New Zealand pinot in the making, not big but very beautiful. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 10/07

2002 Donnhof Norheimer Kirscheck Riesling Spatlese QmP 18 ½ (

)

Nahe, Germany: 8.5%; $46
Brilliant lemongreen, excellent. A very clean and clearly varietal riesling bouquet, with elegant lime and citrus blossom florals on top, and fragrant white stonefruits below. Flavour develops the bouquet, with fine lingering acid to balance normal spatlese sweetness, the lime note persisting through to the aftertaste. The lime notes presumably bespeak greater terpene development as in a warmer year, but acid balance remains elegant. Lovely wine. Cellar 10 – 30 years. GK 03/04

2006 Craggy Range Syrah Le Sol 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.8%; $100 [ cork; Sy 100%, hand-harvested @ just under 2.5 t/ac; 100% de-stemmed, 2 days cold soak, wild-yeast fermentation in open-top oak cuves, 22 days cuvaison including cold-soak; no BF component; MLF and 20 months in French oak 50% new; RS nil; filtered; release date 1 June 2008, 166 cases (of 12) only; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, fractionally lighter than la Sabarotte. Well, this is a change of pace for Le Sol. This is no high-alcohol near-Australian out-to-impress-by-size-alone syrah. Instead it is delicately floral, not quite in the heightened way of la Sabarotte, but instead wallflowers, red roses and violets, soft, sensuous, on lovely red and black fruits. Palate is similar, no richer than the Esk Reserve but less oaky, not quite the saturation of berry and dry extract of the Villa Reserve. Fruit is cassis and almost dark cherry as well as bottled plum, with delicate black peppercorn spice. Some years of le Sol have been Hermitage in style – Hermitage on steroids, some might say – but this year is more Cote Rotie, beautiful, lingering on firmer acid than some, yet still gentle. The purity of this le Sol alongside the same-year Trinity Homage is dazzling. Price is becoming a worry though, with the Craggy Range wines. Having established themselves, the days of their being attractively priced have (it seems) passed. The company will no doubt argue, that they have established a world market for Craggy Range wines, and further, that for 2006 the volume is minuscule. I think it is too soon for New Zealand wineries to be so bullish about their pricing, notably with pinot noir, but now via le Sol and the Trinity Homage, with syrah. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 05/08

2009 Jurassic Ridge Montepulciano 18 ½ (

)

Western Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14.8%; $45 [ screwcap; Mo 100%, hand-harvested; 3 weeks cuvaison; 12 months in French oak 30% new; no fining, minimal filtering; www.jurassicridge.com ]
Good ruby and velvet, some carmine. Bouquet is simply beautiful montepulciano, fragrant, darkly floral, intensely berried, slightly spicy, but unlike so many of the wines from this grape's homeland, this one is perfectly clean. Palate is soft rich and velvety, the oak in good new world proportion, the flavours long and dry. This is benchmark montepulciano, a grape which is doing exceptionally well on Waiheke Island. Sadly for Waiheke producers, increasingly good and technically-modern examples are also coming forward from its Abruzzo homeland, and they are so much more affordable. Cellar 5 – 12 maybe 15 years. GK 10/12

1996 Henschke Shiraz Mount Edelstone 18 ½ (

)

Eden Valley, South Australia, Australia: 13.5%; $148 [ Cork, 50 mm; rated Exceptional in the Langton's Australian wine classification, the first-level group of 21 wines; Halliday rates the 1996 vintage 9, for Eden Valley; hand-picked from 75 – 84 year old ungrafted vines, raised in American and French oak hogshead size barrels for 18 months; the Henschkes rate the vintage Exceptional; Halliday, 1998: Medium to full red-purple; complex aromas run through the bouquet with nuances of pepper, licorice and mint to the core of red cherry fruit. The palate is smooth, with cherry, mint and a touch of pepper all showing; the oak is sweet but not forceful, the tannins soft and supple. Top gold 1998 National Wine Show, 95; Robinson, 2003: Looks more evolved than the 1995. Much more aromatic than most with the same minty note as the Hill of Grace from this vintage. Big, exuberant, glossy and easy to like. Liquorice. Powerful. Intense, confident expression of the vintage. Still some tannin there, though not as much as on the Hill of Grace, 18; bottle weight 490 g; www.henschke.com.au ]
Garnet and ruby, the second-lightest wine. This wine illustrates perfectly the lightly minty floral note which I equate with the Australian flowering mint shrub Prostanthera (as a descriptor), a character which synergises with the diagnostic floral carnation character of syrah (think Prof Saintsbury and his gillyflowers) to at times become quite strong, as in the McCrae Wood. But even then it is infinitely more attractive and softer than euc'y characters with their coarse menthol notes. Below the florals is berry of near-cassis quality, fattened with some aromatic bottled black doris dark plum fruit. Oak is fractionally more noticeable than the Langi, both accentuating the mint and making the palate more aromatic. The saturation of fruit is gorgeous, yet this is not a big or heavy wine. Mt Edelstone is often the most subtle expression of shiraz from the Henschke stable: so this wine too pretty well qualifies as syrah. The colour is a good deal more advanced than the Langi or the O'Shea, but it still has some time ahead of it. This was one of the three most popular wines on the night, five rating it their top wine, three their second favourite, no least places, and five thought it French (a little surprisingly, given the mint). GK 03/17

2009 Black Barn Vineyards Merlot Reserve Hawkes Bay 18 ½ (

)

Havelock North district, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $58 [ supercritical cork; Me 100%, 10 years old; the firm’s top wine, release spring 2010; www.blackbarn.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, half the weight of the top wines. But appearance isn't everything, and the bouquet on this wine is really beautiful. If you've ever shaken your head in despair about all the nonsense some people talk about allegedly floral wines, then shout yourself a smell and taste of this one. There is a veritable bouquet of flower-like aromas here, extending from almost sweet buddleia of pinot noir via dark roses to real spring violets. Those wonderful smells are reinforced by the vanillin of new French oak, and beautiful ripe plummy fruits. At the blind stage, I rather hoped this was a cabernet franc / merlot blend due to the red berry aromas – a New Zealand St Emilion maybe. Palate however is firmer than the bouquet promised, with clear cassis now, so perhaps there is more cabernet sauvignon than one thought [ later, none in fact ]. All very confusing, but enchanting too. Cellar 5 – 15 years, maybe longer. GK 06/10

2008 [ Obsidian ] Weeping Sands Montepulciano 18 ½ (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14.5%; $35 [ screwcap; hand-harvested, all de-stemmed; cuvaison c.15 days, cultured yeast; MLF and 9 months in barrel 10% new French, 25% 1-year American, balance older French; 302 cases, WWA Certified; ‘Release of third vintage. Dark & plush with concentrated fruits and spice.’; www.obsidian.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. Bouquet is richly ripe and dark, blackest plums at dropping-from-the-tree ripeness, a bit fumy on alcohol, a suggestion of black olives like one of the syrahs, a dense wine. Palate contrasts immediately with bouquet, being very aromatic on presumably quite high American oak, with a fleshy yet firm tannin profile, and firm acid – but critically, a little softer than the Obsidian Syrah. It is easy to imagine black pepper in this one too, and slot it in with the heavier syrahs, but it is not so spicy, just dark and at this early stage a little oaky. As for the 2007 wine but moreso, this is a great introduction to this grape in a thoroughly modern brett-free presentation, so different from the average example from Abruzzo. Don't even think of drinking one for a couple of years, then cellar 5 – 12 years or so. GK 06/09

2013 Te Mata Estate Cabernet / Merlot Coleraine 18 ½ (

)

Havelock Hills, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $90 [ cork 50mm; hand-harvested CS 56%, Me 30, CF 14; extended cuvaison; average vine age 25 + years; 18 months in French oak c.75% new; RS nil; www.temata.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, one of the deeper reds. Bouquet shows a beautiful dusky nearly sweet floral quality which in its intensity is rare either in Bordeaux or New Zealand. It bespeaks a commitment to classical Bordeaux styling before the American-led fashion for size and over-ripeness in red wines led inexorably to loss of grape-derived bouquet volume and quality. Florality in red wines is simply lost with over-ripening, as many Australian reds confirm. As to the quality of this beautiful aroma, it is somewhere in the darkest red roses / port-wine magnolia / violets sector, quite haunting. In mouth you almost feel this is a merlot-led wine: there is a dark plummy quality to the berry which is very Saint-Emilion, but it is given sparkle by both cassis from the cabernet, the persistence of florals right into the palate, and then the subtle oak. It is not a big wine, and in its flavours one could think just a little more ripeness is needed, but then the bouquet would be less. It has come together beautifully since I reviewed it last year. Nobody will regret having this Coleraine in their cellar. Cellar 5 – 25 years. GK 03/16

1991 Te Mata Estate Cabernets / Merlot Coleraine 18 ½ (

)

Havelock North Hills mainly, some Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $97 [ cork, 49mm; CS 59%, Me 29, CF 12; warm dry summer, significant April rain but little effect, GDD 1557, harvest mid to late April; release price $35; Cowley, 2017: dark fruit, firm and fine; Cooper, 1998: The exceptionally intense and stylish 1991 vintage is arguably the greatest Coleraine yet, and currently in devastating form; Cooper, 1993: outstanding power and subtlety … mouth-filling body and exciting depth of cassis, plum, spice and new oak flavours, braced by firm ripe tannins, this is a glorious red, *****; Chan, 2008 review: Great purity and intensity on the nose ... powerful, but refined blackcurrant fruit that opens out in the glass with sweetness and ripeness ... On the palate, powerfully intense and concentrated ... Blackcurrants, cedarwood, blackberries, rich, dense and layered. The wine is still tightly bound, with beautifully fine-grained tannins, providing a supple, but firm backbone and great length. ... this is pretty well perfect, and will live another decade easily, 20; www.temata.co.nz ]
Ruby and garnet, the third to lightest wine. Nothing light about the bouquet however, the quality of browning cassis infused with cedary oak, dark tobacco, and cigar box being classical mature Medoc, and within the Medoc, more Pauillac than Margaux. Palate is smooth and velvety, some richness, beautiful ripeness and acid balance, again a lovely integration of mature berry and cedary oak. To be as vital as this at 26 years of age is a great achievement, so the wine still just slips into gold medal level. There might be a molecule of brett complexity adding to the bouquet, but since it is totally threshold after this time, it is completely academic, and positive. The bottles on the two nights did differ: both were good but the second night the wine seemed fresher, more fragrant, and younger. Accordingly in simple terms it was the most favoured wine of the tasting, with eight tasters rating it first or second. On night one it was well-rated too, but just surpassed by the 1998. This 1991 Coleraine stands alongside 1987 Stonyridge Larose as one of the few great achievements in the first 26 years or so of cabernet and cabernet / merlot winestyles, in the modern phase of New Zealand viticulture. It is fully mature, to starting to fade now, as the two bottles showed. Nothing to be gained from holding, though there is no hurry. The better bottles should have 10 years in them. GK 08/17

2015 Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc Templar Single Vineyard 18 ½ (

)

Awatere Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $30 [ screwcap; machine-harvested cool at night / early morning, 3 – 4 hours skin contact, all s/s cool fermentation with cultured yeasts to a maximum of 14° C to optimise aromatics; RS 4 g/L; Templar Vineyard farmed organically since 2010 and gained Biogro certification in 2012; 2015 seen as a quality year for Marlborough sauvignon blanc; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
This is one of two distinctly yellow-washed lemon-coloured wines in the Villa set. Bouquet on this wine is intriguingly different, combining clear sautéed red capsicum notes with yellow fruits reminiscent of both black passionfruit pulp and almost trace mango. As with the Taylors Pass wine, there is a suggestion of pure white clover honey, too. (NB: pure New Zealand clover honey is white, and has virtually no smell, just a very sweet white waxy / honey character. Virtually all our 'clover honey' has colour, aroma and flavour blended into it from other nectar / pollen sources). In mouth this wine seems both fractionally sweeter [ confirmed ] and riper than the first two, still aromatic from the black passionfruit component but scarcely any recognisable red capsicum complexity. Nectarine / stone fruit is the main impression, with few green notes at all. The British would therefore condemn it, but here in New Zealand it bridges the gap to the best Hawkes Bay sauvignon blancs, via Martinborough. Only on the late aftertaste do suggestions of red capsicum zingy aromatics become apparent. NB: this wine is as sweet as top-quality New Zealand sauvignon blanc should be. Cellar 3 – 10 years, being riper. GK 04/16

2003 Craggy Range Syrah Block 14 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $35 [ NB pre-release provisional score on newly-bottled wine; hand-picked, classical triage on sorting table; 8 – 10 day cold soak, wild yeast, 20 – 30 day cuvaison, MLF in barrel, all French oak 35% new, not fined or filtered; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, not as concentrated as the top '02s. This wine cheats a bit, for in addition to its carnation florals from the cooler, more aromatic '03 vintage, there is very fragrant oak adding a balsam-like aromatic lift to the sweet cassis, black pepper and rich berry. It is clearly beautiful varietal syrah. Fragrant slightly resiny oak carries through to the palate, but it is more flavour than phenolics, and melds happily with the intensely aromatic berry. This is another outstanding example of Gimblett Gravels syrah, showing all the advantages of a slightly cooler vintage relative to the sometimes over-ripe 02s. In 2003, very little fruit met the firm's requirements for this label, and the wine will be scarce. There will be no '03 le Sol at all. Cellar 10 – 15 years. GK 12/04

2005 Glaetzer [ Shiraz / Cabernet ] Godolphin 18 ½ (

)

Barossa Valley, South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $82 [ cork; DFB; 80% 85-year Sh vines, 20% 60-year CS, both unirrigated, cropped at c. 1.5 t/acre; open vat ferment, MLF and 15 months in oak on lees, all new oak 80% French, 20% US, 70% hogsheads & 30% barriques; unfiltered; Parker 167: "… a beautiful marriage of power and elegance, displaying an inky/blue/purple color as well as notions of black raspberries, blueberries, graphite, and sweet pain grille. Ripe, pure, and medium to full-bodied with sweet but noticeable tannin … cellar 12-15 years. 93"; www.glaetzer.com ]
Dense ruby and velvet, nearly carmine, one of the deeper ones. Bouquet is magnificent modern Australian shiraz tiptoeing towards syrah in style, great berry with clear cassis evident, the cabernet subservient to the shiraz. Palate is richly cassis, more oaky than Le Sol but similarly properly dry, still with berry dominant. Both blueberry and blackberry also play on the palate, which is long. The aftertaste tapers away on great berry, but there is a faint trace of saline in the berry / oak amalgam. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 12/07

2005 Heggies Viognier Single Vineyard 18 ½ (

)

Eden Valley, South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $31 [ screwcap; Montpellier clone grown at 550 m asl, hand-picked @ c. 2.5 t/ac; whole-bunch pressed, 100% wild-yeast ferment, 100% BF in older French oak only, sometimes trace MLF but none desired; 6 months lees-autolysis and batonnage 3-weekly, 9 months total in oak, none younger than 4 years; RS 2.9 g/L. Parker 167: … the 2005 Viognier is a barrel-fermented, neutral wood-aged cuvee offering a crisp, elegant style with plenty of tropical fruit as well as more minerality than one normally finds in Australian Viognier. Well-delineated, medium-bodied, dry … 90; www.heggiesvineyard.com ]
Elegant lemongreen. Bouquet is a complex interaction of nearly floral and very fragrant fruit, with cherimoya, vanilla wafer and canned apricot aromas, plus almost baguette complexities. Palate has great fruit weight, with flavours extending from Lisbon lemon to apricot, plus beautiful extended lees-autolysis complexities and acid balance. This is a much more successful viognier than the latest Virgilius, the lees-autolysis here reminiscent of (good) vintage champagne, rather than old-fashioned Mosel. The weight of fruit / dry extract gives the wine an edge over most New Zealand contenders. Cellar 1 – 4 years. GK 07/07

2013 Trinity Hill Cabernets / Merlot The Gimblett 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $35 [ screwcap; DFB; CS 40%, Me 30, CF 29, PV 1, hand-picked from c.10-year old vines planted at 3,125 vines / ha and cropped @ 6 t/ha = 2.4 t/ac; cuvaison c.28 days, cultured-yeast; MLF in tank; 18 months in French oak c.30% new; RS 0.4 g/L; not sterile-filtered; dry extract 28.1 g/L; production 3,000 x 9-L cases; released; www.trinityhill.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, just above midway in depth, not as bright as Coleraine. This wine has even more cabernet franc than Coleraine or Helmsman, but you don't pick it up blind. So once the identifications are known, one is looking for grape fragrance and complexity, as opposed to oak complexity. But on the fragrant and pretty side, Coleraine wins, perhaps because it has appropriate ripeness for cabernet franc to show its red-fruits charm and florality. The Gimblett is clearly riper, and therefore somewhat less fragrant. Helmsman is the other high-franc wine, but it is more oaky, likewise muting the subtle fragrant cabernet franc to a degree. It is on the palate that The Gimblett wins, showing a ripe berry softness and weight which is beguiling, and a pleasing depth of fruit. It is softer, riper and richer than Coleraine or Sophia. It is also a fractionally darker wine than Sophia, but the fruit quality is close. It remains to be seen whether the softer structure will curtail cellaring potential at all, compared with the leaner style of Coleraine, which has a great track record for cellar-worthiness, despite being lighter. At a certain point it is relevant to note that, loosely speaking, you can buy three of The Gimblett for one of Coleraine or Sophia. If the snob-factor associated with the labels were taken out of the equation, it would be a brave person who would predict which of these three wines would please the greater number of people, blind. A clue can be gained from the rankings at the Regional Wines tasting, noting this record of the popular vote is taken strictly at the blind stage. If both first and second place rankings are counted, The Gimblett was clearly the second-favourite wine of the night. Two people rated this the top wine. Cellar 10 – 25 years. GK 05/15

2013 Crossroads Syrah Elms Vineyard Winemakers Collection 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $40 [ screwcap; Sy 100%, hand-harvested; 100% de-stemmed; c.14 months in French oak 25% new, no American oak; RS dry; www.crossroadswines.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, bigger and more vibrant than Bullnose, the deepest syrah. Like Bullnose, this syrah is distinguished in the set of syrahs by the elegance and purity of its bouquet. The alcohol reflects thoughtful picking, before too many florals were lost – wonderful. It is not however quite so exquisitely floral and varietal as Bullnose, showing more black pepper and more oak, and less subtle complexity. In mouth the wine is stronger, bolder, more tannic and more oaky, but still the cassisy berry dominates: it is dramatically syrah. It is great to see the winemaker not falling into the excess new oak trap. What a great step up this wine is, for Crossroads. It is as if a block of syrah has been grown specifically for quality, with a much lower cropping rate than many of the Crossroads wines over the last decade. Those who like their wines with a little more obvious grunt, may well prefer this to the more subtle 2013 Bullnose. With time in cellar, it may well match or overtake Bullnose. Exciting wine. Cellar 8 – 15 years. GK 03/15

1978 Ch Latour 18 ½ (

)

Pauillac First Growth, Bordeaux, France: – %; $673 [ cork 55mm; cepage then approx. CS 80%, Me 10, CF 10, planted at 10,000 vines / ha; 17 months in barrel, 85 – 100% new oak depending on the vintage; Broadbent, 2002: Rated equal with Lafite at Penning-Rowsell's '10-year' tasting, but soon to dry out, lacking conviction in the early 1990s **; Coates, 2000: Splendidly Latour on the nose. Surprisingly soft on the palate. Fullish, velvety-rich fruit. Very good grip. Above all real breed and complexity. Aristocratic and harmonious. Slightly less voluptuous than Lafite. The structure is more obvious. But this is classier. Very lovely finish. Excellent: 19.5; Parker, 2000: Medium garnet-colored with moderate amber at the edge, the 1978 Latour offers a spicy, saddle leather, tobacco, dried herb, earthy nose with sweet fruit trying to poke through. Interestingly, new oak also makes an appearance in the flavors. Medium-bodied, elegant, and fragrant, but possibly beginning to dry out, this fully mature wine requires consumption over the next decade. 90; www.chateau-latour.com ]
Ruby and garnet, nearly as fresh as the Margaux, but deeper, the deepest wine. Bouquet is powerful, but as already alluded to in the Ch Margaux review re the thought of oaky Penfolds reds, is the impact and power for the right reason ? So you taste carefully. The ripeness in the cabernet is fractionally deeper / riper than the 1978 Las Cases, but you just wish you could taste the cassis as clearly as in the Margaux. On balance the Latour is both richer and riper in its berry than the Las Cases, and despite the oak, the fruit simply cannot be ignored. Oakniks would rate this wine higher than the Ch Margaux. Plenty of life left here, even 15 years, but it is likely to become relatively more oaky. As is commonly the case with (beautifully) oaky wines, 6 people rated this their top or second wine. GK 08/16

2005 Glover’s Riesling 18 ½ (

)

Moutere Hills, Nelson, New Zealand: 12%; $ – [ cork, dry; www.glovers-vineyard.co.nz ]
Lemongreen, very youthful. Bouquet on this riesling is delightful, with already a strongly floral bouquet reminiscent of freesia, or even as perfumed as jasmine, on sweet vanillin and potentially nectary notes, plus a zing of aromatic hops. Palate is exceptional, with precise varietal definition made the more unusual (for New Zealand) by being bone dry, yet with great body and length of flavour. This is remarkable, individual, and distinctive wine, in a style Dave Glover has made his own. Unfortunately so little of this wine was made that it is available only at the winery, and only then with a good deal of pleading. Over the years, riesling is the wine Glover has become best known for. Not every year has the sweet Germanic florals of this one, and some years they are bottled with higher free sulphur, to deliberately create a 10-year plus cellar wine. Each vintage is worth assessing, to find the superlative ones in time to buy. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 01/06

1992 Glover’s Rhine Riesling 18 ½ (

)

Moutere Hills, Nelson, New Zealand: 12%; $ – [ cork, 7 g/L; www.glovers-vineyard.co.nz ]
Glowing light gold. A mature riesling at the full honeyed peak of development. All the vanillin and citrus notes of youth can still be detected, but the nectar has passed on to golden honey, and soon a vanilla biscuit note will creep in. Palate is rich, fully developed and flavoured with amber honey and golden peach fruit, yet still fresh, with delightful acid. Being a 7 g / L wine, finish is now seemingly sweet on the great fruit. This developed wine foreshadows the wine style the drier 2005 will show. GK 01/06

2008 Mudbrick Vineyard Syrah Shepherd’s Point 18 ½ (

)

Western Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14.5%; $36 [ screwcap; Sy 100%, hand-picked; 15 days cuvaison, cultured yeast; 10 months in French oak all 2-year or older; ‘Lifted floral aromas of violets and rose petals mingle with fresh cracked black pepper. Silver Medal Bragato’; www.mudbrick.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. This wine is vibrantly floral and varietal syrah, with even a suggestion of carnation and wallflower on clear cassis and dark plums. It is faintly more zingy / aromatic on the black pepper than the Weeping Sands. In mouth that translates into very aromatic cassis with gorgeous round bottled black doris plummy fruit. It is plumper than the Weeping Sands, and equally long-flavoured. These top syrahs make an exciting offering from Waiheke. They show the variety has a great future on the Island, in a style comparable exactly with the Northern Rhone. They also closely match the fragrant wines from the Ngatarawa Triangle in Hawkes Bay, rather than the sometimes heavier Gimblett Gravels examples. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 06/09

2004 Clearview Estate Chardonnay Reserve 18 ½ (

)

Te Awanga, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $39 [ cork; hand-harvested 24 - 25º brix; 40% 6 - 10 hours skin contact, balance whole-bunch pressed; free-run juice BF in French (96%) and American oak (4%) all 100% new, then LA 11 months with weekly batonnage; c. 25% MLF; www.clearviewestate.co.nz ]
Colour is lemonstraw, very close to the 2000. The fruit is the triumph here, with golden queen peaches and custard pouring from the glass, plus barrel-ferment and lees-autolysis characters still a bit unintegrated. Palate is as rich as the best, and the depth of flavour is superb, but it needs another couple of years to gain the harmony and integration of the 2002 and 2000. Earlier this year, I thought this was the subtlest and best Clearview Reserve Chardonnay yet, but with this unprecedented opportunity to see the last 11 vintages side-by-side, I am not now quite sure it will surpass the elegance of the 2000 and 2002. But it is certainly as good as them. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 10/05

2008 Forrest Riesling Doctors’ 18 ½ (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 8.5%; $21 [ screwcap; Ri picked @ c.18 Brix and 3.5 t/ac; s/s; cold-settled, cool- and stop-fermented in s/s; pH 2.8, RS 30 g/L; www.forrest.co.nz ]
Pale lemongreen. John Forrest and his team are building up quite a reputation with various incarnations of riesling. This wine could not be more different from the 2005 Noble Riesling I enthused about last December, being subtle and fine to the point of Mosel or Saar delicacy. All the florals and character of the Black riesling are here too, but petite in comparison. Yet it is a delight the degree of physiological and flavour maturity the grapes show, given the Brix at harvest. It fits exactly into kabinett classification, and in its beautiful medium / dry delicacy is a New Zealand riesling to be very proud of. It will cellar deceptively well, 5 – 12 years, maybe 15. GK 05/09

2009 Aurum Wines Pinot Noir 18 ½ (

)

Lowburn & Pisa districts, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14.5%; $32 [ screwcap; hand-picked from 7 – 13 year old vines; 11 months in French oak 25% new ; www.aurumwines.com ]
Good pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is soft and gentle, always appealing in pinot noir, with intense roses aromas grading into both red cherry and peaches – a little unusual for pinot noir, until one thinks of Chambolle-district wines from a producer like Drouhin. Palate is intriguing, all the softly floral and blackboy peach / nectarines notes, but then some cherry firmness too. Needs another year to harmonise, but this is subtle understated wine to cellar 3 – 10 years. VALUE GK 09/10

2010 Sacred Hill Chardonnay Riflemans 18 ½ (

)

Upper Dartmoor Valley, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $65 [ screwcap; hand-picked from a vineyard on the Riflemans Terraces, notably cooler than the Gimblett Gravels; 100% clone mendoza on own roots, average vine age 22 years; whole-bunch pressed, settled only briefly; 100% wild-yeast and 100% barrel-ferment up to 20° followed by 100% MLF ferment; 11 months on lees in French oak 80% new balance 1-year, batonnage weekly in the first months extending to monthly later; selection and blending of final wine followed by 1 month in barrel; pH 3.50, RS <1 g/l; sterile-filtered; no longer entered in Shows; NB: weather did not allow the quality desired for Riflemans in 2011, and there will be no 2012 either – loss of two consecutive years of Riflemans is unprecedented, illustrating the extraordinary commitment to quality in this winery; www.sacredhill.com ]
Lemonstraw, just a slight wash of straw is disappointing at such a young age. Bouquet initially opened is quite grapefruity, breathing out into classic young chardonnay still quite oaky at this early stage, more oaky and less subtle than the Neudorf or Elston. Palate is yellow-fleshed stonefruit, real mendoza flavours here, and a similar degree of mealy and cashew nut complexity to the Neudorf. It is let down fractionally alongside those wines by the more obvious new oak. The richness seems between Elston and Neudorf. Length of flavour is great, with attractive fruit sweetness. This should cellar well, 3 – 8 years, maybe longer. GK 03/12

nv Nautilus Marlborough Cuvée Brut 18 ½ (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 12%; $36 [ cork; based on 2008 fruit, PN 70%, Ch 30, all hand-picked; 100% MLF of base wine, no barrel component; 5 – 15% reserve wine added when laid down; 36 – 42 months en tirage; RS 7 g/L; www.nautilusestate.com ]
Pale lemonstraw. Bouquet is dramatically different from the Le Brun, a richer broader much more clearly autolysed wine – the difference between some recent bottlings of Louis Roederer on the one hand, and Bollinger, for example. Just smelling this wine is nearly enough, the quality of the autolysis is totally finest French baguette, some brioche, just wonderful. Behind that is beautiful pinot noir and chardonnay fruit, yet the wine is not 'fruity'. All these bouquet impressions combine in mouth, the wine being rich in the style of vintage champagne, yet again it is not 'fruity', the pinot noir adding lovely red fruits hints. Acid is clearly softer than the Le Brun and body is greater, and right through the palate there is this sensational baguette-quality yeast autolysis. Remarkable New Zealand bubbly, perhaps the best Nautilus yet. Needless to say, half the room preferred this one, showing how personal wine is. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 04/13

2008 Felton Road Pinot Noir Cornish Point 18 ½ (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $58 [ screwcap; hand-harvested in a generous year (see text), 25 – 30% whole-bunch, wild-yeast fermentation; c. 12 months in French oak c. 30% new, not fined or filtered; www.feltonroad.com ]
Pinot noir ruby, a little deeper than the Target Gulley, clearly older and lighter than the 2010 Block 3. What a great bouquet – here is a wine to immediately demonstrate that where the crop was appropriately handled in the vineyard, 2008 did not have to be a year of lighter wines brought about by the heavy crops of that season. But to make doubly sure, when the crop did exceed their preferred 6 – 6.5 t/ha = c.2.5 t/ac, winemaker Blair Walter increased the concentration in the wine by running off 8% of the juice immediately after pressing, to produce their Vin Gris. The resulting Cornish Point Pinot Noir is intensely floral, in fact the most floral of these top four wines, the fruit inclining more to black cherry. The palate contradicts that impression a little, revealing a certain coolness of character that the water-surrounded Cornish Point (the south river-like end of Lake Dunstan) frequently shows. The length of this boronia-saturated fruit is enchanting. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/11

2007 Felton Road Pinot Noir Block 5 18 ½ (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $80 [ screwcap; virtually unknown at retail, mainly sold to the mail-order list; several clones hand-harvested at varying yields not above 2.3 t/ac; up to 23% whole-bunch; up to 10 days cold-soak, cuvaison up to 22 days, all wild yeast; MLF also wild and 11 months in French oak c. 38% new, then 7 months in 3-year-old oak; no fining or filtration; winemaker Blair Walter considers: 'The 2007 Pinot Noirs are wines of unmatched concentration and rich complexity without losing any purity or finesse. They combine the ripeness of the 06’s with the concentration of the 05’s adding a certain extra magic that is unique to this vintage. In short we see them as landmark wines'; www.feltonroad.com ]
Big pinot noir ruby. Initially this wine opens a little massive, like some of the 2002 Otago pinots. With decanting or aeration, it reveals a darker more brooding version of the standard Felton or Calvert wines, but the deep florals are still there, on probing. In mouth too it is fuller, fatter and riper, with some suggestions of bottled black doris plum. Some will like it more for that, whereas classicists may say there is some sur-maturité. Whichever, it is a great mouthful of pinot, and will bring much pleasure when cellared 5 – 12 years, maybe 15. GK 03/09

2011 Church Road Merlot McDonald Series 18 ½ (

)

Tukituki Valley 67%, Gimblett Gravels 31% & Bridge Pa Triangle 2%, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $34 [ screwcap; Me 100%; all de-stemmed, up to 5 weeks cuvaison; 18 – 20 months in French oak 33% new; RS < 2 g/L, all unfermentable; coarse-filtered only; to illustrate merlot with more oak, but still contrasting with the aromatic and tannic CS shown in the first wine (Menzies); www.churchroad.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, some carmine. After the Villa Merlot this initially smelt oaky, but there is lovely fruit below. Merlot too is often abused by Southern Hemisphere winemakers, and 'firmed up' with oak into the oaky-aromatic style so many winemakers sadly think is needed for the class as a whole. In cabernet / merlot blends, adding aromatics (and heavyness) from oak is not the same as having great cabernet perfectly ripe which optimises the wine's intrinsic aromatic complexity. So to round out the merlot component of the presentation, an oaked merlot yet still with great varietal berry and fruit was needed. This McDonald wine is near-perfect for the job, since the plummy fruit behind the oak retains its own vibrancy in this less-warm year. These two merlots hold hands perfectly, and convey a great picture of the variety's role in the Hawkes Bay blend, namely to provide palate weight and smooth-over the hole in the cabernet palate. Cellar 8 – 20 years. GK 09/14

2002 Mt Difficulty Pinot Noir 18 ½ (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14.5%; $40 [ screwcap; the young wine showed good black cherry fruit and less oak than some of the vintage. Cooper 2003, ****: finely balanced, full-flavoured … lively wine with sweet fruit characters, integrated oak, some nutty complexity, supple tannins and good length; in 2005 Jancis Robinson awarded the 2003 of this label 18.5, in the top half dozen scores she has given to New Zealand pinot noirs (she particularly liked our 2003s). In that review she comments of the 2002: The 2002 had quite marked tannin and a most attractive nose reminiscent of violets; www.mtdifficulty.co.nz ]
Perfect pinot noir ruby, the second to lightest wine. Bouquet is quite different from the standard Felton Road (now labelled Bannockburn), so much so that one would not suspect they came from essentially the same district and sub-district. Both floral and fruit notes are red more than black, the floral quality is softer (more roses, less boronia), and the cherries are red, browning a little now naturally with 10 years development. The flavours are uncannily burgundian, much softer and less vibrant than the main Felton, almost Corton-like and with exact pinot style. If wine people in other parts of the world ever ran rigorously blind tastings of pinots from around the world, including around Burgundy, and included New Zealand wines of this calibre, they would find themselves considerably surprised. Nicely mature, no hurry. GK 10/12

2008 Mudbrick Syrah Reserve 18 ½ (

)

Western Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14.4%; $50 [ screwcap; Sy 100%, hand-picked and sorted in field, cropping rate average 2 t/ac; all de-stemmed, inoculated yeast, 1 day cold-soak, 15 – 21 days cuvaison, no additional acid needed, no BF; most MLF in barrel, 14 months in American 75% and French 25 oak, 50% new (the American fraction for 2008); totally dry; sterile-filtered to bottle, 296 cases; www.mudbrick.co.nz ]
Rich ruby, carmine and velvet, excellent. Bouquet shows glorious soft sweet wallflower and darkest roses florality, on cassis and darkest bottled black doris plums, all wonderfully fresh and fragrant and enticing, with cracked black peppercorn, and oak aromatics too. Palate shows great fruit amplifying the bouquet, beautifully shaped by oak, but not dominating it, the cassis, dark plum and gentle black pepper all rich and lingering long in mouth. Like Stonyridge Larose, this virtually fault-free wine points to the future of Waiheke Island premium reds. It is astonishing how this wine has come together since the January Syrah Symposium, in just the same way Bullnose blossoms after 18 months in bottle. Cellar 5 – 15 + years. GK 06/10

2005 Goldwater [ Cabernet / Merlot ] Goldie 18 ½ (

)

Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14%; $68 [ screwcap; DFB; CS 54%, Me 54, hand-harvested @ 0.8 – 1.3 t/ac; cultured yeast and cuvaison to 22 days for Me, 35 days for CS; 15 months in 50% new French oak; fined and filtered; RS < 2 g/L; www.goldwaterwine.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, one of the deeper. This will be a contentious wine. Bouquet on Goldie is deep and dark and intensely floral, but in a midnight-deep way virtually off the colour scale, with superb depth of dark berry below. But intertwined with those aromas are the tell-tale fragrant aromas of complex brett too, in exactly the same way a number of highly-rated classed growths show. Palate is very rich, ripe and ample, but with savoury complexity components that raise the (delicious) thought of bacon and smoked fish, as well as intense dark cassis, darkest plum and berry, pipe tobacco and cedar. Many technocrat-tasters will dismiss this wine out of hand, yet it is a stunning Bordeaux style, which will match some famous names, Leoville-Barton for example. So buy this wine for pleasure, enjoyment, and world-class achievement in a traditional style, but be careful to whom you offer it. Some people like to dissect and destroy academically-faulty wines like this. They are so preoccupied with technical detail, they miss out completely on the total stylistic achievement of the wine. My mark therefore is permissive, on richness and total hedonistic style. Cellar 5 – 12 years, maybe longer (though if there is a gram or so of sugar, the brett will increase). GK 09/07

2011 Church Road Merlot McDonald Series 18 ½ (

)

Tukituki Valley 67%, Gimblett Gravels 31% & Bridge Pa Triangle 2%, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $33 [ screwcap; Me 100%; all destemmed, up to 5 weeks cuvaison; MLF in barrel; 18 – 20 months in French oak 33% new; RS < 1 g/L; coarse-filtered only; www.churchroad.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a lovely deep colour. Bouquet is totally textbook merlot, beautifully deep sweet floral notes reminiscent of violets on rich dark bottled black doris plums, all framed in cedary oak. Palate is exactly the same, a thought of darkest pipe tobacco too, remarkable, almost perfect temperate-climate physiological maturity for the variety, the oak beautifully done, all in the background. This is a remarkable evocation of a quality Pomerol winestyle from Hawkes Bay, at a fraction the price. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 06/13

2003 Domaine Alary Cotes du Rhone Villages Cairanne 18 ½ (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $25 [ cork; Maison Vauron; approx. Gr 85% and Sy 15; the standard wine; Parker 156: "One of the reference points for proving how good Cotes du Rhone-Villages Cairanne can be is the family estate of Alary … their 2003s, a challenging vintage outside Chateauneuf du Pape, are impressive. The 2003 Cairanne offers classic, dusty, loamy, earthy, and kirsch liqueur notes presented in a medium to full-bodied, ripe, nicely concentrated format with some noticeable tannin. 4-5 years. 88-90" ]
Ruby, a flush of carmine and velvet, a fraction of the depth of the Estevenas, yet still a good colour. Bouquet is wonderful: it is hard to imagine how two wines from the same winery could better display the contrast between a syrah-dominant one (Estevenas) and a grenache-dominant one (this village Cairanne). Bouquet is more complex than the Cristia, the cinnamon edge on the grenache almost including nutmeg, and the syrah is detectable too, via a subliminal floral component. Palate is a perfect blend of grenache soft berry, and syrah and counoise complexity, with the cinnamon on the finish showing textbook varietal definition. Not quite as rich as the Cristia, though, and purists might notice a trace of brett, totally positive. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 09/05

2004 [ Blake Family Vineyard ] Alluviale 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $27 [ cork; DFB; Me 65%, CS 30, CF 5; 19 months in French oak 90% new; second wine of Blake Family Vineyard; www.alluviale.com ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, in the middle for depth. Bouquet for this Alluviale shows a little more oak relative to the fruit, when compared with the 2005, but there is still very attractive floral, plummy and rich berry. Palate brings up the violets component of the bouquet, and the interplay of cassis and dark plums with the oak. This is not as rich as the $50 wines, but it is still gold-medal merlot / cabernet, in the New Zealand context, and delightful. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 11/06

2004 Ch Angelus 18 ½ (

)

St Emilion Premier Grand Cru, Bordeaux, France: 14%; $306 [ cork; vineyard cepage Me 50%, CF 47, CS 3, average age 30 – 35 years, planted @ 7 – 8 000 vines / ha, and cropped @ c. 1.7 t/ac; www.chateau-angelus.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, the deepest. Bouquet is ample, plushly dark plummy in a bottled omega plum style rather more than black doris, but at this stage more international / Napa than most Bordeaux. Palate introduces some delicacy of fruit, yet a lot of oak with some chocolate, in a dramatic merlot-dominant winestyle. Freshly opened, it is as rich as the Cos, but in comparison lacks St Emilion typicity (though consistent with itself). In 10 years, it will be much more evocative, and may rate higher. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 12/07

2007 Domaine Les Aphillanthes Cairanne L’Ancestrale de Puits 18 ½ (

)

Cairanne, Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $24 [ cork 50mm, ullage 17mm; original price c.$27; Gr c.100 years 85 - 90%, Sy 5-10, Mv 5; the domaine biodynamic, certification gained 2007; cropping rate at c.3.5 t/ha (1.4 t/ac) is significantly less than the regionally permitted 5.85 t/ha ( 2.4 t/ac); cuvaison 30 days with wild yeasts, elevation the Gr in vat, Sy and Mv in barrel; access to these grapes now lost; J.L-L, 2011: Smoky, latent, promising nose – it shows charm, and is thorough, measured, has the red plum air of Grenache, nice and round – very good now. The palate is charming, real good fruit in it as it rounds out well. Excellent, thorough fruit and STGT in nature. Great length. Menthol, lavender finish. Classy, authentic. 2017-18, ****; Wine Spectator, 2009: Dense but pure, with alluring black tea and mesquite aromas up front, followed by dark, macerated currant, fig and plum fruit. Hints of ganache and espresso frame the finish, which is supple and lengthy. To 2011, 400 cases, 91; www.domainelesaphillanthes.fr ]
This too was one of the red and fresher wines, ruby and velvet, midway in depth. Bouquet is more floral and less aromatic than the Montirius Gigondas, but like it showing wonderful freshness, and no sign of the over-ripe / over-weight syndrome that diminishes too many 2007s. There are nearly red roses here, thoughts of pinot noir. Again, the grenache component sees no oak, and the wine is the better for it. Palate is beautifully fresh, the syrah aromatic and floral, speaking out far more than the cepage percentage would suggest. The oak handling on the syrah and mourvedre components is totally simpatico, the result food-friendly and attractive. This is ‘merely’ Cairanne, but cropped more conservatively than some Chateauneuf-du-Papes, by a great grower. The result is clearly better than many Chateauneuf-du-Papes, the whole wine both a delight, and great value. Five tasters had this as their top or second wine. Cellar 10 – 15 years. GK 10/19

2005 Domaine Denis Bachelet Gevrey-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes Non-Filtré 18 ½ (

)

Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 13%; $143 [ 49mm cork; planted 1920s, '30s, '50s; 100% de-stemming; 5 – 6 days cold soak, wild-yeast fermentations; 25 – 33% new oak; Meadows, 2007: A slightly riper and more complex nose of warm earth, underbrush and spicy violet-laced aromas complement the rich, full and suave flavors that are velvety and mouth coating on the textured and seductive finish … accessible ... but the almost invisible structure lurks beneath the velvet and this will definitely be a solid cellar candidate: 89-91; D Schildknecht @ R. Parker, 2007: … offers lovely black fruit aromas with hints of anise and mint. A truly palate-staining intensity of vividly-fresh, tart but ripe black cherry and blackberry is underlain by firm, fine tannins (not precluding an emerging silkiness of texture) and augmented by bitter-herbal and stony notes. Although palpably dense and abundantly tannic, this outstanding village wine still comes off as juicy, sleek, invigorating and refined. Put it away for at least 5-7 years, 91-92; weight bottle and closure: 611 g; no website found. ]
Rich ruby and velvet, deep for Burgundy, the second deepest wine. Bouquet is deep, dark, infantile, and initially somewhat reserved. It opens up with air, and 18 hours later shows darkest red rose florals on all-black cherry fruit, fruit clearly dominant over good oak. In mouth the wine is still a baby, big fruit, rich tannins so much so the wine seems short on fruit (to casual inspection), but in fact the fruit richness is excellent. You just have to dissect it out from the tannins. The wine is not unduly oaky, just very powerful. In 10 years time this may well have overtaken the Maume. An exciting example of pinot noir, pushing the boundaries for ripeness and concentration, but just staying within bounds. Cellar 10 – 30 years. This was the most liked wine of the tasting, 10 people rating it their top or second wine. Intriguingly, seven also thought it could be a New Zealand wine. GK 10/16

2001 Bannockburn Shiraz 18 ½ (

)

Geelong, Victoria, Australia: 13.5%; $45
Good ruby, some velvet. Benefits from a splashy decanting, to reveal a voluminous bouquet in which carnations, cassis, black pepper and flowering mint-shrub combine beautifully. The whole thing smells uncannily like good Hermitage, but with this light floral Australian accent. Palate is much the driest of the Australasian wines, complex, slightly old-fashioned and fragrantly savoury from restrained oak and academic brett, in nett impression closer to the la Chapelle than any of the others, but more concentrated. This is a wine for winelovers, not technocrats. It shows Australian shiraz can have syrah-like complexity when not over-ripened, rather more than just sheer size. It will be marvellous with food, and cellar for 5 – 15 years. GK 06/04

2000 Jim Barry Shiraz McRae Wood 18 ½ (

)

Clare Valley, South Australia: 14.5%; $40 [ 14 months in French & US oak ]
Older ruby. Here is another shiraz in the gloriously floral Australian Cote Rotie style – carnations and Australian flowering mint (Prostanthera), lightly aromatic, but not euc'y. It reminds of the Lehmann 2001, but is richer, and seemingly 'sweeter' on that fruit richness. This is great Australian shiraz, but in a particular style, so the advice offered with the Lehmann applies here, too. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 06/04

2010 Ch de Beaucastel Chateauneuf-du-Pape * 18 ½ (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $146 [ cork, 54 mm; Gr 30%, Mv 30, Counoise 10, Sy 7 – 10, Ci 5, all other varieties 15 – 18; one unusual feature of the vinification at Ch de Beaucastel is the long-established use of a kind of must-pasteurisation, whereby the destemmed must is heated to 80° C for at most 60 seconds, then quickly cooled again. The goal is to inhibit enzymatic degradation of the fruit. Presumably by the same token, cultured-yeast fermentations are then needed. It is hard to establish the detail, the winery website is mute on the topic, but apparently it is used more for grenache than the other varieties (all 13 vars vinified separately), and not in all vintages. The individual varietal wines are then assembled to taste, and the young wine matured in large older wood for 12 – 18 months; some light fining, not filtered; J.L-L: great; mix of 1989 & 1990, ******; Robinson, 2011: [ her rating is important, since Chateauneuf-du-Pape does not appear to be her favourite winestyle, her marks invariably far, far lower than other reviewers ] Mourvedre was especially good in 2010, apparently … Appetising ... no heavy sweetness or alcohol. Really quite racy! Complex. Real lift ..., 18; Parker, 2012: This is a gorgeous wine ...bouquet garni, ... blackberry, kirsch, smoke and truffle ... full-bodied, rich, 95; typical production 2,000 9-litre cases; weight bottle and closure: 872 g; www.beaucastel.com ]
Ruby, some development showing, the second lightest colour. Bouquet is fragrant in a slightly different way from the wines marked more highly, still attractive, but a slightly citrussy Spanish oak note coupled with a soft rabbit-guts note (as when cleaning a rabbit) which fits in perfectly happily with the earthy / spicy dark fruits side of Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Palate is a mixture of red and black cherry and plum fruit, all faintly leathery, not quite the vibrant freshness of some of the wines marked more highly, but by the same token, all very supple and food-friendly. It is ‘smaller’ wine this year than Beaucastel normally is, the Clos des Papes seeming huge in comparison. Often it is the other way round. Cellar 5 – 20 years. Eight people rated this their top or second wine. GK 06/17

1998 Domaine de Beaurenard Chateauneuf-du-Pape 18 ½ (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $95 [ cork, 49mm; Gr 70%, Sy 10, Mv 10, 10% others (all 13 AOC varieies grown); no destemming, mostly crushed; usually 12 – 15 months in 95% older, larger wood, 5% new smaller; J. Dunnuck @ R. Parker, 2015: ... a beautiful, fully mature red that offers lots of coffee bean, roasted herbs, garrigue and sweet, almost chocolaty fruit. Nicely balanced, medium-bodied and textured, it opens up well with air and is drinking a point, 90; Parker, 2000: ... a vivid nose of blackberries, cassis, spice box, and truffles ... superb texture ... sweet and well-integrated, 90; J.L-L, 2012: 1998 as it should be, ****(*); bottle weight 658g; www.beaurenard.fr ]
Ruby more than garnet, just below midway in depth. On bouquet this seems almost in contrast to most in the field, it being a relatively small wine, but it is exquisitely fragrant, beautifully fresh, and totally pure. As John Livingstone-Learmonth says, this wine exemplifies what Chateauneuf-du-Pape should smell like. It also has a freshness which is near-burgundian. It is no surprise when you find there is no de-stemming here. Flavours are gently spicy red fruits browning now, clear-cut grenache cinnamon spice, a little freshness hinting at stalks, but all too ‘sweet / fragrant’ to be called stalky, all lingering delightfully despite it not being a big wine. All these tiresome people who harp on about the 1998s being too ripe and too heavy and too tannic – there seems no end to their criticisms (and largely because in the first place they did not know enough about wine to keep the 1998s for their appropriate time, that is, until they had lost their tannins) – simply need to share a bottle of this over dinner. There is some crusting in the bottle, but there is still tannin to lose, so cellar 5 – 10 years. Those who liked this wine rated it highly, but tasters (in general) did not share my enthusiasm for it, perhaps because of its smaller size, no first or second places, but four least votes. GK 07/18

1953 Bodegas Bilbainas Vina Pomal Reserva Especial 18 ½ (

)

Haro, Rioja, Spain: – %; $168 [ 45mm cork; original cost c.$5, 1966 Ch Montrose at the same time $4.35, so relatively expensive, latterly related Bilbainas wines are 100% tempranillo from the Rioja Alta, but earlier is likely to have included graciano at least; aged in both large American oak and then American oak barrique or puncheon-sized barrels perhaps including a little new even back then, for an unknown time but probably exceeding four years. Then aged in bottle for much longer. It was seen as a burgundy-style, contrasting with the Vieja Reserva, and released latest 1960s. No tasting notes found from established writers. 1953 highly regarded in parts of Spain, but for Rioja Jan Read rates the vintage 3/10 in a classic sense, contrasting with 10/10 for 1952, but also noting that exceptions abound in the Spanish climatic milieu. Certainly the 1952 was lovely, but not so very different from the 1953. Characterising great old rioja is not easy, so it is worth quoting someone long-experienced in the wines of the region. Jan Read (1973) quoted the Spanish oenologist Don Victor de Zuniga as saying of Rioja wines: "independent of the conditions of the harvest and quality of the crop, they present quite distinct properties of nose, flavour, alcoholic content, colour and extract." Anyone who has drunk the wines will recognise and enjoy those qualities. A highly perceptive connoisseur like André Simon may differentiate between the bouquets of Lafite Margaux and Latour, describing them as being evocative of violets, wallflower and verbena; and such descriptions sometimes seem justified ... In the case of the Riojas, they do not seem helpful. Of the old Reservas, all that can honestly be said is that they are glorious and individual old wines, with a roundness and intensity of flavour, a characteristic acidity and a bouquet entirely sui generis and of the Rioja”; www.bodegasbilbainas.com ]
Also glowing ruby and garnet, if anything faintly more ruby than the 1966 Vina Pomal, well below midway in depth. With a little breathing, bouquet is rich, sweet, wonderful berry still, but so entwined with vanillin oak it is hard to know where one stops and the other starts – a tremendous volume of bouquet. Flavour is not quite as exciting as the bouquet, the wine being richer than the 1966, but not quite so vibrantly alive. It is as if all those years in barrel are finally catching up with the wine, as the fruit fades a little, and the oak is now becoming more noticeable. The intriguing thing is, you can hardly tell it is American or French oak after all these years: both have vanillin when all is said and done, it is just that Quercus alba has more. All that said though, the wine is wonderfully alive at 63 years of age, as shown by its expanding in the glass from decanting time through to presentation time, and then remaining unchanged for many hours, more than 24, thereafter. The fruit on the aftertaste is astonishing. I suspect this wine is approaching the limits of its plateau of maturity, but there is no hurry. Hopefully some Christchurch wine enthusiasts who remember Dick Maling will still hold the wine. This was clearly the favourite wine for the group, eight people rating it their first or second wine. Hardly anybody thought it Spanish, highlighting how the American oak factor melds away with time. GK 10/16

nv Champagne Billecart-Salmon Brut Reserve 18 ½ (

)

Mareuil-sur-Ay, Champagne, France: 12%; $73 [ supercritical Diam cork; PM 40%, PN 30, Ch 30, an unknown percentage grand cru vineyards, the current base wine 2012 vintage but up to 50% reserve wines spanning three vintages; little or no oak (except maybe in reserve wines); tirage 32 – 34 months, dosage 7 g/L; website superficial; www.champagne-billecart.fr ]
Conventional champagne colour, lighter than the 2004 Blanc de Blancs. The perfume is stunning on this wine. People get sniffy about pinot meunier, but when it is handled as Billecart-Salmon do, it has a fragrant florality to which is magical. The aroma combines the best side of pink roses (imagine a pink variant of the cream 'Peace' rose) with the pure natural best side of strawberry aroma, yet it is winey. Behind that is pinot noir-led near-cherry quality fruit, and great autolysis, really baguette-crust in quality. Palate is wonderfully flavoursome, because the perfume on bouquet expands and almost bursts in mouth, carrying the baguette and Vogels Multigrain autolysis flavours to every tastebud one owns. As a 'standard' champagne this really is special, aided by the sophisticated dosage of 7 g/L. Again, not a long keeper with the high ratio of meunier, say 3 – 8 years, so it might be best to enjoy that sensational flavour while it is fresh. GK 04/16

1966 Champagne Bollinger Vintage Brut 18 ½ (

)

Ay, Champagne, France: – %; $628 [ traditional compound champagne cork; original price $7.75 (i.e. more than 1966 Ch Palmer, $6.35); Broadbent rating for vintage: ****, … a satisfactory harvest of firm, elegant wines; Wine Spectator – before their range. Detail so far back not clear, but probably as now pinot noir dominant and chardonnay, BF and MLF, base wine matured in all-old oak, c. 7 years en tirage, dosage may have been a little sweeter then than the c.8 g/L now; Broadbent, 2002: [ in 1997 ] ... very fine mousse, buttery, honeyed bouquet; medium-dryness and weight, lovely flavour, very good acidity ... [in 2001] a very good, rich 'old straw' nose; excellent flavour and acidity, ****; next bit not strictly relevant, but interesting, Robinson 2011, on the 1966 RD disgorged in 2011 (NB): A hint of mushrooms. Rich, even a little sweet now. An intellectual pleasure. Honeyed note on the end. Maybe the fruit is giving way to structure now but it is hugely impressive. Not that long but very beautiful. More than a hint of red burgundy about this wine, 18.5; www.champagne-bollinger.com ]
Straw, above midway, clearly in the lighter half of the colours, astonishing considering its age. It was initially hard to pinpoint the ratio of fruit versus autolysis in the wine due to TCA, other than to say it smells rich, high in pinot noir, and remarkably youthful in the 'strong' Bollinger style, for a 50-year-old sparkling. On palate, the richness of clearly aromatic pinot noir-dominant fruit is compelling. A perfect bottle of this would be an absolute delight. It is fractionally lighter than the warm-year 1982 Bollinger, but unbelievably, it is much fresher, with higher acid reflecting the difference between the two vintages. It is fresher than the 1976 RD, too, by far. Dosage seems about 6 g/L, now. Totally remarkable, in a bottle still retaining gentle pressure. Score initially had to be a guess – yet maybe not: a sample of the wine later left open to breathe shed its TCA completely. The group did not see the wine at all. GK 05/16

2008 Domaine Bott-Geyl Gewurztraminer Grand Cru Sonnenglanz 18 ½ (

)

Beblenheim, Alsace, France: 13%; $59 [ cork; www.bott-geyl.com ]
Lemonstraw with a wash of gold, in the middle for depth. This is not an in-your-face gewurz, and initially one is a little underwhelmed. Put simply, the more you taste it, how the wine grows. Bouquet opens to beautiful and totally floral gewurztraminer, yellow honeysuckle again, but here the magic lift of the fragrant autumn-flowering wild ginger, with its spice and sweetly-haunting perfume and aroma. Below is ample lychee, and golden queen and other stonefruits, the fruit expanding in mouth to be more phenolic than the grand cru field blend, so the flavour is lengthened spectacularly, and lengthened further by a touch of noble botrytis plus 30 or more g/L residual sugar too. Recently I wrote of the richness of the 2009 Saint-Clair Reserve Gewurztraminer, but even the very best New Zealand aromatic whites simply cannot compete with the richness of fine Alsatian wines. This raises a profound scoring problem, for the thoughtful winewriter. Cellar 3 – 15 years. GK 04/13

2021 Domaine La Bouissiere Gigondas 18 ½ (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 15%; $61 [ cork, 49mm; Gr 65 – 70% , Sy 25 – 30, Mv 0 – 5, average vine age around 50 years; Gr tending whole-bunch but Sy destemmed, extended cuvaison to 40 days; elevation now 60% in older 34 hectolitre-litre barrels, balance concrete vat; not fined or filtered; production up to c. 3,150 x 9-litre cases; J.L-L approves of this winery. Regrettably he does not report on the 2021, but rates the 2020 ****, and the 2022 as ****½. As a general statement for our label, he says: The Gigondas Tradition is good value, and very true, made from around 70% Grenache, 25% Syrah, 5% Mourvèdre … from 2016 there has been less oak, the raising 60% large 34 hl barrel, the rest concrete vat. I expect garrigue, menthol tones in it, and it is rarely under ****; a Dutch wine-shop has located a Jeb Dunnuck review for the 2021: Blackberries, peppery herbs, violets and sappy flower notes define the 2021 Gigondas Tradition, a textbook Gigondas in the vintage that's medium-bodied, has a pretty, elegant mouthfeel, integrated acidity and a great finish. Based on 73% Grenache and 27% Syrah, aged in foudre and concrete, enjoy bottles through 2031, 90; Wine Private Services of France are a little more promotional for this exact wine: a deep red color ... captivating aromas of black cherries, blackberries, spices and subtle notes of garrigue. On the palate … a symphony of complex flavors, with powerful tannins and remarkable structure. Notes of dark fruits, black pepper, licorice and thyme blend harmoniously, leading to a long and robust finish, leaving an unforgettable impression. … embodies the very essence of the great wines of the Rhone valley …; weight bottle and closure 625 g; www.labouissiere.com ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, similar to the Espiers but faintly older in hue, as if more oak exposure, just below midway in depth. Bouquet is initially deeper, darker and quieter than the Espiers, with exquisite nearly floral dusky garrigue suggestions. There are dark cherries and plums, like the Boisrenard nearly a reminder of cassis, infused with cinnamon. The next day the bouquet is sensational, hinting at what will develop in cellar. Flavour is wonderfully rich and long, aromatic, perhaps a little bit more ‘modern’ than the Espiers … more hints of cooperage. Finish again is bone dry. This is not quite such a ‘pretty’ wine as the Espiers, but in mouth it is a bit more substantial. Two tasters had the Bouissiere as their top wine, and two as their second-favourite. A case of this would also repay the investment, since Gigondas wines are so good with food. Cellar 15 – 30 years. GK 04/24

1999 Domaine La Bouissiere Gigondas La Font du Tonin 18 ½ (

)

Gigondas, Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $60 [ cork 44mm, ullage 22mm; original price c.$55; Cepage varies year to year, but Gr dominant, more Mv than the standard wine up to 25% and old-vine, dating to 1930s, the balance Sy; actual cepage in 1999 Gr 70%, Mv 30; up to 45% of the crop destemmed, extended cuvaisons to 42 days; 12 – 13 months in barrique-sized oak some new, the balance to 6 years, then 5 months in s/s vat; not fined or filtered; 375 – 500 x 9-litre cases (so fairly rare); J. L-L, 2002: ... there are animal, Mourvedre influences on the nose, but the fruit is clear, clear cherry. The palate is attractive, true and long. It offers good red cherry fruit, and this reflects a new, cleaner style than previously, not one that is overdone. The finish is dry from its oak, but it has enough guts for the oak. Esp good around 2007. To 2017, ****; R. Parker, 2000: ... displays abundant tannin and muscle in its formidably-endowed, backward personality. Dense and powerful, with copious quantities of blackberries, cassis, minerals, and toasty new oak, this 1999 is clearly a vin de garde. To 2017, 91 - 93. The following year he was not quite so impressed, [ paraphrased ]: full-bodied, good definition, vague notes of wood, to 2012, 89; www.labouissiere.com ]
Ruby, garnet and velvet, the second-deepest wine. Bouquet shows stunning purity, in a fragrant, mellow, lightly aromatic southern Rhone wine style, with cedary complexity. Though fractionally less fragrant than its un-oaked sibling, this wine is an exception to my generalisations, being a grenache-led wine not impaired by new oak. Palate is saturated with flavour, tasting much fresher than age and colour would suggest, the high mourvedre darker fruits adding to the unusually good tannin structure. This was the second-favourite wine on the night, three first places, six second. It is fully mature, but with the high mourvedre, will hold easily – for 10-plus years. GK 10/19

nv E. Briottet Creme de Cassis de Dijon 18 ½ (

)

Dijon area, Burgundy, France: 20%; $38 [ flanged cork 20mm, plastic-coated; the blackcurrant variety Black Burgundy is soaked in 20% neutral eau-de-vie for 10 weeks, then sweetened with cane sugar to 300 or more g/L. Cassis quality is a function of fruit quality, the eau-de-vie quality, and the ratio of berries to solution. This is a good one. Cassis is the key descriptor for perfectly ripe cabernet sauvignon, implying vibrant freshness, in contrast to the duller prune / raisin qualities typically found in hot-climate cabernet. New Zealand particularly from Hawkes Bay north at best matches Bordeaux in the perfection of its climate for perfectly ripe but not over-ripe bordeaux blends; www.briottet.com ]
A rich older ruby and velvet. After the first five table wines, this 'wine' at wine-liqueur strength is a dramatic change. The quality of the bottled blackcurrants = cassis bouquet is breathtaking, and then the saturation of flavour, both the pure berry component and character, and the strength of the fruit / alcohol / sugar syrup palate, is wonderful. As in previous years, very few students had smelt or tasted cassis, so including this pivotal 'wine' provides a yardstick for life. The Briottet is awfully good. I asked the class having tasted this 'wine' to then go back and rinse out the mouth with wine 1, The Menzies Cabernet Sauvignon, and the complementarity of flavours was all one could ask. Not really a cellar wine, but it keeps for some time. GK 09/14

2003 Ch Calon-Segur 18 ½ (

)

Saint-Estephe, Bordeaux, France: 13%; $160 [ cork 50mm; cepage typically 65%, Me 20, CF 15, cropped at c.5.2 t/ha (2.1 t/ac); 18 months in barrel, 50% new; R. Parker, 2014: Ripe, medium to full-bodied, fresh and precise, 93; www.calon-segur.fr ]
One of the deeper and more youthful wines. Bouquet shows a poise, complexity, typicity and charm which makes nonsense of so many UK winewriters doubting the 2003 vintage in Bordeaux. In Saint-Estephe, 2003 was stellar, if one takes only the evidence of the wines themselves. This Calon has arrived at a perfect point of first total integration and harmony, primary floral and berry characters grading to secondary, superb cassisy and black doris plum and berry mingled with cedary soft oak. Palate is equally beautiful, showing total harmony of all the flavour components, not the biggest wine, but a completeness, balance and softness which is enchanting. Classic modern claret, to cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 02/16

2001 Domaine Charvin Chateauneuf du Pape 18 ½ (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $70 [ Gr 90%, Mv 5, white vars. 5 ]
Good ruby, not a fraction of the weight the winewriters would have one believe. To have this in a blind tasting was an exciting prospect, for it has had rave reviews in America, yet from the descriptors one would think the authors were tasting different wines. Wine Spectator speaks of it being dark and dense, with chocolate and tar, and a long core of fruit. Robert Parker, for whom smell is more important, speaks of gorgeously scented kirsch liqueur, plums, raspberries … and Provencal herbs. Our thoughts were the wine is at present dominated by sweet syrah, with a floral component ranging from carnations to violets (and yes, herbes de Provence) in a bouquet which would put many a Cote Rotie in shame. Below is crisp berry. Palate is likewise extraordinarily fragrant and crisp for the southern Rhone, blending syrah aromatics with grenache silky body and a touch of cinnamon, plus a hint of new oak. This will be wonderfully confusing wine in 10 years, with qualities spanning not only the north and south Rhone, but Burgundy as well. The last 5 years from Charvin have been superb, essential in any cellar. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 10/04

1998 Domaine Charvin Chateauneuf-du-Pape Non-Filtré 18 ½ (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $151 [ cork 50mm; originally around $65; approx. Gr 90%, Mv 5, odds including whites 5; elevation includes six months only in large old wood, no new oak, held in concrete otherwise till bottling; Parker comments in general: Charvin … fashions Chateauneuf du Pape that comes closest to the style of Rayas. There is … a wonderfully sweet, deep, concentrated mid-palate, and layers of flavour that unfold on the palate. Great burgundy should possess a similar texture and purity, but it rarely does; Parker, 2010: Fully mature, Charvin’s 1998 Chateauneuf du Pape is a beauty, with an almost Burgundian, ethereal complexity of sweet cedar, spice box, black raspberries, cherries, and garrigue. Fleshy, but at the same time remarkably elegant and pure, this wine has hit a magical point where it should last for another 5-7 years. Absolutely top-notch now: 94: weight bottle and closure: 673 g; ; www.domaine-charvin.com ]
Rosy ruby, garnet and velvet, the second to lightest wine. Bouquet is immensely fragrant and lifted by spicy grenache, but sadly some of the lift is due to the nutmeg of 4-EG, from brett. So we need to check more carefully. Varietal quality in the grenache-dominant red fruits browning now is still good, the bouquet being almost enchanting. In mouth the wine is rich, both juicy, and savoury from the nutmeg, so the palate structure is not yet too obviously adversely impacted by brett. Right now it shows the best of both worlds, wonderful fruit and length, plus wonderful complexity from both grapes and fermentation characters, oak being near-invisible. The fourth most-favoured wine on the night, it will be glorious with food. Techno-freaks will (of course) reject the wine, in the single-factor way technical people do. Sad, really. So the message I suspect is, best not to cellar this for too much longer: to misquote the car people, brett never sleeps. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 08/16

1998 Domaine Charvin Chateauneuf-du-Pape Non-Filtré 18 ½ (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $65 [ cork; original price; approx. Gr 90%, Mv 5, odds inc whites 5; elevation includes six months only in large old wood, no new oak, held in concrete otherwise till bottling; Parker comments in general: Charvin … fashions Chateauneuf du Pape that comes closest to the style of Rayas. There is … a wonderfully sweet, deep, concentrated mid-palate, and layers of flavour that unfold on the palate. Great burgundy should possess a similar texture and purity, but it rarely does; Parker 6/10: Fully mature, Charvin’s 1998 Chateauneuf du Pape is a beauty, with an almost Burgundian, ethereal complexity of sweet cedar, spice box, black raspberries, cherries, and garrigue. Fleshy, but at the same time remarkably elegant and pure, this wine has hit a magical point where it should last for another 5-7 years. Absolutely top-notch now. 94; Wine Spectator 9/07: Shows this domaine's typical racy red fruit profile – raspberry and macerated cherry – but there's also a layer of black fruit underneath, with alluring spice box and sweet earth. The nice tangy acidity is still riding high on the finish. Really blossoms in the glass. 95; www.domaine-charvin.com ]
Elegant ruby and garnet, below the middle in depth. Bouquet epitomises the Southern Rhone, being fragrant with ripe red fruits and cinnamon spice, plus slightest brett savoury notes. Palate is supple, like the Vieux Telegraphe perfectly balanced to the oak, grape tannins rather than oak and slightly furry, lovely. The length of flavour is very appealing. A taster would have to be obsessive about brett to object to this level – it simply makes the wine wonderfully savoury and food-friendly. It is not quite as rich as the Vieux Telegraphe, cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 04/12

2005 Yann Chave Crozes-Hermitage le Rouvre 18 ½ (

)

Crozes-Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $45 [ cork; formerly the Tete de Cuvée label; 1 year in 1-year old 600 L barrels, because 'Syrah is easily over-run by too much oak' – Yann Chave, quoted by Livingstone-Learmonth; Wine Spectator: A buttery hint to the black cherry, plum and floral notes. Round, soft easy finish shows a dash of toast. A touch more flesh than the regular cuvée. To '08. 89. On Jancis Robinson's website, Julia Harding MW is now co-writer. These are her notes: Sweet, spicy pepper and very pure black fruit. Soft rounded sweet dark fruit. Very smooth and rich, already easy to drink. Combined with the softness there is also a finesse that comes from strong but fine bone structure. To 2015 17.5; imported and distributed by Maison Vauron, Auckland ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, one of the deeper. The high point of this wine is the superb floral complexity on bouquet, bespeaking true syrah at optimal ripeness in a climate temperate enough to retain the floral components. This is even more accurately syrah than le Sol, for in addition to violets, boronia and deepest red roses on bouquet, there is the sweet lifted light perfume of wallflower / dianthus – very beautiful. Palate is crisp, almost identical to the Block 14 but not quite as rich, the oak subtler and slightly older. This is close to the superb 2003, perhaps fractionally lighter. It is one of the best Crozes-Hermitage I have tasted in 35 years of cellaring them. It needs three years to soften, but it already shows all the varietal character and style of all but the most substantial Hermitage wines, at a fraction of the price. Every winemaker in New Zealand who aspires to make true syrah-styled wines should invest in a case of this, and focus on the bouquet particularly – over the next 12 years ! Cellar 5 – 15 + years. GK 04/07

2003 Yann Chave Crozes-Hermitage Tete de Cuvee 18 ½ (

)

Northern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $38 [ cork; Maison Vauron; Sy 100%; 14% of alcohol is extraordinary ripeness for Crozes. Yann is the son of Bernard Chave, and has taken over the winery totally as from 2002 vintage, bringing a new and more modern approach to vineyard and winery practice – e.g. de-stemming. They are based in Crozes-Hermitage. Yann is nephew / cousin to father and son Gerard & Jean-Louis Chave, who make arguably the definitive wine of Hermitage. For Rhone wines, Gauntley’s of Nottingham are one of the leading UK wine merchants. Their comment on this wine is: “2003 Crozes Hermitage Tete de Cuvee £10.75: Yann has made an outstanding Crozes Hermitage. It possesses more elegance than the du Colombier, but is no less concentrated and deep … impenetrable colour and overwhelming bouquet of crushed fruits and spice with a touch of oak. Absolutely delicious, a real star. Drink from 2006-12. This top selection of Crozes could possibly be the finest in the appellation and recognition is long overdue.” ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, nearly as deep as the Hermitage. I think this is the best Crozes-Hermitage I have ever tasted, almost indistinguishable on bouquet and flavour from the Hermitage proper. The main difference is the bouquet is more open and forthcoming in its florals, cassis and dark plum, and the palate is a little softer. Initially, it seemed the better wine, but with air the Hermitage inched ahead slightly on its aromatic depths, and firmer acid balance, all more cellarworthy. This is a rich, soft, beautifully balanced syrah, which will cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 10/05

2001 Domaine J L Chave Hermitage 18 ½ (

)

Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $367 [ cork 50mm; Sy 100%; 18 months in small oak, 10 – 20% new (in the era covered), balance 1 – 5 years; J.L-L: Very attractive indeed, *****; website not functional yet, good information at the Europvin website; www.domainejlchave.fr ]
Maturing ruby and some velvet, in the middle of the Northern Rhones for depth of colour. Bouquet is complex maturing syrah, not exactly obviously floral or spicy any longer, more a still-aromatic bouquet gathering harmony and complexity on browning cassisy berry and subtly integrated new oak. The overlap between the 2001 Chave and the 2004 Lafite is intriguing, both showing very finegrain cassisy berry melded with subtle and complex cedary oak, but the Lafite stronger and more clearly cassisy in mouth. Palate is taut and nervy, real cassis here, and richer than you first suppose, black pepper building on the later palate and aftertaste. Classical Northern Rhone syrah, not as big as some vintages. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 02/16

2006 Ch Cheval Blanc 18 ½ (

)

St Emilion Premier Grand Cru Classé A, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $1,025 [ cork; price is simple conversion from US$720; cepage for this one from the consultant winemaker Me 54%, CF 45, CS 1; cropping rate c.1.8 t / ac; 18 months in oak usually 100% new; Robinson 2007: supple fruit on the front palate but no great intensity … a rather green puny little thing … not one of Cheval’s most glorious vintages 17 ++; Parker 2009: Lush, textured, and opulent with superb purity, medium to full body, savory flavors, and sweet, sexy tannins. 95; tiresome website; www.chateau-cheval-blanc.com ]
Ruby and velvet, not on the scale of the 2007 Hawkes Bay reds in size or hue, below midway in density. The quality of bouquet in this wine is exquisite, showing a remarkable floral mostly roses lift on berries which are redder than the top New Zealand wines: red currants, cherries, red plums. Palate is long, excitingly fine and fresh, with exactly the elegance most of our producers have typically failed to achieve in their high-cabernet franc wines. Cabernet franc is almost like pinot noir (or syrah), a variety whose beauty is compromised or lost with excess oak. It is therefore hard to explain how this wine can be so beautifully varietal, supple and fine-grain, with 18 months in 100% new oak, according to the consultant winemaker and speaker Kees van Leeuwen. Perhaps like the Guigal grands crus, there are qualities of oak available to some French producers which we can only dream about in New Zealand. Though total body is light against the Church Road, palate length, beauty, complexity and pleasure are similar in a delicate way. This wine gloriously meets the classic prescription for claret-styles to be refreshing with food, a concept so many Australian reds so signally fail to achieve. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 01/10

1998 Domaine Auguste Clape Cornas 18 ½ (

)

Cornas, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $346 [ cork, 49mm; New Zealand release price $79; winemaking as above; Wine Spectator vintage rating for the year, 90; J.L-L, 2016: The bouquet has a smoky air, curvy raspberry and blueberry, a hint of damp forest. It is harmonious, spiced, like an en finesse Grenache from Chateauneuf-du-Pape. The palate starts on fleshy, spiced plum fruit, has a southern fat, elegantly served with toffee-like tannins on the finish. It is supple, a little undecided. It has very good, stealthy length. It isn’t an evident wine, has mystery, with hidden corners. It has been withdrawn in the past, and still is: it is southern with northern influences around it, 2032 – 34, ****(*); RP@R. Parker, 2001: The big, classic 1998 Cornas reveals hard tannin, medium to full body, a dense ruby/purple color, and a muscular, backstrapping, husky style that requires 5-6 years of cellaring. It will last for 16-18 years, but it does not have much fat, glycerin or sweetness, 90; no domaine website, easiest background info on the Europvin website, ref. above. ]
Ruby and garnet, still some velvet, midway in depth. Surprisingly for what is regarded as a hot year, this 1998 is beautifully syrah-floral, not as fragrant and dianthus-dominant as the 1995, but still wallflowers and dusky red roses. Below is sweet cassis browning now, and attractive bottled plums both red and darker. Palate follows perfectly, but with the attraction that the florals permeate the entire palate, like fine Cote de Nuits, but naturally here with much more tannin backbone, and still nearly black pepper spice. I was staggered at the varietal accuracy of this wine, considering the reputation of the vintage. Accordingly, at the stage of creating a presentation sequence to best reveal the nature of syrah the grape, as well as Clape the interpreter, I therefore placed this 1998 as wine number one. It illustrated the nature of syrah at near-maturity very well, as well as introducing the scope of the tasting. As always, it is psychologically near-impossible for wine number one (in a blind line-up of 12 wines) to be rated the top wine, but one person rated 1998 their second-favourite in the set. On its plateau of maturity, will hold for 10 years at least. GK 09/18

1983 Domaine Auguste Clape Cornas 18 ½ (

)

Cornas, Northern Rhone Valley, France: – %; $484 [ cork, 46mm; winemaking as above; Broadbent vintage rating for the year *****, excellent; J.L-L, 2001: Has a good fungal aroma, showing decomposing matter with spiced black fruit. Good fullness and richness come through on the palate, then the typical mineral edge of Cornas and the dryness of the vintage take it along to a reserved ending. Shows well the earthy intensity of aged Syrah from a drier vintage. 2007-10, *****; RP@R. Parker, 1997: A huge, tannic, backward 1983, this wine continues to offer evidence of considerable longevity. ... a bouquet of blackcurrant fruit, pepper, and licorice, this enormously structured wine has outstanding depth and firm, abundant tannin. Anticipated maturity: 2000-2010. Last tasted 11/95, 90; no domaine website, easiest info on the Europvin website, ref. above. ]
Garnet and ruby, the lightest wine, nearly an old burgundy colour. Bouquet too is nearly ‘sweet’ in a burgundian sense, not really floral in a definable way, yet very fragrant, clear browning cassis hinting at the forest-floor notes of Burgundy, yet tauter than a fine pinot noir of the same age would be. On palate that tautness immediately shatters the burgundy analogy, there being a tannin backbone more akin to the Medoc than Burgundy, yet with beautiful mature browning cassisy berry. Wellington’s most acute / experienced taster of European reds commented specifically on the ‘impeccable balance’ in this wine, at full maturity. My thought was, that I couldn't wait to see this Clape 1983 against Jaboulet’s 1983 Hermitage La Chapelle, the latter a wine which promised so much young, but when last tasted appeared to be succumbing to the tannins of that hot summer. This 1983 Clape is in contrast like velvet. Four first places, and interestingly, four least places. Nobody in between. Fully mature, enjoy it while it is still so vital and beautiful, over the next few years. GK 09/18

2010 Le Clos du Caillou Chateauneuf-du-Pape Les Safres 18 ½ (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 15%; $58 [ cork, 50 mm; Gr 100% in 2010 (usually 95%, vaccarese 2 – 5, Ci 0 – 2); Les Safres (formerly Tradition) is the first or standard grade of our three Caillou wines, illustrating the concept of producing a hierarchy of qualities; all destemmed, cuvaison 30 days; 15 – 18 months in large barrels none new; fined, filtered, organic; J.L-L: genuine, unfussy, local, ***(*); Robinson, 2012: Big and bold and velvety without any excess, 17; Dunnuck @ Parker, 2014: plenty of peppery herbs, leather, licorice and darker-styled fruit … fabulous richness and texture, 94; typical production 915 9-litre cases; weight bottle and closure: 657 g; www.closducaillou.com ]
Ruby, some development showing, just below midway in depth. The first thing to say is, this bottle is specifically different from the previous bottle reported on, the earlier one being faintly reductive and needing splashy decanting. This one is perfect from the outset. It displays textbook garrigue aromatics on all-red fruits which will with time be definitive grenache, raspberry and cinnamon, even a hint of silver pine essential oil, enchanting. Palate is pure berry, grenache of a quality, suppleness and charm I have never encountered in grenache from Australia. As an affordable Chateauneuf-du-Pape at release ($50), the least of the three in the Clos du Caillou hierarchy in this tasting, this wine is another candidate for the thought ‘most representative / typical Chateauneuf’ in the set, despite the mono-cepage approach. Cellar 5 – 20 years. One person rated it their second wine. GK 06/17

2004 Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc 18 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $29 [ all s/s, 2 months LA; www.cloudybay.co.nz ]
Lemongreen. A vibrant young sauvignon bouquet, redolent of red capsicums and black passionfruit, and totally free of armpit. Vibrant is a euphemism for trace VA, which most people mark up at this level. Palate is fresh, wonderfully mild on low phenolics, and full of flavour already. For a six-month old wine to have so much flavour, the bottling sulphur must be very low. Not quite as finely tuned as the Peregrine or Isabel maybe, but another classic Cloudy Bay and Marlborough sauvignon. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 10/04

2000 Ch La Conseillante 18 ½ (

)

Pomerol, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $425 [ Cork 50 mm, ullage 15 mm; landed cost $360; one of the long-standing top wines of Pomerol, in the same family (Nicolas) since 1871; Me 80%, CF 20, traditionally planted at 6,000 vines / ha but new plantings 7,500, average vine age 35 years, cropped at c. 35 – 40 hl/ha, averaged as 4.9 t/ha = 2 t/ac; viticulture tending organic / lutte raisonée; machine and hand sorting of the grapes / berries; cuvaison to 30 days in temperature-controlled s/s, malolactic in vat, elevation to 18 months in barrel, the percentage new oak varying with year from 55% to 80%; fined but not filtered; Brook, 2007: The 2000 has seductive oaky aromas, but plums and vanilla penetrate the sheen of new barriques; its luxurious and silky, dense but persistent; Robinson, 2010: Looks quite evolved. Very attractive freshness on the nose. Great finesse even if not that much richness. Very correct but just a little austere. Should last very well. Long. Lovely silky texture. Quite marked acidity but it's well integrated, to 2020, 17.5; RP @ WA, 2010: a lot to be said for this 2000. An elegant, gentle style that is never a blockbuster … an unbelievably expressive nose of sweet kirsch liqueur intermixed with raspberries, incense, toast, and licorice. Full-bodied yet ethereal in the sense that it seems to combine power along with eloquence and delicacy, this is a beautifully pure wine that has just hit its plateau of full maturity, although ideally I think it would benefit strongly from another 4-5 years of bottle age and drink well for two to three decades, to 2044, 96; production averages 5,400 x 9-litre cases grand vin; weight bottle and closure: 600 g; www.la-conseillante.com ]
Ruby and some velvet, midway in depth. This wine fulfilled its goal superbly, namely to show a high-merlot wine ripened to perfection, the berry qualities still fresh and fragrant and clearly floral, nearly violets, certainly dark roses and lilac, on beautiful darkly plummy berry without the aromatics of the cabernet-led wines. In its subtlety of oak and high merlot La Conseillante invited comparison with the Ch Palmer, but as soon as you do that, the aromatics of Palmer's cabernet component intrude, though scarcely noticeable before. Interesting. One of the questions for the group, in the data tabulation phase before the wines are revealed, was: is this wine merlot-led ? Six thought so for La Conseillante. Palate is entirely compatible with the bouquet, beautiful fresh blueberry and bottled black doris berryfruit, lovely softness, subtlest oak, the wine not quite as rich as I hoped. Nonetheless it very much shows the beautiful side of Pomerol, not over-ripened. No votes for first or second place, perhaps the wine a little understated in the company. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 11/20

2002 Newton Forrest Cornerstone Merlot 18 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $39 [ Me 90%, CS 7, Ma 3; www.forrest.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, not quite as dense as the Villa wine. Here is another merlot to check the marvellous bouquet of violets these wines can show, when ripened in a climate that is not too hot. New Zealand (and Hawkes Bay in particular) has a wonderful climatic advantage with respect to merlot, matched only by Chile in the southern hemisphere. Below the florals is perfect purity, and great plummy rather than cassisy berry. Palate is rich, soft, full, beautiful merlot, and showing a subtlety of oak handling not always thus far apparent in the Cornerstone wines. Cellar 10 – 15 years. GK 12/04

1998 Domaine Courbis Cornas les Eygats 18 ½ (

)

Cornas, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $ – [ cork; 100% Sy, vines planted 1991; 100% de-stemmed, s/s fermentation & cuvaison 21 – 30 days; 12 – 16 months in French oak 25% new; R. Parker: 1998 Les Eygats … peppery, charcoal, earth, and truffle aromas with abundant quantities of blackberry and cassis fruit. It tastes more like a Cote Rotie than a Cornas, but the oak is well-integrated, the acidity low, and the tannin noticeable, but well-integrated. Rich and complex, this 1998 should evolve nicely for 12-15 years. 90; J. Robinson: Dark crimson. Modern fruity wine with some Syrah rigour in its structure. Well mannered. Attractive to drink now. Not intense but good balance. Dry (not sweet), firm, no-compromises finish. 16.5 ]
Ruby and velvet, fresh and good for the year. Bouquet is quiet, but rich and ripe, inclining to the new world in style. There seems to be a clear barrel-ferment suggestion, on fruit which is plummy more than cassis, but still clearly syrah. It is a little too ripe for explicit florals, but there is black peppercorn. Palate is wonderful though, by far the richest of the 1998 wines, classically syrah, the oak new but balanced, the acid balance excellent. The winestyle tiptoes towards best Australian, but stays rooted in the Rhone: no hint of boysenberry here. Cellar 5 – 15 years more. GK 03/08

1989 Ch Coutet 18 ½ (

)

Barsac Premier Cru, Bordeaux, France: – %; $ – [ cork; Se 75%, SB 23, Muscadelle 2, planted @ 5500 – 7500 vines / ha, average age then 30 or so years, typically yielding little more than 2.5 t/ha (1 t/ac); BF and 16 – 18 – 24 months in oak with 50% new each year at the time; www.chateaucoutet.com ]
Medium gold, a lovely colour. This wine stood out from the others by virtue of its total integration, and the dominance of fruit and botrytis over other factors such as oak and VA. The nett impression on bouquet was of golden queen peach tart and creme brulée, yet fresh throughout. In mouth the flavour was far from the richest, but the yellow peach flavours dominate attractively, the oak in particular being secondary. This is a welcome contrast with some of the others. The harmony and length make this the most food-friendly of the wines. It is fully mature, long flavours on fruit though already perhaps drying a little. It will hold for some years, drying as it goes. GK 08/11

2003 Domaine de Cristia Chateauneuf du Pape 18 ½ (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 15%; $40 [ cork; Eurowine; Gr 70%, Sy 10, Mv 10, Ci 5, Muscardin 5; 24 months in old oak; production a few thousand cases only. Parker 156: "Complex aromas of flowers, incense, ground pepper, raspberries, and cherries emerge from the 2003 Chateauneuf du Pape … dense, full-bodied, firm tannin, loads of freshness, superb concentration, and an earthy, powerful yet elegant finish. The Grangeons are potential new superstars from Chateauneuf du Pape, and this is representative of the sensational wines that have emerged from their vineyards over the last three years. This wine is a structured, tannic, somewhat backward effort that goes against the tendency of this vintage to produce fleshy, opulent, succulent Chateauneufs for early consumption. Give it 2-3 years of bottle age, and consume it over the following 12-15. 90-92" ]
Ruby, a flush of carmine and velvet. This is a totally different wine from the Alary Estevenas, the bouquet showing the sweet raspberry and cinnamon of grenache dominant, in a wine of exceptional purity, but quite spirity. Palate builds body and richness into the berry, more depth and complexity than mere raspberry, the cinnamon expanding to become a most attractive spicy and sustaining finish. Acid balance is attractive, and oak is low, yet the wine has a structure and complexity suggesting ripe stalks, maybe. The best of old and new worlds. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 09/05

2011 Yves Cuilleron Condrieu La Petite Cote 18 ½ (

)

Condrieu, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $92 [ cork; hand-picked from sites above Chavanay, all BF on low-solids in older oak 2 – 5 years, 100% MLF plus LA, batonnage and 9 months in barrel, c.2150 cases; July offer $69 @ Glengarry; www.cuilleron.com ]
The most clearly lemon hue in the set. Bouquet is much the freshest in the nine, much cooler than the 2009 Petite Cote, Lisbon lemon blossom more than yellow honeysuckle, a hint of jasmine, clear fresh apricots at a yellow-only stage of ripeness. Palate is lighter and fresher than the 2009 Petite Cote, and much less oaky than Les Chaillets. This 2011 and the 2009 Petite Cote pretty well span the desirable varietal characters of viognier. A little cooler than this, and the wine grades into the more anonymous best New Zealand renderings of the variety. But even then the actual palate here is so much more saturated with apricots, the apparent richness and texture augmented by the MLF fermentation so many of our wineries are reluctant to deploy (honourable exceptions Villa Maria and Church Road). Cellar 2 – 4 years. These two wines are essential study wines for any local winemaker wishing to make worthwhile viognier in New Zealand. GK 06/13

2011 Yves Cuilleron Condrieu Les Chaillets 18 ½ (

)

Condrieu, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $125 [ cork; made from older vines (sometimes labelled Vieilles Vignes) all hand-picked with a little sur-maturité from steeper slopes above Chavanay, low-solids juice wild-yeast-fermented and 100% MLF in barrel, with up to 30% new oak, plus 10 months lees autolysis and batonnage in barrel; 1580 cases; July offer $99 @ Glengarry; www.cuilleron.com ]
Lemonstraw, the second most lemon. Bouquet here is a youthful fresher face of the 2009, but not the depth of varietal expression. The apricots here are only yellow ripe, the honeysuckle blossom is joined by Lisbon lemon blossom, and like the 2009 Chaillets the oak is much more noticeable than the Petite Cote, with a percentage new. Palate is much fresher than the 2009, again less ripe apricots, but a fresher and more youthful wine which some would prefer, beautiful acid balance, high-quality oak, but again the oak a little noticeable. Cellar 2 – 4 years. GK 06/13

2010 Yves Cuilleron Cote Rotie la Madiniere 18 ½ (

)

Northern Rhone Valley, France: 12.5%; $125 [ Cork 55mm; Sy 100% hand-picked from vines planted at 8 – 10,000 vines / ha, on darker schist soils of the The Côte Brune vineyards of Les Roziers and Les Rochains; some whole-bunch, wild-yeast fermentations; cuvaison c.21 days; MLF and c.18 months in barrel, around 50% new; 875 cases; no UK reviews found, no Parker; Raynolds in Tanzer, 2012: Highly perfumed scents of cherry-cola, blackberry, vanilla and Asian spices. Weighty but focused dark fruit liqueur and spice flavors show striking clarity and concentration, with soft tannins building on the back half. The spicy quality lingers on the long, sweet finish, 91-93; Molesworth in Wine Spectator, 2013: This is packed with boysenberry, blackberry and loganberry fruit that races along, while graphite, iron and smoldering mesquite notes fill in through the finish. Displays the grip and drive of the vintage. Best from 2016 through 2025. 800 cases made, 95; www.cuilleron.com ]
Good ruby, quite fresh, towards the lighter end. This wine too needs the jug to jug pouring five times, and again the blossoming is a pleasure to behold. Suddenly there are midnight-deep darkest rose florals, plus carnations, dianthus and cracked black peppercorns, all bespeaking syrah picked at pinpoint ripeness for complexity. Palate is velvety, spectacularly riper than the Jamet, a tactile fruit quality, clear cassis and suggestions of bottled black doris plums and blueberry. Several winemakers marked this wine down for brett. I have examined it as closely as sensory evaluation allows, and have a sneaking suspicion they are confusing the dusky florality with the fragrant 4-EG phase of brett metabolism by-products. I'm more than happy to have this wine in my cellar: it epitomises Cote Rotie with no viognier, yet highly fragrant, more appropriately ripened than the Jamet. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 11/14

2010 Yves Cuilleron Cote Rotie Terres Sombres 18 ½ (

)

Cote Rotie, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $147 [ 55mm cork; Sy 100% hand-picked @ c. 5.8 t/ha (2.3 t/ac) from vines planted at 8 – 10,000 vines / ha, on darker schist soils; some whole-bunch, cuvaison c.21 days; MLF and c.18 months in barrel; 900 cases; July offer @ Glengarry $115; www.cuilleron.com ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, just above midway in depth. The contrast between Bassenon and Terres Sombres is both subtle yet profound. All the dark red fruits are there, and blueberry too, in a wine of stunning purity and subtle oaking, but the difference lies in the florals. Here is dusky deepest red roses and wallflower, and subtlest black pepper, with none of the lighter notes pointing to viognier. On palate the fruit richness and ripeness is slightly greater and the cassis is a little more apparent, all with slightly more new oak. The differences are very subtle, and again this is not a big wine, but both are simply beautiful. It is lighter than the top 2010 New Zealand syrahs seen alongside, but more fragrant, floral and beautiful. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 06/13

2016 Domaine des Espiers Gigondas Les Grames 18 ½ (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $48 [ cork 50 mm; Gr 65 – 75%, Sy 25 – 35, organic, hand-picked at 4.55 t/ha = 1.8 t/ac; not destemmed, elevation in concrete vat, plus a percentage 6 months in barriques age unsure; available from Maison Vauron, Auckland, and retailers supplied by them; weight bottle and cork, 636 g; http://p.cartoux.free.fr ]
Ruby, some velvet, fractionally older than some, above midway in depth. This wine is definitive: it simply cries out Southern Rhone Valley, with its beautiful floral and garrigue lift on fragrant mostly red fruits, subtlest oak complexity, and wonderful typicité. As with nearly all these wines, there is more spirit than one would wish, with food, but this is one of the subtler ones. The flavours simply continue the beauties of the bouquet. It is not one of the bigger wines, but the aromatic quality and length of the flavour, and the gentleness and lack of weight in some ways make it the most enchanting of all the more highly-rated wines. This wine shows both the excitement of the vintage to perfection, and the merits of not de-stemming. Cellar 10 – 25 years. GK 05/19

2021 Domaine des Espiers Gigondas Les Grames 18 ½ (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 15%; $53 [ cork, 50mm; proprietor Philippe Cartoux farms 9.5 ha organically, in three appellations, 3 ha in Gigondas. There are three Gigondas, the Tradition wine, then two individual vineyard wines at a higher price. Les Grames is the middle-ranking of the three, a new addition to the range, cepage Gr 65%, Sy 35, planted at 5,400 vines per ha, and cropped at 35 hl/ha = 4.55 t/ha = 1.8 t/ac. Vinification includes fruit perhaps 80% de-stemmed, three days cold soak, up to 4 weeks cuvaison, elevation 70% in concrete, 30% in barriques some newish for 12 months, then fined but not filtered; J.L-L regards the proprietor as ‘switched-on’, and Les Grames as offering clear fruit and unfussy drinking; I felt we had to have this label, since the 2016 combined great quality with good value; production now c.4,500 x 9-litre cases; J.L-L, 2022: fair depth red robe; the bouquet has an aroma that mixes green olives, raspberry, dried herbs, holds OK. The palate has a spearmint tone, moves with some vigour, a collection of small red fruits, redcurrants included, invigorating it. It can expand the finish with a little more time, is a steady quality Gigondas, the length sound. 14.5°. 55,000 b. From mid-2023. 2034-35, ***½; no US reviews of the 2021 found, so another UK wine-merchant for this vintage: Dark and glossy. Gorgeous raspberry and damson flavours, bright, fresh and youthful. Mildest rasp of tannins. Powerful, artisanal, and with years to go. Now-2028; weight bottle and closure 623 g; http://p.cartoux.free.fr ]
Ruby, carmine suggestions and some velvet, but only medium weight, in the middle for depth. Right from pouring, this is one of the most fragrant wines in the set, absolutely epitomising what is so enchanting in good southern Rhone Valley reds, but is now so hard to find in many Cotes du Rhone. There are red rose florals, hints of garrigue, wonderful red more than black fruits, light cinnamon spice, all saliva-inducing. Flavour is not as rich and deep as some, but in terms of elegance of flavour, true-ness to type, and matching with food, this wine epitomises the magic of Gigondas. Finish is bone dry. The quality (and price) here is such that purchase by the case is essential. Leave the case sealed for 10 years, the wine being a slightly lighter edition as fits with the reputation of the 2021 vintage ... but it is still pretty classic in terms of dry extract, compared with many New Zealand reds. Perhaps because it is somewhat lighter on palate than the other top wines, Les Grames had no top ratings, but six people rated it their second-favourite. Cellar 10 – 25 years. GK 04/24

2008 Domaine W. Fevre Chablis Vaudesir Grand Cru 18 ½ (

)

Chablis, France: 12.5%; $133 [ cork; alcohol given surely notional; no website found ]
Good lemon, scarcely separable from the Felton 2010 Chardonnay, or maybe a little lighter. Grand cru chablis is always (hopefully) a treat, whenever you bump into it, and in organising the Felton Road tastings, convener Alistair Morris included this wine to see how it illuminated the Felton chardonnays. The answer can only be: brilliantly. It is quieter than either of the Feltons, not so beautifully floral, but none of the grey fog (sulphur-related) of yesteryear chablis. On bouquet there is just a suggestion of English white flowers, on pale stonefruit. Palate is fresh, a little more mineral yet gentler than the Feltons (and other cool-climate New Zealand chardonnays) and less oak influenced if at all (maybe large old oak vessels), bone dry, with an enticing mouthfeel and length. If the Felton had even less new oak than the current 15%, which exacerbates the high acid, the styles would overlap delightfully. And indeed, there are some Chablis proprietors using some new oak. Lovely wine, eminently drinkable, cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/11

2008 Champagne Gallois Premier Cru Brut 18 ½ (

)

Vertus, Champagne, France: 12%; $98 [ compound champagne cork; Ch 100%; understood to be 5 years en tirage, then some years binned before release; minimal info on website; www.champagne-serge-gallois.fr ]
Full straw, deeper than either Condrieu. Bouquet is exquisitely pure, understated though a little developed, showing complex crust-of-baguette and brioche lees autolysis characters, with an intriguing hint of an aromatic as if there were trace barrel-ferment or pinot noir, or both. I understand the wine is chardonnay 100%. Flavour is crisp, fresh, with again an elegant depth of baguette-crust flavours from the extended lees autolysis and presumably a full MLF component. There are complex flavours wrapped around the chardonnay core, including lovely mealy fresh qualities of cashew … and again the thought, is there maybe a trace of barrel-ferment. Acid balance and the finish are long and firm, tapering infinitely. Cropping rate / dry extract is good, residual sweetness / dosage unknown but likely to be 4 – 6 g/L. Cellar 5 – 20 years, maybe longer. This is an attractive and characterful blanc de blancs, available from WineSeeker, Wellington. GK 07/19

nv Champagne Gatinois Tradition Grand Cru 18 ½ (

)

Ay, Champagne, France: 12%; $ – [ Compound cork 40mm; original price $55; PN 80%, Ch 20, all grand cru vineyards; 30% reserve wines in the blend; all s/s fermented, a little oak in reserve wines; MLF; two years en tirage; dosage 7 g/L; this bottle disgorged c.2013; imported by Maison Vauron, Auckland; www.champagne-gatinois.com ]
Straw with a faint now-orange flush, reflecting some age (the wine has always had a flush). Bouquet immediately makes clear why, the red fruits of a pinot noir-dominant base wine, clear red and black cherry thoughts, even faintly aromatic, complexed by wonderful autolysis, again of total baguette quality. Palate is neat and taut, again pinot noir mainly, elegant dosage around 7 g/L, and noticeably richer fruit / greater dry extract than the other two. This is where the all-grand-cru fruit quality becomes self-evident, the wine nearly succulent. The quality of autolysis to the aftertaste is of reference quality, a little more ‘wholemeal’ than the Dumangin, subtle hazelnut more than cashew. Delightful having high pinot noir and high pinot meunier wines alongside each other. Fully mature now … some might feel the wine a little old, and the score a little high, but I like mature wines. GK 06/20

2005 Domaine Geantet-Pansiot Gevrey-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes 18 ½ (

)

Gevrey-Chambertin, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 13%; $84 [ cork 49mm; new oak 30%; www.geantetpansiot.com ]
Classic pinot noir ruby, right in the middle for depth. Bouquet is nearly as floral as the Goulots, wonderful red and black cherry pinot fruit, with slightly more new oak apparent. There is a purity to the fruit and oak here reminiscent of some top Individual Vineyard Mt Difficulty wines, but the savoury play of fruit on palate is longer and more complex. This too is squeaky-clean modern wine, to cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 04/15

1976 Ch Grand-Puy-Lacoste 18 ½ (

)

Pauillac Fifth Growth, Medoc, France: – %; $126 [ Cork, 53mm, ullage 10mm; CS 70%, Me 25, CF 5; purchase price $18.25; 20 – 22 months in barrel; production around 13,500 x 9-litre cases; Parker feels the chateau’s standing and reputation faded as the previous owner grew old, some vintages including this one suffering markedly: the chateau sold in 1978, and has not looked back since; Broadbent, 1978: Stalky, hard, immature but good. Should develop stylishly. **(*); Broadbent, 1992: I buy it every year. … undoubtedly stylish. Perfect now, ****; RP@WA, 1980: An acceptable wine for certain, but this Grand-Puy-Lacoste is surprisingly jammy, overripe, with a scent of fresh tea. Soft, flabby, and loosely knit on the palate, this wine is now fully mature. Drink up! 72; weight bottle and closure: 548 g; www.chateau-grand-puy-lacoste.com ]
Ruby and garnet, above midway in depth. This wine too conveyed its charms and quality immediately from opening. There is a crystalline purity about the fading cassis and exquisite cedary oak in this wine which is enchanting. It smells a smaller and less complex wine than the Poyferre, yet you can smell it over and over again. Palate reveals perfect balance, harmony and softness of a high-cabernet wine at full maturity, with beautifully clean and new oak, the flavour not weighty at all, yet of great length. How often Grand-Puy-Lacoste captures the subtlety and delicacy of great claret, in maturity, even though it is so understated the wine can be rather dismissed by the big-noters. Three tasters rated it their top wine, and five their second-favourite. Like the Poyferre, too exciting a wine on bouquet to be thought merlot-led. Fully mature. Note the Parker view, 40 years prior. GK 10/20

2016 Domaine Les Grands Bois Cairanne Cuvée Maximilien 18 ½ (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 15%; $31 [ cork, 49 mm; proprietor Marc Besnardeau own 46 hectares in several appellations, 10 ha in Cairanne. They make no fewer than five Cairannes. Viticulture is organic. Maximilien is usually Gr 50%, Mv 35 and Sy 15, sometimes a litttle Ca, the Gr c.40 years old, the others younger. Vinification includes all de-stemmed, wild-yeast ferments, cuvaison to three weeks, elevation half in s/s, half in concrete, for 11 months, except the Mv in newish 300s for 3 or 4 months; not fined or filtered; approx 1,300 x 9-litre cases; Richard Hemming MW @ JR, 2017: Fresh and juicy raspberry scent topped with leather and spice notes. Mint and black cherry on the palate – there's a really delicious range of flavour here, in a soft and drinkable package. Sophisticated, easy-drinking – delicious, 17; weight bottle and cork 602 g; one of the Worth Cellaring set; www.grands-bois.com ]
Saturated ruby, carmine and velvet, the deepest and most sensational of all these colours. Bouquet is extraordinary, totally pure, midnight deep florals and dusky fruit, with a saturation of fruit even in the bouquet that is simply wonderful. There seems to be the most subtle new oak just adding a hint of vanilla to the cinnamon and other spices of grenache. Flavour follows perfectly, a benchmark definition of what a high-mourvedre wine should taste like, the darkest yet fresh plummy fruit, velvety tannins, great length. This is a wine to totally disprove the nonsense written by so many half-baked winewriters, that mourvedre smells and tastes of farmyard. The wine does not have a strong tannin structure, being mostly vat raised, yet the grape tannins incline you to believe it is a 25-year cellar prospect. The cropping rate and dry extract in this wine, the number of grapes per bottle, selling for $NZ31, make nearly all New Zealand reds look like a rip-off. Not mainstream Cotes-du-Rhone, but a sensational wine. One first place, one second, in the group tasting. Buy as much as you can afford, and cellar for 10 – 25 years. Available from Maison Vauron and their distribution channels (eg Regional Wines). GK 07/19

2016 Domaine Les Grands Bois Cairanne Maximilien 18 ½ (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 15%; $30 [ cork 50 mm, Gr 50%, Mv 35, Sy 10-15, Ca 0-5, organic; elevation in concrete vat, plus puncheons age unsure; available from Maison Vauron, Auckland, and retailers supplied by them; weight bottle and cork, 604 g; www.grands-bois.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, the second deepest wine. This wine needs double decanting, to reveal a deep, sensuous, dusky bouquet with mourvedre and syrah in the forefront. There is a lovely garrigue lift on the dark berry, almost a hint of cassis even, then dark omega bottled plums. Alcohol is extraordinarily well concealed, but a little is noticeable. New oak is not apparent. Palate is saturated with skin-tannin flavours rather than old cooperage, and both the depth of berry, and the quality of the mourvedre component, are a delight. This will need maybe 10 years, to crust in bottle, when a totally different, lighter, more lissome wine will emerge. At the price, a case of 12 is the minimum to consider, then don't touch it for 10 years. Cellar 10 – 30 years. GK 05/19

2014 Domaine Les Grands Bois Cotes du Rhone-Villages Cairanne Cuvée Maximilien 18 ½ (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 15%; $30 [ cork, 50mm; Gr 50%, Mv 35%, the balance Sy and sometime a little Ca, hand-picked, all de-stemmed; all raised in concrete vats; Jeb Dunnuck, 2016: ... another rock solid release from this estate ... terrific ripeness in its black fruits, licorice, pepper and earthy/underbrush-like aromas and flavors. These give way to a medium to full-bodied, textured, beautifully concentrated and charming southern Rhone ... , 91; Wine Spectator, 2016: A wonderfully pure display of fresh plum and violet aromas and flavors, with light white pepper and lavender nuances through the finish ... silky structure ... a great effort for the vintage, 91; bottle weight 615 g; www.grands-bois.com ]
This is sensational wine, the colour dense ruby, carmine and velvet, clearly the deepest wine on the table. This depth of colour reflects the unusually high percentage of mourvedre in the cepage, 35%. Bouquet is deep, dark and mysterious, not the most evocative in the set, but showing a dusky florality on darkest red fruits, with a hint of best prunes, perfectly moist and ripe, totally pure. There are undertones of garrigue aromatics enlivening the bouquet. Palate is wonderfully rich yet fine-grained, showing superb tannins from the mourvedre, and a smoothness suggesting some big wood elevation, though none is admitted to. It is a little tannic now, but give it five years. This wine is a great example of excellence from the Southern Rhone Valley in a cooler year. In a hotter year it could easily have become too burly. One first place, one second. A wine to buy by the case, and cellar for 5 – 20 years. It is not however the most attractive of the wines today: it demands cellaring. GK 04/18

2002 Gros Frere & Soeur Richebourg 18 ½ (

)

Vosne-Romanee Grand Cru, Burgundy, France: 14%; $351
Classic pinot noir ruby. An understated bouquet, showing rich florals of red roses and boronia, red and black cherry fruit, and a complex oak-related savoury char quality a bit like roasted stuffed chicken. Palate is clearly the greatest dry extract and weight of the sub-set, fresh cherry flavours, taut tannins, quite aromatic with almost an herbes de Provence savoury quality getting close to good Cote Rotie. Gets better and better as it breathes. Cellar 10 – 20 years, easily. GK 09/04

2001 Ch Guiraud 18 ½ (

)

Sauternes Premier Cru, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $ – [ 54mm cork; Se 65%, SB 35; average age of vines 25 years, planted at 6,600 vines / ha, average yield just over 1.8 t/ha = 0.75 t/ac; barrel-fermented and up to 30 months small oak, sometimes all new; average production 11,000 cases per annum: New owners since 2006; BBR: Guiraud is a very ambitious property with aspirations to produce a wine that will one day rival d`Yquem. The wines are astonishingly rich, especially in light of the high proportion of Sauvignon Blanc in the blend, and are undoubtedly amongst the finest wines being produced in Sauternes today; Robinson, 2011 (in her third tier, with Coutet, Doisy-Védrines, Rayne Vigneau): Darker than most. Very heady with lots of glucose richness. Heavy and satisfying with great weight. Some creme brulée element. Edgy. Well done but with a dangerous edge. Still quite chewy. One of the fatter 2001s. QGV, 17.5; Parker, 2004: A medium gold color is accompanied by notes of caramelized oranges, citrus, honeysuckle, creme brulee, and smoke. Full-bodied and opulent, with tremendous intensity, good acidity, and a persistent finish that lasts nearly a minute, this large-scaled, thick, heady Guiraud is one of the finest examples from this estate that I have ever tasted; www.chateauguiraud.fr ]
Medium gold, faintly above midway. This was one of the very-together wines right from opening. It smells of stonefruits, orange marmalade and anzac biscuits, pure and enticing. In mouth there is not the body to go with the volume of bouquet, yet the marmalade and now recognisable botrytis flavours continue, and expand. The aromatics make one think of sauvignon blanc, which turns out to be correct. There is a lovely hint of pale toffee too, and a long flavour even though it isn't one of the richest wines. It is quite a contrasting winestyle to the heavier de Malle, but one ends up making them similarly. Cellar 10 – 25 years. GK 07/14

2010 Ch d’Issan 18 ½ (

)

Margaux Third Growth, Medoc, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $152 [ Cork, 50mm, ullage 15mm; $112 landed; CS 61%, Me 39, cropped at 5.45 t/ha = 2.2 t/ac; elevation 16 – 18 months in 50% new oak; average production 9,150 x 9-litre cases; I particularly wanted to secure d’Issan for 2010, since in the years prior Jancis Robinson had been admitting to a soft spot for this chateau, little known to me; consulting oenologist the late Jacques Boissenot. SS@Decanter, 2011: Fine fragrant nose, perfect extraction, already beautifully textured, great future, probably the best d'Issan yet. Drink 2016-35, 18; NM@WA, 2012: ... an intense bouquet of blackcurrant, a hint of crème de cassis and blueberry. This really captures the essence of Margaux: floral and feminine. The palate is soft and caressing on the entry with light but tensile tannins encasing the mineral-rich black fruit. It is very well balanced, nicely focused with a lingering hint of black pepper on the finish. Harmonious and long, this is a superlative d'Issan, 94; L.P-B@WA, 2020: ... opens with baked blackberries, blackcurrant jelly and stewed plums scents with hints of bouquet garni and charcoal. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is bright and refreshing with just enough chewy, textured black fruits and an earthy finish. Drink 2020-2038, 93; informative website; weight bottle and closure: 551 g; www.chateau-issan.com ]
Beautifully fresh ruby, carmine and velvet, but not as big a wine as some, the third to lightest colour. The bouquet is in one sense light too, but what it lacks in gravitas it makes up for in exquisite florality, beauty and charm. This really is violets and dusky roses, uncanny, on sweetly fragrant cassisy berry, so delicate. You feel this fragrant wine offers a window into Jancis Robinson's tasting soul, she several times in recent years having enthused about the style of Ch d’Issan. In flavour there is, like the Leoville Barton, perfectly-focussed cassisy berry plus darkest bottled black doris plums, but all lighter and more elegant, more feminine as used to be said, than the Leoville Barton. This is an exquisitely understated somewhat smaller-scale Médoc which is nonetheless perfectly formed – a pleasure to smell and taste. If beauty be any criterion for assessment, it has to be a gold medal wine by New World marking standards. One top place, no second. Cellar 15 – 30 years. GK 09/20

2011 Louis Jadot Meursault Les Narvaux 18 ½ (

)

Meursault, Burgundy, France: 13%; $87 [ supercritical 'cork'; hand-harvested; BF, LA, MLF in 15 – 30% new French oak, for 15 months; rated one of the best of the unclassified vineyards of Meursault by Clive Coates, the vineyard being close by Les Genevrieres; www.louisjadot.com ]
Perfect lemon, faintly lighter than the Villa. Bouquet is marvellous in a different way from the Villa Maria wine, showing the much sought-after but rarely achieved English white flowers floral component of cool climate chardonnay, on a mealy white nectarine base. Flavours in mouth develop with air, to acquire the classical oatmeal quality so prized in meursault, freshened by citrus and white nectarine fruit, and only the subtlest oak. Acid balance is perfect. Though a little small in scale, this is beautiful understated wine epitomising modern meursault – especially once breathed. It is sensational with food, simply on the lack of new oak, which in lesser wines becomes so aggressive with food. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 06/16

2001 von Kesselstat Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Kabinett QmP 18 ½ (

)

Mosel Valley, Germany: 8.5%; $ – [ cork, was $30; second bottle available; Broadbent rates 2001 ***** for Germany; some use of big old wood; for the winery vintage commenced 22 October, their average yield this year being 7.5 t/ha = 3 t/ac; this wine emerged as desirable, from comparative tastings of the German 2001s I presented in August 2003; the owners describe the 2001 vintage (at the time) thus: The so-called "golden October" (warmest for hundred years!) helped us to harvest one of the very best vintages of the past 30 years. … The 2001 vintage is beautifully balanced with expressive exotic aromas of passion-fruit, peach and blackcurrant combined with a lively ripe acidity. … We compare 2001 with vintage 1990 or even with 1975 - "Riesling-legends"; www.kesselstatt.com ]
Lemonstraw, above midway in depth, but more developed than I hoped. Bouquet is the highlight of this wine, that extraordinary perfectly floral complexity that good German riesling so excels at, seeming hints of botrytis even at kabinett level, some deepening of the floral notes to embrace honeysuckle aromas as well as white flowers, with suggestions of nectar or pale honey. Palate is delightfully pure with a lot of flavour, just a little terpene aromatics yet enough sweetness to wrap up the phenolics until the very end, when there is not quite the finesse of the Felton Block 1. Hard to judge, because the German is the dryer of the two. Has another five years or so in it, but not as long-lived as some Mosel wines, or the Felton Bock 1 or the Howard Park. Clearly the most-favoured example of riesling the grape on the night, with six first-place rankings, and likewise six correctly locating it in Germany. GK 03/14

2012 J Labet & N Dechelette Ch de la Tour Clos Vougeot Grand Cru * 18 ½ (

)

Vougeot Grand Cru, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $ – [ cork; a €125 = $NZ199 bottle; the Labet & Dechelette wines are the only ones to be completely made within the Clos; this wine also has a high % of whole-bunch, and c.50% new oak; no website found ]
A fine medium pinot noir ruby, less oak-affected than many, just above midway in depth. Right from the start, this wine was fresh, open, and appealing on bouquet and palate. It was one of the really floral wines, pure red roses, quite deep, on red more than black cherry fruit. Palate is fresher again, clear-cut red to black cherry fruit, and much less oak than most of the 2005s. Even so, at this stage there is a spicy component on the oak which is slightly disconcerting, making the wine savoury in its red-fruit way. This wine too was much more communicative after 24 hours, and much more what one might expect from Clos de Vougeot, relative to the astonishingly deep rich hundred-year-old wine. A charmer, cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 09/15

1982 Ch Latour a Pomerol 18 ½ (

)

Pomerol, Bordeaux, France: – %; $40 [ cork; Me 90%, CF 10; considered Second Growth level by RP; Parker: a powerful, opulent, fleshy style … which can be majestic, sometimes one of the two or three greatest wines of the district. The 1982: a super wine with fabulous power, richness, opulence, concentration and length. The most concentrated and full-bodied since the 1961, though not quite as rich. To 2015 93. Broadbent: Fragrant. Deep fruit, dry, powerful, fig-like, good length, very tannic. To 2015. ****. GK in 1985 thought it: Very Good, deep and chunky. ]
Ruby and garnet, one of the lighter ones. Bouquet is beautifully floral, fading violets and deep dusky roses, on darkest plums, cedar and dark tobacco. Palate extends the dark tobacco component into the rich plum, with an almost syrah-like suggestion from the deep florals. Lovely rich wine of an obviously warmer year, at a peak, fruit dominant to oak. It is probably about to develop some leathery notes, marking the start of older age. Will cellar for some years, but may be best in the next five or so. GK 09/08

2001 Peter Lehmann Shiraz 18 ½ (

)

Barossa Valley, South Australia: 14%; $24 [ 12 months in US & French oak; www.peterlehmannwines.com.au ]
Ruby, relatively light. This wine has a great bouquet, showing a much lighter and more floral side of Australian shiraz which is reminiscent of Cote Rotie, with an Australian accent. It combines the beautiful florals of carnations / dianthus with light Australian flowering mint, to give a piquant bouquet in exactly the same style as the 1966 Tahbilk Shiraz, or the 1996 McRae's Wood. Palate optimises the floral style, with sweet fruit and ripe stalks yet to integrate, subtle oak, and a lightness that belies good fruit richness. This is a particular kind of Australian shiraz which not everybody enjoys, so try one before buying a case. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 06/04

1970 Ch Leoville Lascases 18 ½ (

)

St Julien Second Growth, Bordeaux, FRance: 11%; $14.40 [ alcohol nominal, from negociant supplementary label; CS 65%, Me 18, CF 14, PV 3; 85 ha, 30 000 cases. This is a wine to fire the imagination of any wine-lover, for two eminent Bordeaux appraisers vary wildly in their estimation of it. Broadbent (1980): Lovely rich stylish nose; a dry wine, fullish, fine, elegant. **** . And in 2002: A gentlemanly classic. Now mature; typical cedary nose, very good balance and flavour. ****. Parker (1991): This wine has always enjoyed a considerable reputation. But the emperor has no clothes. It is lean, angular, and light for the vintage. 77 ]
Ruby and garnet. This is the second richest of the wines, with cassis and redfruits melding into cedary oak, some tobacco, a hint of leather. Palate is as rich as the Latour, but more mellow, less bouquetted and cassisy. At a peak of late maturity, beautiful balance both in itself and with food. Could be held for a few more years, and like the Latour will survive longer, but drying all the while. GK 03/05

2003 Ch Leoville-Barton 18 ½ (

)

Saint-Julien 2nd Growth, Bordeaux, France: 13%; $190 [ Cork 50mm; CS 72%, Me 20, CF 8; Leoville-Barton is regarded as the archetypal Englishman's claret by some, to cellar every year almost irrespective, by others as a little old-fashioned. Either way, its pricing has traditionally been conservative; Leoville-Barton is now said to be the only classed growth from the 1855 classification that remains in the same family ownership; the vineyard is planted 9,000 vines / ha, the wine is usually aged 20 months in 50% new oak, production is c. 20,000 cases. Second wine, La Reserve de Leoville Barton. Harding, 2013: Lovely cedary black fruit aromas. Almost the first time I have written fragrant in this tasting. Some oak sweetness on the palate but it's fresh too and the tannins are fine and resolved, still with some density, 17; Parker, Aug 2014: A spectacular success, the opaque plum-colored 2003 Leoville Barton is still on the young side of its plateau of maturity. It exhibits a striking bouquet of forest floor and black currants as well as a full-bodied, exuberant, youthful style, an opaque plum/ruby color, a lot of complexity, and striking depth and richness. This is a profound, stunning effort from Anthony Barton and his team. Bravo! It should continue to provide immense pleasure for 20-30 years, 96; www.leoville-barton.com ]
Ruby and velvet, one of the fresher ones, below midway in depth. This wine too communicates as classical claret, aromatic, vibrant, not showing any hot-year flatness, more youthful than the Las Cases. Again one or two noted trace-level brett (which has been not infrequent in this wine, over the years). This wine was set as number one in the blind sequence, being high-cabernet to introduce that side of the claret equation. Flavours in mouth are cassis-led, ample berryfruit, not the beauty or complexity of the Montrose, more a straightforward good high-cabernet claret, the oak still not quite knit. In a warm year one might expect a little sleight-of-hand with tartaric adjustments, but compared with so many warmer-country wines, the thought scarcely arises in these 2003s. Cellar 5 – 25 years. GK 11/14

1975 Ch Leoville Las Cases 18 ½ (

)

St Julien, Bordeaux, France: – %; $258 [ cork 53mm; CS 67%, Me 17, CF 13, PV 3; is Las Cases the first of the super-seconds, seems to be the question nowadays. Parker considers the 1975 ‘as profound as most of the Medoc’s first-growths'. Robinson, 2011 (Harding in fact): A good vintage compared with the early 1970s. Paler garnet and some brick at the rim but still quite a bit of red at the core. The first really developed nose of this line up – liquorice and undergrowth and bloody and a touch of mint. Very bloody. Much juicier than I expected after the nose, high acidity, resolved tannins but a slightly lean finish. Acid starting to stick out. More old-fashioned style, 16.5; Coates, 1995: Full colour, still immature. Fresh nose. Still youthful. Very cabernet. Good new wood. This is one of the few wines to have real breed. Full, good oak. Concentrated and balanced. Not too austere. I prefer this to La Mission. Very well balanced. Complex finish. Very fine, 19; Parker, 1996: This is one of the great successes of the vintage. However, those with modern day tastes for soft, easy-going, supple wines may not enjoy the 1975 Leoville Las-Cases. Why? It is a tannic, backward, old style wine cut from the mold of such vintages as 1948 and 1928. The color is a dark ruby/garnet with a hint of amber at the edge. The nose offers up distinctive mineral, lead pencil, sweet, blackcurrant scents with flinty overtones. Full-bodied, thick, and concentrated, as well as atypically muscular and powerful, this should prove to be one of the longest-lived wines of the vintage. There are sensational levels of richness and intensity. While the vintage's tough tannin level ensures another 20-35 years of longevity, the wine may dry out by that time. I thought this wine would be at its peak by the mid-nineties, but it still needs another 5-8 years of cellaring. It is a very impressive, albeit backward and hard wine, 92; www.domaines-delon.com ]
Ruby and garnet, a similar hue to the Lafite, but greater depth, about midway in weight. Freshly opened, there was a shadow of congestion, needing a little air. As it opened up, fruit became apparent, with cedary oak apparent throughout. In mouth this is the richest of the Bordeaux, there still being apparent fruit texture and weight on tongue, the browning berry laced all through with cedary oak, all beautifully fine-grained. The nett impression is of a first-growth quality wine, at 40 years of age. It certainly won't improve, but there is no hurry in a cool cellar. Top wine for two tasters. GK 03/15

1976 Maison Leroy Corton Grand Cru 18 ½ (

)

Cote de Beaune, Burgundy, France: – %; $713 [ 51mm cork; 1976 a hot dry year with high tannins, but welcome after 3 poor years, a 3-star year for Broadbent; arguably the top estate in the Cote de Beaune, from a top-notch negociant; very low yields; extended cuvaison; significant new oak; not filtered; www.domaine-leroy.com ]
Really rosy garnet, the lightest wine. This one needed an hour or two after decanting, and only a swirl or two, to reveal a gentle sweet floral pale-roses bouquet which was totally non-aromatic, and thus totally Cote de Beaune. But the more you smelt it, the better it became, with heliotrope emerging and then more specifically the vanillin of new oak. In flavour immediately the new oak comes forward, which suggests that for a Corton, the fruit is already drying very slightly. But nonetheless this is lovely red-fruits pinot noir of great purity and charm, like the Volnay-Santenots unequivocally Burgundy. And like that wine, but even more-so, it is at the end of its plateau of maturity, even drying a little. Top wine for one. GK 10/14

1970 Alexis Lichine Chambertin en magnum, grower Louis Trapet & Fils 18 ½ (

)

Gevrey-Chambertin Grand Cru, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: – %; $ – [ Single bottle; original price as magnum, $16.10; a modest year for red burgundy; no info, no reviews, but Lichine was well regarded for his burgundy selections at that stage, as can be judged from his access to Louis Trapet, and also Henri Jayer (Linden Wilkie of The Fine Wine Experience, Hong Kong, tells me). Will be pale and frail now – but the wine has always been delicious; successor website bears no relation to activities of Lichine himself at the time of this wine; www.alexislichine.com ]
Limpid rosy garnet and ruby, full rosé in depth, the lightest of the reds. Bouquet is strikingly floral in an autumnal way, extraordinarily so for its age, on red cherry fruit naturally browning now, intensely fragrant. And total purity. Flavour is a little shorter than the bouquet promises, the berry clearly browning, and fading / drying a little, sweet new very subtle oak just noticeable to the tail. Twenty-four hours later the wine was magnificent, expanded somehow, seemingly sweeter but not richer than the Pomal Especial, neither quite as harmonious as the exquisite 1978 Les Cedres. It would still be wonderful in a light main course setting. One vote for wine of the night, one second, but also one least, and clearly burgundy to nearly all tasters. The wine starting to retreat in magnum – 750s would be lesser, now. Simply a joy to drink. GK 03/20

2005 Ch Lynch-Bages 18 ½ (

)

Pauillac Fifth Growth, Bordeaux, France: 13%; $147 [ cork; price en primeur landed; cepage typically CS 73%, Me 15, CF 10, PV 2; planted to 9,000 vines / ha, average age 32 years; typically 15 – 17 days cuvaison, 15 months in French oak 60% new; JR: 17; RP: 91; WS: 93; www.lynchbages.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, just above midway in depth. Bouquet is reserved initially, but opens to fine cassis and dark plum dominant over oak, the fragrance growing and the wine seeming very promising indeed. Palate is only slightly less as yet, still firm through youth, but showing perfect ripeness, with even a suggestion of blackberry to the cassis. Oak and acid firm the wine, with just a little modern toast on the oak adding richness to the flavour, and a suggestion of dark chocolate. This is going to be a lovely bottle in years to come, in a more modern Pauillac style. Cellar 10 – 25 years. GK 08/10

2001 de Malle 18 ½ (

)

Sauternes / Preignac Deuxieme Cru, Bordeaux, France: 14.5%; $ – [ 49mm cork; Se 70%, SB 27; Mu 3; average age of vines 35 years, planted at 6,200 vines / ha, average yield just over 3.1 t/ha = 1.25 t/ac; barrel-fermented and 18-plus months small oak, one third new; average production around 4,000 cases; BBR: Since the mid 80s Ch de Malle has been producing wonderful wines which display considerable intensity as well as marvellous purity of fruit; Robinson, 2002: Rich, broad and very, very full. Relatively low in acidity and faintly raisiny, but no shortage of botrytis. Big build. Very rich and creamy, 17.5; Parker, 2003: A superb Sauternes, de Malle's moderately sweet 2001 displays a light gold color with some green tints. Honeyed citrus along with tropical fruit, peach, creme caramel, and smoked hazelnut aromas jump from the glass of this layered, full-bodied, gorgeously pure and well-delineated wine. Moderately sweet, with impressive acidity as well as depth, it will be drinkable between 2007-2020, 90 – 94; www.chateau-de-malle.fr ]
Colour is tending to old gold, clearly the deepest wine of the 12. Freshly opened, this one needed a breath of air. It opened to a darker wine altogether, pure, mild, the golden queen peaches here in fact rather more dried peaches, and the sweetness complexity notes grading to best malt toffee, rather than lighter caramel. Flavours continue this theme, less new oak, a more integrated and harmonious wine already, thoughts of fruitcake with as many raisins as paler sultanas, nearly glacé figs, wonderfully smooth, and one of the richer ones. This is already well together, but should cellar 10 – 20 years, since it is so rich. GK 07/14

2008 Champagne Serge Mathieu Millésime [ Blanc de Noirs ] Brut 18 ½ (

)

Avirey-Lingey, Champagne, France: 12%; $75 [ standard champagne cork; cepage of the vintage wine PN 100%, average vine age for the PN 50 years; full MLF; c.5 – 6 years en tirage; dosage 6 g/L; www.champagne-serge-mathieu.fr ]
Straw, right in the middle for freshness. Bouquet is both gorgeous and interesting. It shows the subtle aromatics of a 100% pinot noir wine, and you think you can just, maybe, smell red cherries in lovely pure autolysis. Palate continues the interest, great autolysis, clear cherry flavours now when compared with the blanc de blancs wine, yet still totally a white wine, and a dosage which seems even drier than the Angeline, given as 6 g/L. This is marvellous both in itself, and as a study wine. Cellar 3 – 12 years. GK 10/15

2005 Domaine Maume Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru 18 ½ (

)

Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $117 [ 49mm cork; 30-year vines; destalking but no crushing; cuvaison 3 – 4 weeks; up to 22 months in barrel, but no detail known for this wine; the discriminating Kermit Lynch in San Francisco is a great supporter of Domaine Maume, noting their emphasis on perpetuating only the traditional clone massale, with vines averaging 50 years age. He comments on this wine: Maume’s premier cru bottling is a real gem. It is a blend of two parcels ... right in the saddle of grand cru country – below Mazis-Chambertin and Clos de Bèze, next to Chapelle-Chambertin. There are only a few barrels; Meadows, 2007: (a blend of 85 year old vines in Les Cherbaudes and 50 year old vines in La Perrière). Deeper and more complex aromas that blend earth, stone and mostly blue fruit aromas with lovely violet and rose petal hints complement the rich, full and notably sweet flavors that possess excellent dry extract which confers a textured and sappy mouth feel on the balanced and wonderfully long finish. There is real punch to the black cherry finish and the old vine intensity adds another dimension. Recommended, 90-92; weight bottle and closure: 599 g; no working website found. ]
Rosy ruby and garnet, surprisingly light for Gevrey-Chambertin, the lightest wine. Bouquet is highly varietal, and one of the exciting wines, red roses and vanillin, red cherry, very sophisticated cedary oak. Flavours in mouth build astonishingly on the colour and bouquet – never did a wine so clearly exemplify the maxim: never judge a burgundy by its colour. At the tasting the wine looked a little too oaky, or under-fruited as one perceptive taster put it, but 18 hours later the all-red fruits have intensified dramatically, giving a glimpse into its future development in bottle. Lovely pure modern highly varietal wine, to cellar 5 – 20 years. My enthusiasm for the wine was not widely endorsed by this group of pinot noir-oriented winemakers, three only ranking it their top or second wine. Only one wondered if it might be a New Zealand wine. GK 10/16

2007 [ Pernod-Ricard ] Montana Gewurztraminer Patutahi 18 ½ (

)

Gisborne, New Zealand: 14.2%; $36 [ screwcap, Gw 100% hand-picked mostly from the Patutahi vineyard, table-sorted; whole-bunch pressed low-solids juice, cultured yeast, s/s and stop-fermented; 3 months LA, no oak at all; pH 3.47, RS 17 g/L; background on www.montana.co.nz, leads to detail @; www.pernod-ricard-nz.com//tastingnotes.php? ]
Lemon, another great colour for gewurztraminer. This is an intriguing wine, highly sophisticated, giving the impression of having all the complexity and winemaking inputs of the Waimea gewurztraminer, but all mellowed out so the wine is deliberately not so dramatically varietal. Bouquet is gentle yellow florals and lychee, but smells rich, leading into a palate which is as rich as the Waimea but much milder, and likewise clearly milder against the more zingy Babich. Even so, the flavours last wonderfully in a very mouthfilling way, and the body and gentleness would make it a superb food wine, appropriately matched. Some previous "P"s have shown more VA than I care for, but this one is fine. In the sense that wine is for food, I think I have to mark this at the gold-medal level, for though it is not as exciting as the top two wines, texturally it is superb. Finish is long and pretty well medium, sweeter than the other two. Montana could do more with their fabulous Gisborne gewurz resources than they have so far, their approach being 'diluted' by the high residual sugars. More reliance on flavour is needed. Cellar 2 – 8 years. GK 05/09

2016 Clos du Mont-Olivet Cotes-du-Rhone a Seraphin 18 ½ (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $40 [ cork, 45 mm; Gr 50%, Sy 40 from a cooler elevated site, Ca 10, 40% whole-bunches retained; cuvaison to 21 days; elevation 12 – 14 months, 70% in large wood, 30% in older small wood, including newish 228s; fined, filtration if needed; this wine honours the founder, Seraphin Sabon; production up to 580 x 9-litre cases; weight bottle and cork 601 g; access to the website on far right, obscure; www.clos-montolivet.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a great colour, above midway in depth. As with several other wines in this set, the initial impression on bouquet is of garrigue aromatics entwined with syrah florals, carnations, wallflowers, all simply beautiful, on darkly plummy fruits with cassis notes. There is even a touch of sweet black pepper, adding to the syrah impression [ later confirmed ]. Palate is both light yet deep, illustrating a lovely concentration of fruit, without heaviness. The syrah impression continues, but with cinnamon spicing too from grenache, on elegant grape tannins. This is simply wonderful Cotes-du-Rhone, lower alcohol than many, with far more Cote Rotie quality than many Cote Roties at three times the price, to cellar 8 – 20 years. Wines like this and Guigal’s Cotes du Rhone incline one to the belief that it is hard to achieve really ‘winey’ Southern Rhone wines, without at least a significant proportion of the wine being raised in large wood. Available from Truffle Imports, Wellington. GK 07/19

2001 Domaine de Mourchon Seguret Tradition Cotes du Rhone Villages 18 ½ (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $24 [ Gr 60%, Sy 25, Ci 10, Ca 5; no new oak at all ]
Dense ruby, carmine and velvet, the kind of colour one imagined (from reading) that the Charvin would be. This is a big wine, and like the Charvin, syrah is dominant at this stage: carnation florals, cassis berry, even a hint of black peppercorn, plus all the aromatic complexity hoped for in good southern Rhone. Palate is rich, dark and plummy, with finegrain tannins reflecting grapes more than oak. The Mourchon is a richer wine than the Charvin, perhaps not the ultimate finesse, but heaps of flavour. Rhone-styled wines without obvious oak are at best just so infinitely more complex and sensual than Australia's spirity, oaky offerings in the same nominal style. Cellar 10 – 20 years, despite what the pundits say. GK 10/04

2003 Chateau Mourgues du Gres Terre d’Argence 18 ½ (

)

Costieres de Nimes, Languedoc, France: 14.5%; $26 [ cork; Maison Vauron; Sy dominant & Gr; Costieres de Nimes is easternmost Languedoc, and often bundled along with the ‘good address’ of the Rhone Valley (being just west of the river). Gauntley’s report the winery is so well regarded, the wines are allocated (which dispels some notions about the appellation !), and report on this wine: “£6.33 80% Syrah the rest Grenache. 10% of the 2003 was aged in barrique. Very intense, cherry/cassis, hint of toasty oak on nose. Gorgeous concentration, silky ripe tannins, black in colour with great depth of fruit flavours. Serious wine, lovely. 2007-2010.” Parker 156: “The opaque dark purple-tinged 2003 Costieres de Nimes Terre d’Argence reveals its Syrah component in both the aromatics and flavors. Opulent, rich, full-bodied, moderately tannic, and impeccably well-balanced, it coats the palate. 2006 – 12 91”.; www.mourguesdugres.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, marginally the deepest of 14 wines. This is another wine which initially opened, is withdrawn and huddled up. Nothing to object to, but just a powerful wine needing air. Decanted, there is a big bouquet of cassis, black pepper and other spices, and a clear cedar component reminiscent of Grand-Puy-Lacoste at times. Palate is rich and fine-grained but very firm and tannic, the latter exacerbated by high alcohol. The whole style of the wine is like a Chateauneuf-du-Pape with syrah dominant, but the spice of grenache is undeniable. This is exciting wine, which as it stands, grows on you. It will well reward cellaring, 10 – 25 years. GK 10/05

1998 Ch de la Nerthe Chateauneuf-du-Pape 18 ½ (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $66 [ cork, 50mm; this year Gr 49%, Sy 22, Mv 15, Ci 7, balance other AOC varietals; relatively modern winery practice, fruit destemmed, cuvaison 20 – 24 days, the wine one third to new oak, one third to old oak, one third in vats, then assembled in vat, elevation 12 – 18 months depending on vintage; R. Parker notes that historically, La Nerthe is the most famous winery in the district, with wine made continuously since the 16th century; J. Dunnuck @ R. Parker, 2015: ... aging spectacularly ... mature notes of cured meats, Provencal garrigue, dried spices and sweet fruit ... loaded with charm .. a point, 92; J.L-L, 2008: ... beef stock, prune-plum, with leathery and violet airs ..., ****; bottle weight 665g; www.chateaulanerthe.fr ]
Ruby and garnet, below midway in depth. This is the first of the wines in my ranking to give a clear hint on bouquet that it is the wine of a hotter year. There is a furryness of the tannins you can ‘smell’. It is not unattractive, blending attractively with the cinnamon of grenache. Again there are red fruits browning now, and very long flavours extended on those furry tannins, which again you can taste: they seem more grape tannins than oak, given the attractively light and fresh aftertaste. This seems a particularly pure wine for the times, which will soften delightfully in cellar 5 – 15 years. The bottle shows only light crusting, which correlates with the tannin observations. One second place. GK 07/18

2004 Ch Pape Clement 18 ½ (

)

Pessac-Leognan, Bordeaux, France: 13%; $242 [ cork; vineyard cepage CS 58%, Me 42, average age 30 – 35 years, planted @ 8 000 vines / ha, and cropped @ c. 2 t/ac; www.pape-clement.com ]
Ruby, velvet, and some carmine, clearly the densest of the eight August Bordeaux. Bouquet is dark pure cassis berry, a lot of new oak and a little char obscuring the dark cassis to a degree, but the whole bouquet cabernet-aromatic, and enticing. Palate is reasonably rich, the richest of these eight wines, potentially cedary oak noticeable, with intense skinsy and cassisy berry, blackberry and dark plum matching it well. In this wine everything is ripe, and there is some concentration. Classic Medoc-styled Bordeaux. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 08/07

2003 Ch Pape-Clement 18 ½ (

)

Graves-Pessac-Leognan, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $145 [ cork; CS 60%, Me 40, average age 30 years, planted to 7700 vines / ha; hand-picked @ 25 hL/ha (1.3 t/ac) in 2003 (against an average of 39 (2 t/ac); hand-destemmed and sorted 100%; 20 – 35 days cuvaison in oak cuves, MLF, LA and batonnage then c. 18 – 20 months in 70 – 100% new oak “so that the touch of wood is as delicate and discreet as possible”; Pape-Clement ‘has the longest continuous history of any in Bordeaux, having been first planted in 1300’ (Peppercorn); Parker: Complex smoke, shavings, sweet plums, black cherry liqueur, blackberries, and a hint of espresso are followed by an opulent, full-bodied savory expansive wine ... 94; Robinson: ...dark, spicy and rich. Flattering. Seems sweet … Pretty good, but a bit inky. Pinched tannins. 17; other related estates @ www.bernard-magrez.com; www.pape-clement.com ]
Deep ruby and velvet, old for age, the deepest of the first flight. This is the finest and most complex bouquet in the first bracket, with true Bordeaux vinosity, complexity, and charm (and a whisper of brett). Cassis and plum meld into a vinosity which scarcely reveals which variety is dominant, but it is aromatic. In terms of appeal, there is almost an overlap with fine Cote de Nuits, too. Oak is new, lightly toasty, and in the background. Palate is fresh, rich and supple, aromatic and charming, all qualities not so apparent in some of these wines. Aftertaste is elegant berry and oak, beautifully integrated as in a 10-year old wine. Already delicious, or cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 07/06

1982 Ch Pavie 18 ½ (

)

St Emilion Premier Grand Cru Classé, Bordeaux, France: – %; $58 [ cork; Me 55%, CF 25, CS 20; RP considers it the equivalent of a Medoc Fourth or Fifth Growth (in 1991); Parker: the largest vineyard amongst the Premier Grands Crus, improving in quality since 1979. The 1982 the finest Pavie Parker had tasted up to 1991, an emerging bouquet of grilled nuts, fruitcake, super-concentrated red and black fruits, full-bodied, great structure, superb extraction and flavour, and a long heady finish. To 2010. 92. Broadbent: High-toned, herbaceous, cress and fruit nose, spicy, slightly sweet, good body, chewy, vanilla pods and fruit, good length To 2010. **** [I have to say, this is one of the few occasions where my personal mentor has presented a confusing tasting note !] GK in 1985 thought the wine: Powerful, tannic, a marvellous St Emilion for the turn of the century. ]
Ruby and garnet, one of the deeper ones. Bouquet is classically claret, one of those St. Emilions which can be confused with a Margaux any day, as the high percentage cabernet sauvignon in the cepage would suggest. Like the Gruaud, some new oak is apparent, even from that era in Pavie’s life, yet the cassisy fruit wraps itself around the oak beautifully, to give a long, classical but slightly acid flavour – no sur-maturité here. Cellar 5 – 10 years for this one, too. GK 09/08

2002 Pepperjack Cabernet Sauvignon 18 ½ (

)

Barossa Valley, South Australia: 13.5%; $20 [ Saltram group; www.beringerblass.com.au ]
Dense ruby, carmine and velvet. This is a remarkable bouquet for a big Australian red, for it smells explicitly of intense cassis, of beautifully ripe varietal fruit, instead of oak. These days in Australia, with increasingly sophisticated fermentation techniques designed to optimise the approachability and hence early drinking of red wines, it is becoming harder to tell cabernet from shiraz, so intent are winemakers on providing big juicy fruitbomb wines where 'plummy' is a common descriptor. In mouth the wine tastes as good as it smells, every bit as cassisy, the oaking seems genuine and not too prominent, and the tannins are not excessive for the size of the wine. The cabernet is however firmer than the Shiraz, which traditionally, is appropriate. Some say these big juicy numbers fall to bits once the tannins crust in the bottle, especially when they are added tannins. Sure, it may crust, but I suspect the wine will remain clearly varietal throughout, and in some ways more food-friendly as it lightens up. It should cellar well, say 10 – 15 years. A wine to buy by the case. VALUE GK 09/04

2002 Pepperjack Shiraz 18 ½ (

)

Barossa Valley, South Australia: 14%; $20 [ Saltram group; US & French oak; www.beringerblass.com.au ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, not as dense as the 02 Pepperjack Cabernet. Initially opened, the wine is faintly reductive, but that quickly breathes off. Pouring it off into a decanter or jug is the answer. Below is beautifully ripe shiraz with hints of florals and even black peppercorns, in a big soft Barossa Valley red chockfull of fruit. Palate is even more spicy and aromatic, blueberry, boysenberry and dark plum, illustrating Aussie shiraz very well indeed. Often it is hard to tell the difference between cabernet and shiraz in Australia's too-warm and all-dominating climate, but this 02 Pepperjack Shiraz and its matching 02 Cabernet are as good an illustration of the difference between the two as one is likely to find, irrespective of price. This wine is a little fresher, lighter, and less serious than the Saltram Mamre Brook Shiraz, and like it, it is not crippled with oak. Though obviously designed for instant gratification, and getting a bit close to the fruitbomb style, it has this great (and at best, aromatic) fruit of the 2002 vintage in South Australia, and should cellar for 5 – 15 years. Another to buy by the case. VALUE GK 09/04

1990 Ch Petrus 18 ½ (

)

Pomerol, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $6,421 [ cork 54mm; Me 95, CF 5, but finished wine often virtually no CF, average vine age 35, planted c.6,500 vines / ha, cropped at 4.7 t/ha = 1.9 t/ac; 20 – 28 day cuvaison, reports vary on the ratio of new oak, 100% now but perhaps not then; c.20 months in barrel; fined, no filtration; production up to 2,500 cases (then); part of the Moueix group; Robinson, 2004: Very, very deep ruby, but it looks slightly more evolved than the 1989. Very heady, rich, opulent, almost burnt character. Big, round, and meaty. Broad, velvety, and sweet. Very Californian in its build, but long and rich and seductive. Sweet and long. Almost medicinal. Very, very long. Lots of pleasure. So ripe, but underneath there are lots of tannins, although I don't think this will be one of the longest-living vintages, 20 [ 18.5 in 2010 ]; Parker, 2009: The 1990 Petrus remains incredibly young, one of the least evolved wines of the vintage (along with Montrose and Beausejour-Duffau). This dense ruby/purple-colored effort is beginning to hint at the massive richness and full-bodied intensity lurking beneath its wall of tannin. The vintage’s sweetness, low acidity, and velvety tannins are present in abundance, and the wine is massive in the mouth as well as incredibly pure and well-delineated. I thought it would be drinkable by now, but it appears another 5-10 years will pass before it begins to reach its plateau of maturity. This wine is capable of lasting at least four more decades. An incredible achievement!, 100; www.moueix.com ]
Ruby, garnet and velvet, just above midway in depth, markedly more garnet with a hint of amber edging, relative to the Pichon, reflecting the thinner-skinned merlot dominance. Bouquet is immediately a much warmer even hotter-climate wine, lacking florality and subtlety, though maybe there is a hint of heliotrope – but then you decide that is oak vanillin, not grape / floral vanilla. Like the Angelus, it is certainly rich. Palate is velvety rich, a huge wine, but also with huge furry tannins. This is not the fine side of Bordeaux at all, it is a hot year / hot climate winestyle. Parker's rating of this wine 100 points illustrates his predilection for bigger burlier wines, rather more than illuminating the style of a supposedly archetypal Bordeaux wine. I have written at some length before about the enormous contribution Parker has made to moving wine writing from the subjective waffle phase of yesteryear, to the (at best) more objective, analytical and careful winewriting of today. Therefore I can say, that (if this bottle is representative, and Wellington is a very equable climate for cellaring wine) a hundred-point rating for this wine is simply misleading, as best exemplified by the current wine-searcher value (on today's writing) of $NZ6,390. Tasting and re-tasting the wine, and hoping for a late blooming with 24 hours (and more) in the glass, does not change the nett impression, sadly: this is wonderfully big rich furry-tanniny wine, but it is over-ripe and hence lacks florality and complexity. It is not a 100-point wine, as seen in this bottle. Merlot can be so much more beautiful, floral and multidimensional than this, when not over-ripened. Nonetheless it will give enormous pleasure to people accustomed to bigger and warmer-climate winestyles. It will cellar for many years. One top, one second-place, votes. GK 10/15

1996 Ch Pichon Lalande 18 ½ (

)

Pauillac Second Growth, Bordeaux, France: – %; $ – [ cork; CS 45%, Me 35, CF 12, PV 8; up to 24 days cuvaison; up to 20 months in French oak; no filtration ]
Ruby and velvet, the second lightest. This wine is simply classic west bank claret on bouquet, very fragrant indeed, both cassisy cabernet and plummy merlot jostling for prominence, plus beautifully dark tobacco and cedary oak all building complexity. Palate is not quite as rich as the top two, the cabernets increasing in prominence now, but still all beautifully ripe and balanced. There is no hint of the leafyness this chateau sometimes displays, given its higher percentage of petite verdot. Model classical claret, to cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 05/07

2000 Ch Pichon-Longueville Baron 18 ½ (

)

Pauillac Second Growth, Bordeaux, France: 13%; $387 [ Cork 50 mm, ullage 18 mm; landed cost $147; leaving aside the first-growths, Pichon-Longueville has risen to the top of the pack in Pauillac, as the only candidate for the top six most certain Super-Seconds. Pichon-Lalande used to be the favourite, but has been overtaken; this turnaround started with the 1987 sale of Longueville to the insurance company AXA. Results for wine quality have been dramatic, the first step being to cease machine-harvesting. Cepage this wine CS 70%, Me 25, CF 5, average vine age 30 years, planted at 9,000 vines per hectare, cropped at a nominal 45 hl / ha = 5.5 t/ha = 2.2 t/ac, but in recent years less than 40 = 5.2 = 2.1; cuvaison up to 25 days in temperature-controlled s/s vats, followed by elevation in barrel for 15 months, the new oak already increased to 80% by the 2000 vintage. Some of the MLF fermentation is completed in barrel; Brook, 2007: The 2000 pulls out all the stops. There is ultra-ripe blackcurrant and plum fruit on the nose, while the palate is extremely voluptuous, yet supported by big, ripe tannins. This is a remarkable and hedonistic wine; JR @ JR, 2010: Warm, integrated nose. Dense and beautifully balanced. Pure Pauillac without recourse to pastiche. Much riper than Pichon Lalande but not overripe. Already broachable but with potential too. Good stuff!, 18; N. Martin, 2016 @ WA: The 2000 Château Pichon Baron is just getting better and better and better … wow. ... an incredibly precise, mineral-driven bouquet with intense black fruit infused with cedar and graphite scents. It just reeks of Pauillac in an almost uncompromising, yet compelling manner. The palate is structured, stylish and effortless, extraordinarily pure and unerringly youthful. … from 2025 onward, 97; production averages 26,660 x 9-litre cases of the grand vin; weight bottle and closure: 602 g; website not straightforward; www.pichonbaron.com ]
Ruby and some velvet, above midway in depth. An intriguing bouquet, much in the style of Las Cases but more lifted, with almost a piquant faintest flowering-mint suggestion, quite distinctive, on attractive medium-weight berry complexed by cedary oak. On palate these zingy aromatics carry right on, making the wine dance on the tongue, a beautiful example of a high-cabernet blend, saturated with perfectly ripe cassisy berry, but not the slightest bit heavy. This wine shows all the beauty and appeal-with-food of a classic bordeaux blend. It is not a powerful Baron, however. The lifted / fragrant aromatics appealed to one taster, one first place. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 11/20

2003 Ch Pichon-Longueville-Baron 18 ½ (

)

Pauillac 5th Growth, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $196 [ Cork 49mm; CS 65%, Me 35; minor varieties are used in the second wine; The two Pichons jostle for supremacy between themselves, but neither quite achieves the glamour of the so-called super-seconds such as Palmer, Ducru-Beaucaillou and Leoville Las Cases; Baron has traditionally been the bigger and riper of the two, perhaps due to Lalande having a higher percentage of petit verdot, which is harder to ripen. Some consider that at its best, Lalande is the finer. The vineyard is planted @ 9,000 vines / ha, average age 30 years. Cuvaison extends to 30 days some years, and elevage in the better years is 18 months with up to 80% new oak. Production is 18,000 cases per year. The second wine is Les Tourelles de Longueville. Robinson, 2008: Much deeper than Pichon Lalande. The sexual stereotyping of the Pichons is alive and well in 2003. This is quite savoury and beefy on the nose. With good compact fruit, this wine seemed relatively concentrated when tasted immediately after Pichon Lalande. Pretty impressive! Lots of impact here though no excessive heat or ripeness. Still quite a charge of fine tannins but there seems to be quite enough fruit to hold the wine while the tannins subside. And there’s even some freshness on the finish, 17.5; Parker's 2014 note is intriguing, virtually identical to the more detailed forecast he made in 2004. You have to hand it to this guy, he has probably now tasted more wines than Michael Broadbent, and with his famed memory, he paints compelling word pictures of wine. Here for interest are his two assessments, 10 years apart. Parker, Aug 2014: A brilliant effort, this 2003 displays a vigorous, intact, deep blue/purple color as well as notes of scorched earth, barbecue spices, incense, creme de cassis and cedarwood. Long, lush, medium to full-bodied, round and generous, this opulent Pauillac can be drunk now and over the next 5-8 years, 94; and Parker, 2004: Reminiscent of Pichon Baron’s triumphant 1990, the 2003 is powerful and alcoholic (13.4%) for a cru classe Bordeaux, with a high pH of 3.85, and low acidity. Made from 31 hectoliters per hectare [ 4 t/ha, 1.6 t/ac ] , this blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon and 35% Merlot exhibits an inky/purple color along with a big, thick, juicy nose of soy sauce, blackberries, creme de cassis, minerals, and flowers. Full-bodied and powerful, with terrific fruit purity as well as depth, this beauty should become increasingly delineated as it evolves in barrel. The finish lasts for 45+ seconds. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2025, 92-94; www.pichonlongueville.com ]
Ruby and velvet, a trace of garnet, just below midway in depth. In one sense this is more classic claret, beautifully fragrant, a great depth of berry, a lot of cedary oak in comparison with the top three wines, so much so I used it as a stepping-stone wine before the Pavie, to more gently introduce that wine. A couple of tasters (winemakers) noted trace brett, but not to detract. Palate quality is led by cedary oak, but the fruit richness is so good, it would be unreasonable to object to the level. The fruit / oak interaction makes the wine long and lingering in flavour. A more robust wine, maybe, some tannins to lose, and a suggestion of the new world in the oak handling. Cellar 10 – 30 years. GK 11/14

2005 Ch Prieure-Lichine 18 ½ (

)

Margaux Fourth Growth, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $83 [ cork; price en primeur landed; CS 56%, Me 34, PV & CF 10, planted to 8000 vines / ha, average vine age 32 years; 3 – 4 week cuvaison in wood; 18 months in French oak 60% new; JR: 16.5; RP 92; WS: 92; no website found ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, above midway in depth. Initially poured this was quiet and pure. It gradually opened to reveal the most floral bouquet of the top wines, a midnight-deep dark rose and violets aroma, on cassis and rich pure berry, the oak very much in the background. Palate is both leaner and silkier than the more highly rated wines, yet still wonderfully concentrated with another black cherry-like berry in the cassis adding magic to the flavour. New oak becomes apparent in mouth, and the richness grows and grows. Deceptive wine, potentially as long-lived and beautiful as the 1966 Prieure-Lichine still is today, back when the chateau was more highly regarded than later in the last century. Cellar 10 – 30 years. GK 08/10

2001 Ch Rabaud-Promis 18 ½ (

)

Bommes, Sauternes AOC, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $83 [ cork; price / 750 ml, original landed EP price $77; Se 80%, SB 18, Mu 2; BF and 12 – 14 months in barrel 30% new; greatly improved since 1986, introduction of second wine, new oak etc; Parker – making better and better wines; Wine Spectator 2004: strong tropical fruits and honey. Full-bodied with apricots, botrytis and spice … 95; Parker 146 (in 2003): a big, sweet, honeyed Sauternes with loads of fruit, but not a great deal of complexity. Light gold-colored and full-bodied, with plenty of pineapple, honeysuckle, and marmalade notes as well as a hint of caramel, there is a lot going on in this young but promising 2001. To 2020. 90 – 92 ]
Light gold, about half way in colour depth and development. Initially opened, the oak is a bit disorganised on this wine, making the VA seem a little prominent. A few vigorous swirls of the glass, however, and it settles to classic golden peach, grapefruit marmalade, raisins and botrytis sauternes, with aromatic oak and some VA making the marmalade deliciously piquant. Palate shows good concentration, complex quite strong flavours as for bouquet, and excellent fresh acid, balancing the sweetness superbly. Flavoursome wine for cellaring 10 – 20 years. GK 04/06

2015 Okonomierat Rebholz vom Muschelkalk Riesling Trocken Qualitatswein 18 ½ (

)

Sudpfalz, Germany: 12.5%; $50 [ cork; the Rebholz family have been winemakers since at least 1632, with a focus on riesling; there tends to be long skin contact for the whites, up to 24 hours; the whites are mostly all-stainless steel; viticulture is organic on calcareous sediments; for the website, the more detailed parts are in German; www.oekonomierat-rebholz.com ]
Lemon. Bouquet is delightful, nearly floral and linden blossom, clear freshcut hay with species such as sweet vernal, a thread of mineral. Palate is even better, redolent of riesling aromas and citrusy flavours, long, dry, an elegant terpene backbone but not phenolic, long acid, the real thing. There is nearly a suggestion of English primroses in the floral component too, a rare, elusive and highly desirable attribute. Aftertaste is long, elegant, definitive riesling. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 03/17

2005 Domaine Rousseau Chambertin Clos de Beze 18 ½ (

)

Gevrey-Chambertin Grand Cru, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $504 [ cork; up to 22 months in 100% new French oak; Rousseau owns 1.4 ha, 9.2% of the vineyard; making approx 500 cases; www.domaine-rousseau.com ]
Pinot noir ruby, the second-lightest wine. The last several vintages, I have rated Clos de Beze my top of the Rousseau set, but this year it is closer to Saint-Jacques in being quite new-oaky, though demonstrably richer. It does not seem quite as rich as the Clos de la Roche, and is clearly less rich and concentrated than the Chambertin. Total style is classic fragrant red-fruits Rousseau, and as the oak marries in, I imagine it will outpoint the Saint-Jacques in 10 years. Cellar 10 – 25 years, at least. GK 11/08

2005 Domaine Rousseau Clos Saint-Jacques 18 ½ (

)

Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $314 [ cork; up to 22 months in 100% new French oak; Rousseau owns 2.2 ha, 33% of the vineyard; making approx 725 cases; www.domaine-rousseau.com ]
Pinot noir ruby, lighter than the Chambertin. This is the most perfectly and explicitly floral of the Rousseaus, showing red rose, boronia and Lisbon lemon blossom notes with a hint of something more aromatic still, like thyme. Palate is crisper, oakier and tighter than the top four wines, not as rich as the Clos de Beze, over-oaked relative to the Mazy, but at this stage so beautifully floral that pulls it up in the ranking. It will harmonise in cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 11/08

2005 Domaine Rousseau Ruchottes Chambertin 18 ½ (

)

Gevrey-Chambertin Grand Cru, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $288 [ cork; up to 22 months usually in one third new French oak; Rousseau owns 1.1 ha, 32% of the vineyard, making approx 350 cases; www.domaine-rousseau.com ]
Pinot noir ruby, below midway in depth. On bouquet, this wine is confuseable with best Martinborough, there being a distinct pennyroyal / slightly minty note in the aromatic and floral red-fruits bouquet. As one tastes it however, it is richer, and a Lisbon lemon floral quality creeps in too, aromatic, seductive, distracting from the red and black fruits and quite high new oak. The differences between these wines are awfully subtle. Cellar 10 – 25 years. GK 11/08

1999 Chateau de Saint Cosme Gigondas 18 ½ (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $83 [ cork, 50mm; original price c.$30; Gr c.65%, Sy c.15, Mv c.15, some Ci; hand-harvested, average yield 3.75 t/ha = 1.5 t/ac; cuvaison in s/s, some whole-bunches; elevation c. 12 months, more than 50% of the wine in concrete vat and large wood, less than half in 1 – 4 year barriques; usually no fining or filtering; tending organic wine; no Valbelle in 1999; J. L-L, 2011: There is a gentle curve of red fruit on the bouquet, which has a grainy depth; that brings in more black fruit beyond, which has good heart, carries licorice with it. Salty, fine fruit lead to the palate – this is fresh, runs straight and true, the freshness is sparkling. It ends on an accomplished length, thanks to a really tasty herbal-floral flourish. The tannins are a bit gritty still. To 2025. [ Earlier comment: Good richness within ], ****(*); R. Parker, 2000: (1999 is 70% Gr, 25% Sy, and 5% Ci) ... sweet aromas of blackberry fruit, roasted meats, and cassis. Chewy, powerful, full-bodied, superbly concentrated, pure, and well-balanced ... to 2014, 90 – 92 ; www.saintcosme.com ]
Glowing garnet and ruby, below midway in depth. This bouquet stands out in the set, showing a slightly garrigue-influenced florality and charm on red fruits which in style tiptoes towards the Cote de Nuits. There are suggestions of whole-bunch freshness, fragrance and complexity – all exceptionally beautiful. Palate is not quite as rich as some, but the quality of flavour makes up for that. The red fruits plus spice of grenache dominate, but it is easy to imagine some black pepper aromatics from syrah, too. Being the standard cuvée of Saint Cosme Gigondas, there is no new oak, but nonetheless reasonably young oak notes do lengthen the palate. This is totally pure wine, fresh to a remarkable degree reflecting the whole bunch component, a southern Rhone wine to show to those who dismiss Chateauneuf-du-Pape and its related winestyles as either too alcoholic, too strong / heavy, or too bretty. This Saint Cosme is exemplary. Four people rated it their top or second wine – fair enough: it defines modern Gigondas. Fully mature now, but will hold 10 years at least. GK 03/19

2016 Domaine Saint-Damien Gigondas La Louisiane Vieilles Vignes Non-Filtré 18 ½ (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 15%; $50 [ cork, 50 mm; certified organic wine; Gr 80% >75 years age, Mv 15, Sy & Ci 5 mostly de-stemmed, co-fermented; extended cuvaisons sometimes to 6 weeks; elevation c.12 months in large oak; not fined or filtered; production c.1,000 x 9-litre cases; Philippe Cambie consults; weight bottle and cork 635 g; www.domainesaintdamien.com ]
Bright ruby, carmine and velvet, just in the deepest 10, for colour. Bouquet is wonderfully fragrant, with delicate lifted nearly floral garrigue aromatics, much more fragrant than the Soumade Rasteau. Fruit shows both red and spicy grenache, and darker syrah and mourvedre, wonderfully complex and grapey. Palate introduces the subtlest newish oak to saturated dark berry flavours, even some cassis, no hint of heaviness, a delight. The length and delicacy of the aftertaste is revelatory, with less apparent newish oak than Les Souteyrades. Cellar 10 – 20 years. Available from Truffle Imports, Wellington. GK 07/19

2016 Domaine Saint-Damien Gigondas Les Souteyrades Vieilles Vignes Non-Filtré 18 ½ (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 15%; $47 [ cork, 50 mm; certified organic wine; Gr 80%, 70 years age, Mv 20, co-fermented; extended cuvaisons sometimes to 7 weeks; elevation c.12 months in large oak; not fined or filtered; production c.1,100 x 9-litre cases; Philippe Cambie consults; weight bottle and cork 625 g; www.domainesaintdamien.com ]
Ruby, just a wash of carmine and velvet, above midway in depth. The bouquet on this wine has a florality and piquancy that immediately appeals, everything light and in proportion, some florals, some garrigue, then red fruits grading to black, slightly aromatic, all beautifully melded. As soon as you taste it, there is a lightness of touch, yet a quality of flavour, which makes you ask: is this Gigondas ? Even though the alcohol is higher than one would wish, several of the Gigondas in this tasting beautifully illustrate the concept: all the aroma and flavour of Chateauneuf-du-Pape, but not as rich. Aftertaste is gorgeous on berry and garrigue, with subtlest newish oak. This wine wears its 20% mourvedre very lightly, but that should make it particularly long-lived. It is subtler than the Espiers. Cellar 10 – 20 years. Available from Truffle Imports, Wellington. GK 07/19

2015 Domaine Saint Préfert Chateauneuf-du-Pape 18 ½ (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $59 [ cork, 50mm; this vintage Gr 85%, Sy 5, Mv 5, Ci 5; elevation now 10 months in concrete vat (puncheons formerly); not fined or filtered, certified organic; production up to 2,750 x 9-litre cases; J.L-L, 2016: The bouquet is neat, carries attractive black berry and black cherry fruit ... and a note of licorice and tarriness. The palate ... stylish black fruit ... mild tannins ... It will show well quite soon, 2027-28, ***(*); J. Dunnuck @ R. Parker, 2016: [ barrel sample ] The stunning 2015 Châteauneuf du Pape is a wine to buy a case of as it has beautiful concentration and depth, as well as the elegance, purity and finesse that’s the hallmark of the estate, 91 – 93+; bottle weight 614g; www.st-prefert.fr ]
Ruby, some velvet, midway in depth, fractionally deeper than its sister wine, as you would expect with less barrel exposure. One sniff in the blind line-up, and (due to the way the wines were sequenced) this was the first wine to express the thought: a year of perfect ripeness. Here are fragrant red fruits but with a smattering of aromatic dark grapes too, in a wine of excellent fruit maturity and total purity. Though the understanding is for a concrete-raised wine, you would swear there is trace new oak complexity here too. Flavours in mouth are soft, long, supple, complex, again illustrating grenache to perfection, but spiced with blending varieties, and all sweetly-fruited to the finish. This wine has to be the outstanding value of the tasting, $59 for a fully-ranking Chateauneuf-du-Pape being a gift on today's prices. Anybody who doesn't buy a case of this wine simply doesn't like Southern Rhone Valley wine all that much. A wonderful wine, totally pure, to cellar 10 – 25 years. GK 08/18

1978 Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia Bolgheri 18 ½ (

)

Tuscany, Central Italy: 12.6%; $1,174 [ cork; CS 85%, CF 15; the following information is summarised from robertparker.com and the Sassicaia website. First plantings of Bordeaux varietals 1944. From 1948 to 1967, the wine remained experimental and private, the first commercial release being 1968. It soon became known as the first of the so-called super-Tuscans. It then had to be labelled Vino da Tavola, due to its non-conforming cepage. It was upgraded to DoC Bolgheri Sassicaia in 1994. This is both the first and the only single-vineyard DoC in Italy farmed by a single producer. Sassicaia comes mainly from 48 hectares between 100 and 300 m asl, Tenuta San Guido's oldest and best vineyards. Planting density then 3,600 to 5,500 plants per hectare. Fermentation then in s/s, temperature controlled to max 30-31°, cuvaison c.12 days. Elevation 22 months in 60% French barriques, 40% Yugoslavian, c.60% of the wood new. Wine Spectator vintage rating for the year, 84; J. Robinson, 2010 [ Note: JR has marked 1985 Sassicaia 20 points, admitting to having become "lost" in the wine. ] Quite a light vintage - made without agronomists or vine management, we were reminded. First bottle pretty oxidised nose. Second bottle apparently lightly oxidised but then it blossomed. But very sweet and rich and slightly high in VA. But sleek and there is much more meat to it than most red bordeaux 1978. Very lively. Flirtatious. Quite high in acidity. But lovely stuff!, 18.5; unfortunately the Parker website now does not show the earlier reviews of Sassicaia, a new approach I deplore. The only review is from a recent vertical reported on by Monica Larner, 2017: ... the 1978 Sassicaia is another surprise ... The wine delivers a remarkable sense of integrity and fullness with dark fruit, pressed rose and lavender, canned fruit, savory spice, barbecue spice and a sharp touch of sour cherry that grabs your attention at the end. The intensity of the bouquet underlines the warm Tuscan growing conditions and the ease in which optimal ripeness can be achieved in this sun-kissed territory. The fine tannins are folded neatly within the wine's streamlined texture. The 1978 vintage shows strong signs of life, through to 2022, 90; present-day production c.16,650 x 9-litre cases; www.tenutasanguido.com/eng/sassicaia.html ]
Ruby more than garnet, clearly the deepest and most youthful wine. And bouquet matches the colour impression exactly, clearly bigger and riper than any of the Bordeaux, but at the same time, not so complex, fragrant, and nearly floral as the best of them. The high cabernet sauvignon comes across as clear cassis, bigger and riper than the other wines but still exciting, with quite big oak. In mouth the impression of size on bouquet is instantly confirmed, nearly a suggestion of Australian ripeness, almost too much sunshine and new oak, but it was not apparent if there had been a tartaric acid adjustment, the finish being gentle and attractive. The wine is remarkably in-style for the grapes, but seemed more modern in every respect, bigger, riper, just a little burly. This confusion of impressions resulted in the wine being top-rated by only one taster, but no less than eight had it as their second-favourite wine. In a Bordeaux-themed tasting, that is an interesting and thoughtful response. 1978 Sassicaia will cellar for another 20 years, at least, corks willing. GK 10/18

1998 Daniel Schuster [ Pinot Noir ] Omihi Hills Selection 18 ½ (

)

Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 13.5%; $40 [ TE ]
Good ruby. A remarkable bouquet, astonishingly burgundian in a Cote de Nuits fragrant sense. It is deeply floral, with attractive berryfruit and spices. Already a remarkable degree of complexity in the smallfruits / oak interaction, yet the wine youthful. Exciting wine, complex and very dry. Cellar 10 –15 years. GK 01/01

2016 Maison Tardieu-Laurent Vacqueyras Vieilles Vignes 18 ½ (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $50 [ cork, 55mm; Gr 70%, 60+ years, Sy 15, 40 years, Mv 15, 40 years; one half of the crop destemmed; viticulture tending organic; the website implies all the wine 12 months in second- and third-year barrels, then 10 months in foudre; Joe Czerwinski @ RP notes that the whole-bunch component is raised in concrete, not all in oak of various kinds, as the website implies; not fined or filtered; pH not given, but stated by the makers to be: ‘astonishingly low … which will give the wine: an unprecedented destiny; JR: 17.5; J. Suckling: 92; JC @ RP: 91-93; available from Caro’s, Auckland; www.tardieu-laurent.fr ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a beautiful colour, just above midway in depth. Bouquet on this wine is really singing, again dark berries nearly hinting at cassis, much dark plum, a lot of herbes / garrigue aromatic lift, and fragrant near-cedary newish oak. This bouquet has real zing. In mouth the fruit richness is nearly as deep as the Rasteau, astonishing freshness and flavour, not quite as rich as the top three but in some ways fresher and more uplifting. This wine shows benchmark-quality garrigue complexity, beautiful. It captures the qualities described for the vintage superbly. Two first-places. Cellar 15 – 30 years. GK 04/19

2016 [ Rod McDonald ] Te Awanga Syrah Trademark 18 ½ (

)

Havelock North Hills and Tukituki Valley, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $76 [ cork 49mm; price to $110 in some locations; Sy 100% from the closely-allied Limmer and MS clones, planted at an average 4,165 vines per hectare in two sites, one south of Havelock North, one in the Tukituki Valley. Both sites are hillsides, and have a calcareous component in the SPMs, adding great interest to the range of soil types represented in our tasting. One site the vines are 6 years age, the other 15 +, all hand-picked at an average 4.5 t/ha = 1.8 t/ac; no whole-bunches retained, but all whole-berry, with mostly wild-yeast ferments, supplemented by cultured; three to eight days cold-soak, 20 days on-skins / cuvaison in total, MLF in barrel the following spring; 10 months in French oak 60% new pre-assembly, then a further 10 months post-assembly; sterile-filtered to bottle; dry extract 28.4 g/L; production 290 x 9-litre cases; weight bottle and closure: 990g; no reviews local or overseas found, so winemaker’s profile: For all its ripeness, the wine has retained a vibrancy and great complexity on the nose. The palate is plush with typical violet, spice, black cherry and subtle white pepper notes. Supple chalky tannins provide a structure that promise time in bottle will be rewarded. Reference to white pepper interesting, this character usually being seen as indicating sub-optimal ripeness; https://teawangaestate.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, just below midway in depth. Bouquet is highly floral on this wine, with a lighter component linking exactly to the dianthus / carnations and wallflowers spectrum of florals which typifies fine syrah. Below is aromatic cassis, beautifully pure dark berries, and cedary oak. There are reminders of Cote Rotie here. Palate reveals a good sensation of berry flesh, and quite good richness, with somewhat lighter fruit flavours, not as darkly cassisy as the Hermitage. This will become a very pretty wine in cellar, as the berry and oak marry up, with reminders of a richer year of Te Mata Bullnose. Tasters were not as keen on this wine as I was, one second place. It will cellar for 10 – 20 years. GK 11/19

1998 Ch des Tours Vacqueyras Reserve 18 ½ (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $53 [ cork 45mm; originally $50; Gr 95%, Sy 5, hand-harvested from 35-year-old vines; part of the crop spends up to 6 months in old oak casks; otherwise elevation in concrete or s/s for c.24 months: Parker observes (summarised): Readers looking for a Vacqueyras made in the image of the renowned Chateauneuf-du-Pape from Ch Rayas should seek out … this wine … the proprietor is Bernard Reynaud, brother of the late Jacques Reynaud of Ch Rayas … the selection is severe, only one third of the crop is bottled as this wine … yields are amongst the lowest in the appellation … resulting in a powerful rich concentrated style of Vacqueyras that ages well. Parker, 10/00: The flamboyant bouquet offers a fabulous expression of Grenache harvested at sur-maturité that has not been compromised by aging in new oak. The flavors are all fruit, glycerin, and kirsch liqueur. Made from 100% Grenache, the wine exhibits a layered texture, low acidity ... a superb example of Vacqueyras ... P.S. I bought two cases: 90; weight bottle and closure: 577 g; not much info at: www.chateaurayas.fr/domainedestours.htm, a bit more at; www.chateauneuf.dk/vacqueyras/en/vacen11.htm ]
Rosy ruby, garnet and velvet, a perfect mature Southern Rhone wine colour. Bouquet on this wine is simply heavenly, almost perfection in grenache, red fruits browning now, but the term 'red fruits' seems almost inadequate for what you smell here, all lifted by complex cedary / silver pine essential oils characteristic of maturing grenache. Little or no brett. Palate is succulent, only word for it, illustrating dramatically that grenache at its purest and most sympathetically handled, with little or no new oak, is like a kind of 'more exciting' / more spirity pinot noir. Dramatically good wine, by far the best bottle of this vintage of des Tours I have tasted. Not favoured so much by the group however, two only tasters rating it their second favourite. Fully mature now, but will hold some years. GK 08/16

1982 Ch Trotanoy 18 ½ (

)

Pomerol (highly-rated), Bordeaux,, France: – %; $1,336 [ cork 54 mm, ullage 18 mm; original price c.$62; cepage then approx. Me 90, CF 10; planted at c.6,200 vines / ha, average age of vines c.28 years, cropped at c.39 hl/ha (5.05 t/ha = 2 t/ac); typically 20 – 24 months in barrel, 33 – 50% new; Parker in 1991 noted that since 1953 Ch Trotanoy has been owned by the merchant firm Moueix ... but that in the later '70s the style lightened. Parker queried whether the fining and filtration that the firm was then committed to had lightened the wine. He felt that though other Pomerols had overtaken it in the last two decades, it still rated as a Medoc second-growth. He also noted that (happily) the 1982 was an exception to his doubts for the wines of the 1970s and 1980s. Broadbent, 2002: ... very distinctive, full of flesh, fruit and of course tannic, ****; Parker, 1991: ... even more fascinating and dazzling than I initially thought ... the finest wine made at this estate since the 1961 ... a profound bouquet of rich berry fruit, licorice, coffee, mineral, and spicy oak. Massive and huge on the palate, with superb balance and phenomenal concentration and richness, it is much more evolved and forward than Petrus ... to 2008, 97; Parker, 2000: ... close to full maturity ... abundant sweet black cherry fruit, smoky, mineral, earth, and dried herb aromas. Fleshy, spicy, and full-bodied, with the vintage's tell-tale succulence, high glycerin, and low acidity giving the wine a fat, plush personality, this 1982 should drink well for another decade, 95; W. Kelley, 2022: Today, the 1982 Trotanoy is showing brilliantly, bursting from the glass with rich aromas of sweet berries, cigar wrapper, black truffle, petals and confit orange. Full-bodied, supple and sensual, its ample core of fruit framed by melting tannins, it's one of the most seamless, viscerally appealing wines of the vintage that remains comparatively underrated given its extraordinary quality, 97; weight bottle and closure 549 g; www.moueix.com/pomerol/trotanoy ]
Glowing garnet and ruby, just below midway in weight of colour, the second to least in redness. The bouquet subtle alongside the Medocs, lacking the aromatics of cabernet sauvignon, instead a fading salmon-hued roses quality on red fruits browning now, some pipe tobacco, and oak of a rare subtlety and finesse … like the Cos. Palate is richer and suppler than the Montrose, almost velvety, but (my quirk) lacking the aromatics and therefore the interest of cabernet sauvignon-informed clarets. As for La Lagune, I thought this the finest Trotanoy in some years. In terms of both quality of palate, and to highlight the contrast between cabernet sauvignon-led clarets and merlot-led clarets, I placed this wine between the Gruaud-Larose and Cos d'Estournel, in the latter half of the tasting. This worked well, nine tasters identifying it as a merlot-led wine. Top wine for one, second favourite for two. At perfect maturity now, maybe shortening-up just a little. A hint of tannin fur on the aftertaste. GK 11/23

2005 Ch Trotanoy 18 ½ (

)

Pomerol, Bordeaux, France: 13%; $421 [ cork 50mm, then Me 90%, CF 10; vines average 6,200 / ha; time in barrel c.20 months, 40% new; 2050 cases; skimpy website; www.moueix.com ]
Ruby, garnet and velvet, one of the older, in the middle for weight. Bouquet here is reminiscent of the Petrus 1990, big, fragrant, but all tending just a little hotter-climate / over-ripened in style, scarcely any florals, more leathery (+ve, almost), browning plummy fruits, subtle cedary oak. Palate is velvety rich, quite elegant, still some tannins to resolve, much richer than the Prieuré but not the varietal precision, interesting. A wine like this makes you reflect on winewriters from hotter climates. If they have never been exposed to the multidimensional beauty of grapes and wines grown in a temperate viticultural climate, wines that is, with a clear floral component, then it is understandable that over-ripe wines will be marked up. Taken as a whole, this wine just scrapes into gold-medal ranking, on its harmony and balance. Cellar 5 – 25 years. GK 11/15

1978 Domaine Vieux Telegraphe Chateauneuf-du-Pape 18 ½ (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $ – [ cork 49mm; Gr 70%, Sy 15, Mv 10, Ci 5; big old wood only, then, for c.22 months. This is a rare (and sole) bottle: John Livingstone-Learmonth, the latterday authority on the Rhone Valley, records that in 1978 the Bruniers made 225,000 litres of the grand vin, but bottled only 7,500 for their own label. The rest was sold in bulk to Jaboulet, Chapoutier, and other negociants. This bottle bought at Kermit Lynch's (San Francisco) in 1981. He pioneered Vieux Telegraphe in America, and remains a, perhaps the, pre-eminent importer of French wine there. Because the domaine bottling is so rare, it is not even scheduled currently by wine-searcher.com, hard though that is to believe. The last lot I can find sold at auction for £175.
Livingstone-Learmonth last tasted this wine in 2012, at the vineyard with the Bruniers, when he rated it 6-stars, a rating he rarely gives. His notes (in his distinctive / eclectic style) mention: The bouquet now is enormously wide, with a deep, lingering black fruit presence. Quelle jeunesse … This is extraordinary, Grand Vin … a complete meal in its own right; he also records Daniel Brunier saying: “it is a vintage of Anthology – nothing was done; no destemming, only a light crush, fermented in a closed foudre … so no intervention here, just the heart of the maker, made in innocence".
Parker is of the view that the 1978 is the last of the great Vieux Telegraphes – he bought four cases of it: in one review he refers to it as: The colossal 1978 remains the reference point wine for Vieux Telegraphe, although the 1998 may challenge it; in 2003 his FIFTH note on it maintains a score of 94 and says: One of the great classics of Chateauneuf du Pape is the 1978 made by Henri Brunier. This wine, which has given me immense pleasure, offers a sensational smorgasbord of aromas, including compost, pepper, black fruits, smoked meats, Vaucluse truffles, licorice, and incense. The aromatics easily merit a perfect 100-point score. In the mouth, this huge wine is massive, thick, and unctuous, with the concentration of a dry vintage port. An amazing effort, it remains the quintessential classic Vieux-Telegraphe, that perhaps only the 1998 will come close to rivaling. The 1978 has been fully mature for over a decade, but the color remains a dark plum/purple with little signs of evolution. Drink it over the next decade. An amazing wine!
Jancis Robinson rated it 19 in 2009, saying: This was a stunning bottle. Very very dark crimson. Sleek and polished and sweet and spicy. Wonderfully flattering texture and fully evolved enveloping bouquet. Just gorgeous. Very long. Great wine that survived in an open decanter for 24 hours (until I finished it). In all her years tasting, she has rated only four Chateauneufs higher, and two of them are Beaucastel's Homage a Jacques Perrin, which is more a $500 bottle (current). So with luck, cork willing, this should be a benchmark experience; www.brunier.fr ]
Good near-velvety ruby, some garnet, well above midway. Bouquet is simply astonishing, being youthful (along with one other) in the company of mostly much more mellow and fragrant wines. The depth of grenache-based but deeply aromatic (mourvedre ?) berry and fruit is astonishing. It does not have the beautiful burgundian quality of bouquet Les Cedres shows, the fruit being altogether more, dare I say it, primary. In mouth the wine is darkly and freshly plummy, more tannic than the bouquet would suggest (the mourvedre again), with a perfume reminding of pink pine (manool – bespeaking the grenache) emerging. As Harry Waugh used to say, it has tannin to lose (and aplenty) before it becomes as beautiful as Les Cedres, but it is mightily impressive. One first place. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 04/14

2014 [ Mount Edward ] Wanaka Road Pinot Noir 18 ½ (

)

Pisa district, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.9%; $31 [ screwcap; main clones UCD 5, Abel, Dijon 777, planted at c.4,500 vines/ha, average age not given; all hand-picked @ an average of 5.8 t/ha (2.3 t/ac), c.15% whole-bunch, cold soak 4 – 6 days, all wild-yeast ferments, then c.19 days cuvaison; most of the wine c.10 months in French oak c.20% new, medium toast; not sterile-filtered to bottle; RS nil; dry extract not given; production 4,200 cases; www.mountedward.co.nz ]
Quite big pinot noir ruby, nearly a wash of carmine and velvet, the third deepest wine. One sniff of this, and there is a deep dusky kind of florality quite in contrast to the Greystone. There is no buddleia in this, it is all deeper and more mysterious darkest red roses and violets, Gevrey-Chambertin, extraordinarily sensuous. Flavours and textures in mouth are nearly as definitively black cherry as the Cornish Point, the wine showing just a little less polish and mellowing in elevation. But when you reflect that this wine is less than half the price of the Cornish, it is a pretty wonderful example of fine Otago pinot noir, to cellar 5 – 15 years. Group View (Flight 2): 4 first places, 1 second, 2 least. GK 11/15

2003 Domaine Yann Chave Hermitage 18 ½ (

)

Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $61 [ 50mm cork; a ripe and warm year, 96 and ready for Parker; Sy 100; 90% Beaume vineyard, 10 Peleat; 21 days cuvaison, 16 months in new and 1-year 600-litre barrels; Parker, 2006: Closed and backward, the 2003 Hermitage’s saturated ruby/purple hue is followed by a smoky perfume of licorice, white flowers, and creme de cassis. With firm tannin, freshness, medium body, and a spicy finish, it is more tannic and backward than the Tete de Cuvee, with more potential complexity. Give it 2-3 years of cellaring and drink it over the following 15, 90; www.yannchave.com ]
Ruby and velvet, the second deepest wine. Bouquet is rich, dark and exotic on this wine, yet within the bounds of syrah, not shiraz. It is wonderfully pure and fragrant, but not exactly floral – a function of the hot season it seems safe to say. Instead there is this deep translucent berry and dark fruit aroma, more aromatic than bottled black doris plums, more bottled omega. Additionally there is exotic note to it reminiscent of canned blueberries or even guavas. In mouth it is velvety rich, with surprisingly low oak and no new oak apparent at all, contra the general understanding. Grape tannins are soft and furry, and acid balance is slightly on the soft side, so with the low apparent oak it may not cellar ideally for the longest term. But though it may lack a little typicité, it is a gentle giant of a wine, and surprisingly fresh for its style. It is engaging now, and should be lovely over the next 5 – 15 years. Top wine for three people. GK 09/14

2002 Domaine Zind-Humbrecht Gewurztraminer Clos Windsbuhl 18 ½ (

)

Wintzenheim, Alsace, France: 14.5%; $109 [ cork; no website found ]
Lemonstraw. Bouquet is in a late harvest rich style, with botrytis, oak contact and light VA all introducing an almost sauternes-like fullness and complexity to great lychee and golden queen peach fruit. And florals are not missing either, with wild ginger and almost citronella complexities. Palate is wonderfully rich and flavoursome, extending all the bouquet qualities into a bigger and bolder wine with all the flavours (and more) of the Ihumatao wine. Due to the extra sweetness (full medium) and botrytis, it lacks the pinpoint varietal focus and delicacy of that wine. VA roughens the finish a little. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 08/06

2004 Craggy Range Syrah Block 14 18 + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $33 [ cork; Sy 100% cropped @ c. 3.5 t/ac, hand-harvested, 95% destemmed; 17 months in French oak 40% new; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, lovely. Bouquet is a great presentation of very ripe New Zealand syrah, deeply floral in a violets and lilac sense, beautiful cassis, dark plum and blueberry, smelling soft and enticing, yet clearly syrah more than shiraz. On palate one is surprised by the level of tannin and oak, which the bouquet gives little hint of, but there is the fruit there for it to marry up. It is a lighter wine than le Sol, but still as big as most of the big ones. This really needs to lose some tannin, at the moment, for in the richness it is potentially velvety. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 01/07

2004 Sacred Hill Syrah Deerstalkers 18 + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $60 [ screwcap; extended cuvaison followed by 18 months in French oak; www.sacredhill.com ]
Ruby, much the same weight as the Clonakilla, but older. What a transformation here ! This wine has been through a relatively ugly patch, bearing no relation to the 2002 (so it seemed), yet suddenly, here it is, born again, fresh, floral, fragrant, all red fruits. Palate is delightfully succulent, more red cherry than cassis, some plum, subtle oak. Not explicitly varietal, but potentially delicious. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 01/07

2004 Red Rock Syrah The Underarm Gimblett Gravels 18 + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $23 [ screwcap; Sy 100% hand-picked @ c. 4 t/ac; de-stemmed; wild yeast fermentation; 15 months in French oak with nil new (NB); subsidiary of Craggy Range; www.wildrockwine.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, about midway in depth. In some ways this is the benchmark wine of the set, showing superb varietal character in a plump, fully ripe wine. There are attractive dark florals, cassis and darkest plums through bouquet and palate, with wonderful fruit richness and spicy peppercorn developing on the late palate. The magical thing about this wine is the display of great varietal fruit character against superbly clean oak, but none of it new. A study wine for many winemakers, I think. Don't fall into the trap of thinking this is merely a commercial red – as the marks show, it is one of the top syrahs in the country. The soft yet dry finish is very attractive, showing beautiful tannins. Cellar 5 – 15 years. VALUE GK 05/06

2013 Chapoutier Ermitage Le Pavillon 18 + (

)

Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $582 [ cork, 50mm; Sy 100%; cropping and wine-making details as in the introductory ‘Background’ section; www.chapoutier.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, the third deepest wine. Bouquet shows good freshness and nearly floral notes, port-wine magnolia, on cassisy, plummy and nearly blackberry fruit. The vanillin of still-new oak is noticeable too. Palate reveals good berry richer than expected from the vintage, and the same mix of berry flavours as bouquet, in an appealing cleaner / lower toast oak regime. It seems not quite as rich as the 2012, yet tastes markedly younger. One person had this as their second wine. Cellar 10 – 25 years. Wine Spectator quality rating for the vintage 91 years. GK 10/18

1969 Drouhin Clos de la Roche Grand Cru 18 + (

)

Morey-Saint-Denis, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: – %; $ – [ 49mm cork; c.50 ml ullage; 1969 in general a 5-star vintage: 'superb, not unlike 1949' Broadbent says; noting that this wine is now 45 years old, Spurrier characterises Clos de la Roche as: The largest Grand Cru, and generally accepted to be the finest … a powerful wine with great depth and elegance … intense fruit; the vineyard named for the limestone outcrop in the vineyard; hand-harvested, some whole bunch usually, and cuvaison in open wooden vats 18 – 20 days; 12 – 18 months in barrels understood to be about 1/3 new; www.drouhin.com ]
Garnet and ruby, the second to lightest. Initially opened, and for a number of hours thereafter, including through the tasting, there was some deterioration of bouquet, more oxidation (or maderisation) than anything, as fits with 50 ml ullage loss. The next day it had freshened and sweetened unbelievably, so much so that one could see its former beauty clearly now even in old age, even faded rose-florals. Conversely in palate, it was right from the outset exquisite. The intensity, richness and concentration of pinpoint-perfect red and black cherry fruit, and the subtlety of the oak and new-oak component is absolutely benchmark. In terms of dry extract, I've not had a Drouhin Clos de la Roche as rich as this since the 1969 vintage, though over the years I have not tasted as many as I would wish, sadly. It seems the wine of another era. Had the bottle been in perfect condition for its age, it would have been the top wine of the entire tasting, by far. Few burgundies are so exquisitely floral, gently aromatic, yet astonishingly rich and perfectly Cote de Nuits as this. The de Vogue Musigny is bigger, but today's bottle otherwise lacking, and the Bonnes Mares is a little lighter, in terms of dry extract. The last bottle of the case, sadly again, and at the 45-year point, corks as a closure are becoming erratic. Perhaps best finished GK 10/14

2008 Obsidian [ Cabernets / Merlot ] The Obsidian 18 + (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14%; $54 [ cork; CS 38%, Me 30, CF 14, PV 12, Ma 6, all hand-harvested; all de-stemmed, cultured yeast, up to 21 days cuvaison; MLF and c.13 months in all-French oak 30% new; 395 cases; www.obsidian.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, nearly as deep as the 2008 Larose. Bouquet needs a little air to show its best, then revealing fragrant dark plums, some cassis, hints of florals, and subtle oak, all very pure. Palate is a little less, now rather much oak concealing fair richness, and total acid up a little. Even though the fruit flavour and maturity is good, the wine is tending hard and youthful at this stage. It is riper and firmer than the Weeping Sands 2007 Cabernet / Merlot, and clearly intended for the long haul in cellar. Cellar 10 – 20 + years, though it might be on the lean and fragrant side by then. GK 06/10

2005 Felton Road Pinot Noir 18 + (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $45 [ screwcap; 2005 a low-crop year; not much wine info on website; www.feltonroad.com ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet. The standard wine has the clear floral components it is becoming famous for, but this year there is also a subtle aromatic lift, whether thyme or some kind of mint it is hard to say. In mouth, there is plump dark cherry and nearly dark plum fruit, a little oakier than some, but attractively balanced and finishing long. The aromatic note seems more noticeable on this occasion – I am puzzled by this. Great to see a number of the Otago wines being presented at 13.5% alcohol this year. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 01/07

2006 d'Arenberg Shiraz Dead Arm 18 + (

)

McLaren Vale, South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $67 [ screwcap; Sh 100%; a barrel selection from the oldest shiraz blocks; partial BF in French and US oak 30% new, and 20 months in barrel; not filtered; www.darenberg.com.au ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. Bouquet is classically rich McLaren Vale shiraz, a little euc'y sadly, but much more restrained than in earlier years. The fruit is not so over-ripe, there still being a good component of blueberry and dark plum, and the oak is a lot more subtle, and with a higher percentage of French these days, rising to 100% in a few years. No American oak has been bought since 2005. Richness on palate is markedly greater than the other d'Arenberg shirazes, though the oak does increase somewhat in mouth. This should cellar well and soften, over 10 – 25 years. GK 07/10

nv Mumm Cordon Rouge Brut 18 + (

)

Reims, Champagne, France: 12%; $76 [ cork; PN 45%, Ch 30; PM 25; some reserve wines in blend; RS 10 g/L; 625 000 cases; www.mumm.com or www.adwnz.com ]
Lemonstraw. Bouquet on this bubbly is intriguingly different, with a buttered toast quality combining the yeast autolysis and MLF component, on attractive fruit. Palate adds pale button mushrooms onto the buttered toast, with very beautiful complex flavours including cherry fruit. But as always with fine bubbly, though rich it is not fruity as such. Aftertaste is slightly more acid and phenolic than some, but the dosage covers it. Attractive. GK 11/05

2008 Riverby Estate Sauvignon Blanc 18 + (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $20 [ screwcap; SB 95%, Se 5, harvested in 6 picks to optimise flavour complexity, mostly cool night harvest, averaging 4 t/ac; all s/s ferments, some LA in tank; pH 3.29, RS 2.6 g/L; www.riverbyestate.com ]
Lemongreen. Bouquet is sweet, ripe and mild, black passionfruit more than red capsicum, faintest sweet basil, all a little milder than the Astrolabe Voyage. Essential flavours are very similar, so this is a good Marlborough sauvignon for those who find many of them too sharp. It is drier than the commercial average, though. Cellar 2 – 8 years, to taste. GK 04/09

2002 Villa Maria Merlot / Cabernet Sauvignon Cellar Selection 18 + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $22 [ 18 months in oak; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. This bouquet simply smells gorgeously plump, with richest, ripest, darkest plums plus some subsidiary cassis. Palate is less oaky and firm than many of the top wines, that making up for it being perhaps slightly less rich. It is still wonderfully full-bodied, redolent of cassisy plums and fragrant oak, and clearly suggesting Bordeaux in style. Considering this wine is just over $20 per bottle, it is a dramatic illustration of just how much progress the New Zealand red wine industry has achieved in the 20 short years since 1982 Te Mata Coleraine. Cellar 8 – 15 years. VALUE GK 05/04

2007 Villa Maria Syrah Cellar Selection 18 + (

)

Gimblett Gravels & other districts, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $33 [ screwcap; details probably much as for 2006, Sy 100% hand-harvested, all de-stemmed; inoculated yeast, warm-fermented in open-top vessels, 15 days cuvaison; c. 18 months in French and American oak 40% new; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. This syrah opens a little quietly, just a shadow of reduction, needing a splashy decanting. It opens out to a classic Hawkes Bay example of the grape, not as rich as the Te Mata Bullnose, and a little oakier and more acid, but with cassis and blueberry fruits on palate. At the price the Villa Maria Cellar Selection wines have sometimes been promoted lately, this will be a classy yet affordable introduction to syrah. It will cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 03/09

2008 Tinpot Hut Sauvignon Blanc 18 + (

)

Awatere Valley mostly, some Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.3%; $19 [ screwcap, all s/s; RS 4.1 g/L; www.tinpothut.co.nz ]
Elegant lemon colour. Bouquet is muffled at first – the whole wine benefits greatly from a splashy decanting. It then opens to reveal one of the classical Marlborough styles of sauvignon, with the elderflower character the English like so particularly. Palate is rich, combining black passionfruit and red capsicums with good texture. I suspect some careful lees-autolysis has gone into this, leaving behind a shadow of the component that shows to a fault in the unbreathed Pegasus Bay example. The long aftertaste is gorgeous, ripe, sauvignon ‘dry’, beautiful gentle acid, great food wine. Cellar 2 – 10 years. GK 05/09

2010 Jaboulet Hermitage La Petite Chapelle 18 + (

)

Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $133 [ cork, 55mm; Sy 100%; hand-picked from young vines as well as the main vineyards for La Chapelle, at <3 t/ha (1.2 t/ac); destemmed, details of production much as for La Chapelle, above; this is essentially the wines not making the now severely-tightened cut for La Chapelle proper, including younger and higher-cropping vines; production c.1,000 cases; no UK-based comment, Robert Parker, 2012: The 2010 Hermitage La Petite Chapelle is a better wine than nearly every Hermitage La Chapelle made under the final years of the Jaboulet family’s ownership (for example, 1993-2005). ... notes of camphor, tar, pepper, beef blood, black currant jam and hints of new saddle leather as well as earth. This supple, rich, full, authoritative beauty should drink well for 15-20 years, 92; www.jaboulet.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, just above midway in depth. Bouquet is in one sense quite different from La Chapelle proper, with a clearly more-ripe component to it which darkens the wine, just a hint of sur-maturité, but nowhere near as ripe as the Huchet. The label reveals it is more alcoholic too, that fitting in with the fruit of the younger vines being deployed in this wine. Palate shows a big dark flavour, lacking the florality and aromatic berry focus of the senior wine, instead more oaky. It was placed fifth in the lineup, and despite these reservations, it was the first to clearly state: I am Hermitage. The middle and later palate show a suggestion of burly almost ‘flat’ flavours, and older oak, relative to the La Chapelle. But the whole flavour is big, strong, and shows good concentration, totally syrah, and Hermitage. Three rated it their top wine, and one their second favourite, but it was the only wine to be thought not Rhone Valley by any of the tasters. Odd. Comparison of La Chapelle proper and this ‘second wine’, vintage for vintage, conveys volumes about the subtlety of the French approach to winemaking, and how they perceive wine quality. It is critically important that New Zealand winemakers, wine judges and wine-writers make these comparisons, but how many do ? Cellar 15 – 30 years. GK 11/18

2007 Felton Road Chardonnay Block 2 18 + (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $45 [ screwcap; hand-harvested, 100% BF in French oak 15% new; 100% MLF, 12 months LA and some stirring in barrel, plus 5 months assembled in tank; pH 3.42, RS nil; www.feltonroad.co.nz ]
Light lemonstraw. Well, if there are hints of Meursault about the standard Felton Chardonnay, this wine is straight out of Chablis. The degree of pale acacia florals through bouquet and palate is exciting, and though the actual fruit component is understated, it is not weak. The oaking is so simpatico to the delicate fruit, this wine must be the closest to grand cru chablis we have ever achieved in New Zealand. If the Villa Maria Reserve Taylors was easy to overlook, this neat almost petite wine is even more so. But its balance is just perfect, the way the acid has been handled is superb, and the wine is almost silky. An exciting wine for Otago, therefore, which one could drink all night. And the similarity between the Astrolabe from Marlborough and this even purer Felton wine is exhilarating. Cellar 2 – 8 years. GK 04/09

2007 Gibbston Valley Pinot Gris 18 + (

)

Bendigo & Gibbston districts, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14.5%; $28 [ screwcap; if similar to 2008, is hand-harvested, whole-bunch pressed; 85% s/s-fermented, 15 BF in older oak, then total blend 3 months LA and stirring; www.gvwines.co.nz ]
Lemon. Australian wine people are known to say that you can always recognise a pinot gris, because the wine smells and tastes of absolutely nothing. This reflects I guess the impossibility of their climate, when it comes to subtle varieties. They need to smell a pinot gris such as this Gibbston Valley example or the Babich. In one sense this is even more floral, pure and varietal than the Babich, though it does not have the vendage tardive notes. It is floral in an English white-flowers sense, more pale stonefruit than pearflesh (notwithstanding its greater ripeness at picking), with attractive texture and beautifully-handled phenolics. It is a little richer than the Babich, and despite my thoughts on over-ripeness / high alcohol in pinot gris, it is beautifully varietal. It is comparable with the 2007 Villa Maria Taylors Pass wine in that respect. Finish is off-dry. Cellar 2 – 8 years. GK 05/09

1982 Jaboulet Hermitage La Chapelle 18 + (

)

Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $404 [ Cork, 53mm; Sy 100; price given is wine-searcher average for that vintage of the wine; general elevation etc see Intro; the reputation of the 1982 is almost the reverse of the 1983, everyone now wanting it; Robinson, 2006: Ripe, mellow, slightly overripe strawberry aroma. Rich, broad, sweet, fruity palate. Very winning. But with excellent grip (not dry tannins) on the finish. Sufficient acidity. Good balance. This vintage seems just exactly right now. Not brilliantly long but very pretty with a suggestion of treacle toffee. Firm tannins sneak in on the finish. Acidity sneaked in over time, 17.5; Parker, 2000: The 1982 is a wonderful surprise. It has always been delicious. It has put on weight yet retains its exotic, over-the-top style. Fully mature, but capable of lasting another decade or more, the 1982 La Chapelle possesses a dark garnet color with an amber edge. The glorious nose of Asian spices, roasted espresso, creamy cassis fruit, and hints of Peking duck lathered with hoisin sauce gives this wine, with its notes of prunes, plums, and cassis, an exotic yet compelling allure. Among all the vintages of the eighties and nineties, the 1982 is my favorite for current drinking. Sumptuous and full-bodied, with a creamy texture and sweet tannin, it is a dazzling La Chapelle for consuming over the next decade, 92; www.jaboulet.com ]
This is clearly a mature wine in appearance, lighter garnet and ruby, the colour midway in depth. Bouquet is very particular, showing perfectly the bush-honey aromatic complexity that both Les Jumelles and La Chapelle have had since day one in this vintage, on mellow browning berry aromas in which there is a suggestion of a rich old Cote de Nuits wine. There are nearly some floral notes. Palate is supple and harmonious, more tannin backbone than any pinot noir would show, with a clear suggestion of pepper in the grape tannins. You feel the new oak component was less, then. People either liked this wine very much, two top places, or found it not appealing at all, a little too much outside their experience, with several least-liked votes. Fully mature to fading a little now: it was never a big wine, even in its youth. GK 09/14

2005 Saint Clair Riesling 18 + (

)

Wairau Valley & Kaikoura coast, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $ – [ screwcap; s/s ferments with commercial yeast; pH 3.1; RS 12 g/L; www.saintclair.co.nz ]
Good rich lemon, not as deep as the Muddy Unplugged. Like that wine, this one is starting to show a little development, but in a pure non-botrytised sweet-vernal and vanillin somewhat Mosel style, clearly varietal. Palate shows good body, plenty of appley flavour, medium-dry, quite acid, and good length without undue phenolics. Attractive wine with good cellar potential 3 – 8 years. GK 04/09

2003 Felton Road Pinot Noir 18 + (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $43 [ screwcap; www.feltonroad.com ]
Big ruby, a touch of carmine and velvet, clearly the darkest wine in the tasting, dubious for pinot noir. Bouquet is intensely rich and varietal, but in a cooler-year style than the French wines. The florals are obvious buddleia and violets, in black cherries and blackboy peaches, all quite lifted and aromatic but not minty – just intensely floral. Fruit on palate is as good as the grand cru wines, rich, long and succulent, the clear-cut varietal character made aromatic by more new oak than the grands crus or the Greenhough. This is a New Zealand pinot which will cellar for 10 – 20 years. GK 03/06

2006 Craggy Range Riesling Fletcher Family Single Vineyard 18 + (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 11.5%; $ – [ screwcap; hand-harvested @ c. 2.5 t/ac; whole-bunch pressed; cool fermentation in s/s, 4 months LA; pH 2.95, RS 14 g/L; www.craggyrange.com ]
Pale lemongreen. Craggy are well-known for building wines which really need time in cellar. I have commented adversely on the premature release of some of their whites, since so many people seem to be pathologically unable to cellar wine these days. I therefore wish I could say this 2006 wine is just being released, but sadly that is not the case. Even today, it is still tightly in bud, only slightly softened when compared with for example, the 2008 Astrolabe Discovery. Palate is Ballarat apple, vanillin, still seeming pretty dry, just starting to communicate. Riesling really needs patience, to show its best. Cellar 3 – 12 perhaps 15 years. GK 04/09

2009 Jaboulet Crozes-Hermitage Domaine de Roure 18 + (

)

Crozes-Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $89 [ 54mm cork; hand-picked from 40 – 60 year vines at < 4.5 t/ha (1.8 t/ac); de-stemmed, cuvaison to 4 weeks; elevage usually 12 months in barrel, 20% new; Parker: 92+, Robinson: 16.5+; www.jaboulet.com ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, the second deepest wine among the Jaboulets. There was a question-mark over this particular bottle in the tasting, that perhaps it showed trace oxidation. Leaving that aside however, the concentration of fruit is colossal for Crozes-Hermitage. There is dense nearly cassisy berry and darkest plum, with hessian oak. The flavours are more aromatic than the bouquet suggested, with traces of cassis in the dark plum, plus new oak and suggestions of black pepper. The fruit flavours are a bit stolid alongside the more exciting Hermitage expressions of syrah, but it is rich and ripe and astonishingly good Crozes with lovely fruit sweetness to the finish. This wine and the 2010 Villa Syrah Reserve have a lot to say to each other. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 06/14

2005 Sleeping Dogs Pinot Noir 18 + (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.4%; $31 [ screwcap ]
Red cherry pinot, somewhat lighter and older than most, but attractive. Bouquet is the triumph on this wine, with superb florals defining pinot noir: buddleia, boronia, and dark roses, some daphne too. Below is cherry fruit. Palate is crisp and fresh, a little more acid and leaner than the Felton, but dramatically pure and varietal. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 09/06

2004 Pisa Range Pinot Noir Black Poplar Block 18 + (

)

Cromwell Basin, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14.5%; $40 [ screwcap; 12 months in French oak 33% new; www.pisarangeestate.co.nz ]
Beautiful pinot noir ruby, an ideal maximum depth of colour. This is understated wine, the bouquet not having built up much yet. But already one can see deep florals reminiscent of violets and dark buddleia, on appealing black cherry fruit. It is in the mouth that this wine really comes into its own, with a richness of highly varietal fruit which is layered on the tongue, in oak a little more subtle than the 2003. This will be marvellous pinot in 12 months time, probably scoring more highly. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 05/06

2007 Pyramid Valley Pinot Noir Calvert Vineyard 18 + (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $55 [ screwcap; 15% whole bunch; 15 months in French oak, 33% new; www.pyramidvalley.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, a little deeper than the Muddy Water. Bouquet has more complexity than the Muddy Water, fragrant with flowers indicating a riper level of physiological maturity, the boronia florals and red fruits grading to black cherry. There is a suggestion of slightly gamey dark mushrooms which reminds of Cotes du Rhone, but the florals take one back to burgundy / pinot noir. Palate is long and satisfying, subtly oaked, great freshness. There is 15% whole cluster in this fermentation, and the stem component has added freshness, with any trace of leafyness totally burgundian. Intriguing wine partly because on checking I find my relative ranking of these Calvert wines differs from previously, indicating what fun it will be to try the three wines as a set, over the coming years. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 02/10

2008 Grasshopper Rock Pinot Noir 18 + (

)

Alexandra, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14.2%; $35 [ screwcap; 5% whole bunch; 10 months in French oak, 30% new; www.grasshopperrock.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby, in the middle for depth of hue. The floral components on the bouquet of this wine are delightfully varietal, including violets as well as roses and boronia. Below is great cherry fruit, black more than red, leading into fine-grain but quite noticeable tannins. This wine makes a great pairing with the '08 Ata Rangi, allegedly to compare and contrast the two principal pinot noir regions, but in fact the styling of these two wines is amazingly similar this year. Cellar 3 – 8 years. VALUE GK 02/10

2007 Escarpment Riesling 18 + (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 12%; $24 [ screwcap; hand-picked; s/s ferment; pH 2.84, RS 15 g/L; www.escarpment.co.nz ]
Palest lemongreen. Bouquet is nearly as explicitly varietal as the Craggy Glasnevin, clearly lime-zest and cooking apples again, just a hint of cinnamon-like spice, as if there is a little more skin influence. Palate is totally extraordinary. It tastes dramatically riesling, and in effect, totally dry, with low phenolics. Alongside the known-to-be-dry Craggy Rapaura, the Escarpment tastes drier and finer. Yet on examination of the numbers, the latter is 15 g/L residual sugar, normally a clear medium-dry to medium. This remarkable sensory contradiction is a function of the phenomenally low pH on this wine, 2.84, which suggests it should cellar for 10 – 20 years. It is a wine to buy by the case, and study for years to come. It will score higher, later. GK 10/07

2007 Church Road Merlot Cuve 18 + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $29 [ screwcap; www.churchroad.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, deeper than the Black Barn Merlot, less rich than the top three. This bouquet is more in the regular Hawkes Bay blended style, a bit more oak, but behind it is clear crisp cassisy berry, not a big wine but fine and subtle. Palate simply fills out the bouquet, firm long cassis and dark plum fruit lengthened further by clean aromatic oak. Styling is a little drier than the top wines, due to the oak component, but total flavours are great. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 06/10

2005 Henschke Shiraz / Grenache / Mourvedre / Viognier Henry's Seven 18 + (

)

Barossa Valley, South Australia, Australia: 15%; $42 [ screwcap; Sh 65%, Gr 25, Mv 5% and Vi 5; Halliday rates Barossa Valley 7 /10 in 2005; www.henschke.com.au ]
Ruby, some velvet. Bouquet is sensational, fragrant in the style of Cote Rotie, explicitly showing the rare and sought-after carnations / dianthus / wallflower floral complexity of shiraz ripened to a syrah level of complexity. Anyone who doubts red wines can be floral should check this Henschke out – it will cost much less than comparable Cote Rotie. The red florals are augmented by honeysuckle complexities from the 5% viognier, perfectly done. Berry characters range from cassis to loganberry to some boysenberry, once aired. Don't expect the freshly-opened bottle to show all these characters, however. Come back to a glass the next day, when it will foreshadow 10 years down the track. Alcohol aside, palate is Cote Rotie syrah in weight, beautifully balanced, delicate by Australian standards (despite the grenache component), a little raw in youth. This is the new style of shiraz from both Australia and Henschke, more syrah in approach, and glorious it is too. It is a wine to cellar alongside Guigal Cote Rotie Brune & Blonde, and the Te Mata syrahs, and then delight in 5, 10 and 15 years later. GK 02/08

2008 Rippon Pinot Noir Tinker's Field 18 + (

)

Wanaka, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13%; $95 [ supercritical cork; 40% whole bunch; 10 months in French oak, 35% new, balance 1 – 4 years; this bottling comes from within the old vines crop from Tinker's Field, which is central to the now widely-recognised photo-views of the Rippon vineyards adjoining Lake Wanaka. Tinker's Field contains the oldest (up to 28 years) pinot noir vines on the Rippon blocks, and hence some of the oldest pinot noir vines in Central Otago. The average vine age is c. 22 years; www.rippon.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, in the middle. This is a wonderfully fragrant wine, even thoughts of violets in rose aromas, on attractive redfruits. Palate is crisp and cherry-crunchy, vibrant redfruits, firmer and lighter than the average of the Otago 2007s as befits its Wanaka origins, just a hint of stalk to marry in over the next 12 months and add to its really burgundian and marvellously low-alcohol complexity. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 02/10

1995 Guigal Cote-Rotie Brune & Blonde 18 + (

)

Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $122 [ Cork, 49mm, 10mm ullage; release price c.$55; Spectator rating for year 91; typically Sy 96%, Vi 4, average vine age 35 years, said to be cropped at the same rate as d’Ampuis, namely 4.8 t/ha = 1.95 t/ac, but often seems as if the rate a little higher; c. 25 days cuvaison, elevation three years in barrel, 35 – 50% new, plus some in larger barrels; J. Livingstone-Learmonth, no date: … fairly weighted bouquet, closed for now; red fruits, berries all tightly packed. Discreet depth here, tannins are OK. Power on finish, quite a lot in here. 2011-14, ***; Parker, 1999: The 1995 Côte Rôtie Brune et Blonde is the stuff of legends and is every bit as compelling as readers might expect, 90; Wine Spectator, 1999: Full-bodied and balanced, focusing on mineral, plum, blackberry, game and leather, the complexity grows as all these flavors cascade to a long, elegant finish in this lovely Rhône red. Drink now through 2010. 26,665 cases made, 90; weight bottle and closure: 533 g ; www.guigal.com ]
Ruby and garnet, appreciably older, below midway in depth. Zingy florals are to the forefront in this wine, with dianthus / carnation notes and wallflower leading lilac suggestions. This is the kind of bouquet which sharpens the appetite. Behind the florals are red and black cherry suggestions, cassis again, and lovely aromatics, all the fruit qualities dominating the oak. Palate is neat, taut, and lovely, not as rich as the 2010, 1999, or 1998, but surprisingly good for a somewhat passed-over year. The length of fruit, and its balance with the oak, is attractive, as is the flavour. Two tasters rated the 1995 their second-favourite wine. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 10/20

2008 Church Road Syrah Reserve 18 + (

)

Ngatarawa Triangle 86%, Gimblett Gravels 14, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $38 [ cork; Sy 100% hand-harvested and sorted; no cold soak, inoculated yeast, warm-fermented in open-top oak and concrete vessels, up to 4 weeks cuvaison, controlled aeration; c. 14 months in burgundy barrels c. 42% new; www.churchroad.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, very deep and dense and exciting, one of the darkest wines in the syrah flights. This year's Church Road Syrah shows greater ripeness and more oak than the wonderful wines of the previous two vintages, meaning that the floral component and ultimate syrah quality has diminished a little. Palate is darkly plummy, but still retaining good cracked black peppercorn notes, giving a big mouthful of flavour, more obvious and less subtle than New Zealand's (often) benchmark syrah, Te Mata Bullnose. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 01/10

2003 Rousseau Chambertin 18 + (

)

Gevrey-Chambertin Grand Cru, Burgundy, France: 13%; $310 [ cork; clones 113, 114, 115 and others, 40 – 45 years, harvested @ 0.9 t/ac; 100% de-stemmed, 5 days cold soak, wild yeast, 16 days cuvaison, 18 months French oak 100% new, no fining or filtration; www.domaine-rousseau.com ]
Pinot noir ruby, some velvet, much the lightest of the top wines. Initially opened, all this wine smells of is fragrant new oak, and while there is palpable fruit on palate, the immediate flavour is oak too. With air the wine opened considerably, and the following day there were better indications of what it might be like in eight years or so. There is a slight floral component (though the hot year has diminished this, and it's hard to separate from the fragrant vanillin oak), and the palate now shows clear red and black cherry fruit of great concentration and absolute purity. But great pinot is about the beauty and floral dimensions of its bouquet as much as anything, and this Chambertin simply misses the boat on that score. It is a warm-year wine which is always going to be shaped by its evident new oak. This gives it some characters in common with classically-styled Pauillacs. Overseas comment on the wine included the view that the 100% new oak was invisible, which puzzled many. Thus, as an exposition of pinot noir varietal character, this wine at this stage did not speak to me as eloquently as the wines rated more highly. Michele Bettane however thought it: not far from perfection. With hindsight, having now seen the '03 Rousseaus, a wine such as their grand cru '03 Ruchottes-Chambertin, which shows a more sensitive approach to oak influence (25% new), would have matched the new world wines better. Normally I would suggest Clos de la Roche with its similar oak handling, but in '03 the Rousseau is a bit bretty, which might have de-railed the debate. For the Chambertin, as a rich burgundy reflecting its year, this Rousseau will cellar 10 – 30 years. GK 01/07

2007 Te Awa Cabernet / Merlot 18 + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $30 [ cork; www.teawa.com ]
Excellent ruby, carmine and velvet, of considerable depth. Bouquet is very ripe, too ripe for florality or obvious cassis complexity, but showing great plummy depths mingled with rather high oak. Palate confirms the oak and the over-ripeness, with just a hint of canned prunes, introducing Napa Valley-like qualities to the fruit profile. The long aftertaste is oakier than ideal, maybe, but this is interesting big rich wine in a somewhat different style from mainstream Hawkes Bay. The indulgent high rating for a wine not quite in my preferred style is for settled down, in three years time or more. Cellar 10 – 25 years. GK 06/10

2010 Jaboulet Hermitage La Petite Chapelle 18 + (

)

Northern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $179 [ Cork 55mm; hand-picked from young vines as well as the main vineyards at <3 t/ha (1.2 t/ac); destemmed, details of production essentially as for La Chapelle, above; essentially the wines not making the now severely-tightened cut for La Chapelle proper, including younger and higher-cropping vines; production c.1000 cases; neither Livingstone-Learmonth or Robinson has had the 2010, but the latter approves of the 2009 and 2011, 17 and 16.5 respectively; Raynolds in Tanzer, 2012: Glass-staining ruby. A complex, floral-dominated bouquet offers violet, lavender and dark fruit preserves. Lush, palate-coating cherry and blackcurrant flavors possess impressive heft and pick up a peppery quality on the back half. The floral quality comes back strong on the finish, which clings with excellent energy and tenacity, 91-93; Parker, 2012: The 2010 Hermitage La Petite Chapelle is a better wine than nearly every Hermitage La Chapelle made under the final years of the Jaboulet family’s ownership (for example, 1993-2005). The 2010 was aged in barrel and represents one-third of the Hermitage crop (another one-third was eliminated and the final one-third went into La Chapelle). Its deep purple color is followed by notes of camphor, tar, pepper, beef blood, black currant jam and hints of new saddle leather as well as earth. This supple, rich, full, authoritative beauty should drink well for 15-20 years, 92; www.jaboulet.com ]
Ruby and velvet, fractionally lighter and older in hue than La Chapelle proper, just below midway in depth. I placed this wine first in the blind tasting, because it seemed so representative of 'concept syrah', riper phase. In every way it is a less elegant and less refined version of La Chapelle. Bouquet is clean, rich and ripe, not quite the floral complexity but fragrant berry, dry cassis grading to dark plum. Palate is rich, aromatic, coarser tannins than La Chapelle proper (or Homage), more oaky, a bit leathery and spirity as well. On its own you would say it was great syrah, Hermitage style. Yet as soon as you have the grand vin alongside, the difference is obvious. You have to applaud the selection process for these two bottlings. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 11/14

2010 Coopers Creek Syrah Hawkes Bay Reserve 18 + (

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2009 Mt Difficulty Riesling Target Gulley Single Vineyard 18 + (

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Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 9.5%; $26 [ screwcap; vines planted 1994; stop-fermented @ 40 g/L; www.mtdifficulty.co.nz ]
Lemon-green to lemon. Bouquet is vanillin and citrus complexed from lees enrichment, in many ways bringing this wine closer still to Germany – Mosel again. The rich palate is sweeter than most here, but fresh and vibrant on the acid / residual sweetness balance, and low pH. Apparent sweetness is between kabinett and spaetlese. Again, the cellaring potential is great, 10 – 15 years, since the phenolics are so well handled in these top rieslings. Should score higher in three years. GK 06/11

1990 Penfolds Cabernet Sauvignon Bin 707 18 + (

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Coonawarra, Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale, South Australia, Australia: 13.5%; $541 [ cork, 49mm; CS 100%; as for Grange, ferment completed in new American oak, then 18 months in 100% new American oak hogsheads; Penfolds website: The 1990 vintage in South Australia has been lauded as one of the best for many years; NOSE: Intensely scented, the rich bouquet offers coffee-like Cabernet aromas with blackcurrant and mulberry overtones, lifted by vanillin American oak and barrel ferment characters which add a smoky complexity; PALATE: This magnificent full-bodied wine shows concentrated Cabernet fruit and complementary oak characters in perfect harmony. The palate has layers of intensely flavoured, 'sweet' blackcurrant-like varietal fruit, with hints of dark chocolate, superbly balanced; Halliday, 1999: An infinitely seductive mix of sweet cassis, plum and mulberry fruit aromas, yet not the slightest hint of over-ripeness. The supple silky palate has great balance and length, with all the flavours promised by the bouquet, yet not at all over-done. A sheer privilege and pleasure to taste (and better still, to drink), *****; Wine Spectator: Dark and inviting, with a supple core of wild berry, mint and currant flavors that are rich and elegant, finishing with a long, smooth aftertaste, 92; www.penfolds.com ]
Rich ruby, velvet and some garnet, fresher than the 1990 Grange, above midway in depth. Bouquet is dramatically cabernet-varietal, but slightly edgy, showing just a whisper of sautéed red capsicum in the cassisy qualities. Comparison with both Bins 90A and 920 highlights the perfectly ripe cabernet sauvignon went into those wines in 1990. Nonetheless the volume of bouquet, and the apparent ratio of berry to oak on bouquet, is impressive. On palate again there are great cabernet flavours, but just the piquancy of trace methoxypyrazine freshens things up in one sense, but also robs the wine of the perfection of ripeness shown by the two rare-Bin wines. On palate too the oak becomes more apparent, in the all-too-familiar Penfolds style, and that heightens the perception of trace capsicum. Length of flavour is remarkable, and one can only wonder yet again at the manner in which cabernet sauvignon harmonises cedary oak in a way shiraz can never do. The relationship between the 1990 and 1967 Bin 707 wines is crystal clear – both are dramatically varietal despite the elevation. Altogether, three tasters rated this a favourite wine, one top, two second. As always in a New Zealand tasting group, some participants did not see the hint of green at all. Cellar for 15 – 30 years. GK 09/17

2009 Gibbston Valley Pinot Noir School House 18 + (

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Bendigo, Central Otago, New Zealand: – %; $55 [ screwcap; if same as regular, all hand-picked; c. 4 weeks cuvaison; 10 – 11 months in 35% new French oak; www.gvwines.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is forthcoming and intriguing, with both clear floral qualities in the red roses category, plus a piquant note reminiscent of fragrant malt whiskey, on red and black cherries. Palate takes the cherries and adds blueberry, with quite aromatic oak. There is the richness for this to marry up into a most interesting wine, maybe a little unusual, which may score higher in two years. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 09/10

2007 Te Mata [ Cabernets / Merlot ] Coleraine 18 + (

)

Havelock Hills, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $72 [ cork; hand-harvested CS 52%, Me 34, CF 14; extended cuvaison; average vine age 20 + years; 20 months in French oak 75% new; www.temata.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, closely matching the Mudbrick Velvet. Bouquet is very fragrant, clear violets on plummy berry, appealing. It is not quite so gloriously cassisy as the Miro, nor so opulently rich as the Velvet or Stonyridge Larose, and it is a little more oaky than either, more Medoc alongside the Velvet's east-bank. Palate shows complex berry of considerable length, cassis, dark plum and even a blueberry note of good richness, mingled with firmer oak than the top Waiheke wines. It is not quite so perfectly ripe as the top two Waiheke wines, but still looks good and potentially cedary, at a lower classed growth level. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 06/10

2007 Pask Syrah Declaration 18 + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $50 [ screwcap; machine-harvested; all de-stemmed; some cold soak; some BF in new oak; > 3 weeks cuvaison; 14 months in new French oak; www.cjpaskwinery.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a great colour, one of the richest. Bouquet is quiet on this wine, just a hint of violets in deepest bottled plums, the whole wine very rich and pure. Palate is quite a revelation, syrah ripened almost beyond the wallflowers and cassis stage to blueberry, huge fruit, soft and velvety texture, some reminders of subtler years of Penfold's famous RWT. I initially marked it down a little on the lack of bouquet and explicit varietal complexity, but for those to whom bouquet is lesser and palate all-important, this is a marvellous wine. It seems a quite different wine from the bottle reported on last year, which at the time I thought was sealed with ProCork. Kate Radburnd advises however that the whole bottling was screwcap, so that was an error. This therefore is an astonishing example of the degree to which New Zealand syrah comes together after a couple of years in bottle. The earlier remarks on oak would therefore seem to be wrong too. It would be good if this wine heralds a less oaky approach to the Pask Declaration range. The wine is slightly more acid than the Mudbrick Reserve. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 06/10

2004 Pegasus Bay Pinot Noir Prima Donna 18 + (

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Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 14.5%; $82 [ screwcap; DFB; Prima Donna is a barrel selection made in favourable years from special batches; clone 10/5, vine age 22 years; 100% de-stemmed, 7 days cold soak, wild yeast fermentation, 28 days cuvaison; 18 months in French oak 50% new; no fining, coarse filtration; www.pegasusbay.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, one of the deepest, youngest and brightest. Freshly poured, the wine shows a lot of oak including toasty notes, and excess alcohol, raising doubts as to whether there will be the fruit to absorb the components. Such fruit as one can see is darkly cherried, with some bottled black doris suggestions. Floral and particularly lighter fraction florals are less apparent, initially. In mouth however the freshness of primary fruit is marvellous. Later with more air, the wine expands considerably, the fruit developing good deep floral and velvety qualities in the darkest rose and violets spectrum on bouquet, and increased length to fully match the oak on palate. The finish at this stage is still oak-dominant, but the fruit and acid balance to oak looks good. Like the Littorai, this is pinot noir in a bold new-world heroic style, but the key requirements for fine pinot noir are there: florals, fresh cherry-related fruit, appropriate dry extract and great mouthfeel. This will score higher in 3 – 5 years. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 06/07

2007 Waimea Estate Riesling Bolitho 18 + (

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Waimea Valley, Nelson, New Zealand: 11.5%; $22 [ screwcap; dry vintage, hand-harvested; whole-bunch pressed, inoculated yeast, s/s ferment; pH 2.9, RS 25 g/L; not on website; www.waimeabrands.com ]
Lemon. Freshly opened, the wine is a bit closed – it needs a good swirling in the glass. Bouquet is clearly varietal in a more new world style, not quite the acacia floral complexity of the two top wines, more some holy grass / linalool fragrance, with suggestions of freesia. Palate is a little richer and slightly more phenolic than the Riverby, but not quite so fresh, with probably much less botrytis influence. It is 'riesling dry' and should therefore be a fine food wine, for those rare foods that 'go' with riesling. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/11

2009 Greystone Chardonnay 18 + (

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Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 14.3%; $31 [ screwcap; clones mendoza and B95, hand-picked; 100% BF in French oak % new not stated, 40% MLF; 11 or so months in barrel; www.greystonewines.co.nz ]
Lemon-straw, more straw than ideal for the age. This wine presents a Waipara-based match for the 2010 Felton Road wine. It is similarly a carefully ripened, highly floral and subtle approach to cool-climate chardonnay. The whole wine is exceptionally fragrant, with even more acacia blossom notes, fresh, fractionally stronger in both its fruit flavours and its oak than the Felton, seemingly not quite as bone dry, and a little more forward. But alongside so many more burly interpretations of the grape, this wine too asks for grand cru chablis for comparison – though a producer using new oak. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 06/11

2010 Felton Road Chardonnay Bannockburn 18 + (

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Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $39 [ screwcap; hand-harvested, 100% BF with some solids and wild yeast in French oak 15% new, other barrels to 11 years; 100% MLF, c.11 months LA with minimal stirring; www.feltonroad.co.nz ]
Good lemon. This wine has the most marvellous bouquet. There are white English flowers, and subtle acacia blossom, leading into fragrant white stonefruits on palate. This dry wine is rich enough to be food-friendly, but so subtle in its oaking as to be matchable with whitebait or flounder. Total acid is on the high side, but few chablis are as good as this. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/11

2008 Dry River Syrah 18 + (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 12.5%; $71 [ cork; no substantive info about the wine on website; www.dryriver.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a good young colour. Apart from a first corked bottle, bouquet is redolent of cool-climate syrah at its most beautiful, clear wallflower and black pepper, equally clear cassisy berry with a cool-climate vivacity that is exactly best individual-vineyard St Joseph, say. Palate is firm, dry and youthful, slightly cooler than the bouquet suggests, and hence firmer than many Hawkes Bay wines. There is a trace of white pepper on the palate, adding complexity, but reinforcing the coolness. Oaking is particularly fine. The Northern Rhone analogy really is very apt. This is a greatly superior wine in terms of varietal precision than Dry River's much-touted pinot noir, and is well worth seeking out. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 06/11

2010 Felton Road Pinot Noir Cornish Point 18 + (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $58 [ screwcap; winery price, nearer $70 in retailers; hand-harvested, 25 – 30% whole-bunch, wild-yeast fermentation; c. 12 months in French oak c. 30% new, not fined or filtered; www.feltonroad.com ]
Good pinot noir ruby, not as deep as the Block 3. At this stage the bouquet is showing vanilla from the oak, so it is hard to separate that pseudo-floral note from grape florals. The balance of ripeness is nicely middling red to black fruits, distinctly cooler and more fragrant than the Bannockburn wine. Palate in contrast seems much darker, yet at the same time with that fresh hint the Cornish point wines show. This should marry up into just as lovely a wine as the 2008. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 06/11

2005 Blake Family Vineyard Merlot / Cabernet Alluviale 18 + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $27 [ screwcap; DFB; Me 43%, CS 43, CF 14; French oak; second wine of Blake Family Vineyard; www.alluviale.com ]
Ruby and velvet, in the lightest three. Bouquet is softer and a little older than most in the set, with fragrant and plummy merlot dominating. In flavour the style is totally St Emilion, softish and round, yet with a touch of cassis in the plummy fruit. This is a perfect illustration of a second wine, in the classed Bordeaux sense. Where the Blake Family Vineyard grand vin is of clear upper classed growth standard, this is lesser classed growth / cru bourgeois exceptionnel, by analogy. This will give a lot of pleasure at table, over the next 5 – 15 years. GK 05/07

2005 Peregrine Pinot Noir Pinnacle 18 + (

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Gibbston, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $157 [ cork; hand-harvested; up to 7 days cold soak; 10 months in French oak 50% new, 7 months in French oak one year old; not fined or filtered; 1200 bottles only; www.peregrinewines.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, surprisingly fresh, fractionally deeper than the standard wine, one of the deepest in the tasting. Bouquet is more darkly pinot than the standard Peregrine wine, and it is harder to retrieve the all-important florals at this stage due to both a measure of sur-maturité, and the fragrant oak. There is an opulent richness and ripeness of almost jammy black cherries and blackish plums to it. It is pure, and not too alcoholic, but there are almost vintage port and dark fruitcake aroma suggestions. Palate is richer, riper, oakier and softer than the standard wine. Presumably the cropping rate for designated patches of vines for this wine was lower. Oak aside, the flavours have much in common, so some of the descriptors for the standard wine can be read into this wine as well. There is a delightful aromatic lift which I can't quite place, oak presumably, in the velvety black more than red fruit, showing the same effect as mixed peel in fruitcake. There is no doubt it is impressive wine, which despite its richness finishes lightly. But the over-ripeness has taken some of the magic out of it, and other wines here say more about the beauty of pinot noir. For future editions of this prestige label, more care to avoid sur-maturité would be good. A 50/50 blend of the plump, soft (but oaky) Pinnacle with the leaner, more fragrant, more acid (but oaky) Marie Zelie, is really something !

It will be well worth cellaring both the Pinnacle and the standard wine, and seeing how they look in five and ten and more years. If the experience with the Felton wines is any guide, the less-oaked version may well end up being the more beautiful. This should cellar to 15 years, and will be worth trying for longer, though acid is a little soft. As with the Martinborough Marie Zelie, and along with Remington Norman in his address to the Syrah Symposium, one must deplore the presumption in putting $100 + pinot noirs in impossibly heavy (and over-packaged) bottles onto a market as youthful as New Zealand's pinot one. We do not want or need the Californian Screaming Eagle syndrome here, though regrettably, affluent customers will rush to pander to it. The Martinborough one has sold out, for example. GK 01/07

2012 Lawson's Dry Hills Pinot Noir Reserve 18 + (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $28 [ screwcap; Ross and Barbara Lawson have been growing grapes in Marlborough since 1980. The move to their own winery started in 1992. Winemakers are Marcus Wright and deputy Rebecca Wiffen. They are particularly noted for their aromatic varieties, but other wines now share the limelight. This is the mid-priced pinot in the range. It is made from mainly burgundian clones of pinot noir, all grown on older soils, and tending to low crops. It is hand-picked, all de-stemmed, extended macerations, about a third wild yeast ferments, 9 months in oak with 25% new, RS <1 g/L, dry extract not available; www.lawsonsdryhills.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby, fractionally more youthful than the Greystone, just above midway. Bouquet is surprisingly close in style to the Greystone, the floral component similarly grading right through to boronia, though a touch more aromatic presumably from the slightly more apparent oak. Palate is plump, black cherry to a greater degree than the Greystone, lovely freshness, richness and balance, the oak continuing slightly more apparent, finishing dry. Attractive wine, and such a contrast with Marlborough 10 years ago. This affordable wine is therefore an 'on-guard' warning to producers in other districts, who are accustomed to higher prices than $28 for their pinots. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 06/14

2010 Guigal Cotes du Rhone 18 + (

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Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $34 [ cork, 45mm; New Zealand purchase price c.$21; Sy 49%, Gr 48, Mv 3; production c.291,600 x 9-litre cases; details in Introductory sections; J.L-L, 2013: Supple, soaked cherries, abundant aroma with light dashes of prairie dust and powder. It is wide, and offers plenty of impact. The palate starts on a smoky, spice-herbs angle, a big roll of black fruit that mixes prune and blackberry. Its richness is sustained, with spice back on the agenda as it ends, with snaps of licorice also there. This gives a real bundle of flavour. The finish is fresh, racy, and it will be a little more gentle in 2014. Very deep. “We include Lirac in this, so see no need to issue a Lirac on its own,” Philippe Guigal. 14°. 2020-22, ****; RP@RP, 2012: Guigal is known throughout the Rhone Valley for paying the highest price for generic Cotes du Rhone, and that in large part explains the quality of this wine year in and year out. It enjoys an extended upbringing in foudre and stainless steel tanks and is always a dense ruby/purple-colored wine with lots of blue and black fruits intermixed with notions of kirsch, licorice, lavender and spice. Supple and surprisingly intense, this delicious effort can age for 4-5 years, 89; weight bottle and closure: 574 g; www.guigal.com ]
Good ruby and velvet, the third richest wine, lovely. On the night the wine was muffled / obscured on bouquet by light TCA, noted by only five tasters. The instant you tasted it however, the astonishing fresh aromatic complexity of the berry, with nearly cassisy depths, was a revelation. This wine shows a high-syrah Cotes du Rhone at perfect ripeness, neither over-ripe with boysenberry / Australian notes, nor a bit pinched with a hint of stalks bespeaking under-ripeness. Balance of berry to oak is a delight, with wonderful concentration, and good acid balance too. This is the perfect example of a young Guigal Cotes du Rhone to cellar for decades, even if, with the syrah dominant, it never quite matches the 1983. No top rankings due to impairment (on the night): I had the advantage of seeing it well-breathed. A perfect bottle would score higher. Cellar 10 – 25 years. GK 03/21

2010 Villa Maria Syrah Reserve 18 + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $60 [ screwcap; Sy 100%, 94% of it hand-picked @ c.4.35 t/ha (1.75 t/ac), all de-stemmed; up to 42 days cuvaison; 17 months in French oak 60% new; 420 cases (of 12); Parker: 89; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, another glorious colour, in the top half dozen for concentration. Initially poured there were some barrel characters interfering. With air at the blind stage at first it seemed like an aromatic / oaky take on merlot. In mouth however, it immediately became much more aromatic and syrah-like, with both cassis and black pepper. The similarity to 2010 La Chapelle is remarkable (particularly in fruit weight), but the Villa is much more oaky, to its detriment. In terms of balance, the 2011 edition of this wine is closer to the elegant model 2010 La Chapelle provides, but it is not as rich. Size or beauty, again. Cellar 5 – 20 years, to mellow. GK 06/14

2009 Forrest Pinot Noir Bannockburn John Forrest Collection 18 + (

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Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.3%; $65 [ screwcap; hand-harvested from fruit cropped at @ ± 3.6 t/ha = 1.4 t/ac; all de-stemmed; RS nil; 220 cases; www.forrest.co.nz ]
Dark pinot noir ruby, the deepest in this batch of pinots. Bouquet is immediately deeper and darker, with boronia and violets florals reminiscent more of the Cote de Nuits than the Cote de Beaune, quieter but deeper than the 2009 Brodie. Palate is plump and rich, black cherry more than red, subtle oak, the whole wine showing the charm of the 2009 vintage in Central Otago. Perhaps it is even a little over-ripe, there being a suggestion of bottled black doris plums. Weight on palate suggests some good lees work here. This is the best Forrest pinot noir I have seen, worth cellaring 3 – 10 years. GK 08/11

2004 Dry River Chardonnay 18 + (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13%; $39 [ cork; www.dryriver.co.nz ]
Elegant lemon green, only a little deeper than the 2005 Sauvignon. This wine is beautifully clean, but still expands with air. There is good but very understated chardonnay varietal character, with suggestions of future golden mendoza peachy complexity, in fragrant oak. Palate has good fruit weight, very understated flavour, oak yet to assimilate and not excessive, and firm acid. Like the Sauvignon, there is a slight mineral undertone, rather than explicit lees autolysis. This too looks to be one of McCallum’s better chardonnays, and there is promise of good development to come. It is quite austere now, but may make a five-star rating in a couple of years. It should cellar for 10 years or more. GK 08/05

2009 Mud House Pinot Noir Swan 18 + (

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Bendigo, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $29 [ screwcap; thought to be nil whole bunch; part of the wine is raised in French oak some new, and some stays in stainless steel to retain freshness; RS 3.8 g/L; www.mudhouse.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby. Initially opened the bouquet is quietly plummy, seeming a little overripe. Decanted it opens up to be deeply and sensuously floral in the violets and boronia spectrum, on black cherry fruit, with a touch of vanilla – as in cherry-pie flowers. Palate is explicitly varietal fully-ripe pinot noir, black cherry rather than red, not seriously oaked, possibly not bone dry [confirmed], maybe a wine for the shorter term therefore. But as a $30 wine, it is a great introduction to pinot noir, and has been marked perhaps too generously, considering the more serious wines all around. Cellar 3 – 8 years. VALUE. GK 09/10

2005 Tapestry Shiraz 18 + (

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McLaren Vale, South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $23 [ screwcap; the website data for this wine provides the all-to-rare discrimination between harvest analysis and wine analysis – great; oak mostly US 41% new, second & third-use 59%; RS 2./3 g/L; Halliday rates McLaren Vale 8 /10 in 2005, website notes good natural acid retained in the grapes, good cellar potential; www.tapestrywines.com.au ]
Dense ruby and velvet, nearly carmine. Bouquet is soft rich round shiraz in the boysenberry and dark plummy style, showing fragrant nearly cedary oak, and acceptably subtle mint / eucalyptus. Palate is rich and over-ripe (in the syrah context), boysenberry more than black plums with suggestions of prunes and chocolate, but all soft, ample, generously flavoured and not too oaky or aggressive. Note this is the standard label, which is much more true to the grape than the 'Reserve' Vincent version – which is over-oaked, as 'reserve' wines all too commonly are. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 02/08

2009 Tarras Vineyards Pinot Noir Steppes 18 + (

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Bendigo, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $45 [ screwcap; hand-picked; no info; www.tarrasvineyards.com ]
Good pinot noir ruby. Initially opened, there is noticeable oak, but with air that marries away to reveal a deeply floral dark roses to boronia and black cherry bouquet, very much pinot noir in a dark phase. In mouth, one could argue the wine is too dark for classical pinot, yet I imagine this oak-influenced approach with nearly a hint of darkest chocolate will be popular. And in cellar it may lighten up and become much more fragrant, so it has the benefit of the doubt. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 09/10

2001 Rousseau Mazy-Chambertin 18 + (

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Gevrey-Chambertin Grand Cru, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 13%; $128 [ second-year oak ]
Pinot noir ruby. Red and black cherries and vanilla florals in cedary oak – in every detail this is so like the Chambertin proper, it seems unnecessary to repeat the detail. It is just not so rich, and therefore seems a little new-oaky. The hint of char on the oak reminds of some Central Otago wines. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 02/05

2007 Mills Reef Viognier Reserve 18 + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $21 [ screwcap; 100% BF in French oak none younger than 3 years, plus 2.5 months LA; nil MLF, RS 2 g/L; www.millsreef.co.nz ]
Lemon. Bouquet is fresh, fragrant and unequivocally viognier – mock-orange blossom and fresh Otago apricots, piquant and superbly varietal. Palate is delightful too, the barrel fermentation superbly done and the alcohol well concealed, cherimoya and pale apricot fruits with the citrus blossom thought continuing, dry but lingering finish. This wine is fresh and fragrant all through, beautifully subtly oaked, and showing all the finesse of New Zealand's temperate climate. This should be a gold medal wine after a few months in bottle. Cellar 1 – 3 years. VALUE GK 08/07

2009 Carrick Pinot Noir 18 + (

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Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $40 [ screwcap; hand-picked; all wild-yeast fermentation and MLF too; 14 months in French oak 30% new; unfined and unfiltered; www.carrick.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is quietly expressive of all that appeals in pinot noir, and particularly on bouquet the soft sensuous dark red roses and florality is excellent. The transition to palate is seamless too, the mix of redfruits freshness and black cherry depth elegant, the oaking careful. Finish is long, even though the whole wine is understated. This is lovely pinot, just needing a little more flesh, which it may well develop with a little more time in bottle. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 09/10

2009 Gibbston Valley Wines Pinot Noir Central Otago 18 + (

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Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $42 [ screwcap; all hand-picked; c. 4 weeks cuvaison; 10 – 11 months in 35% new French oak; www.gvwines.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is redolent of pinot noir, sweetly floral mostly roses, plus a hint of spice (+ve) and thyme, on red more than black cherry fruit. Palate is all red fruits, not as rich or complex as some, but still long-flavoured and very varietal. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 09/10

2003 Felton Road Pinot Noir Block 3 18 + (

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Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $ – [ cork; price was $60 ± 5 at release; hand-harvested @ c. 2.5 t/ac; some whole-bunch, up to 8 days cold soak, up to 23 days cuvaison; c.15 months in French oak some new; not fined or filtered; www.feltonroad.com ]
Mature pinot noir ruby, some garnet. Bouquet is fully mature, yet still floral in a browning way, on cherry fruit likewise browning and cedary from oak. The nett result is burgundian at a premier cru level, where new oak is used. Palate is rich, black cherry dominating with some plummy suggestions, the oak a little prominent and introducing the thought of chocolate. Though mature, there is still good fruit, so no hurry. Cellar 1 – 3 years. GK 09/10

2006 Bilancia Viognier 18 + (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $30 [ screwcap; hand-picked from the hillside la Collina vineyard, whole-bunch pressed; 100% oak-fermented in very old barrels, plus lees autolysis and batonnage 5 months, no MLF; www.bilancia.co.nz ]
Good lemon. Freshly opened this viognier is a little raw. With air the bouquet almost has a 'wow !' factor, with nearly perfumed (+ve) florals reminiscent of wild-ginger blossom, mock-orange blossom and citrus florals. Below is both lychee and the full range of apricot characters, from fresh and bitey to riper and canned. Palate is gorgeous, totally pure, the weight of fruit excellent, expanded by barrel-ferment in old oak, but showing virtually no sign of that. There is a freshness combined with mellowness and ripeness, on perfect acid and phenolic balance and a near-dry finish, drier than the TW, which make this enchanting. Like the Villa Omahu, I suspect this will be much better in a year, mellower, even more exciting. It may not be quite as finessed as the Vidal, but it has more varietal character. Cellar 2 – 4 years. GK 07/07

2009 Peregrine Pinot Noir 18 + (

)

Cromwell Basin 80%, Gibbston 20, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $39 [ screwcap; hand-harvested, 10 months in French oak, c.35% new; www.peregrinewines.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. This is another wine with the sweet vanillin character of the cherry-pie flower, plus roses, on real red cherry fruit. The volume of bouquet is terrific. Palate deepens the cherry analogy to include some black cherry. There is a thought of fawn mushrooms, subtle oak, and a remarkably burgundian structure. The fatness on palate is a delight, off-setting the hint of stalk which adds freshness (but just takes it out of gold medal). Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 09/10

2009 Wooing Tree Pinot Noir 18 + (

)

Lowburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14.5%; $43 [ screwcap; hand-picked; 5 – 10% whole-bunch fermentation; 11 months in French oak 40% new; no fining, medium filter; www.wooingtree.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby. This is classic Otago pinot noir, right from the start showing rich red and black cherry fruit, opening to a wonderfully floral bouquet, clearly dark roses and boronia. Palate is attractively oaked, fresh, with great mouthfeel and length. There is just a hint of austerity below, though. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 09/10

2006 Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc 18 + (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $29 [ screwcap; SB 100% cropped @ 3.4 t/ac, machine-picked; 2 months LA, RS 3 g/L; www.cloudybay.co.nz ]
Lemongreen. Bouquet is as clean as the Highfield, but not quite so intensely varietal. Black passionfruit again dominates, but there is a suggestion of under-ripe peach too, and more evident red capsicum. Palate is fresher than the Highfield, in fact quite acid, and therefore seems drier, whereas the numbers are probably similar [ 1 gram more ]. Aftertaste is excellent, very varietal, though a little flinty on the acid – perhaps a little much for some tastes. Cellar 5 – 8 years, maybe longer. GK 03/07

2002 Henschke Cabernet Sauvignon Cyril Henschke 18 + (

)

Eden Valley, South Australia, Australia: 14.8%; $133 [ cork; CS 75%, CF 12.5, Me 12.5; Halliday rates Eden Valley 9 /10 in 2002; www.henschke.com.au ]
Ruby, some age showing, clearly richer than the Abbot's Prayer. Bouquet is classically cabernet sauvignon, and remarkably Bordeaux-like. It shows great cassis-influenced berry character, almost cedary oak, and fragrant Brettanomyces at about the level of Ch. Leoville Barton. Palate is exactly pro rata, almost the delicacy of a rich-year Bordeaux, richer than the Abbot's Merlot, the high alcohol seemingly well-hidden, great complexity of browning berry, tobacco and leathery oak. This wine too has virtually no trace of euc, and can be run in Bordeaux tastings. The brett level is excessive for techno-winemakers, but most people will love it. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 02/08

2005 Trinity Hill Syrah Gimblett Gravels 18 + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $30 [ supercritical cork; Sy 97%, Vi 3, hand-picked, co-fermented; de-stemmed but whole berry; 14 months in French & American oak some new; attention to oxygen in elevage; www.trinityhill.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, deep but not as deep as some, a great colour. Bouquet is fresh cassis, violets and black pepper florals, highly varietal in a cooler-climate presentation than some Gimblett Gravels syrahs. Palate is richer than the bouquet suggests, quite a lot of oak as well as this floral berry. Rumour is, there is no Homage 2005, so all the Homage premium material went into this. The wine is still rather disorganised / closed, and could well be scoring more highly in another 18 months. It could be worth watching this wine closely to see how it settles down, to purchase in quantity if appropriate. The style is clearly northern Rhone, St Joseph maybe or even Hermitage proper, and the alcohol is superb. Cellar up to 15 years. GK 01/07

2006 Esk Valley Syrah Reserve 18 + (

)

2005 Red Rocks Syrah The UnderArm 18 + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $23 [ screwcap; Sy 100% hand-harvested @ < 0.5 t/ac; de-stemmed, s/s ferment; 14 months in French oak 15% new; www.wildrockwine.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, nearly as dark as the Corbans Private Bin. Bouquet is deep, dark and complex, with some dusky rose florals, clear cassis, cracked black peppercorn and bottled black doris plums, plus subtle older oak. There may be a touch of brett, adding savoury complexity and excitement. Palate is rich, soft like the Vidal Reserve but the oak older, no vanilla wafer. This is remarkable quality for the affordable price it is offered at, and will cellar 2 – 10 years. GK 10/07

2007 Te Mata Syrah Bullnose 18 + (

)

Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $43 [ cork; 3 clones of syrah hand-harvested, 100% de-stemmed; extended cuvaison; 16 months in French oak some new; www.temata.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, a good lively colour. Bouquet is deep, quite rich, but very youthful and unformed as yet. There is rich cassis and dark berry fruit, and suggestions of cracked peppercorn spice plus floral subtleties to come. Palate likewise is not giving much as yet, riper than most Bullnoses to date, teetering towards over-ripe, just a hint of blackberry-like fruit as well as the cassis, but there is black pepper on the finish. Oaking is subtle. Total style is northern Rhone in a hot year, a little fleshier than classic St Joseph or Hermitage – tying in with the suggestion of blackberry. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 11/08

2006 Teusner Shiraz The Riebke 18 + (

)

Barossa Valley, South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $29 [ screwcap; DFB; a very young vineyard, 2001 start, young proprietors but access to old vines. James Halliday says: "The winery approach is based on lees ageing, little racking, no fining or filtration, and no new American oak." This wine from (relatively) younger vines, 12 months in older French and US oak, none new. Parker scores round 90 for previous vintages; www.teusner.com.au ]
Dense ruby and velvet, some carmine, the lightest of the dense Australian wines. Bouquet is nearly floral, perhaps the faintest mint (+ve) but not euc'y, on intense blackberry and cassis, with undertones of boysenberry. Palate shows a lovely ratio of berry dominant to oak, ripe rich and round in mouth, no acridity, dry to the finish. This is clear-cut Australian shiraz with some syrah qualities, rich but not massive, slightly one-dimensional, subtle in its oaking. Cellar 5 – 15 + years. GK 12/07

2002 Te Mata Estate Syrah Bullnose 18 + (

)

Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $ – [ cork; hand-harvested; 16 months in new and older French oak;; www.temata.co.nz ]
Rich ruby. What a volume of bouquet, intense cassis browning a little, likewise a wallflower florality also browning, dark bottled plums, good oak complexity, a wine at full maturity. Palate is soft, rich and complete, more oak than many Northern Rhones, but subtle by Australasian standards. In 2002 Bullnose is more Hermitage than its usual Cote Rotie styling. One or two people have mentioned light brett in this wine, but it is academic, it is not increasing, and it is invisible alongside the 1989 Gruaud-Larose. Far too much comment is made about this fragrant little yeast, the smell and flavour of which in moderation most people love. Cellar another 5 – 8 years. GK 08/11

2001 Felton Road Pinot Noir Block 5 18 + (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $ – [ screwcap; clones 5 and 6, 7 years old, harvested @ c.6 t/ha = 2.5 t/ac; up to 24% whole bunch, c. 9 days cold soak, c. 21 days cuvaison; 18 months in French oak 30% new; not fined or filtered; www.feltonroad.com ]
Mature ruby, a little garnet. One sniff, and this is dramatically Otago pinot noir, deeply boronia floral, black cherries rather than red, perhaps a little bottled black doris plums, but enticing. It seemed positively adolescent and ebullient alongside the 1983 La Chapelle. Palate is on the burly side of pinot noir, the oak now melded-in but you can taste it was more previously, the long palate richly fruity, the aftertaste a wee bit furry on the oak tannins. Absolutely at its peak, but no hurry at all, a lovely bottle – generally thought to be the wine of the night. GK 08/11

2007 Te Mata Syrah Bullnose 18 + (

)

Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $43 [ cork; 16 months in French oak 40% new; www.temata.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, the same weight exactly as the Cuilleron Cote Rotie, but fresher. This reference-quality New Zealand syrah was put into the subsequent blind assessment for calibration. The degree to which the bouquet matches the Cuilleron Cote Rotie is uncanny. There is not quite the dianthus perfume, and the blueberry quality is different in detail, but the similarity of wallflower and cassis is a delight. In mouth, the main difference is the percentage of new oak is more noticeable in the new world wine, but the fruit quality, weight and style are all extraordinarily close. The achieved ripeness in Bullnose is a little greater, which fits in with the greater blueberry dimension, a fruit quality which comes in just above cassis in the ripening curve. Lovely wine to cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 06/10

2010 Te Mata Syrah Bullnose 18 + (

)

Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $50 [ cork; 3 clones of syrah hand-harvested, 100% de-stemmed; extended cuvaison; 15 months in French oak 35 – 40% new; pH 3.67, RS nil; www.temata.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet. Bouquet is beautifully floral in the manner which Bullnose is becoming famous for, a precise Cote Rotie look-alike in the style of the best Cuilleron wines. There are suggestions of wallflowers as well as red roses, but scarcely any cracked black peppercorn, in cassis and red plum. Palate changes that, a peppery note now, less body than hoped, certainly not the tactile richness of the 2009 Bullnose, but still a highly varietal and pretty reading of syrah, which will be great with food. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 03/12

1998 Perrier-Jouet Belle Epoque Brut 18 + (

)

Epernay, Champagne, France: 12.5%; $213 [ cork; Ch 50, PN 45, PM 5; www.pernod-ricard-nz.com ]
Lemonstraw, midway. On bouquet, this is very straight good champagne, no grape dominant, attractive autolysis, fragrant all through. Palate is beautifully balanced pinot noir and chardonnay, fresh acid, slight citric and baguette crust components, just a hint of phenolics on the tail (if one were ultra-critical). Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 11/06

2009 Felton Road Chardonnay Block 2 18 + (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $52 [ screwcap; hand-picked from Block 2 of The Elms Vineyard near the winery, clone mendoza, average vine age 17 years; whole-bunch pressed, not cold settled; 100% wild-yeast and 100% barrel-ferment up to 26° followed by wild-MLF ferment in the spring; 12 months in French oak 14% new plus older oak to 11 years, occasional batonnage to expedite yeast fermentation finishing, and again in the spring for the MLF; selection and blending of final wine followed by 5 months assembled in tank; pH 3.30, RS <2g/l; not sterile-filtered; not entered in Shows; www.feltonroad.co.nz ]
Lemon, a lovely pure colour. In some ways this is the most beautiful bouquet of all, in that it captures the rare and elusive delicate acacia floral notes scarcely recognised in Australasian wine circles, but much praised in Europe. Behind the florals there is stalky and citrusy pale stonefruit, wonderfully pure, absolutely grand cru Chablis. Palate is a slight shock, total acid higher relative to the field, but the floral / white nectarine / chalky flavours are sustained beautifully on lees-autolysis and subtle oak. It would be so easy for the oak to be spiky at this total acid, but that side of the wine is excellent. Winemaker Blair Walter has given a lot of thought to his new oak ratios, and it shows. Chardonnay is still the hidden potential in Otago, but it stands to reason that a fine pinot district must produce good chardonnay too. I wonder whether winemakers will consider more direct intervention to ease the acid slightly in their chardonnays, even though the pH is fine. Funny business, taste. Cellar 4 – 10 years. GK 03/12

2005 Valli Pinot Noir Bannockburn Vineyard 18 + (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $45 [ screwcap; three wines from different sites but made similarly by Grant Taylor, to illustrate district variation; hand-picked, 25% whole bunch; French oak 30 – 40 % new; not on website; www.valliwine.com ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet. Bouquet is similar to other top Otago wines, but not quite so fragrant and eloquent, the oak a little more noticeable. Palate opens the wine up well, with long-flavoured and rich black cherry fruit, good acid balance, the oak now seeming in good balance. This may just need another year in bottle, to move into the top rank. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 01/07

2010 Expatrius Cabernet / Merlot Blend of Eight 18 + (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14.8%; $90 [ cork; CS 48%, Me 22, PV 16, Sy 8, CF 4, tannat, kolor and Vi 2 in total, all hand-picked; c.16 months in French and American oak 100% new; www.expatrius.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a little lighter than the Passage Rock Cabernet Reserve. This is more a style wine, with the oak-handling and elevation to the fore in rich berryfruit. Vanillin American oak of high quality adds to the fragrance, but also introduces a Napa Valley-like quality, which will confuse in future blind tastings. The flavours are exciting, yet another 2010 Waiheke premium red showing perfect fruit ripeness, yet no over-ripeness. I would prefer less winemaker influence and more emphasis on fruit and site: the oak level will be debated in years to come, but meanwhile it will win it medals and many people will like the oak. Cellar 5 – 15 + years, perhaps longer. GK 10/12

2009 Escarpment Pinot Noir Kupe 18 + (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $80 [ supercritical cork; mainly clone Abel, significant percentage whole-bunch; 12 months in French oak, 50% new; dry extract 29 g/L, RS <1 g/L; c.500 cases; www.escarpment.co.nz ]
Classical pinot ruby, close in weight to the Block 5 but faintly older. First presented, the bouquet was so dramatically Cote de Nuits pinot noir as to be startling, with roses and boronia pouring from the glass, really amazing. Later the slightest hint of the pennyroyal aromatic appeared. On palate, there is good fruit and varietal character, but not quite the pinpoint perfection of ripeness the top two wines show. There is a trace of stalk, perhaps reflecting winemaker Larry McKenna's interest in the classical whole-bunch approach to maceration. The whole wine is slightly firmer than the top two, and provides a fascinating comparison with them. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 09/13

2009 Gibbston Valley Wines Pinot Noir China Terrace 18 + (

)

Bendigo, Central Otago, New Zealand: – %; $55 [ screwcap; if same as regular, all hand-picked; c. 4 weeks cuvaison; 10 – 11 months in 35% new French oak; www.gvwines.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is classic redfruits pinot noir in a Volnay --> Pommard style, suggestions of pink rose florals, clear red cherry, subtlest oak. Palate is quite rich, attractive red cherry, good tannin balance and subtle oak confirmed, lingering well. There is an understated simplicity about this wine that is very attractive. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 09/10

2012 Peregrine Pinot Noir 18 + (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $40 [ Stelvin Lux; Peregrine Winery produced its first wine in the 1998 vintage, yet it quickly became one of the most highly-regarded Otago producers. It reflects the passion of Lindsay McLachlan and Greg Hay. The Peregrine-owned vineyards are organic. Winemaker is Nadine Cross. They have three tiers of pinot noir, one (The Pinnacle) a trophy wine. This wine comprises 60% Bendigo fruit, 27% Pisa, 13% Gibbston, all hand-harvested. There is a 5% whole bunch component. It spends 10 months in French oak, understood to be c.35% new. RS <1 g/L, dry extract not available; www.peregrinewines.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, youthful, midway in depth. In some ways this is the most perfect pinot noir bouquet in the set, since it shows the precise aromatic quality that lifts the Cote de Nuits wines above those of the Cote de Beaune. I associate this factor with the boronia floral concept. But there is rose and daphne too, and a hint of vanilla (from new oak). Fruit quality is red more than black cherry. In mouth despite smelling vanilla, the floral complexity permeates the palate, a key factor in great burgundy wine styles, and the quality of fresh red grading to black cherry is delightful. This is potentially a beautiful wine. If it had a little more concentration, and the tannin structure of the Ata Rangi, it could well be the top wine here. At the $40 mark, it provides a great introduction to the concept of pinot noir florality, beauty and complexity. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/14

2006 Chapoutier Condrieu Invitare 18 + (

)

Condrieu, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $79 [ cork; Vi 100% on granite hillsides; hand-harvested; cold-settled, wild-yeast fermentation peaking @ 21 C; full MLF; 30% only in French oak; excellent info on website; www.chapoutier.com ]
Lemon with a flush of straw, appropriate, immediately contrasting with the white Hermitage wines. Bouquet is terrific, pinpoint varietal viognier with yellow honeysuckle florals arising from clear-cut apricots ripened to full orange in colour. There is even a hint of freshest dried apricots. Palate initially is a bit of a shock after this sultry introduction. It is full of flavour, but very phenolic, making the wine very firm. Yet on the good side, it is not over-oaked as the Guigal Condrieus so often are, and the fruit richness is such that the flavours last and last. Gradually the mouth accommodates quite happily to the phenolic load. Yet alongside the beautiful 2006 Condrieu la Petite Cote from Yves Cuilleron, it does seem heavy-handed. It would therefore be harder to match with food. Cellar 1 – 3 years. GK 07/08

2005 Drouhin Clos de Vougeot 18 + (

)

Flagey-Echezeaux Grand Cru, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $277 [ cork; a Drouhin domaine wine; plots within the famous walled ex-monastery vineyard, now divided between c. 80 owners and the label therefore variable; hand-picked, fermentation in wooden cuves, MLF and up to 18 months in French oak up to 100% new; www.drouhin.com ]
Pinot noir ruby, about in the middle for weight, quite oak-influenced. The quality of the wines jumped at this point. In particular the all-important floral component of the pinot bouquet deepened, this wine adding boronia complexity to roses and total charm. The berry component is not lacking either, with red cherry, some blackboy, and suggestions of black cherry. Though not as oaky as the Gevreys, palate is more oaky than expected from the bouquet, and not quite as rich as the bouquet suggests. The nett impression is classic pinot noir, youthful as yet, a very good Clos Vougeot. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 12/07

2004 Yalumba Viognier Eden Valley 18 + (

)

Eden Valley, South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $30 [ screwcap; vines up to 25 years age; wild yeast fermentation, 50% BF in seasoned French oak, balance s/s, BF fraction 9 months LA and batonnage; no MLF; www.yalumba.com ]
Brilliant lemon, a superb colour. This is the freshest and most vividly viognier bouquet in the tasting, with pure varietal character shining through the superbly clean bouquet. Winemaker influences are invisible – the grape rules. Mock orange blossom and apricots both fresh and canned pour from the glass. Palate simply expands the bouquet, with both the smells and flavours of the variety, plus the necessary body. Oak is superbly subtle, just firming the wine a little. The only criticism could be the degree of acid adjustment, hardening the finish a little much. New Zealand and Australian wines are very acid, by world standards, and it can become tiring. This Eden Valley label of Yalumba is the most clearly varietal, reliable, and affordable Australasian version of viognier you can buy, at the moment. If you want to know what the grape tastes like, in technical near-perfection, try it. Cellar a few years only, less than five. GK 11/05

2009 Olssens Pinot Noir Slapjack Creek 18 + (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $85 [ cork; hand-picked; 100% de-stemmed; 5 days cold-soak and 14 days making 19 days cuvaison , 10 months in French oak c.37% new; www.olssens.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is both floral and highly varietal, with sweet vanillin on mixed cherry and plum aromas. Palate is rich, but shifts towards the plummy spectrum, a touch of almond and a little plum stone austerity in the phenolics, at this stage. Needs cellaring, and may well rate more highly after three years. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 09/10

2010 Stonyridge [ Syrah / Mourvedre ] Pilgrim 18 + (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.5%; $80 [ cork; Sy 90%, Mv 6, Gr 2, Ci 1, Vi 1, hand-picked, organic vineyard; 12 months in all-French oak, none new; website has no wine detail later than 2008 vintage, and detail is meagre; 200 cases; www.stonyridge.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, one of the richer colours. Bouquet is explicitly floral, with rose aromas and faintest pennyroyal, on red and black fruits with a touch of spice / black pepper and light oak. There is a dark suggestion of something else maybe detracting, in the same way malbec detracts from cabernet / merlot blends. The wine is neither unduly big or heavy. Palate is clearly Hermitage syrah in weight, cassis berry is like Hermitage too, showing fractionally cool ripeness by temperate climate syrah standards, so the wine is slightly fresh alongside some Gimblett Gravels wines. Both this attribute and the dark character alluded to could be the Southern Rhone grapes not achieving perfect ripeness, like the malbec in Luna Negra. I imagine this intriguing and immaculately clean wine sitting alongside Bilancia's La Collina most informatively – in fact I look forward to it, and must provide for that. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 10/12

2010 Grasshopper Rock Pinot Noir Earnscleugh Vineyard 18 + (

)

Alexandra, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.9%; $31 [ screwcap; small % whole bunch; 9 months in French oak, 32% new; several gold medals; this review as seen in the > $35 set; www.grasshopperrock.co.nz ]
Big pinot noir ruby, the second deepest. Bouquet is quieter than the top wines, all in the darkest red roses to boronia on dark cherry sector, less vibrant and floral than the Mt Difficulty or the Greywacke. Palate is quite big, a little on the sturdy side as yet, not quite the perfect black cherry pitch of the Difficulty, just a hint of dark plum. But there is also a trace of stalk adding complexity. It seems not as supple as the Black Poplar, yet there is less oak. This wine illustrates perfectly the whole concept of Otago pinot noir, the wine darker and more ample than Martinborough, Nelson and Waipara pinots, but still in no way heavy. As suggested in the Introduction to both tastings, the Grasshopper Pinot Noir was the one to beat. It achieved that task admirably, and ended up in the top few for both tastings. Pretty exciting for a $31 wine. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 11/12

2010 Kumeu River Chardonnay Hunting Hill 18 + (

)

Kumeu River, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.5%; $50 [ screwcap; clone 15 predominates but a mix, all hand-harvested; wild-yeast fermentation and 100% BF, LA, and MLF; 11 months in barrel usually 20% new but varies; 2010 is seen as the best vintage so far for Kumeu River chardonnay, though 2013 in the wings may challenge; www.kumeuriver.co.nz ]
Lemonstraw, an elegant colour. Bouquet is complex, trace reduction battling with acacia florals and lisbon lemon aromas, the former just stealing a little beauty from the latter. The current fad for reductive suggestions (noble sulphides – what a contradiction in terms) in chardonnay is to be deplored. Palate shows good citrusy and stonefruit chardonnay with reasonable body and subtle oak. It is richer than the Estate wine, and shows every chance of becoming as elegant in maturity as the 2006 is now. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 04/13

2006 Villa Maria Syrah / Viognier Cellar Selection 18 + (

)

2003 Penfolds Shiraz St Henri 18 + (

)

Barossa Valley, Clare Valley, McLaren Vale & Langhorne Creek, South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $69 [ cork; 15 months in large old oak; Robinson: Meaty liquorice notes. Touch of mintiness. Very sweet black fruit, sweet ripe, softened tannins. Broad, rich, warm. Soft and mouthfilling. Rich and sweet but very well balanced. 17 +; www.penfolds.com.au ]
Ruby and velvet, a little older than the 2004 Bin 128, towards the deeper end of the colour range in the tasting. This year St Henri is uncannily like the Bin 128, but a little fresher and more aromatic, particularly in the oak handling. St Henri is alleged to be raised only in big old wood, but this year there is in fact quite noticeable new oak, at about a normal level by French standards, though delicate by Australian norms. Presumably some of the big oak vessels have been renewed / replaced recently. Fruit is almost syrah-like in its near florals, fragrant aromatic boysenberry a little crisper than the 128, a suggestion of added acid. This is a lovely fresh St Henri – a far cry from its stale casky image of 20 and 30 years ago. If only the alcohols were civilised in these wines, instead of the monstrous 14.5% Penfolds now routinely indulge in. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 06/07

2009 Bilancia Syrah La Collina 18 + (

)

Roy's Hill, SW of Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $95 [ screwcap; Sy & Vi hand-harvested; Sy fermented on Vi skins, % Vi hard to quantify; no whole-bunch, wild yeast ferment, c.20 days cuvaison; MLF and 20 months in French oak mostly new; website currently unavailable; www.bilancia.co.nz ]
Dense ruby, carmine and velvet, well above midway in weight. Bouquet is on the floral and fragrant side, with flowers and cassisy berry all melded together so it is hard to isolate single aromas. The cassis is fleshed out with bottled black doris fruit qualities too. Florality and berry are greater than the oak, so the wine is a real charmer on bouquet. Palate introduces blueberry to the equation, the oak now cedary and growing in mouth, not quite the apparent fruit richness of Homage but confused by the acid being slightly higher. Suggestions of Cote Rotie here, as is often the case with Bullnose, but 2009 La Collina is an appreciably richer wine than 2009 Bullnose. Cellar 5 – 12 years, maybe longer. GK 07/12

1996 Chapoutier Ermitage Le Pavillon 18 + (

)

Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $291 [ cork, 49mm; Sy 100%; estimated purchase price c.$230; cropping and wine-making details as in the introductory ‘Background’ section; www.chapoutier.com ]
Ruby, some garnet and velvet, just below midway in depth. Like the 1991 and 1999 in the second flight, this is one of the fresher wines bespeaking a temperate year, with the wine showing an appropriate cassis level of ripeness browning now, plus a good depth of darkly plummy berry. Oak is somewhat less noticeable in this wine, making it an attractive example of maturing syrah. Palate is firm, not generous, but the browning cassisy berry continues, and is attractively balanced by less toasty oak than too many of these wines show. Nett flavour reminds of the 2006 with an imagined further 10 years down the track, perhaps a little tanniny. This wine did not speak to tasters on the day, no positive votes, one least. Cellar another 10 – 15 years. Wine Spectator quality rating for the vintage 90. GK 10/18

2006 Esk Valley Syrah Black Label 18 + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $33 [ screwcap; Sy 100% hand-harvested @ 24+ degrees Brix, all de-stemmed; mostly wild yeast, warm-fermented in concrete open-top vessels, c. 30 days cuvaison; c. 18 months in French oak 30% new; RS <1g/L; www.esk.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, not so much lighter than the Esk Reserve, but brighter, implying less new oak exposure. To first sniff, there is no doubt this is fine syrah. Nothing is overt, but there are gentle floral notes, beautiful cassis, clear dark plums. With less new oak than the Reserve, the fruit qualities in some ways are clearer, though quieter. Palate has the freshness of blackcurrants, a beautiful saturation of flavour, all lingering on grape tannins. Finish is a little short, as yet, but like the Cognoscenti Syrah, it will fill out, I am sure. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 05/08

2007 Villa Maria Merlot Gimblett Gravels Reserve 18 + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $50 [ screwcap; Me 93%, Ma 7, hand-harvested @ c. 6.5 t/ha = 2.6 t/ac; vinified @ Mangere; 100% de-stemmed; s/s fermentation; up to 28 days cuvaison in s/s, MLF in barrel; c. 20 months in 100% French oak 3 years air-dried and 75% new; coarse filter only; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, remarkably fresh for the year, and rich and dark, the third deepest Hawkes Bay blend. Bouquet is rich and dark too, tending oaky as so many Reserve wines are, but nonetheless exciting. If it weren't so oaky, one could imagine violets here, as befits merlot, but I guess the floral impression is more vanillin from the oak. Berry richness is great in mouth, the fruit is surprisingly cassisy as if there were a percentage of cabernet sauvignon [confusion with the malbec ?], lots of dark plums, some spice from the oak. The oak clearly lets the wine down at this stage, if any kind of Bordeaux analogy be the goal, but the new world loves this approach. A serious wine from a very good year, to cellar 5 – 10 years, perhaps longer if that oak marries away. GK 06/12

2009 Unison [ Cabernet / Merlot ] Selection 18 + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $60 [ supercritical 'cork'; CS > Me, all hand-picked, ratio not revealed, CS picked 18 days after Me; a small percentage of juice taken for rosé; extended cuvaison to 35 days for some parcels, using cultured yeast; press wine blended back to taste; elevation for unstated months all small oak (barriques), implication still some American, 40% new French though; website to be updated; Parker: 89; www.unisonvineyard.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, below midway, in the middle third, for weight. The wine benefits from a good decanting, to become fragrant, elegant and sophisticated: how good it is to have the Unison wines freed from their former reductive shackles. On bouquet both cassisy berry and good oak are apparent, so one tastes the wine with interest to see which dominates. And yes, as commented for Helmsman, this too is an oaky wine, to a fault. It does not have the fruit weight of 2009 Tom, but the quantum of oak seems about the same, hence it tastes oakier than that wine. Being a 2009, it is richer than the two 2010 Helmsmans, but those wines show better balance. Too oaky for gold, therefore. Let's hope this 2009 is evolutionary in style. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 06/14

2003 Neudorf Pinot Noir Home Vineyard 18 + (

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Moutere Hills, Nelson, New Zealand: 14.1%; $65 [ screwcap; clones 10/5, 5 and 22, up to 23 years, harvested c 2 t/ac; 100% de-stemmed; 6 days cold soak, wild yeast fermentation, 20 days cuvaison; 10 months French oak 40% new; not fined or filtered; www.neudorf.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby, a wash of velvet, lighter than many of Moutere-based pinots from Neudorf. Like the '03 Rousseau Chambertin, this is a markedly oak-affected pinot noir bouquet, in a rich fragrant seemingly spirity wine reminding of some top Chateauneuf du Papes, more red fruits than black. Palate is velvety, fragrant oak, good length and succulence, firmed by the oak. There are reminders of the Mondavi Reserve Pinot styles of a few years ago too, in a positive sense. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 01/07

2010 Craggy Range Merlot Gimblett Gravels 18 + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $28 [ screwcap; Me 86%, CF 14, mostly machine-harvested @ 7.5 t/ha (3 t/ac); 100% de-stemmed; inoculated ferments in s/s; 13 months in 28% new French oak; fined and filtered; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, slightly deeper and not quite as fresh as 2011 Sophia. Bouquet is beautifully fragrant on bottled black doris plums, seemingly not as floral as 2011 Sophia but it is hard to tease out the grape florals from the oak vanillin. In its ratio of berry to oak, this wine is much more classically Bordeaux than the Villa Reserve in this bracket. In mouth, the wine is softer and richer than 2011 Sophia, more apparent plummy fruit, less flowers, and less new oak. Many would prefer it for the latter detail. This is lovely affordable highly varietal wine in a Pomerol styling to cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 05/13

2006 Chapoutier Ermitage Le Pavillon 18 + (

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Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $420 [ cork, 50mm; Sy 100%; purchase price c.$295; cropping and wine-making details as in the introductory ‘Background’ section; www.chapoutier.com ]
Vibrant ruby and velvet, in the top quarter for depth / richness. This is another wine which reminds of the 2010 in freshness of berry character, nearly varietal florals and suggestions of black pepper, clear cassis and darkest plum, fragrant with almost a cool hint making you think: check this on palate. Palate is again one of the smaller wines, but there is good varietal vibrancy on palate, not too much masked by oak. Palate weight and length are more like the 2012, lingering attractively on berry flavours. Fruit / oak balance works well, here. The 2006 recorded three second-place votes. Cellar 10 – 20 years. Wine Spectator quality rating for the vintage 92. GK 10/18

2009 Jaboulet Hermitage La Petite Chapelle 18 + (

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Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $162 [ cork; hand-picked from young vines as well as the main 40 – 60 year vines at mostly <3 t/ha (1.2 t/ac); website not forthcoming as to elevage, beyond 15 – 18 months in barrel; essentially the wines not making the now severely-tightened cut for La Chapelle proper, including younger and higher-cropping vines; Parker: 92, Robinson: 17; www.jaboulet.com ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, scarcely lighter than the 2010 Petite Chapelle. On bouquet this is a very different wine from the 2010 Petite, immediately deeper, darker, less aromatic and more darkly plummy. In mouth there is greater fruit richness and eveness of ripening, blueberry as well as cassis, and solid grape tannins making the wine seem hard at this stage. They are however riper tannins than the 2010, and the whole wine is just a bit burly alongside it, lacking its poise and exact varietal definition. I can well imagine that Americans and Australians would rate this much higher than the 2010, whereas those from Britain, France and New Zealand might rate the 2010 higher. Once this 2009 loses some tannins, as it will once it crusts in 10 – 15 years, the resulting line is going to be lovely. Oh, for the subtlety of oak handling here, vis-a-vis some of the New Zealand wines such as the 2010 Villa Syrah Reserve. Cellar 5 – 25 years. GK 06/14

2007 Sacred Hill Merlot Brokenstone 18 + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $55 [ screwcap; Me 90.5%, CF 4.5, CS 4, hand-picked from 7 year old vines @ just under 2.5 t/ac; 18 months in French oak 75% new; www.sacredhill.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, about the same weight as the Black Barn Merlot, but naturally not as vivid. This is a bigger, richer, riper and oakier wine than the Black Barn, but being two years older, it communicates better. Even so, there is a robustness about it which did not suit me for the varietal exposition at Lincoln, where I wanted to display the essential florality of fine temperate-climate merlot. But that said, this merlot still displays a quality Australia can only dream off, in such a subtle variety. The plummyness of the fruit is a notch riper than the Black Barn, probably explaining the lesser floral component. Oak is a little high. Cellar 5 – 15 + years. GK 10/10

2004 Schoffit Gewurztraminer Harth Cuvée Caroline 18 + (

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Colmar, Alsace, France: 13.5%; $38 [ cork; Cuvée Caroline series wines are off-dry. ]
Light gold, a little worrying for an ’04. But bouquet makes one overlook the colour, for here is a most beautiful demonstration of explicit gewurztraminer varietal character: lychee, citronella, root ginger, yellow nectarines and peaches, plus a gorgeous yellow floral honeysuckle quality – absolutely dreamy. Palate is exactly the same, more medium than ‘dry’ in sweetness, a little sweeter than the Cloudy Bay, pure straight intense slightly raisiny gewurztraminer. The only worry is the wine is so forward. Cellar for 2 – 5 years only, probably. GK 08/06

2006 Guigal Cote Rotie La Landonne 18 + (

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Cote Rotie, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $535 [ cork; Sy 100%; 42 months in new French oak; www.guigal.com ]
Ruby and velvet, the deepest of the three grand cru Cote Roties. This is the most demonstrative of the three grand cru Cote Roties, with the clear aromatic cassis of straight syrah seeming more concentrated. But there is also a subtle leather and venison complexity note bespeaking some brett. Palate is the firmest of the three grands crus Cote Roties, but is somewhat cluttered by the elevage elements, so it does not illuminate syrah the variety as well as for example the pure village Hermitage. As a total wine it is pretty good though, and it's cellaring should not be curtailed, 5 – 15 + years. GK 10/10

2007 Kennedy Point Syrah 18 + (

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Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.5%; $35 [ cork; Sy 97%, Vi 3, hand-picked @ c.1.2 t/ac; MLF and 18 months in French oak some new; 300 cases, WWA Certified; ‘Our Syrah is reminiscent of a Northern Rhone, fermented with 3% Viognier that shows perfumed floral notes with some gamey and sweet oak aromas. It has ripe and rich fruit on the palate with some peppery nuances. This wine is complex, powerful with great length. Gold Medal, International Wine Challenge, London’; www.kennedypointvineyard.com ]
Ruby and velvet, nearly carmine. Initially opened, the wine smells a bit much of toasted barrels. All it needs is a breath of air, to open up to an aromatic, cassisy and dark plum syrah with some black pepper and a little brett. Palate softens the wine desirably, a better acid balance than some, some blackberry as well as plummy fruit appearing with air. The tannin backbone is firm, and this wine will benefit from time in bottle to further marry up. Vin de garde therefore, which will probably always benefit from decanting. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 06/09

2008 Awaroa Syrah [ Reserve ] Melba Peach 18 + (

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Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14.5%; $65 [ supercritical ‘cork’; Sy 90% in two equal picks, one late, CS 10, all hand-harvested @ c.1.2 t/ac; all de-stemmed but not crushed, cold soak up to 14 days and cuvaison up to 35 days; cultured yeast, MLF and 12 months in barrel French 95% and 50% new, older American 5; sterile-filtered; 25 cases, release date Sept. 2009, the proprietor Steve Poletti offers an en primeur programme; website not up yet; ‘Reserve Syrah built for the long haul. Our best Syrah to date.’; www.awaroawines.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, older and lighter than the standard 2008 Syrah, presumably reflecting longer in oak [ later, more the new oak, it seems ]. Bouquet is fragrant with almost carnation-like florals, a honeyed note, black pepper, and a hint of leaf, all on cassis, plum and oak. Palate is rather different, all the above elements showing plus a stalky note, which in the blind line-up I surmised might indicate the Waiheke syrah known to have mourvedre in it. Both in the Barossa Valley and Spain, mourvedre can easily show stalky notes in less than ideal vintages, and ripening it properly in New Zealand seems a big ask. Later the interesting detail emerges that rather than mourvedre, this wine contains 10% of cabernet sauvignon. The cassis components of the two grapes should marry seamlessly, and this will certainly be very fragrant wine in five or so years. Whether or not it loses that subtle stalky note is going to be the issue. It contrasts vividly with the opulent tannin ripeness in the overly alcoholic standard syrah. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 06/09

2008 Passage Rock Syrah Reserve 18 + (

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Eastern Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14%; $55 [ screwcap; Syrah 100%, hand-picked; c.30 days cuvaison; c.10 months in barrel, much more French oak than previously, now predominant, c. 70% new; sterile-filtered; not in catalogue; August 2009 release; www.passagerockwines.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, nearly carmine. Bouquet is pure fragrant cassis, blueberry and black pepper, with lighter fractions suggesting wallflowers and bush honey. The volume of bouquet is great. Palate is cassis and black pepper, fragrant aromatic oak with both a higher ratio of French oak than the 2005, and a subtler handling of oak in general. Fruit ripeness is succulent and good, acid balance is appropriate, but there is still a hint of brett persisting. This wine is a great step forward from the 2007 Reserve. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 06/09

2007 Astrolabe Chardonnay Voyage 18 + (

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Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $27 [ screwcap; Ch 100%, mendoza dominant and clone 15 and 95, hand-harvested, whole-bunch pressed; 100% BF in French and 20% American oak 35% new, some wild-yeast ferments, plus 100% MLF, LA and batonnage; pH 3.45, RS 3.5 g/L; www.astrolabewines.co.nz ]
Attractive lemon. Bouquet is fresh and fragrant, lifted a little by trace VA, in a paler style which does suggest Marlborough. There are white florals and white stonefruits, on vanillin oak which hints at the odd American barrel [ confirmed ]. Flavours are cool chardonnay, thoughts of Chablis again, but much longer in mouth than one would initially think, bespeaking a conservative cropping rate. This is attractive chardonnay which should cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 04/09

2006 Destiny Bay [ Cabernet / Merlot ] Mystae 18 + (

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Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.7%; $115 [ cork; CS 57%, Me 22, CF 17, Ma 4, hand-harvested @ average 1.7 t/ac; 10 – 15 months in French and American oak about equal, 60% new; Mystae alludes to the name given to students entering the schools of philosophy of the great Greek philosophers Plato and Aristotle; in style it lies between the Medoc-oriented Magna Praemia, and Destinae conceived as more right bank (though the cepage confuses the issue); 398 cases, WWA Certified, offered 1 Nov 2008 to Patron Club members @ $70 (en primeur, in effect), this offer continues until release date 1 August 2009, when RRP will be $115. At that date, the 2007 en primeur campaign opens – volumes for the 2007 vintage are maybe half those for 2006, so the possibility arises only subscribers will secure the 2007 wines; ‘Dark, dense and luscious with racy plum and notes of coffee, chocolate and spice; smooth, fresh and supple with balance and good length; elegant and complex;’; www.destinybaywine.com ]
Ruby, lighter and a little older than most. Bouquet is extraordinary on this wine, showing a complexly fragrant cedar / oak / dark tobacco and fruit interaction which immediately reminds of Rioja or Ribera del Duero. There are some reminders of Pauillac too, particularly earlier incarnations of wines like Grand-Puy-Lacoste from a lighter fragrant year, and many 1998 Medocs. Though not a big wine, the volume of bouquet, backed by cassis and red / black berry is marvellous. Palate is equally complex, fragrant oak melding with medium-weight fruit, no acrid edges, acid balance better than many but still a little fresher than ideal or the 2005 Mystae. The elevation of this wine has been extraordinary, the way the oak has softened into the fruit. It makes the 2006 Villa Maria Merlot Omahu Single Vineyard wine look hard and youthful and clearly new-world, even though it scores nearly as well in its style. Exciting wine, with exciting use of a measure of new American oak – though to a maximum. A little forward for long cellaring, but 5 – 10 years or so. GK 06/09

2007 Villa Maria Pinot Gris Single Vineyard Taylor's Pass 18 + (

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Awatere Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $30 [ screwcap; 100% PG hand-picked, whole-bunch pressed; 100% s/s ferment plus 5 months LA with weekly stirring, no MLF at all; pH 3.57, RS 10 g/L; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Excellent lemon. Bouquet is so sweet and clean and truly New Zealand pinot gris varietal on this wine, you have to pause and wonder: yes, perhaps nearly all the other pinot gris are touched up with gewurztraminer, to show that rose-petal character. It therefore seemed imperative to check with the winemaker George Geris, and confirm that the details set out above were exactly accurate. Labelling regulations do allow quite a bit of give and take, and as is evident with other pinot gris in this batch, winemakers do like to augment complexity. So, this 100% varietal Villa Maria wine tiptoes towards the Alsatian benchmark for pinot gris, showing an improvement on the standard New Zealand white pear-flesh, and moving towards pale yellow florals and stonefruits. Palate is rich in body, a little phenolic in texture, a little sweeter than 'riesling dry', but understated, so though lovely pure wine, it is hard to score it to the top. It should cellar well, and may be softer, more complex and even more varietal in a year or so. Cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 04/09

2004 Gunn Estate Cabernet / Merlot Woolshed 18 + (

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Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $30 [ screwcap; 18 months in French oak; part of Sacred Hill group, but not on that website, no dedicated website; www.hawkesbaywines.com/gunnestate ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, not as dense as the top wines, and older than most of the ‘04s. Bouquet is a rich mix of berry and oak characters, with dark plum and more charry / dark chocolate oak complexities. Palate is very flavourful, not as rich as the Esk Reserve, but long with the cassis / cabernet component more prominent in this claret-styled red. The oak is relatively subtle despite the bouquet, and there is a hint of stalks shifting it a little towards the Medoc in character. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 05/06

2007 Vidal Syrah Reserve 18 + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $55 [ screwcap; Sy 100% hand-harvested @ c.2.5 t/ac, all de-stemmed; cold soak, wild yeast initially, cuvaison up to 25 days; MLF and c.20 months in French oak 24% new; RS nil; minimal filtration; Catalogue: Showing typical pepper, spice, black fruits and floral notes this wine is well-balanced with fine acidity, exhibiting supple tannins and a long, concentrated finish. This wine is expected to age gracefully and develop complexities over the next 10 years at least; www.vidal.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet. Bouquet here is a little more traditional, the oak being an equal part of the volume, whereas my top wines have allowed the beauty of the grape to speak more eloquently. Even so there is some rose-like florality in good cassis, and ripe black pepper on both bouquet and palate. The ratio of fruit is still very good in mouth, the whole wine rich and not too dominated by oak, and in the blind tasting the wine is still clearly varietal. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 07/09

2007 Mission Syrah Jewelstone 18 + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $45 [ cork; hand-harvested @ c. 2 tonnes / acre; cuvaison in the order of 5 weeks, MLF in tank; 13 months in French oak 50% new; c. 375 cases; Catalogue: … heightened dark berry aromas. These aromas are not overtly peppery, a sign of perfect maturity. The palate is full-bodied with fine soft tannins that are truly ripe and provide to the wine a beautiful texture. The wine has great finesse with good intensity and a long generous finish; Awards: Gold, Top 100, Sydney International Wine Awards 2009; www.missionestate.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, dense. Bouquet is ripe and ‘fat’, showing rich plummy and cassisy fruit made aromatic by quite a lot of oak. In the blind tasting, I wondered whether it might be a Pask Declaration, in the way the mind wanders on some wines. The fruit in mouth is terrific, in keeping with the bouquet, but not immediately varietal. This is one of those wry occasions where I have marked the lesser ‘Reserve’ wine more highly than the premium one, because it is more explicitly varietal. This wine is more sophisticated, but has lost something in greater ripeness and more oak handling and alcohol. Like the Esk Reserve, this view may well change with evolution in bottle, so cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 07/09

2007 Vidal Merlot / Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 18 + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $40 [ screwcap; Me 46%, CS 46, Ma 8, hand-picked, all de-stemmed; cuvaison varies from var. to var. up to 35 days; 20 months in ‘predominantly’ French oak 64% new; RS nil; minimal filtration; Catalogue: Perfumed blackcurrant, coffee tobacco and spice lead into a ripe but balanced palate with well-defined acidity and fine-grained tannins; www.vidal.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet. This is another among the Bordeaux blends which in its florality, its dark roses grading into wallflower, can be confused with syrah. In addition, there is the attractive aroma of cassis, dark bottled plums and oak making this exciting wine on bouquet. Palate shows more new oak than some of the other top wines, partly accounting for the excitement on bouquet, but there is a good berry fruit as well. The cassis of the cabernet fraction is more apparent on palate, and the wine is not as saturated and plump as, say, the Craggy Range pair, but it is going to marry up into an worthwhile and aromatic blend. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 07/09

2008 Sacred Hill Syrah Deerstalkers 18 + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $50 [ screwcap; hand picked, 100% de-stemmed without crushing, extended cuvaison followed by 18 months in French oak, less new than 2007; www.sacredhill.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, brighter and fresher than even the Hospices wine, and a similar weight. Bouquet is close to the best Guigals here, but purer, displaying a cassis-led aromatic profile with less blueberries than the denser Deerstalker 2007. It is still very youthful, with wallflower florals and vanillin from oak still to marry in. Palate is the lightest of the three Deerstalkers, but precision is in one sense the greatest, due to restraint with the oak. It was exciting to hear winemaker / CEO Tony Bish comment that they are more and more treating syrah as pinot noir, to respect the fruit more – a thought which has long been close to my heart. The close rapport between this fresh Deerstalkers and the St Joseph Hospices wine is an eye-opener. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 10/10

2004 Te Mata Syrah / Viognier Woodthorpe 18 + (

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Tutaekuri Valley, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $24 [ screwcap; Sy 95%, Vi 5, co-fermented even though Vi then super-ripe; extended cuvaison 3 + weeks, followed by 15 months in French oak 25% new; superb website; www.temata.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and some velvet, above midway for depth of colour. Bouquet on this wine is sensational, comparable only with the Bullnose, but lighter and sweeter with a deeply floral perfume hinting at wild ginger blossom and (the best side of) Christmas lilies. It is no surprise to find there is viognier in this wine. Palate is succulent, less tannin and oak than Bullnose, Cote Rotie to Bullnose's Hermitage, earlier maturing, wonderfully varietal, minutely leafy on this occasion. Though I must admit that in this blind tasting, even Bullnose looked Cote Rotie to Le Sol’s Hermitage. Such comparisons highlight how good these wines are, in international terms. Already reported on 10/05. Cellar 5 – 12 years. VALUE GK 05/06

2007 Esk Valley Merlot / Cabernet Sauvignon / Malbec Black Label 18 + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $25 [ screwcap; DFB; Me , CS, Ma, all de-stemmed; inoculated ferments; 12 months in mostly French oak, some new; RS nil; Catalogue: full bodied, complex and very age worthy, potentially the best yet under this label; www.eskvalley.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a lovely colour. This is another wine to show nearly violets floral complexity and lovely cassis, in a good depth of fresh berry. The ratio of berryfruit to oak is excellent. Palate is cassis and plums, and again at this stage one would think cabernet sauvignon the dominant variety, beautiful ripeness, gentle acid and tannins all beautifully balanced. The Black Label wines from Esk Valley are not as concentrated as the Reserves naturally enough, but they are made with similar care. Cellar 5 – 12 years. VALUE GK 07/09

2007 Esk Valley Merlot Black Label 18 + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $25 [ screwcap; DFB; Me 90%, CS 5, Ma 5, all de-stemmed; 11 months in mostly French oak, some new; RS nil; Catalogue: a full bodied and serious red wine … a small addition of Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon have provided structure and complexity to the final blend. Cellar with confidence till at least 2015; www.eskvalley.co.nz ]
Ruby, nearly some carmine and velvet. Bouquet is delightful, another face of real merlot, a suggestion of violets in a clear dusky floral dimension, gorgeous bottled black doris plums, light oak. Palate is still a little hessian on a new French oak component, but the ratio of fruit to oak is potentially delightful. Cellar 5 – 12 years. VALUE GK 07/09

2007 Prophet's Rock Pinot Noir 18 + (

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Bendigo, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $45 [ cork; hand-picked and sorted; 5% whole-bunch; wild yeast fermentation; 16 months in French oak 35% new; no filtration; RS nil; 975 cases; website a holding page only; a wine for which re-assessment requested; www.prophetsrock.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is very floral at the buddleia grading to red roses spectrum, a touch of cherry-pie too from the vanillin of new oak, on red-fruits pinot noir. Palate is red fruits dominant, quite fleshy, not the 'authority' of the Moutere, but totally international class pinot noir with full fragrance, but no stalks. This is another special wine for Otago, being so fragrant yet without leaf. Presumably the perspex character detected in the previous sample was cork-related, yet it is encountered from time to time – there is a suggestion in one in this batch. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 11/10

2011 Felton Road Pinot Noir Cornish Point 18 + (

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Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14.5%; $68 [ screwcap; an ideal flowering and plenty of moisture through the mid-season produced large crops, requiring close management; later summer and harvest again ideal, but still a large rather than ideal crop, leading again to production of Vin Gris; the wines understated; www.feltonroad.com ]
Perfect pinot noir ruby, perfectly the middle wine for depth of colour. Bouquet is totally sweet and charming in this example of the Felton approach. The freshness of the red cherry / berry is almost saliva-inducing, and there is a lovely red roses florality. Everything smells totally in harmony here. Flavours don't disappoint, perhaps a smaller example of the Felton style but the ripeness is pinpoint for pinot noir complexity. The tannins are critically riper than the 2008 standard wine, which it otherwise resembles. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 08/14

2009 Cypress Terraces Syrah [ = Reserve ] 18 + (

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Roy's Hill, SW of Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $45 [ screwcap; Sy 100%, hand-picked; 19 months in French oak 50% new; website lacking in info; www.cypresswines.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, well below midway in depth. Bouquet is subtle and charming on this wine, elusive florals hinting at violets, thoughts of beeswax like the Homage, hints of white and black pepper, again Cote Rotie. Palate continues the gentle Cote Rotie theme, deceptively rich fruit, more fragrant than the Hermitage-like Church Road, a lovely interpretation of syrah along Bullnose lines but richer, though slightly more acid. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 07/12

2004 Te Awa Syrah 18 + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $30 [ cork; cuvaison > 14 days; MLF in barrel; 12 months in French oak 20% new; no specific info on hard-to-use website; www.teawa.com ]
Ruby and velvet, a little older than some of the 2004s, in the middle for colour depth. Immediate impressions on bouquet are of varietal black peppercorn in cassisy berry, lovely. Palate adds blueberry flavours to the cassis, and in the mouth dark rose florals emanate from the wine too. Palate is very dry and spicy, and might seem austere, but it is in fact reasonably rich in terms of dry extract and needs to mellow in cellar. This wine too is remarkably European, somewhere between Crozes-Hermitage and Hermitage in style. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 05/06

2011 Sacred Hill Merlot Brokenstone 18 + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $50 [ cork; Me 82%, CS 8, Sy 7, Ma 3, hand-picked from mostly 10-year old vines; cuvaison approx 30 days; 16 months in French oak c.40% new; RS <2 g/L, all unfermentable; lightly fined and filtered; Robinson: 16+; www.sacredhill.com ]
[[ 24 July 2014: Winemaker Tony Bish has asked me to reassess 2011 Brokenstone, since the analytical data (supplied) indicates I have misinterpreted the wine. I have now done this, using 2011 Helmsman alongside. The score is essentially unchanged but I have rewritten the notes, to more accurately reflect the nature of the wine. ]] Ruby, some carmine and velvet, in the top third for weight. Bouquet is fragrant and even floral, with an aromatic lift perhaps from the syrah blending component. Below there is good plummy fruit. In mouth the wine appeals as a Pomerol winestyle, a classic exposition of a merlot-dominant wine, fleshy and plummy, a little richer than 2011 Helmsman. There is nearly a hint of darker florals on the palate, careful balance, and lovely length finishing on fruit. Being a 2011, it is not as rich as the best Hawkes Bay blends of 2009 and some 2010s, but it is already appealing. Cellar 3 – 12 years, maybe 15. GK 06/14

2007 Cuilleron Condrieu Les Chaillets 18 + (

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Condrieu, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $131 [ cork; Cuilleron makes four Condrieus, all with 100% MLF, like Guigal: the standard cuvee including younger vine material La Petite Cote, all hand-picked from sites above Chavanay, all BF on low-solids in older oak 2 – 5 years, 100% MLF plus LA, batonnage and 9 months in barrel, c. 1300 cases; the Les Chaillets label totalling around 1500 cases, made from older vines (sometimes labelled Vieilles Vignes) on steeper slopes above Chavanay, all hand-harvested with a little sur-maturité, low-solids juice wild-yeast-fermented and 100% MLF in barrel, with up to 30% new oak, plus 10 months lees autolysis and batonnage; the extremely rare Vertige from the top lieu-dit in Condrieu (about 125 cases depending on the year), from even older vines on a steep granite slope, all barrel-fermented with a much higher percentage new, plus MLF, LA and batonnage, in barrel up to 18 months; and if conditions permit, in some years a botrytised late-harvest Les Ayguets from sites above Chavanay, hand-harvested in up to 8 tranches through to December, similar fermentation to Chaillets, usually 100 – 110 g/L RS, up to 400 cases (of 500 ml bottles) – a cellar wine in Cuilleron’s view; Cuilleron is imported into NZ by The Wine Importer (who has ’07 Les Ayguets, $125, but not Vertige), and latterly Glengarry; www.isasite.net/Cuilleron ]
Deeper lemon, faintly brassy. This seems the new-oakiest of the wines on bouquet, more at a Guigal level, but it is well-supported by vigorous apricot fruit and toasty barrel-ferment characters. It is not quite as immaculately pure as the Vertige or the better New Zealand wines, but only the carping would mention that at all. Palate is much more varietal and flavoursome than the Vidal Reserve or the Craggy, explicitly ripe apricot varietal, though not quite the body of the Vertige. It is an equally convincing demonstration of the character of fully ripe but not over-ripe viognier in a bone-dry presentation, with body and texture enhanced by appropriate MLF and lees-autolysis. This wine too rewards close familiarity. Cellar 2 – 4 years. GK 02/09

2016 Escarpment Pinot Noir Te Rehua 18 + (

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Martinborough Terrace, Wairarapa, New Zealand: 13.5%; $85 [ screwcap; 25-year old vines, hand-harvested from the Barton vineyard in Martinborough proper; wild-yeast fermented in wooden cuves, 24 days cuvaison; 18 months in French oak 40% new; RS <1 g/L, dry extract 27.3 g/L, not filtered; www.escarpment.co.nz ]
Attractive pinot noir ruby, just below midway in depth. Like Kupe, once opened this wine needs decanting, to open up and breathe. It then reveals light sweet florals, hard to characterise as to flower but attractive, some buddleia, on red fruits. Palate once breathed is transformed, total red fruits harmony, attractive flavours all Cotes de Beaune, affording a remarkable comparison with the Neudorf Moutere, the pinched quality apparent on the freshly opened wine now completely gone. Length of flavour is attractive, real pinot noir, though not quite as long as Kupe. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 06/19

2013 Craggy Range Merlot Sophia 18 + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.8%; $115 [ cork 50mm; DFB; Me 62%, CS 19, CF 18, PV 1, hand-picked from c.14-year old vines cropped @ 6.25 t/ha = 2.5 t/ac; cuvaison not given, cultured-yeast; 19 months in French oak 42% new; not fined, filtered; RS nil; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby and velvet, above midway in depth. Bouquet has a deep dusky merlot authority to it which is most attractive, the florals not quite as evident as the younger vintage of Sophia, but the complexity greater. Some signs of secondary bouquet characters are just starting to appear, on an amalgam of dark bottled plums and cedar. Flavour is also showing some increase in complexity, hints of darkest tobacco in the fragrant berry, lovely cedar, with attractive length and persistence. The cropping rate is higher here than for the 2016, and it does not taste quite as rich, however. Dry extract is a hard measure to taste for, it has to be said. Cellar 10 – 25 years. GK 08/18

2007 Saintsbury Syrah Rodgers Creek Carneros 18 + (

)

Carneros, California, USA: 14.5%; $57 [ cork; price is simple conversion from US$40; Sy 100%, all de-stemmed; 7 days cold-soak, 17 days cuvaison; 13 months in 100% French oak 40% new; Saintsbury is famed for its pinot noirs, but proprietors wished to explore cool-climate syrah and 'have a little fun … Fruit bombs they are not'; WA / Parker, 2009: Bacon fat, meat, tapenade, black cherry, and black currant notes jump from the glass ... However, in the mouth, some tart acidity gives the wine a clipped, compact texture and mouthfeel. 3-4 years. 87; www.saintsbury.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, one of the deeper and fresher even than the Craggy Gimblett Gravels. Bouquet is a rich, dense slightly spirity expression of cassisy syrah, showing clean floral complexity and some spice and cracked peppercorn notes, plus an aromatic smoky lift from some brett. Palate is fresher than some, and the acid tastes natural, so perhaps this is the magic of syrah grown in a region famous for its pinot noir. Total complexity is excellent – what a pleasure to see two supple yet rich syrahs from America, one of them totally free of the winemaking faults characterising so many American reds, both restrained in their oaking and thus optimising syrah the variety. We need to keep thinking about differentiating our syrah from shiraz, so there are lessons in these two wines. Intriguing (and understandable) that neither of these 'real' syrahs from America rate highly in the Wine Advocate scheme of things – the bigger-is-better syndrome, I guess. Also intriguing how consistent Parker is in denoting brett by 'bacon fat and tapenade' – it is this consistency of taste expression irrespective of the views that makes him (strictly, not necessarily his now many contributing authors) a great taster and reference-point. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 01/10

2015 Clonakilla Viognier 18 + (

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Murrumbateman, Canberra ACT, Australia: 14%; $ – [ screwcap; cost $A45; no detail on website; www.clonakilla.com.au ]
Second pre-tasting wine, courtesy Geoff Wilson. Brilliant lemon green. Bouquet is immediately sweetly varietal, both floral and stonefruits, one of the yellow honeysuckles, lifted with fresh-cut apricots rather more yellow than orange in colour, plus some new oak just subservient. There is no hint of euc'y taint. Palate is remarkable, richer than the Guigal, less phenolic, a pure fresh rather than canned apricots flavour, plus citrus. The oak component is quite new, but restrained, and the finish is dry and long-flavoured. Very few New Zealand viogniers have matched this over the years, an occasional Passage Rock, Church Road, and in particular the 2014 Te Mata Viognier Zara (which is quite exceptional). This is light years ahead of the over-worked Virgilius. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 07/16

2005 Glaetzer Shiraz The Bishop 18 + (

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Barossa Valley, South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $47 [ cork; DFB; the Glaetzers have been in the Barossa Valley since 1888. Both father Colin and son Ben are Roseworthy graduates. Those two generations include five winemakers / oenologists. Colin has a long history in South Australian winemaking, being the creator of the now-famous Barossa Valley Estates E & E Shiraz Black Pepper; this wine 60-year shiraz cropped @ 2 t/ac, open-vat fermentation; 14 months in 70% new French oak, balance second and third year US; RS 1.2 g/L; Parker 167: " … a Vacqueyras on steroids … a dense ruby/purple hue, beautiful, attractive notes of pepper, spice box, black-berries, and currants, and amazing richness as well as surprising elegance and definition. Cellar 10-15 years, 91 – 93"; www.glaetzer.com ]
Dense ruby and velvet, nearly carmine, midway for depth. This wine shows an intriguing mint component to the bouquet, reminiscent of Martinborough pennyroyal, on intense berry notes which include cassis and bottled black doris plums. Palate is very juicy, some blueberry coming in, the finish not quite bone-dry (like the Mamre), the oaking subtle. This wine appealed greatly to some tasters, but is not as classical as some of the drier ones. Cellar 5 – 15 + years. GK 12/07

2016 Greywacke Sauvignon Blanc 18 + (

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Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $27 [ screwcap; fruit mostly Fairhall zone of Wairau Plains, mostly machine-picked, at roughly 9 – 10 t/ha = 3.6 – 4 t/ac; no SO2 at press, no skin contact, only the lightest pressings used, all juice cold-settled then to s/s; cultured ’champagne’ yeast fermentations, no MLF, then assembled in s/s with some lees for some months; RS 3.5 – 4 g/L, total dry extract 20.3 g/L; sterile-filtered to bottle; www.greywacke.com ]
Greeny lemon, the palest wine. Initially opened, there is a hint of reduction which quickly dissipates with air, so we can call it mineral, on ripe gooseberry (English) sauvignon blanc, smelling quite rich. Palate brings up red capsicum, sweet basil, and a palate weight more in accord with market-leading stainless sauvignons such as Astrolabe, rather than the usual run of Marlborough wines. Palate length is good, the flavours now beautifully pure, no interference from the mineral note on bouquet. This should cellar beautifully, for those who like mature sauvignon flavours, but in conventional terms it is at a peak now. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 05/17

2007 Te Mata Estate [ Cabernets / Merlot ] Coleraine 18 + (

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Havelock Hills, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $72 [ cork – superb 55 mm costing c.$2 each; hand-harvested CS 52%, Me 34, CF 14; de-stemmed, extended cuvaison; average vine age 20 + years; 20 months in French oak 75% new; www.temata.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a notch less dense than the top wines, about midway in depth, more a match for the Cheval Blanc, but the hue fresher. Bouquet stands apart from the New Zealand wines mentioned so far in this tasting, in that it is more subtle, more restrained, more integrated, perhaps less oaky, and more Medoc-like. The actual quality of the cabernet-influenced bouquet reminds me of some lesser Margaux classed growths. Palate does not quite match the bouquet, however – there is often this worry in the Te Mata claret styles, that in pursuing elegance they lose sight of the old American truism, that a good big one will always beat a smaller good one. So here there is not quite the richness of ripe berry, and there is the slightest undertone of leaf, as characterises many fine Medocs in sub-optimal years. But, 2007 was a fine year in Hawkes Bay, and 2007 Coleraine doesn't quite show that. The quality of oak is good, though, adding to the resemblance to Bordeaux. In terms of finesse, Coleraine is at best unmatched in New Zealand, and this leads to high praise from visiting European wine critics habituated to standard Bordeaux – which is the unashamed model for both Coleraine and Awatea. But this wine in a great Hawke's Bay year is not quite as ripe as the Cheval Blanc in a fairly standard year. So, the tide has come in around Coleraine, and if it is to regain its place as New Zealand's top Bordeaux blend, rather than resting on its laurels, it needs to be both riper and richer. Hopefully cropping rate will be the place to start, in correcting this. Cellar 5 – 25 years. GK 01/10

2007 Dry River Pinot Gris 18 + (

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Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $48 [ cork; hand-harvested at well under 1 t/ac; no oak or MLF; RS around 10 g/L; informative / stimulating / remarkable website; www.dryriver.co.nz ]
Pale straw. Bouquet is overtly varietal pinot gris, not quite the primrose florals I find in top-notch Alsatian examples of the variety, rather more wild ginger blossom, white nectarine and a little cinnamon / nutmeg. It treads a fine line between being very varietal, and making one wonder – will this taste phenolic ? Palate is intriguing, confirming there are indeed signs of the phenolics for which this variety is noted (and which can easily get out of hand), but the richness of the wine is sufficient to carry them. If there were any doubt, the careful residual sweetness also helps to balance the wine, without being obtrusive. Pinot gris is arguably the wine for which Dry River is most famous, and this is a good example. It is just a little bolder and more extractive than ideal. Proprietor Neil McCallum noted in discussion that a 1986 bottle opened recently had been a pleasure, showing that this variety, appropriately vinified from a grand cru cropping rate, can have a long and useful life in cellar – in New Zealand as much as Alsace. Cellar 5 – 15 years, keeping an eye on the balance. The phenolics should mellow, and the wine may score higher. GK 03/08

2010 Saint Cosme Cotes-du-Rhone Les Deux Albion 18 + (

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Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $30 [ cork, 50 mm; Sy 40%, Gr 30, Mv 10, Ca 10, clairette (white) 10%, the Sy and clairette co-fermented; some whole-bunch, cuvaison usually 4 weeks; the greater part of the 2010 was raised in concrete vats, the balance in 1 – 4 years-old larger barrels; J.L-L: Soaked black cherries, cassis liqueur – the bouquet is wide and abundant ... also shows black olives ... plenty of gourmand black fruit ... tannins are ripe, ***(*); Parker, 2012: lovely notes of marmalade, honeysuckle, white peaches, cassis and black cherries ... full-bodied, luscious, supple-textured, 90; typical production up to 5,000 9-litre cases; weight bottle and closure: 590 g; www.saintcosme.com ]
Surprisingly fresh deep ruby, the second deepest colour. Why a Cotes du Rhone, in a Chateauneuf-du-Pape tasting, you may ask. The goal here was to see if a carefully selected Cotes du Rhone could offer much of the substance and charm of Chateauneuf-du-Pape, at one-half to one-quarter the price. The fact that in the blind ranking exercise before the wines are revealed, no less than five tasters had this as their top or second wine of the 12, and not one person in 22 tasters voted it a Cotes du Rhone, in answer to a direct question on that matter, illustrates what can be achieved, with some research / effort. Bouquet is rich, dry, not exactly fragrant in a garrigue sense, more darkly plummy with cinnamon and nutmeg overtones. Richness and texture are astonishing for a Cotes du Rhone, but Les Deux Albion has for years now offered stellar value in the appellation. It is one of the gems in Paul Mitchell’s (The Wine Importer, Kumeu) lineup. The wine is plummy, softly furry dry tannins, not a lot of oak, the carignan maybe adding to the tannin structure but the clairette invisible. In contradistinction to the shortsighted / consumerist views of American wine review websites, cellar this wine 5 – 20 years. GK 06/17

2007 Felton Road Pinot Noir [ standard wine ] 18 + (

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Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $ – [ screwcap; average vine age 7.5 years; a complex season, cool in spring, poor fruit set, crop 25% down; later summer and autumn ideal ripening conditions for the reduced crop, initially thought to be wines of unmatched concentration and complexity without losing any purity or finesse. Recent evaluations suggest possibly some over-ripeness in some labels; first year for Cornish Point label proper; www.feltonroad.com ]
Good pinot noir ruby with some development, one of the deeper ones. This too is a highly floral pinot noir, but inclining to the boronia spectrum with its hint of citrus oil more than roses. Below is rich cherry fruit darker in hue than the 2010. Flavours are firmer and less supple than the 2010, there is similar richness but a higher tannin loading, and not all the tannins are perfectly ripe. In a way this is more dramatic pinot noir. In discussing the wines briefly before the tasting, winemaker Blair Walter was less happy with the 2007s, mentioning recent bottles had shown over-ripe and even porty suggestions. This bottle was quite at variance with that assessment. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 08/14

2005 Villa Maria Merlot Reserve 18 + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $50 [ screwcap; Me 86%, CS 8, Ma 6, hand-harvested @ c. 2.75 t/ac; vinified @ Mangere; 100% de-stemmed; s/s fermentation; c. 22 months in French and American oak 61% new; Catalogue: a dense nose with considerable depth, featuring small red and black berries, floral violet, vanillin and cedar-briary spice notes. This wine is highly seductive as great Merlot should be; the palate is highly refined with textural tannins and creamy supportive oak, and features tightness, balance and length. Optimum cellaring 2010-2017; Awards: 5 Stars @ Winestate 2008, Gold @ Hawke’s Bay A&P 2008, Trophy for NZ Red Bordeaux Varietals Over £10 @ Decanter World Wine Awards UK 2008; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, older than 2005 Tom. Bouquet changes greatly with breathing, becoming sweet and floral and showing good technical purity, with a wonderful interplay between musk-rose and dark tobacco notes, plus cedary oak. In mouth the berryfruit is marrying into the oak, quite a lot of development (who said red wines don’t develop under screwcap ?), total east-bank Bordeaux in acid balance and gentleness. This wine now sits alongside the 2005 Church Road Cabernet Sauvignon Cuve handsomely, and shows the softer east-bank side of the Bordeaux equation relative to the Church Road’s Medoc. It has come forward a good deal since my last review in 2007, and I like it more. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 07/09

2006 Te Mata Cabernets / Merlot Coleraine 18 + (

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Havelock North district mostly, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $77 [ cork; Me 49%, CS 43, CF 8, hand-harvested from vines of average age 21 years; 100% de-stemmed; 20 months in French oak probably around 75% new; this 2006 vintage marks 25 years of Coleraine; www.temata.co.nz ]
Ruby, some velvet and carmine, the richest / deepest of the 2006 New Zealand reds. Bouquet is a little more open and giving than Awatea, with somewhat softer and plusher cassis and black doris qualities, on potentially cedary oak. This wine shows exemplary purity, and is clearly of classed growth quality – in an understated way. Palate continues the trend, a little richer than Awatea, the merlot more evident, as is the new oak, with long lingering rich cassisy berry flavours to the aftertaste. I don't have the '05 alongside, but I imagine the 2006 to be fractionally lighter and fresher. It will be great to see them alongside each other, in later tastings. This 2006 can be cellared with great confidence, given on the one hand the performance of the 1982 and 1983 both still vital, and on the other the predilection of both winemaker Peter Cowley, and proprietor John Buck for the Bordeaux winestyle. Alongside Penfolds 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Bin 407, Coleraine is not quite so concentrated, but it is finer and more elegant, with the natural acid of temperate climate viticulture really showing through on the palate. Alongside the remarkable 2005 Penfolds Bin 389 cabernet-dominant, it is not in that sumptuous league. [ But then neither is it 14.5% alcohol, so many – English winewriters, for example – would rate Coleraine more highly for that. ] Keep the Coleraine for at least five years before opening one, and cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 03/08

1971 Schloss Schonborn Geisenheimer Schlossgarten Riesling Beerenauslese QmP 18 + (

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Rheingau, Germany: – %; $17.10 [ cork, 47mm; the von Schonborn estate in the Rheingau amounts to 50 ha, is planted 91% to riesling, the balance pinot noir and pinot blanc, with annual production totalling around 25,500 9-litre cases. Brook notes that the Schlossgarten vineyard is 18 ha, and its sandy-loess (and calcareous) soils result in light fresh wines. Schloss Schonborn is the largest owner. Brook comments further that though von Schonborn is one of the best-known estates in the Rheingau, quality was inconsistent until 1995. None of my usual sources has a word on our exact wine, but Wine Spectator surprises by at least having a note for a 1971 von Schonborn Beerenauslese (but not this one). Because any reasonably recent assessments of the vintage are rare, it is provided to indicate some of the descriptors that occurred to Bruce Sanderson in 1999. [ In the event, providing this description turned out to be more than relevant, for the sweeter wines. ] 1971 von Schonborn Hattenheimer Nussbrunnen Riesling Beerenauslese: From a great vintage. Its complex bouquet of caramel, mineral and a nutty, sherry-like note introduce a fresh, elegant and harmonious beerenauslese, with intense flavors of nectarine, honey, forest floor and nuts, all focused by mouthwatering acidity. The flavors linger with a burnt caramel note, 97; www.weingut-schloss-schoenborn.de ]
Full gold, grading to old gold, the lightest of the beerenauslesen and trockenbeerenauslesen. First sniff and one can only think of toffee more than honey, but wonderfully pure fragrant toffee. There are suggestions of fragrant black tea too, and dried peaches. Flavours in mouth immediately reveal the more golden flavour spectrum of the Rheingau rieslings (relative to the Mosel Valley wines), the botrytis component more apparent than most of these wines, sweet with hints of fine golden syrup as well as aromatic riesling, a soft rich wine with a little oak shaping it and drying the finish, acid slightly lower. Perhaps a little past its peak, but still charming, no hurry. Three second places, but also two least. GK 11/17

2014 Maude Pinot Noir 18 + (

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Cromwell Basin and Wanaka, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $30 [ screwcap; main clones Dijon 115, UCD 5, Dijon 667, 10/5, planted at an average of c.2,500 vines/ha, average age c.15 years; all hand-picked in the range 4 t/ha (1.6 t/ac) – 6 t/ha (2.4 t/ac); c.25% whole-bunch this year, cold soak 7 days, a mix of wild- and cultured-yeast ferments, c.21 days cuvaison; c.10 months in French oak c.25% new, medium toast; not sterile-filtered to bottle; RS <1 g/L: dry extract not given; production 3,000 cases; www.maudewines.com ]
Fresh pinot noir ruby, clearly below midway in depth. This wine sums up the four top wines, in the sense it is not as definitive in any of its characters as they are, but it is fragrant, and floral with a suggestion of boronia, on red grading to black cherry fruits. Texture in mouth is silky / sensuous, very gentle, not showing quite the tannin structure of the wines rated more highly, but still a lovely glass of pinot noir. This wine too is wonderfully affordable, offering a quality which only a few years ago was priced more in the $60 bracket. Those who are confident that all Otago pinots are 'obvious', and can be recognised blind, might be tripped up by this one. Cellar 5 – 12 years. Group View (Flight 2): 3 first places, 1 second, 3 least. GK 11/15

2009 Mt Difficulty Pinot Noir 18 + (

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Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $45 [ screwcap; cropped at c. 1.8 t/ac from 5 vineyards and a range of ages, the oldest 18 years; c.10% whole bunch; 8 – 9 days cold soak, mostly wild-yeast fermentations; c. 3-4 weeks cuvaison; 11 months in barrel on lees, MLF in spring in barrel; filtered; www.mtdifficulty.co.nz ]
Perfect pinot noir ruby. The bouquet on this wine is astonishing. I am sure there are many readers who have muttered to themselves: this talk about violets in wine is pure affectation and claptrap. For them, then, this wine has the most dramatic violets bouquet I have ever smelt, even thinking back to the great 1966 Ch Palmer on release / in its vibrant infancy. On bouquet alone, it has to be gold-medal ranking. The palate at this point is not quite gold-medal, beautiful but tending petite alongside those wines rated more highly. Remarkable wine, all the same, illustrating to perfection Matt Dicey's preoccupation with delicacy and finesse in his red wines, contrasting so vividly with the too many burly dark pinots elsewhere in New Zealand. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 08/11

2007 Corbans Cabernet / Merlot Cottage Block 18 + (

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Ngatarawa Triangle, Gimblett Gravels and Havelock North, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $38 [ cork; 2007 wine not on website – some of the Pernod-Ricard websites have become time-consuming and vexing to use, compared with 5 years ago; www.corbans.co.nz ]
Dense ruby, carmine and velvet. Bouquet is unknit at this stage, youthful cassis with a slight phenolic edge to it, hard to pin down. In mouth, the oak is at a maximum for the fruit, and the 'edge' is I think just oak yet to marry in. Cassisy berry is rich, with plummy depths and a hint of dark chocolate. This should cellar well, 10 – 20 years, though remaining oaky. GK 06/10

2010 Trinity Hill Merlot Hawkes Bay 18 + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $22 [ screwcap; Me 87%, CS 7, CF 6, hand-picked at c. 2.75 t/ac; elevage c.12 months in French oak some new but some wine stays in s/s; RS 1.5 g/L; www.trinityhill.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, in the top third for weight of colour. This is an enchanting wine. Blind it has a fresh berry character and less oak influence than the McDonald Merlot, instead smelling of blueberries – rich and saliva-inducing. In mouth the blueberry continues, and one pretty confidently identifies the wine as syrah, blind. But once revealed, I'm happy to enthuse about the wine as a merlot-dominant Pomerol-styled blend, with a wonderful presence of fruit and perfect ripeness. It is not quite so fat as the McDonald, and total acid seems a little higher, but it should cellar well. With merlot such a devalued concept thanks to Australian commercial-label efforts with this variety (so totally unsuited to their climate) but also because of many poor New Zealand ones too, these are two affordable merlots to rejoice in. The subtlety of the oak handling highlights the varietal character beautifully. Cellar 3 – 8 years. VALUE GK 06/12

2013 Mission Estate Syrah Huchet 18 + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $120 [ cork 45mm; Sy 100%, hand-picked from on average c.10-year old vines planted at c.2,500 vines / ha and cropped @ 4 t/ha = 1.6 t/ac; 2 days cold-soak, cuvaison averaged 24 days with no whole bunch component; cultured-yeast; MLF in tank; 18 months in French oak c.33% new; RS nil g/L; not sterile-filtered; dry extract not measured; production 140 x 9-L cases; not exactly released yet but available on request at the winery; pre-release tasting bottles courtesy Paul Mooney; www.missionestate.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, right in the middle for depth of colour. This is one of the 'different' wines, in a positive sense, but it is still absolutely within the style parameters for Crozes-Hermitage most closely, or some Hermitages. It particularly reminded me of Yann Chave's top Crozes, Le Rouvre. Bouquet is fragrant and pure, nearly floral, but also a hint of leaf, and of beeswax. The latter is perfectly legitimate in Northern Rhone syrah. Palate follows appropriately, very different from both the top wines in this tasting, and from 2010 Huchet, which was a richer and more massive wine. There is a fresh nervy quality to the berry here, some cassis, clear omega plum flavours, careful oak, and other berries too, blueberry and even guava (canned). Oak balance is good. This is going to be an exciting wine to include in blind tastings, preferably with French syrahs. It will create havoc. Tasters liked its style, it being the second most favoured wine, on the night (from first-place rankings). It is also one of the richer wines, in terms of dry extract. I'm slightly worried by the hint of leaf, and did not mark it quite as high as the group. But it would be fun to be proved wrong in the years to come. In the Regional Wines tasting, six people rated this the top wine, at the blind stage. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 05/15

2007 Leeuwin Estate Chardonnay Art Series 18 + (

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Margaret River, West Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $112 [ screwcap; 50% hand-picked, balance machine from local vineyards, clone mendoza (known as gin gin), average vine age 37 years; not whole-bunch pressed, not cold settled; 20% wild-yeast and 100% barrel-ferment up to 20°, no MLF; 11 months in French oak 100% new, batonnage fortnightly; pH 3.35, RS <2g/l; not sterile-filtered; not entered in Shows; $AU90; www.leeuwinestate.com.au ]
Lemongreen, the palest and most classical colour all. Bouquet however is behind the pace in this company, being simpler and more fruit-based, even hints of some [ untoward ? ] exotic fruit like feijoa in citrus and limey notes. A certain simplicity of elevation is also apparent relative to the cool-climate chardonnay wines. On palate, this translates into rich stonefruit and golden queen peach accurately reflecting the mendoza clone, but total acid is spiky in the Australian style presumably reflecting added tartaric, and the flavours lack the mealy complexity that long lees elevation coupled with malolactic conversion bring to both great white burgundy and New Zealand's best chardonnays. Despite the apparent oak, actual fruit richness is excellent, though, and the length of the finish is amongst the best. The Leeuwin wine is widely regarded as the Australian benchmark for chardonnay (though Penfolds seek to displace it), so naturally enough it is lavishly praised over there, and rarely subject to either critical scrutiny or comparative evaluation against world-standard chardonnays. Cellar 4 – 12 years, maybe longer. GK 03/12

2001 Giaconda Chardonnay 18 + (

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Beechworth, Victoria, Australia: 13.5%; $ – [ cork, 50mm; Halliday rates the 2001 Beechworth vintage 8/10. Vineyard at c.400m, with c.800mm rainfall. First chardonnay planted 1982. All hand-picked, light crushing then pressing, wild-yeast fermentations, malolactic fermentation, then long ageing on lees in French oak, c.30% new. Wine Spectator, 2004: Aristocratic and appealing for the slightly earthy notes that weave through the fine-tuned pear flavors, finishing with persistence, 91. J. Oliver, 2004: My pick as Australia's finest chardonnay, extraordinarily structured and complete, expressing a heritage more Burgundian than Australian, 91; www.giaconda.com.au ]
Gold with a wash of old gold, clearly above midway in depth. Right from opening, this is a very big wine, with rich fruit and even more lees work and elevation complexity, presenting complex mealy and nutty qualities on bouquet. There is also just a hint of heavyness, reminiscent of the heavy fusel alcohol notes Australian reds used to show. This component could be interpreted more positively as a hint of walnut. In mouth bouquet and flavour meld into a sensationally mealy and nutty, very rich and dry wine, the size and savour of a great Corton-Charlemagne at full maturity, the weight of dried stone fruit, oatmeal and brazil nut flavours quite saturating the tongue and the senses. And there is a long sautéed button-mushrooms note creeping in to the late finish, which delights. It is appreciably richer than the Lafon Meursault, and purer than the particular bottle in the tasting, yet somehow the whole wine does not quite achieve the magical complexity and appeal of the Meursault. There is a hint of heavyness / early ageing in this Giaconda. Even so, with the right food it would be remarkable. The dry extract must be c.30 + grams per litre, 'unknown' in white wine. Three first-places, two second places, but also three least places. Nobody thought it French (which surprised me). GK 08/18

2005 Chanson Pere & Fils Corton Vergennes Grand Cru 18 + (

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Aloxe-Corton Grand Cru, Cote de Beaune, France: 13.5%; $250 [ cork; c. 11 months in barrel; bottle courtesy Andrew Swann; www.vins-chanson.com ]
Wonderful glowing lemon. Bouquet shows trace reduction, at about the maximum permissible for elegance, complexity, and being appropriately interpreted as 'mineral'. This level is a good deal less than the unwise faddists and wrong-headed wine judges who currently endorse chardonnay so reductive as to be unpleasant on bouquet and palate, and the moreso with food, this blinkered approach being justified within the oxymoron concept of 'noble sulphides'. Below lies mealy chardonnay fruit in an obvious Meursault styling, with impressive volume and purity. In mouth the wine is both rich with tactile body, yet still a little hard in youth, with a degree of pale penetrating grapefruity fruit and fine acid that is most impressive. Tasted later with the 1986 chardonnays, it confirms exactly how good the top Australian wines of the time were. Has the body to cellar many years, if you like older chardonnay, and the trace reduction will assist longevity. Cellar 10 – 25 years. Not part of the set tasting. GK 09/15

2013 Coopers Creek Syrah Reserve 18 + (

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Havelock North district, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $55 [ screwcap; Sy 99%, Vi 1, co-fermented, all hand-picked @ low cropping level from a hill-slope site with limestone; c.12 months in French oak c. 60% new; RS 2 g/L; www.cooperscreek.co.nz ]
Dense carmine, ruby and velvet, one of the deepest wines. After the Bilancia, this is very straight up-and-down syrah, big, rich, powerful. The bouquet misses out a bit on florality, instead a faint estery lift, moving straight to darkest cassis and even more bottled black doris plum, so you wonder if it was ripened a little too much, perhaps to the dimpling stage. Palate however is most impressive, rich and darkly velvety, again not quite the freshness of cassis, but richly dark aromatic plums and oak, still retaining some black pepper. The wine is so rich, you would have to be a very acute and analytical taster to recognise the trace residual in the specs. The glorious thing about this wine, in the New Zealand context, is that it is over-ripe by Cote Rotie standards, but there is no suggestion of the 'common' boysenberry suite of flavours which so characterise Australian 'syrah', typically so over-ripened as to be merely shiraz. Interesting wine to follow, and see how that richness / residual sugar balance ends up, over 5 – 20 years. GK 07/16

2013 Mouiex [ Cabernet Sauvignon ] Dominus 18 + (

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Yountville, Napa Valley, California: 15%; $450 [ cork, 50mm; DFB; original price $NZ348; CS 93%, PV 7, CF 4, hand-picked, the sunny side of rows picked a few days before the shaded sides; a warm dry season, low rain, no heat spikes July - Sept; hand-sorted and optical scanner-sorted; 20 months in barrel, all-French oak 40% new; egg-white fining only; in a 2017 comparative tasting of the Napa Valley 2013s for Decanter magazine, Dominus is one of the five-only 100-point wines, ahead of Screaming Eagle ($NZ3,670); Jefford, 2016: ... brooding, quiescent scent ... and floral notes, too ... On the palate ... a wine of singular depth, power and concentration: an essence of its place. Everything in it is dark: earth, mushroom, truffle, black fruits. There are magnificent tannins, low acids, bitter plant extracts and sweet resins, all adding up to a magnificently complex whole ... you feel as if a bottle has somehow been compressed into a single glass ... astonishing young wine, 99; Parker, 2015: 2013 Dominus is ... one of the most profound wines Christian Moueix has yet made ... very low yields ... notes of cedar wood, forest floor, loamy soil and oodles of blackberry and blackcurrant fruit ... super-pure and intense, this wine has low acidity, but ripe, noticeable tannins. This is a 30- to 40-year wine, 100; 3,500 x 9-litre cases produced; weight bottle and closure: 589 g; www.dominusestate.com ]
Ruby and velvet, the third deepest, older-looking than some. This wine stood out in the tasting for several reasons. It was so different it had to be positioned as wine 12 in the sequence, to not interfere with other wines. The bouquet smells first and foremost of alcohol, saturated with quite different fruit aromas to the other wines. There is no fresh aromatic berry component at all, but instead aromas evocative of cooked blueberries, canned guavas, glacé figs, and 8 – 10-year-old bottled black doris plums. Those who have old bottled fruit in their pantry will know they are perfectly enjoyable, but all the gloriously vibrant and fresh red-fruit characters are lost over the years, to be replaced by browning and softer fruity aromas and flavours. Good cassis / fresh bottled blackcurrants aroma is a key component of fine temperate-climate cabernet, and fine Bordeaux, but on that attribute this wine simply misses the boat, through considerable sur-maturité. In flavour and mouthfeel terms, it is most closely allied with the Church Road Tom, velvety rich and soft but no fresh red fruits at all, a large quantity of oak to give tannin backbone, but on the swallow it all finishes with an alcohol burn, a hint of prunes and tar, and oak. Just compare this impression with the Babich 100-Years: they are light years apart, even though Dominus is richer. It is almost inconceivable this Dominus could come from Bordeaux: 2003 Ch Pavie (from Saint-Emilion, and severely castigated as a young wine by Jancis Robinson, for being hopelessly over-ripe) is delicate in comparison. So therefore you would assume only hot-climate tasters, that is, those habituated to hot-climate wines, would rate this Dominus 100 points. Parker is well known and well-understood to like this kind of big wine; Decanter’s new Californian taster William Kelley would appear to be falling into the same trap; but how do we explain the views of the vastly experienced and eminently down-to-earth Andrew Jefford, from England ? Note his words: dark / earth / black / bitter (I am being selective) … and he ends up with 99. Perhaps he was on location. So … interesting, an experience since it is obviously an enormously serious wine … but ultimately a disappointment, in the fresh vibrant company of the day. A bit like Grange, a monument of a wine, not to be dissected. Cellar 15 – 50 years. Two people rated Dominus their top wine, two their second favourite, and four thought it Californian. GK 06/17

2004 Craggy Range Syrah Le Sol 18 + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $85 [ cork 50mm; release price $85; Sy 100% cropped @ c. 2.75 t/ac; hand-harvested, 95% de-stemmed; fermented in open oak cuves with wild yeast; 21 months in 65% new French oak, no fining, minimal filtration; Neal Martin @ R Parker, 2008: This is relatively austere and conservative on the nose compared to the 2005 and the 2006 with notes of plum, smoke and sandalwood. A medium-bodied palate with good acidity, comparatively linear to ensuing vintages but still with good delineation, touches of cedar, white pepper and black olives. Good length. Very fine. Drink now-2015: 91; M Cooper, 2007: … dense blackcurrant and spice flavours, and bold tannins. In its youth it is less strikingly fragrant, ripe and harmonious than the 2002, but has the power and structure to age well: ****; weight bottle and closure: 972 g; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby, some velvet, midway in colour, so redder and deeper than the 2004 Homage. The clear stylistic difference between Le Sol and Homage evident in the 2010s was apparently already there in 2004. This is much more a pure new-world varietal expression of syrah, still clearly cassisy and aromatic, clear black pepper possibly even with some white, leading to a berry-rich palate nearly as pleasing as the 2004 Homage, but not as soft and complex / old-world. Depth of fruit likewise is comparable with the 2004 Homage, but perhaps the tannins show a little more in the later palate – there is not quite the softness. This Le Sol was clearly seen as the wine of the night, 11 tasters rating it their top or second-favourite wine. No hurry here, cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 09/16

2010 Trinity Hills Syrah Homage 18 + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $ – [ cork; Sy 100% hand-picked at about 2.5 t/ha (1 t/ac), mostly Limmer clone, some vines propagated from Jaboulet's la Chapelle vineyard on the hill of Hermitage, vine ages 1994 and 2001; the grapes de-stemmed, lightly crushed to leave whole berries; shortish cuvaison; MLF commenced in tank, completed in barrel, c.15 months in French oak mostly new, some lees stirring, not a lot of racking; this wine is the largest volume yet made of Homage, nearly 600 cases; www.trinityhill.com ]
Ruby and velvet, between the 2009 and the 2013 in hue and depth. Bouquet shows more florals than the 2009, and more black pepper, which you would expect in the cooler year, with similarly cassisy berry and fragrant oak. Palate has great purity of flavour, cassis, some plums, quite oaky, acid slightly apparent, still hard and youthful. It is not quite as rich a wine as the 2009, in some ways being closer to the 2013, but firmer and more aromatic. This wine cries out for comparison with Northern Rhone 'originals'. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 11/15

2013 Craggy Range Pinot Noir Te Muna 18 + (

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Te Muna Valley, Martinborough district, Wairarapa, New Zealand: 13.5%; $43 [ screwcap; hand-picked @ 5.3 t/ha = 2.1 t/ac, 90% de-stemmed, 10% whole-bunch, some fermented in French oak cuves, balance s/s, wild yeast ferments; 10 months on lees in French oak 25% new; no fining, light filtering; RS nil; great website; www.craggyrange.com ]
A perfect pinot noir ruby, just above midway in depth. Bouquet is classic Martinborough pinot noir, fragrant, more red fruits than black (whereas Otago wines may be darker fruits dominant, generalising), nearly floral, nearly aromatic and hinting at the Cote de Nuits, compared with the other more Cote de Beaune-like wines in the tasting, totally pure, modern and high-tech. Palate shows fair richness, good ripeness, red cherry fruit dominant, beautifully subtle oak, admirable balance. It is not the richest wine here, but it has an elegance, charm and varietal precision which earns it high marks. Cellar 3 – 12 years. GK 05/16

2001 Dry River Syrah Arapoff Vineyard 18 + (

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Martinborough Terrace, Wairarapa, New Zealand: 12%; $ – [ Cork, 45mm, ullage 23mm; weight bottle and cork, 541 g; release price c.$55; Robinson, 2009: Manages to be both peppery and ripe with true leathery notes on the nose. Lively, appetising. The ultimate food wine? Extremely fresh. Not desperately persistent but very neat and drinking beautifully now, 17.5; Cooper, 2003: The tautly structured 2001 vintage needs another two or three years to unfold ... with rich, black-pepper and plum aromas and flavours, it’s very fresh and vibrant, with a firm backbone of tannin and a long, spicy finish. A distinctly cool-climate style, it’s well worth cellaring to at least 2005, ****(½); www.dryriver.co.nz ]
Lovely ruby and velvet, very much younger than the 2001 Pinot Noir, above midway in depth. Bouquet is extraordinary among the syrahs, showing clear varietal definition at a nearly perfect level of physiological maturity, quiet florals hinting at wallflowers and pink roses, dark berry which is nearly cassis-like, and beautiful peppery spice which is much more black then white. Oak is invisible on bouquet. Palate is attractive but not quite so perfect, some red fruits in the cassis, just a hint of white pepper in the black, but the whole wine supple and refreshing, total Cote Rotie in style, but of a slightly cool year. Tasters liked this wine, three first places, three second, but some confusion as to whether pinot noir or syrah, syrah winning. In the better variety for the year, a close second to the 2001 Pinot Noir, but both beautiful wines. Will cellar 5 – 10 years yet. GK 05/19

2013 Ata Rangi Pinot Noir 18 + (

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Martinborough Terrace, Wairarapa, New Zealand: 13.5%; $84 [ screwcap; Abel clone c.40%, assorted Dijon clones 40, UCD 5 15, planted at varying densities 2,800 – 4,400 vines/ha, average age c.23 years; all hand-picked @ c.4.1 t/ha (1.6 t/ac), 30% whole-bunch (depending on fruit-ripeness and year etc), pre-ferment cold soak 5 – 10 days, then 15 – 20 days cuvaison with 100% wild yeast; c.15 months in French oak c.35% new, medium toast; not sterile-filtered to bottle; RS 0.5 g/L; dry extract 30.7 g/L; production c.2,500 cases; the Ata Rangi website is one of the better winery sites in New Zealand, with a good deal of info for the last 9 or so vintages. All vintages would be better, given the reputation of the company; www.atarangi.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby, fractionally above midway in depth. As so often with the Ata Rangi pinot noirs, bouquet is floral and fragrant but let down by pennyroyal, making it too aromatic in classical terms. Otherwise, the wine smells vividly of cherry fruit, all a notch darker than the two Aroha wines. In mouth the wine is bolder than the top two Craggys, slightly more extractive and clearly more oaky, but still well within bounds. Fruit richness is perhaps greater than the Craggy 2013. The nett result is a wine that tastes 'strong' by Cote de Nuits standards, but will mellow appropriately in cellar over a longer interval than 2013 Aroha, say 5 – 18 years. GK 09/16

1996 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut 18 + (

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Reims, Champagne, France: 12%; $364 [ cork; Ch 100%; c. 5% base wine aged in new oak; en tirage c.10 years; no vintage info or detail on website; current vintage price in NZ c.$200; www.taittinger.com ]
Lemonstraw, the second palest. This is one of the fragrant wines, immediately suggesting high-chardonnay, showing clear-cut baguette-crust autolysis but with a slight lanolin suggestion noted by several tasters. In flavour you wonder if there is trace aldehyde, then the thought of trace oak displaces it. This shows some of the acid of the year, in a lighter palate more like the Dom Perignon, but drier. The lingering flavours are lovely, on a dosage perhaps 9 g/L. This will cellar for some years. GK 11/14

2012 Henschke Shiraz Mt Edelstone 18 + (

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Eden Valley, South Australia, Australia: 14%; $182 [ Vinolok glass stopper; vines 98 years old, now biodynamic; Sh 100%, all matured in hogsheads, 87% French, 13 American, 32% new; Halliday vintage rating Eden Valley 8 /10 for 2012; www.henschke.com.au ]
Ruby and velvet, midway in depth. Henschke wines have changed considerably over the last 20 years. Their approach to oak now seems much subtler, less overtly American [confirmed], better integrated, the oak woven into the wine as if there is a barrel-fermented component, rather than standing out to the side and shouting. Once decanted and breathed, bouquet on this Edelstone shows a complex nearly roast chestnut integration of soft 'brown' oak and ripe shiraz, the latter ripened through mulberry to boysenberry but still retaining some subtlety, plus faint mint as in The McRae wine. Palate highlights the oak comments, thinking back to the 90s, the integration of cedary oak being nearly velvety already. This is a much more sophisticated wine than Armagh, very much subtler yet nearly as rich. It is not as subtle in its oaking as the Brokenwood Graveyard wine, or The McRae Wood, but shows less mint than the latter. But when all is said and done, there is still too much oak for gold medal, as soon as you think of syrah and Trinity Hill Homage, or La Chapelle. Cellar 5 – 25 years, maybe longer. GK 06/16

2004 Bilancia Syrah la Collina 18 + (

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Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $84 [ supercritical cork; Sy 98%, Vi 2, 100% de-stemmed; fermented on c. 2% viognier skins; MLF and 18 months in 100% new French oak coopered in Burgundy; particular attention to the H2S-forming propensities of syrah; grown on the NW slopes of Roy's Hill, adjacent to but not part of the Gimblett Gravels; www.bilancia.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, about midway for depth. Decanted and given a little time to breathe, this wine is explicitly varietal and complex syrah, with much of the magic of pinot noir, plus the spicy depths and darkness of syrah. Bouquet is cassis through and through, not as ripe as the plummy depths of le Sol, but more floral and fragrant, dianthus and buddleia particularly â€“ and thus inclining more to Cote Rotie than Hermitage in style. Palate is intensely aromatic and if one is hypercritical, very slightly stalky, not achieving the perfect equipoise the Vidal shows, but lingering nonetheless on the wonderfully aromatic syrah berry. In terms of ripeness and depth, this 2004 is a great improvement on the 2002, and indicates an exciting future for Warren Gibson's hillside syrah vineyard. With greater vine age, greater depth on palate and a little more berry ripeness should follow, offering the tantalising possibility in Hawkes Bay's warmest years of wines a little more complex than the hotter Gimblett Gravels. Cellar 5 â€“ 15 years. GK 11/06

2009 Crossroads [ not-revealed red blend ] Talisman 18 + (

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Hawkes Bay (three districts), New Zealand: 14.5%; $36 [ screwcap; mostly hand-picked; cepage not revealed – see text; 14 months in all-new oak, French 85%, balance American; RS ‘dry’; www.crossroadswinery.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a very promising colour. One sniff, and you start to think, jeez … this is better than any Talisman I can recall. There is lovely ripe berry fruit of fine richness, potentially cedary oak, and spicy undertones adding interest. In mouth the richness is impressive, but the ripeness reflects some sur-maturité of some components, as so desired in Australia and America, leading to some chocolatey flavours which degrade its complexity and freshness. The oak handling is interesting, there being quite a lot of it, but the fruit richness is greater than most Talismans and covers the oak fairly well. This looks like the best Talisman yet, but it is in more a Robert Parker style than a Jancis Robinson one. As to the cepage, Crossroads play this silly game of 'not telling' every year, merely saying: "The composition varies each vintage". So, one assumes merlot and syrah dominant, some cabernets, malbec and minor varieties adding complexity. In this interpretation of the Hawke's Bay blend, which I think can legitimately include syrah to help create a district winestyle, the balance is closer to a Napa blend than a Bordeaux one. Given our climate, I would prefer it somewhat cooler and fresher, to optimise this remarkable vintage. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 08/11

2007 Felton Road Pinot Noir Cornish Point 18 + (

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Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $65 [ screwcap; several clones hand-harvested at varying yields not above 2.1 t/ac; up to 28% whole-bunch; up to 10 days cold-soak, cuvaison up to 22 days, all wild yeast; MLF also wild and 13 months in French oak c. 26% new; no fining or filtration; winemaker Blair Walter considers: The 2007 Pinot Noirs are wines of unmatched concentration and rich complexity without losing any purity or finesse. They combine the ripeness of the 06’s with the concentration of the 05’s adding a certain extra magic that is unique to this vintage. In short we see them as landmark wines; www.feltonroad.com ]
Big pinot noir ruby, slightly darker than the standard wine. Felton Road continues its winning streak with this wonderfully aromatic Cornish Point vineyard wine. On both bouquet and palate, this richly fragrant pinot is a little more assertive than the standard wine, with an intriguing hint of syrah, whether due to fractionally more new oak or a mix of physiological ripenesses in the fruit was not clear in the tasting. There certainly are dark cherry and almost plummy notes, yet the palate is extended on more phenolics than the others. It would be tough to describe this character as slightly stalky, given the ripeness and richness, but the thought does occur. This is the kind of teaser these Feltons pose, and makes one wish to own a case of each variant, to study over the years. Cellar 5 – 12 years, to soften. GK 03/09

2012 Jim Barry Shiraz The McRae Wood 18 + (

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Clare Valley, South Australia, Australia: 14%; $63 [ screwcap; Sh 100%; French and American oak; Halliday vintage rating Clare Valley 7 /10 for 2013; www.jimbarry.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, one of the three deepest. Bouquet on The McRae epitomises the descriptor Australian flowering mint (the shrub Prostanthera), and in more temperate years has done so from the outset (first vintage 1992). It is an acceptable aromatic complexity, analogous to the garrigue character in good chateauneuf-du-pape. Bouquet shows a richness of berry and an elegance of both ripening and oaking which again is a revelation, in terms of the last 50 years of Australian reds. It is not quite so exquisitely pure as the Veto, but the level of aromatics here is acceptable complexity, on cassis, mulberry and darkly plummy berry. In mouth the wine clearly has had a more 'serious' elevation in barrel, cedary oak complexing the fruit relative to The Veto, but the nett result is sophisticated South Australian shiraz, to cellar 5 – 25 years. GK 06/16

2002 Ch Cos d'Estournel 18 + (

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Saint-Estephe Second Growth, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $182 [ cork, actual cepage this year CS 58%, Me 38 (higher than usual), CF 3, PV 1, cropped @ 4.2 t/ha (1.7 t/ac) in 2002 (against an average of 5 (2.6 t/ac); average vine age 35 years, planted @ 8 – 10 000 vines / ha; 3 weeks cuvaison, 18 months in French oak usually 80% new; J Robinson, 2012: Savoury, actually rather interesting nose – most unusual for a 2002! Some vitality here. Really silky texture and great freshness, without austerity, of fruit. A very superior 2002 – though it is clearly crisper than most vintages of Cos. Some concentration and persistence: 17; R Parker, 2003: A brilliant effort for the vintage, the 2002 Cos d’Estournel is ... an outstanding expression of Bordeaux elegance married with surprising power, yet never going over the top. Complex aromatics include scents of smoke, licorice, red as well as black currants, vanilla, spice box, and Asian spices. The wine is medium-bodied, with great purity and elegance, a superb mouthfeel and texture, and a long, rich finish. It is not a huge blockbuster, but clearly administrator Jean-Guillaume Prats fully exploited his vineyard’s potential and did not try and overdo it, as some of his colleagues did. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2022: 92 – 94; weight bottle and closure: 617 g; www.estournel.com ]
Ruby, garnet and velvet, older than some, midway in depth. Bouquet has that distinguishing characteristic of good temperate-climate red wines, showing both lightness and strength, with great volume. There is a floral violets and dark roses note, but also a countervailing lightly smoky bacon suggestion which is drying, and puts the wine into the Clarendon Astralis camp momentarily: namely, is there a light brett component ? Palate is glorious, all the velvet of perfectly ripe dark berryfruit not over-oaked, showing reasonable concentration and a weight a little less than the Brokenstone. It is not a big wine, but the supple velvety length of flavour and the aftertaste are a joy, berry dominant over oak, with no hint of drying brett here – yet. Top or second wine for three tasters, and clearly seen as cabernet / merlot dominant and Bordeaux by over half the group. Nicely mature now, and will cellar for at least 10 years more. GK 09/16

2013 Esk Valley [ Malbec / Merlot / Cabernet Franc ] The Terraces 18 + (

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Bay View dissected coastal terrace, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $120 [ screwcap; DFB; original price $160; (all figures estimates) Ma 45%, Me 35, CF 20, hand-harvested; all vars co-fermented as one batch; 100% new French oak c. 18 months; RS nil; perhaps 250 cases; the 1-hectare NNW-facing The Terraces vineyard was until recently pretty well unique in New Zealand, being planted on man-made terraces in a natural semi-amphitheatre reminiscent more of some famous Northern Rhone vineyard sites than broad-acre New Zealand plantings. Underlying soil parent materials are young sedimentaries including limestone and volcanic ash. Vineyard practice is special too, the cropping rate being of the order of 1 tonne per acre, all the constituent varieties are harvested on the one day, and co-fermented. The site was created in the 1940s, but lapsed into pine plantation. It was re-planted to vines in 1989; no overseas reviews; Cooper, 2017: … the flavours are highly concentrated, youthful, plummy and spicy, with fine-grained tannins and a deliciously smooth, rich finish. A powerful very harmonious red, with a wow factor, it should flourish for many years, *****; dry extract not measured; maximum production is c.300 x 9-litre cases; weight bottle and closure: 746 g; www.eskvalley.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, just above midway in depth. This is a hard wine to report on, it being in two parts. Whereas some others in the tasting have enchanting bouquets, and then the palate falls away, this is the reverse. Initial bouquet is raw and edgy, quite strong, showing all the hard tannins and lack of charm young malbec is famous for. There are no sweet florals here, and little enchantment of cassis. But it is beautifully pure, the oak seems appropriate (just), and maybe there is dark plummy fruit behind. The flavour however is quite different: immediately there is a generosity of bottled omega plum fruit, firm cedary oak, and considerable length and breadth. You therefore wonder if the lack of bouquet merely reflects its infantile state, and it shouldn't be tasted for 10 years. The palate richness is very good indeed, though there is no dry extract rating available for the wine, I would not be surprised if it achieves 30g / litre. On balance the palate is exciting, but will the whole wine end up being beautiful, or just rich and sustaining like best Argentinian malbec ? I must admit the later palate and aftertaste is totally berry-dominant, delightful, boding well. One taster rated it their top wine, and three their second favourite. Cellar 10 – 40 + years. GK 06/17

2004 Felton Road Pinot Noir 18 + (

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Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $45 [ screwcap; $40 @ winery; www.feltonroad.com ]
Attractive full pinot ruby, fractionally the deepest of the three Felton pinots. These Feltons were assessed in a rigorously blind tasting of 21 New Zealand pinots. When the top three wines turn out to be from the same maker, that tells you several things. The straight Felton Pinot might not be quite as complex as the Block 5, due to less oak input, but as a consequence one can see the superb varietal and floral qualities of the fruit even more clearly: violets, boronia, buddleia. Of all New Zealand pinot noir producers, Blair Walter at Felton seems to have most clearly grasped the notion that great pinot is about sweet enticing floral components on bouquet, to be followed up by crisp aromatic and tactile red or preferably black cherry fruit. Oak must play a supporting role to these basics, and not dominate. This wine illustrates those factors to perfection. So buy the basic Felton for its great expression of ripe but not over-ripe pinot noir varietal quality, more vividly expressed than in the more complex Block 5. This wine is fractionally more acid than the two Block wines, which will augment its bouquet development in bottle, but detracts slightly from the palate. Cellar 5 – 10 years. This too should develop like the 1999 straight Felton, and will then compete with many a Cote de Nuits wine. GK 11/05

2015 Escarpment Pinot Noir 18 + (

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Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $45 [ screwcap; 23-year old vines, hand-harvested, wild-yeast fermented, 18 days cuvaison, 11 months in French oak 30% new; RS < 1 g/L, dry extract 28 g/L; www.escarpment.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby, in the second quarter for depth. This wine has a big bouquet, big fragrant red cherry fruit in more distinctive oak than any of the wines marked more highly. The oak is quite spicy, almost a nutmeg suggestion. One would not want it any stronger. Palate shows a beautiful fruit / oak interaction, reminding of the Villa Maria wine but less subtle (at this early stage). They make a fascinating side-by-side comparison, being so different. I imagine a floral dimension will emerge, as the oak integrates: there is certainly potential here. Cellar 3 – 10 years, with interest. GK 06/17

2008 Ata Rangi Pinot Noir 18 + (

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Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $65 [ screwcap; 5% whole bunch; 12 months in French oak, 25% new; www.atarangi.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby, above midway. Bouquet is sweet, ripe and intensely varietal, showing the full suite of floral components from buddleia through deep rose aromas to some boronia. Like the 2008 Martinborough, there is no pennyroyal this year, which is great. Palate is firmer than the Martinborough Vineyard wine, some oak to marry away, on excellent red and black cherry fruit. This is the best Ata Rangi pinot noir for some years, and a wine which will cellar happily to epitomise the Martinborough district style. It will complement the more silky Martinborough Vineyard '08 admirably, and be longer-lived – they would make a great pair to tuck away for future comparisons. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 02/10

2002 Vidal Syrah Soler 18 + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.8%; $ – [ screwcap; original price $34; 18 months in 95% French barriques, balance American; M Cooper, 2005: The powerful, splendidly ripe 2002 … delicious in its youth, it's an enticingly fragrant, muscular wine, with densely packed blackcurrant, plum and spice flavours, deliciously rich and rounded: *****; weight bottle and closure: 579 g; www.vidal.co.nz ]
Ruby and garnet, some velvet, the second lightest wine in colour. Bouquet is fresh, fragrant, lightly aromatic with a hint of pennyroyal, and nearly wallfower-floral, immediately suggesting syrah and a Cote Rotie winestyle. Palate weight is lovely, plenty of blueberry and plum fruit, great freshness relative to its age, none of the over-ripeness and undue weight of the Australian wines, yet the flavours linger beautifully and are wonderfully food-friendly. This is an attractive New Zealand syrah at full maturity, the ratio of oak slightly new-world relative to most Cote Rotie / Hermitage yardsticks, but pretty good. Cellar 3 – 8 years. This wine was well-liked, two rating it their top or second wine, and it was recognised as syrah by quite a number. GK 09/16

2011 Produttori del Barbaresco Rio Sordo Riserva 18 + (

)

Barbaresco DOCG, Piedmont, Northern Italy, Italy: 14.5%; $82 [ 50mm cork; the cellar approach to the wines is consistent across all the crus, but detail varies with the season. In general cuvaisons are 3 - 4 weeks, in lined concrete vats, followed by at least 3 years in older large oak variously 2,500 - 7,500 litres; www.produttoridelbarbaresco.com ]
Ruby, below midway in depth, more the weight of traditional burgundy. Bouquet combines the red cherry and raspberry suggestions of nebbiolo with herbes and oak, and a suggestion of crushed almonds. Palate is softish, round, yet the furry tannins are still all-pervasive. In some ways this is the least demanding / most rewarding of these cru nebbiolos, but it is by no means weak. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 05/16

2014 Craggy Range [ Merlot / Cabernet Sauvignon / Cabernet Franc ] Sophia 18 + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.8%; $93 [ 50mm cork; DFB; Me 61%, CS 20, CF 19, hand-picked from c.14-year old vines cropped @ 6.25 t/ha = 2.5 t/ac; cuvaison not given, cultured-yeast; 19 months in French oak c.42% new; RS nil; sterile-filtered; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby, a wash of carmine and velvet, the second lightest wine. Bouquet is subtle in the extreme, but very beautiful, seemingly cabernet franc-led, with red fruits to the fore. The quality of oak in this wine is breathtaking. In mouth the wine is so young, it is in one sense hard to be sure of its potential. From the bouquet you wonder if this is a wine modelled on the often-delicate but very beautiful Ch Cheval Blanc. One thing is certain, though: this wine suffers from the Coleraine syndrome. It needs greater richness / dry extract to take its rightful place amongst the Bordeaux classed growths. It is beautiful as far as it goes, in a Merlot / Cabernet franc style. Great to see the petit verdot has been dropped from Sophia, since the goal is a premium Saint-Emilion winestyle. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 06/16

2012 Wooing Tree Pinot Noir 18 + (

)

Cromwell, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $45 [ screwcap; all hand-picked; few % whole-bunch in the ferments; typically 10 months in French oak 30 – 35% new; some filtering; www.wooingtree.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby, a little age showing, in the second quarter for depth. Bouquet is clear-cut pinot noir, fragrant but not clearly floral, lovely vibrant red cherry fruit, subtle oak. Palate shows more oak and a hint of spice, elegant and highly varietal cherry fruit, long, dry, the fruit sustained right through the cedary finish. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/17

2009 Mt Difficulty Pinot Noir Pipeclay Terrace Single Vineyard 18 + (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $85 [ screwcap; a more diverse range of clones than Target Gulley, the oldest (on own roots) 15 years at harvest; earlier vintages have been cropped at c. 4 t/ha = 1.6 t/ac; up to 10 days cold-soak, up to 10 days fermentation, up to 10 days maceration, giving a longer cuvaison than target Gulley, with a smaller whole-bunch component; 16 months in French oak, some new; www.mtdifficulty.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, a little brighter than the Target Gulley. Initially on bouquet one can hardly tell the Pipeclay and Target Gulley Mt Difficulty wines apart, such is the depth of wonderful violets, roses and boronia florality, backed by good cherry fruit. Yet in another sense, for this wine you would never pick it as from Central Otago, for it shows the kind of vivid red-fruits florality sometimes found in Martinborough, plus an entwining of fine oak. Palate however is considerably cooler than the Target and Long Gulley wines, the balance of flavour clearly more to red fruits, and there is not quite the depth of tannin ripeness. This is the most acid of the three Single Vineyard wines in 2009, there is a little stalk, but it is beautifully fine-grain. The nett impression is Pipeclay this year does not show quite the grand cru cropping rate pinot needs to achieve perfect ripeness and body. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/11

2013 Bilancia Syrah La Collina 18 + (

)

Roy's Hill slopes, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $120 [ screwcap; Sy fermented on 8% viognier skins, so hard to establish a percentage of Vi; hand-picked @ 2.5 t/ha = 1 t/ac; no cold-soak, cuvaison averaged 10 days with 100% whole-bunches retained, 15 months in French oak 75% new; production 100 x 9-L cases; www.bilancia.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, one of the lighter wines. This is another wine still at the formative stage, and for the same reason as Airavata – a high percentage of whole-bunch. It is not floral yet, exactly, but the melding of aromatic fragrance built on dark cassisy black pepper promises exciting things. Freshly opened it seems less together, but by the end of the tasting it had much more to say, and the following day there was quite rich dark berry on bouquet and palate, but with a clear stalk suggestion also. It is not green stalk, it is more in the style of winemaker Warren Gibson's current mentor, the Jamets of Cote Rotie. You get the feeling you are tasting a chrysalis, and wondering what the butterfly will be like. This is an important wine to follow, with its radical approach to the whole-bunch component – 100%. I have taken steps to provide for that, in future Library Tastings designed to follow the evolution of this wonderful 2013 vintage in Hawkes Bay. The impressions from this tasting make me look forward to them even more. Cellar 5 – 15 years, but these high whole-bunch wines are an unknown quantity in New Zealand, so I may revise that, later. GK 07/16

2011 Two Paddocks Pinot Noir Proprietor's Reserve The First Paddock 18 + (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $173 [ screwcap; only magnums available; www.twopaddocks.com ]
Light pinot noir ruby, some age showing, well below midway. Bouquet is complex and very burgundian, floral clearly, red fruits centred on red cherry, and an exciting piquant lift to the wine again taking it to Cote de Nuits rather than the Cote de Beaune, but also hinting at trace brett. Flavours in mouth are richer than the colour suggests, some mellowing into secondary characters, the fruit and cedary oak harmonising, light in style yet concentrated too. It tastes closest in style to the Rippon, a little plumper, and shows similar analogies, just slightly more oaky to the finish. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/16

2006 Craggy Range Pinot Noir Calvert Vineyard 18 + (

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Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14.2%; $47 [ screwcap; hand-picked; 100% de-stemmed, 6 – 8 days cold-soak, wild-yeast fermentation, 3 – 4 weeks cuvaison, MLF and 9 months in French oak 45% new, some lees but no stirring; dry extract 26.8 g/L; www.craggyrange.com ]
Rich pinot noir ruby, the deepest wine in the tasting, not far from the Clos de la Roche but older in hue. The manner in which this pinot slots in with the richest Rousseaus is devastating, with deep dusky florals and black more than red cherry fruit. It is closest to the Clos de la Roche in style, with the same dominance of fruit over new oak. This is wonderfully good pinot noir, big yet explicitly varietal, whether new world or old. If one could only believe that overseas wine writers totally based their reviews on blind assessment, this would be ranked up there with grands crus from the Cote de Nuits, particularly those from producers inclining to more opulent wines such as Girardin. Since all the fruit was picked at the same time, and divided equally, why does this Calvert seem richer than the other two ? [ NB: the numbers for the Felton Road do not support this assumption. ] Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 11/08

1977 Croft Vintage Port 18 + (

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Douro, Portugal: 20.5%; $207 [ cork, 46mm; original price $25.70; cepage touriga nacional, touriga franca, tinta roriz, tinta barroca, percentages not given; Robinson, 2002: Crimson, healthy colour and autumnal undergrowth perfume. Clean and lively, finely etched. Good mid-palate fruit still. Refreshing. Drier than most. Quite long but with no tannin evidence, 17, Parker, 1989: Croft never seems to get much publicity since the wines, while always very good, sometimes even excellent, never quite reach the superb level of the top houses in Oporto. … Both the 1975 and 1977 are rich, creamy, intense ports that should be fully mature within 10-12 years, relatively soon for a port, 88; www.croftport.com ]
Glowing garnet and ruby, just below midway in depth. Bouquet does not quite have the red fruits character of the most highly rated wines, but it is still attractively fragrant, with thoughts of dried peaches as well as sultanas and browning red fruits, plus a hint of cinnamon and oak, even a little nougat and maybe caramel. Palate is a little older too, the sultana suggestions darkening to currants and even raisins / cooked prunes, the oak not quite as integrated, but the total flavour long. Two people rated this their top wine, and eight their second-favourite, a result I would not have anticipated. Though not a big wine, nonetheless it shows the strength of the 1977 port vintage. GK 05/18

2008 Forrest Sauvignon Blanc 18 + (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $20 [ screwcap; SB 100% cropped at 3 – 4 t/ac; no winemaking detail on website; RS < 2 g/L; www.forrest.co.nz ]
Pale lemongreen. This is straight sauvignon again, close to the Astrolabe achievement but not quite so magical or sweetly complex on bouquet. It is however free of the spurious odours so regrettably marked up in a recent mistaken phase of New Zealand sauvignon judging. Palate is black passionfruit, red capsicum and some sweet basil, clean, long flavoured and drier than many Marlborough examples of the grape. This attractive wine will cellar up to 10 years, if older sauvignons are enjoyed. GK 11/08

2014 John Duval Shiraz Entity 18 + (

)

Barossa & Eden Valleys, South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $56 [ Screwcap; not on Langton's list, Halliday rates the 2014 vintage 7, for Barossa Valley, 8 for Eden; the interest in including this wine is Duval's previous time with Penfolds, at one stage as chief winemaker in the Grange programme; he makes two shirazes, the top-level Eligo the latest (2013) which Halliday rates 97, then this more accessible wine, aiming for elegance, which Halliday also likes a great deal: Halliday, 2016: From old vineyards in Krondorf, Marananga and Eden Valley, open-fermented with submerged cap (header board), matured for 15 months in French oak (35% new). Succulent, rich and powerful, with predominantly black fruits and some spice. The hallmarks are its supple mouthfeel and effortless balance. Drink by 2044, 96; Perrotti-Brown at Parker, 2016: ... the 2014 Entity Shiraz reveals crushed blackberries and blackcurrants on the nose with hints of dried Provence herbs, garrigue, eucalypt and black pepper. Medium to full-bodied, the palate delivered mouth-filling black fruits and peppery flavors with chewy tannins and a lively backbone, finishing with a spicy lift, 92; oak all hogsheads, great website; bottle weight 544 g; www.johnduvalwines.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, below midway in depth. This wine is immediately more Australian, clear mint aromatics, on cassisy grading to dark bottled plum fruit, again escaping boysenberry. Oak is a little more apparent than the wines ranked more highly, but in mouth the wine is smooth and velvety, with quite a free-run quality to it, not tannic on oak, so it is fragrant subtle oak. Length of flavour is good, but the mint and oak combine a little to linger on palate, drying the finish. Not quite euc’y, though. One person rated this top, one second, none least, none Penfolds, and one thought it could be New Zealand. This wine style is a long way from Penfolds, which may explain why Duval went out on his own. Cellar 5 – 20 + years. GK 04/17

2013 Te Mata Estate Cabernets / Merlot Coleraine 18 + (

)

Havelock Hills, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $90 [ cork 50mm; CS 56%, Me 30, CF 14, hand-picked from c.25-year old vines; 18 months in French oak c.75% new; RS dry; released; no other info, the winery not responding to correspondence; www.temata.co.nz ]
Fresh ruby, carmine and velvet, just below midway in depth. Bouquet is where this wine wins points, showing a silky slightly aromatic florality reminiscent of fine Saint-Emilions (the high-cabernet ones) or even better years of Ch Pichon-Lalande (even though the cepage doesn't quite fit), when the cabernet franc is speaking. Quality of bouquet is a feature of the good Coleraines, and it owes much to the care they take with cabernet franc. This is one of the three wines in the bracket to have a significant component of this beautiful grape – beautiful when it is appropriately ripe. The purity and perfume of the bouquet is sensational. In mouth Coleraine is not one of the richer wines, and in a careful comparative tasting to international standards, loses points for that. But then it gains points for its beautiful fragrant red-fruits berry character, and the quality of its cedary French oak. This is a Coleraine where all the components are ripe, only just you might say, for the acid is slightly noticeable, but in so many years, by modern standards Coleraine is distinctly on the pinched side. Even in 2013, palate weight is less than the wines marked more highly. Cellar 10 – 25 years.

Since my April article reviewing Coleraine 2013, correspondents have advised me of reviews for this wine being circulated in Australasia, marking the wine 100 points. Such a ranking and opinion is both ludicrous, and infinitely sad. Firstly, it simply advertises to the informed world (at least) that the reviewer is not sufficiently familiar with the fine wines of the world. Secondly it reinforces the notion prevalent in more sophisticated parts of the world, that Australian and New Zealand wine assessment, with its endless scoring of 94, 96 and 98 point wines, is both parochial and pathetic, a laughing stock. Such an assessment makes it harder for antipodean persons actually striving to mark to international standards. Thirdly, too many wine marketers, whether in wineries or as merchants, are without principle when it comes to the peddling of such reviews. They care not for the veracity, integrity, or factual worth of the views offered. Marketers are concerned only with moving stock, with throughput, and money at the end of the day. The nett result is, less-informed wine consumers are totally mislead, misinformed, and in short, fleeced.

How can all this be ? On the one hand, many of these reviews may be made in all sincerity by the blinkered authors. But ... in the simplest terms, for a cabernet / merlot wine (from anywhere) to be marked 100 points or near-to, it must be a wine of outstanding beauty of aroma and flavour, and be of such a flavour subtlety, intensity, ripeness and concentration that it compares in absolute quality with the best classed growths of the benchmark district for cabernet / merlot (and related) wines, Bordeaux, and will cellar for a timespan comparable with wines from that district. Note that wines from outside Bordeaux are not excluded by this description. One of the greatest bordeaux-blends I have ever tasted was a Napa Valley wine, 1964 Mayacamas Cabernet Sauvignon.

In the earlier article, I used the well-regarded cru bourgeois Ch Paveil de Luze as a measuring-stick for the New Zealand cabernet / merlot wines. The 2010 of that wine is a sheer delight, in my view the best the chateau has produced. It sets an immediate, affordable, and available (Peter Maude Fine Wines) standard for New Zealand cabernet / merlot producers to aspire to, and being a cru bourgeois, strive to surpass. In the article, I commented a key failing of 2013 Coleraine was the lack of palate weight, or concentration, in the sense of dry extract as discussed in the introduction to the present article, and stated: 'Dry extract data would settle the issue'. Hill Labs now report that the dry extract for 2013 Coleraine, by the winery’s own assessment the best Coleraine they have ever made, is 27.1 g/L. My yardstick wine, 2010 Ch Paveil de Luze, measures 28.5 g/L. In taste terms, or informed taste terms maybe, that is a big difference. So there is no comparison.

For the present discussion, if 2013 Coleraine is not as rich and concentrated as a good cru bourgeois, let alone some of the truly fine classed growths where dry extract may reach or surpass 30 g/L, and perfection can in reality be talked about, it is simply nonsense to rate 2013 Coleraine at 100 points. And I am sure the proprietors would agree (secretly). But they must laugh to themselves. GK 05/15

2007 Villa Maria Syrah Cellar Selection 18 + (

)

Gimblett Gravels predominantly, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $30 [ screwcap; Sy 97%, Vi 3, hand-harvested, all de-stemmed; up to 30 days cuvaison; MLF and c. 18 months in French and American oak c. 40% new, on light lees; minimal filtration; RS nil; Catalogue: densely packed with ripe blueberry, red plum and peppery spice aromas, underpinned by an aromatic violet lift. The palate is medium bodied in style with a juicy texture, finishing with silky rich tannins. A wine styled for approachability but that will benefit from some bottle age. Optimum Cellaring 2010-2014 Awards: Trophy & Gold – Royal Easter Show Wine Awards 2009; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, not quite as dense as the Reserve. Bouquet is much more floral and fragrant than the Reserve, at the blind stage making one wonder about viognier in the wine. The floral component includes carnations, on clear cassis and bottled black doris plum. Again there is a suggestion of hessian in the French oak, but the berry is much more dominant in this wine. Palate is beautifully varietal, bursting fresh cassis, lots of complex berry flavours, good length and depth, plus black pepper to spice the wine. It is just a little more acid than some of the top wines, but attractively so – some of the ’07 syrahs are quite soft. This will be one to look out for, on promotion. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 07/09

2007 Villa Maria Estate Pinot Noir Single Vineyard Taylor's Pass 18 + (

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Awatere Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $57 [ screwcap; nil whole bunch; 14 months in French oak 32% new; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Rich ruby, a flush of carmine and velvet, not quite as deep as the Peregrine. Bouquet is freshly fragrant and varietal, much more elegant, precise and varietal than the earlier hefty Villa Maria Reserve pinots, gold medals notwithstanding. Like the Peregrine, the floral range extends from the cooler buddleia fragrance through dark roses and violets to boronia, on black and red cherry fruit. Palate might not be quite as concentrated as the Peregrine, but the ripeness is nearly equal. Though not showing quite the magic of the Nautilus Top 10 wine, this is one of the best Marlborough pinot noirs yet, and it is great to see Villa Maria, who have worked so hard with the variety in Marlborough, achieving that. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 02/10

2013 Brokenwood Shiraz Hunter Valley 18 + (

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Hunter Valley, NSW, Australia: 13%; $41 [ screwcap; much of the fruit ex Graveyard vineyard; all French oak, 25% new; Halliday vintage rating Hunter Valley 8 /10 for 2013; www.brokenwoodwines.com ]
Ruby and velvet, well below midway in depth. Given decanting, this wine is quite a thrill. It shows off the distinctive 'Hunter Valley burgundy' style well, even at this early stage. The style is in one sense riper than South Australia, but at its best it is subtler and more syrah-like too, with blueberry almost the dominant berry note. Palate is complex, only faintly aromatic, sophisticated oak, forming a fine complement to the Barry Veto Shiraz from South Australia. As the wine lingers in mouth, a fragrant aromatic component develops a little, but only to the level of flowering mint, not euc'y. This is remarkable wine, and bears very favourable comparison with the winery's premium Graveyard Shiraz. In essence, you are getting three quarters of the quality of the top wine, for a fifth the price. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 06/16

2007 Felton Road Pinot Noir Block 3 18 + (

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Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $80 [ screwcap; virtually unknown at retail, mainly sold to the mail-order list; several clones hand-harvested at a more steady yield c. 1.8 t/ac; up to 24% whole-bunch; up to 9 days cold-soak, cuvaison up to 22 days, all wild yeast; MLF also wild and 13 months in French oak c. 37% new, then 2 months in 3-year-old oak; no fining or filtration; winemaker Blair Walter considers: The 2007 Pinot Noirs are wines of unmatched concentration and rich complexity without losing any purity or finesse. They combine the ripeness of the 06’s with the concentration of the 05’s adding a certain extra magic that is unique to this vintage. In short we see them as landmark wines; www.feltonroad.com ]
Good pinot noir ruby, the lightest of the Felton pinots. This wine teams up with the Villa Maria Taylor's in showing a lighter more fragrant expression of the variety, a little cooler, still with boronia complexity but a little more roses and buddleia in the florals. In mouth however it is a riper and more complete wine than the Villa or the Pyramid Calvert, showing silky red cherry pinot with freshness but no stalk. It is a little understated at the moment, and fresher than the standard Felton, but this could end up the most Musigny-like of the Felton '07s. It may therefore score more highly in 3 years. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 03/09

2003 Guigal Cote Rotie Ch d'Ampuis 18 + (

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Cote Rotie, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $237 [ cork; Sy 93%, Vi 7; a blend of 6 vineyards, average vine age 50 years; 38 months in new French oak; Parker: This is staggering wine and as profound as most of the single vineyard Cote Roties are in some other vintages … a deep ruby/purple color and an extraordinary nose of smoky bacon fat and roasted meats, tapenade, black raspberry, cherry, and cassis. The intense aromatics are followed by equally thick, unctuous flavors with huge body, a voluptuous texture, and yet wonderful freshness, purity, and length. 96; www.guigal.com ]
Ruby in some velvet, a little older than the Brune & Blonde, the second lightest in the set. This wine is closer in total style and achievements to the grand cru Cote Roties rather than the Brune & Blonde, showing a fully ripe and rich berry quality with a roti suggestion like la Landonne, and similarly much more oak influence. Bouquet is obviously floral, plentifully red-fruited in a slightly browning cassis and cherry way, but there is also some savoury brett complexity and a hint of bacon. Most recent vintages of d'Ampuis have shown brett, so one wonders if the more affected barrels are culled from the grands crus, to end up in this label. It is certainly richer than the Brune & Blonde, but not as pure and explicitly varietal. Palate is soft, rich, forward, clearly in a warmer-year style but no hint of Australian characters, just a little brown. It will be a superb food wine, and only technically astute dinner guests will wrinkle their noses at the brett component. Perhaps they need to be advised to leave their labs behind, and concentrate on matching the wine with the food. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 06/07

2013 Jim Barry Shiraz The Veto 18 + (

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Clare Valley, South Australia, Australia: 14%; $34 [ screwcap; Sh 100%; French and American oak; Halliday vintage rating Clare Valley 7 /10 for 2013; www.jimbarry.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, one of the three deepest. Bouquet is darkly plummy and blueberry, much finer than the Yalumba Patchwork, beautiful rich berry with the faintest flowering mint complexity lifting it, analogous to Otago thyme or southern Rhone garrigue aroma. Oaking is subtle. Palate is wonderfully rich yet subtle, bespeaking a sea-change in attitudes to oak among Australian winemakers, since the time when so many New Zealanders simply walked away from the predominance of heavy, oaky, clumsy Australian reds. This is a revelation. Fruit is ripened to a warm-year Gimblett Gravels point, nearly floral, just retaining suggestions of cassis, rather more darkly plummy, subtly oaked, attractive. Cellar 5 – 20 years. The only catch with these two Veto wines is, they are only sold to restaurants. GK 06/16

2013 Yering Station Shiraz / Viognier Reserve 18 + (

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Yarra Valley, Victoria, Australia: 14%; $115 [ screwcap; c.NZ120; vines 11 – 27 years old; co-fermented with 3.5% viognier; 9 days cold-soak and 21 days cuvaison; 18 months in French oak 35% new; no back vintage info on website, poor considering price of the Reserves; imported into New Zealand by MacVine International, Auckland; weight bottle and closure: 823 g; www.yering.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, clearly above midway in depth. Initially opened there is a slight hard edge, reminiscent of either a saline note (unlikely in the Yarra Valley), or less-conditioned oak, which lets the bouquet down. Below that is a bigger wine than the Langi, but less fragrant, more oaky, not so explicitly varietal in the sense of syrah, more Australian therefore, all very tight and youthful. All these factors may change considerably, with appropriate time in cellar. Flavour is riper than cassis, more dark plum, with great richness and length. It is a bigger and more oaky wine than those marked more highly. It will I suspect look much more impressive in five years, and even more syrah-like (since it avoids boysenberry), once it is married up, and softened a little. Score has an anticipatory component, therefore. Cellar 10 – 25 years plus. GK 08/16

2009 Mitre Rocks Pinot Noir 18 + (

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Parkburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $39 [ screwcap; hand harvested; 21 – 30 days cuvaison; 12 months minimum in French barriques 60% new; minimal fining and filtration; www.mitrerocks.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, the deepest colour in the set, tending inappropriately deep for pinot noir. Initially opened, the wine seems huge, oaky, and rawly youthful, too boisterous. With a good deal of air it smooths out remarkably, into a deep dense pinot noir riding the fine line between darkly varietal and over-ripe, confuseable with merlot in a blind tasting. In mouth the fruit richness is remarkable, some saignée I assume on the colour and taste, and at this stage it is noticeably oaky. It is the kind of pinot I was rude about a few years ago, but seeing how some of the big 2002s have matured, perhaps I should be more tolerant. Below, the flavours are black cherry, and in five years, I suspect an oak-influenced florality will emerge. If you hanker for a Central Otago pinot which might cellar for 20 years, and still be worthwhile, this is one of the wines most likely to achieve that. Cellar 5 – 15 years, maybe longer. GK 09/10

2010 Puriri Hills [ Merlot / Carmenere / Cab Sauvignon ] Reserve 18 + (

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Clevedon, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14%; $85 [ cork; Me 61%, Ca 14, CS 14, CF 7, Ma 4, hand-harvested @ c. 5 t/ha = 2 t/ac; 22 months in French oak 57% new; egg white fined, lightly filtered; will not be released for some time, price indicative; www.puririhills.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, darker and faintly older than the Pope. Needs some air, for the bouquet to show a deeper, denser, darker, oakier wine than the 2010 Pope – which is counterintuitive relative to the ratio of new oak in the two wines. That's wine. One would like to think the cassis note in this wine is a little more detectable than in 2010 Pope, reflecting the greater cabernet sauvignon percentage, but that may be a vanity. In mouth, there is succulent cassisy and plummy fruit, and greater apparent richness than the Pope, but at this stage the oak is quite intrusive. Clearly 2010 was miraculously warm and ripe year in the Auckland district, and this wine reflects that. It is great to have New Zealand bordeaux blends with the more burly yesteryear variety carmenere in the blend. Oak fans and big-wine fans will rate this higher than the more elegant 2010 Pope. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 08/12

2007 Mt Difficulty Pinot Noir 18 + (

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Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $44 [ screwcap; cropped at c. 1.6 t/ac; up to 30% whole bunch; 8 – 9 days cold soak, mostly wild-yeast fermentations; c. 2 weeks cuvaison; 11 months in barrel on lees, MLF in spring in barrel; filtered; www.mtdifficulty.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby, a little lighter than the Pipeclay Terrace. Bouquet on this Mt Difficulty is initially a little more obscure than the other two, but breathed there are the same boronia and cherry qualities, plus it is a little more aromatic with the faintest thought of cracked black peppercorn. Palate is therefore a little firmer and crisper than the Pipeclay, closer to the Long Gully in style, again Cote de Nuits in styling. It is in fact hard to say which is better. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 11/08

2013 Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon Wilyabrup 18 + (

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Margaret River, West Australia, Australia: 14%; $128 [ screwcap; cepage in 2013 CS 92%, CF 4, PV 4, hand-picked, the cabernet picked 19 March at 7.85 t/ha = 3.2 t/ac; c.14 days cuvaison with cultured yeasts; MLF and c.28 months in French small oak, 15% new, balance young; 2013 regarded as a copybook vintage by the makers, and rated 9/10 by Halliday; imported by MacVine International, Auckland; weight bottle and closure: 534 g; www.mosswood.com.au ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, not a big wine, midway in depth, clearly lighter than The Gimblett. Bouquet is light, clean, pure, lovely cassis but leaning to red fruits more than black, subtle oak, and no euc'y taints – glory be. It does not quite match The Gimblett with its limpid cassisy purity, this wine being equally cassisy and varietal, but faintly more aromatic. Both show a beautiful dominance of berry over oak. Palate shows a deceptive richness of berry, with high quality oak lending a vanillin and cedary flavour to the cassis on palate now. Scarcely a thought of acid adjustment intrudes. As the wine rests in mouth, the oak grows, but not to become obtrusive. Those who like more cedary / oaky wines would rate the Moss Wood higher than The Gimblett. It is on the aftertaste that the pure fruit quality of the Trinity ultimately wins through. This is subtly-tailored Australian cabernet showing restraint and elegance, but alongside better Hawkes Bay or Bordeaux examples, also a certain simplicity and a lack of concentration – which would correlate with the given cropping rate. When considering West Australian cabernet, therefore, which has such a reputation for finer more complex cabernets than South Australia, say, the implication is that both these other districts are more temperate, in viticultural terms, allowing greater varietal expression / complexity, in good seasons. This is an Australian cabernet which can be run in New Zealand / Bordeaux blind comparisons, since even Medocs may occasionally show trace mint aromatics. Interesting that Halliday reviews this wine at 97 points, Jan. 2016. Cellar 10 – 25 years. GK 08/16

2002 Torbreck Shiraz RunRig 18 + (

)

Barossa Valley, South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $ – [ cork; RunRig is made from shiraz vines more than 100 years old. It is the flagship wine of famous winery and vineyard Torbreck, which visionary Dave Powell built from scratch. His goal was to match the wines of the Rhone Valley. The winery is a fond favourite for Mike Parker, who has followed RunRig in particular from inception 1995, till Powell's ousting in 2013; www.torbreck.com ]
Ruby and velvet, youthful, the middle of the three syrahs for depth. Unlike the Petaluma in the cabernets, RunRig shows quite a strong mint aromatic nearly grading to euc, somewhat obscuring big berryfruit which is at an interesting point of ripeness (for South Australian shiraz) of blueberry, rather than boysenberry. The wine smells big and rich but not unduly oaky. Palate is gentle, gorgeous ripe blueberry and cassis, much more subtle than Grange, less oaky than Le Sol, the harmony on palate being a delight. For those not sensitive to eucy characters in red wine, this would be a gold medal wine. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 12/17

2015 Esk Valley Chardonnay Winemakers Reserve 18 + (

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Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $31 [ screwcap; hand-harvested clone 95, whole-bunch pressed with only the free-run used, BF in French oak c. 30% new, wild yeast ferment, some MLF; c.11 months in oak; www.eskvalley.co.nz ]
Lemon with a wash of green, the palest of the later wines. Bouquet flirts with slightly reductive lees autolysis and barrel work, but thankfully does not go too far. Fruit qualities are undeveloped as yet, at present incipient white nectarine, some suggestions of near-baguette autolysis quality, the wine showing remarkable richness, so much so you suspect it has trace sweetness. But I doubt it, knowing Gordon Russell, again this is just fruit concentration and glycerol. It is richer than the 2014 Elston. Oak is yet to harmonise. Cellar 5 – 15 years, and it will hold much longer. GK 06/16

2007 Te Mata Estate Cabernets / Merlot Coleraine 18 + (

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Havelock North Hills mainly, some Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $78 [ cork, 55mm; CS 52%, Me 34, CF 14; dry warmer year, well-regarded, GDD 1452, harvest mid-April; release price $72; Cowley, 2017: fruity, ripe supple; Neal Martin @ R. Parker, 2009: ... a lot of intense cedar-infused Cabernet fruit ... The palate is full-bodied with fully ripe tannins, good grip, cedar, blackberry, pain grille, sous-bois coming through. Great persistency towards the viscous finish. Superb, 95; Chan, 2011: A majestic, massive wine ... densely concentrated black fruits with hints of minerals, liquorice and spicy oak. The palate combines great richness and concentration of fruit with immense extraction in extraordinary balance and style ... 10-15+ years, 19.5+; www.temata.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, above midway in depth. This vintage of Coleraine stands out for its vivid florals, violets and nearly lilac (i.e., hints of pinot noir), as if merlot were dominant (not so). Below is fresh cassis and plums both black and a suggestion of red. All the bouquet qualities point to it being picked a little earlier than the vintages marked more highly, so one tastes nervously in case there are suggestions of under-ripeness or stalkyness in the tannins. The flavour certainly is fresher than particularly the 1998 or 2009, and yes, the acid is a bit high to mark 18.5. Close though. Length of flavour is good, and as always in the case of Te Mata, oak is well in balance to the slightly lighter style. Acid balance is fresher than even the 2013, making the 2007 an exciting highly fragrant contrast with the riper years, yet it achieves appropriate harmony, in its slightly cooler style. Cellar 10 – 25 years. The 2007 achieved the distinction of being nobody's absolute favourite, over both nights – the only wine in this category. This seemed further evidence for the notion that the floral qualities some seek in red wine are very much a learned perception. Or maybe I am being too tolerant of the fresh acid balance. Yet in some parts of the viticultural world, red wines simply do not show this wonderful floral quality which I so value, and tasters in such districts may not even seek them. This wine was not totally lacking support, three tasters on night one, and two the second night, rating it second. I thought the bottles identical. GK 08/17

2015 Saint Clair Pinot Noir Omaka Reserve 18 + (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $46 [ screwcap – Stelvin Lux; www.saintclair.co.nz ]
Big pinot noir ruby, in the top quarter for depth of colour, getting too deep. Bouquet is very distinctive, very powerful, screaming dark purple buddleia one might say, quite penetrating but still attractive. There are even reminders of the carnation and wallflower attributes of Cote Rotie, too. You wouldn't be at all surprised to learn there are some 'wild' syrah vines in the pinot block. But in mouth it comes back into line, just, some reminders of the Dry River wine but total acid higher, black cherry fruit, oak at a max but OK. This is totally new generation Marlborough pinot noir, highlighting yet again what potential the district has climatically, now that pinot noir is being grown on appropriate soils. Don't touch this for three years, to give it a chance to marry up and quieten, and even then it is going to be more new world than old. A good bedmate (in the cellar) for the Dry River wine. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 06/16

nv Perrier-Jouet Grand Brut 18 + (

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Epernay, Champagne, France: 12%; $87 [ cork; Ch ‘dominant’, PN & PM; some reserve wines in blend; RS 11.5 g/L; 250 000 cases; www.adwnz.com ]
More lemon than lemonstraw. Bouquet is lighter on this one, showing subtle autolysis, slightly citric very white fruits, very pure. Palate is stunningly pure, the autolysis expanding to baguette crust of delightful flavour, the fruit white cherry in style, the MLF component invisible. Just so eminently drinkable, fresh, delicious. GK 11/05

2009 Mt Difficulty Pinot Noir 18 + (

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Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $45 [ screwcap; cropped at c. 1.8 t/ac; c.10% whole bunch; 8 – 9 days cold soak, mostly wild-yeast fermentations; c. 3-4 weeks cuvaison; 11 months in barrel on lees, MLF in spring in barrel; filtered; www.mtdifficulty.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is not quite focussed as yet, a little oak or similar initially detracting from the fruit. With further sniffing the wine opens to attractive red and black cherry pinot, with a darkly floral component too. In mouth, the initial impression is very youthful, but the palate shows good mixed cherry fruit, careful oak, and good length. Best put aside for a year or two, to marry up. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 09/10

2006 Te Mata Syrah Bullnose 18 + (

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Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $43 [ cork; Sy 100%, the oldest planted 1990, and now including the floral / fragrant clone 470, hand-harvested, de-stemmed; 16 months in French oak c. 33% new; www.temata.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet. One sniff and the bouquet is floral and aromatic in the style of fine subtle versions of Cote Rotie, striking that perfect equipoise between excess florality bespeaking under-ripeness, and the no florals of over-ripeness. This 2006 might be fractionally cooler than the 2005, with both florals of the dianthus / pinks kind, and the white pepper grading to black pepper ratio a little more apparent, plus red fruits more than black. Palate ripens the profile, with more black pepper now, good cassis berry, and some black doris plum, finishing on attractive acid. This is another fine elegant Bullnose, in its subtlety pursuing a totally French path to grape-ripening and thus wine beauty, rather than the more heavy-handed over-ripe Australian one. Alongside Penfolds Bin 128, a subtler Australian shiraz of very good quality in the current 2005 release, the Bullnose is more like pinot noir, so fine and floral is it. That is not to say it is better, or worse – just it is dramatically and climatically a very different expression of the one grape syrah / shiraz. It is still a little raw as yet, give it another year or two to marry up, and cellar to 12 years or thereabouts. This 2006 Bullnose rates among the top six New Zealand syrahs of the vintage, but in its subtle and fragrant Cote Rotie styling, it is easily underestimated. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 03/08

2012 Wirra Wirra Shiraz RSW 18 + (

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McLaren Vale, South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $53 [ Screwcap; rated Excellent in the Langton's Australian wine classification, the third-level group of 65 wines; Halliday rates the 2012 vintage 9, for the McLaren Vale district; why two Wirra Wirra wines ? Simply that this is their top wine, whereas the Catapult wine was the cheapest in the Regional portfolio that seemed suited to our goals – interesting to see if we can taste the difference; shiraz 100%, selected old-vine plantings, implication is hand-picked, multiple individual ferments reflecting the individual vineyard blocks, some with cold soak prior; fermentation and MLF completed in all-French oak 30% new, then 19 months elevation in barrel; Halliday, 2014: Wirra Wirra nailed the great vintage with this wine, its crimson colour introducing a fabulously expressive bouquet and medium-bodied palate reflecting all that is great about McLaren Vale shiraz in a top vintage. No matter what fruit quality you enjoy, you will find it in this wine, so complex is the flavour rainbow; the same can be said of the influence of terroir, with dark chocolate and licorice undertones, oak operating to yet further enhance all of these characters. Drink by 2045, 97; Perrotti-Brown at Parker, 2015: Medium to deep garnet/purple, the 2012 Shiraz RSW reveals fragrant spiced mulberries, underbrush, Chinese five spice and blackberry compote notes dotted with anise and vanilla. Full-bodied, plush and velvety in the mouth, this expressive red finishes long. Drink 2015 - 2023, 92; named for Robert S Wigley, who established Wirra Wirra in 1894; bottle weight 719 g; www.wirrawirra.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, clearly above midway in depth. Bouquet is both floral and aromatic, lifted by attractive flowering mint (Prostanthera) characters, but no hint of euc. This wine too is nearly floral in a dusky way, and like the Lloyd Reserve the berry character is concentrated around the darkest bottled plum analogy, with hints of black-pepper. Palate is rich but more oaky than the wines rated more highly, but it is good oak. It is great to see the backing-off in ripening in these Australian shirazes, so many of the wines now stopping well short of clumsy boysenberry levels of ripeness. Nobody rated this the top wine, two second, two least, nobody thought it Penfolds, and two thought it New Zealand. Cellar 5 – 20 + years. GK 04/17

2007 Esk Valley Merlot Black Label 18 + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $25 [ screwcap; DFB; Me 90%, CS 5, Ma 5; 11 months in mostly French oak, some new; www.eskvalley.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, not as dark as the Te Mata or Thornbury '07s. It is all very well enthusing about expensive labels, but for a wine such as this Black Label Merlot, this is where varietal quality meets the people. The depth of violets florals and specific merlot varietal suppleness and charm on the bouquet of this wine is all one could hope. Palate is saturated with ripe fruit, yet without a hint of over-ripeness. This is fine Bordeaux styling through and through, both on bouquet and the silky natural-acid palate, something the Aussies almost never achieve with merlot. This wine is a little less oaked than Awatea, so the cedary component is not so apparent, making the velvety and plummy fruit even more obvious. Not a big wine (and therefore more food-friendly), but as with these other top wines, very beautiful and potentially a charmer. Cellar 5 – 12 years. VALUE GK 03/09

2011 Babich Chardonnay Irongate 18 + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $ – [ supercritical cork = Diam 45mm; 100% clone mendoza typically harvested at 6 t/ha (2.4 t/ac); BF with wild yeasts in French oak 20% new, 10 months LA and batonnage, typically without MLF; RS 1.3 g/L; www.babichwines.co.nz ]
Glowing lemon, a really lovely colour. Bouquet is enchanting, at a perfect point of maturity revealing mendoza-clone chardonnay at its best, almost white / light yellow florals on golden queen peach fruit, exquisite subtlety of barrel ferment, lees autolysis and cashew suggestions, some oak, a charmer. Palate is entirely in kilter, elegant varietal fruit and beautiful lees work married-up into a long balanced chardonnay flavour, just fractionally leaner than would be ideal. At a peak of perfection now, but will hold another 3 – 8 years. GK 07/16

2010 Ch Paveil de Luze 18 + (

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Margaux Cru Bourgeois, Bordeaux, France: 14%; $46 [ cork 49mm; CS 65%, Me 30; CF 5; c.12 months (depending on vintage) in French oak, 30% new; www.chateaupaveildeluze.com ]
Dense ruby and velvet, well above midway in depth. Bouquet illustrates the concept of cassis, tobacco and cedar as found in fine cabernet / merlot blends beautifully, though being a little older than the 2013s in the evaluation sets, the berry notes are browning a little now. Palate is berry-dominant, with an integration of fruit and and cedary oak which is enchanting. Not a big or powerful wine, but the neatness of the wine, and the complexity of flavour, epitomising the cabernet-led complex Medoc blended winestyle, is a delight. Cellar 10 – 25 years. GK 08/16

2013 Trinity Hill [ Syrah ] Homage 18 + (

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Gimblett Gravels 85%, Roy's Hill 15%, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $107 [ cork, 50 mm; DFB; original price $130; Sy 98.7%, fermented on skins only of Vi 1.3%, hand-picked from on average c.11-year old vines planted at c.3,000 vines / ha and cropped @ 5 t/ha = 2 t/ac; no cold-soak, cuvaison averaged 28 days (though one batch 56 days) with 30% whole bunches retained (this approach only in the ripest years), mostly cultured-yeast; MLF started in tank and completed in barrel; 12 months in French oak c.53% new; RS 0.23 g/L; sterile-filtered; Robinson, 2016: Tasted blind. Black and quite luscious-looking. Tarry and flattering on the nose. Edgy and racy. Cool finish. Not quite the follow-through but stringily interesting. Good life to it. Just a bit dead on the end. 2018 - 2024, 16.5; Perrotti-Brown @ Parker, 2016: ... youthfully muted blackberry, cassis and red currant notes with a cracked black pepper, sandalwood, dried herb and soil laced undercurrent. Light to medium-bodied, it is wonderfully elegant and light-footed in the mouth with soft, rounded tannins and great freshness, finishing long and pepper-laced. 2016 - 2022, 91; production 556 x 9-litre cases; weight bottle and closure: 1,045 g; www.trinityhill.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, midway in depth. Initially opened, and right through the tasting, the bouquet was reluctant on this bottle of Homage. It smelt much less varietal than La Collina. 24 hours later it had blossomed: a clear dusky pinks / dianthus and carnations florality on dark cassis, and black pepper. It also smells of malbec, at this stage. Palate is another matter altogether: right from the outset, rich darkly plummy fruit, aromatic black pepper, a suggestion of black olives and nutmeg as has characterised Homage for several years, which until this tasting I had assumed was part of the whole-bunch component approach. But the Bilancia is 100% whole bunch, and does not show this character at all. As so often in wine tasting, back to the drawing board. Fruit richness and ripeness seems greater than La Collina, and on palate the wine is much more of a piece. Some might say, one-dimensional. I suspect it is just in a very awkward phase. I acknowledge that it is a cop-out to score Homage and La Collina the same on this occasion, but they are such different wines, each with detracting points. That is how they seem today, noting that on reflection I suspect the bouquet on this bottle may be slightly ‘scalped’. Future tastings of the two will be full of interest. Curiously, four people rated Homage their second wine, but just as for La Collina, nobody was captivated, no first places. Cellar 10 – 35 years. GK 06/17

2009 Neudorf Pinot Noir Home Block Vineyard 18 + (

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Moutere Hills, Nelson, New Zealand: 13.5%; $80 [ Screwcap; clones 10/5, 5 and 22, up to 29 years, harvested @ c.2.75 t/ha = 1.1 t/ac (poor flowering / set); 100% de-stemmed; wild yeast fermentation, c.26 days cuvaison including cold-soak; 12 months French oak c.30% new; minimal fining and filtration; dry extract 26.6 g/L; production 112 x 9-L cases; Cooper, 2012: The superb 2009 vintage is finely scented and highly complex, with full youthful colour and deep strawberry and spice flavours. Very sweet-fruited, with gentle acidity and tannins, it is deliciously savoury, ripe and rounded, with great presence, *****; weight bottle and closure: 719 g; www.neudorf.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby, a little deeper than the Mt Difficulty, but still below midway in the 12. Bouquet is exquisitely varietal, in the set, a more 'nervy' kind of pinot noir than the Mt Difficulty, Vosne-Romanée maybe to the latter's Gevrey-Chambertin. There is nearly a hint of buddleia, in total roses florals, and red cherry more than black cherry fruit. Palate continues the nervy theme, not quite the plumpness of the Black Poplar, total acid fractionally higher than the Target Gully, and if you are supremely finicky, just a hint of leafyness. Nonetheless a lovely pinot noir, as the Home Block so often is for the Finns. Cellar 3 – 8 years. Five people rated this their top or second wine, none thought it French, and none thought it a $100-plus bottle. GK 07/16

2003 Guigal Ermitage Ex Voto 18 + (

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Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $871 [ Cork, 49 mm; Sy 100%, average vine age 35 years, typically cropped at 35 hl/ha = 4.55 t/ha = 1.85 t/ac, but the crop reduced in 2003; Parker rating for year 96; NZ price at purchase $575; up to 28 days cuvaison, 42 months in 100% new barrels, all 228-litre (though J.L-L says 30 – 36, unexplained); contributing vineyards Les Bessards 30%, Greffieux 30%, Murands 20%, Hermite 20%, total holding 2.2 ha, first year 2001; the name Ex Voto usually means a promise made to the gods, so in the Guigal case this may refer to their long-standing desire to secure land on the Hill of Hermitage; J.L-L, 2006: dark to very dark robe. Has a peppery, rich-toned nose that carries very ripe fruit; there is a blend of violet and very ripe blackcurrant. The palate holds pebbly, intense fruit with a peppery plunge in it. A big, dark, earthy wine with licorice in the flavour and evident tannins. From 2010. 2028-2032, ****(*); Parker, 2007: The good news continues as the 2003 Hermitage Ex-Voto may even be the richest of all these wines. Only 4,000 bottles [ 333 cases ] were produced. It is the most alcoholic of all the wines at 15%, but its off-the-chart richness, full-bodied, powerful, and amazing creme de cassis flavors along with truffle, crushed rocks, and acacia flowers, are utterly profound. This is one of the great Hermitages and it should last for 50-100 years. Just amazing. 100; Wine Spectator, 2007: Exotic, with a gorgeous, mocha-infused fig aroma and rich, flashy flavors of spice, blackberry confiture and licorice. Additional notes of spice cake, incense and loam fill out the finish. This is loaded with structure, but the tannins are silky. A beauty. Drink now through 2027, 97; www.guigal.com ]
Ruby and velvet, clearly not as fresh as 2003 La Landonne, though both are straight syrah. With wines at this price level ($575 at purchase) one is looking for perfection. Thus to first sniff, a slight unease, is there a hint of baked character, and there do not seem to be the florals. A cassis berry character is apparent, but when you compare it with the La Landonne, it is browning a little, lacking the dramatic fresh blackcurrant aromatics. And the oak is much more obvious, almost to a fault. Guigal say this wine receives the same 42 months in 100% new oak as the other three grand crus, but I simply don't believe them. Perhaps it sees two lots of new barrels, to make it more ‘manly’ – as Saintsbury would have said. Flavours and textures are every bit as rich as La Landonne, with cassis more prominent now, all just a bit browner. Unlike La Landonne, it finishes on oak, not berry. It is still however much more subtle in this respect than Penfolds Grange, recently reported on. A hard wine to score: it may look much more harmonious in 10 years. Cellar 10 – 30 years. Three people rated this their top wine in the set, two their second. GK 05/17

2001 Pisa Range Pinot Noir Black Poplar 18 + (

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Cromwell Basin, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $37 [ cork; in my 2004 reviews of the 2002 Otago pinots, I contrasted this later-released wine with the 2002s, saying this: … is classical New Zealand pinot noir, beautifully subtly oaked … some florals plus red and black cherry fruit … about as big as pinot needs to be. I am therefore itching to see how it stacks up now, alongside some of the wines which then seemed on the ample side. Cooper 2004, ****: the 2001 vintage is maturing into a very graceful, savoury, supple wine with excellent richness and harmony. Robinson 2005, 18: Very solid, not as obviously sweet as many 2002s, with some real depth; www.pisarangeestate.co.nz ]
Perfect maturing pinot noir ruby, close to but slightly deeper than the Mt Difficulty. Bouquet progressively improves with air to show some of the red and black cherry qualities of the Feltons, but a little more oak like the Neudorf. Pinot noir is such a beautiful variety, the utmost restraint really is essential in its oaking. Palate reveals delightful pinot noir fruit with the florality which was masked on bouquet by oak now peeping out shyly around the oak, plus lovely lingering fruit flavours in which the oak is well-assimilated. At full maturity now, will hold several years. GK 10/12

1998 Bonnefond Cote Rotie les Rochains 18 + (

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Cote Rotie, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $ – [ cork; 100% Sy, Rochains the top wine, vines up to 35 years age; all de-stemmed; up to 24 months in sometimes all-new oak, 90% French, 10% American; not filtered; R. Parker: 1998 Les Rochains … reveals spicy new oak in the nose along with intense black currant and cassis fruit, good spice, and a supple texture with medium body and moderate tannin. It should drink well for 10-14 years. 90 ]
Ruby, some velvet. This was the dark horse in the set, opening very quietly, with a little brett and decay showing on bouquet. Yet as it aired, and one tasted back and forth through the wines assessing their relative qualities, this one crept up the ranking. The soft charm of its (in the fullness of time) almost floral bouquet and near-burgundian fruit is appealing, while clear cassis and black pepper spice developed on both bouquet and palate, as it took up air. It is a much richer wine than the Tardieu-Laurent Cornas, and (as with all these) would be ideal with food. Decant it well prior to use, 12 hours or so. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 03/08

2005 Te Motu Cabernet / Merlot 18 + (

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Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13%; $89 [ cork; DFB; CS c.60%, Me c.25%, balance CF, Sy c.5% & Ma, hand-picked @ c.1 t/ac; c.11 days cuvaison, inoculated; MLF and c.30 months in French c.70%, Hungarian c.20% and balance American oak, c.30% new; sterile-filtered; c.500 cases, just released; ‘Just released, everything you expect from a fantastic vintage.’; www.temotu.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, close to 2005 Mystae. Bouquet is tightly integrated red more than black bottled plums, cassis and berry, with fragrant oak and a better balance of berry to oak than the 2004 and previous vintages. Palate is ripe and integrated, the long elevage seeming to condense angular oak tannins to leave just the aroma and flavour, without so many phenolics. Flavours are red currants, cassis and bottled plums, with this intensely fragrant oak. I think this is the best Te Motu yet. Worth mentioning that the style parameters for this wine were set rather more in the 1960s than in the 2000s, when wines such as 1965 McWilliams Cabernet Sauvignon here, and 1966 Grand Puy Lacoste in Bordeaux, had much longer elevages than is common nowadays. There is a need therefore to look past the apparent oak, and check out the actual fruit balance on the later palate. Then the wine measures up, though it may not be a style familiar to younger tasters. The diversity of ‘claret’ interpretations developing amongst the top cabernet / merlot winemakers of Waiheke, ranging from conventional new world (Mudbrick, Isola, Passage Rock) through classical Bordeaux (Te Motu, Goldwater) to more modern Bordeaux-influenced European (Stonyridge, though Larose not in the tasting, Destiny Bay, though Magna Praemia not in the tasting) is exciting. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 06/09

2000 Ch Palmer 18 + (

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Margaux Third Growth, Bordeaux, France: 13%; $825 [ cork 49mm; cepage this year CS 53%, Me 47, average age 35 – 40 years, planted @ 10,000 vines / ha, typically cropped @ c.6 t/ha = 2.4 t/ac; time spent in barrel in better years c.20 months, 45% new, light toast; now rated as one of the undoubted 'super-seconds'; www.chateau-palmer.com ]
Ruby, garnet and some velvet, the lightest of the seven wines. Bouquet is a little more old-fashioned than the 2005, and not so warm and rich, all showing secondary and some tertiary qualities of bouquet evolution: browning cassis, tobacco, faint leather, cedar. Palate shows the same elegance of fruit / oak interaction as the younger wines, namely great restraint, but not quite the same pinpoint ripeness. Maybe there are trace less-ripe grape tannins here. There might be the subtlest wild yeast complexity too. This is more advanced than I hoped, but it is pretty classic claret, still with some tannins to lose. Cellar 5 – 25 years. GK 11/15

2004 Craggy Range Cabernets / Merlot The Quarry 18 + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.4%; $60 [ cork; DFB; CS 81%, Me 14, CF 5; 100% de-stemmed; fermented in oak cuves; 21 months in 100% new French oak; release date 1 June ’06; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, denser and more oak-influenced than the Gimblett Merlot. Initially poured, bouquet on this wine is slightly aggressive and disorganised, the oak more apparent than real. Decanted and aerated it quickly opens up, to be more complex than the Gimblett Merlot, more Medoc to the Merlot's Pomerol. The wine needs considerably more time in bottle to marry up. It shows enhanced aromatic spice both from the percentage of cabernet, the longer time in more (100%) new oak, and higher VA than either the Gimblett Merlot or Sophia. Notwithstanding all the cabernet, the violets of merlot are apparent in this bouquet too, and the cassis of perfectly ripe cabernet, plus potential cigar box from new oak. By perfectly ripe, I mean all the cassis and plums complexity of a fine Medoc in a good year, with no thought of leafy or stalky undertones. Palate shows great richness of fruit, clearly more oak than the Gimblett Merlot, yet the wine is light on the finish, inviting another sip. Only the perceptible VA lets it down a bit. Though tending oaky, this wine will make an interesting Medoc running-mate for future Bordeaux 2003 and 2005 tastings. Cellar 10 – 25 years. GK 04/06

2013 Bilancia Syrah La Collina 18 + (

)

Roy's Hill slopes, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $121 [ screwcap; original price $120; Sy fermented on 8% viognier skins, therefore hard to establish a percentage of Vi; hand-picked @ 2.5 t/ha = 1 t/ac; no cold-soak, cuvaison averaged 10 days with 100% whole-bunches retained, 15 months in French oak 75% new; Campbell for Decanter, 2015: Syrah that has been built for the long-haul. Fermenting on whole clusters has provided a firm, tannic structure that is balanced by sweet berry fruits and ripe plum. It has the potential to develop great complexity. Heroic!, 96; Cooper, 2016: ... a memorable wine, arguably the country's greatest Syrah. ... beautifully fragrant, ripe, plummy, spicy bouquet. Powerful but not tough, it has layers of plum, spice, nut and slight liquorice flavours, good tannin backbone, and striking concentration and complexity. A memorable mouthful, it should break into full stride 2018+, *****; production 100 x 9-litre cases; weight bottle and closure: 700 g; www.bilancia.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, clearly much older than most, below midway in depth. This wine both smells different, and it does not smell of whole-bunch fermentation in the way one has come to think of it, in New Zealand, from other syrahs adopting this approach. The aroma is both light and floral, but not as piquantly dianthus as the Yann Chave, or as sweetly roses as the Bullnose. The whole bouquet is enchanting, but lighter in the sense of almost red fruits rather than black, meaning cassis, and there is some white pepper as well as black. In short, a puzzle ! In mouth the wine is clearer: in some ways a balance akin to the Chave, and like the Chave you feel it is the older oak you can taste, not the new. Length of flavour and cassisy / darkly plummy berry is good, but there is a suggestion of stalk. On balance there is a quality in the flavour akin more to Cote Rotie charm than Hermitage power. This is a real study wine, with its so-different 100% whole bunch fermentation. Four tasters rated the Bilancia their second wine, but no first places, suggesting I am not alone in finding the wine hard to characterise. Interestingly, three thought it French. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 06/17

2015 Domaine Les Aphillanthes Rasteau 1921 18 + (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $48 [ cork, 50mm; Gr 90%, MV 7, balance Ca, hand-harvested, organic and biodynamic; vineyard planted 1921; Jeb Dunnuck @ Robert Parker, 2016: the star of the lineup ... Full-bodied, pure, polished and even finesse-oriented, it has fabulous notes of black raspberries, garrigue and flowers. It will keep for 10-12 years, 91 - 93 +; the website is thus far a 1-page statement to the effect they are organic and biodynamic; bottle weight 588 g; www.domainelesaphillanthes.fr ]
Ruby, a beautiful limpid colour, below midway being so grenache dominant. Bouquet epitomises fine quality grenache at its most sophisticated, nearly roses floral, supple red fruits lightly cedary, as if some oak somewhere in the elevation, total purity. Palate is soft, warm and exciting, a wine to gladden any pinot noir fan … though being grenache, it is a little more tannic. The flavours show red fruits and cinnamon, totally varietal. This is to all intents of Chateauneuf-du-Pape style and quality, though not as rich as some. Five first places, a wine to buy. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 04/18

2005 Domaine Denis Bachelet Gevrey-Chambertin Les Corbeaux Premier Cru Vieilles Vignes Non-Filtré 18 + (

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Gevrey-Chambertin, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 13%; $254 [ cork 49mm; much of this vineyard planted in 1920s; 100% de-stemming; 50% new oak; Robinson has not had the 2005, close-by vintages average c.17+; Meadows, 2007: A completely different nose that is more animale in character with more earth and crushed herbs as well that can also be found on the deep and exceptionally rich flavors that offer outstanding volume and sève on the palate drenching finish that goes on and on. This too is deceptively structured though the muscled, even robust finish does more than hint at the cellar potential, from 2015, 90-92; no website found ]
Lovely pinot noir ruby, a little development, right in the middle for depth of colour. Bouquet is highly varietal, deeply aromatic, absolutely Gevrey-Chambertin, still youthful, initially a hint of marzipan. Like the Lignier, the florals are hard to discern in the oak, but after 24 hours this wine too had much more to say. Aromas of darkest roses, suggestions of boronia as in some Otago pinot noirs, and rather more black than red cherry appear, plus new oak. Palate is much lighter than you would expect, but not weak, just a fresher expression of black cherry fruit than expected from bouquet. This is a rich concentrated darkly varietal and highly typical Gevrey-Chambertin, which once it loses some tannin will be exciting. Cellar 5 – 25 years. GK 09/15

1953 Bodegas Bilbainas Pomal Reserva Especial 18 + (

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Haro, Rioja, Spain: – %; $378 [ Spare; original cost c.$3.75, 1966 Ch Montrose at the same time $4.35, so relatively expensive; vintage comment follows; latterly related Bilbainas wines are 100% tempranillo from the Rioja Alta, but earlier they were likely to have included graciano at least; aged in both large American oak and then American oak barrique or puncheon-sized barrels perhaps including a little new even back then, for an unknown time but probably exceeding four years. Then aged in bottle for much longer. It was seen as a burgundy-style, contrasting with the Vieja Reserva in claret bottles, and released latest 1960s. No tasting notes found from established writers. 1953 highly regarded in parts of Spain, but for Rioja Jan Read rates the vintage 3/10 in a classic sense, contrasting with 10/10 for 1952, but also noting that exceptions abound in the Spanish climatic milieu. Certainly the 1952 was a lovely wine, but in my experience not so very different from the 1953. Characterising great old rioja is not easy, so it is worth quoting someone long-experienced in the wines of the region. Jan Read, 1973 quoted the Spanish oenologist Don Victor de Zuniga as saying of Rioja wines: ‘independent of the conditions of the harvest and quality of the crop, they present quite distinct properties of nose, flavour, alcoholic content, colour and extract.’ Read went on to say: ‘Anyone who has drunk the wines will recognise and enjoy those qualities. A highly perceptive connoisseur like André Simon may differentiate between the bouquets of Lafite Margaux and Latour, describing them as being evocative of violets, wallflower and verbena; and such descriptions sometimes seem justified ... In the case of the Riojas, they do not seem helpful. Of the old Reservas, all that can honestly be said is that they are glorious and individual old wines, with a roundness and intensity of flavour, a characteristic acidity and a bouquet entirely sui generis and of the Rioja’; www.bodegasbilbainas.com ]
Garnet and ruby, a hint of amber to the rim, yet remarkably rich. Like the 1970 Ducru, in the middle for depth. This old Pomal freshened wonderfully with air, the berry expanding to overtake vanillin oak, which initially dominated. The wine clearly shows the characteristic citrussy complexity factor for tempranillo raised in old American oak, reminiscent of the days when Jamaican grapefruit were shipped in slatted wooden bushel boxes. Once one of the grapefruit developed blue-mould, there was this very distinctive, slightly piquant yet sweet, citrussy smell through the whole box, utterly characteristic of traditional Rioja. As with blue cheeses, this aroma is far from unpleasant. The quality and purity of fragrant, supple, red-fruited berry on bouquet and palate is amazing, even though the fruit is browning now, a hint of raisins, at 67 years of age. Once breathed, the fruit / oak balance is good, the wine a little richer but drier than the Chambertin. Two first-place votes, one second. Twelve tasters correctly located this wine in the Rioja, while five thought it Southern Rhone Valley. Remarkable wine, in remarkable condition, just starting to dry, but will hold for some years yet … if the 47mm corks hang on. This wine was much better 24 hours later. GK 03/20

2015 Domaine Bosquet des Papes Chateauneuf-du-Pape Tradition 18 + (

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Southern Rhone Valley, France: 15%; $69 [ cork; Gr 75%, Mv 11, Sy 11, Va, Co, Ci 3, average age 45 – 50 years, viticulture tending to organic; up to one-third of the ferment whole-bunch Gr, cuvaison up to 35 days; elevation approx 50% in foudre, 30% in 600s, 20% in concrete for up 18 months; not fined, filtered; production averages 3,540 x 9-litre cases; www.bosquetdespapes.com ]
Ruby, nearly pinot weight, in the lightest ten for depth of colour. This is quite a different wine from the field, partly the vintage, a light and pretty wine, very fragrant, showing floral and aromatic garrigue complexity on all red fruits. On bouquet you’d think it would be 100% grenache. Palate is soft, gentle, all red fruits and lightest cinnamon, plus a suspicion of refreshing leafyness. The tannin structure suggests big old oak [ later confirmed ], yet the wine is beautifully fresh. This lovely understated wine would be great with food, even with the given alcohol. In a sense it is ready almost now, but it will also cellar 5 – 12, maybe 15 years. A Glengarry wine. GK 07/19

2016 Domaine de la Bouissiere Gigondas 18 + (

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Southern Rhone Valley, France: 15%; $53 [ cork, 50mm; Gr 65-70%, Sy 25-30, Mv 0-5, 60% in newish oak, 40% vat, J.L-L: ... fantastically true, *****; JC @ RP: supple, full-bodied, 92+; available from Maison Vauron, Auckland; www.labouissiere.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet just, another bright appealing colour, just below midway in depth. Bouquet here is an archetypal southern Rhone blend, clear raspberry-led grenache deepened by the blending varieties, some garrigue, just a trace of stalk, the alcohol all seemingly well-hidden. Palate shows the complexing of grenache flavour by syrah, beautifully fresh, with an attractive tannin structure from older oak. The oak is hardly tasteable, in the attractive medium richness and length. This shows great district typicité, but it is not quite as exciting as the top wines, more just a reliable example of one the better wines of the southern Rhone Valley, in a good year. No first- or second-places. Cellar 10 – 25 years. GK 04/19

2016 Domaine La Bouissiere Vacqueyras 18 + (

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Southern Rhone Valley, France: 15%; $49 [ cork 50 mm, Sy c.50%, Gr > 50 years old c.40, Mv 8-10, de-stemmed; extended cuvaison, 30 days plus; elevation 35% in vats, increasingly in barrels of various sizes, age unsure; available from Maison Vauron, Auckland, and retailers supplied by them; weight bottle and cork, 595 g; www.labouissiere.com ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, a lovely colour, midway in depth. This wine benefits from double decanting, to reveal a subdued but highly typical bouquet, some florals, light garrigue complexity, a mix of red and darker fruits, and light oak, probably from bigger cooperage, but some of it not too old. Palate is dry, rich, seemingly significant syrah and mourvedre along with grenache, some oak tannins shaping, the flavour long. This will cellar very well, and in eight or so years be more fragrant than it is today. La Bouissiere make attractive wines. Cellar 10 – 30 years. GK 05/19

2001 Ch Broustet 18 + (

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Sauternes AOC, Bordeaux, France: 14%; $55 [ cork; price / 750 ml, EP $50; Se 63%, SB 25, Mu 12; s/s fermentation, aged in oak 12 months 20% new; recent improvements including introduction of second wine. Parker regards as somewhat dull, ages well, rarely exciting. Wine Spectator 2004: Intense caramel, toffee and spice … full bodied, medium sweet, very spicy, long finish dried pineapple and almond. Wild ! Very concentrated. 94; Parker 140 (in 2002): 88 – 90 ]
Full gold, the deepest of the wines. This one smells very rich and sweet, but more one-dimensional than the Rabaud-Promis, more the golden peaches, a hint of golden syrup, sultana fruitcake, faint lanolin, good botrytis. Palate is oily rich, as rich as some Australian semillon stickies, with raisiny and oaky complexities, and almost a best glacé figs depth of flavour, perhaps slightly toffee'd. Finish is very long, dried apricots, rich, lingering attractively to the aftertaste. Being so forward, this will probably be at its best in the first 5 – 10 years, but will hold longer. GK 04/06

2009 Ch Chadenne 18 + (

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Fronsac, Bordeaux, France: 15%; $40 [ cork (50 mm); Me 92%, CS 8, cropped at c. 5 t/ha = 2 t/ac, planted at up to 7000 vines / ha, av. vine age 30 – 35 years, underlying limestones; cuvaison to 28 days; 18 months in oak up to 50% new; an up-and-coming Fronsac winery; www.chateauchadenne.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a great colour, the deepest of the French batch. Bouquet is clearly reputable bordeaux at a cru bourgeois level, a lovely richness of clean fruit, plum mostly which fits the cepage, some new oak. Palate shows very good ripeness without being cocoa-y, good richness without being heavy, a robust young wine with a lot of grape tannins even more than oak, but still tasting good – the tannins should condense naturally in cellar. A good illustration of the year, and showing a richness and ripeness of fruit implying a conservative cropping rate some New Zealand winemakers could study with benefit. The alcohol is high, very modern, but surprisingly well-hidden. Cellar 8 – 20 years. GK 06/12

1970 Alexis Lichine Chambertin (en magnum) 18 + (

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Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 11%; $16.10 [ cork; no info, but Lichine was quite well regarded for his burgundy selections at that stage. Will be very frail now – it was never more than delicious ! ]
Palest garnet and ruby, the lightest colour in the tasting, but healthy. Bouquet is quite dramatic in the set, the boronia and roses-related magic of the spicy Cote de Nuits very apparent even though there is an aged component too, with clear browning cherry, roast chestnut, and forest floor (one taster insisted – agreed !) complexities, wonderfully organic in an autumnal (+ve) way, no faults, real burgundy. Palate is a little less, the oak and tannins more apparent than the bouquet would suggest, for the fruit while rich is fully mature, the freshness fading a little. It stood very well though, the flavour still beautifully appropriate to the variety, and lingering long. The other half of the magnum, immediately sub-bottled against argon, was an absolute delight with rare fillet, and in comparison with 1979 Jaboulet Cote Rotie les Jumelles, two days later. A pretty good showing for a 40-year-old burgundy, but bottles need finishing very soon, considering this is a magnum. GK 03/10

1998 Domaine Charvin Chateauneuf-du-Pape Non-Filtré 18 + (

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Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $160 [ cork, 49mm; purchase price $65; approx. Gr 85%, Sy 10, others 5; whole bunches lightly crushed; elevation up to 18 months in concrete, some reports mention big old wood, no new oak; the magical thing about Domaine Charvin is, there are no luxury cuvees, the standard wine is ‘it’, and affordable; not filtered; R. Parker comments in general: Charvin … fashions Chateauneuf du Pape that comes closest to the style of Rayas. There is … a wonderfully sweet, deep, concentrated mid-palate, and layers of flavour that unfold on the palate. Great burgundy should possess a similar texture and purity, but it rarely does; J. Dunnuck @ R. Parker, 2015: Charvin made a sensational Chateauneuf du Pape in 1998 ... perfumed notes of pepper, black cherries, garrigue and leather ... a beautiful wine to enjoy over the coming 4-5 years, although it will hold nicely for longer, 96; Parker, 2010: ... magical ... Absolutely top-notch, 94: bottle weight 671g; www.domaine-charvin.com ]
Ruby and garnet, below midway in depth. Bouquet is complex in a more traditional / classical Chateauneuf-du-Pape style here: fragrant red fruits browning now, clear cinnamon spice from grenache, but also some savoury complexity from brett. The whole bouquet is piquant and appetite-stimulating. Palate is firmer than expected, clearly significant whole-bunches / stalks, still a quite strong tannin structure relative to the medium weight of the wine. You feel there is some new oak in the fragrant flavours on palate, but it may simply be the grape tannins, in what is after all, a warmer viticultural zone. Though not a big wine, the palate is long and pleasing. As with nearly all these wines, it would be great with food. Only light crusting in bottle. A well-regarded wine, four first places. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 07/18

2001 Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc Te Koko 18 + (

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Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $36 [ 100% BF in French oak 10% new, 100% wild yeast, 100% MLF, c. 17 months LA in barrel; www.cloudybay.co.nz ]
Medium lemon, a super colour. A huge bouquet, in the distinctive style which Te Koko has made all its own: something like a red capsicum, basil, chicken and citrus zest quiche. If one likes it, there is every shade of capsicum and passion fruit and mango, all made aromatic by barrel fermentation and charry from oak, with brie (+ve) suggestions from MLF, and further baguettey complexities from long lees autolysis. There is a savoury bouquet garni quality too. If one doesn't like it, there are strong aromatics redolent of hypoid oil, and aggressive oak – all this just on bouquet. Either way, the palate is extraordinarily rich for sauvignon, long, tactile from the 100% MLF, complex with flavours beyond description which linger on sauvignon acid and oak, finishing on black passionfruit. It is oaky, though. It has taken me a while to come round to the extroverted Te Koko style, but also, this latest release is less indulgent than some earlier ones, and better for that. A food wine par excellence, worth trying with all sorts of un-winey but savoury things – like quiche ! Cellar to 10 years, maybe longer. GK 09/04

2001 Ch la Conseillante 18 + (

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Pomerol, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $160 [ cork; Me 80%, CF 20, typically cropped @ 2.3 t/ac; s/s fermentation and up to 30 days cuvaison; 18 months in French oak 85% new; Robinson 15.5 in 2007, and as a close reader of Jancis Robinson I have to say the words for her sample bear absolutely no relation to the wine we tasted – surely la Conseillante would 'assemble', 17 in 2006, sounding just like ours, and 16 in 2002, Parker 89 in 2004; www.la-conseillante.com ]
Ruby and velvet, a similar weight to the 2005 Coleraine but older. Bouquet on this wine was quite stunning in its flight, being clearly the cleanest, freshest and most modern of the Bordeaux wines, and exhibiting sensational florality, everything merlot should be. In mouth that impression didn't quite endure, the wine being a little leaner and crisper than fine Bordeaux, more the palate weight of the Coleraine, with a little acid showing. Because of the crispness, thoughts of cassis and the Medoc arose too. This is a good example of food-friendly, refreshing and varietal merlot, contrasting vividly with the heavier wines found elsewhere in the five flights. Total style of this wine reminded me very much of the 1966 Bordeaux the previous evening, casting my mind back to when they were young wines. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 11/08

2009 Yves Cuilleron Condrieu Vertige 18 + (

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Condrieu, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $164 [ cork; hand-picked from a top lieu-dit in Condrieu, from even older vines on a steep granite slope, all barrel-fermented with a much higher percentage new, plus MLF, LA and batonnage, in barrel up to 18 months; c.340 cases; July offer $125 @ Glengarry; www.cuilleron.com ]
Lemonstraw, deepening a little, in the middle for freshness of hue. On bouquet this is immediately a deeper richer much more serious wine, until one realises that this is more the vanillin of new oak speaking, and to an extent it is displacing the honeysuckle and apricots of the actual variety. In mouth the quality of the fully-ripe apricots fruit is remarkable, but there is a lot of high-quality oak too. The acid balance is softening slightly, and you feel the wine is absolutely at a peak. It is a richer wine than the Petite Cote, the quality of the lees-autolysis and MLF augmentation is very good indeed, so many will automatically rate this wine much higher. That is understandable. In this report, I am simply rating wines with more explicit varietal quality higher. At a peak, will hold on the barrel-work but lose freshness. Hold a year or two. GK 06/13

2010 Yves Cuilleron Condrieu Vertige 18 + (

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Condrieu, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $170 [ cork; hand-picked from a top lieu-dit in Condrieu, from even older vines on a steep granite slope, all barrel-fermented with a much higher percentage new, plus MLF, LA and batonnage, in barrel up to 18 months; c.330 cases; July offer $125 @ Glengarry; www.cuilleron.com ]
Lemonstraw, hard to separate in hue from the 2009. This is far and away the best 2010 of the group, the only one to smell ripe and varietally explicit with no detractions. The oak is very apparent here, the year has made a big difference to the 2009, but there are clear ripe apricots behind it. There are yellow honeysuckle notes, as well as vanilla from oak. Palate likewise is the only 2010 to reflect the vintages accurately, a little cooler and more aromatic than the 2009, apricots not so orange, but the quality and amount of oak again prominent. This is fresher than the 2009 but not quite so varietally exact, so they are about equal, just climatic variants on elegant winemaking. Cellar a couple of years. GK 06/13

1999 Domaine Claude Dugat Gevrey-Chambertin Non Filtré 18 + (

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Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 13%; $225 [ cork 50mm, ullage 8mm; original price c.$95; Jasper Morris (paraphrased), 2010: A tiny domaine with cult status, and the quality to match. The key to quality here is the raw material, from vines which naturally produce small berries through control of vigour: “I want just as many berries as my neighbour, but berries half the size” says Claude. No late-picking. No whole-bunches. Cuvaison c.14 days. Our wine 60% new oak, balance one-year-old, all Francois Freres. Average vine age c.50 years, generalised assessment (Morris again) for this wine: “a very solid, rich example of village Gevrey-Chambertin, attractive young but built to last.”; Wine Spectator, 2002: "A wine to lay down: dense and thick-textured, with blackberry, raspberry and toasted notes. Firmly structured, full-bodied, it needs time to soften. Best from 2002 through 2008”, 90; Pierre Rovani @ Parker, 2001: [ cropped at 4.3 t/ha = 1.75 t/ac ] “To Claude Dugat, 1999 is 'between very good and great'. The medium to dark ruby-colored 1999 Gevrey-Chambertin reveals lovely red cherry, sweet oak aromas. This pure, lush, medium-bodied wine is velvety-textured and filled with violets and candied cherries. It is plush, opulent, and reveals sweet, supple tannins in its fresh, long finish. 2001 - 2007", 90; weight bottle, no closure 602 g; no website found. ]
Ruby and garnet, clearly the deepest wine. Bouquet is intriguing, big, rich, yet not explicitly varietal, with noticeable oak. There is a touch of the Penfolds about this wine, yet in a densely pinot noir way. It is not exactly floral, yet it is fragrant, intense, and hints at the aromatic quality that makes good Cote de Nuits wines so exciting. Palate follows perfectly, a good concentration of darker fruits, black cherries only, framed by quality oak, the wine big and dry, yet holding a lot in reserve. Astonishing for a village wine, but perhaps the sturdy rather than floral character of the wine reflects that. This is just embarking on its plateau of maturity, with 10 – 20 years in hand. Three first places, two second places, and surprisingly, two least places. Origin for this wine was clearer, France 15, New Zealand three. GK 09/19

2000 Ch La Fleur de Bouard 18 + (

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Lalande de Pomerol, Bordeaux, France: 14%; $105 [ Cork 50 mm, ullage 15 mm; landed cost $72; this is the standard wine, not Le Plus which at a cropping rate of 20 hl/ha = 2.6 t/ha = 1 t/ac is in effect a garagiste wine from the same estate, owned by the de Bouards of Ch Angelus since 1998; Michel Rolland consults; cepage for the 2000 Me 80%, CF 15, CS 5, being re-planted to 8,500 vines per hectare, cropped at 45 hl/ha = 5.9 t/ha = 2.5 t/ac; manual harvesting and sorting, cuvaison in s/s up to 35 days, malolactic in barrel subsequently, elevation for the 2000 was 21 months in barriques, 75% new; no fining or filtration; de Bouard considers that while the wine: isn’t as fine as a great Pomerol, it is better than about half of the Pomerols produced; Brook, 2007: La Fleur de Bouard is impressive. The 2000 has remained very closed on the nose, but is rich and full-bodied, with flavours of plums and chocolate, and some spicy overtones; RP @ WA, 2002: (repetition not a mistake !) The 2000 La Fleur de Bouard is impressive. This textured, rich, bigger than life Lalande de Pomerol exhibits a saturated opaque purple color as well as a gorgeous perfume of blackberries, cassis, toasty new oak, licorice, and a hint of tapenade. Expressive and sumptuous, with impeccable purity, this wine is brilliant. It will have 10-12 years of aging potential. Anticipated maturity: 2003-2013, 90-92; production averages 8,750 x 9-litre cases of the main wine; weight bottle and closure: 556 g; superb website; www.lafleurdebouard.com ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, the second-deepest wine in the batch, and with Las Cases, clearly the youngest wine. La Bouard was positioned alongside the Masseto, to illustrate properly-ripened merlot still retaining some darkest rose florals in a dusky way, even though the Bouard is riper than the very floral La Conseillante. The depth of blackberry and bottled black doris plummy fruit on bouquet is a delight, and being a less prestigious wine than Angelus from the same owner, it is less oaked. This makes it a delightfully useful wine to demonstrate appropriate merlot character. Palate is fresh, rich and ample, a perfect illustration of what merlot should be and so often is not. But here again, like Angelus, the softness and richness is enhanced by completing fermentation in barrel. Oak does become a little apparent on the finish, lovely cedary flavours lengthening the palate. This wine clearly does not have the detail and complexity of La Conseillante and the Medocs rated more highly, and could be considered a little burly, but the quality of the merlot is textbook in its straightforward slightly oaky way. You want to mark it gold medal. Two people rated the Bouard as their top wine, and seven thought it merlot dominant. Cellar 15 – 25 years. GK 11/20

2012 Weingut Furst Hundruck Spatburgunder GG 18 + (

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Franken, Germany: 13.5%; $ – [ cork 50mm; €80, say $NZ130; 4-7 days cold soak @ 10°C; all wild-yeast fermentations, whole bunch avoided in general, stems don't ripen fully; cuvaison 18 – 21 days; press wine incorporated; wines at this level matured on lees up to 18 months in French and German 225s, up to 50% new; some large older oak too; www.weingut-rudolf-fuerst.de ]
[ GG denotes Grosses Gewächs (great growth), a designation used to designate top-level dry wines from selected sites . ] Pinot noir ruby, below midway in the German pinots, lighter than the lightest New Zealand wine. Bouquet is a delight, a total expression of tea-roses florality on red and even black cherry fruit, with a remarkable volume of roses florality. It is closest to the Greystone in the New Zealand set, but deeper and more sensual. Flavours likewise are deeper, richer and riper than the Greystone, but also there is a curious hint of that weakness reminiscent of the earlier spatburgunders, which the best New Zealand (and Oregon, from limited experience) pinots avoid. Dry extract in this German wine is exemplary, eclipsing nearly all the New Zealand wines, likely to be over 30 g/L – we really need to take note of this. Leaving aside colour, the closest analogy in the New Zealand wines is the 2014 Maude where I see I recorded 'very gentle, not showing the tannin structure…'. This is a lovely pinot noir, in truth a gold medal pinot noir by New Zealand standards, so we can be thankful that it is an 80-euro wine in Germany. Jamie Goode (UK) quotes Furst as saying: My interest in Pinot Noir is to have silkiness, not strong tannins … Pinot Noir and Riesling are both varieties that have to dance on the tongue. and for the pinot noir: It is important not to find the oak in your mouth: if the wine has oak then it is a big mistake. That observation is so relevant to some producers in New Zealand. Incidentally Goode rated the 2005 of this wine 93 / 100. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 11/15

2016 Domaine la Garrigue Gigondas 18 + (

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Southern Rhone Valley, France: 15%; $50 [ cork 50mm, Gr 75-80%, Sy 15-20, 5% Mv & Ci, all hand-picked; no de-stemming; elevation 18 + months in concrete vat, not fined or filtered; available from WineSeeker, Wellington; weight bottle and cork, 639 g; www.domaine-la-garrigue.fr ]
Ruby, the second to lightest wine. There is nothing light about the bouquet, however. Like the Espiers, this wine beautifully sums up the most fragrant, nearly floral, side of garrigue complexity, salvia and lavender florals, on red fruits. The bouquet has great zing, partly alcohol-driven. There is even a hint of the beautiful manool fragrance found in New Zealand pink pine, which I associate with grenache. Palate is remarkably fine-grained, grenache dominant, furry tannins but also with a hint of vanilla in mouth … making one wonder if a fraction of the wine sees new oak – even if none is admitted to. Though a little bigger, this is closest in style to the Espiers Gigondas, both exhilarating wines which almost make you salivate. It will be marvellous at table, though (as is so common now) it would be better if the alcohol were lower. Only that factor kept me out of gold medal level. Cellar 10 – 25 years. GK 05/19

nv Champagne Gatinois Grand Cru Tradition Brut 18 + (

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Ay, Champagne, France: 12%; $55 [ traditional compound champagne cork; PN 80%, Ch 20, all grand cru vineyards; 30% reserve wines in the blend; all s/s fermented, only trace oak in reserve wines; MLF; two year en tirage; dosage 7 g/L; www.champagne-gatinois.com ]
Faintly orange-flushed straw, tiptoeing towards the hue of the Billecart-Salmon Rosés. Bouquet is a little different from the Billecarts, not so perfumed, instead more obviously pinot noir-dominant with a depth of mealy baguette and Vogel's Multigrain yeast autolysis complexity which is enchanting. Palate is rich and in one sense 'stronger' than the Billecarts, again a more sturdy pinot noir-based wine with slightly higher phenolics. Dosage tastes more around the 5 g/L mark, on account of the firmer red-grape base of the wine, and the interaction between perception of phenolics and perception of sweetness. Interesting, and on re-inspection you can see the specs are correct. The Gatinois meshes in well with some other wines in this bracket. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 04/16

2006 Domaine Giraud Chateauneuf-du-Pape Les Gallimardes 18 + (

)

Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Southern Rhone Valley, France: 15%; $128 [ cork 50mm, ullage 22mm; original price c.$75; one of the younger Chateauneuf wineries, starting in 1974, this their top wine; Gr 90%, average age 100 years, Sy 10. 100% destemming, long cuvaison to 35 days in some vintages; the Gr vat-aged, the Sy 14 months in French oak 10% (sometimes more) new; production 500 x 9-L cases; J.L-L, 2007: The bouquet is knit together – has a gourmand nature, being ample and thorough, based on black berries or cherries that are ripe ... somewhat “post modern”. Holds a ripe cast of black fruit on the palate, black stone fruits … Ends quite roundly, with its tannins ripe and largely infused. There is plenty of power here – is a muscular wine with a smooth coating delivered in the modern style, to 2029, ***(*); JD@RP, 2016: ... classic, Provencal notes of dried herbs, sweet black cherries, black licorice and crushed rock. Big, full-bodied, beautifully textured and mouth-filling, to 2026, 94; www.domainegiraud.fr ]
Ruby, garnet and velvet, one of the older colours, midway in depth. Bouquet is quite different on this, the wine clearly much riper than the top two, the alcohol showing a little more. Yet it gets away with it. There is a lot of fruit, darkest plum, a hint of moist prunes (in the most subtle, appealing way), trace vanillin from a hint of newish oak, yet it doesn't have the over-ripe baked jam-tart character so many 2007s have. The palate is simply staggering, a wonderful fleshy richness which must be well above 30 g/L in dry extract, and now yes, there is a suggestion of over-ripeness, just a hint as in the dark cherries in a Black Forest gateau, yet the wine still seems fresh. Hence its high mark. Tannin balance is a little firmer than the top wines: this is a really big wine ... as if it were designated Vieilles Vignes. Tasters liked this wine, with three first places, and one second. It will cellar for many years, on its richness, 10 – 20 or more. GK 10/19

1999 Domaine Alain Graillot Crozes-Hermitage La Guiraude 18 + (

)

Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $230 [ cork, 45mm; wine-searcher price seems improbable, original price c.$45; typically Sy 100% c.30 years age and hand-harvested, some to 100% whole-bunch fermentations, depending on season; cuvaison to 21 days, then 12 months in unspecified barrels 10% new, some filtering; production c.750 x 9-litre cases, a hard-to-secure wine, even though ‘only’ a barrel selection; J.L-L, no date: Quiet, understated bouquet, smoky and floral; very wholesome attack, a lot of berried flavour and a long finish. Nice cool texture, good. Serious red Crozes here. 2023-25, ****(*); JD@RP, 2002: The exceptional, backward 1999 Crozes-Hermitage La Guiraude is a tour de force. The bouquet is dominated by blackberry and cassis intermixed with licorice, lavender, fennel, and a touch of new oak. Full-bodied, ripe, moderately tannic, and concentrated, it will be at its finest between 2003-2015, 90; website address but no content yet, good fact-sheet at: www.europvin.com/9-advanced-search/99-alain-graillot/fact_sheets.html?; weight bottle and closure: 559 g; www.domainegraillot.com ]
Ruby, some garnet and velvet, midway in both depth and redness. This is extraordinary wine, displaying a pinpoint precision of cassis-like syrah varietal character which is most unusual. As with most reds from Crozes-Hermitage, it is not as floral and fragrant as good Cote Rotie or Hermitage, but the berry and fruit flavours are exemplary. It is richer than the Guigal Hermitage, and just as beautifully oaked. It is a most unusual, and very demonstrative, Northern Rhone. A pity that the La Guiraude label is so scarce. Two tasters had this as their top wine, and two their second-favourite. It is just coming up to peak maturity, with 10 – 15 years ahead of it. A far cry from the average Crozes-Hermitage. GK 11/19

2007 Domaine Grand Veneur Chateauneuf-du-Pape 18 + (

)

Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Southern Rhone Valley, France: 15%; $44 [ cork 50mm, ullage 17mm, original price c.$65; this is their standard Chateauneuf, in a hierarchy then of four, three in this tasting including the top one [later: not achieved – TCA]; according to Leve, Domaine Giraud was the first property in the district to experiment with new French oak, in 1986. Information is sketchy about this standard wine, but understood to be Gr 70%, Sy 20, Mv 10; elevation 18 months mostly in vat 80%, and some barrels, no new oak mentioned, production c.3,600 x 9-litre cases; JR@JR, 2008: Very rich and headily floral on the nose with rather tight dry tannins. Perhaps just slightly too ambitious? Certainly not relaxed! Very dry finish, to 2015, 16; RP@RP, 2009: dense, full-bodied wine ... with notes of graphite, blackberries, and cassis. With a sumptuous, layered, full-bodied texture, sweet, velvety tannins, and zesty freshness as well as acidity ... to 2023, 91; www.vignobles-alain-jaume.com ]
Ruby and velvet, clearly the youngest and freshest colour, the third deepest. This is another wine where the syrah component really shines on bouquet, a lovely florality and near-cassisy berry, equally good freshness and charm, plus garrigue savoury complexity, and total purity. Palate is most unusual, light in one sense, almost big pinot noir except for the tannin structure, and magnificent freshness: another wine with no hint of the 2007 over-ripeness malaise. Yet again, the magic of little or no new oak cries out for recognition here: grenache so often simply cannot take much oak, if beauty in the wine, freshness, and suitability for food matching are the criteria. And this wine is given as 15%, showing yet again the magical ability of grenache to hide alcohol. I thought this ‘standard’ wine clearly more pleasurable as a food wine than the more expensive Les Origines, and particularly the Vieilles Vignes [tasted separately]. Two tasters rated this their top wine. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 10/19

1984 Jeffrey Grosset Rhine Riesling Polish Hill 18 + (

)

Clare Valley, Australia: 12%; $ – [ cork – regrettably there is no second bottle available, but a moment's reflection will I am sure indicate I can't always achieve that – particular 30 years later; 4th vintage, 650 cases; vineyard at 460m; 1984 was a cool year in South Australia, with for some varieties elegant wines emerging; Julia Harding in Jancis Robinson, 2009: Ripe pineapple nose but not as tropical as that sounds and a touch of honey. Lovely rich intense toasty palate and still so lovely and fresh, 18.5; Lisa Perrotti-Brown, in Robert Parker, 2011: Pale to medium straw in color, the 1984 Grosset Polish Hill Riesling has intense evolved Riesling notes, going a little honeyed over scents of orange blossom, lemon marmalade, some chalk, hay and blanched almonds. Very crisp, light to medium bodied and dry, it gives layers of expressive toasty / chalky flavors, finishing long, 92; website lacks back info; www.grosset.com.au ]
Light gold, the second deepest colour. Bouquet is wonderfully pure and clearly honeyed, rather than nectary. There is a suggestion of vanilla (wine) biscuit complexity creeping in now, at the 30-year point, but it seems more appropriate to think of this as flavour development rather than oxidation. Palate is quite big, bolder in its flavours than the younger Grosset, slightly more phenolics maybe, but the lovely bouquet plus some residual covers that. Length of flavour is good, and in a cooler year, the acid seems natural and fine-grain. It is not as angular as the seemingly drier 2002. This wine bridged the jump to the markedly older 1962 very well. Fully mature now, reasonably enough. GK 03/14

1989 Ch Gruaud Larose 18 + (

)

Saint-Julien Second Growth, Medoc, Bordeaux, France: 12.5%; $170 [ cork, 54mm; original price around $75; CS 64%, Me 24, CF 9, PV 3, cropped at c.7.2 t/ha = 2.9 t/ac; elevation 16 – 20 months, with then around 33% new oak; production of the grand vin varies round 25,000 x 9-litre cases; Broadbent, 2002: … rich now mature appearance, and ripe spicy bouquet. It had surprising grip and tannin, ***(*); Wine Spectator, 2010: fabulous aromas of crushed red fruits, with leather, tar, tobacco and mint. Full-bodied, offering supersoft and silky tannins, as well as a beautiful polish. Open and luscious, with amazing richness of fruit and decadence at the same time. Drink now, 94; RP@RP, 2003: Somewhat of a letdown when tasted side by side with the 1990, the dark garnet-colored 1989 Gruaud-Larose offers up notes of cedar, tobacco leaf, red and black currants, and some hints of compost. The nose smells sweet, on the palate it is relatively ripe and sweet, but then the wine seems to have plenty of tannin and toughness without that incredible sweet, chewy mid-palate the 1990 possesses, 89; weight bottle and closure: 536 g; www.gruaud-larose.com ]
Ruby, some velvet, clearly the reddest wine, and the third deepest. At the tasting, this wine was somewhat affected by TCA. It responded well to the Gladwrap® treatment, opening up over several days to reveal beautiful, surprisingly fresh, cassisy berry, with subtle cedary oak. Palate richness and ripeness increased too, to be one of the more substantial wines in the set, with attractive berry, though not comparing with the Pichon Baron. It was the subtlety of the oak handling that made the most impression on me. A good bottle would be lovely wine, probably scoring more highly. Despite the TCA, its Bordeaux qualities shone through, only two tasters thinking it might be a New Zealand wine. With its youthful appearance, it should cellar for 10 – 15 years more. GK 11/19

1962 Ch Gruaud-Larose 18 + (

)

Saint-Julien Second Growth, Bordeaux, France: – %; $219 [ 52mm cork; indicative cepage some years later: CS 64%, Me 24, CF 9, PV 3; Broadbent (1980) rates the vintage *** (on a scale of five): A good vintage overshadowed, not surprisingly, by the incomparable 1961. Cold and rainy conditions to the end of May. Flowering mid-June in good weather, very hot summer with some rain, September hot and sunny, tempered by welcome showers to swell the berries. Late harvest under good conditions, 9 October. A firm well-coloured vintage. With some of the leanness of 1966, thrown into the shade not only by the 1961s, but to some extent by the '64s. … Positive, fruity, but many showing some over-acidity. For Gruaud-Larose: Eleven fairly consistent notes. A good, chunky, flavoury wine, attractive when young. Has maintained considerable depth of colour; lovely sweet nose which develops well; fullish, rich, complete, dry finish with a twist of acidity. Last tasted 1977 ***; Robinson, nil; Robert Parker, 1989: A surprisingly big, darkly colored wine that continues to perform admirably, the 1962 Gruaud-Larose remains concentrated for the vintage, with deep, black curranty, cedary, and herbaceous flavors, full body, and a satiny finish. This intensely fruity wine has drunk well and been fully mature for over two decades. It has yet to exhibit signs of cracking up – a testament to how long well-balanced Bordeaux can last at its apogee. Anticipated maturity: Now-2000. 87; www.gruaud-larose.com ]
Ruby and garnet, the colour quite extraordinary, showing more red than most of the wines, only the 1967 Ch Haut-Brion being fresher. Bouquet is classic mature claret, clear-cut cassis browning now, clear cedary oak more noticeable than the Tahbilk, all fragrant and enticing. Palate follows perfectly, except the oak is just starting to gain the upper hand, as the fruit fades. The balance is not therefore quite so perfect as the Tahbilk, the nett impression being of a slightly tannic wine, but still amazingly 'youthful' for 54 years of age. And the purity of berry flavour is a delight, whereas the trace of essential oil lets the Tahbilk down very slightly. Three people rated it their top or second wine, but whether it was French or Spanish was a moot point. This presumably reflected some doubt about the relatively high new oak. The wine is fully mature, with nothing to gain by holding it longer. GK 10/16

2003 Ch Guiraud 18 + (

)

Sauternes Premier Cru, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $80 [ cork; Se 65%, SB 35, planted @ 6600 vines / ha, average age 35 – 40 years; hand-picked via up to 6 harvests; BF 3 – 9 weeks, and 18 – 24 months in oak with up to 100% new each year; Parker: [ no specific notes, but a score ] 94; Robinson: ... very big and sweet - massive unctuosity. … a coconut streak that slightly worries me but this would be deeply satisfying as a sweet drink. Fresh, clean on the finish. Long, a bit heavy. 17; www.chateau.guiraud.fr ]
Lemonstraw. Bouquet is deeper and richer than the Coutet, with a darker more yellow floral component, on nearly over-ripe grapefruit and fruit salad, all a bit heavier than the Coutet. Palate continues in the same style, the fruits all a little darker, rock melon, golden peaches, and slightly over-cooked marmalade, acid marginal, the finish slightly toffee’d. A weightier wine than the Coutet, yet broader and more developed as well, and hence a shorter term cellar prospect, 5 – 15 years. It will still provide much pleasure. GK 07/06

2005 Ch Haut-Batailley 18 + (

)

Pauillac Fifth Growth, Bordeaux, France: 13%; $89 [ cork 50mm; CS 65 – 70%, Me 25, CF 5 – 10; original cost en primeur c.$66; both Ch Batailley and Ch Haut Batailley belong to the wider Borie family. The branch owning Haut-Batailley also owns Ch Grand-Puy-Lacoste. Vineyard is planted at 10,000 vines per hectare. Fermentation in s/s, cuvaison 16 – 20 days, malolactic in tank; elevation similarly 16 - 20 months in oak 30 - 60% new, varying with vintage. Second wine La Tour L’Aspic. 2005 is regarded as a strong year for the chateau; J. Robinson, 2009: Light nose but all in balance. Very opulent start – tea leaves – all texture rather than flavour at the moment but a very flattering texture. Needs quite a time to knit but the tannins are very well hidden, 17; Jeff Leve, 2011: With aromas of cassis, tobacco, blackberry and earth, this medium/full bodied wine is already starting to show well. Made in a lighter, bright, finessed style, the wine ends with juicy black and red plums in the finish, 89; R. Parker, 2007 & '8: One of the finest Haut-Batailleys I have tasted in many years, Xavier Borie has ratcheted up the quality at this estate. Always one of the most St.-Julien-like of the Pauillacs, the 2005 exhibits a sweet bouquet of mulberries, black currants, licorice, tar, and flowers, medium to full body, and an elegant, pure personality with a luscious texture as well as a silky finish (atypical for this vintage). To 2024, 90 – 92, later 89; website via; www.grand-puy-lacoste.fr ]
Attractive ruby and velvet, just below midway in depth. Bouquet is in one sense the most complete in the set, or the most 'ideal', in the sense there is harmony and elegance speaking of cassis and other berry, brown tobacco, delicate cedary thoughts from oak, and a general restrained bordeaux-style 'fruitiness' and appeal. Palate follows with beautiful poise and again harmony, a medium-weight cassis-led wine epitomising the flavours of lovely bordeaux, such as Ducru-Beaucaillou and the like, but smaller-scale. This is already drinking beautifully, and will hold this form for 10 – 15 years. Top wine for one, in the group. GK 06/15

1999 Domaine de la Janasse Chateauneuf-du-Pape Chaupin 18 + (

)

Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $65 [ cork 49mm, ullage 12mm; original price c.$65; Gr 100% (NB), most of it >60 years age, 80% destemmed; cuvaison up to 28 days, then elevation c.12 months c. two-thirds in large wood, one third in puncheons, 20% + new; not filtered; production this label c. 1,050 x 9-litre cases; R. Parker, 2000: ... exhibits an opaque ruby/purple color in addition to a sweet nose of kirsch, black raspberries, smoke, and spice. It is full-bodied, with outstanding intensity, considerable depth for a 1999, and a large, glycerin-imbued, well-balanced finish with light to moderate tannin. This is a brilliant effort from one of the Rhone's most accomplished young winemakers. To 2016, 90 – 92; J. Dunnuck@ R. Parker, 2014: ... a fresh, lively feel with plenty of violets, mint and floral qualities to go with exotic spices, fruit cake and mature fruit. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, it’s drinking spectacularly, but will continue to evolve gracefully ..., 93; www.lajanasse.com ]
Garnet and ruby, some velvet, midway in depth. This wine is nearly a contradiction to what one imagines, 100% grenache which is really fragrant, nearly floral in a pink hedge-roses way, with the bouquet showing exactly the red fruits (raspberry in youth) of grenache, though browning now. It shows that with great care, grenache can on occasion benefit from oak, even new oak, but here it is nearly invisible, just the lightest cedar touch, with gentle tannins. It is wonderful to have a straight grenache in any Southern Rhone tasting, since it highlights how the darker syrah and mourvedre contribute to perceived complexity in other wines. Here the mono-cepage is not really noticeable until the finish, where the wine simplifies a little, like the similar Chapoutier Chateauneufs. An interesting wine at full maturity, which appealed to tasters, two top places, three second. Cellar 5 – 15 years more. GK 10/19

2005 Ch Lafite-Rothschild 18 + (

)

Pauillac, Bordeaux, France: 13%; $1,050 [ cork; optimal en primeur landed in NZ price $1050, retail up to $1950; CS 89%, Me 10.5, PV 0.5%, average vine age 40 years; 100% new French barriques for 18-20 months; 25000 cases; Parker 4/08: While the 2005 is another brilliantly classic Lafite Rothschild, for my taste, it comes in slightly behind their extraordinarily opulent 2003 as well as the dramatically powerful 2000. A blend of 89% Cabernet Sauvignon and 11% Merlot, the 2005 boasts a dark ruby/purple color in addition to that exceptional Lafite perfume of graphite, spring flowers, crushed rocks, and sweet black cherry and black currant fruit that exudes class and nobility. The wine is medium-bodied with extremely high levels of tannin in addition to sensational purity, length, and overall harmony. However, it is exceptionally backward, and even more tannic than either the 1995 or 1996. Anticipated maturity: 2020-2050+. 96 +; WS 3/08: Delivers blackberry, dried porcini, tobacco and licorice aromas. Full-bodied, with layers of velvety tannins and loads of dark chocolate, cigar box, currant, berry and mineral. The finish is long, with a coffee, almost meaty, aftertaste. Very beautiful and balanced. Best after 2013. 98; www.lafite.com ]
Ruby and velvet, some carmine, clearly the freshest and most youthful of the Bordeaux, close in hue to the Mills Reef, the lightest of all the wines. Bouquet is fine-grained and fragrant, with much vanillin oak overt at this stage, cassisy berry below. Palate is cassis and oak, TA slightly higher than the Mouton, some chocolatey undertones from toast, just a hint of leanness like Trinity's The Gimblett, but more petite. Aftertaste is a little unusual, just a hint of radish in the berry / new oak amalgam – a passing phase, I'm sure. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 10/08

1982 Comtes Lafon Meursault Clos de la Barre 18 + (

)

Meursault, Burgundy, France: 12.8%; $250 [ cork, 50mm; vineyard is 2.1 ha, not officially ranked as a cru, but highly regarded; vines planted from 1950 onwards; wine-making these days may provide an indication of previous practice, but see also the notes for Lafon Charmes: cold-settled juice with low solids, wild yeast fermentations, full MLF, lees stirring in barrel, time in barrel 18 – 22 months depending on the cru; Morris (2010): A monopoly of Domaine des Comtes de Lafon, whose back garden this is. Clos de la Barre has particularly stony soil, imparting a mineral aspect to the wine and good acidity. The vines here flower before other vineyards but ripen later, giving an extra 10 days hang time; the result is a wine capable of long keeping; Broadbent (2002) describes this exact wine in 2000 as being: Pale for its age, still lemon-tinged; sweet, crusty (bread), lovely bouquet; medium-sweet, delicious flavour and excellent acidity, ****; www.comtes-lafon.fr ]
Hue is old gold, but the depth of colour is below midway, the hue not as fresh as the top three wines. The wine opened just a little muffled or muted, a 'woodyness' from the cork which gradually cleared. Two only of 22 tasters commented on slight TCA. But beyond those factors, the great aspect of this wine was the classical mealy / oatmeal / cashew richness of the 'fruit' component, but being Meursault it is not 'fruity' as such, just the impression of substance, richness, and depth. But if you look, there are suggestions of dried stonefruit / dried peaches, and an enchanting hint of beeswax. Palate shows all these things, plus thoughts of nougat and marzipan, both bone dry. It is this saturation of enhanced mealy flavours and textures which makes great Meursault and some Corton-Charlemagnes so unique in the world of wine. Like the Bannockburn, there is now a hint of tannin in the long, rich finish, but only the less enthused would mention a trace of bitterness. This bottle is not quite perfect, the cork could have been better, and is I think responsible for the less-than-sparkling purity, but the nett balance of flavours and the wonderful richness and texture are a delight. Three first-place votes, two second, and two thought it French. Also three least-of-the-12 votes, from those tasters for whom the flaws outweighed the positives. But that is part of the diversity of wine appreciation, particularly when it comes to older wines. GK 8/18 GK 08/18

2005 Ch Langoa-Barton 18 + (

)

St Julien Third Growth, Bordeaux, France: 12.5%; $130 [ cork; price en primeur landed; cepage typically CS 70%, Me 20, CF 10, planted to 9,000 vines / ha, average age 32 years; typically 15 – 21 days cuvaison, 20 months in French oak 50% new; JR: 17.5; RP: 90; WS: 92; website allegedly also covers Langoa, but is derisory; www.leoville-barton.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, below midway in depth. Bouquet is much more modern on this wine, dark plum as much as cassis, toasty oak with a thought of chocolate, all much more fragrant than some of the 2005s. There is an intriguing red rose floral threaded through the bouquet too. Palate is quite different, just a suggestion of the darker cherries of Black Forest gateau, yet lingering beautifully on red fruits, with lovely ripeness, finesse and length on gentle oak. Distinctive and attractive claret, fractionally richer than the Grand-Puy. Cellar 5 – 25 years. GK 08/10

2005 Domaine Laroche Chablis les Blanchots 18 + (

)

Chablis Grand Cru, Burgundy, New Zealand: 13%; $123 [ cork; obscure website, PR more than info; www.larochewines.com ]
Good rich lemon. Initially opened, bouquet is surprisingly mute. The wine benefits from a splashy decanting. It opens to a classical chablis bouquet, a mineral crushed limestone and intangible white flowers pure chardonnay bouquet, scarcely touched by oak. The moment it is in mouth, the wine snaps into focus, gorgeous flesh and sapidity, perfect acid balance but not aggressive like so many New Zealand, a long rich floral and white stonefruits palate with this crushed limestone minerality that very good chablis has. Needs several years to blossom, cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 03/08

nv Champagne J Lassalle Premier Cru Preference Brut 18 + (

)

Chigny-Les-Roses, Champagne, France: 12%; $80 [ standard champagne cork; cepage varies round PM 60, PN 20%, Ch 20, all premier cru grapes, average vine age 50 years; full MLF; 4 years en tirage; may still all be hand-riddled; dosage 8 g/L; waffly website, Kermit Lynch much better, more information in Stelzer; www.champagne-jlassalle.com ]
Lemon straw, the second freshest. On the bouquet of this wine immediately you can see the softer faintly strawberry (best side) perfume of pinot meunier, contrasting vividly with the more aromatic hints of red fruits in the Mathieu Millésime. Yet both wines have such exemplary baguette autolysis, in another sense you can hardly tell them apart. Palate is notably softer, partly meunier, partly an infusion of brioche-like flavours from the autolysis, partly the higher dosage than the Mathieu, 8 – 9 g/L maybe. This is gorgeous too. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 10/15

2005 Ch Latour a Pomerol 18 + (

)

Pomerol, Bordeaux, France: 13%; $149 [ cork 50mm, Me 90%, CF 10; vines average 6,500 / ha; time in barrel c.20 months, 33% new; 2500 cases; skimpy website; www.moueix.com ]
Ruby, garnet and velvet, the second lightest wine. At the tasting this was too TCA-affected to come to grips with. After 24 hours of my 'often-works TCA-dissipating treatment' (pour wine onto a sheet of 'gladwrap' in a basin-shaped glass vessel, no cover, stir every couple of hours) it revealed a lovely fragrant merlot-led wine, with sensuous dark plummy fruit and subtle oak. Palate is medium-rich, smooth and round. I suspect it would have been more floral and fresher than the Trotanoy, in a good bottle, but the above treatment does flatten the wine somewhat. Score has to be an estimate, to at least put the wine in context. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 11/15

nv Champagne Lechere Premier Cru Venice Simplon Orient-Express Cuvée Spéciale Brut 18 + (

)

Avize, Champagne, France: 12.5%; $ – [ traditional compound champagne cork; bought at the same time as the 1980 Lechere. This wine was famous at that time, since in 1982, Champagne Lechere won a competition amongst 49 major wineries to be the 'House Champagne' on the legendary luxury train, Orient Express. It was Lechere's Tete de Cuvée, a Blanc de Blancs, 60% grands crus Oger and le-Mesnil-Sur-Oger, 10% grand cru from Avize, 30% premiers crus from the Vertus district. No making details known, but MLF assumed, and the complexity of the wine suggested trace oak. No reviews found, and no valuations on wine-searcher, presumably because non-vintage. The Lechere label appears to have lapsed ]
Full straw and light tan, the deepest-coloured wine. Bouquet however is not the oldest or most biscuitty in the set, by far, instead showing rich fruit with clear Vogel's Multigrain and cashew autolysis plus lovely depth, almost a suggestion of fruit cake, the wine nearly smelling 'succulent' in its richness. Palate shows a great depth of oatmeal and cashew autolysis on a remarkably rich chardonnay base, as rich or richer than the 1982 Bollinger but less aromatic. A wine at full maturity, fresher than the 1976 Bollinger RD, I loved it, but only fair to say it was a bit old for some tasters. And like the Bollinger but less so, you suspect a touch of oak in the wine, newer here than in the Bollinger. Dosage is more with the sweeter wines in the bracket, maybe 9 – 10 g/l. It seems there are not many bottles of this left in the world now. In the middle, by the group ranking. GK 05/16

2003 Ch Leoville-Barton 18 + (

)

St Julien Second Growth, Bordeaux, France: 13%; $90 [ cork; CS 72%, Me 20, CF 8, planted to 9000 vines / ha, average vine age 30 years; 2 – 3 weeks cuvaison in wood; 20 months in French oak 50% new; Parker: ... formidably powerful, a promising nose of creme de cassis, smoke, liquorice and perhaps even truffle. It is layered and rich ... 95; Robinson: ... not much nose ... lots of very ripe merlot ... could do with a bit more structure ... not the usual magic. 16.5; website scarcely functional as yet; www.leoville-barton.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. This is classical Bordeaux, a little old-fashioned maybe (brett was mentioned), but showing a lot of style. It is more obviously a hot year wine than the Montrose, the cassis and plum slightly raisiny / over-ripe / sur-maturité, but the oak though noticeable at this stage, is not charry. It will become cedary with age. Just a slight worry the oak may outlive the fruit, so maybe cellar 10 – 25 years only. GK 10/06

2004 Ch Leoville-Barton 18 + (

)

St Julien Second Growth, Bordeaux, France: 13%; $128 [ cork; vineyard cepage CS 72%, Me 20, CF 8, average age 30 – 35 years, planted @ 9 000 vines / ha, and cropped @ c. 2.5 t/ac; www.leoville-barton.com ]
Ruby and velvet, in the middle for weight. Bouquet is classic cabernet claret, clear cassis, cedary oak, a little brett, trace VA, good volume. Palate is classic too, fairly rich though a little leaner than the top three wines, attractive and complex near-velvety flavours with the promise of cigar box complexity to come. Cellar 5 – 15 years, maybe longer. GK 12/07

1979 Ch Margaux 18 + (

)

Margaux First Growth, Bordeaux, France: – %; $696 [ cork, 53mm; cepage then approx. CS 50%, Me 35, CF 10, PV 5 planted at 10,000 vines / ha; from the start of the Mentzelopoulos era in 1977, Prof Emile Peynaud was appointed as consultant; cuvaison in oak vats; 18 – 24 months in barrel, not clear when 100% new oak adopted, depending on the vintage; Broadbent, 2002: a dozen notes from the autumn of 1981, fragrance frequently reiterated. Also flavoury, but the raw '79 tannin hard to get away from: ***; R. Parker, 1993: This is a classic Margaux in the sense of its elegance and fragrance. A perfumed bouquet of blackcurrants, minerals, flowers, and smoky oak is persistent. This medium-bodied, rich, elegant wine is one of the less powerful examples of the Mentzelopoulos/Pontallier regime, but it is still concentrated and deep. Fully mature, it is delicious to drink and should continue to evolve gracefully for another 15-20 years: 92; Coates, 2002: Quite oaky, certainly concentrated, and almost a little dense on the nose. But very good ripe, rich fruit underneath. Full-bodied, rich, classy, vigorous and opulent. This is certainly a very lovely example. Excellent fruit. Still with bags of life ahead of it. Fine grip. Lovely finish. Complex and classy. Very fine indeed: 19; www.chateau-margaux.com ]
Ruby and garnet, one of the fresher wines, and the third deepest colour. Right from opening this wine was wonderfully aromatic and nearly floral (still), berry-rich with clear browning cassis and dark tobacco, all shaped by fragrant cedary oak. Flavours in mouth are clearly sweeter, riper, and richer than the other Bordeaux wines, and the least old too, lovely fruit lingering on the tongue. There are no obvious stalks in this wine, just attractive, fragrant, rounded and mature claret flavours. And unlike the 2016 Bordeaux of the previous night, the wine smells of berries and cedary oak, not artefact. Fully late-mature in 2019, in a cool climate cellar, so best enjoyed now while still at or near its recent peak. The wine’s intrinsic merits did not shine through to the group, however, two-only second places. It is hard to taste for dry extract in older wines, but this is clearly the richest wine in the set. GK 08/19

1983 Ch Margaux 18 + (

)

Margaux First Growth, Bordeaux, France: – %; $1,396 [ NB: 1983; cork 53 mm, ullage 23 mm; original price c.$210; cepage then approx. CS 75, Me 20, CF 5, planted at 10,000 vines / ha, average age of vines c.30 years, cropped at c.45 hl/ha (5.85 t/ha = 2.4 t/ac); typically 22 – 28 months in barrel, % new then probably already 100%, given the new ownership in 1977, with Emile Peynaud as consultant; Parker in 1991, on the wine in general: The style of the rejuvenated wine at Margaux is one of opulent richness, a deep, multidimensional bouquet with a fragrance of ripe blackcurrants, spicy vanillin oakiness, and violets. The wine is now considerably fuller in color, richness, body and tannin ...; Broadbent, 2002: I referred to the '83 as feminine and the '82 as masculine, the latter having more power and less elegance ... and ... the wine of the vintage. Could it be just a coincidence that this was the much-admired Paul Pontallier's first vintage at Margaux? ... the unbeatable Margaux fragrance soaring out of the glass, sweet, soft and rich. It fills the mouth with flavour, and seems to last forever, *****; Parker, 1991: The Cabernet Sauvignon grapes achieved perfect maturity in 1983, and the result is an astonishingly rich, concentrated, atypically powerful and tannic Margaux. ... the aromas exude ripe cassis fruit, violets and vanillin oakiness, and the flavours are extremely deep and long on the palate with a clean, incredibly long finish. This will certainly be a monumental wine, 96; no Parker 2000 report (since not an '82), though worryingly, in 2002 he reports many TCA-affected bottles of the 1983: Parker 2002: ... reached full maturity far faster than I would have guessed ... a gorgeous nose of smoked herbs, damp earth, mushrooms and sweet creme de cassis intermixed with vanilla and violets. The wine is medium to full-bodied, deep, rich, and powerful, with sweet tannins and loads of fruit concentration, 96?; likewise no W. Kelley 2022 review, so Jane Anson, 2018: Gorgeous as ever, even if the 1982 is standing up a little more strongly today. This is still full of tannins, rich and textured fruit and lilting freshness, fragrant, concentrated and generous, 98; Ch Margaux website, last tasted October, 2018: Today, the 1983 is certainly one of the most classic Château Margaux of the last forty years; weight bottle and closure 549 g; www.chateau-margaux.com ]
Ruby and garnet, the deepest colour in weight, and the reddest in hue. An element of disappointment here. At the time of decanting, sampling and sequencing of the wines, this one seemed pure but reserved, hard to assess, just needing air to unfurl. But by the time of the tasting, three hours and 24 km distant, this blossoming failed to occur. Instead a shadow of doubt arose. Conferring quietly with Phil Brodie, the Te Mata winemaker who came down to Wellington for this tasting, we felt the wine was 'scalped' / diminished by subliminal TCA, but not clearly enough to be worth mentioning. Even so, one could still detect cassis-like berry, and exquisite oak on bouquet, but no florals or complexity. Palate emphasised the tannin side of blackcurrants, rich fruit, beautiful oak, but not singing. In the outcome, three tasters ranked it their top wine, and two their second favourite. Once revealed, several more-experienced tasters commented there has been a consistent track record of far too many TCA-affected bottles of 1983 Ch Margaux. Frustrating, because you can see the wonderful building blocks in the wine, but the subtlety and magic vanished. Many years left … for good bottles. GK 11/23

2006 Quinta do Monte d'Oiro [ Syrah ] Reserva 18 + (

)

Estremadura, Portugal: 14%; $64 [ cork; price is simple conversion from US$45; Sy 94%, Vi 6%, hand-harvested and sorted at 1.25 t./ac, all de-stemmed; Jurassic limestones in 675 mm rainfall zone; 10 days cuvaison; 18 months in all-French oak 30% new; Chapoutier consult to Monte d'Oiro; WA / Squires, 2010: ...character and complexity, showing some Syrah-ish gamey notes, and possessing a bright, succulent finish. It remains lush and velvety ... 91; http://www.quintadomontedoiro.com/fichatecnica_reserva.pdf ]
Ruby and velvet, older than some, about halfway in depth. Bouquet is immediately that of syrah in a warmer climate than the top wines, the wine showing a soft richness of fruit predominantly in the bottled dark plums phase. There are suggestions of sultry dark florals too, so it's still a lot cooler in style than syrah taken through to the boysenberry shiraz norms of Australia. Rod Easthope, maker of Craggy Range Le Sol, accurately picked up the viognier in this wine, at the blind stage – impressive. Palate is a little more acid than some, and tasting added, which aggravates the high tannins at this stage, so the wine isn't as charming right now – more like Le Sol, but for slightly different reasons. It is however completely clean, and will cellar well and mellow into one of the better wines of this tasting. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 01/10

1975 Ch Montrose 18 + (

)

St Estephe, Bordeaux, France: – %; $182 [ cork 54mm; CS 65%, Me 25, CF 10; as always (if possible), must have my touchstone chateau in the set; Robinson, 2005: This was very impressive – although note the suggested drinking bracket, 2008 - 2018. This is a very long haul wine, but definitely one of the more successful candidates from this extremely tannic vintage. The wine looks fully mature and has a thoroughly exciting complex nose with just the right amount of lift. Lots of richness on the nose and great extract but very dry, dense chewy tannins – still! But the fruit density suggests this will make a great drink – eventually, 18; Coates, 1995: medium-full colour, mature. Somewhat austere and charmless on the nose. Typically full, muscular and tannic. Then there is reasonable grip and richness underneath, so the finish is not astringent. But not really much class or generosity, 15; Parker, 1996: Still backward, although the color is beginning to exhibit amber/rust at the edge, this large-scaled, muscular, charmless Montrose is structured enough to be admired, but I wonder if there is enough fruit to hold for another 10 years? Full-bodied, with earthy, dusty, red and black fruit aromas, this tannic, behemoth needs another 2-3 years of cellaring. The jury is still out on this one, 87; www.chateau-montrose.com ]
Ruby and garnet, slightly redder than the Las Cases, but below midway in depth. Bouquet on this wine right from decanting was quite beautiful, an amalgam of fragrant berry with nearly floral notes in a browning way, great purity, the berry slightly dominant relative to the Las Cases. Taste confirmed the less apparent oak than the Las Cases, but it is slightly smaller wine. The balance of fruit to oak is perfection: there is a delicacy and balance to this wine which in one sense eclipses the Las Cases … yet because it is smaller there is a reluctance to score it as highly. Saint-Estephe is so often patronised by wine snobs, but here is real beauty of a rare quality. At a (late) peak, exquisite, but unwise to hold the wine much longer. Top wine for one. GK 03/15

2004 Ch Mouton-Rothschild 18 + (

)

Pauillac, Bordeaux, France: 12.5%; $701 [ cork 50mm; cepage this year CS 73%, Me 14, CF 11, PV 2 according to J. Robinson; 19 – 22 months in oak, usually 100% new; R. Parker, 2014: delicious notes of cedarwood, Christmas fruitcake, blackcurrants and toast, 90; www.chateau-mouton-rothschild.com ]
The deepest colour of all 13 wines, by far, and one of the youngest. But one sniff of the bouquet, and there is this huge bombastic overstatement about new oak and depth of char of the oak ... which is both distracting and tiresome ... but when you go back and check, there is pretty stunning fruit to back it up. In mouth the richness is astonishing, so to a degree you have to eat your words about the bouquet. The quality of the cabernet-led cassisy berryfruit is sensational, with perfect ripeness and great length. And in contrast with the style of a typical Penfolds Bin 707, which at first thought is the equivalent loud statement about cabernet from Australia, the oak here is so much softer and more beguiling on the Mouton palate. But even so, it needs years for the oak to harmonise, when tasted alongside the absolute beauty right now of the 2003 Calon-Segur. All in all, a remarkable wine, when one reflects this is a less-favoured year. Cellar 30 – 50 years. GK 02/16

2001 Ch de Myrat 18 + (

)

Barsac, Sauternes AOC, Bordeaux, France: 14%; $70 [ cork; price / 750 ml, EP $62; Se 86%, SB 10, Mu 4; 24 months in barrel 30% new; Wine Spectator 2004: very ripe, sweet and sour limes, lemon and maple syrup. Full-bodied, sweet and tangy, very well done. 93; Parker 140 (in 2002): 84 – 86 ]
Full gold, one of the deepest three. Bouquet is immediately raisiny ripe, slightly over-evaporated marmalade, oaky, creme brulee and VA, all blending into a classic rich ripe sauternes bolder than the top two. Palate has a great flavour, lots of dried apricots and botrytis, and really aromatic on the new oak. In some ways this is the loveliest flavour of the set, but in the aftertaste the VA is higher than most of the others, roughing up the back of the throat a little. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 04/06

2010 Ch Paveil de Luze 18 + (

)

Margaux Cru Bourgeois, Bordeaux, France: 14%; $46 [ cork 49mm; CS 65%, Me 30; CF 5; c.12 months (depending on vintage) in French oak, 30% new; www.chateaupaveildeluze.com ]
Ruby and velvet, some age showing. Bouquet is harmonious and beautifully complex smallish bordeaux, with an integration of florality, berry and oak which is delightful. It smells as if it is cabernet sauvignon and merlot, with an attractive cassisy lift in the fruit. It opens up in the glass to show the exact amalgam of ripe berry, brown tobacco and cedar which characterises elegant Bordeaux, yet the wine is not heavy. Palate weight and style are delightful, not as 'serious' as the 2009 Clerc Milon, but not so oaky either, and therefore much more food-friendly. This is model cru bourgeois such as Te Kahu is aiming at, making a marvellous comparison. Often it is hard to agree with winery enthusiasms on their websites, but the chateau says: 'The first vintage produced with our talented consultant, Stephane Derenoncourt. A new standard has been achieved', and I can only agree. This 2010 is of Fifth Growth quality. The ripeness is definitive, better than 2013 Coleraine, but in the glass the whole wine does not seem quite so 'sophisticated' / complex as Coleraine. Great value, a Peter Maude (Auckland) wine. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 03/15

2003 Ch Pavie 18 + (

)

St Emilion Premier Grand Cru, Bordeaux, France: 14%; $370 [ cork; Me 60%, CF 30, CS 10; average age vines 40 + years; cuvaison up to 5 weeks, 18 – 22 months in new oak; Advocate 98, Spectator 96; www.chateaupavie.com ]
Ruby and velvet, rich alongside the Lynch-Bages, but not unduly deep, above midway. Bouquet is old-world, ripe and rich and a hint of brett, with deep plummy fruit which is lifted by trace VA, but not so over-ripe as to lose some floral depths and Bordeaux typicity. Palate is not quite so rewarding at this stage, the alcohol showing now, the berry including some blackberry sur maturité on the dark plum – a step towards the Caymus. But in contrast to that wine, it tastes like Bordeaux, in an unsubtle over-ripe way, with dark tobacco complexities, potentially cedary oak (though with some trendy chocolate component too), and good length. As a first taste of this vintage of Pavie, it does not seem at all as deviant or contentious as the Parker / Robinson debate suggested. Cellar 5 – 20 + years, for it is rich. GK 11/06

1978 Ch Pichon Lalande 18 + (

)

Pauillac Second Growth, Bordeaux, France: – %; $336 [ cork; cepage then approx. CS 50%, Me 35, PV 8, CF 7, planted at 9,000 vines / ha; 18 – 20 months in barrel, 50% new; Wine Spectator vintage rating for the year, 87, Structured, fleshy and complex; Broadbent, 2002: [ initially] a good, rich, fruity, spicy wine. [ later ] Like almost all the 1978s, now failing to a certain extent, to live up to expectations … cedary; correct; sweet mid-palate, but not rich or convincing enough … At best, ****; Coates, 2000: very lovely nose. Splendid succulent fruit. Good weight and grip. Still fresh. Fullish body. Very classy fruit. Excellent structure. Rich. Very elegant. Very long. Very intense. Very fine, 19; R. Parker, 1997: An excellent 1978 (one of the top wines of the vintage), Pichon-Lalande's offering displays an aromatic profile consisting of roasted herbs, chocolate, cedar, tobacco, and ripe curranty fruit. Medium-bodied, with low acidity, some tannin, and a round, attractive personality, this wine has reached its plateau of maturity, where it should remain for another decade. Anticipated maturity: Now-2007, 92; website not functional at time of writing; www.pichon-lalande.com ]
Ruby and garnet, close in hue to the Las Cases but less rich, just above midway in depth. The volume of bouquet nearly matches Las Cases and Latour, clearly one of the top three bordeaux sensu stricto in the tasting, very fragrant. On very close examination, you wonder if there is slightly more tobacco, and less cassis-related aromas, with oak similar to the Las Cases. Flavour is rich but slightly fresher than the top wines, just a hint of less-than-perfect ripeness in the grapes, not quite so cassisy, but it would be mean-spirited to say that it is stalky. It epitomises what is now called ‘the classic claret style’ – which to many people now means under-ripe, but to others, simply refreshing. Four people rated Ch Pichon-Lalande the top wine of the evening. It is now fully mature, but should hold this form for some years. GK 10/18

1978 Ch Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande 18 + (

)

Pauillac Second Growth, Bordeaux, France: – %; $ – [ cork 52mm; then was CS 45%, Me 35, CF 12, PV 8; time in barrel 18 – 24 months; later 50% new oak; Parker felt that Pichon-Lalande was very successful in this era, the wines supple, fruity and smooth; for the 1978 he says: among the deepest and richest wines produced at the chateau in the seventies … telltale vanillin, spicy, blackcurrant, cedar scents … deep velvety texture 93; no entry in Robinson, Tanzer, Wine Spectator; www.pichon-lalande.com ]
Good ruby, some garnet, surprising depth, the third deepest of the 12. This wine is a little different, there being a great volume of bouquet, and a richness of mature fruit in cedary oak which almost shares something with the Vieux-Telegraphe. The difference is, the volume of bouquet here is three times as great, browning cassis, slightly leathery cedar, dark tobacco. Palate does not follow on quite so perfectly, as for all these Bordeaux bar the Margaux, in mouth there is the reminder the vintage was good but not great, just a hint of stalk and acid, but in an impressive volume of browning berry. It is a bigger wine than the other Bordeaux (Margaux excepted), and will hold this general impression for another few years. It did not appeal as much to the group as I had hoped. GK 04/14

2001 Ch Rabaud-Promis 18 + (

)

Sauternes / Bommes Premier Cru, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $ – [ 49mm cork; Se 80%, SB 18; Mu 2; average age of vines 40 years, planted at 6,600 vines / ha, average yield just under 2.5 t/ha = 1 t/ac; fermentation not specified, 15 months small oak, 33% new; average production around 3,000 cases; BBR: [ imply ] a lapsed estate slowly improving; Robinson: no notes; Tanzer: no notes; Parker, 2003: This is a big, sweet, honeyed Sauternes with loads of fruit, but not a great deal of complexity. Light gold-colored and full-bodied, with plenty of pineapple, honeysuckle, and marmalade notes as well as a hint of caramel, there is a lot going on in this young but promising 2001. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2020. 90 – 92; www.rabaud-promis.com ]
Colour is tending to old gold, with the de Malle one of the two clearly darker wines. This one smells a little darker even than the de Malle, dried peaches more than golden queen, a clear high-quality caramel note, all quite rich and integrated but clearly more developed. The palate is strange in a way, though darker in one sense there is almost a lightness to the wine too. Flavours include canned golden peaches, anzac biscuits, hazelnut suggestions, golden-syrup and glycerol, all really raisiny and finishing slightly tanniny. This wine too is showing quite a measure of development. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 07/14

2000 Domaine René Rostaing Cote Rotie La Landonne 18 + (

)

Cote Rotie, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $ – [ cork; Sy 100%; hand-harvested, cropping rate never exceeds 5 t/ha (2 t/ac); 24 – 26 days cuvaison, 50% or more whole-bunch; 18 months in French oak, 10% new; RP 92, ST 90 +, J.L-L 3/6 stars; www.domainerostaing.com ]
Quite fresh ruby and some velvet, in the middle for depth. Bouquet is to first impression the only totally modern wine in the set, being attractive in colour and free of faults, instead redolent of sweet wallflower aromas, a hint of violets, and clear cassis. Flavours in mouth are not quite so modern, just a trace of nutmeggy brett complexity adding the sweet and savoury notes that make these wines so good with food. At this level, the brett is academic. Fruit on palate is unaffected, the cassis and red plum flavours delightful, oak is totally in the background, and the nett impression shows great typicité. Still some cellar potential here despite the modest year, say 3 – 12 years. Lovely wine. GK 05/13

1989 Ch Rieussec 18 + (

)

Sauternes Premier Cru, Bordeaux, France: – %; $ – [ cork; Se 80%, SB 18, Muscadelle 2, planted to 7500 vines / ha, cropped @ c. 15 hL/ha (0.75 t/ac), average vine age c.30 years; BF and 26 – 32 months in French oak, more than half new; www.lafite.com ]
The lightest of the six, slightly brassy pale gold. Bouquet is understated in the company, seemingly a high semillon wine [ yes, 80% ], an attractive floral and riesling-like suggestion like linalool, rich botrytis. Palate starts off well, again with crème brulée and peachy fruit, the new oak a little more apparent than the Coutet, but still well within bounds, VA hovering around the average threshold. The wine finishes a little more abruptly than the Coutet, oak replacing the fruit. Will hold for some years. GK 08/11

2007 Domaine Rousseau Chambertin 18 + (

)

Gevrey-Chambertin Grand Cru, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $546 [ cork; up to 22 months in 100% new French oak; Rousseau owns 2.1 ha, 16.7% of this pre-eminent vineyard; making approx 725 cases; www.domaine-rousseau.com ]
Pinot noir ruby. This is by far the oakiest of the Rousseaus, and at this stage it is interfering with varietal expression. At the moment it does not seem as fine as the oak in either The Pinnacle or Clos de Beze. On palate the same suggestion of coarseness shows through, on good cherry fruit showing both red and black ripeness levels. Fruit richness, ripeness and length of flavour is greater than the Ruchottes, so like Excelsior this wine needs putting aside for 5 – 8 years or so to harmonise. Cellar 10 – 25 years. GK 11/10

1998 Ch de Saint Cosme Gigondas 18 + (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $87 [ cork 44mm; originally around $30; Gr 80%, Syrah 15, Ci 5, average age 45 years, hand-harvested, average yield 3.75 t/ha = 1.5 t/ac; cuvaison in s/s; elevation 75% s/s, 25% in 4-years old barrels for 12 months; no fining or filtering (in general); R Parker, 1999: The wine's deep purple color is accompanied by sweet black raspberry, cherry, and berry flavors intermixed with licorice, tar, and vague peppery notes. Full-bodied and chewy, with a viscous texture, this big, husky, moderately tannic Gigondas is mouth-filling as well as ageworthy. Anticipated maturity 2002-2016: 90 – 91; weight bottle and closure: 630 g; www.saintcosme.com ]
Ruby, garnet and and velvet, a little older than some, below midway in depth. Bouquet is really exciting on this wine, showing a dianthus / wallflower lift from the syrah blending component which is wonderful. Below that are the red fruits of grenache, as for all the wines browning now, and great varietal purity, scarcely affected by oak. Little or no brett. Palate continues the syrah excitement, you can taste it in the grenache, which is quite an achievement in a hotter year such as 1998. The syrah component must have been picked relatively early, to retain such dianthus florals – wonderful. In mouth the whole wine has the complexity of flavour from blending varieties that Les Cailloux shows, relative to for example the single-variety des Tours, but it is not quite so concentrated. Classic Gigondas which appealed to the group, being the third most-favoured wine. Beautifully mature now, but still some cellar potential 3 – 8 years. GK 08/16

2016 Domaine Saint-Damien Cotes du Rhone La Bouveau 18 + (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $27 [ cork, 46 mm; certified organic wine; Sy 80 – 85%, Gr & Ci c.15, sometimes some Vi; extended cuvaison to 42 days; elevation 6 months in concrete; not fined or filtered; production usually just under 1,000 x 9-litre cases; weight bottle and cork 461 g; the website given is so far just a holding page: some information elsewhere on the web; www.domainesaintdamien.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, the fourth deepest wine. Bouquet is one of the deeper ones too, not quite the lift of garrigue and florality, smelling more of darker fruits, mourvedre and syrah. In flavour the saturation of dark fruits on the tongue is amazing, the wine velvety and nearly aromatic, with this weight and richness, but not heavyness, that characterises the 2016s. The label doesn't admit to any mourvedre [ later, nor J.L-L ], but it smells and tastes as if there is some, the tannin structure being velvety, rich and long-flavoured. It is fractionally more exciting than the Soumade Rasteau, and shows incredible depth and complexity for Cotes du Rhone. Extraordinary value; there must be a foudre component in this wine, surely ? Not according to the website, thus making a nonsense of the conclusion just drawn from Seraphin. Cellar 5 – 15, maybe 20 years. Available from Truffle Imports, Wellington. GK 07/19

2016 Domaine Saint Préfert Chateauneuf-du-Pape Tradition 18 + (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $75 [ cork, 50 mm; a vineyard under this name has existed since the 1920s. In 2002 the estate was bought by Isabel Ferrando, who immediately enlisted the advice of Rhone Valley consultant Philippe Cambie. Cepage this wine Gr 85%, Mv, Sy and Ci each 5%; no info on cuvaison, elevation the grenache 10 months in concrete vat; some of the the Sy and Mv in 600s, the concrete elevation contrasting with the oak-matured Favier wine; not fined or filtered; J.L-L, 2017: (vat sample) The bouquet is thick with mulled black berries, blueberries, prune, notes of laurel adding a lighter touch. The palate is full, potentially expressive, holds elegant, rich matter backed by well ripened tannins ... This is genuine, tasty, natural Châteauneuf with no forcing in its style, to 2041, ****; JC@RP, 2018: "I believe in using stems," Ferrando said. "It gives a sensation of freshness and menthol." Loaded with scents of roses and exotic spices, the 2016 Chateauneuf du Pape is a super entry-level effort. It's 85% Grenache ... the balance Cinsault, Mourvèdre and Syrah .... Full-bodied, velvety and long, it delivers opulent black raspberry fruit framed by silky tannins, to 2030, 94; production up to 2,750 x 9-litre cases; weight bottle and cork 616 g; one of the Worth Cellaring set; www.st-prefert.com ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, a little above midway in depth. This wine benefits greatly from a splashy decanting, to reveal both savoury and floral nearly lavender garrigue complexities, plus grenache cinnamon and spice, on fragrant red fruits more than black. You can't help thinking the given alcohol is more politically correct than factually stated, though. Flavour is in one sense among the light and refreshing wines in this group, good lift and zing on the palate. Even though only the mourvedre and maybe the syrah has been in 600s, the oak is attractively present, in a delicate way. As one of the more affordable Chateauneuf-du-Papes, and not as concentrated as some, this wine should give much pleasure. Not a standout wine in the group tasting, no votes for any aspect, but quietly satisfying. Cellar 5 – 15, maybe 20 years. Available from Wine Direct and their distribution channels (eg Regional Wines). GK 07/19

2003 Domaines Schlumberger Gewurztraminer les Princes Abbés 18 + (

)

Guebwiller, Alsace, France: 13.5%; $33 [ cork; the commercial label les Princes Abbés is young vines from various domaine-owned vineyards, including grands crus; fermentation in temperature-controlled wooden vessels several months, plus 6 – 8 months on lees; RS 18.4 g/L; www.domaines-schlumberger.com ]
Pale lemonstraw. This is a milder rendering of gewurztraminer, with less lychee and citronella, and more white nectarine and freesia florals, all spiced just a little. Palate is more clearly gewurz, some root ginger spice, but all less-developed and slightly sweeter than the Schoffit – a gewurztraminer for people who do not really like gewurz. The long aftertaste does bring out a little more varietal character and flavour. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 08/06

2002 Louis Sipp Pinot Gris Kirchberg de Ribeauville 18 + (

)

Alsace Grand Cru, France: 13.5%; $49 [ cork; the serious wines have around a year on lees in old oak foudres; noteworthy (relative to New Zealand achievements with the variety) the website mentions that grand cru pinot gris can be cellared for 15 – 20 years; www.sipp.com ]
Lemonstraw, also a wash of gold. The precise varietal character of pinot gris is more apparent on this wine, since there is less botrytis and other luscious complexities. The floral notes span primroses through to yellow honeysuckle, with pale stone fruits below. Palate is fairly rich but fully mature, the fruit shortening a little, allowing the phenolic components to peep through. Aftertaste is long on the stonefruits, and nearly 'dry'. Cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 04/08

2003 Ch Smith Haut Lafitte 18 + (

)

Graves-Pessac-Leognan, Bordeaux, France: 13%; $77 [ cork; CS 55, Me 35, CF 10, planted at 7500 – 10 000 vines / ha, cropped at c. 32 hL/ha (1.7 t/ac), average age 30 years; Parker: ... a sweet bouquet of creme de cassis, smoked herbs, lead pencil, and subtle wood ... medium to full-bodied, low acidity, opulent ... 92; Robinson: ... lively tealeaf aromas ... easy ...no signs of overripeness ... slightly dry tannins at the finish. 17; www.smith-haut-lafitte.com ]
Ruby, a little velvet. Bouquet needs a little air to open up, then moves into the international coffee and chocolate class, and initial impressions are ho-hum as a consequence. In mouth there is fine cassis and plummy fruit, not quite as rich as the Cos but the tannins gentler, the balance impeccable. One won't have to wait so long for this. Finish is back to the chocolate of the bouquet, but berryfruit flavours persist well too. This should become very more-ish. Cellar 10 – 30 years. GK 08/06

1969 Chateau Tahbilk Shiraz 18 + (

)

Nagambie Lakes, Victoria, Australia: – %; $ – [ cork, 45mm; ullage just below base neck; there were two standard reds at the time, Tahbilk Cabernet, and Tahbilk Shiraz. Some years it was hard to tell them apart, but other years the shiraz was the lighter in colour of the two. The charm of the wines at the time (in the better vintages) was their freshness, and the fragrance of the grapes, with little or no new oak. In favourable years Reserve wines were made, either cabernet or shiraz, sometimes both, the Reserve Shiraz often being based on the ‘old’ vine material. This was well before the wine from the 1860 shiraz vines was bottled separately. Halliday in 1985 comments: The red-winemaking, however, continues to be made along deliberately traditional lines. The ferments still take place in 100-year-old open oak vats … and the wine is matured in 2250 litre oak vats in the below-ground section of the original cellars. No info on this exact wine: my recollection is this was a light and fragrant wine even at release, as were the 1970s, both very different from the substantial 1971s. ]
Garnet and ruby, the second to lightest wine. The bouquet of this wine is light but astonishing for its purity, its elegance, the faintest flowering mint, and ghostly berry, more like a 50-year-old Cote de Nuits wine than 1960s Australian shiraz. The joy of the bouquet apart from its exquisite purity, is virtually no oak, yet undoubtedly it would not be a fraction so enchanting had it not been in big wood. The wine totally comes to life in mouth, beautiful oaking, aromatic berry and red fruit still astonishingly fresh, and amazing length for a wine so light in hue. In one sense it is hard to imagine how this could be better (and it is astonishingly Northern Rhone in style, age for age), but it is true to say only an experienced wine person would tease out its attributes today, so perhaps just a little more on bouquet would make it gold medal level. One of the four most popular wines, two first places, and four second, and importantly, no leasts. Tasters accurately identified this as shiraz. Totally mature to fading now, when cellared in a cool climate. A replacement bottle for the TCA-affected 1969 Orlando Barossa Cabernet (which otherwise would have rated well). Ullage base of cork to top of wine, 33 mm. GK 04/19

2005 Ch Tertre Roteboeuf 18 + (

)

Saint-Emilion, Bordeaux, France: 14%; $479 [ cork 50mm, Me 80%, CF 20, vines average 6,500 / ha, low cropping c. 4.3 t/ha = 1.75 t/ac; time in barrel c.18 months, 100% new; c.2,000 cases; strange website, merely a contact point; www.tertre-roteboeuf.com ]
Ruby, garnet and velvet, deep and dense, the second deepest. What a sense of anticipation attended this wine, having read about this evocative name for many years, but never encountering it. But being a blind tasting, one was not to know. One sniff and you ask, who slipped in a Penfolds wine … It is very oaky indeed in that ultra-sophisticated way Penfolds achieve in their best bottles. Behind the fragrant oak is big, leathery, very ripe plummy fruit browning now, too ripe for florals I suspect, but it is hard to tell with the new world level of oaking. Initially I had this quite low in my ranking, but the more you tasted it, the richer and more impressive it seems, with brambly and plummy fruit (plus oak) running out to all corners of the mouth. So it ends up an obvious wine, obvious to a fault even, but one that has to be rewarded for its richness and strength of character. Tending new world, though. Cellar 10 – 30 years. GK 11/15

2010 Ch Thivin Cote de Brouilly Clos Bertrand 18 + (

)

Brouilly, Beaujolais, France: 12.5%; $33 [ cork; gamay grown mostly on andesite, Cote de Brouilly the upper slopes, hand-picked; mostly maceration carbonique fermentation 8 – 12 days initially in concrete, then big old wood, elevation in 600-litre old barrels c. 6 months; www.chateau-thivin.com ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, exactly midway. This is absolutely conventional best beaujolais as usually understood, perfect gamay florality, cherryfruit and freshness in a big volume of aroma. In mouth, it has the freshness more typical of most better years of beaujolais, not quite the perfect ripeness of the top three, but you couldn't say any hint of leaf. Just noticeably fresher, though. Cellar several years, 2 – 6. No oak apparent at all here. GK 09/12

2008 [ Villa Maria ] Thornbury Riesling Waipara 18 + (

)

Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 12%; $20 [ screwcap; s/s cool-fermented, some lees contact; a Villa Maria group wine; pH 3.3, RS 8 g/L; www.thornburywines.co.nz ]
Lemongreen. This is good riesling which could be marked at a gold-medal level, except that on this occasion it came up against several even more beautiful wines. The Thornbury therefore looked a little more straightforward. Bouquet is fragrant white flowers and holygrass, with no botrytis at all I suspect. Palate shows the characteristic lime-zest and aromatics of Australasian riesling, on good fruit probably just above the riesling ‘dry' level. It is a bolder wine than the top New Zealand examples in this bracket, and like the Framingham could easily be identified as good Australian. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 05/09

2005 Le Vieux Donjon Chateauneuf-du-Pape 18 + (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $125 [ cork, 49mm; original cost $65; Gr 75%, Sy 10, Mv 10, balance minor varieties, 75% of the vines more than 80 years old; 18 – 25 days cuvaison, 50% destemming (particularly the Mv), co-fermentation, cuvaison to 25 days; elevation c.18 months in large old wood; not fined, lightly filtered; production c.4,000 9-litre cases; moreso even than Domaine Charvin and Clos des Papes, each with their ‘Cotes du Rhone’ (or equivalent) junior wines, Vieux Donjon makes only one red Chateauneuf, one white. As with the other two, this means the buyer is getting the essence of the place; Philippe Cambie consults; J.L-L, 2008: There is good purity in the fruit, and it lengthens well. Finishes on its tannins, with extra kick that brings raisin cake notes. The purity in both the bouquet and the palate is good. A tight wine now ... On the upward path – more to offer, to 2026 – 2028, ****; JD@RP, 2015: Vieux Donjon has produced a classic Châteauneuf du Pape in 2005, and it has the focused, structured feel of the vintage, yet avoids the harsh tannin that’s found in a lot of cuvees. Exhibiting impressive notes of peppered meats, tapenade, sweet spice, iron and garrigue, with a core of sweet Grenache fruit, this beauty is medium to full-bodied, concentrated and textured on the palate, with superb overall balance. It’s enjoyable today, but will continue to evolve nicely for another decade or longer. 2015 - 2020, 93; weight bottle and cork 675 g; the website www.levieuxdonjon.fr is merely a holding page: good summary and delightful photo of Claire Fabre and Philippe Cambie @; www.chateauneuf.dk/en/cdpen58.htm ]
Ruby and velvet, just below midway in depth. In the hierarchy of tasting results, this was the first wine to suggest just a hint of old-fashioned savoury / gamey complexity in its berry-rich bouquet, but at a vanishingly low level. And there is some garrigue complexity too. Palate shows both red and darker fruits, with a lovely tannin structure from big old wood only, all finishing attractively savoury … and crying out for a rich casserole. Tasters reacted to this wine in a very interesting way, one first place, but eight second favourites. Curiously, 11 tasters thought it a near-100% grenache wine – not sure why. There is good richness, and any brett is at such a low level it seems safe to cellar the wine another 5 – 15 years. GK 07/19

2008 [ Obsidian ] Weeping Sands Syrah 18 + (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14.5%; $32 [ screwcap; Sy 100%, hand-harvested; all de-stemmed; up to 4 days cold-soak, cultured yeast, c.18 days cuvaison; MLF and 9 months in barrel 25% new French, balance older French and American; 360 cases; www.obsidian.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a lovely colour. Bouquet on this wine is so dramatically floral and cassisy, I thought violets initially, that at the blind stage I classed it with the cabernet / merlots. This florality is the kind of bouquet syrah only achieves in temperate climates, and is wonderful. Palate (once one knows the variety) is softly cassis and syrah, the oaking more restrained than most Waiheke reds, the palate a little richer than the 2009, making the wine magical as a consequence. There are some similarities to the Church Road, but the Weeping Sands wine is a size smaller. Cellar 5 – 12 years. VALUE. GK 06/10

2010 Mission Syrah Huchet 18 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.2%; $108 [ cork, 50mm; Sy 100%; hand-picked from hand-tended vines @ c.2.5 t/ha (1 t/ac); 100% de-stemmed; inoculated, no cold-soak, c.12 days ferment, total cuvaison 42 days; MLF in tank; 15 months in barrel c.33% new, no American oak; light filter, not sterile; RS < 1 g/L; production c.75 x 9-litre cases; the wine is named for Brother Cyprian Huchet, the first winemaker at The Mission, until 1899; apparently not offered for review in the main overseas media cited thus far; Michael Cooper, 2013: The 2010 is still a baby … it is powerful and highly concentrated, with blackcurrant, plum, spice and nut flavours and firm but fine-grained tannins. Savoury, dense and complex, it’s built to last; open 2015 onwards, *****; www.missionestate.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, well above midway in depth. At the tasting this wine smelt huge and burly, and ill-defined, with dark toasty oak and over-ripe fruit, plus almost a hint of coffee (negative in wine, bespeaking artefact, in my sensory lexicon). It tasted equally as big and ripe, but with a promise of velvety textures much later down the track. The following day it was much breathed-up and improved, much fresher, still too ripe for obvious cassis, but now plenty of blueberry and darkest bottled plums, and, glory be, the wine still retaining suggestions of black pepper. There is a high level of fine-grained tannins, which seem as much grape-derived as oak. It will take 20 years for this wine to reveal a more supple charm, as the 1999 Mission Syrah Jewelstone does so exactly now, but in New Zealand the chances of anybody keeping a single bottle that long are zero. Our wine community shows all the shortsightedness of youth – understandably, when you reflect how few years it is since variants on hybrid grapes such as baco and seibel dominated the red-wine landscape. This is the wine from New Zealand to show in a Californian or Washington syrah lineup, if one wanted to ‘fit in’ with their perception of wine quality. Tasters did not relate well to it on the night, no first places, one second, but six thought it Northern Rhone Valley. 2010 Huchet is an extraordinarily rich wine, to cellar 20 – 50 years. GK 11/18

2011 Chapoutier Ermitage Le Pavillon 18 (

)

Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $582 [ cork, 50mm; Sy 100%; cropping and wine-making details as in the introductory ‘Background’ section; www.chapoutier.com ]
Good vibrant ruby, some velvet. This is a softer wine on bouquet, a clear blueberry component in plummy berry, but a lot of toasty oak too. Palate is already soft and accessible, a wine more in the style that wins gold medals in frankly commercial judgings, where judges reward artefact (for example chocolate notes) rather more than berry flavours which accurately reflect the grapes the wine is made from. But the ratio of fruit to tannin is favourable, so the oak use here is sophisticated, in the sense of artful. It could be scored higher. On the day three people rated it their second favourite in the first flight. This will be a relatively early-developing wine, cellar 5 – 25 years. Wine Spectator quality rating for the vintage 92. GK 10/18

2000 Chapoutier Ermitage Le Pavillon 18 (

)

Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $616 [ cork, 49mm; Sy 100%; cropping and wine-making details as in the introductory ‘Background’ section; www.chapoutier.com ]
Good ruby and some velvet, younger than the 2001, just in the top quarter for depth. This is one of the wines in the tasting to improve dramatically with air. Initially, cooperage-related chestnutty factors were prominent. Later the still-oaky but dark bottled plums and a hint of blueberry nearly dominated. With a little maturity now, this wine epitomises the Chapoutier style, too much winemaker artefact, irrespective of the quality of the fruit. Palate shows good fruit richness and furry oak tannins, all embarking on its plateau of maturity. This wine passed without notice on the day, probably for the reason given. It was much better 24 hours later. Cellar 5 – 15 years. Wine Spectator quality rating for the vintage 88. GK 10/18

2002 Te Mata Chardonnay Elston 18 (

)

Havelock North district mostly, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $ – [ cork; hand-harvested; 100% BF, MLF, LA and c. 9 months in French oak; < 2 g/L residual; www.temata.co.nz ]
Lemonstraw, attractive. First sniff is a little muted alongside the 2007 and 2000 Elston, just a faint French-style sulphur-related note taking the bloom off an otherwise attractive chardonnay / stonefruit bouquet. Once in mouth, any doubts are dispelled, the stonefruit broadening out to golden queen peach with mealy and oaky complexities. The wine is fully developed, with spreading fruit still juicy on palate, and buttered muffin (+ve) flavours. In other company, this would be a gold-medal wine, but here it is up against tough sibling competition. Time to finish up, in the next 1 – 2 years. GK 03/08

2006 Escarpment Pinot Noir 18 (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.8%; $45 [ supercritical cork; hand-picked; fermented in French oak cuves; 11 months in French oak 30% new; dry extract 30.2 g/L, RS < 1 g/L; www.escarpment.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, quite deep for pinot noir. Bouquet is immediately black cherry varietal, deep, darkly floral and slightly mysterious, a whisper of savoury complexity adding vinosity. Palate has exact pinot noir crunchy texture, dark cherry flavours, great saturation and depth as befits achieving a dry extract of 30 g/L, but some tannin to lose at this stage. We must all celebrate whenever a New Zealand red surpasses the magic goal of a dry extract at this figure. I suspect in 18 months this will be more sweetly-fruited, and scoring higher. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 10/07

2007 Craggy Range Sauvignon Blanc Yacht Club 18 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $25 [ screwcap; machine-harvested @ 3 t/ac; all de-stemmed, fermented with cultured yeast in s/s 100%; 2 months LA; pH 3.3, RS 2 g/L; www.craggyrange.com ]
Palest lemongreen, lacking as yet. Bouquet is in the same style as the Te Muna Sauvignon, but not quite so complex, as if the whole wine were a notch riper, with consequent partial loss of the complexing aromatics which make the Te Muna example so superb. Palate clarifies the wine is in fact sauvignon blanc, but the phenolics are a little more apparent, probably because the residual sugar is lower. In mouth this is essence of Marlborough sauvignon, but very dry. Craggy are taking a gamble in making several of their Marlborough sauvignons so European-dry in finish, when the local market is habituated to New Zealand 'dry' equals 4 grams per litre. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 10/07

2005 Esk Valley Syrah Black Label 18 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $33 [ screwcap; Sy 100% hand-harvested; de-stemmed, MLF and 18 months in barrel; www.eskvalley.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, not as deep as the Corbans. This is another syrah with beautiful florals, dianthus and dusky red roses, yet also hinting at boronia, so in a blind tasting, on bouquet one wonders about a dark pinot noir. But in mouth the cassis and black peppercorn come out, giving a very long crisp flavour to the berry, not pinot at all. If wines with trace brett don't appeal, this is the one to choose relative to the Red Rocks, for it is very pure, though fractionally lighter. There is a little oak and acid still to marry up, but this is going to end up remarkably St Joseph-like syrah. It is not as weighty as the Corbans, but it is more fragrant. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 10/07

2006 Stone Paddock Semillon Late-Harvest Isabella 18 (

)

Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12%; $23 [ screwcap; hand-harvested; no detail on website as to fermentation vessels, maturation, or RS; www.stonepaddock.com ]
Gold, forward for its age. Bouquet is rich, sweet and clearly in the sauternes style, with no hint of under-ripe or leafy fruit. Being as developed as it is, there are already some creme brulée qualities, and light VA - positive here as it freshens the wine. Palate is very rich, lots of golden queen peach-like fruit, the acid tending jangly as if added, some oak influence. This should look attractive in another year, though that acid may fight with some desserts. Cellar 2 – 5 years, maybe longer. GK 10/07

2005 Craggy Range Pinot Noir Te Muna 18 (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 14.5%; $ – [ cork; hand-picked @ c. 0.75 t/ac; 100% de-stemmed, fermented in French oak cuves with wild yeast; 9 months on lees in French oak 45% new; RS nil; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet. Either this wine is transformed from when I last saw it, or the previous bottle was scalped / cork-affected in a non-obvious way. Bouquet is now explicitly floral, dark warm red roses and boronia, a soft beguiling blackboy peach and dark cherry fruit, all made deliciously aromatic by subtle cedary oak. Palate is very sweetly fruited, rich, long, not quite as black cherry as the Escarpment 06, and a little more fleshy, but still exciting wine. A preview of the 2007 Te Muna Pinot Noir suggests it will be between this 2005 and the 2006 in character. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 10/07

2004 Martinborough Vineyard Chardonnay 18 (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 14%; $35 [ cork; hand-picked; six clones; BF mostly wild yeast, LA and batonnage, and MLF in French oak 11 months; www.martinborough-vineyard.co.nz ]
Straw. This is a very worked and complex chardonnay, the barrel-ferment and lees-autolysis components more developed, bready and nutty than the other top wines – to the point where it could possibly be thought over-developed, with a touch of butterscotch / caramel. Palate is rich, and the integration of rich chardonnay stonefruit with mealyness and cashew flavours is terrific, giving a great mouthful of taste sensations. Oak is at a maximum though, and becomes a little obtrusive on the late finish. This is an impressively complex and rich chardonnay, all just a bit overdone. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 02/06

2005 Puriri Hills [ Merlot / Cabernets ] Reserve 18 (

)

Clevedon, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.5%; $65 [ cork; Me 40%, Carmenere 21, CF 17, Ma 12, CS 10, hand-harvested @ c. 1 t/ac; cultured yeast and cuvaison up to 28 days, the Me fraction fermented in a new cuve; 19 months in 80% new French oak; lightly fined, not filtered; www.puririhills.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, deeper than Elspeth or Brokenstone, but similarly older than some wines. This wine opens immediately in the modern idiom, darkly toasty oak influence, some dark chocolate, slightly coffee'd, also a little bretty. But there is good cassis berry richness here too, and an attractive weight of fruit, both cassis and dark plums. There is just a suggestion of leafyness in the cassis, no more than Ch Figeac for example often shows, but enough to keep it out of the top rank. This wine too is in a Bordeaux style. Richness and length of flavour are excellent, and the texture and delicacy of the fruit, despite the modern oak, is so different from most Australian cabernets. The finish in particular shows no added tartaric acid, for example, being gentle and lingering, though a little oaky. Conversely the hint of green is very comparable with certain machine-picked Coonawarra Cabernets. Only a technocrat would object to the level of attractively savoury brett-induced complexity in this wine. The high percentage of the ex Bordeaux / now Chilean grape carmenere is intriguing, and distinctive in New Zealand. Cellar 3 – 12 years, maybe longer. GK 09/07

2005 Villa Maria Merlot Reserve 18 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $51 [ screwcap; Me 86%, CS 8, Ma 6, hand-harvested; vinified @ Mangere; 100% de-stemmed; s/s fermentation; c. 22 months in French and American oak 61% new; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a lovely fresh colour. Bouquet on this wine is a little different, just a suggestion of pennyroyal or lawsoniana aromatics, these characters highlighted by quite a lot of new French oak. They merge insensibly into both floral violets and cassisy berry. Palate melds all these components into attractively dark fruit which is not as oaky as the bouquet suggested, and shows an attractive balance of Bordeaux-like flavours. It is not quite as rich as the most-favoured wines, and acid is fractionally higher than some, but it is squeaky clean. It is in a fragrant style reminiscent of Coleraine, placing elegance before size. It tastes more like a Merlot / Cabernet, with clear cassis, and not quite the ideal plum plumpness for a Reserve Merlot. But in a sense, this unpredictability of character is the magic of the Bordeaux blended style in an optimal climate. Cellar 5 – 12 years, for a supremely fragrant Hawkes Bay / Bordeaux blend. GK 09/07

2005 Blake Family Vineyard Merlot / Cabernet Alluviale 18 (

)

2005 Koura Bay Sauvignon Blanc Whalesback 18 (

)

Awatere Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $18 [ screwcap; RS 4 g/L; www.kourabaywines.co.nz ]
Good lemon. This is a huge but conventional sauvignon bouquet, really fresh and chockful of both red capsicum and black passionfruit, as well as passionfruit and hints of tropical fruits. Underneath there is just a hint of less ripe capsicum, say the orange ones. Palate is strong too, a big flavour, juicy, firm acid, residual slightly higher than some. This might not cellar so well, on that less ripe capsicum note, which could go asparagus-y. Cellar 1 – 3 years. GK 02/06

2003 Richardson Pinot Noir 18 (

)

Cromwell and Gibbston Valleys, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $50 [ screwcap; the first vintage from Michelle Richardson, formerly the high-profile chief winemaker at Villa Maria; hand-harvested, cold soak, small part whole-bunch, MLF following spring, French oak 40% new, less than 12 months; Cooper, 2006: The delightfully perfumed, silky-smooth 2003 vintage is … deep ruby, with a scented bouquet. Fleshy, with strong ripe-cherry, plum and spice flavours, buoyant, supple and very harmonious, it's delicious already, but should also mature well, ****½; bottle courtesy of Rob Bishop and Shelley Hood; www.richardsonwines.co.nz ]
Mature pinot noir ruby, in the middle for colour, just right. Bouquet is sweet and delightfully floral, in the dark roses, violets and boronia sector, exciting, more Cote de Nuits than Cote de Beaune, perhaps faintly leafy against 'ideals'. Palate is fine and elegant, red grading to a little black cherry, really burgundian, a lovely balance of fragrant fruit to subtle oak, and with a pleasing acid balance. Perhaps there is a trace of leaf, but mainly in the sense the wine is still fresh and lively, contrasting with several of the others. It is corny to say the wine is feminine, given a female winemaker, but it is, and good pinot noir lends itself to that interpretation. Fully mature now, attractive. GK 11/13

2006 Konrad Riesling 18 (

)

Waihopai Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 12%; $14 [ screwcap ]
Lemongreen. Bouquet is delightful, delicate acacia blossom and white flowers, a slight flinty note reminiscent of Mosel, and some lime-zest aromatics. Palate is fresh, both floral and aromatic, explicitly varietal, medium-dry. This should cellar well for 5 – 10 years. VALUE GK 03/07

2005 Sacred Hill Merlot Brokenstone 18 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $60 [ screwcap; DFB; release date 2008; Me 91%, CS 5, CF 4, hand-picked from 5 year old vines @ just under 2.5 t/ac; cuvaison approx 41 days; no BF; 14.5 months in French oak 100% new, no lees stirring; RS < 0.1 g/L; www.sacredhill.com ]
Ruby, some velvet, more developed and lighter than Helmsman. This wine opens quietly, to gradually reveal merlot in a slightly over-ripe oaky style, losing florals and subtlety, showing more a soft rich slightly spicy / leathery plumminess, which is still well within bounds for warm-year Bordeaux. Palate follows precisely, attractive richness and plumpness, seemingly oakier than the Craggy Merlot Gimblett Gravels, not quite the precise varietal beauty and richness of sister wine 2005 Helmsman. Aftertaste is soft and rich, and the whole wine is attractive in its warmer-climate oakier style. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 09/07

2005 Brick Bay Pinot Gris 18 (

)

Matakana, North Auckland, New Zealand: 13%; $30 [ cork; hand-harvested; s/s ferment, small % aged in oak; RS not given; www.brickbay.co.nz ]
Pale lemonstraw. A lightly floral and fragrant bouquet, with some English white flowers on fresh pearflesh, attractive. Palate is clean, with a flush of stone fruit flavours (pink nectarine) on the pearflesh, beautifully judged phenolics and near-dry finish – perhaps 4 g/L. The Brick Bay Pinot Gris has been quietly evolving into one of our most satisfying yet understated examples of the variety, with bouquet and flavour achieved at praiseworthy alcohols and pleasing dryness. Not cheap, but very food-friendly. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 02/06

2003 Escarpment Pinot Noir Kupe 18 (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 14%; $60 [ 44mm cork; clone Abel, 6 years, harvested @ 1.2 t/ac; 100% de-stemmed, 4 days cold soak, 14 days cuvaison: 12 months French oak 50% new; Cooper doesn't have 2003 Kupe, but in 2007 I thought: in five years this Kupe is going to be a contender for the topmost 2003 New Zealand pinot noir, 18.5 +; Julia Harding @ Robinson, 2012: Bright ruby. Lovely gentle aroma of red fruit and herbs. Then quite tight and almost austere on the palate. A little tense with the acidity standing out on the finish. No whole bunches. I thought this was from 2005 because it seemed still so youthful. 16.5; www.escarpment.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby, well above halfway in depth, fresher and a little deeper than the Richardson, promising. Bouquet is subdued initially, and remains shy in terms of a floral component. There is good fragrant black cherry grading to plum fruit on both bouquet and palate, and quite a suggestion of vanillin. I have not classed that as floral, however, assuming it to be the ratio of new oak. Where this wine wins acclaim is on the palate. It is masterly. Fruit is ripe, perhaps slightly too ripe for optimal florality, but the key thing is, there are no stalky notes such as several others show, and there is good fruit richness. Oak is at a maximum. This is one of the few wines to clearly have several years ahead of it, perhaps up to 5, if you like mature pinot noir. GK 11/13

2005 Stonecroft Gewurztraminer Old Vine 18 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $38 [ supercritical cork; 7 g/L RS; www.stonecroft.co.nz ]
Lemongreen. Alongside the Waimea Signature, this is a subtle presentation of gewurztraminer. It shows beautiful fruit in the cherimoya and vanillin style, with subtle florals, lychee and spice. Palate firms the wine up, with excellent concentration, and a deepening varietal flavour which is still very youthful. Flavours include suggestions of flowering wild ginger, citronella, lychee and stone fruits, a hint of feijoa, and some spice. For those who find the Waimea too strong, this elegant near-dry wine is the one to go for. From memory, it does not have quite the varietal depth of character of the 2004 Old Vines, but it is more refined. Alan Limmer (winemaker) thinks it is his best thus far. It will cellar beautifully 5 – 12 years. GK 02/06

2010 Yves Cuilleron Cote Rotie Bassenon 18 (

)

Cote Rotie, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 12.5%; $115 [ 55 mm cork; Sy 90, Vi 10, hand-picked @ c.5.3 t/ha (2.1 t/ac) from vines planted at 9,000 vines / ha, on mixed granite and gneiss soils; some whole-bunch, cuvaison c.21 days; MLF and c.18 months in barrel; 700 cases; www.cuilleron.com ]
Ruby and velvet, appreciably lighter than the Saint-Joseph. Right from opening, this wine is wonderfully floral on bouquet, dark roses, suggestions of wallflowers, plus a softness and charm not apparent in the sterner Saint-Joseph. Palate is pro-rata softer too. Again the cassis aroma is reference quality for syrah ripeness, but the florality extends right into the palate, along with pepper in which there is a touch of white. The whole ripeness level of the grapes in this wine is fractionally cooler than the Saint-Joseph. Again sensitive tasters noted academic brett, but at this level it is positive complexity. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 09/13

2006 Escarpment Chardonnay 18 (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 14%; $35 [ supercritical cork; hand-picked; 100% BF and MLF in French oak 30% new; dry extract 24 g/L including RS; RS 4 g/L; www.escarpment.co.nz ]
Straw. In the blind tasting, this came up well too. It is however clearly broader and less refined than the Kupe. The components including the MLF are a little more obvious, all in rather more Meursault style – as the review last October suggested. It is an earlier-developing wine than the Kupe version, and won't cellar for so long. In other line-ups, this could mark at gold medal level. See earlier review 10/07. GK 03/08

2010 Yves Cuilleron Saint-Joseph Les Serines 18 (

)

Cote Rotie, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $92 [ cork; Sy 100% hand-picked from vines planted at c.9,000 vines / ha on granitic soils; some whole-bunch, cuvaison c.21 days; MLF and c.18 months in barrel; www.cuilleron.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, good depth. Bouquet shows pure syrah ripened to the cassis point of physiological maturity, some dusky florals reminiscent of violets, some black pepper, a hint of riper fruit such as bottled black doris plums. Oak is near-invisible on bouquet, but a few tasters noted subtle brett. Palate simply crystallises the bouquet, the wine showing admirable concentration and length in mouth, a trace of new oak appearing on the later palate, dry finish. Brett at this level poses no hazard to the future of the wine, which will cellar well, 5 – 15 years. Note however that this is the wine which in youth needs ventilating, to give of its best. GK 09/13

2005 Two Hands Shiraz Bella's Garden 18 (

)

Barossa Valley, South Australia, Australia: 15%; $50 [ cork; cuvaison up to 21 days; small % BF; MLF in barrel; 16 months in French hogsheads 15% new, the balance 1 – 4 years; minimal fining and not filtered; Parker rates recent vintages 94 – 95; Wine Spectator: "Rich and complex, green olive, mint, mineral and licorice around a plump core of black cherry and dark plum flavors, lingers on the intense and beautifully focused finish. To 2017. 95"; www.twohandswines.com ]
Dense ruby and velvet, nearly carmine, midway in depth. Bouquet is lifted by the high alcohol, to be intensely fragrant blueberry, blackberry and boysenberry with some oak, immediately appealing. Palate is a little less, very rich boysenberry, more typical Australian old-vine shiraz, and not rigorously bone-dry. It is not over-oaked, but there is a little saline marring the later finish, relative to the top wines or the oakier Saltram. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 12/07

2005 Drouhin Echezeaux 18 (

)

Flagey-Echezeaux Grand Cru, Burgundy, France: 13%; $229 [ cork; a Drouhin domaine wine; upslope from Clos de Vougeot; hand-picked, fermentation in wooden cuves, up to 20 days cuvaison; MLF and up to 18 months in French oak; www.drouhin.com ]
Pinot noir ruby, the lightest of the wines. This is the kind of pinot that all too easily escapes notice, if tasters proceed immediately to a mouthful, without teasing out the wonderful floral complexities of the bouquet. The quality of this bouquet is intensely floral, yet light and aethereal, Musigny-like. Roses dominate, but the full spectrum from buddleia to boronia is there, exquisite. Palate is not quite so good, not the palate weight of the Grands-Echezeaux, red fruits more than black, not as complex as the Clos Vougeot, yet as rich – just. People for whom florals are waffle will not rate this wine as highly as I do (this is a contradiction in terms, for pinot noir, but there are such people). The Grands-Echezeaux is certainly much richer. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 12/07

2005 Villa Maria Syrah Cellar Selection 18 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $32 [ screwcap; hand-harvested, all de-stemmed, c. 10 day cuvaison, MLF in barrel, 16 months in French & American oak 40% new; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, deeper than the Bullnose, in the middle for depth. And in every respect but one, this wine is almost modelled on Bullnose: wonderful florals from roses to violets, crisp cassis and some plum, subtle oak aromatics. On palate, these components meld into a flavoursome crisp young wine with beautiful cassis berry, all slightly acid. Where it departs from Bullnose is in the weight of fruit, this wine pulling up a bit short against the velvet of the other. But it is still lovely syrah, explicitly varietal, which once it has softened for three years or so, will give much pleasure. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 04/07

nv Number One Cuvée Methode Traditionelle 18 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 12.5%; $36 [ cork; wine of No 1 Family Estate = Daniel & Adele Le Brun; Ch 100%, 2 years sur lie. ]
Pale straw, a suggestion of lemon. Bouquet is very clean, clearly autolysed, slightly citric, youthful. Palate shows an attractive blanc de blancs style, rich yet not fruity, with baguette autolysis lingering attractively. A cleaner wine than the nv Bollinger magnum, but not as rich, flavoursome and dramatic. Richer and drier than the nv Laurent Perrier, but perfectly comparable with either of them. Good stuff. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 08/05

2004 Vina Alarba Garnacha Vinas Viejas 18 (

)

Calatayud DdO, Spain: 14%; $20 [ 1 + 1 cork; vines 40 – 100 years old; Bodegas y Vinedos del Jalon ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. Red fruits with slight cinnamon spice make this attractive on bouquet, fruity but not quite as juicy as the Codice. Palate is more juicy, again in a roto-fermenter or similar style, firmed with oak which seems American, so rich and fruity the wine seems not quite bone dry in its spicy plumminess, but it is dry. Finish includes some furry cinnamon. This is good modern grenache, which should cellar for 10 – 15 years even though it is made for much more instant gratification. GK 03/06

2004 Penny's Hills Shiraz Footprint 18 (

)

McLaren Vale, South Australia, Australia: 15%; $64 [ cork; DFB; Footprint is the Reserve, winemaker Ben Riggs; 2004 highly rated in McLaren Vale; cropped @ 2 t/ac; partial BF, 20 months in predominantly new French and some US oak; RS 2.5 g/L; 350 cases; Parker 161: " … sensational … a gorgeous bouquet of blackberries, blueberries, graphite, and sweet vanillin. Young and backward yet remarkably pure, rich, full-bodied, and well-balanced … cellar 10-15 years. 93 – 95"; www.pennyshill.com.au ]
Dense ruby and velvet, older than most. Bouquet is rich, but a bit leathery / pruney and bretty / spirity and old-fashioned in this company. Palate is very rich, dry, with boysenberry and plum / prune fruit, the US oak component seeming to dominate the French, and VA higher than some. Flavours linger well in mouth, in its more traditional approach. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 12/07

2006 Vidal Viognier 18 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $36 [ screwcap; mostly whole-bunch pressed; a percentage some skin contact, 100% BF in older French hogsheads (none younger than 3 years old); lees autolysis and batonnage in barrel for up to 6 months, 20% MLF; RS 1.5 g/L; www.vidal.co.nz ]
Bright light lemon. Bouquet is clean, fragrant, but tending understated. As with several other of the well-marked wines here, there is a certain element of hedonism, risk and indulgence needed to transform technically correct viognier into breath-takingly beautiful wine – as the Cuilleron best demonstrates in this batch (and the Church Road emulates). Palate opens the Vidal out beautifully, the fruit a notch riper, the TA a little lower than many, with pale stone fruits and fresh apricots extended into a pleasing mouthfeel via barrel-ferment, lees-autolysis, and a wonderfully thoughtful percentage of MLF. This is a great wine to define viognier in a blind tasting, or as a sighter wine maybe, in the sense that anything better than this is really exciting. Cellar 2 – 4 years. GK 07/07

2006 TW Viognier 18 (

)

Gisborne, New Zealand: 14.5%; $21 [ screwcap; TW is Tietjen & Witters, two noted Gisborne growers now with their own wine; 85% BF in 'mature' French oak, balance s/s; 30% wild yeast ferments; plus 4 months LA & batonnage, MLF not revealed; pH 3.7, RS 3.5 g/L; www.twwines.co.nz ]
Lemon. Bouquet is lovely, clearcut fresh Otago apricots with that aromatic edge Otago fruit shows, subtle oak including perhaps a barrel-ferment component, and VA nearly invisible. Together with a subtle honeysuckle floral component, this is a great step forward for this label. Palate doesn't follow up quite so well, but the fruit richness is marvellous, one of the best viognier palate weights so far seen in New Zealand. The interaction between fruit, oak and residual sugar is a little awkward at this early stage, but the varietal character is excellent, and long on the rich but slightly phenolic aftertaste. The residual sugar balances that well. Cellar 2 – 4 years. GK 05/07

2005 Dry River Sauvignon Blanc 18 (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 12%; $25 [ cork; www.dryriver.co.nz ]
Elegant pale lemongreen. This is a more interesting bouquet than the average I have found in McCallum's sauvignons, clearly varietal, a wine in which I would have sworn there was a percentage of barrel ferment component, on ripest fruit. Not so, apparently – all stainless-steel. So I wonder how it achieved the resiny complexity ? Perhaps there is an appropriate element of high solids fermentation, tip-toeing towards the extreme position Seresin takes on this matter, and perhaps there is an element of sur lie complexity in tank, cleverly taken to just short of being reductive, so there is a hint of minerality. Whatever, it is an interesting wine. Palate is bone dry in the European Graves style, good body, no green edges, firm acid, and it will I suspect cellar surprisingly well. Very youthful now, but it may emerge as Dry River’s best sauvignon yet, a wine a little outside the Kiwi norm – though the experimenting into alternative sauvignon styles currently underway in New Zealand is exciting to behold. Cellar to 5 years at least, perhaps longer. GK 08/05

2011 Sacred Hill Cabernet / Merlot Helmsman 18 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $85 [ cork; CS 50%, Me 25, CF 25, hand-picked from 10 year old vines; cuvaison approx 28 days; 18 months in French oak c.60% new, RS <2 g/L, all unfermentable; Robinson: 17; www.sacredhill.com ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, below midway in the middle third, for depth of colour. Bouquet is elegant cassis and potentially cedary oak, the oak a little noticeable, but the whole winestyle delightfully tilted to the Medoc. Flavours are attractive, the cassis growing in size, obviously high cabernet but elegant ripeness all the same. The consistency of style in these Helmsmans is a treat, this being a lighter wine than the 2010, but the ratio of oak is pro rata. Winemaker Tony Bish has found oak works for him in comparative tastings, the British being no less susceptible / prone to endorse somewhat elevated oak levels as are New Zealanders. Nonetheless the whole approach would find greater elegance with a little less, and would work better with food. We have too many oaky wines in New Zealand. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 06/14

2002 Yalumba Riesling Eden Valley Hand-Picked 18 (

)

Eden Valley, South Australia, Australia: 12.5%; $33 [ screwcap; www.yalumba.com ]
Elegant lemon, outstanding for 2002. Bouquet is big and clean and strong, clearcut terpene-y Australian riesling, with excellent hoppy and floral components as well. The aromatic resins are more hops than kero at this stage, except for tasters of a more Germanic riesling disposition who may not like such a bold style. Palate is full of flavour, closer to bone dry than most South Australian rieslings, though firm acid makes the residual hard to estimate. This will cellar for 10 – 15 years, becoming at the same time bolder and mellower as the years go by. A classic Australian wine. GK 09/05

2004 Esk Valley Chardonnay Reserve 18 (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $36 [ screwcap; hand-harvested, whole-bunch pressed with only the free-run (c. 550 L / tonne) used, 100% BF in French oak c. 35% new, wild and cultured yeasts, 70% MLF, less batonnage than recently; c. 10 months in oak; www.eskvalley.co.nz ]
Elegant lemon. A very clean fragrant (helped by alcohol fume) bouquet showing citric notes, white stonefruits, and light autolysis and hessian complexities, attractive, and char-free. Palate optimises the very rich stonefruits, the oak more restrained than in previous years (though still to a max), and the acid gentler too. The wine is softer in mouth than some vintages have been, yet it is still fresh and attractively balanced. Spirit though is still higher than is easily compatible with ultimate finesse. This is fine and very fruity big Hawkes Bay chardonnay, which should cellar 5 – 10 years. It is not as complex as the 2002 Morton Black Label, and is lighter and subtler than the equally fine but more charry 2002 Esk Reserve. GK 08/05

2004 Pask Cabernet / Merlot / Malbec Declaration 18 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $52 [ ProCork; CS 55%, Me 30, Ma 15; machine harvested; tail-end BF in 100% new oak 70% French, 30 US; followed by c. 18 months in barrel; earlier reviews on this website; www.cjpask.co.nz ]
Ruby, some velvet and carmine. Bouquet is rich, ripe and fragrant, with suggestions of oak-tinged violets on obvious cassis berry and dark bottled plums. Palate shows lovely flavours again in the dark bottled plums sector, some dark tobacco, but all a little cedary / oaky for the weight of fruit, and thus finishing on cedar rather than berry. In the context of the wines here, one is reminded of a Jancis Robinson term – the Pask is fresh and refreshing, despite the excess oak. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 04/07

2004 Behrens & Hitchcock Syrah Alder Springs Vineyard Homage to Ed Oliveira 18 (

)

Mendocino County, California, U.S.A.: 15.5%; $ – [ cork; c. US$60; 210 km NNW San Francisco; Sy 90%, CS 10; c. 300 cases; website: "However, the most important lesson Ed taught Les was to trust his palate; labs can be helpful, but they will not teach anyone how to make great wine"; no info on individual labels on website; not fined or filtered; Parker 162: "a sensational perfume of mountain-grown black raspberries, blueberries, and flowers … wonderful structure and definition … concentrated, sweet jammy fruit and abundant glycerin … 10-12 years. 94"; www.behrensandhitchcock.com ]
Ruby and velvet, a little carmine, around midway in depth. This wine too was consistent from freshly opened to well aerated, showing attractive dark bottled plums fruit, with some aromatic complexities suggesting cracked peppercorns. Palate is rich, a suggestion of balsam-like aromatics on succulent cassis and dark plum, firmed but not dominated by good oak. Like the la Collina, there are suggestions of mixed ripeness, a hint of stalks, a thought of raisins. Alcohol is obtrusive though, being described by one winemaker as 'slippery' in texture. The alcohol may have concealed a little complexing VA too, but this is exciting Californian syrah, not too over-ripe. Tasters rated this the most-favoured wine in the younger flight, at the unbreathed stage. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 04/07

2002 Coopers Creek Chardonnay Swamp Road Reserve 18 (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $27 [ cork; BF, MLF, and 9 months LA in new and 1-year French oak; www.cooperscreek.co.nz ]
Deep lemon. A big clean ripe yellow peachflesh and oak chardonnay, with a lot of oak, barrel ferment and lees autolysis winemaking input. Palate is richly textured, oaky but not as oaky as feared from bouquet, attractive spreading flavours, and an attractive button mushrooms on buttered toast aftertaste. This wine is surprisingly fresh and youthful, and should cellar well 3 – 8 years. GK 06/05

2002 Pikes Shiraz / Grenache / Mourvedre 18 (

)

Clare Valley, South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $27 [ cork; Sy 48, Gr 35, Mv 17; 14 months in old French oak; www.pikeswines.com.au ]
Ruby, some velvet. A sweet ripe berry-rich Aussie GSM, with a mint level which is perilously close to being euc’y. Palate reveals rich ripe fruit of considerable depth, the raspberry of grenache filled out by boysenberry and darker fruits of shiraz and mourvedre. If there were not so much mint, there might be some cinnamon too. The whole palate reminds of Chateauneuf-du-Pape, but Australian-accented. This is fine wine, if the mint is accepted. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 08/05

2002 Jadot Charlemagne 18 (

)

Pernand-Vergelesses Grand Cru, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $194 [ cork; village info courtesy Raymond Chan; hand-harvested; (guideline) BF, LA, MLF in 30% new French oak; no specific info [then] on website; www.louisjadot.com ]
Straw more than lemon. Bouquet is bigger and more mealy on this wine, with rich fruit (though with a touch of VA, and showing even a hint of pineapple, subtle enough to be positive) and some complexities, all adding up to big white burgundy. Palate is slightly acid, the stonefruits quite rich, and the barrel ferment and lees autolysis flavours still subdued, awaiting development. This is rich wine which should cellar for 5 – 12 years, but will not be the subtlest of styles. GK 07/05

2003 Yering Station Chardonnay 18 (

)

Yarra Valley, Victoria, Australia: 13.5%; $27 [ screwcap; website doesn’t respond [then]; www.yering.com ]
Elegant lemon, again a better colour than the Kiwis in this batch. This is an understated wine, smelling and tasting as if a small percentage of the wine had full barrel ferment and lees autolysis in charry barrels like the d’Arenberg, and that was blended with a stainless steel portion. Nett result is an attractive light yet rich chardonnay, similar to the Longbush Un-Oaked one, but with a clear barrel ferment component. And these Aussie premium chardonnays are beautifully dry. Should cellar well for 5 – 10 years. GK 07/05

2002 St Hallet Shiraz Blackwell 18 (

)

Barossa Valley, South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $36 [ cork; vines up to 80 years age, un-irrigated; matured in new, 1-year and 2-year American oak for 20 months; www.sthallett.com.au ]
Magnificent dense ruby, carmine and velvet. This is huge Barossa Valley shiraz, from a year cool enough for the wine not to be infested with euc. There is very rich berry including blueberry and boysenberry, fundamentally still too ripe for syrah florals and cracked black pepper, but they are nearly there. Flavour does show hints of black pepper and spice complexity, and the oak is now more apparent in rich black plummy and sweet boysenberry fruit of great weight. This will marry up and blossom in cellar for 10 – 20 years, and will display some of the best facets of South Australian shiraz in a favourable year. GK 08/05

2002 Villa Maria Chardonnay Gisborne Reserve 18 (

)

Gisborne, New Zealand: 14%; $36 [ screwcap; solely clone 95; hand-picked; BF & LA in French oak; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Superb fresh lemon. Bouquet is immediately rich chardonnay, with some charry complexity, mixed white and yellow stone fruits, a hint of lanolin, and suggestions of barrel ferment and lees autolysis. Palate has the tactile richness of fine chardonnay, beautiful acid balance, the oak marrying in attractively, potential mealiness, still on the youthful side of full flowering. Could be marked gold medal. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 07/05

2004 Longbush Chardonnay Oaked 18 (

)

Gisborne, New Zealand: 13.5%; $18 [ screwcap; no info [then] on website; www.gisbornewinecompany.co.nz ]
Straw, advanced for its age. A fragrant and ripe expression of chardonnay, ripened to the golden queen peaches stage, some fine glacé figs, and subtle barrel ferment, lees autolysis, and MLF complexities. Palate is fruit-dominated, oak in balance, not as bone dry as good French or Australian chardonnay, but certainly commercially ‘dry’. Not as rich as the Reserve wine, but less complicated, more accessible, more-ish. Cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 07/05

2004 Mission Chardonnay Jewelstone 18 (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $33 [ cork; no info [then] on website; www.missionestate.co.nz ]
Lemon straw. A more subdued bouquet than the Swamp Road, but again in an attractive golden queen peaches, barrel ferment and lees autolysis approach, with suggestions of baguette crust on the fruit. Palate is ripe and rich, not as succulent as the Swamp Road, and more acid and youthful. The French oak is still tending hessian and unintegrated, but is light in comparison, and should ultimately make a subtler wine than the Swamp Road. In a year’s time, this will be attractively integrated into a classic Hawkes Bay chardonnay. It will cellar for 3 – 10 years. GK 06/05

2003 Vinoptima Gewurztraminer 18 (

)

Gisborne, New Zealand: 13.5%; $48 [ cork; the new Gisborne winery of Nick Nobilo ]
Lemon straw. The simplest way of describing this wine is, as a flawed masterpiece. It therefore probably falls into the love or hate category, not least because of the risks taken in creating it. Freshly opened, it is a little reductive and heavy, but breathed, the good part of the bouquet is sensationally rich, chock-full of wild-ginger blossom, lychee, citronella, and fresh and dried apricots. There could well be a barrel-ferment component in this bouquet. In its depth of character and weight, coupled with relative dryness, it is almost without parallel in New Zealand so far (since 1976, apart from certain Matawheros, the 2004 Stonecroft Old Vines, and selected Dry River wines (though they tend to be sweeter). The more obvious comparison is with Alsace. In its weight / heaviness however there is a worry bespeaking a high solids ferment component, which takes the shine off it now, and may trip the wine up, further down the track. Palate is as concentrated as the bouquet suggests, sensational varietal definition and spice, nearly oily in texture, dry or nearly so (it is hard to tell at this concentration). The wine is forward for its age, and tending slightly phenolic to the finish, so it is probably not a good long-term cellar proposition. Many people feel gewurztraminer is at its best in its first seven years or so, which would suit this remarkable wine. Stylewise, this wine is to New Zealand gewurztraminer as the 2004 Dog Point Section 94 is to mainstream Marlborough sauvignon. For those who don't much smell their wines, or always decant them, the Vinoptima will be rated very highly on that wonderfully concentrated underlying varietal character. Some fine tuning and increased finesse is needed to optimise future vintages, though, if the Vinoptima is to match good modern (as opposed to traditional) Alsace examples of the variety. Cellar 3 – 8 years, though it will coarsen later. GK 04/05

2009 Misha's Vineyard Pinot Noir Verismo 18 (

)

Bendigo district, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $60 [ screwcap; a mix of clones cropped @ c. 4.5 t/ha (1.8 t/ac); no whole-bunch, long cold soaking, wild yeast ferments, c. 24 days total cuvaison; MLF and more than 12 months in all-French hogsheads at least 35% new; www.mishasvineyard.com ]
Lightish pinot noir ruby, one of the lightest, very French in hue. The quantum of florality in the bouquet of this wine is sensational, sweeping all before it in one's first run through the bouquets. It is a lighter kind of florality, though, more buddleia and roses than violets and boronia, intriguing. Then on tasting the degree of flesh apparent on the tongue is a delight, the fruit all totally in the red-fruits spectrum, red cherry, even a hint of strawberry and raspberry. Oak is again near-invisible, yet nonetheless totally integral to the palate structure, beautifully done. Along with # 5 in the blind tasting (the Martinborough), one could only think: this is what the Volnay should have shown. Cellar 2 – 6 years. An almost ethereal wine, not showing 'typical' Otago characters at all. But then, nor do the Mt Difficulty Individual Vineyard wines. GK 09/13

1996 Lawson’s Dry Hills Chardonnay Marlborough 18 (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $ – [ cork 46mm; winemaking included barrel-fermentation and elevation in new to 4 year-old barrels, with 70% of the wine going through MLF; as a young wine it tasted unusually ripe, rich and well-balanced with respect to acid (for a Marlborough chardonnay), and without overt oak – so much so that it seemed essential to buy a case of it; https://lawsonsdryhills.co.nz ]
Pure light gold with a wash of lemon still, just a hint (ie no brown). Bouquet shows the exquisite clone mendoza golden queen peachy fruit / varietal character this wine has always had, complexed with sophisticated lees work in barrel. This is a chardonnay bouquet hinting at some Montrachet qualities. Palate has wonderful fruit, body and flavour for its age, attractively married-away oak, mealy and best-nougat lees-autolysis complexities, and crisp but not tiresome Marlborough acid. The wine is drying fractionally now, hence the score eased back a little from its earlier unequivocal gold-medal level, but it is still delightfully acceptable in a dinner / main course setting. This is one of the best chardonnays ever made in Marlborough … but it is time to finish it up now. Some of the bottles are now darker in hue than this (selected) one. GK 06/20

2011 Villa Maria Syrah Gimblett Gravels Reserve 18 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $60 [ screwcap; Sy 100% hand-picked @ 2.5 t/ha (1 t/ac), all de-stemmed; up to 42 days cuvaison; MLF and 17 months in high-quality 36 months air-dried French oak 50% new; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, one of the deepest syrahs. Bouquet shows ripe dark fruits, black pepper and more apparent oak than the top wines, without quite the degree of florality which takes those two wines so close to Cote Rotie. Palate shows a faint streak of something seaweedy, which once one thinks of it, one can trace it back into the bouquet, just taking the shine off this wine slightly. Fruit weight is good medium cassis and dark plums, with a firmer finish on the oak. The wine may just be in an awkward phase – syrah does blossom in its third or fourth year in bottle. [ Unfortunately I overlooked collecting the 2011 Villa Maria Syrah Cellar Selection, which might be less oaky.] Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 06/13

2000 Ngatarawa Merlot / Cabernet Sauvignon Alwyn Reserve 18 (

)

Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $45 [ 18 months in oak; www.ngatarawa.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. A fragrant but understated bouquet in this tasting, showing ripe cassis, mixed red berries and plums in a restrained oak setting, and looking very Bordeaux-like. Palate is richer than expected, very pure, the cassis deepening beautifully, the oak continuing restrained. This is astonishingly Bordeaux-like, with just a whisper of leafy complexity. Cellar 10 – 15 years. GK 05/04

2007 Penfolds [ Shiraz ] Bin 95 Grange 18 (

)

South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $769 [ cork; Sh 97%, CS 3; some barrel-ferment; 21 months in American hogsheads 100% new; www.penfolds.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, the second freshest and fourth deepest of the colours. Bouquet here is inclining more to the strident style more typical of Grange: lots of berry (which does have some freshness I'll concede) but rather much oak and VA. In mouth, the American oak is getting coarse, the blueberry and boysenberry fruit still has some dark bottled plum connotations, and the famous Grange richness as well evident. The long aftertaste is oak, though, detracting somewhat. Cellar 10 – 35 years. GK 07/13

2004 Lake Chalice Sauvignon Blanc 18 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $18 [ Stelvin; [ 18 ]; www.lakechalice.com ]
Palest lemongreen. Clean fragrant infantile Marlborough sauvignon blanc, with the keynote red peppers, honeysuckle and bouquet garni complexity implicit. Palate is as clean as a whistle, beautifully balanced, judging dry, looking good. This race to release the first sauvignon of the vintage is not serving the interests of the consumer, or New Zealand wine. This could be a gold medal wine in 6 months, when it should be released. Should cellar for a number of years. GK 06/04

2011 Coopers Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Gimblett Gravels Select Vineyards 18 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $35 [ screwcap; CS 100% hand-harvested; 12 months in French oak some new; RS 3.5 g/L; www.cooperscreek.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a little deeper than the McDonald Merlot of the same year. Bouquet is fresh and fragrant, clearly cassis and some dark plums, but not as concentrated as the top wines. In mouth, the palate is tending narrow, illustrating the perils of cabernet sauvignon on its own, and there is not quite the plumpness cabernet sauvignon needs to be compelling. But as an example of temperate-climate cabernet sauvignon alone it is pretty good. It is riper than the better-year 2010 Patriarch, for example. Oak handling here shows the restraint becoming more evident in the better New Zealand red wines generally. This is a very welcome development, which will help make the wines much more food-friendly. The winemaker refers to Bordeaux practice in the elevation of this wine, but retaining a little sugar to sweeten the finish would be unthinkable there. It is no doubt commercially successful at this level where only the sensitive pick it up, but it will be debatable, particularly in the claret winestyle. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 06/13

2002 Pask Declaration Reserve 18 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.8%; $50 [ CS dominant, Me, Ma approx thirds; partial BF for CS; 20 months in French and US oak, 100% new; www.cjpaskwinery.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. This wine was not part of the 18 in the comparison, but cropped up later in the evening. In style it hints at McLaren Vale, softly berried, lush, and rich. Palate is vibrant black and red currants and other berryfruits, velvety, sweetly oaky, new world more than Hawkes Bay / Bordeaux in style, perhaps due to the percentage of American oak. Cellar 10 – 15 years. GK 10/04

2001 Unison Selection 18 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand:: 13.5%; $45 [ Me, CS, Sy in % order; 50/50 French and US oak, 50% new, 20 months; www.unisonvineyard.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, youthful. This is a very restrained bouquet, smelling austere but not light, showing cassis and plums in a reserved Medoc style. Palate is intriguing, intensely cassisy with the syrah reinforcing the cabernet I suspect, so at this stage the merlot barely gets a look-in. Compared with some, this wine is reserved and slightly acid, but like the 1966 Bordeaux, I suspect it will cellar very well. Cellar 10 – 15 years. GK 10/04

2002 Esk Valley The Terraces 18 (

)

Esk Valley, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.7%; $120 [ Ma 44%, Me 32, CF 24; new French oak 15 months; www.eskvalley.co.nz ]
Like the Brokenstone, this was one of the densest colours in the tasting, but in this case due to the rich pigments of malbec. Bouquet is out on a limb in this bracket, showing not only a pennyroyal mint hinting at euc, but also a blueberry-like fruit fragrance in the rich plummy cassis. Palate is very concentrated, lush but not flabby, the very different blueberry flavours of malbec dominating. There is a slightly monolithic quality to the splendid plumminess in this wine, when compared with the more floral, fragrant and complex Brokenstone. Cellar 10 – 15 years. GK 10/04

2009 Ngatarawa Merlot / Cabernet Winemakers Reserve Alwyn 18 (

)

Bridge Pa Triangle 60% & Gimblett Gravels 40%, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $75 [ cork; Me 76%, CS 24, hand-harvested @ c.6.25 t/ha (2.5 t/ac), inoculated ferments, cuvaison to about 3 weeks; 12 months in French oak 37% new; RS < 1 g/L; www.ngatarawa.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, lighter than the top two, older in hue than the McDonald Merlot. The Alwyn blend has not always lived up to the winemaker's aspirations for it, with some years characterised by under-ripeness / over-cropping, but here is an Alwyn more worthy of consideration for cellaring. Bouquet shows very ripe fruit, more plums than cassis like the same-year Tom, but the richness of bouquet is less. Palate confirms that, but the wine is still comparable with good cru bourgeois, and a worthwhile improvement on many predecessors. Most New Zealand reds won't be as rich as the phenomenal 2009 Tom. There is a freshness in this plummy and cedary slightly oaky palate which bespeaks a tobacco component, but you couldn't call it leafy. Attractive wine which will become food-friendly as it mellows. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 06/13

1996 Krug Brut 18 (

)

Reims, Champagne, France: 12%; $526 [ cork; PN 42%, Ch 32, PM 26; BF for primary fermentation, usually no MLF; en tirage c.10 years; website slow and lacking in real information; current vintage price in NZ c.$355; www.champagne-krug.com ]
The hue is clearly straw, yet the depth of colour development makes it not one of the darker wines, ending up below midway. Bouquet seems high pinot noir, with quite high oak at the blind stage, complexed with good Vogel's Mixed-grain autolysis. Palate is on the hard side, too much oak for subtlety, as is usual with this label, exacerbated by high total acid. It is however one of the richer wines. All these competing factors make it hard to estimate the dosage. It is sweeter than the Bollinger Grande Année, so perhaps 8 g/L or so. It is impressive rather than enjoyable wine, but it should cellar well. This is one of the wines where you can believe there is no MLF. GK 11/14

2010 Church Road Syrah McDonald Series 18 (

)

Bridge Pa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $33 [ screwcap; Sy 100% hand-harvested and sorted, all de-stemmed; no cold soak, inoculated yeast, c.6 days warm-ferment in open-top oak and concrete vessels, up to 35 days cuvaison, controlled aeration; c.17 months in French oak c.42% new; www.churchroad.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, quite deep. Freshly opened the oak shows rather much in this syrah, but giving it some air helps. It then shows ripe plummy fruit and subtle black pepper spice, with suggestions of greater ripeness than is ideal for florality. Palate is rich, darkly plummy, quite a lot of potentially cedary oak. Blind you would think it a 2009 wine, being hotter-climate in style. Many will rate this higher than me, on the ripeness and oak, but in this review I am rewarding varietal specificity. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 06/13

2003 Gravitas Chardonnay 18 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $26
Pale lemon. A beautiful mild 'sweet' chardonnay bouquet, showing great varietal character in an almost Chablis Grand Cru style, augmented by the subtlest oaking and sweetest lees autolysis imaginable. Palate follows perfectly, mouthfilling white stonefruits and hints of button mushrooms, mild, sustained, all in harmony. One could drink a lot of this. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 12/04

2000 Vidal Merlot / Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 18 (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $42 [ MLF in barrel, 20 months in oak; www.vidal.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. Rich dark cassis and blackish aromatic plum fruit is melding with smokey oak on bouquet, to produce a very fragrant Hawkes Bay blend. Flavours are plump cassis and complex plummy berry, aromatic and fragrant in a slightly oaky and new world style, attractive. Cellar 10 – 15 years. GK 05/04

2004 Te Mata Sauvignon Blanc Woodthorpe 18 (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $21 [ screwcap; www.temata.co.nz ]
Pale lemon. A very ripe sweet sauvignon bouquet retaining some of the piquancy of red capsicum, but also introducing a riper spectrum of mango-like smells redolent of Hawkes Bay. Palate is fresh and firmly sauvignon. This could easily be a very ripe Marlborough wine taken up to the black passionfruit stage, but finishing slightly sweeter than the normal commercial dry, though still 'dry'. Versatile food wine. Cellar 3 – 5 years. [ 1/05: Feedback from the winemaker reveals this wine in fact analyses as nil fermentable sugar, so the fruit weight is outstanding. Model Hawkes Bay sauvignon.] GK 11/04

2010 Church Road Syrah Reserve 18 (

)

Bridge Pa Triangle 100%, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $40 [ cork; Sy 100% hand-harvested and sorted; all de-stemmed, no cold soak, inoculated yeast, warm-fermented in mostly in open-top oak vessels (cuves), up to 5 weeks cuvaison, controlled aeration; c. 17 months in fine-grain French oak c.45% new; not fined or filtered; www.churchroad.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, some carmine, in the top quarter for depth. Colour suggests this wine has seen more oak than some of the 2010s, and bouquet and palate confirm that. Hidden in the soft oak is fragrant cassis and dark bottled plums, and even a suggestion of the warm chocolate so liked by modern commentators, but indicative of sur-maturité and more toasty oak than is classical. Palate is soft rich and ample, some black pepper now, possibly trace brett adding savoury complexity. This is a warm food-friendly more European interpretation of syrah, alongside the squeaky-clean Villa Reserve, for example. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 06/12

2010 Mills Reef Syrah Elspeth 18 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $37 [ screwcap; hand-harvested; 4 days cold-soak, some wild yeast BF via the Integrale hogshead system, c.25 days cuvaison; 15 months in puncheons 63% new; no fining, light filtration only; www.millsreef.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, just a little below midway in depth among the syrahs. How different the Elspeth wines are nowadays ! The first impression here is of wonderful warm floral dusky rose aromas on ripe plummy fruit, a quality which could as easily be a fine year of Ch Palmer as a soft Cote Rotie. Flavours in mouth are more petite than the bouquet promises, clearcut cassis, fragrant oak, some sweet black pepper. It does not have quite the body of the top four wines, but is still beautiful wine good for cellaring 3 – 10 years. This wine too is pointing to Cote Rotie. GK 06/12

2004 Craggy Range Sauvignon Blanc Old Renwick Vineyard 18 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $22 [ screwcap; www.craggyrange.com ]
Greenish water-white. Bouquet on this Craggy sauvignon is more subdued and milder than the Avery wine, showing ripest capsicum, nectarine and black passionfruit, plus a mineral quality one could interpret as faintest armpit. Palate is less affected by lees autolysis and other winemaker inputs than the Avery, and pure, rich, reddest capsicum and black passionfruit ripe sauvignon comes through, with fresh citric flavours, and an interesting flintiness balanced by a sweeter 'dry' finish than some. This is lovely wine which should cellar well, 5 – 10 years. GK 09/04

2013 Red Metal Merlot / Cabernet Franc 18 (

)

Bridge Pa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $18 [ screwcap; Me 97%, CF 3, machine-harvested; 12 months in 80% French oak, balance American, 5% new; this label the most affordable of three Me-dominant wines at Red Metal; www.redmetalvineyards.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, just in the top third for concentration. Bouquet is both floral and fragrant, underlain by bottled black doris plums, and complexed by vanillin and (and at this stage) slightly hessian oak. In mouth the flavours carry on from the bouquet, concentration is not up with the better 2013s, but the wine will be highly interesting. Cabernet franc is giving quite a lift to the rounder merlot [ or so it seemed blind, but 3% unlikely to be responsible ], exactly as we see in the fabled Cheval Blanc. Oaking is delightfully subtle. This is richer than many Red Metal wines have been. It will become a distinctive and interesting Hawkes Bay blend, highlighting the potential for East Bank-styled blends in the district, as well. Must be the best price / quality wine in the Expo. Cellar 3 – 15 years. GK 06/14

1987 Goldwater Cabernet / Merlot / Franc 18 (

)

Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.5%; $29 [ cork 50mm, ullage 12mm; CS 65%, Me 30, CF 5, cropped at nearer 10 t/ha = 4 t/ac in 1987, yet no need for chaptalising, an extraordinary year with both ripeness and volume, clearly the best in the 1980s, says Kim Goldwater; 15 months in all-French barriques, 50% new; GK, 1989: This other Waiheke challenger to Hawkes Bay is velvety carmine/ruby in colour, slightly less intense than the Stonyridge as befits its extra year in oak. Once breathed, the whole wine is firmer and more aromatic than the Stonyridge, richer and riper in fruit than the Villa Reserve, and weightier but less immaculate than the Awatea. It places more emphasis on vinosity, and less on purity of bouquet and flavour. It is in some ways therefore closer to young Bordeaux in style, and like them benefits from a splashy decanting. This is clearly the richest and ripest Goldwater red so far. With its firm tannins and good acid, it has long cellar potential, and will provide many interesting comparisons with the other top ‘87s, *****; not entered in Shows; weight bottle and closure: 540 g; http://goldieestate.co.nz ]
Ruby and garnet, a little lighter but no older in hue than the Stonyridge, just below midway in depth. This was the understated wine in the tasting, there being a delicacy of both berry and oak which meant it was easily under-estimated. On closer examination however, when you compare it against the more outspoken Villa Maria Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve also from Auckland, you gradually realise that the Waiheke wine in its gentle way is not only riper, and with a much better acid balance, but also nearly as rich. The Goldwater is conspicuously not as rich as the Stonyridge, however, and that accords with the winemakers’ recollections for the cropping rate for each. This is a wine that wins high points on its harmony and gentleness, not features we are well attuned to in New Zealand reds, being so influenced by Australian red wines and winemakers, habituated as they are to tartaric acid addition. Like the Stonyridge, it has bordeaux-like qualities. 1987 Goldwater Cabernet / Merlot / Franc cellared in Wellington is also now at the far side of its plateau of maturity, but in a food context it will still give much pleasure. No first places, two second favourite votes. Some tasters thought it too understated, three least places. In the 2002 tasting, this wine is written up similarly as to winestyle, but that bottle seemed lighter. I used the word ‘lean’, and scored it 17. GK 06/21

1987 Vidal Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 18 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12.1%; $22 [ cork 49mm, ullage 24mm; CS 100%, cropped at c.7.4 t/ha = 3 t/ac; scarcely or not chaptalised; 19 months in all-French barriques c.80% new; balance one-year; GK, 1989: Though deeper in colour than the reserve blend, this wine is also slightly simpler. It has ripe curranty characters which illustrate cabernet to perfection, and a long flavour in which berry, acid and oak are assertive, yet balanced. It is not quite as rich as the blend, but will be a great cellar wine, ****; Gold medal wine; weight bottle and closure: 576 g; www.vidal.co.nz ]
Good ruby, more red / less garnet than the Stonyridge, above midway in depth. Bouquet is more focused / two-dimensional than the Stonyridge, very pure cassis browning now, and slightly more noticeable cedary oak, so the whole wine is more aromatic, hinting at pure cabernet. Bouquet does not have that thought of softness / silkyness / plummyness some of the wines with merlot blended in show. Palate continues the single-focus thought, still clearly cassisy / curranty berry though browning, with long nearly ‘sweet’ (ie vanillin) cedary oak sustaining the flavour over any cabernet ‘hole’. This wine is riper and showing a much better acid balance than the Villa Maria straight Cabernet Reserve, and is a little richer than the Vidal Cabernet / Merlot Reserve (I now think), so this far down the track, it wins points on both scores. As 100% cabernet sauvignon, it invites comparison with the 1965 McWilliams Cabernet Sauvignon. I last showed the latter wine in Hawkes Bay in November 2008, noting then it was not quite as rich as the 1966 Ch Gruaud-Larose at 43 years of age. Likewise this 1987 Vidal Cabernet Sauvignon clearly does not have the dry extract of the 1986 Gressier-Grand-Poujeaux (in this tasting) at 35 years of age, so we may conclude that the cropping rate for the 1965 McWilliam's wine was extraordinarily low, for its day in New Zealand. No subsequent year was as concentrated, or as ripe, only the 1969 showing some approach to the 1965. This 1987 Vidal Cabernet Sauvignon is therefore also an important way-point on the road to great New Zealand cabernet / merlot wine-styles. It is worth noting also, that it is one of the first Gimblett Gravels reds to come close to international standards, in terms of ripeness, harmony and balance. Being not as rich as the Stonyridge, it is nearer the end of its plateau of maturity, when cellared in the Wellington district. Three people rated the Vidal Cabernet Reserve the top wine in this tasting, and two their second favourite. In contrast to the Stonyridge, however, the relative simplicity of this 100% cabernet sauvignon wine meant that no tasters thought it Bordeaux. Astute tasting. Will fade gracefully, from now on. GK 06/21

2002 Esk Valley Merlot Black Label 18 (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $25 [ 12 months in oak; www.eskvalley.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. There is a fragrant malbec-like quality in this wine, through both bouquet and palate. Fruit richness is good, oak is a little prominent, and total winestyle bears some relationship to The Terraces flagship wine. Considering its price, it looked very good indeed in the blind tasting. Cellar 8 – 15 years. GK 05/04

2004 Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc Private Bin 18 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $15 [ screwcap; 4.5 g/L; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Pale lemongreen. Another clearcut sauvignon in the classic Marlborough style, red capsicums, black passionfruit, and honeysuckle. Palate is rich, very fruity, and long on black passionfruit skins. It seems a gram or two sweeter than some, about the max for 'dry', popular - but the analysis does not confirm that. Great fruit, therefore. Cellar 5 – 8 years as desired. VALUE GK 11/04

2010 Kumeu River Chardonnay Coddington 18 (

)

Kumeu River, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.5%; $47 [ screwcap; clone 15 predominates but a mix, all hand-harvested; wild-yeast fermentation and 100% BF, LA, and MLF; 11 months in barrel usually 20% new but varies; 2010 is seen as the best vintage so far for Kumeu River chardonnay, though 2013 in the wings may challenge; www.kumeuriver.co.nz ]
Lemonstraw, the second deepest of the Kumeus. Difficult wine, this. The reduction the Kumeu the River people are currently so keen on is at present fighting with the oak, each making the other more obtrusive, and therefore the wine less beautiful. Nonetheless the wine is explicitly varietal, clean stonefruits, some mealyness, more body than the Estate wine but still not rich, better oak balance than the Chartron Corton-Charlemagne. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 04/13

2004 Fairmont Estate Sauvignon Blanc 18 (

)

Gladstone, Wairarapa, New Zealand: 13.5%; $17 [ screwcap; www.handcraftedwines.com ]
Pale lemon. This is a soft mild bouquet for New Zealand sauvignon, more in the Hawkes Bay light fruit-salad style. Palate firms the wine up nicely, clearly sauvignon, ripe red capsicums and black passionfruit, attractive fruit richness, not bone dry. This is very drinkable, and should cellar well for up to 10 years. GK 11/04

2001 Ata Rangi Pinot Noir 18 (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 14%; $65 [ www.atarangi.co.nz ]
Elegant ruby, some velvet. Volumes of floral bouquet pinpoint the essential character of many good New Zealand pinot noirs: a faint pennyroyal and lawsoniana aromatic on clear florals, with mixed red and black cherries and blackboy fruit. Palate builds good mouthfeel and weight of fruit into fresh berry flavours, yet without the heaviness and juiciness of so many of our ‘new world’ pinots. Oak subtly shapes the wine, and is less apparent than the Montana Terraces. The whole mouthfeel is fresh, with the floral component introducing cool fragrant notes which tasters from a hot climate, habituated to plush and ample wines, would probably call stalky. It is however very burgundian. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 01/04

2002 Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir 18 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $40 [ www.cloudybay.co.nz ]
Another fine and subtle pinot ruby. This wine is still understated and very youthful on bouquet, but there is an absolute varietal purity about it which is captivating, all sweetly floral and ripe cherries. Initial palate is very pure, without the aromatic suggestions of the Ata Rangi, or the more obvious oak of the Montana, and with much of the subtlety of the Mountford, but not quite the perfect ripeness and mouthfeel of that wine. The fine red and black cherry fruit against fresh acid balance is similar to the Ata Rangi, fractionally lighter. If only we would research pinot viticulture to achieve ripe flavours at a sugar ripeness more appropriate to the alcohol restraint and finesse these wines could and should have. Cellar 5 – 8. GK 01/04

2002 Gibbston Valley Pinot Noir Reserve 18 (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $90 [ screwcap; www.gvwines.co.nz ]
Dense ruby and velvet, an outsize colour for pinot noir. Bouquet is quiet at this stage, clean, ripe, big, tending mute in an Australian style. Palate is massively tannic, a caricature of pinot noir as it is internationally understood, yet the tannins are ripe at an acceptable given alcohol. Oak handling is surprisingly good, considering the size, so the tannin load is essentially skins-derived. The wine clearly tastes like pinot, and the acid balance is good. Though it could be classed as a new world fruit bomb, I am prepared to give this big wine the benefit of the doubt, with the proviso that it may only develop fragrance and varietal beauty in bottle once it has been kept long enough to crust. That has certainly been my experience with some large-scaled Aussie wines over the last 35 years, in cases where the initial oak was as restrained as this. Cellar 8 – 15 years. GK 01/04

2011 Tinpot Hut Pinot Gris 18 (

)

Awatere & Wairau Valleys, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $21 [ screwcap; minimal skin contact, cold-settled, all s/s ferment; RS 4.5 g/L; www.tinpothut.co.nz ]
Light lemonstraw. Bouquet is clean and lightly varietal: pear flesh, white nectarine, a hint of stewed red rhubarb and cinnamon adding interest. Palate follows on beautifully, good richness, totally varietal in the New Zealand style building on bouquet (which sadly lacks the hints of yellow-fruit interest of good Alsace), sweetness near-dry – seeming comparable with riesling-dry. This could be interesting in cellar 3 – 8 years. Its body makes it good with suitable food. GK 04/13

2009 Squawking Magpie Syrah The Stoned Crow 18 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $40 [ screwcap; 18 months in French oak; the website lacks wine information; www.squawkingmagpie.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a vibrant colour, like Le Sol. Initially opened, and in the tasting, this looked an absolute champion, being highly-rated by the group. The intensity of the cassis berry was augmented by vanillin from the oak, and proved seductive. Palate is rich and concentrated, slightly acid. The quality of fruit matches the Church Road, but by classical standards the oak becomes increasingly obtrusive as one plays with the wine. Cellar 5 – 15 years, with great interest. GK 07/12

2009 Vidal Syrah Gimblett Gravels Legacy Series 18 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $70 [ screwcap; Sy 100%, cropped @ 4.5 t/ha (1.8 t/ac), all de-stemmed; inoculated, up to 25 days cuvaison; MLF and c.20 months in French oak 38% new; RS <1 g/L; not filtered; 250 cases; www.vidal.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, around midway in depth. Bouquet is simpler than some of the syrahs, juicy and plummy berry, fragrant oak though at this youthful stage with a slight resiny edge, all very clean. Palate is clearly more oaky than my top wines, but the richness and berry flavours are pure and aromatic too. It is more oaky than the Elephant Hill. Should harmonise with age, and cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 07/12

2012 Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough Cellar Selection Organic 18 (

)

Wairau & Awatere Valleys, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $24 [ screwcap; cool-fermented all s/s; 4.2 g/L RS; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Pale lemon. This is a much more serious and richer sauvignon now showing the full spread of sauvignon blanc smells and flavours at a riper level than the Early Release: yellow and red capsicums, an interesting hint of pale tobacco and sweet basil, plus attractive yellow kiwifruit and black passionfruit flavours. This is clearly richer than the Private Bin, and similarly sauvignon-dry to the finish. Nice wine, good with food. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 05/13

2002 Foxes Island Pinot Noir 18 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $40 [ www.foxes-island.co.nz ]
Big ruby for pinot, a touch of carmine and velvet. Initially opened, there is a charry / bacony oak-related character on bouquet, but this soon dissipates. It becomes soft, rich and generous, in this sub-set of pinots arguably the one best reconciling florals against fruit. The fruits are very ripe, but the wine stops short of the plumminess of merlot. There are violets and boronia florals, black cherry and blackboy fruit, and fragrant oak. The palate is plush, yet still pinot, sweetly fruited and concentrated, with the length in the mouth to imply a conservative cropping rate. Tannins are beautifully ripe, unlike a number in this batch, and despite the initial bouquet, it is not too oaky. This is distinctively New Zealand pinot, a little deeper and riper than is optimal maybe. It will be interesting wine in cellar, for 5 – 12 years. GK 09/04

2003 Framingham Pinot Noir 18 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $27 [ screwcap; www.framingham.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby. If the burgundy style, or at least the classical burgundy style, is about understatement, then this Framingham is close to the real thing. Bouquet is quietly floral, totally pure flowers and cherries, maybe a hint of barrel fermentation complexity. Palate is very attractive, the same layers of texture as the Coopers Creek, again with exemplary oaking. Cellar to 10 years. GK 10/04

2002 Girardin Pommard les Grands Epenots Vieilles Vignes 18 (

)

Pommard Premier Cru, Cote de Beaune, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $80
Deep for pinot noir, ruby with a touch of carmine and velvet. Bouquet for this wine is straight into gorgeous aromatic more than floral, ripe dark cherry, grading into dark plum fruit. Palate is all black crunchy cherry, as rich as cherry can be without being overtly plummy, showing attractive older oak handling. This wine is big yet manages to remain subtle and highly varietal, without the gloss the new oak shows up on the grands crus. It should mature beautifully. Some of the more aromatic 2002 Otago wines had suggestions of this style, when not over-oaked. Cellar 20 years +. GK 08/04

2002 Girardin Corton Clos du Roi 18 (

)

Aloxe-Corton Grand Cru, Burgundy, France: 14%; $93
Good pinot noir ruby. A more straightforward pinot noir bouquet than the top Nuits wines, cherries and dark plums. A subconscious feeling this bottle may not be optimal (as happens with cork). Palate shows the concentration of palate Corton is famous for, richly cherry, aromatic on oak, a sturdier wine than some marked more highly, but one which will please greatly with food. Not quite the concentration of the Corton Renardes Vielles Vignes. Cellar 10 – 15 years. GK 11/04

2011 Craggy Range Chardonnay Gimblett Gravels 18 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $31 [ screwcap; clone 95 mainly, hand-harvested @ 6.25 t/ha (2.5 t/ac); BF in French oak 28% new; some wild yeast, 9 months LA, some MLF, limited stirring; RS <2 g/L; www.craggyrange.com ]
Lemon. Bouquet on this chardonnay is simply lovely, clear suggestions of acacia florality, stonefruits and a chalky minerality which is totally white burgundy. Palate shows delightful flesh, some gentle new oak, the barrel-ferment and lees-autolysis characters beautifully subtle and now well incorporated, the whole winestyle with this chalky quality astonishingly close to Puligny-Montrachet. This is remarkable New Zealand chardonnay, having a uniformity of ripeness, integrity and lack of angles (acid, oak) contrasting delightfully with many local wines. Eminently drinkable, not a big wine so dangerously drinkable even. Cellar 2 – 8 years. GK 05/13

2003 Pisa Range Pinot Noir Black Poplar Block 18 (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 14.5%; $40 [ screwcap; www.pisarangeestate.co.nz ]
Classic pinot noir ruby. Oh boy, Otago is an exciting place for pinot noir (and particularly in the 2003 vintage) Bouquet on this wine combines boronia and dark rose florals with beautiful black cherry fruit – total pinot, exquisite. Palate has that lovely crunchy more-ish feeling of eating cherries (a combination of texture and appropriate acid), gorgeous flavour, mouthfeel and length of fruit, subtly aromatic yet no hint of the stalkiness or pennyroyal character so frequent in Marlborough and other northern places. The high alcohol is surprisingly well hidden. This is wonderful New Zealand pinot noir which can be tasted in confidence alongside burgundies such as the Girardins (in this instance). The major difference is this wine is not as concentrated as their grands crus. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 11/04

2003 Peregrine Pinot Noir 18 (

)

Gibbston Valley, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $29 [ screwcap; www.peregrinewines.co.nz ]
Big ruby with a flush of carmine and velvet, youthful, at a max for pinot noir. This is the first of the southern wines to show a trace of pennyroyal aromatics on bouquet. Below, it is redolent of pinot noir, deeply floral boronia and violets, dark cherries, quietly and deeply interesting. Palate suggests blackboy peach, as well as red and black cherries, with enough acid to be refreshing, and beautiful body. Alcohol and oak are standing apart as yet, but the potential for burgundian complexity is there. Even so, it is a pity that some of these 2002 Burgundies show alcohols to an unprecedented 14%, for excess alcohol in our pinots is a real issue. We don't need alcoholic overseas models ! Cellar 5 – 10 years. Tasted twice. GK 11/04

2010 Escarpment Pinot Noir Pahi 18 (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13%; $67 [ supercritical 'cork'; see 2011 Pahi; www.escarpment.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, a clearly deeper / darker wine than the 2011 Pahi. Bouquet is darkly floral, and even on bouquet there are suggestions of tannins in the wine. On further smelling, right now there is a hint of cassisy quality in the bouquet, a description sometimes used by northern hemisphere winewriters for pinot noir, but not one I have much believed till now. Palate is very attractive, much more tannic than the 2011 but also a richer wine which will need longer cellaring to reveal the same charm. Cellar 5 – 10 or 12 years. GK 04/13

2003 Felton Road Pinot Noir 18 (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $47 [ screwcap; $40 ex vineyard; www.feltonroad.com ]
Big pinot noir ruby. Bouquet on this Felton is initially understated, but breathes to be even more fragrant than the Block 3, the florals sweeter and stronger, nearly perfumed and buddleia-like. Palate is total cherries red and black, seemingly more aromatic than the richer Block 3, wonderfully varietal. This shows beautiful oaking, but is not quite as concentrated as the Block 3. Cellar 5 – 10 years. Tasted twice. GK 11/04

2011 Brennan Pinot Noir B2 18 (

)

Gibbston, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14.3%; $29 [ screwcap; 7 clones of PN all hand-harvested, 16% whole bunch, no wild yeast ferments; 17 days cuvaison, 11 months in French oak, 11% new; rare opportunity to sample all-Gibbston-fruit pinot noir; www.brennanwines.com ]
Pinot noir ruby, youthful as if a fraction of the wine retained in stainless steel. Bouquet is a delightfully sweet ripe red roses floral presentation of pure cherry pinot noir, not unduly complicated by elevation or winemaking. Palate follows perfectly, a youthful not too serious interpretation of the grape (this is their second label), not a lot of tannin structure but a clear illustration of the cherry / berry nature of the variety. Even so, should cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 04/13

2010 Jean Chartron Corton-Charlemagne 18 (

)

Aloxe-Corton, Cote de Beaune, Burgundy, France: 14%; $235 [ cork; hand-harvested, organic vineyard practice; BF in 40% new oak, 12 months LA; www.bourgogne-chartron.com ]
Lemon, below midway. Bouquet displays definitive varietal character in one sense, but is tending oaky with a clear char component like the Keltern. The fruit has more yellow notes than some, more golden queen peach than nectarine. The level of oak becomes obtrusive on palate, there is simply not the fruit to cover the barrel treatment, so the Keltern wins that side of the equation totally. One hopes for exemplary body in any Corton-Charlemagne, so some (relative) disappointment here. And tasting the 2010 Bonneau du Martray Corton-Charlemagne alongside later confirmed this view, the body being exemplary. The Chartron is fine if you prefer oaky chardonnay. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 04/13

2011 First Drop Cabernet Sauvignon Mother's Ruin 18 (

)

McLaren Vale, South Australia, Australia: 14%; $31 [ screwcap; CS 100% (implied) from vineyards 130m above seas level; 14 days cuvaison; MLF and 15 months on lees in 10% new French hogsheads, the balance both French and American hogsheads; www.firstdropwines.com ]
Ruby and velvet, dense. Bouquet is hugely cassisy and darkly plummy, very aromatic, not too oaky, altogether an exciting winey smell. The flavours follow on well, it tastes surprisingly light and delicate, there is not much blending material in this, it shows real cabernet sauvignon flavours with aromatic oak noticeable, but not too excessive. This is a much higher quality wine than the label suggests, even though it is narrower on the palate than The Gimblett (as straight cabernets can be). It reminds me of old-time classics like the 1963 Seaview Cabernet Sauvignon in youth, also from McLaren Vale. It will cellar extremely well, 5 – 20 years. GK 03/13

1998 Ch de Beaucastel 18 (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $170 [ cork, 53mm, ullage 22mm; original price c.$75; cepage varies a little each year around Gr 30%, Mv 30, Sy 10, Co 10, Ci 5, other authorised red varieties 8, and white varieties 7; more detail in the introductory sections; Wine Spectator Vintage Chart: Dense and rich; superb Grenache harvest led to blockbuster reds with ripe tannins, 97; Pierre Perrin, 2011: This was an iconic Grenache year – we went up to 40%, and it was also the biggest crop since 1970. It isn`t a traditional Beaucastel, but it is a traditional Châteauneuf-du-Pape; Marc Perrin, 2012 or before: The 1998 is quite round for Beaucastel … Beaucastel in most vintages would probably be more square; J.L-L, 2013: The nose is centred on rather tight plum fruit, a note of leather and cinnamon. It is pretty much half way between youth and older age. I detect a wee note of Brett ... The palate starts well, on a free run of red berry, mature berry fruit with floral traces in it. The texture slips along nicely, before a cluster of grainy, licorice-tanged tannins on the finish. ... It won’t please the white coat drinkers ...***(*); four reviews at Jancis Robinson, highlighting that with unfiltered wines, and the possibility of a mixed-yeast population, every bottle can be different: scores 16, 16.5, 18, 18. Notes for the best bottle, JR@JR, 2019: ... the merest hint of gaminess. Clearly tertiary aromas. Very sweet palate entry. Utterly charming and no shortage of fruit, 18; JD@RP, 2015: The atypically Grenache-dominated 1998 ... is fully mature and gives up tons of kirsch, garrigue, licorice and a touch of gaminess in its full-bodied, layered and ripe personality. More rounded and sexy than most vintages, it has no hard edges, plenty of mid-palate depth and a great finish, 2015 – 2025, 93; weight bottle and closure: 861 g; www.beaucastel.com ]
Ruby and garnet, a lovely maturing red colour, just below midway in depth. The bouquet is a little different in this one, being totally red fruits / grenache-dominated, raspberry browning now, a hint of raisins as if a sunny year, and trace spicy 4-EG brett notes hopelessly entwined with the cinnamon of mature grenache, so it is hard to tell which is which. You therefore make a note to assess the aftertaste more carefully than for most. Palate is entirely simpatico with the bouquet, seemingly a wine not quite as rich as some, yet the ratio of berry to tannins lovely, furry cinnamon flavours dominating, darker mourvedre and oak tannins scarcely visible. A wine at an harmonious point of perfect maturity, yet the balance and fruit sweetness are so good it will hold. Top wine for one taster, second favourite for another, least wine for three. Eight noted a little brett, none thought it excessive – which the aftertaste confirms. Those who had had 1998 de Beaucastel before thought this a particularly happy bottle. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 05/21

2012 Stanley Estates Sauvignon Blanc Single-Vineyard 18 (

)

Awatere Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $21 [ screwcap; 2011 was 1.8 g/L RS, 2012 not on website; www.stanleyestates.co.nz ]
Elegant lemongreen. Bouquet is clear-cut ripe Marlborough sauvignon showing black passionfruit, red capsicum and hints of sweet basil, nearly as characterful as the 2012 Peter Yealands. Palate has pleasing fruit, perfect continuity of the aromas through to the flavour, and a finish which is long and seems fractionally drier than the Yealands wine. Cellar 2 – 8 years, if older sauvignon appeals. GK 05/13

2010 Bridge Pa Hawkes Bay Syrah (not yet named or released) 18 (

)

Bridge Pa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $ – [ Stelvin Lux; alcohol estimated; Sy 100%, hand-harvested @ 5.6 t/ha (2.25 t/ac); 100% de-stemmed; 2 days cold-soak, c.21 days ferment, total cuvaison 30 days; MLF and 12 months in French oak 80% new, no American oak; followed by 6 months in older oak; production limited, likely to be released at 4 years bottle age, not yet decided whether will be a successor to the 2007 luxury cuvée Atanga; this winery is now solely a syrah producer, including a 100% syrah rosé by saignée; no top ranking, no second; www.bridgepa.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, not a dense wine, the third to lightest. Bouquet is quite different on this wine, and tricky. There is very high vanillin, and at one moment it seems sweetly wallflower, and the next moment fresh-sawn oak with the faintest hint of fragrant macrocarpa resin. The nett impression is like an unusual Cote Rotie with viognier. Palate is intriguing, the softness and richness of the fruit being totally Cote Rotie, with almost a hint of violets to the tail. On balance, I think this is going to be exceptional once it marries up. It shows the exact complementary Cote Rotie styling to Homage's Hermitage, and with a spot of luck will be exhilarating in tastings in 5 – 10 years time. Cellar 3 – 12 years. GK 06/13

2010 First Drop Shiraz Mother's Milk 18 (

)

Barossa and Eden Valleys, South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $31 [ screwcap; Sh 100% from vineyards 180 and 550 m above sea level; MLF and 15 months on lees in 3 – 4 year old French hogsheads; www.firstdropwines.com ]
Ruby and velvet, dense. Bouquet is rich and fragrant in an appealing style of Barossa shiraz, darkly plummy grading to boysenberry fruit, not too much oak, and mercifully free of euc'y taints though perhaps a little aromatic. Palate is berry-rich, concentrated, and fulfils the promise of the bouquet delightfully. Despite the 14.5% alcohol (still), what a joy it is to see shiraz from Australia not too over-ripened, and not too dominated with new oak, or devalued with too old oak like Penfolds Bin 28. This is almost syrah, and picked at lower Brix, might have been even closer, though in a climate where grapes gallop to maturity so quickly, it is hard to be sure. If this is the new face of Australian red wine interpretation, it is more than welcome. Finish is so rich it seems not bone dry, but I doubt there is actual residual. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 03/13

2012 [ Villa Maria ] Thornbury Riesling Waipara 18 (

)

Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 11.5%; $15 [ screwcap; s/s cool-fermented, some lees contact; pH 3.15, RS 11.6 g/L; fined and filtered; a Villa Maria group wine; www.thornbury.co.nz ]
Brilliant pale lemongreen. Bouquet shows clear citrusy and slightly resiny riesling, undoubtedly varietal. Palate is fresh, crisp, slightly resiny in this sense of hops (+ve), near dry, marvellously varietal at the price. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 04/13

2010 Escarpment Pinot Noir 18 (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 14%; $51 [ supercritical cork; c.70% Te Muna Road, mix of clones, 30% whole bunch, wild yeast, 18-day cuvaison; 11 months in French oak, 30% new; dry extract 31 g/L, RS <1 g/L; no longer entered in Shows; www.escarpment.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby, one of the darker wines, close to the Pisa. Bouquet however is a long way from the Pisa Range, so much so I used it as # 1 in the tasting to illustrate unequivocally what florality means in pinot noir. There are elements of buddleia, lilac, cherry-ripe (heliotrope) and roses here, all on fruit which illustrates to perfection the blackboy peach concept in pinot noir, as well as mixed cherries. Oak is slightly less subtle than the top wines. This is the richest of the Martinborough pinot noirs in this tasting, so it is wonderful to have the dry extract given as cracking the 30 g/L barrier. And you can taste it, or more accurately, feel it. Proprietors who scoff at the concept of dry extract measurements for wines need to taste this Escarpment, and think about it. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 11/12

2010 Grasshopper Rock Pinot Noir Earnscleugh Vineyard 18 (

)

Alexandra, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.9%; $31 [ screwcap; small % whole bunch; 9 months in French oak, 32% new; several gold medals; this review as seen in the < $35 set; www.grasshopperrock.co.nz ]
Big pinot noir ruby, the deepest of the < $35 wines. Bouquet is clear black cherry pinot noir, fragrant and rich, none of the lighter florals of for example the Martinborough Te Tera but good dusky red rose and boronia suggestions. Palate stands out in the field, much the richest in the first bracket, beautifully ripe, no suggestions of stalks, precise black cherry, yet not heavy or overly fruity as some Otago pinot noirs can be. Lovely wine, great value, cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 10/12

2011 Churton Sauvignon Blanc 18 (

)

Waihopai Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $25 [ cork; 40% hand-picked @ c. 10 t/ha (4 t/ac); whole-bunch pressed, 12 hours minimum cold-settling; c.10% BF in non-new French 500-litre barrels with some wild yeast fermentation; 8 months elevation on lees to enhance texture; pH 3.0, RS 1.8 g/L; biodynamic; www.churtonwines.co.nz ]
Lemongreen. Bouquet is totally different from most New Zealand sauvignons, as if the wine has a high-solids component. There is considerable fruit, but no obvious fruit analogies on bouquet. In mouth, things change rather, the wine showing huge body by New Zealand sauvignon standards, a subtle barrel-ferment component, considerable lees ageing and body-building, yet it tastes like a low-pH wine (confirmed). In style this is more in the Cloudy Bay Te Koko camp than mainstream stainless steel Marlborough sauvignon, but it is a good deal more subtle than Te Koko. It was shown alongside a Sancerre, and all made sense. This wine should be sensational with food. If it weren't for the high solids notes on bouquet, I'd be gold-medal level in marking. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 03/13

2004 Penfolds Cabernet Sauvignon Block 42 18 (

)

Kalimna, South Australia, Australia: 133%; $1,133 [ Screwcap, ullage c.25mm; original price c.$380; some idea of the esteem in which Penfolds hold these special Bin wines, is that Block 42 has only been released in 1996 and 2004. Both cooler years, note. Other years, the fruit goes to Bin 707, etc. The 4 ha / 10 ac vineyard was planted in 1885: Penfolds claim that it is thus the oldest planting of un-grafted Cabernet Sauvignon continuously produced in the world. The Penfolds website notes are somewhat garbled, but it seems the wine completes fermentation in new hogsheads, country of origin not given, followed by 13 months in barrel, whether the same or different not specified; Lisa Perrotti-Brown says 100% new American oak for both phases. About 500 x 9-litre cases made, same caveat as for 60A. Jancis Robinson, 2005, not noted for her tolerating heavy or clumsy wines, says of this wine: I must say it's the most charming Penfolds wine of the modern era I have ever tasted. and: … very, very fresh – opulent but with great old Cabernet's refreshment factor on the nose (no, not green), 19; James Suckling, 2011: When you find a great Aussie Cabernet, they really are something. For example, the 2004 Penfolds Cabernet Sauvignon Barossa Valley Kalimna Block 42 blew me away, although Barossa is not necessarily known as a region for Cabernet. I gave the wine a perfect 100 points. It's one of the few Barossa reds that shows an incredible complexity, richness and power without being over-the-top or overly alcoholic. Balance with intensity is what comes to mind, 100; weight bottle and closure: 708 g; www.penfolds.com ]
Ruby and velvet, a good colour for its age, and the second-deepest. First impression on bouquet is a negative character, almost tainted, which one winemaker in the group characterised as ‘bushfire / smokey’. Behind that factor is a lot of berry hard to characterise, but dark, and a lot of hessian oak. Palate is an order of magnitude better than the bouquet – but to genuine wine lovers, bouquet is all-important. Berry is now clearly cassis, and the oak though noticeable is potentially cedary and fine-grained. Palate structure is softer and finer than Bin 707, with tartaric adjustment less noticeable. Total palate is narrower than Bin 60A, when compared with its shiraz flesh, but lovely in its detail. Were it not for the bouquet taint, this Block 42 would be the better wine, relative to Bin 707. Will that character on bouquet marry away, is therefore the question ? Less likely perhaps, under screwcap. One person rated this their top wine, and two their second-favourite, with one person rating it least. Cellar 25 – 40 years. GK 04/21

2004 Penfolds Shiraz Grange 18 (

)

South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $936 [ Cork 49mm, ullage 21mm; original price c.$425; Sy 96%, CS 4, variously from Magill, Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale; fermentation completed and 16 months in all-new American hogsheads; J. Robinson, 2009: Lifted and above all fresh! Wonderfully subtle and savoury and with a hint of cough medicine but wonderfully dry and thick and long on the palate. Serious first growth claret build (with which comment I presumably insult all parties...) Australia lurks in the undercurrent rather than imposes itself on the flavour of this wine. No heat at all. Extremely fine tannins. Wonderfully suave and really not like any other wine I can think of. At this stage not noticeably sweet, 19.5; Jay Miller@RP, 2009: a superb nose of wood smoke, Asian spices, incense, game, blueberry, and blackberry liqueur. Medium to full-bodied, satin textured, with deeply layered, succulent blackberry, plum, and chocolate flavors, it has the structure and complexity to merit extended cellaring of a decade and more. The winery estimates a drinking curve of 2016 to 2050; I'd be a bit more conservative on the long end of the range. It will ultimately be seen as one of the great vintages of Grange, 99; weight bottle and closure: 597 g; www.penfolds.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, clearly the youngest and deepest wine, a remarkably fresh colour for its age. Bouquet is deep, dark, pure, and intensely aromatic on both berry quality hinting at cassis, and noticeable oak. A spirity lift adds to the aromatic quality, with just a suggestion of pennyroyal, but nothing as coarse as euc. Nonetheless, the total bouquet is pretty assertive. In mouth the wine is saturated with flavour, incredibly deep and dry, but the exact nature of the fruit and berry quality is somewhat obscured by excessive oak. And the finish is spiky on tartaric acid, to a fault. In a year like 2004, when the possibility of real syrah quality might be captured, it is so sad that instead the fruit has been built into simply a too big and ‘monument’ winestyle. For all its concentration, purity and strength, in terms of oak handling, alcohol, and pH, the wine is simply too aggressive / bold. When it comes to wine with food, who wants a battleground ? And Penfolds do not help themselves, for having built an obviously 50-year plus wine, it is still in 2004 being bottled with a 49mm cork. Only 54 / 55 mm corks can be ‘guaranteed’ to last 50 years, as anybody seriously interested in mature wine knows. Who in truth wants a re-corked, topped up, adulterated wine, when with a decent cork at the outset, you can have the original ? Two people rated this wine top at the blind stage, but six had it as their second-favourite. In one sense therefore, for the group this was the most popular wine of the evening. And it will cellar exceptionally well: the 'consumerist' American estimate of cellar life above is ludicrous. Half the tasters recognised it as shiraz-dominant. Cellar 25 – 45 years. GK 04/21

2010 Mudbrick Vineyard Merlot / Cabernet Sauvignon 18 (

)

Western Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14.6%; $45 [ screwcap; Me 50%, CS 35, CF 10, Ma 5, hand-picked; c.9 months in French oak none new; 515 cases; www.mudbrick.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, an excellent colour. Bouquet is sweet, floral, fragrant and lovely, another with suggestions even of violets, in ripe plummy fruit. In mouth the ripeness of the merlot is greater than the Kennedy Point wine, the wine showing dark plum and even blackberry notes. Oak is more apparent than one might hope – more like a Reserve wine – until you taste the same firm's Reserve, which is much smoother and richer and yes, oakier. I have to conclude both are oaky, but the quality and ripeness of the fruit is so good in each wine, testament to the wonderful 2010 vintage, that both have to score highly. Cellar 5 – 15 years, though at the moment it needs a year or two to smooth out. GK 10/12

1998 Penfolds Shiraz / Grenache / Mourvedre Bin 138 Old Vine 18 (

)

Barossa Valley, South Australia, Australia: 14%; $53 [ cork 46mm, ullage 20mm; original price c.$24; cepage varies from year to year, 1998 being shiraz / grenache / mourvedre, no ratio available but along lines 50/30/20, the vines 40 – 100 years age; no winemaking detail, elevation 16 months in older American hogsheads six years or more of age. The winery notes say "to enhance the highly concentrated fruit flavours without introducing any obvious oak characters." Halliday, 2011: … a ripe, complex mix of savoury/spicy/berry aromas foreshadow a palate which first shows the mint latent in the bouquet allied with that special fruit sweetness which grenache bestows, and which is still evident through the considerable tannins on the finish, 91; Wine Spectator, 2001: Rich flavors of dark berry and cherry are balanced against a wiry backbone of fine tannins and acidity in this outstanding Shiraz, gaining momentum on the finish. Impressive for its intensity and elegance. Drink now through 2010. 82,489 cases made, 90; www.penfolds.com ]
Ruby, garnet and velvet, much the reddest, freshest and deepest wine in the set. The Australian interloper in the Pt 2 1999 tasting was a good deal more subtle than the Melton in the 2007s. Here the florality on bouquet is truly flowering mint Prostanthera, and there is no suggestion of euc: it almost passes as ‘garrigue’ character. Even so, 20 of the 21 tasters unerringly identified the wine (in the blind tasting) as Australian – a remarkable result. Considering 1998 was a ripe and warm year in the Barossa Valley, the quality and freshness of the shiraz here is remarkable: the bouquet nearly shows syrah florals. Palate initially is juicy, plump but not heavy, good berryfruit, but then the Australian obsession with technological interference (in wine) comes in, with shrill added acid to the tail. Even so, it fitted in beautifully, due to the understated oaking, which is so subtle for Penfolds. Two top places. Cellar 10 – 20 years more. GK 10/19

2002 Olssen's Pinot Noir Slapjack Creek Reserve 18 (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $48 [ www.olssens.co.nz ]
Rich pinot noir ruby, vibrant. This bouquet is truly floral, fragrant, and youthfully burgundian, with the scents of boronia and darkest roses in black cherry fruit. Palate has layers of fruit, gorgeous texture which is velvety without being unduly soft, and it is not over-oaked. A very attractive Otago pinot noir which will cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 10/04

2010 Wooing Tree Pinot Noir 18 (

)

Cromwell, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $45 [ screwcap; Wooing Tree is a family-owned vineyard led by Steve Farquharson. The land was bought in 2002, and the vineyard established by highly-regarded viticulturist Robin Dicey. First vintage was 2005, so this winery too has come a long way in a short time. Winemaking is contracted to VinPro, and their house winemaker is also Peter Bartle. Our 2010 vintage has won gold medals in both the Air NZ Wine Awards 2012, and the Royal Easter 2012, yet has not sold out – an interesting commentary on the diminishing role of judgings in New Zealand wine affairs. It is made from 5 clones of pinot, all hand-picked. There is 5 – 10% whole-bunch in the ferment. It spent 10 months in French oak 34% new, with no fining but medium filtering. Analysis data not available; www.wooingtree.co.nz ]
Older pinot noir ruby. This wine needs a couple of splashy decantings, to reveal a bouquet which is a little different. The wine is at the stage of passing from primary flower and fruit notes to more evolved secondary aromas, where the components meld together into the burgundy wine style. Accordingly the oak is a little more apparent on bouquet. In mouth however the texture is velvety, the oak is not overly apparent, and charming older cherry flavours dominate, but showing some age, perhaps a little over-developed for its relative age, a hint of drying to the finish. Pleasing though. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 06/14

2002 Mebus Chardonnay 18 (

)

Wairarapa, New Zealand: 13.5%; $23 [ wild yeast ferment, mostly French oak ]
Lemonstraw with a flush of gold. Bouquet is immediately appealing, soft, rich and ample, with a cottage cheese (+ve) and buttered toast and honey complexity on the fruit. Palate is much the same, early developing as the colour indicates, but now showing good integration of barrel ferment, lees autolysis and MLF with the rich fruit. Good acid balance keeps the wine from being blowsy, so this is a case where appearances deceive. Even so, not a cellar wine beyond 1 – 2 years. GK 01/05

2005 Sacred Hill Chardonnay Riflemans 18 (

)

Upper Dartmoor Valley, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $52 [ screwcap; hand-picked from a vineyard on the Riflemans Terraces, notably cooler than the Gimblett Gravels; 100% clone mendoza on own roots, average vine age 17 years; whole-bunch pressed, settled only briefly; 100% wild-yeast and 100% barrel-ferment up to 17° plus partial MLF ferment; 12 months on lees in French oak 40% new balance 1-year, batonnage weekly in the first months extending to monthly later; pH –, RS 1.9 g/l; sterile-filtered; formerly entered in Shows: this wine Gold Easter 2007, Silver Air NZ 2006; www.sacredhill.com ]
Full straw, the deepest colour. The first thing to say is that for the group, this was by a clear margin the top wine of the evening. This interesting result shows the extent to which keen consumers still do cellar wine, and still do appreciate the flavours of fully developed wines, rather than the youthful current-release wines so many declare to be the best in the country. Bouquet is a rich blend of peachy stone fruit, including best glacé peaches, a hint of bottled quince, with brioche and even shortcake complexities woven through. The latter flavours highlight the magic brought about by the MLF fermentation, and long lees-autolysis. Palate simply extends the bouquet, beautifully harmonious and fully developed, to my mind a little older than I would wish for its age, so the oak is showing a little. Hence the score. It was a treat to see two vintages of Riflemans five years apart, particularly when both wines have near-identical elevage. Fully mature now, but will hold several years yet. GK 03/12

2006 Destiny Bay [ Cabernets / Merlot ] Mystae 18 (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.7%; $115 [ cork; CS 57, Me 22, CF 17, Ma 4, hand-harvested; c. 12 months in American 50% and French oak c. 50% new; the middle wine of the three tiers; www.destinybaywine.com ]
Ruby, much lighter than the top wines. Bouquet is extraordinary, showing beautiful fragrant berry-fruit totally out of style with the leading Waiheke or Hawkes Bay examples of Bordeaux blends, but totally in style with the better Reservas or Reservas Especials of Rioja in the 1950s and 1960s (tempranillo), and some later and contemporary highly regarded wines from Ribera del Duero in the same style. The key to this distinctiveness seems to be a particular kind of American oak introducing the distinctive aroma found in a carton of oranges when one in the bottom is going blue-mouldy (+ve in this context). Palate follows bouquet exactly, very fragrant and supple red fruits rather more than black, no cassis as such yet a lovely fruit sweetness, totally distinctive as fine wine, yet a world apart from new world cabernet as usually understood. More richness is needed, but these are young vines and 2006 is not a great year. Cellar life is therefore hard to estimate, there already being some maturity evident. It could maintain this profile surprisingly well, so 5 – 10 years, maybe a little more. GK 06/10

2003 Strugglers Flat Pinot Noir 18 (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $20 [ screwcap; subsidiary of Craggy Range; www.capricornwines.co.nz ]
Good pinot ruby, ideal in fact. Needs a breath of fresh air, to reveal an unequivocal pinot noir bouquet. There are beautiful florals in the boronia camp, on red and black cherries made aromatic by oak. Palate shows exactly what pinot is about, the feel of chardonnay-weight fruit with the flavours of ripe cherries. Oaking is fragrant, but to a max. This is fine New Zealand pinot noir, and is undoubtedly the best value in pinot ever offered in New Zealand. Let us hope it is a glimpse of the future, with pinot over-production imminent (and over-pricing rampant). Cellar 5 – 8 years. VALUE GK 01/05

1975 Tobias Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Auslese QmP 18 (

)

Mosel Valley, Germany: – %; $ – [ cork ]
Gold, just a hint of old gold creeping in, in the middle for depth of colour. Bouquet is quiet and understated in this wine, very pure, still floral in a fading nectary way, clearly varietal. Palate is understated too, the acid of the 1975s clearly noticeable, some light mandarin notes in palest stonefruit, all a little shorter than the botrytised 1976s, but still pretty lovely. Again, no immediate hurry here. GK 03/12

2002 Cape Mentelle Cabernet / Merlot Trinders 18 (

)

Margaret River, West Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $29 [ CS 56%, Me 36, CF 4, PV 3; 15 months in 35% new 50 / 50 French and US oak; www.capementelle.com.au ]
Ruby and velvet. The cassis of cabernet is delightful in this wine, and there is even a hint of violets. Palate is lighter and fresher than the Vasse Felix 2001, but the cassis is still intense, with good supporting plummy fruit, and fragrant oak which is slightly nutmeggy. This should cellar for 5 – 15 years. GK 06/04

2008 Te Mata [ Cabernets / Merlot ] Coleraine 18 (

)

Havelock Hills, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $75 [ cork; hand-harvested CS 52%, Me 34, CF 14; extended cuvaison; average vine age 20 + years; 20 months in French oak 75% new; pH 3.58, RS nil; www.temata.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, deeper than 2010 Coleraine. This wine has put on weight since I saw it last, with the bouquet pouring forth a dramatic volume of cabernets aroma. The cabernets here (combined) are a greater percentage than the 2010 Coleraine, giving an even more cassisy aromatic to the bouquet. Palate is very youthful, perhaps not quite the suppleness of the 2010 Coleraine, some cabernet edge, stronger oak handling than the 2010. In one sense this seems a more powerful wine than the 2010 Coleraine, so the question could be whether one prefers force or seduction. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 03/12

2010 The Riesling Challenge Larry McKenna 18 (

)

Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 9%; $ – [ screwcap; winemaker based at Escarpment Wines, Martinborough; price: the wines were initially offered at $25 each in the dozen set, but ended up at www.blackmarket.co.nz for $120 the set; wine described as sweet (55 g/L) by winemaker, and in the middle of Sweet by the bar-graph; no other info ]
This is one of the two most deeply-hued wines, clearly lemon, a lovely colour. Bouquet is slightly aromatic, fragrant and nearly citrus-blossom floral, with grapefruit notes, attractive. Palate is one of the most concentrated yet it is elegant, lots of flavour yet a lack of phenolics / extraction, beautifully long-flavoured on medium sweetness, citrus and white nectarine. Cellar 8 – 10 years. GK 02/12

2002 Newton – Forrest Cornerstone Cabernet / Merlot / Malbec 18 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $40 [ screwcap; CS 35%, Me 34, Ma 31; French and American oak; DFB; www.forrest.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. In contrast to the Esk Reserve and the Sacred Hill (5/04), this wine opens immediately fragrant, with clear cassis, berryfruits and violets, as well as the pennyroyal aromatic note which is so common in New Zealand reds. Palate is juicy, berryrich and flavoursome, a bit oaky, not as tautly knit and Bordeaux-like as several of the more highly-scored wines, but there is plenty to like. Cellar 10 – 15 years. GK 07/04

2002 Kingsley Estate Cabernet Sauvignon / Malbec / Merlot 18 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $39 [ screwcap; CS 71%, Ma 15, Me 14; French oak; DFB; www.kingsley.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, not as deep as some. Bouquet on this wine is astonishingly like an Haut-Medoc wine such as Ch Lanessan, where cabernet sauvignon is a high percentage (75 at Lanessan), and new oak is less apparent. Bouquet and palate are beautifully dominated by intense cassis and darkest plum, and though the oak is understated, nonetheless the whole wine is tauter and shows better tannin integration than for example the Cornerstone. This is elegant Bordeaux-styled red wine, not the richest, but one to illuminate the Hawkes Bay / Bordeaux climatic analogy to the
utmost. What a pleasure it will be with food in 10 – 15 years. GK 07/04

2009 Mt Difficulty Pinot Gris Manson's Farm 18 (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $34 [ screwcap; hand-harvested mid-May rather than mid-April from vines planted 1995; s/s cool ferment; some months stirring on gross lees to build palate, 40 g/L RS by stop-ferment; made in / seeking a vendage tardive style, 150 cases; www.mtdifficulty.co.nz ]
Lemon-straw. Bouquet is quite strongly varietal, deeper than the pear flesh so often attributed to the variety, more a soaked sultana and white nectarine fruit character. There is no oak influence, so one can study the pinot-family varietal flavours, which in New Zealand (sadly) are all too often simpler than the yellow-flowers-tinged Alsatian interpretation. In mouth though, body immediately evokes images of Alsatian tokay, a distinctly fatter and fleshy texture much suited to food, the flavour overcoming the appreciable sweetness. This should evolve in cellar into an unusual New Zealand pinot gris, well worth investing in. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 08/11

2012 Spy Valley Gewurztraminer Envoy 18 (

)

Waihopai Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $25 [ screwcap; no info, website being renovated; www.spyvalleywine.co.nz ]
Rich lemon. Bouquet is sweet, ripe, floral, exotic, and freshly-opened tending too perfumed. It benefits from decanting to reveal ginger-influenced spicy lychee, grapefruit and stonefruit aromas and flavours, good body, sweetness above medium, long flavoured. This Spy Gewurztraminer does not quite achieve the authentic Alsatian-quality richness and ripeness of the Saint Clair Reserve reviewed recently, and it is a bit sweeter, but it is explicitly varietal. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 05/13

2001 Vasse Felix Cabernet Heytesbury 18 (

)

Margaret River, West Australia, Australia: 14%; $54 [ CS 84%, Sy 8, Ma 5, Me 2; 18 months in new French oak; www.vassefelix.com.au ]
Ruby and velvet, a little deeper than the standard Cabernet Sauvignon. This is more an Australian cabernet in style than the standard wine, with rich cassis but also strong French oak introducing quite a hessian note. Palate is very dry, rich, fine-grained, firmly oaky and very taut. Cepage is almost a Hawkes Bay Blend, except the shiraz has more prominence. One cannot taste the shiraz easily, but the whole wine is less compellingly Bordeaux-like than the standard wine, both grapewise and in the more emphatic oak handling. Cellar 15 – 25 years. GK 06/04

2011 Te Mata Sauvignon Blanc Woodthorpe 18 (

)

Tutaekuri Valley, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $21 [ screwcap; cold-settled and cool fermented in s/s; www.temata.co.nz ]
Lemon-green, an excellent colour. Bouquet is already dramatically varietal, at a careful point of ripeness bridging the gap between stone-fruited Hawke's Bay wine and capsicum-themed Marlborough. This has some sweet basil aromatics which are nearly floral, clear black passionfruit, and sautéed red capsicum fruit on bouquet. Palate is great, extending the bouquet considerably, attractive mouth feel, maybe a hint of brief lees work or a fraction of barrel-ferment, gentler acid than so many Marlborough wines, 'sauvignon-dry', thoroughly pleasant wine. This 2011 Woodthorpe seems to reflect a dramatic change of approach, more than likely a significantly reduced crop, and much more attention to ripeness parameters. On the expensive side for s/s sauvignon, but worth trying. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 08/11

2004 Viu Manent Sauvignon Blanc Secreto 18 (

)

Colchagua Valley, Chile: 13%; $19 [ cork; SB 85%, other vars 15; s/s; www.viumanent.cl/ingles ]
Bright pale lemon, minutely richer than the standard wine. Bouquet is sweeter, riper and purer than the straight sauvignon, with more fruit and more honeysuckle, also clearly in the warmer Hawkes Bay sauvignon style. Palate is very good, fine black passionfruit and nectarine made aromatic by red capsicum, much richer than the standard wine, and not showing the sur lie hint. It is a little more phenolic than New Zealand's best. This could well be a gold medal wine, in a judging where the milder Hawkes Bay style was rewarded equally with the more bouquetted Marlborough wines. Cellar to taste, longer than the standard wine. GK 12/04

2000 Daniel Le Brun Blanc de Blancs Methode Traditionelle Brut 18 (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 12%; $ – [ cork; Ch 100%; 7 years en tirage; RS 8 g/L; www.lebrun.co.nz ]
Straw. Bouquet is both clearly autolysed, plus an intriguing vanilla wafer quality, beautifully clean. Palate enlarges on these qualities, light baguette-crust autolysis, the wine drying a little now as it ages, the nett result being a very Brut wine indeed, at least to the first sip or two. But then one is quickly seduced by the cashew and baguette-crust lingering aftertaste of superlative quality, and the wine becomes a delight. Exemplary New Zealand bubbly, fully mature now, but no hurry to finish up if you like old wine. GK 08/11

2009 Esk Valley Syrah 18 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $24 [ screwcap; Sy 100% hand-harvested @ 24+ degrees Brix, all de-stemmed; mostly wild yeast, warm-fermented in concrete open-top vessels, extended cuvaison; c. 18 months in French oak 30% new; RS <1g/L; www.esk.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, medium depth. Bouquet is much sweeter, riper and more charming than the Pask, closely matching some Cote Roties from Yves Cuilleron on the one hand, and some Ngatarawa Triangle wines such as Te Mata Bullnose on the other. There is clear wallflower, lovely cassis, and dark bottled plum. On palate the fruit is indeed riper than the Pask, so the oak seems a little less, though still noticeable, and the wine is plumper and more pleasing in mouth. Late flavours are very varietal, wallflower again, cassis, black pepper, and gentle oak, all nicely aromatic. Not a big wine, but potentially a beautiful one, which in three years or so will be a delight. It is the most accessible of the Pask / Villa / Esk syrah threesome right now, and well worth cellaring. See the Villa comment. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 08/11

2001 Perrin Chateauneuf du Pape les Sinards 18 (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $64 [ Gr 70%, Sy 15, Mv 15; part of must pasteurised; 100% in casks 12 months; website requires password entry; www.perrin-rhone.com ]
Ruby. Bouquet is archetypal grenache, soft and 'sweet' raspberry and red plums with cinnamon spice, and complexity from fragrant herbes de Provence aromatics. Palate marries all these into a silky classical Chateauneuf de Pape, richer than the weight of flavour would suggest, scarcely oaked and little if any new, a hint of savoury complexity building interest through the palate. The wine reminds of an understated Chateauneuf such as Clos des Papes, but more old-fashioned. This is the best les Sinards in recent years. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 07/04

2006 Wynns Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon John Riddoch 18 (

)

Coonawarra, South Australia, Australia: 14%; $63 [ screwcap; CS nominally 100%, made from the best 1% of the crop in the better years only; 22 months in French oak 100% new; RS < 1 g/L; first made in 1982; www.wynns.com.au ]
Dense ruby and velvet. Bouquet suggests a huge wine, the berry is cool enough to retain cassis character, but there is a lot of oak. Palate is clean, rich, very dry, still showing cassis but starting to brown a little, the oak potentially cedary but at a max. This wine suggests about the greatest seasonal warmth for Coonawarra cabernet to retain a reasonably Bordeaux styling, but the oak has the last word, sadly, letting down the fruit. Cellar 5 – 20 years, doubtfully too finesse later. GK 08/11

2010 Clark Estate Pinot Gris 18 (

)

Awatere Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $19 [ screwcap; early-morning picked by machine; free-run cool-fermented in s/s, press fraction BF, both fractions 3 months LA, stirring not mentioned; RS 5 g/L; www.borehamwoodwines.co.nz ]
Straw. There is some varietal excitement on the bouquet of this wine, with more complexity and hints of yellow flowers as well as white, much more like good Alsatian pinot gris. Both bouquet and palate are beautifully clean, with suggestions of yellow-fleshed plum as well as pear, plus just a touch of cinnamon later, thus finishing slightly phenolic and virtually dry. This is serious pinot gris to cellar 3 – 8 years, maybe longer. GK 08/11

2008 Puriri Hills [ Merlot / Cabernet Franc ] Reserve 18 (

)

Clevedon, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14.1%; $85 [ cork; Me 51%, CF 20, Ca 13, CS 9, Ma 7, hand-harvested @ c.6.75 t/ha = 2.7 t/ac; 21 months in French oak 48% new; lightly fined, filtered; www.puririhills.co.nz ]
Ruby, some velvet. This is a more petite wine alongside the 2010 Pope, which is the wine of a fabulous year. But there is the same extraordinary florality and berries on bouquet, violets and nearly cassis, not quite the plumpness maybe to suggest blackberry, but totally good cru bourgeois-level Bordeaux in style. Palate again has attractive delicacy and texture in wonderful red berries, but not quite the richness of the 2010 Reserve. It is enchanting to have such delicate, subtly oaked New Zealand bordeaux blends of an east-bank persuasion with berry fruit so dominant. In one sense this is a prettier wine than 2010 Pope, due to less oak and also the cabernet sauvignon speaking with a louder voice than the % would justify. Cellar 3 – 12 years. GK 08/12

2001 Perrin Gigondas la Gille 18 (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $48 [ Gr 80%, Sy 20; no de-stemming, 13 days cuvaison; 30% in one-year barrels, 70 in older oak; website requires password entry; www.perrin-rhone.com ]
Ruby, deeper than the Sinards or Coudoulet. Initially opened, there are some rustic odours which demand splashy pouring from jug to jug. Thus decanted, the bouquet is brilliant, with spicy nutmeg and cinnamon on rich dry redfruits and grenache. Palate shows excellent savoury herbes de Provence complexity on tongue, and long soft berryfruit which combines cassis, blackberry and plum, and is more aromatic all through than Coudoulet. The wine is dry, mellow, scarcely affected by the newish oak, long on skin tannins, spicy, not quite the body of great Gigondas maybe, but there is good complexity and typicité, with smoky and bretty grilled beef suggestions which are delicious. A more traditional wine, therefore. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 07/04

2001 Rousseau Clos de la Roche 18 (

)

Morey-St-Denis Grand Cru, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 13%; $137 [ second-year oak ]
Pinot noir ruby, but one of the deeper (in this set – still no great weight). There isn't such a floral component to this wine, when compared with the top two Chambertins, but the depth of red going on black cherry is delightful. The oak smells and tastes new, noticeable in the blind tasting, but the ratio of oak to cherry fruit is very subtle. Beautiful medium-weight burgundy, lighter than the top two Chambertins, highly varietal. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 02/05

2009 Mt Difficulty Pinot Noir Pipeclay Terrace 18 (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $85 [ screwcap; a more diverse range of clones than Target Gulley, the oldest (on own roots) 15 years at harvest; earlier vintages have been cropped at c. 4 t/ha = 1.6 t/ac; up to 10 days cold-soak, up to 10 days fermentation, up to 10 days maceration, giving a longer cuvaison than Target Gulley, with a smaller whole-bunch component; 14 months in French oak, 32% new; www.mtdifficulty.co.nz ]
Colour is slightly fresher than the standard 2009 Mt Difficulty, less deep than the Target Gully. Bouquet shows a heightened floral component relative to Long Gully, but in a cooler style than Target Gully, not such dusky roses, a bit more buddleia. Palate is red cherry more than black, quite dramatically so, and it is the only one of the Individual Vineyard wines to show a stalky streak in 2009. It tastes cooler than the standard wine even, but is richer. It will be wonderful to follow these three individual wines, and the standard wine, over their 3 – 8 maybe 10 year evolution in cellar. GK 08/11

2017 Pirathon Shiraz Silver 18 (

)

NW Barossa Valley, South Australia, Australia: 15%; $25 [ screwcap; shiraz 100%, harvested at 6.2 t/ha = 2.5 t/ac from a number of vineyards in the 300 – 350 m zone in the northwest Barossa Valley; 18 months in 25% new US hogsheads, balance older hogsheads from US, France, Russia and Hungary; not fined but filtered, production 16,978 x 9-litre cases; weight bottle and closure 661 g; www.pirathon.com ]
Ruby and velvet, just above midway in depth, still quite a big wine. Bouquet is complex, deep, fresh, aromatic, with hints of flowering mint on darkly-berried fruit, fragrant. In mouth its characteristics jump into sharper focus, the flowering mint a little clearer on juicy dark berry combining dark plum and boysenberry, on fragrant oak less noticeable than the other two more ‘serious’ and richer Pirathons. Length of flavour on berry is long, subtly extended on sweet oak, almost as if there were a couple of grams residual sugar, acid adjustment to the finish. A simpler wine in one sense, a little less concentrated, yet attractive because of its berry dominance, it's floral and berry qualities not so influenced by oak, and its lingering fruit. I wish the alcohol in all these Pirathons were lower – the crazy thing is, if Australian winemakers would pick their shiraz earlier, in some situations (and seasons, at least) they could lift the wine into the more complex syrah winestyle. Even so, this is remarkable new-generation Australian shiraz, and great value at the price. It shows much of the style of the more expensive other two. Cellar 10 – 25 years. GK 06/20

2002 Vidal Chardonnay Reserve 18 (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $34 [ screwcap; BF in French oak and 11 months LA, part MLF; 2.6 g/L RS; www.vidal.co.nz ]
The most lemongreen and youthful-looking of the Villa Group set of chardonnays. Bouquet on this one is not quite as fruit-dominant as the other top wines, with smoky and oaky qualities noticeable. They breathe off, to reveal good rich stonefruits more apparent than any mealiness, though the smoky note on the oak persists. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 02/05

2007 Guigal Cotes du Rhone 18 (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $36 [ cork, 45mm; New Zealand purchase price c.$20; Sy 50%, Gr 40, Mv 10; production c.291,600 x 9-litre cases; details in Introductory sections; J.L-L, 2011: Lying low, well-filled nose, licorice and dark berry airs. Black berries, blackberry jam flavour with tobacco, spice pockets. Has tarry later moments, a hint of dryness just before the finish. The attack is muscled. This has 2007 power inherent in it, is structured to live. There is a good long, consistent run through the palate. Has a solid nature, is still a bit closed up. Decant. 2021-23, ***(*); RP@RP, 2010: The 2007 Cotes du Rhone has finally been released, and Guigal has made his finest Cotes du Rhone to date, all from purchased juice. He and his son told me they go through thousands of samples in order to come up with this cuvee, which is based on 50% Syrah, 40% Grenache, and 10% Mourvedre, all aged in tank. A deep ruby/purple wine with lots of cassis, kirsch, pepper, and even an intriguing floral note, the wine is medium to full-bodied, silky smooth, and a truly delicious, hedonistic and intellectually satisfying wine that is a remarkable bargain. It should drink well for 2-4 years, as these wines can actually last, 90; weight bottle and closure: 572 g; www.guigal.com ]
Ruby, a shadow of garnet creeping in, above midway in richness of colour. Bouquet is very pure on this wine, a suggestion of dusky red roses adding a quiet charm, on big berryfruit suggesting blackberries-in-the-sun and blueberry, plus some dark plum. Palate is supple, saturated with berryfruit, quite tanniny still in relative youth, the oak just a little noticeable but the fruit richness enough to carry it, the acid balance good. This is a surprisingly well-balanced wine for the (in general) rather warm and tending over-ripe 2007 vintage in the Southern Rhone Valley. In particular the syrah component does not show the over-ripeness of the 2009 and 2016. One second favourite ranking. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 03/21

2007 Forrest Syrah John Forrest Collection 18 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $75 [ screwcap; grown on the Cornerstone vineyard, hand-picked @ ± 4.6 t/ha = 1.8 t/ac; RS nil; 145 cases; www.forrest.co.nz ]
Good ruby and velvet, still some carmine. Bouquet is fairly rich, a bit heavy on more oak than is ideal, but much less oaky than some earlier Forrest offerings. Fruit ripeness is at the appropriate stage to still retain wallflower and dianthus florals, though they are somewhat hidden in the oak, with some black pepper. Palate is good syrah, oakier than ideal for temperate climate finesse, but not so much as to bludgeon the cassis and bottled black doris plummy fruit. The oak does make it a little austere alongside 2009 Bullnose, however. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 08/11

2010 Mt Difficulty Riesling Target Gully 18 (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 9.5%; $26 [ screwcap; vines planted 1994; stop-fermented @ 40 g/L, pH 3.0; www.mtdifficulty.co.nz ]
Lovely lemon, very fresh. Bouquet is softer, more floral than the dry version, both apple blossom and a whisper of something like jasmine, beautifully pure. Palate is pure crystalline riesling despite the higher residual sugar, no botrytis influence so one can study the flavour as essence of riesling the grape. There is some linalool and holy grass, some old-fashioned apple without the juicy esters of latter years, some sweet white peach. Below is a mineral and acid spine, fleshed out by the sweetness. This will cellar well, 5 – 15 years. GK 08/11

2010 Charvin Cotes-du-Rhone Non-Filtré 18 (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $22.50 [ cork, 46mm; New Zealand purchase price c.$26; Gr 81%, Sy 7.5, Mv 7.5, Ca 4; details in Introductory sections; J.L-L, 2012: The nose is wide – here we go. It has appealing, rather ample layers with red berry fruit compote and a wee note of kirsch present. It is not out as yet, but the depth is very secure, solid. This is building into a bundle of complexity. The palate has a tight, compact, dense fabric. The finish is on licorice and thyme, dusty outcrops, with menthol and mint on the final moment. Very good Cotes du Rhone, one with proper body, access to the lands, STGT. It carries many 2010 attributes – balance, freshness, intricate body. It can resolve its pebbly finish gradually. Drink now if you want a direct swing of wine, since it moves very freely, but it will gain in interest and nuance over time. Great value for money. 14.5°. From spring 2014. 2023-25, ****(*); RP@RP, 2012: The 2010 Cotes du Rhone Le Poutet offers lots of framboise, strawberry and cherry notes intermixed with dusty, loamy, peppery, earthy characteristics in a medium-bodied, soft style. Enjoy it over the next 1-3 years. The Charvin Cotes du Rhone is one of the noteworthy value picks in just about every vintage, 87; weight bottle and closure: 565 g; www.domaine-charvin.com ]
Ruby, not quite the vigour and depth of the 2010 Guigal, but above midway in depth. Here is that rare thing, Charvin Cotes-du-Rhone ripened to pinpoint perfection. There are nearly lilac florals, a hint of garrigue complexity, and a depth of berryfruit hinting at raspberry, certain red plums, and blueberry. On bouquet, you would never accuse it of the simplicity so many concrete Cotes du Rhone wines can show. Palate continues the harmony of berry ripeness, perfect acid balance, noticeable furry-tannins as yet in youth, yet the tannins short, not quite the softening and lengthening that oak elevage bestows on the Guigal wines. This is about as good as Charvin Cotes-du-Rhone can be. One top ranking, three second favourites. What a wonderful year 2010 is, in the Rhone Valley. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 03/21

2002 Craggy Range Merlot Seven Poplars 18 (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $34 [ Me 98%, Ma 2; www.craggyrange.com ]
Dense ruby, velvet and carmine. Bouquet on this merlot is cooler than the Gimblett Gravels wine, showing cassis notes as well as violets and plums, but with oak interfering. Flavours are in part like modern Bordeaux, but there is too much new oak, which exacerbates the acid, making the whole wine taste more austere. This may grow more fragrant and complex in cellar, and could even overtake the Gimblett wine on bouquet, but I suspect the oak will remain a matter for regret. The depth of fruit in these Craggy reds bespeaks a conservative cropping rate, giving great flavour. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 02/04

2002 Felton Road Chardonnay Barrel-Fermented 18 (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $36 [ screwcap; www.feltonroad.com ]
Lemon. This wine is just a little more obvious, the fruit and oak not quite so integrated as the top wines – but that is at a critical level. The Felton is still much less oaky than the Referts, for example. Fruit is white peachy and mealy, and the charry oak and citric overtones are amazingly like several of the Girardins. Richness is super, but the alcohol shows a little, just needing to marry up more. The acid may be slightly higher than the Girardins, but this wine shows yet again the great potential Otago has for world-class chardonnay, a potential lying almost latent and unrecognised. Cellar 3 – 12 years. GK 04/04

2009 Charles Wiffen Riesling 18 (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 12.5%; $16 [ screwcap; RS 12 g/L; www.charleswiffenwines.co.nz ]
Lemon. Bouquet is clean strong varietal riesling with enough age to show some development on the lime-zest and citrus base. Palate is slightly more phenolic than ideal, but there is plenty of citrus and marmaladey fruit, on firm acid and a near-dry finish. It might develop a little kerosene character in cellar, but pleasantly so. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 08/11

2002 Girardin Corton-Charlemagne 18 (

)

Corton Grand Cru, Cote de Beaune, Burgundy, France: 14%; $139
Pale lemongreen, brilliant. This is an understated wine, almost closed but not at all reductive – just hugging itself. Palate shows white stonefruits and quite a mineral complexity in the style of Puligny, with mealy, charry and almost almondy autolysis / oak complexities also discernible. Only on the aftertaste can one detect the 100% new oak this wine was apparently exposed to, which gives a hint to how rich it must be, behind its reserved exterior. This will cellar for two decades, and needs several years to have much to say at all. It may well ultimately merit a higher score. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 04/04

2002 Esk Valley Chardonnay Hawkes Bay Reserve 18 (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $36 [ screwcap; French oak, 25% MLF; www.eskvalley.co.nz ]
Lemon. Bouquet on this wine is slightly more European than the top wines in the Villa Group set, showing a charry and faintly sacky suggestion in the big fruit. The charry quality extends into the rich peachy palate, adding a slightly bitey walnut-like character which adds complexity, in comparison with, for example, the pure-fruit Gisborne Reserve. Another variation on good chardonnay. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 02/05

2006 Hunters Wines MiruMiru 18 (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $28 [ cork; Ch 55%, PN 41, PM 4; 100% MLF; 32 months en tirage; dosage @ 8.2 g/L; www.hunters.co.nz ]
Pale straw, but the wine a little over-pressure with excess very white foam, as Lindauer used to be. The first impression is of a lot of bouquet, clear-cut pinot noir adding zing, good cracked yeast autolysis character, all clearly in the 'champagne' class, though naturally younger and fruitier than the 2002 Pelorus. Palate is crisp, with elegant pinot noir-dominant fruit and good autolysis, not as weighty in mouth as the 2002 Pelorus, and a little sweeter, but all comparable with minor-marque champagne. The baguette crust on the aftertaste is delightful. Cellar 2 – 8 years. GK 11/08

2003 Te Kairanga Chardonnay Reserve 18 (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $34 [ screwcap; 90% mendoza; yield < 1 t/ac; BF in French oak 20% new, 8 months LA , 20% MLF; RS 2.6 g/L; www.tkwine.co.nz ]
Lemon. This is straight up and down New Zealand chardonnay, totally clean, pure peachy stonefruit, clean oak a little noticeable at this stage, potential cashew complexity. In mouth the balance of fruit to oak is more favourable, the flavours lightly mealy, excellent acid balance, a wine which will be refreshing with food. The delicacy of these two Martinborough wines is very apparent, against the Hawkes Bay and Marlborough examples which happen to be available on the day. The '04 Chardonnay Reserve from a barrel sample looks to be every bit as good, slightly more acid and aromatic. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 03/05

2002 Fevre Chablis les Bougros 'Cote Bouguerots' Grand Cru 18 (

)

Chablis, France: 13%; $122 [ cork; Fevre domaine-holdings wine ]
Lemongreen. This is the subtlest of the grands crus, but they all smell rich and more variants on white burgundy rather than chablis. Bouquet shows white stonefruits, subtle new oak and more obvious MLF complexity, a hint of mealiness, attractive wine. Palate is pure too, acid strangely noticeable as if touched up a la mode australienne, long white stonefruits, quite new world on the oak. Several tasters commented on the similarity to Marlborough chardonnay. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 02/05

1985 Guigal Cote Rotie Brune & Blonde 18 (

)

Cote Rotie, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $154 [ 49mm cork; a 5-star vintage for Broadbent, outstanding reds, rich and long-lasting, Parker 90 and ready; Sy 96, Vi 4; c.36 months in barrel and foudre, a little new; this single label estimated to be 40% of the total production of Cote Rotie; Parker, 1996: Like many northern Rhones from this vintage, the 1985 regular cuvee has always been a deliciously ripe, round, precocious-tasting wine, with a concentrated, creamy texture, and smoky bouquet. Mature now, 90; www.guigal.com ]
Mature ruby with appreciable garnet, exactly midway in depth. This is an understated wine, yet it is so immaculately tailored, and so keeps on blossoming in the glass, that it works its way up the ranking. It opens up with air to be nearly floral, with lilac and dianthus suggestions, on red more than black fruits which initially are a little chestnutty, but clear dramatically. In flavour it is model Cote Rotie, not dramatically big or powerful, but beautifully fruited and fragrant in mouth. The oak is really clean, shaping the wine delightfully, but unobtrusive. A masterly example of the Guigal style, at a perfect peak of maturity and complexity (once breathed), for people who like old wine. Some will consider it a little too old. Will cellar some years yet, fading gently with time. Top wine for four people, and certainly a perfect food wine. This bottle perhaps best answers the question in the title for the tasting: Does Syrah Age ? GK 09/14

2002 Villa Maria Chardonnay Gisborne Reserve 18 (

)

Gisborne, New Zealand: 14%; $34 [ screwcap; 100% clone 95; French oak; 2 g/L RS; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Lemongreen. This is a pure and subtle chardonnay, more in the white nectarine than the golden queen spectrum of fruit. Later checking reveals it is in fact all Clone 95. Fruit richness persists right through the palate, with great viscosity but less mealy complexity, the oak seeming simpler but integrating attractively. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 02/05

1970 Tahbilk Cabernet Sauvignon Bin 55 18 (

)

Goulburn Valley, Victoria, Australia: – %; $11.27 [ CS, minor CF. In those days patriarch the late Eric Purbrick still kept an eagle eye on things, and particularly his loved Bin wines. These were traditional, tended to be the press wines, were raised in big old wood, the best exceptional and long-lived. 1970 is not a reputed vintage at Tahbilk, but as can be seen from the price, the wine was highly esteemed in its day. Max Lake, in his wonderful book Classic Wines of Australia, 1966, describes them as 'truly classic wines of Australia'. This wine, 530 cases. ]
Garnet and ruby, the lightest of the set. Bouquet combines a faint hint of garden mint with fragrant red fruits totally in a cabernet franc / St Emilion style - quite remarkably so. Palate is mulberry and redcurrants, and clearly shows the merits of immaculate old oak cooperage, as in traditional Chateauneuf du Pape. There is no oak encroaching on the fruit at this stage, as there is in the Margaux and Mouton particularly, so the whole wine is fragrant on grape characters rather more than oak, and fades away as a graceful whole. Now lovely drinking, and like the Ducru, needs to be used up. GK 03/05

2009 Grasshopper Rock Pinot Noir Earnscleugh 18 (

)

Alexandra, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14.1%; $32 [ screwcap; hand-picked and sorted; thought to be 5% whole bunch; 10 months in French oak, 30% new; www.grasshopperrock.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is red cherry fragrant, clearly varietal, in a much more Cote de Beaune than Cote de Nuits styling, appealing. Palate follows exactly, not dark Otago pinot noir at all, but still attractive crunchy burgundian cherry fruit, freshened by a trace of coolness as seen in the Cornish Point wine. Cellar 3 – 8 years. This is gorgeous ! VALUE GK 06/11

2003 Mt Difficulty Pinot Noir Target Gulley Single Vineyard 18 (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $73 [ screwcap; clones 10/5, 5, then 9 years, harvested @ c 1.8 t/ac; 12% whole bunch, 5 day cold soak, wild yeast fermentation, up to 24 days cuvaison; 13 months in French oak 40% new; www.mtdifficulty.co.nz ]
Mature pinot noir ruby. What a revelation a freshly opened bottle is. Bouquet epitomises the concept of florality in pinot noir, the palate is round and reminiscent of a Rousseau grand cru, and the whole wine is delicious mature New Zealand pinot. This wine was shown in the 2010 Pinot Noir Conference . In my report on this site I expressed dismay that the 2003 Target Gulley had come forward so quickly, relative to the rave review of the wine I made in writing up the 2007 Conference. Tasting this wine again now suggests that some at least of the wines in the 2010 Conference either experienced heat in transit, or stood too long in the glasses after pouring for the session, and thus lacked excitement at the point of tasting. Lovely wine, fully mature now. GK 06/11

2009 Bannock Brae Pinot Noir Goldfields 18 (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14.3%; $30 [ screwcap; if like the 2008, hand-picked, cuvaison extending to 4 weeks for some parcels; c. 8 months in French oak c.25% new; not fined or filtered; www.bannockbrae.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby. In contrast to the Muirkirk Vineyard wine, this is a more fruit-forward pinot noir showing less oak influence. On bouquet the fragrant black more than red cherry fruit is warm and inviting, with subdued florals. Palate shows great fruit subtly oaked, a touch of coolness freshening the wine up, and pleasing texture and weight in mouth. At the price, this is a great introduction to the darker styles of Otago pinot. Cellar 3 – 8 years. VALUE GK 06/11

2009 Mount Edward Pinot Noir Muirkirk Vineyard 18 (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $68 [ screwcap; hand-picked, single-vineyard wine, second release; 14 months in French oak; not fined or filtered; no other info; www.mountedward.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is soft, warm and inviting pinot noir, showing good roses to boronia florality on attractively ripened cherry fruit. In mouth a suggestion of barrel complexity adds to interest, with fine fruit richness and the flavour-length extended by oak. Many will prefer this slightly more oak-influenced styling to the subtler wines I have put ahead of it. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/11

2010 Mt Beautiful Riesling 18 (

)

Cheviot Hills, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 11.5%; $23 [ Stelvin Lux; hand-picked; 6 months on light lees; pH 2.97, RS 7.5 g/L; www.mtbeautiful.co.nz ]
Lemongreen. Bouquet is wonderful, totally pure and varietal riesling untainted by so-called 'aromatic' yeasts. Bouquet recalls both the Mosel, and the Clare Valley: freesias and hops. Palate explains the Clare Valley and hops part, the wine being a little more extractive / phenolic than ideal from riesling, but the flavours and body are lovely. Finish is riesling "dry" to palate, but analysis shows a little more sweetness than expected, reflecting the low pH. The extra year before release really helps this wine, and is more than appropriate for a wine from a cooler but promising site visible from SH1 as one drives down to Waipara – the most northerly vineyards in Canterbury. Cellar 5 – 12 years, perhaps longer given the pH. GK 03/13

2008 Passage Rock Syrah Reserve 18 (

)

Eastern Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14%; $50 [ screwcap; Syrah 100%, hand-picked; c.30 days cuvaison; c.10 months in barrel, much more French oak than previously, now predominant, c. 70% new; sterile-filtered; www.passagerockwines.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. Bouquet is complex and appealing, showing a quality of berry ripeness which I think would have been beautifully floral at the pinpoint level of wallflowers. Unfortunately however, the implicit florals and sumptuous cassis now show a little savoury brett character. Palate shows good fruit richness, cassis and bottled black doris fruit, and elegant texture, let down somewhat by the gamey notes and chocolate. Twenty years ago these characters were welcomed – and in the old world British and French winewriters and judges still rave positively about them, but in the new world the tide is turning against the complexity flavours introduced by the spoilage yeast Brettanomyces. This wine is not as markedly affected as Man O' War Syrah Dreadnought, but it still takes the shine off it, and the top marks it would otherwise have enjoyed. Since it is sterile-filtered to bottle, the wine should be stable in bottle, so cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 07/10

2001 Guigal Cote Rotie La Turque 18 (

)

Cote Rotie, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $353 [ Sy 93%, Vi 7; average vine age 15 years; cropped 35 - 37 hL / ha; fermented in s/s, 4 weeks cuvaison; 42 months in new French oak; www.guigal.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. This is the most clearly overripe and Australian in style of the top Cote-Roties, the bouquet just a little porty, with oak and VA not as subtle as one might wish. Plenty of berryfruit richness, though. Palate continues in the same style, very flavoursome cassis and black plum, aromatic on oak, tauter than Australia, but coarser and more obvious than the magic of the best years of these wines. With time in cellar this will marry up into a big and impressive wine. Cellar 10 - 20 years. GK 07/05

2009 Obsidian Syrah [ preview ] 18 (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14%; $54 [ cork; preview of the just-bottled next vintage, 2.5% Vi co-fermented this year; greater % French oak; not on website until release next year; www.obsidian.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, much the same depth as the 2008. Bouquet however is at this stage altogether less integrated and harmonious, the cassis, black pepper and oak unknit, the floral components yet to emerge, and there is perhaps the slightest suggestion of sur-maturité. On palate that idea grows, the entire riper end of the ripening spectrum from deepest cassis, blueberry, bottled black doris plum and even a hint of boysenberry being tastable. This wine has only just been bottled, and was offered solely as a preview for interest. I'm sure once it has settled down, it will speak much more elegantly at release mid-2011. Several premium New Zealand syrahs have already consistently shown they are transformed after 18 months in bottle. Cellar 5 – 15 years, maybe more. GK 07/10

2002 Vidal Syrah Soler 18 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.8%; $30 [ screwcap; no info @ website; www.vidal.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. A voluminous bouquet different from most of the syrah wines, in that there is a clear blueberry note in the cassis and dark plum. It is almost as if there were a Californian interloper in the tasting, with more than a touch of zin. Palate is very rich, tremendous berryfruit, a little oaky, the flavours of cassis and blueberry going right through the wine to a succulent finish, so rich it seems sweet. This however is fruit sweetness from richness, not residual. Fair to say this illustrates an over-ripe wine, where floral and pepper-aromatic qualities of syrah are being lost. Pretty delicious, though. Cellar 10 – 15 years. GK 12/04

2002 Te Mata Syrah / Viognier Woodthorpe 18 (

)

Dartmoor Valley, northern Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $24 [ cork; Sy 98%, Vi 2; hand-picked, de-stemmed, co-fermented and hand-plunged in open-top fermenters, extended maceration, 15 months in French oak; www.temata.co.nz ]
Ruby, a little velvet, closer to the Varonniers than to most of the kiwis. I had to include this wine in the tasting, for it represents a winemaking approach outside the kiwi square. Bouquet clearly shows the florals which so characterise the Varonniers, and demonstrates that Rhone-style complexity can be achieved in New Zealand. Significantly, this wine from the Woodthorpe district of the Dartmoor River valley is a cooler zone than the Gimblett Gravels. Te Mata are consciously seeking a Cote Rotie style for this wine, rather than the Hermitage / Crozes-Hermitage axis most Hawkes Bay growers seem to have in mind. They therefore blend in a little of the white grape viognier, as in Cote Rotie. Bouquet is thus softer and sweeter, more feminine in traditional parlance, than the more authoritative Gravels wines. In addition to wallflower and dianthus smells, there is lovely berry aroma combining red and black currants, red as well as black plums, and clear black peppercorn, all plus an exciting savoury / gamey edge. Palate follows on perfectly, supple fruit, soft tannins, velvety, slightly savoury - by far the most food-friendly and rewarding to drink now of all these wines.

It is worth mentioning that hi-tech winemakers criticise wines of this style on the grounds of Brettanomyces, but at the level seen in this wine, that is academic. Sometimes these people are not sufficiently familiar with the exquisite florals of perfectly ripened syrah in the Rhone Valley, and the fragrances on bouquet mis-cue them. Many, many, highly rated Rhone wines are much more bretty than this one. The best advice with slightly to moderately bretty wines is (a) to serve them with savoury herbes-tinged dishes like winter casseroles (particularly venison), and (b) not cellar them for quite so long. Even so, this wine has such lovely fruit, and such subtle oak, it will cellar a good 10 years, maybe more. I have a case of it, to test, and I think prove, that point. Keep such wines for your friends, and don’t serve them to new world, high-tech winemakers ! GK 06/05

2002 Villa Maria Merlot Two Vineyards Cellar Selection 18 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $25 [ screwcap; Me 96%, Ma 4, French oak 18 months; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, virtually as dense as the Reserve Merlot. This wine too shows a clearcut merlot floral and violets lift to its berry-rich bouquet. There is a precision of merlot varietal character here which Australia can scarcely ever manage, which should give us a great marketing advantage with these accessible wines. Palate is soft and generous, richly showing bottled black Doris, not as complexed with oak as the Reserve wine, and thus appearing faintly buttery (+ve). Fine pure merlot at a good price. Cellar 5 – 10 years. VALUE GK 12/04

2006 d'Arenberg Shiraz / Grenache d'Arry's Original 18 (

)

McLaren Vale, South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $24 [ screwcap; Sh 50%, Gr 50; half the wine raised in French and American barriques some new, some in large old oak, after blending all in old oak 12-ish months; www.darenberg.com.au ]
Ruby and velvet, a hint of age. This is the latter-day incarnation of the original and famous 1960s d'Arenberg Red-Stripe Burgundy. The glorious thing about the wine is that it's style has scarcely changed over the years, yet it has benefitted from modern thinking too. Back in the 60s this wine was sometimes oppressively reductive. Even now, the first thing to do on opening is to pour it splashily from jug to jug five or so times. Bouquet then freshens up remarkably to display an antipodean kind of Chateauneuf-du-Pape, with soft varietal fruit and a touch of raspberry, dark plum and tar. Palate is potentially soft and velvety, with fresh berry yet older oak, scarcely any sign of added acid, and no euc'y taints. This will cellar for 30 years, if you ask it to and like old and mellow wine, and mature beautifully. A case-buy wine. VALUE. GK 07/10

2007 Unison Syrah 18 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $39 [ supercritical 'cork'; Sy 100% hand-picked @ < 4 t/ac; up to 3 weeks cuvaison; 13 months in barrel some new; no wine info on website; Jenny Dobson the new winemaker; www.unisonvineyard.co.nz ]
Ruby and carmine, dense. Bouquet is rich and elegant, different again in this fascinating bracket of syrahs. Aromas of stewed best red rhubarb stalks, blueberries and vanillin American oak pour from the glass, the volume of blueberry unusual. Palate is rich, blueberry more than plum, but oakier than the Pask, reminding a little of some Clonakilla syrahs. This is a confusing wine, but good: it widens the range of styles to be embraced in our interpretations of New Zealand syrah. For the EIT group as a whole, this was the third-rated wine. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 06/10

2010 Ellero Pinot Noir Pisa Terrace 18 (

)

Pisa district, Cromwell Basin, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.9%; $36 [ screwcap; 5 clones hand-harvested @ 4 t/ha (1.6 t/ac); 14 months in French oak, 33% new; pH 3.6; 210 cases; website good combination of discursive and factual info; www.ellerowine.com ]
Ruby, a touch of velvet, the deepest of nine pinots, big for pinot noir. Bouquet skirts with being too big, darkly plummy, quite oaky, but redeemed by an aromatic floral lift. Palate is a step up, the flavours as much darkly cherry as plum, the oak at a maximum or slightly exuberant, but it is potentially fragrant cedary oak. The length of fruit is good and the wine finishes well. This is exciting concentrated but rather dark pinot noir from a site which (from the air photo) looks highly interesting. Optimising pinot noir varietal expression via less oak is the goal now, as the vines gain age. Cellar 3 – 12 years. GK 03/13

2007 d'Arenberg Shiraz Footbolt 18 (

)

McLaren Vale, South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $24 [ screwcap; Sh 100%; an average of 12 months in mostly older larger-format French and American oak, but a small BF component in barriques some new; www.darenberg.com.au ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. In many ways, this shows much the same berry, blueberry and bottled plum fruit as the Dead Arm Shiraz, not as rich, but with a lot less oak. It is therefore a particularly good wine to study McLaren Vale shiraz varietal quality, which at its best can be much more restrained than warmer South Australian districts. In some seasons therefore, their shiraz almost grades into the hottest years of Gimblett Gravels syrah, particularly for those producers who over-ripen their fruit. Blueberry is the common fruit note. Acid adjustment and oak are not too obtrusive. Attractive wine which will cellar 5 – 15 + years. VALUE. GK 07/10

2008 View East Syrah 18 (

)

Eastern Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13%; $39 [ screwcap; Sy 100%, hand-harvested; all de-stemmed; some cold-soak, shortish cuvaison; MLF and 10 months in American oak some new; www.vieweast.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, a little older than most 2008s and 2007s. This report is a little permissive. The nett impression on bouquet is supremely Cote Rotie, in a style which Guigal himself would be happy to own (considering many recent d'Ampuis bottlings). There is glorious florality embracing dianthus / carnations and wallflowers (fitting in with the lower given alcohol), excellent browning cassis berry, clear white and fresh-cracked black peppercorn, and the whole bouquet has the magic lift of an academic level of savoury brett complexity. Palate is harmony itself, supple fruit, a quality of oaking unusual in a new winery, the American oak not making the wine clumsier at all. Cellar 5 – 8 years, perhaps 10 if sterile-filtered. GK 06/10

2002 Esk Valley Syrah Reserve 18 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.9%; $40 [ screwcap; hand-picked, hand-plunged open-top fermenters, MLF in barrel, 15 months French oak; www.eskvalley.co.nz ]
Dense ruby, carmine and velvet, matching Cornerstone. A big bouquet of very ripe syrah fruit, darkest cassis and plum, yet there is recognisable black pepper as well as oak. This bouquet is exciting. Palate shows a concentrated version of the bouquet, with great depth, but at this stage the oak creeps up the tongue, making the wine seem angular and youthful. It seems oakier than the Cornerstone (surprisingly) today, and thus loses a little on the points scale. Even so, this will be a great wine to cellar 10 - 15 years, and will I am sure rate higher in 5 years. GK 06/05

2002 Craggy Range Syrah Block 14 18 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $35 [ screwcap; Sy 100% close-planted; hand-picked and sorted, cuvaison extended 20 - 30 days in open-top fermenters, MLF in barrel and 6 - 7 months in French oak 35% new; not fined or filtered; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a lovely colour, matching the Kingsley. Bouquet seems very big and in a warmer-climate style than is optimal, with some suggestions of the Barossa Valley, as for example Penfolds Bin 28 (despite the oak difference). There is lots of dark fruit, but the wine is too ripe for florals or much peppercorn on bouquet, and even cassis is not too clear. The depth of black plummy fruit and degree of oaking is great, however. Actual texture and flavour of the fruit is a little bit coarser than the le Sol, and in comparison with some of the finer-grained French-oaked wines such as the Jewelstone. Nonetheless, this is big, exciting, ripe syrah well reflecting the 2002 Gimblett Gravels vintage. Cellar 5 - 15 years. GK 06/05

2002 Unison Syrah 18 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $36 [ cork; nearly two years in wood; www.unisonvineyard.co.nz ]
Carmine, ruby and velvet, brighter than most. Initially opened, this wine shows some retained fermentation odours, and is a trace reductive, which ties in with the bright colour. Splashy decanting fixes that, as will time, but anyway, it is ludicrous drinking any of these top wines at their present immature state. Aerated, dense cassis appears, with suggestions of black peppercorns, all on darkest plums. On palate, oak is more apparent than is ideal (within the context of subtle Rhone styles, rather than coarse Australian ones), which is a pity because the cassisy fruit is superb, with great freshness and fine acid balance. Because one can't taste the reductive hint, I suspect this wine will be on the top shelf in five years time. It is well worth investing in. Cellar 5 - 20 years. GK 06/05

2001 Guigal Chateauneuf-du-Pape 18 (

)

Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Southern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $92 [ Gr 80%, Sy 10, Mv 5, others 5; average vine age 45 years; cropped 33 hL / ha; 3 weeks cuvaison; 24 months in French oak; c. 12 500 cases; www.guigal.com ]
Lighter and older ruby. An intriguing bouquet sharing with wines such as Charvin ’03 Cotes-du-Rhone the cinnamon-infused warmth of ripe grenache, further spiced with the aromatics of dried balsam (the fir) leaves. Nett impression is of a perfumed wine with the aroma of New Zealand pink pine timber. Palate is very ripe, very dry, and aromatic on the herbes and faint brett, the 10% syrah and 10% others adding much complexity. This is classic Chateauneuf in the traditional high-grenache style, but it is not quite as beguiling as the Gigondas. Cellar 5 - 15 years. GK 07/05

2002 Mills Reef Syrah Elspeth 18 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $40 [ cork; DFB; no info on website ; www.millsreef.co.nz ]
Dense ruby, carmine and velvet, amongst the deepest. Bouquet on this wine is ... wumph ! - big and designed to impress, a real show-pony style. There are lashings of blueberry and darkly plummy berry, perceptible VA, and lots of oak. It is made in the style Penfold's Grange used to be (and look at its reputation). Palate is very big, soft, rich, flavoursome, gorgeous fruit, but this is another wine where one's mind wanders to thoughts of infantile vintage port. Such wines are too oaky for subtlety, tending Australian in approach, not so good with food, but many people love them. Cellar 5 - 15 years at least, and it might triumph - the degree of oak assimilation already shows my earlier assessments of the wine were too critical. For those of us planning future 2002 New Zealand Syrah tastings, it is an almost compulsory acquisition, as the end marker for one style of New Zealand syrah. GK 06/05

2010 Jaboulet Hermitage La Petite Chapelle 18 (

)

Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $150 [ cork; this is the second wine of La Chapelle, made from 100% Sy vines including both young vines and the main plantings up to 60 years age, handpicked at yields not exceeding 3.1 t/ha (1.25 t/ac); understood to be de-stemmed, temperature-controlled cuvaison c.3 weeks; 15 – 18 months in (understood to be) mostly older oak (but some new oak exposure from culled barrels of the grand vin, which sees 20% new oak); understood to be approx. 1/3 the crop is this wine, 1/3 for the grand vin, 1/3 declassified; c.1000 cases; RS < 1 g/L; no top ranking, no second; www.jaboulet.com ]
The idea here was to include a wine which (a) was demonstrably syrah in a Hermitage style, that is, not affected by viognier, and (b) a wine well-marked by Jancis Robinson, since she provides the most clearly expressed / succinct / easily retrieved European viewpoint on wines these days. Robinson's marks for La Petite Chapelle average 17 over the last few years, but sadly she has not tasted the 2010. Note that 17 is a good score from her, indicating a wine New Zealand reviewers would mark in the 90s. Robert Parker rates 2009 and 2010 La Petite Chapelle the same score of 92, noting the different climatic character of the two vintages. Therefore it seems likely Robinson's score would be around 17 for the 2010 too, had she tasted it. The point here is, she also rates 2010 Homage 17

To have 2010 La Petite Chapelle, the second wine of Jaboulet's Hermitage La Chapelle, in the tasting would therefore provide a realistic yardstick by which to measure our wines. And in the outcome, it dramatically illustrated that Jaboulet is back on form, now it has been bought (Jan., 2006) by the Frey family of Ch La Lagune, near Margaux. La Chapelle used to be the pre-eminent Hermitage, and thus in effect the world's best syrah, in the 1960s through the 1980s, culminating in the 1990. I followed it intermittently from the 1969 vintage. Then with the death of Gerard Jaboulet in 1997, the Jaboulet family lost its way, and La Chapelle became a sad shadow of its former glory.

The wine itself is ruby and velvet, some carmine, the third deepest wine, a great colour. Bouquet is rich, explicitly based on cassisy syrah with bottled dark plums, the actual fruit being comparable with our best syrahs, some sweet black pepper. The difference from our wines is, this syrah being a second wine (in the manner of Bordeaux), it smells as if it has been raised in mainly older oak, so there is a hint of brown mellowness differentiating it a little from the average of the New Zealand wines – but not by much. Only five tasters in 27 correctly nominated this wine as the ring-in. Palate shows great fruit, richer than half the New Zealand wines, and this is a second wine ! Cropping rate is still an issue too many of our wine people are reluctant to acknowledge. The berry is browning just a trace in flavour, one winemaker wondered if there might be academic brett, but in summary this 2010 Petite Chapelle provided a compelling foil against which to measure New Zealand syrah achievements. Kudos to Geoff Wilson for including it, to help counter parochialism. And if this is the second wine from their great Hermitage holdings, 33% of the crop, a further third being sold-off, imagine how 2010 La Chapelle proper, with its greater ratio (20%) of new oak, will compete with and illuminate the top New Zealand syrahs in this tasting, once it is available. That is really something to look forward to. Cellar 5 – 15 years, perhaps longer. GK 06/13

2007 Destiny Bay Dulce Suavi [ Cabernet Sauvignon Late Harvest ] 375 ml 18 (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.9%; $ – [ cork; CS 90, Me 10, hand-harvested; stop-fermented at 10 g/L RS; old oak only; 1000 x 375 ml bottles, mode of sale unclear; not on website; www.destinybaywine.com ]
Older ruby. Bouquet is sensational, pure cassis, reminiscent of liqueur cassis, plus a touch of brett. Palate is soft, rich, almost velvety, the sweetness level sophisticated, the whole wine perfectly judged for dark chocolate desserts. Aftertaste is long and elegant, the merest hint of stalk and oak giving structure and drying the finish admirably. As a concept, I approached this wine negatively, but in the blind tasting, from the bouquet alone, it has to be taken seriously. Cassis is such a gorgeous smell. Probably better not cellared beyond 5 years, as the freshness appeals for dessert use – not sure. GK 06/10

2005 Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc Private Bin 18 (

)

Wairau & Awatere Valleys, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $17 [ screwcap; 2005 not on website, 2004 was 4.5 g/L RS; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Pale lemongreen. A wonderfully sweet ripe bouquet, showing sauvignon taken to a ripeness level where it can be confused with riesling, but because of the magic of the Marlborough climate with its strong diurnal variation, the wine retains the natural acid and structure of the variety. So while there may be even a hint of lilium florals on bouquet, there is also honeysuckle and black passionfruit. On palate it immediately snaps into focus as ripe sauvignon blanc, red capsicum, honeysuckle and black passionfruit again, a long flavour fractionally sweeter than some sauvignons. There is good acid, and lovely balance, without excessive alcohol. Cellar to 8 years. This is a sauvignon for those who find mainstream Marlborough sauvignon too strong. GK 11/05

2004 Wishart Sauvignon Blanc 18 (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $19 [ screwcap ]
Beautiful lemon. Bouquet is soft and nectariney, with scarcely perceptible ripest red capsicum complexing, plus black passionfruit, and subtlest new oak. Palate is gorgeous, but deceptive – it is not completely dry. Flavour is soft and rich, offering a very different face of sauvignon when compared with the intense Marlborough wines – mild and nectarine / peachy, but with the body of chardonnay. This example of the alternative riper Hawkes Bay sauvignon style could be a winner. Cellar to 10 years, if you like graceful mature sauvignon. GK 08/04

2001 Clearview Estate Chardonnay Reserve 18 (

)

Te Awanga, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $ – [ cork; simpler variations on 2004 practice, qv; www.clearviewestate.co.nz ]
Lemonstraw, with the very faintest hint of development introducing a light golden sheen on the lemon. The golden peach fruit here shows greater depths of lees autolysis character, with sweet smells reminiscent of peach shortcake or similar. Palate is as rich as the top wines, but alcohol and oak are a little more boisterous on the finish. At a peak now, and will hold 2 – 4 years. GK 10/05

2008 Man O' War Merlot / Cabernet Franc Ironclad 18 (

)

Eastern Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14.5%; $46 [ cork; Me 52%, CF 27, Ma 10.5, PV 9, CS 1.5, hand-harvested, all de-stemmed, MLF and 11 months in mostly French oak 20% new, some older American; www.manowarvineyards.co.nz ]
Deep ruby, carmine and velvet. Bouquet is lifted by threshold VA, on rich plummy berry showing good ripeness and depth, in a quiet way. Palate suggests merlot taken past the fragrant stage, on to darkly plummy fruit, but still with appropriate acid balance. There is quite a lot of oak, just a trace of smoked fish, but also the richness to carry it. It is not quite as fresh as the 2008 Obsidian or 2008 Mudbrick Reserve, but the great thing is, it is nearly free of the complexing brett that has been a problem for this winery. This wine is therefore a pointer to the future reds from this excitingly-located estate. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 06/10

2008 Miro Cabernet / Merlot 18 (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.5%; $45 [ NeoCork plastic 'cork'; CS 52%, Me 30, CF 17, Ma 1; c.18 months in French oak some new; www.mirovineyard.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. Bouquet shows beautiful vibrantly ripe cassis with near-perfect black-currant expression, on a bottled black doris plummy fruit underpinning, subtle oak, wonderful purity. Palate likewise is crystal-clear cassis, not the weight of the Mudbrick Velvet, 2008 Stonyridge Larose or top Hawkes Bay Cabernet / Merlots, but with lively cabernet berry aromatics, fair richness, a little acid but no hint of stalks. An exciting cabernet-dominant wine, to cellar 10 – 15 maybe more years, if the wine is unaffected by contact with a plastic closure for such a time. Such evidence as is on-line is not encouraging. GK 06/10

2006 Te Motu [ Cabernets / Merlot ] 18 (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13%; $90 [ supercritical 'cork' (experiment); CS dominant, Me significant, balance CF, Sy & Ma, handpicked @ c.1 t/ac; c.2.5 years in predominantly French & Hungarian oak c.30% new; www.temotu.co.nz ]
Ruby and garnet, a little older than the Destiny Bay '06s. This is different and interesting wine, which can be approached from several angles. A technocrat could dismiss it, yet anyone with experience of Bordeaux in the '60s and '70s would feel right at home. And like classed Bordeaux, by the time you reach the aftertaste, it dawns there is much more fruit richness than one supposed – this wine is richer than 2006 Mystae. Loosely speaking, the wine reminds me of some well-regarded Graves wines from that earlier era, the big browning cassis and cedar made more fragrant by a touch of nutmeggy brett, the palate already harmonious and surprisingly velvety, whereas I supposed that it would be oaky, from the bouquet. Actual fruit ripeness is good, and the total style achievement in European terms is remarkable. With the Destiny Bay wines, Te Motu stands apart from the more typical New Zealand approach to Bordeaux blends which the other Island wines show. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 06/10

2007 Millton Chenin Blanc Te Arai Vineyard 18 (

)

Gisborne, New Zealand: 12%; $23 [ cork; hand-picked; fermentation and maturation in 600-litre older oak in the Loire Valley style; 11 g/L RS; biodynamic wine; good website; www.millton.co.nz ]
Lemon. Bouquet is exceptional, the most beautiful side of chenin blanc, all the linalool of riesling and the delicacy of linden blossom, a hint of lanolin, magic. James Millton is known for being nuts about the variety, but few chenins demonstrate why anybody should feel so positive about it. This one does, on bouquet. Palate is a little less, a nice waxyness implying some botrytis, residual sugar a bit tacky on the finish, and acid noticeable. Even so, this is one of the best examples of the grape achieved so far in New Zealand. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 06/10

2002 Brookfields Syrah Hillside 18 (

)

Hill-slopes east of Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $40 [ cork; price uncertain; no info on website; www.brookfieldsvineyards.co.nz ]
Ruby, a little velvet, similar to the Woodthorpe. Stylistically, this wine is close to the Bilancia la Collina, but richer and oakier. There is a clear floral component on red berries, and in the fragrance the thought arises: is that more white pepper than black ? So this wine too is closer in style to the average ripeness of the northern Rhone, than to the best of the Gimblett Gravels. Palate is fractionally leaner too, accentuated by the noticeable oak, yet there is a good spicy cassis and red and black plums of about the same weight as the Varonniers. Aftertaste is distinctly cedary at this stage, the oak a little much. Watching this wine evolve will be interesting. Cellar 5 - 10 years. GK 06/05

2008 Pyramid Valley Pinot Noir Calvert 18 (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14.3%; $60 [ screwcap; hand-picked; 25% whole-bunch, up to 5 days cold-soak, wild-yeast fermentation, c. 28 days cuvaison; MLF in barrel and 14 months on lees in French oak 25% new; unfined and unfiltered; 700 (vs 140 the previous year) cases; introduction to the Calvert concept 25 Nov 2008; www.pyramidvalley.co.nz ]
Ruby, maybe some carmine and velvet, one of the three darkest / biggest colours in the tasting, getting marginal. Bouquet in one sense is what you'd expect from the colour, a big aroma as if there were some saignée, almost too much. There are qualities of blackboy peach and dark plum, and black more than red cherry, all boisterous alongside the Craggy interpretation of the same fruit. In mouth, the wine continues boisterous and chunky, not the subtlety of the top wines, bolder but less oaky than Excelsior, seemingly stronger and richer than the Felton Road, yet undeniably varietal. This will fine up with time in cellar, but when it comes to excellence in pinot noir, less can be more. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 11/10

2002 Jadot Chambolle-Musigny les Amoureuses 18 (

)

Chambolle-Musigny Premier Cru, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $177 [ cork; www.louisjadot.com ]
Good pinot ruby, like the Clos St Jacques. A clearcut pinot bouquet showing dark floral components in cherry and slightly plummy fruit, all drier and slightly less floral and ethereal than the top Jadots. Palate is rich, firm, a stronger wine than some of those more highly rated, but also more tannic. May surprise in cellar, and prove under-rated. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 04/05

2003 Greenhough Pinot Noir Nelson 18 (

)

Nelson, New Zealand: 13.5%; $27 [ screwcap ]
Big pinot noir ruby, scarcely lighter than the 2003 Greenhough Hope. Here is a wine to convince non-believers that it is the floral component that differentiates great pinot from run-of-the-mill. The smells of violets and boronia, plus a lighter component such as buddleia, dominate over mixed cherry fruit. In some ways the wine is more clearly varietal than the Hope, in the sense there is less oak aromatic complexity. Palate is velvety, total varietal pinot noir, the florals pervading the mass of black cherries. This is stunning pinot noir, not quite as rich as the Hope Vineyard reserve wine, but in some ways even more varietal and beautiful. Cellar 5 – 10 years. VALUE GK 03/05

2003 Capricorn Estates Strugglers Flat Pinot Noir 18 (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $20 [ screwcap; only 2004 info on website ; www.capricornwines.co.nz ]
Good pinot ruby, ideal in fact. Needs a breath of fresh air, to reveal an unequivocal pinot noir bouquet. There are beautiful florals in the boronia camp, on red and black cherries made aromatic by oak. Palate shows exactly what pinot is about, the feel of chardonnay-weight fruit with the flavours of ripe cherries. Oaking is fragrant, but to a max. This is fine New Zealand pinot noir, and is undoubtedly the best value in pinot ever offered in New Zealand. Let us hope it is a glimpse of the future, with pinot over-production imminent (and over-pricing rampant). Cellar 5 – 8 years. VALUE GK 01/05

2003 Dog Point Pinot Noir 18 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $39 [ cork; 18 months French oak; www.dogpoint.co.nz ]
A big pinot ruby. Bouquet is an exciting statement about pinot, and once the labels are revealed, the first impression is: is this the finest pinot thus far made in Marlborough ? Like the Mt Difficulty Target Gully, it is ripened nearly to the point of losing the floral components so essential to true pinot noir, but not totally beyond. There is a dusky darkest red roses lift to the black cherries, blackboy and dark plums fruit, which is beautiful. Palate continues the bouquet, with a hint of fivespice or a similar aromatic from the oaking, which makes the whole wine even more fragrant and aromatic. The ratio of oak is good, the result soft, sweet and fragrant. The whole wine is denser, riper, and a little less varietal than the Mt Difficulty Target Gully or the Greenhough Hope, but it is a great achievement. Marlborough finally is really coming 'on song' with pinot. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 03/05

2010 The Hay Paddock Syrah Silk 18 (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14.7%; $55 [ screwcap; Sy 100%, hand-picked; 20 months in 1 – 3-year French oak; not on the website, some doubt whether will be available for general sale; www.thehaypaddock.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, promising. One sniff and this is the kind of syrah The Hay Paddock proprietors set out to make, before they were misled by technically illiterate British appraisals. The quality of berry is fresh and cassisy, the oak is nicely in balance, and the whole wine is much more correct. There might still be a trace of other complexities, it is not quite as rich as some of the other top wines, but it should cellar well 3 – 12 years. Great to see. GK 10/12

2002 Jadot Pommard Rugiens 18 (

)

Pommard Premier Cru, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $115 [ cork; www.louisjadot.com ]
Pinot ruby, in the middle of the Jadots. A voluminous bouquet, showing all the classical (or traditional) attributes of burgundian pinot noir: clearcut florals, black cherry fruit, and an attractive savoury and mouth-watering complexity which for some is great burgundy, and for others is Brettanomyces. Palate blends all these components into succulent, rich, lingering cherry fruit of some weight and great beauty, classic Pommard, just crying out for roast beef. Don't let the technocrats put you off, on a pin-pricking fermentation detail – this is an exciting bottle which will cellar 10 – 15 years. GK 04/05

2003 Stratford Pinot Noir 18 (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $43 [ cork; 11 months in 20% new French oak; www.stratford.co.nz ]
Good pinot ruby. An attractive bouquet with the same dark rose and boronia florals as some of the others, but additionally a different floral component hinting at dianthus and black peppercorn, as if there were a splash of syrah in it. Palate has a velvety roundness to it which is more concentrated than the Ata Rangi, and deep black cherry and nearly black plum fruit. Additionally the thought of cassis occurs, keeping alive the syrah idea. This is lovely wine, even if a little ambiguous as to variety. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 03/05

2009 Two Paddocks Pinot Noir 18 (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $45 [ screwcap; blend of Gibbston, Alexandra and Earnscleugh fruit, hand-picked; up to 10 days cold-soak; up to 14 days cuvaison; 11 months in French oak 30% new; release date April 2011; www.twopaddocks.com ]
Pinot noir ruby. This is deceptive wine, totally demonstrating the benefit of decanting all wine, and particularly newly-bottled ones. Freshly poured, there is an unconvincing black passionfruit skins aroma, almost hinting at decay. Yet breathed, the wine is transformed into a complex pinot noir with roses florals grading to boronia on red and black cherry fruit. Palate shows elegant ripeness, subtle oaking, and unusually complex cherry flavours in which a shadow of black passionfruit lingers, now almost attractively. A strange one, benefit of the doubt. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 09/10

2007 Valli Riesling Old Vine 18 (

)

Alexandra, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13%; $26 [ screwcap; from a 25-year-old vineyard on Black Ridge; cool s/s fermented; lightly fined and filtered; 4 g/L RS; www.valliwine.com ]
Lemongreen. This dry wine needs more time in bottle. It is still youthful and awkward in the way young Mosel trocken wines can be. Acid is beautifully fine-grain but nonetheless very noticeable at this stage. Bouquet and flavours are remarkably appley, but more a cooking apple than a dessert one, more ballarat for example. Phenolics are subtler and finer on this wine than the other three rieslings, giving it greater potential to develop elegance in cellar. Cellar 5 – 12 years, in its drier style. GK 09/10

2009 Wild Earth Wines Pinot Noir Blind Trail 18 (

)

Bannockburn & Lowburn districts, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14.2%; $23 [ screwcap; hand-harvested; some wild yeast; up to 3 weeks cuvaison; 5% whole bunch; c.8 months in French oak 30% new; fined and filtered; www.wildearthwines.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. This smells and tastes exactly as good pinot should. Let us hope at the great price it reveals the delights of Central Otago pinot noir to an ever-increasing number of consumers, who thus far may have been put off Otago pinot by some of the prices and prose bandied about. Bouquet is clearly dark roses floral, with clear red and black cherry fruit. Palate is simply lovely drinking pinot, soft, silky, including red cherry fruit of remarkable length and pleasing mouthfeel, though possibly not bone dry. Cellar 3 – 8 years. VALUE. GK 09/10

2009 Obsidian Syrah 18 (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14.3%; $54 [ cork; 2.5% Vi co-fermented; 10 months in French oak 40% new; 120 cases; www.obsidian.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, appreciably older than the 2010. Bouquet is softly cassisy on blackberries and fruit, rich and oaky, very much a new world reading of syrah, pure. Palate is velvety, clearly syrah ripened beyond the optimal floral cassis and suggestions of black pepper stage, rather much blackberry apparent, but still beautifully rich. It is clearly a notch less vibrant and more oaky than the 2010 Obsidian Syrah, when seen alongside, but many would prefer it for that. The comparison with the 2010 de Vine Barossa Shiraz in this batch is intriguing. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 08/12

2009 Felton Road Pinot Noir Cornish Point 18 (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14.5%; $58 [ screwcap; several clones hand-harvested at varying yields not above 2 t/ac; up to 20% whole-bunch; up to 10 days cold-soak, cuvaison up to 22 days, all wild yeast; MLF also wild and 13 months in French oak c. 26% new; no fining or filtration; winemaker Blair Walter considers Cornish Point their floral wine; www.feltonroad.com ]
Good pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is soft and almost fleshy in a vanillin way, fragrant with implicit florals, on clear cherry and slightly plummy fruit. Palate is soft too, black cherry fruit more than red, gently oaked to almost under-oaked. This is a classical expression of beautifully ripened darker Central Otago pinot noir. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 09/10

2009 Two Degrees Pinot Noir 18 (

)

Queensberry, Upper Cromwell Valley, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14.5%; $40 [ screwcap; hand-picked; some whole-bunch, wild yeast; c. 30 days cuvaison; 10 months in French oak 40% new; no fining, minimal filtration; www.twodegrees.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is already very fragrant indeed, partly from the fruit picked to optimise the red fruits / roses part of the floral spectrum, but also from more new oak than most. In mouth the florality seems to deepen even to boronia, and the integration of red cherry fruit with the fragrant oak is, like the Grasshopper Pinot, premier cru Gevrey quality. Some of those can look a little oaky at the 18 months stage too. A little more richness would be ideal. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 09/10

2009 Wooing Tree Pinot Noir Beetle Juice 18 (

)

Lowburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14.5%; $28 [ screwcap; hand-picked; 5% whole-bunch fermentation; 5 – 7 days cold-soak; 11 months in French oak 35 % new; no fining, medium filter; www.wooingtree.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is bold on this pinot, showing a touch of the Penfolds in its oak component, but with clear-cut red and black cherry fruit obvious below. The oak continues noticeable on the palate, perhaps there is a chip component, but the fruit is rich, the finish dry, and the potential for marrying-up harmoniously looks good. This could be a 'popular' style for pinot. Cellar 3 – 8 years GK 09/10

2009 Grasshopper Rock Pinot Noir 18 (

)

Alexandra, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14.1%; $32 [ screwcap; hand-picked and sorted; thought to be 5% whole bunch; 10 months in French oak, 30% new; www.grasshopperrock.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. In its light fragrant but highly varietal style, this wine reminded me of the 2008 Martinborough Vineyard wine from Pinot Noir 2010. There are sweet florals spanning from buddleia to darker roses, on red cherry fruit. Palate is a little lighter and fresher than the bouquet promised, but cellaring the wine will produce a pinot confuseable with some Cote de Nuits wines – even at premier cru level. Real promise here, to cellar 3 – 8 years. VALUE GK 09/10

2009 Lowburn Ferry Pinot Noir Home Block 18 (

)

Lowburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $45 [ screwcap; hand-picked; thought to be 5 days cold soak, plus 8 days making 13 days cuvaison; 10 months in French oak 25% new; fined and filtered; www.lowburnferry.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is right away roses-floral and vanillin, on red cherry fruit. In mouth the cherry darkens to include black cherry, and the whole wine is delightfully varietal and fresh. It is not quite as rich as some of the top wines, with the slightest hint of stalk. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 09/10

2009 Mills Reef Merlot Elspeth 18 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $45 [ screwcap; hand-picked; 4 days cold soak followed by conventional open-top fermentation and c.4 weeks cuvaison; 16 months in French oak 35% new, balance 1-year; www.millsreef.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, an attractive fresh colour just below midway in depth. It is a little while since I saw any Mills Reef wines, particularly in a good blind tasting. The bouquet here suggests a change of approach, much more emphasis on the berry fruit, less oak. This is the most floral of the top wines, real violets and red roses, lovely. Behind that are red and black plummy aromas. Palate is not as rich as the top wines, but the fruit ripeness and soft tannins are elegant. The continuing subtlety of the oak on palate is thrilling, the wine being remarkably St Emilion in style. The harmony of finish is a delight, though it needs more richness. Nonetheless, it will give much pleasure at table. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 06/12

2007 Yves Cuilleron St Joseph les Serines 18 (

)

St-Joseph, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $104 [ cork; Sy 100%; www.cuilleron.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, classic. Bouquet is a dramatic expression of syrah, with exhibition-quality syrah florality ranging through dianthus, wallflowers, violets and roses, with good black pepper spice, seeming ripe. Trace VA adds lift. Below is cassis and bottled omega plums. Palate is just a little leaner than bouquet, suggesting this is not a perfect season, though one would not go so far as to say there is a touch of leaf (unless you were an Australian), but there is some white pepper, and the cassis is not quite rich enough. But the bouquet is fabulous, making this a great demonstration wine for syrah character not marred by excess oak. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 06/10

2009 Tarras Vineyards Estate Pinot Noir 18 (

)

Bendigo, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $35 [ screwcap; hand-picked; no info; www.tarrasvineyards.com ]
Good pinot noir ruby. Though quiet initially, this wine opens up well to reveal darkly floral suggestions with a hint of the much-invoked Otago thyme character, attractive. Palate is black cherry mainly grading to plum, attractive oaking, a good wine to illustrate a darker-fruited phase of pinot noir. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 09/10

2007 Yves Cuilleron Cote Rotie Bassenon 18 (

)

Cote Rotie, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $157 [ cork; Sy 90%, Vi 10; www.cuilleron.com ]
Ruby and velvet, not as deep as the Serines but a lovely colour. Bouquet is closely related to les Serines, but more floral, with lighter sweeter qualities in which one can imagine the benison of viognier, and the perfume of bush honey. Palate is taut, a lovely sweetness in the cassis, almost blueberry and plum which differentiates it from the sterner St Joseph, and really exemplifies Cote Rotie. Yet taken as a whole, it is also slightly cool, just the thought of white pepper and sub-optimal ripeness. It is not a big wine, it is almost pinot noir like in one sense (textural), and like the Serines, there is a wish for a little more richness. But then there might be less florality. The bush-honey quality was a feature of 1982 Les Jumelles, too. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 06/10

2003 Bogle Vineyards Chardonnay 18 (

)

Clarksburg and Monterey County, California: 13.5%; $ – [ $US10. BF and LA in American oak 60% new for 9 months (doubtfully for all the wine), plus MLF 10 - 20%; www.boglewinery.com ]
Lemon, a little more depth than the Eileen Hardy. In this flight, this is immediately bigger chardonnay, with a ‘yellow' kind of stonefruits, some grapefruit, some rock-melon, very rich in fruit generally, and not oaky. Palate continues that trend, with an almost tropical and apricot quality as if there were some viognier in the wine, very rich, soft and ample, like peaches and custard, possibly not bone dry, lightly oaked. A fleshy and caricature (+ve) Californian chardonnay, very likeable, and great value at the domestic price. Cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 10/05

2006 Kumeu River Chardonnay Estate 18 (

)

Kumeu, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.5%; $46 [ screwcap; library stock price; hand-harvested from 6 vineyards; whole-bunch pressed; wild-yeast fermentation entirely in French oak up to 25% new; 100% MLF; 11 months in barrel with LA; www.kumeuriver.co.nz ]
Lemon-straw. A little age is starting to show here, a hint of biscuits and early maturity apparent on bouquet. Palate is much fresher, clear mealyness from the barrel-fermentation and lees-autolysis, mixed stonefruit palate, oak invisible, all lingering delightfully. Attractive wine, which will hold for several years yet. GK 10/10

2005 Stafford Lane Sauvignon Blanc 18 (

)

Nelson, New Zealand: 13.3%; $21 [ screwcap ]
Elegant lemongreen. A beautifully fresh definitive sauvignon bouquet, combining almost riesling-like vanillin florals with ripest red capsicum notes adding zest, all on black passionfruit fruit. Palate is the same, total acid on the fresh side, residual sugar clearly in the ‘dry’ class, the aromatic length of flavour very good, tasting like a straight stainless steel wine. Cellar 2 – 8 years, to taste. GK 01/06

2008 Wooing Tree Pinot Noir Sandstorm Reserve 18 (

)

Lowburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14.5%; $85 [ screwcap; hand-picked from crop thinned to one bunch per shoot / low-yielding vines; 10% whole-bunch fermentation; 18 months in French oak 40 % new; minimal filtering; www.wooingtree.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. Another wine with a great volume of red-fruits bouquet, in this case with just a touch of raspberry and the thought of grenache (+ve), and a little more oak than some of the other red-fruits wines like the Peregrine. Palate is not quite as rich as the bouquet promises, but the complexity of flavour including a touch of almond is a delight, firmed by careful potentially cedary oak. Finish gives the impression of a gram or two of sugar, but may be simply richness / dry extract. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 09/10

2006 Guigal Gigondas 18 (

)

Gigondas, Southern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $49 [ cork; Gr 50%, Sy 25, Mv 25; 24 months in French oak, 50% new; www.guigal.com ]
Medium ruby, fresher than the Cotes-du-Rhone. One sniff, and here is enchantment. This is more how the Cotes-du-Rhone smelt in the 1980s, grenache dominant, spiced by syrah and mourvedre. Bouquet is red grading to black fruits, clear aromatic zing, a touch of nutmeg, delightful. Palate is soft and round yet exciting, with great vinosity. It is conceivable there is trace brett, but at this level it is good. If you like pinot noir, but want more spice and zip, try this. Cellar 5 – 20 years, if my still lovely 1985 wine is any guide. GK 10/10

2007 Church Road Cabernet Sauvignon Cuve 18 (

)

Ngatarawa Triangle 52% & Gimblett Gravels 48, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $25 [ screwcap; cropped @ c. 6.5 t/ha = 2.6 t/ac from close-planted vines, half hand-picked; cuvaison in s/s, oak, and concrete fermenters for 21 - 35 days, 22 months in French oak 50% new; RS < 1 g/L; no fining, coarse filter only; www.churchroad.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. This was the lead wine in the Lincoln tasting, to set the tone and show the extrovert cabernet part of the components in the Bordeaux / Hawkes Bay blend equation. Cassis is the key descriptor for cabernet sauvignon (as well as syrah – the florality differing), and the ripeness level captured that well, on bouquet. The aromatic component of the grape was admittedly augmented by the oak, which is a bit boisterous, but many like the wine for that. The remarkable fruit richness nearly carries it. Cellar 5 – 15 years. VALUE GK 10/10

2003 Guigal Condrieu 18 (

)

Condrieu, northern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $89 [ cork; c. 2 t/ac from vine age 25 years average; hot dry season, crop reduced to 60% normal; 1/3 BF in new oak, 2/3 in s/s; MLF 100%; 1.2 g/L RS; www.guigal.com ]
Lemonstraw. In one sense, this wine goes to the opposite extreme from the Yalumba Eden Valley. It is equally as good, equally as delicious, but the hand of the winemaker is apparent all through. The main influence is the secondary malolactic fermentation, which has added a cream and vanilla custard quality to the great canned-apricots fruit. The wine is therefore less vibrantly varietal, but at the same time softer, richer and longer-flavoured in mouth. Oak becomes apparent on the later palate, more noticeable than the Yalumba Eden Valley and coarsening the finish a little. This wine is fully mature, and as a consequence of the MLF component, it will lose freshness from here out – not a cellar wine. GK 11/05

2010 Grasshopper Rock Pinot Noir Earnscleugh Vineyard 18 (

)

Alexandra, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.9%; $29 [ screwcap; hand-picked and sorted; 9 months in French oak, 32% new; www.grasshopperrock.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, quite a different hue from the beaujolais, below midway in depth. The bouquet is a standout, quite the most floral wine in a beautifully fragrant lineup. If you don't believe at all in the floral component of good red wines, buy a bottle of this and then seek out some purple buddleia, lilac, or pink roses. Along with the florals, there are red and black cherry fruits. In mouth the florality and some vanillin permeate gorgeous red cherry flesh, to develop a winestyle which is reminiscent of Chambolle-Musigny. Like the 2008 Grasshopper, there is just a hint of leaf later on the palate which detracts slightly, and explains why the floral component is so good. That's why these top beaujolais are so special, they have all the florals yet no leafyness – very hard to achieve. Grasshopper Rock is becoming one of the great New Zealand pinot noirs, yet it remains affordable. This needs a year or two to soften, cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 09/12

2007 Church Road Cabernet Sauvignon Cuve 18 (

)

Gimblett Gravels & Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $29 [ screwcap; www.churchroad.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, also an excellent colour. Bouquet is clean, slightly marcy and unresolved, but showing dark plums and oak with an aromatic edge. Palate is quite rich, very plummy (in the blind tasting it seemed more a softer merlot-dominant wine), oaked to the maximum, but otherwise showing good balance and length for cellaring 5 – 15 years. When tasted right alongside the Merlot Cuve, it is indeed firmer and more cassisy, as befits cabernet sauvignon. GK 06/10

2005 Cono Sur Viognier 18 (

)

Colchagua Valley, Chile: 13.5%; $16 [ plastic closure; 2004 most recent on the (slow) website, for that wine: mostly machine-picked; 40% matured in s/s with oak staves for 5 months, 60% s/s; RS 5.2 g/L; www.conosur.com ]
Lemonstraw. Bouquet is as clearcut in character as the Argentinean 2005 Lurton Pinot Gris, and beautifully varietal: cherimoya, apricots and custard, freesia blossom. Palate is good too, in the lighter crisp flavoursome style New Zealand and France can achieve with viognier, not as weighty as Australia, yet with beautifully-defined ripe fruit, on the dividing line for 'dry' – very seductive. Modern Chile is the single greatest threat to our export wine market. Cellar 2 – 4 years. VALUE GK 09/05

2009 Black Barn Vineyards Cabernet Franc Hawkes Bay 18 (

)

Havelock North district, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $32 [ supercritical cork; CF 100%, vines 10 and 14 years old; spring 2010 release; www.blackbarn.com ]
Ruby, an elegant medium weight colour only. Bouquet is gorgeous, softly violets and red roses, with a sweetness of red fruits, almost raspberry, another which at the blind stage one wants to be high-cabernet franc. Palate is entirely matching, red currants and raspberry in the best sense, some cassis and plum, vanillin oak beautifully balanced to its medium weight. There is a good reminder of St Emilion in this wine. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 06/10

2008 Clearview Estate [ Merlot / Cabernets ] Enigma 18 (

)

Te Awanga, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $50 [ supercritical cork; Me 75%, CF 14, CS 8, Ma 11; www.clearviewestate.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, quite dense. Bouquet here shows clean sweet ripe plummy berry, with an exotic edge to it just hinting at five-spice. There is good fragrant fruit on the palate, in a ripe plummy wine with great integration just hinting at a warmer-climate than New Zealand, the spicy oak continuing but not obtrusive. Finish is long soft and warm. Cellar 5 – 15 years. Proprietor Tim Turvey comments that 2008 was better than 2007, in the Te Awanga district. GK 06/10

2008 Mudbrick Vineyard Chardonnay Reserve 18 (

)

Western Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14.5%; $36 [ screwcap; hand-picked; 100% BF in all-French oak 30% new, 50% wild-yeast ferments, 30% MLF; 10 months LA in barrel, with batonnage the first 6 months; ‘A fruit driven, rich & elegant wine. Citrus, stone fruit and warm toasty oak. Beautiful texture and excellent balance.’; www.mudbrick.co.nz ]
Attractive pale lemon to lemongreen. Bouquet is beautifully ripe chardonnay illustrating subtle varietal character, complexed by understated barrel-ferment, lees-autolysis and maybe MLF [ confirmed ]. It reminds of Puligny-Montrachet or delicate Meursault in a modern interpretation. Palate is fresh, citric, somewhat less French and more new world, attractive light body in which chardonnay dominates as white fruits but winemaking artefact and mealy flavours complex the wine admirably. Model modern chardonnay in the light elegant style, to cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 06/09

2008 Grasshopper Rock Pinot Noir Earnscleugh 18 (

)

Alexandra, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14.2%; $36 [ screwcap; 5% whole bunch; 10 months in French oak, 30% new; www.grasshopperrock.co.nz ]
Attractive pinot noir ruby, medium weight. Bouquet is exciting, combining clear red floral qualities with the faintest hint of thyme, on red cherry fruit. The volume of exact burgundian varietal aroma is enchanting. Palate follows perfectly, firm fruit with just a hint of stalk, oak to balance or perhaps a little noticeable, elegant drinking. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 08/12

2006 Ridge [ Cabernet / Merlot ] Monte Bello 18 (

)

Santa Cruz Mountains, California, USA: 13.6%; $164 [ cork; price is simple conversion from US$115; hand-harvested CS 68%, Me 20, PV 10, CF 2, cropped at 1.5 t/ac from vines up to 56 years age, @ 400 – 800 m altitude; de-stemmed, wild-yeast fermentations, 8 – 10 day cuvaison, but 80% of the fermentations finished in barrel; 18 months in 100% new oak, 97% US, 3 French; this label is the top selection, only 39% of the crop; Parker, 2010: a very strong effort ... copious aromas of creme de cassis, licorice, spice box, and a touch of oak ...well-balanced, dense, pure, layered, and rich ... 94+; www.ridgewine.com ]
Ruby and velvet, about midway in depth. Initially opened, bouquet has an almost mint quality and a lot of estery and vanilla-y oak showing, even though the oak is potentially cedary. It is therefore very new world. In mouth acid and oak are noticeable, and the slightly roasted flavours of a warmer-climate origin show, but despite these factors the nett impression is one of oaky richness and softness and attractive cassisy flavours. There are reminders of the Penfold's premium Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon here, including the American oak, though the Ridge wine is subtler and softer. Croser described it as one of the best new world cabernet / merlots, but that was not self-evident in this year's wine as seen on the day. It is a little boisterous for that. Cellar 5 – 25 years. GK 01/10

2005 Greenhough Riesling Hope 18 (

)

Nelson, New Zealand: 12%; $24 [ screwcap; s/s wine ]
Lemongreen, fractionally deeper than the Nelson wine. Bouquet is more together on the Hope Riesling, with citrus and hints of fine marmalade evident, on clear-cut varietal character. Palate is lime and citrus riesling, some white stonefruits, clear medium in sweetness, lovely acid balance. This should cellar well, 5 – 12 years. GK 01/06

2008 Sileni Cabernet Franc The Pacemaker 18 (

)

Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $27 [ screwcap; CF 90%, Me 10, machine-harvested at just under 2 t/ac from 8-yr vines; 100% de-stemmed, partially crushed, 16 days cuvaison; 14 months in barrel 90% French, 10 American, 20% new, 50% 1-yr; fined and filtered; RS 1 g/L; www.sileni.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, midway in depth, on a par with Coleraine. Is this the finest Cabernet Franc so far made in New Zealand ? I think so, for the winemaker has respected the fruit by not swamping it with oak, as most producers have done previously. Instead the wondrous red rose florality and red berry fruits of cabernet franc dominate the bouquet. Sileni is another winery traditionally offering skinny reds, but this wine is pleasing on palate, helped by seeming not quite bone dry (the actual figure is well within the range considered 'dry' in reds). The quality of red fruits is superb, the oak subtle and potentially cedary, the wine truly an interim New Zealand benchmark for cabernet franc, subtle and fine rather than big and clumsy / oaky. It is not a big wine, more on the scale of the Cheval Blanc, but the physiological maturity, and quality of oaking to reveal rather than obscure the variety, is exciting. It will be absolutely essential stock for education and training purposes, and lectures and tastings, quite apart from drinking. Compared with the sad so-labelled cabernet franc shown in the seminar, this wine is a revelation. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 01/10

2006 Mount Langi Ghiran Shiraz Langi 18 (

)

Grampians district, west Victoria, Australia: 14.5%; $86 [ screwcap; price is simple conversion from AU$70; Sh 100%, hand-picked and sorted from single vineyard 'Old Block', vines 43 years old, on granite; shrivelled as well as green berries excluded; a 'small percentage' of whole bunch in fermentation, in open vessels, up to 21 days cuvaison; MLF in barrel, c.18 months in French oak 45% new, balance 1-year; 1900 cases; www.langi.com.au ]
Ruby and velvet, a good weight. Bouquet has a trace of tell-tale Australian eucalyptus detracting, but below that shows a fairly subtle rendering of shiraz, with syrah undertones. There is nearly cassis quality in bottled black doris fruit, almost dark roses and florals, and good black doris berry on palate. Palate is a little harder, some suggestions of added acid but still the interest of nearly-syrah berry quality, and the wine is not too oaky. An intriguing shiraz, not quite capturing the magic of the Paringa Estate, to cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 01/10

2002 Craggy Range Merlot Gimblett Gravels 18 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $27 [ Me 85%, Ma 9, CS 6; cuvaison 35 days; MLF in barrel; at least 15 months in French oak, 45% new, un-filtered; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. An intriguing bouquet with a savoury seasoning herbes note in wonderfully dry, skinsy, nearly raisiny currants. Flavours are aromatic on big charry oak built into this rich wine, the result being oakier than the Esk or Villa Merlot Reserves, but the saturation of fruit pretty well excuses it (as the score suggests). Cellar 10 – 20 years. Cries out for time in cellar (as do most of the New Zealand wines), to mellow the oak and better complement food. GK 05/04

2003 Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir 18 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.6%; $40 [ cork; c 1.5 t/ac (frost-reduced), hand-harvested; de-stemmed, several days cold soak, some saignée; MLF in French oak 50% new; www.cloudybay.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. This pinot is very clearly in the floral style, boronia and violets, lovely, with the smell of fruit below. Palate weight is greater on this year's wine, and much more burgundian, with clear-cut cherry fruit more red than black, attractive aromatics and a savoury complexity, plus spicy but very subtle oak. It is firmer and more aromatic than the Kaituna Summerhill, more in the fragrant Drouhin style – in fact surprisingly close to the 2002 Drouhin Clos de Vougeot. This is much the best Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir so far, so the message from the frosts has to be: great pinot needs small crops of concentrated and flavoursome berries. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 12/05

1983 Guigal Cote-Rotie Brune et Blonde 18 (

)

Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $152 [ Cork, 49mm, ullage 25mm; release price c.$33; Parker rating for year 89 (before Spectator data); typically Sy 96%, Vi 4, average vine age 35 years, said to be cropped at the same rate as d’Ampuis, namely 4.8 t/ha = 1.95 t/ac, but often seems as if the rate a little higher; c. 25 days cuvaison, elevation three years in barrel, 35 – 50% new, plus some in larger barrels; Robinson, 2016: Mid ruby. Relatively fragile nose. Lots of strawberry fruit with an overlay of umami. Gentle and sweet. This has lasted amazingly well. A bit too sweet on the finish to be refreshing. But it has certainly lasted, 17; Parker, 1997: I preferred this wine during its first 10 years of life, as it has now lost some of its fat and succulence. Still a healthy dark ruby color, with only minor amber at the edge, the nose offers a spicy, earthy, sweet red-fruit character. It possesses the dry tannin that is found in so many wines of this vintage, but some fruit remains, as well as medium to full body, and a spicy, austere finish. Anticipated maturity: now-2004. Last tasted 12/93, 87; Wine Spectator, 1995: Ripe, thick and tannic. Vanilla and floral aromas are still young, and the plum and sweet licorice flavors promise long development. Drinkable now, but better in 1998, 90; weight bottle and closure: 574 g ; www.guigal.com ]
Garnet and ruby, reasonably enough the oldest colour in the set, and the second to lightest. Bouquet is immediately different, a fully mature wine, the patina of age, some leathery and tertiary notes, yet still also showing fading florals, and great purity. Flavours follow appropriately, the wine clearly older yet still retaining browning berryfruit qualities, with the palate still supple. A little tannin is starting to show to the tail. A wine at full maturity, which would be good with food. Tasters related to this wine well, with four top places, and one second. As to cellar life, it is fully mature, and won't improve but neither will it collapse. Perhaps best to think of drinking it, before its 40th anniversary arrives. Another wine to show that nominally 'hot' years are good for syrah in the Northern Rhone Valley. GK 10/20

2007 Felton Road Pinot Noir Calvert Vineyard 18 (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $65 [ screwcap; 27% whole-bunch; 11 months in French oak 26% new, 2 months in older; www.feltonroad.com ]
Pinot noir ruby, one of the lighter ones. Bouquet is clearly pinot noir, with a big floral dimension spanning much of the floral range from nearly leafy buddleia through the middle spectrum of roses and the like, but not capturing boronia complexity to the extent of the Pyramid Valley Calvert. There is a slight gamey suggestion, and the palate has a lovely burgundian mouthfeel to it. The flavours linger softly and delightfully, even though the wine is slightly more tannic than the Pyramid Valley. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 02/10

2004 Kumeu River Chardonnay 18 (

)

Kumeu, north of Auckland, New Zealand: 13.5%; $36 [ screwcap; clone 15 and others; 100% BF in 20% new oak, 100% MLF, RS nil; www.kumeuriver.co.nz ]
Deeper lemon. Kumeu River is the darker wine this year, and has a firm and slightly closed bouquet showing both white and yellow stonefruits, then the same careful barrel-ferment, lees-autolysis and oak shown by the 2005. Palate though rich in fruit, is still quite tannic and hard from both acid and oak. It thus seems very dry, needing another year or two to fill out, and soften. This is firm Puligny-Montrachet in style, and should cellar to 10 years. GK 02/06

2009 Obsidian Syrah 18 (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14.3%; $54 [ cork; 2.5% Vi co-fermented; 10 months in French oak 40% new; 120 cases; www.obsidian.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, noticeably older than the 2010 wines. Bouquet is fragrant and appealing, but one factor contributing to the less fresh hue is the relative prominence of the oak in cassisy and spicy berry. Palate continues in the same vein, beautifully pure, fruit just starting to gain a suggestion of secondary flavours, but the oak too noticeable. Fruit richness is good. Cellar 3 – 12 years. GK 10/12

2004 Bridge Pa Syrah Louis Reserve 18 (

)

Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $45 [ supercritical cork; made by Unison; 12 months in French and American oak; www.bridgepa.co.nz ]
Ruby, velvet and some carmine, towards the deeper end of the range. Bouquet however is different, with good berry fruit showing a degree of ripeness that hints at Australia (boysenberry), and more oak, plus some buttery softness. Palate is rich and juicy, much richer and softer than the standard wine, with perhaps some American oak, on sustained cassis and boysenberry flavours. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 05/06

2002 Girardin Clos de la Roche 18 (

)

Morey-Saint-Denis Grand Cru, Burgundy, France: 14%; $139 [ cork; neither fined nor filtered; no info on website yet; www.avco.org/girardin ]
Good pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is sweetly and darkly floral, in much the same style as the Chambertin wines. There certainly is a Girardin house style apparent in these rich black cherry wines. Palate is a little different, with a hint of dried herbes in the rich fruit, only a shadow of brett, the whole winestyle just a little ‘cooler’ than the top ones. Still marvellous pinot noir, which reminds me of aspects of the 2004 Felton Road Block 3 tasted recently. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 12/05

2007 Waitiri Creek Pinot Noir 18 (

)

Gibbston 60%, Bannockburn 40, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $43 [ screwcap; nil whole bunch; 10 months in French oak, 33% new; www.waitiricreek.co.nz ]
Big pinot noir ruby, one of the deepest wines. Bouquet is on the big side too, yet it still retains dark boronia florality and black cherry grading to darkly plummy aromas, with some sur-maturité. In mouth the wine is voluptuously rich, tending massive with substantial tannins, and even though there might be a hint of prune, it grows on you as a decadent pinot noir. Ideally a little more restraint, less hang time, would have produced a fresher and more complex wine, but it is still vastly more varietal than the similarly dark Dry River, for example. Cellar 3 – 8 years, maybe 10, in its 2002-like style. GK 02/10

2008 Escarpment Pinot Noir Kupe 18 (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 12.9%; $82 [ supercritical cork; clone Abel, 30% whole bunch; 12 months in French oak, 50% new; dry extract 27.4 g/L, RS <1 g/L; 500 cases; www.escarpment.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, below midway in depth. This is a red fruits pinot noir alongside some of the Otago wines, fragrant roses and red cherry, highly varietal in a delicate but not weak style, easily underestimated. Yet in mouth there is no leafyness, the red fruits are really tannin ripe, and the whole wine is another to remind of Pommard styling. This will be enticing in another year, and cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 02/10

2002 Drouhin Clos de Vougeot 18 (

)

Vougeot Grand Cru, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $173 [ cork; hand-harvested; fermentation in oak vats; MLF and c. 18 months in oak; www.drouhin.com ]
Fresh pinot noir ruby. The florals in this Drouhin are beautiful, clearly suggestions of boronia, violets, darkest roses, on red and some black cherry fruit. Palate is fresh with piquant acid balance, crisp cherry fruit, subtle oak, a fragrant expression of varietal pinot. The finessed Drouhin style disappoints so many people looking for blockbuster wines, but they are well worth persevering with. In their beautiful pure floral definition of the variety pinot noir, they include some of the most charming and feminine burgundies available, wines which optimise subtle foods rather than dominating it. And the richness on palate is deceptive: there is more dry extract here than one might suppose. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 12/05

2008 Felton Road Pinot Noir [ standard ] 18 (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $48 [ screwcap; up to 25% whole-bunch; 11 months in French oak, c.29% new; www.feltonroad.com ]
Deep lively pinot noir ruby, nearly a flush of carmine and velvet, one of the deeper. Bouquet is in the darker near-plummy phase of Otago pinot noir, almost brambly as well as black cherry, not so floral therefore. Palate is substantial in this style, an aromatic almost garrigue / thyme component, surprisingly freshness since the wine seems so dark, subtle oak, a long fine finish. This is going to mature attractively for 5 – 8 or more years. GK 02/10

2008 Craggy Range Pinot Noir Te Muna Road 18 (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $40 [ screwcap; 5% whole bunch; 10 months in French oak, 33% new; www.craggyrange.com ]
Good pinot noir ruby, hard to tell from the Ata Rangi. In both bouquet and palate, this wine illustrates the cherry rich Martinborough style well, fragrant, red cherry more than black, not quite the depth and ripeness of the Ata Rangi, so a touch more stalk, but close to it in total achievement. Great to see Craggy returning to a little whole bunch component in an appropriate vintage, which should lead to a prettier wine. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 02/10

2008 Palliser Estate Pinot Noir 18 (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 14.2%; $48 [ screwcap; close to nil whole bunch; 12 months in French oak 32% new; www.palliser.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, just above midway in depth. 2008 has been kind to the Martinborough district, after a run of indifferent years (2006 excepted). This wine has delightful wineyness, showing clear varietal quality, good freshness, floral notes centred on dark roses, and a slight savoury complexity. Fruit is red and black cherry, attractive concentration and length, but not quite the depth of the Ata Rangi 2008. Finish shows a hint of stalk, at this youthful stage, but is much cleaner than the 2007. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 02/10

2006 Muddy Water Pinot Noir Slowhand 18 (

)

Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 13.5%; $60 [ screwcap; nil whole bunch; 16 months in French oak, 35% new; a single-vineyard wine formerly named Mojo, all from clone 10/5; www.muddywater.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, older. Bouquet is showing some secondary development, but is still clearly floral. Total style is cooler than the Central Otago wines, clear buddleia grading to rose florals, just a hint of leaf. Palate is fresh and crisply varietal, red cherries, burgundian in one sense but a little firm, lingering delightfully. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 02/10

2008 Babich Pinot Noir Winemakers Reserve 18 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 14.5%; $29 [ some cork, some screwcap; 7% whole-bunch fermentation, 14 months French oak, some new; www.babichwines.co.nz ]
Classic pinot noir ruby, below midway. This is an elegant, fragrant, cherry-rich wine with beautiful florals, on red and black cherry fruit. Fleeting thoughts of Cote de Nuits occur, for there is lovely lift and finesse. Palate shows crisp black cherry more than red fruits, darker than the Te Muna wine for example. The website does not make clear where this fruit originated, but the depth of character implies a significant older-gravels / higher-clay component. This is the best pinot noir ever from Babich, who are real pioneers with the variety. They had clone bachtobel planted at Henderson in the 1970s, and their 1981 pinot noir won the first gold medal for the variety in New Zealand, on the strength of its highly floral (but also leafy) bouquet. Cellar 3 – 8 years. VALUE GK 02/10

2007 Chard Farm Pinot Noir Finla Mor 18 (

)

Cromwell, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $37 [ screwcap; 15% whole bunch; 10 months in French oak, 25% new; www.chardfarm.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, a great colour by burgundy standards, but one of the lighter ones in the set. Bouquet is intriguing, in a lighter style and level of ripeness than many of the Otago wines, with a clear buddleia floral component. Initially tasted, the bouquet is floral and lovely but the wine seems a little inconsequential. In glass the red fruits seem to ripen and deepen to black cherries too, though acid is a little noticeable. This represents the fragrant and cooler side of Otago, to cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 02/10

2002 Newton-Forrest Estate Cabernet / Merlot / Malbec Cornerstone 18 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $40 [ screwcap; CS 35%, Me 34, Ma 31 at 2.2 t/ac; French 70% and American oak; MLF in barrel; previous review 7/04; www.forrest.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, the second deepest colour. Initially opened, there is a deep, clean and quietly understated bouquet with suggestions of cassis, darkest plum, tobacco, oak and pennyroyal. Palate is beautifully rich however, with the berry leaping into clearer focus. There is good cassis, and great plum, all richer and fresher than the Malbec Elspeth, and equally rich. Oak on palate is more than ideal, as with so many premium Australasian reds and chardonnays, but it is subtler than the Elspeths. This wine is coming together attractively, even though it may be in a quiet phase now. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 10/05

2002 Mills Reef Malbec Elspeth 18 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $37 [ cork; French oak; previous review 5/04; www.millsreef.co.nz ]
Dense ruby, carmine and velvet, a great colour, and the deepest on the table. Bouquet shows good complexity and concentration, and many more berries per bottle than a number of the skinny wines in this batch. Intense darkest plums and new oak to a maximum are prominent, with hints of cedary, tobacco-y and savoury complexity. Palate is rich and round, with good fruit ripeness. Only the level of aromatic oak keeps me out of gold medal, but there is no doubt this wine is marrying-up attractively in bottle, and should have wide appeal. Cellar 5 – 15 years plus. GK 10/05

2005 Quartz Reef Pinot Noir 18 (

)

Cromwell & Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $40 [ screwcap; 9% whole bunch; 11 months in French oak 30% new; www.quartzreef.co.nz ]
Rich pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is very aromatic, one of those Otago wines that starts the thyme-cueing process, intertwined with flowers and red and black cherries. The garrigue-like aromatics persist right through the palate, proving slightly disruptive in one sense and akin to stalkyness. But reference back to one or two other wines shows the cherry fruit is properly ripe. The aromatics and oak do dry the finish a little, relative to the same-year Black Poplar wine by the same winemaker, Rudi Bauer. Distinctive wine, to cellar 1 – 3 years. GK 03/10

nv Ayala Brut 18 (

)

Ay, Champagne, France: 12%; $73 [ cork; PN 60%, Ch 25, PM 15; now owned by Bollinger; 50 000 cases; no wine info on website; www.champagne-ayala.com ]
Lemon more than straw. What a change there is in Ayala these days, the bouquet showing crisp fresh citric fruit and lees-autolysis complexity. Palate shows little evidence of the MLF component, instead the citric thought persisting through white cherry and white stonefruits, with lighter but very pure autolysis complexity. Mouthfeel and palate weight are so much better than Ayala used to be. Unfortunately, the price is also creeping up. GK 11/05

2003 Peregrine Pinot Noir 18 (

)

Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $35 [ screwcap; 10 months French oak; www.peregrinewines.co.nz ]
Deep pinot ruby, the deepest of the pinot subset. Bouquet is deep and almost mysterious freshly poured, and very pure. This is a wine which would expand in one of those big show-off glasses. With air, deep sweet boronia florals become apparent, on black cherry depths. Palate is even more impressive, deeply varietal, black cherries rather than the red of the Koura Bay, with an aromatic complex lift more Cote de Nuits than Cote de Beaune. Finish is a little short thus far, but the wine has the fruit weight to mellow out beautifully. Cellar 5 –12 years. GK 10/05

2004 Esk Valley Merlot / Cabernet Sauvignon / Malbec Black Label 18 (

)

Gimblett Gravels mainly, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $23 [ screwcap; 11 months in oak; www.eskvalley.co.nz ]
Ruby. Bouquet is soft, ripe and plummy, with delightful berry complexity, plus an attractive deeply floral component. Palate has the same kind of round plummy fruit as the ‘02 Esk Reserve, but without the concentration or the oak complexity. Alongside some of the cabernet-dominant wines the plumpness of fruit is delightful. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 05/06

2006 Chapoutier Crozes-Hermitage Les Varonniers 18 (

)

Crozes-Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $66 [ cork; www.chapoutier.com ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, a little less colour and weight than L'Ermite. And it is to L'Ermite too that one can look for bouquet analogies, for this wine is wonderfully varietal, with exemplary ripeness for Crozes-Hermitage, so much so it matches many a Hermitage in its sweet wallflower and dianthus florality. The cassis and plum fruit on palate show a similar concentration to L'Ermite, but the ripeness is a little less, a hint of red in the plum, a suggestion of white pepper in the black, all long and fine. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 03/10

2006 Chapoutier St Joseph Blanc Les Granits 18 (

)

St Joseph, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $78 [ cork; Mar 100%; www.chapoutier.com ]
Lemonstraw, the second freshest of the four whites. This wine displays more explicit marsanne character than any of the Ermitages Blancs, being beautifully perfumed with near-pale roses and honeysuckle florals, on pear and white peach aromas. It reminds of the very best years of Tahbilk Marsanne. Palate confirms the quality of bouquet is a function of much less winemaking interference, including less barrel influence, MLF and lees autolysis, an approach instead letting the quality of the grape show through delightfully. It is therefore not as rich and smooth as L'Ermite, even though it illustrates the variety even better, so for some food applications it could be rated lesser. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 03/10

2002 Felton Road Pinot Noir [ standard wine ] 18 (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $ – [ screwcap; average vine age 5 years; 2002 considered an exceptional vintage, just under normal crop … the wines rich, full … something of a 'New World' character … whether great pinot noir a matter of personal preference; www.feltonroad.com ]
Mature pinot noir ruby and garnet, just above midway in depth. This is a much bigger and older wine than the 2003. The secondary aromas including quite a leathery and brown mushroom component are starting to overtake the original florality. Yet it is still fragrant. The fruit component still smells clearly of black cherry. In flavour it is indeed a big wine, and 2002 was a ripe year, in an era when bigger wines were thought to be better, even in pinot noir and in Central Otago. So though this is a burly and tanniny wine, it is clearly pinot. It just lacks the precision of the 2003. One would be forgiven for thinking it might be Victorian pinot noir, in a blind tasting, it is so weighty. Au point now, deserving fine steaks and similar. It would be fun to have it alongside a more delicate 2002 Chateauneuf-du-Pape such as Charvin. No hurry here at all. Cellar 2 – 5 years, perhaps longer. GK 08/14

2005 Te Mata Viognier Woodthorpe 18 (

)

Tutaekuri Valley, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $25 [ screwcap; most of wine BF, 8 months LA and batonnage in older oak, balance s/s, no MLF or RS; www.temata.co.nz ]
Lemon, almost luminous, magical. Bouquet is as yet very youthful and too fresh newly-poured, bottling CO2 intruding, but with air breathes to yellow florals, cherimoya and slightly under-ripe canned apricot fruit, clearly varietal. Palate does not quite follow through on the bouquet promise, for though the apricot flavour is quite intense, both alcohol and acid are tending assertive relative to the texture and mouthfeel. From memory, it is finer than the 2004 wine though – a work in exciting progress from the original viognier producer in New Zealand. Better in a year, cellar to five years. GK 11/06

2006 [ Corbans ] Cottage Block Syrah 18 (

)

Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $35 [ cork; a single-vineyard Sy 100% hand-harvested and sorted; all de-stemmed, no cold soak, inoculated yeast, warm-fermented in open-top oak and s/s vessels, up to 26 days cuvaison, controlled aeration (syrah is sulphide-prone); MLF and c. 18 months in burgundy barrels c. 40% new, balance 1-year; no fining or filtering; www.corbans.co.nz/block_syrah.html ]
Colour is ruby and velvet, older than some of the 2007 syrahs. Bouquet is distinctive among this batch of wines, showing overt syrah varietal character combining carnation florals with white pepper as well as black. Below these Cote Rotie-like top notes there is rich dark fruit. Palate is rich and ripe, no stalky worries to associate with the white pepper, but the whole wine is shorter than the top syrahs, and clearly aromatic. The oak seems not as new as Le Sol for example, so the total wine style is surprisingly northern Rhone, in total more like Cornas maybe, on the very dry finish. Intriguing wine illustrating the precise climatic analogy between the northern Rhone and Hawkes Bay rather well. Cellar 5 – 12 years or so. GK 03/09

2003 Drouhin Pommard 18 (

)

Pommard, Cote de Beaune, France: 13%; $60 [ cork; hand-harvested, fermentation (some stalks) and cuvaison in both s/s and wooden vats 15 – 18 days; less than 18 months in mostly older barrels; Wine Direct the NZ agents; www.drouhin.com ]
Good ruby, one of the lighter wines. In many respects this wine is hard to tell apart from the Clos de la Roche – just a little quieter: similar dark rose florals, and cherry and plum fruit but with little or no new oak, beautifully warm-year varietal. Palate is plump, velvety, the tannins not as obviously furry as lesser-ranked wines, but not quite as sensuous as the Clos de la Roche – presumably the latter has more new oak. This wine gives a marvellous taste of both the vintage and the subtle Drouhin style, at a good price. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 03/06

1978 Jaboulet Vacqueyras 18 (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 12.5%; $ – [ Gr dominant. Jaboulet in the 70’s was arguably the leading / best known Rhone producer, mainly in the north. The firm was also noted for Vacqueyras, however. The 1976 of this label recently opened was aethereal in its lightness, yet elegant and satisfying in mouth, and great with food. ]
Garnet and ruby, akin to the Bonnes Mares, but lighter. This wine was the standout of the night, in the sense that its status is so lowly, and it is fashionable for new world wine writers to say that these Cotes du Rhone styles should be drunk in the first 3 – 5 years. My experience has been quite the reverse, that well-constituted and balanced Cotes du Rhone with some stuffing to start with, can age graciously, and like this wine, end up fragrant fading red fruits and cinnamon spicy, wonderfully warm and enticing, simply beautiful. And their exposure to oak having been minimal, just older big wood as a container, the fruit remains supple and almost Burgundian. In mouth, this wine put several of the classed clarets to shame, even though it is drying a little. Fully mature, needless to say, but delicious. GK 03/06

2005 Vidal Viognier Hawkes Bay 18 (

)

Gimblett Gravels & Tuki Tuki Valley, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $32 [ screwcap; 70% BF in older French oak, plus 6 months LA and batonnage, balance s/s, small % MLF; alcohol on website 14%; 3/5 g/L RS; www.vidal.co.nz ]
Lemon, the faintest touch of straw. Immediate bouquet is more oaky than the Te Mata, and the wine therefore seems lesser. Looking more closely, the fruit spectrum is riper however, and the initial mouthfeel is plumper despite the oak, with lovely ripe apricot notes. But then on the swallow the oak comes back excessively, with some tasters mentioning a slightly bitter component. The small percentage MLF is very attractive, and shifts the style closer to Condrieu. This wine too will be better in a year, and cellar to three years or so. GK 11/06

2006 Waimea Estates Riesling Bolitho 18 (

)

Waimea Valley, Nelson, New Zealand: 12.5%; $22 [ screwcap; hand-harvested; whole-bunch pressed, cool s/s fermentation with cultured yeast and no solids; pH 2.9, 13.8 g/L RS; www.waimeaestates.co.nz ]
Good lemon. On bouquet this wine has moved from the first white flowers stage of good riesling through to something a little more clover-honeyed, with a hint of stonefruit. Suggestions of vanilla wine biscuits are still several years away, though. Both bouquet and flavour are quite clear-cut in the Waimea style, for they show great flair with their aromatic whites. Finish is above riesling ‘dry’ in sweetness, but not obviously medium-dry – let's say off-dry. There are some terpene-y South Australian riesling notes in this one too, but it is sweeter than most of theirs and should end up honeyed. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 05/09

2008 Felton Road Pinot Noir [ standard wine ] 18 (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $ – [ screwcap; average vine age 9 years; a temperate season with no water stress throughout, good flowering, above average fruit set, requiring saignée for Vin Gris again; later season dry with cool nights, producing good balanced fruit where crops reduced; harvest completed before early winter onset 23 April; www.feltonroad.com ]
Pinot noir ruby, just a suggestion of development. This was a surprise wine in the line-up, in the sense the 2008 vintage in general in Central Otago has a modest reputation. This wine however amply shows that where crops were curtailed (in a generous year), delightful wines could result. The bouquet is the key component here, a much lighter quality as of buddleia and English tea roses, only just edging into darker roses and boronia, cool-year burgundian, more Cote de Beaune than Cote de Nuits. Below are red cherries. Flavours are lighter too, with just a hint of leafyness as so often correlates with buddleia florals, yet there is still real pinot quality – just a cooler year. Perhaps it lacks the stuffing for long-term cellaring, but it is already fragrant and delightful. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 8/14 GK 08/14

nv Deutz Classic Brut 18 (

)

Ay, Champagne, France: 12%; $69 [ cork; PN 38%, PM 32, Ch 30; 40% of blend said to be reserve wines; 75 000 cases; www.adwnz.com ]
Lemonstraw. There is a small step down at this point, from great nv champagnes on this particular showing, to good ones. In these the autolysis is not quite so dramatic, and one can’t so easily contrast in one's mind's eye (palate) the difference between a fine baguette, and Vogel’s wholegrain. The autolysis is instead more meshed with a generalised fruit character, more bready, or breadcrust if one is lucky. On palate, this wine shows good strawberry fruit suggesting plenty of pinot meunier, and good richness and length. Interestingly, the autolysis on the aftertaste is very good. Not as brut as some. GK 11/05

2006 Waimea Estates Riesling Dry 18 (

)

Waimea Valley, Nelson, New Zealand: 13%; $18 [ screwcap; s/s fermentation with cultured yeast and no solids; several months LA and stirring; pH 3.05, RS 3.5 g/L; www.waimeaestates.co.nz ]
Lemon. This wine sits happily alongside the Thornbury, on bouquet showing a similarly pure and nearly Australian approach to riesling, with lime-zest aromatics and terpenes. The hoppy aromas and flavours are more noticeable for two reasons: the wine is two years older, and it is drier. Really dry riesling is a hard style to pull off, the quality depending so much on the ultimate balance of fruit to aromatics, but this one achieves harmony in a boldly flavoured limezest and pale stonefruit highly varietal way. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 05/09

2008 Lake Chalice Sauvignon Blanc The Nest 18 (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $20 [ screwcap, all s/s, cool-fermented, cultured yeast; RS 2.3 g/L; www.thenestwines.co.nz ]
Lemongreen. Bouquet is sweet' and enticing on this sauvignon, quieter than the top wines, but beautifully ripe with almost citrus blossom and riesling notes, so one wonders fleetingly if it is cool-climate viognier. But quickly the red capsicum and black passionfruit notes assert themselves. Palate is rich and ‘dry’, seemingly not as dry as the Babich but like it one wonders if it is perhaps hiding subtle barrel-ferment and lees-autolysis characters, the mouthfeel is so good. Apparently not. Identifying by taste if there is trace oak in good New Zealand sauvignon blanc is a never-ending challenge – fun for keen tasters. Cellar 2 – 10 years. GK 05/09

2008 Waimea Estates Chardonnay 18 (

)

Nelson, New Zealand: 14.5%; $22 [ screwcap; hand-harvested clones mendoza and 95, whole-bunch pressed to BF with a fraction solids in French oak 44% new, mostly wild-yeast ferments; MLF and extended LA and batonnage; RS 3.4 g/L; www.waimeaestates.co.nz ]
Pale lemonstraw. After the top three wines (one a foil) there is a step down to merely very good chardonnay. Bouquet on this Waimea wine shows some of the florals of the Cloudy Bay, but not the depth of yellow mendoza fruits, in attractively mealy barrel-ferment and lees-autolysis aromas. Palate is not as rich as the top wines, but nor is the price. This is exemplary $20 chardonnay, which in a year will show more of the charm of the top wines (which are ‘07s). Cellar 3 – 8 years. VALUE GK 05/09

2007 Church Road Merlot / Cabernet 18 (

)

Ngatarawa Triangle 63%, Gimblett Gravels 22, Tuki Tuki Valley 15, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $25 [ screwcap; Me 57%, CS 30, Ma 5, Sy 6, CF 2; cuvaison varies for variety, up to 28 days; MLF and 12 months in French and Hungarian oak 30% new; RS <1 g/L; Catalogue: a core of rich black fruits, and subtle violet and lavender floral notes. Barrel maturation has provided complimentary oak complexities of cedar and chocolate. The palate is medium bodied and supple with good length; www.churchroad.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. Since the 2005 vintage, this standard Merlot / Cabernet from Church Road has been one of the style leaders in the sub-$25 Hawkes Bay blends – particularly when it is promoted at $15. For me it is becoming a problem wine, demanding rigorous blind tastings, simply because I like its unpretentious cru bourgeois styling so much. This 2007 is the best yet, a wine of total stylistic integrity and varietal purity and charm. It exhibits attractive ripeness, and enough clean oak to shape the wine without dominating it. It might not be quite as rich and soft as the Wild Rock 2007, but it is purer, and wonderfully floral. It is nearly as rich as the Esk Valley Black Label blend. The addition of a dash of syrah moves the wine a little closer to the distinctive Hawkes Bay blend concept I have discussed earlier on this site, yet it retains total Bordeaux analogy. When you think that this wine may be regularly available for $15 on promotion at supermarkets over the next 15 months or so, I do not know why we cannot export truckloads of such an accessible and exceptional Bordeaux-like blend to Europe. Cellar 5 – 12 years. VALUE GK 07/09

2004 Pask Syrah Declaration 18 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.9%; $55 [ ProCork; machine harvested; 11 days cuvaison, tail-end BF in 100% new French oak, followed by 16 months in barrel; www.cjpask.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, more the density of the Vidal. This wine presents a good volume of cassis-influenced syrah character in the blind tasting, but it is also more oak-influenced than the top wines. Thus it is hard to pin down any varietal floral notes, but it is very aromatic. Palate brings up the fruit richness relative to the oak, with the cassis component to the fore, beautifully flavoured. Finish is a little short at this youthful stage though, the oak looming larger than the berry. It matches the Vins de Vienne quite well on palate (apart from the lack of florals), and the oak is cleaner. This is another promising 2004 Syrah which will be great to follow in cellar, for 5 – 15 years. GK 04/06

2004 Esk Valley Syrah Black Label 18 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $32 [ screwcap; 18 months in French oak; wine not on website; www.eskvalley.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, above midway in depth of colour. In the blind tasting, this wine reminded me of the Pask Declaration, with vibrant cassis and dark plum, and aromatic oak. Palate is not quite as rich and supple as the top examples, the oak creeping up on the late palate, but the length of cassis fruit is excellent. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 05/06

2010 Yalumba Cabernet Sauvignon Coonawarra The Menzies 18 (

)

Coonawarra, South Australia, Australia: 14%; $51 [ cork 44mm; CS 100% from terra rossa soils, 18 months in a variety of oak, 48% French new both barriques and hogsheads (300-litre), 1% US new hogsheads, balance older American French and Hungarian oak, both sizes; to illustrate the dark-fruits, aromatic, firm cassis character of CS; www.yalumba.com ]
Ruby and velvet, some carmine, a lovely colour. It is the bouquet on this wine which is so exciting, and achieves for it that rare quality (for Australian reds) of being totally of international standard. The purity of the cassis-led berry in the bouquet is eloquent, and totally free of euc'y taints. And both alcohol and oak are relatively subtle. In mouth at this early stage it is tending dry and severe, partly youth, partly the hole-in-the-palate straight cabernet is prone to. But it is the length of varietal flavour, combining both fresh blackcurrant aromas and flavours with the more complex characters of the same fruit bottled, which is a delight. It is simply infanticide to drink it now. This will be a rewarding wine to cellar. As it mellows, it may merit a higher score, for it is a beautifully detailed wine. Why would Yalumba use such a short cork, for such a good wine ? If it is worth making a statement about screwcap, at least do it properly. Cellar 10 – 30 years. GK 09/14

2009 Guigal Ermitage Ex Voto 18 (

)

Northern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $535 [ Cork 50mm; Sy 100%; vine age 40 – 90 years; 30% of the fruit from Bessards, on granite; in 2009 cropped at less than half the normal 35 - 37 hL / ha (1.7 – 1.9 t/ac), so less than 1 t/ac; fermented in temperature-controlled s/s, c.4 weeks cuvaison; 42 months in (believed to be 100%) new French oak; the name Ex Voto embraces the thought of giving thanks; no UK view found; no Tanzer, you start to feel we have a rare bottle; Molesworth in Wine Spectator, 2013: This has a distinctive singed mesquite note out front, along with sandalwood, black tea and juniper hints, followed by a very densely packed core of raspberry, plum and blackberry confiture flavors. The long, charcoal-studded finish has a great tug of roasted earth. Dynamic and expressive, this should cellar effortlessly. Best from 2015 through 2035. 656 cases made, 97; Parker, 2012: Another perfect wine, the 2009 Hermitage Ex-Voto is surprisingly supple and more approachable than the two single vineyard 2009 Cote Roties, La Turque and La Landonne. The massive Ex-Voto boasts abundant notes of spring flowers, blackberries, cassis, licorice, graphite and forest floor. Extremely full-bodied with sweet tannin and levels of extravagance and flamboyance that are mind-boggling, it will drink well for 30+ years, 100; www.guigal.com ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, astonishing freshness given the oak regime, in the middle for depth. One sniff ... and ohmigod ... why would Guigal want to emulate Australian shiraz ? Newly opened and for many hours thereafter, the wine is monstrously oaky. At least it is all French oak, but the oak / alcohol fume in the nostrils is verging on oppressive. Behind that, there is abundant fruit. Being a 2009 it is a riper and richer year than 2010, with the ripeness level seemingly greater than would allow for full florality. But how could you tell, with so much oak ? In mouth the saturation of fruit is colossal, the dry extract must be the greatest on the table, well into the 30s, so maybe the wine will marry up and prove me wrong, once the tannins polymerise. Even so, I'm puzzled Parker thinks this is a 100-point wine. The contrast between this monster and the superb Chave, epitomising how oak should be used, is dramatic. It is only fair to record: (1) a week later, under ice, the apparent balance in the wine is vastly improved, foretelling its likely evolution in bottle; (2) two senior winemakers rated Ex Voto their top wine. I look forward immensely to seeing this wine up against the Chave and others in the years to come – a minimum of 10 years ideally. Cellar 10 – 40 years: it must be as rich today as 1969 La Chapelle was on release, and that wine is still vigorous today. GK 11/14

2010 Saint Cosme Cotes-du-Rhone Les Deux Albion * 18 (

)

Cotes du Rhone, Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $27 [ cork; Sy 40%, Gr 30, Mv 10, Ca 10, clairette (white) 10%, the Sy and clairette co-fermented; some whole-bunch, cuvaison extends to six weeks; the greater part of the 2010 was raised in concrete vats, the balance in 1 – 4 years-old larger barrels; c.1,590 cases; www.saintcosme.com ]
[ This was put in subsequently as a wine of known richness and quality, simply to provide a calibration point, notwithstanding the varietal differences.] Ruby, carmine and velvet, exactly midway in the syrahs. Bouquet is soft, winey, red fruits, cinnamon, some new oak, out to one side in the syrahs it was semi-hidden in. Palate is intriguing, not as tightly-knit as the premium New Zealand syrahs, yet gorgeous berry and drying cinnamon-stick spice more than oak tannins, good fruit richness, a complex rendering of a syrah-dominant (just) wine. It amply illuminated how good our best syrahs are. Cellar 3 – 12 years. GK 07/12

2006 Destiny Bay [ Cabernet / Merlot ] Destinae 18 (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.7%; $75 [ cork; CS 46%, Me 22, CF 16, Ma 16, hand-harvested @ average 1.7 t/ac; 10 – 15 months in French and American oak about equal, 60% new; released 1 April 2009; Destinae alludes to ‘destiny’ being not a matter of chance, but a choice and goal to strive for; in style Destinae is seen as the winery’s right bank one, though the cepage does not immediately lead to that conclusion until one thinks about the malbec; 1016 cases, WWA Certified, offered 1 Nov 2008 to Patron Club members @ $45 (en primeur, in effect), this offer continues until release date 1 August 2009, when RRP will be $75. At that date, the 2007 en primeur campaign opens – volumes for the 2007 vintage are maybe half those for 2006, so the possibility arises only subscribers will secure the 2007 wines; ‘Silky and spiced with lively acidity and supple texture; fresh, juicy and bright with fine tannins and flavours of plum and tangy fruit; long, balanced;’; www.destinybaywine.com ]
Ruby, maybe a little deeper than 2006 Mystae but certainly redder, implying less oak exposure. Bouquet on this wine is fragrant and mellow, again with Rioja / Ribera del Duero suggestions, but closer to Bordeaux than the 2006 Mystae. The softness of the berry / oak interaction on bouquet reminds of St Emilion, as the makers intend, the cabernet component being scarcely apparent in the more mellow merlot-like aroma. Perhaps the significant malbec component is achieving this. Flavour is long and harmonious, not as rich as 2006 Mystae but similar acid, not as plummy as Pomerol, again like a typical-year St Emilion with cabernet sauvignon content. These Destiny Bay wines stand apart in the field, largely because of their delicacy yet substance. In one sense (the Spanish one), they achieve even more European finesse than Coleraine, which is Hawkes Bay’s most Bordeaux-influenced cabernet / merlot. One could drink a lot of this Destinae, already. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 06/09

2003 Howard Park Shiraz Scotsdale 18 (

)

Great Southern, Western Australia, Australia: 14%; $41 [ screwcap; intensive vineyard management to optimise flavour, picking based on flavour, not analysis; 18 months in French oak 60% new; www.howardparkwines.com.au ]
Dense ruby, carmine and velvet, nearly as deep as the Xabregas. There is light eucalyptus character in this wine, a bit strong to be called mint, on cassis and blueberry fruit. Palate is berry-rich and juicy, faint peppercorn, moreso than the Xabregas Reserve a little hotter in climatic style than Hawkes Bay and hence more boysenberry, more shiraz than syrah. Nonetheless it is an attractively aromatic juicy rich yet dry example of the grape, let down only slightly by the euc. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 05/06

2004 Wairau River Gewurztraminer 18 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $19 [ screwcap; www.wairauriverwines.com ]
Lemongreen. Quiet when first opened, but develops in glass to show a good volume of bouquet, with the complexity of rosepetal, lychee fruit, and wild ginger blossom. There is also a trace of armpit-like character, just taking the sheen off it. Palate is richer than bouquet, indicating good development lies ahead. In addition to the bouquet aromas, there are aromatic Otago dried apricot suggestions, and fine aromatic hoppy flavours, all medium dry. Richer than the excellent Mills Reef wine. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 11/04

2008 Cable Bay Syrah Waiheke Island (pre-bottling tank sample) 18 (

)

Western Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: – %; $34 [ screwcap; hand-picked; details to come; ‘Fragrant violet and bramble aromas. Rich berryfruit and gamey notes on the palate, with a refined structure. NEW RELEASE’; www.cablebayvineyards.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, but lighter than the top examples. Bouquet is close to the Weeping Sands but less oaky, clearly wallflower-floral and dark roses, with vanillin and black pepper components. Fruits include cassis, cherry and plum. Palate is firm and aromatic, slightly oaky (as yet), the berryfruit and acid balance nearly as good as the top wines. It is more in the lighter style of the 2007 Awaroa, which reminded me of Cote Rotie this time last year. Cellar 5 – 12 years. [ NB: the finished wine may differ from this assembled tank sample.] GK 06/09

2004 Blake Family Vineyard 18 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.8%; $ – [ cork; Me 53%, CF 47 @ c. 1.25 kg / vine, 4300 vines / ha; French oak; www.bfvwine.com ]
Good ruby, midway, a little lighter than the 2004 Alluviale. Bouquet is fresh and fragrant, trace VA, in a classic cabernet / merlot style showing some violets and roses florals, clear cassis, and good brambly and dark plum berry. Like the Lynch Bages, there is just the faintest hint of leafiness, in a positive Bordeaux-complexities sense. Palate seems a little leaner than the ’04 Alluviale, almost certainly a misinterpretation consequent on the longer time in new oak. This too is an attractive wine, but it is more an oakier version of the 2004 Alluviale than a preview of the magnificent 2005 Blake Family Vineyard. Cellar 5 – 15 + years. GK 11/06

2007 Vidal Viognier Reserve 18 (

)

Gimblett Gravels predominantly, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $37 [ screwcap; some fruit from the Tuki Tuki Valley; all crushed and some skin contact; fermented in older French oak with cultured yeast; 6 months LA in barrel, with an MLF component; pH 3.69, RS c.2 g/L; www.vidal.co.nz ]
Pale lemon. Bouquet is nearly perfumed in a positive sense, sweet and floral on mock orange blossom, with understated fresh apricots and breadcrust complexities. Flavour is clearly viognier, all a little softer and more accessible than the Craggy Range wine, but equally pure, with the oak neatly under-done pro rata to the fruit. Body is terrific, making this a satisfying and food-friendly wine one could drink a lot of. The MLF is very understated, in the blind tasting one does not pick it at all, noting only how good the total lees-autolysis and richness is. Like the Craggy, more varietal aroma and flavour is the key. Cellar 1 – 4 maybe 5 years. GK 04/09

2002 Babich The Patriarch [ Cabernet / Merlot / Malbec ] 18 (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $59 [ cork; DFB; CS 62, Me 19, Ma 19, hand-harvested; extended cuvaison; 17 months in French and American oak; www.babichwines.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, astonishingly youthful, younger than the ‘04 Sophia. And freshly opened, the price to pay for such an undeveloped colour is a reductive veil, needing splashy decanting several times to aerate the wine. It opens to a darkly plummy rich bouquet, some violets florals, heavy cassis, great purity of berry. Palate is in one way rich, yet with a certain leanness to the fine-grained fruit which is reminiscent of some better Margaux chateaux. The oak tastes very fine-grained and new, delightfully in the background. I think this wine will emerge from its cocoon, and in five years may earn the gold medal rating the fruit quality and seriousness deserves. Just a little more oxygen in the system would have transformed it. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 05/06

1967 Penfolds Shiraz / Oulliade Bin 426 18 (

)

Clare Valley (Sh), Kalimna (Oeillade), South Australia, Australia: – %; $225 [ cork, 42mm; there is virtually no information on this wine, first produced in the 1960s; in 1973, Len Evans commented: The oulliade, which is not a great variety in any circumstances, is used to soften the more flavoursome shiraz and since the latter from Clare is often quite soft – and in this case is soft, though quite full-bodied – the result is is a very round, appealing sort of drinkable red, very pleasant when young. A light touch of oak is blended in very well with the fruit and this adds dimension to the wine. Latterly, only Philip White speaks of it: Only a very lucky few will remember wines like Max’s Penfolds Bin 426 Shiraz Oulliade 1969, which was that ingenious winemaker blending a red designed to be a touch more approachable in its youth than the mighty Grange, which was built to go 30 years or more. ... The softness, the bit Max called “mother wine”, was the red grape Oulliade, otherwise known as Cinsault or Blue Imperial … [ correctly, oeillade, but note that Robinson et al state this grape is not identical with cinsaut ]; no contemporary reviews, nothing on website; www.penfolds.com ]
Glowing garnet and ruby, the lightest wine. Freshly poured, the bouquet is a standout in the set, soft, gentle, browning rose florals, browning red fruits, like a fully mature pinot noir from a previous era of richer wines, from Burgundy proper. Palate is simply seductive, tactile fruit, no hint of new oak yet a clear gentle tannin structure, the wine velvety and infinitely food-friendly. This wine was the surprise of the tasting to me, illustrating that in fact Schubert aspired to a diversity of wine styles. Tasters did not share my enthusiasm for the wine, one of only two with no first or second places. Only one least though. It did not stand as well as the others, particularly losing its enchanting rose florals within 24 hours. I wonder how many bottles in fact survive, today. A treat. GK 09/17

1990 Penfolds Grange [ Shiraz ] Bin 95 18 (

)

Barossa Valley, Clare Valley, Coonawarra, South Australia, Australia: 13.5%; $786 [ cork, 48mm; Sh 95%, CS 5; ferment completed in new American oak, then 18 months in 100% new American oak hogsheads; release price $AU135; Penfolds website: … history will record 1990 as one of the great Australian vintages of our generation. The 1990 Penfolds Grange is one of the best yet, with the potential to eventually rival the classic vintages of 1955, 1962 and 1971; NOSE: a beautifully weighted and concentrated wine combining very intense, ripe plummy aromas with smoky vanillin oak; PALATE: Already, the wine is supremely complex and harmonious, with ripe plum and coffee-like luscious fruit, integrated oak, fine tannins and excellent length; Halliday 1999: there is not a hair out of place on the sweet, elegant and fragrant bouquet. The palate has an abundance of soft redcurrant, cherry and mocha chocolate fruit (and oak), finishing with very fine, persistent tannins, *****, and also on his website, 97; Julia Harding @ Robinson, 2009: Smoky coffee and cassis and a little herbal and just a touch leathery. Much more evolved than the 1991. Fine grained and more elegant tannins than the 1986. Fine grip and freshness, dry but not drying. Long and rich and satisfying, 18.5; bottle courtesy of Ray Martin, Lower Hutt; www.penfolds.com ]
Ruby, garnet and velvet, just above the middle for depth. Bouquet here is the more usual hugely overpowering Penfolds oak alongside rich fruit, which makes Grange so often a caricature of itself. The actual quality of the fruit is hard to tease out from the oak, but it seems to avoid over-ripeness, no boysenberry, plenty of blueberry and darkest plum, wonderful richness, tactile viscosity. But the oak builds up in the mouth, and dominates the aftertaste, rich though it is. As is always the case, tasters were seduced by the oak, four rating this 1990 their top wine, and one second. It will cellar for ages, but end up a harder and more oaky wine than the lovely 1991. Cellar 20 – 30 years. GK 09/17

2004 Vidal Viognier 18 (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $32 [ screwcap; BF old oak then 6 months LA and batonnage, small fraction MLF, RS 3.5 g/L; www.vidal.co.nz ]
Lemongreen, the palest of the three viogniers. Bouquet on this viognier is very understated, showing an almost floral component, more white than yellow. Fruit is slightly lychee and palest apricot, with a big lees-autolysis component making the bouquet confusable with chardonnay, if one were not thinking. Palate brings up the varietal fruit, slightly pale and under-ripe tart apricots, with a conspicuous barrel-ferment and lees-autolysis component. The oak is so subtle as to be scarcely tasted, the net impression being more of baguette complexity from lees autolysis. Palate weight and length are superb, but the flavours of ripeness are a little lacking. This is a very individual handling of viognier, subtle, refined, and food-friendly. It some ways (the artefact) it is closer to the Virgilius style than the Guigal, but much more acid and not so weighty. Cellar 3 - 5 years. GK 08/06

1999 Felton Road Pinot Noir Block 3 18 (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $45 [ NZPN ]
Good ruby with a touch of carmine. Another floral and fragrant varietal bouquet, though very different from the Bannockburn. Heaps of redfruits, black cherries and dark plums, leading into a rich berry palate a little more fleshy than some. Succulent yet crisp flavours highly reminiscent of black cherry, an evocative presentation of the fragrant, flavour-saturated and slightly aromatic style this variety develops in New Zealand’s most continental yet coolest climate. Complexity on palate less than the other top wines, however, and fruit ‘sweetness’ a little more. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 01/01

1998 Mt Difficulty Pinot Noir 18 (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $32 [ TE ]
Good ruby. Another fragrant and floral expression of the precise black cherry, blackboy peach and vibrant fruit of good South Island pinot, contained in fragrant oak. Gorgeous acid balance, totally cherry / berry mouthfeel, elegant length. Archetypal Central Otago Pinot Noir, matching the achievement of the 1999 beautifully. When this richly flavoured crisp fruit meets the winemaking complexity and experience evident in some of the other top New Zealand wines, Otago in good vintages will challenge all other New Zealand districts. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 01/01

2005 Camshorn Riesling Dry Salix Clays 18 (

)

Waipara, New Zealand: 13%; $24 [ screwcap; from the new Montana ‘alias’ series of labels, with no clue it is not an independent vineyard; 5.5 g/L RS; www.pernod-ricard-nz.com ]
Pure lemon, a great colour. Bouquet is a bit obscure freshly opened, but clears to a limey straightforward presentation of riesling, fragrant and clearly varietal. Palate brings up attractive varietal terpenes and vanillin, with excellent dry extract, so the wine seems juicy even though it is ‘dry’. On the night, this didn't look as good as the ‘04 wines, but in another year it might surprise. Riesling is nothing if not a cellaring wine. Waipara has a great reputation for riesling, and these Camshorn wines look set to further it. Cellar 5 – 10 years, maybe more. GK 08/06

2004 Corbans Gewurztraminer Private Bin Hawkes Bay 18 (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $20 [ cork; RS 8 g/L sugar; www.corbans.co.nz ]
Lemon. Among the Alsatians, the Corban is closest to the Albert Mann, with pure floral vanilla and slightly spicy lychee characters on bouquet, a lovely delicate varietal wine. Palate is drier than most, so it seems a smaller wine, but the flavours are very precise, beautifully subtle, long in the mouth and finishing elegantly. One could not ask for a better introduction to the variety, gentle yet clear-cut, perfectly balanced, not quite ‘dry’, and affordable. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 08/06

1999 Greenhough Pinot Noir Hope Vineyard 18 (

)

Nelson, New Zealand: 13.5%; $35 [ TE ]
Big ruby, touch of carmine. A big aromatic black cherry and blackboy peach bouquet, highly varietal in the New Zealand style. Fruit concentration is excellent, and potential complexity on the faintly smoky oak should marry down in bottle. This is interesting wine, with a better alcohol balance and more cellar potential than most. Comparison with the Jadot is useful, the Greenhough more concentrated, the Jadot more elegant. Cellar 10 – 15 years. GK 01/01

2004 Forrest Cabernet Sauvignon John Forrest Collection 18 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.3%; $50 [ screwcap; DFB; no wine info on website; www.johnforrest.co.nz ]
Ruby carmine and velvet, deeper than the Syrah Collection, but not as rich as the top wines in the class. Bouquet is quite dramatically cassis, with aromatic potentially cedary oak giving the whole wine the immediate impression of a high-cabernet Medoc red, except it is much more oaky. Palate is essence of ripe cabernet sauvignon, with a good weight of cassisy berry, so rich it scarcely has any sign of a cabernet doughnut palate – surely there is some merlot in this ? It is too oaky, though – a pity, given the fruit quality. The concentration will allow this wine to be cellared for 10 – 20 years, which may allow the excess oak to marry away. GK 05/06

2005 Kaituna Valley Pinot Gris 18 (

)

Banks Peninsula, New Zealand: 14%; $26 [ cork; from their intriguing Port Hills Summerhill vineyard. ]
Pale lemonstraw. This bouquet is uncannily Alsatian, showing much more varietal specificity than most New Zealand pinot gris. There are clear English primrose florals, on a pale stonefruits note which is yellow rather than the pallid white pearflesh which passes for varietal character in most New Zealand pinot gris. Palate dramatically focuses the bouquet impressions, with great fruit and dry extract on a nearly dry finish, again shifting this wine well away from New Zealand's all-too-frequently medium sweetness pinot gris, and into exactly the Alsace model. Phenolics are a little apparent, but they characterise the variety. Given the wine’s other qualities, one can overlook that – and they are certainly preferable to overt oak. This is exciting New Zealand pinot gris to cellar 3 – 6 years, perhaps longer. GK 08/06

2000 Howard Park Cabernet Sauvignon 18 (

)

Margaret River & Great Southern, Western Australia, Australia: – %; $86 [ cork; DFB; CS 100%, old vines; 21 months in French oak 100% new; www.howardparkwines.com.au ]
Ruby, one of the lighter. Bouquet is a little minty on this wine, below which is fragrant but browning cassis, tending one-dimensional. Palate is cassis and suggestions of blueberry as if there were some shiraz in the wine, the oak marrying up well and the palate much less acid than some of the younger wines from this label. It would look a little simple in a 2000 Bordeaux tasting, but this is pleasing Australian cabernet avoiding excessive euc’y characters. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 05/06

2004 Villa Maria Pinot Noir Rutherford Single Vineyard 18 (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $57 [ screwcap; hand-picked; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Big pinot noir ruby, a hint of velvet, but still OK for pinot. Great to see Villa retreating from their black pinots. Initially opened, there is an intriguing hint of farmyard complexity, which breathes off with normal decanting. Bouquet becomes wonderfully varietal, showing complex boronia and dark rose florals let down slightly by this near-ubiquitous (in Marlborough and Martinborough) New Zealand hint of pennyroyal. Below are red and black cherries. Palate shows exact black cherry crispness and aromatics, better acid balance than the Reserve, with good texture neither too alcoholic or oak-affected, and no obvious sur-maturité. But against admittedly top French yardsticks, there is the slightest leafy quality entwined with the cherries. Considering the company this wine is being seen in, this is an exciting outcome for a New Zealand pinot, the moreso since it comes from Marlborough. This district has until recently been struggling to capture the essence of the variety. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 07/06

2003 Penfolds Cabernet / Shiraz Bin 389 18 (

)

McLaren Vale, Barossa Valley and other districts, South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $45 [ cork; 12 months in American oak 27% new; www.penfolds.com.au ]
Ruby and velvet, one of the densest colours in the batch. Freshly opened, the bouquet is voluminous, based on rich berry and new fine-grained potentially cedary American oak. And tasted freshly opened, the wine is much too oaky. The remedy (if you have to commit infanticide with this wine) is to decant it in the morning into a wide-necked vessel, and let it breathe all day. The fruit develops magnificently, the cabernet cassis coming to quite dominate. Thus breathed, palate is rich, long, still too oaky in youth, but a pretty exciting wine in its heroic style. Cellar 10 – 35 years at least. Currently the 1970 is very attractive drinking, for example. GK 07/06

2007 Te Whare Ra Noble Riesling 375 ml 18 (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 11%; $37 [ screwcap; hand-picked 13 June from older vines some in their 20s; whole-bunch pressed, cool-fermented all in s/s; pH 3.15, RS 157 g/L; 880 cases; www.te-whare-ra.co.nz ]
Light gold. This is an intriguing noble riesling, with pure waxy botrytis on fruit which is more stonefruit than aromatic, golden queen peach maybe. In a blind tasting it seems more a noble pinot gris, the botrytis extending right through to the rich finish. It is a fatter wine than the Riverby, not quite the lightness of touch, but balanced right through. It sits between the Riverby and the Astrolabe in style. This should cellar well, say 2 – 10 years, maybe longer. GK 04/09

2008 Huia Sauvignon Blanc 18 (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $22 [ screwcap; cool early-morning-picked; s/s fermented, a small part wild-yeast; pH 3.21, RS 4 g/L; www.huia.net.nz ]
Pale lemongreen. The whole style of this wine is close to the Riverby one, clear-cut Marlborough sauvignon with red capsicums, black passion fruit, light sweet basil and herbes complexing, and lovely purity. The flavours are virtually identical too, the only difference being this wine is just a little more phenolic / hard pressed. A good long-flavoured sauvignon, to cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 04/09

2006 Te Whare Ra Sauvignon Blanc Awatere 18 (

)

Awatere Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 12.5%; $22 [ screwcap; all Awatere in 2006, machine-harvested, de -stemmed; cool-fermented majority s/s, a little BF and LA and even MLF this year for texture and complexity; pH 3.26, RS 3.4 g/L; www.te-whare-ra.co.nz ]
Good lemon. I did not taste this wine in youth, so cannot say if it was as reductive as the 2008. Assuming it was made in the same style as the 2008, lees-autolysis complexities have now completely married away, leaving sweet ripe fruit showing the primary red capsicum and black passionfruit stage just passing to a more European greengage and English gooseberries flavours, with a suggestion of cooked rhubarb. As such it is rich and well-flavoured, lingering delightfully. Cellar to taste for several years yet. GK 04/09

2006 Villa Maria Chardonnay Reserve Gisborne Barrique-Ferment 18 (

)

Gisborne, New Zealand: 14%; $58 [ screwcap; hand-harvested clones mendoza and 95, whole-bunch pressed to BF in French oak 50% new, balance second year, 55% MLF; 6 months LA and batonnage, around 9 months in oak total; pH 3.56, RS 1 g/L; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Full lemonstraw. In this batch of wines this chardonnay smells quite different, as if it were from a warmer climate. There is quite an evolved barrel-ferment, lees-autolysis and MLF-y complexity hinting at nougat and vanilla wafers. Palate is rich, tending broad, fully-flavoured with mushrooms-on-buttered-toast qualities, beautifully mealy, with appropriate oak to balance the weight. Against the Cloudy Bay of the same vintage, it looks a bit loose, and perhaps acid-adjusted. This is a chardonnay for those wanting a rich mouthful of flavour. The aftertaste of white mushrooms is delightful. Cellar 1 – 5 years. GK 04/09

2001 Penfolds Shiraz RWT 18 (

)

Barossa Valley, South Australia, Australia: 14%; $153 [ cork; 14 months in French oak 65% new, 35% 1-year; RWT = Red Winemaking Trial; www.penfolds.com.au ]
Ruby and some velvet, distinctly older than the Grange and St Henri of the same year. This too is big shiraz in a Penfolds style, but more rustic than the stunning 2002. Berry includes browning cassis, dark plum and boysenberry, with a slight salty complexity which is worrying. Fruit weight is good, richer than the '01 St Henri, but not such a clear varietal statement. This is more a Penfolds Bin red, for example a fine Bin 28, rather than the clear super-class shiraz RWT has set out to create. Cellar 10 – 30 years. GK 07/06

2007 Riverby Estate Riesling 18 (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 12.5%; $20 [ screwcap; Gm 239 vines planted 1994; non-botrytis bunches hand-picked at < 3 t/ac; cold-settled, cool- and stop-fermented in s/s; pH 3.04, RS 3 g/L; www.riverbyestate.com ]
Pale lemon. Bouquet is light floral riesling, understated freesia, a little apple flesh. Palate is roughly at the same stage as the Craggy Fletcher '06, just starting to communicate, clear white florals and lime-zest a bit bolder than the ‘06, drier than 'riesling dry', long and pure. Presumably for this emerging class of dry rieslings in New Zealand we have been greatly influenced by the famous rieslings and winemakers of the Clare and Eden Valleys, notably Jeffrey Grosset. Our best are becoming clearly interesting wines. They will compete with the South Australians very well, even though differing in style somewhat. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 04/09

2004 Mt Difficulty Pinot Noir Pipeclay Terrace Single Vineyard 18 (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14.5%; $75 [ screwcap; clones UCD5, UCD6 & 13, age 10 years; 80% de-stemmed, 20% whole bunch, 6 days cold soak, wild yeast fermentation, 24 days cuvaison, 12 months in French oak 36% new; egg-white fining, polishing filtration; Spectator: Smooth and rich in texture, with lively acidity balancing bittersweet chocolate-scented cherry and dusky herb flavors, persisting nicely against fine tannins on the finish. To 2012. 89; www.mtdifficulty.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, just above halfway in depth but one of the freshest, with carmine hues like the Pegasus. Bouquet is more fruit-oriented than the Pegasus, like it a little down on lighter florals at this stage, but showing some deeper notes on red and black cherries which smell concentrated. With air this wine expands considerably, staying very primary, but the depth of black cherry fruit and black doris plum on firm acid is promising. The balance of fruit to oak is more in favour of the fruit than the other three top wines. Even in the blind tasting, the concentration of Otago-like dark fruits is noticeable, in this case with slightly elevated acid. To judge from the 2003 Mt Difficulty Target Gully which showed so beautifully at the 2007 Pinot Noir Conference, this will have a lot more to say for itself in a year or two, and like the Pegasus Bay will score higher. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 06/07

2005 Carrick Pinot Noir 18 (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $38 [ screwcap; 2005 not yet released or on website, see 2004; www.carrick.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, deep for pinot noir. Bouquet is wonderfully varietal, in the dark boronia and deep red rose and violets sweetly-fruited style that bespeaks fine Otago pinot noir. Palate is dark fruits, black cherries and some blackboy, still unknit and youthful, not quite the concentration the bouquet promises, maybe. The great thing in this wine is capturing the smells and flavours of full physiological maturity at 13.5% alcohol. This could well score higher in 18 months. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 11/06

2005 Dog Point Pinot Noir 18 (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $39 [ cork; all de-stemmed, up to 8 days cold-soak, wild yeast; 18 months in French oak 50% new; www.dogpoint.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is quiet, showing an aromatic edge hinting at pennyroyal, but stopping short of that, with some dark florals, all on attractive cherry-like fruit. Palate is pure, still the thought of mint, real mixed cherry flavours, attractively balanced to potentially cedary oak. This wine is so understated, that it initially ranks merely in the middle. But in terms of total pinot noir style, flavour, appropriate acid balance, and complexity and charm in the mouth, one gradually comes to realise that it is lovely. It could be rated higher than the more outspoken Villa Maria wines or the Felton Block versions. Tasting them again in three years would be fascinating. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 06/06

1985 Delas Cote Rotie Seigneur de Maugiron 18 (

)

Cote Rotie, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 12.5%; $ – [ cork; $33 in 1988; typically Sy 100%, 70% Cote Brune, 30 Blonde; some stems in the 1980s; up to 18 months in barrel, very little new in the 80s; Delas now part of the Roederer group (since 1996); www.delas.com ]
Ruby and garnet, older than the matching Hermitage, both being presented at the judges' dinner for the Royal Easter Show wine-judging. This wine is more intensely carnations-floral than the Hermitage, but lighter in constitution on palate, and further along its cassisy red-fruits development path. The two wines illustrate the essential differences between AOC Cote Rotie and AOC Hermitage to perfection, the former more fragrant and burgundian, the latter more sturdy and even a thought of the Medoc. I reviewed this wine in Cuisine # 9 in 1988, rating it 5 stars and describing it as: Superb ripe Syrah on bouquet, with some floral life and much ripe berry, plus subtle spice of white pepper and some beeswax … excellent balance and good cellaring prospects. The article went on to say: These first seven wines sum up nearly all one needs to know or own of the northern Rhone. All seven probably rank five stars. A case of each would make a memorable investment, which one could follow into the next century. In today's uncertain world, that is an empowering thought. I did that, and it was good advice. Unlike the matching 1985 Hermitage, the Cote Rotie is now slipping off its plateau of maturity – so time to be finishing the case ! GK 03/09

2005 Felton Road Pinot Noir Block 3 18 (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $55 [ screwcap; www.feltonroad.com ]
Good ruby, just a shade lighter than the standard Felton. Bouquet on this one is deeply floral as for the mainstream Felton, but slightly more aromatic on the oak handling, beautiful. Palate is leaner and crisper, understated at this early stage, so it seems slightly acid and stalky alongside the fleshier standard wine. This really needs a couple of years to mellow. It may overtake the slightly more acid Sleeping Dogs in three years time – at least for those liking a burlier pinot style, and will cellar for 5 – 12 years. GK 09/06

2006 Martinborough Vineyard Syrah / Viognier 18 (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 14%; $48 [ screwcap; Sy 95%, Vi 5, hand-harvested; 6-year old vines, but first significant crop; 21 days cuvaison; c. 12 months in French oak 25% new, balance 1 & 2-year; not fined or filtered; www.martinborough-vineyard.co.nz ]
Good ruby. This wine stood out for its exceptional florality and total Cote Rotie styling, comparable only with the Delas Cote Rotie also in the tasting, if one allowed for the age difference. The floral including carnation / wallflower qualities extend right through the palate, though it is a little acid. Trial blends illustrate what sensational syrahs could be achieved by a judicious blending of Hawkes Bay fruit for body and ampleness, and Martinborough fruit for breathtaking aroma. This idea has already been illustrated by Kai Schubert with his 2000 Syrah, but with rather much new oak. The obvious people to pursue such a goal now are Craggy Range, with their holdings on both the Gimblett Gravels and at Te Muna Road having the potential to provide perfectly contrasting syrah fruit. At the moment however their 'single vineyard' policy constrains them. Another candidate could be via the common ownership of Dry River in Martinborough, and Te Awa on the Gimblett Gravels. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 03/09

2006 Te Mata Syrah clone 174 [ research wine ] 18 (

)

Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $ – [ not for sale; www.temata.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet. Bouquet on this version of syrah was intriguing, with the floral component including a salvia aromatic note. There is clear cassis, some cracked pepper, and clear soft blueberry plumminess. On palate the wine is softer and more ample than the original mass selection clone, syrah in a softer more modern style. Some would therefore prefer it to the more floral, aromatic and classically-styled mass selection, so the scoring ends up personal. As for the other Te Mata clonal syrah shown, this is a research wine, not for sale. I rather regretted Te Mata could not also show their syrah clone 470, which I have associated (supposition) with the increase of precise Rhone-like florals in the evolution of Bullnose in recent years. GK 01/07

2004 Felton Road Pinot Noir Block 5 18 (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14.5%; $60 [ screwcap; 18% whole-bunch in fermentation, wild yeast; 11 months in French oak 30% new, followed by 6 months in old oak; www.feltonroad.com ]
Deep pinot noir ruby, about the maximum desirable. Bouquet is deeply red fruits, with dark florals hinting at boronia, but it is hard to dig them out from the spicy (five spice) oak overlay, at this youthful stage. The wine is clearly pinot noir, though. Palate is rich and round and very plummy, almost to a fault, which coupled with the overt spicy oak gives a burly granular quality to the wine, making one think of subtle rich soft Australian interpretations of shiraz. Acid balance is firm. A blend of this nearly sur-maturite wine with the Villa Reserve is finer than either. Roll on the Penfolds multi-regional approach to fine pinot, in New Zealand. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 06/06

1969 Jaboulet Hermitage La Chapelle 18 (

)

Northern Rhone Valley, France: – %; $1,220 [ Cork, 45mm; Sy 100; price given is wine-searcher average for that vintage of the wine; general elevation etc see Intro; 1969 and 1971 were attractive years in the Northern Rhone and Burgundy, more so than Bordeaux; Livingstone-Learmonth, 1992: … some damp leaf, prune smells and capable of greater complexity. Palate has a lovely, lasting richness, and great depth, very thorough flavours, showing some evolution. Delicious - everything an old Hermitage should be and in stronger shape than a bottle drunk in Feb 1991, ***** (out of 6); Robert Parker, 2000: ... a solidly made, monolithic, foursquare example with plenty of peppery, cedar, leather, and coffee characteristics in the moderately intense bouquet. A sweet attack is followed by a lean, austere wine with a dry middle. Medium-bodied, the 1969 is a fine La Chapelle that has been mature for more than a decade. It appears to be easily holding onto life. The wine did, however, become more attenuated and drier with the fruit fading as it sat in the glass. Drink it up, 89; www.jaboulet.com ]
Ruby and garnet, below midway, but good for its years. This is the only one of the wines to clearly smell older at the tasting, in the sense that there is a leathery and older cooperage note to it, but it is certainly not the weakest. Some tasters were attracted to the leathery maturity, one rating it their top wine, and none their least. In mouth the richness is surprising for its age, the wine comparing more with the 1989 and the 1990, than any of the others. It was still opening up in the glass, long after the tasting was finished. Intriguing wine suggesting a concentration / low cropping rate not so evident in many of the younger wines. No hurry at all, will easily make a half-century. But open this wine well ahead of presenting it, decant it, and leave it to breathe. Score is well-breathed. GK 09/14

2005 Carrick Pinot Noir Excelsior 18 (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $85 [ screwcap; clones 10/5, 5 and others from the Cairnmuir vineyard, hand-picked later April from c. 10 year-old vines at very low yields due to poor set at flowering; c. 5 days cold-soak, c. 70% wild-yeast fermentation with less than 5% whole-bunch, up to 20 days cuvaison; MLF and c.12 months in French oak c. 30% new; minimal filtration; 150 cases; www.carrick.co.nz ]
Big pinot noir ruby, more mature than the 2007s, reasonably. The first impression in an analytical blind tasting of 60 mixed reds is of fragrantly cedary / pencil shavings new oak, but that won't be the case at table. Behind that are attractive red and black fruits of pinot, with clear rose and boronia florals. In mouth the wine is mellow and rich, but the new oak continues apparent, almost in an east-bank bordeaux, rather than burgundy styling. This premium or 'reserve' label has been made with the explicit goal of building a 10-year New Zealand pinot. It looks well endowed for the task, and thus will be a good one to cellar with a view to future blind tastings against the outstanding 2005 vintage in Burgundy. Watching the evolution of the fruit relative to the oak will be a key interest in cellaring the wine. I hope I will be re-rating this wine at the next tasting, for it impressed me greatly when seen on its own last spring. At this moment the oak is a little too drying and prominent. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 03/09

2005 Peregrine Pinot Noir 18 (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $39 [ screwcap; the winery describes the season as characterised by small berries and small bunches, giving concentrated fruit characters; 10 months in French oak; www.peregrinewines.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, deeper than the two Felton wines, big for pinot noir. Initially opened, this is a deeper, darker pinot bouquet, lacking the beautiful floral excitement of the top wines. Decanted and well breathed however, it opens up to reveal attractively floral, deep boronia-like and darkest rose aromas, on red and black cherry fruit, quite compelling. Palate carries the florals into a well-fleshed cherry palate, a little more succulent than the Gravitas, but like it, still tannic. It is rich, quite oaky, good acid, with plenty of components to develop on. This will be an exciting bottle to cellar, and should be scoring higher in a couple of year’s time. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 09/06

2006 Te Mata [ Cabernets / Merlot ] Coleraine 18 (

)

Havelock North district mostly, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $77 [ cork; Me 49%, CS 43, CF 8, hand-harvested from vines of average age 21 years; 100% de-stemmed; 20 months in French oak 75% new; www.temata.co.nz ]
Ruby, velvet and some carmine, between the 2007 and 2005 Coleraines in freshness of hue. Bouquet is very aromatic, intense cassis and oak all a little more spiky than the gorgeously smooth 2005 and 2007 Coleraines, yet close to them in style. In mouth exactly the same impression carries on, a firmer leaner wine, acid a little more apparent, yet with the same cassis-rich qualities. The sophistication of oak handling at Te Mata takes a lot of beating, but the more highly-rated wines indicate the charm of perfectly ripe fruit. A good Coleraine, but not a great one. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 03/09

2003 Pisa Range Pinot Noir Black Poplar Block 18 (

)

Cromwell Basin, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14.5%; $40 [ screwcap; 12 months in French oak 33% new; www.pisarangeestate.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, a little older and lighter than the 2004. Bouquet is more developed in this wine, but lighter in style, with clear rose florals as well as buddleia, on red and black cherry fruit, plus some blackboy peach aromas too. Palate is fine New Zealand pinot noir, supple, long, aromatic on the oak, not quite as rich as the 2004 but more flavour at this stage. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 05/06

2007 Vidal Estate Syrah Hawkes Bay 18 (

)

Gimblett Gravels mostly, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $26 [ screwcap; detail probably similar to 2006 - Sy 100%, all de-stemmed; c. 18 months in oak; www.vidal.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. Bouquet is a little reserved initially, a youthful wine needing decanting now, or more time in bottle. With air, it opens to a fresh varietal and aromatic syrah, total acid a little higher than the top wines, and richness and oak clearly less than the 2006 Vidal Reserve, but still good. Like the Villa Maria Cellar Selection, there will be buying opportunities for this wine, and cellaring will provide a great introduction to syrah. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 03/09

2007 Villa Maria Pinot Noir Single Vineyard Taylor's Pass 18 (

)

Awatere Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $58 [ screwcap; clones 5, 113 and others, 7 years old, around 1 t/ac, hand-picked; 100% de-stemmed, up to 16 days cold soak, up to 21 days cuvaison; 14 months 'fine' French oak 32% new; minimal filtration; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Big pinot noir ruby, deeper than the standard Felton. First impressions are very positive for this wine, with a degree of florality showing what could be almost a Cote Rotie styling of syrah as much as pinot, on red and black fruits. In mouth the thought of syrah continues, a hint of cassis and pepper with attractive plumpness hinting at pale butter, offset by fragrant leaf notes. It doesn't achieve the depth of varietal precision and physiological maturity the best Otago pinots show, as is commonly the case in Marlborough, but once one stops suspecting it is syrah, the wine becomes attractive rich pinot noir, to cellar 3 – 12 years. This is a slightly quirky interpretation of the grape, though, and this score may reflect my liking for syrah. GK 03/09

2005 Chapoutier Chateauneuf-du-Pape Barbe Rac 18 (

)

Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Southern Rhone Valley, France: 15%; $141 [ cork; Gr 100% including some of oldest in district 90 + years, on old cobbly terrace materials; hand-harvested; 100% de-stemmed; fermented in open-top concrete vessels, fermentation to 33 C, cuvaison up to 3 weeks; concern to prevent oxidation so matured only in s/s c.12 months; www.chapoutier.com ]
Older ruby. I am generally not much attracted to Chapoutier's monocepage Chateauneufs, believing that his adherence to a doctrinaire policy of one variety only, without much evidence to support the merit of the notion, is wilful. It simply denies the wine the complexity and beauty an appropriate blend of varieties would bring. But all the same, this is pretty good grenache, wonderfully pure, with pinpoint red cherry, raspberry and stick-cinnamon varietal characters both on bouquet and palate. It is a pity the alcohol is 15%, but at least the oak is seemingly older, though pure and elegant. And grenache does hide alcohol very well indeed. Perhaps it is all s/s, as the website suggests. This should cellar well, 5 – 25 + years, and be a food-friendly wine despite the alcohol. GK 07/08

2004 Nautilus Sauvignon Blanc 18 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $21 [ screwcap; www.nautilusestate.com ]
Pale lemongreen. A youthful bouquet with light bottling sulphur to resolve, on fine Marlborough sauvignon fruit showing mixed capsicums and black passionfruit. Palate extends the bouquet attractively, no oak, judging dry though not as dry as some, simply copybook pure Marlborough sauvignon. Cellar 1 – 5 years. GK 09/04

2005 Cullen Cabernet Sauvignon Diana Madeline 18 (

)

Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia: 14%; $95 [ cork; CS 74%, Me 16, Ma 5, CF 4, PV 1; 19 months in French oak 70% new; www.cullenwines.com.au ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a good colour. This is intriguing wine, showing no betraying euc'y qualities at all. It does however have suggestions of the cassis component over-ripened a little to the blackberry stage, a quality sometimes seen in burly Bordeaux such as La Lagune. Palate has an intriguing berry quality, a little fresher than the Cyril Henschke, very youthful and pure, one-dimensional and a little clinical at this stage, but not tasting of the blackberry on bouquet. Oak and acid are gentler in this wine than the Henschke, or some of the other Australians. Given the lack of eucalyptus taint, this looks to be an Australian 'claret' fit to run in blind international 2005 Cabernet / Merlot and Bordeaux tastings over the next 5 – 15 years. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 11/08

2006 Dog Point Vineyard [ Sauvignon Blanc ] Section 94 18 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $36 [ cork; BF and 18 months LA in older French oak, no MLF (check); RS 5.9 g/L; www.dogpoint.co.nz ]
Lemongreen, a little deeper than the Matua Reserve. This Section 94 is an altogether more assertive wine than the top two, with a penetrating, even pungent, varietal character to it. I think it will be a love or hate wine, as Te Koko used to be. There are a lot of other aromas in this strong bouquet too, crushed chrysanthemums and sage, sweet basil, stonefruit, plus sautéed red capsicums. It is too strong to be easily described as floral, in the normal sense of the word. Palate is surprisingly harmonious after the bouquet, again a grand cru cropping rate with tremendous volume, presence and mouthfeel, and gorgeous lingering flavours of sweet red capsicums and sweet basil. With the right savoury foods, this would be divine. On its own, as a wine, it is almost too characterful. Not sure how this will cellar, with stronger slightly less ripe flavours than Te Koko. One to three years might be safest. GK 05/08

2005 Te Mata [ Cabernets / Merlot ] Coleraine 18 (

)

Havelock Hills, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $72 [ cork; Me 45%, CS 37, CF 18; average vine age 20 years; 20 months in French oak probably around 75% new; www.temata.co.nz ]
Ruby, some velvet and carmine, lighter than the top three wines. Bouquet is very fragrant and Bordeaux-like, but the Bordeaux of a slightly less than optimal year, with a fresh quality to the cassis hovering between: is it tobacco complexity or slightly leafy ? Palate shows potential cedar aroma development on cassis and red as much as black plum berry, reinforcing the Bordeaux look-alike quality, but all a little short, as Pichon-Lalande can be in some seasons. There is the concentration to cellar 10 – 20 years, in its fragrant crisp style. GK 11/08

2006 Sacred Hill Sauvignon Blanc Sauvage 18 (

)

Dartmoor Valley, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $32 [ screwcap; hand-harvested; whole-bunch pressed to 100% BF in French oak new and one-year; wild-yeast fermentation, no MLF, LA in barrel; RS < 1 g/L; www.sacredhill.com ]
Light lemonstraw. This complex sauvignon does not have quite the magic of the 2005, partly because of its youth, but also it seems intrinsically a leaner and slightly more angular wine. Part of the fruit seems a notch riper, but in a hollow pepino or honeydew-melon slightly Australian white way, even though the black passionfruit and autolysis complexity is still all there, plus oak. Trace VA impairs the harmony too. Needs another year to marry up. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 11/08

2007 Kumeu River Chardonnay Estate 18 (

)

Kumeu, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.5%; $35 [ screwcap; hand-harvested from 6 vineyards; whole-bunch pressed; wild-yeast fermentation entirely in French oak; 100% MLF; 11 months in barrel with LA; www.kumeuriver.co.nz ]
Lemonstraw, more forward than the Matés. This is the kind of understated chardonnay you would put first in a blind tasting of the variety. It defines the fruit style of the variety first and foremost, with all the winemaking secondary. Bouquet is faintly floral, clean stonefruits, slightly mealy, a hint of oak. In mouth it is pleasantly but not dramatically rich, markedly less rich than the Matés, and shows chardonnay character, balance and food-friendliness to perfection. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 11/08

2016 Greystone Syrah 18 (

)

Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 14.5%; $46 [ screwcap; Sy 100% clone 470 (the only one in the tasting), planted at an average 2,500 vines per hectare and average age 11 years, all hand-picked at 5.5 t/ha = 2.2 t/ac); no whole-bunches retained, seven days cold soak, all wild-yeast ferments; 36 days cuvaison, pressed to barrel still with trace residual sugar, so a small barrel-ferment component to add complexity; MLF later in barrel; 15 months in French oak none new, all 2nd year, then 1 month in tank post-assembly; RS < 1 g/L: coarse filtration only; dry extract 29.9 g/L; production c.300 x 9-litre cases; weight bottle and closure: 547 g; no reviews found, none on Greystone site; www.greystonewines.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, well below midway in depth. Bouquet is fragrant and distinctive in this wine, another with suggestions of the Jamet black olives / whole-bunch approach. The only problem here is, the wine has no whole-bunch component, so we must be smelling whole berries plus the cooler climate. Below the near-floral notes there is some cassis, and a bottled plum like omega, with its distinctive aromatics rather different from Black Doris. In flavour the wine is rich, confirmed by the dry extract figure, more Cote Rotie in styling than Hermitage, with considerable syrah presence augmented by exquisite oaking, but also perhaps just a hint of stalk. I don't have them alongside, but my impression is, this 2016 is less ripe than the magical Greystone 2015 Syrah. Tasters were less attracted to this wine than I was, no favourites, and four least votes. A wine to try before you buy six, therefore, though the style is well within the ambit of Northern Rhone syrah. It will cellar well, on its richness, 15 – 25 years. GK 11/19

2006 Church Road Chardonnay Cuve Series 18 (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $25 [ screwcap; hand-harvested clone 15, whole-bunch pressed to barrel, with wild-yeast fermentation; LA but no MLF in French oak 27% new for 14 months; www.churchroad.co.nz ]
Lemonstraw. This wine is much more developed than some in the bracket, and accordingly smells richer and older. It shows tropical fruit salad with a slightly smoky oak note in the rich fruit. Palate is nearly oily-rich but oaky too, showing golden queen peach, papaya, and even a subtle hint of banana against mealy autolysis and MLF complexities. Acid balance is a little on the soft side, there is a suggestion of vanilla custard, and development to date is more rapid than the others, so this is more a rich accessible wine to drink now, cellaring a year or two only. Like the Pask, it will appeal to lovers of traditional big New Zealand chardonnays, but it is broader and will not keep as long. GK 11/08

2008 Misha's Vineyard Riesling Limelight 18 (

)

Bendigo, Central Otago, New Zealand: 11.4%; $27 [ screwcap; hand-harvested; part of the wine BF in 5-years + French oak; 29 g/L RS; irritating website; www.mishasvineyard.com ]
Palest lemongreen. This is a new Otago vineyard which is aiming for the top, by retaining Olly Masters of Ata Rangi as consulting winemaker, and Robin Dicey as viticulturist. This riesling is prematurely released, with a little bottling SO2 to marry up yet, but it looks to be the best of their maiden 2008 releases. It is sweeter and paler than the Mt Difficulty and Johner examples, though in spirit closer to the Johner. The difference is the spatlese level of sweetness, with a touch of lime below, clearly Mosel. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 11/08

2005 Chard Farm Pinot Noir The Tiger 18 (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $45 [ screwcap; single vineyard, no production info on website; www.chardfarm.co.nz ]
Good pinot ruby. Bouquet is beautifully floral, boronia and violets, on dark cherry fruit. Palate is cherry too, subtly oaked, a little shorter than the bouquet suggests, but well-balanced and vividly varietal. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 01/07

2006 Mills Reef Syrah Elspeth 18 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $37 [ cork; hand-harvested; 100% wild yeast BF via the Integrale hogshead system; 15 months in puncheons 80% new; www.millsreef.co.nz ]
Ruby, some velvet, not as rich as the 2006 Villa Maria or the 2007 Bullnose. Bouquet is very floral and fragrant, lifted by academic VA probably below average threshold, so it simply adds to the apparent volume of bouquet. Total style is clearly Cote Rotie, with wallflower and dianthus florals on cassis and red berries. Palate is soft and winey, gentle and already ideally suited to food in the way 10-year-old Cote Rotie or Rioja is. This is a subtle and accessible wine better suited to the shorter term, say 3 – 8 years maybe, compared with some more substantial styles. GK 11/08

2004 Vidal Syrah Soler 18 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $42 [ screwcap; 1% viognier; hand-harvested; 80% whole berry in fermentation, MLF in barrel, 16 months in French oak; wine filed under Estate Syrah on website; www.vidal.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet. This has mellowed-out somewhat in the last six months, and lost some of its varietal edge. Palate however is still richly syrah, very ripe, a touch of blueberry, quite oaky, a suggestion of best Australian on this occasion. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 01/07

2005 Sacred Hill Syrah Deerstalkers 18 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $60 [ screwcap; not on website yet; www.sacredhill.com ]
Ruby and velvet, a little darker than the 2004. Bouquet is quiet rich cassis and darkest plum, more accessible and sweeter than the '05 Silistria. In mouth there is good red and black fruit tending to plummy richness, with an intriguing allspice suggestion perhaps from oak. It is not as fragrant a wine as the 2005 Bullnose, and is slightly more acid, but it has plenty of richness to develop on. Promising. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 01/07

2002 Mt Difficulty Pinot Noir Pipeclay Terrace Single Vineyard 18 (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 14.5%; $55 [ screwcap; www.mtdifficulty.co.nz ]
Ruby, light carmine and velvet, a bit big and loud for pinot noir. Bouquet on this wine is forceful, with pennyroyal and lawsoniana aromatics aggravated by spirit and fragrant oak, all on big peachy and plummy fruit. This is getting perilously close to the new world fruit bomb style. Flavours on palate just redeem it: concentrated black cherries are exciting, noticeable new oak, yet a total flavour package which is clearly varietal. A lot of marrying-down to happen here, in a very new world winestyle, but all just the right side of the line (except the alcohol). Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 01/04

2005 Newton – Forrest [ Cabernet / Merlot / Malbec ] Cornerstone 18 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $50 [ screwcap; DFB; CS 49%, Me 26, Ma 17, CF 8, 65% hand-harvested, balance machine @ < 2.5 t/ac, average vine age 11 years; 70% French oak, 30 US, 1/3 new, 1/3 one-year and 1/3 two-year; coarse-filtered only; c. 1000 cases; Halliday: Excellent clear colour; aromatic juicy berry fruits seamlessly interwoven with spicy oak; has length and great overall finesse; GK: 18.5; www.forrestwines.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, clearly below midway in depth. Bouquet is classic classed Medoc, nearly floral, clear cassis, a lot of oak, astonishingly like the Lafite it sat against, while blind. As with all the New Zealand wines, palate is fresher and less evolved than the Bordeaux, more pure (which could be called one-dimensional if one were so a-minded), with apparent cassis and oak. This wine does not have the saturation of berry The Gimblett shows, and is a little firmer and oakier than the Lafite. Otherwise, the degree of similarity between the two wines is staggering. One slight difference is a lovely touch of black pepper hinting at syrah, like The Gimblett. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 10/08

2015 Smith & Sheth Cru Syrah Omahu 18 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.2%; $60 [ cork 50mm; Sy 100% MS clone planted at an average 3,000 vines per hectare, and average age 20 years at harvest, all hand-picked at 5 t/ha = 2 t/ac; 30% whole-bunches retained, no cold soak, cultured-yeast ferments; 20 days cuvaison, MLF in tank; 16 months in French oak, 30% new; sterile-filtered to bottle; dry extract withheld; production 49 x 9-litre cases; weight bottle and closure: 698 g; M. Cooper, 2019: Built for cellaring, this old-vine Gimblett Gravels red was barrique-matured. Deep and bright in colour, with a fragrant, plummy, peppery bouquet, it is a full-bodied, clearly varietal wine that is concentrated, savoury, complex and structured, *****; www.smithandsheth.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, below midway in depth. In one sense this wine smells like a mini-Le Sol, showing similar sweet floral notes on cassisy fruit, with a touch of (also sweet) black pepper, but all a size smaller. It is quite uncanny. Palate follows appropriately, but whereas Le Sol hints at the inky depths of the Gilles Robin, this wine is appreciably lighter and softer. In some ways it reminds also of the Trademark wine, but is not as floral or rich on palate. Oaking is subtle. This is another wine to closely match good Cote Rotie (English wine-writers notwithstanding): it should be marvellously accessible, and good with food. Again tasters did not warm to this lighter, more fragrant, syrah variant as much as I did, so no favourite votes. Clearly I need to present more Cote Rotie Library Tastings. Cellar 10 – 15 maybe 20 years. GK 11/19

2005 Quartz Reef Pinot Noir Bendigo Estate 18 (

)

Cromwell, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $ – [ screwcap; no info on '05 on website, presumably not yet released; www.quartzreef.co.nz ]
Big ruby and velvet, deeper than the standard Quartz Reef, one of the darkest. This wine is as rich, if not richer, than the standard wine, with dense black cherry flavours, all made more aromatic on a higher percentage of new oak (I assume). It is oakier than the Peregrine Pinnacle, of similar richness, but not quite so floral. This will appeal greatly to those liking a firmer and oakier pinot. However with the relatively lesser showing of the older Block 5 Felton Road wines in the Conference proper, one must be uneasy about more oaky Otago examples of this subtle variety. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 01/07

2005 Olssens Pinot Noir Slapjack Creek 18 (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $ – [ screwcap; no info on '05 on website; www.olssens.co.nz ]
Big pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is very fragrant, with noticeable aromatics as well as florals, on red and black cherry fruit, a little more oaky than some. Palate likewise is a little more oaky / tannic than the other top wines, but the flavours are beautifully cherry-based and otherwise well-balanced. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 01/07

2005 Mt Difficulty Pinot Noir Pipeclay Terrace Single Vineyard 18 (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $72 [ screwcap; hand-harvested, 100% de-stemmed; 6 days cold soak; 16 days cuvaison; 14 months and MLF in barrel; not fined or filtered; www.mtdifficulty.co.nz ]
Big pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is more oaky than some of the top Otago wines, mingled with an interesting aromatic note and a faintly buttery (+ve) component in the aroma, on generalised berry. Palate brings the wine back into the Otago black cherry line, being rich, long, reasonably well balanced in a more oaky interpretation relative to the standard Mt Difficulty, long aftertaste. Cellar 5 – 12 years, but for purity of varietal expression, go for the standard wine. GK 01/07

2003 Carrick Pinot Noir 18 (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $37 [ screwcap; clones 10/5 and others, up to 8 years, harvested @ 2.4 t/ac; 5% whole bunch, 5 days cold soak, up to 20 days cuvaison; 11 months in French oak 35% new; coarse filtration only; Robinson '05: Deep blueish crimson. Firm, spicy opulent fruit on the nose. Lots of structure. Extremely fruity and winning. 18; www.carrick.co.nz ]
Big pinot noir ruby, a wash of velvet. Bouquet is delightful floral and blackfruits pinot, with good boronia analogies, all deep and attractive. Palate however is a bit abrupt at this stage, good fruit richness, but quite a load tannins, though they are pleasantly ripe. I liked this wine more than some commentators, one referring to it as 'foursquare'. All it needs is cellaring, I think, and once the tannins crust, a more supple and fragrant burgundian pinot will emerge. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 01/07

2003 Dog Point Pinot Noir 18 (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $39 [ cork; clones 10/5 and others, up to 23 years, harvested @ 1.9 t/ac; 100% de-stemmed, up to 8 days cold soak, wild yeast, 28 days cuvaison; 18 months in French oak 50% new; not fined or filtered; Robinson '05: Unusually Burgundian wine made from Burgundian clones planted above the valley floor. Very subtle nose and palate and obviously an ambitious but sensitive hand in the winery. Impressive. 18.5; www.dogpoint.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, some velvet, a close match to the Chambertin. Bouquet is intriguingly floral, with a lighter fraction to the florals, the buddleia and daphne-like aromas blending with deeper boronia and violets, plus a savoury threshold trace of brett. Palate by analogy shows some lighter blackboy fruit, with red cherries as well as black, fragrant new oak, and superb texture as if elevage included lees stirring, all very burgundian. This is one of the best Marlborough pinots so far, ripe all through, and not alcoholic. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 01/07

2010 Bodegas Torre de Barreda Amigos 18 (

)

Tierra de Castilla, Castilla-la-Mancha, Spain: 14.5%; $20 [ cork 46mm; DFB; Te 65% 40 years old, Sy 25, CS 10, both 10 years old, all grown at 700m; 12 months in American and French oak, some new, followed by 6 months in concrete vat; www.bodegas-barreda.com ]
Ruby and velvet, quite dense, the second deepest 'syrah' wine, clearly older than the Villa Anniversary. Bouquet is very different here, as befits a wine made primarily from tempranillo. There is a fragrant grapeyness, plus a warm 'rabbit guts' quality to it which is more winey than it sounds, in a lovely red fruits more than black context. The bouquet is basically tempranillo and American oak, I would think, sweet, ripe and intriguing. Palate builds on the bouquet beautifully, the wine showing the combination of richness and suppleness which good tempranillo so often displays, and the oak though fragrant and noticeable is not at all phenolic. Spanish magic. So where does the syrah come in ? There is a spiciness to the palate which could be black pepper, and checking back through the wine, perhaps the unusual bouquet reflects syrah 'fighting' with the tempranillo, at this stage. The actual palate structure is very like the Bullnose, soft and lovely. I suspect this will age into a distinctive Spanish beauty, intensely fragrant, rich, yet not tannic, as good tempranillo used to be in the 50s and 60s, before modern tastes demanded overt oak. Cellar 5 – 20 years, maybe longer. A wine from The Wine Importer, and already sold-out. GK 03/15

1998 Te Mata Estate Syrah Bullnose 18 (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $ – [ cork; Sy 100%; hand-harvested, de-stemmed; extended cuvaison 3 + weeks, followed by 15 months in new and older French oak; www.temata.co.nz ]
Ruby, some velvet, a flush of garnet. There is a soft ripe warmth to this wine which is more South Australian or southern Rhone, a spicy plummy but less aromatic and cassisy version of syrah. By French standards, one could say it is over-ripe. Palate is rich, not explicitly syrah maybe, but it fits into the tasting well, soft and velvety, a little gamey, and unlike most Australian examples of the grape at similar ripeness, the oaking is elegant, complementary, not in any way dominating. Only on the aftertaste does one pause and think, yes, some cracked pepper, it is syrah. This is approaching full maturity, and will hold for 5 – 8 years, I think. GK 10/05

2006 Goldwater [ Cabernets / Merlot / Franc ] Goldie 18 (

)

Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.4%; $65 [ screwcap; CS 51%, Me 45, CF 4, hand-picked at 2.1 ± 0.3 t/ac; s/s ferment, then c.20 months in "predominantly" French oak 50% new; www.goldwater.co.nz ]
Ruby, a little deeper than the Goldwater Esslin. This wine is so northern Medoc in approach, Potensac or Senejac maybe, fragrant and nearly floral, the cassisy cabernet showing through. Palate is firm, a touch riper with darker red fruits than the Esslin, in the lean and elegant style Kim Goldwater set out to achieve, yet ripe. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 06/08

2006 Awaroa Syrah 18 (

)

Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.5%; $45 [ supercritical 'cork'; 25 days cuvaison including 3 cold soak; c. 12 months in 50% new oak, 90% French, 10 American ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, similar in weight to the Villa Maria Cellar Selection Syrah / Viognier. This wine benefits from decanting, to reveal such a fragrant bouquet that (in the blind tasting) one wonders if there is some viognier in it. Not so, apparently. Both bouquet and palate suggest cassis and blueberry, with attractive wood-handling, which is both subtle and very clean, plus firm acid. There are people out there who dismiss all Waiheke reds so far as not worth considering, since some wines show brett character to greater or lesser degree. This view overlooks the fact that the average wine drinker likes brett complexity (as does the London wine trade), so it is a bit vexing to Waiheke winemakers to be told your favourite red is contemptible, due to a technical fault which may be of academic significance only. Anyway, Awaroa seems to be one winery that has sorted this issue, so doubters should seek out their fine pure recent syrahs. Mail order, mainly. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 06/08

1998 Billecart-Salmon Blanc de Blancs 18 (

)

Ay, Champagne, France: 12%; $204 [ cork; Ch 100%; www.champagne-billecart.fr ]
Paleish lemon, one of the lightest. Bouquet is obviously a chardonnay-dominant wine, showing chablis-like fruit complexed by clearcut baguette crust autolysis. There is the faintest hint of toasty complexity, citric aromas, and the MLF component, adding depth. Palate is firm, again clearly chardonnay, tending acid, lowish dosage, the citric notes increasing. As for the bouquet, within the pale purity of chardonnay there are subtle complexity flavours, button mushrooms, best marzipan maybe. Not quite magical, but very good, good dry extract, and more-ish as one tries to pin down the many subtle flavours. Cellar 5 – 20 + years. GK 12/06

2002 Deutz Marlborough Cuvée Blanc de Blancs Methode Traditionelle 18 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 12%; $36 [ cork; Ch 100%, mostly mendoza clone, hand-harvested, lees contact in tank, followed by just over 3 years en tirage; dosage not given on website; www.pernod-ricard-nz.com ]
Lemon, one of the palest in the batch. Bouquet is clearly in the chardonnay / blanc de blancs style, with a greater depth of autolysis than the Lindauer Reserve Blanc de Blancs – more baguette crust than crumb, and with a delicate hint of popcorn (+ve). Palate is similarly more sophisticated than the Lindauer version, the fruit much the same but showing more autolysis and less residual / dosage, all a little crisper (though not as brut as the top French). This will cellar 5 – 15 years too. Like the Hunter’s Miru Miru Reserve 2002, this is another clear illustration of just how good New Zealand sparkling wine is going to be. GK 12/06

1997 Laurent Perrier Brut 18 (

)

Tours-sur-Marne, Champagne, France: 12%; $112 [ cork; Ch 55%, PN 45; www.laurent-perrier.fr ]
Lemon to pale lemonstraw. Bouquet on this bubbly shows clearcut influence of red cherry pinot noir, along with a clear toasty note akin to barrel-fermented chardonnay. A highly sensitive taster might find a subliminal whisper of mercaptan, but for most, it is ‘toasty’. Palate is one of the gentler ones, good cherry fruit, attractive softish acid, lingering long on cherry and baguette flavours, mainstream dosage. Just lacks the magic and purity of the Pol Roger. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 12/06

1998 Tardieu-Laurent Cornas Vieilles Vignes 18 (

)

Cornas, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $ – [ cork; 100% Sy, wine bought-in immediately post-fermentation, suppliers included Verset and Michel; made from 80 and 100-year old vines, 24 months in new oak; not filtered; R. Parker: There is no need to worry about the harmony among the diverse elements in the spectacularly black/purple-colored 1998 Cornas Vieilles Vignes (125 cases produced). It boasts an extraordinary bouquet of violets, truffles, black raspberries, cassis, and blackberries. Super-rich and extremely full-bodied (it achieved 13% natural alcohol), this profound Cornas needs 5-6 years of cellaring, and will keep for 20-25 years. An amazing effort! 92 – 94. L.-Learmonth rates this wine 5-stars (in a 6-star system, and 5 rarely given); www.tardieu-laurent.com ]
Ruby and appreciable garnet, older than expected. Bouquet is dramatically Rhone syrah, pinpoint wallflower / dianthus florals augmented by some brett, plus crisp cassis, all very fragrant indeed. Palate contrasts with the Courbis Eygats, being much leaner than expected for this negociant, just a hint of stalkyness, but a gorgeous flavour. Though it will keep for some years, it will become leaner and stalkier, so best to start using. Cellar 2 – 5 years, say. GK 03/08

2004 Cloudy Bay Chardonnay 18 (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $ – [ screwcap; clone mendoza predominates, mostly hand-harvested; most of the juice is wild-yeast fermented in French oak with a small percentage new, a smaller percentage starts fermentation inoculated in s/s, but all of it completes fermentation in barrel; most of the wine through MLF; 12 months LA and some batonnage in barrel, then a further month or two in barrel; www.cloudybay.co.nz ]
Lemonstraw, younger than the 2005 Felton, older than the 2005 Parr & Simpson. This is a less subtle chardonnay than the 2006 wine, primarily on account of the prominent charred oak quality, which is a little more acrid than the Felton wine. But the fruit quality and richness is so good, it is not hard to forgive it this artefact character, and indeed many people actively like it, finding it walnutty. Palate likewise is oakier than some wines here, but the great fruit wraps it all up attractively into a buttered-Vogel's-toast rich chardonnay, more mature naturally than the 2006, but still with lots of life. Cellar 1 – 5 years. GK 03/08

2002 Trinity Hill Homage Chardonnay 18 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.8%; $100 [ cork; hand-picked @ c. 1 t/ac; whole-bunch pressed, 100% BF with wild yeasts in French oak 100% new; 100% MLF, and 15 months LA and batonnage; pH 3.6; www.trinityhill.com ]
Straw flushed with gold. Bouquet is rich, dramatically mendoza / golden queen peach, fully mature but beautifully complexed with mealy lees-autolysis, barrel fermentation, and MLF into a toasted Vogel's wholegrain bouquet. Palate shows the fruit at fractionally past peak maturity, total golden queen, still mouth-filling and rich, just starting to dry a little – partly because of the very high alcohol. Verging on an OTT chardonnay, lots to like but not the finesse the price almost demands. Drink up. GK 10/07

2004 Ferry Bridge Sauvignon Blanc 18 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $ – [ screwcap; no info on winery ]
Lemongreen. Bouquet is clear-cut ripe sauvignon blanc, ripened almost past red capsicum to honeysuckle, black passionfruit and stonefruit. It is very fragrant, as if a dash of riesling has been blended in (which can work well with sauvignon, augmenting the honeysuckle notes of really ripe sauvignon). Palate shows good fruit richness, in a pure stainless steel wine contrasting well with the Culley, yet it is equally good. Finish is dryer than most Marlborough sauvignons, approaching nil residual sugar, yet the wine is not too acid. Great drinking. Cellar 3 – 8 years, as desired. GK 03/06

2006 Escarpment Pinot Noir 18 (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.8%; $45 [ supercritical cork; hand-picked; fermented in French oak cuves; 11 months in French oak 30% new; dry extract 30.2 g/L, RS < 1 g/L; www.escarpment.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby, not too different from Kupe in hue and weight. In the blind tasting of 13 pinots, this was my fifth of the top five, and those five were all Escarpment – an astonishing performance for the label. Total style and achievement is incredibly close to the individual vineyard and Kupe reserve wines – the wine only missing out on gold pointing by a whisker, and in other company could easily point to that level. My notes and score this time were uncannily similar to the October review (not checked before the tasting), which is always a pleasant outcome from a blind tasting. That was dated 10/07. GK 03/08

2005 Cloudy Bay Chardonnay 18 (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14.5%; $33 [ screwcap; mostly hand-picked; some wild-yeast fermentations; mostly BF in mostly older French oak; 12 months full LA; www.cloudybay.co.nz ]
Full straw, developed for its age. Bouquet is complexed on extended lees-autolysis, in a Puligny style (loosely speaking) with considerable breadcrust character, on stonefruit chardonnay. Palate is really stonefruit, golden queen peaches, the mealy autolysis rich and delicious, but again the whole wine too forward. Cellar 1 – 3 years only, probably, for the flavours are softening already. GK 03/07

2002 Highfield Elstree Marlborough Cuvee Brut 18 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 12%; $35 [ supercritical cork; PN & Ch 50% each, hand-picked; 50% BF French oak, balance s/s; 3 years en tirage; RS 6 g/L; www.highfield.co.nz ]
Straw. Bouquet has attractive and clear-cut autolysis, a bit more 'wholegrain' than white baguette crust, subtly reflecting the barrel-ferment component, delightful. Palate is fresh, rich, clearly brut, tasting chardonnay-dominant at this stage, again with very attractive autolysis complexity, and lovely acid balance, not too tart. Cellar 2 – 10 years. GK 03/07

2004 Henschke Merlot Abbot's Prayer 18 (

)

Lenswood, Adelaide Hills, South Australia, Australia: 14%; $89 [ screwcap; DFB; Me 88%, CS 12; Halliday rates Adelaide Hills 8 /10 in 2004; www.henschke.com.au ]
Ruby and velvet, older than the Henry's Seven. Bouquet is completely astonishing, a real merlot from Australia. There are suggestions of florals and pipe tobacco on deeply plummy fruit, plus a touch of dark chocolate from the oak. It is not euc'y, though. Palate is fresh, crisp on acid adjustment in the Australian way but not overdone, a little oaky in youth, but attractively berry-fruited. Aftertaste is long and lovely, varietal, lingering on the fruit. Anyone who objects to the trace of complexing brett in this wine is too picky. This is that rare concept, an Australian bordeaux-blend worthy of running in international tastings of the style. Cellar 5 – 15 years at least. GK 02/08

2007 Chapoutier Ermitage Le Pavillon 18 (

)

Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $275 [ cork, 50mm; Sy 100%; cropping and wine-making details as in the introductory ‘Background’ section; www.chapoutier.com ]
Good ruby and some velvet, older than the 2006, below midway in depth. This is another edition on the smaller side, and more forward than some older vintages. Bouquet is nearly floral (though oak vanillin is contributing), with bright berry character hinting at cassis, more clearly dark bottled plums, plus just the beginning of some secondary characters. Palate brings up the oak rather much, with suggestions of the leathery fruit / oak interaction character which detracts from the Chapoutier winestyle, for me, but there is fair berry too, and quite good length. One person rated this their top wine of the first flight, but two their least. It is a slightly shorter-term cellar prospect, 5 – 20 years. Wine Spectator quality rating for the vintage 91. GK 10/18

1997 Chapoutier Ermitage Le Pavillon 18 (

)

Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $307 [ cork, 50mm; Sy 100%; cropping and wine-making details as in the introductory ‘Background’ section; www.chapoutier.com ]
Good ruby, a little garnet too, in the fourth quarter for depth. Bouquet shows one of the fresher wines in the second flight, with clear plummy berry and a suggestion of blueberry too, and oak not too prominent. Palate brings up the oak more, hints of the leathery Chapoutier factor, in a quite good weight of fruit finishing on an unexpected acid streak. This seems a richer wine than the 2006, more like the 2007. It was well-liked in the second flight, two first places, five second. The 1997 is some way along its plateau of maturity, cellar 5 – 15 years. Wine Spectator quality rating for the vintage 88. GK 10/18

2002 Craggy Range Syrah Block 14 18 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $36 [ screwcap; original price $35; Sy 100% close-planted; hand-picked and sorted, wild-yeast ferments; cuvaison extended 20 - 30 days in open-top fermenters, MLF in barrel and 17 months in French oak 35% new; not fined or filtered; M Cooper, 2005: … pungently varietal … a very complete Hawkes Bay wine with a lovely creamy-rich texture, it has super-ripe flavours of black pepper, prunes, plums, dark chocolate and liquorice, showing exceptional fruit sweetness and depth: ****; P Rovani @ R Parker, 2004: The 2002 Syrah Block 14 (2,000 cases produced) possesses smoky bacon fat, blackberry, black currant, licorice, and pepper characteristics along with great fruit intensity, wonderful purity, and a long, textured finish. Malolactic occurred in barrel, and the wine was aged on its lees before being bottled unfiltered: 91; weight bottle and closure: 706 g; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby, garnet and velvet, just below midway in depth. This was the most clearly varietal syrah in the tasting, the bouquet showing fragrant berry freshness, suggestions of cassis, raspberry and dark plum, clear sweet black pepper, all remarkably pure. On palate the oak stands out a little, with the achieved ripeness fractionally less than the Vidal, so the latter wine seems fractionally more harmonious and complete. This Craggy wine is showing great form, considering it was the affordable / mainstream release. Cellar 5 – 12 years more. Two people had this as their favourite or second wine, but curiously many thought it malbec. GK 09/16

2002 Gunn Estate Merlot / Cabernet / Malbec Woolshed 18 (

)

Ohiti Valley, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $30 [ Me 66%, CS 17, Ma 17; 18 months in French oak ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. Beautiful soft berry is dominant on this wine, with cassis and plums highlighted by fragrant oak, all in a soft, forthcoming style reminiscent of some barrel-fermented reds. Flavour hasn’t quite the depth of the top wines, but is delightfully berryish and accessible, almost juicy, with subtle oak. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 05/04

2008 Craggy Range Chardonnay Gimblett Gravels 18 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $28 [ screwcap; clone 95 more than mendoza, hand-harvested @ 2.3 t/ac in an excellent vintage; whole-bunch pressed, wild-yeast fermentation in French oak 42% new; 10 months LA, c. 50% MLF in spring, limited stirring; RS 2 g/L; www.craggyrange.com ]
Elegant lemon. Bouquet is clean and fragrant, showing explicit chardonnay varietal character of white and yellow stonefruits, with potential mealy and cashew nut complexities yet to develop from the barrel-ferment and lees-autolysis components. Palate is very close to the Waimea in richness, the alcohol at a maximum but better in hand than some Gravels chardonnays, and there is a potentially succulent undertone. In a year’s time this will be delicious understated wine, which should score higher. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 05/09

2000 Huia Marlborough Brut 18 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 12.1%; $36 [ cork; Ch 48%, PN 29, PM 23; hand-picked; full BF and MLF, plus 7 months LA in old French oak; 3.5 – 4.5 years en tirage; hand-riddled; dosage 6 g/L; www.huia.net.nz ]
Straw, deeper than the Pask. Bouquet is wonderful in its big style, great purity, cleaner and more Bollinger-like than some samples of Bollinger (e.g. the 1996 vintage in this suite of tastings), with great yeast autolysis and baguette complexity, the oak from the barrel ferment component reasonably well married away. Palate is rich and splendidly autolysed, almost a mealy suggestion now like good Meursault, but it doesn't quite have the marvellous dry authority and integration of nv Bollinger, being a little more fleshy and oaky, though no sweeter. The dosage in Huia is superb, as is the delicately autolysed / mushroom-influenced lingering finish. The 2000 Huia Brut is (along with the 1996 Pask Brut) quite simply one of New Zealand's best methode traditionelle bubblies so far, for those who like the rich Bollinger style. Cellar 5 – 10 years to harmonise, though it will be very developed in colour and flavour by then. GK 12/06

2014 Escarpment Vineyard Pinot Noir Kupe 18 (

)

Te Muna Valley, Martinborough district, Wairarapa, New Zealand: 14%; $82 [ cork; tenth release of Kupe, just released; close-planted in 1999 at 6,600 vines / ha; hand-picked; fermented with around 40% whole bunches in oak cuves, 18 months in French oak 50% new; RS <1 g/L, dry extract an exemplary 31.3 g/L, not fined or filtered; www.escarpment.co.nz ]
Much the deepest wine of the set, deepish ruby and velvet, the colour here reminding for a moment of earlier Martinborough pinot noir producers who put size ahead of varietal precision. Bouquet and palate immediately put that thought to rest. This wine is seriously different from the other eight, due to 3 factors: the impression of a high whole bunch component is more apparent than in the other wines, and you can smell it; the dry extract / richness is greater than the other wines; and the level of oaking is pro rata to those two factors. So the wine is so big now as to seem gawky / adolescent, an impression exacerbated by this wine too showing a suggestion of pennyroyal. Fruit flavours are in the darker Abel clone dominant style. The technical perfection here coupled with the remarkable dry extract figure (for pinot noir) suggests that in 6 – 8 years this wine will score appreciably higher, and is highly likely to end up the best wine of the set of nine (were the identical testing to be repeated in 6 – 8 years). A wine to invest in, therefore. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 05/16

2002 Girardin Chassagne-Montrachet Morgeot Vielles Vignes 18 (

)

Chassagne-Montrachet Premier Cru, Cote de Beaune, Burgundy, France: 14%; $80
Pale lemon. These top chardonnays are so similar, one is searching for descriptors to differentiate them. White nectarine and stonefruit are more prominent on the bouquet of this wine, but below there are the same suggestions of oatmeal and charry oak adding interest. Palate however differs, with an almost glucose-sweetness to the slightly citric and intensely white-peachy fruit. Richness is good, and the wine is well balanced, though not quite as complex as the Meursaults. Cellar 5 – 10 + years. GK 04/04

2008 Sacred Hill Sauvignon Blanc Sauvage 18 (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $35 [ screwcap; hand-picked, whole-bunch pressed to barrel; wild-yeast ferments; no MLF, 8 months LA but no batonnage in French oak 30 – 40% new and balance 2-year; RS 3g/L; www.sacredhill.com ]
Lemon. Bouquet is in the Hawke's Bay / ripe-fruits spectrum of sauvignon blanc, more pepino, red capsicum and English gooseberry ripened through to the red stage. Oak is yet to fully marry away, and the fruit seems not as deep in this year's wine. Nonetheless, the barrel-ferment and lees-autolysis components are impressive, with the play of almost baguette-crust aromas on gooseberry fruit attractive. This year's wine is not as bone dry as some have been, but the residual sugar is not apparent. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 10/10

2008 Delas Muscat de Beaumes de Venise la Pastourelle 18 (

)

Muscat de Beaumes de Venise AOC, Southern Rhone Valley, France: 15%; $38 [ plastic Normacorc; Mu 100%; RS 100 g/L; www.delas.com ]
Straw, a slight flush of orange. Bouquet is essence of oil of muscatel, very fragrant indeed, with an under-current of almond. Palate is fumey on the alcohol, naturally enough, but this has given great lift to strong but not coarse muscatel flavours, which linger remarkably long in mouth. One or two tasters thought the wine is tending forward for its age, and certainly the advanced colour suggests a little oxidation, but it doesn't taste so. Muscat a Petit Grains often has reddish skins, and this wine has had skin contact. The latter has provided good structure in the wine, the acid balance and tannin contrasting with the sweetness and fruit to provide a neat dry finish, which is particularly good. Cellar 1 – 3 years only, noting the plastic 'cork'. GK 07/10

1978 Guigal Gigondas 18 (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: – %; $ – [ Southern Rhone Valley, France: – %; $ – [ cork 48mm; the Gigondas label from Guigal has long been one of the treasures of the range, I think because of the considerable ratio of mourvedre they use. This gives the wine both aromatic complexity and longevity; no reviews available; incidentally, this was a pretty expensive bottle back then, $26.25, which the RB Inflation calculator tells us would be $102 today. Kiwis paid thru the nose for wine – any wine – in that era; www.guigal.com ]
Elegant lightish ruby and garnet, glowing like Les Cedres and a little deeper than that wine, midway in depth. Bouquet is dramatically grenache-dominant, browning red-fruits and fresh-cut silver or pink pine timber aromas, not as floral / fragrant as Les Cedres, but in that style. Palate shows the magic of the year in the Rhone valley, relative to the Bordeaux. There is not the burgundian charm of the Cedres, but the whole mouthful is velvety in a slightly furry way (reflecting the mourvedre ?), and long and supple, drying a little more than Les Cedres, yet richly fruity. Lovely food wine, at full stretch now, starting to fade gracefully. GK 04/14

2010 Trinity Hill Merlot / Cabernets The Gimblett 18 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $ – [ supercritical Diam 'cork'; Me 60, CS 17, CF 16, PV 4, Ma 3; hand-picked; the grapes de-stemmed, average vine age 14 years; c.28 days cuvaison; 18 months in 'predominantly' French oak 35% new; www.trinityhill.com ]
Ruby and velvet, lighter than the 2009 and 2013 Gimbletts, deeper than the 2010 Homage. Bouquet is clean and pure, but a little smaller in scale than the 2009 and 2013 The Gimblett. Cassis is the dominant note with red and black plum, fragrant oak, and a suggestion of brown tobacco. Palate is fractionally shorter and harder than the other wines, a suggestion of stems in the cassis which interacts negatively with new oak to give a hardness now. This firmness makes the wine seem shorter, but checking closely, I think it is as rich as 2010 Homage, just fractionally less ripe. It has the body to mellow beautifully in cellar. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 11/15

2014 Villa Maria Chardonnay Keltern Single Vineyard 18 (

)

Maraekakaho, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $35 [ screwcap; hand-picked from a vineyard immediately west of the Bridge Pa Triangle, maybe fractionally cooler than the Gimblett Gravels, clone 15 60%, clone 95 28%, balance mendoza; average vine age 16 years; whole-bunch pressed, some juice settling and some juice oxidation; 100% barrique-ferment and wild-yeast ferments maintained 18 – 24°, all through MLF; 10 months in French oak 43% new, plus older oak to 2 years, batonnage weekly throughout; RS 2 g/L; sterile-filtered; one of New Zealand's high-profile chardonnays; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Rich pale lemon, fractionally deeper than the Taylors Pass wine. Keltern is a contentious wine. It has become trendy / fashionable to mark up reduced sulphur complexities in 'complexed' chardonnays, under the influence of winemaker-judges sitting on judging and writing panels. These people in discussion (and sometimes with a measure of vested interest) resort to oxymoron sophistries such as the term 'noble sulphides'. And sheep-like, both wine judges and winewriters immediately tag along. What these people overlook is, there is a large percentage of the population who are sensitive to reduced sulphurs, and anything related to the Rotorua pong, and simply do not like these smells at all. It is a simple fact that surprisingly many winemakers, wine judges and winewriters (let alone wine journalists) are insensitive to, or even blind to, reduction in wine. So people are misled.

Happily the Villa Maria winemakers do not fall into this camp, but are exploratory, and versatile. Since their famous / infamous 2010 Keltern Chardonnay, which was undrinkable to any normal palate but still won gold medals and Trophies (the sheep syndrome again), they have backed off this aspect of 'complexity' in Keltern – somewhat. They now consciously practice it as a seduction technique, since medals in Competitions are important to them. Personally, I still protest, but it works for them, as explained. So … freshly opened the wine is still pretty stinky. If you are going to try one for dinner, open it at midday, pour it into a jug, take another jug, and pour the wine back and forth 8 – 10 times as splashily as you can. Then leave it uncovered in a wide mouth jug till dinner-time. On return you will find a transformation, a wine with rich golden queen peach / stonefruit qualities remarkably entwined with mealy / toasty / barrel-ferment characters, still some burnt toast, but now all on the right side of the line. Palate in youth is still a little hard, but there is tactile rich Hawkes Bay-quality fruit of great length, the fruit richness extended by barrel-ferment and perfect MLF practice to give a long, long aftertaste. If it tasted like this freshly opened, it would be clearly a gold-medal wine, and marked accordingly here, but it doesn't, so it isn't. Cellar 5 – 15 years, maybe 20, in the sense I have shown 1986 Villa Maria Reserve Chardonnays (from Gisborne) twice in the last two years in formal tastings of 12 chardonnays, and they still have much to say, as old golden wines. GK 11/15

2009 Felton Road Pinot Noir Calvert Vineyard 18 (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14.5%; $58 [ screwcap; several clones hand-harvested at varying yields c 2 t/ac; c.25% whole-bunch in some batches; up to 9 days cold-soak, cuvaison up to 23 days, all wild yeast; MLF also wild and 13 months in French oak c. 26% new; no fining or filtration; www.feltonroad.com ]
Big pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is another showing the big 'is this over-ripe ?' approach, rather much plum for the ideal fragrant cherry approach to pinot noir, so the mind wanders to merlot. Palate is granular on the oak at this stage, yet it seems more varietal and fragrant than the darker and heavier Block 5. It is so hard assessing young wine, though, for I have thought other Calvert examples too big and dark when young, but they turned out beautifully. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 09/10

2009 Bald Hills Pinot Noir Three Acres 18 (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.9%; $30 [ screwcap; hand-picked, oldest vines 12 years; 70% de-stemmed, 7 days cold-soak, 15 further days cuvaison; 10 – 11 months in French oak 35% new; no fining, coarse filter only; RS < 1 g/L; www.baldhills.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is in a much lighter floral spectrum than the other top wines. Initially opened it is a bit youthful and vulgar, a hint of glacé cherry. Decanting / air transforms the wine to buddleia and lilac florals grading to roses, on red cherry fruit. Palate confirms the red cherry, beautiful flavours, firm acid, subtle maybe older oak making some of these cheaper pinots even more varietal. It is drier than the Mud House one. Cellar 2 – 6 years. VALUE. GK 09/10

2013 Ngatarawa Merlot / Cabernets Alwyn 18 (

)

Bridge Pa Triangle 81% and Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $75 [ cork 49mm; DFB; Me 77%, CS 19, CF 4, hand-picked from c.14-year old vines cropped @ 6.25 t/ha = 2.5 t/ac; cuvaison 21 – 38 days, cultured-yeast; MLF in tank mostly; 16 – 19 months in French oak c.55% new; RS <1 g/L; sterile-filtered; production 350 x 9-L cases; release late 1916, pre-release tasting bottle courtesy Alwyn Corban; www.ngatarawa.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, some carmine, not as vibrant as 2013 Tom, below midway in depth. Bouquet has an awkward edge to it at this showing, a slightly stemmy note, on good cassis and dark plum fruit. Flavours in mouth are berry-dominant, but again you wonder (at the blind stage), is there malbec or something detracting in this wine (no). Again, body is good but not great, alongside 2013 Tom. Total style is aromatic, fair fruit and berry, but the wine seeming not completely together today. This happens with young wines, so I look forward to the next blind tasting of it. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 06/16

2013 Felton Road Pinot Noir Bannockburn 18 (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $57 [ screwcap; average vine age just under 13 years; slow start to season, good flowering and fruit set; February and March unusual for reduced diurnal fluctuation, which in theory at least should affect the character of the wines; average crop; www.feltonroad.com ]
Very bright youthful pinot noir ruby (reasonably), in the middle for weight. The proprietors left the 2013 out of the formal assessment, thinking it too young and recently bottled. Instead in a nice touch it was provided at the outset to rinse out the glasses (stored in cardboard), and wet (and whet) the palate. This seems totally a red cherry pinot, fragrant, aromatic and fresh, no complexity yet. In mouth it initially seemed lighter than I expected, having assumed 2013 was a good red wine year in Central as for nearly all New Zealand. Perhaps more a standard year, in Central. With air and time the wine grew in stature, and later seemed potentially more like a red-fruited version of the 2010 in balance, but for now awaiting complexity / development in bottle. It may need re-rating, therefore. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 08/14

2009 Milcrest Estate Chardonnay Reserve 18 (

)

Waimea Plains and Moutere Hills, Nelson, New Zealand: 14%; $27 [ screwcap; fruit handpicked from predominantly 10 – 15 year old vines @ c. 4 t/ha = 1.6 t/ac, and de-stemmed; fermentation in mostly US oak was followed by 10 months LA some batonnage; 60% of the wine thru MLF; RS <1 g/L; www.milcrestestate.co.nz ]
Lemon-straw, attractive. Bouquet is fine-grained and floral chardonnay with acacia blossom undertones, and stonefruit aromas. Palate is equally attractive and harmonious, varietal and soft, yet perfectly balanced. Not a big wine, but the oak is understated and simpatico notwithstanding the American predominance, and the length of flavour is great. Lovely wine. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 08/11

2007 Astrolabe Pinot Gris Voyage 18 (

)

Wairau & Awatere Valleys, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $20 [ screwcap; PG 86%, Gw 6, Ri 5, Ch 3; 85% is the threshold for labelling the wine as a single varietal; most of the fruit hand-harvested, whole-bunch pressed, and cool-fermented with solids, a small part in old oak; balance machine-picked, cool-fermented in s/s without solids, then put through MLF; RS 7.5 g/L; www.astrolabewines.co.nz ]
Lemonstraw. I knew nothing of the background to this exciting New Zealand pinot gris when I tasted the wine. The websites are visited only at the stage of preparing the typescript. I will put the hand-written tasting notes in inverted commas totally unedited, because the background info above explains perfectly why a taster would be confused. "This is a hard wine to pin down, in a blind tasting with lots of rieslings and several viogniers, as well as pinot gris, chardonnay etc. The detail that raises this wine in the ranks is the pale white-ish / pink nectarine component, on both bouquet and flavour. This is a vast step forward on the innocuous New Zealand average of pearflesh and even nashi (vulgar) pinot gris interpretations. In mouth there is real body and presence, careful phenolics, perhaps a hint of MLF at a level that is compatible with the variety, and a ‘riesling-dry’ finish." I think it is fantastic that a top-notch winery such as Astrolabe is so open in telling us how it makes the wine, and then how it can offer such a thoughtful pinot gris at an appropriate bottle age, contrasting with the prematurely-released wines from most of the industry. It is great too that the firm is going to such lengths to make a silk purse out of a wine and grape that so commonly is lowest common denominator in New Zealand. And the price is good, too. This is the kind of wine that makes wine interpretation perilous, but fun. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 04/09

2007 Craggy Range Riesling Rapaura 18 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $25 [ screwcap; hand-harvested @ < 3 t/ac with 5% botrytis; whole-bunch fermentation in s/s, 3 months LA; pH 3.0, RS 4 g/L; www.craggyrange.com ]
Palest lemongreen. Bouquet is classical pure non-botrytis riesling, showing fresh-cut apple and lime-zest aromatic fruit, with a hint of the same kind of resins as in finest pale lager hops. Palate is richer and stronger than the Craggy Glasnevin, mainly because it is a dry style, and the resiny phenolics are more noticeable, a little boney at this youthful stage. It is exactly a wine to compare with the top Grosset rieslings, from the Clare Valley. Personally, I consider none of these rieslings should be released in their current year of vintage. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 10/07

2010 Te Mata Viognier Zara 18 (

)

Woodthorpe district, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $31 [ supercritical ‘cork’; hand-harvested; c. 70% of the wine BF in French oak third-year or older, plus 9 months LA and batonnage on gross lees, balance s/s; pH 3.7, <2 g/L residual; www.temata.co.nz ]
Rich lemon, a little deeper than expected. Bouquet is fragrant, nearly floral in the sense of Burmese yellow honeysuckle, a suggestion of stonefruit including apricot, a little oaky. Palate is dry, shorter than desired for fine viognier, but correct as far as it goes. While I get the impression Te Mata are taking more care with the ripeness of their viognier crop in the last few years, the wine still lacks authority. I think it needs further reduction in the cropping-rate to give better physiological / flavour ripeness still, and importantly, better dry extract and mouth-feel, if it is to compete at the highest level. A subtle MLF component would help the texture. The Passage Rock 2009 is ahead on texture, side by side. Cellar 1 – 3 years. GK 03/12

2010 Escarpment Pinot Noir 18 (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 14%; $51 [ supercritical 'cork'; 2010 'as good as it gets' says Larry; hand-harvested; 70% Te Muna Road, mix of clones, c.35% whole bunch, wild yeast, 18-day cuvaison; 11 months in French oak, 30% new; dry extract 31.3 g/L (fabulous !), RS 1 g/L; www.escarpment.co.nz ]
Substantial pinot noir ruby, the second deepest of the Escarpment wines. It was never revealed why Larry McKenna chose to show the 2010 district wine in the Regional Wines presentation, to introduce the 2011 individual vineyard wines. In the company the 2010 looked the ripest of the wines, with noticeable suggestions of bottled black doris plums evident in black cherry fruit. Palate shows a much more Otago-style pinot noir, thoughts of the Bendigo terraces again, black cherry and plums, even a hint of prune, yet the late aftertaste is still beautifully varietal. It is not quite as supple and burgundian as the Black Grape Society 'The Central Otago', there is some tannin to lose, but this is pretty serious youthful pinot which may well score more highly in 3 – 5 years. Worth looking out for, still around in some wine shops. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 04/13

1998 Kaituna Valley Pinot Noir Kaituna Vineyard 18 (

)

Banks Peninsula, Canterbury, New Zealand: 14%; $ – [ cork 49mm, ullage 21mm; this wine has the distinction of including fruit from the oldest semi-commercial pinot noir vineyard in Canterbury, c.0.3 ha planted 1979 by Graeme Steans then of Lincoln University, expanded mid-1990s by Grant Whelan to 2-ish ha; the winery has ceased to exist, the winemaker Grant Whelan not traced, so very little info for the Table; Cooper, 2001: This consistently impressive Canterbury red … is deep; the bouquet spicy; the plate is sturdy, with firm tannins underpinning its strong plum/spice flavours. It’s a serious, complex, structured style with warmth and length, ****½ ; weight bottle, no closure 576 g; no website ]
Ruby and garnet, below midway in depth. Like the Martinborough wine, the bouquet on this wine had an aromatic component, wine-maker Larry McKenna instantly nailing it as: ‘has to be the Kaituna Valley wine’. That assessment referred to the eucalyptus which formerly edged the vineyard, which Grant Whelan cut down not long after taking over. For most tasters however, this character was not apparent – it is very subtle – and the wine seemed to have the exciting aromatic lifted quality of bouquet one associates with the Cote de Nuits, rather than the Cote de Beaune. Palate is particularly attractive, supple pinot fruit blending red and black cherries, and an attractive fruit / oak balance. Still comfortably on its plateau of maturity, with several years in hand. Three first places, but two least, while 16 thought it New Zealand, and two France. GK 09/19

2012 Villa Maria Syrah Reserve 18 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $60 [ screwcap; Sy 100%, all hand-harvested at c.1.6 t/ha (3.25 t/ac); 100% de-stemmed; cuvaison extending to 6 weeks for some parcels; 17 months in French oak air-dried 3 years, 50% new; RS nil; minimal fining and filtration; RS < 1 g/L; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, an amazing depth for the year, at the top of the middle tier for weight. With syrah and cabernet sauvignon sharing cassis as a descriptor when perfectly ripe, it's not as easy as you might suppose to accurately identify which wines are cabernet and which syrah in a rigorously blind line-up of 60 samples. And sometimes not even merlot for that matter, for when cool-climate syrah is fractionally riper than cassis, it acquires glorious fragrant dark plum notes. But this wine is clearly varietal from the outset, clear-cut carnation and violets florals, lovely cassis, clear white more than black pepper on bouquet. In mouth the flavours complement the bouquet totally, and the style is cooler-year Cote Rotie exactly, e.g. Yves Cuilleron though not one of his most concentrated / expensive sites. It says volumes about Villa Maria's viticulture that they have achieved potentially Reserve quality fruit from the 2012 vintage, and even more about the palates of the winemakers, that they made the cut so perfectly to exclude any stalky flavours. Surely any Reserve wines were a gamble in 2012. This wine is therefore remarkable, the only tell-tale being the thread of white pepper on the palate, and there is not quite the concentration and weight of a better year. The flavours are lovely, in their cool-year style. Simply cellar it a shorter time, 3 – 12 years. This 2012 shares some details with the 2010 La Petite Chapelle, but is both more oaky and higher acid. GK 06/14

2014 Te Mata Estate Cabernet / Merlot Coleraine 18 (

)

Havelock Hills, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $110 [ cork 50mm; hand-harvested CS 60%, Me 28, CF 12; extended cuvaison; average vine age 25 + years; 17 months in French oak c.75% new; RS nil; www.temata.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, fractionally deeper than 2013 Coleraine, one of the deeper wines. Te Mata honourably set the tasting up to invite comparison between the 2013 and 2014 editions. Both wines are wonderfully floral, as expanded on for the 2013. The 2014 is not quite so enchantingly sweet in its florals though, there being the faintest hint of leaf in the aroma. That attribute carries through to the palate, so whereas the 2013 now seems 'ripe', the 2014 is fractionally crisper, more aromatic, and cooler. There is still exemplary cassisy berry, and the subtle oak handling for which Te Mata is famous. I concede I thought 2013 Coleraine fractionally under-ripe last year, and it has sweetened / fattened up / jumped the hurdle in the intervening year. Will the 2014 achieve that feat also ? The similarity of achievement in the two wines for the two years is remarkable, in marked contrast to Awatea. The selection for 2014 Coleraine must have been searching in the extreme, since 2014 does not seem to be quite such a cabernet year. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 03/16

2013 Sileni Merlot EV (Exceptional Vintage) 18 (

)

The Triangle, Hawkes Bay,, New Zealand: 15%; $60 [ screwcap; DFB; Me 100%, machine-picked from c.15-year old vines planted at 2,525 vines / ha and cropped @ 6.2 t/ha = 2.5 t/ac; cuvaison 30 days, cultured-yeast; MLF in barrel; 15 months in French oak c.40% new; RS 0.8 g/L; sterile-filtered; dry extract 33.1 g/L; production 270 x 9-L cases; not exactly released yet but available on request at the winery; pre-release tasting bottles courtesy Grant Edmonds; www.sileni.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, below midway in depth, and showing more oak influence than the Church Road Merlot, even in colour. And the bouquet confirms huge spicy oak. Initially opened, this wine is oaky to a fault, seemingly youthful, unknit, and not at all ready for release. There are some reminders of a modern-in-style Chateauneuf-du-Pape, grenache with too much new oak, suggesting the fruit is very ripe. But when it is tasted, there is this astonishing richness (as the dry extract measurement confirms), and you have to conclude simply, that this wine is far too young. The fruit does seem very ripe for merlot, there is not the florality that the Villa Maria Merlot Reserve or the Brokenstone show. That would correlate with over-ripeness, as would the alcohol. But the richness is such that, who can say what charms this wine will show in 10 years ? This is quite the most dramatic Merlot EV Sileni have so far made, and it shows great cellar potential. The main worry is whether it will end up reflecting a warmer-country winestyle than is ideal for the subtle merlot grape. There is a reminder of 1976 Ch Petrus in this, which was a hot year for that famous high-merlot wine (Petrus at that time was at least 95% merlot, but is now 100%). This Sileni EV may later need re-rating upwards, if the oak marries in and the alcohol does not intrude. Even now, it was the second-most favoured wine for the group, if only first place rankings are counted. Again, oak may be playing a role in this assessment. In the Regional Wines tasting, four people rated this the top wine, at the blind stage. Cellar 10 – 30 years. GK 05/15

2015 Casa Santos Lima / Companhia das Vinhas Fortissimo 18 (

)

Alentejano, Portugal: 14%; $15 [ cork, 38mm; bottle-shape burgundy; cepage is touriga nacional (the principal grape of port, Portugal's finest, some similarities to cabernet sauvignon), Sy, PV, alicante bouschet (a vinifera teinturier, Gr x petite bouschet), ratios not given; harvested from vines planted at 3.000 / ha, destemmed; fermentation in stainless steel with temperature control to 27º for 14 days, then 7 months ageing in French and American oak barriques; www.casasantoslima.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a dense bordeaux-blend colour, the third deepest wine. Like the Promessas, this has the depth and colour of touriga nacional, in a darkly berried, rich, fresh and fragrant winey bouquet. There are hints of cassis, but also bottled black doris plum and even boysenberry, plus some vanillin from new oak. Flavour includes a hint of balsam-like aromatics as in Sophia. Palate is much richer than Sophia, though, just chock-a-block with berry fruit, again with a few grams (say, 3) residual sugar. It is hard to decide how much to be concerned by the sugar, but in 10 years time it will less of a worry. If there were a little more elevation in oak, the sweetness would be less apparent. Cellar 5 – 20 years. Bottle shape would be better as claret. A Wine Direct selection. GK 03/18

2013 Greywacke Pinot Noir 18 (

)

Southern Valleys, Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $45 [ screwcap; hand-picked; 20% whole bunches; wild yeast ferments; 16 months in French oak 30 – 40% new; www.greywacke.com ]
Ruby, a little maturity showing, the second to lightest wine. Like the Neudorf, in the blind tasting this is dramatically pinot noir-varietal, but not showing quite the complex Cote de Nuits-like florals of that wine. Instead it is more fragrantly red cherry centred, and Pommard in style. Palate shows fair red berry flavours, good tannins, a slightly drier wine than the Neudorf. The emergence of Marlborough pinot noir is exciting. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 03/18

2000 Alpha Domus Aviator 18 (

)

Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $60 [ Me, CS, CF, Ma; 21 – 26 days cuvaison; MLF in barrel, 22 – 24 months in French oak 90% new; not filtered; www.alphadomus.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, another deep one. A huge dark berry bouquet reveals vibrant cassis and berry tussling with fragrant but very prominent oak (as the above info would suggest). Palate is a more complex take on the cassis concept than other top wines, ranging from deepest plums to even a faint leafy edge, adding piquant complexity just as many good Bordeaux show. Oak is greater than optimal, but the total flavour package is pretty exciting. Like the Pask Declaration, it will be good to see how this wine absorbs the oak, over the next 10 – 20 years. GK 05/04

2008 Daniel Le Brun Methode Traditionelle 18 (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 12.5%; $40 [ cork; PN 72%, Ch 28, all hand-picked; 43 months en tirage; 100% MLF in the base wine; 5% of the base fermented in old oak barrels; no blending-in of reserve wines; RS 6 g/L; www.daniellebrun.co.nz ]
Palest lemon. Bouquet is exquisitely pure and fine, a pale wine like the lightest of grande marque champagnes, the first sniff seeming more a blanc de blanc. There are hints of white flowers and fresh-cut cooking apples, and a touch of yeast autolysis, paler than baguette. Palate is quite different, immediately the firmness of pinot noir and a hint of white cherry and tannin, fresh acid, and one can imagine the trace oak used in elevation – maybe ? This wine is really champagne-like, a youthful pale crisp one. Of the two bubblies, 10 tasters preferred this wine. To judge from the 2000 Daniel Le Brun (made by Daniel himself before sale of the winery to Lion, so a different style from this quite clinical wine) this will cellar for 10 – 15 years. GK 04/13

2011 Produttori del Barbaresco Pora Riserva 18 (

)

Barbaresco DOCG, Piedmont, Northern Italy, Italy: 14.5%; $82 [ 50mm cork; the cellar approach to the wines is consistent across all the crus, but detail varies with the season. In general cuvaisons are 3 - 4 weeks, in lined concrete vats, followed by at least 3 years in older large oak variously 2,500 - 7,500 litres; www.produttoridelbarbaresco.com ]
Ruby, midway in depth. Bouquet is a little quieter on this one, but with the same stunning purity, red fruits, savoury aromatic herbes, and alcohol lift. Flavours are aromatic, not quite as plump as the top wines, but still highly varietal on both the berry aromatics and the lovely ripe tannin structure. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 05/16

2005 Church Road Merlot / Cabernet Hawkes Bay 18 (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $21 [ cork; Me 73%, CS 17, Ma 6, CF 4; MLF and 13 months in French oak 47% new; winemaker Chris Scott; www.churchroad.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet. Bouquet is sensational, total violets and darkest roses, a beautiful expression of a merlot-dominant Hawkes Bay blend. Seen alongside this set of 2004 Bordeaux blends, the similarity of style is dramatic, the florals in this Church Road comparable with the best of them. On palate it is ripe and elegant, softer than the average of the Bordeaux, the florals grading through cassis to dark berry including bottled black doris plums. It is clearly riper than the 2004 Chateau Palmer, but not as concentrated. But then, this is the standard wine, for heaven's sake, and there is a Reserve Merlot / Cabernet above it (and then triumphantly richer again, the soon-to-be-reviewed preview of 2005 Tom Merlot / Cabernet). The Church Road standard wine is $20, give or take, and the 2004 Palmer is $231. This is probably the finest $20 Merlot / Cabernet blend ever offered in New Zealand. It is totally international in its Bordeaux-like styling, but naturally enough this basic label does not have quite the gravitas of highly-reputed French examples. Here it wins points on ripeness and balance. Cellar 3 – 12 years. GK 12/07

2007 Passage Rock Syrah Reserve 18 (

)

Eastern Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14.5%; $50 [ screwcap; hand-picked, 25 days cuvaison; c. 11 – 12 months in barrel, 90% American and 60% new, balance French; sterile-filtered; not released yet; www.passagerockwines.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a good weight. Passage Rock has been the standard-bearer for syrah so far on Waiheke, the Reserve Syrah having won gold medal several times in our top two judgings (the Air New Zealand show, and the Royal Easter Show). This 2007 shows great cassis and blueberry varietal character on bouquet, with aromatic oak and trace savoury complexity. Palate is rich, long, succulent but a little oaky, highly varietal. The savoury complexity probably reflects a little brett, at a level that is completely academic. Since the wine is sterile-filtered, it will be stable in bottle, so one can enjoy the hints of venison casserole and savoury notes to the full. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 06/08

2010 Trinity Hill Noble Viognier Gimblett Gravels 18 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $35 [ screwcap; sequentially hand-harvested; BF in French oak, plus a further 5 or so months LA in barrel; RS 132 g/L; www.trinityhill.com ]
Lemon-gold. Bouquet is wonderfully clean and ripe, in a winestyle where undesirable complications are frequent. It is nectary and honeyed, showing ample clean botrytis, but not completely convincing in its varietal quality. There are hints of canned apricots and fresh mandarins, only. On palate, the reason is perhaps the wine seems to include some less-ripe berries, just a hint of leafyness, which refreshes the wine nicely and provides a neat finish against the sugar, but also subtracts from the specific ripe-fruit (dried apricots) character it should show to be totally international botrytised viognier in quality. As food wine, it works very well indeed. The nett achievement does not really deserve gold medal, if judged strictly as botrytised viognier. As a botrytised wine in general, yes, for it is technically excellent. The Catalogue lists a swag of gold medals and equivalent rankings, but none of the 'authorities' quoted are likely to have specific understanding of viognier the grape, and its exact varietal qualities when ideally ripe and botrytised. Cuilleron is again a reference point for this winestyle – Ayguets. Hold a year or two only, probably, before the fruit flavours fade and the phenolics show. GK 06/13

2014 Domaine des Espiers Gigondas 18 (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $38 [ cork, 50mm; Gr 65%, Sy 35, all hand-picked, 3 ha in Gigondas, planted at 5,400 vines / ha, hand-picked at 4.55 t/ha = 1.8 t/ac; no de-stemming, 3 – 4 week cuvaison, the grenache raised in vat, the syrah in large barrels for 6 – 8 months, usually not filtered; Robinson, Nov. 2015: Quite concentrated but with dry tannins on the end, 15.5; a Belgian website says: Balance in elegance. Aromas of red fruits, thyme and laurel. A solid structure with well build tannins and a long finish; bottle weight 615 g; http://p.cartoux.free.fr/domaine_des_espiers_gigondas.htm ]
The lightest wine, ruby, reflecting the high percentage of grenache in the cepage. Bouquet here was thrilling, capturing exactly what makes the better wines of the southern Rhône Valley so beautiful, and so matchable with food. This is floral, savoury, aromatic, with delightful garrigue complexity which makes the wine cry out for coq au vin complete with bouquet garni. Like the Aphillanthes, it is all red fruits, beautiful cedary oaking, wonderful depth. Palate captures all these elements effortlessly, a beautiful drinking wine, though perhaps not the perfect richness of a better year. Nonetheless, tasters declared: this is the style I want, six first places, five second. At $38 this is affordable for Gigondas, now that it is the second-most-favoured address in the southern Rhône Valley. A wine to buy by the case, and cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 04/18

1999 Guigal Hermitage 18 (

)

Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $109 [ cork, 50mm; release price $115; the first thing to say is that at that point Guigal owned no vineyards in Hermitage, and the wine is not in the top echelon from the district. It should however reflect Guigal’s mastery of the wines of the Rhone Valley; Sy 100%; average vine age 40 years; cropped at c.5.2 t/ha = 2.1 t/ac; 3 weeks cuvaison; 24 months in French oak c.60% new; Parker, 2003: a deep ruby/purple color as well as a big, masculine, virile nose of roasted meats, pepper, earth, minerals, and black fruits. Currently closed and impenetrable, it should open with another 4-5 years of cellaring, and age for 15-18 years, 90; Wine Spectator, 2002: A gentle giant … subtle and elegant Hermitage, layered with seductive aromas and flavors, from tobacco to green olive, roasted game, mineral and blackberries. Silky mouthfeel, this medium-bodied red is smooth, yet also fresh on the long finish. Will age for years. Drink now through 2015. 7,330 cases made, 93; bottle weight dry 567 grams; www.guigal.com ]
Ruby, fresher than the 1999 d'Alessandro, the lightest wine. Bouquet benefits from decanting, to show fragrant but not quite floral red grading to dark berries, suggestions of browning cassis and fading black pepper, and some oak but not obviously new. In mouth the components come together attractively, mellow ‘winey’ wine at full maturity. There is not quite the magical fruit sweetness and varietal quality of the Quinta da Lagoalva, but close. The tannins are just a little more furry, spiced by the black pepper. This is representative good French syrah rather than a dramatically fine example. It would be superb at table – later confirmed. Will hold for some years. GK 03/18

2007 Surveyor Thomson Pinot Noir [ screwcap ] 18 (

)

Lowburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $43 [ screwcap (89% of the bottling, balance Diam – see below); hand-harvested; 10 months in French oak 33% new; fifth vintage; appealing if fiddly website format, more info would optimise; re-evaluation requested, since I was uncertain as to the closure in the previous sample; www.surveyorthomson.co.nz ]
Elegant pinot noir ruby, identical to the Rousseau Clos de Beze. Bouquet is distinctive on this wine, and improves with decanting and taking air for a while. It is darkly floral, with an intriguing smokey undertone which is probably brett-related at a trace level – I have seen similar in some Clos de la Roche wines over the years. Fruit is black more than red cherry, palate is sensuous dark cherry, oaking is a delight, and the varietal flavour is long. This is very burgundian, in a traditional way. See further discussion for the same wine closed with Diam, below. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 11/10

2001 Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt Graacher Domprobst Riesling Spatlese QmP 18 (

)

Mosel Valley, Germany: 8%; $38 [ cork, 45mm; the highly-regarded von Kesselstatt estate dates from 1349, with 36 hectares planted almost entirely to riesling. More detail for von Kesselstatt under the Josephshof wines. Robinson, 2015: Domprobst is in the heart of Graach vineyards next to Josephshofer. Vines are on a steep, southwest-facing slope of rocky grey Devon slate soil. RS 46.7 g/l. Completely ridiculous price [£15] for a wine of this age, delicacy and complexity. This is so light it seems it may float out of the glass. Pure Mosel and super refreshing despite the sweetness. Great balance. VVGV, 17; www.kesselstatt.com ]
Limpid lemon, the faintest wash of straw, the lightest colour, lovely. This was the ‘sighter’ wine for the tasting, a reminder of what neat young riesling tastes like in its (relative) youth. Florals are fading a little now in the bouquet, just a suggestion of acacia blossom and subtle hops on citrussy and white stonefruit notes. Palate introduces a lime suggestion to the Lisbon lemon citrus, and subtlest pineapple flavours (+ve), quite big fruit sweetness for a spatlese, beautiful acid balance, the flavour long and citrussy. It seems much sweeter than the Marcobrunn Spatlese. The wine fulfilled its introductory role well, plus gaining two second place ratings. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 11/17

2005 Te Mania Riesling 18 (

)

Nelson, New Zealand: 13.5%; $18 [ screwcap; 4 g/L RS; www.temaniawines.co.nz ]
Lemongreen. An understated, faintly freesia-like bouquet, very clean and pure, but not easy to pick the variety in the blind lineup. Palate clarifies matters considerably, with clear lime-zest flavours on attractive riesling fruit showing beautifully-handled phenolics, and a neat ‘dry’ sugar / acid balance. This wine might cellar surprisingly well, 5 – 10 years, in its understated and pure way. GK 03/06

nv Champagne Taittinger Brut Reserve 18 (

)

Reims, Champagne, France: 12%; $90 [ laminated champagne cork; PN 35%, PM 25, Ch 40, usually spanning three maybe four vintages; tailles from Ch only, now much reduced to a max of 10%; MLF throughout; en tirage 36 months or a little more; the house has reservations about Diam, so far; dosage 9 g/L; 333,000 cases; www.taittinger.com ]
One of the most lemon colours, well below midway in depth. Bouquet here is a classic lighter nearly floral champagne bouquet, suggesting higher chardonnay at the blind stage, and proving to be so. The quality of autolysis is lovely, subtler than the top two, paler crust-of-baguette, some crumb. Palate is distinctly lighter than the Bollinger, as one would expect, but the flavours include crumb-of-baguette and hints of white button mushrooms and palest nectarines, lingering beautifully and belying the wine's apparent lightness. The whole approach in this wine will appeal to 'delicacy' fans, though the finish is on the sweet side. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 11/15

2009 Vidal Chardonnay Reserve 18 (

)

Gimblett Gravels mostly, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $30 [ screwcap; hand-picked clone 15 mostly from 4 vineyards including the Gimblett Gravels, Maraekakaho and the Ohiti Valley from ''very low yielding'' vines, average vine age c. 10 years; whole-bunch pressed, not cold settled; 100% wild-yeast and 100% barrel-ferment not closely controlled but mostly under 23°; c. 30% wild-MLF ferment; 10 months in French oak 45% new plus older oak to 3 years, weekly batonnage for as long as the wine needs it; selection and blending of final wine followed by 2 months assembled in tank; pH 3.25, RS <2g/l; sterile-filtered; Gold Medal & Trophy in 2011 Easter Show, Silver Medal in the 2010 Air NZ; note the former Reserve label (this wine) is now called 'Legacy Series', and a new 'Reserve Series' has been introduced between the standard label and the Legacy wines; www.vidal.co.nz ]
A perfect lemon colour, one of the lightest. This is a very 'straight' wine. It smells of chardonnay fruit of great purity, not unduly complicated either by the yellow-fleshed notes of clone mendoza, or extended autolysis or other factors. Palate fills the wine out a little, very good fruit richness comparable with the Neudorf, but all completely white-fleshed stonefruits, subtlest MLF and autolysis, crumb of bread rather than crust complexity, no cashew. The purity and varietal definition this wine displayed on opening meant it had to be placed first in the blind line-up, simply to set the scene, and it fulfilled that role admirably. In its almost Corton-Charlemagne-like richness, it will be exciting to see this wine evolve in cellar 3 – 10 years, maybe longer. GK 03/12

2010 Tardieu-Laurent Chateauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Speciale 18 (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $71 [ cork, 54 mm; Gr 100%, 90 + years, much of it from La Crau; all whole bunches in this cuvée; elevation 24 months in large barrels, some new; not fined or filtered; T-L regard this 2010 as exceptional; Harding @ Robinson, 2011: Much paler than the Vieilles Vignes cuvée and rather more subdued on the nose ... clearly made from very superior fruit ... much, much chewier than the Vieilles Vignes [which she marked 18.5], 18; Parker, 2011: ... tightly knit ... sweet raspberry and black cherry fruit, lots of tannin, a meaty, dusty, loamy soil/underbrush character, and considerable body, 90 – 92+; typical production up to 1,000 9-litre cases; weight bottle and closure: 649 g; www.tardieu-laurent.fr ]
Light ruby, some garnet, the lightest wine. Bouquet is distinctive, the wine even more clearly cedary-oaky than the Guigal, with an almost citrus-zest note to the oak like some Riojas. Below there is lovely raspberry fruit suggesting high grenache. Tasting the wine, it is as if Tardieu-Laurent have copied the Guigal approach, but more so on the oak side. The palate really is quite tempranillo / Rioja-like, attractive citrussy / cedary oak right through, but all fine-grain and supple, no harshness. An unusual interpretation of Chateauneuf-du-Pape, but attractive. Cellar 5 – 15 years, maybe longer. Nobody rated this their top or second wine. GK 06/17

2013 [ El Escoces Volante ] Dos Dedos de Frente [ Syrah ] Unfiltered 18 (

)

Calatayud, Spain: 15%; $45 [ cork 50mm; Sy 97%, Vi 3, hand-picked, and grown at 950m altitude; 10 days cold soak, c. 4 weeks cuvaison; 20 months in all-French oak second and third year, none new; RS 1.6 g/L; 296 9-L case production; imported by Bennett & Deller, Auckland; clarity of labelling not the strong point of this now well-established wine; weight bottle and closure: 644 g; www.escocesvolante.es/dosdedos.html ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, the second darkest wine. In a mixed blind tasting of cabernets, syrah and Chateauneuf-du-Papes, at the blind stage this wine presents as a dark Chateauneuf-du-Pape, partly because it is a bit spirity. Once the IDs are revealed, it is astonishingly deep for syrah, with great purity plus the alcohol lift. It is not exactly floral, though, more vanillin from oak, the style being warmer-climate. It is only in mouth you get a clearer expression of the smells and flavours. It is syrah, not shiraz, but it is all immensely dark, more currants than grapes, so you don't think of cassis as such. It is riper and oakier than the Yering Reserve, but it is not pruney, at all. Oaking is pro-rata to the richness and body, so it is a much bigger, darker, denser wine than any rated more highly. I imagine there are some Washington syrahs like this. Those who are unaware (or uncaring) of concepts like florality in syrah, and look only for richness and size, will mark this beautifully-made wine more highly. It will cellar for many years, and may surprise in years to come. Cellar 10 – 30 years. GK 08/16

2008 Babich Pinot Gris 18 (

)

Wairau & Awatere Valleys, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $20 [ screwcap, 15% BF in old French oak (youngest 4 years) with 5 months LA and stirring to enhance texture, balance s/s aerated as needed; no wild yeast component, no MLF; RS 6 g/L; www.babichwines.co.nz ]
Straw, a faint orange flush. Bouquet is gorgeous, exactly what one of the now well-established styles of good New Zealand pinot gris smells like, even allowing there may be a splash of gewurztraminer in it [ yes – later inquiry shows that like the lovely Astrolabe wine, there are augmenting varieties in this wine ]. Bouquet therefore shows the varietal complexity such pinot gris can have, when not over-ripened. There is good fruit with aromas of rosepetal, white nectarines and sultanas steeped in warm water, and a suggestion of high solids which at this level can be positive. There are reminders here of Alsatian pinot gris taken through to the vendage tardive stage too, just a suggestion of dried peaches. Palate wraps all these characters into a fruit-rich flavour, the varietal phenolics covered by subtle residual sugar, the whole wine long with some body as befits its pinot heritage, but not quite as rich as the bouquet promised. This is exciting wine, illustrating a delightful light fragrant style contrasting with all-too-often overly alcoholic pear-flesh examples – usually as a consequence of over-ripening it. Finish is long on stonefruits, surprisingly ‘dry’, inside the dry riesling class. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 05/09

2010 Expatrius Syrah 18 (

)

Eastern Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14%; $90 [ cork; Sy 100%, hand-picked; 15 months in French and American oak about equal, 100% new; 98 cases; www.expatrius.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, not as deep as the top syrahs. Whereas the top syrahs rest on berry more than oak, in this one the beautiful fruit is carrying more oak, including fragrant vanillin American. In mouth the berry is clearly cassisy, but the oak contribution masks the variety to a degree. Whether the variety is cabernet sauvignon or syrah, though, you have to conclude this is good wine. Concentration of berry is good, not as great as the top Passage Rock wines, but the oak speaks too loudly. Being a new winery, perhaps they too have the problem of lacking top-notch older barrels. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 10/12

2004 Clape Cornas 18 (

)

Cornas, Northern Rhone Valley, New Zealand: 13%; $110 [ cork; price is simple conversion from US$77; Sy 100% from vines 25 – 60 years age on granite; whole-bunch fermentation and c.14 days cuvaison; MLF and 18 months in French oak mostly foudre size, minimal new oak or none some years; Yapps describe the wine as showing: rugged tannins, which soften and sweeten with age; WA / Parker, 2007: ... zesty acidity, full-bodied power, and wonderful sweet blackberry and cassis fruit intermixed with some smoke, scorched earth, and new saddle leather. It’s a beauty, rich, full ... 12-15 years. 92; no website found ]
Ruby and velvet, much the same as the d'Ampuis. What a joy virtually every bottle of Clape Cornas is, year in and year out, the essence of wine. For this vintage, bouquet is classic and traditional Cornas, clearly floral and cassisy syrah, beautifully subtle oak, and just a little brett to add savoury charm and complexity. Palate is not as rich as great years of Clape, being more the weight of the 2008 Bullnose (age allowed for), but fruit, acid and oak are in wonderful balance compared with even Bullnose. Quite apart from the quality of bouquet, noting this is a producer who does not de-stem his syrah, I wish our oak-obsessed winemakers would pay more attention to some of the subtler syrahs from the northern Rhone. Producers such as Clape who in some years buys no new oak at all, show what can be done with fine aromatic syrah grapes, whereas (in general) Australians use oak to make their over-ripe and hence bland shiraz more aromatic. In contrast, we like the Northern Rhone can (ideally) achieve real aromatics in the grape, and in the vineyard. Australian over-use of oak is therefore not something we need to emulate here. The (at best) pinot-like beauty of syrah is the aspect we need to optimise in New Zealand's climate. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 01/10

2013 Bilancia Syrah La Collina * 18 (

)

Roy's Hill slopes, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $120 [ screwcap; Sy fermented on 8% viognier skins, so hard to establish a percentage of Vi; hand-picked from 17-year old vines planted at c.5,000 vines / ha and cropped @ 2.5 t/ha = 1 t/ac; no cold-soak, cuvaison averaged 10 days with 100% whole-bunches retained, cultured-yeast; MLF mostly in tank, finished in barrel; 15 months in French oak 75% new; RS <1.0 g/L; sterile-filtered; dry extract not measured; production 100 x 9-L cases; release date November 2015; this pre-release evaluation bottle courtesy Warren Gibson; www.bilancia.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, less carmine than most, above midway in depth. This is another rather different interpretation of syrah in the augmented set, showing intense florality which contains a suggestion of leaf, like some Cote Roties. Below that is big berry, almost red plums as well as cassis and dark black doris plums. Flavours are distinctly cooler than the other wines, cooler even than the Huchet with which it shares some characteristics. The concentration of fruit is excellent, suggesting a low cropping rate and good dry extract. Nett flavours are very different from the Homage, yet both are clearly syrah. At this stage there is just a trace of bitterness from the stalk component, which Huchet avoids. Unusual syrah, until you think of Domaine Jamet, when the wine falls into place. I suspect UK writers will like this very much. Cellar 5 – 18 years, perhaps longer. GK 05/15

2016 Te Mata Viognier Zara 18 (

)

Woodthorpe, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $30 [ 46 mm supercritical cork (Diam); all hand-harvested and BF in 4 – 5-year old French oak; nearly complete MLF; <6 months in barrel, with lees autolysis; 12 barrels only, hence the wine being hard to locate, and selling out quickly; <2 g/L RS; www.temata.co.nz ]
Elegant lemon, not quite as deep as Elston. Bouquet is wonderfully clean, and clearly varietal, showing that exhilarating blend of wild ginger blossom florality and both fresh and dried Otago apricots (plus other stonefruits) which characterise the variety viognier, when appropriately ripened. In mouth one can only rejoice that every year, the percentage of MLF component in the wine is now increasing, giving this edition a fruit richness and texture it simply did not have 10 years ago. There is still just a hint of leaf, implying even more ripeness would help despite the increase in alcohol, but this wine shows why Hawkes Bay (and Waiheke Island) are well suited to producing subtle yet highly varietal interpretations of this demanding and fickle grape, of a quality rare on the world stage. Toby Buck mentioned it combines thrillingly with slightly sweet curries. Cellar 1 – 4 years, don't hold it too long. GK 03/17

2013 Pask Syrah Declaration 18 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $50 [ screwcap; Sy 100%, all machine-harvested; some cold soak, inoculated ferments, c.21 days cuvaison; 16 months in French oak 70% new; production 450 x 9-L cases; www.pask.co.nz ]
[ This wine was NOT in the Convivium baker's dozen. I added it on return to Wellington, since it has not been in any of my 2013 reviews. It was therefore not seen blind. ] Ruby, clearly the lightest (New Zealand) wine in the set, fractionally deeper than the Clonakilla. Bouquet is intriguing, almost blueberry dominant and thus close in style to the Clonakilla, and unbelievably out-of-style for the mental baggage I had been carrying round as to the Pask Declaration range. Like Bullnose, but even moreso, the oak is almost invisible. I do not know how or when this transformation in the way the oak comes through to the taster was initiated at Pask, since the numbers are not greatly different. Winemaker Kate Radburnd indicates the approach to the Declaration range has been re-thought. In mouth the whole wine seems to darken up, suggestions of cassis and plums now, but the acid a little noticeable. Does this correlate with the blueberry note, implying picking a little later than optimal for syrah varietal expression in 2013, and needing a touch of acid ? Flavours are firmer than Bullnose seems, even though the wine is lighter in colour, and it is younger in taste. It tastes of red fruits much more than black. This is quite a different interpretation of syrah from most in New Zealand, and hard to establish analogies for. I am more in Saint-Joseph than Cote Rotie, for example. I can't wait to see how this ages, since it has reasonable though not exemplary richness, and should cellar for 5 – 12 years, maybe 15. Once it softens, it should be very food-friendly. GK 07/16

1968 Saltram Cabernet 68% / Shiraz 32% Mamre Brook 18 (

)

Barossa Valley, South Australia, Australia: – %; $ – [ cork, 46mm; ullage c.20mm below base neck; at the time, the company’s top red wine label. All the fruit grown near Angaston on the east side of the Barossa Valley, towards the Eden Valley. The winery comments that the light colour is due to the 1968 vintage. Three and one quarter years in ‘large oak’ … size not given but presumably older American. Saltram reds earned passing mention in Lake’s book, but didn't quite qualify. Evans is more positive: A top dry red … and I don’t think we have seen the best of it yet. … The 1968 vintage was a lighter style … However, the Eden Valley fullness and liquorice character and that nice touch of oak are still there. … Altogether the Mamre Brook style, within a matter of years, has impressed and Peter Lehmann has established it as one of the major wine styles of Australia. Saltram became wholly owned by Stonyfell in 1941, yet the wineries maintained separate identities for some years. The Saltram name is now favoured. ]
Garnet and ruby, just below midway in depth. This wine opened in an interesting way symptomatic of a red wine at full stretch, at one moment smelling faded, at the next clear browning berry, and yet when you went back to it, quite different again, with for example enticing brown sautéed portobello mushrooms showing. Unlike the top three wines, it was more clearly (but not too much so) Australian in character, suggestions of the characteristic boysenberry of over-ripe shiraz noticeable, but the whole wine not too oaky. Palate has delightful richness, length and balance, not too weighty, but again the fading fruit / berry flavours pointing to shiraz rather than the syrah the Tahbilk hints at. The cabernet component is hard to identify, but presumably adds to the finesse and high rating of the wine. The length of the browning berry and its dominance over oak is attractive. Two first places, and one second. Fully mature, not a great cork, so we were lucky. The Stuyvesant House restaurant in Sydney has the 1986 of this label on their list at $AU120. Ullage base of cork to top of wine, 53 mm. GK 04/19

2013 Escarpment Pinot Noir 18 (

)

Te Muna Road 60%, Martinborough Terrace 40, Wairarapa, New Zealand: 13.5%; $51 [ screwcap; main clones Abel and Dijon 667, mostly planted at c.3,300 vines/ha, average age varies from 12 – c.25 years depending on source-vineyard; all hand-picked @ between 5 and 7 t/ha (2 – 2.8 t/ac), c.50% whole-bunch this year, no cold soak as such, but takes c.3 days for all-wild yeast ferment to start, then 15 – 21 days cuvaison; c.11 months in French oak c.20% new, medium toast; not sterile-filtered to bottle; RS <0.2 g/L: dry extract 28 g/L; production not given; www.escarpment.co.nz ]
Fresh pinot noir ruby, well above midway in depth. This is the first of the wines in this blind tasting to exhibit a faint aromatic / minty suggestion reminiscent of pennyroyal on bouquet, in a highly floral and quite dusky interpretation of pinot noir. This aromatic quality tends to deflect attention from the kinds of flower analogies that can be recognised. Fruit qualities are black rather more than red cherry. Flavours in mouth are rich, succulent, a little tannic (at this moment) as if designed for long cellaring, but not at all extractive or heavy. For those seeking a darker kind of pinot noir, yet one still totally 'within spec', this wine could rate as highly as any. Cellar 5 – 15 + years. Group View (Flight 2): 2 first places, 3 second, 1 least. GK 11/15

1978 Ch Leoville Las Cases 18 (

)

Saint-Julien Second Growth, Bordeaux, France: – %; $265 [ cork 52mm; original price $32.95; cepage then approx. CS 67%, Me 17, CF 13, PV 3, planted at 8,000 vines / ha; 12 – 24 months in barrel, 50 – 100% new oak, depending on the vintage; Broadbent, 2002: … recently, spicy nose but hard to get to grips with. Dry, now losing body weight, not bad but unexciting. At best ****; Coates, 2000: Very classy on the nose. This is very lovely. Pure, rich, concentrated Cabernet fruit. Full, composed and aristocratic. This is still very vigorous. Lots of depth. Very long. Very fine indeed: 19; R. Parker, 1995: The nose is more complex and penetrating than the flavors. The wine offers classic, mineral, lead pencil, smoky, earthy scents, with plenty of ripe fruit, and none of the vegetal herbaceousness that many 1978s have begun to exhibit. The attack offers good ripeness, medium to full body, higher acidity than many more recent vintages, and considerable tannin in the hard finish. Although this wine possesses outstanding complexity, the high tannin level may never fully melt away. While it will last another 15-20 years, the 1978 is at its apogee and will slowly dry out over the next two decades: 90; www.domaines-delon.com ]
Ruby and garnet, the second deepest wine. Bouquet epitomises 'concept claret', more particularly the Medoc, with an incredible volume of cassisy berry and other dark fruits melded with cedary oak, wonderfully fragrant. Palate shows perfect balance for a medium-weight-only west bank wine, the berry softening the cedary oak and the oak lengthening the fruit wonderfully. But yes, you could wish for a little more plumpness / flesh, at this point, for the tannin is starting to show. Ripeness is near-perfect for temperate climate cabernet, not quite matching the top three. Fully mature, can only lose flesh now. Six people rated this their top or second wine. GK 08/16

2010 Devaux & Yering Station Yarrabank Cuvée 18 (

)

Yarra Valley, Victoria, Australia: 13%; $47 [ supercritical Diam one-piece 'cork'; cepage usually Ch fractionally more than PN, handpicked at c.2.5 t/ha = 1 t/ac; primary fermentation in s/s, no MLF, then c.15% of the base wine is held a month or two in 5,500-litre oak vessels, to add subtle complexity; 4 years en tirage; dosage 3.2 g/L; regarded as one of the finest two methodes in Australia; distributed in New Zealand by MacVine, Auckland; www.yering.com ]
Lemonstraw. Bouquet is citrussy with fine baguette-quality autolysis, initially inclining to a blanc de blancs style, but later hinting at red fruits complexity below, all of exquisite purity. Palate is superbly fine-grained, clearly a much higher free-run fraction (or less press component) than the two Delormes, very low phenolics, yet great mouthfeel and body. Palate brings up the red cherry / pinot noir component in a subtle way, with the baguette notes extending the flavour remarkably. This is a wonderful methode champenoise, to cellar 5 – 15 years. The dosage is low, but fruit and dry extract (from that extraordinary cropping rate) are so good you think it is just at a 'normal' premium methode level, say 7 g/L. A challenge here for premium New Zealand methode champenoise producers. GK 03/17

1999 Dry River Syrah Arapoff Vineyard 18 (

)

Martinborough Terrace, Wairarapa, New Zealand: 13%; $ – [ Cork, 44mm, ullage 28mm; weight bottle and cork, 546 g; release price c.$43; Arapoff is the vineyard; Cooper, 2001: … the accentuated peppery bouquet of cool-climate Syrah. Mouthfilling, with fresh acidity and very impressive depth of blackcurrant, dark plum and spice flavours, it’s slightly less ripe-tasting than the magisterial 1998, but still a top effort and worthy of lengthy cellaring, ****(½); www.dryriver.co.nz ]
Ruby, much fresher but only faintly deeper than the 1999 Pinot Noir. This bouquet has clear florals, both dianthus and pale rose-like aromas, nearly a hint of pepper but hard to decide if black or white, and a superb ratio of berry to oak. Palate is gorgeous, delicate yet not light, beautiful ripeness and length, silky texture, all faintly cooler and more subtle than the 2001. Again it is total Cote Rotie in style. Three people rated it their second-favourite wine. Tasters found it particularly hard to decide if this wine was pinot noir or syrah, the latter winning by one vote. In the comparison for the year, the syrah wins hands down. Beautifully mature, but will cellar some years. GK 05/19

2013 Craggy Range [ Syrah ] Le Sol 18 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $104 [ cork, 50 mm; original price $100; Sy 100%, all hand-picked from c.13-year old vines cropped @ c.7.1 t/ha = 2.8 t/ac; some ferments in oak cuves, in previous years cuvaison of c.20 days, wild and cultured-yeast ferments; 18 months in French oak c.32% new; RS nil g/L; sterile-filtered; Harding @ Robinson, 2016: Inviting peppery aroma with darkest of cherry fruit. Both floral and peppery on the palate with a dry, dark peppery texture but super-subtle. Dusty/stony finish and the finest of tannins, 2016 – 2023, 17.5; Perrotti-Brown @ Parker, 2015: ... a very pretty nose of violets and red roses over a core of red and black cherries plus hints of cinnamon stick and star anise. Light to medium-bodied, the palate is beautifully crafted with elegant, perfumed red fruits supported by ripe, rounded tannins. It finishes with great length, 2015 – 2023, 94+; dry extract 26.8 g/L; production understood to be c. 500-plus x 9-litre cases; weight bottle and closure: 974 g; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, above midway in depth. This is a fragrant wine, but the smells are not quite ‘varietal’. The florals are attractive though, and the wine smells as if it has a significant whole bunch component, though none is admitted to. There is bright red berry fruit, almost red currant and loganberry, as well as red and black plum. Palate is fresh, reasonable richness, not exactly cassis though, and there is a hint of stalks hard to separate from white and black pepper, with elegant oak. This wine seems the polar opposite of Tom, as if fractionally more ripeness before picking would have achieved more accurate floral, berry, and varietal rendition. One person rated Le Sol their favourite wine, three their second, none thought it French, and interestingly, seven, by far the highest vote, thought it the 100% whole bunch wine. It certainly shares characteristics with La Collina, but is not as rich. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 06/17

2010 Craggy Range Merlot Sophia 18 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $78 [ 50mm cork; DFB; Me 63%, CS 27, CF 8, PV 2, hand-harvested @ 5.6 t/ha (2.25 t/ac); 100% de-stemmed; inoculated ferments in s/s; 18 months in French oak 44% new; RS nil; fined and filtered; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby and some velvet, lighter than ideal, clearly below midway in depth. Bouquet is clean, berry-fragrant, but seemingly under-fruited relative to the 2014. It is hard to detect a floral component, the oak being nearly as 'loud' as the berry – the new world approach. Palate nonetheless shows a good harmony of berry and oak at this stage of the wine's evolution. The balance is very much in the Saint-Emilion merlot-led style, darkly plummy fruit extended by oak, but over-oaked by good Saint-Emilion standards. The oak is likely to become more apparent with further cellaring, 5 – 12 years. GK 09/16

2013 Craggy Range [ Merlot / Cabernet ] Sophia 18 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.8%; $84 [ cork, 50mm; DFB; original price $75; Me 62%, CS 19, CF 18, PV 1, hand-picked from c.14-year old vines cropped @ 6.25 t/ha = 2.5 t/ac; cultured-yeast; 19 months in French oak c.42% new; RS nil; sterile-filtered; Robinson, 2015: … bright fruit … beautifully balanced … fresh … ripe but not sweet … Really very accomplished … lovely wine that lasted well in an opened bottle; to 2027, 17.5; Perrotti-Brown @ Parker, 2015: ... intensely scented of crushed blackberries and blackcurrants with hints of cloves, cedar and violets plus a touch of pencil shavings. Medium-bodied and laden with muscular fruit, it has a solid backbone of grainy tannins and tons of vivacity in the long, multi-layered finish, to 2025, 93+; Cooper, 2016: … powerful, very harmonious wine with concentrated, ripe plum, spice and nutty oak flavours and a long, savoury, finely textured finish, *****; dry extract 25.9 g/L; production not disclosed; weight bottle and closure: 1,030 g; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby, a flush of carmine and velvet, below midway in depth. This wine has an enchanting bouquet, tending to red fruits like the Puriri Hills, exquisite purity, subtle oak, understated, in fact not a big bouquet, you have to work at it. Flavour however is a little less: there are attractive berry flavours well balanced to oak, but basically the wine lacks stuffing, and there is just a hint of austerity on the later palate. You couldn’t say it was stalky, but after the bouquet, you wish for more amplitude. Curious that none of the reviews touch on this aspect of the wine. Te Mata have shown with Coleraine that wines with this set of attributes in fact cellar remarkably well, so the advice is simple: don't touch a bottle until the traditional Bordeaux maxim for quality wines is met – 2023. Being merlot-led, it may well end up more a Saint-Emilion style to Coleraine’s Margaux / Saint-Julien, but both will be fragrant and food-friendly wines, of similar weight. Sophia snuck into the tasting as first reserve, the 2013 Coleraine in the original line-up being TCA-affected. Nobody rated this their top wine, but four had it as their second-favourite. Cellar 10 – 25 years. GK 06/17

2008 [ Obsidian ] Weeping Sands Cabernet / Merlot 18 (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.8%; $ – [ screwcap; CS 54, Me 40, PV 4, Ma 2, hand-harvested, all de-stemmed, cuvaison c.15 days, cultured yeast; MLF and 10 months in barrel all French < 15% new; 500 cases, release date c. mid-2010; ‘Unreleased bottled example to highlight the excellent vintage of 2008’; www.obsidian.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, close to the Mudbrick. The similarity between this wine and the Mudbrick is so close, that if one were given them in repeated triangular blind tests, I doubt many tasters would win through. Looking very closely, the cassis and berry components are near-identical, but the Weeping Sands is a little leaner, and so reveals its acid more. Both are modern firm-year Bordeaux interpretations of cabernet / merlot, surprisingly comparable in weight and style. Total acid is still higher than ideal on this Weeping Sands though. In five years time this will be fragrant and refreshing wine. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 06/09

nv Yves Cuilleron Condrieu La Petite Cote 18 (

)

Condrieu, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $92 [ cork; the wine shown a 50/50 blend of the 2009 and 2011 vintages; hand-picked from sites above Chavanay, all BF on low-solids in older oak 2 – 5 years, 100% MLF plus LA, batonnage and 9 months in barrel; www.cuilleron.com ]
Lemonstraw. Bouquet on this wine is much deeper, and in the context of these wines illustrating a ripening gradient through to orange-ripe apricots, it spoke eloquently. Since for this tasting the presentation of tasting concepts was more important than vintage veracity, the wine shown was in fact a 50 / 50 blend of the 2009 (much riper) and 2011 (standard) vintages. The latter introduced some citrus blossom notes, and relative freshness, thus bridging the wine wonderfully to the Villa Maria. Palate however with its sensational ripe apricot flavours was a complete contrast to the Villa Maria, the 100% malo producing a broader and softer palate than the Villa, even though the orange apricot – even dried apricot – qualities persisted very well indeed. The wine communicated well, but was less well liked, though some allowance must be made for unfamiliarity. All good food for thought (and discussion), on the winemaking side. [ The 2009 is already fully to slightly over-mature but more dramatically and varietally flavoursome, the 2011 lighter and fresher, and can be held a year or two ]. GK 09/13

2013 Mount Langi Ghiran Shiraz Langi 18 (

)

Grampians district, West Victoria, Australia: 14.3%; $106 [ screwcap; DFB; original price $136; Sh 100%, hand-picked and sorted from a single vineyard 'Old Block', vines 50 years old, on granite; previous vintages have had a significant whole-bunch component and c.13 months in French oak 45% new, the website now less informative; Halliday, 2015: Ripe but medium-weight, impeccably well balanced ... assorted spices, fruits, leathers and woods, but it's simultaneously neat, fresh ... elegant, even ... It will continue to impress for decades, to 2038, 96; Huon Hooke, for Decanter, 2015: Chocolatey and decadently complex nose with lots of vanilla oak, spice and pepper. The palate is mouthfilling and deep: a gorgeous, decadent Shiraz with fleshy softness and density, and huge length, 19; imported by MacVine International, Auckland; weight bottle and closure: 775 g; www.langi.com.au ]
Ruby and velvet, clearly the oldest-looking wine, and the second lightest. Bouquet is as different from the set of syrahs as the colour. The wine is very fragrant, and mercifully devoid of coarse euc'y taints, just a hint of Australian flowering mint (Prostanthera) fragrance, on blueberry fruit. Mingled with the blueberry is loganberry. So the bouquet is quite light and lifted in character, and attractive. Palate is different, very good fruit richness, subtle oak, great length of flavour resting on blueberry more than oak, tapering away elegantly still on fruit. It is as if in this location, tartaric adjustment is not needed. Alcohol is less obtrusive than Tom. Blueberry is part of my syrah ripening curve, just past the optimal point of cassis, so this is both an attractive syrah, and an interesting demonstration / teaching wine. Four people rated the Langi the top wine of the evening, and three their second. Eight thought it Australian … interesting ... in the sense it was specifically bought as an un-Australian shiraz. Cellar 10 – 25, maybe 30 years. GK 06/17

2010 Te Mata [ Cabernets / Merlot ] Coleraine 18 (

)

Havelock Hills, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $84 [ cork; hand-harvested CS 53%, Me 28, CF 19; extended cuvaison; average vine age 22 + years; 19 months in French oak c.75% new; pH 3.60, RS nil; www.temata.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, not a rich wine, but good. Bouquet is sweetly fragrant, clearly modelled on the Margaux style of Bordeaux, darkest roses and even violets in the floral component, clear cassis, a mix of red and dark berry fruits including plum. Bouquet is very fresh, and on palate that translates into a lighter wine than the best Hawke's Bay 2009s (or 2007 Coleraine, for example), but there is a Bordeaux balance and precision to the flavour which is beguiling. Oak handling shows the customary Te Mata restraint. This wine reminds that the primary goal of claret is to be food-friendly, rather than immediately impressive or a block-buster. Even so, it is considerably lighter than I imagine the better second, third and fourth growth 2010 Bordeaux will be. It would be great if Te Mata bit the bullet on cropping rates, for although a wine like this is beautiful, there is always the old adage that a good big 'un will beat a good little 'un. The dry extract on a wine like the 2009 Church Road Cabernet / Merlot Reserve is so much greater than 2010 Coleraine. That is what this wine needs if it is to compete at the highest level. Cellar 5 – 15 years, maybe longer. GK 03/12

2006 Craggy Range Syrah Le Sol 18 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $100 [ 49mm cork; Sy 100%, but this year not the New Zealand mass-selection clone, hand-harvested @ 6.2 t/ha (2.5 t/ac); 100% de-stemmed, 2 days cold soak, wild-yeast fermentation in open-top oak cuves, 22 days cuvaison including cold-soak; no BF component; MLF and 20 months in French oak 50% new; RS nil; filtered; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby. Bouquet is clean, aromatic, highly black peppery on cassisy fruit, the oak showing a little much. Flavour dispels the oak concern, the ratio of berry to oak being attractive, cassis browning a little now, black pepper, good but not exemplary concentration, a long flavour on the black pepper particularly. From the bouquet, I imagine the oak may come to the fore with extended cellaring, cellar 3 – 8 years more. This bottle seems a little different (sweeter and riper, black rather than white pepper) from the bottle in the Le Sol vs Homage vertical the previous night. GK 09/16

2005 Culley Sauvignon Blanc 18 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 12.5%; $18 [ screwcap; the website implies the wine is all s/s, but detail is lacking and the evidence in the glass contradicts; www.culleywines.co.nz ]
Pale straw, out of line with typical Marlborough sauvignon blanc. On bouquet, the reason is obvious: oak. Bouquet is thus complexed, presumably barrel-ferment and lees-autolysis for at least a component, introducing wholegrain bread and honey suggestions to clear red capsicum and the passion fruit smells – interesting. Palate is quite big, fatter than many Marlborough sauvignons, the varietal character broadened by oak, yet firmed by clean acid, leaving flavours almost of stonefruit and black passionfruit fruit salad, lingering well, 'dry' but not as dry as some. This will be more complex in a year, and should cellar well, to taste. A worthwhile style complement to the Ferry Bridge wine, which will be great with smoked seafoods. GK 03/06

2007 Destiny Bay [ Cabernets / Merlot ] Destinae (barrel sample) 18 (

)

Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.9%; $80 [ cork; CS 46, Me 22, CF 15, Ma 17, hand-harvested; c. 12 months in American 50% and French oak c. 50% new; en primeur offer date 1 April 2009 "significantly" below the above price, release date 1 April 2010; Destinae alludes to one’s destiny, or perhaps more the notion of arrival into nirvana (maybe in the sense of enjoying this wine); www.destinybaywine.com ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet. Bouquet is a little fresher than the 2007 Mystae, very youthful, some cassis, more dark plum and aromatic oak. Palate darkens the fruit considerably, good ripeness and seemingly a better oak balance at this stage than some of the more serious labels, all in a firm Medoc style. [ NB: the finished wine may differ from this barrel sample.] This should cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 06/08

2008 Domaine Bonneau du Martray Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru 18 (

)

Aloxe-Corton, Cote de Beaune, Burgundy, France: 13%; $ – [ cork; biodynamic vineyards, average vine age c.40 years; full MLF, c.12 months in barrel, 33% new, with batonnage; Domaine Bonneau du Martray is the single largest holding in Corton-Charlemagne at 9.5 hectares; the website is simply a statement the establishment exists, and cannot receive visitors – no info; www.bonneaudumartray.com ]
Lemonstraw, the deepest of the wines. Bouquet is noticeably more developed and broader in style, with wine-biscuit suggestions and a hint of honey already apparent in mixed bottled stonefruits, nectarines mainly. Palate shows a freshness not suggested by the bouquet, the fruit weight exactly matching the Keltern, again stonefruits, but winemaker Gordon Russell (who came down from Esk Valley specifically to learn from this tasting) used the descriptor 'creamed corn', which he sees as being negative. On the other hand, it is also a food-friendly quality to have in a white wine. There is much less new oak in this weaker year, so the total balance is admirable. In a food context, one would be pretty happy with this. Cellar another five years, maybe. GK 05/13

2014 Ata Rangi Pinot Noir 18 (

)

Martinborough Terrace, Wairarapa, New Zealand: 14%; $84 [ screwcap; Abel clone c.40%, assorted Dijon clones 40, UCD 5 15, planted at varying densities 2,800 – 4,400 vines/ha, average age c.23 years; all hand-picked @ c.4.1 t/ha (1.6 t/ac), 25% whole-bunch (the ratio depending on fruit-ripeness and year etc), pre-ferment cold soak 5 – 6 days, then 15 – 20 days cuvaison with 100% wild yeast; c.11 months in French oak c.35% new, medium toast; not sterile-filtered to bottle; RS <1 g/L; www.atarangi.co.nz ]
Good ruby, getting deep for pinot noir, clearly above midway. Bouquet on the 2014 Ata Rangi is extraordinarily close to the 2013, but the wine being less together, the pennyroyal is more obtrusive, rather masking any quality of florality the wine might show. I wonder which parcels of fruit in this Ata Rangi top wine are located close by eucalypts – as a starting point. Palate is potentially supple, the quality of cherry fruit here seeming a little more black cherry than the 2013, the concentration rich and rewarding. Like the Craggy two but less markedly so, the 2014 Ata Rangi seems fractionally cooler than the 2013. But I'm hard-put to differentiate between the 2013 and 2014 in quality, once the 12 months difference in age is adjusted for. They show wonderful consistency in winemaking. Cellar 5 – 18 years. GK 09/16

2005 Pisa Range Estate Pinot Noir Black Poplar Block 18 (

)

Pisa district, Cromwell Basin, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $55 [ screwcap; oldest vines 11 years; no whole bunch; c.11 months in French oak c.33% new; Cooper, 2007: Deeply coloured and attractively fragrant, it is weighty, fleshy sweet-fruited and supple, with plummy, spicy flavours, fresh and strong, ****; weight bottle and closure: 706 g; www.pisarangeestate.co.nz ]
Ruby and garnet, one of the older colours, above midway in depth. Bouquet is simply astonishing on this wine, a dramatic evocation not only of pinot noir the variety, but burgundy the winestyle. And specifically, in its excitement and zing, it reminds of the Cote de Nuits, not the Cote de Beaune. It is floral, but it is stretching the analogy to say boronia, the fragrant and maturing components being so married into the wine. There is also an autumnal suggestion, fitting with the colour, but it does not smell old in any negative sense. Red and black cherry fruits are now seamlessly complexed with oak, the wine at full maturity. Palate is rich alongside the burgundies, with the total acid up fractionally, though well covered by the mature fruit flavours. There is a suggestion of stalky complexity, only a trace, markedly less so than the other New Zealand wine. Eight people rated this their top or second wine, the second-highest group rating, and six thought it could be a New Zealand wine. GK 10/16

2004 Villa Maria Gewurztraminer Keltern Single Vineyard Reserve 18 (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $30 [ screwcap; hand-harvested; 5 hours skin contact, wild yeast fermentation in French oak 20% new, 5 months LA and weekly batonnage, RS 13 g/L; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Lemongreen. This is less aromatic gewurz than the Corbans and Lawsons, with rose petal and Turkish delight bouquet qualities and light stonefruits, plus some VA lift, on good total fruit. Palate is more flavoursome than the bouquet initially suggests, with good lychee fruit and some root ginger, and attractive mouth-feel helped by residual sugar (and possibly an MLF fraction). Palate develops some gewurz bite on the finish, making it even more clearly varietal. Medium-dry. It is inspiring to read of the effort that goes into making a wine like this, and the result is great. It should become more impressive in cellar, 3 – 10 years. GK 11/05

2007 Mission Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot / Cabernet Franc Jewelstone 18 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.3%; $38 [ cork; CS 45%, Me 31, CF 20, PV 4, hand-harvested at low yields; inoculated yeast, cuvaison up to 30 days; c. 15 months in French oak 73% new; RS nil; Catalogue: …berry and dark chocolate aromas. The palate is rich with good structure. The Cabernet provides the wine’s backbone and depth on the palate. The Cabernet Franc gives fragrant red currant aromas with fine tannins and the Merlot lends soft aromas and good mid palate. The Petit Verdot has vibrant fruit cake aromas and muscular tannins; Awards: Gold @ Air New Zealand 2008; www.missionestate.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, dense. Bouquet is darkly plummy, very ripe to over-ripe, lacking the freshness and excitement that comes from floral notes at perfect ripeness. Palate is sumptuous on its fat black texture, but again is lacking in vibrancy. This is a wine to illustrate the view previously expressed in these pages, that unthinkable though it would have been 20 years ago, the Gimblett Gravels in some years will produce over-ripe fruit which takes our wines uncomfortably close to Australian styles. For me the descriptor ‘chocolate’ lately much used as a positive attribute in wine by winemakers and wine-writers alike is a symptom of the growing Americanisation of wine taste and popular appreciation – where size, depth of colour and its associated (almost obligatory) over-ripeness and lushness prevail, and freshness is lesser. This Mission wine is moving in that direction, but beautiful oaking and natural acid help differentiate it from overseas examples. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 07/09

2005 Kumeu River Chardonnay Village 18 (

)

Kumeu, north of Auckland, New Zealand: 13.1%; $ – [ screwcap; release May ’06, ’04 c. $18; 100% BF in 10% new oak, 100% MLF, RS nil; formerly labelled Brajkovich Chardonnay; www.kumeuriver.co.nz ]
Lemon. A clean, fragrant and vividly varietal chardonnay bouquet, showing white grading to yellow stonefruits, plus mealy lees-autolysis and oak complexities. Palate shows a beautiful integration of chardonnay fruit with mealy and baguette-crust fermentation complexities and light oak, coupled with a super acid balance. This is quite the best Village / Brajkovich Chardonnay yet, and will cellar to five years easily. The standard of the wine is so good, because the crop was much reduced in 2005. Thus all the wine was fermented in oak. In normal years more than half of it is tank-fermented. The Brajkovich’s misfortune therefore presents a golden opportunity to buy a (in effect) much more serious wine at the introductory price the Village wine carries. GK 02/06

2002 Rousseau Ruchottes-Chambertin 18 (

)

Gevrey-Chambertin Grand Cru, Cotes de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 13%; $206 [ cork; 30 – 35 hl/ha (1.5 – 1.8 t/ac); 10% whole-bunch, c. 15 day cuvaison in s/s; MLF and up 22 months in French oak 25% new; Coates: Even more impressive on the nose. Profound, rich, full, concentrated and elegant. Very pure and very virile. Fullish body on the palate. Excellent balance. Gently oaky. Very long. A very lovely wine. Very fine plus. From 2011; Parker / Rovani: 89 – 92; www.domaine-rousseau.com ]
Pinot noir ruby, the average of the Rousseaus. This wine stands out a little in the bunch, with a very floral and fragrant bouquet pitched at a lighter level than the top wines: buddleia as opposed to boronia and violets. This is a quality of bouquet evident in many good but not top New Zealand pinots. Palate is crisp red cherries, subtle oak, some succulence and weight, thoroughly attractive burgundy in the lighter, fragrant, more typically Rousseau style. Cellar 3 – 15 years. GK 07/06

2004 Morton Estate Chardonnay White Label 18 (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $16 [ screwcap; ex 4 vineyards, some wild yeast ferment; BF in French oak; www.mortonestatewines.co.nz ]
Light straw. First impressions are a complex barrel-fermented and lees-autolysis etc chardonnay bouquet, with good underlying freshness and white stonefruits, and attractive mealyness grading into cashew. Palate picks up all these flavours, and melds them seamlessly into an attractive slightly acid wine which is quite European in style, not unduly oaky, and delightfully long-flavoured. Button mushrooms develop on the aftertaste. At this price, this is a dramatic illustration of just how far New Zealand chardonnay has travelled in the last 25 years. Delicious wine, lighter and fresher than the Martinborough Vineyard, though some of the same winemaking components can be tasted. What a difference the extra year makes. Cellar 5 – 8 years. VALUE GK 02/06

2004 Unison Syrah 18 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $36 [ supercritical cork; nearly two years in wood; www.unisonvineyard.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, the second deepest. Bouquet is distinctive on this wine, in the blind tasting showing the most evidence of higher toast on the oak, a hint of dark chocolate / coffee maybe, which adds to its immediate appeal for many people, but threatens to dominate and move the wine towards the 'international style' and away from varietal delicacy. The oak is backed by plenty of fruit, however, and the berry should win out and complexity re-build. On palate the fruit is plummy ripe, as rich and ripe as the somewhat similar Villa Maria Cellar Selection, but not as open and relaxed as that wine, the oak showing more. This Unison is richer than the Homage, and is another which should show much better in five years' time. Cellar 5 â€“ 20 years. GK 11/06

2010 Trinity Hill Syrah Homage 18 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $106 [ cork 49mm; release price $124; hand-picked at about 2.5 t/ha (1 t/ac) from Sy 100%; the grapes de-stemmed, lightly crushed to leave whole berries; shortish cuvaison; c.15 months in French oak mostly new, some lees stirring, not a lot of racking; this wine is the largest volume yet made of Homage, nearly 600 cases; J Robinson, 2013: Unnecessarily heavy bottle but the wine itself is lightening up. Brooding crimson. Savoury, lifted nose. Lots of liquorice and sap. Still quite young but confident enough to make it to old age. Very juicy. Well managed tannins present on the finish: 17; Lisa Perrotti-Brown @ R Parker, 2012: ... a little closed, with notes of blueberries and plums plus hints of allspice, chocolate and toast. Medium to full-bodied, it gives a good core of mid-palate flesh supported by medium to high acid and a medium to firm level of rounded tannins, going savory / earthy in the long finish. Drink it now to 2018+: 91; M Cooper, 2013: One of the country's most distinguished – and expensive – reds … a '7 out of 7' year, believes winemaker John Hancock … powerful, with great depth of superbly ripe blackcurrant, plum and spice flavours, framed by ripe, supple tannins. Still a baby, its already approachable, but well worth cellaring to at least 2015+: *****; weight bottle and closure: 1035 g; www.trinityhill.com ]
Ruby and velvet, much less vivid than 2010 Le Sol, just above midway in depth. Bouquet is quieter too, a more evolved winestyle with darker berry notes and even black olive creeping into the cassis and black pepper. Palate shows furry tannins again more European than new-world, and the wine is drying a little to the finish. The question of low-level brett was raised, but winemaker Warren Gibson says there is none. It will be interesting to see how these two (the 2010 Le Sol and 2010 Homage) compare in the years to come. Two tasters rated this their top or second-favourite wine. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 09/16

1981 Chalone Pinot Noir 18 (

)

Gavilan Range, Monterey County, California: 12.8%; $80 [ 49mm cork; grown at c.600 m in very low rainfall, on limestone; at the time regarded as amongst the best expressions of the variety in California; no info; www.chalonevineyard.com ]
Garnet and ruby, the second deepest. Bouquet is intensely aromatic in a darkly floral, black cherry and browning way, yet highly varietal too. There is quite a spicy component to the aromatic florals, and on the third or fourth pass the penny drops, ah yes, trace nutmeg aroma of the 4-EG phase of brett metabolites aroma, but at the level most people find elusive, enticing and saliva-inducing. Palate is flavoursome, dark cherry, some oak showing, hints of spice again, in a dramatically Cote de Nuits texture and style, very legitimate. Like the Corton, it is at the end of its plateau of maturity, and essentially for the same reason – more new oak now showing. The Chalone was the top wine for four on the night, and this is winemakers speaking. So there is a lesson here for pretentious amateurs, who having learnt to recognise brett metabolite aromas, then affect the stance the wine is unacceptable to their rarefied sensibilities. A wonderful wine with more flavoursome foods, the parallel to Cote de Nuits being uncanny. No hurry. GK 10/14

2014 Easthope Family WineGrowers Syrah Moteo 18 (

)

Moteo / Puketapu district, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12.5%; $45 [ Stelvin Lux; Sy 100%, cropped at 6.3 t/ha (2.5 t/ac); 100% whole-bunch fermented in concrete 'eggs', cuvaison 8 weeks; elevation 80% in concrete, 20% in new oak for 12 months. Included to illustrate the distinctive aromas and flavours the whole-bunch fermentation technique introduces to syrah (or pinot noir), yet the wine retains varietal florality and a suggestion of black pepper in a darker tending-European way. Some cassis and black olive aromas and flavours; www.easthope.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, not quite as deep as the Te Awa. The bouquet is immediately totally different from the preceding wines, displaying a very dark berry character, hard to describe but suggestions of darkest brown mushrooms and black olives, as well as black pepper, tapenade and muted cassis and dark plum. The nett impression is most unusual for New Zealand reds, but is not quite so strange in a French context. Oak is near invisible, the unusual fermentation characters dominating. Palate brings up the black pepper component of the flavour, in a wine which seems fractionally harder or more acid than the Te Awa, on dark berry and dark plum fruit. The nett balance of smells and flavours continues unusual in new world terms, but it works with food. It needs more time to come together. Meanwhile this is the go-to wine for demonstrating whole-bunch fermentation characters in syrah. While on this showing 100% whole-bunch is too much for easy general acceptance, nonetheless it is a great teaching wine. Cellar 5 – 15 years. I have yet to understand why high whole-bunch syrah ferments display a character reminiscent of brett. GK 10/16

2001 Penfolds Cabernet / Shiraz Bin 389 18 (

)

South Australia, Australia: 14%; $44 [ mainly Padthaway, Bordertown and McLaren Vale, plus some Barossa, Kalimna and Robe; 13 months in new (22%), and older US oak; www.penfolds.com.au ]
Deep ruby, carmine and velvet. A very rich, deeply floral, ripe, fruity and nearly raisiny bouquet creates a good first impression, chock-full of cassisy berry and darkly plummy fruit. One can nearly imagine violets in the depths of this. Palate is deeply skinsy, very dry with the cassis showing the raisiny edge again, not excessively oaky, and some of the oak older. A classic example of the better Penfolds styles, though not quite matching the best of recent years. In this instant gratification age, good to see even Penfolds saying this wine will cellar for 20 years. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 05/04

2010 Misha’s Vineyard Pinot Noir The High Note 18 (

)

Bendigo Terraces, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $45 [ screwcap; hand-harvested; wild-yeast ferments, c.10 months in hogsheads, 38% new; www.mishasvineyard.com ]
Quite big pinot noir ruby, in the first quarter for depth. Bouquet is big by pinot noir standards, quite a ‘meaty’ even burly approach to pinot noir, fragrant but not really floral, more plummy than cherry, a lot of oak, a bigger winestyle altogether. Palate confirms bouquet, a rich solid wine reminding of Gigondas as much as pinot noir, the later palate a little tannic and drying. It is not a winestyle you associate with Olly Masters. It is appreciably fresher and ‘cooler’ than the hotter-year 2009 from Wooing Tree, but they make an interesting comparison, side by side. Olly’s wines stay youthful a surprisingly long time, like the wines of Burgundy, so this is only now showing some maturity. Expect it to lighten up and be more lissome once the tannins crust in bottle. Notwithstanding the lack of precise pinot noir beauty, this is an attractive mouth-filling wine. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 06/17

1999 Felton Road Pinot Noir Block 3 18 (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $116 [ cork 45mm, ullage 16mm; original price c.$47; winemaker Blair Walter; winemaking, see Table; HS@WS, 2000: Ripe and generous, plump with black currant and plum flavors on a lithe, polished frame, showing a note of black pepper on the finish. Drink now through 2006. 40 cases imported, 88; Cooper, 2001: … this is a majestic wine, rivalling Gibbston Valley Reserve at the top of the Otago Pinot Noir hierarchy … The 1999 … is darker than the standard bottling, with splendid intensity and complexity. Showing great overall power, it has concentrated, spicy, cherryish flavours and firm tannins. Its sweet fruit characters give early approachability, but the wine’s arresting depth suggest it will richly repay cellaring, *****; weight bottle, no closure 589 g; www.feltonroad.com ]
Ruby and garnet, in the middle for depth. In one sense this was the most fragrant and varietal of the wines, markedly floral / buddleia as well as pink roses but also slightly leafy, raising the worry, would it be stalky ? Palate shows supple red more than black fruits, the flavour not stalky but slightly tanniny. One winemaker thought the wine lacking in body, which would correlate with the given cropping rate (NB: Blair advises “almost double of today’s yields”), but it is pretty supple and very varietal. That was reflected in the voting: one first place, four second, while 10 thought it France, and eight New Zealand. Still holding well, near the end of its plateau of maturity. GK 09/19

2007 Matua Valley Sauvignon Blanc Reserve 18 (

)

Wairau & Awatere Valleys, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $20 [ machine-harvested; cool-fermented and c. 2 months LA in s/s; RS 2.2 g/L; www.matua.co.nz ]
Lemongreen, a standard good Marlborough sauvignon blanc colour. This wine is still too young to show its best, needing a good decanting. It is a much more fruit-dominated and familiar Marlborough sauvignon style than Te Koko, but the point of ripeness achieved shows some white honeysuckle florals, with fragrant black passionfruit pulp, a hint of ripest red capsicum, and again some sweet basil savoury complexity. Palate follows-on well, and it is only here that perhaps one might think there is some trace of sweet fragrant gentle oak, reinforcing the grape aromatics [again, no]. This sauvignon seems to be coming together compared with the previous note, is conventional alongside the Section 94, and will look even better in a year. Cellar 2 – 8 years, perhaps longer. A 'Search' function would be handy on the Matua website, since the range of labels is now wide, and the criteria for naming them not totally consistent – for example the term Reserve is used under several headings. GK 05/08

2009 Te Mata Syrah Bullnose 18 (

)

Bridge Pa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $45 [ Cork 45mm ; 3 clones of syrah hand-harvested from 13 – 21-year old vines, 100% de-stemmed; extended cuvaison; 15 months in French oak 35 – 40% new; RS nil; the 2009 selected for this tasting, since fractionally riper / more depth than the 2010; Campbell, 2011: Lovely elegant yet dense red with white and black pepper adding spice to red berry flavours. There's also a touch of floral/violet character adding extra complexity. Lovely vibrant and slightly edgy red that will age splendidly. It has a great, rich and velvety texture. Terrific!, 96; Chan, 2011: This is arguably the best Syrah yet for Te Mata. Fruit from the ‘Bullnose' site on old red iron soils, from vines up to 19 y.o., this was fermented to 13.5% alc., the wine aged in new and seasoned French oak for 15 months. Dark purple-red in colour, this has a beautifully perfumed, primary fruited nose of violets, black and white pepper, spices and dark fruits. The palate is rich, but stylishly elegant, the ethereal florals lifting the dark berry fruit flavours. The wine has velvety textures and a sustained finish. This will keep 7-10 years, 19+/20 ; Cooper, 2012: The 2009 is a top vintage. Its a very graceful wine, dark and concentrated, with beautifully rich, ripe plum and black pepper flavours, good tannin backbone and a long, finely textured finish. Well worth cellaring, 5-stars; www.temata.co.nz ]
Fresh ruby, the lightest of the contemporary wines. I placed this wine alongside the Cuilleron Cote Rotie, to emphasise the extraordinary similarity of style the best Bridge Pa Triangle syrahs show to that district. Bullnose has been consistent in this respect for many years. Being fractionally cooler (maybe) than the Gimblett Gravels (though my Hot Reds review, July 2014, discounts this as more apparent than real), but certainly slightly different viticulturally, the Triangle may be more suited to fine floral and subtle syrah than the Gimblett Gravels, at least in the warm years. The florality on bouquet, dusky roses and wallflower, is nearly as great as the Cuilleron, and much riper than the Jamet, in a positive sense. Palate is textbook Cote Rotie, centred on cassis, a shadow of black pepper, hints of red fruits and plums. Oaking is perfect, as Te Mata so often achieves with their top syrah. Florality on bouquet is enhanced by a whisper of VA, threshold only, not significant. It is not a big wine, but finesse not weight has been the Bullnose goal all through. Because it is not a big wine, a couple of tasters felt the oak showed a little much. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 11/14

2013 Villa Maria Pinot Noir Cellar Selection 18 (

)

Wairau & Awatere Valleys, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $25 [ screwcap; all de-stemmed, long cold-soak, includes wild-yeast fractions; c.10 months in barrel, c.20% new; RS typically below 1 g/L; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby, the lightest of the first quarter / darkest bracket. Bouquet is quiet but satisfying, the more you explore it, the more it reveals. The floral component is roses and violets, sweet but subtle, on an attractively harmonious cherry / oak interaction. Both lead into an almost ideal palate ripeness and weight for affordable pinot noir, with much more sophisticated oak handling than the floral but simpler wines such as the Gunn Reserve. Total style reminds of Pommard. One is getting much of the quality of the Villa Maria Reserve pinots here at half the price. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 06/17

2014 Dry River Pinot Noir 18 (

)

Martinborough, Wairarapa, New Zealand: 13.5%; $102 [ cork 50mm; www.dryriver.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, deeper than the Fromm Fromm Vineyard Syrah, by far the deepest pinot, too deep for pinot noir. When you find out the name on the label, you can't help sighing, having hoped for a new approach under new management. At the blind stage, my handwritten notes say: 'big burly wine, could be syrah … give benefit of doubt' … and as you taste it, and think about the qualities the wine shows, it is in fact nearly floral in a deep dusky way (but so is fine syrah), and it does smell and taste of rich tending over-ripe pinot noir, on the tannin structure. The oak handling is beautiful, and the black cherry fruit manages to avoid being too darkly plummy. So I'm going to assume that there has been serious saignée in this wine, and that if you cellar it and wait for it to become less burly, it will end up as convincing big pinot noir. It is therefore the best Dry River Pinot Noir I have tasted, but nonetheless it is a mistake to continue the perverse style of previous management. Good pinot noir never was like those wines, no matter what an ill-informed (or rather, easily misled) New Zealand public and auction market thinks. I acknowledge the wine is fresher and more varietal than many previous examples, but less ripeness and less colour will be better still. Cellar 8 – 18 years. GK 06/16

2013 Clonakilla Shiraz / Viognier 18 (

)

Murrumbateman, Canberra district, New South Wales, Australia: 14%; $ – [ screwcap; bottle courtesy Geoff Wilson, cost $A90; Sh 95%, Vi 5%, co-fermented; 20% whole-bunches retained in fermentations; 12 months in French oak, 30% new; the website has little or no wine information and no previous vintages, disappointing for such a highly-regarded winery. Reference to the Guigal or Te Mata sites would show how it should be done; www.clonakilla.com.au ]
Ruby, with the interloper 2013 Pask Declaration, clearly the lightest wine. As a highly-regarded and highly sought-after Australian shiraz, tasting convener Geoff Wilson included this wine as a kind of sighter, even matching the vintage. A thrill to taste it, particularly blind. The wine immediately sits alongside the Te Mata Bullnose as transparently Cote Rotie in styling, and thus extraordinary for Australia. It is very fragrant on red and some darker berries, clear blueberry, some cassis, some plum, not as dark as the New Zealand syrahs – interestingly. There is no hint of euc'y taints – a matter for rejoicing – and no more pennyroyal / aromatic / minty qualities than the Villa Maria shows. Palate shows a gentle melding of red fruits, berry and oak which again is extraordinarily Cote Rotie, nearly Burgundy, and likewise the wine is very food-friendly, unlike many Australian reds (when seen overseas), irrespective of their popularity. The wine is so delicate, it is hard to be sure of its cellar potential: again the New Zealand pinot noir model comes to mind, 5 – 12 years maybe. GK 07/16

2005 Escarpment Pinot Noir Kupe 18 (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.2%; $85 [ cork; to be released in March '07; no info on website yet; www.escarpment.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, a good colour for Martinborough. Bouquet has a clear pennyroyal aromatic, which I'm starting to think must reflect a subliminal eucalyptus component. Additionally, there is a great floral and spicy lift with almost a black pepper overtone. On palate all these factors come together in a deliciously rich, slightly buttery (+ve) mouthfeel, as if the wine has lees enrichment / batonnage. The black pepper note on bouquet continues, and while it could be pinot noir in an aromatic sense, it is also reminiscent of syrah in a floral Cote Rotie styling. A bit confusing therefore, different from the '03 Kupe, but this is going to be attractive wine, which should cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 01/07

2006 Penfolds Cabernet / Shiraz Bin 389 18 (

)

Barossa Valley, Langhorne Creek, Coonawarra & McLaren Vale, South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $38 [ screwcap; DFB; CS 52%, Sh 48; 12 months in American oak 22% new, all hogsheads; some BF material from the Grange, Bin 707 and other top-end red wine programmes; www.penfolds.com.au ]
Ruby and velvet, some carmine, much the same colour and weight as 2007 The Quarry. Bouquet however is very different from that wine, being more overtly minty than the best vintages of Bin 389. Below there is clear-cut cassis which melds with aromatics at the level of mint rather well (though not with euc.), and quite bold oak. And we must remember that subtle floral mint is regarded as part of the spectrum of straight cabernet descriptors, and is recorded even from certain famous Medoc wines. Palate is as oaky as The Quarry, but not quite so berry saturated, the shiraz body not showing up yet so it seems a little harder and shorter at this stage. Total acid balance and texture is good relative to most South Australian Cabernet / Shiraz wines, though Quarry is finer-grained on the acid. Like the Te Mata 2007s, Penfolds are offering the 2006s at a lower price than the 2005s. Cellar 5 – 20 years at least, for Bin 389 has a great cellar record. GK 03/09

2009 Felton Road Pinot Noir 18 (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $49 [ Screwcap; hand-harvested at 5.3 t/ha = 2.1 t/ac, 20% whole-bunch, wild-yeast fermentations; 11 months in French oak, 30% new; not fined or filtered; this is the main bottling, a blend of approx. one third Elms, Cornish Point and Calvert vineyards, and the most widely available Felton Road pinot, production 4,375 x 9-L cases; not fined or filtered; dry extract 27.1 g/L; Julia Harding @ Jancis Robinson, 2011: This was my favourite Pinot of this tasting but I did not pick it out as the Kiwi among the Ozzies (in fact only 2 out of around 50 tasters did so). Deeply coloured. Slightly savoury and oaky on the nose but with ripe red fruit too. Raspberry-ripple ice cream. Fragrant on the mid palate. Soft, elegant and very pure fruited. Good length. Fine grained and beautifully balanced, 17.5; Cooper, 2012: The 2009 is beautifully floral and supple, with vibrant, concentrated cherry, plum and spice flavours that build to a long finish, *****; weight bottle and closure: 558 g; www.feltonroad.com ]
Good pinot noir ruby, midway in the field. This wine is overtly floral, fragrant, and highly varietal. First impression is a knockout. When you study the wine more closely, you see that the floral notes are in fact quite diverse, spanning the range from buddleia to roses, hints of boronia, but also traces of leafyness, making you wonder if there will be any green notes in the taste. Palate is red grading to black cherry, very lively, fruit more dominant to oak relative to the wines marked more highly, but yes, there is the faintest hint of stalkyness / green in the flavour too. This presumably reflects winemaker Blair Walter's belief in using a percentage of whole-bunch in the fermentation. Palate weight seems less than some of the wines, but the quality of flavour makes one overlook that. You end up feeling the fruit was picked fractionally early, and the wine needs higher dry extract to match grand cru wines from Burgundy. I was asked why not one of the the Block wines in the tasting, but (generalising) I prefer the greater fruit expression of the slightly less-oaked main Bannockburn label. Cellar 3 – 8 years. Six people rated this their top or second wine, one thought it French, and five thought it a $100-plus bottle. GK 07/16

2013 Xanadu Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 18 (

)

Margaret River, West Australia, New Zealand: 14%; $85 [ screwcap; cepage in 2013 CS 90%, CF 5, Ma 5, hand-picked; c.28 days cuvaison ; MLF and c.14 months in French small oak, 50% new, then 2 months post-blending in older oak to marry up; vintage rating 9/10 by Halliday; imported by MacVine International, Auckland; weight bottle and closure: 710 g; www.xanaduwines.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, exactly midway in depth. In the field of 27, this wine is clearly cassis-led, but slightly aromatic too, at the Prostanthera (Australian flowering mint) level only. This lifts the bouquet, so to first sight the wine seems more clearly cabernet than the Moss Wood. Palate shows great cassis in this slightly aromatic context, and lovely cedary oak, but all in a fractionally lighter winestyle than the Moss Wood, the flavours lingering delightfully. Text-book serious Australian cabernet, though the same caveat re dry extract. Cellar 10 – 25 years. GK 08/16

2012 Seppelt Shiraz St Peters 18 (

)

Grampians, Victoria, Australia: 14.5%; $62 [ Screwcap; rated Outstanding in the Langton's Australian wine classification, the second-level group of 52 wines; Halliday rates the 2012 vintage 8 for The Grampians (a famous west Victoria wine district including Great Western, 180 km east of Coonawarra); this is the top wine in the Seppelt red range, a long-established wine name in Victoria now part of Treasury Wine Estates (along with Penfolds); vines were first planted in the district in 1863; the Great Western winery was founded by Joseph Best in 1865; the tunnels were dug by gold-miners, and sparkling wine production, for which the district first became famous, commenced in 1890. The Seppelt family bought the winery in 1918; this wine includes fruit from vineyards planted in the 1930s; the label traces its history back to the (then) black-label Seppelt Great Western Hermitage first released in 1964; winemaking includes retaining some whole-bunches and berries, and some hand-methods, followed by 14 months in both larger vats, and barriques, all French and 40% new; the makers estimate a 50-year lifespan, unusual; Halliday, 2014: Sourced from the 90-year-old block adjacent to the winery and from other old plantings in the region; open-fermented and hand-plunged, matured in new and used French barriques for 14 months. The black fruit iron fist in the flowery, spicy velvet glove will guarantee the wine a prodigiously long life; it has the innate balance and length the region can provide like few others. Drink by 2062, 97; Kyte-Powell, 2014: Seppelt Great Western Shiraz has a long, impressive heritage and this 2012 is a great example. The nose has raspberry, plum, gentle spice and chocolatey notes, with a suggestion of the granite earth of the region. Its a traditional regional style at its best, with a velvety, medium-weight palate, fine tannins and a long finish, 96; bottle weight 813 g; www.seppelt.com.au ]
Ruby and velvet, a little older than some, near the middle for depth. Bouquet is quiet, nearly floral, some flowering mint, blueberry the dominant fruit analogy. Palate picks up the mintyness on a fruit weight more Cape Mentelle than McLaren Vale, but the higher alcohol accentuates the oak and mint a little much. There are still syrah suggestions in this wine, though. Nobody rated it top, two second, nobody least, two thought it Penfolds, and none New Zealand. Cellar 5 – 18 years. GK 04/17

1983 Guigal Cote-Rotie Cotes Brune et Blonde 18 (

)

Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $150 [ Cork, 49 mm; now Sy 96%, Vi 4, average age 35 years, typically cropped at 4.8 t/ha = 1.9 t/ac; Parker rating for year 89; c. 21 days cuvaison, elevation three years in barrel, 50% new; Robinson, 2016: Mid ruby. Relatively fragile nose. Lots of strawberry fruit with an overlay of umami. Gentle and sweet. This has lasted amazingly well. A bit too sweet on the finish to be refreshing. But it has certainly lasted, 17; Parker, 1997: I preferred this wine during its first 10 years of life, as it has now lost some of its fat and succulence. Still a healthy dark ruby color, with only minor amber at the edge, the nose offers a spicy, earthy, sweet red-fruit character. It possesses the dry tannin that is found in so many wines of this vintage, but some fruit remains, as well as medium to full body, and a spicy, austere finish. Anticipated maturity: now-2004. Last tasted 12/93, 87; Wine Spectator, 1995: Ripe, thick and tannic. Vanilla and floral aromas are still young, and the plum and sweet licorice flavors promise long development. Drinkable now, but better in 1998, 90; www.guigal.com ]
Garnet and ruby, the second lightest wine, but clearly redder than the 1985. This wine benefits from a splashy decanting, to reveal a fragrant bouquet which is still nearly floral like the 1998, but there is just a hint of tannin creeping in too, betraying its age. You can see it was cassisy, but the berry is browning now. Palate is markedly fresher and better than the bouquet, the berry clearly related to the 1998, just appropriately older. As is his wont, Gordon Russell (Esk Valley) made the most perceptive comment on this wine: yes it is old, but it's not drying, it still has fruit. You can't help feeling sad that so few people see these wines in full maturity. This example is at the far edge of its plateau of maturity. One person had it as their second favourite, in the entire set. GK 05/17

2009 Huia Traditional Method Brut 18 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 12.5%; $36 [ supercritical Diam 'cork'; 6.5 g/L dosage; www.huiavineyards.com ]
Evaluation of the Negociants' methodes was facilitated by Glengarry Wines showing another set of 'grower' champagnes, the same week. Quite deep straw, the deepest of the New Zealand methodes, deeper than any of the champagnes it was tasted with, including the two rosés. Bouquet is intriguing, showing a quality and depth of autolysis I have seen only once before in the Huia methodes, beautifully clean deepest baguette in style, really much more Vogel's Multigrain lightly toasted. Palate has a presence and weight to it which bespeaks a Bollinger model, and a considerable barrel-ferment component in the primary fermentation. The degree of this component will not please the delicacy brigade one little bit. Maybe it is a bit big ... yet … the whole wine is fresh, pleasing in mouth, with refreshing dosage maybe 7 g/L, and surprisingly low phenolics given the degree of character and development. The oak does creep up a bit on the long finish. I imagine it would be fantastic with flavoursome savouries. This wine shows a new level of achievement for complex New Zealand methode champenoise. Reined-in slightly on the colour and oak side, even less new oak maybe, this approach will go on to great things. Exciting wine. Claire Allan advises the next release, the 2010, is a blanc de blancs, so we can await that with great anticipation. Cellar 5 – 12 years, maybe 15. GK 06/16

2014 Black Barn Merlot / Cabernet Franc 18 (

)

Havelock North district, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $29 [ screwcap; www.blackbarn.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, in the top quarter for depth. This wine needs decanting, being a little disorganised freshly poured, as if recently bottled. Bouquet is then 'sweet', ripely plummy, rich, reminding yet again in this Australian-dominated set of 'other reds', just how wonderful the transformation in New Zealand red wines is, since around the year 2000. Fruit and berry on bouquet here is totally pure, no minty taints, deeply ripe, still a bit oaky but not as obviously oaky as earlier years of Black Barn premium reds. Palate is plummy and merlot-dominant, the subtlety of the more red-fruited cabernet franc a bit lost in the fruit weight, and also the oak showing more now in mouth. It is much less oaky than Aviator, yet of similar richness. Cellar 5 – 18 years. GK 06/16

1986 Vasse Felix Cabernet Sauvignon 18 (

)

Margaret River, West Australia, Australia: 12.8%; $ – [ Cork, 45 mm; original price $23.66; a highly-regarded label, first produced in 1972 – the first red wine from Margaret River; this wine blended from several vineyards within the Margaret River region. Even then it was noted for its French oak and finesse, at a time when American oak was still common. It sometimes has a few percent of merlot, malbec and shiraz added for complexity; no reviews found in the time available; bottle weight 568 g; www.vassefelix.com.au ]
Garnet and ruby, midway in depth. Never did a bottle more dramatically illustrate the benefits of decanting and air. Freshly opened this wine was massive and dull. Yet it fairly quickly cleared to reveal dramatic cassis – perhaps the definitive example of cassis in the tasting, the wine being nearly 100% cabernet sauvignon. In mouth there is not quite the harmony of the top cooler-climate wines, the thought of acid adjustment being apparent, but the pinpoint ripeness of the cabernet is simply a delight. It contrasted vividly with the Ch La Lagune, where there is evident sur-maturité, blackberry being the dominant fruit note. Length of flavour is good though oak handling is to a max, but considering the era in the new world, all pretty good. I did hear a winemaker mention brett, but I am disinclined to believe it. Anyway, in a dinner context that thought would not upset at all – just vinosity / complexity. Lovely wine, so much what I expect from West Australia, and thus contrasting vividly with the recent vintages of Vasse Felix cabernets shown recently in Wellington, and reported on in an article on the Negociants Tour, July 2016. Five rated this wine their first or second favourite, 14 thought it from France, and nobody thought it Australian. You can't ask for a better result than that. Cellar 5 – 25 years, also to lose tannin. GK 08/16

2008 Champagne Piper Heidsieck Brut 18 (

)

Reims, Champagne, France: 12%; $95 [ standard compound cork; PN 55%, Ch 45, mostly premier or grand cru vineyards; MLF employed; en tirage c.6 – 7 years; dosage 9.5 g/L; www.piper-heidsieck.com ]
A deeper colour, one of two wines to be more straw than lemon. Bouquet is intriguing, beautifully clean, nearly floral, some citrus, a hint of mandarin, all suggesting high chardonnay. The autolysis side is slightly strange at first, but settles down in glass to be convincing, improving in mouth to give quite a mealy quality, a hint of citrus zest, and trace cashew. This tasted the sweetest of the eight wines, but at 9.5 g/L is still within bounds. A good all-round champagne, to cellar 3 – 12 years. GK 05/17

2007 Mission Estate Cabernet / Merlot Jewelstone 18 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $38 [ supercritical 'cork'; CS 45%, Me 31, CF 20, PV 4; inoculated yeast, cuvaison up to 30 days; c. 15 months in French oak 73% new; www.missionestate.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a rich claret colour. This wine along with another 2007 stood out in the tasting more as a work in progress, having not had the time in bottle to develop a little complexity. Bouquet is both floral and fleshy, bottled black doris plum dominant, but so youthful. Palate is soft ripe and rich, both juicy and unsophisticated as yet, the oak scarcely showing. The fruit quality is there for a much more exciting bottle in a couple of years, but perhaps the wine is a bit soft for long cellaring, beyond maybe 12 years or so. If this is a forerunner of the quality in the 2007 vintage in Hawkes Bay, we have much to look forward to it – as Hawkes Bay winemakers have been saying for some time. GK 11/08

2010 Misha's Vineyard Pinot Noir The High Note 18 (

)

Bendigo district, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $45 [ screwcap; www.mishasvineyard.com ]
Medium pinot noir ruby, a little age showing, clearly above midway in depth. Bouquet is understated yet holds the promise of the wine being powerful, some red rose florals, clear red more than black cherry fruit, beautifully balanced. In mouth the wine grows in size, tactile red fruits pinot noir of good weight and concentration, with oak perhaps at a max to match that concentration. There are thoughts here of Gevrey-Chambertin, but just a trace of stalk letting that idea down. Intriguing. It will be interesting to see if it gains in stature with further bottle age, and if the tannins assimilate, or crust. GK 06/16

2013 Urlar Pinot Noir Select Parcels 18 (

)

Gladstone, Wairarapa, New Zealand: 14%; $61 [ screwcap; www.urlar.co.nz ]
Lovely pinot noir ruby, well below midway in depth, classic. Bouquet is intriguingly old-fashioned, both floral in a medium-hued roses sense, but also slightly spicy / piquant, as if trace brett. Below are fragrant red fruits. In mouth there is more depth than the bouquet suggests, plus an aromatic quality almost like a hint of cinnamon, a reminder of elegant grenache. Oaking is a little higher than ideal for the fruit weight, but fits in with the savoury aspect of the wine. Finish is just a little drying. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 06/16

2017 Whitehaven Sauvignon Blanc 18 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $20 [ screwcap; SB 100%, machine picked; cold-settled, s/s-fermented, RS 4 g/L; www.whitehaven.co.nz ]
Pale lemongreen, one of the lighter in these mixed whites. Bouquet is a little more clearly sauvignon blanc than the Mahi, not quite so ripe, fractionally more floral with suggestions of elderflower, plus herbes and trace capsicum, beautifully pure. Palate is narrower and sweeter than the Mahi, much more stainless steel and conventional Marlborough, but again showing good modern ripeness levels, and quite good fruit weight. Finish is ‘standard’ Marlborough ‘dry’ sauvignon blanc. You can see why it has won gold medals. Cellar 3 – 5 years, though will hold longer, for those who enjoy the changing flavours of older sauvignon. GK 06/19

2015 Escarpment Pinot Noir Pahi Single Vineyard 18 (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13%; $70 [ screwcap; 28-year old vines, Pahi vineyard in Martinborough proper; wild-yeast fermented in wooden cuves, 17 days cuvaison, 18 months in French oak 30% new; RS < 1 g/L, dry extract 28.3 g/L, not filtered; this is the last vintage of Pahi, Escarpment having lost access to the fruit; www.escarpment.co.nz ]
Quite big pinot noir ruby, in the first quarter for depth. Freshly opened this one is oaky too, but it breathes up more quickly than some of the Escarpments, such that dusky rose florals on black cherry fruit can be said to dominate the bouquet. Palate is a little cooler and leaner than Te Rehua, with the oak thus more noticeable. Here though this oak is not overtly nutmeggy, being more regular in style. This has the building blocks to become fragrant Martinborough pinot in five years. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 06/17

2007 Craggy Range Syrah Le Sol 18 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.2%; $94 [ cork 49mm; release price $100; Sy 100% Limmer clone, hand-harvested @ 2.2 t/ac from a stony part of the vineyard; 100% de-stemmed, 2 days cold soak, wild-yeast fermentation in open-top oak cuves, 22 days cuvaison including cold-soak; no BF component; MLF and 20 months in French oak 42% new; RS nil; filtered; c. 1000 x 9-L cases in 2007; J Robinson, 2009: 'Later picking and showing off', is how Easthope described this bottling. Meaty, nice dry finish, succulent and lots of liquorice. Great balance. Sweeter than the Collina but perhaps not quite as sophisticated: 17.5; N Martin @ R Parker, 2009: ... very intense, almost introverted on the nose, closed compared to the Block 14 but the palate is full-bodied with immense chewy tannins, real weight and concentration but good acidity. Huge grip, pure black cherry, cassis and plum but velvety and caressing on the finish. Iron first/velvet glove etc. Unreal: 96; M Cooper, 2010: Craggy Range views the 2007 vintage as its greatest syrah yet – and it's hard to argue … a voluminous bouquet of cassis, spice and black pepper. Full-bodied and supple, it has concentrated, ripe, spicy, nutty flavours, showing superb density, elegance and length: *****; weight bottle and closure: 975 g; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, well below midway in depth. Bouquet shows fragrant, aromatic, clean maturing syrah, some cassis browning slightly now, some black pepper, beautifully pure. Flavours grade from cassis to bottled black doris plum, softer, riper and richer than the 2006s, maybe a thought of ripening to the blueberry level with an associated fleshy finish, even though the tannins do creep up too. This is very much a new-world syrah, to cellar 3 – 12 years more. It attracted four first or second-place votes. GK 09/16

2009 Charles Wiffen Chardonnay 18 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $23 [ screwcap; not on website, previous vintages suggest around 10 months in new and old French oak, and c.3 g/L RS; www.charleswiffenwines.co.nz ]
Deep lemon, fresher than the Greystone. Bouquet has that intriguing Marlborough chardonnay quality to it, both slightly floral yet is their trace leafyness too ? Below are complex mealy quite burgundian aromas, white stonefruits, some oak, fragrant. Palate brings up the stonefruits, even some yellow peach notes, and dispels any thoughts of under-ripeness. Fruit on palate is weightier than the two chablis-like wines, the mealyness from lees-autolysis, barrel-ferment and MLF components reminding of Meursault, and the length of flavour is attractive. Oak and acid become slightly obtrusive later on the palate, but the richness covers that. The wine is not as dry as the Felton pair, and might be more popular on that account. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/11

2002 Craggy Range Syrah Le Sol 18 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 15%; $ – [ cork; a contentious wine from a warm year, which I discuss more fully in a Sept. 2016 report. It seems destined to continue to provoke (hopefully) delighted debate; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby and velvet, fractionally fresher and deeper than the RunRig. Bouquet is exciting, showing fumey and huge berry character reflecting ripening of the syrah to a point where cassis is grading to blueberry. Oak is apparent, but seems well covered by fruit. Le Sol has the dubious privilege here of being more alcoholic than the South Australian wine, but the aromatics on the latter make it seem more aggressive. Palate however is harder than the Torbreck, more new oak than syrah needs, but time should soften it. Exciting but bold wine, to cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 12/17

2016 Escarpment ‘Gris’ Pinot Gris 18 (

)

Martinborough district, New Zealand: 14%; $30 [ screwcap; this wine reflects more an Alsace / Burgundy approach to the variety, again very different to inconsequential ‘beverage’ pinot gris in New Zealand; BF in older oak (perhaps not as old as the pinot gris), partial MLF; RS dry; www.escarpment.co.nz ]
Slightly warm straw, alongside the Pinot Blanc. Bouquet is in the same subtle style as the Escarpment Pinot Blanc, but fleshier, less floral, more pear or nashi flesh, plus a more obvious barrel-ferment and lees autolysis component. Palate adds greengage to the fruits, equally as rich as the Pinot Blanc but with more phenolics and (it seems) more apparent oak, both lengthening the flavour. Alongside the Pinot Blanc, this seems a somewhat coarser grape / wine, but it is beautifully demonstrative of pinot gris. Another good food wine, and style-wise the phenolics would handle stronger flavours than the Pinot Blanc. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/19

1977 Warre’s Vintage Port 18 (

)

Douro, Portugal: – %; $227 [ cork, 50mm; no info on cepage; Warre’s is said to be the first British port company to establish in Portugal; Chris Kissack, 2012: The 1977 Warre's Vintage Port has a lovely vibrancy ... only showing its age with the suggestion that it is fading to a red translucency rather than any deepening or browning of the colour. The nose is vibrant and fresh, showing smoky fruits ... Later it shows a brighter character, with tinges of raspberry, smoke, bay leaf and black liquorice. There are also little touches of raisin, but this is faint and not suggestive of over-ripeness, with mature leather and clove tones. ... The palate sweet and rounded, remaining full and softly textured into the middle, with increasing spice and pepper through the midpalate, and there is still a firm seam of acid and alcohol backbone through the middle. With more exposure to the air the alcohol does become somewhat more prominent ... 16.5; Parker, 1989: This house makes rather restrained yet rich, flavorful vintage port … [which] … seem slow to develop, and while they never quite have the voluptuous richness of a Dow, Graham, or Fonseca, they have a unique mineral-scented character that gives them their own complexity and style. The 1977 is quite powerful, very deep and intense, particularly for Warre, 92; www.warre.com ]
Glowing ruby and garnet, the second-deepest wine. Bouquet is fragrant and rich on this wine, more lively than the Croft, both browning red fruits and sultanas / dried peaches, plus thoughts of glacé figs and cooked prunes again, and subtle oak. The palate however is not quite as promising, good richness, length and flavour initially, but then an intrusive tannic quality to the late flavour, making the wine seem a little clumsy (relative to the top wines) and one-dimensional. With food you would not notice this factor at all. The colour suggests the wine has plenty of time ahead of it, and there is good fruit flavour, so the tannic quality noticeable now may well condense / fall out with more time in cellar. One person had this as their second-favourite wine. GK 05/18

1996 Moet & Chandon Dom Perignon Oenotheque Brut 18 (

)

Epernay, Champagne, France: 12.5%; $454 [ cork; PN 50%, PM 50; en tirage c.15 years; tedious, hard-to-use, info-poor website; current vintage price in NZ c.$465; www.domperignon.com ]
Brilliant lemon, far and away the palest. And the bouquet is the most out-of-line, smelling clearly of roast chicken skin (unseasoned). Behind that is citrus and citrus zest, some crusty baguette, and the impression of higher chardonnay (wrong). Flavour is much more on-target than the bouquet, reminders of Puligny-Montrachet now, not phenolic, seemingly drier and more autolysed than the standard Dom, dosage perhaps 6 g/L, more interesting. If it didn't smell so odd, it would be a much more rewarding wine than the standard Dom. This should cellar for years, on the colour and balance, and hopefully come more into line. GK 11/14

2010 Passage Rock Syrah Reserve 18 (

)

Eastern Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14%; $55 [ screwcap; Sy 95%, Vi 5, hand-picked; cuvaison up to 21 days; 12 – 14 months in predominantly French oak, 35% new; www.passagerockwines.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, not as fresh and dense as the standard syrah, as if more oak influence. Bouquet confirms that thought, wonderful berry, but a lot of very fragrant oak. Palate is rich in cassisy and plummy fruit, with significant oak and a trace of brett. There is a dark streak in this wine which adds depth and interest, though I'm not totally sure I like it, and the fruit richness is impressive. An intriguing choice to be made here, whether one invests in the standard wine or the Reserve. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 10/12

2000 Villa Maria Merlot / Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 18 (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $42 [ 21 – 28 days cuvaison; MLF in barrel; 20 months in oak; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a little brighter than the matching Vidal Reserve from the same vintage. Bouquet is quieter than some, integrated and harmonious, cassis and aromatic berry dominant, the oak beautifully understated. Palate is taut and very cassisy, attractively balanced, great berry, good length though not the richest, style winning out over weight. This will cellar for 10 – 15 years, and be readily confusable with some classed growths from Bordeaux. GK 05/04

2000 Te Mata Cabernet / Merlot Awatea 18 (

)

Havelock North district mostly, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $ – [ cork; CS 52%, Me 31%, CF 16, PV 1, hand-harvested; c. 18 months in French oak some new; www.temata.co.nz ]
Ruby and some velvet, a touch of age. Alongside the squeaky-clean and modern 2006 Awatea, this 2000 Awatea is wonderful. Many will pick this up, smell it, drink in the wonderfully enticing savoury aromas which almost induce salivation, and wonder: why don't modern wines have this magical complexity – it's hard to know if it is New Zealand or Bordeaux. And the answer is our little yeasty friend Brettanomyces, which this wine shows at an optimal level, with wonderful complexity, no shortening of palate as a consequence, just magical. Unfortunately, the wine technologists are so brow-beating us into their preferred sterile modern wines, that beauty and complexity are being sacrificed on the altar of high technology. But as to the wine, there is fine cassisy berry, plum, and nearly cedary oak on bouquet (plus the savoury casserole note of the brett), melded tobacco-y and plummy richness on palate, and a long savoury aftertaste, all beautifully balanced. This is one of the best Awateas of recent years. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 03/08

2017 Pyramid Valley Pinot Noir Central Otago Growers’ Collection 18 (

)

Lowburn, Otago, New Zealand: 13.8%; $45 [ screwcap; beyond a fair wine description, and a production of 491 x 9-litre cases; the website is again silent; www.pyramidvalley.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, deep for pinot noir, deeper than the 2016 Esk Valley Syrah I put into the blind tasting to ‘calibrate’ the wines, the second deepest pinot. The bouquet is however deeply floral, port-wine magnolia and dark red roses, on black cherry grading to bottled black-doris plums fruit, all marginal for the (Allen Meadows’) concept ‘pinosity’. In mouth the wine lightens up in one sense, to astonishingly rich, deep, but still fairly authentic pinot noir, though it narrowly avoids a hint of sur-maturité / chocolate. Texture and fine-grained tannins are undoubtedly varietal, and the flavour is long and saturated, but at this stage furry on tannins. I just wish there had been a tranche of earlier-picked fruit, or more whole-bunches, or both, to lift and lighten the florals in the wine. It is tending burly / massive, darker for example than the Gigondas also put in to calibrate the tasting. Acid is just in balance, and oak is careful, subtle. This should be worth cellaring 8 – 20 years, to lighten up. GK 06/19

2016 Escarpment Pinot Noir 18 (

)

Martinborough district, New Zealand: 14%; $50 [ screwcap; all hand-harvested from assorted vines ranging in age from 17 years at Te Muna Road to some of the oldest in the district; all wild-yeast fermented, 15 days cuvaison, 11 months in French oak averaging 25% new; RS <1 g/L, dry extract 28 g/L; www.escarpment.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, a lovely varietal depth and colour, towards the deeper end of the pinots. Bouquet is quieter than the best Otago wines, fresh and sweet suggesting red roses plus a hint of buddleia, on red and black cherry fruit, clearly both and clearly varietal. It smells not quite as ripe as Kupe. Palate has a freshness to it again producing the ‘crunchy cherry’ palate factor, indicating an ideal mix of picking times, and adding complexity to both bouquet and flavour. It seems not quite as rich as the top Otago wines, but the flavour is long. It is a very typical presentation of Martinborough pinot noir. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 06/19

2016 Grasshopper Rock Pinot Noir Earnscleugh Vineyard 18 (

)

Alexandra, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.3%; $40 [ screwcap; PN 100%, organic viticulture; all de-stemmed; added and wild-yeast ferments, cuvaison c.18 days; 10 months in French oak, 29% new; dry extract 24.9 g/L; not fined; www.grasshopperrock.co.nz ]
Almost a perfect pinot noir ruby, below midway among the pinots. Bouquet on this wine in the blind lineup differs in its faint sweet bouquet-garni notes, plus a delicate apple blossom quality which is lovely but so subtle that it will be missed by many. Palate shows mostly red fruits, long red cherry and pomegranate flavours, just a hint of black cherry adding interest and depth below. This wine is easy to underestimate: it needs air, and it grows on you. It is crisper than the Neudorf, not quite the body, but shows good ripening, though perhaps with the faintest hint of stalks, all optimised by subtle oaking. This is one of the clearest examples of Otago thyme complexity I have seen: you would not want any more. Later: this observation correlates with the owner's notes, that February in Alexandra was the hottest since the vineyard started. Cellar 5 – 20 years. On this showing Grasshopper Rock maintains its reputation as almost the definitive example of quality New Zealand pinot noir, at an unpretentious / affordable / realistic price. GK 06/19

1978 Ch Pichon Lalande 18 (

)

Pauillac Second Growth, Bordeaux, France: – %; $245 [ cork 53mm; cepage then approx. CS 50%, Me 35, planted at 9,000 vines / ha; 18 – 20 months in barrel, 50% new; Broadbent, 2002: [ initially] a good, rich, fruity, spicy wine. [ later ] Like almost all the 1978s, now failing to a certain extent, to live up to expectations … cedary; correct; sweet mid-palate, but not rich or convincing enough … At best ****; Coates, 2000: ... very lovely nose. Splendid succulent fruit. Good weight and grip. Still fresh. Fullish body. Very classy fruit. Excellent structure. Rich. Very elegant. Very long. Very intense. Very fine: 19; R. Parker, 1991: More tannic than the 1979 … this wine is among the deepest and richest produced at the chateau during the seventies. The tell-tale vanillin, spicy, blackcurrant, cedar scents are present. This medium- to full-bodied wine has a lush, deep, velvety texture, and has fully resolved most of the tannins. Will it outlast the 1979? Now – 2005: 93; www.pichon-lalande.com ]
Ruby and garnet, well below midway. Bouquet is not below midway, however, being voluminous, very fragrant … but not quite perfectly correct. At first I thought the oak was a bit of assertive and unsubtle alongside the Las Cases cedar, but later I suspect it is Steven Spurrier's green-tinged fragrance coupled with quite strong oak which gives the wine so much impact. It is certainly one of the most concentrated, the palate being rich and satisfying, and long. Both the '78 Las Cases and this wine owe much of their bouquet to this fractionally under-ripe trait which both Parker and Broadbent comment so adversely on (and with which we are well-familiar in New Zealand), yet the fruit is good. You have to ask, would an equally over-ripe wine be so refreshing and food friendly. Fully mature, yet the concentration will allow this Pichon to live as long as the Latour, 5 – 15 years. This wine was well liked by the group on the night, eight people rating it their top or second wine. GK 08/16

2008 Destiny Bay [ Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot ] Mystae 18 (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14.1%; $ – [ cork; CS 61, Me 23, CF 9, Ma 4, PV 3, hand-harvested; c. 12 months in French 60% and American oak c. 40% new; the middle wine of the three tiers, with less pressings than Magna Praemia and a greater role sought from merlot; great info on website; price not given, since like Stonyridge Larose it is complex, and primarily aimed at the serious wine-lover who will buy 6 or more bottles before release on an en primeur basis, similarly to the Bordeaux procedure. The en primeur price is half or slightly more the final retail price, details via website under 'Patron Club'. The point of difference from Bordeaux is that there, reliable tasters from both sides of the Atlantic report on the wines, and the prospective buyer can identify with a taster who matches the buyer's taste preferences, and act accordingly. In New Zealand that quality of guidance is not readily achievable. It is best therefore to give the price as a range: $80 – $150; www.destinybaywine.com ]
Ruby, a little deeper and younger than the Magna Praemia. Bouquet is very fragrant, with a clear citrus component reminiscent of Riserva Spanish reds with American oak. Below are complex berry suggestions including blueberry, confusing. Flavours are delicious, soft supple berry fruit, juicier than Magna Praemia, long, seductive, not the authority of the top wine, however. Total style here is so outside the bordeaux or New Zealand cabernet / merlot square, it is hard to score. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 10/12

1982 Te Mata Estate Cabernet / Merlot Coleraine 18 (

)

Havelock North Hills, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $ – [ cork, 49mm; CS 94, Me 6; good summer, lesser April, GDD 1457, harvest early April, wine made and finished by Michael Bennett; release price $15; Cowley, 2017: dark and ripe; Kelly, in Wineglass April/May 1984: Why … can 1982 Te Mata Coleraine be suggested as New Zealand’s best red? Simply because it smells and tastes of really ripe fruit without any trace of herbaceous character; it has good extract and depth and length of flavour consistent with a quality cropping rate, and all the flavours are in accord with world opinion of what the Cabernet style should be; Chan, 2008 review: a fine, concentrated nose, identifiably blackcurranty Cabernet Sauvignon, some volatility adding lift to the perfumes, liquorice, tobacco and cedar on bouquet ... Drying a little now on palate, refined cedar notes, quite elegant in style ... Tannins are fine-grained ... remaining bottles should be consumed, 17.5+; www.temata.co.nz ]
Garnet and ruby, the lightest colour, good for its age. There is a question mark on the quality of the corks in the first couple of years of Coleraine, as the proprietors established the new labels Coleraine and Awatea. Accordingly, the two bottles differed considerably between the two nights, and a third 1982 had to be rejected, not for TCA, but for oxidation. But the better bottle, on the second night, was sensational. It showed all the mellow fragrant magic that makes the claret winestyle, bordeaux, the most-loved red wine in the world. The melding of browning cassis, cedary oak and tobacco on this better bottle was magic on bouquet, and the quality of the complexed, browning but still cassisy fruit on palate remarkable. You ended up feeling a good bottle of this 1982 Coleraine could still usefully be presented blind in a 1982 Bordeaux tasting, provided good crus bourgeois were included, notwithstanding 1982 being a great year in that district. Both nights, tasters who like old wine rated this 1982 highly, five each night – a great result. It is a gamble to hold this wine any longer, due to the corks. Best to enjoy its full harmony and fragrance while it still has the fruit. And interestingly, there was no hint of the cabernet hole-in-the-middle palate in this wine, despite the cepage. Bottles cellared north of Taupo will be lesser. GK 08/17

2013 Vina Aquitania Chardonnay Sol de Sol 18 (

)

Malleco Valley, Chile: 13%; $43 [ cork, 50mm; Ch 100% planted in 1993, all hand-harvested at 4 t/ha = 1.6 t/ac (which is noteworthy for us in New Zealand); all BF in French oak 10 – 15% new, c.5% through MLF, twice-weekly batonnage, 8 months in barrel; production c.650 x 9-litre cases; www.aquitania.cl ]
Lemonstraw to straw. Note the vintage, yes, this is the current release. You feel the wine has had a somewhat reductive upbringing, but unlike the New Zealand market, the winemakers have the grace to not inflict it on the consumer while it is still offensively youthful and reductive. There is now some shy stonefruit augmented by lees-autolysis on bouquet, a smokey suggestion retaining threads of reduction, the whole bouquet understated. Palate manages to be both moderately rich, attractively ripe with suggestions of peach fruit even including golden queen, yet also austere, a chardonnay in the style of some grand cru chablis, but a little more oak. Some of the flavours also remind of certain West Australian chardonnays with little or no MLF, but the Chilean wine is tauter, with seemingly natural acid. Attractive and interesting wine which will cellar well, 5 – 15 years or longer, but at $43 it is looking expensive. GK 09/18

1995 Coriole Shiraz Lloyd Reserve 18 (

)

McLaren Vale, South Australia, Australia: 13.5%; $119 [ Cork, 45 mm; rated Excellent in the Langton's Australian wine classification, the third-level group of 65 wines; Halliday rates the 1995 vintage 8, vs 1996 rated 9, for McLaren Vale; first produced in 1989, harvested from vines planted in 1919; elevation then 15 – 18 months in American oak, but not all new; Halliday, 1998: Dark red-purple; the bouquet is powerful and concentrated, with dark berry/foresty fruits and subtle oak; the palate shows the same dark cherry and regional bitter chocolate flavours, with quite pronounced tannins and high total extract. Bred to stay, 93; Parker scores average 92 for the wines from the 90s, but no 1995; bottle weight 508 g; www.coriole.com ]
Ruby, the most youthful in the set, velvet, the deepest wine. Bouquet is rich, deep, dark and mysterious in a positive way, just a hint of aniseed. The overriding character is slightly aromatic dark bottled plums, with reasonably subtle oak relative to the apparent weight of the wine. Alcohol is not overt. Flavours don't follow perfectly, the wine being both big and still very tannic, but the richness nearly carries it. The oak accentuates a slight minty quality, but despite being tannic, the wine is not unduly oaky. Style-wise this wine lives up to the claims McLaren Vale likes to make, that it is not as hot as the Barossa Valley, but this is still a big powerful wine. The cropping rate must be very low. I imagine in another 10 years this will score 18.5, once some of the tannins condense, and crust in bottle. It will cellar for years beyond that. This is a far cry from the average McLaren Vale big red. Three people rated it their top wine, no second places, no least, and two thought it French. GK 03/17

1971 Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt [ Graacher ] Josephshofer Auslese QmP 18 (

)

Mosel Valley, Germany: – %; $9.60 [ cork, 45mm; cork willing, this is the all-important auslese measuring-stick, against which the trockenbeerenauslese from the same firm, vineyard and year may be compared. The von Kesselstatt estate formerly head-quartered in Trier (Mosel Valley), but now in the Ruwer Valley, dates back to 1349. In 1978 it passed from Reichsgrafen (imperial counts) of Kesselstatt to the Gunther-Reh family. Though the estate was already well-regarded, the new owners concentrated on improving quality further, by consolidating the estate, and lowering yields. The firm now owns 36 ha, 12 each in Ruwer, Saar and Mosel Valleys. Vineyards are planted 98% to riesling, 2% experimental varieties. Fermentations where possible are wild-yeast, invariably in stainless steel, there is no deacidification and since 1994 no suss-reserve, and extended lees-ageing is favoured. Traditional oak elevation is used for some of the finest wines. The website carefully says: 'We categorically reject so-called new oenological procedures.' Annual production ranges from 20,000 – 26,500 9-litre cases. The large Josephshof site in Graach was acquired in 1858. Brook notes that he usually prefers the wines from Nies’chen and Goldtropfchen to the rich, broader Josephshof. We have both Goldtropfchen and Josephshof at the auslese level, so a rare and glorious opportunity to form our own opinion, corks willing. Josephshof is 4.7 ha (11.6 ac). The von Kesselstatt website describes the monopole vineyard thus: Josephshof lies between the Wehlener Sonnenuhr and Graacher Domprobst sites. It is a south-facing and steep site with an angle of inclination up to 60 – 70 degrees, at an altitude of up to 180 meters. The soils are deep, weathered Devonian slate with a high percentage of fine earth – relatively heavy soils compared with those of the region as a whole. They yield full-bodied, spicy wines with incredible ageing potential. Often the wines have an unmistakable peach aroma with a hint of wild herbs and earthy, spicy components; a measure of the rarity of our tasting is that neither Robinson, Robert Parker in aggregate or Wine Spectator have tasted this or any 1971 von Kesselstatt wines, despite their high ranking in the USA; www.kesselstatt.com ]
Lightish gold, below midway in depth. Bouquet is intriguingly one-dimensional on this wine, not really floral, yet a lovely depth of honeyed peachy fruit. Palate amplifies the bouquet, quite strange, a sensation of weight, yet you feel you can now taste the freshness of a Mosel wine, suggestions of mandarin rind on the stonefruits, hops too, excellent acid balance though hidden in the relatively rich fruit. At a peak now, but should hold its form for a while yet, subject to noting the corks are already very frail, in all the von Kesselstatt bottlings of the time. One of two only wines with no votes at all, for rank. GK 11/17

2009 Champagne Pierre Peters L'Esprit Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Brut 18 (

)

Cote de Blancs, Champagne, France: 12%; $129 [ laminated champagne cork; Ch 100%, hand-picked from four vineyards, Le Mesnil, Avize, Cramant, Oger; all s/s elevation; full MLF; c.5 years en tirage; dosage c.5 g/L; www.champagne-peters.com ]
This is the most straw of the wines, deeper even than the Oubliée. Bouquet accordingly is much more developed, and much more Vogel's wholegrain, even a hint of toasted wholegrain, than even the Chétillons, almost worryingly so for a relatively recent vintage. There is just a trace of Marmite, marzipan and crushed wine biscuit, but it is subtle. In mouth however the richness of the wine makes you want to forgive everything: the body and length of flavour is impressive and seductive – until you go back to the Les Chétillons and see that L'Esprit is arguably a bit broad and developed for its age. This presumably reflects the warm season 2009 produced in Europe. This is less likely to cellar as well as the Extra Brut particularly, or Les Chétillons, offering instead some risk of becoming too flavourful, so perhaps 3 – 8 years might be best. GK 10/15

2013 Neudorf Pinot Noir Moutere 18 (

)

Upper Moutere Valley, Nelson, New Zealand: 14%; $63 [ screwcap; main clones UCD 5, 10/5, Dijon 667, planted at 2,400 – 3100 vines/ha, age-range 15 – 34 years; all hand-picked @ c.5 t/ha (2 t/ac), nil whole-bunch component, pre-ferment cold soak 5 days, then 14 – 17 days cuvaison with 100% wild yeast; all of the wine c.11 months in all-French oak c.21% new, medium toast, MLF in barrel the following spring; not sterile-filtered to bottle; RS <1 g/L: dry extract 28 g/L; production 790 9-L cases; www.neudorf.co.nz ]
Light pinot noir ruby, the lightest of all the wines, totally burgundian. Bouquet shows a lighter spectrum of floral components than the top two wines, more buddleia, certainly no boronia, on an all-red-fruits varietal matrix. Palate shows gorgeous fruit totally belying the colour, a good length of delicate / subtle floral and again red-fruits qualities, not the depth of The Fusilier but still really fragrant in mouth. Cellar 5 – 12 years. No first or second places, four thought it from Otago. GK 08/16

2007 Mission Syrah [‘Special’ Future Release – preview ] 18 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.8%; $ – [ cork; cuvaison c. 35 days; c. 14 months in 100% new French oak; MLF in tank; marketing being decided now, more expensive than Jewelstone, release latest ’09 / early 2010; Catalogue: not in; not on website yet; www.missionestate.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, rich, not as bright as some examples, suggesting more oak involvement. Bouquet is deep and dark, with dark chocolate notes on rich plummy fruit, confuseable with some big McLaren Vale syrahs, except this is not so alcoholic [ later, or seemed so ]. Flavours are ‘Black Forest Gateau’, blackest cherry and blackboy plums, wonderfully rich indeed and succulent, a winestyle which many will rate very highly. Looking at it from a classical Hermitage standpoint, personally I think it is tending over-ripe, losing florality and varietal precision and moving towards premium Australian shiraz / syrah, or a Napa one. But it is not over-oaky and is beautifully made in its chocolate-barrel way. There is still some black peppercorn spice. This is a wine on the scale of Craggy Range’s Le Sol (though perhaps bolder than the 2007), or Penfolds RWT. I am sure it will find favour in America. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 07/09

2014 Palliser Pinot Noir 18 (

)

Martinborough, Wairarapa, New Zealand: 14%; $54 [ screwcap; www.palliser.co.nz ]
Classic pinot noir ruby, just below midway in depth. Bouquet is beautifully clean, soft, yet faintly aromatic and very varietal pinot noir, rose and boronia florals, red grading to black cherry fruit, more Cote de Nuits than Cote de Beaune. Palate shows a lovely balance of fruit to careful oak, good but not exemplary richness and dry extract, and a long highly varietal flavour. This is as good as any Palliser Pinot Noir I have tasted, cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 06/16

2008 Mount Edward Pinot Noir Morrison Vineyard 18 (

)

Lowburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.8%; $65 [ screwcap; nil whole bunch; 14 months in French oak, 30% new; www.mountedward.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, about midway in depth. Bouquet shows an exciting interplay of boronia florals, red and black fruits, and noticeable new oak. Texture on palate is delightful, clear cherry, a little firm on the oak now, but shaping up to be a gold medal wine in another 6 – 12 months. This is a vast step forward on the 2007, showing much more appropriate ripening. Cellar 3 – 8 years, maybe 10. GK 02/10

2007 Waimea Pinot Gris 18 (

)

Waimea Plains, Nelson, New Zealand: 14%; $21 [ screwcap; hand-harvested; cool and stop-fermentation, 2 months LA on lees in s/s; RS 8.5 g/L; www.waimeaestates.co.nz ]
Palest straw. This pinot gris has a lovely bouquet, illustrating dramatically that pinot gris is indeed a pinot, and should display some of the floral qualities which characterise good pinot noir, but are lost in both pinot noir and pinot gris when the grape is over-ripened. This wine almost smells as if the bouquet might have been augmented with viognier, which is not such a silly idea. That grape could sit more happily with pinot gris than the gewurztraminer commonly used for titivation. Palate is firm, beautiful fruit, varietal phenolics perfectly judged against off-dry residual sugar. If you've ever wondered what pinot gris should actually smell and taste like, grab a bottle of this affordable wine. Make sure you leave a couple of inches in the bottle, and taste it again 24 hours later, to get the complete picture. Cellar 3 – 6 years. VALUE GK 03/08

2014 Te Mata Chardonnay Elston 18 (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $38 [ 45 mm supercritical cork (Diam); Ch 100%, 85% clone mendoza, hand-harvested; all BF with significant new oak; 100% MLF; 11 months in barrel, with lees work; RS nil; www.temata.co.nz ]
Lemon, exactly the same weight as the Neudorf but with a fresh green wash. Bouquet is tauter than the wines thus far reviewed, showing a tight integration of barrel-ferment, lees autolysis and pale chardonnay fruit which is closest to the Neudorf in style, and like the latter but slightly more so, has a thread of reduction. This is more apparent in this bottle than the wine shown in their release. It is pitched at a level just sufficient to get people using the trendy descriptor 'mineral', but not so much as to offend those sensitive to reduce sulphurs. It should marry away. Palate is firmer and narrower than the Neudorf Moutere, however, total acid seeming higher and (again) higher than I recollect it in the Te Mata release tasting. Dry extract is good without being exemplary, more like the Kumeu Estate. I expect this wine to fill out gracefully in bottle for at least another 10 years, maybe 15. GK 06/16

2002 Craggy Range Syrah Le Sol 18 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 15%; $ – [ cork; c. US$55; Sy 100%; 8 – 10 day cold soak, MLF in barrel, 17 months in French oak 55% new; Parker 155: "All of Syrah’s characteristics – smoke, licorice, pepper, blackberries, and currants – are present in this beautifully knit, pure, concentrated 2002. 94"; Spectator: 89; earlier reviews on this website; www.craggyrange.com ]
Dense ruby and velvet, still some carmine, amongst the deepest. Initially opened and unaired, the wine is muted, hot climate in style, remarkably reminiscent of the best years of 1960s Stonyfell Metala from Langhorne Creek (back when this was absolutely the premium wine in the firm's portfolio). It is enormously rich, chocolatey and clearly sur-maturité, and very tannic – obviously Californian in the first blind tasting. Decanted a time or two, and well aired, it expands delightfully, so that in the second blind tasting, it shows slightly raisined cassis and dark plum on bouquet (but no florals), rich dark cassis and plums again on palate, and a dominance of somewhat spirity berry over oak. The wine is wonderfully rich, and will cellar for decades, but it is not explicitly varietal on bouquet due to the sur-maturité component. Thus, it does not provide the best interpretation of an optimal New Zealand climatic style for syrah, as I also implied when first reviewing it on this site 12/04. Well aired / breathed, however, there is no denying it is a dramatic and impressive winestyle, which meshes in seamlessly in a Californian tasting, and shows finer tannins than the Pax. For a more sensitive handling of the Le Sol syrah fruit, which better reflects a guideline for the kind of syrah we need to typically aim for in New Zealand, look out for the 2005 vintage, to be released June 2007. This 2002 will cellar for 5 – 20 + years. GK 04/07

2013 Craggy Range Merlot Single Vineyard 18 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $28 [ screwcap; DFB; Me 91%, CS 9, 80% machine-harvested; 100% de-stemmed; inoculated ferments in s/s; 17 months in French oak 21% new; RS nil; fined and filtered; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a classic claret colour, above midway in depth. Bouquet is aromatic / very faintly minty, putting one on guard in a mixed Australian / New Zealand red wine tasting. But the wine is also floral, deeply violets on cassis and bottled black doris plum fruit, very fragrant, and fruit dominant to oak. Palate continues the appealing fruit richness, the wine nearly being succulent, oak beautifully in proportion to the fruit, great length of flavour. This is very much a Saint Emilion balance of smell and flavours. It is clearly more plummy / less cassisy than The Gimblett, and overall a bit simpler. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 08/16

2003 Mt Difficulty Pinot Noir 18 (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $40 [ screwcap; hand-harvested @ c.5 t/ha =2 t/ac from four vineyards in a ‘normal’ year; a small percentage of whole bunch, 5 – 7 days cold soak, 60% wild yeast, balance inoculated, c.14 days cuvaison; MLF and 11 months in barrel on full lees, < 30% new; www.mtdifficulty.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby with a little more garnet than the 2005. If decanting is advisable to let the 2005 blossom, here it is to essential to decant splashily, maybe a couple of times. Once the sulkyness is dissipated, the volume of positive bouquet is marvellous, not as youthful as the 2009 obviously, a kind of autumnal quality in the florals, but lovely. Palate on this occasion seems richer than the 2003 Target Gully reported on last time: it would be great to see them alongside one another. Matt Dicey feels 2003 was the benchmark vintage for Otago, a year now challenged by 2009. This wine bears him out. Lovely now, cellar a year or two yet. GK 08/11

2003 Saint Cosme Saint-Joseph 18 (

)

Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $40 [ cork; Wine Importer; Sy 100%; Parker 156: … “wild aromatics … funky spices (pepper, allspice, and a hint of hash) jump from the glass of this dense ruby/purple-colored St.-Joseph. With airing, notes of licorice and sweet black currants … full-bodied, powerful, impressive red … 90–92” ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, middling in weight. Like nearly all Saint Cosme wines, this is immediately floral and fragrant on bouquet, but with an intriguing hint of spearmint amidst the herbes de Provence and carnations. Behind the florals are crisp cassis berries, and light new oak. Palate is aromatic cassis, not as rich as the Yann Chave pair, but similarly illustrating the aromatic beauty of the syrah grape when not over-ripened. No worries about 2003 being Australian-hot in the northern Rhone, on this evidence. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 10/05

2014 Kumeu River Chardonnay Estate 18 (

)

Kumeu, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.5%; $32 [ screwcap; clone 15 predominates, all hand-harvested; wild-yeast fermentation and 100% BF, LA, and MLF; 11 months in barrel some new but mostly 1-year for the Estate; RS nil; www.kumeuriver.co.nz ]
Lemon, below midway in depth. Bouquet is firm, both oak and lees autolysis complexity being as evident in the aroma as actual fruit. It is beautifully clean. Palate does not show quite the fruit richness of the top wines, and the oak is more prominent than is ideal in chardonnay. Length of flavour is good, though, even if the oak is sustaining it. The oak also accentuates the acid, shortening the finish. Given the lighter body relative to the top wines, on reflection, the wine is a bit too oaky, at least at this young stage. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 06/16

2005 Penfolds Shiraz Bin 128 Coonawarra 18 (

)

Coonawarra, South Australia, Australia: 14%; $31 [ cork; Sh 100%; 11 – 13 months in French oak 20% new, balance 1 – 3, all hogsheads; 2005 a good year in Coonawarra; www.penfolds.com.au ]
Ruby and velvet, nearly some carmine, a similar hue to the Bin 389 but not so saturated. Bouquet is rich and ripe, and though there is the dark boysenberry of Australian shiraz, there is also a surprising degree of syrah-like complexity, with suggestions of black peppercorn and cassis. In mouth the richness of the wine strikes you, saturated cassis and black doris fruit as well as the boysenberry, reasonably subtle oak all French, great length of flavour and fruit sweetness (as if there were 2 – 3 grams residual, which seems unlikely for this label). If this had been picked a little earlier, to minimise the sur-maturité / typically Australian boysenberry / slightly jammy quality, this would have been a remarkably syrah-like Australian red. As it is, it is still very good, competitive with many wines costing far more. It will cellar for 5 – 20 years, and live longer, becoming more graceful and food-friendly with every passing year. Drinking it now, as expressed for the Bin 389, is simply sad. There is a lot of potential here, well beyond its pricepoint. At its initial offer price of $20, it is irresistible. [ A week later, one supermarket has this wine at $14 – surely the wine-bargain of the year. ] GK 03/08

2010 Greywacke Wild Sauvignon 18 (

)

2013 Vidal Cabernets / Merlot Legacy * 18 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $65 [ screwcap; CS 80%, Me 20, 53% hand-picked from c.13-year old vines cropped @ 4.5 t/ha = 1.8 t/ac; cultured-yeast; MLF in barrel; 19 months in French oak c.50% new; RS nil g/L; sterile-filtered; dry extract not measured; production 500 x 9-L cases; release date not yet decided; www.vidal.co.nz ]
Ruby, some velvet, the second to lightest. Bouquet is intriguing, beautifully sweet vanillin, floral and fragrant, at the blind stage the mind idly noting … hmmm … Coleraine style ... . The purity is great, red roses, almost a pinot noir delight to the wine, red fruits more than black. In mouth one is not quite so sure, the wine showing lovely elegance and balance, but it seems lighter and less substantial than is desired in a cabernet / merlot cellar wine. But on checking, notwithstanding the low cropping rate it seems about the same weight as Coleraine, and that wine has shown that size and weight alone do not predicate cellar worthiness. Intriguing, one thing is for sure with its subtle oak handling, this will be a good food wine. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 05/15

2012 Villa Maria Riesling Noble Reserve 18 (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 10.5%; $37 [ screwcap; sequentially hand-harvested; cool-fermented totally in s/s; held in tank 10 months; sterile-filtered; RS 198 g/L; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Fresh light gold. Bouquet is sweet, intense and pure, Villa Maria over the years having shown unerring discrimination in weeding out any ignoble botrytis smells and flavours from their sweet wines, in marked contradistinction to many New Zealand practitioners. It is more botrytis-honeyed than varietal on bouquet, so not immediately clearly riesling, and there is also a faint suggestion of leaf. You would swear there was a barrel-ferment component, the bouquet having quite a mealy underlay, but they are not admitting to it. Palate is rich and sweet as you'd expect for a residual sugar of 198 g/L, but there is a faint butterscotch quality to its flavour, which lets it down slightly. It is as if the raisined quality of the fruit is coming through too clearly, simplifying the wine and reducing the freshness. Perhaps this reflects the very late cool season, and the protracted hang time, in 2012. It will be great with appropriate food, but it is not quite magical. Cellar 2 – 10 years: I suspect it will not be one of the long-term ones. GK 11/15

2002 Craggy Range Syrah Le Sol 18 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 15.4%; $70 [ Sy 100%; 8 – 10 day cold soak, MLF in barrel, 17 months in French oak 55% new; www.craggyrange.com ]
Dense ruby, carmine and velvet. First impressions (in a blind tasting) are of a massive wine, much too oaky and much too spirity for finesse, a wine designed for Australians / Americans. Compared against the top wines more carefully, there is definite sur-maturité, with loss of the floral and black pepper-spicy characters which make good syrah great. Palate however is incredibly dense and rich, darkest cassis, blackest plum, darkest chocolate, yet all relatively fresh and attractive – the biggest wine in the set. The liqueur-like spirity finish detracts, making the wine awkward with food. I have discussed over-ripeness in this wine previously, but those archives are not currently available. It was good to see it again in somebody else's blind tasting, and put one's views to the test. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 12/04

2007 Villa Maria Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot Reserve 18 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $50 [ screwcap; CS 69%, Me 29, Ma 2; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a very attractive colour. This wine benefits from a swirl or two in glass, to reveal a mellow and gentle wine in a merlot cast, plummy and fragrant on bouquet, but with just a hint of something lesser around the oak – I can't find the right word without sounding too negative. Palate brings out some cassis, and oak, the wine tasting older than it looks, already mellowing nicely. The odd character does not presage anything negative, probably just an oak factor yet to marry in fully. The actual level of oak is higher than some, in the current Villa style, but well within bounds. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 06/10

2008 Passage Rock Viognier 18 (

)

Eastern Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14%; $30 [ screwcap; hand-harvested; up to 50% BF, only small percentage new oak, up to 50% MLF, 4 – 5 months LA; RS 4 g/L; 250 cases; ‘A full bodied partially barrel fermented Viognier with rich aromatics and lovely soft finish’; www.passagerockwines.co.nz ]
Elegant pale lemon. Bouquet on this wine is enchantingly varietal, real citrus complexity including orange blossom and fresh-cut apricot, a hint of yellow honeysuckle, and lightest oak. Palate brings up the apricot delightfully, both fresh and canned and not over-ripe, the barrel-ferment, lees-autolysis and MLF components beautifully illustrating the need for these techniques if viognier is to have texture and palate complexity and satisfaction (given sufficient ripeness in the first place). Not a big or bold example of the grape, but absolutely of Condrieu quality, very more-ish and food-friendly, with a neat ‘dry’ finish. Some viogniers are exciting to taste, but quickly pall. This is one to drink right through the meal. Cellar to three years or so. GK 06/09

2013 Villa Maria Merlot Reserve * 18 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $50 [ screwcap; Me 100%, machine-picked from c.14-year old vines planted at 3,125 vines / ha and cropped @ 6 t/ha = 2.4 t/ac; cuvaison 28 – 35 days, cultured-yeast; MLF in barrel; 18 months in French oak c.37% new; RS 0.89 g/L; not sterile-filtered; dry extract not measured; production 800 x 9-L cases; released; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, towards the lighter end. Bouquet is sweet, ripe and fragrant, clearly some florals and more bottled red plum qualities, very pure. Palate shows fresh red fruits, and some darker berry notes, the latter tending to blueberry rather than blackcurrant. Oak handling is lovely, real restraint, gently shaping the medium-weight fruit. Much like the Mills Reef Cabernet Sauvignon, but for different reasons, this is a charming wine which it is easy to underestimate. And the more you taste it, the better it gets. It will be great with food. Oakniks will dismiss it, but this wine reflects delicacy and subtlety, both attributes associated with the merlot grape. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 05/15

2013 Greywacke Chardonnay 18 (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14.5%; $42 [ screwcap; www.greywacke.com ]
Lemon, the deepest of the five chardonnays. Bouquet here immediately steps into the reductive lees autolysis approach to chardonnay, and one has to decide to what extent this hint of the gasworks / tar / creosote component is acceptable complexity, or objectionable trendy fetish. It is certainly hard to detect much about the fruit quality, on bouquet. On palate the wine redeems itself considerably: the fruit is rich and nearly dominant to the fermentation characters, the length of flavour is spectacular, and I can concede that the reductive component here is adding to complexity in mouth. In five years time I envisage this wine demonstrating quite different qualities, smelling of toasted Vogel's Multigrain, and tasting of fruit, oatmeal and walnuts, rather than cashew as you would have in a less reductive kind of lees autolysis regime. It may well score higher, in five years. Meanwhile, wonderfully interesting wine which will divide tasters. Cellar 5 – 15, maybe 20 years. GK 06/16

2009 Hilok Wines Pinot Noir Premier 18 (

)

Alexandra, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $34 [ screwcap; 10% hand-picked, balance machine, from a single vineyard planted in 2003; total cuvaison including cold-soak 24 days; 10 months in French oak 15% new; c.2000 cases; all-black in places illegible website – sigh; www.hilok.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. This incongruously-named wine shows the most distinctive bouquet in the set, with a clear crushed thyme aromatic on strongly floral qualities too. Whether in fact the vineyard closely adjoins thyme areas I do not know, but the character takes some explaining if not. Palate is red cherry pinot, with the thyme sweetly aromatic and again noticeable. There is a dilemma in that this degree of aromatics would be objectionable if it were coarse eucalyptus, but is acceptable when the suggestion is of the sweetly aromatic shrubby herbs of the southern Rhone Valley and Provence garrigue lands. Even so, it is so strong as to be almost suspicious, and may not appeal to all tasters. [ Later: winemaker confirms vineyard is 'surrounded by thyme'. Palate shows attractive red cherry fruit. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 09/10

2006 Ch Palmer 18 (

)

Margaux Third Growth, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $525 [ cork 50mm; cepage this year Me 56%, CS 44, average age 35 – 40 years, planted @ 10,000 vines / ha, typically cropped @ c.6 t/ha = 2.4 t/ac; time spent in barrel in better years c.20 months, 45% new, light toast; now rated as one of the undoubted 'super-seconds'; www.chateau-palmer.com ]
Ruby and velvet, a hint of garnet starting, the second to lightest wine. Bouquet is beautifully fragrant and focussed, the merlot complexly floral and dominating with hints of violets and port-wine magnolia, cassis, and cedar less apparent. There is lovely total harmony in a slightly less ample style than the top wines. On palate the smoothness and integration is wonderful: this wine is already approaching its plateau of maturity. There is the faintest suggestion of less ripe tannin, but the oak is so subtle, this character is not accentuated. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 11/15

2001 Guigal Hermitage Ermitage Ex Voto 18 (

)

Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $300 [ Sy 100% from 4 famous hillside vineyards; vine age 40 - 90 years; 42 months in new French oak; production info not on website; Tanzer notes from a visit to the winery that alcohol is 14%, as opposed to the doctrinaire 13% across all but one of these northern Rhone labels; Ex Voto would appear to convey the thought: a thanksgiving for securing vineyards on the hill of Hermitage; www.guigal.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, the deepest of all the ‘01 Guigals. I was hoping for great things from this new ‘grand cru’ label from Hermitage, having been bewitched by the top Cote Roties over the last few years. But first reaction to sniffing the glass was disappointment - it is as if Guigal (of all people) wanted to compete with Australia, instead of being justifiably aloof from them. The wine shows both VA and new oak in unsubtle amounts. There is good fruit below, but this youthful unknit bouquet is too rough to reveal much of it. All comes to life on the palate, where there is marvellous cassis and dark berry, and very rich flavours. The high acid of the year exacerbates the excess new oak, though, so it is a rough ride through the exciting flavours and excellent richness. Only the fruit richness prompts me to mark up to 18, now. However, this should be an exciting bottle in 10 years time when it has mellowed, and will cellar for 20 +. As the two village wines make a complementary pair, likewise Ex Voto teams up well with la Turque, sharing much in style and approach, yet illustrating the character of the appellations too. GK 07/05

2013 Esk Valley Syrah Winemakers Reserve 18 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $60 [ screwcap; Sy 100%, all hand-picked from c.15-year old vines planted at c.2,645 vines / ha and cropped @ 4.85 t/ha = 1.9 t/ac; 2 – 3 days cold-soak, cuvaison 24 – 28 days, no whole-bunch component, wild-yeast ferments; MLF in barrel; 16 months in French oak c.35% new; RS 0.2 g/L; not sterile-filtered; dry extract not measured yet; production 350 x 9-L cases; released; www.eskvalley.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, just above midway in depth. Oak vanillins are initially tending dominant on bouquet, at this stage of the wine's evolution. They mingle with a floral quality which is hard to characterise, on good aromatic berry. In mouth more time is definitely needed for the cassisy berry to creep up around the oak. It is less rich and more oaky than the Villa Reserve, at this stage. Flavours however are pure and varietal, oak aside. It should marry up well, and cellar 5 – 18 years. GK 05/15

1998 Kumeu River Chardonnay Maté's Vineyard 18 (

)

Kumeu, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.5%; $ – [ cork, 46mm; all clone mendoza planted in 1990, in a designated vineyard to honour founder Maté Brajkovich, 1925 – 1992; hand-harvested at a lower cropping rate than the mainstream Kumeu wine; whole-bunch pressed, wild-yeast and barrel-fermented in French oak c.20% new, 100% MLF, 12 months on lees in barrel. Wine Spectator, 2000: Juicy and elegant. A mouthwatering wine that layers apple, citrus and spice flavors on a delicate frame. Fruit echoes nicely on the finish, 90; M. Cooper, 2000: ...a very opulent wine with splendidly concentrated flavours of grapefruit, peach and butterscotch, with an almost apricot-like ripeness and richness. It's all there for majestic drinking, 2002+, *****; www.kumeuriver.co.nz ]
Straw with a gold wash, near the middle in depth. First impression on bouquet is a lot of MLF, detracting a little and just hinting at custard, in good golden queen peachy fruit plus some lees autolysis complexity and mealyness. In mouth the freshness of peachy flavour is startling, these are more canned golden queen peaches than dried ones. There is not the depth of flavour and elevation complexity / mealyness the more highly-ranked wines show, and thus the palate seems narrower, but with very pure clone mendoza flavours. Oak handling is subtle, with no thought of untoward tannins let alone bitterness to the tail. The purity of ripe fruit flavour against a natural acid balance makes an interesting comparison with the richer Leeuwin, using the same clone. No first places, one second, nobody thought it French. GK 08/18

2011 Trinity Hill Chardonnay 18 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $35 [ screwcap; chardonnay clones 95, 15 and mendoza; whole-bunch pressed to French oak, the 25% new component all puncheons to reduce oak influence; 100% BF including some wild yeast fermentations; 10 months lees ageing and stirring in barrel, plus 40% MLF, all to add body, texture and minerality; pH 3.23, RS 1g/L; www.trinityhill.com ]
Elegant lemon. Bouquet shows classical chardonnay pale stonefruit flesh raised in subtlest oak, the varietal quality of the grape dominating totally, with beautiful vinosity and appeal. The fruit is supported by barrel-fermentation and lees-autolysis in mostly older oak, plus some MLF. In mouth it is not a big wine, but there is elegance and finesse, and surprisingly long fruit, given the lightness of the wine. It needs another year or two to really harmonise, when it will be dangerously drinkable. Model New Zealand chardonnay to cellar longer than expected, 3 – 12 years, if you like older wine. GK 03/13

2002 Felton Road Pinot Noir Block 3 18 (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $60 [ screwcap; Block 3 has somewhat more oak exposure than the standard wine, but less than Block 5, and can seem more balanced. Campbell 2008, 95: Although I often prefer the regular label to the “Block” wines on first release this tasting has shown the latters superiority after a few years in bottle. This is altogether better than the regular label with greater intensity, complexity and structure; Robinson 2009, 17: Very deep crimson still. Rather racy and still muscular. Lots of density and ripeness. Round and a little simple. Certainly not delicate! Bit of a block indeed!; www.feltonroad.com ]
Colour is deep going on too deep for fine pinot noir, the third deepest wine, and it is distinctly less ruby than the standard Felton. Bouquet however is in exactly the same style as that wine, with a similar volume of aroma, but is more vibrant and less softly floral. Palate tells us why, simply a result of more oak relative to similar fruit, so the wine is slightly firmer and crisp. The oak tannins may soften, but rather I suspect the fruit will recede gradually, leaving the oak more noticeable as with several of the other wines. In some ways this is the most impressive pinot noir in the set, but pinot noir being about beauty, and Burgundy still providing the benchmark examples, this wine loses a little in charm relative to the top wines. Cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 10/12

2005 Chapoutier Hermitage les Greffieux 18 (

)

Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $228 [ cork; Sy 100% , from the Greffieux vineyard on old cobbly terrace materials on lower slopes; hand-harvested ideally at minimum 13 degrees alcohol; 100% de-stemmed; fermented in open-top concrete vessels, fermentation to 32 C, cuvaison up to 6 weeks; 15 – 18 months in new and 1-year French oak; regular racking; not fined or filtered; www.chapoutier.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a little deeper than l'Hermite. Freshly poured, there is a shadow of reduction about this wine, nothing which can't be dissipated by a good decanting. But it takes the edge off the florals, the emphasis being more on cassis and bottled dark plums, and some black pepper. Palate likewise does not have quite the crystalline purity of the top four wines, and the slight sulphur hardness exacerbates the oak. This will settle down into a pretty reputable Hermitage, I think, with black pepper complexity emerging, but give it 10 years to sort itself out. Cellar 10 – 30 years. GK 07/08

2007 Villa Maria Merlot / Cabernet Sauvignon Gimblett Gravels Reserve 18 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $50 [ screwcap; Me 50%, CS 50, all hand-harvested @ 6 t/ha (2.4 t/ac); vinified @ Mangere, 100% de-stemmed; s/s fermentation, up to 42 days cuvaison for cabernet; MLF and 20 months in 3-year air dried French oak 70% new; RS nil; filtration coarse only; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, the deepest of the four cabernet / merlots. Bouquet needs decanting and air, to become full and almost bordeaux-like in its suggestions of violets and cassisy berry in noticeable oak. In mouth, the ratio of oak is excessive, but the concentration of cassisy berry is first-class. How great it will be when the leading new world winemakers more closely model themselves on the old world masters, especially in New Zealand where in the great years we can achieve bordeaux blends which combine delicacy with richness, and achieve a winestyle rare on the world stage. The quality of fruit here is simply remarkable, the tactile richness being great. With its large holding of Gimblett Gravels soils now amounting to 35% of the total area of this delimited zone, we can expect stellar wines from the Villa Maria group in the years to come. Cellar this wine 5 – 20 years. GK 05/13

2007 Vidal Syrah Estate 18 (

)

Gimblett Gravels mainly, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $27 [ screwcap; Sy 100%, all de-stemmed; MLF and c. 16 months in oak; RS nil; Catalogue: Black pepper, spice, violet and cherry aromas lead into a palate showing intensity and purity of fruit. This Hawkes Bay Syrah is defined, balanced and well-supported with fine-grained tannins. … will cellar well for at least five years; www.vidal.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, brighter and less oak-affected than the Reserve. Bouquet is delightfully varietal, explicit dianthus and wallflower florals and almost roses, clear pepper, attractive cassis, great purity. In mouth the wine is not as rich as the Reserve, but the varietal character is still exciting, on a slightly fresher finish with much less oak. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 07/09

2006 Alluviale Merlot / Cabernet Franc 18 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.9%; $26 [ screwcap; Me 85%, CF 15, hand-picked, sorted; 16 months in 90% new and 10% one year barrels; 1260 cases; www.alluviale.com ]
Ruby and velvet, some carmine. This is a fresher and more obviously new world Bordeaux blend than the Church Road and Mills Reef examples in this batch. In the blind tasting cassis is to the fore, notwithstanding the cepage, so the wine is confuseable with subtle syrah in its attractive florality. Palate is cassis and bottled dark plums, showing good richness, weight and flavour for its price-point. It therefore continues the trend set up under its previous Blake Family Vineyard ownership, and is one to seek out. The new owners include winemaker David Ramonteau-Chiros, a graduate of the University of Bordeaux, so the winestyles of that district are uppermost in his mind. The aromatics on this wine yet again remind us how exceptional merlot can be in New Zealand, and with a cepage as above, how closely wines like this can approach St Emilion or maybe Pomerol winestyles. Present evidence is more for the former. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 11/08

2005 Forrest Riesling Late-Harvest 18 (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 8.5%; $18 [ screwcap; hand-harvested, botrytis ‘small %’, 97 g/L RS; www.forrest.co.nz ]
Pale lemongreen. Bouquet on this riesling is in a way bigger even than the Mount Riley, but not quite so clearly varietal. It smells vinifera, glucosey, light vanillin, sweet and pure, like a youthful Mosel wine. Palate takes up the glucose and expands it into botrytis sweetness balanced by fine acid, and the fruit is now more clearly riesling. Tasting this now is infanticide, but in its Germanic auslese style it will cellar very well indeed. And probably score higher in three years. Cellar to 15 years, particularly noting the screwcap. GK 02/06

2006 Littorai Pinot Noir Mays Canyon 18 (

)

Russian River Valley, California, USA: 13.9%; $125 [ cork; $US90; 10% whole bunch; 16 months French oak, 40% new; www.littorai.com ]
Pinot noir ruby. This is another beautiful face of pinot noir, not as dark and dramatic as the 2007 Felton Block 5 in the World tasting, in fact much more floral and red-fruited, Volnay-like. Bouquet includes mock orange blossom and roses, soft and sensual. Palate is red fruits as much as black, perfect burgundian palate weight, sensitive oak, a wine of precision and poise, optimising everything that is attractive in good French pinot noir, yet avoiding their faults. This more red-fruited phase of pinot noir is in many ways more attractive than the darkly-coloured wines New Zealand is pursuing – unwisely in my view. We need to avoid populist influences on our winemaking and style assessment in New Zealand, and particularly so for pinot noir the proposition that darker is better, since in this country the goal of a world-class winestyle can be foreseen. The exception to this stricture is winemakers whose aspirations go no further than supermarket volume. To a New Zealander, this was the most exciting wine in the Great Pinots of the World tasting, though not the best. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 02/10

2013 Craggy Range Syrah Le Sol * 18 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.1%; $100 [ cork 50mm; DFB; Sy 100%, all hand-picked from c.13-year old vines cropped @ c.7.1 t/ha = 2.8 t/ac; some ferments in oak cuves, in previous years cuvaison of c.20 days, wild and cultured-yeast ferments; MLF preferences not known; 18 months in French oak c.32% new; RS nil g/L; sterile-filtered; dry extract 26.8 g/L; production believed to be 500 – 1,000 cases; released 1 June 2015; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, below midway in depth of colour. One sniff and this is a very different interpretation of syrah. It is fragrant but not exactly floral, with the dominant berry note being canned South African guavas, and blueberry. Most unusual, but within spec, so to speak, at the riper end of the syrah spectrum. Palate is delicate in comparison with some Le Sols which have gone before, seemingly very 'free-run', pleasing fruit weight, fragrant vanillin oak, and lovely balance. It seems nearly succulent. Like the Bullnose, this should become a great food wine. It's just a bit off-centre in its aroma and flavour characters, for classic syrah, and tending petite by previous Le Sol standards. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 05/15

2008 Felton Road Riesling [ standard ] 18 (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 9.5%; $31 [ screwcap; hand-harvested, all s/s ferments, 3 months LA on fine lees; pH 2.92, RS 55 g/L; www.feltonroad.com ]
Lemongreen, close to the Felton Dry. Bouquet is close to that wine too, but seems to smell a little sweeter and more nectary, but at the same time (and at this stage) less explicitly varietal. Curious. There are suggestions of sweet vernal and pearflesh, but no lime characters. Palate is the sweetest so far in this hierarchy, a full medium, juicy, low phenolics but flavoursome riesling more in a cooked sturmer apple way (+ve), clearly varietal but very youthful – naturally. The wine is delightfully pure, and should develop well in bottle for 3 – 12 years. It may need re-ranking, later on. GK 04/09

2004 Amisfield Pinot Noir 18 (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.9%; $43 [ supercritical cork; hand-harvested; 7 days cold-soak, BF and 10 months in French oak 23% new; www.amisfield.co.nz ]
A deep pinot noir ruby, about the maximum desirable for the variety. Bouquet is very ripe, flirting with being over-ripe, my notes in the blind tasting saying for bouquet, more plummy than cherry. Floral components are therefore less apparent, but not entirely absent – there is a dusky dark rose sweetness, which is very attractive, plus a suggestion of almonds, less so. On palate a more desirable black cherry quality becomes apparent, giving a very rich flavour braced by oak to a maximum. It is richer and softer than any of the Feltons, but not so vibrantly varietal. Nonetheless, this big wine will give a lot of pleasure, and cellar well. It would have been more complex with a little less ripeness (or a component less ripe), I suspect, though bouquet may build in cellar. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 11/05

2013 Ata Rangi Pinot Noir 18 (

)

Martinborough Terrace, Wairarapa, New Zealand: 13.5%; $84 [ screwcap; Abel clone c.45%, assorted Dijon clones 40, UCD 5 15, planted at varying densities 2,800 – 4,400 vines/ha, average age c.23 years; all hand-picked @ c.4.1 t/ha (1.6 t/ac), 15 – 40% whole-bunch (depending on fruit-ripeness and year etc), pre-ferment cold soak 5 – 10 days, then 15 – 20 days cuvaison with 100% wild yeast; c.15 months in French oak c.35% new, medium toast; not sterile-filtered to bottle; RS 0.5 g/L; dry extract 30.7 g/L; production c.2,500 cases; www.atarangi.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, just a little more oak-affected in hue (one supposes), but just above midway in depth. This is the second of the wines to show faint pennyroyal on bouquet, mingled with clear French tea-rose and red rose florals, lovely. Fruit character is more red cherry than black, and this leads through to a palate which is fresher than some of the wines rated more highly, but no less concentrated. It is important to note that respected pinot noir authorities vary a good deal in their preference for red vs black fruit (meaning cherry) qualities in pinot noir. For those more in the red fruits camp, this wine would rate more highly, particularly given its concentration. I take the view that provided there is florality, I am very happy with either hue of cherry. The tannin structure in this wine is subtler than the Escarpment, more 'feminine' maybe, but no less present. Cellar 5 – 15 years. Group View (Flight 2): 4 first places, none second, 2 least. GK 11/15

nv Gonzalez Byass Pedro Ximenez Nectar 375 ml 18 (

)

Jerez, Spain: 15.5%; $19 [ cork; pedro ximenez; 9 years in a sherry-style solera to produce a luscious wine of c 370 g/L RS; oak old American; www.gonzalezbyass.com ]
Colour is chestnut with a brassy edge. Bouquet is like wonderfully old muscat, illustrating long storage in mostly older oak, with some magic rancio complexity notes evident. Rancio is a very particular aroma more frequently talked about than encountered. Trying to get plain tasting sense out of chemists is one of life's great challenges, but my impression is the rancio character illustrates a state in wine evolution well short of oxidation or even maderisation, which is in effect almost stable if oxygen ingress is strictly limited. In mouth the wine is syrupy rich, flavours between golden syrup and treacle, but grapey too, some oak and nuttiness below. The total achievement is closest to old Rutherglen muscat, slightly marred here by trace staleness, like the faintest whiff of formalin. Special stuff, to be tasted at least once. Wines like this hold in bottle, but don't improve, rather gradually going 'flat' / developing stale notes. Once poured, it improves greatly in the glass, becoming 'refreshed – so leave some and try it again the next day. GK 08/11

2013 Ngatarawa Merlot / Cabernets Alwyn 18 (

)

Triangle 81% and Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $75 [ cork 49mm; DFB; Me 77%, CS 19, CF 4, hand-picked from c.14-year old vines planted at 2,450 vines / ha and cropped @ 6.25 t/ha = 2.5 t/ac; cuvaison 21 – 38 days, cultured-yeast; MLF in tank mostly; 16 – 19 months in French oak c.55% new; RS <1 g/L; sterile-filtered; dry extract 27.6 g/L; production 350 x 9-L cases; release late 1916, pre-release tasting bottles courtesy Alwyn Corban; www.ngatarawa.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, not quite so much carmine, just below midway in depth. Bouquet is a complex interaction of several factors: a slight lift from trace VA, a lot of dark berry, and just a suggestion of sur-maturité. There is not quite the freshness of cassis, for example, just a lot of dark red fruit, plus some oak. The wine becomes clearer in mouth, now clear aromatic berry, very ripe by New Zealand standards so there is some loss of freshness and aroma, but a lovely palate, skins dominant. The lingering aftertaste of aromatic cabernet skins is great, though there is a hint of raisins too, perhaps from the merlot. This wine too is completely different in style from the Alwyns of 10 years ago, showing unprecedented ripeness for the label. Its darker notes make you think of malbec, but inappropriately in this case. As for Patriarch, Alwyn too is an essential component of a representative 2013 Hawkes Bay red collection, adding a distinctive alternative (and this year, sturdy) view. In the Regional Wines tasting, one person rated this the top wine, at the blind stage. It will cellar for 10 – 25 years, at least. GK 05/15

2011 Craggy Range Merlot Sophia 18 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $78 [ cork; DFB; Me 60%, CS 24, CF 14, PV 2, hand-harvested @ just under 6.25 t/ha (2.5 t/ac); 100% de-stemmed; inoculated ferments in s/s; 19 months in 37% new French oak (note lower ratio new oak than 5 years ago); fined and filtered; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, medium depth for a bordeaux blend, the lightest of these four. Being a young wine in the Bordeaux style, it is much better decanted and aired. This dissipates some of the oak vanillin and allows the deep sweet violets florals of merlot to shine through, on bottled black doris plum fruit. Palate is freshly plummy, uncannily so, textbook merlot though there are blending varieties. It is not as rich as the 2010 straight Gimblett Gravels Merlot, instead being a wine relying on beauty and finesse more than weight and size. The pinpoint fruit ripeness contrasts with so many Hawke's Bay merlots, but even here the oaking is on the noticeable side. Elegant wine, which will give much pleasure, cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 05/13

2006 Awaroa Cabernet / Merlot / Malbec 18 (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13%; $30 [ supercritical ‘cork’; CS 60%, Me 30, Ma 7, CF 3, hand-harvested @ c.1.6 t/ac; all de-stemmed, cultured yeast, 5 days cold-soak and 25 days cuvaison; MLF and 12 months in French oak 50% new; sterile-filtered; 100 cases, website not up yet; ‘A classic Cabernet nose with olive, blueberry notes and toasty oak. On the palate the wine has terrific structure. Will age superbly. 86 points Bob Campbell, **** Michael Cooper’; www.awaroawines.co.nz ]
Ruby, some velvet. This is a quieter wine in the line-up, in the same modern Bordeaux style illustrated by the Coleraine, but here mellowed a little with age, more like the Destiny Bay wines. On bouquet, cassis, bottled black doris plums, dark tobacco and fragrant oak combine into a Bordeaux look-alike. Palate is not quite as rich as the bouquet promises, acid balance and ripeness are slightly fresher than optimal Bordeaux, and the oak is more noticeable therefore. Even so the berry flavours are long in mouth. Attractive wine to cellar 3 – 12 years. GK 06/09

2006 Martinborough Vineyard Pinot Noir Reserve Marie Zelie 18 (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 14%; $179 [ cork; 20% whole bunch; 10 months in French oak 50% new, plus 8 months in second and third-year oak; www.martinborough-vineyard.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, above midway for a depth, some age apparent. Bouquet is very fragrant indeed, with complex floral and cherry notes mingled with oak and some Martinborough mintyness (pennyroyal). It is clearly pinot noir, yet there is a touch of the Penfolds about it in its oak handling. Palate shows rich red and black cherry fruit of good precision, all fractionally riper than the 2003 Marie Zelie, but not going as far as 2006 Prima Donna. But despite the richness, and thankfully cutting the new oak to 50% relative to the 2003 of this label, it is still very oaky for pinot noir – even though many will like the wine for that. There is the slightest suggestion of almond, like some burgundies. The two things that give me pause in this wine are the persistence of the mint, and the level of the oak, good though the oak is. That is where wines like the wonderfully pure (and affordable) Black Poplar wine bespeak New Zealand pinot more dramatically, to me. As a trophy wine, bought by those for whom rarity and price influence its enjoyment, it succeeds in one sense, but there is an element of grandiosity in pricing this wine at the $180 mark. It is worth noting that recent tastings suggest the similarly aggressively-priced 1998 Reserve ($100 at release) is now not quite such an attractively balanced wine as the standard 1998 bottling, due to excess oak. Food for thought. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 02/10

2006 Palliser Estate Pinot Noir 18 (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 14%; $46 [ screwcap; clones 10/5 and more modern burgundy clones; in general c. 4 days cold-soak; 12 months new and older French oak; not much winemaking info on website; www.palliser.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, a little more mature than some. Bouquet is distinctly fruity, piquant and exciting, with clear-cut pinot varietal character. It is a little oaky, which makes it not so easy to characterise the floral component, but there are dark florals on clear red and black cherry fruit. Balance is aromatic and attractive, and it feels like pinot noir in mouth, so one can forgive it the oak and alcohol. The exciting thing about this wine, in the context of the other middle-latitude pinots is, there is full physiological maturity of the fruit, no hint of leafy / stalky components, yet the wine retains good florality. Earlier Palliser pinots were not as clean as this one, so all in all this is an attractive example of Martinborough pinot noir, to cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 03/09

2011 Fromm Pinot Noir Clayvin 18 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $78 [ cork; The Fromm winery and vineyard dates in concept from the late 1980s, and in practice from 1992, when Swiss wine man Georg Fromm set out with Swiss winemaker Hatsch Kalberer (then at Matawhero) to create an antipodean vineyard reflecting European practices rather than new world. The emphasis has been on closer planting than standard New Zealand practice, lower yields, and all hand-harvesting. Hatsch now has an associate winemaker Adam Balasoglou. In recent years Georg has been joined by two other Swiss partners, who now have more active day-to-day involvement. All vineyards are now certified organic, dating from 2013. The website does not appear to give any information on individual wines, but Adam advises the wine is all hand-picked fruit, wild-yeast fermentations with up to 30% whole berries, long cuvaison for pinot noir up to four weeks, then 16 – 18 months in larger barrels with only 10% new. RS is well below 1 g/L, dry extract not available; www.frommwinery.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, below midway. This wine stands out in the set as epitomising red cherry pinot. It smells of roses including tea-roses, without the aromatic complexity of boronia. The fruit quality is all red, a hint of strawberry and raspberry but centred firmly on red cherry, and thus contrasting beautifully with the 'cooler' red fruits of the Te Mania. In mouth it is identical, and there is a soft succulent charm to the wine which along with the red fruits, speaks clearly of Pommard. The oak component is very gentle, serious Pommard might have a greater oak structure in the wine, but the exact quality of the red pinot fruit without acid or stalk is exciting – hence the high score. Cellar 2 – 8 years. GK 06/14

2004 Yarra Yering [ Shiraz ] Dry Red Wine Number 2 18 (

)

Yarra Valley, Victoria, Australia: 14%; $ – [ cork; c. AU$80; shiraz, small percentage of viognier and marsanne; R. Parker 168: The 2004 Dry Red Wine No. 2 (95% Shiraz and 5% Marsanne and Viognier) is more closed, tannic, and harder to fully penetrate … With aeration, the bouquet reveals notions of exotic Asian spices intermixed with flowers, blackberries, and cassis. In the mouth, the wine struts its stuff with a full-bodied, layered, broad, flavorful, concentrated style and moderately high tannin in the finish … two decades. 94; no website ]
Ruby, a flush of velvet, fractionally deeper than the 2004 Bullnose. Freshly opened, the bouquet is very floral and fragrant, not as ripe as most Australian shiraz, distinctive. Intertwined in its aromas is spicy nutmeg / cloves oak reminiscent of the kind Danny Schuster uses on his Omihi Pinot, which the following week in the Pinot Noir 2007 conference, the Australian Wine Research Institute convincingly demonstrated was part of the brett spectrum of aromas. Methinks we are almost learning too much about wine, to be able to enjoy it ! With air the bouquet tired a little, a varnishy thought creeping in. Palate suggests a higher percentage of viognier than some of the blends, the floral component blending into unusual blueberry succulence, all in older oak. There was also a reminder in this wine of some of the Ridges Zinfandels – intriguing, different, delightful. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 01/07

2007 Church Road Malbec Cuve Series Limited Release 18 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $34 [ cork 45mm; Ma 100%; 35 days cuvaison; MLF and 21 months in French oak 46% new; RS < 1 g/L; cuve refers to the oak fermenters (imported from France) in the winery, a premium Bordeaux approach; malbec now scarcely used in the Medoc, a little on the East Bank, but it is the dominant grape of Cahors ('the black wines' of Cahors … !); included to highlight the robust flavours and rustic tannins of malbec, when compared with the more highly-regarded mainstream varieties of Bordeaux; Cuve Series now re-named McDonald Series because cuve not understood, and Limited in the sense malbec of this quality can be made in only occasional vintages in New Zealand; www.churchroad.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, incredibly dense. And then it was on to malbec, and a discussion of why the variety is scarcely grown in the Medoc now, and is rare east of the river. This malbec has the distinction of being (like Esk Valley The Terraces, though a blend) one of the few properly ripe malbecs ever commercialised in New Zealand. Not that you are allowed to say that, of course. Discussion centred on the darkly omega-plummy quality of the bouquet, then the big rich drying palate with its furry more rustic tannins. This was not quite so easy to illustrate or grasp, against the Menzies where that wine's varietal and new oak tannins are high in youth, but the display was convincing against the cabernet franc and both the merlots. Cellar 8 – 20 years. GK 09/14

2008 Passage Rock Viognier 18 (

)

Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14%; $30 [ screwcap; hand-harvested; half the wine BF in 1 – 3 year oak both French and American, none new, balance s/s; up to 25% MLF; 2 months LA; 3 g/L RS; 220 cases; www.passagerockwines.co.nz ]
Elegant lemon. This is another wine to show the wonderful potential we have in New Zealand to achieve pinpoint viognier character. The floral complexity here is comparable with a fair example of viognier from the northern Rhone. Florality is a character which the Aussies find so climatically hard to achieve in viognier or syrah (hence their shiraz), whereas New Zealand has an enormous advantage, if we can achieve full physiological flavour maturity and ripeness to back up the bouquet. For New Zealand thus far, only Hawkes Bay has really qualified for clear viognier potential, but now here is a Waiheke wine displaying beautiful yellow honeysuckle florals, with good fresh apricot fruit. It does not have the depth of varietal character of the Chaillets, but is purer. It has a little more varietal character than the Vidal, even though the oak is more noticeable, more like the Craggy, but softer and more flavoursome (perhaps from the American side). The body is slightly less than the Vidal – which excels in that respect. Hard to score, no two people would rank them the same way, but that is the explanation for my scores falling the way they do. This is an exciting wine both for Waiheke, and to encourage other producers in warm-enough places. Cellar 1 – 4 years. GK 04/09

2007 Astrolabe Noble Riesling Experience 375 ml 18 (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 11.5%; $27 [ screwcap; Ri 100%, hand-harvested 24 May, whole-bunch pressed, cool-fermented all in s/s; pH 3.73, RS 214 g/L; www.astrolabewines.co.nz ]
Full gold. Bouquet is bigger and heavier than the soaring Riverby, more a bush honey analogy to the Riverby’s spring flower garden. In mouth, the weight is more sauternes, and I thought there might be some oak employed in the elevation of this wine. But no, it is just the marvellous alchemy of riesling terpenes and mini-tannins concentrated with botrytis in a wine like this. There is a suggestion of marmalade left to cook just a little too long, in the fruit component. The faintest hint of stalkyness detracts slightly too, but on the other hand, with the acid it gives the wine good length and freshness despite the weight. The chemistry and physiology of botrytised wines is so complex, it's a miracle when everything comes right. Enjoy this one for its sumptuous richness, though the pH might militate against longterm keeping. Cellar 2 – 5 years, maybe – hard to be sure. GK 04/09

2011 Produttori del Barbaresco Rabaja Riserva 18 (

)

Barbaresco DOCG, Piedmont, Northern Italy, Italy: 14.5%; $82 [ 50mm cork; the cellar approach to the wines is consistent across all the crus, but detail varies with the season. In general cuvaisons are 3 - 4 weeks, in lined concrete vats, followed by at least 3 years in older large oak variously 2,500 - 7,500 litres; www.produttoridelbarbaresco.com ]
Ruby, a little more age showing here, the second to lightest wine. Bouquet is almost sweetly floral, nearly roses, with red fruits dominant, plus a gentle fumey lift. Palate continues the bouquet, softish red fruits, and even though the tannin structure is so different from pinot noir, there is a reminder of that grape all through. Aftertaste is a little shorter, on the lighter tannins. Cellar 5 – 15 years. This wine was the group favourite. GK 05/16

2014 Casas del Bosque Syrah Gran Reserva 18 (

)

Casablanca Valley, Chile: 13.7%; $40 [ cork, 46 mm; Sy 100%, hand-picked from 10 – 15-year vines in the coolest-available hillside blocks (May harvest), cropped at 4.5 t/ha = 1.8 t/ac; fruit all de-stemmed, individual berry sorting, not crushed, cold-soaked for 7 days; inoculated ferments @ 32°, 16 days cuvaison; 11 months in French oak 65% new; presumably sterile-filtered since 3.1 g/L RS; bottle weight dry 578 grams; www.casasdelbosque.cl ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, deeper than all but one of the syrahs in the 'Round the World' tasting. The bouquet improves with decanting and air to reveal a syrah with elevation artefacts intruding to an extent which obscures exciting berry characters ripened to the cassis-grading-to-blueberry point. The degree to which the charry new oak introduces smoky chocolate and faintly bacon notes so beloved by American wine reviewers (who are less concerned with varietal accuracy) is regrettable, by European standards. Any floral quality the wine may have had is hidden. Palate is rich, good berry but again excessive artefact both in flavours and oak aromatics. Comparison with the exemplary 2013 Yann Chave Hermitage (used as a calibration wine in the 'Round the World' evaluation) confirms this assessment. On the plus side this wine avoids the Chilean suite of aromas and flavours that seem to stem from lesser (or non-oak) cooperage, the acid seems natural, and it will marry up into an exciting bottle of syrah (in its style). It could have been even better, however, to judge from the fruit quality. For example, the residual sugar is well-hidden, but why pander to American market ‘taste’, if the concept Gran Reserva is to mean anything in the European market ? Cellar 15 – 25 years. GK 03/18

2013 Ata Rangi Pinot Noir 18 (

)

Martinborough Terrace, Wairarapa, New Zealand: 13.5%; $84 [ screwcap; Abel clone c.45%, assorted clones average age c.23 years; all hand-picked @ c.4.1 t/ha (1.6 t/ac), 15 – 40% whole-bunch (depending on fruit-ripeness and year etc), wild yeast fermentation; c.15 months in French oak c.35% new, not sterile-filtered to bottle; RS nil; www.atarangi.co.nz ]
Also a perfect pinot noir ruby, faintly older and deeper than the Craggy Range wine, above midway in the set. Bouquet is redolent of Martinborough, but that includes a key component I find tending negative, trace pennyroyal. Below that is rich red fruit and careful oaking, slightly moreso than the Craggy. The richness conceals that though. Palate is attractive, more richness / dry extract than some earlier Ata Rangis, but that hint of mint introduces an aromatic component that detracts. One of the best Ata Rangis so far, all the same, to cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 05/16

2011 Villa Maria Viognier Cellar Selection 18 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $24 [ screwcap; hand-harvested @ 1.5 – 2 t/ac, 100% de-stemmed, up to 6 hours cold-soak, 80% barrel-fermented in French oak 25% new, 40% of the total wine through MLF, 10 months LA and occasional batonnage; RS 1.8 g/L; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Lemon. Bouquet is simply beautiful, showing wonderful citrus and mock orange blossom aromas swirling from the glass, on an underpinning of yellow-ripe apricots and other stonefruits. This really demonstrates viognier. In mouth the richness is attractive but not compelling compared with the same firm's Reserve bottling, clearly yellow (though slightly austere) apricot flavours, the nett impression augmented by skilful palate enhancement via lees-autolysis and partial MLF-fermentation. This Villa Maria wine is dramatically more varietal but slightly less rich than the same-year Domaine J M Gerin Condrieu La Loye ($80), currently on Maison Vauron's books. It highlighted just how great the potential for viognier is in New Zealand, if our people would take the grape and winestyle seriously, taste good examples regularly, and stop growing the grape in places totally unsuited to it. Villa Maria have shown themselves to be the most skilful and enterprising viognier-makers in New Zealand, aided by a more reliable climate in their Gimblett Gravels vineyards than Passage Rock enjoy on Waiheke Island. Villa's wines have had an edge and depth of character and consistency which is impressive, relative to longer-standing players such as Te Mata, or Church Road latterly. Because of its acid balance and subtle MLF flavours (and I am guessing, the more familiar New Zealand style of the wine), this was seen by the group as the best viognier, on the day. Fully mature, hold a year or two only. GK 09/13

1982 Jaboulet [ Hermitage ] la Chapelle 18 (

)

Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $32 [ cork; Sy 100%; since the wines of Hermitage were in the 19th century considered the ideal blending material for fine Bordeaux, it will be fun to include a ‘First Growth’ of the district in our 1982 tasting. Parker in 1997 considered la Chapelle ‘unquestionably one of the world’s greatest dry red wines’ … enormously concentrated … a decade to throw off its tannic cloak … majestic perfume … The 1982: opulent, satisfying, multi-layered, with plenty of extract and glycerine, explosive fruitiness, deep peppery wild blueberry and cassis aromas, intermingled with cedar and truffle … to 2010 92. Coates, in an enviable recent vertical tasting back to the 1949, considers it fully developed, with an ample rich round spicy nose. Fullish body, plump ripe and easy to enjoy, the tannins just about mellow. Not the greatest class or dimension. A point. To 2008. Very Good. ]
Ruby and garnet, the lightest of the wines. Bouquet is the most floral and elegant of this bracket, with wallflower and dianthus qualities on fading cassis and fruit notes, berry-dominant yet so fragrant it is more like a burgundy than claret. Palate is lighter than the Bordeaux, but not weak, showing attractive red and blackcurrant fruit, some plum, and a suggestion of blackberry and bush-honey underneath. A delicious wine now, fading slowly, but time to drink, over the next few years. GK 09/08

2010 Esk Valley Ma / Me / CF The Hillside 18 (

)

Bay View dissected coastal terrace, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $70 [ screwcap; Ma 58%, Me 26, CF 16, planted 1989, hand-harvested; all vars co-fermented as one batch; 100% new French oak c. 16 months; RS nil; around 250 cases; this wine is in effect The Terraces from years where there is not quite the richness or ripeness to maintain the standard achieved / desired in that now-famous label; weight bottle and closure: 587 g; www.eskvalley.co.nz ]
Ruby, some velvet, clearly deeper and younger than the 2010 Guigal Chateauneuf-du-Pape, but scarcely any hint of lurid dark malbec colours. Apart from a light mint suggestion, bouquet is attractive and almost totally bordeaux in styling. Berry is dominant over oak, the wine very fragrant, nearly floral, nearly cassis, a blend of red currants, cassis and red plums scarcely influenced by the all-French oak. Flavour follows on perfectly: it is not as rich as you would expect The Terraces to be (exactly the reason for this new label), but happily, it is not as oaky, either. Heaven knows exactly how Gordon Russell has achieved this, given the 100% new oak for 16 months: this implies a good dry extract analysis. The fruit-to-oak ratio is remarkably close to Bordeaux practice, just a little oakier. This is not a big wine, but for a slightly cool year it shows attractive, even surprising, ripeness and balance, the thought of stalks scarcely entering one's head. Rather, the wine is refreshing. It needs another five years to soften, and will cellar 5 – 20 years. It shows a style and complexity which should enable it to be competitive against 2010 Bordeaux in blind tastings. GK 10/16

2013 Xanadu Cabernet Sauvignon 18 (

)

Margaret River, West Australia, Australia: 14%; $38 [ screwcap; cepage in 2013 CS 90%, Ma 7, PV 3, hand-picked; up to 28 days cuvaison for one third of the blend, balance less; MLF partly in s/s, partly in barrel, c.14 months in French small oak, 40% new; vintage rating 9/10 by Halliday; imported by MacVine International, Auckland; weight bottle and closure: 759 g; www.xanaduwines.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, lighter than the Xanadu Reserve, in the lightest half dozen. Bouquet however is very close in style to the Reserve wine, the cassis if anything seeming slightly more evident, implying less oak influence, and the whole wine beautifully fragrant, faintly aromatic, clear-cut cabernet. On palate the fractionally lower ratio of new oak is expressed in a vividly varietal cassisy flavour, which is an absolute delight, especially when thinking about display wines for presenting varietal tastings. It is perhaps not quite as rich and 'serious' as the Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve, but the nett achievement is so similar, it is hard to mark this wine any lower. An exceptional buying opportunity, therefore. Halliday marks this wine 96, Sept. 2015. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 08/16

2002 Te Mata Estate Cabernets / Merlot Coleraine 18 (

)

Havelock North Hills mainly, some Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $120 [ cork, 55mm; Me 39%, CF 36, CS 25; modest early season, Indian autumn, GDD 1425, harvest late March to later April; release price $65; note cabernet franc ratio; Cooper, 2005: … highly fragrant, very complex and structured wine, with excellent concentration of plum, spice and coffee flavours and firm tannins. A generous wine with great depth, it should flourish for many years, *****; Chan, 2008 review: ... rich and very complex with dark plum and berry fruit aromas ... dense meaty, gamey ... The palate is fat and broad, with a full tannin profile. Tannins are fine-textured, with the complex animal and savoury plum-berry flavours behind. The flavours are forward, secondary and showing development signs. ... Complex, savoury and full drinking now, 18; www.temata.co.nz ]
Ruby and garnet, appreciably older than the 2005, midway in depth. The bottles on the two nights differed, the second night one being appreciably fresher and richer, and more berry-dominant. I have scored the second bottle. The concentration and ripeness of fruit in that bottle was reminiscent of the 1998, being ripely plummy and fragrant, though not exactly floral. There is also a suggestion of a savoury quality, which for the first night bottle was quite clearly savoury to the point of smelling like venison casserole (+ve). Palate is quite richly flavoured, furry tannins, drying just a little to the finish. These characters translate into a brett component, the wild yeast which wineries nowadays are hyper-vigilant to prevent. A very few people find this savoury brett character intrinsically disagreeable, rather more have ‘learnt’ to dislike it, but the vast majority of non-wine-industry people love it. They think it is the missing factor that makes many European wines so complex and wonderful with food, whereas the New World wines are more one-dimensional. The point about brett is, if you have a wine in your cellar showing it, just keep an eye on it, unless the wine has been sterile-filtered to bottle. Unlike ordinary yeast cells which stop working when there are no simple sugars left in the wine, brett cells can continue working on the complex sugars. At a certain point the wine will dry out prematurely, and sometimes unattractively. And no two bottles will be the same, as we found. This wine was the second-most-favoured wine on the second night, with seven votes for first or second place. Even the night one bottle had five people rating it first or second. Cellar 5 – 10 years only might be best. GK 08/17

2002 Domaine Mongeard-Mugneret Grands Echezeaux 18 (

)

Vosne-Romanée Grand Cru, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: – %; $150 [ cork; vine age 40 – 68 years; wine-searcher valuation $275; www.mongeard.com ]
Pretty in the glass with a clear, pale and bright garnet hue. Clean nose with distinctive candied fruit characters, sugared plums, vanilla and milk chocolate. Herbal dried thyme and notes of pencil shavings, very fragrant. Dry palate, very pronounced in intensity with high juicy acid and a fine minerality. Lovely mix of red fruits, dried raspberry, red cherry and red plums, soft well-structured tannins and medium alcohol. Medium-plus length, quite a refined style, very enjoyable. RD 08/16

1975 Stanley Leasingham Cabernet Sauvignon Bin 49 18 (

)

Clare Valley, South Australia, Australia: – %; $ – [ cork 44mm; original cost $11.57, recent wine-searcher values for similar age examples approach $100; CS 90%, Ma 10; a highly-regarded (and expensive) wine at the time, gold medals at Sydney, Adelaide and Perth, but one reflecting the new-fangled craze for new oak in the new world; Stanley Leasingham became part of the Hardy group in 1987, and is now a lower-profile label in the latter-day BRL-Hardy → Constellation Wines → AccoladeWines grouping. Bin 49 no longer exists as such, but Bins 56 (cabernet / malbec) and 61 (shiraz) do. Leasingham's top-level label now is Classic Clare Cabernet and Classic Clare Shiraz, the latter at least sparingly available in New Zealand; Len Evans, 1978: Tim Knappstein has developed this style into one of the classic regional dry red styles of Australia. These are magnificent wines with tremendous berry fruit, a full rich palate with excellent oak integration and a firm tannin/acid finish … The ‘75 is a return to the old standard [1966 – ‘71 ]. A big firm strongly flavoured cabernet, it will need many years to develop its full potential. Clare reds are noted for their longevity ... ]
Garnet and ruby, the third deepest wine. For years, I hardly believed this oaky monster would ever fine down. But here, with other wines also noted for their oak deployment, the result is impressive. Yes the oak is still noticeable on bouquet, but it is of good quality, it is not blatantly American (matching the Martha's in this respect), and there is a remarkable volume of fruit to support the oak. The supporting grape, malbec, also tilts this wine more to the Bordeaux wine style than the Blass. In mouth it is not as rich as the Martha's, and it seems both less tannic and slightly more fruity, a bit better balanced. Intriguing. There is no obtrusive euc'y character, but it does shows a similar aromatic lift – balsam or mint maybe – to the Martha's. Only 6 tasters classed it as Australian, blind, a great result. No hurry here, at all, it should make 50 years, if the modest 44mm corks don't let it down. GK 03/15

2005 Henschke Semillon Louis 18 (

)

Eden Valley, South Australia, Australia: 13.2%; $36 [ screwcap; Se 100%; 12% aged on lees in older French oak for 6 months; Halliday rates Eden Valley 9 /10 for whites in 2005; www.henschke.com.au ]
Lemon to lemonstraw. Freshly opened, there is a slight burgundian heaviness suggesting a barrel ferment component (confirmed), on good but not instantly recognisable fruit. Decanted / well swirled, it opens up gratifyingly to the vanillin-rich fragrance of holygrass / semillon and trace lanolin. In mouth there is a fruit richness which is chardonnay-like, but also clear semillon flavours extended by this beautifully subtle oak – great to see this from Henschke. This should be a fine food wine, which will cellar 5 – 10 years. It is not absolutely bone dry, but close. GK 02/08

2007 Sileni Merlot EV (Exceptional Vintage) 18 (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $75 [ screwcap; Me 100%, all de-stemmed; extended cuvaison; 15 – 16 months in French oak; Catalogue: concentrated, ripe blackberry and Christmas cake characters. Warm and rich on the palate with mocha flavours and fine, supple tannins on the finish; www.sileni.co.nz ]
Ruby, but softly plush. Bouquet is understated but striking, being fragrant in the way classed Beaune can be. This is eminently reasonable, merlot having long been compared with (and in age, confused with) pinot noir, before elephantine American demands for what constitutes wine quality became de rigueur. Perhaps I should say in parentheses that Sileni chief winemaker Grant Edmonds’ view of the world is dramatically a polar opposite from the thought ‘bigger is better’. Often I have wished for more grunt in his wines, but even that is a trap, for the bigger a wine, the less food-friendly it is likely to be. Both the top Sileni wines and Grant’s personal label RedMetal can be deceptive, and critics must be careful, particularly with a wine like this. After all, Grant is in effect saying: I have put every effort into this wine, and in my view it is a $75 bottle. And in bouquet, it is, showing a red roses quality of merlot specific varietal quality which is totally St Emilion. Oaking is attractively subtle and winey, when compared with a wine such as the Pask Merlot Declaration. In mouth though, it is still just a bit light. Whereas the apparently light The Terraces wine is in fact surprisingly long and sustained on palate, this Merlot while good (and richer than The Triangle wine) is not really rich enough for the price, I feel. Sileni still regard their cropping rate of 2.5 – 3 kg / vine as “low”, whereas The Terraces is more like 1 kg. Comparison with the exemplary 2007 Craggy Range Merlots, where the cropping rate is also c. 1 kg / vine for Sophia, and maybe 1.5 for The Gimblett Gravels wine, is instructive at this point too. All that said, however, this EV is going to be delightful with food. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 07/09

1990 Penfolds Cabernet Sauvignon Bin 407 18 (

)

Padthaway, Coonawarra, and McLaren Vale, South Australia, Australia: 13.2%; $172 [ cork 45mm; CS 100%, matured in 30% new, second and third-year French and American oak (all hogsheads) for 12 months; this is the inaugural vintage of this now-famous label, which though modelled as a 'junior' Bin 707, is sometimes better balanced (less oaky); Penfolds 'Rewards of Patience' book, 2000: Blackcurrant and licorice-like aromas with touches of earth and mint. Beautifully concentrated, tangy palate with deep-set blackcurrant fruit, 'satin-and-velvet' mid-palate and good length. To 2005, a Preferred Vintage; Halliday, not on website, irritatingly, but referred to as: fractionally richer and sweeter than the 1991, which he rated 92; Victoria Daskal, 2008 (on Robinson website): Delicate nose with peppery and minty aromas coming forward. Earthiness and black currants persisting underneath. At first very elegant and soft, but a puckering acidity develops - resulting from Padthaway and Coonawarra's cool climates. Medium, soft and supple tannins. Rich in blackberries and black currants. Slightly chalky finish, 16.5; Wine Spectator, 1993: A rustic, coarse style, with generous Cabernet flavors overlaid with menthol and mint notes, finishing coarse in texture and short; 78; www.penfolds.com ]
Dark ruby and velvet, amazingly youthful, and the second deepest wine. The volume of bouquet here is remarkable, a wonderful demonstration of the concept 'cassis' as the key descriptor for mature cabernet sauvignon. The oak ratio on bouquet for this wine is appropriate, and it is only slightly affected by mint notes. Palate is classic unblended cabernet sauvignon, lots of flavour, but a tendency to a 'hole in the middle', with the aromatic berry crying out for merlot to soften and fill out the middle. Towards the later flavour, a hint of the dreaded Australian euc'y taint creeps in, but because the oak is appropriate, it doesn't sabotage the wine. Later still on the palate, tartaric adjustment detracts a little. This will cellar for another 15 – 20 years easily, a surprisingly lovely Australian cabernet. 'Surprising' because at that stage and for some years, Bin 407 was priced along with Bin 28 as the cheapest of the Bin wines. Five votes, none top. GK 10/15

2013 Alpha Domus [ CS / CF / Me / Ma ] The Aviator 18 (

)

Bridge Pa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $72 [ cork 49mm; CS 37%, CF 27, Me 18, Ma 18; 20 months in French oak, 75% new; www.alphadomus.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, just in the top quarter for depth of colour, and thus reflecting an enormous change in the Alpha Domus approach to cropping. Bouquet continues that impression, once breathed, showing a concentration and ripeness of berry which is very different from say the 2000 vintage. There is still a lot of oak, though. Details on bouquet include aromatic dark cassisy berry, considerable fruit complexity, and no mint at all. In mouth the oak jumps up another notch: the fruit is good but not quite rich enough to handle this level of new oak. Comparison of this wine with the Cyril Cabernet on the one hand, and the contrasting Barry Veto Cabernet wine, is enlightening, both the latter having greater dry extract and thus better balance with their oak, even though the ratio varies greatly in the Australian pair. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 06/16

2013 Elephant Hill Syrah Airavata 18 (

)

Gimblett Gravels 65%, Te Awanga 35%, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $90 [ cork 50mm; Sy 98.7%, Vi 1.3, co-fermented where possible; all hand-picked from vines of average age 13 years; on average 4 days cold-soak, approximately 25% whole-bunch, cuvaison averaged 14 days, all cultured-yeast; wild-MLF in barrel; 18 months in oak c.40% new; RS nil; sterile-filtered to bottle; dry extract 31.9 g/L; production 273 cases; www.elephanthill.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, the second deepest wine. This is the most distinctive wine in the set, and also another to look very different from this time last year. There is rich berry with a strong whole-bunch ferment component to it now, much more apparent than a year ago. I expect that to marry away with another 3 – 5 years in cellar. It is a strange smell, which can easily be interpreted negatively, as in for example a reminder of burning perspex. Looked at another way however, it is nearly floral (this is the goal of the whole-bunch approach), exploring the dusky aromatics of cassis and dark plum fruit. Palate is berry dominant, with the oaking seeming low, in this company. There are clear reminders here of the new-style Cornas and Crozes-Hermitage wines being made by Maxime Graillot under the Domaine des Lises label, as well as 2013 Trinity Hills Syrah Homage and Rod Easthope's 2014 Syrah Moteo. They add a new dimension to New Zealand syrah, which some will find hard to embrace. Palate richness in this wine is exemplary. Cellar 5 – 15 years, maybe 20. GK 06/16

2004 Viu Manent Carmenere Secreto 18 (

)

Colchagua Valley, Chile: 13.5%; $19 [ provisional score – pre-bottling tank sample; cork; Carmenere 85%, 6 other vars 15%; c. 7 months oak, 15% US; www.viumanent.cl/ingles ]
Bright carmine, ruby and velvet. A wonderful bouquet of cassis, blackberries, violets and deepest plums, really fragrant and sweet. Already one can smell some oak, but the reduced-oak regime of the non-traditional Secreto range of wines promises great things for the future. On palate, the plump fruit coarsens a little, on oak that is becoming prominent, and of a quality that with age might tend ashy rather than cedary. Nonetheless, this is one of the best balanced Viu Manent reds here, and illustrates carmenere beautifully. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 12/04

2002 Girardin Chassagne-Montrachet Morgeot 18 (

)

Chassagne-Montrachet Premier Cru, Cote de Beaune, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $48
Ruby, a touch of carmine and velvet. Bouquet on this wine is just beautiful, everything pinot noir should be, great florals from jasmine to violets (i.e. lighter and more ethereal florals than the Chambertins), total purity of varietal character. Palate is lighter than the grands crus, but shows perfect balance of red and black cherries, and utmost respect for the floral beauty of the fruit – no clumsy over-oaking here. Morgeot has been one of the few Burgundy vineyards widely available here, during the dark decades of import licensing in New Zealand, so I can say that this is the most beautiful Morgeot I have seen here in the last 35 years. I can also imagine latterday commentators brought up on Barossa Shiraz dismissing this as light and inconsequential. But, taste it again, actually smell it: this is perfection in miniature, just beautiful pinot. At $48 it provides a pricing and reality check for many overly-expensive New Zealand pinots, few of which bear comparison with this. A copy-book wine, for those inclined to read. Cellar 15 years +. VALUE GK 08/04

2010 Jaboulet Hermitage La Petite Chapelle 18 (

)

Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $155 [ 54mm cork; hand-picked from young vines as well as the main 40 – 60 year vines at mostly <3 t/ha (1.2 t/ac); website not forthcoming as to elevage, beyond 15 – 18 months in barrel; essentially the wines not making the now severely-tightened cut for La Chapelle proper, including younger and higher-cropping vines; Parker: 92; www.jaboulet.com ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, the third deepest of the Jaboulets. This wine needs decanting, to reveal an aromatic cassisy wine tending to the same style as the 2010 La Chapelle, but the bouquet not quite achieving the same clarity, focus and perfect ripeness as that wine. Once tasted you can see why: there is all the cassis but also a touch of hardness here, a touch of stalk there, and not quite the beauty and amplitude of the senior wine. It shows great selection in the winery, therefore. It is still highly varietal and shows a lot of cellar potential. In the absence of La Chapelle proper one might think it a gold medal level wine. With time in cellar it will be even more pleasing. Cellar 5 – 20 years, maybe 25. It has greater varietal focus than the 2009. GK 06/14

2008 Craggy Range Syrah Gimblett Gravels Single Vineyard 18 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $30 [ screwcap; Sy 100%; hand-harvested @ 3.2 t/ac; 100% de-stemmed, inoculated fermentation in open-top s/s fermenters and oak cuves; 18 months in French oak 40% new; RS <2 g/L; formerly labelled Block 14, but increased production has outgrown that supply alone; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, another excellent colour, above midway in depth. Like the 2008 Te Mata Bullnose, this is a firmer and slightly leaner wine than the preceding vintage, and it shows a lot of oak, in fact too much given the fruit weight. Oak may be popular in the marketplace, but optimising syrah varietal quality is a longer-term goal to strive for. Fruit ripeness and richness is a little better than the Te Mata, but elegance from the oak viewpoint is less. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 01/10

2004 Bilancia Syrah la Collina 18 (

)

Roy's Hill, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $84 [ supercritical cork; Sy 98%, Vi 2, 100% de-stemmed; fermented on c. 2% viognier skins; MLF and 18 months in 100% new French oak coopered in Burgundy; particular attention to the H2S-forming propensities of syrah; grown on the NW slopes of Roy’s Hill, adjacent to but not part of the Gimblett Gravels; www.bilancia.co.nz ]
Good ruby, a flush of velvet. This wine slots in completely with the Yann Chave Hermitage, in its explicit syrah florals in the dianthus spectrum, on red fruits more than black. Palate is twice the concentration of the Chave, some cassis now in red and black plums, just a thought of stalks, clear white and black pepper. Total style is more Crozes-Hermitage than the Chave's Cote Rotie. This winestyle contrasts vividly with the riper wines of the Gimblett Gravels, all around the foot of Roy's Hill. For New Zealand syrah, the truth lies somewhere between the two styles, as for example exemplified in 2005 Bullnose, and noting that la Collina is made from young vines. As this vineyard ages, the development of the wines will be watched with great interest. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 01/07

2009 Kidnapper Cliffs Sauvignon / Semillon Solan 18 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $35 [ cork; SB 89%, Se 11, hand-picked typically @ c. 5 t/ha = 2 t/ac; a wine inspired by Bordeaux blanc; c.50% of the wine is barrel-fermented in French oak 20% new (i.e. 10% in the total blend), followed by considerable lees-work and 10 months in barrel; RS nil; www.kidnappercliffs.com ]
Straw. This wine is another intriguing step along the route to achieving more complex sauvignons in New Zealand, and more particularly sauvignons able to be compared with the age-worthy whites of Bordeaux generally, and Graves in particular. It thus follows in the footsteps of Te Mata Cape Crest, Cloudy Bay Te Koko, Sacred Hill's Sauvage, and a number of other latter-day examples. It includes beautifully ripe fruit, 50% barrel-fermentation, and extended lees contact. Bouquet is quite strange in the company cited, perfumed in an elderflower, grapefruit and other citrus plus camembert (+ve) way, possibly complexed by trace MLF. The intention was no MLF, but on enquiry, not 100% sure. There is just a touch of Te Koko about the wine, and the result is intriguing. Palate pulls one up short, bone dry as in the Bordeaux model, initially seeming hard and short, but on reflection, quite rich, just angular and youthful. The camembert notes reminiscent of top muscadet certainly will marry the wine to food delightfully. Exciting wine. Cellar 5 – 12 years, with great interest, perhaps to mark higher. GK 08/11

2002 Hunter’s Miru Miru Reserve 18 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 12.5%; $27 [ cork; Ch 48%, PN 47, PM 5; hand-picked; s/s ferment and full MLF, c. 4 years en tirage; dosage 9 – 10 g/L; www.hunters.co.nz ]
Lemon more than lemonstraw. Bouquet is lighter and milder on this wine, seemingly more chardonnay-dominant than the cepage would suggest, very pure, showing a little more autolysis complexity than the ’03 Miru Miru. Palate flavour, length and style are all chardonnay-influenced, more cashew and richness than the ’03 wine or Lindauer Reserve Blanc de Blancs, with good mouthfeel but not fruity. This is lovely lightish methode. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 12/06

2007 Pegasus Bay Chardonnay 18 (

)

Waipara Valley, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 14%; $36 [ screwcap; mostly clone mendoza hand-picked @ c. 1 t/ac from vines averaging 24 years age, wild-yeast BF in 500L puncheons 30% new; MLF about 50% in spring and 12 months LA, no batonnage in barrel; 5 months in tank to harmonise; filtered; RS ‘dry’; www.pegasusbay.com ]
Lemonstraw. This is a chardonnay in a particular New Zealand style, quite extravagant. It is a big wine, with barrel-related winemaking artefacts at this early(ish) stage quite dominating rich stonefruit, including golden queen peaches. People who like this extreme artefact call it ‘toasty’, those less-inclined call it ‘charry’. By the time the wine has undergone barrel fermentation and then extended lees-autolysis and batonnage in such barrels, it may have picked up a lot of non-grape flavours, on top of mealy richness. In mouth, the texture is gorgeous – all that autolysis on top of conservative cropping rates – and the length of flavour remarkable. This is a bigger and richer wine than the Cloudy Bay, and for many it will be a better one, for these artefact characters are addictive. Alongside the Babich, some could think the Pegasus shows too much artefact, relative to the saturated fruit of the former. So you make your choice ! The reason for the lower score here is simply my quest is for the beauty of grape aroma and flavour first and foremost, then winemaking which optimises that rather than dominating it too much. Nonetheless, this Pegasus wine will be an exciting one to cellar, for it will marry up. Later it would be marvellous presented with a more conventional wine in a dinner format or similar – it would be a real conversation-turner. Cellar 3 – 6 years. GK 05/09

2014 Kumeu River Chardonnay Estate 18 (

)

Kumeu, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.5%; $35 [ screwcap; clone 15 predominates but more of a mix than Coddington or Hunting Hill, all hand-harvested; wild-yeast fermentation and 100% BF, LA, and MLF; 11 months in barrel some new but mostly 1-year for the Estate; 2014 is seen as the best vintage so far for Kumeu River chardonnay, and in this vintage, combined volume with quality – c.5,500 cases; RS nil; this wine and / or Maté's are the first two chardonnays to convince America that New Zealand can make international-calibre examples of this variety; www.kumeuriver.co.nz ]
Lemon with a wash of straw. Bouquet in this wine is tiptoeing towards a more reductive chardonnay style, hints of gunsmoke, fresh-cracked greywacke and so forth, but it is within bounds. The first reaction therefore is to double-check to see how severe this negative character is. Nett richness and ripeness in mouth is better than Coddington, there clearly being the fruit and freshness to assimilate the 'minerality' with a couple of years in cellar, though that character will always leave a slight flinty edge. The Estate is actually quite rich, and unlike Coddington or Hunting Hill you feel there is more clone mendoza adding yellow stonefruit notes and complexity to the potentially mealy finish. I ended up liking this more than Coddington, once past the bouquet. It just needs two years in cellar to smooth out and integrate. Cellar 5 – 12 years, possibly 15. GK 03/16

2015 Te Mata Sauvignon Blanc Estate Vineyards 18 (

)

Bridge Pa Triangle & Woodthorpe, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $22 [ screwcap; SB virtually 100%, all s/s-fermented; 3 months on lees; <2 g/L RS; www.temata.co.nz ]
Light lemon. Bouquet is immediately sweet ripe sauvignon, ripened to the white nectarine and black passionfruit level of ripeness, yet still retaining a slight sweet-basil freshness and tang. It is therefore highly varietal, in a riper phase than most Marlborough examples, but not totally removed from the ripest of them. Palate is richer than I remember this wine in the past, a beautiful balance of fruit to refreshing phenolics, a long juicy finish yet 'dry'. This is very good straightforward Hawkes Bay sauvignon, to cellar several years. GK 03/16

2014 Grasshopper Rock Pinot Noir Block 6 Reserve Earnscleugh Vineyard 18 (

)

Alexandra, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $55 [ screwcap; all hand-picked from a more closely-planted (by NZ standards) part of the vineyard, 6,000 vines / ha, 11 years age, later-picked than the average of the standard Grasshopper, this part producing smaller bunches and hence giving a higher skin to juice ratio; no whole-bunch component; 13 months in French oak 33% new; dry; www.grasshopperrock.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby, in the second quarter for depth. Initially opened, there is a reticence, a faint muskiness, which quickly dispels with swirling / decanting. The wine opens to fragrant red grading to black cherry pinot noir, suggestions of dusky rose florals but not as explicit as the top wines, some new oak. Palate immediately reveals more oak, so the initial musky note on bouquet is probably just the hessian of new French oak, yet to marry in. There is a fair weight of cherry fruit on palate, oak maybe to a max, the whole winestyle more Cote de Beaune than Cote de Nuits. This may mark higher, once married up. It is both richer and riper than the standard 2014 Grasshopper, but ideally it needs a little more richness still. It is a first trial for a future Reserve wine, only 64 cases made, not generally sold but available on request. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/17

2015 Wittman Niersteiner Riesling Trocken Qualitatswein 18 (

)

Rheinhessen, Germany: 13.5%; $47 [ cork; organic and biodynamic, the Wittmans have been winemakers in Westhofen since at least 1663, with 90% of production riesling; Nierstein soils tend to slate and sandstone; the website is more illustrative, hard to get factual info for each wine; www.weingutwittmann.de ]
Lemonstraw. Bouquet is immediately holygrass (Hierochloe) / linalool / vanillin varietal, sweet and fragrant, almost a hint of grapefruit and even botrytis, highly varietal. Palate is big, flavoursome, noticeable lees character, phenolics higher than ideal but covered pretty well by the saturation of flavour, a wine dramatically illustrating the difference in cropping rate between these European wines and most sugar-enhanced (even when said to be dry) New Zealand rieslings. Really interesting wine, in a big way. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 03/17

2005 Mount Riley Pinot Gris Winemaker's Selection 18 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $24 [ screwcap; ’05 wine not [then] on website; www.mountriley.co.nz ]
Lemonstraw flushed straw. Bouquet is very clean, and smells rich though it is not immediately varietal – just light rosepetal aromas a little more floral than the Chard Farm. Palate immediately jumps in quality, with great bottled nectarine fruit, and nicely judged phenolics against near-dry sweetness. Too casual taste, the wine is ‘dry’, with fine fruit richness. It has good pinot-family flavour, and more substance to it than the pearflesh of 'normal' New Zealand pinot gris. If there is oak in this, it is exquisitely done – perfection for the variety. Cellar 3 – 5 years, perhaps longer. GK 03/06

2015 Casa Santos Lima / Companhia das Vinhas Monte das Promessas 18 (

)

Alentejano, Portugal: 14%; $14 [ cork, 38mm; bottle-shape claret; cepage is touriga nacional, Sy, PV, alicante bouschet (a vinifera teinturier, Gr x petite bouschet), ratios not given; harvested from vines planted at 3,000 / ha, destemmed; fermentation in stainless steel with temperature control to 27º for 12 days, then 4 months ageing in French and American oak barriques; www.casasantoslima.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a classic young claret colour, well above midway in depth. Bouquet shows wonderfully rich deep red fruits, not as floral as some of the cabernet-led wines, more like dark bottled omega plums, shaped by subtle cedary oak. Alcohol is well-balanced on bouquet. The flavour is rich, long and deep, augmented by some residual sugar to the finish, and the flavours are slightly spicy when compared with the Bordeaux blends. The light oak handling is attractive: would that more Australasian producers had such a subtle approach. Even though the elevage does not suggest a wine made for long cellaring, the fruit richness coupled with the main varieties being touriga nacional and syrah suggest this wine should cellar 5 – 20 years. It will be accessible sooner than the cabernet blends. Bottle shape is appropriate. A Wine Direct selection. GK 03/18

2001 Jadot Meursault les Genevrieres 18 (

)

Meursault Premier Cru, Cote de Beaune, Burgundy, France: – %; $134 [ cork ]
Lemonstraw. Intriguing having two white burgundies amongst the New Zealand chardonnays, in the subsequent blind tasting. The smells and flavours are a little different in style, but are they any better in terms of achievement ? The key thing is the French wines do not have the glorious golden queen peachy fruit so many of the mendoza-influenced New Zealand wines show – their fruit is more white peach and nectarine. And the better French wines have this crushed limestone minerality on bouquet and palate which is very attractive, and is not to be confused with the so-called minerality of old-fashioned sulphurs. This is where the new world has so profoundly influenced old world wine-making. These Jadot examples are every bit as clean as the Villa wines, unlike a generation ago. The Genevrieres shows white nectarine fruit and oatmealy texture, with the mineral thread interacting with the oak. There is the same chardonnay texture and viscosity on tongue, but the wine is not as big as the Villa Group wines, and is certainly less alcoholic. This subtlety makes it more versatile with food. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 02/05

2002 Grosset Riesling Polish Hill 18 (

)

Clare Valley, Australia: 13%; $ – [ screwcap; was $47; vineyard at 460m; 2002 was an exceptional year in South Australia, the Clare Valley whites rated 10/10 by James Halliday (rare); J. Grosset at release: All the indications are that, with time, this will come to be regarded as the greatest Polish Hill Riesling of them all … intense lime aromas; tight, focused and lean with minerally, slatey, lime juice flavours and racy, bracing lingering acidity … austere … coiled power, varietal purity …and Polish Hill’s characteristic steely backbone. Jancis Robinson, 2013: Very lightly honeyed nose but very low key nose at first - worryingly so. Bone dry. Austere. A bit fruitless at first but it grew in the glass to provide a very vibrant, delineated - still bone dry - mouthful of refined dry grapefruit flavour. Super clean, 17.5; James Halliday: Light straw-green; the toasty but discreet bouquet has crisp apple and mineral notes, but is far from flamboyant; the palate is already offering much more power than the bouquet, with flavours running through from apple to lime and a long finish, 95; the website is sparing with factual information; www.grosset.com.au ]
Lemon, the third to youngest. Bouquet is very much Australian riesling, a warmer climate aroma, with much vanillin and clear terpenes reminiscent of lager hops, but lacking the delicate cool-climate white-flowers complexity notes of the Howard Park and the Glover. Palate is still youthful, still riesling austere, perhaps some added acid, the texture not quite matching the 1984 Grosset, hints of lime and citrus. This should develop well, as dry Clare Valley riesling. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 03/14

2001 Henschke Shiraz Hill of Grace 18 (

)

Eden Valley, South Australia, Australia: 14.3%; $624 [ cork; DFB; Sh 100%, noteworthy for being based on pre-phylloxera vines c. 140 years old, dry-grown @ 400 m in an 8 hectare vineyard with 520 mm average annual rainfall, cropped @ 1 – 2 t/ac; open-vat fermentation followed by some barrel fermentation, and c. 18 months traditionally in American oak, but the ratio of French increasing; the key point of difference between Hill of Grace and Penfolds Grange, the two "first-growth" shirazes of Australia, is that Hill of Grace is a single-vineyard wine, and varies from year to year. Grange in contrast is a multi-region wine created to a style-standard, and can therefore be more consistent (though it still shows the impact of climate in some years); Halliday rates Eden Valley 9 /10 in 2001; www.henschke.com.au ]
Ruby and velvet, clearly older than the batch. Bouquet initially opened is one-dimensional, and too oaky by far. Decant this in the morning before going to work, and leave it (lightly covered against fruit flies) till the evening. It will then show a beautiful floral dimension of shiraz reminiscent of the Henry's Seven but older, and set in a richer and more complex wine with cassisy and plummy fruit. On palate, total oak remains on the high side, and there is some brett, but this is complexly flavoured wine, which should be good with many foods. It is not big wine, and (oak aside) there is quite a suggestion of Hermitage itself, though its origin is betrayed by subtle euc'y aromatics. At around $600, it is hard to see the value – see the Penfolds 2001 Bin 128 review. However, few trophy wines are tasted blind … Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 02/08

2010 Equis Crozes-Hermitage Domaine des Lises 18 (

)

Crozes-Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $37 [ cork; Sy 100%, hand-harvested at a conservative cropping rate; reports vary but Maxime Graillot appears to use less whole-bunch than his father Alain; typically 3 weeks cuvaison; 12 months in French oak (burgundy barrels), none new; des Lises is a vineyard in Beaumont-Monteux, 8 km SE of the Hill of Hermitage and on gravels, being converted to organic production; Maxime is now responsible for vinification of the Alain Graillot wines also; no website found. ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, deep by Northern Rhone standards, but not alongside the Australian shirazes. Bouquet is just a little veiled on first opening, but quickly clears to a quite intense boronia, carnation and cassis florality, on dark cassisy fruit. It is more floral than the 2009 Equis Cornas. Palate is concentrated by Crozes-Hermitage standards, the cropping rate must be very low. Flavours are cassis and blackberry, clearly a notch less ripe than the boysenberry of Australian shiraz on my ripening curve, beautiful acid balance, subtlest oak really high-lighting the berry. What a joy to see syrah not hammered by new oak. This winemaker's syrahs give the impression of the lowest possible SO2, sometimes dangerously low as in the 2010 Crozes-Hermitage Equinoxe, such that one checks and double-checks the purity. There might be trace brett here, but I think this one is otherwise OK, so it can be bought by the case. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 08/12

2004 Te Mata Cabernet / Merlot Coleraine 18 (

)

Havelock Hills, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $70 [ cork (superb 55 mm); Me 45%, CS 39, CF 16; hand-harvested; two years in 75% new French oak; www.temata.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet. Bouquet is initially oaky and a little austere. With air it opens up to a cassisy Bordeaux style showing good berry richness and potentially cedary oak. On palate, however, there is not quite the fruit richness and ripeness hoped for, and though the plummy, cassis and tobacco flavours are pleasing, there is a slightly stalky undertone, which middling classed growths would not show in a good year such as 2004 (in Hawkes Bay). It is hard making such comparisons, but Coleraine invites them by its latter-day pricing, as well as the declared style aspirations. All that said, the elegance of the wine is beyond dispute, and it is clearly the richest of the three 2004 Te Mata cabernet / merlot blends, and the most cellar-worthy. It should cellar attractively for 10 – 20 years, marrying up the oak and becoming more cedary as it goes, but ending up a little lean – like the 1978 Medocs now. There is a nice point to be discussed as to whether the wine should be labelled Merlot / Cabernet. Using the reverse presumably implies the cabernets together, but popular useage would say that cabernet alone is cabernet sauvignon. Cabernets / Merlot would cover the issue. GK 03/06

2011 Clearview Estate Blush Black Reef 18 (

)

Te Awanga, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $17 [ screwcap; chambourcin-dominant (chambourcin is a French / American hybrid introduced as recently as 1963, and noteworthy for being free of foxiness – it is grown in both Europe (though not approved) and North America and Canada); no further info on website; www.clearviewestate.co.nz ]
Good rosé, overly bright / lurid at four months from harvest, but that will settle down. Bouquet is already terrific, really rosy red cherry, red crabapple and raspberry highly reminiscent of Cabernet d'Anjou, exciting (the next day), so, with another six months in bottle it should open that way. Moving onto the palate in rosé wines is always a gamble, but this wine lives up to its bouquet, the youthfulness offset by perhaps 5 – 7 g / litre residual sugar. To be good, rosé should smell and taste of red grapes: this one does, attractively. It is part of the New Zealand immaturity with wine to say that rosé, like sauvignon, should be drunk as young as possible. In contrast, this wine will be lovely in a couple of years' time, and will cellar longer. GK 08/11

2010 Domaine Albert Mann Pinot Gris Hengst Grand Cru 18 (

)

Near Colmar, Alsace, France: 14%; $53 [ cork; www.albertmann.com ]
Lemonstraw, below midway in depth, a modern colour. After the gewurztraminer grand cru, bouquet here is subtlety personified. Nonetheless, it is totally varietal, showing delicate white flowers (though not quite the detail of the Elements wine) and pure pear and white nectarine flesh. In mouth this is simple benchmark pinot gris, the quality of fruit exemplary, the flavours as fresh as the bouquet, much finer handling of the phenolics than many of the better New Zealand examples, a silky smooth wine. It could perhaps be a little richer by fine Alsatian standards, and it is a little dryer than some wines in this bracket too, 15 – 25 g/L maybe. This is not surreal or unachievably sublime pinot gris, it is just straightforwardly definitive of this overly-commercialised variety. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 04/13

2009 Y Amirault Bourgueil Le Grand Clos 18 (

)

Bourgueil, Loire Valley, France: 13%; $42 [ cork 49mm; CF 100%, hand-picked @ c.3.4 t/ha = 1.4 t/ac from vines averaging 40 years old; grapes re-sorted; all de-stemmed, 28 days cuvaison, c.24 months in oak but in tonneau (900-litre), no mention of new; not filtered; to illustrate the fragrant and delicate red-fruits beauty of CF when not over-oaked; www.yannickamirault.com ]
Good ruby, markedly lighter than the Menzies. Securing expressive cabernet franc which reveals the variety is difficult. Southern Hemisphere winemakers tend not to respect the fragrant red fruits nature of the variety, and therefore overload it with oak to make it 'more like a proper cabernet', or alternatively make it in too light a style, ending up with a wine more like pinot noir in weight. Wider tasting experience would reveal neither approach is appropriate. So it was a delight to find this wine, which is beautifully winey and concentrated, highly varietal, and still delicately aromatic. The contrast between this more artisan red-fruits wine and the more clinically-correct black-fruits Menzies was dramatic, yet close examination of the palates reveals each has length in its own terms. One just has to taste the Bourgueil more carefully, pay more attention. There is a whisper of brett complexity at its most casserole-savoury and beguiling, but it is not going to affect the wine's evolution. Only a brett-nazi could object to this wine. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 09/14

2003 d’Arenberg Chardonnay The Lucky Lizard 18 (

)

Adelaide Hills, South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $28 [ cork; Ch 100%; website gives conflicting info on production, but 100% BF and LA in new to 2-year French oak for 6 – 9 months, with no MLF; www.darenberg.com.au ]
Elegant deep lemon, a better hue than many New Zealand chardonnays. Bouquet is a bit over-wrought, with an excess of the charry oak barrel ferment character that used to characterise the Corbans Cottage Block wines in New Zealand. In mouth, however, there is excellent golden queen peach and figgy fruit showing every bit as much fruit complexity as best Hawkes Bay, with beautifully integrated (but charry) barrel ferment and lees autolysis qualities. Later palate is golden fruit, dry and elegant, seemingly drier than many New Zealand examples of the grape, even though RS is given as 2.6 g/L. The wine is a little oaky in the new world way, oakier than the 2002 Villa Maria Gisborne Reserve for example. If it were not so obtrusively charry on bouquet and palate, it would clearly be gold medal, on palate length and finesse. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 07/05

2006 d'Arenberg Viognier 18 (

)

McLaren Vale 80%, Adelaide Hills 20%, South Australia, Australia: 13%; $22 [ screwcap; fairly cool BF in old French and American oak none younger than 4 years, some solids, no MLF, 9 months LA; RS 2.7 g/L, pH 3.3; www.darenberg.com.au ]
Lemon, almost identical to the 2006 Bilancia, faintly deeper. Bouquet on the d'Arenberg is every bit as fresh, fragrant, and floral as the Bilancia, and it smells totally as if it were a New Zealand wine. The floral component is beautiful, with pure wild-ginger blossom spicy and floral notes as well as citrus blossom. Palate likewise is remarkably un-Australian, being fresh, aromatic, light on its feet, not as rich as the Bilancia, yet with a fascinating depth of flavour, achieved at only 13%. The Osbornes place much faith in their loose-bunch clone of viognier (re the Montpellier clone common in Australia), but to judge from the Shiraz / Viognier, there is a remarkable cool-climate aromatic quality to several of their 2006 red wines too. This is intriguing wine, which will be perfect in 12 months time. It can be cellared 1 – 3 years. GK 06/07

2009 Ch d'Armailhac 18 (

)

Pauillac Fifth Growth, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $140 [ cork 50mm; CS 60%, Me 24; CF 14, PV 2, average vine age 46 years, but 19% over 100 years, planted at 10,000 vines / ha; c.3 weeks cuvaison, c.15 – 18 months (depending on vintage) in French oak, 25 – 33% new; www.chateau-darmailhac.com ]
Ruby and velvet, one of the lighter. It is so hard to find words to actually characterise each wine, and deliver notes that clearly indicate how one wine differs from the one next door. Everything said about the Paveil de Luze in terms of ripeness, balance, harmony and complexity applies here too, yet there is a subtlety and finesse to the Armailhac which lifts it wonderfully. Mostly it is the subtlety of the very cedary oak, and hence the freshness of the wine, like Coleraine, and relative to the less subtle 2009 Clerc Milon. The integration of cedary oak with maturing berry, coupled with good ripeness, is a delight. 2009 being a hotter year, these 2009 bordeaux mostly do not have the florality so evident in the better 2010s including the de Luze, or the much younger top Te Mata reds. In a sense, tasters must pick the winestyle that appeals to them. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 03/15

2006 Ch Belair 18 (

)

St Emilion Premier Grand Cru Classé B, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $100 [ cork; price is simple conversion from US$70; cepages offered range from Me 70%, CF 30 at Forum, to Me 65, CF 35 Peppercorn, to 60% Me, 40 CF Parker; cropping rate c.2 t / ac; 18 – 26 months in oak c.50% new; Parker, 2009: certainly a good effort, with notes of kirsch liqueur, crushed rock, and some subtle herbs in a medium-bodied, finesse-styled wine 87; Robinson, 2007: taste of autumn undergrowth as well as ripe black fruits – cherries – which spread across the palate … a little bit of green astringency on the finish. 16.5; from the 2009 vintage this estate is renamed Ch Bélair-Monange; www.chateaubelair.com ]
Ruby, the lightest in the Bordeaux field. For this wine, there was something of a gulf between the presenter, and some more technical tasters, the latter being worried about a little brett. I have chosen to mark this wine as a total style achievement, underscoring that though like Coleraine it is lighter than the top wines, it is also fully physiologically ripe, unlike Coleraine, and is thus pleasing and harmonious. It is useful to remember, as we gaze in awe at wonderfully rich wines such as the Church Road two, that traditionally, before Americans, claret was seen as typically light and refreshing relative to the richer (at best) burgundy, and even bigger wines in favourable years need to retain that thought. This wine illustrates that, with the slightly leathery tobacco-y softness of merlot and cabernet franc, less new oak than the famous premier grand cru Cheval-Blanc, and much less of everything than for example Sophia. But still, there is much charm here, and great potential pleasure at table. This discussion also highlights why the odd truly exceptional year in Bordeaux, when phenomenally ripe and rich wines were made, lives on in memory at least for wine-lovers. As an incidental point of current interest, and to illustrate the last point, Robert Parker considers the very best wines of the current-interest 2009 bordeaux en primeur may rank with the best wines of 1899, 1929, 1949 and 1959. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 01/10

1999 Domaine Jean-Claude Belland Chassagne-Montrachet Morgeot Clos Charreau Premier Cru 18 (

)

Cote de Beaune, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $ – [ cork 49mm, ullage 7mm; original New Zealand price c.$55; the producer and winery do not exist now, Jasper Morris recording that the business was sold and the vineyards divided in 2009, but saying no more; wine-searcher does not know of it; the Hachette Guide advises that production of this wine was a little over 200 cases. The 1999 was (paraphrased) ... quite rich in aromatic background ... concentrated and a little wild, later evoking the apple and blackberry, with tannins to resolve. Patience. Wine Spectator, 2001: Inky-dark in color and thick in texture, this extracted Pinot manages to remain balanced and not dwell too much on the oak, focusing instead on black and red fruit. Some spice on the finish. Best from 2003 through 2008, 87; weight bottle, no closure 578 g; no website ]
Ruby more than garnet, a good colour, a little above midway in depth. Bouquet is clean straight red fruits pinot noir, browning a little now naturally, fragrant but not exactly floral, but even on bouquet, more supple than the Corton, markedly less stern. Palate follows perfectly, just a lovely red-fruits Cote de Beaune gently oaked, at full maturity – a little tannin to the finish indicating decline is near. One person had this as their second-favourite wine, but again two their least. One of the hard-to-identify wines, France 10, New Zealand eight. GK 09/19

2003 Domaine Belle Crozes-Hermitage Cuvée Louis Belle 18 (

)

Northern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $40 [ cork; Caro’s; Sy 100%; the top wine of a well-regarded producer, from 30-year old vines. Parker has expressed doubts about Rhone wines which were acidified in the hot 2003 vintage, hence his comments in Wine Advocate 156: “Deep black fruit, olive, earth, and mineral characteristics emerge from the 2003 Crozes Hermitage Cuvee Louis Belle in addition to some tart acids that are not totally integrated. While ripe and elegant, it is questionable whether the acids will ever become fully incorporated. 86 – 89”. Tanzer liked it more: “Aromas of cassis, licorice pastille, mint, tar and spicy oak. Dense and super-sweet, penetrating if rather backward flavours of black fruits, espresso and tar. This has the power and structure of Hermitage. Finishes with terrific breadth and sap, with the tannins covered by persistent fruit. 90-92” ]
Dense ruby, carmine and velvet, the darkest wine of the set. Bouquet is both rich and complex, chock-full of dark berries, and wonderfully free of the reductive veil often associated with the wines from Belle. There is however a slightly savoury / meaty complexity removing it from the squeaky-clean category, but this is probably no more than constructive brett. Flavour is saturated with cassisy and plummy berry, very rich and concentrated syrah more akin to good Hermitage than Crozes. The quality of this fruit merited a little more new oak, to add aromatics on bouquet and palate in the style the Bullnose shows. Re Parker, the acid balance seems appropriate. I just wish the wine were a bit cleaner, when the beauty of the grape would be more apparent. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 11/05

2008 Dom. de Bellene Santenay les Charmes Dessus 18 (

)

Santenay, Cote de Beaune, France: 13%; $71 [ cork; a Nicholas Potel label, aiming to be organic / biodynamic; best source info: www.burgundy-report.com/summer-2010/profile-domaine-de-bellene-beaune; house website skeletal as yet; www.domainedebellene.com ]
Lemon, one of the two best colours in the eight white burgundies. Bouquet is freshly varietal, a beautiful evocation of ripe chardonnay with pale yellow floral notes, light stonefruits and the subtlest oak, all melded and appealing. On palate there is a trace of char in the oak, positive complexity at this level, and the flavour enlarges the bouquet. Weight of fruit is a little short of gold-medal maybe, but this is lovely floral small-scale chardonnay. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 07/11

nv Champagne Billecart-Salmon Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Brut 18 (

)

Mareuil-sur-Ay, Champagne, France: 12.5%; $111 [ supercritical Diam cork; Ch 100%, all grand cru vineyards; an MLF component; no oak; c.4 years en tirage, a blend of two vintages; dosage said to be 5 g/L; website superficial; www.champagne-billecart.fr ]
Lemon, clearly the palest wine. Bouquet is both immediate and obvious, showing fragrant crumb and crust of baguette autolysis complexity on white fruits. It is only when you compare it with the reserved-in-comparison 2004 Blanc de Blancs that you realise you are being seduced by the volume of bouquet, and its freshness, rather than the depth of character. Palate is crisp, highly varietal, and enchanting, on a refreshing dosage. Yet you can see a link to Lindauer Blanc de Blancs Reserve, and can contemplate whether that wine, if handled more seriously, could achieve this pinpoint citrussy freshness and poise. The warmer Gisborne climate would on the face of it, militate against that comparison, but the thought is intriguing. Dosage seems higher than the 5 g/L given, and higher than the 2004 Blanc de Blancs, maybe 6 – 7 g/L. Cellar 3 – 12 years, and it will hold longer. GK 04/16

1976 Champagne Bollinger RD Extra Brut 18 (

)

Ay, Champagne, France: 12%; $1,408 [ NB: this bottle disgorged 10 March 1987. Broadbent rating for vintage: ****, … a great favourite of mine, full of flavour and a sheer delight; Wine Spectator rating for vintage: 88, Drink, a ripe, opulent year. PN 70%, Ch 30, BF and MLF, matured in all-old oak, 10 years en tirage, dosage c.4 g/L; Alun Griffiths, MW: RD is only the Grande Annee with more lees ageing, but that statement overlooks the dosage differs; Robinson (2010) has only reported on late-disgorged (2010) bottles, so they may bear little relation to ours: Pale bronze. Extremely rich and candified on the nose. Soft and round. Relatively low acid. Toasty, this just washes over you. Really hedonistic. In view of the relatively low acidity, it's amazing how well this has lasted, 19 ]
Deeper straw, a wash of old-gold and tan, the third deepest wine. Bouquet is rich, so rich it is reminiscent of a medium-hue fruitcake, showing great autolysis totally Vogel's Multigrain in style plus mushrooms, cashews and hazelnuts – all smelling like complex muesli with brown sugar. Palate is deeply mealy, with biscuitty and softly nutty autolysis components almost dominating pinot noir aromatic 'berry', yet in a way it still tastes fresh. But there are also autumnal and brown mushroom components, plus a hint of pumpkin soup and similar (+ve), even a touch of Marmite to the aftertaste. One of the lower dosages, close to the spec. A most unusual wine with much to enjoy, though one rather wished one could see the same base wine disgorged more recently, and therefore the whole wine fresher. Two people rated the wine highly, but rather more were disenchanted with it. GK 05/16

1998 Domaine de la Bouissiere Gigondas 18 (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $80 [ cork 43mm; Gr 70%, Sy 25, Mv, average age 35 years; 83% destemmed but only light crushing, cuvaison to 30 days; 75% of the wine in barrel 25% new, the balance in tank, all on lees; minimal pumping, gravity where possible, not fined or filtered; R Parker, 2000: The 1998 Gigondas exhibits a dense purple color as well as a sweet, unevolved nose of minerals and black fruits. There is good underlying acidity, finesse, sweet cassis, and plenty of density and concentration. It will be long-lived, but it requires 3-5 years of cellaring. Anticipated maturity: 2005-2018: 89; weight bottle and closure: 576 g; www.labouissiere.com ]
Ruby and velvet, one of the darker wines. This wine had to be rejected from the presentation set, due to TCA. Well ventilated, it cleared to show a complex blended wine in the style of the Saint Cosme Gigondas, the syrah component obvious, and little or no brett. Palate is rich, youthful, showing good varietal flavours not too much impacted by the unusually high percentage of new oak, with lovely length where again the syrah takes the lead. This wine looks to have 5 – 20 years cellar life ahead of it, to lose some tannin: the score given here can only be indicative, with an impaired bottle. GK 08/16

2008 [ Pernod-Ricard ] Boundary Vineyards Pinot Gris Waipara 18 (

)

Waipara, Canterbury, New Zealand: 13%; $21 [ screwcap; 6-year old vines, not irrigated, machine-harvested; no oak involved; RS 8 g/L; background @ www.boundaryvineyards.co.nz, leads to detail @; www.pernod-ricard-nz.com//tastingnotes.php? ]
Pale lemon. New Zealand pinot gris is so often modest alongside good examples from Alsace, but in its purity, this is a good example of the New Zealand style. It is both floral (light English tea-rose) and pear-flesh fruity, and not spirity on bouquet. Flavour firms the wine up nicely, good body, some white stonefruits now, a hint of cinnamon phenolics drying the finish attractively, and in fact the wine is 'riesling dry' anyway. Some of the charm of this wine, as with many in the class, may be due to a gewurztraminer touch-up, but it is subtle and attractive. Cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 04/09

1998 Domaine Laurent Brusset Cotes du Rhone-Villages Cairanne Les Chabriles 18 (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $30 [ cork; original price; variable composition around Gr 55%, Sy 20 ï¿½ 25, Mv 5 ï¿½ 10, Ca, Ci; no fermentation details; Parker comments in general: Brusset's Cotes du Rhone Villages Cairanne is one of his best kept secrets ï¿½ think of it as the poor person's Gigondas. Wine Spectator 9/00: Elegant and supple, offering medium concentration, with fresh fruit and ripe tannins. Nice chewy tannin structure 86; www.domainebrusset.fr ]
Ruby and velvet, the second deepest and one of the youngest in appearance. Bouquet here is evocative, a more old-fashioned Southern Rhone which is delightfully fragrant on savoury berry, cinnamon, freshly roasted chestnuts, and a touch of brett. Palate is a little deeper and darker than the Charvin, similar furry tannins, some cedar, very dry, but lingering beautifully. The level of brett in slightly more than the Charvin, and at 14 years age is perhaps now contributing to the apparent dryness, but it is still pretty academic. Cellar 5 ï¿½ 10 years. GK 04/12

2002 Grant Burge Shiraz Barossa Filsell 18 (

)

Barossa Valley, South Australia: 14%; $31
Dense ruby, carmine and velvet. A big bouquet in a more obvious South Australian shiraz style: lots of boysenberries, lots of oak, and aromatic on euc'y notes rather more than varietal complexity. Palate is very rich, sweetly fruited but one-dimensional on boysenberry, with the levels of oak, tannins, and euc'y aromatics all too intrusive for real beauty. Drinking such wines, one slows down, rather than wanting a third glass. It is one interpretation of the current trend to fruitbomb wines, richer and softer than the 01, but still too phenolic. Cellar 10 – 15 years. GK 09/04

1985 Dr Burklin-Wolf Ruppertsberger Hoheburg Riesling Spatlese QMP 18 (

)

Rheinpfalz, Germany: – %; $ – [ cork; highly regarded Pfalz producer, since 2005 fully biodynamic; www.buerklin-wolf.de ]
Full glowing straw with a wash of gold, the lightest and freshest of of the rieslings and sweet wines. Bouquet presents a much lighter and more hoppy interpretation of riesling, nectary and fragrant, aromatic, nearly floral (honeysuckle, maybe), subtle yet highly varietal, not a lot of botrytis. Flavour is intriguing, sitting nicely between the Amberley and Millton wines, but much finer-grained, yet still illustrating how exact the riesling character is in the better, conservatively-cropped New Zealand rieslings. The subtlety and lack of phenolics in the German wine is noteworthy, though. Approaching full maturity. GK 12/17

2016 Le Clos du Caillou Cotes-du-Rhone La Réserve 18 (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 15%; $62 [ cork, 50 mm; certified organic wine; Gr 75% >60 years age, Mv 25, hand-picked at 3.25 t/ha = 1.4 t/ac, all de-stemmed; wild-yeast fermentations in concrete to 40 days; elevation 90% in 600s of varying ages, mostly youngish, 10% in amphorae; the winemaker regards the 2016 season as ‘really exceptional’, and goes on to comment: ‘Red wines have dense and dark dresses with very high levels of anthocyanins and very beautiful tannic structures leading to predict an exceptional potential of ageing.’; production averages 550 x 9-litre cases; weight bottle and cork 629 g; www.closducaillou.com ]
Ruby, some carmine and ruby, one of a group of wines with beautiful colours, just below midway in depth. This benefits from decanting, to gradually reveal a fragrant but understated bouquet with darker fruits, deep, mysterious. Palate is remarkably concentrated and saturated for Cotes-du-Rhone, some of these prestige but modest classification wines very much challenging Chateauneuf-du-Pape proper. Few Chateauneufs are as deep in berry character as this: you feel there must be considerable mourvedre to deliver such beautiful furry tannins, and such great length [ later confirmed ]. Cellar 8 – 20 years, with the hope that the bouquet develops to match the palate. A much purer and more substantial wine than their introductory Chateauneuf-du-Pape Le Caillou. [ Later: J.L-L: The palate is very rich, Chateauneuf-du-Pape style here … sustained length … not Cotes du Rhone at all, *****. ] Available from Wine Direct and their distribution channels (eg Regional Wines). GK 07/19

2004 Ch Calon-Segur 18 (

)

St Estephe Third Growth, Bordeaux, France: 13%; $134 [ cork; vineyard cepage CS 65%, Me 20, CF 15, average age 35 – 40 years, cropped @ c. 2 t/ac. ]
Ruby and velvet, one of the deeper. Bouquet on this wine is intensely fragrant, deep violets, darkest cassis, very St Estephe like a fragrant year of Ch Montrose. But it smells stern. It tastes much sterner, but unlike the Brane Cantenac, the cassis and tannins are ripe, there aren't green thoughts, and the weight of fruit is more than the high tannin first leads one to think. Finish is very dry. This is what some 1966 Medocs tasted like, young. Lovely to have a wine with nearly all the purity of modern techniques, but none of the braggadocio beloved by new world commentators. Not as rich as the Pape Clement, but should cellar into a wonderfully fragrant and totally classical 'intellectual' claret, over 10 – 20 years. GK 08/07

2003 Ch Carmes de Rieussec 18 (

)

Sauternes second wine of Ch Rieussec, France: – %; $50 [ cork; Se 85%, SB 10, Muscadelle 5; 18 months in French oak; www.lafite.com ]
Lightish gold, the deepest of the three sauternes. In its exotic fruits, this is closely related to the grand vin, but it is lighter, plus there is also a high-solids complexity note in bouquet – less offensive here than in chardonnay, for example. On palate it is both more phenolic and more acid than its senior, the oak older and the flavour in one sense lesser to the lushness of the other, but the total balance is superior. This should cellar better than the grand vin, for 5 – 15 years. GK 10/06

2004 Domaine Cauhape Jurancon Symphonie de Novembre 18 (

)

Jurancon AOC, SW France: 14%; $51 [ cork; location virtually on the Spanish border; grape – petit manseng hand-harvested in three successive pickings in the first 10 days of November, @ 1.5 – 1.75 t/ac; BF in new and second-year French oak, followed by 9 months in barrel and 6 months in cuves; www.cauhape.com ]
Lightish gold. Bouquet is a close look-alike to old-fashioned sauternes in a low-botrytis year, but very oaky the way Guiraud used to be 40 years ago. Nonetheless the fruit is attractive, with clear bush-honey overtones. Palate is much the same, very sweet, but the toasty oak almost implies barrel fermentation in this topmost label (later confirmed), giving great texture and mouthfeel to the wine. It is forward for its age, at about the same stage as a 20-year old Lehman Semillon Sauternes (of a good year) is now. Cellar 5 – 10 years, maybe longer, to give an interesting but oaky wine to run blind in sauternes tastings, or use with rich desserts. The website advises cellaring up to 15 years. GK 02/08

2005 Domaine Chandon de Briailles Corton Les Bressandes Grand Cru 18 (

)

Aloxe-Corton, Cote de Beaune, Burgundy, France: 13%; $138 [ 49mm cork; farmed organically since the 1990s, and biodynamic from 2005; 50 – 100% whole-bunch depending on the year so higher in 2005; wild-yeast fermentations, cuvaison 15 – 20 days; 14 – 18 months in barrel, understood to be c.10% new oak for the grands crus; Robinson has not had the 2005, close-by vintages average c.16.5+; Meadows, 2007: … average vine age c. 33 years ... the nose is more elegant though more reserved with refined red pinot fruit and obvious minerality that continues onto the sweet, rich, precise and firm flavors that possess good vibrancy and excellent finishing punch and length. This is very firmly structured and crafted in an understated, “built to age” style, from 2015: 92; weight bottle and closure: 728 g; www.chandondebriailles.com ]
Rosy ruby and garnet, scarcely distinguishable from the Maume, the second to lightest wine. Bouquet is a little unusual, totally Cote de Beaune, soft browning pink-hued rose petals, strawberries and a hint of soaked sultanas, all soft and beguiling. Palate is silky, lovely fruit richness, fruit flavours reflecting the bouquet, red cherry dominant over fragrant oak, all maturing now. For a Corton, I would have liked a little more richness and vigour, but this is lovely mature wine. By and large, tasters did not share my enthusiasm for the wine, two only rating it their top or second wine, and four placing it as their least wine. Nobody thought it New Zealand. The implications (to me) are firstly that (generalising) in a young wine country, winemakers do prefer younger wines, and secondly, New Zealand winemakers are primarily focussed on the wines of the Cote de Nuits as their pinot noir model, and this soft mature highly typical Cote de Beaune wine was overlooked / passed by. Has the substance to hold for a number of years. GK 10/16

2015 Domaine de la Charbonniere Chateauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Mourre des Perdrix 18 (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 15.5%; $75 [ cork, 50mm; Gr 65 – 70%, Mv 15 – 18, Sy 15, a little Co and Ci, all de-stemmed; fermentation mostly in oak vats, some s/s; elevation in oak vats c.8 months, some of the Sy and Mv in smaller oak, and 5% new; the assembled wine a further 6 months in enamel-lined concrete vats; not fined or filtered; production 830 x 9-litre cases this year; J. Robinson, 2016: Some light savoury notes on the nose. Then masses of sweet, ripe, juicy fruit and relatively light tannins. Can’t quite see why this is a Cuvée Spéciale. Astringent finish. 2023 - 2030, 16.5; J.L-L, 2016: The bouquet has attractive depth, bears smoky black fruits ... The palate holds dark berry fruit with a sprinkle of herbes de Provence ... the finish marked by good, tangy tannins, ****(*); J. Dunnuck @ R Parker, 2016: ample spice and ground herb characteristics intermixed with lots of loamy soil, kirsch and sweet cherry nuances. Medium to full-bodied, elegant and silky, with notable freshness and purity, it should drink nicely in its youth and have 10-15 years of overall longevity, 91 – 94; bottle weight 607g; www.domainedelacharbonniere.com ]
Ruby, just below midway in depth. It is uncanny how closely the Perdrix matches the 2015 Charvin, in its red-fruits / mainstream Chateauneuf-du-Pape bouquet, with a hint of garrigue. In mouth the flavours are very similar too, but the Perdrix seems a little richer and riper, and showing faintly more new oak. What it shares with the Charvin is this unexpected (for 2015) thread of stalkyness, the not-quite-perfect ripeness. Some like this character and mark it up, apparently in the belief that it makes the Chateauneuf-du-Pape more pinot noir-like … but great pinot noir is not stalky either. In the end, though they taste different in detail, I could scarcely separate them on score, on account of this surprising unduly ‘fresh’ / stalky quality in both wines. Totally pure wine, no first places, but three second. Cellar 10 – 25 years. GK 08/18

1999 Domaine Charvin Chateauneuf-du-Pape Non-Filtré 18 (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $119 [ cork, 50mm; original price $65; indicative cepage Gr 82%, Sy 5%, Mv c.5, Va 4, Co 4, viticulture now ‘organic’ but not certified, average age >50 years; whole bunches lightly crushed; elevation up to 18 months sometimes 21 months in concrete, some reports mention some big old wood, but no confirmation and certainly no new oak; the magical thing about Domaine Charvin (apart from no new oak) is, there are no luxury cuvées, the standard wine is ‘it’, and affordable; not filtered; c. 2,500 9-litre cases; Parker (1997) comments for Domaine Charvin in general: Charvin … fashions Chateauneuf du Pape that comes closest to the style of Rayas. There is … a wonderfully sweet, deep, concentrated mid-palate, and layers of flavour that unfold on the palate. Great burgundy should possess a similar texture and purity, but it rarely does; J. L-L, 2012: Wow! Oiliness, rosemary, prune, cigar box aroma that is highly inviting, has an air of brioche, mandarin zest, cocoa, and a drift of flowers such as iris. The palate has the rich envelope of mature Châteauneuf-du-Pape, seasoned with herbs, licorice. This is true mature Grenache, marked by a plum sweet fruit line all through it. It can be drunk with thyme flavours in the dishes – its surrounding terrain. Almost OK to drink solo – it is a contemplation wine. It has a sweet date, spiced goodbye. To 2026, ****(*); Laurent Charvin’s appraisal of the wine to J.L-L: “This is delicate Châteauneuf-du-Pape, and would actually be good with Christmas turkey, and certain cheeses – goat cheese with rosemary. I like it a lot because it is so very delicate. 1999 was considered hard, not very balanced at the end. It is still fresh, has very sweet herbs and delicacy, with just a little animal starting. The nose is very complex, not weighty. It was a no worry vintage.” J. Dunnuck @ R. Parker, 2014: More Burgundian in style, the 1999 Chateauneuf du Pape is a medium to full-bodied, pure and elegant effort that possesses notions of damp earth, truffle and pepper to go with a core of black cherry and darker berry fruit. At full maturity, it will continue to evolve gracefully over the coming decade, yet I’d aim for drinking bottles over the coming couple of years. To 2017, 92; there is no actual website, the name is ‘parked’; www.domaine-charvin.com ]
Garnet and ruby, glowing and limpid yet older than most. Bouquet is totally different from all the other wines in the set. It is clearly highly fragrant, nearly wallflower / dianthus floral, closely in style and confusable with Cote Rotie. This wine shows the most obvious whole-bunch influence in the set. Palate follows exactly, a person habituated to warm-climate wine styles might say there is a stalky suggestion, but to anyone who studies Cote Rotie, it is well within the spectrum of syrah complexity, even if there is a hint of white pepper. In one sense the wine is light in the mouth, but it is neither weak or unsubstantial. It just draws its analogies more with Cote Rotie or the Cote de Nuits, than the Southern Rhone Valley, as Domaine Charvin so often does. No first places, but six second favourite ratings: interesting! It is remarkably pure wine, approaching full maturity. It will hold this style for maybe 10 years. GK 03/19

1999 Domaine J L Chave Hermitage 18 (

)

Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $490 [ cork 50mm; Sy 100%; 18 months in small oak, 10 – 20% new (in the era covered), balance 1 – 5 years; J.L-L: Good, replete and stylish wine, *****; website not functional yet, good information at the Europvin website; www.domainejlchave.fr ]
Ruby and garnet, the second to lightest, leaner and older than the 2001. Bouquet however is fresh, fragrant, floral and blackpepper-spicy, the florals clearly in the pinks / dianthus sector. Palate is long, sweet and harmonious, not a big wine but much richer than the colour would suggest, burgundian in a drying sense, showing lovely maturity now. Will hold for some years, 3 – 5 say. GK 02/16

1999 Domaine J L Chave Hermitage 18 (

)

Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $448 [ Cork, 49mm; Sy 100; price given is wine-searcher average for that vintage of the wine; 9.3 ha of Sy at Hermitage, Bessards most, then L'Hermite and 5 other vineyards; all de-stemmed, most of fermentation in s/s; cuvaison can be to 4 weeks; traditonally up to 18 months in barrel, less than 20% new, the remainder to 5 years old, now sometimes to 26 months; minimal fining, no filtration; [ father ] Gerard Chave: The uniformity imposed by new oak and over-extraction are what I deplore most these days; Robinson, 2009: Relatively pale and evolved-looking. Real lift on the nose but lighter than the 2004 overall. Great balance but a bit more austere than the 2004. Very serious and correct with nice length. Sinewy. Polished. A bit muted. Is there very, very low-level brett in this wine? It held up pretty well in the glass - very ballerina-like, 17.5; J. Dunnuck @ Parker, 2014: [ not now rated quite as highly as by Parker ] ... a serious effort that gives up a mineral-drenched profile of red and blackcurrants, beef blood, iron and dried flowers. More forward on the nose than the palate, with a tight, yet seamless texture that carries ample concentration and length, with bright acidity, it should continue to shine for another decade, 94; no website found. ]
Ruby and some velvet, right in the middle for depth. One sniff and this wine is wildly different from all the La Chapelles. The reason is the remarkable floral component, embracing carnations, pinks and dianthus, not so much wallflower. Such a volume of florality immediately puts one on guard, is it accompanied by leafyness or stalkyness in the wine. In mouth I think it clearly is stalky, even though the wine is a vivid expression of syrah. There is a hard edge to the grape tannins, so this wine is the polar opposite of 2009 La Chapelle. One could say that between these two poles lies the truth in terms of syrah varietal complexity. My recollection of the 2009 Chave is it has the weight of 2010 La Chapelle, but is even fresher and hence more floral. This is an exciting wine, five people rated it their top wine, and two their least. Cellar 5 – 15 years, but it may end up a little dry, on those not-quite-perfectly-ripe grape tannins. GK 09/14

2005 Yann Chave Hermitage 18 (

)

Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $120 [ cork; Sy 100%; 90% Beaume vineyard, 10 Péléat; 21 days cuvaison, 16 months in new and 1-year 600 L barrels; Wine Spectator: Crisp acidity carries the red plum, violet and grilled herb notes in this taut Hermitage, with a slightly firm, minerally finish. To 2013. 300 cases. 89. JR / Julia Harding: Deep purple ruby. Aromatic pepper, fruit and spice leaps out of the glass in an outburst of fresh purity. Firm, quite tight but very concentrated. A great combination of freshness and power, already easy to taste and enjoy. To 2015. 18.5+; imported / distributed by Maison Vauron ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, right in the middle. This is one of the understated wines, not as floral as the Villa pair, but still lovely roses and pale violets, on subdued cassis and blueberry, all quite shrinking in comparison with the le Sol or Bullnose. Palate continues in exactly the same vein, every flower and berry subtly tasteable, elegant, restrained, more new oak than le Rouvre, beautifully ripe, a little richer than the Villas (and with similar slightly fresh acid), but lighter than the top wines. So it is very good Hermitage, but not great. Nonetheless it should cellar well, over 5 – 15 + years. GK 04/07

2004 Ch Cheval Blanc 18 (

)

Saint-Emilion, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $637 [ cork 55mm; cepage this year CF 55%, Me 45, cropped at 5.9 t/ha (2.4 t/ac) according to J. Robinson; 18 months in oak, usually 40 – 50% new; R. Parker, 2007: medium-bodied and elegant with plenty of sweet fruit, 90; www.chateau-cheval-blanc.com ]
Ruby and velvet, in the middle for depth. This was the most different of the seven Bordeaux, showing a freshness of nearly red-fruited berry which at first one could interpret as tending stalky. But then when you thought about one of the wines (in the blind tasting) being known to be cabernet franc-dominant, and thought about raspberries and red currants, and then again tasted the concentration and depth of this differently-fruited and wonderfully fragrant wine, you concluded it had to be the Cheval Blanc. The closest comparison is with the Lafite, for the neatness and tautness of the berry / oak interaction, reflecting the not-quite-optimal year. They taste almost of similar quality, fabulous cedary oak in both, and great length of berry flavours reflecting good concentration / conservative cropping rates. But the Cheval is more red-fruited. A real eye-opener, and a model wine for New Zealand winemakers desiring to respect cabernet franc, rather than crucifying it with oak, as has been the norm in Hawkes Bay. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 02/16

2009 Michele Chiarlo Moscato d'Asti Nivole DOCG 18 (

)

Canelli district, Piedmont, Italy: 5%; $27 [ cork; Moscato bianco = M di Canelli; s/s wine; www.chiarlo.it ]
Lemon washed with gold, strongly spritz / frizzante. Bouquet is beautifully pure and intensely ripe muscat, with strong floral notes reminiscent of certain daisies and a mix of yellow-fleshed fruits ripe enough to avoid the peppermint of under-ripe muscat. The fruit flavours are fresh on acid, the hint of ground almonds along with appreciable sweetness adds body or seems to, and the whole wine is immensely flavoursome and attractive, without being tacky sweet. In one sense such wines are so obvious and fruity that they appeal to people who don't like wine. On the other hand, it is hard to make such a subtle and satisfying wine from a grape so strongly flavoured as muscat. This one excels. Mature, hold a year or two only. GK 08/11

2007 [ Pernod-Ricard ] Church Road Chardonnay Reserve 18 (

)

Tuki Tuki & Tutaekuri Valleys, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $36 [ Stelvin Lux; hand-harvested and sorted clones 15 & 95 in equal parts, whole-bunch pressed to French oak, wild-yeast fermentation and MLF in barrel 53% new the balance 1-year, then LA and some batonnage for 14 months; pH 3.39, RS <1 g/L; background @ www.churchroad.co.nz, leads to detail @; www.pernod-ricard-nz.com//tastingnotes.php? ]
Lemonstraw, fractionally deeper again than the Felton standard. This is a bigger wine all through, lots of golden queen peach fruit, clear oak, lots of barrel-ferment and lees-autolysis, a wine to appeal to lovers of traditional big flavoursome chardonnays. Oak is a little prominent at this early stage, but the forward creamy nearly buttery (+ve) flavours are so rich, this wine will appeal widely. Cellar 2 – 5 years might be best, for this edition of the wine is a little forward. GK 04/09

1985 Domaine Auguste Clape Cornas 18 (

)

Cornas, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 12.5%; $975 [ cork, 44mm; winemaking as above; Broadbent vintage rating for year *****, outstanding; J.L-L, 2005: There is a sprinkle of pepper on the nose which is still full and prolonged. An upright bouquet of some width, has an air of cough syrup, shows a little heat. This is a controlled Clape ... The front palate is showing a flash of berry fruit. Definite minerality and still live body here after 20 years. It is very Cornas in its shape – upright, very precise, pointed wine with no extra flesh on it ... a meaty core, a mineral-tinged end, 2016-19, ****; R. Parker, 1997: The 1985 reveals more depth of fruit and length when compared to the 1983. It is a fat, soft, lush wine with gobs of licorice, black pepper, and cassis fruit. ... this wine is about as ripe and round as Cornas gets. It is an unctuous, gorgeous Cornas that will provide tantalizing drinking young, but will also keep. 1996-2005, 90; no domaine website, easiest background info on the Europvin website, ref. above. ]
Garnet and ruby, the second-lightest wine. Relative to the 1983, this seemed a slightly richer but also slightly older wine. Any floral components are now lost in the more noticeable forest floor / slight decay notes – the only wine of the 12 to show this quality to any degree at the tasting. The next day, the fruit had expanded markedly. There is still a clear red and darker berry quality browning now, and a suggestion of tannin too, even on bouquet. It is however hard to differentiate an impression of tannin from a fading black pepper note, at this age. Palate is clearly richer, more vigorous, but also more tannic than the 1983, almost as if 1985 were the hotter year, not 1983. It is still in remarkably good order on palate, for a 33-year-old wine, with more fruit than one supposed on bouquet. No first or second places, but no least places either. This wine too is well along its plateau of maturity, even though the palate is younger than the bouquet. Will hold a few years yet. GK 09/18

1990 Ch Climens 18 (

)

Barsac Premier Cru, Bordeaux, France: – %; $ – [ cork; Se 98%, SB 2, planted @ c. 6600 vines / ha, average age then 35 or so years, typically yielding little more than 1 t/ha (0.4 t/ac); BF and 18 – 24 months in oak with c.40% new each year; www.chateau-climens.fr ]
Slightly older gold than most, the second darkest wine. VA is prominent on this wine, on rich fruit and slightly charry oak, with bush honey and slightly toffee'd notes. In mouth the VA and new oak roughen the palate, and the toffee notes continue, taking away some freshness. It is however among the richest of the six, and there is an attractive nuttiness on the finish, so one can forgive quite a lot when it comes to technical detail. This should cellar for some years yet, in its style, darkening all the while. GK 08/11

2005 Clos des Jacobins 18 (

)

Saint-Emilion, Bordeaux, France: 14%; $98 [ cork 50mm; Me 75%, CF 23, CS 2; original cost en primeur c.$71; for 40 years part of the Cordier stable, sold since 2004; vine density of 8,500 vines per hectare, average age 30 - 35 years, but also some old vines 80 + years; emphasis on sorting at harvest; vinification mostly in oak vats, cuvaison 3 – 4 weeks, elevation averages 18 months, in barrels now 80% new, MLF in barrel; Hubert de Bouard of Chateau Angelus consults; second wine Prieur des Jacobins; J Harding @ J. Robinson, 2008: Sweet rich dark fruit. Lots of spiced plums and just this side of raisiny. Then very good minerally fine texture - deep pile but fine tannins. Very classy with lovely savoury dark fruit in the middle. Long and still keeps its freshness, 17; Jeff Leve, 2012: Licorice, coffee bean, black cherry and earthy aromas, soft, smooth, silky textures and a plush, rich, plum, fennel and black cherry are found in this wine. This is already starting to drink well and should continue to improve for at least the next decade, 92; R. Parker, 2008: This may be the finest wine I have ever tasted from Clos des Jacobins ... a magical blend ... an opulent, flamboyant nose of incense, forest floor, creme de cassis, pain grille, cappuccino, and licorice is followed by a fleshy, opulent, heady, atypically showy St.-Emilion. Although there is plenty of sweet tannin, the wine’s precociousness and flamboyant, even ostentatious style suggests it should be drunk over the next 12-15+ years, 91; www.closdesjacobins.com ]
Slightly older ruby and velvet, just above midway in depth. This is the most fragrant of all the wines, with a wonderful bouquet contrasting with the other top wines in being lighter fruits, even thoughts of red fruits, red currants, browning raspberries and the like, plus brown tobacco again and light supremely fragrant oak. Even on bouquet you wonder if this particular quality of smell could reflect high cabernet franc, at the blind stage, and it does. The gentleness of the wine in mouth is a delight with food, yet the acid balance is good and the whole thing is vividly alive. 1962 Clos des Jacobins was one of the first Bordeaux to really speak to me, then later the chateau seemed to go through a dull phase. This wine is total St Emilion elegance and charm, not big or rich but delightfully eloquent. Top wine for three, in the group. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 06/15

2001 Ch Clos Haut-Peyraguey 18 (

)

Sauternes / Bommes Premier Cru, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $ – [ 49mm cork; Se 90%, SB 10; average age of vines 35 years, planted at 6,600 vines / ha, average yield just over 2.5 t/ha = 1 t/ac; barrel-fermented in 50% new oak, then up to 24 months small oak, 35% new; average production 2,000 cases per annum; Robinson: not tasted; Tanzer, 2003: Pale gold. Exotic, high-toned nose dominated by peach and crushed rose. Supersweet and viscous but fresh, with very strong flavors of peach nectar and honey. Wonderfully rich, concentrated Sauternes with a seamless texture and terrific length. Shows great sucrosity on the aftertaste, 90-93; Parker, 2004: A big time sleeper of the vintage, Clos Haut Peyraguey’s 2001 exhibits abundant amounts of Grand Marnier-like orange flavors intermixed with creme brulee, melted caramels, and hints of pineapples and apricots. Full-bodied, sweet, long, and well-defined, it should drink well for 15+ years, 92; www.bernard-magrez.com/en/content/clos-haut-peyraguey ]
Medium gold, well under midway. This was another wine with light VA from the outset, as well as oak apparent in golden fruits, and suggestions of mealyness. Flavours show the wonderful ripeness of the year, but in a smaller wine and so seeming less in balance with the oak. That may simply be because the VA accentuates the oak. There are lingering suggestion of fine pale caramel and pineapple, finishing on oak as much as nearly luscious fruit and botrytis complexity. This may not cellar quite so harmoniously, for 5 – 15 years or so. GK 07/14

2006 [ Waimata Vineyards ] Cognoscenti Syrah 18 (

)

Patutahi district, Gisborne, New Zealand: 13%; $30 [ screwcap; Sy 100% first-crop hand-harvested @ c. 1.6 t/ac, 50% clone 470, 50% 174, 95% de-stemmed, 5% whole-bunch; inoculated yeast, warm-fermented in open-top vessels, 26 days cuvaison; MLF and 15 months in new European 400s, and older French and American oak, with aeration at rackings; not fined or filtered; 1.7 g/L RS; winemaker James Hillard comments that clone 470 shows deeper spice and plum characters, whereas 174 is more red fruits; www.waimata.ac.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a good syrah colour. Bouquet has not quite the beautiful florality and subtlety of the top wines, but there is intense black peppercorn and cassis varietal berry wrapped up in a little more new oak than some of these wines. Flavour and quality seemingly expands on the palate, raising the thought the wine may be more floral in a couple of years, given the quality of the cassis and bottled black doris plum fruit. It is not quite as supple on palate as the top wines, but time in cellar will fix that. Depth of varietal bouquet and flavour for the alcohol is superb, in traditional Rhone style. I have never before seen a vinifera Gisborne red of this intensity, ripeness, and international red wine quality. Let us hope it presages a new era in Gisborne reds, when season allows, and is not yet another manifestation of the 'first crop syndrome'. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 05/08

2007 [ Pernod-Ricard ] Corbans Gewurztraminer Private Bin 18 (

)

Haumoana, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $24 [ screwcap; a single-vineyard wine, one third hand-harvested; s/s ferments, 6 months on light lees, RS 10 g/L; background @ www.corbans.co.nz, leads to detail @; www.pernod-ricard-nz.com//tastingnotes.php? ]
Lemongreen, excellent. Bouquet is very attractive, a clear evocation of an understated style of New Zealand gewurztraminer, citronella and rosepetal florals, attractively spicy semi-citrus fruit. Palate brings up the spice a little, a touch of root-ginger, good flesh and body, nearer dry than medium, satisfying. It would be a good food wine. Cellar 3 – 7 years. GK 04/09

1996 Ch Cos d'Estournel 18 (

)

St Estephe Second Growth, Bordeaux, France: – %; $ – [ cork; CS 60%, Me 38, CF 2; up to 21 days cuvaison; up to 18 months in French oak; no filtration ]
Ruby and velvet, the second deepest, one of the younger-looking wines. Bouquet is a little leaner than the top wines, as if cabernet sauvignon were dominant, high cassis, clear tobacco, a faint thought of leafyness. On palate cassis continues, beautifully cedary oak, thoughts of Pauillac initially (in the blind tasting). As the wine rests in mouth, there is still tannin to lose, and just a hint more leaf – that is being very critical. Though good, it does not have quite the same poise and rich ripeness as the top three. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 05/07

2007 [ Corbans ] Cottage Block Syrah 18 (

)

Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $35 [ cork; a single-vineyard Sy 100% hand-harvested and sorted; all de-stemmed, no cold soak, inoculated yeast, warm-fermented in open-top oak and s/s vessels, up to 31 days cuvaison, MLF and c. 24 months in burgundy barrels c. 40% new, balance 1-year; no fining or filtering; Catalogue: not in; background @ www.corbans.co.nz, leads to detail @; www.pernod-ricard-nz.com//tastingnotes.php? ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, deep. Bouquet is the most piquant of the top syrahs, both in its darkly floral qualities, and also the suggestion of white pepper in the black. There is great aromatic cassis, which expands in the mouth to a highly varietal wine firmer than some, but not exactly the authority of the Church Road. One could draw an analogy with St Joseph. Some oak is reinforcing the pepper, but the wine is not as oaky as the Vidal Reserve for example. This is an elegant, lighter-bodied wine, complementing the other top wines nicely and highlighting the diversity of style syrah is developing within the Hawkes Bay region. It follows on nicely from the 2006 Cottage Block, which showed white pepper almost to a fault – loosely speaking (it is pretty delicious). Each of these top syrahs was unequivocally varietal in the blind tasting of 134 wines – no mean achievement for them, since the nose does fatigue with such a large number of samples. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 07/09

2001 [ Perrin] Coudoulet de Beaucastel Cotes du Rhone 18 (

)

Southern Rhone Valley (actually adjoining Chateauneuf), France: 13.5%; $43 [ Gr 30%, Mv 30, Sy 20, Ci 20; must pasteurised; cuvaison 12 days; 6 months in older oak; website requires password entry; www.perrin-rhone.com ]
Ruby, fractionally redder than les Sinards. Bouquet is beautifully traditional southern Rhone: soft, fragrant, lots of red berries, real vinosity, herbes de Provence complexity, beautifully integrated and reminiscent of Chateauneuf du Pape proper. It is less vibrant and 'varietal' than some more modern interpretations of Cotes du Rhone, softer and more harmonious. Palate is astonishingly rich, to the extent it is extremely hard to tell it from les Sinards – maybe there is no new oak in the Coudoulet, versus a trace in the other. This is much the cleanest, sweetest, richest and most fragrant Coudoulet de Beaucastel I have ever seen, a wine which all too often over the decades has been grubby, trading on the reputation of its namesake. Cellar 5 – 15 years and maybe longer, to make fascinating comparisons both with the grand vin, and with numerous other Cotes du Rhone of this excellent year. GK 07/04

2001 Yves Cuilleron Condrieu Ayguets 500 ml 18 (

)

Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $ – [ cork; c. US$80; botrytised; Wine Spectator: "Quite sweet, this oozes with dried fruit – peach, raisins, apricots and pineapple. A full-bodied dessert wine, seductive and delicious, delivering some tobacco box and smoke on the wonderful finish. Drink now through 2015. 415 cases made. 93"; this wine not on website, which is more an introduction to the firm; http://www.isasite.net/cuilleron ]
Colour is a coppery light gold. Bouquet is fragrant in a holygrass, botrytis and fresh soft sultanas way, ethereal and penetrating with suggestions of freshly dried apricots maybe, but not explicitly varietal. Palate is viscously sweet, fresh acid, very sultana-y (rather than raisiny), tasting for all the world like a TBA from one of the crossbred German grapes of the 70s, such as albalonga. Hard to estimate how sweet the wine is, perhaps around 150 g/L. Finish is long, staying fresh on the holygrass, and continuing the sultana and apricot notes. Already forward though, so being viognier, presumably no longer a cellar wine ? GK 04/07

2016 Yves Cuilleron Condrieu La Petite Cote 18 (

)

Condrieu, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $79 [ cork; hand-picked from sites above Chavanay; all BF on low-solids in older oak 2 – 5 years, 100% MLF plus LA, batonnage and 9 months in barrel; c.2,150 cases; www.cuilleron.com ]
Slightly deeper lemonstraw than Les Chaillets. Bouquet here is simpler than Chaillets, the varietal cues very similar with wild-ginger blossom and canned apricots, but less elevation complexity. Palate shows the same wonderful concentration (in the sense of dry extract) of varietal fruit as Chaillets, an attribute still so conspicuously lacking in most New Zealand whites. There is noticeably less barrel-ferment and lees autolysis complexity, oak playing a beautifully subtle role in this wine. Though so similar, these are two very different wines, yet equally good. Which one prefers is more a function of whether one prefers a very subtle oak component in the wine, or the more complex but in some ways less varietal Chaillets presentation. Cellar 2 – 5 years, perhaps not to hold as long and gracefully as Chaillets. A Glengarry wine. GK 07/19

2008 Yves Cuilleron Condrieu Vertige 18 (

)

Condrieu, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $167 [ cork; hand-picked from a top lieu-dit in Condrieu, from even older vines on a steep granite slope, all barrel-fermented with a much higher percentage new, plus MLF, LA and batonnage, in barrel up to 18 months; c.250 cases; July offer $125 @ Glengarry; www.cuilleron.com ]
Lemonstraw grading to straw, the second deepest wine. Bouquet is a little different here, a clear cool-climate note with thoughts of cape ivy again, as well as yellow honeysuckle, so just a hint of stalks. In mouth it is clearly a small-scale Vertige against the 2009 or 2010, the thought of stalks is now more a reality, higher acid, yet the explicit quality of apricotty fruit is still noteworthy and the wine has to score well. The level of new oak again detracts. There are some reminders of the Clonakilla Viognier here, from Canberra. At a peak, though will hold because the stalks freshen the wine. Perhaps it was unwise to make a Vertige in this vintage ? GK 06/13

2010 Yves Cuilleron Cote Rotie Bassenon (10% viognier) 18 (

)

Cote Rotie, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 12.5%; $115 [ 55mm cork; Sy 90, Vi 10, hand-picked @ c.5.3 t/ha (2.1 t/ac) from vines planted at 8 – 10,000 vines / ha, on mixed granite and gneiss soils; some whole-bunch, cuvaison c.21 days; MLF and c.18 months in barrel; 700 cases; July offer @ Glengarry $89; www.cuilleron.com ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, below midway in depth. Bouquet is by far the most floral of the Cote Roties, with a haunting sweet aroma in which wallflower, pinks and roses are evident, plus a freesia-like quality perhaps pointing to the viognier content. Behind the florals is beautiful cassis and plummy fruit showing good physiological maturity for syrah, great freshness, hints of black pepper, and scarcely a trace of leafyness. Palate follows perfectly, black fruits a little more than red, not a big wine yet a wonderful quality of precision fruit, and this sensuous florality right through the palate, all subtly oaked. The link to the wines of the Cote de Nuits is obvious. Lovely wine to cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 06/13

2010 Yves Cuilleron Cote Rotie La Madiniere 18 (

)

Cote Rotie, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 12.5%; $130 [ 55mm cork; Sy 100 hand-picked from vines planted at 8 – 10,000 vines / ha, on darker schist soils; some whole-bunch, cuvaison c.21 days; MLF and c.18 months in barrel; 875 cases; July offer @ Glengarry $99; www.cuilleron.com ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, in the middle for depth. Bouquet needs a good splashy decanting, but even then does not have quite the pinpoint florality of great Cote Rotie that the top two wines show. There is the faintest marc-like note, which raises doubts, less florality, and more of a blackberry note. Palate shows a similar weight of fruit to Terres Sombres, blueberry is now apparent, but there also seems to be a hint of stalk. All very subtle, these wines are much more alike than different. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 06/13

2007 Cuvée du Vatican Chateauneuf-du-Pape Reserve Sixtine 18 (

)

Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Southern Rhone Valley, France: 15.5%; $97 [ cork 50mm, ullage 15mm; original price c.$90; Gr 50%, Sy 30, Mv 20, from the famous La Crau plateau; nomenclature has become a problem at this Estate, owned by the Diffonty family. It used to be simply Cuvée du Vatican, an old-style grenache-dominated powerful wine raised in foudre for 24 months. With the change of the generations came stainless steel, new oak, and consequently a change of winestyle, but still labelled Cuvée du Vatican. This did not meet with universal approval, among the more traditional clients. Accordingly the Diffontys then made two wines, the traditional old-oak wine labelled Cuvée du Vatican, and the new-oak modern wine made from the oldest vines, labelled Cuvée du Vatican Sixtine Reserve. This too created confusion: Robert Parker records that from the 2010 vintage there are to be three wines. The top wine is Ch Sixtine Chateauneuf-du-Pape, made from old vines, with some new oak; then next the Manus Dei de Sixtine Chateauneuf-du-Pape, and finally a commercial wine which may include bought-in grapes or juice, named Cuvée du Vatican. So what was originally first, is now last. Our wine is the top wine, from the intermediate interval, labelled Cuvée du Vatican Reserve Sixtine. It is Gr 50%, Sy 30, Mv 20, cropped at 24 hl/ha = 31 t/ha = 1.25 t/ac, hand-picking, de-stemming, fermentation in s/s. Much of the grenache at least is raised in vat, the syrah and mourvedre in 228-litre barrels new to four years old. Production 1,695 x 9-litre cases. R. Parker, 2009: The blockbuster 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape Reserve Sixtine ... a sensational perfume of camphor, graphite, black currants, black cherries, licorice, and smoke. Built like a young Bordeaux with its tannic structure, this full-bodied, intensely flavored wine reveals a meaty character in the mouth. As with most vintages since 1998, the 2007 requires cellaring. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2028+, 94; J.L-L, 2008: a full, beefy aroma – it is wide and profound, without being forced, and is very constant. There is a sense of beef stock (Marmite), and a small trail of licorice and smoke late on. The palate is wide and thorough: it holds robust, muscular fruit ... its appeal comes from its mix of bright, elegant fruit and intrinsic depth and power. It has an aromatic aftertaste, and can really sing. 2024-26, *****; www.chateau-sixtine.com ]
[ This was one of the Reserve wines, substituted for the 2007 Domaine Grand Veneur Chateauneuf-du-Pape Vieilles Vignes.] Ruby and velvet, one of the redder, fresher colours. This wine has an extraordinary purity to it, wonderfully fragrant (though lifted by alcohol), yet not exactly floral, just Southern Rhone Valley berry charm with a touch of savoury garrigue. Palate tastes as if the wine should be mostly grenache, but it isn’t, and again there is beautiful oak handling, understated, augmenting the wine. Though light in initial fruit impression, there is deceptive length and aromatic depth here too. The whole wine has a freshness atypical of the 2007s. One taster had this as their top wine, plus four second-places. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 10/19

1983 Ch d'Yquem 18 (

)

Sauternes Premier Cru, Bordeaux, France: – %; $ – [ cork; Se 80%, SB 20, planted to 6500 vines / ha, cropped @ c.1 t/ha (0.4 t/ac), average vine age 30 years; BF and 36 – 42 months in 100% new French oak; www.chateau-yquem.fr ]
The oldest gold of the six, slightly the deepest in colour. With its barrel-ferment and 100% new oak for 36 – 42 months, Yquem is in peril of becoming a prisoner of its own forceful style, much as Grange used to be. This wine is simply too oaky, detracting both from its internal harmony, and it's food-friendlyness. That said, the mealy caramel shortcake / rich fruit cake quality the barrel-ferment brings can be remarkably attractive, and the wine has great richness and length. As the richest of the wines, it will cellar for many years, but the oak will intrude more and more. GK 8/11 GK 08/11

1996 Champagne Deutz Blanc de Blancs Brut 18 (

)

Ay, Champagne, France: 12%; $290 [ Spare; Wine Spectator rating for vintage: 96 – second only to 1990: Drink or hold. Ripe and intense; firmly structured and potentially long-lived. Little winemaking detail available, all MLF, no oak, 9 – 10 g/L dosage; Wine Spectator, 2003: Shows yeast, honey and nut flavors, then the acidity sweeps in, leaving a firm, tactile sensation on the palate. Great density and superfine texture and class. A taut impression today; just needs time. Best from 2006 through 2020, 92; www.champagne-deutz.com ]
Lightest gold with a wash of lemon, fine bubble. Bouquet shows beautiful citrussy white stonefruit and clean brioche autolysis complexity, with a hint of cashew. After the volume of bouquet, the initial impression on palate is of some austerity, with high acid. With further sips the flavour expands, wonderfully pure autolysis, considerable length of citrussy chardonnay and brioche … but still acid. Dosage hard to judge, against the acid, but perhaps nearer 8. Will hold this form for some years, but as the fruit recedes the acid will become more apparent. No votes as to place. On the night I thought the wine a little disappointing relative to its promise at purchase, not quite the body to cellar well – but it still looked pretty good against nv Lanson Black Label the next day. Rob Bishop thought the Deutz typified the firm 1996 vintage, particularly liking the 'white flowers' on bouquet. No votes in either direction. GK 03/20

2016 Domaine des Espiers Gigondas Les Grames 18 (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $48 [ cork, 50mm; up to 4 weeks cuvaison, elevation 70% in vat, 30% in barriques some newish for 12 months; fined but not filtered; production averages c.1,000 x 9-litre cases; imported by Maison Vauron, Auckland; weight bottle and closure 635 g; http://p.cartoux.free.fr ]
Ruby and velvet, about midway in depth. Bouquet is delightfully pure, with nearly a floral suggestion melding with slightly spicy (cinnamon) red fruits and berry, all shaped by older oak. Palate is more clearly aromatic, garrigue complexity on red and darker fruits showing a little development, plus fragrant older oak. Finish brings back the cinnamon thought, slightly drying relative to Les Senechaux, and not quite as rich as that remarkable wine. A model good southern Rhone red which will be great with food, to cellar 10 – 20 years, perhaps longer. GK 06/20

2004 Domaine Fourrier Gevrey-Chambertin les Champeaux Vielle Vigne 18 (

)

Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $90 [ cork; vine age 79 years; underlying limestone; 100% de-stemmed, 3 days cold soak, wild yeast fermentation, 18 days cuvaison, 18 months in French oak 20% new; no fining, no filtration ]
Ruby, classic pinot noir colour just below midway for depth. One sniff and this is truly burgundian pinot noir, showing the full range of varietal characters from sweet florals through red to black cherries plus almost cedary oak, with just a trace of heightened vinosity and savoury complexity from subliminal brett. The floral components on bouquet are really beautiful, centred in the red roses and boronia spectrum. In mouth the crispness of the zingy red cherry fruit is just a little fresher than is ideal for the grand cru burgundy I initially thought it must be, but the flavour is classical burgundy. At this stage the oak is a little apparent, perhaps not quite the weight of fruit to completely wrap it up, in contrast to the Littorai. That keeps my score out of the top rank, but this is lovely wine, archetypal pinot noir (in conventional terms), more classical than the Littorai. Interestingly, nobody commented about the oak balance on this wine, thanks to its total French style I guess. Being 2004 Burgundy, one could say it was under-fruited, rather than over-oaked. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 06/07

nv Champagne Gardet Brut Premier Cru 18 (

)

Chigny-Les-Roses, Champagne, France: 12%; $50 [ cork; PN 60%, PM 40; slow and pretentious website; www.champagne-gardet.com ]
Lemonstraw. Bouquet is softer and broader against the bubblies in the July batch, with a rich bouquet showing a lot of yeast autolysis, on fruit certainly suggesting that red grapes were dominant in the cepage. Palate is a little odd, quite weighty, a lot of autolysis but also a noticeable mushroomy note creeping in and becoming dominant to the finish. Dosage is standard brut, with good fruit richness. The nett style is unusual, but very food-friendly indeed. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 07/14

2016 Domaine La Garrigue Cotes-du-Rhone Cuvée Romaine 18 (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $25 [ cork 46 mm, Gr 75%, Sy 20, Ci 5; elevation in concrete vat; production averages 1,090 x 9-litre cases; weight bottle and cork, 561g; www.domaine-la-garrigue.fr ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, one of the denser wines, in the top 10. Bouquet is deeply and darkly floral, with only faint garrigue aromatics. There is dark plummy and savoury fruit, simple in one sense because there is no oak, yet pure and deep. Palate is velvety, soft, you wonder if the wine is a bit lacking in structure with no oak: it would be so much better with time in foudre. Yet the grape tannins lengthen and enliven the finish remarkably, even without oak. A lot of grapes for the price. Cellar 5 – 15, maybe 20 years. I am including this wine in repeat batches of the 2016 Southern Rhones, to calibrate each tasting. In this instance, with 40-plus red wines, there was no chance of recognising it. Available from WineSeeker, Wellington. GK 07/19

2002 Craggy Range Merlot Gimblett Gravels 18 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.1%; $26 [ Me 85%, Ma 9, CS 6; mostly hand-picked; 35 days cuvaison, must aeration (delestage), MLF in barrel, 15 months in French oak 45% new, not filtered; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, one of the deepest. A rich bouquet, but looking a little oaky in this gathering, drowning out any floral notes. Below is good dark plum and cassisy berry, all very clean. Palate is rich, clearly merlot, more aromatic than most of the Gimblett merlots, on the ratio of oak. Cellar 10 – 15 years. GK 12/04

2009 Dom. V. Girardin Meursault Le Limozin 18 (

)

Meursault, Cote de Beaune, France: 14%; $80 [ cork; the website advises a general prescription for white winemaking, from which one has to infer what might apply here depending on its position in the ranking: manual harvesting; hand-sorting of the grapes; generally wild-yeast ferments, followed by MLF; extended lees autolysis 14 – 20 months (and varying with vintage too) in French oak, ratio new 10 – 35%; www.vincentgirardin.com ]
Lemon, the other fine hue in the set. Bouquet is somewhat richer and more artefact-influenced than the Santenay, pale yellow fruits, light mealy complexity, some charring in the oak. Palate is richer than the Santenay too, yellow stonefruit, but the charring on the oak is becoming assertive, walnuts rather than hazelnuts. Only fair to note many like this artefact, and we went through a phase in New Zealand of marking it up ludicrously, without respect to the fruit quality. This wine too lacks richness by fine Meursault standards, but is very appealing. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 07/11

1982 Ch Giscours 18 (

)

Margaux Third Growth, Bordeaux, France: – %; $34 [ cork; CS 70%, Me 25, CF 3, PV 2; A chateau of mixed reputation over the years. Parker on the 82: Precocious, very ripe, rich, berryish bouquet, full-bodied, fat, loose knit, big alcohol, flavourful but unstructured, developing quickly. Till 2000 86. Broadbent: sweet on nose and palate. Good rich ripe fruit, tannin and acidity. Very attractive. Till 2010. ****. GK in 1985 thought it: Ripe, rich, oaky wine, almost Australian in style. ]
Ruby and garnet, the second lightest. It is hard to imagine a more representative 1982 classed claret than this. Bouquet shows classical proportions of browning cassis, suggestions of florals, dark tobacco, and cedary oak. Palate is more mature than some, reaching almost to the dark fruit cake suite of smells and flavours, soft rich and mellow. It is therefore a polar opposite from the Te Mata, which is almost rudely youthful in comparison, yet both wines illuminate the notion of claret delightfully. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 09/08

2000 Ch Grand-Puy-Lacoste 18 (

)

Pauillac Fifth Growth, Bordeaux, France: 13%; $106 [ cork; price en primeur landed; CS 78%, Me 20, CF 2 = cepage in 2000 (Parker); planted to 10,000 vines / ha, average age 32 years; typically 17 – 20 day cuvaison, 18 – 22 months in French oak 50% new; JR: 17.5+; RP: 94; WS: 92; no website found ]
Ruby and velvet, a touch of garnet, the oldest of the 12, and marginally the lightest. On bouquet, Grand-Puy-Lacoste has been very true to itself over the years, a lovely wine to display the concept of cigar-box complexity, in cassis, vinosity and fragrant oak. As the colour would suggest, palate is forward relative to the Montrose, not as rich as the top wines, but not as soft as expected. It still tastes youthful despite the colour, with cigar-box and cedar overtones on the red plums, and more oak than most. As always, classical Pauillac, to cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 08/10

1978 Ch Grand-Puy-Lacoste 18 (

)

Pauillac Fifth Growth, Bordeaux, France: – %; $201 [ cork; original price c.$22.50; cepage then approx. CS 70%, Me 25, CF 5, planted at 10,000 vines / ha; 18 – 20 months in barrel, 45 – 55% new depending on the vintage; Wine Spectator vintage rating for the year, 87, Structured, fleshy and complex; no Broadbent notes; Clive Coates, 2000: Very youthful. Splendid nose. Excellent fruit. Complex. Very concentrated. Marvellous 'old viney' fruit and harmony. Fullish body. Very profound. Impeccably put together. Very generous. Very fine, 18.5; R. Parker, 1993: This is one of the few 1978 Medocs that has not exhibited an increased herbaceousness as it has evolved. The 1978 Grand-Puy-Lacoste remains dark ruby/purple-colored, with a bouquet offering scents of cassis, smoke, and earth. Medium to full-bodied, with fine structure and tannins, this wine combines elegance with authoritative flavors. It is close to maturity, yet it can be cellared for at least 10-12 more years. It may last even longer, 90; www.chateau-grand-puy-lacoste.com ]
Garnet and ruby, glowing, above midway in depth. The bouquet is glorious classic Grand-Puy-Lacoste, back in the days when it had a wonderful cedar-led quality to it, as if it were pure cabernet sauvignon, but raised in Rioja. Recent vintages are not quite so distinctive. Below the cedar is perfectly ripe cabernet, riper than the Pichon-Lalande, cassis-led but browning now. Palate is soft, round, harmonious, fragrant on the cedar yet not oaky, but somehow not as complex and exciting as the fractionally less-ripe Pichon. Different people would therefore rate these two wines quite differently, as to which was the better. This wine is very much the taste of how things used to be – intriguing. I placed Grand-Puy-Lacoste first in the blind tasting of 12 wines, to emphasise the concept of harmony in older wine. Accordingly, since it is near-impossible for the first wine in a line-up of 12 to ever be rated the top wine, there were no top places, but there were two second. Fully mature, but no hurry. GK 10/18

1989 Ch Grand-Puy-Lacoste 18 (

)

Pauillac Fifth Growth, Medoc, Bordeaux, France: 12.5%; $154 [ cork, 53mm; original price around $65; CS 70%, Me 25%, CF 5, cropped at c.6.5 t/ha = 2.6 t/ac; elevation 20 – 22 months, with around 45% new oak; production of the grand vin varies round 16,000 x 9-litre cases; Broadbent, 2002: A really lovely wine. Opaque; rich Pauillac character; full of all the good things. I bought a few cases, and am still drinking it. Masses of fruit and extract. Normally a slow developer, the '89 exudes good health and drinkability. Sweet bouquet and flavour. Perfect with Daphne's roast beef and Yorkshire pudding, *****; RP@RP, 1997: In contrast to the blockbuster, full-blown, massive wines produced by this estate in 1990 and 1982, the medium-weight 1989 is elegant, spicy, evolved, and already revealing plenty of cedar and cassis fruit. A delicious, generously-endowed, low acid wine, it will offer mature drinking now and over the next 12-15 years, 89; weight bottle and closure: 537 g; www.chateau-grand-puy-lacoste.com ]
Ruby, garnet and velvet, one of the redder wines, in the middle for depth. On bouquet this wine was classic last-century Grand-Puy-Lacoste, fragrant, soft, and exquisitely cedary, with beautiful browning berry below. On palate it tastes simply Pauillac, not as rich as the top two, but beautifully ripe and balanced, delightful claret. There is this lovely smell of cedar, without the oaky taste of the New Zealand wines. At the tasting, the wine was so subtle as to not stand out: one top place, three second. This seems further along its plateau of maturity than the top two, but should be attractive for another 10 years. It is a delight with food. GK 11/19

1986 Ch Grand-Puy-Lacoste 18 (

)

Pauillac Fifth Growth, Bordeaux, France: 12.5%; $187 [ Cork, 55 mm; CS 70%, Me 25, CF 5; 20 – 22 months in barrel, no detail; production c.13,500 cases; Peppercorn: an excellent reputation for typically robust and fine Pauillacs … tannic and tough at first; Broadbent 2002: an impressive ’86, in fact one of the best if you are prepared to wait for this sinewy wine to mature … fresh interesting nose … a column of fruit … an exciting wine, crisp, fruity with good drying tannins. To 2020: ****; Parker, 1997: the finest GPL produced between 1982 and 1995 … a classic nose of cedar, blackcurrants, smoke, and vanillin. Full-bodied, powerful, authoritatively rich, and loaded with fruit, this wine's solid lashing of tannin is not likely to melt away for 3-4 more years. It is one of the better northern Medocs of the vintage. Now-2012: 91; bottle weight 563 g; www.chateau-grand-puy-lacoste.com ]
Ruby and garnet, below midway but one of the redder wines. In setting up tastings, I like the first wine in the blind line-up of 12 to be totally a representative (or at least illustrative) example of what the tasting is about. As so often, in examining the wines following decanting, Ch Grand-Puy-Lacoste seemed ideally suited to this task. Bouquet epitomises 'concept claret', beautiful cassisy berry browning now, elegant cedary oak, delightful freshness and excitement (in a measured way), simply an attractive cabernet / merlot displaying Bordeaux magic. Palate is similar, evident cassisy berry, perhaps a little one-dimensional alongside the Stonyridge Larose let alone those rated more highly, but a lovely glass of mature wine. Cellar up to another 15 years, to lose tannin. Being first wine in the lineup, the most invidious position in any tasting, it did not rate in the favourites ranking at all. GK 08/16

2003 Domaine Grand Veneur Cotes du Rhone Villages les Champauvins Vielles Vignes 18 (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $25 [ cork; Wine Direct; Gr 70%, Sy 20, Mv 10; 38 hl/ha (c 2 t/ac): destemmed, 15 days cuvaison; % in oak not given; the vineyard is said to be (Parker 156): “twenty feet outside the Chateauneuf border”, and the wine: “lovely fruit, loads of body, and a heady bouquet of ground peppers, raspberries, cherry liqueur, currants and spice box. Medium to full-bodied and dense, it tastes more like Chateauneuf du Pape than Cotes du Rhone. Buy this one by the case ! 90”; www.domaine-grand-veneur.com ]
Good ruby. A mainstream Cotes du Rhone grenache / syrah blend shows up on bouquet, with great berry fruit and hints of the cedar seen in the Vielle Julienne and Charité. Palate is riper and softer than those wines, a little hotter-climate and less vibrant, but wonderfully rich plummy fruit, lightly spicy. Right alongside the Grand Veneur Chateauneuf, it is not as rich as that, but this is good wine which will cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 11/05

2005 Domaine Jean Grivot Nuits-Saint-Georges Aux Boudots 18 (

)

Nuits-Saint-Georges Premier Cru, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 13%; $84 [ cork 49mm; vines 40 or more years old, planted at 11,000 vines per hectare; 5% whole bunch; ratio of new oak varies with the appellation, 30% or more for premiers crus; www.domainegrivot.fr ]
Slightly older darkish pinot ruby, as if more oak influenced, the third deepest. There is a thought of leafyness initially, but this is a wine that expands in the glass with time. There is rich red cherry fruit and rather a lot of potentially cedary oak, not yet melded-in. Flavours include savoury red and black cherry fruit with considerable brown mushroom, and this clear extra savoury dimension, perhaps in this instance including an academic level of brett. Still a baby, and deceptively rich, a wine to cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 04/15

2002 Gros Frere & Soeur Clos Vougeot 'Musigni' 18 (

)

Vougeot Grand Cru, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 14%; $145
Classic pinot noir ruby. This wine is a little different from the batch, on bouquet showing the light fermentation complexities some call farmyard, others funk, or if one is to be less positive, the wine is slightly reductive. It needs a good splashy decanting. Below are red and black cherry fruits, almost a hint of plums in this ripe year, and considerable fruit weight and concentration. Palate is as rich as the Richebourg, possibly richer. The farmyard note should be no great problem to the future of the wine, after appropriate cellaring for 10 – 20 years. GK 09/04

2010 Maison Guigal Chateauneuf-du-Pape 18 (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $90 [ cork 49mm; Gr 70%, Sy 15, Mv 10, others 5; all bought in as juice or wine; average vine age 50 years; cropped at 4.2 t/ha (1.7 t/ac); 3 weeks cuvaison; 24 months most say but the Guigal website says 36 months in large wood, percentage new not known but the wine tastes as if some; c. 16,500 cases; weight bottle and closure: 564 g; www.guigal.com ]
Ruby, some velvet, some maturity. Bouquet is both more savoury, and more refined, than the 2012 Guigal Cotes du Rhone, largely due to the greater ratio of new or newish oak, even though the oak is still subtle. This bouquet is piquant, almost saliva-inducing: it makes you think of food instantly. And it is mercifully free of the reduction which diminished the 2009 Guigal. Even so it is not sparkling pure, the red fruits being complexed with some savoury notes suggesting light brett. Palate is supple and harmonious, beautiful savoury red fruits, exquisitely clean oak, the whole wine epitomising vinosity and food-friendlyness. This is partly because there is trace brett, but at a level all but nutters will love. The syrah and mourvedre components darken the wine pleasingly, relative to the Caillou Safres for example. This is a lovely savoury dry wine, which is not as spirity as some of the 2010 Chateauneuf-du-Papes. It is not ideally rich, not as rich as even the Clos du Caillou Les Safres for example (which is third-tier down), but it is refreshing and will bring much pleasure at table. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 10/16

2003 Ch Haut Batailley 18 (

)

Pauillac Fifth Growth, Bordeaux, France: 13%; $51 [ cork; CS 65%, Me 25, CF 10, average age 30 years, planted to 10 000 vines / ha; 16 – 20 days cuvaison in s/s; 16 – 20 months in 30 – 50% new oak; Parker: ... somewhat superficial effort … aromas of cranberries, sweet cherries, black currants, and spicy new oak … medium-bodied, shallow finish. 87 ]
Older ruby and some velvet, below halfway in depth. Bouquet is clear-cut Medoc, stern cassis and dark plum, with potentially cedary oak. Palate is clean, tight and firm, with good acid balance, and taut berry flavours a little phenolic at this stage, but clearly Bordeaux. Sound but not enchanting claret, offering great value. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 07/06

1982 Iron Horse Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon 18 (

)

Alexander Valley, California, North America: 13%; $168 [ cork 42 mm, ullage 30 mm (magnum); original price $US28 / magnum; as noted in the Invitation to this Tasting, because the 1982 Bordeaux were at the time referred to as ‘the Californian vintage’ (by some), it seemed totally appropriate to include a 1982 Californian Cabernet. This bottle brought to New Zealand by the late Dr Ken Kirkpatrick, after living in the United States … so it would have been a discriminating choice at the time; the only information available on this wine now is from the unusually informative label, the winery not responding to email: cepage CS 100%, the vines planted in 1970; the grapes were hand-picked in early October, at 23° Brix and 8.5 g/L acid. Elevation 14 months in French barriques, 2,500 cases. The winemaker at the time felt the wine was their best yet: "Rich and full like the ‘78 with the grace of the ‘79, it will mature and develop in the bottle for years". Reading between the lines on sparse comments for other vintages of this label, it seems the winestyle emerging from the vineyard tended to the austere (by Californian norms). Production of the Cabernet Sauvignon ceased in 2007. The winery now concentrates on sparkling wines, with an excellent reputation, plus chardonnay and pinot noir from their cool-climate properties in the Green Valley AVA, within the Russian River Valley district. No external information is available about this exact wine, either from the Net as a whole, the winery, or their website. And the new owners of The Wine Advocate have tragically and myopically removed much early 1980s wine reference material from that website: it cannot even be retrieved via The Wayback Machine; weight bottle (magnum) and closure 1,066 g; www.ironhorsevineyards.com ]
Ruby and garnet, the second to lightest in terms of weight of colour, but the third to reddest in freshness / redness. Any 100% cabernet sauvignon wine has it tough in a claret tasting, where even a few percent of merlot or cabernet franc in the blend so softens and complexes both bouquet and palate. Accordingly there was some division of opinion on this wine. This report is the favourable side. The bouquet is interesting, aromatic, evident cassis but also something darker, reminiscent of elderberry perhaps, but still winey and good. There is plenty of flavour, but it is tending one-dimensional, the famous hole in the middle (on the palate) that Max Lake wrote about. Oaking is beautifully subtle for a New World wine of that era, and all French. Acid balance is pretty good … rather like the Ch Montrose, just detectable, but as the wine dries, it will become more apparent. In total impression, it sits pretty happily with the Bordeaux, with no Californian warmth apparent at all, and good aromatic dark berry. At the blind stage nine correctly sheeted it home to California, one taster rated it top, two as their second favourite, but eight rated it their least-favoured wine. No faults were apparent, so the reason I imagine is the linearity of flavour – one-dimensional. The actual dry extract is quite good, matching some Bordeaux. And the wine is good with food. This sample from a magnum: 750s may be tiring now. GK 11/23

2001 Jaboulet Hermitage la Chapelle 18 (

)

Hermitage, northern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $170 [ Sy 100%; grapes de-stemmed, 18–25 days cuvaison; 12–18 months in barrel; www.jaboulet.com ]
Ruby, a suggestion of velvet, a little deeper and older than the Cornas. Initially opened, this syrah too is slightly reductive. It benefits from vigorous decanting, to reveal a clearcut Northern Rhone syrah with good ripening of the fruit: some florals in the carnations and dianthus camp, good cassis and dark plums in the sun, some herbes de Provence complexity, smells which are attractive and almost saliva-inducing. Palate does not show quite the concentration hoped for, but what is there is good: black pepper and aromatics in the cassis, good berry fruit of perfect ripeness for complexity and still retaining florals, very understated and clean mostly older oak, beautiful balance, highly varietal, but only medium weight. Initial reductiveness aside, it is a carefully tailored wine, very polite. It will be delightful drinking in 5 – 10 years, and will cellar for 20. It is however lighter than the rich and dramatic good years of la Chapelle in earlier decades. This wine and the Rostaing Cote Blonde illustrate their respective appellations delightfully. GK 06/04

2009 Ch Jean Faux 18 (

)

Dordogne / near St Emilion, Bordeaux, France: 14.7%; $38 [ cork (50 mm); Me 80%, CF 20, average age 25 years planted @ 7400 vines / ha, cropped @ < 5 t/ha = 2 t/ac; Stephane Derenoncourt consults since 2003; cold-soak, cuvaison to 30 days, oxygenation; MLF in barrel; 12 – 14 months in French oak 40% new, fined and filtered; the wine Bordeaux Superieur; www.chateaujeanfaux.com ]
Ruby and velvet, just above midway in depth. Bouquet is clean and sweet plummy merlot, some suggestions of a hot year in the plums, just a touch of cocoa, attractive. Palate shows good fruit on clean oak including new, the berry characters including hints of cassis and mixed ripeness yet not stalky as such, the wine shows pleasing richness, balance and freshness. Quite a sturdy wine, finer-grain than the Chadenne though. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 06/12

2004 Domaine J L Chave Hermitage 18 (

)

Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $267 [ 49mm cork; an unreliable vintage for Parker, 85; Sy 100; 9.3 ha of Sy at Hermitage, Bessards most, then L'Hermite and 5 other vineyards; all de-stemmed, most of fermentation in s/s; cuvaison can be to 4 weeks; traditionally up to 18 months in barrel, less than 20% new, the remainder to 5 years old, now sometimes to 26 months; minimal fining, no filtration; [ father ] Gerard Chave: The uniformity imposed by new oak and over-extraction are what I deplore most these days; Robinson, 2009: Big and bloody on the nose - very complex. Some liquorice. Heady and rich. Lovely broad palate-covering stuff. Really fills all the corners of the palate. Quite rich and reverberant. Already quite rewarding - quite surprisingly approachable, although there is lots of dusty tannin on the finish. Very complete and subtle. Great balance, 18+; Parker, 2007: The 2004 red Hermitage, which was given a much longer time in barrel and small foudre than normal because the Chaves determined the tannins and the acids needed a longer time to integrate, is a beauty. The wine exhibits a dense ruby/purple color, a big, sweet nose of creme de cassis, black cherry, licorice, pepper, and a hint of olive paste. It is a full-bodied wine that tastes atypical for this vintage with its beautifully integrated acidity and sweet tannin. The wine is structured, more masculine and backward than the over-the-top, full-throttle 2003, 94; no website found ]
Ruby and velvet, just above midway in depth. A little unusual, this wine. Initially opened there is a leathery quality, and trace oxidation was suggested. Not so, said one perceptive taster, think of it as a cola quality, reflecting good ripeness. Sure enough the next day the wine had breathed up considerably, to reveal good berry still with this brown cola note, and nearly cassis in a browning way. Flavour shows a beautiful berry / fruit / oak ratio, and excellent richness giving length and persistence. Despite being a lesser year, there is not exactly black pepper, let alone white, but there is a hard-to-characterise aromatic quality. Interesting wine therefore, in its flavour profile contrasting vividly with the warm-year 2003 Hermitage, this much 'cooler'. There is still plenty of life ahead of it, to cellar 5 – 15 years say. Open and decant this wine well beforehand; it was much better and more 'classical' several days later, and the score reflects that – though for most the wine didn't show it on the night. The top wine for two. GK 09/14

1999 Ch Lafite 18 (

)

Pauillac 1st Growth, Bordeaux, France: 12.5%; $434 [ CS 74%, Me 19, CF 6, PV 1; 18 – 20 months in up to 100% new French oak; www.lafite.com ]
Older ruby, less weight than the 1998. Like the 2001, this example of Lafite is in the firm cassisy style of claret, but it is lighter, with a suggestion of austerity. Palate shows that 'light' is relative, for the concentration of cassis is splendid. Again the oak is well-nigh invisible, potentially cedary, and the wine is finegrain and long-lasting in the mouth, if slightly more acid than the other two. It reminds me of the 1966 Pauillacs, wines which were stern and tending austere in their youth, but have cellared well, in their fragrant style. This too will cellar well, to give a very fragrant, pleasing, yet always relatively austere claret. Real Englishman's claret, in contrast to Americans'. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 07/04

1998 Ch Lafite 18 (

)

Pauillac 1st Growth, Bordeaux, France: 13%; $574 [ CS 81%, Me 19; 18 – 20 months in up to 100% new French oak; www.lafite.com ]
Older ruby. Unlike the 2001, this is a much softer, plummy and even slightly leathery wine, showing some development for its age. It smells more of merlot-dominance, notwithstanding the high cabernet percentage. Palate is much firmer however, tannic, still quite tough with plenty of plummy fruit and suggestions of older cassis below. The family resemblance to the 1998 Duhart-Milon is remarkable, but the Lafite seems more than twice as concentrated. The style is not as supremely fine and floral as the 2001, but it is still a classic claret, with potential cedar and cigarbox complexities to develop. Cellar 10 – 20 years plus. GK 07/04

1982 Ch La Lagune 18 (

)

Haut Medoc – Margaux Third Growth, Bordeaux, France: – %; $40 [ cork; CS 55%, Me 20, CF 20, PV 5; Parker: Pomerol-like, a rich, fleshy, solid wine, with sometimes an overpowering bouquet of vanillin oak and black cherries. One of the few non-First-Growth wineries to use 100% new oak most years. The 1982: As close to perfect La Lagune as one can hope to find. A sensational aroma of roasted nuts, ripe black cherries, and vanillin oak. Full bodied, significant tannin, mouthfilling, incredibly rich cassis fruit which lasts and lasts. To 2010. 93. Broadbent: Exciting wine, gorgeous nose, fruity and spicy. Now plummily deep, very sweet for a Medoc, good fruit, flavoury. To 2000. ****. Peppercorn agrees, in 2002 reflecting that La Lagune, in particular, is aromatic with a nice lingering youthfulness. GK in 1985 thought it: big fruit and oak, viscous texture, great stuff. ]
Ruby and garnet, not as old as some, above midway in depth. Initially opened, the wine shows some old-fashioned bottle-stink. It needs an aerative decanting a couple of times. Breathed it shows some of the harmony and restraint of the Haut-Marbuzet, not being one of the richest wines, but it is attractively balanced and long. Flavours are more in the maturing plummy spectrum of St Emilion / Pomerol than Medoc, with the new oak well absorbed. In another year or two, this like the Latour a Pomerol may be developing some leathery overtones of older age. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 09/08

2013 Mount Langi Ghiran Shiraz Cliff-Edge 18 (

)

Grampians district, West Victoria, New Zealand: 14.3%; $40 [ screwcap; Sh 100%, hand- and machine-picked, vine age c.25 years old, on granite; some whole-bunch component; c.15 months in French oak 20% new; imported by MacVine International, Auckland; weight bottle and closure: 542 g; www.langi.com.au ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, a limpid colour exactly midway in depth, among the 27 wines. Bouquet is closer to the Xanadu than to the Langi proper, a fragrant red fruits presentation of syrah faintly more floral and syrah-spicy than the Xanadu, and totally free of euc'y taints. Flavours in mouth are soft and fleshy, like Le Rouvre, but with some suggestions of the raspberry side of syrah, tiptoeing towards shiraz, in fact. The whole wine is fractionally more syrah-like and complex than the Xanadu, and quite delightful, with its much less serious oak elevation than the Langi proper. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 08/16

2005 Domaine Laroche Chablis les Vaillons Vieilles Vignes 18 (

)

Chablis Premier Cru, Burgundy, France: 13%; $65 [ cork; obscure website, PR more than info; www.larochewines.com ]
Lemongreen, the best colour of the Laroche set. Bouquet is greater on this wine than the Blanchots, but in much the same style: white flowers including subtlest acacia, palest white nectarine stonefruit, a thought of chalk. Palate likewise is similar, but not the dry extract of the Blanchots, cropped at its grand cru rate. Balance is beautiful, the flavours crisp and classically varietal, oak again restrained, the chalky / flinty qualities a little more noticeable since the wine is leaner. Fruit on the long aftertaste is lovely, very delicate. Cellar 2 – 8 years. GK 03/08

1980 Champagne Lechere Blanc de Blancs Premier Cru 18 (

)

Avize, Champagne, France: – %; $ – [ traditional compound champagne cork; Broadbent rating for vintage: *, cold season, the wines lacked body and were too acid; Wine Spectator: not rated. No info available, Ch 100%, MLF assumed, no oak; this was an attractive wine in its day, proving the old adage, there are always exceptions to vintage generalisations. Broadbent, the ultimate arbiter on old champagne, in effect rates this wine as the best of the vintage: pale, dry, light, crisp, and refined, ****. J. B. Lechere came from an old Champagne family. He was formerly Marketing Director for Moet & Chandon. In 1978 he set up his own label, buying only premier and grand cru fruit, and had his wines made under his strict control by the famous co-operative Union Champagne, in Avize. ]
Full straw, a wash of gold, midway in depth. Bouquet shows clean slightly honeyed and mealy / biscuitty nearly sweet-smelling lightish clearly chardonnay-based wine – wine biscuits ! Palate is lighter than most, remarkably dry now as if the dosage has been consumed, tasting fractionally older than it smells, just a suggestion of walnut 'bite' on the palate, building on the cashew component from the bouquet. Even so, a totally remarkable wine for its vintage, and it would still be a sheer delight with savoury nibbles. Dosage is to the higher end, say 9 g/L. Tasters did not like the wine as much as Steve Bennett MW and I did. GK 05/16

2000 Peter Lehmann Shiraz Eight Songs 18 (

)

Barossa Valley, South Australia: 14%; $81 [ vine age 80 – 85 years; partial BF and 18 months in new French oak; www.peterlehmannwines.com.au ]
Ruby. Initially opened, this wine shows aggressive oak, which detracts. Decanted and well-aired however, it settles into a very typical boysenberry and raspberry jam bigger style of Australian shiraz, with a fruit sweetness reminiscent of freshly-baked raspberry tartlets. On palate it is quite different, with a fragrant flowering mint quality in mouth, which unusually, one cannot see on bouquet. The wine therefore shares some of the characters of both the '99 Stonewell, and the '01 straight Shiraz, but with impressive fruit sweetness and concentration. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 6/04 GK 06/04

2003 Ch Leoville Poyferré 18 (

)

Saint-Julien 2nd Growth, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $222 [ Cork 50mm; CS 62%, Me 28, PV 8, CF 2; Michel Rolland has consulted for many years, the leading British Bordeaux merchants Farr Vintners consider the chateau produces wines with “a smoother, more fleshy character than the seriously structured wines of the other Leovilles, but they still cellar well”. Planting is 8,500 vines / ha, production is c.20,000 cases; 22 months in 75% new oak; second wine Pavillon de Leoville Poyferre. Robinson, Aug 2009: Light, mild nose. Quite well balanced. Round on the palate with well balanced, non aggressive tannins, though they are certainly there and not yet fully integrated. Quite notable acidity and just a hint of greenness, 16.5; Tanzer, 2006: … Cuvelier [ owning family ] maintained that this vintage was not acidified. The cabernet acidity, he said, was healthy and the grape skins gave up their acidity slowly during the vinification. A very impressive showing, and built to last, 92; Parker, Aug 2014: [ in another note, until the 2009, Parker of view the 2003 Poyferre perhaps the best ever ] The spectacular 2003 Leoville Poyferre exhibits a dense purple color with a touch of lightening at the edge as well as notes of creosote, barbecue smoke, jammy black currants, licorice and spice box. This intense, voluptuously textured, full-bodied St.-Julien possesses low acidity and ripe tannin. Still fresh and exuberant, it is just entering its plateau of full maturity where it should remain for 10-15+ years, 96; www.leoville-poyferre.fr ]
Ruby and velvet, a hint of garnet, the deepest wine. This was one of two wines which showed just a hint of stalk in an aromatically complex bouquet. Those who liked that found hints of lavender on the floral / aromatic side. There was certainly a freshness to the bouquet, pairing it with the Pichon-Lalande. Palate is very aromatic, clear cassisy berry, but a complex interaction between stalk tannins and oak tannins makes the wine vibrant in mouth. Fruit richness is good and length of flavour great, partly on the tannins. There is not quite the magic of the top wines, though the Poyferré is more harmonious than the Lalande. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 11/14

2009 Ch Le Thil 18 (

)

Graves / Pessac-Leognan, Bordeaux, France: 14.7%; $39.50 [ cork; Me 81%, CS 19, hand-picked at c.5.6 t/ha (2.3 t/ac), 12 months in barrel, 30% new; not fined, lightest filtering if needed; www.smith-haut-lafitte.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, one of the deepest. Bouquet is wonderfully warm and ripe, and clearly cabernet dominant in a mixed tasting, very ripe cassis and dark plum, some new oak and some older, just a hint of leather. Palate seems even riper, yet it retains its Bordeaux character clearly. There is both big berry fruit and big tannin, the finish a little drying at this stage. A rich wine which will fine down in cellar over 5 – 25 + years. For example, some of the 1982 cru bourgeois I recommended in a series of three National Business Review articles May – Sept 1985 are still in delightful fully-mature condition today. GK 06/12

2003 Ch Lynch-Bages 18 (

)

Pauillac 5th Growth, Bordeaux, France: 13%; $130 [ cork; CS 73%, Me 15, CF 10, PV 2, planted @ 9000 vines / ha; 15 months in 60% new French oak; Advocate 89, Spectator 92; www.lynchbages.com ]
Good ruby, below midway in depth. Initially opened, there is quite a barrel-char toasty note, in the modern style, but this breathes away with decanting / air. The nett impression is fragrant classic Bordeaux, beautiful cassis with suggestions of violets and dark rose florals, and underpinning oak. Palate has that delightful poise and freshness fine claret shows, and the faintest leafy / stalky complexity in cassis and plum and cedar, all now harmonising delightfully. Noteworthy that this wine has no greater palate weight than the 2004 Alluviale, yet it is a well-regarded fifth growth. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 11/06

2003 Main Divide Sauvignon Blanc 18 (

)

Marlborough, & Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 12.5%; $20 [ SB 95%, 5 Se BF & LA, 4 g/L RS; www.maindivide.com ]
Lemon. A voluminous and complex bouquet standing apart from most in the blind tasting. The actual smells are hard to characterise, but there is a distinctive mixed herbes component in mixed capsicums. Palate introduces new dimensions, the sauvignon now seemingly ripened to a melon and pepino level, noticeable oak influence, richer than many Marlborough wines, and more like some Hawkes Bay. Unusual and interesting sauvignon, which should cellar for 5 – 8 years. GK 09/04

1960 Ch Margaux 18 (

)

Margaux First Growth, Bordeaux, France: – %; $ – [ 55mm cork; original price unknown, this bottle bought at auction in 1980s; Winesearcher: Avg Price NZ$843; cepage unclear in 1960, but moving towards the later CS 75%, Me 20, balance CF and PV; elevage probably 20 – 22 months for a light cool year like the 1960; Broadbent, 2003: vintage 1 star (out of five), light and flavoury wines … some more than adequate made, but unfortunately hemmed in by the 1959 and 1961; Penning-Rowsell: … some very drinkable wines … much depended, I suspect, on adroit use of sugar; Peppercorn, 1982: In lesser years, Margaux is inclined to produce a rather small wine with a rather limited future; the 1957 and 1958 were typical. But 1950, and to a much lesser degree 1960, produced wines of great charm with the breed and style of true Margaux, if not on the grand scale; the chateau website reminds of Te Mata, a lot of words but a lack of absolute detail; www.chateau-margaux.com ]
Amber and garnet, still a shadow of rosyness, the third to lightest. Of all the claret styles, this bouquet is the most exquisite, aethereal, and other-worldly – the perfume and fragrance almost burgundian in its beauty, but it is (naturally) cedary more than floral. Berry and fruit are now almost lost in the total aroma, secondary and tertiary aromas I guess, extraordinary, yet the wine still has a presence bespeaking fruit – qualities one hoped for in the bouquet of the 1953 Margaux. Palate cannot compete, there being just a shadow of hollowness, a hint of acid, yet for a poor year the total integration of autumnal browning / brown cassis and cedary oak is stunning. This wine really spoke to the group, it being by far the most highly rated wine on the day. It shows near-perfect balance, the oak superbly judged to the fruit in this lighter year. The cropping rate must have been very conservative, to provide sufficient dry extract for the wine to still be so vital today, 53 years later. Like the burgundy but moreso, past its plateau of maturity. GK 11/13

2002 Ch Marie-Josee Grenache / Shiraz 18 (

)

Corbieres, France: 13.5%; $20 [ Marie-Josee Lahore-Bargez and J & F Lurton; www.jflurton.com ]
Good ruby. Benefits from decanting to display an attractive bouquet of good grenache raspberries
with sweet cinnamon suggestions, all beautifully winey. Palate is soft, potentially velvety, with much of the style of Chateauneuf-du-Pape or Gigondas, but lighter. Much drier and more savoury, with herbes de Provence complexities, than the Albada Garnacha. Flavours linger in the mouth most attractively, with soft furry tannins. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 08/04

nv Champagne Maxim's Brut Reserve 18 (

)

Chigny les Roses, Champagne, France: 12.5%; $50 [ cork; PN & PM 75%, Ch 25; tirage unknown but more than most in this bracket, likewise one of the few to show appropriate bottle-age before sale; made by the Champagne house Cattier; dosage likely to be 10 g/L; distributed by Paul Mitchell, The Wine Importer; www.maxims-sapp.com ]
Lemonstraw, pleasant bubble. Bouquet on this wine is the most complete in the set, with a degree of complexity setting it apart. Isn't it a bugger when the most expensive wine in the blind tasting comes out on top ... Bouquet shows plenty of crumb of bread autolysis, and clear suggestions of crust of baguette, plus a particularly appealing mushrooms-on-toast complexity note. Palate shows good body, the autolysis continuing well, attractively subtle phenolics bespeaking not too much pressing, and it is one of the dryer wines in the set. It tastes like a harmonious blend of meunier, noir and chardonnay, none dominant. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 12/12

2007 [ Pernod-Ricard ] Montana Chardonnay Reserve Hawkes Bay 18 (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.8%; $22 [ screwcap; clones 15 and mendoza predominantly from the Tuki Tuki and Tutaekuri Valleys, machine-harvested, de-stemmed; most of the wine cool BF on low solids, balance s/s; all the wine LA and stirring; all French oak 15% new; role of MLF unknown; pH 3.38, RS 1.8 g/L; background on www.montana.co.nz, leads to detail @; www.pernod-ricard-nz.com//tastingnotes.php? ]
Good lemon. This is an understated chardonnay on bouquet, all the components well-melded together like the Cloudy Bay wine, so another to remind of Europe. Palate is an harmonious fusion of fruit, barrel-ferment, lees-autolysis, MLF and oak, with nothing standing out, yet lovely chardonnay flavours developing. This pale style therefore contrasts vividly with the (this year) more showy Church Road Reserve Chardonnay, which after a glass or two might start to look oaky, in comparison with an understated wine such as this one. Cellar 2 – 8 years. GK 04/09

2008 [ Pernod-Ricard ] Montana Sauvignon Blanc Reserve Marlborough 18 (

)

Wairau & Awatere Valleys, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $22 [ screwcap; vines up to 20 years age, machine-harvested; a few hours skin-contact for some of the fruit, cool fermentation on low-solids all in s/s; pH 3.31, RS 2.5 g/L; background on www.montana.co.nz, leads to detail @; www.pernod-ricard-nz.com//tastingnotes.php? ]
Lemongreen. Apart from threshold VA, bouquet is textbook Marlborough sauvignon, absolutely straightforward but at a very high level, red capsicum, black passionfruit and a little sweet basil to complex it. On palate there is fresh clean fruit clearly more concentrated and elegant than the standard Montana Sauvignon Blanc, a long lingering aftertaste of pure ripe fruit handled carefully in stainless steel. Total acid is slightly higher than ideal, though – noticeable only because the residual is lower than most sauvignons. It's always pleasing when the Reserve wine is demonstrably better than the standard one. A wine to look out for on supermarket specials. Cellar to 10 years, to taste. GK 04/09

2016 Clos du Mont-Olivet Chateauneuf-du-Pape 18 (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 15%; $64 [ cork, 50 mm; Gr 75 – 80%, Sy 10, Mv 5, balance at least 6 other varieties; one-third whole bunches, cuvaisons to 30 days; elevation 70 – 75% in large wood, 20% concrete and s/s, balance 228s and 600s, for 18 months; not fined, maybe filtered; production varies round 3,500 x 9-litre cases; weight bottle and cork 601 g; access to the website on far right, obscure; www.clos-montolivet.com ]
Good ruby, below midway in depth, just a little older. Bouquet is fragrant and unusual, some garrigue florals plus a suggestion of aniseed occasionally seen in McLaren Vale shiraz, beautiful purity, no obvious oak. Palate shows more concentration than the bouquet suggests, red berry, raspberry and loganberry, such good fruit the wine seems almost not dry. There are suggestions of tannins yet to marry in, at the moment adding to the freshness of its all-red fruit flavours. Cellar 8 – 15, maybe 20 years. Available from Truffle Imports, Wellington. GK 07/19

2015 Ch Mont-Redon Chateauneuf-du-Pape 18 (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $60 [ cork; cepage varies round Gr 60%, Sy 30, Mv 8, Ci and other vars 2, hand-harvested; all de-stemmed; elevation 12 – 14 months half in s/s, half in 228s, half of which are new; fined and filtered; production varies round 25,000 x 9-litre cases; www.chateaumontredon.fr ]
Good ruby, slightly above midway in depth. Bouquet shows good typicité, light garrigue and savoury herbes, red fruits with suggestions of cinnamon, all fragrant and attractive. Flavours are fresh, only medium weight, red and darker fruits but also a hint of stalk freshening it, some syrah and mourvedre, older oak. As with the Meffre wine, it is in this price bracket that some of the ambitious or new-age Cotes-du-Rhone and related Southern Rhone Valley wines now challenge Chateauneuf, both in excitement and richness. Cellar 5 – 15 years. A Glengarry wine. GK 07/19

1982 Ch Montrose 18 (

)

Saint-Estephe Second Growth, Bordeaux, France: – %; $562 [ cork 54 mm, ullage 17 mm; original price c.$50; cepage then approx. CS 65, Me 25, CF 10, planted at 9,000 vines / ha, average age of vines c.25 years, cropped then perhaps a little more than latterly c.42 hl/ha (5.45 t/ha = 2.2 t/ac); typically 22 – 24 months in barrel, % new then c.50%, probably less than now up to 70%; Parker in 1991 lamented the fact there had been a lightening of style from the mid '70s to the mid '80s, with more merlot and less or no petit verdot; he also comments on the ongoing rivalry between Montrose and Cos d'Estournel, as to who is making the finer wine. Noting that 1982 is in the era of somewhat lighter Montroses, we have the now rare opportunity to evaluate for ourselves how the two compared in that year. Broadbent, 2002: A serious combination, Montrose and the 1982 vintage .... harmonious, excellent flavour but its ripe sweetness hardly denting its tannic astringency ... likely to be a long-haul wine ***(**); Parker, 1991: … the finest wine made at Montrose following the glorious 1970, but it has subsequently been eclipsed by both the 1986 and the 1989 ... a rich, intense aroma of spicy oak and ripe fruit, this full-bodied wine has a deep, rich and unctuous texture, plenty of round, yet noticeable tannins, and a long supple finish, 89; Parker, 2000: fragrant aromas of roasted herbs, briny olives, saddle leather, and steak tartare. With a round, sweet entry, medium to full body, a supple, fat mid-palate, and a diffuse but glycerin-dominated, thick, juicy finish, this wine suggests full maturity, but is capable of lasting another 10-15 years, 90; W. Kelley, 2022: A wine [ with ] a somewhat mixed reputation ... this ... the best bottle I've ever drunk of this vintage. Exhibiting aromas of sweet berry fruit, cedar box and loamy soil, it's medium to full-bodied, supple and fleshy, with lively acids, melted tannins and a soft, subtly leather-inflected finish. While it isn't as concentrated or characterful as the brilliant 1989 or 1990, for example, it's a generous, open-knit wine that's far from being in danger of imminent decline, 91; weight bottle and closure 569 g; www.chateau-montrose.com ]
Ruby and garnet, exactly in the middle for weight of colour, just below midway in terms of retaining ruby / redness. As in all good years, the bouquet of Ch Montrose bespeaks west bank claret. There is a near-floral component still, even at 40 years of age, and browning cassis, all piquant and exciting to the nose. Part of that can be attributed to the attractive 4-EG side of very subtle brett. Palate is fresh, crisper than the top three but you could not say acid, just lovely aromatic berry and cedary oak, lasting wonderfully though the wine not as rich as some. My perception of this wine is at variance with the group, where a number of tasters thought it merlot-dominant. Being a little lighter in weight than the top three, this wine more clearly at full maturity. In a few more years, the acid and oak may be more noticeable. Our wine was not showing Parker’s ‘supple, fat mid-palate’. Top wine for one taster, but least wine for three, with several finding light brett. Attractive food wine. GK 11/23

1976 Ch Montrose 18 (

)

Saint-Estephe Second Growth, Medoc, France: – %; $215 [ Cork, 53mm, ullage 16mm; CS 65%, Me 25, CF 10; purchase price $18.25; 22 – 24 months in barrel; production around 27,000 x 9-litre cases; Parker records that Montrose was famous in the post-war years for it rich and saturated tanniny wines which took years to soften, so much so the wine-making was lightened in the late ‘70s, with more merlot planted. He feels the chateau returned to form from the 1986 vintage. Broadbent, 1980: Fairly deep; fragrant, fruity aroma; fairly full-bodied, soft, long flavour and good finish. Overall immature, but an agreeable wine, **(**); RP@WA, 1989: Undoubtedly one of the successes from this vintage and destined to be one of the longest-lived wines of 1976, Montrose continues to exhibit a dark ruby color, a spicy, vanillin oakiness, and a generous, deep, black currant fruitiness. While many 1976s have turned brown and begun to dry out, losing their fruit, Montrose remains young, impressive, and promising, 86; weight bottle and closure: 566 g; www.chateau-montrose.com ]
Ruby and garnet, one of the freshest, just above midway in depth. There is a fresh, clean, cabernet-led aromatic quality to this wine which differentiates it from the top two, with cassisy though browning now aromatics dominating, and oak much less apparent, yet still complexing the fruit qualities beautifully. On palate there is not quite the berry weight of the top two, yet the oak is in proportion. On continued sipping there might be a trace of less-ripe fruit, but even mentioning the concept ‘stalky’ does the wine a disservice. Four tasters, all winemakers, thought there was low-level brett: if so it is below my threshold. Not a big year for Montrose, but a nicely balanced and framed wine, fully mature. Five tasters rated it their top wine, on the cassis aromatics I suspect, and one second favourite. GK 10/20

2016 Domaine Montvac Vacqueyras Arabesque 18 (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $37 [ cork 50 mm, Gr 70, Sy 25, Mv 5, organic; all de-stemmed, whole berries; elevation in concrete vat; winemaker notes Mv gives aroma on the palate; available from Maison Vauron, Auckland, and retailers supplied by them; weight bottle and cork, 602 g; www.domainedemontvac.fr ]
Good ruby, the third-lightest wine. Bouquet is very fragrant, another with great typicité, beautiful garrigue aromatics suggesting thyme and lavender, red fruits more than black, and, glory be, one of the least fumey-alcoholic wines in the set. Palate is equally charming, still a little young, not a big wine in this company, but showing beautifully aromatic berryfruit, and good freshness and length. This is going to be accessible much sooner than many. Another wine suited to pinot noir lovers, yet clearly Southern Rhone in provenance. Cellar 5 – 15 or so years. GK 05/19

1998 Domaine de la Mordoree Lirac Cuvee de la Reine des Bois 18 (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $ – [ Gr 60%, Sy 20, Mv 20; barrels and some new oak ]
Older ruby and velvet. Already some complexity of age on bouquet, quite developed, a roti character on big fruit reflecting the vintage, hints of farmyard, clear herbes de Provence complexity, in other words, good southern Rhone. Palate is very rich, quite Australian in one sense, but lovely furry tannins, and 'sweet' dried sultana fruit and moist prunes, yet bone dry. This is an attractive example of a rich ripe year in the southern Rhone Valley, perhaps a little one-dimensional on the hot-year component. Good now, or will cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 11/04

1970 Ch Mouton-Rothschild 18 (

)

Pauillac First Growth, Bordeaux, France: 11%; $ – [ alcohol nominal, from negociant supplementary label; CS 85%, Me 8, CF 7; 72 ha, 20 000 cases. Another wine with interesting comment from the world's two most experienced claret palates, which makes the opportunity to assess any bottle in a blind tasting great fun. Broadbent (1980): fine, peppery, characteristic cabernet aroma, a fairly powerful dry wine, more austere than its peers. ****. And in 2002: I think Mouton '70 is flawed. Most recently, deep but something lacking, fairly fragrant, with Mouton intensity and cassis, [ but ] on the lean side, acid. ***. Parker (1991): a classic Mouton that continues to develop at a snail's pace … scents of walnuts, cassis, leather, cedar and herbs. Powerful on the palate, plenty of tannin, an infant. [ but ] No Mouton I have tasted has demonstrated as much bottle variation as the 1970. Till 2030. 92 ]
Ruby and garnet, one of the deeper. An intriguing bouquet, a faintest hint of mint like the Tahbilk, a lot of cedary oak, and still good cassisy redfruits, now browning into tobacco-y maturity. Palate is more oaky than most, beautifully cedary, but the cedar does intrude with food. Fruit and body are good, but seem understated due to the oak. In a sense, the fruit is losing the battle with the oak. Acid just starting to show, relative to the Tahbilk. Thus in development terms the wine is at the same stage as the better-balanced and more ethereal Ducru, drying a little. Best enjoyed while there is still some fruit to cover the excess oak. GK 03/05

2005 Ch Mouton Rothschild 18 (

)

Pauillac First Growth, Bordeaux, France: 13%; $1,650 [ cork 50mm; DFB; CS 85%, Me 14, CF 1; average vine age c.50 years; 100% new French barriques for 19-22 months; c.25,000 cases; www.chateau-mouton-rothschild.com ]
Ruby and velvet, some age showing. Freshly opened, the wine is all toasty oak and cedar, a rich wine that is all about style, and not about the component varieties at all. Flavours amplify the bouquet, the wine already softened and old in some senses, hints of soft leather and coffee (–ve, except in Australia) as well as cedar, all much too oaky, like some of the Pask Declaration bordeaux blends. Taken as a whole, it is the compelling richness which saves the wine, the amalgam of browning cassis, tobacco and cedar, and the length of fruit and flavour on the palate. A hard wine to score: I had hoped for more, given the reputation of the vintage, but on this showing the wine is developing relatively quickly, at the 10-year point. I have to admit the aftertaste is lovely, epitomising cedary claret and texture in one way, but again, it has little to do with grape aromas and flavours. Cellar 5 – 25 years, in its style. GK 03/15

2003 Ch Mouton-Rothschild 18 (

)

Pauillac First Growth, Bordeaux, France: 13%; $440 [ cork; CS 76, Me 14, CF 8, PV 2, planted to 8500 vines / ha, cropped @ 28 hL/ha (1.5 t/ac) in 2003 (against an average of 45 (2.3 t/ac)); average vine age 45 years; up to 3.5 weeks cuvaison in wood, 19 – 22 months in new French oak; Parker: ... backward, powerful, and extremely tannic, full-bodied … 95; Robinson: ... super-ripe, almost pruney, with very severe tannins obvious, presumably in an effort to counteract the extreme ripeness … 17.5; www.mouton-rothschild.com ]
Older ruby and velvet. This is a wine putting beauty before size. It is very fragrant indeed, on red fruits and old-fashioned pure cedary oak, and will develop the classic bordeaux tobacco complexity as it ages. Only fair to record it is not a big wine, and given the price many tasters were disappointed with it. Later reference to Parker’s and Robinson’s thoughts were puzzling too, noting they were reporting on barrel samples at the 6 months stage. To add to the confusion, a bottle in one of the Glengarry tastings was quite different, much more four-square, more oaky and the oak bacony, the style more Penfolds Bin-like. Nonetheless as a wine I think it will give a lot of pleasure, and be accessible sooner than some of the 2003s. Cellar 5 – 25 years. GK 10/06

1998 Domaine de Nalys Chateauneuf-du-Pape 18 (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $70 [ cork 45; Gr 55%, Sy 15, Mv & Ci combined 15, all 9 other vars 15; at least 6 months in 3-year old oak; Parker vineyard rating ****, noting famed for its reliance on maceration carbonique procedures, producing early-maturing charming wines; included for its contrasting style, and to see if the Domaine's critics are right, that de Nalys doesn't keep; Parker, 2000: The 1998 is excellent. One of the finest traditional cuvees Nalys has produced over recent vintages, it exhibits a dark ruby/plum color, as well as an impressive bouquet of sweet, candied strawberry and cherry fruit intermixed with pepper, dried herbs, and leather. The wine is sweet, rich, and fat, with kirsch liqueur, medium to full body, a nicely layered texture, well-integrated tannin, and a silky finish. My notes read "cherry liqueur galore." Till 2010. 88; weight bottle and closure: 682 g; ; www.www.domainedenalys.com ]
Rosy light ruby and garnet, the lightest wine but no hint of weakness. Bouquet is vividly in contrast to all the other wines in the set. It shows a lovely freshness and near florality / perfume (+ve) / even leafyness which adds enormously to the impact of the wine on bouquet. There are reminders of new world pinot noir. And there is little or no brett. Palate comes back more into line with the others, attractive richness, nearly juicy, minimal oak interference with the flavours, even perhaps a slight lack of tannin structure. All in all a pretty, even charming, wine. Flavour is long, and the aftertaste is the most clearly 'typical' part of the wine – in a Chateauneuf context. As for the detractors, that the whole-bunch approach gives wines that don't cellar well, we need to tighten up the parameters. This wine is 18 years old and is perfect. What percentage of consumers keep wine for 40 years, now ? The criticism is ill-founded, methinks. By a narrow margin, the most popular wine on the night, perhaps because the wine showed a 'new world' purity. The surprise of the tasting, lovely now, several tasters being enchanted with it. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 08/16

2021 Chateau La Nerthe Cotes-du-Rhone Villages Les Cassagnes 18 (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $49 [ cork, 49mm; Gr 50 – 60%, Sy 30, Mv 10, Ci 5, average age 40 years, vineyard organic; hand-picked, all de-stemmed, cuvaison up to c.21 days; elevation now mostly in s/s for 9 months, but up to 25% in older barriques; not fined but filtered; this wine comes from the owners of Ch La Nerthe in Chateauneuf-du-Pape, from the wholly-owned estate Domaine de la Renjarde near Orange; no recent tasting reviews from J.L-L, but he describes the 2016 and 2018 vintages as: Sleek, modern, polished wines from limestone and sandy soils, including syrah planted 1970 among the oldest in the Cotes-du-Rhone Villages category. Bang-on the mark reliability here, four star wines commonplace; KB@WS, 2024: There's a sanguine side to this red, with mulled cherry and grilled plum flavors that have a smoldering feel. Notes of earth and a tug of tar merge with sweet tobacco on the nicely round palate, accented by smoke, dried herbs and toasted aniseed. Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre. Drink now. 3,300 cases imported, 89; weight bottle and closure 711 g; www.chateaulanerthe.fr ]
Pure ruby, fractionally older than the Clos des Papes, scarcely any deeper, the second to lightest wine. As the tasting progressed, this beautiful wine opened up dramatically. It illustrates what incredible value can be had by lifting one's sights just one notch, to Cotes du Rhone-Villages. Textbook garrigue complexity and cinnamon spice from the grenache are on display, against fragrant red and black cherry and plum fruits. Even on bouquet, there is seemingly elegant and furry tannin adding warmth and texture, but there is much less evidence of oak raising than the Guigal. Palate is intriguing, the berry character immediately a notch darker, long berry-dominant flavours, gorgeous supple tannins, great length, and bone dry. This lovely soft fragrant wine like the two Gigondas is a no-brainer to buy by the case, meaning a dozen. Tasters were less taken with this wine than I was, no top places, one second-place. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 04/24

2003 [ Villa Maria ] Northrow Pinot Noir 18 (

)

Awatere & Wairau Valleys, Marlborough, New Zealand: – %; $30 [ screwcap; French oak; a Villa Maria brand label particularly associated with Villa Marlborough winemaker George Geris; no website info as yet; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby, fractionally lighter than the two Villa Reserve wines. This is a big wine, combining the Marlborough mixed blackboy and cherry fruit with a hint of pennyroyal on bouquet, and other florals too. It seems more deeply floral and varietal than the two Villa Reserve wines, with a better ratio of dark cherry to blackboy. Perhaps it is just the extra year’s age, and the melding of fruit and oak. In mouth the wine is richly fruited, really concentrated blackboy, with oak to balance and slightly more. Attractive new world pinot with great mouthfeel, which should cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 11/05

2009 Bodegas Ochoa Muscatel 500 ml 18 (

)

Navarra, Spain: 12.5%; $34 [ cork; 100% muscat a petit grains (the top one), hand-picked / late-harvested at c. 3.5 t/ha = 1.4 t/ac on calcareous sites; de-stemmed and cool ferment in s/s; www.bodegasochoa.com ]
Lemonstraw. Bouquet is much sweeter, fuller, finer and riper muscat than the Esmeralda, reminiscent of the commercial line of Lindeman's Porphyry Sauternes in earlier years. Palate shows the peppermint oil-infused flavour of muscat grapes, all pure and fragrant, not fully ripe, the phenolics balancing the sweetness and giving the wine structure. Sweetness is clearly above medium, the wine long and soft and aromatic in mouth, a light desserts wine. Very varietal indeed. Wines like this can cellar surprisingly well, 3 – 12 years. GK 08/11

2005 Tenuta Dell'Ornellaia [ Cabernet / Merlot ] Ornellaia 18 (

)

Bolgheri DOC Superiore, Tuscany, Italy: 14.5%; $258 [ cork; CS 60, Me 22, CF 14, PV; hand-picked, twice sorted; destemmed; 25 days cuvaison, MLF and 18 months in barriques 70% new; Parker 93 in 2008; www.ornellaia.it ]
Ruby and velvet. This wine sat adjacent to 2005 Coleraine in the international tasting. It immediately came across as a hot-climate wine with some spirit showing, but also with a good deal of Bordeaux-styled cedary oak complexity, and a suggestion of savoury herbes plus trace brett. Palate wrapped all these components up into a cedary rich wine of some apparent age, so the 2005 vintage came as a surprise. There is rich supple fruit, with cassis and dark plum qualities. One gets the impression a lot of Mouton Rothschild has been tasted, in creating this alcoholic Bordeaux look-alike. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 11/08

1978 Ch Palmer 18 (

)

Margaux Third Growth, Bordeaux, France: – %; $ – [ CS 55%, Me 40%, PV 5. Broadbent ’80: The nose broad, rich and plummy, undeveloped but innate opulence, mulberry; palate beautifully rounded, good grip ****. Broadbent ’02: A lovely wine and a very good 1978. Most recently, sweet, attractive, quite good length, a point (in 1999), drink soon ****. Parker in 1997: One of the Medoc’s most successful 1978s, this wine has reached full maturity, but it reveals no signs of an early demise. The colour is a dark ruby / garnet with only slight amber at the edge. The nose offers up black truffle, cassis, smoked herbs, and meaty aromas. In the mouth, there is a green pepper quality to the rich, sweet fruit. This medium-bodied, silky-textured wine is more spice-driven than most Palmers, but attractive and mouthfilling. Anticipated maturity: Now-2006. 90 ]
Ruby and garnet, above half-way in weight. This wine opened quietly and attractively, but went on to expand in the glass in the following 12 hours. It later showed classic Palmer violets, red and black fruits and cedar, almost perfumed (+ve). Palate is a little less, tapering off its plateau of perfection, drying, the acid of the year now peeping through. But the flavour is classic claret, beautiful, lingering, not oaky or tannic, beautifully fine-grained, merlot dominant. Perfection with food. GK 03/06

2003 Ch Pavie 18 (

)

St Emilion Premier Grand Cru, Bordeaux, France: 14%; $ – [ cork; c. US$230; up-dated cepage is Me 70%, CF 20, CS 10; average age vines 40 + years; cuvaison up to 5 weeks, 18 – 22 months in new oak; final ratings: Advocate: 98, Spectator: 96; this is the wine that at the en primeur stage generated the 'famous' debate between Robert Parker and Jancis Robinson. Sadly it became a bit personal and vituperative. Parker 152 in 2004 rated it: "a wine of sublime richness, minerality, delineation and nobleness … black and red fruits …extraordinary richness as well as remarkable freshness and definition 96 – 100". Robinson at that stage was more colourful: "Completely unappetising overripe aromas. Why? Porty sweet. Oh REALLY! Port is best from the Douro, not St.-Emilion. Ridiculous wine more reminiscent of a late-harvest Zinfandel than a red Bordeaux with its unappetising green notes 12"; Spectator: 96; So one tastes this wine with a good deal of interest – the following note was written before harvesting the quotes; www.chateaupavie.com ]
Ruby in velvet, some carmine, lighter than the Ornellaia or Abreu, but much denser than the Pask. Bouquet is the opposite polarity to the Pask, showing a wonderful weight of slightly raisiny dark plums dominant. One could never say the wine was pruney, but the degree of sur-maturité has diminished the floral components of merlot to near invisibility. Palate carries that thought to its logical conclusion, the sur-maturité obvious, the plummy fruit fat and full, the tannins furry / velvety and a little drying, but the oak in contrast to the Pask quite in the background. On the finish however, due to the alcohol the oak comes forward, so the wine ends up more drying than the Pask, and therefore in Jancis' terms, not as refreshing. So, this 2003 Pavie is hot-season merlot, bearing exactly the same relationship to representative 2000 vintage Bordeaux as a 2002 Gimblett Gravels red does to a representative 2004. But all this said, its over-ripeness is far less than good Californian presentations of the grape, and bears no relationship to the grotesque Irvine Merlots from South Australia. Considered from a Gimblett Gravels standpoint, it is not as complex and subtle as the Parker / Spectator scores would imply, but nor is it as hopeless a Bordeaux as Jancis Robinson's comments and score convey. To read her notes, one can only surmise her barrel sample (at that en primeur stage) represented a very much riper fraction of the unassembled wine than the finished wine has become. From our end of the world, a fair score might be 18, like the Pask not quite reaching my gold-medal ranking, but for different reasons. I look forward to seeing this wine in a full blind tasting of international claret-styles, say 10 years after vintage. Nobody will mind owning it, then, I suggest, for the finished wine is not sweet, as Jancis implies. Cellar 5 – 30 + years. GK 04/07

2000 Ch Pichon-Longueville Baron 18 (

)

Pauillac Second Growth, Bordeaux, France: 13%; $155 [ cork; price en primeur landed; vineyard cepage CS 60%, Me 35, CF 4, PV 1, average age 30 – 35 years, planted @ 9 000 vines / ha, and cropped @ c. 2.3 t/ac; typically 15 – 17 days cuvaison, 15 – 18 months in French oak 70% new; JR: 18; RP: 97; WS: 93; www.chateaupichonlongueville.com ]
Ruby and velvet, midway in depth. Bouquet is immediately forthcoming on this wine, both fragrant and nearly floral – a sweet floral suggestion reminiscent of cherry ripe. Below is a fruit aroma like sweetened bottled plums, and the thought of a higher-merlot wine arises at the blind stage. Even on palate, there are reminders of a St Emilion like Figeac, in a modern styling with some toasty / chocolate oak. Very hard to pin down the distinctive flavours on this wine, for there is a delicate leafy / tobacco suggestion too, even though nett ripeness is good. Texture is beautiful, even though it is not as rich as some. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 08/10

2010 Domaine Pouizin-Vacheron Le Clos du Caillou Chateauneuf-du-Pape Les Safres 18 (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 15%; $48 [ cork 51mm; Gr 95%, balance Mv, Ci, vaccarese, 95% of the grapes over 40 years age, certified organic and hand-picked; the crop down 40% in 2010, part of the reason for the high rating for the year, maybe; cool harvest conditions retained good aromatics in the grapes; cropped at 3.65 t/ha = 1.5 t/ac; cuvaison to 28 days in concrete vats, followed by elevation in large wood all 10 or more years old; production 1,000 cases; the second wine up their Chateauneuf hierarchy, Les Quartz and the top wine La Reserve above; the proprietors see plum, blackberry and blueberry fruits; how French wineries are improving their websites; weight bottle and closure: 659 g; www.closducaillou.com ]
Ruby and velvet, one of the lightest half dozen. This is a chameleon of a wine, every time you look at it, it appears to be different. Freshly opened, it seems to be a tending massive and over-ripe wine. Yet with even modest aeration, it lightens and freshens dramatically, becoming almost pure red-fruits grenache of startling purity, with emerging garrigue complexity, hints of silver pine, and no brett suggestions at all. The alcohol is well-contained. Palate is in the same velvety-smooth pure grenache style as the Mont-Olivet, not quite as rich, a little more tannin perhaps in youth, with good length. The mix of berry flavours is just a little riper than ideal, getting perilously close to blackberry, but the long red fruits and brown cinnamon-stick finish is enchanting. A food-friendly wine, despite the alcohol. Worth investing in, given decanting, to cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 08/16

1970 Ch Rausan-Segla 18 (

)

Margaux Second Growth, Bordeaux, France: – %; $13.80 [ cork; CS 66%, Me 28, CF 4, PV 2. 42 ha, 10,000 cases. Broadbent 1980: Must re-taste [ ! ] *** Which he had done by 2002: A pretty good wine. Firm fleshy good fruit. Still tannic. *** Parker 1991: I am not sure this wine is ever going to open up and blossom. Admirably big and full-bodied, but rustic and coarsely textured, with entirely too much tannin. Till 2000. 82; www.rauzan-segla.com ]
Garnet-washed old ruby, fully mature. Bouquet is a delight, classic mature claret with browning cassis, fragrant dark tobacco and cigar-box all soft and sweet and very forthcoming. How is that the Bordelais achieve this wondrous cedary quality on their oak, whereas so many New World wines are merely oaky ? Palate is fine, still remarkably good fruit for its age, no longer the excess tannins Parker mentions, instead sustained, gentle, the bouquet qualities lasting right through to the aftertaste. Final impression is a little dry on the cedar, but very agreeable. This wine was deployed as number one in the blind 12, to define what the tasting was about: the Bordeaux or cabernet / merlot class. Fully mature to fading slightly, no hurry to finish, if you like old wine. GK 03/10

2000 Ch Rauzan-Gassies 18 (

)

Margaux 2nd Growth, Bordeaux, France: 12.5%; $80 [ CS 40%, Me 39, CF 20, PV 1; Jancis Robinson rating 15.5; Robert Parker 87 – 89 + ]
Ruby and some velvet. A sweet ripe brambly and symmetrical bouquet in a classic Bordeaux mould, no one factor dominating. Palate is plummy, rich, beautifully balanced to oak, lovely acid balance, not a greatly complex wine, but the richest of the Bordeaux in this set. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 05/04

2003 [ Capricorn Estates ] Red Rock Syrah The UnderArm 18 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $25 [ screwcap; hand-picked; 5 days cold soak, wild yeast, MLF in barrel, 14 months in French oak 40% new; www.capricornwines.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. In some ways this is the most clearcut syrah of all, because of the lighter oaking. Bouquet shows dark florals of reddest roses, ripe cassis, black Doris plums, and great purity, on modern but not too excessive alcohol. Palate fills these smells out beautifully, to give ripe syrah in a soft, pure, peppercorn-y style. Good wine at a great price, which will cellar for 8 – 12 years. VALUE GK 12/04

1999 Domaine René Rostaing Cote Rotie Cote Blonde 18 (

)

Cote Rotie, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $ – [ cork; Sy 95 – 97%, Vi 3 - 5; hand-harvested, cropping rate never exceeds 5 t/ha (2 t/ac); 24 – 26 days cuvaison, 50% or more whole-bunch; 24 months in French oak, 10% new; JR 18, RP 100, ST 92 +; www.domainerostaing.com ]
Ruby and velvet, the deepest colour in the older Rhones, fresher than most but older than the 2000 La Landonne. Bouquet is voluminous on this wine, showing exactly the portobello mushroom and grilled beef brett complexity the UK winewriters so love, while at the same time (in New Zealand conferences at least) flatly stating the wine shows no brett characters. Palate is clear browning cassis and wonderfully rich, a definitive syrah in style and structure at pinpoint perfection for ripeness: sweet cassis grading to bottled black doris plums. The amplitude of fruit on palate, without any over-ripeness / sur-maturité, is superb. If the level of brett were not so high, this wine would score very highly (and has in fact done so, Parker 100). And given that one long-experienced winemaker described the brett level as "massive", yet still rated this wine his top wine, and other tasters independently came to similar conclusions, one has to start querying the excessively narrow and unforgiving view that the brett nazis (led by the Australian Wine Research Institute) have on brett. The palate here is unaffected, it is the richest wine in the set, it would be glorious with food, and maybe it is time for these extremists to acknowledge that for many wine people, reasonable levels of brett bring that magic smell called "vinosity" to red wine, and it also makes the wine superbly food-friendly. Some of these people say brett leads to mouseyness, but in my experience the smells and tastes induced by the yeast that used to be called Pichia are quite different, and yes, it has about the most serious negative effect on wine one can imagine. Much more thought is needed on this whole question. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 05/13

2003 Domaine Gilles Robin Crozes-Hermitage Cuvée Alberic Bouvet 18 (

)

Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $38 [ cork; Maison Vauron; Sy 100%; Domaine Robin is sited well up the terraces, close to the Hermitage hill, on stony soils which are highly regarded within the Crozes appellation. UK wine merchants Vinatis say: “What a fine and elegant wine ! 2003 is fascinating … this vintage is without doubt his best achievement. Fine wood, ripe fruits, full-bodied, with aromas of leather, cinnamon and licorice, on a well-balanced and harmonious palate. Production is limited to 20 000 bottles, with organic growing and manual harvesting. This is the best Crozes Hermitage 2003 we've ever tasted.” ]
Good ruby, carmine and velvet, in the middle for depth of colour. This is a complex wine, with a fragrant hint of farmyard / fresh rabbit guts (+ve, just the fleeting concept) and an academic trace of brett adding interest to pure cassis, dark plum, black peppercorn and new leather. There have been Gary Farr shirazes like this. Palate is firmer and ‘drier’ than the Yann Chave Crozes- Hermitage, with just a hint of stalks firming the cassisy berry. Oak is restrained, and older. This is good Crozes, which will cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 10/05

2001 Rostaing Cote Rotie Cote Blonde 18 (

)

Cote Rotie, northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $114 [ Sy mostly, 5 – 8% Vi; vine age 65 +; 24 months in 30% new oak ]
Lightish ruby. Initially opened, this wine is a bit veiled by soft reductive odours, but given a splashy decanting, it quickly clears to a floral, fragrant, and almost burgundian bouquet, which in the blind tasting has to be Cote Rotie. Palate is equally floral even suggesting carnations, plus red and black currants and plums, all slightly aromatic from careful oak, producing lovely fruit and poise in the mouth. Unlike so many of the Australasian wines, this would be great with food right now, and at any point through a cellar life of 15 or so years. Classical Cote Rotie, illustrating the varietal beauty of syrah. GK 06/04

2006 Domaine Armand Rousseau Chambertin Clos de Beze 18 (

)

Gevrey-Chambertin Grand Cru, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $529
Representative pinot noir ruby, a little age creeping in, amongst the lightest, a little fresher than the Jadot. Bouquet is very fragrant, light roses, red grading to black cherry, slightly cedary oak, great typicité. Palate is deceptively rich given the light colour, red fruits, lovely texture on the tongue which is truly burgundian. The wine is immaculately clean. As so often, Rousseau achieves the benchmark level in quality and style, but even so the wine tends to the petite, for the site. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 08/12

2005 Domaine Rousseau Charmes-Chambertin 18 (

)

Gevrey-Chambertin Grand Cru, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $196 [ cork; up to 22 months in mostly second-year French oak; Rousseau owns 1.4 ha, 4.4% of the vineyard; making approx 450 cases; www.domaine-rousseau.com ]
Pinot noir ruby, above midway in depth. This is intriguing wine, the bouquet being quite voluminous, but slightly off target, or at least unusual for Cote de Nuits. The Lisbon lemon-like floral qualities are much less subtle, with a hint even of mandarin zest, and just the thought of good Rioja, tempranillo, and American oak – so fragrant is the wine. Palate is more in line, one of the oakier ones, about the same richness as the Clos Saint-Jacques, but a little more foursquare. The (earlier times) Rioja Pomal thought (+ve) persists through the palate. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 11/08

2005 Ch de Saint Cosme Gigondas Hominis Fides 18 (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $91 [ cork, 50mm; original price c.$75; old-vine Gr 100% planted 1902, same vineyard as Valbelle; hand-harvested, average yield c.3.75 t/ha = 1.5 t/ac; cuvaison up to 28 days in s/s, whole-bunch fermentations; elevation c. 12 months, all the wine in Burgundy barrels, 30% new then (20% now), balance 1-, 2- and 3-year-old barrels; Hominis Fides first made in 2003, c. 200 x 9-litre cases, not made every year, usually no fining or filtering, tending organic wine; Louis Barruol considers that with age, suggestions of Morey-Saint-Denis appear – peony and red fruits; J.L-L, 2008: Live, assertive raspberry fruit on the palate, is full and a little taken to its limits. The tannins are largely absorbed, and there is a chunky finish, led by some oak, ***; JD@RP, 2015: More elegant and seamless than the rich, concentrated Valbelle, the 2005 Gigondas Hominis Fides is another serious wine from this estate that’s drinking beautifully. Full-bodied and rich, yet seamless and silky, with ultra-fine tannin, it exhibits classic black raspberry, currants, creosote and licorice aromas and flavors, beautiful Provencal charm, and a balanced, pure, hard to resist style, 2015 - 2025, 95; weight bottle and cork 598; www.saintcosme.com ]
Ruby, velvet and some garnet, well above midway in depth. This wine showed a good volume of bouquet, but like the Tardieu-Laurent, with rather a lot of new oak intruding into what traditionalists think of as fine Chateauneuf-du-Pape / Gigondas character. The wine is very pure. Pushing through the cedary new oak, there are rich red fruits browning a little now. Palate continues the oak, but with good fruit coating it, so the flavour is long, richer than Valbelle. Like the Tardieu-Laurent, it is a modern presentation of the district wine style, but unlike the other high / 100% grenache wines here, the exact grenache varietal character is a bit lost in the oak tannin. Tasters liked the wine, three top places, three second – the oak effect I suspect, for it did not sit quite so happily with food. Cellar 5 – 10 years, maybe 15, but it might become a little dry. GK 07/19

2016 Domaine Saint-Damien Plan de Dieu Cotes-du-Rhone Villages Vieilles Vignes 18 (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $30 [ cork, 49 mm; certified organic wine; Gr 85 – 90%, Ca 7, Mv 3; usually whole-bunch fermentations, cuvaison to 28 days; elevation 8 – 9 months in concrete; not fined or filtered; production usually c.1,300 x 9-litre cases; weight bottle and cork 599 g; www.domainesaintdamien.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, dense, in the top 10. Bouquet is saturated, rich, dense, not so clearly any garrigue lift, but still the aromatic freshness of the year, no hint of over-ripeness. You'd think there is some mourvedre, the wine deep and dark. Palate is velvety rich, continuing deep and dark, quite a furry tannin structure, very dry. Once you know what it is, and taste it alongside Maximilien, it does not have quite the fine-grain texture of that wine, but it hides its carignan content very well, having this great richness. I can't see this falling over at all soon, carignan or no, cellar 5 – 15, maybe 20 years. Available from Truffle Imports, Wellington. GK 07/19

1999 Domaine Santa Duc Gigondas 18 (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $45 [ cork, Gr 75%, Syrah c.15, Mv c.5, c.Ci 5, hand-harvested; not destemmed then, long cuvaison to 35 days; elevation then mostly in large old wood, some in barriques, 20% in concrete vats, for 18 months; not filtered; production c. 3,300 9-litre cases; now labelled Gigondas Aux Lieux-Dits; J. L-L, 2001: The bouquet is broad, meaty, has air of pebble dust, light pepper, animal hints – it is quite potent. This is interesting wine with the character to become complex, it is live, works well, has a bonny future. The attack is alert, the red stone fruits run well and integrate with the tannins, and there is a hint of pepper. The ending is good and fresh, which is a hallmark of the vintage, still in the shadow of 1998. Good wine. To 2020, ****(*); J. Dunnuck @ R. Parker, 2016: The 1999 Gigondas is another classic wine from this estate and offers fully mature notes of cedar, spice box and mature fruit in a medium to full-bodied, supple and integrated package. Classic, mature, ready to go and balanced ..., 89; R. Parker, 2001: ... elegant mineral and cherry flavors intertwined with licorice notes. An austere finish kept my score low, but this medium-bodied Gigondas possesses excellent purity, loads of fruit, and a layered texture. To 2011, 89; www.santaduc.fr ]
Garnet and ruby, right in the middle for depth. This wine was set as number one in the blind sequence, since at the decanting and sequencing stage, it seemed to fairly represent the style sought in a tasting like this, without being clearly the best wine. In sequencing blind tastings, it is critical to never put the ‘best’ wine first, for it is psychologically impossible for tasters to rate the first wine top. This wine exhibits lovely fumey red fruits browning now, with aromatic and spicy southern Rhone complexities, all lifted by academic / trace brett at a desirable complexity level. Palate is texturally excellent, nearly velvety, full of flavour yet not heavy, no new oak intruding, long and gently lingering in mouth, slightly drying cinnamon to the finish. Nobody rated it first, second, or least. It is fully mature now, but will hold its form for some years. GK 03/19

1979 Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia Bolgheri 18 (

)

Bolgheri, Tuscany, Central Italy: 12.2%; $573 [ cork, 49mm; CS 85%, CF 15; the following information is summarised from robertparker.com and the Sassicaia website. First plantings of Bordeaux varietals 1944. From 1948 to 1967, the wine remained experimental and private, the first commercial release being 1968. It soon became known as the first of the so-called super-Tuscans. It then had to be labelled Vino da Tavola, due to its non-conforming cepage. It was upgraded to DoC Bolgheri Sassicaia in 1994. This is both the first and the only single-vineyard DoC in Italy farmed by a single producer. Sassicaia comes mainly from 48 hectares between 100 and 300 m asl, including Tenuta San Guido's oldest and best vineyards. Planting density then 3,600 to 5,500 plants per hectare. Fermentation then in s/s, temperature controlled to max 30-31°, cuvaison c.12 days. Elevation: 65% of the wine 21 months in French barriques, half new, half second- or third-fill; 35% of the wine in Yugoslavian oak, c.70% of the wood new, balance second- or third-fill. Wine Spectator vintage rating for the year, 89; J. Robinson, 2002 [ Note: JR has marked 1985 Sassicaia 20 points, admitting to having become ‘lost’ in the wine. ] Definite evolution. Very old. Oxidation. Rather sweet and faded on the palate, but definitely past it on the nose. Lost its concentration of fruit, 14.5; happily the Parker website has restored the earlier reviews of Sassicaia – great ! The only review is from a recent vertical reported on by Monica Larner, 2017: ... 1979 Sassicaia delivers a playfully Mediterranean personality that marries this great Tuscan red blend to a concrete sense of territory. You can almost smell those tonnes of wild sage and rosemary that come from the lush green shrubs that grow so thickly along the Tuscan Coast. Those dark herbal notes end with tertiary tones of cured meat, cola and balsam herb. You also sense some of the saltiness that comes thanks to the soft offshore breezes. The wine closes with a spot of candied fruit sweetness that recalls the warm Tuscan sunshine. All these elements contribute to shaping a profound sense of place. To 2022, 89; present-day production c.16,650 x 9-litre cases; great detail on website; www.tenutasanguido.com/eng/sassicaia.html ]
Garnet and ruby, amber to the edge, the lightest wine. This wine too was fragrant and appealing right from decanting, simpler than the best of the Medocs, as if more straight cabernet sauvignon, and the oak showing slightly more. As it opened up in the glass, the berry expanded, both browning cassis and almost portobello mushrooms, becoming even better on bouquet. In flavour however the initial impression of oak becomes more noticeable, and the whole wine seems a whole size bigger than most of the bordeaux, and not quite so refined. Palate is very much straight cabernet, riper too than any of the bordeaux, the flavour surprisingly long and rich on fruit as well as oak. Like the Margaux, fully mature, best enjoyed now. For those still holding the wine, Robinson's bottle was clearly an oxidised one, in the light of this tasting – good news. One second-favourite rating. GK 08/19

1999 W. Schaefer Graacher Domprobst Riesling Auslese QmP 18 (

)

Mosel, Germany: 8.5%; $92
Lemongreen. Still a little free S02 keeping the wine pale and youthful, on white florals and lime zest. Palate shows a crisper acid balance than most '03s, some botrytis, vanillin and nectar, attractive youthful riesling, not quite the purity of the top wines. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 11/04

2005 Louis Sipp Pinot Gris Trottacher 18 (

)

Alsace, France: 13%; $45 [ cork; www.sipp.com ]
Light straw. This is the most affordable introduction to reasonably clear pinot gris character. It is not quite as delicate and prettily floral as exact primrose, but the florals are clearly yellow, with fruit below. Palate is clean stonefruit, the varietal phenolics beautifully contained, finish above New Zealand's 'dry' maximum = 7 g/L residual sugar, for aromatic varieties. Lovely wine, to cellar perhaps three years only – it is a little forward. GK 04/08

2016 Domaine la Soumade Rasteau 18 (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $35 [ cork, 45 mm; viticulture substantially organic; Gr 50 – 70%, Sy 20 – 50, Mv up to 10, all de-stemmed; 4 days cold-soak, cuvaison up to 25 days; elevation 95% in vat, 5% in 600s for up to 18 months; not fined, light filtering; Stéphane Derenoncourt consults; production averages 4,575 x 9-litre cases; weight bottle and cork 618 g; www.domainelasoumade.fr ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, just above midway in depth. Bouquet shows beautiful nearly floral aromatics with hints of savoury garrigue, on mostly darker fruits even with hints of cassis. There is a very attractive dark sweet black-pepper lifted note, and very little oak. Palate tastes as if syrah and mourvedre are both quite high, with some darker even blackberry fruit, the wine narrowly escaping over-ripeness. It is rich and soft, yet tanniny, not quite the complexity for long ageing, but good for 5 – 15 years, maybe more. Available from Caro’s and their distribution channels (eg Regional Wines). GK 07/19

1969 Ch Tahbilk Cabernet Sauvignon Bin 52 18 (

)

Nagambie Lakes / Goulburn Valley, Central Victoria, Australia: – %; $126 [ 50mm cork; original price $9.43, so comparable with lesser classed bordeaux. In those days patriarch the late Eric Purbrick still kept an eagle eye on things, and particularly his beloved Bin wines. These were traditional, tended to be the press wines, were raised in big old wood, the best exceptional and long-lived. 1969 is not a reputed vintage at Tahbilk, but as can be seen from the price, the wine was highly esteemed in its day. Max Lake, in his wonderful book Classic Wines of Australia, 1966, describes them as 'truly classic wines of Australia'. Len Evans comments similarly: The 'Chateau Tahbilk' binnings, at their best, are amongst the most unique wines in this country; wines that will live and be enjoyed for many years. This wine, 430 cases; www.tahbilk.com.au ]
Garnet and ruby, clearly less red than the Spanish three, above midway in depth. Bouquet has a subtle but distinctive essential oil component to it, reminiscent more of lavender or salvia than mint or eucalyptus. Not everybody saw this character, so it was subtle. The dominant note on bouquet is lovely soft ripe plummy fruit, not really cassis, somewhat softer and perhaps reflecting the percentage of cabernet franc in the vineyard, which was not recognised at the time. Bouquet leads to a rich ripe palate showing exquisite balance of berry to oak – reflecting the lack of new small wood in the Tahbilk winery then. Leaving aside the aromatic note on bouquet (and palate), the wine showed the kind of fruit one would hope for in a ripe year Bordeaux, but only the 1962 Gruaud-Larose came close to matching this wine. These old Tahbilk Special Bin wines are national treasures, showing an emphasis on style and beauty (in wine) elsewhere soon to be displaced in the Australian wine industry by a more technology-led approach to winemaking. Not everything Roseworthy and the Australian Wine Research Institute have contributed to the Australian wine industry has been positive – for those who seek beauty in wine. Fully mature, but no hurry – in a temperate-climate cellar. Two people rated this their top or second wine in the tasting, and three-only thought it might be Australian – highlighting how distinctive and international the quality of the wine is. GK 10/16

1969 Chateau Tahbilk Cabernet Sauvignon Bin 52 18 (

)

Nagambie Lakes, Victoria, Australia: – %; $ – [ cork, 50mm; ullage c.17mm below base neck; then, the company’s top red wine label, until the introduction of the 1860 Vines Shiraz in 1979. Rare even then, production 430 x 9-litre cases. In the 1960s the patriarch of the family, Eric Purbrick, was still very much supervising the winemaking at this historic and glorious wine estate. Grandson Alister took over in 1979. In some years the wines stood out in the Australian wines of the day, as being lighter, more fragrant, and then not succumbing to the fad for new Nevers oak (often toasty). Lake comments of the Tahbilk wines generally: Their red and white table wines are truly classic wines of Australia. Would that some of our other wines were so easy to choose for this book. Evans concurs: The Chateau Tahbilk binnings [i.e. the numbered wines, as opposed to the standard Cabernet and Shiraz], at their best, are amongst the most unique wines in this country; wines that will live and be enjoyed for years. No specific comment on this wine, beyond Evans regarding the 1969 reds in general as being good, with clear varietal flavour. Halliday is in no doubt the Tahbilk special Bins rank for his Classic Wines book. For our wine he rates it thus: The aromas are minty, sappy, almost running into pine; the palate shows similar minty/sappy flavours with a strong impression of fruit which has been unduly shaded during the growing season. The tannins are softer than in many of the wines, but the fruit ripeness is not there either, *****; Gold Medal Melbourne, 1974. ]
Garnet and ruby, above midway in depth. This is not the standard wine labelled simply ‘Chateau Tahbilk Cabernet’, but one of the rare numbered Bin wines, with ‘Cabernet Sauvignon’ spelt out in full. Unlike the Tahbilk Shiraz, this wine was very fragrant, with a clear top note of aromatic flowering mint to about the maximum that might be regarded as positive, but happily avoiding menthol / euc’y notes. Below is aromatic clearly cassisy but browning berry, and cedary oak. Palate has a cassisy delicacy and alcohol balance which is ripe-year bordeaux, good sustained berry which is beautifully fine-grained, with near-cedary oak which must have included some newish French, though Tahbilk was not regarded as having any or much, in those days. It is the aromatic lift and freshness in this wine (not VA) that made it so exciting, coupled with it not being a 'warm-climate' wine. In popular terms, the most highly favoured wine on the night, four first places, two second, the newish oak speaking, maybe. Fully mature, but one of the better corks, so no great hurry. Ullage base of cork to top of wine, 46 mm. GK 04/19

2016 Maison Tardieu-Laurent Chateauneuf-du-Pape 18 (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $55 [ cork, 55mm; Gr 75%, 60 – 80 years old, Sy 20, 40 years, Ci 5; one half of the crop destemmed; the website implies all the wine 12 months in second- and third-year barrels, then 10 months in foudre. For both the Vacqueyras Vieilles Vignes and the Chateauneuf-du-Pape Speciale, J. Czerwinski @ RP notes that the whole-bunch component is raised in concrete, not all in oak of various kinds, as the website implies. This approach may therefore also apply to the closely related Rasteau Vieilles Vignes and this standard Chateauneuf; not fined or filtered; pH not given, but stated by the makers to be: astonishingly low … which will give the wine: ... an unprecedented destiny; JR: 17; JC @ RP: 88-91; available from Caro’s, Auckland; www.tardieu-laurent.fr ]
Bright fresh ruby, the second lightest wine. This is not a big wine, but it is near-floral and very fragrant, absolutely piquant and singing, a wine of great beauty. It is as if Tardieu-Laurent have been very closely studying Guigal's use of oak in their Chateauneuf-du-Pape, and in this wine sought to match the Guigal one exactly. Fruit notes are centred on the raspberry side of grenache, but infinitely more complex and zingy due to the relatively subtle new oak. Alcohol is superbly well hidden. Flavours are marvellous, possibly a little light compared with some of the long-term cellar wines rated more highly, yet it is delightfully sustained in mouth, and exquisitely pure. It will be accessible sooner than most, and is bound to give many people much pleasure. Fractionally oaky, but a Chateauneuf for pinot-lovers. Two second-places. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 04/19

2000 Te Mata Estate [ Cabernets / Merlot ] Coleraine 18 (

)

Havelock Hills & The Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $ – [ Cork 54 mm, ullage 18 mm; purchase price $70; following on from the pioneering pre-1966 McWilliams and McDonald’s Cabernet Sauvignons, Te Mata Coleraine was New Zealand's first serious attempt to make a wine clearly in the Bordeaux style. The first vintage was 1982, initially cabernet sauvignon and merlot. The 2000 season was dry, with an average heat summation around 1,350°, producing smaller than usual berries with intense flavour; by 2000 the cepage was CS 52%, Me 29, CF 19, the vines now having c.20 years age, planting density more the New Zealand wide-spaced approach and the cropping rate c. 58 hl/ha = 7.5 t/ha = 3 t/ac, the fruit hand-harvested, destemmed but not crushed; cuvaison c.21 days in s/s, malolactic in vat; elevation usually 20 months in barriques 70% new; Cooper, 2005: Richly perfumed. Lovely palate, just starting to unfold, with sweet-fruit characters, firm underlying tannins and superbly concentrated blackcurrant, plum, and spice flavours. A star year. Drink 2010–2015, *****; in 2003, Cooper also noted: more accessible in its youth than the 1998 and more powerful than the 1999, *****; P. Rovani @ WA, 2003: the highly impressive, concentrated 2000 Cabernet – Merlot Coleraine reveals aromas of candied blackberries, lead pencil, mocha, and juniper berries. A muscular, licorice and tar-laced medium to full-bodied wine, it is big, bold, and flavorful. Its formidably long finish reveals additional layers of fruit as well as copious quantities of ripe tannin. This flamboyant yet structured wine should be consumed between 2006 and 2016, 91; production around 1,200 x 9-litre cases then; weight bottle and closure: 641 g; www.temata.co.nz ]
Ruby and some velvet, below midway in depth. In the tasting, this was one of the wines which did not smell quite so berry-rich. Nonetheless it is aromatic and clearly high cabernet, with good cassis and then cedary oak. There is a suggestion of a floral component, but then you wonder if that component is leafy, rather than sweetly floral. Palate is interesting therefore, the whole style of the wine fitting in near-perfectly with the West Bank wines in the tasting, cassis and light bottled black doris plums flavours, but slightly more oak than the weight of berryfruit can support. You just wish for more ‘stuffing’, more berries, more tactile richness and a touch more ripeness. Yet Coleraine is clearly riper and more ‘in style’ than the Mount Mary. It is closest to the Malartic-Lagraviere, as the scores suggest. Curiously however, the wine rated two top places and four second places with the tasting group, yet four-only votes as a New Zealand wine. The most economical explanation for the high placings is familiarity with the style. For these reasons, the results as to winestyle coupled with the relative subtlety of oaking show clearly that with more concentration, that is greater dry extract, Te Mata Coleraine would cause chaos if entered in rigorously blind tastings of Bordeaux West Bank wines, in the United Kingdom. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 11/20

2015 Ch du Tertre 18 (

)

Margaux Fifth Growth, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $115 [ cork 50mm; cepage c. CS 43%, Me 33, CF 19, PV 5, planted at an average 7,800 vines / ha; one third of the vineyard biodynamic; crop hand-picked at an average of 5.2 t/ha = 2.1 t/ac, then optical sorting and hand-sorting; fermentation in cuves, s/s and concrete, a little cooler than average at 25°, cuvaison to 28 days; average 16 months in barrel, 45% new; egg-white fining; consultant: Denis Dubourdieu; production averages 16,500 x 9-litre cases; http://chateaudutertre.fr ]
Ruby and velvet, very clearly much less vivid than the 2016 Ch Lagrange, the third deepest wine. Bouquet for this wine is as sweet and pure as the Lagrange, but it is as if the wine were five years older, rather than one. It is much more mellow and integrated, not as vivid and aromatic, the cassis more subdued and blending with dark plums, the aromatic component more oak-lead than grape-lead. Palate fits in totally, softer fruit, slightly more oak and less body / dry extract, much more a typical ‘good’ claret than an exceptional one (in its price range). The two cabernets plus the oak add some excitement to the more straightforward merlot body, but the wine does not compare with the Lagrange, in that component. Cellar 10 – 25 years. GK 07/20

2004 [ Villa Maria ] Thornbury Sauvignon Blanc Steve Bird 18 (

)

Wairau & Awatere Valleys, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $20 [ screwcap; the relationship between Villa Maria and Thornbury is not clear on either www.villamaria.co.nz, or the not-recently-updated www.thornburywines.com ]
Good lemongreen. There is a more complex bouquet on this wine, with ripe sauvignon smells but also some suggestions of extended lees-autolysis, and even a hint of celery / mixed herbes. There are reminders of Graves here. Palate is intriguing, with again more complexity than mainstream sauvignon blanc, flavoursome, good fruit, a sweet vernal hint as if some ripe semillon in the blend, long in mouth. Cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 11/05

2004 Tohu Sauvignon Blanc 18 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $18 [ www.tohuwines.co.nz ]
Pale lemongreen. Clean fragrant mild sauvignon ripened to a sweetly floral (honeysuckle) and gooseberry / black passionfruit bouquet, not as assertively red capsicum as many. Palate follows in the same style, beautifully mild yet plenty of flavour, sufficient richness to be satisfying, neither phenolic or acid, and not sweeter than commercial 'dry'. One could drink a lot of this. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 12/04

2016 Ch La Tour Carnet 18 (

)

Saint Laurent / Haut-Medoc Fifth Growth, Bordeaux, France: 14%; $98 [ cork 50mm; cepage in 2016 Me 60%, CS 37, CF 3, planted at an average of 9,000 vines / ha, on underlying clays with gravels on top; hand-picked, optical sorting of the berries; fermentation in cuves and concrete vats temperature controlled to 28°; cuvaison to 32 days, 16 months ageing in barrels 30% new; consultant Michel Rolland; www.bernard-magrez.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, back to the vibrant colour of the Ch Lagrange, but not as deep, just above midway in depth. This wine is merlot-dominant, thus not as aromatic as Lagrange or Grand-Puy-Lacoste. Merlot is a variety critically prone to over-ripening, as another of the wines (and almost all Australian merlot) shows. Bouquet on this wine is in contrast silky, fresh, nearly floral in a dusky way, darkest plums-in-the-sun lifted with cassis. Palate is very youthful, a little more aromatic, the cabernet clearer now, but the wine just a bit oaky, tiptoeing towards a New Zealand styling. There is still a fine-grain quality to the tannins making it attractive as Bordeaux, relative to the New World. Alongside the Grand-Puy-Lacoste, it tastes so much younger. Cellar 10 – 25 years. GK 07/20

2003 Chateau du Trignon Gigondas 18 (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 15%; $36 [ cork; Maison Vauron; Gr 60%, Sy 20, Mv 10, Ci 8, misc. 2. Parker 156: "This is a successful effort for this appellation in 2003. A dark ruby/purple color is accompanied by a layered palate impression revealing notions of Provencal herbs, blueberries, raspberries, and black cherries. Medium to full-bodied, elegant, pure, and well-balanced, it should drink well for 7-8 years. 89-91" ]
Ruby, one of the lighter. Bouquet is much lighter and more fragrant than several of the wines, with an overt raspberry character reminiscent of early-picked South Australian grenache, plus florals from syrah. Palate is light too, the berry fruits beautifully melded, palate weight and style very close to the Cristia, but with just a little boysenberry on the tail. By lighter I mean in style, not weight – the wine is still quite rich. This will mature into a very pleasing bottle, showing no sign of the hot year. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 09/05

2003 Domaine de la Vielle Julienne Cotes-du-Rhone 18 (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $37 [ cork; Caro’s; Gr 100%; Parker 156 considers the winemaker (based in Chateauneuf): “one of France’s superstars … Fanatical about quality, incredibly small yields, only ripe fruit.” On this wine: “Produced from 100+ year old Grenache vines, the 2003 Cotes du Rhone is reminiscent of a Burgundy grand cru. Aged in old foudres, it offers abundant amounts of sweet cherry fruit intermixed with notions of flowers, spice, and minerals. Medium to full-bodied, with supple tannin as well as a heady finish, it will drink well for 3-4 years. It is one of the finest Cotes du Rhones I tasted on my September trip. 89 – 90” ]
Ruby, the lightest of the November set. Bouquet is light but very beautiful, with clear floral components hinting at dark roses and the best fraction of sweet-pea aroma, on raspberry and cinnamon-tinged red berries. It certainly tastes like straight grenache, tasted alongside the Charité. Palate has great initial red fruits and berry, followed by the dry tannins so characteristic of optimally ripened grenache, just like chewing on a cinnamon stick. This is a gorgeous subtle Cotes du Rhone, to cellar for 5 – 10 years. GK 11/05

2010 Domaine du Vieux Lazaret Chateauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Exceptionelle 18 (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 15%; $67 [ cork 49mm; Gr 60%, Sy 40; cuvaison to 25 days in concrete vats, followed by elevation 12 months in vat and 12 months in large barrels, no detail; a selection amounting to a thirtieth of the annual crop; imported by Maison Vauron, Auckland; weight bottle and closure: 672 g; www.famillequiot.com ]
Ruby and velvet, well below midway. Bouquet has an intriguing 'sweet fruits' note hinting at soaked sultanas, on red fruits based on grenache, but seeming more complex than for example Les Safres, as if blending varieties are part of the mix. Apparently this is not the case. Alcohol is again not obtrusive, despite the number: it is amazing how grenache wraps up alcohol. No brett. Flavour is a little darker than Les Safres, again suggesting blending varieties, and the finish seems slightly more spirity and malty – the sultana note – than some of the wines. It may just need another couple of years to marry up. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 08/16

1998 Domaine Le Vieux Telegraphe Chateauneuf-du-Pape La Crau 18 (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $135 [ cork, 50mm; original price $65; Gr 65%, Mv 15 – 20, Sy 15, balance authorised varieties hand-harvested from one of Chateauneuf's most famous vineyards; mostly destemmed, cuvaison formerly shorter, now to 30 days, elevation c.12 months in concrete, c.12 months in old oak; R. Parker, 2010: Between 1978 and 2007, this 1998 is the greatest Vieux Telegraphe that was produced. It has taken a good decade for this wine to shed its tannins and come out of a dormant, closed period. It has finally emerged, and notes of iodine, seaweed, black currants, incense, and sweet cherries ... jump from the glass ... It possesses considerable elegance and purity, along with loads of raspberries and incense ... it will continue to evolve for another 15-20 years, 95; J.L-L, 2008: The bouquet ... is soaked with plum and a thorough, filling cold China tea air to it. The red fruit within is bright, and there is something of the Christmas cake in it. This is a serious wine on the palate ... a great texture, all en roundeur, and it is very long, ******; to have two J.L-L six-star wines in one tasting must be unprecedented in New Zealand; bottle weight 650g; website is not operational yet; www.vignoblesbrunier.fr ]
Garnet is creeping up on the ruby, the third deepest wine. Like the Domaine Charvin, this is a more classical / traditional rendering of Chateauneuf-du-Pape, but in a much bigger wine. Bouquet is rich, deep and spicy, red fruits browning now, piquant and again saliva-inducing and savoury, indicating a little brett complexity. Flavours in mouth are big, firm and tannic, the fruit very ripe with hints of raisins and prunes creeping in, and a lot of tannin. It couldn't be anything but traditional Chateauneuf-du-Pape, finishing very dry. It needs another 10 – 20 years in cellar, to encourage the tannins to polymerise / crust, but the risk is meanwhile that brett will increase. I for one will take that risk. There is quite heavy crusting already in the bottle, but there is much more to come I'd say. It must have been a massive wine in its youth. Check again in 10 years. One second-place vote. GK 07/18

2003 les Vins de Vienne Cote Rotie les Essartailles 18 (

)

Cote Rotie, northern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $100 [ cork; les Vins de Vienne is a partnership between three established northern Rhone winemakers Yves Cuilleron, Pierre Gaillard and Francois Villard; The wine is matured in French barriques 25% new; website difficult to secure; www.vinsdevienne.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, brighter than the Gaillard. Like the Gaillard, this stands out in the blind tasting for the wonderful dianthus and dark rose florals, the former specific to syrah, which the best New Zealand wines only hint at but do not capture so beautifully, and most Australian versions have had baked out of them. Below the florals are cassis and dark plum fruits, and a curious oak-related complexity note (-ve), as sometimes seen in the Alpha syrahs from Chile. Palate is not quite as pure as the Gaillard, but nor is it is acid, so combined with the greater richness, the nett impression is better, let down only by that daisy-family aroma on the oak. This should cellar for 10 – 15 years, at least. Being modern in style, it will be interesting to see how it keeps relative to the New Zealand versions. GK 04/06

2009 [ Obsidian ] Weeping Sands Montepulciano 18 (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 15%; $35 [ screwcap; hand-harvested, all de-stemmed; cuvaison c.15 days, cultured yeast; MLF and 9 months in barrel, 20% new French, 25% 1-year American, balance older French; 387 cases, fourth vintage; www.obsidian.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, an attractive colour. Bouquet is pure, bright, and plummily fragrant, with almost a dark floral note and beautifully ripe cassis, seemingly riper and deeper than the Destiny Dulce. Palate contrasts however, being much firmer with some sucking-on-plum-stones phenolics, but an attractive ratio of plum-flesh richness too. Physiological maturity is demonstrably better than the 2009 Weeping Sands Merlot, which is counter-intuitive and intriguing, and even more interesting when compared with the 2008 Jurassic Ridge Montepulciano, which shows near-optimal physiological maturity in the riper 2008 season. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/10

2010 [ Obsidian ] Weeping Sands Syrah 18 (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14.5%; $32 [ screwcap; Sy 97.5%, Vi 2.5%, hand-harvested; all de-stemmed; co-fermented, up to 4 days cold-soak, cultured yeast, c.18 days cuvaison; MLF and 9 months in barrel 25% new French, balance older French and American; www.obsidian.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. Bouquet is clean, plump, very plummy and ripe, in fact ripened past the point of optimal varietal complexity. Palate confirms a rich round wine, beautifully clean, long-flavoured, just a suggestion now of black pepper in bottled black doris fruit, but no florality and not much cassis. Like merlot, syrah can be over-ripened in New Zealand, if optimal variety complexity is the goal. This is a more popular interpretation, and pretty good as such. Cellar 5 – 12 years, maybe longer. GK 08/11

2009 [ Obsidian ] Weeping Sands Syrah 18 (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14%; $32 [ screwcap; Sy 97.5%, Vi 2.5%, hand-harvested; all de-stemmed; co-fermented, up to 4 days cold-soak, cultured yeast, c.18 days cuvaison; MLF and 9 months in barrel 25% new French, balance older French and American; www.obsidian.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, close to the Mudbrick Reserve, perhaps fractionally lighter. Bouquet shows intriguing florals including both carnations and the wallflower of the Northern Rhone, on cassis, blueberry and darkest plum berry. It is intriguing to speculate on the contribution the 2.5% co-fermented viognier has added to the complexity, once revealed, for the bouquet is a delight. The palate shows similar berry fruit qualities to the Mudbrick Reserve, but is slightly more aromatic with more new oak, and slightly less body. This wine is clearly modern Northern Rhone in style, and one senses a potential bush-honey note yet to develop – a hallmark character of Cote Rotie and Hermitage in certain years. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 07/10

2007 [ Craggy Range group ] Wild Rock Merlot / Malbec Gravel Pit Red 18 (

)

Gimblett Gravels mostly, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $21 [ screwcap; Me 79%, Ma 11, CS 7, CF 3, 50% hand-picked @ 3 t/ac, all de-stemmed; 14 months in French oak 15% new; RS 2 g/L; fined and filtered; Catalogue: Aromatically profuse with dollops of black doris plum and blackberry, laced with cedar, dark chocolate and thyme. The palate is thick with fine soft tannins that meld with abundant, ripe fruit. Balanced acidity provides the structure to match the flavour intensity. Our best yet; www.wildrockwine.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a great colour. Bouquet is berry-dominant, but not showing quite the depth of elevage and oak complexity of the top wines. There is beautiful ripeness and richness of darkest bottled black plums, with some dark tobacco complexities. Palate likewise is more succulent and berry-dominant, not the tannin structure of the top wines, but the quality of fruit in this $21 wine makes all too apparent the wonderful fruit resources and superb viticulture the Craggy Range group have available to them. Who could have believed just 10 years ago that a Hawkes Bay blend of this quality would be available in a company's cheapest price-bracket ? This is a perfect exhibition wine to demonstrate what Bordeaux blend fruit should taste like when properly ripened at an appropriate cropping rate, an assessment made easier by the relative lack of oak complexity. So many of the wines in this exhibition lack the ripeness needed for international quality, including sad to say a number of the more expensive. Cellar this Gravel Pit Red 5 – 12 years, even if it is made to be scoffed tonight. VALUE GK 07/09

2007 [ Craggy Range group ] Wild Rock Syrah Angels Dust 18 (

)

Gimblett Gravels mainly, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.2%; $25 [ screwcap; Sy 96%, Ma 2, Vi 2, hand-picked @ 3.3 t/ac; 12 months in French oak 25% new; RS 2.5 g/L; Catalogue: not in; www.wildrockwine.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. Bouquet is a more petite affair than the Craggy Range Block 14 wine, but similar elements are all there: dianthus florality, cassis berry, and good fruit. In mouth, this wine does not have the oak tannin structure of some of the more highly-rated wines, but the flavours are long and aromatic on good berry fruit, and all quite European in its styling. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 07/09

2007 Bridge Pa Syrah Louis 17 ½ + (

)

Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $50 [ supercritical 'cork'; Sy 100%, hand-picked; c.18 months in American oak, some new; www.bridgepa.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet of good weight. Bouquet is beautifully fragrant and rich, berry dominant with aromas of aromatic plums and cassis, plus a touch of juniper berry, nasturtium nectar, a savoury character reminiscent of faint brett, and noticeable oak. Palate is rich and savoury, the suggestion of brett still present, but fusing with the blueberry fruit in an exciting way, positive at this level. A suggestion of Australia here too, on the oakyness, but interesting wine. Sterile-filtered to bottle, so can be cellared confidently. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 06/10

2003 Wither Hills Pinot Noir 17 ½ + (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $46 [ screwcap; four clones, hand-picked; 100% de-stemmed, MLF in barrel, 14 months French oak; www.witherhills.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, another New Zealand pinot which has happily retreated from a merlot depth of colour, to a hue and density more internationally appropriate for pinot. Bouquet is a bit sulky initially, and benefits from decanting. It clears to be sweetly floral. It is not the deep, dusky florals of the Target Gully, but something lighter, sweeter, more obvious, such as buddleia and roses. Palate is quite rich and clearly varietal, sweetly fruited with lots of cherries and a hint of spice, slightly aromatic, subtly oaked. This wine is a little richer than the Nautilus, a little lighter than the Dog Point, and needs to marry up for a couple of years, ideally. Cellar 5 - 10 years. GK 05/05

2003 Main Divide Pinot Noir Canterbury 17 ½ + (

)

Canterbury, New Zealand: 13%; $24 [ cork; MLF in barrel the following spring; www.maindivide.co.nz ]
Good pinot ruby. Bouquet is darker than the Mt Edward, the floral component deep, hinting at dark roses and a flower I can't quite place. Below is deep cherry fruit. Palate is soft and slightly buttery (+ve) in comparison with the wines rated more highly, black cherries and plum, with an aromatic and savoury threshold brett component through it which is appealing. This is delightful pinot, the real thing, at an attractive price. Cellar 5 – 10 years. VALUE GK 03/05

2008 Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc 17 ½ + (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $33 [ screwcap; SB 100% machine picked at night or early morning, cropped at a little more than 4 t/ac; all s/s fermentation, c. 2 months on lees; RS 3.5 g/L; www.cloudybay.co.nz ]
Pale lemongreen. The tide has come in around Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc, so that while it is still reference class Marlborough sauvignon in its purity and style, it is no longer the best. Bouquet is much the same fruit profile as the Forrest, but only hints at that extra dimension of sweet yet savoury herbes complexity so dramatically shown by the Astrolabe. Palate is purity personified, a nod to Sancerre as well as Marlborough, richer than the Morton, seemingly drier than the Astrolabe, a wine tailored to the British market, methinks. Like several others, it will have much more to say in 12 months, and will cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 11/08

2006 Villa Maria Merlot Omahu Gravels Single Vineyard 17 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $57 [ screwcap; hand-picked, 100% de-stemmed; MLF and 18 months in French oak, 50% new; wine not on website yet; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, but not dense. Bouquet is clearly floral violets and varietal plummy merlot, with oak in attractive aromatic balance. Palate is not quite so good, some youthful austerity, tannin and acid shortening it up more than is ideal for merlot. But in five or so years this will be wonderfully fragrant, varietal and food-friendly wine, totally lighter Bordeaux in style. It does taste as if there is some cabernet in it, though. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 04/08

2001 Guigal Hermitage 17 ½ + (

)

Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $138 [ Sy 100%; average vine age 40 years; cropped 40 hL / ha; 3 weeks cuvaison; 24 months in French oak; www.guigal.com ]
Ruby. An interesting and clearly cassis and varietal bouquet, not quite pure and fragrant, but not pongy like the Crozes-Hermitage. With a little air, there are suggestions of violets and deep florals, on darker cassis and black plums. Palate is more robustly syrah and cassis than the d’Ampuis, quite rich, most of the oak older, a bit of savoury (brett) complexity. This wine reminds of where la Chapelle used to be in the 80s, though it is not as rich as the best ones. It will cellar 10 - 15 years. Stylewise, it shows the sterner Hermitage approach well, alongside the softer village Cote Rotie. GK 07/05

2008 Mudbrick Vineyard Merlot / Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 17 ½ + (

)

Western Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14.1%; $50 [ screwcap; Me, CF, CS, hand-picked; c.14 months in French oak; www.mudbrick.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet. Bouquet is soft, ripe and showing more maturity than some, with attractive plum tart aromas. Palate is firmer than the bouquet, with a lot more oak influence, affecting both colour and the palate, so in one sense one has to hunt for the fruit. There is good browning cassis, acid balance is good, and the richness turns out to be much better than the first impression. I suspect this wine is in a mute phase. In its oak component, it is built rather like some Pask Declaration wines from Hawkes Bay, and should like them soften in cellar, over 5 – 12 + years. GK 06/10

2001 Guigal Cote-Rotie Brune & Blonde 17 ½ + (

)

Cote Rotie, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $113 [ Sy 96%, Vi 4; average vine age 35 years; cropped 38 hL / ha; 3.5 weeks cuvaison; 24 months in French oak; 21 000 cases of 12 (by far the largest supplier of Cote Rotie to the world); www.guigal.com ]
Ruby, more the weight of grand cru burgundy. This is pleasing mainstream wine epitomising syrah aiming to be attractive, rather than impressive. It is clean, fragrant, ripe, highly typical of Cote-Rotie, but lacking excitement. There are suggestions of dianthus florals, on ripe red plums, cherry and berry. Palate is round and supple, relatively light, scarcely any new oak, slightly acid, but mellow alongside the St Cosme ’01. It will cellar for 5 - 12 years, and be lovely drinking throughout. GK 07/05

2007 Kumeu River Chardonnay Coddington Vineyard 17 ½ + (

)

Kumeu, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.5%; $45 [ screwcap; hand-harvested; whole-bunch pressed; wild-yeast fermentation entirely in French oak; 100% MLF; 11 months in barrel with LA; www.kumeuriver.co.nz ]
Lemon, nearly as pale as Maté's. This is much more understated than the Maté's wine, with a subtle note of French winemaking complexity – a euphemism for slight reduction yet to marry in and let the bouquet develop. Because of this, the palate seems harder and shorter than the top wines, with flavours some describe as mineral, where the real cause has not been identified. Like Maté's but more so, this needs two years out of sight to get its act together. Richness is no greater than the Estate wine, though. Cellar 2 – 8 years. GK 11/08

2007 Felton Road Chardonnay 17 ½ + (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $36 [ screwcap; mendoza and clone 95 hand-harvested, 100% BF in French oak 12% new; 100% MLF, 11 months LA and some stirring; www.feltonroad.co.nz ]
Lemon-straw, considerably deeper lemon than the 2010 wine, but still only the faintest wash of straw, fresher than the Greystone. On bouquet, this wine contrasts a little with the 2010, there being a more conspicuous high-solids / trace reduction component at the level most people call 'mineral', which clouds the floral component somewhat. But otherwise the wine is similar, pale stonefruits, a little more strongly flavoured, the oak showing a little more and the wine slightly more phenolic. Still pretty lovely chardonnay, just a little closer to the New Zealand norm. Winemaker Blair Walter has these naturally high-acid Otago chardonnays well under control in these two examples. Best ventilated by decanting. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 06/11

2010 Felton Road Riesling Bannockburn 17 ½ + (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 9%; $31 [ screwcap; hand-harvested, all s/s ferments with wild yeast, some LA on fine lees; RS 56 g/L; www.feltonroad.com ]
Elegant lemon-green. Freshly opened, bouquet is a little disorganised, some freesia florals and citrus, also some freshly-cooked baby sweetcorn, not unpleasant, just slightly odd. With air the wine fills out to clear lemon-juice flavours, gentle lime zest, considerable flesh on the higher residual, clearly nectary yet with a mineral underpinning. Winemaker Blair Walter comments it will cellar 'for ever', so 10 – 15 years should be OK. May surprise and merit re-ranking. GK 06/11

2004 Villa Maria Pinot Noir Reserve 17 ½ + (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $50 [ screwcap; hand-harvested, 100% de-stemmed; 11 months and MLF in French oak 50% new; 2004 not on website, but 2003 was cold soak up to 9 days, 9 months in oak; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby. It would be a brave person who guaranteed they could consistently separate out this wine from the 2004 Seddon Reserve wine, in repeated blind triangulated tastings. Essentially, the notes are interchangeable, though perhaps the Seddon (q.v.) has a whisper more skin tannins and depth of flavour – or is it just a little more oaky ? Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 11/05

2003 Mount Difficulty Pinot Noir Single Vineyard Target Gully 17 ½ + (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $73 [ screwcap; 13% whole bunch; 12 months in French oak 35% new; www.mtdifficulty.co.nz ]
Mature pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is fragrant, clearly varietal, and even retaining floral qualities mellowing out into complexly pinot aromas with some secondary characters. Palate is lighter and neater than the Prima Donna or the Felton in the set, with a freshness and balance of fruit to oak making it more burgundian than the others. Aftertaste is long and firm, elegantly cherry and some new oak, not as rich as the Felton or the Prima Donna, but more poise, though drying a little. Fully mature. I am unable to explain why this wine has come forward so quickly, relative to the exuberant reviews I gave it after Pinot Noir 2007. I am looking forward to seeing it again blind, against bottles cellared since release in Wellington. GK 02/10

2007 Te Mata Syrah Bullnose 17 ½ + (

)

Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $43 [ cork; 3 clones of syrah hand-harvested, 100% de-stemmed; extended cuvaison; 16 months in French oak 40% new; www.temata.co.nz ]
Ruby, a little ruby and carmine. Bouquet is very fragrant in a red fruits floral style, a hint of the same Spanish complexity as is suggested by an American component (Te Mata don't use American oak in Bullnose Syrah). The florals include dianthus and red roses, there is some cassis, but more fragrant red plums, with white more than black pepper. Palate expands these sensations, the flavours a little different, quite a vanilla wafer with a touch of raspberry in the red-fruits aftertaste, on softly aromatic oak. There is not the weight of the top wines, but potentially this is a good food wine – almost a pinot noir thought again. Cellar 5 – 8 years, maybe 10. Once the identity is revealed, I have to record I have never tasted a bottle of 2007 Bullnose Syrah like this EIT one, before. It is not obviously cork-affected in the sense of anything negative, but it is not 'right'. The other reviews on this site give a better guide. [[ Date should be 6/10, for technical reasons has to be changed ]] GK 07/10

2002 Mt Difficulty Pinot Noir 17 ½ + (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14.5%; $40 [ screwcap; grapes from all four of the vineyards soon to become known for their Individual Vineyard wines, in a warm dry vintage; some whole-bunch, up to 7 days cold-soak; 75% wild yeast; c. 20-day cuvaison; 11 months on lees in French oak 30% new; RS < 2 g/L; light fining and coarse filtration only; www.mtdifficulty.co.nz ]
Mature pinot noir, not quite as rosy as the 2003 Target Gulley. Comparison between the two wines is intriguing, the 2002 a little more sturdy and oaky, as befits the bigger year, the 2003 more aethereal. Both are fine examples of mature Otago pinot, which should give great pleasure at table. Checking my earlier review of this wine in 2004, the cellaring recommendation has worked out well, even perhaps a little conservative. We will know we are truly a wine country, when consumers are interested in and proud to own older and mature wines. This has more time in hand than the 2003 Target Gulley. Fully mature, no hurry. GK 06/11

2009 Mount Edward Pinot Noir Stevens Vineyard 17 ½ + (

)

Gibbston, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $69 [ screwcap; hand-picked, single-vineyard planted in 1995; 42 cases made, not on website; www.mountedward.co.nz ]
Darker pinot noir ruby than the Martinborough wines. Bouquet has quite an aromatic lift to fair fruit, another to make you wonder about the thyme factor in Otago wines. In another context, one might think of balsam. In mouth, the wine is richly cherry-fruited but oakier than the average of the wines reviewed in this batch so far, but it is already harmonising attractively to produce a distinctively aromatic pinot. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/11

2010 Peregrine Pinot Noir 17 ½ + (

)

Cromwell Basin 85% & Gibbston 15, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $33 [ screwcap; not on website, if like 2009 is hand-harvested from 7 clones of pinot; 100% de-stemmed, up to 7 days cold-soak, c. 21 days cuvaison; 10 months in French oak c.35% new; RS 1 g/L; www.peregrinewines.co.nz ]
Bright ruby, nearly as dense as the Felton Road wines. Bouquet is in the riper spectrum of Otago pinots, fragrant but tending too ripe for optimal florality, with the fruit tending a little plummy as well as dark cherry. Palate is fresher, clearly some cherry here, good richness and length, subtly oaked. This is the more usual 'fruity' Otago approach. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/11

2005 Highfield Pinot Noir 17 ½ + (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 14.5%; $35 [ screwcap; no procedural detail on website for this wine; www.highfield.co.nz ]
Rich pinot ruby. Bouquet is clearly varietal, with florals extending to boronia depth plus the faintest black peppercorn spice, all pure and varietal. Palate is rich, with both red and black cherry fruit, darker than the Cloudy Bay. Like it though, there is a trace of stalk. This is a confusing, rich but exciting wine with some Otago attributes, compared with the usual Marlborough approach. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 03/07

2006 Beresford Shiraz McLaren Vale 17 ½ + (

)

McLaren Vale, South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $23 [ screwcap; website out-of-date as to vintage, but 2004 was 18 months in new American oak, RS nil; www.beresfordwines.com.au ]
Ruby and velvet, quite rich. Bouquet reveals a serious shiraz showing good but not excessive ripeness, so there are some syrah thoughts in the dark plums and boysenberry. There is a soft American new-oak component too, suggesting maybe some barrel-ferment complexity. Palate is very rich, a little euc and more oak, but all in a good big soft Australian style, not overdone. This should be popular. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 03/08

2009 Boutique Wine Company Shiraz McLaren Vale 17 ½ + (

)

McLaren Vale, South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $20 [ screwcap; old-vine Sh c. 65 years; 22 months in American and French oak, c.20% new; produced to the specification of the Manly Liquor Store, Whangaparoa Peninsula; no website. ]
Ruby and velvet, nearly carmine, a rich colour. Bouquet is clean, rich and ripe, more clearly South Australian shiraz than the de Vine Barossa Valley shiraz, the fruit riper with more boysenberry, the mint stronger with suggestions of eucalyptus, and much more oak. Palate weight carries the oak happily though, boysenberry fruit, good length, the slightest hint of saline as is not uncommon in McLaren Vale reds. This is good rich South Australian red in a more traditional style. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 08/12

2008 Bannock Brae Pinot Noir Goldfields 17 ½ + (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14.3%; $30 [ screwcap; 4 clones hand-picked, cuvaison extending to 4 weeks for some parcels; MLF and c. 8 months in French oak c.25% new; not fined or filtered; www.bannockbrae.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. With a breath of air, there is a real Pommard quality in this wine, soft warm floral notes of roses, all red fruits, clean, subtly oaked, highly varietal. The roundness of palate is totally burgundian. It is not a big wine, but a very pleasing one, with some mellowness of maturity appearing. Good value, and latterly as a one-off has been promoted at even better prices in supermarkets. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 06/11

2009 Brodie Estate Pinot Noir 17 ½ + (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 14.5%; $36 [ screwcap; not on website, if like the 2008 is hand-picked; 10 months in barrel; www.brodieestate.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. Bouquet here is immediately sweet and ripe pinot noir at an appropriate red grading to black cherry level of ripeness, with the floral component deepening into the dark roses to boronia spectrum. Palate is beautifully balanced, medium weight, fragrant subdued oak, a little short and hard at this stage. A pretty (in a positive sense) and highly varietal wine, possibly not bone-dry. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 08/11

2009 Charles Wiffen Gewurztraminer 17 ½ + (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $19 [ screwcap; RS 12 g/L; www.charleswiffenwines.co.nz ]
Rich lemon. Bouquet shows a clear fragrant rose-petal and lychee varietal fruit, most attractive. Palate is richly fruited, medium dry, a good mouthful of gewurztraminer flavour, though a little phenolic, balanced by a seemingly sweeter finish than the pinot gris. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 08/11

2009 Vidal Syrah Reserve Series 17 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $30 [ screwcap; Sy 100%, all de-stemmed; MLF and c. 16 months in oak; RS nil; www.vidal.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, midway in depth of colour. Bouquet is fragrant and floral, another wine with roses and wallflowers even though the fruit is sourced from the Gimblett Gravels. Below are clear cassisy plums and berry. Palate is smaller than the wines rated more highly, but balance to oak is good, the fruit ripe, though the acid balance is slightly fresh, like the Cypress. This will be good with food. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 06/12

2010 TerraVin Pinot Noir 17 ½ + (

)

Omaka Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $40 [ screwcap; not on website, hand-harvested from older dissected terraces @ 6 t/ha = 2.4 t/ac; all de-stemmed, wild yeast fermentation; 11 months in French oak some new; neither fined nor filtered; www.terravin.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, much the same colour as the 2009 Mt Difficulty. One sniff and it is obvious one is in serious Marlborough pinot noir country here, as opposed to the light fluffy wines from the young alluviums. Bouquet has voluminous roses and nearly boronia florals, on red cherry fruit. Palate shows lovely ripeness and substance and tannin structure, not quite the Cote de Nuits complexity of the better Mt Difficultys, but very attractive Beaune. Oak is slightly ashy at this youthful stage, but I'm sure that will look much better in a year. This is the new face of serious pinot noir in Marlborough, a field pioneered by Fromm, but now spreading. An exciting prospect, therefore, given the area available for quality viticulture. Cellar 3 – 8 years, maybe 10. GK 08/11

2005 Kalleske Shiraz Pirathon 17 ½ + (

)

Barossa Valley, South Australia, Australia: 15%; $34 [ cork; previously a Grange vineyard; winemaker Troy Kalleske; fulsome reviews for the new winery and winemaker, making wines in an "opulent full bodied Barossa Shiraz" style; 2 years in combination of French, Russian, Hungarian and American oak; other shirazes from same maker mid-90s from Parker; www.pirathon.com ]
Dense ruby and velvet, quite deep. Bouquet is big fumey and burly plummy shiraz, with both oak and euc. (and some VA) noticeable. Palate follows perfectly, the American oak again seeming to dominate, the berry browning somewhat and adding boysenberry to the plummy mix, the finish dry but a little oaky, again with a trace of saline. This is more straightforward very rich Barossa shiraz, to cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 12/07

2005 Culley Riesling 17 ½ + (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $18 [ screwcap; “dry”, several months LA in s/s; detail lacking; www.culleywines.co.nz ]
Lemongreen. Bouquet is sweet, fragrant, and clearly riesling, with almost freesia florals (in bud) at this stage, and good vanillin and lime-zest qualities. Palate is rich with a possible sur lie component, dry, quite acid, all very youthful. It is a bolder wine than the subtle Te Mania one, and fractionally sweeter. It should cellar well, 5 – 8 years. GK 03/06

2005 Stonecroft Gewurztraminer Late-Harvest 17 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12%; $25 [ supercritical cork; some botrytis; BF in French oak; 100 g/L RS; www.stonecroft.co.nz ]
Lemonstraw, a little deeper than the Old Vines Gewurz. Bouquet is even more floral than that wine, due to a VA lift, with wild ginger blossom and almost freesia florals, plus an intriguing hint of citronella and a sweet herbe. Palate reveals some botrytis, a beautifully silky-sweet texture, academic VA, and a succulent yet fresh aftertaste where the gewurz spice kicks in, and extends the flavour in mouth. A subtle and delicate wine, finessing gewurz almost too much. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 02/06

2008 Unison Syrah 17 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $48 [ supercritical 'cork'; Sy 100%; no info on website, if similar to 2007 is hand-picked @ < 4 t/ac; up to 3 weeks cuvaison; 13 months in barrel some new; winemaker Jenny Dobson; 200 cases; www.unisonvineyard.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet. Bouquet is clearly fragrant, rather much new oak, but also good very dark cassis and plummy notes, plus some black pepper. It smells remarkably ripe for 2008. Palate is rich, the syrah over-ripe relative to optimal floral complexity, and then over-oaked, so the whole wine is more Australian than New Zealand. This is a pity, I think, when the best parts of Hawke's Bay allow us to make syrah wines of a quality which will one day be considered distinctive in the world. This style aims for a more popular constituency, and is good as such. The alcohol stated on the label seems conservative. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 08/11

2005 Akarua Pinot Noir 17 ½ + (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.8%; $40 [ screwcap; no production info on website; www.akarua.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, one of the darkest pinots in the set. Bouquet is voluminous, clearly berried on cherry fruit, but also aromatic on fragrant oak, so much so that it is hard to discern if there is a floral component. Palate is richly flavoured, quite tannic, perhaps a little savoury brett component in the cloves-like spice, the whole wine tending sturdy on the elevage, like the '03 Carrick. Aftertaste is long and spicy. This should soften in cellar and be a good food wine, to cellar 3 – 12 years. GK 01/07

2005 Mission Estate Syrah 17 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $17 [ supercritical cork; 6 months in French oak; www.missionestate.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, brighter and darker than the 2004 Mission Syrah Reserve. Bouquet is youthful, a little oak interfering, but attractive cassis and black plum below, and the suggestion of dark florals and peppercorn to come. Palate shows attractive medium-weight berry and fruit, some cassis now, clear black pepper, the oak to a max but probably OK. This is more clearly varietal than the 2004 Reserve wine, presumably as a consequence of less new oak – attractive. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 01/07

2008 Puriri Hills [ Cabernet Franc / Merlot ] Pope 17 ½ + (

)

Clevedon, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14.2%; $140 [ cork; CF 52%, Me 32, Ca 16, hand-harvested @ c.6.75 t/ha = 2.7 t/ac; 21 months in French oak 73% new; lightly fined, filtered; www.puririhills.co.nz ]
Ruby, some velvet, lighter than the Reserve 2008. In these three 2008 Puriri Hills bordeaux blends, this smells the oakiest of the three. It benefits from air. It is all very pure, and will appeal to oakniks, but great Bordeaux allows for more explicit varietal expression. [ Sadly this is changing under the influence of American commentators demanding more ripeness, more power, more oak, less subtlety, but with any luck this phase will be but the swing of the pendulum ]. In mouth, the same Bordeaux-like fruit quality that the Estate and Reserve wines show can be found, and the total wine is richer, but the level of cedary oak remains intrusive. Otherwise the wine is beautifully flavoured, and there is no hint of the leafyness I commented on for the 2005 vintage at this property. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 08/12

2005 Villa Maria Cabernet / Merlot Reserve 17 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $51 [ screwcap; CS 55%, Me 30, Ma 15, hand-harvested; vinified @ Mangere, 100% de-stemmed; s/s fermentation, with a longer cuvaison than the Merlot Reserve; MLF and 24 months in French oak some new; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. Bouquet is very youthful as yet, a firm cassis and oak component not clearly floral, almost a suggestion of sea-salt (positive). Flavours however dispel any thought of salinity, and show delightful cassis of great purity, beautifully balanced to fragrant French oak. It seems not quite as rich as its sister Merlot Reserve, yet with the added charm of cassisy cabernet, it is just as attractive. Though not a big or rich wine, it achieves a near-perfect cabernet ripeness the Puriri Reserve just misses. And it is so elegant, it is hard not to mark it higher. Both this and the Merlot Reserve are however a little lighter than the top flight, in 2005. As noted in the main text, there was variation in the quality of harvest in Hawkes Bay in 2005, due to localised rains. Presumably the Villa Reserve reds were somewhat affected, since they are lighter than some previous years. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 09/07

2005 Sacred Hill [ Cabernet / Merlot ] Helmsman 17 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $60 [ screwcap; DFB; CS 77%, Me 22, CF 1, hand-picked from 4 year old vines @ just under 2.5 t/ac; cuvaison approx 43 days; no BF; 18 months in French oak 75% new, RS < 0.2 g/L; 200 cases; Halliday: A fragrant bouquet with blackcurrant and spice aromas which flow through to the palate; well integrated oak, and pleasantly savoury tannins. N. Martin 4/08: The 2005 Helmsman Cabernet/Merlot has a rich, opulent nose that lacks some definition and finesse: black cherries, cassis and violets. The palate is rich and decadent with a lot of extraction and a backward, almost heavy-handed mocha-laced finish. This needs a little time to sort itself out, but I would have preferred less oak than the current 75%. 88 +; GK: 18.5; www.sacredhill.com ]
Ruby and velvet, some carmine, below midway in depth. Bouquet is big and obvious, cassis, plum and nearly blackberry fruit lifted by subliminal VA more ester than acid, on noticeable oak. The whole bouquet looks unknit and youthful at this stage. Palate is intensely cassisy, the oak potentially cedary, but the wine seems young and very oaky right now – a quite different impression from my previous review. Only fair to note my assessment was a minority view on the day, but it is important to record one's own (checked) views. I await the next blind encounter with it eagerly. A wine to put aside for five years at least, and cellar 10 – 25 years. GK 10/08

2005 Balthazar Chardonnay 17 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $29 [ screwcap; hand-picked; some BF and MLF in French oak; wine not on website; www.balthazar.co.nz ]
Lemonstraw. Freshly opened, this is representative premium chardonnay, rich stonefruit, some barrel-ferment, lees-autolysis and MLF complexities, a trace of French complexity. The latter breathes off, to reveal a wine showing some integration from the extra year's bottle age, the nutty component from lees-autolysis a little more developed, another New Zealand chardonnay which reminds of Meursault. It is a little firmer, and less rich, than the standard Escarpment. Cellar 3 – 6 years. GK 03/08

2010 The Riesling Challenge Simon Waghorn 17 ½ + (

)

Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 9.5%; $ – [ screwcap; winemaker based at Astrolabe Wines, Marlborough; the wines were initially offered at $25 each in the dozen set, but ended up at www.blackmarket.co.nz for $120 the set; wine described as sumptuous by winemaker, and at the lower end of Sweet by the bar-graph; no other info ]
A good lemon colour, like the McKenna. Bouquet is subtler than the McKenna, not aromatic, clearly vanillin, nearly a freesia floral note, elegant. Palate is lime and floral flavours, a similar medium sweetness to the McKenna, but slightly more tannic / phenolic in texture, so it seems dryer. Cellar 8 – 10 years. GK 02/12

2005 Dry River Pinot Noir 17 ½ + (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 12.5%; $77 [ cork; not irrigated, small vintage; release March '07; www.dryriver.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, one of the deepest and densest wines in the 100 Exhibitors' tasting. One sniff, and this wine seems a change of approach for Dry River (assuming the 2004 is more a product of its cooler year). This 2005 shows signs of the same kind of stylistic migration the Pegasus Bay Pinot is making (more rapidly), towards a more fragrant and beautifully varietal, less ponderous, yet still rich exposition of the variety. This wine clearly shows dusky florals in a deep boronia and violets way. Hooray! Fruit is darkest cherry. Palate likewise is darkest cherry, incredibly rich, plus omega plum. Flavour is still tending to the sur maturité side of optimal delicacy, but is wonderfully rich, long flavoured, and subtly oaked. This may be the best Dry River Pinot Noir ever. Cellar 5 – 15 + years. GK 01/07

2013 Craggy Range Syrah Individual Vineyard 17 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $26 [ screwcap; Sy 100%, 90% hand-harvested; 95% de-stemmed, 5% whole-bunch; 17 months in French oak 22% new; no fining, filtered; RS, dry; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, well above midway in depth, a very bright youthful colour, as if it has a little less oak exposure than Bullnose or Crossroads. Bouquet is deep, ripe and densely plummy and blueberry, ripened fractionally past the optimal florality of Bullnose, perhaps. In the blind tasting therefore, it can be confused with fine merlot, but there is a critical dimension – subtle beauty – missing. Palate is big, soft, ripe and ample, showing much less oak influence than the Crossroads. There is some black pepper and spice on palate, less than Crossroads, and easily confuseable with new oak, if you interpreted the wine as merlot at the blind stage. I opened the 2004 of this label (then Block 14) the other day, and its vigour amply supported my view on cellaring syrah, re the Bullnose comments above. Cellar 8 – 15 years. GK 03/15

1976 Ayler Kupp Riesling Spatlese QmP 17 ½ + (

)

Saar Valley, Germany: – %; $ – [ cork, original price $6.50; a Sichel Selection ]
Gold, a flush of old gold, above midway in depth. Bouquet is a delight on this wine, yellow peaches and honey, still seemingly fresh and quite belying the colour, dramatically fragrant and varietal. Palate though is immediately shorter than the top wines, reflecting its spatlese ranking, but there is a waxy note bespeaking botrytis on the honeyed palate. It lingers well, drying a little reasonably enough. It is more elegant than the Schloss Vollrads, but less rich and sustained. Intriguing. Not much longer to go here, either. GK 03/12

2008 Te Mata [ Cabernets / Merlot ] Awatea 17 ½ + (

)

Havelock North district mostly, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $33 [ cork; CS 44%, Me 33%, CF 16, PV 7, hand-harvested; c. 20 months in French oak 40% new; pH 3.57, RS nil; www.temata.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, not as deep as 2008 Coleraine, but deeper than the 2010 Awatea. This was the surprise wine on the night, looking awfully good in the initial lineup, clearly the best of the Awateas. There is vibrant cassis on bouquet, tending to a quite rich cassisy and black doris palate, slightly edgy. It is slightly more stalky than 2008 Coleraine, but really, this is one of the good Awateas, where the price differential at release makes it a compelling buy. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 03/12

1982 Te Mata [ Cabernet / Merlot ] Coleraine 17 ½ + (

)

Havelock North, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $11 [ cork; CS 94% Me 6, hand-harvested in the second week of April; extended cuvaison; approx. 18 months in puncheons, 44% new French, 33% new American, the balance second and third year American (no American oak since 1984); Halliday: the bouquet retains some freshness, light mint and more savoury aromas. A regal old wine on the palate, with well-balanced savoury flavours and fine tannins. Surprisingly, less sweet fruit than Awatea. ****. GK in 1984: Big bouquet of very ripe soft curranty cabernet, aromatic, good depth, new oak adding zip, very clean. Flavour rich, well balanced, supple, excellent fruit sweetness. Relatively soft and accessible by Bordeaux standards, lacking some of their complexity and tannin grip. Excellent wine, set for 10 years. 18; www.temata.co.nz ]
Ruby and garnet, less garnet than many, midway for depth. Bouquet is the most different in the set, with a lot of sweetly vanillin oak suggesting some American [confirmed], enveloped in extraordinarily fresh cassis. Palate is one-dimensional in some ways, but the intensity of the cassis reminds of some simpler Mouton-Rothschilds on the one hand, and mature versions of Penfolds Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon on the other – from acid as well as oak. Intriguingly, only four of 22 tasters thought the wine might be New Zealand, but 11 rated it their top or second wine. Stylistic familiarity, perhaps. Will cellar another 5 – 10 years, though the oak will become more noticeable. GK 09/08

2006 Te Mata Cabernets / Merlot Awatea 17 ½ + (

)

Havelock North district mostly, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $35 [ cork; Me 38%, CS 36%, CF 15, PV 11, hand-harvested; 20 months in French oak probably around 45% new; this 2006 vintage marks 25 years of Awatea; www.temata.co.nz ]
Ruby and some velvet, about the same weight as Bullnose but not such a fresh hue, lighter than Coleraine. First impressions on bouquet are, aha, a riper Awatea, and one that is modern bourgeois cru Bordeaux in style, and clearly from the Medoc – the cabernet is evident. Good berry character embraces cassis and dark plum, plus a hessian new-oak component and a complex tobacco-related quality. Palate is very firm in youth, trace retained fermentation odours still to assimilate, but from memory riper and richer than the 2005 edition. Total length and balance continues reminiscent of youthful Bordeaux, demanding at least three years before a bottle is breached. Given the price differential now between Coleraine and Awatea, this 2006 example is a good introduction to Te Mata cabernet / merlot blends. Cellar 5 – 15 years, maybe longer. GK 03/08

1985 Guigal Cotes du Rhone 17 ½ + (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 12.8%; $147 [ cork, 45mm; New Zealand purchase price c.$16; sadly and short-sightedly, the oldest vintage Parker reports on is now the 1989, so very little information is available; cepage in the 1980s definitely grenache-dominant, with syrah, mourvedre and and minor varieties; a few more details in Introductory sections; only one review from familiar sources found, in the time available, though www.cellartracker.com has several, one recent comment noting age but favourable: Wine Spectator. 1988: Plummy, spicy, fairly concentrated, firm and balanced, drinkable now, but it's a bit on the woody side, especially on the finish. It should soften in a year or two, 85; weight bottle and closure: 579 g; www.guigal.com ]
Ruby and garnet, beautifully mature, the second-lightest wine. Bouquet is not as wondrously winey as the 1983, all a notch cooler and therefore not quite so enchanting and burgundian. There is almost a red currants suggestion, browning now, and a hint of marjoram / garrigue, plus a vanilla-wafer note. Palate is a little leaner than the 1983, acid balance a little firmer (which appealed to some tasters), again red fruits reflecting the grenache dominance of the era, the whole wine surprisingly refreshing for its age. On the night this was much the favourite wine, eight first places, and three second. Fully mature now, at risk of drying. GK 03/21

1976 Schloss Vollrads Riesling Auslese (white capsule) QmP 17 ½ + (

)

Rheingau Valley, Germany: – %; $ – [ cork; www.schlossvollrads.de ]
Clearly old gold, the second deepest hue. This wine sets a different tone from the fresh fruits of the top three, so thoughts are more yellow-fleshed peaches and dried peaches too, all melding into a fruitcake amalgam of aromas, which is attractive, but hard to isolate the components. Palate continues the analogy, still quite sweet, even fruitcake with a little golden syrup in the mix, the acid balance softer reflecting both the Rheingau and the warmer year. Yet as it lingers in mouth, the fruit is surprisingly good, and the freshness sufficient. The wine could be criticised, but it would be pretty scrumptious with fruitcake, or creme caramel. Needs finishing. GK 03/12

1998 Te Mata Cabernet / Merlot Awatea 17 ½ + (

)

Havelock North district mostly, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $ – [ cork; CS 58%, Me 30%, CF 12, hand-harvested; c. 18 months in French oak some new; www.temata.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, close to the 2000 but a little older and richer. 1998 is the hottest year in recent Hawkes Bay memory, and many of the wines are quite Australian in style, that is, verging on sur-maturité with consequent loss of florals, vivacity and charm. Instead, they are bigger, more massive, some tending monolithic. Even Awatea tiptoes in that direction, with a faint stewed prunes hint in the berryfruit. Palate is ripe rich and round, still quite tannic and youthful. Whether it will gain bouquet and complexity once it crusts in bottle is an interesting question. Cellar 5 – 15 years, with interest. GK 03/08

2011 Mission Cabernet / Merlot Antoine Jewelstone 17 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.3%; $50 [ cork; CS 51%, Me 28, CF 21, hand-harvested at around 5.5 t/ha (2.3 t/ac); inoculated yeast, total cuvaison up to 5 weeks; c.18 months in French oak 65% new; RS <1 g/L; Parker: 92+; www.missionestate.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, just in the top third by weight. This wine benefits from decanting, to reveal an harmonious and developed bouquet with considerable European style, berry dominant over oak. The flavours are more youthful, clear cassis, plummy merlot showing both red and black fruits, some complex undertones which are going to make this wine hard to pin down blind, and attractively balanced oak. The wine is quite rich, and in the ripeness profile there is just a trace of potential tobacco complexity, given a few years in cellar. Subliminal brett contributes to the European feel about this wine. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 06/14

2005 Pask Merlot Declaration 17 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $48 [ ProCork; DFB; if vinification is similar to 2004, Me 100, machine harvested; tail-end BF in 100% new oak 75% French, 25 US; followed by c. 18 months in barrel; sterile filtered; www.cjpask.co.nz ]
Good ruby, a little velvet. Bouquet is in a lighter style than the top wines, notably complexed by oak into a fragrant pipe tobacco, leather and bottled red plums expression of merlot. Palate continues in the same style, lighter yet with more oak influence than the Goldwater Merlot Block G from Hawkes Bay, the whole savoury and pleasing, though a little hard as yet. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 09/07

2009 Bannock Brae Pinot Noir Goldfields 17 ½ + (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14.3%; $28 [ screwcap; nil whole bunch; all the wine in French oak c.8 months, 20% new; silver Easter, gold elsewhere; www.bannockbrae.co.nz ]
Big pinot noir ruby, the third deepest. Bouquet is deeply varietal, clear dark roses and boronia, on black more than red cherry fruit. Palate is rich, a serious wine, a little tannic now as the youthful fruit retreats a little, but still clearly varietal. This is a more substantial wine against the lighter but pretty Tohu, for example, and it shows more oak than the Grasshopper. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 10/12

2007 White Rock Sauvignon Blanc Elevation 17 ½ + (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $18 [ Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $18 [ screwcap; some viognier & chardonnay in blend (must be less than 15% total as labelled); a subsidiary of Craggy Range; wine not on website yet; www.wildrockwine.co.nz ]
Palest lemongreen. This is intriguing wine. In a blind tasting, it can be confused with riesling, as ripe sauvignon can so often easily be. There are almost freesia floral notes on dominant black passionfruit. Palate is richer than the other Craggy Marlborough sauvignons, not so explicitly varietal, and though one cannot taste them, the added complexity components of viognier and chardonnay seem to be contributing delightfully to mouthfeel of the wine. This is clever (+ve) wine, which is going to be successful commercially, I think, the enhanced body despite some residual making it even better with food than sauvignon naturally is. Cellar 1 – 3 years. GK 10/07

2009 Mission Estate Cabernets / Merlot Jewelstone 17 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.3%; $39 [ cork; CS 54%, Me 39, CF 7, hand-harvested at c.5.5 t/ha = 2.2. t/ac, CS component 16 years + age; inoculated yeast, cuvaison up to 37 days; c. 18 months in French oak significant part new; RS nil; www.missionestate.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, well above halfway in depth. Bouquet is very fragrant and ripe, so fragrant one wonders if there is some VA enhancing it. The berryfruit is both cassisy and even more dark plums, and quite oaky. Palate shows a velvety richness of fruit, the oak still prominent, flavours long, the lifted bouquet more esters than VA as such. This wine is more 'juicy' than the top Church Road wine, but should marry up well and score more highly later. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 06/12

2005 Felton Road Pinot Noir Block 5 17 ½ + (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14.5%; $65 [ screwcap; $56 ex vineyard when available; www.feltonroad.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, one of the deeper ones. Bouquet is rich and Felton-like, but there is a lot of oak, in a dark toasty style making the florals hard to separate out – though they are there. Palate has velvety richness, and darkly omega-plummy fruit, with some dark cherries. It is a good example of its kind of Otago pinot, but inclining to an OTT / sur maturité approach. Aftertaste is long and rich and nearly chocolatey, the latter a concept not generally appropriate in pinot (except perhaps California). As noted elsewhere, earlier vintages of this label in the Conference proper were not looking as good as I had earlier expected (in previously reviewing this wine), the oak becoming much too prominent, despite the good fruit in youth. It may just be a phase the wines are in, but the score reflects a caveat I feel about heavily oaked Otago pinots, right now. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 01/07

2010 Vidal Merlot / Cabernet Reserve Series 17 ½ + (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $23 [ screwcap; Me 79%, CS 16, CF 3, Ma 2; cuvaison up to 30 days for some components; MLF and up to 18 months in French oak 30% new; RS nil; www.vidal.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, below midway in depth. Bouquet is fragrant in an oaky way, merlot dominant, subtly floral with a question mark on stalks, understated. Palate equivocates on the stalks, but there is rich berryfruit and more moderate oaking than the bouquet implied, so the stalkyness is not accentuated unduly. Could be interesting in cellar 5 – 15 years, once it loses some oak. GK 06/12

2010 Quartz Reef Pinot Noir Bendigo Estate [ Black Label ] 17 ½ + (

)

Bendigo district, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14.5%; $75 [ screwcap; 12-year old vines; wild yeast fermentation, 6% whole bunches; total cuvaison including cold-soak up to 26 days; c.12 months in French oak 16% new; bottled minimally fined and unfiltered; suspect this label not entered in Shows; www.quartzreef.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, right in the middle for depth. And bouquet too is lighter in style than some wines under this label have been. It is clearly floral at a mid-range point, roses more than boronia, red cherry more than black, a hint of aromatic oil / thyme. Palate has rich fruit clearly cherry-based, but more oak than the Pisa Range though the two wines share the same winemaker – Rudi Bauer. Tempting to score 18, but there is less bouquet than the Escarpment and more oak, so slightly less. Cellar 3 – 8 years, probably 10 years. GK 11/12

2009 Misha's Vineyard Pinot Noir High Note 17 ½ + (

)

Bendigo district, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $46 [ screwcap; wild yeast ferments, 24 days cuvaison; MLF and c.10 months in all-French hogsheads 27% new; www.mishasvineyard.com ]
Light pinot noir ruby, the palest wine in the > $35 set. What a contentious wine this was, a number of people liking the bouquet, but many more disliking the palate to the extent of rating it their bottom wine. As it turned out, I ended up rather a lone voice championing the wine as wonderfully fragrant, in a potentially aethereal Vosne-Romanee style. The special attribute of this wine is that though the bouquet is so voluminous, from lilac to rose particularly, there is no hint of leafyness. On palate, it is quite outside the traditional Bendigo district square, and a pretty special wine. It is slightly short on the finish, however. It ends up the same score as the other Bendigo wine from Quartz Reef, but the two wines could hardly be more different. Exciting. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 11/12

1983 Jaboulet Hermitage La Chapelle 17 ½ + (

)

Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $234 [ Cork, 53mm; Sy 100; price given is wine-searcher average for that vintage of the wine; general elevation etc see Intro; this vintage has a vivid presence for some wine enthusiasts. Robert Parker initially thought it was definitive, and gave it very high ratings. Many therefore bought it. Recent reports have been variable, and meanwhile taste has changed, people now wanting plush wines, so dry tanniny wines (as the 1983 was) don't suit, now. If they are fragrant, there can still be charm – let's see; Parker, 1987: Gerard Jaboulet believes this is the finest La Chapelle since the monumental 1961. I still give a tiny edge to the 1978. However, the 1983 is a profound wine, closed, very dense in colour with a tight yet blossoming bouquet of very ripe blackcurrant fruit, tar and pepper. On the palate it is very very tannic, amazingly concentrated, quite full-bodied, and massive on the finish. Anticipated maturity 1998 – 2025, 98; Parker, 1997: This wine is so impossibly closed, tannic, and hard that it is at least 10-15 years away from full maturity. I am beginning to have reservations about my initial high rating, and have consequently downgraded it. While it may still turn out to be spectacular (the Jaboulets still consider it their finest effort since 1961), it is forbiddingly tannic and backward, 90; Robinson, 2011: Light but mellow, lightly tarry nose. Very sweet and charming on the palate. Definitely on the light side but the tannins are - at last - in retreat, making way for a thoroughly satisfying drink. Long and throat-warming, 17; www.jaboulet.com ]
Soft, warm almost rosy ruby and garnet – this could be a rich pinot noir. Bouquet is delightfully fragrant, and there is only one word to characterise it, autumnal. Yet it is sweet and pure. On palate the wine is intriguing: for those of us who have wondered how long 1983 La Chapelle would need to lose its tannin, here is the answer: till about now. But there is still a lovely tannin structure, now rounded and mellow, the wine showing very little evidence of new oak. With some kinds of food, this would be enchanting. And how good to see a well-constituted but formerly tanniny wine finally condense its tannins, and emerge from its chrysalis. So many commentators wondered if it ever would. Some even sent their wine to auction ... It should hold this harmonious autumnal phase for 10 years or so, though it is clearly drier than the 1982. Two people had the 1983 as their top wine of the set, and two their least. GK 09/14

2001 Neudorf Pinot Noir Home Vineyard 17 ½ + (

)

Moutere Hills, Nelson, New Zealand: 14.5%; $56 [ cork; vineyard price; this 2001 Neudorf and the 2001 Black Poplar had to be in this tasting, since they seemed to me to be amongst New Zealand's finest and most burgundian examples of pinot noir, at that stage. Whether the 2002s will now win out on size rather than beauty is one point of the tasting, for good burgundy does age. New Zealand pinot noir thus far does not age as long as Burgundy's better wines, largely because our dry extracts are not yet up there with top burgundies, but it will be sad if in the fullness of time our most burgundian wines do not age for a reasonable time. I do not have Cooper on the 2001, but both the flanking vintages he rates 5-stars. No reviews (beyond mine) available; www.neudorf.co.nz ]
Lovely mature pinot noir ruby, well below midway in depth, slightly older than the Mount Difficulty wine. Bouquet is more assertive than the other wines, with several tasters noting slight VA. This lifted quality adds to rose florals, and red and black cherry fruit. Palate is closer to the Mt Difficulty than the Feltons, red and black cherry equally, the oak not as fine as the Mt Difficulty so the finish is not quite so smooth. No doubting though that it is dramatically varietal pinot noir, at full maturity. Will hold a year or two yet. GK 10/12

2004 Albert Mann Gewurztraminer Steingrubler Grand Cru 17 ½ + (

)

Wettolsheim, Alsace, France: 13.5%; $53 [ cork; no website found ]
Pale lemonstraw. Bouquet is milder again than the Schlumberger, yet in the freesia florals and white stone fruits is a lovely suggestion of wild ginger blossom and spice, wonderfully floral. Like the Schlumberger, it is more clearly varietal on palate, with lychee and a hint of root-ginger spice, but marked by high residual sugar, so the wine is more medium in sweetness. The spicy phenolics grow a little in the finish, and deepen the wine, but it is essentially mild gewurz. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 08/06

2006 Craggy Range Pinot Noir Te Muna 17 ½ + (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 14.5%; $47 [ cork; hand-picked @ c. 1.6 t/ac; 100% de-stemmed, fermented in both French oak cuves and s/s with wild yeast; 9 months on lees in French oak 35% new; RS nil; www.craggyrange.com ]
Elegant pinot noir ruby, fractionally lighter than the 2006 Calvert. Bouquet is classic pinot noir, some red florals on beautifully varietal red and black cherry, subtly oaked. Fruit in mouth has the precise fresh crunchy texture of good pinot. The whole ripeness spectrum is several notches above the 2004, but less than the 2005, presenting a classical interpretation of the grape. It is not quite as beautifully saturated with floral qualities as the 2006 Calvert, however. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 10/07

1986 Ch Montrose 17 ½ + (

)

Saint-Estephe Second Growth, Bordeaux, France: 12.5%; $278 [ cork 54mm, ullage 18mm; original price c.$52; cepage 1986 CS 67%, Me 27, CF 6, planted at 9,000 vines / ha; c.18 – 24 months in barrel, % new then unknown, less than now (60%); Montrose website: Vintage: harvest Sept. 30 – Oct. 16; ... a very hot and rather dry summer, a good weather lingered till the harvest period. Wine: The rich nose develops scents of black fruits, cold tobacco, zan. Full on the palate, displaying aromas of black fruits, undergrowth and leather. Coates, 2004: Vintage: This is a Cabernet year. This is a Médoc vintage; Wine: [ Ch Montrose ] outperformed [its] reputation. Good rich concentrated nose. Fullish, balanced. Very good grip. Lovely ripe fruit. Good grip and intensity. Still youthful. Fine. Now – 2015, 17.5; Broadbent, 2002: Vintage: can the most prolific crop since World War Two … produce wines of real quality ?... On the whole, 1986 produced hard, tannic wines, ****; no wine note; J. Robinson, 2005: Correct, dense, slightly austere at present. Very fragrant and correct but still much marked by extremely fine tannins on the palate. Very dry finish, 17.5; R. Parker, 1998: This wine has turned out to be better than I originally thought. Made during a period when Montrose was flirting with a lighter style [ RP: 1978 – 1988, but 1982 and 1986 less so ], the 1986 is one of the beefier efforts from that short-lived, stylistic detour. ... Fleshy, muscular, and powerful, with aromas of red and black fruits, earth, and spice, this medium to full-bodied, still tannic, brawny Montrose is not yet close to full maturity. It possesses a layered, chewy character, along with plenty of unresolved tannin in the finish. Anticipated maturity: 2000-2025, 91; weight bottle and closure 576 g; www.chateau-montrose.com ]
Ruby and garnet, midway in depth. Bouquet is clearly cassisy berry browning now, fragrantly cedary, and very much in the style of last century Montrose – on average. There is an attractive nose-clearing aromatic and piquant quality to the cedar / brown tobacco side of the bouquet. Palate is fragrant and tending lean, a slightly oaky balance of cassisy berry and new oak hinting at a New World wine (for a moment), good acid balance, and considerable length for a standard-sized wine. The ‘famous’ 1986 tannins are now softened and palatable, but the wine still sits with the 1966, 1975 and 1996 as a cabernet-led Montrose. No top places, but one second-favourite vote. Though not apparent at decanting, trace TCA / corked character was just detectable by the time of the tasting. Seven tasters noticed it. It cleared away totally very early in the writing-up phase. In a sense the 1986 is now fully mature, and past the middle of its plateau of maturity. It will fade gracefully, with good acid balance, for another 10 – 20 years. GK 07/21

2004 Kumeu River Sauvignon Blanc 17 ½ + (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 12.5%; $20 [ screwcap; sold out; 25% wild yeast, RS nil, all s/s; www.kumeuriver.co.nz ]
Lemongreen, minutely paler than the 2005. Bouquet on this wine is clear-cut Marlborough sauvignon, yet with a slight trace of gunflint sulphur complexing and Europeanising the wine. Palate is sauvignon blanc at the peak of its primary flavours, honeysuckle and red capsicum spreading into black passionfruit skins, long-flavoured and dry. In style, this wine is reminiscent of some Ch. Ladoucette wines, but it also illustrates the interesting convergence of grape chemistry good trocken German riesling and subtle sauvignon can display. At full maturity in one sense, but will live for years, changing into interesting older sauvignon. GK 02/06

2007 Neudorf Vineyard Pinot Noir Moutere 17 ½ + (

)

Moutere Hills, Nelson, New Zealand: 14.1%; $49 [ screwcap; nil whole bunch, 12 months in French oak 20% new; www.neudorf.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is quieter than the top wines, but explicitly varietal in its buddleia to red roses florality, and red more than black cherry fruit. Palate has great sensuality and mouthfeel, with elegant oak rounding out slightly cooler fruit than the top wines, to produce a very harmonious and varietal pinot. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 02/10

2008 Te Whare Ra Gewurztraminer 17 ½ + (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $28 [ screwcap; hand-picked and hand-sorted from some of the oldest gewurz vines in Marlborough, up to 29 years old; some whole-bunches retained; cool-fermented, 100% s/s, no wild yeast, extended lees-autolysis; RS 14 g/L; 646 cases; the Duke of Marlborough label has been discontinued, this is the top gewurz; www.te-whare-ra.co.nz ]
Lemongreen. Apart from a little SO2 to marry away, bouquet is pure and fragrant with clear varietal florals even including a thought of liliums, a little citronella zip, clear lychee, attractive. Palate is not quite so together, lychee and white nectarine, a bit sweeter and milder than the Corbans PB. This will be elegant and appealing in a year's time, and may score higher. I don’t think it is as concentrated as the 2002 Duke of Marlborough, though. Cellar 3 – 6 years. GK 04/09

2006 Pegasus Bay Pinot Noir Prima Donna 17 ½ + (

)

Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 13.5%; $84 [ screwcap; 10% whole bunch; 18 months in French oak 45% new; www.pegasusbay.com ]
Rich pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is in a burlier style than the Otago wines I rated highly in this older wines tasting, with grilled steak and Chateauneuf-du-Pape undertones in richly ripe plummy fruit. Palate is rich, with some sur-maturité, yet more varietal than the bouquet suggests, clear black cherry flavours as well as dark plums, all made deliciously savoury by subtle brett. Great to see the Pegasus Bay team will consider a stem component – all too often the dimension lacking in their approach to pinot is the freshness and florality this move could contribute. Finish is soft and rich. Attractive and mouth-filling food wine, to cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 02/10

2011 Trinity Hill Syrah Gimblett Gravels 17 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $35 [ cork; Sy 96%, Vi 4, vine ages back to 1994; the grapes de-stemmed, lightly crushed to leave whole berries; fairly short cuvaison; c.10 months in French oak of varying ages, some lees-ageing and even lees-stirring, in a more pinot noir-based approach to the grape nowadays; www.trinityhill.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. Bouquet is fresh and simple alongside the Homage syrahs, yet the clarity of varietal character, with its wallflower and dark red roses florals, a touch of black pepper, and cassisy berry, is a delight. In mouth there is good berry, black pepper, a simpler elevage than the Homage or Te Awanga wines, so a somewhat simpler and less concentrated flavour. It couldn't be anything but syrah, however. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 03/13

2007 Muddy Water Estate Pinot Noir 17 ½ + (

)

Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 13.8%; $40 [ screwcap; nil whole-bunch, 16 months in French oak, c.35% new; www.muddywater.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is floral, centred particularly in the buddleia to roses spectrum, but there are hints of violets, and maybe boronia too. Fruit flavours are brightly cherry, with some blackboy peach. On closer examination against some of the more highly rated wines, the Muddy Water becomes a little simpler with a greater touch of leafyness relative to the Pyramid Valley Calvert wine, not quite the perfect fruit maturity some show. Even so, this is mainstream good New Zealand pinot noir, to cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 02/10

2007 Rockburn Pinot Noir 17 ½ + (

)

Parkburn (north of Lowburn) 85%, Gibbston 15%, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $40 [ screwcap; nil whole bunch; 10 months in French oak, 38% new; www.rockburn.co.nz ]
Big pinot noir ruby, one of the deeper ones. Bouquet needs air, but is in the big Otago style, fully ripe to a touch of sur-maturité, but still with shadows of boronia on black cherry fruit. Palate is rich and robust, but there are good cherry as well as plum flavours tapering out to a long finish. Splashy decanting needed. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 02/10

2002 Faiveley Chambertin Clos de Beze 17 ½ + (

)

Gevrey-Chambertin Grand Cru, Burgundy, France: 13%; $252 [ cork; non-filtré ]
Good pinot noir ruby, in the middle of the grands crus for depth. This wine stood out in the tasting, with prominent new oak and a pennyroyal verging on mint aroma, seeming almost new world, and very modern. Actual varietal definition was less clear on bouquet at this stage, with an almost merlot suggestion. Palate immediately brings the wine back into line, with ‘sweet’ rich blackboy and cherry fruit, made aromatic and firm by the new oak. It will take several years for the varietal fruit to get on top of the oak in this wine, but it was rated top wine of the flight by a leading Martinborough pinot maker. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 12/05

2008 Felton Road Riesling Dry 17 ½ + (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 12%; $31 [ screwcap; hand-harvested, all s/s ferments, 3 months LA on fine lees; pH 3.01, RS 6 g/L; www.feltonroad.com ]
Lemongreen, a wonderful colour. Bouquet is a little more explicit than the Neudorf Brightwater, with subliminal VA lift to white and citrus florals, and a clear lime-zest edge. Palate is 'riesling dry', quite grippy in youth with noticeable acid, maybe with some enrichment from lees-autolysis. Like young Mosel halb-trocken, this is a wine needing time to blossom in cellar 3 – 10 years, maybe longer. GK 04/09

2007 Craggy Range Pinot Noir Te Muna Road Vineyard 17 ½ + (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $47 [ cork; hand-picked @ a "minuscule" < 0.25 t/ac; 100% de-stemmed, fermented in French oak cuves with wild yeast; 10 months on lees in French oak 38% new; no fining, light filtering; RS nil; in a normal year, this is Craggy Range's main pinot label; www.craggyrange.com ]
Big pinot noir ruby. The volume of bouquet on this wine is a little more than some of the higher-pointed wines, the reason being a slight leafy contribution adding buddleia florals to the deeper floral notes. Fruit is aromatic red and black cherry, again beautifully oaked. There is a little more stalk than the higher-pointed pinots, but this is stalk at a level where it will marry away as the wine matures. This is a good example of the slightly firmer Martinborough pinot style, relative to the (at best) more generous but clearly floral and still aromatic Otago wines. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 03/09

2008 Peregrine Pinot Noir 17 ½ + (

)

Gibbston Valley, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $39 [ screwcap; nil whole bunch; 10 months in French oak, 38% new; www.peregrinewines.co.nz ]
Colour is a gorgeous pinot noir ruby, closer to the 2008 Kupe than the standard Felton Road, well below midway. Bouquet shows an attractive full spectrum of pinot florals, from a suggestion of buddleia through obvious rose (particularly English tea rose) to some boronia, in red cherry. Palate is delicate, highly varietal but not quite the concentration of the 2007, wonderful freshness and crispness, a very pretty wine in the making which may well score higher in a year or two. Styling is obvious Cote de Nuits. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 02/10

2007 Neudorf Riesling Moutere 17 ½ + (

)

Moutere Hills, Nelson, New Zealand: 10%; $35 [ screwcap; hand-harvested; whole-bunch pressed; all s/s low-solids ferment stopped @ 39 g/L, extended LA; 245 cases; www.neudorf.co.nz ]
Lemongreen, elegant. Bouquet is light, pure, fragrant, but hard to pin down as to variety, just lightly floral. In mouth the style is much more apparent, riesling in a spatlese Mosel approach, fragrant apples such as Coxes Orange, elegant phenolics, long in mouth on the acid / sweetness balance, a suggestion of beeswax and nectar. If this had more bouquet, it would rate very highly. It will develop over the next three years, and probably demand re-rating, for it is superbly finessed. Cellar 2 – 10 or even 12 years. GK 04/09

1955 Bodegas Bilbainas Rioja Clarete Fino Vieja Reserva 17 ½ + (

)

Haro, Rioja, Spain: – %; $ – [ 45mm cork; similar values, release and background as the Vina Pomal, but made in a claret style, and bottled in a claret bottle, presumably implying longer extraction, or more new oak, and possibly some grenache – to judge from the tasting; Jan Read rates the vintage 10/10 in a classic sense for Rioja, noting that exceptions abound in the Spanish climatic milieu. These wines are almost unknown on the world wine stage, yet the best are wonderful. Similar treasures occasionally found from R. Lopez de Heredia Tondonia, and CVNE – the latter a bit better known; no reviews or notes found; www.bodegasbilbainas.com ]
Light amber and rosy garnet, lighter than the Pomal, close to the 1960 Margaux but rosier. Bouquet is quite different from the Pomal, an exotic fruit note more red plum and even a hint of canned guava, unusual, plus a delicate suggestion of silver pine / pink pine / manool, which to me is a key indicator of grenache showing correct physiological maturity. So perhaps the "claret" blend includes grenache, to contrast with the tempranillo / graciano blend of the burgundian Vina Pomal ? Palate is leaner and oakier than the Pomal, not quite as rich as the 1960 Margaux, not the cedar complexity, more obviously Spanish wine and American oak than the Pomal. Balance is still remarkably good for a 58-year-old wine, but it too is over the edge of its plateau of maturity, the oak now showing rather much. GK 11/13

2007 Thornbury Pinot Noir Central Otago 17 ½ + (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $32 [ screwcap; 20% whole bunch; 10 months in French oak 40% new; www.thornbury.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is soft, rich and fragrant, with attractive floral suggestions on mixed cherry fruits, clearly varietal. Palate is firm cherry and some plum flavours, all riper than the bouquet suggested, attractive length partly because oak is at a maximum. Good representative Otago pinot noir, attractively priced. Cellar 3 – 5 years. VALUE. GK 02/10

2003 Greenhough Chardonnay Nelson 17 ½ + (

)

Nelson, New Zealand: 13.5%; $23 [ screwcap; mostly clone 6; 62% BF in 15% new oak, 38 s/s; some MLF and wild yeast; still available at vineyard ]
Lemongreen. One sniff reveals a perfectly clean, ripe, good chardonnay, with unequivocal varietal character augmented by barrel-ferment, lees-autolysis, and malolactic fermentation, plus beautiful freshness. Palate is white stonefruits, oatmeal complexity, attractive texture, some new oak, still very juicy and youthful, so it seems not quite bone dry – an illusion. Fruit richness must be good, therefore. This is great mainstream chardonnay, which will cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 01/06

2008 Te Mata Estate Syrah Bullnose 17 ½ + (

)

Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $43 [ cork; 3 clones of syrah hand-harvested, 100% de-stemmed; extended cuvaison; 16 months in French oak 40% new; www.temata.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, one of the lighter wines, lighter than the exemplary 2007 vintage. Te Mata Bullnose Syrah sets the pace for displaying the floral beauty of syrah in New Zealand, and this wine keeps up that standard, showing wallflowers and dianthus on cassis and black doris plum fruit. In mouth the whole wine is more petite than is optimal, and the total acid is a little high compared with the 2007. But the balance of berry to oak is, as always from Te Mata, pretty good. It is therefore still definitive syrah but in a lighter style, more Cote Rotie or St Joseph this year than Hermitage. Bullnose is usually 100% de-stemmed, adding weight to Rod Easthope's view that whole-bunch fermentation is not necessary in New Zealand. I would argue that in fact, it is the fractionally cooler-than-Gimblett-Gravels siting of the Bullnose vineyard in the Ngatarawa Triangle which explains its great aroma in its best years, and would cite the Church Road Reserve in its best years as confirmatory proof, since it primarily derives from a vineyard close by Bullnose. In my view these wines show that in fact the Gimblett Gravels syrahs would in typical warmer years achieve enhanced florality if they did include a ratio of whole-bunch fruit in the fermentation. Be well worth experimenting. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 01/10

2008 Mudbrick Syrah Reserve 17 ½ + (

)

Western Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14.4%; $50 [ screwcap; Sy 100%, hand-picked and sorted in field, cropping rate average 2 t/ac; all de-stemmed, inoculated yeast, 1 day cold-soak, 15 – 21 days cuvaison, no additional acid needed, no BF; most MLF in barrel, 14 months in American 75% and French 25 oak, 50% new (the American fraction for 2008); totally dry; sterile-filtered to bottle, 296 cases; www.mudbrick.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, deeper than the Te Mata '08. Bouquet is tending obvious, lots of cassisy berry, lots of oak including some American, perhaps subtlest brett savoury complexity, but the oak makes it hard to tell. In mouth there is good fruit florality made aromatic by the oak, and rich cassis and fresh bottled plums. The original fruit quality was I suspect very good here, but the winemaking and oak in particular have moved the wine towards an Australian styling, unfortunately. This should cellar well, it has lovely acid balance [ confirmed ], and it may marry up into an exciting bottle meriting rescoring. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 01/10

2004 Te Mata Syrah Bullnose 17 ½ + (

)

Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $40 [ cork; Sy 100%; includes clone 470 for first time, hand-harvested, de-stemmed; extended cuvaison 3 + weeks, followed by 16 months in new and older French oak; www.temata.co.nz ]
Ruby, markedly older. In the Symposium flight, this wine was not singing. I couldn't say it was corked, but it was certainly cramped on bouquet. Next day it had breathed-off considerably, to show aromatic cassis and darkly plummy fruit, good length and richness, subtle oak. I would hate to think this wine has lost its way, having reviewed it enthusiastically previously, so for the moment I will suggest this was a lesser bottle. Cellar to 12 years. GK 01/07

2009 Gibbston Valley Pinot Noir China Terrace 17 ½ + (

)

Bendigo district, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $55 [ screwcap; hand-harvested from a vineyard at c. 300m and north-facing; c.30 days cuvaison; 10 months in French oak 45% new; www.gvwines.co.nz ]
Lovely pinot noir ruby, clearly below midway in density. Bouquet for this wine sits with the Martinborough and the Misha's in a red-fruited group, this one just a little deeper and less obviously fragrant, in a way more enticing. Flavours are a little richer and darker than both, red cherry mostly but some black, and slightly more oak, with attractive length and richness. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 09/13

1985 Guigal Cote-Rotie Brune & Blonde 17 ½ + (

)

Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $222 [ Cork, 49mm, ullage 15; release price c.$47; Parker rating for year 90 (before Spectator data); typically Sy 96%, Vi 4, average vine age 35 years, said to be cropped at the same rate as d’Ampuis, namely 4.8 t/ha = 1.95 t/ac, but often seems as if the rate a little higher; c. 25 days cuvaison, elevation three years in barrel, 35 – 50% new, plus some in larger barrels; Parker, 1997: Like many Northern Rhones from this vintage, the 1985 regular cuvee has always been a deliciously ripe, round, precocious-tasting wine, with a concentrated, creamy texture, and smoky bouquet. The amber edge and round, sweet fruit suggest full maturity. Drink it up. Mature now. Last tasted 7/96, 90; Wine Spectator, 2008: Mature but ripe, offering plum, dried currant and coffee aromas followed by a supple, medium-weight palate that shows black tea, shaved vanilla, dried fruit and date hints. The finish is still juicy, and the core is dark and still plump. Guigal non-blind vertical. Drink now, 90; weight bottle and closure: 580 g ; www.guigal.com ]
Garnet and ruby, the lightest wine. By the time of the tasting, the 1985 was showing threshold TCA, picked up by four tasters only, all winemakers. It is a somewhat lighter wine than the 1983, and like it shows suggestions of red berries as well as darker, in the browning fruit. There are still some florals, but they are melding with the generalised maturity factors, to give a lovely ‘red wine at full maturity’ aroma. Palate is lighter than the 1983, fractionally more acid, not quite the tertiary aroma / flavour qualities, yet it seems equally mature. One person had it as their second-favourite wine. Like the 1983, this would be best finished up in the next few years. GK 10/20

2009 Ceres Pinot Noir 17 ½ + (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.8%; $35 [ screwcap; no info, a link with the Dicey Family's Grape Vision Consultancy ]
Pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is quietly red-fruited and red roses pinot noir, on a red cherry base immediately reminding of Pommard. Palate reinforces that thought, good dry extract, a hint of almond in the cherry, attractive older oak. An understated but very varietal wine to cellar 3 – 8 years. Intriguing too, not much Central Otago pinot character here ! GK 09/10

2007 Peregrine Pinot Noir 17 ½ + (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $33 [ screwcap; 2007 not on website at time of writing; notes for the 2006 include 10 months in French oak 35% new, the wine finished at RS < 1 g/L; www.peregrinewines.co.nz ]
Ruby, a flush of carmine and velvet, quite big for pinot noir. Bouquet is fresh and fragrant, yet raw and youthful, not really smelling quite together enough to release. Trying to integrate the raw materials, there is a good floral component, in a darker spectrum from red roses to boronia, on red and black cherry. Palate is very pure, more black cherries, great fruit and acid balance yet with a thought of stalks too. In another year, I think this will show some Cote de Nuits complexity, on lovely fragrant fruit. The score is a little anticipatory. Cellar 3 – 9 years. GK 04/08

2007 Betz Family Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Pere de Famille 17 ½ + (

)

Columbia Valley, Washington, USA: 15%; $86 [ cork; price is simple conversion from US$60; CS 85%, Me 8, PV 7 from 3 vineyards; de-stemmed, 7 – 9 day cuvaison, fermentation and MLF finished in barrel, with lees-stirring; 18 months in all-French oak presumably much new; this is the winery's flagship bordeaux blend; 2007 regarded as a definitive vintage, lowest Parker mark for six 2007 Betz wines 92; Parker regards Betz as a Washington benchmark, and for this wine reports: … brooding aromatic array of wood smoke, scorched earth, pencil lead, violets, black currant and blackberry. Full-bodied on the palate, it is … dense, opulent, and succulent … admirably combining elegance and power. The pure finish lasts for over 60-seconds 95; www.betzfamilywinery.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, one of the deeper wines, scarcely distinguishable from the Church Road Reserve. Bouquet is huge, the first impressions being char and chocolate and nearly mocha, on very rich plummy fruit much influenced by the winemaker, totally modern and international in style. Palate does nothing to dissuade one from such a view, being both oaky and alcoholic, but there is lovely fresh cassisy and berry-rich fruit forming the heart of the wine, and there is little or no brett. It will therefore marry up into a pretty interesting bottle, which could be scored higher. It is not my preferred interpretation of cabernet, but for many consumers this would be one of the top wines of the seminar. Croser was at pains to point out that this was a wine 'made for journalists', but given the number of winemakers and winemaking consultants anxious to emulate this modern and American-pleasing style of winemaking, and not only in America, such a disparaging remark is questionable. This Betz is certainly closer to cabernet truth than either of Croser's own wines in the tasting. Cellar 5 – 25 years, with interest. GK 01/10

2002 Mills Reef Malbec Elspeth 17 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $36 [ DFB; www.millsreef.co.nz ]
Dense ruby, carmine and velvet. Bouquet is redolent of the most elegant side of malbec, showing a mix of cassis, raspberries, boysenberries, and black pepper which hints at syrah, but the whole is remarkably Bordeaux-like. Quite aggressive oak including VA takes the shine off it though, if finesse is a concern. Palate is richly fruity, lots of plums and oak, one-dimensional and brash alongside Elspeth One, but appealing. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 05/04

2013 Villa Maria Merlot Organic Cellar Selection 17 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels mostly, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $16 [ screwcap; Me 100%; all machine-harvested; up to 28 days cuvaison; 30% of the wine in barrel for 12 months, 25% of oak new Hungarian, balance in s/s with some staves; RS <1g/L; fined and filtered; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Dark ruby, carmine and velvet, deeper than the Craggy Merlot, the third deepest wine, in fact. Bouquet is deeply and darkly plummy, darker than the Craggy on this component too, but still lively and fresh. Below is light cedary oak, adding interest. Palate is soft, rich, but more tannic than the Craggy wine, taking away some of the charm of idealised merlot … at this stage. It may cellar more successfully, though. I wondered while tasting if there is a bit of malbec here, too, but no. This wine has more richness than Te Kahu, and once it has fined down a bit in cellar, it is going to be the more attractive wine, I think. Both this wine and the Esk have generous fruit and lovely ripeness, but the oak handling is subtler here, almost comparable with the Paveil de Luze. This may be the greatest quality / value red from Hawkes Bay in the remarkable 2013 vintage, at times available down to $13.90. Cellar 8 – 15 years. GK 03/15

2007 Esk Valley Merlot / Malbec / Cabernet Winemakers Reserve 17 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $60 [ screwcap; Me 54%, CS 33, Ma 13; www.eskvalley.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet. Bouquet is oaky but integrated. There are clear suggestions of violets and sweet dark flowers on cassis and dark plums. Palate is more clearly cassis, slightly oaky balance but potentially cedary, retiring now but becoming increasingly attractive as the oak marries in. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 06/10

2005 Villa Maria Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot Reserve 17 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $51 [ screwcap; CS 55%, Me 30, Ma 15; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, older than the wines around it in this ranking. Bouquet is more oaky, another wine reflecting a more typical new world Hawkes Bay approach, though there is good berry fruit. In mouth cassis and plum fruit of good length are apparent, the oak continuing as a firm backbone, a little excessive on the cassisy aftertaste. A popular winestyle though. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 06/10

2001 Fromm Pinot Noir Fromm Vineyard 17 ½ + (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $64 [ clones 10/5 and others, up to 9 years, harvested @ 2 t/ac; 100% de-stemmed, 5 days cold soak, wild yeast fermentation, up to 18 days cuvaison; 16 months French oak 20% new; www.frommwineries.com ]
Good pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is much the most open and breathing of the three Fromm wines in the Conference tasting, showing good redfruits reminiscent of the Dog Point, but a little richer, heavier, and oakier. Red and black cherry and red plum dominate the flavours, with nearly some mid-palate florals. This is more the direction I would like to see the Fromm wines develop towards, when compared with their heavier / locked-up wines. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 01/07

2006 [ Waimata ] Cognoscenti Syrah 17 ½ + (

)

2010 Peacock Sky Cabernet Sauvignon 17 ½ + (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14%; $39 [ screwcap; CS 97%, Ma 3; 13 months in all 1-year predominantly French oak, some American, not much wine info on website; www.peacocksky.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, a good weight. Bouquet shows attractively ripe cassis and bottled black doris fruit, all influenced by potentially cedary oak which is tending prominent, but should marry away. Berry ripeness is between the Passage Rock and the Mudbrick Reserve, but the wine is a little lighter. An exciting debut. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 10/12

2005 Esk Valley Pinot Gris Black Label 17 ½ + (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $23 [ screwcap; hand-harvested; whole-bunch pressed, 25% BF in old French oak, LA and batonnage; RS 7.3 g/L; www.eskvalley.co.nz ]
Pale lemon. A light clean fragrant white bouquet, not clearly varietal to first impression in the blind tasting. Palate however is immediately pear flesh and pinot gris, good body and length of flavour, richer and more finesse than the Villa Maria Private Bin, ‘dry’. This should cellar well, 3 – 8 years. GK 11/05

2007 Pyramid Valley Pinot Noir Calvert Vineyard 17 ½ + (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $55 [ screwcap; hand-picked @ 0.7 t/ac; 85% destemmed, c. 6 days cold-soak, wild-yeast fermentation, c. 28 days cuvaison; MLF in barrel and 15 months on lees in French oak 33% new; unfined and unfiltered; 140 cases; introduction to the Calvert concept 25 Nov 2008; www.pyramidvalley.co.nz ]
Big pinot noir ruby, not quite as deep as the Felton Calvert. This is a pinot in a slightly lighter, more pretty or Chambolle style than the Felton. It shows clear rose and boronia florals, on red and black cherry fruit plus suggestions of blackboy peach. Palate follows through exactly, faintest leaf and acid tying in with the 15% whole-bunch and the blackboy component in the bouquet, silky, less oaky than the 2006 (I think). This is attractive pinot in a lighter style than the Felton, but it may cellar longer than I have indicated. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 03/09

2008 Waimea Pinot Rosé 17 ½ + (

)

Waimea Plains, Nelson, New Zealand: 13.5%; $18 [ screwcap; PN 100%, saignée from the main crop; 25% of the juice BF in lightly-toasted new American barrels; LA but no MLF; RS probably around 5 g/L; www.waimeaestates.co.nz ]
Light rosé. Bouquet is terrific, clear red fruits complexed via barrel-ferment and lees-autolysis to produce redcurrants / red crab-apple fruit with a touch of complex chardonnay characters. Palate matches, fresh fruits, the complexity of elevation for this rosé so outshining the stainless steel wines, and matched by a neat residual sweetness which tastes less than the number given on the website. This is one of the best pinot rosés so far in New Zealand, achieving a complexity and interest to drink which rosés from pinot so often lack. Cellar several years, to taste. GK 03/09

2007 Peregrine Riesling 17 ½ + (

)

Cromwell Basin, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13%; $18 [ screwcap; 2007 not on website; the 2006 was finished at RS 5 g/L; www.peregrinewines.co.nz ]
Pale lemonstraw. Bouquet is floral and fragrant, but in the blind tasting confusing as to variety, showing some rosepetal and pearflesh notes leading to pinot gris. But there are also good white stonefruits and a lime-zest underpinning. Palate is very youthful, with clear Meyer lemon citrus notes joining the white stonefruit and lime-zest terpenes, on beautifully subtle residual sweetness in the riesling 'dry' class. This wine should have much more to say in a year or two, and score more highly. There are similarities to the Grosset Polish Hill, but the Peregrine is sweeter. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 04/08

2001 Felton Road Pinot Noir [ standard wine ] 17 ½ + (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $ – [ screwcap or cork; average vine age 8 years; 2001 a year of heavier crops, so saignée for Vin Gris necessary; the wines elegant and racy with perhaps not the depth; www.feltonroad.com ]
We had three bottles of the 2001, presented blind as one flight. One was screwcap-closed, one was cork cellared at the winery (courtesy Blair Walter), and the third had been cellared in the Wellington district. The goal of the blind presentation was to establish which closure was preferred, and can one even tell which is screwcap wine, thirteen years later. This was an inspired offering. The three bottles were dramatically different.

The following notes characterise the 2001 wine, averaging the three bottles. Mature pinot noir garnet and ruby, below midway in depth. Bouquet is astonishingly fragrant, there still being clear-cut browning boronia florality, on browning cherry fruit. One had to ask, how could the young Blair Walter have so quickly achieved the skills to make a wine like this, in his sixth vintage ? Palate shows a fully mature pinot noir, still good cherry fruit but browning now, oak as beautifully in balance as the later vintages, the wine at full stretch, perhaps trace stalk. It will decline from now on, but agreeably so. This wine goes to show the usual estimates for pinot noir longevity in New Zealand, 3 – 8 years from vintage typically, do not apply to the better wines cropped at internationally appropriate levels.

As to the individual wines, the differences were marked and in part counter-intuitive. The screwcap wine was clearly much the most advanced / deteriorated colour, yet on bouquet it was equally clearly the most fresh / aromatic / floral / fragrant / youthful. In flavour the browning cherry was fresh (if that's not too much a contradiction in terms) and still crunchy, and delightfully cherry / fruity with aromatic tannins relative to its oak and age. In contrast the bottle under cork from Central Otago was clearly the youngest colour, but in bouquet and flavour it was much the softest and more mellow all through, the tannins much less vibrant. An equally enjoyable wine, but very different. For the group as a whole, this was the most favoured of the three 2001s, a view I did not share since quality of bouquet is relatively more important to me. The bottle under cork cellared in Wellington was perfectly in the middle, or even a little closer to the screwcap wine in the vibrancy of its aroma and tannins. Also counter-intuitive that the bottle from warmer Wellington should be fresher than the Otago one, but with cork as the closure, and the elapsed time, it is the old law: there are no great wines, only great bottles. GK 8/14 GK 08/14

2007 Zephyr Gewurztraminer 17 ½ + (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $24 [ screwcap; website not established yet; www.zephyrwine.com ]
Colour is an elegant lemon, very attractive. Bouquet is forthcoming, floral and fragrant in a yellow florals sense – wild ginger blossom, honeysuckle, etc – with underlying stonefruit. It is all a bit yellow for lychee, but attractively so. Palate is not quite as good, a slightly harsh note as if acidified, which fights with the varietal phenolics. But total flavour is clearly varietal and long-lasting, on a near-dry finish. Much to like here. Cellar 3 – 8 years, maybe to soften attractively. GK 03/08

2006 Sacred Hill Syrah Deerstalkers 17 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $ – [ screwcap; up to 18 months in French oak, some new; www.sacredhill.com ]
Ruby and velvet, a little richer than the 2005 village Guigal Hermitage. Comparing the bouquets, the Deerstalkers is a little oakier and a little older than that wine, with more blueberry. These qualities follow through on the palate, with attractive berry weight and a suggestion of black pepper, but it is all oakier than the 2008 Deerstalkers. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 10/10

2004 Te Mata Estate Viognier Woodthorpe 17 ½ + (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $26 [ screwcap; 85% of wine BF, 7 months LA and batonnage in older oak, 15% s/s, no MLF; www.temata.co.nz ]
Elegant medium lemon, almost lemongreen. Initially opened and later too, bouquet on this latest Te Mata Viognier is a bit aggressive, both on high alcohol per se, and maybe a tweak of VA with that, but also on a percentage of newer oak than the previous couple of vintages have shown. These factors move the wine towards an Australian presentation of the variety, and away from the floral and finessed Condrieu-like style New Zealand can aim for. The wine is however beautifully clean. Palate is great, though, with a tactile richness which is the best yet, and a developing flavour of stonefruits inclining to canned apricots. It is not quite rich enough to conceal / smooth out the alcohol and oak totally, but in a year's time this will look more attractive, and may rate higher. Not as fine a wine as the 2002, I suspect, but I don't have them alongside. Cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 10/05

2002 Te Mata Estate Syrah Bullnose 17 ½ + (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $35 [ cork; Sy 100%; hand-harvested, de-stemmed; extended cuvaison 3 + weeks, followed by 16 months in new and older French oak; www.temata.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, a little deeper than the 2004. Like the 2002 Woodthorpe, this wine was written up in the Bonfiglioli tasting 15 June 2005. The inclining-savoury style contrasts with the purity of the 2004, and the wine is seemingly drier, but it is equally rich and offers an excitingly complex interpretation of syrah. And it will be marvellous with food, as it matures. Cellar 5 –10 years. GK 10/05

2007 Kumeu River Chardonnay Maté's Vineyard 17 ½ + (

)

Kumeu, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.5%; $59 [ screwcap; library stock price; hand-harvested from vines planted in 1990; whole-bunch pressed; wild-yeast fermentation entirely in French oak; 100% MLF; 11 months in barrel with LA; www.kumeuriver.co.nz ]
Lemon, a little deeper than the 2008. This is more a winemaker's chardonnay, with more yeast and barrel intervention apparent than the wines marked more highly. The yellow stonefruit mendoza clone shows clearly, and there is a suggestion of char / toast on the autolysis reminiscent of the 2007 Riflemans. It is a richer and oakier wine than the 2007 Kumeu River Estate, so if size is of more appeal than translucent purity, this is the '07 to go for. The length of fruit and aftertaste is good. Intriguingly, when I reviewed 2007 Maté's and the Estate wine a couple of years ago, I had them the other way round, a reminder perhaps that restraint is all, if chardonnay is to age gracefully. Cellar 2 – 8 years. GK 10/10

2006 Millton Viognier Briants Vineyard 17 ½ + (

)

Gisborne, New Zealand: 13.5%; $25 [ screwcap; harvest late March; whole-bunch pressed; 100% oak-fermented in 600L demi-muids; less than 7 months in oak presumably with lees autolysis and batonnage; pH 3.9, RS 5.9 g/L; www.millton.co.nz ]
Lemon. Bouquet is delightful, fragrant, fault-free, instead showing lovely delicate white flowers, honeysuckle florals and lychee aromas, in a neat buttoned-down not quite ripe enough style. In the blind tasting it is not immediately convincing as viognier, gewurz being a possibility. Palate is more viognier, a fair concentration of aromatic yellow-green apricotty flavours in fruit of good weight. The relative lack of oak (from the large old-oak fermentation vessels and storage) is particularly attractive. From the accompanying literature, I can't help noticing the fruit in this wine is not organically grown. This viognier is tauter and drier though a little less varietal than the TW wine. It shows much better technical control than the 2005 of this Millton label – a great improvement. Like the Coopers wines, it needs a little more ripeness and complexity to fatten / broaden the palate. The given sweetness is well hidden by the TA. Cellar 1 – 3 years. GK 07/07

2008 Guigal Cotes du Rhone Blanc 17 ½ + (

)

Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $24 [ cork; Vi 55%, Ro 20, Mar 10, clairette 10, bourboulenc 5; s/s; www.guigal.com ]
A flush of straw in lemon. Like the two Condrieus, there is a freshness and elegance about this white Cotes-du-Rhone which totally upsets expectations for this generic label. Bouquet is white-winey to the n-th degree, the blend of varieties working very well, the viognier not at all dominant on smell or taste. On palate the blending varieties firm the wine in an elegant way, producing an oak-free wine with backbone and substance. This will be a great food wine, well worth trying, quite remarkable ! Cellar 1 – 2 years probably best. GK 10/10

2006 Palliser Chardonnay 17 ½ + (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $33 [ screwcap; clones mendoza and 95; BF, MLF and 9 months LA in French oak; www.palliser.co.nz ]
Lemonstraw. This chardonnay is almost reassuringly familiar after the Dog Point, showing rich waxy golden queen peach fruit, suggesting a good percentage of clone mendoza, plus complementary barrel-ferment and lees-autolysis complexities subordinate to the fruit. Palate is not quite as good, not quite the concentration desired, and a faint musty hint as if the fruit was not carefully enough checked in and after picking. But the balance and style are attractive, and the oaking careful. This should give much pleasure, the aftertaste being attractive and lingering. Cellar 2 – 8 years. GK 05/08

2004 Greenhough Pinot Noir Hope Vineyard 17 ½ + (

)

Waimea Plains, Nelson, New Zealand: 14%; $39 [ screwcap; vines 11 – 25 years old; 100% de-stemmed, cold maceration, 12 months in French oak 24% new including some large ]
Good pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is initially a bit reticent (that is not a euphemism for reductive) and understated, hinting at cherries and blackboy fruit. Palate opens the wine up considerably, with good rich blackboy flavours showing a black cherry component, when compared with the Neudorf. This may ultimately be the more interesting wine of the two, if the bouquet develops pro rata to the palate. Acid balance and palate weight are good, potentially aromatic. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 06/06

2007 Yves Cuilleron Cornas les Vires 17 ½ + (

)

Cornas, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 12.5%; $133 [ cork; Sy 100%; www.cuilleron.com ]
Ruby and velvet, between the St Joseph and the Cote Rotie in depth. Bouquet is a little different to other two top Cuilleron wines, in that the carnations and wallflower florals are complexed by a hint of meat extract aroma, which is attractive at this level. Palate is sturdier than the Cote Rotie, a suggestion of mixed ripeness now, some white pepper creeping into quite rich cassis and dark plum, some new oak. A wine that earns the Cornas reputation of tending 'rustic'. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 06/10

2006 Morton Estate Sauvignon Blanc Marchioness Black Label 17 ½ + (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $26 [ screwcap; fermented in s/s, then 9 months LA in second and third year French oak, then 2 months back in s/s; no MLF; RS 6.7 g/L; www.mortonestatewines.co.nz ]
Pale lemonstraw. In the blind tasting, this is a sweet and riper stonefruit sauvignon, as if the fruit were Hawkes Bay, not Marlborough. Bouquet is fruit-dominant, mild alongside the top wines, pepino and yellow nectarine, just a little piquancy from black passionfruit skins, red capsicums, and oak. Palate is more clearly sauvignon, a clean fragrant bottled English gooseberries suggestion, reasonably subtle oak, not as rich or complex or subtle as Te Koko, sweeter and not as fine as the Riverby, but still satisfying. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 05/08

2003 Ata Rangi Pinot Noir 17 ½ + (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $65 [ screwcap; clones 10/5 and others, up to 23 years, harvested c. < 2 t/ac; 5% whole bunch, up to 9 days cold soak, wild yeast fermentation, up to 23 days cuvaison; 11 months French oak 25% new; www.atarangi.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby. One sniff and this is obviously Martinborough, with an evident pennyroyal component which is clearly aromatic. There are good florals as well, lighter in style than the Otago wines, on red and black cherry fruit. Palate is fragrant too, red and black cherries again, a thought of red currants and a trace of stalks in comparison with the best southern wines, yet supple. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 01/07

2005 Saint Clair Chardonnay 17 ½ + (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $19 [ screwcap, a percentage BF, MLF and 9 months in oak; 4.2 g/L RS; www.saintclair.co.nz ]
Lemonstraw. Bouquet is sweet, clean, yellow-fruited mealy chardonnay, showing attractive barrel-ferment, MLF and lees-autolysis complexities, yet in a straightforward way. Palate suggests clone mendoza, good fruit in the golden queen peach style, delicate pale butter MLF enrichment of bread-crust autolysis, rich with good texture, the flavour lengthened on oak and acid. This is an attractive example of a modern $20 chardonnay, the sweetness not too noticeable. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 03/07

2009 Mount Edward Pinot Noir Central Otago 17 ½ + (

)

Cromwell Basin, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $45 [ screwcap; hand-picked; all de-stemmed; c. 12 months in French oak, c.30% new; not fined or filtered; www.mountedward.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is clear-cut pinot noir, with a lovely spread of florals ranging from buddleia through roses to boronia, on cherry fruit. Flavours are red and black cherry, absolutely pinot noir, appropriate oak, the faintest trace of leaf explaining the buddleia fraction on bouquet, all lingering well, and dry. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 09/10

2007 Peregrine Pinot Noir 17 ½ + (

)

Cromwell Basin 80%, Gibbston 20, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $39 [ screwcap; nil whole bunch; 10 months in French oak, 35% new; was $39; www.peregrinewines.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, a little age showing. Bouquet is beautifully roses-floral, on red --> black pinot noir fruit, with a delightful lift to it, aethereal (not a euphemism for VA). Palate is more mature than I would hope for a 2007, but the quality of red fruits with a faint aromatic lift is confuseable with Martinborough pinot noir. Attractive wine, to cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 09/10

2005 Chapoutier St Joseph les Granits 17 ½ + (

)

St Joseph, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $78 [ cork; Sy 100% including old-vine material, on granite; hand-harvested ideally at minimum 12 degrees alcohol; 100% de-stemmed; fermented in open-top concrete vessels, cuvaison up to 4 weeks; 12 – 14 months in new and young French oak; www.chapoutier.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, deeper than the Hermitages. Bouquet is very fragrant, the only one amongst the reds to be a touch rustic / bretty, but much less than recent years of this label. Complexed with those savoury notes are florals, cassis, black peppercorn and bottled plums. Palate is quite rich, very dry, savoury, tannic and more like a Cornas wine, reasonably concentrated and long. You'd have to be a bit of a brett-nazi to object to it in this year's Granits, but some in the new world will. Cellar 10 – 25 + years. GK 07/08

2009 Locharburn Pinot Noir 17 ½ + (

)

Pisa, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $35 [ screwcap; no info; www.locharburnwines.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is unequivocal red fruits pinot noir, showing lighter florals in the buddleia to roses spectrum, and subtle oak. Palate is richer than the bouquet supposed, beautiful oaking optimising the red fruits, another wine to suggest the Pommard district of Burgundy. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 09/10

2007 Prophet's Rock Pinot Noir 17 ½ + (

)

Bendigo, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $45 [ cork; hand-picked and sorted; 5% whole-bunch; wild yeast fermentation; 16 months in French oak 35% new; no filtration; RS nil; 975 cases; website a holding page only; www.prophetsrock.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. Initially opened, there is a negative note on the bouquet of this wine, vaguely reminiscent of burning perspex, coupled with over-ripe black passionfruit notes. Yet decanted and breathed, the wine is transformed, fragrant maturing red fruits, not quite floral, but on the palate the slightly tannic cherry fruit again suggests the wine could be floral. Really confusing, so as always, decant for greatest enjoyment. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 09/10

2005 Henschke Cabernet Sauvignon Cyril Henschke 17 ½ + (

)

Eden Valley, South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $133 [ cork; CS 91%, Me 9; 18 months in French oak 100% new; Halliday rates Eden Valley 8 /10 in 2005; www.henschke.com.au ]
Ruby and velvet, more developed than most of the New Zealand wines. Bouquet is lifted on pure alcohol, but is otherwise clean, cassisy and bottled plums, with more oak showing than most. In mouth, the noticeable acid making the oak angular points the finger at Australia, but the wine is almost free of euc'y notes. Cassisy qualities linger attractively, but there is a one-dimensional quality too, making the wine seem simple alongside (for example) the also-alcoholic Ornellaia. To balance that, it is great to see these top Henschke wines now becoming essentially brett-free. Alcohol aside, this should cellar well in an aromatic style reminiscent of a clumsy Pauillac, maybe. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 11/08

2009 Felton Road Pinot Noir Block 5 17 ½ + (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $74 [ screwcap; several clones hand-harvested at varying yields c.2 t/ac; up to 30% whole-bunch; up to 8 days cold-soak, cuvaison up to 23 days, all wild yeast; MLF also wild and 16 months in French oak c. 38% new; no fining or filtration; Blocks 3 & 5 are allocated to all markets, principally fine wine resellers and a mailing list. The latter now has a waiting list to be on it, and members need to order a dozen bottles to secure a maximum of 4 bottles of each Block; www.feltonroad.com ]
Good pinot noir ruby. Initially opened, the wine is reserved, the oak showing on a pinot noir substrate which isn't communicating much. Well breathed, a denser style of pinot noir becomes apparent, more plummy than cherry to initial impression. Palate is similarly plummy, oaky at this stage, so it is a heavier wine than the Block 3. Fruit richness is pretty good, but I'm not sure this will become as graceful as the Block 3. It will certainly cellar well, in its oaky format, 5 – 12 years. GK 09/10

2008 Wild Earth Pinot Noir 17 ½ + (

)

Bannockburn & Lowburn districts, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.8%; $40 [ screwcap; 2008 not on website, if like 2007: hand-harvested; no whole-bunch, some wild yeast; up to 3 weeks cuvaison; c.8 months in French oak 30% new; fined and filtered; www.wildearthwines.co.nz ]
Attractive pinot noir ruby. Harking back to the overseas-originating theme of New Zealand pinot noir not being confuseable with the wines of Burgundy, try this one alongside the Rousseau Clos de la Roche. Both are red roses floral, clear red cherry in the fruit, oaked at a surprisingly similar level, and all in all remarkably alike. The only significant difference is a certain freshness and fleshyness of the fruit in the New Zealand wine. Perhaps this is the result of a shorter time in newer oak, rather than sustained maturation in equally clean but on-average older oak cooperage. The Wild Earth might be slightly higher alcohol, but it is the remarkable similarity which enchants, all the same. I cannot explain the marked discrepancy between today's ranking of this wine, and a review 9 months previously. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 11/10

2006 Kerner Estate Pinot Gris 17 ½ + (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $22 [ screwcap ]
Straw with the faintest salmon flush. Bouquet is delightfully clean, and clearly varietal in the pale white nectarine and pearflesh New Zealand style, with just a hint of cinnamon-like aromatics. Palate firms up on the variety's tell-tale phenolics, but is quite rich, and fairly dry – perhaps around the dry boundary of 7 g/L. Aftertaste is a little phenolic, but that can be hard to escape in a rich 'dry' version of the variety. Cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 03/07

2006 Chanson Meursault Blagny Premier Cru 17 ½ + (

)

Meursault Premier Cru, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $120 [ cork; 13 months in barrel, no detail; nominal website; www.vins-chanson.com ]
Lemon. Bouquet is soft 'sweet' pure oatmealy chardonnay, in predominantly older oak, beautifully ripe, pure and modern, enticing. Palate is smaller scale, but shows Meursault oatmeal and incipient hazelnut to perfection, the wine totally fresh yet the acid harmonious, not noticeable, and the oak optimising the wine, not dominating, scarcely tastable. Lovely more-ish food-friendly chardonnay, to cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/10

2007 Stonyridge Syrah / Mourvedre / Grenache Pilgrim 17 ½ + (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.5%; $80 [ cork; Sy 91%, Mv 4.5, Gr 4.5, trace Vi, hand-harvested; cultured yeast, 10 day cuvaison (2 days cold soak); MLF in barrel, 12 months in French oak only, 30% new initially, then none; not fined or filtered; 75 cases; ‘Deep garnet with good depth of colour. A pretty, fruit forward, bouquet showing complex aromas of blackberry, plum, cassis, liquorice, candied peel and spice and well integrated, classy oak.’; www.stonyridge.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. Bouquet on this wine is straight out of the Rhone Valley, but where ? In the blind line-up it is not dramatically syrah on bouquet, yet it is fragrant and sits with them perfectly. There is a quiet reminder of good modern lighter-year examples of Ch Beaucastel, on nutmeg and black olives fruit including a faint bretty note. Once the label is known, one can readily suppose the black olive character is the mourvedre speaking. Palate is leaner and firmer than the top wines, more the weight of the Weeping Sands, but the complexity of flavour with a clear sage stuffing (+ve) quality stands out. With a little more palate richness and purity, and slightly less acid, this would be a world-class and confusing wine, somewhere between Chateauneuf-du-Pape and Hermitage in style. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 06/09

2007 Destiny Bay [ Cabernets / Merlot ] Destinae 17 ½ + (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.9%; $75 [ cork; CS 35, Me 33, CF 21, Ma 11 (NB these numbers differ from those previously given me), hand-harvested; c. 12 months in American 50% and French oak c. 50% new; third tier wine; www.destinybaywine.com ]
Ruby, the same lighter colour and weight as the 2006 Mystae, but fresher in hue. Bouquet is rather different however, not so much Spanish influence, instead the soft St Emilion-like red fruits of a merlot / cabernet franc blend, clearly floral, younger and attractive. Palate shows the same silky light texture as the 2006, and the balance has some reminders of the 2006 Cheval Blanc shown in the Cabernet / Merlot Forum in Hawkes Bay in January, but it is more oaky. These Destiny Bay wines are supremely finessed, but in a style contrasting dramatically with conventional New Zealand practice. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 06/10

2006 Mount Fishtail Sauvignon Blanc 17 ½ + (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $14 [ screwcap; second label of Konrad; no info ]
Lemongreen. Bouquet is quietly fragrant, with some honeysuckle, red capsicum, sweet basil and black passionfruit, on a suggestion of lees autolysis. Palate is a little phenolic and drier than most, but with plenty of flavour – as in the bouquet. Very competitive Marlborough sauvignon blanc at the price. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 03/07

2006 d'Arenberg Cabernet Sauvignon High Trellis 17 ½ + (

)

McLaren Vale, South Australia, Australia: 14%; $24 [ screwcap; CS 94%, Me 3, PV 3, the Me Adelaide Hills; a small part of the wine BF and lees-matured, some raised in French and American barriques some new, at least half in large old oak; www.darenberg.com.au ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. This one too on opening needs the jug to jug five times treatment. With air it reveals good but still slightly heavy cassis, with the slightest hint of spearmint. Palate is quite rich, clearly cabernet in its texture, the good fruit continuing with no doughnut. Both oak and acid addition are subtle, so the berry lingers attractively in mouth. There is just a hint of almond dulling it slightly. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 07/10

2008 Mudbrick Vineyard Cabernet / Merlot 17 ½ + (

)

Western Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14.2%; $36 [ screwcap; CS 49%, Me 32, Ma 10, CF 9, hand-picked; up to 20 days cuvaison, cultured yeast; some months in older French 80% and American oak; www.mudbrick.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, some carmine. Bouquet benefits from decanting, becoming fresher and more cassisy / aromatic than the merlot-dominant Reserve wine, attractive, Medoc-like, but not a big wine. Palate is leaner than the 2008 Reserve, but there are clear cassis and dark plummy flavours of considerable appeal and length. It is a little richer and riper than the Weeping Sands '07 Cabernet / Merlot. Cellar 5 – 15 + years, for a fragrant bottle. GK 06/10

2006 Vidal Syrah Hawkes Bay 17 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels mostly, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $26 [ screwcap; Sy 100%, all de-stemmed; c. 18 months in oak; www.vidal.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, not as rich as some. Bouquet is gentler on this wine, soft dark red roses and cassis, riper, sweeter and softer than the Craggy Range Block 14, but just as clearly syrah. Palate likewise is a whole dimension softer, richer and rounder than either the Block 14, or the Villa Private Bin. It is nearly as rich as the Esk Black Label, but with more fragrant ripe black peppercorn spice, and slightly more acid. This is lovely syrah at a good price, to cellar 3 – 12 years. VALUE GK 05/08

2009 Villa Maria Syrah Gimblett Gravels Reserve 17 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $60 [ screwcap; 2009 vintage not on the bizarre new website (stripped of all the previous invaluable information) but if similar to 2010: Sy 100% hand-picked @ c.4.35 t/ha (1.75 t/ac), all de-stemmed; up to 42 days cuvaison; MLF and 17 months in French oak 60% new; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, fresh for its age, richer and darker than the 2011 same-label wine. On bouquet, the wine benefits from decanting. If the 2010 McDonald wine hints at a hot year, this 2009 really demonstrates it. In terms of my syrah ripening curve, the berry character here is advanced to blackberry-in-the-sun dominant on a lot of oak. Palate is even more oaky, the fruit rich but losing varietal precision, darkly plummy and blackberry with hints of leather and milk-chocolate, very ripe indeed. It is over-ripe for precise syrah. Nonetheless, the flavours are long and the finish is sustained on fruit as well as oak. Could easily be scored higher, and will be by those liking warmer-climate winestyles. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 06/13

2005 [Te Motu] Dunleavy Cabernet / Merlot 17 ½ + (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13%; $45 [ cork; CS c.62%, Me c.27%, balance CF & Ma, hand-picked @ c.1 t/ac; c.11 days cuvaison, inoculated; MLF and c.22 months in French c.70%, Hungarian c.20% and balance American oak, none new; sterile-filtered; c.350 cases; ‘Current release of second label.’; www.temotu.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, deeper and denser than the 2006 Dunleavy, a little older. Bouquet is rich and fragrant, Graves-like, a tight amalgam of berry, dark tobacco and oak. In mouth the wine is richer and softer than the 2006, with better acid balance. Tasted alongside the 2005 Te Motu, it is simply a junior version of it, all the flavour, balance and style, perhaps not so concentrated but not so oaky either, so it is very pleasing in mouth. This 2005 Dunleavy is a better wine than some Te Motus have been, so it provides a great opportunity to become familiar with the distinctive Te Motu / Dunleavy style. All these wines benefit greatly from decanting and breathing several hours, being careful to present them at a good red wine temperature too (to soften the tannins). Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 06/09

2010 Goldie Wines Cabernets / Merlot Goldie 17 ½ + (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14%; $50 [ screwcap; CS 50%, Me 40, CF 10, hand-harvested usually around 2.5 t/ha = 1 t/ac; MLF and 14 months in all-French oak, 20% new; www.goldiewines.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet. Bouquet is plummy and fruity, a suggestion of brown tobacco, a little different from the other reds, perhaps partly due to the suggestion of desiccated coconut. Palate shows good fruit, fair ripeness though perhaps more redcurrant than one might expect, a certain simplicity. Total achievement compares favourably with the Soho and Mayor reds, but it is oakier than the former and riper than the latter. Should cellar attractively 5 – 12 years. GK 10/12

2007 Squawking Magpie Syrah Gimblett Gravels The Stoned Crow 17 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $40 [ screwcap; no wine info on website; Catalogue: Aged in new French oak, this wine is dark and concentrated showing peppery and toasty oak characters. This wine is seamless, has supple tannins, with a smooth firm and spicy finish; www.squawkingmagpie.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. Bouquet is a clean pure and cassisy berry, fragrant but not exactly floral, attractive. Palate brings up oak (but much less than formerly characterised Squawking Magpie), which firms the cassis, with subtle black pepper aromatics revealing the wine is syrah. This should be much more varietal after three years in cellar, and may merit re-rating if the oak softens. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 07/09

2004 Drouhin Grands-Echezeaux 17 ½ + (

)

Vosne-Romanee Grand Cru, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $238 [ cork; a Drouhin domaine wine, average vine age 25 – 30 years; hand-harvested, fermentation and cuvaison in open wooden vats 18 – 20 days; c. 18 months in barrels understood to be about 1/3 new; Wine Direct the NZ agents; www.drouhin.com ]
Pinot noir ruby, below midway in depth. This is one of the pure wines, with beautiful varietal florals on red cherry fruit, petite in size but very neat. Palate has both cherry and blackboy fruit, a little more juicy and riper than the Charmes, but not quite as aromatic. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 12/06

2004 Chapoutier Ermitage Le Pavillon 17 ½ + (

)

Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $307 [ cork, 50mm; Sy 100%; purchase price c.$292; cropping and wine-making details as in the introductory ‘Background’ section; www.chapoutier.com ]
Good ruby, some velvet, some garnet creeping in, ‘older’ than some wines of greater age. This is a fragrant version of Le Pavillon, light garrigue aromatics and trace brett more on the attractive 4-EG side, all on good cassisy berry starting to brown, and suggesting a temperate year. With air the ratio of berry to oak improved markedly. Palate reflects the bouquet accurately, good crisp cassisy syrah berry, attractive acid balance, good length, not too oaky. I liked this wine more than the group, no positive votes, three least. The wine is around midway on its plateau of maturity, and should cellar 5 – 10 years more. Wine Spectator quality rating for the vintage 90. GK 10/18

2011 Mission Estate Cabernet / Merlot Jewelstone Antoine 17 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $50 [ cork; CS 51%, Me 28, CF 21, hand-harvested at around 5.5 t/ha (2.3 t/ac); inoculated yeast, total cuvaison up to 5 weeks; c.18 months in French oak some new; RS <1 g/L; www.missionestate.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet. The wine opens reductive, and needs splashy pouring from jug to jug half a dozen times. It opens up to a remarkably complex Bordeaux winestyle, Entre-Deux-Mers perhaps, achieving a seamless harmony of the constituent varieties which is unusual in New Zealand. Palate is velvety in a much lighter way than Tom, with a degree of plummy ripeness unexpected for the year, and the oak is subordinate, very well done. Cellar 5 – 12 years, but ventilate it well on opening. GK 06/13

2006 Mt Riley Sauvignon Blanc Seventeen Valley 17 ½ + (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $21 [ screwcap; hand-harvested @ less than 3 t/ac, BF in older oak only (3 yrs +) with wild yeast, 4 months LA, RS 5.3 g/L; www.mountriley.co.nz ]
Lemon. With a little air, bouquet is richer, sweeter and milder than some, black passionfruit and white stonefruits, a touch of oak. Palate is more varietal, some red capsicum in the black passionfruit, the oak much subtler than this label used to be, acid balance good. This is a rich mouthfilling sauvignon, the alcohol well concealed, and showing a good (if maximum) level of oak. Aftertaste is long on both fruit and oak, the latter becoming a little prominent. Cellar 5 – 8 years, which should integrate the wine attractively. GK 03/07

2010 Peregrine Pinot Noir 17 ½ + (

)

Lowburn district 57%, Bendigo 38%, Gibbston Valley 5%, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $37 [ screwcap; nil whole-bunch; 10 months in French oak c.35% new; www.peregrinewines.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby, above midway in depth. Bouquet is classic Central Otago pinot, darkest roses to boronia florals on dark cherry fruit, beautifully pure. I pointed this high on bouquet. In mouth it is a little less, some hard tannins at this stage taking away some of the charm pinot noir should display, and slightly more stalk than the Grasshopper. Highly likely these rough edges will cellar away, though, and the wine should score more highly in five years, since the fruit is good. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 11/12

2004 Pask Cabernet / Merlot / Malbec Declaration 17 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $55 [ ProCork; DFB; CS 55%, Me 30, Ma 15; machine harvested; tail-end BF in 100% new oak 70% French, 30 US; followed by c. 18 months in barrel; www.cjpask.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, but lacking the density of the top wines, implying a cropping rate more akin to the Villa Cellar Selection. Bouquet is first and foremost oaky, with a smokey blueberry and cassis character which in the blind tasting can be confused with syrah. On closer examination, there is plenty of berry, but all aromatic and slightly smokey / bacony (+ve) from the oak. Palate assembles all these components into a slightly austere claret style, austere not only on the oak but also from intrinsically less concentrated fruit. [ Concentration and hence cellar-worthiness of our premium Hawkes Bay blends is becoming a key issue, now producers of premium wines are playing leapfrog with each other on pricing. Even traditionally good-value producers such as Babich have suddenly jumped to $60.] I would doubt the dry extract on this wine matches the Craggy or Villa reserve-level wines. Aftertaste is attractive on cassis and lots of fragrant oak. This will become cedary with age over the next 5 – 15 years, but will run out of fruit sooner than the competing wines. GK 04/06

2001 Howard Park Cabernet Sauvignon 17 ½ + (

)

Great Southern & Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $90 [ cork; DFB; CS 97%, Me 2, CF 1, old vines; 23 months in French oak 100% new; www.howardparkwines.com.au ]
Ruby and velvet, older than many, even allowing for age. Bouquet is fragrantly aromatic on cassis and new oak, in a style reminiscent of Pauillac except there is a hint of mint. Palate is very dry, good cassis going a little brown, but rather more oak than is ideal. Acid balance is harder than many New Zealand equivalents, presumably due to some added, but the enthusiasm for oak is matched by many local, separating them from most Bordeaux. A clearly varietal wine, but not the balance and subtlety of the top examples. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 05/06

2004 Corbans Syrah Hawkes Bay Private Bin 17 ½ + (

)

Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $24 [ screwcap; release July ’06; French oak; www.corbans.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, in the middle for weight. Bouquet is unequivocally syrah, clearly floral with suggestions of buddleia and undertones of honey (a very characteristic feature of good northern Rhone syrah), clear cassis and red fruits, some peppercorn. Palate is similar, slightly stalkier than first thought, but that will mellow into complexity with time in cellar. Not as rich as the top wines, totally Crozes-Hermitage in style, some brett making it very Rhone-like, attractive. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 05/06

2003 Penfolds Cabernet Sauvignon Bin 407 17 ½ + (

)

Coonawarra, Langhorne Creek, McLaren Vale and other districts, southern South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $32 [ cork; CS 100%; 12 months in American and French hogsheads 27% new; www.penfolds.com.au ]
Older ruby, some velvet. Bouquet is softer, rounder and more mellow in style than Bin 707 or the 389, but it still shows clear cassis and dark plum in oak which is potentially cedary. A South Australian cabernet with this much varietal definition would have been feted nationwide in the 1960s (as for example the 1963 Seaview Cabernet Sauvignon or the 1965 Hardys C 546), yet now they are almost routine in the Bin 407 series. Palate is much lighter than the 2002 Villa Cab / Merlot Reserve, and simpler too, but there is an attractive spread of oak-influenced cassis which will mellow beautifully. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 07/06

2004 Drouhin Griotte-Chambertin 17 ½ + (

)

Gevrey-Chambertin Grand Cru, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 13%; $181 [ cork; a Drouhin domaine wine; c. 18 months oak; Wine Direct the NZ agents; www.drouhin.com ]
Pinot noir ruby, but like the Charmes, well above halfway for depth of colour. This is the 'wildest' of the three Chambertins, not exactly bretty, but it is gamey and dark-mushroomy, even a hint of black truffles. Palate has clear red cherry, and even some suggestions of black cherry (one of the few), and the savoury flavours persist attractively. A little richer than the Charmes, but not as pure. Great food wine. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 12/06

2007 Corbans Merlot / Cabernet Private Bin 17 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $25 [ screwcap; website way behind, latest 2004 (which was 66% Me, all French oak 30% new for 11 months); Catalogue: a rich, intense wine. Luscious black doris plum aromas with hints of savoury oak are complemented by soft, silky tannins and ripe fruit flavours; www.corbans.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, dense. Like the Wild Rock wine, this bouquet does not show the complexity of elevage evident in the top examples, but the volume of berryfruit is impressive. On palate there is some marrying-up still needed, and a suggestion of dark olives as if there were malbec, but the volume of berry and the aromatic and potentially tobacco-y flavours are impressive for the price range. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 07/09

2007 Sileni Merlot The Triangle Estate Selection series 17 ½ + (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $35 [ screwcap; Me 100%, 100% de-stemmed; MLF in tank; 14 months in barrel 85% French, 15 American; RS <1 g/L; Catalogue: … plum, dark berry and liquorice flavours, with hints of dark chocolate on the finish. Soft and velvety tannins provide the backbone for a rich wine that will cellar comfortably for a decade; www.sileni.co.nz ]
Ruby. These 2007 merlots from Hawkes Bay are very good. This one is so fragrant there is almost a jujube quality to it, but let's say red roses and red and black plums, with a hint of spice which is almost confuseable with ripe syrah. Palate is still firm, good plummy flavours, gentle oak, all in attractive balance and though not a low cropping rate, the wine is more substantial than many from Sileni. This is the best Triangle Merlot so far. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 07/09

2007 Ngatarawa Merlot / Cabernet Glazebrook 17 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels 89%, Ngatarawa Triangle 11, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $27 [ screwcap; Me 70%, CS 30, hand-harvested from 14-year-old vines; inoculated and fermentation / cuvaison to 21 days; MLF and c. 12 months in French oak 50% new; RS <1 g/L; Catalogue: expresses the character of premium Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon grown on deep gravels in the warmest vineyard sites of Hawke’s Bay; www.ngatarawa.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. Both colour and bouquet on this wine suggest a real turnaround at Ngatarawa, where all too often the wines have been leafy and light, as if overcropped and hence under-ripened. This smells ripe and plump, with an immediate Bordeaux suggestion to it, the interaction of cassis and plum and cedar, with a hint of dark tobacco. Palate is not quite as good, but it is still youthful, with good cassis enriched with dark plum. If this label is this good in 2007, then 2007 Alwyn should really be something to look forward to. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 07/09

2005 Corbans Merlot / Cabernet Sauvignon Private Bin 17 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $25 [ screwcap; website way behind, latest 2004 (which was 66% Me, all French oak 30% new for 11 months; Catalogue: not in; www.corbans.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, surprisingly fresh for its vintage. Sometimes colours skewed to youth bespeak reduction, but not this one. The first impression on bouquet is left-bank claret, with deep cassis, dark bottled plums, and quiet new oak. In mouth it is rich, but tending austere, just like several high-cabernet cru bourgeois St Estephes in a good vintage. This is an intriguingly different Hawkes Bay blend, which needs several more years to even start to open. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 07/09

2007 Vidal Merlot / Cabernet Estate 17 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels and close by, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.8%; $20 [ screwcap; Me 46%, CS 39, CF 12, Ma 3, all destemmed; MLF and 15 months in French and American oak some new; RS nil; Catalogue: aromas of red fruits and spice. The palate bursts with rich black plum, cassis and spice. The wine has a long and smooth finish with supple tannins and fine acidity giving the wine elegance and length; www.vidal.co.nz ]
Ruby. This Estate label is totally in style with their Reserve, a wonderfully fragrant wine with new oak and American oak playing a larger part than in the two sister wineries Esk Valley and Villa Maria, yet the wine is not austere. Palate has the same cassisy and plummy flavours as the Reserve, remarkably so, but as the price would suggest, the wine is not as concentrated. Tasting it alongside the similarly-priced Esk Valley Black Label blend is a great insight into more and less American oak influence on an essentially similar weight and quality of fruit. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 07/09

2005 Squawking Magpie Merlot / Cabernet Sauvignon Gimblett Gravels The Nest 17 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $40 [ screwcap; DFB; Me, CS, Ma, hand-picked; some BF, French oak; website malfunctioning; Catalogue: huge concentration, a firm structure with intense fruit characteristics; Awards: 94/100 Bob Campbell Gourmet Traveller, Gold @ Hawke’s Bay A&P 2006, Gold @ Royal Easter Show 2007; www.squawkingmagpie.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, older than 2005 Tom. Bouquet is very fragrant, showing a lot of cedary oak but with good berryfruit to support it. Palate has cassis and plummy fruit browning a little, all soft and warm, and mellow despite the oak. This is a somewhat different kind of Hawkes Bay blend, more new world in its oakiness, but the quality of oak is sufficient to not intrude too much. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 07/09

2009 Vidal Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot Gimblett Gravels Legacy Series 17 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $60 [ screwcap; CS 76%, Me 24, hand-picked @ c.6.5 t/ha = 2.6 t/ac, all de-stemmed; cuvaison varies from var. to var. up to 35 days; 20 months in French oak 50% new; RS nil; minimal filtration; www.vidal.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a great hue, midway in density. Bouquet is fresh cassis with nearly floral overtones, but the vanillin of new oak is overlapping with the latter component. Palate is just as fresh, not as rich as hoped and rather much new oak, lacking the plummy depth of the top wines, but with great purity and good length. This should cellar well, perhaps to surprise, for 5 – 15 years. GK 06/12

2002 Fevre Chablis les Clos Grand Cru 17 ½ + (

)

Chablis, France: 13%; $119 [ cork; Fevre domaine-holdings wine ]
Pale lemon. Bouquet here is more new world chardonnay, slightly veiled at first but clearing reasonably well to be clearly varietal, suggestions of charry oak, more chardonnay than classical chablis. Palate includes white stonefruits, hints of new oak, some mealy MLF complexity, quite a big wine which could be modern Puligny, the acid a bit odd here, too. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 02/05

2012 Elephant Hill Syrah 17 ½ + (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $34 [ screwcap; includes Gimblett Gravels, Bridge Pa and Te Awanga fruit; 12 months in French oak 30% new; ww.elephanthill.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, towards the deeper end in colour. Bouquet is explicitly floral in this syrah, all flowers and roses, some white pepper, cassisy berry, clean oak. In mouth, the delicacy of the oak handling is a delight, on a lighter palate weight as would be expected of the year. The pepper sweetens to nearly black on palate. This too is elegant wine, as the proprietor's notes say, showing how well syrah can perform in a poor year in Hawkes Bay, given quality viticulture. A remarkable achievement for the vintage, scarcely a thought of stalks, though the proprietors did have to source fruit beyond their cool Te Awanga site. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 06/13

2004 Yann Chave Hermitage 17 ½ + (

)

Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $89 [ cork; available through Maison Vauron, Auckland ]
Ruby, lighter again than the Clonakilla. This was one of the key wines in the international tasting presented by Remington Norman, showing exquisite florals in the wallflower / dianthus spectrum, such as characterises syrah more commonly in its Cote Rotie alter ego. Palate appears lightly red-fruited in the new world company, almost a hint of stalks. 2004 is a more modestly-pitched and straightforward vintage in the northern Rhone, yet the wine is harmonious and refreshing – some might say a little acid. With the current trend to sur-maturité, we are in danger of forgetting the beautiful floral component of syrah varietal specificity, when it is ripened for maximum complexity. This wine was a valuable reminder of that, and a close link to the la Collina too. Cellar 5 – 10 years only, though, for it is petite for Hermitage. 2003 was the year to cellar from Yann Chave, his top Crozes in particular being magnificent. GK 01/07

1998 Tardieu-Laurent St Joseph Vieilles Vignes 17 ½ + (

)

St Joseph, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $ – [ cork; Sy 100%, vines 25 – 60 years old, in 1998 cropped at c. 1 t/ac; implication of similar new-oak elevage to the Cornas; not filtered; R. Parker: Concentrated and impressive, the 1998 St.-Joseph Les Roches was produced from yields of 20 hectoliters per hectare. It exhibits a dark ruby/purple color, high tannin, and mineral-infused, flinty, black cherry and cassis fruit. This medium to full-bodied, backward St.-Joseph requires 2-3 years of cellaring, and will keep for 15 years. 87 – 89 ]
Ruby, some velvet, richer than the Tardieu-Laurent Cornas. This wine needed time to open up too, so decant it well ahead of use. It opens to fragrant berry in which cassis is dominant over darkest plum, plus light pepper / spice. Palate is very dry, but richer and more youthful than the Cornas, with much less brett, but nonetheless just a little plainer. It will cellar for 5 – 10 years more. GK 03/08

2008 Jackson Estate Sauvignon Blanc Stich 17 ½ + (

)

Wairau Valley mostly, some Awatere Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $23 [ screwcap, all s/s, cool ferment extending to 24 days; some LA; RS 3.5 g/L; www.jacksonestate.co.nz ]
Lemongreen, a lovely colour. Bouquet is lifted by threshold VA into a very fragrant Marlborough winestyle showing ripest black passionfruit, but as always with good Marlborough sauvignon there is attractive ripe red capsicum complexity too. Palate is ripe, aromatic, rich and long-flavoured, but not quite as varietal as the Late Chalice wine. Good drinking, cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 05/09

1999 No. 1 Family Estate Cuvée Virginie 17 ½ + (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 12.5%; $58 [ cork; PN & Ch, hand-harvested; c.4 years en tirage; dosage c. 6 g/L; produced in premium years only; 1999 sold out at winery; No 1 Family Estate is Daniel LeBrun himself; www.no1familyestate.co.nz ]
Straw. Bouquet on this wine is showing beautiful yeast autolysis and some development, with cashew-like complexities building on wholemeal baguette aromas. Flavour is very distinctive, more developed and complex than some, an MLF component detectable in a lingering ‘mushrooms on buttered toast’ flavour, rich yet not fruity. There is just a little nip of marmite (from the extended tirage) on the finish, on dosage lower than many, close to the Huia 2001. This is an attractive rich bubbly, with the body to be a good food wine, as well as a satisfying rich aperitif. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 12/06

2008 Martinborough Vineyard Pinot Gris 17 ½ + (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 14.5%; $40 [ screwcap; intensively managed vines with one bunch per shoot to concentrate character, hand-picked; whole-bunch pressed, settled; 50% BF mostly wild yeast, 50% s/s cultured yeast; 9 months LA and some stirring but no MLF for both fractions; RS 4 g/L; www.martinborough-vineyard.co.nz ]
Pale lemonstraw. All the wines above this one in the pinot gris ranking are explicitly varietal, but some perhaps not so finessed as this Martinborough Vineyard one. This pinot gris is exquisitely finely cut, but in the process has lost some varietal vitality and moved towards a grand cru Chablis style of chardonnay. As such it is almost acacia-floral on bouquet, with delicate white stone fruits too. Palate continues the white stone fruits, subtly shaped by both barrel-ferment and lees-autolysis, but I imagine no MLF [ correct ]. Thus in contrast to Larry McKenna's interpretation also from Martinborough, the delicate florals run right into the palate, with not too much clutter. Finish is near-dry, delicate, a wine crying out for scallops. Assuming there is an old-oak barrel-ferment component in this wine, it is an absolute object lesson in how seasoned oak should be used with a subtle variety such as pinot gris. This could be scored at the gold medal level, as chardonnay. Cellar 2 – 8 years. GK 05/09

2008 Waimea Pinot Gris 17 ½ + (

)

Waimea Valley, Nelson, New Zealand: 14.5%; $22 [ screwcap; hand-harvested, whole-bunch pressed; s/s fermentation with cultured yeast and no solids; fermentation stopped at RS 6.8 g/L, then several months LA and stirring; www.waimeaestates.co.nz ]
Straw. Bouquet combines elements of the Babich and Gibbston Valley wines, again illustrating some of the desired characters for New Zealand pinot gris. First and foremost the wine must be floral and fragrant, reflecting its pinot heritage. Then while it should have body, it must not wander too far into the chardonnay style in its elevage (as I grumbled about in Larry McKenna’s latest), which is easy to achieve with such a delicate variety. The white nectarine component of this Waimea wine is delightful. Palate is not quite so good, a little phenolic with sugar to cover that, but here not achieved as well as the Gibbston. Nonetheless the stonefruits linger delightfully, into a ‘riesling-dry’ finish. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 05/09

2008 Pipers Brook Pinot Gris 17 ½ + (

)

Northern Tasmania, Australia: 13.5%; $29 [ screwcap; hand-harvested; short skin contact; some BF; RS not given on winery or Red & White website; www.kreglingerwineestates.com ]
Pale slightly flushed lemonstraw. Wow, here is a real pinot gris from Australia ! This is a complex wine, showing rosepetal and pearflesh characters of pinot gris in exactly the augmented New Zealand style, plus the impression of subtle complexing via old-oak barrel ferment, lees-autolysis, and maybe even a little MLF. The result is fragrant, fresh on perhaps natural acid, and the fruit speaks louder than the winemaking artefact. Even so, it does remind of some New Zealand examples where the thought of chardonnay arises on the attractive body, but here the bouquet takes one back to pinot gris. This is intriguing wine to cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/09

2008 Sacred Hill Merlot Brokenstone 17 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $55 [ screwcap; Me 90%, CS 10, hand-picked; 18 months in French oak, some new; www.sacredhill.com ]
Ruby, some velvet, lighter than the 2007. This is a lighter and prettier wine than the 2007, the plums a little redder. In mouth, it is a little oaky and austere alongside the Black Barn, needing more time in bottle to blossom. It makes an interesting comparison with the 2007, illustrating the difference in the two vintages well. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 10/10

2007 [ Craggy Range ] Wild Rock Chardonnay Hawkes Bay Pania 17 ½ + (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $18 [ screwcap, Ch 100% hand-harvested; whole-bunch fermented in both oak and s/s; 10 months in French oak 30% new; RS 3 g/L; www.wildrockwine.co.nz ]
Pale lemonstraw, younger than the top ‘07s. In the blind line-up, this ended up right alongside the 2008 Craggy Range Gimblett Gravels wine. It seems to show many of the same fruit characters, but all made gentler (I imagine) by less new oak at the outset, more MLF, and the magical extra year to mellow, which so transforms any halfway-decent New Zealand chardonnay. As these Wild Rock wines are rejigged into a brand in their own right, some are moving up in price but others remain good bargains, as for this lovely Hawkes Bay chardonnay. Cellar 2 – 6 years. VALUE GK 05/09

2006 Jules Taylor Sauvignon Blanc 17 ½ + (

)

Wairau & Awatere Valleys, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $21 [ screwcap ]
Lemongreen. Bouquet benefits from splashy pouring, to breathe off a bit of sweat and clog. Aerated, it opens to reveal delightful red capsicum, honeysuckle and black passionfruit classical Marlborough sauvignon. Palate is equally good, great fruit, flavoursome sauvignon drier than some, and not phenolic. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 03/07

2003 Penfolds Shiraz Bin 128 17 ½ + (

)

Coonawarra, South Australia, Australia: 14%; $30 [ cork; 12 months in French oak 20% new, balance older; www.penfolds.com.au ]
Ruby and velvet. Benefits from decanting, to reveal sweet ripe rich fruit spanning the cassis / black doris plum and blueberries spectrum. Like the 2002 RWT, the wine is not euc'y, oaky or over-ripe, instead inclining to a lovely expression of shiraz almost as syrah. Palate brings up the blueberries a fraction, as well as cassis and plum in attractive berry-dominant style. It is a little more aromatic than the RWT, hinting at black peppercorn, and not obviously acid-adjusted on the finish. Though not as rich as the top wines, this is an attractive Bin 128, which will cellar 10 – 20 years at least. Wines don't have to be huge to cellar well, as a current bottle of 1968 Bin 128 (courtesy of Moss Delany) attractively shows. GK 07/06

2003 MadFish Chardonnay 17 ½ + (

)

Great Southern, Western Australia, Australia: 13.5%; $22 [ screwcap; BF, LA and batonnage in 50% new French oak, 10% MLF; www.madfishwines.com.au ]
Lemon. This is a very varietal chardonnay, with clear-cut musk-melon fruit in the Australian style, plus grapefruit and white peaches. The style is closely akin to the Howard Park, but winemaking complexities are less evident. Palate is fruit-dominant, rich, long, well-balanced, perhaps not so completely dry – a gram or two difference, maybe. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 07/06

1999 Te Motu [ Cabernets / Merlot ] 17 ½ + (

)

Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 12.5%; $125 [ cork; CS c.60%, Me c.25%, balance CF & Ma, handpicked @ c.1 t/ac; c.2.5 years in predominantly French and some American oak c.30% new; good crop, long coolish vintage; www.temotu.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, much deeper than the 2001. Bouquet is clear cassis with a suggestion of blackberry, very fragrant and Medoc-like, with cedary overtones to the noticeable oak. It reminds of some St Emilions, or Gruaud Larose from St Julien, the way it used to be in the 1960s when there was new oak. Perhaps there is trace brett complexity here, but it would be churlish to mention it since most 1999 Bordeaux would show similar levels – and the wine is obviously stable in bottle. Palate epitomises the fragrant Te Motu approach, good cassisy fruit, not obviously rich yet deceptively long-flavoured, oak mellowing into the wine, not dominating the finish unduly, a cedary Bordeaux-styled wine. And the classic Bordeaux alcohol level is superb. Cellar 2 – 7 years. GK 06/08

2010 Jean Chartron Puligny-Montrachet Clos de la Pucelle Premier Cru Monopole 17 ½ + (

)

Puligny-Montrachet, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $175 [ cork; hand-harvested, organic vineyard practice; BF in 30% new oak, 12 months LA; www.bourgogne-chartron.com ]
Lemon, the palest of the Chartrons, deeper than the Keltern. Initial impression is of Meursault, a clearly mealy and fruit-dominated wine, softer than several, on pale peach fruit. In mouth the oak is nicely restrained, the flavours are complex but in a simpler lactic way, with thoughts of both wine biscuits and citrus, plus fresh acid. It is nowhere near as rich as Keltern, which is exciting news in the New Zealand chardonnay context. Total impression is of harmonious white burgundy, earlier developing than some, to cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 04/13

2007 Te Mata Viognier Woodthorpe 17 ½ + (

)

Woodthorpe district, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $29 [ screwcap; hand-harvested; c. 70% of the wine 7 months LA and batonnage on gross lees, balance s/s; all oak French third-year or older; c. 6% through MLF; < 2 g/L residual; www.temata.co.nz ]
Palest lemon to lemongreen. Compared with the other whites in the Te Mata release this year, this year's viognier is quieter. There are gentle citrus blossom and canned apricot qualities on bouquet, both soft and ripe. Palate is much rounder and more appealing than the 2006 wine, with fair body and plumpness, but gentle varietal character. Where this wine wins out, in contrast to many New Zealand viogniers, is it does not fall into the tacky pinot gris approach to winemaking. It is pure, it is dry, and it has body. It should be a great food wine, in its subtlety complementing / matching many foods very well. Cellar 2 – 4 years. GK 03/08

2006 Passage Rock Merlot Reserve 17 ½ + (

)

Eastern Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14%; $30 [ screwcap; Me 100%, hand-harvested; 5 days cold soak; 12 months in French oak 80% new; sterile-filtered; www.passagerockwines.co.nz ]
Ruby, tending old for age. Freshly opened, this wine is understated to a fault, coming across as under-ripe and oaky. With decanting and plenty of air, it blossoms into an extraordinary mimic of the Cote Rotie style as if syrah were a large part of it, with clear dianthus florals and cassisy fruit, plus a touch of mint and smokey oak. Palate is firmly cassis, just as confusing, long-flavoured. This will be enjoyable and good food wine, unusual but attractive. My score reflects the fact I like fragrant syrah – the wine could be marked down on atypicity. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 06/08

2010 Jean Chartron Puligny-Montrachet 17 ½ + (

)

Puligny-Montrachet, Burgundy, France: 13%; $102 [ cork; hand-harvested, organic vineyard practice; BF in 25% new oak, 10 months LA; www.bourgogne-chartron.com ]
Lovely lemon, just below midway in depth. Chardonnay rather than the elevation is much more to the fore in this wine, the bouquet showing an almost acacia floral note moreso than the other wines, on attractive pale stonefruits and a touch of vanillin oak. Palate weight is less than the premier cru wines, and the oak is more apparent as the fruit tapers away, but the point of contrast with so many New Zealand chardonnays is the lovely fruit ripeness still evident in this less concentrated wine. It is exactly here that the Escarpment 2011 offerings fail. Length of flavour is good, though the oak is very much part of it. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 04/13

2003 Main Divide Pinot Noir 17 ½ + (

)

Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 13%; $26 [ www.pegasusbay.com ]
A big ruby for pinot noir, but not as weighty as several in this batch. Bouquet is clearcut pinot noir, with fragrant florals reminding of violets and buddleia, on cherry / berry fruit which is a notch more aromatic than the Foxes. There is some blackboy peach below, making it lighter than the Otago wines, but no weaker. Palate is crisply aromatic on black cherry fruit, yet showing the essential texture and even succulence of pinot noir, on beautifully understated oak. Palate weight is not quite as rich as the Foxes or the Pegasus, and the wine is slightly more acid, but the total achievement is attractively varietal. And the quality for price is good – as production of the variety increases, good New Zealand pinot is finally becoming affordable – great news. Cellar 5 – 10 years. Tasted twice. VALUE GK 11/04

2005 Henschke Grenache / Mourvedre / Shiraz Johann's Garden 17 ½ + (

)

Barossa Valley, South Australia, Australia: 15%; $50 [ screwcap; DFB; Gr 68%, Mv 19, Sh 13; Halliday rates Barossa Valley 7 /10 in 2005; www.henschke.com.au ]
Ruby, some velvet, much the same as the Henry's Seven. Bouquet is richer and quieter than the Henry's, but like it shows a freshness and lack of Australian over-ripeness which is enchanting. There is good attractive berry with subtle spicy qualities, but not the florals or finesse of the shiraz-based Henry's. Palate is richer and softer, showing much of the style of Gigondas or Chateauneuf-du-Pape, but a little fleshier / trace jammy, not quite the aromatic complexity, even though there is similar older-oak handling. These two Rhone-style Henschkes make an intriguing pair. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 02/08

2002 Te Motu [ Cabernets / Merlot ] 17 ½ + (

)

Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.5%; $90 [ cork; CS c.60%, Me c.30%, balance CF & Ma, handpicked @ c 1 t/ac; c.2.5 years in predominantly French and some American oak c.30% new; very good crop and summer to follow; www.temotu.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet. Bouquet is lifted on this wine by a touch of VA, to be very fragrant and red plummy, fruit dominant to oak as in the 2005. Palate follows appropriately, plummy as if merlot dominant, the cassis character a bit lost in the complexity. This is one of the best-balanced and rich Te Motus in the set, unless you are sensitive to VA. Many people like the lifted character it introduces. It will cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 06/08

2005 Passage Rock Syrah Reserve 17 ½ + (

)

Eastern Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14.5%; $45 [ screwcap; c. 11 months in barrel 90% American and 60% new, balance French; sterile-filtered; www.passagerockwines.co.nz ]
Rich ruby and velvet. There is a great consistency in the Passage Rock Syrah Reserves, the rich fruit showing both cassis and bottled black doris plum, maturing a little now, all a little on the oaky side with some fragrant brett complexity, but again at an academic level. This is flavoursome and wonderfully rich dry wine which will cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 06/08

2004 Penfolds Shiraz Bin 28 17 ½ + (

)

Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale, Langhorne Creek & Padthaway, South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $30 [ cork; 12 months in older American oak; www.penfolds.com.au ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, fractionally deeper than St Henri. This is a much better Bin 28 than many over the last 15 years, showing signs of a return to the quality of the mid-80s and earlier. The berry is fresh, the stale older cooperage has been freshened up / cleaned out, and critically, there are no brackish notes. The whole wine is a plump boysenberry-styled South Australian shiraz of some richness, a little hard on the finish, but clearly in the Penfolds better style. It will cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 06/07

2002 Girardin Pommard Rugiens 17 ½ + (

)

Pommard Premier Cru, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $104
Rich pinot noir ruby, towards the darker end of the Girardin field, much richer than the average of a set of Rousseaus, for example. Against the set of relatively clumsy de Courcel Pommards, this wine shows exactly what Pommard is about: beautiful cherry liqueur bouquet, some florals but not of the intensity in the Cote de Nuits, but making up for that with the smell of ripe fruit. Yet there is no hint of over-ripeness. Palate is rich, round, firmed with oak older than the grands crus, just slightly tannic (as yet) burgundy which will cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 11/04

2003 Alx.gold Pinot Noir 17 ½ + (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 13%; $24 [ screwcap; Alexandra Wine Co ]
Good pinot ruby. Here is a fine pinot bouquet, highly varietal, beautiful florals hinting at violets and boronia, and red and black cherry fruits. Palate is fresh, crisp, gorgeous mouthfeel though relatively light, capturing many of the nuances of mainstream burgundy (e.g. Volnay Premier Cru), and beautifully oaked. One is tempted to score such a wine more highly, but if some parity to international standards is to be maintained, 17.5 it is. The marketing name is ill-chosen. Cellar 5 – 10 years. VALUE GK 09/04

2011 Escarpment Pinot Noir 17 ½ + (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $51 [ screwcap; a slightly cooler season than 2011; 60% Te Muna Road, mix of clones, 55% whole bunch (increase), wild yeast, c.18-day cuvaison; c.11 months in French oak, 30% new; www.escarpment.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, right in the middle of the Escarpment batch. Bouquet is sweetly floral, a lovely expression of pinot florality deeper than buddleia, more roses and a thought of violets, on red and black cherry fruit, plus great purity. Flavours match exactly, softer wine than the 2010, less tannin, earlier developing. If anybody ever doubted that Marlborough and Martinborough should theoretically / climatically be able to make the same quality of pinot noir given sites of similar geological nature, compare this 2011 Martinborough wine with The Black Grape Society's The Marlborough – there is exciting complementarity. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 04/13

2005 Forrest Cabernet Sauvignon John Forrest Collection 17 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $70 [ screwcap; DFB; CS 98, Me 2%, hand-harvested @ 1.5 – 2 t/ac; French oak 33% new; coarse-filtered only; 350 cases; not on website yet; www.johnforrest.co.nz ]
Ruby, a suggestion of carmine and velvet, the lightest in this set. This wine opens a little veiled by a trace of pure H2S – all it needs is a brisk pouring from jug to jug five times. Transformed. Then there is aromatic cassis dominating slightly charry oak, all looking good. Palate is exactly the same, but lighter than the top wines. This is another wine with a lot of Bordeaux styling to it, though not exactly reflecting its cabernet dominance. It tastes softer, and further east. Well-breathed it rates 18, the cassis and red plum fruit fragrant. Being under screwcap though, the reductive note is a worry. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 05/07

2006 [ Escarpment ] The Edge Pinot Gris 17 ½ + (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $23 [ screwcap; hand-picked; all s/s, no MLF, stop-fermented @ 6 g/L; pH 3.1; www.escarpment.co.nz ]
Lemon. Bouquet is transparently pinot gris, fragrant in a slightly cramped way, only just hinting at yellow florals, but with clear pearflesh. Palate shows clear pinot-family flavour and body, but with a suggestion of hardness from phenolics making it taste slightly stalky, offset by subtle residual sugar. Net impression is dry, firm, and reasonably well-bodied, a little phenolic, but clearly varietal. Cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 10/07

2009 Te Mata Syrah Bullnose 17 ½ + (

)

Bridge Pa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $50 [ cork; 3 clones of syrah hand-harvested, 100% de-stemmed; extended cuvaison; 15 months in French oak 35 – 40% new; www.temata.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, one of the lightest. Initially opened / at the tasting, this wine did not have a lot to say, no faults, just lacking, nice oak. Well-breathed, it opens up into the classical Bullnose style, wallflower florals and cassisy berry, high-quality oak, not the weight of fruit of the top wines, or notably the second-label commercial Church Road for example, but stylish, firm, aromatic. Leave this in cellar a while, to muster its resources. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 07/12

2009 Hopes Grove Syrah 17 ½ + (

)

Pakipaki (SE of Bridge Pa Triangle), Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $45 [ screwcap; hand-picked; small percentage whole-bunch, wild-yeast ferment; MLF and 20 months in French oak, 33% new; RS < 1 g/L; not filtered; 70 cases; website lacks wine information; www.hopesgrove.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, around midway in depth. This wine benefits from decanting, to reveal a more complex and winey bouquet than most in the set. In style it is a little more traditionally European, not as sparkling clean and fresh as the top wines. Palate continues the 'complex' thought, some savoury and rustic qualities, good richness and berry fruit, nicely balanced oak, good length. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 07/12

2005 Craggy Range Merlot Sophia 17 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $ – [ cork; DFB; Me 62%, CF 34, CS 4; hand-harvested at 6.9 t/ha (2.75 t/ac) from vines average vine age 6 years; 80% new French barriques for 19 months; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby and velvet, clearly older than the 2007 Villa Maria Merlot / Cabernet Reserve. Bouquet is oaky freshly opened, and stays oaky with air. Below is great plummy merlot fruit, the wine softer and more plummy than the cassis-infused 2007 Villa Reserve. Both however show the exuberant oak and less subtle New Zealand red winemaking typical of only a few years ago (and still too prevalent). The quality of fruit in this Sophia is first class, so one will be able to watch its evolution, and the tussle between fruit and oak, for many years to come. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 05/13

1996 Lanson Gold Label Brut 17 ½ + (

)

Reims, Champagne, France: 12.5%; $99 [ cork; PN 50%, Ch 50; no MLF; www.lansonpf.com ]
Straw. Bouquet is clearly autolysed into wholemeal baguette characters on fair fruit, initially promising. As one goes back and forth between the wines, this one looks a little broader than many, with a faintly aldehydic complexity around the edges of the breadcrust. Palate is crisper than the bouquet suggests, total acid noticeably higher than most of the vintage wines (as befits a non-MLF wine), and dosage is lower. All a bit confusing therefore, with some of the characters reminding of old-fashioned Bollinger, rather than Lanson, which is normally so fresh. Will become very flavoursome in bottle, and is more a food wine than a light aperitif one. Cellar 5 –10 years. GK 12/06

2010 Craggy Range Syrah Gimblett Gravels 17 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $32 [ screwcap; Sy 97%, Vi 3; hand-harvested @ 7.5 t/ha = 3 t/ac; 100% de-stemmed, wild-yeast fermentation in open-top s/s fermenters; 16 months in French oak 25% new; no fining, filtered; RS <2 g/L; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a little above midway in depth. Bouquet shows exquisite purity, and clear-cut floral qualities even with a hint of carnations, but mostly wallflower and dark roses. Palate is darker than the bouquet suggests, deeply plummy, very dry, surprisingly (delightfully) little oak, a much subtler winestyle than the earlier Block 14 Syrah (as this wine was earlier labelled). Black pepper comes in on the later palate, with just a thought of stalk reflecting the cooler year. On this showing, the wine is not quite together yet, and may merit re-ranking. It is close to the Mission Jewelstone in its oaking, but less ripe and rich, and total acid is up a little. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 06/12

2009 Vidal Syrah Gimblett Gravels Legacy Series 17 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $70 [ screwcap; Sy 100% hand-harvested @ c.2.6 t/ac, all de-stemmed; cold soak, wild yeast initially, cuvaison up to 25 days; MLF and c.20 months in French oak 33% new; RS nil; minimal fining and filtration; www.vidal.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, the same hue exactly as the '09 Reserve Series, but above midway in depth, a greater concentration of colour. This wine smells riper than the Reserve Series, with blueberry notes in a very clean nearly floral bouquet. In mouth there is more and riper fruit, and much more oak than the mid-range wine, so the nett result is it seems less spicy and varietal (other than oak spice). It should marry up well, and many do like this ripe blueberry phase of varietal expression. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 06/12

2005 Stonyridge Syrah / Mourvedre / Grenache Pilgrim 17 ½ + (

)

Waiheke Island, New Zealand: 13.5%; $115 [ cork; French and American oak, some new; www.stonyridge.com ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, a good rich colour. Bouquet is floral and fragrant with an aromatic edge to it, a character which I think I'm going to start calling 'kanuka oil', as in brushing through kanuka scrubland on a hot sunny Northland day. [ Though kanuka is Myrtaceae like eucalyptus, this aromatic oil is much more fragrant, garrigue-like and subtle, compared with the menthol-laden euc'y taint. If we are honest, we have to question why garrigue complexity is seen as positive in Rhone wines, and eucalyptus is seen (by some of us) as negative, even in Australian wines. I would argue it is a question of degree, and once menthol is above any kind of threshold, it is not at all winey. ] Back to the Pilgrim … There is clear freshly-cracked black peppercorn complexity, on aromatic dark plum and cassis berry. Palate is very aromatic, oak to the fore now, and palate weight is good by northern Rhone or good Hawkes Bay standards. Physiological maturity of some of the grapes (the mourvedre maybe) just escapes a complex stalky / savoury herbes component, but trying to fully ripen mourvedre and grenache on Waiheke (or even in Hawkes Bay) is a huge ask. TA is up a bit, therefore. This is intriguing wine, diabolical for options exercises. Cellar 5 – 12 years or so, though the price is excessive. GK 05/08

nv Veuve Clicquot Brut 17 ½ + (

)

Reims, Champagne, France: 12%; $82 [ cork; PN 55%, Ch 30, PM 15; www.veuve-clicquot.com ]
A lighter colour, pale lemon. Bouquet is mainstream good champagne, without quite the precise complexity and beauty of the Pol Roger or the Bollinger. The autolysis is good but a little more diffuse and biscuitty, and the fruit is pretty good, not quite as fine as the Pol NV. Palate is fresh, firm acid, good flavours, slightly more phenolic than the Pol, drier on dosage than many. Cellar to 15 years. GK 12/06

2006 Martinborough Vineyard Syrah / Viognier Limited Edition 17 ½ + (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 14%; $48 [ screwcap; Sy 95%, Vi 5, hand-harvested; 6-year old vines, but first significant crop; 21 days cuvaison; c. 12 months in French oak 25% new, balance 1 & 2-year; not fined or filtered; www.martinborough-vineyard.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, a little lighter than the Sabarotte. Like 2006 le Sol, this is a syrah on the lighter and gentler side, the first thing to strike one being the fragrance of the bouquet. It is both floral and peppery, clearly both white pepper and black, in the blind tasting bouquet alone flagging it might be a cooler-climate syrah. There is another dimension in the florals too, a hint of honeysuckle maybe, raising the thought of viognier. Palate is extraordinarily burgundian, the lift of Cote de Nuits, the florality on bouquet extending right through the palate, the acid fresher than the Villa Cellar Selection matching blend or the Sabarottes, but less than the Craggy Block 14. All in all, therefore, this is beautifully Cote Rotie in styling, adding another string to the New Zealand bow with syrah. It is going to be a good food wine in a few years, and cellar 5 – 12. GK 05/08

2002 Castano Pozuelo Crianza 17 ½ + (

)

Yecla DdO, Spain: 13.5%; $18 [ cork; Mv 70%, Sy 15, CS 10, Te 5, 10 months in US oak; www.bodegascastano.com ]
Ruby and velvet. Bouquet is first and foremost ripe dark red fruits, and winey, with mellow oak. Closer examination reveals a hint of brett, giving it a savoury and pleasant edge, and the whole wine just smells sun-drenched and delicious. Palate is likewise ripe in a mourvedre very dry style, black fruits and black olives, balanced gentle oak, long and lingering on grape tannins much softer than the Coleccion. This will cellar well, 5 – 15 years, becoming more velvety. VALUE GK 03/06

2003 Mount Difficulty Pinot Noir Target Gully 17 ½ + (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $73 [ screwcap; clones 10/5 and others 9 years, harvested @ c 1.8 t/ac; 12% whole bunch, 5 day cold soak, wild yeast fermentation, up to 24 days cuvaison; 13 months in French oak 40% new; no Cooper, so GK: this Mt Difficulty is simply one of New Zealand's greatest pinots yet. My top wine of the entire 2007 Pinot Noir Proceedings 19 +; Robinson '05: This bottling from a single, relatively high vineyard is much deeper coloured and at the moment less distinctive and expressive than the regular bottling. Presumably it will unfurl and overtake the other wine with time. 18; www.mtdifficulty.co.nz ]
Perfect pinot noir ruby, the palest of the wines, more how a grand cru Rousseau 2003 would be showing. Once aired, the bouquet is the most floral and most beautiful wine in the set, but not for long. There are clear rose grading to boronia floral qualities, on red more than black cherry fruits. It is arguably the most perfectly ripe of the top wines, lacking the hint of leaf in the Richardson, yet more fragrant and piquant than the Kupe. Then it fades. In mouth this wine is now a little past its peak, and is drying a little. Fruit has an autumnal quality to it, some browning in the red cherry. As the fruit fades, the oak will become less subtle. I'd hoped for more from this, in earlier reports, but perhaps the cropping rate / dry extract is not quite at the level needed for long ageing. Kupe is setting a good lead, in this respect. GK 11/13

1998 Martinborough Vineyard Pinot Noir Reserve 17 ½ + (

)

Martinborough Terrace, Martinborough, Wairarapa, New Zealand: 13.5%; $201 [ cork 49mm, ullage 16mm; original price c.$95; grapes from the original Martinborough Vineyard plantings, Cleland's Vineyard (now used in Escarpment Kiwa), and the MacCreanor Vineyard (now used in Escarpment Pahi), all on the defined Martinborough High Terrace; winemaker Larry McKenna; winemaking, see Table; Jamie Goode, 2001: This is a much 'bigger', more structured wine than the standard Pinot Noir. The nose is quite intense, with complex meaty, medicinal notes, cherry fruit and toasty oak. The lovely complex palate shows ripe fruit, some tannin and very savoury spicy oak notes. Quite intense. Very good/excellent; Cooper 2002: … a warm smoky, spicy and complex bouquet. Mouthfilling, with a strong oak influence and a firm tannin backbone, it’s a very serious wine with concentrated, sweet fruit characters and notable complexity. It’s still developing and needs time to mellow, *****; Raymond Chan. 2013: Dark coloured, but with maturity showing, this has richness, intensity, ripeness and lovely harmony. A little VA lift, quite positive for it, the palate with fruit-cake, cedar, secondary and tertiary dried herb and stalk complexities, plus definite oak, all underlined by soft tannins and some alcoholic power. In great condition and at its peak, 19; weight bottle, no closure 913 g; www.martinborough-vineyard.co.nz ]
Ruby and garnet, a lovely rosy colour, the third lightest. There is much more bouquet on this wine than the Volnay or the Wither Hills, both near-floral pinot noir qualities but also the pennyroyal nearly-mint quality I find in Martinborough wines surprisingly often, on red fruits showing some age now, plus noticeable cedary oak aromatics. Palate has the lift and aromatics of the Cote de Nuits, but relative to the fruit weight, more oak than is optimal. Greater dry extract is needed to carry this much new oak. The nett impression is clearly varietal but oaky wine, the wine showing a measure of excitement. One person had this as their top wine, but five as their least. On the country of origin, New Zealand 15, France three. Harking back to the 2011 Pasadena taste-off to a degree copying the 1976 Judgement of Paris tasting (for bordeaux), the 1990 Domaine de la Romanee-Conti La Tache then included is today valued by wine-searcher at $NZ11,547. At this distance one can venture the view that the outcome of any such 'judging' depends on the judges, and that in any line-up of as many as 20 wines, for less-skilled judges, more oaky wines tend to stand out ... for the wrong reasons. The wine will hold, but is on the brink of drying, I suspect. GK 09/19

2011 Mission Estate Syrah Reserve 17 ½ + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $30 [ supercritical cork; not on website, if like 2012: Sy 100% (though some years have had c.2% Vi); cuvaison extending to 30 days; MLF in tank; 6 – 8 months in French oak c.25% new; www.missionestate.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, some carmine, medium weight. Benefits from decanting, to reveal a darkly floral, cassisy and richly plummy bouquet, with oak beautifully in the background. Palate has juicy berry flavours and texture, cassis, some black pepper, total acid slightly higher, not a big wine but one showing good varietal expression. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 06/13

2007 Craggy Range Viognier 17 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.9%; $37 [ screwcap; hand-harvested at just over 1 t/ac; whole-bunch pressed, fermented in older French oak with cultured yeast, < 20% underwent MLF; 6 months LA in barrel; pH 3.44, RS <2 g/L; 130 cases; www.craggyrange.com ]
Pale lemon. Bouquet is clearly viognier, not big but in a light way unarguably yellow honeysuckle florals and fresh and canned not-quite-ripe apricot aromas. Viognier is a variety where achieving the key varietal characters is paramount, but aroma and flavour come late in the ripening curve, so in most seasons one has to accept highish alcohol – though whether as much as this wine might be debatable. The still-fairly-new oak is at a maximum here, as it frequently is with Guigal, and made more noticeable via the high alcohol, but the wine is saved by the good lees-autolysis and partial MLF, which nearly smoothes out the oak and grape phenolics into desirable breadcrust artefact. Yet through all this, the light varietal apricot persists. As we are showing with syrah, the best sites in Hawkes Bay promise great potential to climatically match the northern Rhone, and achieve real florality in the key grapes syrah and viognier. This wine has come together well since its release last year, but needs more varietal flavour and less phenolics. Young vines, I guess, but perhaps over-ripened too – the pinot gris syndrome. Cellar 1 – 3 years. GK 04/09

1967 Penfolds Grange Hermitage Bin 95 17 ½ + (

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Barossa Valley (including Kalimna Vineyard), Clare Valley (first year used), Magill Estate (Adelaide), South Australia, Australia: – %; $2,176 [ cork, 50mm; Sh 94%, CS 6; ferment completed in new American oak, then 18 months in 100% new American oak hogsheads; release price <$AU10; first produced, 1951; winner of J Watson Trophy, Melbourne Wine Show, 1968; thought of as a lighter style; Penfolds website: NOSE: Fresh plum/dried-fig/meaty/ground coffee/Provencal herb/liquorice aromas with traces of mint; PALATE: The palate is elegantly structured with plum/meaty/ground coffee flavours and fine, grainy, slightly leafy tannins. Finishes chalky firm but long and fruit sweet; Halliday, 1994: a wine which instantly proclaims its quality on its bouquet which is firmer, richer and more complex and concentrated than the three vintages which followed it. The palate, too, reveals a substantial wine, powerful, structured and concentrated with flavours of briar, forest, dark berry fruits and bitter chocolate all there. Well-balanced and integrated oak, *****; Robinson, 2011: Very slightly porty nose. Richly syrupy. Very sweet finish. Molten blackcurrant fruit gums. ... originally I gave it 17.5. But it’s looking very good, 18; bottle courtesy of Ray Martin, Lower Hutt; www.penfolds.com ]
Ruby, garnet and velvet, deeper than the 1967 Bin 707, midway in depth. Bouquet shows the complexity of fully mature rich shiraz wine, browning darkest plummy fruit and berry, suggestions of roast chestnuts, mushrooms and leather, just a hint of complexing decay, and a lot of tannin and complexed oak. The oak is well married in, but it is simply excessive. Palate is drier than expected, the chestnutty oak flavours standing firm all through the rich browning berry, not displeasing exactly, but it would be a better and more harmonious wine if the balance were in favour of fruit. The richness is still remarkable, as is always the case with Grange. As you sip on it, you do wonder if it would sit happily with many foods, or even if a second glass would be as good as the first. A fully mature wine now, but no hurry to finish up, if the older flavours are liked. One taster rated 1967 Grange their top wine, and three their second favourite. GK 09/17

2008 Cable Bay Gewurztraminer Marlborough 17 ½ + (

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Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $23 [ screwcap; s/s wine, some LA; ‘A medium-dry style with attractive rose petal and Turkish Delight characters, and seductive texture. “Top 5 Wines under $30” Rec. Mindfood, Nov 2008’; www.cablebayvineyards.co.nz ]
Good lemon. Bouquet is sweet and fragrant, with clear nearly tropical floral notes such as wild ginger blossom, on clear-cut lychee fruit. There is only the slightest hint of the more spicy citronella varietal complexity. Palate is lychee from one end to the other, plus some attractive firmness from gewurztraminer terpenes and phenolics, and an attractive residual sugar / acid balance at the upper end of ‘riesling dry’. Not a dramatic gewurz, but a very more-ish one, well-suited to Asian foods. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 06/09

1998 Courbis Cornas La Sabarotte 17 ½ + (

)

Cornas, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $ – [ cork; Sy 100%, all de-stemmed; aged c. 16 months in French oak up to 65% new, balance 1-year; so wine-making is 'modern'; Parker 2001: 91 The saturated black/purple-colored 1998 Cornas La Sabarotte offers aromas of pure creme de cassis, blackberries, and toasty smoky oak. With sweet tannin, superb texture, and impressive concentration and density, it should be drinkable in 2-3 years, and last for 18 years. Very impressive!; L-L 2005: *** Bouquet mixes fruit with animal aspects. Has a masculine density. Probing black flavour, good depth, tannic support. Good length, some final heat. Gutsy, promising; imported by Maison Vauron, Auckland. ]
Ruby, the second to youngest colour. Bouquet is clean, varietal, the only wine without some elements of rusticity about it, which gets it off to a flying start relative to the field. But even so, it is not the inspiring side of syrah, no floral beauty, but there is fragrant cassis grading to dark plum, and a hint of attractive plum tart just reminding it was a warm season, but not implying the wine is cooked at all. Palate is fresh, crisp, the tannins surprisingly youthful and all a little new-oaky, the finish initially really hard and tannic – distressingly so for some, but it softened with air. This wine needs another five or so years to soften, but is sufficiently pure to do so, and then be a good representative of the district. Well worth cellaring 5 – 15 years. GK 04/09

2010 Rod McDonald Wines Merlot / Cabernet Franc Two Gates 17 ½ + (

)

Hastings & Maraekakaho districts, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $32 [ screwcap; Me 60%, CF 35, CS, Sy & Ma the balance, all hand-picked, Me the Hastings part; 28 days cuvaison; 22 months in French oak 30% new, RS < 1g/L; www.rmwines.co.nz ]
Older ruby, the fourth to lightest. The wine benefits from decanting, to reveal a gentle and fragrant red fruits bouquet clearly reminiscent of the East Bank. It is great to see the concept of Hawkes Bay blends expanding to embrace the gentler and fragrant wines on the other side of Bordeaux. This one smells clearly of Cotes de Castillon. In mouth there is much more to it, lovely red fruits in which one can recognise the raspberry and red cherry of cabernet franc as well as quite rich plummy qualities of merlot. And there is nearly a hint of cassis. The cropping rate is honest here, unlike some of the wines in this review. Notwithstanding the colour, the wine is quite plump, with lovely length. In fact the more I tasted it, the more I liked it. On palate it therefore graduates to a Saint-Emilion style proper. Cellar 3 – 12 years, for great enjoyment with food and the opportunity to reminisce about confusing claret with burgundy. GK 06/14

2008 [ Stonyridge ] fallen Angel Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough 17 ½ + (

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Wairau & Awatere Valleys, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $32 [ screwcap; RS 4.9 g/L; no info on website; ‘This Sauvignon Blanc has a generous nose showing ripe aromas of passionfruit, citrus and tropical fruit - pineapple and lychee.’; www.fallenangelwines.com ]
Lemongreen. Bouquet has a little free SO2 still to marry away, below which are quite complex floral and fruit notes including white elderflower, honeysuckle, black passionfruit, honeysuckle and suggestions of basil and red capsicum. Palate is still a bit hard on the extra S02, but fruit is good, extending the bouquet. Finish is slightly above the standard Marlborough ‘sauvignon dry’ level, so this wine too is a ‘popular’ presentation. Cellar for several years, to taste. GK 06/09

2007 Passage Rock Syrah 17 ½ + (

)

Eastern Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13%; $32 [ screwcap; hand-picked; 10 months in oak, mostly American 35% new; 800 cases; ‘Aromas of blackberry plum and black pepper supported by toasty vanillin oak and beautifully balanced tannins.’; www.passagerockwines.co.nz ]
Ruby. Bouquet is smokey oak first, a little aggressive after the supple bouquets of the top wines. Underneath is cassis. This cassis carries on into the flavour, but whether the wine is cabernet or syrah is not obvious immediately. There is quite a lot of oak including American, yet in mouth black pepper qualities emerge in the berry and are attractive on the later palate. This seems to be a totally different wine now, riper and softer than the impression and lower score I rated it a year ago – unfortunately (see comment in the 2008 Awaroa Syrah review). Though it is not a big wine, it should cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 06/09

2006 Passage Rock Syrah Reserve 17 ½ + (

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Eastern Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14.5%; $50 [ screwcap; hand-picked; c.25 days cuvaison; 12 months in barrel, 90% American and 60% new, balance French; sterile-filtered; not in catalogue; www.passagerockwines.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet. This is a more youthful wine than the 2005 Syrah Reserve, showing good cassis, bottled black doris plums and black pepper, all in the same oaky style. It seems just as rich, though in general 2006 was a lighter year [ this may not be true for wineries on the south-eastern peninsulas, since Destiny Bay rate their 2006s as highly as 2005 ]. Brett is less noticeable, but oak persists through the palate. It should cellar a little more harmoniously than its predecessor, 5 – 10 years. GK 06/09

2015 Sacred Hill Syrah Deerstalkers 17 ½ + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $56 [ cork 50mm; Sy 100% MS clone planted at an average 2,775 vines per hectare, and average age 14 years at harvest, all hand-picked at 6 t/ha = 2.4 t/ac; 30% whole-bunches retained, 5 – 7 days cold soak, both wild-yeast and cultured ferments; 25 – 30 days cuvaison, MLF in tank; 6 months in French oak, 30% new, before assembly, then 8 + months in barrel afterwards; sterile-filtered to bottle; dry extract withheld; production 490 x 9-litre cases; weight bottle and closure: 702 g; JR@JR, 2017: Pale mulberry colour. Pale rim. Full and almost bloody on the nose. Very round with light peppery notes. Dry tannins on the end. Definitely needs food! Could do with just a little more freshness, to 2021, 16; JC@RP, 2019: Sun-warmed stones, peppercorns and cedar all feature on the nose of the 2015 Deerstalkers Syrah. Sourced from the Gimblett Gravels, this is a medium-bodied but ripe example, with smooth, supple tannins and slightly plummy blueberry flavors that linger on the silky finish, to 2028, 92; R. Chan, 2017: The nose is very full and softly voluminous with very ripe fruit aromas of blackberries with notes of black plums and suggestions of boysenberries, along with a very fine amalgam of liquorice, spices and cedary oak. The array of aromatics is spectacular. Medium-full bodied, the palate possesses intensely rich and vibrant, concentrated flavours of blackberries, dark raspberries and black plums, with nuances of blue fruits and liquorice. The mouthfeel has vitality and the sweet fruit is enhanced by fresh acidity, and supported by fine-grained tannin structure and extract, providing fine textures and grip. The fruit has soft and refined density and linearity, and carries to a very long and sustained finish of black fruits and spices. This is a stunning and sweetly rich, vibrant and fully-structured Syrah with an array ripe fruit flavours and cedary oak complexity, to 2027, 19.5; www.sacredhill.com ]
Magenta and velvet, midway in depth. Bouquet is complex, dusky dark rose florals but lifted with a touch of dianthus, some sweet black pepper, and good dark berry the exact character of which is somewhat obscured by rather a lot of nearly cedary oak. Oak becomes more noticeable on palate, but the depth of cassisy berry is quite good, and nearly carries it. Compared with the Deerstalkers Syrahs of 10 years ago, this is a much more appropriate styling of syrah, the wine much more grape-dominant. This trend could desirably be continued. As always however, (New World) tasters like oak, two first places, three second. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 11/19

2005 Mudbrick Merlot / Cabernets Reserve 17 ½ + (

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Western Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.8%; $50 [ screwcap; DFB; Me, CF, CS, hand-picked; 14 months in French oak; ‘Rich and full-bodied, exhibiting lush aromas of ripe forest berries, crushed violets and smoky oak. Gold Medal - Bragato’; www.mudbrick.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, clearly older than most. There is quite a premium Australian cabernet turn to this wine, the bouquet being rich and fragrant fruit but in a browning cassis style with oak noticeable. Palate is softer, and acid balance better than many, with rich melding berryfruit including cassis, cedary oak, all very fragrant. The oak returns to intrude a little on the finish, though. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 06/09

2015 Escarpment Pinot Noir Kupe 17 ½ + (

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Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $90 [ screwcap; 16-year old vines, Kupe vineyard on Te Muna Road, south-east of Martinborough proper; fermented in wooden cuves, cuvaison not given, 18 months in French oak 50% new; RS < 1 g/L, dry extract 27.7 g/L, not filtered; www.escarpment.co.nz ]
Big pinot noir ruby, the second deepest wine. This is an unusual wine, leading with a clear savoury herbes aromatic note immediately suggesting thyme and Central Otago, followed by prominent citrus-skin oak as often encountered in Riojas. Thus the wine is fragrant, but on a bouquet which is not immediately pinot noir varietal. Palate straightens things up a good deal, revealing supple red grading to black cherry fruit of some richness and length, the oak sweet, very fragrant, and soft so it does not intrude on the palate as much as the bouquet suggests it will. This is distinctive wine for the long haul, but unusual with reference to either Burgundy or New Zealand. It fits in with a tempranillo Pomal style from Rioja, or Ribera del Duero. Hence I have some reservations in scoring it highly. McKenna regards Kupe as his flagship wine. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 06/17

2015 Decibel Pinot Noir 17 ½ + (

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Martinborough, New Zealand: 14%; $42 [ screwcap; 25-year old vines in Martinborough proper, hand-picked; wild-yeast fermented with 18% whole bunches; 10 months in French oak none new, 30% one-year; not filtered; owner / winemaker is Daniel Brennan = DB = dB = Decibel; www.decibelwines.com ]
Lightish pinot noir ruby, in the fourth quarter for depth. Initially opened the wine is mute. Decant it. It opens to a beautiful expression of dusky red rose florality on red grading to black cherry fruit, smelling supple and lightly oaked. Palate is in perfect harmony with the bouquet, the florals extending right into the flavour, giving a sensuous charm to the cherry fruit. Subtlety of oaking is great. This is not a big wine, but it falls into a darker Volnay style, highly varietal. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/17

2002 Penfolds Shiraz RWT 17 ½ + (

)

Barossa Valley, South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $198 [ cork; original price $NZ169; Sh 100%; 14 months in French oak 66% new, 34% 1-year; first vintage 1997; RWT = Red Winemaking Trial; website wonderful for its back-vintage information, would that more wineries followed this lead, but locating the release key for the .pdfs at the foot of the schedule of vintages not obvious; J Halliday, 2005: Deep colour; lots of new French oak on both bouquet and palate, but also plenty of dark fruits; very good mouthfeel and texture, ripe tannins; given the benefit of the oak doubt. Quality cork, but, surprisingly, stained: 94; Lisa Perrotti-Brown @ R Parker, 2015: ... presents a lovely aromatic core of fragrant berry preserves, plums and kirsch, anise and a touch of incense. Full-bodied, concentrated and taut, this is still very youthful with lively acid and a firm, fine tannic backbone to support the very long finish: 95; weight bottle and closure: 599 g; www.penfolds.com ]
Rich ruby, some garnet, and velvet, the freshest of the Australians. Bouquet is rich, sweet, ripely plummy, a big fragrant wine which is only slightly euc'y, and not crassly boysenberry, attributes which serve it well in an overseas blind tasting. At the blind stage it shares much with the Esk, both being powerful wines and maybe syrah / shiraz (on the first run through). In mouth however the wines diverge, the RWT immediately more hot climate, spirity, blueberry and moist prunes rather more than plums, with a malty quality thickening the wine, but not illuminating it. The Esk is infinitely fresher and more vibrant. Both wines show far too much oak, even if it is fine French oak, by Northern Rhone fine-syrah standards. In the later flavour a hint of devaluing Australian boysenberry creeps in, but even so, the whole wine is a pleasing package conveying careful winemaking, within its climatic (and oak) limitations. Both will cellar for many years, 5 – 20 years say, though the Esk will end up much the fresher wine. Three people had this as their second favourite wine, and there was less doubt as to what it was than for any other wine – shiraz. GK 09/16

2008 Babich Chardonnay Irongate 17 ½ + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $ – [ supercritical cork = Diam 45mm; 100% clone mendoza typically harvested at 6 t/ha (2.4 t/ac); BF with wild yeasts in French oak 25% new, 11 months LA and batonnage, typically without MLF; RS 1.5 g/L; www.babichwines.co.nz ]
Full straw. Bouquet is less focussed and crisply varietal than the 2011, but still beautifully clean yellow stonefruits, with gentle oak. Palate reveals the oak a little more, but it is a bigger wine than the 2002, still with flesh. Just a little past its peak of maturity, but it has the richness to hold for some years yet, say 2 – 6. GK 07/16

1884 Penfolds Chardonnay Bin 94A 17 ½ + (

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Adelaide Hills, SA, Eden Valley, SA, Tumbarumba, NSW ('cool districts'), Australia: 13.5%; $ – [ cork, too fragmented in removing to measure; This was the first release in Penfolds then-new endeavour to produce a 'white Grange'. Fruit all barrel-fermented in new, one- and two-year-old French oak barrels, with complete malolactic fermentation. This was followed by 10 months on lees in barrel. At the time of release Penfolds described it as showing: ... concentrated peach and tropical fruit ... cashew nut barrel fermentation character ... ... great palate length and beautifully balanced oak. Only one review, Parker, 1999: … the nose of an old style, robust California Chardonnay with plenty of butterscotch, toasty oak, and spice. Fully mature, fleshy, and medium to full-bodied, with a high acid profile (much of it added, I suspect) … , 87; www.penfolds.com ]
Gold to old gold, the second-deepest wine. Notwithstanding the colour, right from opening this wine shows wonderful fruit, dried peach and dried apricots rather than fresh, yet the nett impression mysteriously is still 'fresh'. This is followed by a depth of mealy lees autolysis and elevation complexity, which includes hints of golden syrup in a positive and complex sense, as for example in anzac biscuits. Flavours reveal both inherent elevation complexity, and more oak than is really simpatico with good chardonnay, so the dried fruit and mealy palate qualities give way to a finish dominated by oak rather than yeast-autolysis and fruit elevation factors, even though there is still impressive richness. The wine is so rich it seems almost sweet, but I suspect that is simply oak vanillin and glycerol. Could be a tricky wine to marry with food, oak being unforgiving in that role, but then many people like oak for itself. A hard wine to ignore. No first-places, two second places. GK 08/18

2014 Escarpment Pinot Noir Kiwa 17 ½ + (

)

Martinborough Terrace, Wairarapa, New Zealand: 13%; $67 [ cork 50mm; main clones UCD 5, 6, 13, planted at c.2,150 vines/ha, average age c.25 years; all hand-picked @ 6.5 t/ha (2.6 t/ac), c.50% whole-bunch this year, no cold soak as such, but several days for all-wild yeast ferment to start, c.17 days cuvaison; all the wine 18 months in all-French oak 40% new, light to medium toast; timing MLF not clear; not sterile-filtered to bottle; RS <0.1 g/L: dry extract 28.4 g/L; production 300 9-L cases; www.escarpment.co.nz ]
Perfect pinot noir ruby, right in the middle for depth of colour. Bouquet is interesting here, darkly floral as in deep red roses, and markedly darker cherries too. Oak is a little more apparent than some of the wines, but marries up attractively with the deeper berry. Fruit is rich, and flavours are mouth-filling and savoury / slightly spicy on the oak. It is as big as The Fusilier, but much more boldly constructed, so will need longer in cellar to harmonise. Intriguing wine to cellar 5 – 18 years. Five first or second places, and two thought it from Otago. GK 08/16

2015 Craggy Range Pinot Noir Aroha 17 ½ + (

)

Te Muna Valley, Martinborough district, Wairarapa, New Zealand: 13.5%; $136 [ 50mm cork; hand-harvested @ 2.6 t/ha = 1.05 t/ac; 50% whole-bunch, fermentation in oak cuves and s/s, with wild yeasts; 9 months in French oak 30% new; no fining, light filtering; RS nil; www.craggyrange.com ]
Good pinot noir ruby, both younger and deeper in appearance than the Te Muna Road label of the same year. Bouquet is quite different too, the wine smelling sweeter, floral rather than leafy / stalky, and more generally burgundian. These trends are confirmed on palate, much 'sweeter', riper, more appropriately varietal fruit, red cherry without doubt and a hint of strawberry, plus better mouth feel and dry extract. Unlike many Reserve New Zealand wines, the oak handling here is not overdone, being beautifully in ratio, lengthening and complexing the fruit admirably. Still not a big wine, but truly varietal. I do not consider Aroha has yet achieved a standing sufficient to justify its prestige price. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 08/18

2011 Neudorf Pinot Noir Moutere 17 ½ + (

)

Moutere Hills, Nelson, New Zealand: 14.5%; $63 [ screwcap; Neudorf is to Nelson as Ata Rangi / Martinborough Vineyard / Dry River are in Martinborough, and analogous to two of those (with the DSIR connection), was started by Tim Finn then in the Agriculture Dept. First land in the Moutere Hills was bought in 1978, fractionally ahead of the Martinborough people. Proprietors Tim and Judy Finn have a great following, with a similar profile to Ata Rangi, quiet achievers famed for their pinot noir and chardonnay, but with thoughtful complex sauvignon and riesling on the side. Annual sunshine hours are high, but the rainfall at c.950 mm annual is seriously greater than competitor Marlborough's (or Martinborough). Year to year variation is therefore greater. Present winemaker is Todd Stevens, following on from the long-serving John Kavanagh, who took the wines to a very high standard indeed. Wines are presented in three tiers, a bistro Tom's Block, the main Neudorf, and the oldest vines as the Home Vineyard Pinot Noir. This wine is hand-picked from 7 clones of pinot, wild-yeast fermented, 12 months in French oak 29% new, and bottled neither fined nor filtered, RS <1 g/L, no dry extract available; www.neudorf.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. This is a hard wine to come to grips with. The bouquet initially charms with clear florals and mixed red and black cherries, and one is excited and expecting great things in mouth. It may just be the stage the wine is at, but in flavour it immediately seems less exciting at this moment, yet there is plenty of fruit. It is tannic at the moment, so the fruit seems dark, and one wonders if there is some over-ripeness. Richness is pretty good, so I suspect this wine simply needs to condense some of its tannins, to emerge more beautiful than now. Visit again in three years, say. Cellar 3 – 8 years, maybe 10. GK 06/14

2009 Felton Road Pinot Noir Cornish Point 17 ½ + (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14.5%; $58 [ screwcap; winery price, nearer $70 in retailers; hand-harvested, 25 – 30% whole-bunch, wild-yeast fermentation; c. 12 months in French oak c. 30% new, not fined or filtered; www.feltonroad.com ]
Darker pinot noir ruby. This is intriguing wine. Like nearly all the Cornish Points, it is clearly boronia-fragrant, on darkly cherry fruits, but this one seems to show a cooler component than the 2008 sibling. This is not quite what you would expect, on the reputation of the two vintages. Palate is still showing some tannins, but the breadth of pinot fruit is delightful, just a trace of stalk deep below. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 06/11

2010 Man O' War [ Cabernets / Merlot ] Ironclad 17 ½ + (

)

Eastern Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14.5%; $45 [ screwcap; CF 39%, Me 30, CS 18, Ma 7, PV 6, all hand-picked and further hand-sorted; 100% de-stemmed, wild yeast supplemented by cultured, up to 30 days cuvaison; MLF and 15 months in barrel, mainly French oak, some American, 25% new; sterile-filtered to bottle; www.manowarvineyards.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, not as deep as some. Bouquet is fresh and fragrant in a tending oaky bordeaux style, immediately appealing. Berry notes include both cassis and blackberry-in-the-sun, attractive. On palate the oak creeps up to be a little more old-fashioned / new world / oaky than the Passage Rock Reserve nowadays, but the exciting feature is the vastly improved purity of these Man O' War reds. Any traces of European complexity are now completely academic. Ripeness is greater than the Kennedy Point Cabernet Reserve. Still a worry the sodium levels are noticeably high. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 10/12

2007 Church Road Marzemino Cuve Series Limited Release 17 ½ + (

)

Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $34 [ screwcap; (not on website, if like the 2005) 18 months in French oak 55% new; Catalogue: the Marzemino grape originates from Northern Italy. Grown in Hawkes Bay it produces supple wines with dense colour, rich berryfruit, fragrant floral notes and an appealing rusticity which sets it apart; www.churchroad.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, very deep indeed. Bouquet is unusually distinctive, redolent of pink English tea roses, quite extraordinary. There are dark berry characters too, almost best side of bottled tamarillos, deeply red but a bit odd. Palate is velvety rich, flavours somewhat akin to montepulciano, but the floral notes creeping right through, again most unusual. The wine has been little-affected by oak, giving a focussed taste of the variety. It fits in with the syrahs in the tasting quite well, but is ‘exotic’. Even in the latest edition of her Encyclopedia, Jancis Robinson casts little light on the variety, beyond confirming it is strictly of Italian origin and is “interesting”. The above notes certainly agree with that, though she may have been speaking of its history more than its taste. Additional info @: http://terroir.winelibrary.com/2007/02/24/marzemino-mozarts-favorite/, including the observation that marzemino ‘often is said to smell of wild berries, violets, and asian plums.’ Cellaring potential unknown, but the wine is rich enough and sufficiently reminiscent of montepulciano to cellar 5 – 8 years at least. GK 07/09

2003 Jaboulet Hermitage la Chapelle 17 ½ + (

)

Hermitage, northern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $199 [ cork; hand-picking commenced 26 August, matched only by 1947 in recent years; yield just under 1 t/ac in ‘03; de-stemmed, temperature-controlled cuvaison 3 – 4 weeks; acid-adjusted in ’03; c. 18 months in oak; www.jaboulet.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, close to both the Vidal Soler and Pask syrahs in density, but brighter, less oak-influenced. Bouquet is modern syrah, in a slightly unusual style, clearly varietal but not clearly Rhone like the other two French in this batch. The oddest feature is the still-infantile estery character, reminiscent of a fresh-cut sturmer apple, on cassisy fruit. Palate is all cassis on older oak than the other two Rhones or most of the New Zealand wines, with attractive flesh on the finish. In my mind there is a caveat on the unknit youthfulness of the wine, which makes it look unfinished and clumsy alongside Bullnose or le Sol. I hope (but am not completely convinced) this 2003 la Chapelle is a great improvement on the 1999 or the 2001, both of which have aged prematurely. It certainly does not, however, mark a return to the standard of the 80s, despite the good vintage. It is not, for example, as complete a syrah as the 2004 Red Rock ($20). Let us hope the new owners completely resurrect this once-famous label. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 04/06

1969 Orlando [ unnumbered ] Bin Hermitage 17 ½ + (

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Barossa Valley, South Australia, Australia: – %; $ – [ cork, 45mm; ullage c.35m below base ‘neck’; this is one of the then-fashionable typewriter labels of the era, used to indicate small-production wines that were either experimental, or otherwise special. This wine matured for 18 months in ‘French Oak Casks’, but not new – they were older barrels, thought to be from the Orlando Barossa Cabernet programme. It was therefore intended to be a softer wine, and packed in a burgundy bottle. ]
Garnet and ruby, midway in depth. This wine was slightly TCA-impaired (noted by half the tasters), but I left it in due to the interesting handling of the fruit. Bouquet has a fresh aromatic quality to it almost pointing to syrah, suggesting one of those cooler seasons in the Barossa Valley which at that time, Australian wine people wrote off, but tasters from more temperate climates were specifically attracted to. On both bouquet and palate there is a freshness to the dark fruits again hinting at the cassis of fine syrah, rather than the boysenberry of (then) habitually over-ripened Australian shiraz. On palate, fruit and berry dominate all the way through, oak being fresh but never dominant. I would love to see a ‘clean’ bottle of this wine, but sadly this was the last of the case. A very interesting Australian wine, perhaps a remarkable one. Ullage base of cork to top of wine, 61 mm. GK 04/19

2013 Xanadu Shiraz DJL 17 ½ + (

)

Margaret River, West Australia, Australia: 14%; $38 [ screwcap; Sh 100%; destemmed but whole berries retained; co-fermented with c.2% viognier; c.35% of the batch completed fermentation in mostly new French oak; 14 months in French oak, 35% new; imported by MacVine International, Auckland; weight bottle and closure: 549 g; www.xanaduwines.com ]
Ruby and some velvet, the second lightest wine in the set. There is nothing light about the bouquet, however, which is immensely fragrant in a red roses and red berries way, not quite syrah florals in the classic dianthus sense, but still close to some Cote Roties. Berry notes include redcurrant, red cherry, cassis, and maybe the very best side of loganberry (i.e. an aroma closer to raspberry than boysenberry). There is no undue oak and no euc apparent on bouquet. In mouth the plumpness and flavour of berry is superb, and now suddenly the wine does seem more floral. Oaking is of a subtlety scarcely known in Australia, such that the pure berry flavours last and last, but naturally enough shaped by the 'invisible' oak. When you look closely, there are indeed suggestions of cedar. I remember that great story-teller Max Lake writing about a shiraz from Great Western in the 1950s that could be confused with pinot noir: this wine is a reminder. I did wonder if there were 2 g/L residual sugar, but it seems unlikely with a producer of Xanadu's standing (the website is silent), so I assume this is fruit richness / dry extract speaking. Cellar 5 – 15 years only, since it is soft. GK 08/16

2006 Te Mata Sauvignon Blanc Cape Crest 17 ½ + (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $28 [ supercritical cork; SB 85%, Se 11, S. gris 4, hand-harvested, 100% de-stemmed; BF in French oak, some new; 8 months LA and batonnage; RS nil; www.temata.co.nz ]
Pale lemon. Bouquet is first and foremost oaky, behind which is a tangy version of sauvignon blanc, combining elements of red capsicum, crushed Cape Ivy, and hypoid oil. Total bouquet leaves one a little dubious, as sometimes happens with this characterful grape. Palate is rich, but notably acid and clearly too oaky for the fruit. But, there is marvellous lees-autolysis complexity, and the wine seems much drier than the Sacred Hill Sauvage, bone dry. This is a case where the numbers don't illuminate the sensations in mouth. Cape Crest is a wine for very dry palates, made in a modern Bordeaux / Graves style. It is a pity the oak dominates the wine so much, but there are modern Graves with as much oak, and they cellar well. The lees autolysis is important, for maturation in bottle. I'm not sure whether this will mellow out attractively or not, and would like to cellar some for 3 – 10 years, and see. The riper-spectrum Hawkes Bay sauvignon when good does cellar better than the more edgy Marlborough style. But I'd prefer more restraint with the oak, less new oak, so that the variety spoke rather more. GK 03/07

2004 Villa Maria Pinot Noir Taylor’s Pass Single Vineyard Reserve 17 ½ + (

)

Awatere Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14.5%; $50 [ screwcap; 2004 not on website, 2003 10 months in French oak 60% new; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Full pinot noir ruby, one of the deepest. Bouquet is fragrant and clear-cut pinot noir, in the lighter blackboy and cherry style of Marlborough and Martinborough, not quite achieving the ultimate varietal florals and black cherry depths of the best Otago wines. Palate is sweetly fruity, red and black cherry and some plums, plus blackboy peach, long-flavoured on fruit and fragrant oak, but neither too tannic or too oaky. It is great to see Villa Maria retreating from their heroic black oaky pinots of a few years ago, even if such styles are lamentably fashionable in new world cultures. There is now a much more international approach to styling the variety in New Zealand, with the ubiquitous New Zealand problem of high alcohols the main issue to be tackled. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 11/05

2011 Black Grape Society Pinot Noir The Marlborough 17 ½ + (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $51 [ screwcap; season 1350 growing degree days; 12 months on lees in French oak 35% new; a Treasury wine group initiative, owners of Matua Valley; website coming at: www. blackgrapesociety.com, meanwhile some info @; http://treasurytru.com/brand/black-grapes-society ]
Perfect pinot noir ruby. With its ostentatious bottle, high price, and mysterious name, it is easy to feel a sense of letdown to find on the back label that this wine is yet another Matua Valley alias. But trying to focus on the wine alone, bouquet is immediately beautifully varietal and red cherry in a Cote de Beaune way. There are gentle red rose florals, and absolute purity. Palate is simply an extension of the bouquet, no surprises here – a lovely integrity just like burgundy. It is all delightfully varietal red cherry pinot, subtly and appropriately oaked, reflecting modern Marlborough practice from better soils, I suspect. No information on the website, but the makers happily provided more. This will be very food-friendly indeed, the tannin handling being superb. See also the comments for the Otago version. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 04/13

2013 Martinborough Vineyard Pinot Noir 17 ½ + (

)

Martinborough Terrace, Wairarapa, New Zealand: 13.5%; $66 [ screwcap; main clones Abel 51%, UCD 5 31, 10/5 17, balance Dijon, half planted at c.2,000 vines/ha, half 5,000, average age 22 years, ranging from 11 – 33; all hand-picked @ an average of 3.8 t/ha (1.5 t/ac), c.19% whole-bunch this year, cold soak 5 – 7 days, all wild-yeast ferments, then c.17 days cuvaison; c.12 months in French oak c.31% new, medium toast; not sterile-filtered to bottle; RS <1 g/L: dry extract not available (wine not yet released, NB price above indicative); production 1,040 cases; www.martinborough-vineyard.co.nz ]
This wine shows one of the lighter pinot noir ruby colours so far, and it is also more oak affected than the other top wines, exactly midway in depth. First impression is of a wine which is really burgundian in style and approach, even though it too shows pennyroyal aromatics. Is this a tell-tale for Martinborough: I am still uncertain. The herb itself is quite rare, so the term is more by analogy. It could for example reflect trace eucalyptus oil, brought from afar in this quite windy district. The whole style of the wine, and its subtle interaction with oak, reminds me of the great burgundian producer Armand Rousseau. The florals are French tea-roses mainly, on red fruits. Palate is subtler than the other top wines in one sense, yet more oaky too. It is all red fruits of considerable concentration and charm, markedly extended by oak yet the oak does not dominate. Those favouring oak in red wines will mark this more highly. Being lighter in appearance, it is easy to suppose this might be a shorter-lived wine, but not so. The concentration is there. Cellar 5 – 15 years. Group View (Flight 2): 2 first places, 5 second, 4 least. GK 11/15

2005 Destiny Bay [ Merlot / Cabernets ] Aeolus 17 ½ + (

)

Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.9%; $80 [ cork; CS 35, Me 49, CF 12, Ma 4, hand-harvested; c. 12 months in American 50% and French oak c. 50% new; released; note for the 2005 vintage this wine is labelled Aeolus (alluding to loess) on the Australasian market, Mystae (see other reviews) on the US market, but from 2006 on naming will (hopefully !) be rationalised into the three labels shown elsewhere in this report; www.destinybaywine.com ]
Ruby, a touch of age. Benefits from decanting, to reveal a clear Bordeaux look-alike red, fragrant, some pipe tobacco in cassis and plum fruit, not a big wine. Palate is complex with a little savoury complexity in older firm cassisy fruit. As with Bordeaux, these are wines optimised for food, tending light by Hawkes Bay standards, and both light and subtle by Australian. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 06/08

2008 Craggy Range Syrah Le Sol 17 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $100 [ 49mm cork; Sy 100% hand-harvested @ 5.2 t/ha (2.1 t/ac); 100% de-stemmed, 2 days cold soak, wild-yeast fermentation in open-top oak cuves; no BF component; MLF and 18 months in French oak 47% new; RS <2 g/L; fined and filtered; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby and velvet, the second deepest wine of the eight. Bouquet on this vintage of Le Sol seems less than the other three, as if either the wine had been opened overnight (not so), or the fruit were left out to hang and thus dimple, therefore losing freshness / florality. There is still cassis on bouquet, but with a slightly leathery edge, on quite a big wine. Flavour follows in the same style, ripe, clearly rich, slightly leathery, not exactly black pepper / spicy, all just a bit Australian in style. The longer flavours and textures are good though, with oak to a max. Though 2008 is not thought of as a hot year, the wine does suggest those characters, all just a bit massive. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 09/16

2003 Martinborough Vineyard Pinot Noir Reserve Marie Zelie 17 ½ + (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.6%; $179 [ cork; 10 – 15% whole bunch; 12 months in French oak 100% new, plus 4 months in new and one year; www.martinborough-vineyard.co.nz ]
Mature pinot noir ruby. Seen alongside the Pinot Noir 2010 wines, and the 2003 retrospective tasting included therein, the total style achievement on this wine is closest to the 2005 Waitiri Creek from Otago, the same slightly leafy component building up a multifacetted clearly floral bouquet, with red and black fruits, attractive richness and length, but rather much new oak extending the flavours on palate. The weight of fruit is not quite as rich as the 2003 Pegasus Bay Prima Donna, but it is more varietal. Cellar 3 – 5 years, though oak will increase as the fruit dries. GK 02/10

2007 Belmonte Sauvignon Blanc 17 ½ + (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $15 [ screwcap; Belmonte is a vineyard owned by John Forrest's brother-in-law, sustainably farmed, no pesticides, with winemaking etc done by Forrest Estate; no website found ]
Pale lemongreen. Bouquet is clear-cut Marlborough sauvignon, showing clear yellow and red capsicum ripeness, plus some honeysuckle and sweet basil aromatics, and black passionfruit too. Palate is not quite as concentrated as the bouquet promises, but this is very typical and pleasing Marlborough sauvignon, at the usual Marlborough 'dry' level of residual sweetness. Cellar 2 – 3 years. GK 03/08

2007 Villa Maria Merlot / Cabernet Sauvignon Cellar Selection 17 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels mostly, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $24 [ screwcap; DFB; Me 47%, CS 40, Ma 10, CF 3, hand-harvested; all de-stemmed, 20 – 25 days cuvaison; MLF and 20 months in French, American and Hungarian oak with a good percentage new; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a great colour. Bouquet is sweetly floral and beautifully ripe cassis with underlying dark plum, made aromatic by quality oak. The total achievement here is comparable with the 2007 Awatea, in terms of varietal precision, fruit ripeness, balance and weight, but the quality of the oak handling seems finer and more fragrant in Awatea, and the total acid less. So the Selection seems a little sterner, at this stage. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 03/09

2009 Peregrine Pinot Noir The Pinnacle 17 ½ + (

)

Bendigo 75% and Pisa 25%, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $175 [ Screwcap; third release (following 2005 and 2007); 8 clones hand-harvested at c.5.75 t/ha = 2.3 t/ac; 5% whole-bunch, up to 31 days cuvaison including cold-soak; 12 months in French oak 35% new, then 6 months in French oak some new; not fined or filtered; dry extract not available; production 83 x 9-L cases (equivalent) only; Cooper, 2013 thought the standard 2009 label was 'highly scented and showed lovely harmony', and rated it 5 stars, so we have to assume this at least matches; given the extravagant stainless steel canister packaging and embossed aluminium bottle label, one bizarre detail about this wine is the lack of a vintage on the actual bottle – it needs a back label; weight bottle and closure: 984 g; www.peregrinewines.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, a little older than most suggesting more oak exposure, just below midway in weight. This was one of the harder wines to rank, and report on, in the 12. Initially opened, it showed a vanillin oak sweetness rather than varietal charm. By the time of the tasting it was communicating much better, and by the next day, the fruit had really come forward. So, decant this wine splashily, early in the day you present it for dinner. I hasten to add, on this occasion that comment is not a euphemism for the wine being reductive. There is no hint of reduction. It is just fettered by oak, at this point. Well breathed the wine shows red roses florality, at a lovely point of red fruits ripeness. In mouth the oak returns to dominate the palate, but there is attractive red cherry fruit fighting to be seen. On the one hand the wine needs more time for the fruit to emerge, but on the other the wine has already aged more than some in the 12, due to the much greater time in oak than, for example, the Felton. Oakniks will rate this wine more highly. In my view it needs greater dry extract (note, number not supplied) to carry this level of oak. Cellar 3 – 8 years, wondering all the while how the fruit / oak ratio will turn out. Nobody rated this their top or second wine, one thought it French, and one thought it a $100-plus bottle. GK 07/16

2016 Valli 'Orange' / Pinot Gris The Real McCoy 17 ½ + (

)

Gibbston, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13%; $45 [ screwcap; PG 100% 15 years age, grown on elevated terrace soils; wine-making as for a dry red wine, extended ferment / cuvaison on skins with 5% whole-bunches for 20 days, then 14 months in older barrels previously used for pinot noir; not fined or filtered; production 107 x 9-litre cases; www.valliwine.com ]
Colour is pale copper, to casual glance another rosé in depth, but more orange than most New Zealand rosés. The bouquet is most unusual, strangely floral on blackberry flowers and pale roses, with a fruit depth and complexity to it which rosés made from pinot noir seldom have. It is almost aromatic. Flavour is unusual too, tasting more like white wine yet aromatic, some body, some phenolics yet no noticeable oak, dry or nearly so, the late finish revealing some phenolics yet extended on a strange dry nearly-guava flavour. It will be intriguing pairing this with food, for it is not so much a drink-alone wine. This is the first ‘orange wine’ I have seen that justifies its existence. It is best considered as a ‘sophisticated’ / over-priced rosé. Pricing is difficult: you can follow the logic, if its making reflects the same effort as a red wine. And, the winemaker reports it sells readily. Cellar 2 – 5, maybe 8 years might be best. GK 6/19 GK 06/19

2014 Schubert Pinot Noir Marion's Vineyard 17 ½ + (

)

Taratahi East (between Masterton & Gladstone), Wairarapa, New Zealand: 14.5%; $53 [ cork 50mm; main clones Abel and UCD 5 = Pommard, planted at 5,000 vines/ha, average age c.15; all hand-picked at an average of 4.5 – 5 t/ha ( 1.8 – 2 t/ac), nil whole-bunch, cold soak 5 – 7 days, mostly cultured yeast ferments, then 21 – 28 days cuvaison; all of the wine 16 – 18 months in all-French oak c.35% new, medium and medium-plus toast, MLF in barrel; coarse filtration only, not sterile-filtered to bottle; nil g/L RS; dry extract not available; production c.1,000 cases; www.schubert.co.nz ]
Light pinot noir ruby, the second to lightest colour, again classic burgundy. Bouquet is a notch simpler than the top wines, the difference between the Cote de Beaune and the Cote de Nuits, soft roses florality, all red fruits. Palate is red fruits like the Neudorf, but a little more tannic. This will work particularly well with food, reflecting the proprietor's European persuasions. Cellar 5 – 12 years. Five first or second places, 10 thought it from Otago. GK 08/16

2008 [ Obsidian ] Weeping Sands Syrah 17 ½ + (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14.5%; $31 [ screwcap; hand-harvested, all de-stemmed; up to 4 days cold-soak, cultured yeast, c.18 days cuvaison; MLF and 9 months in barrel 13% new American, 13% 1-year American, 8% new French, balance older French; 359 cases, WWA Certified; ‘Release of third vintage. 30% new oak to complement a generous, ripe vintage. Full bodied syrah showing floral aromas, red & black fruits, pepper.’; www.obsidian.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. Bouquet is crisply varietal syrah, clearly wallflower and dark rose floral, beautiful cassis and darkest plum, and explicit white going to black pepper. A new oak component adds aromatics and vanillin, at this stage still a little too prominently. Palate is firmer than the bouquet promises, the richness nearly as good as the class-leading examples, the total style absolutely northern Rhone. It is more clear-cut syrah than most Crozes-Hermitage, but a little too firm for Hermitage. Modern St Joseph is a better comparison. This 2008 extends the promise indicated by last year's wine, but total acid is still higher than optimal – for example alongside the near-perfect ripeness, plumpness and acid balance of 2007 Bullnose. The exciting news from this estate is, in the excellent 2008 vintage there will be an Obsidian Syrah, in effect a Reserve, to be released probably late November. Cellar 5 – 12years. GK 06/09

2013 Two Paddocks Pinot Noir Proprietor's Reserve The Last Chance 17 ½ + (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $72 [ screwcap; www.twopaddocks.com ]
Medium pinot noir ruby, some age showing, right in the middle for depth of colour. Bouquet is a little out to one side, maturing red fruits, fragrant but not exactly floral, with a spicy cinnamon and related quality suggesting light brett. Palate has the good concentration all these Two Paddocks wines now show, browning red cherry grading to black cherry, but again spicy, and very dry indeed. An unusual pinot noir style, enormously food friendly, like a pinot noir version of an older-style chateauneuf-du-pape (in flavour, not weight). Shorter term cellar might be wiser, on the drying factor, 3 – 8 years. GK 06/16

2007 Fromm Pinot Noir Clayvin 17 ½ + (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $55 [ cork; nil whole bunch; 16 – 18 months in French oak, 10% new and light toast only – specifically want fruit character, not oak; www.frommwinery.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, nearly a flush of velvet, well above midway in depth. Bouquet is in the deeply floral dark rose and boronia style, suggestive of further south than Marlborough. There is gorgeous black cherry fruit. Palate is firmly dark cherry, quite tanniny at this stage, no stalks, sturdy, promising well in cellar. What a thrill to see more open and breathing pinots from Fromm. Alongside Cloudy Bay, this is the darker and better phase of Marlborough pinot noir, on the older soils. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 02/10

2012 Rippon Pinot Noir Mature Vine Rippon 17 ½ + (

)

Wanaka, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $66 [ supercritical Diam 'cork' 47mm; www.rippon.co.nz ]
Classic pinot noir ruby, naturally a little older against the mostly 2014 wines, midway in depth. Bouquet is quieter than some, but closely inspected, it is sweetly floral, faintly aromatic, red fruits more than black, just escaping a hint of stalk, with fragrant oak reminding of subtle mature tempranillo riservas. Palate brings the thoughts quickly back to pinot noir, a cooler crisper very fragrant (in mouth) winestyle also reminding of the Cote de Nuits, but much subtler and lighter than The Fusilier, Vosne-Romanée maybe. An unusual wine for New Zealand, wonderfully understated, showing that the cooler parts of Otago closely match Burgundy. Cellar 3 – 12 years. GK 06/16

2015 Sacred Hill Pinot Noir Halo 17 ½ + (

)

Omaka and Waihopai Valleys, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $28 [ screwcap; hand-picked; c.10 months in oak, some new; www.sacredhill.com ]
A beautiful pinot noir ruby, just in the top quarter for depth. Bouquet is wonderfully varietal, highly floral spanning the full range of buddleia / lilac to rose perfumes, on red grading to black fruits of appealing depth. Palate follows through with an emphasis on red and black cherry fruit, but less sophisticated oak elevation than the Valli wines. It is all fresh and vibrant in mouth, with a trace of pepper, but not the richness of the wines marked more highly. Even so, I have not tasted a Halo pinot noir of this depth before: it is as if Sacred Hill has access to new Marlborough vineyards on the older terraces, with their significantly higher clay content. This is lovely wine at an affordable price, demonstrating just how far forward pinot noir progress is in Marlborough. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/17

2017 Vina Aquitania Rosé 17 ½ + (

)

Maipo Valley, Chile: 13.5%; $20 [ screwcap; CS 90%, Sy 10, all hand-harvested; made by the saignée approach, run off after 3 – 4 hours skin contact, then all s/s ferment etc; RS 3 g/L; www.aquitania.cl ]
A pretty pink rosé, a little redder than salmon in hue. Bouquet is immediately clean and fragrant, totally vinifera but not obviously varietal, attractive and refreshing, substantial, not wishy-washy like so many pinot noir rosés. The instant you taste it, it is clearly a rosé made via saignée, a serious wine showing attractive drying tannins which will make it very versatile with food. It has good body and mouth feel, and a lovely long but still scarcely-varietal flavour, in which the residual is pretty well invisible. At $20 it competes with the best New Zealand rosés, and shows up well. Cellar to 5 years, to gain bouquet and complexity. GK 09/18

2012 Valli Pinot Noir Waitaki Vineyard 17 ½ + (

)

Waitaki Valley, Northern Otago, New Zealand: 13%; $66 [ screwcap; hand-harvested @ 4.1 t/ha (1.65 t/ac) from 11-year old vines (a mix of Davis and Dijon clones), growing in limestone-influenced soils in a season of c.880 degree days; ferments include a 20% whole-bunch component, cuvaison 20 days; 11 months in French oak 34% new, the balance first-and second-year; not fined or filtered; 390 9-litre cases; exemplary spec sheets for each wine; www.valliwine.com ]
Big pinot noir ruby, some age showing, markedly deeper than the other Valli wines, the deepest wine of the 57 pinot noirs, in fact. This is a very hard wine to describe, it presenting a confusing mix of characters. In one way it smells both riper and oakier than the other Valli wines, yet there is a clear aromatic herbes note too. There are therefore reminders of (for example) Gigondas. But there is also a tell-tale fragrant stalky note, which grows on the palate, and detracts a little. With the rich fruit and slightly leathery flavour notes too, you end up wondering if there were raisined bunches as well as under-ripe ones, or maybe a significant whole-bunch component [ later, there is in fact less whole-bunch than the others ]. It is an interesting rich wine which will be great with food, but it is not exemplary Otago pinot noir in the way the other three are. You can’t help feeling that the district is marginally too cool for great pinot noir, even though the total degree days are not much less than the Gibbston site. But, in the better years, the Gibbston Valley succeeds triumphantly. This would be analogous to ideal sites in Switzerland, vs the Cote de Nuits. The Waitaki Valley does seem to be the most challenging vineyard area in Otago. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 06/17

1983 Jaboulet La Chapelle 17 ½ + (

)

Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, New Zealand: 13%; $ – [ cork; Sy 100%, hand-picked in a drought year, yield in normal years usually 1.5 – 2 t/ac; www.jaboulet.com ]
Garnet and ruby. Bouquet is as old as the Weeping Sands is young, still clearly varietal, but florality fading on browning cassis and berry. Palate is clear-cut mature syrah, long, dry to very dry, the browning cassis neat and taught, still refreshing acid despite the hot year, the oak subtle, mostly old I suspect, but clean. This much-debated dry and hot-year vintage of La Chapelle has been marked up to 100 points by some (much earlier), yet not valued by others. The much-commented-on tannins are now (in good bottles) in harmony with the fruit, the acid is showing despite the year, and the style is that of a sinewy long-distance runner. A wine therefore for lovers of classical very dry and old wines, not the modern blackberry ice cream stylings. It is now fading a little, but will be lovely for some years to come – again, if you like old wines. Sadly, Robert Parker no longer finds merit in this wine now it is lean. GK 08/11

2005 Felton Road Chardonnay 17 ½ + (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $35 [ screwcap; given the quality of this winery's production, and the fact it is a reference point for the Otago district, it is bizarre that technical info on current and all past wines is not available on the website, such as Te Mata provide; www.feltonroad.co.nz ]
A wash of light gold in lemonstraw. Bouquet is much toastier than the Cloudy Bay, with nearly a smoky / charry hint, as described for the Neudorf Moutere in the previous batch of wines. The wine gets away with it, because it is so rich – it even smells rich. Bouquet is complexed with a suggestion of acacia florals. And in mouth, the wine confirms the richness, the same kind of viscosity on the stonefruit as the Cloudy Bay, with mealy and nutty flavours all a little more oaky, but again just on the right side of the line. Total acid is higher than the Cloudy, and the MLF mealy notes and body less, so the wine seems drier. The nett impression is to a degree related to Meursault, but an oaky and acid one. Those who wonder if wines can develop appropriately under screwcap should note how forward this wine is – there are suggestions of maturity already. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 03/08

2013 Church Road Merlot McDonald Series 17 ½ + (

)

Bridge Pa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $29 [ screwcap; Me 87%, CS 13, machine-picked from c.13-year old vines planted at 3,500 vines / ha and cropped @ c.8.5 t/ha = 3.4 t/ac; cuvaison 28 days, cultured-yeast; MLF in barrel; 20 months in French oak c.33% new; RS <2 g/L; www.churchroad.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, towards the darker end. Bouquet is pure big merlot, vibrantly plummy and rich, exciting. Flavour is rich and ripe, initially impressing highly, and it is only when you go back to it, back and forth with the other wines, you see there is a robust quality to its flavours which plains it down a little, now. It is oakier than the Braided Gravels Merlot, for example. Time in cellar will mellow it beautifully. Nonetheless it shows how good merlot can be in New Zealand, in a climate which does not bake the delicate aromatics out of it. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 06/16

2008 Goldwater Chardonnay Zell 17 ½ + (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14%; $35 [ screwcap; hand-harvested, whole-bunch pressed; 95% wild-yeast fermentation and 100% BF and MLF in French oak 50 % new, balance 1 and 2-year, 12 months LA and weekly batonnage; RS <2 g/L; 246 cases; ‘100% Chardonnay. The wine is straw yellow in appearance with toasty oak and mealy barrel fermentation characters. It has a velvety texture, soft, silky smooth and full bodied with nectarine, caramel and ginger flavours. All balanced by fine acidity and framed by toasty new oak giving a long and intense finish.; www.goldwaterwine.com ]
Lemon. The Goldwater wine shows very good chardonnay varietal character on bouquet, in pale stonefruits complexed by barrel-ferment, lees-autolysis and MLF. Palate is broader though, just a suggestion of banana ester, and the wine lacks their fine fruit / artefact integration and structure. It finishes a little disorganised and with a suggestion of stalks. It is a richer chardonnay though, which will be better in a year. Cellar 2 – 6 years, probably to come together and score higher. GK 06/09

2013 The Elder Pinot Noir 17 ½ + (

)

Te Muna Valley, Martinborough district, Wairarapa, New Zealand: 13.5%; $56 [ screwcap; website gives specs only for 2012 vintage, if procedure similar, near-organic viticulture, the grapes hand-picked; 6 days cold-soak, 21 days cuvaison, wild yeast fermentation; MLF and 9 months in barrel, only 18% new; RS not given; website slow to load; www.theelderpinot.co.nz ]
A very burgundian pinot noir colour, just below midway in depth. Bouquet is immediately floral and fragrant, quite the most burgundian wine on the table, a beautiful smell. Palate shows good ripeness, all red fruits, total Pommard in style, not a big wine, the use of older oak a delight. This wine will give much pleasure at table. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 05/16

2012 Akarua Pinot Noir Bannockburn 17 ½ + (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $45 [ screwcap; The initial Akarua land on the east flank of the Bannockburn district was purchased in 1995 by the Skeggs family (of seafood fame), and has since been added to. With c.50 ha available, their website claims them to be the largest family-owned vineyard in Central Otago, with the goal of being one of the best. Planting is 70% to seven clones of pinot noir. Winemaker is now Matt Connell, his first vintage 2009. In their discussion of sustainable vineyard and winery practices, they note that: “45% of a winery's carbon footprint is due to its use of glass bottles.” No doubt this is a claim up for debate, but if true it will increasingly weigh on the consciences of people like Craggy Range, with their outrageously heavy 'prestige' bottles. The Akarua pinot noir range starts with Rua just under $30, the standard Akarua just under $50, and the newly introduced Siren premium wine at $100. Matt is also keen to establish a reputation for methode champenoise, and has enlisted the assistance of Dr Tony Jordan of Victoria, Australia, who first set Hunter's Wines on the path to their fine MiruMiru bubbly. Our tasting wine is from vines averaging 15 years age, has no whole-bunch, spends 10 months in small French oak 30% new, and the RS is <1 g/L; www.akarua.com ]
Tending big pinot noir ruby, above midway, fresh. Bouquet is a whole size bigger than some of these wines, but there is immediately the worry that it is all a bit dark, dusky florals, black cherry grading to black plum, is it too ripe for absolute finesse ? In mouth it is touch and go, there are black cherries but yes, it is plummy too, just a hint of 'merlot' maybe. Oak handling matches the fruit weight, contributing to the whole wine being on the burly side for beautiful pinot noir. Worth cellaring though, for it may well fine down as it loses tannin, and the concentration is good. [ The merlot reference is merely analogy. ] Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 06/14

2015 Te Mata Sauvignon Blanc Cape Crest 17 ½ + (

)

Woodthorpe mainly, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $28 [ 46 mm supercritical cork (Diam); SB 85%, SG 11, Se 4 (the latter two percentages usually the other way round); hand-harvested; all BF with significant new oak; little or no MLF, but much lees work and stirring (twice a day at times), 8 months in barrel, then further marrying-up in tank before bottling; <2 g/L RS; www.temata.co.nz ]
Brilliant light lemon. This year's Cape Crest has a big bouquet, with an overt barrel-ferment and prolonged lees autolysis and newish oak character rather swamping its varietal qualities, at this stage. Opinions will vary as to how much individuals like this degree of 'complexity'. The wine needs further time to come together / for the fruit to emerge, but I suspect the ratio of new oak is too high this year for good varietal expression. Behind the barrel-ferment are complex but muted musky notes of English nettle, red capsicum, sweet basil and bread crust, with an exotic fruit quality that defies description. Palate has some of the freshness of sauvignon blanc, but again rather more new oak than is simpatico with sauvignon wine styles. Palate richness is again good. Te Mata feel this is their best Cape Crest yet, but I'm not so sure. It may well be the richest, and a few years may prove me wrong. A very interesting wine to cellar and follow, one a year for 12 years say. A good chance it will score more highly as the oak marries in. Cellar to 12 years, maybe longer. GK 03/17

2008 Destiny Bay [ Cabernet / Merlot ] Destinae 17 ½ + (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14.1%; $ – [ cork; CS 39, Me 29, CF 15, Ma 16, PV 1, hand-harvested; c.18 months in French and American oak about equal, c.50% new; Destinae is designed to be the softest of the three, texturally more aligned with right-bank wines though cabernet sauvignon still being dominant confounds that goal somewhat; price not given, since like Stonyridge Larose it is complex, and primarily aimed at the serious wine-lover who will buy 6 or more bottles before release on an en primeur basis, similarly to the Bordeaux procedure. The en primeur price is half or slightly more the final retail price, details via website under 'Patron Club'. The point of difference from Bordeaux is that there, reliable tasters from both sides of the Atlantic report on the wines, and the prospective buyer can identify with a taster who matches the buyer's taste preferences, and act accordingly. In New Zealand that quality of guidance is not readily achievable. It is best therefore to give the price as a range: $50 – $100; www.destinybaywine.com ]
Ruby, some velvet, clearly the freshest hue of these three Destiny Bay wines, or the least oak influenced. Bouquet is wonderfully sweet and fragrant with the characteristic 'one blue orange in a (wooden) crate of oranges' aroma of American oak, once so much the trademark of the fragrant Riserva wines of R. Lopez de Heredia Vina Tondonia. The elevage so dominates the fruit on bouquet, it is impossible to tell what the grapes are, but clearly there is good fruit. Palate is light in one sense, yet fruit richness is good, again like good Spanish Riservas the oak is more apparent than real, but one does have to wonder if the winemaker input is not outweighing the varietal quality. Looking carefully at the base wines, Destinae is not as concentrated in its fruit component as the top two Destiny Bay wines. Like the Kennedy Point pair, there is almost a hint of coolness here. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 10/12

2014 Te Mata Estate Syrah Bullnose 17 ½ + (

)

Bridge Pa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $50 [ cork 45mm; 3 clones of syrah hand-harvested, 100% de-stemmed; extended cuvaison; 15 months in French oak usually around 35% new; RS nil; www.temata.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, deeper than 2013 Bullnose. Then the bouquet comes as a shock, for though deeper in colour, the fruit is nearly as floral but clearly less ripe. This is a textbook white pepper varietal syrah, contrasting vividly with the black pepper in the 2013. Palate is therefore even more aromatic and a little crisper than the 2013, with white pepper right through the cassis-dominant fruit. As with all Bullnoses, oak handling is superb. Actual concentration of fruit, and cellar-worthiness of the two wines, is nearly level pegging. The two wines thus illustrate the two main phases of syrah varietal expression beautifully, but I have to note that many tasters are less keen on the white pepper / less ripe phase. Interesting to note the sensory impressions in the two wines are the exact opposite of the pH indications – a hard parameter to taste for. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 03/16

nv Champagne Clos de La Chapelle Instinct Brut Premier Cru 17 ½ + (

)

Villedommange, Champagne, France: – %; $59 [ supercritical Diam cork; PM 60, PN 25, Ch 15; tirage exceeds 15 months, no detail available, minimum 3 years en tirage only for the vintage wines; MLF and reserve wines used; made by a co-op of 23 village growers; www.cldelachapelle.com ]
Straw. A clean and fragrant bouquet clearly showing pleasant light autolysis and near-floral pinot meunier dominance in the cepage. Palate has fair fruit and texture, again with meunier dominant and some complexing autolysis baguette-crust flavours. The whole wine style is remarkably reminiscent of the nv Billecart-Salmon Brut Reserve, but with less beautiful autolysis and fractionally greater dosage, say 8 g/L. This is much the most pure / most regular of these four grower champagnes, confuseable with a good grande marque non-vintage. Best drunk in the first six years or so. GK 05/16

2006 Craggy Range Syrah Le Sol 17 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.8%; $122 [ cork 49mm; release price $100; Sy 100%, hand-harvested @ just under 2.5 t/ac; 100% de-stemmed, 2 days cold soak, wild-yeast fermentation in open-top oak cuves, 22 days cuvaison including cold-soak; no BF component; MLF and 20 months in French oak 50% new; RS nil; filtered; release date 1 June 2008, 166 cases (of 12) only; J Robinson, 2009: Easthope: 'This is all about pushing the boundaries and trying to show off a bit really, but it comes at some risk with autumn rains.' This wine is even more obviously New World than the Block 14 in that it tastes sweeter and is a bit dry and tough on the finish. It has slightly more new oak and an imposed low yield and later picking. Not as fresh and less finesse: 16.5; Neal Martin @ R Parker, 2008: 2006 Le Sol has a brilliantly defined nose with white pepper and plum; the palate displayed an exquisite, natural balance with satin-like texture and a powerful, yet also somehow delicate finish of plum, blackberry and boysenberry: 94; M Cooper: not reviewed; weight bottle and closure: 970 g; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby and velvet, redder than the 2006 Homage, just below midway in depth. Bouquet is delightfully fragrant and aromatic, and this being the only Le Sol with a splash of viognier in it, you wonder if you can recognise it. Mingling in with the berry aromas there is a touch of white pepper / stalk, rather than black. Palate reinforces that thought, fair berry and fruit but also a further reminder of stalks, with a shorter finish than the '06 Homage. CEO at the time (and in effect chief wine maker too) Steve Smith commented that this is the only year Le Sol has been made mostly from non-heritage (i.e. non-Limmer) clone fruit. There are plenty of Cornas syrahs (in lesser years) tasting just like this. No first or second-place votes – perhaps the least-liked wine, the white pepper I assume. My relatively higher mark reflects my quite liking the white pepper phase, in the syrah ripening curve. Cellar 3 – 8 years. [ Date tasted should be 9/16 ... technical hitch. ] GK 10/16

2013 Domaine Chandon Shiraz 17 ½ + (

)

Yarra Valley, Victoria, Australia: 13.5%; $29 [ Screwcap; not on Langton's list; no vintage rating from Halliday due to chance of bushfire / smoke taint that year; the Yarra Valley has long been held in special esteem by Australian wine enthusiasts. It is not an easy viticultural zone, but at its best displays a coolness of climate, and a subtlety and finesse in its reds, that sometimes enables the better wines to be compared with French prototypes; website not particularly forthcoming, but picking timed to optimise blueberry and pepper (undefined). Some cold soak, some whole bunch ferments; MLF in barrel, all French oak for 12 months, percentage new not given, but believed to be lowish; Halliday, 2015: Savoury personality but well backed by fruit. Raspberry, licorice and black cherry flavours are able vehicles for round after round of crushed dry leaf, woody spice, peppercorn and smoke-like notes. Firm tannin rakes back through the wine, adding to the dry impression. Over the medium term at (the very) least this will develop very well, 93; bottle weight 542 g; www.chandon.com.au ]
Ruby and velvet, older than most, the third to lightest. First impressions on bouquet are of more oak relative to the field, and the wine quite minty too, on good berry showing blueberry qualities grading to plum, with a thought of milk chocolate. Palate is subtler and suppler than the bouquet suggests, making one think the oak is French and older rather than newer. Apart from the mint, there is a fleeting reminder of Guigal's Cote Rotie Brune & Blonde here. Good food wine, on the lower alcohol. No first or second places, two least, nobody thought it Penfolds, and one thought it could be New Zealand. Cellar 3 – 18 years. GK 04/17

2006 Craggy Range Merlot Sophia 17 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $50 [ 50mm cork; DFB; Me 85%, CF 10, CS 4, Ma 1, hand-harvested @ 6.65 t/ha (2.7 t/ac); 100% de-stemmed; fermented in oak cuves; 19 months in 60% new French oak; fined and filtered; RS nil; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby and velvet, the second to lightest of the eight syrahs and merlots. Bouquet shows fragrant cedary berry, seemingly a little more oaky than the 2008 and thus again confirming the new world approach of these wines. The dominance of oak on bouquet make it hard to recognise any floral component. Flavour is sweet, ripe and mellow, fractionally softer on the oak than the 2008, but slightly more acid, showing a first approximation to maturity. Berry is still leading the oak on palate, but only just. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 09/16

2002 Rousseau Mazis-Chambertin 17 ½ + (

)

Gevrey-Chambertin Grand Cru, Cotes de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 13%; $151 [ cork; 30 – 35 hl/ha (1.5 – 1.8 t/ac); 10% whole-bunch, c. 15 day cuvaison in s/s; MLF and up 22 months in older French oak; Coates: Rather more virile. Altogether more depth and concentration. Lovely fruit. Very good grip. This is fullish bodied, long and complex and very lovely. Fine plus. From 2009; Parker / Rovani: 87 – 89; www.domaine-rousseau.com ]
Pinot noir ruby, the average of the Rousseaus. This wine is explicitly varietal, not quite as lightly floral as the Ruchottes, instead a little deeper and more aromatic, on red and black cherry. Palate however is lighter, appealing aromatics on good cherry fruit, very subtly oaked. This is attractive as far as it goes, but is not inspiring compared with the top wines. Cellar 3 – 15 years. GK 07/06

2011 Produttori del Barbaresco Muncagotta (formerly Moccagatta) Riserva 17 ½ + (

)

Barbaresco DOCG, Piedmont, Northern Italy, Italy: 14.5%; $82 [ 50mm cork; the cellar approach to the wines is consistent across all the crus, but detail varies with the season. In general cuvaisons are 3 - 4 weeks, in lined concrete vats, followed by at least 3 years in older large oak variously 2,500 - 7,500 litres; www.produttoridelbarbaresco.com ]
Ruby, one of the lighter colours. Bouquet is leaner on this wine, giving the impression of less berry so more oak is apparent, though still totally in style with the group of wines. Palate also seems leaner, pleasant red fruits but the tannins intruding more than in the top-rated examples. Perhaps it is not quite so concentrated, yet when you go back and forth over the other wines it seems to improve in that respect. The fact is, any of these cru wines would be delicious with food. In these notes one is striving to find points of difference. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 05/16

2011 Produttori del Barbaresco Montestefano Riserva 17 ½ + (

)

Barbaresco DOCG, Piedmont, Northern Italy, Italy: 14.5%; $82 [ 50mm cork; the cellar approach to the wines is consistent across all the crus, but detail varies with the season. In general cuvaisons are 3 - 4 weeks, in lined concrete vats, followed by at least 3 years in older large oak variously 2,500 - 7,500 litres; www.produttoridelbarbaresco.com ]
Ruby, fractionally the deepest wine. Bouquet is fragrant but more with a vanillin oak quality than the red fruits and tar of the top wines. Palate shows good fruit, but the tannin level seems noticeably higher, giving the wine a firmness and length that seems slightly hollow. Perhaps all it needs is time to soften. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 05/16

2003 Howard Park Cabernet Sauvignon Leston 17 ½ + (

)

Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $41 [ screwcap; DFB; CS 100%, ‘harvested according to flavour with little regard for analytical data’, aerative fermentation, extended cuvaison; 18 months in French oak 75% new, balance 1-year; www.howardparkwines.com.au ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a good colour, one of the deepest. Bouquet is a beautiful violets and cassis modern Bordeaux-like aroma, the whole colour and style of the wine initially like the Craggy Sophia, but more cabernet. Palate loses the analogy though, for whereas the New Zealand wine has the plump fruit and natural acid reminiscent of real Bordeaux, this wine in mouth seems noticeably acid presumably from acid adjustment, and hence a little hard. Thus a very promising wine on bouquet slides back to silver medal level. Australian cabernets have traditionally cellared well, but the ‘01 Howard Park straight cabernet raises doubts about these wines for the longer term. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 05/06

2003 Felton Road Pinot Noir Block 5 17 ½ + (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $65 [ screwcap; clones 5 and 6, 9 years, harvested @ c. 2.5 t/ac; up to 21% whole bunch, up to 8 days cold soak, up to 23 days cuvaison; 18 months in French oak 30% new; not fined or filtered; Robinson '05: Much more obviously sweet than the Block 3. Deep, dark, cherries and prunes, made from vines that were planted in 1993, pre history for Central Otago. Lots of tannin – not nearly ready. 18.5; www.feltonroad.com ]
Rich pinot noir ruby and velvet, a similar weight to the 2003 Pegasus Prima Donna but more oak- affected. Bouquet is huge, but tending massive on plummy fruit and a lot of oak, markedly less floral than the top wines. Dark bottled plums dominate. Palate lightens things up considerably, with attractive black cherry as well as darkest bottled plums, the oak now more in a supporting role, but still unsubtle alongside the equally big Bendigo. To best communicate varietal specificity and vineyard achievement to this Conference, I feel Felton Road would have been better served at this forum if they had submitted their standard pinot label. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 01/07

2015 Rod McDonald Wines Chardonnay One-Off 17 ½ + (

)

Maraekakaho & Bridge Pa, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $32 [ screwcap; Ch 100%, clones 15 & 95; BF 100% in mostly Hungarian oak; 100% MLF; 9 months in barrel, with lees work; <2 g/L RS; www.rmwines.co.nz ]
Good lemon, a little paler than Elston. This wine also shows a little barrel-reduction character, but it too is within bounds. Mingled with the char, cracked stone and oak are quite citrussy and nearly grapefruit characters. Palate shows good fruit weight, the fruit tasting remarkably mendoza-like in its yellow stonefruit flavours (but its not mendoza, apparently), the oak not as subtle as Elston, but the whole wine reasonably well balanced even so. This too needs three years to marry up and become smoother, and will cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 03/16

2006 Coopers Creek Viognier Hawkes Bay 17 ½ + (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $22 [ screwcap; hand-harvested from limestone-influenced soils on slopes south of Havelock North; some of wine BF in second-year French oak, plus 4.5 months LA; RS 4.3g/L, pH 3.5; www.cooperscreek.co.nz ]
Lemongreen. This is a pure and high-tech rendering of viognier, with everything paler, purer and lighter than the top wines. Bouquet includes attractive honeysuckle florals on slightly under-ripe canned apricots. It is not so easy to see the winemaking complexities, or at least identify them, but the wine is clearly varietal, if a little one-dimensional. Palate shows good fruit weight, both cherimoya and white stone fruits as well as less-ripe apricot, all lengthened by autolysis and oak, and fattened by a little residual sugar. Acid is firm. Ideally, this wine needs just a little more indulgence, to move it closer to the Church Road, but the aftertaste is pretty good all the same. Cellar 1 – 4 years. GK 07/07

2010 Craggy Range Merlot / Cabernets / Malbec Te Kahu 17 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $27 [ cork; DFB; Me 80%, CS 8, CF 8, Ma 4, 15% of crop hand-harvested @ just under 6.25 t/ha = 2.5 t/ac; 100% de-stemmed; fermented in s/s; 13 months in French oak 28% new; fined and filtered; RS < 2 g/L; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, just below midway in depth. Bouquet is classically claret, real Bordeaux berry softness plus appealing complexity with suggestions of tobacco, potentially cedary oak, totally enticing. Palate shows the same elegance and balance of components. This is clearly a wine made by somebody who loves the Bordeaux style, and has the taste perception and know-how to achieve it in an affordable and smaller-scale wine just as convincingly as the company's more expensive offerings. This wine wins marks for its winey-ness and drinking appeal, something it is easy to forget as one gets bogged down in assessing more technical parameters. Oak handling is excellent, particularly noteworthy, would that more proprietors studied those numbers. Cellar 3 – 12 years. VALUE GK 06/12

2004 Pegasus Bay Pinot Noir 17 ½ + (

)

Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 14.5%; $44 [ screwcap; hand-picked, hand-sorted, wild yeast fermentation, c. 21 – 24 days cuvaison; 18 months in French oak c. 40% new; www.pegasusbay.com ]
Pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is beautifully floral in a buddleia and roses style, a little deeper than buddleia actually, with attractive red and black fruits below – very clear pinot noir. Palate is crunchy cherry, both red and black fruits, lighter and crisper than the ‘03 Prima Donna, but with similar varietal conviction about it. Aftertaste is delightful, lingering pinot noir, attractive. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 07/06

2011 Escarpment Pinot Noir Te Rehua 17 ½ + (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.2%; $67 [ cork; 21-year old vines, Barton vineyard, Martinborough; 19 days cuvaison, 12 months in French oak 30% new; RS < 1 g/L, dry extract 25.5 g/L, not filtered; www.escarpment.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, the second to lightest of the Escarpments. Here is the full suite of pinot noir florals, from buddleia through roses to some boronia, on red fruits more than black. There are thoughts of Vosne-Romanée here. Palate balances the initial impressions, red cherries, yet gorgeous ripe tannins, elegant balance, considerable length despite the lightness. This wine highlights why Martinborough is seen by some United Kingdom commentators particularly as contrasting with Otago. Just to counter-indicate that thought, there are reminders of Mt Difficulty individual vineyard elegance in this wine. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 04/13

nv Bollinger Special Cuvée en magnum 17 ½ + (

)

Ay, Champagne, France: 12%; $190 [ cork; PN 60%, Ch 25, PM 15; 5 – 10% reserve wines ± an oak component, MLF, 3 years en tirage, dosage 7 – 9 g/L; www.champagne-bollinger.fr ]
Lightish straw. Initially opened and poured, a reductive note damping it down, but one can re-interpret that as well-toasted baguette / breadcrust autolysis complexity in five minutes or so. Palate brings up much more fruit and substance than the Laurent Perrier, and much more pinot noir, rich with suggestions of cherry and deeper more complex baguette autolysis. The later palate and aftertaste is beautifully balanced and long, a little oak from BF showing through, and fully up to standard. Just the bouquet lets this batch (or bottle) down a bit. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 08/05

2003 Felton Road Pinot Noir Block 3 17 ½ + (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $65 [ screwcap; hand-harvested @ c. 2.5 t/ac; some whole-bunch, up to 8 days cold soak, up to 23 days cuvaison; c.15 months in French oak some new; not fined or filtered; Cooper, 2005: the powerful tightly-built 2003 vintage is deep in colour, with lovely concentration and poise. Offering an abundance of ripe, sweet cherry and spice flavours, it is savoury and complex, with a firm backbone of tannin. It should unfold superbly over the next few years, *****; Robinson, 2005: Quite bright ruby with subtle gradations towards the rim. Some coffee – quite fresh and attractive. Very honest and straightforward rendition of the treacle side of Pinot. Really racy with a good dry finish. Tannins just a little stringy on the finish. Not pure but a good, if slightly over-extracted example, 17; www.feltonroad.com ]
Mature pinot noir ruby, below midway in depth. Bouquet opens with a suggestion of decay, for which pretentious wine people like to affect the term sous-bois, and then a thought of leafyness. Leafyness and florality intergrade, and there is quite a good volume of bouquet, but it is not quite sweet enough. Palate is a great step up, immediate red grading to black cherry fruit, beautifully subtle oak alongside some of these wines, the nett impression being very much a burgundian pinot noir. Blair Walter experiments with a percentage whole bunch, and in maturity, you can't help feeling the ripeness of the tannins in stem and seed fractions was not quite optimal this year. The leafy component seemed greater than the Richardson, so that wine appears more complete, in burgundian terms. The Felton is richer, though, and on another day it could easily be the top wine in the set. Fully mature, but will hold a little longer, fading gently, the impression of leaf maybe increasing. GK 11/13

2008 Cable Bay Syrah 17 ½ + (

)

Western Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.5%; $35 [ screwcap; Sy 97%, Vi 3, hand-picked; 2 days cold-soak, co-fermented; c.14 months in French oak some new; www.cablebayvineyards.co.nz ]
Ruby, one of the lightest syrahs. Bouquet is light, clean and fresh, with a light 'red' version of cassis (rather than the darker colour normally associated with it), red plums and rose florals, not at all clearly syrah in this blind tasting. Palate likewise could easily be a merlot / cabernet franc wine style, for it has attractive St Emilion mouthfeel and styling, and much more fruit than the bouquet suggests. Later, once revealed, one can re-interpret the tasting stimuli as loganberry, maybe. This is a fascinating syrah, beautifully oaked, food-friendly, but not clearly varietal ! Score is for the delightful fruit. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 06/10

2013 Te Mata Estate Cabernet / Merlot Awatea 17 ½ + (

)

Havelock North district mostly, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $36 [ cork 50mm; CS 40%, Me 39%, CF 16, PV 5, hand-harvested; c.15 months in French oak c.40% new; RS nil; www.temata.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, in the middle for depth. Bouquet shares much of the complexity that Coleraine displays, but it is a little simpler in its floral component and more cassis-led, with not quite the enchanting dusky complexity. Purity and classical bordeaux style are to the forefront, though. Palate is clearly lighter than 2013 Coleraine, yet the achieved ripeness in the cassis and plum fruit is good. It has markedly more to say for itself this year, compared with last. The comparison of 2013 Awatea and 2014 Coleraine is demanding in the extreme. My nett impression is 2014 Coleraine is fractionally richer, but 2013 Awatea is fractionally riper. 2013 Awatea matches many cru bourgeois, and offers much of the style and taste of Coleraine for a third the price. It has to be great value, therefore. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 03/16

2004 Te Motu Cabernet / Merlot 17 ½ + (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13%; $75 [ cork; DFB; CS c.60%, Me c.25%, balance CF, Sy & Ma, hand-picked @ c 1 t/ac; c.11 days cuvaison, inoculated; MLF and c.30 months in French c.70%, Hungarian c.20% and balance American oak, c.30% new; sterile-filtered; c.500 cases; ‘Heavy weight yet to blossom.’; www.temotu.co.nz ]
Ruby and garnet, much older than the 2005 Destinae. Bouquet is fragrant but also very oaky, so in this tasting the wine is at peril of looking ‘varnishy’. Palate shows browning cassis, berry and dark tobacco, with an almost bush-honey-like fruit sweetness emerging on the later palate. These Te Motus are distinctive wines on the Island, and providing they have the fruit weight to carry the oak (with its sometimes faint shadow of camphor), as they breathe and open up they can be very attractive. There have been Haut-Brions somewhat in this style, admittedly some years ago. They are best seen on their own, though, with food rather than in this kind of magnifying-glass line-up. Cellar 2 – 8 years. GK 06/09

2003 Drouhin Beaune-Greves Premier Cru 17 ½ + (

)

Beaune, Cote de Beaune, France: 13%; $70 [ cork; a Drouhin domaine wine, average vine age c. 20 years, hand-harvested, fermentation (some stalks) and cuvaison in open wooden vats; up to ‘almost two years’ in barrel; Wine Direct the NZ agents; www.drouhin.com ]
Big ruby, the second deepest of the French wines. At this point, the bouquets start to become a bit more drought-year, with thoughts of Cotes du Rhone arising, and leathery (+ve) tendencies, though still fragrant. Palate is more plummy than cherry, and the furry tannins are dense in the mouth, wonderfully ripe. One has to accept that this is one end of the optimal climatic spectrum for pinot noir, clearly the opposite of the over-fragrant stalky style of cooler years, but either can be greatly enjoyable. The palate on this wine is excellent, and it too will be a great dinner wine. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 03/06

2002 Shadowfax Shiraz Pink Cliffs 17 ½ + (

)

Heathcote, Victoria, Australia: 14%; $ – [ screwcap; release price $70; no specific info available, tendency to all-French oak and lowish % new; Halliday, 2005: Rich, deep structure; multi-faceted black fruits; full-bodied; ripe tannins, subtle oak influence, 94; Patrick Eckel, 2015: A spectacular wine from an unforgiving single vineyard site in Heathcote ... The nose is elegant and subtle with violets and plum fruits against savoury raspberry strap and liquorice all sorts. The palate is fully mature, but has maintained it’s mineral structure with drying, earthen tannins. in terms of fruit there are parallels with the nose, spicy plum takes centre stage, with a stalky savoury influence of site or winemaking. The finish gives the faintest flash of mint to go along with old leather, 95; bottle weight dry 705 grams; www.shadowfax.com.au ]
Ruby and velvet, just above midway in depth. This is one of those Australian shirazes which tiptoes towards syrah, but is given away by the aromatics. Here they are sweetly floral, reminiscent of Australian flowering mint Prostanthera, in the style of many vintages of Filsell. Thyme was mentioned, too. Below is fragrant fruit ripened more to the blueberry level / just beyond an ideal cassis point of ripeness. Palate is beautifully oaked, supple, not heavy, on a par with the Dos Dedos but fresher, but a little too aromatic / minty, though the acid seems nearly natural. A much more attractive food wine than the more manipulated Xabregas. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 03/18

2005 Villa Maria Syrah / Viognier Cellar Selection 17 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $32 [ screwcap; Sy 97%, Vi 3, hand-harvested, all de-stemmed, co-fermented; c. 15 day cuvaison, MLF in barrel, 18 months in all-French oak 50% new; only available from Winery shop, Mangere; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, clearly less dense and a little brighter in hue than the Syrah sibling, close to Bullnose itself. And in total achievement, this wine is close to, but not identical with, the straight Syrah version. Co-fermentation has not produced the colour enhancement often attributed to it, and the bouquet is not more floral. Berry characters on bouquet and palate are near identical, but the blend is a little lighter and shorter in the finish, as if TA in this wine were fractionally higher [confirmed later]. As noted above, there are subtle differences in the winemaking and elevation, which will make this a great study pair of wines. Both are good examples of the grape, in a slightly cooler-season winestyle than the 2004 pair. This will cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 04/07

2009 Ata Rangi Pinot Noir 17 ½ + (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 14%; $72 [ screwcap; 10% whole bunch, 5 – 8 days cold-soak, wild yeast, cuvaison 21 – 28 days; MLF and 12 months in French oak, 25% new; not filtered; www.atarangi.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, a little lighter than the 2009 Target Gulley. Bouquet is both floral and red cherry fragrant, with subtle oaking. On palate it is as explicitly cherry varietal as the 2009 Escarpment, but just a little cooler, so the bouquet is stronger, but the palate is firmer, just a trace of stalk like the Cornish 2009. What a great vintage 2009 is for pinot noir in both Martinborough and Central Otago. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 06/11

2010 Obsidian Syrah 17 ½ + (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14%; $60 [ Cork 50mm; Sy 97.5%, Vi 2.5; hand-harvested, all de-stemmed; cultured yeast, MLF and c.13 months in barrel 40% new French, 40% second-year French, balance older mixed; light fining; 122 cases; some name-confusion: initially the 'standard' syrah was sold as Weeping Sands, and only when top quality achieved was the flagship Obsidian Syrah released, the first 2008. That caused confusion in the marketplace, so from 2012 vintage the standard wine is Obsidian Syrah, and the top one when made will be Obsidian Reserve Syrah; Campbell, 2013: An array of dark-fruit flavours with floral/violet, black pepper, leather, mocha, licorice and many other savoury nuances. A core of sweet fruit is balanced by ripe tannins that promise good cellaring potential but doesn’t stop the wine being drinkable now. Cellar – 10 years, 97; Chan, 2012: The Obsidian Syrah 2010 is a complete wine, softly rich and plump with sweet, ripe black plum fruit flavours, with black pepper and spices. There is plenty of tannin in support, fine and tight, and also excellent acidity. The oaking (40% new) emerges in the glass, but melds in with the opulence. This is certainly in the riper end of the spectrum, yet has not crossed the line to Shiraz, 5-stars; Cooper, 2012: The 2010 vintage was co-fermented with Viognier 2.5 per cent) and matured in French oak barrique (40 per cent new). Still extremely youthful, it is powerful, with bold blackcurrant, plum and spice flavours, highly concentrated, finely textured and potentially very complex. Best drinking 2014+, 5-stars;; www.obsidian.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, one of the deepest. This wine has a great ripe-syrah bouquet. The picking point is just past fresh vibrant cassis, even a little later than the Chave, but even so the varietal accuracy is terrific. The bouquet is however made a bit strident by too much new oak exacerbated by light VA, fractionally more than the Bullnose. Six tasters were uneasy about the level, but analysis for export data subsequently made available shows the level is threshold, no more than many well-regarded Australian reds. In mouth the quality and purity of berry is a delight, clear-cut cassis and dark plum, a long lingering flavour, great cellar potential. Picking a few days earlier would enhance florality, as the 2010 La Chapelle shows, followed by literally half the new oak, which by coincidence would also match the La Chapelle specs. Otherwise, this is exciting technically pure syrah, handled in all-French oak, and show-casing how well-suited Waiheke Island is to fine syrah. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 11/14

2003 Ata Rangi Pinot Noir 17 ½ + (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $64 [ screwcap; 10% whole berry component in fermentation; 12 months in 25% new French oak; www.atarangi.co.nz ]
Since writing this wine up 9/04, it has continued to come together. Bouquet has filled out, with other floral components joining the aromatic pennyroyal, and improving complexity. Palate is smoothing out too, with buddleia notes in the florals extending into blueberry flavours on the palate, as well as mixed cherries. The pennyroyal persists, though. The suggestion in the earlier notes of the 2003 being a heavier, less fragrant style is quite wrong. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 03/05

2002 Matua Valley Merlot / Syrah / Cabernet Ararimu 17 ½ + (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $45 [ cork; Matua’s top series, intended to age; French oak 9 months; www.matua.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, the third deepest. Bouquet is oaky first and foremost, but there is complex cassisy berryfruit behind the oak. Palate is not quite as rich as some of the wines rated more highly, but the flavours are attractive. Cabernet sauvignon seems to dominate at this early stage, though in our temperate climate, syrah can also be quite cassisy. The aftertaste however becomes oaky again, as the fruit tapers anyway. This would have been outright gold-medal wine, 10 years ago, for the ripeness is super. Only the amount of oak is negative, for me. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 10/05

2007 Pask Merlot Gimblett Road 17 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $24 [ screwcap; some cold soak; c. 14 months in French & American oak; RS <1 g/L; Catalogue: …aromas of fragrant fruits and floral notes. Ripe fruits, firm tannins and lovely texture is the makeup of this Merlot. Fine oak supports intense plum fruits which will age well; www.cjpaskwinery.co.nz ]
Ruby. Bouquet is really fragrant, with the soft roses floral quality merlot can show when not over-ripe or over-oaked, on ripe red fruits. This is a pretty wine in the best sense, contrasting with a more substantial one like the Church Road Cuve model. Palate is still firm and youthful, red plums more than black, not particularly concentrated but what is there is good, and appropriately oaked at about the level of the Vidal Estate wine – that is, still more than some. This will cellar attractively, and be soft and food-friendly in a couple of years. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 07/09

2000 Guigal Cote Rotie Ch d'Ampuis 17 ½ + (

)

Cote Rotie, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $ – [ cork; Sy 95% & Vi 5, average age 50 years, average yield 1.8 t/ac; 4 weeks cuvaison; 38 months in French oak said to be all new; R. Parker 156: … is good, but not nearly as perfumed, deep, or impressive as the 1999, 2001, and 2003. It offers aromas and flavors of sweet cassis intermixed with hints of frying lard and dried herbs intertwined with supple tannin. Although superficial, it is a seductive, rich, concentrated effort. 89; www.guigal.com ]
Ruby, old for age. Bouquet is classically Cote Rotie, clearcut fading dianthus florals, drying cassis just a little brown for the wine's age, trace brett adding to the savoury complexity, the oaking just a bit plain as if a high percentage of older barrels. Palate is fully mature, attractive berry as for bouquet, totally in style, but much lighter than the top New Zealand wines. In the blind tasting its harmony and balance were somewhat overshadowed by the vibrant young wines preceding it, but for the table, this is great drinking, crying out for food to accompany its savoury flavours and low alcohol. Very forward though, so cellar 3 – 10 years only. GK 01/07

2002 Saint Clair Pinot Noir Doctors Creek Limited Edition 17 ½ + (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $23 [ screwcap; 4 – 5 days cold soak, 13 months in French oak, on lees; www.saintclair.co.nz ]
Another big pinot ruby. First opened, this is a rich, fruity and broadly in-style wine, but there is an obtrusive charry oak complexity almost drowning the specifics of pinot fruit. Palate is much better, with boronia and buddleia florals apparent even in mouth on dark cherry and plum fruit, and showing good pinot texture. Decanted and breathed, the fruit expands attractively, but the oak remains at a max. Ultimately I suspect this will the superior of these two premium 2002 Saint Clair pinots, if the charry oak retreats. Both of them, with the Dog Point, indicate exciting progress in making Marlborough pinot more burgundian, and hence more international in style (whether one prefers that or not), rather than persisting with an eccentrically New Zealand heavyweight version of the grape. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 03/05

nv Champagne Ruinart Blanc de Blancs Brut 17 ½ + (

)

Reims, Champagne, France: 12.5%; $105 [ laminated champagne cork; Ch 100%, hand-picked from mostly premier-cru vineyards in four districts, Côte des Blancs, Montagne de Reims, Sézannais (which age well) and north of the Vesle Valley; all s/s elevation; full MLF; 20 - 25% Reserve wines spanning previous two vintages; tirage unknown; dosage c.9 g/L; tiresome website; www.ruinart.com ]
This was the second-deepest / most straw wine of the batch. Like the 2009 Champagne Peters L'Esprit, it shows a lot of bouquet, but in a quite different looser style, closer to but purer than the Moet, a hint of quince, a hint of toast, not such taut white fruits or baguette-quality autolysis as the wines marked more highly. Flavours are soft and beguiling, again less focussed, a spreading kind of crumb as well as crust autolysis with pink mushroom notes, and a soft finish, clearly sweeter than the Peters wines. There is good body though, and it is a wine which will give much pleasure. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 10/15

2004 Craggy Range Pinot Noir Te Muna Road 17 ½ + (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $40 [ cork; clones 113, 115, 667 & 777, vine age 4 – 5 years; 90% de-stemmed, 10% whole bunch, 4 – 7 days cold soak, wild yeast fermentation, 20 – 28 days cuvaison, 9 months in French oak 50% new; no fining, no filtration; Spectator: lithe and distinctive, with a definite minerality and a touch of loamy earth to the ripe cherry and currant flavors, lingering beautifully on the generous finish. Tannins are well-submerged and its sense of delicacy is welcome. To 2011. 93; www.craggyrange.com ]
Classic pinot noir ruby, below half-way in depth, close to the Fourrier. And like the Fourrier, right from first pour, bouquet on this wine epitomises varietal pinot noir. There is the full spectrum of pinot noir florals, from the lighter sweet buddleia aromas through roses to boronia – sweet boronia – this is a lovely bouquet. Palate shows red and black cherry fruit perfectly poised, classical pinot noir flavours, reasonably subtle fragrant oak, but slightly firm acid balance. It is not a big wine, but it is elegant, fully up to premier cru standards, richer than the Cloudy Bay, nearly on a par with the Pipeclay, expressing precise and pure varietal character. Cellar 3 – 12 years. GK 06/07

2010 Churton Pinot Noir 17 ½ + (

)

Waihopai Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $40 [ cork; hand-picked @ c. 3.7 t/ha (1.5 t/ac) from one of the exciting new-generation old-soil vineyards 200 m. above seas level, sloping 14° and planted c.5,000 vines / ha; destemmed but retaining whole berries; 7 days cold soak, wild-yeast fermentation 5 days, then 21 days further skin contact making a cuvaison of 33 days – much more traditional; 14 months in French oak 20% new, pH 3.8, RS nil; biodynamic; www.churtonwines.co.nz ]
Classic pinot noir colour, not quite as rich as The Abyss. The whole style of the wine is close to the top wine, showing potentially deep sweet florals, which may include boronia with a little more time, on red more than black cherry fruit. The flavours are burgundian through and through, with a suppleness which is enchanting. The main point of difference from the top wine is simply concentration, yet this is still good, the flavours long and resting on fruit. In one sense, these two wines finally put Marlborough on the serious New Zealand pinot noir map. Up till recently the district approach has been more quantitative. Cellar 3 – 8 years. Low sulphur here too. GK 03/13

nv Champagne Pierre Peters Cuvée de Reserve Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Brut (2012 base) 17 ½ + (

)

Cote de Blancs, Champagne, France: 12%; $92 [ supercritical 'cork'; Ch 100% based on 2012 fruit, all hand-picked from c.50 grand cru sites through the Cote de Blancs, including Le Mesnil; 40% of the wine from the assembled multi-vintage Reserve 'solera'; full MLF; c.2.5 years en tirage; dosage c.6.5 g/L; www.champagne-peters.com ]
Elegant lemon green, indistinguishable from the previous year's wine. The 2015-release batch is identifiable in New Zealand by both a supplementary back label, and by a QR-icon on the main back label. The latter (when checked with a smart-phone) advises the base vintage, disgorgement date, and other details. Bouquet is clean and fragrant, but clearly much more youthful and seemingly less integrated and less autolysed than the two preceding years. Accordingly the grapes of the base-wine are slightly more apparent, and the autolysis complexity relatively less apparent, at this stage. Whether this batch in fact has a slightly shorter time en tirage than the preceding years, I do not know, but the quality of autolysis right now only goes as far as crumb-of-baguette, rather than crust-of-baguette. The physical body of the wine seems near-identical to the two preceding batches, and the purity and elegance are comparable. It might be fractionally sweeter. It therefore seems a safe bet that with another 18 months in bottle, this batch too will show the quality of autolysis complexity the earlier two wines show now, as the fruit character attenuates. And when you taste these Peters Grand Cru wines, even this 'basic' Cuvée de Reserve, against one of the wines in the nv grande marque batch reported on herewith, the richness of these Peters wines is astonishing, in comparison. 2012 was rated more highly in champagne than 2011, so this wine may reflect both greater relative youth, and also cellar longer, maybe 5 – 20 years. GK 11/15

2004 Esk Valley Merlot / Cabernet Sauvignon / Malbec Black Label 17 ½ + (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $23 [ screwcap; 12 – 14 month in French & American oak some new; www.eskvalley.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and some velvet. The total purity of bouquet on this wine is marvellous, showing slightly floral cassisy and plummy berry, and a little more vibrant fruit than the Villa Merlot PB. Palate is cassis, broadened out with malbec, less oaky than the Reserve wines, lean in one sense as cabernet often is, but rich, too, with good acid balance. This will cellar very well indeed, and become a fragrant and delightful food wine in 5 – 10 years. GK 11/05

2006 Felton Road Pinot Noir [ standard wine ] 17 ½ + (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14.5%; $ – [ screwcap; average vine age 7 years; an early warm season with many days over 30C; large crops and large berries, so saignée for Vin Gris needed; wines seen as balanced like the 2003s; 10th vintage for Felton Road and the first where all pinot noir vineyards farmed organically and biodynamically; first year for the Calvert label; www.feltonroad.com ]
Pinot noir ruby, some development, below midway for depth. Bouquet is light and sweetly floral, with some age creeping in. It smells a red-fruited wine, some reminders of the Cote de Beaune here too, gentler than the 2003. In mouth the 2006 is a supple wine, not one of the big ones, but beautifully ripe tannins like the 2003. Red cherry now browning a little dominates, oak in good balance, the nett balance, quality and harmony in these wines is a delight. This has the poise to cellar well, but perhaps not the weight to match the 2003 for longevity. Cellar another 3 – 5 years. GK 08/14

2014 Craggy Range Pinot Noir Te Muna Road Aroha 17 ½ + (

)

Te Muna Valley, Martinborough district, Wairarapa, New Zealand: 13.5%; $125 [ 49mm cork; hand-harvested @ c. 6.75 t/ha = 2.75 t/ac; fermentation in oak cuves and s/s with wild yeasts; 50% whole-bunch; 11 months in French oak 30% new; no fining, light filtering; RS nil; www.craggyrange.com ]
Good pinot noir ruby, lighter than the 2013, well below midway in depth. Bouquet shows similar buddleia and roses florals to the 2013, but all fractionally cooler, more red fruits than black fruits, a hint of leaf, and all slightly less evolved. Palate likewise is more youthful, the cherries fresher, the oak more noticeable, the coolness on bouquet translating into a suggestion of stalks on palate, more marrying up to do. Apart from being that bit cooler, the approach seems near-identical, though this wine is clearly lighter than the 2013, which correlates with the cropping rate for the two years. In particular the oak handling is magical. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 09/16

2011 Palliser Estate Pinot Noir Pencarrow 17 ½ + (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13%; $26 [ screwcap; Palliser Estate is set up as a public company, and has been on the scene since the later 1980s. Chief winemaker Allan Johnson is a long-established part of the firm, with deputy Pip Goodwin. The wines come in a premium stream as Palliser Estate, and the more affordable Pencarrow series. The firm is now sizeable, and the wines are widely known and well-regarded, but they have never quite captured the Martinborough limelight. Their methode champenoise adds interest to the wines of the district, and their Riesling is widely encountered. This pinot noir is made from 6 clones of pinot, with a 0.5% whole-bunch component, in mostly wild-yeast fermentations. It spends 9 months in oak, with 24% new, the dry extract is 29 g/L, and the RS <1 g/L; www.palliser.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, right in the middle for depth. This bouquet too shows the elusive boronia quality of florality, indicating near-perfect ripeness at picking. It seems to have a greater integration of fruit and oak than some of the wines, the aromatic cherry fruit being convincing. Palate is not quite so vibrant and exciting however, the wine is a little tannic and you would think the oak older than the specs say. The finish shows the older oak a little more. All told, the balance and richness are attractive, the wine is clean, and like all good pinot noir it is more-ish. Pretty good for a second wine ! Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/14

2005 Te Mata Estate Cabernets / Merlot Coleraine 17 ½ + (

)

Havelock North Hills mainly, some Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $235 [ cork, 54mm; Me 45%, CS 37, CF 18; uneven year, dry April, late season, GDD 1448, harvest late March to mid-April; release price $75 [ the wine-searcher price does not reflect current New Zealand auction values, which are more around the $100 mark, before fees ]; Cowley, 2017: fruity, ripe supple; Neal Martin @ R. Parker, 2008: The exquisite 2005 Coleraine ... floral with violets and a touch of rose petals inflecting the bouquet of dark cherry, strawberry and spice. The palate is very well-balanced, ... elegant, with silky, filigree tannins and a sensuous, almost understated finish with supreme delineation and natural balance. ... in terms of quality, I would have no hesitation placing it within the class of Bordeaux Second Growths, 93; Chan, 2008 review: The smallest berries on record. Very full and rich on nose, with nuanced lush fruit aromas ... complex aromatics in the riper spectrum, with a little meaty interest. On the palate, the plump black fruits speak of Merlot, and the wine is full and rich. There is considerable power, size and depth, the tannin extraction serious and solid. A full wine ... rounded, 19+; www.temata.co.nz ]
Ruby and some velvet, midway in depth. This is an intriguing wine, neat and precise, smaller-scale but remarkably Medoc in styling. Cassisy berry browning now is lifted by light florals and tobacco aromas, and complexed by cedary oak, into a fragrant whole which reminds very clearly of a good cru bourgeois from, say, Saint-Julien. Flavours are pro rata to the bouquet, it is not one of the richer Coleraines, but first impressions are appropriate ripeness for all varieties, the oak slightly prominent but lengthening the flavour. The more you taste it, just a thought that it could desirably be fractionally riper creeps in – there is a firmness to the slightly acid and tannin finish that hints at austerity. The first night, three people rated this their top or second wine, and the second night, two. I thought the bottles identical. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 08/17

2013 Schubert Pinot Noir Marion's Vineyard 17 ½ + (

)

Gladstone, Wairarapa, New Zealand: 14%; $49 [ cork; mainly Abel and UCD clones, hand-picked; all de-stemmed, 21 days cuvaison; 16 months in French oak, 40% new; www.schubert.co.nz ]
Lightish pinot noir ruby, a little age to the edge, in the fourth quarter for depth. Bouquet is lightly fragrant and floral again in a pink hedge-rose way, not smelling quite as oaky as the Block B wine, with red cherry fruit. Palate likewise has slightly more emphasis on red cherry fruit, the whole wine a little fresher than the Block B (or less oaky). It has quite a serious Volnay style to it. Though seemingly a light wine, fruit length is long and pleasing in mouth, noticeably burgundian. This is a deceptively easy wine to drink: it should be attractive with lighter foods. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/17

2003 Yalumba Viognier Virgilius 17 ½ + (

)

Eden Valley, South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $49 [ cork; vines up to 25 years age, hand-picked; wild yeast fermentation, BF 100% in French oak 4% new plus 9 months LA and batonnage, no MLF; Virgilius is a selection within the Eden Valley stock, including most of the new oak fraction; RS < 2 g/L; www.yalumba.com ]
Virgilius is Yalumba’s flagship white, their wine to compete with Penfold’s Yattarna Chardonnay. This is a big ask for a grape more coquettish than serious. Virgilius shares the Eden Valley wine’s quite fabulous colour, a little deeper, but equally brilliant: perfect lemon. But the bouquet simply doesn’t compete with the Eden Valley. Because this wine is 100% barrel fermented, varietal definition is down, being replaced by a quiet and very pure rich white wineyness, oak-affected but not oaky. On bouquet alone, blind, one might not pick this is as viognier. Everything comes right on palate, which shows a richness and viscosity which is sensational, eclipsing both the Guigal and the Eden Valley. And here the apricots fruit can be tasted, for although the wine is softly oakier than the Eden Valley, it is still subtle. If this had the bouquet of the Eden Valley wine, it would be runaway gold medal. Cellar 1 – 3 years. GK 11/05

2008 Obsidian Vineyard [ Cabernet / Merlot ] The Obsidian 17 ½ + (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14%; $54 [ cork; CS 38%, Me 30, CF 14, PV 12, Ma 6, all hand-harvested; all de-stemmed, cultured yeast, up to 21 days cuvaison; MLF and c.13 months in all-French oak 30% new; 395 cases; www.obsidian.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet. Bouquet is fragrant aromatic but rather oaky cabernet / merlot, looking old-fashioned in the context of some of the 2010 bordeaux blends from both Waiheke Island and Hawkes Bay. Palate shows good richness and cassisy berry fruit, but when compared with the Destiny Bay wines, there is a clue why they want to charge so much. Their wines smell even more elevage-influenced, but the tannin load on palate is less than Obsidian. They will therefore cellar more gracefully. 2008 Obsidian is therefore a premium winestyle suited to customers coming from an Australian-influenced and more oaky approach to red wine. The quality of the Waiheke Island climate allows a much more finessed approach, where fruit quality dominates, as in Bordeaux, and oak frames the picture rather than dominating it. Cellar 3 – 12 years, but the oak will probably increase. GK 10/12

2008 Mt Difficulty Riesling Long Gully Single Vineyard 17 ½ + (

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Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 10.5%; $34 [ screwcap; vines planted 1992, ideal season for leaving fruit to hang, a little positive botrytis; stop-fermented @ 75 g/L ± as auslese style; lightly fined and filtered; pH @ 2.75 should ensure longevity; 67 cases; www.mtdifficulty.co.nz ]
Pale lemon. This wine immediately smells sweeter and richer than the top wines, but somehow less fine, even though there are freesia florals and cut-apple notes. Palate is fully sweet, but with good fruit concentration as well, so it will cellar well. It is really much too early to be assessing this wine. It may blossom in bottle, and be totally transformed, so the scoring is conservative. Cellar 5 – 15 years, maybe to surprise. GK 11/08

2009 Milton Chardonnay Clos Ste Anne 17 ½ + (

)

Gisborne hills, New Zealand: 14%; $62 [ cork and wax; hand-picked from hill-slope and unirrigated Naboth Vineyard planted @ 4000 vines / ha, predominantly clone mendoza and all certified organic and biodynamic, the oldest vines 20 years but ongoing replacement lowers average age; whole-bunch pressed, not cold-settled but stands overnight so only 'fluffy lees' taken to barrel; 100% wild-yeast and 100% barrel-ferment up to 23°, MLF not desired; 11 months at 12° in French oak <15% new plus older oak to third-year, batonnage initially daily post ferment extending to monthly later in the elevation; pH 3.38, RS 1 g/l; polish-filtered only, not sterile; not entered in Shows; www.millton.co.nz ]
This wine is also a perfect lemon colour, hard to separate from the Vidal. There is a lovely citrus blossom note to the bouquet, which gets it off to a great start, on pale stonefruit. Like the Vidal, it is a simpler purer bouquet in the field. Palate however is a little less, a lack of flavour relative to some of the more mendoza-dominant wines, the quality of the autolysis not as convincing as the Elston, say, and the total acid hinting at a small addition – like the Leeuwin but less – but in fact James advises no acid addition at all. Again like the Leeuwin, a lack of MLF in the autolysis phase leads to markedly less of the oatmeal / cashew suite of flavours, which adds so much charm to white burgundy. Like the Vidal, though, its purity is compelling. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 03/12

2005 Penfolds Cabernet Sauvignon Bin 407 17 ½ + (

)

McLaren Vale, Padthaway, Barossa Valley, & Robe, South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $32 [ screwcap; CS 100%; 12 months in American 60% and French oak 20 – 30% new, all hogsheads; www.penfolds.com.au ]
Ruby and velvet, nearly some carmine, nearly as rich as the Bin 389. Bouquet is the most dramatically varietal of this batch of Penfolds Bin wines. Clear cassis, green and black olives, and red and black plums soar from the glass, with almost a dark floral / savoury note suggesting capers and sage, or similar. Palate is infantile alongside the bouquet, the tannins still fierce, but the concentration of cassisy berry is excellent. In a quality vintage such as this, Bin 407 is now a much-refined wine compared with earlier offerings. There is much more emphasis on varietal berry, and less on assertive oak. The colour alone confirms this. Winemaker Steve Lienert comments they want 407 to be more clearly varietal than the complex big-brother Bin 707. There is a little mint character, but the wine is not euc’y, so this edition of 407, like the Bin 389, looks worthy of inclusion in future 2005 Bordeaux tastings. Don't touch this for 5 years, and cellar 5 – 20 years, maybe longer. GK 03/08

2005 Clonakilla Viognier 17 ½ + (

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Murrumbateman, Canberra ACT, Australia: 14.6%; $54 [ screwcap; picked mid-April; 100% BF and wild yeast ferment at up to 25° with some solids, in French oak 15% new; 11 months in barrel with regular lees stirring; believed to be no MLF; pH 3.5, RS < 1 g/L; 2005 regarded as a great vintage in the more variable Canberra district; Parker 168: Clonakilla may fashion Australia’s finest Viognier. Their 2005 exhibits an extraordinary complexity along with a rich minerality interwoven with peach, litchi, and other tropical fruits. Boasting tremendous precision, stuffing, texture, and length, it is a stunning, but limited production Viognier. 93; www.clonakilla.com.au ]
Elegant quite deep lemon. Bouquet is a mixed affair, benefitting from breathing / decanting. Initially, there are lemon essence notes on the one hand, and a slight sackyness / cardboard note on the other. Once breathed, there is clear canned apricot of middling ripeness. Palate is rich, flavoursome, but a little coarse, with hints of older Australian riesling kerosene developing, as well as good apricot. Flavours are bigger and riper than most New Zealand examples, clearly varietal, subtly oaked, long and dry, but not quite the varietal purity. As with New Zealand however, viognier is a work in progress in Australia too. This looks to be at peak maturity right now. GK 07/07

1996 Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame Brut 17 ½ + (

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Reims, Champagne, France: 12.5%; $230 [ cork; PN 65%, Ch 28, PM 7; en tirage 5 – 8 years; another website lacking in information; current vintage price in NZ c.$210; www.veuve-clicquot.com ]
Straw, towards the deeper end in hue and weight. Bouquet shows a kind of vanilla biscuit quality more clearly than baguette, with a hint of marmalade on Vogel's Mixed-grain toast below. As you taste it, there might be a suggestion of oak in the base wines, and you start to think it is just a bit aldehydic and broad, even though the acid is firm and fresh. Unlike some of the wines, further sipping makes the wines seem coarser rather than finer. The nett impression is a flavoursome big champagne, more enjoyable than the detailed comments suggest, not as dry as some, maybe 9 g/L. Might not cellar so well, on the relative development and stronger flavours. GK 11/14

1975 Richard Hamilton Cabernet Sauvignon 17 ½ + (

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McLaren Vale, South Australia, Australia: – %; $ – [ cork 43mm; Dr Richard Hamilton is a son of the owners of the then well-known Hamilton's Ewell Vineyard. He set up his own winery in 1972, based at Willunga on the southern edge of the McLaren Vale district. Evans (1978) comments the wines were then 'hard to come by'. Reds were fermented in stainless steel, and matured in 300-litre American hogsheads, the style oaky. Richard Hamilton is now the McLaren Vale label in the Leconfield of Coonawarra stable, all owned by Richard Hamilton; www.leconfieldwines.com ]
Garnet and ruby, about midway in richness. There is a purity and elegance to this wine which is delightful. It is not as complex as the Talbot, and there is a certain sun-soaked gentle oaky smoothness to the very ripe blackcurrant and plum berry notes, but it is inviting. Flavours are a world apart from the minor bordeaux and New Zealand wines, a suppleness and ample fruit quality which superficially is all-enticing. Yet when you check back against the La Tour Carnet, for example, you see exactly what Jancis Robinson is on about, with her regular reference to 'refreshing' as one of her key 'wants' in red wines. The concept is not so to the forefront in Australia, where there is a preference for ripeness, size and weight in red wines, but that is slowly changing. This Hamilton Cabernet is a good compromise. What I like about this wine is, it seems nearly straight cabernet, the fruit is dominant over oak, even if it is American oak, and it is good with food. Fully mature, but no hurry – if the corks allow. GK 04/15

2004 Yann Chave Crozes-Hermitage Le Rouvre 17 ½ + (

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Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $34 [ cork; the vineyard was formerly Bernard Chave, and this wine was formerly Tete de CuvÃ©e; Wine Spectator on the 2004: Soft, with a buttery hint to the black cherry, plum and floral notes. Round, easy finish shows a dash of toast as it lets the fruit linger. Soft, but with a touch more flesh than the regular cuvÃ©e. Drink now through 2008. 89; available via Maison Vauron ]
Good ruby, one of the lightest. Bouquet is the winning feature of this wine, showing the precise dianthus / wallflowers florals so specific to syrah, on fresh red and dark berries grading through to cassis. Oak is subtle, and the whole wine is in the elegant European style, rather than the out-to-impress Australian one. Palate is lighter than the higher-rated wines, but the floral and cassis-like berry both reminds of pinot noir / burgundy plus pepper, and matches the Te Mata Woodthorpe remarkably. This is a good taste of pure varietal syrah in a less-than-optimally-ripe French style, which will cellar 5 â€“ 12 years. VALUE GK 11/06

2013 Babich Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot / Cabernet Franc Irongate 17 ½ + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $33 [ supercritical 'cork' = Diam 49mm; CS 43, Me 42, CF 15, hand-harvested; extended cuvaison; 14 months in French oak 34% new; RS <1 g/L; www.babichwines.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, half the depth of Patriarch 2013. Bouquet is immediately lighter, fresher, more fragrant and more singing than either 2013 Patriarch or the 2014 Esk Cranford Auction wine, much more a cabernet / merlot wine in a Medoc styling, cassis, plums with the merlot obvious, subtle oak, fragrant and attractive in a cru bourgeois style. Palate however is a bit leaner and tauter than the bouquet promises, much more cabernet / merlot now, not the cabernet franc charm which 2013 Awatea (from memory) shows. This is a very reputable 'second' wine to Patriarch, though since their cepage is so different, such a concept is misleading. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 07/16

1985 Delas Hermitage Cuvée Marquis de Tourette 17 ½ + (

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Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: – %; $91 [ 45mm cork; a 5-star vintage for Broadbent, outstanding reds, rich and long-lasting, Parker 90 and ready; Sy 100, much of it from Les Bessards; not so much de-stemming then; 18 – 24 months in two-year old Burgundy barrels; Parker, 1993: the fully mature 1985 is fat, ripe, richly fruit, full-bodied, and low in acidity. The attractive flavors of cassis, tar, and roasted herb remain fresh and intense. Anticipated maturity: now-2002. Last tasted 12/93, 88; www.delas.com ]
Mature ruby and garnet, the second to lightest. Bouquet is highly varietal, clearly browning cassis and fading dianthus florals, really fragrant, as great Hermitage should be. Two of 19 tasters thought there was trace brett, but not to detract. Flavours are leaner than the Guigal of the same year, yet more clearly cassis though browning, slightly more new oak and slightly higher acid, in a sense more clearly syrah varietal, but not so generous. This case of Hermitage has been a delight from day one, each bottle opening consistently, except one or two have had slightly more brett metabolites aroma detectable. Fully mature now, and starting to dry. Top wine for one person. GK 09/14

nv Paradox Marlborough Methode Traditionelle 17 ½ + (

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Marlborough, New Zealand: 12.2%; $31 [ cork; Ch 54%, PN 24, PM 22; 3 years en tirage; RS 8 g/L; made for the NZ Wine Society by Hunter’s Wines, and only available through the Society; www.nzwinesociety.co.nz ]
Pale lemon. Bouquet shows textbook light baguette-crust autolysis, on light, fresh, faintly citric, chardonnay-dominated fruit. On palate, fruit (as dry extract) is a little light in comparison with good champagne, and the autolysis tapers away somewhat. Residual seems fractionally drier than in the Miru Miru Reserve 2002, which shows up the acid a little, but total wine styles are similar. This is marvellously quaffable bubbly, better than many examples of the real thing, and one of New Zealand’s top light methodes (i.e. in contrast to the weightier Bollinger-influenced Huia or Pask). Cellar 5 – 10 years, which will mellow it nicely. GK 12/06

2010 Pyramid Valley Pinot Noir Earth Smoke 17 ½ + (

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Pyramid Valley, Waipara, Canterbury, New Zealand: 13.2%; $78 [ screwcap; c.10 months on lees in French oak 15% new; not fined or filtered; www.pyramidvalley.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is 'complex' in a fragrant burgundian way, quite rich, mixed aroma cues ranging from floral through red and brown fruits to a whisper of reduction (until breathed) and farmyard. In mouth the fruit richness and cropping rate are both good, the flavours more the blackboy peach analogy some of the New Zealand clones of pinot noir show, but there are cherries too, oaking gentle and not too much new, but the wine nonetheless showing quite strong tannin structure and a pleasant hint of rusticity. It is richer and riper than the Black Estate, but drier and less floral. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 05/13

2005 Villa Maria Viognier Omahu Single Vineyard 17 ½ + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $36 [ screwcap; '05 not yet on website, but ’04 was BF in old French oak and LA and batonnage for 7 months, 20% MLF, finished to 2 g/L; Omahu is the vineyard that produced the remarkable 2002 Malbec; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Lemon. Bouquet is much stronger here than on the Vidal, but with viognier in mind, it is slightly ersatz – there is a toothpasty edge suggesting unsubtle oak. This detracts from the exquisite florals and subtle yellow fruits which good viognier should show. Palate is attractive, more clearly varietal and better balanced than the Vidal, the MLF fraction detectable in a positive way, the whole mouthfeel and style very close to 2004 Guigal. One can only commend Villa's choice of such a role model. There are such good features in this wine, I'd like to reward it at gold medal level, but the bouquet is too off-centre. Mouthfeel and body are well on the way to great New Zealand viognier, and with closer scrutiny and older oak, next year's might achieve the breakthrough. The MLF component is the key, in my view. Cellar 2 - 4 years. GK 08/06

nv Champagne Louis Roederer Premier Brut 17 ½ + (

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Reims, Champagne, France: 12%; $79 [ laminated champagne cork; PN 40%, PM 20, Ch 40, 20% reserve wine; moving towards a biodynamic approach; moving away from MLF, some fermentation in oak, some reserve wines in large old oak; en tirage c.36 months; 10.5 g/L dosage; 166,000 cases; www.louis-roederer.com ]
Lemonstraw, the second deepest, but still good. Bouquet shows great charm in this wine, near-perfect pale baguette and lightest white cherry maybe, more in the style of the Taittinger. Below there is a suggestion of faint strawberry, and you wonder if the pinot meunier is speaking. Palate is a little out of kilter, great purity but total acid seeming higher, and hence the wine appears short, though very pure. It does not taste as sweet as the given residual sugar of 10.5 g/L, the acid balance influencing that assessment. Cellar 5 – 15 years, on the acid, to maybe fill out a little. GK 11/15

2013 Sacred Hill [ Merlot / Malbec / Syrah ] Brokenstone 17 ½ + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $55 [ cork, 45 mm; original price $45; Me 86%, Ma 6, Sy 5, CS 2, CF 1, hand-picked from c.13-year old vines planted at 3,333 vines / ha and cropped @ 7 t/ha = 2.8 t/ac; cuvaison 30 – 40 days, mostly wild-yeast; 18 months in French oak c.35% new; RS <2 g/L, all unfermentable; sterile-filtered; dry extract 28.4 g/L; Perrotti-Brown @ Parker, 2016: ... a nose of baked plums, blackberry tart and baking spices with a vanilla and cedar undercurrent. Medium-bodied, there's a great generosity of flavor in the mouth with velvety tannins and just enough tannins, finishing a tad oak dominant, 90+; Cooper, 2016: Fragrant and dark, it has strong, ripe blackcurrant, plum and spice flavours, fresh, complex and savoury, and good tannin backbone. A classy young red, it’s still very youthful, ****½; dry extract 28.4 g/L; production not disclosed; weight bottle and closure: 668 g; www.sacredhill.com ]
Ruby and velvet, older than some, below midway in depth. One sniff and this is Pomerol in style, darkly plummy / bottled black doris aromas and oak, much deeper and quieter than most of the wines. Nonetheless it is wonderfully pure. Palate is almost too ‘black’ in flavour at this point, a lack of red-fruits freshness raising a doubt about sur-maturité here too, though the given alcohol tends to contradict that. There is a certain dryness to the palate at the moment, which may be just a stage in its evolution, but again the thought of austerity. This wine was very much in the middle for tasters, having no votes for first or second place. Cellar 10 – 30 years: once it loses some tannins a gentler side should emerge. GK 06/17

2012 Lawson's Dry Hills Pinot Noir Reserve 17 ½ + (

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Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $28 [ screwcap; hand-picked; de-stemmed, some wild yeast ferments; 9 months in oak, 25% new; www.lawsonsdryhills.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby, a little age showing, at the tail end of the second quarter, for depth. Bouquet is fresh red grading to black cherry fruit, fragrant and varietal but not exactly floral, delicate oak. Palate follows beautifully, an attractive impression of dusky florality through the fruit, a good balance of berry to subtle oak, a trace of leaf to the tail (hence the freshness), the finish lingering well. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/17

2013 Crossroads Syrah Talisman Elms Vineyard * 17 ½ + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $56 [ screwcap; Sy 100%, 25% hand-picked from c.14-year old vines planted at c.3,125 vines / ha and cropped @ c.5.8 t/ha = 2.3 t/ac; variously 1 – 4 days cold-soak, cuvaison 21 – 28 days, no whole-bunch component, cultured-yeast; MLF in barrel; 17 months in French oak c.35% new; RS 0.34 g/L; not sterile-filtered; dry extract 30.0 g/L; production 650 x 9-L cases; released; www.crossroadswines.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a little more oak-affected than the Winemakers Collection Syrah, to the lighter end but still good. Bouquet too suggests greater oak exposure in the wine, when compared with the standard syrah, so it is harder to tease out suggestions of wallflower and dusky rose aromas. It seems too ripe for dianthus notes. The floral suggestions are warmed by some barrel char. Below is fragrant cassis and darkest bottled plum, with oak. Flavour is berried syrah with cassis and high-cacao chocolate notes correlating with the char, fattening to dark plum, with oak influence more prominent than the the Collection wine, but not dominating unduly. An attractive balanced wine more in the Deerstalkers style, but not quite so harmonious. Cellar 5 – 18 years. GK 05/15

2010 Wooing Tree Pinot Noir 17 ½ + (

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Cromwell, Central Otago,, New Zealand: 14%; $45 [ screwcap; all hand-picked; few % whole-bunch in the ferments; typically 10 months in French oak 30 – 35% new; some filtering; www.wooingtree.co.nz ]
Ruby and some garnet, markedly older in appearance than the 2010 Verismo. Bouquet shows a complex interaction of red and black cherry fruit all browning now, with quite a lot of cedary oak marrying in, introducing a brown tobacco note like maturing bordeaux, unusual. Palate is slightly acid, quite rich, and cedary again, showing a lot of elevation complexity, unusual but not unknown in Burgundy. There have been odd Clos de Tarts like this, wines lacking noticeable florality. Scoring for this wine would vary wildly, in a group of tasters. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/17

2013 Sacred Hill Syrah Deerstalkers 17 ½ + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $56 [ cork 50mm; Sy 100%, hand-picked from c.13-year old vines cropped @ 5 t/ha = 2 t/ac; no cold-soak, cuvaison 25 – 35 days with 3% whole bunches retained, mostly wild-yeast; MLF in barrel; 16 months in French oak c.38% new; RS <2 g/L; not sterile-filtered; www.sacredhill.com ]
Ruby and velvet, a wash of carmine, exactly in the middle for depth. Bouquet is restrained, a shadow of reduction curbing any florals and subduing (but not totally suppressing) the cassis aromatics. The ratio of berry to oak is appealing relative to some earlier Deerstalkers, and the wine presents as syrah in the blind tasting (the quality of cassis in some of these syrahs can easily lead to them being classified as Cabernet / Merlots, blind). Palate seems fractionally narrower and less expressive than I recall in the last tasting a year ago, yet fruit weight and balance is nearly as good as Le Sol. Wines (red wines particularly) do pass through phases, so maybe this Deerstalkers is in a retiring patch. Meanwhile, if you are using it at the moment, decant well and leave to air some hours. The next blind evaluation will be awaited with interest. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 06/16

2012 Elderton Shiraz Command 17 ½ + (

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Barossa Valley, South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $100 [ Screwcap; rated Excellent in the Langton's Australian wine classification, the third-level group of 65 wines; Halliday rates the 2012 vintage 9 for Barossa Valley; a well-regarded Barossa Valley icon wine, first released in 1984, hand-picked from a vineyard planted in 1894; this label has featured several times in the Wine Spectator's Top 100 list for the year; fermentation is completed in French and American oak, some new; Halliday, 2015: ... elegant, but brooking no argument, the X-factor of the fruit at once obvious, yet undefinable; certain it is that its balance and depth are beyond approach, the oak and tannins seamlessly stitched through the fruit and length of the palate, 97; no Robinson et al review for this vintage, but for earlier vintages, they find the style too big; Perrotti-Brown at Parker, 2015: ... a very expressive nose replete with dried mulberries, potpourri, dusty earth, Chinese five spice and Szechuan pepper. Big and bold but not at all heavy, this soon-to-be-bottled Shiraz is drinking beautifully, offering tons of fruit with a very spicy and earthy character and firm, velvety tannins. It finishes long, 95 - 97+; bottle weight 726 g; www.eldertonwines.com.au ]
Ruby, the lightest and oldest-looking wine. This is more regular-quality Australian shiraz, obvious mintyness hinting at euc'y, very oaky on bouquet, yet good fruit … but it all smells of red fruits, raspberry and red plum. That side of it is a little unusual, suggesting long elevage. Palate confirms, despite the alcohol there is some smoothness, and good richness of ripe flavours riper than any of the wines marked more highly, but still with some restraint. There is a tactile fruit richness which seems ‘sweet’, but isn't. Alcohol and mint / euc roughen the later palate a little. Four people rated this as their top wine, no second places, one least, two thought it could be Penfolds, and two maybe New Zealand. It is a bit too euc’y for that interpretation. Cellar 5 – 25 years, probably to score higher as a mellow, lighter-coloured, but rich wine. GK 04/17

2013 Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon Wilyabrup 17 ½ + (

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Margaret River, West Australia, Australia: 14%; $110 [ screwcap; DFB; original price $NZ128; cepage in 2013 CS 92%, CF 4, PV 4, hand-picked, the cabernet picked 19 March at 7.85 t/ha = 3.2 t/ac; c.14 days cuvaison with cultured yeasts; MLF and c.28 months in French small oak, 15% new, balance young; 2013 regarded as a copybook vintage by the makers, and rated 9/10 by Halliday; Robinson, 2016: Very subtle and well integrated. Correct and beautifully integrated. A really lovely subtle wine. Complete and long, 18; Ray Jordan (West Australia): The 2013 is the 40th ... vintage and it is one of the best. I have tasted just about every Moss Wood cabernet ... and have no hesitation in putting the 2013 in the top half dozen. It is quintessentially Moss Wood: beautiful perfumes, not too big, elegant, seductive and so bright, with exquisite ... palate length, 98; imported by MacVine International, Auckland; weight bottle and closure: 535 g; www.mosswood.com.au ]
Ruby, some velvet, the third to lightest wine. Bouquet is fresh and fragrant, in a way similar to the Craggy Range Sophia. When you put them right alongside, the Moss Wood has a slight aromatic lift, but you couldn't even go as far as saying a suggestion of mint. For cabernet sauvignon, the berry character though wonderfully pure lacks precision and excitement: it is more blueberry and bottled red plums, and takes a long time to open up. There is very little cassis vibrancy and charm, even though it does smell berry-rich. Initial palate is attractive, juicy berry-fruits, subtle and fine oak, a similar weight to the Craggy Range, but whereas the Craggy has a beautiful natural-acid finish tapering away to nothing, the Moss Wood goes spikey in the mouth, finishing up on angular tartaric acid – which exacerbates the oak impression. It is intriguing reading the Australian wine commentary, that their wine people are unable to smell eucalyptus, or taste tartaric acid. I have rated this wine more highly on an earlier occasion: as the wise mentor Harry Waugh said so often: any wine rating has validity only in reference to the other wines tasted on the day. In this remarkable set of wines, even a top-rated Australian cabernet is up against sheer quality, in international terms. This wine attracted no votes, as to place: interesting given both the calibre of attendees, and the reputation of the wine. Cellar 10 – 30 years. GK 06/17

2008 Champagne Louis Roederer Brut 17 ½ + (

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Reims, Champagne, France: 12%; $125 [ standard compound cork; PN 70%, Ch 30, 37% of the wine is fermented and matured in large oak; MLF blocked; en tirage c.4 years; dosage 9 g/L; www.louis-roederer.com ]
Clearly the deepest of the whites, straw rather than lemon. This is a strange one, showing quite a lot of character which seems good to first sniff. Coming back to it though, you wonder if what you at first pass thought to be autolysis is not in fact just a bit cidery, a trace of oxidation along the way, now obscured by the secondary fermentation characters. Later, once you find the percentage that is fermented in oak, you have to think again. The wine is quite rich, with good length and complexity of flavour, dosage middle-of-the-road at 9 g/L. Like the Taittinger, the whole thing is clearly premium methode champenoise, but doesn't quite sing – a bit much tannin. Cellar 2 – 8 years. GK 05/17

2007 Villa Maria Cabernet / Merlot Reserve 17 ½ + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $50 [ screwcap; CS 69%, Me 29, Ma 2, all hand-harvested @ around 2.75 t/ac; vinified @ Mangere, 100% de-stemmed; s/s fermentation, with 3 – 4 weeks cuvaison for merlot and up to 6 weeks for cabernet; MLF and 20 months in 3-year air dried French oak 46% new; RS nil; filtration coarse only; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Ruby carmine and velvet, well above midway in depth. Initially opened, this wine was reticent to the point of being closed, raising doubts about some reduction – which is a worry under screwcap. Likewise it tasted hard and short on the palate initially, though seeming also quite rich. Well breathed, meaning double decanting or more, it is transformed into a Cabernet / Merlot richer and riper than Coleraine, more on a par with the Pask, with lots of cassis and agreeably subtle oak. Hard to score therefore: I have chosen to mark it for potential, meaning don't touch it for five years, and pour it from jug to jug several times when it is finally broached. Fat chance ! So some will be disappointed. It may well deserve re-rating in 5 years. Cellar 10 – 25 years. GK 01/10

2010 Mission Estate Syrah Huchet 17 ½ + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.2%; $125 [ cork; Sy 100%; hand-picked from hand-tended vines @ c.2.5 t/ha (1 t/ac); 100% de-stemmed; inoculated, no cold-soak, c.12 days ferment, total cuvaison 42 days; MLF in tank; 15 months in barrel c.33% new, no American oak; light filter, not sterile; RS < 1 g/L; 75 cases; the wine is named for Brother Cyprian Huchet, the first winemaker at The Mission, until 1899; no top ranking, 2 second; www.missionestate.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, some carmine, right in the middle for depth. Initially opened, the wine is a little reductive, and needs a good splashy decanting and some time with air to open up and dissipate some oak aromas. The wine shows very ripe fruit, bottled black doris and some cassis all a little muted compared with my impressions from an earlier tasting (GKWR, previous article). Palate likewise is harder and less ample than I remembered it (these thoughts once it was revealed). Though still a rich wine, I ended up wondering if this might be a slightly 'scalped' bottle (a wine subliminally affected by cork taint, at a level of TCA where you can't recognise it). The actual fruit and structure is close to La Petite Chapelle, in an austere way. In sum, confusing, I can only score this bottle as I found it – noting that I can't wait to see the wine again in another strictly blind tasting. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 06/13

2010 Te Rere Syrah Motukaha 17 ½ + (

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Western Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14%; $90 [ cork; Sy 92%, CS 8, hand-picked; 16 months in French and American oak about equal, 100% new; 98 cases; from the same stable as Expatrius, reflecting a different site and vineyard owner; no wine info on website ref; www.waihekewine.co.nz/vineyards/te-rere ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, one of the deeper colours. Bouquet is richly cassisy, but also showing significant fragrant American oak, so it has a clear Spanish quality reminiscent of some Ribera del Duero wines. Palate shows lovely cassisy berry fruit to which the 8% cabernet sauvignon must be contributing, all rather sabotaged by the level of oak. This is a style of winemaking California and Australia have been through, but in our more restrained climate it would be wise to allow the beauty, the florality and aroma, of temperate climate grapes to speak more clearly. I acknowledge there is a constituency for oaky wines, but Waiheke Island has the climatic potential to achieve more classical and beautiful wines. It would be good therefore if proprietors set trends, rather than following outmoded ones. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 10/12

2002 Esk Valley Syrah Reserve 17 ½ + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.9%; $54 [ screwcap; original price $40; hand-picked, hand-plunged open-top fermenters, MLF in barrel, 15 – 18 months in French oak 100% new; M Cooper, 2005: … the lovely, silky, rich 2002 … a perfumed bouquet of black pepper and toasty oak. With its striking power, intensity and structure, bold, sweet but not jammy fruit characters and ripe, supple tannins, it's an exciting mouthful *****; given the exact alcohol cited, it seems likely that P Rovani @ R Parker, 2004 is writing about the Reserve wine, rather than than the stated standard wine: The 2002 Syrah is a noteworthy effort. While no shy wine at 14.9% alcohol, the overall impression is one of elegance. Building incrementally in the mouth, this medium to full-bodied red reveals beautiful blackberry and plum-like fruit, and a long, concentrated, authoritative finish. Enjoy it over the next 7-8 years: 91; weight bottle and closure: 573 g; www.eskvalley.co.nz ]
Rich ruby and velvet, a remarkably youthful colour, nearly as fresh as the Brokenstone, the third-deepest wine. This wine really divided the room, some loving it, others seeing it as the least wine in the lineup. The fresh aromatic cassisy depth of berry on bouquet is remarkable, by any standards, for a 14-year-old wine, one taster commenting (at the blind stage) that it could only be a screwcap wine. There is a black pepper lift, but it is hard to tease out from noticeable fragrant oak. In mouth the richness is extraordinary by New Zealand red standards, with a matching depth of flavour pretty well hiding the high alcohol, but not concealing rather too much new oak. Nonetheless I am on the positive side of the line for this wine: it simply needs putting away for another 10 years, when it may well score appreciably higher. It should be remarkably long-lived for New Zealand syrah, cellar 5 – 20 years more. Two second-place votes. GK 09/16

1986 Mountadam Chardonnay 17 ½ + (

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High Eden, Eden Valley, Australia: 13.5%; $ – [ cork, 48mm; then owned David & Adam Wynn, second-generation and third-generation respectively of the Coonawarra wine family; vineyard at 550 – 600m, planting started 1972; www.mountadam.com.au ]
Straw, the third palest wine. Bouquet in this bottle is a little unusual. It shows powerful fruit with citrus inclinations, and a remarkable lack of aged characters, but there is a slightly heavy note hinting at marzipan, such as you often see in Muscat Beaumes-de-Venise. It does not smell sweet, however. Palate is rich, very mealy, long and complex, a faint acridity presumably from oak (relative to the top two wines), but like them astonishing for its vigour. Definitely hazelnuts here, not cashews. No hurry with this wine, either. Top wine for two tasters. GK 09/15

2010 Esk Valley Merlot / Malbec / Cabernet Sauvignon Winemakers Reserve 17 ½ + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $60 [ screwcap; Me 73%, Ma 14, CS 13, all hand-harvested @ c.1.9 t/ac from vines 18 – 20 years old, and de-stemmed; some wild-yeast; MLF and 18 months in French oak 50% new; RS <1 g/L; minimal filtration; www.eskvalley.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, minutely deeper than the standard wine, around midway in depth of colour. In the blind lineup I rated this wine and its junior sibling much the same in nett achievement, the difference being this wine is smoother and more integrated, but also more oaky – detracting a little. The malbec gives the berry an exotic red-fruited lift hinting at raspberry, but happily there are scarcely any stalky afterthoughts as is common with New Zealand malbec. Weight of fruit in mouth is satisfying, and cellar potential looks greater than the junior blend. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 06/12

2013 Mission Estate Syrah Huchet 17 ½ + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $120 [ cork 46mm; Sy 100%, hand-picked @ 4 t/ha = 1.6 t/ac; 2 days cold-soak, cuvaison averaged 24 days with no whole-bunch component; 18 months in French oak c.33% new; RS nil g/L; production 128 x 9-L cases; www.missionestate.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, the third deepest wine. Freshly opened, there was a pungent quality on bouquet which tasters interpreted in various ways. I thought we were seeing an interaction between insufficiently weathered / raw / lesser oak, and minty going on euc'y taints, as if there were eucalypts near the vineyard. Others blamed the cork, a few thinking TCA specifically. The wine itself is rich, and its fruit qualities span some cassis right through dark plums to rather more blueberry, so it is likely this wine has been picked riper than some in the tasting. The volume of fruit on palate is wonderful, and the oak handling is in good balance to the richness. This wine will come together much more convincingly, given a few more years. For now it is not as attractive to me as the 2010 Huchet. Cellar 5 – 20 years. Looking back at my three previous reviews of Huchet 2010 or 2013, there does seem to be more variation bottle to bottle than one would wish for. I look forward to the next tasting of it, blind. GK 07/16

2013 Jim Barry Cabernet Sauvignon Coonawarra The Veto 17 ½ + (

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Coonawarra, South Australia, Australia: 14%; $34 [ screwcap; CS 100%; French oak, 9 months only; www.jimbarry.com ]
Ruby and velvet, less freshness and more development than the Villa Maria wines, just above midway in depth. Bouquet is slightly lifted and aromatic, with clear rose florals, on fragrant red plum / berry qualities, supported by cedary oak. Flavour is winey, quite soft and more like merlot than cabernet, gentle oak and not obviously new, slightly spirity but a long supple flavour, finishing a little more aromatic than the bouquet suggests. This should cellar well, 10 – 20 years. GK 03/18

2009 Villa Maria Malbec Gimblett Gravels Reserve 17 ½ + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $60 [ screwcap; Ma 100%, 40% hand-picked; 28 days cuvaison in s/s, MLF in barrel; 20 months in French three-year seasoned oak 65% new; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, the deepest and darkest colour, sensational. Bouquet however is on the heavy side, densely plummy and oaky, but not singing. Even with a lot of air, it remains reserved. In mouth the wine is very rich, but coarsely textured alongside the top merlots and cabernets. Unusually for New Zealand malbec, the wine is fully ripe. Oaking is good. Reinterpreted a little later (and thus more aired) alongside an Argentinean malbec, it becomes pretty impressive. Villa Maria have produced the real thing with this variety before, the 2002 Omahu Reserve I think, so a repeat is certainly welcome. The coincidence of correct ripening with only the warmest years needs noting by those thinking of expanding malbec production. With time in cellar, it should assimilate its broodyness, and become more communicative. Cellar 5 – 25 years. GK 06/12

2014 Grasshopper Pinot Noir Earnscleugh Vineyard 17 ½ + (

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Alexandra, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $30 [ screwcap; all hand-picked from fairly close-planted (by NZ standards) vines 11 years age; no whole-bunch component, c. 8% wild-yeast fermentation; 10 months in French oak 26% new; dry; www.grasshopperrock.co.nz ]
Colour is very close to but minutely deeper than the 2014 Reserve, suggesting that it had a little less time in barrel. Bouquet is a little simpler too, attractive lilac and rose florals in the Grasshopper style, fractionally less oak and maybe the fruit not quite so ripe as the 2014 Grasshopper Reserve, but clear red grading to black cherry pinot noir fruit. Palate is a good example of Otago pinot noir, as the Grasshopper so often is, with lovely fruit sweetness to the tail. Cellar 3 – 8 years. This 2014 Grasshopper is an attractive return to form, after two lighter years. GK 06/17

2009 Aurora Syrah The Legacy 17 ½ + (

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Bendigo, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.8%; $ – [ screwcap; release price $45; The Legacy is a very small Reserve bottling, not made every year; hand-harvested from one hectare of syrah vines planted on a significant slope lying to the sun on the lower Bendigo Terraces. Fruit is thinned to one bunch per shoot. Elevation in French puncheons rather than barriques, c.25% new for 14 months; winemakers Peter Bartle and Joanne Gear: no reviews found; no wine info as such on website; bottle weight dry 726 grams; www.auroravineyard.com ]
Maturing ruby, just below midway in depth. Bouquet is light but exciting, beautifully clean, showing light but clear wallflower florals, and ripe red fruits grading to some cassis in a fresh aromatic style, but white rather than black pepper. Palate follows perfectly, a cool-year Cote Rotie styling of syrah, good fruit weight, appropriate oak and new oak, total acid just a little high. As an aside the acid is a textbook illustration of how much more attractive and winey fine-grained natural acid is, than the addition of tartaric acid as in so many Australian reds, with its spiky texture to the finish of the wine. This is a wonderful achievement from Otago, simply because at 45° South one feared a wine in the style of upland Les Collines Rhodaniennes, that is, wines which are so often much more stalky and white peppery than in Cote Rotie proper, in the valley below. This Aurora wine avoids that completely. Already good with food. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 03/18

1971 Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt Piesporter Goldtropfchen Auslese ‘Domklausenhof’ QmP 17 ½ + (

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Mosel Valley, Germany: – %; $9.24 [ cork, 45mm; one of Brook’s preferred vineyards, in the Kesselstatt range; notes for von Kesselstatt under the Josephshof wines; the significance of the term ‘Domklausenhof’ is not apparent: it may be a former vineyard synonym for Goldtropfchen, in which case the vineyard was bought in 1858; Robinson (ss) has tasted one only vintage of this wine, some 35 years younger, for which she irreverently notes: Sip and learn ... And then get up and do some brain surgery, 18; no info; www.kesselstatt.com ]
Lightish gold, in the middle for depth. Bouquet is the freshest of the auslesen, still a hint of freesia-like florals, a touch of lime-zest, on palely honeyed stonefruits quite belying the wine’s colour. Palate continues the freshness, nearly a suggestion of black passionfruit, clear riesling terpenes giving a backbone to the wine suggesting oak, that character made noticeable by higher acid than some, so the nett aftertaste is citrus zest, fresh in one sense yet honeyed too. Unusual. Not all tasters were happy with this wine, the acid being mentioned, no first or second places, three leasts. The degree to which it fulfilled Stephen Brook’s analysis of vineyard style relative to the weightier Josephshof Auslese delighted me, however. GK 11/17

2011 Alter Ego de Ch Palmer 17 ½ + (

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Margaux, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $160 [ cork 50mm; cepage this year Me 48%, CS 37, PV 15, average age 35 – 40 years, planted @ 10,000 vines / ha, typically cropped @ c.6 t/ha = 2.4 t/ac; time spent in barrel in better years c.18 months, 25% new; www.chateau-palmer.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, fractionally lighter than the 2010 Alter Ego, just above midway in depth. Bouquet is the most modern of the set, in the sense there is more apparent oak. Berry quality is firm and youthful, scarcely floral, just clean and pure hinting at cassis and red and black plums. Palate shows good richness for a second wine, more obvious dark fruits now, but also a firm stalky-tannin note, which lingers to the aftertaste. It is clearly a shorter wine than the 2010 Alter Ego, yet it still gives the impression of better fruit and cellaring potential than the 2007 grand vin. Intriguing. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 11/15

2003 [ Blake Family Vineyard ] Alluviale 17 ½ + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $27 [ cork; DFB; CS 50%, Me 33%, CF 17; 22 months in French oak 85% new; second wine of Blake Family Vineyard; www.alluviale.com ]
Good ruby, some velvet, above midway. A fragrant cabernet / merlot totally in a Bordeaux style, very pure, but smaller in scale than some of the wines in the set. Palate follows pro rata, suggestions of florals, clear cassis and dark plums, reasonably subtle potentially cedary oak, all sitting lightly on the tongue, refreshing as Jancis Robinson would say. Aftertaste is essence of merlot / cabernet. The similarity of this wine to the Andrew Wills of the same year is uncanny, perhaps a little lighter and oakier, yet alongside the Troplong Mondot it shows more finesse. Wonderful ! Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 11/06

1998 Domaine de Andezon Cotes-du-Rhone-Villages 17 ½ + (

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Southern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $15 [ cork 45mm; original price $20; this is a wine from the Les Vignerons D'Estezargues, a cooperative in the Gard area. There are 10 principal shareholders, for whom wine is made under their labels. Grapes are destemmed, but winemaking at the time tended conservative, with low sulphurs and minimal fining and filtration. They need to be tasted before investing for the cellar, as sometimes there are shaky bottlings. The best are good. I understand this wine to be syrah dominant; no reviews found: weight bottle and closure: 583 g; www.wineterroirs.com/2007/03/estezargues.html ]
Ruby, garnet and velvet, above midway in depth. Bouquet on this wine stood out dramatically in the set for its wonderful near-wallflower perfume (+ve) and florality. It really epitomises syrah from a much cooler climate, so it must have been picked very early, given a season like 1998. Perhaps the whole bouquet is less generous than some of the red-fruits grenache wines, but several tasters seized on this wine as clearly speaking to them. Little or no brett either. Palate confirms the thought that the wine is high syrah, not quite the body, a suggestion of black pepper, but best of all, hardly any oak … so the grape speaks clearly. An astonishingly good wine for the price, showing how worthwhile it is each year to check a good range of the available Cotes du Rhones, to find those which are clean, fragrant, and worth cellaring. Perfect now, or cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 08/16

1978 Ch d’Angludet 17 ½ + (

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Margaux Cru Bourgeois, Bordeaux, France: – %; $183 [ cork; cepage then approx. CS 60%, Me 30, PV 7, CF 3; extended cuvaison to 30 days, 12 – 18 months in barrel depending on vintage, probably less than 30% new then; Wine Spectator vintage rating for the year, 87, Structured, fleshy and complex; R. Parker, 1990: The 1978 is fully mature, with a big, spicy, rich, plummy bouquet. This solidly built, relatively fat, intense d'Angludet has shed its tannins and should be consumed. Anticipated maturity: Now, 85; www.chateau-angludet.fr ]
Ruby and garnet, above midway in depth. This wine smells for all the world as if merlot were dominant or nearly so, a softer, more plummy, less aromatic dark red fruits quality, with gentle cedary oak totally in the background. Palate is a little less than the bouquet, good plum fruit with no hint of under-ripeness, but just a suggestion of plainness relative to the wines rated more highly. This may simply reflect a lower ratio of new oak. One person had d’Angludet as their top wine, and three as their second-favourite – but there were also three people thinking it the least wine. This observation shines an interesting light on both the other wines in the tasting, and the wonderful way in which good wines converge / become harder to discriminate amongst, when they reach the 40-year point. Fully mature, no hurry. GK 10/18

2009 Domaine Les Aphillanthes Cotes du Rhone-Villages Cuvée des Galets 17 ½ + (

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Cotes du Rhone-Villages AOC, Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $27 [ cork; Gr 60%, Sy 20, Mv 20; concrete elevage; no website ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, the same weight as the Albion but more youthful. Bouquet is just beautiful, all the fragrance of the Deux Albion but in a slightly softer and more burgundian way, the spice of red-fruits grenache, the complexity of mourvedre absolutely perfectly ripe, and no hint of brett. Palate does not have quite the spicy depth or darkness of the Albion, but nor does it have the obvious sur-maturité of the Vindemios, again making it a little more burgundian (in a dark way). Finish is slightly shorter than ideal, due to the lack of oak, but this is sensational rich Cotes du Rhone. Even this wine is very ripe, though, re my red burgundy suggestion, on further thought. Cellar 3 – 15 years. VALUE. GK 11/10

1986 Ch L'Arrosée 17 ½ + (

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Saint Emilion Grand Cru, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $135 [ Cork, 54 mm; cepage then c. Me 45%, CS 35, CF 20, more a Medoc cepage than a St Emilion one, now slightly more Me and less CS; 22 – 24 months in barrel then, no detail; c.4,000 case production; Peppercorn regards Ch L'Arrosée as: a classic St Emilion, rich, luscious, with flavour, depth and personality; Parker in 1991 thought this vintage: resembles a rich lusty burgundy (though it is fair to note he has never been noted for his appraisal of pinot noir); and in 1997: this vintage has taken an atypically long time to come round. It has always possessed considerable power as well as a muscular, concentrated style and hefty tannin. Beginning to shed its tannin, it reveals an intriguing dusty herb, black cherry, kirsch, and mineral-scented nose, with subtle vanillin from new oak in the background. There are medium-bodied, concentrated flavors with some firm tannin, but by and large this is a very accessible wine. This will undoubtedly be one of L'Arrosee's longest lived wines since their 1961. Now-2012: 92; bottle weight 536 g; www.chateau-larrosee.com ]
Garnet and ruby, exactly the same hue as the Villa Maria, but deeper, just above midway in depth. Bouquet on this wine is big, soft and ample, clearly plummy rather than cassisy, so thus clearly merlot-dominant rather than cabernet-dominant. I used it in the sequencing of the wines, as a breakpoint after variously ripe to under-ripe cabernet-dominant wines, to lead into the more harmonious final group. Palate is equally soft, round and velvety, illustrating the Saint-Emilion / Pomerol style well, in a field dominated by cabernet sauvignon-led wines. You feel it is all just a bit too ripe to show the floral subtlety merlot can at best display. Nonetheless three people rated it their top wine, which makes perfect sense if a less aromatic kind of claret is the preference. Two thought it Australian, but 11 correctly sheeted it home to Bordeaux. At a peak now, probably a risk of losing freshness if kept much longer. GK 08/16

1996 Jim Barry Shiraz McCrae Wood 17 ½ + (

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Clare Valley, South Australia, Australia: 13.5%; $ – [ Cork, 46 mm; Halliday rates the 1996 vintage 7 for Clare Valley; this label has long been a favourite of mine, but being often in a lighter style, it tends to be ignored by Australians, not on Langton's list; its key character in many years is a subtle floral expression of Australian aromatics, more reminiscent of the attractive Australian mint shrub Prostanthera than the ugly eucalyptus characters more commonly encountered; cropped at c.1 t/ha = 2.5 t/acre, if like the 1999, 12 – 14 months in barrel, 85% American, 15 French, some new; Halliday, 2011: curious, highly scented mint and fern-like aromas on the bouquet, with all of the above plus five spice on the palate. A wine from left field, but not unattractive, 85; Jamie Goode, 2008: Aromatic spicy, phenolic nose is appealing but rather bretty. The palate is fresh and bright with good acidity and a bit of spiciness. Slightly metallic finish suggests brett. Second bottle is similar, 88; lot of info on website, great once find it; the name and spelling have changed subtly since 1996; bottle weight 511 g; www.jimbarry.com ]
Ruby and garnet, just below midway in depth. In bouquet this wine does indeed typify the flowering mint (Prostanthera) character I describe above, which absolutely characterises this vineyard. The better (i.e. cooler) years of this label have been exactly like this since inception in 1992. It is a regional character, not brett as Goode suggests (above). Being eucalypt-derived, in hotter years it can grade into coarser euc'y / menthol characters, much less attractive. Entangled in the mint are syrah-like florals of the carnation / dianthus type, on nearly cassisy berryfruit and subtle oak. This wine bears the same relation to Barry's Armagh as Edelstone does to Hill of Grace: namely a much more fragrant interpretation of shiraz inclining in the better years to syrah / a European wine style. The flowering mint at this level does not appeal to everybody, however. The wine is uncommonly like the Edelstone, in fact, just fractionally lighter in weight and more floral / minty. This bottle is beautifully mature, supple fruit a delight, but it will hold for several years. No first places but four second, and two least. Nobody thought it French. GK 03/17

2005 Ch Beaumont 17 ½ + (

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Haut-Medoc (Cussac) Cru Bourgeois Superieur, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $35 [ cork; CS 60%, Me 35, CF 3, PV 2, av. vine age 22, cropped @ av. 2.6 t/ac; 12 – 14 months in oak, 33% new; JancisR: Deep and purplish. Sweet, opulent, heady purple fruits. Great sweetness and opulence. This is a wine punching way above its weight. Lovely completeness and attack with no tarty sweetness on the finish. 16.5; Parker: 87 – 88, no specific notes. In his indispensable Bordeaux (2003) book, Parker comments for Ch Beaumont: now one of the more interesting, best made and reasonably priced cru bourgeois … the goal an … amply-endowed wine … up-front fruit … toasty vanilla aromas … new oak … recent vintages taste as if the percentage of merlot is higher than claimed; www.chateau-beaumont.com ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, hard to differentiate from Clos Floridene in weight or colour. Bouquet is even more international / modern in its toasty oak styling than Floridene, and Parker's comments quoted above are perfect. Palate is fractionally richer, and acid balance a little gentler, showing great cassis and bordeaux berry. What a turnaround in this wine, from a generation ago. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 04/08

2003 Ch Beausejour-Becot 17 ½ + (

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St Emilion Premier Grand Cru Classe, France: 13.5%; $85 [ cork; Me 70%, CF 24, CS 6, average age 35 years, planted to 6200 vines / ha on calcareous SPMs; hand-picked, fruit hand-sorted before and after de-stemming; cuvaison up to 30 days depending on vintage, MLF and LA in barrel, then 16 – 18 months in oak 80 – 100% new; consultant M. Rolland Laboratory; website difficult; www.beausejour-becot.com ]
Ruby and velvet. Bouquet is richly plummy and oaky, merlot in an almost New World style, but at least the fruit is dominant. Palate is very plummy too, youthful, the oak not as apparent as some, but all tending warm climate and drying on the tannins. There are Gimblett Gravels merlots not unlike this. Once this wine loses some tannin, it should be more clearly a St Emilion. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 07/06

nv Champagne Billecart-Salmon Rosé Brut 17 ½ + (

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Mareuil-sur-Ay, Champagne, France: 12%; $124 [ supercritical Diam cork; 93 % of the wine is PN 50%, Ch 50, plus 7% PN added to achieve the desired colour; little or no oak in the base wine, but maybe an MLF component; tirage 3 – 3.5 years, details not made available; dosage 8 g/L; website superficial; www.champagne-billecart.fr ]
Light straw, minutely pinker than the 2006 Cuvée Elisabeth. Bouquet is simpler on this wine, unlike the vintage rosé, the fragrant meunier showing up clearly. Both on bouquet and palate, there is also the faintest yeasty trace of clog, but it would be uncharitable to mention reduction. The wine simply doesn't quite show the magic of the other Billecarts. It is nowhere as rich (dry extract) as the Elisabeth Rosé, and the dosage is more regular too, at 8 g/L. It ends up more a wine to drink than think about. It might clear in cellar, 5 – 15 years. GK 04/16

1999 Domaine Bonneau du Martray Corton Grand Cru 17 ½ + (

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Cote de Beaune, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $136 [ cork 49mm, ullage 15mm; original price c.$105; Jasper Morris (2010) is of the view that the white Corton-Charlemagne from this winery eclipses the red Corton; P. Rovani @ Parker, 2001: [ an early harvest, cropped at 3.8 t/ha = 1.5 t/ac ] The 1999 Corton has demure blackberry and plum aromas. Medium-bodied and filled with brambleberry, white pepper, mineral, metal, and blackberry flavors, this is a firm effort with a flavorful, and long finish. It is fresh, zesty, and loaded with structured yet ripe tannin. Projected maturity: 2005-2012, 87 – 89; Wine Spectator, 2002: Superb focus, with a beam of clean fruit. Very sweet and ripe, rich and thick. Full-bodied, it shows real grip and lots of wonderful black fruit. The tannins are chewy but well-integrated. Seductive finish. Drink now through 2006. 400 cases made, 90; weight bottle, no closure 563 g; www.bonneaudumartray.com ]
Ruby and garnet, the second-deepest wine. Bouquet is interesting: the wine fragrant in one sense, but not exactly floral, showing big fruit and quite stern oak. One winemaker found trace brett: that would correlate with my nutmeg aromatics. Palate is distinctly big, rich very dry now-older plummy fruit, but almost sturdy rather than the suppleness one seeks in pinot noir. In terms of palate weight meaning dry extract, this wine highlighted how dry extract does carry oak. Alongside the Martinborough Reserve, there is much to be learnt. An interesting and contentious wine, first or second for two, but least for four. On country of origin, New Zealand 12, France six. Will hold a few years yet. GK 09/19

2008 [ Pernod-Ricard ] Boundary Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc Rapaura Road 17 ½ + (

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Wairau & Awatere Valleys, Marlborough, New Zealand: 12.5%; $20 [ screwcap; vines up to 20 years age, machine harvested, cool-fermented in s/s; pH 3.2, RS 3.0 g/L; background @ www.boundaryvineyards.co.nz, leads to detail @; www.pernod-ricard-nz.com//tastingnotes.php? ]
Pale lemongreen. Bouquet is black passionfruit more than red capsicum, teetering on over-ripe and thus losing the floral components. It is very clean, though. Palate weight is a little lighter than the Montana Reserve, and total acid is likewise noticeable, but there is not much in it. Representative Marlborough stainless steel sauvignon, to cellar 1 – 5 years. GK 04/09

2000 Ch Branaire-Ducru 17 ½ + (

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St Julien Fourth Growth, Bordeaux, France: 12.5%; $64 [ cork; price en primeur landed; cepage typically CS 70%, Me 22, CF 4, PV 4; planted to 10,000 vines / ha, average age 32 years; typically 21 days cuvaison, 18 – 22 months in French oak 50% new; JR: 16.5 & 17; RP: 94; WS: 92; www.branaire.com ]
Ruby and velvet, just below midway in depth of colour, between Montrose and Grand-Puy in age. This was the first of the wines in the line-up to not reflect perfect ripeness. Bouquet is more the concept claret than immediately cassis or cigar-box, but it is beautifully pure and lightly fragrant. The wine communicates more in mouth, medium weight like the Grand-Puy, the cassis apparent now but older-tasting, in fact the whole wine more developed than a number. Total acid is up a little, and flavour is tending short, a hint of stalk, but there is an attractive suggestion of savoury complexity too. Still a pretty pleasing classed Bordeaux, to cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 08/10

2006 Domaine Bruno Clair Chambertin Clos de Beze 17 ½ + (

)

Gevrey-Chambertin Grand Cru, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 13%; $199
Pinot noir ruby, not the rosiest hue, in the middle for depth. Bouquet is clean, demure, nearly floral, more black than red fruits in style. In mouth the wine is attractive, not over-oaked, closer to the Esmonin than the Rousseau, but not as rich. Oak creeps in as the fruit fades on the later palate. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 08/12

2004 Ch Cambon la Pelouse 17 ½ + (

)

Haut-Medoc cru bourgeois, Bordeaux, France: 13%; $45 [ cork; Me 60, CS 30, CF 10, cropped at c. 2.5 t/ac from vines averaging 25 years age; 20 – 25 days cuvaison including 6 days cold soak; 12 – 15 months in French oak c. 50% new; fined not filtered; Robinson 15.5 + in 2005, Parker 86 in 2007; www.cambon-la-pelouse.com ]
Ruby and velvet, one of the deeper ones. Bouquet needs a little air, to become soft ripe and round, clearly in a European 'complex' winestyle, rather than a varietal blend. No clear berry is evident, just fruit, dark tobacco, some cedary oak, all mellow and harmonious and not quite squeaky-clean. Palate continues in the same vein, softer and rounder than the Coleraine, food-friendly. Wines like this do point up the overly bright acid so many new world wines show – whether natural in our case or added in Australia. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 11/08

2015 Domaine Charvin Chateauneuf-du-Pape Non Filtré 17 ½ + (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $87 [ cork, 49mm; Gr 82 - 85%, Sy 5 - 8, Mv 5, Va 5; whole bunches lightly crushed, cuvaison to 25 days; elevation in concrete vats up to 21 months, no oak mentioned now; some fining, no filtering; production up to 2,500 x 9-litre cases; just the one label, no subtracting special cuvées; J. Robinson, 2016: Rich and racy with real depth of flavour. Masses of fine tannins and really rather majestic. Hint of ginger syrup. Grown-up wine. Long. 2024 - 2038, 18; J. Dunnuck @ R Parker, 2016: barrel sample ... offers full-bodied richness and depth, as well as the classic purity and elegance this estate is known for. Black cherries, blackberries, garrigue, licorice and pepper are all present, and this terrific barrel sample has sweet tannin and a great finish, 93 – 95; bottle weight 640g; www.domaine-charvin.com ]
Lightish ruby, the second to lightest wine. This wine is wonderfully fragrant, almost burgundian in one sense, all red fruits – but then the second sniff … and a doubt enters… why is there just a hint of stalks in a year cited as near-perfect (until 2016 came along)? Grenache and raspberry complexed softly by both blending varieties and a hint of garrigue are the dominant characters on bouquet. But with that niggle, you taste very carefully, to find that yes, there is a clear suggestion of a stalky lack-of-smoothness in the tannins, which seems so odd given the year. But a quick check of any of the wines scored more highly, and their velvet-plush tannins show the Charvin is not quite achieving what one hopes for in top-notch Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Whereas in Domaine Charvin, one hopes for near-burgundian (but ripe) finesse. All very odd. The wine seems totally pure, and will undoubtedly mellow and soften in cellar, maybe sufficiently even to remove the present doubt. No first places, no second, so I am not alone in my doubts. Cellar 10 – 25 years. GK 08/18

2010 Domaine Cheysson Chiroubles 17 ½ + (

)

Chiroubles, Beaujolais, France: 12.5%; $27 [ supercritical 'cork'; gamay c. 60 years age grown mostly on granite, hand-picked; mostly maceration carbonique fermentation in s/s 7 – 8 days, then elevation in big old wood; no website found, snippets on merchants' sites. ]
Pinot noir ruby, the third to lightest wine. The smells like a gamay handled in a more conventional / less maceration carbonique approach. There is good florality and some oak, fresh cherry fruit, a lovely bouquet. Palate is slightly less, red cherries, no black fruits, lighter, fresher, a hint of leaf. It is not as rich as the Grasshopper Pinot Noir, but there are similarities. Cellar 1 – 3 years only – there is a suggestion of low total sulphur here. GK 09/12

2013 [ Pernod-Ricard ] Church Road Merlot McDonald Series 17 ½ + (

)

The Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $29 [ screwcap; Me 87%, CS 13, machine-picked from c.13-year old vines planted at 3,500 vines / ha and cropped @ c.8.5 t/ha = 3.4 t/ac; cuvaison 28 days, cultured-yeast; MLF in barrel; 20 months in French oak c.33% new; RS <2 g/L; not sterile-filtered; dry extract not available; production not disclosed; released; www.churchroad.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a good representative colour, above midway in depth. Initially opened, the wine is quite powerful, even burly. With air it fines down to very ripe berry, black fruits and dark plums, but on reflection still tending burly. Flavours are more clearly merlot, but with a lot of spicy oak influence browning the wine slightly, quite vanillin so you wonder about some American oak, but not so. In this batch of wines, there is a certain robustness about this wine that is appealing, yet the tannin load also makes it seem simpler. It contrasts therefore with the Vidal Legacy. The oak may make it less suited to food, at least until it has crusted in bottle. This wine is the most affordable in the tasting, partly by default since we could not secure the 2013 Grand Reserve. Over the next year or so it will be available from time to time at a significant discount, when the richness and cellar worthiness will make it even more appealing. In the Regional Wines tasting, one person rated this the top wine, at the blind stage. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 05/15

2013 [ Pernod-Ricard ] Church Road Syrah Grand Reserve 17 ½ + (

)

The Triangle, Hawkes Bay,, New Zealand: 14.5%; $45 [ screwcap; Sy 100%, 100% hand-picked from c.8-year old vines planted at c.5,200 vines / ha and cropped @ c.7 t/ha = 2.8 t/ac; no cold-soak, cuvaison 28 – 35 days, no whole-bunch component, cultured-yeast; MLF in barrel; c.15 months in French oak c.35% new; RS 1.6 g/L, non-fermentable; not sterile-filtered; dry extract not measured yet; production not disclosed; released; www.churchroad.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, a flush of carmine, below midway in depth. Bouquet is soft, fragrant and rich, a lot of fruit and a lot of milk chocolate and vanilla oak, making recognition of floral or precise berry characters difficult. Flavour is velvety, smooth and rich and oaky, almost a blackberry level of ripeness. This will please many people a great deal, but there are reminders of Wolf Blass in the beguiling oak use. In terms of a varietal tasting, however, it is harder to pinpoint the syrah characters. Hard wine to mark, therefore, in a New Zealand context. In the Regional Wines tasting, one person rated this the top wine, at the blind stage. Cellar 5 – 15 years. This wine is forward and slightly Australian in style, compared with most examples, notably the Villa Maria. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 05/15

2003 Domaine du Colombier Crozes-Hermitage Cuvée Gaby 17 ½ + (

)

Northern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $43 [ cork; Sy 100%; Maison Vauron; this wine is 100% oak-raised, but only a small percentage new. Gauntley’s again: “Cuvee Gaby, £10.75 … an exquisite Crozes this year, it is almost too much of a good thing. Absolutely opaque, with an extraordinarily intense bouquet of cassis and leather. Super-concentrated with multi-layers of fruit. Lots of tannins but they are ripe and well rounded. Very rich indeed, almost Hermitage, with an amazing length. Superb.” ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, one of the deepest. Initially opened, bouquet is youthful and uncoordinated, with very rich plummy fruit which is slightly porty, and the oak aggressive. Decanted and breathed, opens out to a big cassisy and black peppercorn wine similar in weight to the Yann Chave Crozes-Hermitage, but all are little more rustic, with light brett. Palate is rich, dry and flavoursome, like an older-style Cornas. This will cellar well, and be great with food. GK 10/05

1999 Domaine du Colombier Hermitage 17 ½ + (

)

Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $60 [ cork, 50mm; original price c.$95; Sy 100% and 30 + years age in 1999, from Les Baumes, Les Diognieres, and another site, totalling 1.6 ha; fermentation incudes whole-bunches, cuvaison c.8 – 21 days; elevation c.18 months in French oak hogsheads 30% new; not fined, filtered; production 580 x 9-litre cases; J.L-L, 2005: lovely wild fruit aroma, mulberries with dry, resin edges; plenty of oily flavour, and a soaking of well-founded fruit. Piney aspect, acidity is good, will age. To 2022, *****; Wine Spectator, 2001: Tastes of cassis jam, but it's fresh and elegant in texture. Medium-bodied and rather lean, with some crisp acidity. Turns a bit dry on the finish. To 2008, 84; weight bottle and closure: 933 g; no website found. ]
Garnet and ruby, some velvet, the second to lightest, and second to brownest wine. This was a confusing wine, there being an aromatic garrigue complexity note in the nearly floral bouquet which (just in passing) hinted at Australia (as well as nasturtiums). Below, this is another wine to clearly spell out browning cassisy berry on bouquet, with shaping oak. Palate is a size larger and firmer than for example the Guigal Hermitage, and it speaks more clearly of syrah and Hermitage. Fruit length on appropriate oak is good, and much fresher than the colour implies. The nett impression is plainer than the top wines. Tasters did not respond to this wine, with no votes in favour. The wine is well along its plateau of maturity, and will fade gracefully for another 10 years or so. GK 11/19

1982 Ch La Conseillante 17 ½ + (

)

Pomerol (highly-rated), Bordeaux,, France: – %; $809 [ cork 54 mm, ullage 16 mm; original price c.$51; cepage then approx. Me 45, CF 45, Ma 10, planted at 5,500 vines / ha, average age of vines 40+ years, cropped at c.45 hl/ha (5.85 t/ha = 2.4 t/ac); typically 22 – 24 months in barrel, % new then c.50%, less than now (100%); Parker in 1991 felt the wine was meticulously made … not as powerful as other top Pomerols … about the rank of a Medoc second-growth. Broadbent, 2002: A magnificent wine … why try to describe it? *****; Parker, 1991: [ a little lighter than hoped ] ... but still an outstanding wine … a very perfumed bouquet of cassis and raspberry fruit along with its telltale smoky, toasty, vanillin oak scents … 91; Parker, 2000: This wine has been fully mature for over a decade, yet it continues to improve with each tasting. ... Spectacular aromatics explode from the glass, offering up scents of toasty new oak, kirsch liqueur, black currants, cedar, and licorice. Lush, sexy, and opulent, with a silky entry as well as velvety texture, this plush, seamless, medium to full-bodied Pomerol remains fruity and fresh, with gorgeous intensity and length, 95; W. Kelley, 2022: One of the most sensual, viscerally appealing wines of the vintage is the 1982 La Conseillante, a medium to full-bodied, fleshy and enveloping Pomerol that wafts from the glass with aromas of minty blackberries, raspberry liqueur, black truffle, sweet soils tones and spices. Supple and expansive, with melting tannins and a long, perfumed finish, it's one of my favorite 1982 Bordeaux today, 97; weight bottle and closure 549 g; www.la-conseillante.com ]
Garnet and ruby, in the lower half for weight of colour, but the most garnet in terms of hue. Bouquet was simpler on this wine, more red berries browning now, but little of the supple charm of cabernet franc evident. Cooperage seemed to be markedly older, but clean. Palate however very much shows the influence of the high cabernet franc component, with a clear browning raspberries quality even hinting at grenache – though naturally the acid balance is wrong. People were a bit puzzled by this wine, no first places, no second, but three least, even though the fruit weight and general balance is good. It would in fact be a very pleasant food wine, with its supple East Bank palate. No hurry to finish up. GK 11/23

2007 [ Pernod-Ricard ] Corbans Cottage Block Chardonnay 17 ½ + (

)

Ngaruroro Valley, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $36 [ screwcap; mainly clones mendoza and 15 predominantly from the Tuki Tuki and Tutaekuri Valleys, all hand-harvested and whole-bunch pressed; 100% wild-yeast fairly high-solids BF in French oak 40% new, 60% MLF; LA throughout and batonnage for 10 months, total time in oak 12 months; pH 3.34, RS – g/L; background @ www.corbans.co.nz, leads to detail @; www.pernod-ricard-nz.com//tastingnotes.php? ]
Pale straw. Bouquet is explicitly varietal chardonnay, in a slightly spirity white fruits with clear barrel-ferment, lees autolysis and MLF approach, which from the paleness and MLF aromas one would guess to be from Marlborough. This impression is reinforced on palate, which brings up the lactic component somewhat, and total acid seems higher than most North Island wines. The nett impression is of a cool but quite powerful chardonnay which cries out for development time in bottle. It should cellar 2 – 10 years. GK 04/09

2008 [ Pernod-Ricard ] Corbans Huntaway Pinot Gris Reserve Limited Edition 17 ½ + (

)

Haumoana, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $24 [ screwcap; the company deserve kudos for the explicit wine notes on their website – the kind of info traditionally concealed; the wine is a blend of 94% pinot gris and 6 % gewurz, initially all fermented at moderate temperatures in s/s; 30% of the crop finished fermentation in large (10 000 L) old oak cuves, half the oak fraction went through MLF; much of the wine had a couple of months LA; RS 6 g/L; background @ www.huntaway.co.nz, leads to detail @; www.pernod-ricard-nz.com//tastingnotes.php? ]
Lemon. This is an intriguing wine, overlapping with a dryish riesling, particularly an Eden or Clare Valley one. Bouquet is lightly aromatic freesia and lime-zest, yet with pearflesh too (particularly once one knows the identity). Flavour is clearly citrus zest and aromatic, quite rich, another in this near-dry category presumably around 7 g per litre [confirmed]. Phenolics are noticeable, but not excessive for the variety. This is how oak and MLF should be used with pinot gris. The firm deserves praise too for achieving good aroma and flavour in the variety at appropriate alcohol, both in this wine and the Boundary one. Cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 04/09

2005 Ch Cos d'Estournel 17 ½ + (

)

Saint Estephe Second Growth, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $350 [ cork; optimal en primeur landed in NZ price $350, retail up to $400; CS 78%, Me 19 CF 3 CF; average vine age 35 years, 80% new French oak barriques for 22 months; 20000 cases; Parker 4/08: While I am not convinced the 2005 Cos d’Estournel will eclipse the compelling 2003 Cos, it is unquestionably another superb classic … Made from an unusually high percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon (78%) and the balance mostly Merlot with a tiny dollop of Cabernet Franc, this superb effort requires plenty of time in the bottle. It boasts an inky/purple color as well as a glorious perfume of licorice, Asian spices, creme de cassis, blackberries, and toasty oak. This full-bodied St.-Estephe is exceptionally powerful, pure, and dense with a layered mid-palate that builds like a skyscraper. While there are massive tannins, they are remarkably velvety and well-integrated in this big, backstrapping effort that should enjoy an unusually long life. Forget it for 8-10 years, and drink it between 2017-2040. 98; WS 3/08: Black in color, with aromas of orange peel, new leather, currant, berry and Christmas pudding. Full-bodied, with layers of velvety tannins and a long, long finish of fruit and spices. The cashmere texture is all there. 2003 plus 2000 equals 2005. Best after 2015. 25,000 cases made. 98; JR 4/06: Wonderfully intense, healthy purplish crimson. Restrained nose – rather cool impression despite the record alcohols that rose to 15 per cent for some Merlots. The finished wine is just below 14 per cent. Quite chewy and inky. There is obviously a lot of ripeness buried in here but that’s what it is for the moment – buried. A sure bet but it’s a monster for the moment. Very dry and Médoc and chewy. They have gone for max this year, and that means you will have to wait for max time for it to be ready. Less of a wine, more of a statement of intent. Jean-Guillaume Prats was perhaps aware that the first sample did not show perfectly so produced a second which was slightly more expressive. 18; www.cosestournel.com ]
Ruby and velvet, one of the richest colours. Bouquet is opulent, but somewhat over-ripe and hence lacking florals and freshness in comparison with the best wines. Key characters are dark bottled plums as if the wine were a merlot-dominant cepage, but with the chocolatey notes of sur-maturité and toasty oak as beloved by American winewriters. When is somebody going to campaign for this attribute to be seen as a latter-day artefact and fad, relative to optimally-ripe berry fruit ? Palate is as expected from bouquet, soft, rich and plummy, tending broad even, though the oak is not as prominent as some. Some disappointment here, in the sense that St Estephe fruit can be so classically fragrant, cassisy and aromatic in good years. This Cos shows the downside of winemakers pandering to the popular American palate. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 10/08

1970 Jaboulet Cote Rotie les Jumelles 17 ½ + (

)

Cote Rotie, northern Rhone Valley, France: 12.5%; $ – [ cork; www.jaboulet.com ]
Mature ruby and garnet, closer to the 1970 Chambertin than most of the 1970 clarets, attractive. Bouquet is very fragrant and floral, benchmark carnations / dianthus florality, some roses and white pepper of Cote Rotie, still vivid berry in a browning way. Palate is delightfully fruity, more 'burgundian' than the 1970 Chambertin in the sense it is softer and less tannic, but there is not quite the concentration of the Chambertin or the excitement of the Cote de Nuits. It matches the Chambertin in being delightful with food, and a great style comparison. No hurry for those who like mature wines, or classic Jaboulet syrahs, before their lamentable decline in the later 1990s. GK 03/10

2006 [ Corbans ] Cottage Block Syrah 17 ½ + (

)

Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $35 [ cork; a single-vineyard Sy 100% hand-harvested and sorted; all de-stemmed, no cold soak, inoculated yeast, warm-fermented in open-top oak and s/s vessels, up to 26 days cuvaison, controlled aeration; MLF and c. 18 months in burgundy barrels c. 40% new, balance 1-year; no fining or filtering; Catalogue: exhibits vibrant dark berry violet aromas with distinctive pepper characters. Concentrated, yet elegantly styled, the palate offers a luscious mouthful of sweet berries and spice with smooth, supple tannins. This wine will soften further and develop more savoury notes with 5 - 8 years cellaring; Awards: Gold @ Royal Easter Show 2008; background @ www.corbans.co.nz, leads to detail @; www.pernod-ricard-nz.com//tastingnotes.php? ]
Ruby and velvet. This bottle is consistent with the last one, showing vivid white pepper on cassis. There are carnations / dianthus florals too, but they are nearly swamped by the white pepper. Palate is amply cassisy, dramatically syrah, but nearly a caricature of the variety – in a style you can't help liking (for cool-climate people). The 2007 is consistent with this, but fleshes it out more ripely and attractively. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 07/09

2005 Domaine de Courcel Pommard les Croix Noires 17 ½ + (

)

Pommard Premier Cru, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $132 [ cork; a good brief backgrounder to this domaine is available at: www.owloeb.com/Domaines/Courcel.html ]
Good pinot noir ruby, below midway in depth, a little fresher and less oak-affected than the Rugiens. This wine sets the Pommard scene beautifully, with an attractive spicy boronia-like floral bouquet, on red and black cherry fruit, and a thought of plums too. The oak is more fragrant than the Rugiens. And in mouth, the fruit is sweeter too, quite the most charming and burgundian of this small bracket. There is a delightful harmony here, which will develop well in bottle. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 03/08

2000 Domaine de Courteillac 17 ½ + (

)

Bordeaux Superieur, Bordeaux, France: 13%; $25 [ cork; Me 63%, CS 23, CF 14; Parker 139: A fine offering ... sweet cassis fruit, straightforward flavors, and good purity, ripeness, and balance ... ( but sums it up as past maturity ) 87 ]
Ruby and velvet, one of the two deepest. This wine has been reported on recently (8/05). It was included in this tasting as a reference point and known quantity, the same tasting group having previously assessed it in 2002, when the first batches of 2000 Bordeaux became available. On this occasion it showed as the richest wine in the bracket, with a ripe raisiny fruit quality hinting at some of the Penfold's reds (e.g. Bin 407), but nowhere near so oaky, a little more rustic, and certainly Bordeaux. Palate is rich, dry, a fine example of slightly old-fashioned bordeaux rouge, well up the cru bourgeois pecking order, matching some minor classed growths. Cellaring 20 years as previously suggested is probably optimistic, but it should be good for many more years than Parker advocates – say 5 – 15. GK 04/06

2000 Domaine de Courteillac 17 ½ + (

)

Bordeaux Superieur, Bordeaux, France: 13%; $25 [ Me 63%, CS 23, CF 14 ]
Ruby and velvet. A sweet, ripe, rich Bordeaux merlot / cabernet bouquet, clean and fragrant with a quality of fruit and newish slightly charry oak quite extraordinary in a $25 wine. There are both the violets of merlot and cassis of cabernet, plus a plummy richness. Palate follows on perfectly, lovely richness of fruit, the oak subordinated relative to the fruit, unlike so many similarly priced or more expensive new world cabernet / merlots. This is attractive old world merlot / cabernet, long and lingering, great potential for the price. Cellar 5 - 20 years at least. VALUE GK 08/05

2010 Yves Cuilleron Condrieu Les Chaillets 17 ½ + (

)

Condrieu, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $121 [ cork; made from older vines (sometimes labelled Vieilles Vignes) all hand-picked with a little sur-maturité from steeper slopes above Chavanay, low-solids juice wild-yeast-fermented and 100% MLF in barrel, with up to 30% new oak, plus 10 months lees autolysis and batonnage in barrel; 1500 cases; July offer $94 @ Glengarry; www.cuilleron.com ]
Lemonstraw, in the middle. Bouquet was not singing on this wine, not so much floral as a hint of honeycomb in clear apricot fruit, as if 2010 were a hotter year than 2009 – which in general is the wrong way round. Palate shows rich fruit, canned rather than fresh apricots, a suggestion of dried Turkish apricots, so the whole thing ends up not so eloquent and elegant, instead a bit phenolic with an oaky tail. Still clearly varietal though particularly on the finish, and would be good with appropriate foods. Hold a year or two. GK 06/13

2010 Yves Cuilleron Saint-Joseph Les Serines 17 ½ + (

)

Cote Rotie, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $92 [ 54mm cork; Sy 100 hand-picked from vines planted at 8 – 10,000 vines / ha, on granitic soils; some whole-bunch, cuvaison c.21 days; MLF and c.18 months in barrel; 1300 cases; July offer @ Glengarry $69; www.cuilleron.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, clearly the deepest colour in the set. This wine too needs a splashy decanting, to reveal subdued florals on deep cassis and bottled black doris fruit, and a hint of black pepper. Weight of fruit on palate is slightly less than the top two Cote Roties, but still shows attractive cassis and dark plum flavours, with the faintest stalk undertone reflecting the cooler year than 2009. Oak is very subtle. The wine is highly varietal, but less magical than the Cote Roties. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 06/13

2005 Domaine Dugat-Py Gevrey-Chambertin Coeur de Roy Tres Vieilles Vignes Non-Filtré 17 ½ + (

)

Gevrey-Chambertin, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $192 [ cork 49mm; average vine age 65 years, all organic; new oak percentage varies with appellation, may be up to 80 – 100% for premiers and grands crus, and 16 – 18 months; no website found. ]
Very deep for pinot noir, more syrah in colour, the second deepest wine. Bouquet also shows suggestions of syrah character, clearly spicy rather than floral, lifted, complex. Flavours are more black cherry, a lot of oak just in balance, very savoury, great length. This will be dramatically different and a finer wine once it has crusted in bottle. Real cellar wine, for 10 – 25 years maybe, perhaps underestimated here. GK 04/15

1985 Domaine Dujac Clos de la Roche Grand Cru 17 ½ + (

)

Morey-Saint-Denis, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 12.5%; $2,220 [ 46mm cork; Broadbent notes the vintage is probably the best-balanced since 1978, 5-star, rich, ripe, clean and fruity; Dujac has long stood apart from many practitioners in Burgundy. There is little or no de-stemming for the top wines, the grands crus are raised in 90 – 100% new oak but with the lightest toast possible; not filtered; Remington Norman (2010) describes the top wines of Dujac as: they come as close to being quintessential Pinot as that grape is likely to get … always complex, fine and often most marvellously silky; Parker, 1990: His 1985s are the finest wines he has made in an already illustrious career, greater even than his glorious 1978s; and for our wine: This wine is a superstar that offers everything one could really ever want in a burgundy. The Clos de la Roche is the most powerful and concentrated wine the domaine made in 1985, 96; www.dujac.com ]
Rosy garnet, among the lightest. This wine changed dramatically in the course of opening, decanting and breathing. If the witty comment that great burgundy is the assemblage of a suite of complementary faults be true, this wine (bottle) qualifies. At first opening, there was a dramatic whole-bunch component, with a compost undertone. Later the faintest hint of TCA added itself to the aromatic qualities, very hard to identify. And later again, as the floral and aromatic components expanded further, just a whisper of brett again in the 4-EG phase added further complexity. In terms of palate the wine is fleshy and rich, fruit dominant, with clear suggestions of new oak in the gentle, complex, long flavours, all highly burgundian and totally Cote de Nuits. A perfect bottle (cork-wise) would be exciting. Mature now, but it will hold another 10 years, on the flesh. One top place, and nowhere but France for origin, tasters thought. GK 10/14

2008 [ Escarpment ] Pinot Gris The Edge 17 ½ + (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13%; $25 [ screwcap; hand-picked; mostly s/s; stop-fermented @ 7.5 g/L; dry extract 26.8 g/L; www.escarpment.co.nz ]
Lemon. On bouquet this is another wine in which it is tricky to identify the variety in a big blind tasting of 123 wines. What intrigued me on the bouquet was an elusive hint of mandarins, quite captivating. Below that there are gentle pale yellow fruits confuseable with viognier, all pure and attractive. In mouth the wine shortens up somewhat, not quite the body of the top wines, acid up a little, the finish showing some residual mingling with the well-handled varietal phenolics, but still this highly desirable suggestion of pale yellow stonefruits which I praise in the Italian example. This is intriguing wine, much closer to the varietal truth than McKenna's premium Escarpment Vineyard label. Cellar 3 – 6 years. GK 04/09

2001 Ch Filhot 17 ½ + (

)

Sauternes AOC, Bordeaux, France: 14%; $55 [ cork; price / 750 ml, EP $54; Se 60, SB 36, Mu 4; s/s fermentation, all the wine is rotated through barrels (33% new) and tanks for 24 – 36 months, so actual exposure to oak uncertain; Parker regards as a lighter style, well made; more aromatic due to the high % of SB. Parker 153 (in 2004): a light, fruity style emphasizing finesse and elegance … sweet pineapple, sealing wax-like … pure, clean flavors. Slightly sweet, it does not possess the body or power of the vintage’s bigger examples, but it is a refreshing, vibrant Sauternes to enjoy over the next 12-15 years. 90 ]
Glowing lemonstraw, one of the three palest, lovely. This wine presents a major contrast to the golden wines, reminiscent of how many better sauternes were presented 30 years ago. Bouquet includes understated stonefruits and botrytis veiled by slightest clean sulphur, which quickly clears – just decant the wine for the first few years. Palate is rich, fine, long pale stonefruits, a hint of toasted almonds and oak, all very subtle, but not at all weak. No VA roughness on this one. Cellar 10 – 30 years. GK 04/06

2005 Clos Floridene 17 ½ + (

)

Graves, Bordeaux, France: 12.5%; $34 [ cork; CS 55%, Me 45; owned Denis Dubourdieu, Prof. of Oenology at the University of Bordeaux since 1987, consultant, merchant too, www.denisdubourdieu.com (unstable); Parker: 87 – 89, no specific notes; Averys of Bristol: 2005 Clos Floridene Rouge is strongly marked by an unusual association in Bordeaux, Cabernet-Sauvignon on calcareous soil. With a bright and intense colour, it has black-currant and wild strawberry aromas, with hints of mint, liquorice and smokiness. The fruit and tannin are powerful, silky and fresh. ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, medium-sized, a little lighter than the Villa Merlot Reserve. Bouquet is in the modern style, clear toasty oak with a touch of grated chocolate on the toast, a fragrant plummy merlot-dominant wine. Like the Villa, in mouth it immediately shortens up somewhat, firm acid, austere grape tannins yet lovely fruit, with more cabernet noticeable now, remarkably comparable with the Villa, but more modern / international in its oak styling. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 04/08

2016 Domaine La Garrigue Cotes du Rhone Cuvée Romaine 17 ½ + (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $25 [ cork 46 mm, Gr 75%, Sy 20, Ci 5; elevation in concrete vat; available from WineSeeker, Wellington; weight bottle and cork, 561g; www.domaine-la-garrigue.fr ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, well above midway in depth. This is the wine I repeated from Pt 1 of my 2016 Southern Rhone evaluations, one of two to calibrate the tasting. I did not recognise it, but at the unveiling stage it was pleasing to find the score within half a mark of the previous batch. The bouquet is sweet, fragrant, nearly floral and lightly garrigue-influenced in a dusky way, typical of the better wines of the region, and attractive. Like most, it is a little spirity. In mouth the tannins seem all grape-derived, beautifully fine-grained and potentially velvety. In its furry rich tannins, the wine reminds me of 1971 Ch Tahbilk Shiraz, a highly-regarded wine in its day. This is one of the great values of the tasting. It needs to be cellared for five years or so, and will be good for 20 – 25 years. GK 05/19

2003 J-M Gerin Cote Rotie Champin le Seigneur 17 ½ + (

)

Cote Rotie, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $95 [ cork; Sy 95%, Vi 5; 18 – 20 months in barrel 25% new; not filtered. Parker 163: The 2003 Cote Rotie Champin Le Seigneur is an opulent, sexy, whore-ish sort of Cote Rotie boasting soaring aromas of chocolate, smoke, blackberries, cassis, raspberries, hazelnuts, and orange rinds. Its low acidity, plump, fleshy flavors, and broad mouthfeel are irresistible. 91; distributed Maison Vauron ]
Ruby, one of the lightest. Bouquet is beautifully fragrant, in the venison casserole / bouquet garni style including the most elegant brett on mixed berries, all remarkably burgundian. Palate is delightful, the fruit almost red and black cherry, a floral component in the savoury bouquet garni, no sign of drying though the tannins might be a little furry. Only a highly technocratic winemaker could object to the total palatability of this slightly old-fashioned but delicious wine. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 04/07

2009 Ch de Gironville 17 ½ + (

)

Macau, Bordeaux, France: 13%; $30 [ cork; Me 45%, CS 45, PV 10, average vine age 30 years, some mechanical harvesting; up to 28 days cuvaison, some MLF in barrel; up to 14 months in ultrafine grain French and Hungarian oak, some lees work; cru bourgeois, Haut-Medoc; better info @ www.biturica.com; www.chateau-de-gironville.fr ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a great colour, the third deepest. This wine will divide the customers, the modernists loving its toasty-going-on-chocolate and mocha oak characters, while classicists will regret such overt imposition of the winemaker's views on the natural expression of the fruit. In mouth the fruit ripeness is lush, the tannins soft (possibly there is a barrel-ferment component here), some new oak, good richness, a wine designed to seduce. The alcohol is higher than the number given. Despite the softness it should cellar pretty well, 5 – 12 years. GK 06/12

2004 Ch Giscours 17 ½ + (

)

Margaux Third Growth, Bordeaux, France: 13%; $99 [ cork; vineyard cepage CS 55%, Me 40, CF 5, average age 30 – 35 years, planted @ 8 000 vines / ha, and cropped @ c. 2.6 t/ac; www.chateau-giscours.fr ]
Ruby and some velvet, one of the lightest. Bouquet is not one of the lightest, however, with attractive cassisy cabernet blended with softer merlot, all fragrant and potentially cedary, very winey yet brett below my threshold. Though not a big wine, this is totally classic claret, giving nothing away to modern fads. Cellar 5 – 12 + years. GK 12/07

1976 Ch Giscours 17 ½ + (

)

Margaux Third Growth, Medoc, France: 12.5%; $163 [ Cork, 54mm, ullage 10mm; CS 75%, Me 20, CF 3, PV 2; purchase price $21.05; 18 – 24 months in barrel; production around 30,000 x 9-litre cases; a chateau on the ascendancy in the 1970s, according to Parker; Broadbent, 1980: Deepest of the group; nose uptight, a bitter fragrance; some ripeness, firm, classic, leathery texture, very dry tannic finish, *(***); Broadbent 1988: Constantly surprises me. One of the darkest coloured, chunkiest and most tannic ‘76s. Yet revealed fruit and flesh, drinking well, ***; RP@WA, 1987: Always one of my favourite 1976s, Giscours produced a deeply colored, plump, quite round, and generously fruity wine, with medium to full body and a lush texture … fully mature … Drink up, 81; weight bottle and closure: 573 g; www.chateau-giscours.fr ]
Ruby, garnet and velvet, clearly the deepest wine. There is a bigger, more sturdy quality to the bouquet of this wine, with great browning berryfruit plus almost a honeyed quality, and leathery suggestions too. Oak is more apparent than the wines marked more highly. Palate continues the impression of a big sturdy wine, tending a bit rustic on its tannins, but a lovely big mouthful of browning cassis and savoury flavours. Real roast-beef wine. This was the only wine to attract a significant ‘might be Australian’ vote, even though there is no hint of mint. One person had it their top wine, and two their second favourite. This wine too has a little bit of time in hand. GK 10/20 GK 10/20

2015 Ch Grand-Puy-Lacoste 17 ½ + (

)

Pauillac Fifth Growth, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $222 [ cork 50mm; cepage c. CS 74%, Me 23, CF 3, planted at 10,000 vines / ha on 58 ha of deep gravels; average vine age 38 years; all hand-picked at c.6.2 t/ha = 2.5 t/ac, followed by hand-sorting; up to c.21 days cuvaison, 16 – 18 months in barrel, 75% new varying with the vintage; consultant Eric Boissenot; the Borie family also own Ch Ducru-Beaucaillou; production averages 12,000 x 9-litre cases; www.chateau-grand-puy-lacoste.com ]
Ruby and velvet, older and lighter than du Tertre, midway in depth. Bouquet immediately has the wonderful cedary complexity that so characterises Grand-Puy-Lacoste, year in, year out. This attribute melds seamlessly with the high cabernet of this wine, with already hints of cigar-box complexity – exactly, when you take one out and check. Palate however is a little disappointing, only because it is a 2015. It tastes more like a 10-year-old wine, browning cassis, cedary and tobacco complexities, more apparent oak than the Lagrange, lovely as far as it goes. It does not seem ideally rich for the amount of oak, but the purity is very attractive. Cellar 5 – 20 years, maybe 25. GK 07/20

2007 Domaine Grand Veneur Chateauneuf-du-Pape Les Origines 17 ½ + (

)

Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Southern Rhone Valley, France: 15%; $98 [ cork 50mm, ullage 17mm, original price c.$75; Gr 50% c. 70 years, Mv 30, Sy 20, sometimes other minor vars; this label introduced 1997; cuvaison to 21 days; elevation Gr in vat, Sy and Mv in new to 4-year-old 228s up to 16 months; some filtering, organic, production this year c.3,000 x 9-litre cases; J.L-L, 2009: Good spherical nose – attractive black fruit, minor and agreeable sweetness, has depth, is young, ends with a bosky snap. Charming blackberry fruit on the palate – well-balanced, pretty length. This is nice and wholesome, its fruit well-defined. The end is quite fresh, shows some tannic support there. Not a head banger, a measured 2007, thank goodness - the Mourvedre has played its 2007 role well, to 2031; ****; WS, 2009: Solid, with a mix of red and black currant fruit held together with notes of pastis, licorice and violet. A good dash of grip on the finish keeps this honest. Opens nicely in the glass. Drink now through 2019. 3,000 cases made, 92; www.vignobles-alain-jaume.com ]
Ruby and velvet, a suggestion of garnet, the second deepest. Bouquet is big, clean, sweet, but here just a hint of the 2007 over-ripeness creeping in, the difference between smelling carefully-made raspberry jam, and contrasting that with baked raspberry jam-tart. There is a touch of new-oak aroma too. In mouth the wine is rich, nearly succulent, with good tannin framework yet not intruding too much, and considerable length, the flavours darkly plummy, a hint of moist prune, alcohol noticeable. This is still just on the right side of the 2007 over-ripe line. No top places, but two second. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 10/19

2019 Ch Grand Verdus Blanc 17 ½ + (

)

Sadirac, Entre-Deux-Mers, Bordeaux, France: 12.5%; $24 [ screwcap; cepage SB 60, Se 30, muscadelle 10, grown on gravels, clay and some limestone; cool night-harvest of the fruit, sorting table, long cool fermentations, then elevation said to be all in s/s for 5 months, on lees with batonnage; www.chateaulegrandverdus.com ]
Elegant lemon. Bouquet is wonderfully clean and exciting, such a contrast to anybody brought up on the dreadful Bordeaux white wines of the 1960s and 1970s, when reduced sulphur was almost ubiquitous. Here instead are lovely slightly aromatic pepino, greengage and English gooseberry aromas, effortlessly complexed by a very clean lees autolysis input. Palate is a total contrast to the great majority of New Zealand sauvignon blancs, the wine immediately having perceptible body / dry extract, and thus being even better with food than the New Zealand wines. Thus far, New Zealand sauvignon blanc has achieved its success on its dramatic varietal freshness and obvious character. But to the informed taster, body and palate satisfaction have all too often been lacking. Happily the remedy for New Zealand winemakers is obvious … but rather many are reluctant to adopt it. This is a model Bordeaux blanc, to cellar up to 10 years. The lees autolysis work is so good, that in terms of both bouquet and palate complexity, the wine hints at a barrel fermentation component. The winery doesn't admit to it, however. GK 07/20

2019 Maison Guigal Cotes du Rhone 17 ½ + (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 15%; $25 [ cork, 45mm; cepage Sy 50%, Gr 40, Mv 10, average vine age 35 years, cropped at c. 40 hl/ha = 5.2 t/ha = 2.1 t/ac; temperature-controlled fermentation, long cuvaison, 18 months mainly in foudre / large oak; production of the 2019 c.375,000 x 9-litre cases; Guigal consider this edition 'intensely aromatic'; J.L-L, 2022: dark robe; the bouquet has reserves of ripe depth, soaked cherries/griottes, prune, lingers nicely. The palate has a juicy attack, an immediate delivery of plump, rolling richness, with ripe tannins that layer its second half. It extends warmly, roundly, is a ground covering wine, just short of being sipping. Its fullness means it will be good with beef dishes, stews. There’s a lot in the glass for the price. It’s very dark, Southern wine. You can sit and wait on it if you feel inclined. From spring 2024. 2032-34, ****; JC@RP, 2022: Strongly marked by bold fruit on the nose, the 2019 Cotes du Rhone features scents of blackberries, raspberries and cherries. Medium to full-bodied, it's atypically rich and structured—a fine, balanced summation of the vintage, 2023 – 2029, 89 – 91; weight bottle and closure 567 g; www.guigal.com ]
This tasting was set up with the Guigal as wine number one, revealed, with the thought being that any wine in the set that was clearly better than the ever-reliable Guigal Cotes du Rhone, must de facto be worth cellaring. The 2019 edition is not quite a typical example of this Guigal wine-style, in that is unusually dark and deep, the second deepest wine on the table. On bouquet the same qualities are displayed, not much of the almost pinot noir-like fragrance of the Vacqueyras, more the heft of the Boisrenard Chateauneuf-du-Pape, but not the complexity – instead tending burly syrah. At 15%, it is one of the higher-alcohol Guigal Cotes du Rhone so far. The whole bouquet is dark, very rich, yet not heavy, with the aromatics more from older-oak elevation than garrigue. In mouth the dark flavours continue … more mourvedre than usual you suspect, remarkable concentration, and a very long dry aftertaste which the cooperage accentuates. This wine too illustrates the dramatic contrast between quality Cotes du Rhone and so many current-generation supermarket red wines, where sterile filtration now facilitates residual sugar in so many red wines, even in some Cotes du Rhone, and from so many countries, ranging from Australia to Portugal. The sad thing is, neither of those two particular countries needs residual sugar in terms of grape ripeness achieved, but there is no limit to pandering to popular taste … in the supermarket and populist wine merchant sector. Curiously, no wine-writer (in English-speaking countries) ever mentions this (as always, an honourable exception to J. Robinson). This Guigal is yet another wine to buy by the case, and totally lock away for 10 years. It will be so much more supple and rewarding then. Like the 1983 which is still vital and lovely today, this edition of this famous wine will cellar for 40 years, if kept in good conditions. Since the Guigal was set up as the known reference or yardstick wine in the tasting, nobody rated it their top or second wine, or their least. GK 04/24

2001 Ch Guiraud 17 ½ + (

)

Sauternes AOC, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $59 [ cork; price / 375 ml, EP $54; Se 65%, SB 35; since 1981, Yquem-like practices, multiple pickings; 100% BF in virtually all new oak. In Parker’s estimation one of the top 6; Parker 153 (in 2004): notes of caramelized oranges, citrus, honeysuckle, creme brulee, and smoke. Full-bodied and opulent, with tremendous intensity, good acidity, and a persistent finish that lasts nearly a minute, this large-scaled, thick, heady Guiraud is one of the finest examples from this estate that I have ever tasted. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2025. 94 ]
Full gold, among the deepest. Bouquet is distinctive amongst these wines, the first impression being oak so strongly fragrant it is reminiscent of dried balsam (fir) leaves. Below this is golden queen peachy fruit which is nearly biscuitty, plus some VA. Palate might not be quite rich enough for the unusual oak, but it must be said the oak is soft and fragrant rather than aggressive and splintery. It will marry up into an almost cedary wine, distinctive, and perhaps scoring much higher in 10 years than it does today (if the fruit holds up, and the wine remains fresh – there has to be a caveat on the colour). Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 04/06

2003 Ch Haut-Brion 17 ½ + (

)

Graves-Pessac-Leognan First Growth, France: 13%; $400 [ cork; Me 58%, CS 31, CF 11, planted to 8000 vines / ha, average vine age 36; fermentation in tank, up to 22 months in new French oak; Parker: ... a cascade of mulberry, blackberry, cherry and plum-like fruit … even a hint of figs, broad, ripe, extremely high tannin … both power and finesse. 95; Robinson: ... fruity, youthful and very dry … simpler than La Mission Haut-Brion … rather a monolith ... 17 +; www.haut-brion.com ]
Older ruby, much the lightest of the Scenic set. Like the Mouton, this was another wine putting beauty before size. Bouquet is sweet in a florals sense, fragrant in a new-leathery way, with indeterminate red fruits all through. On palate red plums and red currants dominate, gentle new oak already slightly cedary, and integrated and gentle. This is easy to drink and very attractive. Like the Mouton, many felt it was too light for the reputation and price. For both these wines, I could not help thinking they were something of a joke, alongside the excellence of the Montrose. Nonetheless, it will provide plenty of pleasure at table, particularly for those to whom label is more important than actuality. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 10/06

2006 Hans Herzog Viognier 17 ½ + (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $43 [ 50 mm supercritical cork; hand-picked @ c. 1.3 t/ac, 100% whole bunch pressed, 100% BF, 100% wild yeast, 100% MLF, lees autolysis and batonnage for 12 months in mostly older French puncheons; RS <1 g/L; www.herzog.co.nz ]
Straw, just a hint of dullness. Bouquet is a miniature, alongside the Cuilleron, yet there are suggestions of all the same features: clear yellow florals, canned apricots not quite so ripe, subtle MLF and lees-autolysis, all appealing. Palate is clearly varietal but not as generous in flavour as the Cuilleron, the apricots being less ripe, the TA fractionally higher. Remarkably, the 100% MLF is invisible in good lees-autolysis and barrel-ferment complexity, and the fruit weight is excellent. This is exciting wine – one would never know it was from Marlborough. It bespeaks a degree of attention to viticulture and ripening which is an eye-opener. Cellar 2 – 3 years. GK 07/07

2006 [ Orlando ] Jacob's Creek Riesling Steingarten 17 ½ + (

)

Barossa Hills, South Australia, Australia: 12.5%; $33 [ screwcap; vines planted in 1962; night-harvested, cool-fermented with no solids; brief phase on lees not exceeding 5 weeks; this wine "preserves the delicate lemon-lime citrus fruit and very soft mineral like flavours which typify … classic cool-climate Riesling"; pH 2.97, RS < 2 g/L; Steingarten is in the Heritage series; www.jacobscreek.com; the wine is virtually impossible to locate on this, one of Australasia’s most obtuse wine websites – to illustrate, this is needed to get to Steingarten in general: http://www.jacobscreek.com/main.php?country=Australia#/Our-Wine/Ranges/Range-Ap-option-range=Heritage&variety=Steingarten-Riesling/; or more directly to this exact wine (and even then, the RS is omitted) via Pernod-Ricard; http://www.pernod-ricard-pacific.com/TransferData/tastingNotes/pages/ICP-Marketing_JC/H-2006_Steingarten_Riesling.pdf ]
Pale lemon. Even amongst 124 whites blind including 35 rieslings, this one was clearly good Australian riesling on bouquet. I guess this is largely a function of the aromatic lager-hops expression of the variety, which characterises good South Australian riesling. Bouquet includes lime-zest too, but it smells drier than most New Zealand rieslings. Palate is drier too, the whole wine more in the style of some of the Craggy Marlborough rieslings, low pH, backward in development, and the hoppy phenolics showing though to the palate and aftertaste too. This is a classic example of the Steingarten approach, perhaps a little more phenolic than the best. Comparison with the same-year similar-residual Riverby is instructive. It is pleasant to read that the winemakers at Orlando say this wine will cellar for 20 years. This contrasts vividly with the less mature wine environment in New Zealand. Even for classical cellaring varieties such as riesling, too many winemakers here suggest they be finished at a point long before they have even reached full development. Cellar 5 – 10 even 12 years, at least. GK 04/09

1995 Domaine Jamet Cote Rotie 17 ½ + (

)

Cote Rotie, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 12.5%; $ – [ cork; Sy 100%; hand-harvested; 18 – 20 days cuvaison, most years 70 - 90% whole-bunch; up to 22 months in French oak, 20% new; JR 18.5, RP 92, J.L-L 3/6 stars ]
Ruby and garnet, some velvet, above halfway in depth. This is an exciting wine, right from the start being clean, fresh and cassis-laden, like the Sorrel wine one to immediately remind of Bordeaux. In mouth, the cassis is browning, but there is still marked florality (dusky roses, wallflower), oak is totally simpatico, shaping but scarcely tasteable (how I wish Australasian winemakers tasted more syrahs like these), acid is firm, and there may be a hint of ripe stalks. The wine seems youthful for its age, a delight. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 05/13

2005 Ch L'Arrosée 17 ½ + (

)

Saint-Emilion, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $101 [ cork 55mm, Me 60%, CF 20, CS 20, vines average 7,000 / ha, cropped at just under 5 t/ha = 2 t/ac; time in barrel 18 months, 50 – 100 % new; c.3,500 cases; now merged with Ch Quintus; www.domaineclarencedillon.com ]
Dense ruby and velvet, one of the fresher, above midway in depth. Bouquet is a bit more rustic / old-fashioned in this wine, good browning plummy fruit, cedary oak, but some brett too. Palate is quite rich, still tannic, very dry therefore, needs time in cellar to soften. Another wine tending more to the warmer-climate camp, and a little burly at this stage. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 11/15

2016 Domaine Lafond Lirac La Ferme Romaine 17 ½ + (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $45 [ cork 50 mm, Gr 65-70%, Sy 25-30, Mv 5, organic, average age 30 years, hand-picked; cuvaison c.21 days; elevation in s/s, then significant % in barrel, some new, for 10 months; available from Maison Vauron, Auckland, and retailers supplied by them; weight bottle and cork, 665 g; www.domaine-lafond.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, fresh and deep, above midway in depth. Freshly opened, this wine is very aromatic, garrigue almost to a fault, crushed rosemary etc. With air it breathes up to reveal powerful and fragrant berry, as if syrah were prominent in the cepage, the wine seeming more spirity than the given alcohol. Palate is wonderfully clean, rich, velvety, juicy berry, more oak than many including some newish [later, confirmed], in many ways a modern winestyle. This should cellar very well, and come to a more restrained harmony in 10 years. It absolutely needs to rest a while. Looking ahead, the present score may be too low, particularly for those who favour modern, more oak-influenced wines, rather than the traditional approach. Cellar 10 – 25 years. GK 05/19

2004 Ch Lafon-Rochet 17 ½ + (

)

St Estephe Fourth Growth, Bordeaux, France: 13%; $76 [ cork; vineyard cepage CS 55%, Me 40, CF 5, average age 30 – 35 years, planted @ 9 000 vines / ha, and cropped @ c. 2.75 t/ac; www.lafon-rochet.com ]
Ruby and velvet, in the middle for weight. Bouquet is a delight, pure cassis and cedar, just beautiful, with violets and rose florals too. This is heavenly St Estephe. Palate is immediately sterner and leaner, but with good physiological maturity. Not a big wine, but classical and potentially delicious, illustrating exactly Jancis Robinson's words. Cellar 5 – 15 + years. GK 12/07

2001 Ch Lamothe-Guignard 17 ½ + (

)

Sauternes AOC, Bordeaux, France: 14%; $34 [ cork; price / 375 ml; Se 90%, SB 5, Mu 5; new owners since 1981 and great improvements, including introduction of second wine; s/s fermentation, 12 – 15 months barrel age 20 – 25% new; Parker considers up-and-coming estate; Parker 146 (in 2003): Dense, full-bodied, plenty of honeysuckle, candied citrus, and orange marmalade notes, this 2001 looks to be outstanding. To 2015. 89 – 91 ]
Full gold, the second deepest. This wine is close to the Broustet in style, golden stonefruits, sultana fruitcake, but more oaky and volatile. Palate shows forward flavours, good balance and richness in a golden queen peach tart or fruitcake style, but like the Myrat the VA and oak level roughs up the back of the throat somewhat. Aftertaste is long and drying on the oak, a bit biscuitty and short on the fruit. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 04/06

nv Champagne Lanson Brut [ Black Label ] (c. 4 years old) 17 ½ + (

)

Reims, Champagne, France: 12.5%; $45 [ cork; release price; PN 50, Ch 35; PM 15; no MLF; no oak; c.3 years en tirage; 9 g/L dosage; www.lanson.com ]
Light straw with a clear lemon wash, elegant. Bouquet is absolutely benchmark non-vintage champagne, showing beautiful autolysis quality combining crust-of-baguette and some suggestions of brioche, on appropriate fruit, really very good. Palate hints at pinot noir (when alongside the Lindauer Reserve Blanc de Blancs), a light tannin grip, and more palate weight than the Cremant de Bourgogne. Considering one or two merchants had this down to $40 or so at the time, this is immensely pleasing wine. Will hold some years. GK 02/16

1979 Ch Leoville Las Cases 17 ½ + (

)

Saint-Julien Second Growth, Bordeaux, France: – %; $227 [ cork, 50mm; original price $28.95; cepage then approx. CS 67%, Me 17, CF 13, PV 3, planted at 8,000 vines / ha; cuvaison in oak since 1977; 12 – 24 months in barrel, at that stage c.33%% new oak, depending on the vintage; Leoville Las Cases is one of the undoubted Super-Seconds; Coates, 1982: Las-Cases is a full firm wine, the biggest of all St Juliens … since 1959 Las-Cases has been remarkable in its consistency and exhilarating in its quality; R. Parker, 1993: This is a lighter-styled Las Cases, with medium body, and an attractively pure, fragrant bouquet of leafy, curranty fruit, minerals, and spicy new oak. Well-etched on the palate, with everything in harmony, this wine displays no signs of fading. Drink it over the next 8-10 years: 87; Broadbent, 2002: very impressive from the spring of 1980 to the mid-1980s, after which I noted more pedestrian qualities, cedary but earthy, quite good fruit but, of course, tannic: **?; Coates, 2002: Good vigorous ripe Cabernet nose. Rather more vigour and depth than the Ducru-Beaucaillou. Plenty of succulence and class. A lovely example. Vigorous. Fullish-bodied. Concentrated as well as ripe. Excellent fruit. First Growth quality. Aristocratic. Very long. Lots of life ahead of it. Not as sweet at the end as Ch Margaux. Very fine: 18.5; www.domaines-delon.com ]
Ruby and garnet, one of the less-aged colours, but below midway in depth. Freshly opened, there was a good volume of berry and cedary oak, impaired by light TCA. By the time of the tasting, TCA had not dissipated, sadly: six of 20 tasters found it interfered with their appreciation of the wine. The following day and more particularly two days later, the wine was transformed, a freshness and concentration of cassisy berry nearly as rich as the Margaux, but not quite as sweetly ripe. Just a trace of stalk. A perfect bottle would be pretty lovely claret, but in the classical style and weight of its times. Fractionally past its prime, now. No favourite ratings – a result no doubt influenced by the light TCA, even if the flaw not identified. GK 08/19

1989 R Lopez de Heredia Vina Tondonia Reserva Blanco 17 ½ + (

)

Rioja DdO Calificada, Spain: 12.5%; $57 [ cork; brass-wire bound; Viura 85 – 90%, 10 – 15 Malvasia, cropped at < 1 t/ha; 'at least' 4 years in oak; the websites www.tondonia.com and www.lopezdeheredia.com are far from easy to use, but there is info buried in there; www.lopezdeheredia.com ]
Rich lively straw. By contemporary New Zealand white standards, few will give this a second thought, so old and maderised is it. But look at it again, and think of dry amontillado or unusually old (good) chardonnay, plus tapas, and suddenly the wonderful palate weight / dry extract, coupled with the bone-dry finish, make you realise that the flavour is a very special. Predominant is a white truffle / button mushroom quality, on clear brazil nut mealy richness, all a little marmite-y on fragrant oak. The wine is wonderfully long in flavour, not falling away as an oxidised wine would. The aftertaste goes on and on. It would be wonderful with the right accompanying foods. But one certainly has to climb right out of the white wine box, and think again, to enjoy it. One has to allow the difference between a maderised wine, and an oxidised one, for example. Once again, in wine, style is sometimes more important than technology. All that said, a limited market in New Zealand, I would think. Unlikely to improve in cellar. GK 03/08

1999 Domaine Marc Sorrel Hermitage Le Greal 17 ½ + (

)

Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $ – [ cork; Sy 95%, Marsanne 5; hand-harvested; 21 days cuvaison, 100% whole-bunch in 1999; 18 – 22 months in old French oak only; RP 90, ST 89 – 92, J.L-L 4/6 stars; www.marcsorrel.fr ]
Ruby, fresher than many, below halfway in depth. Initially opened, the wine is a little reductive, and benefits from a splashy decanting. As it clears it becomes redolent of cassis and Medoc / cabernets styling, quite uncannily so – another wine to immediately remind one of the former practice of Lafite Hermitagé. First tasted, the reduction affects the palate too, making it hard, but the next day the wine is exemplary syrah, almost some wallflower florality now, attractive acid, not a big wine but a firm palate profile for a 14-year-old. This will cellar 5 – 12 years to come, being a little reductive. Decant it well. GK 05/13

1996 Ch Montrose 17 ½ + (

)

St Estephe Second Growth, Bordeaux, France: – %; $ – [ cork; CS 65%, Me 25, CF 8, PV 2; up to 25 days cuvaison; up to 18 months in French oak; no filtration ]
Ruby and velvet, older than some, in the middle for depth. Bouquet is fractionally less lovely on this wine. There are still the basic building blocks of cassis, plum, tobacco, and oak, but there is both a leafy note, and a little brett complexity. Palate therefore seems a little shorter, and total acid fractionally higher than the more highly-rated wines. Cassis / cabernet is dominant, but the leafy note grows on palate, with some stalkyness to the finish. Yet with food, tasters later commented that the freshness was excellent, showing why the relatively light classical Bordeaux style has for so long been regarded as a great food wine. So it is still delightful claret, but with some St Estephe austerity showing through. Cellar to 10 years, perhaps longer. GK 05/07

2006 Domaine J F Mugnier Nuits-Saint-George la Marechale Premier Cru 17 ½ + (

)

Nuits-Saints-George, Burgundy, France: 12.5%; $111 [ cork; $US80; no info provided in the Conference documentation, but Remington Norman (1996 edition) advises a percentage of stalks up to 40% with detailed attention to stalk ripeness is used, and that elevage is of the order of 18 months in French oak 25% new; www.mugnier.fr ]
Big ruby, surprisingly deep for what turned out to be France, but an attractive pinot noir colour. From the colour, one confidently set out to appraise this wine as New Zealand. Bouquet showed deep boronia florals comparable with best Central Otago styles, though complexed by a little brett. But as soon as the wine is in mouth, there is a harmony and savoury length, depth and complexity which is immediately consistent with good Chambertin. Red and black cherries are equally balanced on the flavour, new oak is near invisible, yet the tannins are ripe and firm with no hint of the leafyness which so bedevils many New Zealand pinots. This is a lovely wine, which would score more highly in a hedonistic tasting, though it lacked the precision of the Littorai. Thank God one of the French wines could contribute to a supposedly international and culminating pinot tasting. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 02/10

1975 Rudolf Muller Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spatlese 17 ½ + (

)

Mosel Valley, Germany: – %; $ – [ cork, second bottle available; no info; Broadbent rates 1975 **** for Germany; the goals here are firstly, to endorse the view that riesling is the pre-eminent white cellar wine, without any presumption that this is sublime, and secondly to bridge the jump back to 1962, though that wine will be climatically very different in style; GK 2012: Bouquet shows riesling terpenes quite evident, a slightly hoppy note (+ve), on suggestions of citrus / limezest aroma, moving with age to a thought of candied lemon peel. Palate again has the acid of 1975, a certain austerity, but purity too, which could be called mineral. The level of fruit and the freshness of the wine is amazing, there is absolutely no hurry here at all, 17.5 ]
Slightly brassy light gold, the fourth deepest. There is a great volume of bouquet to this wine, still with clear honeysuckle-like florals, some nectar, and little or no botrytis in the cool dry year (but it is hard to tell after nearly 40 years). But in addition there is a certain austerity on bouquet, which tasters likened to a touch of herbes – perhaps a stalky note even. Palate melds all these components together into a long pleasing flavour, nectary, quite sweet for spatlese, but with high total acid. Some tasters marked the wine down for that. In fact response to the wine was quite vehement, with three tasters ranking it the top wine of the set, and two the bottom. Interesting. These '70s Germans are nearing the end of their run, mainly due to the corks. The first bottle had to be rejected. Time to be finishing. GK 03/14

2005 Domaine Nicolas Potel Volnay Vieilles Vignes 17 ½ + (

)

Volnay, Cote de Beaune, Burgundy, France: 13%; $65 [ cork 49mm; it seems (not sure) the label no longer exists, being reincarnated with the Maison Roche de Bellene; vines > 50 years age; 10% whole-bunch; 6 days cold soak, 9 days fermentation, 5 days maceration; 11 months in 228s, 40% new; Robinson has not had the 2005, close-by vintages average c.16+; Meadows, 2007: Moderate reduction makes the nose difficult to evaluate but the moderately rustic and full-bodied flavors are frank, rich and direct, underpinned by rugged if not aggressive tannins on the supple but admirably dense finish. This is complex and the material is impressive enough though ... this won't win any prizes for elegance, 87-90; David Schildknecht, in R. Parker, 2007: ... representing an inordinately large lot for him, and assembled from seven different parcels, some premier cru – offers aromas and flavors of lightly cooked cherry and blackcurrant tinged with vanilla, licorice and black chocolate. Quite full and imposingly ripe, it just lacks a bit for sap and juiciness, offering a relatively foursquare finish, 88
; www.nicolas-potel.fr ]
Good medium pinot noir ruby, some development. Bouquet is more centred on red fruits, with a hint of marzipan when first opened, this breathing away with air. There is some dusky rose-like florality, red cherries, and then red and black plum. Palate has a simplicity of fruit relative to the Cote de Nuits top wines, a linearity of red fruit flavours, with more tannins showing than the bouquet suggested, probably because it is older oak. The dry dusty tannins are amazing for Volnay, making the wine quite savoury, within its Cote de Beaune styling. Winemakers liked this wine more than I did, four rating it their top wine, and three their second favourite. It is certainly bolder and more substantial than most Volnays, and should cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 09/15

2016 Domaine Ogier Cotes du Rhône Heritages 17 ½ + (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $22 [ cork, 47mm; Gr, Sy, Mv, all de-stemmed, cold soak, extended cuvaison to 25 days for Gr, and 35 days for Sy and Mv, depending on taste; unknown % of the wine in large barrels and oak vats for 6 months; no reviews of the current vintage, earlier vintages suggest sound wine, in style for the label; website requires close attention to locate detail; bottle weight 738 g; www.ogier.fr ]
Rich ruby, carmine and velvet, a near-perfect young Cotes du Rhône colour, midway in depth. Another wine with a lovely complex southern Rhône bouquet, enticing the taster to taste it, and think of savoury main courses. There are ripe red and darker plummy fruits, beautiful essential oil aromatics, the sweetness of character suggesting big old oak elevation. Palate is ripe, long and satisfying, not as complex as the top wines, less oak influence, but remarkably good at the Cotes du Rhône level. Another wine to buy by the case, and hold for 5 – 15 years. Three people had this as the top wine, four their second, which at the price is a great result. GK 04/18

2000 Tenuta dell’Ornellaia Masseto 17 ½ + (

)

Bolgheri, Tuscany IGT, Italy: 14.5%; $1,212 [ Cork 54 mm, ullage 12 mm; purchase price $347; cepage Me 100%; Masseto has become not only famous, but one of Italy’s most expensive labels. Ornellaia was founded by the well-known Antinori wine-family. It is said that it was the highly-regarded Californian winemaker / consultant Andre Tchelistcheff who persuaded Antinori to plant merlot on the clay patches in their Bolgheri site, and strive to make a Super-Tuscan-level wine from it. Perhaps there was the thought of competing with Ch Petrus. Ornellaia is now owned by the equally well known Frescobaldi family. Michel Rolland consults. Fruit is hand-harvested; cuvaison in oak fermenters (then) can extend to c.25 days at 30°max; malolactic is in barrel in the modern style, followed by 24 months in barrels 100% new in temperature-controlled cellars, then 12 months in bottle before release; looking at the wine’s parameters from a temperate-climate New Zealand perspective, one might surmise that Jancis Robinson would not warm to the winestyle, but (though she has not tasted the 2000) in 2019 she rated the 2001 highly: Racy and vivacious. Very dramatic without being too opulent. Just not hot on the end, 18.5; another recent (2020) view from A. Galloni in Vinous considers: The 2000 Masseto is an excellent choice for drinking now and over the next decade or so. Plum, blackberry jam, chocolate, licorice and spice infuse the 2000 with striking layers of nuance to play off its exotic, unctuous feel. Stylistically, the 2000 is very much on the extroverted side of things, although it does not have the spherical build of the very best Massetos. The growing season was marked by mostly warm, dry weather and an slightly early harvest that started at the end of August and wrapped up around the middle of September, 94; an earlier view from D. Thomases @ WA, 2004, agrees, mentioning a release price of $US200: The all-Merlot 2000 Masseto, warm, spicy, and very ripe in aroma, is broad and enveloping on the palate, lush, silky, and, again, rather ready, though the force and length on the finish suggest that there are easily a dozen years of life ahead of it, 92; production averages 2,660 x 9-litre cases; weight bottle and closure: 769 g; website requires patience, less content than it promises; www.masseto.com ]
Ruby and velvet, a little more developed in hue than all the others, the second-lightest wine. Bouquet is soft, ‘sweet’ in a vanillin sense and fragrant, but the fruit is too ripe for merlot-specific florals. New oak takes the place of the florals. There is rich blueberry fruit and bottled plum, but not such a dark plum as in the cooler-climate Bordeaux blends. And there is just a trace of raisin and fresh moist prune. Palate reveals quite a big wine, the softness of merlot but again the thought of moist best prunes suggesting over-ripeness, with quite a lot of new oak. The whole wine style is more Napa Valley than Bordeaux. Oak is verging on excessive, so this is very much a wine made to appeal to New World tasters. In its lack of merlot-varietal-specificity, the wine is relatively disappointing in the company, particularly given its price. As merlot, it is very much shown up by both La Fleur de Bouard (at a fraction the price), and La Conseillante. But in its oaky, rich, over-ripe New World style, there is still much to like. Oak always has its appeal, so this wine captured one first place ranking and one second. Surprisingly, only two tasters thought the wine merlot-dominant, rather confirming its lack of varietal charm. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 11/20

1979 Ch Palmer 17 ½ + (

)

Margaux Third Growth, Bordeaux, France: – %; $444 [ cork, 54mm; original price $30.34; cepage then approx. CS 45%, Me 35, CF 10, PV 10, planted at 10,000 vines / ha; cuvaison in oak vats; c.21 months in barrel, 45% new; Ch Palmer is one of the undoubted Super-Seconds; R. Parker, 1991: Palmer can often be every bit as profound as any of the first-growths. In vintages such as 1961, 1966, 1967, 1970, 1975, 1983, and 1989 it can be better than many of them. … The style of Palmer’s wine is one characterized by a sensational fragrance and bouquet … The bouquet has the forward fruity richness of a great Pomerol, but the complexity and character of a Margaux. R. Parker, 1993: While it is still one of the finest wines of the vintage, it has been slow to completely unfold since its showy days in cask. The wine reveals a ... dusty, earthy component to its otherwise attractive plum, blackcurrant, and licorice-scented nose. Medium-bodied, with excellent concentration and crisp, high acidity, this well-structured, austere style of Palmer ... should be held for another 1-3 years; drink it through the first decade of the next century: 89; Broadbent, 2002: Continuing its run of well above average wines. Fleshy ripe fruitiness on both nose and – for a '79 – on palate … [ most recently] … lean, attenuated, spicy … needs food: ***; Coates, 2002: Splendidly concentrated nose. Very good grip. Fullish body. Excellent acidity. Mellow tannins. Still very vigorous. Great class. Excellent. Very lovely finish. Will last for ages: 19; www.chateau-palmer.com ]
Garnet and ruby, below midway in depth. This wine had a soft, fragrant charm to it, right from opening. The bouquet is very understated, however, and much less aromatic than the Las Cases, more a case of subtle merlot charm to the fore. Three acute tasters (one a winemaker) wondered if the understatement was a result of almost-subliminal TCA. The soft fruits impression is amplified on palate, a lovely supple tracery of delicate fruit in exquisitely subtle cedary oak, all much softer than the Las Cases (with its higher percentage of cabernet sauvignon). Because of the lower aromatics / phenolics, it seems fractionally riper than Las Cases, but also not quite as concentrated. It is light alongside the Margaux, and now gently declining. This wine too had two second-favourite votes. GK 08/19

1996 C J Pask Brut 17 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12.5%; $ – [ compound cork 49mm; original price $33; Ch 80%, PN 20; 7 years en tirage, no MLF, no BF, 7 g/L dosage. Usually available only ex winery; this bottle disgorged c.2003; https://www.pask.co.nz ]
Quite deep straw with a wash of old gold, deeper in hue than the 1996 Lawson's Chardonnay. Bouquet however dispels any fears the wine is too old, a lovely dry mealy, nearly nutty, baguette-quality autolysis which is very dry to smell, yet still enticing. Palate shows fair body for a New Zealand methode, complex autolysis flavours as befits its seven years en tirage, not obviously chardonnay-dominant now, some additional nutty flavours hinting at anzac biscuits and betraying its age a little, finish still crisp and lively, very long. This is remarkable, for its age. For anybody who still has this wine, be prepared for a major tussle with the cork. Now the gas pressure is lower, and given that I have never seen a longer cork in the methode champenoise winestyle, getting the cork out was the stuff of nightmares. This remarkable wine (which has from the outset shown what can be done with the methode champenoise winestyle in New Zealand, even in Hawkes Bay) is now fully mature … to fading a little. A Kate Radburnd 'play' wine. GK 06/20

2016 Famille Perrin Cotes du Rhone Reserve 17 ½ + (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $30 [ cork; Gr 60%, Sy 20, Mv 20, de-stemmed; vinification in both s/s and some oak; the website is light on info, but the implication is 25% of the wine is raised in big old wood; fined and filtered; production c.58,000 x 9-litre cases; http://m.familleperrin.com ]
Ruby, some velvet, a little below midway in depth, looking older than many … suggesting oak maturation. Bouquet is remarkable, simple in one sense, yet in another all you want from good Cotes-du-Rhone, elegant savoury garrigue florals, faintly aromatic, red and some darker fruits, a suggestion of savoury gameyness as if some big old wood, less alcoholic than some. Palate is berry-rich and flavoursome, some darker grapes with the grenache, very food-friendly. It seems softer than an all-concrete wine, again, as if some big old wood is raising the vinosity [ later confirmed ]. Lighter than many, more New Zealand red wine weight, attractive, immensely drinkable (note alcohol). Cellar 3 – 12 years. A Glengarry wine. GK 07/19

1998 Ch Pesquie Cotes du Ventoux Cuvée des Terrasses Reservée Non-Filtré 17 ½ + (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $ – [ cork 45mm; originally $18 ; usually c. Gr 70%, Sy 30, all de-stemmed; cuvaison to 15 days, elevation includes c.35% of the wine in small wood two or three years old for some months, balance in old wood and tank. R Parker, 2000: Wow! What a terrific bargain! 60% Grenache and 40% Syrah, from one of the over-achieving, small estates in the Cotes du Ventoux (15 kilometers from Gigondas) ... not complex ... gorgeous levels of blackberry and cherry fruit, an unctuous texture, good fatness, and juicy thickness ... no hard edges: 90; weight bottle and closure: 628 g; www.chateaupesquie.com ]
Ruby and garnet, some velvet. This was one of the 'in Reserve' wines, opened when the Bouissiere showed as corked. This replacement wine was also corked, but less so, so it seemed sensible to convert the dilemma to a learning opportunity, for less-experienced tasters not sure what TCA smells like. Once well-aired, bouquet is very much in the blended grenache / syrah style, not exactly showing the beauties of either grape, but well-fruited and slightly aromatic. Little or no brett. Palate shows good fruit, not much oak, but still a good tannin structure. As with several of the other former Cotes du Rhone appellation wines in the tasting, this wine at 18 years illustrates vividly what patent nonsense so much conventional American wine-writing is, driven by their unquestioning consumerist ethic. To suggest a wine like this be “consumed” (as they say) within two, three or five years is ridiculous. Perfect now at 18 years, and will hold 2 – 5 years. For the bottle on the night however, clearly the least-favoured wine, due to TCA at that point. GK 08/16

2004 Ch Pichon-Longueville Baron 17 ½ + (

)

Pauillac Second Growth, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $199 [ cork; vineyard cepage CS 60%, Me 35, CF 4, PV 1, average age 30 – 35 years, planted @ 9 000 vines / ha, and cropped @ c. 2.3 t/ac; www.chateaupichonlongueville.com ]
Ruby and velvet, the second deepest of the August wines. This is a much harder bouquet to pin down / characterise. It is almost in the elusive cassis and black olive presentation of cabernet sauvignon, yet with a faint aromatic streak reminiscent of ripest red capsicum, putting one on guard. Palate however is not stalky, and shows fair ripeness, just a hint of plum chutney / VA, attractive balance to obvious new oak, more alcohol than the label admits, yet not quite the stuffing to go with it. If the Calon is 'intellectual', there is a much more popular appeal in this wine. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 08/07

1989 Ch Pichon Longueville Lalande 17 ½ + (

)

Pauillac Second Growth, Medoc, Bordeaux, France: 13%; $244 [ cork, 54mm; original price c.$80; CS 50%, Me 35%, CF 7, PV 8, cropped at c.5.9 t/ha = 2.4 t/ac; elevation 18 – 24 months, with around 50% new oak; production of the grand vin varies round 15,000 x 9-litre cases; note the two English reviews, like the Gruaud American two, so different, it is as if a different wine were being reviewed: JH@JR, 2010: Not quite as dark as the Baron ... Pretty herbaceous on the nose, strong capsicum and that note of lavender that seems to appear as herbaceousness ages. Again herbaceous on the palate, tannins drier than some but it finishes very fresh thanks to that leafiness. Starting to dry a bit as the fruit on the middle is not (or no longer) very generous, 17 – ; Broadbent, 2002: marvellous, rich, ripe fruit on the nose and palate. Fleshy, even plump, soft tannins, *****; RP@RP, 2003: [ his sixth consistent review of the 1989 ] The nose offers sweet plums and creme de cassis intermixed with vanilla and graphite. The wine is lush, medium to full-bodied, and layered with texture, low acidity, sweet tannin, and the hallmark purity and elegance this estate routinely produces. Some tannins remain, but this wine has reached its plateau of maturity, where it should remain for another 10-15 years. To 2017, 93; website currently being rebuilt; weight bottle and closure: 553 g; www.pichon-comtesse.com ]
Ruby, garnet and velvet, midway in both depth and the ratio of ruby to garnet. This wine had a most distinctive (positive) bouquet, showing a freshness and almost a hint of leafyness / potential pale tobacco, with somewhat redder fruits than the cassis-dominated top three. In mouth any doubt one had about under-ripeness is counterbalanced by the richness and purity, so while there may be a hint of stalks (perhaps from the petit verdot, which was higher then than now), the wine comes across as simply lovely claret in the English style. Or should I say the earlier English style. One person had the Lalande as their top wine, but six as the second-favourite: interesting. This wine too should be attractive for another 10 years. GK 11/19

2001 Ch Rayne-Vigneau 17 ½ + (

)

Bommes, Sauternes AOC, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $85 [ cork; price / 750 ml, EP $81; Se 74, SB 24, Mu 2; some BF, 18 – 24 months in up to 50% new oak; in Parker’s view a chateau where potential exceeds achievement; Parker 153 (in 2004): this heavy-duty, full-bodied Sauternes is cloyingly sweet as well as monolithic. Hopefully, more complexity and finesse will emerge. Nevertheless, it is big, chewy, and honeyed, but not yet singing. To 2020. 89 ]
Lemonstraw and a flush of gold, right in the middle for colour development. Bouquet on this smells high semillon, much more like a good South Australian noble semillon, with subtle oak and sweet stone fruits, all quite reserved with a hint of high solids. Palate is richer and more complex than the bouquet promises, great texture, flavours of baked pears or pear tart, long, lingering on the aromatic complexity of the sauvignon blanc. This will cellar well, 10 – 20 years. GK 04/06

2003 Ch Rieussec 17 ½ + (

)

Sauternes, Bordeaux, France: 14%; $ – [ cork; one of the best-known wines of Sauternes; www.lafite.com/fr/les-chateaux/chateau-rieussec ]
Gold. Bouquet is unusual for sauternes, showing a piquant near-mint plus marzipan aromatic quality on the fruit, a character presumably related to the oak – not totally appealing. Even though the wine is honeyed and fragrant, in one sense the aromatics make the wine look young and awkward in the company, notwithstanding it is from a warmer and therefore presumably more forward year. Palate is golden botrytis, seeming incredibly sweet, rich and long, tending low-acid as might be expected in the year, but the oak tannins stepping in to provide structure and add to the texture. Mature already in one sense, but will hold many years. GK 12/17

2003 Ch Rieussec 17 ½ + (

)

Sauternes Premier Cru, Bordeaux, France: 14%; $85 [ cork; Se 92%, SB 5, Muscadelle 3, planted to 7500 vines / ha, cropped @ c. 15 hL/ha (0.75 t/ac), average vine age 25; BF and 18 – 30 months in new French oak; Parker: [ no specific notes, but a score ] 96; Robinson: ... impressive … but not fine … very sweet … not for fans of subtlety 17.5; www.lafite.com ]
Lemon, with a little more gold wash then the ’01 Yquem. This is extraordinary wine, made totally in a modern instant gratification style: tropical fruits and flavours right up to pawpaw through bouquet and palate, ample botrytis, delicate and fragrant new oak, lush and soft to the point of lacking acid (and oak), almost flabby to the finish, but very rich. Passionfruit icecream dessert wine, to match Australian boysenberry icecream shiraz reds. Not one to cellar for long at all, perhaps only 10 years. GK 10/06

2007 Domaine Rousseau Clos de la Roche 17 ½ + (

)

Morey-Saint-Denis Grand Cru, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $255 [ cork; up to 22 months usually in one third new French oak; Rousseau owns 1.5 ha, 8.8% of the vineyard, making approx 490 cases; www.domaine-rousseau.com ]
Light pinot noir ruby. Unusually for a wine from the Clos de la Roche vineyard, this is an understated and unshowy wine, all red fruits and light roses florals, clean, pure and lightly fragrant. Palate follows similarly, all red fruits, initially a certain austerity like the village Gevrey, but on closer examination, and once it is well-breathed, it is richer. Very well-breathed, an English tea-rose quality permeates both bouquet and palate, and is enchanting, real burgundy. The key thing about these lighter Rousseau wines is, though lighter there is no hint of stalk, such as lets down the standard Peregrine. Their ripening is pinpoint, at the redfruits level mostly. Deceptive wine, therefore, it is actually richer than the Cazetiers though communicating less well, cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 11/10

2005 Domaine Rousseau Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru les Cazetiers 17 ½ + (

)

Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $151 [ cork; up to 22 months in mostly second-year French oak; Rousseau owns 0.6 ha, 4.9% of the vineyard; making approx 200 cases; www.domaine-rousseau.com ]
Pinot noir ruby, above midway in depth. This is the best Rousseau Cazetiers for some years, it fitting in almost seamlessly with the higher-ranking crus this year. It is very floral and fragrant in the style of the Clos Saint-Jacques, showing a distinctive salvia aromatic floral quality and evident new oak. Again there is also a Rioja hint like the Charmes. It is clearly not as rich as the Charmes and higher ranked wines, though. It is closest in total achievement to the Felton Road Calvert, but just has a magic touch of depth to it promoting it above that wine. Cellar 5 – 15 + years. GK 11/08

1998 Ch de Saint Cosme Gigondas Valbelle 17 ½ + (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $112 [ cork, 45mm; purchase price c.$44; cepage this year Gr 90%, Syrah 10, no Mv; hand-harvested, average yield 3.75 t/ha = 1.5 t/ac; cuvaison in s/s, some whole-bunches; elevation c. 12 months, all in barrel, was nearer 50% new then, balance first and second-year oak; usually no fining or filtering; tending organic wine; J. Dunnuck @ R. Parker, 2014: ... ripe blackberry fruit, ground pepper, dried flowers and beef blood-like subtleties ... full-bodied richness, beautiful density and a savory finish. Fully mature, yet still youthful, 94; J.L-L, 2008: ... has a peppery, charged bouquet ... shows black cherry, roasting and some game or earthiness – this has character. On the palate there is a real instant hit of black fruit, **(*); bottle weight 624g; www.saintcosme.com ]
Ruby more than garnet, above midway in depth. This wine has a simply huge bouquet. To a quick sniff, in a blind tasting you would say it was clearly fragrant slightly stalky yet quite big Cote Rotie, the syrah seemingly being accentuated by the new oak. There is nearly cassis and browning red fruits, and clear carnations florals. Palate is not as rich as the Chateauneuf-du-Papes, but it still has lovely fruit, pleasing richness, and great freshness. It doesn't taste like the average 1998 Southern Rhone at all. It also seems totally pure, which not all Saint Cosmes of the era are, and about at peak maturity now. Tannins have softened beautifully, with quite heavy crusting in bottle. It could be marked higher. One first-place vote. GK 07/18

2005 Ch de Saint Cosme Gigondas Valbelle 17 ½ + (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $111 [ cork, 50mm; original price c.$55; old-vine Gr 90%, Sy 10, hand-harvested, average yield c.3.75 t/ha = 1.5 t/ac; cuvaison up to 28 days in s/s, whole-bunch fermentations; elevation c. 12 months, all the wine in Burgundy barrels, 30% new then (20% now), balance 1-, 2- and 3-year-old barrels; Valbelle first made in 1993, not made every year, usually no fining or filtering, tending organic wine; J.L-L, 2007: The nose is rather ... dry … Has a mature fruits, raisin flavour – Christmas cake doused in rum, ***; JD@RP, 2015: Deeper and richer than the classic cuvee ... incredible bouquet of blackcurrants, charcoal, licorice, toasted spice and charred meats ... full-bodied, deep and concentrated on the palate ... gorgeous fruit and a great finish. This is every bit as good as the Hominis Fides, 2015 – 2025, 95; weight bottle and cork 599 g; www.saintcosme.com ]
Ruby and velvet, just above midway in depth. This is another wine with just a hint of old-fashioned savoury character, on good red fruit browning now. It also has some lovely garrigue complexity, so it is very ‘in style’ for the southern Rhone Valley. Palate shows darker aromatic fruits adding to the red flavours of grenache, with much subtler oaking than the prestige Hominis Fides label, even though the two are said to share a similar barrel regime. We did not have room in the tasting for the Gigondas Tradition label, which has only big old wood, and in a dinner table context is often the better for it. This was another wine to not attract any votes, just nicely in the middle. Cellar another 5 – 10 years. GK 07/19

2010 Ch Saint Paul 17 ½ + (

)

Haut-Medoc, Bordeaux, France: 14%; $30 [ cork; Me 50%, CS 40, CF 8, PV 2; average age vines 35 years; cru bourgeois of Haut-Medoc (close by St Estephe); c.12 months in oak 25% new; Stephane Derenoncourt consults; JR 10/12: 16 Firm and silky and confident. Dry finish. 2014 – 19; JR 4/11: 16 Very dark crimson like most Stephane Derenoncourt 2010s. Luscious, almost-but-not-quite overripe nose. Dense and dramatic. So thick you could stand a teaspoon up in it. Very unusual. Rather tart and hard work on the end. A bit exaggerated but should be a good buy. Not relaxed but no shortage of impact; Availability: 750s out, 1500s $60 ]
Classical dense ruby, carmine and velvet claret blend, the third to deepest. Bouquet is rich and fully ripe cassis and darkest plums made aromatic with new oak, which is a little apparent now, reminding of best Australasian. Palate shows ample berry to cover the oak, lovely freshness and good richness with cabernet sauvignon firmness, almost a blueberry bloom on the fruit in mouth, yet all rather dry on the oak now, needing time in cellar. This wine is a perfect illustration of and candidate for the maxim: in great years buy petit chateaux for the cellar. Cellar 8 – 15 years. VALUE GK 03/13

1999 Domaine Santa Duc Gigondas Prestige des Hautes Garrigues 17 ½ + (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 15%; $56 [ cork, 50mm; original price $54; Gr 80%, Mv 15, balance Sy and Ci, grenache more than 50 years age, hand-harvested at typically c.3.7 t/ha = 1.5 t/ac, but some years as low as 2 t/ha = 0.8 t/ac; up to 8 weeks cuvaison, with stems; at the time c.40% of Hautes Garrigues spent 12 – 20 months in small oak some new, balance older large wood; c.1,150 9-litre cases made; now labelled Les Hautes Garrigues; J. L-L, 2001: ... the bouquet is meaty with oak present in the brew; airs of stone fruits, prunes, dried fruits and grilled nuts ... a potent kick-off – there is a lot of still forming chew, roasted content. It is very solid, the soaked fruits weight the finish and render it rather demanding. As a “special” wine, its power is central to its being, and I find that a bit too much for me. From 2006-07. The longer the wait the better – this isn’t a wine that is easy to drink young. I prefer the Tradition 1999 by some way. To 2020, ***(*); R. Parker, 2001: The stunning 1999 Gigondas Prestige des Hautes Garrigues spent 23 months in barriques, of which 40% was new. Made from 80% Grenache and 20% Mourvedre that achieved 15.5% natural alcohol, it boasts ... immense body, a layered texture, and pure cassis, kirsch, and blackberry flavors along with a subtle note of wood. The finish lasts for 30-35 seconds. There are 1,500 cases of this 1999, which appears to be the wine of the vintage. To 2016, 92; www.santaduc.fr ]
Ruby and garnet, well above midway in depth. Bouquet is immediately heavier / stronger in this wine, with a nearly resiny new oak quality complexing the red and darker fruits of a southern Rhone winestyle. It is quite spicy, and fumey too, the higher alcohol lifting the bouquet. Palate is fairly rich, plenty of browning fruit and cinnamon spice, all made aromatic by the oak. It is now nicely integrated, the whole wine harmonious yet obviously new-oaky too. Smelling and tasting it alongside the mainstream Santa Duc Gigondas, the latter wine is so much softer and gentler in mouth. New oak in Southern Rhone blends needs to be as carefully conditioned, and as subtly used, as in the Mordorée example. Here it is approaching unsubtle – though that means many New World tasters think it just right. No votes for first or second place, but one ‘least’ vote. Thus a wine well in the middle, which fulfilled its intended role of demonstrating if new oak contributes at all positively to Southern Rhone winestyles. [ The goal was to have two such pairings, the standard old oak elevation versus the new oak / more modern wine, but the mainstream La Bouissiere Gigondas had to be rejected for TCA, which allowed one of the Reserve wines, the Hommage are André Brusset in. ] Fully mature now, but will hold. GK 03/19

2020 Domaine la Soumade Rasteau 17 ½ + (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 15%; $37 [ cork, 44mm; viticulture substantially organic; Gr 70%, Sy 20, Mv 10, all hand-picked, de-stemmed; 4 days cold-soak, cuvaison up to 25 days; elevation 90 ± 5% in concrete vats, 10 ± 5% in 600-litre barrels for up to 18 months; not fined, light filtering; Stéphane Derenoncourt consults; production averages 4,575 x 9-litre cases; J.L-L, 2023: regular red robe; the nose leads on a quiet air of blackberry, a note of blackcurrant, blue fruit, is together, and just stirring. The palate has a close-knit start, carries iron threads, is linear, channelled ends on crisp, ferrous tones, the red fruit within pretty clear. It has a rocky close, a clench of tannin there, is not yet as one, is best left. From mid-2024. 2034-36, ***; no US reviews, so a Dublin wine-merchant review, no score: A rich, smooth Southern Rhone red from the village of Rasteau. The nose is intoxicating with perfumed aromas of sweet red and brambly fruits leading onto a full, rich, silky palate with hints of methanol and a nice spicy kick. The wine has a lovely freshness; it is balanced and the length is long … [ hopefully the reference to methanol is (these days) a computer-generated typo … from menthol.]; weight bottle and closure 614 g; www.domainelasoumade.fr ]
Ruby and velvet, below midway in depth. Bouquet is a little quieter on this wine than the more fragrant wines marked more highly. It gradually reveals lightly aromatic red and darker berries, some aromatics from garrigue complexity, any oak very subtle, beautifully clean. Flavour has spicy cinnamon notes on raspberry grenache, but some blueberry flavours too … the syrah presumably. There is more barrel influence on palate than bouquet, again a beautifully dry finish, so separating these quality wines from so many current-generation supermarket red wines. This is good southern Rhone red, a fresher (though lighter) style than the Guigal, but not quite capturing the excitement or concentration of my top five. Again tasters were less keen on this wine than I was, no first or second-favourite places. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 04/24

2008 Ch St Cosme Cotes du Rhone-Villages les Deux Albion 17 ½ + (

)

Cotes du Rhone-Villages AOC, Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $27 [ cork; cepage along the lines of Sy 40%, Gr 30, Mv 10, Ca 10, clairette (white) 10%, the Sy and clairette co-fermented, the other three fermented separately; note that from the 2007 vintage this wine (which is frequently Louis Barruol's best-value wine) has been from a single vineyard, now owned by Saint Cosme, and is therefore an Estate wine; up to 70% of the wine is aged in 1 – 4 years-old barrels, accounting for much of its charm, and freedom from concrete-related faults; www.saintcosme.com ]
Good ruby and velvet. Bouquet is much more fragrant, floral and complex than the Vindemio wines, with clear cinnamon and a touch of nutmeg (and trace brett probably) giving lovely lift to a big rich wine. It is not as spirity as the Vindemios, either. Palate shows great berry complexity and a touch of oak, in a long supple very spicy and pleasing Southern Rhone wine fully up to the standard of some Chateauneuf-du-Papes. Cellar 5 – 15 years. I re-entered this wine in this second batch as a calibration point, but it really is so good I have up-rated it. Cotes du Rhone of this calibre give immense pleasure to all but the most entrenched wine-snobs, and the good ones (like this) cellar far longer than conventional wisdom allows. A wine like this also illustrates that good proprietors may make excellent wines in years rated as lesser, and such wines may be more fragrant and pleasing than the more regular but hotter years. VALUE. GK 11/10

2008 [ Pernod Ricard ] Stoneleigh Riesling 17 ½ + (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 11.5%; $22 [ Stelvin Lux; some vines up to 25 years age, cool-fermented in s/s, no solids, no oak; pH 2.99, RS 10.5 g/L; the website notes that Stoneleigh Riesling is now picked earlier than in previous years, which emphasises fruit flavour and lowers alcohol; background @ www.stoneleigh.co.nz, leads to detail @; www.pernod-ricard-nz.com//tastingnotes.php? ]
Pale lemon. Though varietal, bouquet has not quite come together on this wine yet, the whole thing still smelling a bit bottling-shocked. It scores well though, because the flavours are clearly appley and vanillin riesling, some lime-zest underpinning, 'riesling dry' or slightly more, good fruit, all slightly phenolic to the finish for the moment. Leave this aside for another year, and cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 04/09

2005 Domaine Sylvie Esmonin Cote de Nuits-Villages 17 ½ + (

)

Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 12.5%; $57 [ cork 50mm; viticulture tending organic; new oak favoured, ratio unclear for this wine; Robinson, 2007: This relatively evolved, open wine … jewelly nose. Charming, very fresh and lively – a real charmer, the product of 30% whole berry fermentation. Impressively long on the palate even though it doesn’t suggest it has the stuffing and structure for a very long life in bottle, 16.5; Meadows, 2007: [ maybe 50% stems ] A somber but complex nose of cassis and black cherry complements the exceptionally rich, mouth coating and earthy flavors that are punchy and carry almost no rusticity on the velvety and fresh finish. A delicious yet altogether serious wine that should offer 5 plus years of upside, from 2010, 87-89; no website found. ]
Rich pinot noir ruby, some development, the third-deepest wine. This wine opened in a foursquare way, even smelling of tannin and the oak seeming aggressive, all suggesting a new-world winestyle, several tasters said. With air it gradually harmonised, but betrayed its over-ripe styling by never becoming exactly floral, instead being centred on faintly leathery red fruits. Palate shows rich fruit, carrying the noticeable oak, and remarkable length and concentration, relative to the appellation. Like the Lignier, you wish for slightly earlier picking / greater florality, but the wine certainly has substance as a darker pinot noir. The given 12½% alcohol is fanciful, though. One taster rated this the top wine (of the 12 in the formal tasting), and five thought it the second best wine, remarkable given the appellation. Cellar 5 – 25 years. GK 09/15

1971 Ch Tahbilk Cabernet (standard bottling) 17 ½ + (

)

Goulburn Valley, Victoria, Australia: – %; $1.90 [ cork 46mm; CS mainly, understood to be some CF in the vineyard too; original price, bought from Maling & Co., discriminating wine-merchants of the era, then 86 Gloucester Street, Christchurch, Dick Maling and Eric Purbrick being on friendly terms; at that time, the elevage traditional, big old wood, the wines having little or no new oak; the back label states for 1971: 'Outstanding Vintage Year', and the young red wines in youth were wonderfully deep, dark and velvety; www.tahbilk.com.au ]
Ruby and garnet, still almost a velvety depth to the centre, remarkable for its age. Bouquet expands with air, becoming soft, fragrant, browning 'plummy' and brown mushroom / chestnutty fruit, surprisingly rich, plus a faintly aromatic hint, very subtle. At this stage you can't identify cassis, berry or plum, as such, the fruit is simply a total amalgam. Palate also progressively softens, to give the impression of softness yet with a firm furry tannin backbone, still tactile fruit, great length of flavour, finishing on browning rich fruit reminiscent of a darker raisin-rich fruit cake rather than oak, yet dry. Aftertaste is in fact remarkably long and persistent, yet dry and in style (an older style). The extraordinary thing is, you feel there is no hurry at all with this bottle, even at 45 years of age, that it will cellar another 5 – 15 years, at least. You also feel that the wine needs to crust, in bottle, to lighten-up just a little. Even so, it is a good food wine, today. A delight to reflect on the original price ... GK 03/16

2005 Ch Talbot 17 ½ + (

)

Saint-Julien Fourth Growth, Bordeaux, France: 13%; $117 [ cork 50mm; CS 67%, Me 27, PV 4.5, CF 1.5; original cost en primeur c.$87; Ch Talbot was formerly a lesser part of the Cordier family Bordeaux enterprise. Holdings are now reduced, and Talbot is now regarded as a prime part of their estates. Much attention has been given to retrieving the reputation of the wine. Stephane Derenoncourt consults, since 2007. The vineyard is approx. CS 66%, Me 26, PV 5, CF 3, planted to 7,700 vines per hectare, average age around 30 years. Cropping rate traditionally approx 6.75 t/ha (2.75 t/ac), which probably explains the relative lightness of the wine in the preceding decades. Cuvaison c.21 days in oak and s/s, 15 months elevation with 40% new barrels. The second wine is Connetable Talbot, plus a third wine Seigneur de Talbot. 2005 was regarded as a good vintage for the chateau, before active upgrading took place; J. Robinson, 2007: Looks quite evolved. Fragrant, relatively loose on the nose. Already quite developed. Doesn’t seem terribly ambitious given the year. Perfectly pleasant but surely this could be more concentrated and exciting? 16; Jeff Leve, 2011: Tannic, tight and still a touch oaky, this is soft and approachable at a young age for Talbot. Licorice, earth, cassis, blackberry, smoke and coffee aromas lead to a fresh, round, dark berry filled finish. Another 5 years will add a lot of complexity to this wine, 91; R. Parker, 2008: A strong effort for Talbot, the 2005 is more showy and forward than most wines of this vintage. While there is plenty of tannin, it is sweet and well-concealed behind an intriguing bouquet of sweet herbs, licorice, smoked game, black currants, and cherries. This fleshy, medium to full-bodied St.-Julien exhibits a silky sweetness to its texture and tannins. To 2020+, 90; www.chateau-talbot.com ]
Colour is lighter and older than many, below midway in depth. Winestyle is close to the Haut-Batailley, clear cassis, some berry complexity and fragrance, but the oak is fractionally more heavy-handed. The wine therefore seems still a little tannic at this stage, needing a few more years to soften. Again the cassis shows, making the wine aromatic. This seems a riper and more substantial Talbot than many in recent years. Top wine for two, in the group. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 06/15

nv Champagne Tarlant Brut Nature Cuvée Louis 17 ½ + (

)

Oeuilly / Epernay, Champagne, France: 12%; $110 [ standard champagne cork; cepage PN 50%, Ch 50, average vine age 60 years; based on 1999 vintage wine (85%) with 15% older; primary fermentation in 5th-year barrels, no MLF, much lees work for 6 months; c.15 years en tirage; dosage 3 g/L; more information in Stelzer; www.tarlant.com ]
Full straw, the second deepest wine, worrying. And the bouquet gives pause for thought, being autolysed way beyond baguette crust, to toasted Vogel's Wholegrain maybe, with just the faintest hint of marmite. And then you read the small print, and see it has been en tirage for 15 years, so you check again, is it oxidised, or otherwise showing any characters you might associate with the colour. In short, no, all healthy. In mouth the wholemeal autolysis characters become really nutty, hazelnuts maybe, but there is still tactile fruit, and the wine is not coarse. Strong and flavoursome, yes, but coarse, no. One of the other dark wines is tending a bit coarse, and provides a useful point of reference. Intriguing wine, which probably won't cellar quite as well as less characterful wines, perhaps 2 – 5 years. Though labelled Brut Nature, there is trace dosage, perhaps 3 g/L. GK 10/15

1982 Te Mata Estate Cabernet / Merlot Coleraine 17 ½ + (

)

Havelock North Hills, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $440 [ cork 48 mm, ullage 35 mm; original price $15; cepage the 1982 CS 94, Me 6, planted at 2,450 vines / ha, average age of vines < 5 years, for the 1982 first year, cropped at roughly 5 t/ha (2 t/ac); harvested second week April, 18 months in puncheons, 44% new French, 33% new American, the balance second and third-year American. American oak was not used in Coleraine after the the 1982 and 1983 vintages. This wine (and the 1983) totally from the home vineyard on the Havelock Hills, in 1982 total production 290 x 9-litre cases. Winemaker Michael Bennett … Peter Cowley arrived in 1984. Some appraisals in date order: Geoff Kelly, 1984: Big bouquet of very ripe soft curranty cabernet, aromatic, good depth, new oak adding zip, very clean. Flavour rich, well balanced, supple, excellent fruit sweetness. Relatively soft and accessible by Bordeaux standards, lacking some of their complexity and tannin grip. Excellent wine, set for 10 years, 18; James Halliday, 2002: ... the bouquet retains some freshness, with a mix of light mint and more savoury aromas. A regal old wine on the palate, with well-balanced savoury flavours and fine tannins. Just starting to slide down the other side, but still very attractive although (surprisingly perhaps) with less sweet fruit than Awatea of the same vintage, ****; Raymond Chan, 2008: a fine, concentrated nose, identifiably blackcurranty Cabernet Sauvignon, some volatility adding lift to the perfumes, liquorice, tobacco and cedar on bouquet ... Drying a little now on palate, refined cedar notes, quite elegant in style ... Tannins are fine-grained ... remaining bottles should be consumed, 17.5+; Huon Hooke, 2018: text not available, 94; information on earlier vintages now lamentably removed from the Te Mata website; further detail for Te Mata Coleraine available in my August 2017 article: 'Reflecting on Te Mata Estate Coleraine, 1982 – 2015', this website. Acknowledgement: discussion with Peter Cowley (previously) and John Buck (recently) added to the background info for this wine. Weight bottle and closure 525 g; www.temata.co.nz ]
Glowing ruby and garnet, the lightest of the 12 in weight of colour (just), but midway in terms of retaining red hues. Bouquet is very clean, with a piquant effect on the nose, refreshing – reminiscent of trace spearmint. Behind that, red and darker fruits made vibrant by noticeable oak, all smelling very fresh and aromatic. James Halliday in 1999 clearly reported on a very poorly-cellared bottle, maybe ex ambient from Auckland. Palate is equally fresh, red berries almost dominant, maybe a hint of red currants in the cassis and plum, and slightly acid like the Montrose. In the company, the oak is tending assertive. One astute taster commented that this wine stood out for its American oak. Yes … there were some American barrels in 1982. In the ranking at the blind stage, three had Coleraine as their top wine, six as their second favourite, and none as their least. Style familiarity, perhaps. Ten thought the wine cabernet sauvignon-led, and not one taster was clear it came from New Zealand (despite that oak clue). Dry extract compares favourably with the lighter Bordeaux … a plus-point not always apparent in some later vintages of Coleraine. Despite the ullage (the worst of the set, but noting that for many years Te Mata reds had a low initial fill level, relative to same-vintage bottles from, say, Bordeaux) this is an exceptionally good bottle of 1982 Coleraine, at this 39 years from bottling stage. GK 11/23

2016 [ Ch Sixtine ] Cuvée de Vatican Chateauneuf-du-Pape 17 ½ + (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 15%; $55 [ cork, 50mm; 15%, $55 cork, 50mm; in effect now a second wine; Gr 65-75%, Sy 15-25, a litte Mv, Ci and others; elevation half in vat, some in older oak; J.L-L: straightforward, ***(*); JC @ RP: full-bodied but tending austere, 89; available from Maison Vauron, Auckland; www.chateau-sixtine.com ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, exactly midway in depth. This wine reminds of the Tardieu-Laurent Chateauneuf-du-Pape, similar bright red fruits, a fragrant garrigue lift on raspberry and some plummy aromas, but much less new oak. Flavour follows pro rata, raspberry, hints of boysenberry and dark plum, good fruit ripeness and length, scarcely any new oak, good but not remarkable concentration, perhaps fractionally richer than the Tardieu-Laurent, with some slightly darker berry notes. It is classic fresh straightforward Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Two second-places. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 04/19

2007 Domaine Vindemio Cotes du Ventoux Regain 17 ½ + (

)

Cotes du Ventoux AOC, Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $20 [ cork; Gr 60%, Sy 40; said to be no oak use at all; the website is nominal, as yet; proprietor trained as a pharmacist; www.vindemio.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, the deepest wine of the tasting. Bouquet is in the same massive but not ponderous style of Vindemio's Imagine, just a little quieter and less aromatic, little or no taste evidence of oak. Palate is enormously plummy, rich and deep, sur-maturité again, not dull, with great concentration of fruit and grape skins. How such colour is achieved with 60% thin-skinned grenache is a mystery, but this wine too will fine down in cellar. Unlike the conventional wisdom from North America, wines like this when well-constituted can cellar happily for up to 20 years. Unusually dark for a Cotes du Ventoux, but attractive wine. Remarkable VALUE. GK 07/10

2005 Te Mata Viognier 17 ½ (

)

Tutaekuri Valley, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $27 [ screwcap; hand-harvested; 80% BF in almost all older oak plus 7 months LA, weekly batonnage, nil MLF; www.temata.co.nz ]
Good lemon. This is a subtler and purer wine than the Tahbilk, with light but clear viognier varietal character expressed as mineral stonefruit and yellow florals, reminiscent of canned Otago apricots. Oak is more apparent than the Tahbilk, however, adding an aromatic character, but the wine is much gentler than last year’s. Palate has the oak to a max in fair fruit which is attractive in mouth. A little more concentration would make the wine more impressive, with ideally even less new oak influence. Cellar 1 – 4 years. GK 03/06

2005 Te Mata [Cabernets / Merlot] Awatea 17 ½ (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $34 [ cork; Me 43%, CS 35%, CF 18, PV 4; 20 months in French oak probably around 45% new (if like '04); www.temata.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, one of the lighter. There is an intriguing redfruits note to this wine, almost reminiscent of St Emilion the way it used to be, delightfully fragrant and mouthwatering as claret. Palate is fresh and fragrant too, tending light in the present company, but attractively flavoured. The family resemblance to Coleraine is clear, but Awatea is clearly lighter, fresher, less ripe with more red fruits than black, the oak showing a little more than in the richer Coleraine. Awatea is now clearly priced as Te Mata's second wine to Coleraine, so comparing the matching Alluviale wine from Blake Family Vineyards, Awatea is lighter, more oaky, and less ripe. This raises the issue that where Coleraine and Awatea were once the absolute standard setters in Hawkes Bay, the wines do not now have quite the concentration – measurable as dry extract – to compete with some of the more highly rated wines in this tasting. I have expressed doubts about the cropping rate expressed as ripeness for some other Te Mata premium wines previously, including the Viognier. It would be a pity if the potential of their sites and winemaking team is compromised by this factor, such that an exceptional vintage is needed for the wines to achieve parity. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 05/07

2003 Guigal St Joseph 17 ½ (

)

St Joseph, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 12.5%; $50 [ cork; Sy 100%, > 25 years of age, cropped at less than 35 h/L / ha (1.75 t/ac) in 2003; c. 16 months in older French oak; Parker 170: Liquid minerality intermixed with black cherry, raspberry, and plum jumps from the glass of the outstanding 2003 St.-Joseph. This is a beauty of precision, minerality, and superb fragrance. 90; www.guigal.com ]
Ruby and some velvet, deeper than the Brune & Blonde, a little below midway in the field. Bouquet shows fragrant ripe berry with some florals, fair cassis and red fruits, and good syrah varietal character in a top Crozes-Hermitage style. It is nowhere near as floral as the Brune & Blonde, nor as pure – being let down by quite significant brett. Yet on palate, the wine is lovely, crisply cassis, subtle oak, good fruit length, not as rich as the d'Ampuis but like it, a wine crying out for savoury foods. Richness approximates the Brune & Blonde. It will cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 06/07

2004 Penfolds Shiraz Hyland 17 ½ (

)

Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale, & Adelaide districts, South Australia, Australia: 13.5%; $20 [ cork; 13 months in older French and American oak; www.penfolds.com.au ]
Ruby and velvet, above halfway in depth. This label really does provide a great sample of the Penfolds red style, at a very biddable cost. Bouquet is rich boysenberry showing a lot of oak, yet the oak seems well incorporated with the wine, not smelling or tasting chippy. Palate is not quite as mellow as the bouquet promises, but the boysenberry richness and juicyness is remarkable, and the alcohol commendable. This Hyland is better than several recent vintages of Bin 28, and in five years time will be lovely South Australian shiraz, secured for a song. Cellar 5 – 15 + years. VALUE GK 06/07

2002 Trinity Hill Merlot Gimblett Road 17 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $30 [ Me 87%, CF 13; www.trinityhillwines.com ]
Good ruby. Thoughts of crus bourgeois arise with the bouquet of this wine too, amidst its slightly stalky plums and berries and subtle oak. Palate has a cassis lift in the plum, quite good richness and Bordeaux balance, and has that slightly cool, faintly leafy, but very drinkable quality Bordeaux often shows. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 12/04

2005 van Asch Pinot Noir 17 ½ (

)

Bendigo & Gibbston, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $ – [ screwcap; hand-picked; 8 months in French oak c. 20% on full lees ]
Pinot noir ruby. Bouquet shows red fruits, with an interesting aromatic note mingling with oak-derived vanillin, all pleasingly fragrant. Palate is fresh, crisply red and black cherry, clearly burgundian, Volnay again, very like the Olssens Barry in fact but richer and less acid. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 01/07

1999 Giesen Pinot Noir Reserve Barrel Selection 17 ½ (

)

Canterbury, New Zealand: 13%; $35 [ TE ]
Ruby, youthful. A more boisterous expression of red and black cherry, and the big blackboy peach varietal character as we commonly see it in the South Island of New Zealand. Flavours a little oaky and weighty, with suggestions of the merlot styling and buttery softness which detract from some of our too-big pinots. This one should fine down in cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 01/01

2005 Waimea Estates Pinot Gris Bolitho Signature 17 ½ (

)

Nelson, New Zealand: 14%; $26 [ screwcap; partly BF in French oak; www.waimeaestates.co.nz ]
Full straw, slightly flushed. One sniff and this smells exciting, clearly reminiscent of a late-harvest Alsatian pinot gris style (though one five years old, not one). On palate the intriguing florals and stone fruit develop a more dried peach flavour, with good richness and concentration. On the downside, the wine is tending extractive and indulgent, and will I suspect age prematurely. In the short term, the medium-dry sweetness covers the phenolics neatly, and the nett impression is fairly dry and very flavoursome (and varietal) indeed. Cellar 1 – 3 years only, probably. GK 02/06

2006 Tohu Riesling 17 ½ (

)

Awatere Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 12.5%; $18 [ screwcap; www.tohuwines.co.nz ]
Lemon. Bouquet shows soft white floral varietal characters, sweetly fragrant but unfocussed, scarcely any limey aromatics. Palate is likewise soft and rich, a full-bodied juicy version of riesling, a sweeter medium-dry than the Konrad, pleasing, popular, but a little lacking zip. Cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 03/07

2003 Pond Paddock Riesling Harvest Moon 17 ½ (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 12.5%; $19 [ screwcap; www.pondpaddock.co.nz ]
Lemonstraw. Lovely fragrant varietal riesling, with citrus blossoms and lime zest fruit characters on bouquet. Palate is rich, a bit big and soft and thus early-developing, but highly varietal. Sweetness is hard to judge, the acid being a touch low, but probably medium-dry. Cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 11/04

2000 Esk Valley The Terraces 17 ½ (

)

Esk / Bay View, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $ – [ screwcap; Ma 39%, Me 33, CF 28; open-top fermenter; www.eskvalley.co.nz ]
Ruby, lighter than the 01 Merlot / Cabernet Reserve. Bouquet is plummy and ripe, good berry, noticeable oak, all a little leathery and straightforward. Palate builds on these characters, the leathery component making a wine reminiscent of many very ripe Australian Cabernet / Shiraz styles, tending one-dimensional. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 08/05

2000 Te Awa Farm Cabernet Sauvignon Zone 10 17 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $50 [ 18 months in French oak; www.teawafarm.co.nz ]
Older ruby again than Alpha Domus Navigator, noting this is relative to an essentially 2002 field. A cabernet / merlot in a particular style, showing a lot of nutmeggy oak and some brett, all noticeable before any particular varietal quality. Palate shows potential cedary and tobacco-y complexities, and more cassisy fruit than the bouquet suggests. Acid is a little high, but the richness should cover that. Complexity on palate is good; this is a very Bordeaux-like and traditional approach to a cabernet winestyle. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 05/04

2002 Pisa Range Pinot Noir Black Poplar 17 ½ (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 14.5%; $37 [ www.pisarangeestate.co.nz ]
Youthful good ruby. Clearcut pinot noir red and black cherries dominate the bouquet, plus a leafy suggestion. Palate is showing high spirit at this youthful point, and the flavours are more Omega plum, with the oak apparent – the spirit aggravates that. Against the 01, this wine seems to show the simpler and more obvious lush fruit of a riper year, producing a big, appealing, but not so complex wine. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 01/04

2004 Millton Chardonnay Opou 17 ½ (

)

Gisborne, New Zealand: 14%; $23 [ cork; organic wine; www.millton.co.nz ]
Lemon. Some SO2 initially on bouquet, but floral and fragrant nectarine and melon fruit below, plus oak complexity. Palate is taut, with suggestions of barrel ferment and lees autolysis on crisp white peach fruit, the oak not overdone. Needs a year to show well, and should cellar for 5 – 8 years. GK 06/05

2002 Mt Difficulty Pinot Noir 17 ½ (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 14.5%; $40 [ screwcap; www.mtdifficulty.co.nz ]
Ruby, a flush of carmine and velvet getting a bit deep. A clean fragrant expression of black cherry and blackboy pinot noir in the Otago style, quite fruity. Flavours are soft, rich, and nearly plummy, again showing the ampleness of the 2002 season in Otago. There does not seem to be as much oak softening on this as in the Pipeclay wine, and on this occasion less oak leaves the wine looking a little fleshy and awkward. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 01/04

1999 MudHouse Pinot Noir 17 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $32 [ TE ]
Similar intensity of colour to the Greenhough. Similar weight of black cherry and blackboy fruit too, but here the oaking is subtler, the flavours balanced more to fruit. Another classic blackboy peach pinot noir, with good concentration, and cellar potential 5 – 10 years. GK 01/01

2004 Lime Rock Sauvignon Blanc 17 ½ (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $25 [ screwcap; www.limerock.co.nz ]
Palest lemongreen. A slightly mineral or smoky version of a sauvignon bouquet, with fragrant red capsicum and lees autolysis complexities below. Palate is rich, with English gooseberry flavours coming into play amidst the red capsicum and black passionfruit. The mineral suggestions continue, and firm the wine up to produce a Sancerre-like flavour, but fractionally sweeter than the average. This should cellar attractively. 2004 is a very interesting vintage for aromatic varieties, in Hawkes Bay. GK 11/04

2002 Sacred Hill Merlot / Malbec Basket Press 17 ½ (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $25 [ Me c. 65%, Ma 32, CF; www.sacredhill.com ]
Ruby and velvet, more concentrated than the Potensac. A deep quiet bouquet, not exactly reductive but benefitting from decanting and air. Breathed, reveals deeply cassisy and plummy fruit, and an elegance of oak handling comparable with Bordeaux, and confuseable with them too, when mixed up in a blind tasting with other, more brash, new world wines. Fruit richness is first-rate, though the wine is a little acid. This is the kind of concentration we have been promised in the much-hyped Bordeaux 2000s, but some thus far have failed to deliver. An attractive if youthful bordeaux-styled Hawkes Bay blend, which will cellar 10 – 15 years. GK 05/04

2004 Astrolabe Sauvignon Blanc 17 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $16 [ screwcap ]
Pale lemongreen. Unequivocal Marlborough sauvignon, mixed capsicums and black passionfruit, already quite strong, but this year let down by a higher level of armpit than is optimal. Such wines sadly score gold medals, in New Zealand. The character should attenuate, in bottle. Palate has good fruit flavour and length, perhaps not quite so delightfully ripe as last year's wine, and fair body. Waghorn has set an enviable standard with his flavoursome, fairly-priced sauvignons, and this one is in the same style, apart from the reservation noted. Cellar several years. GK 08/04

2004 Craggy Range Sauvignon Blanc Avery Vineyard 17 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $22 [ screwcap; www.craggyrange.com ]
Greenish water-white, paler than the Old Renwick. This sauvignon is not so sparklingly clear a varietal wine as New Zealand's best, smelling of very ripe fruit, plus a high-solids component drabbing it down. Palate however is another story, with good fruit weight, red gooseberries and red capsicum, lees autolysis complexities, and almost a bouquet garni suggestion. Drier than most wines, so not quite so smooth, and the alcohol seems higher than the given figure. Cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 09/04

2004 Jules Taylor Sauvignon Blanc 17 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $18 [ screwcap; some Awatere fruit; prestige / heavy bottle ]
Palest lemongreen. Another ridiculously youthful current-vintage sauvignon, in this case smelling intensely nettly and mixed capsicums, reminiscent of some Sancerre styles but very pure. Palate continues in the same vein, austere yet rich, acid and undeveloped, a wine to appeal to European palates once it has developed sufficiently (12 months) to be fit to drink. Cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 08/04

2004 Martinborough Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 17 ½ (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $21 [ screwcap; c. 9% BF & LA in newish oak; www.martinborough-vineyard.co.nz ]
Pale lemongreen. Initially poured, faintly reductive, but clears quickly. Another clearly varietal wine, but in a slightly different accent. In addition to the ripest capsicum and honeysuckle notes, there is a hint of custard powder, and a hint of cut bean, suggesting some less ripe material. Palate shows the complexing effect of barrel ferment and oak, more apparent than the Craggy wine, but still subtle enough. Palate is long and flavoursome, finishing 'dry'. Cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 09/04

2004 Neudorf Sauvignon Blanc Nelson 17 ½ (

)

Nelson, New Zealand: 13.5%; $24 [ screwcap; 10% BF & LA oldest oak, 2.5 g/L RS; www.neudorf.co.nz ]
Lemongreen. Bouquet shows ripe sauvignon complexed by oak aromatics, reminiscent of the Main Divide but subtler. In the black passionfruit there is a whisper of armpit, which should marry away. Palate is clearly oak-influenced, rich, long-flavoured, but with an awkward tomato-stalk suggestion just detectable. Like the Martinborough, a shadow of less-ripe fruit. The richness will make this good with food – not difficult given that sauvignon is the most food-friendly grape in New Zealand. Cellar a shorter time though, 1 – 3 years. GK 09/04

2002 Craggy Range Sophia 17 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $40 [ Me 61%, CF 23, Ma 14, CS 2; French oak, 12 months in new, 8 in older; www.craggyrange.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, dense. A very ripe and opulent lifted bouquet, in a relatively hot-climate 'brown' style where berry definition is lost. Initially it reminded me of Metala from the 1960s (when it was a flagship wine). Palate is massively rich with cassisy and plummy elements, very oaky, a bit aggressive on VA through both bouquet and palate, all too over-ripe for finesse. This showing of the wine does not seem as volatile as the previous, however (7/04). Cellar 10 – 15 years on concentration. GK 10/04

1998 Vidal Cabernet Sauvignon Joseph Soler 17 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $95 [ CS 100%; French and US oak, 21 months; www.vidal.co.nz ]
Dense older ruby and velvet, as befits its age. Bouquet on this wine is a bit massive and Australian in style, with oak as well as ripe fruits all tending leathery and hot-climate. Palate is wonderfully ripe for New Zealand straight cabernet, very rich on well integrated plummy fruit, again leathery and oaky. This should cellar for another 10 years at least, but perhaps drying on the leather. GK 10/04 GK 10/04

2000 Kingsley Estate Merlot 17 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $45 [ Me 86%, Ma 14; French oak 33% new, 20 months; www.kingsley.co.nz ]
Older ruby and velvet. A different bouquet here, with suggestions of Australian euc'y characters in nutmeggy oak. Berryfruit is not the first impression, which can be distracting. Palate is a much more gracious affair, with soft and supple merlot plumminess carrying the bouquet aromatics effortlessly, so the wine finishes attractively on fruit (in contrast to the bouquet). Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 10/04

2000 Te Awa Cabernet Sauvignon Zone 10 17 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $65 [ CS 100%; French oak, 50% new, 18 months; www.teawafarm.co.nz ]
Older ruby and velvet. Another one of these complicated bouquets where fruit is not the first impression, like the Kingsley Merlot. Instead one first notices the nutmeggy oak, and the complex, evolved (and bretty) wine smells, which are hard to characterise. On palate there is rich cassis and dry plum in a chestnutty way, already well-integrated and winey, and much more sweetly fruited than first impressions would convey. Quite close to the du Tertre is style, but crisper. Cellar 10 – 15 years. GK 10/04

2000 Ngatarawa Merlot / Cabernet Alwyn Reserve 17 ½ (

)

Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $45 [ Me 60%, CS 40; 50/50 French and US oak, 18 months; www.ngatarawa.co.nz ]
Good ruby, some velvet. This is more clearly a New Zealand cabernet / merlot blend, showing cassis, oak and just a hint of stalk on bouquet. Palate is reasonably rich, plenty of berry, fragrant oak, not as integrated yet as some, and the leafy suggestion is slightly worrying – I had not picked this up previously (10/02). Nonetheless, an attractive and clearly Bordeaux-styled wine, just a little lighter than the top ones. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 10/04

2004 Cape Campbell Sauvignon Blanc 17 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $18 [ screwcap; www.capecampbell.co.nz ]
Pale lemongreen. A south of South Island style of sauvignon, reminiscent of Sancerre more than Marlborough. Bouquet shows nettle and English gooseberry fruit, slightly leafy. Palate however is rich, total gooseberry, very Sancerre, beautifully freerun, dry. Interesting wine which could cellar for 10 years. GK 09/04

2002 Rongopai Late Harvest Special Reserve 17 ½ (

)

Te Kauwhata, New Zealand: 12.5%; $20 [ botrytised riesling and chardonnay; www.rongopaiwines.co.nz ]
Pale gold. A clean pure bouquet of botrytis, VA, and passionfruit fruit salad, nectary and quite delicious. Palate is a little unusual, fruity, very botrytisy, but also with a cool leafy quality plus fresh acid, which makes the wine light and refreshing, despite its sweetness and developed appearance, and initial flavours. Not a full sweet dessert wine, and the body from the chardonnay makes it more a light sauternes style, rather than an equivalent auslese or maybe beerenauslese. Cellar with caution, maybe to five years. GK 06/04

2002 Forrest Chardonnay Vineyard Selection 17 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $28 [ screwcap; www.forrest.co.nz ]
Youthful lemonstraw. A big chardonnay showing a lot of varietal stonefruit and a lot of fine French oak, welded together with obvious barrel ferment and lees autolysis. Palate is likewise a big mouthful of complex chardonnay. It is much more flavoursome than the Gravitas, and superficially more appealing, but after a while one notices the oak creeping up – as with most New Zealand chardonnays – and a less assertive wine can have more appeal. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 12/04

2002 Pirramimma Cabernet Sauvignon Stock's Hill 17 ½ (

)

McLaren Vale, South Australian: 14.5%; $22 [ www.pirramimma.com.au ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. Clearcut cassis dominates the bouquet, backed up by aromatic oak, and alcohol. Palate is strongly flavoured, the oak increasing, a hint of euc. creeping in, but the cassis and berry are clearly varietal and competing well. This is a classically dry Australian cabernet which will cellar for 10 – 20 years, though remaining somewhat oaky. GK 12/04

2002 Pask Merlot Reserve 17 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $50 [ partial BF in French oak 100% new, plus 16 months in barrel; www.cjpaskwinery.co.nz ]
Good ruby. An harmonious ripe redfruits bouquet, with soft fragrant oak, nothing standing out. Flavour is classic merlot or merlot / cabernet, dark plums and cassis, medium weight, long and subtle, but the oak increasing. This will be an attractive food wine, after 5 – 10 years in cellar. GK 05/04

2004 Coopers Creek Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough 17 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $15 [ screwcap; www.cooperscreek.co.nz ]
Palest lemongreen. Freshly opened, this wine has suggestions of armpit character, in red capsicums and black passionfruit. It breathes to fragrant Marlborough sauvignon with good fruit concentration, mild flavours, and a finish which is a bit sweeter than the average Marlborough wine – probably at the upper limit of commercial 'dry'. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 10/04

1980 Penfolds Grange Bin 95 [ Shiraz ] 17 ½ (

)

South Australia: 12.5%; $ – [ bottle courtesy Nick Bulleid; www.penfolds.com.au ]
An immensely fragrant wine, but more of fine oak than immediately varietal fruit. Palate is velvety browning boysenberry and cassis fruit richer than the Graveyard, and the oak is every bit as supple in mouth as it is fragrant to bouquet. But there is too much of it, so the wine is impressive rather than beautiful. Less good with food, for the same reason. GK 10/04

2004 Tylers Stream Sauvignon Blanc 17 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $17 [ screwcap ]
Palest lemongreen. This is a lighter Marlborough sauvignon, with a sweet black passionfruit bouquet showing only traces of red capsicum complexities. Flavour is similar but adds a touch of citrus. Concentration isn't as good as the top wines, but it is attractive and very drinkable, commercially 'dry'. Cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 10/04

2004 Vidal Sauvignon Blanc 17 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $19 [ screwcap; www.vidal.co.nz ]
Pale lemongreen. Unequivocal ripe sauvignon blanc on bouquet: lots of red capsicums, black passionfruit and honeysuckle, plus some hints of barrel ferment and lees autolysis, and noticeable alcohol. Palate is rich and flavoursome, long, aromatic, slightly phenolic, crisp, commercially dry. For those who like their sauvignons with plenty of character, this could be a top wine. For others however, it is a too bold presentation of Marlborough sauvignon, the alcohol fights with subtler foods, and a milder wine such as the straight Tohu is easier to drink. Hard to score therefore. Cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 12/04

2002 Escarpment Pinot Noir 17 ½ (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 14%; $45 [ www.escarpment.co.nz ]
A lightish and very burgundian ruby. Bouquet too is burgundian, with both a sweet floral lift and a sur lie character which is attractive once breathed, plus aromatics from fragrant oak, and good red and black berries below. Palate is richer than the Schubert Marion, with higher tannin levels, a good acid balance, but again a slightly stalky quality. This difficult trade-off between retaining varietal florals, achieving the riper flavours and mouthfeel of black cherries, yet avoiding stalkiness, is not quite achieved in either this or several of the 2002 Wairarapa wines. For reds, in this district 2002 is looking a lighter year than 2001. With its good dry extract, this should cellar well, 5 – 10 years. GK 01/04

2004 Walnut Ridge Sauvignon Blanc 17 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $21 [ screwcap; all s/s, no MLF, 4 g/L RS; www.atarangi.co.nz ]
Pale lemongreen, lighter than the Ata Rangi home vineyards wine. This is a beautifully clean sauvignon, but all a notch less ripe than the estate wine. There are still good red capsicum and black passionfruit aromas, but suggestions of yellow and green ones too. Palate is a little sweeter, and the flavours not quite so complex and rich. A good representative 'dry' Marlborough sauvignon. Cellar 1 – 3 years. GK 09/04

2002 Ata Rangi Pinot Noir 17 ½ (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 14%; $60 [ screwcap; www.atarangi.co.nz ]
Youthful ruby. A fragrant bouquet, with rose and boronia florals pouring from the glass, on mixed redfruits below. Palate is still youthful and simple, exact cherry flavours, beautiful oak, attractive ripeness avoiding the stalky edge in the Martinborough '01, but not as complex. The similarity of style to the 2001 Ata Rangi is clear, but the younger wine seems not as concentrated. Cellar 5 – 8. GK 01/04

2003 Chard Farm Pinot Noir River Run 17 ½ (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $28 [ screwcap; www.chardfarm.co.nz ]
Attractive pinot noir ruby. This is a distinctive wine, clearly floral, but in the florals is a hint of sweet lavender – is this, to quote the Rhone, herbes d'Otago ? There is fragrant red cherry fruit in the bouquet, too. Palate is light but not weak, fragrant, reminiscent of a Cote de Beaune wine, with attractive acid balance. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 10/04

2003 Craggy Range Pinot Noir Te Muna Road 17 ½ (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13%; $39 [ www.craggyrange.co.nz ]
This is marginally the deepest colour in this sub-set of pinots, showing some carmine and velvet in the ruby – solid for pinot. Fruit on bouquet is very ripe, riper, more plummy and less floral than the Foxes, and the oaking is noticeable. Fruit on palate continues these themes, ripe and ample yet still varietal, but with greater aromatics from oak, which is pretty well at a maximum. This is a bit big and new world for pinot finesse, but it will be popular. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 09/04

2002 Girardin Chassagne-Montrachet Clos de la Boudriotte 17 ½ (

)

Chassagne-Montrachet Premier Cru, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $58
Rich pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is good burgundy, not the floral excitement of the Cotes de Nuits wines or the Girardin Morgeot from the same village, but lots of sweet ripe cherry fruit. Palate is equally as good, just ripe black cherries, with invisible oak and lovely mouthfeel. It is remarkably close to the Pond Paddock in style, but just a little richer, darker, and drier. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 11/04

2003 Felton Road Pinot Noir Block 5 17 ½ (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $65 [ screwcap; $56 ex vineyard, when available; www.feltonroad.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, deeper than pinot needs to be. This is a deeper, more aromatic and more oaky pinot, reminiscent of the dark Villa Maria Reserve wines which have pushed the conventional concept of pinot noir to the outer limits – or even beyond, if Burgundy be the reference. Even so, it is recognisably pinot, and retains some dark florals. In mouth the wine is enormously rich, richer than the other two Feltons. Many would rate this the top wine of the three. When the blinded wines are revealed, and this one turns out to be the Felton Block 5, I feel disappointed. This wine has followed a populist taste for more colour and oak in pinot noir, achieved through over-ripeness, rather than pursuing the more classical pinot virtues of haunting floral aromas, subtlety, and velvety and seamless yet crisp exciting textures. Leaving aside the oak, flavours in this wine are so ripe and rich as to be approaching densely plummy, rather than cherry. It is almost confusable with merlot. Perhaps florals and finesse will emerge in cellar, after most have been drunk, for there is black cherry in the aftertaste. Meanwhile, it will be popular. Cellar to 15 years. Tasted twice. GK 11/04

2002 Gibbston Valley Pinot Noir 17 ½ (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $45 [ screwcap; 11 months French oak; www.gvwines.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, quite deep for pinot noir. On initial opening, the wine is just a little reductive, needing a splashy decanting to reveal darkest cherry fruit and some dark plums too, in a bouquet which compares remarkably well stylistically with some of the Girardin 2002s examined recently. Palate has good dark cherry fruit, but is a little stalky / stemmy and phenolic. Total flavours are nonetheless highly varietal, carefully oaked, and long in mouth. Powerful wine, big by even modern pinot noir standards, but retaining varietal quality. Cellar 5 – 10 years, maybe longer. GK 08/04

2003 Churton Pinot Noir 17 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $30
Ruby, carmine and some velvet, too dark for pinot noir. Bouquet is reminiscent of the deeply aromatic Marlborough pinot style followed by Villa Maria, showing dark boronia and violet florals which almost smell 'tannic', and dark cherry-like fruits. Palate is clearly varietal, sweetly fruited, skin tannins dominant over oak with a hint of stalks, all somewhat raw and youthful at this stage. With a little age and fining down in bottle, this could be much more interesting pinot noir than the initial colour impressions suggest. Cellar 5 – 10 years. Tasted twice. GK 10/04

2003 Kaituna Valley Pinot Noir Canterbury 17 ½ (

)

Banks Peninsula, Canterbury, New Zealand: 14.5%; $45 [ 1 vineyard; low yield; hand-harvested ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, much too heavy for pinot noir. Newly opened, first impressions are of minty, even euc'y, oak, and big spirity fruit in which one can discern darkest cherry and maybe even some dark floral complexities. But in the blind tasting, now well-breathed, the wine again looks more like McLaren Vale grenache or similar, on both bouquet and palate. But to be positive, once one knows it is in fact pinot noir, the palate does seem to reveal floral and fragrant darkest cherry flavours, and there is a certain lightness of finish which might have lead an astute taster away from South Australia, despite the big oak. So it is another of our alcoholic New Zealand pinot monsters, out of step with fine pinot, by international standards. But it is also much more varietal than the roasted '03 Dry River Pinot Noir, for example. The Kaituna may have the richness to bury the oak. I would like to see it in, say, 5 – 8 years. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 11/04

2003 Villa Maria Pinot Noir Reserve 17 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $53 [ screwcap; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Rich pinot noir ruby, just within the bounds of the darkest Girardins, which is good to see after the excessively weighty numbers of earlier years. For New Zealand seekers after pinot noir truth, it is worth noting that in Burgundy, darker colours are usually (traditionally) associated with plainer wines. In the sub-set of burgundies, this wine has some of the florals and cherries of the better Girardins, and more clearly varietal fruit than the generally clumsy de Courcels. Where it loses marks against the better wines of Burgundy is in the stalky thread that creeps into the bouquet and through to the palate. Actual fruit weight is good, though, and there is no debating it is pinot. This stalky thread is a key issue in our evolving New Zealand pinots, and its relative absence in Otago wines is a major factor setting that district apart, if world-class pinot is the New Zealand goal. The Villa will cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 11/04

2003 Akarua Pinot Noir The Gullies 17 ½ (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $33 [ screwcap; www.akarua.com ]
Good pinot noir ruby. This is classical Otago pinot noir, with mixed florals and red and black cherries on bouquet, followed by a totally matching palate. It is similar in style to the senior Akarua, not quite so concentrated, and perhaps a lower ratio of new oak. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 10/04

2003 Shepherds Ridge Chardonnay 17 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $21 [ screwcap ]
Deep lemon and a flush of straw. Golden queen peachy fruit and firm aromatic oak blend into a classical New Zealand and Hawkes Bay style of chardonnay. Palate is rich, softer than expected with more fruit and less oak than the bouquet suggests. Attractive and clean lees autolysis creeps up on the back palate, with such good fruit richness the wine seems not bone dry. Acid balance is delightful. This is good chardonnay which will cellar for 5 – 8 years. GK 01/05

2002 William Hill Pinot Noir Reserve 17 ½ (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $46 [ www.williamhill.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby. Another distinctive wine, with big red and black cherry fruit and some florals, made savoury by textbook Brettanomyces. Palate is well-fruited, attractively oaked to give length without dominating, and clearly burgundian. Disregard the technocrats and others who have just discovered brett, and affect to rejecting any wine in which it is detectable. This William Hill Reserve will be terrific with food, casseroles and the like. But it won't cellar as long as some. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 10/04

2005 Felton Road Pinot Noir Cornish Point 17 ½ (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $40 [ screwcap; no specific info on website; www.feltonroad.com ]
Classic pinot noir ruby. Bouquet on this wine is quite simply gorgeous, a textbook illustration of the floral component pinot needs to be beautiful and varietal. Palate is lighter and simpler than the bouquet promises, with fresh acid and less oak complexity than the big brother Feltons, but it is still good pinot noir. Unfortunately it is no longer bargain-priced. In the blind tasting, the wine showed a pennyroyal complexity on bouquet that made me think it from Martinborough – intriguing. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 09/06

2004 Sileni Pourriture Noble EV 17 ½ (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 10%; $29 [ EV means exceptional vintage; natural acid; www.sileni.co.nz ]
Light gold, prematurely aged. Bouquet is heavily botrytised semillon (I assume) with some oak, showing ripe fruit, no trace of stalkiness, beautifully clean, some VA, and a suggestion of premature development (which in negative mode could be called oxidation). Flavours are golden queen peachy with good body, as if some chardonnay in the blend, but the oak is slightly varnishy. This is a rich and flavoursome wine, but tending clumsy rather than fine. Better suited to luxuriating in with food, than critical tasting. Dubious marketing name. Not a longterm cellar prospect, but maybe 3 – 5 years. GK 01/05

2003 Tiwaiwaka Cabernet / Merlot / Franc Lucinda 17 ½ (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $31 [ 14 months in French oak ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, vigorous. Bouquet is redolent of cassis and fresh-picked black-currants, intensely fragrant, with dry hessian French oak spicing it below – promising. Palate sustains the cassis, with good Medoc-like ripeness, fair body and fruit, and oak which is restrained by New Zealand standards. This will make an attractive bottle of aromatic cabernet / merlot, cooler in style than good Hawkes Bay versions, yet still well-ripened. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 01/05

2002 Jim Barry Cabernet Sauvignon The Cover Drive 17 ½ (

)

Clare Valley & Coonawarra, South Australia, Australia: 15%; $20 [ DFB; Clare 80%, Coonawarra 20; mostly French oak ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. A very fragrant wine indeed, with quite strong floral mint on top of cassis and blackberry, all emphasised by the excess alcohol. This sweetly fragrant mint character is pretty well simpatico with shiraz, but in my view tips cabernet blends off course, and standardises them. Palate is exactly the same, fragrant, beautifully fruited, oaky but not outrageously so. This will cellar for 10 – 15 years. GK 06/04

1999 Carruades de Lafite 17 ½ (

)

Pauillac, Bordeaux, France: 12.5%; $113 [ Second wine of Ch Lafite; CS 69%, Me 31; 18 months in 10 – 15% new French oak; www.lafite.com ]
Ruby. In colour, style and flavour, the 1999 Carruades is an absolute miniature of the grand vin, except that it is softer and more accessible. Technically it is just as impeccable, fruit weight is good, cassis-dominated flavours, beautiful oak. It will cellar for 5 – 15 years. This is a case of a second wine being clearly as good as a lesser classed growth. GK 07/04

2000 Yalumba Cabernet Sauvignon / Shiraz Signature 17 ½ (

)

Barossa Valley, South Australia, Australia: 13.5%; $40 [ CS c.60%, Sy c.40; CS in French oak, Sy in US; DFB ]
Ruby and velvet. Clear cassisy cabernet in a minty, chocolate and char Australian-style red is the first impression, with good berry ripeness which is not too overripe. Palate shows plenty of cassis with good fragrance, and a cool fine-grained quality to it which, coupled with relatively low oak, is attractive. If only the wine weren't so minty, one could run it with 2000 Bordeaux, in round-the-world cabernet-style tastings. The Menzies will have to suffice for that, though in one sense it is more one-dimensional. This should cellar for 10 – 20 years, and become a lighter and fragrant but very Australian red of some appeal. GK 07/04

2003 Loosen Urziger Wurzgarten Riesling Kabinett QmP 17 ½ (

)

Mosel, Germany: 8.5%; $32 [ www.drloosen.de ]
Pale lemon. Bouquet shows a hint of fresh pale tobacco, on lime zest and vanilla, plus white stonefruits. Palate is rich and flavoursome, big for a kabinett, and with quite good acid balance. Cellar 10 – 15 years. GK 11/04

1969 Jaboulet Hermitage La Chapelle 17 ½ (

)

Northern Rhone Valley, France: – %; $1,444 [ Single bottle; Wine Spectator rating for vintage: Notable older vintage; Sy 100; original purchase price c.$5.50; see 2010 La Chapelle notes also; when it comes to syrah, for many years after the war Jaboulet’s Hermitage La Chapelle was regarded as the pre-eminent example of the grape in the world, fully ranking with the top grands crus from Bordeaux and Burgundy. Decline set in after the 1990 vintage, exacerbated by the untimely death of Gerard Jaboulet in 1997. The reputation for Hermitage excellence passed to J L Chave. But now, with the purchase of the house of Jaboulet (early 2006) by the Frey family, owners of Ch La Lagune in Margaux (and linked with champagne-house Billecart-Salmon too), there is every sign with the 2009 and 2010 vintages, that La Chapelle will soon be restored to top or top-equal billing. 1969 and 1971 were attractive years in the Northern Rhone and Burgundy, more so than Bordeaux; J.L-L, 1992: … some damp leaf, prune smells and capable of greater complexity. Palate has a lovely, lasting richness, and great depth, very thorough flavours, showing some evolution. Delicious - everything an old Hermitage should be and in stronger shape than a bottle drunk in Feb 1991, ***** (out of 6); R. Parker, 2000: ... a solidly made, monolithic, foursquare example with plenty of peppery, cedar, leather, and coffee characteristics in the moderately intense bouquet. A sweet attack is followed by a lean, austere wine with a dry middle. Medium-bodied, the 1969 is a fine La Chapelle that has been mature for more than a decade, 89; website not always accessible; www.jaboulet.com ]
Maturing ruby and garnet, just above midway in depth. A little bottle stink initially, breathing up to slightly phenolic / leathery and browning cassisy berry, subtlest oak, a little brett. Palate is in a similar vein, clearly a lesser bottle than the one in our La Chapelle vertical (in 2014 – not yet published). The still-cassisy berry is surprisingly rich, given the bouquet, but as can be expected of wines at this age with trace brett, it is also faintly medicinal. The ratio of savoury fruit to oak is admirable, and alcohol modest by today's standards. It would still be good with food, noting there are better bottles than this one. Surprisingly to me, three first-place votes, no seconds. Eleven tasters located this wine in Bordeaux, rather than the Northern Rhone, which will please the spirits of those nineteenth-century proprietors then freshening their bordeaux blends with Hermitage. The unusual thing about this bottle, from Jaboulet of that era, was the 45 mm cork (as was the previous bottle). The wine fully mature now / some bottles fading. I cannot pin-point when Jaboulet standardised on their admirable 54 mm corks for their top bottlings. GK 03/20

2004 Viu Manent Chardonnay Reserve Barrel Selection 17 ½ (

)

Casablanca Valley, Chile: 14%; $17 [ final stabilised-blend tank sample; cork; Ch 100%, 100% BF in Fr oak, 35% new, no MLF (notwithstanding interim label); www.viumanent.cl/ingles ]
Elegant lemon. Clearcut chardonnay in a contemporary oaky Gisborne styling, very fragrant, sweet white peach, pure, without MLF complexities. Palate is the same, the body and flavour attractively enhanced by LA, introducing succulence. Reminiscent of some of the serious Lincoln Vineyards Gisborne chardonnays, but perhaps less oaky than them. Casablanca is a cool wine region nearer the coast, becoming famous for its whites. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 12/04

2001 Rousseau Chambertin Clos de Beze 17 ½ (

)

Gevrey-Chambertin Grand Cru, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 13%; $254 [ 100% new oak ]
Pinot noir ruby. This year's version of the Beze is more oaky than several, quite modern in styling, vanillin, with the oak very fragrant and potentially cedary. Flavours are more red fruits and red cherries, without quite the depth of the top wines. The cedary oak continues right through the fruit and out to the finish, a bit much for the weight of fruit, but so fragrant it is attractive. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 02/05

2005 Gravitas Pinot Noir 17 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $32 [ supercritical cork; hand-harvested; cuvaison up to 20 days, up to 12 months in French oak; www.gravitaswines.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby, full. Bouquet is big pinot noir in the blind tasting, showing quiet rose and violets florals on black cherry fruit, inviting. Palate is rich, with good cherry flavour and dark plum, still firm and tannic at this stage, all a bit big. I look forward to seeing this with three years mellowing. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 07/06

2003 Saint Cosme Cotes du Rhone les Deux Albion 17 ½ (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $20 [ Sy 40%, Gr 30, Mv 10, Ca 10, and 10% clairette (co-fermented with the syrah); not de-stemmed, 50 day (?) cuvaison ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, youthful. Initially opened, a youthful and disorganised bouquet, as if rushed into bottle too early. It is dominated by slightly estery and obvious boysen / blackberry and dark plum aromas from very ripe to over-ripe fruit, Australian style. Palate continues the rich fruit and obvious berry, with some aromatic and spicy grape tannins creeping in. The wine lacks the aromatic, floral and spicy complexities which syrah and mourvedre achieve in the southern Rhone in more normal years, and thus raises fears that some of Europe's 2003 drought-year wines will be more new world in style than old. Nonetheless it is very rich, and makes an interesting weighty and contrasting companion to the superbly aromatic 2001 release of this wine. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 10/04

2001 Rousseau Gevrey-Chambertin Clos St Jacques 17 ½ (

)

Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 13%; $197 [ 70% new oak ]
Good pinot ruby. This is leaner wine, but still in the top half of the Rousseaus. There are suggestions of violets in the redfruits bouquet, but like the Beze, fragrant oak is noticeable too – almost Rioja-like. Palate shows fair cherry flesh, but a hint of stalk and acid is noticeable, when compared directly with the top wines. More clearly the wine of a lean year, therefore. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 02/05

2002 Donnhof Oberhauser Leistenberg Riesling Kabinett QmP 17 ½ (

)

Nahe, Germany: 9%; $38
Bright pale lemongreen. An austere youthful appley presentation of riesling, still with clean SO2 subduing it. Palate is quite weighty, typically Mosel in one sense, yet with suggestions of austere Alsace riesling too. This should bury its traces of sulphur and develop pleasingly in bottle, since it has good body and subtle sweetness. Cellar 10 – 30 years. GK 03/04

2002 Haag Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese QmP [ gold-cap ] 17 ½ (

)

Mosel, Germany: 7.5%; $116 [ www.weingut-fritz-haag.de ]
Pale lemongreen. A big bouquet, but depending on whether one is an optimist or a pessimist, one notes beautiful florals, clean botrytis and white stonefruits, or one comments that these same things are veiled by light H2S. Palate deepens the fruit on bouquet, acid is fine and elegant and just enough against full auslese sweetness, and the botrytis is potentially nectary. I think this will triumph over its trace sulphur, judging by some of the 1976s tasted recently, when compared with notes made in their infancy. Cellar 5 – 25 years. GK 03/04

2002 Girardin Puligny-Montrachet les Folatieres 17 ½ (

)

Puligny-Montrachet Premier Cru, Cote de Beaune, Burgundy, France: 14%; $80
Good lemon, with the Genevrieres fractionally the deepest colour among the 9 Girardins and 3 New Zealanders. Bouquet has a novel character to first sniff, reminiscent of brewing beer wort, not unpleasant. Palate is richly fruity, with almost a grapefruit quality in the slightly oaky stonefruits. Like the Felton, it is one of the more youthful and new-world wines in style, at this stage lacking the seamless integration of wines rated more highly. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 04/04

2004 Te Mata Woodthorpe Chardonnay 17 ½ (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $23 [ screwcap; 50% of the wine BF in French oak 50% new, 50% s/s, some LA, some MLF, all the wine sees oak at some stage; www.temata.co.nz ]
Lemon with a touch of straw. The first impression is of a clean and at this stage austere bouquet of ripe stonefruits, complexed by mealy and hessian components from the barrel ferment and lees autolysis components. The MLF part is totally hidden. Palate is fresh, long, with attractive balance of fruit and stonefruits to oak and winemaking inputs. Tasting very youthful at this stage (colour apart), and not as integrated as the more serious Elston, naturally enough, but Woodthorpe Chardonnay itself is becoming a good example of the grape. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 03/05

2002 Fevre Chablis Valmur 17 ½ (

)

Chablis, France: 13%; $107 [ cork; Fevre domaine-holdings wine ]
Lemon. This wine is even more new world in style than les Clos, showing nearly pineappley fruit and a touch of VA, plus some oak. Palate is similar, fruity and flavoursome for chablis, the acid tending coarse and suggesting touching up, oak noticeable. Attractive modern chardonnay, but a long way from classical chablis, so therefore expensive. Cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 02/05

2004 Vidal Chardonnay Unwooded 17 ½ (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $20 [ screwcap; some LA in tank, some MLF; www.vidal.co.nz ]
Lemongreen, richer than the Pencarrow. A big bouquet for an unoaked chardonnay – in fact one would swear there is a touch of oak in it, which would be sensible in building complexity into what can be a sterile class of wines – with pearflesh and canned Indonesian pineapple in profusion. Mouth impression is of canned fruit salad, with lots of flavour, some phenolics whether from skins or stalks to firm the wine up, reasonable acid, not bone dry. This is a juicy, flavoursome rendering of straightforward chardonnay, which should be popular. Scoring is a difficulty here: this is 17.5 as an un-oaked chardonnay, which is different from 'serious' chardonnay. The classes have to be seen in parallel. Cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 03/05

2001 Jadot Puligny-Montrachet Clos de la Garenne 17 ½ (

)

Puligny-Montrachet Premier Cru, Cote de Beaune, France: – %; $110 [ cork ]
Lemonstraw. The most understated of the wines on the day, and thus easy to underestimate in a blind tasting. Bouquet is subtle white stonefruits with light baguette complexity, and a clearcut crushed oystershell mineral note. Palate follows exactly, comparable with the Genevrieres but less mealy, more flinty, slightly citric, classic lightish Puligny-Montrachet. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 02/05

2002 Villa Maria Chardonnay Hawkes Bay Reserve 17 ½ (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $34 [ screwcap; Keltern & Waikahu vineyards; clones 15, 95 and mendoza; French oak, 30% MLF; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Light straw, the most straw-hued of the group. Bouquet seems mendoza-influenced now, with big golden queen peach fruit, more developed than the other chardonnays. Flavours are clearly mealy, almost peaches and weetbix and cream, rich, but this bottle seeming spirity and approaching full maturity. Cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 02/05

2002 Villa Maria Chardonnay Taylors Pass Single Vineyard 17 ½ (

)

Awatere Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14.5%; $34 [ screwcap; clone 95, 45% MLF, 9 months BF and LA in 60% new French oak; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Lemongreen, one of the palest. This is the most different of the Villa Group wines, on this showing. Bouquet is lightly floral, even a suggestion of Christmas lily, palest peach, light and pure. Palate is pure fruit, rich, subtle, silky, mild and scarcely oaked, the wine showing the least winemaker input. Hard to score – I have an uneasy feeling I could score this more highly on another day. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 02/05

2003 Chapoutier Saint-Joseph les Granits 17 ½ (

)

Saint-Joseph, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $80 [ 100% de-stemmed; extended cuvaison > 30 days in concrete, 100% in barrels new or recent for 12 – 14 months; www.chapoutier.com ]
Ruby. Initially opened, a little reductive, needing a splashy decant. Breathes to a pure understated syrah bouquet from a cooler climate than the Gimblett Gravels in 2002, some violets / florals, good cassis, some black pepper, subtle oak – a pleasing presentation of varietal character. Palate assembles all these components into a neat medium-weight wine, markedly lighter than the average of the Gimblett wines, close to the '02 Mission in style, but lighter, firmer, and older oak. Cellar 8 – 12 years. GK 12/04

2002 Vidal Merlot / Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 17 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $40 [ screwcap; Me 50%, CS 46, Ma 4; www.vidal.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, but lighter than some. This is another wine with a pennyroyal lift to the soft plummy bouquet, but it is also noticeably oaky and thus lacks the floral magic and complexity of the better wines. Fruit weight is good, soft and plummy, extended on oak, more straightforward than the higher-pointed wines. Cellar 10 – 15 years. GK 12/04

2002 Trinity Hill Syrah Gimblett Road 17 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $30 [ long cuvaison, MLF in tank, 17 months in French and US oak, neither fined or filtered; www.trinityhillwines.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. Bouquet shows good berry, but with a smoky oak-derived note too. Fruit character is in the cassis-dominated berry style hard to tell from cabernet / merlot in a blind tasting. Palate sustains both berryfruit and the smoky part of the oak, to give a long, rich, slightly coffee'd flavour which is pretty good syrah by any standards. Only when one later puts it alongside the Homage, does one see how much finer, purer and silkier the latter is. Cellar 10 – 15 years. GK 12/04

2005 Greenhough Riesling Nelson 17 ½ (

)

Nelson, New Zealand: 12.5%; $19 [ screwcap; s/s wine ]
Lemongreen. Bouquet is still youthful and the SO2 not quite married away, below which is fragrant and floral riesling in the holygrass / linalool style, on fine white stonefruits, and moist sultanas. Palate is likewise still angular and youthful, but with plenty of varietal flavour, the finish at the top end of the ‘dry’ class, lingering well on an appley note. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 01/06

2016 Craggy Range Cabernet Sauvignon The Quarry 17 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $120 [ cork 50mm; CS 88%, CF 8, Me 4, hand-harvested at 4.95 t/ha = 2.0 t/ac; fermentation in s/s with cultured yeasts; 18 months in French oak 50% new, fined and filtered to bottle; RS nil; weight bottle and closure 1017 g; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby and velvet, not quite the carmine of youth but clearly more youthful than 2015 Hieronymus, the third-deepest wine. Bouquet is complex, sweet dark berries with thoughts of cassis and blackberry, potential cedar to emerge, but also a worrying hint of stalks and nasturtium, detracting. Palate shows more oak than Hieronymus, the oak exacerbated by noticeable acid, and less body / dry extract than the Elephant Hill reds. Even though the concentration of berry is reasonably good by traditional New Zealand red wine standards, there is the thought of a cabernet hole in the palate, and ripeness is critically lacking for a supple and fragrant claret style priced at $120. The finish though cassisy is relatively hard and short. The price is high for the quality achieved: currently you can order en primeur 2019 Ch Branaire-Ducru, 2019 Ch Langoa-Barton, and 2019 Ch Giscours for a full landed price less than $120. And plenty of others of more modest address, much less. There is not much doubt which would provide the more enchanting drinking, at table. Will soften in cellar 10 – 25 years. GK 06/20

2003 Ma Maison Vineyard Pinot Noir 17 ½ (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13%; $ – [ cork; winemaker Chris Buring; no info readily available on this winery ]
Big pinot noir ruby. Initially opened, a bit brooding and introspective. Clears with decanting to a fragrant and distinctively Martinborough bouquet, with lots of red fruits and an aromatic pennyroyal lift, becoming quite fragrant with air. Palate shows rich aromatic fruit, the oak attractively balanced. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 04/05

2004 Rabbit Ranch Pinot Noir 17 ½ (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 13%; $24 [ screwcap; a label within the Chard Farm group ]
Pinot ruby. A totally different bouquet in this line-up, with a soft violets and blackboy bouquet suggesting maceration carbonique, and in its dark fruity ampleness, reminding of premium individual vineyard beaujolais. Palate continues that thought, soft, total velvet, scarcely oaked, yet beautiful acid balance and freshness. This is the closest we have come to a really fine big beaujolais style in New Zealand, so far. If anyone thinks that is damning with faint praise, it needs to be said that the top individual vineyard beaujolais from the named crus can be wines of absolute beauty, which cellar well – though not as long as comparable quality burgundy. This Rabbit Ranch wine will probably be at it most delicious in its first five years. Comparison with the similarly styled Te Mata Gamay Noir is interesting. GK 03/05

2004 Bridge Pa Syrah Louis Vineyard 17 ½ (

)

Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $45 [ supercritical cork; made by Unison; 12 months in French and American oak; Spectator: "Loaded with toasty oak, cola, beef and a firm tannic structure. Tart acidity, pomegranate and mineral flavors shape the peppery finish. To 2009. 87"; earlier reviews on this website; www.bridgepa.co.nz ]
Ruby and some velvet, in the middle for depth. Bouquet shows some floral notes on good berryfruit, all offset by somewhat coarse oak with resiny notes, as if the timber were insufficiently aged / conditioned before coopering. Palate shows syrah ripened pretty well to optimal ripeness in a temperate climate, attractive berry with suggestions of florals and cassis in plums and a suggestion of boysenberry, but all finishing a bit raw and oaky. Less and better oak would help this quality of fruit. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 04/07

2002 Saint Clair Pinot Noir Omaka Reserve 17 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $27 [ cork; 4 – 5 days cold soak, 14 months in French oak, on lees; www.saintclair.co.nz ]
Big pinot ruby, nearly as dark as the Doctors Creek. Bouquet here is from the outset much more varietal and burgundian an expression of pinot than the Doctors wine, showing a better ratio of fruit to oak. Both boronia and buddleia florals are apparent, in black cherry and fruit. Palate is attractive black cherry, a little crisper, more aromatic, and faintly cooler-climate in style than the Doctors, more varietal but fractionally less rich. They make a marvellous pair of Marlborough pinots. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 03/05

2004 St Jacques Pinot Noir 17 ½ (

)

Nelson, New Zealand: 13.5%; $20 [ screwcap; second label for Blackenbrook; www.blackenbrook.co.nz ]
Lovely pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is quietly but deeply fragrant, totally in a maraschino / cherry liqueur style, clearly varietal and appealing. Palate shows beautiful ripe cherry fruit, total physiological maturity, elegant tannins and oak, and a classic pinot noir flavour. Not a big wine, but finely wrought with great vinosity. Cellar 5 - 8 years. VALUE GK 05/05

2002 Trinity Hill Syrah Gimblett Road 17 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $30 [ cork; long cuvaison, MLF in tank, 17 months in French and US oak, neither fined or filtered; www.trinityhillwines.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. This was another wine to open up a little reductive, and needing aeration. Breathed it is mainstream Gimblett Gravels syrah, cassis and black plums, some black peppercorns. Flavours are long, rich and slightly spicy, gently oaked, the whole wine more accessible than some. Ripeness is not as remarkable as the Homage, but considering this is the second-tier wine, it is still pretty good - just a hint of stalks in the late finish. Cellar 5 - 10 years. GK 06/05

2003 Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir 17 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $38 [ 100% de-stemmed, cold-soak, some saignée, wild yeast, s/s open-top fermentation tanks, 50% new French oak, MLF in barrel; www.cloudybay.co.nz ]
A lightish pinot noir ruby. This is an intriguing wine, where lightness of colour belies the beautiful burgundian maraschino cherry quality of bouquet, very fragrant indeed. Palate is red cherries to perfection, good flesh, plump mouthfeel, great food wine. Flavour and fruit concentration is a little lighter than the Dog Point and Wither Hills wines. Cellar 5 - 10 years. GK 05/05

2002 Corbans Pinot Noir Marlborough Private Bin 17 ½ (

)

Awatere Valley 80%, Wairau 20, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $24 [ cork; 90% hand-picked; MLF in barrel, LA and batonnage 11 months; www.corbans.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, a little older, good. A clear pinot bouquet combining florals such as boronia and violets with red and black cherries, and a slightly piquant savoury complexity. Palate shows soft 'sweet' fruit in mouth, totally in style, ripe, cherry and bottled plum flavours, refreshed by a touch of stalk (+ve), fragrant oak, and gentle acid. An affordable and maturing wine which should attract people to the special dining pleasures of pinot noir. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 03/05

2003 Two Paddocks Pinot Noir First Paddock 17 ½ (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $38 [ screwcap; cold-soak, fermentation and cuvaison totalled 28 days, 10 months in French oak 30% new; www.twopaddocks.com ]
Big pinot noir ruby, markedly deeper than the Last Chance wine. Benefits from decanting, to reveal a deeper and heavier wine all round than its companion. Bigger is not necessarily better however, and there are suggestions of sur-maturité and dark plumminess, rather than cherries and florals. Palate is rich and velvety, and for those to whom weight on palate is more important than beauty of bouquet, this wine will rate higher than the Last Chance. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 04/05

2002 Jadot Beaune Clos des Ursules Vignes Franches 17 ½ (

)

Beaune Premier Cru, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $84 [ cork; Jadot monopole; www.louisjadot.com ]
Pinot ruby. This is a very straight pinot, pure, more in the understated Cazetiers camp, but as befits a Beaune, less aromatic than the Cote de Nuits wines. Bouquet and palate together show attractive and fragrant fleshy red fruits, suggestions of leather, fair richness, some oak, and lingering pinot flavours. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 05/04

2003 [ Villa Maria ] Thornbury Pinot Noir Steve Bird 17 ½ (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14.2%; $25 [ screwcap; cropped 2.5 – 3 t/ac; the relationship between Villa Maria and Thornbury is not clear on either the Villa website, or the not-recently-updated www.thornburywines.com; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. A fragrant bouquet, both for the sweetly floral fruit, and for nearly cedary oak. Palate has matured more quickly than some 2003 pinots, with attractively integrated flavours in which the oak is more apparent than real – fruit length is good. A trace of brett adds complexity and old world charm to the wine. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 11/05

2002 Te Mata Syrah Bullnose 17 ½ (

)

Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $35 [ cork; hand-harvested; 16 months in new and older French oak; www.temata.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet. This is one of the more explicitly varietal wines in the set, with suggestions of wallflower florals, and clear black peppercorn, on aromatic cassis and dark plum. Like the Woodthorpe, there is a savoury / gamey complexity too, which is attractive to many tasters. Palate is soft, round, rich and velvety, quite extraordinarily northern Rhone in style. This is due both to the style of fruit - not quite as ripe as the Gimblett Gravels - and to the brett component discussed under the Woodthorpe wine. Again, it only needs to be said, one can fuss too much about this issue: wine is about style and sensory satisfaction just as much as technicalities. The latter should serve the former, not the other way round. Many Rhone reds have brett, some at extravagant levels far beyond this wine, for example 1983 Chateau Beaucastel. Yet www.winesearcher.com tells me today, that the latter wine is hard to procure in Europe / North America for less than $NZ100. 2002 Bullnose is already lovely with food, and will cellar for 5 - 10 years. GK 06/05

2002 Bilancia Syrah 17 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $35 [ cork ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, deeper than La Collina. Bouquet is a deeper, richer more blackly fruited wine than la Collina, as befits its Gimblett Gravels origin. Bouquet and palate are quite rich, with black plums, blueberries and some cassis carrying quite a lot of oak, in a big soft Gravels style slightly reminiscent of the Barossa Valley. This will be accessible relatively early. Cellar 5 - 10 years. GK 06/05

2002 Sacred Hills Syrah Deer Stalkers 17 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $40 [ cork; no info on website; www.sacredhill.com ]
Ruby and velvet. This one opens up a bit reductive too, needing aeration. Breathed, there are suggestions of black peppercorns and quite dense black fruits, cassis and plums, with a charry suggestion as if some of the wine were barrel-fermented. Fruit is rich, flavoursome, youthful, fleshy, well-balanced, with oak-derived chocolate flavours added to the berry, in a contemporary style. This wine has some marrying up still to do, and will score higher in five years. Cellar 5 - 12 years. GK 06/05

2002 Matua Valley Syrah Bullrush Innovator 17 ½ (

)

Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $28 [ cork; hand-harvested, de-stemmed, hand-plunged in open-top fermenters, 8 months in one and two-year oak, 2 g / L RS; www.matua.co.nz ]
Ruby and some velvet. Straightforward plummy fruit with new oak is the first impression. Palate is soft, rich and fleshy, the fruit sliding to the blueberry side of the syrah spectrum rather than cassis, but made aromatic by obvious oak. A pleasant hint of pennyroyal mint comes into the late taste. This may gain a little more complexity with another couple of years in bottle, and will cellar for 5 - 10 years. GK 06/05

2002 Jadot Gevrey-Chambertin les Cazetiers 17 ½ (

)

Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $108 [ cork; www.louisjadot.com ]
Good pinot ruby, midway in the Jadots. This is a very pure example of pinot alongside the Pommard, and the bouquet seems withdrawn in comparison. The floral component is present to a degree, on good red and black cherries and smallfruits. Palate is much more communicative, with aromatic black cherry and slightly dark plummy quite rich fruit, and some new oak. A more new world wine, in a way. Cellar 10 – 15 years. GK 04/05

2002 Jadot Volnay Clos de la Barre 17 ½ (

)

Volnay Premier Cru, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $81 [ cork; www.louisjadot.com ]
Pinot ruby, to the lighter end. Another wine with a voluminous bouquet, and beautiful buddleia and rose florals, on cherry and plum fruit. There is a trace of savoury complexity here too, adding zing and complexity in a positive way. Palate is already velvety, classic pinot flavours and mouthfeel, a lovely finish. This wine offers perhaps the best combination of pinot magic, early accessibility, and affordability. Beautiful drinking, and like all these wines, crying out for food. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 04/05

2004 Terrace Heights Estate Pinot Noir 17 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: – %; $ – [ screwcap ]
Pinot ruby. This pinot has the sweetness of the variety in its attractively floral bouquet, light boronia exactly, on red cherries. Palate too has that neat quality of real pinot, a ‘crunchy’ texture (by imagination), just like chewing on crisp cherry fruit, indicating a perfect flavour, acid and tannin balance that bursts into life on the tongue. Not a big wine, but real pinot, very pleasing. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 11/05

1994 Clearview Estate Chardonnay Reserve 17 ½ (

)

Te Awanga, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $ – [ cork; simpler variations on 2004 practice; www.clearviewestate.co.nz ]
Colour is lemonstraw with a flush of gold, paler than the 1999, and with no orange / brown hues – the surprise of the tasting. The reason is obvious as soon as one smells it, with total sulphurs just a fraction higher than most, and freshly opened the wine shows a hint of sackyness (which quickly clears). Fruit is an interesting mixture of the same golden queen peaches and figs as the younger wines, without quite the depth of lees-autolysis and barrel-ferment characters. This is at a peak of maturity, and if this bottle is typical, the wine will hold / decline in a pleasant way for 1 – 3 years more. GK 11/05

2004 Coopers Creek Pinot Noir Marlborough 17 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $20 [ screwcap; hand-picked; French oak; MLF in barrel, and LA on gross lees ]
Good pinot ruby, the third deepest of this set. Bouquet is soft and rich on this wine, not pinpoint varietal, a trace of VA, but burgundian all the same. Palate is more blackboy and plum than cherry, the oak not quite as fragrant and clean as the Peregrine, the finish slightly phenolic. But the whole package is in style, and with 18 months to mellow, it should become an attractive food wine, and more varietal. Cellar 5 – 8 years. VALUE GK 10/05

2004 Neudorf Pinot Noir Moutere 17 ½ (

)

Moutere Hills, Nelson, New Zealand: 14.3%; $54 [ screwcap; hand-harvested; 100% destemmed, cold-soak, wild yeast, cuvaison up to 32 days; 11 months and MLF in French oak 40% new; un-filtered; www.neudorf.co.nz ]
Light pinot noir ruby. Bouquet on this wine is a perfect expression of the buddleia / blackboy style of pinot, light and floral and fragrant. Palate has an intriguing middle-palate weight, suggesting lees-autolysis in barrel, which promotes the wine up the ranks considerably, even though the flavour remains in the blackboy / red cherry camp, slightly acid. This is a good expression of a warmer-climate pinot style than Otago, which in warmer places again, lapses into the strawberry pinots more commonly encountered in Hawkes Bay and much of Australia. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 06/06

2004 Villa Maria Merlot Private Bin 17 ½ (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $17 [ screwcap; unknown percentage of the wine in French & American oak 16 months; not on website yet; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Ruby and some velvet. It is hard to imagine a wine from the cabernet / merlot family smelling more plummy than this, real cooked omega plums, though there is not as much floral component as one hopes for in merlot. Palate is terrific though, soft rich and mouth-filling. If you want to know what good merlot tastes like, here is an excellent opportunity at under $20. Not being a reserve wine, there is not so much oak – though it is still oaky alongside comparable (un-classed) Bordeaux. This release is a terrific achievement: Bordeaux-styled wine of this quality in the standard Private Bin ( = basic, in this case) label would have been unthinkable in New Zealand, just 10 years ago. What strides our industry (as epitomised by Villa Maria in this context) is making ! Cellar 5 – 10 years. VALUE GK 11/05

2004 Villa Maria Syrah Private Bin 17 ½ (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $17 [ screwcap; first release of var. for Villa Maria; not on website yet; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet. Bouquet is fresh and edgy on this wine, very youthful, showing cassisy berry and aromatic oak not much integrated, and some black peppercorn. It is closer in style to the Selak than the Vidal. Palate is firm, cassis dominant, medium weight, slightly acid, but a clearer expression of syrah varietal character than the Vidal, though crisper. Will mellow in cellar 5 – 10 years. May rate as VALUE in another 6 months – the above score is a bit tentative. GK 11/05

2004 Villa Maria Viognier Omahu Single Vineyard 17 ½ (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $36 [ screwcap; BF and LA in older French oak, some batonnage, 20% MLF; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
There is a slight orange flush on this wine which is suspicious, and the instant one smells it, the thought has to be, ye gods, this is a viognier fermented on gewurz skins, or similar. It is marvellously fruity on bouquet and palate, and has terrific presence in mouth, with fresher and more vivid fruit than the top wines. But the smells and tastes are of gewurz ! Body and weight of fruit are remarkable, phenolics are scarcely higher than the other top wines, and oak is less. It would be clearly gold-medal wine, if viognier varietal character dominated. The richness and dryness are stunning, equivalent to the topmost levels of Alsace wines (if it were gewurz). How to score, therefore ? I have been a bit picky, and scored it in the viognier class, so like the Virgilius, though marvellous wine, it drops back a bit on varietal expression. Cellar no more than 3 – 5 years. Another wine to make the future for Hawkes Bay look ever more interesting, with its climate matching so closely the character of the northern Rhone Valley. GK 11/05

2002 Mills Reef Merlot Block 4 Elspeth 17 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $37 [ cork; previous review 5/04; www.millsreef.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, one of the deepest. Good to have straight merlot and straight malbec in the same blind tasting, and difficult to tell which is which, for both are plummy by nature. To judge from my previous critical review, this wine has mellowed more than the 2002 Malbec Elspeth, with a ‘brown’ mulberry hint in the dark plum. Like that wine, this is also very oaky, in its brash new world style, but the fruit richness is good. There is a little more brett complexity in this, which for most consumers adds to the complexity and wineyness. Cellar 5 – 10 + years. GK 10/05

2004 Rongopai Viognier Ultimo 17 ½ (

)

Gisborne, New Zealand: 14%; $35 [ screwcap; BF in 5-year old French oak, and 7 months LA and batonnage, no MLF, RS < 2 g/L; first crop; www.rongopaiwines.co.nz ]
Pale lemon. On bouquet, this could be the top wine of the bracket. It is not big and voluptuous as viognier can sometimes be, but in its elegant mock orange blossom florals, and cherimoya and fresh apricots fruit qualities, it comes close to defining the variety. Palate does not quite follow through, leaning off somewhat and a little more acid than is optimal, but the beauty of the flavour, the sheen of vibrant fruit reflecting the bouquet, and all being scarcely affected by oak, is terrific. This is the fresh slightly acid New Zealand analogue to the weightier Eden Valley winestyle. Finish is dry, making the achievement all the more remarkable. This is probably Gisborne's greatest achievement so far with viognier (though a selected batch of 2005 Coopers Creek Viognier bottled for Cardmembers looked pretty exciting, and might pip it at the post). I hope it is not a case of the first-crop syndrome, coupled with a great vintage. It is certainly going to be harder to achieve consistent quality with viognier in Gisborne, when compared with Hawkes Bay. Cellar a year or three, but less than five. GK 11/05

2004 Kaituna Valley Pinot Noir Canterbury Summerhill Vineyard 17 ½ (

)

Banks Peninsula, Canterbury, New Zealand: 13.5%; $33 [ screwcap ]
Deep ruby, some velvet, virtually as deep as the Awatere wine, a maximum for pinot noir. Initially opened, an unintegrated but fragrant bouquet with hints of smoked oak and aromatic syrah. The wine opens up with decanting into a clearly floral pinot noir in an attractive deeper style, some violets and daphne. Palate shows good aromatic cherry fruit, good pinot weight and finesse, and an attractive balance between fruit and oak. It is the lightest and most elegant and burgundian of the three Kaitunas. With another year or two in cellar, this should rate higher. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 12/05

2004 Coopers Creek Merlot Hawkes Bay 17 ½ (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $17 [ screwcap; 3 different sites; www.cooperscreek.co.nz ]
Carmine, ruby and velvet, very youthful, in the middle for depth. No bouquet worries from the bright colour though, with an intriguing floral and fresh baked blackberry shortcake character which is attractive, and plummy fruit below. Perhaps there is an element of whole berry fermentation in here. Palate is ripe, sweetly plummy, oak reasonably in balance, suggestions of cassis on the finish. Like the Mills Reef Merlot / Malbec Reserve, this is an example of the new reality for New Zealand reds – internationally competitive reds under $20. Cellar 5 – 12 years. It is excessively youthful now. GK 10/05

2002 Jadot Echezeaux Domaine Gagey 17 ½ (

)

Vosne-Romanée Grand Cru, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $172 [ cork; www.louisjadot.com ]
Good pinot noir ruby, a little velvet. Bouquet is clean and quiet on this one, and one has to search to find darkest rose florals, and black cherry fruit, with a little gamey brett adding spice. Palate is vivid pinot noir, clearly black cherry, zingy acid and noticeable newish oak aromatics, long in flavour, and firmer than most in this Grand Cru tasting. This should blossom with another three years in cellar, and may then well merit re-rating. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 12/05

2005 Golden Bay Wines Gewurztraminer 17 ½ (

)

Golden Bay, Nelson, New Zealand: 12.5%; $ – [ screwcap, website under development; www.goldenbaywines.com ]
Straw, a bit overdeveloped. Bouquet is unequivocally gewurztraminer, with gorgeous lychee, loquats, wild ginger blossom and citronella notes on bouquet. Palate follows on perfectly, with rich flavours, attractive acid balance seeming natural (gewurztraminer is often hardened-up with added acid), and a dry slightly phenolic finish (no doubt contributing to the long rich flavours). This is probably only a short-term cellar wine, more to be enjoyed in the next year or two. The wine raises the interesting question: will the calcareous fanslope soils on the southeast side of the lower Takaka Valley be as good for the early-season gewurztraminer as selected somewhat similar Gisborne sites ? Gewurztraminer could be an exciting variety for Golden Bay. GK 01/06

2001 Kumeu River Chardonnay Maté’s Vineyard 17 ½ (

)

Kumeu, north of Auckland, New Zealand: 13%; $ – [ screwcap (first vintage); 100% Mendoza clone @ lower cropping rate than Kumeu River wine; 100% BF in older oak, 100% MLF, RS nil; www.kumeuriver.co.nz ]
Full straw, quite advanced in fact. One would think there was a five-year gap between the ’02 and the ‘01, so different are they. Bouquet here is well past the primary fruit characters of the younger wines. Instead, there are fragrant honey and vanilla wine-biscuit characters on abstract golden fruit (and perhaps trace botrytis), leading into a rich palate which is almost freshly-baked peach sponge cake – very appealing. This wine is moving past fully mature in its flavour profile, but still has good fruit. Plan to use it up in the next couple of years. GK 02/06

2005 Te Mania Pinot Noir Reserve 17 ½ (

)

Nelson, New Zealand: 13.5%; $28 [ supercritical cork; hand-picked @ 2 t/ac; cold-soak 7 days; 10 days post-fermentation cuvaison; 10 months in French oak 40% new; www.temaniawines.co.nz ]
Good ruby, a suggestion of velvet, exactly the same weight as the 2004 Carrick, but slightly older. Bouquet is exciting, with a tremendous floral nose that is almost dianthus / Northern Rhone, and as soon as one thinks of that, there seems a hint of cracked pepper too. Palate has good red and black cherry fruit, but at this stage some phenolics exacerbated by relatively more new oak than some wines. As the wine mellows, it is going to be a vibrant presentation of pinot noir, which will be good with food, and could score higher, despite the touch of Rhone syrah about it. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 11/06

1978 Drouhin Gevrey-Chambertin 17 ½ (

)

Gevrey-Chambertin, Burgundy, France: – %; $25.69
Garnet and ruby, the lightest, but still pleasing. The quality of bouquet on this village wine is exceptional, showing beautiful florals epitomising the roses, violets and boronia of fine pinot. It has been like this since day one, and to see it now makes me very thrilled that I bought a case. In a review of 22 pinot noirs on the New Zealand market in 1982 (in New Zealand Wineglass 22, Sept. ‘82), and including both the Bonnes Mares and this, I commented on this wine: Not a big wine, but a very good one, and of all the wines reviewed the best value, if the taste of real pinot noir is the prime objective. Palate now is all one could ask of a village burgundy at 28 years: cherry fruit with an edge of brown, mellowing on old oak, not mouthfilling exactly yet a wonderfully satisfying wash of flavour, not as rich as the Bonnes Mares, drying a little. Marvellous with food, all the same. GK 03/06

2003 Drouhin Volnay 17 ½ (

)

Volnay, Cote de Beaune, Burgundy, France: 13%; $50 [ cork; no info, but presumably an elevage akin to the Pommard; Wine Direct the NZ agents; www.drouhin.com ]
Good ruby, close to the Echezeaux. This bouquet is more subdued again than the Pommard, and clearly losing floral beauty to the hot year. Even so, it remains clearly varietal, with good cherry fruit. Palate snaps into clearer cherry focus, with the furry tannins of the year giving a robust wine style more Pommard-like than Volnay typically is. There is not much new oak visible here, but the older oak is beautifully pure. This wine too will cellar well and provide much pleasure at table. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 03/06

nv Duval-Leroy Fleur du Champagne Brut 17 ½ (

)

Vertus, Champagne, France: 12%; $50 [ cork; Ch 75%, PN 25; 3 years en tirage; 500 000 cases; www.duval-leroy.com ]
Lemonstraw. This is one of the wines where the MLF component is obvious. It is harder to pick it up when one has the wine solo, but in a field of 24 the slightly buttery note on the white breadcrust autolysis is apparent. Though chardonnay-dominant, there are intriguing thoughts of strawberry in the white fruits. The autolysis component creeps up attractively on the slightly acid finish, dispelling any worries of softness the bouquet may have induced. The style is a little broader, though. GK 11/05

2002 Hunters Miru Miru 17 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 12%; $25 [ cork; Ch 64%, PN 36; MLF 100%; c 33 months en tirage; RS 9.5 g/L; www.hunters.co.nz ]
Lemon, one of the lightest colours. Bouquet is beautifully pure and in-style internationally, with a seamless quality to the integration of clean lees-autolysis with suggestions of baguette crust, light cherry fruit, and invisible MLF. Palate is not quite as rich as the better champagnes, but the balance of flavours is excellent, not fruity, fresh verging on a little acid, all leaving attractive autolysis thoughts on the brut aftertaste. This wine is one of Hunters best methode traditionelles so far, capturing a little more of the essential (but elusive) Champagne style. Comparison with the Perrier-Jouet is instructive. If the 2002 Reserve wine has the autolysis character of this with the body of the 2001 Reserve, it will be well worth waiting for. Meanwhile, the 2002 is very more-ish, and should soften attractively in cellar. VALUE GK 12/05

2003 Au Bon Climat Pinot Noir Alexander Vineyard 17 ½ (

)

Santa Maria, California, USA: 13.5%; $45 [ US$; clones 2A, 113, 115 and others, 9 years, 1.5 t/ac; 100% de-stemmed, 3 days cold soak, 10 days cuvaison; 18 months French oak 100% new; not filtered; www.aubonclimat.com ]
Pinot noir ruby, on a par with the Rousseau Chambertin. As in Pinot Noir 2001, the Au Bon Climat wine was very much in the warmer-climate strawberry-oriented style of pinot, floral at the sweetpea and buddleia level, on red fruits. Palate is exactly the same, sweetly fruited and succulent, but entirely in the simple red fruits spectrum. This wine too shows a subliminal aromatic akin to the pennyroyal of Martinborough pinots. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 01/07

2002 Tahbilk Shiraz 17 ½ (

)

Nagambie Lakes, Central Victoria, Australia: 13.5%; $21 [ cork; lack of wine detail on website; www.tahbilk.com.au ]
Ruby, velvet and some carmine, older than ’04 Hawkes Bay wines. Initially opened, this wine is not as euc'y as the sibling Cabernet, it rather showing acceptable mint and aromatics reminiscent of touriga as well as syrah. Palate shows rich berry not unduly influenced by new oak, with excellent mouthfeel and length. It is more in the classic Tahbilk style than the Cabernet Sauvignon. The mint is there throughout, but it is pleasing rather than obtrusive. The berry-dominant nature of this wine reminds me of the fragrant 1966 Tahbilk Shiraz, though there is more new oak in this. The earlier wine cellared well, as will this, 5 – 20 years. GK 03/06

2005 Bridge Pa Syrah 17 ½ (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $28 [ supercritical cork; made by Unison; American and French oak; www.bridgepa.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, below midway in depth. Initially opened, the wine is just a little clogged, and benefits from decanting. It opens to a fragrant expression of syrah, with both florals and cracked black peppercorn, on cassis and darkest plum fruit. Palate is in a lighter style, beautifully balanced, the peppercorn spicing throughout. This will mellow into an attractive wine, in a good Crozes-Hermitage style. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 05/06

2004 Mission Syrah Reserve 17 ½ (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $23 [ supercritical cork; 13-year vines, bunch-thinned; cuvaison > 10 days; 6 – 8 months in French oak 60% new; this wine a barrel-selection; www.missionestate.co.nz ]
Ruby, a little velvet, below midway in depth. Bouquet is soft and sweet on this edition of the Mission Reserve Syrah, a little more Australian in style than some have been, with fruit ripened almost to the boysenberry stage. Palate is juicy, with attractively balanced oak including a hint of cedar. Varietal specifics such as peppercorn are less apparent, and the wine tastes a little like attractive Victorian shiraz. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 05/06

2004 Gunn Estate Syrah Silistria Hawkes Bay 17 ½ (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $30 [ screwcap; hand-harvested; c. 30 days cuvaison; French oak barriques for 12 months; www.gunnestate.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, towards the deeper end in colour. Given a swirl or two, this wine quickly opens to dense black plum fruit with emerging peppercorn complexity. Palate is still very youthful on new oak, and the flavours are reticent at this stage, but the actual fruit is clearly varietal, rich and good. I'm looking forward to checking this in five years, for it should marry up into a more pleasing richness and complexity. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 04/06

2003 Pierre Gaillard St Joseph les Pierres 17 ½ (

)

St Joseph, northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $67 [ cork; some info on the website given; www.bkwine.com/wine_pictures/south_france/rhone/gaillard/index.htm ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. Bouquet is gorgeous syrah, with violets, dianthus and dark rose florals grading through to fresh cracked peppercorns, on cassis and dark berry fruit. Palate is very vibrant and fresh, lots of berry flavour and character, but not as rich as one would wish, and higher acid than would be expected for the year (added ?), plus some new oak. This wine is new world in style, but the floral varietal definition is totally Rhone, and marvellous. Not a big wine, but should cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 04/06

2005 Te Mata Syrah Woodthorpe 17 ½ (

)

Tutaekuri Valley, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $24 [ screwcap; formerly labelled Syrah / Viognier; Sy 95%, Vi 5, hand-harvested, co-fermented; extended cuvaison 3 + weeks, followed by 15 months in French oak 25% new; www.temata.co.nz ]
Good ruby, one of the lightest, exactly the same weight as the Chave Crozes-Hermitage, but a little more youthful. Again the florals in the Te Mata approach are wonderful, here at the buddleia level and with white pepper more than black, plus fragrant red and black fruits, all a little lighter, fresher and not as far up the physiological maturity curve as the Bullnose. But like that wine, on palate there is this delicious low-tannin fruit, long and gentle, delicately spicy, a faint hint of stalk maybe. This is even more Cote Rotie-like than Bullnose, and in its lighter style will be equally good food wine, as it matures. Cellar 5 â€“ 10 years. VALUE GK 11/06

2002 Babich Cabernet / Merlot / Franc Irongate 17 ½ (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $33 [ cork; DFB; CS 46, Me 45, CF 9, hand-harvested; extended cuvaison; 16 months in French oak some new; www.babichwines.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, one of the lightest, not the concentration of the top wines. Bouquet on this wine is fragrant with cassis and some florals, plus subtle oak – though there is a hint of stalks too. Palate is clearly lighter than the top wines, not the concentration, slightly acid, some old oak, but good flavours reminiscent of a lean Medoc. Aftertaste is long and fresh, the cassis lingering on subtle oak. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 05/06

2004 Drouhin Charmes-Chambertin 17 ½ (

)

Gevrey-Chambertin Grand Cru, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $146 [ cork; c. 18 months oak; Wine Direct the NZ agents; www.drouhin.com ]
Medium ruby, a typical European pinot noir colour, yet one of the darker ones in the set. Bouquet is complete pinot noir, real boronia and lilac florals on aromatic cherry fruit, beautiful purity, highly varietal. Palate has some juiciness and texture, crunchy cherries, oak extending but not dominating the flavour, cherry to the finish, a little acid, but not stalky. A medium-sized wine at best, but well-proportioned. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 12/06

2004 Xabregas Shiraz 17 ½ (

)

Mt Barker, Western Australia, Australia: 14%; $ – [ screwcap; price in the $20s; made at the Porongurup contract winery, using Ganimede Italian fermenters which cycle the juice over the skins using the CO2 produced in fermentation. Their reputation is to produce more colour and a softer and more aromatic wine - www.porongurup-winery.com.au; Xabregas is the volume label of Traolach; www.xabregas.com.au ]
Ruby and velvet, some carmine, above midway in depth. Bouquet is a little congested at first, with farmyard suggestions on blueberry fruit. It clears quickly with decanting, to some red floral suggestions in good berryfruit, with some charry oak maybe. Palate is juicy and slightly stalky blueberry, some dark chocolate undertones, not the weight and mellowness of the Reserve, yet one can see the relationship. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 05/06

2015 Trinity Hill Syrah Homage 17 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.1%; $133 [ cork 50mm; Sy 100% from three sites within the Gravels, 69% clone MS, 27% clone 174, and three others, hand-picked from on average 14-year old vines (oldest 20), planted at an average of 3,385 vines / ha; cropped @ 5 t/ha = 2 t/ac; no cold-soak, cuvaison averaged 25 days (but Trinity Hill like to experiment, one batch 50 days) with cultured yeast; 25% on average whole-bunches retained (but one batch 100%); MLF mostly in tank, some in barrel; 60% of the wine matured 15 months in French small-oak 60% new, medium toast, balance in foudre; three months post-assembly in tank before bottling; RS 0.46 g/L; sterile-filtered to bottle; dry extract 28.5 g/L; production 540 x 9-L cases; weight bottle and closure: 1,054 g; R. Campbell, 2017: I was impressed ... Intense fruit, floral and spice flavours are supported by ripe, round tannins that suggest good cellaring potential. It’s a classic Homage style. [no score in article]; JH@JR, 2018: Incredibly peppery and scented dark-red fruit. Dry, charry but fresh. Fine-boned and compact in texture, layers of paper. Really peppery on the long finish. Real finesse, to 2028, 17; J. Suckling, 2017: ... staggeringly great wine from a producer who is chasing down those elusive one-percent margins of the finest quality and nearing perfection. It’s an immaculately fresh and alluringly spicy syrah that holds a mirror to the first division of the world’s greatest producers of the variety, dripping with intense, mind-bending flavors. The finest New Zealand syrah we’ve tasted, it very much deserves the title New Zealand Wine of the Year 2017. ... a beacon for the future. [no score in article]; JC@RP, 2018: not a huge, blockbuster year for Homage, instead showing a suppler, gentler side …, to 2028, 93; www.trinityhill.com ]
Ruby and velvet, just above midway in depth. Bouquet is one of the more integrated and harmonious in the set, but it is hard to tease out which are the floral, and which are the berry, components. The wine is certainly fragrant, nearly suggestions of pinks, hints of pepper and cedar, and good berry but not as deep as cassis – unusual. Palate is one of the smaller in the set, fine-grained, softly oaked, but nearly white pepper now. This seems a smaller Homage relative to earlier offerings. It attracted one first place vote, but otherwise no comment. It will cellar for 10 – 20 years, on the basis of this bottle, but I wonder if it may not be an ideal bottle of 2015 Homage. I look forward to seeing it in another blind tasting. GK 11/19

2004 Villa Maria Merlot Hawkes Bay Reserve 17 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $41 [ screwcap; DFB; Me 100% cropped at 1.75-2.25kg / vine, hand-picked; 22 months in French oak 80% new; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, some carmine, midway in depth. Big ripe to over-ripe fruit is evident on the bouquet of this wine, too ripe for merlot florals and finesse, more dark bottled plums, and even some blackberry. These characters suggest sur maturité by best Hawkes Bay blend or Bordeaux blend standards. Palate likewise has plenty of fruit and mouthfeel, but it is a little stewed, the oak and alcohol still not married up, the whole thing inclining towards the populist blackberry ice-cream style, with a touch of chocolate. This approach should be reserved for supermarket wines, in my view. As I have discussed recently for syrah in New Zealand (6 Nov. '06), and the conclusions are implicit for the 'claret' winestyle too, we have in Hawkes Bay a climate uniquely suited to emulating the complex and at-best-floral French bordeaux model for cabernet / merlot wines. It therefore seems a matter for regret to be making a clumsier ‘Reserve’ wine than that model, to serve a populist market. The 2002 of this label has more finesse, and is the one to hunt down for the cellar. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 11/06

2004 Hatton Estate Cabernet / Merlot / Franc 17 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $57 [ cork; DFB; CS 72%, Me 15, CF 13, hand-picked, cropped at c. 2 t/ac; French oak; www.hattonestate.com ]
Ruby and velvet, below midway in depth. This is more a wine in the show-pony style, with a lot of spicy new oak seducing the taster, exacerbated by a touch of VA. Behind these distractions is cassisy berry. In mouth there is less fruit weight than hoped, though it is richer than the 2003 Coleraine, oak is noticeable, and total acid is fresher than ideal. This lacks the harmony of a good Hawkes Bay blend, but should mellow in cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 11/06

2004 Askerne Cabernet / Merlot / Franc Reserve 17 ½ (

)

Havelock district, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $30 [ cork; CS 50%, Me 35, CF 15; hand-picked; 10 months in French oak 60% new; www.askerne.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, older than the Forrest Collection wine. Bouquet is older too, with a clear cassis component but all browning a little relative to the vibrant Forrest, with hints of dark pipe tobacco, in somewhat older oak. Palate continues with good cassisy and richly plummy fruit, all too oaky in the near-ubiquitous New Zealand fashion, mouth-filling and long-flavoured, but let down slightly by a hint of stalk on the finish. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 05/06

2004 TerraVin Pinot Noir ‘T’ Hillside Selection 17 ½ (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $55 [ screwcap; 6 clones, with a variety of winemaking methods to ‘explore’ the site; wild yeast fermentation, high percentage whole-berry; cuvaison varying to 28 days; French oak; neither fined nor filtered; www.terravin.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, fractionally lighter than the standard TerraVin wine. Bouquet is floral, fragrant and gamey, showing a lot of European style including some brett. The florals are dark and mysterious, boronia-like, and below the brett there are black cherry fruits as well as red. Palate has a similar burgundian texture to the 2004 Black Poplar, the fruits a notch darker if anything. With attention to the cooperage, this could be one of Marlborough's most exciting pinot noirs. Cellar 5 – 10 years, though it will dry on the brett. GK 05/06

1999 Pegasus Bay Pinot Noir Prima Donna 17 ½ (

)

Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 14%; $48 [ NZPN ]
Good ruby, some garnet. Deeply floral and blackboy peach / darkest plums version of pinot noir, veering to the heavy side. Rich soft fruit, like the Giesen a fleshy fruit quality and oak interaction hinting at a merlot winestyle, rather than pinot noir. A long rich palate, faintly buttery, seemingly not bone dry, perhaps glycerol. Cellar 5 – 15 years. This is about as heavy as New Zealand pinot can positively be. Comparison with the 1998 Martinborough Reserve is vital. A dividing line runs between them. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 01/01

1991 Drouhin Chambolle-Musigny Premier Cru 17 ½ (

)

Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $ – [ WPN ]
Older ruby and garnet, appropriate to age. Beautifully fragrant and floral evolved mushroomy pinot noir bouquet, totally varietal and also totally burgundian. Mature, lightly spicy, soft mellow chestnutty flavours, still with good berryfruit. Like the burly youthful Martinborough Reserve, this Drouhin displays the three pinot essentials: aethereal florals, fruit, and savoury complexity, but here mellow with maturity. Delightful drinking, and in an undemonstrative way, capturing the concept of burgundy well. GK 01/01

1998 Jadot Gevrey-Chambertin 17 ½ (

)

Burgundy, France: 13%; $95 [ TE ]
Attractive mid ruby, just right for young pinot. Clean firm aromatic cherry fruit characters on bouquet, plus a floral dimension and finegrained, elegant oak. Flavour more red cherry, crisp, highly varietal, in a lean flavoursome aromatic style, making some of the New Zealand wines seem over-ripe and lush. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 01/01

2004 Schoffit Pinot Gris Colmar Cuvée Tradition 17 ½ (

)

Colmar, Alsace, France: 13.8%; $28 [ cork; Cuvée Tradition series wines are dry, or virtually so. ]
Full straw, a touch of orange, worrying. And bouquet is a little worrying too, with a thread of oxidation in a more old-fashioned Euro-style – not at all what I associate with Schoffit. Palate however is great, very similar yellow stone fruits and some phenolics to the Kaituna, similar near-dry finish, good mouthfeel. A food wine, but not suited to cellaring beyond a year or two, if this bottle is representative. This one may show slight oxidation from an imperfect cork. GK 08/06

2004 Quartz Reef Pinot Noir 17 ½ (

)

Cromwell, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14.5%; $41 [ screwcap; 100% de-stemmed, up to 8 days cold-soak; 11 months in French oak 24% new; www.quartzreef.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, below midway in depth. This is another reticent bouquet, smelling and tasting very much as if the wine has been held on yeast lees in barrel, to fatten it, in the manner of Leoville Lascases (to jump fences for a moment). Below however is clear cherry fruit, even though florals are lacking. Palate is much more attractive, with a red cherry and Volnay-like fruit and mouthfeel, which is distinctly burgundian, on slightly fresh acid. This is potentially attractive wine, which needs three years or so in cellar to show its best. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 06/06

2004 Schoffit Riesling Harth Cuvée Tradition 17 ½ (

)

Colmar, Alsace, France: 13%; $38 [ cork; Cuvée Tradition series wines are dry, or virtually so ]
Lemon, the deepest of the five rieslings. And bouquet is the most characterful too, with a stronger citrus component almost suggesting grapefruit zest in the Jamaican style, plus a slight ‘scent’, which some tasters found off-putting. Palate is less refined than the Australasian wines, plenty of flavour but all a little phenolic, similar ‘dry’ finish, clearly varietal but not the finesse of the wines rated more highly. What a reversal of conventional wisdom! Cellar 3 – 5 years only, I suspect. GK 08/06

2002 Penfolds Shiraz St Henri 17 ½ (

)

McLaren Vale & Barossa Valley, South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $59 [ cork; some CS; 14 months in large old oak; www.penfolds.com.au ]
Ruby and velvet, not quite as dense as the 2001 St Henri. Both St Henris benefit greatly from decanting, this one to show a more straightforward Penfolds Bin red. It is all a little browner and hotter climate than the top wines – surprising for the year – but still rich and clearly shiraz. Palate though rich is drier and more phenolic than the 2001, with slightly porty flavours and a fair tannin load to lose. Will lighten up in cellar 10 – 25 years. GK 07/06

2005 Delta Pinot Noir 17 ½ (

)

Waihopai Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $20 [ cork; 5 days cold soak; 40% of the wine in French oak, 60% s/s; a new vineyard, winemaker Matt Thomson, producing pinots under the Delta Vineyards (off the flats) and more expensive Hatter's Hills labels; www.deltawines.co.nz ]
Good ruby. Bouquet is voluminous, very floral at a buddleia / almost sweet-pea level more superficial than fine pinot, but impressive. Berry notes include blackboy and raspberry, as well as some plum. On palate, mixed ripeness is evident. The whole winestyle is more beaujolais / gamay noir than fine burgundy / pinot noir, with suggestions of maceration carbonique, but that said, it is good cru beaujolais. Mouthfeel has that exact lush yet crunchy supple fruit character, yet with faintly stalky qualities too as in good beaujolais, and the finish is simple berry, perhaps not bone dry. This is good in its style, but it was wayward to choose it as the Champion and Trophy Pinot in the recent Air New Zealand judging. Such a choice suggests a lack of familiarity with cru burgundy, and the difference between beaujolais and burgundy. The Wooing Tree is a much finer and more classical pinot, whether from France, Oregon or New Zealand. Cellar the Delta 3 – 8 years. GK 11/06

2003 Pegasus Bay Pinot Noir 17 ½ (

)

Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 13.5%; $44 [ screwcap; hand-picked, a low-cropping year; wild yeast fermentation, c. 21 – 24 days cuvaison; 18 months in French oak c. 30% new; www.pegasusbay.com ]
Older ruby, markedly older than the 2003 Prima Donna. And in bouquet and style, though it is equally as varietal as the Reserve wine, this is much older, with clear savoury notes on the nearly floral berry, even a hint bacony, with a touch of brett. Palate is very burgundian, the savoury complexity adding some Cote de Nuits aromatics to the wine. This is already drinking very well, and is great with food. Cellar 3 – 10 years, for there is a risk of it drying on the tail (re the brett). GK 07/06

2005 Ata Rangi Pinot Noir 17 ½ (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $60 [ screwcap; some vines now up to 26 years old; 2005 low-yielding quality vintage; 5 – 8 days cold-soak, 10% whole berry, cuvaison to 22 days, 12 months and MLF in French oak 25% new; www.atarangi.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, marginally the deepest of the bracket, and deep for pinot noir. Initially opened, bouquet is very youthful and slightly disorganised. Decanted and breathed, there is the tell-tale pennyroyal aromatic of Martinborough, on daphne florals and red fruits, clearly varietal. Palate is rich, ripe and juicy, a little stalk to marry away, in a plumper style than some recent Ata Rangis, more aromatic than the Richardson. This should cellar well, 5 – 12 years. GK 09/06

2005 Saddleback Pinot Noir 17 ½ (

)

Central Otago 81% & Marlborough 19%, New Zealand: 13%; $21 [ screwcap; 9 months in French oak; a Peregrine label; www.peregrinewines.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, not too different from the main Peregrine wine. This second wine of Peregrine is remarkably comparable to the Cornish Point second wine of Felton Road, and the two of them show just how far Otago pinot noir has come. This wine has a boronia floral component to the bouquet, with a citrus edge, plus cherry fruit. Palate is slightly more acid than the Cornish, but it is richer too. The quality offered at the price by this wine is remarkable. Cellar 3 – 10 years. VALUE. GK 09/06

2004 Brokenwood Vineyard Shiraz Graveyard 17 ½ (

)

Hunter Valley, NSW, Australia: 12.5%; $100 [ screwcap; price AU$; Brokenwood's top shiraz; average vine age 36 years; not a great vintage; 4 day cold soak, short cuvaison, fermentation and MLF completed in barrel 80% French and 20% American, about 80% new; R. Parker 168: the 2004 is monolithic, backward, and tightly knit. Its deep ruby/purple color is accompanied by hints of red fruits, mint and herbal underpinnings, and a notion of sweet oak. 88; www.brokenwoodwines.com ]
Bright ruby, lighter than most. Here was a wine that spanned the decades. In its soft fragrance of red fruits and aromatic almost raspberry berry, complexed by a little savoury brett, it bespoke the classical Hunter Valley burgundy style. Yet the wine is modern too, with clean oak, added acid, and some winemakers thought, added tannin too. So, an interesting wine, and not at all euc'y. But in its hotter-climate origins, it does not retain much hint of syrah florals or complexity, being classically shiraz – just a subtle free-run example of it – like the Edelstone in one sense. Cellar 5 – 15 years, maybe longer, for these delicate Hunter styles can surprise, in cellar. They weren't previously labelled Burgundy for no reason. GK 01/07

2006 Bald Hills Blanc de Pinot Noir [ Rosé ] 17 ½ (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $18 [ screwcap; not on website; www.baldhills.co.nz ]
Rosé. Bouquet is very fragrant indeed, the epitome of blackboy peach pinot varietal character, presented as rosé. Palate is juicy, nearly dry, yet with a clear tannin grip. Pure pinot rosé is often unsatisfying, but this is good. Cellar 1 – 3 years. GK 03/07

2005 Koura Bay Chardonnay Mt Fyffe 17 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $21 [ screwcap; 2005 not (then) on website; www.kourabaywines.co.nz ]
Lemonstraw. A big clean chardonnay in the Marlborough style, with MLF and new oak noticeable on peachy fruit, plus mealy bread crust and faint caramel notes adding complexity. Palate is much the same, quite rich though possibly a gram or two residual sugar, reasonably well-balanced. The oak is apparent at this stage, but the fruit is rich enough to marry it down. Cellar 3 – 8. GK 03/06

2004 Bridge Pa Syrah Louis 17 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $45 [ supercritical cork; 12 months in French & US oak some new; www.bridgepa.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet. Initially opened, bouquet is a little withdrawn, and benefits from a good splashy decanting. Fruit is more plummy and oak than cassis, smelling rich. Palate is very rich, long, a potentially velvety texture like some Chilean carmenere, oaky at this stage. This could score more highly in three years. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 01/07

2005 Gunn Estate Syrah Silistria 17 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $30 [ screwcap; hand-harvested; c. 4 weeks cuvaison; 18 months in French oak, 50% new; www.gunnestate.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. Initially opened, bouquet is a little disorganised / closed at this stage. With air, there is clear peppercorn, spice and oak, and the suggestion of a floral component to come. Palate is cassisy, plummy, rich and long, some oak showing, a little more oaky than the Soler 2004. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 01/07

2003 Mountford Pinot Noir 17 ½ (

)

Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 13.5%; $60 [ cork; modern clones, 15 years, 0.8 t/ac; some whole bunch, up to 7 days cold soak, up to 21 days cuvaison; up to 16 months French oak 33% new, some batonnage on lees; not fined or filtered; Robinson '05: Very pure fruit with great vivacity, fine tannins and notable refreshing acidity that nicely delineates the fruit. Bitter cherry flavours. Less than 10 per cent new oak. This is the first vintage with fruit from a hillside block in it. 18; www.mountfordvineyard.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, a little deeper than the Dog Point. Bouquet clearly shows the lighter fraction of pinot florals, buddleia and lilac, set on redfruits and blackboy peaches. Palate too is in that vein, some reminders of Volnay, lovely weight and succulence, just a hint of an aromatic such as pennyroyal. This is already seductive and food-friendly wine. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 01/07

2005 Mountford Pinot Noir 17 ½ (

)

Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: – %; $61 [ screwcap; website is (mysteriously) password protected, so no info; www.mountfordvineyard.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is very fragrant, with intriguing florals ranging from buddleia to boronia, on red and black cherry. There are oak aromatics below, and a suggestion of toast, adding to the bouquet. On palate there is good fruit, but the oak looms larger, and is slightly varnishy, detracting a little from the promising bouquet. Total flavours are still clearly varietal, good acid, burgundian. The wine may just be in an awkward patch, or relatively recently bottled. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 01/07

2005 Auntsfield Pinot Noir Hawk Hill 17 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 14.5%; $45 [ screwcap; hand-picked, all de-stemmed but emphasis on whole berry, cold soak 10 days; c. 9 months in French oak 33% new; Mike Just winemaker; good history of site and Marlborough wine on informative website; www.auntsfield.co.nz ]
Ruby, some velvet. Bouquet is clean and pure red and black cherry in a subdued way, a suggestion of salvia florals, and an undertone of sweet ensilage / marc (+ve). Palate is fresh, firm and straightforward, and notwithstanding the alcohol there is an attractive balance of cherried varietal character and body. This pinot is not as dramatically varietal as the Clayridge, but it still represents exciting progress in the development of more clearcut dark cherry pinots in Marlborough. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 01/07

2005 Vynfields Pinot Noir Reserve 17 ½ (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 14%; $45 [ screwcap; hand-picked, 100% de-stemmed, 12 months French oak, winemaker Kai Schubert; certified organic; this wine not on website yet, but available; www.vynfields.com ]
Older pinot noir ruby, old for age, in fact some garnet. Bouquet shows a little too oaky, in good fruit including red and black cherries. Palate is aromatic from the oak, with complex and quite rich flavours, including brown mushrooms and milk chocolate, in mixed cherries. Like the Kupe, there is a curious hint of syrah-like black pepper – not unpleasant, but it makes one wonder what happened in Martinborough in 2005 ! The nett result is reasonably varietal, pleasing as a food wine, but early maturing. Cellar 3 – 8 years, maybe. GK 01/07

2001 Huia Marlborough Brut 17 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 12%; $36 [ cork; Ch 55%, PN 45, hand-picked; full BF and MLF, plus 7 months LA in old French oak; 3.5 – 4.5 years en tirage; hand-riddled; dosage 6 g/L; www.huia.net.nz ]
Full straw, a hint of orange. Bouquet is very full, in an older Bollinger style, richly old-meursaulty and Vogels Wholegrain yeast autolysis, a little aldehydic and over-developed alongside the 2000. Palate has great fruit weight yet is not fruity, fresh acid balance, and long autolysis flavours with just a nip of marmite to the finish. This is not as exciting as the 2000, and being over-developed for its age, it could be criticised by those seeking delicacy above all else. But as a food wine, served after a more aperitif / lighter bubbly, it would be pretty good. Cellar 3 – 8 years, in its style. GK 12/06

nv Perrier-Jouet Grand Brut 17 ½ (

)

Epernay, Champagne, France: 12%; $92 [ cork; PN 40%, PM 40, Ch 20; RS 11.5 g/L; www.perrier-jouet.com ]
Surprisingly for a higher chardonnay wine, the colour is more clearly straw here, even with a hint of flush. Bouquet is light and fresh and citrusy, understated in both fruit and depth of autolysis. Palate is pure and elegant, interesting flavours of button mushrooms on toast, all mild and low in phenolics, not as brut as some [ confirmed ], yet not soft on acid. This was much liked by some tasters, and is certainly very gentle and more-ish. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 12/06

2003 Hunter’s Miru Miru 17 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 12.5%; $25 [ cork; Ch 60%, PN 35, PM 5; hand-picked; s/s ferment and full MLF, 2.5 years en tirage; dosage 9.2 g/L; www.hunters.co.nz ]
Colour is more lemon than lemonstraw, suggesting chardonnay dominance, with a sustained bubble. Bouquet is chardonnay-styled, beautiful white cherry suggestions with fine autolysis of baguette crust quality, plus the subtlest cashew mealy undertone. Palate is attractive, fine-grained and elegant, lingering baguette flavours, good mouthfeel yet not fruity, delicious. Dosage is subtle, a little drier than the Lindauer Reserve Blanc de Blancs, a little sweeter than the ’02 Reserve. This is a light wine, and easily over-looked in a comparative blind tasting. It is however attractive as a virtual blanc de blancs. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 12/06

2005 Saumaize-Michelin Pouilly-Fuissé Fleur 17 ½ (

)

Pouilly-Fuissé AOC, France: 13%; $36 [ cork; available via Maison Vauron, Auckland ]
Straw. Bouquet is clean, soft, and ripe, obvious MLF, finest butter suggestions, old clean oak. Total style is classic Macon. Palate is exactly the same, broad attractive buttery fruit, oak a little more noticeable, attractively balanced to a dry finish. Cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 03/07

2005 Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir 17 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $39 [ screwcap; tech. notes refer to 'an idyllic Marlborough vintage'; 7 clones of pinot hand-harvested at c. 2 t/ac; 100% de-stemmed, several days cold-soak, c. 21 days cuvaison; 11 months in French oak up to 50% new; www.cloudybay.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is delightful, real varietal florals extending from lilac and rose nearly to boronia, sweet and gentle. Below are red more than black cherries. Palate is good, red cherry fruits of good weight, balanced acid and oak, just a touch of stalk, an elegant young pinot. I don't have any others alongside, but I suspect this is the most concentrated Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir yet. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 03/07

2005 Stonecroft Chardonnay 17 ½ (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $25 [ supercritical cork; 100% mendoza; hand-picked, bunch-pressed; 100% BF in 30% new oak, LA and batonnage 8 months; 15% MLF; www.stonecroft.co.nz ]
Lemongreen. Bouquet is pure mendoza chardonnay, lightly fragrant, good depth of peachy stonefruits, subtle oak. In mouth the wine is fresh, pleasing fruit weight, chardonnay fruit dominant over winemaker influences – though perhaps a little oakier than the Te Mata Woodthorpe example. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 02/06

2005 Two Paddocks Pinot Noir 17 ½ (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 12.5%; $40 [ screwcap; up to 10 days cold-soak; up to 14 days cuvaison; 11 months in French oak 30% new; due to small crops, there are no individual vineyard wines in 2005, just this one label; www.twopaddocks.com ]
Pinot noir ruby, older than some '05s. Alongside the Cloudy Bay, bouquet on the Two Paddocks is slightly more complex and French in style, but less floral. Palate is no richer, but it is a little riper in its tannins, which coupled with brett at an absolute threshold level, gives it lovely savoury depth. This will be great with food, and will mature gracefully in cellar for 5 – 8 years. GK 03/07

2004 Pisa Range Estate Pinot Noir Black Poplar Block 17 ½ (

)

Cromwell Basin, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14.5%; $37 [ screwcap; 12 months French oak; www.pisarangestate.co.nz ]
Good ruby, a fine colour for pinot noir. Bouquet shows all the florals for which pinot noir is famous, violets and boronia and red roses, grading through to red and black cherry fruits. Palate in contrast is a bit raw and youthful at this stage, with good berry fruit on slightly jagged oak. The wine needs a couple of years to marry up, when it should score higher. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 03/06

2003 Leeuwin Estate Shiraz Art Series 17 ½ (

)

Margaret River, West Australia, Australia: 13.5%; $38 [ screwcap; French oak; J. Halliday: an elegant, medium-bodied array of cherry, plum and blackberry fruits; fine tannins and supporting oak. 93; www.leeuwinestate.com.au ]
Ruby, below midway in depth. Amongst these overtly syrah-varietal wines, this is explicitly shiraz, the florals and spice lost to the climate, the berry fruit taken through to raspberry and boysenberry. But as such it is fragrant, subtly oaked, understated. Palate is juicy, boysenberry now dominant, oak and tannins a little coarse alongside the cooler climate wines, but the juiciness covering that well. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 04/07

2003 Alana Chardonnay 17 ½ (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 14%; $27 [ screwcap; hand-picked; BF, MLF and LA in French oak 12 months, 24% new; www.alana.co.nz ]
Elegant lemon. Initially opened, bouquet shows a lot of winemaker artefact, tending to the charry Corban's Cottage Block style of a few years ago. Splashily decanted, there is an underlying acacia floral quality which is attractive, on white nectarine fruit, plus a sourdough note which is clearly mealy. Palate is complex stonefruits and multigrain bread, indicating extended lees autolysis. This should marry down into a Puligny-Montrachet kind of complexity in another couple of years, and score more highly. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 06/05

2003 Castano Coleccion 17 ½ (

)

Yecla DdO, Spain: 14%; $24 [ cork; Mv 80%, CS 20; 18 – 20 days cuvaison, 14 months in French & US oak; www.bodegascastano.com ]
Ruby and velvet. Bouquet is very rich and ripe to the point of roti, but at least the raisiny fruit is dominant over oak. Palate is clearly over-ripe fruit, raisiny and pruney, not as good / fresh as the 2001 of this label, clearly reflecting the hot 2003 season in Europe (and again making one wonder why the Castano Hecula and Syrah ‘03 wines are so under-ripe). Finish is devastatingly dry, tanniny, and old-oaky, rich but firm at this stage. Cellar 10 – 20 years, maybe to lighten up and become more fragrant and seductive. This is classic Spanish wine for cellaring. GK 03/06

2002 Domaine Chandon Brut 17 ½ (

)

Australia: 12.5%; $33 [ cork; Ch 50%, PN 45, & PM 5 approx. from ‘premium cool climate regions’; based in Yarra Valley, but grapes sourced from WA to Tasmania; 30 months tirage ‘in this bottle’; website [then] a mystery, providing no info on sparkling wines; www.chandon.com.au ]
Pale lemon straw. A crisp, clean attractively autolysed methode champenoise bouquet, absolutely in style. Palate is firm with beautiful yeast autolysis, clearly a mixed cepage with noticeable pinot, less fruity than the non-vintage and more brut, so it could seem austere. Drier and firmer than Laurent Perrier, but certainly comparable. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 08/05

2005 White Rock Chardonnay Wild Ferment 17 ½ (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $19 [ screwcap; BF in French oak, some cultured yeast; label of Capricorn subsidiary of Craggy Range ]
Lemon to lemonstraw. Like the Tohu, initially opened this wine is estery, oaky and disorganised. With air it settles down into a more integrated wine than the Tohu, good fruit richness, the MLF component detectable, acid a little less, and palate mealyness and potential cashew flavours all attractive. This will be good in another year, and will cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 02/06

2004 Te Mata Chardonnay Woodthorpe 17 ½ (

)

Tutaekuri Valley, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $22 [ screwcap; 33% BF & LA in French oak 20% new for 3 months; 33% of the s/s wine subsequently aged in same oak 7 months, MLF 33%; www.temata.co.nz ]
Lemon. Bouquet is first and foremost chardonnay, showing clear fragrant varietal character of mixed stonefruits, and a hint of mealy complexity. Palate is clean and fresh stonefruit again, subtle oak and mealy lees-autolysis complexities, beautifully balanced, on the fresh side. Needs another year to soften, when it will be the kind of wine one can drink a lot of, very easily. Cellar 5 – 8 years on its purity and style. GK 03/06

2005 Lime Rock Sauvignon Blanc 17 ½ (

)

Inland Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $24 [ screwcap; vineyard 250 m, north-facing; hand-picked; short LA; RS 1 g/L = bone dry; www.limerock.co.nz ]
Good lemon. A fragrant sauvignon in a very different style here, less piquant than Marlborough with little capsicum character. Rather the aromas are reminiscent of mature Hunter semillon, showing vanillin florals, English gooseberries (ripe), and suggestions of Eden Valley riesling. Palate is firm, drier than most, lovely. This will be a great food wine, and is a refreshingly different take on New Zealand sauvignon. It should cellar well, to 10 or more years. Just a pity it is so expensive. GK 02/06

2005 Morton Estate Sauvignon Blanc White Label 17 ½ (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12.5%; $16 [ screwcap; all s/s, no MLF; www.mortonestatewines.co.nz ]
Lemonstraw. Bouquet is confusing on this wine, very fragrant, smelling and tasting as if there is a fair dollop of riesling in it. The two varieties share quite a lot of chemistry, and the touched-up approach is perfectly legitimate (up to 14.9%). It does make the wine hard to identify blind, or in Options, however. Alternatively this sweet ripeness may merely be the warmer-climate Hawkes Bay expression of the grape. Palate continues the clean approach, showing a ripeness almost beyond capsicum, well into black passionfruit, plus some attractive stone fruits, yet all fresh on fine-grained acid. The nett result is classic dry Hawkes Bay sauvignon, contrasting vividly with Marlborough. These wines are delightfully food-friendly. Cellar 3 – 6 years. GK 02/06

2005 Tapata Sauvignon Blanc 17 ½ (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 12.5%; $15 [ screwcap; all s/s; www.tapatawines.com ]
Lemongreen, a super colour. This is another of those lovely fragrant sauvignons one suspects has 10% riesling in it, so strong and sweet is the honeysuckle component. Below is the full suite of ripe sauvignon congeners, from reddest capsicum to black passionfruit. This is the most attractive bouquet in this group of seven sauvignons. Palate is a little less, being very crisp, pure and dry, but a little short on body alongside some of the others. Cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 02/06

2005 Tohu Sauvignon Blanc 17 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $18 [ screwcap; no wine detail on website; www.tohuwines.co.nz ]
Paleish lemonstraw. Bouquet is clean sweet mainstream Marlborough sauvignon ripened to the red capsicum, honeysuckle and black passionfruit pulp stage. In addition, there is an intriguing aromatic hint of herbes / bouquet garni. Palate is full-flavoured, straight stainless steel, quite acid, and with the residual sugar higher than some to balance that. The latter details take it off the top shelf, but this is characterful wine. Cellar 2 – 4 years. GK 02/06

2005 Moutere Hills Rosé 17 ½ (

)

Nelson, New Zealand: 12.1%; $21 [ 1 + 1 cork; Ch dominant, Ri, Me & CS; www.mouterehills.co.nz ]
Palest salmon flushed rosé, too pale. Against the Stonecroft, this is rosé in a Loire style, the red varieties dominating in character with clear red currants, the minutest trace of cardboard continuing the French connection, otherwise clean and fragrant. Palate is freshly berried, some strawberry creeping in, the right balance of tannins to cleverly suggest it is made from red grapes. Finish is a little above a desirable rosé 'dry', but not much. Attractive wine, not for cellaring beyond a year or so. GK 02/06

2005 Tahbilk Marsanne 17 ½ (

)

Nagambie Lakes, Central Victoria, Australia: 13.5%; $17 [ screwcap; www.tahbilk.com.au ]
Good lemon. Bouquet is clean and fresh, but (to a lesser degree than the Tahbilk Viognier) the floral component is also tending to banana and yeast-influenced, rather than the precise dianthus-family floral characters the variety shows in its homeland (and in the best years of Tahbilk Marsanne). Palate is rich, dry, and mineral, finer-grained than the Viognier, presumably on nil oak, the grape flavours lingering attractively. If the bouquet were less yeast-influenced, this would be impressive. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 03/06

2004 Te Mata Cabernet / Merlot Awatea 17 ½ (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $33 [ cork; CS 34%, Me 33, CF 20, PV 13; hand-harvested; 20 months in 45% new French oak; www.temata.co.nz ]
Colour is a fresher ruby and velvet than Coleraine, and of similar density. This wine too is oaky to initial bouquet impressions, with similar cassis and plum undertones. I would prefer these first perceptions to be the other way round. To casual taste, the flavour is much the same as Coleraine, but going back and forth between them, Awatea is a little narrower and less ripe, less oaky, and less concentrated, with the impression of higher total acid. Length of palate is certainly shorter, as is the aftertaste. But considering the wine is half the price of Coleraine, one is getting more than half the taste of it. Interesting to reflect that in the early years (1982 on) Awatea and Coleraine were priced the same. Now they are clearly price-differentiated, the pressure is on for Coleraine to excel, relative to Awatea. Awatea will cellar 8 – 15 years, and become a fragrant and cassisy Hawkes Bay blend. GK 03/06

2005 Te Mata Gamay Noir Woodthorpe 17 ½ (

)

Tutaekuri Valley, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12%; $20 [ screwcap; hand-harvested; whole bunch and maceration carbonique ferment; 3 months in old French oak only; www.temata.co.nz ]
Fresh ruby. Bouquet is immediately reminiscent of Beaujolais, real Beaujolais. Winemaker Peter Cowley is really pinning this variety and winestyle down. It smells of rosepetal, blackboy peaches and reddest / ripest rhubarb stalks cooked and sweetened, lovely. Palate is delightful too, soft, fleshy yet not flabby, faintly stalky (+ve). The three months Te Mata give the wine in oldest oak is brilliant, just firming slightly. This wine is well on the way to matching cru Beaujolais, needing only a little more concentration. Cellar 1 – 3 years. GK 03/06

2003 Codice Vino de la Tierra de Castilla 17 ½ (

)

Castilla, Spain: 12.5%; $20 [ 1 + 1 cork; tempranillo; a budget line from Dominio de Eguren; website [then] very slow to load; www.dominiodeeguren.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. A rich fruity modern plummy red bouquet with roto-fermenter or similar softness to it, similar to some Australian shirazes made via such technology. Palate is amply plummy in a cooked black doris style, very low oak (much less than the Alarba Garnacha), soft rich and round, but not flabby. An attractive example of both the modern approach and the grape, which will cellar well for 5 – 10 years. GK 03/06

2001 Chivite Gran Fuedo Reserva 17 ½ (

)

Navarra DdO Califica y Garantiza, Spain: 12.5%; $21 [ cork; Te 80%, CS, Me; long maceration; 18 months in French and US oak some new; www.chivite.com ]
Ruby and some velvet. The bouquet of this wine is oaky and fragrant in a more traditional Spanish style, except there is a lot of new oak. Palate is very dry, youthful and relatively raw, with high tannins from the clean and potentially cedary oak, plus surprising acid. The fruit richness can probably sustain the wine, though, and this should cellar well. Tempranillo-dominant wines can be very long-lived, and the makers note that adding cabernet and merlot increases cellaring potential. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 03/06

2004 Dry River Gewurztraminer Lovat Vineyard Botrytised Bunch Selection 17 ½ (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 11%; $47 [ cork; www.dryriver.co.nz ]
Lemon and pale gold, forward for its age. Bouquet is the best part, sweet, ripe, nectary going on potentially honeyed, beautifully botrytised, good floral / blossom notes, acceptable VA, tending apricotty, but not dramatically varietal. The botrytised late-harvest style has taken over. Palate wraps all these up reasonably well, though there is a faint stalky character underneath, and a suggestion of added acid, maybe. Short-term cellar, I suspect. GK 08/05

1983 St Leonards Shiraz 17 ½ (

)

Rutherglen, Victoria, Australia: – %; $ – [ cork; www.stleonardswine.com.au ]
Ruby, garnet and velvet, still rich. Bouquet is soft, rich and mature, still with plenty of berryfruit in the rasp / boysenberry style, but now grading into brown edges, chestnutty complexity, and all a little hot climate and roti. Palate is rich, fine tannin balance from mostly older oak, the fruit dominant and lingering attractively in mouth. This is a classic example of soft Australian shiraz before the new oak boom, and surprisingly complex for its warm Murray River / central Victorian origins. A gold-medal winner in its day, sold here through Wilson Neill. Mature, but no hurry at all. Benefits from decanting and breathing a few hours. GK 02/06

2001 Trentham Estate Noble Taminga 17 ½ (

)

Murray River, NSW, Australia: 11.5%; $17 [ cork; taminga is a CSIRO cross-breed from riesling, farana (a Spanish variety) & gewurztraminer; half the vines cut in April, to leave the fruit to raisin, half left to ripen and develop botrytis, about 30%; no oak; winery considers the wine cellars well; www.trenthamestate.com.au ]
Light gold. A fragrant and tropical / floral bouquet, with botrytis, pawpaw and dried apricot fruit complexities. Palate is full sweet, rich, and obvious, with gewurz and over-ripe apricot flavours on reasonable acid balance. This is big, lush, flavoursome dessert wine, already very soft and forward and enjoyable, and probably not suited to cellaring beyond a couple of years. GK 08/05

2002 Jadot Puligny-Montrachet les Folatieres 17 ½ (

)

Puligny-Montrachet Premier Cru, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $131 [ cork; Jadot vineyard; hand-harvested; (guideline) BF, LA, MLF in 30% new French oak; no specific info [then] on website; www.louisjadot.com ]
Straw, tending developed for an ‘02. Bouquet is forward for its years too, a lot of wholegrain bread crust and hazelnut complexity from lees autolysis, on stone fruit. It would be uncharitable to think there is a quincey note, below the surface. Palate is rich, the MLF component a bit apparent and almost buttery, saved by good acid. There is not much Puligny-Montrachet typicity here, but it is good food wine. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 07/05

1989 Matawhero Cabernet / Merlot 17 ½ (

)

Riverpoint Road, Gisborne, New Zealand: 14.2%; $ – [ cork, 53mm; original price around $25; CS 60%, Me 40, hand-picked; details unclear now but elevation in French oak, c.25% new; Cooper, 1992: made from fruit off 15-year-old vines … matured for about 20 months in French oak barriques … this elegant wine stands close comparison with its more acclaimed counterparts from Hawkes Bay … it has quite Bordeaux-like mouth-feel, with deep blackcurrant and capsicum flavours, stylish wood handling, and a tautly tannic finish, 6+/7; weight bottle and closure: 591 g; https://matawhero.co.nz ]
Ruby, garnet and velvet, above midway in both depth, and ruby in favour of garnet. The amazing thing about this wine is the richness, ripeness and purity of the berry. I have never before seen a cabernet / merlot from Gisborne anywhere near this ripe. The cropping rate must have been off-the-scale low in the context of of the times. Or even now, for many producers. As soon as you taste it, the quality of cassisy berry is remarkable, but the oak is higher than one would wish, as is usually the case with New Zealand reds. Even so, the total achievement is phenomenal, for the times. It reflects great credit on the aspirations of the wine makers, Hatsch Kalberer (now Fromm) and Denis Irwin. As for the Brane-Cantenac, people like oak: three first-places, three second. There is no hurry at all with this wine, oak notwithstanding – it has at least another 10 years in hand, maybe more. Is there any New Zealand 1989 Cabernet / Merlot better than this ? GK 11/19

2004 Penfolds Cabernet / Shiraz Bin 389 17 ½ (

)

South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $40 [ cork; CS 53%, Sy 47. Elevage 13 months in US oak c.20% new, c. 65% 1-year including some ex-Grange, balance older. Included in blind tasting partly because has been offered down to $25 recently, partly because good to have a high-cabernet wine in to check relationship to syrah; partly because in style and substance (when good), could be an interesting foil for le Sol. J. Oliver: A tightly focused, firm and sassy 389 of structure and sophistication. Deeply scented with alluring and lightly spicy aromas of crushed dark berries and cedary oak, this slightly meaty red blend reveals undertones of briar, white pepper, mint and a hint of game. Long and smooth, its intense and dark-fruited palate of cassis, mulberries, cherries and plums is underpinned by a chalky chassis of firm tannin. It slowly reveals nuances of dried herbs and underlying meatiness, while its generous complement of vanilla oak shows some classy integration. It’s a lot more contemporary than the traditional 389, but very impressive, all the same. 95; www.penfolds.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, by far the deepest wine in the whole tasting. Initially opened, it tends to the raw, heavy, oaky and abrupt, a suggestion of mint / nearly euc showing. Decanted a couple of times, it expands remarkably, to show the explicit cassis I wanted to demonstrate in this blind syrah tasting, on fragrant oak with pleasant American vanilla showing. Palate is not quite so good, for though it is subtler and finer than some Bin 389s have been, with good plummy and blackberry fruit, there is still a tremendous tannin load at this stage. Wine concentration matches or exceeds le Sol, but the 389 is much broader. Alongside the syrahs, the berry is more plummy and less aromatic, the oak coarser. But the saturation of flavour is very good. This is a potentially good 389, worth cellaring, so that with time it will acquire some of the finesse it lacks now. Cellar 10 – 25 years. GK 04/07

2004 Awa Valley Chardonnay 17 ½ (

)

Kumeu, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14%; $19 [ screwcap; hand-harvested; BF in French oak ]
Lemonstraw. A big bouquet with a lot of winemaker artefact is the first impression: charry barrel fermentation and breadcrust lees autolysis, on white peach and nectarine fruit, attractive. Palate is sweetly fruity, but there is a lot of oak, in fact too much. The finish might retain a couple of grams of sugar – it is pretty seductive. If this is a debut wine, it is an exciting start. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 06/05

2004 Wolf Blass Chardonnay Gold Label 17 ½ (

)

Adelaide Hills, South Australia, New Zealand: 13.5%; $23 [ screwcap; www.wolfblass.com.au ]
Pale lemongreen, ultra high-tech even to the first glance. Bouquet is similarly immaculate, pure fruit, pure barrel ferment, pure lees autolysis, a little of the contemporarily fashionable charred-oak complexity, with a whisper of sulphur associated with the barrel component. Palate is very dry, and still quite reserved, the barrel ferment and related complexity factors more apparent here, but the whole wine extraordinarily understated, though not weak. This should cellar well, to 10 years. An extra-difficult Options wine ! GK 05/05

2004 Witters Chardonnay Reserve 17 ½ (

)

Gisborne, New Zealand: 13.8%; $22 [ screwcap; 100% BF; website [then] not accessible; www.waiohika.co.nz ]
Straw, advanced for its age. Initially opened, this wine is a little scented and estery. Breathes to an intriguing bouquet, with barrel ferment and lees autolysis complexities reminiscent of Vogels Wholegrain on yellow peach and figgy fruit. Palate is rich, a little coarser and more oaky than the Longbush wines, with plenty of golden peachy fruit and oak, still to marry up. A bold wine. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 07/05

2005 Bilancia Viognier 17 ½ (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $30 [ screwcap; hand-picked from the hillside la Collina vineyard, whole-bunch pressed; 100% oak-fermented in very old barrels, plus lees autolysis and batonnage 5 months, no MLF; www.bilancia.co.nz ]
Lemonstraw. Initially opened, there is a shadow of sacky clog on this wine, which is dissipated by simple decanting. It then opens to clear-cut mock-orange blossom and yellow florals, on canned apricot fruit. Palate is soft, rich, the alcohol and oak well hidden, all showing remarkable length and good varietal character, off-dry. At a peak now, will hold a year or two only. GK 06/07

2006 Coopers Creek Viognier Gisborne 17 ½ (

)

Gisborne, New Zealand: 14%; $22 [ screwcap; RS 4g/L, pH 3.6; www.cooperscreek.co.nz ]
Pale lemonstraw. Bouquet is clearly varietal, with some florals on cherimoya and under-ripe apricot fruit, just a little narrower and less generous than the Hawkes Bay wine. Palate is fresh, pale stonefruits, black passionfruit and under-ripe apricots, with faint suggestions of wild-ginger blossom more apparent in mouth than bouquet, and adding appeal. Cellar 1 – 4 years. GK 07/07

2005 Drouhin Griotte-Chambertin 17 ½ (

)

Gevrey-Chambertin Grand Cru, Burgundy, France: 13%; $303 [ cork; a Drouhin domaine wine; griotte – a variety of cherry; hand-picked, fermentation in wooden cuves, up to 20 days cuvaison; MLF and up to 18 months in French oak up to 100% new; www.drouhin.com ]
Pinot noir ruby, the same weight as the Mouches, but much more oak-influenced, and therefore looking older. Bouquet too is oak-influenced, to give a classic aromatic Gevrey-Chambertin style, very fragrant, with both roses and red fruits. Palate firms up the red fruits, with high-quality potentially cedary oak, the flavours long in the mouth, even though this is the lightest of the Gevreys. This is good if slightly oaky pinot noir, to cellar 5 – 15 + years. GK 12/07

2005 Te Mata Cabernets / Merlot Awatea 17 ½ (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $34 [ cork; Me 43%, CS 35%, CF 18, PV 4; 20 months in French oak probably around 45% new (if like '04); www.temata.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, one of the lighter. There is an intriguing redfruits note to this wine, almost reminiscent of St Emilion the way it used to be, delightfully fragrant and mouthwatering as claret. Palate is fresh and fragrant too, tending light in the present company, but attractively flavoured. The family resemblance to Coleraine is clear, but Awatea is clearly lighter, fresher, less ripe with more red fruits than black, the oak showing a little more than in the richer Coleraine. Awatea is now clearly priced as Te Mata's second wine to Coleraine, so comparing it with the matching Alluviale wine from Blake Family Vineyards, Awatea is lighter, more oaky, and less ripe. This raises the issue that where Coleraine and Awatea were once the absolute standard-setters in Hawkes Bay, the wines do not now have quite the concentration – measurable as dry extract – to compete with some of the more highly rated wines in this tasting. I have expressed doubts about the cropping rate expressed as ripeness for some other Te Mata premium wines previously, including the Viognier. It would be a pity if the potential of their sites and winemaking team is compromised by this factor, such that an exceptional vintage is needed for the wines to achieve parity. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 05/07

2005 Puriri Hills [ Merlot / Carmenere ] Pope 17 ½ (

)

Clevedon, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.5%; $120 [ cork; Me 47%, Carmenere 33, CF 10, Ma 10, hand-harvested @ c. 1 t/ac; cultured yeast and cuvaison up to 28 days, the Me fraction fermented in a new cuve; 19 months in 80% new French oak; lightly fined, not filtered; www.puririhills.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, deeper than the Reserve, one of the deepest. One sniff of this, and one thinks of St Emilion, a slightly leafy one like Ch. Figeac in many years. This is richer than the Reserve wine, but not quite as ripe, with complex aromatics hinting at trace sautéed red capsicums adding spice to cassis and berries. Palate is in one sense more fragrant than the bouquet, the merlot and cabernet franc providing delicate complexity, in rich tobacco and red bottled plums flavours, plus again some savoury brett notes. It is not quite as soft as the Reserve wine, reflecting higher phenolics / slightly lesser physiological maturity. By international standards, the ripeness : price ratio is unsatisfactory. Cellar 3 – 15 years. GK 09/07

2007 Craggy Range Riesling Fletcher 17 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 12%; $25 [ screwcap; hand-harvested @ c. 1.5 t/ac with no botrytis; whole-bunch fermentation in s/s, 3 months LA; pH 3.0, RS 12 g/L; www.craggyrange.com ]
Palest lemongreen. In style, this falls midway between the Rapaura and Glasnevin Craggy rieslings, but is a little less than either. It is less giving on bouquet, clearly varietal, but a little austere, with a trace of VA. Palate is clearly sweet, seemingly sweeter in taste impression than the Escarpment wine, though the grams per litre are less. The phenolics on this wine are a little coarser again than the Rapaura wine, but it will harmonise into a good lime-zest approach in three years or so. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 10/07

2005 Taylors Shiraz / Viognier Eighty Acres 17 ½ (

)

Clare Valley, South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $18 [ screwcap; Eighty Acres designed as a ‘juicy down-to-earth’ range of wines; dawn harvest; 100% de-stemmed; all s/s co-fermentation; MLF and 12 months in US oak 10% new; RS not given; www.taylorswines.com.au/WebsiteAdditions/EightyAcresPopup.htm ]
Deep ruby and velvet, nearly carmine. Bouquet is really fragrant, on charry US oak and eucalyptus as well as boysenberry and fruit, all in a familiar hearty Australian style. In mouth, the oak continues prominent, with rich unsubtle flavours that are a bit ashy and charry (and bretty) from the cooperage. Flavours are all somewhat too bold to say if the viognier is detectable, though it is easy to imagine an apricot component. This should cellar for 5 – 15 years, in the way some of the commercial but nonetheless big rich Penfolds shirazes used to in the 60s. GK 10/07

2007 Forrest Gewurztraminer Late-Harvest 17 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 11.5%; $18 [ screwcap; RS 100 g/L; www.forrestwines.co.nz ]
Pale lemonstraw. Bouquet is exotic in the extreme, perfumed beyond rosewater and Turkish delight, almost hairdresser-scented. I am giving it the benefit of the doubt, hoping more explicit wild-ginger blossom aromas will develop, as it settles down from extreme youth. Palate is similarly perfumed, almost lemon-balm notes (not necessarily appealing in wine), but also with fragrant lychee and apricot suggestions, in elegant varietal fruit. It is not a big or very sweet wine, I don't think there is much botrytis complexity, but in two years it should be much more together and compelling than it is now. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 10/07

2006 Penfolds Chardonnay Thomas Hyland 17 ½ (

)

Adelaide Hills, Robe and other cool South Australian districts, Australia: 13%; $24 [ screwcap; some of the wine is in French oak 20% new for 7 months, plus a small % of BF and similar material left over from the premium Penfolds chardonnay programmes; website not up-to-date; www.penfolds.com.au ]
Pale lemon, an elegant colour. Bouquet is explicitly chardonnay varietal, a clear expression of pale stonefruits and some honeydew melon, with faint grapefruit, oatmeal and oak suggestions, all delightful. Palate is not quite so attractive, a little harshness in the Australian added-acid style. However the lingering aftertaste reprises the bouquet (with a little more oak), and is again delightful. A more sophisticated wine by far than the Thomas Hyland Shiraz. This will mellow in cellar 2 – 6 years. This affordable wine illustrates exactly how far Penfolds have come with chardonnay, in a relatively short time. GK 03/08

2007 Tohu Sauvignon Blanc 17 ½ (

)

Wairau & Awatere Valleys, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $18 [ screwcap; www.tohuwines.co.nz ]
Lemongreen. Bouquet is aromatic on clear varietal character and trace VA. Both red capsicum and black passionfruit are prominent, all more aromatic than many examples of the grape. Palate is clearcut varietal sauvignon, good ripeness and length, slightly less acid than the Mud House Swan, but also less concentrated. It is also a little more extractive / phenolic, which in this case lengthens the flavour pleasantly. Cellar 1 – 3 years. GK 02/08

2007 Mud House Sauvignon Blanc 17 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $19 [ screwcap; www.mudhouse.co.nz ]
Lemongreen. Bouquet is vividly sauvignon, but at a slightly less ripe point than the Swan wine, with some aromatics of green and yellow capsicum entering the picture. Palate has a lot of flavour and good concentration, showing some Sancerre suggestions in its English gooseberry, plus Marlborough black passionfruit. It seems fractionally drier than the Swan variant, adding to the European comparison. It is however beautifully clean. Cellar 1 – 3 years. GK 02/08

2007 Mount Edward Riesling 17 ½ (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 12.5%; $21 [ screwcap, hand-picked, whole-bunch pressed, cold-settled to low solids; s/s wine, some wild-yeast; pH 2.95, 14 g/L RS; www.mountedward.com ]
Lemongreen. Bouquet is another in a Germanic Mosel style, showing clear white florals and a hint of citrus. Palate is firmer than Mosel though, with more terpenes. It is not as limpid as the Babich Dry, but in some ways is more varietal, with crisp acid and a long lingering off-dry riesling finish. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 05/09

2004 Henschke Shiraz / Cabernets / Merlot Keyneton Estate Euphonium 17 ½ (

)

Eden & Barossa Valleys, South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $55 [ screwcap; DFB; Sh 40%, CS 25, Me 25; CF 10; Halliday rates the two valleys 8 and 9 /10 respectively in 2004; www.henschke.com.au ]
Ruby and velvet. This Keyneton blend also shows the freshening-up of approach in the more recent Henschkes. It shares something with the 2005 Penfolds Bin 389, in that the cabernet component is noticeable in the blend, but the Keyneton tastes more shiraz-dominant. There are some euc'y aromatics, but the wine is not over-ripe. Berry richness and wine plumpness are attractive, and it lingers nicely in mouth. This is good South Australian dry red, but it loses a little through varietal taste-confusion. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 02/08

1995 Chapoutier Ermitage Le Pavillon 17 ½ (

)

Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $405 [ cork, 49mm; Sy 100%; cropping and wine-making details as in the introductory ‘Background’ section; www.chapoutier.com ]
Ruby and garnet, right in the middle for depth. Bouquet is distinctive for its aromatics, almost an Australian twang to this, garrigue anyway, on well-browning berry melding with the cooperage to produce another ‘good’ example of the Chapoutier elevation style – all getting a bit leathery / chestnutty. Palate has fair fruit but a lot of dry furry tannin: one hopes the also-tanniny 2005 will mature with the balance more to the berry than the tannin side. Attractive wine in its style, but not the elegance one seeks from Hermitage. The second flight of wines was more modest, and this vintage looked good in the company, one first place and four second. It is well along its plateau of maturity, cellar another 10 years or so. Wine Spectator quality rating for the vintage 91. GK 10/18

1991 Chapoutier Ermitage Le Pavillon 17 ½ (

)

Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $784 [ cork, 50mm; Sy 100%; estimated purchase price c.$145; cropping and wine-making details as in the introductory ‘Background’ section; www.chapoutier.com ]
A surprisingly ruby / youthful colour for its age, a little garnet naturally, but scarcely older than the 2000, good velvet, in the second quarter for depth. Bouquet is complex, fragrant, lifted by trace brett in its most benign 4-EG phase, good browning cassisy berry, the wine syrah-dominant, not Chapoutier-dominant, appealing. Oak is attractively balanced. Palate is a little older than the bouquet suggests, the brett more noticeable here, the wine at a perfect point of maturity. It will likely not hold this level of charm much longer, as the brett influence grows, the finish just starting to dry. I like the way you can taste a cassis level of ripening (i.e. the fruit not over-ripened) right through the palate, even though it is markedly browning. Far and away the most popular wine in the second flight, eleven first places, three second, showing that when it is subtle / minimal / just complexity, ‘even’ winemakers can enjoy a little brett. It might be best to cellar this only five or so more years, noting however that individual bottles will vary greatly as to the level of brett developed / displayed. Wine Spectator quality rating for the vintage 89. GK 10/18

2007 Chard Farm Sauvignon Blanc Swiftburn 17 ½ (

)

South Island, New Zealand: 12.5%; $22 [ screwcap; no wine detail on website; www.chardfarm.co.nz ]
Pale lemongreen. Bouquet is astonishingly close to the Belmonte wine, the same yellow and red capsicum point of ripeness, plus aromatics and black passionfruit. Palate follows through well, just a little more English gooseberry in the fruit flavours, and a little less flavour overall, on a slightly more acid and mineral base. The label admits to some Marlborough fruit in the blend, but it seems to dominate. This should cellar well in a Sancerre style, 2 – 8 years or so. GK 03/08

nv Taittinger Brut Reserve 17 ½ (

)

Reims, Champagne, France: 12%; $90 [ cork; PN 40%, Ch 40, PM 20; MLF; www.taittinger.com ]
Straw, slight orange flush. Bouquet is in a broader style, the kind of classic champagne bouquet which in new world judgings might be regarded as a trace aldehydic, and down-pointed (technology over-arching style again). Fruit includes a clear strawberry hint from pinot noir, while the flavour has good lees-autolysis and MLF breadcrust complexity, on a fresh acid balance. Palate has the good weight / dry extract which distinguishes good champagne from many new world bubblies. The residual is a little higher than some leading local wines though – more at the Lindauer point – which is a little disappointing. I wonder whether Taittinger send us the UK dosage or the US one, in New Zealand. Cellar 2 – 8 years. GK 03/08

2006 Chard Farm Pinot Noir The Viper 17 ½ (

)

Parkburn district, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $52 [ screwcap; no detail on the website; www.chardfarm.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is beautiful pinot noir, soft, sweetly floral, ripe, lifted by both trace VA and fragrantly aromatic oak. In mouth red and black cherry fruit shows on more oak than expected, all in a firmer, leaner and more aromatic wine than the Escarpments. It is closest in style to the Te Rehua wine, without quite the flesh and poise. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 03/08

2006 Benson Block Chardonnay Gisborne Un-oaked 17 ½ (

)

Gisborne, New Zealand: 13%; $17 [ screwcap; all s/s, 25% MLF, 3 months LA with occasional stirring; 3.7 g/L RS; www.pernod-ricard-nz.com ]
Light lemonstraw. In a blind tasting, this wine sits more happily amongst the pinot gris than the chardonnays, due to the lack of oak and other winemaker artefacts. Instead, bouquet is simple pure chardonnay, a very pleasing lightly floral note on pale stonefruits. Palate shows attractive richness, pure white nectarine, model un-oaked chardonnay with beautifully subtle alcohol, made more interesting by lees-autolysis and MLF. I'd swear there is a smidgen of barrel-fermented material in it – pretty well all 'un-oaked' chardonnay is improved with a subliminal fraction of oak to lift the wine out of the cinderella class. Finish is pure fruit, not bone dry, but pretty close [ confirmed, as above ]. Good chablis aside, un-oaked chardonnay doesn't get much better than this. [ In a later tasting, this Benson Block compared wonderfully well with some 2005 Laroche chablis wines including grands crus. Their prices ranged from $40 – $167. ] Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 03/08

2000 Carrick Chardonnay 17 ½ (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $ – [ cork; www.carrick.co.nz ]
Light gold. Bouquet is still clean, sweet, ripe, winey and mealy chardonnay, exactly the same parameters as when first tasted 22/8/01, but now light gold instead of lemon, golden peachy and biscuitty instead of citric. It is still like lightish white burgundy age for age, beautifully sustained mealy flavour complexity for the weight of palate, the oak and acid then noticeable now more harmoniously mellowed into the total flavour, all fully mature instead of youthful. Some no doubt would think it too old, sadly. [ The earlier review noted: Good lemon. Clean ‘sweet’, ripe, winey, and mealy chardonnay, in an elegant restrained style reminiscent of premier cru Chablis or light Meursault. Palate to match, full LA and good MLF flavours, soft, succulent, some new oak just restrained enough, penetrating acid to develop on. Lovely wine, not bone dry. Cellar potential here. 18.5 GK 8/01 ] Otago will be considered exciting for its chardonnays, in years to come. Drink up. GK 04/08

2004 Distant Land Chardonnay Black Label 17 ½ (

)

Dartmoor Valley, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $24 [ screwcap; clone mendoza, hand-harvested; BF and MLF in French oak 50% new, 12 months LA in barrel with batonnage; Black Label a barrel selection; RS 3.8 g/L; a Lincoln Wines label; www.distantland.co.nz ]
Full lemonstraw, no older than the Church Road Reserve, good. Initially opened, there is quite a measure of toasty barrel char on classical mendoza fruit, richly golden queen in flavour. Palate shows more oak and less winemaking complexity than the Church Road, but fruit is rich enough to carry that. Finish is a little oaky, but it serves to almost cancel out the residual sweetness, so the wine just seems rich. This is a good example of a familiar bold New Zealand chardonnay style. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 04/08

2006 Craggy Range Merlot Gimblett Gravels 17 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $29 [ cork; DFB; Me 85%, CF 15; 75% hand-harvested @ 3.25 t/ac; inoculated ferment in s/s; 18 months in French oak 45% new; RS nil; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, not the weight of the Block 14 Syrah. Bouquet is reticent initially, in the manner of many young cru bourgeois / Bordeaux. Any floral component is yet to emerge, but there is clear dark berry in a bottled black plum style, more aromatic than expected for merlot. Palate is firm, in the blind tasting seeming more Medoc-like / cabernet-dominant to first inspection than merlot. Like the syrah it shows a certain leanness and fresh acid. For this winery on the Gimblett Gravels, these two 2006 wines from Craggy Range seem not to show the perfect ripeness the 2005s achieved, and indicate a physiologically cooler year. From memory, this 2006 Merlot may not even be quite as generous and varietal as the 2004, but time in cellar may change that view. It seems probable a beautifully fragrant wine will emerge. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 03/08

2006 Distant Land Cabernet / Merlot Black Label 17 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $32 [ screwcap; CS 71%, Me 20, CF 9, hand-harvested; c. 7 days cold-soak; MLF and 18 months in French oak 50% new, RS <2 g/L; a Lincoln Wines label; www.distantland.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a good colour. Bouquet has an obvious plummy merlot component almost reminiscent of Australian roto-fermenter wines, yet with cabernet cassis complexity also introducing thoughts of modern Bordeaux. Palate is very youthful and unknit, yet a floral quality in the berry makes one think of violets. Oak is appropriate to the fruit concentration, giving a fairly serious Bordeaux blend, with better richness and oak-handling than some higher-priced Lincoln reds have shown in recent years. Cellar 5 – 12 years, to mellow. GK 04/08

2006 Craggy Range Syrah Block 14 17 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $38 [ screwcap; Sy 100%; hand-harvested @ 3.4 t/ac; 100% de-stemmed, wild-yeast fermentation in open-top fermenters; 17 months in French oak 42% new; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. Bouquet is very clean, fragrant and varietal indeed, with (from memory) a greater floral / exact dianthus component than the 2005 of this label, plus a lovely cherry-pie (the flower) sweetness. Below there is fresh aromatic cassis and some dark plum – all clearly northern Rhone in style. Palate is a little less, the wine distinctly lean and firm even acid, leaner than the Sabarotte, though wonderfully varietal. The analogy is more with St Joseph, than Hermitage or Crozes-Hermitage. The floral quality goes right through the palate, ending on black pepper. There are some similarities to Te Mata Bullnose of the same year, but the acid balance may be firmer – they would be good to taste alongside each other. The exciting thing about it is the vivid display of precise northern Rhone florals, highlighting the good varietal characters we seem to have in the now-Limmer clone in New Zealand. It should mellow in cellar 5 – 12 years, but will remain lean – as many northern Rhone wines are. GK 05/08

2006 Unison Syrah 17 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.3%; $39 [ supercritical cork; French & US oak, c. 80% new; www.unisonvineyard.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, one of the deeper wines. This wine benefits from a splashy decanting. It is another syrah in the batch where complexity notes inclined many tasters to vote the wine as French. There may be a shadow of reduction and a little more brett, but there's nothing to worry about, and they should marry away in cellar. It shows dusky rose and violets florals, a touch of mint, and all three of the main berry descriptors for syrah: cassis, blueberry and bottled black doris plums, all quite lush. Palate continues those thoughts, quite soft and warm, very ripe, texturally close to the RWT, but even softer, attractively smooth already. It makes a great contrasting pair with the squeaky-clean Block 14. I wondered if it has the backbone to cellar into the longer term, but it is certainly a juicy mouthful of flavoursome rich syrah, which will give much pleasure. Cellar 3 – 12 years, maybe longer. GK 05/08

2006 Vidal Syrah Reserve 17 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $56 [ screwcap; Sy 100% hand-harvested, all de-stemmed but 30% un-crushed; cold soak, wild yeast, warm-fermented in open-top vessels, MLF and c.19 months in French oak some new; www.vidal.co.nz ]
Dense ruby, carmine and velvet, much richer than the standard Vidal. Bouquet reflects a riper heavier approach, a thought of mint and Australia, the oak rather dominating dark plum more than cassis, and inhibiting florality somewhat. In mouth there is greater richness than the standard wine, but much more oak, so it is not as beautifully varietal as most of the other top wines. Some cassis and peppercorn creeps up on the aftertaste, suggesting this wine may rank more highly in three or so years. Meanwhile those for whom size (or oak) is important will find my ranking misleading. Cellar 5 – 20 years, maybe to improve markedly. GK 05/08

2006 Passage Rock Syrah Reserve 17 ½ (

)

Eastern Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14.5%; $50 [ screwcap; 12 months in barrel, 90% American and 60% new, balance French; sterile-filtered; www.passagerockwines.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet. There is a marked similarity to the 2005 wine, the 2006 being just a little lighter in both fruit weight and oak, but also a little purer maybe. The variety shows through clearly, cassisy and darkly plummy, though like plums as one gets nearer to the stone, there is a suggestion of austerity on the finish still to mellow. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 06/08

2004 Awaroa Syrah 17 ½ (

)

Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14.7%; $45 [ cork; 20 days cuvaison; 12 months in 100% new oak, 80% French, 20 American ]
Ruby and velvet. This is a bigger and more robust wine than the later examples, the evolutionary pathway for this winery seeming to be towards elegance and finesse. Bouquet shows more mature cassis browning a little in aroma, with very aromatic oak, and perhaps a little brett. Palate is rich, juicy yet dry, a little acid, reminding of both certain lighter restrained Australian shiraz styles which hint at syrah (due to the oak), and of the Rhone proper considering the fruit quality. Attractive but oaky wine, more in the Passage Rock Reserve style, to cellar another 5 – 8 years or so. GK 06/08

2007 [ Obsidian ] Weeping Sands Syrah 17 ½ (

)

Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14%; $31 [ screwcap; Sy 100% hand-harvested first 10 days April; some cold soak, 15 – 19 days cuvaison; MLF in barrel; 9 months in barrel 30 – 40% new American, balance older French and American; not released yet; www.obsidian.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. This is the most representative Waiheke syrah, in the sense of being both good and affordable, breathing up to show soft wallflower-like florals, and clean cassis with some plum, plus a touch of peppery spice. Palate is fresher than expected from the aromas, but in this wine the acid is not accentuated by excess oak. It is richer than the 2006, and should be an attractive food wine. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 06/08

2000 Te Motu [ Cabernets / Merlot ] 17 ½ (

)

Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13%; $100 [ cork; CS c.60%, Me c.25%, balance CF & Ma, handpicked @ c 1 t/ac; c.2.5 years in predominantly French and some American oak c.30% new; good crop, fine warm summer; www.temotu.co.nz ]
Ruby, some velvet, a little fresher than the 1999. Freshly opened, this wine like the 1999, reminded of Gruaud Larose of earlier decades. Cassisy berry is evident on bouquet, plus trace brett, and oak a little too overt to be cedary. Palate is therefore a little shorter and harder than the 1999, perhaps not quite so ripe, but the quality of the cassis is clear. With such attractive Bordeaux-modelled alcohols, the Te Motus could handle a little more ripeness. Coupled with less time in oak, this would make them a little more contemporary without losing their essential character. The 2005 vintage seems to reflect such moves. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 06/08

1979 Jaboulet Hermitage La Chapelle 17 ½ (

)

Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $440 [ Cork, 54mm; Sy 100; price given is wine-searcher average for that vintage of the wine; general elevation etc see Intro; initially an overlooked year, after the 1978s there, but on average the 1979 Northern Rhones had more substance than the 1979 Medocs; Robinson, 2006: Dark ruby. Very meaty indeed – much more concentrated than many younger wines even if there’s a little hint of oxidation on this decanted bottle. Starting to age but there is impressive body. Not subtle but very vigorous for its age. Dry, inky finish, 16; Parker, 2000: … still retains a youthful vigor. Spicy, with plenty of smoke, dried herb, pepper, and cassis fruit, this outstanding, smoky, gamy (smoked meats galore), full-bodied La Chapelle reveals some angularity and rough tannin in the finish, but all other signs are positive. While it does not possess the weight of the biggest, most muscular vintages of La Chapelle, it is an exciting wine. Anticipated maturity: now-2016, 90; www.jaboulet.com ]
Ruby and garnet, the weight of an old Corton (say), the lightest wine. It is not pale on bouquet however, there still being attractive vinosity, and only a hint of decay. In mouth it is like the 1982, rather lovely fruit, an aromatic backbone, intriguing flavours, all a little firmer than the 1982, and still showing nearly a hint of black peppercorn. It is also reminiscent of the 1999 La Chapelle, but more concentrated even though 20 years older. Fully mature now, no hurry. Tasters did not warm to this wine as much as I did, four ranking it their least wine. [ Disregard date shown for review, is 9/14 – a site technical hitch ]. GK 08/14

2006 Mills Reef Cabernet Sauvignon Elspeth 17 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $37 [ cork; hand-picked; 5 days cold soak, followed by 60% conventionally fermented, 40% in 400L Integrale barrel system; 4 weeks cuvaison; 17 months in French oak 93% new; www.millsreef.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, forward for its age. Bouquet is quite distinctive, a fragrant Entre-Deux-Mers kind of aroma which is slightly leafy as well as cassisy, but with much more new oak than Entre-Deux-Mers wines would typically see. The actual fruit in mouth is good, and the style clear, but it needs a bit more ripeness and richness to stand alongside even minor classed French. But alongside many a Coonawarra, the natural acid and silky texture is lovely. Cellar 3 – 12 years or so. GK 11/08

2008 Craggy Range Riesling Fletcher Family Vineyard 17 ½ (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 11.5%; $25 [ screwcap; hand-harvested at slightly > 3 t/ac; whole-bunch fermented in s/s with cultured yeast; 4 months LA in s/s; RS 13.5 g/L; www.craggyrange.com ]
Pale lemongreen. Craggy's riesling range this year doesn't quite match the high points of last year's, at least at this premature-release stage. As with all these rieslings, they argue eloquently for the folly of releasing riesling in its year of vintage. This one stands out a little in the tasting as being Eden Valley in style, at least on bouquet, with suggestions of fragrant hoppy terpenes not quite as finely floral as the top examples from elsewhere in New Zealand. Palate adds a touch of lime-zest, and more sweetness than top Eden or Clare Valley examples would show, but it is still no more than medium-dry. Cellar 5 – 10 years, maybe to blossom. GK 11/08

2007 Kumeu River Chardonnay Hunting Hill Vineyard 17 ½ (

)

Kumeu, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.5%; $45 [ screwcap; hand-harvested; whole-bunch pressed; wild-yeast fermentation entirely in French oak; 100% MLF; 11 months in barrel with LA; www.kumeuriver.co.nz ]
Lemongreen, clearly the palest of the Kumeu River chardonnays. And the bouquet is the 'palest' too, all hidden by a little reduction at this stage. Palate is fresh and seems a little sharp, without the appreciable fruit weight of the Maté's, yet one suspects it too is reasonably well fruited. Give this wine time, perhaps three years against the Coddington's two, and it will have a different story to tell. The score is a bit of a gamble, therefore, predicting something not at all apparent right now. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 11/08

2004 Hunters Wines MiruMiru 17 ½ (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $35 [ cork; PN 63%, Ch 29, PM 8; 100% MLF; only trace oak in some reserve wines; nearly 3 years en tirage; dosage @ 8.5 g/L; www.hunters.co.nz ]
Colour is straw, deeper than the 2002 Pelorus. Bouquet is fragrant and attractive, with clear baguette crust autolysis on pinot and chardonnay fruit. Palate is dry, aromatic, quite mealy, drier than the much paler 2006 MiruMiru. The forward development of the wine is a worry, with subliminal VA adding to the almost hazelnutty complexity already evident. This makes the 'fragrant' bouquet just a little spurious, and doubtful for long-term cellaring, so 2 – 5 years only might be best for this vintage. GK 11/08

2008 Craggy Range Sauvignon Blanc Avery Single Vineyard 17 ½ (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $25 [ screwcap; machine-harvested @ c. 4.2 t/ac; 100% de-stemmed and fermented with cultured yeast in s/s; RS 2.4 g/L; www.craggyrange.com ]
Pale lemonstraw. The comments made re premature release for the Old Renwick Sauvignon apply to a degree here, too. For the first 24 hours it is pretty well mute, just faint green gooseberry notes. Yet it is pure, with good fruit and long texture, the finish drier than most. Craggy have to think this through, and either compromise the winemaking to suit early release, or, even for the cash crop of sauvignon blanc, resolve to be the premium winery they are elsewhere, and release the wines a full 12 months after vintage. Some of their rieslings and chardonnays have shown the same dilemma, though the holding time may be longer there. Total style for this Avery Sauvignon is close to the Cloudy Bay, or will be in 12 months. It seems not quite as 'dry' as the Old Renwick. Cellar 2 – 10 years. GK 11/08

1979 Keenan Cabernet Sauvignon 17 ½ (

)

Napa Valley, California, U.S.A.: 13.4%; $293 [ cork, 50mm; little information available; 5 km NW of St Helena, in the Spring Mountain / Mayacamas West Mountains viticultural district, above the fog zone, but due to altitude markedly cooler than the Napa Valley floor. 105 km N of San Francisco. The district is noted for its firm cabernets. Robert Keenan winery established in 1974, still a small winery, production c.14,000 x 9-litre cases. I wrote to the winery for information, but they could not be bothered replying to New Zealand. Wine Spectator, 1999: ... raw and intense, high in acidity and tannin, with ripe, chewy, rugged plum, currant, earth, cedar and tarry flavors that finish with chewy tannins. This wine isn't fading, so further cellaring might help ... to 2005. 2,950 cases made, 86; www.keenanwinery.com ]
Ruby and velvet, the second-deepest and clearly the freshest of all the wines. Initially decanted, the bouquet is big and bold, a lot of browning cassisy berry and a lot of oak, with some maybe American, all much more outspoken than the Bordeaux wines. By the time of tasting, berry and oak had harmonised to quite a degree on bouquet, but in flavour there was simply too much oak. There was therefore a reminder of Penfolds Bin 707 of the same era – though the Penfolds would be both much more oaky, and harsher on added acid. Tasters liked the fact there was more substance to smell and taste here, eight first-places, three second. Yet only two thought it Californian, at the blind analysis stage – interesting. I guess people ‘wanted’ it to be the Ch Margaux. As you do, in a blind tasting. The wine is still very much in its prime, for those who like fully mature cabernet sauvignon. GK 08/19

2006 Sacred Hill Pinot Noir Prospector 17 ½ (

)

Cromwell / Lowburn district, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $52 [ screwcap; hand-picked, 100% de-stemmed, 5 days cold soak, wild yeast fermentation and into barrel in Otago; 16 months in French oak in Hawkes Bay; RS < 1 g/L; c. 400 cases; www.sacredhill.com ]
Pinot noir ruby, below midway in the set, but again older than the 2005 Rousseaus. Bouquet is extraordinary, much more Cote de Nuits than Cote de Beaune, clearly pinot noir, but with a big aromatic floral quality including beeswax reminiscent of maturing Cote Rotie. Bouquet is lifted by threshold VA. Palate is red fruits, highly varietal, but like some fine Cotes du Rhone there is a garrigue-like aromatic quality one is tempted to ascribe to the thyme-laden breezes of the district. This too is closest in style to the Felton Calvert, but fractionally richer, and quite distinctive among New Zealand pinot noirs of the moment. This is an exciting debut wine for Sacred Hill's Otago pinot noir. It puts their Marlborough efforts with the variety thus far in the shade. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 11/08

2005 Te Whau Vineyard [ Merlot / Cabernet ] The Point 17 ½ (

)

Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14%; $90 [ cork; Me 43%, CS 42, CF 10, Ma 5; 5 day cold soak, wild yeast fermentation, some oak, mostly s/s; 18 months in French oak 40% new, balance 1 and 2-year; no acid adjustment or fining, light filter; c. 450 cases; www.tewhau.co.nz ]
Ruby and some velvet, quite developed. This wine surprised me, being an exact look-alike for some fragrant St Emilion reds encountered over the years – St Emilions with cabernet sauvignon in the cepage. Bouquet includes almost rose florals and a salvia (= kanuka ??) –like aromatic on red and black currants, plus potentially cedary oak – all very fragrant and appealing. Palate like the Coleraine is a little less than the bouquet, lean and quite oaky, needing a little more richness and softness such as the less-pure but more satisfying Cambon la Pelouse shows, even in a less-than-ideal year. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 11/08

2007 Dog Point Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 17 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $24 [ screwcap; all s/s, RS 2.6 g/L; www.dogpoint.co.nz ]
Lemongreen. This wine is still too youthful, needing decanting to open up. It then shows sweet ripe straight sauvignon blanc, with some lees-autolysis enhancement maybe, but not the detailed trimmings of the top wines. There are yellow and red capsicum aromatics on black passionfruit, pure and fragrant. Palate shows good concentration of these components, attractive length, but a certain linearity and firm acid (though note the low residual) alongside the more complex wines. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 05/08

2004 Clearwater Vineyards Chardonnay 17 ½ (

)

Marlborough & Waipara, New Zealand: 13.5%; $26 [ screwcap; 50% of the wine BF, all the wine 'extended' LA; 2 g/L RS; www.sherwood.co.nz ]
Lemonstraw, appropriate for the age. Bouquet is in the full golden peach plus baguette crust barrel-ferment and lees-autolysis style, quite strong and very fragrant. Palate follows well, acid and oak a little higher than the Palliser, but the flavours purer. This is at about maximum complexity now, but should cellar for another five years or so happily. GK 05/08

2006 Riverby Estate Chardonnay 17 ½ (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14.5%; $25 [ screwcap; hand-picked from 18-year old clone mendoza, @ 2.5 t/ac; 100% BF and MLF, 9 months LA and batonnage in French oak 30% new; RS 2.7 g/L; www.riverbyestate.com ]
Straw, a little developed for its age. Bouquet is clear-cut chardonnay in the New Zealand yellow-fruited style, quite oaky, with more complex winemaker influences not immediately apparent. Palate fills the wine out, with an attractive textural quality from lees-autolysis, the flavour a little narrow though clearly varietal. Needs less alcohol and more of the delightful baguette crust and crumb quality which makes chardonnay more mealy and satisfying. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 05/08

2004 Houghton Cabernet Sauvignon Jack Mann 17 ½ (

)

Frankland River, Great Southern, Western Australia, Australia: 14.1%; $35 [ cork; CS-dominant, hand-picked, from vines aged c.35 years; single vineyard wine; 18 – 24 months in new and second-year French barriques; www.houghton-wines.com.au ]
Ruby and velvet, some carmine. Bouquet is pure cassisy cabernet, fragrant and not too spirity, a little monochromatic with just oak complexity. In mouth however, although there are fine-grained tannins, noticeable acid points up the oak more, and narrows the palate. The wine thus illustrates vividly the charm and satisfaction cabernet / merlot blends from more temperate climates can achieve, without the need for acid adjustment. A suggestion of eucalyptus complexity also takes the edge off the wine. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 11/08

2006 Sacred Hill Merlot Brokenstone 17 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $63 [ screwcap; hand-picked; French oak; 2006 not on website; www.sacredhill.com ]
Ruby and velvet, lighter than the 2005. Like the Syrah pair, the 2006 shows wonderful merlot florality, violets and roses, on pristinely pure berry character embracing both cassis and dark plums. Palate is precise merlot, plummy with a hint of dark chocolate, but only medium body, and noticeably fresh acid. There is a remarkable similarity of style and weight to the 2001 la Conseillante (a top Pomerol) – both clearly temperate-climate wines. This Brokenstone shows both fresher oak and less of it than some previous vintages, and thus optimises the varietal quality. A little more weight would be ideal. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 11/08

2006 Felton Road Pinot Noir Calvert 17 ½ (

)

Cromwell / Bannockburn district, New Zealand: 13.5%; $55 [ screwcap; hand-picked; 24% whole-bunch fermentation, 8 days cold soak; 11 months in French oak c. 33% new; dry extract 29.2 g/L; winemaker Blair Walter considers the 2006s: 'perfumed and elegant wines with a wonderful natural balance' though not as intense as some years; www.feltonroad.com ]
Pinot noir ruby, one of the lightest, but older than the 2005 Rousseaus. Initially opened, there was a hint of congestion on this, needing decanting / swirling. It clears to a fragrant, almost perfumed (+ve) bouquet, in the sense of buddleia rather than boronia. Palate is clean and crisp pinot noir, much leaner than the Craggy presentation, as if some stalks had been retained [confirmed], yet still showing sweet pinot redfruits. The whole style is reminiscent of Domaine Dujac in the 1980s, fragrant, but lean. Dujac then used more stems than most of his contemporaries, an approach yielding what one might call classic fragant lighter burgundies – wines out of synch with the new world obsession with fully ripe to over-ripe bigger wines. Vis-à-vis the question posed in the Craggy review therefore, the reciprocal question here is, will those retained stems make the Felton wine ultimately the long-distance runner, in time overtaking the Craggy ? It is great we have pinot makers pursuing both approaches to vinification. Worth cellaring some of each, to check, I think. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 11/08

2007 Riverby Riesling 17 ½ (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 12%; $18 [ screwcap; hand-picked @ < 3 t/ac; RS 3 g/L; www.riverbyestate.com ]
Pale lemon. Bouquet is tending unfocussed at this stage, confuseable with pinot gris as well as riesling, lightly floral and pure. Palate is in the 'dry' understated Eden Valley style like the Palliser, vanillin florals and some lime-zest qualities clearly apparent. This should develop attractively in cellar, though it is a little withdrawn now. Cellar 3 – 10 years. I hope to report on some older vintages of this wine in the not too distant future, for this kind of riesling should develop well. GK 05/08

2007 Te Whare Ra Pinot Noir 17 ½ (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14.5%; $36 [ screwcap; hand-picked from 10/5 and 5 other clones mostly 10 years old, hand-sorted; 100% de-stemmed, up to 10 days cold soak, up to 9 days fermentation, total cuvaison up to 26 days; 12 months in French oak 30% new; RS < 2 g/L; c. 300 cases; www.te-whare-ra.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, the lightest of the pinots so far in this ranking, more a true burgundy depth of colour. Freshly opened the wine is slightly reductive, needing a splashy decanting. With air it reveals an intensity of pinot fruit which is ahead of many Marlborough examples of the grape. Florals however are more at the buddleia level of complexity rather than boronia and roses, and that correlates with the blackboy fruit notes on palate, as well as red and black cherry. There is a faint suggestion of leaf, but richness is good without being ponderous. Apart from the inappropriate alcohol for pinot, good wine, to cellar 3 – 10 years. This is the exciting side of Marlborough pinot, tending towards the physiological maturity of some of the wines from the old terraces. Like the Johner, it may not be rigorously bone-dry to the finish. GK 03/09

2006 Bald Hills Pinot Noir 17 ½ (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $44 [ screwcap; 4 clones of PN hand-picked; 70% de-stemmed, 30 whole-bunch, 7 days cold-soak, 15 further days cuvaison; MLF and some months in French oak 35% new; no fining, coarse filter only; RS < 1 g/L; winemaker Grant Taylor; www.baldhills.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby. The wine opens a little subdued, benefitting greatly from decanting, or at least a good swirling. It then reveals a darkly floral aroma, seemingly more influenced by barrel and lees-autolysis characters than some of the other pinots. It is therefore not quite so pure, with almost chocolate notes showing on black cherry and darkly plummy fruit. Palate is shorter and drier than the bouquet suggests, tending a little savoury, at this stage finishing on drying tannins. Good food wine, but a worry it may dry prematurely in cellar, so keep an eye on it in the latter part of 3 – 8 years. GK 03/09

2007 Villa Maria Merlot Private Bin 17 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels mostly, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $19 [ screwcap; Me 87%, balance CS, CF & Ma; 12 months in older French & American oak (maybe not all the wine); www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, close to the Awatea. Initially opened, this wine is a little closed up. It benefits from a splashy decanting. Though falling a little short of gold-medal ranking on my points, this wine represents a triumph for Villa Maria. In their quality wines series, PB is the basic label, yet here is a wine speaking clearly of exact merlot quality, and made in such volume to be sometimes available at $11 during supermarket promotions. Like the Esk Valley wine, it has the violets and bottled black doris plummy characters of merlot, but it is not quite so concentrated, the oak is not quite as fine, and the acid seems a little higher. Nonetheless, it is neatly softer and rounder than the PB Merlot / Cabernet, exactly as the Bordeaux right bank / left bank model would require. Cellar 5 – 12 years. VALUE GK 03/09

2007 Villa Maria Merlot / Cabernet Sauvignon Private Bin 17 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels mostly, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $19 [ screwcap; Me 57%, CS 28, balance CF and Ma; all destemmed, MLF with the primary fermentation; 12 months in older French & American oak (maybe not all the wine); www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, lighter than the Cellar Selection. I'm tempted to say that in practical taste terms, at my end of the tasting glass, the only obvious difference between the Private Bin and the Cellar Selection Villa Merlot / Cabernets in 2007 is the quality of the oak. This PB has less new oak, and in truth it is less concentrated, but it is even more like good minor Bordeaux. It is simply a sensational New Zealand example of the modern claret style in a good vintage, and sensational also in the sense that it was available nation-wide in early January for $10, in one of the supermarket chains. At that price, one would be mad not to buy three or four cases, and leave them all quietly aside for two or three years, to blossom into a fragrant and sophisticated QDR. The pleasure to be had from it then over the ensuing seven or so years would be unbeatable. Cellar 5 – 10 years or so. VALUE GK 03/09

2006 Villa Maria Merlot Single Vineyard Omahu 17 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $57 [ screwcap; DFB; hand-picked Me 87%, CS 13, 100% de-stemmed; MLF and 18 months in French barriques 60% new; no info on website yet; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, not the depth of the 2007 Craggys, more like '07 Coleraine. Bouquet is subdued when initially opened, the wine needing a good decanting to show its best. It is neither as floral as Coleraine, or as berry-saturated as Sophia, being more a plummy style of merlot without the high points of those wines. Palate seemed disappointing on this occasion, contrasting with my use of the wine as a demonstrator last September, this time showing signs of a leathery quality we have seen in some of the Pask Merlots, with the wine drier than the top examples. It may be in an awkward phrase. It will cellar 5 – 12 or 15 years, but it does need decanting. GK 03/09

2008 Te Whare Ra Pinot Gris 17 ½ (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $28 [ screwcap; hand-picked and hand-sorted; some whole-bunches retained; cool-fermented, 70% s/s, 30% BF in old oak, LA and stirring but no MLF for the barrel component, some wild yeast; RS 7 g/L; 634 cases; www.te-whare-ra.co.nz ]
Pale lemon. Bouquet is beautifully pure, but at this stage still embryonic. There are clear undertones of pear flesh, white stonefruits, rosepetal and a touch of cinnamon. In mouth body is good, sweetness is restrained at ‘riesling dry’, and the phenolics are not too grippy. This will be much better in a year, and cellar 3 – 5 years at least. GK 04/09

2006 Muddy Water Riesling Hardwick 17 ½ (

)

Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 12.3%; $ – [ screwcap; this is the first pick wine, made in a drier style; hand-harvested at < 2 t/ac, whole-bunch pressed, low solids in wild-yeast s/s fermentation stopped at c. 18 g/L RS; pH 3.06; some LA; www.muddywater.co.nz ]
Lemon, clearly lighter than the '06 Unplugged. Bouquet is intriguing on this wine, as if there were an extended lees-autolysis giving an attractive breadcrust note, which in the blind tasting makes identification difficult at first. The fruit is showing some development, markedly more than the 2006 Craggy Riesling Fletcher in this tasting, with almost a lychee suggestion. Palate is richly flavoured, lychee and yellow stone fruits, more phenolic than the 2005 Te Whare Ra Riesling. At the blind stage, the thought of viognier did occur to me (there were some in the tasting). The flavours are long and clean in mouth, medium dry. Ready now, but will cellar for several years. This is a bold wine, not so much for lovers of finegrain subtle riesling in the German style, but still attractive. GK 04/09

2006 Craggy Range Riesling Te Muna Road Single Vineyard 17 ½ (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 12.5%; $25 [ screwcap; hand-harvested at just over 2 t/ac; whole-bunch fermented in s/s with cultured yeast; 4 months LA in s/s; pH 2.95, RS 8 g/L; www.craggyrange.com ]
Pale lemon. Bouquet is understated pure lightly floral and fragrant riesling, a hint of apple sauce and grapefruit. Flavours are more tangy and aromatic than the bouquet suggests, the grapefruit side expanding, some hoppy terpenes too, and a hint of vanilla wafer linked to the floral notes. Like the Glasnevin Riesling from Craggy, these are restrained and quite 'intellectual' approaches to the variety, Mosel halb-trocken in general style, not making many concessions. Such wines cellar well. I am looking forward very much to seeing them as 10-year-old wines, for they will cellar for that length of time. GK 04/09

2008 Forrest Noble Chenin Blanc The Doctors 375 ml 17 ½ (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 10%; $24 [ screwcap; harvested 14 May @ 1.75 t/ac; pH 3.7, RS 215 g/L; last made in 2001; www.forrest.co.nz ]
Lemonstraw flushed with palest gold. Botrytis is the first impression on bouquet, on an obviously sweet late-harvest fruit base. Alongside the three riesling noble wines, it is more undefined stonefruit, perhaps greengage more than anything. Palate continues the botrytis into a nectary potentially honeyed flavour, in which the total acidity is high, as befits chenin grown in Marlborough. The acid in fact takes some of the charm out of the wine, for noble wines are a sensuous winestyle, needing good balance to triumph. But then it has to be said, the Loire Valley is famous for its long-keeping botrytis-affected chenins. Whether that is for their intrinsic worth, or, in a rather lack-lustre district, more from a need to be famous for something, is open to debate. All that said, and despite the pH being highish (curiously), in its Loire / Marlborough high acid style this noble chenin is going to cellar very well indeed, being under screwcap. 5 – 10 years should be fine, and maybe longer, and it is a safe bet that the acid will seem less even after five years. An interesting study wine therefore, and a great opportunity to learn to recognise pure botrytis (because chenin has so little intrinsic flavour, beyond grapeyness). GK 04/09

2007 Riverby Estate Chardonnay 17 ½ (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $25 [ screwcap; hand-harvested at less than 2.5 t/ac from 19-year clone mendoza vines still on their own roots; 100% BF and MLF in French oak 35% new, balance 1 and 2-year; LA and 11 months in barrel; pH 3.4, RS 3.6; www.riverbyestate.com ]
Straw. In the blind tasting, this forward wine seemed to be from somewhere much further north than Marlborough. Bouquet suggests mendoza fruit, lots of barrel-ferment, lees-autolysis and oak, appropriate MLF, all making a big ripe wine in the more traditional ‘big chardonnay’ style. Flavours match, but there is particularly good waxy textural qualities from the lees-autolysis, which nearly covers the quite strong oak. This wine sits alongside the Villa Gisborne Barrique example rather well, total acid higher but similar elevage. It is a little forward for long cellaring, so 1 – 5 years may be more appropriate. GK 04/09

2007 Squawking Magpie Syrah The Chatterer 17 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $25 [ screwcap; no wine info on website; Catalogue: Dark and concentrated showing peppery and toasty oak characters, this wine has supple tannins with a firm, smooth and spicy finish; www.squawkingmagpie.co.nz ]
Good fresh ruby, not the depth of The Stoned Crow. Bouquet is pinpoint syrah, beautifully floral, showing clear cassis and white and black pepper. Palate follows through well, good ripeness, gentle tannins, clear black pepper, already easy drinking though it will cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 07/09

2007 Cuilleron Condrieu la Petite Cote 17 ½ (

)

Condrieu, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $97 [ cork; Cuilleron makes four Condrieus, all with 100% MLF, like Guigal: the standard cuvee including younger vine material La Petite Cote, all hand-picked from sites above Chavanay, all BF on low-solids in older oak 2 – 5 years, 100% MLF plus LA, batonnage and 9 months in barrel, c. 1300 cases; the Les Chaillets label totalling around 1500 cases, made from older vines (sometimes labelled Vieilles Vignes) on steeper slopes above Chavanay, all hand-harvested with a little sur-maturité, low-solids juice wild-yeast-fermented and 100% MLF in barrel, with up to 30% new oak, plus 10 months lees autolysis and batonnage; the extremely rare Vertige from the top lieu-dit in Condrieu (about 125 cases depending on the year), from even older vines on a steep granite slope, all barrel-fermented with a much higher percentage new, plus MLF, LA and batonnage, in barrel up to 18 months; and if conditions permit, in some years a botrytised late-harvest Les Ayguets from sites above Chavanay, hand-harvested in up to 8 tranches through to December, similar fermentation to Chaillets, usually 100 – 110 g/L RS, up to 400 cases (of 500 ml bottles) – a cellar wine in Cuilleron’s view; Cuilleron is imported into NZ by The Wine Importer (who has ’07 Les Ayguets, $125, but not Vertige), and latterly Glengarry ]
Lemon, a little deeper than Vertige. Freshly opened, there is some white burgundy-like fermentation character, which it would be uncharitable to call reduction since it quickly dissipates with aeration. Decanted and aired, again the gorgeous viognier varietal expression Cuilleron is becoming famous for is beautifully expressed, yellow florals, some overlap with fresh gewurztraminer, clear apricots. Palate is a little less refined than the two top wines, not so transparent and pure, much older oak to the extent there is barrel-ferment, I imagine, but the varietal flavour is still explicit. The dry mouthfeel is so much richer and more satisfying than many New Zealand wines, with ideal ripeness. Local producers in improbable places (for viognier) like Marlborough, Nelson and to a degree Gisborne, but seeking to exploit the 'anything new will sell' mentality the New Zealand wine industry suffers from, must make themselves familiar with the character properly ripe viognier displays in Cuilleron's marvellous wines. Cellar 1 – 3 years. GK 02/09

2008 Obsidian Chardonnay 17 ½ (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14.5%; $33 [ screwcap; hand-harvested, whole-bunch pressed; 100% BF in French oak 33% new with inoculated yeast, 7 months LA and batonnage, 40% MLF; RS 2 g/L; 135 cases, WWA Certified; ‘Very young wine with pure balanced fruit, oak & MLF. Grown on Millar’s property. Excellent components & structure for development potential.; www.obsidian.co.nz ]
Pale lemon. Bouquet is even more delicate than the Mudbrick, with a floral component including English pale flowers initially raising the possibility of pinot gris (in the blind tasting), backed by excellent barrel-ferment, lees-autolysis and MLF. The whole wine shows a light and deft hand in the winemaking, an approach optimising the variety and style of the wine, without artefact dominating. Palate includes creamy and mealy notes with pale stonefruit flavours, good acid balance, all just a little leaner than the Mudbrick. Neither are big chardonnays, so these marks will seem generous to those who want fine big chardonnay like the Clearview Reserve from Hawkes Bay, for example. Aftertaste lingers delightfully, with perhaps a gram more residual sugar than the Mudbrick. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 06/09

2009 Passage Rock Sauvignon Blanc Waiheke Island 17 ½ (

)

Eastern Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14%; $27 [ screwcap; hand-harvested; no oak; RS 4 g/L; 300 cases; ‘A result of a mix up in the nursery this Sauvignon blanc is full of passionfruit and pineapple and finishes crisp and fruity.’; www.passagerockwines.co.nz ]
Lemongreen. Bouquet still shows some bottling sulphur, reasonably enough, but already one can see floral / elderflower notes and black passionfruit. It is much milder than the Marlborough sauvignons, as one would expect from study of Hawkes Bay ones – Waiheke is more temperate again. Fruit flavours are almost confuseable with pale viognier, showing quite a fruit-salad component. This is sauvignon blanc in the subtropical spectrum yet still refreshing, beautifully made, better when it has settled down – next Christmas – when it should score higher. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 06/09

2008 Cable Bay Rosé Waiheke Island 17 ½ (

)

Western Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.5%; $21 [ screwcap; Me & Ma, hand-picked; 12 hours cold-soak, s/s wine, 3 months LA; RS 8 g/L; WWA Certified; ‘A vibrant Rose produced from Merlot and Malbec, displaying lifted strawberry and rose petal characters. Silver Medal, Liquorland Top 100, 2008; www.cablebayvineyards.co.nz ]
A good rosé colour. Bouquet freshly opened is a little spritzy. It quickly settles to clear redfruits suggesting redcurrants and even raspberry with plums, all clearly red grapes – a great start for any rosé. Palate has body and enough tannins to give it backbone, and the nett impression of serious rosé. Finish might be a little sweeter than ideal, but that balances both the acid and the tannins well to give a pretty dry overall impression. An attractive fresh wine which will cellar several years, and mellow. GK 06/09

2005 Passage Rock Syrah Reserve 17 ½ (

)

Eastern Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14.5%; $50 [ screwcap; hand-picked; c.25 days cuvaison; 12 months in barrel, 90% American and 60% new, balance French; sterile-filtered; not in catalogue; www.passagerockwines.co.nz ]
Older ruby and velvet. Bouquet is inclining to an Australian style in this tasting, with ripe spirity berry made aromatic by a fair percentage of American oak, which is still prominent at this stage. Palate is very rich though, a lot of plummy berry, some black pepper, a little brett, all a bit leathery now. I'm worried the fruit is drying and the oak is becoming more prominent –accentuated by the alcohol. The level of brett does not seem high enough to cause this, though brett ‘nazis’ would suggest that. More the boisterous oak, I think. Cellar 2 – 6 years, maybe, but keep an eye on it. GK 06/09

2008 Passage Rock Syrah 17 ½ (

)

Eastern Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14%; $33 [ screwcap; Sy 100% hand-picked; 30 days cuvaison; c.10 months in oak mostly American 60% new, but more French oak than 2007; 600 cases; ‘Our new release preview of the 2008 Syrah rich concentrated and up there with any syrah any price point.’; www.passagerockwines.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet. Bouquet is explicitly syrah, wallflower florals and cassis, darkly plummy, very fragrant. Palate is leaner however, with some stalky notes like the Awaroa Reserve, in beautiful fine-grained cassis. The oak use in these 2008 Passage Rock wines is subtler, which should enhance their standing and cellar potential. They are still oaky by Rhone standards though, which does well in local judgings (including sometimes mine, I see, sadly) but does not optimise the long-term beauty of syrah in cellar. This fragrant wine is comparable with better-level Crozes-Hermitage, to cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 06/09

2005 Goldwater Merlot Esslin 17 ½ (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.5%; $50 [ screwcap; DFB; Me 96%, CS 4, hand-harvested @ 0.8 – 1.3 t/ac; cultured yeast and cuvaison averaging 20 days; 20 months in French oak 50% new; fined and filtered; RS < 2 g/L; 112 cases; ‘Unreleased sample highlighting the excellent 2005 Waiheke Island vintage - release date 01 July 2009’; www.goldwaterwine.com ]
Ruby and velvet, much lighter than the 2005 Goldie. Comparing Esslin alongside Goldie, on bouquet Esslin provides a textbook analogy of cabernet vs merlot, Medoc vs Pomerol. It is much less aromatic than Goldie, less cassis, much more bottled omega plum, softer in a way. The contrast doesn’t follow through quite as well on palate, since this particular Esslin is not as concentrated, and the oak therefore shows more. Again there is complexing savoury brett adding a smokey bacon complexity to good fruit ripeness, making the wine attractively food-friendly. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 06/09

2001 Viu Manent Viu 1 [ Malbec ] 17 ½ (

)

Colchagua Valley, Chile: 14%; $70 [ cork; Ma 90%, CS 10; vines c. 100 years, hand-harvested, long cuvaison; 100% new oak, 90% French, 10 US; only released best vintages; www.viumanent.cl/ingles ]
Dense ruby, carmine and velvet, indistinguishable from '02 Villa Maria Malbec Omahu. If the Villa Malbec is oaky, this premium Viu Manent is clumsy in its excess oak exacerbated by VA and alcohol. Behind this porty first impression, there is dense plummy fruit, drier than the Villa but otherwise close in character. Palate likewise seems drier, intensely flavoured and velvety, but also very oaky, coarser than the Villa. It reminds of the older-style Grange Penfolds is now finessing away from. One hopes for some Old World restraint from Chile, but not here. Nonetheless an interesting and heroic wine, which will cellar for 10 – 25 + years. GK 12/04

2004 Viu Manent Malbec Secreto 17 ½ (

)

Colchagua Valley, Chile: 14%; $19 [ provisional score – barrel sample; cork; Ma 85%, other vars 15; ± 9 months oak; www.viumanent.cl/ingles ]
Dense carmine, ruby and velvet. This is the most varietal of the malbecs, in the sense it is not so dominated by oak as the others. It shows a bright aromatic darkest plum quality on bouquet, with a touch of boysenberry lushness, all very youthful and disorganised. Palate is rich in fruit, and already shows more oak than expected presumably due to the percentage new. It is soon to be bottled. This wine should marry up attractively and become clearly varietal, and may well rate higher in a year or so. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 12/04

2007 Trinity Hill Syrah Gimblett Gravels 17 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $33 [ supercritical cork; Sy 96% and Vi 4, de-stemmed and co-fermented in closed s/s fermenters; extended cuvaison, MLF in tank; c.14 months in new and older French and American oak; 1 g/L RS; Catalogue: a spicy, savoury wine with black pepper and blackberry nuances; Awards: 94/100 @ WBM magazine Australia, 4.5 Stars by Michael Cooper, Silver @ NZ International Wine Show 2008; www.trinityhill.com ]
Ruby. Bouquet is fragrantly cassisy, floral, and delicately peppery, clearly syrah. Palate is completely in keeping, medium weight aromatic red fruits, with some florals right into the flavour and also a suggestion of raspberry. It is more Cote Rotie in styling, not a big wine but attractively pure, and clearly varietal. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 07/09

2007 Matariki Syrah Aspire 17 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $20 [ screwcap; Sy 100% hand-harvested, de-stemmed; 2 days cold soak; inoculated yeast, total cuvaison c. 17 days, MLF in tank; 17 months in French oak 15% new; RS ‘dry’; Catalogue: a deep red colour with purple hues and classic black pepper aromas, floral and ripe blackberry characters with subtle cedary oak adding complexity. A powerfully intense wine with complex blackberry, chocolate and black pepper flavours, soft approachable tannins and a rich and full finish with good length; Awards: Silver @ Liquorland Top 100 2008; www.matarikiwines.co.nz ]
Ruby. Bouquet is clearly fragrant, including signature syrah florals such as carnations augmented by white pepper, all slightly ‘cooler’ than some of the wines. Palate is akin to the wines on the gentler slopes above the steep faces of Cote Rotie, the syrahs labelled Vin de Pays des Collines Rhodanniennes, which tend to be lighter crisper and more fragrant than the AOC slopes, but still attractively syrah. Needs to soften a year or two, but great to see this label picking up speed. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 07/09

2007 Salvare Merlot 17 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $25 [ screwcap; de-stemmed; c.12 months in oak; Catalogue: hints of dark berries on the nose (boysenberry, blackberry). On the palate it is rich and has a fruitcake character that lingers on the finish; Awards: Bronze @ Air New Zealand 2008, Bronze @ Royal Easter Show 2009; www.salvare.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. Bouquet is delightfully fragrant on this wine, with suggestions of the floral qualities that merlot can show in viticultural districts perfectly suited to it. Here fragrant oak melds with these floral qualities, and coupled with good berry makes the wine smell delicious – though there are reminders of syrah also. Palate is akin to the Vidal Estate Merlot / Cabernet, good berry and oak right through, oak noticeable but not too assertive, the flavours all lingering attractively. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 07/09

2008 Grass Cove Sauvignon Blanc 17 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $16 [ screwcap, website remarkable for its lack of wine information; RS 3.9 g/L; www.grasscove.co.nz ]
Lemongreen. Bouquet is light and fragrant on this wine, not quite the honeysuckle florals the top wines show, some yellow capsicum in the equation, so not quite as ripe as optimal Marlborough sauvignons. In mouth the wine fills out, good black passionfruit flavour and mouthfeel, a gentler, riper and more food-friendly sauvignon than the Waimea examples. Cellar 1 – 4 years. GK 05/09

2008 Pegasus Bay Sauvignon / Semillon 17 ½ (

)

Waipara Valley, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 13.5%; $28 [ screwcap, SB c. 70%, Se 30; the sauvignon component is fermented in s/s or oak vats including in 2008 a new 9000 L cuve, the semillon in older barrels, both with some solids and wild yeasts; both fractions spend 9 months on lees, minimal (possibly no) stirring; RS < 1 g/L; www.pegasusbay.com ]
Lemongreen. The Pegasus Bay winemaking duo have made their distinctive Sauvignon / Semillon one of the more talked-about New Zealand examples of the grape. This is principally because they carefully build a fault into it, which replicates the earlier-generation style of dry white Bordeaux and Graves. Also they make it bone-dry, too. Accordingly, some European and American wine commentators unconcerned about many technical matters, but (in Europe) picky about sugar, rave about this wine. In the new world, we are more concerned about such things as high total sulphurs and high-solids-derived complexity notes. The intrinsic appropriateness of this approach is evidenced by the dramatic change in European white wine styles since the early 1980s.

Accordingly, the Pegasus Bay Sauvignon / Semillon runs the risk of presenting as an orphan. Some years of the wine are in my view irretrievably high in bound sulphurs and high solids characters, and will remain dull, irrespective of what some sulphur-insensitive European commentators think about them. The fact is, many consumers are sulphur-sensitive. But occasionally, Pegasus produce one which is superb, in which the fruit is dominant to the winemaking artefacts. Therefore every new vintage, one approaches the wine eagerly. This 2008 is on the better side of the line, but only just, helped by good fruit ripeness and concentration. To best enjoy this wine in its not-quite-modern Graves style, open it the day before and pour it splashily into an open-mouth jug, and leave it in a place with air movement. 24 hours later, pour it back splashily into the bottles, and adjust the temperature to optimal. It is better nearer chardonnay temperatures, not too cold. Bouquet and flavour will now show ripe sauvignon and semillon still heavily lees-influenced, the autolysis character not ‘sweet' enough to be called baguette-like, but no longer patently reductive. The wine will be fragrant, rich, bone dry, and highly reminiscent of good modern Graves. Aftertaste is long and ‘mineral’, needing careful matching to food. Score is next day. This wine could be so made so much more beautiful, with more contemporary attention to the high-solids and sulphur loading. Cellar 2 – 12 years. GK 05/09

2007 Martinborough Vineyard Chardonnay 17 ½ (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 14%; $40 [ screwcap; hand-picked including clone mendoza vines up to 29 years old and 5 other clones; BF mostly wild yeast with light solids, 100 MLF then LA and batonnage in French oak 25% new for 12 months; RS 1.3 g/L; www.martinborough-vineyard.co.nz ]
Straw with a wash of gold, advanced for the year. This wine is a surprise, being rather like the orange-label Sacred Hill wine, and very forward for its year. There are rich stonefruit flavours, but again just a suggestion of grassy undertones, as if they were difficulties with the season at harvest. Total flavours are again reminiscent of some gold medal chardonnays of the 1980s, some wine biscuit notes in golden queen peaches, a suggestion of mushrooms in the finish, but all tasting as if five years old. Another wine to enjoy in the next year or so, and not cellar beyond that. GK 05/09

2008 Gladstone Pinot Gris 12 000 Miles 17 ½ (

)

Wairarapa, New Zealand: 13.8%; $21 [ screwcap; low-solids juice fermented in s/s, extended LA; RS 2.5 g/L; www.gladstone.co.nz ]
Light straw, a faint orange flush. This is another wine with attractive New Zealand pinot gris characters that may owe something to a handful of gewurz, but the nett result on bouquet is mock-orange blossom florality and even a hint of strawberry (+ve) on nectarine fruit. Palate shows clear pinot gris flavours, a hint of dried peaches as well as nectarine, varietal phenolics there but not too obtrusive, and neatly balanced to residual at around the riesling ‘dry' level [wrong, lower]. Great to see this winery getting its sulphur use in whites sorted. This is the best wine I have seen in the 12 000 Miles series. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 05/09

2008 Waimea Sauvignon Blanc Barrel-Fermented 17 ½ (

)

Waimea Valley, Nelson, New Zealand: 13%; $22 [ screwcap, BF in 2 – 4 year oak with cultured yeasts, coolish; 4 months LA and batonnage; RS 3.7 g/L; www.waimeaestates.co.nz ]
Lemon with a yellow wash. This is a very distinctive wine, in an older style. It shows ripeish sauvignon fruit almost hidden by fresh aromatic oak, with nearly an American coconut edge to it. It has more the character of a wine held in oak, rather than fermented in it. Palate confirms the oak, the whole wine being reminiscent of Hunter’s or Selak’s Fumé-style sauvignons of the later 80s, except the fruit is richer here. Needs a year to settle down, but being so characterful, this could well be a love or hate wine. In terms of oak in sauvignon, it is the polar opposite of the Babich Winemakers’ Reserve or the rather different Pegasus, being much more ‘obvious’. As the score indicates though, this wine has the fruit to carry the oak. This winestyle can be good with smoked foods. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 05/09

2006 Matua Valley Gewurztraminer Judd Estate 17 ½ (

)

Gisborne, New Zealand: 13%; $24 [ screwcap; (if like the 2007) hand-harvested, 6 hours skin contact as must; s/s fermentation; pH 3.1, RS 8 g/L; www.matua.co.nz ]
Straw washed with gold. This is a different style of gewurz, which first came to notice in New Zealand with the Babich 1979, a wet year with excess botrytis. The key character in such wines is the fresh root-ginger smells and flavours through both bouquet and palate, which don't suit everybody. By the same token, they suit some Asian spicy foods superbly. Palate is tending raw and phenolic, and shows a little VA as is often the case with such wines, but it is richly flavoured. Finish is off-dry. These wines appear to age very quickly at first, such that one thinks they should be all drunk by 3 years, yet they can hang on surprisingly well. Scoring for wines like this is arbitrary, for some would say the wine is too phenolic and clumsy, whereas others like the heaps of flavour. Probably better used sooner than later, all the same – a couple more years. GK 05/09

2008 Sacred Hill Chardonnay Barrel-Ferment 17 ½ (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $21 [ screwcap, some BF, MLF and 6 months LA; RS 1 g/L; www.sacredhill.com ]
Straw, advanced for the year. This is intriguing wine, recapitulating some of the stages New Zealand has been through in achieving the world quality of our topmost chardonnay wines today. It has a lot of golden queen-style fruit, and plenty of bouquet and flavour, with quite rich mouthfeel. But hidden in those flavours are hints of botrytis and a faint grassy note, bespeaking uneven ripeness as used to characterise so many wines of yesteryear, even when they were awarded gold medals. Enjoy this richly-flavoured but slightly flawed wine in the current year or two, rather than cellaring it. GK 05/09

2008 Morton Estate Sauvignon Blanc Hawkes Bay White Label 17 ½ (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12.5%; $19 [ screwcap; all s/s, no oak; www.mortonestatewines.co.nz ]
Pale lemongreen. This is even more clearly a stainless steel sauvignon than the Forrest. It shows similar essential black passionfruit and red capsicum qualities, plus some ripe gooseberry fruit, not quite as rich as, and all a little narrower and harder on palate than the Forrest, with slightly more acid. Last year's Hawkes Bay wine was lower pH than the Marlborough version, but this year's is not on the website yet. Whatever, it is remarkably Marlborough-like for a Hawkes Bay wine, and should mellow up attractively in the next 12 months. Cellar several years, to taste. GK 11/08

2008 Astrolabe Pinot Gris Voyage 17 ½ (

)

Awatere & Waihopai Valleys, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $22 [ screwcap; PG 94%, Gw 4, Ch 2, mostly machine-harvested; most de-stemmed and fermented without solids, some whole-bunch pressed and fermented with solids, all cool-fermented in s/s, no oak or MLF influence (unlike the 2007); RS 6.2 g/L; www.astrolabewines.co.nz ]
Colour is a little different from the 2007, slightly flushed straw. Bouquet is much more aromatic and fragrant than the 2007, but whereas the 2007 smells of beautiful yellow flowers, the 2008 smells of rosepetal, pearflesh and nashi pear, due to threshold VA. Palate on the 2008 is fragrant, well-fruited but simpler than the 2007, without the latter's lovely rich texture from 25% MLF and the complexity of a dash of riesling. Instead, the 2008 shows the gewurztraminer a little too clearly to respect the delicate pinot gris totally, on a slightly drier ‘riesling-dry’ finish. These two vintages of the one wine make an exceptionally interesting pair in terms of massaging pinot gris character in different ways, yet both are good examples of the ‘augmented’ New Zealand interpretation of this variety. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 06/09

2006 Craggy Range Merlot / Cabernet Sauvignon/ Cabernet Franc Te Kahu 17 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $24 [ cork; DFB; Me 58%, CS 22, CF 15, Ma 5, hand-harvested @ 2.8 t/ac; 100% de-stemmed; fermented in s/s; 18 months in French oak 51% new; fined and filtered; RS nil; Catalogue: not in; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby. Bouquet is soft, sweetly floral, enticing, and clearly varietal, all the qualities sought in reputable cru bourgeois-level Bordeaux blends, but not always found. There is good cassisy berryfruit and red and black plums, and tobacco-y oak. Palate is clearly lighter than the other Craggy Range wines, but it still shows the firm’s attention to detail in keeping a total bordeaux style, with fragrant ripe fruit, gentle older oak, and all clearly food-friendly and appealing. Te Kahu was going to be an export-only label, but wine markets are retrenching overseas as well. It is now also being marketed in New Zealand, where it is seen as an entry wine to Craggy's premium Hawkes Bay / Bordeaux blend series. Cellar 3 – 8 years or so. VALUE GK 07/09

2006 Chapoutier Chateauneuf-du-Pape Barbe Rac 17 ½ (

)

Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Southern Rhone Valley, France: 15%; $107 [ cork; Gr 100% including some of oldest in district 90 + years; www.chapoutier.com ]
Ruby, fractionally deeper than the Croix de Bois. Grenache being a thin-skinned variety, it is entirely appropriate that it is offered with pinot noir colour, due to Chapoutier's monocepage policy. Bouquet shows the same pure fruit as the Croix de Bois, but with a much more sophisticated veneer of dark mushroomy and what seems to be cooperage-related quality and intrigue to it. Palate is the raspberry and loganberry of grenache, plus cinnamon spice, but the oak has softened the wine relative to the simpler Croix de Bois, making for an aromatic very pure interpretation of grenache. Again, due to Chapoutier's monocepage hang-up, it will never show the complexity of more informed Chateauneuf du Papes, but it will cellar 5 – 15 years in its heady one-dimensional style. GK 03/10

2003 Neudorf Pinot Noir Home Vineyard 17 ½ (

)

Moutere Hills, Nelson, New Zealand: 14.5%; $65 [ screwcap; nil whole bunch; 10 months in French oak, 40% new; www.neudorf.co.nz ]
Mature pinot noir ruby. Like the Villa Seddon, this is soft and burgundian wine, but not quite the varietal accuracy some of the others show. Bouquet is fragrant, soft, mature fruit with a little decay (+ve) and compost, plus brown mushrooms. Palate is wonderfully rich, and certainly pinot noir in its complexed way, so in a more hedonistic judging this would be ranked more highly. Aftertaste is long and ripe-fruit-skinsy, exciting. Will hold a year or two yet. GK 02/10

2006 Au Bon Climat Pinot Noir Isabelle 17 ½ (

)

Multi-region, California, USA: 13.5%; $70 [ cork; US$50; nil whole bunch; 20 months French oak, 100% new; www.aubonclimat.com ]
Classic pinot noir ruby. The first word I wrote down for this wine in the blind tasting was, Pommard. Bouquet is classic red roses and red cherries pinot noir, with a lovely savoury lift, which does in fact conceal an academic trace of brett. Palate is neat and firm, fruit beautifully dominant over oak despite the extraordinary elevage, a light flavour alongside the dark fruits of the Felton, but on examination, not at all weak – the dry extract here is as good as any. This wine needed longer to breathe than the format of the International tasting allowed, but this lovely Pommard styling and flesh is one we need more of in New Zealand. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 02/10

2007 Craggy Range Pinot Noir Calvert Vineyard 17 ½ (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.9%; $47 [ screwcap; nil whole bunch; 10 months in French oak, 38% new ]
A fresher and deeper pinot noir ruby than many in the tasting leads on to a soft rich nearly plummy bouquet, with new oak as noticeable as the floral component. Palate likewise is soft and nearly fat, bottled black doris plums more than cherries, all somewhat lacking in red fruits florality and zing, and therefore tending a little portly for burgundian pinot noir. This is a wine more designed to please hedonistically than intellectually, a wine which might be reviewed more highly in America than Europe, and by modernists rather than classicists. The total wine however is mouth-filling and fruity, and still clearly pinot noir despite the new oak. The key to its being so different from the Felton Road and Pyramid Valley wines is the complete absence of a whole bunch component, the wine therefore lacking the freshness which a judicious stalk component may provide. Highly instructive, these three style interpretations of pinot noir from the same vineyard. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 02/10

2008 Montana Pinot Noir Terraces T 17 ½ (

)

Brancott Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $33 [ screwcap; nil whole bunch; 10 months in French oak 47% new, balance 1 and 2-year; older terraces in the Brancott Valley; www.pernod-ricard-pacific.com ]
Pinot noir ruby, just below midway in depth. Bouquet is softly red cherry fruits, with some florals at a red roses point of ripeness. Palate is in a similar style to the '07 Cloudy Bay, but the fruit shows just a critical notch more physiological maturity, the cherries a little darker. Very understated wine, not as much bouquet as the Spy Valley, but clearly redfruits pinot noir of some depth and substance. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 02/10

2007 Pisa Range Estate Pinot Noir Black Poplar Block 17 ½ (

)

Cromwell Basin, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14.5%; $40 [ screwcap; nil whole bunch; 12 months in French oak, 33% new; www.pisarangeestate.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, one of the darker wines. Bouquet is deeply floral, showing the dusky rose and boronia level of physiological maturity, on black cherry fruit, all smelling richly varietal. Palate is saturated with black cherry fruit grading to bottled black doris plums, now seeming a little over-ripe and weighty, not quite as fresh as the 2007 Waitiri Creek. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 02/10

2003 Felton Road Pinot Noir Block 5 17 ½ (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $56 [ screwcap; 16% whole bunch; elevage detail (now corrected from the Conference booklet, Blair Walter, pers. comm) is 11 months in French oak, 38% new, followed by a further 6 months in 3-year-old oak; www.feltonroad.com ]
Mature pinot noir ruby, one of the deepest in the tasting. As with all the wines in the 2003 tasting, the first impression is oak. A general message needs to be taken out of that. Behind the oak are fragrant rather burly fruit notes too, and just a hint of decay (+ve). The wine is not exactly floral, but it is fragrant and plummily varietal. Palate is quite rich, too oaky, a little 'beefy', but this is clearly varietal with good flavour length and nett feel as pinot noir. Fully mature, but will hold several years. GK 02/10

2005 Guigal Cote-Rotie Brune et Blonde 17 ½ (

)

Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $105 [ Cork, 50mm, ullage 7mm; release price c.$106; Spectator rating for year 94: drought-influenced, long-term cellaring; typically Sy 96%, Vi 4, average vine age 35 years, said to be cropped at the same rate as d’Ampuis, namely 4.8 t/ha = 1.95 t/ac, but often seems as if the rate a little higher; 20 – 25 days cuvaison, elevation three years in barrel, mostly small-wood from the 2004 vintage on, 40 – 50% new; JR reports a RS of 2 g/L for the 2005 … but might this be non-fermentable, thus an element of confusion ? R. Hemming @ JR, 2010: Slightly farmyardy nose, ink, pepper, grainy tannins, light body and lingering aromatic flowery finish with a good pinch of spice, 16.5; J.L-L, 2012: Has a floral, well-filled black fruit nose of serious depth. There are oily notes with a peppery snap. It extends well, is a confident do. There are dark, tannic traces and an air of smoky Indian tea. The palate centres on direct fruit with closely attached grain tannins. It moves through that stage into a more floral, nuanced finish, then ends on the typical 2005 tightness that mingles in with aromatic notes. It has a good mineral and free run, so isn’t one of the cooked, over fat Brune et Blondes – indeed this is their classic Côte-Rôtie bang back on form, with grapes from the higher zones excluded since 2004. Has plenty of gras richness, but is still linear. It ends “up”, has great length, sustains well. Attractive, mainly masculine wine. 13.5°. To 2029, ***(*); RP @ RP, 2009: a big, sweet nose of bacon fat, cassis, jammy cherries, and peppery herbs. Full-bodied and lush, it is ideal for drinking over the next 10-12 years, 92; weight bottle and closure: 576 g ; www.guigal.com ]
Ruby, in the middle for depth. The 2005 was reticent at the tasting, and being next door to the 2010 in the line-up, it seemed just a quiet shadow of it. It is somewhat fragrant but not obviously floral, and berry character is hard to pin down. In mouth there is much more fruit than the bouquet suggests, but the flavours though tending cassissy seem tanniny and reluctant to ‘give’. There are no faults: it is just a hard wine to come to terms with. I suspect once the tannins start to polymerise, and the wine crusts, a much more fragrant and ‘typical’ Cote-Rotie will, butterfly-like, emerge. Tasters were equally puzzled by the wine, with no votes for any factor at all. Cellar 15 – 20 years. GK 10/20

2007 Ngatarawa Merlot / Cabernet Alwyn Winemaker's Reserve 17 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels & Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $48 [ supercritical cork; Me 80%, CS 20, hand-harvested @ c.2.5 t/ac, inoculated ferments, cuvaison to c.23 days; 16 months in French oak averaging 42% new; RS < 1 g/L; 2007 not on website yet; www.ngatarawa.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, in the middle for depth. This wine marked a kind of turning point in the tasting, the more highly-rated wines being exciting for one reason or another. Bouquet and styling are more developed / forward than many of the 2007 Hawke's Bay wines, giving a more integrated impression with berry and oak marrying up. There are suggestions of cassis, plums, cedar and tobacco, the whole wine showing more ripeness, depth and concentration than previous Alwyns. This presumably reflects the increasing Gimblett Gravels fraction in the wine, contrasting with the rather more leafy style the home vineyards have averaged over the years. Palate is intriguing, the oak showing more now, but the flavours are long and with reasonable fruit against the oak, promising well. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 01/10

2005 Passage Rock Cabernet / Merlot Reserve 17 ½ (

)

Eastern Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14%; $30 [ screwcap; CS 90%, Me 5, CF 5, hand-harvested; 14 days cuvaison; 15 months in mostly American oak 50% new; sterile-filtered; www.passagerockwines.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, one of the deeper ones. This one could be confused with a Hawkes Bay wine. Bouquet shows good aromas even including a hint of mint, cassisy and cabernet-like, but is also very oaky. On palate there is plenty of flavour, but even more oak, which hardens the wine and robs it of fruit generosity. There is sufficient underlying fruit to cellar reasonably well, but whether to lose oak tannins or not is hard to say. A bit out of balance, therefore, given the emerging fragrant and poised Waiheke style. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 06/08

2006 Pask Merlot Declaration 17 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $50 [ screwcap; www.cjpask.co.nz ]
Ruby. Bouquet is fragrant, but without clear fruit definition, and made more fragrant with some American oak. Palate is ripe and soft, some cassis and plum now, reminders of the earlier McWilliams Cabernet Sauvignon from Hawkes Bay (re that vanillin oak), already mellowing nicely. Not a big wine, but attractive, to cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/10

2008 Villa Maria Merlot Reserve 17 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $50 [ screwcap; not on website yet; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a gorgeous colour. Bouquet benefits from decanting, to show a richly cassisy and oaky wine of great purity, appealing despite the oak. Palate expands the berry to include quite dark plums, potentially cedary oak, good ripeness in a fresh crisp way, and great elegance. I would prefer the acid and oak a little lower, but this should become very fragrant wine. At the blind stage, it seemed more cabernet and northern Medoc in style. Cellar 5 – 15 years, maybe longer. GK 06/10

2007 Trinity Hill [ Merlot / Cabernets ] The Gimblett 17 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $34 [ supercritical cork; Me, CS, PV, CF, Ma; www.trinityhill.com ]
Ruby and velvet. Best decanted vigorously, to reveal plummy fruit with a shadow of mixed ripeness, in fair oak. Palate is another in a sturdy obvious style, very plummy, a bit oaky, but it should fine down in cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 06/10

2008 Clearview Estate [ Cabernets / Merlot ] Old Olive Block 17 ½ (

)

Te Awanga, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $39 [ supercritical cork; CS 48, CF 25, Me 14%, Ma 13; www.clearviewestate.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. This is a cabernet / merlot tending Australian in style, good berry fruit but a lot of oak, a suggestion of mint, very new world. In mouth the berry shows suggestions of mixed ripeness, not exactly perfect cassis expression, the floral and fresh small-fruits notes being replaced by vanillin aromas and long plummy suggestions. Fruit richness is fairly good, and needs to be, to stand up to the oak. It achieves a better balance than the Matariki. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 06/10

2009 Abbey Cellars Malbec Temptation 17 ½ (

)

Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $31 [ screwcap; Ma 100%; all the wine in three-year French oak; www.abbeycellars.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, good. Bouquet opens up with air, to be a little unusual in a cabernet / merlot class. There is a clear suggestion of cassis and wallflower florality as if there were a percentage of syrah, on bottled black doris plummy fruit. Though not applicable in this case, syrah in Hawkes Bay blends makes good sense, and could lead to making them distinctive in the world scene. Palate matches, a plummy and fruity soft wine without a lot of oak influence, yet unlike the Corbans Couper's Shed it doesn't seem a stainless steel wine [ later confirmed ]. The soft almost juicy (+ve) plummyness is appealing, perhaps a little simple, but there is enough oak to add interest. Not a big wine, but nicely varietal, to cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 06/10

2005 Sacred Hill Merlot Brokenstone 17 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $ – [ screwcap; Me 91%, CS 5, CF 4, hand-picked; cuvaison approx 41 days; 14.5 months in French oak 100% new, no lees stirring; RS < 0.1 g/L; www.sacredhill.com ]
Ruby and velvet, clearly older than the field. Freshly opened, bouquet is older too, with both a hint of maturity and a lot of oak, in plummy fruit. Palate is rich but very oaky for the variety, tip-toeing towards the Pask Declaration Cabernet / Merlot / Malbec of the same year. Mellow now, but may become unbalanced with age. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 10/10

2006 Kumeu River Chardonnay Maté's Vineyard 17 ½ (

)

Kumeu, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.5%; $59 [ screwcap; library stock price; hand-harvested from vines planted in 1990; whole-bunch pressed; wild-yeast fermentation entirely in French oak; 100% MLF; 11 months in barrel with LA; www.kumeuriver.co.nz ]
Lemon-straw. The comments for the 2007 Maté's apply here too, for this is a bigger and more complex wine than the 2006 Estate. The suggestion of reduction many winemakers want in chardonnay, as discussed for the 2009 Riflemans, is here a little too obtrusive. For those sensitive to reduction, a splashy decanting is best. Palate is richer than the 2006 Estate, but the winemaker influence with mealy almost cheese-like (good cheese !) complexity notes plus oak makes this a flavoursome wine, for rich foods. This too will hold for several years yet. GK 10/10

2009 Kumeu River Pinot Gris 17 ½ (

)

Kumeu, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.5%; $28 [ screwcap; hand-harvested including a little botrytis this year; wild-yeast fermentation; the Brajkovichs prefer no MLF in the wine; 8.5 g/L RS; www.kumeuriver.co.nz ]
Straw. Unlike pinot noir, pinot gris has performed well in North Auckland, with both Kumeu River and several Matakana examples showing good varietal character and texture. This wine is fragrant in a white nectarine way, the bouquet being particularly good. Palate is only slightly less, white stonefruit, pear flesh and a touch of cinnamon, the finish near-dry, tasting drier than the given number would suggest. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 10/10

2010 Trapiche Malbec Oak Cask 17 ½ (

)

Mendoza, Argentina: 14%; $13 [ supercritical cork; Ma 100% grown above 750 m, hand-harvested; cuvaison 25 days presumably in s/s; unstated % aged in French and American oak for 9 months; http://www.trapiche.com.ar/english/vinos_pdf/roble/MA.pdf ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, the darkest wine in the beaujolais set, but not ridiculously so. Quite apart from the modern closure here too, how the Trapiche wines have changed over the last 15 years. This wine shows fragrant plummy berryfruit which is just gorgeous. It is not too far out of kilter with the 2009 Moulin a Vent in its plummyness, which shows how dramatically Trapiche have finessed their wines. In mouth the wine is not quite so special, there is a trace of stalk in the plummy fruit, but again it is so much lighter, fresher, purer and more winey than 15 years ago. It gives the impression of a wine blended from a stainless steel component, a big old oak component, and a new barrique component – perhaps the smallest percentage. Being a 2010 it is not yet completely married up. This wine is absolutely benchmark commercial malbec. It shows convincingly how most New Zealand malbec is not ripe enough, so winemakers try to hide the stalkyness with oak – which only makes the wine coarser. Here the hint of stalk is so subtle, like the oak now, it merely freshens the wine. There might be 2 g/L residual sugar. This is a great commercial wine, which will cellar 3 – 10 years. Like the montepulciano therefore, at $13 or thereabouts it is best bought by the caseload. VALUE GK 09/12

2009 Mt Difficulty Pinot Noir Roaring Meg 17 ½ (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.8%; $28 [ screwcap; second label including young vines; cuvaison c.24 days; 9 months in c.20% new French oak; no fining, light filter; www.mtdifficulty.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is highly varietal, combining appealing floral notes with red cherry and a suggestion of oak aromatics. Palate follows on beautifully, another affordable introduction to Otago pinot noir, showing all the freshness of a freshly-bitten cherry. Finishes dry, with just a trace of leaf / stalk. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 09/10

2009 Charcoal Gully Pinot Noir Sally's Pinch 17 ½ (

)

Pisa district, Cromwell Basin, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $29 [ screwcap; hand-picked from a single vineyard; all de-stemmed; 8 months in French oak 32% new; Sally's Pinch is a topographic feature in the ranges to the west, not reference to a particular blend; www.charcoalgully.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is a very attractive indeed, classical pinot noir florality spanning red roses to boronia, on red more than black cherry fruit, plus subtlest sweet oak. Palate is a little less, and in youth is slightly phenolic, as if the wine has not had serious elevage, but is seen as a more short-term one. Nevertheless it is delightfully varietal. May need re-evaluating. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 09/10

2007 Amisfield Pinot Gris 17 ½ (

)

Lowburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $35 [ screwcap; (if similar to the 2008) PG 100%, hand-picked, whole-bunch pressed; early-picked fractions fermented in s/s, later-picked wild-yeast BF; 5 months LA in French oak; www.amisfield.co.nz ]
Lemon-straw. Bouquet is soft, clean and mild, vaguely white floral and more clearly white stonefruit and pear-flesh, easily suggesting it is pinot family in a blind tasting. Palate has fair fruit mainly white nectarine, some of the phenolics of the variety standing in slightly aggressively for oak, and a long flavour with the residual sugar scarcely apparent. Serious pinot gris, food friendly, attractive, to cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 09/10

2005 Carrick Chardonnay Cairnmuir Terraces EBM 17 ½ (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $32 [ screwcap; hand-picked mendoza mainly; all barrel-fermented on high-solids, mostly wild-yeast; 20% new oak in the first 11 months or so of elevage, then another 6 months in older barrels, all on lees and batonnage as needed; not fined or filtered; EBM = Extra Barrel Maturation; www.carrick.co.nz ]
Full lemonstraw. Shy at first opening, but with air developed into a clean sweetly-smelling smoky chardonnay of some varietal depth, including peachy stonefruit. Palate is rich, textured, with attractive complexity from lees autolysis, but rather much new oak detracting from possible Meursault comparisons. Total acid is just within bounds, and makes the wine very firm. Wines like this do indicate the potential for fine chardonnay in the district, but the acids remain a problem. Balance and nett flavour are finer and subtler than the Kawarau Estate. Cellar another 2 – 5 years, though the oak in this case may intrude. GK 09/10

2002 Akarua Pinot Noir 17 ½ (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14.5%; $40 [ screwcap; historic price; www.akarua.com ]
Mature good pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is a vivid contrast with the 2009s, no longer floral as such, but still fragrant in a slightly leathery way, with cherry and red plum fruit browning a little. Palate adds in a little much oak, as was more the style of the time, but the excellent fruit richness nearly carries it. Aftertaste is a little tannic. No hurry to finish this, but the oak will increase as the fruit fades. Cellar 1 – 4 years. It was a pleasure to see this and another 2002, and to find I had reviewed it somewhat unsympathetically in 2004. There is no end to learning about wine. GK 09/10

2009 Carrick Pinot Noir Unravelled 17 ½ (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $24 [ screwcap; some whole bunch, 5 days cold soak, up to c.14 days cuvaison with wild-yeasts only; wild MLF, 11 months in French oak 20% new; unfined and unfiltered; www.carrick.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. Clear pinot noir aromas greet the taster, reflecting both red and black cherries, and the wine is fragrant but not exactly floral. Palate is fresh, total cherry, scarcely oaked, dry. The quality of fruit, and the varietal expression, are excellent – pinot of this quality was winning gold medals not long ago. Finish is firmed by subtle stalk more than oak, giving the wine balance and length. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 09/10

2008 d'Arenberg Cabernet Sauvignon High Trellis 17 ½ (

)

McLaren Vale, South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $24 [ screwcap; CS 94%, Me 3, PV 3, the Me Adelaide Hills; a small part of the wine BF and lees-matured, some raised in French and American barriques some new, at least half in large old oak; www.darenberg.com.au ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. This is an intriguing wine. It opens quite differently from the 2006, instead showing overt juicy cassis with academic VA, but also a strange herbes aromatic more like dried salvias than any other clear analogy. Palate is lighter and fresher than the 2006, the oak and acid again subtly done, with attractive cassis tapering into the aftertaste. These are two very different wines, but I imagine as many would prefer one as the other. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 07/10

2010 Stonyridge [ Cabernet / Malbec / Merlot ] Airfield 17 ½ (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13%; $45 [ cork; CS 43%, Ma 31, Me 26, hand-picked, organic vineyard; 28 days cuvaison in 2010; MLF in barrel, 12 months in French 80% and American oak 10% new in 2010; now marketed as the second wine of Larose, 500 cases; not fined or filtered; www.stonyridge.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, lighter and less oak influenced than Larose, more the weight of the Passage Rock Cabernet. Bouquet is nowhere near as minty as Larose, raising the interesting question, is that mint associated with petit verdot, since that variety is lacking here ? I guess on reflection, no, for Pilgrim shows pennyroyal too. The quality of bouquet inclines to bordeaux notwithstanding the malbec, beautifully fragrant, oak subtle. Palate is even more bordeaux-like, absolutely cru bourgeois level, fragrant, well-balanced, attractive, immaculately pure, understated but not weak. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 10/12

2007 d'Arenberg Marsanne / Viognier Hermit Crab 17 ½ (

)

McLaren Vale 66%, Adelaide Hills 34%, South Australia, Australia: 13.5%; $21 [ screwcap; Vi 66%, Ma 34; 5% of the Vi BF in 5-year or older French and American oak, balance s/s; RS 4.6 g/L; www.darenberg.com.au ]
Attractive lemon, much the same as the Passage Rock Viognier. Bouquet is intriguing, much less obvious than the Passage Rock wine, with more emphasis on orange blossom and citrus, and just a hint of spice, mace perhaps – not sure. Palate is beautifully clean and fresh, also not heavy as so many Australian whites are, the use of oak a masterpiece of subtlety. It is not as vibrant as the Passage Rock Viognier, but in its mildness this would be great food-matching wine. Cellar 1 – 3 years. GK 07/10

2010 Miro Rosé 17 ½ (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 11.5%; $22 [ screwcap; Me & CF, hand-harvested; inoculated yeast, all s/s, no MLF, no oak; made as rosé from scratch; < 2 g/L RS; c.70 cases; www.mirovineyard.co.nz ]
Palest rosé, paler than I would prefer, a bit lurid from excessive youth. The whole styling of this wine is, it seems, to make an excessively pale but highly fragrant wine to match exactly the equally pale pinot noir rosés from further south in New Zealand. It is however made from Loire Valley / Bordeaux grapes (as befits Waiheke). And in it's fragrant nearly raspberry fruit and purity, it succeeds admirably. Like the Obsidian chardonnay, it is in fact 'dry' (less than 2 g/L), but the fruit is so good, it tastes a little sweet. It will be much more attractive in a year, but it seems to sell out long before then. Cellar 2 – 5 years, if you like reflective rosé. GK 06/10

2008 Kennedy Point Merlot 17 ½ (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14.5%; $49 [ cork; earlier vintages have been Me dominant, with a little CF and CS, all hand-picked and BioGro certified organic; MLF and 18 months in French oak 20% new; www.kennedypointvineyard.com ]
Ruby, some development. Bouquet is ripely plummy, a fragrant new world merlot, tending oaky. Flavours show good merlot plums on palate, the oak has some cedary suggestions, and the wine is softer than the bouquet promised. It seems a little riper all through than the 2010 Merlot. Attractive, to cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 10/12

2011 La Vieille Ferme Rosé Ventoux 17 ½ (

)

Ventoux, Southern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $19 [ Gr & Ci dominant, a little Sy; all s/s; website lacks info; http://lavieilleferme.com ]
A perfect rosé colour. Bouquet is immediately winey, fragrant, clean, enticing, everything a good commercial Rhone rosé should be – strawberries, raspberries and a touch of cinnamon. Palate is probably not touched by oak, pleasant fruit, some tannin grip, the flavours a little simpler than ideal, dry. Pretty good, especially since it is cheaper and dryer than many local rosés. Cellar 2 – 4 years. GK 03/13

2010 View East Syrah Reserve 17 ½ (

)

Eastern Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14.5%; $62 [ screwcap; Sy 100%, hand-picked, all de-stemmed; c.12 months in French oak, 50% new; www.vieweast.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, one of the richer colours. This is another example of a Reserve wine having been longer in oak, or having more new oak, so that the varietal quality is skewed by the level of oak. The cassisy quality of the fruit is gorgeous, but the level of oak damps down its varietal expression considerably, and comes to nearly dominate the later palate. Again, many will like the wine more for that, and vote the Reserve wine above the standard wine. Your choice. Fruit in both is gorgeous. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 10/12

2008 Puriri Hills [ Merlot / Cabernet Sauvignon / Malbec ] Estate 17 ½ (

)

Clevedon, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.8%; $45 [ cork; Me 53%, CS 25, Ma 16, Ca 6, hand-harvested @ c.6.75 t/ha = 2.7 t/ac 21 months in French oak 0% new; lightly fined, filtered; www.puririhills.co.nz ]
Ruby, some velvet, the same hue but a little lighter than the Reserve. Bouquet has this extraordinary Bordeaux look-alike quality the best Auckland district merlot / cabernets (and related wines) show, being beautifully floral and fragrant, cassis and violets. Palate is a little less, the wine dainty rather than impressive, exactly in the style of many a good cru bourgeois at perhaps the Potensac level, despite this Estate wine being merlot-dominant. The fragrant even vibrant cassis notes from the cabernet component lift the bouquet greatly. Not a big wine, but one showing good varietal precision. It reminds a little of Benfield & Delamare in that Martinborough wine's riper years. This will be delicious with food, once it has softened in cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 08/12

2009 Greystone Riesling 17 ½ (

)

Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 11.5%; $23 [ screwcap; not on website; www.greystonewines.co.nz ]
Fractionally deeper lemon than the Late-Harvest version. Bouquet is subtle in this company, a delicate linden blossom quality, only the lightest lemon and citrus zest, very pure. Palate is much clearer in character, now showing freesia floral notes in mouth, as well as vanillin and lemon juice flavours with some botrytis, in an off-dry finish nicely balanced to acid. Yet there is still some awkwardness too, the wine really needing more time in bottle to harmonise, and maybe score higher. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 06/11

2009 Mills Reef Syrah Reserve Gimblett Gravels 17 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $22 [ screwcap; previous years have had a little viognier, unknown for this one; 100% de-stemmed, 6 days cold-soak, s/s ferment and cuvaison; 15-ish months in barrel, the kind of oak and percentage new unknown; www.millsreef.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, not as rich as the Dry River. First impression on bouquet is oak, but below there is clear cassisy fruit with perhaps some wallflower florals, plus blackberry and loganberry undertones. The oak is a little charry, adding a populist touch of chocolate. Palate is smoother than the oak aroma suggests, the wine attractively balanced and flavoursome in mouth, and it lingers well. There is almost a touch of the Wolf Blass approach to oak elevation, here. Cellar 3 – 8 years or so. VALUE GK 06/11

2009 Mills Reef Cabernet / Merlot Reserve 17 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $22 [ screwcap; CS 64%, Me 36; 4 days cold soak followed by fermentation in s/s; 15 months in barrel 60% French, 40 American, some new; www.millsreef.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, considerably deeper than the Mills Reef Syrah, more oak-affected than the Kidnapper Cliffs. There is a lot of bouquet, like the Syrah the soft fragrant oak lifting the berryfruit but not dominating it too much. In this wine 'lifted' is used advisedly, there being threshold VA. Palate shows clear cassis, nice fruit in a medium-weight wine, all fragrant and harmonious with nicely judged ripeness, well in style but not seriously rich. Like the syrah, I imagine will this will give much pleasure, and at the price is well worthwhile. Cellar 5 – 10 years. VALUE GK 06/11

2009 Kidnapper Cliffs Cabernet Sauvignon 17 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $40 [ cork; no info, see Ariki; www.kidnappercliffs.com ]
Dense ruby, carmine and velvet, a most impressive colour. Straight out of the bottle, given the colour, bouquet immediately disappoints, like so many big Australian reds. It is heavy and dull, almost a fusel oil-like dullness suppressing florality and berry charm. This wine needs oxygen desperately. Splashily decanted a number of times, it improves considerably. Through the heavy tannins one can now see a terrific concentration of darkest plum more than cassis fruit, you can detect it has passed through the cassis stage of flavour, and traces remain, but at this stage the wine is too black and biting and tannic to qualify as a good Hawkes Bay blend. By the same token, it will cellar for ages, and in old age as the tannins condense, it should be much more pleasing. The score is strictly for long cellaring – the wine is almost impenetrable right now. Cellar 10 – 25 years, maybe longer. GK 06/11

2008 Grasshopper Rock Pinot Noir Earnscleugh 17 ½ (

)

Alexandra, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14.2%; $35 [ screwcap; 5% whole bunch; 10 months in French oak, 30% new; www.grasshopperrock.co.nz ]
Lighter pinot noir ruby. Bouquet on this wine is astonishingly burgundian, in the apparently lighter yet in fact still satisfying style of Rousseau (again). There are lovely roses and boronia florals on red cherry fruit, subtly oaked. Palate is fragrant and integrated, red fruits, savoury, refreshing, all the charm of pinot noir. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 06/11

2009 Mondillo Pinot Noir 17 ½ (

)

Bendigo, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14.5%; $41 [ screwcap; hand-harvested; 100% de-stemmed; 11 months in French oak c.30% new; www.mondillo.com ]
Lighter pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is attractively fragrant, showing real boronia florality and red cherry pinot character, plus a touch of aromatic and perhaps estery complexity. Palate is much more mature than some 2009s, with an attractive flavour let down by stalky tail. Nett impression is clearly varietal. Intriguing that the Rippon and the Mondillo come from one of the cooler and wetter versus warmer and driest parts of Otago, respectively, yet share a certain cool complexity, disregarding the differing vintages. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 06/11

2009 Akarua Pinot Noir 17 ½ (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $38 [ screwcap; clones 5 and 6 predominate in a mix of 7 clones cropped @ c. 5.5 t/ha = 2.3 t/ac; no whole bunch, some wild yeast; a barrel selection comprising 22% of the harvest; 10 months in French oak, 30% new; www.akarua.com ]
Pinot noir ruby. This is benchmark New Zealand pinot noir, a similar weight and floral complexity of bouquet to the Ata Rangi, with attractive red cherry fruits, fresh flavours, balanced oak, and pleasing length – a food-friendly wine. It is not quite as rich as the Ata Rangi. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/11

2010 [ Ngatarawa ] Glazebrook Chardonnay Black Label 17 ½ (

)

Bridge Pa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $27 [ screwcap; Ch hand-harvested from 11-year vines; all BF in French oak 30% new, 20% warm ferments, 20% wild yeast, no MLF component at all; 11 months in the same barrels; what a pleasure the Ngatarawa website is becoming, with such a good level of detail now; www.ngatarawa.co.nz ]
Lemon more than straw, good. Bouquet is clear chardonnay in a fractionally lighter weight than the de Vine wine, not quite so ripe and oaky, subtle all through. Palate shows an elegant balance of pale peachy fruit, subtle barrel-ferment and lees-autolysis, in a clean wine which is attractively balanced. This is elegant chardonnay which will appeal to those preferring not quite so much oak. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 08/12

2006 Forrest Chardonnay Wairau Valley John Forrest Collection 17 ½ (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $45 [ screwcap; hand-picked; not much wine-making detail given; RS 4 g/L; www.forrest.co.nz ]
Deepening lemon, a touch of brass, a better hue than the 2010 Elston. Bouquet is slightly leesy quite rich chardonnay with nearly floral notes, plus yellow stonefruits qualities. It smells like clone mendoza, but clones 15 and 95 in fact dominate. Palate shows oak still a little prominent, marrying into reasonably rich oatmealy stonefruit of good length, the length assisted by acid and oak. Aftertaste has better ripeness than many Marlborough chardonnays, a hint of mango even, the acid covering the residual sugar totally so it seems dry. It is a much bolder wine than the 2010 Elston, but with the thread of white burgundy-like reduction, it will cellar well another 2 – 5 years. GK 08/11

2010 Te Mata Estate Viognier Zara 17 ½ (

)

Tutaekuri River Valley SW side, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $27 [ supercritical ‘cork’; hand-harvested; c. 70% of the wine BF in seasoned oak only plus 8 months LA and batonnage on gross lees, balance s/s; all oak French third-year or older; fractions assembled and all in old oak further 3 months; RS nil; www.temata.co.nz ]
Lemon-straw, attractive. First impressions on bouquet are of a lot more ripeness and substance in this year's edition of Te Mata's viognier, as if the cropping rate has been curtailed. The piquant yellow honeysuckle and apricot-nuanced stonefruit aromas are great. Palate is not quite so rewarding, since Te Mata prefer no MLF in their viognier and hence the wine is a bit narrow and acid, though quite rich. But the flavours are lovely as far as they go, with much better ripeness than previously, so some yellow-tinged apricot does come through. Finish is slightly phenolic, always a problem with this variety, though the oak is subtle. Cellar 1 – 3 years. GK 08/11

2011 [ Ngatarawa ] Glazebrook Pinot Gris 17 ½ (

)

Bridge Pa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $21 [ screwcap; PG machine harvested, s/s-fermented; RS 4 g/L; www.ngatarawa.co.nz ]
Faintly flushed pale straw. Bouquet is beautifully fresh, clean and lightly varietal, nearly floral in a palest rosebud way. Palate is clearly pear-flesh pinot gris, but the phenolics are carefully handled to give just a pleasing suggestion of grip and some cinnamon. The residual sweetness is elegant, virtually dry. Serious pinot gris, to cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 08/12

2008 Wynns Coonawarra Shiraz Michael 17 ½ (

)

Coonawarra, South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $104 [ screwcap; Sh nominally 100%, made from the best fraction of the crop in the better years only; 14 months in French oak 60% new; RS < 1 g/L; first made in 1955, then lapsed till 1990; www.wynns.com.au ]
Dense ruby, carmine and velvet, a little brighter than the 2008 John Riddoch. Bouquet is too ripe for syrah character, there being only shadows of cassis in a soft rich blackly plummy aroma, with hints of dark chocolate and lots of oak. Palate is ample, saturated with plummy grading to blackberry fruit, some chocolate, still a lot of oak. At this ripeness level beauty is being sacrificed to size. Sadly there is a huge constituency for whom size is all that matters in wine, food matching is irrelevant, and macho prevails. This wine will please such people, but sadly, the opportunity to produce something beautiful has been lost. Cellar 5 – 30 years. GK 08/11

2010 Philip Shaw Shiraz The Idiot 17 ½ (

)

Orange, NSW, Australia: 13.5%; $33 [ screwcap; Sh 100%; 18 months in French and American oak 10% new; vineyard @ 900m so one of the highest in Australia, soils derived from volcanic, calcareous and loess material, annual rainfall c.850 mm, Feb – April the driest months; this is the young vines / second-level shiraz, 18 – 20 days cuvaison, older French oak only; www.philipshaw.com.au ]
Ruby, quite light. The crass name gets the wine off to a bad start – unfortunate when Orange promises so much as a district, if the goal be the refinement of Australian wine. Bouquet shows a lot of eucalyptus-tainted mint, but it is not as coarse as some eucalyptus oil aromas. Below that is fragrant red-fruited shiraz, reminiscent of some Grampians and Great Western shiraz wines. Palate matches exactly, a lighter and fragrant but not weak interpretation of shiraz, reminding of the style Seppelts used to make when their Chalambar Burgundy was mainly Great Western fruit, long before it sank into commercial anonymity. Those wines aged astonishingly well, and I suspect this one will too. An interesting wine, therefore, if only it weren't so minty. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 08/11

2005 Taylors Shiraz Eighty Acres 17 ½ (

)

Clare Valley, South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $18 [ screwcap; Eighty Acres designed as a ‘juicy down-to-earth’ range of wines; dawn harvest; 100% de-stemmed; all s/s co-fermentation; MLF and 12 months in US oak 300s 10% new; RS not given; www.taylorswines.com.au ]
Ruby and velvet. In the New Zealand context, clearly Australian wine, but the eucalyptus is in the subtler spearmint spectrum, and the fruit blackberry rather than boysenberry. Oak is obtrusive. Palate is lighter and more sophisticated than the bouquet promises, more the weight of the Bullnose Syrah. Once the oak marries in, this will be fragrant interesting wine, if the peppermint also marries away a little. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 08/11

2010 Guigal Cotes du Rhone Rosé 17 ½ (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $26 [ screwcap; Gr 50%, Ci 40, Mv 5, Sy 5; average vine age 25 years; cropped at slightly more than 5 t/ha (2 t/ac); free-run juice, all s/s; 20,000 cases; www.guigal.com ]
Pretty medium-light rosé. Bouquet is pure, winey, and fragrant in a light way, smelling of red grapes and especially cinsaut. Palate shows slightly fleshy good fruit and body, light tannin grip, and a dry finish. Guigal's Rosé really is the world benchmark. All New Zealand winemakers who make rosé need bottles of this to hand, for calibration purposes. One can easily imagine a more interesting rosé, but firstly candidate wines need to be as straightforwardly pleasing as this rosé is, clearly made from red grapes, and dry or nearly so. Cellar 1 – 3 years, which improves the wine distinctly (as usual, despite conventional wisdom). GK 08/12

1984 Guigal Cotes du Rhone 17 ½ (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: – %; $ – [ cork; thought to be then Gr dominant with Mv & Sy, some minor vars; average vine age significant and cropping rate lowish to house standards; much of the wine spent time in large old French oak; www.guigal.com ]
Ruby and garnet, mature pinot noir weight. Bouquet is floral in a fading sense and beautifully fragrant, as so many of the Guigal wines were in the 1980s. Palate still has lovely red fruits now browning somewhat, red cherries, plums and raspberry, a touch of cinnamon as if grenache were dominant then. Guigal Cotes du Rhone was vastly superior in the 1980s to what it is now, with mass-produced syrah dominant. It astonishes me how condescending the American reviewers are about Cotes du Rhone, even good Cotes du Rhone. Remarks like "Drink now" or "consume within 1 to 3 years" abound, whereas well-constituted blended wines with appropriate varieties (particularly mourvedre) will evolve into beautiful pinot noir-like but slightly spicy, fragrant, and well-fruited light wines for 30 + years. Robert Parker / The Wine Advocate has expressed more appreciation for the style than most, but the underlying view can be surmised from the fact the 1984 has been deleted from the website. Sad really, for such wines are more accessible to the less well-off, and go to show that good cellar wine can be had affordably. This wine epitomises all that is endearing (and food-friendly) in old red wine, as opposed to big and superficially impressive. And the 1983 and 1985 are much better, clearly very beautiful wines indeed, yet they too are deleted. 1989 is the oldest. Bizarre. Wine Spectator is to be commended for reaching back to the 1980 in their reviews, though they find it harder to give the wine its due. GK 08/11

2010 Auburn Wines Riesling Alexandra 17 ½ (

)

Alexandra, Central Otago, New Zealand: 10.5%; $30 [ screwcap; Ri hand-picked from 10-year old vines, no botrytis, cool-fermented; 45 g/L RS; Auburn Wines is a coming together of three riesling enthusiasts from diverse backgrounds, with the goal of producing only riesling. Thus far there are examples from Alexandra, Bannockburn, Bendigo, and Lowburn, none 'dry'; www.auburnwines.com ]
Pale lemon-green. The name causes something of a double-take, Auburn for tasters of a certain vintage being associated with the Clare Valley and Lindeman's. Bouquet is spare and youthful, with only hints of florals, lime and citrus to come. Palate shows the terpenes of the variety in an appropriate way, fair fruit, medium sweetness, an unknit finish as yet. Needs time in cellar, 3 – 12 years, perhaps to be rated higher. GK 08/11

2010 The Riesling Challenge Matt Dicey 17 ½ (

)

Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 12%; $ – [ screwcap; winemaker based at Mt Difficulty Wines, Central Otago; price: the wines were initially offered at $25 each in the dozen set, but ended up at www.blackmarket.co.nz for $120 the set; wine described as medium by winemaker, and on the divide Medium-Dry / Medium-Sweet by the bar-graph; no other info ]
Lemon-green, below midway in depth. Bouquet is subtle alongside the top wines, but there is a little touch of excitement, almost as if there were some botrytis. There are delicate white clover flower qualities, lightly varietal. Palate is really finessed, invisible phenolics, a subtle wine hinting at the Mosel, vanillin and freesia, mineral, tasting drier than its nearly medium sweetness. Cellar 8 – 12 years. GK 02/12

2010 The Riesling Challenge Jules Taylor 17 ½ (

)

Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 11.5%; $ – [ screwcap; winemaker based at Jules Taylor Wines, Marlborough; the wines were initially offered at $25 each in the dozen set, but ended up at www.blackmarket.co.nz for $120 the set; wine described as off-dry by winemaker, and at the lower end of Medium-Sweet by the bar-graph; no other info ]
A good lemon colour, clearly above halfway in depth. Bouquet is a little different here, the wine very pure, but only lightly varietal, with more a sucrose-y nearly nectar hint. Flavour is clearly riesling though, some citrus and white nectarine, more limezest and phenolics than the McKenna or the Waghorn, the flavour building on medium sweetness. Cellar 8 – 10 years. GK 02/12

2006 Te Mata [ Cabernets / Merlot ] Coleraine 17 ½ (

)

Havelock Hills, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $72 [ cork; hand-harvested CS 43%, Me 49, CF 8; extended cuvaison; average vine age c.20 years; 20 months in French oak 75% new; pH 3.59, RS nil; www.temata.co.nz ]
Ruby, a touch of garnet showing, the change in hue from the 2008 being much greater than 2010 to 2008. Bouquet is quite different from the still-very-primary 2008 and 2010 wines. There is clear secondary complexity creeping in here, with cedary and tobacco-y notes evident on slightly browning cassis and plum fruit. Palate builds the berry component, there is an attractive mellowness, but the fruit weight is tending light, so the oak shows a little. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 03/12

1975 Rudolf Muller Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spatlese QmP 17 ½ (

)

Mosel Valley, New Zealand: – %; $ – [ cork ]
Slightly brassy deep lemon, clearly the palest of the wines. Bouquet shows riesling terpenes quite evident, a slightly hoppy note (+ve), on suggestions of citrus / limezest aroma, moving with age to a thought of candied lemon peel. Palate again has the acid of 1975, a certain austerity, but purity too, which could be called mineral. The level of fruit and the freshness of the wine is amazing, there is absolutely no hurry here at all. GK 03/12

2016 Charvin Cotes-du-Rhone Non-Filtré 17 ½ (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $33 [ cork, 47mm; New Zealand purchase price c.$28; Gr 81%, Sy 7.5, Mv 7.5, Ca 4; details in Introductory sections; J.L-L, 2017: ... a very good, long-lived Cotes du Rhone red as well, the 2016 exceptional, well-structured. Dusty trails, herbes de Provence mix on the nose, spice and cooked plums – it’s a Grenache-inspired bouquet; raspberry and mulberry feature well also. The palate ... thorough and persistent, has more structure than most Cotes du Rhone reds ... Loganberry, dark fruits lie at its heart. The aftertaste is fresh ... and I love its genuine length. It’s properly good table wine, 2019-2029, ****(*); JC@RP, 2018: Beautifully perfumed with touches of garrigue and licorice … Ripe and exotic, it shows notions of peach and stone fruit alongside hints of berries and cherries; a firm, concentrated backbone; and a lingering, silky-textured finish. All whole cluster and made all in concrete, it's a throwback in terms of style, but it leaves a lasting impression, 2018 -- 2023, 91; weight bottle and closure: 563 g; www.domaine-charvin.com ]
Ruby, markedly less depth than the 2010 Charvin, below midway in depth. Bouquet is very fresh, and almost simple: the lack of an oak elevage component showing up dramatically on this wine. On bouquet you wonder if the fruit is quite ripe enough, redcurrant and red raspberry dominating, even a thought of pomegranate. This is wine you therefore need to taste / assess carefully, if you were wondering if to cellar it. Palate is reassuring, no stalky hints, just enough ripeness, good acid balance, a very fresh style of Cotes du Rhone, not the depth and power of the 2010, but good wine shrieking of grenache, light cinnamon tannins to the finish. Some of the extravagant statements about the quality of this 2016 Charvin Cotes-du-Rhone wine on the Net and in auction catalogues recently, would however seem overblown. No first or second places, but four least. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 03/21

2003 Guigal Cotes du Rhone 17 ½ (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $57 [ cork, 45mm; New Zealand purchase price c.$25; Sy 60%, Gr 30, Mv and others 10; production more than 225,000 x 9-litre cases; details in Introductory sections; J.L-L, 2006: … black jam aroma dominates the bouquet; chewy, scented black fruits, and the length is sound, too. Drink quite early. 2010, ***; RP@RP, 2006: Guigal ... has made every effort to continue to increase the quality of both his white and red Cotes du Rhones. The 2003 Cotes du Rhone ... a spicy, earthy bouquet revealing scents of creme de cassis, wild herbs, kirsch, and blackberries. Dense, medium-bodied, and lightly tannic, it is a surprisingly big, substantial Cotes du Rhone in keeping with the finest efforts of the vintage. As I wrote last year, Marcel Guigal, who is not given to over-statements or hyperbole, thinks 2003 is the greatest vintage for the Northern Rhone in his lifetime, 88; weight bottle and closure: 580 g; www.guigal.com ]
Ruby and garnet, alongside the 2007 the garnet here creeping up to equality, midway in depth. Bouquet is appealingly soft, sweet and ripe, nearly a hint of best moist sultanas. Even though 2003 was a warm year in the Southern Rhone Valley, the bouquet is not let down by boysenberry / Australian over-ripe notes. And naturally, the palate is not harshened by acid-addition. The nett result is a lovely warm-year supple wine, a gentle acid balance but not quite as soft as the 1998, good fruit length with browning raspberry and cinnamon suggestions … as if grenache dominant this year. Attractive wine maturing faster than most vintages. One second-place vote. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 03/21

2010 Villa Maria Chardonnay Keltern Single Vineyard 17 ½ (

)

Maraekakaho, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $34 [ screwcap; hand-picked from a cooler vineyard than the Gimblett Gravels, clone 95 at 62% and the balance clone 15, average vine age 12 years; whole-bunch pressed, a fraction settled a little, some juice oxidation; 100% barrel-ferment maintained 18 – 24°, c.25% wild-yeast ferments; 88% through MLF; 10 months in French oak 45% new all from one cooper and with a 36-month seasoning regime, plus older oak to 2 years, batonnage twice weekly the first 8 – 10 weeks till wine stabilised; pH 3.20, RS 1.2 g/l; sterile-filtered; illustrious Show record with numerous Gold Medals and Trophies, top wine of the Show Air NZ 2011 and two lesser competitions; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Lemon green, a sensational colour. Quite apart from the fact that the initial bouquet is tending reductive, the bouquet is, in a word, trendy, showing an excess of the barrel char quality which was so fashionable a year or two back, and compelled winewriters and wine judges to heap unthinking plaudits on such wines. Why ? Simply because that character in moderation is correlated with certain expensive French wines, and is fashionable. Whether the attribute is sufficiently subtle in its character to be positive is not critically dissected. In this wine it is not, for anyone moderately sensitive to reduced sulphur. This tell-tale aroma and flavour treatment was first systematically used by Corbans in their Cottage Block wines in the 1990s, in New Zealand. However, any aroma and flavour cue which includes sulphur compounds has to be handled extremely carefully, both in the winery, and by commentators and judges. Behind the charred quality (burnt toast etc) there is pure white-stonefruits chardonnay. On palate there is a certain narrowness of mouthfeel reminiscent of Elston, but the elevage cannot compare with the complexity and finesse of the latter wine. The char persists, and leads to an acridity on the finish (even though the fruit is fresh), which is lesser. Should cellar 3 – 8 years, but whether to mellow out and become pleasing is open to debate. This wine was one of only two wines in the bracket which were actively disliked by a number of tasters, at the blind stage. It is a perfect example of the folly of following fashion rather than critical sensory analysis in building a cellar. GK 03/12

2013 Esk Valley Merlot / Cabernet Sauvignon / Malbec 17 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $24 [ screwcap; Me 50%, CS 25, Ma 16, CF 9, all de-stemmed; inoculated ferments; 12 months in mostly French oak, 20% new; RS nil; www.eskvalley.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, deeper and older than the Te Mata Estate, just above midway in depth. This wine shows a lot of bouquet and some fragrant oak, with a darkly aromatic berry component like the Te Kahu, pointing at malbec. When compared with Coleraine or Petit Mouton, the malbec component is coarse – no other word for it. Palate is markedly flavourful, richer than Te Kahu, the Te Mata Estate, or even Awatea, and clearly much more appropriately ripe than the latter two wines. When you think this Esk label is sometimes available down to $15 or even less at supermarkets, and given its richness will cellar 8 – 15 years, maybe longer, it illustrates the enormous strides in New Zealand red wine-making in recent years. It's just a pity about the malbec, which detracts from the wine's quality, if Bordeaux be the yardstick. GK 03/15

2011 Trinity Hill Viognier 17 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.9%; $35 [ screwcap; Vi 91%, marsanne 9; hand-picked; whole-bunch pressed to French oak including more puncheons nowadays, 100% BF including some wild yeast fermentations; significant lees ageing in barrel, and some MLF, to add body, texture and minerality; pH 3.49, RS 2.6 g/L; www.trinityhill.com ]
Pale lemon. Bouquet is much more clearly varietal than the Churton, with a pleasing hint of yellow florals such as Himalayan golden honeysuckle, but not the excitement of wild ginger blossom. Purity of the wine is stunning, however, and pale peach and nearly apricot notes underpin the bouquet. In mouth there is a clear suggestion of apricots with some yellow ripeness, not exactly orange ripeness, so the wine is a little grippy and cool. It's a whole notch riper and nearer the goal than the Churton, though, the oak and barrel-ferment components are subtler, and the body, mouthfeel and wine style are terrific. Beyond the vineyard, I attribute much of this quality to the old oak and adopting some MLF. It conspicuously achieves almost everything in terms of flavour that the Arneis so conspicuously lacks. A delicate viognier therefore alongside Condrieu from a good year, but an immaculate wine. Cellar 2 – 4 years. GK 03/13

2011 Tohu Pinot Noir Marlborough Single Vineyard 17 ½ (

)

Awatere Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $26 [ screwcap; no whole bunch; 10 months in French oak 22% new; gold and silver medals; www.tohuwines.co.nz ]
Precise pinot noir ruby, just below midway in depth. Bouquet on this wine is remarkable, a beautiful illustration of absolute pinot noir florality spanning the buddleia roses and boronia spectrum. Below the flowers are red and black cherries. This wine achieves the rare merit of the bouquet extending into the palate, but in mouth the wine is smaller, more red fruits / red cherry, slightly elevated total acid, but the flavours nicely ripe. Oaking is sensitive. This is clearly the best Tohu Pinot Noir I have seen. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 10/12

1971 Chateau Tahbilk Cabernet 17 ½ (

)

Nagambie Lakes, Central Victoria, Australia: – %; $ – [ Cork 46mm, ullage 22mm; original price $1.85; note, not the same wine as those labelled ‘Cabernet Sauvignon’, which are Reserve series. Max Lake, in his wonderful 1966 book Classic Wines of Australia, says simply of Tahbilk: Tahbilk has real presence … the atmosphere reeks of age … The Purbrick family acquired the vineyard in 1925… Our wines were made before the days of refrigeration or small wood, but with low cropping rates; matured for 18 – 24 months in large wood, virtually none new. 1971 was at the time regarded as an exceptional vintage by the winery, though it is fair to say that at that stage, that implies more perfect and ripe conditions, rather than the complexity sought in cooler dry years in Australia today. Tasting reports for the 1971 wines are few, but Evans, 1978 perceptively (for the times) says: Of the recent Cabernets … I am most interested in the ‘70 and ‘72 vintages. Both these wines are lighter in character than wine like the ‘71, which is a big firm wine in the ‘old’ Tahbilk tradition. Conversely, consider Max Lake, 1966: The wines tend to be robust and fruity, but with excellent balance, the finest showing real finesse and complexity of flavour, which even when ‘big’ is never gutsy or coarse. Philip Rich in a 2010 report on the 150th Anniversary Tasting for Tahbilk noted that this wine was a ‘highlight’ of the event; weight bottle and closure: 554 g; www.tahbilk.com.au ]
Garnet and browning ruby, below midway in depth. As is often the case with mature good wines, the Tahbilk Cabernet opened up over many hours. It was better the next day, in fact. What is remarkable is the purity of the berry and fruit, considering its age, the wine still almost showing fading / browning cassis aromatics, the latter augmented by a near-floral note reminiscent of the Australian flowering mint shrub Prostanthera. Palate has astonishing fruit for its age, and equally remarkable purity, considering there was little or no new oak for this wine, at that time. As Evans says, in their younger day, the 1971 Tahbilks seemed a bit solid against the lighter more fragrant 1969s and 1970s, but whereas the latter are fading now, this 1971 wine still has much to say. And the texture is mellow, no hint of acid addition. A very food-friendly wine, totally European in styling, as might be expected of Eric Purbrick. Second-favourite wine for three tasters. The wine is fully mature … and a bit too too old for some. Cellar future totally cork-dependent: as was the norm then, 46mm corks are standard, and 46mm cannot be guaranteed for 50 years. The corks are failing now. This bottle the best ullage of six checked for this tasting. GK 04/21

2010 Neudorf Pinot Noir Moutere 17 ½ (

)

Moutere Hills, Nelson, New Zealand: 14%; $54 [ screwcap; nil whole bunch, wild-yeast fermentation; total cuvaison in some years 30 or more days; MLF and 12 months in French oak 25 - 40% new (depending on vintage) and on lees; minimal fining and filtering; not entered in Shows; www.neudorf.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, well below midway. The wine opens quietly, a touch stalky initially. With air it opens up considerably to mid-range florals in good volume, red cherries more than black fruits, quite different stylistically from the Otago wines. On palate it is let down by some noticeable stalk components, something it shares with the remarkably similar Ata Rangi. How weird it is to have the Greywacke from Marlborough eclipsing both the Martinborough Ata Rangi and the Nelson Neudorf Moutere, both leaders in their district. The actual fruit in the Neudorf is good red and black cherry mixed, and the wine will cellar well and be highly varietal. There will just be this pinched streak in it. Cellar 3 – 8 maybe 10 years. GK 11/12

2010 Sileni Estate Merlot The Triangle 17 ½ (

)

Bridge Pa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $32 [ screwcap; Me 100%, 100% de-stemmed; MLF in tank; 14 months in barrel 85% French, 15 American; RS <1 g/L; www.sileni.co.nz ]
Ruby, well under midway in depth and freshness of colour. Right from first opening, the floral qualities on bouquet, violets mainly, are sensational. Smelling violets in merlot is much talked about, but much less commonly encountered. Below that there are silky red fruits, and subtlest oak. In mouth this is really elegant merlot, beautifully varietal and subtly oaked in a soft plummy Pomerol way, not a big wine (slimmer than the Mills Reef Merlot Elspeth for example) but one which will give much pleasure. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 06/12

2012 Stanley Estates Pinot Gris Single Vineyard 17 ½ (

)

Awatere Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $21 [ screwcap; 20% BF; 4.9 g/L RS; www.stanleyestates.co.nz ]
Lemon. Needs a breath of fresh air / swirling in the glass, to show clear vinifera and pale stonefruit aromas, some flesh, not immediately convincing. Palate is much better, the flesh expanding, well judged phenolics framing the body, more stonefruit now as the wine breathes up, and considerable length on good fruit and a near-dry finish. Good food wine. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 05/13

2010 Esk Valley Merlot / Cabernet Sauvignon / Malbec 17 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $24 [ screwcap; Me 74%, CS 13, Ma 13, all de-stemmed; inoculated ferments; 12 months in mostly French oak, 25% new; RS nil; www.eskvalley.co.nz ]
Good ruby, some carmine and velvet, around midway in depth of colour among the Bordeaux / Hawkes Bay blends. Bouquet is very youthful, lots of berry and fruit including some of the obvious / unsubtle berry of malbec. Palate is so youthful as to have a raw edge, but the volume of fruit promises a nicely smoothed-out future, with berry dominant to oak. It lacks oak seduction alongside some of the Reserve wines, but in its robust way (the malbec) it should give pleasure. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 06/12

2008 Escarpment Pinot Noir Te Rehua 17 ½ (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $ – [ supercritical 'cork'; see 2011 Rehua; www.escarpment.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, some age showing, midway in depth among the Escarpment wines. Bouquet here is showing some secondary complexity notes, tending leathery earlier than I would have wished, on browning cherry aromas. Palate is better, good fruit still but with some hints of decay / forest floor creeping in, and a long burgundian finish. There is still a little tannin to lose, cellar another five years. GK 04/13

2009 Clearview Merlot / Malbec / Cabernet Sauvignon Enigma 17 ½ (

)

Te Awanga, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $59 [ supercritical cork; Me 77%, Ma 15, CS 8, hand-picked; 28 days cuvaison; c.17 months in mostly new French oak, some American; www.clearviewestate.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, in the top quarter for depth of colour. Bouquet shows plenty of berry and fruit, and some new oak, slightly clouded by a little entrained sulphur in an earlier Bordeaux style. Fruit richness is good, some cassis in dark bottled omega plums, oak firming the wine but not excessive, the length of palate impressive. Being Te Awanga fruit, total acid is slightly higher than some of the Gimblett Gravels wines, leading to a certain austerity. Comparison with the Ch de Retout is intriguing, at half the price. I imagine this will bury its sulphur over seven years or so, and look better later. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 06/12

2009 Mills Reef Cabernets / Merlot Elspeth 17 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $45 [ screwcap; CS 52%, Me 48, hand-picked; 4 days cold soak; CS longer cuvaison than the Me; 16 months in French oak 32% new; www.millsreef.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a good colour well above halfway in the cabernet / merlots and related wines. Bouquet is rich and ripe, berried almost to the point of being juicy, suggestions of blackberries and blueberries which at the blind stage put one in mind of syrah. Palate has good berry, but like the junior Esk Valley blend, it is not as integrated and sophisticated as the top wines, a certain simplicity showing despite the good fruit. As for the Merlot, I like the reduced oak influence in these latter-day Elspeths, though the wine is still oaky alongside the minor Bordeaux. Could surprise in cellar, 3 – 12 years. GK 06/12

2011 Ellero Gewurztraminer 17 ½ (

)

Pisa district, Cromwell Basin, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14.3%; $26 [ screwcap; hand-harvested, sourced from the oldest gewurztraminer vineyard in the Cromwell Basin, Terra Sancta’s vineyard in Bannockburn planted in 1991; 80% of the wine fermented and matured on lees in an old French puncheon, balance s/s, 62 cases produced; pH 3.29, RS 6 g/L; www.ellerowine.com ]
Lemon. Bouquet has a good deal more varietal character than most Otago gewurztraminers have shown. It is clearly floral with just a hint of yellow aromas such as honeysuckle or (better) wild ginger, plus good fruit which includes lychee suggestions. Palate shows the phenolics of the variety, good fruit and flavour, near-dry sweetness, quite a big wine. If the same yeast has been used here as in the riesling, the stronger varietal character of good gewurztraminer successfully smothers it. Cellar 3 – 8 years, maybe longer. Exciting wine. GK 03/13

2009 [ Mitre Rocks ] Mount Dottrel Pinot Noir 17 ½ (

)

Cromwell district, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $42 [ screwcap; 2009 not on website, if like 2008 is: up to 30 days cuvaison for some lots inc. cold-soak, 10 months in French oak (barriques) c.30% new; the second label of Mitre Rocks; www.mitrerocks.co.nz ]
Big pinot noir ruby, the second deepest, exciting. Bouquet is in the New Zealand context a little more old-fashioned, dark ripe fruit, rather a lot of new oak, in fact too much to support and respect the fruit. Palate shows a wonderful richness of darkly cherry berry, and you can see why the winemaker could think it would support lots of oak. Despite the rich fruit, it still finishes oaky though, so I stick to my earlier thought. There are some lovely 2009 Otago pinot noirs, and this one adds a contrasting style to them. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 03/13

2012 Bladen Sauvignon Blanc 17 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $21 [ screwcap; RS 3.4 g/L; www.bladen.co.nz ]
Fractionally deeper lemongreen than the Framingham. Bouquet is clean and ripe black passionfruit sauvignon, all a little louder than the Framingham. Palate confirms, a little more phenolic, passionfruit and red capsicum flavours, good length, slightly sweeter maybe – perhaps closer to the industry average of around 4 g/L. Cellar 2 – 8 years. GK 04/13

2011 Bladen Gewurztraminer 17 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 14.5%; $20 [ screwcap; hand-harvested; 6 hours skin contact; all cool-fermented in s/s, RS 14.5 g/L; www.bladen.co.nz ]
Lemonstraw. Lots of bouquet here, a perfumed and almost scented version of gewurztraminer with hints of lemon balm. There is a reminder of the coarse muscat side of gewurztraminer, but all in all it is just on the right side of the line, showing rose-petal and lychee on white nectarine fruit. Palate is much more substantial, great body, some phenolics but the flesh to cover it, you can almost see the lovely rosey glow of the grapes when you taste this. Aftertaste is long and beautifully varietal, medium-dry and sustained on the residual sugar. Bouquet may simply be too youthful, as yet: in a year's time this might be gold-medal wine. Cellar 3 – 12 years. GK 04/13

2010 Kumeu River Chardonnay Estate 17 ½ (

)

Kumeu River, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.5%; $31 [ screwcap; clone 15 predominates but a mix, all hand-harvested; wild-yeast fermentation and 100% BF, LA, and MLF; 11 months in barrel some new but mostly 1-year for the Estate; 2010 is seen as the best vintage so far for Kumeu River chardonnay, though for the Estate production is down from the usual 5000 cases to 1600; 2013 in the wings may challenge; www.kumeuriver.co.nz ]
Lemonstraw, right in the middle for depth of colour. Bouquet is chardonnay in the contemporary style, this wretched thread of reduction muting the beauty of varietal fruit, let alone any florality. If I were a European writer, I would say there was lovely minerality, on stonefruit and some mealyness. Palate is cooler crisper and lighter than the individual vineyard wines, still clear stonefruits, suggestions of mealy autolysis complexity, and underneath it all, you can detect the floral qualities of good chardonnay desperately trying to shake off the shackles of sulphide. So sad. See the populist press for more conventional reviews. Alongside the Chartron village Puligny-Montrachet, the Estate is nearly as rich, and slightly more oaky. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 04/13

2010 Black Estate Pinot Noir Omihi Series 17 ½ (

)

Waipara Valley, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 14%; $40 [ screwcap; hand-harvested; 27 days cuvaison; 12 months in French oak 21% new; dry extract 30.2 g/L; RS nil; www.blackestate.co.nz ]
Attractive pinot noir ruby, a little age showing. Bouquet is quite complex pinot showing great florality ranging from dark roses to boronia, on slightly spicy red and black cherry fruit. Palate is a little less, not the most subtle clones of pinot noir, a suggestion of stalks and earthiness, but otherwise well-ripened, some fruit sweetness, good body and slightly oaky in youth. All in all an interesting wine which would sit well in a multi-district tasting as a good exemplar of the Waipara pinot noir style. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 05/13

2011 Neudorf Riesling Moutere 17 ½ (

)

Moutere Hills, Nelson, New Zealand: 9%; $30 [ screwcap; hand-harvested; whole-bunch pressed; mostly s/s low-solids wild-yeast ferment, 10% in old French oak; stopped @ 48 g/L, extended LA; 240 cases; www.neudorf.co.nz ]
Brilliant lemongreen. Bouquet is complex, showing great varietal fruit but also faint reduction from what smells like enhanced lees-autolysis work. The positives include sweet vernal, freesia and citrus blossom notes, on pale stonefruit. Palate is sweet, which takes one's mind off the negatives, but the thread of reduction does add a sourdough complexity to the nearly grapefruit palate. Not a subtle wine, so Mosel analogies don't fit, all in all a gamble to cellar 5 – 12 years, perhaps to surprise. The sweetness bar-graph on the back label is excellent. GK 05/13

2009 Sacred Hill Merlot Brokenstone 17 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $70 [ screwcap; Me 66%, CS 12, CF 11, hand-picked from mostly 9 year old vines @ just under 2.5 t/ac; de-stemmed, not crushed; open-vat cuvaison approx 30 days; 16 months in French oak c.50% new, no BF; RS < 0.2 g/L; 300 cases; www.sacredhill.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, in the top half-dozen for depth of colour. Bouquet is infantile, almost estery, reeking of that appalling contemporary term "puppy fat", totally unknit. Not an enviable position trying to assess a wine like this. Turning in desperation to the impressions in mouth, the oak is high-quality, potentially fragrant, and not overdone (happily, a former trait of this maker). The fruit is essence of bottled black doris plums, but the two haven't come together yet. Going on the track record of this label, the wine should look much better in the next couple of years, since it has the fruit richness. It may well become a gold-medal wine, but I'm sitting on the fence for now. Cellar 5 – 15 years, for it is rich in relation to its neighbours. GK 06/12

2008 Trinity Hill Cabernet / Merlot The Gimblett 17 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.8%; $30 [ supercritical cork; CS 43, Me 41%, PV 7, Ma 6, CF 3, hand-picked at c.6.5 t/ha = 2.6 t/ac; average vine age c.13 years; extended cuvaison perhaps 28 days; 20 months in 'predominantly' French oak 35% new for 20 months; www.trinityhill.com ]
Ruby and velvet, above midway in depth. Always good to know this label is in the tasting, for in its good years it is one of the unsung fine wines of New Zealand. Sadly, the 2009 has sold out, so the more modest 2008 vintage was on show. Freshly opened the wine is a bit reserved. It opens to a representative plummy Hawkes Bay blend. In mouth it has more to say, ripe cassis and dark bottled black doris plums, the oak marrying away nicely, good richness and ripeness for the year, a little lean. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 06/12

2011 Craggy Range Pinot Noir Te Muna 17 ½ (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $38 [ cork; hand-harvested @ 6.25 t/ha (2.5 t/ac); c.10% whole bunch; 10 months in French oak 27% new; www.craggyrange.com ]
Lightish pinot noir ruby. If you ever wondered what good reputable pinot noir should smell like, this wine is a perfect illustration of what florality means in red cherry fruit. Aromas centre on roses, but range from buddleia to boronia, just beautiful. In mouth despite the light colour the fruit weight is good, the tannin structure much lighter than Aroha, red cherry mostly. In style and structure this wine illustrates the concept of pinot noir the wine, attractively and affordably. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 05/13

2010 Villa Maria Grenache Gimblett Gravels Cellar Selection 17 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $32 [ screwcap; Gr 92%, Ma 6, Sy 2, hand-harvested from 12-year old vines, 100% de-stemmed, 80% tank-fermented, 20% in a wooden cuvée; up to 6 weeks cuvaison; MLF and 20 months in barrel 30% new; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Big pinot noir ruby, deeper than the Aroha (relevant since grenache is a thin-skinned variety). Bouquet shows a volume of red raspberry-like fruit with a big vanillin lift, as if there were new American oak – not so. The whole style of the wine is extraordinary for New Zealand reds, reminiscent (loosely speaking) of a fragrant cooler year Chateauneuf-du-Pape such as Saint Cosme. Palate is rich pinot noir in weight, but the fruits are red-dominant with raspberry and loganberry plus this vanillin oak, and acid noticeable. What a pleasure it is to see grenache of this calibre in New Zealand, but it truly is beyond the outer limits of the warmest New Zealand districts to ripen the variety successfully in any commercial sense. Villa Maria winemakers commented that they have only been able to ripen grenache as a successful stand-alone wine in three vintages out of the last 14. Beautiful cool climate grenache betrayed by a hint of stalk and pepper, to cellar 3 – 12 years. GK 05/13

2012 Villa Maria Verdelho Ihumatao Single Vineyard Organic 17 ½ (

)

Mangere, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.5%; $27 [ screwcap; 24% of the wine BF in old oak only, with full MLF of that fraction and 6 months on lees; balance s/s; RS 3 g/L; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Pale lemon. Ihumatao is the vineyard in the Mangere district, adjacent to the winery. Over the years it has produced some remarkable fruit, notably gewurztraminer and cabernet sauvignon, quite different in character to other Auckland mainland sites. But verdelho has little more merit for the New Zealand market than arneis or sauvignon gris. However in this particular case the variety provides a neutral background for some spectacularly good winemaking. If you've ever wondered exactly what characters barrel-ferment and lees-autolysis add to a wine, but in the case of chardonnay the fruit flavour gets in the way, try this wine. The crust and crumb characters of white sandwich loaf are very apparent, on pleasantly neutral vinifera fruit. Likewise the increase in palate weight from the break-down of yeast protein etc is impressive. The wine is food-friendly too.

There is an argument that if this is as good as verdelho gets, then this should be gold-medal wine. I practice that for worthwhile varieties like muller-thurgau and gamay noir, but not the nonsense varieties. Too many in the industry for ever want to try something new, instead of mastering the staples. At least Villa Maria attend to the latter, before playing with minor grapes. These varieties should be much cheaper, being suited only to quaffing wines. Cellar a year or two only. GK 05/13

1987 The Antipodean 17 ½ (

)

Matakana, Auckland district, New Zealand: 12.6%; $93 [ cork 54mm, ullage 9mm; CS 70%, Me 25, Ma 5, cropping rate ‘low’ (Jim Vuletic), not chaptalised; 24 months in 100% new French oak; Cooper (1992): Of the three vintages so far released – 1985 to 1987 – the 1986 is the pick: its forthcoming bouquet is slightly herbaceous and very woody; its palate bold and deep flavoured, with slightly green-edged fruit and a powerful oakiness; not entered in Shows; weight bottle and closure: 549 g; www.theantipodeanwine.com ]
Ruby and garnet, notably the youngest / reddest wine in the 12, and the third-deepest. This wine showed a lot of bouquet right from first opening. The cabernet component speaks loudest, with quite a fresh blackcurrant note still hovering about it. If this character were any more noticeable, or the wine were less rich and complex, you would say there is trace methoxypyrazine showing, but it is not as simple as that. Berry characters and cedary oak are totally integrated, and any former hint of under-ripeness on bouquet has been ‘rescued’ by the extraordinary oak handling, and the fact the wine has the dry extract to carry this amount of oak. Or nearly. Palate is interesting. There is a tactile richness on palate here nearly matching the bordeaux and the Chile. It is not quite as concentrated as the Stonyridge, but it is hard to tell, the acid being higher in The Antipodean. It was thus a wine very much out-of-line in terms of cropping rate, when compared with the (appalling) cropping standards of the day in New Zealand. Total flavour is long and complex, again that shadow of fresh blackcurrants, but more giving a freshness rather than an edge to the palate. To stop prevaricating, yes, this Antipodean is not quite perfectly ripe, and the acid is a little high. But at 34 years, its richness and its elevation have concealed that to an astonishing degree. Interesting wine therefore, which still has some years ahead of it. Note that winemaker James Vuletic was the only one in the group to present the wine to ‘quality’ bordeaux standards: a 54 mm branded and dated cork. Such notions are still a mystery to too many New Zealand winemakers, among those who favour the traditional closure ... the implication being they are not sufficiently familiar with the benchmark wines from France. Top wine for four tasters, and second favourite for one. One taster thought it bordeaux. GK 06/21

2011 Trinity Hill Syrah Gimblett Gravels 17 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $35 [ supercritical 'cork'; Sy 96%, Vi 4; the grapes de-stemmed, some whole berries; fairly short cuvaison; c.10 months in French oak of varying ages; www.trinityhill.com ]
Ruby and velvet. Bouquet is lightly plummy, gently oaked, suggestions of black pepper attractive. Palate is only medium-weight as so many of these 2011s are, but the ripeness is good and even a little over-ripe, the floral component being subdued. Aftertaste is fresh, with a little black pepper adding interest. The whole wine is 'sweeter' than the Babich 2010, but remarkably close in all respects to the 2011 Mission Reserve. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 06/13

2010 Vidal Syrah Gimblett Gravels Reserve Series 17 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels mainly, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $27 [ screwcap; Sy 100%, all de-stemmed; MLF and 20 months in oak, some new; RS nil; www.vidal.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. Initially opened, the wine is oaky, but it breathes off quickly to reveal darkly floral syrah still with an oaky edge, on cassis and dark plummy berry. Palate has good berryfruit, but the flavours are rather swamped by oak. Should marry up and communicate better with time in bottle, but syrah simply does not the need this kind of oak to reveal its beauty. Rather the reverse. Handling more akin to pinot noir is needed, if we are to match the achievements of the Rhone Valley – which is our climatic imperative. Australia is irrelevant to our future with syrah, in fact, in terms of oak practice their influence has been negative. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 06/13

2009 Pask Syrah Declaration 17 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $50 [ screwcap; machine-harvested; all de-stemmed; some cold soak; some BF in new oak; 16 months in new French oak; www.cjpaskwinery.co.nz ]
Ruby, older again than the Vidal Reserve. The bouquet again confirms why, a lot of oak and almost a hint of oxidation / forward development, giving the wine quite an Australian styling in the field of New Zealand syrahs. In mouth there is very ripe fruit, no chance of varietal florality here, nor cassis really, the descriptors being more blackberry to boysenberry, much too ripe for varietal precision. This too is an Australian interpretation of the grape, and as such scores quite well, whereas we can produce something so much more beautiful and precise in New Zealand. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 06/13

2009 Vidal Syrah Gimblett Gravels Legacy Series 17 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $70 [ screwcap; Sy 100%, hand-harvested, all de-stemmed; cold soak, wild yeast initially, cuvaison up to 25 days; MLF and c.20 months in French oak 33% new; RS nil; minimal filtration; www.vidal.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, clearly older in appearance than the matching Villa wine. Bouquet gives a first probable answer to that, smelling as if it either had more new oak, or longer in oak, than the Villa Reserve. Any floral notes are on the back foot therefore, vanillin from the oak being dominant, and adding a faint strawberry note to plummy berry. Palate is rich, some blackberry hinting at over-ripeness but also some black pepper, oak not as apparent as feared on bouquet, good length. Total acid is up a little, as if the wine might be refreshed [ not so, the winemaker advises ]. A big wine, not as subtle as the top examples. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 06/13

2008 Martinborough Vineyard Pinot Noir 17 ½ (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 14%; $60 [ screwcap; hand-harvested from a range of 10 clones of pinot noir, including some over 30 years age; up to 10% whole-bunch; long cold-soak, c.20 days cuvaison; 12 months in French oak c.33% new; www.martinborough-vineyard.co.nz ]
Lightish pinot noir ruby, a little age creeping in, the second to lightest. Even at the blind stage, one sniff of this and one thinks: this is exactly what the 'sighter' Volnay (as surmised) should show, but I don't think it does. This wine is all about red fruits pinot noir, red cherries, hints of strawberry and raspberry, and light floral notes like buddleia and roses. Palate matches exactly, all red fruits, supple, just a hint of stalk detracting (particularly in comparison with the Misha's), very much a Beaune kind of pinot. It is ageing a little faster than I hoped, in earlier reviews. Cellar 2 – 4 years. GK 09/13

2003 Penfolds [ Shiraz ] Bin 95 Grange 17 ½ (

)

South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $ – [ cork; Sh 97%, CS 3; some barrel-ferment; 15 months in American hogsheads 100% new; www.penfolds.com ]
Ruby and velvet, some development, the second to lightest of the set. At this point in the set, the wines settle more into the predictable coarse-grained Grange style: lots of American oak, perceptible volatility, obvious over-ripeness of berry so a lack of freshness, all-too-often a measure of euc, just a big powerful hot-climate red pursuing and fulfilling an image. Palate here is more granular on the higher VA and more obvious oak, and berry qualities are moving more clearly into the boysenberry and blackberry spectrum. Sturdy and oaky stuff to cellar 10 – 30 years. GK 07/13

2010 Bilancia Syrah La Collina 17 ½ (

)

Roy's Hill, SW of Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $95 [ screwcap; Sy & Vi hand-harvested @ 2.5 t/ha (1 t/ac); Sy fermented on Vi skins, % Vi hard to quantify; no whole-bunch, 5 days cold-soak, wild yeast ferment, c.18 days cuvaison; MLF and 20 months in French oak 80% new; sterile-filtered to bottle; 5 top rankings, 1 second; www.bilancia.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, some only carmine, a good colour, but the second to lightest in a set of (mostly) great colours. Bouquet is a little different in this wine, it being aromatic with clear cassis, fragrant but not exactly floral, a touch of pepper sometimes seeming black, sometimes inclining white, but clearly syrah. Palate is crisper / firmer than the top wines, and it is not a big wine. There is some youthful austerity, which makes the oak seem prominent at this stage. You can see how an English winewriter might mention Crozes-Hermitage in evaluating this wine, but one also needs to note that with the dramatic evolution in winemaking standards now evident in the Northern Rhone, there are some pretty fine Crozes-Hermitage syrahs these days. Needs to soften, cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 06/13

2003 Pegasus Bay Pinot Noir Prima Donna 17 ½ (

)

Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 14.5%; $85 [ screwcap; clones 10/5, 2/10 and others, 18 years, harvested @ 3 t/ha (1.2 t/ac); 15% whole bunch, 6 days cold soak, 24 days cuvaison; 18 months in French oak 60% new; no fining, coarse filtration; Cooper, 2006: The 2003 is boldly coloured, very powerful and concentrated, with layers of flavour, impressive complexity, and great cellaring potential, *****; Robinson '05: Dark healthy crimson. Sweet, quite simple, beetroot and spice. Lots of gas. Distinctive rather than necessarily better than the regular bottling. 16; www.pegasusbay.com ]
Good pinot noir ruby, a similar weight to Kupe but a little older in hue, suggesting more oak exposure. Bouquet is strong, with a new leather note one winemaker interpreted as being slightly aldehydic / trace oxidation, on rich black cherry fruit. It is fragrant but not exactly floral, so like the Marie Zelie it is tending wayward in a burgundian sense. Fruit richness on palate is marvellous, though, with black cherry only and a suggestion of browning plum – perhaps this one too was originally a bit too ripe to optimise florality. Oak is again noticeable, in the New Zealand style, and as the fruit retreats, oak furryness will increase. There are still several years left in this wine. GK 11/13

2003 Martinborough Vineyard Pinot Noir Marie Zelie 17 ½ (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $179 [ 48mm cork; hand-harvested clone 10/5 23 years old, and other younger clones, sorting table; 10 – 15% whole bunch, 4 – 5 days cold soak, up to 20 days cuvaison; 12 months in French oak 100% new, plus 4 months in new and one year; not fined or filtered; 900 bottles; Cooper, 2009: The gorgeous 2003 … Full and moderately youthful in colour … finely scented … silky, highly complex flavours, already highly seductive. It's an arrestingly rich wine (as it should be, given the price), for drinking now onwards, *****; www.martinborough-vineyard.co.nz ]
Big pinot noir ruby and noticeable garnet, the second deepest wine by quite a margin, despite the garnet. When you have a $179 New Zealand wine in a tasting, the rigorously blind presentation comes into its own. Bouquet is really strong on this wine, by New Zealand standards. The aromatic component in Martinborough wines (particularly) which I call 'pennyroyal character' is here becoming obtrusive, again, by New Zealand standards. It is nearly comparable with Australian flowering mint (Prostanthera), but it escapes being euc'y. So in one sense the wine is highly floral, and boronia being Rutaceae (which includes Citrus), a case can be made for the wine being great on bouquet. The main thing is, unlike the other dark wine, the Dry River, it does smell like pinot noir, even though the new oak component is to a max or excessive, as the garnet in the hue suggests. In mouth, there is remarkable fruit richness, but the level of oak and the aromatics make one think of Gran Reserva tempranillo. Acid is a bit high, too. The Kupe shows a better expression of pinot noir, on palate, I think. One certain thing about this wine is, it is rich, and has some years ahead of it. The risk is the fruit will recede, leaving the oak stranded. It is already a little too furry in texture for fine pinot noir. Corduroy instead of velvet. Remarkable and impressive New Zealand wine, though, and with bold foods, it will impress. Cellar a further 3 – 8 years. GK 11/13

2013 Villa Maria Merlot Organic Cellar Selection 17 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels mostly, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $16 [ screwcap; Me 100% cropped at 8 t/ha (3.2 t/ac); all machine-harvested and de-stemmed, various parcels up to 28 days cuvaison; 30% of the wine in barrel for 12 months, 25% of oak new Hungarian, balance to s/s with some staves; then blended, RS < 1g/L; fined and filtered; to illustrate the soft round plummy nature of ripe merlot when lightly oaked; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, bright and intense. Bouquet on this wine is much better after 24 hours breathing, and better again after 48, just because it is so young and pure. But all the way it shows the ample ripe fresh black plum and soft bottled black plum character of merlot, in beautiful contrast to the two cabernets. Oaking is light on this wine, one reason it was chosen to clearly illustrate the softer plumper less aromatic nature of merlot. Though concentration is good, palate at this stage is a little narrow, as is often the case with wines with a significant stainless steel component, but that (like the Menzies but for a different reason) will mellow. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 09/14

1975 Ch Montrose 17 ½ (

)

Saint-Estephe Second Growth, Bordeaux, France: – %; $246 [ cork 53mm, ullage 23mm; original price $18.10; cepage then approx. CS 70%, Me 15, CF 10, PV 5, planted at 9,000 vines / ha; up to 24 months in barrel, % new then unknown, less than now (60%); Montrose website: Vintage: harvest Sept. 25 – Oct. 6, no cepage; The weather was overall fine, hot enough (24-25°C in the afternoon) and very often stormy, except on September 30th: it rained in the morning, forcing us to stop the harvest for the day. Wine: … The nose is soft and complex. It displays scents of red berries and currants, undergrowth, and cold tobacco. ... The palate is long and silky. Very elegant with melted tannins; C. Coates, 2004: Wine: Barely mature. Rich and full but a bit inky on the nose. Better on the palate. Good grip. Medium-full body. Some tannin and astringency but not unduly so. This is better than the Cos d'Estournel for once. Nice caramel and chocolate aspects, Long and positive. Very good indeed, 17.5; Broadbent, 1980: Vintage ****, ... undoubtedly high quality … a vin de garde year … some Medocs lacked … flesh. Wine: Fine wine, slow developer. Classic nose with depth of fruit … ripeness and good flesh but severe tannin and acidity … 20 years, **(**), 1986 – 2020; Robinson, 2005: ... impressive ... a very long haul wine ... one of the more successful candidates from this extremely tannic vintage. The wine looks fully mature and has a thoroughly exciting complex nose with just the right amount of lift. Lots of richness on the nose and great extract but very dry, dense chewy tannins – still! But the fruit density suggests this will make a great drink – eventually. 2008 - 2018, 18; Neal Martin @ RP, 2017: ... an elegant bouquet with a floral bent, well defined, light but focused with black cherries and cranberry infused with loamy scents. The palate has a little chewiness on the entry, nicely balanced and precise (within the context of winemaking in this period), fresh and composed towards the finish, 89; conversely and interestingly, Robert Parker in 1996 illustrates his not-so-keen-approach to the earlier English idea of the claret style: R. Parker, 1996: Still backward ... this large-scaled, muscular, charmless Montrose is structured enough to be admired, but I wonder if there is enough fruit to hold for another 10 years? Full-bodied, with earthy, dusty, red and black fruit aromas, this tannic, behemoth needs another 2-3 years of cellaring. The jury is still out on this one, 87; weight bottle and closure 578 g; www.chateau-montrose.com ]
Garnet and ruby, older than the 1986, yet redder than the 1976, the second lightest wine. Bouquet is fragrant, gentle, cedary browning cassis and brown tobacco all very fused and together, exactly what you would hope from 45-year-old claret. Given the reputation of the 1975s, and this lovely aroma, you taste it with interest. And like the 1986, what a pleasure to find the tannins nearly fully resolved, fine-grained and velvety, all part of an attractively-balanced but lean wine. This 1975 too had developed a light TCA / corked suggestion noticeable more on palate than bouquet, but very faint and again identified by only five tasters. Nonetheless it detracted, and seven people ranked the 1975 as their least wine. Over the following 24 and 48 hours, the wine cleaned up beautifully. This 1975 is at the far side of its plateau of optimum maturity, but there is no hurry. It will fade agreeably for 5 – 10 years yet. All such comments in this report refer to a very cool and equable Wellington-latitude cellar. GK 07/21

2001 Neudorf Pinot Noir Home Vineyard 17 ½ (

)

Moutere Hills, Nelson, New Zealand: 14.5%; $ – [ 45mm cork; $56 at release; predominantly Dijon clones, some 10/5 and others, some well over 20 years age; harvested @ c.5 t/ha (2 t/ac); 100% de-stemmed; 6 days cold soak, wild yeast fermentation, 20 days cuvaison; 10 months French oak 40% new; not fined or filtered; well reviewed by Michael Cooper, 5-stars, and GK, 18.5; www.neudorf.co.nz ]
Ruby and a little garnet, nearly as young as the Musigny, but just above midway in depth. Bouquet is a little to one side on this wine, initially a bit raisiny but with air expanding to include some whole-bunch suggestions like the Dujac, and lightly stewed rich-plum notes which are eloquent but not quite beautiful or floral. Palate and texture are good, however, the fruit ripeness not quite as good as the better burgundies, a trace of stalk underneath, but good body and all clearly varietal. It is let down a little by the high alcohol and trace sweetness to the finish. Opinions varied round the room whether the 'sweetness' was apparent or real. As with the St Helena, it was suggested young vines do produce this effect, at low cropping rates. The Home Vineyard includes some younger vines, but even in 2001 it was not predominantly a young-vine site. Or, the high alcohol could be correlated with higher than normal glycerol, giving an impression of sweetness. After picking the wine to bits, there was nonetheless the thought that it was a pretty exciting New Zealand pinot noir at 13 years of age, and only one taster (at the blind stage) recorded it as their least wine. Cellar 3 – 8 years, but (again) sadly I do not have further bottles to study. Later enquiries to the winemaker reveal residual sugar as sucrose / glucose is no more than 1.2 g/L, which is 'dry' in any terms. GK 10/14

2011 Villa Maria Pinot Noir Marlborough Cellar Selection 17 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $25 [ screwcap; Founded in 1961, little needs to be said about Villa Maria, except their Cellar Selection wines can sometimes offer premium value in a less-oaked style at affordable prices. This is one such, having won gold medals in both the Air NZ last year, and the Easter this year. It is made from Awatere Valley and Southern Valleys fruit from older terraces, yet despite the volume is all hand-picked. It is 100% de-stemmed, includes wild-yeast fractions, and spends around 10 months in barrel, 18% new. RS is well under 1 g/L, dry extract not measured; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
A lighter and fractionally older pinot noir ruby, the second lightest. Bouquet is little more gassy first-opened, breathing to a more integrated wine with a thought of gentle Spanish tempranillo arising from the fragrant oak, and all beautifully clean. Smelling more deeply brings out red fruits and English tea-rose florals. In mouth the wine springs into its own, very much a Drouhin Beaune kind of wine, supple, red fruits all through, the oak nearly vanillin but gentle, lovely. It is not as rich as the Pencarrow, but it is more charming now. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 06/14

2001 St Hallet Shiraz Old Block 17 ½ (

)

Barossa and Eden Valleys, South Australia, Australia: 14%; $63 [ cork; vines 80 to more than 100 years age, un-irrigated; some of the wine BF, some MLF in barrel; parts matured in new and 1 – 3-year oak 70% American and 30% French for 20 – 21 months; www.sthallett.com.au ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet. On bouquet, this is a much more winemaker-influenced wine than the Blackwell, with lots of charry and chocolatey oak on plummy and boysenberry fruit. Palate is oakier, euc'ier, and more monolithic than the Blackwell, more a mainstream heavy and over-ripe South Australian shiraz, chocolatey, still pretty rich. It tastes the wine of a hotter year than the Blackwell. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 08/05

2013 Craggy Range Merlot Single Vineyard 17 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $28 [ screwcap; DFB; Me 91%, CS 9, 80% machine-harvested; 100% de-stemmed; inoculated ferments in s/s; 17 months in French oak 21% new; RS nil; fined and filtered; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, even brighter and less oak-affected than Awatea. Bouquet is wonderfully plummy, almost a hint of blueberry, epitomising merlot the variety, and contrasting with the cabernet-led wines. It does not have the floral beauty and complexity of Awatea, but it does have a riper and more ample palate, though less complexed by oak elevation. This wine is a dramatic illustration of how accurate varietal New Zealand merlot can be, in the best sites in our temperate viticultural climate. Few countries in the world can achieve this varietal quality. The wine is soft already, and does not seem to have been made as a long-term cellaring wine. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 03/15

1999 Clos des Papes Chateauneuf-du-Pape 17 ½ (

)

Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $129 [ cork 50mm, ullage 12mm; original price c.$75; cepage at the time was more Gr 65%, Mv 20, Sy 10, others 5; all cropped very low c.2.6 t/ha = fractionally over 1 t/ac; all destemmed, 21 days cuvaison; elevation c.12 months in large foudres, no new oak; not fined or filtered; like Domaine Charvin, remarkable for making just the one cuvée of (red) Chateauneuf, annual production c.7,000 x 9-litre cases; J. L-L, 2015: ... an open and wide display of red fruit with clove, mocha touches, licorice. It’s on the cusp between smily fruit and secondary spices. The palate holds entertaining red stone fruit with fine grain late moments, red berries; it has very joli airborne qualities. There are fresh, winning rays of sunshine in the glass, a wine that enhances the day. There is latent game and graininess in it, and a savoury, strawberry jam presence on the finish. It very digestible, super enhancing wine. Vincent Avril comments: "a year of Mourvèdre for us”, to 2030; ****(*); J. Dunnuck @ R. Parker, 2015: A solid step up over the '98, the Clos des Papes 1999 Chateauneuf du Pape (one of Paul-Vincent's favorites) offers a more youthful color to go with Burgundian notes of spice, dried flowers, black cherries and licorice. More fresh and lively, with medium to full-bodied richness, it has a youthful feel and has another decade of longevity, 94; www.clos-des-papes.fr ]
Garnet and ruby, the second to lightest wine. Bouquet is fragrant in an old-fashioned way, an attractive savoury venison casserole and nutmeg note bespeaking a little brett, on mainly red fruits and older oak. As so often with Clos des Papes, the flavour is soft and gentle, the fruit sweet all the way through, though the finish is dry. Wonderful food wine, so supple: little wonder that Vincent Avril is quoted as looking to Burgundy, for his inspiration as to wine style. Tasters liked this wine, two first places, three second, but two marked it down to least place, for the trace brett. This wine illustrated the proprietor's ‘no new oak in the grand vin’ policy well, it fitting in with the less-oaked Gigondas wines beautifully. Would that more Chateauneufs followed this style. Fully mature, but will hold for several years. GK 10/19

2011 Crossroads Talisman 17 ½ (

)

Hawkes Bay, several districts, New Zealand: 13.5%; $55 [ Stelvin Lux; mostly hand-picked; cepage not revealed – see text; extended cuvaison; 16 months in French oak 100%, no American this year, high percentage new; RS < 2 g/L all unfermentable; www.crossroadswinery.co.nz ]
Ruby, below midway, in the lightest third. The wine benefits from decanting, to show an indeterminate red wine not immediately speaking of any variety (at the blind stage), as I guess is appropriate for a wine where the makers make a song and dance about the cepage being 'secret'. In mouth there is fair berry fruit, red fruits more than black but with an aromatic lift, much better concentration than the colour suggests, ripe tannins and gentle oak. Fruit weight is appropriate to a serious wine, and the length of flavour is good. Perhaps part of the games the winemakers play is to vary the cepage each year, to optimise the season. This year doesn't show much if any cabernet influence, so one thinks of merlot, pinotage comes to mind this year perhaps, syrah, and other bits and pieces such as chambourcin, as previously speculated. Nice that Talisman is consolidating in quality – it used to be a bit flaky. Cellar 5 – 15 years, to soften and fatten. GK 06/14

2008 Stonyridge Cabernet Sauvignon / Malbec / Cabernet Franc Airfield 17 ½ (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand, New Zealand: 13%; $45 [ cork; CS 61%, Me 28, CF 11, hand-picked; cultured yeast, c.9 days cuvaison (2 cold-soak); MLF in barrel, 12 months in French oak 40% new; now marketed as the second wine of Larose; not fined or filtered; 210 cases; ‘Deep garnet with good depth of colour. A pretty, fruit forward, bouquet showing complex aromas of blackberry, plum, cassis, liquorice, candied peel and spice and well integrated, classy oak.’; www.stonyridge.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. Initially this wine seems disorganised, another presumably just bottled. It needs a splashy decanting. Once breathed and settled down, bouquet shows plummy red fruits more bottled plums than cassis, but hard to resolve due to some carried-over retained fermentation odours – unfortunately. Palate is quite fat plummy fruit tasting merlot-dominant so far, a little acid but not stalky, attractively and subtly oaked. Scoring is hard at this stage, the above gives it a fair chance to settle down and blossom in bottle. Leave for a couple of years, cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 06/09

2014 Craggy Range Syrah Gimblett Gravels 17 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $27 [ screwcap; Sy 100%, all hand-harvested at 6.75 t/ha = 2.7 t/ac; inoculated fermentations in s/s, the fruit 90% destemmed, 10% whole-bunch; 16 months in French oak 26% new; filtered to bottle; RS nil; www.craggyrange.com ]
Incredibly dense carmine, ruby and velvet, the deepest wine, suggesting low oak exposure. Bouquet is youthful, almost unknit and raw in its intensity, but acutely varietal. The floral component is yet to develop, but intense cassis and bottled black doris plum are evident. Palate shows good concentration and depth, and more oak than the colour suggested. The whole wine is youthful and ungainly at this stage, needing three years at least to harmonise. It is more a boisterous commercial syrah, contrasting vividly with Craggy's Le Sol, and likewise not showing the sophistication of oak elevation in the top two Church Road wines, or even the 2013 Church Road McDonald Series wine. Cellar 5 – 15 years, to mellow agreeably and score higher in later years. GK 06/16

2002 Te Mata Estate Syrah / Viognier Woodthorpe 17 ½ (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $ – [ cork; Sy 98%, Vi 2, co-fermented even though Vi then super-ripe; extended cuvaison 3 + weeks, followed by 15 months in new and older French oak; www.temata.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, older and a little deeper than the 2004, maybe. This wine has been written-up in detail in the Bonfiglioli syrah tasting (June 2005, this site). Its savoury and gamey characters reminiscent of the outer skin of roast beef are more noticeable here than in the 2002 Bullnose, but allied to good berry richness and body, they make the wine closely allied to syrahs from Italy and Chile, as well as France. And it is already marvellously food-friendly. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 10/05

2015 Craggy Range Merlot Gimblett Gravels 17 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.2%; $32 [ screwcap; Me 91%, CF 9, 45% hand-harvested, 55% machine-harvested @ 6.9 t/ha = 2.8 t/ha; 100% de-stemmed; inoculated ferments in s/s; 17 months in 17% new French oak; fined and filtered; RS nil; www.craggyrange.com ]
A lovely vibrant ruby and velvet, in the middle for depth, reflecting the thinner skins of merlot. And the bouquet reflects the beauty of merlot grown in a temperate climate, where retaining of floral qualities is optimal. This wine shows clear violets, and darker roses too, on fresh red and dark plum fruit, made even more fragrant by subtle oak. This bouquet reflects a very careful picking point. Palate and flavour likewise have Saint-Emilion styling to them, not the richness / dry extract of the better ones, but if anything greater purity, all attractively highlighting the varietal character of merlot, in that it is not as cassisy as cabernet sauvignon. This is a very pretty wine showing a degree of merlot varietal accuracy rare outside Bordeaux. Cellar 5 – 18 years. GK 08/18

2002 Bilancia Syrah la Collina 17 ½ (

)

Roy’s Hill (west flank of Gimblett Gravels), Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $45 [ cork; price uncertain ]
Ruby, some velvet, less carmine, closer to the Woodthorpe than to the top Gimblett wines. This is a lighter and more floral wine than most, and as is so often the case in more marginal climates, there is just a suspicion that part of the floral component is leafy. Berries include red and black currants, as well as red and black plums, with clear black peppercorn. This is remarkably akin to good Crozes-Hermitage, especially with the suggestion of carnation florals on bouquet. Palate is intensely cassis, full of flavour, but not as rich and a little more acid than the top wines. At this early stage, the peppercorn suggestion runs out into a stalky / firm tannins component, but the wine is not green. It is just youthful, like young Bordeaux (left bank). This will evolve into a much more French winestyle than many in this tasting, and needs three to five years to soften. Cellar 5 - 10 years. GK 06/05

2009 Forrest Pinot Noir Waitaki Valley John Forrest Collection 17 ½ (

)

Waitaki Valley, Otago, New Zealand: 13.8%; $75 [ screwcap; irrigated vines on the south bank of the river, harvested @ ± 3.6 t/ha = 1.4 t/ac; a 400 mm rainfall zone, on interbedded calcareous and terrace materials; RS nil; 220 cases; www.forrest.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, paler than the Forrest Bannockburn, deeper than the 2009 Brodie Martinborough. Bouquet is beautifully varietal, reminding of some Yarra Valley pinots, much the best Waitaki Valley pinot noir I have seen (amongst very few). The floral component is sweet and fragrant, roses grading to boronia with a hint of incense, on aromatic red and black cherry fruit. Palate shows a similar quality of red and black cherry to the Brodie, much greater depth of maturity than the Wiffen, a little drier than the Martinborough wine. Looking expensive at the price, but a great step forward for this trying-to-emerge district. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 08/11

2014 Jim Barry Shiraz Lodge Hill 17 ½ (

)

Clare Valley, South Australia, Australia: 14%; $27 [ screwcap; Sh 100%; French and American oak; Halliday vintage rating Clare Valley 8 /10 for 2014; www.jimbarry.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, in the top quarter for depth. Bouquet is richly fruity, in a more typical South Australian shiraz sense, the fruit ripened beyond cassis, almost beyond dark plum, to the point where some boysenberry notes creep in. On flavour the boysenberry is obvious, and an aromatic quality grows, both oak and trace eucalyptus. The total balance is still more modern than traditional, but not as rich as the Veto Shiraz. Clean sound South Australian shiraz to cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 06/16

2007 Obsidian [ Cabernet / Merlot ] The Obsidian 17 ½ (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.5%; $46 [ cork; CS 39%, Me 24, CF 24, PV 12, Ma 1, all hand-harvested; all de-stemmed, cultured yeast, up to 21 days cuvaison; MLF and 13 months in all-French oak 40% new; 205 cases, WWA Certified; ‘Trade release of a new vintage. 2007 introduces 5 Bdx varieties with Petit Verdot (12%) and a significant component of fragrant cabernet franc (24%)’; www.obsidian.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet. This one was unusual in the field, in the blind tasting displaying a clear mint suggestion on quite oaky cassis and plum. Thoughts of Australia came to mind. Palate is firm, the oak unsubtle relative to the fruit weight and ripeness, though there is fair cassis and plums more red than black. This too is very much in the new world cabernet / merlot spectrum, squeaky clean but the fruit lacking the sensuous generosity of perfectly ripe berries, making the oak and acid too apparent. Though quite rich, it therefore seems less mellow than some others in the tasting. Cellar 3 – 12 years. GK 06/09

2014 Trinity Hill Marsanne / Viognier 17 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $32 [ screwcap; hand-picked; juice cold-settled, BF and MLF in older oak, then 16 months on lees in 500-litre puncheons to add body, texture and minerality; RS <1 g/L; www.trinityhill.com ]
Lemonstraw. Bouquet is lightly aromatic, clearly grapey / juicy, with a mealy undertone from barrel fermentation in older (but arguably still too new) oak adding to the aromatics. Closer examination of the bouquet suggests white nectarine fruit, suggestions of lisbon lemon florals and mock orange blossom, and maybe pale apricot, the latter reflecting the viognier component. Palate is medium to full body, the oak more noticeable again now, all improving with air. At this early stage the wine communicates much better the second day, rather than freshly opened. Finish is dry or very close to it, I thought 2 g/L or so. It is in fact bone dry, so both the fruit richness and the use of malolactic fermentation are adding to the perceived fruit on palate, which is in fact terrific. The winemakers consciously build some tannin grip into the wine, to make it a little more European in style and food-friendly. Cellar 2 – 4 years, only. Note this interesting wine is made as a food-oriented dry white of body and substance, and is not to be judged as a varietal wine. GK 11/15

2012 Vasse Felix Cabernet Sauvignon Heytesbury 17 ½ (

)

Margaret River, West Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $96 [ screwcap; CS 77%, Ma 16, PV 7; 18 months in all-French oak, 54% new; Halliday vintage rating Margaret River 10/10 for 2012; www.vassefelix.com.au ]
Good ruby, just below midway in colour. Bouquet reveals a taut integration of nearly cassisy berry and dark plum fruit with slightly too much aromatic oak, but all clean and fragrant. Palate is leaner than expected, quite a vanillin component from the oak, nearly a thought of stalks, and acid noticeable. It therefore looks pinched against both The Aviator and Cyril. Not a great Heytesbury therefore: Halliday ranks the 2012 vintage 10 for reds in Margaret River, so that doesn't compute. Cellar 5 – 15 years, even so. GK 06/16

2018 Valli Riesling Waitaki 17 ½ (

)

Waitaki Valley, North Otago, New Zealand: 12%; $32 [ screwcap; Ri 100% grown on limestone-influenced gravels, cropped at 7 t/ha = 2.7 t/ac from an 13-year old vineyard; s/s cool-fermented; RS 14 g/L against TA 9.0, pH 2.9; presumably sterile-filtered; production 316 x 9-litre cases; www.valliwine.com ]
Very pale lemon, the lightest white. Freshly opened the bouquet is shy, very pure, lightly floral in a freesias way, slightly Lisbon-lemon-citric. There might be just a hint of botrytis, hinting at the Mosel model. Palate is fresh, very crisp, higher terpenes than any Mosel riesling would be, yet the delicate sweetness masks the acid beautifully. The score at this point reflects the wine’s reticence: likely it will have much more to say at five and eight years. Cellar 25 years or so. GK 06/19

2017 Escarpment Riesling Ryan [ Dry ] 17 ½ (

)

Te Muna Road, Martinborough, New Zealand: 11.5%; $24 [ screwcap; a new approach for Escarpment Riesling, again an Alsace influence, some BF and LA in older oak; RS 1 g/L = dry; www.escarpment.co.nz ]
Glowing lemon, precisely at the midpoint (of the 13 whites) in depth of colour. Bouquet is light, pure, rich in one sense yet beautifully delicate in another, just a hint of sweet hoppy terpenes giving a clue to the variety. When you sniff more deeply, there is a faint mandarin citrussy note, contrasting with the Lisbon lemon of the Otago specimen. Palate is much stronger, clear citrussy aromatics, not the acid and very low pH of the Valli, in a sense more fine Clare Valley or Coonawarra in style, but somewhat softer and longer-flavoured, seemingly faint sweetness lengthening the ‘dry’ and fine-grained finish. Cellar 5 – 15 years, maybe longer. GK 06/19

1998 Clape Cornas 17 ½ (

)

Cornas, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $ – [ cork; Sy 100%, much old-vine; no de-stemming, 20 months or so in foudre only, no small wood; Cornas' most famous grower; Parker 2001: 90 The big, classic 1998 Cornas reveals hard tannin, medium to full body, a dense ruby/purple color, and a muscular, backstrapping, husky style that requires 5-6 years of cellaring. It will last for 16-18 years, but it does not have much fat, glycerin or sweetness.; L-L 2005: **** Really big chocolate-style bouquet, damp earth, black fruit jam, some freshness. The palate is also led by confit, cooked black fruits. Although a little withdrawn, there is a good centre here. A touch of sweetness, quite low acidity, needs airing. 2013 – 17; imported by Maison Vauron, Auckland. ]
Fresh ruby and velvet, clearly the ‘youngest’ wine in the tasting. Bouquet is intriguing, clearly syrah, but slightly rustic alongside the Courbis. There is a soft note in the berry hinting at pinot noir (Wellington wineman Nick Greenhill thought cru Corton), but also a hint of stalk. The whole bouquet is quite reserved. Palate is firm, just a thought of varnish around the oak, but good berry which is cassisy once in mouth, more explicitly syrah. But this wine, like the Courbis, is hard on the tannins and some acid too, and clearly needs time to soften. It should achieve this gracefully, the wine being brett-free in practical terms. I wonder about the physiological maturity of the grapes. 1998 was not only a hot year, but also a dry one, and there was discussion at the time about some fruit not ripening fully through water stress. This wine may be an example. Still a good wine to have in cellar, again 5 – 15 years. GK 04/09

2013 Urlar Pinot Noir 17 ½ (

)

Gladstone, Wairarapa, New Zealand: 14%; $40 [ screwcap; www.urlar.co.nz ]
Medium pinot noir, some age showing, below midway in depth. Bouquet is beautifully floral and fragrant, highly varietal in a buddleia and roses way, all red fruits, faintly aromatic. Palate continues absolutely in style for red fruits pinot noir, attractively balanced cedary oak at a maximum for the fruit weight, the whole wine putting one in mind of Pommard. It is a little drier and less rich than the Urlar Select Parcels wine. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/16

2014 Craggy Range Merlot Gimblett Gravels 17 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $29 [ screwcap; DFB; Me 88%, CF 12, 70% machine-harvested @ 7.65 t/ha = 3.1 t/ac; inoculated ferments in s/s; 17 months in French oak 27% new; RS nil; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby, a wash of carmine and velvet, the lightest red. Bouquet combines red and black plums with almost suggestions of red roses, to show a highly varietal but subtle merlot bouquet, very pure indeed. Palate is lighter than hoped, but perfectly ripe, the oak delicately balanced. It is a much softer wine than the McDonald Series Merlot, but just as attractive in its own way. For this and the Sophia, it is as if new chief winemaker Matt Stafford feels the Craggy Range reds were a bit too big and bold in the first decade, and it is time to finesse them. Finesse and richness / dry extract are not incompatible, however. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 06/16

2014 Fromm Syrah Fromm Vineyard 17 ½ (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 12%; $62 [ cork; www.frommwinery.co.nz ]
Good ruby with a flush of carmine and velvet, the third to lightest of the other reds. Better with decanting to ventilate a shadow of reduction, the bouquet then shows a suggestion of whole-bunch florality, a suggestion of black pepper, and some fruit richness. Because of the suggestion of reduction, it is not quite singing at this stage. Palate shows rich clearly varietal fruit, some cassis, more dark plum, black pepper again, careful oaking to a near max, and good persistence of flavour. Give this five years to bury its present negative traits, and it may surprise. Cellar 5 – 15 years. Score has an 'anticipatory' component, for now. GK 06/16

2011 Sacred Hill Cabernet / Merlot Helmsman 17 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $85 [ cork; DFB; CS 50%, Me 25, CF 25, hand-picked from 10 year old vines; cuvaison approx 28 days; 18 months in French oak c.60% new, RS nil; www.sacredhill.com ]
Ruby and velvet, markedly less dense and clearly older than 2011 Brokenstone, below midway in depth. Bouquet is much leaner than Brokenstone, with much more cedary oak showing. In mouth the wine is even oakier than the 2009 Clerc Milon, clearly excessive. Alongside Brokenstone of the same year, it does not seem as if cabernet sauvignon developed anywhere near the fruit weight and body that the merlot did, in 2011. Nonetheless the wine has some weight and style, and sits with the more oaky classed Bordeaux in this tasting surprisingly well. Those who like oak will rate it more highly. Concentration and ripeness are fractionally ahead of 2013 Awatea, but Helmsman is much more oaky. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 03/15

2002 Huia Marlborough Brut 17 ½ (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 12.5%; $39 [ supercritical cork; PN 55%, Ch 45 all hand-picked; BF, 100% MLF and extended 7-months lees autolysis in old French barrels; 5 years en tirage, then hand-riddled; dosage @ 7.5 g/L; www.huia.net.nz ]
Straw, marginally the deepest colour in the bubblies. Huia is another New Zealand bubbly inspired by Bollinger, but this vintage is not quite as subtle as the nearby competition from Cloudy Bay. The combination of oak elevage and the MLF component in primary fermentation has already produced a hazelnutty as well as baguette crust complexity in the rich and forwardly mature fruit on bouquet. The oak can clearly be tasted on the rich palate, which would be OK if the wine were still gawky and young, but it is quite developed. The 2000 vintage of this wine appealed to me enormously, so each year now, I eagerly await the opportunity to taste and see if Claire and Mike Allan have surpassed that achievement. Not this year – a little more subtlety is needed I think, particularly in the oak component of the first fermentation. But then, I have that view about Krug, too. Shorter-term cellaring, I suspect, 1 – 5 years. GK 11/08

2010 Misha's Vineyard Pinot Noir Verismo 17 ½ (

)

Bendigo district, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $60 [ Screwcap; a mix of clones cropped @ c. 4.5 t/ha (1.8 t/ac); no whole-bunch, long cold soaking, wild yeast ferments, c. 24 days total cuvaison; MLF and more than 12 months in all-French hogsheads 48% new; light fining, not filtered; dry extract 31.8 g/L; production 195 x 9-L cases; Cooper, 2015: The 2010 is an outstanding vintage ... it is deep and bright in colour, with highly concentrated plum, spice and nut flavours. A fragrant, powerful, dense and savoury red, still youthful, its sure to be long-lived; open 2015+, ****½; weight bottle and closure: 709 g; www.mishasvineyard.com ]
A bigger pinot noir ruby, the third deepest. Freshly opened this wine is intensely floral, sharing with the Greywacke a remarkable volume of lighter floral notes, buddleia particularly and pale roses, some lilac too, which is seductive. But when you step back, there is doubt too, might it be leafy. As soon as you taste it, the palate weight is impressive. This wine presents a grand cru quality of fruit / presence in mouth, and when you check the dry extract, the wine is indeed over the magic 30 g/L mark. That is the absolute criterion for real quality in red wine, no matter how much New Zealand winemakers seek to avoid (or ignore) this fact, though it is easy to be satisfied with wines a bit below. Fruit flavours here are mostly in a lighter red spectrum, nearly a suggestion of red currants, dominant red cherry, some black. There is fractionally less depth of ripeness than the Greywacke, and thus a slightly greater suggestion of leafyness. Here too you wish the picking date had been a little later, to darken the fruit spectrum. The oaking in this wine is exquisite, comparable with the Mt Difficulty. Cellar 3 – 10 years. Six people rated this their top or second wine, nobody thought it French, and eight thought it a $100-plus bottle. GK 07/16

2010 Carrick Pinot Noir Excelsior 17 ½ (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $84 [ Screwcap; hand-picked late April at 6 t/ha (2.4 t/ac) from c. 17 year-old vines, two clones; wild-yeast fermentation with c.10% whole-bunch, up to 21 days cuvaison including cold-soak; MLF and c.12 months in French oak c.30% new; then 6 months in older oak; neither fined nor filtered; dry extract 29.4 g/L; production 155 x 9-L cases; Cooper, 2015: Deep and youthful in colour, it is powerful and firm, with dense plum/spice flavours, complex and savoury. It needs cellaring; 2015+, ****½; weight bottle and closure: 549 g ]
Interesting wine this one. Colour is big for pinot noir, but acceptable. It is the deepest-coloured wine. Bouquet is immediately deeper, riper and darker than any other of the wines, black cherry not red, and tiptoeing into bottled black doris plum territory, where a pinot noir is at peril of being confused with merlot on the one hand (if it is high-quality), or syrah on the other. Either way, this Excelsior is beautifully fragrant, in that style. Palate is rich, ripe, and powerful. You immediately feel the picking was left a little late, resulting in less florality, and the darker spectrum of fruit flavours. Oaking is firm, to a max but not as apparent as in Pinnacle. The whole wine is exciting, as a sturdy dark pinot noir, which will be rewarding to follow in cellar. It may well score more highly in five years time, if a more floral component develops. Cellar 5 – 12 years. Nobody rated this their top or second wine, one thought it French, and five thought it a $100-plus bottle. GK 07/16

2008 Esk Valley Merlot / Cabernet Sauvignon / Malbec 17 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $23 [ screwcap; www.eskvalley.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, good weight. Bouquet here is more northern Medoc, a lovely lift to it which might be just a hint of cooler fruit, a touch of redcurrant in the cassis maybe, nicely balanced to fragrant oak. Palate confirms a slightly lower level of ripeness, not exactly a hint of stalks, but a freshness which introduces a suggestion of lean-ness. The oak balance however is impeccable, and the total styling remains very Medoc. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 06/10

2008 Te Whare Ra Toru Blended White 17 ½ (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.8%; $20 [ screwcap; Gw, Ri & PG ratio unknown, hand-picked and hand-sorted; cool- and some co-fermented, 100% s/s, no wild yeast, some of the wine extended lees-autolysis; pH 3.3l, RS 10.5 g/L; www.te-whare-ra.co.nz ]
Pale lemon. This wine reminds of Penfolds Australian Traminer / Riesling from the '70s. It is a kind of super riesling, the gewurztraminer providing a fragrant aromatic lift to floral and citrus-blossom-infused fruit. In mouth the flavours are rich, gewurz dominant maybe, a suspicion of root ginger (which could be dubious) in pale stonefruits, very aromatic, rich and juicy, but a just a little phenolic (some might say, coarse), sweetness just above 'riesling dry'. A flavoursome wine not at all like the Alsatian blends it might be modelled on, but well worth trying. Probably not a long-term cellar wine, so 2 – 5 years or so. GK 04/09

2003 Coopers Creek Pinot Noir Marlborough 17 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $20 [ screwcap; www.cooperscreek.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is understated, but very good, with red and black cherries, and florals hinting at boronia, red roses, and violets. This is the kind of wine smell one can luxuriate in – like a balmy evening garden. Palate is exciting too. Pinot aficionados speak of layers of texture in great pinot, and here one gets some inkling of that. There is real viscosity on palate, yet the wine is dry and beautifully under-oaked. The actual quality of flavour is perhaps not as promising as the top Otago wines, but this will be delightful drinking with food. And how great to see prices for good pinot becoming affordable. With the Framingham, Churton and Mount Riley, this wine shows that Marlborough pinot is quietly catching up with Martinborough and Otago. Delightful already, or cellar to 10 years. VALUE GK 10/04

2003 Loosen Erdener Treppchen Riesling Kabinett QmP 17 ½ (

)

Mosel, Germany: 8.5%; $32
Pale lemon. There are suggestions of subtle New Zealand riesling in this one, which shows delicate lime zest, white florals, and pale stonefruits. Palate however is so much more understated than the New Zealand equivalents, subtle, silky, rich for a kabinett, more a downgraded spatlese. Acid is only just enough, here. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 11/04

2014 Greywacke Pinot Noir 17 ½ (

)

Southern Valleys, Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $47 [ screwcap; hillside plantings in the Southern Valleys; detailed hand-picking at c. 5 – 6 t/ha (= 2 – 2.4 t/ac) followed by intensive sorting-table bunch by bunch; 80% destemmed to whole berries, 20% whole bunches; wild yeast ferments with total cuvaison c. 21 days; 16 months in French oak 30 – 40% new; egg-white fining if needed; RS dry, total dry extract 26.3 g/L; www.greywacke.com ]
Quite dark ruby for a pinot noir, some velvet. Bouquet is youthful and awkward, a lot of smoky nutmeggy oak to excess, on black cherry and omega plum fruit. On palate there is good rich black cherry fruit showing a depth thus far rare in Marlborough pinots. Each year lately the Greywacke Pinot Noir seems a little richer, as if the cropping rate is quietly being dialled back. There is just a bit much winemaker artefact to allow the full expression of pinot noir varietal florality and beauty, though. Fruit of this quality with markedly less new oak would produce a better result, I think. Aftertaste is long, but ends on smoky oak, not fruit. Cellar 5 – 15 years, to harmonise. This wine is richer than the chardonnay, and thus has the fruit to score appreciably higher, with time. GK 05/17

1985 Guigal Cote-Rotie Cotes Brune et Blonde 17 ½ (

)

Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $172 [ Cork, 49 mm; now Sy 96%, Vi 4, average age 35 years, typically cropped at 4.8 t/ha = 1.9 t/ac; Parker rating for year 88; c. 21 days cuvaison, elevation three years in barrel, 50% new; Parker, 1997: Like many Northern Rhones from this vintage, the 1985 regular cuvee has always been a deliciously ripe, round, precocious-tasting wine, with a concentrated, creamy texture, and smoky bouquet. The amber edge and round, sweet fruit suggest full maturity. Drink it up. Mature now. Last tasted 7/96, 90; Wine Spectator, 2008: Mature but ripe, offering plum, dried currant and coffee aromas followed by a supple, medium-weight palate that shows black tea, shaved vanilla, dried fruit and date hints. The finish is still juicy, and the core is dark and still plump. Guigal non-blind vertical. Drink now, 90; www.guigal.com ]
Garnet more than ruby, the lightest wine. Bouquet in this wine is as fragrant as the 1983, but slightly different, just a hint more phenolic, less berryfruit, as if older. Again there is clear browning cassis, and subtle oak. Palate is intriguing, clearly more tannic than the 1983, still tannins to lose as Harry Waugh used to say. This correlates with the slight phenolics on bouquet. Hard to say if this wine will age as gracefully as the 1983, but I have a doubt. Curious, when 1983 is by reputation the hotter year. Relative to the 1983, tasters liked this more than I did, perhaps because it was fractionally richer than the 1983. One rated it their top wine of the evening, and five their second. This clearly has some time ahead of it, hopefully to lose some tannin, cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 05/17

2002 Pegasus Bay Pinot Noir 17 ½ (

)

Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 14%; $45 [ 30% new oak; www.pegasusbay.com ]
Ruby with some carmine and velvet, getting marginal for pinot noir. Initially opened, oak-related smells and suggestions of recently-fried batter predominate. These breathe out to a deeper kind of pinot noir, with some suggestions of florals rising from blackest cherries, dark plums, and blackboy peaches. Palate is rich, youthfully tannic, but the fruit flavours swing more to black cherries than plums. The Pegasus style is lightening a little as the years go by, and the wines are better for it, more varietal, less obviously new world. This should be a worthwhile bottle to cellar for 5 – 12 years, and may rate higher, later. GK 09/02

2011 Wooing Tree Pinot Noir 17 ½ (

)

Cromwell, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $45 [ screwcap; all hand-picked; few % whole-bunch in the ferments; typically 10 months in French oak 30 – 35% new; some filtering; www.wooingtree.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, some age showing, in the fourth quarter for depth of colour. Bouquet is sweet, ripe, lightly floral, clearly fragrant and varietal red fruits pinot noir. Palate shows red cherry, interesting oak with just a trace of Spanish flavours, the whole wine supple and charming with good balance and reasonable concentration. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 06/17

2002 Rousseau Charmes-Chambertin 17 ½ (

)

Gevrey-Chambertin Grand Cru, Cotes de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 13%; $151 [ cork; 30 – 35 hl/ha (1.5 – 1.8 t/ac); 10% whole-bunch, c. 15 day cuvaison in s/s; MLF and up 22 months in older French oak; Coates: This has a little less depth and grip. Charming and very stylish but a touch slight. Merely very good. From 2007; Parker / Rovani: 88 – 89; www.domaine-rousseau.com ]
Pinot noir ruby, about the average of the Rousseaus. The style of this wine is virtually identical to the Mazis-Chambertin, except there is a fragrant and savoury whisper of brett in the bouquet, and the palate is fractionally lighter again. Cellar 3 – 12 years. GK 07/06

2005 Parr & Simpson Chardonnay 17 ½ (

)

Pohara, Golden Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $24 [ supercritical cork; hand-harvested; BF and LA 11 months in French oak 30% new, partial MLF; limestone-influenced soils ]
Lemonstraw. Bouquet is remarkable on this wine, exactly midway between the Marlborough Cloudy Bay and the Otago Felton. That could be very appropriate for a Golden Bay wine. Relative to the other two wines, on bouquet there is more explicit mealyness expressed as Vogel's wholegrain lightly toasted, against gorgeous stonefruits including golden queen peaches, all more aromatic than the Cloudy Bay. There is even a hint of grapefruit. Palate is not quite so good, total acid a little high, as high as the Felton, but the new oak component seems higher, thus exacerbating the acid. Total flavours however are ripe and good, classical chardonnay at a premier cru cropping rate. This should cellar well, and mellow – so it may score higher in a couple of years. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 03/08

2003 Domaines la Chablisienne Chablis Premier Cru Mont de Milieu 17 ½ (

)

Chablis, France: 13%; $ – [ from 25 year-old vines @ 6000/ha on limestone; BF 50% in old oak (none new), 50% s/s; LA 9 months for both, MLF 100%; la Chablisienne a co-op comprising 200 growers, 1100 ha, a quarter of the vineyards in Chablis, from Grand Cru down; www.chablisienne.com ]
Lemongreen. Bouquet is white flowers and pale stonefruits, plus white pear flesh. It is still youthful, with a slight estery scent yet to marry in. In mouth, immediately the MLF component becomes noticeable, very like some Marlborough chardonnays in New Zealand, on a pure exposition of chardonnay fruit, little affected by winemaking. Flavour is relatively one-dimensional, apple and pear flesh, a little lactic, good dry extract, not as acid as many New Zealand scarcely-oaked chardonnays, good chablis but not great. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 10/05

2013 Greystone Pinot Noir Thomas Brothers 17 ½ (

)

Omihi, Waipara, Canterbury, New Zealand: 13.5%; $97 [ screwcap; mainly Dijon clones, average age 10 years, all hand-picked; no whole-bunch, wild-yeast ferments; 21 days cuvaison; 16 months in French oak, 50% new; www.greystonewines.co.nz ]
Big pinot noir ruby, in the first quarter for weight of colour. I was asked to re-review this wine, since I had reservations about the first tasting, whereas it has been endorsed enthusiastically by others, both at home and overseas. Accordingly I waited till I had a batch of pinots big enough for it to be totally hidden in. Bouquet is complex, fragrant, a trace of aromatic herbes, some dusky rose florals, on black rather than red cherry fruit. Flavour is a mix of characters unusual for premium pinot noir, some pruney over-ripe notes, but also some stalky under-ripe ones, all a little acid to the tail. The nett balance is not fine pinot. Perhaps there was a whole-bunch component [ no ]. Palate is concentrated and long-flavoured in its style, quite tannic, the pinot charm of the Valli wines (for example) not so apparent here. It has the richness to cellar 5 – 12 years, and may harmonise. The point here is, if the cropping rate is reduced for an ultra-premium wine, there is the risk that any defects in the fruit such as under-ripeness may be more apparent in the finished wine. GK 06/17

1975 Delaforce Finest Vintage Port 17 ½ (

)

Douro, Portugal: 20%; $153 [ cork, 50mm; original price $16.75; cepage comments on the website are merely: Old Vines Field Blend; Delaforce was in a low phase in the ‘70s, the wines not well regarded; Broadbent, 2002, on the vintage as a whole: A modest vintage, with much to be modest about. An aberration declared by 17 major shippers … the wines are flavoury and quite attractive but have no future. Drink soon. For our wine, he comments: Deep, rich though raw in October 1977. Pale, lean and raisiny in 1989, ** Drink up; Parker, 1989: This house tends to make a good port and sell it at rather reasonable prices. The 1975 is straight-forward and chunky, with good length but not much complexity. It is fully mature, 82; website fiddly to use; www.delaforce.pt ]
Glowing rosy ruby and garnet, the lightest wine. Bouquet is piquant and fragrant, the orange oil analogy again, the same kind of enticing quality certain Italian reds including good (traditional) chianti show, browning red fruits, a thought of hazelnuts and marzipan, as well as lightest oak. In mouth the wine is much lighter than the 1977s and 1963s, yet there is a harmony and completeness to its lighter presentation which is delightful. The aromatic fruit and hint of marzipan is in perfect balance to the oak, with a surprisingly long balanced finish quite belying its size. One taster produced a neat turn of phrase to sum up this wine: … enjoyable wine … unencumbered by complexity. Two people had the Delaforce as their second-favourite, for the evening. GK 05/18

2014 Wairau River Pinot Noir Reserve 17 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $40 [ screwcap; hand-harvested; fermentation in cuves; 12 months in French oak, % new not given; RS 2 g/L; www.wairauriverwines.com ]
Elegant lighter and fresh pinot noir ruby, closer in depth to many Burgundy producers, in the middle of the third quarter for depth. Nothing light about the bouquet however, which shows an intensity of Chambolle-Musigny-like floral and rose notes which is attractive, on red grading to black cherry fruit. Palate is attractive, showing more sophisticated oak handling than the Halo wine but not the ripeness and depth of the Valli trio, with good length, but a trace of leaf. Even so, this is a wine to win disbelievers over to the merits of new-generation Marlborough pinot noir, even when not grown on the older soils. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/17

2007 Bilancia Syrah la Collina 17 ½ (

)

Roy's Hill, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $80 [ supercritical 'cork'; Sy 97%, Vi 3, 100% de-stemmed; co-fermented on c. viognier skins; MLF and 18 months in 100% new French oak coopered in Burgundy; grown on the NW slopes of Roy’s Hill, adjacent to but not part of the Gimblett Gravels; release date mid-2011, though some has escaped; www.bilancia.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, quite rich. Initially opened, the wine is sulky and tending reductive. It needs pouring from jug to jug splashily half a dozen times. Bouquet is then on the oakier side in this batch, but still explicitly syrah with dianthus and wallflower florals on good plummy fruit. Palate is aromatic on the oak, but fruit is quite rich and the aftertaste long. The wine is more acid than some. Styling is a little closer to some Australian wines, and the score given here is very 'well-ventilated'. A later release date makes sense, but it will still benefit from holding some years, and then decanting splashily. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 06/10

2004 Yann Chave Hermitage 17 ½ (

)

Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $89 [ cork; available through Maison Vauron ]
Ruby, no deeper than the Crozes-Hermitage, the lightest. Bouquet is sweet and lightly floral, in the dianthus and buddleia spectrum, with some red fruits hinting at red currants and cassis, and red plums rather more than black. Palate is sweetly fruity too, and subtly oaked, so the whole wine appears lighter and more delicate than le Rouvre, and if it weren't for the clear black pepper, again thoughts of Cote de Nuits would arise. A lighter wine in this company (even relative to its Crozes-Hermitage sibling), but elegant and precisely varietal. This will be wonderful with food. Cellar 5 â€“ 10 years. GK 11/06

2002 Valli Pinot Noir Gibbston Vineyard 17 ½ (

)

Gibbston, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $45 [ cork; c.25% whole bunch; 11 months in French oak c.40% new, balance 1 and 2-year; www.valliwine.com ]
Dense ruby and velvet, big for pinot noir, and youthful for its age. This wine bespeaks its year exactly, a year in which many Otago Pinots were big, plummy, but over-ripe by fine pinot (meaning Burgundy) standards. Needless to say they were highly praised by many New Zealand commentators too much influenced by the unsubtle Australian idea of optimal ripeness. So here we have dense plummy fruit, seemingly quite high alcohol, good richness and ripeness, but all a bit pruney without the lightness of good pinot noir. Yet somehow, one can still tell it is pinot, and it is satisfying red wine. This will cellar for some years yet, 3 – 5 or so, and be good with food. GK 02/10

2002 Felton Road Pinot Noir 17 ½ (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $47 [ screwcap; www.feltonroad.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, getting big for pinot noir. Despite the colour, bouquet is a beautiful expression of the precise black cherry, blackboy and perfume of black plums character that makes Otago pinot noir at best so attractive. This wine is just a bit too ripe for floral magic, however. Palate confirms that impression, showing great fruit but in a slightly oaky and spirity unknit style, which seems unlikely to me to build the sheer complexity the 1999 Felton shows now. Popular wisdom has it that 2002 is a great pinot noir vintage in Central Otago, but I would argue that is only true in a quantitative sense – that is, if the new world fruit bomb style of pinot is to be regarded as the desirable goal for New Zealand examples of the grape. God forbid ! For pinot, fragrance, finesse of mouthfeel, and floral complexity are far more important than size. For Central Otago, I suggest cooler years than 2002 will reveal the full charms of the variety, as discussed for the 1999 Felton Road, under Akarua. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 01/04

2010 Babich Cabernet / Merlot / Malbec The Patriarch 17 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $70 [ 48 mm supercritical cork; CS 64%, Me 23, Ma 13 (detail of blend varies each year, to optimise wine), hand-harvested; detail along lines of cropped @ c.6 t/ha = 2.4 t/ac; cuvaison from 15 days to 22 for the CS; 13 months in all-French small oak 40% new; egg-white fined and filtered; www.babichwines.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, on a par with the Coopers Creek for weight, but the hue different. Bouquet is clean and fresh, obvious cassis, but even on bouquet a worry that it is not quite rich enough or ripe enough – quite the opposite of 2009 Tom, for example. In mouth this is remarkably Bordeaux-like wine, the malbec well-hidden with scarcely any tell-tale stalky streaks, the tannins somewhat riper than the bouquet suggested, the whole thing like a good bourgeois cru from the Medoc but in a less-than-ideal vintage. It lacks the concentration to be of classed growth standard, it would be better without the malbec, but even so it is harmonious wine, which will cellar 5 – 15 years. The replete comments in the Hot Red Catalogue illustrate the remarkable extent to which New Zealand commentators are unfamiliar with international standards for ripeness in Bordeaux blends – and does a wine judging in China really count, other than to mislead the suggestible ? This is exactly why I included the affordable Bordeaux blends with the Hot Reds last year. GK 06/13

1999 Clearview Estate Chardonnay Reserve 17 ½ (

)

Te Awanga, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.6%; $ – [ cork; simpler variations on 2004 practice, qv; www.clearviewestate.co.nz ]
Colour is gold, in clear contrast with the younger wines. In vintage 2000, winemaker Tim Turvey started doing something differently, more subtly [see introduction]. Bouquet on the 1999 is very rich, and despite the colour, it is still pretty fresh. There is no smell of oxidation as such, but there is more suggestion of dried peaches (quality ones) as well as fresh. Barrel-ferment and lees-autolysis characters are clearly wholemeal or even wholegrain, on bouquet. Palate likewise is fully mature, ripe peach with dried fruit and fig flavours coming in, but not yet showing biscuitty notes. Just past the peak of maturity, so about now is the last opportunity to see it still with fresh fruit characters as well. That should be qualified – bottles from warmer places such as Auckland will be older. Will hold 1 – 3 years. GK 10/05

2009 TerraVin [ Merlot / Malbec / Cabernet ] J 17 ½ (

)

Omaka Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.7%; $60 [ 'supercritical' cork; DFB; not on website, Me 80%, Ma 12, CS 8, hand-picked late April at only 450 g / vine from the Omaka Valley hillside site; wild yeast fermentation; 16 months in French oak 50% new; neither fined nor filtered; 33 cases; www.terravin.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, considerable depth. Initially opened, the wine seems very oaky and quite spirity, maybe slightly bretty, on good fruit with suggestions of raisined berry rather than fresh, but remarkably rich. In mouth the flavours are plummy and oaky, again with raisiny overtones. In one sense, if this wine is cabernet-dominant as the '06 was, it has achieved the near-impossible goal of properly ripening cabernet sauvignon in Marlborough [ later found to be merlot-dominant, as above ]. It avoids the danger of concentrating under-ripe flavours, as some "leave them out to hang" red wines from cooler climates in New Zealand have displayed. A most unusual New Zealand Bordeaux blend, to cellar 5 – 15 years and with interest. Given global warming, this wine offers a glimpse into New Zealand viticulture and wine production a generation or two hence. GK 08/11

2015 Casa Santos Lima / Companhia das Vinhas Lab 17 ½ (

)

Lisbon district, Portugal: 13%; $17 [ screwcap; bottle-shape claret; cepage is castelao 35% (the commonest Portuguese red grape, synonym periquita), tinta roriz = tempranillo 25, Sy 25, touriga nacional 15; vines grown at 4,200 / ha, on calcareous and shale soil parent materials 100 – 200 m asl, all destemmed; fermentation temperature controlled to 28º – 30º C, cuvaison 28 days, then four months in barrel; www.casasantoslima.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, midway in depth. Bouquet is deeply berried and fragrant, not quite floral but a positive ripe almost garrigue-like quality, reminding of a rich Cotes-du-Rhone, or even Gigondas. Palate again shows great fruit, so rich it seems nearly sweet, again with a little residual sugar. Flavours are red fruits, raspberry and the like, some tannin adding structure. The most attractive feature of these Portuguese wines is the complexity of berry flavour, and the very light oaking. This too should cellar 5 – 15 years, on its fruit richness. Bottle shape would more appropriately be burgundy. A Wine Direct selection. GK 03/18

2015 Two Hands Shiraz Gnarly Dudes 17 ½ (

)

Barossa Valley, South Australia, Australia: 14%; $34 [ Screwcap; not in Langton's Australian wine classification; Halliday rates the 2015 vintage 9, for the Barossa Valley; one of the modern wineries, dating from 1999, emphasis on shiraz with a number of labels in a hierarchy – this wine in the lowest tier; elevation 12 months in French oak, mostly puncheons and hogsheads, 15% new; no Halliday review of the 2015, but he has rated both 2013 and 2014 vintages 95 – not bad for the lowest tier: Perrotti-Brown at Parker, 2016: Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2015 Gnarly Dudes Shiraz is open for biz, sporting an expressive nose of blackberry preserves, kirsch and wild blueberries with underlying anise and cloves hints. Medium to full-bodied and with a soft-spoken structure that frames the fruit nicely, it bursts with black and blue berry flavors, finishing long and spicy. Drink 2016 – 2020, 90; ‘clever’ website exceedingly hard to extract info from quickly; bottle weight 545 g; www.twohandswines.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, above midway in depth. Being so young, this is a more boisterous wine, fragrant robust dark bottled plum fruit, some flowering mint but not euc’y exactly, some oak. Palate shows big juicy youthful fruit, the degree of ripeness going beyond sophisticated plum to a hint of boysenberry, the oak not at all married in, as yet. One of two wines to have ‘obvious’ residual sweetness, to broaden its commercial appeal. No top placings, but three second, no least, one thought it might be Penfolds, and two maybe New Zealand. Cellar 5 – 20 + years, despite the sweetness. GK 04/17

2007 Lime Rock Pinot Noir White Knuckle Hill 17 ½ (

)

Waipawa district, southern Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.8%; $40 [ screwcap; vineyard up to 250 m on limestone, north-facing; hand-picked; French oak; website being re-built; Catalogue: A rich intense wine from an excellent season, the White Knuckle Hill Pinot Noir 2007 is the finest wine to come from the Lime Rock vineyard. The ripest grapes are handpicked first from shallow limestone soils at the tops of the hills, similar to Burgundy. … intense, complex aromas and flavours of bright boysenberry and dark red black doris plum fruit and savoury hints. Awards: Silver @ Easter Show 2009, Gold @ Australian Small Winemakers 2008, Silver @ Air New Zealand 2008; www.limerock.co.nz ]
Ruby, a deep colour for pinot noir. Bouquet is intensely floral red roses and other flowers, on clear-cut strawberry, red cherry, and bottled red even blackish plums. The quality of florals is almost syrah, yet it is also clearly dark pinot – there is no pepper at all. Palate is rich, skinsy as if the wine (like the colour) were saignée, a little tannic maybe but explicitly varietal in a premier cru southern Burgundy style. It finishes well given its bold approach, on a long ripe faintly stalky aftertaste. This is one of the best pinot noirs to come from Hawkes Bay so far, and certainly gives pause for thought to those who have said Hawkes Bay is too far north for quality pinot. The cooler but still low-rainfall and sometimes calcareous low hill-country adjoining Waipawa and Waipukurau must contain many sites of interest to pinotphiles. Cellar 3 – 10 years, to soften those tannins. GK 07/09

2005 Gravitas Riesling Late Harvest Hugo’s Delight 17 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 11%; $24 [ screwcap; 4 months LA in s/s; www.gravitaswines.co.nz ]
Lemon. Bouquet on this sweet wine is light, fragrant and clearly varietal, with citrus blossom, vanillin and lime-zest notes. Palate is fresh, continuing very varietal, sweetness more full spatlese to auslese level, lighter and more resiny / phenolic than some Marlborough examples of the style. Should cellar well, 3 – 10 years. GK 03/06

2010 Domaine Mongeard-Mugneret Grands Echezeaux 17 ½ (

)

Vosne-Romanée Grand Cru, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: – %; $222 [ cork; vine age 40 – 68 years; wine-searcher valuation $281; www.mongeard.com ]
Savoury with a hint of positive reduction, adding complexity. Clear and pale garnet colour with more red tones than the 2009. More New World in style than the other wines in the line-up with aromas of forest floor, spring onion, youthful red cherry, rose and raspberry. Dry and savoury on the palate, medium-plus juicy acidity, more body than any of the other wines in the line-up. Medium-minus ripe tannins, some grip and plush texture. A touch of herbal character, fruit on the palate is mostly red cherry, redcurrant and raspberry tones. Interesting and enjoyable wine. RD 08/16

2004 Elderton Cabernet Sauvignon Ashmead Single Vineyard 17 ½ (

)

Barossa Valley, South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $78 [ cork; DFB; CS 100% old-vine cropped @ < 2 t/ac; 20 months in 100% new French oak; www.eldertonwines.com.au ]
Ruby and garnet, very dense. Bouquet on this cabernet is more in the South Australian traditional style, robustly fruited and showing some euc'y complexity. Within the big fruit there is both cassis and dark plum, and the oak is high-quality. In mouth, the wine is very rich indeed, almost viscous, saturated with fruit, great cassis, the oak potentially cedary, but the euc'y note pervasive, sadly. Not easy to score, because the fruit is so fabulous. I guess for international tasters of Australian reds, the search is to find those rare wines which contain all the pluses, with no eucalyptus. It does happen, in years when there are no temperature spikes promoting volatilisation of the eucalyptus essential oils from the leaves. The Thorn-Clarke Quartage within this batch is a closer approach to the ideal state, though it is not as rich as this Ashmead. Cellar 10 – 30 years. GK 05/08

2004 Capricorn Wines Pinot Noir Struggler’s Flat 17 ½ (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $21 [ screwcap; s/s ferment, 6 months in French oak with LA; www.capricornwines.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. What an astonishing value-for-money wine this pinot has become, offering a quality fully matching many wines of twice the price. Long may it continue at its price point, to inject reality into the overheated New Zealand pinot market. Bouquet offers convincing florals in the lighter buddleia and vanilla pod style, on cherry and blackboy peach fruit. Palate is classic pinot, loosely speaking in a paler / softer red-fruited Beaune style (relative to the more vibrant and aromatic Cote de Nuits-like styling on the Feltons, for example), carefully oaked, long-flavoured. One could drink a lot of this ! Cellar 3 – 10 years. VALUE GK 11/05

2011 Escarpment Pinot Noir 17 ½ (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $51 [ screwcap; Escarpment Vineyard was established on Te Muna Road in 1998, as a partnership between Larry McKenna and the Kirby family of Victoria, Australia. Prior to that Larry had led Martinborough Vineyard to distinction in the district. Since 2008 Larry has had Huw Kinch as deputy winemaker. Wines are presented in three series, the bistro Edge series, The Escarpment wines proper, and then 5 individual vineyard wines designated the Insight Series. Some of the latter are drawn from the oldest pinot noir vineyards in the district. They vary considerably between themselves, so we are using the Escarpment wine, as a collective statement about Larry's pinot aspirations. It is the wine of a fairly typical year, hand-harvested, with 55% whole-bunch (contrasting with most NZ practice), 11 months in French oak 25% new, with an RS <1 g/L and a dry extract of 25 g/L; www.escarpment.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, just below midway. Bouquet is complicated, with many factors showing. On one side there is a maceration carbonique suggestion and a cool nearly leafy quality grading into simple sweet pea / buddleia florality, yet there is an aromatic richer and darker side too, moreso than some of these wines. The thought does arise, though, I wonder if it is stalky. Having checked all the bouquets, when you come back to this wine in tasting the palates, it is not as dark as expected, but there is a hint of stalk in mixed fruits, cherry dominant. I would expect this wine to mature into flavours including the 'forest floor' note much loved by pinot-chatterers, and if it loses a little tannin it could become exciting rather than complicated. When one later finds that this is the wine with 55% whole-bunch in the fermentation, everything clicks into place. It illustrates that the stems must be critically ripe. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/14

2013 Expatrius Syrah 17 ½ (

)

Waiheke Island, Auckland District, New Zealand: 14%; $92 [ cork, 50 mm; 2013 not yet actively released, pricing uncertain, one release so far at $79; Sy 100%, three clones planted at 5,500 vines per ha; hand-picked at c.5 t/ha = 2 t/ac; all destemmed, berries rather than bunches sorted on vibrating table; 5 days cold soak, initial fermentation wild-yeast, then cultured to finish; extended cuvaison 45 – 50 days; 14 – 16 months in barriques 80% French new, 20% US second-year; not fined, coarse filtered only; Cooper, 2017: … sturdy, youthful and very finely textured, with generous, ripe, plummy, gently spicy flavours, fine-grained tannins and obvious potential. Showing great harmony, its already delicious, but should be at its best 2018 onwards, *****; dry extract not available; production c.400 x 9-litre cases; weight bottle and closure: 896 g; www.expatrius.co.nz ]
Ruby, some velvet, older than many, the lightest wine. Bouquet is soft, sweetly fragrant and and inclining to Ribero del Duero in style, high vanillin and some pink hedge-rose florals, with a berry character tending to blueberry, but with some cassis and red plums too. Palate is seductive in a manner similar to the Tom wine, a powerful integration of ripe fruit and sweet oak giving good richness and length, with almost a hint of sweetness to the finish. Astute tasters noted (correctly) that there was an American white oak component here, and marked the wine down for that. I can imagine this wine giving much pleasure at table, in 10 years’ time, but in a technical tasting focussing on ‘concept syrah’ (as opposed to shiraz), some felt it a bit wayward. One taster rated Expatrius their favourite wine, and three had it in second place. Five rated it the least wine of the set, and seven thought it Australian. It certainly stands to one side in the New Zealand syrahs, due to its blueberry dominance, like the Langi. Cellar 10 – 25 years. GK 06/17

2010 Villa Maria Viognier Omahu Gravels Single Vineyard 17 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $32 [ screwcap; hand-harvested @ 3.7 t/ha (1.5 t/ac), 100% de-stemmed, 3 hours cold-soak, 100% barrel-fermented in French oak 43% new, 53% of the wine both wild yeast fermentations and completed MLF, 10 months on full lees with weekly batonnage, sterile-filtered; pH 3.8, RS 1.7 g/L; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Good lemon. I do not have this alongside the 2011 Cellar Selection from the same firm and vineyard reported on recently, but my impression from memory is that the present wine shows more sophistication of winemaking, but not quite such delightful freshness of varietal fruit character. In that it resembles the Australian champion viognier Virgilius from Yalumba. Here the first impression is more lemon and apricot tart, a clear impression of short pastry (+ve) from the sophisticated lees-autolysis and barrel-fermentation, with not quite the yellow honeysuckle florals and fresh apricot needed to make viognier great. The quantity of fruit on palate is however good, showing clear suggestions of apricot flavour and admirable barrel-ferment, lees-autolysis, and MLF components all adding texture, body, and complexity – including oak to a max. 'Dry' finish. Fully mature as viognier, will hold but not improve so the firm needs to quit stock on this short-lived (in bottle) variety now, since the oak is starting to intrude. Hold a year or two only. This wine is nearly as good as the least of the Cuilleron viogniers (Condrieu), which is no mean achievement. GK 06/13

2014 Babich Chardonnay Irongate 17 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $33 [ screwcap; 100% clone mendoza typically harvested at 6 t/ha (2.4 t/ac); BF with wild yeasts in French oak 20 – 25% new, 10 months LA and batonnage, typically without MLF; RS 2.5 g/L; www.babichwines.co.nz ]
Lemongreen. This is the odd man out in the four Irongate chardonnays, the wine and its elevage reflecting the modern indulgence / trend to building-in reduction on the presumption that is positive. So often, it is not, except amongst me-too wine judges, and wine journalists who subscribe to trends rather than thinking about them. Here the degree of reduction is still (after two years) suppressing / flattening the wine a good deal, but under the grey blanket of reduced sulphur molecules you can, unusually, see quite intense florality and yellow stonefruit chardonnay trying to escape. At this stage there are reminders in the aroma of the flowers of Cape Ivy (Senecio mikanoides) so not all positive, due to the sulphur. Put this away for five years: I think it will surprise. Fruit richness on palate is good (in the Irongate style), the ratio of fruit to oak is excellent, so the whole thing is set up to 'come right' with time. But it would have been better without the reduction, in the first place. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 07/16

2008 Coopers Creek Malbec 17 ½ (

)

Kumeu district, Auckland, New Zealand: 12.5%; $24 [ screwcap; hand-harvested @ c.4.3 t/ha = 1.7 t/ac; 17 days cuvaison; 13 months in French oak 50% new; RS 3 g/L; www.cooperscreek.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. This was the fourth of the key blending varieties for the Hawkes Bay blends. It showed what winemaker Simon Nunns refers to as the 'wild berry character' of malbec well. Unlike so many Cahors wines, it is technically razor-sharp. To those using Argentina as a yardstick for malbec, it is a bit on the delicate side, but like the Black Barn Cabernet Franc, the winemaker has respected the grape and not over-oaked it, so it was a useful illustration of the New Zealand viticultural regime for our lecture format. It is not stalky, but nor is it black-fruits ripe. It illuminated the composition of the Babich Patriarch brilliantly. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 10/10

2005 Te Mata Sauvignon Blanc Cape Crest 17 ½ (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $27 [ supercritical cork; SB 86%, S. Gris 8, Se 6; hand-harvested; BF in French oak 30% new plus 8 months LA, weekly batonnage, nil MLF, nil RS; www.temata.co.nz ]
Lemon. Immediate impression is of a very oaky modern sauvignon, with a lot of added winemaker character from barrel-ferment in charry oak, and prolonged lees-autolysis. The nett result is to produce an aromatic tang on bouquet remarkably like some premium virgin motor oils. Infused through that are red capsicum and almost grapefruit-zest complexities. Palate shows fine fruit richness both from the fruit and the lees-autolysis, and the flavour lingers well. Total wine style is converging in an oaky way with Cloudy Bay’s Te Koko (but without MLF), and both are aiming for very modern Graves styles, rich in mouth and great with food. The flavours are so bold, care with food matching is needed, but the results can be exciting. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 03/06

2004 Saints Noble Semillon Gisborne Vineyard Selection 17 ½ (

)

Gisborne 87%, Hawkes Bay 13, New Zealand: 13.5%; $19 [ screwcap; price / 375 ml, not yet generally released; all BF, 43% new; 157 g/L RS; Trophy, NZ Easter Show 2006; 2004 not on website yet; www.pernod-ricard-nz.com ]
Lemonstraw to straw. Bouquet is light, pure and sweet, nearly floral semillon showing suggestions of holygrass / sweetest hay, botrytis, lanolin and pale stonefruits, plus light clean oak. Palate is very neat, a little more oak noticeable now and fairly new, lowish VA, grape acid higher than the others giving lovely fresh flavours, but all lacking a little fruit weight and concentration in this company. Nonetheless, the wine was well rated by many tasters, and as a lighter elegant wine, it is one well suited to light cool desserts. It is much fresher and more flavoursome than the Gramp Noble. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 04/06

2005 Dry River Pinot Noir 17 ½ (

)

Martinborough Terrace, Wairarapa, New Zealand: 12.5%; $132 [ Cork, 45mm, ullage 25mm; weight bottle and cork, 615 g; release price c.$75; Robinson, 2009: This looks so young it could be taken for a 2008! Mostly picked before the notorious rains of 2005. Complex bouquet already with a sumptuous, silky texture. Dry finish, 17.5; Cooper, 2007: … a medium to full-bodied wine with fresh, vibrant plum and spice flavours. A very refined wine, concentrated and supple, showing lovely density and poise, it’s still very youthful, open 2009 onwards, *****; www.dryriver.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, the second deepest wine in the set, deeper than the 2005 Syrah, not a usual colour for pinot noir. Notwithstanding, the bouquet is clean, pure, fruit dominant, and gradually over hours and days reveals more of itself. There are dusky florals, and darkest cherry fruit, and again, like the 2001 but much less so, just a hint of the aromatic charm of the Cote de Nuits, as in a dark burgundy like the 2002 Clos de Tart. Palate is deep, rich, initially opened seeming massive, but with extended air becoming more and more like the 2001, some charm creeping in, in a furry-tannins way. This truly is a New Zealand pinot noir to put aside with the backward 2005 burgundies, to examine in another 10 years. It is a pity McCallum used only 44 – 46 mm corks over the years, but their quality is good. Cellar 5 – 15 years. On the night this wine was too reserved, only one second-place vote. In the vintage comparison with the 2005 Syrah, the pinot noir dramatically the better. GK 05/19

2006 Dry River Pinot Noir 17 ½ (

)

New Zealand: 13.5%; $82 [ cork; hand-harvested at < 2 t/ac; 12 – 15 months in French oak around 25% new, informative / stimulating / remarkable website; www.dryriver.co.nz ]
Good ruby, fractionally lighter than the Te Mata Syrah Bullnose – so a big colour for the variety, but more appropriate than some previous Dry River examples. Bouquet continues in the same vein, with an immediate freshness that is appealing, but it is not explicitly floral / varietal. Yet, there is some lift in that direction, on rich red fruit which is more bottled omega plums, blackboy peaches and grated almond than red or black cherry. Oak adds a spicy nutmeg quality. So though it is more varietal than McCallum's darker pinots, on bouquet it still verges on sur-maturité. It is not as floral and fragrant as the 2006 Te Mata Bullnose Syrah, for example. One therefore approaches the palate with heightened interest. It is rich, fleshy with blackboy peach more than cherry, but sufficiently in style for a weighty plummy pinot. Aftertaste is long and aromatic, fruit melding with oak. This will become an attractive food wine in cellar over 5 – 12 years, and with any luck will become more fragrant and varietal in the process. GK 03/08

2005 Chard Farm Pinot Noir 17 ½ (

)

Queenstown and Cromwell, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $34 [ screwcap; www.chardfarm.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet. Initially opened, this was new oaky to a fault. It settled down well with air, to reveal red and black cherry fruit of fair richness, all made aromatic by oak. Palate is not as oaky as feared, good acid balance, reasonably long-flavoured, but not as rich and subtle as the Tiger version. This should be more married up and harmonious in a year or so. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 01/07

1971 P J Prum Erben Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese QmP 17 ½ (

)

Mosel Valley, Germany: – %; $ – [ cork, 47mm; where P J Prum fits in relative to the Prum dynasty in the Mittel Mosel is too hard to track from New Zealand. If P J Prum is the same as Peter Prum, he was one of seven Prum children in the later 1800s, six of whom followed wine / married into wine, and had wineries including the Prum name. What Prum Erben signifies is not clear. Perhaps Erben here has the meaning ‘inheritor’. P J Prum may now be Studert-Prum, though one website says the vineyards are now owned by Dr Loosen. The main thing is, for our wine, the estates are all well-located. If Studert-Prum, the estate is small, 100% riesling, c.1,650 cases per annum; website may be www.studert-pruem.de ]
Fresh lightish gold, the lightest of the spatlesen and auslesen. Bouquet is beautifully fresh and fragrant for its age, nearly floral, a ghostly suggestion of black passionfruit, lovely vanillin and peachy fruits, just what a fully mature Mosel riesling should be. Palate faltered however, suddenly a hint of grapefruit in the stonefruit, total acid highish, biscuitty notes drying the flavour relative to the bouquet, so the terpenes of the variety show. Just past its peak therefore, but still lovely. One of two only wines to record no votes. GK 11/17

1968 Mildara Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 17 ½ (

)

Coonawarra, South Australia, Australia: – %; $ – [ cork, 50mm; ullage to base neck; at the time, the company’s top red wine label. This is the direct successor to the legendary and fragrant 1963 (referred to as Peppermint Pattie, reputedly for Dame Pattie Menzies) … but the label never again captured the magic of that wine. The 1963 probably came from larger oak, if I read Lake correctly. At the time I thought Mildara became infatuated with charry Nevers oak presumably from small wood, such that subtlety became impossible. Again, we will see what time has achieved. It is noteworthy that Max Lake specifically warned against the small oak approach in 1966, if finesse were the goal in Australian reds. Evans describes our exact wine thus: all the usual characteristics of the line: a very deep , dark, dense colour, purple-hued; extremely strong varietal fruits, strong cabernet berry showing through; very strong regional character – Coonawarra is always there and always evident; very good strong new oak … The point about the 1968 was the balance … . The finish is very clean, soft and firm. ]
Garnet and ruby, just a hint of amber to the edge. It is hard now to recollect just how sought-after this wine was in those days. And still today there is a sizeable bouquet, with a lot going on. There is now almost a hint of the flowering mint that made the 1963 of this label so famous, but then a lot of ‘brown’ notes including caramel, licorice, and a lot of still-charry oak. Behind all that though, you can see browning cassis, which is in a sense surprisingly ‘fresh’ – in its way. You wonder a great deal what on earth it will taste like, such mixed signals on bouquet. Palate is rich and strong, an amazing volume of ripe to over-ripe browning cassisy berry pointing to high actual cabernet, plus dark toasty oak still very prominent / overly prominent, even if time has mellowed the tannin aggression. The wine is a long way from Bordeaux, and reflects to perfection the Australian love affair with the newly discovered French oak of the time, but you have to reward the nett achievement. And time is finally lending this big bold wine a kind of sturdy harmony, and a very long finish in which added acid is not too obtrusive. The 1963 had a much better balance of fruit to oak, but this is still a clear reminder of that remarkable wine. One of the four most popular wines, more reflecting traditional Australian big reds, two first places, four second. Fully mature, but one of the better corks, so no hurry at all. The Stuyvesant House restaurant in Sydney has the 1991 of this label on their list at $AU115. Ullage base of cork to top of wine, 33 mm. GK 04/19

2004 Vidal Syrah Hawkes Bay 17 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $28 [ screwcap; hand-picked; ’04 not on website but ’03 was 75% of grapes whole-berry in fermentation; 14 months in French oak; www.vidal.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, midway in depth, not quite as bright as the Soler. Bouquet is ripe and fleshy, showing beautiful berryfruit tending to the blueberry spectrum of syrah, with a hint of boysenberry. There is not quite as vibrant cassis and peppercorn as the Soler, though there are suggestions. Palate is juicy, lots of blueberry, gently oaked in older oak, seemingly as rich as the Soler, but nowhere near as oaky. It thus seems simpler, but it is still an attractive and quite weighty syrah in its own right. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 05/06

2005 Pask Syrah Gimblett Road 17 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $22 [ screwcap; Sy 100%; 13 months in new and 1-year oak; www.cjpask.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a good colour. Bouquet is clean, fragrant, red fruits, more clearly varietal than the Declaration, attractive. Palate too is much more clearly syrah, with cassisy and plummy berry, clearcut black peppercorn and delightfully balanced oak. This will please many a diner, I suspect. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 01/07

2007 Finca [ Syrah / Mourvedre ] Sandoval 17 ½ (

)

Manchuela, Eastern Spain: 14.5%; $44 [ cork; price is simple conversion from US$31; Sy 76%, Mv 13%, Bb 11, grown at 770 m; c.11 months in French oak 85%, US 15, 55% new; bottled unfined and unfiltered; a small winery of only 80,000 litres capacity; WA / Miller, 2010: … a brooding bouquet of underbrush, mineral, spice box, blueberry, and blackberry. Packed and impeccably balanced, this savory, layered effort is surprisingly forward for its size. 2-3 years … cellaring. 93; http://www.do-manchuela.com/vent/24.html ]
Ruby and velvet, some age showing, the third deepest in its tasting, one of the deeper of the day. This syrah spoke eloquently of full berry ripeness, a little riper than the Portuguese wine, and hence showing sur-maturité if the floral / cassis component of syrah is considered important. There are not really any florals as such, but dominant bottled dark omega plums with just a suggestion of the boysenberry and dark chocolate as seen in the Australian view of the grape. Palate is rich and saturated, with seemingly natural acid, yet still reasonable freshness for the ripeness level. Perhaps there is some whole-bunch, or an early-picked fraction. The dark chocolate on the very dry aftertaste, without spurious oak-induced mocha artefact, is intriguing. This is a good study wine in the context of a Syrah Symposium in New Zealand, where the Gimblett Gravels have the potential to produce over-ripe wines in some years. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 01/10

2015 Domaine de Fondreche Ventoux Il Etait Une Fois 17 ½ (

)

Cotes du Ventoux AOC, Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $50 [ cork, 50mm; Gr 80%, Sy 10, Mv 10, the grenache 79 years old, grown on calcareous soil parent materials; cuvaison to 21 days, lees maturation and 12 months in vats and large wood; Il Etait Une Fois signifies ‘once upon a time’ – it is not produced every year; www.fondreche.com ]
Ruby and carmine, some velvet, midway in depth. Bouquet benefits from decanting, to reveal a big youthful uncoordinated wine, lots of red to dark-red berry fruit, and later with air, the tell-tale aromatic silver pine quality of high-grenache wines from a not-too-hot climate. Palate is furry on the youthful grapey tannins, good fruit richness, slightly peppery, very little oak, even a certain hardness suggesting part of the wine was raised in concrete. This is intrinsically a better wine than it judges to be today, which will score higher in 10 years. A Wine Importer selection. Cellar 10 – 25 years. GK 03/18

2009 Cypress Terraces Syrah 17 ½ (

)

Roy's Hill, SW of Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $42 [ Stelvin Lux; website lacks content as yet; Cypress Terraces is the equivalent of their Reserve wine, against those simply labelled Cypress; www.cypresswines.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, a lighter wine in the syrah group. Bouquet is fragrant with carnation and rose florals, white grading to some black pepper, and cassisy berry. Palate is distinctly cooler than some of the more highly rated wines, the total acid up slightly, the wine more like Cote Rotie in a typical (that is, sub-optimal) year. The fruit spectrum is more as red fruits and cassis, scarcely any dark plum at all, very Rhone. There are thoughts of Martinborough here too. It contrasts vividly with the wines further along the ripening spectrum, such as the Vidal Legacy. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 06/12

2012 Misha's Vineyard Pinot Noir Impromptu 17 ½ (

)

Bendigo Terraces, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $30 [ screwcap; hand-harvested; wild-yeast ferments, c.10 months in hogsheads, 15% new; www.mishasvineyard.com ]
Lightish pinot noir ruby, a little age, near the top of the fourth quarter in depth. This is another in the wonderfully floral buddleia and lilac camp, with red cherry fruit little complexed by elevation. As a consequence the floral notes again go right through the red fruits palate, like the 2015 Gunn, but the finish is longer and richer in this wine. A good example of a ‘pretty’ pinot noir, Volnay style. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 06/17

2011 Produttori del Barbaresco Paje Riserva 17 ½ (

)

Barbaresco DOCG, Piedmont, Northern Italy, Italy: 14.5%; $82 [ 50mm cork; the cellar approach to the wines is consistent across all the crus, but detail varies with the season. In general cuvaisons are 3 - 4 weeks, in lined concrete vats, followed by at least 3 years in older large oak variously 2,500 - 7,500 litres; www.produttoridelbarbaresco.com ]
Ruby, midway in depth. Bouquet here is a little firmer, with a suggestion of stem tannin right up front, backed by savoury and aromatic red fruits. Palate however immediately redeems the wine, showing better berry and flesh than the bouquet suggested, though the tannins seem higher than some, giving a long aftertaste in which the stemmy note returns. Cellar 5 – 25 years. GK 05/16

2005 Destiny Bay [ Cabernets / Merlot ] Magna Praemia 17 ½ (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14%; $275 [ cork; CS 74, Me 13, CF 6, Ma 8, hand-harvested; 12 – 14 months in American 50% and French oak c. 50% new; released; Magna Praemia alludes to great reward, and contains a greater proportion of press juice; www.destinybaywine.com ]
Ruby and velvet, fresher than the 2005 Passage Rock Cabernet / Merlot Reserve, one of the deeper wines. Bouquet is dark, and unusually for Waiheke, there are suggestions of over-maturity for the cabernet sauvignon, at least in a Bordeaux context. Florals are relatively lacking therefore, but dark plum, and even savoury prune and moist dried fig notes are evident, the whole style almost hot-year Pomerol-like. Winemaker Luc Desbonnets spoke of an aniseed note, approvingly. In mouth, fruit weight is very rich, and the wine is now more reminiscent of Napa Valley cabernet than Bordeaux, though on natural acid balance. It therefore looks subtler texturally than most Australian cabernets, even though the oak is more than optimal. I imagine American tasters would mark this in the 90s, but in the context of the last 20 + years of Bordeaux-styled blends from Waiheke Island, an opportunity has been lost here. Sur-maturité is a new world desire, I fear, and not so food-friendly. Even so, one can understand a winemaker wanting to initially explore the limits of style, for this exciting new venture in a new location. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 06/08

nv André Delorme Cremant de Bourgogne Terroirs Mineraux 17 ½ (

)

Burgundy, France: 12.5%; $42 [ standard compound 'champagne' cork; this wine is a mystery, there being no hint of its existence on the company website, or elsewhere on the Net for that matter; cepage seems to be a traditional cremant blend using the four Burgundian grape varieties pinot noir, chardonnay, gamay noir, aligoté; presumably the cepage and elevation is similar to the Terroir d'Exception, say full MLF and 18 months en tirage, no info on dosage; distributed in New Zealand by MacVine, Auckland; www.andre-delorme.com ]
Straw with a slight darker straw flush. Bouquet is fresh and fragrant, clearly based on red grapes alongside the Terroir d'Exception. It shows more noticeable yeast autolysis clearly in the baguette-crust style, beautifully clean. Palate is a little more grippy than the d'Exception, the red grapes speaking, the phenolics masked by dosage around the 10 g/L mark. It has the body and structure to carry the bigger flavour, and remain fresh. A very fragrant methode champenoise, not the softest or driest in style, but attractive long flavours. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 03/17

2000 Te Awa Boundary 17 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $42 [ Me 85%, CS 10, CF 5; 15 months French oak, 30% new; DFB; www.teawafarm.co.nz ]
Ruby. A fragrant cassisy and potentially cedary bouquet, the oaking beautifully subtle by New Zealand standards, but still more apparent than most Bordeaux. Volume of bouquet is very attractive, with plum and mulberry as well as the cassis, and some savoury suggestions, all starting to marry up. Palate is intense red and black fruits, the tannins ripe, the fruit quite rich in an understated slightly austere Medoc-like balance and style, all subtly oaked. This should cellar well for 5 – 15 years, and be a real foil for lesser classed growths and best crus bourgeois of the exciting 2000 vintage. [This review is an example of a wine appearing to open differently on different days, in different company, as discussed in 'About this Site' under Marks / Scoring. Such experiences are consumer reality too, and honest reviews should reflect that. Hence two reviews. ] GK 07/04

2004 Cono Sur Gewurztraminer Varietal Reserve 17 ½ (

)

Bio Bio Valley, Chile: 14%; $17 [ plastic closure; Gw 100%, hand-picked; RS 5.6 g/L; NZ importer www.goldmedalwines.co.nz; good winery website; www.conosur.com ]
Good lemon. Bouquet is a clean, spicy, and slightly muscatty presentation of good gewurztraminer and lychee characters, with a clear citronella lift – all very fragrant. Palate is good, with attractive fruit richness, just the right amount of spice and phenolics to make the wine unequivocally gewurztraminer, set against an equally appropriate quantity of residual sugar to balance it. The wine finish is 'dry', on appropriate acid. Not magic gewurztraminer, but pretty good at the price. Would cellar 5 – 8 years, but the plastic closure a worry, so 3 – 5. [ Some variation bottle to bottle has subsequently been noted.] GK 03/06

2007 Bollini Pinot Grigio Trentino 17 ½ (

)

Trentino DOC, Italy: 13.5%; $24 [ screwcap; 4 months LA and batonnage (whether any oak involved not stated); Trentino is northernmost Italy, highly relevant to the quality of the wine; www.bolliniwines.com website not operational, minimal info on; www.empson.com ]
Colour is a lovely rich lemon, exactly as in good Alsace examples, but none of the kiwi pinot gris can compare. For a country that has inflicted on the world truckloads of insipid pinot grigio, worse even than the average Kiwi pinot gris, the first thing to say is, this is a great Italian example of the grape. It shows exactly the yellow florals and pale yellow stonefruit which make good Alsatian pinot gris so much more satisfying than the local version. Every New Zealand winemaker making pinot gris needs to study the bouquet of this wine, which is superbly varietal. Most New Zealand pinot gris has the florals ripened out of it by over-ripening – sur-maturité – simply not respecting the pinot heritage of the grape. Palate is not quite so good, a tendency to rankness beyond the fact that pinot gris is a phenolic variety, yet with good body, stonefruit flavours, and a dry finish unlike our New Zealand wines. Naturally therefore the phenolics show on the later palate. What a great wine to have in the country though, a real learning opportunity for those in mind to study it. It should be good with food. It might coarsen after a year or two, though, so short-term cellar only, 1 – 3 years. GK 04/09

2010 Greywacke Pinot Noir 17 ½ (

)

Southern Valleys, Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $47 [ Screwcap; hillside plantings hand-harvested at 6 t/ha = 2.4 t/ac; 20% whole-bunch component, wild yeast ferments, 15 months in French oak 45% new; egg-white fining and light filtering only; dry extract 25.3 g/L; Cooper, 2013: full-coloured, weighty and savoury, with youthful, vibrant cherry, plum and spice flavours, good tannin support, and excellent richness and potential; ****½; weight bottle and closure: 727 g; www.greywacke.com ]
A good pinot noir ruby, just above midway in depth, almost glowing, a very exciting colour. Bouquet is wonderfully vibrant, intense and floral, immediately seductive (a key desirable feature in good pinot noir). Closer examination suggests that the buddleia end of the floral spectrum is rather too apparent, and there is a lack of dark notes. Tasting to check this impression, total acid is a little fresh, fruit is ripened to red cherries only, and you wish the picking date had been a little later. A hint of stalkyness does creep in on the later palate, tying in with the assumptions about fruit ripeness. Even so, these attributes take the wine clearly into analogy with the Cote de Nuits, not the Cote de Beaune. Palate richness is reasonable, like the Felton, ideally needing more weight. Nonetheless it gives the impression of needing a little more time to show its best, in its fresh style. This is the new generation of Marlborough pinot noirs speaking. Cellar 2 – 6 years. Nobody rated this their top or second wine, one thought it French, and nobody thought it a $100-plus bottle. GK 07/16

2008 Misha's Vineyard Pinot Noir High Note 17 ½ (

)

Bendigo, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14.2%; $45 [ screwcap; 6 clones, >50% crop-thinned to concentrate fruit character, hand-harvested @ 1.3 t/ac; wild-yeast ferment, 24 day cuvaison; c.10 months in French oak 300-litre hogshead only, 34% new; coarse filter only; 2184 cases; great website; www.mishasvineyard.com ]
Pinot noir ruby, a little fresher than the Craggy Calvert, similar weight. This wine forms a perfect bridge between the 2007 Peregrine standard and the 2008 Felton Calvert, in the sense of ripening. It is all red fruits, but has neither the leafy hint of the Peregrine, or the encroaching black cherry of the Felton. On the palate though, just a hint of stalk creeps in, with very understated oaking. Concentration is not up with the top wines, but the flavours are delightful. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 11/10

2003 Pond Paddock Pinot Noir Hawks Flight 17 ½ (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: – %; $29 [ screwcap; www.pondpaddock.co.nz ]
Lightish pinot noir ruby. In a field of mainly French pinot noirs, this wine is astonishing in the degree to which it hides away amongst the originals. Bouquet is quiet yet totally sweet and varietal, more redfruits than floral, beautifully ripe. Palate is understated yet pleasing, having the succulence of Burgundy, lingering cherry flavours, fresh and fragrant yet no hint of stalks, and not over-oaked as so many new world wines are. A New Zealand pinot of rare appeal, which one could drink all night. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 11/04

2002 Alan McCorkindale Cuvée Rosé 17 ½ (

)

Waipara, Canterbury, New Zealand: 12.5%; $27 [ supercritical ‘cork’; PN 95%, Ch 5, hand-harvested; some BF; c.4 years en tirage; www.waiparawine.co.nz ]
A youthful rosé. Bouquet is clean and fresh, putting more emphasis on red berries (red currants, subtle strawberry) than autolysis. Palate brings up the autolysis delightfully, and suggests the whole wine is too young as yet. The attractive balance and fresh yet not phenolic fruit offers great potential to marry down, particularly given the restrained residual sugar, and firm but not aggressive acid. This wine will benefit greatly from time in cellar, giving it a chance to become more complex in bottle, and more interesting with food. Exciting wine. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 12/06

2007 Mills Reef Viognier Reserve 17 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $21 [ screwcap; BF in 2 and 4-year French oak; followed by c. 3 months LA in oak; ± 3 g/L RS; www.millsreef.co.nz ]
Lemon. Bouquet shows some of the yellow floral and wild ginger aromas the variety needs on bouquet, in stonefruit including apricots. Palate is ripe, flavoursome, with an intriguing suggestion of mandarin zest, but tending hollow on the elevated spirit. This is a much better expression of varietal character than the 2008, but robust. The truth lies in between the two vintages, but perhaps cropped at a lower tonnage to further enhance both palate weight and physiological ripening relative to brix, in addition to the admirable part-MLF undertaken in 2008. A work in progress, therefore, to follow with interest. Cellar a year or two. GK 11/08

2006 Destiny Bay [ Cabernets / Merlot ] Destinae 17 ½ (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.9%; $80 [ cork; CS 46, Me 22, CF 15, Ma 17, hand-harvested; c. 12 months in American 50% and French oak c. 50% new; en primeur offer date 1 June 2008 "significantly" below the above price, release date 1 April 2009; Destinae alludes to one’s destiny, or perhaps more the notion of arrival into nirvana (maybe in the sense of enjoying this wine); www.destinybaywine.com ]
Ruby. Bouquet is beautifully fragrant, suggestions of Margaux violets in a lighter wine than some, showing clear merlot varietal character, remarkably comparable (though lighter) on bouquet with the Craggy Range Merlot. Palate is less though, a little cooler in its ripeness achievement, not stalky but a touch firm with the thought of red plums as well as black, yet the fruit in mouth lingers delightfully. Again the oak balance on this Destinae label seems more appropriate than some of the Mystae and Magna Praemia wines, as if it had less new oak exposure. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 06/08

2013 Schubert Pinot Noir Marion's Vineyard 17 ½ (

)

Gladstone, Wairarapa, New Zealand: 14%; $49 [ cork; Abel and Pommard clones of pinot noir hand-picked, 100% de-stemmed, cold soak, 21 days cuvaison, followed by 18 months in French oak, 35% new; www.schubert.co.nz ]
A classical burgundy hue for pinot noir, exactly a Rousseau colour, the lightest wine of the set. Bouquet is red fruits, red roses, great charm, very European, also clearly Cote de Beaune, more Volnay for this one. Palate is the same, better richness than the colour would suggest (never judge a burgundy by its colour), lovely lingering red fruits, not too much new oak. Like the Urlar, there is the faintest trace of white pepper. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 05/16

2013 Sacred Hill Syrah Deerstalkers 17 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $55 [ cork, 50 mm; original price $56; Sy 100%, hand-picked from c.13-year old vines planted at c.2,775 vines / ha and cropped @ 5 t/ha = 2 t/ac; no cold-soak, cuvaison 25 – 35 days with 3% whole bunches retained, mostly wild-yeast; MLF in barrel; 16 months in French oak c.38% new; RS <2 g/L; not sterile-filtered; Perrotti-Brown @ Parker, 2016: ... a beautiful nose of black raspberries, Bing cherries, plums and cracked black pepper with hints of garrigue and Provence herbs. The palate is nicely balanced with plenty of medium-bodied fruit and spice flavors offset by rounded tannins and plenty of freshness, finishing with very good length. 2016 - 2019, 90+; Cooper, 2016: ...finely textured red with a fragrant, plummy, spicy bouquet. Weighty and concentrated, with fresh, dense blackcurrant, plum and spice flavours, a hint of dark chocolate, good complexity and ripe, supple tannins, it is crying out for more time; open 2017 +, *****; dry extract not available; production not disclosed; weight bottle and closure: 705 g; www.sacredhill.com ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, below midway in depth. Bouquet is fresh and pure, with suggestions of varietal dianthus and rose florals, and rather more black pepper, on cassisy berry. Palate immediately brings in more oak than the apparent fruit weight can comfortably carry, but the pure cassis and black pepper flavours are almost textbook varietal. It is hard to disentangle the acid from the oak, on palate: the wine is tending firm. Though not one of the rich wines, this will cellar well, and become more fragrant and lissom with time. One person had Deerstalkers as their second favourite. Cellar 5 – 25 years. GK 06/17

2002 Esk Valley The Terraces 17 ½ (

)

Bay View, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.9%; $ – [ screwcap; Ma, Me, CF; MLF in new French barrels, plus 17 – 22 months in oak; www.eskvalley.co.nz ]
Carmine, ruby and velvet, verging on lurid. Bouquet is distinctive in the set too, with a perfumed but not totally complex fruit note which is reminiscent of several things such as blueberries or ripest red rhubarb, and once the labels are revealed turns out to be the distinctive smell of malbec. Of course ! Palate shows the same dominant berryfruit, looking a bit simplistic in the company of some of these deeply velvety cassis-dominated wines, but good richness. There is also a lactic / youthful note, and a lot of new oak yet to marry up. Rich fragrant and highly interesting wine, but exotic among the more traditional Bordeaux / Hawkes Bay blends. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 05/04

2007 Mt Difficulty Pinot Noir Pipeclay Terrace 17 ½ (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $44 [ screwcap; cropped at c. 1.6 t/ac in a slightly cool but good vintage; up to 30% whole bunch; 8 – 9 days cold soak, mostly wild-yeast fermentations; c. 2 weeks cuvaison; 11 months in barrel on lees, around 30% new oak; MLF in spring in barrel; filtered; www.mtdifficulty.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, remarkably close to the 2009 in hue, slightly denser. Bouquet is clearly cooler on this wine, the floral component showing a good deal of leafyness, which many tasters confuse with florals alone. There is good berry, but more red cherry with a suggestion of red currants. It is not surprising therefore that though there is good fruit on palate, there is quite a leafy quality too, even a stalky note. This set of Mt Difficulty wines really illustrates the ripening of tannins sequence in pinot noir beautifully. Still young, cellar another 6 years or so. GK 08/11

1999 Wither Hills Pinot Noir 17 ½ (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $56 [ cork 46mm, ullage 17mm; original price c.$45; multiple Gold Medal winner in its day, this one also as I recall, Air NZ Trophy winner; winemaker Brent Marris; winemaking, see Table; Cooper, 2001: The powerful, complex 1999 vintage … is spicy, smoky and fragrant; the palate is very substantial and packed with ripe cherry, plum and spice flavours, enriched with nutty oak. It’s already drinking well, but worth cellaring to at least 2002, *****; weight bottle, no closure 699 g; https://witherhills.co.nz ]
Garnet and ruby, lighter and older than the Volnay, below midway in depth. Bouquet is a little more ‘juicy’ than the Volnay, but not explicitly varietal, a kind of sweet fruit character reminding slightly of moist sultanas, some browning plum, some maturity. Palate is more clearly varietal in the fruit and tannin balance, good fruit sweetness, again a little ‘juicy’ in mouth-feel, with good dry extract. This will hold a few years yet. Three rated it their second-favourite wine, but two their least. With food, it would be a delight. Country of origin more apparent here, New Zealand 13 to France four. GK 09/19

2007 Villa Maria Pinot Noir Reserve Marlborough 17 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $55 [ screwcap; nil whole bunch; 12 – 14 months in French oak, 41% new; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Big pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is in the style that a number of Marlborough pinots show, quite a fragrant wine, nearly a touch of mint, a generalised rosy floral component, but the ripeness and physiological maturity is more reflected as blackboy peach grading to some plum, rather than the aromatics of cherry fruit. In mouth the wine is fat, ripe, showing good richness, but not the complexity of the top wines. Oak is attractively subdued. Mouth-filling wine, good with food, but not quite singing as pinot noir. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 02/10

2007 Moana Park Merlot Gimblett Gravels Vineyard Tribute 17 ½ (

)

Dartmoor Valley % Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $25 [ screwcap; inexplicably, previous vintages are not on the website, but assuming is similar to 2008: hand-harvested, de-stemmed; some cold-soak, inoculated yeasts; 18 months in French oak, some new; not filtered; Catalogue: lifted berry fruit reminiscent of Dark Cherry, cooked Plums and Blackberry. A rich and concentrated brambly style with wonderful depth of flavour on the palate showing ripe dark fruit with a lifted spiciness and perfumed cedar notes. The wine is silky smooth with great length and ripe tannins; Awards: 5 Stars @ Winestate, 4.5 Stars Michael Cooper; www.moanapark.co.nz ]
Rich ruby, carmine and velvet. Bouquet is distinctive on this wine, showing a peppermint lift on red fruits and chocolate, all attractive but a bit irregular, unless one likes a lot of artefact in one’s wine. Palate is very youthful, and sets the mind speculating. Why is there a stalky thread, when most of the flavours are delightfully red even black fruits ? And do I really want cooperage-derived mocha / chocolate notes in my wine ? It is not traditional, and has only come into fashion with the Americanisation of wine taste. Yet the whole thing really is quite attractive, or will be. With a little more care in sorting the fruit to exclude under-ripe berries, and less ostentatious oak, this would rate well. Be fun to see how it marries up, so the score allows for that. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 07/09

2011 Amisfield Pinot Noir 17 ½ (

)

Lowburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $45 [ screwcap; low-cropping, hand-harvested; some whole-bunch, mostly wild yeast fermentations; 10 months in French oak 35% new; dry; 2011 seen as a difficult season; www.amisfield.co.nz ]
Lightish pinot noir ruby, some age showing, in the third quarter for depth. Bouquet is attractively fragrant and floral, clear red roses and red grading to black cherry fruit, highly varietal. Palate is slightly less, a slight edge of stalk giving a vibrant freshness to the flavour considering its age, since the wine is at full maturity. Attractively food-friendly. Will hold for several years. GK 06/17

2013 Pask Syrah Declaration * 17 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $49 [ screwcap; this wine is some distance from release, so there is no info on their website, the Glengarry showing being a preview; recent vintages have been along the lines of Sy 100%, all machine-harvested, some cold soak, some BF in new oak; formerly c.16 months in a high percentage of new oak; release late 2015; www.pask.co.nz ]
Ruby, more oak influenced, the third to lightest. Bouquet needs a swirl or two, to reveal classic syrah aromas, darkly floral, cassisy berry, a suggestion of black pepper, oak in balance. Palate is lighter than most, not the concentration and depth of berry so the oak becomes more apparent, but there is a freshness to this wine contrasting with earlier Declaration Syrahs. There is so much less oak than yesteryear, allowing the berry to shine through. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 05/15

2005 Neudorf Pinot Noir Moutere 17 ½ (

)

Moutere Hills, Nelson, New Zealand: 14.5%; $55 [ screwcap; no info on website yet; www.neudorf.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, one of the darker wines in the set. This too is a wine which over the years has wandered into the over-ripe and excessively weighty sector of the pinot noir game. The 2005 is still at the 14.5% alcohol level, as are a number of the Otago wines, but in a dark way, there are aromatic suggestions of florals to be found, and a faint pennyroyal lift, on darkly plummy and black cherry fruit. Palate is rich, fleshy, oakier than the Dry River and thus fractionally clumsier, more in the style of the Felton Block 5. These Moutere Pinot Noirs tend to be heroic in nature: it would be good to see a vertical of them one day, and find out if they age thoughtfully. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 01/07

2015 Casa Santos Lima / Companhia das Vinhas Portuga 17 ½ (

)

Lisbon district, Portugal: 12%; $16 [ screwcap; bottle-shape burgundy; cepage is castelao (the commonest Portuguese red grape, synonym periquita), touriga franca (a port variety, lighter and more perfumed than touriga nacional), CS, Sy; vines grown at 4,200 / ha, on calcareous and shale soil parent materials 100 – 200 m asl, all destemmed; fermentation in concrete and stainless steel vats temperature controlled to 28 – 30º C, cuvaison 28 days, then four months in barrel; www.casasantoslima.com ]
Ruby, a different hue and style from the bordeaux-like top wines, well below midway in depth of hue. Bouquet is different too, immediately very fragrant, almost perfumed, red fruits including raspberry, so that blind you wonder if it is a grenache-led blend. Palate is soft, rich and supple, hinting at pinot noir but with exciting aromatics reminiscent again of silver pine / grenache. This wine is a bit like pinot noir, never judge burgundy-style wines by their colour. The apparent richness and sweet fruit is again built up by a little residual sugar. Oaking is beautifully subtle. This will cellar longer than one supposes, given the varieties and richness, 5 – 15 years, maybe longer. Wine-style and bottle shape coincide, here. A Wine Direct selection. GK 03/18

2014 St Hallet Shiraz Blackwell * 17 ½ (

)

Barossa Valley, South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $40 [ Screwcap; not on Langton's list; Halliday rates the 2014 vintage 7 for the Barossa Valley; up to 8 days skin contact; up to two years in all-American oak, some new, MLF in barrel; Halliday, 2016: This sits on the luscious side of the ledger. It's all about sweet, dark-berried fruit, fresh and more-ish, with a melt of tannin and an easy flow of flavour through the finish. Oak is not prominent; it's all about pure Barossa shiraz; Drink by 2030, 94; Huon Hooke has this wine at 17th place and 93 – 94 points in his recent top 20 2014 Barossa Valley shirazes; no overseas reviews found; bottle courtesy Eugene d’Eon; www.sthallett.com.au ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, the second deepest wine. Bouquet is clean, big, and darkly plummy, richly fruity, scarcely any mint. Palate is lesser, rich but tending raw and unpolished by oak, not the concentration of the better wines despite the depth of colour. It is not noticeably oaky, so there might be a higher ratio of press wine here, than some in the tasting. The long aftertaste tends to support that interpretation, the tannins being skinsy rather than oaky. With time in bottle, this should mellow into an agreeable and representative better Barossa Valley red. Cellar 10 – 25 years. GK 04/17

nv Nautilus Marlborough Cuvée Brut [ 2007 base-wine ] 17 ½ (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 12%; $36 [ cork; based on 2007 fruit, PN 70%, Ch 30, all hand-picked; 100% MLF of base wine, no barrel component; 5 – 15% reserve wine added when laid down; 36 – 42 months en tirage; RS 7 g/L; www.nautilusestate.com ]
Light straw still, with a hint of lemon. Bouquet has a purity to a to it which is astonishing, combining palest stonefruit with clear-cut baguette-quality autolysis, plus a hint of lemon zest. Palate is not quite so good, just a slight suggestion of fleshiness, but lovely flavour and length, the tannins better handled than the Chevalier. Dosage is drier here, around 7 – 8 g/L. Will hold for some years. GK 02/16

2008 Rippon Pinot Noir 17 ½ (

)

Wanaka, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $64 [ supercritical cork; 6 clones of pinot, hand-picked; 27% whole bunch, cold-soak, wild-yeast ferment in s/s, cuvaison varying to 28 days for some batches; MLF in spring and c. 11 months in French oak, 30% new, then 6 months in older; www.rippon.co.nz ]
Lighter and older pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is much more fragrant and burgundian on this wine, lifted by trace VA. This could well be a reputable Burgundy village wine, in a blind tasting, with sweet roses and boronia florals, and some mushroom. Palate is a little on the short cool and tannic side though, more red cherry than black, some oak tannins. Interesting wine, to cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 06/11

1996 Jaboulet Hermitage La Chapelle 17 ½ (

)

Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $155 [ Cork, 54 mm; Sy 100; Parker rates the 1996 vintage in the Northern Rhone Valley 86, Ready; with the deterioration of the firm through the 1990s, winemaking notes can only indicate what is likely – 100% de-stemmed, cuvaison 20 – 35 days in s/s or concrete; perhaps 12 – 15 months in barrel, the oak regime not clear, but my impression has been the introduction of some new oak from the mid-1980s, 1985 particularly; Robinson, 2009: Coolish year. Lots of structure. The Jaboulets argued that 1996 was better than 1995. Very healthy deep crimson. Deeper than 1999 and 2004! Tangy, meaty nose. Fully evolved nose - almost as though there's some reduced Mourvedre here. Very promising until the rather dried-out end. The best Jaboulet of these three reds but it cuts off a bit on the finish, 17+; Parker, 1999: The profound 1996 Hermitage La Chapelle … exhibits a broodingly backward nose of minerals, cassis, and spices. Full-bodied, with sweet tannin, black fruits galore, admirable structure, and considerable complexity, this backward, thick La Chapelle possesses good acidity (but not intrusive). Anticipated maturity: 2007-2030, 92; bottle weight 585 g; www.jaboulet.com ]
Ruby and garnet, just above midway in depth. Bouquet is a little different from the other wines, scarcely any aromatics, but a slightly clouded near-carnations-like floral lift closest to the Langi in style, cassisy berry, with darkly plummy fruit below reminding of the Lloyd Reserve. Palate however is totally different from the Lloyd, much less dense, more the weight of the O'Shea, but drier, and finishing a little short, with highish tannins both grape and oak. On reflection there is black pepper spice drying the wine, too. The firm Jaboulet was about to enter a period of marked decline at that stage, with the 1997 death of Gerard Jaboulet before this wine was selected and bottled. It is good, but lacks the charm and excitement the better years of La Chapelle show. Tasters liked it less than I did, no first or second places, six least places, but interestingly, only three thought it French. It certainly did not seem petite in the company, as French wines so often can in Australian tastings. This is partly a reflection of the kind of Australian wines I think worth cellaring. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 03/17

2004 Boundary Vineyards Pinot Noir Kings Road 17 ½ (

)

Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 14.5%; $18 [ screwcap; ‘Montana’ group; cold-soak 6 days, whole-berry fermentation, MLF in barrel and 10 months including lees-stirring in French oak; www.boundaryvineyards.co.nz or www.adwnz.com ]
Good pinot noir ruby. Much as the release of serious red wines within the year of vintage seems undesirable, that is where the blind tasting part comes in. This is serious pinot, with some florals on sweet cherry fruit, the high alcohol well hidden. Palate shows hints of plumminess and size reminiscent of merlot, but the total package ends up recognisably varietal, and attractively so. Cellar 5 – 10 years. VALUE GK 04/05

2014 Villa Maria Cabernet Sauvignon Ngakirikiri The Gravels 17 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $150 [ screwcap; CS 100% from 14 year old vines and a single vineyard, cropped at < 4 t/ha; 18 months in French oak c.39% new; c. 200 x 9-litre cases; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Dense carmine, ruby and velvet, the deepest wine. Bouquet seems raw and unknit, with an unusual (for New Zealand cabernet) penny-royal top-note, on intense slightly edgy cassis and darkest bottled black doris plummy fruit. Palate shows darkly plummy fruit too, but with clear suggestions of mixed ripeness, some under-ripe berries even hinting at methoxypyrazine and stalks, other berries seemingly too over-ripe for perfect cassis expression. Total acid also seems slightly higher than the 2013 – though as is often the case, the numbers do not confirm the sensory impressions. The harmony, ripeness and balance of the earlier wine is at this stage lacking. One has to make allowances for youth in 100% cabernet sauvignon wines, but the oak handling seems more assertive. This may be an artefact of the acute immaturity of the wine, and the suggestions of under-ripeness. Yet the flavours leave almost an elderberry-like suggestion, not comparing well with the other bordeaux blends in the set. There is however great concentration, and with time the wine should gain in harmony. With prestige wines at this kind of price, and particularly for a high-cabernet sauvignon wine grown in a temperate viticultural climate, and intended to showcase the winery’s standard of achievement, there is an imperative need for such a wine to be released only in top-notch years. In discussion, the firm advise that is their goal. I feel they misjudged this one. We are still too tolerant of imperfect ripeness in bordeaux blends, in New Zealand wine circles. If it comes together, cellar 15 – 30 years. GK 03/18

2005 Greenhough Pinot Noir Hope Vineyard 17 ½ (

)

Waimea Plains, Nelson, New Zealand: 13.5%; $39 [ screwcap; no website ]
Good pinot noir ruby. Against so many Central Otago wines, the Hope release this year looks lighter and more aromatic, almost in a Martinborough style. There are attractive lilac and boronia florals, on red and black cherry fruit, and subtle oak. Palate is leaner than the Otago wines too, yet still well-fruited, in a sense more burgundian (since the Otago wines can be said to be fleshy, by comparison), with a hint of ripe stalk firmness and a long finish. I had earlier thought this might be a bigger wine, 2005 being so excellent in the Nelson district, but it is certainly an elegant and Cote de Nuits-styled one. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 01/07

2013 Jean-Michel Gerin Cote Rotie La Vialliere 17 ½ (

)

Cote Rotie, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $124 [ cork 50mm; Sy 100%, cropped at 5 t/ha = 2 t/ac; all destemmed, cuvaison 28 days; 18 months in 500-L barrels, all new oak; the second wine up in the hierarchy of four labels; imported by Maison Vauron, Auckland; weight bottle and closure: 578 g; www.domaine-gerin.fr ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, well above midway in depth. Initially opened, the first impression is exotic charry oak, rather drowning varietal exactitude. Well aired, some dusky florals start to peep through, on darkly cassisy berry. Flavours are more in line, but still affected by high-cacao charry oak notes. Palate weight is not as big as the colour suggests, and in mouth there seems a lack of varietal precision, the artefacts speaking too loudly. A thought of brett crossed my mind too, notwithstanding the high new oak. Not sure about this wine, at all, it being a far cry from traditional Cote Rotie. One source mentions some American oak used. Cellar 5 – 15 years, maybe longer. GK 08/16

2006 Penfolds Shiraz / Grenache / Mourvedre Bin 138 17 ½ (

)

Barossa Valley, South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $31 [ screwcap; Sh 40%, Gr 30, Mv 30 – these ratios vary from season to season, for Bin 138; 16 months in old oak only, typically fifth-year and older; www.penfolds.com.au ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, the most youthful colour of the Penfolds bracket. Bouquet is amply fruity and berry-rich, appealing, though a little stalky / tangy / youthful / fresh at this early stage. Dark plums dominate. Palate is a little harder than the Bin 128, partly from youth, partly from the mourvedre (or mataro, of earlier days), which introduces firm black olive notes. Finish is intriguing, berry-rich but tannic and a bit raw at this stage, though not obviously oaky. It will be much better after 3 – 5 years in cellar, will improve for 8, and cellar to 15. Total winestyle is modern Chateauneuf-du-Pape. It will be much better with food later in its evolution. GK 03/08

2014 Kumeu River Chardonnay Coddington Vineyard 17 ½ (

)

Kumeu, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.5%; $49 [ screwcap; clone 15 predominates but a mix, all hand-harvested; wild-yeast fermentation and 100% BF, LA, and MLF; 11 months in barrel usually 20% new but varies; 2014 is seen as the best vintage so far for Kumeu River chardonnay; RS nil; www.kumeuriver.co.nz ]
Lemon with a wash of straw. The first bouquet impression is of a chardonnay in the current-fad reductive style, rather masking varietal subtlety. But on closer inspection and taste, this character should be assimilated into the white stonefruit flavours in two or three years. Palate seems not quite as rich as Hunting Hill or the Estate wine, so the acid shows a little more. The oak-related hessian and barrel-ferment mealy characters have yet to integrate. Finish therefore seems leaner, but the wine will marry up with three more years in bottle. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 03/16

2002 Trinity Hill Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot Gimblett Road 17 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $33 [ cork; DFB; CS 62%, Me 28, CF 10, hand-picked, 100% de-stemmed; 22 months in 40% new oak, ‘predominantly’ French; % Spectator 81; www.trinityhill.com ]
Ruby, some velvet, midway in depth. This is a clear example of the Bordeaux style, in a slightly leafy and cigarette tobacco presentation, on cassis and dark plum. Palate is even more Bordeaux-like, the cassis more apparent, the plums reasonably dark with a hint of barrel char adding a touch of chocolate, the finish refreshing in the sense of Bordeaux, though a warm-climate taster might say: tending acid. (Spectator thought it actively green, reflecting a Californian view of the cabernet / merlot style – and one we would be wise to view with some disdain in New Zealand, given our remarkably Bordeaux-like climate in Hawkes Bay. I would expect a very different review in Decanter, for example.) Altogether an interesting wine, matching the Troplong Mondot reasonably well, though obviously more cabernet-dominant. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 11/06

2002 Penfolds Cabernet / Shiraz Bin 389 17 ½ (

)

South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $83 [ cork; original price $NZ45; CS 54%, Sh 46; a multi-region blend to the nth degree; some barrel fermentation; 12 months in American oak all hogsheads, c.22% new, including the barrels used new for the previous vintages of Grange and Bin 707; first made in 1960; J Halliday, 2005: Powerful but silky smooth; elegance and fruit freshness beyond the normal, black fruits running through the length of the palate; ripe tannins, restrained oak. Another testament to 2002: 94; R Parker, 2005: ... peppery, earthy, black cherry, and cassis fruit, notions of herbs and spice box, and a medium-bodied, soft finish. Drink it over the next 5-6 years: 88; weight bottle and closure: 600 g; www.penfolds.com ]
Garnet and ruby, well below midway in depth, disappointingly old and light considering the reputation of the wine, and the vintage in South Australia. Bouquet continues that thought, being loudly vanillin and coconut American oak, almost to the point of obscuring the varietal detail. There comes a point when one is weary of wines shouting at you: I am a Penfolds wine. Given the incongruous bouquet (in the context of several clearly bordeaux blends in the tasting), flavours in mouth are vastly better. There is rich juicy berry wrapping up the oak almost totally, giving a long smooth harmonious flavour in which cassis can still be seen, sufficiently so that at the blind stage, a majority of tasters classed the wine as more likely cabernet / merlot than syrah / shiraz. Aftertaste is long and relatively soft, the American oak still much too obvious but now almost sweet, with a thought of boysenberry creeping in too. The wine is fully mature now, but should hold its style for years, say 5 – 15. This wine did not rank in the top or second place stakes, at all. GK 09/16

2013 De La Terre Syrah Reserve 17 ½ (

)

Havelock North district, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.3%; $40 [ Screwcap; Sy 100%, no wine information on website; www.delaterre.co.nz ]
Ruby, some velvet, the third to lightest wine. There is a break at this point in the ranking, from the fine wines to the less subtle / more clunky ones. That descriptor might seem hard, but it is relevant to note that all the wines (bar this one, $40) are over $50. Bouquet here is dominated by oak. Syrah like pinot noir does not need much oak to reveal its beauties, and is in fact easily crucified by boisterous new world levels of oaking. Tasting the wine, there is lovely ripe fruit at a cassis point of ripeness, and reasonable at best, not exemplary, concentration. The ripeness spectrum includes some blueberry, too. Oakniks will rate this more highly than I do. Cellar 5 – 15 years, to marry up. GK 07/16

2013 Jim Barry Cabernet Sauvignon The Veto 17 ½ (

)

Coonawarra, South Australia, Australia: 14%; $34 [ screwcap; CS 100%; French oak, 9 months only; weight bottle and closure: 743 g; www.jimbarry.com ]
Ruby, a wash of carmine and velvet, below midway in depth. Bouquet is sweet and darkly red-fruited, appealing and winey, beautiful ripeness, clearly in the style of bordeaux blends. Palate is slightly different from the bouquet, perhaps because the thought one is being seduced by American oak occurs, and you start to notice an aromatic near-mint complexity creeping in, with some acid adjustment. But there is no escaping the fact the ratio of cassisy berry to oak is appealing. This is new-generation Australian winemaking, and great to have it in an affordable Coonawarra cabernet. Cellar 5 – 15 years.

My appraisal of this wine today raises the intriguing thought that there are basically two kinds of wine writers: those who in publishing a rating for a wine, first check their previous ranking, and make sure the numbers correlate – these predominate. In contrast there are the rigorous writers, who call it as it falls, admit to being imperfect, and publish wildly contrasting marks. Jancis Robinson and Julia Harding (at jancisrobinson.com) are the leading exponents of this approach. The whole debate recalls the ultimate wisdom of Harry Waugh, a much experienced wineman of the previous generation, who noted frequently in his reports, that how he rated a wine on the day depended totally on the other wines it was tasted with. What this boils down to is this: it is hard to conceive of 'perfect pitch' in wine evaluation, though many think of themselves that way. The corollary of that is, naturally enough, that much of the numbers game in wine writing is relative at best (depending on the calibre of the winewriter), and in the hands of the majority, can be simply a delusion. Unfortunately for the customer / wine buyer, the more mendacious merchants exploit that delusion to the nth degree. GK 08/16

2009 Kidnapper Cliffs Merlot / Cabernet Franc / Cabernet Sauvignon Ariki 17 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $45 [ cork; Me 70% typically cropped at a little >5 t/ha = 2 t/ac, CF 20, CS 10, both typically cropped at c. 5 t/ha = 2 t/ac; 7 days cold soak and 13 days total cuvaison, MLF preferably with the alcoholic fermentation but in any case before barrel; typically 18 – 20 months in French 300s and 220s, 40% new; www.kidnappercliffs.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, about the weight of the 2009 syrah. Ariki may share the most expensive slot in the Kidnapper Cliffs range, but it is not comparable with the Cabernet Sauvignon on this showing. It is recognisably a Hawkes Bay blend, there is good berry ripeness, but the florality merlot needs to be beautiful (when not over-ripened) is scarcely recognisable under the cloud of reduction. So decant it splashily several times. There is attractive bottled black doris fruit, and the level of reduction is a little less serious than the 2009 Syrah. Palate is soft, as befits higher merlot wine, the oaking is again exemplary, but in this case too the wine has just missed the bus due to a lack of oxygen in its elevage. Put simply, the wine does not sing. Much Bordeaux used to be like this in the 70s and 80s, but so many of their better chateaux have learned considerably in the last 15 years or so. Cellar 5 – 20 years, maybe to bury its reduction, though I'm not gambling. Kudos though for bagging the concept 'Ariki' for the top Kidnapper Cliffs wines, a wonder the word was still available. GK 08/11

2012 Ata Rangi Pinot Noir 17 ½ (

)

Martinborough Terrace, Wairarapa, New Zealand: 13.5%; $ – [ screwcap; Abel clone c.40%, assorted clones average age c.22 years; all hand-picked @ at a rate perhaps less than the typical c.4.1 t/ha (1.6 t/ac) in the 2012 season, 5 – 6 days cold-soak, nil whole-bunch in 2012, wild yeast fermentation; 11 months in French oak c.25% new, not sterile-filtered to bottle; RS <1 g/L; www.atarangi.co.nz ]
Classic pinot noir ruby, already some age, clearly below midway in depth. Bouquet is intriguing and rewarding. First up, in this markedly cooler season the wine is not tainted with pennyroyal, adding weight to my supposition that the eucalypts have to go, if Ata Rangi is to truly achieve its destiny – as measured by Burgundy. Secondly, on bouquet, you can scarcely smell the cool year at all. Instead the wine is redolent of Pommard, total red fruits, enchanting. Palate follows beautifully, showing a similar weight of fruit to the 2013 and 2014, but no spurious aromatics. There is a leafy suggestion if you look closely, and total acid is up slightly, but you could scarcely call it stalky. It is clearly better-balanced and more successful than the surprisingly good 2012 Dry River, but achieved in a year it is fashionable to dismiss. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 09/16

2015 Vina Aquitania Sauvignon Blanc Sol de Sol 17 ½ (

)

Malleco Valley, Chile: 12.5%; $ – [ cork, 46mm; no price because not imported into New Zealand; SB 100% all hand-harvested; all BF in older barrels, after two months into s/s; bottled after 12 months; www.aquitania.cl ]
Lemongreen, fresh and vital. Bizarrely, Glengarry sequenced this wine (and the chardonnay) after the reds. One sniff and this is closer to Graves than it is to Marlborough. Thus it wouldn't do at all for all the blinkered New Zealand sauvignon faddists ignorant of the wines of the world (including sadly some me-too winewriters) who say sauvignon blanc must be drunk within 18 months of harvest. The closest New Zealand sauvignon would be Te Mata Cape Crest. The wine is very fragrant, more hints of fragrant grasses and grapefruit, no capsicums, only a trace of sweet basil. Palate is long, tending soft but some varietal aromatics, wonderfully food-friendly, the touch of oak firming the finish. A very attractive style, but you can understand why Glengarry don't import it. Our market being so rigid / narrow-minded, better Aquitania send it to the United Kingdom, where it would be appreciated. The more I tasted it, the more I thought about Cape Crest, in the end opening an older one just to check – see the next review. Like Cape Crest, this style of sauvignon will cellar for 5 – 12, maybe 15 years. GK 09/18

2013 Soho Syrah Valentina * 17 ½ (

)

Waiheke Island, Auckland, New Zealand: 14.4%; $45 [ screwcap; Sy 100%, all hand-picked; 10 months in French and American oak 44% new; Soho's North Island winemaker is James Rowan of Westbrook Winery; www.sohowineco.com ]
Rich ruby, carmine and velvet, one of the deeper ones. Initially opened, the bouquet is strong and oaky, with even suggestions of American oak [ later confirmed ]. Breathed, beautiful cassisy berry develops, with a hint of cracked black pepper, seemingly now more floral rather than oak-vanillin, attractive. Freshness of cassisy berry on the palate is delightful, good fruit weight, the oak now reasonably harmonious and lengthening the flavours well. A fresh and varietal syrah, best left a couple of years to allow the oak to marry in, then cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 05/15

2007 Trinity Hill Tempranillo Gimblett Gravels 17 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $33 [ supercritical cork; DFB; Te 91%, Ma 9, hand-harvested, de-stemmed; short cuvaison; 9 months in French and American oak some new; Trinity consider 2007 an exceptional vintage for the variety, the first red to be harvested; Catalogue: Wild raspberries, cherries and pepper aromas are evident. The palate has medium weight and an elegant, but firm texture. This wine should age well for another 5-6 years; Awards: Blue-Gold @ Sydney Top 100 2009, Gold & Trophy @ Air New Zealand 2008; www.trinityhill.com ]
Limpid ruby. This wine needs a good splashy decanting a couple of times, whereupon it reveals the lovely fragrant, nearly floral, and gently aromatic almost pinot noir-like character of tempranillo. It fits amongst the Cote Rotie-styled syrahs beautifully, as the variety should. This is much the best presentation of the variety so far in New Zealand. Palate is fragrant, aromatic, not too oaky, in this example almost suggesting light stalkyness, like some fragrant syrahs. What I like about this interpretation is, it has been handled like syrah or pinot noir, and not pushed into an oaky cabernet format. This wine points to the future of tempranillo in New Zealand – exciting. Just a little more ripeness would be great. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 07/09

2010 Clos Saint-Jean Chateauneuf-du-Pape Non-Filtré 17 ½ (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 16%; $70 [ cork 50mm; cepage uncertain, seems to be Gr c.75%, Sy 15, the balance Mv, Ci, muscardin and vaccarese, harvested at 2.6 t/ha = 1.1 t/ac; 90% of the grapes are destemmed; cuvaison to 35 days; elevation for the grenache 16 months in concrete vat, the syrah in barrel 12 months; imported by Truffle, Wellington; weight bottle and closure: 644 g; www.closstjean.fr ]
Ruby and velvet, the lightest wine, but not at all weak. Initially opened the wine is slightly reductive, but it needs only a simple splashy decanting to clean up pretty well. On bouquet there is again the red fruits (browning a little now) of grenache, but you wonder if it is a bit more fumey than the others [ yes ]. Palate shows good fruit, more complex flavours than some of the more grenache-dominant wines, some tannin, but there is also some harshness in throat from noticeably higher alcohol. It is a tragedy that growers have allowed themselves to be led by American winewriters into these over-ripe high-alcohol Chateauneufs, especially in a year such as 2010, where all the reports suggest the season could have produced real elegance, comparable only with the now near-fabled 1978 vintage. GK 08/16

1990 Hardys Shiraz Eileen Hardy 17 ½ (

)

Padthaway, McLaren Vale and Clare Valley, South Australia, Australia: 13.5%; $78 [ cork 45mm; Sh 100%; a label introduced in 1970 to honour the matriarch of the Hardy family, and be the company's flagship wine, but its quality has varied considerably over the years; Halliday, 1994: Potent, high-toned, intense essencey fruit and oak. The palate shows lots of chocolate and briary fruit, with as much oak as the bouquet promises. The problem lies with the quantity of fruit and oak tannins, which take over on the finish and unbalance the wine. Atypical for 1990, *** ½; Wine Spectator, 1994: Attractive for its full, rich, minty currant flavors that stay with you from start to finish. Tasty now through 1998. 2,000 cases made, 86; www.hardyswines.com ]
Garnet and ruby, one of the lightest, but a great mature-wine colour. Bouquet is fragrant, subtly minty, ripe to very ripe, but not dull. There is lots of browning berry, more boysenberries in this over-ripe syrah equals shiraz handling of the grape, but it is appealing. Palate is soft, plenty of fruit, smoother than the Bin 407 on both less new oak and less tartaric adjustment, so in theory it should be marked higher. But as a person looking for syrah qualities in shiraz, it is just too over-ripe to mark higher. There is a hint of sweet fragrant caramel, and aniseed. Even so, this wine will give much pleasure, and is totally at a peak right now. Will hold for years. One second-place vote. GK 10/15

2007 Squawking Magpie Merlot / Syrah / Malbec The Chatterer 17 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $25 [ screwcap; Me 83%, Sy 7, Ma 7, CS 3; some BF, French oak; Catalogue: Fresh vibrant flavours of blackcurrant and Plum … huge concentration, a firm structure with intense fruit characteristics. Will cellar well for up to 10 years; www.squawkingmagpie.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet. Bouquet is appealing, reflecting the synergy that temperate-climate merlot fully ripe can find with matching syrah. There are clear wallflower floral notes on attractive cassis, not smelling at all oaky. Palate is not quite so enchanting, not quite the body hoped for from the bouquet, but ripe berry and plum in attractive balance with oak. Squawking Magpie are moving towards subtler winestyles nowadays, when compared with the earlier more oaky ones. Cellar 5 – 12 years, with interest. GK 07/09

2006 Destiny Bay Destinae 17 ½ (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.7%; $75 [ cork; CS 46%, Me 22, CF 16, Ma 16, hand-harvested @ average 1.7 t/ac; 10 – 15 months in French and American oak about equal, 60% new; www.destinybaywine.com ]
Ruby. Bouquet is sweetly fragrant on American oak, in the same style as the 2006 Mystae. Exactly the same descriptors apply, except the wine is leaner than the Mystae version, the fruit not quite as generous, and the American oak influence is greater in the 2006s. Again one would not know blind it is cabernet-dominant, but the winestyle is attractive. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 06/10

2000 Morton Estate Chardonnay Coniglio 17 ½ (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $ – [ cork, 50mm; Morton Estate is famous for introducing New Zealand to the concept of barrel-fermented and 'big' chardonnays, via John Hancock's Black Label wines of the mid-80s. This is an attempt by Morton Estate to reclaim past glories. Hawkes Bay fruit hand-picked, whole-bunch pressed, all barrel-fermented in 100% new French oak barriques then matured on lees for c.11 months, partial malolactic some years, unknown for 2000. Some residual sugar some years, again unknown for 2000. M. Cooper is understood to have described the 2000 vintage as: Richly fragrant and refined, with layers of grapefruit and nut flavours, good acid spine and a wonderfully rich, resounding finish. With the vicissitudes overtaking Morton Estate in recent years, information is scarce. Lion Breweries now owns the Morton Estate label and one of its Marlborough vineyards. Specific brands, including Coniglio, the physical Katikati winery, and Hawkes Bay and other Marlborough vineyards are now known as: The Wine Portfolio; www.wineportfolio.co.nz ]
Rich lemon with scarcely a trace of gold, much the youngest colour, and one of the two lightest. Freshly opened the wine has an over-arching vanilla custard quality to it which is hard to ignore, giving it a confected quality. There is a volume of pure stone fruit which is still remarkably fresh, and some citrus, but virtually no elevation complexity, lees autolysis, mealyness or nutty smells and flavours at all. In mouth the lushness of the wine, without an appropriate tannin structure, is a far cry from any classic French handling of chardonnay. Fruit richness is beyond dispute, but in chardonnay of the calibre sought today, the winemaker must add depth and complexity to the wine via careful elevation. There is some residual sugar too, further reinforcing the thought the wine doesn't completely respect classical goals for chardonnay. From the overt custard notes, at the later discussion stage, we assumed some at least new American oak. All in all, a wine designed to seduce, which it did: three first-places, two second places, but also two least places. This can be cellared 5 – 15 years more, with interest and the hope it will become dryer. GK 08/18

2003 Craggy Range Syrah Block 14 17 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $35 [ 45mm cork; the least vintage of the decade in Hawkes Bay; hand-picked, classical triage on sorting table; 8 – 10 day cold soak, wild yeast, 20 – 30 day cuvaison, MLF in barrel, all French oak 35% new, not fined or filtered; no northern hemisphere reviews; GK, 2004: … not as concentrated as the top '02s. This wine cheats a bit, for in addition to its carnation florals from the cooler, more aromatic '03 vintage, there is very fragrant oak adding a balsam-like aromatic lift to the sweet cassis, black pepper and rich berry. It is clearly beautiful varietal syrah ... oak carries through to the palate, and melds happily with the intensely aromatic berry. This is another outstanding example of Gimblett Gravels syrah, showing all the advantages of a slightly cooler vintage relative to the sometimes over-ripe 02s. In 2003, very little fruit met the firm's requirements for this label, and the wine will be scarce. There will be no '03 le Sol at all. Cellar 10 – 15 years, 18.5; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby and velvet, still bright and youthful, clearly the darkest and youngest wine. Bouquet is ample, reflecting astonishing richness and ripeness for a year widely-considered poor in Hawkes Bay. Berry quality is clearly in the cassis grading to bottled black doris plums zone, with some hints of sur-maturité as syrah. Fine detail on bouquet is obscured by some VA, but only four or so tasters were worried by it. Fruit in mouth is as rich and strong as the Yann Chave 2003, but cooler in ripeness profile, thus closer to the (well-breathed) J L Chave. The complementarity of the three wines is phenomenal, though none is 'perfect Hermitage' (in style). Even though this Block 14 is slightly flawed, when considered alongside the 2003 Yann Chave Hermitage, it illustrates dramatically just how patronising the British wine writers are in comparing our syrah mainly with Crozes-Hermitage. This should cellar a further 5 – 15 years, VA not usually increasing in bottle. GK 09/14

2010 Akarua Vintage Brut 17 ½ (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13%; $45 [ supercritical Diam 'cork'; PN 54%, Ch 46, hand-picked; a smallish % of the wine fermented in older barrels; partial MLF for complexity; minimum 3 years en tirage, but the second disgorgement batch (now on sale at the winery) nearer 4 years; dosage c.6 g/L; www.akarua.com ]
A ring-in, not in the Glengarry blind presentation. However, it was assessed blind in the Pierre Peters champagne review. Lemon, right in the middle – colour could not be more perfectly matched to the average of the field, in appearance. Bouquet is noteworthy for the quality and purity of autolysis, clean typical baguette-crust and crumb, on a base which smells rich but not fruity. Palate is nearly as flavoursome as the Pol Roger, but just a little simpler and more granular. The key thing it achieves, in contradistinction to many New Zealand bubblies, is this impression of substance, but it is not fruity. I added the Akarua to the batch, both because I have been impressed with it recently, and it has just won another gold medal in the 2015 Air New Zealand judging. It was therefore a great opportunity to have a field of nv grande marque wines to hand, to see exactly where it best fitted in, quality-wise. It was fun tasting the overs and unders of bouquet and palate attributes, against each of the 10 grandes marques. The low dosage emphasises the quality of the base wine, which has impressive palate weight, some citric and stonefruit suggestions, and an almost mineral kind of autolysis complexity. I think this will rate more highly in three years: there is a certain firmness to it at this stage, reflecting no pinot meunier in the blend, the wine therefore needing to soften. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 11/15

2007 Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc 17 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $30 [ screwcap; machine harvested at night or earliest morning; juice cold-settled 48 hours, cultured yeast, s/s ferment; c. 2 months LA; RS not given; www.cloudybay.co.nz ]
Pale lemongreen. One has to put this icon wine into a blind tasting with a dozen other sauvignons, to have any chance of judging it objectively. Alongside the Craggy wines, it is as clean and fresh as them, but pitched a little lower down the ripening curve. There are therefore both yellow and orange capsicum notes, as well as red capsicum, sweet basil and black passionfruit. Palate is comparably a little more acid and stalkier than the Yacht Club or Te Muna variants from Craggy Range. It is interesting comparing the Cloudy Bay with the Te Muna, the slight difference in ripening levels being the difference between magic on the one hand, and the more acid and stalkier flavour-profile of the Cloudy. In a sense, therefore, the Cloudy is a little more an old-fashioned Marlborough sauvignon. Cellar 1 – 3 years only. GK 10/07

2013 Craggy Range Merlot / Malbec / Cabernets Te Kahu 17 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $22 [ screwcap; DFB; Me 73%, Ma 13, CS 12, CF 2, 15% of crop hand-harvested; 100% de-stemmed; fermented in s/s; 17months in French oak 15% new; fined and filtered; RS nil; www.craggyrange.com ]
Vibrant ruby, carmine and velvet, deeper than the Craggy Merlot or Te Mata Awatea, as befits a bordeaux blend with a malbec component. Alongside the plummy Craggy Merlot, this wine is clearly more aromatic, with a big cassisy component. One doesn't know at the blind stage, but the malbec would be reinforcing that dark cassis. As a blending variety in our climate, malbec is a bit like mourvedre in the Rhone, in our warmer years being unusually aromatic. Palate is intriguing, being intensely flavourful and sufficiently ripe and rich, moreso than Awatea. Yet at the same time, there is a boisterous quality – it would be unfair to say roughness – a chunkyness which contrasts with the refined Awatea, or Coleraine particularly. It is safe enough to sheet this bold character home to the malbec component. So one has to make a style choice, or better, cellar both. Since Te Kahu is often sold at an attractive price, it will be a good cellar wine, over a 5 – 15-year time span. GK 03/15

2010 Craggy Range [ Merlot / Cabernets ] Te Kahu 17 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.4%; $26 [ screwcap; Me 80%, CF 8, CS 8, Ma 4, mostly machine-harvested; 13 months in French oak 28% new; L.P-B for RP, 10/12: 89 + … deep garnet-purple in color with pronounced red and black plum aromas plus hints of mulberries, baking spices, mocha, pencil shavings and lavender. Medium bodied with a good amount of berry and spice flavors, the flesh is well supported by a medium level of velvety tannins and lively acid, finishing long. Drinking nicely now, it should keep to 2018 +; MC 2013: ****½ A sturdy deeply-coloured wine, it has concentrated blackcurrant, plum and spice flavours, showing excellent ripeness and complexity; Availability: good; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby, a flush of carmine and velvet, one of the lighter. Bouquet is even more fragrant than the Saint Paul, totally an illustration of fragrant merlot lifted by cabernet franc and cabernet sauvignon. It is not going too far to say there are reminders of moderate years of the great St Emilion Cheval Blanc here. Palate shows exactly the suppleness you would expect from a St Emilion, with greater inner fragrance and charm, and the ratio of oak a delight in its subtlety. Te Kahu is not a big wine, but this far out-classes some much more expensive New Zealand and French bordeaux blends. It is a great achievement for the Craggy Range team and their very-much-hands-on CEO Steve Smith, whose passion for the Bordeaux wine style is becoming legendary. Te Kahu captures that style to perfection in its pinpoint fruit ripeness and complexity, coupled with restraint in oaking. It will be very food-friendly. Cellar 5 – 12 years. VALUE GK 03/13

2002 Newton Forrest Estate Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot / Malbec Cornerstone 17 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $74 [ screwcap; original price $40; CS 35%, Me 34, Ma 31; mostly French and some American oak; another label with virtually no back-information on the website; M Cooper, 2005: …a consistently distinguished wine … dark, fragrant and very fleshy, with genuinely sweet, ripe-fruit characters, a spicy Malbec influence and complex, highly concentrated flavours, it's still very young. But firmly structured and should mature well: *****; Wine Spectator, 2004: Light in texture, ripe in flavor, with floral blackberry and gentle, Bordeaux-like spices lingering on the ripe, cedary finish. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Malbec. Drink now through 2008: 90; weight bottle and closure: 597 g; www.forrest.co.nz/collections/newtonforrest ]
Rich ruby, scarcely any garnet, youthful, midway in depth. First impressions are of a lovely fresh cassisy wine, dramatically cabernet-dominant in the blind 12, much more clearly recognisable than any other wine. The group agreed. Second sniff however … and I immediately picked up the Cos d'Estournel to compare. Yes … there is just a tiny edge of methoxypyrazine taking the edge off perfect cassis ripeness, for cabernet sauvignon. Only fair to say that later, at the discussion stage, tasters mostly did not agree. In mouth the vibrant freshness of cassis is textbook, with good richness and cedary oak all in a good new-world balance. I look forward to following this wine, having now broached the case. Will my green edge turn into brown tobacco complexity, as Steven Spurrier considers in his general discussion of Bordeaux / cabernet sauvignon flavours ? For the present, it is not totally food-friendly. Two people rated this their top or second-favourite wine. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 09/16

2014 Sacred Hill Chardonnay Halo 17 ½ (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $25 [ screwcap, clone mendoza, an unknown percentage of the fruit BF, MLF, and up to 12 months LA; RS given as nil; www.sacredhill.com ]
Lemon, the second palest chardonnay. Bouquet is in a simpler, less evolved style than the wines reported on so far. The wine shows fair fruit richness in a supremely pure almost grand cru chablis style, faintly citrus, white stonefruits, a subtle barrel-ferment and lees autolysis component, lower total acid than Elston, a simpler flavour, and not as dry to the finish. With its subtlety of oaking yet fair body, this should cellar well, and appeal widely. The skimpy specs say it is dry, yet it doesn't come across as a bone-dry wine. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 06/16

2010 Akarua Vintage Brut 17 ½ (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13%; $45 [ supercritical 'cork'; PN 54%, Ch 46, hand-picked; some fermentation in old oak; thought to be some MLF; minimum 3 years en tirage; dosage c.6 g/L; www.akarua.com ]
Bouquet is light clean and pure, giving the impression of some substance but delightfully non-fruity, fitting in to a degree with the Peters Extra Brut, but in this company relatively lacking in autolysis complexity. Palate has good body by New Zealand bubbly standards, but seems slightly austere now, newly released. It is more focussed than the 2010 Hunter's MiruMiru Reserve, even though the dosages are similar. I am looking forward to seeing this wine with two years' bottle-age, when it will have rounded out. For 54% pinot noir, it is beautifully pale and subtle. This is very promising and exciting New Zealand methode indeed, clearly richer than the Moet & Chandon, to cellar 5 – 12 years, maybe longer. GK 10/15

2004 Te Awa Syrah 17 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $27 [ cork; raised in French oak hogsheads 10 – 15% new; www.teawa.com ]
Ruby and velvet, older than its class average. Bouquet is fragrant berry with some cassis and plum, a thought of peppercorn, oak to balance. Palate tastes a little much of oak (though it is less oaky than the Pask Declaration), but there is fair fruit, all ripe and pleasing in mouth. There is a family resemblance to the new Te Awa Reserve bottling Zone 2, but this wine is lighter and more accessible. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 01/07

2013 Mills Reef Syrah Elspeth 17 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $49 [ screwcap; Sy 100%, all hand-picked from c.20-year old vines planted at c.5,000 vines / ha and cropped @ 10 t/ha = 4 t/ac; 2 days cold-soak, cuvaison 25 days, 20% whole-bunch component, wild and cultured-yeast ferments; MLF in tank; 18 months in French oak c.35% new; RS nil g/L; sterile-filtered; dry extract not available; production 1,000 x 9-L cases; released; www.millsreef.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, a flush of carmine, one of the lighter ones. Tricky wine, this. First pass, you think, lovely florals, and mark it up. Second time round, it seems more oak vanillins, very fragrant, but not sure. And the flavours are more like the Church Road in one sense, the fruit greatly oak-influenced. The detail is different, though. This oak is vanillin and hessian, potentially cedary, whereas the Church Road is soft and chocolatey. This may be a reflection of the degree of toast. Concentrating on the flavours, the berry is fresh and cassisy, but the fruit weight is more standard good New Zealand red. It is clearly a lighter and crisper wine than the Church Road, but equally oak-influenced, to the detriment of varietal expression (unless one likes oak). Their Trust Syrah this year shows a much subtler and finer balance. In the Regional Wines tasting, one person rated this the top wine, at the blind stage. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 05/15

2006 Goldwater Merlot Esslin 17 ½ (

)

Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.3%; $80 [ screwcap; Me 98, CF 2, hand-picked at 2.1 ± 0.3 t/ac; s/s ferment, then c.20 months in French oak 30% new; Esslin is the name of the original property from which the vineyard land was sub-divided; www.goldwater.co.nz ]
Ruby, not too different from the 2006 Destiny Bay Destinae. This is another one that needs decanting / breathing, to allow the fruit to develop. Bouquet is clearly stewed plums (+ve), oaky initially, but marrying up with air. Palate is on the crisp side for merlot, a touch of raspberry in the plum, aromatic on the oak. Though the flavour is very different, the similarity of weight and style between this and the 2005 Passage Rock Cabernet / Merlot is intriguing. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 06/08

2014 Auntsfield Chardonnay Cob Cottage 17 ½ (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $52 [ screwcap – Stelvin Lux; www.auntsfield.co.nz ]
Lemon, in the middle for depth. Bouquet is clean, clearly chardonnay but not immediately demonstrating great fruit or great elevation, just pale stonefruit and a hint of nougat. Palate however shows greater fruit weight than the bouquet suggested, all white nectarine with elegant lees autolysis, crumb of baguette, incipient cashew, nougat again. Finish suggests a little residual sugar, but the wine is probably dry, just fruit richness lengthening the palate. With some development in bottle, this should be exciting wine. It may well score higher with time, since it is probably richer than the top two. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 06/16

2005 Forrest Cabernet Sauvignon John Forrest Collection 17 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $70 [ screwcap; DFB; CS 98, Me 2%, hand-harvested @ 1.5 – 2 t/ac; French oak 33% new; coarse-filtered only; 350 cases; www.johnforrest.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet. This wine opens a little veiled by trace pure H2S – all it needs is a brisk pouring from jug to jug five times. Transformed. It becomes aromatic cassis dominating slightly charry oak, all looking good. Palate is exactly the same, with good berry. This is another wine with a lot of Bordeaux styling to it, though not exactly reflecting its cabernet dominance, being softer than expected. Since it is under screwcap though, the reductive note is a worry. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 09/07

2011 Villa Maria Syrah 50th Anniversary Release 17 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $115 [ Sy 100% hand-harvested at 2.5 ton/ha = 1 t/ac, a rate comparable with the finest Hermitages and Cote Roties; 100% de-stemmed, nil whole-bunch; 4 weeks cuvaison; MLF and 17 months in French oak, 50% new; absolutely minimal fining and filtration; RS < 1 g/L; c.110 cases produced; selected as the finest wine made by Villa Maria in the 2011 vintage, to commemorate 50 vintages at Villa Maria; packed in a one-off embossed bottle, which if bottle-collectors survive as a species, will ultimately become a collectors' item; available from Villa Maria headquarters cellar-shop at Mangere, cellarshop@villamaria.co.nz; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Darkest red velvet, intensely deep and rich, the darkest wine in the syrah line-up. This is the most 'different' wine in the tasting. Knowing I had a Spanish syrah in the line-up, made by a UK MW, it was near impossible to examine this specimen without thinking of a hotter-climate wine. So once one knows what it is, and proceeds to write notes to illuminate the actual wine, rather than making a pretence of writing notes 'blind', some re-shaping of one's thoughts is needed. The wine smells of raisins, seems the simplest summary interpretation. All the florality and beauty of syrah picked at optimal ripeness before shrivelling / dimpling sets in, as in the 2013 Bullnose, has been lost here. But nonetheless it smells wonderfully rich, deep and best Californian moist prunes, in style. Behind the fruit there is an unusual oak-related smell, very hessian and quite intrusive. It should marry away, being a legitimate aroma in some kinds of new French oak. In mouth the concentration is phenomenal. The dry extract rating I like to talk about, as do the Europeans, and so many New Zealand winemakers affect not to talk about, is here exemplary: it must be in the 30s. The richness carries the oak character sufficiently, so the hessian quality is more apparent than real. The flavours again suggest unusually late harvest, the raisin thoughts again, but are not stale. This is intriguing wine, reminding of burly syrahs from Washington State maybe, which some will love and others will not be so sure. One thing is certain, it will cellar for many years, and thus be a vital souvenir of Villa Maria's 50th vintage anniversary. Cellar 10 – 25 years. GK 03/15

2009 Dos Dedos de Frente Syrah 17 ½ (

)

Calatayud, Spain: 14.5%; $31 [ cork, 50mm; release price $40; Sy 93%, Vi 7, grown at 950m altitude; this wine is the brainchild of Norrel Robertson MW, known as El Escoces Volante (the flying Scotsman). The name is illustrated in the strange label, and translates to two fingers to the forehead, implying a wine made with thought. The grapes are grown at 950m altitude, hand-picked, 10 days cold soak, c. 4 weeks cuvaison including the addition of a percentage of viognier skins (7% this year), to add 'colour stability, glycerol, perfume and complexity'; 14 months in all-French oak some new in 2009 plus second and third year; usually less than 2 g/L RS; production c.300 9-L cases; a Bennett & Deller, Auckland, selection; Richard Hemming @ Robinson, 2011: little bit of meatiness, and some floral character. Quite dainty and light on the palate, captures the fragrance of the varieties well. Very charming, very valid, 16.5; Jay Miller @ Parker, 2011: Sampled blind, many tasters might guess that the 2009 Dos Dedos de Frente was produced in the northern Rhone appellation of Cote-Rotie. ... aromas of bacon, wood smoke, exotic spices, lavender, and blueberry set the stage for a velvety-textured, plush, impeccably balanced wine that will continue to gain complexity for several more years. With outstanding volume and length, this pleasure-bent offering will be at its best from 2014 to 2024 if not longer, 92; bottle weight dry 591 grams; a Stephen Bennett selection; www.escocesvolante.es/dosdedos.html ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, above midway in depth. Initially opened the wine is tending reductive, but responds well to simple jug aeration. It opens to dark fruits, nearly cassis but a little hotter / riper, some blueberry, some oak aromatics. The following day it had opened up a good deal, nearly floral in a dusky way. Palate is a little drab, the entrained reduction again, but fruit concentration and flavour are satisfying. Oak is at a maximum, for expressive syrah. Finish is ‘dry’ or nearly so, but perhaps there is a little acid adjustment. Syrah is a grape variety prone to reduction in elevation, so this wine points to an exciting future for syrah in Spain, rather than achieving it. It is clearly syrah, not shiraz. Too oaky and young to be good with food, yet. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 03/18

2001 Viu Manent Cabernet Sauvignon Special Selection 17 ½ (

)

Colchagua Valley, Chile: 13%; $28 [ cork; CS 85%, Ma 15; average vine age 15 years; 20 – 22 months in 100% new French oak; not filtered; later vintages will be Single Vineyard series; www.viumanent.cl/ingles ]
Good ruby, carmine and velvet, not as deep as most. Clearcut cassis is the first impression on bouquet, with floral and faintly minty complexities on fragrant oak. Palate is more oaky, but this seems a much higher quality oak, fine-grained and potentially fragrant, beautifully extending the cabernet, cassis, and tobacco into a dry Medoc-styled palate. It is not as fleshy as the Carmenere Secreto, but should cellar well, developing into a stern one-dimensional Bordeaux-like wine. Cellar 10 – 15 years. GK 12/04

2003 Howard Park Cabernet Sauvignon Scotsdale 17 ½ (

)

Great Southern, Western Australia, Australia: 14%; $41 [ screwcap; DFB; CS 100%, ‘harvested according to flavour with little regard for analytical data’; seen as an example of cooler climate WA cabernet; aerative fermentation, extended cuvaison; 18 months in French oak 75% new, balance 1-year; www.howardparkwines.com.au ]
Ruby and velvet, close to the Leston. Bouquet is complex cassis and cabernet, with the same hint of stalks that Pichon-Lalande sometimes has, on fragrant oak. Palate however again lets the wine down, in this case not only for being acid but also from slight capsicum notes reflecting a proportion of markedly less ripe cabernet fruit. These wines look to have such good fruit on bouquet, but then appear to be undermined in the winery by too much attention to pH and acid numbers – technology overriding taste, despite the reference to picking on flavour. Thus they end up tasting manipulated, alongside good Bordeaux or Hawkes Bay cabernet. Cellar 5 –12 years. GK 05/06

2010 Mt Difficulty Pinot Gris 17 ½ (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14.5%; $26 [ screwcap; hand-harvested from five vineyards; s/s cool ferment; some stirring on gross lees over four months to build palate, 5 g/L RS; 2000 cases; www.mtdifficulty.co.nz ]
Faintly flushed light straw. This wine in youth really needs decanting, not because there is any hint of reduction, simply to dissipate a suggestion of apparent / unknit spirit. Looking at it amongst a batch of mainstream New Zealand pinot gris, it immediately stands out for its depth of fruit and grand cru cropping rate. This is real pinot gris, cropped at a conservative rate which has given body, as befits a grape which is (after all) a pinot variety. Most New Zealand pinot gris is still off-dry lolly water, to please those who don't really like wine, but have to join in. So here in contrast one smells nectarine and a hint of cinnamon, and in mouth there is pear flesh, more stonefruit, and the grip of those cinnamon-related phenolics on a near-dry finish. I expect this to smooth down into a good food wine, with time in cellar 3 – 8 years. It is a bit angular right now. GK 08/11

2004 Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir 17 ½ (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $42 [ screwcap; clones predominantly 10/5, UCD5 & 667, with 113, 777 & Abel, vine age 5 – 20 years; 100% de-stemmed, 5 – 7 days cold soak, wild and cultured yeast fermentation, 21 days cuvaison, 11 months in French oak 45% new; egg-white fining, coarse filtration; www.cloudybay.co.nz ]
Colour is traditional burgundian pinot noir, lightish ruby, among the lightest three. Bouquet is like the Pyramid Valley in some ways, immediately floral and precisely varietal on red cherry fruit more than black, but in this case a purer wine, not showing brett complexity. That also means it is a simpler wine, and one can tie oneself in knots trying to analyse this matrix of positive and negative components in a wine, to arrive at a score that reflects overall quality ranking. Mouthfeel and texture belie the light colour, there being attractive fruit weight, and delicious flavours reflecting exactly what pinot noir should be, complexed by subtle toasty oak. At the stage when ‘volunteers’ were speaking to the wines while still all blind, I commented this wine was of good premier cru quality and style, not quite the richness of a grand cru. Now, labels revealed, and the wine more breathed, I stand by that. Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir has quietly increased in concentration, mouthfeel and precise varietal character over the last 5 years, and the trend line is promising. With recent land purchase in sites more optimal for Marlborough pinot noir, and an expressed commitment to this variety, the long term prospects for Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir being up there with their sauvignon blanc are exciting. The Cloudy Bay pinot style is subtle / classical, in contrast to the heroic Pegasus approach. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 06/07

2003 The Standish Shiraz Single Vineyard 17 ½ (

)

Barossa Valley, South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $128 [ cork; winemaker Dan Standish, is (or was) a winemaker for Torbreck; winery of same name in California; Parker 167 ( note the worrying "only" ): "The 2003 Shiraz (100% Shiraz from a 90-year-old Vine Vale vineyard) was cropped at .5 tons of fruit per acre, and was aged 32 months in old French oak. It is a magnificent effort boasting tremendous ripeness as well as abundant blueberry and creme de cassis notes intermixed with flowers, graphite, and crushed rocks. With amazing concentration, purity, and richness, but no heaviness (the alcohol is only 14.5%), and a finish that lasts well past a minute, it is accessible now, but should age effortlessly for two decades or more. Dan Standish is one of the Barossa’s up-and-coming superstars, and his wines merit serious attention. 99"; website is an intention, so far; www.standishwineco.com ]
Dense ruby and velvet, one of the deepest. This is a very particular wine, in a demonstrably syrah style, fragrant and floral. It is let down by a piquant jonquils / paperwhites pungent component to the dianthus-related florals, an aroma many people find unwiney, or downright negative (in wine). Palate is intensely cassisy, clearly aiming to be a Rhone presentation of Australian shiraz, namely syrah-like. The problem is, correlated with the jonquils aroma is a green stalky thread. The similarity between this wine and Le Sol or Homage is undeniable. However, the latter two triumph, whereas The Standish stumbles, on that critical degree of ripeness component, the wine lacking full physiological flavour development. Since it is from a hotter climate, the assumption must be at least part of it was picked early, to try and achieve the florals and aromatics of a Cote Rotie style. The result is is an illustration of how a more temperate viticultural climate can produce deeper and more complex ripening flavours in the berry, and highlights why New Zealanders are so excited about the potential for syrah in their country. Interesting wine therefore, not least for the price, relative to the flavours achieved. It is only fair to note some knowledgeable tasters rated it their bottom wine in the set. Cellar 10 – 20 years, with interest, to end up like a cool-year stalky but concentrated Cote Rotie maybe. GK 12/07

2004 Benson Block Sauvignon Blanc 17 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $17 [ screwcap ]
Palest lemongreen. Freshly opened, a trace of armpit and canned asparagus detracts. With plenty of air, freshens up to allow a good weight of beautifully ripe black passionfruit and red capsicum fruit to come through. Palate is rich, aromatic on the red capsicum, long, and flavoursome – bolder than the Isabel. Only the light armpit keeps it from a higher ranking, and that may dissipate in another six months or so. Cellar 1 – 3 to 4 years. GK 11/04

2010 Villa Maria Pinot Noir Marlborough Reserve 17 ½ (

)

Wairau & Awatere Valleys, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $50 [ screwcap; nil whole-bunch; 12 – 16 months in French oak 25% new; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Big pinot noir ruby, between the Villa Grenache and Craggy Aroha. Bouquet is almost too strong in this pinot noir, it is clearly varietal and darkly floral, but there is a rank edge to the dark florality reminiscent of kelp. Plentiful fruit includes red and black cherry analogies. Palate weight is excellent, and the whole wine lightens up considerably (positively) in mouth. As well as cherry, there are hints of raspberry here too, with a trace of stalk and pepper (uneven ripeness ?) freshening the wine, but also perhaps accounting for the slightly distracting note on bouquet. Hard wine to score, since it is bigger and more 'serious' than the Te Muna but not as beautiful, and being up against the Aroha in the blind double-checking turned out to be hard for any pinot. Needs time to mellow. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 05/13

2002 Renard Syrah Peay Vineyard 17 ½ (

)

Sonoma Coast, California, USA: 14.4%; $ – [ cork; small production 244 cases @ US$35; the website describes the site as a 'marginal climate', and the wine as: dark fruit … vibrant spice .. rich and dense … a dead ringer for classic Rhone syrah; R. Parker 159: complexity … an elegant nose of camphor, truffles, blackberries, cassis … and floral characteristics … complete, beautifully-textured, and opulent, this medium-bodied, complex, stylish Syrah offers considerable finesse and elegance. 91; www.renardsyrah.com ]
Ruby and velvet, one of the densest. This was one of the most interesting wines in the formal presentations, for unlike the other two Californian wines, it displayed syrah ripened to an almost European level of retained florals, aromatics and complexity, on intense cassis fruit. The only trouble was, it also showed a good deal of brett, and many technical tasters couldn't get past that. On palate the weight and intensity of berry was in the same league as le Sol or Yering Station, and the berry flavours included classic syrah cassis, black cherry and darkest plum. This could have been one of the top wines of the day, in the sense it was enormously concentrated, and magnificently varietal in an almost Hermitage / Rhone sense, but it was too flawed. The score has to be arbitrary, on account of the brett. Cellar 5 – 15 years, maybe more. GK 01/07

2004 Triplebank Pinot Noir 17 ½ (

)

Awatere Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $23 [ screwcap; new ‘Montana’ label for Awatere Valley wines; hand-harvested; 6 days cold soak, 18 days cuvaison, fermentation finished in barrels, 10 months in French oak; www.adwnz.com ]
Good pinot noir ruby. A sweet and fragrant varietal bouquet, but not the deeply floral authority of the Carrick. Florals are in the lighter roses and buddleia camp, and underlying fruit is in the softer blackboy peach and red cherry style. Palate is pro rata to bouquet, clearly varietal, a little oakier than the Framingham, already showing well, no matter how undesirable it is to release reds at 12 months from vintage. Cellar 5 - 8 years. GK 04/05

2003 Pegasus Bay Pinot Noir Prima Donna 17 ½ (

)

Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 14.5%; $70 [ screwcap; nil whole bunch, 18 months in French oak 40% new; www.pegasusbay.com ]
Big pinot noir ruby, fresher than most, one of the two deepest (in that set). Bouquet is very ripe and rich, fragrant and burly like the Felton Road, but not as oaky as that wine. It is too ripe for clear floral components, but the flavours include some dark cherry notes in the plummy richness. With less sur-maturité in the vineyard, this would have been the top wine of the tasting, but the Target Gully achieves more vivid varietal character from its more appropriate ripening, plus maybe that splash of whole bunch. Still cellar potential here, 3 – 8 years. GK 02/10

2010 Felton Road Pinot Noir Bannockburn 17 ½ (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $49 [ screwcap; winery price, nearer $60 in retailers; hand-harvested, 25% whole-bunch, wild-yeast fermentation; c. 10 months in French oak c. 27% new, not fined or filtered; www.feltonroad.com ]
Good pinot noir ruby, a little lighter than the Peregrine. This wine too is in a riper spectrum, losing florality and gaining in plummyness, but still reasonably clearly pinot noir. Palate is much more clearly varietal, rich supple dark-fruited pinot, so it is reasonable to assume the bouquet will build with time in bottle. The wine is very young: cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 06/11

2004 Ata Rangi Sauvignon Blanc 17 ½ (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13%; $24 [ screwcap; estate-grown; 15% BF & LA in 4th-year oak, no MLF; www.atarangi.co.nz ]
Lemongreen. A wine in two parts. Initially opened, bouquet is flattened by soft DMS-like odours, sacky as Cooks Chasseur used to be. In this instance, a downside of building complexity on lees autolysis, presumably. Aerated, pure sauvignon elderflower, reddest capsicum and black passionfruit emerge, with the positive side of lees autolysis – hints of baguette-like complexity. This is one of the richest sauvignons around, and with its weight, appropriate acid, and fruit sweetness, it will be great with food. Stylewise, it is literally midway between Marlborough and Hawkes Bay. Despite a query on bouquet, should cellar well for some years and bury that doubt, if mature sauvignons appeal. GK 11/04

2009 Olssens Riesling Annieburn 17 ½ (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 10.5%; $29 [ screwcap; hand-picked; cool s/s fermented; pH 2.83, RS 6.5 g/L on website – seems low; sterile-filtered; www.olssens.co.nz ]
Lemongreen. This wine presented another face of Otago riesling, the more Germanic one which has attracted favourable notice from European winewriters. At this stage it is far too young to drink (or sell, really). Bouquet shows incipient white florals on an appley base. Palate is attractively fine-grain, tasting quite high total acid and low pH [confirmed], both masked by careful residual sugar at the drier end of the Mosel kabinett class. Handling of the phenolics is subtler than the Mount Edward and Peregrine wines, giving it good cellar potential. The only caveat I had was to wonder if there might be a little VA. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 09/10

2013 Dog Point Pinot Noir 17 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $44 [ cork 50mm; winemakers did not make any information available, any detail here from Raymond Chan; main clones Dijon 777, 667, 115, planting density not available, average age not available, % hand-picked and cropping rate not available; 10 % whole-bunch, cold soak practice and yeast use not available, 21 – 28 days on skins all told; unknown % of the wine 18 months in French oak 40% new, toast level not available; filtration not available; RS < 0.2 g/L: dry extract not available; production not available; www.dogpoint.co.nz ]
A medium-weight pinot noir ruby, fractionally older than some, slightly above midway in depth. Bouquet is sweet, ripe, seemingly riper than some, not quite the emphasis on florality. Fruit qualities likewise are a little bigger and riper, plums as well as dark cherries, good concentration, a rich but at this stage tending sturdy interpretation of pinot noir. By the same token, it may overtake some of the lighter more floral wines in five years. Length of aftertaste is particularly good. Cellar 5 – 15 years. Seven first or second places, and five thought it from Otago. GK 08/16

1940 Trial Review 17 ½ (

)

Takapuna, New Zealand: – %; $ – [ Yet to be established ]
In acceptable condition for its age GK 04/19

2002 MadFish Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot / Cabernet Franc 17 ½ (

)

Western Australia, Australia: 14%; $23 [ cork; CS 70%, Me 17, CF 13; open-top fermentation, 10 –12 months French oak; commercial label of Howard Park; www.madfishwines.com.au ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. Bouquet is clean and berryrich, with cassis and oak in a Bordeaux style. Palate is oakier than ideal, the cassis fresh and slightly acid, just a trace of leafiness (as is equally found in all but the best years in Bordeaux), but good fruit. Clearly a temperate-climate wine, surprisingly New Zealand in approach, and not euc’y. Cellar 10 – 15 years. GK 08/05

2013 Xanadu Cabernet Sauvignon Next of Kin 17 ½ (

)

Margaret River, West Australia, Australia: 14%; $28 [ screwcap; cepage in 2013 CS 90%, CF 5, Me 3, PV 2, hand-picked; 20% of the fruit had cold-soak, 30% had up to 28 days cuvaison, balance less; MLF partly in s/s, partly in barrel, c.14 months in French small oak, 20% new; vintage rating 9/10 by Halliday; imported by MacVine International, Auckland; weight bottle and closure: 502 g; www.xanaduwines.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, scarcely distinguishable from the main Xanadu Cabernet Sauvignon, well below midway in depth. Bouquet is nearly as varietal as the standard Cabernet Sauvignon, and shows the same fragrant cassisy quality. You really have to taste very carefully indeed to see that this most affordable of the three Xanadu Cabernets (in New Zealand) is fractionally less ripe and less concentrated, and not quite as smooth, all presumably implying a slightly higher cropping rate and slightly less-detailed elevation. The total achievement at the price is simply wonderful, the flavours in mouth being beautifully pure, highly varietal, less oaky than some of these West Australian wines, and again showing near-perfect ripeness, with no euc'y taints. Cellar 5 – 18 years. GK 08/16

2005 Te Whare Ra Riesling 17 ½ (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 12.9%; $ – [ screwcap; hand-picked; some whole-bunches retained; cool-fermented, 100% s/s; pH 3.0, RS 6.7 g/L; www.te-whare-ra.co.nz ]
Lemon. This is a characterful riesling, with some reminders of Clare / Eden Valley too. There is a hint of mandarin in the citrus, and the floral qualities are melding with white fruits. Palate shows more varietal terpenes than most, and the wine is slightly hoppy, again like South Australia, but all these elements are sustained attractively on 'riesling dry' sweetness. This is about at the peak of its first stage of development, and will soon be developing secondary characters. It will cellar another 2 – 5 years or so. GK 04/09

2001 Felton Road Riesling Dry 17 ½ (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 10%; $ – [ cork – second bottle available; was $21; an unremarkable/ average vintage; the wine hand-harvested, wild-yeast fermented; Michael Cooper, 2003: … floral, with light body (10% alcohol) and beautifully fresh, delicate and springy flavours, rich, lemony and lingering ****½; www.feltonroad.com ]
Lemon, a lovely colour and even at 13 years, among the paler in the set. One sniff and the purity of this wine is dramatic, lovely pure vinifera aromatics hinting at riesling, with just a suggestion of vanilla biscuit bespeaking full maturity. One has to hunt to find traces of fresh sweet vernal / linalool varietal complexity. Accordingly, more critical tasters murmured about hints of oxidation. Its like people, it is so easy to find faults, but there is pleasure to be had in seeking virtues – so I prefer my interpretation again. In mouth, the wine is just as charming, pleasing body, sweeter than expected (for Dry), supremely delicate, more like an exceptionally good mature chasselas from Switzerland than riesling, yet there is a trace of acid, and hints of a terpene backbone. This wine would be sensational with something like scallops. Fully mature, one could drink a lot of this. GK 03/14

2005 Felton Road Pinot Noir [ standard wine ] 17 ½ (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $ – [ screwcap; average vine age 5.5 years; a cold, difficult and late season, reduced crop just over half the target yield of 5.5 t/ha; resulting wines tannic and concentrated, but at the time thanks to low crop thought to be of appropriate ripeness; considered the most cellar-worthy wines made to that point; latterly some concern as to ripening profile of the tannins; www.feltonroad.com ]
Ruby and garnet, much the darkest in the set. And on bouquet this is a big wine too, the bouquet sharing some attributes with the 2007: big fruit, not quite perfect ripeness, the less ripe berries even with an aromatic mint note, big oak, all a bit leathery and tannic. It is fragrant, but there is not a lot of florality or cool-climate charm. Thoughts of Victoria here, too. Taste-wise it is big wine, dark and serious, tannic, but again just the thought of stalks in the tannins. There are burgundies like this sometimes, in the hotter years where the wines end up tannic, so it has to be seen as a valid expression of the year. One thing is certain, it will cellar for years, for it is very rich indeed, perhaps the richest in terms of dry extract of all the Feltons in this set. Those who like more substantial pinots will score this wine higher, understandably. Cellar 3 – 8 more years. GK 08/14

2002 Villa Maria Chardonnay Fletcher Single Vineyard 17 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 14.5%; $34 [ screwcap; clones 6 and mendoza, 50% MLF, 9 months BF and LA in 75% new French oak; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
This was one I rated more highly 18 months ago, than now. Colour is lemonstraw, more straw than most. On bouquet the wine is big, with intrusive oak and big spirity fruit, but all less integrated and beguiling than the top ones. More a big new-world chardonnay. One is temped to say that this is the obvious effects of excessive new oak (75%), but then one notices the silky and elegant Waikahu is the same. So it ain't easy to generalise. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 02/05

2001 Penfolds Shiraz Bin 128 17 ½ (

)

Coonawarra, South Australia, Australia: 13.5%; $ – [ cork; Sh 100%; 12 months in French oak 21% new, balance 1 – 3, all hogsheads; Halliday rates Coonawarra 8 /10 in 2001; www.penfolds.com.au ]
Ruby and velvet, younger than the Hill of Grace, reflecting less oak exposure. Bouquet is right in the middle of these shiraz-based wines (mostly Penfolds & Henschke), showing in a subdued way some of the florals of the Henschke Henry's, some of the cassis of the Bin 389, some of the brett of the Hill of Grace, but in contrast to that wine, the oak is much subtler. It mightn't be quite as rich, but the berry is attractive, and when one considers the 2001 Penfolds 128 was freely available at release for (often) less than $15, and now in a rigorously blind tasting scores in the same ballpark as the $600-at-release 2001 Henschke Hill of Grace, it makes a compelling case for cellaring carefully-selected South Australian reds. The key word there is "carefully-selected". Whether Penfolds or other companies, many South Australian reds are big rather than beautiful – they cellar but don't necessarily improve. Cellar another 5 – 10 years. GK 02/08

2004 Lindauer Special Reserve Vintage 17 ½ (

)

Marlborough, Gisborne & Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12%; $18 [ cork; release price; Ch dominant, PN, some of the grapes hand-picked; lees contact in tank, followed by 2 years en tirage; dosage c.10 g/L, not 12 as previously given; no website now relevant. ]
Straw, a little deeper than the Chevalier. The purity of bouquet on this wine is simply staggering. It is closest to the Lanson in style, but fractionally more petite, elegant fruit and subtle but genuine autolysis. Palate is exactly in sync, but with an extra dimension, beautiful white fruit, subtle baguette, but the faintest sweet-biscuit 'grip', for want of a better word. In discussion with Jane de Witt, the maker of this wine (and despite the corporate changes, still the winemaker for Lindauer), the secret is: the 2004 base wine saw a little new oak – the only time the Lindauer people experimented with this approach.

This is stunning wine, given its original price. It raises the question: when will 'concept Lindauer' take itself seriously ? And act accordingly. The quality of Lindauer Reserve and Lindauer Reserve Blanc de Blancs has never been higher, but still the owners persist with dosage levels which appeal to the lowest common denominator in the market. Here in this 2004 wine, the quality is every bit as good as the best Lindauer Reserves, and the dosage seems fractionally less.

The name Lindauer is now (almost sadly) associated only with their bread-and-butter sparkling wines, in an almost-vulgar range of styles, all designed for only-price-matters supermarket buyers, and instant consumption. Given the wine-contrast between these supermarket wines and the Reserve wines, I suggest it is high time that Lindauer split itself into:
# Popular Lindauer sparkling wines in the present distinctive skittle bottles, dosage as now, and then in complete contrast:
# A Reserve Series where 'Reserve' actually means something, to be presented in 'proper' champagne bottles, absolutely standard-shaped bottles.
The Reserve Series range could be confined to four wines: nv Lindauer Special Reserve Brut as now, salmon-flushed and pinot noir dominant, nv Lindauer Blanc de Blancs Reserve Brut, chardonnay dominant as now, nv Lindauer Rosé Reserve Brut a little more clearly pinot-noir based than the standard Reserve, and finally a Vintage Lindauer Reserve Brut, no hint of salmon flush, with a near-invisible touch of barrel ferment / oak elevation in the base wines, and priced a couple of dollars more. Conjoined with this approach are two key needs: reduce the dosage in the new Reserve Series to 9 – 10 g/L, and market them as serious but affordable sparkling wines, for as long as it takes. Recent marketing efforts for the Lindauer Reserve wines seem to be virtually zero. The early achievements of the label are in danger of being lost.

The Lindauer Reserve Series of sparkling wines could really be something, with sustained effort. The quality of winemaking has been and continues to be remarkable. For a start, such a new series could recapture the market share the label once held in the United Kingdom, if the wine were revised along these more sophisticated lines, and marketed accordingly. Now that the price of United Kingdom domestic sparklings is approaching champagne values, such a redefined Lindauer Reserve range would eclipse most Cava, the main competitor in the more affordable (but not basic) bubbly market there. Now 'concept Lindauer' is owned by Lion Breweries, there is the perfect opportunity for them to capitalise on Pernod-Ricard's bizarre decision to sell one of their (potentially) best assets, and really take Lindauer Reserve to new heights. But to succeed with a restructured Lindauer Reserve Series, Lion needs to understand they are aiming for a serious consumer, not a populist one, and undertake a long and sustained campaign to raise awareness of this new 'reincarnated' wine, both at home and abroad. GK 02/16

2015 Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc Templar Single-Vineyard Organic 17 ½ (

)

Awatere Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $30 [ screwcap; machine-harvested cool at night, short skin contact, all s/s fermentation again cool; RS 4 g/L; 2015 seen as a quality year for Marlborough sauvignon; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Palest lemongreen. Bouquet improves in the glass to show fairly classical modern Marlborough sauvignon, ripened to the black passionfruit stage of physiological maturity, some red capsicum, trace armpit, only a suggestion of green. Palate does not follow perfectly, there immediately being a 'thyme and sage" savoury herbes quality giving the impression of drying the palate. There is good fruit below, but slightly firm phenolics masked by the sweetest residual in these four sauvignons. Good wine, but (though one ideally should not draw conclusions about current-vintage Marlborough sauvignons till 9 months have passed from vintage) not really Single Vineyard quality, so too expensive, I think. Cellar 3 – 8 years, if you like older sauvignons. GK 11/15

2013 Greystone Pinot Noir 17 ½ (

)

Omihi, Waipara, Canterbury, New Zealand: 13.5%; $34 [ screwcap; hand-picked from vines c.11 years age; 10% whole-bunch, wild-yeast ferments; 30+ days cuvaison with 100% wild yeast; c.11 months in French oak, 30% new; www.greystonewines.co.nz ]
Big pinot noir ruby, fractionally deeper than the Brothers wine, in the top six of the 57, for depth. Bouquet is darkly floral, on black rather than red cherry fruits, clean and fragrant. Palate reverses that impression, the fruit flavours and characteristics now seeming more red cherry, with less oak and less concentration than the Brothers wine, but the fruit profile a little more harmonious, even though total acid seems fractionally higher. There are hints of mixed ripeness here, too. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/17

2008 Craggy Range Merlot Sophia 17 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $50 [ 50mm cork; DFB; Me 89%, CS 8, Ma 2, CF 1, hand-harvested @ 6.25 t/ha (2.5 t/ac); 100% de-stemmed; inoculated ferments in oak cuves; 18 months in French oak 52% new; fined and filtered; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby and some velvet, scarcely older than the 2010, just below midway. Bouquet is darkly berried and oaky, even more obviously a new world wine in its ratio of oak dominating the berry, but fragrant. Palate is plumper than expected, seemingly bigger than the 2010, good merlot flavours maturing now, but all much too oaky – again in a new world style. Within the limitations of that caveat, this should cellar well, for 5 – 12 years. GK 09/16

2004 Guigal Condrieu 17 ½ (

)

Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $75 [ cork; hand-picked, 33% BF in new oak for 8 months, balance s/s, 100% MLF; 6 – 8 months lees autolysis and batonnage (not sure if all or just the BF fraction); some contradictions in info available; RS 1.2 g/L. The reviewer for International Wine Cellar is a bit fixated on quinine currently: Classic Condrieu perfume of fresh peach, apricot pit, pear, apple skin, violet and minerals. Lush and broad on the palate but showing strong minerality and dry, tangy orchard fruit flavors. The powerful finish shows a refreshingly bitter note of quinine along with sweeter tones of melon and star fruit. 91 (All one needs to know about star fruit is at: www.floridagardener.com/pom/Carambola.htm !) Parker 170: … 2004 was a truly profound vintage for Condrieu … wonderful aromatics and flavor intensity … also high acidity … a longevity Condrieu rarely possesses. This wine has floral white peach and honeysuckle notes, some hints of mineral, full-bodied, powerful flavors, but enticing dryness and impeccable balance and purity. This is a beauty … 90; www.guigal.com ]
Straw, a little older than the Cuilleron. The average of the French wines reveals much riper apricot characters than the New Zealand wines, really orange apricots rather than the pale yellow-green of the local examples. But in this Guigal example, the bouquet is also more angular, bits of oak and MLF, all arms and legs. In mouth the wine is overly oaky, adding to the disjointed impression, so even though there is a lot of apricot, MLF softness and creamy flavour in the wine, the nett impression is phenolic and tending coarse. Need to say though, that like the Virgilius, every bottle of Guigal Condrieu (both '04 and '05) currently seems to be opening differently, in the case of the Guigal under cork. Because Guigal dominates Condrieu production-wise, it tends to be regarded as the yardstick. The standard label does not really justify this assumption, but it is an interesting 'component' wine. It does not really convince that 100% MLF in viognier is a good idea, though their enthusiasm for oak clouds judgment. But, in this batch, the Herzog has 100%, and carries it so well. Those who like lots of oak and flavour, and apricots to the point of chewing dried ones, will rate this Guigal more highly. At its peak now, or a little past. GK 07/07

nv Montana Lindauer Special Reserve [ 2001 Release ] 17 ½ (

)

Marlborough & Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12%; $16 [ cork; PN > Ch; 2 years en tirage; 12 g/L RS; www.montana.co.nz ]
Onionskin pale rosé. Bouquet now has some attractive mellowness, as the fresh berry red-fruits of the pinot noir fade to something more complex and appealing, intermingled attractively with clean autolysis showing just as much complexity and quality as the Laurent Perrier. Palate tastes of pinot noir too, good richness and style, lovely acid balance, and clear autolysis with some baguette complexity, plus elegant tannins to the late taste. The Reserve seems drier than straight Lindauer (specs show them the same), but like the Laurent Perrier and Chandon, it is less brut than some. Given the quality of fruit this wine shows, it would be a good move to make the Reserve wine a bit more “serious” or premium than commercial Lindauer, and reduce the dosage a little.

But the main point of this review is to illustrate just how much more delightful Lindauer Reserve is after some years in bottle, once it has mellowed and dried a little. So the idea is (having checked that batch, because it does vary) to buy as many cases as are needed every year in December, when it can invariably be procured at the promotional price of $12 (sometimes even $11), and put them aside for three to five (or more) years. Once one has sufficient backlog, one can then enjoy virtually premium quality wine as good as some (note, some) French champagnes (including rosé variants), for a ludicrously cheaper price. Or cellar another five years, as the mood takes one. GK 08/05

1996 Perrier-Jouet Belle Epoque Brut 17 ½ (

)

Epernay, Champagne, France: 12.5%; $246 [ cork; Ch 50, PN 45, PM 5; en tirage 8 – 9 years; no back vintages on website; current vintage price in NZ c.$265; www.perrier-jouet.com ]
Older straw, the darkest wine. Bouquet is complex, in a big baguette-crust and Vogel's Mixed-grain way, and fresher than the colour would suggest. Yet there is no getting away from the fact the style of the wine is older than many, there might be a trace of oak (or is that development on the autolysis), and there was a whisper of less-desirable cork-flavour, just fleetingly, on the palate more than bouquet. This bottle may not be optimal, therefore. Very much a 'wholemeal' wine, the dosage at the higher end 9 – 10 g/L maybe. Has the richness to cellar, but is forward. GK 11/14

2009 Kidnapper Cliffs Syrah 17 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $55 [ cork; all hand-picked @ c.5 t/ha = 2 t/ac and de-stemmed; 7 days cold-soak, c. 13 days cuvaison including the cold-soak, MLF preferably with the alcoholic fermentation but in any case before barrel; typically 13 – 14 months in French 300s and 220s, 25% new; www.kidnappercliffs.com ]
Dense ruby, carmine and velvet, amazing for such a relatively short cuvaison. Would that this syrah showed the beauty of the same-year pinotage, but it doesn't. Sadly, the wine is tending reductive, which immediately kills the floral component so essential to beautiful syrah as opposed to impressive shiraz. So decant this wine splashily 10 times from jug to jug, as a first step. One of the key problems in New Zealand wine evaluation is that so many winewriters, wine commentators, and even judges are to varying degrees insensitive to sulphide in red wines. The sensitive consumer is thus all too often ill-served in this matter, for no wine can be beautiful with the grey blanket of reduced sulphur hanging about it, both on bouquet and palate. Lifting the blanket as much as one can however, there is recognisable cassisy berry fruit not over-ripened too much, a touch of black pepper, and a level of oak appropriate for syrah (which like pinot noir, reveals its beauty only with subtle oak aging), and a long aftertaste, all a little soured by reduction. This wine could have been so much more beautiful. There is a chance it will bury the reduction in 6 – 10 years, so cellar 8 – 15 years. This would be a gamble if you dislike reduction, and not one I am prepared to take. If you want to see beauty in syrah, compare with 2009 Bullnose. GK 08/11

2001 Ch Bastor-Lamontagne 17 ½ (

)

Sauternes AOC, Bordeaux, France: 14%; $60 [ cork; price / 750 ml, EP $56; Se 80, SB 20; 80% BF, 13 – 18 months in barrel, 15% new; located near Ch Suduiraut. A second wine has been introduced. Parker regards as very reliable, affordable, not oaky. Wine Spectator 2004: aromas of limes … cream … pineapple … full-bodied palate, lively acidity, fresh finish 91; Parker 153 ( in 2004): Possibly the finest effort I have ever tasted from this estate … apricot, lychee, honeysuckle, and other tropical fruit with little evidence of oak. Excellent acidity, which provides tremendous definition … To 2020 91 ]
Rich lemon. A simple pure bouquet combining some pale stone fruits with soaked sultana richness, some complexity, not much oak. Palate has lovely fruit initially, some botrytis complexity, but is lightish in this company, more like the Saints wine. Compared with that, however, there is less VA and new oak, and more grape flavour and mouthfeel. This should develop attractively in cellar for 5 – 15 years, and be versatile with light cool desserts. GK 04/06

2016 Domaine de Beaurenard Chateauneuf-du-Pape 17 ½ (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $83 [ cork 50 mm, Gr 70%, Sy 10, Mv 10, Ci 4, other permitted vars 6, organic; 12 – 15 months elevation includes some barriques and puncheons; available from Maison Vauron, Auckland, and retailers supplied by them; weight bottle and cork, 616 g; www.beaurenard.fr ]
Ruby, some velvet, fractionally older than some (implying more barrel exposure), below midway in depth. Bouquet is classic Southern Rhone, not quite as fresh and zingy as the most exciting of these wines, but fragrant, some garrigue lift, red and darker fruits, older oak, all just a touch leathery. In mouth a suggestion of lavender creeps into the fumey side, with attractive berry fruit, older oak, and good length. It is not quite so much a typical 2016 in style, this aspect somewhat in contrast with the Boisrenard label. I imagine with its hint of leather, it would sit well with many 2015s. Cellar 5 – 25 years. GK 05/19

2007 Dom. de Bellene Savigny-les-Beaune Blanc 17 ½ (

)

Savigny-les-Beaune, Cote de Beaune, Burgundy, France: 12.5%; $71 [ cork; a Nicholas Potel label, aiming to be organic / biodynamic; best source info: www.burgundy-report.com/summer-2010/profile-domaine-de-bellene-beaune; house website skeletal as yet; www.domainedebellene.com ]
Lemonstraw. Bouquet is a delight, pure light varietal chardonnay showing white flowers, pale stonefruit, and scarcely any oak. Palate likewise is light, pure, very dry, a petite chardonnay, but all the components in lovely balance and the oak (presumably all old) is subtle and masterly. This wine beautifully illustrates how the finest fendant (Swiss chasselas) overlaps with petite white burgundy / chardonnay. Rare provenance for white burgundy in New Zealand. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 07/11

1976 Ch Beychevelle 17 ½ (

)

Saint-Julien Fourth Growth, Medoc, France: – %; $157 [ Cork, 53mm, ullage 21mm; CS 60%, Me 28, CF 8, PV 4, purchase price $22.05; typically 20 months in barrel; production around 30,000 x 9-litre cases; Parker records standards not high in the 1970s, the wine-style light and accessible, less new oak; Broadbent, 1980: fine deep colour; elegant, fruity; well made, good texture, ***(*); RP@WA, 1990: Technically, the 1976 Beychevelle is not the most perfect wine. The acidity is low and the pH high, but statistics aside, this wine has retained its immensely enjoyable, plummy, fat, fruity character. I would have thought it to be in decline now, but this seductive effort from Beychevelle continues to provide surprising pleasure. Anticipated maturity: Now, 85; weight bottle and closure: 582 g; https://beychevelle.com ]
Garnet and ruby, below midway in depth. Though seeming clean at decanting, by the time of the tasting this wine had developed threshold TCA … only just detectable by five technical tasters. Putting the glass sample to bed (under ice) with 100 mm² of Gladwrap® completely cleared it, to reveal a smaller but elegant wine along the lines of Grand-Puy-Lacoste in weight, but less aromatic and cedary. In mouth the wine is total harmony, cassisy and dark plummy berry well-browning now of course, silky and delightful, perfect with food. Shows all the balance and style of ‘classic’ claret, before it became a bigger, richer ‘more impressive’ wine. Fully mature. Could be marked a little higher. GK 10/20

1955 Bodegas Bilbainas Rioja Clarete Fino Vieja Reserva 17 ½ (

)

Haro, Rioja, Spain: – %; $ – [ 45mm cork; tempranillo, similar values, elevation, and background as the Pomal Reserva, but made in a claret style, and bottled in a claret bottle, presumably implying longer extraction, or more new oak, and possibly some grenache – to judge from some tastings; Jan Read rates the vintage 10/10 in a classic sense for Rioja, noting that exceptions abound in the Spanish climatic milieu. These wines are almost unknown on the world wine stage, yet the best are wonderful. Similar treasures occasionally found from R. Lopez de Heredia Tondonia, and CVNE – the latter a bit better known; no reviews or notes found; www.bodegasbilbainas.com ]
Attractive ruby and garnet, right in the middle for depth, fractionally the deepest of the three Bodegas Bilbainas wines. This is the third of the Spanish trifecta that scooped the pool (for me) in this old wines tasting. Bouquet is deeper, richer, and more oaky than the other two Bilbainas, yet still soft, vanillin and enticing. Flavour is conspicuously less rich and more oaky than the 1953 Pomal Reserva, and more oaky and less exquisite than the 1966 Pomal. On this wine, there is a suggestion of the citrus and vanillin character characterising American oak, as so often found in Rioja wines. Palate shows the same wonderfully soft tannins of tempranillo-dominant wines, now all at perfect maturity. Finish is fractionally shorter than the other two, the vanillin rich oak finally dominating over berry, yet the nett impression is still pleasing. I liked this wine more than the group: contra the other two Spanish wines, nobody had this as their first or second place, and it was more clearly recognised as Spanish. GK 10/16

nv Champagne Billecart-Salmon Demi-Sec 17 ½ (

)

Mareuil-sur-Ay, Champagne, France: 12%; $73 [ supercritical Diam cork; PM 40%, PN 30, Ch 30, an unknown percentage grand cru vineyards, the base wine 2012 vintage but a high percentage of reserve wines; little or no oak in the base wines; tirage c.3 years or so, dosage 25 – 27 g/L; website superficial; www.champagne-billecart.fr ]
The second lightest wine, fractionally paler than the Brut Reserve, though nominally the same base wine. This bouquet too lacks the magic of the Brut Reserve. It is still fragrant and attractive, but not so perfumed (notwithstanding the maker's claim it is exactly the same base-wine). It is more a regular champagne, but still with good autolysis. Strangely, despite the overt sweetness, the wine comes together remarkably in the mouth, the autolysis and oatmealy flavours now much clearer, good acid to add freshness against the sweetness, good length of flavour. Given the quality of the Billecart-Salmon portfolio, you can't help wondering if the firm needs this populist wine in its range. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 04/16

2004 Bladen Sauvignon Blanc 17 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $19 [ www.bladen.co.nz ]
Initially opened there is a whisper of youthful sur lie sulphur and armpit, clearing acceptably quickly to good Marlborough sauvignon ripened to the red capsicums and black passionfruit stage. Palate is richly flavoured, judging dry, little or no oak contribution, just pure sauvignon. This could score higher in six months. Cellar 1 – 5 years, or longer if desired. GK 09/04

2004 Domaine Paul Blanck Gewurztraminer Altenbourg 17 ½ (

)

Kienzheim, Alsace, France: 13.5%; $49 [ cork; vines 20 years age; also www.blanck.com; www.blanck-alsace.com ]
Light straw. Bouquet is like a junior version of the Schoffit, yellow fruits rather than white, not quite as clearly varietal, but still lychee. Palate introduces some root-ginger complexities, all more phenolic than the top wines, fairly dry. Cellar 5 – 8 years only perhaps, for it may coarsen beyond that. GK 08/06

1975 Wolf Blass Cabernet / Shiraz Black Label Jimmy Watson Trophy 17 ½ (

)

Langhorne Creek 80% & Barossa Valley 20, South Australia, Australia: – %; $ – [ cork 44mm; original cost $10.40, recent wine-searcher values for similar age examples exceed $100; CS 80%, Sh 20; the third Jimmy Watson Trophy for this label, creating a sensation at the time. One reason for its success was Blass' introduction of barrel-fermentation to produce soft rich flavoursome wines with great oak impression, but not harshly tannic. 60% of the wine was in American oak, 40% in Nevers hogsheads, ratio new not known but presumably high; never short on self-promotion, this Blass wine shamelessly describes itself as an Individual Vineyard wine, despite the components coming from two viticultural areas c.80k apart; the Jimmy Watson Trophy is seen by some as Australia's premier red wine award. It is awarded to the best one-year-old dry red in the Royal Melbourne Wine Show. Winning wines were highly regarded (and highly sought-after), in those more Show-conscious days, and still fetch high prices (in Australia); the Australian firm WineAssist organised a tasting of Watson wines from the '70s, 80s, and 90s in 2002. Our wine was middling, in the blind judging; www.wolfblasswines.com ]
Ruby and garnet, much redder than the Bin 49, the second deepest wine. At the blind stage, this was the different one. The volume of sweet vanillin aroma on top of great fruit is simply remarkable. One immediately thought of blackberries rather than currants / cassis, yet the wine is the most aromatic in the set. Again it is not exactly euc'y, but it is aromatic / minty with a balsam-like complexity. In mouth the shiraz seems obvious, the level of fruit is simply staggering relative to the age, and the whole thing tastes youthful, harmonious, and vigorous. Later one suspects a little residual sugar, even, but it is easy to be fooled by the faintly caramel-like hints from barrel fermentation – so many years later. In its style this is simply splendid wine, and two tasters rated it top. It is not subtle though, and it does not seem so good with food. It was also the only wine where scarcely anybody thought it to be French. This will cellar even longer than the Bin 49, but like it will be let down by the 44mm corks of the era. GK 03/15

1982 Champagne Bollinger Grande Année Brut 17 ½ (

)

Ay, Champagne, France: 12%; $785 [ traditional compound champagne cork; Broadbent rating for vintage: *****, a highly successful vintage … well nigh ideal, biggest crop on record, and of uniformly high quality; Wine Spectator rating for vintage: 94, Drink, rich, complex, with abundant flavor. PN 60 - 70%, balance Ch, full MLF, barrel fermentation and maturation of base wines, c.6 – 7 years en tirage, c.8 g/L dosage; Robinson, 2013: Dark brownish gold. Tiny, slightly sluggish bead. Lightly mushroomy nose that is so characteristic of Bollinger. Deep umami savoury flavours. Still tight and youthful. High acidity which came to the fore in the glass but a great glass of wine with real potential still, 18; Wine Spectator, 1988: Rich, toasty and very assertive, high in extract and intensity with a heavy toasty flavor that compliments the pear and cherry flavors. Smoky flavors carry the finish. It's a rich style that may be too powerful for some. Drink now, 93 (NB: Wine Spectator Top 100, 1988); www.champagne-bollinger.com ]
Full straw with a wash of old-gold / tan, below midway in depth of colour. Again there is a high pinot noir / slightly oaky almost suggestions of a red wine bouquet, plus clear autolysis at the Vogel's Multigrain depth of intensity. Even on bouquet one suspects a hint of 'bite' will follow on palate, again like walnuts. A hard wine to interpret, on bouquet also even a suggestion of maderisation, but then on palate a red burgundy richness and mealy / nutty palate length, all slightly tannic. The anti-Bollinger tasters mocked it, but others approved to varying degrees. Certainly a burly wine. Dosage tasted to spec. GK 05/16

2004 Domaine Bonneau du Martray Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru 17 ½ (

)

Aloxe-Corton, Cote de Beaune, Burgundy, France: 13%; $ – [ cork; biodynamic vineyards, average vine age c.40 years; full MLF, c.12 months in barrel, 33% new, with batonnage; Domaine Bonneau du Martray is the single largest holding in Corton-Charlemagne at 9.5 hectares; the website is simply a statement the establishment exists, and cannot receive visitors – no info; www.bonneaudumartray.com ]
Lemonstraw, the second deepest of the wines, still good by New Zealand standards for a 2004. This is the only one of the Bonneaus to look a little old-fashioned (1980s) in style, total sulphur being higher through bouquet and on palate, total fruit being less (and less than the Keltern), and acid higher. There is also a high-solids note. So much for the dissection: as a white burgundy it is still rich, flavoursome and pretty satisfying as a chardonnay in a food context. With the slightly elevated sulphur and acid it will cellar surprisingly well another 2 – 4 years, but not improve much I suspect. GK 05/13

2008 [ Pernod-Ricard ] Boundary Vineyards Chardonnay Tuki Tuki Road 17 ½ (

)

Tuki Tuki Valley, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $21 [ screwcap; 6-year old vines, 80% clone 15, balance mendoza, machine-harvested; 100% BF in Hungarian oak 25% new, then 6 months LA and batonnage, 60% of the barrels through MLF; pH 3.4, RS 2.5 g/L; background @ www.boundaryvineyards.co.nz, leads to detail @; www.pernod-ricard-nz.com//tastingnotes.php? ]
Lemon, a wash of lemonstraw. Bouquet is more rounded on this wine, a little high-solids complexity which some like greatly, good fruit and appropriate oak. In mouth there is some mendoza waxiness / golden queen peach showing through, all long-flavoured and firm. This wine may develop more Meursault-like qualities in a year. With its not-quite-bone-dry finish, this wine and its price should appeal widely. It does lack some varietal precision, though. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 04/09

2009 Ch le Bourdieu 17 ½ (

)

Valeyrac, northern Medoc, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $26 [ cork; CS 50%, Me 50, cropped @ c.6.25 t/ha = 2.5 t/ac, machine harvest plus hand-sorting; 12 months in barrel; cru bourgeois, Haut-Medoc, c. 20,000 cases; www.lebourdieu.fr ]
Ruby, the third to lightest. Bouquet is clean, firm, suggestions of cassis and plums, some oak. Palate shows good even ripeness of berry, not a big wine, and some newish oak firming it. An easy wine to underestimate, for there is more finesse here than some show. The parity between this wine and Craggy Range's Te Kahu in style and price is astonishing. Cellar 3 – 12 years. GK 06/12

2005 Ch Branaire-Ducru 17 ½ (

)

St Julien Fourth Growth, Bordeaux, France: 12.5%; $106 [ cork; price en primeur landed; cepage typically CS 70%, Me 22, CF 4, PV 4; planted to 10,000 vines / ha, average age 37 years; typically 21 days cuvaison, 18 – 22 months in French oak 50% new; JR: 17.5; RP: 95; WS: 92; www.branaire.com ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, below midway in depth. In the company, this fragrant wine seemed much more reminiscent of Hawkes Bay or Waiheke Island, with just a hint of garden mint in floral components so subtle as to be fleeting. Berry includes cassis, with a suggestion of cedar. Palate is a little less, not the fruit / oak integration, and tending austere on a stalky streak, indicating imperfect uniformity of ripeness. A cool but still fragrant and attractive claret style, with reminders of some Ngatarawa Triangle and Te Mata Cabernet / Merlot recent wines. I am puzzled by Parker's enthusiasm for this wine, since the characters I find are normally ones he is down on. His notes read as if for a very different wine, whereas Robinson has captured the 2005 exactly. Cellar 5 – 25 years, in its style. GK 08/10

1989 Ch Brane-Cantenac 17 ½ (

)

Margaux Second Growth, Medoc, Bordeaux, France: 12.5%; $132 [ cork, 48mm; original price around $60; CS 70%, Me 15, CF 13, PV 2, cropped at c.5.5 t/ha = 2.2 t/ac; elevation 18 – 20 months, with then around 50% new oak; production of the grand vin varies round 11,500 x 9-litre cases; NM@RP, 2016: a really quite enthralling, beautifully defined bouquet with ample red berries, cold tea, sous-bois, tobacco and mint - perhaps more energy here than the next decade combined! The palate is medium-bodied with rounded tannin, a fine seam of acidity, grainy in texture but complex with thyme and wild fennel on the finish. This is probably at its peak now, but it has the substance to last another 15-20 years. This is the Brane-Cantenac to go for - a great wine, 94; weight bottle and closure: 540 g; www.brane-cantenac.com ]
Garnet, ruby and velvet, just above midway in depth, below midway in favour of garnet. This is the first of the Bordeaux to smell oaky as well as cedary, on cassisy and plummy fruit markedly browning. Palate has fair richness, but less balance than the top wines, the wine being long on oak rather more than berry. As always in New Zealand, people like oak: four first-places, four second-places. This wine too is further along its plateau of maturity: the oak will increase over the next 10 years or so, as the fruit fades. GK 11/19

2001 Grant Burge Shiraz Barossa Filsell 17 ½ (

)

Barossa Valley, South Australia: 14%; $31
Ruby and velvet. In the same blind tasting as the 02 Filsell, this shows a slightly more minty version of eucalyptus than the younger wine, but it is also more oaky. On palate there is the same profusion of boysenberry, but all a little 'browner' from the hotter year. Both oaky and euc'y flavours loom larger in this version of the wine, so it seems a little coarser. This is a familiar approach to big Barossa Shiraz, hearty and rich, but again lacking the subtlety to be refreshing to the palate. It will cellar for 5 – 10 years, drying all the while. GK 09/04

2004 Grant Burge Viognier Adelaide Hills 17 ½ (

)

Adelaide Hills, South Australia, Australia: 13.5%; $22 [ screwcap; hand-picked; some wild yeast, BF in new and one-year French oak, 10 months LA and batonnage; www.grantburgewines.com.au ]
Lemon, deeper than the Virgilius, a flush of straw. At this point in the sequence, the Australian wines become a little broader and more Australian, with that full-bodied anonymous quality so many Australian whites show, just starting to appear. This wine has rich fruit and more oak than the top wines, the fruit is more broadly apricots and peach / stonefruit, there is plenty of volume, but less definition. Palate is clearly oaky, but there is still no doubt it is viognier fruit, with the canned apricot middle palate the best part of the wine. At the price, this is a good flavoursome introduction to viognier, but don't cellar beyond a couple of years. VALUE GK 11/05

2005 Ch Cantemerle 17 ½ (

)

Macau (near Margaux) Fifth Growth, Bordeaux, France: 13%; $72 [ cork 49mm; CS 55%, Me 35, CF 6, PV 4; original cost en primeur c.$54; planting density c. 9,600 vines per hectare; malolactic in vat; elevation 12 – 16 months in 40 – 50% new oak; second wine Les Allees de Cantemerle. Parker notes this property was in decline till its sale in 1980; before then the wines were erratic. At best though, he considers it fragrant claret, now worthy of re-rating upwards; J. Robinson, 2006: Quite transparent and aromatic. Soft and gentle – not overdone. Rather supple and silky. A good medium term drink, 16; Jeff Leve, 2011: A delicate aroma of flowers, black raspberries, spice and earth, this medium bodied wine is pure elegance. Soft, refined and not for tasters that seek out ripe, powerful wines. My favorite vintage of Cantemerle since 1989. Not a wine that needs a lot of cellaring time. Give it another 2-3 years and drink it up before it hits 20, to enjoy its delicate charms, 90; R. Parker, 2008 & '06: [ CS 61%, Me 31, CF 8, cropped at c.5.7 t/ha (2.6 t/ac)] Cantemerle’s new proprietors believe in producing delicate, beautifully wrought, finesse-styled wines that require some introspection. The 2005 displays aromas of licorice, roasted herbs, sweet cherries, and flowers. The wine seems almost light in comparison to its peers, but it possesses an ethereal seriousness, purity, and overall harmony that are striking for its delicacy and finesse. To 2025, 90; www.cantemerle.com ]
Not a big wine in appearance, but one of the more youthful, well below midway in depth. Bouquet is a delight, having a fragrance and quality close to the Clos des Jacobins, but the style much more blackcurrant / cassis-led and cabernet sauvignon, not red fruits and cabernet franc / merlot. The purity is dramatic. Flavours are just starting to mellow, still very crisp and cassisy, a model smaller-scale Medoc, with exemplary subtlety of oak handling. It tastes even more cabernet sauvignon than the cepage suggests, and though not a big wine, it will cellar for many years, 10 – 20. A gorgeous wine with food. Top wine for one, in the group. GK 06/15

2001 Cape Mentelle Shiraz 17 ½ (

)

Margaret River, West Australia: 14.5%; $31 [ c. 20% whole-berry fermentation; most of wine c. 16 months in French and US oak, 30% new, some in vat; www.capementelle.com.au ]
Ruby and velvet. Initially opened, this one too is slightly reductive. Splashily decanted, it breathes to a big, fruit-rich bouquet with berry characters darker than many Australian shirazes, more blackberry than boysenberry. There is some cassis, dark plum, and lightest black pepper too, adding interest. Palate is a bit damped down by charry barrel flavours, but fruit richness is good in a slightly lush blackberry way, oak is restrained, and the texture is fine-grained. This should cellar well for 10 – 15 years, and build in complexity, though always needing decanting. GK 06/04

2020 Domaine de la Charbonniere Vacqueyras 17 ½ (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 15.5%; $48 [ cork, 49mm; Gr 60%, Sy 40, some from limestone SPMs, fermented in oak vats; elevation in oak vats and large barrels up to nine months, then enamel-lined concrete 4 months; not fined or filtered; production up to c.1,660 x 9-litre cases; no J.L-L review this year, but in general he notes ‘accomplished wines’, for this label the 2021 **** and the 2019 ***; likewise no current Parker reviews, but the 2017 rated 91 – 93, and the 2016 90 – 92; the new KB@WS, no date: (whose sensibilities are unknown to me) reports on our exact wine: Ripe and generous, this also has a brooding side, with black plum and cherry anchored by iron bolts and a pull of tar. Reveals notes of cumin and allspice that mingle with grilled mesquite smoke. With a hint of old-school charm, this is characterful and delicious. Grenache and Syrah. Drink now through 2030. 1,300 cases made, 450 cases imported, 92 ; since it is now $US40 there, our price appears fair; weight bottle and closure 593 g; www.domainedelacharbonniere.com ]
Pure ruby, a little deeper than Les Cassagnes, the third lightest. Bouquet is astonishing on this wine: ‘they’ say that at its best, Vacqueyras is characterised by its fragrance, and this wine demonstrates that thought extraordinarily well, nearly floral, right from opening the aroma pouring out of the glass. Meaningful words are so hard to find for bouquet, again more roses than anything, lots of red berries, hints of raspberries, not rich but complex and attractive. Flavour is remarkably fresh, all red fruits, best side of raspberry, strawberry and pomegranate, but in a winey way, then a faintly stalky tannin underpinning to the tail. Tasting the tannins more carefully, yes there might be some oak, but it is very subtle. This is one of the lightest wines in the set, its alcohol well hidden. With its lightness and fragrance (but not weakness), after a few years in cellar, this is a wine to show people who say all southern Rhone red is heavy and overbearing. No top places, but the freshness and fragrance appealed to one taster, one second-favourite. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 04/24

2016 Domaine de la Charbonniere Vacqueyras 17 ½ (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 15.5%; $47 [ cork, 50mm; Gr 60%, Sy 40, some from limestone SPMs, fermented in oak vats; elevation in oak vats and large barrels up to nine months, then enamel-lined concrete 4 months; not fined or filtered; production c.1,500 x 9-litre cases; weight bottle and cork 594 g; www.domainedelacharbonniere.com ]
Ruby and velvet, in the middle for depth. Bouquet is clean, ripe, fragrant with light garrigue and herbes complexity, nearly floral, on aromatic red fruits. Flavour is firm in youth, surprisingly so considering the elevation in oak, with darker fruit flavours suggesting syrah and mourvedre with the grenache. In five years this will be much softer and more complex, with a better (cooler, more fragrant) ripeness profile than its Perdrix cousin. Cellar 5 – 15 years. Available from Maison Vauron and their distribution channels (eg Regional Wines). GK 07/19

2003 Domaine de la Charité Cotes du Rhone-Villages Cayenne 17 ½ (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $27 [ cork; Regional Wines & Spirits, available 2006; Gr > Sy (possibly Mv); vintage obscurely on back label; elevage in fine-grain oak; Cayenne a family vineyard name ]
Good ruby, a flush of carmine and velvet. Bouquet on this wine is nearly as magical as Grand Veneur Chateauneuf, though it is less than half the price. It too illustrates a wine dominated by sweetly spicy grenache, with wonderfully complex cassis, bush honey and cedary thoughts from blending varieties, and trace brett adding to complexity and vinosity as well. Palate is softer than expected (but perhaps reflecting the vintage), good fruit with greater complexity of berry flavours than the monocepage Vielle Julienne, easy and accessible, drying tannins on the finish, all illustrating the food-friendly mouth-filling flavours of the southern Rhone to perfection. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 11/05

nv Champagne Charles Courbet Brut 17 ½ (

)

Epernay, Champagne, France: 12.5%; $29 [ cork; this is one of the more than 100 labels (including Lanson) which emerges from the house of Marne et Champagne; life is too short to track down info in a reasonable time, but the cepage might be along the lines of Black Label at PN 50%, Ch 35, PM 15; tirage unknown but more than most in this bracket, like the Maxim's one of the few to show appropriate bottle-age before sale; no website found; distributed by Glengarry Wines ]
Straw, a wash of pinot noir flush, not the finest bubble. Bouquet is good, clear autolysis, clear pinot noir dominance, hints of citrus and good support from the blending varieties, with a certain delicacy suggesting flowers, rather lovely. Palate shows beautifully handled phenolics, attractive champagne flavours, no pressings here, a good bubbly with food, not as rich as the Maxim's, but not much in it. Being in the ubiquitous Lanson Black Label family of wines certainly helps quality and value here, and gives one confidence for buying a case. From memory, it is sweeter than Black Label, though. Cellar 3 – 8 years. VALUE GK 12/12

2016 Domaine Charvin Cotes-du-Rhone Non Filtré 17 ½ (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $28 [ cork, 46mm; Gr 81%, Sy 7.5, Mv 7.5, Ca 4; whole-bunches lightly crushed, cuvaison to 20 days, up to 18 months all in concrete vats, c. 4,150 x 9-litre cases; fining, no filtering; R. Hemming MW @ Robinson, 2017: Baked red fruit, simple spices, light body and astringent tannic finish. Raw and simple to finish. 2018 - 2024, 15.5; J.L-L, 2017: Dusty trails, herbes de Provence mix on the nose, spice and cooked plums – it’s a Grenache-inspired bouquet; raspberry and mulberry feature well also. The palate ... thorough and persistent, has more structure than most Côtes du Rhone reds ... Loganberry, dark fruits lie at its heart. The aftertaste is fresh ... and I love its genuine length. It’s properly good table wine, 2019-2029, ****(*); bottle weight 559g; www.domaine-charvin.com ]
Fresh ruby, nearly some velvet and even carmine, just above midway in depth. Bouquet is simple in one sense, the lack of any oak in its elevation, but it smells richer and riper than the 2015 ‘grand vin’ from Charvin. It is grenache-led, but the darker syrah and mourvedre components are clearly contributing to a young, fragrant, rich southern Rhone winestyle. Flavour shows good fruit richness, not a big wine but pinpoint ripeness as an aromatic example of Cotes-du-Rhone. It differs from the other ‘benchmark’ Cotes-du-Rhone, Guigal, in being all grape-led, no elevation in older oak to complex and soften the wine, so you need to cellar it to achieve the magic and harmony now latent in this wine. In five years it will be transformed, and in 15 will be mature and delicious. A totally pure wine, to cellar 5 – 20 years. No first places, reasonably, it being a bit simple in the company, but two second places, presumably on the fruit ripeness and length. An exciting forward peep at the 2016s to come. If ever there were a Cotes-du-Rhone to buy by the case, this is it. GK 08/18

2002 Domaine J L Chave Hermitage 17 ½ (

)

Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $268 [ cork 50mm; Sy 100%; 18 months in small oak, 10 – 20% new (in the era covered), balance 1 – 5 years; J.L-L: clean, primary fruit … some late white pepper, ***+; website not functional yet, good information at the Europvin website; www.domainejlchave.fr ]
Ruby and some velvet, the second-deepest (of the syrahs), redder than most. This wine breathed up wonderfully, showing classical cassisy berry like the 2001 but softer, with white pepper as well as black. Palate adds in subtlest new oak, and a wonderfully pleasing nearly-juicy harmony. Perhaps the wine lacks the tannin structure of the top years, but it is a beautiful syrah right now, with time in hand too. It shows what can be achieved in a lesser (or even difficult) year, with rigorous selection. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 02/16

1995 Ch de Beaucastel Hommage à Jacques Perrin 17 ½ (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $789 [ cork, 53mm, ullage 13mm; original price c.$315; cepage then varied a little each year around Mv 60 – 70%, Sy 10 – 20, Gr 10, Co 5 – 10, exact composition 1995 not known, Parker in 1997 noting the Mv was lower this year, and Sy and Co increased; raised in demi-muids, not foudre, for up to 18 months; like the grand vin, fined but not filtered; a little more detail in the introductory sections; Wine Spectator Vintage Chart (the oldest year they itemise for the Southern Rhone Valley): Many tough, tannic reds, but Châteauneufs are improving beautifully; 90; J.L-L (for the label generally): The Châteauneuf-du-Pape Hommage à Jacques Perrin red reflects the family's long standing love affair with the Mourvèdre - Jacques Perrin planted much of it in the late 1940s onwards. Its deep roots perform well on the clay soils of the Courrieux site near the village of Châteauneuf-du-Pape - it would be more tricky in the free draining soils around the Château; JH@JR, 2010: Herbal, scented and meaty. More fruit aroma than on the 2001. Delicate and scented on the mid palate. Very very fine tannins. Lovely harmony and definitely à point. Silky and long, 2003 – 2015, 18; JD@RP, 2015: ... the classic Beaucastel funk, with lots of olive tapenade, gamey meat, truffle and sweet currant and cherry fruit. Still structured and firm on the palate, it opens up nicely in the glass, has impressive concentration and a spine of both acidity and tannin that should keep it evolving nicely for another decade or so, 2015 – 2030, 96; noteworthy that from early on, the bouquet was distinctive, RP@RP, 1997: ... a more spice-driven, animal character, with the distinctive aged beef/Asian spice/smoked duck characteristics more exaggerated, 2009 – 2047, 96; weight bottle and closure: 665 g; www.beaucastel.com ]
Garnet and ruby, older and fractionally lighter than the 1995 standard wine, due to the elevage in relatively smaller oak, above midway in depth. This is a hard wine to evaluate. The high percentage of mourvedre gives the wine a distinctive dark berries / aromatic / tanniny smell, but it is complicated by some brett complexity as well. So the nett result is a big nearly-leathery but also spicy darkly-fruited wine, old school. On palate you end up feeling there is as much brett as the standard 1995, but the remarkable berry richness is covering it up surprisingly well, so it is much less apparent. The dark berry flavours are long and amazingly persistent in a positive way: this wine must have remarkable dry extract. Though there is relatively newer oak here, it serves largely to sweeten the nett impression, not dominating the flavour. One person rated Hommage their top wine, one their second-favourite, and three their least wine. Five thought it showed some brett, none thinking it excessive. Cellar 5 – 20 years, but again, every bottle will be different, and there is a risk some will deteriorate faster than others. Cellar temperature is critical, in this regard. GK 05/21

1979 Domaine Auguste Clape Cornas 17 ½ (

)

Cornas, Northern Rhone Valley, France: – %; $400 [ cork, 46mm; winemaking as above; Broadbent vintage rating for the year ****, concentrated; J.L-L, 2011: Mineral, flintstone, shapely red berry, red currant fruit air, has a mild honey backdrop; also airs of lavender, dust and dry soil. The palate runs along on a fine tune of red fruit, with a clear, salty cut towards the finish. ... The finish is firm and confident, has held very well, gives pockets of grace and style there. After 1 hour, it becomes aromatic, extremely fine and even delicate. My oh my, this is fine par excellence, has a supremely soft tread to it, is a Grand Vin, 2020-22, ***** [ Note, the 1978 from a famed year scores no higher, and the words indicate lesser.]; RP@R. Parker, 1997: A very good, as well as slow to evolve vintage for Clape, the 1979 has ... a smoky bouquet with scents of roasted herbs and meat, full body, layers of flavor, good acidity, and plenty of tannin. Anticipated maturity: now-2008. Last tasted 11/96, 87; no domaine website, easiest background info on the Europvin website, ref. above. ]
Ruby and garnet, fractionally deeper and younger in appearance than the 1983 or 1985. The better colour may (perhaps) be explained by the wine being bought in California, and thus not having crossed the equator (by ship) in pre-temperature-controlled container days. This wine is astonishingly fragrant and in remarkable condition for its age, still retaining near-floral notes and a hint of spice, on browning cassis. But it also somehow smells of tannin, with a whisper of brett. Palate fulfils the promise of the bouquet perfectly, the whole wine bigger and more tanniny than the 1983 or 1985, still almost vigorous in one sense, yet drying in another – the tannins contributing to that. It must have been a big and sturdy wine in its youth, and yes, maybe this is an example of the ‘rustic’ nature of Cornas tannins. In that sense, by way of contrast with virtually all the younger wines, it highlights how little deserved is the dismissal of a number of the younger vintages. No first or second places, but three least places. There was no shame in being least, in this flight of 12 wines. Will hold a few years yet, but note the corks were shorter back then. To judge from all 12 of these wines, selection for cork quality has always been particularly important chez Clape. GK 09/18

2012 Ch Clerc Milon 17 ½ (

)

Pauillac Fifth Growth, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $130 [ cork 50mm; CS 60%, Me 29; CF 9, PV 1, Ca 1; average age of vines c.50 years; c.3 weeks cuvaison, up to 18 months (depending on vintage) in French oak, 30% new; www.chateau-clerc-milon.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, below midway in depth. This wine from the Domaines Rothschild offering was a great one to have in the blind tasting, since it beautifully illustrates a wine of essentially the same age as our 2013s, but from a year rated much less favourably. Even so the fruit ripeness, balance and weight in the wine highlights exactly how lacking in concentration and ripeness so many New Zealand cabernet / merlots can be, even in good years such as 2013. There is a much closer match to wines at the level of Awatea, particularly in the beauty of bouquet, but for palate the Clerc Milon is both riper and richer. Both wines have that tail-end stalkyness signalling not quite perfect ripeness, though it is better-hidden in the Clerc-Milon. This will evolve into a refreshing example of the Bordeaux winestyle, sharing something with Pichon-Lalande in some years. Cellar 5 – 20 + years. GK 03/15

2009 Ch Clerc Milon 17 ½ (

)

Pauillac Fifth Growth, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $135 [ cork 50mm; CS 50%, Me 44; CF 4, PV 1, Ca 1; average age of vines c.50 years; c.3 weeks cuvaison, up to 18 months (depending on vintage) in French oak, 30% new; www.chateau-clerc-milon.com ]
Ruby and velvet, almost carmine, and midway for depth. Freshly opened this wine too is very oaky, belying the the colour. It opens up gradually to a richly cassisy and bottled black doris aroma, youthful still with plentiful oak. Flavours however are soft and rich, almost hot climate, the wine seemingly more alcoholic than the label states, the tannins obtrusive. It is richer than Awatea, but lacks the freshness and florality of both the top Te Matas. It is hard in such assessments to exactly allow for the age difference. The tannins and oak loading are verging on the clumsy, not something one would ever say about Te Mata reds, yet it is really ripe. In sum it seems more a hot-season wine, lacking the charm of the 2010s, yet it will give much pleasure. Cellar 10 – 30 years. GK 03/15

2002 Mommessin Clos de Tart Grand Cru Monopole 17 ½ (

)

Morey-St-Denis, Cote-de-Nuits, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $260 [ cork; original price; one of the great names, lately fetching much increased prices; Robinson 2009, 18: Healthy crimson. Lots of energy and savour on the nose. Extremely fleshy already with the tannins well hidden, only just perceptible. This wine expands in the mouth and has a lovely fluidity even if it lacks the sheer size of the 2005. Fine tannins on the finish; Tanzer 2005, 95: Bright red-ruby. Highly nuanced, expressive nose combines strawberry, raspberry, minerals, lavender, chocolate, underbrush and fennel. Superconcentrated, silky and sweet in the mouth but with superb definition and energy. The wine's sheer density of material completely buffers its 14+% alcohol. Finishes dry and classic, with explosive rising fruit and terrific thrust. The tannins are buried in fruit and soil tones. A great Burgundy; Rovani for Parker 2004, 94 – 96: A nose of dark fruits intermingled with roasting spices, bacon, licorice, tar, and red cherries, this powerful wine is rich, deeply concentrated, and intense. Loads of flesh, muscle, and broad layers of blackberries, red fruits, spices, and stones can be discerned in its personality. In addition, this exceptional effort reveals an admirably long finish studded with loads of ripe tannin enveloped in black fruits. It is a great Clos de Tart that should stand the test of time; no winery website found; www.clive-coates.com/tastings/domaine/clos-de-tart ]
Rich pinot noir ruby, nearly identical to the Felton, in the middle for weight. Bouquet is however very different from the mainstream Felton, showing clear sur-maturité qualities including raisin notes and cocoa, on rich cherry and slightly plummy fruit. Palate redeems the wine somewhat, the roundness and richness of the fruit being delightful, with carefully-judged oak to balance, but there is no hint of florality. The overseas appraisals are interesting. American commentators with their warmer-climate predilections rarely see floral complexity accurately, and tend not to miss it if absent. Palate is so much more important to them. Robinson does not enthuse about florality per se quite as much as I do, but nonetheless her appraisals tend to reward floral wine styles. If this bottle is representative of 2002 Clos de Tart, her comments this time seem generous. The quality of the tannins and oak in this wine is interesting, the nett palate impression and feel being closest to the Mt Difficulty, but the wine markedly richer. It gives the impression of being a 30+ g/L dry extract wine, much the richest in the set. It illustrates that in general, New Zealand cropping rates are still too high for ultimate quality and longevity in bottle. Richness aside, one wants so much more beauty on bouquet, however. Will cellar another 5 – 10 years, and probably improve. GK 10/12

2000 La Conseillante 17 ½ (

)

Pomerol, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $378 [ cork 50mm; Me 80%, CF 20, typically cropped @ 2.3 t/ac; up to 28 days cuvaison; 18 months in French oak 85% new; c.5400 cases; www.la-conseillante.com ]
[ This 2000 was a last-minute substitute for a profoundly-corked 2005 wine ] Interestingly, colour here of ruby and velvet was not among the more advanced ones, and was above midway in weight, relative to the 2005s. Initial bouquet is beautiful, again essence of merlot like the Gazin, nearly violets and dusky rose florals, black cherry and bottled black doris plums browning only slightly, elegant cedary oak. In mouth however despite attractive richness, Martin Pickering from Stonyridge Vineyard drew attention to the green stemmy tannins, something I had missed to that point, and he was right. This and the Gazin therefore became the key study wines in the tasting, for merlot character. Because of the richness and bouquet, I ended up feeling I'd still like to own the wine, to see how those tannins mature in 5 and 10 years. So the score is still fairly positive, though some tasters were quite hard on the wine. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 11/15

2009 Ch Cote de Baleau 17 ½ (

)

Saint Emilion, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $45 [ cork; Me 70%, CF 15, CS 15, average vine age c.35 years, hand-harvesting; 4 days cold-soak, up to 30 days cuvaison; MLF and up to 18 months in 50% new French oak; 3300 cases; proprietors website erratic, alternative info @ www.thewinecellarinsider.com; ww.lesgrandesmurailles.fr/cote_baleau.html ]
Ruby and velvet, right in the middle for depth of colour. Bouquet is mixed here, some toasty new oak for the modernists, and good plummy berry with an edge to it. In mouth that edge includes a suggestion of a fresh stalky quality, so this is another wine suggesting mixed ripeness in the must, which in a hot year adds complexity. There is good berry, the oak is very firm, and the flavours average out to not reflect a hot-year wine. Good robust cru bourgeois, a pity it is the dearest. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 06/12

2005 Domaine Courbis St Joseph les Royes 17 ½ (

)

St Joseph, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $65 [ cork; two thirds of les Royes is on limestone, a rarity in the Northern Rhone, at 200 – 270 m altitude. Balance is granite. Courbis says the limestone gives: "a more spiced wine, greater acidity, more assertive and tannic … the aromas more garrigue … the colour more dark cherry … whereas the granite is purple"; hand-harvested, all de-stemmed; cuvaison to 22 or so days; attention to aeration; c. 12 months in oak 33% new; Livingstone-Learmonth considers les Royes very consistent in quality, drinking well over 10 or more years; Parker 2/08: … a big, sweet nose of toast, grilled meats, blackberries, currants, and cherries, the 2005 St.-Joseph Les Royes is medium to full-bodied, moderately tannic … to 2017 89; Wine Spectator 3/08: US$42 Dark but very pure, with a super-racy palate of black currant and blackberry fruit, stitched together with cocoa, iron and briar notes. Long finish has a bright minerality and solid stuffing for the cellar. Best from 2009 – 2012. 1,330 cases made. 92; imported by Maison Vauron, Auckland ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, in the middle for colour. Bouquet has a light sweet floral complexity embracing carnations through to red roses, not as explicit as the Sabarotte but in its own style, lovely. Below is cassis, red and black plums, and oak. In mouth, the oak seems older than most of the New Zealand wines, which confuses the flavour a little. It is plumper than the Villa Private Bin, not quite as rich as the Vidal Hawkes Bay, and a little more acid than both (showing what great value the Vidal is !). Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 05/08

2005 Domaine de Courcel Pommard Fremiers 17 ½ (

)

Pommard Premier Cru, Burgundy, France: 13%; $132 [ cork; a good brief backgrounder to this domaine is available at: www.owloeb.com/Domaines/Courcel.html ]
Pinot noir ruby, in the middle for depth. Initially opened, this is quite dark on bouquet, not the floral lift, plum more than cherry for fruit, spicy oak. Flavours are rich but dry, more black cherry now, cinnamon-spiced oak, tannins to lose. This should be attractive, once the oak is a little more assimilated. Those liking oak rated the wine highly already. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 03/08

2001 Ch Coutet 17 ½ (

)

Barsac Premier Cru, Bordeaux,, France: 17.5%; $ – [ 50mm cork; Se 75%, SB 23, Mu 2; average age of vines 35 years, planted at 5,600 vines / ha; average yield c.1.8 t/ha = 0.75 t/ac; the wine is barrel-fermented, percentage new oak not clear, and aged in small oak for 16 – 18 months, production average round 3,500 cases per annum: In 2011 Robinson rated the 2001 17.5, but it doesn't sound the greatest bottle, so her thoughts on the infantile wine are: Robinson, 2002: Great richness on the nose and mid-weight on the palate. Lively ripe pears and apples flavours and good botrytis character, 18.5; Parker, 2004: A brilliant combination of power and finesse characterizes this light green/gold-colored Barsac. It possesses moderate sweetness, terrific aromatics, and a full-bodied, rich, beautifully delineated, ethereal palate revealing delicacy as well as acidity. Although young, it is already strutting its stuff. Consume it over the next 15-25 years, 93; www.chateaucoutet.com ]
Medium gold, below midway. Bouquet is distinctive on this wine, a lot of lemon marmalade, and a hint of an essential oil which one taster likened to fennel or caraway, all seeming fresh and appealing. In mouth it is equally delightful, but it seemed an entire size smaller against most of the wines in the field. Being a Barsac, and having plenty of sauvignon, Coutet is often on the lighter and prettier side, but on this occasion it seemed a little disadvantaged by petiteness. What is there is attractive, however. For the group, one of the two lesser wines. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 07/14

2010 Yves Cuilleron Condrieu La Petite Cote 17 ½ (

)

Condrieu, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $88 [ cork; hand-picked from sites above Chavanay, all BF on low-solids in older oak 2 – 5 years, 100% MLF plus LA, batonnage and 9 months in barrel, c.2000 cases; July offer $69 @ Glengarry; www.cuilleron.com ]
Full straw, much the deepest / oldest in the set, again not how it should be. Bouquet shows clear over-ripe apricots and over-ripe mandarin fruit notes on bouquet, smelling a fat flavoursome wine. Palate however does not sit as happily as the other wines, almost dried apricots flavours, a suggestion of stalks which doesn't make sense with the bouquet, a clumsier wine all through. There is still plenty of varietal character by New Zealand viognier standards, and even the least of these wines is going to be very good indeed with food. Hence the scores, notwithstanding not total praise in the texts. Fully mature already, I'd say. GK 06/13

2007 Yves Cuilleron St-Joseph l'Amarybelle 17 ½ (

)

St-Joseph, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $60 [ cork; Sy 100%, hand-harvested from vines > 20 years age, selected from 18 ha held in St-Joseph, some on granites; some whole-bunch, fermentation in open vats, cuvaison c.21 days; MLF and c.18 months in barrel, some new; 2007 not offered for review, it seems; www.cuilleron.com ]
Ruby and velvet, older than the 2007 New Zealand wines, but a similar weight. Bouquet is intensely fragrant, so much so one has to look at it twice. And in the carnations florality there is some leafyness, like so many Cote Roties, raising the need to check the palate. The berry quality is explicitly at the fragrant and aromatic cassis stage, with an almost pinot-like 'sweetness' to the fruit – until the white pepper on palate quickly dismisses that notion. Rather like the 2008 Bullnose, as the wine rests in mouth the acid and a touch of leafyness become more noticeable, and one wishes for more flesh and ripeness. A very pure and valid expression of sub-optimally ripe syrah, more light Cote Rotie in style than St Joseph. Cellar 3 – 12 years. GK 01/10

2005 La Dame de Montrose 17 ½ (

)

Saint-Estephe, Bordeaux, France: 13%; $79 [ cork 49mm; CS 54%, Me 46 (for this wine); original cost en primeur c.$53; owned by the Charmolue family for 110 years, this famous chateau is now being greatly revised and updated by its new owners, along with co-owned Ch Tronquoy Lalande (also Saint-Estephe). Winemaking is now under the supervision of J B Delmas, formerly of Ch Haut-Brion; vines average 40 years age, planted at 10,000 per hectare; little is easily accessible about the winemaking of the second wine, our La Dame de Montrose; sometimes there is a third wine, Le Saint Estephe de Montrose. Roughly half the crop goes to the first wine. More detail for the first wine, in the Pt II tasting Introduction; tasting notes for La Dame strictly: Farr Vintners, 2006: Many of the old vine Merlots that are normally used in the Grand Vin are in the Dame this year. A warm, ripe nose of summer pudding. Soft, plush and fleshy on the palate. A big mouthful for a second wine, 15.5 [ Farrs mark hard ... ]; J. Robinson, 2006: Exceptionally dark colour. Low-key nose but very deep and dark and concentrated. Full, sweet, round and ample. Very charming. Dry but not too tough. 13.2 per cent average alcohol with Merlot more than 14 per cent. A little bit dry and short on the finish. But hugely enjoyable even now! 17; R. Parker, 2007: 2005 La Dame de Montrose is a blend of 54% Cabernet Sauvignon and 46% Merlot. Possibly the finest second wine Montrose has yet produced, it is a full-bodied effort with supple tannins as well as surprising power, richness, and expansiveness. It will provide gorgeous drinking during its first 15 years of life. 89 – 91, later review 88; www.chateau-montrose.com ]
Rich ruby and velvet, the third to richest wine. Bouquet is big and burly, lacking light and floral notes, much riper and darker. Farr Vintners comment for this wine that much of the old-vine merlot is in La Dame this year, and as soon as you taste this big velvety tanniny mouthful of very ripe plummy fruit, it all makes good sense. This is by far the highest quality and most substantial La Dame I have tasted, but the winestyle is tiptoeing towards the massive merlot-led Aiguilhe in the tasting. La Dame is relieved by showing more cassisy aromatics and less new oak than the Aiguilhe. Remarkable: how second wines are improving as selection processes have become more rigorous in Bordeaux. Top wine for one, in the group. Cellar 10 – 30 years. GK 06/15

1996 Champagne Deutz Blanc de Blancs Brut 17 ½ (

)

Ay, Champagne, France: 12%; $312 [ Or 17.5 + ??? traditional compound champagne cork; Broadbent rating for vintage: ***** (tentatively, not tasted at point of publication); Wine Spectator rating for vintage: 96 [ second only to 1990 ], Drink or hold. Ripe and intense; firmly structured and potentially long-lived. Little winemaking detail available, all MLF, no oak, 9 – 10 g/L dosage; Wine Spectator, 2003: Shows yeast, honey and nut flavors, then the acidity sweeps in, leaving a firm, tactile sensation on the palate. Great density and superfine texture and class. A taut impression today; just needs time. Best from 2006 through 2020, 92; www.champagne-deutz.com ]
Straw with a hint of lemon, the second lightest colour. In the set, the bouquet seems light in both fruit and autolysis, but it is beautifully pure, with hints of baguette. This wine was out of sequence in my desired line-up, being a substitute for the TCA-affected 1966 Bollinger. Palate is more the weight of the Ayala 1982, though contrasting by being clearly a chardonnay-based wine, much softer, lower phenolics, showing baguette crumb as well as crust flavours. Dosage seemed to be 7 – 8 g/L, a little drier than the Lecheres. A lovely wine but not as 'serious' as most in the tasting. In the lesser half, for the group. GK 05/16

2006 Maison Joseph Drouhin Chambertin-Clos de Beze 17 ½ (

)

Gevrey-Chambertin Grand Cru, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $339
Representative classical pinot noir ruby, the lightest colour, but a good hue like the Rousseau. Bouquet is in the light, pretty, rosy and floral style which characterises so many Drouhin wines, red fruits more than black, subtlest oak, beautiful purity. Palate reveals great sensitivity in oaking for the lighter year, the pinot flesh attractively displayed and the oak gently, almost invisibly, shaping. Modernists might argue the wine is wimpish, but there is an attraction in the delicacy and deceptive length. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 08/12

2002 Ch des Erles Carignan / Syrah / Grenache Cuvee des Ardoises 17 ½ (

)

Fitou, France: 13.5%; $29
Medium ruby, a little older than some. A big, fragrant and slightly peppery bouquet, similar in style to the Marie-Josee. Palate is again sweetly grenache initially, but not quite as smoothly velvety, as the pepper of carignan builds up. Though more expensive than the Marie-Josee, I suspect it will not give the same ultimate pleasure. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 08/04

2016 Esk Valley Syrah 17 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $25 [ screwcap; Sy 100% hand-harvested @ c.24° Brix, all de-stemmed; wild yeast fermentations in concrete open-top vessels, extended cuvaison; c.14 months in French oak <30% new; RS nil; from time to time available for less, in supermarket wine sales; added as a bench-marking / reference wine; www.eskvalley.co.nz ]
Lighter ruby and carmine, and nearly velvet, below midway in depth. Bouquet is sweet, ripe, and clearly varietal syrah, slightly floral with dianthus suggestions, on darkly plummy fruits with hints of cassis and blackberry, some black pepper. These qualities typify fully ripe syrah. Oak is beautifully subtle, more European than New Zealand in touch. Palate illustrates perfectly a wine just a little bit bigger, darker and spicier than pinot noir, soft, fragrant, savoury, cassis and darkest omega plum, a hint of black pepper spice, refreshing fine-grained natural acid, subtle oak, medium weight, a beautiful food wine, not rich or heavy. The comparison with the 2016 Pierre Gaillard Cornas is fascinating on several scores, since this wine can be one fifth the price. Comparison with a Pyramid Valley pinot noir (like this Esk Valley, used to calibrate the tasting) was interesting too, the Esk again showing a similar price advantage. At best, syrah really is grown-up pinot noir, and similarly rewarding at table. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 07/19

2006 Domaine Frederic Esmonin Chambertin-Clos de Beze 17 ½ (

)

Gevrey-Chambertin Grand Cru, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $177
Good depth of pinot noir ruby, the only wine fresh in hue, above midway in depth. Bouquet is a little lacking in the floral component one hopes for in fine burgundy, but it displays good plummy more than cherry fruit dominant over slightly hessian oak. It is totally clean. Palate is reasonably rich and round, not overly tannic or over-oaked, pleasing and varietal in mouth with good length and acid balance, still primary. Just a little short on magic, both on bouquet and late palate. Cellar 5 – 12 years, to soften and perhaps open up. GK 08/12

2004 Ch l'Evangile 17 ½ (

)

Pomerol, Bordeaux, France: 13%; $272 [ cork; vineyard cepage Me 75%, CF 25, average age 40 – 45 years, planted @ 6 000 vines / ha, and cropped @ c. 2 t/ac; www.lafite.com ]
Ruby and velvet, one of the deeper. Bouquet is in the cynical modern style, all toasty oak and coffee / mocha, pandering to populist taste. What a travesty, against the classical Evangiles of yesteryear. On palate there is rich ripe fruit, high merlot and plummy to the extent one can taste the kind of berry under the prominent oak-related clutter and winemaker artefact, so it has to score relatively highly. But the wine totally lacks typicity in any classical sense – it could come from any appropriate temperate merlot climate. Disappointing. How Parker can describe the wine as stunning, showing blackberry, truffle and acacia flower etc, is beyond me. Likewise the World of Fine Wine describes this Evangile as 'the very image of really fine Pomerol'. I do not share their enthusiasm for this modern vote-catching distortion of the classical Bordeaux flavour spectrum. Those who do would probably rate this a gold medal wine. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 12/07

2016 Ch Fonbel 17 ½ (

)

Saint-Emilion, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $67 [ cork 51mm; cepage averages Me 70%, CS 20, PV 7, carmenere 3, on sands and gravels, cropped at 6.1 t/ha = 2.45 t/ac, some machine-harvesting, average vine age 20 years, very diverse planting density; MLF in vat; elevation in barrel for 10 months, 30% new; same owners as Ch Ausone; consultant Gilles Pauquet; production 8,300 x 9-litre cases; https://web.archive.org/web/20090329005724/http://www.chateau-ausone-saint-emilion.com/en/chateau_de_fonbel_data.php ]
Ruby and velvet, not as fresh as the top 2016s here, below midway in depth. Bouquet is very much merlot-dominant, very fine-grain, fragrant and nearly floral, plummy, beautifully pure, oak very understated indeed. Palate confirms the merlot dominance, a lovely fleshyness, the cabernet and petit verdot adding nearly imperceptible aromatic lift, the oak so subtle. This wine highlights how often New Zealand merlot is over-oaked, not allowing the sensuous charms of merlot to speak. This is an earlier-maturing 2016 by far, which will be great with food. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 07/20

2008 Domaine Fondreche Cotes du Ventoux Persia 17 ½ (

)

Cotes du Ventoux AOC, Southern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $33 [ cork; Sy 90%, Mv 10; extended cuvaisons up to 4 weeks, lees maturation 12 months in small oak; designed to be the top wine of the property; proprietor qualified in oenology; www.fondreche.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, one of the deeper wines, a superb colour. This wine shows a great volume of bouquet, in a clearly modern oak-influenced style, but also with a little brett to tie in with tradition. Bouquet is darkest bottled plums and dark high-cocoa chocolate, as well as oak aromatics. Palate brings up the floral beauty and fragrance of syrah, quite surprisingly so considering the initial bouquet impressions. There is good fruit weight, and despite the trace brett, this should cellar very happily indeed for 5 – 15 years. So many high-syrah Cotes du Rhone wines are blackberry-plain, but this is more appealing. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 07/10

2001 Fox Creek Shiraz Reserve 17 ½ (

)

McLaren Vale, South Australia: 14.5%; $81 [ 8 days cuvaison; 40% BF in 80% new US oak, 20 French; 15 months in new and 1-year US barrels; www.foxcreekwines.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, half the weight of le Sol. This opens up as stock-standard Fox Creek, showing big fresh boysenberry, blueberry, and plummy shiraz fruit, in soft sweet aromatic oak. Palate is identical, boysenberry and blackest plum, sweetly fruited but dry, finishing on as yet unintegrated, fragrant, sweetly vanillin oak. The great merit of this wine is the lack of euc'y overtones. The drawback is it seems one-dimensional. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 06/04

nv Champagne Gardet Brut Tradition 17 ½ (

)

Chigny-Les-Roses, Champagne, France: 12%; $42 [ cork; PN 45%, PM 45, Ch 10; slow and pretentious website; www.champagne-gardet.com ]
Lemonstraw. Bouquet is attractively champenoise, with hints of sturmer battles bespeaking pinot noir, and pleasant autolysis. Palate has clear pinot noir hints of pale cherry, some tannin structure, good body, and then exemplary dosage around 8 g/L. It is a richer wine than Lindauer or Deutz Marlborough, but not quite as exciting a wine as I had hoped. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 07/14

2016 Domaine de la Garrigue Cotes-du-Rhone Cuvée Romaine 17 ½ (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $25 [ cork, 46mm; Gr 65%, Mv 25, Sy 10, hand-picked; whole-bunch fermentation, elevage in concrete 18+ months, not rated; JC @ RP: dried spices, cherries, full-bodied, lovely rich wine, often VG value, 90; available from Wine Seeker, Wellington; www.domaine-la-garrigue.fr ]
Dense ruby, carmine and velvet, a great colour, the second deepest. Bouquet is deeper and quieter on this wine, showing darker and riper fruits, dark boysenberry and plum, just a touch of prune / sur-maturité. There is only a faint garrigue lift, and no oak vanillin to add excitement to the bouquet. At this early stage it therefore smells a bit massive. Palate is better, rich berry, dark flavours, but not heavy or dull, with remarkable length ending on the darker berry and velvety tannins of mourvedre. This will cellar well, in its more straightforward big style. In one sense it is the ‘find’ of the tasting, showing heaps of grapes per bottle, yet being markedly more affordable than some of the others. It is an imported directly by WineSeeker, and is available only from them. Two first-places, three second. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 04/19

2003 Domaine Georges Michel Chardonnay Golden Mile 17 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $22 [ cork; no BF etc, 9 months in 1 and 2-year French oak; www.georgesmichel.co.nz ]
Pale lemon, lovely. This wine gives the impression of being a virtually un-oaked chardonnay, with bouquet built up by an aromatic fruity yeast, very clean. Palate is delightful, clearly chardonnay, long white stonefruit flavours, lightest oak, such attractive fruit it seems sweeter than its dry analysis, great with food and very easy drinking indeed. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 08/05

1979 Ch Grand-Puy-Lacoste 17 ½ (

)

Pauillac Fifth Growth, Bordeaux, France: – %; $125 [ cork, 54mm; original price c.$26.12; cepage then approx. CS 70%, Me 25, CF 5, planted at 10,000 vines / ha; 18 – 20 months in barrel, 45 – 55% new depending on the vintage; Coates, 1981: Good colour; oaky, quite accessible fruity nose. Medium body, not a lot of tannin. Round, pleasant, quite rich and oaky; elegant St Julien [ sic ! ] style. Still needs 5 or 6 years; Parker, 1991: … since 1978 Grand-Puy-Lacoste has been making excellent wines; Parker, 1988: Quite precocious, with a surprisingly mature bouquet of ripe berry fruit, cedar, spicy oak, and flowers, medium bodied, with soft flavours, a gentle round texture, and pleasant yet short finish … a lighter style than usual; to 1996, 83; Coates, 2002: Fine Pauillac nose. Lots of depth and quality. Ripe and classy. Fullish body. Good grip. Just a touch austere, but not lean. Good tannins. Good long, vigorous finish. Fine: 17.5; www.chateau-grand-puy-lacoste.com ]
Garnet and ruby, just above midway in depth. Subtlety is the key word here, a gentle impression of fading berry, plus pure cedary oak, attractive but elusive. Palate has a surprising degree of berry ripeness, no hint of stalks at all, a lovely harmony of fading berry and clean cedary oak, petite but attractive. A perfect example of how lovely even old light claret can be, and very appealing with subtle foods. It was however a little too understated for the group, no votes at all. The wine is fading, but beautifully. GK 08/19

1986 Ch Gressier Grand Poujeaux 17 ½ (

)

Moulis Cru Bourgeois, Bordeaux, France: 12.5%; $25 [ cork 50mm, ullage 25mm; CS 60%, Me 25, CF 10, PV 5, cropped at c. 6.5 t/ha = 2.6 t/ac; c.15 months in French oak, unknown % new then; not on RP website: R. Parker, 1991: … a reticent, but blossoming bouquet of minerals, licorice, and blackcurrants. On the palate, the wine displays the judicious use of new oak barrels, outstanding richness and length, and a long, powerful, tannic finish, 1997 – 2002, 89; weight bottle and closure: 555 g; www.chateaugressier.com ]
Ruby and garnet, still some velvet, clearly the deepest wine, immediately suggesting an appropriate cropping rate for quality wines. Bouquet is quite different from the New Zealand wines, being richer, more complex, more fruit-dominated, and totally integrated. There is not the clear berry and clear oak of the better New Zealand wines. The fruit side is darkly plummy browning now, and brown tobacco, not very aromatic, and relatively lacking in new oak on bouquet. Palate has a texture to it you can clearly feel in the mouth. It bespeaks a wine made in accord with classical cropping rates for quality international red wines, a characteristic shown here only by this French wine, the Chilean, Stonyridge and The Antipodean. Tasters were asked to try and focus on this key aspect of assessing wine quality, since we do not think about it enough in New Zealand. In flavour you would think this is a merlot-based wine, from the lack of berry aromatics. It is very much a sound cru bourgeois from a hotter year, lacking the excitement of flavour that a slightly cooler more aromatic year can bring. The wine is fully mature, but as a result of its fruit weight, will not fade away in any hurry. No votes for first place, but two for second favourite. Four tasters thought the wine Bordeaux. GK 06/21

2002 Gros Frere & Soeur Vosne-Romanee Premier Cru 17 ½ (

)

Vosne-Romanee Premier Cru, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $94
Good pinot ruby. A fragrant and aromatic bouquet with light florals including fleeting hints of violets and daphne, on cherry fruit. Palate is crisp red cherries, quite aromatic phenolics, more body and backbone than the straight Village wine, all taut and reserved at this stage. The mark is more for potential, and value. Cellar 10 – 15 years. GK 09/04

2002 Gros Frere & Soeur Vosne-Romanee 17 ½ (

)

Vosne-Romanee, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 13%; $74
Good pinot ruby. This is the purest and most floral expression of pinot noir varietal character in this batch of Gros wines, the characters extending from white flowers to daphne in depth. Palate shows succulent soft fruit and cherries, very lightly oaked, yet in its apparently lighter style there is beautiful acid and tannin balance, and length. If pinot noir is feminine, this is the wine to illustrate it. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 09/04

2002 Michel Gros Vosne-Romanee aux Brulees 17 ½ (

)

Vosne-Romanee Premier Cru, Burgundy, France: 13%; $127
Lightish ruby. A more old-fashioned burgundy bouquet, showing some florals, some cherry-like fruit, some farmyard complexities, and oak which is slightly charry, but mostly older (as if there were one new barrel amidst many much older). This wine is not as sweet and pure on bouquet as the Girardins. Palate however is attractive, with quite rich red and black cherries and some blackboy peach, the fruit sweet and concentrated, yet the finish very dry on the older oak, with a touch of chocolate. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 11/04

1989 Ch Gruaud-Larose 17 ½ (

)

St Julien Second Growth, Bordeaux, France: 12.5%; $ – [ cork; vineyard cepage then approx. CS 64%, Me 24, CF 9, PV 3, Ma trace, average age c.35 years, planted @ an average 9250 vines / ha, and typically cropped @ c.6 t/ha = 2.5 t/ac; www.gruaud-larose.com ]
Ruby and garnet, clearly older than the Stonyridge. Bouquet is mellow, ripe, round, gorgeous fragrant berry with cedary oak much less noticeable than the Larose, instead a cassis / dark plums / dark pipe tobacco / dark mushrooms enchanting autumnal smell. Palate is not as generous as the bouquet promised, the fruit having a shortness and slight sour edge totally unsuspected on bouquet, oak noticeable, acid firm for such a warm year. 1966 Gruaud-Larose is my mental benchmark for this chateau, and many later vintages haven't quite matched it. 1989 is a riper year, and on the face of it should have been more impressive. There is a bit of brett, for those picky about such things. Cellar 5 – 10 years, it is richer than the 1994 Larose. GK 08/11

2001 Guigal Cotes du Rhone 17 ½ (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $26 [ Sy 50%, Gr 30, Mv 15 and oddments @ just over 2 t/ac, 15 – 21 days cuvaison, one year old wood; production exceeds 225 000 cases; www.guigal.com ]
Ruby. This wine smells like the archetypal southern Rhone, not standing out in any particular. There are suggestions of florals which grade into herbes de Provence, a mix of berries centred on red plum and raspberry, and slightly leathery clean old oak. Palate is berry-rich, flavoursome, aromatic now, but potentially soft and slightly velvety. An ideal 'sighter' for any southern Rhone tasting. Keeps up its reputation as one of the most reliable and affordable good wines in the world, AND one of the best with food. Cellar 5 – 10 + years. GK 10/04

2013 Maison Guigal Cotes du Rhône 17 ½ (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $27 [ cork, 45mm; cepage this year Sy 50%, Gr 45, Mv 5, cropped at 4.55 t/ha = 1.84 t/ac; 18 months in large wood / foudre; production c.166,500 x 9-L cases; Robinson, 2014: Lots of smooth purple fruit and polish. Not as concentrated as the 2012. But very creditable. Lots of oomph, 16+; Joe Czerwinski @ Parker, 2017: ... the silkiness of structure imparted by Guigal's extended élevage ... medium in body, with cherry-berry fruit and hints of leather and garrigue. Acid and tannin punctuate the finish, 87; bottle weight 567 g; www.guigal.com ]
One of the deeper wines, the colour reflecting the highish percentage of syrah. Bouquet is a little different from the others in the set, a mellow quality suggesting a high percentage of the wine is raised in large old wood. This vaguely cedary / more roasted chestnut character is matched by red and darker plummy fruit, maybe a hint of pepper and certainly a little garrigue aromatics. Palate shows a good level of fruit, again the old oak complexity not quite cedary, but complexing the wine. This wine was placed first in the blind line-up, and introduced to the group with the words: any wine better than # 1 will be worth cellaring. At the price it is nowadays, commonly $20, it remains the benchmark Cotes du Rhône. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 04/18

2012 Maison Guigal Cotes du Rhone 17 ½ (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $19 [ cork 46mm; Sy 50%, Gr 45, Mv 5, cropped at 5.2 t/ha (2.1 t/ac), average vine age 35 years; extended cuvaisons, 18 months in large wood / foudre; production nearly 292,000 x 9-L cases; I can't help noticing from my cellar wines, that one is buying this wine more cheaply today, than 20 years ago: it is not all explained by the appreciation of the New Zealand dollar; weight bottle and closure: 562 g; www.guigal.com ]
Ruby and some velvet, fresher and deeper than the 2010 Guigal Chateauneuf-du-Pape, an attractive colour. Bouquet is wonderfully rich for the price point, contrasting with many Cotes du Rhone wines. It is slightly fumey, red fruits more plummy than anything, a hint of blackberry, a hint of older oak, totally winey in a youthful way. Palate is slightly more savoury than the bouquet, scarcely any hint of cloying ripe blackberry (implying over-ripe syrah), instead aromatic savoury plummy fruit, and only trace brett. Syrah as such is not recognisable, it being totally a GSM styling, but the wine is lighter, softer, less oaky and more food-friendly than most Australian interpretations of the concept. It will not cellar quite as long as the same label did back in the 1980s, when there was less warm-climate syrah, but this wine will give a lot of pleasure for the price. Cellar 5 – 18 years. GK 10/16

2009 Ch Haura 17 ½ (

)

Graves, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $30 [ cork; 2009 wine is CS 60, Me 40, all hand-picked; up to 25 days cuvaison, 12 months in French oak 33% new; formerly a sweet white wine vineyard (Cerons), but since Prof Denis Dubourdieu took over in 2002, much of the vineyard has been replanted to CS 53%, Me 47 @ 7100 vines / ha; moving to organic status; Graves rouge; www.denisdubourdieu.fr ]
Ruby, just below midway in depth. Bouquet is clean, fair berry more plum than cassis, a savoury herbes quality to it but otherwise ripe (on bouquet). In mouth the herbes quality is a little more noticeable, yet you couldn't say the wine was stalky. It just adds freshness and tough tannic complexity to a balanced berry / oak palate which is clearly bordeaux. Once one knows the ID (in the blind tasting), it seems classical elegant Graves, leaner than the best east-bank wines here, but the berry richness is still deceptively good. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 06/12

nv Hiss Deutscher Sekt Zero Dosage [ Pinot Meunier ] 17 ½ (

)

Baden, Germany: 12%; $ – [ champagne cork; a €10 wine = $16; full MLF; the base wine in 3,000-litre fuder briefly; 4 years en tirage, hand-riddled; one website gives the RS as 2.8 g/L; www.weingut-hiss.de ]
Light lemon straw. Bouquet is the high point in this bubbly, showing both strawberry / meunier immediate appeal, and beautifully expressed brioche-level autolysis from the extended tirage. And then you taste it, and immediately think, if the German people can make bubbly with dosage as low as this, what on earth is wrong with the people who make Lindauer, persisting with their tacky 11 – 12 g/L. The label says zero dosage, but it doesn't taste like it. Whether this is a function of the soft meunier fruit character, or again, better dry extract than most New Zealand methode champenoise wines, I cannot say. It tastes more like 4 – 5 g/L. Somewhere in the later palate there is a slight phenolic awkwardness, but this is pretty lovely wine. Deutscher Sekt was never like this. A €10 = $NZ16 wine, so head-on competition for Lindauer Special Reserve and many more expensive New Zealand methode champenoise wines. Cellar 2 – 5 years only, being meunier. GK 11/15

2006 Domaine Louis Jadot Chambertin Clos de Beze 17 ½ (

)

Gevrey-Chambertin Grand Cru, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 13%; $326
Representative pinot noir ruby, slightly older than the Rousseau, among the lightest. Initial bouquet on this wine is impressive, suggestions of florality, red grading to black fruits, beautifully clean. A little later, one realises the florality includes vanillin from the oak, and on palate, the wine is a little oaky and slightly drying on the oak, relative to the Rousseau. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 08/12

2002 Jadot Clos de Vougeot 17 ½ (

)

Vougeot Grand Cru, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $149 [ cork; www.louisjadot.com ]
Big pinot ruby, nearly a flush of velvet, clearly the darkest of the Jadots. This is a bigger wine altogether, riper, heavier, starting to lose the floral component so important to great pinot bouquet. Indeed, in its ratio of dark plums to black cherries, there are clear suggestions of sur-maturité. There is almost a savoury component too, suggesting some brett. In its richness of bouquet, there is nearly a reminder of subtle Chateauneuf du Pape. Palate is concentrated, dark, rich, but the tannins are drying, and more savoury. It is easy to rate this as one of the top wines, on its size and richness, but when one looks for subtlety, pinot finesse and florals, the total impression is a bit four-square. Pretty good drinking, though. Cellar 10 – 15 years. GK 04/05

2010 Domaine Jamet Cote Rotie 17 ½ (

)

Northern Rhone Valley, France: 12.5%; $125 [ Cork 50mm; various holdings more in the Cote Brune than Blonde; traditional winemaking still with considerable whole-bunch component depending on the grapes and the season; cuvaisons extend to 21 or 22 days; up to 22 months in mix of barrels and puncheons, max 20% new, balance to 10 years; wines neither fined nor filtered; some rank the Jamets as now making the definitive Cote Rotie, in the sense Maison Guigal makes Guigal wines first, and sense-of-place wines second; the 2010s highly regarded by Livingstone-Learmonth, 5 and maybe 6 stars, whereas the 2009 tending less finesse; Robinson, 2012: 18% new oak 2010. Bottled three weeks ago. Very dark crimson. Very perfumed. Masses of firm juice and lots of fine tannin underneath. Seems drier and more concentrated than the 2011. I’d be inclined to drink it afterwards. Very straight and directed. Glossy. Dry finish but I have great confidence in it. 2016-2026, 18.5; Raynolds in Tanzer, 2013: Opaque purple. Heady aromas of red and dark berry preserves, potpourri, incense and Asian spices, with a bright mineral accent. Stains the palate with intense black raspberry, blueberry and candied violet flavors and becomes sweeter with air. Rich but lively, with superb finishing clarity, fully integrated tannins and lingering spice and floral notes. This wine's blend of power and finesse is remarkable; it was still in barrel when I tasted it in early November, 2012, 95-96; no website found. ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, fresh, in the middle for depth. What a bouquet ! The overt carnation / dianthus florality (Prof Saintsbury's gillyflowers) on this wine shouts Cote Rotie, but also given the volume of bouquet, you immediately have a doubt, with that piquancy of bouquet, is the wine going to be stalky. In short, yes – reflecting the perils of the whole-bunch fermentation approach. Yet the fruit weight is good, and the wine is supple in mouth. But throughout, there is a leafy-stalky thought. This wine divided the room, four winemaker-tasters rating it their top wine, and five their least. It is a wine style I am pleased to own, because it shows one pole of the positive syrah ripening curve. The Chave in this tasting reflects the other, fully ripe to fractionally over-ripe pole. Each can be criticised from an idealised viewpoint, but both have their appeal. Together in a tasting, the demonstration is exemplary (even definitive !), particularly when you have the 2010 La Chapelle showing the ideal compromise. A wine of this richness will still cellar well, retaining its fragrance. Some of the 1984 Rhones are currently particularly enjoyable for their bouquet (as well as palate), though that was a cool tending-stalky year. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 11/14

2019 Domaine de La Janasse Chateauneuf-du-Pape 17 ½ (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 15.5%; $80 [ cork, 54mm; the Sabon family established Domaine Janasse in 1973. Both daughter Isabelle and son Cristophe are oenology graduates. Antonio Galloni’s website Vinous rates the wines thus: Combining power, intensity, and sensuality, the wines of La Janasse rank among the very best of Chateauneuf-du-Pape. J.L-L simply says: A top class estate. There traditionally have been three Chateauneuf cuvées, this is the standard wine (formerly Tradition), varying around Gr 65 – 80%%, Sy 10 – 20%, Mv 10 – 13, Ci 0 – 5, the fruit 80% de-stemmed, then cuvaison up to 28 days. Elevation typically 80% in vat or old foudre, 20% in barrels, one third of the barrels new for the syrah and mourvedre, for 12 months, then assembly 6 months in vat; fined, not filtered; production up to 1,830 x 9-litre cases; J.L-L, 2021: (barrel sample) Attractive dark red robe; the bouquet is well together, centres on blackberry with a note of dusty trails in behind, a slightly seared or grilled side to it. This is tasty! Off we go with a foot on the pedal display of black berry fruits, a fluid succulence and appealing, gourmand tannin included, bringing a savoury, almost naughty pleasure moment on the finish, a licorice cut there. It’s an opulent Chateauneuf that will drink openly for most of its life. 15.5°. From mid-2022. 2040-42, ****; JC@RP, 2018: Black cherries and garrigue appear on the nose of the 2019 Chateauneuf du Pape, a blend of about 60% to 70% Grenache, plus lesser amounts of Mourvèdre and Syrah. Full-bodied, richly concentrated and tannic, with a long, mouthwatering finish, it's one entry-level CdP that should be cellared a year or two prior to consumption, 2023 – 2035, 93; weight bottle and closure 615 g; www.lajanasse.com ]
Good ruby and velvet, remnant carmine, in the middle for depth. Immediately on smelling, when freshly opened, both this wine and the Senechaux, which should have been star-liners in the display, simply did not show their traditional excitement and complexity. After tasting, I felt that both wines might have been impaired in transit, heat stress presumably, somewhere since leaving the winery. Both come to the same importer, Maison-Vauron, so it would be enlightening to know if they travelled in the same container. But more likely it is the unknown transport from the winery to the port of shipping. Anyway, with the caveat that neither of these bottles are top representatives of the domaines as I know them, the description follows: a rich dark wine, but lacking fruit freshness ... instead on bouquet suggestions of sur-maturité / hints of raisins, prunes. Palate is rich, very dry, furry-tannins, quite a lot of oak and tannin showing, but with the fruit to wrap it up. These prematurely-aged qualities will attenuate in cellar, and after 15 years, once the tannins start to polymerise, the resulting wine will be more supple and harmonious. Just not as exciting as is usual for Janasse. With air the Janasse improved much more than the Senechaux. Cellar 15 – 30 years. Tasters were less fussed with the apparent over-ripeness and early development on bouquet than I was, for this wine, no top places but five second-favourites, the richness being marked up. I am sure bottles of known provenance would rate higher. Cellar 15 – 35 years. GK 04/24

2003 Domaine de la Janasse Vin de Pays de la Principauté d’Orange Terre de Bussiere 17 ½ (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $25 [ cork; Caro’s; from the Vaucluse district, in Cotes-du-Rhone but not entitled to the appellation, non-authorised varieties. Assuming this is much the same composition as the much riper 2003, Parker 156 described that as: “ a blend of 60% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Syrah, and 10% Grenache that sees no new oak … an amazing vin de pays that competes with wines selling for 2 – 3 times the price. 89 – 91” No info on the 2004. The 2003 was super-ripe, at 15%. ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a beautiful rich colour. This is the surprise of the tasting, with a glorious bouquet epitomising all the aspects of merlot we read and talk about, notably the smell of violets, but all too often never encounter, due to oak treatment dominating. Behind the violets is glorious cassis and blackly plummy fruit. Palate shows a perfection of ripeness and tannin ripeness, soft round rich and full-flavoured berries, yet the wine retains varietal delicacy and charm and freshness. Bouquet and flavour seems little affected by oak, but it is hard to imagine such complexity without some. If merlot of this quality and complexity can be grown at the latitude of Orange (or Languedoc), admittedly not in a hot year, we need to be apprehensive in Hawkes Bay ! Cellar life uncertain, but let's say 3 – 8 years. GK 11/05

2014 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave L'Hermitage 17 ½ (

)

Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $371 [ cork, 50mm; Sy 100%; Wine Spectator vintage rating for the year: An inconsistent year, with rain in June and July leading to disease pressure. Fine weather in August and September yielded excellent results for some growers, while others had more difficulty; reds more heterogenous than whites, 89; 9.3 ha of Sy at Hermitage, Bessards most, then L'Hermite and 5 other vineyards; all de-stemmed, most of fermentation in s/s; cuvaison can be to 4 weeks; traditionally up to 18 months in barrel, 5 – 15% new, the remainder to 5 years old, now sometimes to 26 months; assembled in steel, minimal fining, no filtration; production varies round 2,000 x 9-litre cases; John Livingstone-Learmonth, 2015: … clear-cut, a little tight. It will be best left until around ten years’ old, to permit a gain in flesh, content, and to allow fusion of content and acidity. It lacks the sunshine depth of Méal from the more sunny year ... “2014 is a year for the best terroirs; there are small wines and good wines this year – the usually not great wines aren’t good at all this year,” [advises] Jean-Louis Chave, 2037-40, ****(*); Jeb Dunnuck, 2016: ... has a serious floral character as well as the classic minerality imparted from the Bessards lieu-dit (which makes up the bulk of the cuvée), gorgeous depth of fruit, medium to full-bodied richness and fine, polished tannin. Like most 2014s, it will be approachable at an early age, but this beauty has class and will evolve gracefully, 94 – 96; there appears to be no effective website, in 2018 ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, the second deepest wine, partly on youth. At the tasting this wine looked awkward and youthful, in one sense, imperfect ripeness being commented on, but on the plus side a good volume of fresh red plummy fruit with some cassisy complexity. This was another wine which breathed up considerably, the following day showing buddleia and carnation florals, a touch of pepper hovering between white and black, and suggestions of cassis notes though still red fruits more than black. Total acid like La Collina is somewhat elevated, so both these wines do not show ideal ripeness, for syrah. There is also a touch of brett in this wine, more apparent than the 2010. This was another wine to not receive any votes in favour. Cellar 10 – 25 years. GK 11/18

2012 Domaine Jean-Marc Bouley Volnay Clos des Chenes Premier Cru * 17 ½ (

)

Volnay Premier Cru, Cote de Beaune, Burgundy, France: 13%; $ – [ cork; a $US100 = $NZ150 bottle; hand-picked from vines averaging 45 years age; cuvaison c.21 days; 20 months in barrel, c.50% new; www.jean-marc-bouley.com ]
Good pinot noir ruby, a little above midway. Bouquet is big, ripe and fragrant, and quite deep and dark for Volnay. Florals are in the darkest rose category, black cherry fruit, a hint of dark plums, subtle oak. Complexity is lifted with trace brett, nutmeggy phase. Flavour shows good palate richness and structure, black cherry fruit to perfection, though obscured a little by the oak, quite tannic at this young age. A darker Volnay even, than the Potel. This wine seemed very dry and drying, freshly opened, but gained fruit and succulence over 24 hours. There is quite a lot of oak, by usual Volnay standards. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 09/15

2004 Kaituna Valley Sauvignon Blanc Reserve 17 ½ (

)

Awatere Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14.5%; $22
Lemongreen. Clean very ripe sauvignon blanc ripened OTT, to give an aromatic red-peppers alone smell, almost sautéed. Some Marlborough attempts at sweet sauvignons have smelt like this, and it is an acquired taste. Palate follows accordingly, strongly flavoured, trace residual to lengthen it (but still 'dry'), quite spirity, but fine-grained. A bold style, getting hard to match with food due to the alcohol, but interesting. See notes on the standard Sauvignon. Would cellar, if desired. GK 11/04

2004 Kevern Walker Sauvignon Blanc 17 ½ (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.8%; $17
Lemongreen. Bouquet is mild but clearly varietal at the ripest red capsicum level, attractive and straightforward without the winemaking complexities of the highest-scoring wines. Fruit is equally ripe, with some nectarine undertones, and good concentration. The wine is surprisingly acid – as much as the White Rock, but it is better hidden by the fruit sweetness. The nectarine notes certainly suggest Hawkes Bay, but the total wine achievement is more Marlborough. This should be popular, and will cellar well, 5 – 8 years. GK 10/04

2003 Domaine Lafond Lirac Roc-Epine 17 ½ (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $25 [ cork; Maison Vauron; Gr 60%, Sy 30, Ca 10, some Ci; 4 – 5 months in old oak. Parker 156: "With a bigger structure, firmer tannin, and more concentrated black fruits, the 2003 Lirac Roc Epine is not as seductive and charming as the Cotes du Rhone, but there is more to it. Bigger and more tannic, it requires another year of bottle age, and should last for 4-5. 88" ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, one of the deeper ones. Initially opened this wine is a little disorganised, with berry and fruit the overwhelming impression, deepest omega plums stewed, and some suggestions of sur maturité. Palate is a velvety rich and densely plummy fruit, the spicy complexity including nutmeg, but all a bit massive. The whole wine is more clearly a very ripe year wine alongside the top wines, the acid a bit low, the style tending heavy. As with most of these Rhones, oaking is superb, totally complementary, augmenting the fruit instead of dominating it, as in so many Australian wines of this style. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 09/05

1986 Ch La Lagune 17 ½ (

)

Ludon near Margaux, Haut-Medoc Third Growth, Bordeaux, France: 12.5%; $128 [ Cork, 55 mm; CS 55%, Me 20, CF 20, PV 5; 18 – 22 months in barrel; production 25,000 cases; Peppercorn: (in general) an enviable reputation … great elegance, perfumed, usually rather marked by new oak at the start … soon absorbed to give a rich supple flavour; Parker, 1997: This wine has not evolved as well as I originally predicted. It displays a deep ruby color, and aromas of roasted herbs, sweet vanillin, earth, and black cherries. In the mouth, the wine is big boned, but I am not sure it has the requisite sweetness and ripeness of fruit to stand up to the boat-load of tannin … clean but tannic finish suggests another two decades of longevity. Will it reach a perfect marriage among all its component parts? To 2015: 88; bottle weight 567 g; www.chateau-lalagune.com ]
Ruby and garnet, one of the redder wines, just below midway in depth. Working down from the top-ranked wines, a big change in the quality of bouquet at this point. Bouquet here is soft, ripe and warm, almost thoughts of blackberry ice cream with the vanillin evident from new oak, the fruit clearly over-ripe in terms of cassis and cabernet, the dominant notes being blackberry and stewed plum. Balance in mouth is fleshy, no other word for it, not the sophistication of elevage of the wines rated more highly, but all in all a good mouthful of ripe fruit. I suspect Broadbent would have used his useful term 'foursquare' for this wine. On the group ranking assessment, one second place, but as to location, people were not sure, but maybe French on balance. Fully mature, but will cellar 5 – 15 years yet. GK 08/16

2010 Ch Lanessan 17 ½ (

)

Haut-Medoc, Bordeaux, France: 14%; $40 [ cork; CS 60, Me 36. PV 4, average vine age 30 years; 1 km S of Gruaud-Larose; 12 months in French oak 30% new; JR 4/11 15.5 A little sweet and stodgy but competent. Drying tannins on the end even though it starts almost sickly sweet. Reasonable persistence. 2015 – 23; RP 87: Dark ruby/plum colored, with evolved notes of cedar wood, earth and underbrush, this wine possesses the classic tobacco leaf and black currants of a mid-level Medoc. It is medium-bodied, has good ripeness and should age nicely for 15 or more years; Availability: 750s out, more stock June; www.lanessan.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, just above midway in weight. This is the most beautiful Lanessan I have smelt, the accuracy of the cassisy cabernet sauvignon just breathtaking. There is a hint of blackberry in the sun, but beautifully so, nothing crass like so many Coonawarra cabernets with their blackberry ice cream aromas. Palate shows the quality of the year, freshest fruit and some acid, not as rich as the Saint Paul but not as oaky either. This is a beautiful and totally modern example of a cabernet-dominant Medoc, contrasting perfectly with the east-bank styling of the Te Kahu. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 03/13

nv Champagne Lanson Black Label Brut 17 ½ (

)

Reims, Champagne, France: 12.5%; $45 [ cork; PN 50%, Ch 35, PM 15; disgorged March 2013; www.lanson.com ]
Good lemon, a hint of straw. The first impression of the pure fragrant bouquet is a higher percentage of pinot noir, just a hint of cherry aroma in light but pleasing autolysis. Palate confirms the pinot noir, hints of soft skin tannin adding structure, a more flavoursome wine than the Lanvin. It tastes drier than the Lanvin or the Lindauer / Deutz wines. Various sources on the Net say the dosage is 11 g/L, but it does not taste like it. Lanson traditionally has no MLF, which would result in both higher TA and lower pH, and thus a flavour which seems both drier and purer. But appearances and statistics can both be deceptive. It tastes like 8 g/L, as dry as the Gardet and higher TA. Good to know the quality is being maintained at the more affordable price. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 01/14

2005 Domaine Laroche Chablis les Fourchaumes Vieilles Vignes 17 ½ (

)

Chablis Premier Cru, Burgundy, France: 13%; $69 [ cork; obscure website, PR more than info; www.larochewines.com ]
Colour is straw, contrasting vividly with the top wines. Bouquet is clearly varietal, not so much floral as stone fruits, and a little less 'white' all through than the top wines. Thus, it tastes more like a chardonnay from Macon or similar, tending faintly quincy alongside the top wines. There is a faint suggestion of vanilla wine biscuits, perhaps oak related, perhaps imperfect cork, yet the acid is chablis. The whole wine is just a little more mature than is ideal, and hence tastes broader. A nice glass of crisp chardonnay, though. Cellar 2 – 5 years, if this bottle is representative. GK 03/08

2000 Ch Lascombes 17 ½ (

)

Margaux 2nd Growth, Bordeaux, France: – %; $ – [ CS 55 – 63%, Me 33 – 40, PV 3 – 5, CF; 18 months in 60% new French oak; Jancis Robinson rating 16; Robert Parker 90 – 91 ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, totally in class with the group of wines. Initially opened, it is easy to be put off by slight reductiveness, bottlestink, and brett, so the first impression is of an old-fashioned wine. With breathing / decanting however, deeply plummy fruit and charry oak appear, followed by a richly cassisy palate integrating the oak marvellously. Total balance of flavours is closest to the Craggy among the New Zealand wines, but the Craggy is cleaner, richer and fractionally softer – a marvellous stylistic comparison. The Lascombes will cellar 10 – 20 years, to develop cigarbox complexities. It will however always need to decanting to show its best. GK 05/04

2003 Ch Lascombes 17 ½ (

)

Margaux Second Growth, Bordeaux, France: 12.5%; $75 [ cork; CS 50%, Me 45, PV 5, average age 40 years, planted 8 – 10 000 vines / ha; hand-picked @ 36 hL/ha (1.9 t/ac) in 2003; hand-sorted before and after destemming; up to 40 days cuvaison; MLF and 4 months LA in barrel, up to 20 months total in 80% new oak; consultant M. Rolland Laboratory; Parker: ... a big, sweet nose of smoke, plum liqueur, creme de cassis, flowers, new saddle leather … a full-bodied palate … loads of black fruits, low acidity, savory ... 92; Robinson: ... vital and concentrated and vibrant … some top-quality oak …savoury, appetizing fruit with soft acidity, but then on the finish it seems the oak is overdone. 16; www.chateau-lascombes.com ]
Older ruby in velvet, above halfway in depth. Initially opened, the wine is dull, with heavy charry oak in an Australian style. With breathing and standing, the berry expands and the wine improves markedly, to give a quite rich but one-dimensional plummy palate, still with a lot of very toasty oak – burnt toast. Those who like this artefact in red wine will call it chocolatey. Ends up as good cabernet / merlot in a modern hot-climate oaky style, but not much Margaux typicity – or Bordeaux for that matter. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 07/06

2001 Ch Latrezotte 17 ½ (

)

Barsac, Sauternes AOC, Bordeaux, France: 14%; $40 [ cork; price / 750 ml; Se 80%, Mu 20; 33% new oak; same owner as Pape Clement. ]
Lemonstraw, a lovely classical sauternes colour, well below midway in depth. Bouquet is light, pure and understated, with botrytis showing on slightly lanolin semillon, some almond and high solids character, elegant. Palate is nectary, low oak, trace VA becoming apparent, very neat, a little short. Clean attractive wine, for the mid-term 5 – 15 years. GK 04/06

2001 Leeuwin Estate Shiraz Art Series 17 ½ (

)

Margaret River, West Australia: 14%; $38 [ French oak; www.leeuwinestate.com.au ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. In a blind tasting of French, Australian and New Zealand syrahs, this wine presents an interesting balance between the rich boysenberries and aromatic spicy oak of so many South Australian wines, and the dry florals and cassis of France. Bouquet is blueberries, slightly raisined cassis and dark plums, with a hint of oak. On palate there is some black pepper and clear blackberry added to the mix, to give a dry aromatic nutmeggy body of good fruit length, not dominated by oak. All a bit distinctive and different, though had there been more Hawkes Bay syrahs in the batch, it would have had closer company. It should cellar for 5 – 15 years. GK 06/04

2007 Domaine Les Aphillanthes Cairanne Ancestrale 17 ½ (

)

Cotes du Rhone-Villages Cairanne AOC, Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $36 [ cork; Gr 90%, Mv 10, from 100-year vines; 35 days cuvaison (more classical than contemporary); 50% aged in old oak for 12 months; no website ]
Ruby. The two Aphillanthes wines (shown in Wellington) form an intriguing pair, this one being distinctly traditional. Bouquet is a little different in the blind tasting, having a clear almond note in red plums, a suggestion of raspberry, and light cinnamon – so it would almost have to be high-grenache. Palate is richer than the bouquet suggests, and the quality of the berry is delightful, the mourvedre adding darker plum notes to the rich red fruit of the grenache. Fruit richness is so good the finish seems nearly sweet. The traditional style extends to old oak only, maybe a touch of brett, all very attractive. It will cellar much better than one supposes, 5 – 20 years, conventional wisdom notwithstanding. Great the wines from this appealingly-named domaine, about which one has read so often, have now reached New Zealand. GK 07/10

2000 Ch Loudenne 17 ½ (

)

Saint-Yzans, Medoc, Bordeaux, France: 13%; $33.50 [ cork; Me 55%, CS 40, CF 4, PV 1; planting density 6500 vines / ha; mechanical harvest + hand-sorting table; 3 weeks cuvaison in s/s or epoxy-lined cement; MLF in barrel, and 16 months barrel-ageing with 25 – 30% new oak; Michel Rolland consultant since 2000 vintage; the wine has traditionally been light and inconsequential, so it will be fun to see if the modern-style Rolland has changed things; www.lafragette.com/chateau-loudenne/medoc.asp ]
Ruby and velvet, one of the deeper. One sniff and this is a totally different wine from the pinched little Medoc it was in the 60s and 70s. Bouquet is now first and foremost chocolatey / charry oak in the modern artefact style, below which is attractive cherry and plum fruit. This mix of smells is a bit like Black Forest gateau – a far cry from classical claret, but also pretty attractive. Palate is rich, but the flavour is more austere than the bouquet promises, very much cabernet-dominant at this stage, quite tannic. Needs time to lose tannin, and soften. Good wine in a totally modern / international presentation. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 04/06

2003 J F Lurton Viognier les Salices 17 ½ (

)

Vin de Pays d'Oc, France: 13%; $21 [ www.jflurton.com ]
Lemon. Better with a splashy decant, to reveal clearcut varietal viognier, with attractive freshness, mock orange-blossom and canned apricot varietal characters on bouquet. First impression is this is better than the varietal but sometimes heavy and spirity Yalumba Eden Valley – which is saying something, for d'Oc wine. Palate is 100% varietal too, apricots to the fore, lots of flavour without the weight of the Yalumba wines, no oak (or not detectable), and a 'sucking on apricot stones' dry finish. In this slightly austere finish is a hint of savoury herbes, and if one drinks a lot of it, a faint cardboard note detracting. Even so, that is being very picky: this is the best Languedoc viognier I have seen, and a good illustration of the variety at an affordable price. In its freshness and lightness it is very close to the best examples we have so far seen from New Zealand. In general, viognier is not a wine to cellar for more than a year or so. GK 07/04

2000 Ch Malartic-Lagraviere 17 ½ (

)

Pessac – Leognan / Graves, Bordeaux, France: 13%; $115 [ Cork 49 mm, ullage 17 mm; landed cost $81; this chateau has become noted for both its red and its white Graves, since the change of ownership to the Bonnie family in 1997; Michel Rolland consults; cepage for the reds CS 45%, Me 45, CF 8, PV 2, average vine age 35 years, all replanting at 10,000 vines per hectare, cropping rate averages 42.5 hl / ha = 5.5 t/ha = 2.2 t/ac; cuvaison in temperature-controlled s/s vats up to 35 days, mostly wild-yeast fermentations; some oak cuves latterly; some reverse osmosis when needed; elevation up to 17 months in barrel, 80% new oak, the wines fined and filtered; Brook 2007 describes the reds as: an intensity of blackcurrant fruit, a discrete minerality, and a long, graceful finish. Very Graves, in short; N. Martin, 2019: … a ripe blackberry, raspberry coulis and gravel-scented bouquet that opens with a sense of confidence in the glass with fine delineation. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, a little meaty in style with a savory, truffle-tinged finish that just needs more depth. But this has flair and should offer another decade of drinking pleasure, 91; RP @ WA, 2003: A model of elegance, symmetry, and balanced power, the dense ruby/purple-colored 2000 displays sweet aromas of plums, currants, tobacco, and smoke. The wine possesses abundant power, concentration, extract, glycerin, and length. This elegant, expansive, juicy, layered, medium-bodied effort should prove reasonably long-lived. Anticipated maturity: 2006-2020, 90; model website; production averages 5,000 x 9-litre cases of the grand vin; weight bottle and closure: 555 g; www.malartic-lagraviere.com ]
Ruby and some velvet, below midway in depth, scarcely distinguishable from Te Mata Coleraine. Bouquet is sweet and fragrant, showing clear florals in the red roses and lilac camp, and a lovely freshness, berry very much dominant over oak. Palate is a little less, just a trace leafy, the nett impression cassisy and bottled plums, the oak vanishingly subtle, but the whole wine lacking ripeness and concentration, just a bit lean, the dry extract no better than Coleraine. It is totally in style, but ‘petite’ in the company. No votes for any place. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 11/20

1970 Ch Margaux 17 ½ (

)

Margaux First Growth, Bordeaux, France: 11%; $ – [ alcohol nominal, from negociant supplementary label; CS 75%, Me 20, CF and PV 5; 85 ha, 17 500 cases red, 3 500 white. Again, an intriguing diversity of opinion. Broadbent (1980): Its best feature a fabulous bouquet, complex, fruity; medium dry, rich, chunky, perhaps lacking follow-through. ****, till 2000. And in 2002, a bottle in 2000: a big wine, but much more approachable than Latour; nose low-keyed but harmonious, sweet good fruit, slow to open up; medium sweetness and body, rich good fruit, grip and balance, its sustaining tannins and acidity under control. **** Drink or keep. Parker (1991): From a great vintage, this is the type of wine to foster consumer ill-will toward expensive Bordeaux. Austere, lacking fruit and richness. 76 ]
Ruby and garnet. This is a much more evolved but classical Bordeaux bouquet, with some of the leathery complexity of a (good) old Hunter. Below there is fading cassis, brown mushrooms, and cedary oak. Palate conveys the same ideas, but is shorter and more tannic than the top wines, the drying of the fruit allowing the acid to show a little more than the Mouton, the whole wine leaner. Redeemed by its aromatic bouquet, but needs drinking. GK 03/05

1986 Ch Margaux 17 ½ (

)

Margaux First Growth, Bordeaux, France: – %; $ – [ 52mm cork; Winesearcher: Avg Price NZ$839 (which makes no sense, relative to the 1960); this wine represents the revived fortunes of Ch Margaux under Mentzelopoulos control. The cepage is now closer to: CS 75%, Me 20, CF and trace PV; 10,000 vines / ha, average vine age 35 years, average yield 5.8 t/ha = 2.4 t/ac; cuvaison c.21 days, elevage in a warm big year like 1986 probably c.24 months in 100% new oak. Parker describes the changes thus: The style of the rejuvenated wine at Margaux is one of opulent richness, a deep multidimensional bouquet with a fragrance of ripe blackcurrants, spicy vanillin oakyness, and violets. The wine is now considerably fuller in color, richness, body and tannin than the wines made under the pre-1977 Ginestet regime; Peppercorn considers: at its best Ch Margaux is one of the most sumptuous and sensual of Medoc wines, with all the perfume and finesse of a fine Margaux [district wine ] as found in some of its neighbours, but allied to more body and remarkable character and individuality. Jancis Robinson in 2005, 18.5: Bright, youthful-looking crimson. The most notable thing about this wine is its dramatically opulent, almost spicy, nose. This is very fruity, fine, elegant wine that is so concentrated, almost brutal, it is very far from the Margaux stereotype. There is no shortage of subtlety, however. This is probably the second most successful left bank 1986; In 2003 Parker assessed the wine at 98 points: A magnificent example of Chateau Margaux and one of the most tannic, backward Margauxs of the last 50 years, the 1986 continues to evolve at a glacial pace. The color is still a dense ruby/purple with just a hint of lightening at the rim. With several hours of aeration, the aromatics become striking, with notes of smoke, toast, creme de cassis, mineral, and white flowers. Very full-bodied, with high but sweet tannin, great purity, and a very masculine, full-bodied style, this wine should prove nearly immortal in terms of its aging potential. It is beginning to budge from its infantile stage and approach adolescence. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2050; the chateau website reminds of Te Mata, a lot of words but a lack of absolute detail; www.chateau-margaux.com ]
Ruby and velvet, absolutely the deepest wine. Bouquet is huge … but not exactly beautiful, showing a dense rich plummyness as if the fruit were over-ripened, with little evidence of fragrant berry / cedary oak interaction, and no sign of cassis. It could be Australian, except the oak is subtle. In mouth fruit richness is impressive, with drying very fine-grain tannins, but a monolithic fruit / oak quality. Harry Waugh used to talk about "tannin to lose", so my score here includes an element of benefit of the doubt. Will cellar for many many years – with interest – but will there ever be beauty ? A week later (in a dedicated wine frig) it was noticeably more attractive, so perhaps ... yes. On this showing it reminds of both the 1979 Virgin Hills (Victoria), and 1976 Petrus. GK 11/13

1953 Ch Margaux 17 ½ (

)

Margaux First Growth, Bordeaux, France: – %; $ – [ 55mm cork; original price unknown, this bottle bought at auction in 1980s; Winesearcher: Avg Price NZ$2,330; merchant noticed in researching (1855): Price EUR per bottle (75 cl.) €2,266.49 Restrictions: Maximum of 1 bottle per client (!); Broadbent, 2003: A really beautiful vintage: the personification of claret at its most charming and elegant best; what a reminder of the inadequacies of earlier generations of winewriting it is, to try and research (in a limited time) anything about older vintages of a wine even as prominent as Ch Margaux. All the old wine books I first leant from are so full of rambling romance, and so devoid of facts, as to be downright depressing now. This is yet another area where Robert Parker revolutionised wine thinking, by producing reference books which in plain terms told you the percentage of grapes in the vineyard, and much more besides. Facts like these did not occur to the Penning-Rowsells and Lichines of the earlier wine world; cepage at the time thought to be around CS 50%, Me 35, CF 10, PV 5; elevage probably 26 – 30 months for a rich ripe year like 1953; Peppercorn, 1982 (paraphrased) characterises good Ch Margaux as exhibiting finesse, breed and sheer beauty of flavour – he thinks of it a being more feminine relative to Latour or Lafite as more masculine; he considers the 1947, 1953 and 1961 to be the best examples of the chateau, pre the 90s. Broadbent, 2003: (the 1953s in general) The finest still lovely despite being past their best. Some delightful, if faded old ladies. Drink soon before they slip away; Broadbent, 1980: on 1953 Ch Margaux specifically: … reached the peak of perfection in 1971 … magnificent bouquet; rich, waxy, elegant, soft and silky, excellent balance … long fragrant aftertaste; Parker, 1991: Unless they have magnums or larger formats, owners of the 1953 should be drinking this wine, for it seems near the brink of decline. But it is still a majestically perfumed, extremely soft, velvety wine …; Parker, 1993: The 1953 Margaux has been delicious for most of its life. This magnum, from the cold, damp cellars of Nicolas [ Paris ], exhibits an impressively dark ruby/purple color with only slight lightening at the edge. A huge nose of violets, sweet cassis fruit, and spices confirms that the 1990 may be the modern day clone of the 1953. Round and opulent, with a velvety texture and gobs of sweet, jammy fruit, this is a quintessential, seductive example of Chateau Margaux; Elsewhere he simply describes the wine as 'legendary'. Our bottle with its unknown history till the 1980s, and in a warmer climate, has no hope of tasting like that: let's hope it still shows some signs of past glory; the chateau website reminds of Te Mata, a lot of words but a lack of absolute detail; www.chateau-margaux.com ]
Amber and garnet, the lightest wine in the set. As the focal point of the tasting, this turned out to be the main disappointment. To say it fluctuated in its character post-opening is an understatement. Freshly decanted, it smelt almost sweet, a hint of bush honey and faded fruit, fragrant. Yet by the time of the formal blind tasting, necessarily some hours later after the battle of the corks, but decanted ultra-conservatively, just slid from one bottle to another, once only, it had faded to dry leaves and autumnal aromas, plus a clear oxidation-note on bouquet. Yet on tasting, at that point the palate was still rich, much richer than the beautiful 1960, so that made the wine difficult to assess. To my surprise, 24 hours later the oxidation notes had pretty-well evaporated, and there was a kind of tawny fruit, very autumnal, yes, but clearly browned cassis-derived fruit. Palate showed a lovely integration of tactile fruit and elegant cedary oak, definitely much richer than the 1960. What a transformation, but how would one know how long to breathe it, in presenting such a wine in a formal tasting. Yet I have to recall, one of the other really old wines I have presented, a 1916 Mouton-Rothschild, showed exactly the same behaviour, being much more substantial the following day. This old Margaux was the least-favoured wine on the night, so the above score does not reflect the group experience. How one would like to taste a bottle in the same condition as the 1960. To judge from its richness, and the 1953 Pomal, a good bottle would still be sublime. It stood for several days, without further significant decline. GK 11/13

2016 Le Marquis de Calon Segur 17 ½ (

)

Saint-Estephe second wine, Bordeaux, France: 14%; $86 [ cork 50mm; Neal Martin records that cepage in 2016 Me 55%, CS 45, planted at 8,000 vines / ha; planted on gravels over clay; cropped at 5.5 t/ha = 2.2 t/ac. This contrasts with the entire Calon-Segur vineyard planted to CS 56%, Me 35, CF 7, PV 2; average vine age 22 years; hand-picked, hand-sorted; cuvaison to 21 days in s/s; 17 months in barrel, 30% new; egg-white fined; website misleading for Le Marquis as includes some details from the grand vin; Consultant Eric Boissenot; production of Le Marquis c.11,500 cases vs 6,500 x 9-litre cases for the grand vin; www.calon-segur.fr/en/le-marquis-de-calon-segur ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, clearly the darkest and freshest wine in the set, vibrant and impressive. Bouquet is pure, but a bit big, burly and oaky, almost a New World styling, not the detail and subtlety of the top wines. It is almost as if there were a lot of malbec in the cepage (not so), with a dark quality reminiscent of elderberry, and a hint of white pepper. You need to taste it, to sort out the impressions on bouquet. Flavour is rich, deep, intensely darkly plummy, the cabernet providing some aromatic lift, the whole wine noticeably oaky in this company. I had not realised that Le Marquis is so different in its cepage to Calon Segur proper, Jean-Cristophe explaining that much of the fruit comes from a clay-dominant area of the vineyard better suited to merlot. This will cellar for many years, and may well gentle down to be rated more highly than today. As a second wine, Le Marquis is amazingly concentrated, but at present it lacks charm, as Bordeaux. Cellar 20 – 40 years. GK 07/20

2001 Tenuta dell'Ornellaia Masseto 17 ½ (

)

Tuscany IGT, Italy: 15%; $ – [ cork; c. US$350; Me 100%; fermented in oak, cuvaison 21 – 33 days; MLF and 24 months in French oak 100% new; Parker / Thomases 164: "The volume, richness, and sumptuousness are almost beyond description, as are the length and density of the flow and finish, but there is an underlying vein of purity and freshness which help maintain an impeccable balance. 98"; Spectator: "Wonderful aromas of blackberries, raspberries and fresh tobacco, with a hint of exotic fruit. Full-bodied, with loads of velvety tannins and a long, long finish. Very silky indeed. A gorgeous, seductive, classy red. Layers and layers of fruit and tannins. Perhaps the greatest Tuscan red ever. 100; www.ornellaia.it ]
Ruby and velvet, more garnet again, the oldest of this bracket. Initially opened, there is a rich, slightly browning and raisiny plum fruit quality with cedary oak, and noticeable VA. On palate however it does not taste volatile, so it is estery and fragrant rather than the acid. The fruit is markedly browner in style and flavour than the Pavie, and that wine starts to look pretty delicious alongside this much more obviously hot-climate one. This Masseto is a much richer, more chocolatey and oakier affair, with raisined flavours to the aftertaste – very much attuned to the Californian palate. In a finer way, it reminds of some of the cooked merlots of Australia, reflecting a climate too hot for varietal finesse in the variety. In this hot-climate style, it is well-balanced and will cellar for 5 – 15 years. The American tasting notes do illustrate the difficulty they as a people seem to have in rating finesse before size and patent over-ripeness – which makes all the more interesting Mark Blake's decision to set up his (aspiring to be) world-class winery for Bordeaux-blends in Hawkes Bay. Tasting notes do convey all one needs to know about the taster ! GK 04/07

2016 Gabriel Meffre Chateauneuf-du-Pape Saint-Theodoric 17 ½ (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 15%; $60 [ cork; Gabriel Meffre is a large French wine group, not to be confused with the small Chapelle St. Theodoric in Chateauneuf, an off-shoot by the proprietor of Domaine de Cristia; Gr, Sy, Mv and Ci; 50% whole-bunches, cuvaison to 28 days; elevation half in vat, half in barrel, some new; filtered; production of this label c.1,250 x 9-litre cases; https://gabriel-meffre.fr ]
Ruby, one of the lightest 10 wines in the 49 reds. Bouquet is light and fragrant, nearly floral, some garrigue, red fruits dominant, a hint of cinnamon as if grenache were dominant. Palate adds the complexity of pink pine aroma to fragrant red cherry fruit, some cinnamon too, attractive flavours but only medium concentration. This will be very food-friendly, and relatively early maturing. Cellar 5 – 12, maybe 15 years. A Glengarry wine. GK 07/19

2013 Weingut Meyer-Nakel Spatburgunder 17 ½ (

)

Ahr, Germany: 13.5%; $ – [ cork 46mm; given as a €48 wine = $NZ78; small oak used in addition to large; www.meyer-naekel.de ]
Good pinot noir ruby, above midway in the German wines, about the same depth of colour as the Martinborough Te Tera in the New Zealand wines. This is a much darker bouquet among the German wines, darkly floral, clearly black cherries, but just a hint of a dull edge too. Flavours immediately compete with good New Zealand pinot noir, clear cherry fruits in a similar weight and texture to the Roaring Meg example, though the flavours a little darker, gentle tannins, dry finish. The oak shows through slightly, making one think also of the Pencarrow wine, and on checking they do compare closely. If this Meyer is a 48-euro (NZ $78) wine, since it closely matches two of New Zealand's best 'second wine' pinots, this offers exciting scope for us in the EEC market. Jancis Robinson in 2010 offered the general comment: It would not be exaggerating to say that Meyer-Nakel makes some of the most outstanding Spatburgunder in Germany. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 11/15

2004 Domaine Georges Michel Rosé Summer Folly 17 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 12.5%; $13 [ cork; PN 100%; www.georgesmichel.co.nz ]
Light bright salmon rosé. Bouquet is fresh and fragrant rose petal and strawberry pinot, very clean and pinot varietal. Palate is similarly fresh, some skin tannins for backbone and to confirm it is made from red grapes, slightly acid, sweeter than some rosés but dry enough, enjoyable. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 08/05

1987 The Millton Vineyard Rhine Riesling Opou Vineyard Botrytis ‘Cinerea’ 17 ½ (

)

Gisborne, New Zealand: 11%; $ – [ cork; New Zealand’s pioneer biodynamic winemaker; www.millton.co.nz ]
Gold to old gold. Bouquet is deeply honeyed and botrytised, with slightly leafy riesling fragrance and complexity, plus remarkable freshness within the context of dark honeys. Flavours continue the promise of the bouquet, a supple entwining of botrytis, dried apricots and some riesling aromatics with medium-plus sweetness, and good acid balance. Bold wine, some tannins, coarser than the subtle Burklin-Wolf or even the Robard & Butler, but the sweet rich flavour, in a big auslese or even beerenauslese-style from a warm year, cannot be ignored. Fully mature now. GK 12/17

2005 Domaine Mongeard-Mugneret Echezeaux 17 ½ (

)

Vosne-Romanée Grand Cru, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $294 [ cork 52mm; c.16 months in barrel, up to 75% new oak; www.mongeard.com ]
Older ruby and garnet, the lightest wine of the 12. Bouquet is very much in the ethereal Chambolle-Musigny camp, showing heightened florality much lighter than the Goulots, more English tea roses and suggestions of buddleia and sweet peas in style. Palate is red fruits only, maybe a thought of stalks firming the wine up, good but not exemplary richness and length on palate. A clear illustration of the (Allen Meadows) concept 'pinosity'. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 04/15

2001 Cantina di Montalcino Sangiovese 17 ½ (

)

Tuscany IGT, Italy: 12%; $11 [ plastic 'cork'; Sa 100%; www.cantinadimontalcino.it ]
Ruby. A lovely fragrant and floral black cherries and small fruits bouquet, totally in the style better classical chianti fiaschi used to be. Palate is light, crisp, yet wonderfully winey with plenty of fruit. This is a perfect light chianti-styled dry red, with the emphasis on dry, unlike so many Australian reds in this price range. Great value. Cellar a couple of years (to tide over the lesser 2002). GK 11/04

2005 Domaine de Montille Pommard Les Pezerolles Premier Cru 17 ½ (

)

Cote de Beaune, Burgundy, France: 13%; $112 [ 49mm cork; organic since the mid-90s, biodynamic since 2005; high percentage of stems used in 2005; 20 – 30% new oak; little or no fining or filtering; the family believes 2005 is the best vintage since 1959; Robinson, 2007: Haunting, deep, autumnal flavours. Lovely round, pure flavours. Great stuff. De Montille on a roll! Gorgeous confidence, 18; Meadows, 2007: This is an extremely stylish wine that combines both elegance and purity with precise, supple and rich flavors underpinned by obvious minerality, all wrapped in penetrating and transparent finish. I very much like this and while it’s not overly dense, the purity and transparency are impressive, from 2013, 91-93; weight bottle and closure: 609 g; www.demontille.com ]
A classic pinot noir colour, rosy ruby, a suggestion of garnet nearly apparent, below midway in depth. One sniff and this is Beaune too, the softer less aromatic more strawberry / raspberry side of red cherry fruit, but browning now with a good volume of bouquet. Palate shows clear classed-growth quality of fruit and dry extract, contrasting vividly with some of the skinnier / shorter wines on the table, clear red roses, red cherry and gentle oak, all approaching full maturity. In some ways this wine is the best exemplar of pinot noir the variety in the set. Cellar up to 10 more years. Again this wine did not find favour with the group, one only ranking it top or second, and six thinking it might be New Zealand. GK 10/16

1999 Domaine de la Mordorée Chateauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée de la Reine des Bois 17 ½ (

)

Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $135 [ cork 48mm, ullage 14mm; original price c.$70; Gr 80%, Mv 10, Va 5, balance Sy, Ci, counoise, some of the grenache 90 years old, some 100+; viticulture now organic; this wine in the later ‘90s contrasted with traditional practice in Chateauneuf du Pape, being completely destemmed, then c.50% of the wine aged in new small oak for 9 months or more, the balance in s/s, with a total elevation then of 24 months; filtered to bottle; production varies, but c.1,250 x 9-litre cases; since the turn of the century the new oak has been reduced markedly; R. Parker, 2001: A candidate for wine of the vintage ... amazing concentration of fruit extract (blackberries and cherries) intermixed with graphite and creme de cassis. Spectacularly concentrated, full-bodied, extremely pure, well-delineated, and opulent, this superb wine is forward and accessible. To 2018, 94; J. Dunnuck @ R. Parker, 2014: Domaine de la Mordoree is a reference point estate for Chateauneuf du Pape ... plenty of character in its medium to full-bodied, rich and nicely concentrated personality. Giving up plenty of chocolaty dark fruits, spice-box and cured meat-like qualities ... to 2022, 92; www.domaine-mordoree.com ]
Garnet and ruby, some velvet, just above midway in depth. There were reminders of the 2007s in this wine, a hint of jam-tart rather than fresh jam, which I attribute to too much new oak. Below is good fruit browning now. Flavours in mouth are fresher than the bouquet, the oak making the wine seem not as rich as some, the finish dry. This 1999 wine does not quite achieve the length and balance I recall in the 1998. One second place. Fully mature, attractive, but the finish will dry sooner than some other wines, on the oak. GK 10/19

2003 Ch Moulin Haut-Laroque 17 ½ (

)

Fronsac, Bordeaux, France: 14.3%; $35 [ cork; Me 65%, CF 20, CS 10, Ma 5; 33% of vines more than 50 years old, hand-picked; grapes twice over sorting tables, MLF in barrel, up to 15 months in French oak 33% new; Parker: A tremendous effort ... scents of blueberries, blackberries, and flowers ... tremendously rich fruit ... broad, powerful flavors, surprising density ... sleeper of the vintage. 90; www.moulinhautlaroque.com ]
Ruby and velvet, some age apparent. Initial impressions are of a quite heavily oaked wine, in a hotter-climate tending Australian style. In mouth however, there are immediately green tannins and a hard streak, coupled with good cassisy and plummy fruit, not obviously merlot dominant. The wine is richer than Quinault, but also harder, and will need longer in cellar to blossom, 10 – 25 years. GK 08/06

2009 [ Mitre Rocks ] Mount Dottrel Pinot Noir 17 ½ (

)

Cromwell district, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $29 [ screwcap; up to 30 days cuvaison for some lots inc. cold-soak, 10 months in French oak c.30% new; www.mitrerocks.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is fragrant red more than black cherry, clearly varietal, attractive. Palate is a little less, slightly stalky / phenolic in youth, but with sufficient fruit to suggest harmony in a couple of years. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 09/10

1996 [ Seppelt ] Mount Ida Shiraz 17 ½ (

)

Heathcote, Victoria, Australia: 13.6%; $52 [ Cork, 45 mm; several gold medal badges; not in Langton's Australian wine classification; no vintage rating for Heathcote, Bendigo is a close proxy, Halliday rates the 1996 vintage there 9; vines planted in the 1970s on ancient early Palaeozoic soil parent materials; more recently raised in French oak c.40% new, but perhaps some American then; not much info; Halliday, 1998: Dense red-purple; the bouquet is full and rich, with abundant dark berry fruit, although the oak is a tad assertive. A big, concentrated, splashy oaky show style on the palate; while there is plenty of fruit, a little less oak might have made an even better wine, 87; bottle weight 500 g; www.seppelt.com.au ]
Ruby more than garnet, some velvet, the third deepest. Bouquet epitomises the lighter more fragrant phases of shiraz in Australia, where not over-ripened: nearly floral with carnation characters grading to mint, red rather than black fruits, some plummyness, not too oaky. Palate is a little more 'regular', slightly fleshy fruit with a hint of boysenberry, and a little more oak than the bouquet suggests. This is an attractive and not yet fully mature wine, which should be good with food. Cellar 5 – 12 years. As the first-placed wine in the tasting line-up, it was one of the softer ones, designed to illustrate 'concept shiraz / syrah' without being a shock to the virgin palate. It did this admirably. No first or second places, one least, nobody thought it French. GK 03/17

2003 Chateau de la Negly la Falaise 17 ½ (

)

La Clape, western Languedoc, France: 14.5%; $34 [ cork; Maison Vauron; limestone-rich soils; according to the Oxford Wine Co (UK), this is: “Soft, deep, spicy and complex wine. 50% Syrah, 40% Grenache and 10% Mourvedre, classic top-class Languedoc showing excellent complexity and rich fruit”. ]
Good ruby. Any fears these Rhone 2003s would be hot and Australian in style are again dispelled by this very different wine in the set, which clearly is a Chateauneuf-du-Pape blend. There is a tremendous floral component suggesting carnations and Cote Rotie, yet also a cinnamon fragrance as in fine grenache, and a beautiful beeswax aroma, making the whole bouquet wonderful. Palate is not as impressive as the bouquet, berry a little hard, stalky, spirity and short. Fair to say, not everybody liked this wine as much as I did. It will soften out in cellar, and become more interesting over 5 – 12 years. GK 10/05

2016 [ Ch La Nerthe ] Les Cassagnes La Nerthe Cotes du Rhone-Villages 17 ½ (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $26 [ cork, 46 mm, Gr 60%, Sy 30, Mv 10, average age 40 years, hand-picked, organic; cuvaison c.21 days; elevation mostly in s/s, 9 months, maybe some barriques; this wine comes from a wholly-owned estate Dom. de la Renjarde in Orange, also organic; available from Maison Vauron, Auckland, and retailers supplied by them; weight bottle and cork, 726 g; www.chateaulanerthe.fr ]
Good ruby, just below midway in depth. Bouquet is clean, fragrant, grenache more prominent in this one, lightly aromatic on garrigue notes, hints of dark plum below the red grenache fruits. Palate is attractively balanced, not as spirity as some, the older oak exquisitely balanced / subtle to the point of invisibility, yet it would be a much simpler wine without it. At the blind stage you feel this is ‘ideal’ quality Cotes du Rhone, not as serious as some, immensely drinkable, and will give much pleasure. Cellar 5 – 15, maybe 20 years. GK 05/19

2006 [ Pipers Brook ] Ninth Island Riesling 17 ½ (

)

Northern Tasmania, Australia: 13.6%; $22 [ screwcap; pH 3.3; not on winery or Red & White website; www.kreglingerwineestates.com ]
Bright lemon. Bouquet is evocative on this wine, with clear freesia and lemon blossom aromas and a delicacy reminding of warm-year Mosel. Palate is a little stronger in flavour than that though, some pale nectarine, some lime-zest, all just a bit extractive and not as fine as the bouquet initially promised. Acid balance against the ‘riesling-dry’ finish is fresh and attractive, but firm. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/09

2005 [ Villa Maria ] Northrow Sauvignon Blanc 17 ½ (

)

Wairau & Awatere Valleys, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14.5%; $22 [ screwcap; a Villa Maria brand label particularly associated with Villa Marlborough winemaker George Geris; no website info. ]
Good lemongreen. This Villa Group sauvignon is closer to the Private Bin, very ripe, and more the black passionfruit and stone fruits, without greenish capsicum. Both bouquet and palate are very pure, but let down a little by seeming spirity and acid, unknit. When the labels and details are revealed, that is indeed the case, 14.5% alcohol given. Still pretty good Marlborough sauvignon, though. Cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 11/05

2002 The Ojai Vineyard Syrah Melville Vineyard 17 ½ (

)

Santa Barbara, California, U.S.A: 14.5%; $ – [ cork; c. US$75; the website includes an intriguing and thoughtful essay from the proprietor Adam Tolmach, reflecting on 25 years of winemaking. He makes some simple observations which bear repeating, simply because they are not yet mainstream thinking in the new world: "… 25 years of experience tells me there is an inverse relationship between quantity and quality". And: "The fashion of the moment is monster wines, and anything that is subtle and fine seems to get lost in the shuffle. Wine makers make excuses for the fact that they are picking riper and riper grapes. They give all sorts of reasons for doing so from global warming to new grape clones to unripe grape skin tannins, but I think it all comes down to worries about marketing wines that don't play well to the critics". Good stuff, in California, or Australasia (though there are wine critics beyond USA and Australia not so enamoured of enormous wines, as the 2003 Ch Pavie debate discussed below reminds us). In the vintage notes for previous vintages, he observes for this wine: "Melville's Santa Rita Hills vineyard site is the coolest of our syrah producers, and the climate has a profound effect on the character of this wine. You'll observe peppery, spicy and floral notes that you never see in wines from warmer vineyards"; Parker 154 likes this wine: "a stunning perfume of crushed rocks, white flowers, blueberry and blackberry liqueur, a viscous texture, good underlying acidity that provides vibrance as well as delineation, and a spectacularly rich, multidimensional mid-palate and finish. 95"; www.ojaivineyard.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, the deepest and densest of all the wines. Initially opened, and decanted, this wine showed exactly the same muted syndrome as the 2002 le Sol, but more so, smelling almost baked and dull, tasting huge, tannic and closed. And like the le Sol, with air it is transformed, the bouquet now showing huge plum-pie fruit of maximum ripeness and beyond, no florals but great depth, with some raisined cassis maybe. Palate is enormously rich, richer than le Sol, the fruit raisined cassis and darkest plums of magnificent mouthfeel, weight and dry extract, yet dry I think. Hard to tell, at this body. And with air, the tannins fade away, and the balance becomes almost ideal in its huge hotter-climate way – except for a suggestion of prunes. Among the tasters as a whole, this was the most-favoured wine in the older flight. It will cellar for decades. It makes 2002 le Sol look almost delicate, and that's saying something. GK 04/07

1978 Ch Palmer 17 ½ (

)

Margaux Third Growth, Bordeaux, France: – %; $ – [ cork 54mm, then was c. CS 53%, Me 40, CF 5, PV 2, average age of vines 35 years; time spent in barrel 18 – 24 months; now rated as one of the undoubted 'super-seconds'; Parker comments that Palmer is characterised by: sensational fragrance and bouquet; for the 1978 he says: an enthralling bouquet of cedar, truffles and curranty fruit 91; no entry in Robinson, Tanzer, Wine Spectator; incidentally, Ch Palmer and Ch Margaux were Tom McDonald's guiding-star wines, when he was learning about cabernet sauvignon in Hawkes Bay after the war; www.chateau-palmer.com ]
Glowing ruby and garnet, a super colour, right in the middle for depth. As is so often the case with Ch Palmer, the volume of bouquet, and the ripeness of the browning cassis and plummy berry mingled with tobacco and cedar is a delight. Like the Ch Margaux, this bouquet is what mature claret is all about. Unlike the Margaux, however, in mouth there is immediately a shortening-up, a hint of stalk, plus a little acid apparent, and lighter fruit than the bouquet promised. The Pichon-Lalande isn't quite so beautiful, but the fruit is better. On this showing therefore, even the good 1978 Bordeaux are just a little beyond their plateau of maturity. This wine is fading gracefully. The introductory notes made the point that every opportunity to compare Ch Margaux and Ch Palmer from the same year should be seized, since they so often jostle for top spot in the Margaux district. It was a pleasure therefore to find in the analysis, four tasters rated the Palmer their top wine, compared with two for the Margaux. GK 04/14

1978 Ch Palmer 17 ½ (

)

Margaux Third Growth, Bordeaux, France: – %; $368 [ cork; original price c.$35; actual cepage for the year CS 53%, Me 40, CF 5, PV 2, planted at 10,000 vines / ha; c.21 months in barrel, 45% new; now rated as one of the undoubted 'super-seconds'; Wine Spectator vintage rating for the year, 87, Structured, fleshy and complex; Broadbent, 2002: A lovely wine and a very good 1978. Seductively rich, ripe, mulberry-like fruit: full, soft and fleshy in its early days. Most recently, sweet, attractive, quite good length and residual tannin and acidity, ****; R. Parker, 1993: One of the few stars of this vintage, the 1978 Palmer offers a dark garnet color with some amber at the edge. Its bouquet of dried roasted herbs, spices, and blackcurrants offers considerable fragrance. Full-bodied, lush, and concentrated, with only a vague hint of the weediness that has become such an annoying component of this vintage, this soft, fleshy, corpulent style of Palmer is delicious now and promises to keep for another 10-12 years, 90; And a recent comment from Neal Martin, 2015 (though from magnum): 1978 Château Palmer has always been a great success for the vintage ... it has a powerful, expressive nose with cedar, sous-bois and cigar-box scents interwoven into the vestiges of black fruit. This is "old school", perhaps the cousin of the magnificent 1966. The palate is medium-bodied and well balanced, hints of spice and cedar, a little dustiness perhaps towards the finish, but overall a convincing Margaux that has far more vigor and length than you would presume. While it is not a renowned vintage for Château Palmer, it's a wine I would jump upon if I found it for sale, 92; www.chateau-palmer.com ]
Garnet and ruby, below midway in depth. To judge by other reviews of this wine in recent years, 1978 Palmer should have been one of the highlights of the tasting. But by the time of the actual presentation, an almost subliminal TCA note had become apparent – on inquiry, to two only of 21 tasters. The wine was still very fragrant, seemingly merlot-dominant, with the palate showing a beautiful fine-grained elegance, with gentlest oak. But the flavours were short: a perfect example of a wine scalped by TCA. One will have to hope the next bottle redeems the wine's reputation. Even so, four tasters rated it their top wine of the evening, and one their second. A wine at full maturity: hard to estimate remaining life on this sample, but likely to be as for the Pichon Lalande. The score is after 24-hours in the glass, with 100 mm² of Gladwrap®. GK 10/18

2010 Ch Paveil de Luze 17 ½ (

)

Margaux Cru Bourgeois, Medoc, Bordeaux, France: 14%; $75 [ Cork, 50mm, ullage 12mm; $46 landed; CS 70%, Me 30, planted 7,000 vines / ha, machine-picked; fermentation in s/s, elevation 12 months in 30% new barrels; production averages 12,500 x 9-litre cases; consulting oenologist Stéphane Derenoncourt; JR@JR, 2014: I've tasted two or three different bottles of it in the last week or two and I love it. … I like it especially because, with its seductive perfume, it is very Margaux. It has the intensity, class and balance of the 2010 vintage in Bordeaux, but its tannins are already quite soft ... [ scored in another article ], 16.5; RP@WA, 2013: ... notes of forest floor, spring flowers, blueberry, black raspberry and cassis ... A superb cru bourgeois that behaves like a classified growth ... sweet tannin and low acidity ... cellar for 15 or more years. Bravo! This is an absolutely sensational wine [ for $US25, understood ], 92; increasing emphasis on sustainable cultivation, a wine with a good reputation, noted for being good value; weight bottle and closure: 601 g; www.chateaupaveildeluze.com ]
Ruby and velvet, noticeable development showing, just below midway in depth. With only 12 wines in the tasting set, and the sub-goal of spanning the (reasonable) price range, there had to be a jump in quality at some point. The Paveil opens as a softer, simpler wine than most in the field, plummy more than cassisy, even a hint of best fresh prunes, and blackberry. There is clean cedary oak below. In mouth the impression of greater ripeness continues, the style more 2009 than 2010, the wine more one-dimensional than those marked more highly. There is more development too, yet still the Bordeaux lightness of touch to the finish. No votes for top or second place, but six as least wine. I did wonder if this bottle shows trace premature development. Cellar 10 – 25 years. GK 09/20

2003 Ch Pavie 17 ½ (

)

Saint-Emilion Premier Grand Cru Classé [ A in 2012 ], Bordeaux, France: 14%; $462 [ DFB; cork 50mm; Me 60, CF 25, CS 15, hand-harvested and sorted, cropped at an average yield of 3.75 t/ha (1.5 t/ac) giving (on average) 5,800 cases of the grand cru; average vine age 43 years, total area of vines (including second wine) 37 ha; 30% of the harvest de-classified to the second wine, Aromes de Pavie; cuvaison normally 21 days, MLF in barrel, time in oak varies with vintage but 18 – 32 months, percentage new 70 – 100%; referring back to the 2003 furore, it is fair to note that Robinson has since retreated somewhat from her initial position, but has not brought herself to publish another review on her website; off-sider Harding, 2013 had this to say last year: Deep garnet. Both raisiny and herbaceous. Very very dry grippy tannins. Hard on the finish, 15.5; for another recent English view, here is Neal Martin, 2013: Tasted at Bordeaux Index’s “10-Year On” tasting in London. I must confess that this nose is disappointing. Compared against Clos Fourtet, it comes across as a little ersatz with superficial raisin, stewed fig and kirsch aromas, leaning towards the New World. The palate is medium-bodied and displays good volume, filling the mouth with ease and there is clearly more depth than its peers. However, there is an ineluctable monotony about this wine that is bereft of the delineation and tension, the complexity and personality that makes say, the 2000 Pavie so entrancing. It is not a bad Saint Emilion by a long straw, but to put it bluntly … it’s a bit boring, 88; and finally Parker's latest view, Aug 2014: At its release, the 2003 Pavie was somewhat controversial in wine tasting circles, but eleven years later it is obviously a great classic. Its deep purple color is accompanied by notes of vanillin, lead pencil shavings, creme de cassis, plums, black currants and kirsch. Full-bodied, youthful and rich with terrific purity and texture as well as a striking opulence, its 40+-second finish, stunning purity and wonderful perfume suggest it can be drunk now or cellared for 15-20 years, 99; www.vignoblesperse.com/en/chateau-pavie ]
Ruby and velvet with appreciable garnet, as if more oak, the third-deepest wine. The initial impression of this wine tends to be out-of-line with the class, alcohol being noticeable with oak and fruit both apparent, the oak / alcohol side more like a warm-country new world wine. Fruit qualities are more plummy with some over-ripening to best (moist) Californian prunes. Flavour is rich, velvety in a merlot sense despite the oak, but like another hot-year merlot, 1976 Petrus, simply too over-ripe to show the floral black-fruits complexity and beauty which fine fresh merlot should display. The oak / alcohol interaction in the freshly-opened wine introduces a hint of bitterness to the finish. Well breathed that character attenuates to simply being a bit phenolic / leathery. No sign of Robinson's 'unappetising green notes' on bouquet, but the quality on later palate I attribute to oak / alcohol could well be a product of drought-affected or otherwise not fully taste-mature berries. If so, the Lalande is worse, in this attribute. At the safe distance of 10 years, the early assessments of this wine by the two protagonists (12 points on the one hand, 99 on the other) both simply seem overstated, telling us more about the cool-climate versus warm-climate proclivities of the two tasters than the wine itself. The market-place (as measured by wine-searcher) seems to favour Parker's interpretation, however. Put this 2003 alongside a ridiculous example of the variety, such as the Irvine Grand Merlot grown in a South Australian climate hopelessly too hot for merlot beauty (as opposed to size), and this 2003 Pavie is simply serious merlot a bit too ripe and over-oaked. For context, the Aiguilhe tastes riper still, but there is less new oak. More than any other in this tasting, this wine divided the winemaker-tasters, three rating it the top wine of tasting, and 10 their least. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 11/14

2010 Domaine du Pegau Chateauneuf-du-Pape 17 ½ (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $142 [ cork, 50 mm; Gr 80 – 85%, Sy 9, Mv 5 – 6, trace Ci and counoise; whole bunches retained; elevation 90% in foudre, 10 in old barrels 18 – 24 months depending on vintage; J.L-L: floral, classy, *****; Parker, 2012: a fabulous wine of exceptional intensity, tremendous flavor authority and full-bodied power ... lots of Provencal herb, smoky, meaty, kirsch, black currant and blackberry notes ... a slightly more vibrant finish [than the 2009], 96 - 98+; typical production 5,400 – 6,250 9-litre cases; weight bottle and closure: 653 g; www.pegau.com ]
Ruby and garnet, above midway in depth. One sniff, and this wine has to be the Pegau in the blind tasting, totally true to itself, wonderfully fragrant with all the key Chateauneuf-du-Pape attributes, garrigue, red fruits etc, but also clear savoury brett, as always. Palate is velvety, no other word for it, the charm of old oak elevation, the flavour exactly as rather many great Chateauneuf-du-Papes were in the 1990s. This was before the world learnt about brett, and took little heed of the sometimes one-eyed views of scientists, who said brett was ‘a bad thing’. As it can be in excess. But the fact is, at this level, most people love it. This wine is on the right side of the line, just, and will probably simply dry out only a little prematurely, developing evermore savoury / nutmeggy smells and flavours. Such wines are sensational with savoury foods such as venison casserole, or as one thoughtful taster suggested, steak and kidney pudding. Cellar 5 – 15 years, at least. Three people rated this their top or second wine. GK 06/17

2016 Domaine du Pegau Chateauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée 17 ½ (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $148 [ cork, 50 mm; Gr 80 – 85%, Sy 9, Mv 5 – 6, trace Ci and counoise; whole bunches retained; elevation 90% in foudre, 10 in old barrels 18 – 24 months depending on vintage; average production 5,800 x 9-litre cases; weight bottle and cork: 613 g; www.pegau.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, just above midway in depth. Bouquet is quite different from the wines rated more highly in the set, distinctly savoury and old-fashioned, on rich fruit. There are garrigue florals and older oak woven through good berryfruit, but with some wild yeast, Christmas mince-pies and brett complexities. Palate is rich yet very dry, not the remarkable freshness of most of these 2016s, again tending old-fashioned, savoury and definitely food-friendly. This wine does not quite capture the magic of the 2016 year, the house style triumphing over the vintage. Cellar 5 – 15, maybe 20 years. Available from Maison Vauron and their distribution channels (eg Regional Wines). GK 07/19

2013 [ Palliser Estate ] Pencarrow Pinot Noir 17 ½ (

)

Martinborough district, Wairarapa, New Zealand: 14%; $28 [ screwcap; mostly Dijon 667 and 777, and four others including Abel, planted at 2,525 vines/ha, c.14 years age; 10% hand-picked, mostly machine, @ c.4.8 t/ha (1.9 t/ac), 20% whole-bunch component, pre-ferment cold soak 6 days, then 13 days cuvaison with 90% wild yeast; all of the wine c.11 months in French oak c.26% new, medium toast; sterile-filtered to bottle; RS 'dry'; dry extract 27.1 g/L; production c.2,000+ cases; www.palliser.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, another in its hue to suggest more oak influence. And one sniff confirms that, it being the oakiest of the 17 wines. But it is still OK, within bounds for pinot noir, not outside some practitioners in Burgundy. The oak-related vanillin does make it harder to pinpoint flower analogies, but the wine is fragrant, heliotrope the closest parallel, on red fruits more than black. In mouth the flavours are long and subtle, and the fruit good, the oak gentle and mostly older, giving the impression this would be a great food wine. It is quite different from the Roaring Meg, yet between them you feel they give a great summation of affordable New Zealand pinot noir. Cellar 5 – 15 years. Group View (Flight 1): 8 first places, 5 second, none least. GK 11/15

2004 Ch Pichon Longueville Lalande 17 ½ (

)

Pauillac, Bordeaux, France: 13%; $192 [ cork 49mm; cepage this year CS 53%, Me 36, CF & PV 11, according to R. Parker; 18 – 20 months in barrel, usually 50% new; R. Parker, 2007: Medium to full-bodied, opulent, and fleshy [ better than the 2005 ], 92; www.pichon-lalande.com ]
There was quite a quality gap between the top four Bordeaux wines in the tasting, and the other three. The Pichon was the second-deepest of the Bordeaux, and the youngest-looking, but initially, it presented itself as leathery and old-style, like the 2004 Clape. It gradually cleared to a still-smudged cassis and black plum bouquet, with reasonable richness and cedary oak. Flavours followed appropriately, quite rich and all clearly classed-growth claret, but not the excitement and purity of the top wines. There was a surprising degree of overlap with some of the Clape syrahs, in fact. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 02/16

2000 Ch Picque-Caillou 17 ½ (

)

Graves / Pessac-Leognan, Bordeaux, France: 13%; $ – [ cork; CS 50%, Me 50, hand-picked @ c.2.3 t/ac, planted 7 – 10,000 vines / ha, av. age 25; 12 months in barrel 30% new; c.6,000 cases; www.picque-caillou.com ]
Ruby and velvet, some garnet, medium weight. Bouquet is beautifully fragrant and browning cassis, darkly plummy berry lifted by cedary oak and a touch of savoury venison casserole brett. Palate is absolutely silky, a model demonstration of the need for berry dominance over oak, long, sustained, slightly cedary, rich yet delicate. One could drink a lot of this, and it is great with food. Cellar 3 – 8 years yet. GK 08/12

2010 Domaine Piron-Lameloise Chenas Quartz 17 ½ (

)

Chiroubles, Beaujolais, France: 12.5%; $37 [ cork; gamay with half handled via maceration carbonique, half a more traditional destemmed approach; then elevation in big old wood; website being reconstructed; www.domaines-piron.fr ]
Pinot noir ruby, the lightest wine. This one also smells like gamay handled as pinot noir, rather more than via maceration carbonique. It is clearly fragrant and floral, a hint of cherry-pie vanillin, red fruits. Palate is red fruits, a little more leaf, even a touch of stalk, yet with good richness and typicité. It's a different kind of beaujolais from the plump Moulin a Vents, but just as legitimate. Cellar several years, but not as long as the top wines. GK 09/12

2005 Ch Pontoise Cabarrus 17 ½ (

)

Haut-Medoc (Saint-Seurin) Cru Bourgeois, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $28 [ cork; CS 55%, Me 35, CF 5, PV 5, machine harvest, manual inspection via conveyor belt; implication of c. 15% new oak; Parker: 86 – 88, no specific note, but the general comment that for cru bourgeois of this kind, 2005 is the best year since 1982 – for some 1982 cru bourgeois recently shown in the Regional Wines & Spirits Library Tasting series, the best are still delicious; www.chateau-pontoise-cabarrus.com ]
Ruby and velvet, closer to the Villa Merlot in weight. A change of key here, from modern wines to more traditional ones, this one smelling of soft ripe plummy fruit in mostly older oak, including a touch of (positive) brett complexity. Palate is sterner than the bouquet promises, the firm grape tannins of the 2005 vintage showing up, yet rich too. Demands five years in bottle and will cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 04/08

2002 N. Potel Gevrey-Chambertin 17 ½ (

)

Gevrey-Chambertin, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 13%; $70
Good pinot noir ruby. This seems the purest, most fragrant, and most varietal / uncluttered of the available Potel range. It shows some floral lift on aromatic red and black cherries, gentle oak, and fair fruit. Flavour is simply attractive pinot noir, totally varietal, supple, faintly leafy, nothing standing out or worth shouting about. Not very rich, but model burgundy, and a pleasure to taste. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 08/03

2000 Ch Potensac 17 ½ (

)

Medoc Cru Bourgeois NW of St Estephe, Bordeaux, France: 13%; $55 [ CS 60%, Me 25, CF 15; same ownership as Leoville Lascases; Jancis Robinson rating 16; Robert Parker 87 – 88 ]
Ruby. A good volume of bouquet, in a benchmark Bordeaux style showing clear cassis as befits the 60% cabernet sauvignon, dark plums, tobacco and oak. It is not magically complex, but what is there is good, and provides an excellent measuring stick for assessing Hawkes Bay cabernet / merlots. Palate is richer than expected, the flavours matching bouquet exactly, and a concentration rare in cru bourgeois: this is serious wine. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 05/04

2005 Ch Potensac 17 ½ (

)

St Yzans district, Medoc, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $50 [ cork; CS 60, Me 25, CF 15, average age c. 35 years, 8,000 vines / ha, cropped on average @ 7.1 t/ha = c.2.85 t/ac; up to 18 days cuvaison in s/s and concrete, 12 – 16 months in barrel, 10 – 15% new; owners Delon family, also owners of Ch Leoville-Las-Cases; website under construction ]
This was one of the two oldest wines presented in the Lincoln tasting. It was the first of the three complete wines shown, and was intended to illustrate the harmony and balance of a good cru bourgeois, particularly where the grapes / varietal character of the wine is not obscured by new oak. In that respect it communicated particularly well, and quite surprisingly, was (by the group) rated ahead of the richer and (I thought) more complete Patriarch and Church Road Reserve wines. Glengarry recently landed a shipment of this wine, and offered it at $49. With the prices for the 2005 vintage and 2009 en primeurs so buoyant, this is fair value for a good illustration of the Bordeaux style, at best cru bourgeois level. Cellar 3 – 15 years. GK 10/10

2003 Ch Potensac 17 ½ (

)

Northern Medoc Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $50 [ Cork 50mm; CS 60%, Me 25, CF 15; Potensac is one of the agreeably reliable and affordable west bank clarets, but it is well to the north, near St Yzans, so can be pinched in cooler years. It is owned by the proprietors of Ch Leoville Las Cases, and shares some technology with them. Vineyard plantings average 30 years age, cepage as above, 8,000 vines / ha. The goal is to increase merlot, and therefore hopefully soften the wine. The wine has 14 – 16 months in oak first used at Las Cases; 25,000 cases per annum; second wine, La Chapelle de Potensac; included in the tasting to have an un-classed Medoc to match the Aiguilhe. Harding, 2013: Deep garnet. Exotic and slightly oaky. Warm dark fruit. Lighter and more lithe on the palate. Juicy finish and overall in balance, 16; Tanzer, 2006: Aromas of ripe plum, cedar and tar; superripe without being liqueur-like. Silky, fat and full, with atypical volume for this wine. There's enough healthy (natural) acidity here to give shape and freshness to the wine. Finishes with broad tannins that reach the sides of the mouth. It's hard to imagine a stronger vintage for this chateau, 89; Parker, Aug 2014: A major sleeper of the vintage, the 2003 Potensac is a tribute to just how good this wine can be in top vintages. A blend of 44% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot and 23% Cabernet Franc, it was harvested between September 13-25, and came in at 13.9% natural alcohol, which is higher than its more famous sibling, Leoville Las Cases. This elegant, fully mature 2003 exhibits lots of black currant and black cherry fruit intermixed with forest floor and underbrush notes, a plush, medium-bodied palate, and sexy fruit. Enjoy it over the next 4-5 years, 89; www.domaines-delon.com ]
Ruby and some velvet, the second to lightest wine. The first thing that strikes you about this wine in the line-up, is how fresh it smells, with no hint of warm-year qualities at all. The second aspect is how beautifully fruit-led it is, more red plums, a touch of cassis, all fragrant and light. Even on bouquet, you can imagine a new world taster more accustomed to thick fleshy over-oaked wines dismissing it. Palate is classic claret, beautifully fresh yet no stalks (close, though), and sparkling clean. Even blind, you wonder if there is no new oak at all – there is a little, apparently – which serves only to illustrate the classic cepage smells and flavours even more. Robinson values 'refreshment' highly in claret – this wine defines it. Tasters agreed, nobody could recollect a riper and richer Potensac – a lovely example of a bourgeois cru. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 11/14

2015 Okonomierat Rebholz vom Buntsandstein Riesling Trocken Qualitatswein 17 ½ (

)

Sudpfalz, Germany: 12.5%; $50 [ cork; the Rebholz family have been winemakers since at least 1632, with a focus on riesling; there tends to be long skin contact for the whites, up to 24 hours; the whites are mostly all-stainless steel; viticulture is organic on sandstones; for the website, the more detailed parts are in German; www.oekonomierat-rebholz.com ]
Lemon. Freshly opened the wine is clean, vinifera, but not forthcoming. It opens to a fragrant riesling bouquet with some fresh-cut hay and stonefruit suggestions, tending 'mineral'. Palate is rich, more varietal, more fruit, less 'mineral' than some, long and dry, some terpenes to the later palate, and a hint of sweetness. This wine particularly invites comparison with young Grossetts, the texture here so much more appealing. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 03/17

1998 Domaine René Rostaing Cote Rotie 17 ½ (

)

Cote Rotie, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $ – [ cork; Sy 100%; hand-harvested, cropping rate never exceeds 5 t/ha (2 t/ac); 24 – 26 days cuvaison, 25% whole-bunch; 18 – 24 months in French oak, 10% new; JR 17, RP 90 – 92, ST 89, J.L-L 3/6 stars; www.domainerostaing.com ]
Ruby, nearly some velvet, fresher than the 1998 Chave, the second to deepest wine. Bouquet is classic old-style Northern Rhone, browning cassis, nearly some florality, delicious complexity factors of portobello mushrooms and grilled beef, great vinosity – in other words, some brett. Palate amplifies the savoury casserole qualities of good brett, all now a bit leathery, but there is no appreciable alteration / drying of the fruit – perhaps it is just maturing faster than a brett-free wine. Good food wine, which will hold 3 – 10 years. GK 05/13

2005 Ch Reynon 17 ½ (

)

Premieres Cotes de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $33 [ cork; Me 80%, CS 20; owned Denis Dubourdieu, Prof. of Oenology at the University of Bordeaux since 1987, consultant, merchant too, www.denisdubourdieu.com (unstable); Parker: 86 – 88, no specific note; Dubourdieu has been quoted as saying that in his view, 2005 is the greatest vintage he has experienced in 35 years in Bordeaux, surpassing 1982, 1990, 2000. ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, again on a par with the Villa Merlot Reserve. Bouquet is quiet, gentle, but lightly floral and classical very pure Bordeaux in style. There is a red fruits note in here, making one think of cabernet franc, but none is admitted to. Palate is not as rich as some, but the flavours are classical cassis and plum, and the oak sparkling clean. The whole winestyle is close to the Villa Merlot, but the Reynon is rounder, and the acid is lower. This will be delicious wine, to cellar 3 – 15 years. GK 04/08

1985 Domaine D Rion Nuits-St-Georges Les Vignes Rondes Premier Cru 17 ½ (

)

Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 12.5%; $123 [ 49mm cork; Broadbent notes the vintage is 'probably the best-balanced since 1978', 5-star, rich, ripe, clean and fruity; this label regarded highly in the range, at the time; practice in 1985 probably included some whole bunch, some cultured yeast, and for the premiers crus 15 – 18 months in barrel, with significant (but <50%) new oak; no reviews; www.domaine-daniel-rion.com ]
Elegant very rosy light garnet, below midway. Freshly opened and decanted this wine was straightforward good burgundy. By the time of the tasting, there was trace TCA, but only two tasters thought it interfered. Because of the aromatics, it was sequenced immediately after the Auxey-Duresses, to highlight the difference in essential winestyle between Cote de Nuits and the softer Cote de Beaune. This it did very well. The floral component includes buddleia and roses, on cherry fruit red grading to black. Oak is subtle. The total harmony and gentleness in mouth is a delight, though it is not a big wine. Mature wine, but this too still has 3 – 8 years left in it, I think. One top place. GK 10/14

2014 [ Mt Difficulty ] Roaring Meg Pinot Noir 17 ½ (

)

Cromwell Basin, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $29 [ screwcap; mostly Dijon clones, some Abel and UCD 5, planted at 2,500 vines/ha, c.10 years age; half hand-picked, half machine, @ c. 8 t/ha (3.2 t/ac), very small whole-bunch component, pre-ferment cold soak c.6 days, then c.18 days cuvaison with 100% wild yeast; all of the wine c.10.5 months in French oak c.20% new, medium toast; sterile-filtered to bottle; RS 0.28 g/L: dry extract 28.3 g/L; production c.27,000 cases; www.mtdifficulty.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby, just above midway in depth. This was one of the most dramatically floral wines in the set of 17, showing a wonderful sweet bouquet reminding of buddleia (butterflies), and a range of fragrant roses, just beautiful. Below is evident red and black cherry, and great purity, unequivocally pinot noir. And the flavour does not disappoint, being fresh, even crisply, cherry fruit, yet there is no hint of leafy or stalky qualities, such as some price-point pinots show. Alongside the Ata Rangi you can see the Roaring Meg has not had the sophisticated oak handling the former enjoys, yet the nett impression is wonderfully good. I am tempted to say I have never tasted a Roaring Meg as perfectly ripe and well-shaped as this 2014. This wine is affordable, yet it illustrates superbly both what New Zealand pinot noir is about, and what the burgundy winestyle is about – a real achievement. Food for thought here too on the cropping rate vs dry extract debate, the wine tasting so well-fruited it seems not bone-dry, yet it is. Cellar 3 – 12 years. Group View (Flight 1.): 6 first places, 5 second, none least. GK 11/15

2005 Ch Roc de Cambes 17 ½ (

)

Cotes de Bourg, Bordeaux, France: 14%; $113 [ cork 49mm; Me 75%, CS 20, Ma 5, planted at an average of 6,250 per hectare; same ownership as Ch Le Tertre-Roteboeuf; grapes are harvested as late as possible, cuvaison 21 – 28 days; elevation in barrel 50 – 100% new for 15 – 18 – 20 months, depending on season; c. 3,000 cases; no information on website as yet; www.roc-de-cambes.com ]
Older ruby, garnet and velvet, midway in weight. Bouquet is quite aromatic in the company, and the oak is tending edgy too, making the wine a bit on the obvious side, even in a Bordeaux context. [ I see I used the word 'obvious' in the Tertre Roteboeuf note above: same proprietor. ] There is a clear suggestion of cassis in the darkly plummy merlot. Palate is beautifully pure but also still raw at this stage, and all tending oaky, a wine to remind of some warmer and oakier New Zealand cabernet / merlots. It needs to soften a good deal in cellar. Could rank higher, in time, in its new world way. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 11/15

2005 Ch Roc de Cambes 17 ½ (

)

Cotes de Bourg, Bordeaux, France: 14%; $100 [ cork 49mm; Me 75%, CS 20, Ma 5, cepage confirmed with owner M. Francois Mitjavile (see below); original cost en primeur c.$75; Roc de Cambes is owned by the same people who own the rare and famous Saint Emilion Ch Le Tertre-Roteboeuf. There appears to be an astonishing amount of misinformation about Roc de Cambes, and for once (considering his unparalleled reputation for research, in his books) Robert Parker appears responsible. The facts are more as follows, courtesy of well-regarded merchants Berry Bros & Rudd, the equally well-regarded Jamie Goode, author of the The Wine Anorak, and then direct approach to the proprietor. Goode records an intriguing and provocative interview with the proprietor of these two chateaux (ref. above), where many interesting and irregular ideas are canvassed. Roc de Cambes is now regarded as the finest producer in the Bourg appellation. It was bought in 1988 by the owner of Château Le Tertre-Rotebouef in Saint-Emilion. He was attracted by the ideal locations of the 10 hectares of sloping vineyards, which are situated close to the Gironde on a south-facing slope in a natural amphitheatre. It is immediately opposite Margaux, across the river. The 12ha-vineyard is planted with Me 75%, CS 20 and Ma 5%, at 5,550 – 7,000 vines / ha, the vines are on average 45 years old. Grapes are harvested as late as possible, and vinified in temperature-controlled concrete vats, cuvaison 21 – 28 days. Maturation in oak barrels (50 – 100% new in strong years) for 15 – 18 – 20 months, depending on season. Roc de Cambes produces rich, stylish, full-bodied wines that considering their size are remarkably harmonious and well balanced. Parker has rated it as equivalent to a Fifth Growth. There is a also a Domaine de Cambes which is not a second wine of Roc de Cambes. The grape source is completely different. The wine is sold as a Bordeaux AOC wine. J. Robinson, 2006: Extraordinary deep colour. Very sweet and burgundian and almost unspittable but with a finesse and sap that stops it being sickly. Great richness. Very fine tannins, Lovely freshness. Fine and lively. Quite different from the usual bordeaux 2005. Great reverberation. Vivacious: a real courtesan without being forced, 17.5; Jamie Goode, 2013: Taut and dense but sweetly fruited, with ripe, smooth black fruits. Seductive and ripe, yet showing nice precision. A stylish effort, 93; Wine Spectator, 2006: This is wonderfully balanced, with red fruits and hints of toasted oak. Full and long, with fine tannins and a bright finish. Gorgeous, 89-91; no information on website as yet; www.roc-de-cambes.com ]
Older ruby and velvet, above midway in depth. The bouquet is quite strong on this wine, and it takes a little while to come into focus. Finally it seems to be darkly plummy, but with a level of new oak more like a new-world wine, making the whole thing very aromatic. The first sip impresses, then the second you wonder if it is a bit large-scale and monolithic alongside the Dame de Montrose, the oak having a dulling effect on the palate. But there is a lot to it, and great berry richness plus some chocolate, greater than La Dame, so there is considerable potential to fine down in cellar, 10 – 20 years. Top wine for four, in the group. GK 06/15

2002 Domaine Roulot Meursault les Tillets 17 ½ (

)

Meursault, Burgundy, France: 12.5%; $ – [ cork; 100% MLF ]
Lemon and some straw, lighter than the 2002 Kumeu River. Proprietor Michael Brajkovich opened this wine as a cross-reference for the Kumeu wines, and as an illustration of a contemporary burgundy grower he likes very much. Bouquet is understated alongside the New Zealand wines, with less oak and a less dramatic varietal presentation. There are some acacia floral notes, melding with suggestions of high solids, all running out into white stonefruits. Body is less than the Kumeu wines, and acid fractionally more. The interplay of lees-autolysis, baguette characters, and fruit in the total flavour is similar, however. The main conclusion that can be drawn from this Burgundy village wine is that the Kumeu River chardonnays are fully up to premier cru or grand cru wines in their fruit weight, mouthfeel, and varietal character, and the top Kumeu examples match them in quality too. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 02/06

2007 Domaine Rousseau Ruchottes-Chambertin 17 ½ (

)

Gevrey-Chambertin Grand Cru, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $305 [ cork; up to 22 months usually in one third new French oak; Rousseau owns 1.1 ha, 32% of the vineyard, making approx 350 cases; www.domaine-rousseau.com ]
Pinot noir ruby, right in the middle of the field. Bouquet is a little exotic on this wine too, not exactly floral, but it is fragrant red-fruits pinot noir with a slightly gamey note which is probably trace-brett-related. Palate is beautifully ripe, all red cherry, subtle oak, lingering well, slightly richer than the Cazetiers, but less rich than the Clos de la Roche. This will be good food wine. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 11/10

2016 Domaine Saint Francois Xavier Gigondas SFX 17 ½ (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $42 [ cork, 50mm; also known as Domaine Francois-Xavier Lambert; no info available, Maison Vauron advise cepage likely Gr 70%, Sy 15, Mv 15, the proprietors practising ‘lutte raisonnée’ principles (ie reasoned viticulture, tending to organic / biodynamic but not always as strict); old vines more than 40 years; cropping rate likely below 4.65 t/ha = 1.9 t/ac (if the Cotes-du-Rhone is a guide); elevation mainly vat, maybe some big wood; imported by Maison Vauron, Auckland; weight bottle and closure 625 g; no website found ]
Ruby, below midway in depth. Bouquet is lightly spicy and piquant, slightly gamey, with a clear garrigue, silver pine and cinnamon spicy lift, on red fruits. Palate is fragrant, medium weight, grape tannins but scarcely any apparent oak, unusually spicy and long for its weight, with a very dry and food-friendly finish. Not quite the purity, body, and charm of the Espiers Gigondas, but appealing in its own right. Cellar 8 – 15 years. GK 06/20

1998 Domaine Santa Duc Gigondas 17 ½ (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $30 [ cork; original price; Gr 75%, Syrah 15, Mv 5, Ci 5, hand-harvested; long cuvaison; elevation in large old wood for 18 months; not filtered; Parker 10/00: The 1998 Gigondas a terrific, powerful, multidimensional effort with glorious levels of glycerin as well as black cherry and cassis fruit. Expressive and flamboyant, yet fresh, full-bodied, and lively, it will last for a decade or more 90; www.santaduc.fr ]
Ruby and garnet, just above midway in depth. Bouquet is rich, aromatic, spicy, the oak noticeable in dark berry, faintest VA. Palate is rich, much more fruit showing now in good ratio to the soft older oak, some browning of the red berries, beautiful cinnamon lingering long on the aftertaste. The fruit is in fact markedly rich, when you reflect on it, but it is all riper and slightly raisined alongside the Charvin, reflecting the year. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 04/12

2013 Domaine Saumaize-Michelin Pouilly-Fuissé 17 ½ (

)

Pouilly-Fuissé, Burgundy, France: 13%; $41 [ supercritical 'cork'; biodynamic; no operational website found ]
Straw, clearly the deepest wine of the second set, but not as deep as 2010 Tom. Bouquet is very complex, on the one hand reminding of some Californian chardonnays of earlier years, such as Far Niente with its former intriguing hint of acacia blossom, on the other mixing florals with almost yellow and near-tropical fruit notes. There could even be a hint of mango. Palate is fleshy, really yellow-fruited chardonnay, clear buttery MLF, low oak and acid tending low too. This is quite a big mouthful of flavour, classic old-style Pouilly-Fuissé, but not quite as rich as the concept 'big buttery chardonnay'. Cellar 3 – 8 years. Interesting to see some bottles closed with Diam, and some with natural cork, the Diam-closed much, much fresher. GK 06/16

2003 W. Schaefer Graacher Domprobst Riesling Spatlese QmP 17 ½ (

)

Mosel, Germany: 8%; $52
Pale lemon. This bouquet is a bit different, a hint of amyl acetate and freshly-bitten royal gala apple, attractive. Palate is again white florals, hints of lime, elegant acid balance, still very youthful. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 11/04

2008 Bodega Septima Septimo Dia Malbec 17 ½ (

)

Mendoza, Argentina: 14.5%; $26 [ cork; Ma 100% grown @ 1050 m; 10 months in French and American oak; RS 2.2 g/L; the winery Septima is in the Codorniu group, there is both a Septima range of wines and a more expensive Septimo Dia range; www.bodegaseptima.com ]
Ruby and velvet, promising. Aha, here is an Argentinean malbec with appropriate ripeness and appropriate oak – not so easy to get both together. There is nearly a floral note in fragrant dark plums, and clean oak to balance. Palate follows through beautifully, supple berry, hints of vanilla in French oak mainly, and a long balanced flavour. Well worth cellaring. This wine illustrates neatly how few New Zealand malbecs are properly ripe. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 07/11

2004 Ch Sociando-Mallet 17 ½ (

)

Haut Medoc (St Seurin), Bordeaux, France: 12.5%; $125 [ cork; vineyard cepage CS 54%, Me 45, CF & PV 1, average age 30 – 35 years, planted @ 8 800 vines / ha, and cropped @ c. 2.5 – 2.75 t/ac; www.pape-clement.com ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, the youngest in hue of the August wines, in the middle for weight. First impression on bouquet is of trace saline, on a good volume of mixed red fruits, perhaps trace plum chutney in here too. Palate is much more representative Medoc of a middling year, sufficient ripeness so no green notes yet fresh all the same, not greatly concentrated, but the oak nicely balanced to the fruit. Close to the Pichon-Longueville in total style, just lighter and less new-oaky. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 08/07

1984 H Sorrell Hermitage Le Greal 17 ½ (

)

Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 12.5%; $78 [ 45mm cork; a 2-star vintage for Broadbent, who notes however that some syrahs are holding well, 75 and frail for Parker, who has always been hard on this vintage in both the north and south, the smaller scale not suiting him; Sy 100% mostly from Le Méal; at that time some stalks, 18 – 22 month in oak 4 – 5 years old (from Burgundy); Parker, 1986: ... full-bodied, quite tannic, concentrated and deep, with fine length. It requires cellaring, 86; no website found ]
Ruby and garnet, below midway in depth. This is one of the older-smelling wines, and freshly opened there is a little bottle-stink / decay, quickly evaporating with decanting. It clears to a fragrant version of mature syrah, good browning cassis, clear dianthus florality also browning, and great purity. In mouth it is lean and focussed, subliminal cedary oak giving it a character very reminiscent of (for example) Grand-Puy-Lacoste the way it used to be, before it put on weight. Thoughts of Pauillac, in other words, and though petite, a lovely depth to these mellow mature yet still fresh (in a sense) flavours. Intriguing wine, fully mature to fading a little now. The top wine for four people. GK 09/14

2008 [ Pernod-Ricard ] Stoneleigh Pinot Gris Rapaura Series 17 ½ (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $24 [ screwcap; some vines up to 20 years age, grapes left to ripen late, a little shrivel; cool-fermented, low solids, no oak or MLF; RS 12 g/L; background @ www.stoneleigh.co.nz, leads to detail @; www.pernod-ricard-nz.com//tastingnotes.php? ]
Light straw, not quite ideal for a 2008 wine, but pinot gris is a red-grey-green-skinned variety, and some colour pick-up is permissible. Bouquet too raised just a suspicion of trace oxidation, faintest quince, but rich fruit. Palate shows good flavour, a lot more to say than most New Zealand pinot gris, pale stonefruits a great improvement on pearflesh, fine-grained phenolics giving the wine shape and length, not quite dryish to the finish. The intriguing thing is, given the sur-maturité picking, and the propensity of the variety to pick up alcohol, the given alcohol is low, even for the residual sugar. Are we starting to see the advent of reverse-osmosis alcohol reduction from the big wineries ? If the extra manipulation does not result in flavour impairment (note the query re threshold oxidation above), any move away from the higher alcohols of recent years must be a good thing. For a variety such as pinot gris, which loses delicacy at higher brixes, such techniques are not going to restore the floral component to bouquet, however. With its rich body, this should be good food wine, but maybe this example is one to cellar not quite so long, 1 – 3 years. GK 04/09

1982 Ch Talbot 17 ½ (

)

Saint-Julien Fourth Growth, Bordeaux, France: 12%; $495 [ cork 52 mm, ullage 16 mm; original price c.$51; cepage then approx. CS 70, Me 20, CF 5, PV 5, planted at 7,700 vines / ha, average age of vines c.35 years, cropped at c.52 hl/ha (6.75 t/ha = 2.7 t/ac); typically 18 – 24 months in barrel, % new then less than the 40% latterly; Parker in 1991 commented on the rivalry between Talbot and the then co-owned Gruaud-Larose, noting that in both 1982 and 1986 Talbot might match Gruaud. Broadbent, 2002: deep, velvety, sweet and chunky ... drink soon, ****; Parker, 1991: I am amazed at how rich, powerful, concentrated and complex this wine has become ... incredibly expansive, sweet, rich fruit on the palate ... one of the most remarkable Talbots I have ever tasted, 95; Parker, 2000: One of the great Talbots, the 1982 exhibits a dark garnet/purple color as well as spectacular aromatics consisting of melted licorice, briny olives, black currants, aged beef, new saddle leather, and cherry liqueur. Powerful and full-bodied, with spectacular concentration, it is not dissimilar from its sibling, the prodigious 1982 Gruaud-Larose. This exotic effort possesses a level of "brett" that tasters weaned on sterile, new world wines will find objectionable. However, a touch of "brett" can add complexity, as it does with this 1982 Talbot. Anticipated maturity: now-2012, 93; W. Kelley, 2022: The brilliant 1982 Talbot is a reference point for this estate, and in my experience, only the 1945 can match its quality. Offering up rich aromas of blackberries, smoked meats, loamy soil, licorice and black olives, it's full-bodied, broad and textural, with a thick, fleshy attack that segues into an ample, muscular mid-palate. Rich and savory, it's a compelling wine in its prime today, 94; weight bottle and closure 556 g; www.chateau-talbot.com ]
Ruby and garnet about equal, above midway in weight of colour, and just below midway in terms of retaining ruby red. Bouquet is very Medoc, highly cassisy / aromatic, very fragrant, with cedary oak noticeable. Many of the Northern Hemisphere reviews comment that 1982 Talbot is nearly the match for 1982 Gruaud-Larose, but there was little hint of that in our bottles. This Talbot had that characteristic faintly stemmy / austere note noticeable in its berry qualities, similarly to the 1966 or 1970 pairings. Palate is crisp like the Montrose, but a little more austere, cassis notes and cedary oak, with acid just a little noticeable, like the Coleraine. All in all, it seemed so typically Medoc (at the sequencing stage) that I set it in position one, as the ‘sighter’ for the 12 wines. At the (still blind) rating stage, nobody had it as their favourite or second favourite, nor (importantly) as their least, but most agreed the wine was clearly aromatic / cabernet-led. Fully to slightly over-mature now: as the fruit dries the acid will become more apparent. GK 11/23

1982 Ch Talbot 17 ½ (

)

St Julien Fourth Growth, Bordeaux, France: 12%; $51 [ CS 70%, Me 20, CF 5, PV 5; considered Second Growth level by Parker (in 1991); Parker considers this chateau consistently brilliant since 1975. The 1982: how rich, powerful and concentrated this wine has become … massive, sweet rich fruit … one of the most remarkable Talbots I have ever tasted. Till 2015. 95. Broadbent: typical Talbot whiff of barnyard and ripe fruit; full, fleshy, soft, rich and tannic. I suspect this will always be tough, yet popular. To 2010. ****. GK in 1985 thought: Obvious cabernet, big tannin, nearly as rich as the Gruaud. ]
Ruby and garnet. Freshly opened the wine is a little warm and ‘animal’, though not bottle-stinky like the Lagune. It quickly clears with decanting, to reveal browning cassis, with light tobacco to the side. Palate is cooler and crisper than most, cassis, plum and cedary with the tobacco, total acid slightly high, a leaner wine than stable-mate Gruaud-Larose. This is classically old-style claret, a little austere. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 09/08

1998 Maison Tardieu-Laurent Cotes-du-Rhone Guy Louis 17 ½ (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $29 [ cork 50mm; Gr 60%, Sy 40, generally from organically-farmed vineyards in the Rasteau, Lirac, Beaumes de Venise and Vacqueyras districts, all vines 40-plus years; one-third destemmed, the wine spends 12 months in older barrels and 6 months in foudres, all French oak; R Parker, 1999: The 1998 Cotes du Rhone Guy Louis rouge (a blend of equal parts Syrah and Grenache) exhibits a saturated ruby/plum/purple color as well as an elegant, clearly defined bouquet of black currants and minerals, with a touch of road tar. Medium-bodied, pure, and fruit-driven, it is a terrific Cotes du Rhone, with perhaps less alcohol than previous renditions, but impressive and beautifully knit. It should drink well for 5-6 years: 88-90; weight bottle and closure: 576 g; www.tardieu-laurent.fr ]
Ruby, garnet and velvet, well above midway in depth. Bouquet on this wine is delightfully fragrant, savoury, not obviously fruity any longer, just a lovely winey mature-red-wine smell. In mouth the browning red fruits of grenache are much more apparent, with the syrah component near-invisible. There is still good plumpness, even though the flavours are mature. One taster was at pains to say the wine was too old, but the texture and palate deny this. It will be wonderful with food, as many well-constructed Cotes du Rhone wines are in maturity. Perfect now, cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 08/16

nv Champagne Tarlant Brut Nature Zero Dosage 17 ½ (

)

Oeuilly / Epernay, Champagne, France: 12%; $80 [ standard champagne cork; cepage PN 34%, Ch 33, PM 33, based on 2007 vintage wine, plus some Reserve; primary fermentation in s/s, Reserve wines in barrel, no MLF; c.6 years en tirage; dosage 0 g/L; more information in Stelzer; www.tarlant.com ]
Deep straw, the deepest wine. Bouquet is similar to the Cuvée Louis, just a little softer reflecting the percentage of pinot meunier, as well as the autolysis being 'only' five years, in contrast to Louis, so that tiny marmite edge hasn't developed. Bouquet has nearly a suggestion of anzac biscuits in baguette crust, and some Vogel's Wholegrain. In mouth the quality of fruit is so good, and the dry extract likewise, that the thought of the wine being zero dosage simply does not arise. This tastes like grand cru fruit. Like Louis, this too is a characterful wine, and won't suit those looking for delicacy and understatement in their bubbly. Again, cellaring 2 – 5 years might be best, perhaps even less than Louis. GK 10/15

2009 Ch Tauzinat L'Hermitage 17 ½ (

)

Saint Emilion, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $34 [ cork (50 mm); Me 85%, CF 15, planted @ 6000 vines / ha, average vine age c.30 years, calcareous underlying materials, hand-harvesting and sorting; extended cuvaison; up to 15 months in 33% new French oak; same owners as Ch Taillefer, Denis Dubourdieu consults; www.chateautaillefer.com ]
Ruby, below midway in depth. Bouquet is more 'classic' than the top two wines, an attractive cassis and plum quality and the finest oak in the batch of 12 French wines, real suggestions of potential cedar. Palate however shows quite an austere structure, you would swear it had significant cabernet sauvignon as well as cabernet franc in the cepage. It is leaner among the French than first thought, but not at all so alongside the Hawkes Bay wines. Very reputable cru bourgeois not showing hot year attributes at all, to cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 06/12

2000 Ch du Tertre 17 ½ (

)

Margaux 5th Growth, Bordeaux, France: 13%; $100 [ CS 85%, Me 10, CF 5; French oak 30% new, 18 months ]
Older again than the Kingsley, ruby and velvet. Bouquet is rich and very ripe, almost leathery in a plummy way, not suggesting the given cabernet dominance very much, or the new oak claimed. It reminds very much of another sturdy Margaux, Ch Siran. Palate is browner and more integrated than the kiwis, seemingly older (unusually), with foursquare plummy flavours showing overtones of chestnuts and brett, very ripe velvety tannins, but robust rather than fine. It does show the kind of palate weight we need, though, if our wines are to achieve top-shelf rating. Cellar 15 – 20 years. GK 10/04

2004 Tohu Sauvignon Blanc Mugwi 17 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $27 [ www.tohuwines.co.nz ]
Bright lemongreen, a lovely colour. This is a strong sauvignon, tending more to the style of the Vidal wine, but it is let down by some armpit character on bouquet. Palate shows big black passionfruit, red capsicum and honeysuckle flavours, a softer mouthfeel than the Vidal, and more character than its milder sibling, the straight Tohu. Finish seems a little sweeter than the straight wine, but may merely reflect lower total acid at the same residual. It is hard to accurately unravel all the interactions of wine flavour by taste alone. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 12/04

2004 Ch Troplong-Mondot 17 ½ (

)

St Emilion Grand Cru, Bordeaux, France: 14%; $121 [ cork; vineyard cepage Me 80%, CF 10, CS 10, average age 50 – 55 years, planted @ 5 500 – 6 500 vines / ha, and cropped @ just under 2 t/ac. ]
Ruby and velvet, about midway in depth. Bouquet has the soft raspberry fragrance of cabernet franc, in plum and some cassis, attractively St Emilion in style. Oaking is light. Palate is soft and slightly unfocussed alongside the Medocs, a trace of retained malolactic fermentation odours persisting, but the fruits ripe and gentle, the oak potentially cedary, the nett impression classical. This is not as concentrated as the Palmer, but it is riper – in a faintly buttery way. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 12/07

2003 Ch Troplong-Mondot 17 ½ (

)

St Emilion Grand Cru, Bordeaux, France: 14%; $120 [ cork; Me 80%, CF 10, CS 10; average age vines 50 years; up to 5 weeks cuvaison depending on vintage, then up to 24 months in new oak; Advocate 92, Spectator 91 ]
Ruby and velvet, not as rich as the Pavie, below midway. Bouquet on this wine is darkly fruity in a nearly raisiny way, with plenty of toasty oak, quite modern. Palate does not yet fulfill the promise of bouquet, for though the berry and fruit are reasonable, the tannins are hard, and the flavours (including a chocolate note from the oak) relatively short and phenolic, almost stalky. This seems a hot-year wine, as if full physiological maturity in the berry was curtailed by water stress, leaving some under-ripe tannins. Still recognisably Bordeaux though, and should develop into a pleasing bottle as it loses tannin. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 11/06

2005 Ch Troplong-Mondot 17 ½ (

)

Saint Emilion, Bordeaux, France: 14.5%; $265 [ cork; optimal en primeur landed in NZ price $265, retail up to $600; Me 80%, CF 10, CS 10; average vine age 35 years; 100% new French barriques for 22 months; 10000 cases; Parker 4/08: The 2005 is one of the monumental wines of the vintage, and may eclipse their prodigious 1990. Inky/blue/purple-colored with an exceptional bouquet of Asian spices, blueberries, blackberries, truffles, cold steel, graphite, and charcoal, it hits the palate with exceptional purity, laser-like precision, a compellingly concentrated, multilayered mouthfeel, a broad, savory texture, terrific acidity, and substantial, but sweet tannins. It lives up to everything it revealed in barrel, and appears set to live for a half century or more. Anticipated maturity: 2018-2050.. 99; WS 3/08: Exhibits aromas of coffee, ripe fruit, wild mushroom and blackberry. Dark and very complex. Full-bodied and chewy, yet velvety and beautiful, with intense flavors of blackberry, chocolate and tobacco. Very, very long. This is layered and gorgeous. Best after 2016. 6,250 cases made. 96; JR 4/06: Dark purple. Rather savoury and dense. Lots of voluptuous fruit and heady, tarry flavours with a strong liquorice element and pretty dry tannins but there is beguiling silky fruit in the middle. Someone here has run with the concept that this is an exceptional vintage and the wine deserves to be exceptional in style but it’s not a trial to taste or drink! Clean, brisk finish. 17 + ]
Ruby and velvet, above midway in depth, but one of the most developed. This wine shares many attributes with the Cos, including a certain broadness consequent on over-ripeness, again pandering to the American taste. Bottled plums and milk chocolate are the key notes. In mouth it is almost Australian, nearly leathery, with soft rich plummy fruit well dominant over oak. It is the kind of wine which gives some encouragement to the Irvine style of merlot (at least in their coolest years), from South Australia. After the tasting, scanning the bottles revealed an alcohol of 14.5%, surely all the confirmation one needs for the assertion that this kind of wine forsakes classic claret ideals in terms of florality, beauty, style and structure, to please latter-day obvious new world palates. Sad is the only word for it. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 10/08

2004 Bodegas Valdemar Conde de Valdemar Rioja Reserva 17 ½ (

)

Rioja, Spain: 14%; $26 [ cork; Te 90%, mazuelo 10; 18 months in American and French oak; www.valdemar.es ]
Ruby, and some garnet. Total bouquet has a lot going on, a lot of fragrant pinot-like tempranillo, a lot of citrusy American oak, and some VA lift. On palate the fruit richness carries the VA, the oak again has the attractive 'one blue-mouldy orange in a carton' smell, and as with some others, the oak is more apparent than real. There is the fruit to attenuate it. An old-style / traditional Spanish red, but slightly flawed so not such a great long-term cellar prospect. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 08/11

2000 J. Vidal-Fleury Cote Rotie 17 ½ (

)

Cote Rotie, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $80 [ understood to be 15% Vi ]
Lightish ruby. A wonderful bouquet which in the blind tasting has to be classic Cote Rotie, sublimely floral, pure carnations and wall-flowers, some white pepper, cassis below. Palate is not up to the intensity of the bouquet, as is so often the case, intense florals presaging slight under-ripeness of palate, as in many New Zealand pinot noirs. Actual berry weight is pleasing, but it is all a little stalky and acid. Such wines can be great with food, and in that context work like pinot noir.

A key point for New Zealand is, this wine is reputed to have 15% viognier in it. Our winemakers are being very timid about viognier, and reluctant to go beyond the 2 – 4% they are trying now. I would urge a higher percentage. This wine is said to illustrate why one would not have 15% viognier. The assumptions are erroneous: it is not the viognier causing the stalkiness in this wine, but the sub-optimal ripeness of the syrah. 2000 is only an average year in Cote Rotie. This was a great wine to include in the blind review, for it illustrates one end of the diversity of styles syrah can legitimately express, and which we in New Zealand need to strive to emulate. At the moment we are still too much influenced by the over-ripe, one-dimensional wines of Australia. The Vidal-Fleury will cellar better than one might suppose, say 5 – 10 years. GK 12/04

2005 Vieux Chateau Certan 17 ½ (

)

Pomerol, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $349 [ cork 50mm; Me 80%, CF 20, planted to 5800 vines / ha; cuvaison up to 21 days; 2005 was 18 months in 100% new barrels; 3,300 cases; www.vieuxchateaucertan.com ]
Ruby and velvet, one of the freshest, below midway in weight. Bouquet is very familiar, and immediately like straightforward New Zealand merlot, all pure and fragrant, but in the fragrant / floral component there is a clear leafy suggestion. Palate is neat and elegant, not a big wine, high-quality oak, the tannins noticeable, not all perfectly ripe but not as stemmy as the Conseillante seemed to be. The two wines have a lot in common, all the same, but the Certan seems lesser, for this bottle. Not so much so as to mark lower, though: scoring / achieving relativity can be so demanding. Since any bottle of Vieux Chateau Certan is a rarity in itself, a measure of disappointment, here, when its identity was revealed. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 11/15

1999 Le Vieux Donjon Chateauneuf-du-Pape 17 ½ (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $128 [ cork, 46mm; original cost $58; Gr 75%, Sy 10, Mv 10, balance minor varieties, 75% of the vines more than 80 years old; 18 – 25 days cuvaison, 50% destemming (particularly the Mv), cuvaison to 25 days; elevation 18 – 24 months in large old wood; not filtered in 1999; production c.4,000 9-litre cases; moreso even than Domaine Charvin and Clos des Papes, each with their ‘Cotes du Rhone’ (or equivalent) junior wines, Vieux Donjon makes only one red Chateauneuf, one white. As with the other two, this means the buyer is getting the essence of the place; J. L-L, 2008: ... the bouquet is moving into a downhome, rather funky stage, with red fruits, overt pepper present, tea aromas also. It is wide, mostly clear for now. The palate red fruit has shoulders, is pretty robust and meaty. It ends on a pepper, grainy, pine-resin note. The pepper and a cocoa effect run through the fruit, showing some of the vintage acidity. The fruit persists well, and the wine is getting there now. “It is a little rustic, or animal this year; it was closed for a long time, but since early 2007 it started to open up,” – Claire Michel, winemaker. To 2024, ****(*); R. Parker, 2000: ... backward, concentrated, dense. It is slightly massive, with lots of up-front fruit. It is a serious, full-bodied effort with notes of dried herbs, smoke, licorice, black cherry liqueur, and cassis, multiple layers on the mid-palate, and that sweet, rich, authoritative finish that comes from old vines as well as low yields. Anticipated maturity: 2003-2015, 90 - 92; the website is just a holding page; www.levieuxdonjon.fr ]
Garnet and ruby, just below midway in depth. This wine took a little while to clear, there being an unusual almost ‘canned green bean’ note on the newly-opened bottle. It developed in glass to a wine suggesting high mourvedre, quite dark, rich, lightly spicy and aromatic, no new oak. Palate lightened things up to a degree, clear cinnamon-influenced grenache now, but darker syrah and mourvedre still very obvious, rich furry but fine-grained tannins showing even a hint of coffee notes, and a very long flavour. In one sense it seems drying to the finish, yet it is so rich you feel it needs another 10 years, to crust in bottle and lose some tannins. Interesting wine, which two people rated top, and two second-favourite. The winemakers thought this wine showed a whole-bunch influence, and it is certainly part of the stated winemaking. This character seemed less obvious to me than in the fragrant Charvin and Saint Cosme wines, however. Cellar another 10 years at least. GK 03/19

2007 Domaine Le Vieux Donjon Chateauneuf-du-Pape 17 ½ (

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Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $125 [ cork 49mm, ullage 18mm; original cost $65; Gr 75%, Sy 10, Mv 10, balance minor varieties, 75% of the vines more than 80 years old; 18 – 25 days cuvaison, 50% destemming (particularly the Mv), co-fermentation, cuvaison to 25 days; elevation c.18 months in large old wood; not fined, lightly filtered; production c.4,000 x 9-litre cases; moreso even than Domaine Charvin and Clos des Papes, each with their ‘Cotes du Rhone’ (or equivalent) junior wines, Vieux Donjon makes only one red Chateauneuf, one white. As with the other two, this means the buyer is getting the essence of the place; Philippe Cambie consults; J.L-L, 2011: Really wide, also sweet spread across the nose, plum as in Grenache, with cocoa and slightly meaty notes, an intense black berry. The nose is showing some game notes now. The palate is tighter than the nose, comes with ripe tannin sides, a flavour of chicken stock in the plum fruit with liqueur style late notes, a hallmark of this big vintage. It is fat towards the finish. It ends on herbs, thyme, baked notes. This is never going to be a subtle wine. To 2028, ****(*); JD@RP, 2014: Up there with the 2010 in terms of quality, the 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape dishes out loads of plum, lavender, ground pepper and licorice in its full-bodied, ripe and layered profile. Possessing a rock-star texture, no hard edges and beautiful concentration, it’s drinking nicely now, and should continue to evolve gracefully for another decade. To 2024, 96; the website: www.levieuxdonjon.fr is (still !) merely a holding page: good summary at: www.chateauneuf.dk/en/cdpen58.htm ]
Ruby and velvet, a suggestion of garnet, just below midway in depth. Bouquet is slightly unusual on this wine, a complex aromatic quality which a winemaker likened to a hint of smoke taint. It is almost completely buried in rich berryfruit again showing just a suggestion of the 2007 over-ripe jam-tart character. In mouth the fruit richness is exemplary, helped by the relatively lower alcohol, and no noticeable oak at all. Yet the wine has beautiful tannin structure. As so often, Vieux Donjon is appealing Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Tasters liked this wine, three first places, two second. Cellar 10 – 15 years. GK 10/19

2010 Domaine du Vieux Lazaret Chateauneuf-du-Pape 17 ½ (

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Southern Rhone Valley, France: 15%; $67 [ cork 49mm; Gr 75%, Sy 15, Ci 5; Mv and minor vars 5; cuvaison up to 21 days; 18 months elevation, mostly in vat, 15 % in foudre, none new; Parker records the wine being made for early drinking; imported by Maison Vauron, Auckland; www.famillequiot.com ]
Ruby and velvet, in the middle for depth. Bouquet contrasts with the Cuvée Exceptionelle, in that the fruit and berry characters are less precise, and there are greater warm year / leathery qualities to the wine. Palate shows red grading to black fruits, more blackberry apparent than the top wines, and the texture less smooth and velvety. This is more a sturdy warm year 'typical' modern Chateauneuf-du-Pape, sound, cellar-worthy, but lacking magic. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 07/16

2009 Domaine Vindemio Cotes du Ventoux Amadeus 17 ½ (

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Cotes du Ventoux AOC, Southern Rhone Valley, France: 15%; $38 [ cork; Gr 80%, Sy 20, from 60-year old vines; said to be no oak use at all; the website is nominal, as yet; proprietor trained as a pharmacist; www.vindemio.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, nearly as dense as the Vindemio Imagine and just as youthful. Bouquet shows an attractive whole-berry component on fruit nearly as ripe as Imagine, surprisingly dark for grenache-dominant but not quite as chocolatey as the higher-syrah wine. Palate is bone dry, more spicy than Imagine, again clearly spirity which accentuates the cinnamon of grenache. These top Vindemios are both full-throttle, high-octane, American / Australian-style over-ripe wines in one sense, but their lack of oak lightens them wonderfully and makes them very drinkable. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 11/10

2007 Domaine Vindemio Cotes du Ventoux Imagine 17 ½ (

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Cotes du Ventoux AOC, Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $26 [ cork; Sy 50%, Gr 50; proprietor trained as a pharmacist; said to be no oak use at all; the website is nominal, as yet; www.vindemio.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, one of the two deepest in the set. Bouquet is soft, lightly fragrant and deeply Cotes du Rhone / Chateauneuf-du-Pape in style, but tending modern, with suggestions of chocolate. Palate is furry on grape tannins, the chocolatey character may come from sur-maturité more than oak, and the whole wine is faintly estery. It needs two years to settle down, develop some bouquet, and drop a little tannin. Wonderfully rich, a lot of wine for the price, showing more evidence of oak (these notes attempt to convey the taste, note the admin section) than Regain. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 07/10

2011 [ Obsidian ] Weeping Sands Montepulciano 17 ½ (

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Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.5%; $35 [ screwcap; hand-harvested, all de-stemmed; 10 months in French oak 30% new; 460 cases; www.obsidian.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, excellent. Bouquet is deeper and darker than the tempranillo, darker berries, even on bouquet a more rough-hewn hearty berry character, extraordinarily reminiscent of Montepulciano d'Abruzzo but technically purer than most. Palate is juicy, darkly plum with a touch of blackberry yet a suggestion of stalks too, much subtler oaking than some earlier reds from this stable, again well in style with the Italian original. These two extraordinarily pure wines, the 2011 Weeping Sands Tempranillo and the complementary Montepulciano, are despite the modest vintage the most clear-cut statement yet that these two varieties show great promise for warmer parts of New Zealand. Exciting. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 08/12

2005 Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon * 17 + (

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Margaret River, West Australia, Australia: 14%; $132 [ screwcap; cepage typically CS 93%, PV 4, CF 3, hand-picked; 17 - 21 days cuvaison; MLF and c. 20 months in French oak, 50% new, balance 1-year; sterile-filtered to bottle; * = not part of the blind tasting, bottle opened afterwards courtesy Andrew Swann; www.mosswood.com.au ]
Good ruby, the third to lightest. In the set (afterwards), this is immediately the most oaky wine of the group, by a considerable margin, so vanillin aromas predominate over mellowing ripe cassisy qualities, plus the faintest mint. In sensory terms West Australia is cool enough to retain genuine cassis aromatics, one of the district's charms. Palate is richly cassisy but again very oaky, much too much new-world in styling to sit easily in a Bordeaux tasting. Fruit weight is about on a par with the Ch Talbot, not particularly rich or heavy, which again makes the oak treatment stand out. But in comparison with many Australian offerings of the grape, and particularly their more heroic styles, there is a delicacy and varietal complexity in this cabernet which is pleasing. Also there is no obvious euc'y taint – just the faintest mint. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 06/15

2007 Felton Road Pinot Noir Cornish Point 17 + (

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Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $55 [ screwcap; winery release price, nearer $65 in retailers; hand-harvested in a cooler year, 25 – 30% whole-bunch, wild-yeast fermentation; c. 12 months in French oak c. 30% new, not fined or filtered; www.feltonroad.com ]
Older but deepish pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is mixed, with clear cherry and blackboy fruit, yet also a hint of premature development / decay in the forest-floor sense. It is slightly reductive, adding to the latter impression. Palate however is full of flavour, juicy, a lot of slightly leafy red fruits, oakier than the later vintages. Flavoursome wine, but a little stalky reflecting the cooler year. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 06/11

2013 Church Road Chardonnay Tom 17 + (

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Tukituki Valley, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $150 [ Stelvin Lux; hand-picked from conservatively cropped vines in the company's cooler Tukituki Vineyard; 60% clone mendoza (the clone responsible for Australia's most famous chardonnay, Leeuwin Estate); whole-bunch pressed, wild-yeast fermentations and spontaneous MLF in barrel, some batonnage; 11 months in barrel, 54% new; the barrels selected for Tom then aged in tank 12 months on light lees, then bottled with only light filtering; RS 3.5 g/L; around 300 cases; www.churchroad.co.nz ]
Glowing lemonstraw, above midway in depth, a sensational colour. Once sniff however, and this is a wine to divide tasters. The level of reduction (with a faint hint of mercaptan 'tar / creosote') here is tending too high on my scale of sensory values, but those blind to reduced sulfurs, and apologists for the wine, will be heard using waffle words like 'funky', 'flinty' and 'mineral' to try and put a positive spin on the winestyle. And in fairness it has to be said, as recently discussed for sauvignon blanc, that these reductive winestyles are in vogue / 'fashionable', those favouring them being oblivious to the fact that beauty is being compromised at best, and destroyed at worst, and that many people find them variously offensive. The fact some white burgundies show the same qualities does not alter the basic facts. The French can make mistakes too. All that said, however, the colour alone suggests there is more to this wine than the bouquet, and this is indeed the case. In mouth the concentration of golden queen peachy fruit, and lees autolysis and barrel ferment complexities on palate, is wonderful (if you ignore the sulphide flavours), with total acid tasting higher than the 2010 (confirmed). The impression of concentration is augmented by the debatable, even regrettable, 3.5 g/L of residual sugar, but that is where the wine stopped, Chris Scott advises, and it is stable. For now it is hidden by the palate-firmness resulting from reduction. It is not hard or sour, however, in the way the much more reductive Pegasus Bay 2013 Chardonnay is. With its concentration and other attributes, it should absorb its reductive qualities in time, though the resulting wine will end up pretty 'toasty' – to use another waffle word. Give it 5 years or so to achieve that. If you like the style, this is a surefire cellar bet, for 10 – 30 years. Yes, 30 years: 1980 McWilliams Chardonnay, the spiritual forbear of this wine, is still drinking pleasantly as an old wine, and it had a fraction the dry extract of this 2013 Tom. Score has to be an averaging out of conflicting attributes. GK 06/16

2016 Delas Freres Cotes du Rhône Saint-Esprit 17 + (

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Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $22 [ cork, 50mm; Sy 60%, Gr 40; all destemmed, c.15 days cuvaison; aged 8 months in vats, then bottled; annual production c.42,000 9-L cases; Joe Czerwinski @ RP, Nov. 2017: ... a screaming value. It offers bold black cherry and blueberry fruit aromas, lively fruit flavors, silky tannins and a crisp, lengthy mocha-tinged finish. Drink over the next couple of years, 87; bottle weight 581 g; www.delas.com ]
The third deepest wine, again reflecting its high percentage of syrah. This label has been around for decades, so one tends to think of Delas Cotes du Rhône as the ‘challenger’ to Guigal's supremacy in this market-leading $20 price slot. This example is a dramatically good edition of Saint-Esprit, highly varietal, the syrah nearly dianthus floral, suggestions of white and black pepper, lovely garrigue aromatics, clear dark berry fruit of nearly cassis quality, great purity. Palate is not quite as mellow as the Guigal, less sign of oak complexity, but equally good fruit richness, and greater purity. This is the best Saint-Esprit I can recall, a wine to cellar 5 – 15 years. Two first places, three second, a good result for its affordable price. This wine and the Guigal closed off the clearly superior six wines of the tasting. GK 04/18

2009 Kidnapper Cliffs Malbec 17 + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $45 [ cork; Ma 100% typically hand-picked @ c.5 t/ha = 2 t/ac; all de-stemmed, 7 days cold-soak, total cuvaison 13 days, MLF preferably with the alcoholic fermentation but in any case before barrel; typically 18 – 20 months in French 300s and 220s, 25% new; www.kidnappercliffs.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, between the 2009 and 2010 syrahs in weight, much denser than the pinotage. Like the pinotage, this wine is pure and fresh, showing red and black fruits, pretty well ripened by New Zealand standards, but not as ripe as serious high-quality Argentinean malbec, or the 2002 Villa Maria Omahu. Like pinotage, but less so, malbec tends to a slight olives-related note in its berry bouquet, green in less-ripe wines, black in riper examples. Palate in this wine brings one back down-to-earth with a thump, the wine being more typical New Zealand malbec, tending under-ripe and stalky in mixed red-plummy and berry flavours, short and hard on the tongue, phenolics obtrusive. Malbec is essentially out of our ripening comfort zone, even on the Gimblett Gravels. It can be done, but not often. In the set, this is one of the fragrant wines, and that is a plus, but it is partly a consequence of sub-optimal ripeness. Cellar 5 – 15 years, in its style. GK 08/11

2013 Sileni Cabernet Franc Cellar Selection 17 + (

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Bridge Pa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $20 [ screwcap; CF 100%, machine-harvested at just under 2 t/ac from 13-year vines; 35 days cuvaison; 9 months in barrel 60% French, 40 American, 30% new; oak level reflects winemaking for Reserve tier, being sold as Cellar Selection; fined and filtered; RS 1 g/L; www.sileni.co.nz ]
Ruby, below midway in the lightest third. Bouquet shows the lovely raspberry-nuanced red currant more than black currant character of cabernet franc, the red berry qualities differentiating it from cabernet sauvignon. Palate is intriguing, capturing cabernet franc at just enough ripeness to be berried rather than leafy, but it is close. This is a vivid expression of the variety, and from memory, critically riper than one I endorsed (over-enthusiastically) a few years ago. It is therefore exciting wine, yet in its simplicity (in one sense) it shows how infinitely hard and subtle it will be to achieve the richer, riper and more complex yet still fragrant red-fruited franc which certain estates in Saint-Emilion achieve. What a joy the red-fruits palate is, not being crippled with oak, as is the norm for cabernet franc in Australia and New Zealand. Clearly silver medal wine. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/14

2011 Mount Beautiful Pinot Noir 17 + (

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Northernmost Canterbury, New Zealand: 13.5%; $31 [ Stelvin Lux; www.mtbeautiful.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. You can't help but be excited, when the first red / pinot noir from a new Canterbury vineyard area turns up. Bouquet is in the familiar New Zealand pinot style such as some high 10/5 wines have shown, with a kind of dusky red roses florality on red grading to black cherry fruit. Palate shows a little tannin as yet (naturally enough), but there is medium fruit and careful oaking to match. Flavours are between blackboy and cherry, perhaps reflecting young vines. Promise here. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 04/13

2015 Craggy Range Merlot / Cabernets Te Kahu 17 + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.9%; $26 [ screwcap; Me 76%, CS 14, CF 8, Ma 2, 80% machine-harvested at 6.4 t/ha = 2.6 t/ac;
100% de-stemmed; fermented in s/s; 17 months in French oak 18% new; fined and filtered; RS nil; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby and velvet, clearly darker than the Gimblett Gravels Merlot, reflecting the cabernet content. One sniff and this is clearly Craggy Range's 'commercial' / more affordable bordeaux blend, loaded up with oak to appeal to that sector of the market which equates more oak with better wine. Below the fragrant cedary oak is good dark plummy berry. The 22% cabernets plus 2% malbec takes the winestyle more towards the Medoc than the cepage would have you believe. In mouth the oak reinforces that interpretation, the wine being reasonably firm. Length of berry flavour is good, nearly matching the oak, but fruit weight / dry extract is on the light side. Te Kahu has become a highly reliable and affordable label in the Craggy range, and serves them well as an ambassador. Cellar 5 – 18 years. GK 08/18

2008 Champagne Taittinger Brut Millesime 17 + (

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Reims, Champagne, France: 12.5%; $115 [ standard compound cork; PN 50%, Ch 50, ‘mostly’ grand cru vineyards; MLF employed; en tirage c.6 years; dosage 9 g/L; www.taittinger.com ]
Good lemon, right in the middle for depth. There is a shadow of something in the bouquet which reminds me of shellfish, and initially detracts very slightly from otherwise clear autolysis on fair fruit. In mouth the blend of fruit, autolysis and dosage is harmonious and pleasing, though the flavours are stronger than some. The whole thing doesn't quite sing, you realise after several sips – trace reduced sulphur somewhere, I suspect, but you can't put your finger on it. With the richness, the nett result if you are not looking for perfection is pretty good. Cellar 5 – 20 years, probably to marry up agreeably. GK 05/17

nv Nautilus Methode Traditionelle Cuvée Marlborough Brut 17 + (

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Marlborough, New Zealand: 12%; $42 [ compound conventional cork; based on 2012 fruit; 7 g/L dosage; www.nautilusestate.com ]
Light straw, deeper than any of the white champagnes it was tasted with. Bouquet is not so convincing, in this batch of 11 methodes. It is clean and pure, but it is a little too 'fruity', in an older style of New Zealand methode champenoise. The magic of champagne is the achievement of substance and presence (dry extract) without fruity smells and flavours. There is autolysis complexity in the bouquet, but it doesn't quite capture the magic of 'concept baguette'. Palate is neat and taut, much more in line, quite powerful with the autolysis now more apparent, but the phenolics are in fact higher than the Huia, notwithstanding the latter's oak. Cellar 3 – 10 years, to soften. GK 06/16

2013 Brookfields Syrah Hillside * 17 + (

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Bridge Pa / Maraekakaho Road, south of, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $45 [ cork 50mm; Sy 100%, nil whole-bunch; MLF in tank; c.12 months in unspecified oak, a higher percentage new; RS 'dry'; released; www.brookfieldsvineyards.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, in the middle for depth. Bouquet is big, three components fighting for attention, dark berry, obvious oak, and eucalyptus taint. The latter masks any possibility of seeing varietal florals. In mouth the wine has good body and plenty of flavour, and is very aromatic, so much so that it seems almost Australian. But as soon as you out of curiosity, do open a bottle of Filsell Shiraz alongside, the New Zealand wine is fragrant and neat in comparison: interesting. Actual fruit richness and suppleness is attractive, and apart from the spurious aromatic, this wine will give pleasure to many. Some tasters marked the wine up on this aromatic character, noteworthy. Cellar 5 – 18 years. GK 05/15

2004 Craggy Range Pinot Noir Te Muna 17 + (

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Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $ – [ cork; hand-picked @ c. 1.6 t/ac; 10% whole-bunch, fermented in French oak cuves with wild yeast; 9 months on lees in French oak 50% new; RS nil; www.craggyrange.com ]
Pinot noir ruby, some maturity creeping in. Bouquet is softly floral and fragrant, in a lighter and cooler spectrum than the 2006, embracing buddleia as well as roses and boronia. Below is cherry fruit with a hint of strawberry, clearly red cherry, delivering a pinot which is reminiscent of Cote de Beaune in style. Length of fruit is attractive, on slightly fresh acid and faint stalkyness, plus subtle oak. An attractively varietal wine from a tending cool year, good now or cellar 1 – 5 years. GK 10/07

2007 Ch Palmer 17 + (

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Margaux Third Growth, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $370 [ cork 50mm; cepage this year Me 49%, CS 44, PV 7, average age 35 – 40 years, planted @ 10,000 vines / ha, typically cropped @ c.6 t/ha = 2.4 t/ac; time spent in barrel in better years c.20 months, 45% new, light toast; now rated as one of the undoubted 'super-seconds'; www.chateau-palmer.com ]
Ruby and velvet, surprisingly much fresher than the 2006, just under midway in depth. This wine is slightly different from the others, showing a faintly leafy character through bouquet and palate. There is fragrant cassisy berry apparent, and again this wonderful subtlety of oaking. Here however there is also a green stalky quality on palate, imperfectly ripe tannins, along with good berryfruit, reminding of many more-commercial New Zealand merlot-dominant blends. These are the hazards of temperate-climate viticulture. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 11/15

2009 Escarpment Pinot Noir Kupe 17 + (

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Te Muna Road, Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $80 [ Supercritical Diam cork, 46mm; hand-harvested mainly clone Abel at 4 t/ha = 1.6 t/ac, 40% whole-bunches in ferments, fermented in French cuves; 12 months in French oak, 50% new; egg-white fining, not filtered; dry extract 29 g/L, RS <1 g/L; production c.500 x 9-L cases; Cooper, 2012: a powerful masculine wine, with deep, notably concentrated flavours of plums and spices. Crying out for more time, it should flourish for many years; open 2013+, *****; weight bottle and closure: 576 g; www.escarpment.co.nz ]
Medium pinot noir ruby, just above midway in depth. This wine stands slightly aside from the set, on account of its tell-tale pennyroyal mintyness. Other tasters commented likewise. You have to wonder whether neighbouring properties have eucalypts on them. The mint to a degree interferes with accurate interpretation of the wine's floral qualities, but it is certainly floral. In mouth there is the freshness of good pinot noir, the oak now seeming beautifully subtle, red fruits dominant over black, attractive texture, but also a hint of stalks. The winemakers at Escarpment are keen on a whole-bunch component, so it is a question of degree, whether or not there is too much, as well as the timing of picking date. Interesting and clearly varietal wine, depending on your sensitivity to mint. Cellar 3 – 8 years, maybe 10. Nobody rated this their top or second wine, or thought it French, and one thought it a $100-plus bottle. GK 07/16

2003 Neudorf Pinot Noir Home Vineyard 17 + (

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Moutere Hills, Nelson, New Zealand: 14.5%; $73 [ screwcap; clones 10/5, 5 and 22, up to 23 years, harvested @ c.5 t/ha (2 t/ac); 100% de-stemmed; 6 days cold soak, wild yeast fermentation, 20 days cuvaison; 10 months French oak 40% new; not fined or filtered; Cooper, 2006: The voluptuous 2003 vintage is deeply coloured, fragrant, savoury and complex, with beautifully rich, ripe flavours – ranging from cherries, plums and spice, to raisins, nuts and liquorice – and firm underlying tannins. It’s a very bold style, but retains clear varietal character. Drink now or cellar, *****; Tanzer, 2005: Saturated deep red. Red raspberry fruit overshadowed by sweet, spicy oak and caramel on the nose. Fat, lush and ripe, but not as sweet or forward as the basic bottling despite the soft texture. Less sappy and more oaky pinot, finishing with more evidence of wood tannins, 87; www.neudorf.co.nz ]
Mature pinot noir ruby, just below midway. Like the Felton Road wine, as age creeps up on the wine balance, components which were previously complexity in the flush of youthful fruit now look less convincing. The wine is fragrant partly from trace oxidation, but there is a clear leafy quality in the fading florals. Palate shows good fruit, but both oak and stalk suggestions are apparent, the former exacerbating the latter. Some acid too. In retrospect, more perfect ripening, or sorting of the fruit, seems needed. Oak is greater than the Felton Road, but it is uncanny how similar these two wines are, for districts so far apart climatically and in kilometres. This too has the fruit to hold, but it is unlikely to improve. GK 11/13

2007 Ash Ridge Wines Syrah Cardoness Vineyard 17 + (

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Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12.7%; $28 [ supercritical cork; Sy 100% hand-picked; whole-berry ferment; 12 months in French oak, none new; 140 cases; Catalogue: It displays wonderful aromas of dark berry fruits, an intense palate of blackberry flavours interwoven with fine tannins, and a lingering finish of spice and chocolate; www.ashridgewines.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet. Bouquet is attractively fragrant, nearly some dianthus floral notes on light spice / pepper and red fruits. Palate is ripe, not a big wine, but clear cassis, some dark plum, a suggestion of black pepper, subtle oak. The finish is a little lean, but the total approach fits in with an appellation like St Joseph very well. This wine displays lovely physiological maturity at a classical French low alcohol – how was that achieved, I wonder. And what a pleasure to have a syrah in the classical Northern Rhone style, no new oak, allowing the variety to speak so eloquently. On both scores, we need more wines like this, made for beauty, not to win medals. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 07/09

2003 Plantagenet Chardonnay 17 + (

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Mount Barker, West Australia, Australia: 13.5%; $25 [ c. 2 t/ac; BF in French oak 50% new, LA and batonnage 10 months; www.plantagenetwines.com ]
Lemongreen, as pale as the chablis. And on bouquet freshly opened, the reason is immediately apparent, with a gunpowder quality more accurately referred to as a reduced sulphur note hinting at mercaptan. This does breathe off, but the wine acutely needs splashy decanting, to optimise it. Breathed it reveals a mineral Puligny-Montrachet style of chardonnay, with barrel-ferment and lees autolysis components reminiscent of some of the earlier Corban's Cottage Block wines. Palate is firm, clearly varietal, white stonefruits, some oak, and mineral. With its higher total sulphur, this will cellar 5 – 15 years, and stay fresh for longer than many. GK 10/05

2012 Waipara Springs Pinot Noir Premo 17 + (

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Waipara Valley, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 14%; $35 [ screwcap; www.waiparasprings.co.nz ]
Another classic pinot noir colour in the sense of Rousseau, the second to lightest wine. Bouquet shows light clean rosy clearly varietal pinot noir, floral in the sense of roses, red fruits, nicely ripe, an intriguing sub-theme also reminding of valpolicella. Flavours are totally red fruits, redcurrant and red cherries, light in one sense but not weak. Winestyle is absolutely Volnay, remarkably so, with good concentration and a little more tannin than you would predict from the bouquet. Being a 2012, cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 06/16

nv Cloudy Bay Pelorus 17 + (

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Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 12.5%; $33 [ cork; Ch > PN typically harvested @ 3.6 t/ac; part of base wine either fermented in oak cuves, or BF in oak; full MLF, up to 8 months LA after primary ferment in a range of vessels; after assembling, at least 2 years en tirage; RS / dosage c. 8 g/L; www.cloudybay.co.nz ]
Lemon. Bouquet is paler than the more highly-ranked wines, chardonnay seeming dominant, some yeast autolysis more baguette crumb than crust, a hint of button mushrooms. Palate shows richer body than the 2006 MiruMiru, but less focused baguette flavours. There is just the subtlest hint of marzipan, a character I normally consider negative in wine, but here its subtlety is acceptable. Be good to see what this wine looks like with another year in bottle. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 11/08

2015 Two Paddocks Pinot Noir Picnic 17 + (

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Central Otago, New Zealand: 13%; $32 [ screwcap – Stelvin Lux; www.twopaddocks.com ]
Pinot noir ruby, below midway in depth. Bouquet is intriguing, floral with buddleia and cream / orange roses, and a suggestion of spicy / smoky complexity. Palate is clean, ripe, attractively balanced to oak and much more concentrated and juicy than the early days of the Picnic label – in short dinkum pinot noir. Except it might not be bone dry, though. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/16

2004 Drouhin Bonnes-Mares 17 + (

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Chambolle-Musigny Grand Cru, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 13%; $238 [ cork; a Drouhin domaine wine, average vine age 25 – 30 years; hand-harvested, fermentation and cuvaison in open wooden vats; c. 18 months in barrels understood to be about 1/3 new; Wine Direct the NZ agents; www.drouhin.com ]
Pinot noir ruby, in the three deepest. Bouquet is complex, with violets and boronia florals, but also savoury / gamey / bretty at a level several tasters objected to. Palate is one of the richest ones, red and black cherries, very aromatic on the gamey notes, long-flavoured. Some tasters thought the level of brett will shorten the cellar potential for this wine. The Bonnes-Mares might have been the richest and finest in the set, if it had been purer. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 12/06

2014 Riverby Estate Pinot Noir Reserve Single Vineyard 17 + (

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Wairau Valley, Marlborough,, New Zealand: 13.5%; $ – [ screwcap; hand-picked from vines up to 18 years age; all destemmed; from the 2014 vintage the Reserve wine is made from specific selected rows of the vineyard, cropped at a significantly lower rate, and raised in special barrels, 14 – 15 months, 30 – 35% new; RS nil; not yet released; www.riverbyestate.com ]
Pinot noir ruby, near the top of the fourth quarter, for weight. Bouquet shows lilac and buddleia florals on all-red fruits and berry, neatly balanced by light oak. Palate is similar, good ripeness, the wine lacking a little in concentration of flavour, but no stalky notes. It is surprisingly like the 2013 Grasshopper, from Alexandra – illustrating yet again the perils of glib generalisations about regional winestyles. A fragrant food wine. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 06/17

2012 Vina Aquitania Pinot Noir Sol de Sol 17 + (

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Malleco Valley, Chile: 13.5%; $43 [ cork, 46mm; PN 100% planted 2002, all hand-harvested; all de-stemmed, some fermented in oak containers, 12 months in French oak, some new; www.aquitania.cl ]
Elegant pinot noir-weight ruby, some development appropriate to its age. Again this is the current-vintage – a pity a withholding policy does not prevail for the Carmenere. Bouquet is understated, clearly varietal, hints only of florals, a dry savoury version of pinot noir more Martinborough than Otago, interesting. Palate shows true pinot noir flavours, Pommard as an analogy springs to mind, that is, relatively simpler and less fragrant than Cote de Nuits, beautifully judged oak, not a big wine but attractive drinking. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 09/18

2007 Craggy Range Chardonnay Gimblett Gravels 17 + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $28 [ screwcap; unspecified clones hand-harvested @ 2.7 t/ac in a vintage the firm considers exceptional; whole-bunch pressed, wild-yeast fermentation in French oak 48% new; 10 – 11 months LA; RS 3 g/L; www.craggyrange.com ]
Pale lemon, a green wash. Bouquet is in the very pale varietal style Craggy seems to be focussing on with their chardonnay, as if there is no clone mendoza in the assemblage. Instead mealy barrel-ferment, lees-autolysis and MLF fermentation complexities dominate, let down somewhat by high alcohol. Palate follows precisely, burning alcohol but attractive flavours more artefact than fruit. Some other chardonnays in this batch reconcile the components much better. Craggy Range's chardonnays so far do not to me show the masterly grasp of wine style some of the reds do. This is exacerbated both by over-ripening the fruit, which reduces florality in the grape, and releasing the wines prematurely. More thought needed here. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 03/08

1991 Kanonkop Cabernet Sauvignon Paul Sauer 17 + (

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Stellenbosch, South Africa: 13%; $100 [ cork 49mm; CS 80, CF 10, Me 10, cropped c. 4 t/ha = 1.6 t/ac, planted on decomposed granites @ c.100m altitude, average vine age 32 at the time; 25 months in 50% new all-French oak; this wine was then regarded as one of the top reds from South Africa, winning the Pichon-Lalande Trophy as best red blend red in the 1994 International Wine & Spirit Competition, London; Platter, 1996: Typical nuttiness with sweet, ripe berry finish, excellent; Wine Spectator, 1995: Unctuous red boasting currant and almost blueberry character, full body, velvety tannins and long, delicious finish. Drink now, 90; www.kanonkop.co.za ]
Ruby and garnet, a little older than the Clos Pegase, below midway in depth. This is an intriguing wine. It is the closest in style to the Californian, more subtle oak handling than the Australians, but there is this distinctive aroma of red earth / roasted chestnuts that so many South African reds show. Behind that is browning cassis very like the Clos Pegase, and nearly cedary oak. Palate has a similar hole in the middle to the Bin 407, plus the trace of earthiness, and some acid adjustment to the tail. Intriguing. Fully mature but will hold some years. Two top votes. GK 10/15

1997 Nicolas Potel Vosne-Romanée Les Beaux-Monts Premier Cru 17 + (

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Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 13%; $ – [ cork; moderate-quality vintage; one needs to be a lot closer to Burgundy than New Zealand, to comment on the standing and inter-relationship of wines in the changing Potel stable ... let alone provide a website ... ]
Classic pinot noir ruby with some garnet too, lightish, the second lightest of the pinot noirs. Bouquet is clean, sound but slightly stalky pinot noir, showing (on bouquet) the best fruit to oak ratio of these four pinots. The wine smells mature, browning cherry fruit, just a little spiced with oak. Palate continues the attractive balance of cherry fruit to oak, the wine supple and fully mature, still (just) finishing fruit-dominant. Good sound but straightforward red burgundy, will hold. GK 12/17

2014 Villa Maria Chardonnay Single Vineyard Taylors Pass 17 + (

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Awatere Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $35 [ screwcap; 95% of the wine is hand-picked clone 95, 5% clone 5 chardonnay, whole-bunch pressed; all BF on highish solids in French oak 30% new, a wild-yeast component; all of the wine through MLF; 8 months LA in barrel; RS 1 g/L; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Gorgeous lemon. Bouquet is unequivocal chardonnay, white stonefruits mainly, a mealy undertone, slightly lactic, high-volume. Palate is not quite so good, spirit seeming a bit high and making the oak too noticeable, good fruit but the MLF component too apparent with lactic flavours, and the acid noticeable too. It may marry up in another couple of years, but at this stage it is a caricature Marlborough chardonnay illustrating why Hawkes Bay is the premier New Zealand district for the grape. This wine certainly has the richness to mellow and marry up in cellar, so the score gives it the benefit of the doubt. Cellar 3 – 12 years. GK 11/15

nv Lindauer Reserve Blanc de Blancs (c. 4 years old) 17 + (

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Gisborne mostly & Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12%; $18 [ cork; this bottle 2011 release; Ch 100%, full MLF; some reserve wine use; c.24 months en tirage; 11 – 12 g/L dosage; www.lindauer.co.nz ]
Light straw with a clear lemon wash, close to the Lanson, glowing and lovely. The 'sweetness' and purity of bouquet on this wine is as good as the 2004 Montana, but it differs in less apparent autolysis, and more citrus zest – which matches the chardonnay dominance. It is remarkably comparable with the Lanson, but you can see it is a blanc de blancs. Palate is gorgeous: four years from release is the absolute 'sweet spot' for the Lindauer Reserve series, the integration of fruit and autolysis is beautiful, and the tannin-handling is exemplary. The Chevalier shows just how good the Lindauer Reserve winemaking is, in this respect. All that lets the wine down is the dosage around 11 g/L, which the proprietors persist with, in their current blinkered approach to marketing the Lindauer Reserve series of sparkling wines. See the comments under the 2004 Lindauer Vintage, above. GK 02/16

2006 Craggy Range Riesling Glasnevin Single Vineyard 17 + (

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Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 9%; $ – [ screwcap; first crop, hand-harvested @ <2.75 t/ac with no botrytis; whole-bunch cool fermentation in s/s, 3 months LA; pH 3.05, RS 30 g/L; www.craggyrange.com ]
Lemon with a wash of green, excellent. This is another very pure wine lacking explicit varietal bouquet. Such wines really do highlight the perils of wine-writing about prematurely released wine (i.e. most New Zealand wines), when one hopes that what can be tasted, will come forward onto the bouquet after a couple of years in bottle. This wine is still pretty mute. Yet in mouth, there is a hint of citrusy fruit, crisp acid, and reasonable length on medium sweetness, and from the lime-zest terpenes it is clearly riesling. I can only wonder why there is so little bouquet, at least today. Hard to score, therefore. It should cellar well, 3 – 10 years. GK 04/09

1979 Jaboulet Cote Rotie Les Jumelles 17 + (

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Cote Rotie, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 12.5%; $ – [ 53mm cork; 2 – 4-star vintage for Broadbent, some good wines in the north, 87 and unreliable now for Parker; Sy 95 – 99, Vi 1 – 5, grapes or juice all bought-in; traditionally no new oak, 9 – 12 months in 2 – 5 year oak; < 1,000 cases; Parker, 1986: Ripe, rich, open-knit, toasty, soft fruity flavours show little tannin. While the 1979 could use a bit more stuffing, it is quite pleasant but should be drunk up, 84; www.jaboulet.com ]
Light garnet and ruby, but wonderfully clear, the lightest colour. Considering that Robert Parker implied this wine should be finished up in 1986, reflecting the American consumerist norm, the first thing to say is: decant the bottle the day before, prepare a lightly-styled main meal, poultry or veal for example, and prepare to be enchanted. Once breathed, the faded carnations / dianthus florality on this wine 35 years later is an absolute delight. There is clear cassis also browning, delicate cracked peppercorns, and lovely flesh – considering its age. I used it for a birthday dinner recently, and it pleased greatly. The wine is light but pure and wonderfully true to its appellation, clearly burgundian in structure. Incidentally, nobody rated this is their least wine, so these notes are not too fanciful. Fully mature to fading a little now, naturally enough. GK 09/14

2007 Johner Pinot Noir Reserve 17 + (

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Gladstone, Wairarapa, New Zealand: 13.8%; $50 [ screwcap; in 2007 mostly clone 115 hand-harvested @ a very low 0.6 t/a from the oldest vines; destemmed; 5 weeks cuvaison, matured 'mostly' in new oak; RS 2.7 g/L, sugar-free dry extract 31.7 g/L; www.johner-estate.com ]
Big pinot noir ruby, maybe too big, a little darker and older than any of the Feltons. The wine has a lot of bouquet, and is very fragrant, another pinot overlapping with a Cote Rotie styling of syrah. There is a touch of pepper in both cherry and plummy fruit, all with a little more bottled fruit character than the fresher Feltons. In mouth fruit richness is very good, but total acid is up a bit, and oak is at a maximum for both the acid and the suggestion of stalk, so the overlap with Cote Rotie continues. I wonder if maximum fermentation temperatures were higher here than for the Feltons ? This should cellar well over the 3 – 10 year period, and be an intriguing wine throughout. As with previous Johners, there is this touch of leaf, but it has to be said that character is found in Burgundy in sub-optimal seasons, too. It is however a sign of less than perfect physiological maturity, offset by some raisining maybe. Finish may not be rigorously bone-dry [confirmed]. GK 03/09

2005 White Rock Sauvignon Blanc The Infamous Goose 17 + (

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Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $17 [ screwcap; a label of Capricorn subsidiary of Craggy Range ]
Palest lemon. This wine opens a little disorganised, and is a more subdued bouquet alongside the Tohu, but it is still clearly varietal. Characters on bouquet include a high solids component and what seems like a barrel-ferment component, as well as sauvignon fruit. The result is the palate is much more impressive than the bouquet, with a richness, roundness, and good sugar / acid balance to it that Tohu lacks. Finish is ‘dry’. This seems a modern and experimental style of sauvignon blanc, with a lot more winemaker input, which will score higher in a year. It should be very good with food. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 02/06

2014 Greywacke Wild Sauvignon 17 + (

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Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $ – [ screwcap; fruit from both Southern Valleys and Wairau Plains, mix of hand-pick and machine, at roughly 9 – 10 t/ha = 3.6 – 4 t/ac; no SO2 at press, no skin contact, only the lightest pressings used, all juice cold-settled then into barrels, 93% older oak (up to 9 years), 7% new (light toast); long wild-yeast fermentations quite warm initially, usually extending to 11 – 12 months, occasionally longer, MLF typically 66% but ranging from 50 – 75% of barrels; the wine then assembled in s/s with full lees and held 6 or so months; RS 3 – 3.5 g/L, sterile-filtered to bottle; Wild has now grown to 25% of all Greywacke sauvignon; www.greywacke.com ]
Rich lemon with a wash of straw, the second deepest wine, so a little out of line. This one too has just a thought of reduction, freshly presented, but otherwise shows considerable integration achieved in the one year, relative to the 2015. Nett impression is more of chardonnay than sauvignon blanc, on bouquet, slightly lifted stonefruit and some oak / barrel fermentation. As with the others, as soon as you taste it, it is unequivocally sauvignon, oak integrating reasonably well, but here you suspect the degree of reduction is interfering marginally with the softness and roundness of the palate, making it harder. I much prefer the 2015 approach. The hardness makes the oak unsubtle on the finish. But it needs to be said, the more apparent ‘grip’ in this wine could make it good with stronger foods. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 05/17

2007 Lime Rock Pinot Noir 17 + (

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Waipawa district, southern Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $29 [ screwcap; vineyard 250 m on limestone, north-facing; hand-picked; all de-stemmed, cold-soak; French oak; website being re-built; Catalogue: berry size was small and even, giving deep colour. … Rich, complex aromas and flavours of fresh dark plums, cherries and enticing sweet caramelised rhubarb along with smoky tones are found. Minerality is showing from the limestone along with great structure and length. Awards: Silver @ Australian Small Winemakers 2008, Bronze @ Air New Zealand 2008; www.limerock.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby, about the maximum for the variety. Bouquet is quietly varietal, almost a suggestion of boronia florals astonishing so far north, in buddleia and red rose notes, but all tending latent rather than real, as yet. Palate is limpid red cherry pinot, totally at a good Beaune cru level of fruit definition. Oak handling is beautiful. This wine is gentler and more elegant than the Knuckle Hill, at this stage. With these two 2007 wines, Lime Rock’s determination to make quality pinot noir in Hawkes Bay has come to fruition. If there has been a significant change in vineyard practice for these 2007s, it is spot on, and increasing vine age can only augment that. The quality of the 2007 season may be the determining factor, however, since the vintage was not a hot one, and was dry. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 07/09

2009 Church Road Chardonnay Tom 17 + (

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Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $70 [ screwcap; hand-picked from 'very lowest cropping' vines at Omarunui Road and Tukituki (i.e. not Gimblett Gravels), clone 95 dominant, average vine age 6 years; whole-bunch pressed, some juice oxidation, not cold settled; wild-yeast and barrel-ferment followed rightaway by 100% wild-MLF ferment and kept warm (< 25°) until completion and loss of buttery characters; 13 months in French oak 35% new or second-fill (selected for non-oakyness) and batonnage (stirring) 2-weekly; selection and blending of final wine followed by 8 months in tank on light lees; pH 3.35, RS <1g/l; not sterile-filtered; Tom not entered in Shows; www.churchroad.co.nz ]
Rich lemon straw. Initially opened the wine is very bold and oaky. Decanted and in the blind tasting several hours later, there has been a flowering / mellowing, with rich golden fruit now apparent but still noticeable oak, the whole wine markedly more developed than the Neudorf. In mouth the richness of flavour is a delight, and it must immediately be said that for anyone who values an older style of bigger wine along the lines of some earlier Clearview Reserve Chardonnays, this wine would rate much higher in the field. Latterly however the Clearview wines are becoming more finessed. I felt the boldness of the wine, the oak and the golden fruits (though not clone mendoza, interestingly) looked unsubtle alongside the wines rated more highly. It is more in the Penfolds 94A / Yattarna style, and they enjoy a great reputation in Australia. So, a large element of personal preference in scoring a wine like this, and the richness is a delight. Cellar 3 – 10 years, maybe longer. GK 03/12

1967 Kaiser Stuhl Individual Vineyard Shiraz Bin Bin T65 17 + (

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Barossa Valley, South Australia, Australia: – %; $ – [ cork, 38mm; ullage c.10mm below base neck; this might be the rarest wine in the tasting. Kaiser Stuhl emerged from the Barossa Grower’s Cooperative, and in the early ‘60s was led by the highly regarded Ian Hickinbotham. Ian was responsible for hiring / attracting to Australia one Wolf Blass. The winery quickly became famous for its designated ‘Ribbon’ rieslings. Our wine comes from the old-vine section of the Materne vineyard, Greenock. Evans discusses this label (in general) thus: These old vines, which have very low yield, result in grapes which have great vinosity and character and the resulting wines are extremely full in colour and dense in flavour. The wine is matured in French Nevers new oak which adds to the complex fruit, so that you get very strong complementary flavours of oak and shiraz. The wines when mature unquestionably will have great flavour and character. As yet we have not seen the span of life of one of these wines … . This vintage was kept in oak just under four years. It was referred to as the 'Red Ribbon Shiraz'. ]
Ruby and garnet (markedly redder than the Mildara, showing how much that wine is oak-influenced, yet this Kaiser Stuhl was nearly four years in barrel), one of the deeper wines. Bouquet is big: big berry, big ripeness, big oak probably American, plus threshold VA, which it has had since bottling. The boysenberry shiraz is markedly browning now, but there is a lot of it. Palate emphasises the ripeness / over-ripeness and big oak, with almost coffee touches in the vanillin and char, yet the fruit is rich and in one sense refreshed by the VA, plus there is a certain attractive lightness on tongue relative to the Mildara, the Metala, or Philip. Flavour is long and well-married, in the rich over-ripe tending boysenberry style of the times. Final impression is one of intrigue. Two people rated this their top wine, and one second place. Fully mature, and a miracle it survived, given the shameful 38 mm cork. The Stuyvesant House restaurant in Sydney has the 1982 of this label on their list at $AU160. Ullage base of cork to top of wine, 52 mm. GK 04/19

2013 Wooing Tree Pinot Noir Beetle Juice 17 + (

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Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $28 [ screwcap; all hand-picked; 2.5% whole bunches; 9 months in barrel, 24% new; www.wooingtree.co.nz ]
Fresh quite weighty pinot noir ruby, even a touch of carmine, in the top half-dozen for weight of colour, just within bounds. Bouquet shares some of the dusky rose florals of the Valli Gibbston, but without the complexity of elevation that wine shows. Likewise the palate is simpler than that wine, but nonetheless it shows good pinot noir aroma and black cherry flavours, in a noticeably fleshy wine of pleasant balance and length, but much simpler elevation. This wine is a perfect example of the soft so-called Otago fruit-bomb style of pinot noir. It is made this way intentionally, for its market. As noted earlier, this style does not characterise the region. Like the Valli Gibbston, this wine too has absorbed trace reduction since release. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/17

2000 Dry River Pinot Noir 17 + (

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Martinborough Terrace, Wairarapa, New Zealand: 13.5%; $150 [ Cork, 44mm, ullage 24mm; weight bottle and cork, 560 g; release price c.$57; Robinson, 2011: Still quite youthful, with oak not quite integrated but much less savage than it used to be. Fresh finish and probably at its peak, 16.5; Cooper, 2001: … from a very low-yielding, frost-affected year … the bouquet is rich and spicy; the palate is supple and substantial, with a burst of sweet, ripe plum, raspberry, cherry and spice flavours. A beautifully harmonious wine, combining power and charm, it should be at its best from mid-2003 onwards, *****; www.dryriver.co.nz ]
Garnet and ruby, still glowing, the second lightest wine, and the oldest in appearance, but good. Bouquet is not quite so convincing and varietal here, but it is clean, mellow, fragrant, and doesn't smell as old as it looks. It is pleasantly autumnal, the browning fruit hard to characterise. Palate has a lightness and suppleness to it which is attractive, the tannin load a little high, and just a trace of stalk in the tannins, the nett impression varietal. This wine is nearer full maturity than most. No ratings as to favourites, and one of the wines where tasters found it hard to decide which variety. In the ‘which variety is the better for the year’ contest, the pinot noir ahead. Will hold a few years yet. GK 05/19

2002 Castello di Cacchiano Chianti Classico 17 + (

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Chianti Classico DOCG, Italy: 13.5%; $31 [ cork; cepage – the policy of the company is to optimise “the inimitable characteristics of the autochthonous grape varieties (especially Sangiovese and Canaiolo)”, even though the new plantings in the vineyard include Me; grown at 400m, hand-picked, French oak, good winery and vineyard profile on the website [then available, not now]; http://futurewine.it/schedaazienda.htm?idazienda=1008〈=en ]
Ruby. Initially opened, a little corked. It breathed off to a fragrant and red-cherry classical red cherry sangiovese, with a little brett (+ve). Palate is very fragrant and elegant, delicate alongside the more robust Rosso and less oaky, yet lingering beautifully on fine cedary fruit. Good food wine, which will cellar 5 – 10 years. A pristine bottle may well score higher. GK 03/06

1990 Domaine Clape Cornas 17 + (

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Cornas, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 12.8%; $487 [ cork 44mm; Sy 100%; c. 20 months in older 600 – 1800-litre foudres, not filtered; J.L-L: Grand vin: ******; no website found, good information at the Europvin website, and; www.kermitlynch.com/our-wines/auguste-clape ]
The lightest and oldest of the syrahs, but still a good garnet and ruby hue, the six syrahs needing a second look to be sure which was the oldest wine. Bouquet is much more evolved and tertiary than the other wines, one taster mentioning roasted chestnuts – most apposite – but there is still browning and fading cassisy berry too, and some autumnal decay including a little brett, all positive. Palate is a surprise, therefore, carrying more sweet fruit than you'd expect, lovely harmony with the old oak, a pleasing and balanced old wine, showing good syrah typicity. Will hold a few years yet. GK 02/16

2013 Beaux Freres Pinot Noir * 17 + (

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Williamette Valley, Oregon, USA: 13.6%; $ – [ cork; a $US55 = $NZ83 bottle; a small winery established in 1991, low crops, minimum intervention, 10 – 12 months on lees; not filtered; Robert Parker is married to the founder's sister, and is a partner; www.beauxfreres.com ]
Light pinot noir ruby, in the lightest three. Initially poured there was a shadow of clog, which quickly cleared. A fragrant light Cote de Nuits kind of pinot noir emerged, with lifted buddleia to red-rose florals, reminiscent of many Marlborough wines. Palate is more substantial than the bouquet promised, quite a depth of red currants, strawberry (+ve) and red cherry fruit, shaping tannins, and subtle oak, the tannins needing a little time to soften. A highly varietal wine, within its light styling, fragrant alongside the 2005 wines, intriguing in its clear New Zealand (parts of) kind of pinot character, lacking the depth of the burgundies. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 09/15

2014 Gibbston Valley Pinot Noir China Terrace 17 + (

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Bendigo Terraces, Cromwell Basin, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $61 [ screwcap; main clones Dijon 777 (54%) and Dijon 667, planted at c.3,400 vines/ha, average age 13 years, all hand-picked @ an average of 6 t/ha (2.4 t/ac), whole-bunch this year ranged from 0 – 100%, averaging 27% in the finished wine, cold soak also variable 2 – 8 days, mix of cultured and wild-yeast ferments, then between 10 and 20 days cuvaison varying with batch; c.10 months in French oak c.40% new, medium toast; not sterile-filtered to bottle; RS 0.2 g/L; dry extract c.28.5 g/L; the wine maker comments there is now a desire for more red-fruit character, ie less hang-time; production 860 cases; www.gvwines.co.nz ]
Deeper pinot noir, some carmine and velvet, the second deepest wine. Bouquet is big, aromatic, different from the wines rated more highly, almost as if it smelt tannic, as well as a hint of mint. These factors tend to obscure the fact it is also darkly floral, on black cherry fruit more than red. Palate shows great fruit, a lot of tannin for pinot noir, yet careful oak, the whole wine very youthful, needing air on opening, but preferably time in bottle. Though dark, it does taste like pinot noir, and will mature into an exciting wine. Cellar 5 – 15 + years, to perhaps score higher. Group View (Flight 2): 4 first places, 8 second, none least. GK 11/15

2015 Te Mata Cabernets / Merlot Awatea 17 + (

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Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $40 [ cork, 50mm; CS 46%, Me 43%, CF 11, no PV this year, hand-harvested; c.16 months in French oak c.40% new; RS nil; www.temata.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, medium weight only. Freshly opened the wine is clean and fragrant, but a bit stalky. With air the floral component increases, and the stalkyness fades to a light fragrant leafyness. Below is crisp cassis and (red rather than black) plummy berry, a hint of red currants, and subtle oak. Palate is fine-grained and elegant, very youthful, the oak even though subtle drawing attention to the stalky component again, medium body only. This will develop tobacco complexity as it ages. It is hard to recall without the wines alongside, but I suspect it is not quite as ripe and complete as 2013 Awatea. Cellar 5 – 18 years. GK 03/17

2007 Clearview Estate Winery [CS / CF / Me ] Old Olive Block 17 + (

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Te Awanga & Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $39 [ supercritical cork; CS 48%, CF 25, Me 14, Ma 13, hand-harvested from vines up to 20 years age on the home vineyard; 3 days cold-soak, some wild yeast, cuvaison extending to 28 days; c. 17 months in mostly French oak; Catalogue: From one of our best ever vintages … a wonderful nose and the palate is generous, warm and spicy with complex flavours of cassis and plum. Savoury cedar oak and long soft tannins finish this wine beautifully. Age to 12 years; www.clearviewestate.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. Bouquet shows clear violets florals in a fresh and fragrant Medoc / Hawkes Bay blended style, with a lot of cassis. Palate is a little less than the bouquet promises, lean and firm, high cassis, closely reminiscent of some northern Medoc cru bourgeois wines, sufficient ripeness but a little austere. Leave this for three years to soften, cellar 5 – 12 years. For a cabernets-dominant wine, ripeness is good for the Te Awanga coastal zone. [ Later, the benison of a Gimblett Gravels component revealed on referring to the website. ] GK 07/09

2012 Penfolds Shiraz Grange Bin 95 17 + (

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Barossa Valley & McLaren Vale, South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $825 [ Cork, 49 mm; Shiraz 98%, CS 2; price range in New Zealand $749 – $892.50; rated Exceptional in the Langton's Australian wine classification, the first-listed in the top category of 21 wines; Halliday rates the 2012 vintage 9 for Barossa Valley, and 9 for McLaren Vale too; Grange is well-known as Australia’s most famous wine (along with Henschke Shiraz Hill of Grace), the first experimental vintage 1951, the first commercial 1952; it is a multi-region wine, the shiraz component usually 92%-plus from the Barossa Valley down to McLaren Vale, the cabernet sauvignon component usually less than 8% selected more widely, from Barossa Valley down to Coonawarra; the wine completes primary fermentation in new American hogsheads, followed by 18 months in the same; from inception a contentious style, always praised by ardent new word believers, but some European palates have in some years found it too robust; generally believed to be subtler nowadays, as winemakers travel and taste more widely; Halliday, 2016: This vintage destined to be one of the greatest Granges. In the flesh it is majestically complex, superbly focused and intense, and wondrously balanced. It has every black fruit flavour known to man or woman, and will become more magical with each passing decade. Oh for a screwcap; drink by 2062, 99; Robinson, 2016: 81% Barossa, 19% McLaren Vale; 98% Shiraz, 2% Cabernet Sauvignon; Very dark purple. Floral notes and P Gago says ‘formic acid’. Heady and powerful. Such savour and yet breadth too. Very sweet but then cool. Great depth and reminds me of a cool pool in a wood. Spice and sweetness. Will not be disappointing. Very smart. Long and creamy. Really energetic. Luscious fruit, 19; Perrotti-Brown at Parker, 2016: Very deep purple-black in color, it opens on the nose with complex earthy/meaty/savory notes, soon giving way to baked blackberries, plum preserves, hoisin and Chinese five spice with dabs of sandalwood, licorice, menthol and vanilla. The palate reveals a surprisingly open, rich, full-bodied expression exuding a powerhouse of velvet-lined decadence. Still, it characteristically possesses that rock-solid “Grange” backbone of firm tannins and great freshness expressed in a real lively lift to the finish. And the finish is epically long. There are some stylistic similarities here to the opulent, gregarious 2008 vintage, perhaps just lacking ever so slightly in the same exhilarating abandonment of winemaking protocols for the celebration of the fruit and sites. That said, this is unquestionably a stonking great Grange! Drink 2019 – 2045, 99; the tasting notes for the 2012, attributed to Peter Gago on the well-documented Penfolds website, verge on the flatulent; bottle weight 587 g; www.penfolds.com ]
Saturated ruby, carmine and velvet, by far the deepest colour, bespeaking a phenomenally low cropping rate. Bouquet is intense, and intensely aromatic, almost pungent on lightly minty and cassisy / darkly plummy berry lifted by both coarse oak and a level of VA which is unsubtle nowadays, no matter how well this attribute has served the label in the past. Bouquet also shows both strong vanillin and darkest high-cacao chocolate notes, all very oaky and verging on aggressive. Palate would be velvet on the stunning dry extract, if the VA and oak were not so high, roughening the wine right through the palate and aftertaste, so the finish is strong and tannic on both skin tannins and clumsy oak. When you think of the smells and flavours of 2010 J L Chave Hermitage, and 2010 Jaboulet Hermitage La Chapelle, wines defining what syrah / shiraz should be, you can only weep for what might have been accomplished here, given fruit of this quality, if the winemakers were not so hidebound to a now-out-of-date tradition. As I have said before, Grange is not a wine any longer, but a national monument … sadly with feet of clay, and worshipped by the me-too crowd. Even respected winewriters can get sucked into the corporate hype. Not one of the reviews above mentions the VA, for example. But, de gustibus non disputandum est – this was the most favoured wine in the tasting, six people rated it their top wine, four their second, one least, nine thought it Penfolds, and one lone voice thought it could be New Zealand. In its heroic style, it needs 20 years to come together, and will cellar for 50 years easily. On the positive side, how wonderful, after decades of cheapskate presentation, to find branded, dated, 50 mm quality corks, and a quality capsule dated on the tip. But as Halliday says in his review: Oh for a screwcap. Our first bottle opened was seriously corked, requiring a second bottle – pretty distressing at an asking price of $892.50. GK 04/17

2014 Greywacke Chardonnay 17 + (

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Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14.5%; $41 [ screwcap; clone mendoza mainly and Cl 95; half the juice cold-settled, the other half to barrel with solids; extended wild-yeast fermentations with occasional stirring, complete MLF; approx. 18 months in barrels from a Burgundy cooper, 20% new; RS 1.5 g/L, total dry extract 20.2g/L; www.greywacke.com ]
Rich lemon, absolutely the middle wine for depth among the eight sauvignons. Bouquet shows à la contemporary mode reduction to a degree bordering on objectionable, but not completely obscuring lovely waxy golden queen peach mendoza fruit, plus quite a lot of oak. So at this stage the bouquet is youthful, unknit, and hopelessly immature. Palate has similar richness to the Wild Sauvignon, but new oak to excess I think, the nett flavour impression being toasty but youthful and awkward chardonnay. I will enjoy this wine much more once it has been cellared 8 – 10 years, and then displays some softness and harmony. At the moment the mineral reduction and oak interaction makes the wine hard and awkward on the later palate and aftertaste, even with food. Cellar 8 – 20 years: it has the fruit to score higher further down the track. GK 05/17

nv André Delorme Cremant de Bourgogne Terroir d'Exception Brut 17 + (

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Burgundy, France: 12%; $45 [ compound 'champagne' cork, but no pure cork face, unusual; cepage c. Ch 90, Al 10, all the wine through MLF, c. 18 months en tirage; no info on dosage on the website; distributed in New Zealand by MacVine, Auckland; www.andre-delorme.com ]
Lemon to lemonstraw. Bouquet is clean with light but clear baguette grading to brioche autolysis, the berry character more white grapes than black. Palate has good body without being unduly 'fruity', slight stemmyness rounded out by dosage in the 9 – 10 g/L area I'd estimate, fruit and autolysis giving a good long aftertaste extended by the slight phenolics. A good wine inclining to a blanc de blancs in style (which it turns out to be). Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 03/17

2015 Vina Aquitania Cabernet Sauvignon Lazuli 17 + (

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Maipo Valley, Chile: 14.5%; $53 [ cork, 50mm; CS 100%, planted 1991, all hand-harvested; 16 months in French oak, 30% new; intended to be more age-worthy than the Reserva; www.aquitania.cl ]
Ruby, a little lighter and older than the Reserva. Again bizarrely, this wine was presented not alongside its sister Cabernet Reserva, but after an interpolated pinot noir. Like the Reserva it shows some of the Chilean regional earthy quality, and rather more cedary oak. There is good berry, but it is hard to characterise. Palate is clean, fresh, seemingly natural but firm acid, quite long berry flavours suggesting muted cassis and red plum, extended by oak to a max. Again this is closer to the Medoc than to New Zealand, but it is reserved even in comparison with there. It is richer than the Reserva, and needs to be at $53. Cellar 5 – 15 years, maybe 20. GK 09/18

2005 Richardson Pinot Noir 17 + (

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Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $50 [ screwcap; the label lately established by the high-profile Michelle Richardson, formerly chief winemaker at Villa Maria; hand-harvested, cold soak, small part whole-bunch, MLF following spring the burgundy way, French oak 40% new, less than 12 months; fined with organic eggs ! ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, one of the deepest, pretty well the maximum for pinot noir colour. Bouquet is rich, but deeper and more massive than the Felton or Peregrine wines, scarcely hinting at the beautiful florals good pinot demands. Oaking is subtle, and the wine could be a subtle merlot – there is a suggestion of violets. Palate is bottled black doris plums, rich and concentrated, with quite a lot of good oak. In the blind tasting this wine comes across as a little heavy and ponderous, much like the earlier pinots Richardson made at Villa Maria. In 5 years time it may have fined down to something more elegant, and it will cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 09/06

2009 Wooing Tree Pinot Noir Sandstorm Reserve 17 + (

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Cromwell, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $85 [ screwcap; hand-picked from low-yielding vines; variable small % of whole bunches; elevation varies from 13 – 18 months in French oak 30 – 40 % new; minimal filtering; www.wooingtree.co.nz ]
Big pinot noir ruby and garnet, in the first quarter for depth of colour. Bouquet suggests a hot year, rich, ripe and a little roasted, no florals exactly but attractively fragrant, another wine to remind of Gigondas. Palate is rich, concentrated, still some black cherry in the plummy fruit, so not as ripe as the bouquet suggests, but nonetheless burly for pinot noir. It is all a little oaky and tannic. Fully mature now, but will hold for some years. GK 06/17

2006 Villa Maria Pinot Noir Cellar Selection 17 + (

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Awatere & Wairau Valleys, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $33 [ screwcap; many clones, hand-harvested; up to 10 days cold soak; MLF in barrel the following spring, c. 10 months in barrel; RS nil; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Delightful pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is floral and fragrant at a less complex point of physiological maturity than the Peregrine, more buddleia to roses and blackboy peach. Palate is clearly pinot in style – it is great to see Villa's pinots settling into a more international interpretation of the grape. Flavours again are blackboy and red cherry, not the depth of the Otago wine or the richness of the Vidal, and slightly more stalky, more like some Cote de Beaune wines. Cellar 3 – 7 years. GK 04/08

2002 Dry River Syrah Lovat Vineyard 17 + (

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Martinborough Terrace, Wairarapa, New Zealand: 13.5%; $68 [ cork; original price c.$55; Sy 100%, cropped conservatively; the founding proprietor being extraordinarily reluctant to talk about the elevation of many of his wines, little is known; M Cooper, 2005: … pungent black pepper aromas and fresh acidity woven through its highly concentrated plum, berry and spice flavours. A distinctly cool-climate, intensely varietal style with a long peppery finish, it needs time; open 2006+: ****½; Wine Spectator, 2004: Pepper, pepper and more pepper on the nose marks this as a cool-climate Syrah, permeating with tartly balanced berry and plum flavors, finishing with an exotic spice mix. Drink now through 2007. 320 cases made: 87; weight bottle and closure: 763 g; www.dryriver.co.nz ]
Ruby and garnet, a good hue, but the lightest wine in depth of colour. Bouquet is quite different from the other wines. It is floral and fragrant, fair berry, white pepper much more than black, quite complex. It was clearly recognised as syrah. The whole bouquet is totally in the style of wines from the IGP Les Collines-Rhodaniennes, in particular the cooler dissected terrace lands above the favoured slopes of Cote Rotie. In mouth red fruits dominate, not black, so redcurrant, red cherry and red plums, not cassis, plus white pepper not black, in a wine of good concentration. The oak handling in particular is exemplary, making the wine more attractive with food than most in this set. Suggestions of stalks can be seen, the tannins merging with the subtle oak, so it is hard to tease out cause and effect. The character the wine displays makes perfect sense, Martinborough being marginal for syrah even though not so very much further south than Hawkes Bay, and nearly as dry. The whole relationship of the two districts is closely analogous to that between Les Collines versus prime sites in Cote Rotie. Fully mature, but no hurry at all. One vote for top wine of the evening, but five for least. The less-ripe dianthus / white pepper phases of syrah are perfectly legitimate winestyles, so my score is therefore higher than some would think reasonable. In general, syrahs like this one do not seem to appeal in places where the grape reaches full physiological maturity. The smells and tastes of cassis and black pepper are preferred. GK 09/16

2006 Escarpment Pinot Gris 17 + (

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Martinborough, New Zealand: 14%; $29 [ supercritical cork; hand-picked; 100% BF and MLF in old to very old French oak; pH 3.4; RS < 1 g/L; www.escarpment.co.nz ]
Lemonstraw. This is a very different take on pinot gris, compared with The Edge wine. Here winemaker artefact quite dominates varietal character, to give a result that is pleasing, but in a blind tasting more likely to be identified as chardonnay than pinot gris. The 100% barrel-ferment and MLF in old oak have introduced vanilla biscuit aromas and flavours, with the thought of nectarines and custard too. Palate is much broader than the stainless steel Edge wine, the lactic-custard flavours lingering well and softening the varietal phenolics. These two pinot gris are hard wines to score. The stainless steel wine is much more varietal, but the richer broader barrel-fermented one will appeal to many more people, so style sometimes triumphs over varietal precision. That's OK. In these notes I have favoured varietal precision. Just for the record, a 7.5% addition of this Escarpment wine to The Edge version makes a far more varietal wine than either of the wines as bottled, amplifying the bouquet, and taking the edge off the phenolics on palate, without any hint of the MLF component showing. Quite magical – in a blind tasting it seemed a gold medal wine. Cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 10/07

nv Champagne G H Mumm Cordon Rouge Brut 17 + (

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Reims, Champagne, France: 12%; $50 [ laminated champagne cork; PN 45%, PM 25, Ch 30; full MLF; Stelzer records how this wine has been transformed in the last 20 years; now 30% reserve wines from four vintages; 30 months en tirage; RS moving to 8 g/L; closure will be moving to Diam; 666,000 cases; www.mumm.com ]
Lemon, the second palest. Bouquet is light, clean and pure, the autolysis component lighter than those marked more highly, here crumb-of-baguette rather than crust. In flavour this is a more petite wine, reflecting that the base wine presumably does not have as great a percentage of the grands and premiers crus components as some of the others do. It is softer too, as if there were high pinot meunier, all showing beautiful purity. Dosage is widely given as 8 g/L, but I suspect that it is in fact closer to the Roederer, say 10. Considering this wine is commonly available at $50, reflecting the fact that understanding of its complete transformation has not yet permeated the market-place, it is an attractive though smaller-scale champagne. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 11/15

nv Champagne Bereche & Fils Brut Reserve 17 + (

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Montagne de Reims, Champagne, France: – %; $74 [ traditional compound champagne cork; PN, PM, Ch equal parts; a minority house in that there is no MLF (like Lanson); 30% of the assemblage is reserve wine; tirage detail not available, hard to find facts on the website; www.bereche.com ]
Straw with a salmon flush, not as deep as nv Lindauer Special Reserve though. Bouquet here is a notch 'wilder' than the Chapelle or Royer wines, much more clearly grower champagne. The aromatic pinot noir component seems dominant, red fruits complexed by trace esters and the wild note more apparent than the quality of autolysis. Palate shows good fruit, and seems the driest of these four wines. That is hard to assess though, since if the proprietor does not put the wines through malo, it will taste drier. On close inspection against the Billecart Brut Reserve, maybe dosage is about 7 g/L, fitting in with the others. Autolysis flavours become more apparent on palate. This wine would not fare quite so well in formal / more technical tastings, but nonetheless works well with food, savouries etc. Cellar 3 – 12 years. GK 05/16

1978 Ch Grand-Puy-Lacoste 17 + (

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Pauillac Fifth Growth, Bordeaux, France: – %; $196 [ cork 53mm; cepage then approx. CS 70%, Me 25, CF 5, planted at 10,000 vines / ha; 18 – 20 months in barrel, 45 – 55% new depending on the vintage; no Broadbent notes; Clive Coates, 2000: Very youthful. Splendid nose. Excellent fruit. Complex. Very concentrated. Marvellous 'old viney' fruit and harmony. Fullish body. Very profound. Impeccably put together. Very generous. Very fine: 18.5; R. Parker, 1993: This is one of the few 1978 Medocs that has not exhibited an increased herbaceousness as it has evolved. The 1978 Grand-Puy-Lacoste remains dark ruby/purple-colored, with a bouquet offering scents of cassis, smoke, and earth. Medium to full-bodied, with fine structure and tannins, this wine combines elegance with authoritative flavors. It is close to maturity, yet it can be cellared for at least 10-12 more years. It may last even longer: 90; www.chateau-grand-puy-lacoste.com ]
Garnet and ruby, below midway. Bouquet has the lovely cedary oak that so characterises older generations of Grand-Puy-Lacoste, all much softer and less aggressive than the oak in the Ch Latour. In mouth there is pleasant ripe berry, but not anywhere near as concentrated as the wines marked more highly. Ripeness is fractionally greater than the 1979 Las Cases, but fruit weight is less. Nett achievement is of a classically-ripe mature claret, though those hunting for the character could still say it is a bit under-ripe. This will hold several years yet. One second-place vote. GK 08/16

1978 Cuvaison Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 17 + (

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Napa Valley, California: 13.5%; $ – [ cork 54mm; CS 100%; 18 – 20 months in French-dominant oak, c.50% new; bottle direct from winery; at the time, Cuvaison winemaking was in the hands of Englishman Philip Togni, a London graduate and former student of Emile Peynaud at the University of Bordeaux. Our introduction to meet him came from the late Dr John Tomlinson, scholar and gentleman from the Chemistry Department, Victoria University, who was at Uni with him in London. Togni's wines then and now ( www.philiptognivineyard.com ) have the reputation of being amongst the most Bordeaux-styled in California. They are cabernet-dominant, with less opulence, ripeness and alcohol, and more emphasis on tannin structure, than many. No reviews located in time available. The modern Cuvaison winery bears little relation to this wine ]
Ruby and velvet, some garnet (remarkably little), deeper and fresher than the Ch Margaux, the deepest. Bouquet shares youth and size with the Vieux Telegraphe, there still being enormous berry riper than cassis, more dark plums in a slightly leathery way, plus oak. But there is something else, an aromatic hint of balsam ( the conifer) which detracts. In mouth, the wine is rich and burly, more tannic than expected, and like the Telegraphe it needs to lose a lot of tannin. The aromatic quality persists through the palate, too. Tasters had difficulty in locating this wine, but rated it well, it being the second favourite for the group. Philip Togni was the winemaker, at that time. Cellar 5 – 15 years, still – exciting wine. GK 04/14

2006 Trinity Hill Syrah Homage 17 + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $115 [ cork 49mm; release price $120; nominally Sy 96%, Vi 4, hand-picked at about 2.5 t/ha (1 t/ac) from mostly Limmer clone, some vines propagated from Jaboulet's la Chapelle vineyard in the hill of Hermitage, vine ages 1994 and 2001; the grapes de-stemmed, lightly crushed to leave whole berries; shortish cuvaison maybe 15 days; MLF commenced in tank, completed in barrel, c.18 months in French oak 92% new, some lees stirring, not a lot of racking, 311 cases; winemakers Warren Gibson & John Hancock; Neal Martin @ R Parker, 2008: The awesome 2006 Homage Syrah has a truly wonderful, exuberant nose with pure blackberry, white pepper, a touch of leather and briar. Superb definition. The palate is medium-bodied, beautifully balanced, feminine, touches of white pepper, hedgerow and briery. As much finesse as a Romanee-Saint-Vivant with its silky smooth finish. Brilliant: 95; M Cooper, 2009: Deeply coloured and fragrant, it's a firmly structured red, mouthfilling and exceptionally concentrated, with oodles of dark, sweet fruit, strongly seasoned with new oak, and bottomless depth of blackcurrant and spice flavours. Dense, complex, lush and savoury, it's a great wine: *****; weight bottle and closure: 1043 g; www.trinityhill.com ]
Ruby and velvet, midway in depth, deeper but less red than 2006 Le Sol. Bouquet is complex on this wine, clear cassis and black pepper, but also a more clearly European note hinting at brett and adding complexity. Flavours are berry rich but high in tannin, with a slight medicinal note detracting. It is riper than the 2006 Le Sol, but not as pure. You can't help thinking of Crozes-Hermitage here rather than the more highly-regarded appellations. This wine may seem quite different in a few years' time, once it has lost more tannin. Curiously, five tasters rated this wine in first or second place. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 09/16

2015 Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc Clifford Bay Reserve 17 + (

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Awatere Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $27 [ screwcap; machine-harvested cool at night, short skin contact, all s/s fermentation again cool; RS 3.2 g/L; 2015 seen as a quality year for Marlborough sauvignon; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Glowing pale lemon with a wash of green, exciting. Again, given the same caveat as for Templar, the bouquet on this one illustrates a very particular phase of the sauvignon ripening curve and its ripening chemistry, which the Brits rather like. The key character can be summed up as elderflower blossom, but here there is a clear sub-theme of snow-pea letting it down. The days of green sauvignons are over. Wine aroma / sensory researchers in the sauvignon field have an arcane lexicon of descriptors which appear to bear no relation to what the great majority of sauvignon blancs actually smell and taste like, in the field, one might say, so I wonder how they describe this wine. In mouth body is good, the total acid seems a little high, and the green notes become obtrusive, making the wine seem phenolic. There is some overlap with under-ripe English gooseberry, but the phenolics are higher than comfortably matches that descriptor. Interesting wine, strictly for salads and suchlike, I suspect. Again, too expensive. Cellar 2 – 4 years, only. GK 11/15

2014 Shaw & Smith Chardonnay M3 17 + (

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Adelaide Hills, South Australia, Australia: 12.5%; $47 [ screwcap; hand-picked; all BF in new or near-new French barriques. Wild yeast fermentation, partial malolactic; 9 months in barrel, some batonnage; www.shawandsmith.com ]
Lightest lemon. Bouquet is the lightest in the second set, but wondrously pure, varietal, elegant, neat and taut. Had there been a chablis in the second set, this would have been it. It is so delicate it is hard to find descriptors, hints of lime and white nectarine, mealy autolysis in a very subtle way, nearly a suggestion of 'mineral'. Palate is the same, neat, taut, and light, trace oak, and tasting as if there is a little MLF (confirmed, though unusual in Australia), total acid firm, but not awkward / clumsy, as if natural. Given the alcohol, it may well be. This is intriguing and lovely small-scale wine, and being Australian, bone dry to the finish. Australian reviewers are marking it up to 95 points. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 06/16

2010 Fromm Syrah La Strada 17 + (

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Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $35 [ cork 44mm; no info available; www.frommwinery.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, well above midway in depth. Bouquet is odd, an impression of quite rich anonymous fruit complexed with wintergreen / lawsoniana resiny undertones. The nett impression is reasonably OK, if you are not allergic to wintergreen. Flavours however are remarkable for a syrah from Marlborough. They show a depth and ripeness of berry way ahead of the Lovat syrah, with impressive concentration, and clear nearly black pepper spice. If it weren't for the deviant note on bouquet, this would clearly be a silver medal wine. It is both riper and richer than the Halo wine. Perhaps I'll overlook the bouquet, in the hope that might be the cork, and score it where the fruit sits. Cellar 3 – 12 years. I look forward to the next blind encounter. This is Fromm's second-level Syrah, by the way. GK 03/15

2011 Black Estate Pinot Noir 17 + (

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Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 14%; $36 [ screwcap; The original Black Estate vineyard was established in 1993 / 94. Since 2007 it has been owned by the Naish family, with daughter Penelope Naish general manager, and her husband Nicholas Brown the winemaker. They draw grapes from three vineyards, including now the former Daniel Schuster vineyards at Omihi, and lease that winery. The desire is to move to organic status. The present wine comes from the home vineyard on the main road. It is hand-harvested, includes a 13% whole-bunch component, and 10% of it is foot-trodden. It matured in French oak for 16 months, but only 3% of the oak is new. Not fined or filtered, RS well under 1 g/L, and dry extract 28 g/L. The oak handling should be of particular interest, therefore; www.blackestate.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, above midway. Bouquet is quiet alongside the Escarpment, a milder version of a similar winestyle, suggestions of tea-rose florals, more obviously red fruits dominant, but you have to work at it. In mouth it has more to say, supple red fruits grading to a black cherry palate, a little more oak and tannin than the Escarpment, but still not quite singing, more straightforward good pinot. Concentration is good, and this is another wine which may look quite different in a couple of years. Cellar 3 – 8 years, maybe 10. GK 06/14

2005 Goldwater Merlot Esslin 17 + (

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Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.6%; $90 [ screwcap; DFB; Me 96%, CS 4, hand-harvested @ 0.8 – 1.3 t/ac; cultured yeast and cuvaison to 22 days for Me, 35 days for CS; 15 months in 45% new French oak; fined and filtered; RS < 2 g/L; www.goldwaterwine.com ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet. Bouquet has an oak component which is both bretty in a bacon sense, and spicy in the sense of the Benfield & Delamare five-spice character that wine sometimes shows. Palate is rich and plummy in a very Pomerol style, softer, broader and richer than the clinically pure Villa Maria Merlot Reserve, so a hard wine to score. There is much to like here, but the brett is a bit above the level at which only technocrats would object. It is riper than the Puriri Pope, but more bretty, so scoring these wines has to be something of a compromise, requiring juggling of irreconcilable components. Views on the relativities of these wines will therefore vary quite widely. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 09/07

2013 Crossroads Syrah Talisman 17 + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $56 [ screwcap; Sy 100%, some hand-picked @ c.5.8 t/ha = 2.3 t/ac; cuvaison 21 – 28 days, no whole-bunch component; 17 months in French oak c.35% new; production 650 x 9-L cases; www.crossroadswines.co.nz ]
Ruby, a flush of carmine and velvet, below midway in depth. Initially opened, this wine was masked a little by light reduction. All it needs is a good splashy decanting, preferably several times. Breathed, attractive cassisy berry comes up, but it is hard to tell at this stage if the wine is floral. Palate weight is good, and oaking is in balance to the wine, with some dark plum becoming apparent with more air. The reduction does not mar the palate significantly, so this wine should have have a lot more to say in five years time. Cellar 5 – 15 years, maybe 20, perhaps to increase in ranking. GK 07/16

1996 Petaluma [ Cabernet / Merlot ] Coonawarra 17 + (

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Coonawarra, South Australia, Australia: 13.5%; $ – [ cork; CS 66%, Me 34; this is a Brian Croser wine, so needs to be tasted particularly carefully; interesting vertical (to 2001) at www.wineanorak.com/petaluma_vertical.htm; www.petaluma.com.au ]
A surprisingly youthful ruby colour, alongside the Bordeaux. Bouquet shows clean pure berry characters nearly fresh enough to be classed as cassis, in a taut tanniny frame making it also smell austere, but happily neither unduly new-oaky or minty. It is a little more oaky than the Bordeaux. Nett impression in mouth is astonishing for an Australian cabernet, there being no spurious eucy aromatics, nor obvious alcohol, or acid adjustment. Instead there is cassisy berry appreciably riper than the Graves, but remarkably similar in style – in the sense the wine lacks excitement, and is tending one-dimensional. Will it gain complexity in cellar ? Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 12/17

2004 Mt Michael Pinot Noir Bessie’s Block 17 + (

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Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $36 [ screwcap; mostly BF and 6 – 8 months LA in French oak some new, with batonnage, some tank-fermented; www.mtmichael.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. Clear red fruits and cherry introduce a straightforward pinot noir on bouquet, clean and lightly floral / fragrant. Palate shows a little much oak at this stage, on a quite rich red cherry palate with attractive ripeness, no stalkyness, an understated wine. In fact, the more one drinks it, the better it gets, and it is attractive with food. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 03/06

2003 Te Kairanga Pinot Noir Reserve 17 + (

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Martinborough, New Zealand: 13%; $51 [ cork; small crop due to frost, all pinot in ’03 considered to be of Reserve quality; www.tekairanga.co.nz ]
Older ruby, quite rich for pinot. Bouquet is very fragrant and clearly varietal and floral pinot noir, though in the floral component is both a suggestion of leafiness and excessive oak. There is also a light savoury component, adding complexity. Palate is fragrant, winey, with attractive varietal fruit including cherry suggestions, good length, pleasing low alcohol, all just a little oaky. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 08/06

1995 Te Mata Estate Cabernets / Merlot Coleraine 17 + (

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Havelock North Hills mainly, some Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $65 [ cork, 54mm; CS 59%, Me 34, CF 7; good summer, April lesser, GDD 1536, harvest early April; release price $36; Cowley, 2017: ripe, aromatic, fine; Perrotti-Brown @ R. Parker, 2011: ... an earthy, gamey, leathery bouquet with notes of dried mulberries and figs over Chinese five spice and tobacco. Crisp, rich and very spicy in the mouth, it finishes long with lingering notes of dried fruits and a slight dried herb character. Fully mature / fading slightly, it should be drunk now, 87; Chan, 2008 review: ... a full, rich and ripe bouquet, full of sweet blackcurrants and blackberry fruit aromas. Secondary elements showing now. ... A wine of power, density and concentration on the palate, with full dark fruits, ... while lacking the refinement of the 1991 ... This will live another decade easily, 19.5; www.temata.co.nz ]
Garnet and ruby, below midway in depth. The 1995 Coleraine is close in style to the 2005 in every detail, fragrant browning berry and cedary oak in balance, but the whole wine just a size smaller than the 2005, and the ripeness achieved not quite so convincing. Even though a warmer year, the wine does not taste of it, with more a thought of Stevens Spurrier’s green-tinged cabernet and some tobacco notes, particularly on palate. But the balance achieved, like all Coleraines, is remarkably pleasing, though here in a slightly acid way. The bottle for the second night showed threshold TCA (only three of 21 tasters detecting it), but even so, five tasters rated this smaller scale of Cabernet / Merlot their favourite or second favourite wine on the night, so it is still a good taste of the Coleraine approach. Curiously, the better bottle on the first night had only one vote for first or second place. Not one for long holding, cellar 5 – 10 years only. GK 08/17

2011 Astrolabe Pinot Noir Province 17 + (

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Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $28 [ screwcap; Astrolabe wines are the creation of winemaker Simon Waghorn, now with quite a team. Simon has become famous for his several series of sauvignon blancs, the standard Province label of which is often the industry reference wine for the variety, each vintage. This wine draws fruit from 7 clones of pinot noir spanning most wine districts in Marlborough, with an emphasis on even ripening in the vineyard, and location on older terrace soils. Fruit is hand-picked, de-stemmed, wild-yeast fermentations, 10 months in French oak from Burgundy coopers 25% new, with <1 g/L RS and dry extract of 26 g/L; www.astrolabewines.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, below midway. Bouquet is unconvincing when first opened. It benefits enormously from decanting, to reveal quite floral and vanillin aromas reminding of buddleia and cherry ripe, on straightforward fruit suggesting cherries. There is the faintest hint of mint. Palate is well in style for pinot noir, red grading to black cherry fruit, aromatic oak, appropriate weight. There might be a couple of grams residual sugar extending the aftertaste pleasantly [not so]. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/14

2005 Peregrine Pinot Noir 17 + (

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Cromwell Basin, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $39 [ screwcap; release price; the season produced a small crop with small berries, concentrated wines; hand harvested, destemmed, 5 – 7 days cold soak, cuvaison c.21 days; 10 months in French oak 35% new; no fining, light filter; Robinson, not tasted, but she gave the 2003 18.5, a number she rarely allocates; Wine Spectator, 2007: Starts supple, with ripe black cherry, spice, pomegranate and intense stone flavors. Green tea and mineral accents weave through the fruit, underscored by cedar, tangy acidity and herb-tinged tannins. Drink now through 2011, 88; Cooper, 2007: floral, savoury and complex on the nose, with good colour depth. It's a well-structured, stylish red with rich, ripe, cherry and spice flavours. Well worth cellaring, ****½; www.peregrinewines.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, older than 2005 burgundies, right in the middle for depth. On bouquet, amidst the denser and more tanniny bouquets of the burgundies, this wine smelt vibrantly floral, aromatic and alive (despite the colour), and clearly Cote de Nuits as a first impression. Florals range from buddleia through lilac and roses to boronia, made more aromatic by new oak. In mouth the fruit is supple and charming, red cherry perhaps more than black, lightly aromatic, but vitally lacking body and concentration alongside the good-year burgundies. Pretty exciting wine all the same, since there is the notion New Zealand pinots are three-day wonders, whereas this is looking both good and varietal, at 10 years of age, and in tough competition. Top wine for one taster, second for two. Nearly half the tasters recognised this as New Zealand wine. Will hold 5 – 8 years, if you like older wine. GK 09/15

2008 Tahbilk Viognier 17 + (

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Nagambie Lakes, Central Victoria, Australia: 12.5%; $27 [ screwcap; s/s elevation; not much wine detail on winery website, and ’08 not posted yet @ distributor www.redandwhite.com.au; www.tahbilk.com.au ]
Brilliant lemon, super-polished. Bouquet is voluminous, but not quite pinpoint viognier. I suspect Tahbilk winemakers have become hooked on one of these so-called aromatic yeasts for some of their whites. So while there are intriguing citrus blossom and mandarin aromas and fresh-cut apricot too, there is also a suggestion of the same clumsy mango character showing in the chardonnay. Palate is fresh, crisp, scarcely showing any barrel-ferment [ none ] or lees-autolysis complexity at all, with perhaps some added tartaric hardening the finish. Good viognier but not great, all a little too exotic by classical Condrieu standards, to cellar 1 – 3 years. GK 05/09

2010 Guigal Hermitage 17 + (

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Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $121 [ cork 50mm; Sy 100%; average vine age 30 years; typically cropped 4.55 t/ha (1.8 t/ac); 4 weeks cuvaison; elevage usually 36 months in 50% new French oak; usually c.3,000 9-L cases; website gets better every year; imported by Negociants NZ, Auckland; weight bottle and closure: 584 g; www.guigal.com ]
Ruby and velvet, naturally older than the 2013s, right in the middle for depth. Bouquet is complex, quite rich browning cassis and plummy fruit, definitely a hint of black pepper and savoury lift and complexity, and a background cedary oak quality, not too obtrusive. As the wine rests in mouth, texture and richness are reasonably good. In the usual Guigal style, the impression of oak is much less than the specs would suggest, presumably due to even this second-level wine showing good dry extract. But … in a field of 27 including seven Chateauneuf-du-Papes, this wine stands out for its brett loading. In an interview last year with Andrew Jefford of Decanter, Philippe Guigal commented re brett: 'I don’t consider it a quality, but it’s important not to be paranoid.' This is not the first Guigal wine recently to suggest the time has in fact come for the Guigals to be giving considerably more thought to brett, paranoia or not, for varietal exactitude in this (comparatively young) wine is already considerably compromised. The wine is fragrant, but the florals are being displaced by the spicy notes associated with 4-EP and 4-EG, on cassisy berry browning severely now, much earlier than you would hope, for a 2010. Palate is still well-fruited and delightfully savoury on browning cassis and dark plum, shaped by noticeable oak. The wine will be good with food, as most bretty wines are, but from my standpoint, it is a hopeless proposition to present to a technical tasting with winemakers. Scoring it therefore poses a problem, and the number is a compromise. More technical tasters would slam it. The aftertaste returns to good fruit, with less oak than the Esk Reserve for example, for a similar quality of fruit. Interesting wine: I don't have them alongside, but if this label equates to 2010 La Petite Chapelle from Jaboulet (in Guigal's and Jaboulet's Hermitage ranges), then I suspect the Caroline Frey influence (at Jaboulet) is starting to make this Guigal look a little old-fashioned, though still immensely likeable. Interestingly the 2010 Guigal Crozes-Hermitage is completely pure and modern. Cellar shorter term, 5 – 15 years maybe, since brett is likely to dry the wine prematurely. GK 08/16

2013 Yalumba Shiraz Patchwork 17 + (

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Barossa Valley, South Australia, Australia: 13.5%; $25 [ screwcap; pretentious and non-informative website; www.yalumba.com ]
Ruby and velvet, nearly carmine, one of the three deepest colours. Bouquet is 'sweet', rich, ripe, dark, with a trace of Barossa Valley rankness on plummy berry, but not obviously over-ripe or over-oaked. Palate confirms rich berry, attractive balance, good oaking, a wine which will cellar well in its burly style, showing only trace eucalyptus as it rests in mouth. Cellar 5 – 20 years, to fine down a bit. GK 06/16

2003 Mount Langi Ghiran Shiraz Billi Billi 17 + (

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Victoria, Australia: – %; $18 [ screwcap; website hopelessly out of date; www.langi.com.au ]
Ruby, some velvet. After all the drama associated with a blind tasting containing several of New Zealand's top syrahs not shown in wine judgings, plus the current New Zealand Trophy syrah, and three good French wines from the exciting 2003 vintage in the northern Rhone, smelling this wine is like coming home – if you've been around Aussie shiraz for 40 years. It smells ripe and aromatic with fresh boysenberries and raspberries, plus a hint of cassis and mint (but not euc), and even peppercorn maybe, but no florals in the Rhone sense. Palate is roundly fruity, nicely balanced to older oak, absolutely mainstream Victorian shiraz in the best traditional style, not quite as rich as the Tahbilk. Cellar 5 – 15 years. VALUE GK 04/06

2010 Mills Reef Cabernet / Merlot Elspeth 17 + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $38 [ screwcap; DFB; CS 56%, Me 39, CF 5, hand-harvested @ conservative cropping rates, 100% de-stemmed; c.6 days cold-soak, then inoculated, total cuvaison c.23 days; 16 months in French oak varying from 30 – 47% new for various parcels; www.millsreef.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet. Bouquet is fragrant and quite strong, just a trace of leaf in cassis, plum and clearly vanillin oak, a suggestion of dark tobacco, attractive. In mouth that hint of leaf on bouquet betrays the wine, ripeness being less than ideal, the oak a little smoky, yet the nett impression being winey and refreshing. Ripe enough to cellar well, in its cooler-year style, 5 – 12 years. GK 06/13

2010 Wooing Tree Pinot Noir Sandstorm Reserve 17 + (

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Cromwell, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $85 [ screwcap; hand-picked from low-yielding vines; variable small % of whole bunches; elevation varies from 13 – 18 months in French oak 30 – 40 % new; minimal filtering; www.wooingtree.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby, some age showing, in the second quarter for depth. Initially opened, this wine shows an herbes aromatic quality almost to excess, but it breathes off quickly. Bouquet is then rich, ripe, and oaky, tending leathery, losing pinot noir charm. Palate shows a firmer wine than the 2009 Sandstorm, not quite as rich, black cherry and plummy fruit, quite a lot of oak, certainly oaky by Burgundy standards. This too is fully mature, but will hold 2 – 6 years. There is a risk of the wine ending up oaky to excess. GK 06/17

2010 Guigal Crozes-Hermitage 17 + (

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Crozes-Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $40 [ cork 49mm, Sy 100%; average vine age 35 years; cropped 45.2 t/ha (2.1 t/ac); 3 weeks cuvaison; 24 months in French oak, tasting as if a little new; c. 25,000 cases; www.guigal.com ]
Good ruby, a wash of velvet. Bouquet is very particular, but you have to be keen on syrah to love it. It shows the exact carnations / dianthus perfume of fractionally under-ripe syrah, on red and darker berries grading to cassis. The comparison and contrast with the 2010 Guigal Hermitage, the Yann Chave Hermitage, and the Esk Syrah Reserve is sensational, for those who wish to understand the syrah ripening curve. As the bouquet would predict, flavours in mouth are tending aromatic and peppery, in a wine more of pinot noir weight. There is trace new oak apparent, and no brett, so it is an eloquent modern example of pure small-scale syrah. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 08/16

2009 Kidnapper Cliffs Merlot / Cabernet Franc / Cabernet Sauvignon Ariki 17 + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $40 [ cork; no info – the website is in the same irritating format as the Dry River one, concealing rather than revealing factual information, the wines already hard to locate; www.kidnappercliffs.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a good colour. Bouquet is nearly fragrant, let down by light reduction / a lack of oxygen, but there are plums and a touch of blueberry. On palate, there is beautifully fine-grain oak wrapped in rich berry, thoughts of cedar and chocolate, a touch of leaf linking it to the Malbec. All in all the style is reminiscent of Petaluma reds, high-tech and squeaky-clean (reduction aside), but lacking charm in any Bordeaux sense. Since Hawkes Bay is one of the few places on earth precisely suited to emulating the Bordeaux style, this result in such a remarkable vintage is disappointing. Cellar 5 – 15 or more years. GK 06/11

2014 Esk Valley Cabernet Franc / Cabernet Sauvignon Cranford Auction 17 + (

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Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $ – [ screwcap; CF dominant, some CS; special charity bottling, no detail available; weight bottle and closure: 464 g; www.eskvalley.co.nz ]
Dense carmine, ruby and velvet. Alongside 2013 Babich Patriarch, which does have malbec, this Auction wine smells heavier, denser, and more tannic, as if it were in fact the wine with the malbec. Bouquet is extremely buttoned up, as if it were slightly reductive, but I don't think it is – it does not change with air / or even overnight. Like the Trinity Hill Tempranillo in its context, this wine bears little relation to the beauty one associates with cabernet franc from France. In both cases, is this clonal selection in New Zealand based upon the vapid concept that depth of colour is all that matters ? Palate is equally dark, firm, tanniny, and there is rich fruit vaguely in a new world bordeaux-blend style. As Harry Waugh would say, this has tannin to lose. It might be transformed once it crusts in bottle. Meanwhile the Patriarch is surprisingly (considering its cepage) much more bordeaux-like and elegant. Cellar 10 – 25 years. GK 07/16

2013 Villa Maria Pinot Noir The Attorney Single Vineyard Organic 17 + (

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Southern Valleys, Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $60 [ screwcap; hand-harvested, 100% de-stemmed then 10 days cold-soak; 14 months in French oak 20% new; RS nil; minimal filtration; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Big pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is on the big and weighty side for pinot noir, very pure, fragrant and floral to a degree / in an unusual way, almost a perfumed pink / cream roses as well as darker roses, on burly fruit which by-passes cherry as a descriptor, offering more omega plums (fresh and bottled). There is an undertone I can't quite place, perhaps hinting at aniseed. Palate is very rich pinot noir, but again burly rather than fine, quite aromatic, flavours of blackboy peach and bottled plums, quite a lot of oak still to marry away, distinctly unusual but just squeaking into the conventional concept of pinot noir. May marry up and harmonise, and rate higher, but for now, not quite the perfect pinot – too big. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 11/15

2005 Te Mata Estate [ Cabernets / Merlot ] Coleraine 17 + (

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Havelock North, New Zealand: 13.5%; $56 [ cork 53mm; Me 45%, CS 37, CF 18; original cost c. $75; not counting the Mission Estate, because their cabernet-led wines in the 60s were always so rare, Te Mata Estate was the second winery to offer international-calibre cabernet / merlot blends, in post-Prohibition New Zealand. Their 1982 Coleraine followed on directly from Tom McDonald's 1965 – 1969 McWilliams Cabernet Sauvignon. The emphasis at Te Mata has always been on elegance and finesse, not on size or weight. Grapes are hand-harvested from vines of average age c.25 years; 20 months in French oak c. 75% new; M. Cooper, 2008: The 2005 vintage is boldly coloured, with very fragrant cassis and spice aromas. It's a classy, youthful wine, with blackcurrant-like flavours, hints of dark chocolate and olives, and lovely ripeness and suppleness. … It should be long-lived, *****; www.temata.co.nz ]
Ruby, still quite fresh, but the second to lightest in depth. Bouquet is intriguing. Though we like to think of Te Mata as showing great restraint in their oak handling in the New Zealand context, in this blind line-up it was immediately one of the three oaky wines. Then after the tasting the Moss Wood was opened, and tasted alongside the Coleraine, immediately the latter was back among the French. As always, perceived quality is so influenced by the associated wines tasted on the day. In the total bouquet there is a light aromatic red-fruits freshness showing close affinities with the Clos des Jacobins, and it is not too much of a stretch to suggest that the cabernet franc is contributing to this quality. In mouth this Coleraine is relatively light, as seen in the blind tasting of the 12 wines, with a dry extract more like the Potensac than the Cantemerle, for example, but clearly beautifully in style amongst the Bordeaux wines. Only two tasters thought it might be a New Zealand wine, at the blind fact-finding stage, compared with seven for the Larose, for example. Top wine for two, in the group. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 06/15

2014 Fromm Pinot Noir Clayvin Vineyard 17 + (

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Upper Brancott Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $82 [ cork 50mm; clones Dijon 115, 667, planted at c.5000 vines/ha, 16 – 17 years age, all hand-picked at an average 5.5 t/ha = 2.2 t/ac; no whole-bunch but up to 80% whole-berry, pre-ferment cold soak 3 – 5 days, then 18 – 21 days cuvaison with all wild-yeast ferments; all the wine 16 – 18 months in all-French oak c.10% new, low toast, MLF in barrel; not sterile-filtered to bottle; RS 0.1 g/L: dry extract 24.2 g/L; production 152 9-L cases; www.frommwinery.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, right in the middle. Bouquet is a little different here, a lifted quality suggesting not quite the ripeness of the top wines, but also adding a zingy note reminiscent of the Cote de Nuits. The lightness of style reminds of Vosne-Romanée or Chambolle-Musigny, but there is the faintest hint of leafyness. Cellar 3 – 8 years. No first or second places, and one thought it from Otago. GK 08/16

2015 Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc Clifford Bay Reserve 17 + (

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Awatere Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $27 [ screwcap; machine-harvested cool at night / early morning, 3 – 4 hours skin contact, all s/s cool fermentation with cultured aromatic-enhancing yeasts; RS 3.2 g/L; 2015 seen as a quality year for Marlborough sauvignon blanc; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Good lemongreen like the Taylors Pass wine. After the top wines, immediately there is a step down in perceived ripeness, sweetness, and fruit complexity here. The first impression is mixed capsicum, centred on yellow capsicum, some red, but with threshold notes of green capsicum, snow-pea and green bean. The latter three characters are either desirable complexity notes (from a British standpoint, and only a British standpoint), or serve to make the wine just another unappealing Marlborough sauvignon blanc … for those less attracted to green flavours / less-ripe sauvignon blancs. In mouth the green notes increase, with seemingly green 'phenolics' (as in green capsicum, so methoxypyrazines in fact) developing on the tongue, and lingering to the aftertaste, where the suggestions of cut-grass / green bean are more apparent. The latter are part of the undesirable 'box' descriptor the sauvignon blanc scientists like to refer to. Residual sweetness is a little higher than some, as if to mask these green attributes. There is still quite good fruit weight. This is a wine to divide opinion, as to its merits. The English would like it. GK 04/16

2004 Dry River Pinot Noir 17 + (

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Martinborough, New Zealand: 13%; $77 [ cork; clones 10/5 and others, up to 28 years, not irrigated, harvested @ 2.3 t/ac; 22% whole bunch, up to 10 days cold soak, 15 days cuvaison; 12 months French oak 25% new; sterile filtered; www.dryriver.co.nz ]
Big pinot noir ruby, a flush of carmine and velvet, but much lighter than some Dry River pinots have been. And on bouquet too, this is a change of approach for the winery, the wine showing an obvious whole-berry component in a juicy presentation of dark plums more than black cherry, making one think of roto-fermenter shiraz / ± merlot blends from Australia. Palate is juicy and spicy, clear nutmeg, faint stalks, in bottled plums. This wine may reflect a step towards a lighter and more floral wine style for Dry River, or it may merely be the result of a cool season. The fruit still shows some of the dark plummy sur-maturité characters McCallum prefers in his pinots. This vintage may not cellar as well as some years have done, perhaps 3 – 10 years. GK 01/07

2014 Astrolabe Sauvignon Blanc Awatere Valley 17 + (

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Awatere Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $22 [ screwcap; machine-harvested in evening, minimal skin contact, all cool s/s fermentation of clear cold-settled juice with a neutral yeast; RS 1.7 g/L; website suggests a warm and early season in Marlborough, with growing degree days above the long-term average, some rain towards end of harvest; www.astrolabewines.co.nz ]
Lemon with a straw wash, clearly a little older than the other seven wines. Bouquet is intriguing, the primary year-one sauvignon blanc thiol-derived fruit characters now fading and melding into a mix of black passionfruit skins, stewed less-ripe (i.e. not red) rhubarb stalks, and bottled quince, with an indeterminate musky note. Greengage plum is part of it, too. Flavours likewise lack the immediate fresh-fruit analogies of 9 – 15-month-old sauvignon blanc, but are still attractive in their own clearly-different right. Length of flavour is particularly good, the greengage part developing now, the phenolics offering some reminders of sucking on greengage plum stones. That would probably correlate with a fading red capsicum component. Finish shows beautifully judged residual and fruit concentration, the wine perhaps reflecting a fractionally lower cropping rate than the Villas. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 04/16

2005 Drouhin Volnay-Clos des Chenes 17 + (

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Volnay Premier Cru, Burgundy, France: 13%; $111 [ cork; a Drouhin domaine wine; chene – formerly oak forest; hand-picked, fermentation in wooden cuves; up to 24 months in French oak some new; www.drouhin.com ]
Full pinot noir ruby, clearly the deepest wine in the Drouhin set, but still much lighter than many New Zealand examples of the grape. Initially opened, this wine is brooding, nearly softly reductive, with the thought of toasty barrel char. Below are black fruits. With some air and swirling, it opens up to the darkest spectrum of pinot noir characters in the set. Since the slight reduction does not impact on the palate at all, there is no worry about it, and it can be expected to marry away on bouquet. Flavours are black cherry and bottled black plums, surprisingly rich, tending dark for zingy pinot noir expression, just the thought of merlot arising. It seems richer and more tannic than the Greves, in fact a little out of style for Drouhin, and interesting therefore. As with all these 05s, acid balance is excellent for cellaring, 5 – 15 + years. It will score higher in 5 years. GK 12/07

2005 Craggy Range Merlot Gimblett Gravels Single Vineyard 17 + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $27 [ cork; DFB; Me 86%, CF 14, hand-harvested @ 3.5 t/ac; 20 months in French oak 50% new; www.craggyrange.com ]
Carmine, ruby and velvet, dense. Initially opened, this wine is somewhat dulled by retained fermentation odours, and the oak is prominent. It needs a good splashy decanting. Well breathed, it is rich, and shows dark florals which are good merlot varietal violets, on dark bottled plums. In mouth the wine roughens up again, the oak excessive in youth, the retained fermentation components tasteable. This is a flawed version of last year's exquisite wine, but it has the richness to bury its youthful awkwardness. In five years time it should be looking much better. It is intriguing to see Craggy see-sawing between too much aeration and consequently VA, and here not enough. But better wines will result from this experimental approach. In the meantime, last year's 2004 wine shows exactly how to do it, so grab any still left on the shelves. This 2005 will cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 03/07

2013 Villa Maria Merlot Organic Cellar Selection 17 + (

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Gimblett Gravels mostly, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $16 [ screwcap; Me 100%; all de-stemmed, appropriate cuvaison; 33% of the wine to barrel for 12 months, no new mentioned, balance to s/s; then blended, RS < 1g/L; intended to be soft and highly varietal; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, towards the upper end of the middle third, for weight. Bouquet is really fruity, very ripe, and tending unsophisticated, reminiscent of elderberry wine. Palate is plump and textbook merlot, round, darkly plummy, soft, pure but straightforward, like some Australian stainless steel supermarket wines – but here without the acid adjustment. The great merit of this wine is to learn the exact character of merlot without much oak, then compare and contrast it with some of the merlot-dominant wines showing more complex elevation. Comparison with cabernet-dominant wines such as the McDonald is worthwhile too. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 06/14

2013 Grasshopper Rock Pinot Noir Earnscleugh Vineyard 17 + (

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Alexandra, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13%; $30 [ screwcap; all hand-picked from fairly close-planted (by NZ standards) vines 11 years age; no whole-bunch component, c. 8% wild-yeast fermentation; 10 months in French oak c.30% new; dry; www.grasshopperrock.co.nz ]
Ruby, some age showing, in the third quarter for depth. Bouquet shows an attractive melding of red cherry fruit and a touch of thyme with fragrant cedary oak, at a first peak of maturity. Palate is neat, taut, ripe all through in a red cherry way, an attractive but noticeably lighter Otago pinot noir maturing well. On checking, I am unable to reconcile this tasting result with my previous review in 2015, other than to note that a very few overseas reviewers of critical repute do report markedly differing scores for the same wine, over time. Cork of course explains some of them, but not in this case. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 06/17

1990 Clos Pegase Cabernet Sauvignon 17 + (

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Napa Valley, California, USA: 13%; $ – [ cork 49mm; no info available; this wine figured in Wine Spectator’s Top 100 Selection for 1993, at rank 75, release price $US17: Wine Spectator, 1993: Firm and intense with a solid core of cherry, currant, plum and spice flavors that gently unfold into a spicy, concentrated, impeccably balanced wine that finishes with pretty, cedary oak notes and fine tannins. Tempting now for its plush texture, but sure to pick up complexity. Drink now through 2002. 2,400 cases made, 91; our label still the current one, now a $US50 bottle; www.clospegase.com ]
Ruby and velvet, nearly as red as the Bin 407, but just below midway in depth. Bouquet is like Ch Petrus, clearly tending a bit over-ripe, lacking florality and delicacy, but still showing lots of fruit. Flavour does show a shadow of cassis, and good dark plummy berry browning now, much more subtle oaking than either Penfolds wine, but like them a suggestion of acid adjustment to the tail. This wine served as an excellent lead-in to the three bordeaux in the blind tasting. Fully mature, perhaps fading slightly, but will hold. Two top votes, one second. GK 10/15

2007 Corbans Syrah Private Bin 17 + (

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Gimblett Gravels & Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $25 [ screwcap; 2007 not on website, if like 2005 is hand-picked, 100% de-stemmed; cuvaison extending to 20 days for some components; MLF and 12 months in French oak 30% new on light lees; Catalogue: … a rich, intense wine. Lifted aromas of dark cherry are complimented by hints of smoky spice, while the palate is soft and fleshy with dark fruit flavours and savoury tannins. … up to five years cellaring; background @ www.corbans.co.nz, leads to detail @; www.pernod-ricard-nz.com//tastingnotes.php? ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. This wine needs a good splashy decanting to clear slight reduction. Bouquet is then fruity, berry-rich and plummy, smelling plump alongside some of the middling wines around it. There are suggestions of soft wallflower florals and black pepper too, once the wine is well breathed. Palate is soft, rich and juicy, clear-cut syrah, an easily accessible wine like Wyndham Estate Shiraz Bin 555, but the Corbans is much more aromatic and drier. Put aside three years to resolve the light reduction, then cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 07/09

2007 Isola Estate Merlot / Cabernets 17 + (

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Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14%; $29 [ screwcap; DFB; Me 55%, CS 40, CF 4, Ma 1, hand-picked, 100% de-stemmed; cold-soak 1 day, cultured yeast, cuvaison 8 – 11 days; MLF in barrel, 11 months in older French oak; sterile filtered; c.150 cases; ‘The 2007 Isola vintage our first vintage on the property has evolved into a fantastic wine. The palate is bursting with ripe currant fruit and overtones of cherries. More subdued in concentration than the 2008 but so drinkable. The wine has an excellent 'fleshy' mid palate and a lingering finish. Silky tannins make this a very approachable wine already. *Bronze medal Liquorland Top 100 2008*; www.isolaestate.com ]
Ruby, medium weight. Bouquet is lean and fragrant and oaky, with cassisy berry notes. Palate is a little richer than the bouquet suggests, clear cassis, some plums, some fruit sweetness as well as a suggestion of stalkyness, pleasant acid. This too is fairly representative of straightforward contemporary local cabernet / merlot, clean, fragrant, but half the ripeness and depth of the marvellous 2008. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/09

2008 Clonakilla Shiraz / Viognier 17 + (

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Murrumbateman, Canberra district, New South Wales, Australia: 14%; $80 [ screwcap; Sh 94%, Vi 6%; 3 days cold-soak; some wild-yeast, 20% whole-bunch in open fermentations / cuvaison to 21 days, 12 months in French oak, 30% new; 3 Australian reviews for this 2008 are 95, 97 and 97 points; WA / Perrotti-Brown: The 2008 Shiraz Viognier is one of the finest vintages that I’ve tasted of this wine. Co-fermented with 6% Viognier, it was matured for 12 months in French oak, 30% new. The nose is a little closed and needs coaxing at this stage to reveal complex notes of smoky bacon and loam followed by licorice, red plums, crushed blackberries, peach blossoms and rose petals. Crisp acidity, medium level of very fine tannins and layers of savory and dark berry flavors. Very long finish ... to 2024. 96; www.clonakilla.com.au ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, one of the lighter ones. This is intriguing wine, almost Cote Rotie with an Australian signature. There is clear cassis and clear florality from the viognier, with almost a touch of apricot (+ve). Palate has cassisy syrah berry with a touch of stalk and eucalyptus, the acid a little noticeable and the mouthfeel cool-year Northern Rhone. Canberra is an exciting wine district, from a New Zealand viewpoint, which may challenge Hawkes Bay / Waiheke Island in achieving syrah quality, in less euc'y years. Cellar 3 – 12 years. GK 01/10

1961 Clos René 17 + (

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Pomerol, Bordeaux, France: – %; $ – [ 46mm cork; Winesearcher: Avg Price NZ$ – no result, 1959 is $220; this bottle is from so long ago, it is from the London-bottled era (Clos René was one of the last chateaux in Bordeaux to adopt chateau-bottling); Me 70%, CF 20, Ma 10, planted at 5,500 vines / ha, average age 35; the % malbec is said to be the greatest in Pomerol; Peppercorn: (the wine in general) This is a wonderfully perfumed, dense, rich, plummy second-tier Pomerol which seldom disappoints; no direct info on this vintage found. ]
Dense garnet and ruby, second deepest to the 1986 Margaux. And on bouquet, it is the 1986 Margaux's running-mate, huge rich over-ripened fruit, densely plummy, but where the '86 Margaux shows fine-grained near-invisible oak, the cooperage here is much older and plainer (then). What wines these 1961s must have been, for this 52 years later to still be so saturated with relatively youthful fruit, even if there is some browning, and quite a tannin load. It just lacks finesse in its elevage. It has to win points on its richness and vitality, given its age. Textbook over-ripe merlot, no hurry at all. GK 11/13

2005 Felton Road Pinot Noir 17 + (

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Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $85 [ screwcap; several clones hand-harvested, average vine age 5.5 years; a cold, difficult and late season, reduced crop just over half the target yield of 5.5 t/ha (2.3 t/ac); 20 – 30% whole bunch, wild-yeast fermentations; 11 months in French oak c.30% new; resulting wines tannic and concentrated; the main bottling, a blend of approx. one third Elms, Cornish Point and Calvert vineyards; not fined or filtered; Neal Martin @ R Parker, 2008: The excellent 2005 Pinot Noir has a dense mulberry-tinged nose with a touch of sea salt, maraschino cherry, loganberry and wild hedgerow – quite an imposing bouquet leading to a vibrant palate that is bursting full of bright cherry-flavored fruit, leading towards a more savory finish, 90; Cooper, 2007: … deeply coloured and finely balanced, with fresh, strong cherry, plum and spice flavours, richly varietal and complex. A powerful wine, warm and savoury, with sweet-fruit characters and a sustained finish, *****; weight bottle and closure: 558 g; www.feltonroad.com ]
Colour is one of the older pinots, a fair bit of garnet in the ruby, the third-deepest wine. Bouquet is complex. Freshly opened there is almost a thyme aromatic lift, which by the time of presenting the tasting had married into a highly zingy, totally aromatic Cote de Nuits bouquet. It would be inconceivable to place this wine in the Cote de Beaune. As you smell and taste through the wine, you realise there is quite a stalk / whole-bunch lift to the bouquet, on red and black cherry fruit. The flavour lets it down a little, the wine lacking the harmony the better burgundies and the Black Poplar wine show. There is good fruit, but an overt fruit-sweetness sitting slightly incongruously alongside elevated stemminess and total acid, both still to harmonise. The colour suggests the wine is well along its maturation profile, but not unduly so. In five years time this may be as harmonious as the slightly older-looking Black Poplar is now. This wine was quite well liked by the group, five rating it their top or second wine (one speaker noting he liked an obvious whole-bunch component), and five also thinking it could be New Zealand. I cannot confirm they were the same five. GK 10/16

2015 Brundlmeyer Zobinger Heiligenstein Riesling Trocken 17 + (

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Zobing, Austria: 12.5%; $52 [ screwcap; organic; a large wine company famed for its gruner veltliner, which amounts to 38% of production; Heiligenstein is a famous vineyard on fossiliferous late Palaezoic sandstones, with some volcanic inclusions; fruit is hand-harvested at 5.3 – 6 t/ha = 2.1 – 2.4 t/ac. The wines are fermented in s/s, with partial elevation in old fuder; website is more in the Australasian style, with both winery info and technical detail; www.bruendlmayer.at ]
Pale lemon. Bouquet is a good deal fresher and more open than the Langenlois wine from the same producer, with a floral component hinting at linden blossom, a citrus and citrus-zest component, but also a slight stemmy note. Palate continues the citrus theme, total acid a little elevated, the wine quite rich with the slightest hint of sweetness, but still with a slightly stalky / phenolic note – which may simply be youth. One of the better Austrian wines to have come my way, among few. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 03/17

2005 Parker Estate [ Cabernet Sauvignon ] Terra Rossa First Growth 17 + (

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Coonawarra, South Australia, Australia: 14.7%; $100 [ screwcap; CS 91%, Me 9; cuvaison up to 6 weeks, some BF; 19 months in French oak 100% new; www.parkercoonawarraestate.com.au ]
Dense ruby and velvet. Freshly opened, though spirity there was an attractive quality to the bouquet of this wine, like a raspberry and plum tart fresh out of the oven. In the Australian flight, it was marvellous to have one that wasn't too euc'y and too oaky. In mouth, the wine shortened up dramatically however, which always comes as a let-down after a promising bouquet. Palate is clear-cut rich cassis, but hard and angular on added acid, which accentuates the alcohol and oak. Once one knows, textural enrichment from barrel fermentation, with some milk chocolate notes, is detectable. If only Australian winemakers would make cabernet / merlot for the European market, with its emphasis on style, rather than the American with its emphasis on size. Though that is too simplistic, as the Aussie taste converges with the American one. Quite apart from the high alcohol, one only needs to look at the numbers, to see why these wines are so unsatisfactory in mouth. The pH is given as 3.37, bespeaking much added tartaric acid owing much more to the Roseworthy school of technological winemaking, rather than the Bordeaux one optimising complexity, beauty, and texture – and for the better chateaux these days reconciling those priorities with technical factors. Nonetheless, this big modern Coonawarra will cellar 10 – 30 years. GK 11/08

2011 Wooing Tree Pinot Noir Sandstorm Reserve 17 + (

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Cromwell, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $85 [ screwcap; hand-picked from low-yielding vines; variable small % of whole bunches; elevation varies from 13 – 18 months in French oak 30 – 40 % new; minimal filtering; www.wooingtree.co.nz ]
Lighter and older pinot noir ruby, the second to lightest wine in the 57. Bouquet is unusual for an Otago pinot noir, being light and ethereal such that blind you think it an older wine from the younger Wairau Valley alluviums. It is very fragrant in an integrated pinot noir red fruits browning now style, older redcurrant jelly maybe, not exactly floral, not much apparent oak. Palate is soft, light and pale but not weak (i.e. good concentration), like an old Rioja in a way, showing some soft slightly citrussy oak. There is no hint of leaf at all. Easy drinking indeed, but tasting like a wine much older than its date. Unusual. Hold a year or three only. GK 06/17

2005 Chapoutier Chateauneuf-du-Pape Croix de Bois 17 + (

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Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Southern Rhone Valley, France: 16%; $112 [ cork; Gr 100% on old cobbly terrace materials; hand-harvested; 100% de-stemmed; fermented in closed concrete vessels, cuvaison up to 3 weeks; concern to prevent oxidation so matured only in s/s c.14 – 16 months; www.chapoutier.com ]
Younger ruby. Bouquet is lifted and fumey, at first making one think of some VA, but on reflection it is probably just the spirity high alcohol. Berry character is overt, in the raspberry to loganberry to nearly boysenberry sequence, all tending Australian, over-ripe, and clumsy. Palate fits in with that sentiment, but unlike most Australian offerings, the oak is vanishingly subtle, which helps alleviate the spirity palate a little, and highlights the varietal cinnamon. Hard to believe this wine needed to be so sugar-ripe to achieve pleasing flavours, but the simple fruit purity is delightful. [ The oak comments in these two Chateauneufs are the tasting impressions – reading the instructions comes later.] Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 07/08

1998 M. Sorrel Hermitage le Greal 17 + (

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Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $ – [ cork; Sy 95%, Marsanne 5; the 1998 50% de-stemmed, 18 – 22 months in older oak only; Parker, 2001: 95 The 1998 Hermitage Le Greal is undoubtedly the finest Sorrel has made during his helmsmanship at this estate. With a natural alcohol level of 13.7%, this is no wimpish wine, but whoever said Hermitage was? It boasts an opaque black/purple color in addition to a superb bouquet of blackberries, cedar, liquid minerals, spice box, and earth. The concentration and multi-layered texture are both fabulous in this thick, viscous, tannic monster. It will unquestionably require patience. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2035. By the way, 50% of the grapes for this cuvee were destemmed, the first time Sorrel had implemented that practice; imported by Scenic Cellars, Taupo. ]
Ruby and garnet, some velvet, the second oldest in the set. Bouquet is old-style Rhone, traditional, showing browning berry with thoughts of roasted chestnuts and brett, but all quite fragrant. The hot year shows more clearly on bouquet, in this wine. Palate is quite rich but very dry indeed, clearly cassisy syrah with a browning edge, savoury casseroled beef notes on the brett, all long-flavoured. In some ways this is a more harmonious wine than the first two, much easier in mouth, on riper and softer tannins. There are no stalks here, and as the wine lingers in mouth there is almost a suggestion of the wallflower florals which characterise great syrah – but preferably on bouquet as well. Parker implies the wine is a masterpiece, and one can see why. Rather, it is a flawed masterpiece, the kind of wine where alternative bottles might score very differently. Cellar another 5 – 10 years should be OK. GK 04/09

2008 Te Whare Ra Sauvignon Blanc Awatere 17 + (

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Awatere Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 12.5%; $22 [ screwcap; 10% Wairau fruit; some hand-picked, de-stemmed; cool-fermented majority s/s, a little BF and LA for texture and complexity; pH 3.30, RS 2 g/L; 1450 cases; www.te-whare-ra.co.nz ]
Pale lemon. Freshly opened, this wine is still disorganised, with SO2 and a little reduction on the lees-autolysis component. It needs a splashy pouring. Behind this there is attractive red capsicum varietal fruit with potential herbes complexity. In mouth the higher than usual sulphur load is negative, and coupled with the low residual the result is a Muscadet-sur-Lie version of Marlborough sauvignon. The lees-autolysis does augment the body attractively – the whole style would appeal to the UK. Since New Zealanders have a near-pathological obsession with drinking sauvignon young, and since this wine will not be in good shape for drinking until at least 18 – 20 months after vintage, building up this level of reduced character is unwise, I think. By the same token, it will cellar well, to 10 – 12 years, so the score here takes a generous view of the wine’s attributes. Not everyone would agree. GK 04/09

2013 Schubert Pinot Noir Block B 17 + (

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Gladstone, Wairarapa, New Zealand: 14.5%; $60 [ cork; mainly Dijon clones, hand-picked; 100% de-stemmed, 21 days cuvaison; 18 months in French oak, 45% new; www.schubert.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, some age to the edge, in the third quarter for depth. Bouquet is fragrant but not really floral, more an interaction of berry and oak browning slightly now. Palate has more to say, an attractive blending of supple pinot noir red and black cherry fruit browning a little now with cedary oak, the wine showing better concentration than many of this apparent weight. Nett impression is quite Cote de Beaune. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 06/17

2016 Pyramid Valley Pinot Noir Earth Smoke Home Collection 17 + (

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Waikari, Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 13.5%; $125 [ screwcap; beyond a description of the wine, and production of 290 x 9-litre cases, the website is again silent on details of interest to the taster; this name derives from common fumitory (Fumaria officinalis), also known in the northern hemisphere as earth smoke, the general impression a good crop of the weed can give at a distance; www.pyramidvalley.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, right in the middle for depth among the pinot noirs, but a bit drab. Bouquet here shares much with the same winery’s Angel Flower Pinot Noir, this slightly off-centre blackboy style of pinot noir, with some rose florals, but more the fragrant purple flesh of blackboy. A hint of varnish detracts. Palate is fresh in this styling, somewhere between red and black cherry but not quite the magic of either, fractionally riper and more harmonious than Angel Flower, more concentration, less stalks. It is not as pure as Kiwa, though. Interesting wine, worth cellaring 5 – 12 years. As to the price, see the comments for Field of Fire Chardonnay. GK 06/19

1998 Guigal Gigondas 17 + (

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Southern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $ – [ Cork, 49mm; now Gr 70%, Sy 20, Mv 10, cropped at ± 4.2 t/ha = 1.7 t/ac; Parker rating for year 98; NZ price at purchase $61; elevation two years in large oak, up to 50% new; note J.L-L has quite a different rendering of these ‘facts’, and he is such an assiduous researcher of the Northern Rhone I am inclined to believe him: 60% Grenache, 33% Mourvedre, 7% various others – Syrah, Cinsault, large wood but little new, wine bought from up to 40 suppliers; Parker, 2001: The dark ruby-colored 1998 Gigondas offers a sweet perfume of mineral-laced black cherries backed up by pepper. Medium-bodied, elegant, and savory, it is ideal for drinking over the next 7-8 years, 89; Wine Spectator, 2002: Supple and pleasant, a medium-bodied red that has some generous coffee, plum and blackberry flavors. Drink now through 2005. 13,330 cases made, 86; www.guigal.com ]
Garnet more than ruby, clearly browner than the 1983 Gigondas. And one sniff of the bouquet shows why: this wine does reveal the heat of some 2003s and 1998s, the bouquet just a little baked (as in overcooked plum jam tart), with the key descriptors mentioned being prune and soy sauce – so apt. Palate is fresher than the bouquet, a fat wine showing rich fruit in which browning raspberry, plum and cinnamon show. One taster wondered if there might be trace oxidation, raising the possibility another bottle might be quite different. Even so, the palate richness means this will still be a satisfying wine with (for example) a roast beef dinner. One person rated it their favourite wine of the evening, one their second. The wine still has quite a tannin grip, and is rich, so it can be cellared another 5 – 15 years. It was much better the next day. Eight tasters rated this their least wine of the evening. GK 05/17

2014 Escarpment Pinot Noir Kupe 17 + (

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Te Muna Valley, Martinborough district, Wairarapa, New Zealand: 14%; $82 [ dated 50mm cork; close-planted in 1999 at 6,600 vines / ha; hand-picked; fermented with around 70% whole bunches in oak cuves, 18 months in French oak 50% new; RS <1 g/L, dry extract an exemplary 31.3 g/L, not fined or filtered; www.escarpment.co.nz ]
Good ruby, but like the 2014 Ata Rangi, getting deep for pinot noir. One sniff here … and one is saturated in oak, much more so than I recollect from previous bottles. It smells like Californian Merlot from the 1980s, fragrant, plummy, but for pinot noir, awfully big. In mouth the richness of dark fruit is most impressive, but once again very quickly the oak floods the mouth, making it hard to taste the actual fruit in any varietal sense. I can't ignore the fact the wine is beautifully fragrant and darkly plummy, qualifying it as pinot, but it is massive by Burgundy standards, and much too oaky. Put it away for 10 years, and there might be a pleasant surprise. Cellar 10 – 20 years at least, maybe a good deal longer. GK 09/16

2016 Pyramid Valley Chardonnay Field of Fire Home Collection 17 + (

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Waikari, Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 14.5%; $125 [ screwcap; clones mendoza and 95 about equal; beyond fanciful descriptors, and a production of 120 x 9-litre cases; the website is silent; named for couch-grass (Elymus = Agropyron repens), presumably referring to in later summer, swathes of it drying to a straw-gold colour; www.pyramidvalley.co.nz ]
Lemonstraw, deeper than some, above midway in depth. Bouquet is light, clean, pure, also free of the reduction that caters to the poseurs' brigade, clearly varietal, faintly citric with just a slight worry, is it a bit under-ripe ? Palate though quite rich unfortunately supports that doubt, total acid high, a suggestion of leafyness-stalks, which makes the lactic component from the MLF fermentation sit unhappily in the complete wine. There is quite a New Zealand grapefruit suggestion, on the citric-plus-stalks. This wine will not cellar as well as the Neudorf Moutere, imperfect ripeness tending to cripple the development of flavour harmony in chardonnay wines.

The price of $125 is therefore simply a conceit, completely unrealistic. Sadly, certain wineries get carried away by delusions about their early achievements, their supposedly unique offering, sometimes even before they have a track record. This presumption all too often is aided and abetted by suggestible wine writers, few of whom in New Zealand taste widely enough to know what a $125 chardonnay should taste like. And few of whom will step out of line, not only for fear of losing free samples, but also because of an industry which demands conformity first and foremost, without regard to the customer. This misleading of the customer is relatively easily achieved in a young wine country such as New Zealand, where wine knowledge is still not part of the fabric of society. Such wineries end up catering only to the gullible, and to label snobs, not genuine wine people.

It is therefore regrettable that the new owners have chosen to perpetuate this kind of conceit, by continuing with the inflated pricing notions of the previous owners. They would gain much credibility and esteem from the wine-buying public at large, and do themselves a considerable commercial favour for their own long term, if they immediately re-priced the entire offering to values compatible with the current quality. For this wine, half the present price would still be too much. Then it is up to the new management and new winemaker to demonstrate that this site is in fact capable of producing the quality of wine the founders were aiming for. If and when that is achieved, then re-pricing gradually on merit, and with regard to the pricing practices of in-fact leading wineries, will be justifiable. Meanwhile, this wine will improve in cellar 3 – 8 years, but it is not a long-term wine. GK 06/19

2017 Valli Pinot Gris 17 + (

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Gibbston, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $32 [ screwcap; PG 100% grown on elevated terrace soils, 16-year old vines cropped at 6 t/ha = 2.4 t/ac; cool s/s ferment, not fined, sterile-filtered to bottle, RS 3.4 g/L; the winemaker believes it will cellar well; www.valliwine.com ]
Pale lemon, the second to palest wine. Bouquet is unusually floral for New Zealand pinot gris, reminiscent of some Mission Estate examples of their Tokay d’Alsace from the earliest 1980s [ later: it is the Mission clone, from that vineyard ], attractive in an English primrose or light freesia style, but in a blind tasting, confusable with riesling. Palate is equally fragrant, pale and pure, tasting like a medium-dry riesling but with more body and some phenolics, plus higher acid than examples from further north in New Zealand. This is an interesting and unusual handling of pinot gris, but with its higher acid and light sweetness it might be hard to pair with food. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 06/19

2001 Penfolds [ Shiraz ] Bin 95 Grange 17 + (

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South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $ – [ cork; Sh 100%, CS –; some barrel-ferment; 17 months in American hogsheads 100% new; www.penfolds.com ]
Ruby and velvet, the oldest and lightest of the colours, nearly some garnet. This Grange is more in the old-time style, lots of American oak exacerbated by far too high a VA for any kind of finesse, but with lots of euc'y fruit which is showing more freshness (once age is allowed for) than a couple of these wines. Palate is granular on the VA / oak interaction, but the integration of browning berry into the oak, with some secondary characters showing, is very much in style. The fruit richness is again great. This is very much in the national monument style, take it or leave it. Cellar 5 – 25 years. GK 07/13

2016 Escarpment Pinot Noir Kiwa 17 + (

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Martinborough Terrace, Wairarapa, New Zealand: 13.5%; $85 [ screwcap; 29-year old vines, Cleland vineyard in Martinborough proper; wild-yeast fermented in wooden cuves, 23 days cuvaison, 18 months in French oak 40% new; RS <1 g/L, dry extract 27.9 g/L, not filtered; www.escarpment.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, right in the middle of the pinots. This wine is quite different in style from the more highly marked pinot noirs, a wine more in the alternative mainstream New Zealand pinot noir format characterised by lighter buddleia florals. In this year's Kiwa there are leafy hints too. Palate follows perfectly, the florals continuing, red fruits more than black, even a hint of strawberry, the wine slightly more acid, and yes – there is trace stalkyness. It is good, and varietal, as far as it goes, but ideally needed a greater ratio of riper material. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 06/19

2012 Guigal Cotes-du-Rhone 17 + (

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Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $19 [ cork 46mm; Sy 50%, Gr 45, Mv 5, cropped at 5.2 t/ha (2.1 t/ac); 18 months in large wood / foudre; www.guigal.com ]
Attractive ruby and some velvet, medium weight, just below midway in depth. Bouquet is pure, enticing and slightly aromatic red fruits along the lines of raspberry but browning a little now, lifted by pepper and gentle oak. Palate continues the nett impression, good ripeness, sufficient richness, older oak mainly in attractive balance, the flavours seeming more grenache-led … though the cepage is syrah dominant. One of the great wine values of the world. Turned out useful in this batch, since it is in fact dry. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 03/18

2014 Johner Pinot Noir 17 + (

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Gladstone, Wairarapa, New Zealand: 14.5%; $35 [ screwcap; 5 clones hand-picked; cuvaison c.21 days, with 30% whole bunches; 12 months on fine lees in Burgundy barrels, 30% new; not fined or filtered; RS nil; extraordinary website with no technical info; www.johner-estate.com ]
Ruby and some velvet, the second deepest wine, tending big for pinot noir. Bouquet is rich, ripe and a little old-fashioned, not as clinical / technical as the top wines here, so thus for many tasters, more 'winey'. Though red fruits dominate, there is a clear suggestion of black, not a lot of new oak, all a trace leathery. Palate shows rich ripe fruit, the second richest wine here, red cherries and a suggestion of darker plums, seemingly older oak, and a richness and finish suggesting a couple of grams of residual sugar (nil, in fact). The impression of sweetness (presumably from a good dry extract figure) aside, in its more traditional styling this wine will give much pleasure to many people. Cellar 3 – 10 years GK 05/16

2002 Greenhough Pinot Noir Hope Vineyard 17 + (

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Nelson, New Zealand: 13.5%; $40
Older pinot ruby. A good volume of floral and faintly leafy varietal fruit, in style with the blind tasting of some Girardins, but cooler. Palate has attractive fruit richness, red cherries and red currants, good length, beautiful oaking, and is clearly varietal. Against this top year in Burgundy (as the 02s are), the Hope looks a little leafy, but in other years it would fit in with Burgundy more easily. Rated five stars, top equal, of 102 New Zealand pinot noirs, by Decanter magazine July 2004. Given that the threshold for Decanter five-stars is now 18.75 points (curious in itself), and the 2002 Hope is relatively lighter, leafier and less savoury / complex than the 2001 Hope, Decanter's application of numbers / ratings in their tasting seems curious. In contrast, the 2001 Greenhough Hope Vineyard is one of New Zealand's best pinot noirs to date, opened here to check, and now ranking about the level of the Corton in this tasting. I reviewed it in the precursor to these reviews 9/02, commenting "a good Premier Cru level. An exciting wine for this country." [ Unfortunately, those reviews are now off the web. ] See also the 2002 Kaituna Valley notes. Cellar 3 – 5 years, though against the burgundies it is distressingly forward. GK 08/04

2005 Benfield & Delamare Cabernet / Merlot / Franc 17 + (

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Martinborough, New Zealand: 13%; $55 [ cork, wax-dipped; CS 65, Me 20, CF 15, hand-picked; a very promising vintage marred for late-season producers (such as Bordeaux-blenders in Martinborough) by rain in the second week of April; 99 cases; www.benfieldanddelamare.co.nz ]
Ruby and some velvet, quite oak-affected in colour alongside the Craggys, for example. Bouquet is very distinctive, dominated by this nutmeg / fivespice oak Benfield & Delamare have made their trademark, to the extent it is hard to detect the exact fruit quality on bouquet, but it is berry-rich and fruity. Palate shows quite rich but relatively simple plummy fruit, good ripeness, and reasonable length, but at this stage, the oak is all-pervasive. I don't see the harmony and body the merlot-dominant 2003 showed (from memory), and I have this fear that with age, coffee undertones will develop, rather than berry complexity. Merlot suffered in 2005. But once again, the proprietors have shown that with intense management, Bordeaux blends (even cabernet-dominant) can be properly ripened in Martinborough. This wine is physiologically more mature than the Puriri wines, for example. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 09/07

2004 Villa Maria Pinot Noir Taylors Pass Individual Vineyard 17 + (

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Awatere Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14.5%; $57 [ screwcap; hand-picked; 100% de-stemmed, cold-soak up to 14 days; 11 months and MLF in French oak 20% new; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Full pinot noir ruby, a shade older than the Villa Reserve wine, one of the deeper. Bouquet is a simpler more robust kind of pinot on this wine, with clear floral components suggesting buddleia and lilac (and pennyroyal), on slightly stewed plummy fruit and a hint of smoked fish. Palate is more the blackboy pinot flavour, fleshy, yet a little acid and stalky too, needing time to mellow in bottle. Plenty of fruit richness, to cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 06/06

2007 Esk Valley Merlot / Cabernet Sauvignon / Malbec Black Label 17 + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $25 [ screwcap; DFB; Me 40%, CS 37, Ma 23; commercial yeasts; 12 months in French & American oak some new; www.eskvalley.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. Bouquet is aromatic and fragrant, with cassis and floral aromas, but also a hint of coolness. Palate picks up the cool notes relative to the wines rated more highly, and though the berry is clear and aromatic, there is a hint of stalkyness plus firm acid, relative to the Black Label Merlot. Otherwise fruit quality is good, clean, and it will cellar well 5 – 12 years, in a leaner fragrant style which is a little more oaky than the Villa Maria PB blend. GK 03/09

2007 Pask Merlot Declaration 17 + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $50 [ screwcap; Me 100, machine-harvested, de-stemmed; some cold-soak, longish cuvaison, partial BF and lees autolysis; c.18 months in French more than American oak, mostly new; 2007 not on website yet; www.cjpaskwinery.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, below midway in depth. Oak is more to the forefront on this Pask Merlot, even more so than Brokenstone, in clearly plummy fruit, the whole wine fragrant due to the oak. Palate brings up the oak more, so even though the wine is fairly soft, fruit character is attenuated and the longer aftertaste is oak. Tactile richness remains good though, and the Christmas-cakey balance of flavours is intriguing. Merlot is a soft variety, and does not benefit from too much oak. Tim Atkin MW from the UK also commented adversely on the ratio of oak. Cellar 3 – 15 years. GK 01/10

1997 Pask Methode Traditionelle Declaration Brut 17 + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12.5%; $35 [ cork; Ch 90%, PN 10, hand-harvested; 8 years en tirage, no MLF, no BF, c. 7 g/L dosage; all riddling, disgorging, dosage and labelling by hand; available ex winery; www.cjpaskwinery.co.nz ]
Elegant lemonstraw, a lazy bubble. Bouquet shows clearcut baguette autolysis on good fruit, in another wine with some reminders of the Bollinger style, including a hint of aldehydes. Palate is not as crisp and focussed as the 1996 wine simply labelled Brut, and is clearly a little broader, but it is still weighty, flavoursome, and more a food wine than a light aperitif. Dosage is attractively on the dry side, and aftertaste is long and integrated. This is a bubbly for those liking the autolysed flavours of a more mature wine, but who are not keen on too much fizz. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 12/06

2007 Gem Rosé 17 + (

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Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $19 [ screwcap; Sy, Me; wild yeast fermentation, some time in older oak; www.gemwine.co.nz ]
Colour is a pretty pale rosé. Bouquet is neat, an attractive fresh presentation of light rosé which smells like the stated syrah and merlot, and reminds of some Cotes du Rhone rosés. Palate follows well, the merlot fraction dominating now and taking the winestyle more towards Cabernet d'Anjou. But in detail, the wine does not quite match either of these two models, being a little sweet to the finish. Not very sweet, but more than is subtle. It will be good when New Zealand rosés become more serious / better international in approach. The fruit qualities here suggest a more sophisticated rosé could have been essayed, below 5 g/L. Cellar a year or two. GK 04/08

2002 Te Mata Merlot / Cabernet Coleraine 17 + (

)

Havelock Hills, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $65 [ Me 39%, CF 36, CS 25; French oak; www.temata.co.nz ]
Good ruby. An appealing plummy, cassisy and lightly oaky bouquet, with a suggestion of spice on the oak, and an intriguing hint of pepper on the fruit, as if there were a smidgeon of syrah. Palate is richer than Awatea, very youthful, a hint of stalks in the red and black fruits, all beautifully fragrant. This too is close to Bordeaux in style, if fractionally oakier. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 05/04

2003 Villa Maria Pinot Noir Single Vineyard Taylor's Pass 17 + (

)

Awatere Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $55 [ screwcap; clones 5, 113 and others, 3 years, 1 t/ac; 100% de-stemmed, up to 16 days cold soak, up to 21 days cuvaison; 10 months French oak 58% new; coarse filtration; Robinson '05: Some fragrance, some sweetness after a very dark purple start. This one is really trying to seduce and stands out from most Marlborough wines. Still a little exaggerated but better than most. Expensive though. 16.5; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby, some velvet, older than many. Bouquet is delightfully aromatic, without arousing any suspicions of contaminants such as eucalyptus, giving a great lift to essentially blackboy and red fruits, plus midrange florals such as lilac and rose. Palate is rich, a lot of new oak, pleasing red fruit flavours all a little oakier than the Au Bon Climat, finishing a little tannic and short at this stage. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 01/07

2001 Rousseau Ruchottes-Chambertin 17 + (

)

Gevrey-Chambertin Grand Cru, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 13%; $157 [ 20 - 30% new oak ]
Pinot ruby, but one of the lightest of the set. This wine stands out for its bouquet, which is very floral and nearly perfumed, with a hint of the carnations of Cote Rotie. That translates on palate to a slightly more stalky red cherries flavour, which has been skilfully balanced to subtle oak. Even though it is lighter, this will mature into a beautifully perfumed wine, epitomising one kind of burgundy. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 02/05

2008 Waimea Estate Riesling Classic 17 + (

)

Waimea Valley, Nelson, New Zealand: 13%; $21 [ screwcap; no skin contact, s/s ferment, German yeast; some LA; pH 3.1, RS 22 g/L; www.waimeaestates.co.nz ]
Older lemon, just a wash of brass creeping in – surprisingly. On bouquet too there is some development showing, the floral and nectary notes becoming a little honeyed, with some suggestions of finest Clare or Eden Valley riesling as well as New Zealand. Palate is not as elegant as the top wines, lots of varietal flavour, almost a honeyed note in suggestions of passionfruit, but the phenolics already showing through. This will not cellar so happily, more a wine for earlier drinking over 2 – 5 years. GK 06/11

1996 Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame Brut 17 + (

)

Reims, Champagne, France: 12.5%; $269 [ cork; PN 60%, Ch 40; www.veuve-clicquot.com ]
Full straw, the second deepest. Bouquet is not in the top flight, the luxury bubblies falling into two camps. There is a broad aldehydic quality on this wine, such as Bollinger is often accused of, on broad mushroomy autolysis. There is also a suggestion of high solids / almond, adding a heavy note which is not so good in fine methode champenoise. Palate brings up the autolysis flavours more attractively, the mealy qualities darkening almost to hazelnut, rich, but all a little lacking in freshness. Great food wine now, but not a good cellaring prospect. GK 11/06

2002 Palliser Estate Pinot Noir 17 + (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 14%; $40 [ cork; c. 4 days cold-soak; 12 months new and older French oak; www.palliser.co.nz ]
Lightish pinot noir ruby. An understated but pure varietal bouquet, with beautiful mixed florals on red and black cherries. Other fruits include blackboy peach, and even a hint of red currants, which could correlate with a cool year for pinot. Palate is exactly the same as the bouquet, beautiful red fruits balanced to invisible oak, highly varietal. Not a big wine, but stylish and enjoyable. Cellar 3 - 8 years. GK 03/05

2007 Craggy Range Pinot Noir Bannockburn Sluicings Vineyard 17 + (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $47 [ screwcap; not on website yet; www.craggyrange.com ]
Pinot noir ruby, the lightest of the Craggy pinots. This is the most voluminous pinot bouquet in the Craggy subset, but not for the right reasons – there is an excess of buddleia florals bespeaking leafyness. In mouth this quality becomes a clear stalky component, making the wine very aromatic. Bouquet includes buddleia and rose florals, perhaps with slight aromatic herbes. Palate is red cherry more than black, long and crisp with good flesh, but the length is partly sustained on the stalky component. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 03/09

1994 Delas Freres Hermitage Cuvée Marquise de La Tourette 17 + (

)

Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $ – [ cork; Delas own 6.5 ha on the Hill of Hermitage, and rent 3.5; Sy 100%, up to 18 months in barrel; www.delas.com ]
Ruby and garnet, a pinot noir weight. Bouquet is not dissimilar from 18-year-old burgundy either, suggestions of wallflower and boronia florality, red fruits easily imagined to be cherry, really winey. Palate is a little dry for burgundy, however, some browning cassis notes now, total acid up a bit reflecting the modest year, a wine at full stretch, drying / fading a little. The commonality between this and the 1991 Tahbilk 1860 Shiraz is enchanting, but the Delas is much lighter. Needs finishing over the next year or two. GK 08/12

2011 Obsidian [ Cabernet Franc / Petit Verdot ] The Mayor 17 + (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.5%; $54 [ cork; CF 45%, PV 33, Ma 22, all hand-harvested; all de-stemmed, cultured yeast; MLF and 13 months in all-French oak 33% new; 200 cases; www.obsidian.co.nz ]
Carmine, ruby and velvet, very bright, the malbec, I guess. Bouquet is youthful juicy red fruits, reflecting the cabernet franc in an exciting way. It hints at raspberry as well as redcurrant and red plum, but is lighter in style like the Soho Revolver, with a suggestion of stalk. Fruit in mouth and ripeness achieved are however a little better than that wine, and the oak ratio is an improvement over Obsidian 2008. It is not a rich wine, though, the 2011 vintage precluded that. Like the Stonyridge wines, I feel the ratio of malbec lets the wine down, introducing the thought of stalks into what could have been a pretty and attractive wine reminding of St Emilion. Malbec really is not a fine grape: just because it makes impressive wines in Argentina (perhaps as much due to size and complex elevage tricking tasters, rather than the beauty of the fruit) does not mean it will make beautiful wines in the more marginal climate of New Zealand, even in the one-year-in-ten it ripens properly. 2011 was not such a year on Waiheke Island, so future better vintages of this new label are keenly awaited. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 10/12

2009 Tarras Vineyards Pinot Noir Canyon 17 + (

)

Bendigo, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $45 [ screwcap; hand-picked; a single vineyard wine; no info beyond 30% new oak; www.tarrasvineyards.com ]
Good pinot noir ruby. The wine seems oaky by pinot noir standards, and it is very fragrant oak as if there were a few American barrels. Behind the oak the wine is darkly floral, on black fruits more than red, though the balance of flavours is pinot. With air the wine softens and gains in appeal, foretelling its evolution in cellar, more than likely. A big pinot to appeal to oak fans, which may demand re-rating. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 09/10

2007 Cypress Terraces Syrah 17 + (

)

Roy's Hill, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $39 [ screwcap; Sy 100%, hand-picked; 20 months in French oak 50% new; www.cypresswines.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet. Bouquet is unusual, fragrant in a mixed way, with both wallflower-like florals and some pennyroyal mint on cassis and white and black pepper. Palate brings up the berry, and the wine swings back from nearly Australian to reminders of Cote Rotie, light cassis and even dianthus smells and flavours in mouth, but the oak is a little too aromatic for the lighter fruit weight. The wine is very pure, richer and riper than the Brookfield's, not as rich as (even this tasting's lesser) Bullnose. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/10

1999 Jaboulet Hermitage La Chapelle 17 + (

)

Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $134 [ Cork, 53mm; Sy 100; price given is wine-searcher average for that vintage of the wine; general elevation etc see Intro; Robinson, 2009: Quite dark but not very evolved. Quite meaty nose. Very dry and slightly dusty without a real core of fruit. As though it has been kept in oak a bit too long. Very traditional, even a bit rustic. Serviceable but no ingredient X. 16.5; Parker, 2002: The 1999 Hermitage La Chapelle is a mid-weight, elegant, dark ruby-colored effort that lacks color saturation. It exhibits moderately intense cassis flavors intermixed with minerals, a touch of pepper, and herbs. The finish is decidedly short as well as light. It needs 2-3 years of cellaring, and should last for 12-15, but given the fact that Jaboulet's Hermitage La Chapelle has a 50-year track record as one of the world's greatest wines, this is a disappointment, 88; www.jaboulet.com ]
Attractive ruby and garnet, glowing, the second to lightest colour. Bouquet is simply charming. It is not a big wine, but it is remarkably pretty, and it shows appropriate ripeness. It is much older and lighter than the Chave 1999. This wine too shows an almost burgundian appeal, though the tannin balance is firmer than any burgundy. It is just the lack of concentration that lets the wine down. As observed recently in other syrah tastings, it is worth remembering that Prof Saintsbury did say that Hermitage is the most ‘manly’ of wines. Pretty well mature now, will lighten gracefully for another 5 – 10 years. One person had this 1999 as their favourite wine of the evening. GK 09/14

2005 Sileni Estate Merlot Triangle 17 + (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $35 [ screwcap; Me 100%, 100% de-stemmed; MLF in tank; 14 months in barrel 85% French, 15 American; www.sileni.co.nz ]
Ruby. Bouquet is in a slightly pinched merlot style, some violets florals, but also some suggestions of the stalks that the less than top-flight 2004 Bordeaux show. Palate has quite good fruit, red currants and plums, but again with not quite the dark plums of full physiological maturity in merlot – the thought of stalks arises here too. Attractive as far as it goes, and it sits happily in the middle of the 2004 Bordeaux, many of which show a thread of green. Like the riper Church Road, the similarity of style Hawkes Bay blends show to the international yardstick is delightful, and in the case of the Church Road the pricing is even moreso. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 12/07

2004 Daniel Schuster [ Pinot Noir ] Omihi Hills Selection 17 + (

)

Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 14%; $56 [ cork; vines 20 years old, hand-harvested; 5 day cold-soak; 15 months in French oak 30% new; www.danielschusterwines.com ]
Pinot noir ruby, in the middle for depth, older than most as if more oak-influenced. The volume of bouquet on this wine is great, with exciting aromatics straight out of the Cote de Nuits, from a more traditional producer. As well as cherry fruit with a suggestion of whole-berries fermentation fragrance, and clear violets florals, there is spicy oak suggesting nutmeg, which is characteristic of this winemaker. Palate is floral in mouth, clearly spicy, highly varietal and winey (with a hint of brett). But the wine is also a little acid and stalky, which lowers the score. Cellar 3 – 8 years, maybe more. GK 06/06

2006 Peregrine Pinot Noir Wentworth Vineyard 17 + (

)

Cromwell Basin 80%, Gibbston 20, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $65 [ screwcap; no info available on this rare wine, beyond a memo: it is a collaboration between Greg Hay, viticulturist, Steve Smith MW now of Craggy Range, and Adam Peren based at Wentworth Estate, Gibbston, near Queenstown. Wentworth Estate is a sixty hectare Champagne-style wine and lifestyle development; www.peregrinewines.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is classical Central Otago pinot noir, showing great florality from dark roses to boronia, on red and black cherry, enticing. Palate is not quite on a par with bouquet, the oak and tannins showing rather much, and the fruit a little light to maintain an ideal balance, so the finish is short. Approaching maturity now, cellar 1 – 3 years only. GK 09/10

2004 Riverby Estate Riesling 17 + (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 12%; $20 [ screwcap; Gm 239 vines planted 1994; non-botrytis bunches hand-picked at c. 3 t/ac; cold-settled, cool- and stop-fermented in s/s; pH 3.27, RS 6.5 g/L; www.riverbyestate.com ]
Elegant lemon. Bouquet is grapey, but not so explicitly varietal to first inspection. Once one tastes it, the riesling connection is apparent, with appley, hoppy and lime components all a little more phenolic than the top wines, and noticeable on the 'riesling dry' finish. The one might not develop so harmoniously, just a slight thought of cardboard in the fruit, so perhaps cellar 1 – 4 years only. GK 04/09

2016 Te Mata Syrah Bullnose 17 + (

)

The Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $76 [ cork 46mm; Sy 100% from a single vineyard, oldest vines planted 1990, average age 20; clonal detail withheld but presumably based on MS &/or Limmer clone, plus (at least) some clone 470, all hand-harvested at c. 7 t/ha = 2.8 t/ac, fruit all de-stemmed, no cold-soak; cultured-yeast fermentations, cuvaison averages 21 days with MLF in tank; c.7 months in French oak, 35% new, before assembly, then 8 months in barrel afterwards; sterile-filtered to bottle; RS nil; dry extract withheld; production withheld; weight bottle and closure: 566 g; C. Douglas, 2019: Quite intensely fruity then a layer of spice and oak emerges showing both pepper and baking spices, smoke and dry stone, violets, blackcurrant, dark raspberry and five spice. Dry and very youthful on the palate with an intense, warm and salivating palate. No mistaking the tannins, spice and backbone of acidity. Long youthful finish. Should be in the cellar till at least 2024 before trying again, 95; JC@RP, 2019: Wonderfully fragrant—almost perfumed—the 2016 Bullnose Syrah is loaded with violets and peppery spice notes. Never the biggest Hawke's Bay Syrah, the 2016 shows just enough red cherry and raspberry fruit to support those other elements, some silky tannins and a ripe, mouthwatering, licorice-tinged finish. Drink this vintage over the near term, to 2022, 9I; two bottles made available for this tasting by the winery – appreciated; www.temata.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and some velvet, the second to lightest wine. Bouquet is wonderfully floral, absolute dianthus, carnations and wallflower so characteristic of temperate-climate syrah, backed by nearly cassisy berry, but with hints of white pepper as well as black. Palate is markedly smaller-scale than the wines marked more highly, fragrant red berries but tending stalky and acid, with white pepper notes. This is very much in a cool-year Cote Rotie styling, or some of the upland Les Collines Rhodaniennes syrahs. In this set, this is the wine you would think the South Island example of syrah. Being so fragrant, I set it as wine one, to reinforce the concept of florality as a key issue in temperate-climate syrah, whether French or New Zealand. The palate however is lacking ideal ripeness, body, and dry extract. It will be good with food though – refreshing. One second-place vote. Cellar 7 – 15 years. GK 11/19

2006 Valli Pinot Noir Bannockburn 17 + (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13%; $45 [ screwcap; thought to be c.25% whole bunch; extended cuvaison; some time in oak 30% new; not on website; www.valliwine.com ]
Pinot noir ruby, age showing. Bouquet shows a quite rich integration of browning florals and red cherry fruit with oak, giving a cedary aroma which is not explicitly pinot noir, but is attractive. Palate is rich, cedary, and long, almost confuseable with some Pauillac styles, but perhaps the plummy softness brings one back to pinot noir. Good food wine. Cellar 1 – 3 years, though the oak may become too prominent. GK 09/10

2004 Seven Terraces Pinot Noir 17 + (

)

Marlborough , New Zealand: 13.5%; $24 [ screwcap; Foxes Island sub-label; website not yet functional; www.seventerraces.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby. Sweet, ripe black cherries and small fruits, and deep florals including boronia, create an explicitly pinot noir bouquet. Palate stands out for its excellent ripeness and acid balance, ripened to that magical point, just above the black pepper suggestions, but before floral components are lost. Texture in mouth is soft and pleasing, not as concentrated as some, but real cherry pinot at an affordable price. Cellar 3 - 8 years. GK 06/05

2006 Chapoutier St Joseph Les Granits 17 + (

)

St Joseph, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $70 [ cork; www.chapoutier.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, above midway for the syrahs. Bouquet is a little coarser on this wine, a touch of brett and darkly plummy fruit / cooperage interaction, not floral like the top wines, even a hint of licorice. Palate is richer and broader than some of the higher-pointed wines, a little VA, the ripest and richest of the Crozes / Cote Rotie / Saint Joseph threesome. Aftertaste is sustained on the really ripe fruit, but is a little coarse. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 03/10

2009 Mills Reef Sauvignon Blanc Reserve 17 + (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $21 [ screwcap; s/s cool-ferment, brief lees-contact; RS not given; www.millsreef.co.nz ]
Lemon-straw. Bouquet is rich and ripe and strong, in an elaborated and oak-handled approach to sauvignon blanc. In this case the fruit is from Hawkes Bay, so the fruit characters are a little more tropical, in the New Zealand context. Aromas of mountain pawpaw, grapefruit zest and sautéed red capsicums mingle with oak and trace botrytis. Palate is a little broad and extractive, but not flabby, the flavour long and sustained on oak. One can imagine a hot year Graves showing something of this styling. Could work well with ratatouille and the like. Delicacy fans would score it lower. Cellar 2 – 4 years only. GK 06/11

2002 Rousseau Gevrey-Chambertin les Cazetiers 17 + (

)

Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru, Cotes de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 13%; $125 [ cork; 30 – 35 hl/ha (1.5 – 1.8 t/ac); 10% whole-bunch, c. 15 day cuvaison in s/s; MLF and up 22 months in older French oak; Coates: A bit more colour. A bit more weight. Very good grip and depth. Very lovely, succulent fruit again. Laid-back. Vigorous. Fresh and very complex. Fine quality. From 2004; Parker / Rovani: 86 – 88; www.domaine-rousseau.com ]
Pinot noir ruby, lighter than the average. This Rousseau was a little out of line with the rest, the bouquet being a little reductive and slightly bretty (at academic levels), but reminding of the characters so much burgundy used to show – let's call it farmyard. It quickly breathed off to fragrant red cherry pinot, with about as much berryfruit as the Charmes-Chambertin. Cellar 3 – 12 years. GK 07/06

2004 Seven Terraces Sauvignon Blanc 17 + (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $18 [ screwcap ]
Palest lemongreen. A pure sauvignon concentrated in the red capsicum and black passionfruit part of the flavour spectrum, but narrower than the top wines. Palate accentuates that trend, being a little firmer and crisper than the bouquet suggests, with a little green capsicum creeping in. Representative good Marlborough sauvignon, which will cellar for a few years. GK 11/04

2013 Sacred Hill Syrah Halo 17 + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12.5%; $30 [ screwcap; 14 months in barrel; RS <1 g/L; www.sacredhill.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, above midway in depth. Bouquet is highly fragrant, clearly varietal with florals including dianthus and dark roses, but the florality augmented by a little VA. Flavours add varietal white as well as black pepper and spice to cassisy and plummy berry, but in a lighter and more acid wine than Bullnose, lacking that wine's extraordinary finesse, magic, and concentration. This wine too, therefore, illustrates the over-cropping dilemma, in New Zealand. In the semi-affordable price bracket, this Halo makes a nice complement to the riper plusher Craggy wine, between them illustrating syrah well. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 03/15

2004 Hugel Gewurztraminer 17 + (

)

Riquewihr, Alsace, France: 13%; $40 [ cork; not much wine detail on website; www.hugel.com ]
Pale lemon. This is a more old-fashioned kind of Alsatian gewurztraminer, with some clean sur-lie reductiveness apparent, when freshly opened. Below are clear lychee and white stonefruits, with suggestions of ginger. Palate is firmer and drier than most others, seeming austere on the sur-lie component, but the flavours are correct. Leave this for five years, and a clear-cut truly dry gewurztraminer will emerge, which should score higher. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 08/06

1996 Nicolas Feuillatte Cuvée Palmes d'Or Brut 17 + (

)

Epernay, Champagne, France: 12%; $154 [ cork; Ch 50, PN 50, all grands crus; en tirage 8 – 9 years; no back vintages on website; current vintage price (not in NZ) in Australia c.$AU245; www.nicolas-feuillatte.com ]
Straw, just below the middle for depth. Bouquet shows a little oxidation / aldehyde / browning apple character, on pinot noir-styled fruit with pink mushroom qualities. Palate is noticeably acid, with the mushroomy flavours dominant over the bread-crust ones, but good body. Dosage might be 9 g/L. More a food wine than one for dissection, and already forward so less suited to cellaring. GK 11/14

2004 Pencarrow Chardonnay 17 + (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13%; $18 [ screwcap; 10% wild yeast ferment, BF in US > French oak, LA 7 months; www.palliser.co.nz ]
Lemongreen, very pale, as if unoaked. Bouquet here is infantile, white stonefruits and grapefruit, and unintegrated hessian oak. Palate is clean, citric, an attractive floral suggestion, so lightly oaked as to be confuseable with the unoaked wines, not totally dry, and again, infantile. Looks promising in its subtle way, but a pity it has to be released so soon. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 03/05

2009 de Vine Pinot Noir Central Otago 17 + (

)

Gibbston Valley and Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $20 [ screwcap; 15 days cuvaison, 10 months in new-ish French oak, none first-year; produced to the specification of the Manly Liquor Store, Whangaparoa Peninsula; no website. ]
Pinot noir ruby, totally burgundian. Bouquet is sweetly floral, roses and boronia, attractive red cherry fruit, immaculately clean. Palate is red more than black cherry, showing the good ripeness of the 2009 vintage in Central Otago, and a styling that is as burgundian as the colour. Not a big wine, not quite as classical or rich as the Grasshopper 2008, but attractive. Cellar 2 – 6 years. VALUE GK 08/12

2004 Kahurangi Gewurztraminer 17 + (

)

Moutere Hills & Redwood Valley, Nelson, New Zealand: 13%; $20 [ screwcap; www.kahurangiwine.com ]
Lemongreen. Another wine that opens modestly, youthful, faintly cardboardy. With air breathes up relatively quickly to a subtle pure gewurz with almost-lilium florals, suggestions of citronella, and subtle lychee, all understated in comparison with the Brunton Road. Palate is another matter however, with fine body, careful phenolics, beautifully judged residual sweetness hovering on the edge of dry, and long subtle flavours. This should cellar for 5 – 10 years, becoming more varietal every day. GK 01/05

2004 Mt Difficulty Chardonnay 17 + (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $25 [ screwcap; hand-harvested, 100% BF with high solids in old more than new French oak; weekly to fortnightly stirring on gross lees to build palate; <2 g/L RS; www.mtdifficulty.co.nz ]
Lemon-straw, deeper than the other chardonnays in this tasting – reasonably. Bouquet is fragrant, maturing nicely, clearly yellow-fleshed stonefruits, some toasted-almond mealyness, attractive. Palate is a little more abrupt, the toastyness of the barrel component rather much as if one or two of the almonds were scorched, some stonefruit, and total acid a bit noticeable. These details went unnoticed in the context winemaker Matt Dicey presented the wine, with an alternation of smoked salmon and roast pork, which made the wine seem magnificent. Useful wine reviews must be more clinical, however. At a peak, will hold 2 – 4 years. GK 06/11

2004 Mitolo Shiraz Reiver 17 + (

)

Barossa Valley, South Australia, Australia: 15%; $64 [ screwcap; DFB; a Ben Glaetzer consultancy wine; vineyard 550 m asl., average age of vines 60 years, minimal irrigation; 10 days cuvaison at 18 – 23°C in open fermenters, then partial barrel fermentation and MLF in barrel; 18 months in lightly toasted French hogsheads 70% new; Parker 167: " a lovely perfume of flowers, blackberries, espresso, and licorice … stunning richness and length … 10-12 years. 94"; www.mitolowines.com.au ]
Dense ruby and velvet, about midway in depth. This wine falls into place with the Kalleske Shiraz, as a wine in an older style, a little leathery and bretty, fumey on high alcohol, ripened to browning boysenberry on bouquet. Palate is very dry on the alcohol, but also quite tannic and old-fashioned, despite the rich fruit. I imagine this will crust in bottle, and end up lighter and more harmonious. Freshness is lacking, though. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 12/07

2006 Gisselbrecht Pinot Gris 17 + (

)

Alsace, France: 13%; $45 [ plastic closure ]
Paler straw. This is an intriguing wine, much closer in style to New Zealand. It is palely floral, more in a linden blossom way, fragrant but hard to pin down. Palate tends to the pearflesh and white nectarine approach, a slight spiciness from the phenolic component hinting at cinnamon, as in some New Zealand. Finish is drier than some of the top wines, perhaps around the New Zealand upper 'dry' limit for aromatic varieties of 7 g/L. Cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 04/08

2004 Pisa Range Pinot Noir Black Poplar Block 17 + (

)

Cromwell, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14.5%; $40 [ screwcap; 12 months in French oak 33% new; winemaker Rudi Bauer; www.pisarangeestate.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby, fractionally older than some. Bouquet is fragrant red and black cherry, with an interesting aromatic note more from grape than oak, perhaps regional in nature. They do talk about thyme on the hills a good deal, in Otago ! Palate is aromatic too, not oaky, firm fruit not in the more opulent style of the 2005s, but attractively varietal. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 01/07

2008 Misha's Vineyard Pinot Gris Dress Circle 17 + (

)

Bendigo, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $26 [ screwcap; hand-harvested; part of the wine BF in 5-years-plus French oak; 12 g/L RS; www.mishasvineyard.com ]
Pale lemongreen. Bouquet on this wine is also clearly varietal, particularly once breathed – it is still very new. There are clear pale stonefruit aromas and an enhanced lees-autolysis bread crumb complexity, relative to the Mt Difficulty. Palate however is sweeter and coarser than that wine, there being an acid edge to the phenolics making it just a little sour now. Another year in bottle may sort that out. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 11/08

2010 Stonyridge [ Malbec ] Luna Negra 17 + (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.5%; $80 [ cork; Ma 100%, hand-picked, organic vineyard; American and French oak about equal, some new; www.stonyridge.com ]
Carmine, ruby and velvet, intense, as malbec may be. Bouquet illustrates to perfection the slightly corrupt character of malbec – in the same way pinotage does not reflect the beauty of the best vinifera grapes. There is a black olive component to the edgy plummyness, which is ultimately non-winey. Here it is well hidden by vanillin American oak. Palate is rich, not quite perfectly ripe (but that is hard to achieve with malbec in New Zealand) so there is a trace of leafyness, and intensely fruity. As noted for Larose, in expressing my doubts about increasing malbec's percentage there, the flavour of malbec is coarser than cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc or merlot. This wine has not achieved the perfect ripeness of the Jurassic Ridge montepulciano for example, but both grapes illustrate hearty coarse flavours rather than classical finest vinifera. Luna Negra is an interesting wine, sometimes bearing comparison in its best years with Esk Valley's The Terraces. The latter's situation in its good years gives it the advantage in accurately ripening malbec, added to which it is only made in outstanding years. In either case, whether malbec is worth the price for these two wines is over to you. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 10/12

2004 Palliser Pinot Noir 17 + (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 14%; $39 [ screwcap; 2004 not on website, but little info on winemaking; www.palliser.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is light fragrant red fruits, blackboy and red cherries, just a suggestion of a floral component. Palate picks up a hint of the Martinborough pennyroyal character, on blackboy fruit of good weight, noticeable oak, and pleasing slightly tanniny and savoury flavours. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 11/05

2004 Felton Road Pinot Noir [ standard wine ] 17 + (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $ – [ screwcap; average vine age 5 years; a cold season, spring frosts as elsewhere in New Zealand; slightly reduced crops, small berries, intense flavours, a very true expression of classic pinot noir flavours, acids up a little; www.feltonroad.com ]
Pinot noir ruby and garnet, just above midway in depth. Bouquet is strong, a lot of clearly pinot fruit, fragrant but in the browning florality there is a suggestion of stalk, more obviously so than the 2007. There are also clear secondary aromas, mushroomy and leathery (+ve). Palate is intriguing, distinctly 'cool' and tannic, the stalk suggestions on bouquet seemingly a little more apparent, making the wine very dry, but not unpleasantly so. It is a fairly rich wine, but like the 2005, not quite complete. It is stalkier than the 2005. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 08/14

2005 Charvin Cotes-du-Rhone Le Poutet Non-Filtré 17 + (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $36 [ cork, 45mm; New Zealand purchase price c.$24; Gr 85%, Sy 10, Ca 4; details in Introductory sections; J.L-L, 2013: The bouquet sets off on a smoky, thyme herbs, licorice and dark plum aroma, has garrigue, local appeal, also the glint of the year, a locked up heart. This is a real bundle of Provence in the glass. The palate is really tasty – ... a wave of blackberry and plum fruit, comes with a vibrato intensity. Cooked red fruits, grain, dry vintage dust feature on the finale. The length is good – it ends clearly, with notes of flint and licorice. It is excellent now – its early austerity has calmed, is fresh and long, has firm fruit. Good, grip, genuine, STGT wine. A real point of appeal is the round, neat spot of gras richness, just before the finish ... a real wine, with a lovely dentelle, toothsome quality. 14°. 2020-21, ****; RP@RP, 2008: Charvin has always made a top-notch Cotes du Rhone from vineyards adjacent to their Chateauneuf du Pape holdings, and the 2006 ... and 2005 ... are both noteworthy choices for bargain hunters. Both exhibit plenty of kirsch liqueur, excellent ripeness, medium body, no hard edges, and loads of Provencal personality and soul. Both are capable of lasting 4-5 years, possibly longer in the case of the 2005, 87; weight bottle and closure: 589 g; www.domaine-charvin.com ]
Ruby and garnet, older and lighter than the 2007 Guigal, below midway in depth. Bouquet is real grenache, red fruits and cinnamon, an aromatic hint from faint herbes de Provence, attractive, but not the depth of the magical 2010. Palate suggests the tannins are not quite perfectly ripe, the wine all a little cooler again than the 2016, with attractive fresh acid balance and reasonable red fruits browning a little now. The tannins substitute perfectly for the lack of oak in the elevation. One first place, but two least. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 03/21

2009 Mount Edward Pinot Noir Morrison Vineyard 17 + (

)

Lowburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $69 [ screwcap; hand-picked, single-vineyard planted in 1997; hand-picked, wild-yeast ferment; 14 months in French oak; 150 cases made; www.mountedward.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. This is another wine tending to a burly and plummy character, fragrant though, with a touch of malt or licorice too, some oak. Palate is clearly hotter and fatter in style, more oaky, less varietal, just a thought of merlot. This is the kind of pinot noir we are evolving away from, as winemakers taste more fine burgundy. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 06/11

2008 Morton Estate Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough White Label 17 + (

)

Awatere Valley mostly, Marlborough, New Zealand: 12.5%; $17 [ screwcap; all s/s, no oak etc; www.mortonestatewines.co.nz ]
Palest lemongreen. If the Morton Hawkes Bay is Marlborough-like, how do we describe the Morton Marlborough wine. It is leaner and harder, the bottling SO2 showing more as if it is a lower pH wine, the fruit characters tiptoeing towards English gooseberry and nettles. Total acid is higher than those scored more highly, yet the residual sugar seems higher than some too. There is an intriguing sweet vernal note introducing a thought of riesling, which is a plausible augmenting variety for sauvignon. So while the wine inclines to Sancerre on bouquet, it is less clearly so on palate. Last year's Marlborough Sauvignon was in fact higher pH than the Hawkes Bay, so care is needed in interpretation. Needs a year to marry up, into an interestingly different wine, the gooseberry persisting. Will cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 11/08

2002 Vidal Syrah Soler 17 + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.8%; $34 [ screwcap; no info on website; www.vidal.co.nz ]
Older ruby and velvet, quite dense. Bouquet is in the rich ripe browning cassis and dark plum spectrum, not exactly floral but with a suggestion of pennyroyal, some sur-maturité. Palate reinforces that thought, richly plummy to nearly pruney, going a little meaty and hot climate. But there is plenty of fruit, and plenty of tannin for it to live on, so in its now foursquare style it should cellar for 5 – 12 years. GK 01/07

1989 Jaboulet Hermitage La Chapelle 17 + (

)

Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $402 [ Cork, 53mm; Sy 100; price given is wine-searcher average for that vintage of the wine; general elevation etc see Intro; Robinson, 2013: Still with some tannins in evidence. Dried fruit flavours. Almost porty flavours on the mid palate although impressively fresh and savoury on the finish. A very serious wine that has not yet hit its peak, 18.5; Parker, 2000: This fabulous blockbuster has been totally unevolved since bottling, but at the Jaboulet tasting, it was beginning to reveal some of its formidable potential. … aromas of cassis, minerals, and hot bricks/wood fire. Super-ripe and full-bodied, with a massive mid-section, teeth-staining extract, and mouth-searing tannin, it is a monster-sized La Chapelle. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2050, 96; ; www.jaboulet.com ]
Ruby, garnet and velvet, above midway in depth. This is really perplexing wine. Freshly opened, it was well-berried and aromatic, yet by the time of the tasting it seemed almost oxidised and collapsed. Then with further time in the glass, it freshened up a great deal. Old wines are so unpredictable. So the message seems to be, either decant and present the wine straight away, or leave it to breathe in the decanter for several hours. Freshly opened it reminded of the 2009, heaps of fruit, tending over-ripe. Well breathed, it is closer to the 1983 the way it used to be, rich fruit but drying tannins, not much evidence of new oak. Either way, this will cellar for another 5 – 15 years. Not a favourite with anybody, and three people had the 1989 as their least wine of the set. I look forward to seeing the next bottle, in case today's wine has suffered from an imperfect cork. GK 09/14

2008 Saint Cosme Cotes du Rhone les Deux Albion 17 + (

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Cotes du Rhone AOC, Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $27 [ cork; cepage along the lines of Sy 40%, Gr 30, Mv 10, Ca 10, clairette (white) 10%, the Sy and clairette co-fermented, the other three fermented separately; note that from the 2007 vintage this wine (which is frequently Louis Barruol's best-value wine) has been from a single vineyard, now owned by Saint Cosme, and is therefore an Estate wine; up to 70% of the wine is aged in 1 – 4 years-old barrels, accounting for much of its charm, and freedom from concrete-related faults; www.saintcosme.com/en/wines.php ]
Ruby, some velvet, not as deep as some earlier years. This is the first in the ranking to be reasonably 'mainstream' Cotes du Rhone, being medium in colour, and wonderfully grapey / winey / aromatic on bouquet. Palate is more typical too, not the sur-maturité and saturation of the higher-ranked wines, instead intensely aromatic and grapey, the grapes picked a little less ripe, the slightest hint of stalks in cassis, plum and cinnamon fruit. It is not as rich as some Albions have been, but it is also considerably more fragrant than some. It seems fractionally richer than the same maker's Gigondas. Cellar 3 – 12 years. GK 07/10

1966 Ch Montrose 17 + (

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Saint-Estephe Second Growth, Bordeaux, France: – %; $412 [ cork 54mm, ullage 18mm; original price $4.35; alcohol 12% on American shipping labels; cepage then approx. CS 70%, Me 15, CF 10, PV 5, planted at 9,000 vines / ha; up to 24 months in barrel, % new then unknown, less than now (60%); not on the Ch Montrose website; Penning-Rowsell on the style of Montrose in the 60s: deep coloured, strong flavoured, and tannic; C. Coates, 2004: Wine: Still vigorous. Rather dense and vegetable tannic on the nose. Typical of Montrose of this period. On the palate medium-full, rich and attractively fruity but overladen by tannins. Better with food but unbalanced. Too much maceration. Good at best, 15; Broadbent, 1980: Vintage ****, wine: Stylish, elegant, well-balanced. Lean rather than plump, though with good firm flesh. A long-distance runner ... Bordeaux at its most elegant. Wine: Dry, tannic but classic. For long keeping **(**) 1986 – 2010; John Gilman, 2008: a lovely example of this fine terroir. The bouquet is deep, complex and vibrant, as it jumps from the glass in an almost youthful blend of sweet blackberries, cassis, tobacco, intense gravelly tones and woodsmoke in the upper register. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, deep and very pure, with great focus, a rock solid core, bright acids, modest tannins and excellent length and grip on the soil-driven and classic finish. A lovely Montrose that gives the 1970 a firm run for its money, 93; William Kelley, 2016: The 1966 Montrose is a beautiful wine: a very classic and pure bouquet of cedar, cassis, dried berries and Montrose soil tones is followed by a dense, concentrated and intense wine. The bright core of acidity so characteristic of this vintage marries nicely with Montrose’s density and concentration. Cut from the same cloth as vintages like 1955 and 1996, 95; at this age bottle to bottle variation according to cork quality and cellar conditions become critical, but to those two one could add, 1975, as Robert Parker’s 1990 comments make clear: The 1966 is still dark ruby with a peppery, very spice, yet tight, relatively closed bouquet. The wine is austere and tough on the palate, with good fruit and firm, rough tannins. Comparatively, it is not as massive or as rich as the 1970, 1964, or 1961, but is still backward and austere. Will the fruit hold up to the tannins? Anticipated maturity: Now-2005, 86; weight bottle and closure 577 g; www.chateau-montrose.com ]
Ruby and garnet, younger in hue than the 1975 and 1976, the third to lightest wine. Those who say that old wines don't benefit from breathing, simply don't drink enough claret. This 1966 was quite shy the first day, but over the 24 and 48-hour interval it simply blossomed. Much more often than not, this has been my experience with good old bordeaux. It gradually re-acquired the high-cabernet, aromatic quality of bouquet it showed when young, very like the 1996 now, but in the 1966 now naturally all much browner. Palate retains that measure of curranty austerity and hint of acid that characterised so many 1966s, but by the end of the second day it had become a lovely, cedary, crisp example of old claret – real Englishman's claret, with surprising berry weight and freshness. None of the plushness of some vintages in the current century, though. At the tasting, only a few hours after decanting, tasters found the 1966 hard to interpret, no top places, but one second-favourite. That was offset by six least places. Five tasters thought there might be trace brett, but if so it is at a level so vanishingly light that it is hard to be sure, the aromas and flavours being so similar to the cedary old tannins which are noticeable in this firm, slightly acid wine. At 55 years, a pretty good bottle, helped by corks then being 54 mm. The wine is fading now. GK 07/21

nv Nautilus Methode Traditionelle Brut 17 + (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 12%; $36 [ cork; PN 70%, Ch 30, all hand-picked; www.nautilusestate.com ]
Light lemonstraw, a similar weight but different hue from the Lanson, alongside. Bouquet is in one sense more clearly autolysed than the Lanson, even some suggestions of crust of baguette, but that plus point is offset by there being more flesh on the fruit than is ideal. Palate combines this good autolysis with bigger fruit conveying hints of pale stonefruit, so the whole wine is not as neat and taut as the Lanson. It is however fractionally fresher. Finish is clearly Brut, confirmed by the 7 g/L given, again contrasting with the Deutz and Lindauer. The current release to the trade is the second disgorgement batch of the 2009-based wine. This is not the first batch which won the Champion wine award in 2013 in the 2013 Air New Zealand judging. I don't have them alongside, but my hunch is this 2009-based wine is not quite as crisp and authoritative as the delightful 2007-based wine. That wine however did not strike it lucky in the judging at all. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 07/14

2016 Jaboulet Chateauneuf-du-Pape Les Cedres 17 + (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 15%; $51 [ Spare; original price $72; Wine Spectator rating for vintage: 99 – a new benchmark … laden with fruit, yet extremely racy and fresh; understood to be Gr 80%, Ci 10, Mv 10, but the Jaboulet website is down. Vine age is said to average 50 years; elevation may be 12 months in French oak, some new, but there is extraordinarily little reliable information; J. Czerwinski@RP, 2018: It is nice to see the quality of this cuvée rebounding. This tank sample of the 2016 Chateauneuf du Pape les Cedres shows impressive levels of black cherries, which are joined by hints of espresso and black olive. It's full-bodied, creamy in texture and lush, lingering richly on the finish, 90 – 92; website not always accessible; www.jaboulet.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, the third-deepest wine. A fragrant, very primary wine, looking out of place in the set. A pure alcohol lift on slightly cinnamony raspberry and boysenberry fruit makes the wine seem a bit one-dimensional. Light oak. Palate confirms the lack of complexity, surprisingly little contribution from elevation, as if a significant part of the wine has been raised in concrete. Fruit weight and dry extract are reasonable, but the wine seems simple in its berry flavours, and all made aggressive by alcohol. In the remarkable 2016 vintage in the Southern Rhone Valley, there are better Cotes du Rhone-Villages wines than this. In complexity and ‘magic’ terms, I do not think this will ever come close to the 1978, in maturity, even though it is very pure / high-tech. Cellar 10 – 25 years. Two first-place votes on the night, and three second, over half the group correctly locating it in the Southern Rhone Valley. GK 03/20

nv Morton Estate Methode Traditionelle Premium Brut 17 + (

)

Marlborough & Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12%; $20 [ cork; Ch, PN & PM; 100% MLF, no oak; 18 months en tirage; www.mortonestatewines.co.nz ]
Pale straw. This wine has better autolysis character on bouquet than the non-vintage Pelorus, but less weight on palate, giving an attractively balanced bubbly with clear cashew and pinot suggestions. It matches some 'buyers own brand' champagnes, and therefore offers very good value. It seems drier than the Lindauer range. This estate has been making serious bubbly a long time now, since John Hancock pioneered a chenin blanc-dominated wine back in the early 80s. What an innovator that man has been ! Cellar this nv Morton 2 – 5 years. GK 11/08

2010 Bilancia Syrah La Collina 17 + (

)

Roy's Hill, SW of Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $90 [ screwcap; Sy & Vi hand-harvested from 14-year old vines planted at c.5,000 vines / ha and cropped @ 2.5 t/ha = 1 t/ac; Sy fermented on appreciable Vi skins, % Vi hard to quantify; no whole-bunch this year (varies greatly year to year), 5 days cold-soak, wild yeast ferment, c.18 days cuvaison; MLF and 20 months in French oak 80% new; sterile-filtered to bottle; production c.100 x 9-L cases; Lisa Perrotti-Brown, 2013: ... a beautiful nose of honey-drizzled apricots, muskmelon and white blossoms with a touch of mace. Endowed with mouth-filling flavors and a satiny texture, its medium to full-bodied frame has just enough acidity to provide lift through the long finish. Drink it now to 2015+, 89; Michael Cooper, 2014: … powerful and very sweet-fruited, with exceptional concentration of plum, liquorice and spice flavours, and a well-rounded finish. Already approachable, it should be a 20-year wine, *****; www.bilancia.co.nz ]
Good ruby, some velvet, the second lightest wine. Bouquet is a little odd on this wine, a kind of buddleia florality but with a hint of stalk, then a cassisy quality but with a hint of plum-stone rather than plum-flesh. It does not quite come together, plus there is dry hessian oak, and a suggestion of parmesan rind. Palate is markedly better, red plummy fruit but showing quite a tanniny / stalky streak, white and black pepper almost too much, some new oak, acid elevated. It is all totally unknit, at this stage, but quite rich, richer than the 2014 Chave but less ripe, needing time. Tasters were less tolerant of this wine’s awkwardness than I was, no favourite votes, five least votes, four thinking it Rhone Valley, but none Cote Rotie – odd. Like Huchet but for different reasons, this wine will have more to say at the 15-year point. Cellar 15 – 30 years. GK 11/18

2013 Torre de Barreda Syrah 17 + (

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Castile-La Mancha, Central Spain: 14.5%; $18 [ cork, 45mm; vineyard at c.700m, fruit mechanically harvested, all destalked; aim of the firm is to make a fruity syrah wine, only five months in barrel; www.bodegas-barreda.com ]
Ruby and velvet, noticeably older than most in the set, midway in depth. Bouquet is fragrant with an older maturing component to it, on browning cassisy berry, not clearly varietal but winey and pure, subtle oak. Palate adds browning mulberry to cassisy flavours, good ripe berry characters, vanillin oak subtly lengthening the flavour. This is a slightly unusual wine style (in New Zealand), but eminently food-friendly. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 06/20

2011 Terrace Edge Syrah 17 + (

)

Waipara Valley, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 14%; $24 [ screwcap; hand-harvested @ 3.75 t/ha (1.5 t/ac), half the vineyard a steep terrace flank; wild-yeast fermentation, cuvaison extending to 28 days; 11 months in French oak 25% new; www.terraceedge.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, deeper than the Nelson Kaimira, intriguing. Bouquet is a mixed bag, on the good side showing dusky floral notes including nearly wallflower, and white pepper more than black, on quite dense plummy fruit. But the wine also flirts with reduction, so splashy decanting is needed. Palate more clearly indicates syrah 'on the edge', although it is a bigger and riper wine than the Nelson wine, total acid is a little higher too. This is an astonishing achievement for Waipara, and with a little more care in elevation, this Terrace Edge syrah will take its place in the now-remarkable panoply of syrahs ranging geographically from Karikari Peninsula in the north to the Bendigo terraces in the south. Cellar 3 – 12 years. GK 05/13

1987 Vidal Cabernet / Merlot Reserve 17 + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12.4%; $22 [ cork 49mm, ullage 25mm; CS 85%, Me 15, CS cropped at c.7.4 t/ha = 3 t/ac, Me at c.8.4 t/ha = 3.4 t/ac; scarcely or not chaptalised; 19 months in all-French barriques c. 80% new; balance one-year; GK, 1989: Colour is superb carmine ruby, fractionally lighter than the equivalent Villa wine. Bouquet and flavour show excellent fruit ripeness, with attractive floral, berry and plummy qualities. As with the Villa Reserve, fragrant aromatic oak is at a maximum. The Vidal is richer wine however, and covers the oak easily. Only the Larose is richer. This is great New Zealand cabernet/merlot, amongst the best ever made. Whether it is the equal of, or better than, the more floral Villa reserve blend, will be a tantalising question to pursue for a decade to come. ... Winemaker is Kate Marris. To be making wine of this quality in her first sole-charge vintage, and while still in her twenties, presents a formidable challenge to other wineries, *****; Gold medal wine, and Trophy, Sydney Top 100; weight bottle and closure: 571 g; www.vidal.co.nz ]
Ruby and garnet, below midway in depth, lighter than the Vidal straight Cabernet. Bouquet is likewise softer, ‘sweeter’ and smoother than that wine, but also less ripe, less aromatic and exciting. Cassis and dark plum notes meld with clean oak, but like the Cabernet, the oak dimension is not as cedary / subtle as the Stonyridge. Palate still shows almost a surprising hint of berry freshness, cassis and red plums almost, but there is not quite the concentration of the straight Cabernet, and the acid is higher. This accords with winemaker Kate Radburnd's recollection that the merlot was cropped at a higher rate than the cabernet. This is another wine that is now fully developed: as the fruit fades the oak is going to become noticeably hessian in smell and flavour, detracting a little. And the acid will be more noticeable. One person rated the Vidal Cabernet / Merlot their favourite wine of the 12, and four their second favourite. The 2002 write-up also mentions oak noticeable, the wine then being thought ‘fully mature, but no hurry’, 17. GK 06/21

2010 Wooing Tree Pinot Noir Beetle Juice 17 + (

)

Lowburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14.5%; $28 [ screwcap; hand-picked; 5% whole-bunch fermentation; 11 months in French oak 30 % new; silver Air NZ, gold elsewhere; www.wooingtree.co.nz ]
Rich pinot noir ruby, the second deepest of the < $35 wines. This is intriguing wine, closest to the Grasshopper in this first set of pinots, rich, black cherry more than red, scarcely floral, even a touch of plum and thoughts of merlot. In mouth it is more obviously pinot noir, not the palate harmony of the Grasshopper, some less ripe fruit in it as well, but nearly as rich, a touch of phenolics which will ease with bottle maturity. It is not quite as uniformly ripe as the Goldfields. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 10/12

2005 West Cape Howe Cabernet / Merlot 17 + (

)

Great Southern, West Australia, Australia: 13.5%; $28 [ screwcap; CS 65%, Me 35; 18 months in French and American oak 20% new; RS < 1 g/L; www.westcapehowewines.com.au ]
Ruby, some velvet, much the same hue as the 2000 Matariki. Bouquet is unequivocally Australian, with mint going on euc'y fragrance, on cassis and soft plummy berry. Palate is aromatic on the euc, but not intolerably so, with attractive berryfruit in a fragrant quite rich wine, showing aromatic oak which is not excessive. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 10/07

2010 Esk Valley Syrah Gimblett Gravels Winemakers Reserve 17 + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $50 [ screwcap; Sy 100%, a single-vineyard wine hand-picked from the Cornerstone site, 100% de-stemmed, fermentation in open vat, c. 30 days cuvaison; MLF and 17 months in French oak c.40% new, no fining, minimal filtration; RS nil; 130 cases only; www.eskvalley.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, in the richest half-dozen. Bouquet is awry on this wine, an awkward combination of factors detracting, indeed obscuring its other attributes. Palate has much more to say, with plummy rich fruit, and rather a lot of oak, but let down by an aggressive edge. This is a mystery, perhaps the wine is in an ugly phase – this does happen. It was awarded a gold medal in this year's Easter show, and that is one of our two shows to be taken seriously. I will report on this wine again as soon as it crops up in a proper blind tasting. Meanwhile, it should cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 06/12

2009 Felton Road Pinot Noir Block 3 17 + (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $75 [ screwcap; hand-harvested at just over 5 t/ha (2 t/ac); c. 25% whole-bunch, long cold-soak, wild yeast and c. 20 + days cuvaison; c.14 months in French oak c.35% new, followed by a further 6 months in 3-year-old oak; www.feltonroad.com ]
A big pinot noir ruby, one of the deepest, raising doubts. Bouquet is much riper and more full than the wines ranked more highly, nearly too ripe for florals, black cherry grading to dark plums fruit, losing a little on pinot noir typicité therefore. In mouth, this Block 3 is a good deal more burly than the Block 5. The fruit still has excitement and appeal, but it is a close shave, the wine skirting over-ripeness and hence dullness. Oak seems less subtle than the Block 5, perhaps to match the bigger and riper fruit. This should cellar well, and could perhaps become lighter and more enchanting once it loses some tannin. In a previous very favourable (gold-medal) review I noted the weight but gave it the benefit of the doubt, thinking it would fine down in cellar. Not so sure, now. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 09/13

2005 Forrest Riesling Wairau Valley John Forrest Collection 17 + (

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Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 12.2%; $32 [ screwcap; Ri 100% hand-picked at 2.2 t /ha (0.9 t/ac); presumably s/s ferment (but nothing would surprise me in these 'play' wines) plus some months LA; pH 2.96, RS 11.7 g/L; 225 cases; www.forrest.co.nz ]
Elegant lemon, still a wash of green. Bouquet is riesling varietal complexed by some lees work which is not quite perfect, muting the lime zest and floral aromas. Palate confirms a slightly reductive note in considerable autolysis, but there is rich juicy fruit which is young for its age – as would be expected from the sulphur. A lot of German rieslings were like this, a few decades ago, and the least-affected do clean up as the years go by. This one may, since the phenolics are low and the fruit is there to age 5 – 15 years. GK 08/11

2009 Jaboulet Cote-Rotie Domaine des Pierelles 17 + (

)

Cote Rotie, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $149 [ 55mm cork; not on website; 100% Syrah from the Cote Blonde, hand-picked; cuvaison to 4 weeks, 12 months in French oak 20% new; Parker: 91+, Robinson: 16; www.jaboulet.com ]
Ruby, the lightest of the Jaboulets. Bouquet shows a much lighter presentation of syrah than the Hermitage-related wines, with nearly a floral component, hints only of carnations and roses on berry fruit which is quite complex, both cassis and blueberry. Palate therefore comes as quite a shock, being tannic at this stage, older oak it seems, quite different from the Guigal approach, and an underlying trace of hardness and black pepper. I suspect this will look altogether more fragrant and pleasing in even three years, but as it stands it is routine as Cote-Rotie. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 06/14

nv Number Eight Cuvée Methode Traditionelle Brut 17 + (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 12.5%; $25 [ cork; wine of No 1 Family Estate = Daniel & Adele Le Brun; PN & Ch. ]
Pale lemonstraw, paler than the same firm’s Number One (chardonnay) or nv Laurent Perrier. A light clean slightly autolysed bouquet with faint suggestions of wholegrain breadcrust, much lighter the Number One Cuvée. Palate is fresh, brut but sweeter than Number One, firm acid higher than Laurent Perrier, light autolysis on good fruit, but not exactly “fruity”. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 08/05

2011 Mills Reef Syrah Elspeth 17 + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $45 [ screwcap; Sy 100% hand-picked; all de-stemmed, whole berries, short cold-soak, some wild-yeast fermentations, total days cuvaison up to 28 days; 15 months in French oak 53% new; www.millsreef.co.nz ]
Ruby. Bouquet shows soft vanillin oak in lieu of floral components, with good red berryfruit below. Flavour is soft, the oak being noticeably vanillin and seductive, with attractive plummy length but not exactly compelling varietal quality. Initially it seems quite merlot-like, but some sweet black pepper comes in on the tail. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 06/13

1971 Penfolds Coonawarra Claret [ Shiraz ] Bin 128 17 + (

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Coonawarra, South Australia, Australia: – %; $ – [ cork, 42mm; release price c.$3.10; elevation then in American oak, noting that in 1980 this wine underwent a transformation, the fruit sources being much more carefully selected, and the elevation changed to all French oak; first produced 1962; Langtons: Created in 1962, Penfolds Bin 128 is a regional wine that reflects the unique climate and growing conditions of South Australia’s Coonawarra district and the relatively elegant style of cool-climate Shiraz; Penfolds label: The dry finish and Tannin make this wine a real Claret of high quality ...; Evans 1978: a most interesting line of wines in that the style varies enormously … the 1971 was disappointing. It had a slightly sweaty nose, light fruit character and a very high acid finish; no recent reviews found, unknown to wine-searcher, over to us !; www.penfolds.com ]
Garnet and ruby, the second lightest wine. Though not apparent at decanting, by the time of the tasting this wine showed trace TCA / cork taint, detected by one third of the tasters. It had completely dissipated 24 hours later, enabling more accurate description. The lovely thing about this wine is the extent to which it captures the original (ie 1950s) concept of ‘Coonawarra claret’. Total palate weight is near-identical to the Leoville, the ripeness fractionally better, richness also fractionally greater, but the net freshness of berry and subtle oak is a delight. Received opinion / wine snobs wouldn't give you tuppence for a 45-year-old Bin 128, yet this wine has a charm, balance and freshness which would be perfect with food, right now. Even impaired, two tasters rated it their top wine, and one second. I could see why, the next day: quite a thrill. Fully mature, but no hurry at all. GK 09/17

2005 Millton Viognier Clos St Anne 17 + (

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Gisborne, New Zealand: 13.5%; $48 [ cork; hand-harvested 21 March; whole-bunch pressed; 100% oak-fermented in 600L demi-muids; wild-yeast fermentation, partial MLF, c. 7 months in oak presumably with lees autolysis and batonnage; RS 5 g/L, pH 3.5, dry extract 25 g/L; www.millton.co.nz ]
Lemonstraw. Bouquet is less varietal and much less pure than the '06 Briants wine, but more complex in its winemaking. There are suggestions of high solids ferment, and a little biscuitty development as in the prematurely-ageing chardonnays. Nett impression is more marsanne than viognier, on bouquet. Palate clarifies the wine is in fact viognier, some apricot characters, some barrel-ferment, the lees-autolysis and oak components all subtly done. It is a pleasing full-bodied mild example of the grape, but not explicitly varietal. It reminds of some years of Yalumba's Virgilius, with the emphasis on texture more than varietal specificity. At a peak now, cellar a year or two only. GK 05/07

1975 Paul Anheuser Kreuznacher Krotenpfuhl Riesling Spatlese QmP 17 + (

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Nahe Valley, Germany: – %; $ – [ cork; www.anheuser.de ]
Gold, just a hint of old gold, in the middle for depth of hue. This wine was put into the tasting with the thought that as a Nahe, it might be the most faded. Not at all. Bouquet is clean and fragrant, very honeyed in a pale biscuitty kind of fruit. Palate is fresher than the biscuit thought suggests, orange peel and stonefruits fading a little (the thought of dried peaches), but again, there are many light cakes this would be a delight with, mid-afternoon. A pleasing result, but certainly nearing the end of its run. GK 03/12

2006 Red Metal Vineyards Merlot Basket Press 17 + (

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Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $22 [ screwcap; Me 88%, CF 12, machine-harvested; 100% de-stemmed; MLF in tank; 12 months in French & American oak; this label the middle one of five levels of Me-dominant wines at Red Metal; www.redmetalvineyards.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet. Bouquet is light, fragrant, clean, scarcely varietal, a little oaky, almost mute alongside a wine like The Gimblett. Palate improves things greatly, juicy red plummy fruit reminiscent of Te Whau from Waiheke, vanillin oak now in balance, natural acid, almost a lingering note of loganberry. This should have a lot more to say for itself in five years. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 11/08

2002 Escarpment Pinot Noir 17 + (

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Martinborough, New Zealand: 14.5%; $45 [ cork; the second vintage from McKenna's then-new venture. The young wine showed some tension between berry ripeness and a slight stalk component, as do many burgundies. Impressions in maturity awaited with great interest. No reviews found; www.escarpment.co.nz ]
Ruby and garnet, one of the older colours, and the lightest. Like the Mount Difficulty, this wine presents an overtly burgundian bouquet, one from a lighter more fragrant district such as Volnay, at full maturity. Former florality is now autumnal, on browning red cherries and subtle oak, all fragrant and pleasing. Fruit in mouth is much better than the colour implies (typical of good burgundy), and tannin ripeness is intriguing. There is just a hint of leaf, but the richness of the red fruits carries that along and the wine merely seems fresh. Well mature now, but will hold a year or two in a temperate climate cellar. GK 10/12

1973 Chapoutier Crozes-Hermitage les Meysonniers 17 + (

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Northern Rhone Valley, France: – %; $ – [ cork; www.chapoutier.com ]
Garnet and ruby, much older than the 1983 St Leonards. Against the Australian wine, this is the bouquet of mature syrah, not shiraz, with floral and fading cassisy notes in generalised fruit and invisible oak. Palate is surprisingly fresh and vital, and though the berry is going brown, there are still suggestions of cassis plum and raspberry lifted by carnation and peppercorn-like aromatics on the tongue. Palate richness and sensory pleasure in this wine is much better than any number of northern Rhones of that era, now. Needs drinking, though. Sold through Avalon Wines & Spirits, then a distinguished wine merchant. NB. Vintage is not stated on the label, due to Chapoutier going through a non-vintage phase for some of its labels, at the time (a mistaken response to the American market). The age is assumed from other wines landed in the same shipment, in early 1976. GK 03/06

2010 Kennedy Point Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 17 + (

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Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14%; $49 [ cork; CS dominant, with some Me and a little CF, all hand-picked and BioGro certified organic; MLF and 18 months in French oak 20% new; www.kennedypointvineyard.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a fabulous concentrated colour. Bouquet is fresh cassis, rather like the remarkable Passage Rock Cabernet Reserve, but simpler, with fair fruit and some oak. Flavours in mouth are slightly cooler, still great cassis, but a slight suggestion of herbes / stalk like some Medoc bourgeois cru, and the total acid is up slightly. There might be a trace of ester, but not worryingly so. This should mature into an aromatic and fragrant Waiheke Island claret style. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 10/12

2004 Drouhin les Amoureuses 17 + (

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Chambolle-Musigny Premier Cru, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 13%; $231 [ cork; a Drouhin domaine wine; c. 18 months in oak; Wine Direct the NZ agents; www.drouhin.com ]
Pinot noir ruby, one of the lightest. A fragrant but different bouquet on this wine, with lighter red fruits hinting at strawberry and raspberry, tending new-world. Palate is richer and riper than the bouquet suggests, more satisfying than the Volnay or the Musigny, but not as floral as the latter. Elegant delicate wine, a little acid, to cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 12/06

2005 Sileni Merlot Triangle Estate Selection 17 + (

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Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $35 [ screwcap; lack of wine detail on the website is frustrating; www.sileni.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, quite rich, tending developed for age. Initially opened, the wine is very oaky, almost Australian and unsubtle in approach, though there is good fruit beneath. It needs several years in cellar, to harmonise. Well breathed, it reveals good berry, but the oak is heavier than the 2004 Henschke Abbots Merlot, which is not what merlot needs to reveal its florality and berry charm. It should come into better balance in cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 02/08

2009 Mondillo Vineyards Pinot Noir 17 + (

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Bendigo, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14.5%; $41 [ screwcap; hand-harvested; 100% de-stemmed; 11 months in French oak c.30% new; www.mondillo.com ]
Pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is fragrant at the red fruits level of pinot noir, with a clear roses floral component. Palate is not quite as rich as hoped, but follows on in the indicated style, a little tannic at this early stage and needing a year to harmonise. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 09/10

2013 Ngatarawa Merlot / Cabernet Sauvignon Stables Reserve 17 + (

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Bridge Pa Triangle & Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $20 [ screwcap; Me 91%, CS 7; no details on website yet, some barrel time; RS <1 g/L; www.ngatarawa.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a great colour, in the top third for weight. Bouquet is youthful reasonably enough, and benefits from decanting, but indicates good grape concentration. It then shows rich plummy fruits, not a lot of oak, and great purity. In mouth it is simpler, as if some of the wine is stainless steel, but what a joy this rich ripe 2013 juice is ! I imagine this will have more to say in a couple of years. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 06/14

2006 Trinity Hill Syrah Homage 17 + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $120 [ cork; nominally Sy 96%, Vi 4, hand-picked at about 2.5 t/ha (1 t/ac) from mostly Limmer clone, some vines propagated from Jaboulet's la Chapelle vineyard in the hill of Hermitage, vine ages 1994 and 2001; the grapes de-stemmed, lightly crushed to leave whole berries; shortish cuvaison maybe 15 days; MLF commenced in tank, completed in barrel, c.18 months in French oak 92% new, some lees stirring, not a lot of racking, 311 cases; winemakers Warren Gibson & John Hancock; www.trinityhill.com ]
Ruby and velvet, the second deepest of the Homages. On bouquet this Homage is immediately out to one side. There is a much more European cast to its styling, and a significant brett component on the rich fruit. Palate is quite different too, the oak much more apparent, the fruit masked, a hint of saline impression on the phenolics. It is still immensely concentrated, and the style as a whole will give much pleasure, brett being notoriously food-friendly. It's just not as modern a wine. Looking back to my earlier 2007 review, perhaps the brett is a little more apparent now. Cellar 5 – 15 years, but keep an eye on it. GK 03/13

2013 Te Mata Cabernets / Merlot Awatea 17 + (

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Havelock North district mostly, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $36 [ cork 49mm; CS 40%, Me 39%, CF 16, PV 5, hand-harvested; c.15 months in French oak c.40% new; RS nil; www.temata.co.nz ]
Colour is fine young claret, ruby, carmine and velvet, in the top quarter for depth, just. This wine wins on bouquet, with a precision of aromatic varietal cassis and incipient dusky roses / violets florality which one wants to compare with the Petit Mouton. But when you do, it immediately lacks that wine's spellbinding ripeness and depth. Nonetheless the bouquet is beautiful. In mouth the wine shows the fatal flaw of so many Te Mata bordeaux blends over the years: what is there is good, but the wine critically lacks body and dry extract. And to the tail, one further wishes for more actual ripeness. Even in this superb vintage, there is a clear touch of stalk, letting the wine down. The taste of the wine itself therefore tells a quite different story from the proprietors. In an outstanding year in our temperate climate, green flavours mean the cropping rate is simply too high. The 2010 Paveil de Luze illuminates this wine brilliantly. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 03/15

2009 Mills Reef Cabernet Sauvignon Elspeth 17 + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $45 [ screwcap; hand-picked; 4 days cold soak, c.4 weeks cuvaison; 16 months in French oak 27% new, balance 1-year; www.millsreef.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, older than most 2009s. Bouquet is neat and tight, more in the black tea and cassis approach of leaner cabernets, firmed by oak. As the bouquet hints, palate is not as expansive as the Church Road wines, but within the cassis and black tea there is more fruit than one supposes, and less and better oak than used to characterise the Elspeth range. Total acid is up slightly, so there are similarities with Patriarch. There are reminders of some smaller classed Margaux clarets here, except the wine is oakier. The glowing accolades in the Catalogue yet again illustrate how unrelated New Zealand red wine assessment is to world standards. Why must we make the same mistakes (over-egging the jingoism, even if the grape-physiology is usually the opposite pole) as Australia ? Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 06/12

2008 Cable Bay Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough 17 + (

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Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $21 [ screwcap; machine-harvest; s/s wine, some LA; 4 g/L RS; ‘A classic Marlborough Savvie with excellent fruit concentration, generous texture and crisp acidity. Food friendly. **** Winestate MC 2008’; www.cablebayvineyards.co.nz ]
Lemon. Bouquet is more straightforward good Marlborough sauvignon, alongside the complex 2008 Astrolabe Discovery wine (which has the complex herbes of the Awatere Valley), displaying some black passionfruit and yellow rather than red capsicum complexity. Palate shows good flavour and length but is a little phenolic, which lengthens the finish. Cellar 1 – 3 years. GK 06/09

2002 Girardin Gevrey-Chambertin Vielles-Vignes 17 + (

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Gevrey-Chambertin, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $60
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, one of the deeper burgundies. A quiet clean straightforward bouquet, showing aromatic dark cherry moving more to bottled dark plums, hinting at but not quite embracing florals. Palate has ripe round fruit, attractive plummy flavours, subtle oak, all attractive, sound and beautifully varietal in a slightly plump way. There is not however quite the magic one is always seeking in pinot noir. Cellar to 20 years. GK 08/04

2006 Chard Farm Pinot Gris 17 + (

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Central Otago, New Zealand: 14.5%; $28 [ screwcap; no wine detail on website; www.chardfarm.co.nz ]
Pale lemon, a little deeper than the Rabbit Range. Bouquet is clearly pinot, pearflesh, white stonefruit, a trace of cinnamon, the same touch of VA as the Rabbit Ranch, but bigger all round. The consequence of this being bigger shows up on palate, where in addition to more flavour and more flesh, there are also more phenolics, leaving a slightly burning and spicy taste on the tongue. Like the Rabbit Ranch, this is carried by medium-dry residual sugar. There are reminders of the richer but subtler Dry River Pinot Gris here. Cellar 3 – 6 years. GK 03/08

2004 Parr & Simpson Chardonnay 17 + (

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Golden Bay, Nelson, New Zealand: 14%; $21 [ screwcap; BF and MLF in older oak ]
Lemon, attractive. Bouquet is clean light chardonnay in a near-chablis style, slightly citrus on white stonefruits, restrained oak. Palate is ripe, long-flavoured and clearly varietal, the MLF component attractively hidden away, the whole a little acid / citric which accentuates the oak slightly, very dry, but with 5 – 8 years cellar potential in which to marry up and soften. Interesting wine. GK 01/06

2005 Wooing Tree Pinot Noir 17 + (

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Cromwell, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14.5%; $35 [ screwcap; 5% whole bunch; 11 months in French oak 35% new; www.wooingtree.co.nz ]
Rich pinot noir ruby, youthful alongside some 2005s. Bouquet is deep on this wine, ripe fruit maybe more in the black cherry and a hint of dark plums spectrum. Palate is rich and plummy more than black cherry, a little dry on noticeable oak and with a hint of stalk, the whole wine in a burly style reminiscent of Pegasus Bay Prima Donna. Cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 02/10

2010 de Vine Chardonnay Nelson 17 + (

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Nelson, New Zealand: 14.5%; $18 [ screwcap; BF in 80% French 25% new, 20% American 20% new barrels, and 12 months in barrel with batonnage; produced to the specification of the Manly Liquor Store, Whangaparoa Peninsula; no website. ]
Good lemonstraw. Bouquet is clearly ripe clean and fragrant mendoza-style chardonnay, showing golden queen peach and some grapefruit qualities plus considerable barrel-ferment and lees-autolysis complexity. Bouquet is lifted by highish alcohol, yet complexed and softened by the oatmeal of the winemaking. Palate is clear-cut chardonnay, strong enough and oaky enough to appeal to those seeking a traditional rich chardonnay, yet the quality of the winemaking has softened the oak with mealy flavours and good textures, and a long finish. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 08/12

2008 [Stonyridge ] fallen Angel Riesling Marlborough 17 + (

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Marlborough, New Zealand: 12.5%; $30 [ screwcap; RS 8.5 g/L; no info on website; ‘Pale straw in hue and a perfectly poised, elegant and concentrated wine. The characters found in the bouquet move effortlessly on to the palate.‘; www.fallenangelwines.com ]
Lemon. Initially opened, bouquet is a little scented, as if the wine had been touched up with gewurztraminer or muscat. It benefits from a splashy decanting into a jug. With air it settles down into a fruity white with a suggestion of freesia florals on white stonefruits. Palate swings the wine clearly into riesling, citrus components now apparent in good fruit, a little limezest, higher residual sugar than the other aromatic whites, and a long hoppy medium-dry finish nicely extended on the sweetness / acid balance. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/09

2007 Cable Bay Chardonnay Waiheke Island 17 + (

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Western Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14.5%; $33 [ screwcap; 4 clones of chardonnay hand-harvested, whole-bunch pressed; 20% wild-yeast fermentation and BF in French oak some new, 10 months LA and batonnage; WWA Certified; ‘A restrained yet complex style of Chardonnay with layers of flavour and interest. ***** Winestate (Michael Cooper) 2008; www.cablebayvineyards.co.nz ]
Straw. This is chardonnay in a clearly contrasting and more old-fashioned and hearty style than the top two. Bouquet shows golden queen peachy mendoza-like fruit with some over-ripe banana and mango notes, and oak. Palate is rich, figgy, oaky, harsher than the top wines, with a hint of stalk / mixed ripeness. This will appeal more to people liking big chardonnay, for whom the top two may seem too understated. Cellar 1 – 4 years. GK 06/09

1987 Santa Rita Cabernet Sauvignon 17 + (

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Maipo Valley, Chile: 12%; $16 [ cork 49mm, ullage 22mm; said to be 100% CS, but likely not quite; cropping rate likely to be nearer European than New Zealand values; likely French and US oak then; 400mm annual rainfall, one of the first Chilean wineries to refine their oak handling, and make reds closer to the Bordeaux style; no info on the 1987 or 1986, GK, 1989, on the 1985: This is the closest approach to good Bordeaux I have seen from Chile. Bouquet combines ripe cabernet and European-style wineyness with gentle oak. Flavour is delicate yet rich, with Bordeaux acid balance and not too weighty. Serious wine which is already drinking well, and will cellar for several years, *****; weight bottle and closure: 456 g; www.santarita.com ]
Ruby and garnet, older and lighter in appearance than the bordeaux, below midway in depth. This wine smells closer to the bordeaux in style, for two reasons. It is one of the richer wines, Chile observing classical cropping rates, unlike New Zealand particularly in the 1980s, and its bouquet rests more on the volume of maturing berry, rather than new oak. You gain the impression there is quite a chestnutty component to the cooperage here, most of it older. As with other Chilean reds of the era, but here conspicuously less than some, you wonder if some of the cooperage is non-oak. Palate is ripe, rich, and of good texture, yet there is a firmness hiding in there too, which contrasts with the French wine, and points to the high cabernet. Interesting wine, which people liked, one first place and three second. Four tasters astutely thought it straight cabernet sauvignon, and three thought it bordeaux. Two zeroed in on Chile. GK 06/21

2010 Kennedy Point Merlot Reserve 17 + (

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Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14.5%; $49 [ cork; Me dominant, a little CF and CS, all hand-picked and BioGro certified organic; MLF and 18 months in French oak 20% new; www.kennedypointvineyard.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, nearly as deep as Ironclad. Bouquet is clearly varietal, this wine teaming up well with the Kennedy Point Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve to illustrate the complementary characters of the two varieties. There are nearly violets on the bouquet, leading to plummy fruit suggesting bottled omega plums. Flavour is fresh, slightly cool and crisp by good merlot or Pomerol standards, but still a good evocation of varietal merlot, sympathetically oaked. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 10/12

2010 Vidal Syrah Reserve Series 17 + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $29 [ screwcap; Sy 100% cropped at 5.3 t/ha (2.1 t/ac), all de-stemmed; no cold-soak, inoculated, up to 10 days ferment, up to 26 days cuvaison; MLF and c.20 months in French oak 24% new, no American oak; RS <1 g/L; 1500 cases; sterile-filtered to bottle; 1 top ranking, 1 second; www.vidal.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, also in the middle for depth. Around this point in the tasting, the wines are less dramatically varietal syrah, not such exciting florals or such crisp cassis, more variously good red wines, and probably syrah. This wine is clean, a fragrant blending of nearly floral dark berries, hints of cassis, blackberries and dark plums, some oak. Palate is clearly less concentrated than the top wines, fair fruit but a faint bitter streak on the oak, all needing to soften a little more in bottle. Reserve Series is now the middle tier of Vidal releases, the former "real" Reserve wine now being called Legacy Series. This therefore being now a more commercial label in the Villa Maria family of wines, it may sometimes be found in supermarkets at attractive discounts. Cellar 3 – 12 years. GK 06/13

2002 Guigal Hermitage 17 + (

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Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $121 [ cork; Sy 100%; average vine age 42 years; typically cropped 40 hL/ha (2 t/ac); 3 weeks cuvaison; elevage usually 60% new French oak, but may have been less in such a modest year, for 24 months; Parker 163: The straightforward 2002 Hermitage exhibits scents of herbs, raspberries, and cherries, medium body, a steely mineral character, tart acidity, and a short finish. 86; www.guigal.com ]
Ruby and velvet, a touch of garnet, in the middle for depth. Sadly, the 2003 Guigal Hermitage was not available for this tasting, but there is a chance Negociants New Zealand will be able to secure some for delivery later in the year. It should be well worth looking out for, from all I've read, given the ranking for Brune & Blonde in this tasting. Meanwhile, this wine of a lesser year is advanced for its age, but shows remarkably ripe cassisy and plummy berry, even with some floral components. It is altogether a 'browner' wine than the 2003s, and yes, there is a fair amount of brett. On palate, the flavours are already mellowing out into a deliciously drinkable example of somewhat rustic but well-bodied Hermitage, which would be a joy with roast meats. The score therefore is academic in the sense it notes the brett and premature maturity. As an illustration of northern Rhone syrah in a dinner sense, it is pretty delicious. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 06/07

2010 Elephant Hill Syrah 17 + (

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Te Awanga, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $35 [ screwcap; Sy 100% hand-picked @ 4.5 t/ha (1.8 t/ac), 100% de-stemmed; in effect 4 days cold-soak, inoculated yeast, c.12 days ferment, total cuvaison 23 days; MLF and 11 months in French (Burgundy) oak 40% new, no American oak; RS <1 g/L; sterile-filtered to bottle; 1 top ranking, 2 second; c.900 cases; www.elephanthill.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, below midway in depth. Like the Crossroads, this wine is also too oaky for syrah beauty, even though the fruit is clean and ripe. In mouth, there is rich fruit, but the oak (good) dominates. One can detect cassisy berry and some dark plums, and clear black pepper. This cooler coastal site offers the prospect of syrahs very different in style from the inland wines. In some years they are likely to overlap with Martinborough syrahs, or the fragrant white-pepper wines from less favoured sites in the Collines Rhodaniennes appellation. By broadening the canvas of what is acceptable, they will add great interest to Hawkes Bay syrah achievements. Cellar 5 – 12 years, awaiting mellowing. GK 06/13

2008 Kidnapper Cliffs Merlot / Cabernet Franc / Cabernet Sauvignon Ariki 17 + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $ – [ cork; Me 75% typically cropped at a little >5 t/ha = 2 t/ac, CF 20, CS 5, both typically cropped at c. 5 t/ha = 2 t/ac; 7 days cold soak and 13 days total cuvaison, MLF preferably with the alcoholic fermentation but in any case before barrel; typically 18 – 20 months in French 300s and 220s, 33% new; wine made at the Dry River winery, Martinborough; www.kidnappercliffs.com ]
Ruby and velvet, a flush of carmine, a little denser than the 2009. Bouquet is rather different from the 2009, more complex in one sense, less clean in another, with the kind of complexity best referred to as 'leathery', as in so many Australian reds of an earlier time when there were threshold issues of both reduction and oxidation. On palate, there is pleasantly rich plummy fruit, and much more mature flavours than the one year's extra age should suggest. I'm not attracted to the slightly saline note on palate, again Australia-like, but otherwise the mellowness of this wine will appeal to undemanding tastes. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 08/11

2006 Thorn-Clarke Cabernet Sauvignon Sandpiper 17 + (

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Barossa Valley, South Australia, Australia: 13.5%; $20 [ screwcap; DFB; CS 100%; 12 months in predominantly French oak, 20% new; www.thornclarkewines.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, nearly as rich as Quartage. Bouquet is clear-cut cassis on aromatic oak, simple and lightly minty when first opened, but gathering depth and complexity with decanting / breathing. Palate shows plenty of flavour, good cassisy berry and darkest plum, but also classically demonstrating the cabernet 'doughnut' effect – not much fruit in the middle of the palate, though plenty of cassis aromatics around the edges. This is a pure, highly varietal, somewhat one-dimensional Australian cabernet with little sign of eucalyptus. It will fill out in cellar attractively, given 5 – 15 years. GK 05/08

2005 Rostaing Condrieu La Bonnette 17 + (

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Condrieu, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $109 [ cork; MLF is normal in viognier for Rostaing too, a curious feature of the Rostaing Condrieus is they are said to be s/s only – but they taste of oak; imported into NZ by Glengarry; no website found ]
Colour is clearly straw, lacking the lemon hues of the Cuilleron wines. Bouquet is much more European and more old-fashioned than the Cuillerons or the New Zealand wines, rich fruit, clearly 'toasty', quite fragrant, but also all a bit clogged. This statement applies to most of his Cote Roties too. Palate is clearly coarser than the Cuillerons, a suggestion of rankness in the phenolics, and instead of crystalline varietal fruit purity there is an undertone of confectionery, especially in the after-taste. Concepts such as florality do not apply to the Rostaing wines very often, but they are still clearly viognier, even though importing one of this age seems strange. It is virtually dry, and would seem better if tasted more casually on its own. It is hard scoring a wine like this alongside the technically purer but sometimes hedonistically less satisfying new world wines, such as Escarpment The Edge. Cellar 1 – 2 years at the most. GK 02/09

2007 Grasshopper Rock Pinot Noir Earnscleugh 17 + (

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Alexandra, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $ – [ screwcap; if like the 2008, c. 5% whole bunch; 10 months in French oak, 30% new; www.grasshopperrock.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby, darker than The Pinnacle, above midway. Bouquet is explicitly floral and fragrant pinot noir, the quality of the floral notes very diverse, from buddleia to boronia (which is perfectly possible if several ripeness levels are harvested). Purity is excellent. Flavours are red cherry grading to black, the wine a little fleshy and soft as if under-oaked, a little blackboy peach weakening the focus. This does not seem to have the grip of the 2008 wine, just a hint of leafyness and less even fruit ripeness / quality maybe. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 11/10

2007 Vidal Viognier East Coast 17 + (

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Hawkes Bay, Gisborne & Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $16 [ screwcap; all crushed and some skin contact; mostly fermented in older French oak with cultured yeast; 5 months LA, with some MLF components; pH 3.7, RS 1.7 g/L; www.vidal.co.nz ]
Pale lemonstraw. If Cuilleron has a Petite Condrieu, relative to the Reserve this is Vidal's petite viognier. And it is quite something. But first I must comment that including Marlborough in the concept East Coast, which was originally conceived to refer to Gisborne and Hawkes Bay only, is too misleading. This wine is transformed with a splashy decanting, to reveal light honeysuckle and apricot fruit ripened to a more physiologically mature average than The Edge wine, despite the hazard of incorporating Marlborough fruit. Palate follows lightly but pleasantly, showing lightest oak, barrel-ferment and lees-autolysis characters. Apart from slightly hard acid, there is attractive texture and mouthfeel, with sufficient fruit ripeness, and the key thought of apricots lingering nicely. This wine challenges the cheaper Yalumba viogniers, as good straightforward viognier at a quality higher than its entry-level pricepoint. Cellar 1 – 3 years. VALUE GK 04/09

1983 Ch de Beaucastel 17 + (

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Southern Rhone Valley, France: – %; $249 [ cork, 50mm, ullage 26mm; original price c.$29; cepage varies a little each year around Gr 30%, Mv 30, Sy 10, Co 10, Ci 5, other authorised red varieties 8, and white varieties 7; more detail in the introductory sections; Broadbent, 2003: Outstanding reds, rich, long-lasting, *****; Parker vintage chart rating: 89; J.L-L, 2007: ... a quiet breadth of ripeness, spiced black jam here: the aroma sustains well. The palate has mellowed early on, and is followed by light spice and a red jam, quince flavouring, with a honey infusion. Has a good, measured round finish – it is now at a mature, harmonious stage., *****; Parker, 1997: ... an opulent, rich, savory style of wine with a spicy, earthy, black-fruited, animal-scented nose, gamy, ripe chewy, concentrated flavors, considerable body, low acidity, and a lush, velvety-textured finish. ... It should continue to drink well for at least another decade, 1995 – 2005, 93; JS@WS, 1991: A seductive wine, with lush flavors. Wonderfully deep ruby in color, with rosemary, tomato and earth aromas, full-bodied, focused raspberry and chocolate flavors, silky tannins and a long finish, 91; weight bottle and closure: 682 g; www.beaucastel.com ]
Garnet and ruby, a lovely old wine colour, the lightest wine. Bouquet is subtle on this wine, the first to give the impression on bouquet it is running out of fruit. The light mature fruit notes are matched by gentle slightly leathery and spicy brett qualities. Palate confirms the age factor, the level of fruit the least in the 12 (or 13), but acid and tannin are pretty well in balance with the fruit, and the wine is harmonious with food. Against the light fruit, the brett factor is a little more noticeable, the wine also showing light 4-EP horsey / leathery qualities as well as the more pleasant 4-EG nutmeg and savoury notes. But again, though no first places, five tasters rated the 1983 their second favourite, and none least. You never can tell, with brett ‘appreciation’. Ten noted brett, with one saying excessive. On this showing, 1983 de Beaucastel should be finished up: there is nothing to gain by keeping it, and at this stage there is always the risk of lesser bottles, as the fruit fades and the brett stays stable or even increases. GK 05/21

2005 Penfolds Shiraz RWT 17 + (

)

Barossa Valley, South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $175 [ cork; retail price range 5/08: $159 – $189; 14 months in French oak 70% new, 30% 1-year; RWT = Red Winemaking Trial (long since committed to !); www.penfolds.com.au ]
Dense ruby, velvet and carmine, one of the densest colours. Bouquet on this wine is simply too euc'y to run in an international tasting of syrahs – disappointing. But it certainly is a rich Australian shiraz, with some syrah aspects too, though not floral and with little black peppercorn spice. It is however ripened to the bottled black doris plum level rather than over-ripe boysenberry. Palate shows blueberry fruit as well as plum, which is attractive, and the wine is not over-oaked. It has about the same fruit weight as 2005 le Sol, but is presented in the soft lush 'American' style, lacking the varietal authority of the best previous vintages of RWT. Perhaps production has been increased for 2005. Cellar 5 – 20 + years. Obligate Austrophiles will rate it higher … GK 05/08

2001 Rousseau Charmes-Chambertin 17 + (

)

Gevrey-Chambertin Grand Cru, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 13%; $128 [ second-year oak ]
Pinot ruby, but one of the lightest in this set of Rousseaus. First impressions are of redfruits, red currants, raspberries, cherries, all 'cooler' in style than the top wines. Palate is crisp, clearly varietal, but again the desirable black fruits don't get much of a look-in. Acid is a bit noticeable in the red cherries, and the whole wine is a little leaner again than the St Jacques. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 02/05

2008 Passage Rock Syrah 17 + (

)

Eastern Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14%; $30 [ screwcap; Sy 100% hand-picked; 30 days cuvaison; c.10 months in oak mostly American 60% new, but more French oak than 2007; www.passagerockwines.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a little lighter than the Reserve, but not much. Bouquet is even more dramatically varietal syrah than the Reserve, showing wallflower florals on cassis and bottled black doris fruit, plus clearer black pepper than the Reserve. There is less oak, and less brett, but still some. Palate is fresh and plummy, not as rich as the Reserve, and slightly higher acid, but attractive. The berry quality of this fruit is so good, and the role of American oak so much less than in earlier vintages of Passage Rock Syrah, that it will be exciting when the winery has the brett issues sorted. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 07/10

2017 Bogle Vineyards Chardonnay 17 + (

)

Central Valley, California: 14%; $21 [ 45mm 1+1 compound cork; up to half the wine barrel-fermented in American oak, some new, with 9 months in oak; website reticent with info; Bob Campbell reports that New Zealand is Bogle’s most important export market, and that chardonnay predominates in the company's 750 + ha of vineyards; https://boglewinery.com ]
Rich lemon, just a hint of straw, the deepest of the younger four. Bouquet is sweet, rich, ripe and juicy, with explicit chardonnay varietal character, more obvious peachy fruit than the Radburnd, but also hints of tropical fruit, crushed pineapple (without the esters) implying a warmer climate, a touch of vanilla wine biscuit too. Palate immediately has texture and body, lots of fruit which is simple in one sense, a hint of coconut and vanilla, not the the lees autolysis complexity of the top two, but this affordable wine has the body and mouth-feel to be explicitly chardonnay. This is where it wins out, compared with many New Zealand aspiring chardonnays at the same or greater cost. It is let down by the finish, which is unashamedly sweet and populist, low acid, yet subtle. In our still relatively unsophisticated wine-consumer market, most tasters would not notice, just liking the lingering mouth-feel and fruit. This is a very clever wine indeed, pin-pointing exactly what the consumer-in-the-street wants, and assembled to the highest commercial standards: colour, bouquet, and mouth-filling flavour. Cellar 3 – 8 years. It is an interesting commentary on wine snobbery, that there are no tasting notes for Bogle Chardonnay in www.robertparker.com, notwithstanding (or perhaps because of) production of this chardonnay exceeding 500,000 cases per annum. At $US9 to 10 full retail on the domestic market, the New Zealand retail price usually $21 – 22 (and sometimes more) indicates handsome local margins are being made. GK 06/20

2005 Wycroft Pinot Noir Old River Terrace 17 + (

)

Matahiwi 67% and Martinborough 33%, New Zealand: 13.5%; $37 [ screwcap; the Matahiwi vines planted @ 8000 / ha; 100% de-stemmed, 3 days cold-soak, 11 days cuvaison; 9 months in French oak 33% new, not fined or filtered; www.pinotnoirnz.com ]
Colour is good youthful pinot noir ruby of classical weight. Bouquet is a pleasure, showing none of the stalkyness that has characterised Gladstone / Northern Wairarapa pinots in recent years, instead suggesting carefully ripened physiologically mature pinot noir cropped at a rate appropriate to achieve these clear red and black cherry qualities, with even some daphne florals. Palate likewise is unequivocally pinot noir, attractive and not obtrusive acid, black as well as red cherry, subtly oaked, scarcely a leafy thought, beautifully balanced. [ At the time of writing these notes, I was unaware there is Martinborough-sourced material in the wine, which may well explain the delightful ripeness. ] This is an exciting debut wine. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 09/06

2006 Pyramid Valley Pinot Noir Calvert Vineyard 17 + (

)

Cromwell / Bannockburn district, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14.2%; $55 [ screwcap; hand-picked @ 2.6 t/ac; 100% destemmed, c. 6 days cold-soak, wild-yeast fermentation, c. 28 days cuvaison; 15 months on lees in French oak 33% new; unfined and unfiltered; 500 cases; www.pyramidvalley.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, above midway in depth of colour, and intriguingly, more youthful than the other New Zealand wines, more the hue of the Rousseaus. Bouquet is beautifully varietal but also very vanillin from new oak, the vanillin to a degree making the floral fruit-derived qualities harder to see – though they are there. Palate is reminiscent of the Cazetiers in the tasting, attractive red fruits, but rather a lot of new oak for the dry extract, when tasted alongside the French (admittedly top French) examples. In a blind tasting, one could easily pick this as a Martinborough wine, the oak-derived aromatic being confuseable with the pennyroyal hints that district often shows. Ultimately it is the level of oak that takes this wine down a little in the ranking. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 11/08

2002 Schaefer Graacher Domprobst Riesling Kabinett QmP 17 + (

)

Mosel, Germany: 8%; $34
Palest lemongreen, lovely. The lightest bouquet of the set, but exquisitely clean, with faintest white flowers, freshcut cooking apples (e.g. Ballarat), and mineral undertones in a Saar style. Flavour is very pure, quite rich, very low pH I would think, with long austerely floral and limey flavours. This will cellar well, and may surprise in decades to come. Cellar 10 – 30 years. GK 03/04

2007 Morton Estate Rosé Musetta 17 + (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.1%; $17 [ screwcap; Me & Ma; no oak; www.mortonestatewines.co.nz ]
Medium rosé, the deepest of this bracket, a slight drabness of hue unrelated to age. Bouquet is real summer-pudding rosé, clear red fruits, fragrant, attractive. Palate has the appropriate tannins good rosé needs (to avoid the lollywater label), and pinot rosés so often lack, redcurrant / red plum flavours, but it is one of the sweeter ones to the finish. Good now, or can be cellared another year or so, to taste. GK 03/09

2006 Neudorf Riesling Moutere 17 + (

)

Moutere Hills, Nelson, New Zealand: 9%; $35 [ screwcap; hand-harvested in mid-May; all s/s ferment, some LA, stop-fermented @ 44 g/L, and a pH of 2.8; strong encouragement to cellar on website – great !; www.neudorf.co.nz ]
Pale greeny lemon. Bouquet is quite unformed as yet, as if recently bottled (which seems unlikely). On close examination, there are some lime suggestions, on a pure vinifera base reminiscent of some young wines of Jeffrey Grosset, which can also be uncommunicative in youth. Palate is richly fruited, gentle in its phenolic extraction, quite sweet (more a medium wine), delightfully pure, but once again, flavour is shy as yet. It has all the makings of a fine wine, but at this moment can't be marked as one. [ Bit of a worry, this cross-over between fortune-telling and wine evaluation … ] Taste aside, the numbers suggest it will cellar very well indeed, and develop in bottle over 5 – 12 years. GK 03/08

2008 Neudorf Pinot Noir Moutere 17 + (

)

Moutere Hills, Nelson, New Zealand: 14%; $55 [ screwcap; nil whole-bunch, wild-yeast fermentation; total cuvaison extending to 26 days; 12 months in French oak 28% new; not fined or filtered; www.neudorf.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby, just below midway. First poured, this wine did not communicate well, seeming reserved, though clean – no issues. In mouth, the reason seems to be a quite rich but more stalky wine, with firm tannin structure. It opened up gradually in the glass, red more than black cherry, subtle oak, but a question mark whether the fruit and implicit florality would emerge with more cellar time, given the good ratio of fruit, or would start to dry on the tannins. Intriguing, it could overtake the Martinborough in three years, but for the moment it lacks that wine's charm. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 09/13

2010 The Riesling Challenge Patrick Materman 17 + (

)

Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 10.5%; $ – [ screwcap; winemaker based at Pernod-Ricard, Marlborough; price: the wines were initially offered at $25 each in the dozen set, but ended up at www.blackmarket.co.nz for $120 the set; wine described as balanced by winemaker, and in the middle of Medium-Sweet by the bar-graph; no other info ]
Lemon-green. This is the odd-man-out in the pack, the bouquet being clearly freesia floral and delicate, very pure, very varietal, more Mosel (in a positive sense) than the actual Mosel in the field. Palate doesn't quite follow through, the wine being mineral (as in Saar / Ruwer), seeming drier and shorter than the medium sweetness indicates. I have a sneaking suspicion that in five years, this might be much nearer the top of the bunch, for it is surprisingly concentrated. Cellar 8 – 12 years. GK 02/12

2004 Askerne Merlot / Malbec / Cabernet 17 + (

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Havelock district, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $20 [ cork; Me 38%, Ma 27, CS 20, CF 15, hand-picked; 9 months in French oak of varying ages; www.askerne.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, less oak-influenced than the Reserve wine. Bouquet is clean, very ripe to perhaps over-ripe merlot in an anonymous darkly plummy way, showing a good ratio of fruit to oak. Palate is clearly merlot-dominant at this stage, showing a soft dark plummy flavour suggesting Pomerol. If this wine generates some floral complexity on bouquet as it ages, to more clearly pinpoint the merlot / malbec dominance, it could score more highly in two or three years. It is not as rich as the Reserve, though. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 05/06

2004 Main Divide Pinot Noir Selection 17 + (

)

Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 13.5%; $29 [ screwcap; the Selection label is Waipara fruit only, including bought-in; wild yeast fermentation; 18 months in French oak including MLF; Main Divide is a kind of second or more commercial label for Pegasus Bay, sometimes offering exceptional quality for the price; www.maindivide.co.nz ]
Ruby, fractionally deeper than the Marlborough wines. Bouquet is understated on this pinot, but there are floral notes of a deeper and more boronia-like and intriguing quality, on red fruits. Palate is clearly red and black cherry, fresh, crunchy, markedly richer and plumper than the Marlborough wines. Aftertaste is firm in youth, beautifully clean, the whole wine a model New Zealand pinot noir of medium weight. This should improve markedly over a couple of years, and cellar 5 – 12. GK 07/06

2004 TerraVin Pinot Noir ‘T’ 17 + (

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Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $40 [ screwcap; 7 clones, with a variety of winemaking methods to ‘explore’ the site; wild yeast fermentation, high percentage whole-berry; extended cuvaison; French oak; neither fined nor filtered; www.terravin.co.nz ]
Colour is deep pinot noir ruby, about as deep as pinot needs to be. Bouquet on the standard TerraVin is a little lighter than the Hillside, a little less darkly varietal, and perhaps more bretty, making it also European in style. Palate likewise is savoury / gamey on mixed cherry fruits, with less weight of fruit and more drying on the finish from the higher brett. Some would score it much lower, on this factor. It is clearly varietal, and good food wine. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 05/06

1998 Tardieu-Laurent Hermitage 17 + (

)

Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $ – [ cork; 100% Sy, wine bought-in immediately post-fermentation, 18 – 24 months in new oak; not filtered; Parker. 1999: 91 – 93 The superb 1998 Hermitage reveals a saturated purple color in addition to classic, pure, cassis aromas intermixed with smoke and licorice. Full-bodied and pure, with nicely integrated acidity and tannin, this corpulent, super-concentrated Hermitage requires 3-7 years of cellaring, and will keep for 20-25 years.; very little info on the individual wines of each appellation on website; imported by Caro’s, Auckland; www.tardieu-laurent.com ]
Ruby and some garnet, the oldest of the wines. We had an extraordinary experience with this wine, which it is worth setting out. The first bottle had a very fragrant bouquet, nearly floral cassis and berry augmented by brett, but looking OK. But as soon as the wine was in mouth, oh my word, horrid. And once swallowed, the tell-tale flavour of mouse urine and droppings asserted itself – indicating the brett-family spoilage yeast Pichia. Discussion ensued as to the wisdom of opening another bottle. I unwisely said it would be a systematic fermentation issue, and (assuming a small-volume wine like this would be assembled) all bottles would be the same. Fortunately, better counsel prevailed, and the second bottle was quite different. The same cassisy berry was evident, with some brett, but on palate, though the wine was very dry, it was pure and cassisy and quite rich, with only a ‘positive’ level of brett complexity. And it remained so for several days. The only reasonable explanation for such a surprising result is that even as late as the 1998 vintage, smaller houses such as Tardieu-Laurent still sometimes bottled cask by cask, without assembling the wine. And by chance, the New Zealand samples came from two casks. What other explanation could there be ? It has to be said experience with Tardieu-Laurent Northern Rhone wines over the last 10 years has revealed extraordinary inconsistency. The best wines have been superlative examples of their kind, but the ratio of corked bottles in the later '90s was far above average. All proof yet-again of the wisdom of the late André Simon’s words, now quite long ago: there are no great wines, only great bottles. A gamble in cellar, therefore. GK 04/09

2005 Alpha Domus [ Merlot / Cabernets ] The Navigator 17 + (

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Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $25 [ cork; Me, CS, CF, Ma; www.alphadomus.co.nz ]
Older ruby, some velvet and garnet, much older in this context. And bouquet reflects an older wine too, browning cassis marrying into a cedary slightly bretty aroma, all a little lacking in berry and fruit. Palate is soft and cedary, the fruit well into its secondary phase, with trace aniseed and tobacco complexity in maturing red and dark plum. Seems all a little old for its age, and slightly cool, but is an attractive food wine. Cellar 2 – 8 years. GK 06/10

2002 Jadot Chambertin Clos de Beze Domaine L. Jadot 17 + (

)

Gevrey-Chambertin Grand Cru, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $256 [ cork; www.louisjadot.com ]
Good pinot noir ruby, some velvet, not quite as fresh as the Jadot Echezeaux. Bouquet is odd on this wine, more oak affected as the colour would suggest, but also a vanilla sweetness verging into fresh subtlest caramel. Palate is still youthful on the new oak, good fruit richness but a lactic undertone, all tasting more new world than old. Needs a couple of years to get its act together and show more varietal quality relative to the oak, since the fruit weight is there and the balance is good. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 12/05

2003 Te Mania Pinot Noir Reserve 17 + (

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Nelson, New Zealand: 13.5%; $30 [ cork; hand-picked, 2 t/ac, 7 days cold soak, wild yeast; 9 months in French oak 40% new, MLF in barrel; www.temaniawines.co.nz ]
Deep pinot noir ruby, second deepest of these wines. Bouquet has some of the floral complexity of the Peregrine, in red and black cherry fruits complexed by bacony oak and some brett. Cherry and plum fruit on palate are masked by quite strong oak at this stage, and the wine dries a little to the finish on the brett. In a couple of years, this should be mellowing into a pleasantly winey pinot, which will be good with food. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 10/05

2002 Benfield & Delamare 17 + (

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Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $53 [ cork ; Me 50%, CS 43, CF 7; 20 days cuvaison, c.19 months French oak 70% new; www.benfieldanddelamare.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, fractionally older than the 2003 and of similar depth. The proprietors’ trademark spicy oak is more prominent on this wine, too prominent, though there is good brambly fruit below. Palate brings up the fruit richness, to give a long-flavoured but very tannic wine, in which ultimately I think the oak will overcome the fruit. Almost a caricature of the distinctive B & D style, and not unpleasant, just a little out of balance. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 10/05

2010 Babich Cabernet / Merlot / Malbec The Patriarch 17 + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $60 [ supercritical cork; CS 64%, Me 23, Ma 13, hand-harvested @ c.6 t/ha = 2.4 t/ac; cuvaison from 15 days to 22 for the CS; 13 months in all-French small oak c.40% new; egg-white fined and filtered; www.babichwines.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, right in the middle for depth of colour. Bouquet is beautifully floral and fragrant, with thoughts of reddest roses and maybe violets in cassisy berry, clearly reminiscent of the Medoc. Palate is less, some austerity and leanness, high cabernet, high-quality oak but rather noticeable due to the lean fruit, yet the berry is ripe, without stalkyness. This is a classically-styled northernmost Medoc of not the ripest year, to cellar 5 – 12 years. Alongside the second wine of the cru bourgeois Ch Lanessan however, it illustrates that all too often we still crop too heavily for final quality in New Zealand reds. GK 06/12

2008 Sileni Merlot / Franc The Plains 17 + (

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Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $30 [ screwcap; www.sileni.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet. Bouquet shows another wine with red fruits and rose florals pointing to cabernet franc, like 2009 Black Barn Vineyards Cabernet Franc Hawkes Bay, and is both soft and enticing, lovely. The oak is beautifully in the background. Palate follows through exactly in the style of a light St Emilion, good fruit, but not quite enough ripeness, so there is some leafyness in the florality. Even so, given a little more ripeness this new kind of Hawkes Bay blend appeals to me very much, when the oak is subtle. It almost encroaches on pinot noir territory. Finish may not be bone dry. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 06/10

2002 Northburn Station Pinot Noir 17 + (

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Northburn, Cromwell Basin, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14.5%; $ – [ screwcap; mostly clone 10/5; www.northburn.co.nz ]
Mature pinot noir ruby. If ever one wanted proof of the essential need to decant wine, and let it breathe after eight years under screwcap, this wine gave it. At first, in the social setting, the wine was concentrated, but with notes of decay and leafyness on bouquet, and phenolic on the palate. Clearly pinot noir though. With air the wine expanded magically, to harmonise the negatives and reveal that magic tension between just ripe enough and too ripe which characterises good pinot noir, still intensely floral, browning red and black cherries, the tannins now smooth but slightly leafy. Mature, but no hurry 1 – 3 years. GK 09/10

2008 d'Arenberg Shiraz Footbolt 17 + (

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McLaren Vale, South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $24 [ screwcap; Sh 100%; an average of 12 months in mostly older larger-format French and American oak, but a small BF component in barriques some new; www.darenberg.com.au ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. This is another d'Arenberg that needs vigorous aeration, to show its best. The technical control on this batch of reds does seem a bit slack – hopefully a passing phase for this well-regarded winery. Well ventilated, this wine too reveals blueberry and boysenberry shiraz, all a little lighter and fresher than the 2007 of the same label, with the acid slightly more noticeable. It should marry up in cellar, over 5 – 12 or so years. GK 07/10

2003 Ata Rangi Pinot Noir 17 + (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $67 [ screwcap; c. I tonne / acre; www.atarangi.co.nz ]
Ruby, a touch of carmine and velvet, one of the deeper colours. A mixed and youthful bouquet at this stage, with distinctive pennyroyal and marcy qualities, and plenty of berry which is not exactly floral (apart from the pennyroyal). Palate produces rich dark cherry, mixed berry, and plum fruit, but it is slightly stalky and the oak is raw and unknit as yet. It has the concentration to develop well – much richer than the Martinborough Te Tera, for example. I may have under-rated this, in which case time will prove me wrong, but the wine seems to be moving to a heavier and less fragrant style. Or perhaps that is merely the expression of a riper year. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 09/04

2004 Morton Estate Merlot White Label 17 + (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $18 [ screwcap; 12 months in oak; www.mortonestatewines.co.nz ]
Good ruby, more a pinot density than a cabernet / merlot one, but not weak. Bouquet is lovely, very clean, gentle florals of a violets kind as is legitimate for merlot, but in the blind tasting slotting beautifully into the pinots. Palate however is more Bordeaux, some East Bank flavours and tannin balance emerging, with plummy and tobacco-y fruit and hints of cassis. It is already an enjoyable and potentially mellow claret-styled red (though it looks light against the brawny Aussies). It gains points for sheer drinkability and style, and beautiful oak-handling not dominated by new. Cellar 5 – 8 years. VALUE GK 03/06

2007 [ Ngatarawa ] Merlot / Cabernet Glazebrook 17 + (

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Gimblett Gravels & Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $27 [ screwcap; www.ngatarawa.co.nz ]
Ruby, some velvet. Bouquet shows good red fruits in a generalised sense, not exactly cassis, more plummy so perhaps merlot-dominant, with fragrant oak. Palate is softly plummy, very merlot, brown tobacco suggestions, attractive oak including older and not too assertive, with some promise of cigar-box to come. An attractive medium-weight wine to cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 06/10

2005 Tahbilk Viognier 17 + (

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Nagambie Lakes, Central Victoria, Australia: 14%; $21 [ screwcap; partial BF; www.tahbilk.com.au ]
Bright lemon. A clean, strong but slightly banana-y / aromatic-yeast bouquet, with varietal apricot qualities too, and minimal oak. Palate is bone dry, quite rich, fruit dominant again in the canned apricots and mango style, a little mineral on added acid. Good, but doesn't sing. Cellar 1 – 4 years. GK 03/06

2007 Lime Rock Pinot Noir White Knuckle Hill 17 + (

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Waipawa district, southern Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.8%; $40 [ screwcap; nil whole bunch; 8 months in French oak, 100% new; www.limerock.co.nz ]
Big pinot noir ruby, a little velvet. Bouquet is lifted, aromatic and intriguing, darkly floral, almost a kanuka essential oil note, rather than Otago thyme. The floral component is very mixed, ranging from suggestions of buddleia to nearly boronia, yet there might be a hint of stalk too. Palate is rich, different, a suggestion of strawberry as well as red and black cherry, clearly varietal, but not quite completely coordinated, like some Marlborough wines. When the identity (and later, the questionable oak regime) is known, as an inland higher-altitude Hawkes Bay wine, the mix of cues is more understandable. Interesting wine: this southern elevated calcareous region of Hawkes Bay is the most exciting prospect for fine pinot noir in the district, and winemaker / proprietor Rosie Butler is leading the way. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 02/10

1995 Ch de Beaucastel 17 + (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $205 [ cork, 50mm, ullage 20mm; original price $57; cepage varies a little each year around Gr 30%, Mv 30, Sy 10, Co 10, Ci 5, other authorised red varieties 8, and white varieties 7; more detail in the introductory sections; Wine Spectator Vintage Chart (the oldest year they itemise for the Southern Rhone Valley): Many tough, tannic reds, but Châteauneufs are improving beautifully; 90; Famille Perrin, 2015: A beautiful freshness on the palate supported by expressive but elegant tannins that are similar to the northern Rhone; J.L-L, 2007: another Beaucastel delivered in what I term a more Bordeaux style, a wine that lives on its reserve. There is sound late richness, and pretty late fruit ..., 2023-26, *****; RP @ RP, 1997: … Francois and Jean-Pierre Perrin might be accused of trying to make the wine too long-lived, as if this is the primary merit to a great red wine. ... a provocative (probably controversial) aromatic profile of animal fur, tar, truffles, black cherries, cassis, licorice, and minerals ... a boatload of tannin, considerable grip and structure, and a weighty feel in the mouth, this appears to be a classic vin de garde made in the style of the 1978 Beaucastel (which is still not close to full maturity), 2006 – 2026, 93; weight bottle and closure: 645 g; www.beaucastel.com ]
Ruby and garnet, fresher and fractionally deeper than the 1995 Hommage, above midway in depth. This is another of the years that as soon as you pick it up, yes – older-style Beaucastel, noticeable leathery brett. Behind the nutmeg and savoury casserole and entwined bouquet garni notes, there are red berries browning now, cinnamon, and tanniny notes of the darker mourvedre. Palate is surprisingly youthful (for the colour), quite rich, the furry tannins of mourvedre noticeable, or even prominent if one disliked tannin. Oak is subtle. But yes, brett ‘complexity’ is noticeable again on the aftertaste, even including some less desirable 4-EP horsey / medicinal hints. If you are not a bit tolerant about brett, this is one in the sequence that you might object more strongly to. As is so often the case with wines like this, and the narrow-minded need to note this, in any group of wine-people not specifically tutored to be ‘down’ on brett, five people rated this 1995 their top wine, and another three their second-favourite. Least wine for two. Eleven people noted brett, but none saw it as excessive, partly because the wine is still relatively rich. Cellar 5 – 10 years, but each bottle will be different. GK 05/21

2001 Te Mata Estate Viognier Woodthorpe 17 + (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $ – [ cork; 75% of wine BF, 5 months LA and batonnage in older oak, 25% s/s, no MLF; www.temata.co.nz ]
Lemonstraw, the deepest of the wines, but still fresh for a variety that allegedly doesn’t cellar. Bouquet on this wine is more French in style, with a veiling of a subtle sulphur-related wet washing note, just taking the floral edge off varietal purity. Like the 2004, palate shrugs off any reservations on bouquet, and shows a rich but cooler-year presentation of the variety, combining pineappley and tropical fruit with stalky undertones, with the oak influence now well married away. It is clearly varietal within the above parameters, and is probably at full development now, or a shade past its peak. No point in cellaring further. GK 10/05

2008 Mount Edward Riesling The Drumlin 17 + (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 12.5%; $30 [ screwcap, hand-picked, whole-bunch pressed, cold-settled to low solids; s/s wine, some wild-yeast fermentation; 77 cases; pH 2.8, 49 g/L RS; www.mountedward.com ]
Lemongreen. This wine is still youthful and disorganised, the acid showing, and too early to judge ideally. Style follows from the 2006, but it seems milder and less aromatic, showing an intriguing grapefruit suggestion at the moment. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 05/09

2002 Chapoutier Ermitage Le Pavillon 17 + (

)

Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $208 [ cork, 49mm; Sy 100%; cropping and wine-making details as in the introductory ‘Background’ section; www.chapoutier.com ]
Ruby, some velvet, and some garnet starting to creep in, just in the third quarter for depth. This is much more evolved for its age than say the 2000, reflecting the lesser year. It is one of the wines smelling much more like a Chapoutier wine than a syrah from Hermitage, fruit and cooperage all melding into something chestnutty more than varietal / grapey. Palate shows one of the smaller wines, but it is mellow in a tanniny way, already on its plateau of maturity, not as rich as some. No positive votes for this one, five least votes (in the markedly better first flight). Cellar 5 – 10 years. Wine Spectator quality rating for the vintage 82. GK 10/18

2002 The Obsidian [ Merlot / Cabernets ] 17 + (

)

Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.5%; $45 [ cork; Me 40%, CS 35, CF & Ma, hand-picked; c.13 months in French oak, 50% new, balance 1 and 2-year; www.obsidian.co.nz ]
Ruby and garnet, tending mature. Bouquet is immediately reminiscent of mature Bordeaux, more 10 to 15 years old than six, but all very much in style. It is a bit old for florals as such, but it is fragrant, with browning cassis, dark plum, pipe tobacco, cedary oak, and a little brett maybe, all adding complexity. Palate is astonishingly cru bourgeois-like, of similar weight, acid balance and integration of fruit and oak, just a little oakier all through. This wine was made off the island, so future vintages, less travelled etc, may not mature so quickly. Cellar a year or three. GK 06/08

2010 Trinity Hill Tempranillo 17 + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $35 [ supercritical 'cork'; Te 90%, TN 10, hand-picked; the grapes de-stemmed but not crushed, fermentation in s/s, curtailed cuvaison; elevation for 15 months in mostly French oak, some new, some American, some held in s/s for freshness; www.trinityhill.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, really dense. Bouquet is wonderfully pure, dark, rich and velvety, even on bouquet, but it doesn't smell like tempranillo. Happily cabernet is now omitted, but the blending variety touriga nacional used here makes the wine much too black-fruited and aromatic, I think, to fit classical tempranillo. This is a pity, because tempranillo in its more correct pinot-noir-like sensory spectrum (despite what most winewriters say) could be well suited to New Zealand. Later palate is still darkly plummy, bottled omega plums, and oak is well-balanced to the rich fruit. Finish is dry and a little short as yet, considering the weight of the wine. Cellar 5 – 15 years, perhaps longer, when it may be transformed into something more 'correct'. GK 03/13

2002 Craggy Range Pinot Noir Te Muna Vineyard 17 + (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13%; $38 [ www.craggyrange.co.nz ]
Lightish ruby. First impression is of spicy and slightly nutmeggy oak, tending to dominate varietal character at this stage. Flavour has all the right feelings and balance for good light pinot, with attractive cherry flavours, and less stalkiness than some of the other Wairarapa pinots, but the oak does claim attention. It is beautiful oak, I admit, and this wine should come into a more harmonious balance in two or three years. Good to have wine of this quality so early in the emergence of the newly developed ‘extension’ of the ‘Martinborough Terrace’ concept. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 01/04

2005 Olssens Pinot Noir Jackson Barry 17 + (

)

Bannockburn & Cromwell, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $38 [ screwcap; hand-picked, de-stemmed but not crushed, 5 days cold soak; 17 days cuvaison; 10 months and MLF in French oak 33% new; www.olssens.co.nz ]
Good ruby, some carmine and velvet, attractive. This is a fragrant wine, though with unusual characters. There are lilac and similar florals, and mixed red fruits including ripest red rhubarb (+ve), subtly oaked. Palate is freshly red cherried, attractive acid balance crisper than many of the Otago '05s, but nicely in style for a slightly acid Volnay or similar. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 01/07

2003 Te Mata Estate Syrah / Viognier Woodthorpe 17 + (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $22 [ screwcap; Sy 98%, Vi 2, co-fermented even though Vi then super-ripe; extended cuvaison 3 + weeks, followed by 12 - 15 months in new and older French oak; www.temata.co.nz ]
Ruby, lighter and a little older than the 2004. Everything that has been said about the 2004 applies to this wine, except that is that it is not so rich, ripe and concentrated. The palate is harmonising beautifully though, with similar balance to the 2004, but all just a little cooler and leaner in cassisy berry smells and flavours. A slightly leafy / stalky note creeps in on the late palate, as it does in cooler years in the Rhone Valley, and one is reminded of the wines of Crozes-Hermitage as well as Cote-Rotie. This will cellar gracefully and be very food friendly as it matures, for 3 – 7 years. GK 10/05

2010 Man O' War Syrah Dreadnought 17 + (

)

Eastern Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14.5%; $45 [ screwcap; Sy 100%, all hand-picked and further hand-sorted; de-stemmed, wild yeast fermentations, up to 28 days cuvaison; MLF and c.15 months in barrel, mainly French oak, some American, 20% new; not sterile-filtered to bottle for the 2010; www.manowarvineyards.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a great colour. Bouquet shows the lovely cassisy berryfruit of the 2010 season, complexed with wallflower floral notes, fragrant oak, and trace brett. Palate is a little shorter than the bouquet suggests, and slightly phenolic / oaky, all coming as a surprise after the appealing colour and bouquet. Perhaps the wine is in an awkward phase. Should mellow attractively in cellar, 5 – 12 years. GK 10/12

2005 Dog Point Pinot Noir 17 + (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $39 [ cork; all de-stemmed, up to 8 days cold-soak, wild yeast; 18 months in French oak 50% new; www.dogpoint.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby, a similar weight to the Auntsfield, but fresher. Bouquet is both varietal and winey, partly from a light brett component, on mixed florals and red and black cherry fruit. Palate has lovely flavours, complex, integrated, another with a textural quality suggesting barrel work and batonnage. Aftertaste is long and cherry-rich, slightly gamey, burgundian. Cellar 5 – 12 years, though it may age a little faster than some, with the brett. GK 01/07

2010 Leeuwin Estate Chardonnay Prelude 17 + (

)

Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia: 14%; $39 [ screwcap; no info on website; www.leeuwinestate.com.au ]
Good lemon. Bouquet is highly varietal, beautiful in fact, with mendoza-like fruit showing good stonefruit aromas backed by citrus, grapefruit and lees-autolysis notes. Oak is in a much more appropriate ratio than the Black Estate wine, on bouquet being supportive only. Palate is much less than the bouquet, the grapefruit qualities now made assertive by (presumably added) acid, the flavours tending one-dimensional and a little short, but all very clean. There is an understated elegance here the more boisterous Black wine lacks. Should cellar well and mellow, to be a good unobtrusive food wine. Cellar 2 – 8 years GK 05/13

2011 Black Estate Chardonnay 17 + (

)

Waipara Valley, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 14%; $31 [ screwcap; hand-harvested; vines up to 16 years age; wild-yeast fermentation, 15 months in French oak none new; RS 2.6 g/L; www.blackestate.co.nz ]
Light lemon straw. Bouquet shows a lot of barrel-ferment, lees-autolysis and winemaking artefact characters, rather drowning the hoped-for beauty of the pure variety. On palate there is good fruit, high acid, noticeable toasty oak, and MLF and lees-autolysis characters all yet to marry up. Hard to drink, therefore. Alongside the definitive Keltern wine, I would prefer less oak and overt winemaking, and more varietal expression. The actual fruit is good, and once the oak is better married in, and the acid attenuates, it should be an attractive wine with food. Cellar 2 – 8 years. GK 05/13

2006 Guigal Cote Rotie Brune & Blonde 17 + (

)

Cote Rotie, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $103 [ cork; Sy 96%, Vi 4; 36 months in French oak, 60% new; www.guigal.com ]
Medium ruby, markedly the lightest of the northern Rhone syrahs so far in the ranking, more on a par with the Gigondas. Bouquet is both pretty and clearly wallflower-perfumed, with a red fruits component which in a blind tasting could be confused with fine grenache. Palate this year distinctly lacks concentration, and is pro rata lightly oaked, the whole wine bridging the gap to pinot noir remarkably closely. It seems distinctly delicate alongside even the village Gigondas. But what is there is pleasing and nearly pure in mouth, and very easy to drink. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 10/10

2005 Gibbston Valley Pinot Noir 17 + (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $ – [ screwcap; not on website yet; www.gvwines.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby. This wine is clearly floral but in a manner less commonly encountered in Central Otago, more buddleia and lighter fractions, a clear whole berry component, on red cherry fruit. Palate is lighter too than many of the 2005s, with a stalky beaujolais thought in the red cherry fruit, the oak a little more noticeable perhaps because of the stalky component, yet all attractively varietal and pure. The wine is however shorter and crisper than some. The Reserve presents a more exciting, concentrated and better balanced version. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 01/07

2007 Boekenhoutskloof Syrah 17 + (

)

Coastal WO, Cape district, South Africa: 14.5%; $60 [ cork; price is simple conversion from US$42; Sy 100%, hand-harvested from vines 14 years; an indication of the climate comes from picking being in late February; 4 days cold-soak, initial wild-yeast, some whole-bunch fermentation, around 24 days cuvaison; MLF in second-year barrels, and 27 months all told in barrel; pH 3.89; website being upgraded; www.boekenhoutskloof.co.za ]
Ruby and velvet, some carmine. This is one of the richer and denser wines, needing some time to open up. There is a suggestion of eucalyptus-like plant oils and a smokey oak character which is not brett-related (I think), on fruit at the point of ripeness equating to darkest cassis grading to more densely plummy, dark plums bottled. On palate, the flavours match, a little added acid in the texture, and more oak than the top wines. The oak is not as pristine as some examples today, still a common problem with South African reds, which at the blind stage led me to either Chile or South Africa. Finish is long and plummy in a burly way, and all the 'complexities' are subtle and don't detract too much. Interesting big wine, shiraz rather than syrah, though. Cellar 5 –15 years. GK 01/10

2000 Ngatarawa Merlot / Cabernet Alwyn Reserve 17 + (

)

Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $45 [ cork; Me 60%, CS 40; 50/50 French and US oak, 18 months; www.ngatarawa.co.nz ]
Ruby, some velvet. Bouquet is a little shy at first, but quickly breathes up to be red fruits rather more than black, with a suggestion of violets florals. Like the 2006 Olive Block, it is clearly in the traditional Bordeaux better cru bourgeois mould, not the modern international one. Palate is a little riper and plumper than the bouquet suggests, still surprisingly youthful, with a fine-grained cassisy cabernet component showing up clearly in the blend. This is attractive wine which is delightfully in style for future Bordeaux 2000 tastings. It will cellar another 5 – 8 years. This wine was used as part of a presentation on Bordeaux blends in New Zealand, for the Lincoln University Viticulture and Oenology degree course, to illustrate an older phase of cooler merlot-dominant Bordeaux / Hawkes Bay blend. GK 09/08

2006 Mount Edward Riesling The Drumlin 17 + (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 9.5%; $22 [ screwcap, hand-picked @ 0.4 t/ac, no detail, presumably similar to the 2008 but a little sweeter; www.mountedward.com ]
Lemon. Bouquet is less floral than the 2007 standard Mount Edward, but shows more lime-zest, so it is just as clearly riesling, with great purity. Palate is stronger all round, more limezest resiny notes, more acid, more sugar, but not quite so harmonious despite the extra year. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 05/09

2007 Matariki Cabernet / Merlot 17 + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $27 [ screwcap; DFB; CS 57%, Me 28, CF 10, Sy 5, all de-stemmed; inoculated ferments, varying cuvaisons according to variety; some MLFs in barrel, 21 months in French oak 20% new; RS ‘dry’; Catalogue: classic ripe blackcurrant and plum aromas underlain by spicy oak aromas. On the palate the wine shows ripe fruit characters, integrated tannins and good balance leading to a full and satisfying finish; www.matarikiwines.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet. Bouquet is ripe cassis and dark plums, with good oak, promising. Palate is a little less, the oak tending excessive for the weight of the fruit, but the plummy flavours linger well, all the same. An attractive and representative Hawkes Bay claret blend needing to soften. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 07/09

2006 Coopers Creek Malbec Huapai The Clays 17 + (

)

Kumeu, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13%; $21 [ screwcap; 13 months in 33% new French oak; www.cooperscreek.co.nz ]
Carmine ruby and velvet, louder than the 2006 Quarry or 2006 Merlot Reserve. Bouquet is plentifully plummy and fruity, illustrating the Bordeaux-blends affiliations of ripe malbec well. On palate it continues fruity, not quite as rich as supposed on bouquet or as sophisticated in its elevage as the top wines. It illustrates well the furry tannins and slightly pinotage-like ‘rustic’ flavours which make malbec a less-favoured variety in Bordeaux, in recent years. Cellar 5 – 10 years. This wine was used as part of a presentation on Bordeaux blends in New Zealand, for the Lincoln University Viticulture and Oenology degree course, to illustrate a fairly ripe phase of malbec. GK 09/08

2002 Pask Merlot Gimblett Road 17 + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $26 [ new, 1-year and 2-year oak, 75% Fr, 25 US; www.cjpaskwinery.co.nz ]
Ruby, half the weight of the Reserve Merlot, more like Awatea. Unlike the weightier Reserve wine, this straight Pask Merlot clearly shows some of the florals and violets of merlot, with dark plums and cassis below. The whole bouquet introduces thoughts of the right bank of the Gironde. Palate doesn’t follow up quite so well, being slightly stalky, but otherwise fine-grained, quite rich, and dominated by fruit, not oak. This wine makes an interesting comparison with the similarly weighted Coleraine, where the complex cepage of that wine makes this straight merlot look more one-dimensional. This Pask will be attractive drinking, in 5 or 10 years time. GK 03/04

2002 Girardin Santenay les Gravieres 17 + (

)

Santenay Premier Cru, Cote de Beaune, Burgundy, France: 14%; $40
Lemon. An intriguing citric character in several of these wines is very apparent here, on white stonefruits. Flavours are very pure, very white-peachy, slightly acid, and this is another wine where the oak is not yet much integrated, giving quite a new world feel. There is not the concentration and complexity of some of the top-rated wines, but this is still delightful white burgundy / chardonnay. Cellar 2 – 8 years. GK 04/04

2007 Clearview Estate Cabernet Franc Winery Reserve 17 + (

)

Te Awanga, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $45 [ supercritical cork; CF 91%, Me 7, Ma 2, hand-harvested; 15 months in mostly new French oak; Catalogue: The great vintage of 2007 has produced an intense floral wine with plum, spice and rich cassis flavours supported by strong mocha oak and fine long tannins … to 2016; www.clearviewestate.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, dense. Initially opened, the wine is reductive and needs a good splashy decanting or two. It opens into an old-fashioned wine, too heavy and oaky to respect the subtle floral and berry beauty of cabernet franc, but none-the-less rich. Palate is more black fruits than red, again too weighty and over-ripe to optimise the variety, but it is a good big cabernet / merlot style. It shows none of the leafyness so often bedevilling the Te Awanga wines, so the 2007 vintage was certainly superb in that sub-district. Score is breathed. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 07/09

2004 Black Estate Chardonnay 17 + (

)

Waipara, Canterbury, New Zealand: 14.5%; $30 [ 1 + 1 cork ]
Full lemonstraw, a faint flush of gold. Bouquet is more developed on this wine, showing bottled stonefruits complexed with barrel-ferment and extended lees-autolysis, plus just a hint of vanilla wine biscuit maturity. Palate is soft and rich, faintly lifted / estery, approaching full maturity with the oak starting to show, relative to the old Carrick. Cellar 1 – 2 years. GK 04/08

2005 Passage Rock Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot Reserve 17 + (

)

Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14%; $39 [ screwcap; DFB; ex winery price; CS 90%, Me 5, CF 5, hand-harvested; 15 months in American oak, 60% new; www.passagerockwines.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, older than many. Bouquet is wildly different from all the other wines in the blind tasting. It is as if a 1966 McWilliams Cabernet had suddenly been reincarnated, showing intense slightly leafy cassis, very obvious American oak [ later confirmed ] with the faintest carbolic edge to it, and in total a remarkably big volume of bouquet. Palate is rich, but with slightly less than optimally ripe cassis like the Puriri Pope, and slightly acid. The American oak really is out of balance for the weight and ripeness of the fruit, which shows red currants as well as cassis and red plums. A wine with a lot of character, but needing to mellow in cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 09/07

2003 Framingham Pinot Noir 17 + (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $30 [ screwcap; www.framingham.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby. Bouquet shows beautiful pinot florals, violets and boronia, plus maraschino cherry, reminiscent of the Carrick, but not as deep or rich. Below are black cherries, pure, simple, and delicious. Palate is a notch deeper than the Walnut Ridge, the cherries darker, the balance of fruit complex and deeper. The purity of varietal character on this wine is very appealing. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 04/05

2004 Mills Reef Syrah Elspeth 17 + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $37 [ cork; 100% hand-harvested, destemmed; 50% fermented in s/s and 50% in French oak, plus 18 months in French oak; www.millsreef.co.nz ]
Ruby. Older than most wines of the age class, midway in depth. This is a hard wine to score, for though the fruit quality is good, with some floral components tying in with Bullnose and taking it more towards a Rhone style, the VA level is too high for comfort. Palate shows less oak than Elspeth traditionally has, and that is a worthwhile step forward. And the cassisy berry on palate is super. Would have scored higher, with less obvious VA. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 05/06

2013 Elephant Hill Merlot / Cabernet Sauvignon Le Phant 17 + (

)

Gimblett Gravels & Bridge Pa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.2%; $24 [ screwcap; Me 67%, CS 16, Ma 10, CF 7, hand-picked.; 100% de-stemmed; 11 months in French oak, 20% new; RS < 1 g/L; www.elephanthill.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, near the middle of the middle third, for weight. Bouquet benefits from decanting, to show light rosy / plummy fruit which is nearly floral, with surprisingly little oak and considerable charm. It does not have the raw smell a stainless steel component in wine can show. Flavours are just as pleasant, in a smallish wine, nicely ripe, cassis lift on plummy fruit, and clearly some oak influence or handling adding to a pleasant flavour. This will be eminently drinkable in a few years, cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 06/14

1998 Guigal Cotes du Rhone 17 + (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $105 [ cork, 45mm; New Zealand purchase price c.$24; Sy 50%, Gr 30, Mv and others 20; production c. 229,000 x 9-litre cases; details in Introductory sections, but note this is the first vintage with syrah definitely the dominant variety; J. Goode, 2001: ... this has an attractive smoky, herby nose and nicely balanced palate showing smoky/earthy fruit with some tannin and a pleasant minerality. It's not a dense wine, but should drink nicely over the next few years. Worth buying if you can find it at the right price (around a fiver); often overpriced. Very good; RP@RP, 2000: ... a moderately intense bouquet of cassis, licorice, and flowers. An amazing value, with moderate tannin, excellent concentration, and the potential to improve for several years and last for 6-8, this is a wine to purchase by the case, 87; weight bottle and closure: 569 g; www.guigal.com ]
Ruby and garnet, a little younger than the 2003, midway in depth. Bouquet shows lovely winey harmony, with just a little moist-sultana complexity suggesting a warm year. It is very integrated, no varieties showing. Palate shows the warm year a little more, browning red fruits, supple but with a subtle suggestion of caramel, the acid balance softer than the 2003, soft furry tannins. This wine achieved the distinction of no votes for first, second, or least places, but most agreed they would be happy to take it out for a meal. Some thought it too soft in acid. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 03/21

2004 Pask Syrah Declaration 17 + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.9%; $48 [ ProCork; machine harvested; 11 days cuvaison, tail-end BF in 100% new French oak, followed by 16 months in barrel; www.cjpask.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, older than most of its year and group. Bouquet is very aromatic and fragrant, but a moment's reflection and one realises it is new oak more than the grape which is speaking. None the less there is berry and peppercorn spice too. Palate is equally aromatic, and in its style the interaction of cassis, black peppercorn and new oak is fragrant. The worry is the fruit is going to shrink around the oak, rather than the oak marrying into the wine. So, a wine for oak enthusiasts particularly. It didn't look too good served with food, the oak becoming awkward. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 01/07

2012 Clearview Estate [ Merlot / Malbec / Cabernet ] Enigma 17 + (

)

Te Awanga, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $59 [ supercritical 'cork'; Me 61%, Ma 31, CS 8, hand-picked; 28 days cuvaison; c.17 months in 80% French oak 40% new, 20% top-grade American oak three years air-dried; RS < 1 g/L; www.clearviewestate.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, in the top third for concentration. With a breath of air / decanting, the bouquet is distinctive on this wine, not revealing as to individual varieties, instead a more integrated and European winestyle, with just a pleasant suggestion of chook-mash (as in a recent Escarpment Vineyard red) which I assume is oak-related. The palate is intriguing, showing both cool suggestions, and yet a ripeness and weight of considerable achievement (for the year), no intrusive phenolics, subtle oak, and greater length than at first supposed. There is however a saline streak which detracts. This will cellar well, 5 – 12 years, and evolve into a complex and confusing bordeaux look-alike, Entre-Deux-Mers, maybe. GK 06/14

2004 Trinity Hill Syrah Gimblett Gravels 17 + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $30 [ cork; Sy 97%, Vi 3; hand-picked, co-fermented, extended cuvaison and MLF in tank; 14 months in French and American oak some new; www.trinityhill.com ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, bright, in the middle for depth. Bouquet is intensely floral and fragrant, as if there is some whole berry fermentation in this. Once one knows there is a small viognier component, one can imagine florals akin to wild ginger, but that was not apparent blind. Berry character includes cassis and red cherries. Palate is a little less, slightly stalky, but with lovely peppercorn varietal characters in the cassis and red plummy fruits, all subtly oaked. This has attractive acid balance and will soften in cellar, to be good food wine. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 05/06

2007 Pyramid Valley Pinot Noir Eaton Vineyard 17 + (

)

Omaka Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14.2%; $52 [ screwcap; 15% whole bunch; 15 months in French oak, 33% new; www.pyramidvalley.co.nz ]
Colour is a more usual pinot noir ruby, clearly the lightest in the Sustainable Practices tasting. This is a challenging wine to assess. Bouquet is fragrant and lifted by the highish alcohol, with the florals more at the simpler buddleia end of the complexity scale. In mouth the way the florals rise from the fruit reminds also of Chambolle-Musigny-like wines, and the fruit seems ripe red and supple cherry. Later again slightly leafy / stalky notes detract a little, but the whole wine is clearly varietal, and interesting. To a degree it could be argued that the winemaker's (understandable) preference for a whole bunch component has in this Marlborough wine negated the benefits of fruit from (I assume) older higher-clay terrace sites. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 02/10

2007 Babich Cabernet / Merlot / Franc Irongate 17 + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $35 [ supercritical cork; www.babichwines.co.nz ]
Ruby, some velvet. Bouquet is lifted by a little VA, to reveal good red berry all married up into generalised berryfruit rather than any clear varietal analogies. In mouth the fruit quality is robustly plummy, not too oaky, making a big fresh cabernet / merlot which is obvious rather than refined, all slightly acid. Cellar 3 – 12 years. GK 06/10

2010 Morton Estate Chardonnay Black Label 17 + (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $37 [ screwcap; website not up to date; www.mortonestatewines.co.nz ]
Advanced straw, fractionally older than the 2009. Initially opened, the wine is little scented and strange, so it is best decanted. It clears to ripe mealy rich chardonnay, a big wine, forward for its age but attractive, not too oaky. Palate is tighter and more serious than the two junior wines, with oatmeal and golden queen peach fruit, good richness, the spirit well wrapped up in the fruit, just running out of fruit a little to the tail. That should not be a worry with food, and this wine cries out for food, rather than being a scholarly tasting wine. Again, developing rapidly, enjoy now, rather than cellar. GK 04/13

2011 Black Estate Riesling 17 + (

)

Waipara Valley, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 11%; $22 [ screwcap; hand-harvested; wild-yeast fermentation, all s/s; RS 16.4 g/L; www.blackestate.co.nz ]
Lemonstraw, quite forward. Bouquet is interesting in this set, the florals quite yellow in an almost hoppy riesling context, plus juicy stonefruit including grapefruit and pale apricot. Palate is rich, soft and flavoursome, slightly extractive with clear riesling terpenes in the stonefruit, quite a big wine more in the Pegasus Bay style, rather than Germanic. Finish on the nicely-judged residual at a medium dry point is long and highly varietal, flattening slightly later on the phenolics and perhaps lowish in acid. Cellar 2 – 6 years, maybe longer. GK 05/13

2002 Matariki Syrah 17 + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $30 [ cork; hand-picked; de-stemmed; a small % BF; 15 months in French & US oak 50% new; www.matarikiwines.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet. Bouquet is more complex than some, partly due to mellowing influence of another couple of years in bottle, partly due to a touch of brett. Palate shows fair fruit and oak melded into a plummy whole, very dry to the finish with a little more oak showing now, but good food wine. Cellar 3 – 6 years. GK 01/07

2008 Escarpment Pinot Noir Kupe 17 + (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 12.5%; $ – [ supercritical 'cork'; see 2011 Kupe; www.escarpment.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, the third to lightest, some age showing. Initially opened, bottle stink is the only word for it. The wine needs a good splashy decanting into a wide decanter or jug. With air it clears to a browning red fruits pinot noir, with rather much decay / forest floor character for its relative youth. Palate too is more mature than I would hope, browning red cherry pinot, not exactly singing, but quite rich. Will cellar another 5 years, but decant it. GK 04/13

2011 Mudbrick Syrah Shepherd's Point 17 + (

)

Western Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13%; $45 [ screwcap; Sy 100%; cultured yeast; c.10 months in French oak, none new; www.mudbrick.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, deeper than most of the 2011s. There is an abrupt change of gear here, from the perfection of berry ripeness in the 2010s to a somewhat lighter more fragrant but less substantial style in the 2011s. It is exactly the difference between good (but not great) Crozes-Hermitage, and good Hermitage proper. Bouquet contains fragrant red fruits nearly as deep as cassis, with floral qualities which are lighter than wallflower. There is a hint of the magical bush-honey quality Rhone syrah sometimes achieves, a big plus. In mouth there is fresh almost loganberry fruit, hints of white and black pepper, pleasant weight, and only a little oak. It is much less serious syrah, but attractive in its style. A good result for a lesser season, to cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 10/12

2004 Lake Hayes Pinot Noir 17 + (

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Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $30 [ supercritical cork; hand-picked; s/s ferment, part oak-matured, part s/s; www.amisfield.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is very floral, in the lilac and buddleia style, on attractive red fruits. Palate is pure red cherries, subtly oaked, beautifully balanced. This is a second wine to Amisfield, and though much less serious and lighter, it is by no means lacking fruit, substance, and character, and it is more floral. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 11/05

2004 Manara Rock Shiraz 17 + (

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Barossa Valley, Australia: 14%; $14 [ screwcap, bottled in NZ by Villa Maria group; not on website ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. This wine has a delightful fresh highly varietal shiraz bouquet, showing good ripeness not overdone, and lovely aromatics not drowned in oak. It hints at floral and peppercorn in complexity, but is more rasp / boysenberry. Palate is remarkably rich and concentrated for a wine at this pricepoint, immaculately clean, surprisingly dry but perhaps not bone dry – hard to tell at this fruit level. In fact, this is a great taste of shiraz Aussie style, not mucked up with oak. Like the cabernet, perhaps it only met some chips, in a mainly stainless steel evolution. If so, it was very well done. This will cellar 5 – 10 years, and will probably surprise at the end of that time. If Villa Maria can keep up this fruit quality in bulk shirazes from Australia, they have a winner. 2004 was a good vintage, however, so that could be difficult. VALUE GK 03/06

2001 Trinity Hill Cabernet / Merlot Gimblett Road 17 + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $26 [ cork; CS 66%, Me 21, CF 13; hand-picked, cuvaison > 3 weeks; c. 20 months in mostly French oak 30% new; www.trinityhill.com ]
Ruby, some age showing. Bouquet is uncanny, close to Bordeaux in an oaky way, with fine cassis / cedar / tobacco / plummy complexity. Palate initially continues the magic of bouquet, but as it rests in the mouth it becomes just a little harder, stalkier and more acid than classed Bordeaux, and the oak exacerbates that. But stylistically this Hawkes Bay blend is another great achievement for Trinity Hill, which with fine tuning and a somewhat riper year, will be delightfully confuseable with Bordeaux. Cellar 5 –15 years. GK 03/06

2006 Mills Reef Merlot Elspeth 17 + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $37 [ cork; hand-picked; 5 days cold soak followed by conventional open-top fermentation and 4 weeks cuvaison; 16 months in French oak 52% new; www.millsreef.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, fresher than the matching Cabernet. Bouquet is lesser, however, with less-focussed berry characters and suggestions of VA plaining it down. Palate is better, plummy fruits, reasonable ripeness and balance, the oak a bit heavy for the weight of fruit. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 11/08

2006 Mt Difficulty Riesling Long Gully Single Vineyard 17 + (

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Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 10.5%; $34 [ screwcap; vines planted 1992; long hang-time, riper flavours sought, harvest 11 May, virtually no botrytis; stop-fermented @ 90 g/L; pH @ 3.17; 60 cases; www.mtdifficulty.co.nz ]
Older lemon. Bouquet is straightforward riesling, some citrus fruits, no botrytis, a suggestion of floral nectar only. Palate has an astonishing flavour of Lisbon lemons, much more complexity, some botrytis and a hint of lanolin, the flavour long extended on the higher residual. Strange wine, not quite as symmetrical and enchanting as one would hope, but clearly varietal. Cellar 5 – 8 years, perhaps. GK 06/11

2007 Villa Maria Syrah Reserve 17 + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $60 [ screwcap; Sy 100% hand-harvested @ around 3.5 t/ac, all de-stemmed; MLF and 20 months in French oak 56% new; minimal fining and filtration; RS nil; Catalogue: … dark, broody notes of pepper and liquorice, with hints of violets and small red berries. The palate shows refined extract and complex textures with a robe of powdery tannins encasing concentrated varietal Syrah characters. A serious New Zealand Syrah, this wine will reward maturation in the bottle. Anticipated maturity 2014-2017; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, dense. After the marvellous 2006 Reserve Syrah wine, the 2007 is to first sight something of a let-down. Bouquet is nearly mute as if threshold reduction, there is some hessian French oak, and there is some cassis when one looks closely. Palate is rich but oaky, some pepper and plum, and very dry indeed. My notes included the word ‘sulky’. Need to look at this in a couple of years, for its not singing right now. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 07/09

1982 St Helena Pinot Noir 17 + (

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Mainly Kaituna Valley, Banks Peninsula, Canterbury, New Zealand: – %; $ – [ 46mm cork; the greater part of the fruit for this wine was grown by Graeme Steans, then working in the Wine Science Group at Lincoln University, and living in the Kaituna Valley. The vineyard was a mix of clones, about half of them being 10/5 and 2/10. Spacing was 2.4m between rows, and 1.2m between vines, cane-pruned to 10 – 12 buds; the wine was made by Danny Schuster, then winemaker at St Helena, located on soils much less suitable for pinot noir at Coutts Island, just north of the city. This was the first crop from the Kaituna Valley vineyard, the cropping rate being c. 2.5 t/ha (1 t/ac). It was a vigorous wine in its youth, some new oak, and the first wine (in post-Prohibition New Zealand) of clear pinot noir quality by international standards. It is often cited as the first gold medal pinot noir, but that accolade in fact went to a much less suitable 1981 Babich Pinot Noir made mostly from clone Bachtobel – which was in fact a lesser wine to the 1976 Nobilo from Huapai; St Helena not now in production; in subsequent years the Kaituna Valley fruit was diluted by the increasing volumes of less-worthy pinot noir grown on the St Helena home vineyard. ]
Rosy garnet, right in the middle for depth. Bouquet is strong, with a clear whole-bunch component, plenty of berry fruit in a robust way including something a bit more obvious than cherry, more browning blackboy peach perhaps plus a hint of feijoa, and a convincingly burgundian and surprisingly fresh undertone. In mouth the richness of the wine 32 years later is staggering, since 'everybody knows' that New Zealand pinot noir doesn't keep. This wine merely proves what long-sighted commentators in the 1980s observed, that when New Zealand winemakers start to cultivate their grapes at internationally-accepted cropping rates, as this wine was, then the wines will cellar perfectly well. Needless to say such observations were not acceptable to the mostly-blinkered winemakers of the day. Closer tasting of this still-surprisingly-rich wine reveals both a leafy under-thread, not unpleasant, and an apparent trace of sweetness, like the Neudorf, but all still convincingly varietal. The nett achievements of the wine, against the norms of early 1980s New Zealand reds in general (1982 and 1983 Te Mata excepted), and pinot noir in particular, remain an absolute eye-opener. It stands as a credit to Danny Schuster as winemaker, and Graeme Steans as grapegrower. No hurry to finish. Top wine of the tasting for two. GK 10/14

2003 Fevre Chablis Champs Royaux 17 + (

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Chablis, France: 12.5%; $43 [ cork ]
Deeper lemon, the darkest of the nine Fevres. Initially a suggestion of S02 (which doesn't correlate with the colour), clearing to straight ripe chardonnay. In mouth a little more complexity emerges, a suggestion of flintiness despite the ripeness, a trace of oak, an attractive accessible wine which in one sense is more attractive than the grands crus, because it is more obvious. Cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 02/05

2007 Two Rivers Pinot Gris Wairau Selection 17 + (

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Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $27 [ screwcap; website not established yet; www.tworiversmarlborough.co.nz ]
Palest lemon. Bouquet is understated, the main character being white pearflesh in the straightforward New Zealand pinot gris style, not initially attracting notice. The wine improves markedly in the mouth, the pearflesh having some body, with clear firmness from varietal tannins, and a long-lasting but light flavour, slightly acid, but quite rich to the finish. Cellar 3 – 6 years. GK 03/08

2004 Astrolabe Pinot Noir 17 + (

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Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $26 [ screwcap; 5 days cold soak; wild yeast; French oak 40% new ]
Pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is very fragrant, both on varietal florals like the Koura Bay, but also on new oak which is to the fore at the moment. Palate has red cherry and blackboy peach fruit of good weight, in a similar style to the Koura Bay, but seemingly richer and certainly more oaky. It has the concentration to mellow out attractively, and cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 10/05

2010 Martinborough Vineyard Pinot Noir 17 + (

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Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $66 [ screwcap; oldest vines 30 years; some whole bunch, wild yeast fermentation; usually around 20 days cuvaison; 12 months in French oak around 30% new; not fined or filtered; www.martinborough-vineyard.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, right in the middle. Bouquet displays to perfection the buddleia / lilac end of the floral spectrum in pinot noir, on red cherry fruit. It is slightly sweeter and riper in its varietal expression than the Ata Rangi. Palate contrasts with the Ata Rangi however in likewise being riper, but also noticeably less concentrated. I fear the richest / lowest cropping rate fruit has been put aside for Marie Zelie here, and the main commercial label has suffered a little. There is a suggestion of leaf in the later palate, so maybe 2010 in the Martinborough district is a little cooler in its fruit expression than 2009. Cellar 3 – 8 years for a good representative Martinborough pinot noir. GK 11/12

2008 Astrolabe Pinot Gris Awatere Discovery 17 + (

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Wairau & Awatere Valleys, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14.5%; $23 [ screwcap; PG 100%, hand-harvested, whole-bunch pressed, and cool-fermented with solids all in s/s, no oak or MLF influence, and thus contrasting with the 2007 Voyage version; RS 5.5 g/L; www.astrolabewines.co.nz ]
Lemongreen, paler than the Voyage wine. And right through the bouquet and palate, the notion 'paler' seems to apply relative to the basic Marlborough wine. It's almost as if this Awatere wine is a little cooler, good richness but understated flavour, perhaps a little drier. I'd like to cellar both these wines for six years, and open one each a year. The differences in their cepage and elevage imply they will have a lot to say about pinot gris in New Zealand. Real study wines to cellar for 4 – 7 years. GK 04/09

2008 Quartz Reef Pinot Noir 17 + (

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Bendigo, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14.5%; $39 [ screwcap; 16% whole bunch, c.11 months in French oak, 33% new, balance 1 & 2-year; www.quartzreef.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, well above midway. Bouquet is deep and darkly floral, on dense fruit grading from black cherry to plum, all a bit solid. Palate is rich and dry, dark fruits, a touch of nutmeg from the oak, all tending foursquare at the moment. Could well score more highly once it has lost some tannin. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 02/10

2001 Esk Valley Merlot / Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 17 + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $ – [ screwcap; Me 80%, CS 20; open-top fermenters, MLF in barrel, 16 months in French oak; www.eskvalley.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet. Bouquet is a much more evolved and leathery affair than the 2002 or 2000, with a light brett component adding savoury complexity to the cassis and plum. Palate is leaner than them too, with a firmer stalky and slightly acid thread through oaky fruit which is still reasonably rich. Total flavour is mature for its years, relative to the 2002, but will cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 08/05

1994 Ch de Beaucastel 17 + (

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Southern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $138 [ cork, 50mm, ullage 18mm; original price $57; cepage varies a little each year around Gr 30%, Mv 30, Sy 10, Co 10, Ci 5, other authorised red varieties 8, and white varieties 7; more detail in the introductory sections; before 1995 we need to revert to Broadbent, 2003, for a vintage rating: a promising year initially, then rains in September. Some surprises from those who picked early, * ➞ **; Parker vintage chart rating: 86; Francois Perrin, 1996: It was a rainy, not especially hot year, similar to 1996; J.L-L, 2011: ... elegant red fruit jam aroma, with a nutty, slightly yeasty backdrop ... It gains weight as it breathes, and that brings in prune and rich blackberry jam into play ... Strictly speaking, I find a bit of Brett in this, but that doesn’t put me off, ***(*); RP@RP, 2003: The 1994 seems less successful than my early tastings indicated. The high percentage of Mourvedre (40% versus the normal 30%) has given it an earthy, leathery character with hints of mushrooms and tree bark. Although dense and chewy, it remains tannic and firm. It will keep for two decades, but it is not a hedonistic example, 2003 – 2023, 90; Wine Spectator, 1997: A nice mix of red fruit, herb and sweetly earthy flavors give appealing complexity, while soft tannins make it accessible now. The long finish promises improvement with age. Best after 2000, 87; weight bottle and closure: 648 g; www.beaucastel.com ]
Garnet and ruby, surprisingly looking older than the 1985, in the lightest three. This was the first of the (original tasting) line-up to show some recognisable brett character, but all in the benign nutmeg / savoury beef casserole phase. Grenache is dominant, red fruits browning now, quite a big and attractively winey bouquet, hints of garrigue. Flavour is different from the others, the only wine to have noticeable acid from a somewhat cooler year, and the tannins from both mourvedre and cooperage are therefore relatively a little more noticeable – due to the synergy between acid and tannin. Otherwise the balance is reasonably good, and the wine is certainly food-friendly. Tasters were less tolerant of this wine than I was, the only one of the 12 to record no first- or second-favourite places, and four least places. Eleven of the group noticed brett, and two thought it excessive. Best to say the wine is fully mature, and ageing more rapidly than most: there is not much likelihood of fruit sweetness here, as the tannins condense. Drink in the next 5 – 8 years. GK 05/21

2002 Bilancia Syrah la Collina 17 + (

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Roy’s Hill, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $ – [ cork; Roy's Hill adjoins the western sector of the Gimblett
Gravels, but is not part of them; earlier reviews on this website; www.bilancia.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, older than some, in the middle for depth. Un-aired, this was an awkward wine in the tasting, showing both some stalky notes, and some nearly baked and tending dull ones, as if it were a hot-climate wine picked early. Palate continued this theme, with suggestions of raspberry and of prunes, a hint of stalks, and oak which had some Chilean dull qualities. With air, like several others, it expanded considerably, the tannins softening and the ripeness and richness improving, to reflect the more mellow fruit qualities now shown in the score. The identity came as a surprise. In the older flight, it was rated second equal by the group as a whole. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 04/07

2006 Kingsmill Pinot Noir Tippet's Dam 17 + (

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Bannockburn district, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $42 [ screwcap; 10/5 and 5 other clones, hand-picked; 5 days cold soak, 14 days cuvaison; c. 10 months in French oak 35% new; RS < 1 g/L; www.kingsmillwines.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is little different in the set of wines, showing some of the florals and red fruits of pinot noir, but also a tending euro-style component reflecting a little oxidation and brett, drabbing the wine down. Palate is quite rich, well balanced to oak, some black fruits now, not acid or lean, but it is let down a little by the 'complexity' factors. Possibly not bone dry. [[ 3 April 2008: Matt Connell, winemaker, advises me I have misjudged this wine. Brett was checked, nil. RS is < 1 g/L, so I clearly misinterpreted fruit richness for trace residual. Checking my tasting notes, I have to wonder if this particular bottle could have been less than perfectly sealed, mechanically, since I mention oxidation. Even under screwcap, there are occasional impaired bottles. As soon as I see the wine again, in a blind tasting, I will do another review. ]] Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 03/08

2010 Volcanic Hills Pinot Gris 17 + (

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Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.8%; $20 [ screwcap; no winemaking info, Volcanic Hills is a marketing concept, no geographic relevance to vineyards; 7.8 g/L RS; www.volcanichills.co.nz ]
Slightly flushed light straw. An intriguing bouquet, a slight exotic note on stonefruit and light cinnamon, like a paler version of the Ohau Gravels wine. Palate is pure stone fruit, gentle phenolics attractively done, clearly varietal. Wines like this are such an advance on the New Zealand pinot gris of yesteryear, which did not respect the concept of 'pinot' at all. Finish is 'dry', an attractively serious presentation of the variety. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 08/11

2011 Te Awanga Estate Merlot 17 + (

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Te Awanga, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $34 [ screwcap; Me 100% from vines 10 – 15 years old; hottish fermentation and nearly four weeks cuvaison; 18 months in French oak, some new; www.rmwines.co.nz ]
Ruby, much lighter than the other wines in the non-pinot / non-syrah batch. Bouquet immediately shows how closely merlot can resemble syrah in varietal character, there being a soft nearly violets vanilla florality on this wine which is highly varietal, and not so far from syrah wallflower. Palate is a good deal richer than the colour predicts, and shows fragrant soft plummy flesh in gently aromatic oak. There are pleasant reminders of a modern St Emilion grand cru classé wine styling here, except possibly it is not bone dry. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 03/13

2000 Clos Sainte Anne 17 + (

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Entre Deux Mers, Premieres Cotes de Bordeaux, France: 12.5%; $30 [ cork; Me 80%, CS 20; owned Francis Courselle, ex Prof. Oenology @ Bordeaux Uni. ]
Ruby and velvet, about halfway in the depth of colour for the set. Bouquet is beautifully poised modern / compromise bordeaux, hints of violets florals on dark plummy fruit, all beautifully ripe and fragrant. Palate is silky and light, maybe not as rich as the bouquet promises, but beautifully balanced, with the oak showing cedary potential – classic young Medoc. Initial impressions are this wine is the most elegant of the lot, but it is lighter and finishes a little acid. Hence two more robust wines have moved ahead of it. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 04/06

2000 Josmeyer Pinot Gris Brand 17 + (

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Alsace Grand Cru, France: 13.5%; $76 [ cork; website more PR than detail; www.josmeyer.com ]
Lemonstraw, a better colour. Bouquet on this wine is a little off-centre, showing some stonefruit, some botrytis and a suggestion of lanolin, presumably oak-related. Palate is quite phenolic, masked by a similar sweetness to the Gisselbrecht. There is a slight clumsiness here, but plenty of fruit and flavour, so the score is generous. Cellar a couple of years only, with those phenolics. GK 04/08

2004 Te Motu [ Cabernets / Merlot ] 17 + (

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Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13%; $80 [ cork; CS c.60%, Me c.25%, balance CF, Sy & Ma, hand-picked @ c 1 t/ac; c.11 days cuvaison, inoculated; MLF and c.30 months in French c.70%, Hungarian c.20% and balance American oak, c.30% new; c.500 cases; www.temotu.co.nz ]
Older ruby, richer than the 2006 Te Motu or the 2004 Miro. As discussed for the 2006, these Te Motu wines stand apart. With their relatively longer exposure to good oak, though they appear old for their age, the browning cassis conceals a good weight of fruit by average Bordeaux standards. Smells and flavours here include a lot of dark tobacco in addition to cassis and red plums, and cedary oak. Fruit length on palate is good, though acid is a little higher than the 2006, and appreciably higher than the 2002. Cellar 3 – 7 years. GK 06/10

1999 R. Rostaing Cote-Rotie Cote Blonde 17 + (

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Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $829 [ Cork, 49mm, ullage 11mm; release price c.$115; Sy 95 – 97%, Vi 3 - 5; hand-harvested, oldest vines 1934, cropping rate never exceeds 5 t/ha (2 t/ac); 24 – 26 days cuvaison, 50% or more whole-bunch; 24 months in French oak, 10% new; ST@Vinous, 2002: Saturated deep ruby. Cassis, leather and game on the roasted nose. A powerful wine with terrific thrust; sweet but tight, with somewhat grapey black fruit, floral and leather flavors. Pure, long and subtle on the back, with very even tannins. But conveys more Hermitage power and primary dark fruits than Cote-Rotie verve, 92+; RP@WA, 2002: What can I say about the 1999 Cote Rotie Cote Blonde. This is a dry vintage port-like Cote Rotie. It possesses extraordinary intensity, brilliant harmony, and a staggering bouquet of violets laced with other flowers (paperwhite narcissus come to mind), blackberries, cassis, vanilla, and a touch of honey. The wine is unctuously-textured yet remarkably well-defined, with elegance married to intense concentration as well as an extremely long finish, this is one of the most profound and seductive Cote Roties I have ever tasted. There are 500 cases of this nectar. Anticipated maturity: now-2018, 100; JD@WA, 2015: The star of the show, the 1999 Côte Rôtie Côte Blonde is an incredible Côte Rôtie that possesses the awesome complexity and nuance that this appellation is known for, but also has an incredible, seamless, yet massive feel on the palate that has to be tasted to be believed. Utter perfection, with heavenly notes of cured meats, black raspberry, spring flowers and violets, it’s certainly one of the greatest Côte Rôties I’ve tasted. While it will evolve gracefully for another decade or more, it’s heavenly today, 100; note that the first two of these reviews are before wine-writers learnt about brett (references to leather and cured meat). In New Zealand the wines of the father have always had a hit or miss reputation, as illustrated in today’s wine, due to cellar hygiene; weight bottle and closure: 575 g ; www.domainerostaing.com ]
Ruby, garnet and velvet, the second-deepest wine. Bouquet is big and characterful, both floral and savoury, with a lot of that skin of roast beef and nutmeg character that bespeaks the 4-EG phase of brett. Behind the ‘corruption’ there are dianthus florals and well-browning cassis. Palate is surprisingly rich, with no sign yet of brett-impairment of texture or flavour, instead rich browning cassis / dark plum fruit complexed by savoury qualities. This would be a wonderful food wine, but since there was a good ratio of winemakers in the tasting group, tasters were circumspect in their comments. In richness the Rostaing stood up to the Guigal grands crus admirably. At the voting stage, no favourite votes, but 11 for least-liked wine. In a sense, that indicates the quality of the rest of the wines. Scoring has to be arbitrary: views on brett being so polarised, some would think this wine verging on undrinkable, whereas for others it is divine. Caution advised for extended cellaring: at this level of brett, once the wine runs out of fruit, which can happen quite quickly, untoward flavours may develop. GK 10/20

2009 Pisa Range Estate Pinot Noir Black Poplar 17 + (

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Pisa, Cromwell Basin, Central Otago, New Zealand: – %; $48 [ screwcap; oldest vines 15 years; all hand-harvested @ c.2t/ac; all de-stemmed; c.12 months in French oak, 33% new; release date 2012; www.pisarangeestate.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby. This wine demands a splashy decanting, due to light / simple reduction. Once well aired, it remains a bit plummy and brooding, lacking the freshness of the cherry descriptor, no florals. Palate is the best part of the wine, still some hardness from the reduction, but rich black cherry fruit much more apparent now, in a tending-oaky format. This needs five years to open up, which I think it will even under screwcap, and it should cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 09/10

2008 Mount Edward Riesling 17 + (

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Lowburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 12%; $25 [ screwcap; hand-picked @ c.3.2 t/ac; cool-fermented in s/s with some wild yeasts, fined and filtered; RS 19 g/L; www.mountedward.co.nz ]
Lemon-green. Bouquet is youthful and appley, a classic apple such as sturmer rather than the fruity / estery modern ones, yet with firming hoppy resins too. Palate is aromatic, rich fruit, medium-dry, tending phenolic on the hoppy notes, long flavoured. This should cellar well in a flavoursome almost Clare Valley style, sweetness aside. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 09/10

2006 Yalumba Viognier Eden Valley 17 + (

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Eden Valley, South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $19 [ screwcap; hand-picked Montpellier clone up to 25 years' age @ c. 2.5 t/ac; whole-bunch pressed; 100% wild-yeast ferment, 60% BF, sometimes trace MLF but none desired; 9 months lees autolysis and batonnage 3-weekly in French oak 4% new, 9 months total in oak; 40% s/s; RS 2 g/L, pH 3.4; Virgilius is a barrel selection from within the barrel-fermented component of this Eden Valley label; www.yalumba.com ]
Lemon, fractionally deeper than Yalumba Y. Bouquet is immediately more clearcut varietal fruit than Y, a suggestion of yellow honeysuckle and wild-ginger blossom on pale canned apricots, but it is noticeably spirity. On palate the spirit lets the wine down. The Eden Valley label is usually the textbook South Australian viognier, but not this year. Varietal character is reasonably clear, the oak is subtle, but it is all too raucous on the alcohol, and thus short and hard. Cellar a year or two. GK 05/07

2009 Guigal Cotes du Rhone 17 + (

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Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $25 [ cork, 46mm; New Zealand purchase price c.$21; Sy 45%, Gr 52, Mv 3; production c.291,600 x 9-litre cases; details in Introductory sections; J.L-L, 2011: ... expressive, exuberant, immediate impact nose that mixes up black olives, running black fruit berries, is abundant, spiced and fresh. The palate comes in the same vein – lots of juicy, generous flavour, includes tar and licorice, is agile, which I find helpful thanks to the Mourvèdre. Fun drinking, has pace, rocks on, is long. Can extend and open further. Lively wine that can live, is a real rocker. “It is very marked Syrah; there is unusual youth here for our style – give it six months. It is a bit like 2005, but is more generous,” Philippe Guigal. 2023-24, ***(*); RP@RP, 2011: ... it comes primarily from the Plan de Dieu (Plain of God), which is situated northeast of Chateauneuf du Pape. This tank-aged, deep ruby/purple-colored, concentrated, fleshy, medium to full-bodied, supple offering reveals plenty of pepper, kirsch and black currant fruit intermixed with a notion of flowers. It is meant to be consumed during its first 2-3 years of life although I have tasted 10-year-old bottles that are still holding together, 89; weight bottle and closure: 578 g; www.guigal.com ]
Ruby and velvet, the deepest / richest wine. Bouquet is ripe to very ripe, but beautifully clean, berry dominant over oak. Dark fruits dominate, with very ripe syrah showing some Australian / boysenberry notes as well as dark plum and blueberry. Palate is supple and rich, shaping oak a little more noticeable than on bouquet, the acid balance fresher than expected, as if maybe a little tartaric added. This is a big ripe wine which will please many, particularly those from warmer climates, but it lacks the poise and complex aromatics to be a great Cotes du Rhone. Three people rated it their top wine, and two their second-favourite. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 03/21

2003 Nautilus Pinot Noir Marlborough 17 + (

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Marlborough, New Zealand: 14.5%; $36 [ cork; cropped at 2.5 t/acre; hand-harvested, 6-8 day cold-soak, c.10 months in French oak some new; www.nautilusestate.com ]
Pinot noir ruby. This is a lighter and prettier pinot style altogether, with rose and almost sweet-pea florals on red cherry fruit. Like the ’03 Cloudy Bay, the palate has lovely maraschino cherry flavours, giving the wine a delightful southern Burgundy quality, which will be a pleasure to drink. Cellar 5 - 8 years. GK 05/05

2005 Te Mata Cabernets / Merlot Awatea 17 + (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $34 [ cork; Me 43%, CS 35%, CF 18, PV 4; 20 months in French oak probably around 45% new; www.temata.co.nz ]
Ruby, a little carmine and velvet, similar to the Floridene. The first thing to say is, this was run blind with the 17 Bordeaux cru bourgeois and similar, and it was astonishing the degree to which it disappeared into the group. Only 7 of 24 tasters exactly identified its origins. It shows good red fruit more than black, a suggestion of herbes and tobacco, and more new oak than most (or is ideal). Palate is on the acid side, which coupled with the oak, in hindsight might have given the game away, but total flavour, weight and mouthfeel are unbelievably in class. This is the second wine of Te Mata, and at $34 was the perfect and obvious foil for the tasting. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 04/08

1996 Clearview Estate Chardonnay Reserve 17 + (

)

Te Awanga, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.3%; $ – [ cork; simpler variations on 2004 practice, qv; www.clearviewestate.co.nz ]
Colour is gold, with a flush of orange, quite deep. At this point, the wines are clearly past their peak, with the biscuitty qualities of incipient or actual oxidation detectable, as well as all the fruit and fermentation characters described in the younger wines. The combination can be very pleasant, as in this wine which is saved by wonderfully rich fruit, still fleshy and succulent. These older wines accompany many foods well, such as pastry-related white meat dishes and similar. It is richer than the 1995, and fractionally more oaky, but like it, would be best drunk in the next year or two. GK 11/05

2004 Vidal Syrah 17 + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $25 [ screwcap; hand-harvested, 100% de-stemmed, 75% whole-berry fermentation, MLF and 14 months in French oak; www.vidal.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet. A straightforward berry and oak bouquet, showing cassis and plums and oak, all faintly lactic / buttery and oaky. Palate is more flavoursome, with good cassisy berry spiced with black pepper, good ripeness, all softened on oak to the maximum, sound wine. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 11/05

1971 Penfolds Cabernet / Shiraz Bin 389 17 + (

)

South Australia, Australia: – %; $1,190 [ Cork 46mm, ullage 36mm; original price c.$3.25; Penfolds Bin 389 occupies a unique place in the Penfolds hierarchy of red wines. It used to be the most famous of the affordable Bins, before the plethora of Bins now, largely because some of it was matured in the barrels used for the previous year’s Grange. All the oak is American, and 20 – 30% is new. It was first made in 1960, cabernet sauvignon is usually 50% or a little more, and it is regarded as eminently cellar-worthy. 1971 was a well-regarded vintage in South Australia. In those days, again before the many Bins, fruit from some of Penfolds famous Adelaide and Barossa designated vineyards was used in Bin 389. Evans, 1978 described the wine thus: Both the ‘71 and ‘72 vintages were a return to the old standard, magnificent wines with all the Bin 389 characteristics of rich fruit and oak. The ‘71 wine had magnificent fruit character. The Rewards of Patience team in 1999 described the 1971 wine as: Very complex wine with fig/chocolate/coffee-like aromas and earthy licorice-like characters. Deeply concentrated, fruit-sweet palate with meaty chocolate/ licorice flavours and silky, persistent tannins. It was a preferred vintage, but one must comment, only hot-climate tasters could think descriptors such as those used are positive for red wine; Halliday in his Classic Wines uses similar words, commenting also: This has always been a classic wine … persistent ripe tannins on the finish. A great bottle of a great wine, *****; wonderfully, Penfolds website does still give (skimpy) details for this vintage; weight bottle and closure: 586 g; www.penfolds.com ]
Medium ruby and garnet, the third to lightest. This wine did not quite gel for me, either at the tasting, or afterwards. There are better bottles … having started with a case (of 12). This bottle showed a complex interaction of fresher and newer oak than the two Tahbilks, yet on bouquet older and drier berry and fruit characters, with a faint suggestion of leathery / brett complexity, and trace VA. Palate marries these attributes up well, still surprisingly good fruit, all a bit leathery, but much better mouthfeel than the Giaconda. Tasters seemed to take the view that at 50 years of age, red wine is allowed to be less than perfect. Thus three people rated it the top wine of the evening, and three their second-favourite. Two had it as their least wine. There was certainly more ‘complexity’ than the two Tahbilks, which were a little one-dimensional in comparison, though purer. Again 46 mm corks, and they are failing, so best not cellar it much longer. GK 04/21

2006 Northburn Station Pinot Noir 17 + (

)

Northburn, Cromwell Basin, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $46 [ screwcap; made by Michelle Richardson; www.northburn.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, a little age showing. Bouquet is distinctive among the wines, almost a thought of oxidation, but perhaps better interpreted as maturing raspberry, giving a grenache-like undertone (+ve). Palate is a little more oak-affected than the bouquet suggested, the wine starting to dry on the oak, but still quite rich in red fruits. Cellar 1 – 3 years. GK 09/10

2008 Triplebank Pinot Gris 17 + (

)

Awatere Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $24 [ screwcap, s/s wine, cultured yeast; 2 months LA; RS 8.5 g/L; http://www.pernod-ricard-nz.com//tastingnotes.php? ]
Light straw, a faint flush. Bouquet is understated, but on close examination shows pearflesh, palest stonefruits and a hint of cinnamon. Palate is more clearly pinot gris, the same flavours, no oak but some varietal phenolics giving backbone, on a mild nearly riesling-‘dry' finish. Good mainstream pinot gris, to cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 05/09

2002 Ngaruroro Syrah Rockhill 17 + (

)

Southwest Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $30 [ cork; price uncertain ]
Ruby, a little velvet, with the Varonniers the lightest so far. Bouquet is fragrant, tending to the style of the Woodthorpe: some florals, some black peppercorns, good cassis and red fruits. Palate is similar too, and subtly oaked, with fragrant fruit, elegant acid balance, and just a hint of leafiness and brett. Good drinking already, or cellar 3 - 8 years. GK 06/05

2004 Fairhall Downs Estate Pinot Noir 17 + (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $30 [ screwcap; hand-harvested; 9 months in French oak 45% new; www.fairhalldowns.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. Initially poured, there is a whisker of reductiveness on this wine. It quickly clears, and all that is needed is decanting. Fruit is more in the red cherry and blackboy spectrum, with good concentration and length of palate. Should cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 11/05

2007 Wild Rock Pinot Noir Cupid's Arrow 17 + (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $25 [ screwcap; nil whole bunch; part of the wine 12 months in French oak, 15% new; wildrockwine.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, above midway in richness. Bouquet is a little different from most of these pinots, almost a hint of malt whisky in a positive way, as if all the cooperage were older. The wine is darkly fragrant, and quite sweet to smell. Palate also suggests it is more old oak-affected, mellow, a little burly, not the delicacy of some, more big bourgogne rouge in style, very food-friendly. Twee name. Cellar 3 – 6 years or so. GK 02/10

2011 Ohau Gravels Pinot Gris 17 + (

)

Ohau district, Manawatu, New Zealand: 13.5%; $22 [ screwcap; hand-harvested, mostly s/s cool ferment, small percentage BF; some stirring on gross lees over four months to build palate, 12 g/L RS; www.ohaugravels.co.nz ]
Faintly flushed straw, remarkably close to the 2010 Mt Difficulty Pinot Gris. Bouquet is too youthful, it should it should not have been released so early with amyl acetate-like esters still to marry away. But below that it is clean and pure, not quite the lees work of the Mt Difficulty to complex it, but the same peach and nectarine flesh. Palate continues that theme, a touch of cinnamon phenolics nicely covered by the residual, good length, not as rich as the Mt Difficulty and a little less grippy. This is serious varietal pinot gris to cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 08/11

2007 Felton Road Pinot Noir Block 3 17 + (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $ – [ screwcap; average vine age 7.5 years; a complex season, cool in spring, poor fruit set, crop 25% down; later summer and autumn ideal ripening conditions for the reduced crop, initially thought to be wines of unmatched concentration and complexity without losing any purity or finesse. Recent evaluations suggest possibly some over-ripeness in some labels; www.feltonroad.com ]
Classic pinot noir ruby, some age showing, well under midway in depth. This wine smells 'dry', fragrant, clearly varietal, but even on bouquet you wonder about the tannins. In mouth one's fears are confirmed, the wine showing too much oak for the fruit, which coupled with some imperfectly ripe fruit tannins makes the wine harder / more tannic than one ideally wants pinot noir to be. Those liking oak marked this wine up, here as elsewhere through the whole tasting the pattern of preferences confirming how individual wine appreciation is. This 2007 is still clearly varietal and will give much pleasure with food. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 08/14

2007 Allan Scott Pinot Noir The Hounds 17 + (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $27 [ screwcap; nil whole bunch; 12 months in French oak, 50% new, but all in puncheons (500-litre); RS 2.6 g/L; www.allanscott.com ]
Pinot noir ruby, not too different from the Wild Rock. Bouquet is very different however, tangy and exciting with clear boronia floral highlights and a whisper of brett on darker cherry fruit. Palate is firm and dry notwithstanding the touch of RS, quite aromatic as if there were some stray berries of syrah, all raising the thought of Cote Rotie, rather than Burgundy, but attractive nonetheless. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 02/10

nv Lanson Black Label Brut 17 + (

)

Reims, Champagne, France: 12.5%; $62 [ cork; PN 50, Ch 35; PM 15; 500 000 cases; no MLF; www.lansonpf.com ]
Lemonstraw. This one smells and tastes a little different, with a freshly stewed-apple quality on the fruit, reminding slightly of Mosel riesling. The autolysis is blurred into the fruit here, more bread crumb than crust, and total acid is higher than many. These qualities all match up with the wine being revealed as one of the non-MLF ones. Fair to comment that this sample is not quite as rich and autolysed as some batches of Lanson in the last couple of years, and there is a suggestion of dried apples in the apple. GK 11/05

2004 Villa Maria Chardonnay Marlborough Cellar Selection 17 + (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $23 [ screwcap; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Lemon. Initial bouquet is a little tutti-frutti from fermentation esters, but on good yellow peach fruit. Palate is more complex, with some mealy barrel ferment and lees autolysis components on the peachy fruit, slightly buttery (+ve), though oak and alcohol detract a little. Mainstream New Zealand chardonnay, which might score higher in a year’s time. Cellar 5 – 7 years. GK 06/05

2004 Lake Hayes Riesling 17 + (

)

Marlborough & Central Otago, New Zealand: 12%; $20 [ screwcap; www.lakehayes.co.nz ]
Pale lemongreen. Initially opened, there is a youthfully disorganised and perfumed quality to the wine. It settles down nicely in glass into a lightly floral / apple blossom bouquet with a touch of lime firming it up. Palate develops these qualities, the lime becoming skinsy / zesty. Finish is borderline dry, around the 7 g/L mark. Cellar 5 – 10 years, to improve on its already somewhat Mosel-like styling. GK 01/05

2002 Stonecroft Syrah 17 + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $45 [ cork; www.stonecroft.co.nz ]
Good ruby. Bouquet is red berries and fruits, with thoughts of cherries and hence pinot noir arising, but on the edge there is some spice and aniseed  all a little reticent. Palate is more spicy and peppercorn, red fruits and plums of some depth, subtly oaked. The actual fruit weight and style is like the Varonniers, but without the enviable floral complexities of that wine. Like the Te Mata Woodthorpe, this is a subtle, French-leaning syrah style, but it is not as forward as that wine and will be more eloquent in 3 - 5 years. Cellar 5 - 12 years. GK 06/05

2010 Guigal Cotes du Rhone Blanc 17 + (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $26 [ cork; Vi 55%, Ro 20, Ma 10, Cl 10, Bo 5; average vine age 25 years; cropped at c.5 t/ha (2 t/ac); free-run juice, all s/s; 33,000 cases; www.guigal.com ]
Lemonstraw. Bouquet is light, clean, pure and winey, highly vinifera, blind smelling like good marsanne. Palate shows pleasing body, is 'dry', sophisticated, exactly what good New Zealand pinot gris should be like, an ideal mild dry white suited to all sorts of pale foods. The predominance of viognier in the blend is all but invisible now, but it will become more apparent. Unlike the New Zealand viognier in this batch it is properly ripe. Compared with a marsanne-based Rhone dry white, this will not cellar too well beyond 3 – 5 years. GK 08/12

2004 Cayuse Vineyards Syrah Cailloux Vineyard 17 + (

)

Columbia Valley, Washington, U.S.A.: 15.5%; $ – [ cork; US$70; a syrah-predominant organic vineyard, marketing directly to a closed mailing list with a waiting list; no info on the 2004, the 2003 had 4% viognier co-fermented, and was rated 87 by Parker / Rovani 164; www.cayusevineyards.com ]
Ruby, one of the two lightest. Straight out of the bottle, un-decanted, this wine was affected by 'clean' sulphide (as H2S), and scored poorly – say 14 (though some tasters rated it higher). Vigorously aerated, as in pouring it from one jug to another, back and forth, it is much improved. Bouquet then shows an intriguing balsam-like aromatic on fruits more red than black, with raspberry suggestions. On palate it is quite rich, slightly stalky / peppery, aromatic and interesting in a Hawkes Bay syrah way, and not unduly tannic. With better winemaking, it would be pretty interesting, perhaps even in a broadly Cote Rotie style (alcohol aside). Score above is for the well-aired wine. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 04/07

2005 Awaroa Syrah 17 + (

)

Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 15.3%; $45 [ cork; 22 days cuvaison; c. 12 months in 100% new oak, 80% French, 20 American ]
Older ruby, some velvet, older than the 2004. Bouquet is totally Rhone-like, Cornas maybe, with both wallflower and dianthus florals, slightly browning cassis, and some brett. Palate is quite tannic, the fruit not as rich as the '04, with some austerity, but clearly varietal to the dry and oaky finish. Cellar 3 – 6 years. GK 06/08

1999 Delas Cote Rotie Seigneur de Maugiron 17 + (

)

Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $75 [ cork, 45mm; original price c.$75; typically Sy 100%, 70% Cote Brune, 30 Blonde; all de-stemmed; cuvaison to 20 days, then 16 – 18 months in barrel, ratio of new varying over the years, but c. 15% in 1999; not fined, coarse filtering only; Delas now part of the Deutz / Roederer group (since 1996); production c.1,665 x 9-litre cases; J.L-L, no date: cooked garden fruit, truffle aromas, potential; solid wine, more than usual. Latent richness, chewy, masculine. Tannins at end, with raspberry. Powerful, but no excess. 2024-26, *****; RP@RP, 2002: The 1999 Cote Rotie Seigneur de Maugiron is brilliant ... sumptuous aromas of espresso, graphite, violets, and blackberry/cassis fruit. This is underlined by abundant power, good acidity for definition as well as freshness, and a superb, pure finish. This exceptional Cote Rotie requires 4-5 years of cellaring. Anticipated maturity: 2005-2018. Beginning with the 1997 vintage, this firm has made remarkable progress with their Cote Rotie program, 92; weight bottle and closure: 576 g; www.delas.com ]
Ruby and garnet, some velvet, one of the lighter wines but also one of the redder. Bouquet is small-scale, but pure, neat and fresh, nearly floral, red fruits of no clear analogy, delightfully fragrant, subtly oaked. Palate introduces just a hint of white pepper into the red fruits, so a wine not quite as ripe as most, but the weight of berry and ratio of fruit to oak is attractive. Real Cote Rotie, in a petite way. This was another wine to not attract any positive votes, but no least votes either: just an attractive small-scale Northern Rhone at full maturity. It will cellar for several years yet. GK 11/19

2010 Craggy Range Merlot Gimblett Gravels 17 + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $27 [ screwcap; Me 86%, CF 14, 30% hand-harvested @ c. 7.5 t/ha = 3 t/ac; 13 months in French oak 28% new; RS nil; fined and filtered; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby, some velvet, in the lighter third. Bouquet shows great purity and expression / precision of floral and plummy merlot fruit, with light aromatic oak framing the berry. Palate is soft, ripe, and clearly varietal, but not as concentrated as one might hope, or some earlier years of this label were. The total wine style is attractive though, and as with other proprietors, how great it is to finally be seeing some diminution in the ratio of new oak, after so many years of lone voices bewailing the fact we are obsessed with new oak in New Zealand. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 06/12

2004 Capricorn Estates Pinot Noir Strugglers Flat 17 + (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $21 [ screwcap; 6 months in French oak; www.capricornwines.co.nz ]
Pinot ruby. Needs a breath of air, to show a soft and fragrant bouquet. There are red rose florals with a slightly leafy edge, in attractive red and black fruits. Palate is more clearly varietal, excellent red cherries and some blackboy, carefully balanced to subtle oak. This wine is subtler and less obvious than the Villa PB, but on palate it is beautifully varietal, though a little fleshier than the 2003. Surprisingly burgundian (overlooking its premature release less than a year from vintage). One could drink a lot of this. Cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 03/05

2005 Domaine Rapet Pere & Fils Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru 17 + (

)

Pernand-Vergelesses & Aloxe-Corton, Cote de Beaune, France: 13%; $ – [ cork; oldest vines to 50 years; average vine age c.20, grown on steepish calcareous soils; bottle courtesy Andrew Swann; www.domaine-rapet.com ]
Rich straw, a touch of lemon. Bouquet is rich, but in a quite different style from all the Australasian wines. Essentially the oak is older, and there is not the great purity of the new world wines. It is clearly mealy chardonnay, you can see the similarity of elevage to the Elston, but it is all blurred, with marzipan undertones. Palate is rich, mealy and nutty but just a hint of bitterness as in walnuts, and the fruit notes include dried peaches. The lack of new oak is in one sense a delight with food, but for perfection the 'old' oak needs to be fresher than here. The closest comparison in richness is to the 2005 Riflemans, and in flavour to the Escarpment. Corton-Charlemagne is famous for its richness – grand cru chablis on steroids – and tasting the wines side-by-side illuminates just how good Riflemans is in maturity. The Corton is even richer, though, richer than all the New Zealand wines (a lesson there), just not so pure. It makes the Elston seem delicate. Cellar some years more, in its style. GK 03/12

2010 Ata Rangi Pinot Noir 17 + (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.8%; $72 [ screwcap; vines up to 30 years age; all wild yeast ferments, nil whole bunch; up to 4 weeks cuvaison; MLF in barrel; 12 months in French oak c. 25% new; not filtered; not entered in Shows; www.atarangi.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, below midway, faintly deeper than the Neudorf. Though the bouquet is dramatically varietal pinot noir, it opens sub-optimally ripe, showing rather much buddleia floral component with an undertone of leaf / stalk. Palate confirms this impression, a similar quantum of cherry fruit to the Neudorf but all slightly less ripe, total acid fractionally higher and the stalks slightly too prominent. It will cellar well in this fragrant style for 3 – 8 years, but then shorten, I think. Certainly richer than the 2011 Crimson. GK 11/12 GK 11/12

2009 Domaine Albert Boxler Riesling Sommerberg Grand Cru 17 + (

)

Near Colmar, Alsace, France: 13.5%; $87 [ cork; www.alsace-wine.net/p/boxler.shtml ]
Straw, in the middle for depth. The wines come down to earth a bit at this point. This wine smells rich in an ill-defined vinifera way, hints of Jamaican grapefruit and stonefruits, just a touch of marzipan (–ve for me), a reminder of some Clare Valley rieslings. On palate you have to forgive it a lot, the concentration and richness again being unknown by New Zealand standards for riesling, so there is body and food-friendliness quite different from the local produce. It is particularly hard to assess the residual here, with the sweeter nature of riesling flavour compounds, but perhaps 20 – 30 g/L. The length of flavour is fabulous, but the actual flavour quite broad by German or good Waipara standards. Interesting rather than compelling. Cellar 3 – 10 years, maybe longer. GK 04/13

2003 Domaine l'Ameillaud Cotes du Rhone-Villages Cairanne 17 + (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $20 [ Gr 55%, Ca 25, + Mv, Sy and clairette; vats plus oak, a little new ]
Bright ruby, carmine and velvet. Like the Deux Albion, initial impressions of this wine are of fat, juicy, somewhat estery fruit, newly bottled. It settles down in glass to a deeply plummy and lightly spicy southern Rhone, a lovely weight of ripe fruit. But it is just a little too soft, plump and one-dimensional on blackberry for complexity, lacking aromatics or herbes de Provence excitement. There is however subtle oaking just how it should be, seasoning the wine. Not quite as weighty as the Deux Albion, but similar in total achievement, with the same caveats applying. Tasted twice. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 11/04

2010 Y Amirault Bourgueil La Coudraye 17 + (

)

Bourgueil, Loire Valley, France: 12.5%; $30 [ cork; cuvaison in s/s c.4 weeks, held in s/s c.10 months possibly with staves; no barrel elevation in this label; www.yannickamirault.fr ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. Initially opened, the wine is tending reductive, and needs vigorous splashy decanting. It clears to suggestions of violets florality on raspberry and cassis fruit, beautifully berry-rich, not much oak. Palate shows a greater concentration / lower cropping rate than the Pyramid Valley wine, and is therefore much more sustained in mouth. Varietal accuracy is a delight. There may in fact be no oak, or big old oak only. Cellar 3 – 12 years. GK 05/13

1978 Ch d'Angludet 17 + (

)

Margaux, Bordeaux, France: – %; $ – [ cork; CS 55, Me 35, PV 10 (may have differed then); c.10,000 cases; www.chateau-angludet.fr ]
Ruby and garnet, clearly redder than the 1985 Brune & Blonde, attractive and good for age. Bouquet is all one could ask of a cru bourgeois Margaux 35 years old, cassis browning now, dark tobacco, some browning plums too, thoughts of cedar. Palate is fruit-dominant considering its age, elegant oak, at full stretch I would estimate, lovely with food / lamb. A great pleasure. GK 04/13

2016 Ch Anthonic 17 + (

)

Moulis-en-Medoc Cru Bourgeois Supérieur, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $50 [ supercritical Diam ‘cork’, 47 mm; cepage c. Me 62%, CS 29, CF 7, PV 2; planted at 7,000 vines / ha on gravels, clay and some limestone; cuvaison 17 – 25 days depending on season; 12 months in oak, 25 – 33% new, 6 months in s/s, egg-white fining; consultant Eric Boissenet; www.chateauanthonic.com ]
Ruby and velvet, another 2016 not to show the vibrant carmine of the cabernet-lead wines, the second to lightest red. Bouquet is soft, sweet, again nearly floral, clearly plummy and merlot-dominant in its lack of aromatics, oak very subtle. Palate is lighter than many, nearly red fruits as well as darker, oak gentle and in the background. A lighter wine altogether, but making up for it in its balance, freshness and charm. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 07/20

2009 Domaine de l'Arlot Nuits St George Les Petits Plets Premier Cru 17 + (

)

Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 13%; $79 [ cork; hand-picked from the 'young' vines of Clos des Forets, but still up to 25 years age, very low crops in 2009; grapes double-sorted, some whole-bunch; no info on elevation; biodynamic producer; www.arlot.com ]
Pinot noir ruby, some age showing, the second to lightest. Among the brightly-fruited New Zealand wines, this example of the grape looks very laid-back, yet it is fragrant in a quite different way, red fruits and leather. Flavours are quite wild-yeasty and furry on tannin, there may be a touch of brett, but either way the oak is spicy with a hint of cloves, all a little drying. Cellar 3 – 10 years in its style. GK 03/13

2006 Domaine Bart Chambertin Clos de Beze 17 + (

)

Gevrey-Chambertin Grand Cru, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 13%; $349
Some depth of pinot noir ruby, one of the deepest wines, but not the rosiest hue. Fruit on bouquet is black more than red cherries in aroma, fragrant but not floral, the oak looming. Palate brings up the oak more, but the fruit stands up to it reasonably well. So much oak does attenuate varietal beauty however, and rather dominates the palate. A vivid contrast with the Drouhin in style, they complement each other perfectly, both wines beautifully clean. Cellar 5 – 12 years, though the oak will increase. GK 08/12

2010 Ch Beaumont 17 + (

)

Haut-Medoc, Bordeaux, France: 14%; $30 [ cork; CS 53%, Me 43, PV 4, average vine age 20 years, planted at 6666 vines / ha; 12 – 14 months in barrel, one third new; this is a large-scale winery, with 50,000 cases produced. Cru Bourgeois du Medoc ranking 2010; Jacques Boissenot consults; JR 9/12: 16.5 + Mid crimson. Really interesting, subtle nose. Dry finish but rather artful winemaking on the way there with a bit of the suppleness of fine classed growths. Sophisticated. Far from a blockbuster. Lafite-style Cru Bourgeois! 2015 to 2023; RP 87: … notes of roasted herbs and licorice, red and black currants. Medium-bodied, relatively lush and fruity in style, it can be drunk over the next 5-6 years. WS 88: Shows a rustic edge, with chestnut and tobacco leaf notes leading the way for brambly textured currant and blackberry fruit flavors. A fresh bay leaf note hangs on the medium-weight finish. Drink now through 2016; Availability: 750s out, 2010 375s @ $16 and 2009 750s (not tasted) @ $32.50; www.chateau-beaumont.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, one of the denser. Bouquet is rich and strong, but without the finesse of the top three. This essentially hinges on the quality of the cooperage, where notwithstanding the oak is said to be one third new, there is also some leathery old wood, more than the Bernadotte, which may include trace brett at the positive complexity level. Because of the lesser oak, the varietal illustration isn't ideally sharp, and the total styling is more old-fashioned. Within that context, however, the richness gains it points. It will cellar 5 – 15 years at least. GK 03/13

2009 Ch Bernadotte 17 + (

)

Saint-Sauveur, Haut-Medoc, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $45 [ cork; CS 50, Me 44%, CF 4, PV 2, hand-picked and hand-sorted; yield usually below 50 hl/ha; up to 16 months in French oak, typically 30% new, both parameters varying with vintage; formerly same ownership as Pichon-Lalande, then Roederer Group, now Hong Kong; www.chateau-bernadotte.com ]
Ruby and velvet, older than some of the 2009s, midway in depth. Bouquet is less focussed than one would hope an Haut-Medoc wine to be. There is good fruit but with a hot-year leathery note to the berry, and just a hint of subliminal brett, maybe. Palate shows more suggestions of cabernet sauvignon, quite hard grape tannins as yet, and a lot of oak as well. This will be a firm claret, a bit stolid, but plenty of fruit develop on and soften in cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 06/12

1975 Wolf Blass Cabernet Sauvignon / Shiraz Grey Label 17 + (

)

Langhorne Creek, South Australia, Australia: – %; $ – [ cork 43mm; CS 80%, Sh 20; Wine-Searcher doesn't know about this label in the '70s, but the 1986 is currently available for $134 in one shop in Australia. The Grey Label series was for individual vineyard wines. It was introduced in 1967, the first wine to bear the Wolf Blass logo, rather than the previous Bilyara. One reason for the success of Blass reds was his introduction of barrel-fermentation to produce soft rich flavoursome wines with great oak impression, but not harshly tannic. 60% of this wine was in Nevers oak, 40% American, ratio new not known but high; gold medals in Canberra, Brisbane, Perth and Hobart; Halliday, 1985: Rough-sawn new-wood characters were still to integrate in 1979. Very good potential, however, 16.5 / 20. ; www.wolfblasswines.com ]
Ruby and garnet, the third deepest. This wine has a bigger bouquet than the Hamilton, and it is a bigger wine, plenty of fruit lifted by mint and smoothed by malt, perhaps the American oak component dominating, vanillin now melding with the malt. In mouth there is wonderful rich velvety even voluptuous fruit, not showing much hint of age beyond smooth maturity. Again like the Blass in Pt I, one wonders, is this wine bone dry ? It shows much more obvious shiraz flesh than the Black Label Blass in Pt I. When you go back to the light aromatic Talbot, the contrast with this rich wine is dramatic, whereas the Black Label compares more favourably. Yet it is soft, the tannins are beautifully tailored, and it is food-friendly. Final aftertaste is oak, though, so despite the apparently richness, perhaps it is fully mature. Much the favourite wine, for the tasting group. No hurry, in a cool cellar (apart from the corks, again). GK 04/15

2016 Domaine Nicolas Boiron Cotes du Rhone Réserve 17 + (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $30 [ cork; Gr c.80%, balance Sy 15, Ci 5, average age 40 years; usually 10% whole-bunches, cuvaison to 21 days; Gr mostly raised in vat, the Sy in 3 – 5 year 600s for up to 8 months, not fined or filtered; production c.850 x 9-litre cases; www.bosquetdespapes.com ]
Older ruby, below midway in weight, older again than the Perrin Reserve. Bouquet is lightly aromatic and showing some garrigue complexity, quite piquant and saliva-inducing (partly the alcohol), attractive red and black fruits, some spice, not sure about oak on bouquet. Palate reveals one of the lighter wines, gentle and aromatic, good Southern Rhone typicité, you'd swear some old oak to make such an attractive mellow flavour relatively early in the wine’s life. Unlike most of these wines, this is almost ready now, cellar 3 – 12 years. A Glengarry wine. GK 07/19

1999 Domaine la Bouissiere Gigondas La Font de Tonin 17 + (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $60 [ cork, 44mm; cepage varies year to year, but Gr dominant, more Mv than the standard wine up to 25% and old-vine, dating to 1930s, the balance Sy; actual cepage in 1999 Gr 70%, Mv 30; up to 45% of the crop destemmed, extended cuvaisons to 42 days; 12 – 13 months in barrique-sized oak some new, the balance to 6 years, then 5 months in s/s vat; not fined or filtered; 375 – 500 9-litre cases (so fairly rare); J. L-L, 2002: ... there are animal, Mourvedre influences on the nose, but the fruit is clear, clear cherry. The palate is attractive, true and long. It offers good red cherry fruit, and this reflects a new, cleaner style than previously, not one that is overdone. The finish is dry from its oak, but it has enough guts for the oak. Esp good around 2007. To 2017, ****; R. Parker, 2000: ... displays abundant tannin and muscle in its formidably-endowed, backward personality. Dense and powerful, with copious quantities of blackberries, cassis, minerals, and toasty new oak, this 1999 is clearly a vin de garde. To 2017, 91 - 93. The following year he was not quite so impressed, [ paraphrased ] full-bodied, good definition, vague notes of wood, to 2012, 89; www.labouissiere.com ]
Ruby and garnet, the deepest / densest colour of the 12. Bouquet is strong, unequivocally southern Rhone and sunshine, lots of red and darker fruits, a fumey lift, clear resiny even toasty new oak, and spicy both from grapes and a light brett component, as well as oak. Palate shows rich fruit and a long flavour, but even more resiny and noticeable new oak than the Hautes Garrigues, and more of a coffee undertone than the Vieux Donjon. At this level I think new oak detracts from the potential harmony of the southern Rhone winestyle, particularly when the cepage includes considerable mourvedre (or when the alcohol is elevated). The oak and alcohol interact to a degree, as in so many Australian red wines, but at least in this wine there is not the harshness of added acid to the finish. And the fruit flavours are well sustained too. This needs another 10 years in cellar to lose tannin, and will cellar for a good deal longer. This was the only wine of the 12 to achieve no ranking / response to any of the five questions, at the blind stage. GK 03/19

2003 Domaine Brusset Gigondas Tradition Le Grand Montmirail 17 + (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $36 [ cork; Peter Maude; Gr 70%, Sy 25, Ci 5, some Mv, not de-stemmed; this is the less-oaked Brusset Gigondas, commonly 18 months in old oak only. Parker 156: "The dense saturated ruby/purple-colored 2003 Gigondas Cuvee Tradition exhibits a big, sweet nose of graphite, black cherry liqueur, licorice, and earth. Medium to full-bodied, with impressive depth, concentration, and harmony as well as some unresolved tannin, it will benefit from 1-3 years of bottle age, and keep for 10-14 years. 88-90" ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, one of the deeper. Initially poured, this wine is a bit estery and disorganised, overtly fruity, not the finesse of some years of this label. Berry characters range from boysenberry to darkest plum, a coarse hint of elderberry, and a little brett. The next day the wine is much more mellow, foretelling good development in bottle. Flavours are very ripe and rich, like the Lafond Lirac more clearly a hot-year wine, attractive furry tannins under the rich fruit, gentle oak. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 09/05

1996 Grant Burge Shiraz Meshach 17 + (

)

Barossa Valley, South Australia, Australia: 13.9%; $154 [ Cork, 46 mm; rated Outstanding in the Langton's Australian wine classification, the second-level group of 52; Halliday rates the 1996 vintage 9 for Barossa Valley; hand-picked from 80-year old vines in the Filsell vineyard, raised in new American oak hogsheads then (French and American now, less than half new) for c.18 months; Halliday, 2000: Medium to full red-purple; the bouquet is rich and complex, with lots of dark berry fruit and the oak under control. Dark cherry, plum and chocolate flavours on the palate are once again married with well-balanced and integrated oak; finishes with fine tannins. The best Meshach made to date, 93; Parker, 2009: The 1996 Shiraz Meschach is well-made with sweet fruit and medium body, but little complexity. It is fully mature and is not going anywhere, so drink it up, 87; [ sounds as if Parker had a 'scalped' bottle ... ]; bottle weight 598 g; www.grantburgewines.com.au ]
Ruby and garnet, right in the middle for weight. Initial bouquet had a slightly drab note reminiscent of plasticine or putty, on aromatic minty berry and red fruits. It breathed up nicely. Palate is more old-style, a lot of fragrant American oak and quite tannic, but good plummy hinting at boysenberry fruit richness wrapped around the tannins. The oak exacerbates quite strong mintyness, which tiptoes towards being euc'y. The total wine style is therefore one of the bigger bolder wines, in the company. In its style it will cellar for many more years, say 5 – 15. People do like oak, so this was one of the three most popular wines, three first places, eight second places, but also two leasts, with one thinking it might be French. GK 03/17

2009 Ch Les Caleches de Lanessan 17 + (

)

Cussac, Haut-Medoc, Bordeaux, France: 13%; $26 [ supercritical cork; parent vineyard CS 60%, Me 35, PV 4, CF 1, average age c.30 years, this wine CS 45%, Me 50, PV 3, CF 2, average age 20 years; 30% of the wine is aged in second year oak, implication the balance s/s; Les Caleches de Lanessan is the second wine of Ch Lanessan, production this label about 7500 cases, parent wine is cru bourgeois superieur, Haut-Medoc; www.lanessan.com ]
Ruby, the second to lightest colour. Bouquet is lighter than the top wines too, clear berry characters, some aromatics, attractive ripeness yet not smelling hot-year at all. Palate is a little less, some tannin to lose, a hint of austerity, and less fruit richness than the best examples. Even so, once this wine softens in bottle, it could rate more highly. It shows great typicité, and is phenomenal for a second wine from a cru bourgeois. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 06/12

2003 Carruades de Lafite 17 + (

)

Pauillac second wine of Ch Lafite, Bordeaux, France: 12.5%; $80 [ cork; Me 50%, CS 8, CF 2, 18 months in 10 – 15% new oak; Parker: This amazing red, opulent, rich, and luscious with silky tannin, enormous body, and wave after wave of mocha-infused black cherry and cassis fruit. 93; Robinson: ... greenness on the nose. Sweet start to the palate then remarkably gentle in texture - Lafite character. Tannins so well managed that this is my favourite Carruades for some time. 16.5+; www.lafite.com ]
Older ruby in some velvet. This wine has the most normal Bordeaux bouquet of the bracket, in the sense it shows cassisy berry fragrance and freshness, on subtle oak which is potentially cedary. Palate is a little less, a slight stalky thought floating up in the cassis and red plum, but the whole wine shows typicity, balance, restraint and style. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 07/06

2005 Domaine Cauhape Jurancon Ballet d’Octobre 17 + (

)

Jurancon AOC, SW France: 13.5%; $31 [ plastic-sleeved foam; location virtually on the Spanish border; grape – gros manseng harvested at the end of October; 10 months in 3 – 4 year barrels; www.cauhape.com ]
Lightish gold, fractionally lighter than the Symphonie wine. Bouquet is a subtler affair than the Symphonie, as if the wine had less than half the time in oak, and had a little more botrytis too. Even so, the winemaking style is still so oxidative, it is hard to perceive the actual grape character. As for the dry ones, the nett result is consistent with the whites of the northern Rhone, where all too often, at least in the luxury cuvees, varietal character is more or less over-ridden by winemaker artefact. Palate is sweet, lighter and fresher than the Symphonie wine, but still a high-solids old-fashioned approach to winemaking, with almond-tart undertones. Cellar 3 – 8 years, except it is closed with a drink-now plastic 'cork'. GK 02/08

2005 Domaine Cauhape Jurancon Sec La Canopée 17 + (

)

Jurancon AOC, SW France: 14.5%; $58 [ cork; location virtually on the Spanish border; petit manseng allowed to shrivel somewhat on the vine, hand-harvested @ 1.5 t/ac; barrel-fermented, with 10 months LA and batonnage; www.cauhape.com ]
Lightish gold. Like the most expensive of the sweet wines, this wine from the dry range smells and tastes as if it were barrel-fermented (confirmed). This gives a lovely cashew / nutty complexity to the bouquet, which marries well into the pale mineral stonefruit of the palate, and the not-quite-dry finish. I can imagine this going wonderfully well with some foods, in the way sherry sometimes does, so the score is second-guessed for that. Like the Automne wine, however, and for the same reasons, it would not survive a modern Australasian judging. Does not seem a cellar wine, therefore, but could surprise. The website suggests 6 years. GK 02/08

2016 Domaine Charbonniere Chateauneuf-du-Pape 17 + (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 15.5%; $67 [ cork, 50mm; Gr 70%, Sy 15, Mv 15, destemmed; elevation in large wood, plus some barrels 5% new; J.L-L: garrigue herbs and cooked plums, ****(*); JC @ RP: delightfully ripe, ample weight, easy going, 91+; available from Maison Vauron, Auckland; www.domainedelacharbonniere.com ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, a good colour, in the middle for depth. Initially opened, this wine was uncommunicative. It benefits from double decanting, to reveal a quite big wine with darkly raspberry and plummy fruit, and quite a marked essential-oil garrigue note, getting a little unsubtle. In mouth there is rich fruit, raspberry-led flavours with both a suggestion of stalks and tannin, yet also a hint of some sur-maturité, all at this stage lacking excitement. The alcohol intrudes a bit, even though the wine is not unduly oaky. Will probably look a lot better in 10 years. One first-place. Cellar 10 – 25 years. GK 04/19

2004 Domaine de la Charité Cotes du Rhone Villages Cayenne 17 + (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: – %; $28 [ cork; Gr / Sy; some new oak; imported by Regional Wines & Spirits ]
Ruby, light amongst some Northern Rhone wines. Bouquet on this wine shares much with the 2003 Gerin Cote Rotie, but adds the marvellous cinnamon spice of grenache to a light brett component, to give a very fragrant and complex, potentially savoury bouquet. Palate is a little firmer, acid and spicier than the Gerin, fresh berry, medium body, and nearly as attractive. This is classical / traditional good Cotes du Rhone, to cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 04/07

2001 J-L Chave Hermitage 17 + (

)

Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $250 [ cork; price is simple conversion from US$175; Sy 100%, average vine age > 40 years, hand-harvested from 7 sites the largest being Les Bessards; a small percentage of whole-bunch according to vintage, cuvaison 3 – 4 weeks; c.18 months in French oak, usually 10 – 20% new, the latter in 2001; bottled un-filtered; Livingstone-Learmonth, 2005: warm cooked fruit / olives, quite plush bouquet. Real elegance, lovely freshness combined with maturity – great style. Beau vin. Silken texture, tannins are defined, oily, pretty. Good length, mineral aftertaste with some dried fruits. 2024 – 29. ***** (out of 6 max.); WA / Parker, 2003: [component / barrel tasting only] ... should be an outstanding wine with a Burgundian-like finesse. ... plenty of sweet cassis fruit, medium body, noticeably high tannin, and gorgeous purity as well as symmetry. (91-95); no website found ]
Old ruby, one of the lighter wines. Bouquet is lighter too, first impressions being of oak more than berry. Looking more closely, there is lightly floral and cassisy but also slightly stalky berry, smelling very fragrant, but lean. Palate confirms both the leanness of fruit and an excess of oak, so while purer than the Clape, it lacks the latter's balance and charm. Aftertaste is long, with a kind of leafy florality entwined with the new oak, clearly syrah in a not-quite-optimally ripe way. It makes an interesting comparison with the younger l'Amarybelle, being slightly cooler and leaner but still varietal. Fair to say our bottling has little in common with the reviews, but this is not unusual with smaller producers. And sometimes it is the reviewers, as illustrated later. Cellar 3 – 8 years or so. GK 01/10

2000 Domaine J L Chave Hermitage 17 + (

)

Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $ – [ cork; Sy 100%, average vine age > 40 years, hand-harvested; a small percentage of whole-bunch according to vintage, cuvaison 3 – 4 weeks; c.18 months in French oak, never more than 20% new, often less; JR 17, RP 96, ST 94 +, J.L-L 3/6 stars ]
Good ruby, fresher than many, above midway in depth. Freshly opened, the wine has that gutty / gamey character so characteristic of older-style Northern Rhone wines, which makes the wines sometimes confuseable with burgundy. Again this is brett, but in this case with some bottle stink. Accordingly, the wine was transformed with air. Next day it was almost fresh, softly floral, gentle cassis berry notes browning now, smelling old and fragrant for its age. The cassisy and plummy fruit on palate is good, acid slightly noticeable, oak invisible, quite soft wine as if Cote Rotie. This should hold for 3 – 12 years yet, but needs really vigorous decanting – it was almost unpleasant to start with . GK 05/13

2003 Domaine Auguste Clape Cornas 17 + (

)

Cornas, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $171 [ cork, 50mm; New Zealand release price $95; winemaking as above; Wine Spectator vintage rating for the year, 94; J.L-L, 2016: The nose has reached a relative serenity, comes with soaked raspberries, and has found a certain Cornas harmony. Its sweet pastille style is of course very atypical. Its gives the image of big fruit lozenges. The palate has a flavour of soaked cherries, griottes, red cherries – the aroma springs out of the glass, a maximum air of griottes here. It is opulent, but continuous, not static. It doesn’t hold much mystery, is an open, gourmand book. The tannins have largely not fully softened ... so its balance isn’t 100% as it stands. It goes pretty long, is stable and laden. There is a risk of late dryness. “It never has been balanced,” Olivier Clape, 2032 – 34, ****; RP@R. Parker, 2006: ... tightly wound blueberry, blackberry, scorched earth, and smoky notes, stunning density, atypically crisp acidity, and a huge, full-bodied, powerful finish. This should be a fabulous Cornas, but it is not as showy and flamboyant in its youth as I expected ... it should keep for 15 years, 93; no domaine website, easiest background info on the Europvin website, ref. above. ]
Ruby and garnet, midway in depth. Bouquet for the 2003 is quite different from all the other vintages in the tasting. It is clean and fragrant, but with a clear aniseed and even fragrant best-malt note reminiscent more of McLaren Vale than the northern Rhone. Below these aromas lies sweet ripe fruit, no florals, no cassis aromatics, no freshly-cracked black peppercorn, just sunny plummy berry with even a hint of fresh prunes (not cooked). So this certainly smells the wine of a hotter year, in clear contra-distinction to the 1998 and 1983. Palate is intriguing, for clearly there are some Australian suggestions in the bouquet, a shiraz rather than syrah interpretation, yet the palate is pure and attractive in its style, aided by the lack of obvious new oak and added acid so many Australian producers deploy as a matter of course in their shiraz wines. But the flavours are very different from all the other wines, plummy and already browning a little now, with fine prunes and aniseed again. Note that the presented selection of 12 vintages includes no cool years, so this syrah has no wine at the opposite end of the ripening curve to balance it / throw it more into perspective. Tasters recorded one first place, but four least places. Will hold for many years, in its style. GK 09/18

2003 Domaine du Colombier Hermitage 17 + (

)

Northern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $115 [ cork; Sy 100%; Maison Vauron; again, these un-precedented alcohols, for Hermitage. 4 acres of 60-year vines in the les Beaumes vineyard on Hermitage hill. 16 – 18 months in oak, a small percentage new. Gauntley’s: £24.92 “Opaque in colour with amazing concentration, depth of fruit and balance. Mind-bogglingly complex with hints of oak, spice, tar, cassis and liquorice. Very ripe indeed but with sufficient structure and harmony. This is serious great wine and will evolve over decades.” ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, in the middle for colour. A reluctant wine at first, but decanting gradually reveals syrah in the slightly off-centre style some of the Chilean Montes syrahs have shown: a crushed chrysanthemum character in darkly plummy berry. The wine gradually opens up, with some cassis, and mainly older oak, purer than the Gaby but not as interesting or rich. Aftertaste is a little stalky and short. Not the substance hoped for in a reputable Hermitage – the benefits of blind tasting ! Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 10/05

2016 Domaine Le Colombier Vacqueyras 17 + (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $27 [ cork; cepage Gr 70%, Sy 20, Mv 10, >30 years age; all de-stemmed, short cuvaison to 14 days; elevation in concrete up to 10 months; filtered; average production c.3,000 x 9-litre cases; not Domaine du Colombier @ Crozes-Hermitage & Hermitage; the website www.lesvignoblesmourre.com as yet has no content; following not the winery website, but best offering; www.art-rhone.com/en/ventoux.html ]
Good ruby and velvet, slightly above halfway in depth. This wine benefits from decanting, opening up to show the freshness and aromatics of the magical 2016 vintage, nearly garrigue, nearly floral, piquant red fruits spiced by syrah definitely, maybe mourvedre. Palate is still youthful, as if elevation all concrete, attractively ripe fruit needing to smooth out and harmonise. Concentration is quite good. This should cellar attractively for 5 – 15 years. A Glengarry wine. GK 07/19

1982 Ch la Conseillante 17 + (

)

Pomerol, Bordeaux, France: 12.5%; $500 [ cork; Me 45%, CF 45, Ma 10; average age vines c 30 years (then); up to 24 months in French oak; alcohol nominal; Advocate 95, Spectator 92; price a wine-searcher.com indication; www.la-conseillante.com ]
Garnet and ruby, old for age. Bouquet is fragrant but tending phenolic even to smell, with a carbolic edge to tobacco and browning plummy fading fruit, plus a savoury / brett complexity. Palate still carries good but very mature fruit, and some of the sweetness of the year, but the oak is somewhat coarse, and the whole wine has a pruney and leafy quality to it which is not convincing. All told, a little disappointing, possibly subliminally corked considering the overseas reviews, but the characters not really suggesting that. Fully mature, and needing drinking, if this bottle is a guide. GK 11/06

2007 Domaine Corsin Saint-Veran Tirage Precoce [ = Unoaked ] 17 + (

)

Saint Veran, Burgundy, New Zealand: 13.5%; $27 [ cork; website a cover-page only; www.domaine-corsin.com ]
Gorgeous lemon. Bouquet is sweet fragrant clean chardonnay, illustrating just how dramatic the uptake of new technology is in France these days. There is just the slightest hint of fruit salad in pale stonefruits. Palate is fresh, with a lightly tactile richness plus some lees-autolysis, scarcely or not oaked, yet with a firm tannin or phenolic backbone to it, making it a good food wine. There is no hint of under-ripeness. It is hard to get unoaked chardonnay as good as this. Cellar 2 – 4 years. GK 11/10

2005 Domaine de Courcel Bourgogne Blanc / Chardonnay 17 + (

)

Burgundy, France: 12.5%; $58 [ cork ]
Lemonstraw. One sniff of this wine illustrates dramatically the flowback of new world technology to old world winemaking. Here is a bourgogne blanc that is explicitly varietal, devoid of H2S, and attractively oaked – all scarcely thinkable 20 years ago. The fruit has a golden queen peach quality to it suggestive of good New Zealand chardonnay. Palate is oakier than suspected, with some high-solids notes, but it displays wonderfully full physiological maturity of the fruit at a given alcohol of 12.5% – enviable. The point here is, too many New Zealand chardonnays still are bedevilled by that hint of pineapple complexity bespeaking berries of mixed ripeness, even at alcohols exceeding 14%. This wine achieves relative perfection of ripeness at less than 13%, indicating more work is needed on viticultural aspects of this grape in New Zealand. This is a lovely example of the variety. Pity the price isn't 50% less, like the Drouhin equivalent labels. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 03/08

2005 Domaine de Courcel Pommard les Rugiens 17 + (

)

Pommard Premier Cru, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $155 [ cork; a good brief backgrounder to this domain is available at: www.owloeb.com/Domaines/Courcel.html ]
Pinot noir ruby, below midway in depth. Bouquet is the most floral and fragrant of the de Courcels, showing red roses and boronia qualities counterpointed by quite spicy oak, even a hint of fivespice. Below is fragrant red cherry fruit, leaner than the top-rated wines but still pleasing in mouth. Finish is oaky, as yet. These first 2005 burgundies in New Zealand do show attractive firm ripe fruit, in this case quite dry, with tannin to lose. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 03/08

2010 Yves Cuilleron Saint-Joseph L'Amarybelle 17 + (

)

Cote Rotie, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $64 [ 50mm cork; Sy 100 hand-picked from vines planted at 8 – 10,000 vines / ha, on sandy granitic soils; some whole-bunch, cuvaison c.21 days; MLF and c.18 months in barrel; 3000 cases; July offer @ Glengarry $49; www.cuilleron.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, the second deepest. Bouquet is textbook syrah in both the Northern Rhone sense and in ripe years of New Zealand wines like Te Mata Bullnose were oak is restrained, showing red-rose florals in red and black fruits, a touch of white pepper, and just a thought of stalk. Palate continues that thought, fair fruit less concentrated than the top wines, but still some cassis and mixed plum, the white pepper bespeaking less perfect ripeness as we see in many New Zealand syrahs too. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 06/13

2001 Ch Doisy Daene 17 + (

)

Barsac Deuxieme Cru, Bordeaux, France: 13%; $ – [ 48mm cork; Se 80, SB 20; average age of vines 35 years, planted at 7,100 vines / ha, average yield just over 2.5 t/ha = 1 t/ac; barrel-fermented and 18 – 24 months in small wood, one third new; average production 3,150 cases: Doisy Daene has come up through the ranks since the 1855 classification, and is now regarded as top-flight; BBR: now owned by oenologist Denis Dubourdieu; Doisy-Daene produces quintessential Barsacs with the emphasis on finesse, poise and elegance, rather than power and force; In the 2011 tasting of 10 sauternes, Robinson rated Doisy Daene in the second group, the same as d'Yquem and de Fargues; Robinson, 2011: Pale orangey gold. Seductive broad orangey freshness. Long and tangy and positive, great value! Long. Very engaging and spicy, even if it’s not as massive and sweet as some. So complete. VGV, 18; Parker, 2004: A light medium gold color and closed aromatics are found in the extravagantly rich, unctuous 2001. With terrific acidity, abundant botrytis, and a long, full-throttle finish, this spectacular effort will drink well between 2007-2020. It is unquestionably one of the finest Doisy Daenes I have ever tasted, 94; www.denisdubourdieu.fr ]
Medium gold, below midway. At initial opening, this wine smelt quite differently to the others, a trace of congestion which some tasters attributed to sulphur. With air the wine opened up to honeyed golden peach fruit of medium weight, and quite a lot of oak but the oak not as fresh as some. There is still the power of the year, but the wine (or this bottle) is not singing. The company it is being assessed in is relevant. On its own one would be pretty happy with it, with its peach and anzac biscuit finish, ending a little dry. One of the two least wines in the tasting. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 07/14

2010 L'Etoile de Bergey 17 + (

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Pessac-Leognan, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $37 [ cork; CS 54%, Me 46, planted at 7150 vines / ha, average vine age 35 years; the second wine of Ch Haut-Bergey, amounting to 30% of production, same owners as Clos L'Eglise; 16 – 18 months in French oak up to 50% new; WS 88: Compact at the core, with singed mesquite [[ I understand this refers to the smell / flavour of mesquite wood used for barbecuing ]], plum and briar notes, featuring a juicy, accessible finish that lets a light tarry hint check in. Now – 2015; Availability: 750s good; www.chateau-haut-bergey.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, very dense, the deepest wine. In the blind tasting, this wine did not show up well due to reduction. Unlike the Puygueraud, however, it breathes up. So, if using it in the next few years, decant this wine splashily 10 times from one wide-mouth vessel to another. It then reveals a modern, Washington State-styled cabernet / merlot, opulently ripe black fruits, no cassis aromatics left here, simply darkest fully-ripe black plums. Oak is simpatico, some new, the whole mouth-feel (once aired) velvety and long. Hard wine to score, worth a gamble I think, could end up exciting, cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 03/13

1975 Ch Filhot 17 + (

)

Sauternes, Bordeaux, France: – %; $124 [ cork; winesearcher value; cepage approx. Se 60, SB 35, Mu 5; in that era, no new oak, most of the wine being held in vat till bottling; www.filhot.com ]
Glowing light gold. Bouquet is complex and showing its age. Like the 1975 Pol Roger Chardonnay, here too there is just a hint of a casky / woody component more like cork 'wood' than new oak. There is still plenty of golden peachy fruit, and a complexity which may be botrytis – hard to say, since 1975 was not reputed to be a high-botrytis year. Palate is still showing rich golden fruit, coarsening a little as the fruit and oak meld into suggestions of golden-syrup flavours. But the drying tannins make the wine interesting with a mealy / nutty dessert such as traditional English Christmas pudding. The detail can be criticised in an older wine such as this, but the nett impression is still pretty good, at 40 years. No hurry. GK 12/15

2003 Ch la Fleur de Bouard 17 + (

)

Lalande de Pomerol, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $59 [ cork; Me 85%, CF 8, CS 7, planted at 6,500 – 8,500 vines / ha, cropped conservatively (the 2002 @ at 27 hL/ha (1.4 t/ac)), hand-picked, grapes twice over sorting tables; up to 4 weeks cuvaison in tank, up to 24 months in French oak 85% new; same ownership as Ch Angelus; Parker: Aromas of melted asphalt, blackberries, and raspberries are followed by a medium-bodied, lush, textured, fleshy claret ... 89; Robinson: Some green notes on the nose. Then an inkiness and preponderance of oak ... difficult to imagine it becoming harmonious. 14; 2003 not on website yet; www.la-fleur-de-bouard.com ]
Ruby and velvet, nearly carmine, as deep as the Cos. Bouquet is modern international in its chocolatey oak component. There is good cassis and dark plummy fruit below, though one can't see the merlot predominance too clearly due to the artefact. Palate has the same green streak as the Haut-Laroque, and the fruit and chocolate don't cover it up quite as well as some others, so one is left with a mean suggestion in the aftertaste. Has the richness to mellow in cellar 10 – 25 years. GK 08/06

2004 Angelo Gaja Ca' Marcanda Camarcanda 17 + (

)

Bolgheri DOC, Tuscany, Italy: 14.5%; $250 [ cork; Me 50%, CS 40, CF 10; 18 months in new French barriques; 61 ha property bought 1996 (syrah also planted); no info on website www.gajawines.com, best info @; www.armit.co.uk/angelogajacamarcanda.aspx ]
Ruby and velvet, some carmine. This is one of the most floral and fragrant wines in the whole set of 30 presented at the Forum. Bouquet shows red fruits mainly and very fragrant cedary oak with almost a silver pine terpene note, plus threshold VA. Like several other wines, however, palate is on the lean and acid side, refreshing, as if there were sangiovese in it. Aftertaste is quite short but fragrantly oaky, like a cool-year Pauillac rather than the merlot said to dominate the wine. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 11/08

nv H Garnier and Co Champagne Brut 17 + (

)

Epernay, Champagne, France: 12.5%; $35 [ supercritical 'cork' = Diam; PN 40%, PM 40, Ch 20; MLF; a wine from Lombard & Cie, but the labels they make are not easily uncovered; up to 24 months sur lie; RS not known; www.champagne-lombard.com ]
Lemon to lemon straw, attractive. Bouquet is uncommonly close to the 2010 Akarua Vintage Brut Reserve, very youthful, chardonnay apparent more than pinot noir, straightforward autolysis with breadcrust notes, not quite achieving baguette magic. Palate shows good fruit richness, still a young wine, pinot noir and chardonnay, needing to soften, total acid lower than the Akarua and dosage fractionally higher, maybe 9 – 10 g/L. Better in three years, and will hold for longer. Clean sound straightforward champagne. GK 10/16

2007 Dom. V. Girardin Santenay Blanc le Beauregard Blanc Premier Cru 17 + (

)

Santenay, Cote de Beaune, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $61 [ cork; the website advises a general prescription for white winemaking, from which one has to infer what might apply here depending on its position in the ranking: manual harvesting; hand-sorting of the grapes; generally wild-yeast ferments, followed by MLF; extended lees autolysis 14 – 20 months (and varying with vintage too) in French oak, ratio new 10 – 35%; www.vincentgirardin.com ]
Lemonstraw. The initial impression on bouquet is too much oak, just like so many new world chardonnays. But that said, the wine is pure and there are yellow-fruited qualities too. Palate shows pale yellow peach fruit like New Zealand clone mendoza, long-flavoured on oak. The oak itself is clean and low toast, so interferes less and lengthens the palate. The fruit weight rescues the wine in mouth. This should cellar well, 3 – 8 years, though it is surprising just how new-world the style is. GK 07/11

1982 Ch Grandis 17 + (

)

Haut Medoc / Saint-Seurin Cru Bourgeois, Bordeaux, France: 12%; $83 [ cork 47 mm, ullage 12 mm; original price $16; Ch Grandis is a little-known and tiny (10-ha) estate in St Seurin, Haut-Medoc, which none of the regular wine reviewers deign to even mention. Such is wine snobbery ... yet it is the kind of wine one looks out for when seeking value and drinkability, rather than labels-to-impress. It really stood out, in my 1985 NBR review tastings of the 1982 bordeaux. Cepage now is approx. CS 50, Me 40, CF 10 ... but then, not known. No website, no details .. and needless to say, no reviews of the 1982 ... other than mine of 1985: A marvellous block-buster, outstanding for a petit chateau, great value. For a contemporary view, a British wine merchant has this to say of the 2011: Concentrated and complex on the nose, displaying dark fruits, tobacco and spices. Fine tannins bring together a balanced and flavoursome wine with a long finish. Charming, elegant and well balanced. All the characteristics of a Cru-Classé with the price of a Cru-Bourgeois, £22; no website, but there is a Facebook page: www.facebook.com/ChateauGrandis; weight bottle and closure 453 g ]
Ruby and garnet, the second deepest wine, exactly midway in terms of retaining red hues. This is another wine in the set that could have been the ‘sighter’, being so redolent of Bordeaux / claret character. It is not particularly aromatic, with its soft berry-rich bouquet reflecting a fair quantity of merlot, but with added interest from cabernet sauvignon. There was I suspect a good deal less than 50% in those days. In a way it is the closest to Cos d'Estournel in bouquet, though the oak much older, and there was trace brett. Trace for me: one person found the level unacceptable. Palate is lesser, good fruit and dry extract, but the oak tasting much plainer, perhaps none new. At the blind stage, no first-place rankings, but three tasters had it as their second-favourite. Not bad (in the company) for a cru bourgeois costing $16, and at 41 years of age. But three also had it as their least wine. Tasters correctly identified there was enough cabernet sauvignon to make the wine aromatic, even though the percentage unknown. I recommended purchase of this wine in my NBR reviews, 1985 … so was pleased to find it looking so good 38 years later. GK 11/23

1982 Ch Grandis 17 + (

)

Haut Medoc Cru Bourgeois, Bordeaux, France: 12%; $16 [ cork; CS 50%, Me 40, CF 10; Peppercorn: In general, the wines have the solidity typical of St Seurin, and are traditionally made, ripe, powerful, repay keeping. GK in 1985 rated it: A marvellous blockbuster, outstanding for a petit chateau, great value. ]
Ruby and garnet, one of the fresher ones. Bouquet is clear-cut cassis and cabernet sauvignon of an extraordinary quality for a cru bourgeois, underpinned by plummy merlot and some tobacco, plus older oak. In mouth there is a sturdiness to the fruit which is tending plain in classed-growth company, yet the ratio of fruit to oak is remarkable. Perhaps if the oak had been fresher, the whole wine would sing more. But as a total achievement at 25 years of age, this is a wine to show all those who write off cru bourgeois offerings as 5-year wines, that there is far more to selecting young Bordeaux to cellar than they have ever dreamed of. Fully mature, but no hurry, another 5 – 8 years. GK 09/08

2005 Domaine Jean Grivot Vosne-Romanee 17 + (

)

Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 13%; $117 [ 50mm cork; Grivot is famed for his classed growths, not much info on the village wines; all de-stalked; J Robinson, 2007: Bright crimson. Friendly nose – rather gentler and less dramatic than some other vintages from Grivot. Tannins insist towards the end, however. Bright, energetic, long-term wine, 16.5; Meadows, 2007: (40% of the blend is from Aux Ravioles on the Nuits border). A very Vosne spicy and elegant black fruit nose complements to perfection the seductive and velvety flavors that coat the mouth with ample amounts of sap to buffer the firm but buried tannins that surface on the suave finish. An excellent Villages, 87-90; weight bottle and closure: 574 g; www.domainegrivot.fr ]
Another classic pinot noir colour, fractionally older (more garnet) than the Pezerolles, right in the middle for depth of colour. Bouquet is a little more piquant and zingy than the Pezerolles, pointing to the Cote de Nuits, with also just a trace of stalk, as if there may be a whole-bunch component. The nett impression is refreshing, as Robinson would say, and the flavours follow through perfectly, red fruits, a nearly floral component, a slight tannin lift, not quite the weight of fruit / dry extract of the Pezerolles. Cellar 3 – 8 years. This wine appealed more to tasters, five rating it their top or second wine, and three thinking it could be New Zealand GK 10/16

2007 Maison Guigal Chateauneuf-du-Pape 17 + (

)

Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $78 [ cork 50mm, ullage 9mm; original price c.$95 (ie, expensive relative to overseas); Gr 75%, Sy 10, Mv 10, others 5; all bought-in as juice or wine; average vine age 50 years; average cropping 3.8 t/ha (1.6 t/ac); 3 weeks cuvaison; elevation 24 months most say, but the Guigal website implies 36 months in large wood, no vat percentage stated, but again, likely not all in foudre given the volume made; percentage new oak not known but the wine tastes as if some; production c. 15,000 x 9-litre cases; J.L-L, 2013: Inky, blackberry air, the fruit ripe, prune – the bouquet isn’t yet fully open. The palate is tightly wrapped, with its fruit peeping out from a canopy of tannin. Has attractive late spicing. A sturdy, enclosed wine, with only a little juice emerging from its finish. It is grounded, very terrestrial ... There is black raisin in the aftertaste. Not a charming wine, to 2031, ***(*); RP@RP, 2012: on this vintage: It is amazing that Guigal can consistently produce a wine of this majesty; JD@RP, 2017: One of the finest Chateauneuf du Papes made from this iconic estate is easily the 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape. ... full-bodied, Provencal, incredibly perfumed notes of lavender, garrigue, bloody meat, licorice and sweet Grenache fruit. Pure, polished and layered on the palate, with ultra fine tannin ..., to 2032, 93; www.guigal.com ]
Ruby and garnet, below midway in depth. Bouquet is almost a caricature of desirable southern Rhone Valley wine attributes, very fragrant, beautiful garrigue aromatics, lovely berry / oak interaction in the Guigal style, maybe the minutest trace of savoury brett complexity. Palate follows harmoniously, freshly berried, supple on the lower alcohol, surprising length on the older oak, palate-weight tending lighter in the company. As so often with Guigal wines, this example in effect captures the essence of the Chateauneuf-du-Pape wine style, so it had to be number one in the lineup, as a ‘sighter’ to the 12 in the blind tasting. Nonetheless tasters ranked the wine well, two first places, two second. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 10/19

2016 Maison Guigal Cotes du Rhone 17 + (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $23 [ cork 46mm, 2016 the same as the 2015 in winemaking detail, Sy 50%, Gr 40, Mv 10, average age 35 years, typically cropped at 5.2 t/ha = 2.1 t/ac; elevation 18 months in vat and large oak; available all discriminating wine merchants; production c.330,000 x 9-litre cases; imported by Negociants NZ, Auckland; weight bottle and closure 567 g; www.guigal.com ]
Ruby, below midway in depth. Bouquet is nearly floral in a quiet pinot noir sense, sweetly ripe and red-fruited, a touch of aromatic black pepper, very clean, not giving much away at this early stage. Palate shows somewhat darker red fruits with a lovely tannin structure, not as grenache-dominant as some of these southern Rhone blends, fine-grained and furry as if grape tannins dominate, older oak, good length considering it is not a big wine. This is another wine (at a more modest level) to show the aromatic excitement of the 2016 vintage in the Southern Rhone Valley, though it is much quieter than Les Grames for example. It is more aromatic and less plump than the 2015 Guigal Cotes de Rhone, but like it, represents phenomenal quality and technical achievement, for the quantity made. Now that the wine is syrah-dominant, I am wondering if it will cellar as well as the grenache-dominant wines from the 1980s. Cellar 8 – 15 years. GK 06/20

2015 Maison Guigal Cotes du Rhone 17 + (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $23 [ cork 46 mm, Sy 50%, Gr 40, Mv 10, average age 35 years, typically cropped at 5.2 t/ha = 2.1 t/ac; elevation in concrete vat, and large oak, 18 months; available all discriminating wine merchants; weight bottle and cork, 560 g; www.guigal.com ]
Good ruby, older than most, one of the lighter wines. As noted, Guigal Cotes du Rhone ‘had’ to be included, since this is the best-known Cotes du Rhone in the world, and it defines the style. Sadly the 2016 is not yet available in New Zealand, hence the vintage mis-match. Bouquet is fragrant, complex, winey, showing the complexity that big old-wood elevation brings to these winestyles, in this district. There is also a savoury venison-casserole note bespeaking a little brett, which adds to the wine’s attraction. Palate is wonderfully harmonious, not one of the richer wines, but delightfully food-friendly and enjoyable. Red fruits are dominant despite so much syrah in the cepage, plus hints of cinnamon and spice too, and the alcohol is lower than most. When you consider the quality here relative to the volume now made, some 3 million litres or 333,000 x 9-litre cases, it is obvious why this wine is so popular, worldwide. It is the mourvedre that keeps the magic in the wine, now that the ratio of syrah is higher than last century. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 05/19

2010 Ch Haut Bellevue 17 + (

)

Haut-Medoc, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $27 [ cork; Me 55%, CS 45, PV 5 approx, average vine age 26 years, planted at 10,000 vines / ha; at Lamarque, NE of Moulis; Jacques Boissenet consults; Cru Bourgeois du Medoc ranking 2010; RP 86: From a property I don’t see that often, I like the supple tannins, opulent, rich black cherry and black currant fruit, and hints of subtle oak and forest floor in this 2010. It is a medium-bodied, elegant, yet fleshy wine, made from a blend of 55% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Petit Verdot; WS 87: Features a friendly core of steeped red and black currant, with licorice snap, fruitcake and toasted wood spice notes. Remains open-knit through the finish, showing gently lingering fruit. 5,000 cases made. Now – 2014; Availability: 750s out, 2009 (not tasted) in June; www.chateauhautbellevue.fr ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, rather nice, midway in depth. Bouquet here is for all the world like the Esk, beautifully clean, clearly aromatic on new oak, but even more depth of berry. In mouth that impression grows, the ratio of berry to oak providing a model so many New Zealand winemakers could learn from. This is a lovely Medoc, not a big wine, slightly fresh as befits the year, but showing what ripe merlot / cabernet should be like. Cellar 5 – 12 years. VALUE GK 03/13

1982 Ch Les Hauts-Conseillants 17 + (

)

Lalande de Pomerol, Bordeaux, France: – %; $19 [ cork; Me 70%, CF 20, CS 10, hand-harvested; Chateau rated Good by Parker. Rated more favourably by Peppercorn. One third of the oak new, well made wines, an opulent perfumed bouquet, and a seductive silky texture with good concentration, worthy of Pomerol. Same owners as Bonalgue. GK in 1985 rated it Excellent in the context of the sub-$20 wines, commenting: rich ripe soft merlot. ]
Older ruby and garnet. Bouquet is clearly in the high-merlot camp, with tertiary aromas of beeswax and bush-honey on browning red plummy fruit. Palate adds a suggestion of raspberry (as if for cabernet franc), plus tobacco and leather all combining into a mellow fully mature wine. It is starting to fade, while still being eminently enjoyable – not bad for an equivalent cru bourgeois at 25 years of age. Best used in the next few years. GK 09/08

2000 Ch de l’Hospital 17 + (

)

Graves, Bordeaux, France: 13%; $30 [ cork; Me 85%, CS 15; hand-picked, sorted, cuvaison 15 – 21 days, 12 months in French oak, 35% new; this is the first wine, is a second wine; silver medal @ 2002 Challenge International du Vin, Blaye-Bourg; Swiss owner as for Loudenne (Domaines Lafragette); www.lafragette.com/uk/chateau-hospital/graves-rouge.asp ]
Ruby, a little garnet, the second lightest. Bouquet is tantalising on this wine, with a soft richness which is almost burgundian to the first sniff. There are mellow berry and plum qualities merging into cedary oak. Palate is somewhat less, faintly leathery, ageing sooner than expected, but showing ripe berry to the finish. This might not age so well, cellar 5 – 8 years, but is lovely soft drinking even now. GK 04/06

2020 Domaine Lafond Lirac La Ferme Romaine 17 + (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $46 [ cork, 49mm; Gr 65-70%, Sy 25-30, Mv 5, organic, average age 30 years, hand-picked; all de-stemmed, cuvaison up to c.21 days; elevation half in s/s, half in new to older barriques for 8 – 9 months; not fined but filtered, production up to 1,250 x 9-litre cases; no current J.L-L review, but recent vintages have averaged 3.5 stars, with mostly-good comments; similarly RP, scores 90 – 93; the winemaker does not give notes for this year, merely what he wants of the wine in general: a strong ruby colour with a purple tints ... a complex nose of cinnamon, cooked fruits and morello cherry. After a rich and firm attack, the mouth expresses vanilla and peppery aromas which persist to the final. The new barrels … soften the tannins, to oxygenate the wine and to bring a touch of vanilla which will blend with the structure of the wine. It's a supple and rich wine with a very good length in mouth; all the merchant reviews re-write the winemaker’s thoughts, so no guide to a specific vintage available; weight bottle and closure 664 g; www.domaine-lafond.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, well above midway in depth. At the tasting, bouquet on this wine was marginally clipped by subliminal TCA, identified by two tasters. The fruit character seemed a bit clumsy, a hint of Australian boysenberry. Forty-eight hours later the wine was transformed, big dark berry, a suggestion of garrigue complexity, and some cedary oak. Palate flavours once breathed showed almost cassisy dark fruit, hints of blackberry, and furry tannins, nearly as rich as the Guigal, but noticeably more tanniny / newer oak. I imagine this will lighten up considerably with cellaring, 10 – 25 years. But with its damped-down bouquet on the night, six tasters had this is their least wine of the tasting, and nobody rated it. This score is well breathed. GK 04/24

2016 Domaine Lafond Lirac Roc-Epine 17 + (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $30 [ cork 49 mm, Gr 65-70, Sy 30-35, Mv 0-5, organic, hand-picked; all de-stemmed, 21 days cuvaison, elevation in s/s, plus some barriques for 3 – 4 months; available from Maison Vauron, Auckland, and retailers supplied by them; weight bottle and cork, 546 g; www.domaine-lafond.com ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, an attractive colour, below midway in depth. Bouquet is sweet, ripe, lots of berry both grenache with its raspberry and cinnamon, but also darker plummy fruits, and a hint of blackberry implying over-ripe syrah. Palate is soft, rich, fresh, not too alcoholic, a touch of newish oak maybe adding spice (they wouldn't use chips, would they ?), good fruit length, just a little on the juicy / simple side. This too will give much pleasure, and has good richness, at the price. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 05/19

1975 Ch La Lagune 17 + (

)

Haut-Medoc (Ludon, near Margaux) Third Growth, Bordeaux, France: – %; $132 [ cork 53mm; CS 55%, Me 20, CF 20, PV 5; since its rehabilitation in the 1950s, La Lagune has become an often-attractive, modern, tending-rich wine; it was one of the first to adopt the First Growth practice of employing 100% new oak, but later progressively backed off that approach; current practice under winemaker Caroline Frey (consultant Denis Dubourdieu) is 55% new, for 15 – 18 months; Robinson, nil; Parker, 1996: Will the fruit outlast the tannin? This firm, austere, tannic wine exhibits spicy, vanilla-tinged oak and ripe fruit, a good attack, and a medium-bodied, elegant personality. Approaching full maturity, it will keep for another 10-15 years, 86; www.chateau-lalagune.com ]
Ruby and garnet, right in the middle, for depth. This wine sits near the dividing line, between those still with good fruit, and those showing their age. It contrasts with the top five wines, though, in being more rustic, shall we say, one of several where brett was objected to by the sensitive. The style of the berry and fruit here is closer to the Bin 49, almost a rich browning blackberry fleshiness rather than drying currant, and the oak is apparent too. So it is quite a burly wine, for Bordeaux, and accordingly more tasters (at the blind stage) assessed it as Californian than any other. The sum of its disparate parts, including a nutmeg component from the 4-EG, is surprisingly pleasing with food, so one mustn't give too much credence to those hypersensitive to brett. No immediate hurry with this, helped by the 53mm corks. GK 03/15

1976 Ch La Lagune 17 + (

)

Haut-Medoc (Ludon / Margaux) Third Growth, Medoc, France: – %; $100 [ Cork, 54mm, ullage 15mm; CS 55%, Me 20, CF 20, PV 5; purchase price $18.35; 18 – 22 months in barrel; production around 25,000 x 9-litre cases; Parker regards La Lagune as one of the great success stories of Bordeaux, having been rebuilt from dereliction in the 1950s. He earlier regarded it as the greatest value in all Bordeaux; Broadbent, 1978: the usual plausible fruitiness … undoubtedly attractive, but not for dedicated, hypercritical, fault-finding claret fanciers, ***; Broadbent, 1993: Rich appearance and nose. Very sweet, delicious. Near to perfection in the late 1980s, ****; RP@WA, 1989: In a vintage that produced numerous frail, diluted, fragile wines, the 1976 La Lagune is a firmly made, concentrated, successful wine. ... a full-blown bouquet of vanillin oak, grilled nuts, and ripe plums. On the palate, it has an elegant, stylish texture, medium to full body, expansive, sweet, lush fruit, and a heady, but silky finish. Oh, how I wish I had bought more of this wine! Anticipated maturity to 1995, 88; weight bottle and closure: 565 g; www.chateau-lalagune.com ]
Ruby and garnet, only just that way round, exactly midway in depth. This wine smells very different indeed, with both rich browning berryfruit and a big brown raisin (not sultana) fruitcake-and-nutmeg quality bespeaking quite high brett. Initially opened, it showed the pharmaceutical 4-EP phase more noticeable, but with air the spicy 4-EG phase came to dominate totally. In flavour this is a big rich wine, crying out for savoury venison casserole and similar dishes. Naturally, there are those who affect the view such a wine is undrinkable. Note the views of Robert Parker (above): this was before he became attuned to brett, but wisely he has remained tolerant of ‘acceptable’ levels of this fragrant yeast and its fermentation compounds. This and the Giscours made quite a pair in the tasting, for different reasons. Noteworthy that four tasters rated La Lagune as their top wine, and two their second-favourite. Fully mature. At this level of brett, bottles will now vary considerably in their exact character, so best not to cellar it for too much longer. GK 10/20

2002 Ch La Mission Haut-Brion 17 + (

)

Pessac-Leognan, Bordeaux, France: 13%; $285 [ cork 50mm; cepage typically CS 48%, Me 45, CF 7; 20 months in barrel, often 100% new; R. Parker, 2005: Medium-bodied and austere, 89; www.mission-haut-brion.com ]
Ruby and velvet, the second-lightest of the Bordeaux, older than some. Bouquet is clean, relatively youthful despite the older colour, with a cassisy and firm-tannin quality to it suggesting imperfect ripeness of the cabernet sauvignon component. Palate matched, the tannins assertive, a much more New Zealand quality and balance to this wine, the new oak exacerbating the imperfect ripeness. The oak is cedary and good, though, and the whole wine is clearly in style, but like the '04 Pichon, a little more straightforward. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 02/16

nv Champagne Lanvin Brut 17 + (

)

Epernay, Champagne, France: 12.5%; $38 [ supercritical 'cork'; PN 40%, PM 40, Ch 20; www.champagne-lombard.com ]
Pale lemon, a hint of straw. The first thing to say about this wine is it is now sealed with supercritical 'cork', so cork taint is now less likely (but not impossible, Diam is not infallible). The second point is, I have been quite hard on previous bottles of Lanvin in some reviews, so what a pleasant surprise to have it come through in the top half of a blind batch of six wines. Even six wines blind is enough to serve the purpose of such an exercise. Bouquet is 'sweet' and fragrant, no clog, hints of pinot noir, light but attractive autolysis. Palate is on the light side, reflecting the cropping rates and vineyard location of these more affordable champagnes, but the flavours are pure, and the autolysis genuine. Dosage is crisper than the populist New Zealand approach, faithfully reflecting its given 9 g/L on the EuroVintage website. This is the best batch of Lanvin I have seen. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 01/14

2005 Domaine Laroche Chablis les Clos 17 + (

)

Chablis Grand Cru, Burgundy, France: 13%; $167 [ cork; obscure website, PR more than info; www.larochewines.com ]
The moment it was poured, this wine was outside the field. The colour really is quite deep, full straw already. Bouquet is somewhat oxidative, a quincy note apparent in good fruit, but stylewise a long way from classical chablis. This might be a defective cork (in the sense of oxidised, not corked), but a second bottle was not available. Palate redeems the wine greatly, with by far the greatest fruit richness in this bracket, and a mealy texture which is almost Meursault, giving lovely flavours in mouth – those older bottled nectarines again. Hedonistically, or for people who don't smell wine, this could score highly, but technically, this bottle is lacking. Whether it reflects the complete bottling I cannot say. If representative, cellar 1 – 3 years only. GK 03/08

1996 Ch Leoville Barton 17 + (

)

St Julien Second Growth, Bordeaux, France: – %; $ – [ cork; CS 72%, Me 20, CF 8; up to 21 days cuvaison; up to 20 months in French oak ]
Ruby and velvet, the lightest, but not the oldest of the six. Bouquet on this one is a little more old-fashioned, with good berry, much dark tobacco, a suggestion of leaf, but all a little more rustic with a light brett component. In mouth, the leafyness grows, the berry showing quite a tannic edge with a stalky note more noticeable than Montrose, which shortens the flavour. It thus shares some qualities with the Montrose, but the Barton is more 'furry' and rustic. This may be drying in another 10 years, so cellaring 5 – 8 might be wiser. GK 05/07

2013 Ch Leoville-Barton [ Cabernet / Merlot ] 17 + (

)

Saint Julien Second Growth, Bordeaux, France: 13%; $99 [ cork; original price $NZ110; CS 72%, Me 20, CF 8, planted to 9000 vines / ha, average vine age 35 years; 2 – 3 weeks cuvaison in wood; 20 months elevation in French oak 50% new; Harding @ Robinson, 2015: Mid cherry red. Rich, dark fruit on the nose, cassis, light chocolate note and a hint of spice. Very inviting. Firm, compact, chalky tannins. This is on the light side but elegant and shapely. Lively, dry finish, 16.5; Parker, 2014: One of the more pigmented and denser colored 2013s, Leoville Barton is atypically forward and tasty at this stage of its development. It possesses a dense ruby/plum color in addition to abundant cassis notes, sound acidity, pure fruit, and a broad, savory mouthfeel. Medium-bodied and packed, it should drink nicely for 10-15 years, and will be one of the longer-lived 2013s, 90 – 92; Martin @ Parker, 2016: ... backward bouquet ... perfume here with blackberry ... medium-bodied with ripe tannin, a crisp line of acidity with finesse and elegance on the finish ... one of the best in Saint Julien. ... a solid showing in a tough vintage, to 2032, 90; weight bottle and closure: 560 g; www.leoville-barton.com ]
Ruby, the lightest wine by a wide margin. Bouquet is delightful, fresh, lively red and darker berries, a suggestion of cassis, dark plums, and subtle oak to balance, forthcoming from the moment it is opened, totally pure. Palate is markedly less, the fruit petite and just ripe, red plums more than black, happily avoiding any methoxypyrazine notes but nonetheless a hint of stalk is evident, and total acid is up. Given the modest year climatically in Bordeaux, the wine is charming and complete, but decidedly small-scale. In terms of dry extract, because it was a lesser year in Bordeaux, the wine reminds of Hawkes Bay Cabernet / Merlots from about the year 2000, except the New Zealand wines were then much too oaky, whereas this Leoville-Barton is perfectly judged. One person rated it their second favourite wine, but tellingly, seven rated it the least wine of the evening – the only wine with a clear vote for this attribute. A certain class of food-writer would describe this as a delightful ‘luncheon’ wine. Cellar 5 – 18 years. GK 06/17

1978 Ch Leoville Las Cases 17 + (

)

St Julien Second Growth, Bordeaux, France: – %; $ – [ cork 53mm; then was c.CS 67%, Me 17, CF 13, PV 3, the average age of the vines c.30 years; 18 months in barrel, % new then not sure, later was 50 – 100% depending on the quality of the vintage; now rated as one of the undoubted 'super-seconds'; Leoville Las Cases has long been a favourite of Robert Parker, who among St Juliens regards them as: a shade darker in color, more tannic, larger scaled, more concentrated, and of course built for extended cellaring. Of our vintage he says: a great Las Cases … one of the top wines of this very good vintage … rich full deep flavours still [ 1990 ] encased behind a wall of tannin 92; Robinson in 2009: Dense, complete, savoury and confident with great balance 18 (and that was a half bottle); skimpy info on website; www.domaines-delon.com ]
Ruby and garnet, surprisingly lighter than expected, just above midway. This wine too has a beautiful evolved Bordeaux bouquet, showing not quite the berry component of the Palmer, more an entwining of cedar and tobacco with undefined berry fruit. Like the Palmer however, but more so, it does not follow through ideally to the palate, and because there is more oak, even though the fruit is fragrant the acid seems correspondingly more noticeable. The Margaux apart, these clarets are very much the way bordeaux used to be, lighter, more refreshing, 'classical'. One first place. Fading now. GK 04/14

2007 Domaine Les Aphillanthes Cotes du Rhone-Villages le Cros 17 + (

)

Cotes du Rhone-Villages AOC, Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $36 [ cork; Sy 100%; 12 months in barriques; no website ]
Ruby and velvet, a little carmine. What a mixed message this wine conveys on bouquet, with the fragrance of seemingly 'Spanish' oak implying American, on fragrant almost cassisy and dark plum syrah very much in the background – very modern. Palate is soft, rich, dry and oaky, still all surprisingly youthful. There must be American oak in this modern winestyle (though it seems unlikely), it seems excessive now, but given the richness it should marry up well in cellar over 5 – 15 years. An intriguing wine, which the American Robert Parker rates highly – 90 points, though not all his descriptors click with me. GK 07/10

2000 Ch Les Forts de Latour 17 + (

)

Second wine of Pauillac First Growth, Bordeaux, France: 13%; $161 [ cork; cepage typically CS 75%, Me 20, CF 4, PV 1, in 2000 CS 60, Me 40 (Parker); planted to 10,000 vines / ha, average age less than the 37 years of the grand vin; typically 21 days cuvaison, 17 months in French oak presumably older than the 85 – 100% new of the grand vin; JR: 18; RP: 92; WS: 93; www.chateau-latour.com ]
Ruby and velvet, the second to lightest, fresher than the Grand-Puy. In the company, at the blind stage this was clearly the least of the wines, though still clearly claret. The key attribute is the imperfect ripeness, with leafy / stalky notes on bouquet, in clear cassis / high-cabernet red, very Medoc (in a slightly negative sense). Palate has good fruit, high cassis, a lot of new oak, but the austerity of some stalk is sustained throughout. In one sense, one can say the stalky notes show the winemakers did their task well, culling these fractions from the grand vin. The leafy notes will go tobacco-y as the wine matures, but I cannot share the much greater enthusiasm for this wine evident in all three authors cited. You can't help feeling that sometimes the label does creep in to the evaluation. Cellar 5 – 20 years, maybe longer, and again, in its style. GK 08/10

2001 R Lopez de Heredia Vina Cubillo Crianza 17 + (

)

Rioja DdO Calificada, Spain: 12.5%; $41 [ cork; Te 65%, Grenache 25, Graciano 5, Mazuelo 5, ± Viura; 3 years in cask; the websites www.tondonia.com and www.lopezdeheredia.com are far from easy to use, but there is info buried in there; www.lopezdeheredia.com ]
Lightish ruby and a touch of garnet, mature burgundy in hue and weight. Wow! Time travel. This wine was imported into New Zealand in the 1960s by Dominion Breweries / T & W Young. It last sold at the same price as Tahbilk Shiraz, $1.40. This sample smells absolutely identical. Now as then, the same fragrant tempranillo blend prevails, the same citrus-inflected oak, fragrant and lovely. Back then, the concept of brett was still 20 years ahead of us, and now, yes, there is a little, but totally in proportion. Palate is food-friendly mature wine, at 12.5% alcohol note. Considering however that Cubillo is the lowest ranking of the top R Lopez red wines, a more favourable pricing reflecting the earlier relativities is needed in New Zealand. The mainstream Tahbilk reds are now $23 – 24. [ And we need the Reserva reds in New Zealand, not the whites. They are cropped at < 1 t/ha, and all agree they are still in their glorious traditional style, unaffected by modern fashion or fancy. ] Though it seems mature, Vina Cubillo will cellar for years in its style, 5 – 10. Bottles from the 60s are still worth drinking now, though faded and very dry. The original colour is deceptive, concealing the good dry extract. GK 03/08

2001 Ch Loupiac-Gaudiet 17 + (

)

Loupiac AOC, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $26 [ cork; price / 750 ml; Se 80%, SB 20; hand-harvested and selected; no details on elevage – not all the region’s sweet wines see oak. Loupiac is immediately across the Garonne River from Barsac, on the right bank. One of top nine in AOCs Loupiac and Ste-Croix-du-Mont; website hard to locate; www.chateau-loupiacgaudiet.com ]
Lemonstraw, showing slightly more sheen than the Saints. Initially opened, there is a slight seashore / fresh seaweed (+ve) piquancy to this. Breathes out to a high semillon wine, pure and nectary, little or no oak, pale nectarine / stonefruits dominant, just a little reminder of muscat Beaumes de Venise. Palate is richer than the Saints, clear botrytis complexity on good fragrant fruit richness, the flavour like bottled nectarines and honey, but finishing a little short. Perhaps there is no oak influence in this wine, complexing the flavour and finish. A good sighter wine for the more complex / expensive sauternes and barsacs. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 04/06

2005 Domaine Lucien de Moines Chambolle-Musigny Les Charmes 17 + (

)

Chambolle-Musigny Premier Cru, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $158 [ cork 51mm; more a negociant-eleveur than a grower, only a barrel or two of each appellation; emphasis on maturing wine on the lees; no filtration; www.lucienlemoine.com ]
Ruby and some garnet, right in the middle for depth. Bouquet is red cherry pinot, but there is just a hint of something plainer I can't put my finger on. Fruit richness in mouth is well ahead of the A F Gros, all red fruits, quite a lot of new oak, good mouthfeel, not yet totally harmonised. The doubtful note on bouquet may simply reflect a wine still in awkward adolescence, so it could well score higher in five years. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 04/15

2005 Ch Machorre Bordeaux Superieur 17 + (

)

Bordeaux Superieur, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $25 [ cork; Me 60%, CS 30, CF 10; 12 months in French oak 50% new ]
Ruby and velvet, markedly fresher than the Colombe. Bouquet is fresher too, and leaner and tauter, clearly showing a cassisy cabernet sauvignon component and a greater purity of fruit definition, with subtler oak, some new. Richness and ripeness is exemplary for Bordeaux Superieur with cabernet sauvignon, and purity is first class. This is very good petit Bordeaux, which will cellar 5 – 15 years, illustrating the style well. It is more modern in approach than the Colombe. VALUE. GK 11/10

1970 Ch Margaux 17 + (

)

Margaux First Growth, Bordeaux, France: 11%; $ – [ cork; CS 75%, Me 20, CF and PV 5; 85 ha, 17,500 cases red, 3,500 white. This is another wine with wildly contrasting reviews, serving mainly to remind us that then, before ubiquitous stainless steel, it was not so easy to assemble the vintage into near-uniform bottlings. Broadbent 1980: Its best feature a fabulous bouquet, complex, fruity; medium dry, rich, chunky, perhaps lacking follow-through. ****, till 2000. And in 2002, a bottle in 2000: a big wine, but much more approachable than Latour; nose low-keyed but harmonious, sweet good fruit, slow to open up; medium sweetness and body, rich good fruit, grip and balance, its sustaining tannins and acidity under control. **** Drink or keep. Parker 1983: From a great vintage, this is the type of wine to foster consumer ill-will toward expensive Bordeaux. Austere, lacking fruit and richness. 76. So, as for the Las Cases, we must make up our own minds, on the evidence on the night …; www.chateau-margaux.com ]
Like the Lascombes, this wine is showing a good ratio of ruby to garnet, and is above halfway in depth. Freshly opened the bouquet is sensational (just as Broadbent says), ghostly violets and roses, subtle cedar, truly aethereal (which is not a euphemism for estery / volatile). There is cassis and a berry component too. Palate is astonishingly light however, yet fresh in mouth, cassisy, initially lovely. This is not a wine to leave breathing for hours, though, for the fruit is more apparent than real. The palate shortens as the fruit fades, leaving more the acid, leafy and tannic side of a Cabernet / Merlot blend, not as rich even as the Las-Cases, but softer. Another wine past its prime (in a temperate climate cellar), to be finished up while the bouquet is still magic. GK 03/10

2004 Domaine de Montille Pommard les Pezerolles 17 + (

)

Pommard Premier Cru, Burgundy, France: 13%; $125 [ cork; vine age 20 – 60 years; some underlying limestone; winemaking details not supplied but alternative sources suggest 100% de-stemmed, 2 – 3 days cold soak, wild yeast fermentation, 15 days cuvaison; French oak 30% new; light fining; Robinson (cask sample): Very, very rich and zappy. 17+; Spectator: Robust and firmly tannic, with juicy cherry, earth and pomegranate-tinged flavors wrapped within. Frank and muscular, but with good length. Best from 2009 – 2015. 89 ]
Traditional French pinot noir ruby, the lightest in the set. Bouquet is classic Pommard, and therefore close to many middle-weight and rosy red New Zealand pinots. There are good florals from buddleia through roses to boronia, and red fruits from ripest red currant to red cherry and red plum. This is so Martinborough, except the latter frequently have a pennyroyal edge. Palate is remarkably like the Cloudy Bay, identical acid balance, a little plumper but also brettier, perhaps simpler in its fruit descriptors and oak style. This is pleasing premier cru burgundy from a lighter year. Cellar 2 – 8 years. GK 06/07

2016 Clos du Mont-Olivet Cotes-du-Rhone 17 + (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $30 [ cork, 46 mm; Sy 60%, Gr 40, average age not given; some whole-bunches; gentle cuvaison and extraction; elevation some months, in vat mostly, part in big old wood; average production c. 1,350 x 9-litre cases; weight bottle and cork 600 g; access to the website on far right, obscure; www.clos-montolivet.com ]
Ruby, in the lightest 10. Bouquet is sweet, fragrant, clean, a lovely floral garrigue lift on mostly red fruits, and an openness to the bouquet suggesting some big oak. Palate is surprisingly fresh, like the Charvin a hint of stalks, but the whole wine sweeter and riper. It is not one of the rich wines, though. This needs three years to harmonise, then with its lower alcohol and fresh supple flavours, it will be an attractive alternative to pinot noir. Cellar 3 – 8, maybe 12 years. This wine grows on you quite surprisingly: it is immensely drinkable. Available from Truffle Imports, Wellington. GK 07/19

2016 Clos du Mont-Olivet Cotes-du-Rhone Vieilles Vignes 17 + (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $34.50 [ cork, 46 mm; Gr 80%, Ca 10%, Sy 10; 30 – 40% whole-bunches, usually the ripest Gr; cuvaison to 20 days; elevation c.12 months, Gr and Ca in vat mostly, Sy older small wood (228s); fined, filtration if needed; weight bottle and cork 607 g; average production c.2,050 x 9-litre cases; access to the website on far right, obscure; www.clos-montolivet.com ]
Ruby, well below midway in depth. Bouquet has a delightful freshness to it which is most unusual, as if it were syrah dominant, dianthus florals with a hint of paper whites, almost white pepper. In mouth there is gentle berry of fair concentration, altogether a cooler winestyle, a hint of stalks in the syrah component, all unusual in a southern Rhone wine in such a good year. Not everybody will like this wine ... not ripe enough, but it is elegant. It could pass as straight syrah, Les Collines Rhodaniennes for example. Cellar 3 – 8, maybe 12 years. Available from Truffle Imports, Wellington. GK 07/19

1916 Ch Mouton (now Ch Mouton Rothschild) 17 + (

)

Pauillac then Second Growth, now First Growth, Bordeaux, France: – %; $4,382 [ 48mm cork; indicative cepage many years later: CS 85%, Me 8, CF 7; detail on the label: Heritiers du Baron de ROTHSCHILD Prop, Bordeaux; Broadbent (1980) rates the vintage ** (on a scale of five): wet spring, early June flowering, warm August and fine vintage 26 September. Average crop of good if somewhat hard wines lacking charm. He had not tasted the 1916 then, but to give an indication for wines this age: 1916 Ch Leoville Las-Cases. Rich colour, sound nose and flavour, tannic, leathery. Tasted 1974 *; 1916 Ch La Lagune. Chateau bottled: old roasted nose and flavour, smoky, dried up but rich. Tasted 1973 **. By the 2003 edition, he had tasted the wine: lean, scrawny, dried out, April 1986 [ no stars ]. Neither Robert Parker or Jancis Robinson have tasted the wine. The wonderful Penning-Rowsell has, though, as documented in his master-work: The Wines of Bordeaux: … the best year of the First World War was certainly 1916. The wines were big and hard and in their youth were said to lack charm … but two excellent examples encountered at source were … and Mouton-Rothschild … from a magnum and in September '67 was in very good shape. Although there was some brownness in colour, for a wine of fifty years its colour was deep. In flavour the wine was fairly delicate but had a fruity nose. It needed drinking and it was drunk; www.chateau-mouton-rothschild.com ]
Palest garnet, mostly tawny amber in fact, the faintest flush / remnant of palest browning red to the very centre, much the palest wine, like a 25-year-old Volnay. Bouquet is clean, sweet, and cedary, alive and appealing but not exactly showing any berry. Palate is astonishing for two things: the wine has remarkable body / 'fruit', and there is no hint of stalks or high acid. It takes a certain amount of imagination to find ghostly browning remnants of cassis, since cedar is the main smell and flavour. But the wine has such remarkable body and presence in mouth, it is in fact not difficult to feel there is berry-fruit as well. Tasters seemed well-pleased with the condition and taste of the wine, no less than four (of 20) ranking it their top or second wine of the tasting. Certainly my anxiety in opening a bottle valued at more than $4,000 was replaced by sheer joy on finding there was no hint of TCA or spoilage, nor any noticeable VA. Ullage of 44 mm was less than the 1972 Haut-Brion or 1962 Gruaud-Larose, both being old-pattern bottles with long necks, so not strictly comparable.

It is worth recording how the wine opened up, for those who one day may wonder how long to breathe an old wine. Right from the moment of removing the original cork (which had the consistency of colby cheese and threatened to fall into a thousand crumbs as soon as one started to lift it: an Ah-So ended up the preferred tool), the dominant smell was cedar. My decanting is extremely conservative, the wine being simply slid as gently as possible from from its bottle into a burgundy bottle, for this wine cutting off the pour at 675 mls in the receiving bottle (pre-marked). The wine is not touched again until the tasting. The dregs are assessed immediately following decanting, along with the 11 others. By the time of the tasting, say five hours later due to the vicissitudes of the original corks, travel etc, the wine had developed a ghostly but clear-cut berry quality, lightly fleshing-out the sweet cedar. The wine was a delight, at that point. That harmony held for several hours, still being apparent by the time I was home, and had written more detailed notes near midnight, say 10 hours after decanting. 24 hours later that berry quality had faded, and the wine was now pretty well the same as its first opening, sweetly cedary, perhaps a little softer, still with remarkable body / texture in mouth, but now a cedar edge showing slightly more. The key to the longevity of this wine must be the very high dry extract / richness, reflecting a low cropping rate. A great experience. GK 10/16

2006 Maison Nicolas Potel Chambertin-Clos de Beze 17 + (

)

Gevrey-Chambertin Grand Cru, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $320
Good pinot noir ruby, a little below midway in depth. Bouquet is quiet, pure, red cherry more than black, sound but lacking excitement. Flavour shows attractive red fruits, good length, but the oak creeping up and starting to dry the later palate. Very much a wine in the middle, in this tasting. Cellar 3 – 8 years, longer if increased oak is OK. GK 08/12

2005 Tenuta dell'Ornellaia [ Cabernets / Merlot ] Ornellaia 17 + (

)

Bolgheri Superiore DoC, Tuscany, Italy: 14.5%; $260 [ cork; CS 60%, Me 22, CF 14, PV 4, hand-picked, table-sorted; 25 days cuvaison; MLF and 18 months in French oak 70% new, 30 one-year; 11600 cases; Parker 6/08: The medium-bodied 2005 shows plenty of delineation in its dark cherries, blueberries, spices, minerals and crushed rocks … not the detail of the 2004 or the richness of the 2006, but it does offer notable finesse and clarity in an understated style for this wine …relatively early-maturing vintage … 2010-2020. 93; WS 10/08: Displays beautiful aromas of ripe fruit, with currant, plum and blackberry. This complex and full-bodied Tuscan red has soft, polished tannins and a long, long finish. Shows a deft hand in the winemaking. Best after 2012. 95; www.ornellaia.it ]
[ This Italian wine was produced by Stephen Bennett, Auckland wine merchant and MW, to see how it would sit with these aspiring new- and old-world 2005 Bordeaux blends. It is one of the so-called super-Tuscans. The answer is, clumsily, another wine made in the big over-ripe, over-oaked and overly-alcoholic style so praised these days by new world commentators. ] Colour is old for age, older even than the oldest Bordeaux 2005, but also one of the deepest. Bouquet is richly berried but very oaky, noticeable VA, yet in the leathery sur-maturité there is an odd savoury herbes complexity, almost hinting at some of those clumsy mixed-ripeness reds from Coonawarra a generation ago. Really quite odd. The palate is intensely sweetly fruited, dry no doubt, but high glycerol and alcohol giving viscosity, and apparent sweetness, all lingering long but relatively coarsely. The massive Sophia looks like a ballerina alongside this Ornellaia. Cellar 5 – 20 years, in its style. GK 10/08

2004 Ch Palmer 17 + (

)

Margaux Third Growth, Bordeaux, France: 13%; $231 [ cork; vineyard cepage CS 47%, Me 47, PV 6, average age 35 – 40 years, planted @ 10 000 vines / ha, and cropped @ c. 2.6 t/ac; www.chateau-palmer.com ]
Ruby and some velvet, the second to lightest. Bouquet is very fragrant, but this is the first of the wines in the December bracket to also display some leafiness in the cassisy berry. Palate is pure austere cassis and beautiful finegrain oak with some richness of fruit too, but there is a little stalkyness creeping in to the classic flavours – clearly the wine of a cool-year. Parker's suggestion this wine is reminiscent of the 1966 vintage is off-the-mark. The 1966 was sheer velvet, amply ripe and plush, at the same point in its evolution. This 2004 has no hope of being the great success the 1966 is today. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 12/07

1962 [ Penfolds ] Minchinbury Rhine Riesling 17 + (

)

Rooty Hill, Sydney, NSW, Australia: – %; $ – [ cork , second bottle available but ullaged and lesser colour, so here's hoping; Langton's estimate the current value of this bottle to be $AU200; these bottles found in Westport in 1971; the Minchinbury winery and vineyard at Rooty Hill was at its peak in the early 1950s, famed amongst other things for its Trameah (traminer – as was the Hunter Valley, then). There was a short resurgence of quality in the early 60s, but the land came under increasing pressure from encroaching suburbia. Wine production and viticulture ceased in 1978. No tasting notes found. Langton's website includes in its history section the statement: "At one stage Penfolds Minchinbury “Champagne” and Minchinbury “Trameah” were the leading sparkling and white table wines produced in Australia during the 1950s." This is a taste of history, therefore ... ]
Gold, a wash of old gold, not surprisingly, much the deepest wine. So, one sniffed it apprehensively, and (as the presenter) … joy …, the wine is well alive, clearly varietal, and dramatically honeyed (bush honey, as one taster noted). There is still clear hoppy terpene complexity, mingled with a mealy hazelnut-like aroma bespeaking faint maderisation maybe (for those who wanted to be critical), but no more so than an attractive old chardonnay. Palate shows good fruit richness, good length and depth in a mixed raisiny yet mealy style, some residual sweetness still to cover the drying phenolics, intriguing. It would now be a perfect accompaniment to Anzac biscuits [ later – yes ! ], and it is a pleasure to taste at 52 years of age. It is extraordinarily good considering the Sydney district is hardly premium riesling country. The winemaking must have been exemplary in its subtlety. Not everybody was quite as pleased with the wine as I was – unfamiliarity per se, and ... naturally ... one gets to like old wine flavours more as one gets older – but most found it pretty interesting. GK 03/14

1976 Ch Petrus 17 + (

)

Pomerol honorary Premier Grand Cru Classé (A), Bordeaux, France: – %; $2,964 [ Cork, 54mm, ullage 16mm; Me 95%, CF 5; 24 – 26 months in barrel; production around 2,500 x 9-litre cases; Petrus has been Me 100% in recent years, according to Wikipedia; Parker in his forthright way so contrasting with virtually all other wine-writers in the world last century, asks in his 1991 book whether the wines of the later 1970s justified the prices being paid for them, and whether Petrus had become lighter in style. At that stage, before he became attuned to Brettanomyces, he was particularly concerned about filtration, introduced at Petrus in the 1976 vintage: The remarkable thing about the great vintages of Petrus prior to 1975 was that it was irrefutably the most incredibly concentrated, opulent wine made in Bordeaux. That can no longer be said ... Lately with increased competition from other ambitious Pomerol proprietors, it has returned to form, but is no longer regarded as automatically the best east-bank wine of the vintage. Broadbent, 1980: Deep mulberry-like merlot aroma; dry but rich, broad style, peppery still, **(**); Broadbent, 2002: Good but not great, ***; JR@JR, 2013: Fresh, sweet, floral aromas. Light for a Petrus but clean and charming. Very fresh finish with medium persistence. A wine with no more to give but so much more intense than most 1976 red bordeaux would be now, 17.5; Parker, 1996: 1976 Petrus has been fully mature since it was released … red and black fruits touched by sweet toasty oak. It continues to be a pleasing, fat style of Petrus, without the body, weight, and depth of a great year. It needs to be drunk up, 88; Petrus is in the Moueix stable, but their website does not deign to list Ch Petrus as such; weight bottle and closure: 565 g ]
Garnet, ruby and velvet, the second-deepest wine. At the time of decanting, the wine smelt ripe, rich, leathery and tanniny, not the varietal berry qualities hoped for. By the time of the tasting, threshold TCA had become apparent on bouquet – such a disappointment – but noted by six-only tasters, mainly winemakers. The wine’s richness and the furry tannins pretty well masked any off-character on palate. So the nett impression is of a sturdy, over-ripe, one-dimensional Petrus lacking any varietal charm or specificity, but still rich and rewarding on palate, more particularly for those who like wines from a warmer climate. It is the richest wine of the 12. You have to wonder yet again why the American palate has so endorsed the more one-dimensional merlot-led wines of the east bank, when compared with the (at best) more aromatic, complex and exciting wines of the Medoc. Once revealed, a disappointment for tasters, since Ch Petrus is a rare offering at public tastings in New Zealand. One person had it as their second favourite wine, on the palate richness. Stunning cork quality, so this wine too has the body to hold for longer, though to no advantage. Score is post-Gladwrap® treatment, which over 48 hours on ice, worked perfectly. GK 10/20

1979 Ch Pichon Lalande 17 + (

)

Pauillac Second Growth, Bordeaux, France: – %; $210 [ cork, 52mm; cepage then approx. CS 45%, Me 35, CF 12, PV 8, planted at 9,000 vines / ha; 18 – 20 months in barrel, 50% new; Pichon Lalande is ranked by many as a Super-Second; Coates, 1982: Good fruit on the nose, fresh and ripe. Medium body, some tannin, quite rich. Good balance. One of the best 1979s; R. Parker, 1991: Another top success for the vintage, and a worthy challenger to the outstanding 1978 … a ripe, full-intensity, cedary, blackcurrant-scented bouquet that in certain bottles seems dominated by an herbaceous character. Quite velvety, rich, and gentle on the palate, and developing quickly, this round, generous, yet stylish and elegant wine has impeccable balance. Now – 1998: 92; Broadbent, 2002: [ initially ] … full of crisp fresh fruit and excitement … [ latterly ] … palate more interesting than nose but lack of balance … At best ***; Coates 2002: Now perhaps beginning to lose its vigour. But lovely nevertheless. Mellow, cedary, mulberry and roast chestnuts. But hints that it is thinning out on the nose. Medium-full body. Now mellow. It still has good grip and vigour on the palate. It still has great charm. Excellent harmony and intensity. Lovely: 18.5; www.pichon-lalande.com ]
Garnet and ruby, right in the middle for depth. Bouquet is amazingly fine-grain, with clear browning cassis but also trace stalk, on pure cedary oak. Palate has a clean aromatic sparkle to it, surprising in a wine at 40 years of age – this refreshing quality reflecting some under-ripeness. It is less ripe than the Palmer, but almost as rich. This wine came across as a familiar and therefore attractive wine style in a New Zealand setting, with two first-place ratings and five second – the second most favoured wine. Like the Las Cases, but a little moreso, it is moving past its prime, needing to be finished. GK 08/19

1978 Pio Cesare Barolo 17 + (

)

Piedmont, Northern Italy: 13.5%; $404 [ cork; Ne 100%; apparently the first year for use of small new wood; Wine Spectator vintage rating for the year, 90; information is now scarce, but in a reflective article in 2014 Decanter visited the district, tasted back through the vintages, and reported on the 1978s (including our wine today, amongst others): The years since the harvest of 1978 have seen many changes in Piedmont. There has been a proliferation of stainless-steel fermenting tanks (of which there were few in 1978), not to mention the introduction of temperature-controlled fermentation, shortened fermentation and maceration times and the appearance of barriques in the cellars. … Unquestionably a classic, pre-global warming growing season. A cool, rainy spring followed by a cooler than average summer, but capped by a glorious, warm autumn with great diurnal temperature variations. All showed big, funky, mushroom aromas, just turning to truffle; deep, mature, mushroom and mineral flavours; long earth and dried black fruit finishes, with lots of life in them yet ... a five-star vintage; Robert Parker’s website no longer has the tasting note for this wine, but earlier said: Pio Cesare’s 1978 Barolo is fully mature. It shows slightly maderized aromas on the nose followed by evolved flavors of prunes and plums with good length, soft tannins and a note of menthol on the finish, 89; www.piocesare.it ]
Garnet and ruby, a hint of amber to the rim. Bouquet is delightfully fragrant, but totally different from the Bordeaux blends. Here in one sense there is sweetly fragrant best caramel toffee, and in another sense the raspberries and tar of classic Barolo descriptions – but the red fruits all totally browned now. Likewise the palate could not be more different from the silken fine-grain elegance of the better clarets: here there are the inimitable furry tannins of Barolo / nebbiolo totally to the fore, plus higher acid, yet all beautifully integrated and long, in its distinctive ‘older-style Barolo’ flavour. It will hold this form for years, fading gently to become ever more autumnal. Three first places, but also two least, I imagine simply because it was so out of style in the tasting. GK 10/18

1975 Champagne Pol Roger Chardonnay Extra Cuvée de Reserve Brut 17 + (

)

Epernay, Champagne, France: – %; $ – [ cork; too old for winesearcher (!); Ch 100%; complete malolactic fermentation; no oak; >5 years sur lie; dosage c.9 g/L; www.polroger.com ]
Straw, a suggestion of gold. Bouquet is rich and biscuitty, but you have that feeling this is not a perfect bottle. You can't smell TCA as such, but there is a suggestion of dull caskiness, as if the cork were made of 'wood', which loosely speaking it is. Palate is lovely however, still great fruit, still a hint of citrus in the amalgam of baguette crust and white stone fruits, as rich as or richer than the Nautilus, but somehow not 'fleshy', elegant crisp dosage tasting like 7 – 8 g/L. A good bottle of this should still be wonderful. A tasting later this year at Regional Wines, Wellington, of old champagnes and related wines, will put a second bottle to the test. GK 02/16

2002 N. Potel Gevrey-Chambertin Combe au Moine 17 + (

)

Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 13%; $110
Good pinot noir a little deeper than the village wine. Bouquet here shows more oak influence on the mixed cherry fruit than the village wine, and hence is less floral and varietal at this stage. Palate may be a little richer, but the phenolic older oak in some senses detracts from the simple pinot beauty the lesser appellation displays. Richer though, so may surprise in cellar 10 – 15 years. GK 08/04

2004 Ch Poyferre 17 + (

)

St Julien Second Growth, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $102 [ cork; vineyard cepage CS 65%, Me 25, PV 8, CF 2, average age 25 – 30 years, planted @ 8 000 vines / ha, and cropped @ c. 2.5 t/ac; www.leoville-poyferre.fr ]
Ruby and velvet, a little carmine, one of the deeper. Bouquet is piquant on trace VA, in cassis and dark plum, plus subtle oak. Palate is a little acid and short, richer than the Palmer but like it a trace of stalk, all in a fragrant and classical fresh claret style. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 12/07

2005 Ch Le Prieuré 17 + (

)

Saint-Emilion, Bordeaux, France: 14%; $40 [ cork 50mm, Me 75%, CF 25, vines average 7,100 / ha; time in barrel not clear, 50% new; c.1,800 cases; www.chateauleprieure.com ]
Ruby and velvet, one of the fresher and lighter hues. Bouquet here is classic merlot not over-ripened, real florals, black cherry and red and black plummy fruits, elegant understated cedary oak, but all small-scale. Palate is more the weight of La Fleur-Petrus, but with an interesting cool aromatic edge, tending even to red currants, which one wants to tie in with the 25% cabernet franc. This is in some ways a simpler wine, and not quite perfectly ripe, reflecting some aspects of the kinds of merlots all too commonly marked up in New Zealand. There is still some tannin to soften. Cellar 8 – 15 years. GK 11/15

2003 Ch Quinault l'Enclos 17 + (

)

St Emilion Grand Cru, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $62 [ cork; Me 77%, CF 17, CS & Ma 6, planted at 5800 vines /ha, cropped at 28 hL/ha (1.5 t/ac) in 2003, typically @ 38 (2 t/ac), average age 50 years; Parker: ... a charming bouquet of flowers and berries ... medium-bodied, pure, beautifully-textured flavors ... but lacks the richness of top vintages. 89; www.chateau-quinault.com ]
Glowing ruby. Bouquet is greatly influenced by the charry oak, with a passing suggestion of smoked fish (+ve), on plummy fruit. Palate is not quite so promising, with a suggestion of green tannins, another with a hard streak, in the plummy fruit. The finish is therefore rather dominated by tannin-related features. Once it loses some tannin, which may take 10 years, it will look more friendly. Cellar 10 – 25 years. GK 08/06

2009 Ch de Retout 17 + (

)

Cussac, Haut-Medoc, Bordeaux, France: 14%; $30 [ cork; CS 68%, Me 25, PV 7, average age 30 years, planted 6666 / ha, mostly machine-picked but hand-sorted, moving to organic status; temperature-controlled s/s fermentation vats; up to 5 weeks cuvaison; 12 months in French oak 28% new; cru bourgeois, Haut-Medoc; www.chateau-du-retout.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, the second deepest. Bouquet here is more sophisticated than some of the higher-scored wines, a clearcut cassis component bespeaking cabernet sauvignon, good fruit, some new oak. Palate does not quite live up to the bouquet, good richness but a slightly stalky streak in the cassis, a mixture of grape flavours implying uneven ripeness. On the other hand, it also in a hot year means more complexity. Clearly Medoc, and once it loses some tannin, should give pleasure. Cellar 8 – 20 years. GK 06/12

2010 Ch Rollan de By 17 + (

)

Medoc, Bordeaux, France: 14%; $40 [ cork; Me 70, CS 10, CF 10, PV 10, hand-picked; great care with phenolic maturity, hand-sorting; from Begadan, 12 km NW of St Estephe; 12 months in barriques, 60% new; Alain Reynaud consults; Cru Bourgeois du Medoc ranking 2010; JR 4/11: 15 Sample a bit tired and it all seems a bit leathery. 2014 – 19; RP 90: Consistently better than its humble appellation, this excellent wine offers up plenty of black currant fruit intermixed with cedar wood, licorice and incense in a medium to full-bodied, surprisingly concentrated and expansive style that should drink nicely for a minimum of a decade or more. There’s no need for patience with this sleeper of the vintage, given the sweetness of its tannins, attractive glycerin and fruit levels; WS 90: Solid, with a core of raspberry and steeped blackberry fruit inlaid with anise, apple wood and wood spice notes, all backed by a well-integrated graphite edge on the finish. Now – 2020. 27,000 cases made; Berry Brothers (London) note that Italian master-winemaker Riccardo Cotarella also consults, the cuvaisons are long, and the property is: a very reliable source of good value Medoc; Availability: low; www.rollandeby.com/en ]
Ruby and velvet, well above midway in density. Bouquet is very New Zealand, very cabernet it seems on the aromatics, but on learning the cepage one has to reinterpret that as new oak, potentially cedary. Flavours in mouth are elegant, a lovely wrapping of rich berry around the oak, with the potential to develop an excellent bouquet in bottle. This wine didn't show so well at the tasting, but with air overnight it really blossomed. It seems to be nearly on a par with the Lanessan, but more oaky and slightly leathery / not quite so pure. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 03/13

2007 Domaine Rousseau Clos St-Jacques 17 + (

)

Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $377 [ cork; up to 22 months in 100% new French oak; Rousseau owns 2.2 ha, 33% of the vineyard; making approx 725 cases; www.domaine-rousseau.com ]
Lightish pinot noir ruby, well below midway. Bouquet is beautifully floral at the red roses and boronia level, lifted by the vanillin of new oak, all on a red cherry base. Palate has some of the fleshyness of the paler New Zealand wines, and in my blind tasting certainly did not come through as obviously French, being all at the red cherry level only. There is slight disappointment here, as one of Rousseau's top reds by reputation, since it is so much paler and fleshier / less authoritative than the Close de Beze. I wonder if it is chaptalised rather much. The quality of the new oak is great, though. Cellar 3 – 12 years, maybe to surprise. GK 11/10

2007 Domaine Rousseau Les Cazetiers 17 + (

)

Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $168 [ cork; up to 22 months in mostly second-year French oak; Rousseau owns 0.6 ha, 4.9% of the vineyard; making approx 200 cases; www.domaine-rousseau.com ]
Pinot noir ruby, well below midway in depth. Bouquet is fragrant and varietal, all red fruits, and mostly older oak, with just a hint of soft old-style Rioja to it. Palate is light but not weak, red cherry only but no red currants so properly ripe, sustaining oak, pleasing 'serious' but not substantial burgundy, richer than the Village wine, but close to it in style. Several 3 – 12 years. GK 11/10

2007 Domaine Rousseau Mazy-Chambertin 17 + (

)

Gevrey-Chambertin Grand Cru, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $253 [ cork; up to 22 months in mostly second-year French oak; Rousseau owns 0.5 ha, 5.8% of the vineyard; making approx 175 cases; www.domaine-rousseau.com ]
Light pinot noir ruby, the lightest of the Rousseau grands crus, well below midway in the field. Bouquet is the lightest of the Chambertin variants too, but it is pure with fragrant red fruits and some vanillin, but not exactly floral. Palate is red cherries, some new oak, deceptive in its weight, seeming light, but like the Clos de la Roche (but less so) there is more to it than might be supposed. At the price, it makes the village wine seem good value (!), for one has to focus very hard to find the greater concentration here. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 11/10

1998 Ch de Saint Cosme Gigondas 17 + (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $37 [ cork, 45mm; purchase price c.$30; cepage this year Gr 80%, Syrah 15, balance Ci, no Mv; hand-harvested, average yield 3.75 t/ha = 1.5 t/ac; cuvaison in s/s, some whole-bunches; elevation c. 12 months, more than 50% of the wine in vat and large wood, less than half the wine in 1 – 4 year barrels; usually no fining or filtering; tending organic wine; R. Parker, 2000: ... a sweet cherry and blackberry-scented nose with notions of smoke and minerals. Fat, chewy, medium to full-bodied, and delicious, 89; J. L-L, 2000: Good palate, a lot of matter here, very knit together. Has a really intense, potent Grenache flavour. A classic, big, rather tough Gigondas youngster. Has a very good tannic structure, *****; bottle weight 616g; www.saintcosme.com ]
Garnet more than ruby, in the middle for depth. This wine breathed up noticeably in the glass, so decant it vigorously. It gradually reveals fragrant red fruits browning now, cinnamon from grenache, and some complexity from blending varieties. As with the Valbelle, palate is smaller than the Chateauneuf-du-Papes, the wine at full maturity now. The tannins are falling out delightfully with quite heavy crusting in bottle, and the flavour is now harmonious and reasonably long. There is a suggestion of whole-bunch / stalks adding freshness, and a savoury suggestion hinting at trace brett. This is ready for drinking now and in the next few years. GK 07/18

2005 Ch Saint-Paul 17 + (

)

Haut-Medoc (Saint-Seurin) Cru Bourgeois, Bordeaux, France: 13%; $25 [ cork; CS 55%, Me 40, CF 5; 12 months in barrel, 25% new; formerly parts of Le Boscq and Morin, then St Estephe; Sam Kim / Wine Orbit: lifted aromas of blackcurrants, dark plums and subtle spicy oak. With time in glass tar and smoked meat … concentrated … fresh acidity … impressively structured 92; there is a second wine to help maintain the quality of this main wine. ]
Ruby and velvet. This is an intriguing wine, there being a leafy / nearly floral and blackcurrant note on bouquet, suggesting syrah as well as cabernet sauvignon, plus good berry and fairly clean oak. Palate confirms a cabernet component, cassis and dark plum, some new oak, though still essentially a minor cru bourgeois with a touch of brett. Ripeness and richness are attractive, in a classical claret style, but there is not quite the elegance of the higher-pointed ones. This should cellar 5 – 15 years, and provide pleasing fragrant and affordable bordeaux along the way. GK 04/08

2008 [ Pernod-Ricard ] Saints Chardonnay Gisborne 17 + (

)

Gisborne, New Zealand: 13%; $20 [ screwcap, clone 15 dominates @ 71%, mendoza 23, clone 95 @ 2, Vi 4; 100% BF in French 70% and American oak 30, 15% new; some LA and 16% MLF; RS 3 g/L; http://www.pernod-ricard-nz.com/tastingnotes.php ]
Elegant lemon. Bouquet is straight up and down chardonnay, very clean and pure, lightly influenced by fragrant oak possibly including some American. White stonefruits dominate both bouquet and palate, and it seems simple alongside the Pegasus Bay or Cloudy Bay wines. But it is worth studying, just to capture the simpler white-fruit flavours of the new chardonnay clones, for the actual concentration of fruit here is surprisingly good, as is the purity. There is not much barrel-ferment or lees-autolysis complexity getting in the way (just enough to complex it attractively), and the spurious VA lift which used to characterise quite a few Pernod-Ricard family chardonnays from Gisborne is not apparent at all. The Saints labels vary in quality, but examples like this one can offer terrific value when sometimes on special even down to $10. Cellar 2 – 8 years, in its simple way. GK 05/09

2015 Domaine Le Sang des Cailloux Vacqueyras Cuvée Azalais 17 + (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $43 [ cork, 50mm; cepage this year Gr 70%, Sy 20, the balance Ca, Ci, Mv, hand-harvested at 3.65 t/ha = 1.5 t/ac; all de-stemmed; wild yeast fermentations, cuvaison in concrete vats; elevation 12 months in foudre; not fined or fltered; this biodynamic vineyard is a favourite of the highly discriminating Kermit Lynch, wine merchant extraordinaire in San Francisco. The name of the wine changes each year, named for the three daughters; J. Czerwinski @ R. Parker, 2017: solid, traditionally built ... medium to full-bodied, filled with notes of cola, blueberries and spice, and features some firm, muscular tannins that suggest short-term cellaring and moderate age-worthiness. 2020 - 2030, 90; J.L-L: (on the estate in general) This is very much in the top three domaines of Vacqueyras, and the wines can be cellared for a couple of decades. J.L-L on this wine, in 2018: ... a good, confident nose, leads on blackcurrant followed by blackberry fruit with dash licorice, a light note of baking. The palate ... good spine and length ... prune, chalky notes in the flavour. They have achieved freshness, which is exemplary, this year. This is real STGT wine [one of J.L-L's 'pet' terms, Soil-To-Glass-Transfer, meaning he approves greatly], ****; bottle weight 592g; www.sangdescailloux.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, the deepest wine. And on bouquet the most distinctive wine in the set too, for here is the youthful version of the character we found in half the 1998s the week before. On top of rich, ripe, fragrant, darkly plummy fruit there is unmistakable savoury, leathery and nutmeg-laden Brettanomyces wild-yeast complexity, making the Azalais seem old-fashioned among the other 11 very clean wines. Palate is velvety-rich, darkly flavoured plummy and boysenberry fruit, older oak, long and spicy in mouth, a wine to partner venison casserole to perfection. Increasingly, bretty winestyles are becoming wines that people either love or hate. For those who love them, bear in mind this wine is not sterile-filtered to bottle, so if you cellar it, after 15 years or so, some bottles will become too wayward to be pleasant – because brett lives on and may multiply in some bottles. This is the reason for the extreme variation bottle to bottle in brett-affected wines – and there is no way of knowing how the bottle you have just taken from your case of the wine will open up. Cellaring 5 – 12 years would be safest. GK 08/18

2005 Domaine Santa Duc Gigondas Les Hautes Garrigues 17 + (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 15%; $56 [ cork, 50mm; original price $56; Gr 80% , Mv 15 (since increased), balance Sy and Ci, Gr >50 years age, hand-harvested at c.2 t/ha = 0.8 t/ac in 2005; up to 35 days cuvaison with whole bunches then, some destemming now; elevation 90% in foudre, 10% 228-litre barrels, up to 20 months; not filtered, organic wine, c.1,150 x 9-litre cases; J.L-L, 2008: … full and assertive bouquet – blackberry fruit with a clear delivery, young, round and a bit spirity … coherent blackberry fruit … ends on quite a rich tone, with good, chocolate moments … a long-term bet, 2010 – 2022, ***(*); JD@RP, 2016: I continue to love the 2005 Gigondas Prestige des Hautes Garrigues, and it's absolutely one of the wines of the vintage ... beautiful notes of black raspberries, crushed rock, ground herbs and spice, it's still structured and tannic on the palate, yet has terrific concentration and a big finish. Yves said this wine still needs another decade of cellaring, 2018 – 2035, 96; rare for an American longevity estimate to be greater than a UK one; weight bottle and cork 600 g; www.santaduc.fr ]
Remarkably deep ruby and velvet, nearly carmine still and noticeably youthful, clearly the deepest colour, quite different from the other 11 wines. Bouquet is both savoury, and darkly plummy, with dark fruitcake notes and suggestions of currants (grape, not black). Three only of 21 tasters (one a winemaker) noted brett in the savoury complexity, so again it is fairly subtle. Flavour is rich, dry, a lot of furry tannins as if mourvedre were high (later, yes), yet oak tannins seem subtle and low. Interesting wine, which is probably well worth gambling that it will be softer and more food-friendly in 10 and 20 years, even though it may end up rather dry. No votes as favourite. GK 07/19

2006 Ch la Serre 17 + (

)

St Emilion Grand Cru Classé, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $50 [ cork; price is simple conversion from US$35; cepages offered range from Me 70%, CF 30 at Forum, to Me 80, CF 20 Peppercorn and Parker; cropping rate 2 t / ac; some months in oak c.50% new; no website located ]
Ruby and velvet, below midway in depth. Bouquet is plummy ripe, showing more development than the mostly 2007 New Zealand wines, but nonetheless it showed more similarities to them than some of the Bordeaux. Palate is also plummy, clearly merlot, again the suggestion of tobacco, the oak harmonious and not obviously new, but all the flavours tending plainer than the Belair. Straightforward pleasing east-bank claret, to cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 01/10

2008 [ Waimea Estates ] Spinyback Pinot Gris 17 + (

)

Waimea Valley, Nelson, New Zealand: 14.5%; $17 [ screwcap; 100% de-stemmed, cold-settled; cool fermentation with cultured yeast in s/s; fermentation stopped at RS 5.7 g/L, then three months LA and stirring; www.waimeaestates.co.nz ]
Straw. Bouquet for this wine also reminds of the Alsatian vendage tardive style, showing sultana and dried peach qualities which are explicitly varietal. The palate is strongly flavoured, with perhaps a positive botrytis component adding to the dried peaches, and trace VA. The nett result is a little coarser than the mainstream Waimea label, but curiously this wine seems a little dryer too. In a country where so much pinot gris is sweet anonymous QDW, an affordable clearly varietal wine like this deserves celebration, even though purists could criticise it. Cellar 1 – 3 years only, maybe. GK 05/09

2008 [ Pernod Ricard ] Stoneleigh Chardonnay Rapaura Series 17 + (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $24 [ screwcap; machine-harvested clone mendoza, barrel-fermentation in French oak 40% new the balance 1-year, partial MLF, then LA and some batonnage for 4 months; pH 3.54, RS 2.8 g/L; background @ www.stoneleigh.co.nz, leads to detail @; www.pernod-ricard-nz.com//tastingnotes.php? ]
Lemon, as pale as Riflemans. This is a completely different chardonnay, which could be down-pointed on its clear cool-climate affiliations. Considering the total achievement as a food wine however, its aromas, flavours and textures in mouth are intriguing. So, while one could be reminded of the best years of Te Koko (2005) or Dog Point Section 94, it also reminds of grand cru chablis. The subtle ratio of oak to fruit is particularly appealing, and makes this Stoneleigh a terrific food wine, though it is not quite bone dry. It would be marked down in a formal judging for its sauvignon-reminders, so try one before buying a case. Short-term cellaring might be the best for this one, 2 – 4 years. GK 04/09

2007 [ Paritua Vineyards Merlot / Cabernet ] Stone Paddock Scarlet 17 + (

)

Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $25 [ screwcap; Me 37%, CS 35, CF 16, Ma 12; de-stemmed, some cold-soak; no elevage info; Catalogue: … intense blackberry and black currant aromas combined with alluring hints of truffle and cedar notes. The oak influence is subtle and provides spicy notes and great structure. This stunning vintage exceeded all expectations giving the finished wine full flavours and great balance; www.paritua.com ]
Ruby, some velvet. Bouquet is fragrant, with a mix of berry types and shaping cedary oak. Palate is reasonably rich, still quite fresh and youthful, with cassis and plummy qualities not as darkly ripe as many Gimblett Gravels wines, more red plums with their fragrance. Aftertaste is long, youthful and shows potential. Cellar 5 – 10 years or so. GK 07/09

1966 Ch Talbot 17 + (

)

Saint-Julien 4th Growth, Bordeaux, France: – %; $4.50 [ Cork 53mm; original price; a clean but small-scale wine, considering the quality of the 1966 vintage in Bordeaux. Chosen to benchmark the cabernet style, to set the scene, and to give these early NZ vinifera wines a chance to show well. Cepage then approx. CS 70%, Me 20, CF 5, PV 5, whereas NZ wines nominally 100% CS; www.chateau-talbot.com ]
Ruby and garnet, clearly the most 'rosy' of the wines, in the middle for depth. Bouquet absolutely captured mature cabernet / merlot blends, wonderfully fragrant and evolving in the glass, clear suggestions of browning cassis closest in style to the 1969 McWilliams, but backed by a warmer spread of berry than that wine. The integration and alchemy of browning berry, new cedary oak, and suggestions of brown portobello mushrooms was (I thought) sensational in its autumnal way. This wine is after all a lighter representative of the generally good 1966 classed growths, at 50 years of age. Palate followed through harmoniously, lighter and fractionally leaner than the bouquet promises, a little acid just noticeable. But even so, the spread of supple flavours was greater than the New Zealand wines, reflecting the merlot component particularly, which the New Zealand wines lacked. A lovely bottle, reflecting how very differently wines evolve in temperate Wellington, compared with the 3 – 4° higher ambient temperatures in (pre-air-conditioning) Auckland cellars. GK 02/16

2009 [ Forrest ] Tatty Bogler Pinot Noir 17 + (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, & Waitaki Valley, North Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $40 [ screwcap; hand-harvested from fruit cropped at 1.5 t/ac; all de-stemmed; up to 10 days cold soak; extended cuvaison; up to 15 months in French oak 20% new; John Forrest is one of the promoters of the new pinot area on the south bank of the Waitaki River, on Otago's northernmost edge; the unflattering wine name 'Tatty Bogler' appeals to customers, I am told – the term is pioneer Scottish for scarecrow; www.forrest.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is ripe and tending-plummy more than floral, but there are cherries too, all pleasantly fragrant. On palate plummyness does again hint at merlot, and the oak is more apparent. Aftertaste is more cherry and pinot, the flux of characters suggesting this is youthful wine still to marry up and show its real pinot character. May need re-rating upwards. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 09/10

2003 T.H.E. Pinot Noir 17 + (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $27 [ screwcap; T.H.E. = Terrace Heights Estate; hand-picked, French oak ]
Big ruby (for pinot). Bouquet is youthful, and opens up very disorganised. One could easily dismiss the wine at that point. Well-breathed however, there are suggestions of an intensely aromatic black cherry kind of pinot, with fragrant new oak. Palate brings the oak up a little more, and a slightly marcy quality persists on good aromatic fruit which is clearly varietal. Though slightly oaky, this is promising. Given a year or two for the fruit and oak to marry up, there may be a pleasant surprise. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 01/05

2010 [ Umani Ronchi ] Podere Montepulciano d'Abruzzo 17 + (

)

Abruzzo DOC, Italy: 13%; $13 [ screwcap; Mo 100%, hand-harvested; 10 days cuvaison in s/s; the website says elevation all s/s too; http://www.umanironchi.com/en/ourwines/thenatives/montepulcianodabruzzo/introduction.php ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, above midway. Wow, what a transformation from the last bottle reviewed on this site – the screwcap announces the total makeover to modernity. Bouquet fits astonishingly well into the richer beaujolais, being clean, fresh, a kind of dark sultry florality, dark berries dominant, but a little more oak complexity, which becomes more apparent as one tastes the wine. In mouth, the flavours are omega plum, light clean oak presumably as chips in the s/s, mouth-filling but not as weighty as many monte's, all clean, fresh and modern. Like the Waiheke Weeping Sands Montepulciano in this batch but moreso, there is a little stalk, but much less oak than that wine. Considering how well the bretty monte's such as La Valentina of yesteryear cellared, this should cellar well 3 – 10 years. That means when it is available on special at $12 or $13, one should buy a case. VALUE GK 09/12

2006 Bodegas Valdemar Conde de Valdemar Rioja Crianza 17 + (

)

Rioja, Spain: 13.5%; $26 [ cork; Te 90%, mazuelo 10; 15 months in American and French oak; www.valdemar.es ]
Lightish maturing ruby. This is a more old-fashioned (+ve) and traditional Spanish red, showing aromatic American oak, and buried far below, some fragrant tempranillo (I suspect – yes) fruit. Palate builds on this, the fruit fresh and fragrant, the oak obvious but not harsh, the styling more Reserva than Crianza. The oak really is at a maximum though. Cellar 3 – 8 years to mellow into a traditional Spanish red. GK 08/11

2015 Domaine du Vieux Lazaret Chateauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Exceptionelle 17 + (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $89 [ cork 49mm; Gr c.60%, Sy & Mv 40; cuvaison to 25 days in concrete vats, followed by elevation 12 months in vat and 12 months in large barrels, no detail; this label a vat-selection amounting to a thirtieth of the annual crop; imported by Maison Vauron, Auckland; weight bottle and closure 651 g; www.famillequiot.com ]
Ruby, a little older than some. Bouquet is quiet in a red-fruited style, probably grenache (ie at the blind stage), initially an odd note not quite garrigue as usually recognised, but it breathes up: best decanted. Palate is clean, dry, a bit short relative to the label, very much in a good Cotes-du-Rhone style, a little softer, rounder and richer than the 2016 straight Chateauneuf-du-Pape from this house, but not as rich as the Guigal Cotes-du-Rhone. Some disappointment here, at the price. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 06/20

1998 Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe Chateauneuf du Pape La Crau 17 + (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $131 [ cork 49mm; original price c.$65; Gr 70%, Sy 15, Ci 5, others 10, hand-harvested from 55-year-old vines in what many consider Chateauneuf's most famous vineyard; cuvaison c.15 days, elevation 12 months in old oak, 12 months in concrete. R Parker, 2010: Between 1978 and 2007, this 1998 is the greatest Vieux Telegraphe that was produced. It has taken a good decade for this wine to shed its tannins and come out of a dormant, closed period. It has finally emerged, and notes of iodine, seaweed, black currants, incense, and sweet cherries as well as hot rocks jump from the glass of this full-bodied, powerful wine. It possesses considerable elegance and purity, along with loads of raspberries and incense, in a round, juicy, rich style that is just emerging from the closet. The wine is still youthful and a pre-adolescent in terms of its ultimate evolution. Approachable now, it will continue to evolve for another 15-20 years. Bravo!: 95; weight bottle and closure: 650 g; www.vignoblesbrunier.fr ]
Ruby and garnet, some velvet, midway in depth. Bouquet on this wine was quiet relative to the set, with the fruit component of the grapes somewhat curtailed by brett, introducing a spurious (or excessive) savoury character. The wine is much better in flavour: it must have been a big wine at the outset because it is still rich, with dark brooding flavours suggesting mourvedre but laced through with meat extract suggestions, the whole wine now tannic to a fault. A dilemma here, therefore, whether to cellar further to lose some tannin, or will the wine further dry out on brett activity in the meanwhile. There is no hurry, in its sturdy style. Some disappointment, here, I thought, but two rated it their second-favourite wine. GK 08/16

2009 Domaine Vindemio Cotes du Ventoux Imagine 17 + (

)

Cotes du Ventoux AOC, Southern Rhone Valley, France: 15%; $28 [ cork; Sy 50%, Gr 50; proprietor trained as a pharmacist; said to be no oak use at all; the website is nominal, as yet; www.vindemio.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, dense and fresh. Bouquet is deep and dark and quiet, yet richly fragrant in a tending-spirity way. Berry ripeness is well along the darkly plummy path, some sur-maturité, no red-fruits, hints of chocolate, but a big mouth-filling wine. It is a bit spirity and robust, though, not quite capturing the fragrant charm of the best southern Rhones. Cellar 3 – 12 years. GK 11/10

2008 [ Obsidian ] Weeping Sands Cabernet / Merlot 17 + (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.8%; $27 [ screwcap; CS 54, Me 40, PV 4, Ma 2, hand-harvested, all de-stemmed, cuvaison c.15 days, cultured yeast; MLF and 10 months in barrel all French < 15% new; 500 cases; www.obsidian.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, a little deeper than the 2009 Merlot. Bouquet shows clear cassis in a dramatically varietal cabernet way, but with noticeable oak too. Palate has attractive fruit, good berry, less oak than the 2002 Obsidian but it is still on the high side, the berry fruit lingering well through to the aftertaste. In the good years, these Auckland bordeaux blends show a precision of ripening which is very attractive. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 08/12

2007 [ Obsidian ] Weeping Sands Cabernet / Merlot 17 + (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.8%; $27 [ screwcap; CS 77, Me 18, PV 2, CF 2, Ma 1, hand-harvested, all de-stemmed, cuvaison c.15 days, cultured yeast; MLF and 11 months in French oak some new, 1010 cases; www.obsidian.co.nz ]
Ruby and some velvet. The wine style here is closer to Coleraine than the Waiheke wines so far, but it is a little harder. There is good rich cassis, fragrant oak, good plummyness below, but the acid balance is firmer than Coleraine or the Miro. Flavours are attractive, cassis and dark plum, a little lean (reflecting the high percentage of cabernet sauvignon) but lengthened by oak. This is going to end up on the Medoc side of the style line, and should cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 06/10

2004 Dry River Syrah Lovat Vineyard 17 (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 12.5%; $66 [ cork; www.dryriver.co.nz ]
Ruby, amongst the lightest. The degree to which the Dry River wine approaches the Yann Chave wines in style is quite staggering, both sharing a relatively modest vintage. The Martinborough wine shows the same delicate florals suggesting buddleia and dianthus, in red berries more than black, and clear white pepper. Palate is a little more leafy / stalky than the Rhone pair, and there are reminders of under-ripe pinot noir, but spiced with attractive white and black peppery thoughts. From memory, this is rather in the lighter style of the Dry River 1997, pretty more than substantial, but clearly varietal and potentially a good food wine. In Martinborough's average to cool years, the similarity the district's syrah shows to straightforward Crozes-Hermitage is explicit. Cellar 5 â€“ 8 years. GK 11/06

2006 Askerne Merlot Reserve 17 (

)

Havelock North district, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $30 [ supercritical cork; www.askerne.co.nz ]
Old ruby and velvet. This is an older and riper wine, softly plummy in a merlot way, just a suggestion of pruney over-ripeness, generally older oak, and maybe a touch of brett. Palate shows advancing maturity, reasonable richness, the oak showing more, the acid a little firmer than 2007 Te Awa Merlot Left Field wine, shortening the fruit length. Still attractive in mouth, though. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/10

2002 Carrick Pinot Noir 17 (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $40 [ screwcap; www.carrick.co.nz ]
Another big ruby for pinot, with a touch of carmine and velvet. Initially opened the bouquet is confused, but it breathes to clearly varietal but very ripe black cherries and blackboy peaches, with a suggestion of dark plum. Palate continue these ripe-pinot characters, and is quite rich, but becomes somewhat phenolic presumably from oak. The 2002 vintage was very ripe and even hot in Otago, so perhaps a mainstream vintage will show increased florals and varietal delicacy, in a softer palate profile. Cellar 5 – 10 years. Tasted twice. GK 10/04

2001 Chapoutier Ermitage Le Pavillon 17 (

)

Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $394 [ cork, 49mm; Sy 100%; purchase price c.$365; cropping and wine-making details as in the introductory ‘Background’ section; www.chapoutier.com ]
Ruby, a little garnet and some velvet, fractionally older than the 2000, in the middle for depth. This wine smells quite evolved for its age, but is let down by light brett more in the 4-EP phase, tending a little pharmaceutical. But behind that is good berry browning now, melding with tending-chestnutty oak. Palate is short, firm, the berry clipped by brett, so the oak is more noticeable, but still reasonably in style. The level of impairment (in its way) so far is no greater than is usual in a euc'y, overly-oaky, tartaric-adjusted Australian shiraz of similar age, so most people wouldn't notice the fault (unless they are sensitive to brett). Nonetheless because the first flight was so good, this wine was rather slammed, no votes in favour, seven as least wine. Though only half way along its plateau of maturity, this is another to cellar for a relatively shorter period, 5 – 10 years. Wine Spectator quality rating for the vintage 89. GK 10/18

2006 Shaw and Smith Shiraz 17 (

)

Adelaide Hills, South Australia, Australia: 14%; $51 [ screwcap; price is simple conversion from AU$40; Sh 100%, hand-picked @ c. 3 t/ac; de-stemmed; c.14 months in French oak 33% new; Shaw & Smith is a collaboration of cousins Martin Shaw and Michael Hill Smith MW; 4 well-known Australian wine reviewers have rated this wine 94, 95, 97 and 98 points, in the usual world-apart chauvinistic Australian way; no Parker review for 2007, 90 max for previous vintages; WS / Steiman, 2010: This silky red is lighter than most Shiraz, creating a deft balance of creamy raspberry and currant flavors against polished tannins, lingering on the refined finish ... to 2017, 91. 5,000 cases; www.shawandsmith.com ]
Ruby and velvet, lighter than average. Bouquet is lighter too, smelling softly berried, harmonious, scarcely any eucalyptus, no specifically varietal qualities, gentle oak. Palate shows ripeness more at the bottled plums and raspberry level with a touch of straightforward boysenberry creeping in, fleshy fruit, but let down by the hard (added) acid mainland Australia finds it so hard to avoid. This is pleasant fragrant quite rich shiraz, but it does not illuminate the cool-climate component of the discussion, in that it is more shiraz than syrah. Hard to see a $50 price-tag. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 01/10

2006 Trinity Hill Viognier Gimblett Gravels 17 (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $30 [ screwcap; hand-picked @ c 3 t/ac, whole-bunch pressed, 30% BF in older oak, 15% of this fraction wild-yeast ferment, 70% s/s; 3 months LA, no MLF desired; RS 4 g/L; www.trinityhillwines.com ]
Lemongreen. Bouquet is pure, fragrant and lightly varietal, with some of the fragrance of under-ripe apricots. Palate is modest apricots, subtlest oak, seemingly mostly stainless-steel in elevation, pleasant body and balance, nearly dry to the finish, just a little one-dimensional. An introductory pale viognier, to cellar 1 – 3 years. GK 07/07

2003 Martinborough Vineyard Pinot Noir 17 (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: – %; $67 [ release Feb. '05; pre-release sample courtesy Claire Mulholland; www.martinborough-vineyard.co.nz ]
Full ruby, getting deep for pinot. This is the most distinctive of this particular sub-set of pinots, the bouquet showing a strong floral element reminiscent of carnations as in Cote Rotie, plus a suggestion of leafiness – a two-edged sword. Palate shows plenty of fruit, subtle oak, and attractive flavours, but there is a stalkiness too. It reminds me of some of the fragrant Domaine Gramenon wines, in the northern part of the southern Rhone Valley. Interesting wine therefore, but a little outside the ripe pinot square. With Martinborough Vineyard's recent introduction of a second label, it is surprising there was not more careful selection for ripeness in the premium 2003 wine. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 11/04

2002 Kaituna Valley Pinot Noir 17 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $49
Deepish ruby, but markedly older than the field. This is a distinctive and particular kind of wine, which can safely be categorised as love it or hate it. Loosely speaking, bouquet is for all the world reminiscent of some vintages of Cheval Blanc, showing the red currants and fragrant sweet pale malt extract and subliminal aniseed characters of cabernet franc, in a St Emilion wine style. Palate is rich, sweetly fruity on the one hand, yet clearly leafy too (St Emilion again). Personally I find a lot to like in this wine, and it is good drinking with food, but as a pinot noir it is unusual to say the least. However, Decanter magazine thought otherwise, rating it five stars, top equal, of 102 New Zealand pinot noirs, in July 2004. Interesting stuff, therefore. See also the comments for the 2002 Greenhough wine. Cellar 5 – 8 years, becoming more distinctive. GK 08/04

2003 Amisfield Pinot Noir 17 (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.8%; $40 [ screwcap; www.amisfield.co.nz ]
Good pinot ruby. Light rosy florals and clean and fragrant redfruits are attractive on bouquet. Flavours follow on, red cherries more than black, subtle oak, a fair weight of fruit in fine ratio to the phenolics. In fact, the wine is so sweetly-fruited, one wonders if there is a gram or two of residual sugar. It can be hard to tell, when dry extract is good. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 09/04

2002 Girardin Santenay la Maladiere 17 (

)

Santenay Premier Cru, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $46
Pinot noir ruby. A clean ripe bouquet of red cherries leads into a straightforward palate tasting exactly the same. It is hard to imagine a more frank expression of healthy ripe pinot than this beautifully crunchy cherry fruit, not stalky or acid, not oaky, just plump and crisp on palate and eminently drinkable. And it will cellar 5 – 8 years, and perhaps build a little more bouquet. GK 11/04

2004 Mills Reef Cabernet / Merlot Reserve 17 (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $20 [ screwcap; CS 55%, Me 45; French oak; www.millsreef.co.nz ]
Ruby, below average in weight. Bouquet is quite fumey and aromatic, as if rum barrels were involved in its elevation (not unpleasant), behind which is plummy fruit. Palate is quite rich, tasting of merlot more than cabernet, benefitting greatly from decanting and air. It is very oaky, freshly poured. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 10/05

2003 Voss Pinot Noir 17 (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $38 [ www.vossestate.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, deeper than pinot noir needs to be. This is another wine in the deeply aromatic Villa Maria or Felton Block 5 style, with oak more apparent than florals on bouquet. Palate is more dark cherry and plum, and total winestyle is lighter and a little more oaky than the Block 5. But in truth, it would be hard to separate them consistently, in triangulated blind tests. Cellar 5 to 12 years. GK 10/04

2010 Kaimira Estate Syrah Brightwater 17 (

)

Waimea Plains, Nelson, New Zealand: 13.6%; $34 [ screwcap; 100% Sy (in 2010) cropped @ 2.7 t/ha = 1.1 t/ac to achieve good ripeness in a cooler climate, hand-harvested, 100% de-stemmed but minimal crushing; 7 days cold-soak, 5-day ferment, very short maceration 2 days; 13 months in French 75% and balance American oak all 25% new; RS < 1 g/L; www.kaimirawines.com ]
Ruby, a flush of carmine and velvet. Freaky, the bouquet here is the exact analogue of riper (and better) examples of the vin de pays des collines rhodaniennes, the cooler elevated plateau above the warmer and more favoured best slopes of Cote Rotie and Cornas etc. Accordingly, there is exact syrah varietal character, but more at the point of white pepper in the syrah ripening curve, with dianthus florals and cool cassis plus suggestions of loganberries. In mouth this wine is quite the most varietal syrah ever commercialised from Nelson, the ripeness fitting in well with the bouquet attributes, an overall impression of red fruits and white pepper rather more than black, acid slightly fresh, fair body. The comparison with the Hawke's Bay syrah conveys volumes about climate, and ripening stages in varieties such as pinot noir and syrah. The quality and ripeness achieved for the severely reduced cropping rate fits in exactly with theory, unlike the Saint Clair wines. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 04/13

2003 Wairau River Pinot Noir 17 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $28 [ screwcap; www.wairauriverwines.com ]
Good pinot noir ruby. A fragrant and varietal bouquet, but more oaky than the top wines in the batch, and a little more savoury. Palate shows good black cherry fruit and attractive length, but some of the subtleties of the variety have been lost in the oaking. Cellar to 8 years. GK 10/04

1995 Guigal Cotes du Rhone 17 (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $111 [ cork, 45mm; New Zealand purchase price c.$20; cepage along the lines Sy 50%, Gr 30, Mv and others 20; information gets hazier in the 1990s, with so many websites having the offensive view that nobody is interested in old Cotes du Rhone wines. One report suggests there were 83,300 x 9-litre cases made of the 1995 Cotes du Rhone, another 200,000. A few more details in Introductory sections; Wine Spectator. 1998: Ripe in a plummy, pruny, floral mode, with roasted peanut and soy character, this might go well with Asian foods. Medium-bodied, with well-integrated tannins, a tad hot on the finish. Drink now through 2003, 85; RP@RP, 1999: The 1995 Cotes du Rhone red ... has been a winner since its release ... plenty of peppery, cassis fruit, good spice, and a solid, rustic generosity. It is meant to be drunk during its first several years of life, although it will hold up for 4-5, 85; weight bottle and closure: 571 g; www.guigal.com ]
Ruby and garnet, a lovely colour, below midway in depth. Bouquet is complex, with savoury / leathery venison casserole thoughts, plus piquant and savoury nearly medicinal notes bespeaking brett, and still surprisingly good mature berry. For those who like this kind of wine complexity, it is very attractive indeed. For a few tasters however, brett-derived bouquet complexity is unacceptable, even though Brettanomyces is a natural fermentation yeast. Palate holds good mature berryfruit and a beautiful fruit / oak balance, the wine long and very savoury. The scoring pattern reflected exactly how people fall dramatically into two camps over this wine style: four first places, four second places, and six least places. Noteworthy that the secondary market is completely unconcerned about those who object to brett. Such wines are wonderful with complex casseroles, for those who like the style. Best not cellared for too much longer. Conversely, send it to auction if you can't stand brett, so others can enjoy it (noting that each bottle will be different, now). GK 03/21

2011 Beach House Cabernet Franc 17 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $22 [ supercritical 'cork'; CF 100%, hand-picked; c.12 months in French oak, around 35% new; RS <1g/; www.beachhouse.co.nz ]
Ruby, above midway in the lightest third, for weight. The wine benefits from decanting, to then show red-berried fruit and quite a lot of oak. The berry quality hints at raspberry and glacé cherry, well in the ballpark for cabernet franc. Palate shows greater fruit ripeness than the Sileni 2013, but also greater and coarser oak, so it is hard to decide which is the better exponent of the variety. Cabernet franc is so subtle, it is easily killed by oak, to become just another oaky Hawkes Bay blend. Both of these wines show some of the charm of the variety, unlike most New Zealand examples to date, so this too slips into silver. It will cellar a little longer than the Sileni, 3 – 10 years. GK 06/14

nv Moet & Chandon Imperial Brut 17 (

)

Epernay, Champagne, New Zealand: 12%; $70 [ cork; PN 50%, PM 40, Ch 10; website inoperable; www.moet.com ]
Lightish lemonstraw, not too different from the Perrier Jouet. Bouquet opens relatively cleanly, not as sacky as the Dom Perignon, just a shadow of cardboard in reasonable autolysis complexity and blended fruit. Palate has the same foaming quality as the Dom Perignon, which is not to all tastes. Flavours are mild and pleasant, but lack excitement, finishing sweeter on dosage than most. Run-of-the-mill commercial / innocuous champagne, tuned to a more populist market. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 12/06

2004 Mount Langhi Ghiran Shiraz Billi Billi 17 (

)

Victoria, Australia: 14%; $15 [ screwcap; this label may not all be estate-grown – the website is not very informative; www.langi.com.au ]
Ruby. Initially opened, the wine is quiet, and minty. Decanted and well-breathed, it opens up beautifully, the berry blossoming to achieve a much better bouquet, lightly minty dark plum and boysenberry made more aromatic with oak. Palate is a good New Zealand weight more than Australian, showing refreshing berry fruit, not too oaky, in fact delightfully balanced. At the price, and once mellowed in cellar a little, this wine is going to be food-friendly and provide a lot of pleasure, at a great price. Cellar 3 – 10 years. VALUE GK 03/08

2003 Neudorf Pinot Noir Nelson 17 (

)

Nelson, New Zealand: 14%; $36 [ screwcap; grapes from Waimea Plains and Moutere Hills sites; www.neudorf.co.nz ]
Full pinot noir ruby, not too different from the Felton Block 3. Initially opened, bouquet is aromatic with suggestions of pennyroyal, plus smoky oak-related smells suggestive of smoked fish or bacon. Breathed, it shows more the blackboy peach side of clearly varietal pinot noir, with cherry and floral components subdued. Palate is firmer than many wines, rather oaky and aromatic / stalky too, but the ripeness of fruit seems good. Flavours of cherry and florals become more apparent in the mouth with tasting, but it is not as supple as the top Otago pinots. Finish is youthful and tannic. Needs time to marry up. Cellar 5 – 10 years. Tasted twice. GK 11/04

2003 Neudorf Pinot Noir Moutere 17 (

)

Moutere Hills, Nelson, New Zealand: 14.5%; $59 [ screwcap; grapes from Moutere Hills only; www.neudorf.co.nz ]
Fractionally deeper ruby than the Nelson wine. Bouquet is clean pure plummy fruit, with undertones of cherry and dark florals. This Moutere wine bears the same relationship to the Nelson one, as the Felton Block wines do to the standard one. Often there is greater ripeness, and more oak treatment, in pursuit of one perception of quality. In the case of pinot noir, however, this entails the risk of losing exact varietal character as expressed via the floral component – a hazard evident in a number of 'big' New Zealand pinots. In this example of the Moutere Pinot, the added peril of raised alcohol lessens the subtlety of bouquet and palate which pinot should ideally show. So, though the Nelson and Moutere are clearly different wines, I am scoring them similarly. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 11/04

1996 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut 17 (

)

Reims, Champagne, France: 12%; $255 [ cork; Ch 100%; www.taittinger.com ]
Colour is rich lemon more than straw, distinctive. Bouquet is lesser on this wine, with the faintest beery component in autolysis which is more sourdough than baguette, all masking the elegance hoped for in a chardonnay-dominant wine. Palate is better, more clearly chardonnay, straightforward autolysis, more acid than most, yet all lingering quite nicely by the rich aftertaste stage. If this bottle is representative, not cork-affected, it is not a great example of the label, though, so not really worth cellaring. GK 11/06

2003 Rimu Grove Pinot Noir 17 (

)

Nelson, New Zealand: 13.4%; $38 [ screwcap; 10 months in 40% new French oak; www.rimugrove.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and some velvet, nearly as deep as the Churton. Initially opened, the wine seems a little reductive. With air it clears reasonably well to a dark style of pinot more black plummy than cherry. Palate sharpens the wine up, clear black cherries, rich fruit, slightly new-oaky for the weight of fruit. With cellaring this could blossom into a dramatic example of New Zealand pinot noir, which may score more highly than now. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 09/04

1999 Mount Riley Pinot Noir Seventeen Valley 17 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 12.5%; $38 [ TE ]
Big ruby, some carmine. Back to the overt blackboy peach, very dark plum and smallfruits here, but more aromatic on new oak. Excess oak on palate, but this is a clean and exuberant expression of one mainstream suite of flavours in South Island pinot noir. And the saturation of flavour against the low given alcohol is very encouraging, considering so many of our wines are at this stage tending spirity. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 01/01

2007 Vidal Estate Merlot / Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 17 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $40 [ screwcap; Me 46%, CS 46, Ma 8; www.vidal.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, not as dense as the top wines. Bouquet is fragrant, but at a simpler oakier level than some, the fruit reddish plums mainly, some cassis. Palate is shorter than hoped on bouquet, total acid up a bit so the oak shows rather much too. Even so, the wine is fragrant and attractive, for those who like oak. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 06/10

2008 Cypress Merlot 17 (

)

Roy's Hill, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $20 [ screwcap; www.cypresswines.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet. Bouquet is softly floral and enticing, with red and black currants, and red more than black plums, again making one wonder about cabernet franc as well as merlot. Palate fits in with cabernet franc, since the whole wine is a little acid and lacking slightly in ripeness. Later: the wine is 100% merlot. Even so, the elegance and precision of its bouquet, and its subtle oaking, makes one want to score the wine to silver. It is a little richer than 2007 Salvare Merlot, and will be a good food wine. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 06/10

2003 Mt Rosa Pinot Noir 17 (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $32 [ screwcap; www.mtrosa.co.nz ]
A good pinot ruby. Initially opened, bouquet is clean and lightly fragrant. It expands with air to reveal sweet red and black cherries, with some dark rose florals, and appropriate oak. Palate introduces a faint pennyroyal mint to the crisp cherry fruit, not greatly complex but delightfully pure. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 10/04

2002 Pisa Moorings Pinot Noir 17 (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 14.5%; $30 [ screwcap ]
Good pinot noir ruby. Another wine in which the first impression is plums more than cherries, and thus the wine of a bigger, hotter year than is optimal for pinot. The high alcohol is distracting too. Palate shows good fruit with more cherry suggestions than anticipated on bouquet. The oak is rendered more obvious by the high alcohol, but it is nonetheless attractive drinking in its burly style. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 10/04

2004 Esk Valley Merlot Black Label 17 (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $23 [ screwcap; 11 months in French & American oak; www.eskvalley.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet. A quiet bouquet, undefined red fruits, slightly marcy, clearly youthful. Palate is much more together, darkly plummy and clearly merlot, quite rich, a cassisy undertone, oak in balance. A lighter crisper wine than the competing Villa Maria Merlot, but one which will be fragrant and pleasing in another two years or so, and will cellar 5 – 8 years. This upward creep of alcohols, as if we wished to emulate Australia – which is the last thing we should be doing with our reds – is unwise. A generation ago, 13% was rare in Bordeaux. GK 11/05

2011 Escarpment Pinot Noir Pahi 17 (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13%; $67 [ cork; 25-year old vines, McCreanor vineyard, Martinborough; 12 days cuvaison, 12 months in French oak 30% new; RS < 1 g/L, dry extract 24 g/L, not filtered; www.escarpment.co.nz ]
Lightish pinot noir ruby, the lightest of the set. Bouquet is immediately floral and pretty, more pink and red roses than anything, pure and fragrant, but even on the bouquet one suspects the tannins. Palate is the leanest of the Escarpment set, highly varietal but slightly lacking conviction, red cherry fruit, a touch of stalk to the tail. The perils of whole-bunch. There is a good comparison with the Mount Beautiful wine of the same year, both on older terraces, which the Mount Beautiful wins, just. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 04/13

2004 Neudorf Pinot Noir Moutere 17 (

)

Moutere Hills, Nelson, New Zealand: 14.5%; $55 [ screwcap; clones 10/5, UCD5, 22, 667 & 777, age 26 years; 100% de-stemmed, 6 days cold soak, wild yeast fermentation, up to 30 days cuvaison, 11 months in French oak 40% new; partial egg-white fining, no filtration; www.neudorf.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, a much lighter wine than the Moutere Pinot Noirs of the later 90s. Freshly poured the wine shows a slightly closed quality, quickly dissipated either by decanting, or swirling. Bouquet then shows some mixed florals and red fruits, some blackboy peach as well as red cherry, plus the alcohol a bit obtrusive. Palate is red cherry clearly, good flesh but a slight edge of acid and phenolics, a leafy note but not stalky. I would expect this wine to build bouquet in bottle, given this balance, and look more impressive in a couple of years. Cellar 2 – 8 years. GK 06/07

2005 Framingham Montepulciano 17 (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $27 [ screwcap; 18 months in French & American oak, some new ]
Carmine, ruby and velvet, youthful. Bouquet is intriguingly different, very berry-ish, a suggestion of savoury herbes, light oak. Palate shows the herbes too, in bitter dark cherry fruit, good richness, subtly oaked, tending acid, seemingly not quite bone-dry, but may be fruit richness. Hard to say, against the acid. An intriguingly different wine, which I'd like to see in a couple of years. Cellar potential for the variety is unknown in New Zealand, but looks good for 3 – 5 years. A bit pricey. GK 03/07

2009 Martinborough Vineyard Pinot Noir 17 (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 14%; $66 [ screwcap; hand-harvested from a suite of 10 clones of pinot noir, still with plenty of 10/5 and the oldest vines 28 years; some whole bunch, up to 7 days cold-soak, wild yeast fermentation; usually around 20 days cuvaison; 12 months in French oak around 30% new; not fined or filtered; www.martinborough-vineyard.co.nz ]
Lighter pinot noir ruby. This is another wine in the red fruits spectrum. It makes an interesting comparison with the Otago Roaring Meg, the similarities far outweighing the differences. Care is needed therefore, in generalising about the character of pinot noir in the two districts. This wine tiptoes towards the dividing line: is this a little leafy / is the cropping rate a bit high / are there young vines in this – thoughts arising from the fresh red cherry and a touch of redcurrant bouquet. Palate is more substantial. The 2008 I thought a lovely example of Beaune-style pinot in New Zealand. This vintage seems a little cooler or weaker. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 06/11

2004 Vidal Pinot Noir 17 (

)

Awatere & Wairau Valleys, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $25 [ screwcap; hand-harvested; cold-soak up to 10 days, LA and MLF in (presumably French) barrel; www.vidal.co.nz ]
Pinot ruby. A lighter wine, but with attractive red roses and boronia floral components on red cherry fruit, which is quite Cote de Beaune in style. Palate is ripe, pleasing fruit, an attractive hint of mushrooms, carefully oaked to make the wine aromatic, well-balanced. Good sound pinot with fruit sweetness, a pleasure to drink. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 11/05

2004 Vidal Riesling 17 (

)

Awatere Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $20 [ screwcap; several months LA, RS 5 g/L; www.vidal.co.nz ]
Lemon, a hint of straw. Bouquet is soft and winey, not immediately stating riesling, with an interesting glucose-y suggestion which is nearly floral. Palate firms up to resiny riesling, a bolder drier wine than the Esk, closer to the Clare Valley style, full of flavour. In truth, it is a bit phenolic. This should mellow in cellar, probably inclining to the keroseney (+ve) style. GK 11/05

2011 Tohu Riesling Single Vineyard 17 (

)

Upper Awatere Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 12%; $17 [ screwcap; Ri cropped @ c.9 t/ha (3.6 t/ac); free-run juice cold-settled 48 hours, cold fermentation in s/s with selected yeast; pH 3.07, RS 4.9 g/L, fined and filtered; www.tohuwines.co.nz ]
Pale lemon-green. There should be an absolute embargo on the selling of riesling within 12 preferably 18 months of vintage. The young wines are so awkward on both bouquet and palate. This wine is clean and fragrant in a slightly drier presentation than the Astrolabe, with good fruit, but how good it's going to be is anybody's guess, as is the score. It looks promising, and the Awatere Valley provenance should assist its cellar prospects. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 08/11

2009 Mt Difficulty Pinot Noir Roaring Meg 17 (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.8%; $28 [ screwcap; second label including young vines; cuvaison c.24 days; 9 months in c. 20% new French oak; no fining, light filter; www.mtdifficulty.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. This is a clear-cut example of pinot noir ripened mostly to the red fruits / red cherry stage of physiological maturity. Being the junior label of Mt Difficulty, it probably reflects young vines too. There are some red currants, always a tell-tale in pinot noir, leading to a fresh palate, yet more substantial and less leafy than the Waipara Greystone. An affordable, interesting and clearly varietal statement about Otago pinot noir, to cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 06/11

2001 Kendall-Jackson Chardonnay Stature Limited Release 17 (

)

Santa Maria Valley and Monterey County, California: 14.9%; $ – [ $US65; 'Stature' the top tier at K-J; BF and LA in French oak 66% new for 14 months, 80 – 90% MLF; www.kj.com ]
Deeper lemon, just a hint of brass. First sniff, this is a monster. Oak dominates the bouquet, then varnishy spirit. After that comes golden peachy and rock-melon fruit, plus a lot of winemaker artefact: barrel-ferment, lees autolysis, and MLF etc. The combination of high spirit, yeast autolysis and oak gives a bouquet quite reminiscent of good fino sherry. Palate follows pro rata: oily-rich golden peach fruit, good baguette flavours, but excessive oak exacerbated by the spirit, so it burns the tongue. The whole thing is delicious in one large-scale sense, but overblown in another. Not a long-term cellar wine, but should be OK in its style for 3 – 5 years. GK 10/05

2007 Mudbrick Syrah Reserve [ Barrel Sample ] 17 (

)

Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: – %; $50 [ hand-picked; c. 14 months in American oak 50% new; not released yet; www.mudbrick.co.nz ]
Good ruby. Bouquet shows clear Rhone-like dianthus florals, cassis and oak. Palate is firm, good fruit, but a little acid and oaky at this pre-cold stabilisation stage. Perhaps the score is a little generous, but the berry flavours are long and varietal. [ NB: the finished wine may differ from this barrel sample.] Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 06/08

2003 Johner Pinot Noir 17 (

)

Gladstone, Wairarapa, New Zealand: 13.5%; $34 [ clones 10/5 and others, up to 10 years, harvested @ 0.8 t/ac; 10% whole bunch, 5 days cold soak, 21 days cold soak; 15 months in French oak 50% new; filtered; Robinson '05: Deep, bright, healthy crimson. Very concentrated and deep-flavoured on the nose. Lively acidity and very soft tannins. Quite distinctive. The acid not tannin card again. Fresh, direct. Vibrant. 17; www.johner-estate.com ]
Big pinot noir ruby, a wash of carmine and velvet. Bouquet on this wine is a standout in the field, being reminiscent of cru beaujolais, and a good one. The whole bunch component is much more evident than in the Dry River, though the given percentage is less. Palate is delightfully fleshy, soft, yet well-balanced in its style, with suggestions of ripe black cherry fruit, and much less oak than the Dry River. With the relative lack of tannin, however, it may not cellar so well. Cellar 3 – 8 years, perhaps longer. GK 01/07

2010 Unison Merlot Reserve 17 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $30 [ supercritical 'cork'; Me, some CS, all hand-picked, CS less than 15% to comply with labelling rules; a small percentage of juice taken for rosé; extended cuvaison to 35 days for some parcels, using cultured yeast; press wine blended back to taste; 12 months in barrels and puncheons, 15% new, maybe some American, then 18 months in older large wood; website to be updated; www.unisonvineyard.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, in the middle for weight. This wine benefits from decanting, to show soft berry and plummy fruit, and gentle still-hessian oak. Flavours are complex, quite aromatic for merlot as if there were some cabernet in the blend [ later, yes ], not ideally ripe or rich, in fact short to the finish, the nett impression here left bank rather than right. The wine is still taut for a 2010. Intriguing, different, to cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 06/14

2004 Villa Maria Pinot Noir Cellar Selection 17 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $30 [ screwcap; hand-harvested, up to 10 days cold-soak, c 9 months in French oak 40% new, and MLF in barrel; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Pinot ruby. A simpler blackboy pinot bouquet, clean, fragrant, but not as exciting as the cherry-oriented top wines. Palate is sweetly-fruited, almost seeming not bone-dry on the fruit richness, well-balanced for oak. The flavours are not complex, more blackboy than cherry, a hint of stalk, but good richness. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 11/05

2011 Volcanic Hills Sauvignon Blanc 17 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $18 [ screwcap; s/s, no winemaking info, Volcanic Hills is a marketing concept, no geographic relevance to vineyards; 4.1 g/L RS; www.volcanichills.co.nz ]
Pale lemon-green. Bouquet is potentially clean sound fruity Marlborough sauvignon, sautéed red capsicums, hints of sweet basil and faintest (acceptable) sweat. Palate is mild, ripe, reasonable body, seeming a little sweeter than the current industry trend, but still 'dry'. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 08/11

2004 Waimea Estates Riesling Dry 17 (

)

Nelson, New Zealand: 11.5%; $21 [ screwcap; no detail [then] on website; www.waimeaestates.co.nz ]
Lemon. Bouquet here is clearly riesling in the South Australian style, softly vanillin, less floral and more resiny than the Culley. Palate is similar, with slightly hoppy terpene flavours, all a little broader, milder and dryer than that wine, with pleasing beeswax suggestions and palate richness. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 03/06

2010 Te Mata Syrah Bullnose 17 (

)

Bridge Pa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $50 [ cork; no response to questionnaire by winery, website info only; a single-vineyard wine, hand-harvested, 100% de-stemmed; extended cuvaison; 15 months in French oak some new; RS <2 g/L; no top ranking, 4 second; www.temata.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, the lightest wine. Freshly opened, the bouquet is a little odd, lighter, indeterminate fruit and a hint of caramel and vanilla as if some US oak (unlikely). As the wine opens up with air, it clears to the more usual fragrant Bullnose interpretation, but in this case a lighter version of it, hints of wallflowers, red fruits more than black. Palate is quite light in the company, gentle, Cote Rotie in styling, not Hermitage. When compared with the top wines, it bears much the same relation to them as Guigal's Cote Rotie Brune & Blanc does to the half-dozen more serious syrah labels Guigal now offers. Thus this Bullnose is relatively light, but correct and beautifully made. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 06/13

2003 W. Schaefer Graacher Domprobst Riesling Kabinett QmP 17 (

)

Mosel, Germany: 8%; $34
Palest lemongreen. A slightly scented bouquet, not unpleasant, with some lime zest and unfocussed floral pale fruits. Palate is slightly apply, better acid than several, clearcut Mosel riesling. Cellar 10 – 15 years. GK 11/04

2007 d'Arenberg Roussanne Money Spider 17 (

)

McLaren Vale, South Australia, Australia: 13.5%; $24 [ screwcap; Ro 100%; all s/s; RS 1.5 g/L; www.darenberg.com.au ]
Lemonstraw. This is a really confusing wine. It is much more typically Australian white, fruity but tending broad and soft, vaguely mealy, hints of grapefruit and chardonnay. Palate is intriguing, clearly orange zest suggestions, crisper than the bouquet suggests. The puzzle is this wine smells of oak and lees autolysis, but there are none, it being made in stainless steel as if it were riesling. This too would be a good Asian foods wine. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 07/10

2004 Kooyong Pinot Noir Ferrous 17 (

)

Mornington Peninsula, Victoria, Australia: 13.5%; $ – [ supercritical ‘cork’; AU$52; vines 8 years; 100% de-stemmed, 4 – 7 days cold soak, wild yeast fermentation, 15 – 20 days cuvaison, 18 months French oak maturation 30% new; no fining, light filtration; www.kooyong.com ]
Pinot noir ruby, towards the lighter end. A gaggle of wines in the middle of the ranking all show the lighter, fragrant and pretty side of pinot noir, clearly varietal. Writing this up now, all identified, the first thing to say is: here is an Australian pinot noir with no hint of euc’y characters. It can be done ! Bouquet is close to the Pommard, pleasing florals, sweet red fruits including a touch of the strawberry characterising warmer climates, but also red cherry substance to lengthen, beautifully subtle oak and good acid balance. Dry extract is better than the light colour suggests, and though not as rich as the Cloudy Bay, it is enough to give true pinot noir mouthfeel. This is a pretty wine, easily under-estimated, to cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/07

2003 Villa Maria Pinot Noir Taylors Pass Single Vineyard 17 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $57 [ screwcap; 10 months in 60% new oak; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, the darkest in a set of 42 New Zealand pinots, and well beyond any reasonable international benchmark for colour intensity in the variety. Bouquet is moving towards a heavier style of over-ripe pinot, where florals are at peril of being lost. There are some darkly boronia suggestions. Fruit is darkly plummy rather more than black cherry, with a pruney edge further indicating sur-maturité. Palate is rich but quite tannic and oaky, with a Martinborough-like aromatic component suggesting mint. Below these are dark cherry and blackboy peach flavours. Finish is quite different, oaky but neat and taut, with just a hint of stalks. Undoubtedly a serious wine, with some coming together to do, but (if international pinot is the goal) stylewise a bit misguided - over-extracted and over-oaked, a show-pony. When it has shed some tannin in bottle and lightened up, it will be intriguing to see if a more varietal bouquet develops. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 03/05

2010 Coopers Creek Malbec Select Vineyards Saint John 17 (

)

Bridge Pa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $28 [ screwcap; a year in barrel; sterile-filtered but not fined; RS 4 g/L; www.cooperscreek.co.nz ]
Ruby and carmine, some velvet, below midway in depth. In the blind line-up, this is a fleshy and obvious wine, making one think of Wyndham, stainless steel, chips and residual sugar. Once one knows the variety, it makes a great comparison with the Villa Reserve offering of the same variety. The latter is an intensely serious wine, whereas this is somewhat lighter and more consumerist. It is not as ripe as the Villa wine, but it is better than one would predict for a malbec not grown on the Gimblett Gravels. An interesting lightly-oaked alternative New Zealand presentation of the variety, perhaps not bone dry [ confirmed ], to cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/12

2005 Mt Difficulty Pinot Noir Pipeclay Terrace Single Vineyard 17 (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $72 [ screwcap; hand-harvested, 100% de-stemmed; 6 days cold soak; 16 days cuvaison; 14 months and MLF in barrel; not fined or filtered; www.mtdifficulty.co.nz ]
Mature pinot noir ruby. Initially opened, the wine is a little reductive, and needs a good splashy decanting. Breathed, it fits in well with the other Mt Difficultys, mixed cherry bouquet riper than the Long Gully wines, mature red and black cherry fruit on a long sustained palate. Cellar 1 – 3 years. GK 06/11

2010 Mission Estate Merlot / Cabernet Franc Jewelstone 17 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.2%; $39 [ cork; Me 81, CF 11, Sy 8, harvested at c.5.5 t/ha = 2.2 t/ac; no cold-soak, inoculated yeast, extended cuvaison up to 36 days; c. 18 months in French oak new and one-year; 210 cases only; designed strictly as a reciprocal or sister wine to the cabernet sauvignon-dominant Jewelstone blend, left-bank vs right Bordeaux analogy; www.missionestate.co.nz ]
Ruby, well below midway. Bouquet is light clean plummy merlot, subtly oaked. Palate initially seems a little less, the ripeness level hovering just above stalky, the oak subtle though, the flavours simple. Later, the fruit richness is greater than the initial impression conveyed, so the evaluation of this wine changes as one tastes it. Could surprise in cellar 5 – 12 years, and rate a little more highly. GK 06/12

2004 Torbreck [ Shiraz ] The Struie 17 (

)

Barossa & Eden Valleys, South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $ – [ cork; c. AU$48; Sy 100%; a blend of 44-year Eden Valley shiraz and 80-year Barossa Valley, aged 18 months French oak 20% new; Parker 167: "An exotic bouquet of blackberries and other sweet fruits is followed by a full-bodied, powerful, rich red with great purity as well as focus, a laser-like precision, huge intensity, and a blockbuster finish … two decades. 96"; Spectator: 94; www.torbreck.com ]
Ruby and velvet, nearly some carmine, above midway in density. This was one of the wines which opened up as itself, and stayed that way over 24 hours. Bouquet shows a light mint fragrance almost salvia-like, grading into aniseed, on red fruits. Palate is both aromatic and juicy rasp / boysenberry of no great complexity, seemingly a little stalky yet not quite dry, made aromatic by balsam-like oak and plant aromatics. Eucalyptus at this subtlety can be almost attractive, but the suggestion of residual is blatantly beguiling. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 04/07

2001 Dry River Pinot Noir 17 (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13%; $ – [ cork; clones 10/5 and others, up to 25 years, not irrigated, harvested @ 2 t/ac; 20% whole bunch, up to 10 days cold soak, 16 days cuvaison; 12 months French oak 20% new; sterile filtered; www.dryriver.co.nz ]
Big pinot noir ruby, some velvet, a little older. Bouquet is in the rich Dry River style, but surprisingly fragrant, darkly plummy and faintly pruney, maybe with some dark boronia floral suggestions too. Palate likewise is darkly plummy, with nutmeggy spice on the oak. This is rich and succulent wine with some thoughts of Chateauneuf-du-Pape arising (like the Neudorf), but more plummy. Even though there is a raisiny component in the fruit (which is a long way from red and black cherry), it finishes relatively lightly on the tongue. This vintage sat in the pinot tasting much more comfortably than I have given the proprietor credit for in previous reviews (of other vintages). Interesting. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 01/07

1971 Chateau Tahbilk Shiraz 17 (

)

Nagambie Lakes, Central Victoria, Australia: – %; $ – [ Cork 46mm, ullage 34mm; original price $1.85; again this is the mainstream red, not one of the special Bins. The ‘1860 Vines’ wine had not been introduced, at that stage. The introductory comments for the Cabernet apply. Evans (1978) notes: This is a softer wine than the Cabernet, showing a little less tannin, lighter colour, and less depth of flavour; is usually drinkable earlier than the Cabernet. One contemporary tasting note: RH@JR, 2010: Lovely mahogany colour and bewitching chocolate pudding nose with raspberry coulis and mint leaf. Some decent tannic structure and a lovely meat juice complexity on the finish. Subtle, interesting, 16.5; weight bottle and closure: 582 g; www.tahbilk.com.au ]
Rosy garnet and ruby, the lightest wine. At the tasting the wine was impaired by a light musty / TCA note, detected by seven tasters. Overnight it breathed off remarkably well, to reveal classic warmer-year Australian red-fruited shiraz, browning raspberry rather than boysenberry, like the Cabernet beautifully clean older oak, unlike the Cabernet no Prostanthera floral note. Palate is lighter and less tannic than the Cabernet, and in one sense therefore even better with food. Being less rich than the Cabernet, it was therefore too old for some. Top wine for one taster, but least wine for six, due to the light TCA. Time to drink up this wine, since like the Cabernet, the corks are failing. This bottle too the best ullage of six. Score reflects the well-breathed wine. GK 04/21

2005 Mount Dottrel Pinot Noir 17 (

)

Cromwell district, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $30 [ screwcap; PN 100%, 5 clones hand-harvested; destemmed, 21 days cuvaison inc. cold-soak, 9 months in French oak; formerly Chantmarle Vineyard; www.mountdottrel.co.nz ]
Ruby, a bit old for its age. This wine needs decanting / aeration to show its best. Breathed, there are clear red and black cherry varietal fruits, plus a hint of red rhubarb stalks. Palate is pinot in weight and style, gentler and rounder than the Resolute wine, more burgundian. There is a slight aromatic lift to the finish, maybe the much-talked about thyme aroma of Central Otago. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 02/08

1995 Clearview Estate Chardonnay Reserve 17 (

)

Te Awanga, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $ – [ cork; simpler variations on 2004 practice, qv; www.clearviewestate.co.nz ]
Gold and orange, a little paler than the 1997. At 10 years old, this is showing its age, but is nonetheless gracefully mature. Bouquet combines fresh golden peaches and dried, with wine-biscuit complexity, and the palate sustains these beautifully. Oak and alcohol are better integrated than the 1997, with an attractive button-mushroom aftertaste from the lees-autolysis. Fading gracefully, a gentle wine, best used in the next couple of years. GK 11/05

2002 Trimbach Pinot Gris Reserve 17 (

)

Alsace, France: 13%; $29 [ cork; www.maison-trimbach.fr ]
Lemon straw. Bouquet is soft and pure, with a clear yellow-floral component on pale stone fruits, clearly varietal. Palate is softer than expected, however, and the flavours a bit honeyed and prematurely aged, in a nectariney underlay. Pretty well mature, perhaps due to the lowish acid, and though perfectly sound, lacks the excitement one hopes for in Trimbach wines. Not a wise cellar prospect. GK 08/05

2004 Koura Bay Pinot Noir Blue Duck 17 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $37 [ screwcap ]
Good pinot ruby, one of the deeper. Bouquet is sweetly floral, with fragrant cherry and berry fruit, unequivocally varietal. The florals continue right into the palate, with bursting red cherry fruit just like biting into the real thing, long flavour, subtle oak and a fragrant finish. Not a big wine, but an attractive one. Cellar 3 – 6 years. GK 10/05

2003 Montana Pinot Noir "T" Terraces Estate 17 (

)

Marlborough , New Zealand: 14%; $33 [ cork; in effect the 'Reserve' wine, when vintage quality allows; 6 days cold soak, 40% new oak all French for 12 months; some batonnage; www.montanawines.co.nz ]
Good pinot ruby, though darker than any of the Rousseaus. Freshly poured, the wine is a little stalky. Decanted and aired, the first thing to say is how totally in style the wine is, when sitting amongst the Rousseau wines in a blind tasting. Bouquet is attractively floral, showing buddleia and even rose characters, amidst good redfruits and cherries grading through to some black. Palate is clearly cherry fruit, with appropriate oaking using a potentially cedary oak not too different from the Rousseaus. Texture is fleshier than the Burgundy examples, slightly stalky, and not quite so totally 'dry', but the nett impression is unequivocally varietal. Attractive drinking, and will cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 02/05

2002 Neudorf Pinot Noir Home Vineyard 17 (

)

Moutere Hills, Nelson, New Zealand: 14.3%; $ – [ clones 10/5, 5 and 22, up to 22 years, harvested c 2 t/ac; 100% de-stemmed; 6 days cold soak, wild yeast fermentation, 21 days cuvaison; 11 months French oak 40% new; not fined or filtered; www.neudorf.co.nz ]
Older pinot noir ruby, lighter and older than the Chambertin. In this hierarchy, this is the first of the wines to exhibit a cool leafy fragrance in the floral component, on red fruits. In mouth there is a novel citric, nearly grapefruit (+ve) complexity note in the blackboy and red cherry fruit, plus a hint of pennyroyal. Blind, I would think this a Martinborough wine. Richness is good, but physiological ripeness is tending warm-climate and a little lacking. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 01/07

2010 Domain Road Pinot Noir 17 (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $39 [ screwcap; hand-harvested; 9 months in French oak, unknown percentage new; www.domainroad.co.nz ]
Deep pinot noir ruby, a wash of velvet. Bouquet is berry dominant, more red cherry and some plum, some floral thoughts, clearly varietal. Palate is a little less, the fruit very fresh with a stalky hard edge to it, not quite rich enough to cover the phenolics even though the oaking is restrained. Should soften with another year, and cellar 3 – 8 years, to become more burgundian. GK 05/13

2006 Villa Maria Syrah Private Bin 17 (

)

Gimblett Gravels & Dartmoor Valley, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $23 [ screwcap; Sy 95%, Vi 2.5, Gr 2.5, hand- and machine-picked, all de-stemmed; warm-fermented in open-top vessels, 21 days cuvaison; MLF and c. 17 months in French oak 10% new; no residual sugar; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, lighter than many. Bouquet is clean, fragrant, clearly varietal even at this price level, with an attractive floral component intertwined with vanillin oak, again raising thoughts of dark pinot noir. In mouth the wine is surprisingly well-fruited for this third-tier label, not as rich as the Cellar Selections (particularly the straight Syrah), but still very good, international in flavour profile. This would have been a gold medal wine 15 years ago in New Zealand (if the variety had been around). Aftertaste is cassis and dark plums, just a little more boney than the top wines, but a great achievement at the PB level. Some boutique winemakers will need to look at this wine very carefully, before pricing their own syrah offerings. It will mellow in cellar 3 – 12 years. GK 05/08

2003 Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir 17 (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $40 [ cork; clones 10/5 and others, up to 20 years, harvested 2 t/ac; 100% destemmed, up to 7 days cold soak, up to 21 days cuvaison; 11 months French oak 45% new; coarse filter; Robinson '05: Mid crimson and very pale rim. Some sweetness and quite bright energetic fruit. Very slightly stewed fruit but this is definitely the best Marlborough Pinot so far. Lots of oak and acid on the finish. Certainly ambitious. 16; www.cloudybay.co.nz ]
Lightish pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is a clear example of Marlborough pinot at the lighter end of the floral range, as if from a warmer climate. Buddleia and lilac are dominant, on fruit notes of red cherries and blackboy peach. Actual ripeness within these parameters is good, and fruit weight and mouthfeel are surprisingly good. This is a fragrant and pretty wine well illustrating a New Zealand style of pinot noir akin to minor Beaune wines, avoiding the leafyness and skinny palate seen in some similarly-coloured examples of the variety. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 01/07

2004 Mt Difficulty Pinot Noir Pipeclay Terrace Single Vineyard 17 (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14.5%; $71 [ screwcap; 20% whole-bunch, up to 6 days cold-soak; 90% wild yeast; 12 months in French oak 36% new; www.mtdifficulty.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby. Bouquet on this wine is clearly in the plummy camp, bigger altogether, almost juicy. Palate continues that thought, young plum and cherry / berry flavours, slightly spicy oak, quite rich and well-balanced, but not much integration and complexity, a little raw as yet. Needs several years in cellar to marry up and develop bouquet. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 06/06

2008 Sleeping Dogs Pinot Noir Reserve 17 (

)

Gibbston Valley, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $38 [ screwcap; no info ]
Pinot noir ruby, slight age apparent. Benefits from air, to reveal a bouquet including an exotic note like guava, on noticeable oak combined with some European styling. This is another wine with some reminders of fragrant grenache. Palate is more on cue, aromatic fruit and oak giving quite bold flavours, more red fruits than black showing good concentration and length. The exotic black passionfruit skins note persists though, with herbes and a phenolic / oaky nip to the tail. Intriguing quite rich wine, to cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 09/10

2009 Archangel Wines Pinot Noir 17 (

)

Queensberry, Cromwell Basin, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $39 [ screwcap; hand-harvested; no further info; www.archangelwines.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is delightfully floral at the red roses level, just a hint of boronia, red fruits mainly, subtle oak. Palate is lesser, strictly red fruits, another wine tasting like young vines, lacking depth to the flavour, but what is there is good and clearly varietal. Acid balance is better than the Long Trek variant. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 09/10

2009 Aurum Wines Pinot Noir Mathilde Reserve 17 (

)

Lowburn & Pisa districts, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14.5%; $45 [ screwcap; hand-picked from 9-year old vines; 15 months in French oak 25% new; www.aurumwines.com ]
Pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is floral and pretty, on red roses mainly, red cherry fruit below. Palate is slightly less, the red fruits continuing but lacking a little in concentration, and just a suggestion of stalk. There may be a gram or two of sugar to cover that. Before the details were available, I wondered if this was young vines speaking. Cellar 2 – 5 years, perhaps. GK 09/10

2005 Amisfield Pinot Noir 17 (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.9%; $ – [ screwcap; hand-harvested; some whole-bunch, mostly wild yeast fermentations; extended cuvaison; 12 months in French oak c.20% new; www.amisfield.co.nz ]
Big maturing pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is clearly older, fragrant cedary oak in mixed cherry aromas all browning a little now, reminding of some earlier Mondavi Pinot Noir Reserves. Palate includes thoughts of mixed ripeness, a hint of leafy flavours in cherry fruit, the oak continuing fragrantly throughout. Fully mature, starting to dry, and the acid showing a little, cellar 1 – 3 years. GK 09/10

2008 Babich Pinot Noir Winemakers Reserve 17 (

)

Awatere & Marlborough Valleys, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $29 [ supercritical 'cork'; 5 clones, 7% whole-bunch fermentation, 14 months French oak, some new; www.babichwines.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, close to the Prophet's Rock. Bouquet improves greatly with air-time to reveal a sweetly floral and beautifully varietal red fruits pinot noir, with great purity. Below the red cherry there is a hint of almond, and subtlest oak. Palate is not quite so focused, a little of the looser blackboy peach character creeping into the red cherry, but oaking is attractive and the whole wine is distinctly more-ish. The pace of change in Marlborough pinot noir towards more accurate and international pinot noir varietal character is exciting. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 11/10

2003 Mount Edward Pinot Noir 17 (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $47 [ screwcap; 50% Gibbston Valley, 30% Bannockburn, 20% Alexandra; 10 months in 30% new French oak; www.mountedward.co.nz ]
Good pinot ruby. Initially poured, a little reductive, needing decanting / aeration. Clears to a good example of New Zealand pinot bouquet, showing mixed florals on red and black cherries, and with no penny royal - this is delightful. Palate is essence of cherries, beautifully made with subtle oaking, silky texture, but just a little short on stuffing, tapering a little to the tail, with a hint of stalk and acid. The purity of character is great, though. Cellar 5 - 8 years. GK 03/05

2011 Terrace Edge Riesling Classic 17 (

)

Waipara Valley, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 13%; $21 [ screwcap; hand-harvested; wild-yeast fermentation, all s/s; RS 38 g/L; www.terraceedge.co.nz ]
Lemon. Better with a breath of air, the bouquet is citric to the point of reminding of lemonade, some lime zest, quite assertive, more South Australian than German. Palate continues that thought, quite bold, a little extractive, sweeter than it tastes, the flavours all clearly varietal. Should cellar well in its bolder style, 3 – 8 years, and will probably go hoppy. GK 05/13

2005 Morton Estate Chardonnay White Label 17 (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $17 [ screwcap; not on website; www.mortonestatewines.co.nz ]
Lemonstraw. Bouquet is a much simpler take on chardonnay, more a South Australian musk-melon style with simple French oak, all clean and pure and just a little innocuous. But the palate is attractively balanced within this simpler approach, showing good fruit, balanced oak, fresh flavours with a hint of cashew, not out to impress, just quaffable and pleasing. Cellar 1 – 5 years. GK 03/07

2004 Dry River Syrah Lovat Vineyard 17 (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 12.5%; $ – [ cork; was NZ$66; earlier review on this website; www.dryriver.co.nz ]
Ruby, the same weight as the Cayuse, one of the lightest. The Dry River opens cleanly, and stays the same for 24 hours. Bouquet is floral and fragrant, nearly dianthus but certainly buddleia and roses, with clean cracked peppercorn. Palate is one of the lightest in this tasting, and it is debatable whether it escapes being classed as stalky. 2004 was a modest season in Martinborough, and the district is marginal for syrah. There are red fruits rather than black, and white pepper as well as black. The whole wine is fragrant and attractive but cool in style, slightly acid like a cool-year Cote Rotie. And like them, it is pleasing with food, and refreshing to drink (unless one is habituated to over-ripe high-alcohol wines). Martinborough is 210 kilometres southwest of central Hawkes Bay. The 2005 seen in the Syrah Symposium reflects a season just that critical bit warmer. Cellar 3 – 8 years, maybe 10. GK 04/07

2002 Te Mata Syrah Bullnose 17 (

)

Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $35 [ cork; Sy 100%; hand-harvested, de-stemmed; extended cuvaison 3 + weeks, followed by 16 months in new and older French oak; www.temata.co.nz ]
Older ruby, some velvet. Bouquet is fragrant in a cassisy berry and nearly floral way, with savoury complexity of the venison casserole kind, indicating some brett. This wine was included to demonstrate two things: firstly a little brett is not the end of the world, in the sense the wine is attractive, and not prematurely drying (or dying); and secondly that relative to 2005 Bullnose in the same flight, here is the evidence that a winery can transform its brett status in three short years, given the determination to do so. This wine will cellar another 3 – 5 years. Due to its European / Rhone soft styling, it is great with food. GK 06/08

2003 Two Paddocks Pinot Noir Picnic 17 (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 12.5%; $26 [ screwcap; www.twopaddocks.com ]
Elegant pinot noir ruby. This is simply lovely pure light pinot, some florals, clear cherries, pleasing and fragrant. Palate is pro rata, not as concentrated as the more serious wines, red fruits dominant, but the alcohol (if correct) showing how easily the flavours of physiological maturity are achieved in a good year in Otago's continental climate. If this were priced close to the other Picnic Series wines, it would be a great introduction to the variety. Cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 04/05

2010 Esk Valley Merlot / Cabernet Sauvignon / Malbec 17 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $25 [ screwcap; Me 74%, CS 13, Ma 13; 12 months in French oak barrique-size, 25% new; Availability: limited, moving to 2011; www.eskvalley.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, the third to lightest. Bouquet is nearly as fragrant as Te Kahu, but more berry in character and less floral, not the magic of cabernet franc, more the robust berry character of malbec. Palate is closer to the Saint Paul, more oak than Te Kahu and more aromatic structure on the oak (rather than cabernet sauvignon), but again, this is a good evocation of modern petit Bordeaux. It shows lovely berry, and will cellar 8 – 15 years. Fractionally less new oak would be good. GK 03/13

2003 Vynfields Pinot Noir Reserve 17 (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 14.6%; $39 [ screwcap; hand-picked, varied cold-soak and fermentation temperatures, French oak; www.vynfields.com ]
Good pinot ruby. My earlier rating of this wine was wrong. Bouquet is now sweetly floral with boronia and buddleia blossom qualities, and clear suggestions of red and black cherries. Palate starts well, with attractive cherry fruit of pinot weight and style, but later some rough tannins creep up in the mouth, the wine becoming a little astringent to the finish. A wine in two parts therefore. Re the 10/04 rating, clearly I was over-concerned with the poor finish also commented on then. Like the '03 Gravel Pit Red, I can only plead that release too soon after bottling can work against the wine's interests, particularly for a taster placing much emphasis on bouquet (as I do). Cellar 5 – 8 years, maybe to soften on finish, and further improve. GK 03/05

2003 St Hallet Shiraz Faith 17 (

)

Barossa Valley, South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $28 [ cork; a mix of techniques in elevage, with some undergoing MLF in barrel, some maturing 16 months in various ages of American oak and some retained in s/s; www.sthallett.com.au ]
Dense ruby, carmine and velvet. Bouquet is big euc’y and boysenberry Barossa Valley shiraz, hearty and straightforward. Flavours are juicy and rich boysenberry and dark plum, oak in reasonable balance, appealing in a one-dimensional rich way. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 08/05

2002 Girardin Puligny-Montrachet les Referts 17 (

)

Puligny-Montrachet Premier Cru, Cote de Beaune, Burgundy, France: 14%; $80
Lemon. Bouquet is dominated by new oak, to a level which would raise many an eyebrow in the new world, so it is sensational from Burgundy. Below the oak there is good minerally and white peachy fruit appropriate to Puligny, but the level of oak does make one wonder if it will ever mellow out true to its homeland, or stay new world in nett impression. Oak junkies will rate this ‘international’ chardonnay more highly. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 04/04

2007 Zephyr Sauvignon Blanc 17 (

)

Lower Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $24 [ screwcap; website not complete yet; www.zephyrwine.com ]
Palest lemongreen. Bouquet displays clear Marlborough sauvignon ripened more to the yellow capsicum level, but with suggestions of red capsicum and black passionfruit raising complexity. Palate is well-fruited, quite gentle in its phenolics, presented at the standard Marlborough 'dry' point of around 4 g/L. There is a lack of correlation between the given alcohol, and the flavour ripeness, which suggests a lower brix. It is not quite ripe enough to be a good cellar wine, but 1 – 3 years OK. GK 03/08

2005 Neudorf Pinot Noir Tom's Block (formerly Nelson) 17 (

)

Nelson, New Zealand: 14.5%; $28 [ screwcap; this is the former Nelson label; hand-picked, cold soak, wild yeast; 8 months and MLF in French oak 25% new; www.neudorf.co.nz ]
Good ruby, some velvet. Bouquet is lightly floral, with dark red fruits more plummy than cherry, all faintly leathery. There is a hint of pennyroyal on bouquet, which is more noticeable on palate, the flavours becoming a bit oaky and coarser than the bouquet. A sturdy wine, with just a suggestion of southern Rhone flavours as well as pinot noir, partly from the high alcohol. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 01/07

2005 Auntsfield Pinot Noir Heritage 17 (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14.5%; $ – [ screwcap; this will be a commemorative / centenary release, marking the death in 1905 of the founder of the original late 1800s Auntsfield Vineyard; no info on wine, price, or release date available yet; good site history on website; www.auntsfield.co.nz ]
Big pinot noir ruby, some velvet. Alongside the standard Auntsfield, this wine is burdened with excess oak plus a whisper of VA, making the mixed cherry fruit noticeably aromatic. There may be a floral component, but it is hard to discern. Palate is both blackboy and plum, some cherry, good richness and varietal character, good acid. The nett flavour is pleasant in mouth, but all too oaky, as so often happens with reserve wines. Cellar 5 – 10 years, less than the standard wine I suspect, on account of the oak. GK 01/07

2004 Craggy Range Pinot Noir Te Muna Road Vineyard 17 (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $40 [ cork; hand-harvested @ 1.6 t/ac, 10% whole bunch, wild yeast; 9 months in French oak 50% new; not fined or filtered; www.craggyrange.com ]
Older pinot noir ruby. Bouquet has a lovely mid-range floral / roses bouquet, on mixed red and black cherry, delightfully varietal. Palate clearly has red-fruited flesh, beautifully balanced, Cote de Beaune-like, light but satisfying. This is both more-ish, and will cellar 3 – 8 years, even though it is already a little forward. GK 01/07

nv Saint Cosme Little James Basket Press 17 (

)

Southern Rome Valley, France: 13.5%; $20 [ Gr 100%; understood to be all 2003; concrete vats; sometimes $15 ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, not as bright as the Deux Albion. One sniff, and this has to be the best $15–20 grenache on the New Zealand market. It is also the best Little James so far, reflecting the quality of the 2003 vintage. Bouquet is voluminous on redfruits including raspberries, and marvellous cinnamon spice, all complexed by a little brett. Palate is velvety, gorgeous grape tannins attractively furry – this is what is meant by ripe tannins – and complex in flavour. In a few years the wine will finish a little dry on the brett component, but meanwhile it is delicious (except to technocrats). Cellar 5–8 years. GK 11/04

2002 Kingsley Estate Merlot / Malbec 17 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $39 [ Me 67%, Ma 19, CF 7, CS 7; www.kingsley.co.nz ]
Ruby with some carmine and velvet, lighter than the top wines. Bouquet is sweet and fragrant, in a lighter style reminiscent of a traditional St Emilion wine, some florals even maybe violets, and ripe berryfruits. Palate is lesser, a slightly leafy / stalky quality in the fragrance, and the whole wine lighter. Attractively balanced, and subtly oaked, as such. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 12/04

2004 Te Motu [ Cabernets / Merlot ] 17 (

)

Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.5%; $ – [ cork; CS c.70%, Me c.20%, balance CF, Sy & Ma, handpicked @ c 1 t/ac; c.2.5 years in predominantly French & Hungarian oak c.30% new; not yet released, current vintage is 2002 @ $90; good crop, long coolish summer; www.temotu.co.nz ]
Ruby, some age creeping in. Bouquet has again achieved this marvellous fragrance the Dunleavys have in Te Motu. It is an amalgam of merlot and the cabernet varieties, tending floral, very berried, but the long exposure to and interaction with the oak makes the wine distinctive, and hard to characterise. Palate is light, yet not weak, fresh, fragrant in mouth, a total mix of blackcurrant, redcurrant and plum, again Bordeaux-like (apart from the oak). The astonishing thing about these Te Motus is that given the time in oak approaching 30 months, though they are fragrant with oak, they are not as harshly oaky as one would expect, indicating good dry extract. The style is therefore distinctive on the island, lean, cedary and reminiscent of 1960s Bordeaux, some vintages cellaring well. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 06/08

1999 Rex Hill Pinot Noir 17 (

)

Oregon, North America: – %; $125 [ www.rexhill.com ]
Good pinot ruby, ageing. An understated slightly almondy bouquet showing some red cherry qualities, but moving into developed and secondary aromas. Flavours likewise are developed, sweetly fruited with a good concentration of red berries, gently oaked, marcy with a linseed meal suggestion, slightly acid. This wine is clearly pinot in the international sense, and is therefore helpful to the tasting as a reminder that our new world fruit bomb style is out of line. Cellar 3 – 6. GK 01/04

2008 Mt Difficulty Riesling Target Gully 17 (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 11%; $34 [ screwcap; vines planted 1994; stop-fermented @ 44 g/L, as a spatlese style; 800 cases; www.mtdifficulty.co.nz ]
Palest lemongreen. Premature release is more evident here, there being some sulphur to marry away. Below is a more sweet vernal version of riesling, again Germanic with potential florals and a little lime-zest, the latter more apparent on the palate. At this stage, one could never tell there is 44 g/L residual sugar here, but in cellar it will evolve into a good spatlese-level wine. This Target Gully wine is another which may well demand re-rating in five years. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 11/08

1996 [ Te Motu ] Dunleavy Reserve Cabernet / Merlot 17 (

)

Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 12%; $ – [ cork; CS >95%, balance Me, handpicked @ < 1 t/ac; c.2.5 years in predominantly French and some American oak c.30% new; this wine a special bottling for export; www.temotu.co.nz ]
Ruby and garnet, much older than the 1993. This seems to be not a wine to decanter and leave to breathe for an extended time. Freshly opened, it is sweetly fragrant, again reminding of some lesser classed Pauillacs such as Grand Puy Lacoste, with browning cassis and cedary oak. Palate is mature, fading a little so drying to the finish. Like the other Te Motus, the oak is more apparent than real, initially, but increases if the decanted wine is left to stand. Food-friendly fully mature wine, best used in the next few years. GK 06/08

2004 The Obsidian [ Merlot / Cabernets ] 17 (

)

Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.5%; $45 [ cork; Me 40%, CS 35, CF & Ma, hand-picked; c.13 months in French oak, 50% new, balance 1 and 2-year; www.obsidian.co.nz ]
Ruby. Bouquet is significantly mellower and more mature than the 2005, with plummy and dark tobacco qualities on both bouquet and palate. Oak is in fair balance to the fruit, and total style is reminiscent of many a minor Bordeaux, Entre Deux Mers in particular, but all slightly acid. It should cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 06/08

1998 Te Motu [ Cabernets / Merlot ] 17 (

)

Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13%; $320 [ cork; CS c.60%, Me c.25%, balance CF & Ma, handpicked @ c 1 t/ac; c.2.5 years in predominantly French and some American oak c.30% new; on Waiheke 1998 was a good but not hot year (unlike Hawkes Bay), small crop, warm dry vintage; www.temotu.co.nz ]
Ruby and garnet, not too different from the 1996. It is curious the way individual Te Motus express their oak quite differently. This one too shows a touch of the carbolic fragrance of American oak, like the 1993, on sweet cassis and blackberry fruit. Palate is fresher and richer than the colour suggests, clearly related to the 1999, fruit in fair ratio to the oak, an intriguing mint hint in the depths of it. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 06/08

2002 Sileni Estate Merlot The Triangle 17 (

)

Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $ – [ release date August 2004; www.sileni.co.nz ]
Ruby, lightish. A lighter wine in this company, with some redcurrant and red berries aromatics on plummy fruit. Palate is unusual, not showing a lot of flavour, yet with a richness which bespeaks good cellaring potential. The cedary hints in the oak are attractive too. The whole wine is very right bank in its styling. Maybe one to look at again after more time in bottle. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 05/04

2003 Fuse Shiraz / Grenache / Mourvedre 17 (

)

Clare Valley, South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $18 [ screwcap ]
Good ruby, some carmine and velvet. A sweet, ripe and minty GSM bouquet, the mint verging on euc’y. Red fruits are abundant, including a raspberry note. Palate is berry-rich and juicy, more raspberry than boysenberry, pleasant oak tannins not overdone, lingering attractively on a not-bone-dry finish. A popular style. Cellar 5 – 10 years, to dry out a little and gain in complexity. GK 08/05

2003 Chard Farm Pinot Noir Vipers Vineyards 17 (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $41 [ screwcap; website lacks specific info; www.chardfarm.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. Given the extra year on this wine, bouquet is tending unknit, with some rose florals, and some red fruits touching on raspberry, currant and cherry, but not integrated in the way the Schuster wines are. Palate has good fruit almost hinting at sweetness, subtle oak, straightforward cherry flavours, all attractively ripe. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 03/06

2005 Kawarau Estate Pinot Noir Reserve 17 (

)

Lowburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $40 [ screwcap; hand-harvested @ 0.9 t/ac from the oldest vines, 25% whole-bunch, wild yeast fermentation; 10 months in French oak c. 25% new; http://kestate.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby, some carmine and velvet. This is a European-styled wine, with savoury and bretty complexity and older oak, on good cherry fruit. It is all very winey, with attractive red cherry aromas and flavours lingering nicely on fleshy berry, subtly oaked. This Kawarau should be a good food wine, but may have its cellar life curtailed by brett. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 01/07

2004 Lake Hayes Chardonnay Gisborne 17 (

)

Gisborne, New Zealand: 13.5%; $20 [ screwcap; www.lakehayes.co.nz ]
Lemon. Clearcut sweet ripe peachy chardonnay from first opening, showing fair complexity via (I assume) some barrel fermentation and MLF, and good lees autolysis which has added a breadcrust complexity through bouquet and palate. Fruit in mouth is good, but there is a slightly burning alcohol and oak-related component which should marry away with some time in bottle. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 01/05

2004 KEW Chardonnay Barrel-Fermented 17 (

)

Gisborne, New Zealand: 13.5%; $21 [ screwcap; KEW = Kirkpatrick Estate Winery; www.kew.co.nz ]
Lemon straw, bright, with suggestions of new-oak yellow. Bouquet is oak-dominated, quite old-fashioned rich chardonnay made with lots of desiccated coconut oak. Palate is rich, very oaky, reasonably balanced in its white peach richness. Lees autolysis and MLF complexities are pretty well hidden by the oak, but add texture and mouthfeel. Hard to score because it is so 1980s style, but good as such. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 05/05

2006 Clearview [ Cabernets / Merlot ] Old Olive Block 17 (

)

Te Awanga & Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $31 [ supercritical cork; CS 41%, Me 37, CF 13, Ma 9, all hand-picked; 28 days cuvaison; 18 months in mostly French oak some new; www.clearviewestate.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet. Bouquet is close to a reputable Medoc cru bourgeois in style, mixed cassis and dark plum berry, not a big wine but sufficiently ripe. Palate is juicy, clear cassis, crisp or a little too acid, with real cabernets elegance complexed by subtle oak. It is a much purer wine than the 2006 Clearview Cabernet Franc. Cellar 5 – 8 years. It was used as part of a presentation on Bordeaux blends in New Zealand, for the Lincoln University Viticulture and Oenology degree course, to illustrate a cooler phase of a younger cabernet-dominant Bordeaux / Hawkes Bay blend. GK 09/08

2002 Jadot Meursault Genevrieres 17 (

)

Meursault Premier Cru, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $130 [ cork; Jadot vineyard; hand-harvested; (guideline) BF, LA, MLF in 30% new French oak; no specific info [then] on website; www.louisjadot.com ]
Lemon straw. This wine shows a big hazelnutty bouquet, with a lot of oak and lees autolysis components. Palate spreads them out into rich stone fruits, all slightly buttery and oat-mealy, clearly Meursault but unsubtle. A trace of VA adds sparkle, but this is one of the forward wines, not suited to long cellaring, say 3 – 8 years. GK 07/05

2001 Perrin Cotes du Rhone-Villages Cairanne Peyre Blanche 17 (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $27 [ Gr 60%, Sy 30; Mv 10; 20% in barrels, balance in vats; website requires password entry; www.perrin-rhone.com ]
Cairanne seems to me the most exciting of the emerging Cotes du Rhone villages, these days. This wine is bright ruby. A distinctive bouquet, with herbes de Provence so strong as to hint at an Australian mint aromatic, plus dry spicy and nutmeggy qualities, on quite dark berries. Flavour is more the raspberry of grenache, but with added cassis and plum complexity from the more aromatic syrah and dark mourvedre. These all linger attractively with a newish oak component, leading back to the nutmeggy notes on bouquet. The wine seems very dry on this spicy note, but it is not lacking in richness. Has many flavours in common with the Perrin Gigondas, but it is slightly more bretty and is not as rich. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 10/04

2002 Pikes Cabernet / Merlot The Dogwalk 17 (

)

Clare Valley, South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $22 [ screwcap; no info [then] on website; www.pikeswines.com.au ]
Dense ruby, carmine and velvet, richer than the merlot. A big bouquet too, inclining more to fruit than oak, which emphasises the cassisy component. But there is pervasive euc there, and in reality there is a lot of oak too, with a suggestion of cloves. Palate is sweet-fruited and rich, with beautiful cassis. This would be a fine South Australian cabernet / merlot, if it weren't so minty / euc’y. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 08/05

2002 Montana Pinot Noir "T" Terraces Estate 17 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $33 [ www.montanawines.co.nz ]
Good ruby, though deeper than Montana Pinot usually is. Bouquet is deeper, richer, riper and more oaky too, with the black cherry moving towards a black plum dimension, losing some varietal bouquet. Flavour however pretty well takes this wine into the new world fruit bomb class, the oak and toast introducing a buttered pikelet quality to big, juicy, blackboy fruit and soft aromatic oak which is unsubtle. The cheaper wines sometimes show more of the beauty of pinot noir. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 01/04

2005 Te Mata Syrah Woodthorpe 17 (

)

Tutaekuri Valley, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $24 [ screwcap; Sy 95%, Vi 5, hand-harvested, destemmed, co-fermented; 15 months French oak some new; www.temata.co.nz ]
Lightish ruby, a flush of carmine and velvet. Bouquet is fragrant and floral, like a lighter Cote Rotie, promising, with red and black currants and plums. Palate adds a cracked peppercorn component, some new oak, and the faintest thought of stalks. The actual flesh is not as light as the bouquet suggests. The gap between the Bullnose and Woodthorpe syrahs is wider this year, but I do not have the 2004s to hand. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 01/07

2004 Drouhin Musigny 17 (

)

Chambolle-Musigny Grand Cru, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 13%; $262 [ cork; a Drouhin domaine wine, the vineyard adjoining Clos Vougeot, average vine age 25 - 30 years; hand-harvested, c. 18 months in oak; Wine Direct the NZ agents; www.drouhin.com ]
Light pinot noir ruby, one of the paler ones. This is pinot noir at its most finessed, fine and floral and very delicate, the rose-like florals leading into red cherry fruit. Palate is lighter than the top wines, the faintest thought of stalkiness creeping up on the finish. Lovely, as far as it goes. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 12/06

2004 Babich Syrah Gimblett Gravels 17 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12.5%; $20 [ screwcap; 22 days cuvaison, c. 6 months in French & American oak, some new; www.babichwines.co.nz ]
Good ruby. Bouquet is clear-cut syrah in a Crozes-Hermitage style, some redfruits, clear cracked peppercorn, a hint of stalks. Palate is a little more stalky, but the cassis and cracked black peppercorn is quite rich and attractive. Great to have this flavour in Hawkes Bay at 12.5 degrees alcohol – a remarkably exact northern Rhone figure. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 03/07

2006 Mount Fishtail Pinot Rosé Sparkling 17 (

)

Wairau & Waihopai Valleys, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $15 [ screwcap; second label of Konrad ]
Colour is intriguing, coppery good rosé. This wine smells fruity and tastes fruity, medium-dry, and the first thing to say is it is accurately labelled. This is not methode traditionelle, it is sparkling pinot rosé. So whereas I have criticised many new world methode traditionelles as being sparkling chardonnay rather than in the style of the real thing, this has to be assessed according to the label. There is some yeast autolysis moderating the overt fruit. The quality of the redcurrant / red cherry fruit would have handled less residual sugar than the wine shows, which would have made it more food-friendly. I guess it is not aiming to be either a cellar wine or serious, but sweetness aside it should improve in cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 03/07

2002 Girardin Bourgogne Blanc 'Emotion de Terroirs' 17 (

)

Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $25
Lemon. This wine is clearly chardonnay, in a very citric style emphasising the fresh fruits. Flavour is less serious than the more expensive wines, scarcely oaked, slightly acid, but all beautifully balanced, clean, and varietal. One could happily drink a great deal of this with food, particularly when it is a year or two older. Girardin’s reported goal of an affordable white burgundy to match the typicité, quality and price of Guigal’s Cotes du Rhone is well met. The challenge will be to maintain the standard set. ‘Launch’ wines are so often ‘uniquely’ good. Cellar 2 – 8 years. GK 04/04

2007 Jackson Estate Pinot Noir Vintage Widow 17 (

)

Waihopai & Wairau Valleys, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $38 [ screwcap; five clones hand-harvested; 4 days cold soak, wild-yeast fermentation; MLF in barrel spring following; some new oak; not fined or filtered, RS nil; www.jacksonestate.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, a little deeper than the Misha's. And the varietal character is a little deeper too. Though it is still in the highly floral Marlborough style, there are more dark roses than sweet pea, and it is not as leafy as so many of the valley floor wines traditionally have been, reflecting the clay soils of the Waihopai component. Palate shows attractive pinot textures, and red fruits with some depth. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 11/08

1976 Licht-Bergweiler Brauneberger Juffer Riesling Spatlese QmP 17 (

)

Mosel Valley, Germany: – %; $ – [ cork ]
Lightest gold, one of the lightest colours. This was the 1976 of the initial pair setting up the tasting, and it fulfilled that role admirably. It shows slightly deeper and riper riesling fruit than the 1975, with some botrytis waxyness. It is not exactly citrus or compellingly varietal, just attractively mature light fruit, slightly aromatic. Palate is surprisingly sweet for the spatlese grade (as happens in bountiful years), the flavours would match well with a madeira cake with subtlest ginger in it, and the wine finishes well. There isn't the varietal excitement of the top wines, but it is thoroughly pleasant. Fully mature. GK 03/12

2005 Pask Merlot Declaration 17 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $56 [ ProCork; some cold soak; some BF in new oak; > 3 weeks cuvaison; 18 months in French and American oak; www.cjpaskwinery.co.nz ]
Ruby and some velvet, lighter than the Church Road Merlot. This is more quite rich red in a generalised Bordeaux style, rather than varietal red. The fruit is plummy, but not communicating well, with both some bacony brett and rather much oak distracting. Palate is mellow, savoury, rich and pleasing in its way, but it might not be a wine to cellar for the longer term, beyond 10 years say. As a food wine it is good. GK 11/08

2008 Craggy Range Riesling Te Muna Road 17 (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 11.7%; $25 [ screwcap; hand-harvested at c. 2.5 t/ac; whole-bunch fermented in s/s with cultured yeast; 4 months LA in s/s; RS 7.5 g/L; www.craggyrange.com ]
Pale lemongreen. Bouquet at this stage is a little bottling-shocked, there being a flat-spot reminiscent of ullaged character. Premature release, again. It all comes together in a pleasing appley way on palate, fractionally the driest of the range this year. This is another which could surprise in cellar, and demand re-rating, but I have to score it today. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 11/08

2014 Sacred Hill Pinot Noir Halo 17 (

)

Omaka Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $28 [ screwcap; hand-picked; some whole bunches; c.12 months in oak, some new; www.sacredhill.com ]
Pinot noir ruby, the first in the third quarter, in depth. Bouquet is fresh, with lightly floral buddleia and lilac on red cherry fruit. Palate follows well, good red fruits, appropriate ripeness, not a lot of elevation complexity, but all clearly varietal and attractive in the lighter Marlborough style. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 06/17

2002 Louis Jadot Nuits-St-Georges Boudots 17 (

)

Nuits-St-Georges Premier Cru, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $104 [ cork; clone local mass selection, up to 50 years, harvested @ 2.2 t/ac; 100% de-stemmed, 2 days cold soak, wild yeast, 34 days cuvaison; 18 months in French oak 35% new, not fined or filtered; www.louisjadot.com ]
Rosy pinot noir ruby, the lightest of the Conference wines. Bouquet is clean, fragrant, pure simple red fruits burgundy, in a more old-fashioned style with a trace of brett. There is not the delightful varietal exposition one can find in some smaller Burgundy estates these days, the wine instead being more a simple 'burgundian' example of pinot, fragrant, attractive, easy drinking. It was over-praised at the Conference, like the Rousseau. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 01/07

1978 Pio Cesare Barolo 17 (

)

Piedmont, Northern Italy, Italy: 13.5%; $ – [ cork 49mm; Ne 100%; three years in oak, 70% or more then in large vessels, some smaller, 1978 apparently the first use of small new wood; Parker does not have the straight Barolo, but for the Riserva: Pio Cesare’s 1978 Barolo is fully mature. It shows slightly maderized aromas on the nose followed by evolved flavors of prunes and plums with good length, soft tannins and a note of menthol on the finish 89. Wine Spectator: 89 for the Riserva, 85 this exact wine, no words; no entry in Robinson, Tanzer; www.piocesare.it ]
Ruby and garnet grading to amber, midway in depth. Bouquet is distinctive on this wine, clearly fragrant, with several tasters commenting on star anise and similar aromas. There is also a leathery quality (+ve) to the browning fruit, and there may be just a hint of biscuitty oxidation on bouquet. As it is tasted, however, it is much fresher than supposed, and the palate is intriguing, all the red raspberry fruits of nebbiolo now well browned, a hint of acid and tar, yet still with textural fruit and good balance to oak. All these clues point to an older-style Barolo in the blind lineup, but it was not sheeted home so easily. It was well-liked, with three tasters rating it their top wine. Very much a food wine, but another also departing from its plateau of maturity. GK 04/14

2008 Misha's Vineyard Gewurztraminer The Gallery 17 (

)

Bendigo, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14.4%; $26 [ screwcap; hand-harvested; part of the wine BF in 5-years plus French oak; 14 g/L RS; www.mishasvineyard.com ]
Palest lemongreen. On bouquet, this wine is excessively youthful and nearly raw on the alcohol, with potential citrus, apricot and citronella notes pointing to the variety, in a stalky cool-climate way. Palate is medium-dryish, with fair fruit, but at this prematurely-released stage the phenolics are noticeable on the slightly hoppy finish. As with the other wines in this maiden release, it needs time to harmonise. The suggestion of lees-enhancement / breadcrumb flavours means this wine should develop rewardingly in cellar, 3 – 8 years. GK 11/08

2003 La Valentina Montepulciano d'Abruzzo 17 (

)

Abruzzo DOC, Italy: 13%; $11.60
Ruby. A classic montepulciano bouquet, berry-rich, fragrant, even suggestions of lilac florals, slightly savoury, enticing. Palate is a little shorter than the bouquet promises, ripe berryfruit, a hint of leather, older oak if any, beautifully balanced. First-rate QDR, lighter and more fragrant than the massive '02 and better for it, more like the 1999. Cellar 3–5 years. GK 11/04

2003 Viu Manent Malbec Single Vineyard 17 (

)

Colchagua Valley, Chile: 14%; $28 [ cork; Ma 85%, CS 15; vines c. 80 years, hand-harvested; 100% new oak, 90% French, 10 US; not filtered; www.viumanent.cl/ingles ]
Bright ruby, carmine and velvet. Initially this wine shows conspicuous VA, but it is mostly ethyl acetate rather than acetic, and settles down with aeration in glass. Even so, it is a pretty aggressive bouquet, very new world and oaky, on top of vibrant darkly plummy fruit. Palate is in the same style, strong even brash malbec, but clearly varietal. Should mellow out in bottle 10 – 15 years, and may then rate higher. GK 12/04

1983 Jaboulet Hermitage La Chapelle 17 (

)

Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $234 [ Cork 53mm; price given is the wine-searcher average for that vintage of the wine; fashion is so fickle in the wine industry, and with the recent difficulties chez Jaboulet, it is easy to forget just how this firm was regarded only a generation ago. Some notes from the first 1987 edition of Parker's clear-sighted and ground-breaking Rhone book, therefore: The increasing fame of the firm's stupendous Hermitage La Chapelle is not difficult to understand. It is an enormously concentrated wine that normally takes a decade to throw off its tannic cloak. Even then it only hints at the majestic perfume and richness that will arise … equaled only by a dozen or so Bordeax Cru Classés and half a dozen or so burgundies … the wine is conservatively made to last. First, never more than 40% of of the grape bunches are destalked, and only the wild yeasts from the vineyard are used to start the fermentation. Second, the maceration is very long, a total of three weeks … the wine is put in one- and two-year-old burgundy barrels purchased from white burgundy producers …. The Jaboulets abhor new oak, feeling that their Hermitage needs no additional wood tannins and already has so much size and fruit that new oak would only detract from its inherent qualities. … rarely spends more than 12-14 months in wood compared with 36 months-plus for Guigal … Most wine enthusiasts think of Hermitage as thick, chewy wine with a dizzying degree of alcohol. However the Hermitage La Chapelle, when mature at 15 or 20 years, is virtually interchangeable with a great Pauillac. In addition the alcohol rarely exceeds 13%. ... Approximately 5,000-6,000 cases … in an abundant vintage; this 1983 vintage has a vivid presence for some New Zealand wine enthusiasts. Robert Parker initially thought it was definitive, and gave it very high ratings. Many keen wine people therefore bought it. Recent reports have been variable, and meanwhile taste has changed, people now wanting plush wines, so dry tannic wines no longer suit. If they are fragrant, there can still be charm – let's see; Robinson, 2011: Light but mellow, lightly tarry nose. Very sweet and charming on the palate. Definitely on the light side but the tannins are - at last - in retreat, making way for a thoroughly satisfying drink. Long and throat-warming, 17; Parker, 1987: Gerard Jaboulet believes this is the finest La Chapelle since the monumental 1961. I still give a tiny edge to the 1978. However, the 1983 is a profound wine, closed, very dense in colour with a tight yet blossoming bouquet of very ripe blackcurrant fruit, tar and pepper. On the palate it is very, very tannic, amazingly concentrated, quite full-bodied, and massive on the finish. It is still an infant. Anticipated maturity 1998 – 2025, 98; Parker, 1997: This wine is so impossibly closed, tannic, and hard that it is at least 10-15 years away from full maturity. I am beginning to have reservations about my initial high rating, and have consequently downgraded it. While it may still turn out to be spectacular (the Jaboulets still consider it their finest effort since 1961), it is forbiddingly tannic and backward, 90; Parker's most recent review in 2000 drops it to 88; I believe the wine still has pleasures to offer, as Robinson notes (above); www.jaboulet.com ]
Rosy garnet, far and away the lightest wine – as is reasonable. The point of putting in an old wine was simply for fun and curiosity, to show participants how syrah ages. This seemed useful in a young wine-country, with many young winemakers, and more generally, no great tradition of cellaring wine. It was interesting, but it didn't contribute to the sensory experience. In the context of the 2009s and 2010s, the bouquet seemed fragrant but faded, nutty / raisiny, another dimension from the fresh infant wines. You would be tempted to say, barely tertiary aromas, more quaternary – if that term were available. But in mouth there is still surprising browning fruit, the tannin balance is now acceptable (on the furry side), acid is now slightly noticeable as the fruit fades. It is a wine crying out for food. Some in the new world might say it is too old, being less familiar with old wines, but it certainly gives great pleasure at table. Will hold, but fading. GK 11/14

2004 Seresin Sauvignon Blanc 17 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $24 [ screwcap; SB 97%, Se 3; 5% BF French oak; www.seresin.co.nz ]
Lemongreen. A different slant on sauvignon, with the distinctive odour of a high-solids ferment adding complexity, but dulling varietal quality. Palate is more clearly varietal, reddest capsicum and black passionfruit, and the lees autolysis component has lengthened the flavour, and introduced a breadcrumb hint. Finish is very varietal, and drier than many. Would appeal more without the high solids dullness. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 09/04

2008 Mt Difficulty Sauvignon Blanc 17 (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13%; $25 [ screwcap; the quality of the 2008 season in Central Otago can be gleaned from the harvest date for this sauvignon @ 26 March; hand-harvested; s/s ferment followed by two months autolysis on gross lees, with stirring to aerate and improve palate and texture; RS < 1 g/L; www.mtdifficulty.co.nz ]
Pale lemongreen. This is interesting wine. It epitomises cool-climate sauvignon blanc, with English gooseberry smells and flavours, yet virtually no methoxypyrazine / green capsicum notes. So it is physiologically mature, in a totally different climatic zone. Sancerre immediately makes more sense. Palate is crisp and dry, the total acid quite high, yet the flavours are clean and refreshing, like a freshly-cut cooking apple. If you've ever wondered what the term 'mineral' might mean, since currently it is a buzzword which many people use in a broad-brush / non-focussed way to cover amongst other things reduced sulphur, taste this wine. This is mineral – the smell of freshly-cracked greywacke. Cellar 2 – 8 years, maybe longer. GK 11/08

2003 Dog Point Pinot Noir 17 (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $39 [ cork; clones 10/5 and others, up to 23 years, harvested @ 1.9 t/ac; 100% de-stemmed, up to 8 days cold soak, wild yeast, 28 days cuvaison; 18 months in French oak 50% new; not fined or filtered; Cooper, 2006: Beautifully fragrant, with deep, purple-flushed colour, it is mouth-filling and rich, with concentrated plum, cherry and spice flavours, and firm yet velvety tannins. Combining power and elegance with great flair, its still youthful; open 2006 +, *****; Robinson, '05: Unusually Burgundian wine made from Burgundian clones planted above the valley floor. Very subtle nose and palate and obviously an ambitious but sensitive hand in the winery. Impressive. 18.5; www.dogpoint.co.nz ]
Mature pinot noir ruby, just above midway in depth. Bouquet is distinctly autumnal, in style for mature pinot noir, not exactly floral, but certainly fragrant, Beaune more than Cote de Nuits. Palate continues that thought, red cherry fruit now browning, good richness, not as oaky as some, the whole wine tending savoury and making one think of beef / steak dishes. That is not a euphemism for brett, all these wines seem spick. This 2003 wine was a forerunner of the new-generation Marlborough pinot noirs, fruit from older soils, and much richer and more ageworthy. Fully mature, but will fade gracefully, since it lacks leafy notes. GK 11/13

2002 La Valentina Montepulciano d'Abruzzo 17 (

)

Abruzzo DOC, Italy: 13.5%; $12.60
Ruby, carmine and velvet, the deepest wine in the tasting. Bouquet is deep too, darkly plummy, faintly Mediterranean herbes, and slightly rustic – very European. Palate is rich, the richest of the set, soft, round and full, yet with plenty of furry tannin. A lot of grapes per bottle, and no harsh new oak. If one is to be critical, the wine might be a bit heavy / plump, slightly stewed, and bretty, but this is only alongside some much lighter and more refreshing competition, in this BBQ reds blind tasting. Cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 11/04

2007 Torres Ibericos Tempranillo Crianza 17 (

)

Catalunya, Spain: 14%; $31 [ screwcap; Te 100%; French and American oak 15% new for 18 months; www.torres.es ]
Lightish ruby. This is more like it ! This wine is an even more dramatic example of the 'one blue-mouldy orange in a carton' aroma, not at all unpleasant, complexed with fragrant tempranillo fruit. The degree of oaking including some new on the one hand shows insufficient respect for the beauty of the tempranillo grape, but on the other the total winestyle is traditional, in what Spain used to refer to as the 'Pomal' style of Spanish red – vaguely burgundian in structure and mouthfeel. This will cellar better than one might suppose, and become beautifully fragrant over 3 – 12 years. GK 08/11

2009 Kidnapper Cliffs Malbec 17 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $33 [ cork; no info, see Ariki; www.kidnappercliffs.com ]
Carmine, ruby and velvet, the malbec blue showing through. This is intriguing wine, showing enhanced bouquet due to under-ripeness, exactly as we see in syrah or pinot noir. Too many commentators mistakenly mark this up, without going on to check the ripeness of the tannins on palate. The berryfruits have that wild note malbec often shows in New Zealand, loganberry and a hint of olive, not unattractive. On palate the critical lack of ripeness shows clearly, the tannins hard, and despite the quite rich berry, there is some stalkyness. An intellectually interesting wine, but for a different reason from Ariki, it lacks charm. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 06/11

nv Lindauer Special Reserve Blanc de Blancs 17 (

)

Gisborne mostly & Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12%; $18 [ cork; clone 6 chardonnay perhaps 100%, pre-fermentation juice oxidation to reduce phenolics; MLF and lees contact in tank at least 3 months; a reserve wine component blended-in pre-tirage; c. 24 months bottle fermentation; 12 g/L dosage; www.pernod-ricard-pacific.com/tastingnotes.php ]
Pale lemonstraw. I am currently using Lindauer Blanc de Blancs as a consistent reference point in bubbly blind tastings, simply because it is so good at the price (and particularly last New Year, at $10 **). Its higher chardonnay nature is augmented by fair crumb more than crust of baguette autolysis, smelling and tasting well. The quality of the wine merits a lower dosage, as previously discussed – at the moment both the Lindauer Reserves are a little too sweet, or rather, not dry enough. 10 g/L would make them startlingly more international wines, and a little lower would be a worthwhile longer-term goal, to better differentiate them from mainstream Lindauer and make the term Reserve more meaningful. The other great improvement needed around all Lindauer variants is: surely Lindauer, as one of the great success stories of the New Zealand wine industry, deserves its own website. Locating technical info for the wines is now a nightmare (thanks to site 'improvements'), until one finally reaches the right page (above, scroll down), but once there, the info is excellent. [ ** Stop-Press: 8 Dec. '08, Countdown / Foodtown are offering both the Reserve variants for $10 again. Both tasted, both good, the Blanc de Blancs the best yet. No better-quality wine exists at $10 in New Zealand, and the complementary pairing of the pinot noir-dominant standard Reserve with the chardonnay-dominant Blanc de Blancs Reserve is exemplary. ] Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 11/08

2010 Penfolds Shiraz Coonawarra Bin 128 17 (

)

Coonawarra, South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $31 [ screwcap; 12 months in French hogsheads 32% new; www.penfolds.com ]
[ Firstly, the confusion. It seems to me highly probable that there has been a bottling / labelling foul-up for the 2010 Bins 128 and 28 at Penfolds. In every respect, the wine labelled Bin 128 shows the usual colours, smells, and tastes of the warmer-climate older-oak Bin 28, though better than the recent average. The wine on sale as Bin 28 illustrates even more perfectly the darker, more aromatic, subtler Coonawarra wine, with new French oak. My experience with both labels goes back to the 1969 vintage.]
Ruby and velvet. Bouquet is clean fresh juicy blackberry grading to boysenberry, clearly ripe and well past the cassis / syrah point of physiological maturity. Even so, if it is Bin 28 mislabelled, it is the freshest in years. Palate shows exact boysenberry varietal character, fitting the ripening curve perfectly as over-ripened syrah. This wine achieved by far the highest recognition, for the questions on the board. Oak is subtle and the wine is not euc'y, though there is a hint of saline. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 09/13

2008 Craggy Range Sauvignon Blanc Old Renwick Single Vineyard 17 (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $25 [ screwcap; machine-harvested @ c. 4.5 t/ac; 100% de-stemmed and fermented with cultured yeast in s/s; RS 2.1 g/L; www.craggyrange.com ]
Palest lemongreen. Craggy are doing themselves a great disservice by releasing their stainless steel wines so prematurely. The winemaking style tends austere and conservative, and the wines demand a year to show an outline of their substance. Craggy Range more than most has the resources to defer release, to achieve this. At this stage this wine shows a somewhat bottling-shocked bouquet, which is palely varietal, on a firm dry palate. Flavours so far are hard and narrow, but richly textured with the body to open out with time. It needs to be left for six months at least. Cellar 3 – 8 years, or longer if desired. GK 11/08

2007 Mills Reef Merlot / Malbec Reserve 17 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $22 [ screwcap; Me 51%, Ma 42; CF 7; 4 days cold soak followed by fermentation in s/s; 7 months in barrel approx. one third new, one quarter American; www.millsreef.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. Bouquet is very youthful and uncoordinated relative to some of the 'claret' styles in this tasting. Plummy berry lifted by fragrant oak including some American [ confirmed ] makes for quite a big bouquet. Palate is still too youthful, but fruit is good and oak not excessive, leading to a not-quite-bone-dry finish best described as juicy. Sound wine to cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 11/08

2010 Wynns Coonawarra Shiraz 17 (

)

Coonawarra, South Australia, Australia: 14%; $20 [ screwcap; Sh 100%; 10 months in French and American oak 10% new; www.wynns.com.au ]
Quite rich ruby, carmine and velvet. Bouquet is sweet and ripe to over-ripe and darkly plummy, not much varietal character in terms of syrah left, but a little. Perhaps there is a little dark florality, and traces of cassis, but the main aroma is bottled black doris plums. Palate has a fleshy looseness to it which suggests a stainless steel component, but the winemaker says not. The blackberry level of expression becomes more apparent, making the wine plainer. Should cellar well, 5 – 15 years. GK 08/11

2000 Te Awa Farm Boundary 17 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $50 [ Me dominant, CF & CS; 18 months in French oak; www.teawafarm.co.nz ]
Dense older ruby. This is a difficult wine to report on. Bouquet is dry and savoury, reminiscent of the dry skin on over-roasted beef. Palate shows a lot of fruit richness, and raisiny cassis and dark plum flavours, but all flattened by this roast beef and Brettanomyces component. It is therefore a distinctive style of Bordeaux / Hawkes Bay blend, which is excellent with many savoury foods and grills. It could well be scored higher, but brett at this level will shorten its cellar life, the wine becoming prematurely dry. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 05/04

2005 Villa Maria Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot Reserve 17 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $51 [ screwcap; CS 55%, Me 30, Ma 15, hand-harvested; vinified @ Mangere, 100% de-stemmed; s/s fermentation, with a longer cuvaison than the Merlot Reserve; MLF and 24 months in French oak some new; RS nil; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, attractive. Initially opened, the oak shows on this wine in an unfortunate way – an aroma beyond the hessian so often characterising new French oak to an almost linseed note. This gets the wine off to a bad start. On palate, there is good berry richness, some cassisy notes, not quite optimal berry ripeness even though fruits are black more than red, the wine a little acid to the tail. Like the Virginie de Valandraud, the oak is rather pervasive, but here not so pleasantly flavoured. I thought this wine looked markedly better than this a year ago, and it should look better again later. Right now it seems to be in an ugly mood. Hard to score, therefore. Cellar 5 – 15 years, maybe 20. GK 11/08

2007 Bell Hill Pinot Noir 17 (

)

Waipara Valley, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 13.5%; $65 [ screwcap; hand-harvested from vines planted at classic European densities averaging c.10 000 / ha, on limestone; long cold-soak, 28 day cuvaison; 12 – 14 months in oak, said to be 100% new; this wine a 4-barrel selection, website still difficult to access by address, via google best; www.bellhill.co.nz ]
Colour is on the big side for fine pinot noir, it is the deepest of all the wines, ruby and velvet, but with age showing. Initially opened the bouquet is tending dank and vegetal. It needs decanting. With air a quite strong aromatic component hinting at pennyroyal appears, detracting. The wine gives the impression of being too ripe for florality, and even red fruits are lacking on bouquet. Perhaps there are hints of boronia and black cherry, though. In mouth, the wine is clearly black-fruits pinot noir, but with rather much winemaker artefact and less attention to the beauty of the grape, so the whole thing is tending big, oaky and bold, as if it were Australian pinot noir, not New Zealand. 100% new oak is folly. In its style it will continue to cellar well, and give pleasure to those favouring this sort of interpretation of the grape. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 09/13

2000 Loosen Erdener Pralat Riesling Auslese QmP 17 (

)

Mosel, Germany: 7.5%; $92 [ www.drloosen.de ]
Slightly brassy deep lemon. Clearcut German riesling, but developed for its age. Bouquet includes yellow florals and stonefruits, some botrytis with a shadow of impurity, but all quite rich. On palate the sweetness covers any doubts one may have on bouquet, to produce fully flavoured riesling at an auslese level of ripeness and botrytis. Forward though, a bit superficial, cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 11/04

2009 Forrest Sauvignon Blanc John Forrest Collection 17 (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $20 [ screwcap; SB 100% hand-picked at 5 – 6 t/ha (2 – 2.5 t/ac); part s/s ferment, part BF in old oak, plus 8 months LA and some batonnage; RS 2.5 g/L; 100 cases; www.forrest.co.nz ]
Lemongreen. Bouquet is slightly leesy verging on reductive, with a clear barrel component. Fruit shows good ripeness on bouquet, as ripe as the Te Mata Woodthorpe wine. Palate continues in an overtly or unsubtly lees-influenced style, less lees component than the doubtful Ch de Sours, more oak-affected than the Neudorf, but markedly less so than the Mugwi, better acid balance than the Wiffen. An interesting wine therefore to pin down component flavours in sauvignon wine styles, more particularly when opened with other wines. Pretty squarely a Graves Blanc in approach. Cellar 3 – 8 years, maybe longer. GK 08/11

2010 Passage Rock Cabernet / Merlot Sisters 17 (

)

Eastern Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14%; $25 [ screwcap; CS 37%, Me 33, Sy 17, Ma 13, hand-harvested; c.21 days cuvaison; 12 months in French oak c.25% new and more French than American; sterile-filtered; www.passagerockwines.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, in the middle for depth. Bouquet is fragrant on berry and plum, the faintest hint of mint like Larose, and some oak. Palate shows good fruit, cassis as well as plum, fresh flavours, and pleasing length, but also a hint of savoury herbes. These Passage Rock wines are showing so much more restraint in their elevation now, with less oak in total, less or better American oak, and like so many Waiheke reds, the progressive elimination of brett from the cooperage. Not a big wine, but this is probably the best value for quality red on the Island. It will be softer and much more pleasing with time in cellar, 5 – 12 years. GK 10/12

2016 Guigal Cotes du Rhone 17 (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $21 [ cork; New Zealand purchase price c.$24; Sy 50%, Gr 45, Mv 5; production c.333,300 x 9-litre cases; details in Introductory sections; J.L-L, 2019: ... the bouquet has sweet, filled airs of black fruits, doesn’t hold back – it’s on blackberry coulis, soaked fruits in style. The palate mingles gleaming blackberry fruit with licorice, blue fruit, dark chocolate, carries a little late oak, tar. There’s a note of black olives, Southern moments, on the aftertaste. This is one of the Grands Vins of the Rhone Valley when you consider its quantity, its price and its character. A lot of wine for €7.50. Mourvedre ... shows on the finish, menthol ping there. 2028-30, ****; JC@RP, 2019: There are an impressive 4.5 million bottles of the 2016 Cotes du Rhone, a ripe, silky wine that should bring pleasure to thousands of consumers. Cherries and raspberries mark the nose, while the medium to full-bodied palate adds nuances of cola, tree bark and spice. ... a terrific value, 91; weight bottle and closure: 570 g; www.guigal.com ]
Fresh ruby and velvet, much the youngest wine in appearance, and the second deepest. Bouquet shows big fruit and berry, but the syrah component tending over-ripened (always a peril in the South), so there are boysenberry / Australian notes in the wine. It is rich though, and berry dominates oak. Palate is rich for the wine style, still carrying a lot of tannin, more oak showing now, a wine for the long haul … with just enough acid. The flavour is a little broad and clumsy alongside the magical 2010. A relative disappointment, considering the magical vintage. Three people had this as their second-favourite wine. Cellar 15 – 30 years. GK 03/21

2007 [ Mud House ] Sauvignon Blanc Haymaker 17 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $17 [ screwcap; www.mudhouse.co.nz ]
Lemongreen. Bouquet is good sound straightforward Marlborough sauvignon, a mix of capsicum colours, plus black passionfruit. Palate is fresher in acid than its siblings, with slightly raised phenolics suggesting a notch more pressing than the other two. Nett impression is full of flavour, and pleasing, but not quite as rich as the more highly-pointed two. Cellar 1 – 2 years. GK 02/08

2011 Starborough Pinot Gris 17 (

)

Wairau & Awatere Valleys, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $19 [ screwcap; not on website, but if like 2010, hand-harvested in cool temperatures, mostly s/s cool-fermented, part fermented in old oak, some lees-stirring, 6.5 g/L RS; www.starboroughwine.co.nz ]
Lemongreen. Releasing wines within five months of vintage is an appalling practice, to be deprecated. Like the Ohau Gravels, this wine too shows fermentation esters which need to be assimilated before release, on clean varietal pear flesh. Palate suggests there has been some lees work with the wine, the texture is promising, the finish dryish. This looks good, in a lighter kind of serious pinot gris. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 08/11

2010 Soho Merlot / Malbec Revolver 17 (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.5%; $39 [ screwcap; Me 72, Ma 20, CF 7; c.21 days cuvaison; 12 months in French oak 35% new; www.sohowineco.com ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, similar weight to the Destiny Bay Destinae but much younger / more carmine. Bouquet is intriguing, in the company of the Waiheke wines it is very berry-lead, and conspicuously less oaked than nearly all the others. Like The Mayor, aromas of redcurrant and red plums dominate, yet it smells ripe. Palate shows fresh red berry flavours in a St Emilion balance, not quite capturing the optimal ripeness of the vintage, but a pretty wine, which will cellar gracefully and in due course smell beautiful, as better St Emilions do. Interesting small-scale wine, to cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 10/12

2005 Framingham Pinot Noir 17 (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $31 [ screwcap; hand-harvested; up to 8 days cold-soak; part of the wine in French oak some new for 9 months; www.framingham.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby, a little fresher than the Te Mania. Bouquet opens quietly, but with air shows good buddleia and lilac florals, on attractive red cherry fruit. Palate is richer than the bouquet suggests, attractive cherry fruit, clearly varietal at a red-fruits Volnay level. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 03/07

2004 Carrick Pinot Noir 17 (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $38 [ screwcap; pre-ferment cold soak 5 days, 70% wild yeast, whole bunch 15 – 20%, c. 9 months in French oak c. 30% new; www.carrick.co.nz ]
Good ruby, a hint of carmine and velvet. This wine does not open quite as sweetly as the 2005, but with breathing, buddleia and lilac florals emerge, offset by a touch of stalks too. There is good cherry fruit, but as much red as black, and the whole wine is a little stalky, the degree of physiological maturity achieved being less than the 2005. It is still explicitly varietal and attractively balanced pinot noir, and the two wines make a neat study in degrees of physiological maturity achieved in the vineyard, according to season. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 11/06

2007 Stratum Wines Sauvignon Blanc 17 (

)

Marlborough & Waipara, New Zealand: 13.5%; $14 [ screwcap; cool fermentation, 2 months lees contact; 2 g/L RS; www.sherwood.co.nz ]
Lemongreen. This is a milder wine altogether, lacking the aromatics and complexity one associates with Marlborough sauvignon. Instead the wine shows a palely tropical / Hawkes Bay fruit quality reminiscent of pepino and melon, on bouquet. Palate likewise is gentle, quite rich, dry, long on these fruit notes, with an added aromatic red capsicum suggestion. This is good sauvignon for those who find most Marlborough sauvignons too aggressive. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 05/08

2003 Castano Hecula 17 (

)

Yecla DdO, Spain: 14%; $18 [ cork; 100% Mv; 6 months in oak; not filtered; www.bodegascastano.com ]
Ruby and velvet, virtually identical to the Pozuelo Crianza. The bouquet is immediately more leafy than that wine, however, and more like mourvedre in a cooler year in the Barossa Valley. Doesn't compute, really, 2003 being so hot over most of Europe. Palate is rich raspberry and red plums, slightly stalky, old oak, reminiscent of the 2003 Castano Syrah, with the same leafy under-ripe notes. At this richness, this is a winestyle I like, and it will cellar well, but my enthusiasm for it is not universally shared. Cellar 5 – 10 years-plus, for it is rich enough. GK 03/06

2002 Schubert Pinot Noir Marion’s Vineyard 17 (

)

Wairarapa, New Zealand: 14%; $30 [ www.schubert.co.nz ]
A lovely ruby, just right for pinot. Bouquet shouts pinot noir, with beautiful florals, red and black cherry aromatics, and suggestions of blackboy peaches. Palate is initially fragrant and attractive too, but a stalky thread and then noticeable acidity detract from a higher rating. Oak is well done. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 01/04

2011 Sileni Sauvignon Blanc Cellar Selection 17 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 12.5%; $18 [ screwcap; cool-fermented in s/s; RS 6 g/L; www.sileni.co.nz ]
Lemongreen. As could be expected from a wine released within four months of vintage, to meet a fad subscribed to only by the trendy and thoughtless, bouquet is raw and youthful, but clean and varietal. Palate shows a potentially attractive Marlborough sauvignon ripened to the mixed capsicums, black passionfruit and hints of sweet basil stage. In five months it should well merit the silver score. In my estimation wineries releasing wines within six months of vintage risk classifying themselves in the down-market half of the wine scene. No thinking wine consumer needs to or should buy sauvignon blanc released within eight months of vintage. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 08/11

2002 Daniel Schuster Pinot Noir Omihi Selection 17 (

)

Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 13.5%; $60 [ www.danielschusterwines.com ]
A fine pinot ruby. A voluminous bouquet in a slightly oxidative and old-oaky fumey style hinting at good malt whisky (+ve), which stands apart from the other wines in the tasting. It is clearly pinot noir, complex florals and cherryberry, and burgundian in a traditional and old-for-its-years way. Palate is much better, soft, silky, real red cherries, and not as oaky as expected. This implies critical fruit selection, in contrast to the number of wines which have presented as more stalky on palate. Even this Omihi is a little acid, however. A good food wine. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 01/04

2006 Southbank Estate Chardonnay Hawkes Bay 17 (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $21 [ screwcap; clones 15 mainly, 95 & mendoza cropped at 3.2 t/ac; 45% of the wine BF in French oak 35% new; 7 months LA, c 15% MLF all told; RS 2.9 g/L; www.southbankestate.com ]
Elegant lemon. This is a lighter kind of chardonnay, but everything is beautifully judged and in proportion. There are light vanillin florals on white stonefruit, subtly counterpointed by suggestions of oak, barrel-ferment and lees-autolysis. In mouth the flavour is explicitly chardonnay, delicately juicy, not quite the mineral complexity of classed chablis, but in that style, with good acid. One could drink this all night. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 05/08

2003 Saint Cosme Cotes du Rhone 17 (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $20 [ Sy 100%, vats only ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. A clearcut floral carnations bouquet, with dark berry below. Flavour is classic straightforward southern Rhone syrah, seeming to have good initial cassisy berry, but then going quite stalky on the later palate. The wine is pure, but perhaps shows the perils of a monocepage – some grenache to fatten the palate would be good. Conversely, more of this fragrant floral and stalk component in the Deux Albion would have complexed that wine more attractively. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 10/04

2006 Stratum Wines Riesling 17 (

)

Waipara, Canterbury, New Zealand: 12.5%; $14 [ screwcap; cool ferment 21 days, 3 months LA; RS 28 g/L; www.sherwood.co.nz ]
Full lemon to lemonstraw. Bouquet is rich and strong, a broad riesling full of citrus and even grapefruit aromas, and quite strong freesia florals too, attractive in that style. Palate is as expected a little strong, maybe even coarse, with some botrytis, but there is a lot of flavour in a medium finish. Alongside this, the Palliser looks a vanishingly subtle and academic version of the variety. This is more an introductory riesling, which should be popular. Cellar 1 – 3 years. GK 05/08

2005 Chapoutier Hermitage Blanc le Meal 17 (

)

Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 15%; $277 [ cork; Ma 100% 50 years age, from le Meal on old cobbly terrace deposits; hand-harvested "at full maturity"; cold-settled, MLF assumed; 50% barrel fermented and aged in French oak some months; www.chapoutier.com ]
Colour is much the same as l'Orée, full straw. Bouquet however is neither as oxidative as l'Orée, nor as reductive as l'Hermite, taking the best features of both to be nearly dried fruit and mealy, offset by pale sherry notes. Palate is clearly spirity, making the wine coarse in white table wine terms, but the dried fruit flavours with just a hint of the mercaptan in l'Hermite are interesting, if oaky. This is the most accessible and pleasantly flavoured of the three wines, and illustrates the eccentric style well. As to cellaring, I do not have sufficient experience of these wines well-aged. Given the fundamentals evident in their youth, that has never seemed a worthwhile deployment of funds. Le Meal falls between the other two Hermitages blancs in style, so conclusions may be drawn from the comments in their reviews. GK 07/08

2007 Huia Pinot Noir 17 (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $37 [ screwcap; hand-picked from 6 clones of pinot from 3 differing sites including older Brancott Valley soils; 10 months in French oak; not much winemaking info on website; www.huia.net.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is intriguing, explicitly varietal with a clean floral component which is not as physiologically deep and complex as the 2006 Palliser or the Felton wines – more buddleia and roses. Palate is fresh, red and black cherry, carefully oaked, and here one can just see some leaf, clearly more than the Te Whare Ra, tying it in closely with many lesser Beaune wines even at the named vineyard / maybe premier cru level, but in an average year. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 03/09

2009 Buller Wines Shiraz Black Dog Creek 17 (

)

King Valley, Central Victoria, New Zealand: 13%; $20 [ screwcap; no info; www.bullerwines.com.au ]
Ruby and velvet, a suggestion of carmine, fresher and richer than the Sinister Shiraz. This wine needs a breath of air to reveal a slightly cooler richer boysenberry version of shiraz than the basic Buller Sinister Series wine, and though there are still euc'y suggestions, there is better oak. Palate is definitely cooler, a clear stalky thread, and a touch of pepper in the ample berry, so the wine seems less harmonious now, but will become more interesting in bottle. Cellar 3 – 12 years. GK 08/11

2003 Rockburn Pinot Noir 17 (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 14.5%; $38 [ screwcap; www.rockburn.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby. A sweet and fragrant red cherry bouquet, with florals too in the rosepetal spectrum. Palate is lightish, as might be expected from such florals, but there are attractive red currants and red cherries, let down slightly by a leafy thread. Cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 11/04

1996 Jaboulet Hermitage La Chapelle 17 (

)

Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $156 [ Cork, 54mm; Sy 100; price given is wine-searcher average for that vintage of the wine; general elevation etc see Intro; Robinson, 2009: Coolish year. Lots of structure. The Jaboulets argued that 1996 was better than 1995. Very healthy deep crimson. Deeper than 1999 and 2004! Tangy, meaty nose. Fully evolved nose - almost as though there's some reduced Mourvedre here. Very promising until the rather dried-out end. The best Jaboulet of these three reds but it cuts off a bit on the finish, 17+; Parker, 1999: The profound 1996 Hermitage La Chapelle … exhibits a broodingly backward nose of minerals, cassis, and spices. Full-bodied, with sweet tannin, black fruits galore, admirable structure, and considerable complexity, this backward, thick La Chapelle possesses good acidity (but not intrusive). Anticipated maturity: 2007-2030, 92; www.jaboulet.com ]
Ruby, some garnet and velvet, above midway in depth. This is a much richer and more concentrated wine than the 1999, it is clearly syrah and in style for La Chapelle, but it lacks the charm of the 1999. Total acid is on the high side, and this makes the tannins seem hard and austere. The actual flavours are good, a lot of browning cassis, new oak nicely in balance, but all lean and sinewy, seeming very dry. This will cellar for another 5 – 15 years, but it is unlikely to lose the acid. The 1996 did not arouse strong feelings in any taster. GK 09/14

2002 Mills Reef Syrah Elspeth 17 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $40 [ no winemaking info @ website; www.millsreef.co.nz ]
Dense ruby, carmine and velvet, as fine a colour as any. Right from the first sniff, this big rich wine is massively oaky, and gives the impression of being designed as a show pony, or for those brought up on all-too-often-unsubtle Australian shiraz. As such, it is first-rate, with great fruit and a cassis freshness which the Aussies find hard to achieve, plus very fragrant oak including some vanillin American. By European standards however, it is brash and clumsy, a wine designed to seduce new world commentators and wine judges habituated to excess oak. Such unsubtle wines are not versatile or even good with food. There is no denying the quality of the fruit, however, and one can only regret that a subtler approach to elevage is not taken with this wine. It should mellow in cellar 10 – 15 years. GK 12/04

2004 Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir 17 (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $38 [ screwcap; 100% de-stemmed, several days cold-soak, wild yeast; 15 months in French oak 50% new; www.cloudybay.co.nz ]
Classic pinot noir ruby, just below midway in depth. Bouquet is a little pinched at this stage, slightly veiled red cherry and varietal fruit, with an interesting cedary note from the oak. Palate fattens the impression, with red cherry fruit, the tendency to acid so many of these 2004 wines show, understated yet clearly varietal. Cloudy Bay pinot has much better palate weight nowadays, so cellar 5 – 10 years, though that acid may become more prominent as the berry dries. GK 06/06

2004 Greenock Creek Shiraz Apricot Block 17 (

)

Barossa Valley, South Australia, Australia: 14%; $98 [ cork; Halliday describes this vineyard has having achieved iconic status and stratospheric prices in the US; Parker noted for the 2002 vintage: "If I had to select the number one Australian winery, it would be hard not to choose the Greenock Creek Winery, run by the humble, shy Michael and Annabelle Waugh. The quality that emerges from this estate is extraordinary. In short, these are thrilling, world-class wines that are about as compelling as wine can be."; Apricot Block is unirrigated shiraz cropped at less than 1.5 t/ac, the wine raised in US oak; 2004 not reviewed, the climatically similar 2002 described by Parker 161: "The prodigious 2002 Apricot Block (only 10-year-old vines) was produced from fruit cropped at 1.5 tons per acre. Its big, peppery, floral, blueberry, blackberry, pen ink, and vanillin-scented bouquet is followed by a wine with a nervous energy that is totally in keeping with the cool 2002 vintage. Dense, with great purity of fruit, a fabulously multi-layered, full-bodied palate, and an inky finish with enormous concentration, sweet tannin, and superb overall balance … last for two decades. 96"; since 2000 none rated less than 95 with Parker; production quantity around 5 – 600 cases; no website found ]
Dense ruby and velvet, above midway in depth. Bouquet is most odd, with a perfumed note variously described by tasters as cucumber, one mouldy-blue orange in a crate of Californian oranges, and over-ripe apricot, not unattractive. Below is dark plummy fruit. Palate is rich, but not as rich as some, completely dry, subtly oaked, the citrus zest character persisting. Curious, different, tending slightly Spanish – and not sitting very happily in this shiraz / syrah tasting. Nobody thought it corked, but it has to be a possibility. What will age bring ? Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 12/07

2009 Clearview Cabernet / Merlot The Basket Press 17 (

)

Te Awanga district, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $160 [ supercritical cork; CS 100%, hand-picked; 'nearly three years' in 100% new French oak; limited production of the order of 50 cases; www.clearviewestate.co.nz ]
Ruby, some velvet, in the lightest quarter for colour density. Bouquet is dominated by smokey oak, with some plummy fruit below. Palate is oaky, smoky, about the same fruit weight as Alluviale but indeterminate as to variety, attractively ripe underneath the oak. The oak is high-quality, and when you taste the wine alongside others in this range, it has had a lot of effort and polish put into it. The style however is more lean Ribera del Duero than Hawkes Bay / Bordeaux blends. I prefer wines to speak more clearly of their variety. Cellar 5 – 12 years. For $30, the Ch de Retout has more cassisy berryfruit, and a more appropriate new oak ratio. At this price level, however, New Zealand wines tend to be assessed on criteria other than wine quality – the less-pleasant side of wine. GK 06/12

2003 Wolf Blass Shiraz / Merlot / Cabernet Eaglehawk 17 (

)

Australia unspecified: 13.5%; $12 [ laminated/aggregate cork; www.wolfblass.com.au ]
Attractive ruby, slight carmine and velvet. Good to see an Aussie red not the heaviest colour in the set. Bouquet is soft, clean and fragrant, no hint of rusticity here. There is lovely cherry and red plum fruit, and subtle sweet oak suggestions with no hint of harshness, remarkable. Palate is as clean as the bouquet, the fruit on palate showing some of the boysenberry of Australian shiraz, not oaky, just a touch of sweetness in the Australian 'popular' style. Remarkably good, as such, and very easy drinking – which so many reds from this country are not. Cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 11/04

2008 Amisfield Rosé Saignée 17 (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.8%; $25 [ screwcap; saignée means juice is run from the main pinot crop, once the berries have soaked on skins in tank 12 hours (in this case); no oak, not much winemaking detail on website, described as a dry style, but winemakers use the term dry for anything under 2 g/L for reds, and up to 7 g/L for whites, so for rosé it is always hard to say (and estimate); www.amisfield.co.nz ]
Typical rosé. Bouquet is quite complex on this wine, fragrant red fruits, a suggestion of lees-autolysis, a hint of grapefruit suggesting maybe a molecule or two of botrytis aroma, but all grapey and attractive. Palate is strawberry and redcurrants, acid up a bit even against a few grams residual to balance, all a little fresh but well in style. A good showing for pinot rosé. Cellar a couple of years. GK 03/09

2010 Goldie Wines [ Merlot ] Esslin 17 (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14%; $60 [ screwcap; Me 100%, hand-harvested usually around 2.5 t/ha = 1 t/ac; MLF and 14 months in all-French oak, 50% new; RS 1.8 g/L; www.goldiewines.co.nz ]
Ruby. This is Goldie Wines flagship red, made only in good years. The wine opens rather oaky, with any floral component masked, but breathes up to reveal fragrant red plummy merlot fruit. Like the Kennedy Point Merlot Reserve, the ripeness achieved is slightly on the pinched side, like The Obsidian the wine is a little too oaky, but the varietal quality nonetheless is pleasing. There seems to be some American oak adding to the vanillin aromas here. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 10/12

2013 Te Mata Estate Merlot / Cabernets Estate Vineyards 17 (

)

Tutaekuri Valley (mostly), Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $21 [ screwcap; Me 58%, CS 31, CF11; 12 months in French oak some new; website still the class-leader and model for so many other wineries both disinterested in the customers' needs and ignoring their back-vintages and history, and even moreso with Peter Cowley's vintage notes now easier to retrieve; www.temata.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, in the top third for weight of colour. Bouquet is younger, fresher and fractionally more raw than most 2013s, presumably reflecting a different approach to elevation for this affordable wine, but there is fragrant darkly plummy berry, plus an edge suggesting a little malbec in the blend – at least in the blind tasting (not so). Palate is not as concentrated as the top wines, reasonably, but the freshness of berry and oak yet to meld is promising. Is this the best 'Woodthorpe Cabernet' yet (noting its not all from there) ? It highlights a ripeness and plumpness which has often been lacking from this label. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 06/14

2004 Seifried Sauvignon Blanc Winemakers Collection 17 (

)

Nelson, New Zealand: 12.5%; $20 [ screwcap; www.seifried.co.nz ]
Palest lemon. A more traditional style of sauvignon, showing mixed colours of capsicum on bouquet, and some English gooseberries. Palate is tarter than some, the ratio of green capsicums increasing, but there are still suggestions of the sweet fruit of black passionfruit. There is some residual to ease the acid, but it is still probably 'dry'. Short term cellar only. GK 11/04

2003 Kahurangi Riesling Late-Harvest 17 (

)

Moutere Hills, Nelson, New Zealand: 13%; $27 [ cork; www.kahurangiwine.com ]
A big bouquet showing botrytis first and foremost, with the riesling character initially just sweet fruit, slightly nectary / floral, some VA. Palate is not as harmonious as bouquet, the sweetness and acid not yet integrated, and phenolics are on the high side, introducing a hard stalky note into the botrytis lusciousness. Should improve in cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 01/05

2007 Morton Estate Rosé Musetta 17 (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.1%; $18 [ screwcap; Me & Ma; all s/s; www.mortonestatewines.co.nz ]
Good bright rosé. Bouquet is fresh red berry, fragrant and attractive as soon as opened, and slightly winey too, even so soon. Palate shows good fruit, a suggestion of red grape tannins to show it is genuine, off-dry in sweetness but not overdone. Apart from trace VA and excessive alcohol, this is attractively-styled wine, which will be better in a year. A residual nearer 5 g/L would move it more up-market. Cellar 1 – 3 years, despite popular opinion. GK 02/08

2002 Squawking Magpie Merlot / Cabernet The Nest 17 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $37 [ Me 53%, CS 48; www.squawkingmagpie.co.nz ]
Ruby, some velvet. This is a distinctive wine, with a phenolic quality in the smell of the oak which takes one straight back to the New Zealand McWilliams Cabernet Sauvignons of the 70s. Berry is in the backseat, on bouquet. Palate is quite rich however, much richer than those McWilliams wines (which were becoming attenuated by that stage), showing cassis and plum with fair ripeness. Oaking is boisterous though – making one reflect on the growing sophistication and subtlety of the top wines in the set. Cellar 10 – 15 years. GK 12/04

2003 Montana Pinot Noir "T" Terraces Estate 17 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $33 [ cork; in effect the 'Reserve' wine, when vintage quality allows; 6 days cold soak, 40% new oak all French for 12 months; some batonnage; www.montanawines.co.nz ]
Good pinot ruby, though darker than any of the Rousseaus. Freshly poured, the wine is a little stalky. Decanted and aired, the first thing to say is how totally in style the wine is, when sitting amongst the Rousseau wines in a blind tasting. Bouquet is attractively floral, showing buddleia and even rose characters, amidst good redfruits and cherries grading through to some black. Palate is clearly cherry fruit, with appropriate oaking using a potentially cedary oak not too different from the Rousseaus. Texture is fleshier than the Burgundy examples, slightly stalky, and not quite so totally 'dry', but the nett impression is unequivocally varietal. Attractive drinking, and will cellar 5–8 years. GK 02/05

2005 Babich Pinot Noir Winemakers Reserve 17 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 14.5%; $29 [ cork; 10% whole-bunch fermentation, 13 months French oak some new; www.babichwines.co.nz ]
Ruby, some velvet, big for pinot noir. Bouquet is richly blackboy peach, with light buddleia-like florals, and some under-pinning bottled plum, all slightly stewed / over-ripe. Palate has plenty of berry and fruit, a little more oak than the bouquet suggests, and flavours combining bottled blackboys and dark plums. Finish goes a little oaky / spirity. A new style for Babich pinot, as if both over-ripe and saignée. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 11/06

2007 Vidal Merlot / Cabernet Sauvignon Hawkes Bay 17 (

)

Gimblett Gravels mostly, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $20 [ screwcap; DFB; Me 46%, CS 39, CF 12, Ma 3, all destemmed; MLF and 15 months in French and American oak some new; www.vidal.co.nz ]
Ruby carmine and velvet, a little more developed than the Villa Maria PB. The reason is soon apparent, the wine being much more oaky than the Villa Maria, on similar fruit quality. It is much oakier than the Esk Valley Merlot / Cabernet too, so among these mainstream wines in the Villa / Vidal / Esk stable, it stands a little apart, with its own devotees. Otherwise, cassis, berryfruit and balance are just as attractive. It will cellar for up to 12 years or so. GK 03/09

2000 Cape Mentelle Cabernet Sauvignon 17 (

)

Margaret River, West Australia, Australia: 15%; $58 [ CS 93%, CF 7; DFB; 18 months in French oak 75% new; www.capementelle.com.au ]
Older ruby and velvet. A sweet ripe Australian cabernet bouquet with soft cassis and blackberry, fragrant oak, and faintest mint greets the taster. Palate is rich, but (like the alcohol) the oak level is too high, despite being high quality oak which will go cedary. The wine may fine down in bottle, and allow the fruit richness to shine a bit more, but the level of the oaking in Trinders appeals more. Cellar 10 – 15 years. GK 06/04

2005 Sileni Pinot Noir EV ( = Exceptional Vintage ) 17 (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $80 [ cork; not on website; www.sileni.co.nz ]
Classic pinot noir cherry red. This is an interesting wine, not exactly showing immediate varietal or floral character on bouquet, but nonetheless displaying finesse and style. It could be based on either pinot noir or syrah (in a Cote Rotie sense). Palate suggests the secret of this wine is concentrated fruit offering great mouthfeel, perhaps even a barrel-ferment component, in superb oak with subtle cedary qualities, all sensitively assembled. It is more a beautifully ripe red wine than a beautiful pinot, but in five years time with food it will be a delight. This is one of the best pinot noirs out of Hawkes Bay so far, but for this district on the northern rim of quality pinot in New Zealand, the pricing is ambitious. New plantings in the elevated and in places calcareous country to the south of Hawkes Bay must arouse interest in the future for this variety in the broader district. Cellar 5 – 10 years, perhaps to surprise. GK 09/06

1992 Stonecroft Syrah 17 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $ – [ cork; Alan Limmer: coolest vintage in 20 years; www.stonecroft.co.nz ]
Mature ruby. This wine emphasised the point that the essential berryfruit of great syrah, as opposed to shiraz, is cassis. Bouquet is remarkable, fully mature browning cassis yet not fading unduly, and smelling as much of mature Bordeaux as mature Crozes-Hermitage. On palate the age showed a little more, the fruit drying, the oak and acid now more noticeable. But what a treat: one of New Zealand's earliest commercial syrahs, and from a cool-year (Pinatubo), yet in great order, and very European (French) in style. Thanks are due to Alan Limmer for contributing his total remaining stock to this event. Best finished up in the next year or two. GK 01/07

2007 Craggy Range Sauvignon Blanc Avery 17 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $25 [ screwcap; machine-harvested @ c. 3.5 t/ac; all de-stemmed, fermented with cultured yeast in s/s 100%; 2 months LA; pH 3.2, RS 2 g/L; www.craggyrange.com ]
Palest lemongreen. This Craggy Marlborough sauvignon is in a rather different style, tip-toeing towards Europe. There is clear black passionfruit, and some obscure honeysuckle and red capsicum, but it is all veiled by sur-lie complexity, which is threshold negative. I've given it the benefit of the doubt, but it depends on your threshold to reduced sulphur. This is at the point of good Muscadet Sur-Lie. Palate is quite rich, but hardened by the sur-lie complexity, so the whole wine needs a year or two, in the hope it will blossom. This wine is a good example of the sulphur-related palate firmness which so many me-too winewriters rush to describe as exhibiting the currently trendy wine buzzword 'minerality'. Cellar 3 – 8 years, maybe longer. GK 10/07

nv Les Sarments de la Tuilerie 17 (

)

Costieres de Nimes, mouth of Rhone Valley, France: 12.5%; $12 [ Gr, Sy 50/50; DFB; laminated/aggregate cork; www.chateautuilerie.com/anglais ]
Ruby. One of the more obviously Rhone-like bouquets in the set, showing some carnations and herbes de Provence aromatics, on good red fruits. Palate shows delightful glacé cherries in the fruit, some mushrooms, subtlest old oak (if any), a lighter and more floral / aromatic wine than the du Jardin or older Valentina, very clean, slightly stalky. Cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 11/04

2006 Charles Wiffen Sauvignon Blanc 17 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 12.5%; $17 [ screwcap ]
Lemongreen. Bouquet is mild, in a Hawkes Bay style of black passionfruit and a suggestion of fruit salad, very ripe. Palate is white stonefruits, in the blind tasting confuseable with pinot gris (and better than some – not phenolic !). Body is good, acid gentle, and flavours pleasing and 'dry' – a wine to appeal to those who don't like Marlborough sauvignon too much. Cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 03/07

2006 RedMetal Vineyards Merlot / Cabernet Franc Basket Press 17 (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $40 [ screwcap; Me 88%, CF 12; up to 18 months in French and American oak, some new; www.redmetalvineyards.co.nz ]
Ruby, a softer colour in this company. This wine is a little different from most of the others, being softer and more fragrant, almost a Pomerol style amongst Medocs (even though some of the others are straight merlot – that's wine generalisations for you). Bouquet includes red fruits, red currants, raspberries and the charm of cabernet franc, just as in some famous east bank wines, and is soft, floral and easily overlooked. Palate likewise is gentle, though there is a trace of stalkyness. RedMetal wines are always different from the mainstream, food-friendly and winey. Worth trying. Cellar 3 – 10 years or so. GK 03/09

2007 Escarpment Pinot Noir 17 (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $48 [ supercritical cork; hand-picked; fermented in French oak cuves; c.11 months in French oak c.30% new; dry extract 29.4 g/L, RS < 1 g/L; www.escarpment.co.nz ]
Big ruby, another very dark pinot. Freshly opened, this is a heavy wine too, not singing and floral, more plummy, with a slight off-note at this stage reminiscent of burning perspex. The wine benefits greatly from decanting, opening up to reveal a much better but still big pinot in weight and feel, carefully oaked. Again there is not quite perfect physiological ripeness, a trace of leaf, but all lingering nicely, with real pinot aftertaste. I suspect this wine is in an ugly-duckling phase, and will marry up and score much better in a couple of years. McKenna builds his wines to last, rather than initially please. Cellar 5 – 12 years, perhaps 15. GK 03/09

2005 Saint Clair Pinot Noir Pioneer Block 5 17 (

)

Brancott district, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $29 [ screwcap; clone 10/5 mostly; 4 – 5 days cold soak, some wild yeast; MLF and 9 months in French oak some new; www.saintclair.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, one of the deeper wines, about the maximum for pinot noir. Benefits from decanting, to reveal a rich and deep bouquet, but not so deep as to obscure suggestions of a dark boronia-like floral component, on black cherry fruit. Palate is rich, fine-grained, concentrated, the kind of weight thus far more usually associated with Otago, but heavier. Flavours are black cherry and dark plum, carefully oaked. At this stage the wine is youthful and massive, borderline for the charm and subtlety pinot noir needs – but there is a lot in the components to like. As it fines down in cellar, this wine could surprise. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 06/06

2010 Sileni Pinot Gris Cellar Selection 17 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $18 [ screwcap; most cool-fermented in s/s, small part barrel-fermented for complexity; RS 3.8 g/L; www.sileni.co.nz ]
Straw. Bouquet is gently white flowers and clean white fruits such as pears and nectarine. Palate is much milder than the River Farm, with good white fruits, near dry, and a long mildly varietal flavour. Sound and pleasing, without being exciting. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 08/11

2002 Rousseau Gevrey-Chambertin 17 (

)

Gevrey-Chambertin, Cotes de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 13%; $94 [ cork; Coates: Medium to medium-full weight. Soft and stylish. Full of fruit. Balanced and elegant. Long and subtle. Lovely finish. Very good indeed for what it is. From 2007; www.domaine-rousseau.com ]
Pinot noir ruby, the darkest of the Rousseaus. This wine exemplifies a message that is only slowly getting through to some New Zealand pinot producers. In Burgundy, depth of colour is often inversely correlated with quality – quite the opposite of the supermarket sense of values. Bouquet is clean and very correct in a reticent way, with an almost floral fragrance on clear cherry fruit. Palate is leaner and more aromatic than the classed growths, however, but the flavour is still explicitly cherry-varietal. This is good village wine, but one worries at paying $94 for it. It will cellar 5 – 12 years, and mellow attractively. GK 07/06

2004 Te Mata Gamay Noir Woodthorpe 17 (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12.5%; $22 [ screwcap; maceration carbonique / nouveau style; 3 months in old oak; grouped with pinot noir, to facilitate style comparison; www.temata.co.nz ]
Light bright youthful rosy ruby, with a flush of carmine. Bouquet is a perfect expression of the maceration carbonique technique, showing that extraordinary perfumed, floral, and spicy quality which the process superimposes on the grape. In Beaujolais in good years they meld inseparably with the florals and fruit of physiologically mature gamay noir a jus blanc, but all too often thus far in New Zealand, the substrate grape has been stalky and inappropriate to the style. This wine however is another matter, for the flavour ripeness in the grapes is the best so far under this label from Te Mata. Bouquet is totally pure red florals and red fruits, and palate is juicy and 'sweet' fresh gamay to perfection, backboned by subliminal oak – another demo of masterly oak use from the Te Mata team. Fruit sweetness on the finish is delightful. Cellar 1 – 3 years. GK 03/05

1999 Martinborough Vineyard Pinot Noir 17 (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $55 [ TE ]
Ruby. A good volume of floral / aromatic and cherry / berry bouquet, fragrant, varietal, attractive. An awkward quality in the palate, youthful, stalky, the oak a bit resiny, but has the potential to marry up into a good North Island slightly aromatic pinot style. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 01/01

2007 Villa Maria Pinot Noir Single Vineyard Seddon 17 (

)

Awatere Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14.5%; $58 [ screwcap; several clones, hand-picked, 100% de-stemmed; 14 months 'fine' French oak 25% new; minimal filtration; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Big pinot noir ruby, clearly deeper and darker than the Taylors or the Craggy Calvert. Bouquet follows on from the colour, being heavy for pinot noir, darkly plummy more than cherry, quite oaky, very youthful. This is the kind of pinot which does well in new-world judgings. Palate is very rich indeed, and in the plummy fruit there is some evidence of a more elegant future – once the wine has lost some tannin and weight. It is almost opposite in style to most of the current Villa pinots, which have a prevailing thread of leafy weakness in them which is scarcely detectable here. Leaving aside style, the wine is immaculately made, and will cellar very well indeed. It could surprise after five years in bottle, so like the Escarpment wine, there is an element of 'sitting on the fence' in the score. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 03/09

2007 Penfolds Grenache / Mourvedre / Shiraz Bin 138 17 (

)

Barossa Valley, South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $25 [ screwcap; Gr 66%, Mv 21, Sh 13; 14 months in American oak hogsheads 5 years old; www.penfolds.com.au ]
Ruby. Surprisingly, the bouquet of this wine fits in with one or two of the New Zealand pinots, in the sense of a fragrant slightly stalky component. Most of the bouquet is attractive red-fruits grenache with faintest mint, but it is the slightly under-ripe mourvedre which is adding spice and the stalky hint in mouth. Shiraz adds lovely plummy fruit. Oaking is subtle, but the wine is youthful, as yet. It will mellow beautifully in cellar, becoming more fragrant, softer and rounder. Finish is almost juicy, despite the mourvedre tannin. Cellar 5 – 12 years, perhaps to improve considerably, and become even closer to the southern Rhone wines Bin 138 is modelled on. The wine benefits greatly from decanting, and serving at a pleasant red wine temperature (to alleviate the stalky notes). GK 03/09

2007 Craggy Range Pinot Noir [ Te Muna ] Aroha 17 (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 14%; $100 [ cork; DFB; hand-picked @ a "minuscule" < 0.25 t/ac from a small plot amounting to 8% of the Te Muna vineyard, with about 30% Abel clone; 100% de-stemmed, fermented in French oak cuves with wild yeast; 10 months on lees in French oak 38% new; no fining, light filtering; RS nil; 65 cases only, like le Sol, a Prestige Series wine, but the volume of Aroha much reduced in 2007 at Martinborough; release date 1 June 2009, not on website yet; www.craggyrange.com ]
Some velvet in ruby, very big for pinot noir. On bouquet this is the odd-man-out in the Craggy pinots, with a heavy mixed-message quality to it reminiscent of bottled omega plums with just a thought of cod liver oil on the one hand, but also with a clear aromatic cypress-foliage-like leafy note too. Subtle florals and cherries, and hence 'pinosity', are not too apparent. Palate is very rich too, another to remind of some shiraz interpretations from South Australia, except that the cypress note on bouquet becomes clearly stalky on palate, despite the great richness. In the blind tasting, having this wine alongside the 2007 Penfolds Bin 138 certainly made for an interesting comparison, the latter being a little stalky on the mourvedre component, yet the wine obviously in the 'burgundy' class. For the Aroha, this results in an intriguing big wine with pinot affiliations, but in an older style reminding of earlier Pegasus Bay or Dry River pinots. Perhaps like some of Danny Schuster's top Omihi pinots, the mixed message is due to raisining of imperfectly physiologically mature grapes. All in all a bit of monster, impressive, worth cellaring 5 – 15 years, but not the beautiful side of pinot noir. A mistake to price it in the Prestige Series, therefore. GK 03/09

2007 Waimea Estate Pinot Noir Barrel Selection 17 (

)

Waimea Plains, Nelson, New Zealand: 14.5%; $24 [ screwcap; at least 4 modern clones of pinot all hand-picked; 100% destemmed, 5 days cold-soak, commercial yeasts; MLF and c. 10 months in barrel; www.waimeaestates.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, between the Te Whare Ra and the standard Felton in depth. Leaving aside a little grubby oak, this pinot shows the explicit varietal character which makes Nelson one of the four premium pinot districts in New Zealand so far. There are both buddleia and boronia florals, on red and black cherry fruit. Palate embraces some of the blackboy character of pinot fruit not quite so perfectly physiologically mature as good Otago examples, but it is all let down somewhat by the quality and cleanliness of the oak (like many bourgognes rouges). Nonetheless, attractive and food-friendly wine. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 03/09

1998 Au Bon Climat Pinot Noir Knox Alexander 17 (

)

Santa Maria, California, USA: 13.5%; $ – [ WPN ]
Lighter ruby. Voluminous slightly estery bouquet, with abundant small redfruits and berry, plus an aromatic ‘‘redwood’’ note which is distinctive in a blind tasting. Red rather than black cherry / berry flavours, a touch acid, with a succulent fleshy crispness of fruit which is complexed by subtle oak. Interesting wine, almost a polar opposite in style to the Bannockburn from Australia, and inclining to the simpler strawberry end of the pinot spectrum. Not the depth of varietal quality or the floral complexity we are at best achieving in New Zealand, but totally in style and a fascinating contribution to this review. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 01/01

2003 Viu Manent Carmenere Reserve Oak-Aged 17 (

)

Colchagua Valley, Chile: 14%; $17 [ cork; Carmenere 100%; 14 months in oak, 35% new, 90% French, 10 US; www.viumanent.cl/ingles ]
Ruby and velvet, older than most. A vigorous berry bouquet showing cassis and blackberry lifted by a little VA, very fragrant. Palate has the rich plummy juiciness and light aromatics of carmenere, the nett impression like a good New Zealand cabernet / merlot / malbec blend. Oaking is initially obtrusive, but with airing shows better balance than several of the others. Not as rich as the Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve, but still velvety. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 12/04

2004 Penfolds Grenache / Shiraz / Mourvedre Bin 138 17 (

)

Barossa Valley, South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $31 [ cork; 17 months in older French and American oak; www.penfolds.com.au ]
Ruby and velvet, a little carmine. Bin 138 varies in style, some years being southern Rhone-like, others being more a juicy popular South Australian red. The '04 is in the latter camp, soft, fragrant, boysenberry and some blueberry, and suggestions of maceration carbonique, some overlap with Rawson's Retreat. Palate is berry-dominant, much less oak than the other Bin reds, finishing on attractive plummy and blueberry fruit. Perhaps not all the wine is in oak for the stated 17 months. This is the Penfolds Bin red to go for, if the others seem too tannic. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 07/06

1999 Neudorf Pinot Noir Moutere Reserve 17 (

)

Nelson, New Zealand: 13%; $48 [ NZPN ]
Good ruby, a touch of carmine. Very fragrant, in a floral and redfruits cool-climate style fractionally more leafy than the Jadot Gevrey-Chambertin. The latter shows a softness of palate and more mellow acid balance which appeals. Nonetheless, this is a good representative of one of the distinctive and fragrant crisp pinot noir varietal styles emerging in New Zealand, which in our temperate climate will wax and wane with the quality of vintage. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 01/01

2005 Te Whare Ra Gewurztraminer 17 (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14.2%; $ – [ screwcap; hand-picked and hand-sorted from some of the oldest gewurz vines in Marlborough, up to 26 years old; some whole-bunches retained; cool-fermented, 100% s/s, no wild yeast, some of the wine extended lees-autolysis; RS 20 g/L; the Duke of Marlborough label has been discontinued, this is the top gewurz; www.te-whare-ra.co.nz ]
Lemonstraw to straw. This is a milder gewurztraminer than 2008 or 2002, all a little softer and broader. There is still pretty good varietal character, but it is almost as if some of the wine were fermented or matured in old oak [ specifically not the case ]. Palate richness is good, with lychee and slightly marmalade qualities to it, on a nearer-medium lowish-acid finish. Some gewurztraminer spice comes back on the late taste. Probably at a peak now, but will hold for several years. GK 04/09

2005 Stonecroft Gewurztraminer Hawkes Bay Old Vine 17 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $40 [ supercritical cork; detail of wine lacking on website; www.stonecroft.co.nz ]
The palest lemon of the set, nearly a hint of green. This wine is so floral as to be perfumed, which appealed greatly to some tasters, and less to others. In mouth the wine expands, and reveals freesia florals, a hint of citronella and spice, white stone fruits, and very delicate varietal phenolics on palate. I suspect this will rate more highly in 3 – 5 years, but for now it seems a little too pretty and delicate, even though it is not weak. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 08/06

2003 Viu Manent Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Oak-Aged 17 (

)

Colchagua Valley, Chile: 14%; $17 [ cork; CS 100%; average vine age 55 years; 16 months in 100% French oak, c. 35% new; www.viumanent.cl/ingles ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, lighter than the other Reserves. Clearcut cassis lifted by oak and light VA gives this wine a big bouquet, the oak becoming more prominent as one persists with it. Palate is very rich, and the varietal quality of the cassisy cabernet is excellent, including some slight peppercorn aromatic complexity. Only the amount of oak lets the wine down a little. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 12/04

2016 Craggy Range Chardonnay Les Beaux Cailloux 17 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $120 [ screwcap; clone not stated, harvested at 5.45 t/ha = 2.2 t/ac; barrel fermented in French oak 40% new with cultured yeasts; 10 months in barrel, filtered to bottle; no RS; weight bottle and closure 824 g; www.craggyrange.com ]
Pale lemongreen, the lightest of the four. Bouquet is pale too, with an austere undertone to it flirting with lees autolysis reduction, rather drowning any pretty or floral notes the wine might otherwise have shown. This one clearly smells of MLF. Palate shows quite good fruit in the sense of body, but austere white peach / nectarine flavours hinting at stalkyness and early picking, noticeable acid. In a blind tasting you would think it a Marlborough wine. Intriguing how fine chardonnay continues to (mostly) elude the Craggy Range winemakers (though the 2011 Beaux Cailloux was a great exception). This 2016 is another wine to illustrate that the Gimblett Gravels do not often make the best chardonnay in Hawkes Bay. It will be a lot more interesting after 8 years, cellar 10 – 15 years. As I have noted before, Craggy Range are getting ahead of themselves, in their pricing relative to achieved quality. GK 06/20

2011 Peregrine Pinot Noir 17 (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $40 [ Stelvin Lux; Peregrine Winery produced its first wine in the 1998 vintage, yet it quickly became one of the most highly-regarded Otago producers. It reflects the passion of Lindsay McLachlan and Greg Hay. The Peregrine-owned vineyards are organic. Winemaker is Nadine Cross. They have three tiers of pinot noir, one (The Pinnacle) a trophy wine. This wine comprises 47% Bendigo fruit, 36% Pisa, 17% Gibbston, all hand-harvested. There is a 5% whole bunch component. The wine spends 10 months in French oak, understood to be c.35% new. RS <1 g/L, dry extract not available; www.peregrinewines.co.nz ]
Lightish pinot noir ruby, the second lightest. This is a totally different wine from the 2012 Peregrine, being light, fragrant, some rose florals, on red currant / strawberry / raspberry fruit. But unlike the Ostler and the Grasshopper, there is very little leaf or stalk, it instead sharing some qualities with the Fromm, but in a slightly pinched way. Palate is a little unusual therefore, all red fruits, yet not too short or unduly stalky, clearly varietal but at this stage a bit incomplete as red wine. Finish is dryer than the same-vintage Saddleback. Cellar 2 – 6 years. [ This wine was not in the presented set, the 2011 having run out, so the 2012 was substituted at the last moment, after this bottle had been decanted.] GK 06/14

2009 Mudbrick Vineyard Syrah Shepherds Point 17 (

)

Western Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14.3%; $42 [ screwcap; Sy 100%, hand-picked, all de-stemmed, inoculated yeast, 1 day cold-soak, 15 – 21 days cuvaison, some months in American and French oak, some new; sterile-filtered to bottle; www.mudbrick.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, attractive. Bouquet shows wallflower florals and white pepper lifted by light VA into a very fragrant wine, clearly syrah. Palate is a little edgy on the VA, but shows cassis in the blueberry fruit, all attractively oaked, and fair richness. Should marry up and be fine in cellar 3 – 8 years, and maybe 10. GK 06/10

2009 Kidnapper Cliffs Chardonnay 17 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $45 [ cork; clone mendoza c.90%, balance clone 15, all hand-picked at c. 5 t/ha = 2 t/ac; the website offers the implication that chardonnay excels on the Gimblett Gravels only in the cooler years, which correlates with observations on this website for example re the excellence of the Dartmoor Valley chardonnay Riflemans; juice fined before fermentation so no solids, thus contrasting with many chardonnay makers; inoculated yeast, all BF in French oak hogsheads, 20% new; no MLF desired, minimal batonnage; c 10 months in barrel; www.kidnappercliffs.com ]
Straw, deeper than the Solan. Bouquet is too oaky to be promising, with the oak vanillin perfuming the bouquet more than the fruit, so the wine seems scented. I like to see more of the beauty of the variety on bouquet. Palate is scrupulously clean, and fighting through the thickets of oak there is some attractive mendoza fruit to be found. The late aftertaste with hints of figgy fruit richness gives some hint of the lost opportunity here. Sadly, this is old-style new world, where oak flavours were seen as the main measure of chardonnay worth. Disappointing, therefore, but will cellar 10 + years and no doubt mellow. The 1981 McWilliams Hawke's Bay Chardonnay was not dissimilar at the outset, and for those who like aged chardonnay, that wine is still interesting. GK 08/11

2002 Riverby Estate Riesling 17 (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $ – [ screwcap; Gm 239 vines planted 1994; machine-harvested at c. 3 t/ac; cold-settled, cool- and stop-fermented in s/s; pH 3.2, RS 3.2 g/L; www.riverbyestate.com ]
Lemonstraw. This one really smells like mature Clare / Eden Valley riesling, even when there is a Steingarten in the flight that one can go and check up on (once IDs are revealed). There is great fruit on bouquet, clear citrus and almost a thought of lemon meringue, but also with a touch of kero (+ve) starting to show. Palate is flavoursome, a little extractive / phenolic explaining the kero, a kind of hoppy yellow peach flavour, long and dry in mouth. This is another wine that won't appeal to lovers of light elegant German rieslings, but nonetheless it has a lot of varietal character in a legitimate Australasian style. Perhaps it won't cellar graciously for much longer, but no hurry. GK 04/09

2008 Te Whare Ra Riesling D [ dry ] 17 (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 11.5%; $22 [ screwcap; hand-picked from older vines some in their 20s; mostly de-stemmed, some whole-bunches retained; cool-fermented, 100% s/s; pH 2.89, RS 7 g/L; 880 cases; www.te-whare-ra.co.nz ]
Pale lemon. Bouquet initially shows a little SO2 still to marry away, on straightforward riesling which is lightly floral, showing citrusy white fruits with a touch of lime-zest aromatics. Palate is fresh, citric, tasting drier than 7 g/L, but at this stage very youthful, awaiting future complexity. Sound riesling to cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 04/09

2012 Black Barn Vineyards Merlot Reserve 17 (

)

Havelock North district, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.4%; $60 [ supercritical cork; Me 100%, 13 years old; the firm’s top wine, aged in French puncheons 50% new even in this lesser year; not on website; www.blackbarn.com ]
Good ruby. It has long been noticeable that while cassis is a descriptor for good cabernet sauvignon (and good syrah), nonetheless the nett winestyle shown by good temperate-climate syrah properly ripened is much closer on palate to merlot than cabernet sauvignon. This Black Barn Merlot is a perfect illustration, in the blind tasting being clearly 'syrah', slightly floral, slightly white pepper, indeterminate fruit. Palate shows acceptable ripeness for the difficult year, and subtle oaking matching the lack of power in the fruit. Pleasing small-scale wine to cellar 3 – 8 years, but expensive. GK 06/13

2010 Coopers Creek Cabernet / Merlot Gimblett Gravels Select Vineyards 17 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $35 [ screwcap; CS 55%, Me 45, hand-harvested; 12 months in French oak 45% new; RS 3 g/L; www.cooperscreek.co.nz ]
Good ruby. Benefits from decanting, to become clean and fragrant with red fruits dominant, not clearly varietal, medium weight. Palate is almost juicy in one sense, red currants and red plums, not much sign of cabernet sauvignon, attractively subtle oak and smoothed tannins (from the residual), a small-scale fragrant blend to cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/13

2003 Neudorf Pinot Noir Moutere 17 (

)

Moutere Hills, Nelson, New Zealand: 14.5%; $58 [ screwcap; 12 months in 35% new French oak; www.neudorf.co.nz ]
Big ruby with some carmine and velvet, one of the deepest. This one is more like a Martinborough wine, with a clear pennyroyal mint-like lift in the deep florals, almost spicy. Palate is richly fruity, weighty, a little clumsy, more in the style Villa Maria have been pursuing with their Show wines in Marlborough. The dark fruits are made spicy by oak and alcohol, and the whole is still a little aggressive. It should marry down into a clearly varietal wine, which may rate higher as it mellows – though these high alcohols are inimical to complete finesse in pinot. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 03/05

1976 Ch Montrose 17 (

)

Saint-Estephe Second Growth, Bordeaux, France: – %; $193 [ cork 54mm, ullage 21mm; original price c.$21; cepage then approx. CS 70%, Me 15, CF 10, PV 5, planted at 9,000 vines / ha; up to 24 months in barrel, % new then unknown, less than now (60%); Montrose website: Vintage: harvest Sept 15 --.Sept 29, no cepage; ... extreme drought during the months of July, August, and September: continuous sun and heat. Wine: The rich nose is and complex, displaying aromas of black fruits, liquorice, pepper, smoke, tobacco and prune. ... If the palate is harmonious, long, and soft, the finish is on the other hand, a little short with a tinge of bitterness; Broadbent, 1980: Vintage ***, a good vintage, not outstanding … quite a few wines… lack flesh; Wine: … fragrant, fruity aroma; fairly full-bodied, soft long flavour and good finish, **(**) 1985 – 1996; R. Parker, 2014: ... a fully mature, very complex wine, with notes of cedar wood, new saddle leather, mulberries, and blackcurrants. The wine has some loamy soil notes and unsmoked cigar tobacco in a medium to full-bodied, very complex and fully mature style. Drink it up, 90; weight bottle and closure 566 g; www.chateau-montrose.com ]
Garnet and ruby, the lightest wine, but still a good mature claret colour. Bouquet is quite different from the 1966, 1975, 1986, and 1996, in this hotter year the cabernet having lost its aromatic intensity. Bouquet is much more a browning tobacco-y merlot / cabernet blend, browning dark plums and some soft cedar, and tertiary mushroomy aromas. Palate is lighter and less concentrated than the other last-century wines, the berry well-browning, the fruit fading, but still some body and tannins. It is clearly claret, and would be harmonious and pleasant with a meal, but it could be marked a little lower ... were one feeling critical. A fairly anonymous wine for tasters, no first or second places, two least places. A wine a little beyond its plateau of maturity, in terms of fruit, but fading gracefully. Time to finish it up. GK 07/21

2006 Konrad Sauvignon Blanc 17 (

)

Waihopai Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $15 [ screwcap ]
Lemongreen. Bouquet is straightforward Marlborough sauvignon, a hint of armpit on light red capsicum and black passionfruit, tending mild. Palate doesn't hang together quite so well, there being a slight rankness and phenolic tendency, concealed by plenty of flavour and not being as 'dry' as some. Cellar 1 – 3 years. GK 03/07

2007 Johner Estate Noble Pinot Noir 375 ml 17 (

)

Gladstone, Wairarapa, New Zealand: 9.5%; $28 [ screwcap; no info available; www.johner-estate.com ]
Colour is a gorgeous light burnished copper hue. This is really intriguing wine, completely outside the square, yet good, crying out for creative matching of food to its unique smells and flavours. Trying to characterise it is another matter. Bouquet is perfumed in an aroma that evokes bottled light red plums, vanilla wafers and steamed pudding, with a bush honey and beeswax note pointing to the botrytis. Flavour is rich, sweet, yet quite tannic, which immediately dries the sensation in mouth and makes the wine rather strange. It is clean, no ignoble fungal suggestions, though the laccase component on a red base means it will darken prematurely in bottle. I did wonder if there is oak in its elevage, and trace brett adding complexity, believe it or not in a 'white' wine. There must be complex foods both savoury and sweet this would be magical with – worth experimenting. Shorter term cellar I suspect: 1 – 3 years maybe. GK 04/09

2004 Villa Maria Merlot Private Bin 17 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $18 [ screwcap; Me 70%, CS 17, Ma 13; 100% de-stemmed; 16 months in French and US oak presumably older; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Ruby, with slight carmine and velvet. Bouquet is supple and juicy, and surprisingly blueberry-like, as well as plummy – red plums rather than black ones. Palate is likewise soft, ripe and round, easy and accessible, beautifully balanced but not very complex. It is a more popular presentation of merlot, against the Craggy Gimblett classical Pomerol style. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 04/06

2009 Mt Difficulty Riesling Dry 17 (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $25 [ screwcap; hand-harvested from vines planted 1994; s/s cool ferment; some stirring on gross lees to build palate, 3.1 pH, 4.5 g/L RS by back-blending; 160 cases; great website; www.mtdifficulty.co.nz ]
Lemon-straw, a bit deep. Bouquet is in a 'dry' riesling format like some of the cool-area South Australian examples, mineral as much as floral, light citrus zest. Palate continues similarly, austere to a virgin palate, but softening up with each sip, good body from some lees work, flintily varietal. A wine for riesling aficionados. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 08/11

2004 Sacred Hill Merlot Brokenstone 17 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $60 [ screwcap; DFB; hand-picked; the top level of Sacred Hill reds; French oak; www.sacredhill.com ]
Ruby and velvet, some carmine. A mixed bouquet, with some attractive plummy notes, and some lesser, slightly leathery / bretty / older cooperage, all a bit old-fashioned. Palate shows good plummy fruit, dark bottled plums, considerable richness and some chocolate – more milk than dark as in Helmsman, and all softer than that wine. This may come together in bottle and improve on its ranking here, but I doubt it will match the exquisite varietal purity and character of the 2002 of this label. Like the Helmsman, this year’s seems somewhat over-ripe and over-worked, losing the specific varietal character which the reference wine (’04 Craggy Merlot Gimblett Gravels) shows so well. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 05/06

2006 Camshorn Pinot Gris Glenmark Gravels 17 (

)

Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 13%; $26 [ screwcap; Pernod-Ricard group; some limestone in subsoils; RS 10 g/L; www.pernod-ricard-nz.com ]
Lemon. Bouquet is fragrant on bottled stonefruit aromas, mostly white nectarine. There is some maturity here, a suggestion of bottled quince aromas too. Palate has good richness and is clearly varietal, showing some white pearflesh now. This wine tastes a little younger, purer and drier than the Corbans, with the varietal phenolics showing a little more. Cellar 1 – 2 years. GK 03/08

2007 Moutere Hills Sauvignon Blanc 17 (

)

Moutere Gravels, Nelson, New Zealand: 13.2%; $25 [ screwcap; www.mouterehills.co.nz ]
Lemon. Bouquet is voluminous on this wine, but it is not quite perfect. Like the Te Whare Ra 2008, there is rather much retained SO2 and a little reduction presumably from an extended lees-autolysis phase in stainless steel. Fruit intensity is complex, with an aroma reminiscent of Cape Ivy, as well as hard-to-pin-down capsicum and black passionfruit qualities. Flavour likewise is complex, still the SO2 and a shadow of reduction to marry away, so these two European-style presentations of Marlborough and Nelson sauvignon blanc make an interesting coupling. Total acid here is higher than the Awatere wine, though. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 04/09

2003 Astrolabe Pinot Noir Young Vines 17 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $23 [ cork; French oak ]
Big pinot noir ruby. I wrote this wine up harshly 10/04, and amends are due. It is sealed by cork, so there may be an excuse. Bouquet is now straight redfruits pinot, not clearly floral, but certainly fragrant and cherry-based. It bears some resemblance to the Jadot Beaune Chouacheux. Palate is soft redfruits, quite rich, slightly buttery (+ve), some blackboy softness, careful acid and oak balances. Very quaffable pinot, which will cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 03/05

1999 Pask Declaration 17 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $45 [ CS 48%; Ma 39, Me 13; 70% French and 30 US oak, 20 months; www.cjpaskwinery.co.nz ]
Older ruby, some velvet, in appearance one of the oldest in the tasting. Bouquet is the most distinctive of the wines too, and not totally charming. The overwhelming impression is of smokey salami. Palate shows good plummy fruit complexed by this savoury oak (and some brett), and good fruit length. Its meaty style would make it good with (e.g.) a venison casserole, but in a blind line-up of comparable reds, it looked a little eccentric. Later editions have been more conforming. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 10/04

2011 Kennedy Point Syrah 17 (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.5%; $45 [ Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.5%; $45 [ screwcap; Sy 98%, Vi 2, hand-picked; MLF and 15 months in French oak c.40% new; www.kennedypointvineyard.com ]
Good ruby. Bouquet shows the fresh red fruits and explicit fragrant white pepper characteristic of an earlier point in the syrah ripening curve. Palate is of similar weight and ripeness to the Mudbrick, but the flavours are in one sense purer, fresher, yet narrower and less complex. The wine is still dramatically varietal, and will mature gracefully in its Crozes-Hermitage style. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 10/12

2004 Sacred Hill Cabernet / Merlot Helmsman 17 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $60 [ screwcap; DFB; hand-picked; the top level of Sacred Hill reds; 18 months in French oak; www.sacredhill.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. Bouquet is reticent initially, tending veiled, opening with air to a charry dark chocolate and coffee overlay, on dark leathery fruit. The oak artefact rather drowns the fruit quality, in the modern style. Palate is rich in one sense, but also awkward as if slightly salty, slightly minty, and much too much dark chocolate. I suspect the fruit is over-ripe, losing varietal beauty, and has been made aromatic with excess oak. Be interesting to see how it turns out: modernists will like it. Cellar 5 – 15 years, to maybe fine down, and let the berry emerge. GK 05/06

1987 Villa Maria Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 17 (

)

Ihumatao, Mangere, Auckland District, New Zealand: 12%; $23 [ cork 50mm, ullage 21mm; CS 100%, cropped at c.7.4 t/ha = 3 t/ac, possibly less; possibly a little chaptalisation; 16 – 17 months in barrel, mostly barriques, over 90% French oak, balance German, 70% new; this cabernet vineyard owned by John Lambie no longer exists; Kym Milne, MW, Villa Maria winemaker 1983 – 1992: “I remember these wines pretty well as they were in my opinion the best reds made at Villa Maria / Vidal during my time there”, and: “Certainly the best Auckland Cabernet we had ever made.”; GK, 1989: Though fractionally deeper in colour than their cabernet/merlot, and equally impressive in bouquet, flavour and weight, this wine is not quite as complex, mellow, and enchanting as the blend. The two wines provide a vivid demonstration of the magic to be achieved by blending, as the Bordeaux chateaux have done for three centuries. Merlot adds floral fragrances, even hints of violets, and suppleness and flesh to the stern cabernet. All the fruit is from John Lambie's vineyard at the unpronounceable Ihumatao, close by Mangere airport. Brix was an unbelievably low 20°. The quality and intensity of flavour is, however, compelling. Never has there been a clearer demonstration of the difference between picking on the physiological maturity of the grapes, as assessed by ripeness of flavour and taste, compared with a conventional use of sugar ripeness as a crude index of maturity. Winemaker Kym Milne deserves much praise, *****; Gold medal wine, and Trophy winner; weight bottle and closure: 576 g; www.villamariawines.com ]
Ruby and garnet, the second deepest colour. Bouquet is quite voluminous, and shares something with The Antipodean, a hint of methoxypyrazine. But whereas The Antipodean gets away with it, due to the quality of the cooperage, this Auckland-district cabernet now has a more apparent raw blackcurrant note to it, which is reinforced by the oak. Compared with its triumphs as a young wine, this is presumably due to the ripe ‘fruity’ berry notes of the cassis aroma fading with the years, allowing the more pungent side of blackcurrant complexity, the methoxypyrazines, to show. Interesting. Palate is still intensely aromatic, and with surprisingly fair body, so the total fruit impression in mouth is quite good … until you realise the acid is too high. Comparison with the harmonious Goldwater is informative, on that point. All these things said, however, tasters liked this flavoursome wine more than I did, three first places, four second places, and two correctly surmising it is 100% cabernet sauvignon. This is a wine with a critical story to tell, in the evolution of New Zealand high-cabernet wines, but the wine is fading now. As the volume of berry retreats, the acid will become more noticeable. My 1989 comments on the quality of red grapes from the Lambie vineyard were misinformed. 1987 was simply exceptional in the Auckland district. In 2002 the bottle on the night seemed much too oaky. The comments then reinforce the thought that this 2021 set of 1987s opened unusually well. Score then 16.5. GK 06/21

2005 Golden Bay Wines Chardonnay 17 (

)

Golden Bay, NW Nelson, New Zealand: 13%; $ – [ screwcap, some BF and MLF; understood to be change of ownership, website being re-designed; www.goldenbaywines.com ]
Lemonstraw. This is a more petite wine in the line-up, but in its simple purity of varietal expression, it scores well. After all, the wines of Chablis may be petite too, but the best are famously attractive. Here light stonefruit qualities on bouquet and palate are developing suggestions of wine-biscuit maturity flavours, and gentle oak has married nicely into a lightly citric finish. Another face of chardonnay, well suited to delicate white foods, better finished up than cellared. GK 05/09

2007 Escarpment Chardonnay 17 (

)

Martinborough & Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $35 [ supercritical cork; hand-picked; 100% BF and MLF in French oak 30% new; dry extract 21 g/L including RS; pH 3.45, RS 1 g/L; www.escarpment.co.nz ]
Lemonstraw. Bouquet on this wine jumps out in the bracket as being just like older-style Macon Blanc, ripe, rich, a little broad with thoughts of pale butter. Palate confirms the analogy is exactly the case, the wine being soft and tactile, seemingly not as dry as most [ incorrect ], totally integrated stonefruit sponge (dessert) and cream flavours, surprisingly long. A wine to enjoy rather than analyse. Shorter term cellar though, 1 – 4 years. GK 04/09

2002 Mills Reef Merlot / Cabernet Elspeth 17 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $36 [ DFB; Me 60%, CS 40; French oak 16 months; www.millsreef.co.nz ]
Ruby, some velvet. This is clearly new world cabernet / merlot, with oak the first impression, but behind that there are floral notes of violets, good cassis, and plums – more red plums than dark. Palate continues the plummy fruit, with good length, but oak and some VA roughens it up a bit. Should mellow in cellar 5 – 10, but the oak is a problem. GK 05/04

2004 Church Rd Cabernet Sauvignon Cuve Series 17 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $35 [ cork; hand-picked; c. 3 weeks cuvaison; 18 months in French oak, 55% new; available ex winery, and occasionally in on-licences; cuve refers to the 18-tonne French oak fermentation vessels (cuve, no accent) in which this series of wines is made, fermentation in wood being considered to add quality; www.pernod-ricard-nz.com/Pages/wines/our_wines/church_cs_cabs_2004.html ]
Ruby and velvet. Initially opened, this wine is not giving much away. It opens gradually to an austere clean cabernet sauvignon style, tight cassis, potentially fragrant oak, a hint of future tobacco. Palate however is seriously austere. Even though there is richness in one sense, there is also a lack of ripeness / generosity of flavour, and some stalks and noticeable acid. Very tight wine which may blossom, but I have doubts. Cellar 5 – 15 years, in its style. GK 05/06

2003 Pencarrow Pinot Noir 17 (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $22 [ screwcap; no info on website; www.palliser.co.nz ]
Medium pinot noir ruby. Initially opened, this wine is a little understated and leafy. It blossoms in glass to clearly floral and red fruits varietal pinot. Likewise the palate expands with exposure to air, and shows delicious red cherry fruits, beautiful ripeness, subtle oaking. There is a whisper of savoury brett in this wine, augmenting the food-friendliness. Palliser have a great feel for oak in their pinots, beautifully underdone. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 03/05

2000 Sileni Merlot EV 17 (

)

Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $95 [ Me 100%; French 75% and 25 US oak, 35% new, 12 months; www.sileni.co.nz ]
Older ruby, one of the oldest in the tasting. A curious malty bouquet showing stewed red currant and red plum suggestions, and lacking merlot florals and finesse. Perhaps there is some similarity to a hot year in St Emilion, however. Palate is one-dimensional, sweet red fruits, carefully oaked, succulent and rich but lacking complexity and interest. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 10/04

2012 Squawking Magpie Merlot / Cabernets The Nest 17 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $40 [ screwcap; Me 79%, CS 10, CF 10, Ma 1, the merlot first hand-thinned to delete defective bunches, then machine-harvested, other varieties hand-picked; small percentage of juice taken for rosé, cuvaison least for malbec, extending to 38 days for CS; Me press-wine blended back; c.15 months in French oak 36% new; www.squawkingmagpie.co.nz ]
Ruby, a hint of carmine and velvet, in the middle of the lightest third, for weight of colour. This is another wine with a lovely soft rosy nearly floral bouquet, totally at variance with the reputation of the year. There is good plummy fruit, but red fruit more than black. This quality is initially sustained on palate, a remarkable achievement in such a cool year. You can't help feeling there can't be much cabernet sauvignon in here, perhaps it is cabernet franc, to be so silky. The other delightful thing about this wine is the oak is tailored attractively to the lighter fruit. It does shorten up in mouth, though, betraying the year. This will become delightfully drinkable wine after three years, cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 06/14

2010 Babich Syrah Winemakers' Reserve 17 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $30 [ supercritical cork; Sy thought to be 100%; 13 months in French some new; www.babichwines.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet. Like the 2011 Villa Maria Reserve, there is a tannic streak in the bouquet just hinting at seaweed, in otherwise moderately fragrant and varietal syrah. The floral side is curtailed. Palate is less concentrated than the top wines, but still showing suggestions of cassis and dark plum, some black pepper, slightly hard tannins from the oak handling, not quite the charm of some of the syrahs. Needs to soften in cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 06/13

2000 Ata Rangi Pinot Noir 17 (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 14%; $ – [ clones 10/5 and others, up to 23 years, harvested c. 2 t/ac; 5% whole bunch, up to 9 days cold soak, wild yeast fermentation, up to 26 days cuvaison; 11 months French oak 25% new; www.atarangi.co.nz ]
Good pinot ruby, ageing. Bouquet is both floral and red-fruited, in a pleasant red cherry pinot now showing some maturity. It is not so clearly floral as the Martinborough Vineyard, but neither is it so leafy. There is a much better plumpness of redfruits and hence mouthfeel on this, making it more pleasingly varietal, and burgundian to a degree. Good drinking, or will hold another five years. GK 01/07

2004 Drouhin Chambertin 17 (

)

Gevrey-Chambertin Grand Cru, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 13%; $246 [ cork; c. 24 months in new oak; Wine Direct the NZ agents; www.drouhin.com ]
Good pinot noir ruby, clearly the darkest wine in the set. And initially opened, it is the biggest bouquet too, its eloquence amplified by academic VA, which highlights the cherry fruit rather than floral complexities. Palate has good weight, and seems bigger than the Charmes. Many rated it their top wine. For me, there is also a stalky note creeping into the tail, which detracted a little. Could marry up in cellar, and is probably the best cellaring prospect in the set, 5 – 15 years. GK 12/06

2006 Rostaing Viognier Vin de Pays Les Lezardes 17 (

)

Vin de Pays des Collines Rhodaniennes, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $62 [ cork; the appellation Vin de Pays des Collines Rhodaniennes includes all the hilly country to the west of the Northern Rhone and outside the famous appellations. Any permitted Rhone variety may be used. Some good wines are found under the designation, but frequently they do not reflect the ripeness and concentration hoped for in the main Rhone appellations; imported into NZ by Glengarry; no website found ]
Lemonstraw. Bouquet is clean, quite strong, and intriguingly varietal, except for a quite a piercing hint of citronella, like some New Zealand gewurztraminers. Other fruit notes include rock-melon and apricot, but there is not the VA rock-melon is often an unwitting euphemism for. Palate is plainer than the better Condrieus, varietal phenolics and some coarseness of flavour showing in a style more likely to be stainless steel dominated. The degree of physiological ripeness for the 13% alcohol is commendable, though. This is quite a New Zealand presentation of the grape, but with much better mouthfeel, ripeness and acid balance than, for example, the Te Mata Zara. Just a pity a Vin de Pays wine like this is so pricey. Cellar a year or two. GK 02/09

2005 Mills Reef Merlot / Malbec Reserve 17 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $21 [ screwcap; DFB; this vintage not on website yet; www.millsreef.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. Initially opened, this wine is a little awkward, with a lactic quality on plummy fruit, all very youthful. Decanted and breathed it opens out considerably, to quite rich dark plummy fruit, clearly aromatic like omega plums, oak creeping up in the palate and including American, I think. This should look more mellow in three years, and cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 03/07

2000 Vidal Merlot / Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 17 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $40 [ screwcap; hand-harvested; 3 – 4 weeks cuvaison, MLF and 20 months in unspecified oak; www.vidal.co.nz ]
Older ruby. Bouquet is maturing berry developing tobacco and cedar complexities. Palate has fair fruit richness and ripeness, but is too oaky for the fruit to shine through. Attractive in that style, and will cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 11/05

2005 Drouhin Beaune-Greves 17 (

)

Beaune Premier Cru, Burgundy, France: 13%; $85 [ cork; a Drouhin domaine wine; greves probably denotes the coarse gravels in the subsoil; hand-picked, fermentation in wooden cuves; up to 24 months in French oak some new; www.drouhin.com ]
Full pinot noir ruby, clearly much deeper than the Clos des Mouches, the second deepest. Freshly opened, the bouquet has a most unusual note in the floral component, a hint of mandarin zest (+ve). With this are warm and quite dark florals, and both red and black cherries, all smelling appreciably riper than the Mouches. Palate continues the red and black fruits, the acid balance much softer than the Mouches, and the tannins rounder and riper. The quality of cherry on the aftertaste is delightful. The oak might be older than for the Mouches, but this 2005 Greves is a friendlier Beaune, in my view. Cellar 5 – 12 years, maybe longer. GK 12/07

2009 Elephant Hill Syrah Reserve 17 (

)

Te Awanga district, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $24 [ cork; hand-picked; 100% destemmed, fermented in oak cuves; 16 months in 100% new French oak; ww.elephanthill.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, some carmine, below midway in depth. Bouquet is less generous on this wine, some pepper white more than black, suggestions of cassis, one wonders if a hint of stalk. In mouth the wine is firm on cedary oak, so seems lean. There is in fact reasonable cassisy fruit, some plums, almost a cabernet balance and texture with noticeable oak. Cellar 3 – 10 years, for a wine which may cause confusion as to variety in blind tastings. GK 06/12

2009 Buller Wines Durif Beverford 17 (

)

Murray Valley, Central Victoria, New Zealand: 13.5%; $20 [ screwcap; durif; perhaps including some from cooler districts such as Heathcote; 10 months oak contact; www.bullerwines.com.au ]
Dense ruby, carmine and velvet. Bouquet is soft, rich, sweet and clean, with a juicy aroma reminiscent of bottled omega plums, plus some black pepper and sweet oak. It smells like a chipped wine, rather than one raised in oak. Palate adds to that impression, but there is a pleasing level of fresh fruit in this plummy way. The varietal character of durif is hard to pin down, in one way a kind of gamay on steroids, plus a touch of pepper, though the winemaker notes it is tannic. It is plentifully rich to cover that. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 08/11

2002 Craggy Range Merlot / Cabernet Franc Sophia 17 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $42 [ Me 63%, CF 27, Ma 5, CS 5; fermentation to 35°, extended aerated maceration to 35 days; MLF in barrel; 12 months in 100% new French oak plus 6 – 8 months in older French; unfiltered; DFB; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby and velvet, fresher than The Quarry. A strong bouquet with rich cassisy berry, prominent oak, and noticeable VA. Palate is rich, dry, with attractive cassis ripeness which in the blind tasting tastes like a cabernet-dominant wine. The richness of cassisy and plummy body is good, and requires one to contemplate whether it can maybe support the level of VA. In my view the wine is borderline to living dangerously – it is considerably better in balance than The Quarry, but the VA is still rough on the throat. An exciting wine, flawed in the winemaking – see The Quarry report, and the Craggy Range website. Cellar 5 – 10 maybe, but not a longer-term cellar wine, given the VA. It is fair to comment that for many tasters, such a level of VA is merely 'very fragrant'. GK 07/04

2016 Man O’War Syrah Dreadnought 17 (

)

Eastern Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14%; $60 [ screwcap; Sy 100% mainly clones 174 and 470, planted at an average 5,820 vines per hectare and average age 12 years at harvest, all hand-picked at 6 t/ha = 2.4 t/ac); 15% whole-bunches retained, five days cold soak, all wild-yeast ferments; 30 days cuvaison; MLF later in barrel; 18 months in French oak, 35% new, RS nil: sterile-filtered to bottle; dry extract withheld; production 1,666 x 9-litre cases; weight bottle and closure: 550 g; JC@RP, 2019: Assembled from six different parcels of hillside-grown fruit, the 2016 Dreadnought continues this cuvée's run of successes. Violets, peppery spices and mulberry notes appear on the nose, while the medium to full-bodied palate adds flavors of raspberries, espresso and chocolate. Silky and immediately approachable, it doesn't have the richness or concentration of the best vintages, and it should be consumed over the next 5-6 years, 92; no local reviews found; www.manowarvineyards.co.nz ]
Ruby, the lightest wine. Bouquet is different on this wine, some thoughts of whole-bunch / Jamet characters, fragrant but not exactly floral, fair berry but not as dark as aromatic cassis, a suggestion of black olives. Several tasters also found rubbery notes. Palate is the most distinctive in the set, plummy berry a little richer than Bullnose, suggestions of black pepper, but then a markedly briny / saline quality to the finish, which makes the flavours savoury (in one sense), and perhaps good with food, but is dubious for French / New Zealand syrah (though not all Australian shiraz). Two people rated this their second-favourite wine, but six their least, the clearest statement on this facet of the twelve wines. You only need to look at the Man O'War website, and the map, to see why salt load is inescapable in this most scenic site – a factor shared with the Karikari Peninsula to the north. Whereas in Hawkes Bay the prevailing wind is from the landward. Cellar 7 – 15 years. GK 11/19

1987 Villa Maria Cabernet / Merlot Reserve 17 (

)

Ihumatao (Auckland district) and Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12%; $23 [ cork 49mm, ullage 31mm; CS 80%, three-quarters from the Lambie vineyard, Ihumatao, cropped at c.7.4 t/ha = 3 t/ac (or a little less), one quarter from the Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay at a similar cropping rate, Me 20 from the Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, cropped at c.8.4 t/ha = 3.4 t/ac, possibly a little chaptalisation; 16 – 17 months in barrel, mostly barriques, 100% French oak, 70% new; GK, 1989: Compared with the Stonyridge, this wine is fractionally less deep in its classic colour, but much more aromatic and berry on bouquet. Flavour is similarly crisper, firmer, and more aromatic, with oak more noticeable. This wine too is clearly Bordeaux in style, beautifully fine grain, very long in the mouth, with good cellar potential. If the Stonyridge is in the broadest sense Pomerol in style, the Villa wine is Medoc. Cabernet makes up 80% of the blend, the balance merlot. Sixty per cent of the cabernet is from the Lambie vineyard at Mangere, which is rapidly developing a reputation as an exceptional microsite, jet fuel and oxidation pond odours notwithstanding. All the merlot and 20% of the cabernet, come from Hawkes Bay, *****; Gold medal wine, and Trophy winner; weight bottle and closure: 568 g; www.villamariawines.com ]
Ruby and garnet, just above midway in depth. Bouquet is related to the Vidal Cabernet / Merlot Reserve, but clearly a little more edgy, that hint of currant leaves from cooler climate cabernet sauvignon, with similar hessian oak. Palate likewise is more aromatic, the aromatics coming from the cassisy cabernet component, but there is also noticeably higher acid than the Hawkes Bay wine. It thus has more flavour, but less ripeness, in mouth. Some tasters thought therefore this was a straight cabernet wine, five people, more than any other wine. There were no votes for first place, two for second, and three for least. Four thought it might be the Chilean wine. In 2002 there was also the comment of ‘high cabernet precisely’, but that bottle was thought to be drying already, 17. GK 06/21

nv Lindauer Special Reserve Blanc de Blancs [ 2014 release ] 17 (

)

Gisborne mostly, New Zealand: 12%; $18 [ cork; Ch 100%; price varies $11 – $21; new website info good; www.lindauer.co.nz ]
Pale lemon. Bouquet is delightfully pure, more crumb of baguette rather than crust, a touch of oatmeal, conveying the impression of fruit without the negative of being 'fruity'. Palate is just as rich as the Lanvin, but not quite the grape complexity naturally, being all chardonnay. Finish is still on the sweet side for brut, but is better than the numbers would suggest (given as 12 g/L, but now rumoured to be lower), a good acid balance keeping the wine fresh. One in fact has to taste carefully to rank these wines on dosage – a harder task than might be imagined, even though the range is given as from 8 to 12 g/L. This batch of Lindauer Reserve Blanc de Blancs in its new label should cellar delightfully, gaining complexity for four years say, and holding it a little longer. GK 07/14

2003 Howard Park Shiraz Leston 17 (

)

Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia: 14%; $41 [ screwcap; 18 months in French oak 60% new, balance 1-year; www.howardparkwines.com.au ]
Good ruby, carmine and velvet, above halfway in density. This is a big bouquet, with an aromatic euc'y edge on rich blueberry and blackberry fruit, plus some oak. Palate brings up the boysenberry component, giving an almost too juicy flavour, and hence the wine seems simple. Plenty of fruit, though, and balanced oak. In a New Zealand syrah tasting, it lacks complexity, and is a bit euc'y. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 05/06

2003 Villa Maria Pinot Noir Private Bin 17 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $23 [ screwcap; less than 10 months oak; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Good pinot ruby, almost the same as the Main Divide. Here at last is a Villa pinot that smells of the variety more than of alcohol, and to a first quick sip, seems to be made to enjoy rather than to impress. Initially opened, there is a maceration carbonique component like the Rabbit Ranch, but that marries away into mixed florals and cherries. Palate is much the same, clearly cherry fruit, appropriate alcohol, subtly oaked, not as 'pure' as some of the others, and in a way more interesting for it. Perhaps the wine has a gram or two (literally) of sugar left in it (not according to the website), to charm the palate. It is suppler wine than the Taylors Pass. With Villa Maria's ubiquity in the market, what a standard-bearer for the variety a wine like this could be, if it were priced at $20 neat. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 03/05

2004 Walnut Ridge Pinot Noir 17 (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $28 [ screwcap; hand-picked; 100% crushed, 14 days cuvaison, 9 months in French oak 25% new; www.walnutridge.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby. A quieter bouquet than some of the pinots, with understated florals on mixed cherries fruit, and a trace of pennyroyal. In mouth however, the wine expands to become clearly varietal, good red and black cherries, with the crisp 'crunchy' texture of good pinot. But, another wine rushed to market, regrettably. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 04/05

2010 Alpha Domus [ Cabernets / Merlot ] The Aviator 17 (

)

Bridge Pa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $72 [ cork; CS 40%, Me 26, CF 24, Ma 10, hand-harvested; cuvaison up to 30 days for some components; 17 months in French oak up to 75% new; RS <1 g/L; Parker: 90+; www.alphadomus.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, older than most of the 2010s, in the top third for weight. Bouquet on this wine is more old-fashioned, with a clear leafy / green streak in the cassis, even on bouquet. Flavours reflect good concentration and richness, and good oak, but the fruit quality is too mixed, as if everything went in, no culling of green bunches in the vineyard, no hand-sorting of the fruit at the winery. The flavours are thus more 1990s in style. I do wonder if there is trace residual sugar, to cover the stalky notes [ no ]. This will mature into a complex green-tinged bordeaux blend, as many bordeaux used to be, developing tobacco notes as it ages. The richness is commendable, and the wine cannot be dismissed. It is however expensive considering the total achievement. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 06/14

2002 Richmond Grove Riesling 17 (

)

Barossa & Eden Valleys, South Australia: 12%; $13 [ screwcap; www.richmondgrovewines.com ]
Brilliant lemongreen. This is a classic Australian riesling on bouquet, with vanillin florals starting to broaden out and introduce a faintest thread of rubber, as is so often the case with their whites. Palate is firm, flavoursome, quite phenolic on the limey terpenes, coarser-grained than the Martinborough wine, clearly 'dry'. Cellar 5 – 8 years, though it will coarsen. GK 11/04

2012 Villa Maria Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot Reserve 17 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $50 [ screwcap; CS 88%, Me 12, hand-harvested @ yields not exceeding 5.5 t/ha (2.2 t/ac) and often less; vinified @ Mangere, 100% de-stemmed; s/s fermentation, 6 weeks cuvaison for the CS, up to 4 weeks for the Me; MLF and 18 months in 100% French oak 3-years air-dried and 48% new; RS < 1 g/l; lightly fined and filtered; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, just above midway in the middle bracket, for colour depth. One sniff, and this is critically cool-climate cassis and cabernet sauvignon, there being an exciting edge on the berry exactly the same as tasting first a raw blackcurrant, then a bottled (i.e. cooked) one, and the dramatic difference in ripeness the latter shows (added sugar in bottling also relevant). So given the bouquet here, taste will be critical. And it is. The winemakers made a brave judgement in deciding on and bottling a 2012 Syrah Reserve, and the wine deserved it. Here however they erred. Cabernet sauvignon is simply too unforgiving. The concentration is amazing for the year (hence the score) and the flavours are a delight in a technical sense, but the wine is like 1974 Ch Palmer, exquisitely made but critically under-ripe with herbes and stalks throughout the raw cassis and berry flavours. It is a great study wine for the ripening profile of cabernet sauvignon, and will mature into a fragrant short bordeaux-like red, but one from an under-ripe and hence green year. Great display wine, a certainty for my Lincoln Oenology and Viticulture lecture. Noteworthy the New Zealand tolerance of under-ripe red wines continues in the gold medal and Trophy awarded to this wine in the 2014 Royal Easter Show. Having first written explicitly about this issue in National Business Review in 1987, one wonders how long it will be necessary to persist with this topic in New Zealand. Cellar 3 – 12 years. GK 06/14

2002 Chard Farm Pinot Noir Finla Mor 17 (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $34 [ screwcap; www.chardfarm.co.nz ]
Attractive pinot ruby. To first sniff, this is a deep aromatic wine in the style of the Villa Maria Reserve, from Marlborough, showing a suggestion of pennyroyal. There is good cherry fruit as well. Palate continues the good fruit, and the aromatic oil note too, but there is also a stalky thread robbing the wine of a little burgundian charm. Needs to soften in cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 10/04

2002 Pirramimma Shiraz Stock's Hill 17 (

)

McLaren Vale, South Australian: 14.5%; $22 [ www.pirramimma.com.au ]
Ruby and velvet. Not much doubt about the make-up of this wine. It shows sweet boysenberry fruit, fragrant coconutty American oak, and a warm-climate leatheryness, in a rich bouquet. Palate is soft, round and velvety, within the limitations of an oaky wine of 14.5%, and tastes exactly how the wine smells, not exactly complex, but certainly robust. Cellar 5 – 15 years, to mellow but not change much. GK 12/04

2011 Trinity Hill Viognier Gimblett Gravels 17 (

)

2001 Rostaing Cote Rotie Cote Blonde 17 (

)

Cote Rotie, northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $115 [ cork ]
Older ruby, lighter than the ‘01 la Chapelle. Bouquet is syrah in a modest Rhone style, lightly floral and redfruits, and slightly savoury on old oak which contains a similar Chilean note to the Vins de Vienne. Palate is distressingly mature for such a young wine, slightly acid, and appears to be running out of fruit. Disappointing both for the label and the price, and suited only to short-term cellaring, perhaps 3 – 6 years at the most. GK 04/06

2001 Matariki Syrah Reserve 17 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $30 [ cork; hand-harvested; cuvaison c. 20 days, 17 months in mostly French oak 39% new; www.matarikiwines.co.nz ]
Ruby, some velvet, one of the lightest and older ones, reasonably enough. This is one of the more distinctive wines in the blind tasting, not only by being older. Since it is still on sale, it is reported on here. It is a remarkably European-styled red on bouquet, with savoury maturing fruit making one think of dark rich casseroles. Palate is varietal in a dry black peppercorn and browning berry way, the premature drying fitting in with the savoury = brett characters on bouquet. Not a wine for high-tech winemakers, but very good with appropriate foods. Cellar 3 – 5 years, drying all the while. GK 05/06

2006 Cable Bay Merlot / Malbec / Cabernet Five Hills Waiheke Island 17 (

)

Western Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13%; $34 [ cork; DFB; Me 39%, Ma 29, CS 26, CF 6 hand-picked @ c 2 t/ac or less; 12 months in French oak; WWA Certified; ‘An elegant blend of the Bordeaux varietals displaying ripe fruit, hints of wild thyme and mocha, balanced by fine, supple tannins. **** Winestate MC 2008’; www.cablebayvineyards.co.nz ]
Ruby, a similar hue to the 2006 Mystae, but denser. Bouquet is quite evolved and integrated on this wine, closer for example to the Destiny Bay wines than the vibrant Mudbrick. Aromas of cassis olives and plums entwine with oak. Palate is somewhat leaner and less ripe, a little leafy, showing a slightly smokey influence from the cooperage, but the acid balance is attractive, not as fresh as some 2006s. This is a good step up from the 2005. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 06/09

2006 [ Obsidian ] Weeping Sands Cabernet / Merlot 17 (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13%; $26 [ screwcap; CS 60, Me 35, Ma 3, CF 2, hand-harvested; all de-stemmed, cultured yeast, c.16 days cuvaison, MLF and 12 months in French and American oak 15% new; 1340 cases, WWA Certified; ‘“The best value Waiheke red on the market” M Cooper, Listener, Feb 7 2009’; www.obsidian.co.nz ]
Ruby, a suggestion of carmine and velvet. Though in style with the attractive 2008, this is a smaller firmer wine, with just a trace of retained fermentation odours damping down bouquet. Palate shows crisp cassis and red plums, all less ripe than the 2008, total acid up a bit, and a feeling of austerity right through despite fair berry. This is a much more straightforward kiwi cabernet / merlot, without the magic Bordeaux-like touches of the riper wines. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 06/09

2006 Te Mata [ Cabernets / Merlot ] Awatea 17 (

)

Havelock North district mostly, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $35 [ cork; CS 36%, Me 38%, CF 15, PV 11, hand-harvested; c. 20 months in French oak 40% new; pH 3.60, RS nil; www.temata.co.nz ]
Ruby, a similar touch of garnet showing to the 2006 Coleraine, the wine lighter though. Bouquet picks up on that, a touch of weedyness in the tobacco taking it to Entre Deux Mers, more minor Bordeaux. Palate shows browning cassis and plum, better fruit than the bouquet suggested, the oak potentially cedary, all finishing a little lean. Nonetheless the wine is fragrant and food-friendly. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 03/12

2003 Loosen Urziger Wurzgarten Riesling Spatlese QmP 17 (

)

Mosel, Germany: 8.5%; $50 [ www.drloosen.de ]
Lemon. Still a little S02 to marry away, on a more fruity expression of German riesling, showing more of the warm summer and not quite the classically light Mosel / Saar / Ruwer. Palate includes good stonefruits, all a bit softer than the light floral wines, but pure and attractive. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 11/04

2007 Jaboulet Hermitage La Chapelle 17 (

)

Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $375 [ 55mm cork; hand-picked from 40 – 60 year vines at < 2.5 t/ha (1 t/ac); website not forthcoming as to elevage, beyond 15 – 18 months in barrel, but understood to be c.20% new oak; Parker: 90, Robinson: 18; www.jaboulet.com ]
Older ruby, in the middle for weight. Bouquet is the only one in the eight Jaboulets to clearly show some secondary development / evolution, with a softness that is appealing. It has a greater floral component than the other wines, thanks to this bottle development, with hints of carnations and roses. On the berry side, there are mixed aromas, and a suggestion of browning on the cassis component. Flavour reveals a wine quite different in style to the 2010. It is in contrast all over the show, some over-ripe components reminiscent of Australian blackberry, some under-ripe fractions with hints of stalks, a touch of leather, but all tied together by good richness. It clearly shows an absence of careful fruit selection, relative to the 2010. Palate weight is good, and it will cellar for some years, in its tending-generic syrah style. In contrast, the new winemaking approach showing in the 2010 La Chapelle really is something. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 06/14

2009 Ngatarawa Merlot / Cabernets Alwyn Winemakers Reserve 17 (

)

Bridge Pa Triangle & Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $75 [ cork; Me 76%, CS 24, hand-harvested @ c.6.25 t/ha = c.2.5 t/ac, inoculated ferments, cuvaison to c.23 days; MLF and 16 months in French oak averaging 37% new; RS < 1 g/L; www.ngatarawa.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, older than some 2009s, in the top quarter for depth. Bouquet has an unusual aromatic perhaps oak-related character on cassisy berry, all smelling ripe and attractive, with nearly a floral component. Palate is lesser, less fruit than the $23 Ch de Laugagnac for example, with a certain austerity and hardness from the oak, which may soften in cellar. Again, extraordinary accolades in the Catalogue. Cellar 5 – 12 years, but price escalation for this label relative to the apparent grapes per bottle is severe. GK 06/12

2002 Jadot Beaune Chouacheux 17 (

)

Beaune Premier Cru, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $64 [ cork; www.louisjadot.com ]
Pinot ruby, the second to lightest of the Jadots. At about this point in the Jadot hierarchy, the wines become more straightforward examples of pinot, less floral, less complexity, and generally lighter, just clearcut fragrant redfruits pinot. Alongside many New Zealand wines, however, lighter here does not mean thinner. They still have that mouthfeel which makes reasonable burgundy so enchanting with food. Bouquet and palate on the Chouacheux show suggestions of florals in the fragrant red cherries, good crisp mouthfeel, and long flavours reminiscent of cherry liqueur. Just good pinot. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 04/05

2009 Villa Maria Pinot Noir Cellar Selection Marlborough 17 (

)

Awatere & Wairau Valleys, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $33 [ screwcap; 100% destemmed, c. 10 months in French oak, some new; gold Easter; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Precise pinot noir ruby, a little age showing, in the middle for depth. Bouquet is fragrant, floral, attractively varietal, but not quite as ripe as the top wines. Palate confirms, red cherry fruit retreating a little, just a hint of stalk, not quite the richness of the better wines, but still good pinot noir. Cellar 3 – 6 years. GK 10/12

2003 Trentham Estate Viognier 17 (

)

New South Wales, Australia: 14%; $19 [ screwcap ]
Elegant full lemongreen. Archetypal canned apricot viognier on bouquet, plus Australian weight, promising. On palate however, the whole wine coarsens up in the familiar Australian white wine style, with excessive alcohol exaggerating noticeable phenolics – whether oak-derived is not clear. Already fully mature, but worthwhile for its focussed varietal bouquet. Gold Medal in Australian Shows. Cellar a year or two only. GK 09/04

2002 Alana Pinot Noir 17 (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $27 [ screwcap; www.alana.co.nz ]
A perfect pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is light, sweet, pure, and totally varietal, without some of the New Zealand ‘signatures’ such as pennyroyal. Red berries and cherry show in an attractive aromatic style shadowing the Cote de Nuits. Palate however does not quite fulfill that promise, being a little stalky, slightly acid, but still clearly varietal and nicely fleshed with red cherries. Cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 01/04

2002 Fevre Chablis Fourchaume Premier Cru 17 (

)

Chablis, France: 13%; $73 [ cork; Fevre domaine-holdings wine ]
Lemon. Clean youthful chardonnay, in a slightly tropical (hints of canned pineapple) and new world style, pleasantly varietal as such, but not classical chablis. Palate shows fair fruit, clean oak, attractive balance, slightly gritty acid as if touched up. Like many wines from Chablis these days, this attractive but straightforward wine looks expensive, when compared with many new world chardonnays of essentially similar quality. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 02/05

2012 The Hay Paddock Rosé Silk 17 (

)

Onetangi, Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 12.2%; $25 [ screwcap; Sy 100%, hand-picked; cold-fermented; website lacks specific info; www.thehaypaddock.co.nz ]
Good rosé, close to La Vieille Ferme. Bouquet is fragrant vinifera with red berries and light spice, perhaps a touch of older oak, appealing. Palate however is somewhat less than the Rhone wine, less berry and fruit, more acid, all suggesting a higher cropping rate than the AOC Rhone rosé. Even so, there are fair berry flavours, more in the style of a New Zealand pinot noir rosé, but with a little more grip and a dry finish. Cellar a year or two. GK 03/13

2008 Pisa Range Pinot Noir Black Poplar Block 17 (

)

Pisa, Cromwell Basin, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14.5%; $45 [ screwcap; oldest vines c. 15 years; all hand-harvested @ c. 5 t/ha = 2 t/ac; all de-stemmed; c. 12 months in French oak, c. 30% new; www.pisarangeestate.co.nz ]
Deep pinot noir ruby, another about as deep as pinot needs to be. In the blind tasting this didn't communicate too well. Bouquet is odd for the year, tending heavy in style, no florality, black more than red fruits, a touch of chocolate (negative in pinot noir, unless one is trendy and thoughtless). Palate is very rich, quite tannic, youthful in one sense, long-flavoured, much better than the bouquet. But, bouquet is critical to fine pinot. This wine needs to lighten up in cellar, shed some tannin and hopefully generate a more varietal bouquet and palate. I think it may, some past vintages have been excellent. Over the years Black Poplar Pinot has hovered between wonderfully ripe and varietal in a darker pinot phase, and just a little heavy and maybe over-ripe. To augment the florality this vineyard has demonstrated in its best years, trialling a slightly earlier-picked component and a small percentage of whole-bunch in the ferment would be exciting, and could help nudge the alcohol to a more burgundian figure too. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 06/11

nv Lindauer Special Reserve [ 2014 release ] 17 (

)

Gisborne mostly and Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12%; $18 [ cork; cepage typically PN 70%, Ch 30; price varies $11 – $21; new website info good; www.lindauer.co.nz ]
Delightfully light salmon pink, paler than a few years ago but could still pass as a genuine rosé bubbly. And so could the bouquet, beautifully clean pinot noir, suggestions of baguette, suggestions of red cherry. Palate is fresh, the bouquet attributes carrying through well, but then the whole proposition is let down by the dosage (given as 11 g/L, but now rumoured to be lower) the proprietors are persisting with, scarcely less than the former proprietor's 12 g/L. Surely Lion with new eyes can see that Lindauer Reserve needs to be set apart from standard Lindauer, to appeal to a slightly more sophisticated market. Dosage needs to be 9 – 10 g/L. It is however good to report there appears to be no diminution of Lindauer Reserve quality under the new management. And Lindauer Reserve when on special, no longer sadly $10 but $11 in July 2014, remains the best-value quality wine in New Zealand. Cellar 2 – 6 years, to taste. GK 07/14

2004 Pask Syrah Gimblett Road 17 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $24 [ screwcap; 7 months in new and two year old French and American oak; www.cjpaskwinery.co.nz ]
Ruby, below midway in depth of colour. Bouquet is sweetly floral and reminding of dusky roses and violets maybe, with ripe berry and plum suggestions. Palate is cassisy and aromatic on spicy oak, which has the slightest hint of nutmeg. I think there is some whole-berry component to this, also complexing the bouquet. The balance of flavours and mouthfeel is pleasantly European, in this wine. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 05/06

2004 Stonecroft Syrah Young Vine 17 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $19 [ supercritical cork; worthwhile % of the new clone 470; 14 months in older French oak; www.stonecroft.co.nz ]
Good youthful ruby. This is an exciting bouquet for New Zealand syrah, showing the same kind of enhanced florals and black peppercorn spice that the new French clone 470 showed in the Te Mata Bullnose ‘04. On inquiry, this wine too includes significant clone 470. It is much more clearly syrah, and much closer to modern Rhone in style than the average of the mainstream New Zealand Te Kauwhata clone. Palate is cassis and spicy plum plus black pepper, not a big wine, quite firm acid, subtle oak, but a super flavour. It should mature into a very pleasing and complex food wine, in a Crozes-Hermitage style. Cellar 5 – 10 years. VALUE GK 02/06

2008 Mission Syrah Reserve 17 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.3%; $25 [ supercritical cork; Sy 97%, Vi 3, from mainly 14-year-old vines, bunch-thinned; cuvaison > 20 days; c.8 months in French oak 5% new; this wine a barrel-selection; Catalogue: not in; www.missionestate.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet. Bouquet is fresh and floral, not quite the depth of wallflower florals as the 2007 but clearly varietal and attractive on cassisy berry. Palate follows similarly, fresher and more plummy than its predecessor, not so varietal, more in modern Crozes-Hermitage style with more white pepper than black in the plummy fruit. Needs to soften a year or two, then will be attractive drinking over a 3 – 8 years cellar life. GK 07/09

2007 Sileni Syrah The Peak 17 (

)

Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $35 [ screwcap; harvested from vines with ‘Low crop loads at around 2.5 – 3 kg / vine’, de-stemmed; 16 months in French and American barriques; RS ‘dry’; Catalogue: Rich black plum and spice characters with soft, supple tannins; www.sileni.co.nz ]
Ruby, more pinot noir in weight. Initially poured the wine seems overtly oaky, with a mint suggestion. With air the bouquet becomes sweetly red grapes, more merlot than syrah I thought at the blind stage, with fragrant yet subtle new oak. Palate is in this ultra-subtle minimal cuvaison virtually free-run approach that characterises (bedevils ?) Sileni reds, so assuming the style being aimed for is premium Cote Rotie, one is tempted to think it hasn't got enough extraction of phenolics and flavour to be clearly varietal. But on reflection the concentration in the delicate fruit is pretty good, and as a soft round red more pinot than syrah, it could be scored highly. It will certainly be marvellous with food. But wine is a place for ideals, and I would like the wine to be more explicitly varietal, as well as beautifully made, so the score is a compromise. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 07/09

2008 Brodie Estate Pinot Noir 17 (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $39 [ screwcap; hand-picked; 10 months in barrel; www.brodieestate.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. Bouquet contrasts with the 2009, being immediately cooler and more stalky though still showing fair cherry fruit. The floral component is more obvious but less complex than the 2009, a step closer to the Wiffen 2009. Palate is red more than black cherries, the whole wine a notch more fragrant and stalky than the 2009, though riper than the Wiffen. It seems to be hard to know which is the better vintage between 2008 or 2009 in Martinborough, some producers having their better wine in one year, some the other. Cellar 3 – 6 years. GK 08/11

2012 Zephyr Riesling 17 (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 12.5%; $25 [ screwcap; no RS on website; Glover Family Wines, not Dave Glover of Nelson; www.zephyrwine.com ]
Lemongreen. Bouquet is reminiscent of the Zephyr Sauvignon, the fruit so free-run you can hardly tell the variety, almost too subtle at least in youth, but there is a hint of freesias. Palate is odd, again a lack of fruit flavour now, but less phenolics than the Kingsmill and therefore better cellar potential. Very pure, quite rich, good with food, might surprise in cellar, riesling-dry or a bit above. At the moment, doesn't quite convince. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 04/13

2001 Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir 17 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $40 [ www.cloudybay.co.nz ]
Ruby. A light varietal bouquet suggesting roses and cherries, with an appealing slightly savoury quality. Palate is integrating attractively, to give a ‘winey’ wine with a hint of peri-Mediterranean complexity. The savoury suggestions include an academic trace of brett, and the total flavour and mouthfeel is burgundian in a slightly acid way. Attractive food wine, therefore. Cellar 3 – 8 years. Also reviewed 12/02, when the comment offered: the best Cloudy Bay pinot yet. Likewise, that can now be said about the 2002, q.v. GK 01/04

2004 Mills Reef Syrah Reserve 17 (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $20 [ screwcap; some Gimblett Gravels fruit; destemmed; whole-berry ferment in s/s then 9 months in French oak; www.millsreef.co.nz ]
Ruby, one of the lighter ones. Bouquet is the odd-man-out in the set, with exactly the same kind of crushed chrysanthemum note in the oak that Chilean red wines sometimes show. Behind that is attractive ripe berry, red currants, blackcurrants and blueberry, and a delightfully gentle palate which is pleasantly oaked. This will be very drinkable, though it is a lighter wine. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 05/06

2010 Vidal Riesling 17 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $16 [ screwcap; some LA; pH: 3.01, RS 7.1 g/L; better prices frequently available; www.vidal.co.nz ]
Lemon-green, paleish. Initially opened, there is still a little bottling sulphur to dissipate, needing a swirl or two of the glass. The wine smells very high-tech and pure, its sensory qualities latent compared with some of the higher-marked wines. In that it is like a young Clare Valley wine, lightly citric, with only hints of freesia, no evident botrytis. Palate continues in this flinty rendering of riesling, the wine dry on the acid despite the 7 g/L residual. This needs five years to soften and show its best. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 06/11

2008 Millaman Cabernet Sauvignon / Malbec Estate Reserve 17 (

)

Curico Valley, Chile: 14%; $14 [ cork; CS 50%, Ma 50, all hand-picked; 100% aged in French oak for 6 months; www.millaman.cl ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, medium depth. The Chilean wine comes across as just that bit cooler in the South American set, showing attractive cassisy berry with plummy fruit and subtle oak. Palate is more straightforward, but this is pretty remarkable dry red at the price. Chilean wines of this kind cellar very well indeed, 3 – 8 years or longer. VALUE GK 07/11

2006 Chapoutier Hermitage Ermitage Le Meal 17 (

)

Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $263 [ cork; www.chapoutier.com ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, the lightest of the premium syrahs. Bouquet is in a different league from the top three, some of the cassis of syrah, but also a hint of saline and a touch of brett. Palate follows pro rata, medium weight, not the ripeness of the top wines, but good varietal berry, more Crozes-Hermitage than the Varonniers, much lighter than the Granits, the aftertaste a little stalky, but all clearly syrah. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 03/10

2004 MadFish Sauvignon Blanc / Semillon 17 (

)

Southern Western Australia, Australia: 13%; $20 [ 2 + 2 cork; SB 65%, Se 35; s/s; www.madfishwines.com.au ]
Lemongreen, a lovely colour. Amongst the sauvignons in this blind tasting, the waxy / lanolin hints of the semillon component really stand out, to give a more gooseberry-styled milder sauvignon blend. Palate likewise is milder and maturing a little, being an ‘04, yet it is still very fresh. Body is greater than the average New Zealand sauvignon. Good food wine, which will cellar gracefully 3 – 5 years. GK 07/06

2011 Astrolabe Riesling Valleys Discovery Series 17 (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 12%; $16 [ screwcap; Ri 100%, night and machine harvested; cool-fermented with aromatic yeast in s/s with light solids; pH 2.93, RS 8.3 g/L; www.astrolabewines.co.nz ]
Pale lemon-green. As for the Tohu, there should be an absolute embargo on the selling of riesling within 12 preferably 18 months of vintage. The young wines are so awkward on both bouquet and palate. Despite a little SO2 yet to marry away, this one is clean and fragrant as a near-dry riesling, with good fruit, but how good it's going to be is anybody's guess, as is the score. With this winemaker's track record, a safe bet. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 08/11

nv Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin Brut 17 (

)

Reims, Champagne, France: 12%; $85 [ cork; PN 55%, Ch 30, PM 15; 25 – 35% of blend reserve wines up to 9 years old; 830 000 cases; time-wasting website, the following direct; www.veuve-clicquot.com/final_upload/eyla.pdf ]
Like the Taittinger, colour here is more deep lemon than lemonstraw. Bouquet has a fleeting odd note to it reminiscent of burnt plastic, but unless one focuses on it, it quickly marries away into a rich fruit and autolysis bouquet reminiscent of the Deutz, not quite fine enough to isolate the components, but good. Palate is bigger and fresher than several, plenty of fruit flavours, acid noticeable, MLF and hints of milk chocolate in the complexity. A big style (until you taste the Bollinger alongside), with subtle residual sugar. This bottle may have been unlucky with its cork. GK 11/05

2006 Clearview Estate Winery [ Me / CF / CS ] Enigma 17 (

)

Te Awanga, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $50 [ supercritical cork; Me 76%, CF 9, CS 8, Ma 7, hand-picked; 17 months in mostly new French oak; Catalogue: … this seductive and sensuous red wine. A blend of 4 grape varieties from our best parcels, exhibiting the flavours of plum, sweet spicy cassis, mint and earthy violets combined with long fine-grained tannins and sweet oak; Awards: Gold & Trophy, New Zealand International Wine Show 2008; www.clearviewestate.co.nz ]
Ruby, some velvet. Bouquet is very fragrant on this wine due to both fruit ripeness and brett, making the wine European in style. Aromas include bottled plums and some chocolate hints. Palate is softer and fuller than the Old Olive Block, as the cepage would suggest, with the richness more as for the cabernet franc but the oak less. The balance of flavours here is soft and pleasing, the brett minor, but the whole wine is a little ‘cool’. The wine is not quite as ripe as Te Kahu, for example. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 7/09 GK 07/09

2006 Squawking Magpie Merlot Gimblett Gravels The Nest 17 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $40 [ screwcap; DFB; Me, hand-harvested; some BF, French oak; Catalogue: huge concentration, a firm structure with intense fruit characteristics. This wine will cellar for up to 20 years; www.squawkingmagpie.co.nz ]
Ruby, some age showing. Bouquet is fragrant and sweetly varietal, some red rose aromas on red and blackcurrants and bottled plums, plus cedary oak. It is tending forward for its age. Palate is more oaky than the bouquet, and there is not quite the fruit to make it a convincing new-world interpretation of a St Emilion approach, so it ends up sitting closer to the Pask Declaration. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 07/09

2003 Te Kairanga Pinot Noir Reserve 17 (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13%; $50 [ cork; hand-harvested; 10 months in French oak 20% new; www.tkwine.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby. Bouquet has a wow ! factor more commonly found in Cote Rotie. I like this carnations hyper-floral component a lot, but acknowledge it can bespeak under-ripeness. Other tasters find it negative, and associate it with the less attractive odour of jonquils. In addition to the strong floral component (as strong as the DRC, but less ripe), there are red fruits and almost a hint of black pepper. Palate again could easily be confused with Cote Rotie, gorgeous red fruits, subtle oak, just a hint stalky and acid though there is attractive richness. Needs a little more physiological maturity in the vineyard. Another pinot where one wonders if there is syrah in it. Wines of this kind cellar well, surprisingly, the bouquet building, and acid dropping. Cellar 5 - 10 years. GK 03/05

2004 Blackenbrook Pinot Noir 17 (

)

Nelson, New Zealand: 14%; $29 [ screwcap; www.blackenbrook.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, fractionally deeper than the St Jacques. Bouquet combines varietal florals suggesting dark roses and violets, with ripe black cherries. This is clear-cut pinot noir. Palate continues the black cherries, in a winestyle a little more obvious, fleshy and oaky than some, but remarkably similar in flavour. Cellar 5 - 10 years. GK 05/05

2006 TW Chardonnay Reserve Black Label 17 (

)

Gisborne, New Zealand: 13.5%; $27 [ screwcap; clone mendoza hand-harvested; barrel-fermented in mostly French oak, 50% wild-yeast ferments; 11 months LA in barrel and partial MLF; RS 2 g/L; www.twwines.co.nz ]
Straw flushed with gold, the most developed colour among the chardonnays. This wine continues the trend for big bold TW Golden Slope chardonnays (though with a welcome lower alcohol this year), with lots of tactile golden queen peach fruit so rich it tastes a little sweet, and lashings of oak. It is therefore an old-fashioned style, but it is properly ripe and one that continues to be popular. If the oak level is accepted / liked, it is well-balanced and long in flavour, though it may not cellar so well. For others, it could be tiring to drink. Probably best in its first three or so years. GK 03/08

2000 Peter Lehmann Mentor 17 (

)

Barossa Valley, South Australia, Australia: 13%; $52 [ CS 80%, Ma 16, Me 4; partial BF, 16 months in French oak; DFB; www.peterlehmannwines.com.au ]
Older ruby. A leaner bouquet in this company, with slightly tealeafy and assertive cassis, as if it were from Coonawarra, or early-picked. Palate continues similarly, combining leafy cassis with slightly jammy fruit, oak, and a suggestion of spearmint. Doesn't seem together yet, but rich enough to have cellar potential in its style, 10 – 15 years. GK 06/04

2004 White Rock Sauvignon Blanc 17 (

)

Wairarapa, New Zealand: 12.4%; $17 [ screwcap; subsidiary of Craggy Range; www.capricornwines.co.nz ]
Pale lemongreen. A big bouquet, and one which changes as the wine breathes. Initially opened, it is somewhat disorganised and newly-bottled, with a dullness reminiscent of a high-solids ferment, plus a lees autolysis component which is heavier / more doughy than the delightful breadcrust character in the Dog Point. Breathed, some of these undertones change into an English gooseberry fruit character, and the wine becomes richer, with fresh acid, Sancerre in style. The characteristic Marlborough red capsicum and black passionfruit tastes are less apparent. Drier than the Dog Point or Loopline, cellar for several years. GK 10/04

2011 Mount Beautiful Pinot Gris 17 (

)

Northernmost Canterbury, New Zealand: 14.5%; $35 [ Stelvin Lux; hand-harvested; fermentation in both s/s and some old oak; some LA; RS 3 g/L; www.mtbeautiful.co.nz ]
Light straw. Bouquet is a little drier than the Tinpot Hut wine, showing lovely pinot character with even a hint of blackboy peaches as well as pear flesh. Palate is tauter than the Tinpot, a little more phenolic, but good body and length, and again, dramatically pinot. It says volumes about the Australian climate and arrogant Australian winewriters, that they all-too-often dismiss pinot gris the variety, which: "if it smells of nothing, and tastes of nothing, it must be pinot gris". In a temperate climate, pinot gris at best can shows real pinosity, simply a white-fleshed version of it. Near-dry, and should cellar 3 – 10 years. Interesting wine, though with food it is let down a little by the phenolics on palate. GK 04/13

2004 Sacred Hill Syrah Deerstalkers 17 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $60 [ screwcap; extended cuvaison followed by 18 months in French oak; www.sacredhill.com ]
Colour is older and more oak-influenced than the Gunn Silistria, more just ruby and velvet, but it is one of the deepest. This wine is a worry to me. Each time I see it, I rate it differently. Since it is bottled under screwcap, there is no easy explanation. On this occasion it opened reductive, and the rating at various times may therefore depend on how long the glass has been poured before assessment. Once aerated, it seems to be a much riper wine than Silistria, with over-ripe components including ample boysenberry notes, which might be fine for shiraz, but detract from good syrah. The wine also seems richer and more oaky than the Silistria, but is displaying less exact varietal definition than the syrahs rated more highly. Perhaps the reductive tendency springs from extended time on yeast lees, not aerated quite enough. It does not seem as exciting as the ‘02 Deerstalkers, but I do not have them side-by-side. This would score more highly in an Australian-oriented batch of shiraz / syrahs, but in this tasting the quest is for syrah varietal beauty rather more than size. Comparison with the Gunn Silistria version arises from Gunn Estate and Sacred Hill being linked. Given the richness, I think this wine will clear with extended time in cellar, 5 – 15 years. GK 04/06

nv Lanvin Cuvée Superieure Brut 17 (

)

Epernay, Champagne, France: 12%; $50 [ cork; PN 50%, Ch 35, PM 15; 290 000 cases; part of Charles de Cazanove; no website apparently ]
Straw, one of the deeper. Bouquet is in a softer broader style here, the difference between Macon and Puligny-Montrachet, but there is good fruit, and clear breadcrust autolysis. Palate is certainly more broadly flavoured, with mushrooms on thickly-buttered toast flavours as well as stonefruit, attractive in its style. Finish is less crisp and authoritative than the more highly-pointed wines, with a little more dosage. This is soft flavoursome champagne, less suited to extended cellaring. GK 11/05

2002 Trinity Hill Merlot Gimblett Road 17 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 30%; $13.50 [ Me 87%, CF 13; 16 months in French oak, 75% new; www.trinityhill.com ]
Good ruby, light carmine and velvet. This is a leaner wine on bouquet, but with attractive merlot florals including even violets, and cassisy and plummy fruit. Palate shows reasonable fruit weight, soft plummy flavours with good ripeness, and restrained oak more in a Bordeaux styling. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 05/04

2004 Allan Scott Sauvignon Blanc 17 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 12%; $20 [ screwcap; 5% BF & LA old oak; www.allanscott.com ]
Waterwhite. This wine is ripe to the point of being bland on bouquet, with vaguely nectarine fruits. Palate redeems it, still nectarine but with clean black passionfruit varietal fruit, suggestions of ripest capsicum, and good concentration and length, pretty well dry. This should develop in bottle and may well rank higher in a few months. A good food wine for those not so keen on sauvignon. Will cellar 5 – 8 years, as desired. GK 09/04

2001 Hunters Miru Miru Reserve 17 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 12.5%; $30 [ cork; PN 62%, Ch 29%, PM 9; MLF 100%; c 48 months en tirage; RS 10 g/L; www.hunters.co.nz ]
Lemon, a touch of straw alongside the 2002. Bouquet is softer and richer than the standard 2002 Miru Miru, with the chardonnay component seemingly more evident, and the autolysis clean and fragrant, with hints of baguette crust and even wholegrain crust. Palate is richer than several of the champagnes, with some evidence of chardonnay fruitiness letting it down a bit, but light autolysis persists through to an attractive brut finish. This should cellar well, and become more attractive as the fruit fines down. If palate weight is more important to you than bouquet, this will score higher than the 2002 Miru Miru. GK 12/05

2008 Bald Hills Pinot Gris 17 (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $21 [ screwcap, s/s wine, cool-fermented, 2 months LA; RS 8 g/L; winemaker Grant Taylor; www.baldhills.co.nz ]
Palest lemonstraw. This wine is so youthful there are still amyl acetate notes to marry away. Below that is very pure pale stonefruit and suggestions of pearflesh. In mouth, the flavour of pearflesh develops, and the pinot gris identity becomes more clear-cut. Richness is reasonable, the residual sugar a little above the riesling ‘dry' level giving a misleading impression. Should be much more together in a year, and illustrate a scarcely or no-oak [ none ] approach to the variety. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 05/09

2004 Mount Riley Chardonnay Seventeen Valley 17 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 14.5%; $29 [ screwcap, hand-harvested @ c 3 t/ac; BF with wild yeast in mostly French oak mostly new, and LA 13 months; RS 2.5 g/L; www.mountriley.co.nz ]
Brassy straw. Bouquet is very developed, showing quite strong Vogel's Wholegrain lees-autolysis development in a forward, even prematurely-aged, way. Palate brings in good yellow-fleshed stonefruit, barrel fermentation, more lees-autolysis, and all the components of a complex rich flavoursome chardonnay showing much winemaking input. But, it is all too old for its age, fully mature. Pretty delicious drinking, in its style, but the mark is indulgent. Drink now, not a cellar wine beyond a year or so. GK 03/07

2002 Te Awa Syrah 17 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $32 [ cork; hand-picked; hand-plunged in open-top fermenters, > 21 days cuvaison, MLF in barrel, 14 months in French oak 20% new; www.teawa.com ]
Ruby, about the weight of the Ngaruroro, but fractionally older. Initially opened, the wine is a little reductive. It breathes off to be another one in the red fruits style, contrasting with the black fruits of most Gimblett Gravels wines. Palate is lighter too, lighter cassis and a suggestion of loganberries, red plums rather than black, and suggestions of black peppercorn. Oak is lowish, but there is a suggestion of stalks, almost under-ripe. A more straightforward Hawkes Bay syrah, to cellar 5 - 8 years. GK 06/05

2006 Mount Edward Riesling 17 (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 12.5%; $21 [ screwcap, hand-picked, whole-bunch pressed, cold-settled to low solids; s/s wine, analysis presumably similar to the 2007; 307 cases, now sold-out; www.mountedward.com ]
Lemon. Bouquet is clearly varietal, clean, fragrant, a little more hoppy / lime-zesty and less white flowers than the 2007. Palate accordingly is bolder and quite aromatic. It is intriguing assessing wine: though the Waimea Dry looked bold alongside a couple of the delicate Marlborough wines, that in turn looks subtle alongside this one. Finish is off-dry, though the nett impression against pH and TA is more riesling ‘dry' . Cellar 2 – 8 years. GK 05/09

2001 Saint Cosme Cote Rotie 17 (

)

Cote Rotie, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $90 [ cork; Sy 100%, 80% Cote Brune, 20 Cote Blonde, 15 months in mostly new French oak ]
Lighter and older ruby, the lightest of the wines. Bouquet is light in one sense, yet very strong in another, intensely floral, clearcut carnations and wallflowers, a suggestion of maceration carbonique, typical Cote Rotie not quite perfectly ripe. This wine was put in to facilitate comparison with non-standard Hawkes Bay syrahs such as the Woodthorpe, and it did that admirably. The beauty of the bouquet is not quite followed up on palate, which is a little skinny reflecting the medium-weight 2001 vintage in the northern Rhone, too acid / stalky, but intensely red fruited, for example red currants and English gooseberries ripened to darkest red, beautifully fragrant. Wines of this style are superb with food, cellar surprisingly well, and must be accepted as legitimate within the construct of temperate-climate syrah, meaning the northern Rhone. It is worth remembering that Hermitage and Cote Rotie are physically closer to Beaune than they are to Chateauneuf du Pape. Cellar 3 - 8 years. GK 06/05

2005 Two Paddocks Pinot Noir Picnic 17 (

)

Central Otago & Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $24 [ screwcap; www.twopaddocks.co.nz ]
Ruby, minutely deeper than the 2004 Last Chance. Bouquet is sweetly floral, in a buddleia style, with mixed red and black cherry fruit, seemingly more alcohol than the given 13%. Palate is softer, riper, less oaked and more easy-going than the more serious wine, but with lovely pinot flavours bespeaking a riper year than the 2004 examples. It is almost as if there were 3 g/L residual sugar to soften it. This is attractive ‘picnic’ pinot, as 'burgundian' as the 2005 RedMetal Merlot / Cabernet (seen alongside) is bordeaux-like. Cellar 3 – 6 years. GK 11/06

2006 Saints Gewurztraminer Gisborne 17 (

)

Gisborne, New Zealand: 14%; $20 [ screwcap, not often Pernod-Ricard omit a wine from their comprehensive website data file, but this one missing. Big change in winemaking from 2004 to 2008, this one before MLF trials in gewurz, pH 3.31, RS 12.2; www.pernod-ricard-nz.com//tastingnotes.php? ]
Lemongreen, younger in appearance than the top two wines. This is a lighter simpler and sweeter version of gewurztraminer, more a stainless steel wine, but it is still specifically varietal in the way New Zealand (at best) captures easily. We are one of the few countries in the world besides Alsace to do justice to the beauty of gewurztraminer. Bouquet is subtly floral, freesias, citrus blossom and nearly wild ginger, building on lychee fruit. Palate develops the lychee, showing softer phenolics than the top two examples (gewurztraminer is allowed some ‘bite’). Sweeter again than the Babich, more medium-dry, this is an easy and attractive wine which should be good with mild Asian foods. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 05/09

2003 Waimea Estates Chardonnay Bolitho Signature 17 (

)

Nelson, New Zealand: 14.5%; $26 [ screwcap; BF with wild yeast in French oak, extended LA; www.waimeaestates.co.nz ]
Straw. This is a complex and developed big chardonnay, with marked barrel-ferment and lees-autolysis characters a little reminiscent of the Foxes Island. These include some acacia florals, some smoky and charry barrel notes, and good fruit. Palate reveals a wine which is forward for its age, the golden peachy fruit hinting at dried fruit, and the oak tending assertive. The total result is clumsy, in a rich way, and needs quite strongly flavoured foods. It is less suited to cellaring, say 1 – 3 years. GK 02/06

2006 Felton Road Pinot Noir Block 5 17 (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $ – [ screwcap; average vine age 7 years; an early warm season with many days over 30C; large crops and large berries, so saignée needed for Vin Gris; wines seen as balanced like the 2003s; 10th vintage and the first where all pinot noir vineyards farmed organically and biodynamically; www.feltonroad.com ]
Older and lighter pinot noir ruby and some garnet, the lightest one in the set. Freshly opened this wine needs air. It opens to reveal all-red fruits, with some pink-roses florals, but all very quiet. Taste-wise it is akin to a fragrant Spanish tempranillo, too much oak for the delicacy of the fruit – if pinot noir – but beautifully ripe tannins and attractive as fragrant Spanish red. Hard to score, therefore. The standard 2006 wine is a better expression of the variety and place. Cellar 2 – 4 years. GK 08/14

2002 Pask Syrah Gimblett Road 17 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $22 [ screwcap; no info on website ; www.cjpaskwinery.co.nz ]
Good ruby. Bouquet on this wine is augmented by appreciable VA, making it fragrant. There are intriguing florals hinting at violets, and some cassis, black peppercorn and black plum. This promising start is let down on palate, which is oaky, disorganised, and somewhat hollow, with VA and acid growing in importance, and the fruit receding. The wine is a bit puzzling, and should be coming together better by now. It should cellar for 5 - 8 years. GK 06/05

2004 Mount Alexander Pinot Noir 17 (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.7%; $32 [ cork; 11 months in French oak ]
Classical pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is a little oaky freshly opened, but quickly becomes fragrant and attractively varietal, with buddleia florals on blackboy and red cherry fruit. In mouth the fruit dominates, crisp cherry, lovely balance, subtle oak. This will be attractive mediumweight Martinborough pinot noir in a year or two, in a lighter Beaune style against the more deeply floral Otago wines. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 03/06

2004 Hatton Syrah Estate 17 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $53 [ cork; no detail on website; www.hattonestate.com ]
Dense ruby, carmine and velvet, as dark as le Sol, a marvellous colour. Initially opened, this wine is too reductive. It needs splashy pouring from jug to jug, back and forth. Thus aerated, it retains some broody characters, but opens sufficiently to reveal dense Crozes-Hermitage-styled dark syrah in much the same mould as Belle’s Louis Belle (which is reductive some years) but richer, with darkest cassis and plum hiding below. Palate is very rich and concentrated, very dry, but austere on the retained sulphur. The opportunity for a great wine has just been missed, here. It will be rated more highly by those insensitive to sulphide, but this could have been so much better. The high mark (for a reductive wine) rewards the richness, for it will cellar 10 – 15, maybe 20 years, perhaps to blossom in the later stages. GK 05/06

2006 Mills Reef Malbec Elspeth 17 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $37 [ cork; hand-harvested; some barrel-ferment, 18 months in oak 42% new; 2006 not on website; www.millsreef.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, the deepest colour in the tasting. Bouquet is clean and fragrant, but in that curious black fruits and black olives style which malbec shows, a little dull. Palate lets the wine down a little, with some stalky thoughts intruding, even though there is plenty of fruit. The oak is very fragrant, but the total mouthfeel is tending austere, and in international terms, the wine lacks the absolute ripeness essential for the variety. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 04/08

2004 Bodega Lurton Rosado 17 (

)

Mendoza, Argentina: 13%; $16 [ www.jflurton.com ]
Medium rosé. This rosé smells as if it is made from red grapes alone, soft, fragrant, lightly plummy, but maybe faintest rubber too. Palate is soft, round and full, not as fresh as the Harrier Rise, but more serious, more grape tannins and red grapes. These are two totally different rosé styles, each equally valid. Cellar a year or so, but it may flatten on the lowish acid. GK 12/04

1998 Guigal Cote Rotie Brune & Blonde 17 (

)

Cote Rotie, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $ – [ cork; Sy 96%, Vi 4; average vine age 35 years; cropped 5t/ha (2 t/ac); 21 days cuvaison; 36 months in French oak 40% new (may have been less then); JR 17.5, RP 90, ST 90 +, J.L-L 4/6 stars; www.guigal.com ]
Ruby and garnet, below midway in depth. Initial impressions are of a more old-fashioned wine, trace oxidation in the sense of classic barolo / slightly leathery, but fragrant and winey too. Compared with the more highly-rated wines, palate weight and fruit concentration are lighter here and oak influence is a little more noticeable, though it is very fragrant cedary oak. Like nearly all Guigal wines, it is beautifully balanced in its style, and superb with food. Fully mature, but will hold 3 – 10 years. GK 05/13

1998 Chapoutier Ermitage Le Pavillon 17 (

)

Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $628 [ cork, 50mm; Sy 100%; purchase price c.$385; cropping and wine-making details as in the introductory ‘Background’ section; www.chapoutier.com ]
Ruby and considerable garnet, one of the lighter wines in the fourth quarter. Bouquet is quite different on this edition, a very sun-struck quality which is quite tanniny in one sense, or like grenache in another. The contrast with the more sensitive Clape approach could not be more vital, when comparing the two 1998 wines. And yet it is quite fragrant, the berry opening up markedly in the glass and wrapping around the tannin. Mike Parker in his introduction referred to a more oxidative style of winemaking for Le Pavillon, and this is a good example of it. Fruit notes are almost red plum, but browning now. There is not much syrah varietal quality here. Palate is quite rich in one sense, but markedly furry on the tannins, so much so it almost seems to lack fruit. This is an old-fashioned wine style now, but it reflects the season. Reception was mixed in our group, with one first-place vote, one second. In its almost Southern Rhone Valley style, it will hold a surprisingly long time. Cellar 10 – 15 years. Wine Spectator quality rating for the vintage 90. GK 10/18

2005 Tohu Chardonnay Marlborough Un-oaked 17 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $19 [ screwcap; www.tohuwines.co.nz ]
Lemon. Amidst so many oaky and artefact-ridden chardonnays, the simple, fragrant, ripe varietal quality of this wine is appealing. It smells of honeydew melon and greengages, and tastes similarly. Presumably there has been a little skin contact, for the tannin balance is excellent. If you want to know the flavour of chardonnay the grape alone, sufficiently ripe, and with fresh acid balance, try this. Great with subtle seafoods and similar. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 02/06

2003 Drouhin Vosne-Romanee 17 (

)

Vosne-Romanee, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 13%; $70 [ hand-harvested, fermentation and cuvaison in both s/s and wooden vats; about 18 months in mostly older barrels; Wine Direct the NZ agents; www.drouhin.com ]
Good ruby, a little deeper than the Pommard. Like the Volnay, bouquet on this wine though pure, is losing florals to the drought year. There is good plummy and faintly leathery fruit, on subdued oak. Palate is still clearly pinot though, in its cherry plus furry tannins style, without the aromatics of the Mouches. Some will prefer it more for that, as pinot noir, and as with many of these Drouhin ‘03s, the fruit richness is exemplary. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 03/06

2006 Chard Farm Gewurztraminer 17 (

)

Queenstown district, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13%; $25 [ screwcap; no wine detail on website; www.chardfarm.co.nz ]
Lemongreen, a great colour. Initially opened, bouquet is a bit youthful, cheap and scented, clearly varietal but showing rather much of the muscat side of gewurztraminer's personality. It opens up in glass after swirling, to a more citrus and lightly lychee version of the grape. Palate shows good fruit, and some of the phenolic nip of the variety, balanced by medium-dry sweetness, so the flavours linger well. Should improve in varietal quality in cellar 2 – 7 years. GK 03/08

2002 Loosen Urziger Wurzgarten Riesling Auslese QmP 17 (

)

Mosel, Germany: 7.5%; $77 [ www.drloosen.de ]
Deepish lemongreen. A mixed bouquet, austere and appley on the one hand, but slightly false-fruity and honeycomb on the other. Palate shows floral and white stonefruit components, good sweetness and moderate acid, but a lack of integration and magic. Just a little clumsy and warm-year, without the finesse of so many 2001s. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 03/04

1978 Wolf Blass Cabernet Sauvignon / 45% Shiraz Yellow Label 17 (

)

Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale & Coonawarra, Australia: – %; $8.45 [ 18 months oak, 80% US, 20 French ]
Ruby and garnet, the second deepest. Among the blind wines, the bouquet on this one was softer, richer, sweeter than most in the field, with gorgeous indeterminate fruit wrapped in subtly aromatic oak, not quite cedar, but very fragrant. Some tasters thought it of very high pedigree. Only a couple (among 21) picked up any Australian tell-tales on bouquet. Palate is soft, the fading boysenberry of Australian shiraz more apparent than the cabernet, a slight lactic / best caramel hint, lingering softly. The wine illustrates how quickly Wolf Blass learned his mastery of oak. Holding well, no hurry. GK 03/06

2003 Kumeu River Chardonnay 17 (

)

Kumeu, north of Auckland, New Zealand: 13%; $ – [ screwcap; clone 15 and others, small crop due to frost; 100% BF in older oak only, 100% MLF, RS nil; www.kumeuriver.co.nz ]
Deeper lemon, a flush of straw. Bouquet in this vintage of the Kumeu River Chardonnay also shows a European connection, there being a slight veil of a sulphur-related character which is complexing to a nutty and faintly mercaptan aroma. Palate has all the fruit, balance, and style of other vintages, but this lees-autolysis nutty character is a bit pervasive, with a thread of bitterness scarcely noticeable in the fruit richness. The whole impression is reminiscent of walnuts, which are both nutty but also slightly bitey. Some people like this complexity character enormously, and I agree that with the right foods, it can be good. But for tasting, however, the purity of a wine such as the 2004 Maté’s wins the day for me. Cellar 1 – 3 years. GK 02/06

2006 Chapoutier Chateauneuf-du-Pape Croix de Bois 17 (

)

Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Southern Rhone Valley, France: 15%; $91 [ cork; Gr 100%; no oak; www.chapoutier.com ]
Pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is clean, spirity, and fragrant in a highly varietal one-dimensional raspberries and cinnamon way. If one considers an absolutely basic pure Australian mass-produced grenache such as Lehmann's, it is a bit hard to see the six times price difference. The smells are similar, though this wine is more concentrated. Palate follows appropriately, the cinnamon spicing the berry, but all ending rather short and simple in mouth. There is more to Chateauneuf-du-Pape than this. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 03/10

2004 Daniel Schuster Pinot Noir Waipara 17 (

)

Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 13.5%; $40 [ cork; Hull Vineyard; the middle wine of a 3-tier range of pinots, ’04 not on website, ’03 12 months French oak; www.danielschusterwines.com ]
Good pinot noir ruby. Bouquet has an exciting fumey lift to it reminiscent of the spicy oak Benfield & Delamare use, but much subtler, accompanied by floral pinot noir fruit in a Cote de Nuits style. Palate does not quite sustain the promise of the bouquet, with a slightly stalky and caramel varietal quality developing on tongue, but there is good richness. Should mellow with a couple of years, and cellar 5 – 10. GK 10/05

2003 Craggy Range Pinot Noir Te Muna 17 (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13%; $39 [ cork; nil whole-bunch, 14 months in French oak 55% new; www.craggyrange.com ]
Mature pinot noir ruby, one of the two deepest wines. Bouquet is intriguing, showing some burgundian complexity including trace brett, and also a leafy note relative to the top wines. Palate is very fragrant therefore, with complex drying flavours even though quite rich. Not quite up to the mark in a clinical tasting, but good food wine at full maturity, with a couple of years in hand. GK 02/10

2004 Benfield & Delamare Song for Osiris 17 (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $25 [ cork; Me > CS > CF; modelled on Bordeaux, this is in effect the second wine of B & D; for 2004 there will be no premium label; www.benfieldanddelamare.co.nz ]
Carmine and ruby, in the middle of the batch for depth. Bouquet is fragrant and clearly merlot, with violets and other floral notes, and plummy fresh berry on toasty and slightly spicy oak. Palate is youthful, good berry and ripeness once breathed, less fruit weight than the top wine, slightly acid but an attractive flavour, and not oaky. Still infantile, and should be more mellow in a year. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 10/05

2011 Craggy Range Chardonnay Kidnappers Vineyard 17 (

)

Te Awanga district, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $24 [ screwcap; 75% hand-harvested @ 7.5 t/ha (3 t/ac); 50% s/s, balance various oak vessels only 10% new, some wild yeast; 5 months in oak and LA, trace MLF; RS <2 g/L; www.craggyrange.com ]
Pale lemon. Bouquet is clean varietal light chardonnay, fragrant and pure, bottled pears suggestions, white stonefruit, scarcely any oak. Palate firms the wine on a white fruits base, mostly older oak offering a light phenolic framework but scarcely any flavour, moderate length. This wine is designed to be an antipodean chablis, eminently food-friendly, inconsequential in one sense (just good to drink), but the nett style is more modern Macon, I suspect. This is the best Craggy Kidnappers chardonnay yet, but is a bit expensive for what you get. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 05/13

2007 Craggy Range Pinot Noir Te Muna Aroha 17 (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $80 [ cork; no whole bunch; 14 months in French oak 42% new (detail for Conference differs from earlier info); www.craggyrange.com ]
Rich ruby, some carmine and velvet, the second deepest in its tasting. This one stood a little to one side in the lineup, with a particular aromatic component on the floral side of the bouquet reminding of Cote Rotie / black pepper. In mouth the impression continues, so it shows a little less physiological maturity than the wines rated higher, with a leafy nearly stalky complexity in red more than black fruits. Actual fruit level is competitive, and taken as a whole, this will develop into pleasing wine creating some debate when presented blind. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 02/10

2004 Harrier Rise Rosé 17 (

)

Kumeu, Auckland, New Zealand: 12%; $16 [ screwcap ]
Light pretty rosé. A clean fresh bouquet intermediate in style between a very light merlot and a sauvignon blanc. Palate has good fruit and is 'dry', but it tastes as if it is not made solely from red grapes. A cool-climate rosé, in contrast to the Lurton wine, fresh and pleasing. Will cellar a year or so. GK 12/04

2005 Villa Maria Pinot Noir Single Vineyard Seddon 17 (

)

Awatere Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $58 [ screwcap; 100% de-stemmed; 12 months in French oak, 28% new; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Maturing pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is fragrant and clearly varietal in an evolved warmer-climate style, with a leafy note on bouquet and palate. Palate seems more alcoholic than the label says, with the fruit melding into the oak to make an attractive mature slightly stalky wine, though with reminders of good Cote du Rhone as well as pinot noir. Intriguing. Cellar a year or two. GK 02/10

2001 Felton Road Pinot Noir Block 5 17 (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $54 [ screwcap; up to 24% whole bunch; 18 months in French oak, 30% new; www.feltonroad.com ]
Mature pinot noir ruby, quite a lot of age showing. Bouquet is fragrant, clearly mature in this company, a little too mature to be explicitly floral. Palate highlights there is a hint of aromatic complexity – Central Otago's thyme ? – on red more than black fruits, nearly a leafy note, but all clearly pinot. This wine is deceptively easy to drink, a hallmark of the burgundy wine style when all is said and done. The allegedly high oak referred to in an earlier review did not occur to me this time. Mature, but will hold for several years. GK 02/10

2006 Peregrine Pinot Noir 17 (

)

Cromwell Basin 80%, Gibbston 20, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $39 [ screwcap; nil whole bunch; 10 months in French oak, 35% new; www.peregrinewines.co.nz ]
Maturing pinot noir ruby. An intriguing wine, more reminiscent of a Savigny-les-Beaune wine than Central Otago. It is fragrant in a slightly leafy and red fruits-only way. Palate shows redcurrant and good red cherry fruit of more concentration than the typical Savigny would be, but the slightly stalky note is comparable. Oaking is totally appropriate to the light fruit, beautifully done. Fresh and attractive wine, to cellar 1 – 3 years. GK 02/10

2006 Vynfields Pinot Noir 17 (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 14%; $35 [ screwcap; nil whole bunch; c.12 months French oak, c.35% new; www.vynfields.com ]
Rich pinot noir ruby. Initially opened there is a tangy quality on the bouquet of this ripe wine, but it gives way to fragrant black cherry fruit. Palate is oakier than the bouquet suggested, and nett impression ends up a little solid and four square, but still clearly varietal in a ripe way. Cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 02/10

2009 Pegasus Bay Pinot Noir 17 (

)

Waipara Valley, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 13.5%; $49 [ screwcap; vines up to 25 years age, all wild yeast, no whole bunch; MLF and 18 months in French oak, 30% new; suspect no longer entered in Shows; www.pegasusbay.com ]
Pinot noir ruby, virtually identical to the Vynfields, below midway in depth. Bouquet is sweetly rose-floral, very fragrant, slightly savoury (code for trace brett, like the previous reference to European complexity), clearly varietal. Palate is quite light, also fragrant, what a change from Pegasus Bay pinots of 10 years ago when the wines were tending weighty and obtuse, remarkably similar in fruit ripeness to the Martinborough but slightly richer, just not quite so pure, and slightly more tannic. Cellar 3 – 8, maybe 10 years. GK 11/12

1997 Faiveley Chambertin Clos de Beze Grand Cru 17 (

)

Burgundy, France: 13%; $200 [ TE, price approx. ]
Ruby. In this blind tasting, a subtle bouquet with floral and redfruits notes. On palate fair fruit, slightly leafy, elegant, balanced but understated wine, lacking the calibre and complexity one hopes for in Clos de Beze. In this tasting it was therefore a useful marker, rather than the expected goal post. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 01/01

2007 Peregrine Pinot Noir 17 (

)

Cromwell Basin 80%, Gibbston 20, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $ – [ screwcap; nil whole bunch; 10 months in French oak, 35% new; www.peregrinewines.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, minutely deeper than The Pinnacle. Bouquet is distinctly different from Pinnacle, not quite the uniform ripeness, so there is an enhanced florality showing more lighter buddleia fractions as associated with less ripeness, plus a hint of sweet flowering mint. Palate follows perfectly, red fruits more than black, soft and succulent, lovely fruit sweetness, highly varietal, gently oaked, a little leafy but avoiding the massive component in the Carrick standard wine for the same year. I seem to have tasted / reported on this wine frequently, and the range of scores reflects the previously-quoted wise words of Harry Waugh, that (American views of tasting exactitude notwithstanding) any score reflects that wine on that day, relative to the wines it is tasted with. On this occasion, the exact redfruits character of even the smallest Rousseau, with no hint of leafyness / mixed ripeness, means that leafyness / green suggestions in other wines have been considered more negatively than on other occasions. This is the reality of wine-tasting, whether for individuals or groups. It helps to explain why medal results even from well-regarded judgings also vary. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 11/10

2002 Meo-Camuzet Clos de Vougeot 17 (

)

Vougeot Grand Cru, Burgundy, France: 13%; $221 [ cork; www.meo-camuzet.com ]
Good ruby, a touch of velvet, one of the deepest. This is a much more New Zealand bouquet, reminiscent of the earlier styles from Marlborough. It shows big blackboy peach fruit, but there is a clear leafy / floral edge to it. Red fruits on palate are good, there is a suggestion of mushrooms and nearly blueberry, but the leafy note continues, with an almondy undertone giving a long aftertaste. Not quite the rigour of berry selection here, perhaps, but it has the richness to cellar well, 5 – 12 years. GK 12/05

2007 Akarua Pinot Noir Cadence 17 (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14.3%; $45 [ screwcap; nil whole bunch; 11 months in French oak, 33% new; www.akarua.com ]
Big pinot noir ruby, some carmine and velvet, deep for pinot noir, one of the deepest. Bouquet is rich and ripe to over-ripe, more bottled black doris plums than cherry, with darkly fragrant aromas, not exactly floral. Palate confirms a rich ripe to over-ripe very dry wine, just a touch of syrah sizing here, appreciable new oak and tannin, but all pleasing in its full-on unsubtle way. Reminiscent of some over-ripe 2002 Otago wines, high alcohol. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 02/10

2010 Jamet Cote Rotie 17 (

)

Cote Rotie, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 12.5%; $294 [ cork, 50mm; Sy 100%; various holdings more in the Cote Brune than Blonde and mainly on schist; traditional winemaking still with considerable (more than half) whole-bunch component depending on the grapes and the season; cuvaisons extend to 21 or 22 days; up to 22 months in mix of barrels and puncheons, max 20% new, balance to 10 years; wines neither fined nor filtered; some rank the Jamets as now making the definitive Cote Rotie, in the sense Maison Guigal makes Guigal wines first, and sense-of-place wines second; John Livingstone-Learmonth, 2012: ... raspberry, pretty scenting in its luxury of aroma, licorice, raspberry coulis – waves of aroma roll out; the fruit is curvy, and will impress. The palate has a squeezy texture red fruit ... the signature of Grand Vin. Very persistent and striking, very good balance, 2039-41, ******; Jancis Robinson, 2012: Very perfumed. Masses of firm juice and lots of fine tannin underneath. ... Very straight and directed. Glossy. Dry finish but I have great confidence in it, 18.5; www.cote-rotie-jamet.com ]
Ruby and velvet, the third lightest wine. This wine has a very clear-cut bouquet, showing stalky / floral notes tiptoeing towards the jonquils / paperwhites spectrum, a character which is negative for many syrah tasters, even in New Zealand where we are still tolerant of under-ripeness in red wines. There is clear white pepper, not black, fragrant berry notes but here more redcurrant and red plum than cassis, plus a stalky quality entwined with new oak. Palate is rich, and softer than expected even though acid is slightly elevated. Like La Collina, this is a wine which will come together appreciably by the 15 year point. It is exquisitely pure, but tasters did not reward that, no favourable votes, and six for least wine, the clearest negative statement for the set. New Zealanders share with Australians a dislike for white pepper in syrah, most not tasting widely enough to register it is almost diagnostic for syrah from that part of the Les Collines Rhodaniennes IGP which lies above the favoured AOC-delimited slopes of Cote Rotie proper. These wines in fact cellar surprisingly well, in their own distinctive fresh style, as the cool 1984 Cote Roties show today. Cellar 8 – 25 years. GK 11/18

2006 Neudorf Pinot Noir Moutere 17 (

)

Moutere Hills, Nelson, New Zealand: 13.5%; $62 [ screwcap; hand-picked; French oak; not fined or filtered; www.neudorf.co.nz ]
Lightish pinot ruby. Bouquet is very youthful and precise pinot noir, showing a nearly full range of florals from buddleia through roses and violets to maybe suggestions of boronia, delightfully fragrant. Palate does not sustain the promise of bouquet quite so well, the wine being a little stalky alongside the top wines in this batch. Concentration is good though, and a slightly smoky note to the cooperage adds complexity. This should mature to an attractively fragrant and highly varietal but lean wine, which will cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 03/08

2006 Vidal Pinot Noir 17 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $27 [ screwcap; not much info about the winemaking on the website; www.vidal.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. Freshly opened there is a faint sulphur-related caveat, which dissipates with air. Decanting is so good for wine ! This pinot is not as complex as the top wines, lacking a floral component pretty well, but showing good darker plum more than cherry notes. Palate follows logically, a little tannic and hard, but with particularly good fruit richness to mellow in cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 04/08

2012 [ Pernod-Ricard ] Brancott Estate Sauvignon Blanc Letter Series B (Brancott) 17 (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $19 [ Stelvin Lux; 15% hand-picked; 7% oak-fermented; RS 2.3 g/L; www.brancottestate.com ]
Pale lemongreen, the lightest of the sauvignons. Bouquet is clean sound Marlborough sauvignon in a somewhat subdued style, quietly showing a full range of aroma cues as if there had been sequential picking: black passionfruit, red, yellow and green capsicums notes right through the ripening curve, some sweet basil too. Palate shows more fruit than the Wiffen, it is drier and richer but there is not quite the same clear definition, with just a hint of sweat. It is a little less acid – a milder wine which is good with food, so it may find wider appeal than the Wiffen. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 05/13

1990 Ch de Beaucastel 17 (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $259 [ cork, 55mm, ullage 20mm; original price c.$52; cepage varies a little each year around Gr 30%, Mv 30, Sy 10, Co 10, Ci 5, other authorised red varieties 8, and white varieties 7; more detail in the introductory sections; Broadbent, 2003 vintage rating: Sturdy long-lasting reds in north and and south. Overall the wines were slightly lower in acidity than those of 1989, particularly in the south, but tannins were firm and alcohol levels high, indicative of wines slow to open up but full of promise and staying power, *****; Parker vintage chart rating: 95; J.L-L, 2008: Lots of red, plum fruit led by Grenache, with smoky notes from the other varieties. ... garrigue is present – lavender, also leather, some farmyard. ... it is supple and shows really good roundness on the finish. ... Very complete wine, 2026 – 2029, ******; the Robinson website lists six tastings, scores ranging from 17 to mostly 18. JR@JR, 2015: Rich and pungently, sweetly spicy with no rough edges by now and a certain powdery texture overlaying all that richness. No hint of horse. Very sweet and rewarding, 2005 – 2020, 18; RP@RP, 2003: Two great back to back vintages are the 1990 and 1989. The more developed 1990 boasts an incredible perfume of hickory wood, coffee, smoked meat, Asian spices, black cherries, and blackberries. Lush, opulent, and full-bodied, it is a fully mature, profound Beaucastel that will last another 15-20 years, 2003 – 2023, 96; weight bottle and closure: 664 g; www.beaucastel.com ]
Garnet and ruby, deeper but older than the 1989, below midway in depth. This wine shows a greater volume of bouquet than the 1989, more fruit, more oak, more complexity not all positive, and more age. Main impressions are grenache-led red fruits browning now, then complex spicy / savoury / leathery qualities: very much a ‘classic’ old-style de Beaucastel. On palate one immediately finds one has the grape interpretation wrong, the first impression now being dry mourvedre tannins. Yet with further sipping, the nett mouthfeel is relatively round and harmonious, in a furry-tannins way. The savoury / leathery brett qualities become more apparent on the mid- and late palate, yet are reasonably well carried by the browning berry richness. You suspect there is a little 4-EP / more pharmaceutical complexity in there too, but it is hidden for now by the relative fruit richness (for its age). Long flavours are of savoury browning berry, and cinnamon / nutmeg. Again, this kind of wine has its appeal, particularly when imagined in a meal context: three first places, three second-places, no least places. Yet interestingly, there was near-total agreement: 19 (of 21) saying, yes the wine shows brett [ unusual to get this level of agreement on a brett issue ], with three thinking it excessive. Hard to assess cellar life: it is richer than the 1989, but also has more brett. Being a hotter year, it is also much more tannic. Maybe cellar 5 – 15 years, noting every bottle will be different, so there will be some disappointments now. GK 05/21

1976 Maison Leroy Auxey-Duresses 17 (

)

Cote de Beaune, Burgundy, France: – %; $140 [ 50mm cork; 1976 a hot dry year with high tannins, but welcome after 3 poor years, a 3-star year for Broadbent; small-scale burgundy from top-notch negociant; very low yields; whether new oak for minor wines not clear; not filtered; www.domaine-leroy.com ]
Garnet and ruby, above midway in depth. Bouquet is clear-cut pinot noir, almost straightforwardly or simply so, red cherry browning now, not exactly any florality but there is a patina of wine-age which is attractive. Closer examination makes one wonder if there is a hint of leaf. Flavours are surprisingly rich for such a minor appellation, and a village wine too, until one remembers that Auxey-Duresses is home to Maison Leroy, so they presumably have access to first-rate vineyards. On palate there is a hint of leaf, and one even wonders from the slightly red-candy flavours if a little chaptalisation may have occurred, notwithstanding the warm year. There is a pleasing simplicity and robustness to the flavour, and seemingly only larger / older oak to not complicate the picture. The richness has to be rewarded by the wine just sneaking into silver, not bad for the appellation at 38 years of age. It will even hold a little while yet, but in a fading way. The parallel with the St Helena is simply startling, a great juxtaposition. Top wine for one. GK 10/14

2007 Palliser Estate Pinot Noir 17 (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.9%; $48 [ screwcap; nil whole bunch; 12 months in French oak, 30% new; www.palliser.co.nz ]
Big pinot noir ruby. This wine too is rich and ample, quite dark, let down by some Martinborough mint and clear brett savoury complexity. Bouquet contains many elements both floral and savoury, and the palate follows on attractively, as if the oak were older and the tannins softer. The numbers say 30% new oak, however. Total style is rich and tending old-fashioned, very food-friendly, but like some Chateauneuf-du-Pape wines, the style outweighs varietal specifics. A little surprising a wine like this was selected for the 'Formal' side of an 'industry' Conference. Purists will score this lower. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 02/10

2004 Kaituna Valley Pinot Noir Marlborough Awatere Vineyard 17 (

)

Awatere River, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $42 [ screwcap ]
Deep ruby, some velvet, pretty well the maximum for pinot noir. This wine opens in the pennyroyal aromatic style of Martinborough and some Marlborough pinots, with some floral suggestions on red cherry and blackboy fruit. It is more or less between the other two Kaitunas, in style. Palate is coarser, though, with the oak tending boisterous at this stage, and the fruit a bit stewed-plummy and ‘sweet’. It will look subtler and better in two years, for it has plenty of richness. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 12/05

2005 Yalumba Viognier The Virgilius 17 (

)

Eden Valley, South Australia, Australia: 13.5%; $49 [ screwcap; Yalumba first planted viognier in 1980, the first in Australasia in the modern era; The Virgilius is seen by Yalumba as their pre-eminent white wine, to match Penfolds Yattarna Chardonnay. Hand-picked Montpellier clone up to 25 years' age @ c. 2.5 t/ac; whole-bunch pressed; 100% wild-yeast ferment, 100% BF, sometimes trace MLF but none desired; 9 months lees autolysis and batonnage 3-weekly in French oak 4% new, 10 months total in oak; RS 2 g/L, pH 3.4; Virgilius is a barrel selection within the Eden Valley label; Parker 167: … fermented and matured in neutral French oak barrels for ten months prior to bottling. This single-vineyard cuvee exhibits crisp acidity, projected aromatics of dried apricots, litchi nuts, honeysuckle, and passion fruit. Crisp acidity and a steely backbone provide good counterbalance to the lavish fruit and fragrance. 90; www.yalumba.com ]
Lemongreen, one of the palest. This is a very confusing wine. Despite being the first year for screwcap on Virgilius, currently every bottle is opening damnably different. Perhaps it should all be put aside for a year or so to marry up. This bottle opened with an almost austere, older-style Germanic Mosel overtone, doughy rather than lees autolysis / bread crust, almost reductive or maybe dulled by high-solids aromas. Yet with decanting and air, it opens up considerably to clear barrel-ferment and lees-autolysis complexity which is nearly baguette-like, on under-ripe canned apricots. In flavour the bready crustiness is almost excessive, though such heavy-duty lees-autolysis has produced great texture and mouthfeel. Some would say this is an over-worked wine, too technological, masking the beauty of the variety and substituting texture. It needs to be checked in 12 – 18 months, before concluding on that one. Meanwhile, it is hard to score. Should cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 07/07

2008 Clos Henri Pinot Noir 17 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 14.1%; $37 [ cork; the website gives indicative notes, rather than vintage-specific ones: hand-harvested at c 2 t/ha = 0.8 t/ac from the older terrace soils now known to produce Marlborough's most promising pinots, some cold-soak, no fermentation info; unknown time in French oak 30% new; www.clos-henri.com/vineyard/index.en.php4 ]
Pinot noir ruby, a denser and older colour than the Bel Echo. Bouquet shows the lighter florals so frequent in Marlborough pinots, more sweet-pea than deeper boronia-like qualities, on red cherry and oak. Palate is both richer and oakier than the Bel Echo, a much more 'serious' wine, but also a bit heavy and losing a little in pinot charm. Its size will win fans, sadly, at this stage of our pinot evolution . Cellar 3 – 8 years, to lighten up, I hope. GK 06/11

2002 Castello di Cacchiano Rosso 17 (

)

Toscana IGT, Italy: 14%; $23 [ cork; Sa mainly, some canaiolo, grown at 400m in the Classico zone, hand-picked, French oak, non-filtered; the website shown provided a good winery and vineyard profile, but is not now available ; http://futurewine.it/schedaazienda.htm?idazienda=1008〈=en ]
Ruby, some age. Bouquet is red cherry / bitter cherry clearly sangiovese, in an oaky but clearly Tuscan way. Palate is firm, very dry, acid, yet with great cherry fruit. Though a bit oaky and bretty, this is a good robust and winey sangiovese blend to cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 03/06

2007 Pask Cabernet / Merlot / Malbec Gimblett Road 17 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $24 [ screwcap; CS 50%, Me 35, Ma 15; c. 14 months in French and American oak; RS <1 g/L; Catalogue: Ripe fully flavoured fruit is traditionally warm fermented and then aged in oak for softening, complexing and completing this wine. The strength of Cabernet is partnered with supple Merlot and fragrant Malbec … aromas of blackcurrants and fine sweet oak. An intense well extracted red. Brambly fruits combine with firm tannin … Bottle development will enhance this wine by offering leathery notes as well as softening; Awards: 5 Stars & Best Buy, Cuisine Sept. 2007, Silver @ Chicago World Wine Championships 2007; www.cjpaskwinery.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet. Bouquet is clean, fragrant and sweet on a suggestion of violets and dark roses, plus cassis, ripe plums and lightly cedary oak. Flavour shows a little more oak and a trace of stalk, but the berryfruit is fresh and attractive, medium richness, all attractively balanced as a medium-term wine. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 07/09

2006 Morton Estate Viognier Hawkes Bay White Label 17 (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $19 [ screwcap; young vines of clone 642 in second crop, machine-harvested @ c. 1 t/ac – winemaker Evan Ward believes optimal quality will be @ c. 1.8 t/ac; nil wild-yeast, BF, LA, MLF, or time in oak – winemaker seeking pure varietal expression; RS 9 g/L, pH 3.2; www.mortonestatewines.co.nz ]
Lemon. This is a light delicate presentation of viognier, all the emphasis being on the fruit, with little or no oak. Bouquet is clearly varietal and floral, with a lifted almost jasmine note through mock-orange blossom to a hint of wild-ginger in flower, on pale stone fruits and some apricot. It is subtle alongside the oak-influenced and richer Church Road example. Palate is delightful, the pure variety, cherimoya and canned apricots, little or no oak [see above], a little lees-autolysis and fermentation complexity, fresh acid, noticeable residual. It is a riesling-like and introductory presentation of the variety, against the chardonnay-like styling of the more highly-rated wines. Given the residual, this may be harder to match with foods, but some Asian should work. Cellar 1 – 3 years. GK 07/07

2003 Mount Riley Pinot Noir 17 (

)

Nelson & Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $20 [ screwcap; www.mountriley.co.nz ]
Good pinot ruby. Fragrant red cherries are the first impression, and rose-like florals, lighter than the top wines but totally varietal. Palate is the same, very cherry-like, beautifully under-oaked or should I say appropriately oaked, and with a silky mouthfeel as in light burgundy. This is Mount Riley's basic pinot noir, and it is an enormous step forward in their approach to this variety. Cellar to 8 years. GK 10/04

2005 Coopers Creek Viognier Gisborne 17 (

)

Gisborne, New Zealand: 14.5%; $19 [ screwcap; hand-harvested, s/s initial ferment, finished in barrel, 4 months LA and batonnage in older French oak; www.cooperscreek.co.nz ]
Palest lemongreen. Like the Bilancia, it is infinitely regrettable so many New Zealand wineries are obsessed with releasing wines at an unthinkable 6 months of age (by European standards), before Christmas, purely for marketing reasons, thus short-changing the quality the winemaker has striven for in the wine. This wine smells infantile, showing uncoordinated fruit and more fresh oak than is ideal (despite the short exposure to it – this may marry-up in 6 months). Palate hints at the quality to come, with fair body, pale canned apricots flavours, and attractive nearly dry balance. It is just much too young to be pleasant drinking, with estery chewing-gum components still to marry away. The mark includes an anticipation factor. Cellar to five years. GK 11/05

2005 Bilancia Viognier Hawkes Bay 17 (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $29 [ screwcap; hand-picked, BF in older oak, 5 months LA and some batonnage, no MLF; www.bilancia.co.nz ]
Lemon. Making allowance for the premature release, bouquet is clearly stonefruits including some fresh apricots, with the oak very subtle. There is some of the broadness of the Burge, but not the vibrant varietal quality of the top wines. Palate has rich fruit, unusually so for New Zealand, with the stonefruit, component extended by oak, but scarcely tasting of it. Six months from release is very infantile even for viognier, and this should look a lot more varietal in another six months (when it should be released). Sweetness is higher than is optimal for premium viognier, though. Cellar 3 – 5 years maximum. GK 11/05

2005 Heartland Shiraz Directors' Cut 17 (

)

Langhorne Creek 60% & Limestone Coast 40, South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $34 [ cork; a Ben Glaetzer consultancy wine; 1 day cold soak, 9 days cuvaison; MLF in barrel 70% new French, 30% new US; 6 months on lees, racked, then a further 8 months; Wine Spectator: "Velvety texture, bright, juicy plum and blackberry fruit up front, shaded with captivating nuances of mocha, tar and licorice. Not too tannic. To 2015. 91"; www.heartlandwines.com.au ]
Dense ruby and velvet, the darkest in the batch. This is a modern cynical wine, with excess charry and coffee'd oak tailored to popular taste, on rich boysenberry fruit. Palate is very rich, somewhat euc'y as well, not bone-dry, verging on jammy. As such it is good example of its trendy style, but not the suite of flavours I seek in Australian shiraz. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 12/07

2007 Newton-Forrest Cabernet / Merlot / Malbec Cornerstone Vineyard 17 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $50 [ screwcap; CS 56%, Me 23, Ma 21, if the same as the 2005 mostly hand-harvested, balance machine @ < 2.5 t/ac, average vine age 13 years; 70% French oak, 30 US, 1/3 new, 1/3 one-year and 1/3 two-year; coarse-filtered only; c.1000 cases; 2007 not on website yet; www.forrestwines.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, middling in weight. Freshly opened, this is a disorganised wine, showing good berry but some detracting notes. They included a phenolic / carbolic edge, red fruits more than black, oak noticeable, a strange undertone of shellfish, not unpleasant, just curious, maybe cooperage-related. Palate is better, quite rich plummy fruit much more apparent, the flavours long, a hint of almonds. It improved greatly with air, so after three years or so to marry up in bottle, this should be good but oaky Hawke's Bay Cabernet / Merlot. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 01/10

2001 Martinborough Vineyard Pinot Noir 17 (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $60 [ www.martinborough-vineyard.co.nz ]
Good pinot-weight ruby. Once breathed, one of the strongest bouquets among the better wines, with clear florals combining the sweetness of roses with the perfume of dianthus, all lifted by a suggestion of stalkiness. Just a whisper of cool-year Cote Rotie in there, too. Below are red berries, and cherries. Flavour amplifies these themes, with fair weight of cherryberry, although the oak does accentuate the stalky suggestion. One gets the impression of not quite careful enough selection for ripeness in the fruit. In its fresh style therefore, this wine has much in common with the 2002 Cloudy Bay, but is lighter. It is also valid to recall the old Burgundy saying Bourgogne vert, Bourgogne vieux – some stalkiness is legitimate in the pinot noir paradigm, particularly when associated with a ripeness of stalks sufficient to suggest floral notes as well. Some would say that is old-school thinking, but it is arguably preferable to the over-ripe approach, where opportunities for the floral bouquet essential to fine pinot have been lost. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 01/04

2008 Saint Cosme Gigondas Tradition 17 (

)

Gigondas AOC, Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $43 [ cork; Gr 62%, Sy 20; Mv 17, Ci 1; in a normal year, up to 70% of the wine is aged in 1 – 4 years-old barrels, but note there is no Valbelle in 2008, so that fraction is all in this label, presumably introducing more new oak than usual; www.saintcosme.com/en/wines.php ]
Lightish ruby, pinot noir weight, a little age suggested. Bouquet is more traditional on this wine, more where Guigal was in the 1980s for Gigondas (in the best sense). There is lovely warm cinnamon spice of grenache red fruits, yet some omega plum depths too. Palate is clearly spicy on the cinnamon and oak, somewhat more fruit than the colour suggests, no sign of age in the flavour, but not a big wine, not perfectly ripe maybe, reflecting the lesser year. These blends cellar deceptively well, even so, 3 – 10 years, maybe more. GK 07/10

2013 Pask Merlot Declaration 17 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $50 [ screwcap; DFB; Me 100%, machine-picked from c.20-year old vines planted at 2,500 vines / ha and cropped @ c.6.5 t/ha = 2.6 t/ac; cuvaison 22 – 26 days, cultured-yeast; MLF in barrel; 18 months in French oak c.75% new; RS <1 g/L; sterile-filtered; dry extract 27.2 g/L; production 500 x 9-L cases; release late 2015; pre-release tasting bottles courtesy Kate Radburnd; www.pask.co.nz ]
Fresh ruby, the lightest colour in both the formal presentation set, and the extended tasting. Like the Vidal Cabernet / Merlot Legacy, there is the thought of floral and fragrant red-fruits pinot noir to this wine. It is the most dramatically different Declaration Series red from Pask I can think of, but I don't have my finger on every vintage of them. The oak of yesteryear is not apparent at all. This is a berryfruit-dominant wine. But in this bracket, in this wonderfully ripe year, the Pask Merlot comes across as tending cool, both on bouquet and then more markedly on palate. There is not quite the ripeness and the suggestion of black fruits merlot needs. Instead there is a suggestion of leaf and nearly stalks, with total acid above optimal. It is fragrant attractive but light wine, which hasn't captured the magical potential of the year. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 05/15

2005 Stonyridge Larose 17 (

)

Waiheke Island, Auckland, New Zealand: 13.5%; $278 [ cork 49mm; CS 44%, Ma 21, Me 15, PV 15, CF 5, cropped at c. 1 t/ac in 2005; original cost $140 [ the wine-searcher current value given is unrealistic, presumably reflecting much too small a sample: the wine sells for around $110 +17% fees at current Auckland auctions ]; DFB; up to 25-day cuvaison; MLF in barrel; oak 90% French, 10 US, 70% either new, or shaved and re-toasted; not filtered; 500 cases; organic; one of the two 'famous' pioneers for bordeaux blends on Waiheke Island, and now the pre-eminent one, Stephen White's Larose has a track record back to the first tentative vintage in 1985 (after tutelage at Ch d'Angludet), then suddenly rivetting the country with the 1987, which gave notice that Waiheke Island would be a force to be reckoned with, for New Zealand bordeaux-blends; M. Cooper, 2007: Densely coloured, it is strikingly generous and rich, with powerful blackcurrant, herb and spice flavours, showing great ripeness, and supple tannins. It's an authoritative wine with notable intensity, complexity and potential, *****; www.stonyridge.co.nz ]
Youthful ruby, still almost carmine, and velvet, much the youngest colour and the second deepest. Bouquet is immediately minty to a fault, excessively so, many tasters commenting on it. Below that factor oak is the second impression, totally unknit alongside all but one of the Bordeaux. But there is also enormous aromatic berry, cassisy from the cabernet but also a bit aggressive. In mouth the latter component comes to the fore, so in comparison with the silky cassisy palate of the Haut-Batailley, there is this clunky purple aromatic of cassis coarsened by malbec. As Bordeaux has shown, Stonyridge Larose will be a much finer wine, using the word 'fine' in its most multidimensional sense, when malbec is removed from the blend. Totally. In all other respects the wine is amazingly fresh, still totally youthful, oaky, needing another 10 years to be where the Bordeaux wines are now. Dry extract is greater than Coleraine, so there is plenty to develop on. Top wine for seven, in the group, as always in this kind of exercise, the result reflecting the popular appeal of obvious new oak. Cellar 10 – 30 years. GK 06/15

1974 Nobilo Cabernet Sauvignon 17 (

)

Huapai / Kumeu, Auckland district, New Zealand: – %; $ – [ Cork 48mm; understood to be 2 years in French oak. ]
Colour is the same weight as the 1976 Nobilo, but the hue is a notch less ruby, closer to the McWilliams but twice the depth. Bouquet on this one is very different. Initially opened it was a little congested – bottle stink in the traditional sense – but three hours or so in the glass sees the wine transformed. The wine still shows good berry fruit and a clear browning cassis component, plus brown pipe tobacco, berry dominant over oak, much richer and more harmonious than the 1976. Palate confirms, still clear fruit texture, weight and presence in mouth, and the oak sweeter and seemingly newer than the 1976. Oak level is high by cru bourgeois standards, but the nett quality of achievement is surprising, in 2016. Will hold some years more (in Wellington). GK 02/16

2004 Sleeping Dogs Chardonnay 17 (

)

Canterbury & Otago, New Zealand: 12.5%; $19 [ screwcap; Otago crop reduced by frost – hence mainly Canterbury ]
Pale lemon. An out of the ordinary chardonnay bouquet, with acacia florals so strong as to be nearly rank. Blind, the wine is hard to identify as to variety: it could be a kind of sauvignon. In mouth, it continues to be unusual, scarcely oaked, the florals with a sweet vernal dimension reminding of both riesling and Hunter Valley semillon (best). Suggestions of oak, barrel ferment and lees autolysis creep up on the later palate, which is clearly dry. This might evolve into an exciting chablis style in a year’s time. Mark tentative – could be higher, or might plummet. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 06/05

2006 Framingham Pinot Gris 17 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 14.5%; $27 [ screwcap; winemaker aiming for the richer Alsace style, not dry Italian pinot grigio; RS 11 g/L; Framingham's thoughts on the taste of the var. have long been evocative, worth quoting: Lifted, fruit-forward aromatics reminiscent of apples, pears, raisins and cream with some underlying mineral notes. Generous “apple strudel”-like flavours of apple, pear, quince, raisins, dough and custard. Rich, slightly oily palate with excellent weight, texture and mouthfeel culminating in a long, creamy finish; www.framingham.co.nz ]
Palest lemon. Bouquet here is more in the modest New Zealand pinot gris pattern, some pearflesh, some older bottled nectarines, maybe a faint trace of oxidation. Palate is sweeter than the higher-rated ones or the Corbans, filling it out and papering over any defects. It is surprisingly developed though. Cellar a year or two only. GK 03/08

2005 Penfolds Shiraz Bin 28 Kalimna 17 (

)

McLaren Vale, Barossa Valley, & Langhorne Creek, South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $31 [ screwcap; Sh 100%; 13 months in older all-American oak 2 – 4 years old, all hogsheads; www.penfolds.com.au ]
Ruby and velvet, nearly some carmine, fresher than many Bin 28s. Bouquet on this wine bespeaks an older-style Australian red, showing a reasonable volume of boysenberry and red fruits, but all slightly leathery. Palate is rich but straightforward, with a slightly saline negative suggestion. Latterly Bin 28 has been the weak link in these Penfolds Bins, though this is a better example. It is all a bit sad really, for Bin 28 was so good in the 1960s and early 1970s, when it was in truth largely sourced from the Kalimna vineyard. Those wines are still good. But most of that fruit now goes into RWT and the like, at eye-watering prices. Incidentally, there is a reality-in-labelling issue Penfolds need to think about here. Kalimna is so well known as a premium South Australian Penfolds vineyard, that to retain the use of that name in this wine’s title because it was formerly mainly sourced from there, is now misleading. Cellar 5 – 15 years, in its style, maybe longer. GK 03/08

nv Champagne Moet & Chandon Imperial Brut 17 (

)

Epernay, Champagne, France: 12%; $50 [ laminated champagne cork; PN c.35%, PM c.35, Ch c.30; c.25% Reserve wines usually only a couple of vintages; full MLF; time en tirage not known; dosage c.9 g/L; Stelzer notes that standard nv M&C is currently as good as it has ever been, despite increasing volumes; www.moet.com ]
Colour is attractive lemon straw, immediately so different from the ghastly pale sulphur-bleached Moet wines of the 1980s. And the bouquet follows in good style, only trace sacky weakness, otherwise clean, fragrant, very much mainstream champagne. There is just this trace of wet straw letting it down fractionally. Palate is fresh, aromatic to a degree but you have to taste it twice, and against the Ruinart too with its similar dosage, to see the added flavours of pinot noir in the blend. It's not quite as rich as the Ruinart, and the phenolics are clearly higher, as you'd expect from a wine that simply can't all be made from classed-growth vineyards. But basically, with Moet & Chandon now available at $50 in supermarket specials (from time to time), this is a 'benchmark' commercial French fizz. For different reasons, it scores about the same as, or slightly less than, the drier 2010 Hunter's MiruMiru Reserve. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 10/15

2005 Felton Road Chardonnay 17 (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $35 [ screwcap; hand-harvested clone mendoza, whole bunch pressed; drained directly to barrel with solids, wild yeast ferment in French oak 10% new; complete MLF and regular batonnage; 17 months on full lees in barrel; this is the wine formerly labelled 'Barrel-Fermented'; belated congratulations to Felton Road for adding full technical notes for all wines back to 1998 to the website – it is attention to this kind of detail that distinguishes the great wineries of New Zealand; bottle courtesy Andrew Swann; www.feltonroad.co.nz ]
Full straw, the second deepest colour. Bouquet immediately is something else. With the right food, this would be a sensation. The florality of the 2009 Felton Road is I think evident here, but it has been transmuted into a most unusual crayfish and baguette character. There is an element of Te Koko in the wine too, more from the elevage complexities than any obvious herbal notes. Palate is rich, long, but again the high acid commented on for the 2009 wine shows through. It sits with the 2005 Corton-Charlemagne and 2005 Riflemans beautifully, yet is so different, really quite a sensory experience. The wine is reaching a level of complexity where it is hard to be objective, and likewise is hard to score. There is plenty of life left in this bottle, in its distinctive style, perhaps cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 03/12

2007 Matariki Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 17 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $35 [ screwcap; CS 90%, Me 5, CF 5, all de-stemmed; inoculated ferments, varying cuvaisons some to 4 weeks; MLF in barrel, 22 months in predominantly French oak 58% new; RS ‘dry’; 2007 not on the website yet; www.matarikiwines.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, midway in depth. Bouquet shows the clear cassis of ripe cabernet, and clear oak to excess, with a note of cloves or mace. Palate is leaner than the high-merlot wines, but the cassis is intense, with sufficient ripeness and length, the length extended by a noticeably oaky finish. This could be surprisingly long-lived wine, which should become cedary and fragrant in a lean way. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 01/10

2002 Selaks Syrah Founder’s Reserve 17 (

)

Mohaka Valley, northern Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $33 [ cork; DFB; no winemaking info on website; www.nobilo.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet. This is a disorganised bouquet, reflecting some of the cassis and plummy berry of Hawkes Bay syrah, plus some of the logan / boysenberry simpler fruit smells and flavours of shiraz from Australia. Palate is fleshy within these parameters, not exactly jammy but slightly stewed and reminiscent of Coonawarra, as if it were machine-harvested, with berries ranging from under-ripe to over-ripe. A popular style, but less promising cellarwise - perhaps 3 - 5 years. GK 06/05

2012 Henschke [ Sh / CS / Me / CF ] Keyneton Euphonium 17 (

)

Barossa Valley, South Australia, Australia: 14%; $182 [ screwcap; Sh 65%, CS 20, Me 10, CF 5; all matured in French hogsheads, 90% French, 10 American, 15% new; Halliday vintage rating Barossa Valley 9 /10 for 2012; www.henschke.com.au ]
Ruby and velvet, a suggestion of age, in the middle for depth of colour. A much quieter bouquet than Cyril, just browning red fruits, yet rather aromatic and oaky. Once one knows the cepage, it makes sense that the Bordeaux components are attenuated by shiraz. Palate is 'sweet', ripe, mellow, but let down by a saline suggestion towards the finish, despite the fruit richness. Like Cyril, there is a lot of oak, but it is sophisticated. Will end up mellow but excessively aromatic cedary red, with good fruit richness, but not clear-cut as to style. It seems expensive, therefore. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 06/16

2006 Yalumba [ Cabernet / Shiraz ] Reserve Bin FDR1A 17 (

)

Eden & Barossa Valleys, South Australia, Australia: 14%; $40 [ cork; CS 71% from the Eden Valley, Sh 29% from Barossa, hand-picked; this label previously made in 1974, 2000, 2004, 2006 not on website yet so 2004 used here – indicative; 23 months in mostly American oak 46% new; www.yalumba.com ]
Dense ruby, carmine and velvet. Bouquet is in a simple Australian red style, ample plain over-ripe berry, slightly reduced, clearly euc'y. With air, the wine opens to a fleshy palate, still a little euc'y, but with cassisy flavours emerging in the plummy fruit, and oak, acid and alcohol not too obtrusive. It is closest in style to the Mission Jewelstone Merlot / Cabernet but acid more apparent. If it were not euc'y, it would rate a little higher. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 11/08

2013 Neudorf Pinot Noir Tom's Block 17 (

)

Upper Moutere 85%, Waimea Plains 15, Nelson, New Zealand: 13.5%; $35 [ screwcap; mostly Dijon 777 and UCD 5, 4 others including Abel, planted at 2,500 – 3125 vines/ha, c.15 years age; all hand-picked, @ c.5 t/ha (2 t/ac), nil whole-bunch component, pre-ferment cold soak 4 – 6 days, then 15 – 17 days cuvaison with 100% wild yeast; all of the wine c.10 months in French oak c.22% new, medium toast; not sterile-filtered to bottle; RS 0.6 g/L: dry extract 26.8 g/L; production c.2,200 cases; www.neudorf.co.nz ]
Lightish pinot noir ruby, the lightest wine in the 17. Considering this is Neudorf's 'second wine', this is intriguing pinot noir, smelling highly burgundian, another to remind of the Rousseau approach to the variety. It is floral, French tea-roses again, but the key thing is the quality of the red fruits, with suggestions of strawberries and raspberries (neither excessive) in red cherries, quite lovely. Palate does not show the weakness which those fruit descriptors could imply, the wine instead being soft and sustained on good fruit length and richness. This is close to Volnay in style. If you find many New Zealand pinots too dark for your taste, try this one. I think it is a key wine in defining the range of legitimate New Zealand pinot noir styles. To have such attractive (and explicit) red fruits without leafy / stalky undertones is a rare achievement, totally burgundian. Cellar 3 – 8 years or so. Group View (Flight 1): no first places, 2 second, 1 least. GK 11/15

2013 Martinborough Vineyard Syrah Lovat 17 (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: – %; $ – [ screwcap; Sy 100%, 10% whole bunch; 14 months in barrel, 16% new; to be released late in the year at around $50; www.martinborough-vineyard.co.nz ]
Medium ruby, below midway in depth. Bouquet is intriguing, with on the one hand a beautiful carnations / dianthus highly varietal cool-climate syrah note, but also a slightly more marc-y interpretation of the grape. It is still remarkably varietal in the blind line-up of 45 wines, however. In mouth it springs more into focus, distinct reminders of Les Collines Rhodaniennes, the cooler zone above Cote Rotie where they have difficulty ripening syrah to its full varietal expression. Actual fruit and berry are good, but there is a touch of stalk and acid, hints of red currants as well as black, and red plums more than black too. Oaking is subtly matched to this lighter fruit character. Interesting wine, illustrating how intensively syrah must be cultivated to deliver correct varietal character in the Martinborough district, even when the cropping rate (as here) is appropriate for quality. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 03/15

1986 Robard & Butler Rhine Riesling Amberley 17 (

)

Waipara, Canterbury, New Zealand: – %; $ – [ cork; Robard & Butler was a specialist almost ‘negociant’ label within Corbans, which under Martin Carrington’s leadership in the 1980s became highly regarded, including even some imported wines; Corbans the wine firm became part of Montana, then Pernod-Ricard, and is now a Lion label ]
Light gold, fractionally deeper than the Corbans Riesling. Bouquet is more complex but a little edgy alongside the Corbans, both citrussy and a hint of ripe stalk, plus a thought of botrytis. Flavour brings up the citrus, more lime than lemon, a surprising depth to the wine as if a hint of oak (probably just riesling terpenes), with botrytis and bush-honey notes right through the long medium-dry aftertaste. More honeyed character and slightly sweeter than the Corbans, more varietal than the Millton, but not as sweet or rich. Fully mature. GK 12/17

2004 Boekenhoutskloof Syrah 17 (

)

Franschhoek (c. 20 k E of Stellenbosch), South Africa: – %; $ – [ bottle not seen; $US45; Remington Norman – one of the best south African examples of the grape; older French oak only; merchant review (www.southernwines.com) quotes noted South African wine author John Platter as rating this wine five stars in 2007: Admired for remarkable consistency, traditional styling. Splendid '04 tighter knit, more focused than ever, both sensuous & sophisticated. Gorgeous spicy red-fruit intensity, delicious savoury concentration will reward 8-10 years cellaring; no recent Parker review, but he comments on earlier vintages of this wine: R. Parker 145: Boekenhoutskloof fashions the finest South African Syrahs I've tasted. "I want to be in the style of Hermitage, not Barossa, that's the business," stated Mark Kent matter-of-factly. An admirer of Gerard and Jean-Louis Chave, Kent ferments his Syrah with natural yeasts and ages it for 27 months in used barrels; website under construction; www.boekenhoutskloof.co.za ]
Ruby, old for age, clearly older than the 2004 Bullnose. Bouquet is interesting, with some clear syrah varietal florals in browning cassis berry, closer in style to the d'Ampuis than the new world wines. Palate is a little less, the oak including older, with some varnishy hints, good berryfruit but the phenolics higher than other wines of the same colour density. Clearly syrah in style rather than shiraz, but ageing prematurely. Cellar 3 – 8 years maybe. GK 01/07

2010 Rockford Shiraz Basket Press * 17 (

)

Barossa Valley, South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $75 [ Screwcap; rated Exceptional in the Langton's Australian wine classification, the first-level group of 21 wines; Halliday rates the 2010 vintage 9 for Barossa Valley; elevation in American and French oak for two years; Ben Edwards at Halliday, 2013: Deep garnet with a purple hue; this benchmark wine from an iconic producer is laden with vibrant purple and black fruits, floral notes, earthy complexity and well executed oak handling; the palate is juicy, direct and layered, with fine-grained tannins providing an armchair ride for the vibrant and plush fruit that is on board. This will age tremendously well, but many will enjoy it without giving it that chance, drink by 2030, 96; no recent vintages reviewed at Robinson, but earlier ones all 17, ‘medicinal’ noted consistently; no recent Parker reviews either … you can’t help suspecting that as elsewhere, too many Australasian winemakers prefer the indulgent local view only; very little info on the website; bottle courtesy Eugene d’Eon; www.rockfordwines.com.au ]
Ruby and velvet, older naturally, in the middle for depth. Bouquet is quite different from the other wines, partly the age factor, but also a level of ripeness more the older style of Barossa Valley shiraz, dark plum grading to boysenberry, nearly a hint of malt, quite a lot of oak exacerbated by mintyness going on euc'y, fragrant but old-fashioned. Flavour is big too, reflecting the aromas plus licorice, a hint of baking as in plum tart, but the oak and alcohol rough and strong. Finish is dry to very dry, tannic, the flavours long and lingering. Big wine for big unsubtle ‘manly’ meals. Cellar 5 – 20 years, perhaps to show some of the qualities of the fresher Elderton wine, once some tannins polymerise in bottle. GK 04/17

nv Champagne Delamotte Brut 17 (

)

Le Mesnil, Champagne, France: 12%; $70 [ laminated champagne cork; PN 35%, PM 10, Ch 550; in effect the second label of Champagne Salon, and thus more highly regarded for its Blanc de Blancs; MLF practised (unlike Salon), no oak; c.33 months en tirage; dosage 7 g/L; total production for the house rising towards 80,000 cases, % this wine not known; www.salondelamotte.com ]
Palest lemon, the palest in the set. Bouquet is not the palest, however, the wine smelling clearly high in chardonnay, with the autolysis component more crumb-of-baguette than crust, clean and pure. Palate tastes even more of chardonnay, clean, pure, sustained though the autolysis factor is not complex. This is the only French wine to match the Akarua for neatness and dryness of finish / dosage, though it is not as rich. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 11/15

1990 Henschke [ Merlot / Cabernet Sauvignon ] Abbotts Prayer 17 (

)

Lenswood, Adelaide Hills, South Australia, Australia: 13%; $166 [ cork 48mm; Me 60, CS 40, cropped c. 6 t/ha = 2.4 t/ac; planted at 550m, oldest vines 8 years in 1990, viticulture tending organic; so cool by Australian standards, picking is in early May; 18 months in all-new French oak; no northern hemisphere reviews, Halliday doesn't go back quite that far, rates early 90s wines 92 – 94, Bordeaux-like; Henschke website also does not go so far back; no reviews found; www.henschke.com.au ]
Garnet and ruby, the second lightest wine. Bouquet shows browning cassis, quite a lot of nearly cedary oak, and some mint. Palate seems leaner and less berry-ripe than the Bin 407, Clos Pegase, or Kanonkop wines, so the mint now shows more, and the oak is more noticeable, on the tending-hollow palate. But the nett flavours and retained impression of juiciness (despite the lack of palate texture) are still appealing, and there is good dry extract, so it scores quite well. Fully mature, starting to fade. No votes. GK 10/15

2012 Greywacke Wild Sauvignon 17 (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $ – [ screwcap; fruit from both Southern Valleys and Wairau Plains, mix of hand-pick and machine, at roughly 9 – 10 t/ha = 3.6 – 4 t/ac; no SO2 at press, no skin contact, only the lightest pressings used, all juice cold-settled then into barrels, 93% older oak (up to 9 years), 7% new (light toast); long wild-yeast fermentations quite warm initially, usually extending to 11 – 12 months, occasionally longer, MLF typically 66% but ranging from 50 – 75% of barrels; the wine then assembled in s/s with full lees and held 6 or so months; RS 3 – 3.5 g/L, sterile-filtered to bottle; Wild has now grown to 25% of all Greywacke sauvignon; www.greywacke.com ]
Lemongreen, below midway in depth. One sniff, and this is more ordinary New Zealand sauvignon blanc, clearly a cool year, green capsicum rather than red, snow peas, sweet basil ‘herbes’ again, but also a hint of canned peas and canned asparagus. Palate is as rich as the others, but has the complex methoxypyrazine aromatics of less ripe capsicums displayed to a tee, completely dominating the oak and MLF components. TA is a little high, too. Richard confirmed my own observations (from the literature) that when they present this wine to consumer tastings in the UK, or even to more populist magazines like Decanter, the Brits prefer this sauvignon style to the more ripe and harmonious wines. Sadly, this British quirk allows too many producers to continue exporting over-cropped, thin and under-ripe but reasonably flavourful wines propped up by frankly commercial residual sugar. Such wines are a world apart from Greywacke Sauvignon, except when Nature dictates otherwise as in 2012. The canned green notes will increase, if cellared, so best regarded as fully mature now. 2002 was indeed the coolest year in recent times, in Marlborough. GK 05/17

nv Champagne Perrier-Jouet Grand Brut 17 (

)

Epernay, Champagne, France: 12%; $80 [ supercritical Diam 'cork'; PN 40%, PM 40, Ch 20; c.13% reserve wines spanning three vintages; 36 months en tirage; dosage 10 g/L; total production for the house is c.250 000 cases, but % this wine comprises not known; www.perrier-jouet.com ]
Lemon, like the Taittinger, below midway in depth. At this point in the ranking, the quality of bouquet and precision and purity of the autolysis / baguette / brioche component takes a step down. There is a reasonable volume of champagne character, but in it there is trace damp cardboard, letting it down slightly. Palate is markedly better, palest white nectarines and brioche, good length, fine-grained, making you wish you could score it higher. Dosage is closely matched to the Pol Roger. That's the trouble, one wants champagne to be so beautiful, one seeks perfection, so little flaws become overly apparent. Cellar 5 – 15 years, probably to harmonise totally. GK 11/15

2002 Akarua Pinot Noir 17 (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14.5%; $40 [ screwcap; historic price, same today, showing how over-charged we were in the first flush of pinot enthusiasm in New Zealand. This was a big wine in its younger day, and much praised. I took a contrary view on it, comparing it with Chateauneuf-du-Pape. It seemed necessary therefore to own a few, and in due course report back on it. Impressions awaited with interest; Cooper 2005, *****: densely coloured, deliciously soft and concentrated … arresting …; www.akarua.com ]
Colour is clearly the freshest, and it is the second to richest in the set, all rather big for pinot noir. Bouquet is 'big' too, rich and ripe to over-ripe, as much merlot as pinot noir, darkly plummy more than cherry, moderately oaked for the size of the fruit, fragrant but not floral. Palate and mouthfeel are good, tending towards the Clos de Tart, but the boldness and tannin of the wine takes it further away from pinot charm than that (admittedly more over-ripe) wine. Very hard to score, such a fine dividing line between black cherry and too darkly plummy, and the oaking is well done, so silver medal – just. This wine just jumps the hurdle the Dry River falls at, and may well fine down in cellar. It will certainly cellar longer than the other New Zealand wines in the set. It will provide rewarding study for another 5 – 10 years. GK 10/12

2012 Domaine Mongeard-Mugneret Grands Echezeaux 17 (

)

Vosne-Romanée Grand Cru, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: – %; $222 [ cork; vine age 40 – 68 years; wine-searcher valuation $274; www.mongeard.com ]
A polarising wine, clear and pale ruby with a pretty jewel-like brightness. Clean and floral nose, attractive and youthful, not overly intense. Characters of kirsch, red cherry jam, vanilla, fresh raspberry, mint tea and oak on the nose. Palate is dry with gorgeous floral rose, violet and Turkish delight. Cinnamon, cardamom and vanilla spice add complexity to the palate. Fruit is very fresh and forward, red fruits including red cherry, red apple, red plum and raspberry. Some tasters however thought there was a candied component to the red fruits. Has ageing potential, possibly a touch heavy-handed with the oak, although these flavours may integrate further with cellaring. Tannins are ripe and fine-grained, alcohol is medium and length is medium-plus. RD 08/16

2007 Passage Rock Syrah Reserve 17 (

)

Eastern Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14%; $50 [ screwcap; hand-picked, 25 days cuvaison; c.11 – 12 months in barrel, 90% American and 60% new, balance French; sterile-filtered; 300 cases; ‘Bold and powerful opulent concentrated aromas of Plum and black cherry with a great supporting role of fine grained barrels.’; www.passagerockwines.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet. Freshly opened, this one seemed very oaky indeed, quite resiny with a slightest reminder of splitting macrocarpa – not in itself unattractive, but distracting. In mouth there is good cassis, some black pepper, and the syrah varietal quality emerges clearly, though the backdrop of resiny American oak remains. This may not be such a good cellar wine, as noted (now) for the 2005. Cellar 5 – 8 years, keeping an eye on it. GK 06/09

1969 McWilliams Cabernet Sauvignon 17 (

)

Taradale, Hawke's Bay, New Zealand: – %; $ – [ Cork 48mm; fifth vintage of the 'first' New Zealand semi-commercial cabernet, overseen by one of the great New Zealand pioneers, Tom McDonald, later joined by Denis Kasza. The 1969 was considered second-only to the 1965, in its day. Tom, Denis, and the label long since deceased. US oak. ]
Ruby, still a flush of 'rosy', the second lightest wine. Bouquet on this wine is dramatic, absolutely the closest indication now of the near-mythical 1965 McWilliams Cabernet Sauvignon. The key character is the purity of exact browning cassis, wonderfully aromatic, as in bottled blackcurrants 20 – 30 years old (well-bottled blackcurrants easily last 30 years, in quart-size jars). Palate shares the cassis cue with Talbot, and as soon as you carefully compare them side by side, the key to these two wines is the absolute purity of new oak. Popular mythology did not suppose Tom and Denis had new oak again, after the 1965, but on the taste evidence here, they did. This wine does not have the lactic note that slightly muddies the 1967 in this tasting, a character which became obtrusive in the next decade of this label. Palate weight nearly compares with the Talbot, but there is merlot 'flesh' in the latter which the 1969 McWilliams lacks, being straight cabernet sauvignon. My high score for this wine is influenced by the absolutely stunning bouquet; some tasters found it too lean. Label ceased late '70s, though related wine marketed till mid-80s. GK 02/16

2013 Wairau River Syrah Reserve 17 (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $39 [ screwcap; original price $40; Sy 100%, hand-harvested at c. 5 t/ha = 2 t/ac; most destemmed, some whole-bunches, 5 days cold soak with wild yeasts, then cultured yeast; 15 days cuvaison; 12 months in French oak, c. 30% new; not fined or filtered; no reviews found; dry extract not available; production not available; weight bottle and closure: 694 g; www.wairauriverwines.com ]
Ruby, some velvet, one of the older-looking wines, the third to lightest. This wine has an interesting bouquet. With reference to the Brits and their disparaging comments on New Zealand syrah, this wine does smell much more like Crozes-Hermitage. It is clearly varietal, but the dianthus florals are slightly leafy / stalky, with red fruits as much as black on bouquet, and white pepper more than black. Palate fits in perfectly, the wine showing not quite the purity of most in the field, red currants and red plums mainly with only suggestions of cassis, good fruit weight, but total acid a little elevated. Oak is beautifully balanced to the fruit character. It is markedly richer and riper than some Collines Rhodaniennes wines, however. Tasters sussed this wine quickly, with six least places. In this company, as in the cabernet / merlot where Ch Leoville-Barton trailed the field, to be least is no disgrace. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 06/17

2002 Brookfields Cabernet / Merlot Gold Label Reserve 17 (

)

Ngatarawa Triangle & Tuki Tuki, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $57 [ CS 85%, Me 10, Ma 5; French oak, 18 months; www.brookfieldsvineyards.co.nz ]
Ruby and some velvet, older. A clear stalky component is evident in the bouquet of this wine, but the berry-rich palate redeems it quite well. Fruit concentration is good, oak is subtle, and the wine is fragrant in the manner of a high-cabernet St Emilion. This should evolve into a fragrant Bordeaux-styled red, but not of an optimal year. Cellar 5 – 10. GK 10/04

nv Chevalier Cremant de Bourgogne Brut Classique (c. 4 years old) 17 (

)

Burgundy, France: 12%; $12.50 [ cork; special price; 'traditional blend using the four Burgundian grape varieties' [ for Cremant ] = pinot noir, chardonnay, gamay noir, aligoté; no info; no website. ]
Light straw. Bouquet on this wine is enchanting, bespeaking a fragrant red skinned grape. In a Champagne-district wine, you would immediately say, pinot meunier, but in Burgundy meunier is scarcely an authorised variety, though no doubt part and parcel of vineyards. Instead gamay noir is authorised for Cremant, and I'm picking the wonderful nearly rose-blossom florality this wine demonstrates is due to that variety. In addition there is lovely brioche autolysis, 'sweeter' in character than baguette-crust. Palate is nearly as good, not as big a wine as the Lanson, but neat taut fruit, good autolysis flavours, just faintly phenolic alongside Lindauer Blanc de Blancs of closely similar age, dosage around 9 – 10 g/L. Paul Mitchell aka The Wine Importer, Kumeu, had a parcel of this wine 'on disposal' before Christmas, at $12.50. It is the best value imported bubbly offered in New Zealand for years (the original price was in the $30s), genuinely in style, unlike so many imported sparkling wines touted by spin-master merchants quoting fanciful local reviews. Not a wine to cellar for long, however. GK 02/16

2011 Babich Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot The Patriarch 17 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12.5%; $70 [ 48mm supercritical 'cork'; CS 54%, Me 32, Ma 14, hand-harvested; 13 months in all-French oak 40% new; egg-white fined and filtered; RS < 1 g/L; Parker: 92+, Robinson: 15.5; www.babichwines.co.nz ]
Ruby, right in the middle of the lightest third, for weight of colour. Bouquet benefits from decanting, to show fragrant light wine reflecting cool-year Medoc in style. Like a number of the wines here, it is mostly red fruits, the genuine dark cassis aromatics of fully ripe cabernet sauvignon being absent. Oak handling on bouquet smells appropriate, for the fruit weight. Palate is intriguing, the oak is of fine quality but more apparent now in the relatively light fruit. Flavours are again more red plums with suggestions only of cassis, and the wine scarcely escapes a stalky undertone. Comparisons with the richer The Gimblett (though 2012) and the riper 2009 Alwyn are intriguing. Tannin handling is stylish, but basically this wine lacks stuffing. At the $70 price-point one can buy pretty attractive and ripe Bordeaux even including lesser classed growths, wines of international calibre, ripeness profile, and cellaring potential, whereas this wine is an older New Zealand style. As Church Road demonstrate, perhaps wrong-headedly when they ruled out even a 2010 edition of Tom, this 2011 Patriarch is not up to the ripeness and dry extract standards the label should display, given the price. And it will not cellar in the way a $70 Hawkes Bay red should. Cellar 3 – 8 years, possibly 10. GK 06/14

2009 Maude Pinot Noir 17 (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $32 [ screwcap; a diversely multiregional blend; hand-harvested, some whole-bunch and wild-yeast fermentation; cuvaison extended sometimes to 30 days; 10 months in barrel; no fining, minimal filtration; www.maudewines.com ]
Pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is floral and fragrant, with a hint of malt whisky, yet unmistakably pinot noir at the rose florals and red cherry level. Palate is a little shorter than the bouquet indicates, crisply red cherry fruit, the slightest suggestion of stalk and acid, lightly oaked. Leafyness may increase in cellar, 2 – 6 years. GK 09/10

2002 Te Motu [ Cabernets / Merlot ] 17 (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.5%; $90 [ cork; CS c.60%, Me c.30%, balance CF & Ma, handpicked @ c 1 t/ac; c.2.5 years in predominantly French and some American oak c.30% new; a bottle opened for interest; www.temotu.co.nz ]
Mature ruby and garnet. This Te Motu is a bit out to one side, being fragrant and aromatic on VA above threshold, which amplifies the oak side of the equation. There is good browning cassis in the bouquet, which in mouth leads into good mature very cedary fruit. The evidence is people really like this level of VA, not recognising it but instead thinking the wine is excitingly lifted and fumey. It does not mar the palate. Real grilled steak wine, but hard to score – I do have to be a little more clinical in these appraisals. Though quite rich, richer than the 2004 Te Motu, and from a good year, probably best not cellared beyond 5 years or so. It needs the fruit to hold it all in shape. Score is a little permissive, therefore. GK 06/10

2010 Mills Reef Viognier Reserve 17 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $21 [ screwcap; 100% BF in French oak none younger than 3 years, plus 2.5 months LA; nil MLF, RS not given; www.millsreef.co.nz ]
Attractive lemon. Among the chardonnays in the blind tasting, the lovely apricots-infused aroma of viognier immediately stands out. It is not dramatically varietal, but on bouquet there are suggestions of yellow honeysuckle and crisp yellow apricots – not ripe enough to be full orange. Palate is softened by some residual sugar, but there is good body as well. The oak here is as subtle as the Mills Reef Pinot Gris is clumsy, with the kind of mouthfeel suggesting some barrel-ferment in older oak only. A frankly commercial presentation of the grape in one sense, but fine enough to be good, too, despite the sugar. Should be popular. Cellar 1 – 3 years. GK 06/11

2013 Urlar Pinot Noir 17 (

)

Gladstone, Wairarapa, New Zealand: 14%; $35 [ screwcap; grape production BioGro-certified organic and biodynamic since 2010; hand-picked; fermentation in oak cuves and s/s; matured in French oak 20 – 25% new; not fined or filtered; RS nil; www.urlar.co.nz ]
A more burgundian pinot noir colour, the second lightest wine. Bouquet is floral and fragrant and pretty, a second wine suggesting the Volnay wine style. In mouth there is fair fruit, the whole wine close in style to the Schubert but a little leafier, trace white pepper, not quite perfect ripeness. Oaking is subtle though, and makes the most of the fruit qualities. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 05/16

2013 Palliser Estate Pinot Noir 17 (

)

Martinborough Terrace, Wairarapa, New Zealand: 14%; $53 [ screwcap; vines 14 – 15 years old; 37% whole-bunch, all wild-yeast ferments, c.15 days cuvaison; MLF and 10 months in all-French oak 23% new; sterile-filtered; www.palliser.co.nz ]
Lightish pinot noir ruby, below midway. Bouquet is highly varietal and winey, in a more old-fashioned sense. Red fruits dominate on bouquet, with savoury complexities suggesting older cooperage. Palate follows appropriately, fair fruit, just a trace of stalkyness and tannin showing too, suggesting insufficient sorting for the Palliser vs the Pencarrow labels. Nett impression though is classic Martinborough pinot noir, and clearly food-friendly. Slightly less technical wines actually have an advantage, there. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 05/16

2004 Mission Syrah Reserve 17 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $22 [ supercritical cork; hand-harvested from 10-year old vines; raised in French oak 30% new; www.missionestate.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet. Bouquet and palate on this syrah have quite an Australian touch to them, with suggestions of boysenberry sur maturité. There is plenty of fruit, and oak too, which is in a trendy chocolatey style. Many will like this approach, for it is soft and ample. It does not however have the varietal precision better years of Mission Syrah have shown. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 01/07

2007 Ata Rangi Pinot Noir 17 (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 14%; $60 [ screwcap; nil whole bunch in documentation, tho' 10% advised previously; 12 months in French oak, 25% – 30% new; www.atarangi.co.nz ]
Big ruby, carmine and velvet, much deeper than the Felton, the deepest of the new world wines in the World tasting. One sniff and this is immediately a more exotic New Zealand pinot noir, characterised by more or less mint. This quality is commonly found in Martinborough pinots, but to try and convey the more lifted and floral (positive) side of the concept, in mild cases I use the term 'pennyroyal'. This wine is solid in both its fruit and it's aromatics, and is thus a departure from the usual gentler Ata Rangi approach. Below the aromatics are black cherries and dark plums, and the nett impression of the bouquet is a little clumsy. Palate confirms the wine is a bit of a monster, very rich, ripe and dark, losing the supple charm of pinot noir as captured by the Russian River wine. Instead, it is black and dry, in the Australian-influenced New Zealand heroic style. Since Martinborough as a district is now becoming well-regarded for its pinot noirs, winemakers and local wine people alike need to think a little bit more about the role of eucalyptus trees and their 'mint' signatures in the immediate district, and the negative influence they can have on red wine. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 02/10

2006 Trinity Hill [ Merlot / Cabernet ] Gimblett Gravels The Gimblett 17 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $33 [ supercritical cork; DFB; Me 57%, CS 17, PV 15, CF 6, Ma 5, hand-picked at c. 2.6 t/ac, de-stemmed; average vine age 11 years; c.28 days cuvaison; 18 months in 'predominantly' French oak 40% new; Catalogue: a multi-layered wine with seamless texture and a long, floral finish. A wonderful warm plummy, chocolaty, licorice aroma and flavours, with violet notes, are complemented by a medium to full-bodied wine with structure that will ensure that the wine can age well for another 5 years; Awards: Gold & Trophy, Hawke’s Bay A&P 2008; www.trinityhill.com ]
Ruby. Bouquet is a little different from most of the merlot / cabernets in this bracket, the wine showing a fragrant bush honey nose on mainly red berries. Palate has a good length of berry, but the flavours tend to the austere side, not exactly stalky but not enough ripeness and generosity to be charming, as yet. It is intriguing how 2005 and 2006 varied from place to place and producer to producer in Hawkes Bay, quite by chance of localised rainfall. This wine is lesser than the very attractive 2005 of this label from Trinity, yet in their syrah vineyards Trinity elected not to make a 2005 Homage, opting for 2006. Cellar 5 – 8 years, to soften. GK 07/09

2007 Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir 17 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $49 [ screwcap; nil whole bunch; 11 months in French oak up to 50% new; www.cloudybay.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, great by Burgundy standards, one of the lighter in New Zealand. Sitting alongside the Peregrine at one stage, what a delightful contrast between the buddleia florals of less physiological maturity, and the deeper aromas of the Otago wine. In mouth there is some red cherry, but also blackboy peach, a hint of red currant fruit, and a trace of leaf. This epitomises the Marlborough red fruits style on the younger soils, not showing quite enough physiological maturity and depth for palate satisfaction. Cellar 3 – 6 years. GK 02/10

2014 Sacred Hill Chardonnay Reserve 17 (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $21 [ screwcap, website is coy about the actual elevation; this new series sits between the Orange Label and Halo series; RS given as nil; www.sacredhill.com ]
Lemongreen, below midway. Bouquet is varietal pale stonefruit chardonnay in a light pure way, with faint suggestions of MLF, lees autolysis and barrel-ferment components. Palate builds on the light nectarine side of the flavour profile, with an attractive suggestion of florality in the later flavours reminding of the Greystone. Alongside the Halo Chardonnay from Sacred Hill, you feel maybe the Halo wine shows over 50% barrel-ferment and later lees work, whereas maybe this wine is much more a stainless and staves / chips wine, with a smaller barrel component. It is attractive as far as it goes though, even though it is not bone dry to the finish. The website again says the RS is “0 g/L”, but I doubt it. Note the term 'dry' in loose wine useage can mean up to 2 or even 3 or so g/L, depending on the winemaker. 'Dry' rather than 'zero' might be more appropriate. Cellar 3 – 8 years. The range of chardonnays from Sacred Hill / Tony Bish has now expanded to at least 8 wines, spanning the price range $12 – $70 per bottle. I worry that this approach will dilute Tony Bish's chardonnay reputation, achieved through the remarkable Rifleman's Chardonnay. But I guess the same price and quality range classically applies to grower / negociant firms such as Jadot, who are still held in the highest repute. GK 06/16

2007 Mission Merlot Reserve 17 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.6%; $25 [ supercritical cork; Me 95%, CF 5; up to 30 days cuvaison; MLF in tank, 13 months in French oak 25% new; RS ‘dry'; Catalogue: The nose shows very ripe Merlot flavours. The oak is subtle and unobtrusive. There is nice intensity on the front palate with very good tannins that are quite grippy at bottling but which will soften with time. The wine is harmonious showing balance and softness that only comes from fruit from a top vintage; Awards: Silver @ New Zealand International Wine Show 2008, Silver @ Liquorland Top 100 2008; www.missionestate.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, dense. Amidst rather many under-ripe wines, even from an excellent vintage such as 2007 in Hawkes Bay, it is sad to find some examples which are over-ripe. Maybe 20 years ago, we could not have conceived of this in a New Zealand Bordeaux / Hawkes Bay blend, but the viticultural world has changed, more certainly than the climate has. This wine is blackly plummy and almost blackberry on bouquet, but a plum you are a little dubious about biting into, for fear it will be over-ripe and messy. Palate is opulent, but the florals and some of the freshness have gone, so the flavours are thick, dark, chocolatey and overdone, like some of those Irvine Merlots from South Australia – but in this case with natural acid. Plenty of people will like this soft rich Australian / Californian-styled wine very much, but the opportunity for a lovely fragrant gently aromatic and Bordeaux-like wine has been lost. This is more commercial. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 07/09

2003 Drouhin Clos des Mouches Premier Cru 17 (

)

Beaune, Cote de Beaune, Burgundy, France: 13%; $95 [ a Drouhin domaine producing both red and white wine, average vine age over 30 years; the red includes some pinot gris; hand-harvested, fermentation (some stalks) and cuvaison in open wooden vats c. 18 days; 15 – 18 months in barrel with up to 33% new oak; uniquely amongst the Drouhin reds, bottled with 55 mm corks – the Drouhins are reputed to be particularly proud of this vineyard; though mouche generally refers to flies, locally in earlier times the name was used for bees – the vineyard formerly a favoured hive site; Wine Direct the NZ agents; www.drouhin.com ]
Good ruby, in the middle of the Drouhins. Bouquet on this wine is a little different from the others, with a faint mint suggestion reminiscent of the Greenhough, on quiet slightly roti cherry and plum. Palate continues the mint, and thoughts of Martinborough cross my mind. The tannins are plainer than the top-scoring wines, and the plummy and blackboy fruit less fresh and varietal. Even so, the total package is clearly warm-year pinot, and tending aromatic on the mint. This wine really needs to lose some tannin, and may score more highly in 3 – 5 years. It will cellar for 10 – 15, maybe 20 years. GK 03/06

2003 Vidal Pinot Noir Marlborough 17 (

)

Awatere Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $27 [ screwcap; www.vidal.co.nz ]
Big ruby, a touch of carmine and velvet, getting big for pinot. This wine has a big volume of aromatic bouquet, but one has to decide if it is aromatic on an extrinsic minty plant oil (akin to pennyroyal), or from the grape itself. Below the aromatics are blackboy peach and cherry fruits. Palate is quite rich, tending extractive, the flavours plummy and blackboy rather more than cherry – a sturdy pinot. The minty suggestion is a bit pervasive. Such flavours are becoming frequent in the mid-latitude Martinborough and Marlborough pinots, and though they are not universal, they are starting to make these wines distinctive. Open question whether the character is attractive, though looking westwards, I have my doubts. Cellar 5 – 10 years, to lose some phenolics and fine down. Tasted twice. GK 11/04

2013 Neudorf Pinot Noir Tom's Block 17 (

)

Upper Moutere 85%, Waimea Plains 15, Nelson, New Zealand: 13.5%; $33 [ screwcap; vines c.15 years age; all hand-picked, 15 – 17 days cuvaison with 100% wild yeast; all of the wine c.10 months in French oak c.22% new, medium toast; not filtered; www.neudorf.co.nz ]
Lightish pinot noir ruby, some development showing, in the fourth quarter for depth of colour. Bouquet is classically pink roses floral pinot noir in an understated but pure way, on light red fruits. Palate shows better fruit richness than the bouquet suggests, redcurrant grading to red cherry fruit, beautiful ripeness in its light style with no hint of leaf, the fruit lingering right through to the long finish on subtlest oak. This is a real Volnay style. In its light charming way, it speaks more of pinot noir than the 2013 Moutere, at this moment. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 06/17

2002 Mills Reef Merlot Block 3 Elspeth 17 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $36 [ DFB; French oak; www.millsreef.co.nz ]
Ruby, some velvet. First impressions of oak and VA detract from the subtle varietal beauty merlot should show, particularly alongside Bordeaux (or Sacred Hill Brokenstone). There is good plummy fruit richness and length, however, within the limitations of its oaky show-pony style. Oakniks will rate this wine more highly. Cellar 5 – 10 years, but the oak is unlikely to fade away. GK 05/04

2012 Rippon Pinot Noir Young Vine Jeunesse 17 (

)

Wanaka, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13%; $46 [ supercritical Diam 'cork' 47mm; www.rippon.co.nz ]
Medium pinot noir ruby, a little age showing, well above midway in depth. Bouquet is more straightforward clean red and darker fruits pinot noir, nearly floral, clear reminders of burgundy. Palate combines red and black cherry on a gentle low-oak taste profile, finishing a little short with some tannin showing. It is much less sustained than the Mature Vine wine, and faintly stalky (as young vines may be), but clearly related in style. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/16

2005 Vins de Vienne Condrieu la Chambée 17 (

)

Condrieu, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $92 [ cork; Les Vins de Vienne is a negociant firm and a domaine created by three leading winemakers of Condrieu and Cote Rotie - Yves Cuilleron, Pierre Gaillard and François Villard; I understand la Chambée to be fermented in French oak, with 9 months LA; no website found ]
Straw, old for age, presumably oak-influenced. And bouquet is indeed oaky, but there is rich varietal apricotty fruit too. Bouquet and palate both suggest a prominent MLF component in the winemaking, as with Guigal, and this softens and fills out the flavour and the very vanillin oak. So though it is a bold winestyle, even a clumsy and too-oaky one, and with acid noticeable too, in fruit and flavour it is a pretty good expression of viognier. There is more varietal expression than the '06 Millton, but less finesse. It is already mature, so cellar a year or so only. GK 05/07

2010 Ostler Pinot Noir Caroline's 17 (

)

Waitaki Valley, North Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $52 [ Screwcap; hand-picked at 2 t/ha = 0.8 t/ac, due to spring frosts / poor set; wild-yeast fermentation with 15% whole-bunch component, some barrel-ferments, 21 days cuvaison; 12 months in French oak, 20% new; dry extract 30.6 g/L; RS <1 g/L; production 700 x 9-L cases; Julia Harding @ Jancis Robinson, 2012: Mid to deep crimson. Fresh dark cherries, both fragrant and mineral. Lithe and nervy on the palate. The most alive Pinot Noir of the tasting so far - full of energy and tension but filled out with red-fruit fragrance. Excellent length, 16.5; Cooper, 2013: … the 2010 vintage is outstanding … deeply coloured, highly scented and mouthfilling, with a strong surge of plum, cherry, spice and nut flavours. Densely packed and supple, with excellent complexity and vibrancy, this concentrated, silky-textured wine is arguably the Valley's best wine to date, ****½; I imagine this will be the first Waitaki Valley pinot seen in blind evaluation for many of us. This particular wine has won high praise overseas, including from Matt Kramer, Wine Spectator, 2013: Chambolle-Musigny-like qualities of mineral-scented perfuminess allied to a layered depth and dimensionality; weight bottle and closure: 730 g; www.ostlerwine.co.nz ]
Colour is the second deepest in the set, but still looking like pinot noir. Bouquet is intense, distinctive, very fragrant, highly varietal, but flawed. It is all red fruits, redcurrant and red cherry, but whereas the Kupe is characterised by mint, this wine is almost dominated by stalk, with a clear green note to it. Yet that said, the stalkyness is now much more harmoniously integrated with the total wine, and to the extent one can rely on memory, I feel the wine is much more together than when I reported on it two years ago. Palate has real presence, and like the coming together of the wine, that aspect of the wine is impressive. The apparent richness is confirmed by the dry extract measurement of 30.6 g/L. In terms of its fruit weight in mouth, this wine provides an example of what we need to be aiming for in New Zealand pinot noir, if we are to lift our wines to parity with grand cru burgundy. Fruit characters in mouth are a little darker than the bouquet suggests, again redcurrant and red cherries, but some black too, plus delightful oaking which really optimises the fruit. In another five years time this is going to be highly interesting pinot noir. I did wonder in tasting this wine, how easily darker fruit qualities can be achieved in the Waitaki Valley ? Perhaps this is a New Zealand pinot noir zone critically awaiting global warming. Cellar 5 – 15 years. Four people rated this their top or second wine, nobody thought it French, and four thought it a $100-plus bottle. GK 07/16

2004 Peregrine Pinot Noir 17 (

)

Cromwell, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14.5%; $39 [ screwcap; 100% de-stemmed, up to 7 days cold-soak; 10 months in French oak 40% new; www.peregrinewines.co.nz ]
Big pinot noir ruby, some velvet, getting dark for quality pinot. This is a difficult wine to write up in a French-dominated tasting, being a mix of varietal and overt New Zealand characters. On the plus side, the bouquet is deeply floral with suggestions of boronia, on black cherry fruit. But it is also spirity, and even on bouquet, one wonders about stalkyness – despite the massive alcohol. On palate, in this company, the wine is both weighty and stalky, with noticeable acid, and an aggressive flavour awkwardly combining the flavours of both over-ripe and under-ripe grapes, losing the concept of what pinot should be about. There is plenty of concentration, and good purity, but a lack of vinosity or charm at this stage. So it is not burgundian: rather it is very much new world pinot noir. Be worth cellaring though, to see if in 10 years time this wine has mellowed out, and shows more finesse. It may well. 2004 was not an ideal season in Central Otago. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 07/06

2013 Stonecroft Syrah Reserve 17 (

)

New Zealand: 13.5%; $60 [ cork 50mm; Sy 100%, hand-harvested; wild-yeast fermentation, cuvaison up to 28 days; 18 months in French oak 30% new; www.stonecroft.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, a wash of carmine, just above the middle in weight. This wine is massively oaky, on bouquet quite drowning varietal expression. Within those parameters it is clean and fragrant. Palate shows cassisy berry of reasonable richness, but nowhere near the concentration needed to handle the amount of oak. Nett impression is aromatic and vibrant, but only tasters inclined to rate wine quality by the flavour of the oak, rather than by the absolute quality of the grapes and winemaking, could rate this highly. This level of oaking still achieves high rankings in lesser judgings, sadly. See the De La Terre notes. Will mellow gradually, cellar 5 – 15 years, maybe 20. GK 07/16

2010 Martinborough Vineyard Pinot Noir Marie Zelie Reserve 17 (

)

Martinborough Terrace, Wairarapa, New Zealand: 14%; $185 [ Screwcap; hand-harvested at an average of 3.7 t/ha = 1.5 t/ac from clone 10/5 30 years old, and other younger clones all tended for low-cropping; a coolish late season saved by a brilliant March and April; sorting table; c.15% whole-bunch, up to 24 days cuvaison including cold soak; 16 months in French oak 14% new, balance first and second-year; not fined, minimal filtering; dry extract not available; production 164 x 9-L cases (equivalent); Cooper, 2015: Finely perfumed, it is mouthfilling and sweet-fruited, with very savoury, complex flavours of cherries, plums, spices and nuts, a hint of bacon, and fine-grained tannins, *****; named after the first (French) winemaker in the Wairarapa, at the Beetham Lansdowne Estate, Masterton; like The Pinnacle, this wine too has an extravagant volume of heavy presentation-case packaging and a heavy bottle – cellaring them is tiresome; weight bottle and closure: 813 g; www.martinborough-vineyard.co.nz ]
Light pinot noir ruby, a Rousseau colour, and showing a little more development than most of the other wines too, the second lightest wine. Bouquet is quiet, a warm red roses and cedary oak quality, no hint of buddleia, but you have to dig deep to retrieve a clear impression of the bouquet today. Palate doesn't quite match the qualities on bouquet, immediately becoming more oak-dominated relative to the weight of fruit, yet lingering well as the red cherry already browning a little now reasserts itself. The ripeness on palate is not quite as good as the bouquet suggests, but it is not stalky at all. It is just not up there with the Mt Difficulty. As for Pinnacle, dry extract was not available for this wine, either. In one sense curious this reference datum was not available for the two conspicuously expensive wines, only. But neither may have been exported. The wine is better presented on its own, I think, and will certainly give pleasure at table. Whether it will now the price has (unwisely in my view) been raised to $225 at the vineyard is open for debate. Cellar 3 – 8 years. Nobody rated this their top or second wine, four thought it French, and seven thought it a $100-plus bottle. GK 07/16

2005 Wolf Blass Shiraz Gold Label 17 (

)

Barossa Valley, South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $17 [ screwcap; 15 months in French and American oak some new; not on website – appears untouched for some years; www.wolfblass.com.au ]
Ruby and velvet. Bouquet is a more stylish affair than some of the shiraz-labelled wines in this batch, with good fruit and the oak showing some of the fragrance of Blass wines of earlier years. Palate is strongly boysenberry, some blueberry too, juicy berry complexed by the oak, slightly acid to the finish, all relatively straightforward. At least it is not euc'y. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 10/07

2004 Penfolds Shiraz Bin 128 Coonawarra 17 (

)

Coonawarra, South Australia, Australia: 14%; $29 [ cork; Sy 100%; elevage 12 months in French oak hogsheads 22% new; J. Oliver: Something of a sleeper, this fine, well-integrated and structured wine presents delicate, dusty and peppery aromas of blackberries, dark plums and older oak with a distinctly meaty aspect. There’s also a background of earthiness and a briary fruit quality suggestive of brandied cherries. Smooth and polished, long and savoury, its presently rather simple palate of vibrant berry/blackcurrant/plum-like fruit is backed by a pleasingly firm undercarriage of drying tannin. It needs five years. 91; has been priced down to $17 recently; www.penfolds.com ]
Ruby and velvet, one of the darker. Freshly poured, this is berry-rich and straightforward. With air it opens to extraordinarily pure blackberry, most unusual. Palate is rich in berry but very tannic, detracting considerably. Can this be natural ? Finish is almost sour in the mouth, an interaction of acid and tannin, both added one fears. Good in parts now. Check in five years, for there is good fruit richness. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 04/07

2004 Passage Rock Syrah 17 (

)

Eastern Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14.5%; $ – [ screwcap; hand-picked; c.10 months in oak, mostly American oak; not in catalogue, only one Syrah label in 2004, the Reserve Syrah was introduced in 2005; www.passagerockwines.co.nz ]
Older ruby. Bouquet shows Australian reminders, with aromas suggesting browning cassis and boysenberry in strong American oak. Palate is developing some soft varnishy complexity on the oak, with lingering ripe oaky rich-fruit flavours, trace brett, more shiraz than syrah, but rich and ripe in its oaky way. Cellar 1 – 5 years. GK 06/09

2006 [ Obsidian ] Weeping Sands Syrah 17 (

)

Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14%; $30 [ screwcap; Sy 100% hand-harvested first 5 days April; no cold soak, 15 – 18 days cuvaison; MLF in barrel; 12 months in barrel 40% new American, balance older French and American; www.obsidian.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet. Bouquet shows clear wallflower varietal florals, and cassisy berry, all fresh and fragrant. In mouth it is a lighter wine than most of the higher-pointed ones, but it is clearly varietal, lingering well though slightly fresh. Cellar 3 – 6 years. GK 06/08

2004 Pask Merlot Declaration 17 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $55 [ ProCork; DFB; Me 100; machine harvested; tail-end BF in 100% new oak 75% French, 25 US; followed by c. 18 months in barrel; www.cjpask.co.nz ]
Ruby, some velvet, older and lighter than the other high-rating ‘04s. This wine smells of toasty oak more than berry, with the varietal character pretty well obliterated. There are vanillin and caramel notes in the oak, highlighting the US component more than in the cabernet wines. The nett result is a fruity wine in the rich Irvine style of merlot, praised in Australia and America maybe, but not elsewhere. Palate is soft, rich and chocolatey-round, in an oaky style that is popular but non-varietal, and can be made in pretty well any warmer climate. Aftertaste is sweet clean oak. If you want to know about the precise varietal character and beauty of merlot as expressed in a critical climate such as Bordeaux, which Hawkes Bay can match very closely, check out the ’04 Craggy Gimblett example. Like pinot noir, merlot's floral charm is lost in hotter climates. The Pask Merlot will cellar 5 – 15 years, but won't blossom. Applying the concept 'Declaration' to this wine raises an interesting marketing question. My hunch is that by spreading the tag 'Declaration' across all the major winestyles the firm makes, Pask have diluted the concept down to everybody else’s ‘Reserve’, which becomes ho-hum. Better I think to make the hard call, and nominate one wine per vintage selected among all the candidate varieties, and declare that to be the firm’s greatest achievement for the year – the Declaration wine. GK 04/06

1979 Ch Palmer 17 (

)

Margaux Third Growth, Bordeaux, France: – %; $333 [ cork 54mm; original price $30.34; cepage then approx. CS 55%, Me 40, CF 5, planted at 10,000 vines / ha; c.21 months in barrel, 45% new; Broadbent, 2002: Continuing its run of well above average wines. Fleshy ripe fruitiness on both nose and – for a '79 – on palate … [ most recently] … lean, attenuated, spicy … needs food: ***; Coates, 2002: Splendidly concentrated nose. Very good grip. Fullish body. Excellent acidity. Mellow tannins. Still very vigorous. Great class. Excellent. Very lovely finish. Will last for ages: 19; R. Parker, 1993: While it is still one of the finest wines of the vintage, it has been slow to completely unfold since its showy days in cask. The wine reveals a ... dusty, earthy component to its otherwise attractive plum, blackcurrant, and licorice-scented nose. Medium-bodied, with excellent concentration and crisp, high acidity, this well-structured, austere style of Palmer ... should be held for another 1-3 years; drink it through the first decade of the next century: 89; www.chateau-palmer.com ]
Garnet and ruby, deeper than the 1978, just above midway in depth. Alongside the extraordinary 1978 Ch Palmer, this wine is much more like the other clarets. As with the 1979 Las Cases, there is a taut firmness to the berry / oak interaction which hints at stemmyness, even though the wine is beautifully fragrant. Flavour is somewhat harder again than the 1979 Las Cases, and the descriptor 'stalky' now seems appropriate – or hints thereof. Fruit weight is good, and the wine will hold this style for some years yet. It is markedly less ripe than the 1978 Grand-Puy-Lacoste, but slightly more concentrated. Cellar 3 – 8 years. Two second place votes. GK 08/16

2007 Brookfields Syrah Hillside 17 (

)

Hill-slopes south of Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $40 [ cork; Sy 100%, hand-picked; Brookfields' 'Hillside Vineyard' lies on the gentle slopes south of SH50, lying ideally to the north; 18 months in mixed French and American oak, much new; www.brookfieldsvineyards.co.nz ]
Ruby. Bouquet suggests wallflowers and oak, before plummy berry registers too. Palate shows quite noticeable oak in a more blueberry-fruit lean style of syrah, not quite the weight of the wines marked more highly, and a hint of stalk, making the oak more obtrusive. There are suggestions of white more than black pepper, and reminders of cooler-year Cote Rotie. This is another syrah which could develop bush-honey notes in maturity. These hillside sites, like Bilancia's La Collina, illustrate just how subtle the temperature gradient is in the Bay. Most of the hillside syrahs from Hawkes Bay so far have tended critically under-ripe, notwithstanding the gushing reports from "overseas", and thus reflect imperfect-year Cote-Rotie in their styling, not good-year Hermitage. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/10

2012 Villa Maria Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot Reserve 17 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $50 [ screwcap; CS 88%, Me 12, hand-harvested @ yields not exceeding 5.5 t/ha (2.2 t/ac) and often less; vinified @ Mangere, 100% de-stemmed; s/s fermentation, 6 weeks cuvaison for the CS, up to 4 weeks for the Me; MLF and 18 months in 100% French oak 3-years air-dried and 48% new; RS < 1 g/l; lightly fined and filtered; included to show sub-optimal ripeness in the cabernet / merlot class, a characteristic still quite widespread in New Zealand Bordeaux blends; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Intense ruby, carmine and velvet. At this point in the presentation a couple of wines are included to throw the initiative back to the students, rather than the more orchestrated 'demonstration' role of the first six wines. After the briefest review of the main wine faults, four of them are put up on the board. Is this wine: volatile, reductive, under-ripe, over-ripe. This serves to focus attention. When you smell this wine, you are struck by its intensity and purity, but in the cassis (again) there is an intriguing spearmint note. In mouth that translates into an aromatic wine but despite the intense fruit there is an underlying element of stalk and an impression of elevated total acid. It is hard to imagine a better teaching wine, and this year the group (54 students) zeroed in on the under-ripe answer like hawks. A great result. It will cellar in its style 5 – 20 years, since it has the concentration to justify its Reserve classification, even if not quite the optimal flavour, ripeness, balance and harmony. GK 09/14

2012 Dry River Pinot Noir 17 (

)

Martinborough Terrace, Wairarapa, New Zealand: 12.5%; $ – [ dated 47mm cork; plenty of words but no wine-making info on website; earlier vintages have been of the order 12 months in French oak, 25% new; RS < 2 g/L; www.dryriver.co.nz ]
Appropriate pinot noir ruby, below midway in depth of colour (among the pinots). Bouquet is clearly floral, fragrant, and highly varietal, and therefore at total variance with virtually all Dry River pinot noirs over the last nearly 30 years. Flavour confirms the varietal impression, supple red fruits more than black, careful oak, good length and reasonable richness on palate. The total achievement is let down slightly by a suggestion of stalkyness, and slightly elevated total acid, hardly surprising in the coolest vintage for many years. You have to wonder when the penny will drop with the Dry River proprietors, that in the coolest vintage in memory (almost), only in this year has Dry River achieved true varietal quality, instead of their normal baked, over-ripe and elephantine interpretation of the variety, an interpretation which has borne little or no relation to Burgundy. I say that carefully, being more than aware of the fatuous praise each vintage has been greeted with. Here instead the suppleness, length and varietal accuracy on palate really is a small-scale delight. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 09/16

1996 Bollinger Grande Année Brut 17 (

)

Ay, Champagne, New Zealand: 12%; $288 [ cork; PN 70%, Ch 30; some BF in primary fermentation; no MLF; secondary fermentation under cork; en tirage c.5 years; dosage 6 – 9 g/L; current vintage price in NZ c.$185; www.champagne-bollinger.fr ]
Straw, the third deepest. Bouquet is much more attractive than you'd expect from the colour, clearly high pinot noir, lots of lees-autolysis, pink mushrooms, some oak involved in this, promising. But then in mouth the initial impressions are fairly shattered, excessively high total acid, so the wine seems phenolic too, and the aftertaste is oak rather than autolysis. Yet it is rich, and the dosage is elegant, perhaps 6 – 7 g/L. This is one of those wines where the only remedy is less thought ... and another mouthful. You can well believe this is a non-MLF wine. On the face of it, not such an attractive prospect for cellaring, but it might surprise. GK 11/14

2002 Babich Chardonnay Irongate 17 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $ – [ cork 45mm; 100% clone mendoza typically harvested at 6 t/ha (2.4 t/ac); BF with wild yeasts in French oak 20 – 25% new, 10 months LA and batonnage, typically without MLF; RS usually <2 g/L; www.babichwines.co.nz ]
Full straw with a wash of gold. The fruit here is softer, riper, and bigger than the 2008, and being mendoza-clone, still based on golden queen peach, but with almost a mango note creeping in too, quite voluptuous. Being a non-MLF wine however, the palate is neat and taut in structure, the flavours just more developed in mouth, a lovely mouthful of mature chardonnay. It will hold, but decline from now on. GK 07/16

1998 Jamet Cote Rotie 17 (

)

Cote Rotie, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $ – [ cork; selected from 17 different lieu-dits within the appellation; no more than 30% de-stemmed; up to 20 days cuvaison; up to 22 months in oak, 20% new, not filtered; R. Parker: The 1998 Cote Rotie exhibits a deep, opaque plum/garnet color, and a smoky, fried meat, blackberry/cassis-scented bouquet with notions of earth and licorice. A classically proportioned effort, with full body, superb ripeness, high tannin, and layers of concentration and extract, this is not a Cote Rotie for those unable to defer their gratification. It needs time in the bottle. Anticipated maturity: 2005-2018. 92; J. Robinson: Quite youthful crimson. Surprisingly evolved already on the nose. A bit clunky. Round and supple but nowhere to go. Fruit already at a peak. Tannins already dissipated. But still not great. Certainly can´t be accused of trying too hard... 16; L.-Learmonth: Floral / earthy mix, stewed fruit bouquet; blackberry, juicy touches, well-clad with tar/licorice, oiliness. Pepper, camphor/tar end as tannins of the year take over. To 2015. 4-stars ] ]
Ruby, and some garnet too. One sniff of this, and one thinks of some 1998 Hawkes Bay syrahs. The wine is fragrant, clearly varietal with both florals and white pepper, but even on bouquet there is a leafy / stalky component, along with some brett complexity. Palate confirms the stalky thought, but there is fair fruit, cassis more than plum, some of the leanness of the Tardieu-Laurent Cornas, but here let down a little by the stalkyness. It is so hard to get Cote Rotie optimising the floral component, without a thread of leafyness. Cellar 1 – 5 years. GK 03/08

2001 Palliser Estate Methode Traditionelle 17 (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 12.5%; $37 [ Ch 54%, PN 46; 30 months en tirage; dosage 8 g/L; www.palliser.co.nz ]
Pale lemon, one of the lightest colours. Bouquet shows an attractive interaction of light autolysis and breadcrust / nearly baguette characters with very clean fruit smelling as if chardonnay dominant. It is a little more ‘fruity’ than the French wines. Palate is firm and crisp, some autolysis, but in the lineup with champagnes, the autolysis is less complex than some, and a little lighter than the 2002 Miru Miru. But the flavours that are there are correct and in style, with subtle dosage. It is less acid than for example the Roederer, which makes it attractive. GK 11/05

2007 Mt Difficulty Pinot Noir Long Gully Single Vineyard 17 (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $84 [ screwcap; 5% whole bunch; c.14 months in French oak, 34% new; www.mtdifficulty.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, a similar hue to the 2007 Rousseau, but twice the weight. Bouquet is wonderfully fragrant at the roses and red cherry level of maturity, with hints of boronia too. It is much more floral than the Rousseau, reflecting accurately that this is in effect a grand cru wine, against the French village example. Palate is beautifully fine and delicate, these Mt Difficulty Individual Vineyard wines are some of the most subtle pinots in New Zealand, but against the Rousseau the wine is let down by a suggestion of leafy under-ripeness. Hard to score, therefore. Cellar 2 – 5 years or so. GK 06/11

2006 Tahbilk Chardonnay 17 (

)

Nagambie Lakes, Central Victoria, Australia: 13.5%; $22 [ screwcap; some BF and LA in French and American oak for 10 – 12 months, for what % of wine unclear but some of the oak new; no RS or MLF detail on website, style said to be lighter / more food-friendly than before; www.tahbilk.com.au ]
Lemonstraw. Bouquet shows much the same degree of maturity as the Golden Bay Wines chardonnay, the same wine-biscuit suggestions, but the fruit richer and very clearly from a warmer climate, again with light mango overtones to melon and stonefruit. Palate has some barrel-ferment and lees-autolysis mealyness, and is much richer and more complex than the Four Sisters wine, but it is not maturing perfectly harmoniously, the total acid being lowish. There are components of mango chemistry that don't sit happily with cool climate tasters, but the levels here are vanishingly small. Mellow soft wine to enjoy now, and in the next year or two. GK 05/09

2008 Forrest Chardonnay Waitaki Valley John Forrest Collection 17 (

)

Waitaki Valley, Otago, New Zealand: 13.8%; $50 [ screwcap; irrigated vines on the south bank of the river, harvested @ ± 5.4 t/ha = 2.2 t/ac; a 400 mm rainfall zone, on interbedded calcareous and terrace materials; RS 2.8 g/L; 120 cases; www.forrest.co.nz ]
Lemon-straw, deeper than both the 2006 Collection Wairau and the 2010 Elston. Bouquet is lighter and purer than the Wairau Valley wine, with delicate freesia / floral notes, slightly appley white stonefruits, and hints of crushed oystershell minerality. Oak is invisible on bouquet. Palate shows more malolactic influence than the Wairau Valley wine, the residual is lower, yet the total acid is much higher, making the wine awkward. There are some grand cru chablis reminders here, but it is more oaky. Something of a puzzle why it is more expensive than the Wairau Valley wine. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 08/11

2002 Carrick Pinot Noir 17 (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $37 [ screwcap; www.carrick.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, big for pinot noir. A big bouquet of ripest black plums, black cherries, oak and alcohol, moving towards the new world fruit bomb style of pinot noir. It has much in common with the Pegasus, but is fresher and more varietal. Flavour is dominated by fragrant soft oak, with big juicy berryfruit tasting of sun-drenched black cherries filling it out. This lush alcoholic style of pinot is becoming an Otago specialty, but in my view they are a trend in the wrong direction. Climatically, I am hoping 2002 is a hot aberration, otherwise the finesse, floral fragrance, and real pinot varietal aromatics shown by Otago wines in years such as 1999 will be lost to sight. That will be a great loss both to Otago and New Zealand, and to winelovers beyond these shores, for the best of Otago’s pinot noir has shown real promise, in classical terms. Few countries can do that, whereas many in both the old world and the new can make these big juicy wines. As with others in this discussion, this Carrick is attractive as a round soft red, but it is scored as pinot noir. Cellar 5 – 10. GK 01/04

2012 Concha y Toro Carmenere Marques de Casa Concha 17 (

)

Rapel Valley, Chile: 14%; $32 [ cork 46mm; usually Ca 100%, grown on ungrafted vines at 170m, usually harvested May; 8 days fermentation, cuvaison not given; 16 months in French oak, typically 35% new; production around 19,000 9-L cases; imported by EuroVintage, Auckland; weight bottle and closure: 824 g; www.conchaytoro.com ]
Dense ruby, carmine and velvet, as deep as the Dos Dedos Syrah, the third deepest wine. One sniff, and the wine has that dense, dark, slightly dank 'Chilean earth' quality to it, which I had hoped would be eliminated by now, with more attention to cooperage. But perhaps it is a genuine terroir character – who knows ? But it certainly drabs the wine down. Behind that is intense darkly cassis / blackberry / more black plummy berry, but like the Dos Dedos and even more so, tending massive. Flavours are similarly rich but earthy / furry / nearly leathery, soft and velvety in a sense, yet all seeming tannic, old-fashioned, and lacking the sophistication hoped for in Chilean wines from this producer, at this price, now we are in the 2010s. I don't have a clear feel yet for Carmenere the variety – but I suspect this wine raises an elevage barrier between me and the grapes. It has the richness to fine down surprisingly in cellar – the score is slightly higher than my first impression, to allow for that. Cellar 10 – 30 years. GK 08/16

2004 Te Mata Cabernet / Merlot Woodthorpe 17 (

)

Tutaekuri Valley (mostly), Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $22 [ screwcap; Me 42%, CF 28, CS16, PV 8, Sy 6; 15 months in French oak `± 30% new; www.temata.co.nz ]
Ruby with some carmine and velvet, fresher again than Awatea, reflecting less exposure to oak. Bouquet is classic Hawkes Bay merlot / cabernet, clearly cassis and dark plum, fragrant on berry, slightly leafy. In some ways, it is more immediately appealing and better balanced than Awatea or Coleraine, in the sense fruit is dominant over oak, on bouquet. Palate however is not as dry and serious as the other two, being quite fruity, supple, and accessible. This is stylish wine at the price, reflecting Te Mata’s relatively long experience with Hawkes Bay / Bordeaux blends. And it is great to see a little syrah in the blend, optimising the character of Hawkes Bay blends in their own right, rather than slavishly copying Bordeaux. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 03/06

2002 Fevre Chablis Champs Royaux 17 (

)

Chablis, France: 12.5%; $34 [ cork ]
Two bottles of this, illustrating the fallibility of traditional cork. The better of the two lemongreen in colour, the other lemonstraw and the wine more developed all through, a little oxidation. Both bottles showed a touch of wet-wool complexity on quite strong, slightly mineral, chardonnay fruit. The intriguing facet was the long aftertaste, tapering out to a white truffles finish. Good sound chardonnay, a hint of oak, not very clearly chablis though. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 02/05

2003 Waipara Springs Pinot Noir Reserve 17 (

)

North Canterbury, New Zealand: 13.5%; $38 [ cork; 2003 not on website, 2002 hand-harvested, part of cepage off limestone-rich soils, 12 months French oak; www.waiparasprings.co.nz ]
Older pinot ruby. This is a pinot more in the fragrant soft blackboy peach style than cherries, not lacking in bouquet, but simpler. Palate follows exactly, softer and easier, good fruit and acid balance, but all slightly oaky. These blackboy peach pinots are becoming a distinctive and pleasing New Zealand style. Cellar 2 – 8 years. GK 11/05

2005 Forrest Cabernet Sauvignon John Forrest Collection 17 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $65 [ screwcap; DFB; CS 98, Me 2%, hand-harvested @ 1.5 – 2 t/ac; French oak 33% new; coarse-filtered only; 300 cases; www.forrest.co.nz ]
Ruby, medium weight. Bouquet is clean cool cabernet sauvignon, the ripeness retreating from my earlier memory of the wine, a fragrant leafy and tobacco-y element now mingling with high-quality cedary oak to produce a bouquet reminiscent of cool-year Pauillac. Palate confirms exactly, a fair concentration of berry but total acid a little fresh, modest cassis berry ripeness with some red currants too, the oak, acid and cooler green notes combining to deliver an austerity not found in good-year examples of Bordeaux. An interesting fine-grained wine, simply lacking berry ripeness at the point of picking. Perhaps the vines were over-cropped relative to pinpoint physiological maturity. In two earlier tasting notes, I found the wine slightly reductive. It does not seem obviously so now, which is useful info for a screwcapped wine. Perhaps they too can bury light reduction, as cork-closed bottles do. Cellar 5 – 12 years, in its style. GK 08/11

2012 Martinborough Vineyard Pinot Noir Te Tera 17 (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $29 [ screwcap; Martinborough Vineyard is one of the original founder vineyards in the district, dating from 1980. It is currently under offer from Foley Wine Estates. Following pioneer winemaker Russell Schulz, it has had a distinguished series of winemakers, Larry McKenna, Clair Mulholland, and now Paul Mason. Te Tera is the company's most affordable pinot, but it is still hand-harvested, and bone-dry. All fruit is de-stemmed. The wine spends 9 months in oak, 9% of it new. Website is curiously lacking in wine info, analysis not available; www.martinborough-vineyard.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, below midway. Bouquet is lightly floral, towards the buddleia end of the floral spectrum, but with hints of sweetness. Fruit quality is very much in the red summer-fruits spectrum, strawberry particularly, another wine in the simpler Beaune-district style of Burgundy. Palate and dry extract are weightier than the clearly paler Te Mania, but the wine is similarly not quite perfectly ripe, putting it squarely in Savigny-les-Beaune. Correct wine, as the English say, but tending straightforward. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/14

2001 Alban Vineyards Syrah Seymour's Vineyard 17 (

)

Edna Valley, Arroyo Grande, California, U.S.A: 15.8%; $ – [ cork; c. US$90; 320 km SSE of San Francisco, NW of Santa Barbara; c.250 cases; Parker 154: "The pick of the best barrels … additional concentration, aromatics, and length … meaty flavors that coat the palate with blackberries, mocha, cocoa, earth, and creme de cassis. A tour de force in winemaking, it is a spectacular, rich, broad yet remarkably well-balanced wine … 10-15 years. Awesome stuff ! 95"; Spectator: "Dark, rich and concentrated, with a heady mix of beef, leather, spice, licorice and wild berry flavors that turn exotic and supple, finishing with a long, persistent aftertaste that keeps revealing extra flavor facets. To 2012. 95"; the website serves only for addresses; www.albanvineyards.com ]
Ruby and velvet, the second deepest syrah. Initially opened, bouquet is overwhelmed with an oak-related acetylene-like odour, reminiscent of some of the Hardy Show Reserve series Cabernets of the early 70s. Behind that is quite complex syrah-like fruit, possibly including a floral component, as well as brett [ intriguing how the above reviews write around this issue ]. Well decanted and breathed, a somewhat more interesting wine emerges, the grape more to the fore, and the winemaking lapses less apparent. Palate is berry-rich and savoury, with browning dark plum, in fact some thoughts of prunes from raisined sur-maturité, some dark chocolate, and massive tannins. The total impression in mouth (once aired) is reasonably pleasing, for a relatively hot-climate and very alcoholic winestyle, except there is some residual sweetness. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 04/07

2013 Riverby Estate Pinot Noir Reserve Single Vineyard 17 (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $ – [ screwcap; hand-picked from vines up to 17 years age, typically at 6 t/ha = 2.4 t/ac; all destemmed; the Reserve (introduced 2010) is a top 6 to 8 barrel selection, 14 – 15 months in French oak, a little more than 30% new; RS nil; not yet released; www.riverbyestate.com ]
Lightish older pinot noir ruby, in the fourth quarter for depth. In the blind tasting, as one jockeys the wines back and forth to achieve a ranking from the highest-scored glass to the least, I had this wine and the 2011 Wooing Tree Reserve alongside each other, thinking them clearly closely related, though one a bit older. Interesting, re those who are convinced that Otago wines stand out. Bouquet here is again redcurrant jelly, lightly pink roses floral, attractive in a light way, all mellowed by oak relative to the standard 2013. Palate is the same, light favours but not weak or lacking concentration, a little younger and fresher than the 2011 Sandstorm, but extraordinarily similar. Lovely wines for lighter main courses, poultry etc, again in a maturing Volnay style. Cellar 2 – 4 years. GK 06/17

2014 Casa Santos Lima / Companhia das Vinhas Tarambola 17 (

)

Lisbon district, Portugal: 14%; $15 [ screwcap; bottle-shape burgundy; cepage is touriga nacional (the principal grape of port, Portugal's finest, some similarities to cabernet sauvignon), syrah, cabernet sauvignon, ratio not given, the vines grown at 4,200 / ha, on calcareous and shale soil parent materials 100 – 200 m asl, all destemmed; fermentation temperature controlled to 28º C., cuvaison c.22 days; then 8 months in French and American oak barrels; www.casasantoslima.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, quite rich, above midway in depth. Bouquet is quiet, clean, pure, youthful, a little spirity, perhaps not all raised in oak. Flavour is less sophisticated than some of the companion wines, juicy berry flavours, some oak, reasonable tannins still unknit, a few grams residual sugar to the finish, a little more the thought that part of the wine was raised in concrete, but still clearly European styling. It will be more attractive after five years in cellar. Cellar 5 – 20 years. With this cepage, bottle shape should be claret. A Wine Direct selection. GK 03/18

2014 Akarua Pinot Noir 17 (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14.3%; $40 [ screwcap; main clones UCD 5, 13, Dijon 115, planted at variously 2,500 – 3500 vines/ha, average age 17 years, all hand-picked at c. 6 t/ha (2.4 t/ac); nil whole-bunch, cold soak 5 – 6 days, mix cultured and wild-yeast ferments, then 15 – 21 days cuvaison; all the wine 11 months in all-French oak 30% new, medium-plus toast, MLF later in barrel; sterile-filtered to bottle; RS < 1 g/L; dry extract 27.2 g/L; production c.2,600 9-L cases; www.akarua.com ]
Good pinot noir ruby, the second deepest wine. This is a more mainstream Otago pinot noir as the concept is popularly understood, when the wines are being contrasted with those of Martinborough. There is a dusky florality, on red grading to black cherry fruits. Palate is quite different, a big bold wine but giving the impression of uneven ripeness, the fruit flavours ranging from trace stalkyness right through to too black for eloquence / elegance in pinot noir. This wine should marry up in cellar, but end up more straightforward than the top examples. Cellar 5 – 18 years. Two votes for second place, and 11 thought it from Otago. GK 08/16

2002 Craggy Range Syrah Le Sol 17 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 15%; $236 [ cork 50mm; release price $70; Sy 100%; 8 – 10 day cold soak, MLF in barrel, 17 months in French oak 55% new; Pierre Rovani @ R Parker, 2004: One of the finest reds I have ever tasted from New Zealand is the 2002 Le Sol (300 cases of 100% Syrah), which boasts tremendous freshness, concentration, and intensity. It reveals the acidity and definition of a top-notch northern Rhone as well as tremendous presence on the palate as well as remarkable elegance and precision. All of Syrah’s characteristics – smoke, licorice, pepper, blackberries, and currants – are present in this beautifully knit, pure, concentrated 2002. Kudos to winemaker Steve Smith: 94; M Cooper, 2007: The super-charged 2002 vintage pushed the boundaries in terms of its enormous scale – and succeeded brilliantly. Its a statuesque wine, incredibly concentrated, yet still fresh and intensely varietal, with layers of ripe blackcurrant, plum and black pepper flavours and noble tannins. It should blossom for a decade – or longer: *****; weight bottle and closure: 957 g; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby, garnet and velvet, older and darker than the 2002 Homage, and in fact the darkest wine. Bouquet is immediately somewhat outside this set, the berry inclining to baked berry tart and hot climate notes reminiscent more of the Barossa Valley than the Gimblett Gravels. Palate is still enormously rich, with browning flavours again more plum tart or even prune than plum, ripened well past cassis aromatics. This wine is a textbook example of the need for New Zealand winemakers to constantly be tasting the European yardsticks, to know when to pick. In 2002 Craggy Range had a Californian winemaker, Doug Wisor, and the season allowed ripening to and beyond sur-maturité – in European terms. This may have seemed appropriate to a Californian-schooled winemaker, but New Zealand's red wine destiny lies in the French model, not California or Australia. The wisdom in great temperate-climate winemakers lies in knowing when to pick, and when to cut off nature's generosity – as for example in 2002. It is noteworthy that four tasters rated this their top wine of the evening, presumably reflecting their liking for shiraz as in Australia, rather than syrah as in Hermitage, Cote Rotie and Hawkes Bay. Five tasters all told had it in first or second place. The wine is fully mature, but not as smooth as some of the wines to the finish. It will cellar at least 3 – 8 years more. Steve Smith noted that in its youth this wine showed relatively high VA, but for me the ester component has now completely married away. Likewise the acetic component is not now noticeable on bouquet, but is on the aftertaste. GK 09/16

2016 Craggy Range Pinot Noir Aroha 17 (

)

Te Muna Valley, Martinborough district, Wairarapa, New Zealand: 14%; $145 [ 50mm cork; hand-harvested @ 4.55 t/ha = 1.85 t/ac; 50% whole-bunch, fermentation in oak cuves and s/s, with wild yeasts; 9 months in French oak 30% new; no fining, light filtering; RS nil; www.craggyrange.com ]
Big pinot noir ruby, maybe too big – see how it smells. But sadly, bouquet is on the massive side, suggesting over-ripeness, inclining to the darkly plummy less-fragrant heavy style of pinot noir which Dry River managed to persuade a generation of gullible people and suggestible winewriters that it was 'the real thing'. It was not … again if Burgundy be the yardstick. But that said, this 2016 is exquisitely pure, and there is a faint suggestion of dusky florality trying to peep out. Palate again follows perfectly, nil or scarcely any black cherries, more darkly plummy, nearly a hint of uncooked prunes, nutmeg, still recognisably varietal but a weighty, non-fragrant style of over-ripe pinot noir. Regrettably this kind of pinot noir is still too much endorsed by a New Zealand wine-writing secretariat all too often insufficiently familiar with the better wines of Burgundy. It will cellar well, and may lighten up after 10 years. Cellar 8 – 18 years. GK 08/18

2002 Clarendon Hills Syrah Astralis 17 (

)

Clarendon, McLaren Vale, South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $425 [ cork; Sy 100% hand-picked at 1 t/ac from bush-vine syrah planted in 1920; current vintage $A400; no back vintages on website (despite price), current spends 18 months in 100% new French oak; Wine Spectator, 2004: Polished, round and beautifully balanced to bring the blueberry, plum and blackberry character into relief, the lingering flavors riding effortlessly on superfine tannins. More refined, not as big or chunky as previous vintages: 95; R. Parker, 2004: An extraordinary perfume of flowers, creme de cassis, blackberries, roasted meat, new saddle leather, and earth is followed by a wine with sweet tannin, sensational concentration, full body, an unctuous texture, and a full-throttle, tannic finish. Yet it reveals unbelievable elegance and finesse. Too many Euro-centric elitists argue that Australian wines are too rich and over the top, but all of these offerings have been made by someone with great talent and vision who takes the extraordinary ripeness and purity of fruit available from these old vine vineyards and crafts them into wines that are quite European in style ... just richer and denser. The 2002 Astralis is a tour de force. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2025+: 99; weight bottle and closure: 861 g; www.clarendonhills.com.au ]
Garnet, ruby and velvet, the third to lightest wine. Bouquet is very distinctive in the set, showing some baked plum notes like the Trapiche. But whereas the Trapiche reminds of baked plum tart, this wine also reminds of both the skin on roast lean beef, and smoked bacon hocks. Below these characters is a strangely 'pure' grapes-drying-to-currants slightly baked aroma which is quite winey. So the whole bouquet is strong and evocative, but some of the chemistry suggests brett. In mouth the wine is totally different, really quite extraordinarily so. The common link is the grapes or blackcurrants shrivelling to dried currants, very intense dark and dry-berry flavours, yet critically unfresh as soon as you taste the Esk Valley Syrah Reserve alongside. The aftertaste is extraordinary too, an absolute distillation of dark grape flavours, and all softly oaked. I would love to know a dry extract for this wine: it is so saturated with berry flavours. At the discussion stage, in a tasting company dominated by winemakers, there was to my surprise no wholesale condemnation of the wine on technical grounds, but I remain uneasy it is drying prematurely. At the moment the concentration obscures the brett component, I think. Maybe not a bottle to cellar for the decades the present concentration suggests, but it should be good for 5 – 15 years at least. An interesting wine to follow – the auction price in Australia must mean something. No votes for first or second place, four for least wine of the evening. GK 09/16

1979 Ch Leoville Las Cases 17 (

)

Saint-Julien Second Growth, Bordeaux, France: – %; $205 [ cork 52mm; original price $28.95; cepage then approx. CS 67%, Me 17, CF 13, PV 3, planted at 8,000 vines / ha; 12 – 24 months in barrel, 50 – 100% new oak, depending on the vintage; Broadbent, 2002: very impressive from the spring of 1980 to the mid-1980s, after which I noted more pedestrian qualities, cedary but earthy, quite good fruit but, of course, tannic: **?; Coates, 2002: Good vigorous ripe Cabernet nose. Rather more vigour and depth than the Ducru-Beaucaillou. Plenty of succulence and class. A lovely example. Vigorous. Fullish-bodied. Concentrated as well as ripe. Excellent fruit. First Growth quality. Aristocratic. Very long. Lots of life ahead of it. Not as sweet at the end as Ch Margaux. Very fine: 18.5; R. Parker, 1993: This is a lighter-styled Las Cases, with medium body, and an attractively pure, fragrant bouquet of leafy, curranty fruit, minerals, and spicy new oak. Well-etched on the palate, with everything in harmony, this wine displays no signs of fading. Drink it over the next 8-10 years: 87; www.domaines-delon.com ]
Ruby and garnet, fractionally redder than the 1978 Las Cases, well above midway in depth. The 1979 Las Cases makes explicit what the 1978 merely hints at. There is a similar volume of clearly cassisy berry and lovely cedary oak, but the 1979 smells fractionally harder, firmer, and faintly stemmy. Palate confirms, a leaner wine, with now clear suggestions of stalky flavours, yet still showing good berry and balanced oak. The whole nett impression is still fragrant, reasonably gentle in its tannin structure, long-flavoured, and food-friendly. Fully mature, drying a little. No first or second places. GK 08/16

2010 Pyramid Valley Cabernet Franc Howell Vineyard Growers Collection 17 (

)

Bridge Pa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $38 [ screwcap; cropped at c.4.75 t/ha (c.1.9 t/ac); 10% whole-bunch, wild yeast fermentation and 27 days cuvaison; 12 months on lees in 350-litre French hogsheads, 10% new; www.pyramidvalley.co.nz ]
Ruby, some velvet. Tasted alongside a Bourgueil, it seems safe to say this is one of the finest and subtlest cabernet francs made in New Zealand so far, for one simple reason. This wine respects the varietal quality of the fruit, and has not been battered into submission with oak to meet a lowest-common-denominator interpretation of the concept 'cabernet'. Bouquet shows suggestions of sweet violets on fruit analogies which owe as much to fresh raspberry as to pale cassis. Even so there is more oak in the Pyramid Valley than the Bourgueil, and since the total acid is higher too, less oak would be better for two reasons. The French example shows slightly sweeter fruit ripeness and greater concentration, so a lower cropping rate and slightly better ripeness / physiological maturity is needed here, but not so much as to lose the florality. The percentage whole-bunch is dubious. All in all, this comparison is wonderfully valid and inspiring. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 05/13

2015 Clemens Busch vom Grauen Schiefer Riesling Trocken Qualitatswein 17 (

)

Mosel Valley, Germany: 11%; $38 [ cork; organic and biodynamic; a selection from younger vines (by German standards) on slates in various vineyards; website is more about the overall approach, and illustrations, than factual info for each wine; www.clemens-busch.de ]
Lemon. Initially opened, the bouquet is tending high-SO2 / reductive / mineral to a fault, but with strong resiny Australian-like riesling fruit below. Palate expands the citrus and new pasture hay side of the riesling equation, but the bottling sulphur and overt lees work, plus highish phenolics as if the wine spent time in big old oak (later: the winery does use 1000-litre old fuders), all need some years to marry up. Freshly opened it is almost too big and too flavoursome, for fine riesling, but it improves markedly in the glass, and the score creeps up. Cellar 8 – 20 years, to both marry up, and display its varietal character more. GK 03/17

2016 Pyramid Valley Pinot Noir Angel Flower Home Collection 17 (

)

Waikari, Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 13.5%; $125 [ screwcap; beyond a description of the wine, and production of 417 x 9-litre cases, the website is again silent on details of interest to the taster; the name is given for the common adjunct pasture species yarrow (Achillea millefolium) … why exactly is obscure: yarrow is unknown by that name in New Zealand, and is more a weed than a garden beauty; www.pyramidvalley.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, near the middle of the pinots for depth of colour, but a bit drab. Bouquet is clearly pinot noir, in another of the aliases New Zealand pinot noir adopts, blackboy peach aromas, with a sweet note to it just hinting at the aroma of dried apricots. Palate is light, fresh, neither as ripe or as concentrated as Earth Smoke, a simpler kind of pinot noir. Oak is to a maximum here, plus slight grape phenolics. Needs to soften / mellow in cellar, 3 – 10 years. For pricing, see the comments for Field of Fire Chardonnay. GK 06/19

2009 Vynfields Pinot Noir Reserve 17 (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 14.9%; $59 [ screwcap; 100% de-stemmed, 14 months French oak 33% new; certified organic; www.vynfields.com ]
Older pinot noir ruby, below midway in depth, and markedly older than the 2009 Pisa Range, raising doubts about the elevage. And bouquet shows why, a markedly oaky pinot noir, right from first opening. Berry ripeness seems good though at the red cherry level. Palate confirms the bouquet impressions, any florality drowned by oaking but it is good fragrant oak. The fruit ripeness is better than both the Ata Rangi and the Neudorf (the trend in 2009). The red fruits spectrum of these middle New Zealand pinots really is very distinctive, against generally darker fruits from Otago. So you may ask, why is this wine scored lower than wines said to be slightly less ripe. Simply, I prefer varietal expression. This level of oaking wins medals in lesser wine judgings, but is not so simpatico with the supremely subtle variety pinot noir, nor so good as a food wine. Cellar 3 – 8 years, maybe 10. If you like oaky wines, please re-rate this wine upwards: the wine is by no means hopelessly out of balance. GK 11/12

2011 Craggy Range Pinot Noir Te Muna Road 17 (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $38 [ screwcap; hand-harvested @ 6.25 t/ha (2.5 t/ac); c.10% whole-bunch; 10 months in French oak 27% new; www.craggyrange.com ]
Pinot noir ruby, a little age showing, in the third quarter for depth. Bouquet is in the lighter fresher New Zealand pinot style, buddleia and lilac florals, a hint of leaf, on redcurrant grading to red cherry fruit. Palate however shows better fruit than some in this lighter class, and better ripeness than the bouquet promised. Cedary oak is attractively in balance to the fruit, lengthening the flavour without dominating it. Fully mature now, will hold several years. GK 06/17

2014 Blank Canvas Pinot Noir 17 (

)

Waihopai Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $39 [ screwcap; hand-picked from crop-thinned fruit; 50% whole bunches, wild-yeast fermentations; 10 months in low-toast oak, some new; not filtered; glowing reviews on the winery website; www.blankcanvaswines.com ]
Pinot noir ruby, midway in depth, in the third quarter for depth of colour. Bouquet is lightly buddleia floral and fragrant, on red fruits, reminiscent of a Volnay style. Palate continues the bouquet harmoniously, fair fruit weight, a suggestion of aromatics reminiscent of Otago thyme, with reasonable ripeness and balance initially, but a little leafy and short to the finish. This is more a careful example of the earlier Marlborough pinot style, than an example of the deeper pinot noirs some producers are now achieving on the older soils. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 06/17

2014 Decibel Pinot Noir 17 (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 14%; $42 [ screwcap; 24-year old vines in Martinborough proper, hand-picked; wild-yeast fermented with 10% whole bunches; 10 months in French oak none new, 30% one-year; not filtered; www.decibelwines.com ]
Pinot noir ruby, a little development showing, towards the head of the third quarter, in depth. Bouquet is distinctive in this fragrant wine, showing spicy oak influences with a little brett at the complexity level, on red grading to black cherry fruit. Palate has good berry, both red and black cherry suggestions, with noticeable fruit richness to the tail, marrying with the oak. This will be a very food-friendly wine, as it softens. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/17

2015 Gunn Estate Pinot Noir Reserve 17 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $18 [ screwcap; all destemmed; info is sketchy; some of the wine goes into older oak; RS given as dry; www.gunnestate.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby, in the second quarter for depth. Bouquet is another on the less complex elevation side, but scores highly for its precise pinot noir varietal character. There are faintly leafy buddleia and pink rose florals which are almost 'sweet' (in the sense of a rose like 'Peace'), on red cherry fruit. Because there is less elevation, the florals go right through the palate in a most enchanting way. Maybe the wine is not ideally ripe and concentrated, but at the price it offers fair pinot noir character. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 06/17

1996 Cape Mentelle Shiraz 17 (

)

Margaret River, West Australia, Australia: 14%; $40 [ Cork, 45 mm; not on Langton's list; Halliday rates the 1996 vintage 8 for Margaret River; no details for the actual vintage, but the trend indicated on the 1996 back-label is confirmed by the specs for 2002: cropped at c. 6.25 t/ha = 2.5 t/ac, a whole-bunch component in ferment, 30% of the wine in new oak, the balance larger older wood for maybe 18 months; black pepper seen as positive; Halliday, 1998: Dense red-purple; a marvellously complex bouquet with an array of rich, dark plum and berry fruit with game and boot-polish undertones, quintessentially varietal. The palate, too, is multi-flavoured and multi-layered with plum, licorice and berry fruit, supported by lingering tannins, 93; bottle weight 600 g; www.capementelle.com.au ]
Ruby and garnet, below midway in depth. Bouquet is dark, aromatic, complex, darkly spicy rather than minty, fruit and oak tightly entwined. Palate gives one a better feel for the wine, berry now detectable in a very dry and browning cassisy way, medium weight, a similar level of (it seemed) mainly French oak close to the La Chapelle, but here rendered more cloves-spicy by low-level brett. Despite the good fruit, the latter factor leads to a drying finish, with hints that this wine should be finished up sooner rather than held for too much longer. As it stands, a very attractive food wine. No first or second places, four least, one person thought it French. GK 03/17

1968 Stonyfell Cabernet / Shiraz Metala 17 (

)

Langhorne Creek, South Australia, Australia: – %; $ – [ cork, 46mm; ullage 6mm up from base of neck ! ; then, the company’s top red wine label. It was often approx. cabernet 40%, shiraz 60, and matured in big older probably American oak 500s (2,200 litres) for 3 years, plus later, a little in puncheons including some French, and possibly some new. Production in 1968 was 6,090 x 9-litre cases cropped at c.5 t/ha = 2 t/ac, so it was not a rare wine. Lake says of it: The wines themselves are excellent. They are mostly inclined to a bigger style of flavour but with adequate bottle age, say eight to ten years, become magnificent. I rather feel Lake was off the beat, in his evaluation of Metala. I have never tasted a Metala from the ‘60s that was not severely over-ripe. Evans' assessment is closer to my experience of the wines: The style is rather a formidable one, big and rich, with much depth of flavour. Perhaps the wines sometimes lacks finesse, but the finish is quite firm. Intriguing to see recorded that when Peter Lehmann became the Saltram / Stonyfell winemaker in 1959, he ‘lightened’ the traditional red wine styles. When I think of what this wine (and its immediate predecessors) was like in its youth, it is hard to imagine the heroic wines of yesteryear, before 'lightening'. ]
Ruby and garnet, clearly red, the deepest wine unsurprisingly, since it was enormously deep in youth. The bouquet is delightfully pure, and now (at last) retreating from being huge and elephantine to just being very rich, very ripe, a lot of browning glacé figs and boysenberry fruit, quite an aromatic lift verging on euc'y, lots of sunshine and raisins, but not oppressive. In mouth the berry richness is still amazing, and here you can (in a way) taste the cabernet, just a hint of darkly-cassisy, markedly browning, fine-grained flavour in big ripe to over-ripe berry. There is noticeable oak, including some new maybe, but it is well in balance with the rich fruit. The whole wine is now finally marrying up into a rich sturdy harmony, finishing on milk chocolate and boysenberries, Australian to a fault. It has another 20 years of cellar life ahead of it, if the corks allow. In this particular bottle, though the cork was only 46 mm in length, it was a superb fit, the top third of the cork still dry and unstained, ullage the least in the set, and the fill level still well into the neck. I hope it is representative of the bottling as a whole. It is worth noting that in the 1960s, Stonyfell Metala was seen (and priced) as a top or premium Australian wine, much praised by Max Lake in his 1966 review. In style and ripeness it reflected the contemporary wisdom of the day, but it was the cropping rate / concentration back then that made it rare. In subsequent decades it became far more commercial. One second-place vote. The Stuyvesant House restaurant in Sydney has the 1994 of this label on their list at $AU150. Ullage base of cork to top of wine, 25 mm. GK 04/19

2004 Margrain Pinot Noir River’s Edge 17 (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $24 [ cork; intended for early drinking; 11 months in French oak; www.margrainvineyard.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is soft, sweet, and floral and varietal in a way that makes it clearly pinot noir. There are suggestions of boronia flowers, and then red cherry and blackboy fruit. Palate is clean, fresh, the faintest hint of stalks, and subtly oaked, not quite as rich as the TerraVin wines, but much cleaner in the cooperage. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 05/06

1968 Wynns Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon Black Label 17 (

)

Coonawarra, South Australia, Australia: – %; $ – [ cork, 50mm; ullage to base neck; then, the company’s top red wine label, nominally all cabernet but perhaps not 100% then. Matured in American oak hogsheads (320-litre), little or none new at the time. Though not the top cabernet wine of the district, in many ways, and for many years, this label was the messenger or envoy wine for both Coonawarra per se, and the fact that the Coonawarra district was unusually suited to cabernet sauvignon, and could make more subtle red winestyles with (in good years) some claim to competing with Bordeaux. This was in contrast to hermitage / shiraz which was then the mainstay of the red wine industry, and elsewhere tended to produce more sturdy wines in the Australian climate. The Wynns holdings include a good deal of the less-highly-rated black soils, as opposed to the 'terra rossa' on limestone which makes the most elegant cabernets in the district, but they are still well-regarded. The premium John Riddoch cabernet label had not yet been introduced. Evans says of this exact wine: The 1968 has all the marks of a top cabernet from the company. It has extremely good varietal fruit, a deep colour, a strong berry nose and sturdy flavour, yet the wine still has finesse and considerable elegance; and a smooth, but firm, finish. No doubt this wine will take considerable bottle age – how long one wouldn’t know – and in that time the the nose will build up into a definite fragrance; the character will richen on the palate; and the typical cedar-like finish will appear. Halliday notes for this label that after fine wines in the 1950s, quality fell away in the 1960s and 1970s. For our wine: … the bouquet clean, but somewhat plain, with slightly roasted fruit characters. Tasted from a magnum, there was pleasant sweet fruit, even if slightly dilute, ***. ]
Ruby and garnet, in the middle for depth. Bouquet is clean and ‘sweet’, in one sense unchanged from its aroma at release. At that point it was highly cabernet, but in the over-ripe style of the times, it was all deep carmine blackberry, no cassis at all. And today it is now all browning blackberry, but remarkably fragrant in its style, and the berry in good ratio to the oak. Palate is even ‘sweeter’, suffused with this over-ripe berry flavour, all simple and tending to blackberry ice-cream and vanilla, but age is now lending a certain dignity. And the oaking is sophisticated for the times, nicely balanced through the later palate, fragrant and clean. Cork quality is good and the length 50 mm, so there is no hurry at all with this wine. It just lacks the cooler bordeaux-like hints the 1964, for example, showed, being more a prisoner of the warm Australian climate. No ratings, solely because it was placed first in the line up, as a good introductory wine to the set. The Stuyvesant House restaurant in Sydney has the 1976 of this label on their list at $AU$210. Ullage base of cork to top of wine, 27 mm. GK 04/19

2004 Pyramid Valley Pinot Noir Marlborough (Growers Collection, Eaton Vineyard) 17 (

)

Omaka Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14.2%; $42 [ screwcap; clones UCD5, UCD6, 114, 115, 667, 777 & Abel, vine age 4 years; 100% de-stemmed, 4 – 5 days cold soak, wild yeast fermentation, 27 days cuvaison, 18 months in French oak 30% new; no fining, no filtration ]
Good pinot noir ruby. This wine marked some kind of dividing line, between pinots which were delightful and hedonistic to drink, and those which were for some reason just a little simpler and less stylish, even though they might be equally varietal. For some, it is the presence of brett, as in the Pyramid Valley, which gives the wine a certain charm with food. Bouquet on this pinot is very burgundian indeed, at a more serious level than the Pommard, but fragrant in that style. There are sweetly floral red fruits, red and black cherries, plus subtle brett complexity heightening vinosity. Palate is a little less, lighter, slightly acid, but the flavours are delicious, highly varietal. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/07

2008 Mount Edward Pinot Blanc 17 (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 12.5%; $21 [ screwcap, s/s wine, cultured yeast; no MLF; RS 12 g/L; not on website; www.mountedward.com ]
Lemongreen. Pinot blanc is like pinot gris: to be good, it must show its pinot inheritance, and ideally be floral. These goals are achieved beautifully on bouquet, which hints at some elegant subtle champagnes. Palate lets the wine down though, being stainless-steel, slightly phenolic, and sweet to cover that. The marks are mainly for bouquet, therefore. Much more could be done with base material of this quality, moving the wine towards initially the Alsatian ‘edelzwicker’ concept, and later perhaps with oldest oak and dry or nearly so, into pinot blanc proper. The ever-reliable Steven Spurrier defines the edelzwicker winestyle as: It is always white and dry, with the typical Alsace flowery aromas, refreshing and easy to drink on its own or with a meal. Cellar 1 – 3 years. GK 05/09

1995 Main Ridge Estate Pinot Noir Half-Acre 17 (

)

Mornington Peninsula, Victoria, Australia: 13%; $ – [ cork; a pioneer (1975) highly regarded small (1,200 cases) winery on the famous Mornington Peninsula, rated 5-stars by Halliday; 1995 vintage middling; https://mre.com.au ]
Attractive light pinot noir ruby and garnet, the lightest of the pinots, light even by burgundy standards, more the weight of a Rousseau wine. Bouquet is clean, pure but fading red fruits, the oak moving to dominance. There seems less fruit than the Omihi, on bouquet. In mouth however the pinot quality of the wine is much more apparent, with scarcely a hint of Australian spurious aromatics, the length of beautifully ripe fruit character good notwithstanding the light colour, and the oak perfectly in balance. Fully mature to fading a little. A delight. GK 12/17

2003 Mt Difficulty Pinot Noir Roaring Meg 17 (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $27 [ screwcap; second / young vines label; c. 2.5 t/ac; 9 months in 20% new French oak; www.mtdifficulty.co.nz ]
Pinot ruby. Initially opened, this wine is saturated with an oak-related coffee-character, in the fashionable show-pony style which currently is well-rewarded in judgings (mistakenly). So on bouquet the wine doesn't in fact resemble pinot noir too much at all, being dominated by winemaker artefacts. Decanted and much breathed, it improves to clear mixed cherry and blackboy fruit. Palate is fresh, soft, and more clearly varietal, the oak retreating to the background where it should be, the length of cherry flavours good. Should marry up to be attractive drinking in cellar 3 – 8 years, but decanting will help. GK 03/05

nv Drappier Carte Blanche Brut 17 (

)

Reims, Champagne, France: 12%; $49 [ cork; PN 90%, balance PM & Ch; www.champagne-drappier.com ]
Colour is a standout in the tasting, being salmon, very like Lindauer Special Reserve. And bouquet matches that wine, with high pinot noir red cherry smells dominating clean and very fresh lees-autolysis, plus some suggestions of mushrooms. Palate is a little less than the bouquet promises, at this stage being very fresh, crisp and tending phenolic. Dosage is a little more than most in the tasting. Exactly like the Lindauer Reserve, this will benefit greatly from 3 – 5 years in cellar, and be much more mellow and appealing. GK 11/05

1996 Barossa Valley Estate Shiraz E & E Black Pepper 17 (

)

Barossa Valley, South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $138 [ Cork, 46 mm; rated Outstanding in the Langton's Australian wine classification, the second-level group of 52; Halliday rates the 1996 vintage 9 for Barossa Valley; produced from low-cropping 60-year old vines in north-east Barossa Valley; elevation thought to be along the lines of 18 months in French and American oak, 30% new; present status of this wine obscure, the company now owned by Delegats of New Zealand, the website meaningless; Halliday 2001: Medium to full red-purple; rich, ripe, sweet and concentrated chocolate and vanilla aromas of the bouquet are followed by a concentrated, almost essencey choc-mint, cherry and vanilla-flavoured palate. Very good in its style context but, as ever, not a hint of pepper, 89; bottle weight 581 g; www.barossavalleyestate.com ]
Ruby and garnet, velvet, the second deepest colour. Bouquet is classical Barossa Valley ripe to over-ripe shiraz, well braced by fragrant American oak, all rich and ripe and spirity. Its qualities expand in mouth, lashings of darkly plummy nearly-sweet fruit with clear suggestions of boysenberry, the oak providing a tannin backbone, the flavours mouth-saturating and long. This is archetypal old-style premium South Australian shiraz, which will cellar for years. In one sense it is at a peak now, being smooth in a furry-tannins way, and long-flavoured on oak as well as rich fruit. Nobody rated it their top wine, but two thought it second-best, no least places, and nobody thought it French. Cellar 5 – 15 years. The origin of the name E & E is not widely known: the company does not reply to correspondence. Thanks to Michael Parker, I find the answer is Elmore and Elaine, vineyard names, given in an article by Merrill Witt. GK 03/17

2002 Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir 17 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $38 [ www.cloudybay.co.nz ]
Light ruby, light even for pinot. This wine is the opposite extreme from the Foxes Island, Craggy Range or Carrick wines, but no less legitimate an expression of pinot. It is fragrant and gently floral on bouquet, and highly varietal, as if inspired by the wines of a traditional burgundy house such as Drouhin. It thus contrasts vividly with the bolder, darker, new world models, which all too often can be so ripe as to lose varietal delicacy, and be confuseable with merlot. Palate on the Cloudy is similarly varietal, admittedly not as deep as fine burgundy, but showing attractive blackboy and red cherry fruit, and gentle tannins. Only the red currant suggestions, and a hint of stalks, detract, pointing to less than ideal pinot ripeness. Cellar 3 – 6 years. Tasted twice. GK 10/04

2017 Craggy Range Chardonnay Gimblett Gravels 17 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $35 [ screwcap; clone 95 mainly, hand-harvested @ 5.1 t/ha = 2 t/ac; BF in French oak 28% new; all wild yeast, 10 months LA all in barrique, some MLF, limited stirring; fined and filtered; RS nil; www.craggyrange.com ]
Fractionally deeper light lemon than the Kidnappers. This wine too is far too young to be released, also some SO2 to resolve. Like the Kidnappers it is beautifully clean, but it is also a little more clearly varietal, with more evidence of lees work and elevation complexity. But even here (though not so markedly) there is a thought of stalks, though somewhat better body and dry extract. There are light suggestions of yellow stonefruits, and some mealyness. It needs to be held for three years, and cellar 5 – 15 years. By and large, Craggy Range thus far has not shown much flair with chardonnay, though there was one beautiful wine (2011 Les Beaux Cailloux). The Gimblett Gravels are in many years too warm for the finest quality in chardonnay, and as implied for the Kidnappers wine, their coastal site is to my mind simply not suited. GK 08/18

1987 Goldwater Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot / Cabernet Franc 17 (

)

Waiheke Island, Auckland, New Zealand: 13.5%; $ – [ cork, 49 mm; $29, then; CS, Me, CF; in NBR 19 May 1989 I described this wine thus: This other Waiheke challenger to Hawkes Bay is velvety carmine/ruby in colour, slightly less intense than the Stonyridge as befits its extra year in oak. Once breathed, the whole wine is firmer and more aromatic than the Stonyridge, richer and riper in fruit than the Villa [C/M] Reserve, and weightier but less immaculate than the Awatea. It places more emphasis on vinosity, and less on purity of bouquet and flavour. It is in some ways therefore closer to young Bordeaux in style, and like them benefits from a splashy decanting. This is clearly the ripest and richest Goldwater red so far. With its firm tannins and good acid, it has long cellar potential, and will provide many interesting comparisons with other top '87s; I have not tasted it since that report, so I for one am looking forward to this evaluation a great deal; bottle weight 531 g; www.goldieestate.co.nz ]
Ruby and garnet, a good hue but the lightest in depth. Bouquet is intriguing, showing a freshness and aromatic edge that is more appropriate to a serious red from the Loire Valley than to New Zealand or Bordeaux. Delving deeper, there is some cassis character, but clear red currants too, and thoughts of red plums all browning now, not black plums at all as in L'Arrosée. Palate is softer, richer and more supple than one feared on bouquet, with beautifully subtle oak. The analogy with a good Loire Valley red in maturity seems even more apt. Though it is red berry-dominant, the wine magically avoids the overtly under-ripe cabernet characters several other wines in the tasting show. The total ripeness and pleasantness thus shares the stage with the Stonyridge, for the New Zealand wines in the tasting, but in a totally different style of achievement – intriguing. No first or second places, most correctly identified it as New Zealand. Fully mature now, no great hurry but best finished up. GK 08/16

2003 Guigal Cote-Rotie Brune et Blonde 17 (

)

Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $123 [ Cork, 50 mm; now Sy 96%, Vi 4, average age 35 years, typically cropped at 4.8 t/ha = 1.9 t/ac, but crop reduced to 40% normal in 2003; Parker rating for year 96; c. 21 days cuvaison, percentage new oak increased from 2004 vintage, now elevation three years in barrel, 40 – 50% new; J.L-L, 2006: ripe, mature fruit, a little black jam in a bright bouquet. Leathery, filled attack, gains richness later on the palate, its fruit comes in a soft register, but overall the wine is solid and sustained. A late floral show. This can live. Esp 2009 on. 2022-2025, ****; Robinson, 2008: Very dark. Heady and concentrated. Really rich - almost gamey. Nothing whatsoever to do with the elegant side of Cote-Rotie but then it's 2003 … Lots of bang for the not inconsiderable buck. I think I would choose something more typically Cote Rotie myself, but this is Guigal's full-on style accentuated by the heat-wave vintage, 17; J Dunnuck @ Parker, 2014: Much more ripe, textured and decadent, the 2003 Cote-Rotie Brune et Blonde is loaded with notions of cassis, plum sauce, licorice and exotic, gamy qualities that flow nicely to a full-bodied, concentrated wine that has sweet tannin, excellent mid-palate depth and a terrific finish. Drinking at maturity, it should nevertheless continue to evolve gracefully through 2023, 92; Wine Spectator, 2007: Still tight, but this has a solid core of muscular fig paste, currant, tobacco, black olive and iron notes, followed by a long, well-structured finish. Shows the heat of the vintage, but isn't roasted. Best from 2008 through 2015. 12,000 cases made, 92; www.guigal.com ]
Ruby and some garnet, in the middle for depth. This was the other wine to clearly reveal that 2003 was a hot year, requiring care with the point of picking, if freshness were to be maintained. The contrast with 2003 La Landonne could not be more vital, this wine like the 1998 Gigondas showing baked plum tart qualities, with suggestions of prunes and soy sauce again. Like all these wines though, it is wonderfully pure. The over-ripeness flows through to the palate, more obviously than in the 1998 Gigondas. But within the browning there is good richness, subtle oak, and great length. Again, this would be good with a roast dinner. It shared least place with the 1998 Gigondas, eight tasters ranking this their least-favoured wine of the evening. The standard of the wines was so high, however, that to be least in this company was not too much of a let-down. Cellar 5 – 20 years, in its style. GK 05/17

2015 Casa Santos Lima / Companhia das Vinhas Vale Perdido 17 (

)

Lisbon district, Portugal: 13%; $13 [ cork, 38mm; bottle-shape claret; cepage is castelao 35% (the commonest Portuguese red grape, synonym periquita), camarate (a soft, low-acid, early-developing blending variety akin to castelao, trincadeira (tinta amarela, a dark port variety), touriga nacional, Sy; vines grown at 4,200 / ha, on calcareous and shale soil parent materials 100 – 200 m asl, all destemmed; fermentation temperature controlled to 28º – 30º C., cuvaison 28 days, unspecified time in barrel; www.casasantoslima.com ]
A lovely medium ruby, bright, some velvet, below midway in depth, the weight of a good Cotes-du-Rhone. And the bouquet is for all the world like Cotes-du-Rhone too, bright vibrant red fruits, light black pepper as if syrah is prominent instead of the last listed. This wine was a little closed initially, but breathed up remarkably. Flavour is a little plainer than some of the other Portuguese wines in the set, suggestions of juicy blackberry, the oak component less integrated, possibly an academic trace of brett. It is the driest of the Portuguese wines. This should marry up well, and cellar 5 – 15 years. A Cotes-du-Rhone look-alike for $13, though the bottle shape would be better as burgundy. A Wine Direct selection. GK 03/18

2004 Xabregas Shiraz Show Reserve 17 (

)

Mount Barker, Western Australia, Australia: 14%; $ – [ cork, 45mm; release price $32; made using Ganimede Italian fermenters which cycle the juice over the skins using the CO2 produced in fermentation. Their reputation is to produce more colour and a softer and more aromatic wine; tendency to elevation in puncheons, not barrels, a low percentage new; Halliday, 2006: Very good colour; medium to full-bodied; supple, round plum, blackberry and spice flavours; ripe tannins, positive quality oak, 94; Trophy, Best Shiraz, West Australian Wine Show, 2005; this label not made every year; bottle weight dry 585 grams; www.xabregas.com.au ]
Older ruby and velvet. Bouquet is more a typical Australian shiraz, the grapes ripened beyond optimal syrah characters to simple boysenberry shiraz, but then lifted by a minty going on euc'y aromatic quality, and quite high oak. Palate is soft and round, maybe not bone-dry, both oak and euc more apparent in now nearly jammy boysenberry flavours. Finish is roughened by added tartaric acid. For many people, this is what Australian red wine is all about, and this is a well-made example of that style. It is ageing faster than I hoped West Australian shiraz would, fully mature now, cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 03/18

1996 Esk Valley Merlot / Malbec / Cabernet Reserve 17 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $ – [ cork; Me 62%, Ma 29, CS 9; 17 months in French oak; www.eskvalley.co.nz ]
Ruby, remarkably close to the Petaluma, much younger than the Bordeaux. Oak is to the fore in this wine, much moreso than the Bordeaux or the Petaluma. Behind is rich berry, but it is hard to tease out the nuances. Palate shows good fruit richness, and there is more precise complexity of ripe berryfruit flavours than the French or Australian wines. The over-oaking detracts, however, and will crimp the future of the wine. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 12/17

2015 Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc Graham Single Vineyard 17 (

)

Awatere Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $30 [ screwcap; machine-harvested cool at night / early morning, 3 – 4 hours skin contact, all s/s cool fermentation with cultured yeasts to optimise aromatics; RS 3.2 g/L; 'a strong year due to a great summer and modest crop levels', and for the Graham Vineyard 'a cooling coastal influence results in long slow growing season therefore the fruit develops a unique array of aromas and flavours specific to this site'. 2015 seen as a quality year for Marlborough sauvignon blanc; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Good lemongreen like the Taylors Pass wine. Bouquet in this wine is closest to the Clifford Bay Reserve, but fractionally less ripe. It therefore shows yellow and green capsicum notes rather more than red, with suggestions of snow-pea grading to trace green bean. It is beautifully clean though, in that style. Palate shows similarly good richness to all these sauvignon blancs, nicely balanced residual sweetness, and considerable length. Flavours however are clearly greener, centred round yellow capsicum and snow-peas, but some green capsicum too. There is still a savoury note suggesting sweet basil, lengthening the flavour. This is a hard wine to score, the assessed ripeness being scarcely silver medal level, whereas the concentration does merit silver. This ripeness level does not cellar well, developing canned asparagus characters after 18 – 24 or so months. GK 04/16

1986 Babich Chardonnay Irongate 17 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12%; $ – [ cork, 44mm; original price $16.50; first year 1985; then strictly non-MLF, a matter of pride to Joe Babich at the time, a model later followed by Pask, nearby; www.babichwines.co.nz ]
Colour is medium gold, below midway in freshness / depth. Yet on bouquet there is scarcely any suggestion of untoward development. The wine is ripe, ‘sweet’ and mealy, hazelnuts rather than cashew, totally out of kilter with the colour. Flavour is not as rich as the top two Australians, or several of the New Zealand wines, total acid therefore seems fractionally higher, but the length and relative richness of positive flavours is impressive. A wine living on borrowed time, I fear, since this much the palest of my bottles, and it is not as rich as some of the other New Zealand chardonnays. But it certainly reflects well on Joe Babich's pride in the wine at the time, and his conviction that lees-autolysis rather than MLF was the way to handle chardonnay. Top or second wine for seven tasters. GK 09/15

2014 Craggy Range [ Merlot / Cabernet Sauvignon / Malbec / Cabernet Franc ] Te Kahu 17 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.2%; $23 [ screwcap; Me 68%, CS 18, Ma 8, CF 6, 85% machine-harvested @ 8.05 t/ha =3.25 t/ac; 100% de-stemmed; fermented in s/s; 17 months in French oak 28% new; fined and filtered; RS nil; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, fractionally deeper than Sophia. Bouquet is very different from Sophia, clearly more aromatic, partly the cassis on the positive side, partly I suspect the malbec hinting at stems. But the nett result is fragrant, very bordeaux, more Entre Deux Mers in styling. Palate is lighter than their Gimblett Gravels Merlot but still shows pleasant fruit weight, some cassis and aromatics, some plummyness, and again is well in style for Bordeaux or Bordeaux Superieur, though a little more oaky. Against the Gimblett Gravels Merlot, it is also slightly stemmy. Even so, it is already reasonably soft, and it will be a popular food wine, in a classic 'claret' style. Cellar 5 – 12 years, to see it at its best. GK 06/16

2002 Haag Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett QmP 17 (

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Mosel, Germany: 8%; $39 [ www.weingut-fritz-haag.de ]
Pale lemongreen, slightly steely-looking (-ve). A muted bouquet, showing both clear sweet vernal and riesling florals, and some SO2 and a little H2S. Palate is still youthful and awkward, with good fruit and flesh but not a lot of flavour development as yet, though the acid is reasonably good. This is as sweet as some spatlesen. The potential is there for good riesling, but I am doubtful of it being exciting. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 03/04

1997 Peter Lehman Sparkling Shiraz Black Queen Methode Traditionelle 17 (

)

Barossa Valley, South Australia, Australia: 14%; $24 [ cork; original price; c.12 months in older French oak hogsheads; 2 years sur lie; RS 25 – 30 g/L; www.peterlehmannwines.com.au ]
Ruby and some garnet, older than most 1997 reds would be. Bouquet is big and hearty, overt berry fruit, a lot of oak, just too big and boisterous for the elegance and refinement one hopes for in quality sparkling reds. But it is beautifully pure, and it is not euc'y – just faintly aromatic. It is hard to see autolysis as such, but there is a kind of plum-pudding mealy quality which could be autolysis. Palate is strong, too sweet as quality sparkling wine, yet not really sweet enough for black forest gateau (which it was trialled against), and too tannic. Ruby port worked better in this context, being subtler with less obvious tannins. Like so many Australian reds, there is just a critical lack of subtlety for the wine to be really engaging, no matter how well it is made. Will cellar for years though, and once it crusts it might be more pleasing. GK 12/15

2000 Ch l’Abbaye de St Ferme 17 (

)

Bordeaux Superieur, France: 13%; $18 [ Me dominant, 8 months in oak ]
Ruby, some velvet. A rich, ripe, berry and fruit-rich bouquet showing total Bordeaux style including cassis, dark plums, potential tobacco, invisible oak. Palate is exactly the same, merlot-dominant, beautifully ripe and balanced, old but clean oak. This is as good as some lesser classed growths, a taste of real claret for the price of many an under-ripe stalky local. It is clearly riper and more pleasing than the 2000 Reserve de la Comtesse. Cellar 5 – 10 years. VALUE GK 05/04

2005 Ch d'Agassac 17 (

)

Haut-Medoc (Ludon) Cru Bourgeois Superieur, Bordeaux, France: 13.2%; $43 [ cork; Me 50%, CS 47%, CF 3; av. vine age 25, cropped c. 2 t/ac; 15 months in barrel, including LA and batonnage; Wine Spectator: Aromas of coffee, blackberry, raspberry and milk chocolate follow through to a full body, with round, chewy tannins and a jammy, sweet fruit aftertaste. Very fruity. Best after 2012. 90; JancisR: Rich, round, supple nose. Full, glamorous, good acidity though just medium weight. A charming, relatively fleshy cru bourgeois. Quite racy. 15; www.agassac.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a good colour. Bouquet is richly plummy with some cassis, and quite a measure of charry oak, but at this youthful stage it is also tending disorganised and faintly estery. Palate has good fruit, the cassis showing through more now. Oak is more apparent than real, so the wine is not too new world in approach. Finish is long, juicy, cassis-rich and modern, with sufficient fruit to cellar well for 5 – 15 years, and perhaps become more classical in style as it marries down. It is a bit loose and fleshy right now, as Jancis says. GK 04/08

2003 Ch d'Aiguilhe 17 (

)

Cotes de Castillon, Bordeaux, France: 14%; $54 [ Cork 49mm; Me 80%, CF 20; this is one of the most highly-regarded petit chateaux of this eastern district, satellite of Saint Emilion. It gives us the opportunity to taste a bordeaux blend with no cabernet sauvignon, a winestyle several New Zealand producers are offering. Merlot being more sensitive to heat, the issue will be to what extent this wine retains finesse. Proprietor Stephan Neipperg is increasingly moving towards a biodynamic approach to vineyard management. Fruit is hand-sorted. Cuvaison c. 28 days, elevage in c. 50% new French oak. The second wine is Seigneurs d’Aiguilhe. Around 9,500 cases of Chateau d’Aiguilhe per annum; Robinson, 2005: This wine has always seemed dramatically superior to its appellation and in 2003, grown on limestone, it is a powerful wine: Merlot with 20 per cent Cabernet Franc. Super-ripe mulberry notes with fine tannins underneath. Opulent, 16; Parker, August 2014: Here is another example of why some of the best value picks, especially from limestone soils in 2003, can offer not only longevity, but delicious drinking. Owned by Stephan von Neipperg, yields in 2003 were 28 hectoliters per hectare [ c. 3.75 t/ha = 1.5 t/ac ], and the final blend was 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc. Copious notes of white chocolate, espresso roast, black currants and sweet kirsch jump from the glass of this exotic, spicy, fully mature, delicious, round, complex Cotes de Castillon. Consultant Stephane Derenoncourt said that the natural alcohol was 14%. Drink this beauty over the next several years, 89; www.neipperg.com ]
Ruby and velvet, some garnet, much the same hue and weight as the Montrose. And there the comparison ends. Bouquet is rich with fruit, crammed with it, but it is so ripe there is a hint of baked blackberry pie, where some juice has come up above the pie crust in the cooking. There is also an odd spearmint note. Flavours follow, clearly darkly plummy merlot over-ripened so a suggestion of prunes and char, very rich, but the whole wine more burly and tannic than the Pavie. The tannins build on the tongue and become almost too furry, whereas the Pavie is lighter and more new-oaky in that respect. This is a quantitative wine, almost tarry / a hint of creosote to the late finish. As could be expected in a hot year, neither of the two merlot-dominant wines illuminate the variety particularly well. Nonetheless, I placed this second in the blind line-up, to introduce the merlot side of the claret equation. Cellar 5 – 15, maybe 20 years, perhaps to fine down once it crusts. GK 11/14

2005 Ch d'Aiguilhe 17 (

)

Cotes de Castillon, Bordeaux, France: 14.5%; $62 [ cork 50mm; Me 80%, CF 20; original cost en primeur c.$52; as land-prices climb and climb in the Medoc and other well-known districts, attention is turning to peripheral districts where site and geology mimic those of well-known vineyards in the long-established districts. One such is Ch d'Aiguilhe, in the same ownership as the Saint-Emilions Canon La Gaffeliere, La Mondotte and Clos de l’Oratoire. Planting density c. 5,500 – 9,000 vines per hectare. Viticulture moving to organic and biodynamic. Hand-harvesting, much emphasis on sorting. Cuvaison c. 28 days, malolactic tending to be in barrel; extended elevation sur lie in 50% new oak, no fining or filtering; second wine Seigneurs d’Aiguilhe; Stephane Derenoncourt consults; J. Robinson, 2008: Toasty, ripe, flattering and full of life. What's not to like at this price? Great vintage … VGV. 16.5; Jeff Leve, 2014: This delicious, affordable, Cotes de Castillon wine is filled with licorice, black cherry, cocoa, cassis and earthy scents. Richly textured and drinking perfectly today, the wine ends with a fresh, ripe, fennel and spicy plum finish. This is one of the great value wines from the 2005 Bordeaux wine vintage, 91; R. Parker, 2008: The dense 2005 ... creme de cassis, charcoal, camphor, and espresso roast. A sleeper of the vintage, it is a full-bodied, layered, super-concentrated, smooth as silk blend … bargain-priced claret … 8-10 years, 92; www.neipperg.com ]
Youthful highly velvety darkest ruby going on black to the centre, incredibly dense. This was the third oaky wine in the blind line-up, but the massive deep dark dry dusty black plum and pure very ripe fruit masks it. But as soon as you taste it, the new oak aromatics are new world in level, Australia more than New Zealand, making this wine a veritable thumper, seemingly almost out of class. Tasters agreed, this apart from the Larose being the only wine to attract a significant 'not-bordeaux' vote. The volume of berry is colossal, the dry extract must be well over 30 g/L, so the development potential is great. But right now, when you taste the Aiguilhe against the Clos des Jacobins, with its near-identical cepage, it is like comparing cats with elephants. The Jacobins is so fragrant and refreshing, the Aiguilhe massive, dry and dusty. But it will cellar for decades on the combination of perfectly pure black fruits plus the oak-tannin structure. Top wine for five, in the group. Cellar 10 – 30-plus years. GK 06/15

2016 Domaine Alary Cairanne La Jean de Verde 17 (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 15%; $46 [ cork 50 mm, $46; Gr 95, Ca 5; elevation in concrete vat, plus large oak; available from Maison Vauron, Auckland, and retailers supplied by them; weight bottle and cork, 585 g; website more PR than info; www.domaine-alary.com ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, midway in depth. This is interesting wine, at first beguiling, later seeming a bit obvious. It smells big, juicy, and tending modern, all a bit fumey, very ripe berry, some new oak spice, but not a lot of garrigue complexity. Flavours are even riper, syrah including blackberry notes, plus the main grenache red-fruits body, the alcohol drawing attention to some drying tannins. Attractive, in a simpler, more obvious style. Once one knows the identification, and the cepage, I correlate the obvious blackberry and drying tannin comments with the carignan component. Cellar 5 – 20 years, to harmonise. GK 05/19

2011 Domaine Albert Mann Gewurztraminer 17 (

)

Near Colmar, Alsace, France: 14%; $34 [ screwcap; www.albertmann.com ]
Lemon, a totally modern colour and appearance (quite apart from being under screwcap), and the palest wine. Bouquet here is much closer to home, the same suggestions of lemon balm (which can be off-putting) as the recent Saint Clair Reserve, wild ginger blossom, lychee again, quite definitive gewurztraminer. Palate is not quite so fine, the wine showing good richness but rather high phenolics and hints of wild / mixed-yeast fermentation against somewhat less residual (7 – 15 g/L maybe), so it is very flavoursome in mouth. Pretty good in some ways, but not great gewurz. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 04/13

2001 Bodegas Aragonesas Coto de Hayas Crianza 17 (

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Campo de Borja DdO, Spain, Spain: 13.5%; $14 [ Gr 60%, Te 40; DFB; 8 months in oak ]
Good ruby, some velvet. A recognisably 'Spanish' bouquet in the blind tasting: redfruits, raspberry, and a hint of cinnamon from the grenache, and light fragrant American oak. Palate is fruity, soft, maybe not dusty bone-dry, but good round dry red, and appealing. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 11/04

2000 d’Arenberg Shiraz The Dead Arm 17 (

)

McLaren Vale, South Australia: 14.5%; $64 [ seventh vintage; partial BF in mainly new French and US oak, and 22 months in barrel; not filtered; www.darenberg.com.au ]
Ruby and velvet. Bouquet is vast, rich, and unequivocal – just a simple caricature of rich boysenberry and mulberry with American oak shavings. Palate has the sweet rich fruit to pretty well cover the timber, and ensure the wine will cellar for many years, giving it time to integrate and mellow. It is not overtly euc'y, but if the Fox Creek is oaky, this is ridiculously so – an anti-food wine. It is only fair to note this was the most popular wine in a blind tasting, as overtly oaky wines often are in tastings and judgings. Cellar 10 – 25 years. GK 06/04

1982 Champagne Ayala Brut 17 (

)

Ay, Champagne, France: 12%; $160 [ traditional compound champagne cork; Broadbent rating for vintage: *****, a highly successful vintage … well nigh ideal, biggest crop on record, and of uniformly high quality; Wine Spectator rating for vintage: 94, Drink, rich, complex, with abundant flavor. Now that Ayala is owned by Bollinger, there is not much info easily accessible on the previous wines, other than they did not enjoy a prestige reputation. PN 75%, Ch 25, MLF, no oak, dosage tending commercial; Ayala however was one of the first to introduce zero-dosage champagnes; Wine Spectator, 1988: Full and nicely mature in style. Shows mature appley, slightly butterscotchy flavors and a smooth, mouth-filling texture. Very well made, 86; www.champagne-ayala.fr ]
Full straw, towards the lighter end in freshness and depth. A quite perfumed bouquet as if higher in pinot noir, possibly even some meunier (now tired), clean, fragrant, not such a depth of autolysis in the company, clear hazelnut suggestions. Palate combines some pinot noir aromatics with a hint of cider apples, just a touch more phenolic than the other wines. The long flavour is very biscuitty, not the fruit and body of the other wines, yet a little sweeter, giving the impression of being at full stretch. Dosage probably in the 9 – 10 g/L range. The wine did not register with the group, but it would still be very acceptable, in a dinner / social setting. GK 05/16

2005 Domaine Denis Bachelet Bourgogne Non-Filtré 17 (

)

Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 12.5%; $77 [ 49mm cork; planted mostly in 1977; 100% de-stemming; 5 – 6 days cold soak, wild-yeast fermentations; thought to be older oak; Meadows, 2007: Meadows quotes Bachelet as commenting on the consistency and cleanliness of the fruit in 2005, and the thick skins: An earthy and relatively somber nose of dark berry fruit aromas merges into unusually rich, complex and delicious middle weight flavors that possess excellent mid-palate concentration and excellent length. This is an outstanding wine for its level and highly recommended: 86-89; D Schildknecht @ R. Parker, 2007: Bachelet’s 2005 Bourgogne offers scents of ripe, lightly-cooked blackberry and boysenberry, and a slightly animal note. Brighter on the palate than the nose leads one to expect, it offers a good sense of stuffing allied to juiciness and cut, with a finishing hint of tartness, 87-88; weight bottle and closure: 594 g; no website found. ]
Youthful vigorous ruby and velvet, well above midway in depth. One sniff and this is a big wine, deep, dark and tannic, almost spicy, and not exactly varietal to first impression. With air it gradually reveals more of itself, but it is remarkably substantial (for the appellation). You get the impression there is no new oak, and comparison with the Bachelet Vieilles Vignes reinforces that thought. The wine is almost monolithic, tannin-rich, yet somehow just manages to still remind of pinot noir. It needs another 10 years at least: once it crusts in bottle it will be much more pinot-varietal. There might be light brett, which may lead to premature drying, but probably not enough to worry about – given the richness. Pretty interesting stuff, for the appellation. Two tasters had this as their top or second wine, and intriguingly, seven thought it New Zealand. The all-old-oak factor argues against that interpretation. GK 10/16

1976 Ch Batailley 17 (

)

Pauillac Fifth Growth, Medoc, France: – %; $68 [ Cork, 52mm, ullage 16mm; CS 70%, Me 20, CF 9, PV 1; purchase price $11.76; typically 18 months in barrel; production around 23,000 x 9-litre cases; now in the Borie-Manoux stable; RP@WA, 1984: a straightforward sort of wine, which is fully mature. It is medium ruby-colored, with a spicy, plump, fruity bouquet, medium body, attractive, gentle, almost polite flavors, and a rather short, yet soft finish. Anticipated maturity: Now-1993, 81; weight bottle and closure: 574 g; www.batailley.com ]
Garnet and ruby, below midway in depth. This wine opened beautifully, and was unchanged not only for presentation at the tasting, but for days afterwards (under ice). Bouquet is quite intense, fresh and attractive, browning cassis, invisible oak, lovely maturity. The flavour is just a trace smaller, not exactly stalky but a reminder of a sweet grass such as sweet vernal (as in riesling), both freshening the palate, and making it seem subtle. Clean oak becomes apparent on the late palate. Could not be anything but claret, and Medoc, at perfect maturity, eminently drinkable. Tasters did not approve of this wine quite so much, no favourites, and four least places. GK 10/20

2010 Ch Bernadotte 17 (

)

Haut-Medoc, Bordeaux, France: 14%; $45 [ cork; CS 50%, Me 44, CF 4, PV 2; yield usually below 50 hl/ha, up to 16 months in French oak, typically 33% new; from Saint-Sauveur 7 km W of Pauillac; formerly same ownership as Pichon-Lalande, then Roederer Group, now Hong Kong. Cru Bourgeois du Medoc ranking 2010; JR 4/11: 17 (also another bottle 16) Dark crimson. Scented with just the slightest hint of green. Sweet start and very luscious. Dramatic and crowd-pleasing with real potential for development. Neat finish. Shiny and should be VGV. 2016 to 2024; RP 89: Recently sold to a Chinese entrepreneur, in 2010 this estate produced a blend of 52% Cabernet Sauvignon and 48% Merlot. The wine is deep and clearly a sleeper of the vintage, with loads of fruit, glycerin and extract. Its excellent purity and loads of spice box as well as red and black currants make for a delicious, impressively endowed wine to drink over the next 10-12 years; WS 89 - 92: Racy and bright, with kirsch, floral and chalk notes. The finish has good nervosité and tension. Tightly wound now, but the length is there; website non-functional; Availability: 750s out, 2010 375s $23 and 1500s $90; www.chateau-bernadotte.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, midway in depth, attractive. Bouquet initially seems modern, a suggestion of charry new oak the first impression, on indeterminate berry. In mouth things change, there is good berry, but like the Beaumont some suggestions of older and coarser cooperage and leather creep into the flavour. It therefore becomes a more representative Medoc than an exemplary one. It should cellar well and soften over 5 – 15 years. GK 03/13

2011 Weingut Bernhard Huber Spatburgunder Bienenberg GG 17 (

)

Baden, Germany: 13%; $ – [ cork 55mm; a €38 wine, say $NZ62; up to 50% new oak; cropping rate this wine c.3.9 t/ha = 1.6 t/ac; www.weingut-huber.com ]
An older pinot noir ruby, in the middle of the German wines, close to matching the lightest New Zealand wine. Bouquet is both floral, and vanillin-new oaky, but in a lighter style, tea-roses only and red cherries at best, just a hint of red currants. Flavour is more along the lines of spatburgunder as we used to know it, but the level of new oak is totally new, maybe highlighting Carsten's comments. Even though it smells and tastes of vanillin new oak, the wine is not tannic. Weight of fruit is good, but there is a suggestion of residual sweetness filling the wine out a little. Though lighter, it has the same magic quality that the Tom's Block wine showed in the New Zealand set, all red fruits but no leafy under-ripe suggestions. The well-known British wine merchant Justerini & Brooks considers Huber 'famed for his Pinots, in particular his world class Pinot Noir' … and quote Gault & Millau similarly. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 11/15

1989 Ch Beychevelle 17 (

)

Saint-Julien Fourth Growth, Medoc, Bordeaux, France: 13%; $138 [ cork, 54mm; original price c.$65; CS 60%, Me 28, CF 8, PV 4, cropped at c.7.1 t/ha = 2.9 t/ac; elevation 18 – 20 months, with then probably less than 50% new oak; production of the grand vin varies round 22,000 x 9-litre cases; Broadbent, 2002: … fleshy and spicy; sweet, ripe and attractive, ***; RP@RP, 1997: ... the 1989 Beychevelle ... is an elegant, medium-bodied wine with soft tannin, copious quantities of ripe, herb-tinged, blackcurrant fruit, some evidence of toasty oak, and a generous, velvety-textured finish. It appears to be evolving quickly ... to 2012, 89; weight bottle and closure: 548 g; https://beychevelle.com ]
Ruby and garnet, below midway in depth, and midway in ruby : garnet. At the tasting, this was the least TCA-affected wine of the three affected wines, but since it is lighter, the taint seemed more apparent. It cleared up well, once treated with Gladwrap® and left standing overnight in the glass. The wine shows elegant lightish cassisy berry browning now, with beautifully balanced cedary oak. Palate is lighter than the bouquet suggests, cabernet dominant, just a hint of under-ripeness but in a different less elegant way than the Lalande, the wine slightly more austere. It is not as ripe or rich as the Matawhero, but the oak handling is excellent. It would be good in a dinner context. This 1989 Beychevelle is nearing the end of its plateau of maturity, and will be drying soon. GK 11/19

1982 Ch Bonalgue 17 (

)

Pomerol, Bordeaux, France: – %; $23 [ cork; Me 65%, CF 30, Ma 5; considered Cru Bourgeois level by RP; Parker: consistently sound, in top vintages very good. No info on 1982, except later vintages compared with it and implying the best of the 80s. In general, a wine of rich black berryfruits characters, plummy, toasty new oak, cellar 5 – 10 years. GK in 1985 rated it as ‘soft rich varietal merlot’. ]
Ruby and garnet, below midway. Bouquet is mild fading red-plummy and raspberry fruits, with a suggestion of brown mushrooms, all fitting in well with high cabernet franc. Palate is almost sweet, raspberry-tart (pastry) flavours in a winey way, subtle oak, all in delightful balance for a 25-year-old merlot-dominant wine. It is just a little simple and red-fruits-only to be exciting Bordeaux, but is nonetheless pleasing. It will hold another few years. GK 09/08

nv Louis Bouillot Cremant de Bourgogne Perle de Vigne Grande Reserve Brut 17 (

)

Nuits-Saint-Georges, Burgundy, France: 12%; $24 [ cork; PN, gamay, Ch, aligoté; tirage at least 9 months; at least a year in bottle (and the cork confirms); distributed by Negociants NZ; www.louis-bouillot.com ]
Straw, the faintest flush. One sniff and this wine reminds of nv Lindauer Reserve, showing a predominance of strawberry and cherry-like pinot noir, and moderate autolysis. Palate is crisp, the lowest dosage in the set, cherry fruit very evident, yet the wine is not fruity in the way so many New Zealand "sparkling chardonnays" (not labelled as such) are. Because it is so dry, the phenolics show a little, and the wine can taste a little 'tinny' with some kinds of food. I'd like to see this wine alongside Lindauer Reserve with say three years of age, though the Lindauer would be sweeter. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 12/12

2010 Ch Bourgneuf 17 (

)

Pomerol, Bordeaux, France: 14.5%; $72 [ Cork, 50mm, ullage 11mm; c.$85 landed; Me 90%, CF 10, green harvest to adjust cropping rate, all hand-picked; fermentation in temperature-controlled concrete vats, elevation 16 months in 30% new barrels; average production 4,000 x 9-litre cases; consulting oenologist Stéphane Toutoundji. JR@JR, 2011: A really successful 2010 ... Rich but fresh nose. Lively and together and racy, with the Pomerol concentration. Focused. Real floral vitality. Long too. Most beguiling ... Smooth and rich and very nicely polished. Fine tannins. Lots of pleasure, even if a bit chewy for the moment, 17; JM@WS, 2013: a dark, slightly chewy edge for now, but the core of crushed plum, blackberry and boysenberry fruit should absorb that with cellaring. Dark ganache and graphite frame the finish, which features a racy, acidic spine. Should unfurl nicely with age. Best from 2015 through 2025. 2,000 cases made [ in 2010 ], 93; previously Bourgneuf-Vayron, regarded as one of the better mid-range Pomerols; weight bottle and closure: 585 g ; www.chateaubourgneuf.com ]
Ruby, garnet and velvet, clearly the ‘oldest’ wine in the set, and the lightest. Bouquet is fragrant, bespeaking riper fruit than most of these 2010s, and all dark plums, no cassis aromatics, as befits a wine with no cabernet sauvignon. Palate shows good purity, but again much greater ripeness than one wants in the 2010s, no florals or aromatics, almost prune-y notes in the forward plummy fruit, straightforward nearly-cedary oak, quite good richness. This wine vividly shows why the wine world meaning Britain thought Médocs so clearly superior to East Bank wines, till the Bordeaux market was derailed by the American palate seeking softer, rounder, and riper wines, with it seems much less attention being paid to aromatics and floral complexity on bouquet. Perfectly sound and good, but lacks excitement. No votes for top places, one least vote. Cellar 10 – 25 years. GK 09/20

2000 Ch Boyd Cantenac 17 (

)

Margaux 3rd Growth, Bordeaux, France: 13%; $75 [ Me 35%, CS 30, CF 20, PV 15; Robert Parker 89 ]
Ruby. Quite a modern bouquet in the blind tasting, with some charry oak on an understated bouquet which benefits from breathing. Palate is less ripe than expected, slightly leafy in a plums and hint of cassis style. A less vibrant wine than Potensac, but a little richer. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 05/04

2004 Ch Brane-Cantenac 17 (

)

Margaux Second Growth, Bordeaux, France: 13%; $108 [ cork; vineyard cepage CS 65%, Me 30, CF 5, average age 30 – 35 years, planted @ an average of 7 600 vines / ha, and cropped @ c. 2.25 t/ac; www.brane-cantenac.com ]
Ruby, some velvet, tending old for its age. Bouquet is cool and lean, a subtle white floral note like dilute wintersweet, on pure light cassis, plus subtle oak. It is like a lean version of the Calon. Palate does not follow through well, the wine being immediately lean, and the smell of cassis almost becoming red currants in flavour, not black. It is very fine-grained and elegant old-Margaux in approach, but in a lean and leafy way. Yet the total wine is attractive, in its style. This is the level of ripeness several New Zealand wines, such as Babich Patriarch, and Ngatarawa Alwyn, have made their own. A tasting like this puts them in perspective, relative to optimal Bordeaux ripeness levels. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 08/07

2003 Domaine la Brunely Vacqueyras 17 (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $30 [ cork; Gr 60%, Sy 30, Mv 10; Eurowine; Parker 156: "One of the top performers in my Vacqueyras tastings, this 2003 exhibits a dense ruby/purple color along with a sweet, pure nose of kirsch liqueur, black currants, licorice, and earth. Savory, full-bodied flavors reveal low acidity, considerable concentration, a multilayered texture, and a persistent finish that lasts over 40 seconds. This brilliant Vacqueyras should drink well for a decade. 89-92" ]
Ruby, a flush of carmine and velvet, middling in weight. This wine shows a big bouquet more clearly in a grenache-dominant style than most, with some suggestions of ruby port. There is a very attractive resin-related component in the bouquet reminding of New Zealand's silver pine or pink pine, or (more generally) cedar. Palate too shows only the grenache, the syrah invisible, softly raspberry-fruited, gentlest oak. This will become a very fragrant lighter wine, in bottle. Cellar 3 – 12 years. GK 09/05

2014 Grant Burge Shiraz Filsell 17 (

)

Barossa Valley, South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $30 [ Screwcap; not on Langton's list; Halliday rates the 2014 vintage 7 for the Barossa Valley; most of the fruit in this wine comes from the same vineyard, Filsell planted in 1920, as Burge's top wine Meshach (as in Pt I); this is the third tier down in quality; cuvaison is c.8 days for most of the fruit, with the primary yeast fermentation finished in barrel; elevation is in a mix of 54% American oak and 46% French, c.30% new, for 20 months; Halliday does not have the 2014, but recent vintages have averaged 94, with descriptors such as: powerful full-bodied shiraz with blackberry, soused plum, licorice and a savoury bitter chocolate; likewise, Perrotti-Brown at Parker has not seen the 2014, but has scored recent vintages 89 – 91, using phrases like: blackberry compote, warm blackcurrant and blueberry pie notes with nuances of baking spices, potpourri and vanilla; bottle weight 729 g; www.grantburgewines.com.au ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, towards the deeper end. Bouquet is more mainstream Australian, rich fruit but minty going on euc'y, plus a lot of oak, both the aromatics and the oak exacerbated by high alcohol. Fruit ripeness manages to be more darkest plum, but some boysenberry too, a big robust unsubtle wine, needing a long time in bottle to mellow out. Two people rated it their top wine, two their second, three their least, while one thought it Penfolds, and one thought it New Zealand. Cellar 5 – 20 + years. GK 04/17

2016 Le Clos du Caillou Cotes du Rhone Le Bouquet des Garrigues 17 (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 15%; $43 [ cork, 46 mm; certified organic wine; cepage Gr 85% 60 years age, Sy 10, Mv 5, trace minor varieties, hand-picked at 4.55 t/ha = 1.8 t/ac, 10% whole-bunches retained; wild-yeast fermentations in concrete to 35 days; elevation in big old wood for 14 months; production averages 6,250 x 9-litre cases; weight bottle and cork 587 g; www.closducaillou.com ]
Lightish ruby, the second to lightest wine of the 49 reds. Bouquet is light too, another of the fragrant but understated wines. You really have to work at it, to reveal lightly floral garrigue aromatics, almost apple-blossom light, on all-red fruits with clear cinnamon. On bouquet it seems straight grenache. Palate is deceptive, the wine richer than the bouquet suggests, again all red fruits, even pomegranate as well as raspberry, some surprisingly dry furry tannin tasting of cinnamon … plus the faintest thought of brett. You become very keen to know the cepage. For those who find many Cotes-du-Rhone / Chateauneuf-du-Pape winestyles too strongly flavoured, this wine, like the Vieux Telegraphe at the other end of the price scale, is tailor-made. Cellar 5 – 10, maybe 15 years. Available from Wine Direct and their distribution channels (eg Regional Wines). GK 07/19

2008 [ Pernod Ricard ] Camshorn Sauvignon Blanc Waipara Salix Clays 17 (

)

Waipara, Canterbury, New Zealand: 13%; $27 [ screwcap; machine-harvested from 5-year old vines; cool-fermented in s/s only; a label mainly sold via restaurants and selected wine stores; pH 3.3, RS 3.5 g/L; background on www.camshorn.co.nz, leads to detail @; www.pernod-ricard-nz.com//tastingnotes.php? ]
Bright pale lemongreen. This is intriguing wine, a little bit different, the bouquet inclining to the green herbes character often referred to as nettly. There are reminders of lightly-cooked tender spinach too (not silver beet). Associated with it are thoughts of yellow capsicums, and some black passionfruit. Palate is thus fresher than the wines rated more highly, some green capsicums entering the picture now, producing a Sancerre-style wine. Finish is very pure within those descriptors, and light and elegant. The British will like this wine. Cellar 1 – 3 years. GK 04/09

2009 Bodegas Carchelo 17 (

)

Jumilla, Spain: 14%; $17 [ screwcap; Te 40, Mv 40, CS 20; vineyards @ 700 m; some whole-bunch fermentation; some oak; 2 g/L RS; www.carchelo.com ]
Rich ruby and velvet. Carchelo epitomises obvious modern 'popular' wine, fragrant plummy red fruits, clean and high-tech, all the character in the shop window, not a lot of depth. As such it succeeds very well, and lacks the faults so many Spanish wines still show. I think it would be more interesting with some bottle age, so ideally, cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 08/11

2016 Domaine Charbonniere Chateauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Mourre des Perdrix 17 (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 16%; $78 [ cork, 50mm; Gr 65-70%, 50+ years, Mv 15-18, Sy, trace Co, Ci, all destemmed, Sy & Mv raised in oak 5% new; J.L-L: ... rosemary, tar, bold, ****(*); JC @ RP: floral, raspberry, velvety, delicious, 94-96; available from Maison Vauron, Auckland; www.domainedelacharbonniere.com ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, below midway in depth. In one sense this was the mystery wine of the tasting. It seemed attractive at opening, but by the time of presentation to the group, it came across as awkward and unknit. With more air it settled down again, with the initially-opened qualities returning. It is more aromatic than the standard wine, and gives the impression of greater oak influence, though the available information does not admit to that. There is raspberry grading to boysenberry grenache-led berry, and some garrigue. In mouth the wine shortens up, even a stalky note appearing, fractionally less rich than the standard wine, plus elements of over-ripeness too, to confuse the issue. Oak is a little too prominent, exacerbated by the elevated alcohol. My score is a fence-sitting one: this is another wine I'm sure will look a lot better in 10 years. No first- or second-places. Cellar 10 – 25 years. GK 04/19

2016 Domaine de la Charbonniere Chateauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Mourre des Perdrix 17 (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 16%; $78 [ cork, 50mm; Gr 65 – 70%, Mv 15 – 18, Sy 15, a little Co and Ci, all de-stemmed;
fermentation mostly in oak vats, some s/s; elevation in oak vats c.8 months, some of the Sy and Mv in smaller oak, and 5% new; the assembled wine a further 6 months in enamel-lined concrete vats; not fined or filtered; JC@RP, 2018: (barrel sample) ... it was singing when I tasted it, featuring red raspberries and cherries, floral and spice notes and a plump, velvety texture. Just delicious stuff, 94 – 96; production c.830 x 9-litre cases this year; weight bottle and cork 618 g; one of the Worth Cellaring set; www.domainedelacharbonniere.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, in the middle for depth. This wine is a little out to one side. It is less fragrant, less floral and complex on bouquet, yet with a good volume of ripe berry, and very pure. The purity helps hide the high alcohol, plus the fact there are so many others at 15%. I thought there were suggestions of boysenberry and over-ripeness, on the bouquet, but other tasters were not concerned. Palate is soft, fleshy and again very ripe, plummy and boysenberry, not as crisp and aromatic as the best of these wines, with soft suggestions of vanilla from a new oak component. Tasters liked this wine more than I did, one second place. The boysenberry is a bit Australian for me, but the concentration is good. Cellar 5 – 18 years. Available from Maison Vauron and their distribution channels (eg Regional Wines). GK 07/19

2009 Domaine de la Charbonniere Cuvée Mourre des Perdrix 17 (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 15.5%; $ – [ cork 50mm; Gr 69%, Mv 15, Sy 15, Ci 1, hand-picked and sorted; cuvaison to 28 days; elevation Gr and Sy 12 – 18 months in large wood or vat; Mv receives different treatment, fermented in oak, detail unclear; Livingstone-Learmonth says 5% new oak overall; Mourre des Perdrix regarded by the owners as the most feminine of the cuvées; imported by Maison Vauron, Auckland; www.domainedelacharbonniere.com ]
Ruby and garnet, a little older, in the middle for depth. This seemed the ripest and warmest-climate wine in the batch, the bouquet showing rather more blackberry and leathery notes, though all beautifully clean. Palate is quite rich, but alcohol roughens the textures in mouth more than most of the wines. The whole thing therefore seems a hotter-climate winestyle, with quite a lot of the blackberry tannin impression you sometimes find in blackberry fruit proper. After opening an Australian GSM to illuminate things a little (maybe), you end up asking yourself, why are the French making wines like this, wines which depart from classical French aromatic quality in Chateauneuf-du-Pape, and instead mimic heavy Australian wine in its over-ripeness. The French climate allows so much more subtlety and finesse. Notwithstanding his great contribution to wine understanding and wine journalism, is this the baleful Parker effect, whereby bigger and bigger, and riper and riper wines are being rewarded, without regard to the loss of subtlety ? 2009 was a hotter year in the southern Rhone Valley, but even the 2010 of this label is riper than it needed to be (in such a magic year), if optimising beauty is the criterion of good winemaking. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 07/16

2015 Domaine de la Charbonniere Vacqueyras 17 (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 15%; $41 [ cork, 50mm; Gr 60%, Sy 40, some from limestone SPMs, fermented in oak vats; elevation in oak vats and large barrels up to nine months, then enamel-lined concrete 4 months; not fined or filtered; 1,500 x 9-litre cases this year; J. Robinson, 2016: Round and ripe with some structure. Ambitious and a little dry on the end but not excessively drying. Ambitious, 16.5+; J.L-L, 2017: The nose is a smoky, black-fruited affair ... palate ... live black fruits ... dried herbs and some crunched tannins. The aftertaste assembles licorice, coffee, ***(*); J. Czerwinski @ R Parker, 2017: combines lovely ripe cherries with tarry, plummy notes. It's medium to full-bodied, with a long, supple finish and should drink well for up to decade, 91; bottle weight 597g; www.domainedelacharbonniere.com ]
Pleasing ruby, just above midway in depth. This wine has a good volume of bouquet redolent of the regional varieties, grenache-led with syrah adding darker notes, but it is all simple, youthful, and tending a little raw. Palate is the same, good fruit richness, not much evidence of oak, but then more tannin than you'd expect from the bouquet. It is a fresher wine than the Jaboulet, and maybe a little richer, which as it mellows and marries up may more clearly overtake it, and better merit its silver medal score. Totally pure wine, no first places, one second. It definitely needs five years to soften and harmonise, when it will then be on the verge of becoming a pleasing example of a southern Rhone wine style (i.e. the mark includes potential). Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 08/18

2005 Ch Chasse Spleen 17 (

)

Moulis, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $66 [ cork 49mm; CS 73%, Me 20%, PV 7; original cost en primeur c.$50; formerly part of the same estate as Ch Gressier-Grand-Poujeaux, now one of the two top wines of Moulis, Haut-Medoc; 10,000 vines per hectare, average age 30; vinification in s/s and oak, extending to 4 weeks, malolactic in vat. Elevation 12 – 15 months in 40% new oak ; Parker considers now often of classed growth quality; two second wines, L'Ermitage de Chasse-Spleen and L'Oratoire de Chasse-Spleen; J Harding @ J Robinson, 2007: Highly spiced, quite exotic on the nose, then firm and dark on the palate. Overall dark but with finesse. Quite notable acidity as well as all that ripeness – 16.5? 17; Jeff Leve, 2011: Dark in color, but light in flavor. This medium bodied, red fruit dominated, bright, earthy, tannic wine is still tight at the moment. Give it at least another 5-7 years, 87; R. Parker, 2008: … the medium-bodied 2005 Chasse Spleen offers up aromas of smoke, damp earth, charcoal, black cherries, and currants. Tannins dominate at present, so cellar it for 5-6 years, drink to 2028, 88; www.chasse-spleen.com ]
Good ruby, relatively youthful, some velvet, below midway in depth. Bouquet is distinctive, great purity, also showing a dry dusty kind of cassis and berry, intriguing and very taut. Palate is quite different, much softer, lovely berryfruit, subtle and elegant oak with a touch of vanillin, a smaller-scale wine. Like the Cantemerle, there is an aromatic purity and beauty to the almost crystalline cassis-led berry we find very hard to achieve in New Zealand, despite the climatic similarity. I attribute this to excessive new oak, virtually across-the-board, still the norm in New Zealand. Chasse Spleen used to be a rich and stolid wine, and a great keeper, but this one is subtle and delicate, in a firm nearly austere high-cabernet way. It needs more time to soften, but given more age, it will be an attractive smaller claret. Cellar 5 – 20 years. This is a very different kind of 17 to the same score for the Aiguilhe, but such are the perils of trying to represent multi-dimensional sensory things by simple numbers. No top ratings. GK 06/15

2004 Domaine Clape Cornas 17 (

)

Cornas, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $133 [ cork 50mm; Sy 100%; c. 20 months in older 600 – 1800-litre foudres, not filtered; J.L-L: Subtle, like the best 2004s at Cornas: ****; no website found, good information at the Europvin website, and; www.kermitlynch.com/our-wines/auguste-clape ]
Ruby and velvet, the third-deepest wine. This was the most difficult wine to rate on the night, it opening rather bottle-stinky which plained-down the wine. With air it progressively opened up, gradually revealing a good concentration of tending-leathery and browning cassisy berry, with sweet fruit and good length, subtle oak. Another bottle might be quite different. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 02/16

1985 Domaine A Clape Cornas 17 (

)

Cornas, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 12.5%; $448 [ 46mm cork; a 5-star vintage for Broadbent, outstanding reds, rich and long-lasting, Parker 90 and ready; Sy 100%, much old-vine; no de-stemming, then was 16 – 20 months or so in foudre only, no small wood; Cornas' most famous grower; Parker, 1996: ... more depth of fruit and length when compared to the 1983. It is a fat, soft, lush wine with gobs of licorice, black pepper, and cassis fruit … about as ripe and round as Cornas gets. It is an unctuous, gorgeous Cornas that will provide tantalizing drinking young, but will also keep. Anticipated maturity: now-2005, 90 ]
Ruby and garnet, below midway in depth. Bouquet is pleasing in an old-fashioned way, all tending mature and a bit leathery, but no faults. There is no clear varietal berry, and certainly no flowers or aromatics, just older wine. Flavours are burly, tending tannic, still astonishing fruit richness, but the whole winestyle does reflect the oft-used descriptor for traditional Cornas – rustic. There is plenty to like, but the wine doesn't quite suit a clinical tasting in which winemakers predominated. Conversely, several commented the wine cried out for food. Portobello mushrooms would be a great place to start. Fully mature, but still rich with lovely fruit, no hurry at all, cellar another 5 – 10 years. GK 09/14

2010 Le Clos du Caillou Chateauneuf-du-Pape Les Quartz 17 (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 15%; $96 [ cork, 50 mm; Gr 85%, Sy 15; some destemmed, fermented in cuves; Gr aged in older larger barrels, Sy newer small barrels, 15 – 17 months; fined, filtered, organic; J.L-L: fine richness; fresh end, *****; Robinson, 2012: ... warm, spicy and alluring on the nose. Hint of cocoa powder but lots of freshness too. Very glamorous and appealing. Lift and polish but masses of character and good structure under all that ripe fruit with herbal topnotes ... Manages to be both racy and voluptuous, 18.5; Dunnuck @ Parker, 2014: Even better ... additional depth and richness, with ample dark fruits, blackberry, crushed rock and edgy minerality giving way to a full-bodied, big, powerful wine, 96; typical production 800 – 1,000 9-litre cases; weight bottle and closure: 765 g ]
Ruby, some development showing, the third to deepest wine. One sniff, and this wine throws into vivid relief just how fresh, aromatic, and excellent the other eleven are. Les Quartz smells over-ripe, not fresh aromatic fruits but instead raisiny fruit going on pruney. Otherwise, it is rich and pure. In mouth the wine is furry-rich, tactile fruit, velvety, noticeably alcoholic, but all the flavours like a big 1998 (or some 2009) Chateauneuf-du-Pape. It is totally at odds with the Les Safres, and La Reserve, from the same producer. Even so the richness and softness is appealing, in its style. Strange none of the overseas reviews comment on the marked over-ripeness / quite different character of the wine, vis a vis the other two 2010 Caillou wines. Cellar 5 – 25 years. Two people rated this their top or second wine, but by the same token, it was the only wine with a significant ‘least’ vote, six tasters. GK 06/17

2002 de Courcel Pommard les Fremieres 17 (

)

Pommard Premier Cru, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $94
Rich ruby. A strong bouquet, with black cherries, nutmeggy oak, and suggestions of dark energy chocolate clamouring for attention – far from classical burgundy. Palate improves things, much more clearly pinot noir, with rich dark cherry fruit of great concentration, but let down by the weight of oak. The charm of pinot noir is lost, as if this were a new world wine. Cellar 10 – 20 years with interest, though I suspect it may end up an oaky shell. GK 11/04

2009 Dom. de Courteillac 17 (

)

Entre-Deux-Mers, Bordeaux, France: 14.5%; $27.50 [ cork; 2009 is Me 70%, CS 15, CF 15; 14 – 16 months in French oak 33% new; 12,000 cases; oenologist Stephane Derenoncourt consults; Bordeaux Superieur, brief profile on website given; www.thewinecellarinsider.com ]
Ruby and velvet, one of the lighter wines. I have a soft spot for this old-style wine, so representative of the better reds of its district. Bouquet is classical Entre-Deux-Mers, softish plummy merlot, older oak, good berry fruit. Palate is plummy berry, a hint of stalks, slight leather, again older oak, all plump and well-constituted as generic Bordeaux. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 06/12

2007 Yves Cuilleron Cote Rotie La Madiniere 17 (

)

Cote Rotie, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $130 [ 55mm cork; Sy 100 hand-picked from vines planted at 8 – 10,000 vines / ha, on darker schist soils; some whole-bunch, cuvaison c.21 days; MLF and c.18 months in barrel; 825 cases; July offer @ Glengarry $99; www.cuilleron.com ]
Ruby and velvet. Bouquet is immediately older and leaner in the set, the whole wine seeming one of a cooler year, the aroma including a leafy note in red fruits more than black. Palate is richer and riper than the bouquet supposes, some flavours of maturity creeping in, more oak than the Saint-Josephs but not the ripeness of the 2010 Cote Roties. Maturing faster than I would wish, cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 06/13

2006 Domaine Pierre Damoy Chambertin Clos de Beze 17 (

)

Gevrey-Chambertin Grand Cru, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 13%; $464
Some depth of pinot noir ruby, one of the three deepest wines, but not the rosiest hue. At this point in the ranking, more old-fashioned bouquet and flavour notes start to appear. This wine is fragrant but not floral, an attractive savoury herbed casserole note on bouquet bespeaking both a little brett and imperfect ripeness, on red fruits. Palate has fair richness, but drying tannins starting to loom large, plus a hint of stalks again. The whole wine is savoury and food-friendly. It would be rated very differently at the dining table than the tasting table – sell on cheese (as for too many in this tasting). Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 08/12

2006 de Bortoli [ Cabernet / Merlot ] Melba Lucia 17 (

)

Yarra Valley, Victoria, Australia: 14%; $30 [ screwcap; CS 71%, Me 18, Sa 8, PV 2, hand-picked; wild-yeast fermentation, cuvaison c.40 days; 14 months in oak unspecified; included to illustrate new thinking in the cabernet / merlot class in Australia, in this case by adding 9% sangiovese to the blend; www.debortoli.com.au ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, close to the Oyster bay. Bouquet is intriguing, very fresh, with almost red cherry in red plum, and thoughts of redcurrant and ripest red rhubarb stalks too (+ve). Oak and alcohol are restrained, making the whole wine smell enticing. Palate is fresh, crisp, flavoursome, the sangiovese seemingly having an influence out of all proportion to the cepage, making the wine lean and racy the way chianti used to be when it was made primarily for Italians. Even on palate, the oak expressed as vanilla wafer is subtle, though the acid creeps up. As well as chianti, the red fruits in this wine make one think of Loire Valley reds too, though there is more body here than most. This is interesting and food-friendly wine, not too serious, but bone dry. It would be diabolical in an options game. Cellar 3 – 8 years, maybe longer. GK 11/08

2010 [ El Escoces Volante ] Dos Dedos de Frente [ Syrah ] Unfiltered 17 (

)

Calatayud, Spain: 14.5%; $40 [ cork 50mm; Sy 95%, Vi 5, grown at 950m altitude; 10 days cold soak, c. 4 weeks cuvaison; unknown months in all-French oak significant part new; RS 1.8 g/L; 750 case production; www.escocesvolante.es/dosdedos.html ]
Ruby and velvet, some age showing, midway in depth. Bouquet is big, cedary, in some ways more bordeaux than syrah in style on account of the oak handling, an amalgam of vaguely browning cassis and other fruit notes with oak. Palate suggests a warmer-climate wine, some alcohol apparent, the oak right through the palate profile yet not unduly phenolic. The finish however is drying, on the oak, and tending coarse and leathery. It sits rather well alongside the Villa Maria Anniversary wine, as a rich but not exactly varietal wine which will cellar well, and make interesting 'old bones'. The Dos Dedos is older than the Anniversary, as a wine, but the oak is a little more elegant. Alongside the Barreda however, it is too oaky. Cellar 5 – 15 years. A Bennett & Deller wine. GK 03/15

2006 Domaine Drouhin-Laroze Chambertin-Clos de Beze 17 (

)

Gevrey-Chambertin Grand Cru, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 13%; $230
Good pinot noir ruby, one of the fresher ones, just above midway in depth. Bouquet includes some floral notes, on red fruits giving a slightly perfumed and pretty bouquet. Palate has a freshness of cherry fruit which is attractive, but also a hint of stalk detracting a little (even if it explains the bouquet). Interesting wine alongside the Drouhin, for the contrasting ripeness component. Beautifully clean. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 08/12

2004 Ch Duhart-Milon 17 (

)

Pauillac Fourth Growth, Bordeaux, France: 13%; $94 [ cork; vineyard cepage CS 70%, Me 28, CF 2, average age 30 – 35 years, planted @ 7 500 vines / ha, and cropped @ c. 2.75 t/ac; www.lafite.com ]
Ruby and some velvet, the lightest of the 2004 Bordeaux. Bouquet is a mix of modern charry oak and a little traditional brett, in cassisy and plummy berry with a hint of pennyroyal. It could well be a medium-ranking Hawkes Bay blend. Palate is a little less, a clear stalky note in the cassis, fragrant, attractive, but short (including on brett), and not as concentrated as the Palmer. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 12/07

2000 Ch Duhart-Milon 17 (

)

Pauillac 4th Growth, Bordeaux, France: 12.5%; $99 [ CS 80 – 85%, Me 15 – 20; 18 months in 50 – 55% new oak; www.lafite.com ]
Ruby, a suggestion of carmine and velvet. A youthful and reserved bouquet, and another high-cabernet wine showing at this stage the more merlot side of its personality, plums more than cassis, oak subtle, but there is a smokey note to it. Palate shows good fruit ripeness, firm tannins, good acid and oak, all very youthful indeed. There is not that magical definition and concentration of cassis and cedar to be found in the Lafite, naturally enough, the flavours being more classical Medoc in a blended sense, attractively ripe. Though this is the richest of the Duhart-Milons, and the wine of a famous year, it is intriguing stylistically that of the New Zealand wines, it seems slighter than all but Coleraine and Red Metal. It is only just above the ripeness point of subliminal leafy. Interesting to think about, over-influenced as we are by the heavy wines of Australia. This 2000 Duhart-Milon will cellar for 10 – 20 years. GK 07/04

2011 Gerard Fiou Sancerre 17 (

)

Sancerre, Loire Valley, France: 13.5%; $30 [ cork; hand-picked from 60-year old vines at yields averaging 6.25 t/ha (2.5 t/ac); all s/s fermented; 6 months lees autolysis and batonnage; biodynamic; www.gerardfiou-sancerre.com ]
Lemon. The relationship to the Churton sauvignon is obvious – but fruit character is less perfectly ripe, some snow-pea notes, and total sulphur is higher. Palate shows similar good body to the Churton, the flavours again let down by some less ripe material, but a similar elevation. A fascinating comparison. Cellar 1 – 3 years, at risk of canned asparagus notes appearing. GK 03/13

2008 [ Tahbilk ] Four Sisters Sauvignon Blanc / Semillon 17 (

)

South-Eastern Australia 96% & New Zealand 4%, Australia: 13%; $18 [ screwcap, % vars unknown; RS 4.3 g/L; Four Sisters is understood to be a joint venture between Trevor Mast of Mount Langi Ghiran and Alister Purbrick of Tahbilk; website @ www.foursisters.com.au remarkable for its lack of public wine information, sometimes better at the distributors (but not for this wine); www.redandwhite.com.au ]
Pale lemon. This is a fragrant wine in the sauvignon class, showing ripe fruit more in a Hawkes Bay style of sauvignon, with black passionfruit dominant. There is an intriguing aromatic edge reminding both of faintest American oak, and pale tobacco (cigarette), much subtler than the Waimea. Palate is soft and ripe, white stonefruit (the semillon showing now) and very different from the Marlborough wines, good plumpness, not as varietal as the bouquet, pleasing mouth-filling food-friendly dry white. A good dry white for those who find Marlborough sauvignons too brisk. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 05/09

2009 Dom. V Girardin Pouilly-Fuissé Quintessence 17 (

)

Pouilly-Fuissé, Burgundy, France: 13%; $50 [ cork; the website advises a general prescription for white winemaking, from which one has to infer what might apply here depending on its position in the ranking: manual harvesting; hand-sorting of the grapes; generally wild-yeast ferments, followed by MLF; extended lees autolysis 14 – 20 months (and varying with vintage too) in French oak, ratio new 10 – 35%; www.vincentgirardin.com ]
Lemonstraw. Bouquet is a little more angular than the top wines, but shows pure chardonnay and more oak than expected for the appellation. Palate is fresh, showing citrus zest, a suggestion of stonefruit, but rather more oak. The wine palls in mouth on the oak, not quite the depth of fruit to sustain it, but pleasing enough. Mark generous. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 07/11

2005 Ch La Grande Clotte 17 (

)

Lussac Saint Emilion, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $27 [ cork; Me dominant, perhaps alone; owned by noted wine-making consultant Michel Rolland; imported by The Wine Importer, Auckland ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, about midway in density. This is another wine which is a little out of line with the set. There is plenty of berry and fruit, but the oak is not the finest, instead being rather like some Chilean merlots. Palate is plump, clearly plummy berry more black than red, but again lacking a little elegance on the oak. Presumably there is a high ratio of older. It is all very much a good-quality cru bourgeois Bordeaux, not at all what one might expect from the man accused of seeking to standardise all cabernet / merlot wines via over-ripeness and new oak. The wine is much riper and richer than Awatea, but at this stage is let down by the oak, as well as being youthful. It will cellar well, 5 – 15 years. GK 05/07

2000 Ch Grande Puy Lacoste 17 (

)

Pauillac 5th Growth, Bordeaux, France: – %; $ – [ CS 70%, Me 25, CF 5; 18 – 22 months in French oak 50% new; Jancis Robinson rating 17; Robert Parker 92 – 94 ]
Ruby and velvet, but lighter in the company. Among the vibrant new world wines, this one too opens a little reductive and sulky, needing decanting. Breathes to a firm and integrated bouquet where nothing stands out except the Bordeaux style, darkly plummy with an almost baguette-like lees autolysis lingering. Palate likewise is not giving much away at this stage, but fruit richness is good, richer than the Mondot but less fragrant. In terms of the much-hyped 2000 vintage in Bordeaux, the wine is a relative disappointment for this chateau – having cellared it since the 1964 vintage. Cellar 10 – 15 years. GK 05/04

2002 Anne Gros Clos Vougeot le Grand Maupertuis 17 (

)

Vougeot Grand Cru, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $205
Colour on these more serious Anne Gros wines is quite different from the Gros Freres, a much more new world ruby with quite a flush of carmine and velvet. Bouquet is new world too, with new oak the overwhelming first impression, and an unsubtle aromatic edge almost hinting at eucalyptus. In mouth the wine redeems itself somewhat, with a depth of black cherry going on plummy fruit which, with the oak, is reminiscent of some of the weightier '02 Central Otago pinots. Very modern wine, which should cellar for 10 – 15 years. GK 09/03

2005 Domaine A F Gros Chambolle-Musigny 17 (

)

Chambolle-Musigny, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 13%; $102 [ cork 45mm; the 'booklet' on the website is slow to load, and once achieved, has little info specific to each wine, and no technical content, coupled with much charm; www.af-gros.com ]
Ruby and garnet, one of the lighter wines, clearly below midway. Bouquet is lovely, a sweet pink-roses florality on red cherry fruit, subtle oak, and again the savoury dimension. Flavours are a size smaller, however, a clear stalks quality as if a whole-bunch component in fermentation, the oak and stalks interacting negatively to make the wine seem short. The bouquet is a delight, though, again real 'pinosity'. Cellar 3 – 12 years. GK 04/15

1966 Hardy's Cabernet Sauvignon Bin C626 17 (

)

McLaren Vale & Coonawarra, South Australia, Australia: – %; $ – [ 44mm cork; the mid-60s were kind years to Australian red wine. 1965 was dry, the wine rich, 1966 cooler and well-balanced, exactly analogous to Tom McDonald's famous Hawkes Bay Cabernet Sauvignon in those two years. These C-Bin Hardy Cabernets were in the late 50s / early 60s amongst Australia’s finest efforts with the cabernet / Bordeaux / 'claret' style. The ultimate reference book for the fine Australian wines of the post-war era is Max Lake’s Classic Wines of Australia, and in it he says of the Hardy’s McLaren Vale Cabernet Sauvignon: This wine must be one of the smallest-production commercially-available classic wines of Australia, and is quite often eked out with some red from Coonawarra or Tahbilk, but classic it is in every sense. … All have a superb berry bouquet … excellent balance …. ; like the New Zealand McWilliams, the label and wine became attenuated after 15 years or so, which is where this one is in the sequence. The label disappeared with the close of the 60s. The young 1966 wine bore some resemblance to our 1966 McWilliams, except the French oak was subtler than the American in the New Zealand wine; www.hardywines.com.au ]
Garnet and ruby, the deepest wine. Bouquet is the most out-of-line in the set, there being a clear aromatic oil component much less subtle than the 1969 Tahbilk. It is a bit harsh to describe it as euc'y, the aromatic quality after 50 years being more like very strong lavender. Behind that is surprisingly rich berry, nearly cassis but more browning plums, and cedary oak. There is much more new oak than the Tahbilk. In mouth this is the biggest wine, a lot of fruit, almost fleshy, and even at that time, there is added tartaric acid, making the palate spiky alongside the much more natural-tasting Tahbilk. In its sturdy way, it is in remarkable condition. Among the French, the 1962 Gruaud-Larose is by far the closest comparison, being just as rich but finer and less chunky. The last 1966 New Zealand McWilliams Cabernet Sauvignon (the only New Zealand wine of the time one could compare with the pioneering Hardy wines) I had a year or two ago looked light and acid, in comparison with this Hardy's. It is a great shame the Australian wine industry has not treasured the heritage of certain labels, such as this one. No hurry at all with this bottle, at the 50 year point, except the cork was not of great quality. Five people rated this their top or second wine, and more thought it French than Australian – a great result. GK 10/16

2000 Henschke Shiraz Mount Edelstone 17 (

)

Eden Valley, South Australia: 14%; $91 [ www.henschke.com.au ]
Ruby, scarcely deeper than the Cote Blonde. Another wine with a voluminous bouquet, but the flowering mint here is becoming undeniably euc'y, making it hard to appreciate the floral and redfruits grapeyness. Palate is fine-grained, the fruit supple, subtle and long, but again the intrusion of eucalyptus makes it hard to separate cause and effect. It would be beautiful without the medicinal euc. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 06/04

2005 Domaine Jamet Cote Rotie 17 (

)

Cote Rotie, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 12.5%; $99 [ cork; Livingstone-Learmonth comments that Jamet's sites span all that is great in Cote Rotie, and that: "If you want to taste a wine that sums up the heartlands of Cote Rotie, the classic cuvée [ of Jamet ] should be it." He reports the Jamet brothers as saying: It is not the aspect that matters, but the difference between the schist and the granite. Vinification is more traditional, less than 30% de-stemming, cuvaison up to 20 days in s/s, oak aging up to 22 months, 20% new. No filtration. Parker 2/08: … notes of resiny pine forest with some meat juices, scorched earth, black cherries, currants, and underbrush. The wine is not a blockbuster, but it is fresh, medium-bodied, with zesty acidity, and a spicy, moderately long finish. …will probably benefit from several years of bottle age and drink well for 8-9 years. It is by no means in the league with their top vintages, such as 1999, 1991, 1988, and 1985. 88; imported by Maison Vauron, Auckland ]
Ruby and velvet, about the same weight as the Vidal Hawkes Bay, but older, no carmine. Bouquet is caricature Cote Rotie in one sense, but magic escapes it. Interwoven with intense dianthus florals is a shrill leafy / garrigue / paper-whites = jonquils component (which appeals to some, and others dislike quite intensely), all on red and blackcurrant fruit. Palate is indeed stalky, confirming bouquet suspicions, but there is attractive red berry fruit offset by higher acid than most of these wines. Alongside the Martinborough Vineyard, stylistically the two wines are near-identical. And the critical difference is, whereas the Jamet is clearly sub-optimally ripe, the Martinborough Vineyard despite being slightly acid is in comparison, perfect mid-weight Cote Rotie, not stalky. Interesting, a syrah to show that in our New Zealand judgings we must not become too obsessive about a little leafy fragrance ! These slightly stalky Rhones syrahs do cellar well when they have the fruit weight this one does, and they are good with food. But as noted, not everybody likes them, at this point in the ripening curve. Additionally, winemakers in the tasting group found the brett level a little intrusive. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 05/08

2016 Domaine de la Janasse Cotes du Rhone 17 (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $29 [ cork, 50 mm; cepage averages Gr 55%, Sy 15, Mv 15, Ca 12, balance Ci; 20% whole bunches retained, cuvaison to 15 days; elevation initially 80% foudre, 20% smaller barrels for 8 months, then some months assembling in vat; fined and filtered; average production 5,800 x 9-litre cases; weight bottle and cork 588 g; www.lajanasse.com ]
Ruby, a wash of carmine and velvet, below midway in depth. Bouquet is fragrant, light garrigue aromatics, the faintest hint of dusky red roses, on red grading to black cherry and plum fruit, appealing. Flavours are not quite so ripe as the bouquet promised, more obviously loganberry grenache but with a touch of stalk rather than cinnamon, all quite concentrated. There is an appealing purity to this wine, it is soft, and in one sense refreshing. It could blossom in cellar, 5 – 12 years, maybe longer. Available from Caro’s and their distribution channels (eg Regional Wines). GK 07/19

2003 Domaine du Jardin Carignan Vielles Vignes 17 (

)

Vin de Pays de l'Aude, Languedoc, France: 12.5%; $13 [ plastic 'cork'; www.chateau-de-lhorte.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, one of the deeper wines. A deep ripe plummy and velvety bouquet, with a touch of cinnamon, very Cotes du Rhone-like. Palate is soft, rich and full, both spicy and aromatic, maybe a little plush and soft for cellaring – but carignan is rarely a longterm cellar wine. Real BBQ red, stunning vin du pays, and safe to cellar for several years. GK 11/04

2005 Domaine Jayer-Gilles Nuits-Saint-Georges Les Hauts Poirets 17 (

)

Nuits-Saint-Georges, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $152 [ cork 55mm; average age of vines 50 years, planted at 10,000 vines per hectare; c.18 months in barrel, up to 100% new in years like 2005; no fining or filtration; www.lechaiprive.com ]
Model pinot noir ruby, scarcely any hint of age (in the sense of garnet) showing. Bouquet reflects a wine to be taken very seriously, at this stage showing a lot of new oak, with fair fruit but you can't tell much about it. Flavours are oaky too, but there is good richness of cherry pinot with some darker shades to it underneath, no florality as such, but the potential to open up with time. Seems tight now, on the oak, and hard to read. Cellar 10 – 20 years, noting the exceptional corks. GK 04/15

2010 [ TerraVin ] Jazz Pinot Noir 17 (

)

Omaka Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $27 [ screwcap; not on website, hand-harvested; all de-stemmed, wild yeast fermentation; 10 months in French oak some new; neither fined nor filtered; 950 cases; www.terravin.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby, the deepest of this bracket of pinots, but still good. Bouquet is youthful and disorganised, and benefits greatly from decanting. It is not reductive, it just needs air, evidenced by it being much better the next day. There are clear dark cherry including black cherry aromas, all clean and pure. Palate is rich and round, not as oak-influenced as the TerraVin main label, but a similar richness of fruit, not bone dry, and trace VA. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 08/11

2003 Ch La Mission Haut-Brion 17 (

)

Pessac-Leognan, Bordeaux, France: 13%; $363 [ cork 50mm; cepage this year CS 52%, Me 39, CF 9, according to J. Robinson; 20 months in barrel, often 100% new; R. Parker, 2012: loosely structured, complex, seductive, fleshy and full, 93; www.mission-haut-brion.com ]
Ruby and velvet, the lightest of the clarets, and older than the '02. This smelt quite the oldest and most leathery wine in the Bordeaux half of the tasting, yet still clearly showing browning cassis and dark plums, intertwined with fragrant oak. Flavours show furry tannins, good physical fruit, clearly over-ripe characters contrasting with the 2002's tending under-ripe, and thus forming an exemplary illustration (relative to the top wines) of desirable and less-desirable ripeness parameters in the cabernet / merlot winestyle. This wine does show some of the hot-year, overly forward characters that UK winewriters have wanted to attribute to the whole 2003 vintage. Still attractive drinking in its burly way, but early-developing. GK 02/16

nv Champagne H Lanvin & Fils Selection Brut 17 (

)

Epernay, Champagne, New Zealand: 12.5%; $38 [ supercritical 'cork'; PN 40%, PM 40, Ch 20; MLF; time on lees not known, ambiguous reference to 18 months in bottle but that may include post-disgorgement, cork evidence suggests latter minimal; RS 9 g/L given, seems doubtful; distributed by EuroVintage; www.champagne-lombard.com ]
Lemongreen, one of the youngest hues. Bouquet is intriguing, showing clean autolysis in a petite way, good crumb, faintest crust of bread. Additionally, there is an appealing suggestion of apple blossom, highlighting the cleanliness of the wine. Palate is delicate initially, then broadens on a sweetness level which explains why so many lesser New Zealand judgings persist in awarding this sound but not benchmark wine a gold-medal rating. That said, this is a better example of the methode champenoise style than the last Lanvin I tried. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 12/12

2005 Domaine Laroche Chablis Saint Martin 17 (

)

Chablis, Burgundy, France: 12.5%; $40 [ screwcap; obscure website, PR more than info; www.larochewines.com ]
Pale lemonstraw. This wine opens well, immediately smelling of fresh and fragrant chardonnay, quite citric, some pale yellow flowers such as primroses, pure and lovely, an eloquent tribute to the screwcap. Palate includes the subtlest touch of oak, clean fruit, no great weight but an attractive style totally compatible with the AOC. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 03/08

1970 Ch Lascombes 17 (

)

Margaux Second Growth, Bordeaux, France: – %; $ – [ cork; CS 55%, Me 40, PV 5; 83 ha, 41,500 cases. Bought by Alexis Lichine in 1951, the property was enlarged, and its reputation declined through to the early 90s. Yet the 1966 and 1967 were lovely fragrant wines, well up with the pack. Broadbent 1980: Good colour, nose and balance. Attractive wine *** , till 1990. Parker 1988: The fully mature 1970 is a fine example of Lascombes – darkly colored, ripe, full bodied, richly fruity, and fleshy, but it has the concentration of fruit and structure to hold for 4-6 more years. It is a spicy, fragrant, and altogether satisfying mouthful of amply endowed wine. Now. 87; http://www.chateau-lascombes.com ]
Garnet and more ruby than the Rausan-Segla, and deeper, the third deepest. Bouquet is intriguing, very close to the Rausan-Segla in volume, but not quite so fine and cigar-boxy, the oak more oaky and the cassis slightly younger. Palate is a little coarser, leaner and more acid than the Rausan, so despite the younger colour this too is a wine needing finishing. It will cellar for some years on the colour and acid, and the flavours are good within the style described, but it won't improve. GK 03/10

2001 Peter Lehmann Shiraz Futures 17 (

)

Barossa Valley, South Australian: 14%; $30 [ French & US oak 18 months; www.peterlehmannwines.com.au ]
Ruby. A pleasant light berry bouquet leads into a bigger boysenberry-like palate than expected, clearly shiraz, reasonable oak, quite sweetly fruited and long-flavoured in a monolithic berry style. The role of this label relative to the others is not clear. It does not seem as interesting. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 06/04

1975 Ch Leoville Barton 17 (

)

St Julien, Bordeaux, France: – %; $130 [ cork 49mm; CS 70%, Me 20, CF 8, PV 2; the archetypal Englishman’s (fine) claret, many say; Robinson, nil; Coates, 1995: Fullish colour, just about mature. Very cabernet. Somewhat inflexible. Medium to medium-full. Strangely one-dimensional. Lacks concentration. Lacks interest. A bit four-square. Not as lumpy as Gruaud though, 15.5; Parker, 1996: For a 1975 Medoc, this wine has received surprisingly consistent notes. While it has always revealed some of the severity and austerity of the vintage, it has consistently possessed more depth, sweetness of fruit, and a more expansive texture. There is a firm, tannic framework, but the wine is admirably concentrated, with a classic, herb, cassis, cedar, tobacco, and spicy-scented nose, full body, an impressive palate, a youthful personality, and a long finish. There are no signs of color or fruit degradation. With 1-2 hours of decanting, this wine can be drunk now; it promises to age for another 15+ years, 90; www.leoville-barton.com ]
Ruby and garnet, a little more red than the La Lagune, below midway in depth. The Barton was intriguing in the tasting, in some ways like the Lagune, perhaps purer, even, more clearly browning cassis like the top wines, but unlike them, the oak handling let down by a carbolic note. At one stage, New Zealand McWilliams had oak like this, and it detracts. Purity of berry, and level of oak, however, is subtler than the Lagune, yet for some quirky / inexplicable reason, as you mull over the wines, it seems to have less charm. Perhaps it is that carbolic note, which comes through with food too. All this said, two people rated it their top wine of the 12, and 16 rated it French / Bordeaux, far and away the clearest result of the evening. Interesting wine, therefore, very Leoville-Barton, at full stretch. GK 03/15

1970 Ch Leoville Las Cases 17 (

)

Saint-Julien, Bordeaux, France: 11%; $282 [ cork, 54mm; cepage approx. CS 67%, Me 17, CF 13, PV 3; 18 months in barrel; original price $14.40; Clive Coates, 2004: Rather austere but most impressive. Very lovely Cabernet fruit on the nose. Full body. Backward. Tannic. Most impressive fruit. Very good grip. This is not singing but it is potentially lovely, 19; Robinson, 2009: Dark and glowing with a ruby rim. Rather too light and austere for 1970's dryness and rigidity. Faded quite fast. This was not made in Las Cases' most glorious era, 16.5; Parker, 1994: ... under-ripe curranty fruit and minerals. Rustic, astringent tannin dominates the wine's fruit and finish. The 1970 Las Cases will slowly continue to lose its fruit and take on a more sinewy, narrow, compact personality, 84; www.domaines-delon.com ]
Ruby and garnet, remarkably similar in hue and density to the 1967 Bin 707, fractionally deeper. Likewise, the similarity of bouquet between the two wines was staggering. You had to look at the two wines very closely indeed to finally conclude that in the Las Cases the cedar was gentler, and the browning cassis was not quite as perfectly ripe. In mouth the latter aspect was much more apparent, the wine leaner, total acid a little up on the Leoville, and the suggestion of under-ripeness translating to a leafy hint, tobacco-leaf flavours, in a medium-weight palate only, clearly tending lean. This is not a fine example of a 1970 bordeaux, even allowing for wines being subtler and smaller then. With its better fruit to oak ratio, however, it would still be attractive with food. Tasters liked this more than I did, four first places, two second, the analysis yet again demonstrating how wonderfully individual wine appreciation is. Curiously, only two tasters were sure it was bordeaux, at the blind analysis stage, so it fulfilled its 'foil' role quite well. The wine is holding, but will not improve. GK 09/17

nv [ Montana ] Lindauer Special Reserve Blanc de Blancs Methode Traditionelle 17 (

)

Gisborne & Marlborough mostly, New Zealand: 12%; $16 [ cork; Ch perhaps 100%, lees contact in tank, followed by 2 years en tirage; dosage not given on website but its stable-mate is 12 g/L; www.montanawines.com ]
Colour is more lemon than lemonstraw, paler than most. Bouquet is paler too, like a lighter version of the ’03 Miru Miru, beautifully clean chardonnay-dominant, and clean autolysis but less of it – more crumb of baguette than crust. Flavours on palate are classic blanc de blancs, a lovely impression of chardonnay fruit yet not ‘fruity’, good acid, just a little let down by a dosage sweeter than the quality of fruit requires or needs. This is a great improvement over the batch a year or so ago, and should cellar well, 5 – 15 years. GK 12/06

2004 [ Montana ] Lindauer Special Reserve Vintage Methode Traditionelle 17 (

)

Marlborough, Gisborne & Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12%; $18 [ cork; Ch dominant, PN, some of the grapes hand-picked; lees contact in tank, followed by 2 years en tirage; dosage 12 g/L; www.montanawines.com ]
Palest lemon. Bouquet on this wine is exquisitely pure, and extremely subtle. The delicacy is of the kind that could be confused with certain prestige champagnes. There is autolysis, and it is baguette crust, but it is aethereally light. Palate is along the same lines, chardonnay dominant yet with some pinot noir backbone, seemingly appreciably drier than either of the Lindauer Reserves, or the 2002 Miru Miru Reserve (though the RS analysis given on the website denies this). One could get to like this ! This is certainly a wine for delicacy fans – one to try. It seems extremely hard to locate, at retail. But surely the challenge for Montana / Lindauer is to differentiate their Lindauers a little more. If the Vintage version were three years en tirage, and 8 g/L residual, this would offer a more sophisticated wine which would help grow the standing of Lindauer both locally, and overseas. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 12/06

2004 Loopline Sauvignon Blanc 17 (

)

Wairarapa, New Zealand: 12%; $18 [ composite cork ]
Pale lemongreen. Tending disorganised and newly-bottled initially. Breathes to a slightly grassy take on a gooseberry sauvignon, yet with some capsicums and black passionfruit too. Palate is riper and more red capsicum, long, rich, fresh, slightly sweeter than some but still in the 'dry' class. Another wine suggesting a serious commitment to quality, via a lower cropping rate. Cellar to 3 years. GK 10/04

2008 Bodegas Los Cerrillos Malbec Uroco 17 (

)

Mendoza, Argentina: 14%; $24 [ plastic 'cork'; Ma 100% hand-picked @ 9 t/ha = 3.6 t/ac from vines of average age 25 years, grown @ 1440 m; s/s ferment and cuvaison; 6 months in oak; RS 2.1 g/L, dry extract 28.8 g/L; the winery Uruco is part of Bodegas Los Cerrillos, there is also a less expensive Finca El Peral range; www.bodegaloscerrillos.com.ar ]
Ruby. Bouquet is rather strongly oaky, but shows good berry fruit at a more appropriate ripeness than the Septima. On palate the balance seems better, good berry, and many people like this obvious oak character. And the oak is clean and the wine modern. Cellar 3 – 10 years, maybe longer. GK 07/11

2009 Ch de Lugagnac 17 (

)

Entre-Deux-Mers, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $23 [ cork; Me 50, CS 50, cropped at c. 6 t/ha = 2.4 t/ac; Bordeaux Superieur, not much info on the website; c. 9000 cases; www.chateaudelugagnac.com ]
Ruby and velvet, midway in depth, older than most. Bouquet has a most particular note to it, an aromatic like the condiment balsam (crushed needles of a spruce) on slightly leathery and plummy fruit. Palate shows fair fruit, furry tannins, plainish older oak, straightforward minor claret yet with lovely fruit relative to many of the Hawkes Bay reds, to cellar 3 – 12 years. GK 06/12

2004 Bodega Lurton Pinot Gris 17 (

)

Valle de Uco, Mendoza, Argentina: 13%; $17 [ www.jflurton.com ]
Lemon. Bouquet shows a fragrant yellow-flowers quality which is not totally pure, but is genuine pinot gris. Palate has soft, rich, mild fruit akin to an unoaked chardonnay, but tasting like reasonable Alsatian pinot gris. Finish is on pleasant grape phenolics, in lieu of oak. Not as stylish as the '03 of this label, but good varietal wine at a good price. Cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 12/04

1971 Ch de Malle 17 (

)

Sauternes, Bordeaux, France: 11%; $6.65 [ cork, 53mm and stunning quality; 1971 is highly-rated in Sauternes, Broadbent *****, an excellent Sauternes vintage thanks to a pleasant, sunny summer, ideal ripening conditions and botrytis. Ch de Malle is in the second tier of sauternes producers. It covers 55 ha, but only 28 are devoted to sweet wine production. The Sauternes tends to 75% semillon, 23 sauvignon blanc, and at the time 2% muscadelle. Hand-harvesting in several passes, the wine raised in barrel for up to 18 months then, the ratio of new oak very much greater now at 30% than it was in 1971. Sweet wine production is c.3,500 9-litre cases; no reviews; www.chateau-de-malle.fr ]
Brilliant light gold, the second-lightest wine. Bouquet reflects a similar linalool / sweet-vernal component as the Marcobrunn Spatlese, and hence this contrasting wine was placed alongside it. There is clear lightly honeyed botrytis and quite powerful fruit, the wine relatively youthful. Palate sits awkwardly in the set of rieslings, a four-square chunky wine, higher alcohol, slightly fragrant sweetly grassy / fruit salad fruit, and a little hard as if total sulphur were higher, but you can't taste sulphur exactly. There is also a firm older-oak tannin backbone. The notion of comparing a fully sweet French wine with fully sweet German ones has its own logic (since the latter are so rarely tasted in New Zealand), but in the event it didn’t turn out too well. This wine was so totally different in flavour and style, that the hoped-for comparison with the sweetest of the rieslings was more academic than satisfying. Sturdy representative wine, but lacking magic, fully mature, no hurry at all, will hold for years. Three first places, two second … and interestingly, four least places. GK 11/17

2001 Ch Margaux 17 (

)

Margaux 1st Growth, Bordeaux, France: 13%; $395 [ CS 75%, Me 25, CF 5; Robert Parker 91 – 93 ]
Ruby, among the lightest of the Bordeaux in this tasting. A soft, sweetly floral merlot / cabernet bouquet suggesting violets, tobacco and charry oak are the first impressions, but it is oh-so-light. In the blind tasting the wine is so light as to be easily overlooked, but it is attractively floral and pleasing in mouth, though nearly leafy. Once one learns the identity, careful re-tasting naturally enough follows. The elegance of the wine is undisputed, but beauty can only go so far: this wine really does lack depth of flavour, though body is fair. It would undoubtedly be a lovely bottle, with food. But, like the 1999 first-growths, tasting it is not memorable (which at this price, it should be), and it is hard to see the qualities implied in some of the flattering reviews. Having made similar comments about 2002 Te Mata Coleraine lately, the comparison is an eye-opener. It is so hard not to score labels. Makes me look forward to bumping into them again, in somebody else's blind tastings. Cellar 10 – 15 years. GK 05/04

2010 Ch Marjosse 17 (

)

Entre Deux Mers, Bordeaux, France: 14.5%; $25 [ cork; Me 60%, CS 20, CF 10, Ma 10; owned by Pierre Lurton from Cheval Blanc; JR 4/11 16: Blackish purple. Scent of thick, sweet tea. Very much more ambitious than any AC Bordeaux I have tasted so far [ the 2010s ] with, almost, an overripe note. Thick and sweet. This should be very rewarding for those who seek an example of the modern right-bank style without, one hopes, the price tag; 2014 – 2018; RP 85: … this Bordeaux from humble origins displays sweet red and black currant fruits, some dusty, earthy notes, good freshness, acidity and a medium-bodied, satisfying, consumer-friendly appeal. As the French call such wines, it is a vin gourmand, meaning for uncritical drinking. In an earlier review, Parker notes: Drink it during its first 2-3 years of life as this cuvee rarely ages. WS 87: Shows good flesh, with dark cherry and roasted plum notes, laced with a tobacco edge that takes over on the finish. Drink now. 16,665 cases made; ST 88: (78% Me 11% each CS and CF) Deep ruby. Fruit-driven aromas of blackcurrant, smoky plum and dried herbs. Juicy, spicy and firm, but with good fleshiness to the black fruit flavors complicated by floral, herbal and tobacco notes. The persistent finish features good grip and flavor authority and remarkably silky tannins. The best Marjosse ever; website non-functional; Availability: out; www.chateau-marjosse.com ]
Ruby and velvet, older than most, midway in depth. On bouquet this is classic Entre-Deux-Mers, beautifully ripe, broadly plummy on the higher merlot, a little leathery on the mostly older cooperage, evocative as one kind of minor Bordeaux. Palate is almost unnaturally rich, and ripe and markedly soft and accessible, yet with a hint of stalk firming it in a positive way, so there is quite a tannic backbone. Given both Wine Spectator's and Parker's bizarre consumerist remarks typical of so many American winewriters, that Marjosse needs to be drunk either now or within 2 – 3 years, what can one do but open a bottle of the 2000 to check the validity of such statements. Their views prove to be simply nonsense, if one has any liking at all for mature wines. The 2000 is a little bretty, yes, and maybe drying to the finish, but there is good colour and aroma, fair fruit and structure, and brett aside, more finesse than the riper 2010. Is temperature-controlled shipping to the US unknown ? Cellar 5 – 15 years. VALUE GK 03/13

2004 M.G.P. Sauvignon Blanc 17 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 12.5%; $12 [ screwcap; M.G.P. = Marlborough Grape Producers, three growers plus Craig Gass winemaker; www.marlboroughgrapeproducers.co.nz ]
Lemongreen. A big bouquet of clean sweet Marlborough sauvignon ripened to the black passionfruit, red capsicum and honeysuckle stage. Palate is rich, tending phenolic, commercially dry. This is classical Marlborough in style, maybe with an invisible touch of oak, and flavoursome. It will cellar for 5 – 8 years, if mature sauvignon is favoured. VALUE GK 01/05

2006 Charles Melton Nine Popes 17 (

)

Barossa Valley, South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $159 [ screwcap, original price $56; Sh 50%, Gr 46, Mv 4, the shiraz mostly old-vine, a mix of bush-vines and trellis-grown; the grenache all old-vine and dry-grown bush-vines; some whole-bunches in fermentation; elevation French oak 65% with 20% new, American oak 35%; light filtration only; 2006 in Barossa Valley rated 10/10 in the Halliday Vintage Chart, no vintage since is rated as highly; Sarah Ahmed (UK), 2015: on this vintage of Nine Popes: Melton says “our best Grenache years tend to be the bright, mild years where we have good sun levels but without the scorching heat that may lead to burn. 2006 was such a year." The blend comprises 50% Shiraz, 46% Grenache and 4% Mourvedre which was aged for between 16-18 months in 65% French oak, 35% American oak of which around 25% was new. Classic mature sweet barnyardy Grenache to the nose with savoury black olive and rich, spicy fruitcake. Good length, though I detected a touch of astringent oak to the finish, no score; Halliday, 2009: A synergistic blend (Shiraz/Grenache) in this wine with no confection characters whatsoever; has wonderful texture in the layers of black and red fruits, oak and tannins in a calibrated support role, 96; www.charlesmeltonwines.com.au ]
Ruby and velvet, nearly as red and youthful as the Grand Veneur, and the deepest colour. One sniff and sadly, in a blind tasting, the bouquet is a total giveaway, quite prominent flowering mint (Prostanthera) florals and aromatics narrowly escaping being outright euc'y. Behind is rich berryfruit. In flavour the wine is rich and succulent going on juicy, the flavour let down by the overt boysenberry character of over-ripe Australian shiraz, but the whole wine beautifully and relatively subtly oaked, with some cedary touches and vanillin (from American). Being shiraz-led this wine handles new oak better than the grenache-dominant French wines. Since the aroma was ‘familiar’ to tasters (whether recognised or not), this was marginally the favourite wine, on the night, four first places, two second. Since however these two tastings were a 'Chateauneuf Celebration', I did not quite share tasters’ enthusiasm. Plus the acid adjustment interacting with the oak makes the finish shrill, when seen alongside the more naturally-balanced French wines. But all that said, even so it fitted in remarkably well, in its juicy, obvious way. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 10/19

2002 Charles Melton Nine Popes 17 (

)

Barossa Valley, South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $51 [ cork; Gr > Sy > Mv; some new oak; 2002 cool dry vintage and very high quality in the Barossa Valley; 95 points from James Halliday; Parker 161 less keen: “Funky, smoky, oaky, peppery, herbaceous, sweet fruit, medium body. 87”; www.charlesmeltonwines.com.au ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. In the blind tasting, one fleeting sniff of the glass with this in it, and one groans. Yet another eucalyptus-y Aussie red, impossible for it to compete in any meaningful way with the wines of the world. One cannot smell the varieties at all: it is simply a caricature in an international tasting. And that is in a cool year, with less volatilisation of essential oils. Physically, the palate shows beautiful berry-rich fruit, with a structure, balance and freshness uncommon in South Australian GSM blends. It might have fined down in 10 years, but I doubt it. Overt mint / euc’y / menthol components are pretty stable – 1963 Mildara ‘Peppermint Pattie’ tasted recently is in that respect much the same as at release. Aussies will rate this blend higher than I do, for it is a fine example of the style (when seen at home). GK 11/05

2004 Mission Estate Sauvignon Blanc 17 (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12.5%; $15 [ www.missionestate.co.nz ]
Lemongreen. Initially, this wine is slightly scented, with complex smells ranging from apricot, mandarin and ginger through to threshold armpit. Below is ripe fruit in a Hawkes Bay style, black passionfruit and mango more apparent than red capsicum, yet still clearly varietal. Not as rich as some. Cellar 1 – 3 years. GK 09/04

2000 Ch Mondot 17 (

)

Saint Emilion, Bordeaux, France: – %; $ – [ Second wine of Troplong-Mondot; Me 65 – 80%, CS 10 – 15, CF 10, Ma 1 – 10; un-filtered; Michel Rolland consultant ]
Ruby, the lightest of the set. This wine stood out for its integration, harmony and balance, on the one hand, and its lightness on the other. Bouquet is lightly violets and mixed redfruits suggesting dominant merlot (in the blind part of the tasting). Flavours show medium-weight berryfruit shaped by the subtlest oak including some new, yet scarcely tasteable or smellable, unless one looks for that component. It is also faintly leafy, making an interesting comparison with the Navigator. Given such restraint and balance, the whole wine lingers on palate far longer than one would suspect from the weight, to provide the kind of refreshing yet satisfying claret one can drink with many food types. A gentle reminder that our new world wines are sometimes tempted into being big and showy for its own sake, overlooking their need to be companionable with food. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 05/04

2004 Montana Sauvignon Blanc 17 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 12.5%; $15 [ www.montanawines.co.nz ]
Brilliant lemongreen. Always interesting to have the industry sauvignon standard included in a blind tasting. Bouquet is complex, with clear red capsicum, hints of mandarins and black passionfruit, and more ripeness than is typical Marlborough. Palate is slightly different too, with red English gooseberry suggestions added to the bouquet aromas, all of medium length and weight. A pure stainless steel approach to Marlborough sauvignon. Cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 09/04

2005 Domaine de Montille Pommard Les Pezerelles Premier Cru 17 (

)

Pommard, Cote de Beaune, Burgundy, France: 13%; $154 [ cork 49mm; organic since the mid-90s, biodynamic since 2005; high percentage of stems used in 2005; 20 – 30% new oak; little or no fining or filtering; the family believes 2005 is the best vintage since 1959; Robinson, 2007: Haunting, deep, autumnal flavours. Lovely round, pure flavours. Great stuff. De Montille on a roll! Gorgeous confidence, 18; Meadows, 2007: This is an extremely stylish wine that combines both elegance and purity with precise, supple and rich flavors underpinned by obvious minerality, all wrapped in penetrating and transparent finish. I very much like this and while it’s not overly dense, the purity and transparency are impressive, from 2013, 91-93; www.domainedemontille.com ]
Pinot noir ruby, some age evident, well below midway in depth. Bouquet is much more evolved than most of the wines, again a slightly leathery tanniny quality to the aroma. Behind that are floral suggestions, and red fruits with a browning hint. Palate is quite different, totally Cote de Beaune, all red fruits, almost raspberry (+ve) as well as red cherry, the raspberry note holding hands with the leathery and older-oak tannins. Tastes older than it is, yet still has some juicy fruit, so not tiring. Shows the tanniny side of the vintage well. One top place. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 09/15

1978 Ch Montrose 17 (

)

Saint-Estephe Second Growth, Bordeaux, France: – %; $189 [ cork; original price c.$23; cepage then approx. CS 65%, Me 25, CF 10, planted at 9,000 vines / ha; c.18 months in barrel, 50 – 70% new; Wine Spectator vintage rating for the year, 87, Structured, fleshy and complex; Broadbent, 2002: predictably closed, but with depth and potential. Flesh and texture then noticeable. [ more recently ] … deep but with a surprising amber rim. Good drink though, **** (just); Coates, 2000: Quite a tough nose. Quite rich fruit underneath. Not too tough and tannic on the palate. Good fruit. Restrained and classy. Very good grip. Very good length. This is fine, 17.5; R. Parker, 1993: Light-styled for a Montrose, the 1978 has reached full maturity. It offers a straightforward, spicy, earthy bouquet of curranty fruit and damp, woodsy aromas. Medium-bodied, compact, and adequately concentrated, this spicy, earthy style of wine should be drunk over the next 5-8 years, 85; the chateau itself gives a remarkably candid tasting note for its 1978: The wine is fine, light with a slight acidity. The attack is neat and balanced. The finish is a little short with a little bitterness;; www.chateau-montrose.com ]
Garnet and ruby, the second to lightest wine. Bouquet on this wine is enchanting, in the sense it is still nearly floral though browning, and smells beautifully ripe, but in a very petite way. This was not at all my impression of 1978 Montrose, from memory. There is a clear aromatic cabernet sauvignon / cassis component which is delightful, plus a whisper of brett, positive at this level. Palate is indeed petite, but still the impression of ripeness and elegance, and gentle cedary oak, persists. For a wine from the the coolest of the classed-growth zones in the Medoc, this is a good achievement in 1978. Tasters did not enjoy the small-scale harmony of this wine as much as I did, no positive votes, four least. But I am not dissuaded from my score, the wine being so ‘correct’, at 40 years. In the context of a meal, you could drink a surprising amount of this, very agreeably. Nearing the end of its run, even from a cool cellar, and this may be a particularly happy bottle. GK 10/18

1976 Ch Montrose 17 (

)

St Estephe Second Growth, Bordeaux, France: – %; $18.25 [ 53mm cork; Winesearcher: Avg Price NZ$172; CS 65%, Me 25, CF 10; average vine age 25 years, time in barrel 22 – 24 months; Montrose set out to lighten the style in the mid-70s through to the late 80s, but even so, the drought-year 1976 was well-regarded. Parker, 1998, 86: Undoubtedly one of the successes from this vintage and destined to be one of the longest-lived wines of 1976, Montrose continues to exhibit a dark ruby color, a spicy, vanillin oakiness, and a generous, deep, black currant fruitiness; www.chateau-montrose.com ]
Ruby and garnet, the third deepest. Bouquet is textbook bordeaux, still clear cassis and fragrant cedary oak now melding into each other, with some browning apparent. I placed this wine first in the sequence of 12, to set the scene for a tasting supposedly revolving around a Bordeaux theme. It discharged that responsibility superbly. Palate is like a younger version of the 1960 Margaux, not quite the fruit to sustain the attractive bouquet, slightly acid, very much a classic claret balance before American / New World influences descended on Bordeaux. Fully mature, no hurry here either, but in truth, it does not have the dry extract of the 1960 Margaux, so it will not age as long as that wine. Bordeaux-philes among the tasters were particularly pleased with this wine, three rating it wine of the night and four rating it second. Ch Montrose excels in hot years. GK 11/13

2003 Domaine de Montvac Vacqueyras 17 (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $28 [ cork; Maison Vauron; Parker in his Rhone book notes Montvac: "is quickly emerging as one of the most serious in Vacqueyras … proprietor an oenologist … the style a blend of the rustic traditional with modern, rich, fruity. Elevage mostly in concrete vat, supplemented by old oak sometimes." No reviews. ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, of middling weight. This is the most distinctive wine in the set, with a dominant bouquet quality akin to the browned outer face of roasted beef topside crosscut, with broad beans as a side dish. This met with a very mixed reception, further complicated by there being some brett too. Palate is very rich, good darkest plum and dark fruit, but very dry, and old oak only. The very savoury and tannin-furry aftertaste would be superb with a dark rich venison casserole. The contrast between these two wines from Vacqueyras could hardly be greater, the Montvac richer and rustic, the Brunely more elegant and varietal. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 09/05

2005 Domaine de la Mordorée Chateauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée de la Reine des Bois 17 (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 15%; $195 [ cork, 49mm; original price c.$95 (ie, expensive then); Gr 80%, Mv 10, Va 5, balance Sy, Ci, counoise, hand-picked @ 3.9 t/ha = 1.6 t/ac, some of the grenache 90 years old, some 100+; viticulture now organic; this wine in the later ‘90s contrasted with traditional practice in Chateauneuf du Pape, being completely destemmed, cuvaison up to 21 days, then for elevation in 2005, 40% of the wine aged in new and newish small oak for 9 months or more, the balance in s/s, with a total elevation then of 24 months; now less; not fined, filtered to bottle; production varies, but c.1,250 x 9-litre cases; since the turn of the century the new oak has been reduced markedly; organic now but not then; J.L-L, 2007: smoky, brooding bouquet with a lot of content; deep, sustained black fruits on palate, olives and southern herbs as well. Good life in this, is open-sided with a fringe of tannin that works well. Broad and elegant, good juice in the texture. Good length, clear finish. I like its balance, 2029-31, *****; JD@RP, 2015: ... incredibly consistent ... always an upper-90s scoring wine ... big, full-bodied, structured ... followed by a terrific bouquet of ripe black fruits, toasted spice, graphite, chocolate and garrigue, 2015 - 2030, 97; weight bottle and cork 653 g; www.domaine-mordoree.com ]
Deep ruby and velvet, the second deepest wine. Bouquet is clean, a bit spirity, the nett impression being of dark Christmas cake, not as fresh and grapey as most of these, and rather a lot of oak including some new. Palate is dark, the flavours just a bit over-ripe and tanniny – hence the Christmas cake / dessert raisins analogy, with new oak and alcohol both noticeable. This is not a charmer at this stage, in the way the 1998 Chateauneuf-du-Pape Reine des Bois now is. At table I imagine this might become a bit tiring to drink (by Old World standards), even though it is ‘pure’. Cellar 10 – 20 years, hopefully to lose some tannin. No votes as a favourite. GK 07/19

2000 Mount Mary [ Cabernets / Merlot ] Quintet 17 (

)

Yarra Valley, Victoria, Australia: 12.2%; $233 [ Cork 44 mm, ullage 22 mm; purchase price $191; actual cepage for the year CS 56%, Me 16, CF 13, Ma 9 and PV 6, the season ‘not a particularly warm year’ (Sam Middleton), viticulture tending organic but not certified as such; fruit is hand-picked, lightly crushed, totally de-stemmed, fermented under close temperature control; cuvaison up to 14 days, malolactic in vat, following primary fermentation; elevation 22 months, with 30% of the wine in new barriques, 45% in 2 – 5 year-old barriques, and 25% in large oak presumably older; tartaric-acid adjustment rarely needed (for cabernet blends) in the cool Yarra Valley climate, unlikely in 2000; J. Oliver, probably 2003: the most exciting young cabernet blend I have ever tasted from Mount Mary. Its deeply scented fragrance of cassis, violets and dark plums, lightly polished cedar and chocolate oak precedes an underlay of gravel and mocha. An essay in creamy vinous texture and restrained strength, its palate bursts with dark berry fruits, revealing layers of smoky, herbal complexity suggestive of dried leaves. Perfectly ripe, sumptuous and firm, it is framed by powder-fine tannins. Drink 2012 -2020+; in a review in Vinous, 2003, Oliver further describes the wine as: Benchmark cool-climate Australian cabernet, finishes with outstanding persistence. Should enjoy an exceptionally long evolution in bottle, 95; the label ranked in the top 22 Australian wines as ‘Exceptional’ by Langton’s; conversely, R. Parker has been critical of Quintet (though not having tasted the 2000), in general finding it: meagerly endowed; production for Quintet around 1,500 x 9-litre cases; weight bottle and closure: 532 g; www.mountmary.com.au ]
Ruby, the lightest wine. Bouquet is more aromatic than the other 11 wines, setting it a little apart. Three tasters (only) thought it clearly minty or even subtly euc'y. Below the aromatics there is clean lean curranty berry more red than black: it lacks the ripeness and depth to be classed as cassis. Likewise the plum notes are more bottled red plums than black. Palate follows clearly in the style set by the bouquet, with palate weight suggesting an appropriate cropping rate, but the ripeness profile lacking. As you taste it, the impression of stalk and acid increases, so there is a lack of dark berry flavours and ripeness. Oaking is beautifully subtle and simpatico. Like the Coleraine, you feel the wine approaches the Bordeaux model in style, but in the case of Quintet for this season, falls well short. Not surprising therefore that Yarra Valley chardonnay and pinot noir can show so well. Cellar 5 – 15 years, in its style. GK 11/20

1982 Ch Pavie 17 (

)

Saint-Emilion Premier Grand Cru Classé, Bordeaux, France: – %; $465 [ cork 54 mm, ullage 19 mm; original price c.$58; cepage then approx. Me 55, CF 25, CS 20 (the CS high for Saint-Emilion), planted at 5,500 vines / ha, average age of vines c.40 years, cropped then at a higher rate than the more recent 28 – 30 hl/ha (3.65-3.9 t/ha = 1.5-1.6 t/ac); typically 20 – 24 months in barrel, the % new then notably less than now (100%); Parker in 1991 felt the wine was emerging from a relatively long period in the doldrums, improvement evident from the 1979 vintage on. Even so at that point, he rated it as equivalent only to a Medoc fourth or fifth growth – markedly different from its current reputation. Broadbent, 2002: ... mature, bouquet nicely evolved ... Sweet, soft, attractive, and the most ready to drink of the 'flight' of Right Bank '82s, ****; Parker, 1991: ...a closed but emerging bouquet of grilled nuts, fruitcake, and super-concentrated red and black fruits, this full-bodied muscular Pavie still has plenty of tannin to shed. There is great structure, superb extraction and flavour, and a long, heady finish, 92; Parker, 2000: The strongest Pavie in the eighties, this dark ruby-colored 1982 reveals aromas of strawberry jam intermixed with cherries, dried herbs, earth, and spice. Medium-bodied, with beautiful fruit flavors (particularly kirsch liqueur), this sweet, ripe, expansive Pavie has reached its apogee, where it should remain for 10-15 years, 91; no W. Kelley 2022 review, surprisingly, so we have to use fellow-countryman Neal Martin, but from 2012: … a “strict” bouquet that is almost Left Bank in personality: earthy, leathery with graphite notes with touches of cedar and pine infusing the broody black fruit. The palate is very conservative and foursquare with dry tannins, whilst the finish is muffled and attenuated, 87; worth noting that elsewhere Martin has commented on brett in this and other 1982 wines ... but that was an era when brett (up to a quite high level) was seen as complexity ... not a fault; weight bottle and closure 568 g; www.chateaupavie.com ]
Garnet and ruby, quite a deep wine, fourth for weight of colour, but one of the least in retaining ruby / red. Bouquet is a far cry from latter-day Ch Pavie. This is a clearly old-fashioned wine, quite rich, but old cooperage and some brett. Fruit qualities on bouquet are browning berry … even to an analogy with raisins and sultanas, rather more than fresh berries. Palate is quite rich, and given the style of the wine, it is surprising to find cabernet sauvignon aromatics hiding in there, among its very leathery fruit. Rather a lot of furry oak tannins are becoming noticeable, even though the wine is one of the richer. At the tasting, people were more tolerant of this wine that I was, no first or second places, but only one least. Tasters agreed it was merlot-led. A good sturdy steak wine, in its burly mature way. No hurry. GK 11/23

1999 Domaine du Pegau Chateauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée 17 (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $129 [ cork, 45mm; original price $67.40; Gr 80 – 85%, Sy 9, Mv 6 and trace Ci, Co; whole bunches retained; c.90% of the wine raised in foudre, 10% in older barrels, for 18 – 24 months depending on vintage; low sulphurs, not fined or filtered – accordingly Pegau more than some Chateauneufs has a reputation for brett, but note the wine-searcher current value does not penalise it for that ... a moral there for the technocrats; production c.6,000 9-litre cases; J. Dunnuck @ R. Parker, 2014: From a vintage that flies under the radar, the 1999 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Reserve is a beauty that’s drinking at point today. Pepper, garrigue, saddle leather and spice all show here. This is a textbook Pegau to drink over the coming 4-5 years. To 2019, 92; R. Parker, 2001: A powerful, concentrated 1999 Chateauneuf du Pape … bouquet of pepper, garrigue, black fruits, and earth. Full-bodied and expansive, with sweet tannin giving it a more open-knit, accessible style than most young vintages of Pegau, this is a wine to drink while waiting for the 1998 and 1995 to become fully mature. To 2014, 92; www.pegau.com ]
Garnet and ruby, right in the middle for depth. This wine has a considerable volume of bouquet, red fruits browning now and spicy with cinnamon, but also lifted with the darker spicy notes of some brett, particularly showing the nutmeg of the 4-EG phase. Oak is not at all apparent on bouquet, so the net smell is classic old-time Chateauneuf-du-Pape. In flavour the wine is rich, big and long, but drying a little to the finish. Unlike some of the other wines, despite the richness it might not be prudent to keep bottles for decades, in case the brett goes ballistic. It is pretty delicious now, though, well-suited to rich dark slow-cooked casseroles. One person had this as their top wine, and four their second-ranked. Even though 10 tasters noted it had brett at a ‘significant’ level, only one recorded the Pegau as their least wine. This shows sophisticated wine assessment skills and experience. An interesting wine to have in the tasting. GK 03/19

2021 Famille Perrin Cotes du Rhone Reserve 17 (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $31 [ screwcap; Gr 40%, Mv 40, Sy 20, most de-stemmed but some whole-bunch; some must pasteurisation, vinification in temperature-controlled s/s; 10 days cuvaison, the website is light on info, but J.L-L says 25% of the wine is raised 12 months in big old wood; fined and filtered; production up to c.58,300 x 9-litre cases; J.L-L, 2022: (vat sample) quite a full red; the nose has a neat aroma of peppery black berry, a smoky, vegetal hint with licorice. The palate is snappy, green peppered, with a herbal thrust into the finish. It has a cool, menthol manner, is very light, isn’t yet together – another nine months will help it to soften, and it can make it up to *** on that basis. From mid-late 2023. 2027-28, ***; no US reviews so one from a Dutch wine-merchant, which reads well / not too commercial, no score: Transparent deep ruby red in color. In the nose aromas of red and black berries and very slightly dried Provencal herbs. The taste palette shows small, very ripe red-black fruit and some pepper, which are followed by a good aftertaste with supple tannins; it seemed important to me to include this wine, not only because it is consistent year to year, but because it offers screwcap ... which in some situations makes all the difference; weight bottle and closure 414 g; http://m.familleperrin.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, quite deep, clearly above midway in depth. Quite a few lighter and more supermarket-level Cotes du Rhone are now available with screwcap, but (from France) few reputable wines. Accordingly it seemed imperative to include the Perrin Cotes du Rhone Reserve, because there are times when to be able to take along a screwcap wine is simply a blessing. And this wine has over many years shown itself to be reliable, in its style, and it has the advantage that as a teaching wine, it illustrates the hard-to-characterise qualities of mourvedre rather well. In some years, mourvedre may be 40% of the blend. Bouquet is thus quite berry-rich but dark, darkest plum and blackberry maybe … but nowhere as simple, the dusky mourvedre being so hard to characterise. Bouquet is not complicated by oak. The grenache fraction does lighten the bouquet, and the syrah adds a little spice, but the whole wine shows quite a deep character in which the mourvedre dominates. Palate seems almost disappointingly simple in this company, not weak, but slightly stalky and lacking much elevation (meaning oak) complexity – just the dark berry flavours of mourvedre. It will be much more interesting in five years, and will cellar up to 15 or so. Tasters liked the relative lightness and freshness (and lower alcohol) of this wine, two second-favourite placings. GK 04/24

2003 Ch Phelan-Segur 17 (

)

St Estephe Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $42 [ cork; CS 60%, Me 35, CF 5, average age 35 years, planted to 8300 vines / ha; cuvaison 20 days in s/s; 18 months in 50 – 60% new oak; Parker: ... a sweet nose of creme de cassis, licorice, dried herbs … It is fresh, rich, savory, with velvety-textured tannins … a sleeper of the vintage. 88; Robinson: ... verging on jammy. Bright fruit, lots of life but without the spark of acidity ... Quite rich and savoury and convincing. Long. 17; the website www.chateauphelansegur.com is at present reserved, not yet developed. ]
Older ruby and some velvet. Bouquet shows an attractive dominance of red berry and plum over oak, with a suggestion of tobacco, and lower alcohol than some. Palate is very dry, even though the red fruits persist well, and this too will be more attractive once it has lost some phenolics / tannins. Attractive purity, could move up in rankings. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 07/06

2003 Ch Pichon Longueville Lalande 17 (

)

Pauillac 2nd Growth, Bordeaux, France: 13%; $218 [ Cork 50mm; CS 65%, Me 31, PV 4; cepage is evolving from the former CS 45%, Me 35, CF 12 , PV 8, to more CS, less CF and PV, plus a move to organic / biodynamic viticulture; see introductory remarks for Pichon Baron; to complement them Jeff Leve (The Wine Cellar Insider) considers: For many wine lovers, at its best, Chateau Pichon Lalande is one of the best examples of Bordeaux wine from Pauillac. Sensuous textures, deep concentrated layers of ripe fruit and a perfume filled with earth, tobacco and cassis ...; vineyard planting is 9,000 vines / ha; the wine is raised in 50% new oak for 18 months, most years. Production is 15,000 cases. The second wine is Reserve de la Comtesse; Harding, 2013: Inviting with a cedary aroma and some toasty sweetness. Lots of sweet juicy fruit on the palate. Far from complex but slips down with far less friction than most. Moreish, 16.5; Parker, Aug 2014: Made from a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot and 4% Petit Verdot, this spectacular 2003 hits all the sweet spots on the palate. A glorious bouquet of cedarwood, jammy black currants, cherries, licorice and truffle is followed by a dense, opulently textured, full-bodied wine with terrific purity and freshness as well as deep, velvety textured tannins. Enjoy this beauty over the next 10-12 years, 95; www.pichon-lalande.com ]
Ruby and velvet, some garnet, one of the lightest. Bouquet is quite different in the set, very fragrant but the intensity of bouquet augmented by stalky even verging on green notes in the berry. The nett impression is clean, cool and aromatic. Palate shows good berry now much more clearly cassisy, cedary oak in a slightly tannic way, and considerable appeal for those more used to 1970s Medocs, or earlier-style New Zealand cabernet / merlots. With its green hints, it is simply not the contemporary style, for much of the cabernet / merlot world. One taster commented on a tarry note, others on black olives – these may be differing interpretations of the same cue. One has to wonder if the high percentage of petit verdot is not influencing this wine unduly. What a strange wine Lalande is. Its reputation is so high, as the current wine-searcher value shows, yet most bottles encountered are a little lacking, at least relative to the 1982 of this label, for example. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 11/14

2002 N. Potel Chambolle-Musigny les Charmes 17 (

)

Chambolle-Musigny Premier Cru, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 13%; $120
Good pinot noir ruby. This wine is akin to the Potel Combe au Moine, with good pinot cherry / berry complicated by oak, and in this case the wine seems a bit spirity too. Palate is richer than the village Gevrey-Chambertin, but a notch more oak-affected than the Combe au Moine. Cellar 10 – 15 years. GK 08/04

1999 Domaine Nicolas Potel Volnay Taille Pieds Premier Cru 17 (

)

Cote de Beaune, Burgundy, France: 13%; $81 [ cork 49mm, ullage 12mm; Nicolas Potel is a well-respected name, more as a negociant, but you need to be close to Burgundy to know what is what, and where, today. The reputation of our wine was created by his father Gerard Potel, but he died in 1997. Later the winery became Domaine de Bellene. Stephen Brook (of Bordeaux fame) says in Decanter: "Volnay is the Chambolle-Musigny of the Côte de Beaune, it is marked by elegance rather than power ... the best will age effortlessly, developing a wonderful aromatic complexity.". Jasper Morris speaks of Taille Pieds and Clos des Chenes in almost the same breath: “two of the most revered vineyards of Volnay today.” There is limestone in the subsoil. Clive Coates, 2008: “Medium-full colour. Rich, full, almost jammy, almost over-ripe nose. Fullish body. Some tannin. Good fruit and grip. Slightly adolescent but good depth here, and the finish is promising. Very good plus, 2009 – 2022”; Stephen Tanzer: Precise aromas of cherry, dark chocolate, minerals and smoke. Juicy, intensely flavored and quite tightly wrapped; not fat but classy and stony. Finishes very long, with terrific finesse. I like this, 90 – 92; weight bottle, no closure 607 g; website today not then, not informative; www.nicolas-potel.fr ]
Ruby and garnet, an appropriate colour for age, above midway in depth. Bouquet is neat, relatively small-scale, red fruits well-browning now, fragrant but not floral, straightforward. Palate is very much pinot noir at full maturity, just starting to dry, but fruit dominant over older oak (it seems), clean. I placed this wine as the sighter for the tasting – very much how you expect a Volnay to be. A little past its prime, but still enjoyable. No votes at all, just in the middle. But total confusion as to whether France or New Zealand, nine all. GK 09/19

1989 Ch Prieuré-Lichine 17 (

)

Margaux Fourth Growth, Medoc, Bordeaux, France: 12.5%; $81 [ cork, 50mm; original price c.$45; CS 44%, Me 44%, CF 6, PV 6, cropped at c.5.9 t/ha = 2.4 t/ac; elevation c. 18 months, with around 60% new oak; production of the grand vin varies round 20,000 x 9-litre cases; RP@RP, 2003: … full body, soft tannins, and a sweet black currant nose intermixed with notes of licorice, smoked herbs, and tobacco. The wine is very lush, with some heady alcohol and plenty of glycerin. It is quite a seductive, mouthfilling effort ... To 2007, 88; weight bottle and closure: 543 g; www.prieure-lichine.fr ]
Garnet and ruby, the second-deepest wine, but below midway in the ratio of ruby : garnet. Bouquet is softer and less aromatic than the Ch Beychevelle, more browning plums than cassis, as befits its higher merlot, the fruit extended on a prominent dark pipe-tobacco note as well as cedary oak. Palate seems both softer yet a little oaky, and just starting to dry. Like the Ch Beychevelle, this wine was seen as very much in the middle, no votes. It too would be good with food. Nearly at the end of its plateau of maturity. GK 11/19

1970 Ch Rausan-Segla 17 (

)

Margaux Second Growth, Bordeaux, France: – %; $13.80 [ CS 66%, Me 28, CF 4, PV 2; 42 ha, 10 000 cases. Broadbent (2002): A pretty good wine. Firm fleshy good fruit. Still tannic. ***. Parker (1991): I am not sure this wine is ever going to open up and blossom. Admirably big and full-bodied, but rustic and coarsely textured, with entirely too much tannin. 82 ]
Ruby and garnet. Classic mature claret on bouquet, cassis and redfruits, tobacco, cedary oak, the faintest hint of spearmint here too. Palate is much the same, but drying, so the wine seems more acid than some. Much liked by two tasters, but too lean for others. Score depends on how one rates bouquet, versus palate. Better oak balance than many though, so a good example of a wine one can now buy for a song, yet it gives a marvellous snapshot of the vintage. Drink up. GK 03/05

1976 Redman Cabernet Sauvignon (en magnum) 17 (

)

Coonawarra, South Australia, Australia: – %; $165 [ Cork, 52mm, ullage 11mm; 1976 Arthur Kelman Trophy winner, Sydney. Originally $21.60 per magnum, production 26,000 magnums (4,333 x 9-litre case equivalents). Understood to be CS 100%; Halliday, 1985 records the very traditional winemaking of the era, still under Owen Redman: Redman has always picked the fruit early, relying on the higher natural acidity and lower pH this that this gives, so much so that he never checked the pH nor corrected the acid. He believed that physiological ripeness is not determined on the laboratory bench, but by the taste of the grapes. All these practices have a significant impact on the wines. They are deceptively light-bodied: despite the back-blending of all the pressings, they have always given the impression they will not be particularly long-lived. Nothing could be further from the truth for the older Redman wines … The Redman Cabernet Sauvignons … The 1976, a trophy-winner, was another outstanding wine …; weight magnum and closure: 1,159 g; www.redman.com.au ]
Ruby and garnet, below midway in depth. This was the big surprise of the whole tasting. It gained entry through having to reject the Ch Figeac for significant TCA. Both freshly opened and at the tasting, there was a ‘sweet’ not-quite-floral but youthful freshness to this wine which was beguiling, near-textbook but simple cassisy berry, subtle oak, no acid-adjustment harshness in mouth, a light but neat and harmonious flavour all through. In style and balance it was most like Ch Kirwan. After 24 hours the faintest flowering mint (Prostanthera) note had developed on bouquet, making the wine piquant and mouthwatering. Gradually the simple cassisy beauty of the palate became more aromatic too. It is hard to imagine a more un-Australian wine, by contemporary or recent standards. Alongside this delicate ‘luncheon claret’, Penfolds Bin 707 would look so heavy-handed. The absolute purity and simplicity of this wine, amidst the more complex tertiary aromas / flavours of the Bordeaux, appealed to tasters – two second-favourites at the blind stage, and only one person (in 21) thinking the wine from Australia. In magnum, perfect now, no hurry at all, and very good cork quality for the era (in Australia) too. The cropping rate must have been conservative, for it to show so much ‘fruit’ / dry extract today, even though the wine is light in style. GK 10/20

2003 Domaine des Remizieres Syrah Vin de Pays de la Drome 17 (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 12%; $20 [ cork; Caro’s; Sy 100%; Caro’s advise this wine is 100% syrah grown just outside the Crozes-Hermitage approved zone. ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. A very fragrant, winey and Rhone-y bouquet in a traditional style, with lots of dark berry, but also lots of brett. One can’t dismiss the wine, though, when the whole package is so pleasant. Palate sharpens up the bouquet impressions into clear ripe to over-ripe syrah, lots of cassis and blackly plummy fruit, not much oak, tending lower acid. It is fascinating to compare this very ripe rustic syrah with the under-ripe Chave, both low on new oak, and then compare both of them with a straight syrah in a higher percentage of new oak, in the technically clean Bullnose Syrah. One can learn a lot, in this way. Cellar 5 –10 years. GK 11/05

1988 Ch Rieussec 17 (

)

Sauternes Premier Cru, Bordeaux, France: – %; $ – [ cork; Se 80%, SB 18, Muscadelle 2, planted to 7500 vines / ha, cropped @ c. 15 hL/ha (0.75 t/ac), average vine age c.30 years; BF and 26 – 32 months in French oak, more than half new; www.lafite.com ]
This wine presents the dullest hue in the set, just a touch of black in the gold. Bouquet is curious, tending varnishy on VA, and an aroma of boiled sultanas more than botrytised semillon / sauvignon. Initial impression in mouth is better than the bouquet, but too soon a suggestion of browned apple flavour draws attention to slightly oxidised qualities, leading to walnut on the finish. This may simply be bottle variation. Still pretty workable as mature sauternes, but seems older than the similarly-sized Coutet. If this bottle is representative, a wine less suited to holding. GK 08/11

2003 Ch. La Roque Cupa Numismae Non-Filtre 17 (

)

Languedoc, France: 13.5%; $36 [ cork; Maison Vauron; Sy 65%, Mv 35; 16 months new oak. Pic Saint Loup is in the Hérault department of the Languedoc, north of Montpellier and west of Costieres de Nimes. The 2000 vintage of this wine was rated 93, the top Languedoc, by Wine Spectator. And 15th in their Top 100 wines of 2003. No info on this latest vintage. ]
Ruby, a pinot colour, the lightest in this batch. Right from the start this wine has a sweet and fragrant bouquet, a little like some Australian and Hawkes Bay pinot noirs, with a hint of strawberry / raspberry. It develops in glass into a more Chateauneuf-du-Pape-styled wine than a northern Rhone, and it is hard to see the dominance of syrah, or the darker cassisy qualities of the grape. So in a way, this wine is quite Australian, but unusually fragrant. The late palate has attractive beeswax and cinnamon character, as if there were grenache, in quite lean but satisfying fruit. An interesting winestyle, which several tasters rated very highly. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 10/05

2007 Domaine Rousseau Charmes-Chambertin 17 (

)

Gevrey-Chambertin Grand Cru, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $244 [ cork; up to 22 months in mostly second-year French oak; Rousseau owns 1.4 ha, 4.4% of the vineyard; making approx 450 cases; www.domaine-rousseau.com ]
Pinot noir ruby, a little below midway. Bouquet is sweetly floral at the boronia level, but also a little piquant, just a hint of white pepper as in cool-year Cote Rotie – perplexing, but not unknown in imperfectly ripe pinot noir. In mouth, the florality triumphs, on red cherry fruit, the oak soft and subtle, the whole winestyle surprisingly Drouhin in one sense, puzzling. There is an undertone of leaf, though, and the wine is more beguiling than substantial, I suspect. Cellar 3 – 12 years. GK 11/10

2005 Domaine Rousseau Clos de la Roche 17 (

)

Morey-Saint-Denis Grand Cru, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $520 [ cork 50mm; some whole-bunches in the fermentation; up to 22 months in one third new oak; www.domaine-rousseau.com ]
Lighter ruby and garnet, the second to lightest. Bouquet is lightly floral, and clearly oak-affected, the oak masking the fruit in this bottle. Flavours in mouth are fractionally riper than the de Vogue, but the oak load is greater, making the wine seem short and tannic at this stage. Actual fruit richness is quite good, so this is another wine in the set which may look better with more evolution in bottle, coupled with some softening of the tannins. Worth noting I rated this wine 19 in Nov 2008, noting it as 'wonderfully succulent', and others have marked it similarly. This seems a very different bottle. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 04/15

2007 Domaine Rousseau Gevrey-Chambertin [ Village ] 17 (

)

Gevrey-Chambertin, Burgundy, France: 13%; $149 [ cork; Rousseau owns 2.2 ha of unclassified vineyards in the village; old oak only; www.domaine-rousseau.com ]
Light pinot noir ruby, the lightest of the set. Bouquet is not light, however, showing explicit florality at the buddleia / clearly red fruits end of the floral spectrum, plus vanillin suggestions from seemingly new oak. Palate is lightish, not the concentration of the higher-rated wines, but nonetheless explicitly pinot noir at the red cherry level, riper than red currants, not stalky at all. The bouquet suggestion of new oak is not evident on the palate, which once one gets the ID fits in – though it is conceivable that discreet use of chips could be practised in village wines, even at Rousseau. I mean, would they tell you ? It is a little hard to accept 2007 Village Gevrey at $149, though, when the 1966s were around $3.60. On the Reserve Bank Inflation Calculator for the elapsed years, $52 would be more appropriate – in several senses. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 11/10

2009 [ Peregrine ] Saddleback Pinot Noir 17 (

)

Gibbston Valley & Cromwell Basin, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $25 [ screwcap; de-stemmed; c.9 months in French oak 20% new; www.peregrinewines.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is youthful, a faint trace of maceration carbonique / whole bunch fermentation in a positive way, some floral notes and a hint of thyme. Palate brings out the whole bunch component, a juicy clearly varietal wine with red and black fruits, perhaps not bone dry, a touch of stalk on the finish. Gives the impression of a short-term cellar wine, 2 – 5 years. GK 09/10

2016 Domaine Saint Damien Gigondas Vieilles Vignes 17 (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 15%; $42 [ cork, 49 mm; certified organic wine; Gr 80% >90 years age, Mv 20; all whole-bunch, co-fermented; extended cuvaisons sometimes to 8 weeks; elevation c.12 months in vat, then 12 months in large oak; not fined or filtered; production averages c.1,500 x 9-litre cases; Philippe Cambie consults; weight bottle and cork 636 g; www.domainesaintdamien.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, well above midway in depth. This is an unusual wine, the first impression being of a wild-yeast ferment that is a bit too wild, not enough SO2. Behind that are sultry black fruits, suggesting over-ripeness. In mouth the wine is better, soft and rich, black cherry and darkest plum, some old oak I think, the whole wine not yet together, and not revealing its constituent varieties at all well – maybe the over-ripeness. There are no other faults, and the wine is stable in glass, so I suspect in its very ripe way this will look a lot better in five years, and cellar 5 – 15 years. Available from Truffle Imports, Wellington. GK 07/19

2005 Ch Sainte Colombe 17 (

)

Cotes de Castillon, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $30 [ cork; Me 70%, CF 30 ]
Older ruby and velvet. Bouquet is classically Bordeaux in a ripe year, fragrantly plummy, brown tobacco and some new oak with hints of cedar and a little brett. Palate is slightly austere after the bouquet, fine grain, oak noticeable for the weight of fruit, more old oak than new. This is a surprisingly new world merlot in its level of oaking, with some maturity starting to show. It should cellar well for 5 – 12 years. GK 11/10

2000 Ch Saint-Paul 17 (

)

Saint-Seurin, Haut-Medoc, Bordeaux, France: 12.5%; $30 [ cork; CS 55%, CF 40, Me 5; vineyards mostly in St Estephe; only available in 375 ml @ $15 ]
Ruby and velvet, above halfway in depth. In some ways this is the most distinctive wine in the set, smelling for all the world as if some syrah had been blended-in – there is a clear black peppercorn edge, on cassis and plummy fruit. Palate is firm, quite rich in an austerely flavoured cassis style with a little new oak, like a slightly stalky version of the Sainte Anne. It is both classical Medoc, yet with a beautiful lingering skins-rich aftertaste hinting at the northern Rhone, as well. Needs five years to soften, and will cellar 5 – 15 years. A tricky wine for options games. GK 04/06

2015 Ch Taillefer 17 (

)

Pomerol, Bordeaux, France: 14.5%; $76 [ cork 50mm; cepage in 2015 Me 84%, CF 16, planted at 6,050 vines / ha on sand and gravels underlain by iron-rich clay, average vine age c.35 years, viticulture lutte raisonnée; crop hand-picked at c. 39 hl/ha = 5.1 t/ha = 2.1 t/ac , hand-sorted; fermentation in concrete vats, followed by elevation c.12 months in barrel 50% new; Ch Taillefer was the first property bought by the Moueix family, in 1923; production c.5,000 x 9-litre cases; website proper www.moueixbernard.fr lacking in info; but detail found by chance at; www.bordeaux-tradition.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Taillefer-2015-FT-GB-C1148.pdf ]
Ruby and velvet, just below midway in depth, but clearly the oldest / most developed wine among the reds. I was excited to see this chateau in the line-up, not having tasted it before. However, one sniff and this reflects the wine of a seemingly hotter year, or a critically over-ripened wine. There are no florals or fresh aromatics, instead a densely plummy aroma with even a hint of prunes, and a thought of leather. Palate is ripe, quite rich, but the leathery thought persists, with drying tannins to the tail, introducing just a hint of roughness. It seems critically over-ripe, and the given 14.5% alcohol, the highest in the set, would seem to confirm that thought. This wine vividly illustrates how easily merlot can be over-ripened, and lose its magic. Like pinot noir, or syrah. In its style, it will marry up in cellar, and provide uncritical enjoyment, particularly for people from warmer viticultural climates. It will be a gentler wine once it crusts in bottle. Cellar 5 – 25 years. GK 07/20

1975 Ch Talbot 17 (

)

St Julien, Bordeaux, France: – %; $137 [ cork 54mm; CS 70%, Me 20, CF 5, PV 5. Shelf price $23.35 in 1978 is $141 today, according to the Reserve Bank Inflation Calculator. That is considerably ahead of current vintage price. Talbot tends to live in the shadow of Gruaud-Larose, and the 1975 does not challenge that assessment; Parker, 1996: … a better showing than normal for this medium-bodied, hard, lean, austere Talbot. The wine revealed more fruit than in the past, an earthy, herbal, chocolatey, weedy-scented nose, good extraction, and the vintage's harshness and toughness in the finish. Although it will keep for another 10-15+ years, there is no reason to hold on to it that long, 84.; www.chateau-talbot.com ]
Ruby and garnet, below midway in depth. Bouquet is sweet and fragrant mature claret, a lovely blend of browning cassis and other berries, dark tobacco and cedar, beautifully clean apart from a shadow of brett. Palate is not quite so apparently ripe and sweet, the wine just past its prime, fruit fading slightly but the acid of the year standing firm. It is not as rich as the Leoville Barton in Pt I, but it is purer, so can be scored about the same. Best finished, before the fruit dries further. GK 04/15

2004 T.H.E. Sauvignon Blanc 17 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $17 [ screwcap; T.H.E. = Terrace Heights Estate ]
Lemongreen. Initially opened, a grassy semillon suggestion in ripe black passionfruit and red capsicum. Breathes to a similar suite of flavours to the Fairmont, but all a notch more phenolic, like chewing on black passionfruit skins. Flavour is thus long and classically Marlborough. That is not to say all Marlborough sauvignons are phenolic. Cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 01/05

2013 [ Villa Maria ] Thornbury Merlot 17 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $20 [ screwcap; Me 85%, CF 7.5, Ma 7.5; extended 4 weeks cuvaison; (perhaps not all the wine) 10 months in French and Hungarian oak some new; www.thornbury.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, some carmine, above midway in depth. There is a lovely floral component to this wine, so much so that at the blind stage I thought it syrah, nearly carnations, roses, berry dominant, appealing. Palate is a whole notch lighter than most of the better-rated wines, but the ripeness goes right through the wine and palate, with no tell-tale green edge. There is less new oak than some, which simplifies the bouquet and tannins slightly. Could there be 2 g RS to the finish, I wonder ? Good commercial red wine, still tasting very young, to cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 03/15

2005 [ Villa Maria ] Thornbury Pinot Gris Steve Bird 17 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $20 [ screwcap; 10 weeks LA and stirring; the relationship between Villa Maria and Thornbury is not clear on either www.villamaria.co.nz, or the not-recently-updated www.thornburywines.com ]
Light straw. Clear-cut pinot gris in the stonefruits / nectarine style is attractive on bouquet. Palate is a little more developed than some, fair stonefruit, a faint hint of quince, seemingly drier than the main Villa Maria labels. With the lower alcohol, this will be an attractive food wine. It probably won't cellar quite as well, though, say 2 – 5 years. GK 11/05

1998 Ch des Tours Vacqueyras Reserve 17 (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $50 [ cork; original price; usually Gr 95%, Sy 5, hand-harvested from 35-year-old vines; part of the crop spends up to 6 months in old oak casks; otherwise elevation in concrete or s/s for c.24 months: Parker observes (summarised): Readers looking for a Vacqueyras made in the image of the renowned Chateauneuf-du-Pape from Ch Rayas should seek out … this wine … the proprietor is Bernard Reynaud, brother of the late Jacques Reynaud of Ch Rayas … the selection is severe, only one third of the crop bottles as this wine … yields are amongst the lowest in the appellation … resulting in a powerful rich concentrated style of Vacqueyras that ages well. Parker 10/00: The flamboyant bouquet offers a fabulous expression of Grenache harvested at sur-maturité that has not been compromised by aging in new oak. The flavors are all fruit, glycerin, and kirsch liqueur. Made from 100% Grenache, the wine exhibits a layered texture, low acidity ... a superb example of Vacqueyras ... P.S. I bought two cases. [ that's Parker speaking ] 90 ]
Ruby, a lovely colour, just below midway in depth. Bouquet is very particular, being classic grenache with red fruits totally dominant, cinnamon, and a touch of cedar grading into the even more fragrant manool / silver-pine note characteristic of pure grenache. It is also made fragrant by an academic touch of VA, the oxidation the Vacqueyras AOC taste-committee objected to and Robert Parker famously pooh-poohed. Palate is gorgeous, the VA not intruding, the berry amply covering the augmented cedar note. Interesting wine, perhaps not a long-term cellar prospect, though. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 04/12

2009 Bodegas Vega Real Ribera del Duero Roble 17 (

)

Ribera del Duero, Spain: 13%; $27 [ cork; Te 100% grown at c.850 m altitude; 4 months in American oak; www.vegareal.barbadillo.net ]
Quite rich ruby, carmine and velvet. The wine opens a little clouded by retained fermentation odours, but quickly clears to reveal plummy berry fruit, and some oak, all very young. Palate too is clearly youthful, quite tannic, more oak than anticipated, but with the prospect of marrying up well and becoming attractive wine. Will probably always benefiting from decanting. Cellar 3 – 12 years. GK 08/11

nv de Venoge Cordon Bleu Brut Select 17 (

)

Epernay, Champagne, France: 12%; $69 [ cork; PN 45%, Ch 30, PM 25; 90 000 cases; www.champagnedevenoge.com ]
Straw, one of the deeper. As the colour suggests, this is a more developed kind of champagne, but rather than the complex yeast autolysis development of the Bollinger, here it is rather more a broad, slightly quincey fruit, plus toast crusts. Palate is a complex interaction of this developed fruit, lees-autolysis and MLF, all going just a bit biscuitty for fresh stock, but attractive. Another flavoursome wine, less suited to cellaring. GK 11/05

2016 Domaine du Vieux Lazaret Chateauneuf-du-Pape 17 (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $56 [ cork 49mm; Gr 75%, Sy, Mv, Ci & Co 25; cuvaison up to 21 days; 18 months elevation, mostly in vat, 15 % in foudre; Parker records the wine being made for early drinking; imported by Maison Vauron, Auckland; weight bottle and closure 642 g; www.famillequiot.com ]
Ruby, the third to lightest wine. Bouquet is quiet, a light floral lift on slightly spicy red and darker fruits, clean. Palate is lightly juicy, again red fruits, a trace of cinnamon, a trace of stalk, some fruit sweetness, clean and pure but tending light, grenache dominant. More Cotes du Rhone than Chateauneuf-du-Pape, but saved by its relatively long finish, implying better dry extract than some Cotes-du-Rhones. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 06/20

2007 Domaine du Vieux Telegraphe Chateauneuf-du-Pape La Crau 17 (

)

Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $148 [ cork 50mm, ullage 17mm; original price c.$85; Gr 65%, Mv 15, Sy 15, balance authorised varieties hand-harvested from one of Chateauneuf's most famous sites, the stony plain of La Crau, average age all vines > 50 years (then); mostly destemmed, cuvaison formerly shorter, now to 30 even 40 days, elevation c.12 months in concrete, c.10 months in foudre; not fined or filtered; average annual production 16,5000 x 9-litre cases, yet such is its fame it is hard to buy in New Zealand; J.L-L. 2015: ... a broad bouquet, one with capacity and red meat depth. It shows the concentration of the year in its red fruit. The attack is elegant, provides a liberal offer of stylish red fruit, with joli clarity. This is developing well. Its freshness has been well achieved, and it serves a rocky tang as it finishes. This is very enjoyable, is a superior 2007 in the freedom stakes, nothing overdone. To 2035, ****(*); RP@RP, 2009: an exquisite nose of salty sea breezes, licorice, ground pepper, jammy black cherries, black currants, figs, and plums, this is a full-bodied, rich, Provencal-styled offering with lots of sweet, ripe tannin. It is surprisingly accessible for a Vieux Telegraphe (this wine normally shuts down several years after bottling), but it should have great longevity (25+ years) given its power, full-bodied mouthfeel, and enormous length and richness. This is a brilliant effort, to 2035, 96+; www.vieux-telegraphe.fr ]
Ruby and garnet, the lightest wine. In this wine, the over-ripe baked jam-tart note becomes a little more noticeable, in otherwise rich berryfruit shaped by gentle older oak. Palate too reveals the jam-tart qualities, but otherwise fruit length and balance are good. Two tasters in the wine-trade thought the wine out of condition due to temperature fluctuation in shipping, that is, showing some oxidation. The importer uses temperature-controlled containers, and on inquiry, is not aware of any malfunction in that import season. And it is noticeable the Parker descriptors for this wine include licorice, jammy black cherries, figs – all part of my baked over-ripe suite of attributes, yet so liked by Americans habituated to warmer-climate wines. So this is a big wine, but lacking a little in freshness. Disappointing … in the sense that Vieux Telegraphe is always an eagerly-awaited wine, in any line-up. It earned one second-place vote. Cellar 10 – 20 years, in its style. GK 10/19

2009 Domaine Vindemio Cotes du Ventoux Regain 17 (

)

Cotes du Ventoux AOC, Southern Rhone Valley, France: 15.5%; $20 [ cork; Gr 60%, Sy 40; said to be no oak use at all; the website is nominal, as yet; proprietor trained as a pharmacist; www.vindemio.com ]
Youthful lighter ruby, as if high grenache. Bouquet is raspberry grenache, complex relative to Peter Lehman Barossa Valley Grenache, but simple alongside Aphillanthes Galets in this batch. Palate is pure, faint stalks, the red fruits and high alcohol carrying a reminder of ruby port, a pure grenache-dominant wine (I don't believe the cepage given) but looking slightly clumsy alongside the top two. 2009 was obviously a remarkable summer in the Rhone valley, and these very ripe Vindemios capture it completely. Cellar 3 – 15 years. GK 11/10

2003 Ch Virginie de Valandraud 17 (

)

St Emilion Grand Cru, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $122 [ cork; Me 65%, CF 30, CS & Ma 5, all de-stemmed, average age 30 years; Virginie is an individual wine, a designated part within the Valandraud vineyard; 28 – 30 days cuvaison inc. 3 days cold soak, James Lawther advises no acid addition despite hot year; 18 – 20 months in 100% new oak; Jean-Luc Thunevin is one of the original 'garagistes', Michel Rolland consults even though Jean-Luc is himself a much-used consultant; Robinson 16 in 2003; www.thunevin.com ]
Ruby and velvet, one of the older wines. First impressions of the bouquet are an oaky and new world wine, with a hint of pennyroyal. In mouth there is good ripe fruit in a somewhat rustic as well as oaky and hot climate style, closer to the Ornellaia than the New Zealand wines. 2003 may have been a hot summer in Bordeaux, but this is really quite clumsy modern wine, far from classical Bordeaux, a funny one to use as an exemplar of Bordeaux in the Forum context. It therefore offers great hope for the much more floral, purer, more classical and better balanced Hawkes Bay and Waiheke cabernet / merlots – the better ones. This Virginie is pleasant, but is unlikely to make a graceful older wine, so cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 11/08

2010 P-M Chermette Domaine du Vissoux Beaujolais Coeur de Vendanges 17 (

)

Beaujolais, France: 12%; $28 [ cork; 85-year old gamay gown on granite, hand-picked; mostly maceration carbonique fermentation in s/s, wild-yeast, no chaptalisation, minimal S02, cuvaison starts in vats 7 days, finished in 5 – 10-year barrels; elevation 6 months half in big wood, half in barrels to 5 years age; www.chermette.fr ]
Fresh pinot noir ruby, just below midway. I had assumed from the name this was a popular beaujolais, though the price should have told me otherwise. It is a serious wine. In smell, taste and weight, it is representative good beaujolais. There is a little oak, but the wine is fragrant and floral, convincing red cherry flesh, pleasant body, just a little stalk to freshen. Actual fruit in mouth is very pleasant. Cellar 2 – 6 years or so. GK 09/12

2000 Yalumba [ Shiraz ] The Octavius 17 (

)

Eden Valley mostly, some Barossa Valley, South Australia: 13.5%; $122 [ US oak mostly, some French; www.yalumba.com ]
Ruby and velvet. Bouquet shows a better balance of big shiraz to excess oak than the 1999, but the whole wine is still pretty massive verging on oppressive and unwiney. The oaking is contemporary in style, with barrel ferment and chocolate characters praised by some commentators. Rich plummy shiraz is certainly apparent amidst the oak, but this is still a wine made to whack you into submission and acceptance, rather than charm you with the beauties shiraz can display when grown, harvested, and vinified as syrah. Have these winemakers never tasted classical Cote Rotie or Hermitage, let alone assessed their beauty with food ? This 2000 will cellar for 40 years, in its style – to judge from some Aussie '64s opened recently. GK 07/04

2000 Yalumba Shiraz / Viognier 17 (

)

Barossa Valley, South Australia: 13.5%; $38 [ Sy 92% co-fermented with 8% Vi; 20 months in French oak; www.yalumba.com ]
Older ruby and velvet. This latest edition of the supposedly more fragrant Yalumba Shiraz / Viognier blend continues to miss the point. On bouquet, the wine is just a big soft Barossa shiraz, boysenberry and darkest plums all slightly leathery, too heavy, and a bit dull. It shows better on palate, with big fruit richness in a popular style, but any floral and fragrant magic such as the McRae Wood shows is beyond it. Cellar 10 – 15 years. GK 06/04

2010 The Riesling Challenge Mike Brown 16 ½ + (

)

Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 12%; $ – [ screwcap; winemaker based at Golden Hills Estates, Nelson; price: the wines were initially offered at $25 each in the dozen set, but ended up at www.blackmarket.co.nz for $120 the set; wine described as balanced by winemaker, and on the dividing line between Medium-Dry and Medium-Sweet by the bar-graph; no other info ]
Lemon-green. A thread of reduction at this early stage of life quickly dissipates, to show mainstream limezest riesling. Palate picks up the limezest, being aromatic and long-fruited in a medium finish. It is a knife-edge whether the wine will show its phenolics with age, or soften. Interesting wine, to cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 02/12

2005 Vavasour Pinot Noir Awatere 16 ½ + (

)

Awatere Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14.5%; $29 [ screwcap; not on website yet, though actual wine info is lacking; www.vavasour.com ]
Pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is quiet, with a gentle fragrance of strawberry as well as red currant and red cherry, plus a delicate pennyroyal aromatic. Palate picks up the pennyroyal, to be clearly lightly minty on good cherry fruit, fresh, crisp, subtly oaked. This is attractive in its light Marlborough / Martinborough style, but reflects a warmer climate than one would expect from the Awatere Valley. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 01/07

2004 Guigal Crozes-Hermitage 16 ½ + (

)

Crozes-Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 12.5%; $36 [ cork; Sy 100%; average vine age 37 years; typically cropped 40 hL / ha (2 t/ac); 3 weeks cuvaison; 18 months in older French oak; Parker 170: The 2004 Crozes-Hermitage reveals plenty of olive, black currant, and cherry notes, with good acidity, but in a supple, spicy, earthy style to drink over the next 4-5 years. 88; www.guigal.com ]
Ruby, a touch of velvet, one of the three lightest. Crozes-Hermitage is the staple French tasting syrah of the northern Rhone in New Zealand, but we missed out on Guigal's 2003. That is a great pity, as it might have provided a brilliant sketch of real syrah varietal character at an affordable price. This 2004 opens a little reductively, but it clears with a brisk decanting. Bouquet is then lightly fragrant cassis, with aromatic pepper both white and some black, indicating a threshold level of ripeness for full syrah character, as we typically see in Martinborough for example. Palate is crisp, cassis and reasonably dark plum, clean, lightly oaked, better berry concentration than some of the lighter-style New Zealand syrahs such as Matariki Aspire, but clearly related. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 06/07

2004 Balthazar Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot / Cabernet Franc Magi 16 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.3%; $34 [ screwcap; CS 75%, Me 17, CF 8, hand-harvested; extended cuvaison > 25 days, followed by MLF and 14 months in French oak 75% new; www.balthazar.co.nz ]
Colour is a deeper ruby and velvet than the Merlot, and older to the edge. Bouquet is very similar too, perhaps slightly more aromatic reflecting the higher cabernet, and again a little European complexity. Palate shows a little more richness than the Merlot. It seems both a little riper, yet harder on the oak tannins. It may soften somewhat in cellar – hard to be sure on that. Cellar 2 – 10 years. GK 03/08

2007 The Hay Paddock Syrah [ Barrel Sample ] 16 ½ + (

)

Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: – %; $ – [ will be supercritical cork; c. 4 weeks cuvaison, c. 18 months in French oak 60% new; website introductory so far; www.thehaypaddock.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet. The barrel in the workshop did not show so well, tending to a raspberry scent, though better in mouth. This note is based on a later second barrel, the wine regular, suggestions of florals, blueberry and cassis berried notes, a little acid, but not too oaky. [ NB: the finished wine may differ from this barrel sample.] Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 06/08

2008 Vidal Estate Merlot / Cabernet Sauvignon 16 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $20 [ screwcap; Me, CS, Ma; www.vidal.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet. Bouquet is attractively redfruits fragrant, with some roses florality, another wine one would like to be dominated by cabernet franc and merlot. Palate is less, not quite the ripeness to be plump, all a little austere with a sucking-on-red-plum-stones quality in its acid / tannin balance. The flavours are pleasant, though. Cellar 5 – 12 years, hopefully to soften. GK 06/10

2008 Doctor's Flat Vineyard Pinot Noir 16 ½ + (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: – %; $39 [ screwcap; no info ]
Pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is fragrant, but with a leafy edge to buddleia-like florals, in red fruits. Palate is maturing, pleasant fruit weight at the red cherry and even a hint of red currant level, oak at the maximum. Clearly varietal wine, but a little skinny and maturing rapidly, so cellar 2 – 5 years only, I think. GK 09/10

2009 Black Quail Estate Pinot Noir 16 ½ + (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $34 [ screwcap; no info; www.blackquail.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is softly vanillin and red fruits, with thoughts of the flower cherry-pie as well as buddleia and roses. Palate is in the same style, but a little acid and a suggestion of stalks downpoints it a little. The same shortcomings characterise many Savigny-les-Beaune wines, illustrating how hard it is to achieve pinot perfection. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 09/10

2010 Akarua Pinot Noir Rua 16 ½ + (

)

Bannockburn & Wanaka, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $25 [ screwcap; various clones including young vines; no whole bunch, all the wine sees some oak, unusual in this price range, c. 15% new; www.akarua.com ]
Deep bright pinot noir ruby, nearly as deep as the main Akarua wine. In bouquet, style, weight and purity the junior Rua wine is very close to the standard wine, the main difference being a little less oak, a softer wine, even more a beginners' pinot noir. In classical terms it is tending over-ripe, so merlot thoughts occur here too. Matt Connell commented that Sweden takes 3000 cases a year of this label. At its affordable price, you can see why. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/11

2004 Daniel Schuster Pinot Noir Waipara 16 ½ + (

)

Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 13.5%; $40 [ cork; hand-harvested from two vineyards; open-vat fermentation, 12 months in French oak, RS 1 g/L; www.danielschusterwines.com ]
Lightish and older ruby than the Omihi wine. Again this wine has a big and distinctive bouquet, with overt whole berry fermentation characters including a leafy note, and fragrant but slightly varnishy oak. The whole wine is stylistically related to the Omihi, but a little plainer. Palate shows better than the bouquet, the components becoming melded into a supple and fragrant mouth-filling wine, with buddleia florals and cherry fruit on fragrant oak, which is noticeable yet at the same time not harsh or obtrusive. The result is distinctive and more-ish wine with a fragrant but slightly leafy Cote Rotie undertone, which will cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 03/06

2006 Mudbrick Syrah Reserve 16 ½ + (

)

Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.6%; $50 [ screwcap; hand-picked; c. 14 months in American oak 50% new; www.mudbrick.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet. This was an intriguing wine in the line-up, the initial impression being of an Australian wine, even though we had decided that Australian wines would not contribute to this particular workshop. But there was almost a boysenberry quality in the fruit, plus a little VA and a lot of oak. Palate tends in the same direction, good berry fruit, but acid and oak both noticeable, as is so often the case in Australia. Should harmonise in cellar, but one wonders if this wine is a Reserve based on better fruit from a lower cropping rate, or rather more selected barrels with greater oak exposure. The latter would be a mistake, in terms of optimal New Zealand syrah style. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 06/08

2005 Mills Reef Merlot / Malbec Reserve 16 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $21 [ screwcap; DFB; Me 51%, Ma 49, hand-harvested, 100% de-stemmed; s/s ferment; 12 months in one and two-year French oak; www.millsreef.co.nz ]
Ruby. On bouquet this wine goes straight to minor Bordeaux, Entre Deux Mers or similar, where wines are merlot-dominant, but not as noble as the main Medoc and St Emilion / Pomerol districts. Thus there is not so much violets florals as a vague floral / leafy component, in red fruits only. Palate is pro rata exactly, slightly leafy, a hint of acid, quite a different calibre of wine from the Elspeth Cabernet / Merlot. Yet in its fragrant lightly-oaked fresh style, it will be food-friendly and pleasing. It appeared to be not bone-dry, in the blind tasting [ later confirmed ]. Cellar 2 – 8 years. GK 09/07

2004 Chard Farm Chardonnay Judge & Jury 16 ½ + (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $35 [ screwcap; hand-harvested, BF, LA and MLF in French oak; www.chardfarm.co.nz ]
Pale lemonstraw. This wine stands out in the sub-group of chardonnays, being not quite so explicitly varietal. There is a certain European complexity, a touch of cardboard, in quite rich fruit. Flavour shows lees-autolysis richness and maybe barrel-ferment complexities, in a tending acid wine, which is more clearly chardonnay on palate weight. Nonetheless the fruit is physiologically ripe, in contrast (say) to the 2005 Matariki top chardonnay (a later batch of wines). Should be good with food, but could be tiring to drink on its own. Cellar 2 – 8 years. GK 03/08

2011 Martinborough Vineyard Pinot Noir Te Tera 16 ½ + (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13%; $29 [ screwcap; nil whole bunch, all the wine in French oak c.10 months, some new; silver medal; www.martinborough-vineyard.co.nz ]
Lightish pinot noir ruby, one of the lightest. Bouquet improves with decanting to be one of the more pretty floral wines, buddleia and roses on red cherries only, no darker fruits. Palate is pleasing at this simple Volnay level of red fruits, the oak and phenolics nicely balanced, slightly leafy, but all gentle and lingering. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 10/12

2008 Sileni Merlot The Triangle 16 ½ + (

)

Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $30 [ screwcap; www.sileni.co.nz ]
Ruby and some velvet. Bouquet bespeaks merlot in a fragrant plummy and dark tobacco way, very reminiscent of minor St Emilion, and not too oaky. Palate has fair fruit richness concealing a hint of leafyness, but is possibly not bone dry. The Bordeaux styling with less oak is attractive and food-friendly. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/10

2011 Ohau Gravels Sauvignon Blanc 16 ½ + (

)

Ohau district, Manawatu, New Zealand: 13.5%; $22 [ screwcap; hand-harvested, mostly s/s cool ferment, 5% BF in old oak and some lees work for complexity; 4.5 g/L RS; www.ohaugravels.co.nz ]
Pale lemon-green. Bouquet is youthful, still with fermentation esters to marry away. Below is clear capsicum more mixed in colour than the Volcanic Hills wine, some herbes. Palate is a little firmer too, more yellow capsicum rather than red, a cooler-climate presentation of the variety showing fair fruit and a sauvignon-'dry' finish. Cellar 1 – 3 years. GK 08/11

2009 Coal Pit Pinot Noir Tiwha 16 ½ + (

)

Gibbston Valley, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $42 [ screwcap; vineyard at 440 metres; hand-picked @ 2 t/ac from 15 year old vines; all de-stemmed; some months in French oak 40% new; RS 1 g/L; www.coalpitwine.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a big colourful pinot noir, one of the two deepest. Bouquet is rich, fruity, oaky, plummy, but could be merlot as easily as pinot noir – a big exciting wine, but seemingly over-ripe for pinot noir charm. Palate retreats from the bouquet slightly, with suggestions of mixed ripeness / uneven sorting, since in the black fruits there are some stalky streaks too. This perversely makes the wine more pinot noir-like, though not quite for the right reasons. May speak more eloquently once it loses some tannin, say three years. I would like to see more emphasis on florality at the red fruits grading to black stage of the ripening curve. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 09/10

2003 Unison Syrah 16 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $39 [ cork; Sy 100%; the 2002 of this wine was excellent. ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, one of the deeper. Bouquet is aggressive on VA and oak, below which is dark raisiny berry ripened beyond cassis to blackberry. The raisiny component is odd, and with the VA fume, gives the newly-opened wine some of the characters of an old Lustau sherry. Palate is more cassisy, but the berry, oak and alcohol are quite unknit and raw. Total weight on palate is good, and this wine will (I think) look a lot better when married-up at five years or so. But the wine falls into a similar trap to that discussed for the Craggy Range one, and has thus achieved so much less than the fruit presumably promised. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 10/05

2009 Poderi Crisci Merlot Riserva 16 ½ + (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.5%; $46 [ cork; Me 100%, hand-harvested, wild-yeast ferments, 18 months in all-French oak 30% new; www.podericrisci.co.nz ]
Ruby and some velvet. Bouquet shows a more old-fashioned wine which has seen rather more air than is ideal in its elevation, so though there is good plummy fruit, there is also a trace of leathery oxidation, and a little brett complexity. Palate shows plummy merlot but more oak than is ideal. The nett result is pleasing in that style, in one sense an harmonious assemblage of minor faults. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 10/12

2007 Kawarau Estate Chardonnay Reserve 16 ½ + (

)

Pisa district, Cromwell Basin, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $32 [ screwcap; the oldest vineyards in the Pisa district; successive hand-picks for complexity; BF and wild-yeast fermentation in French oak c.25% new, full MLF; minimal fining and filtration; www.kestate.co.nz ]
Lemon. Bouquet is rich and oaky, all a little assertive and old-fashioned in approach now. On palate good yellow-fleshed peach fruit reminiscent of clone mendoza is apparent, with mealy lees autolysis complexing it. Acid balance is a little better here, with some malolactic richness. The oak lets the wine down somewhat, but it can be cellared for several more years, in its bold style. GK 09/10

2006 Coopers Creek Merlot 16 ½ + (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $16 [ screwcap; 2006 not on website, but info sketchy for reds; www.cooperscreek.co.nz ]
A very youthful ruby, carmine and velvet, one of the deeper ones. Bouquet is robust fleshy black fruits in the comparative line-up, fitting more with the older-oak minor bordeaux than the top wines. Palate is rich and well-balanced with respect to acid and oak, but the oak is tending plain for new world merlot. This should cellar well 5 – 12 years, in its simple modern cru bourgeois style. GK 04/08

2008 Bald Hills Riesling Last Light 16 ½ + (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.9%; $25 [ screwcap, hand-picked, pH 3.07, 12 g/L RS; www.baldhills.co.nz ]
Pale lemon. In the blind line-up, this is a broader wine without the precise white flowers varietal quality a number of the more highly-rated riesling wines show. Instead there is a white stonefruits quality confuseable with pinot gris, even pinot gris with a touch of gewurztraminer. Palate is bold and flavoursome, some lime-zest varietal characters apparent now, a full-bodied quite rich wine with off-dry sweetness. I marked it well as pinot gris, at the blind stage, and it is attractive drinking. In the varietal class, as riesling it scores somewhat lower, as the alcohol might imply, but the flavours are good all the same. Cellar 2 – 8 years. GK 05/09

2007 Mission Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 16 ½ + (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $25 [ supercritical cork; www.missionestate.co.nz ]
Older ruby and velvet, dense. This is an old-fashioned wine with a big rich bouquet, but clear signs of mixed ripeness – quite a leafy component. Palate continues rich, browning cassis, plum and leafy flavours married with tobacco notes and good potentially-cedary oak. Given the richness it is a hard wine to score. It is particularly fine-grain. If however we are to match good Bordeaux as now understood in this century, as has been elsewhere discussed with reference to Te Mata Estate's Coleraine, we must pay particular attention to achieving optimal levels of ripeness. The leafy notes let this wine down. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 06/10

2010 [ Peregrine ] Saddleback Pinot Noir 16 ½ + (

)

Bendigo area 65%, Gibbston Valley 30%, Pisa district 5%, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $24 [ screwcap; all hand-harvested; 100% de-stemmed; 10 months in French oak c.20% new; RS < 1 g/L; www.peregrinewines.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is in a darker style than the wines rated more highly, black cherry more than red, but not quite singing / not floral. Palate follows, plummy more than cherry, quite firm as yet and slight stalks, more sturdy than elegant, but pleasant. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 08/12

2008 Passage Rock Cabernet / Merlot Reserve 16 ½ + (

)

Eastern Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14%; $36 [ screwcap; CS 90%, Me 5, CF 5, hand-harvested; 14 days cuvaison; 15 months in mostly American oak 50% new; sterile-filtered; www.passagerockwines.co.nz ]
Ruby, a flush of carmine and velvet. Bouquet is awkward and unknit, with trace VA and light brett complexing edgy cassis and nutmeggy oak, but also a thought of stalks and spearmint. Palate draws attention to the stalkyness, even though the cassis continues at quite a concentrated level. At this stage the wine is surprisingly unintegrated, and not too harmonious. It is early days, and the wine should marry away the details I comment on, and may well surprise later. It is much fresher than the Galvo Garage, for example. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 07/10

2012 Sileni Pinot Gris Pinnacle (Marlborough) 16 ½ + (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $22 [ screwcap; not on website; www.sileni.co.nz ]
Straw. Colour and bouquet alike are deeper and richer than the Hawkes Bay wine, the aromas suggesting nectarines with a hint of dried peaches, which one could interpret perhaps as a dusting of cinnamon. Palate is richer and dryer than the Hawke's Bay wine too, more boldly flavoured, slightly drier and less acid, the phenolics showing. Nobody could say this was a wishy-washy pinot gris. Cellar 2 – 4 years. GK 05/13

2006 Yalumba Viognier Y Series 16 ½ + (

)

South Australia, Australia: 13.5%; $15 [ screwcap; essentially a s/s wine, though tone is raised by culls from the Eden Valley oak-fermented wine; RS 3 g/L, pH 3.4; www.yalumba.com ]
Lemon. Initially opened, bouquet is a little congested / reticent, and benefits from splashy pouring / swirling. It opens to straightforward light viognier, lightest apricots but some body, ripe, no great complexities, a trace of oak maybe, 'dry'. As always, this is the most affordable introduction to the variety available. Cellar a year or two. GK 05/07

2002 Drouhin Gevrey-Chambertin Champeaux 16 ½ + (

)

Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru, Burgundy, France: 13%; $93 [ cork; www.drouhin.com ]
Pinot noir ruby, one of the lightest. An intriguing red fruits and floral pinot bouquet, with a piquant aromatic herbes component verging on balsam, but very subtle. The whole wine is so much lighter than the Faiveley premier cru, yet of comparable quality. Palate is fresh red fruits, blackboy and red cherries, remarkably in the style of Martinborough / Marlborough. Charming simple pinot, which will be accessible early. Cellar 2 – 8 years. GK 12/05

2010 Maori Point Pinot Gris 16 ½ + (

)

Tarras, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $22 [ screwcap; hand-harvested, presumably s/s ferment, though the 2007 was 27% fermented in old oak, lees-stirring over four months to build palate, 7 g/L RS; www.maoripoint.co.nz ]
Lemon. This is more typical New Zealand pinot gris, clean, lightly fragrant on pear flesh fruit, very vinifera. Flavour in mouth continues in a pear and suggestions of white nectarine palate, not the cropping rate to give the body of the top wines, and a little sweeter to distract the casual user, but sound and pleasing. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 08/11

2009 Porters Pinot Noir 16 ½ + (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 14.5%; $33 [ screwcap; hand-picked, 100% de-stemmed, extended cold-soak and cuvaison up to 28 days; 12 months in French oak around 33% new; www.porterspinot.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, a little denser than the Martinborough Vineyard. This is a much riper pinot noir, with a good ratio of red plummy fruit to oak. It is fragrant but not exactly floral, mouth-filling, with an attractive mellow quality to the rich fruit reminiscent of some of the highly burgundian shirazes from Great Western in the 1960s. The result is a less specifically varietal, but still pleasingly round red, which could be scored higher. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/11

2008 Tahbilk Marsanne 16 ½ + (

)

Nagambie Lakes, Central Victoria, Australia: 13.5%; $21 [ screwcap; s/s elevation; made from vines planted in 1927; not much wine detail on winery website, and ’08 not posted yet @ distributor www.redandwhite.com.au; www.tahbilk.com.au ]
Bright lemon. Bouquet is distinctive on this wine, but as commented for the viognier, the ‘fruitiness' seems augmented relative to either marsanne from the Rhone Valley, or Tahbilk’s Marsanne from the 1970s. The result is attractive in its own style, thoughts of cherimoya and mandarin being dominant. Palate is firm, again more strongly fruity than the prototype, not oaked, slightly phenolic, dry. Some gilding of the of the lily here, I suspect, which might affect its legendary cellar-keeping qualities. Cellar 2 – 5 years maybe. GK 05/09

2007 Distant Land Gewurztraminer 16 ½ + (

)

Gisborne, New Zealand: 14%; $19 [ screwcap; an all s/s wine, some LA in tank, RS not given, but some; a Lincoln Wines label; www.distantland.co.nz ]
Straw. Bouquet is in a very particular style, botrytis-affected gewurztraminer showing root ginger complexities on top of wild ginger blossom, lychee and bottled stonefruits. Palate confirms the botrytis, the phenolics being quite accentuated, balanced by some residual sugar to give a flavoursome medium-dry wine. It is bold verging on coarse, and is the kind of wine one would expect to collapse early, given the botrytis. In fact, the 1979 Babich Gewurztraminer was just like this, and it is still a pleasant wine. Cellar 3 – 6 years, to mellow. GK 04/08

2008 Sileni Cabernet Franc The Pacemaker 16 ½ + (

)

Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $30 [ screwcap; www.sileni.co.nz ]
Ruby, some velvet. Bouquet shows red fruits more than black fruits, and fragrant oak, another smelling attractively of merlot and cabernet franc in a St-Emilion style. Palate takes that thought but adds a suggestion of leafyness, the light oak nicely balanced to the light fruit, but the wine a little acid. Cellar 3 – 8 years. My earlier report (2/10) on this wine was too enthusiastic, missing the imperfect ripeness. GK 06/10

2002 Faiveley Nuits-St-Georges Clos de la Marechale 16 ½ + (

)

Nuits-St-Georges Premier Cru, Burgundy, France: 13%; $98 [ cork; Faiveley monopole ]
Fresh good pinot noir ruby, benchmark. An understated bouquet, clean, darkly floral maybe, black cherry suggestions, benefitting from decanting. Palate is amazingly tannic at this early stage, with both grape and ripe stalk tannins as well as older oak. Aftertaste is stern, with a suggestion of almond in the tannins. This must be cellared for 3 – 5 years, to soften, when it will be more clearly varietal and attractive. It should hold another 10. GK 12/05

2011 Villa Maria Riesling Late-Harvest Marlborough Cellar Selection 16 ½ + (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 11%; $24 [ screwcap; hand-harvested; cool-fermented mostly in s/s, some in older French oak; RS 130 g/L; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Advanced straw, a bit orange. Bouquet too raises slight doubts about the forward development of this wine, there being just a little oxidation / esterification on clearly botrytised riesling fruit. Palate follows this line of interpretation, good fruit with hints of apricots, quite fat, a little phenolic and broad. It is a good flavoursome food wine, which will please people more interested in that sort of thing than in wine per se. Finish is a little weak with barley sugar notes, so cellaring 1 – 3 years only might be best. GK 05/13

nv Champagne Moutard Grande Cuvee Brut 16 ½ + (

)

Cote des Bar, Champagne, France: 12.6%; $37 [ cork; PN & Ch, 3 years in cellar, months en tirage unknown; www.champagne-moutard.fr ]
Lemonstraw. Bouquet is almost too fresh, lots of gas, the first sniff one suspects trace reduction (crumb of bread rather than crust) but it is just the extreme youth / freshness / recent disgorgement, I think. Once the wine settles down a bit in glass, there is pleasant light autolysis on what seems pinot noir and chardonnay fruit (in a small blind tasting). Palate is quite flavoursome, more pinot noir evident now, a little phenolic, with dosage nearer Reserve Lindauer than the Le Brun or Nautilus. Straightforward champagne, better with food, and will be much better after a couple more years in bottle. Cellar 2 – 8 years. GK 04/13

2007 [ Waimea Estates ] Spinyback Pinot Gris 16 ½ + (

)

Nelson, New Zealand: 14.5%; $18 [ screwcap; '07 not on website, '06 similar but simpler elevation to the Waimea Estate wine, RS around 7 g/L; www.waimeaestates.co.nz; www.spinyback.com ]
Light straw. Bouquet is almost as clearly varietal pinot gris as the senior Waimea wine, but at less volume. It all smells a little drier, more spicy, more phenolic, and less floral / fleshy. Palate is indeed spicy, a suggestion of chewing on cinnamon stick, but with some pearflesh and nectarine fruit. The higher phenolics make it taste drier than the main Waimea wine. Cellar 1 – 3 years. GK 03/08

2007 Peregrine Riesling 16 ½ + (

)

Cromwell Basin, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13%; $23 [ hand-picked, cool-fermented in s/s; 6 g/L RS; www.peregrinewines.co.nz ]
Lemon. Bouquet is intriguing aromatic riesling, but with a suggestion of herbes too, as well as white florals. Palate is lighter and drier than the Mount Edward, with unsubtle hoppy terpenes more noticeable against the lower residual, and lengthening the flavour considerably. As with the Mount Edward, this is quite a bold wine, and will become more flavoursome in cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 09/10

2006 Grasshopper Rock Pinot Noir Earnscleugh 16 ½ + (

)

Alexandra, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.3%; $ – [ screwcap; if anything like the 2008, c. 5% whole bunch; 10 months in French oak, 30% new; www.grasshopperrock.co.nz ]
Lightish pinot noir ruby. First impression on bouquet is oak, on modest red fruits, fragrant but not floral. Palate is in keeping, but there is better fruit than supposed, all red fruits with a touch of red currants, not exactly stalky. On palate though, alongside the Rousseau village wine, it is clearly a little leafy. It is still attractive wine at its point of ripeness, setting the foundation for evolution through to the delightful 2008 vintage from Grasshopper. Cellar 2 – 4 years. GK 11/10

2011 Mills Reef Syrah Elspeth Trust Vineyard 16 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $45 [ screwcap; 2011 not on website, if like 2010: Sy 100% hand-picked; all de-stemmed, whole berries, short cold-soak, all wild-yeast fermentations, total days cuvaison up to 31 days; 15 months in hogsheads 45% French oak, 55% American, of which 2/3 were new; www.millsreef.co.nz ]
Ruby, much the lightest of the syrahs. This is most unusual wine, very different from the standard Elspeth Syrah, the bouquet showing excess vanillin oak and presumably including American [ confirmed ], which makes the wine almost reminiscent of raspberry and grenache. Palate is attractive in its own pale right, with good fruit weight, soft and juicy, possibly not bone-dry, rather attenuated syrah varietal character but pleasant red wine. Hard to score, therefore. Should be an attractive food wine, and could be interpreted as a Cote Rotie styling – sort-of. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/13

2003 Chard Farm Pinot Noir Sugarloaf Vineyards 16 ½ + (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $38 [ screwcap; www.chardfarm.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. Needs decanting / breathing, to show a light redfruits bouquet with a hint of thyme and some youthful cardboard, still to evolve. Palate is more clearly pinot noir, supple red cherry fruit, restrained oak, a suggestion of stalks. Not a weighty or complex wine, but will be pleasant drinking in a vaguely Cote de Beaune style. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 01/05

2008 Astrolabe Riesling Dry Voyage 16 ½ + (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $16 [ screwcap; Ri 100%, night and machine harvested; fermented in s/s with no solids; pH 3.12, RS 6.5 g/L; www.astrolabewines.co.nz ]
Lemongreen. Bouquet is reminiscent of Meyer lemon juice with a suggestion of pearflesh, clearly varietal yet lacking complexity. Palate is similar, one-dimensional, tending short perhaps because it is 'dry', and tasting very youthful indeed. There is not the concentration of fruit that the benchmark Astrolabe Sauvignon Voyage shows, so it is hard to score more highly at the moment. Should improve in bottle, 2 – 6 or more years. GK 04/09

2006 d'Arenberg Grenache Custodian 16 ½ + (

)

McLaren Vale, South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $24 [ screwcap; Gr 100%; half the wine raised in French and American barriques some new, some in large old oak, once blended all in old oak 12-ish months; RS < 1 g/L; www.darenberg.com.au ]
Ruby and velvet. The styling on this wine is a bit too old-fashioned, it being plainly reductive on opening. Pour it from jug to jug 10 times, as splashily as possible. It gradually clears to raspberry-like grenache fruit, but still with shadows of heaviness. Palate is better, good fruit weight, broader than the Original, similar older oak mainly. Cellar 5 – 15 or more years. GK 07/10

2005 Kumeu River Sauvignon Blanc 16 ½ + (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 12.5%; $20 [ screwcap; sold out; 25% MLF, RS nil, all s/s; www.kumeuriver.co.nz ]
Lemongreen. A lifted aromatic and varietal bouquet with the piquancy of light VA, on a clearly varietal but slightly unusual soft yet mineral gooseberry richness. The complexity turns out to be a 25% MLF component, unusual in mainstream New Zealand sauvignon. It would be hard to pick / identify this character, blind. Texturally, the palate is fatter than the 2004, with less Marlborough acid apparent in one sense, though that is confused by the prickle of VA. This is an individual statement on Marlborough sauvignon, which is good with food. Cellar 1 – 3 years. GK 02/06

2004 Two Paddocks Pinot Noir First Paddock 16 ½ + (

)

Gibbston Valley, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13%; $40 [ screwcap; cold soak and extended cuvaison to 4 weeks with wild yeast; 11 months in French oak 37% new; www.twopaddocks.com ]
Pinot noir ruby, one of the lightest. Bouquet is beautifully floral suggesting roses, on light fragrant red fruits such as strawberry and red cherry, for all the world like a Beaune village wine. Flavours are similar but a little stalky and acid, carefully oaked, all clearly in style for a cooler year. There is not the ripeness and richness of the delightful 2003 though. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 09/06

2007 Matariki Chardonnay 16 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels 60%, Tukituki Valley 40, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $28 [ screwcap; 4 clones including mendoza, hand-harvested; 60% wild-yeast ferments, some of the wine started fermentation in s/s, most BF, all ended up in barrel; oak all French, some new, most first and second year, 8 months LA in barrel, some batonnage, most through MLF; www.matarikiwines.co.nz ]
Light gold. Bouquet is in an older slightly reductive and imperfectly ripe chardonnay style, rich, but with mixed cues. There are clouded yellow stonefruits and pineapple aromas, but a leafy edge bespeaking less ripe material too. On palate the under-ripe component delivers hardness and noticeable acid, and both are reinforced by a lot of oak. To a degree the rich fruit helps conceal these deficiencies, but the wine is tiring to drink. Needless to say this wine has won gold medal in the London-based International Wine Competition, which winemakers so like to quote. The technical limitations of the judges in that venue allow the most bizarre wines to win high awards, and the sooner consumers and makers alike learn that they provide no guide at all to developing our wine industry constructively, the better off we all will be. This wine for example presumably wins gold medal because it is reminiscent of a faulty French white burgundy, but the judges lack the skill to either pinpoint the fault, or acknowledge the French wine would be better without that component. So shallow. Has the size to hold a year or two in cellar, but not develop. GK 08/11

2009 Pask Syrah Gimblett Road 16 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $20 [ screwcap; Sy 100%, 90% de-stemmed and crushed, 10% whole-bunch; some cold-soak; MLF and c.12 months in new and 1-year French oak; RS <1 g/L; www.cjpaskwinery.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, modest depth. Bouquet is youthful, some florals, with fresh cassisy berry and a hint of blackberry – but not perfectly ripe blackberries. Palate confirms that latter thought, fair berry fruit, moderate oaking but it tastes more perhaps due to the stalkyness in the berries, so the finish is short and angular. This is too young now, but will harmonise with 3 – 5 years in cellar, and keep 10. GK 08/11

2004 Villa Maria Pinot Noir Marlborough Cellar Selection 16 ½ + (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $32 [ screwcap; hand-harvested, up to 10 days cold-soak, c 9 months in French oak 40% new, and MLF in barrel; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is light and fragrant, with florals concentrated in the buddleia spectrum, rather than deeper notes. Below is clean blackboy and cherry fruit. In mouth there is youthful berry on a firm stalky backbone made more angular by alcohol and excess acid, so the palate is not texturally ideal for pinot noir. Nonetheless the wine is clearly varietal in this lighter floral style of relatively warmer climates, and should mellow in cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/06

2010 Ostler Pinot Noir Caroline's 16 ½ + (

)

Waitaki Valley, New Zealand: 13.5%; $52 [ screwcap; I imagine this will be the first Waitaki Valley pinot seen in careful evaluation for many of us, and I for one am keen to see how it stacks up. The district has had enthusiastic reviews and promotion, and even though the annual rainfall is below 600mm, it is not quite as continental as Central Otago. Soil parent materials are however high in limestone, thus sharing a positive feature with parts of Waipara. The vineyard has been developed by Jim & Anne Jerram, and Anne's brother winemaker Jeff Sinnot, a graduate of Roseworthy. First commercial vintage was 2004, so the vines have now reached an important milestone. The website is a little hard to follow, but there is noteworthy praise for this exact wine, from Matt Kramer, who is a luminary amidst the often-commercial writings of the American Wine Spectator. He describes this wine as reminding him of: “a fine Chambolle-Musigny”. The wine is made with all wild-yeast fermentations, part is barrel-fermented and whole-bunch, it spends 12 months in French oak 20% new, and like the Greystone has an exemplary (and rare in New Zealand) dry extract of 30.6 g/L, with RS <1 g/L. The winemaker considers it the best Caroline's yet; www.ostlerwine.co.nz ]
Older and darker pinot noir ruby, the deepest wine. Bouquet is highly fragrant, clean, but complicated rather than convincing, and you can immediately see why to quick inspection that Matt Kramer might have made a comparison with Chambolle-Musigny. The Cote de Nuits represents an absolute knife-edge of achieving ripeness and complexity versus under-ripeness, contrasting with even fractionally warmer climates such as Cote de Beaune. Florality is a function of cooler viticultural climates. There is a volume of bouquet, but the complexity of the floral notes includes buddleia and roses rather more than any convincing suggestion of boronia. And it does include leafyness, on red fruits only, so one asks oneself: which will win in mouth. And on inspection, the flavours are less satisfactory, red cherry dominates but there is rather much red currant, and both acid and stalk peep through. I suspect there are a couple of grams of residual to seduce the taster, too [not so]. Due to the wonderful dry extract, the nett impression is highly burgundian, but that is not necessarily all positive, for in Burgundy in many years, one wishes for a little more ripeness and warmth in the system, for the wine to be thoroughly pleasing. I think I should draw attention to the staggering array of endorsements this wine has received, but for technical reasons I can not give a working link in this review format. See: file:///home/geoff/Downloads/Caroline's%202010%20Word.pdf These collectively persuade me I should buy this wine for future study, and perhaps re-evaluation, to see if that stalkyness mysteriously attenuates. Cellar 3 – 8 years, maybe much longer on that dry extract. GK 06/14

2007 Paritua Syrah 16 ½ + (

)

Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $37 [ Stelvin Lux; hand-picked at a low cropping rate; all de-stemmed but 20% whole berries; some cold soak; c.11 month in French oak, 50% new; www.paritua.com ]
Ruby and velvet, older than most. Bouquet is clean and fragrant, but with a note of oxidation and mint in red plummy fruit. Palate is therefore quite Australian and shiraz-like, with suggestions of loganberry apparent and some blueberry, plus careful fragrant oak, tasting better than it smells. The mint note becomes a trace of euc on the aftertaste. Unusual syrah, in the New Zealand context. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/10

2009 Mount Edward Pinot Noir Morrison Vineyard 16 ½ + (

)

Lowburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $65 [ screwcap; hand-picked, single-vineyard wine, third release; not fined or filtered; no other info; www.mountedward.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, a little deeper than the Muirkirk. Initially opened, there is an intriguing note of linseed meal veiling red fruits, with a touch of almond. The nett result is winey in a European sense, rather than the brighter cherry aromas we are familiar with. Palate adds to that comparison, good fruit with hints of glacé cherry, but also mealy in the sense of Meursault. Unusual, another wine with passing thoughts of malt whisky, much richer all through than the Muirkirk, a wine which will appeal to some more than others. My mark a compromise. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 09/10

2001 Riverby Estate Riesling [ screwcap ] 16 ½ + (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 12.5%; $ – [ screwcap; Gm 239 vines planted 1994; machine-harvested at c. 3 t/ac; cold-settled, cool- and stop-fermented in s/s; pH 3.23, RS 3.3 g/L; www.riverbyestate.com ]
Lemon with a flush of gold. Well, if anybody out there still doubts that riesling and screwcap is a marriage made in heaven, they only need check this note against that for the cork-closed 2001 below. Great of proprietor Kevin Courtney to send one of each. This wine has a big bouquet, taking me straight back to a time when many Australian rieslings were touched up with a little muscat. With age, they acquired a slightly phoney or too-obvious fruit-salad-sponge character. Whether or not this is the case for this wine I do not know, but it has a strong bouquet, the thought of lemon meringue and a touch of (very old-fashioned) hair-oil, all too aromatic. Palate is richly fruity, fully developed, nearly dry, but again boldly flavoured for riesling alone. Perhaps this is just the downside of machine-harvesting, which Riverby has since abandoned for its riesling. Additionally, the earlier winemaking tended to high pHs in the riesling, and this character profoundly affects longevity in bottle. Many dry rieslings designed to cellar aim for pHs close to 3, preferably less, which contrasts with the numbers on these older Riverby wines. All told a flavoursome mouthful of wine, but at its peak or a little past it. It could go coarse, as the fruit fades. GK 04/09

2004 Maude Pinot Noir 16 ½ + (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 14.5%; $37 [ screwcap; not Mount Maude; website under development; www.maudewines.com ]
Good ruby. This is an understated wine alongside the Tiwaiwaka, but there are neat florals inclining to boronia and depth, on delicately black cherry fruit. Palate has precise pinot noir varietal character, the oak still to marry in, all smaller scale than the Martinborough wine, but attractive. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 11/06

2009 Desert Heart Pinot Noir 16 ½ + (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $42 [ screwcap; no info; www.desertheart.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. Floral notes dominate the bouquet on this wine, mostly at the red roses level, on red more than black cherry fruit – Cote de Beaune-like. Palate is less, red fruits only mostly cherry, just a little leaf, and not quite the concentration hoped for. A good illustration of how not quite sufficient ripeness augments bouquet, but lessens palate. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 09/10

2010 Peacock Sky Merlot / Malbec 16 ½ + (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.5%; $38 [ screwcap; Me 71%, Ma 16, CS 13; 13 months in all 1-year predominantly French oak, some American, not much wine info on website; www.peacocksky.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. Bouquet is fresh red and black fruits, smelling riper than the Kennedy Point Merlot, but also more oaky. Palate has better fruit than first impressions suggest, but the oak level makes the nett impression seem phenolic. One has to sympathise with new small wineries lacking quality used barrels. Few wines benefit from all-new oak. Cellar 5 – 12 years, though the oak will increase. GK 10/12

2009 Mt Difficulty Riesling Dry 16 ½ + (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $25 [ screwcap; hand-harvested; s/s cool ferment; some stirring on gross lees to build palate, 3.1 pH, 4.5 g/L RS by back-blending; 160 cases; great website; www.mtdifficulty.co.nz ]
Lemon. This is another wine in the tight youthful style, more promise than pleasure at this stage. Bouquet is mineral and lightly citric, pure, also reminiscent of the Clare Valley / Eden Valley, no botrytis, needing time in bottle to show vanillin and white stonefruits complexities. Palate shows good fruit relative to the very dry (for riesling) 4.5 g/L residual, but the wine is austere and mineral at this stage, rather like a young Grosset Riesling. Best put away for five years, and should cellar 10 – 15. GK 06/11

2011 Coopers Creek Viognier Chalk Ridge Select Vineyards 16 ½ + (

)

Havelock North district, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $28 [ screwcap; fermentation started in tank, completed in 1-year-old French oak; 4 months in barrel on lees; nil MLF (some previous vintages have had some); pH 3.66, RS 4 g/L; www.cooperscreek.co.nz ]
Pale lemon. This viognier too, like the Villa Omahu, shows overt winemaking complexity, particularly lees-autolysis, on bouquet. It reminds of freshly-baked apple sponge. Actual varietal quality on bouquet is light, but the winemaking is great. Palate is not as rich as the Villa, nor as complex, with much less barrel influence, but there is slightly clearer pale canned apricots (under-ripe) fruit, with the lees-autolysis adding attractively. Elegant 'dry' finish. Immaculate winemaking perhaps lacking an MLF component and enhancement, but the fruit lacking varietal depth. Hold a year or two only. GK 06/13

2007 Villa Maria Pinot Noir Reserve Marlborough 16 ½ + (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $55 [ screwcap; hand-harvested, 100% de-stemmed and extended cold soak; 11 months and MLF in French oak 40% new; RS nil; minimal filtration; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, darker than the Craggy Calvert, darker than all the Feltons, doubtful for pinot noir. This is a strange wine. It smells leafy like lesser Crozes-Hermitage, but also has clear berry including cassis. Palate is intense but essentially non-burgundian, with an under-ripe stalky grip to it which is unbecoming within the generally-accepted notion of pinot noir (wine competitions aside – this wine has won a gold medal at the International Wine Competition in London, and in Perth, both venues noted for their quirky results). Yet, the wine is very pure and rich enough to mature healthily, and will be pleasant in its style after five years or so. I hope Villa do not pursue this mistaken approach, since by sheer weight of numbers and presence they are in a position to influence smaller and more isolated New Zealand winemakers quite profoundly. Here, it is scored more as a red wine, syrah-style. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 03/09

2006 Pago Casa Gran Reposo 16 ½ + (

)

Valencia DdO, Spain: 14.5%; $19 [ cork; Me, CS, Mv, Sy, organically grown, mechanically harvested; wild yeast fermentation and MLF in s/s; no wood maturation; www.pagocasagran.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, quite dense. Bouquet benefits from vigorous decanting. It gradually opens up as more a modern winestyle, in the blind line-up passing as a somewhat heavy Hawkes Bay blend. Bouquet is darkly plummy as if malbec and merlot (see above), with slight retained fermentation odours. Palate is rich, tannic, very dry, not oaky (see above), a little austere as yet – some mellowing needed. Cellar 5 – 15 years, to achieve this. GK 03/08

2008 Lake Chalice Chardonnay The Nest 16 ½ + (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $18 [ screwcap; clone mendoza and 6, machine-harvested; some BF, some s/s, some wild-yeast, all has LA & MLF; RS 2.6 g/L; www.thenestwines.co.nz ]
Lemon. Bouquet is light and pure with a hint of floral component but scarcely any oak, so much so that I wondered in the blind tasting if this were the marsanne, since there was one in the field. Fruit is palest nectarine / stonefruit. Palate deepens the stonefruit attractively, great purity, but the total weight is that of the Golden Bay wine only, tasting virtually unoaked. Another chardonnay for pale white-fleshed fish. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 05/09

nv Lindauer Special Reserve Methode Traditionelle Brut [ 2002 Release ] 16 ½ + (

)

Gisborne, Hawkes Bay & Marlborough, New Zealand: 12%; $ – [ cork; PN dominant ]
Colour is faded salmon pink with hints of russet, rather than the pale salmon pink of the 2014 release, but still attractive. Bubble is half the pressure and half the persistence of the younger wine. But on bouquet, the whole wine is simply the autumnal side of lightly autolysed pinot noir-dominant bubbly, still recognisably varietal, clean, and you can see it has had some autolysis. It is remarkably convincing. Palate follows naturally, but fruit and acid are fading, allowing the excessive dosage of Lindauer then to be even more obtrusive now. People obsessed with youth in wine would not rate this so highly, but it is still a perfectly enjoyable and affordable bubbly. GK 07/14

2010 Mission Estate Syrah Jewelstone 16 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $45 [ cork; hand-harvested @ c. 4 t/ha (1.6 t/ac) from Mission's Mere Rd vineyard; no cold soak, total cuvaison in the order of 36 days; 15 months in French hogsheads 40% new; www.missionestate.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, richer than the 2011 Reserve. This wine needs a good splashy decanting, to reveal dense rich fruit with a clear eucalyptus taint making it very aromatic, and sufficient to be a bit negative. Palate is fairly rich, quite a lot of oak, but the mint quality increases on palate, giving a wine reminiscent of some Heathcote shirazes. Many will like this aromatic quality more than me, so it is hard to score. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 06/13

2007 Morton Estate Chardonnay Hawkes Bay White Label 16 ½ + (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $17 [ screwcap; some of the wine BF, a third of the oak new; 35% MLF; some of the wine 11 months LA in barrel; www.mortonestatewines.co.nz ]
Lemon. Another jump here, to a simpler kind of chardonnay where much of the fruit (I imagine) has known only stainless steel. Pale stonefruits and unfocussed white grapes predominate on bouquet. In mouth, some chardonnay weight of fruit and texture is apparent, a percentage of barrel-fermented components adding complexity including a little coconut (hinting at some American oak), the finish at a popular level of 'dry', rather than bone-dry. But we mustn't get too sniffy about that, for even Riflemans may have a couple of grams residual sugar in some years. This one might be twice that. Cellar 2 – 4 years. GK 11/08

2001 Jaboulet Hermitage la Chapelle 16 ½ + (

)

Hermitage, northern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $180 [ cork; hand-picked last week of Sept.; yield usually 1.5 – 2 t/ac; de-stemmed, temperature-controlled cuvaison 3 – 4 weeks; c. 18 months in oak; www.jaboulet.com ]
Older ruby, some velvet. Initially opened, this wine shows an old cooperage odour which is slightly skunky and bretty, like old-fashioned shippers’ Bordeaux. Below is a maturing cassis berry, richer than the Rostaing. Palate is noticeably richer, but it is similarly ageing more rapidly than one would hope. Well aerated via decanting, this is a more pleasurable prematurely old Rhone than the Rostaing, and better than the 1999, but it is a far cry from classical la Chapelle. Cellar 5 – 8 years only. GK 04/06

2001 Pegasus Bay Pinot Noir Prima Donna 16 ½ + (

)

Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 14.5%; $ – [ clones 10/5, 2/10 and others, 18 years, harvested @ 1.2 t/ac; 100% de-stemmed, 6 days cold soak, 18 days cuvaison; 18 months in French oak 60% new; no fining, coarse filtration; www.pegasusbay.com ]
Dense ageing ruby, some garnet. This wine is in the earlier, heavier Pegasus Bay style, with some features reminiscent of the 2001 Dry River. It is an almost raisined and massive version of pinot noir, yet with a hint of dark boronia florals too. Palate is rich, velvety, darkly cherry and oaky, some plums, all darker and oakier than the Dry River of the same year. There is a lift to it which could take one to pinot noir in a blind tasting, but the whole wine is more Chateauneuf-du-Pape, very rich. In such a tasting, it would score more highly than in the pinot context I am adopting here. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 01/07

2004 Fairmont Estate Pinot Noir Block One 16 ½ + (

)

Gladstone, Wairarapa, New Zealand: 13.5%; $30 [ screwcap; www.handcraftedwines.com ]
Pinot noir ruby. This is a pinot in a conforming yet slightly different style in the blind line-up. It is beautifully floral, with a suggestion of wallflowers in addition to the usual pinot flower analogies, almost syrah-like. Palate is crisply red cherry, with plenty of flavour, partly because it is more acid than others marked similarly. The flavours are attractive and lingering, but just escaping a stalky thought. In truth, the exact floral qualities on bouquet in this pinot do indicate an ultimate lack of physiological maturity in the fruit. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 11/05

2007 Te Awa Merlot Left Field 16 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $25 [ screwcap; www.teawa.com ]
Deep ruby and velvet. Bouquet here suggests a more old-fashioned New Zealand cabernet / merlot approach, with the aromas of mixed ripeness and a suggestion of stewed fruit confusing the nett impression, plus oak. Palate is quite rich, bottled plums more than cassisy flavours, some stalks, and a reasonably careful oak balance not yet fully integrated. Cellar 5 – 15 years, in its style. GK 06/10

2010 Jean Chartron Chassagne-Montrachet Les Benoites 16 ½ + (

)

Chassagne-Montrachet, Burgundy, France: 13%; $110 [ cork; hand-harvested, organic vineyard practice; BF in 30% new oak, 12 months LA; www.bourgogne-chartron.com ]
Lemonstraw, the second deepest of the Chartrons. Improves with air to reveal a wine showing less ripeness and poise than the more highly-rated Chartrons. Bouquet is lactic as well as varietal, and in mouth the impression of there still being high malic acid correlates with the heightened lactic. Fruit richness is quite good, oak is a little too prominent, so while clearly varietal, there is a clumsiness about this wine. It is markedly richer than the bourgogne blanc. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 04/13

1996 Bollinger Grande Année 16 ½ + (

)

Ay, Champagne, France: 12%; $204 [ cork; PN 60%, Ch 40; no MLF; www.champagne-bollinger.fr ]
Straw, one of the most developed colours. This is a curious bottle of Bollinger, in total not at all typical of the Bollinger vintage style. Bouquet is rich, with deep autolysis almost going as far as a marmite note, deeper than usual for its age. But gradually one realises there is a contra aroma, very close to fresh dried parsley. Assuming the bottle might be slightly corked, I checked the other one courtesy of another taster, but it was identical. So a question mark here: both might be subliminally corked. Palate is intense and almost hazelnut-mealy on the autolysis and richness, crisp red cherry fruit, good acid, low dosage, suggestions of subliminal oak. It is pretty strongly-flavoured, but would be fine with flavoursome savouries, or similar. If these two bottles are representative, not a fine example of vintage Bollinger, so dubious for cellaring – particularly since it is now so expensive. Score has to be arbitrary. GK 12/06

2005 Jules Taylor Pinot Gris 16 ½ + (

)

Awatere & Wairau Valleys, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $26 [ screwcap ]
Straw. Bouquet is soft and forward, in a barrel-ferment, lees-autolysis and MLF interpretation of the variety, almost nougat-like, but with some thoughts of yellow florals too – plus trace VA. Palate is forward for the wine's age, the MLF component adding caramel to bottled nectarines, all soft, rich, and pleasant in an indulgent over-developed somewhat chardonnay-like way. Only short-term cellar, therefore, 1 – 3 years. GK 03/07

2007 Vidal Pinot Noir Reserve Hawkes Bay Stopbank 16 ½ + (

)

Maraekakaho 20 km W of Hastings, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $40 [ screwcap; hand-harvested, single vineyard; 100% de-stemmed, some wild yeasts, cuvaison including lengthy cold-soak up to 28 days; MLF and 10 months French oak some new; RS nil; Catalogue: Lifted cherry aromas and spice give way to a palate of dark berries, spice and earthy flavours. This finely textured wine will further soften with time and is expected to cellar for at least five years from vintage date; www.vidal.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, redder than the Aspire. Bouquet is close to the Aspire in its pink and red floral qualities, and berry notes of redcurrants, reddest rhubarb (+ve) and red cherries. Palate is a little ‘sweeter’ and softer than that wine however, lovely Beaune-district red fruits spreading in the mouth, simple in one sense but genuinely varietal. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 07/09

2006 Kerner Estate Pinot Blanc 16 ½ + (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $22 [ screwcap ]
Lemonstraw. Bouquet is oak first and foremost, so the wine presents as a chardonnay. Pinot blanc is much too subtle and floral a grape to carry this oak load. Within this context, there is good fruit and some attractive fruit flavours, but the oak is pervasive. Finish is dryer than the pinot gris, but not bone-dry. I would like to see this fruit handled in much older oak, say all more than five years old. Cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 03/07

2012 Charles Wiffen Sauvignon Blanc 16 ½ + (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $21 [ screwcap; website not up-to-date; www.charleswiffenwines.co.nz ]
Pale lemongreen. Bouquet is a fresh and herbe-y version of Marlborough sauvignon, just a little pinched in the ripeness, so thoughts of yellow and green capsicum and nettles arise, as well as black passionfruit, and some red capsicums. Palate is crisp, cool, and leaner and more acid than the top wines, but not weak and beautifully clean. Cellar 1 – 3 years. GK 05/13

2010 Esk Valley Syrah Winemakers Reserve 16 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $60 [ screwcap; hand-harvested @ 3.7 t/ha (1.5 t/ac) from vines planted in the Cornerstone Vineyard 1996, all de-stemmed; c.5 days cold-soak, wild-yeast, c.10 days ferment, total cuvaison 30 days; MLF and c.17 months in French oak c.40% new, some lees stirring; 130 cases; no top ranking, 3 second; www.eskvalley.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, some carmine, above midway in depth. The wine opens poorly, a hard almost reductive initial impression. It doesn't really open up easily either, even though there is rich dark berry, the nett impression is hard even ugly oak detracting from the fruit, and a tannic nearly metallic quality to the finish. Will cellar 5 – 15 years and hopefully mellow, but it could be an expensive gamble. GK 06/13

1999 Henschke Shiraz Mount Edelstone 16 ½ + (

)

Eden Valley, South Australia, Australia: 14.4%; $113 [ cork, 49mm; original price c.$90; Sh 100% planted in 1920, and hand-picked; Halliday rates the vintage in the Eden Valley 7/10; Mount Edelstone is rated Exceptional in the Langton's Australian wine classification, the first-level group of 22 wines, and rated a Classic Wine of Australia by Halliday; fermentation is completed in American and French oak hogshead-size barrels, and is typically in barrel for 18 – 20 months; production varies round c.1,000 x 9-litre cases; Halliday, 2011: the potent bouquet offers ripe fruit, smoky oak and leather overtones, the palate full of character and flavour, but falling away somewhat on the finish, perhaps reflecting a less than perfect vintage, 87; Robinson, 2018: … the same sophisticated ultra-ripe winemaking as the 2000 ..., 17.5; Wine Spectator, 2002: Rich and gamy, an explosive mouthful of berries, cherries and wild game notes, which linger on the plump, nicely burnished texture. Tannins are present but not intrusive as the complex flavors hang on nicely. To 2014, 93; weight bottle and closure: 510 g; www.henschke.com.au ]
Ruby, garnet and some velvet, just below midway in depth, but well above midway in its ratio of ruby to garnet. In an international syrah tasting, this wine is just too blatantly Australian to be able to compete. The minty aromatics here are pretty well euc'y, and there is excess vanillin from American oak as well. The actual ripeness of the fruit is careful, with suggestions of cassis as well as loganberry, and richer berry and more oak than most. Thus in mouth it is a bit big, and the tail is tending shrill on acid adjustment. Set amongst Australian shirazes it would look good, but here it seems lacking in charm. Its more obvious character appealed to some, one first-place and two second. It was one of two only wines where nobody thought it French. This will cellar well for another 20 years, or longer. The cropping rate must be very conservative. GK 11/19

2010 Torres Esmeralda 16 ½ + (

)

Catalunya, Spain: 11.5%; $22 [ screwcap; moscatell meaning Muscat of Alexandria (the lesser one) 85%, Gw 15; cool-fermented in s/s; Jamie Goode (Wine Anorak) records Esmeralda as being 11 g/L RS; www.torres.es ]
Pale lemonstraw. Bouquet is muscat and lemon balm mostly, lightly minty, clean, one can imagine the gewurztraminer as a soft rosewater perfume maybe. Palate is light fresh and near-dry, but muscat is a flavour where a little goes a long way. Sweetness is popular 'dry', so it is not a dessert wine, even for light desserts. Hard to match to meals, but some Asian (lemon grass ?) foods should be good. Cellar 1 – 2 years only. GK 08/11

2007 Matariki Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot 16 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $27 [ screwcap; www.matarikiwines.co.nz ]
Good ruby and velvet. This wine needs vigorous aeration / splashy decanting, to dispel some reduction. It gradually opens to a suggestion of leafyness in cassis, a lot of oak, and some very ripe smells too. Palate fits in exactly, big, quite rich and oaky wine with the 'complex' flavours of mixed ripeness, but in a pretty positive way. Finish is clean berry and cedary oak, slightly acid. Needs time to marry down. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 06/10

2013 Crossroads Merlot Milestone Series 16 ½ + (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $22 [ screwcap; Me dominant, maybe a little CS and CF, grown in several districts but not the Gimblett Gravels; 12 months in mostly older French oak, token older American; RS < 1 g/L; www.crossroadswines.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, towards the lower end of the middle bracket, for depth. This wine needs a good splashy decanting too, but retains an odd herbes / stalks / tannic note on bouquet, which coarsens the wine. Below there is plummy berry. Flavours are more clearly plummy, bottled dark plums, some older oak, but again a tannic streak not quite appropriate to merlot. Could this be added tannin ? If so it is not an improvement, making the wine a bit hard to drink at the moment. Or maybe it is malbec, coarsening the wine. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 06/14

2007 Salvare Merlot 16 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $25 [ screwcap; www.salvare.co.nz ]
Ruby. Bouquet is beautifully soft floral roses, red currants and raspberry, light cedary oak, another wine which at the blind stage one very much wants to be cabernet franc-dominant. Palate is lighter than the Black Barn Cabernet Franc, a little less ripe and the acid just noticeable, but this is a pleasing style. It would be too generous to rate it silver, though. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/10

2002 Leeuwin Estate Shiraz Siblings 16 ½ + (

)

Margaret River, West Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $28 [ cork; French oak; J. Halliday: considerable substance and texture; supple black fruits, excellent tannins and quality oak: long finish. 92; www.leeuwinestate.com.au ]
Older ruby, about midway in depth. This is a curious wine, hovering between syrah and shiraz in style, partly because there is a little entrained sulphur. So while there are suggestions of cassis on bouquet, there is also a dullness, and no florals. Palate is more Australian, suggestions of boysenberry, fairly rich fruit, subtle oak with a cedar hint, quite tannic yet softer than the 128. Straightforward wine now, but may improve in cellar. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 04/07

2007 Moana Park Syrah / Viognier Vineyard Tribute 16 ½ + (

)

Dartmoor Valley % Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $25 [ screwcap; Sy co-fermented with a little Vi; French oak; Catalogue: lifted floral notes underpinned by a dark berry and cassis with pepper, cedar and savoury mushroom. The palate displays soft yet firm and supple tannin structure, with complex spice notes of dried herbs and gamey notes, with cassis and nutmeg. A wine which will reward with further cellaring; Awards: 5 Stars, Winestate; www.moanapark.co.nz ]
Ruby. This is another wine that needs a good splashy decanting, to then reveal a fragrant and floral well-berried syrah in which (once one knows the label) it is easy to imagine the viognier blossomy lift. Palate is lesser, a little short and hard so far, but also plummy and peppery. Perhaps there is a stainless steel component in this wine, yet to soften. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 07/09

2007 Bridge Pa Vineyard Syrah Reserve 16 ½ + (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $36 [ screwcap; hand-picked; 18 months in American and French oak, some new; Catalogue: intense and supple Northern Rhone syrah that exhibits violets, black plums, black cracked pepper and tobacco notes, with an underlying earthiness; Awards: Gold @ Royal Easter Show 2009; www.bridgepa.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet. Bouquet is first and foremost American oak, no doubt accounting for its gold medal, behind which is attractive clean berry, and some wallflower florals and black pepper. Palate is light and soft for the vintage, pleasantly ripe cassis and plum of reasonable berry concentration, finishing softly on clean new oak. A ‘popular’ presentation of the variety, accessible, but excessively oaky. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 07/09

2005 Mills Reef Cabernet Franc Elspeth 16 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $37 [ cork; CF 100%; 18 months in French oak some new; www.millsreef.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet. Mills Reef apparently feel it is not worth persevering with cabernet franc, simply because the buyers are not interested. It would be a very great pity if they gave up, because they have pioneered an explicitly single-variety red programme in New Zealand. Cabernet franc is a beautiful Bordeaux variety which could flourish in New Zealand in a manner only matched in a few rare climatic parts of France. It is after all the dominant variety in the great St Emilion Ch Cheval Blanc, and co-dominant in Ch Ausone, one of the rarest and most expensive wines in all Bordeaux. There seem to be three reasons it has not attracted a following in New Zealand. Firstly, our winemakers, much too influenced by Australia, have not respected the beautifully fragrant and subtle nature of the grape, and have bullied it with too much oak into yet another cabernet sauvignon look-alike wine. Secondly, wine judges, likewise much too influenced by Australia, have not thought deeply enough about the subtleties our climate allows in varietal expression (in contrast to Australia), may not be sufficiently familiar with the specific varietal characters of the grape, and in any case tend to mark up the oak just mentioned, not withstanding it destroys the essence of the grape and wine style. Thirdly, winemakers have not done enough to promote the virtues of the grape and the distinctive wine style it could make in New Zealand. This follows as a corollary to not optimising its character in the winery in the first place.

The challenge therefore is for Mills Reef to strive to resolve these dilemmas by persevering with their Cabernet Franc, but perhaps in the more affordable Reserve series initially, with the goal of really showing Kiwis what the variety means. And then set about educating wine writers, judges and consumers accordingly, once real varietal quality has been achieved in bottle. Meanwhile, this example freshly opened shows VA and oak tending too high for the weight of the fruit, so the elegant red currant and raspberry aromas on bouquet deepening into a riper plummy palate are hard to recognise. I think they are there, hidden for the reasons discussed. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 11/08

2003 Alpha Domus Pinot Noir The Pilot 16 ½ + (

)

West Heretaunga Plains, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $15 [ screwcap; 12 months oak; website [then] under construction; www.alphadomus.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is voluminous and tending European, in a traditional bourgogne rouge style. Palate is clearly pinot noir, remarkably so for Hawkes Bay, quite rich, flavour built up by quite a lot of older oak, and some positive brett complexity. This degree of vinosity is unusual for New Zealand wine, and very food-friendly. Cellar 3 – 8 years, probably, though there is just a hint of stalky quality underneath. Not a purist's wine. GK 08/05

2008 Buller Wines Cabernet / Merlot Black Dog Creek 16 ½ + (

)

King Valley, Central Victoria, Australia: 14.5%; $20 [ screwcap; CS 70%, Me 30; 10 months oak contact; www.bullerwines.com.au ]
Ruby and velvet. Bouquet is rich, ripe, sun-baked and slightly euc'y, lots of berry and plum, but not varietal. Palate follows pro rata, rich, oak more noticeable now, a soft generous old-style cabernet red. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 08/11

2010 Akarua Pinot Noir 16 ½ + (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $38 [ screwcap; clones 5 and 6 predominate in a mix of 7 clones cropped @ c. 5.5 t/ha = 2.3 t/ac from 13-year-old vines; no whole bunch, some wild yeast; a barrel selection comprising 20% of the harvest, this year augmented by there being no Reserve; c. 10 months in French oak, 30% new; www.akarua.com ]
Deep pinot noir ruby, more on a par with some of the Felton wines. Bouquet is on the black cherry side of the pinot noir spectrum, some sur-maturité and plummyness, but rich and pure. Palate is soft and velvety, seemingly not bone dry from the richness (RS in fact < 1 g/L), a wine to appeal to red wine beginners. May well develop more bouquet and complexity with time in bottle. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 06/11

2011 Peregrine Pinot Noir Saddleback 16 ½ + (

)

Otago, New Zealand: 13%; $23 [ screwcap; Peregrine Winery produced its first wine in the 1998 vintage, yet it quickly became one of the most highly-regarded Otago producers. It reflects the passion of Lindsay McLachlan and Greg Hay. The Peregrine-owned vineyards are organic. Winemaker is Nadine Cross. They have three tiers of pinot noir, one a trophy wine, and Saddleback is the introductory and extraordinarily popular one. This wine is 58% Gibbston district, the balance Cromwell Basin, all hand-picked, de-stemmed, 10 months in oak thought to be about 20% new, RS <1 g/L, dry extract not available; www.peregrinewines.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, just above midway. In this wine, which has become almost the national de facto pinot noir benchmark for the New Zealand consumer (meaning if a pinot noir is better than this wine, it is really worthwhile), there is an eloquent varietal bouquet combining some florals and clear summer-fruits, buddleia and strawberries again, but clearly more cherry than the Te Mania. In mouth however it shortens up, the ripening profile being cooler than the Te Tera or the wines marked more highly, with a stalky note in the red fruits. Again, this character is typical of Savigny-les-Beaune, and nobody could doubt the variety or winestyle. Just a little more ripeness is needed, for good results in the cellar, however. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 06/14

2007 Dry River Chardonnay 16 ½ + (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13%; $48 [ cork; 100% clone mendoza hand-harvested at no more than 1 t/ac; 100% BF and 10 months LA in French oak around 30% new, 15% or so MLF; informative / stimulating / remarkable website; www.dryriver.co.nz ]
Lemon. Bouquet is fragrant, clean, clearly varietal and high mendoza, a little oaky, and surprisingly, a little Australian in total style – there is a honeydew melon quality to it. Palate ties in totally with the Australian thought, the total acid being too hard for comfort, particularly alongside the sensual 2007 Te Mata Elston. Barrel-ferment and lees-autolysis complexities are hidden, at least at this stage, so though the wine has good richness, it is also austere now. Alongside the 2006 Penfolds Thomas Hyland Chardonnay even, the acid is more aggressive than that wine. Not sure if this will develop pleasingly or not on the acid, though it will certainly cellar for 5 – 8 years, maybe longer. GK 03/08

1990 Chapoutier Ermitage Le Pavillon 16 ½ + (

)

Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $812 [ cork, 50mm; Sy 100%; cropping and wine-making details as in the introductory ‘Background’ section; www.chapoutier.com ]
Ruby and garnet, the lightest wine. This wine was the only sample from a magnum. It opened very much needing air, a kind of oxidised initial impression. Its fruit quality unfolded dramatically in the glass, but like the 1998, it seemed very much the wine of an overly sunny year, smelling of tannins as well as browning plummy berry. Palate matches, a fair level of fully mature berry fruit well browning now, but also a lot of furry tannin, so the finish tended to be raisiny, short and dry. Nonetheless it was quite well liked on the day, two first places, two second, and no leasts, so mine was a minority view. In 750s, this might be best finished up in the next five years, if this bottle is representative. Wine Spectator quality rating for the vintage 97. GK 10/18

2006 Waipara Springs Pinot Noir Premo 16 ½ + (

)

Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 14%; $39 [ screwcap; hand-picked from some of the older vines in the district, sorting tables; wild yeast fermentation, cold-soak & extended cuvaison; c. 13 months French oak 40% new; < 1 g/L RS; www.waiparasprings.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. This wine opens quietly, and benefits from air. There is an attractive mix of floral components with red and black cherry, and some blackboy peach on bouquet too. Palate is a little less, crisp fruit more red than black, slightly acid, shorter than the top wines. This should be very fragrant but tending lean wine in two or three years, and cellar to eight. GK 03/08

2007 Two Paddocks Pinot Noir 16 ½ + (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 13%; $55 [ screwcap; up to 10 days cold-soak; up to 14 days cuvaison; 11 months in French oak 25% new; www.twopaddocks.com ]
Older pinot noir ruby. There is attractive physiological maturity of pinot fruit, and real varietal florals including roses and boronia in this wine. There is also a little European complexity this year, meaning brett. Palate is quite developed for its age, with the wine already drinking well. This style of pinot gives much pleasure to consumers, but is better not offered to winemakers. Cellar 3 – 7 years or so. GK 03/09

2004 Hatton Estate Syrah 16 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $60 [ cork; www.hattonestate.com ]
Dense ruby, carmine and velvet, rich, one of the darkest. Bouquet is tending reductive initially opened, and needs splashy decanting. With air it opens up to reveal rich plummy fruit of great length and concentration, with oak noticeable, and a slight hardness. On concentration and richness, this should score more highly, but quality of bouquet is all-important. With any luck, this will look much more mellow and fragrant in 5 years, and cellar to 15-plus. GK 01/07

2003 Drouhin Bourgogne / Pinot Noir Laforet 16 ½ + (

)

Burgundy, France: 12.5%; $25 [ cork; mostly Cote de Beaune; hand-picked, de-stemmed; some oak fermenters, cuvaison c. 16 days, some oak maturation, some s/s; www.drouhin.com ]
Classic pinot noir ruby ! Bouquet is quiet and unshowy, not really floral, but clearly varietal and related to cherries and darker plums, and all made interesting by totally academic brett and older but clean and subtle oak – ideal. The degree of physiological maturity shown by this fruit at the given alcohol sends an important message to us in New Zealand. Palate likewise has exact cherryberry generalised pinot flavours, and a suggestion of the velvety mouthfeel of good pinot noir, balanced by neat acid. This bourgogne rouge bears no relation to so much of the dreadful stuff labelled and peddled by negociants generally in the 70s and 80s. It is a very pleasant drinking experience, in quality matching for Burgundy what Guigal’s Cotes du Rhone achieves there, and equally scoffable. Cellar 2 – 6 years. VALUE GK 12/05

2005 Trinity Hill Shiraz Hawkes Bay 16 ½ + (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $18 [ supercritical cork; hand-harvested; destemmed; 12 months in French and American oak; www.trinityhill.co.nz ]
Good ruby. Initially opened, the wine shows some retained fermentation odours, and needs a good splashy decanting. Bouquet and palate then reveal cassisy berry and red plummy fruit, a suggestion of boysenberry over-ripe fruit, not the concentration of the Gimblett Gravels wine (naturally), and the oak is pleasantly older. But there is a good deal more richness and ripeness here than in the vintage of this wine that got lucky in a wine show a couple of years ago, so at the price it should be popular. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 01/07

2003 Villa Maria Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot Cellar Selection 16 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $24 [ screwcap; CS 62%, Me 29, Ma 7, hand-harvested; 20 – 25 days cuvaison; 18 months in French oak 65% new, with MLF in barrel; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet. Bouquet is richly fruity on this wine, but also a bit closed, with suggestions of retained fermentation odours. Palate is quite austere, confirming the bouquet thoughts, but there is also good fruit. It should open up with two or three years in cellar, have much more to say, and rate higher. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 11/05

2005 Mills Reef [ Cabernet Sauvignon ] Elspeth 16 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $40 [ cork; DFB; CS 100%, average vine age 11 years; 50% new French oak for 18 months; 115 cases; Bob Campbell: 93; Halliday: Tightly structured, with ripe cassis/blackcurrant fruit; has good texture, and balanced fruit, oak and tannins; www.millsreef.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, not much carmine, closer to the Bordeaux in hue, the second lightest. This is a simpler wine in the present company, the bouquet showing over-ripe nearly blackberry fruit in raw oak lifted by a little VA. Palate is in the same style, reminding of some Wynns Coonawarra Cabernets from earlier years – the 1968 comes to mind. There is plenty of flavour, but not the magical concentration and complexity of a successful Bordeaux / Hawkes Bay blend, and hence a weak finish. Some tasters described the wine as tending porty, which fits in with my blackberry. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 10/08

2010 Charles Wiffen Sauvignon Blanc 16 ½ + (

)

Awatere Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $18 [ screwcap; not on website, info on previous vintages skimpy; www.charleswiffenwines.co.nz ]
Lemon-green. Bouquet is clear-cut stainless steel Marlborough sauvignon at a mixed-colour capsicums point of ripeness, more yellow and orange than red, but some sweet basil and black passionfruit as well. Palate retreats somewhat towards the cooler end of the ripening spectrum, some green capsicum notes now, total acid up a bit, slightly phenolic and short, seeming drier than the average for the district. Short-term cellar only, not ripe enough for long holding. GK 08/11

2010 [ Ngatarawa ] Glazebrook Merlot 16 ½ + (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $21 [ screwcap; Me machine-harvested; c.21 days cuvaison; elevation omitted in tasting notes on website; www.ngatarawa.co.nz ]
Lightish ruby. Bouquet is really evocative, a kind of cassis, red plum and pale tobacco aroma straight out of Entre-Deux-Mers, clean and fragrant. Palate is soft, moderate richness, and reasonably ripe, the wine beautifully expressive of the variety merlot, subtly oaked. It is not perfectly ripe, as neither are many of the wines of that Bordeaux district, but the styling is attractive. Cellar 3 – 8 years, for a food-friendly petit Bordeaux winestyle. GK 08/12

1997 Faiveley Gevrey-Chambertin Cazetiers Premier Cru 16 ½ + (

)

Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $115 [ TE ]
Older ruby. Breathes to a summer pudding / small redfruits bouquet, fragrant, attractive. The succulent berryfruit offers an uncanny similarity to the Au Bon Climat. Totally in style for lighter pinot noir, not complex, but the fruit weight deceptive. Slots into the blind tasting brilliantly. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 01/01

2004 Drouhin Clos de Vougeot 16 ½ + (

)

Vougeot Grand Cru, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $169 [ cork; a Drouhin domaine wine, Wine Direct the NZ agents; www.drouhin.com ]
Rosy pinot noir ruby, right in the middle for depth. There is something Volnay-like about this, just fragrant redfruits pinot noir, not complex, but with explicit varietal character, light florals, clear red cherry. Palate is pure, crisp, another with a hint of stalkiness, lightish. Uncomplicated pleasing drinking, once it mellows a little. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 12/06

2005 Framingham Riesling Select 16 ½ + (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 9%; $35 [ screwcap; RS 60 g/L; www.framingham.co.nz ]
Lemongreen. Bouquet is subtle, clean, pale stonefruit and a hint of hoppy resin, but not complex. Palate is in a late-harvest medium to medium-sweet style, pleasant but lacking depth of varietal flavours, reminding of some Blass late-harvest Barossa Rieslings of previous decades. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 03/07

2009 Bridge Pa Syrah Reserve 16 ½ + (

)

Bridge Pa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $39 [ Stelvin Lux; Sy 100%, hand-picked; c.12 months in French oak, some new; www.bridgepa.co.nz ]
Older ruby, much the lightest of the syrahs, and the oldest in appearance. Both bouquet and palate are in an old-fashioned winestyle, reasonable berry but all a bit leathery / trace oxidation, suggestions of older Australian shiraz as much as syrah. Palate shows pleasant fruit within this approach, still recognisably varietal, a hint of salt in the leather, looking straightforward in the company. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 07/12

2004 Drouhin Clos de la Roche 16 ½ + (

)

Morey-St Denis Grand Cru, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 13%; $146 [ cork; named for the limestone outcrop in the vineyard; hand-harvested, fermentation and cuvaison in open wooden vats 18 – 20 days; c. 18 months in barrels understood to be about 1/3 new; Wine Direct the NZ agents; www.drouhin.com ]
Lightish pinot noir ruby, the second lightest. Like the Clos de Vougeot, this is straightforward red cherry pinot noir. There is a pleasant varietal bouquet hinting at florals, and good red fruit on palate, let down by some stalks to the finish. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 12/06

2007 Matua Valley Riesling Reserve 16 ½ + (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 12.5%; $20 [ screwcap; machine-harvested, no lees-enhancement; RS 1.7 g/L; www.matua.co.nz ]
Palest lemon. Bouquet is pure, clean and quiet, only on close examination revealing the subtlest freesia florals suggesting riesling. Palate continues that trend, a hint of lime-zest creeping in, but the dry extract is too low for long development in bottle, as one hopes for in riesling. Doesn't quite meet the label expectation, therefore, as a reserve wine. Cellar 1 – 5 years, as pleasant light dry riesling. GK 05/08

2006 Te Mata Viognier Woodthorpe 16 ½ + (

)

Tutaekuri Valley, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $28 [ screwcap; hand-harvested; 80% BF low-solids in mainly older oak plus 10 months LA, weekly batonnage; balance s/s; nil MLF; pH 3.5, RS nil; www.temata.co.nz ]
Lemongreen. Bouquet opens a little congested, with a slightly hessian / maybe cardboardy note to it. Decanted and aired, there is new French oak more than stonefruits, straightforward. Palate likewise is too newish-oaky for the modest flavour and apparent weight of the under-ripe fruit, but some body and yellow-green tart canned apricots do emerge. The oak and acid interact though, to detract, and the strictly dry finish does not help that. The palate therefore compares poorly with some of the other wines in the tasting, particularly those with an MLF component. It should cellar 2 – 4 years, but is not likely to blossom. GK 07/07

2004 Ata Rangi Pinot Noir 16 ½ + (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 14%; $65 [ screwcap; includes vines more than 20 years old; up to 10% whole bunch; up to 8 days cold-soak; 12 months and MLF in French oak 25% new; www.atarangi.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is skewed by an overt pennyroyal character, which is nearly euc'y (or even lawsoniana), on red fruits again in a warmer climate pinot style. Palate is richer than the Martinborough Vineyard, plenty of red cherry, redcurrant and perhaps strawberry fruit, but with this minty thought all the way through. Drinking this makes one feel the need to check exactly what is growing around these vineyards, because something is seriously getting into the wine. Otherwise, fragrant easy pinot in a red fruits style, which should cellar well. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 06/06

2011 Ata Rangi Pinot Noir Crimson 16 ½ + (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $35 [ screwcap; nil whole bunch; all the wine in French oak c.9 months, 20% new; not entered in Shows; www.atarangi.co.nz ]
Precise pinot noir ruby, slightly older than the Tohu, midway in depth. It must be said immediately, that in the formal tasting this wine did not show well for the group, looking hard, stalky, and unfriendly. The remedy is to decant the wine vigorously and pour it from jug to jug five or so times, to dispel a touch of reduction. It then expands and ripens in a miraculous fashion, to show good red and black cherry fruit, and one of the richer palates in the < $35 bracket, though there is a touch of stalk. A bit hard to score, I have given it the benefit of the doubt, once aerated. Remember, all red wines improve with decanting ! Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 10/12

2005 [ Te Motu ] Dunleavy [ Cabernets / Merlot ] 16 ½ + (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13%; $55 [ cork; CS c.62%, Me c.27%, balance CF & Ma, hand-picked @ c.1 t/ac; c.11 days cuvaison, inoculated; MLF and c.22 months in French c.70%, Hungarian c.20% and balance American oak, none new; sterile-filtered; c.350 cases; the second wine to Te Motu; www.temotu.co.nz ]
Ruby and garnet, much the same depth but not as fresh as 2005 Te Motu. Bouquet is in the distinctive Te Motu style, which sees more oak than most New Zealand reds. Each wine therefore has to be checked for the ratio of fruit to oak. In comparison with 2005 Te Motu, 2005 Dunleavy has a varnishy note around the oak, and the whole wine is leaner in its curranty fruit. It therefore seems unduly oaky. It might not be wise to cellar this for more than 5 – 8 years or so, in case it runs out of its browning cassis fruit, leaving only the cedary oak. GK 06/10

2005 Ngatarawa Merlot / Cabernet Alwyn 16 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels 53% & Ngatarawa Triangle 47%, New Zealand: 14%; $55 [ cork; DFB; Me 95%, CS 5, hand-harvested @ c. 2.5 t/ac, 13 months in 95% French oak 60% new, the American oak all older; RS < 1 g/L; www.ngatarawa.co.nz ]
Ruby, a little velvet. Freshly opened the bouquet is unusual, and slightly negative on a liniment note. A good splashy decanting is called for. The wine opens to red fruits which are hard to pin down, with a slight stalky / peppery note almost as if there were some under-ripe syrah, plus bush honey. Palate however is riper than anticipated, though lacking concentration. It is pleasantly fruited in its gently oaked style, but the wine does not seem to show the qualities the harvest data would suggest. This label needs a more rigorous barrel selection, I think. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 09/07

2006 Stone Paddock Chardonnay 16 ½ + (

)

Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $19 [ screwcap; clones 95 & 15, hand-harvested; 60% s/s ferment, 40 % BF in French oak some new, several months LA and batonnage; RS not given; www.stonepaddock.com ]
Pale straw. Bouquet is complexed by a number of factors, including a high-solids approach to barrel-ferment and lees-autolysis, which on balance produce a quite French kind of chardonnay bouquet. Palate is reasonably rich, some buttery notes from MLF, the mealy flavours reminiscent of the Escarpment wine. However the Stone Paddock is let down by a slight oxidation component, as if it were on ullage at some stage. In a modest way, food-friendly and interesting wine. Cellar 1 – 3 years. GK 10/07

2007 Mission Merlot Vineyard Selection 16 ½ + (

)

SW of Havelock North, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.9%; $22 [ screwcap; around 15 days cuvaison; MLF in tank, 13 months in French oak 25% new; RS 1 g/L; Catalogue: a Merlot with ripe cherry and dark berry aromas. The oak is in harmony and not dominating, due to the overriding fruit intensity. The character is different to other Hawke’s Bay Merlot wines; www.missionestate.co.nz ]
Ruby and some velvet. Bouquet shows plummy fruit and some oak, all with a degree of development a little surprising in a 2007 wine. Palate is firm and oaky, the wine tending hard and short even though quite rich. Leave for a couple of years to soften, then cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 07/09

2006 Sentinel Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 16 ½ + (

)

Brancott Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 12.5%; $14 [ screwcap; hand-picked; sloping site, RS 3.3 g/L; www.sentinelvineyard.com ]
Lemongreen. Bouquet is clean and fresh straightforward Marlborough sauvignon, a little old-fashioned with a clear green nettle complexity on mixed colours of capsicum. Palate tends riper rather than herbaceous, the nett impression yellow capsicums, a little dryer than the standard Marlborough 'dry' finish. This won't cellar so well, 1 – 3 years. GK 03/07

2005 Squawking Magpie Merlot / Cabernet Gimblett Gravels SQM 16 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $40 [ screwcap; Me 72%, CS 13, CF 12, Ma 3; some BF, French oak; Catalogue: a layered fragrant nose redolent of ripe plum and cassis with lifted vanilla, cedar and tobacco notes. The palate has a rich velvet texture with excellent structure, ripe black fruits and cassis flavours with a long full finish. Great cellaring wine for up to 10 years; Awards: 94/100 Bob Campbell Gourmet Traveller, Gold @ Liquorland Top 100 2008, Silver @ Royal Easter Show 2008; www.squawkingmagpie.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet. This is more the older kind of Squawking Magpie, showing a lot of oak on bouquet, with the varietal quality pretty well drowned, so with age there is now a slightly tawny port-like quality. There have been Chilean reds like this too. In mouth there is good fruit, both plummy and cassisy berry, and the balance is better. Total style is still not good for New Zealand however, being too close to older Australian or Chilean. A wine for those liking oak, to cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 07/09

2005 Babich [ Merlot / Cabernet ] Patriarch 16 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $60 [ 48 mm supercritical cork; DFB; Me 70%, CS 30, hand-harvested; some cold-soak, extended cuvaison; 21 months in French and American barriques, some new; sold out in New Zealand; Catalogue: not in; www.babichwines.co.nz ]
Ruby, surprisingly developed for its age. On bouquet this is an European / traditional merchant-St Emilion kind of wine, with complex berry and a little brett in browning cassis. Flavour is ripe, cassisy and plummy but browning already, all slightly savoury. It is a little richer and softer than 2006 Patriarch, and is attractive drinking in its forward way. Like the Alpha Domus Aviator, intrinsic quality and hence the price / quality ratio is out of kilter with either recent practice in Bordeaux, or current achievements with Hawkes Bay / Bordeaux blends in the Bay. It is more a short-term cellar wine, 3 – 8 years. GK 07/09

2007 Sileni Merlot Cellar Selection 16 ½ + (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $20 [ screwcap; Me 81%, CF 10, Ma 9; website lacks detail; RS ‘dry’; Catalogue: aromas of plum and dark berry fruit. Silky tannins give it a soft finish for early drinkability and the depth of fruit gives it the ability to cellar for 4-5 years; Awards: Pure Silver @ Air New Zealand 2008; www.sileni.co.nz ]
Ruby. Bouquet is sweet and ripe at the red fruits level, nearly some raspberry, clearly red currants, bottled red plums, gentle oak, all undemonstrative. Flavours are not quite so good, a little austere note like sucking on the (red) plum stones, but reasonable body and flesh, subtly oaked. This wine shows a pretty side of merlot, in a food-friendly way. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 07/09

2009 Stonyridge Cabernet / Malbec Airfield 16 ½ + (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13%; $45 [ cork; CS dominant, Me, CF 11, PV, CF, hand-picked; cultured yeast, c.12 months in French oak 40% new; now marketed as the second wine of Larose in the exact Bordeaux sense; not fined or filtered; www.stonyridge.com ]
Ruby. Bouquet is a more familiar New Zealand cabernet / merlot style, a suggestion of austerity / stalkyness in raw dark plum and cassis, the oak yet to marry in, the whole wine suggesting not quite enough oxygen in elevation. Palate confirms the hardness, good berry including cassis, but total acid and stalkyness up somewhat, the fruit and oak still to harmonise. A straightforward Bordeaux blend, to cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 06/10

2006 Kennedy Point Merlot 16 ½ + (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14%; $39 [ cork; Me 85%, CF 9, CS 6, hand-picked @ c.1.2 t/ac; MLF and 16 months in French oak 50% new; www.kennedypointvineyard.com ]
Ruby, some velvet. Bouquet is a mixed affair, but the nett result is pleasant. Thoughts of VA, cod-liver oil, smoked fish, and brett waft past the nose, but there are also fragrant redcurrants, some cassis, and plum berryfruits too. Palate is medium weight, carefully oaked, more clearly merlot / cabernet in an Entre Deux Mers styling. There is a hint of cigar-box / tobacco leaf, yet the whole thing has fruit and is food-friendly and attractive, richer than the purer 2004 Miro Archipelago. As noted, scoring is permissive today. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/10

2009 Escarpment Chardonnay Kupe 16 ½ + (

)

Martinborough, Wairarapa district, New Zealand: 14%; $55 [ supercritical 'cork'; hand-picked clone 95 from the Pahi Vineyard, Martinborough central at a grand cru cropping rate, average vine age 15 years; whole-bunch pressed, not cold-settled; 100% wild-yeast BF at ambient temperatures in French oak 20% new and balance second-fill; 10 months LA & two-weekly batonnage, c.50% MLF; pH 3.12, <2 g/L RS; sterile-filtered; not entered in Shows; www.escarpment.co.nz ]
Lemonstraw, in the middle for depth of colour, but a worrying faint hint of brown in the hue. Bouquet is lesser in the field, a quincey note bespeaking slight oxidation, otherwise fair fruit, subtle oak, some complexity. Palate picks up the quincey note, good fruit, a good textural feel, like the Corton-Charlemagne a hint of marzipan (which I associate with high-solids, negative), lacking the varietal fruit definition of the wines rated more highly. It is only fair to add, that I have reviewed (this site) the 2006 Kupe Chardonnay as: the best Larry McKenna has made, and perhaps New Zealand's most complete and finest example of the grape yet. I hope he will return to that style. Cellar 2 – 6 years, in its style. GK 03/12

2004 Russian Jack Pinot Noir 16 ½ + (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $18 [ screwcap; some BF in French oak; third-tier of Martinborough Vineyard group, below Burnt Spur; no info on website; www.burntspur.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is lightly floral and cherry varietal fruit, with slightly smokey / savoury complexity, clearly in style. Flavours in mouth are red and black cherry, fair fruit weight, slightly austere, good oak, attractive savoury suggestions. Cellar 3 – 8 years. VALUE GK 02/06

2006 Spy Valley Pinot Noir Envoy 16 ½ + (

)

Lower Waihopai Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $55 [ cork; nil whole bunch; 18 months in French oak, c.30% new; pinot not on the youngest soils; www.spyvalleywine.co.nz ]
Older pinot noir ruby, one of the lighter ones, attractive. Bouquet is mainstream Marlborough varietal pinot, clear red fruits and florals of light red rose quality and ripeness, all smelling reminiscent of Beaune village wine. Flavours match, red cherries, a little more leafy / stalky than the Cloudy Bay (or the Beaune bouquet analogy in a half-decent year), not a big wine, but pretty and pleasing. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 02/10

2005 The Obsidian [ Cabernets / Merlot ] 16 ½ + (

)

Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13%; $45 [ cork; CS 48%, Me 48, CF 3, Ma 1, hand-picked; c.13 months in French oak, 50% new, balance 1 and 2-year; www.obsidian.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, brighter than most of the '05s. This wine too takes one immediately to the northern Medoc, being fresh and fragrant, the aromatic cassis tending crisp with more red fruits than black supporting it. Palate is much the same, just escaping being stalky or green, but like so many northern Medocs such as Potensac and Senejac, tending austere all through. As it matures, it should soften harmoniously, and become a more food-friendly wine, in its cru bourgeois style. But given that 2005 is an optimal vintage for the island, Obsidian will be needing to enhance the physiological maturity of the fruit in the vineyard, for their premium wine. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 06/08

2007 Amisfield Pinot Noir 16 ½ + (

)

Lowburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.8%; $40 [ screwcap; < 5% whole bunch; 10 months in French oak, 25% new; www.amisfield.co.nz ]
Big ruby and velvet, one of the deeper. Bouquet is on the burly side, a little heavy, another of those Otago wines suggesting mixed ripeness in the fruit, clearly varietal, but some pruney notes, some almost leafy, certainly rich. Palate is more pleasing, darkly plummy including some sur-maturité, quite oaky, just not achieving optimal varietal ripeness and finesse. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 02/10

2007 Olssens Pinot Noir Jackson Barry 16 ½ + (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14.6%; $40 [ screwcap; nil whole bunch; 10 months in French oak, 38% new; www.olssens.co.nz ]
Dense older ruby and velvet, one of the deepest, dark for pinot noir. Bouquet is mixed, both raisiny yet with thoughts of leafy too, as if mixed ripeness, in very rich but only moderately fragrant fruit. Palate is awkward, rich yet clearly both stalky and plummy / raisiny, with the oak tannins yet to marry in. This is more a quantitative pinot, rich, cellar-worthy in the hope it may find more harmony than it shows now. These alcohols clearly over 14% are a worry though, where fine pinot is the goal. Cellar 3 – 9 years. GK 02/10

2004 Domaine Magellan Syrah / Grenache Vieilles Vignes 16 ½ + (

)

Vin de Pays de Cotes de Thongue, Languedoc, France: 14.5%; $23 [ plastic; Vieilles Vignes understood to be 20 years plus; well-distributed wine in the US, a Maison Vauron wine in NZ ]
Ruby, a little older than the Belingard. Bouquet is syrah-dominant in a dianthus and leafy / fragrant way, reminiscent of straightforward Crozes-Hermitage. Palate is better than bouquet, riper, again syrah-dominant, with well-balanced newish oak. This is attractive relatively one-dimensional wine, in its slightly stalky Crozes-Hermitage style. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 03/07

2010 Wycroft Pinot Noir Forbury 16 ½ + (

)

Masterton district, New Zealand: 13%; $30 [ screwcap; not on website, 6 clones hand-picked, Wycroft and Matahiwi vineyards, bunches hand-sorted via sorting table, de-stemmed, fermented together; 10 months in French oak, 30% new; Forbury is in effect a second label to Wycroft unqualified; www.wycroft.com ]
Pinot noir ruby, fractionally deeper than any of the Mt Difficultys. Bouquet is fragrantly but leafily varietal, with intense florals as if a high percentage of whole bunch in the ferment. It is much lighter than the 2010 TerraVin wine, with reminders of buddleia on red fruits. Palate is less though, total acid a bit high for comfort, and fighting with the oak at this early stage, both shortening the fruit on the aftertaste. The comparison with the Terravin Jazz is intriguing, the latter showing more perfect ripeness. Even so, the weight of fruit in the Wycroft is pleasing, it is dry, and I expect it to harmonise a good deal during the next couple of years. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 08/11

2006 Craggy Range Chardonnay Gimblett Gravels Single Vineyard 16 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $27 [ screwcap; hand-harvested @ 2.5 t/ac; wild-yeast BF in French oak 44% new, and LA for 10 months; bone-dry; www.craggyrange.com ]
Lemongreen. Bouquet is a little aggressive, on pale chardonnay fruit, in a desiccated coconut and hessian oaky framework. Palate is distinctly rich, a hint of palest caramel on the MLF component, the flavours coarsening in mouth, on excess oak. Aftertaste is not so good, though there are white stonefruits in there, but at this youthful stage it is all a bit rough on the oak / alcohol interaction. Should look better in 18 months or so – it has the richness to mellow out. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 03/07

nv Campbells Topaque Rutherglen 375 ml 16 ½ + (

)

Rutherglen, Victoria, Australia: 17.5%; $26 [ screwcap; topaque is the new (no doubt committee-chosen) name for the variety traditionally known as Rutherglen tokay, but latterly shown to be muscadelle; the most junior of a flight of four Rutherglen tokays from Campbells, ranging up to $120 per $375 ml bottle; www.campbellswines.com.au ]
Slightly flushed old gold. Bouquet is simple sweet spirity tokay, lacking the benison of age and appropriate oak, a kind of simple / mild high-octane Antipodean Muscat-Beaumes de Venise. Palate is softer than the bouquet suggests, softened by high sweetness, lengthened by some oak, refreshed by a hint of stalk. A sound example of a rich young tokay, but lacking excitement. Will hold some years. GK 07/11

2006 Te Whare Ra Pinot Noir 16 ½ + (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14.5%; $36 [ screwcap; presumably similar detail to the 2007, not on website; www.te-whare-ra.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, much the same weight as the 2007, but markedly more mature. With breathing, the bouquet has a intriguing depth of rose florals to it, very beguiling and Cote de Beaune-like. Palate is not quite so good, more red plums than cherry, a little hardness in the phenolics, but clearly pinot in weight and style. Cellar 2 – 6 years or so. GK 03/09

2008 Gibbston Valley Pinot Noir Reserve 16 ½ + (

)

Bendigo, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14.5%; $100 [ screwcap; 5% whole bunch; 12 months French oak, 60% new; a single-vineyard wine; www.gvwines.co.nz ]
Attractive pinot noir ruby, below midway in depth. Bouquet is red fruits lifted by spirit, fragrant but not exactly floral, yet clearly pinot noir cherry. Alcohol aside, the flavours are close to many a Beaune district pinot, all red fruits, good ripeness at that level, slightly stalky, lingering pleasantly on the tannins. Looks expensive though, for the nett achievement. Cellar 2 – 7 years. GK 02/10

2011 Felton Road Pinot Noir Bannockburn 16 ½ + (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14.5%; $ – [ screwcap; average vine age 11 years; an ideal flowering and plenty of moisture through the mid-season produced large crops, requiring close management; later summer and harvest again ideal, but still a larger than ideal crop, leading to production of Vin Gris this year; the wines understated; www.feltonroad.com ]
Lighter pinot noir ruby, the second to lightest. This is a distinctly small-scale pinot, in the Felton set. Bouquet is fragrant but in a simple way, with a suggestion of leafyness as much as a floral component. Fruits are all red, even a hint of raspberry rather than cherry. Flavour is better than the bouquet, but there is almost a feeling the wine might be slightly chaptalised, clean light red-fruits so the oak shows rather much, small-scale, a trace of stalk. A surprise: 2011 must have been difficult in Central. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 08/14

2002 Obsidian [ Merlot / Cabernets ] The Obsidian 16 ½ + (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.5%; $45 [ cork; Me 40%, CS 35, CF & Ma, hand-picked; c.13 months in French oak, 50% new, balance 1 and 2-year; www.obsidian.co.nz ]
Ruby, velvet and garnet, much older than the Graves alongside. And the reason is not too hard to find, the first impression on bouquet being oak, lots of oak, in the terrifying new world style where if a little bit of oak is a good thing, more must be better. Palate is better than the bouquet promises because there is good berry richness, and one can still see good cassis and browning plum jam fruit in the cedary oak. Sadly, this level of oaking is what many new world audiences still want, but at this level the quality of the fruit is scarcely recoverable. Alongside the 2000 Picque-Caillou, the latter has much better balance. Cellar 3 – 5 years, but at peril of going varnishy. GK 08/12

2004 Zema Estate Shiraz 16 ½ + (

)

Coonawarra, South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $33 [ cork; shiraz 100%, grown on the limestone-based terra rossa, non-irrigated; some BF; 16 months in French and US oak; www.zema.com.au ]
Ruby and some velvet. Bouquet is in a fragrant but straightforward raspberry / boysenberry Australian shiraz style, not unduly complicated by oak. Palate shows red berryfruit more than black, pleasingly-flavoured and reasonably subtle in its simple raspberry way, dry. A typical lighter Coonawarra Shiraz, lightly oaked. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 02/08

2007 Clos des Papes Chateauneuf-du-Pape 16 ½ + (

)

Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Southern Rhone Valley, France: 15%; $245 [ cork 50mm, ullage 14mm; original price c.$125; one of the few domaines making just the one grand vin (red), plus a remarkable generic red with non-conforming cepage, Le Petit Vin d’Avril; Clos des Papes described by J.L-L as the ‘Gold standard estate’; it is becoming a rare wine in New Zealand; grapes are drawn from 24 sites, varying considerably in soil type, the mourvedre all on clay-rich sites; average vine age is 50 years; Vincent Avril favours mourvedre, but cepage in 2007 was still Gr 65%, Mv 20, Sy 10, counoise, vaccarese and muscardin combined 5; all cropped very conservatively at ideally 24 – 26 (reports vary) hl/ha = 3.1 – 3.4 t/ha = 1.25 – 1.4 t/ac in 2007, but some years less; all destemmed (since 1991), 21 days cuvaison; elevation c.12 months in large foudres, a key detail for New World winemakers is no new oak in the grand vin – Jeb Dunnuck (on the Parker website) first records in 2013 that for the grand vin: ‘No new oak is used in the winery and all new barrels and foudre see three vintages of his non-vintage Le Petit Vin d’Avril before being used for his grand vin.’; sometimes egg-white fining but not filtered; annual production varies between 2,500 and 7,500 x 9-litre cases in this dry climate, but in 2007 was c.8,300; J.L-L, 2008: On the nose, blackberry (grenache) with licorice (mourvedre) influences – and a silken raspberry aroma that has a lot of poise and is very suave. The palate has a rich, full, veering towards dense start, and comes with traces of chocolate in the flavour, alongside a cherry note. It is wide and well-juiced, ending on a final quarter of steady tannic growth. This is more structured than many 2007s at present – I like its fresh end and good length. The power shows up through some kirsch in the late taste. All very orderly, good prospects. To 2038, *****; JD@RP, 2017: One of the great vintages from this estate ... everything you could want from a wine. Full-bodied, intense and beautifully concentrated, with plenty of muscle and depth, it shows the hallmark elegance and purity of the estate, with sensational notes of kirsch liqueur, raspberries, incense, smoked meats and Asian spices. To 2037, 100; the website given is thus far just a holding page, the best background information being from a Mornington Peninsula fine wine retailer: www.finewinemerchant.com.au/clos-des-papes; www.clos-des-papes.fr ]
Ruby and some velvet, a touch of garnet, the second lightest. Bouquet is distinctive on this wine, being aromatic and savoury in an old-fashioned leather and venison casserole / nutmeg way, on red fruits and alcohol. These descriptors point to some brett. Palate is relatively soft and fragrant, red fruits browning a little, gentle tannin structure, very food-friendly. As always, some people like the brett component a good deal, three first places, two second, whereas conversely, others have ‘learnt’ to be ‘sophisticated’ about brett, and now reject such wines, so five least places. It is a pity the alcohol is showing rather much in this wine, for lightly bretty wines are in fact so good with savoury foods. Cellar 5 – 15 years, noting every bottle will be different. That is part of the package, with brett.

There is certainly a major mismatch between the characters we found in our bottle, and the near-100 point scores of Dunnuck and Parker. The website above does mention that for bottling the wine is assembled into two 15,000 litre vats, with metered blending, but what exactly happens in a year of peak production such as 2007, when there were c.75,000 litres, is not clear. There is thus the possibility of more than one bottling in 2007, which might explain the present discrepancy. Alternatively, this wine too might be a wine affected by temperature-control failure in shipping, but see my doubts expressed in the Conclusions. In his description for the wine in 2009, Parker does mention ‘licorice, roasted herbs, and smoked meat’ positively … again all cues to a riper winestyle (and possible brett) than temperate-climate tasters may prefer. On this showing, a considerable disappointment. I await the next bottle with interest. GK 10/19

2006 Wyndham Estate Chardonnay Bin 222 16 ½ + (

)

Australia: 13%; $17 [ screwcap; night-harvested, cool-fermented; some oak maturation, LA, MLF; www.wyndhamestate.com ]
Lemon. Bouquet on this chardonnay is more straightforwardly varietal, some acacia floral notes and musk melon, good fruit, not a lot of barrel-ferment, lees-autolysis or winemaker artefact / complexity. Palate is juicy, a suggestion of grapefruit in added acid and fair body, all very pure, like several of the chardonnays in this batch, not bone-dry. Should mellow nicely with a year or two in cellar, into a straightforward commercial chardonnay. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 05/08

2008 Cambridge Road Syrah 16 ½ + (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13%; $63 [ cork; Sy 91% from vines up to 22 years, PN 9, hand-harvested; not much info about the wine on website, intention light oaking; www.cambridgeroad.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet. This is a smaller scale wine, bearing the same relationship to the Villa Maria Reserve wine as representative Crozes-Hermitage does to Hermitage proper. There is a suggestion of florality, but it is at the leafy sweet-pea end of the spectrum, with a touch of white pepper. Palate follows through naturally, reasonably fresh red plums only, quite rich but all a little cool and stalky, with total acid up a bit. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/11

nv Clearwater Vineyards Pinot Gris 16 ½ + (

)

Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 14%; $19 [ screwcap; 2006 & 2007 blend, due to small-volume first crops; no details on website yet; www.sherwood.co.nz ]
Pale straw. This is a difficult wine. Smelling it one way, e.g. blind in a line-up, it seems a bit oxidised. Smelling it as pinot gris, one can reinterpret that character as attractively varietal with a touch of cinnamon, lightly reminiscent of the old-fashioned pudding apple charlotte. Palate shows fair fruit on a drier finish than some of the pinot gris in this batch, some body and flavour, attractively-handled phenolics. Short-term cellar probably wiser. GK 05/08

2007 Man O’War Chardonnay Valhalla 16 ½ + (

)

Eastern Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14.5%; $40 [ screwcap; hand-harvested, whole-bunch pressed; 100% BF in French oak 20% new but only 10% MLF, 10 months LA and weekly batonnage; RS < 2 g/L; 260 cases; ‘Lemon, lime and melon aromas unfold to reveal subtle cedar and creamy notes. 90 Points, Robert Parker, Wine Advocate April 2008; www.manowarvineyards.co.nz ]
Full straw, old for age. Bouquet shows a broader old-fashioned chardonnay approach, golden queen peach and some tropical notes, all a bit estery on the one hand yet stalky notes of uneven ripeness on the other. Palate suggests some botrytis broadness and a touch of VA in yellow mendoza-like flavours, with the oak too obvious for subtlety. The wine is already at its peak. Coarse alongside the top wines, but one maybe to appeal to lovers of ‘big’ chardonnay. Cellar only a year or so. GK 06/09

2012 Trinity Hill [ Merlot / Cabernets ] The Gimblett 16 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12.8%; $35 [ super-critical 'cork'; Me 39%, CF 35, CS 9, PV 9, Ma 8, hand-picked; c. 3 weeks cuvaison; 16 months in French oak c. 30% new; Parker: 87+; www.trinityhill.com ]
Ruby, a wash of carmine and velvet, just in the top third for weight. The Gimblett has become one of the unsung fine wines of Hawkes Bay in recent years, but has not yet achieved recognition. Like the Villa Reserves, there must have been considerable debate whether to produce a 2012. But first impressions on bouquet are attractive, beautifully floral nearly violets, a clear cassis infusion on darkly plummy fruits, subtle cedary oak. Palate does not quite follow-through, partly because the styling is classic Medoc with more tannin than some of these wines show. So this wine needs time in cellar, to mellow a clear stalk component in the fragrant berryfruit. Total acid is up a little too. In five years this will be a convincing but austere petit Medoc in style, but perhaps release under this label was a mistake. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 06/14

2011 Goldie Wines Syrah 16 ½ + (

)

Clevedon, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13%; $28 [ screwcap; Sy 100%, hand-harvested; MLF and 10 months in all-French oak, 20% new; RS 1.3 g/l; www.goldiewines.co.nz ]
Ruby. This 2011 too is in the lighter less substantial Crozes-Hermitage style, but it is fresh and fragrant with red fruits. Like the Mudbrick, there is a hint of future bush-honey complexity, but here the honey has a touch of American foul-brood aroma adding complexity to pleasing berry fruit and subtle oak. Fruit weight is good for 2011. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 10/12

2008 Passage Rock Pinot Gris 16 ½ + (

)

Eastern Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14%; $23 [ screwcap; hand-harvested; around 5% BF in older oak, RS c.10 g/L; 450 cases; ‘A ripe sensual wine with aromas of peach and pear with a warm soft finish’; www.passagerockwines.co.nz ]
Pale straw. Bouquet inclines to the anonymous pearflesh style of pinot gris, lifted by a little VA. Palate is rich and juicy, with some pale nectarine adding weight and interest. The oak component in this is very subtle, attractive. Residual sugar is higher than the optimal ‘riesling dry’ point. A popular rather than fine pinot gris, but will cellar several years. GK 06/09

2004 Te Mata Viognier Woodthorpe 16 ½ + (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $27 [ screwcap; 85 % of wine BF in older French oak, plus 7 months LA and batonnage; 15% s/s; no MLF; RS < 2/L; earlier review 10/05; www.temata.co.nz ]
Good lemon, close to the Burge. In the blind tasting, this wine smelt very oaky and a little volatile, and though the fruit level was good, against the clearly-defined varietal wines, this one was harder to come to terms with. Palate brought up a better ratio of varietal fruit to oak, with attractive apricot flesh initially, but as the wine lingers in mouth, the too-new oak asserts itself again. It is similar in fruit and oak balance to the Burge, but being more acid and less plump than the Australian wine, one notices the oak more. Cellar to four years. GK 11/05

2009 Mud House Pinot Noir Swan Central Otago 16 ½ + (

)

Bendigo, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $29 [ screwcap; thought to be nil whole bunch; part of the wine is raised in French oak some new, and some stays in stainless steel to retain freshness; RS 3.8 g/L; has recently been discounted in supermarket sales; www.mudhouse.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is clearly varietal to first inspection, but on this occasion I wondered if the florality is augmented by under-ripeness, which might detract from nett complexity. Palate shows a good weight of red cherry fruit, but there is some leafyness as well, plus a suggestion of roses florals, the oaking appropriate. The wine may not be bone dry, or maybe it is just fruit richness, deceptive. I am getting confused with the way these subtly differentiated 2009 Mud House Pinots open: this one was definitely the Swan variant, liked more on a previous occasion. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 06/11

2011 Trinity Hill Arneis 16 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $35 [ screwcap; hand-picked; juice cold-settled, cool-fermented including some BF in older oak, some s/s; 9 months on lees to add body, texture and minerality; no MLF; pH 3.25, RS <1 g/L; www.trinityhill.com ]
Lemongreen. Bouquet is soft, full and winey, though exactly what variety is debatable. There is a delicate white flowers quality, beautifully pure. Palate is surprisingly big, a little hard, but also lacking in explicit vinifera flavours. When one hears it is all barrel-fermented in old oak, the wine falls into place. This is a immaculate winemaking on a base grape about as worthwhile as trebbiano. Because it is so exquisitely and complexly made, it therefore costs more than it is worth. New Zealand does not need nonsense varieties like arneis. Company chief winemaker John Hancock points out the phenolic backbone and body makes it a good food wine, and given the honest cropping rate and good body associated with that, I can confirm that view – if one likes anonymous wines. Cellar a year or two maybe. GK 03/13

2008 Wynns Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon Black Label 16 ½ + (

)

Coonawarra, South Australia, Australia: 14%; $44 [ screwcap; CS nominally 100%, average vine age 34 years; 17 months in 84% French oak up to 30% new and 16% American oak a little new; the 53rd year of production; www.wynns.com.au ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, denser than the 2009. As is so often the case with what Australians rate as a top vintage, the wine is a caricature. First and foremost, it screams of eucalyptus, the peril of every hotter year when temperatures allow the volatilisation of eucalyptus oil. It is therefore hard to pick up the nuances and character of the berry, on bouquet, but it is fruity. On palate the euc'y character is offensive, the berry is over-ripe bottled black doris plum grading to blackberry, the oak is at a maximum, and the whole style is loud and clumsy. It will therefore be rated highly in Australia [ e.g. 93 points by several, 94 also ]. It should cellar well, if this kind of wine appeals. GK 08/11

2009 Kidnapper Cliffs Cabernet Franc 16 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $33 [ cork; no info, see Ariki; www.kidnappercliffs.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, on a par with the Malbec. The comments made for the Cabernet Sauvignon apply here, but with added poignancy. The whole point of cabernet franc is to achieve a wine of great florality, and red berry aromas, fresh and inviting, fragrant, silky, enchanting in its wonderful aromas. This example however has been over-ripened, and thus stripped of aroma. It is rich but tannic and short, though concentrated. There are some blueberry suggestions, perhaps. Like the Cabernet Sauvignon, once it loses some tannin, it may have more to say after 8 – 20 years cellaring. For anyone with an understanding of the beauty of cabernet franc in an appropriate climate, which Hawkes Bay is, it is simply disappointing. Stylistically therefore it makes the same mistakes as so many vintages of the Dry River Pinot Noir. GK 06/11

2005 Forest Hill Cabernet Sauvignon Block 5 16 ½ + (

)

Mount Barker, Western Australia, Australia: 14%; $65 [ screwcap; CS 100% cropped @ c. 2.25 t/ac from some of the oldest vines in district, up to 40 years; 18 months in French oak 60% new; RS 0.05 g/L; www.foresthillwines.com.au ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet. This is a narrow Australian red, despite coming from a cooler climate in Australian terms. Bouquet is red more than black fruits, quite oaky, a little euc'y, very clean almost to the point of being empty. Palate shows the same style, acid and oak noticeable against the more temperate climate wines, leaving the mouth with a hard feeling even alongside the acid Gaja. Australian tasters sometimes seem desensitised to these unflattering aspects of their wines, I guess because for many, the technical parameters are seen as more important than conformity to international expectations for wine style. Cellar 10 – 15 years, hopefully to throw some tartrate crystals and soften. GK 11/08

2011 [ Pernod-Ricard ] Brancott Estate Sauvignon Gris Letter Series R (Renwick) 16 ½ + (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $19 [ Stelvin Lux; RS 2.4 g/L; www.brancottestate.com ]
Good lemongreen. Bouquet is light and ill-defined, but also clean and pure. At the blind stage, there are thoughts of pinot blanc, but gradually it becomes vaguely sauvignon blanc, though at the over-ripe end of the spectrum – like some Australian sauvignon blancs. Palate is good, richer than the matching Letter Series B but less defined, in a scarcely or non-oaked Graves style [ in fact, no oak at all ], very pure, a useful food wine. Sauvignon Gris is another of these varieties like arneis and verdelho which have little potential to contribute as fine wine in New Zealand, so one wonders about the premium presentation and packaging. Cellar 1 – 3 years. GK 05/13

1989 Te Mata Estate Cabernets / Merlot Coleraine 16 ½ + (

)

Havelock North Hills mainly, some Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12.5%; $ – [ winery re-corked bottle, 45mm supercritical Diam; original price c.$30; cepage CS 51%, Me 40, CF 9; warm very dry summer, early season, GDD 1664, all picked before end March; first year Coleraine not a single-vineyard wine; Cooper, 1992: The 1989 vintage is outstanding. Spicy and concentrated … strong new oak in the bouquet, and emerging blackcurrant/plummy flavours which look set to blossom for many years, *****; Chan, 2008 review: Soft, fine and integrated bouquet, gentle and harmonious with balance and lovely fragrance. ... on palate ... fresh blackcurrant flavours and soft chocolate notes. The good, balanced extraction provides supple grip and backbone, and along with the acidity gives good cut to the flavours. Well-concentrated, and attractive for its elegance, 18.0 +; weight bottle and closure: 560 g; www.temata.co.nz ]
Ruby and garnet, below midway in depth but one of the redder wines. As with all the New Zealand wines except the Matawhero, you smell the oak before the fruit, but the wine is clean and aromatic. Palate is skinny after the Bordeaux, the cabernet seeming cassisy yet lacking fruit and dry extract. There isn't much body to roll around on the tongue, just oak molecules. But the nett flavour is refreshing in a New World way, clearly cassisy but also a trace of methoxypyrazines, long on the oak. Again, oak was liked, three people rating Coleraine their second-favourite wine. It will hold this form for several years yet. GK 11/19

2007 Cable Bay Pinot Noir Marlborough 16 ½ + (

)

Brancott Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14.5%; $34 [ screwcap; several clones of PN, hand-picked at 2 t/ac; several days cold-soak, details to come; ‘An intriguing wine that captures the finesse of Pinot Noir. Rich, dark berry and earthy flavours with soft, silky tannins. GOLD Medal, NZ Int. Wineshow’; www.cablebayvineyards.co.nz ]
Full pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is clearly pinot noir even when hidden in a flight of syrahs. There are some dark rose florals on blackboy peach and dark cherry notes, but with a hint of leaf too. Palate is quite rich but a little stewed, the fruit showing a tending-coarse tannic quality as well as some stalks. A flavoursome foursquare pinot which is dry to the finish, and will soften in cellar 2 – 7 years. GK 06/09

2001 Rousseau Gevrey-Chambertin 16 ½ + (

)

Gevrey-Chambertin, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 13%; $72 [ no new oak ]
Pinot ruby. Initially poured, a little restrained, apart from a whisper of VA. Breathes up to clearcut varietal fruit, with some violets and similar deep florals, and attractive red and black cherry fruit in good ratio to older oak. Palate does not quite sustain the promising bouquet, the fruit seeming plain, slightly stalky, yet still clearly cherry-like rather than plummy. A pretty good varietal statement, for a village wine in a modest year. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 02/05

2007 Muddy Water Pinot Noir Hare's Breath 16 ½ + (

)

Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 13.5%; $60 [ screwcap; nil whole bunch; 16 months in French oak 35% new; a single-vineyard wine from several clones; www.muddywater.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, another too-deep wine for pinot noir, darker than the Felton. Bouquet is a very mixed affair, with some pinot florals, some syrah black pepper aromatics, some red and some black fruits, and yet another with a minty hint. This character really is a negative in pinot. Palate highlights the less elegant side of the wine, for though there is fair cherry fruit, there are also green tannins. The net result is as reminiscent of cool year Cote Rotie as burgundy. Cellar 3 – 8 years, for it is sound red wine, just not so good in a strict pinot tasting. GK 02/10

2004 Petaluma Coonawarra [ Cabernet / Merlot ] Unfiltered 16 ½ + (

)

Coonawarra, South Australia, Australia: 14.8%; $69 [ cork; price is simple conversion from AU$55; CS 65%, Me 35, the CS cropped @ 1.8 t/ac, the Me @2.4 t/ac, all hand-picked; cold soak, inoculated ferments, varying cuvaisons some to 30 days; MLF in barrel on full lees; progressive racking to clarity in French barrels 100% new over 20 months; by way of illustrating the Australian perspective commented on in the Introduction, Jeremy Oliver rates this wine 19.2; the website mysteriously omits the 2004; www.petaluma.com.au ]
Ruby and velvet, below midway in depth. Bouquet is browning stewed plums, in a surprisingly old-fashioned and oaky winestyle, with a touch of oxidation. Palate is oaky and spirity, the fruit flavours likewise showing the bad-joke that referring to Coonawarra as cool-climate has become. The nett result is winey in a hot-climate oaky way, but lacking berry interest and thus one-dimensional. The winery comments in their literature that this vintage will: 'age gracefully for many years to come', rather illustrating the gulf between Australian wine norms in their expectations for the bordeaux-blend class, and New Zealand, or European views. Such wines highlight how great the potential is for temperate-climate New Zealand reds from places like Waiheke Island and Hawkes Bay to excel internationally in the cabernet / merlot class. Why exactly this lesser wine was shown at the Conference, when the current vintage is the 2007, was not clear. Cellar some years, in its oaky style. GK 01/10

2011 Catherine's Block Tempranillo 16 ½ + (

)

Waipara Valley, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 14.5%; $28 [ screwcap; c.15 days cuvaison; some months in French oak 60% new; RS 1.7 g/L; 100 cases; www.catherinesblock.com ]
Pinot noir ruby, soft, some age showing. This is a wonderful wine for New Zealand, because it respects the true fragrant pinot noir-like character of tempranillo, unlike the Trinity Hill Tempranillo which obscures its delicate varietal beauty by using touriga nacional as a teinturier. Here, the bouquet is palely reminiscent of the great Spanish 'vina pomal' burgundy-styles made from tempranillo and graciano in earlier decades, before oak-obsessed winewriters ignorant of the beauty of tempranillo started encouraging bigger wines adulterated with cabernet and new oak. Nothing could be less appropriate. All that said, this is a warmish-climate grape grown in a cool-temperate viticultural zone. Like syrah in Waipara or Nelson, it will need very low cropping rates to achieve international levels of ripeness and concentration. This wine is a bit dilute, ideally, but the distinctive fragrant tempranillo bouquet with its attractive 'one blue-mouldy fruit in a (wooden) case of Jamaican grapefruit' is spot-on. Palate is red cherry, more aromatic than pinot noir. Acid is slightly fresh, but the risky level of new oak does not intrude, and the whole wine is intriguing and food-friendly, in a light way. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 05/13

2009 Martinborough Vineyard Syrah / Viognier 16 ½ + (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 14%; $53 [ screwcap; not on website, 2006 was Sy 95% now 9-year old vines, Vi 5, hand-harvested; 21 days cuvaison, c. 12 months in French oak 25% new, balance 1 & 2-year; not fined or filtered; www.martinborough-vineyard.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, the lightest of these Martinborough syrahs. Bouquet is fragrant, with clear dianthus-like floral notes, and some white pepper, on red fruits and suggestions of cassis. It shows a cool-year Cote Rotie styling. Palate is more concentrated than the bouquet suggests, the fruit tending crisp and aromatic, clean white pepper and a little stalk, all a little hard therefore. The wine clearly shows how marginal Martinborough is for syrah, and makes the Dry River example all the more remarkable. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/11

2009 Ellero Pinot Noir 16 ½ + (

)

Pisa district, Cromwell Basin, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.9%; $36 [ screwcap; 5 clones hand-harvested @ 6 t/ha (2.4 t/ac); 11 months in French oak, 25% new; pH 3.64; 210 cases; www.ellerowine.com ]
Pinot noir ruby, a hint of age showing, one of the deeper wines. Bouquet is richly varietal in a darker style, with a floral quality so intermingled with fragrant oak it is hard to tease them apart. Palate continues the rich fruit, the wine being more developed than the 2010s, but there is a tannic streak in it which lets it down a little on the finish. Cellar 3 – 8 years GK 03/13

2007 Delas Hermitage Marquise de la Tourette 16 ½ + (

)

Hermitage AOC, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $76 [ cork; Sy 100%; www.delas.com ]
Ruby. Freshly opened, the wine is much too oaky for syrah to reveal its beauty. Decanting it a couple of times softens and freshens the wine, by taking the edge off the oak. There is then clear cherry and cassis syrah fruit, and whereas initially there was no hint of varietal florals, now there is just a suggestion of rose aroma in the oak aromatics. Palate is fresh, lean like a lesser Medoc, but long and fragrant on the tongue, even some black peppercorn later. On the night I criticised this wine, but on reflection I suspect, given time, it will marry up into a fragrant but lean and acid young syrah. It is a pity that Delas are pandering to the new-world obsession with new oak. Cellar 3 – 10 years, in its small-scale and oaky style. GK 07/10

2007 Mills Reef Cabernet / Merlot Reserve 16 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $22 [ screwcap; CS 60%, Me 39, Ma 1; 4 days cold soak followed by fermentation in s/s and 3 weeks cuvaison; 7 months in barrel some new; www.millsreef.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, deeper and older than the matching Merlot / Malbec. Unusually for Mills Reef, who favour a slightly oxidative red winemaking style such as Penfolds practise, this wine opened slightly reductively. It benefits greatly from a splashy decanting, opening to a more cassisy and less oaky bouquet than the Merlot / Malbec. Palate is definitely firmer than the sibling wine, and total acid might be a little more, giving a crisp aromatic red which is going to cellar well, 5 – 12 years. GK 11/08

2012 Coopers Creek Merlot 16 ½ + (

)

Bridge Pa Triangle mostly, some Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $22 [ screwcap; Me 90%, Ma 10; c.12 months in older oak; short exposure to chips in tank; RS 2.5 g/L; www.cooperscreek.co.nz ]
Ruby, midway in the lightest third, for depth of colour. Bouquet is sweet, quiet and seemingly merlot at the blind stage: plummy, nearly some roses florality, attractive. Palate shows surprising fruit for the year, augmented by a little residual to the tail (even at the blind stage). Flavours are red and black plum, and oak is subtly adjusted to the lesser ripeness of the year. A pleasing food-friendly small-scale wine almost suited to running in a pinot noir tasting (+ve), to cellar 3 – 8 years. Malbec well-hidden. GK 06/14

2010 Te Mata [ Cabernets / Merlot ] Awatea 16 ½ + (

)

Havelock North district mostly, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $36 [ cork; CS 42%, Me 40%, CF 17, PV 6, hand-harvested; c. 18 months in French oak 40% new; pH 3.52, RS nil; www.temata.co.nz ]
Ruby, the lightest of the wines. Bouquet is light relative to the field, seeming unforthcoming and lacking ripeness and generosity. There are intriguing hints of salvia blossom, though I'm not sure if that is totally positive. Palate is more revealing, a much less ripe wine than 2010 Coleraine, giving the impression they opened the gates a bit wide here in the selection process, to let in a greater volume of wine. The result is a green hard note in red fruits, as in many lesser bourgeois crus. Otherwise the wine is pure and carefully made in the Te Mata style. It looks the least Awatea for some years, however. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 03/12

1970 Penfolds Cabernet / Shiraz Bin 389 16 ½ + (

)

Magill, and Barossa Valley, South Australia, Australia: – %; $289 [ cork, 42mm; release price c.$4.25; cepage usually CS fractionally dominant; elevation 18 months in 100% American oak including barrels from the Grange and Bin 707 programmes, c.20% new; first produced 1960; Len Evans in 1973 commented that Bin 389 was greatly underestimated, in blind tastings the wines ‘often covered themselves with glory’, being mistaken for much more expensive labels. He thought the 1970 lighter than the 1971, but I am presenting the 1970 to match the Leoville; Langtons: Bin 389 is the quintessential expression of the Penfolds red wine style. Typically it is fresh, generous and buoyant with ripe dark chocolate, dark berry fruit, beautifully extracted flavours, fine-grained tannins and underlying new oak characters. First produced in 1960 … the best vintages can develop and improve for decades. Halliday, 1999: … quite scented, with a mix of charry, earthy, cedary and chocolatey aromas. A nicely balanced palate with the juxtaposition of leathery and chocolatey/berry fruit flavours. The tannins are starting to dry off a little, ****; ; www.penfolds.com ]
Garnet and ruby, below midway in depth. This was the (relative) disappointment of the tasting, particularly in the sense it was supposed to be the marker wine for the 1970 Leoville. But whereas the Leoville (and the Bin 128) were fresh on bouquet, this 389 smells a bit broad / baked / leathery / biscuitty (or oxidised), the fruit tending over-ripe. That aside, it has plenty of fruit, and a much better ratio of berry to oak than some of the other wines, so it is quite fragrant. Palate is soft, rich, ripe and round, plummy and a little bit pruney, hard to see the cabernet, but with the lower relative oak, still a worthwhile wine with food. Tasters also thought this a lesser wine, one of two only to not record a first or second place, plus three least votes. May well be a lesser bottle, the corks being so short, 42mm. This bottle fully mature, but no hurry at all. GK 09/17

nv Montana Chardonnay / Pinot Noir Methode Traditionelle Rosé Reserve 16 ½ + (

)

Gisborne mostly, some Marlborough, New Zealand: 12%; $16 [ cork; c. 70% clone 6 chardonnay and 30% 10/5 pinot noir; MLF and lees contact in tank at least 3 months; a reserve wine component blended-in pre-tirage; c. 15 months bottle fermentation; dosage 12 g/L; www.pernod-ricard-pacific.com/tastingnotes.php ]
Colour is lightly flushed rosé, lighter than some batches of standard Lindauer Reserve. Bouquet is clean, clearly pinot noir influenced, strawberry and summer pudding notes, lightly yeasty. Palate is fresh, similarly flavoured with a hint of tannin in juicy fruit, light autolysis less than the Blanc de Blancs, all very clean indeed. This wine tastes a little drier than standard Lindauer, but the website numbers say no, nor does pH or acid explain. Like all Pernod-Ricard bubblies, attractive quaffing wine, to cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 11/08

2004 Foxes Island Pinot Noir 16 ½ + (

)

Wairau and Awatere Valleys, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $40 [ screwcap; hand-picked; long cold-soak, then fermented in both oak and s/s; 14 months in tight-grained French oak 50% new; bottled unfiltered @ RS 2.5 g/L; www.foxes-island.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, one of the lighter, and older than most. This wine is rather like the Sileni, with evidence of quality oak as apparent as the varietal fruit. Palate is clearly red cherry, but with an interesting barrel-ferment-like character, almost like red chardonnay with the texture to match. Finish is cedary oak as much as fruit, slightly buttery (+ve – the chardonnay thought), appealing, burgundian in style, but lacking a little in varietal precision. Good food wine. Cellar 3 – 6 years. GK 09/06

2006 Chard Farm Pinot Noir Finla Mor 16 ½ + (

)

Cromwell district, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $38 [ screwcap; hand-harvested; www.chardfarm.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, between the River Run and Viper pinots in weight and hue. Bouquet is between these two wines too, illustrating beautifully the deepening of the floral component that comes with increasing ripeness in the variety – up to the point of sur-maturité. There are the same buddleia and roses, but also deeper notes of boronia maybe, elusive and attractive. Palate too is richer than the River Run, some black cherry in the red, but all let down by a sucking-on-plum-stones austerity on the finish. A passing phase one hopes, for the wine is richer than the River Run, and should ultimately score higher. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 03/08

2003 Craggy Range Syrah Block 14 16 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.8%; $30 [ cork; Sy 100%; this wine is rare – there being no 2003 le Sol, it is Craggy’s top syrah statement for the year. Very little was released onto the NZ market, and it is long gone. Fruit is hand-picked, then sorting table, de-stemmed, then undergoes 8 – 10 days cold soak. Winemaking includes wild yeast, cool fermentation, and careful plunging of the skins to avoid excessive extraction. Extended macerations are carried on for as long as possible, resulting in a 20 to 30 day cuvaison. Elevage in French oak, 35% new. MLF in barrel. Bottled unfined and unfiltered; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby and velvet, not as bright as the Unison. VA on this wine is higher than the Unison, again with aggressive oak, so the two New Zealand wines look clumsy amongst the floral and fragrant sophisticated French ones. 2003 was seen as a cooler and more difficult year in Hawkes Bay (after the stunning 2002 vintage), but neither of the New Zealand wines shows any lack of varietal ripeness. Rather, these wines reflect the worrying preoccupation of so many New Zealand winemakers to push the fruit beyond any reasonable, complex, or sophisticated temperate-climate ripeness level, and instead to compete with Australian winestyles. For reds, this is total folly. In New Zealand we have the subtlety of climate to compete with France in our red wines, and for syrah to capture the precise floral varietal beauty and spicy complexity which characterises the best wines of the northern Rhone. But exactly as with pinot noir, this beauty is lost with over-ripening.

These big over-ripe wine styles might win approval in the supermarket, but they will not win us plaudits from discriminating sectors of the European world wine market, to whom we wish to export. So for me, 2003 Block 14 after a year in bottle is disappointing, and my enthusiastic scoring for the newly-bottled wine (12/04) seems a little generous now. But the wine could well just be in an awkward phase. On the good side, it is ripe and rich, and like the 2003 Unison, the fruit itself was good. It may in some ways have been more aromatic and hence more complex than the bigger 2002 wine – i.e. better able to match France, had it been made more conservatively. As it stands, it is soft, full and flavoursome, and will be popular. It is much softer than the Unison, but like it, if this bottle is representative, it is less than could have been achieved in the vintage. I look forward to checking another bottle in a couple of years. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 10/05

7/12/05: Following advice from the winery as to unwarranted assumptions in my original text, and given the flexibility electronic media offer for revision in the interests of accuracy, the above review has been corrected in detail, but not in its general thrust. Some of these wines will be reported on again, with heightened interest, in years to come. One goal of this website is to encourage the cellaring of wine, to provide for exactly such future treats. GK 10/05

1996 Te Mata Estate Syrah Bullnose 16 ½ + (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $ – [ cork; Sy 100%; hand-harvested, de-stemmed; extended cuvaison, followed by 15 months in new and older French oak; www.temata.co.nz ]
Ruby and garnet, much lighter than the younger wines. This is a beast of a different calibre to the younger ones. Bouquet essentially lacks the physiological maturity of berry and flavour seen in the more sophisticated younger vintages. Instead, the dominant characters here are floral and leafy, red fruits more than black, comparable with straightforward wines from the lower levels (of topography) at Crozes-Hermitage, or cool-year Cote Rotie. Within the leafiness there are pleasant red fruits, red plums, and some herbes de Provence suggestions, and still good fruit-feel on palate. Fully mature now, and won't improve, so start to drink it up, while it is still fruity. GK 10/05

2007 Sherwood Estate Pinot Noir 16 ½ + (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $16 [ screwcap; 5 days cold soak; further 11 days fermentation; 2 months in oak; www.sherwood.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is familiar, but not as majority New Zealand pinot noir. This is reminiscent of gamay noir a jus blanc as in Beaujolais, nearly violets florals, and darkly fleshy plum more than cherry fruit. Palate is only lightly oaked, making the wine even more fleshy and beaujolais-like, quite good beaujolais too, with a dark spicy note like nutmeg suggesting maceration carbonique (apparently not so). This is attractive as interpreted, though a little stalky. Cellar 1 – 3 years. GK 05/08

2003 Greenhough Pinot Noir 16 ½ + (

)

Waimea Plains, Nelson, New Zealand: 14%; $39 [ screwcap; clones 10/5 and others, some vines up to 24 years, harvested at under 5 t/ha (2 t/ac); 100% de-stemmed, up to 7 days cold soak, up to 27 days cuvaison; 12 months in French oak 37% new; Cooper, 2005: The stylish 2003 was fermented with indigenous and cultivated yeasts … It’s a powerful yet exceptionally elegant wine, notably concentrated, vibrant and youthful, with layers of flavour and a finely poised, lasting finish, *****; Robinson '05: Dark blackish purple. Something rather odd on the nose. Sweet start, rather charming essence of Pinot + gas. Probably not a long liver! 16; www.greenhough.co.nz ]
Mature pinot noir ruby, age showing, in the middle for depth. Bouquet is fully mature but clearly varietal pinot noir, quite autumnal, red fruits, some leafyness. Palate follows naturally, red fruits now browning, acid up a little, the wine a little short now, a suggestion of stalkyness as the berry fades, yet still pleasing and better with food. Drink up. GK 11/13

2011 Goldie Wines Merlot / Cabernet Sauvignon Island Red 16 ½ + (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13%; $28 [ screwcap; Me 75%, CS 14, Sy 9.5, CF 1.5, hand-harvested; 10 months in all-French oak, none new; RS not given; the website info does not correlate at all with my observations on the wine; www.goldiewines.co.nz ]
Fresh lightish ruby. One sniff, and this is something totally different, a beaujolais / maceration carbonique winestyle made from bordeaux varieties. As such it is fresh, fragrant and inconsequential, like a Loire Valley red from cabernet franc rather than the cabernet sauvignon in the label. Whatever, the actual fruit is delightful, Bourgueil for example, virtually no oak (glory be !), all lingering nicely in mouth. Hard to think of the better picnic red than this, come summer. This is technically perfect light red, an intriguing and different kind of red for the Island. Cellar 1 – 2 years. GK 10/12

2006 [Te Motu] Dunleavy Cabernet / Merlot 16 ½ + (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13%; $45 [ cork; CS c.62%, Me c.27%, balance CF & Ma, hand-picked @ c.1 t/ac; c.11 days cuvaison, inoculated; MLF and c.22 months in French c.70%, Hungarian c.20% and balance American oak, none new; sterile-filtered; c.350 cases; 'Next release of second label'; www.temotu.co.nz ]
Ruby, close to 2006 Mystae, a little older. Bouquet is distinctive on this wine, a little scented, with a nutmeg and dark tobacco component hiding a trace of brett. Below are red and black currants, red plums more than black, and fragrant oak, along the same lines as Te Motu. Palate is lesser, the flavours integrated, but the total acid is higher than desirable, making the wine seem short in the mouth, till one has had several mouthfuls. Nett impression then ends up favourable. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/09

2009 Chard Farm Pinot Noir Mata-Au 16 ½ + (

)

Lowburn & Parkburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $43 [ screwcap; no info; www.chardfarm.co.nz ]
Lightish pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is supple redfruits satellite-Beaune, red currants dominant with some buddleia florality. Palate tastes a little chaptalised, and continues the red currants grading to sparingly red cherry analogy, with good fruit weight at this modest level of physiological maturity / complexity, plus a hint of stalk. One could scarcely ask for a better illustration of this phase of ripeness. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 09/10

2007 Seresin Estate Pinot Noir Raupo Creek 16 ½ + (

)

Omaka Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $48 [ screwcap; nil whole bunch; 15 months in French oak 40% new; 66% of fruit from higher-clay older hill-soils; www.seresin.co.nz ]
Colour is too deep for pinot noir, with some carmine and velvet. Bouquet follows pro rata, dark and rich in the heroic new world style, let down by some mint. In mouth, the weight of fruit is rich and ample, the styling more bottled dark plums than cherry, but as it lingers, it grows on you. Perhaps there are very dark florals here, darkest boronia, and the new oak balance though noticeable is attractive, adding freshness to the fruit. The thought of darkest cherry, plus a hint of cocoa / chocolate creeps in later. But on balance, it is too massive for fine or classical pinot, more a wine for new world palates. Perhaps there are Washington pinots like this. The key point of interest here is, 66% of the wine is from older hillside soils, pointing to the greater physiological maturity these sites can achieve in Marlborough. The contrast with the same vineyard's Renwick-soils Home Vineyard wine in the same Sustainable Practices tasting was noteworthy, again pointing to the great potential on these older more clayey soils for Marlborough to produce more substantial and interesting pinots. This example however is too substantial, and too over-ripe. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 02/10

2009 Bald Hills Pinot Noir Single Vineyard 16 ½ + (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $44 [ screwcap; hand-picked @ 2.3 t/ac, oldest vines 12 years; 30% whole-bunch, 7 days cold-soak, 15 further days cuvaison; 11 months in French oak 35% new; no fining, coarse filter only; RS < 1 g/L; winemaker Grant Taylor; www.baldhills.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is charmingly floral at the buddleia and red roses level, on red cherry fruit. A touch of mushroom adds burgundian appeal. Palate is simpler as yet, plain red cherry, a hint of stalk, medium weight. This will marry up a good deal over the next 12 months, I think, and become more burgundian. Bouquet promises a higher rank. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 09/10

2003 Penfolds Shiraz Bin 28 16 ½ + (

)

McLaren Vale, Langhorne Creek & Barossa Valley, South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $31 [ cork; 12 months in older American oak; www.penfolds.com.au ]
Ruby and velvet, below midway in depth. Bin 28 now includes fruit from warmer areas than the Barossa, and in the last couple of decades the style has broadened and browned-off somewhat, compared with the marvellous (at best) wines of the '70s and '80s. This is a rich shiraz in a more commercial Penfolds approach, all a bit leathery and phenolic, lacking floral and berry aromatics and complexity. Plenty of size, though, so needs to mellow. It will cellar 10 – 25 years, in its style, but won't reward the way the earlier editions did. GK 07/06

2005 Ara Pinot Noir Resolute 16 ½ + (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.2%; $46 [ cork; www.winegrowersofara.co.nz; www.resolutewines.co.nz ]
Ruby and some velvet. Initially opened, the wine is a little oaky / varnishy. It benefits from aeration, to reveal clear-cut pinot a little old for its years, some VA, and a better balance of fruit to oak than initially supposed. Palate is richly flavoured, a slight stalky streak as is still frequent in Marlborough pinot, tending coarse for the pricepoint, but the wine is mouthfilling, and will be good with many foods. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 02/08

2005 Tiwaiwaka Pinot Noir 16 ½ + (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 14.1%; $38 [ supercritical 'cork' ]
Ruby, a suggestion of carmine and velvet, big for pinot noir. Bouquet is rich and ripe and clearly varietal, with buddleia florals on black cherry and dark plum fruit, plus slightly smoky / spicy oak. Palate brings up a somewhat stewed character in the fruit, but the flavours continue rich, youthful and reasonably varietal. Some marrying-up with the oak is needed. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 11/06

2008 Stonyridge Malbec Luna Negra Single Vineyard 16 ½ + (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13%; $80 [ cork; Ma 100%; French and American oak, some new; www.stonyridge.com ]
Dense ruby, carmine and velvet, a magnificent colour, the darkest of the set. This wine benefits from decanting, to show a bouquet lifted by threshold VA and a mint suggestion, on dark bottled omega plums, plus quite strong vanillin oak, all as yet unintegrated. Palate is not as rich as the bouquet promised, total acid is noticeably up, there is some stalk in the ample berry, but the whole flavour is long, excessively oaky and persistent. Malbec really needs summer warmth, like cabernet, yet this has not turned out as well as might be hoped, even in 2008. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 06/10

2009 Rosemount Cabernet Sauvignon Coonawarra District Release 16 ½ + (

)

Coonawarra, South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $20 [ screwcap; CS; no info at all on website; www.rosemountestate.com.au ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, much weightier than the McLaren Vale District release. Bouquet is much weightier too, so weighty it needs decanting to diffuse a certain fusel-like dullness. Attractive cassis and dark plum are then revealed, with appropriate oak. Palate is less good at this stage, the dullness comes back as an almond undertone, but the wine is rich and reasonably balanced in a raw and tannic way. It will cellar well 5 – 15 years, and should improve considerably. GK 07/11

2002 Girardin Chassagne-Montrachet Morgeot Premier Cru 16 ½ + (

)

Chassagne-Montrachet Premier Cru, Cote de Beaune, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $48 [ cork; this wine was bought specifically to illustrate florality in a 2002, relative to some of the Otago wines then offering at similar prices. Morgeot is not the longest-lived wine, yet it can hang on remarkably. This should be a well-worthwhile line of inquiry into the real and imagined beauties of the burgundy winestyle. Morgeot is more famous for its chardonnay than its pinot noir, and apart from my earlier review, I can find no info. I do not subscribe to Meadows; www.vincentgirardin.com/fr ]
Ruby and some garnet, one of the older colours. Bouquet is clearly different from the other wines, due to the added savoury and venison casserole complexities of a significant brett component. Behind that are autumnal floral notes like the Escarpment, browning red cherry and a classically (but old-fashionedly) burgundian presence. The floral qualities of the young wine are sadly no longer apparent, so an error or mis-appraisal there. Flavours in mouth are typically Cote de Beaune, soft, round, rich and enveloping, clearly illuminating how in-style the crystal pure Mt Difficulty is. Will hold for some years, but is fully mature. GK 10/12

2005 Charles Wiffen Pinot Noir Reserve 16 ½ + (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.8%; $27 [ screwcap ]
Pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is clearly floral with lilac and boronia suggestions, on fragrant black cherry and plum fruit. Palate is fairly rich, a little more plummy, a suggestion of stalks with the oak, reasonably plump in mouth, perhaps not bone dry. This is pleasant Marlborough pinot noir, to cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 03/07

2003 Staete Landt Pinot Noir Estate 16 ½ + (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.6%; $36 [ cork; nil whole bunch; 10 months in new unspecified oak, then 7 months in older; www.staetelandt.co.nz ]
Mature pinot noir ruby, close to the Target Gully, a real pinot colour. Bouquet is light clean and fragrant in a slightly leafy and secondary-characters way. Palate is elegant within those terms, like the Target Gully more burgundian than some, but lighter. It is carefully oaked, attractive as mature wine, with maybe a couple of years in hand as old wine. GK 02/10

2009 Obsidian Chardonnay 16 ½ + (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14%; $36 [ screwcap; hand-harvested, whole-bunch pressed; 100% BF in French oak 25% new with 30% wild yeast, balance inoculated yeast, 10 months LA and occasional batonnage, some MLF; RS <2 g/L; 170 cases; www.obsidian.co.nz ]
Elegant green-washed lemon. Bouquet is fragrant, verging a little to the unnecessarily 'fruity' side as several of these Waiheke Island chardonnays do, a hint of banana in the stone fruit, a suggestion of American oak in the desiccated coconut aromas, but all fragrant and knit. Palate shows good fruit to oak at a max, the fruit so good it suggests some residual sugar, but it is in fact less than 2 g/L. Accessible chardonnay in a popular rather than classic style. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/10

2007 Surveyor Thomson Pinot Noir 16 ½ + (

)

Lowburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $42.50 [ uncertain (89% of the bottling screwcap, balance Diam); hand-harvested; 10 months in French oak 33% new; fifth vintage; appealing website format, more info would optimise; www.surveyorthomson.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, some age showing. Bouquet is in an old-school style, tending European, lightly savoury, a trace of oxidation and brett making the wine smell very food-friendly, on red fruits browning a little now. Palate shows lovely ripeness, and simply reprises the bouquet. This is the kind of wine pinot drinkers love, matching many a bourgogne rouge, and technocrats nowadays are doubtful about, or deride. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 09/10

2005 Sileni Merlot Cellar Selection 16 ½ + (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12.5%; $20 [ 1 + 1 cork; website lacks detail; www.sileni.co.nz ]
Lightish ruby, overlapping with some pinot noir. Bouquet is lightish too, but delightfully fragrant, with clear merlot floral characters quite outclassing the (surprisingly good) Milton Park. Below is cassisy to ripe plummy fruit. Palate is lighter than the bouquet promises, but fine-grained, varietal, remarkably like a minor satellite St Emilion, just a trace of stalk. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 03/07

2007 Northburn Station Pinot Noir Seventh Vintage 16 ½ + (

)

Northburn, Cromwell Basin, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $42 [ screwcap; made by Michelle Richardson; www.northburn.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is intriguingly floral, as well as roses and even boronia of pinot noir, there is a hint of white pepper in a syrah sense adding interest. The latter accurately points to a suggestion of stalk on the palate, and crisp red cherry fruits, the acid noticeable on the aftertaste. This will become more fragrant in a cool-climate way in bottle, cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 09/10

1994 Stonyridge Larose 16 ½ + (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.5%; $ – [ cork; DFB; CS, Me, CF, Ma, PV, hand-picked @ c. 2.5 t/ha = 1 t/ac; 12 months in oak probably 90% French, 10 US, 70% either new, or shaved and re-toasted; not filtered; www.stonyridge.co.nz ]
Ruby and garnet. Bouquet is a dead-ringer for a Pauillac such as Grande-Puy-Lacoste in a cool year – 1994 for example ! There is a terrific volume of cassis and cedar, enchanting. Palate is a little less, some stalkyness in the cassis and berry, a little acid, but the dry extract is clearly of classed growth standard in such a year. Oak is now becoming a little prominent, but I imagine the wine will fade gradually for several years to come. Good to see such fragrance and aroma in mature New Zealand red. Will easily make 20 years. GK 08/11

2002 Wynns Coonawarra Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 16 ½ + (

)

Coonawarra, South Australia, Australia: 14%; $26 [ cork; DFB; 16 months French and American oak some new; www.wynns.com.au ]
Ruby and velvet, by far the oldest of these 2002 reds. Bouquet is a surprise, being remarkably bretty as well as showing browning cassis in abundance. Palate is the same, clear-cut cassis and cabernet profile, good fruit weight and acid balance, and very winey indeed due to the brett. This will be marvellous with food, and can be cellared for 5 – 12 years or so. However, its long-term cellar performance will be compromised by the brett level. Some would score it ‘no award’ on that factor. Don’t serve this to winemakers at dinner, for many will find this level of brett offensive. Consumers generally love it. GK 07/06

2006 Chapoutier Cote Rotie La Mordorée 16 ½ + (

)

Cote Rotie, Northern Rhone Valley, New Zealand: 13.5%; $197 [ cork; Sy 100%; www.chapoutier.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, the second deepest of the syrahs. Bouquet has plenty of volume, but is not so elegant. In the dianthus florals is a strong leafy / stalky component adding to the bouquet, but detracting from the quality. Palate confirms suspicions, a wine of mixed bunch-ripeness, with both cassis and stalky flavours, and some white pepper as is so often the case in the demanding Cote Rotie terroir. Acid is noticeable too. This will cellar well in its leafy cool-climate syrah style, and become very fragrant. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 03/10

2006 Gladstone Pinot Noir 16 ½ + (

)

Gladstone & Martinborough, Wairarapa Valley, New Zealand: 14%; $33 [ screwcap; hand-picked; 5 days cold soak, extended cuvaison; 10 months in French oak; RS < 1 g/L; www.gladstone.co.nz ]
Lightish pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is in the simple buddleia florals style, on light red fruits hinting at strawberry, raspberry and red currants, a little riper than the Stoneleigh. Palate however is a little less pleasing, a good weight of red berry fruits fractionally richer than the Stoneleigh, but a clear stalky streak through the tail leaves a green note. This should attenuate in cellar. The wine should cellar longer than the Stoneleigh, 3 – 8 years. GK 04/08

2007 Gladstone Sauvignon Blanc 16 ½ + (

)

Wairarapa, New Zealand: 13.5%; $21 [ screwcap; some machine-harvesting; low-solids juice fermented mostly in s/s, some barrel ferments; extended LA; pH 3.26, RS 2.2 g/L; www.gladstone.co.nz ]
Good lemon. This is another sauvignon with higher SO2, which has needed time to be pleasant. The trouble with this older European / high SO2 approach is one loses the lovely aromas the grape shows at 12 months from vintage, as exemplified by the Astrolabes. This wine now shows the greengage / English gooseberry suite of smells and flavours, now the sulphur is married away. Finish seems sweeter than the number given, so if correct the cropping rate / fruit richness must be good. Palate fits in with that interpretation, making for a good food wine. A maturing suite of flavours, but this will cellar another 2 – 5 years, to taste. GK 04/09

1985 Jaboulet Hermitage La Chapelle 16 ½ + (

)

Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $284 [ Cork, 53mm; Sy 100; price given is wine-searcher average for that vintage of the wine; general elevation etc see Intro; Broadbent, 2002 (rarely) has some winemaking details: three weeks cuvaison, no new oak, 12 – 18 months in two- and three-year-old burgundy barriques; Robinson, 2006: Healthy brick colour – quite pale. This smells like an old wine rather than a Rhône. Could be a 1971 burgundy almost! Flattering, delicate, gentle drink. Mellow, tannins much in abeyance, 16; Parker, 2000: … an attractive smoky, underbrush, and truffle-scented wine with coffee, smoke, cedar, and jammy cassis/plum-like fruit. As the wine sits in the glass, notes of Chinese black tea, pepper, and soy emerge. There is surprising tannin and austerity in the finish, but the aromatics and attack were convincingly rich and intense. From my cellar, the 1985 appears to be developing at an evolved, precocious pace, but at the Jaboulets, the wine revealed far more force, vigor, structure, and weight. Anticipated maturity: 2002-2025, 91; www.jaboulet.com ]
Ruby and garnet, just below midway in depth of colour. In its mature way, this smelt the least ripe of the set. There was almost a leafy suggestion, and redcurrants rather more than black. Palate follows on logically, total acid up a bit, the flavours austere, though by no means weak. This will hold its present level of achievement another 5 – 10 years at least. The puzzling thing (to me) is, my initial experience of the wine at release, alongside the Delas Northern Rhone range of wines, was very different, the wine then seeming rich and ripe. I suspect this is a scalped bottle (that is, TCA below threshold), even though no such comments were forthcoming. I look forward to the next bottle, therefore. Two people rated the 1985 their top wine, but four their least. GK 09/14

2007 Rousseau Gevrey-Chambertin 16 ½ + (

)

Gevrey-Chambertin, Burgundy, France: 13%; $149 [ cork; Rousseau owns 2.2 ha of unclassified vineyards in the village; old oak only; www.domaine-rousseau.com ]
Lighter pinot noir ruby, some age. This wine sits alongside the chianti very happily, fragrant and enticing light red wine crying out to accompany food, so different from some of the stolid black pinot noirs misguided proprietors still pursue in New Zealand. In mouth it is classically red-fruited pinot noir, but the difference between so many New Zealand wines of this weight, and this AOC village wine, is the Rousseau is totally ripe. There are no hints of leaf or stalk, just red cherry and subdued older big wood. Lovely dinner wine, though the price of even this village wine in New Zealand is now unreal. Unlike the chianti, it is also squeaky-clean. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/11

2001 Domaine des Relagnes Chateauneuf du Pape 16 ½ + (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $48 [ Gr 85%, Mv 8, Ci & Sy 7 ]
Lightish older ruby. A fragrant wine, but in the fragrance is a leafy / stalky note which is disappointing, considering how good the 2001 vintage was in Chateauneuf. One would think there is a lot of syrah, from the bouquet – but apparently not so. Palate is fragrant and lightly aromatic on berryfruit, not rich but pleasing, and showing beautiful oak handling as so many Rhones do. Great food wine, but not rich enough to cellar for long though, maybe 5 – 8 years. GK 11/04

2008 Moana Park Merlot Vineyard Tribute Gimblett Road 16 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $32 [ screwcap; www.moanapark.co.nz ]
Dense ruby and velvet. Needs decanting, to show a more old-fashioned bouquet, with clear mixed ripeness qualities in plummy berry, quite a lot of oak, and nearly bacony brett complexity. Palate confirms all the bouquet signs, with flavours extending from subliminal leaf through red and dark fruits to a hint of chocolate, in a cedary frame, all slightly acid. Actual richness is good, and the nett impression is integrated and pleasant. A more detailed approach to viticulture, fruit selection and winemaking is needed now. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 06/10

2005 Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc Clifford Bay Reserve 16 ½ + (

)

Awatere district, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $25 [ screwcap; some LA; 2005 not on website, 2004 3.5 g/L RS; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
More pale lemon than lemongreen. This is more a typical Marlborough sauvignon of the 80s and 90s, with the full range of capsicums on bouquet, but still a honeysuckle and black passionfruit full ripeness component. Palate is similar, in one sense a more varietal flavour, but due to the yellow / green capsicum component, fractionally stronger and more assertive, not necessarily positively. Not a cellar wine beyond a year or two, for it will develop asparagus complexities. GK 11/05

2011 [ Rod McDonald Wines ] Quarter Acre Merlot / Malbec 16 ½ + (

)

Te Awanga district, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $33 [ screwcap; Me, Ma, CF 2%, hand-picked organically-grown grapes low-cropped; time in oak but details not available; website irritatingly slow to load, and not informative once achieved; www.rmwines.co.nz ]
Ruby. Bouquet has rather much oak vanillin and an almost 'custard' quality on the fruit which while not unpleasant is also not compelling. Palate shows light clean red fruits, the soft oak pervasive, the malbec surprisingly ripe and not intruding negatively, given the less than ideal year. Different, but soft and pleasantly winey in a small-scale way, and will be more food-friendly in a couple of years. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/13

2006 Penfolds [ Shiraz ] Bin 95 Grange 16 ½ + (

)

South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $ – [ cork; Sh 98%, CS 2; some barrel-ferment; 18 months in American hogsheads 100% new; www.penfolds.com ]
Ruby and velvet, middling in hue and depth. Bouquet here has the drab broad raw-liver smell of obvious sur-maturité, the wine inconceivable as syrah, but getting pretty dull as shiraz too. South African reds used to smell like this. Oak and VA are both unsubtle. As always with Grange, in mouth you have to take note of the saturation of fruit, a purely quantitative thing here, for the whole wine is simply clumsy, a caricature of the Grange style, lacking subtlety and food-friendlyness, Australian to a fault. Cellar 5 – 30 years, in its hot drab style. GK 07/13

2002 Tahbilk Cabernet Sauvignon 16 ½ + (

)

Nagambie Lakes, Central Victoria, Australia: 14%; $21 [ cork; lack of wine detail on website ; www.tahbilk.com.au ]
Ruby and velvet. Initially opened, the wine is minty going on euc'y, and even liniment, which detracts. Decanted and well breathed, it remains euc'y, but the rich fruit does expand and compete more effectively with the off-odours. One can imagine cassis and plum flavours, even if all one can taste at this stage is euc (sadly overt euc’y character does not disappear, even after decades). The degree of oaking exacerbates the euc’y character, particularly since the ratio of new oak has increased over the last 15 – 20 years. This raises the risk of the reds losing their essential Tahbilk character and charm. Traditionally, Tahbilk reds were not as euc'y as this one, so either 2002 was much hotter in the Tahbilk district than some favoured parts of South Australia, or the trees are relatively closer / denser / more influential than they used to be. Cellar for 10 – 15 years, maybe longer. The 1971s for example (from a very rich year) currently show no sign of demise. GK 03/06

2009 Okahu Estate Syrah 16 ½ + (

)

Ahipara, North Auckland, New Zealand: 12.5%; $24 [ screwcap; no wine info on site; www.okahuestate.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, medium depth. Bouquet is new oak and a slight VA lift more than varietal fruit, always a pity in syrah which, like pinot noir, needs subtle oak to explicitly express its florality and subtlety. There is good berry and fruit below, but on bouquet it is masked. In mouth, one can access the fruit a bit more, it is darkly cassisy grading to bottled black doris plum, with attractive ripeness. The given alcohol figure seems understated. This should marry up into a pleasing wine, still too oaky, but much purer than the earlier days of Okahu Estate. Cellar 3 – 12 years. GK 08/11

2010 Te Awa Cabernet / Merlot 16 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $40 [ screwcap; no factual info in the Catalogue, not on website; www.teawa.com ]
Ruby and velvet. This wine is rather like 2010 Elspeth, showing pleasing suggestions of cassis and black doris plums with appropriate oak, but also some of the stalk of imperfect ripeness. Palate is medium-weight only, but should round out and hide the stalk with 3 – 8 years in cellar. GK 06/13

2003 Loosen Erdener Treppchen Riesling Spatlese QmP 16 ½ + (

)

Mosel, Germany: 8%; $50 [ www.drloosen.de ]
Lemon. A straightforward riesling bouquet, slightly limey, slightly biscuitty, more like a new world wine. Flavour is richer than expected, good white stonefruits, noticeable aromatics, good acid. This might surprise in bottle, despite that biscuit hint. Cellar 10 – 15 years. GK 11/04

1986 Bannockburn Pinot Noir 16 ½ + (

)

Geelong, Victoria, Australia: 13%; $ – [ 48mm cork; made by Gary Farr, who has been much influenced by Jacques Seysses, of Domaine Dujac; assumed therefore to have considerable whole-bunch component; Farr no longer winemaker at this winery; www.bannockburnvineyards.com ]
Garnet and ruby, right in the middle for depth. Bouquet is strongly aromatic and stimulating in one sense, but also clearly nutmeg-spicy in the sense of the brett metabolite 4-EG. Below there is browning cherry fruit, but the other aromas are so prominent, detecting floral notes is not easy or maybe even possible. Flavours though are delightfully correct for pinot noir, as are texture, weight, and acid balance. You would never pick it as an Australian wine, in the sense of untoward tartaric acid additions, or euc'y notes. It is on the oaky side, but it almost has the fruit and fruit ripeness to carry that. It is perhaps the most obvious or clear-cut wine in the tasting, depending on how far you peer into it, and was rated the top wine by seven tasters. I would argue that while it is in style in terms of palate weight and texture etc, it lacks varietal precision on bouquet. In the context of this wine, my top wines, especially the Domaine Lafon, are wondrously subtle in comparison. All these notes need to be read with these values in mind, therefore. The Bannockburn is fully mature, but there is no hurry, even with the the brett. GK 10/14

2010 Jaboulet Cote-Rotie Domaine des Pierelles 16 ½ + (

)

Cote Rotie, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $155 [ 54mm cork; not on website; 100% Syrah from the Cote Blonde, hand-picked; cuvaison to 4 weeks, 12 months in French oak 20% new; Parker: 90; www.jaboulet.com ]
Ruby, the second lightest of the Jaboulets. Bouquet is on the small side, almost some contradictory signals, hints of red fruits (thoughts of pinot noir) yet some pepper too, and some floral qualities … or is that a stalky note. In short a difficult bouquet. In mouth it becomes clearer. There is fair fruit weight, mixed red and black berry flavours, but also some stalky notes, with total acid up a little, and white pepper more than black. It is attractive as light sub-optimally ripened syrah, but not at all convincing as Cote-Rotie. Cellar 3 – 12 years. GK 06/14

2004 Te Mata [ Cabernets / Merlot ] Coleraine 16 ½ + (

)

Havelock Hills, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $70 [ cork; Me 45%, CS 39, CF 16; hand-harvested; c. 20 months in 75% new French oak; www.temata.co.nz ]
Ruby, clearly an older wine. Bouquet is intriguing, displaying the fruit of a less-ripe year subjected to very sophisticated elevation. The cedary qualities of the oak and the cassis component almost obscure the fact that there are traces of methoxypyrazine / sautéed red capsicums from the less than optimally ripe cabernet component, in curranty and plummy fruit. Palate is surprisingly soft and round against the bouquet, red and black fruits, so the total achievement is pleasing and remarkably like cool-year classed Bordeaux. Already drinking well. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 03/09

2009 Mudbrick Vineyard Merlot / Cabernet Sauvignon 16 ½ + (

)

Western Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.8%; $30 [ screwcap; Me dominant, then CS, Ma 10, CF 10, hand-picked; up to 20 days cuvaison, cultured yeast; some months in French and American oak 80 / 20, none new; www.mudbrick.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet. Bouquet here is more straight up-and-down cabernet / merlot, pure, youthful, raw plum, some cassis, a suggestion of pepper so the variety is not clear at the blind stage. Palate is firm and youthful, clean / high-tech, fresh, total acid a little elevated, not the richness of some 2008s, but still fair fruit and flavour. The suggestion of syrah persists through the palate, whether in truth or mimicry I don't know. This will become a very fragrant bottle. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 06/10

2010 The Riesling Challenge Duncan Forsyth 16 ½ + (

)

Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 12.5%; $ – [ screwcap; winemaker based at Mount Edward Wines, Central Otago; price: the wines were initially offered at $25 each in the dozen set, but ended up at www.blackmarket.co.nz for $120 the set; wine described (indirectly) as dry by winemaker, and in the middle of Dry by the bar-graph; no other info ]
Lemon-green. This is another light and delicate wine on bouquet, subtler florals than freesia, more linden blossom, subtle citrus fruit. Palate has a hard time competing with the higher-ranked wines because it is dry – the driest of this set, I suspect – but the purity of the palely citrus and mineral fruit is attractive. Terpenes show up a little on the tail, giving an attractively hoppy finish. Should gain complexity over 5 – 8 years in bottle, then tail off. GK 02/12

2009 Man O' War Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc 16 ½ + (

)

Eastern Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 12.5%; $28 [ screwcap; hand-picked; all s/s; 4 g/L RS; www.manowarvineyards.com ]
Full lemon. Initially opened there is some SO2, which with swirling opens up to a clean, clear and strong bouquet, reflecting more the sauvignon styles of the 1980s. There is quite a yellow capsicum component, plus pepino as in Hawkes Bay. Palate likewise is very flavoursome, a little phenolic, but this is nicely covered by the 4 g/L residual sugar. I imagine this working well with smoked fish and salad greens etc. There is not the elegance to cellar for more than a year or two only. GK 06/10

2003 Martinborough Vineyard Pinot Noir 16 ½ + (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $62 [ clones 10/5 and others, up to 24 years, harvested @ 1 t/ac; 15% whole bunch, 6 days cold soak, up to 20 days cuvaison; 11 months French oak 33% new; coarse filtration; Robinson '05: Deep crimson. Sweet, perfumed, violets, remarkably burgundian. Very lively mouthfeel – very fragrant and delicate. Some mushrooms. Although this isn’t BIG there is a convincing framework for future development. 18; www.martinborough-vineyard.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, older than many '03s. Bouquet has features in common with the '02 Neudorf Home wine, there being a clear leafy fragrance in a bright floral buddleia aroma, on red fruits. Palate is fresh, red currants and red cherries, a leafy going on clearly stalky component, all light in this company. The wine gives the impression of being overcropped / under-ripened, which given the (by local standards) grand cru pricing, is not compatible with standard grand cru cropping rates. There is some flesh though, and the wine is pleasant fragrant drinking. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 01/07

2007 Quartz Reef Pinot Noir [ white label ] 16 ½ + (

)

Bendigo, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14.5%; $ – [ screwcap; 6 clones, hand-picked; 5% whole bunch, c.20 days cuvaison; c.14 months in French oak, 33% new, balance 1 & 2-year; fined; www.quartzreef.co.nz ]
Big pinot noir ruby, a little age showing, well above midway in depth. There is an odd note on the newly opened bouquet, a suggestion of burning perspex noted before in certain Otago wines which dissipates with ventilation, leaving a fragrant slightly exotic red and black fruits aroma like 50 / 50 canned guavas and stewed plums. Palate is much better, richly fruity in this unusual but attractive style, a trace of stalk below. Cellar 3 – 8 years. There is certainly a vast difference in fruit character between the white label and black label Quartz Reef wines. GK 11/10

2009 Archangel Wines Pinot Noir The Long Trek 16 ½ + (

)

Queensberry, Cromwell Basin, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $25 [ screwcap; hand-harvested; no further info; www.archangelwines.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is fragrant in a vaguely scented valpolicella-like way, but also clearly red cherry pinot. Palate is fresh, red fruited, and tending a little stalky and acid, yet longer than expected. Gives the impression of being raised in old oak only (+ve). Straightforward small pinot to cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 09/10

2012 Domain Road Riesling Duffers Creek 16 ½ + (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 11%; $25 [ screwcap; hand-harvested; inoculated yeast cool fermentation, all s/s; RS 19 g/L; www.domainroad.co.nz ]
Lemongreen. Bouquet is light and vaguely varietal, suggestions of an aromatic yeast on light riesling, clean, distinctly youthful. Palate is more convincing, citric with light riesling fruit, medium-dry sweetness and a pleasant balance of fruit and phenolics. Cellar 2 – 8 years, maybe to score higher. GK 05/13

2007 Jacobs Creek Shiraz / Cabernet Sauvignon / Tempranillo 16 ½ + (

)

Australia: 12.5%; $16 [ screwcap; some only of the wine sees older oak; new website since previous review, better; www.jacobscreek.co.nz ]
Ruby, a little age showing. What a transformation from when I last reviewed this wine. Bouquet is now fragrant and attractive, in a modern more grapey and less alcoholic / oaky approach, a step forward which is making Australian reds more palatable and food-friendly. Like the Barossa Valley shiraz in this batch, this bouquet also has a lift of flowering mintbush. Palate is now attractively softened and supple, light and food-friendly, almost a natural acid balance, all nicely in keeping with good tempranillo from Spain, though the stronger varieties do speak a little louder. At five years of age this bottle confirms that most Australian supermarket red wine is not fit for discriminating consumption, at the point of release / sale. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 08/12

2007 Vidal Estate Pinot Noir Marlborough 16 ½ + (

)

Awatere Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $27 [ screwcap; hand-harvested clones 5 & 777, 100% destemmed; cold-soak up to 12 days, some wild-yeast ferments, cuvaison up to 18 days, MLF and 10 months in French barrels the following spring, 21% new oak; minimal filtering; RS nil; www.vidal.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby. This wine has a clear pinot bouquet, but with an intriguing complexity factor reminiscent of Lawson's cypress – which distracts a little. In mouth it is attractively fruited, soft red more than black cherries, subtle oak, only a trace of leaf / herbes, a pleasing version of the simpler Marlborough style. Without that note on bouquet, it would score a little higher. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 03/09

2003 Te Mata Cabernet / Merlot Coleraine 16 ½ + (

)

Havelock Hills, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $65 [ cork; CS 50%, Me 50, hand-picked; c. 19 months in French oak; www.temata.co.nz ]
Ruby, one of the lightest. Bouquet is clear cabernet / merlot, some cassis, quite a lot of fragrant new oak, relatively light. Palate shows cassis and plum, all slightly acid and stalky, oak continuing noticeable for the weight of fruit, much lighter than the Troplong Mondot, but related to it in style. Now that Te Mata’s Coleraine and Awatea are differentiated in the winery on perceived quality rather than provenance, 2003 may have been a year to forgo Coleraine altogether, bottling only Awatea. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 11/06

2012 Craggy Range Pinot Noir Te Muna Road Aroha 16 ½ + (

)

Te Muna Valley, Martinborough district, Wairarapa, New Zealand: 13%; $ – [ 50mm cork; hand-harvested @ c. 3.8 t/ha = 1.5 t/ac; fermentation in oak cuves and s/s with wild yeasts; 30% whole-bunch; 10 months in French oak 30% new; no fining, light filtering; RS nil; www.craggyrange.com ]
Classic pinot noir ruby, not quite as red as the Ata Rangi and fractionally lighter. One sniff of this wine, and it does show the cool year. There is a clear stalks note in the all-red-fruits, making the wine highly varietal but not quite the appropriate ripeness profile. Palate shows both 'sweet' fruit (in one sense), and a clear stalky backbone, markedly more so than the Ata Rangi, closer to the Dry River, but no more stalky than cool years in Burgundy. The wine is therefore still clearly in style. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 09/16

2013 Guigal Cote du Rhone Blanc 16 ½ + (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $21 [ cork; Vi 55%, Ro 15, Ma 10, Cl 8, Bo 2; average vine age 25 years; cropped at c.4.6 t/ha (1.9 t/ac); free-run juice, all s/s; 45,800 9-L cases; www.guigal.com ]
This was the first pre-tasting whistle-wetter. Lemon with a wash of straw. Bouquet is clean, strong and slightly pungent on a grapefruit / apricot aroma which one immediately interprets as stalky viognier, rather than the milder gentler characters one might expect from grapes such as marsanne or rousanne. Palate is firm, dry, some body, clear oak higher than expected for a white Cote du Rhone, all making for a flavoursome wine with stonefruits, apricot and again grapefruit flavours, all a bit phenolic / tannic. It could be hard to match with particularly subtle food. There might possibly be 2 – 3 g/L residual sugar to cover the phenolics. Cellar 2 – 4 years. GK 07/16

2003 Trapiche Malbec José Blanco Single Vineyard 16 ½ + (

)

Mendoza, Argentina: 14.5%; $ – [ cork; c. $40 originally; Ma 100% grown at 980m in the Ugarteche part of the Mendoza district (roughly the latitude of Santiago, say 33° S); 8-year old vines on own roots, planted at 4,000 vines / ha, hand-picked at 8 t/ha (3.25 t/ac); 25 days cuvaison, 18 months in new French oak; Wine Spectator, 2010: Offers a nice range of blueberry, blackberry and boysenberry fruit that's still pure and fresh, with the toast, spice and graphite notes lingering in the background. A toasty edge takes over on the lightly firm finish. 860 cases made: 90; weight bottle and closure: 1184 g (greater than any 'prestige' bottling in New Zealand); www.trapiche.com.ar/terroirseries/docs/en/fichas_tec_2003/TMSV__2003__Jose_Blanco.pdf ]
Ruby, some garnet and velvet, the second deepest wine. Bouquet is big, but in the company, clearly showing baked fruit / hot-climate-country qualities on bouquet, reinforced by massive oak way beyond any old-world idea of reasonable oak deployment in wine. It is vastly more oaky than either Penfolds wine, a company which often sets the pace in these matters. In mouth the baked plum tart aromas and flavours (plus the oak) continue, a rich and strong wine, not unpleasing, instead like the Australian wines, simply looking incongruous when measured against fragrant temperate-climate wine standards as expressed in the Cos or Brokenstone. It is strange the Trapiche people have so massively over-oaked it, given both their old-world heritage, and the cropping rate being not particularly low, so there is not the innate grape richness / dry extract to carry such an oak load. Intriguingly, even though Argentina is the home of malbec (pace Cahors), it is the Villa Maria / New Zealand wine in this tasting which vividly illustrates the quality of malbec the variety. But as noted in the introductory text, in New Zealand this can only be achieved in a favourably warm year. The Trapiche is mellow, softish and mature now, in its very oaky way, and will hold many years, 5 – 20 say. Four people had this as their top or second wine – people do like oak – but again it was hard to recognise the wine as malbec. It is even more oaky with food. GK 09/16

2005 Drouhin Beaune Clos des Mouches 16 ½ + (

)

Beaune Premier Cru, Burgundy, France: 13%; $131 [ cork; a Drouhin domaine wine, though mouches typically denotes flies, on this site it takes the earlier meaning of honey-bees; Clos des Mouches occupies a special place in the Drouhin affections. It is noteworthy for producing chardonnay as much as pinot noir; hand-picked, some stem retention depending on the vintage, cuvaison c. 18 days; 15 – 18 months in French oak some new; www.drouhin.com ]
Good pinot noir ruby, absolutely in the middle for depth. Bouquet shares some features with the Savigny-les-Beaune, being clearly red fruits, red currants grading into red cherries, no black. There is a great improvement in the depth of the floral component, however, which is much more serious and beautiful, roses, not buddleia. Palate is much richer than the Savigny, but like it is fresh on acid, and black fruits do not register. Coupled with more new oak than some premier cru labels in the Drouhin range, the whole impression is just a little shrill, for such a highly regarded year. This vintage of Clos des Mouches has had fulsome reviews overseas, but in terms of physiological maturity, this bottle does not justify them. Perhaps there are two bottlings ? So an interesting question there. Richness is good though, and it will cellar well, 5 – 15 years. GK 12/07

2009 Chard Farm Pinot Noir The Tiger 16 ½ + (

)

Lowburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $68 [ screwcap; no info; www.chardfarm.co.nz ]
Lightish pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is softly and sweetly fragrant and redfruits varietal, floral at a non-specific level. Palate is richer than some of the other light ones, a touch of red currant in red cherry only, subtle oak, a light but long flavour with a not-quite-bone-dry finish. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 09/10

2015 Craggy Range Pinot Noir Te Muna Road 16 ½ + (

)

Te Muna Valley, Martinborough district, Wairarapa, New Zealand: 13.7%; $42 [ screwcap; hand-picked @ 2.6 t/ha = 1.05 t/ac, 85% de-stemmed, 15% whole-bunch, some fermented in French oak cuves, balance s/s, all wild-yeast ferments; 9 months on lees in French oak 25% new; fined, light filtering; RS nil; www.craggyrange.com ]
Maturing pinot noir ruby, the lightest of the red wines. Bouquet is very clean, fragrant, but clearly on the leafy / stalky side of optimal ripeness for pinot noir, if Burgundy be the reference point. This is Savigny-les-Beaune, a minor appellation in the panoply of Burgundy, red currants and rhubarb in the red cherries. Palate follows logically, fresh and refreshing, varietal, but lacking complexity, ripeness and depth. The lack of palate weight is surprising, given the cropping rate listed – has the Aroha cropping rate been given in error for this wine ? Pleasant straightforward pinot, to cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 08/18

2004 Stonecroft Syrah Serine 16 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $26 [ supercritical cork; Te Kauwhata clone; www.stonecroft.co.nz ]
Lightish ruby. This is an intriguing wine, standing a little to one side. There is a fresh cherry-berry and red plum quality to it reminiscent of good valpolicella, and the palate has an almondy and fleshy cherry flavour-complexity to it, which meshes with that idea neatly. Oak is low, but the acid is a little higher than the Young Vines, making the wine seem a little austere. Fruit weight is good though, and the flavours are ripe. It needs several years to fill out, to maybe develop more bouquet on that crisp acid. This is not dramatic syrah, but being ripe in flavour it will be very pleasant Italian-styled red with food. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 05/06

nv Champagne P. Lancelot Royer Cuvée de Reserve RR Blanc de Blancs Brut 16 ½ + (

)

Cramant, Champagne, France: – %; $64 [ traditional compound champagne cork; Ch 100; no detail available as to time on lees, MLF understood to be employed; some reserve wines held in old foudres; details from a more expensive Royer label confused with this nv wine, not certain this cheapest label is 100% grand cru vineyards; no website found ]
Lemon, some 'weight' to the colour. Bouquet is both stronger than nv Lindauer Blanc de Blancs Reserve, and more 'wild'. But it is clearly a blanc de blancs, complexed with good autolysis, plus some unsubtly strong citrus zest. Palate is tending firm for a chardonnay, perhaps from the reserve wines which may be held in big old wood, but you can't identify it as such. Perhaps it adds a Vogels Multigrain note to bouquet and palate. This is more clearly a grower champagne, not quite the clinical purity of the grandes marques, but attractive throughout, in a bold way. Dosage around 7 g/L. This should cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 05/16

2004 Vinoptima Gewurztraminer Reserve 16 ½ + (

)

Gisborne, New Zealand: 14.5%; $51 [ cork; hand-harvested; the wine of Nick Nobilo's single-variety vineyard at Ormond, aiming to make great New Zealand gewurztraminer; website not up to date ('04 not up), detail lacking but some fermentation in wood; RS 20 g/L; www.vinoptima.co.nz ]
Full lemon, virtually identical to the Cloudy Bay or slightly deeper, much lighter than the Schoffit, a great colour. Bouquet is softly fruity, peach and stonefruits dominating, with a vanilla floral edge to it, pleasing but not dramatically varietal. If one is critical, there is the faintest hint of rubber / sulphur, and the wine could be confused with some kinds of 'tropical' chardonnay. The floral, spicy, lychee, and citronella edge of good gewurztraminer is more implicit than explicit, even when the wine is seen on its own, let alone in good company. Palate is a little more spicy and up to the mark, and shows good dry extract, but the winestyle is tending to sur maturité and hot climate, the flavours fleshy and lacking zing, the finish alcoholic and tending phenolic, perhaps acid-adjusted, then going barley-sugar to the weak finish – a perennial weakness of less than top-notch gewurztraminer. The whole winestyle is tending over-ripe and Australian. I don't have them alongside, but this year's wine seems less focussed and varietal than last year's, though it too did not compare with the top New Zealand in this batch. Would cellar 5 – 8 years, but not worth cellaring as gewurz. Pleasing as full-bodied wine in an aromatic style. GK 08/06

2001 Pegasus Bay Pinot Noir 16 ½ + (

)

Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 14%; $43 [ www.pegasusbay.com ]
Heavy ruby and velvet, extraordinary for pinot noir. Here we move firmly into the new world fruit bomb style of pinot, heavily fruited and very plummy, heavily oaked, as spirity as many, and in the blind tasting, a long way from classical pinot noir. Almost a hint of fine Rutherglen muscat. In mouth the first impressions are oak, the second concentrated plummy and chocolatey fruit, and the third a heavy black mushroomy loading on the plum. Yet curiously, the aftertaste is somewhat varietal and even a little stalky. All these characters are far away from the crisply fragrant red and black cherry-like aromatics of fine pinot. In its huge soft richness, it is an attractive wine in its own physical style – like the Dry River – but it could as easily be made from several other varieties. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 01/04

2005 Matahiwi Sauvignon Blanc 16 ½ + (

)

Wairarapa, New Zealand: 12%; $18 [ screwcap; website [then] not up-to-date, last year’s wine had 10% BF; www.matahiwi.co.nz ]
Pale lemonstraw. Improves with breathing, to reveal another complexed sauvignon bouquet, with suggestions of high solids, barrel-ferment, and lees-autolysis on clear sauvignon fruit. Palate shows an attractive balance of these elements on a ‘dry’ slightly acid finish. In some ways this is a more European-styled sauvignon, reminiscent of a successful Muscadet-sur-lie. I acknowledge that it is damnably difficult to tell if sauvignon has been subtly oaked or not, so references to it here are to describe the smells and tastes, not state how it was made. I check these details later from the website (when possible). Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 02/06

2010 Crossroads Syrah Winemakers Collection 16 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $40 [ screwcap; Sy 100%, hand-harvested @ 4.3 t/ha (1.7 t/ac); 100% de-stemmed; no cold-soak, inoculated, c.7 days ferment, total cuvaison ranged from 18 – 29 days for components; MLF and 14 months in French oak 27% new, no American oak; RS <2 g/L; 283 cases; 2 top rankings, 1 second; www.crossroadswinery.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, some carmine, well below midway in depth. Bouquet is heavy, much too much oak for the beauty good syrah should display, but quite rich. Palate gives a better picture, some cassisy berry, some black pepper, but the oak seems not very good oak, with a saline streak in it detracting. Quite big wine, which should mellow in cellar over 5 – 15 years, but in this tasting I am seeking precision of varietal expression so the mark is lesser. GK 06/13

2007 Waimea Riesling Classic 16 ½ + (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 11%; $21 [ screwcap; some clean botrytis, RS 15 g/L; www.waimeaestates.co.nz ]
Pale lemongreen. Bouquet has a little SO2 to assimilate. With a good swirl, delicate apple blossom florals show through, but not immediately convincing as to variety. In mouth, the wine is a little odd, a clear flavour of stewed rhubarb when not enough of the stalks are red. The palate is acid, with extra sweetness to cover that. If that sounds disjointed, at the moment the wine is. It should have been released a year or more later. Once the label is sighted, there are some Mosel analogies here, with its finegrain acid. It should cellar very well – maybe to surprise. Cellar 3 – 12 years. GK 03/08

2007 Alpha Domus [ Cabernets / Merlot / Malbec ] Aviator [ preview ] 16 ½ + (

)

Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $65 [ cork; DFB; CS 36%, CF 27, Me 23, Ma 14, hand-harvested; cuvaison up to 30 days for some components; MLF and 17 months in French oak up to 75% new, temperature controlled; RS < 1 g/L; 450 cases; release date Nov 2009; Catalogue: An intense aroma of red fruits, spice, leather, cedar, and cigar box notes, complemented by fine oak ... chocolate, spices … sweet fruit, a full, silky texture and firm structure. Slightly drying tannins will fade with time to integrate with intense fruit flavours … a harmonious wine which will age with grace; www.alphadomus.co.nz ]
Ruby, some velvet. Bouquet is intriguing, the first thought being an aromatic close to capers, which raises worrying doubts about ‘herbes’ of one kind or another. There is cassis and quite good plummy fruit more red than black, plus cedary oak. Given the vintage, confusion on bouquet, therefore. Palate shows a peppery note in reasonable body, and blind one surmises the wine is a light Crozes-Hermitage-styled syrah. Wrong. As a Bordeaux blend the wine is clean and fragrant, but lacking in the ripeness needed for an optimal interpretation of cabernet / merlot. Interesting, until one sees the price. More tasting of the wines of the world needed here. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 07/09

2013 Villa Maria Verdelho Ihumatao Single Vineyard Organic 16 ½ + (

)

Mangere, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.5%; $30 [ screwcap; two picks, first for citrus notes, second for richer fruit; 20% of the wine BF in old oak only, with full MLF for that fraction and some months on lees; balance s/s; RS 4.2 g/L; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Lemongreen, still, two years later. Bouquet is beautifully pure, but quite empty. One has to think hard to imagine a variety less relevant to New Zealand than verdelho, it being little better than a distilling grape in its European homeland. The Villa Maria Group have a 'thing' about it, however. Like the pinot gris, this wine has a 20% barrel-ferment in old oak component, adding complexity, and this fraction is exemplary in its purity and subtlety. But the base wine upon which their art is being practised is flavourless reasonably-bodied dry white, tending phenolic though that aspect is neatly masked by 4 g/L residual sugar. It reminds of some 'Hunter Riesling's of bygone years, though they were dry and less phenolic, and other such things, Houghton's White Burgundy also of yesteryear, maybe. Hard to score: some say if this is good as verdelho can be in New Zealand, it should get a gold medal. But in truth, that approach derails the industry. The variety simply doesn't merit recognition. You only need to taste the current Trinity Hill Marsanne / Viognier alongside, to see the difference between noble grapes and near-worthless ones. Even though this is pleasant dry white, giving such a grape Single Vineyard status is extraordinary, therefore. If there is a (perverse) point to be made, Villa's Cellar Selection label would achieve that more appropriately, both ampelographically and monetarily. Cellar a year or two. GK 11/15

1974 Nobilo Cabernet Sauvignon 16 ½ + (

)

Huapai / Kumeu, Auckland district, New Zealand: – %; $ – [ Cork 48mm; this label ceased 1979 (I think); '74 selected over the more famous '76, since trial bottles in Wellington indicated the '74 richer; understood to be 2 years in French oak, a high percentage new; in 1977, Peter Saunders thought the 1974 Cabernet Sauvignon would cellar for 7 years from vintage, at least. ]
Ruby and garnet, the youngest in hue, and the deepest in weight. The first bottle opened was lightly TCA-affected. A back-up bottle was much better, but it too was not singing, sad to say, compared with a trial bottle the week before. But one has to look through these things when wines are as rare as these. In actual berry richness, the Nobilo clearly seemed the biggest wine in the set. It tasted the richest too, but there was a forthright sturdy quality to it, reflecting too much new oak. The persistence of fruit on palate is nonetheless remarkable, given that it is nominally 100% cabernet. Age seems to have smoothed-over 'the hole in the middle'. In the set, the most modern wine, more winemaker-influenced relative to the cepage-dominant Talbot. A perfect bottle would score higher, even today. The label illustrated is from the 'Own a vine' scheme Nobilo instituted at the time. The commercial version of this label did not survive the '70s, as the family firm experienced various vicissitudes. GK 02/16

2006 Astrolabe Pinot Gris Experience 16 ½ + (

)

Wairau & Awatere Valleys, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $35 [ screwcap; PG 97%, Gw 2, Ri 1, hand-harvested; whole-bunch pressed, and cool-fermented with wild yeast and high solids, in old oak; 100% MLF and 16 months LA and batonnage; RS 4 g/L; www.astrolabewines.co.nz ]
Lemon to lemonstraw. This is intensively elaborated pinot gris, with 100% barrel-ferment, lees-autolysis and the complete MLF approach taking a leaf from Larry McKenna's book. It is a devilishly hard style to strive for, pinot gris being suited to the MLF fermentation but easily overwhelmed by it, in my view. Yet one immediately has to acknowledge it is widespread in the grape's homeland, Alsace. This one smells like one of those elegant chardonnays with an acacia floral note, with some desiccated coconut suggestive of American oak. In mouth it rather goes to pieces, for though there is good body and lots of flavour, it is all rather buttery and the oak carries through to fight with the varietal phenolics. As a taster one ends up feeling a helluva lot of winemaking went into this wine, so there is a touch of guilt at not being too enthusiastic about the result – just like Larry McKenna's most expensive pinot gris. A love or hate wine, I would think, and if you like Escarpment Pinot Gris (see below), you'll love this, since its a lot fresher. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 04/09

2007 Man O’War [ Cabernets / Merlot ] Ironclad 16 ½ + (

)

Eastern Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.5%; $45 [ cork; CS 54%, CF 34, Me 10, PV 2, hand-harvested from optimal sites, all de-stemmed, MLF and 11 months in mostly French oak 20% new, some older American; ‘93 Points, Robert Parker, Wine Advocate April 2008, 96 Points, Australian Gourmet Wine Traveller, September 08, Bob Campbell MW’; www.manowarvineyards.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, a similar weight to 2007 Coleraine, but older. Bouquet is on the evolved complex side in this tasting, rather than the squeaky-clean one, with aromas of black olives, smokey bacon, cassis, bottled plums and oak, all quite ‘black’ and austere. Palate shows fair richness, complexity factors including rather much brett and dark soy sauce, good ripeness but firmish acid balance, an unusual style for the New Zealand cabernet / merlot class, partly due to a subtle maritime / sea-salt influence. I suspect this dark balance of flavours might appeal more in the Napa Valley, for example, than to me. The ’05 Goldie treads a similar path, but stops on the Bordeaux side of the line. An interesting and distinctive wine, not as compromised by brett as the Dreadnought Syrah but sharing some of its characters, to cellar 3 – 10 years (if you are brett-tolerant). GK 06/09

2012 Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco 16 ½ + (

)

Barbaresco DOCG, Piedmont, Northern Italy, Italy: 14%; $58 [ 50mm cork; elevation more 20 days cuvaison, then 24 months in large wood; www.produttoridelbarbaresco.com ]
Rosy ruby, clearly the lightest wine, by far. Bouquet is aromatic, savoury, lean in one sense with savoury dry herbes, yet some red fruits too. Palate is totally in style with the named crus, just less concentrated, and noticeably lower in depth of grape flavour and dry extract, so the stems are showing more. Again, a good food wine, but less likely to be taken seriously. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 05/16

2005 Kahurangi Riesling 16 ½ + (

)

Moutere Hills, Nelson, New Zealand: 13%; $16 [ screwcap; website not [then] up-to-date, ’04 was 11 g/L RS; claimed to be the oldest riesling vines in South Island (though Canterbury may challenge); www.kahurangiwine.com ]
Pale lemongreen. A clean but obscure bouquet, very youthful, with a suggestion of high solids damping it down somewhat. Palate has much more to say, revealing nectary varietal fruit in the vanillin and citrus zest style, good acid balance, and good length. Finish is probably just outside the dry class. This could blossom in bottle, but the bouquet has pulled the score down for now. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 02/06

2008 Man O' War Merlot / Cabernet Franc / Malbec 16 ½ + (

)

Eastern Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14.5%; $28 [ screwcap; Me 42%, CF 27, Ma 19, CS 12; 11 months on lees in older French and American oak, none new; the location for the vineyards is so extraordinarily scenic, be great to have more photos on the website, not rotating so fast; www.manowarvineyards.com ]
Ruby and velvet. Bouquet has a lot going on, with a note of smoked fish including some brett, on plummy fruit with an edge of bay-leaf and spicy herbes complexity. In mouth the plummyness increases markedly, with some cassis suggestions, and good fruit ripeness. It is still on the youthful and firm side, and should soften attractively in cellar 5 – 10 years. Longer than that might be unwise. Scoring is permissive, since Man O' War is in the process of re-shaping itself. With the vineyard locations they have, the future should be exciting to watch. GK 06/10

2000 Dry River Syrah Arapoff Vineyard 16 ½ + (

)

Martinborough Terrace, Wairarapa, New Zealand: 13%; $ – [ Cork, 44mm, ullage 21 mm; weight bottle and cork, 567 g; release price c.$49; Cooper, 2002: … the unmistakable, black-pepper aromas of Syrah. It’s a generous, very full-flavoured wine with sweet fruit characters of plums and spice, gentle tannins and a persistent well-rounded finish, ****(½); in 2004 Cooper revised his summary of this vintage, to: highly fragrant, intense and refined, *****; www.dryriver.co.nz ]
Ruby and garnet, the third to lightest wine. You had to work at the bouquet of this wine, for it to reveal light hints of florals, red more than black fruits, and some pepper much more white than black. Palate continues this modest style, beautifully clean, but red fruits only, a little more white pepper apparent now with thoughts of stalks – just a trace – and a refreshing winey finish. This is about at full maturity, but will hold. Tasters did not have this wine among their favourites. Since it was placed number one in the lineup, its task was more to introduce the concept of florality / fragrance, which in this tasting is particularly relevant for both varieties. In the contest for the year, the 2000 Pinot Noir has more to say about pinot noir than this wine does about syrah. Will hold a year or two yet. GK 05/19

1983 Te Mata Estate Cabernets / Merlot Coleraine 16 ½ + (

)

Havelock North Hills, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $ – [ cork, 49mm; CS 75%, Me 20, CF 5; dry in later season, concentrated wines, GDD 1398, harvest mid-April; made by Michael Bennett, finished by Peter Cowley; release price $22.50; last year any American oak in elevage; Cowley, 2017: plenty of colour and fruit; Kelly, in NBR, 1985: Denser in colour, and richer in character than Awatea. Flavour and texture are excellent … firmer in acid and style [ than the 1982s ] … may cellar longer … the 1982 and 1983 Te Mata reds will undoubtedly become classics, to be talked about for the next two decades, just as we still talk about the 1965 and 1966 McWilliams Cabernets; Chan, 2008 review: ... dark, ripe fruit aromas, intense and concentrated on bouquet. Powerful and full on palate, this shows a robust, almost rustic element in the make up. Tannins provide good structure and grip, and the wine displays sweetness on the back palate. Based on this showing, the wine is in good condition and its balance will allow it to hold for some time yet, 18.5; www.temata.co.nz ]
Ruby and garnet, surprisingly deep and ‘fresh’, just below midway in depth. This was the other ‘different’- smelling wine. Both nights the wine had a big bouquet, which we fumbled to find words for. There was a charry / smokey quality to the oak handling (it initially seemed) which was different, in a surprisingly rich wine for its age. As you tasted it, various components came and went. Gradually it became clear that there was not the ripeness of the 1982, even though the wine seemed as rich. With air, suggestions of cut-beans / sautéed red capsicum hinting at the under-ripeness of the 1989 became apparent, but masked because the wine is richer, with better but still noticeable acid balance – plus the smokey component. With air the smokey note transitioned to the tell-tale ash-tray character. Going back to my 1985 review, I am intrigued that my technical assessment of the acid balance is correct, but I did not pick up the difference in flavour ripeness, relative to the 1982. Wine tasting is a lifelong learning curve. This 1983 has surprising richness, and will still cellar 3 – 8 years, in its style, if the corks hold out. Each night, three people had this as their top or second-favourite wine. The bottles were not quite the same, night one seeming more charry. Not much in it, though. GK 08/17

2002 Dry River Pinot Noir 16 ½ + (

)

Martinborough Terrace, Wairarapa, New Zealand: 13.5%; $250 [ Cork, 46mm, ullage 18mm; weight bottle and cork, 564 g; release price c.$65; Harding@Robinson, 2012: Complex tertiary aromas – some undergrowth and a little nutty – though there is still sweet and lightly spicy red fruit. Very fresh and quite spicy on the palate. Fruit still rings out clearly. Mouthwatering finish. Tannins seem a little tighter than the two younger wines (2007 and 2008) just tasted, 17; Cooper, 2003: The 2002 vintage is a wine of enormous power … a voluminous bouquet, it is lush and silky on the palate, with super-ripe flavours of plums, spice, even liquorice and prunes (the last two fruit characters not seen in other New Zealand Pinot Noirs), and firm supporting tannins. Hugely concentrated, with a rich, complex, resounding finish, it’s already dangerously drinkable, but best cellared to at least 2005; *****; www.dryriver.co.nz ]
Garnet and ruby, also among the oldest, in the middle for depth. This wine opens up more in the ‘expected’ Dry River River Pinot Noir style, clear sur-maturité notes, raisiny hinting at baked now, dark fruit qualities, yet clean and fragrant. Palate is reminiscent of some of the big wines of the ‘60s in South Australia, heaps of quantitative fruit but verging on malty in character, and not much varietal charm. In its velvety tannin structure, you could however work out it is pinot noir. Somewhere within this fruit a hint of stalk detracts, seeming almost incongruous. It is however a big rich wine, which will give uncritical pleasure with appropriate food. Three people rated it their top wine, and one second-place. Four least places, though. Tasters were clear it was pinot noir. In the varietal stakes, clearly it was better than the 2002 Syrah. Tastes fully mature, but will hold for a few years yet (in a cool climate). GK 05/19

1968 Hardy's Cabernet Sauvignon Bin C779 16 ½ + (

)

McLaren Vale, South Australia,, Australia: – %; $ – [ cork, 43mm; ullage c.7mm below base neck; at the time, the company’s top red wine label. This is one of Max Lake’s ‘classic wines of Australia’. He says: This wine [ the C-series ] must be one of the smallest production commercially available classic wines of Australia. … All have a superb berry bouquet, rather robust fruity flavour with excellent balance … . First vintage 1955, its reputation was set in the later 1950s, when they often included Coonawarra fruit bought from the Redmans (until Lindeman's bought Redman in 1965) or Eric Purbrick at Tahbilk (until Tahbilk started bottling their own Reserve wines, of which we have one). The 1968 is 100% cabernet, all McLaren Vale, ‘matured in French Oak Puncheons’ [ 500 litres ]. Evans says (of the series): This is one of the most famous dry red lines in Australia … a lot of fruit flavour and a rather austere … elegant … firm gripping finish. Unquestionably this Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the classic wines of Australia. The 1965 of this label was of a much higher quality, including Coonawarra fruit. It was a pleasure to own a case of it, and present it in tastings (back then) with New Zealand’s first great commercial cabernet, the 1965 McWilliam’s Cabernet Sauvignon, made by Tom McDonald and Denis Kasza. The similarity between the two was startling, for the times. ]
Rosy light ruby and garnet, glowing, the lightest wine. Bouquet is light but lovely, fragrant, clearly browning cassis in a cool-climate and ethereal way, hints of brown pipe tobacco, very light nearly cedary oak, some mulberry too, all beautifully balanced and subtle on bouquet. It is a running mate for the 1969 Tahbilk Shiraz. Palate however is a bit of a shock, the total acid being extraordinarily high for the body of the wine, and the cassisy notes dramatically tapering away to a nearly stalky interaction with the acid. It is a vivid contrast to the Wynns 1968, it being hard to imagine how McLaren Vale cabernet sauvignon could seem so under-ripe, in the same season. Nonetheless, with appropriate food, this would still be a refreshing light cabernet-styled wine: the mark rewards the good aspects of the wine, and the style with respect to oak, which is forward-looking for its day. Others shared my view, three top ratings, and two second places. Six tasters however rated it their least wine, underlining how personal wine appreciation and ranking can be. Fully mature to fading now, but an interesting and historic bottle, this whole wonderful series of C-series Hardy's Cabernet Sauvignons soon to be only a fond memory. The Stuyvesant House restaurant in Sydney has later somewhat related Hardy Cabernet Sauvignons on their list, starting at $AU133. Ullage base of cork to top of wine, 45 mm. GK 04/19

2007 [ Waimata ] Cognoscenti Syrah 16 ½ + (

)

Patutahi district, Gisborne, New Zealand: 13.5%; $30 [ screwcap; Sy 98%, Vi 2, second-crop hand-harvested from clones 470 and 174, 100% de-stemmed, 3 days cold-soak; inoculated yeast, warm-fermented in open-top vessels, 24 days cuvaison in all; c. 10 months in a mix of all-European oak 40% new; particular attention to aeration at rackings; not fined, coarse filtering only; RS < 2 g/L; 2007 regarded as a great season in Gisborne, but the crop larger than 2006; winemaker James Hillard comments that clone 470 shows deeper spice and plum characters, whereas 174 is more red fruits; www.waimata.ac.nz ]
Ruby and carmine, some velvet, lighter than the 2006. Bouquet is very fragrant and floral, as if there might be a little viognier included this year [confirmed], but the variety syrah is not explicit in a blind tasting of 60 mixed reds. Red fruits show more than darker. In mouth the wine is fresh, the fruit lighter than the 2006 and the total acid higher, but cassis and black peppercorn suggestions are now apparent. Flavours linger well in mouth, and the oak seems lower than the 2006, so this wine too represents an interesting stepping-stone in the rise of syrah in districts not traditionally known for their red wines. The results in 2007 show how important cropping rate is to depth of varietal character, particularly in marginal climates. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 03/09

1986 Hunters Chardonnay 16 ½ + (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $ – [ cork, 44mm; Tony Jordan consulted in the '80s; unknown time in Nevers puncheons, some new but percentage not known; www.hunters.co.nz ]
Straw with a faint gold wash, about midway in freshness. Bouquet is light, clean, and highly varietal, lighter and fresher than the Babich, showing some nectarine fruit and subtle barrel elevation. Palate is fresher than the Babich, possibly fractionally richer, but on close examination also reveals a faint herbaceous streak, which the Babich lacks completely, being from Hawkes Bay. This wine therefore highlights exactly what Australian wine judges mocked us for, in the 1980s, for awarding wines like this gold medals. Nonetheless, to be still so vital a wine 29 years later shows it had some merit. And not all tasters even agreed the wine showed some herbaceous characters. Gives the impression of a small malolactic component, on palate. Fully mature, naturally, but surprisingly, not as critically-so as the Babich. No votes for this wine. GK 09/15

2010 Drouhin Clos des Mouches Premier Cru 16 ½ + (

)

Beaune, Cote de Beaune, Burgundy, New Zealand: 13%; $121 [ Cork 54mm; a Drouhin domaine wine, though mouches typically denotes flies, on this site it takes the earlier meaning of honey-bees; Clos des Mouches is a large vineyard for Burgundy, and a Drouhin favourite (as the cork length indicates), 14 ha all now biodynamic, average vine age 39 years. It is noteworthy for close-planting averaging 11,250 vines / ha, and producing chardonnay as much as pinot noir; all hand-picked at an unspecified cropping rate understood to be 5 – 6 t/ha = 2 – 2.4 t/ac; usually up to 20% whole-bunches depending on the vintage, cuvaison up to 21 days, wild yeasts; 14 – 18 months in French oak, 20% new, all oak weathered for three years before coopering; Julia Harding @ Jancis Robinson, 2012: Mid ruby. Delicate fruit, light oak spice. Enticingly spicy but not so much that the fruit is hidden. Juicy, moreish, embryonic, 17; wonderfully revised now quite informative website; weight bottle and closure: 535 g.; www.drouhin.com ]
Light ruby, some age showing, the lightest wine. Bouquet is totally Cote de Beaune, softly ripe cream and pink roses on red fruits-only varietal pinot noir, no aromatic lift, understated yet correct. Palate is a little unusual, a suggestion almost of persimmons as well as red cherries, the tannins surprisingly noticeable and seemingly more from new oak than grape tannins. There is pleasant weight, ripeness, balance and some persistence in mouth. The wine perfectly illustrates a 'burgundy' balance in glass, relative to a representative claret of similar quality. This was the French 'marker' wine in the tasting, but I did not expect it to be the least wine. Its ripeness profile is better than many of the wines, but it lacks varietal excitement. Nobody rated this their top or second wine, five thought it French, and (therefore) five thought it a $100-plus bottle. It is a vital commentary on the standard New Zealand pinot noir has already achieved by the time of the 2009 / 2010 vintages, that this quite famous and well-regarded, though only middle-rank all the same, wine from Burgundy is the least varietal wine in this set of 12 pinot noirs. GK 07/16

2013 Neudorf Pinot Noir Moutere 16 ½ + (

)

Upper Moutere Valley, Nelson, New Zealand: 14%; $54 [ screwcap; vines up to 34 years old; all hand-picked; 14 – 17 days cuvaison with 100% wild yeast; c.11 months in French oak c.21% new; not filtered; RS <1 g/L; www.neudorf.co.nz ]
Lightish pinot noir ruby, in the fourth quarter for depth. Bouquet is lightly floral in a fading pink roses style, on fragrant red cherries only, light oak. It is all a bit quiet, on bouquet. Palate shows a good deal more concentration than the bouquet suggests, and more oak too, but the wine is old for its age and not overtly varietal. It is unusual by the standards of Neudorf's Moutere Pinot, and bears little relation at all to the 2012 in this tasting. Finish is tending tannic on the oak, without pinot flavour to wrap it up. Has the substance to cellar 3 – 8 years, and may soften. The wine may just be in an awkward phase. GK 06/17

1995 Ata Rangi Pinot Noir 16 ½ + (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $ – [ cork; one of the founding Martinborough pinot noir producers, the wines continuing to go from strength to strength; www.atarangi.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby and garnet, very close in hue to the Potel but deeper, the second deepest of the pinots. As so often with Ata Rangi, the wine is very aromatic / touch of pennyroyal, way beyond any Cote de Nuits spice level, a quality which detracts for me, but many commentators favour. Oak is also creeping up, reinforcing the aromatics as the fruit fades. Flavours counteract that impression to a degree, good red grading to black fruits and berry, at this stage the fruit still nearly dominant over oak, but the whole wine tending bold against both the Mornington Peninsula and Vosne-Romanée examples. Fully mature to drying a little, will hold. GK 12/17

2008 Gladstone Pinot Gris 16 ½ + (

)

Wairarapa, New Zealand: 14%; $21 [ screwcap; some fruit machine-picked, some hand; low-solids juice 30% BF including some wild-yeast ferments, 70% s/s; extended LA and stirring; RS 5 g/L; www.gladstone.co.nz ]
Pale straw, slightly flushed. Bouquet is clear-cut pinot gris, stonefruit including some nectarine and dried peach, a touch of cinnamon, all lifted by quite high alcohol. Palate is flavoursome but lesser, the alcohol highlighting the phenolics, and not yet harmonising with the residual sweetness. Better in a year, and cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 05/09

2003 Basel Cellars Syrah 16 ½ + (

)

Walla Walla Valley, Washington, USA: 14.9%; $ – [ cork, 50mm; release price $US45; described as all free-run juice, raised in one-year-old French oak for 20 months, less than 300 cases; tasting notes for other vintages imply a big wine, yet Tanzer notes for one: Shows the texture and weight of a Saint-Joseph; the winery grows its own fruit, and has been in practice since 2002; wine supplied courtesy Mark Blake, when he was establishing his Blake Family Vineyard in Hawkes Bay; bottle weight dry 943 grams; www.baselcellars.com ]
Rich ruby and velvet, nearly carmine still, the second deepest wine. Initially opened, the wine is reductive, and needed splashy jug to jug aeration. It opened up well, to reveal a huge, nearly fragrant but not floral wine ripened way past any cassis analogies, or even blueberry, to darkest bottled black plums and nearly prunes, plus some chocolate, far far too ripe for varietal accuracy. There is a slight aromatic balsam lift. Palate continues the over-ripe impression, alcohol beyond any subtlety for table wine, but saturated dark fruits and suggestions of chocolate flavours. The interesting thing is, the coarse boysenberry flavours of over-ripe Australian syrah / shiraz are not present. Oak is in good balance to the huge styling, but the whole wine is simply too big, over-ripe and burly, in international syrah terms. You wonder if a second glass would appeal at all. Nonetheless there is a certain lighter plummy impression on the finish, such that I would like to see it in 20 years or so, when it may have fined down. At the tasting proper, the wine also showed trace TCA, but at a level only two of 21 tasters detected it. It cleared completely in 24 hours. This wine was liked more by the group than me, with four second places, one first. Cellar 10 – 30 years. There may be some added acid to the nearly sweet finish. GK 03/18

2007 The Hay Paddock Syrah Harvest Man 16 ½ + (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.9%; $38 [ screwcap; Sy 100%, hand-picked @ 2.1 t/ac from fourth year vines; 100% de-stemmed, cultured yeast, cuvaison 18 days (8 cold-soak, 8 ferment, 2 maceration); MLF in tank, 12 months in French oak 60% new and 1 year, balance older; sterile filtered, 372 cases, WWA Certified, first release of this label; ‘An earlier-drinking, fruit driven style suited to the on-license restaurant trade. 12 months in predominantly 1- and 2-yr old French oak and held for another 12 months before release. Chave vines predominate in this vintage. The wine is designed to complement food and be ready for consumption on release, but it will continue to improve with bottle age. The increased production in 2008 and 2009 will ensure continuity of supply under this label. International Wine Challenge, London 2009 GOLD.’; www.thehaypaddock.co.nz ]
Ruby. Bouquet is of an older wine, only faint varietal florals, the wine already showing some maturity akin to old bottled red plums. Palate is old-fashioned, pleasant berry but a little oxidation leading to leathery notes in red fruits, some oak vanillin and a hint of white pepper and cassis. Total ripeness achieved is at the Crozes-Hermitage level, but the acid is up a bit and that exaggerates the oak component. See background note in the 2006 below. More ripeness in the vineyard needed. Cellar 2 – 6 years or so. GK 06/09

2011 Buller Wines Moscato Beverford 16 ½ + (

)

Murray Valley, Central Victoria, Australia: 5%; $18 [ screwcap; 20 – 40-year Mu, s/s elevation; pH 3.24, residual sugar 125 g/l; www.bullerwines.com.au ]
Palest lemon-green. Bouquet is offensively youthful, with the toothpaste / peppermint quality of early-picked and overly young muscat still intrusive. Palate shows softer and sweeter fruit, but in a perfumed hints-of-toiletries / soap rather than wine way, so it all seems pretty lolly-waterish (and acid) alongside good Italian examples of the winestyle. Better in a year, cellar 1 – 3 years only. GK 08/11

2008 Cable Bay Merlot / Malbec Five Hills Bordeaux Blend 16 ½ + (

)

Western Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13%; $35 [ cork; Me 46%, Ma 31, CS 17, CF 6, hand-picked @ c 2 t/ac; 12 months in French oak; www.cablebayvineyards.co.nz ]
Ruby, some velvet. There is a hint of oxidation around the cassis, plum and oak in this wine, but there is good fruit too. Palate is better, fair fruit ripeness, good berry length, slightly acid, but the oak understated, so the latter two components don't reinforce each other. Should marry up in bottle to be pleasantly true to label. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 06/10

2013 Martinborough Vineyard Pinot Noir Te Tera 16 ½ + (

)

Martinborough Terrace and Te Muna, Wairarapa, New Zealand: 13.5%; $28 [ screwcap; mostly Dijon clones, planted at 2,500 vines/ha, hand-picked @ c. 5 t/ha (2 t/ac), c.13 years average age; nil whole-bunch component, pre-ferment cold soak c.5 – 7 days, then c.12 – 14 days cuvaison with 100% wild yeast; 95% of the wine c.9 months in French oak c.12% new, medium toast; sterile-filtered to bottle; RS < 1 g/L: dry extract not done yet; production c.4,000 cases; www.martinborough-vineyard.co.nz ]
Absolutely burgundian pinot noir ruby in hue, below midway in depth. Like its big brother, this wine shows a lot of burgundy analogies, smaller-scale burgundy maybe for this one, but there is a lovely integration of fragrant red fruits with careful oak. Palate is all red cherries, quite remarkably so, beautifully extended on near-invisible oak. Finish is more serious than The Crossings wine, beautifully long-flavoured considering its scale. This is a lovely 'second wine', fractionally more leafy than Neudorf Tom's. Cellar 3 – 8 years. Group View (Flight 1): no top places, 1 second, 3 least. GK 11/15

2014 Vidal Pinot Noir Reserve 16 ½ + (

)

Awatere and Wairau Valleys, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $24 [ screwcap; cold-soak up to 10 days, some warm ferments, some cooler; French oak, 15% new; www.vidal.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, in the third quarter for depth. Bouquet shows similar buddleia florals to the 2015 Gunn Reserve, on red cherry fruits, but all a little cooler, with a suggestion of redcurrant as well as red cherry. Redcurrant thoughts follow through to palate, the flavours fragrant red fruits but all a little light and cool, not exactly stalky but a hint of leaf, offset by the wine not seeming bone dry. Refreshing wine for lighter foods. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 06/17

2002 Jadot Meursault Charmes 16 ½ + (

)

Meursault Premier Cru, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $130 [ cork; hand-harvested; (guideline) BF, LA, MLF in 30% new French oak; no specific info [then] on website; www.louisjadot.com ]
Straw more than lemon. About this point in the hierarchy, the wines move to a softer more generic white burgundy style, as if the barrel ferment in new oak component no longer exists. This smells and tastes an older wine than it is, with big lees autolysis components reminiscent of an old heavier dull version of Bollinger. These wholegrain and hazelnut components are on top of big stone fruit, but it is all a bit buttery and fat, and some of the flavours are more dried peaches than fresh ones. Clearly Meursault, but lacking in freshness, merely a pleasant full-bodied white burgundy, old for its age, not a serious cellaring wine. Disappointing at $130. Cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 07/05

2014 Sacred Hill Pinot Noir Reserve 16 ½ + (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $25 [ screwcap; all de-stemmed; elevation info lacking, some of the wine presumably in barrel; the new Reserve series is designed to sit between the Halo series and the affordable Orange Label range; www.sacredhill.com ]
Pinot noir ruby, in the third quarter for depth. Bouquet is sweetly fragrant, ripe, lightly floral on red cherry fruit, clearly pinot noir in an unsophisticated style. Palate is a little less, all red fruits, subtle oak, pleasant mouthfeel but a little short to the finish, also a stalky note scarcely apparent on bouquet. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 06/17

2014 Craggy Range Chardonnay Block 19 16 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $60 [ screwcap; clone 95 mainly (as for Beaux Cailloux), hand-harvested @ 7 t/ha = 2.8 t/ac; BF in French oak 40% new; all whole-bunch and wild-yeast fermentations, MLF not documented, but probably some at least, 11 months LA, probably some stirring; RS nil; I assume this is a 'best parcel' wine standing in for Les Beaux Cailloux, while that vineyard is re-developed; filtered; www.craggyrange.com ]
Pale lemon green, the palest wine of the earlier set. Bouquet is pure but substantially empty, a suggestion of white fruit, a trace of watermelon, lacking. Palate promises more, clearly there is fair physical fruit and some lees autolysis and barrel-ferment textural suggestions, but you are hard put to find a meaningful descriptor for the fruit character. Just a sensation of fruit, plus oak, and a neat dry finish. It is strange how chardonnay has never gelled for the Craggy Range group. There have been odd exciting wines, and a brilliant 2011 Beaux Cailloux, but no track record or consistency. My thought is, the Gimblett Gravels are in most years too hot for great chardonnay. I will allow that this wine may surprise after five years, but purchase for cellaring may be limited, at the price ? For now, it seems less convincing than the firm's (admittedly slightly more oaky) 2015 Gimblett Gravels wine, at half the price. Cellar 5 – 15 years, hoping for improvement all the while. GK 06/16

2007 Crossroads Winery [ not-revealed blend ] Talisman 16 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $40 [ screwcap; hand-picked; cepage not revealed – see text; 12 months in mostly French oak some new, a little American; RS ‘dry’; Catalogue: a stunning array of fruit and savoury characters. The primary aromas of black currants and berries are matched by perfectly balanced savoury elements of spice and mushroom. The mid-palate is packed with plum and violet flavours, and a hint of licorice. Fine tannins contribute to the lingering, complex finish; Awards: Gold & Trophy, Hawke’s Bay A&P 2008, Pure Silver @ Air New Zealand 2008, Silver @ New Zealand International Wine Show 2008; www.crossroadswinery.co.nz ]
Dense ruby, carmine and velvet. After the splendid colour, it is a disappointment to find the bouquet is reductive. This needs splashy jug to jug treatment several times. So how can that be, you ask, why am I criticising a wine that is said to be a gold medal wine, a Trophy wine etc etc. Firstly, gold medals have never been a guide to wine pleasure at table, simply because as discussed elsewhere in this report, wines that are too oaky for food are highly likely to be awarded gold medals. For reduction, there is no getting around the fact that many keen wine consumers are more sensitive to reduced sulphurs and their related even more complex and smelly compounds than some wine judges.

One insuperable problem of any judging procedure is that maybe 30 or 40 wines may be poured out into their glasses many minutes, sometimes even up to an hour, before judging. And if the wine is # 29 in the line-up, more time passes until the judge reaches and assesses that wine. All the while the sample is breathing. And, not much talked about, at the same time the judge is fatiguing, particularly if judges refuse to assess bouquets as a separate exercise before tasting. So assessing faults in wine is a fraught process, and the judging process is not an ideal venue in which this can happen. For all the above reasons, one finds results like this. Judgings are simply a guide to wine quality, as are wine commentators. There are good and lesser examples of each. You the consumer must make the effort to assess which results from which place suit your palate best. And it is always worth remembering, very few wines, reds obviously but white too, do not benefit from decanting.

So, back to the 2007 Talisman. Once ventilated, the wine shows rich ripe to over-ripe fruit with ‘black’ overtones, in which darkest plum but also some cassis can be seen. There is also a less-ripe component, slightly stalky, as if the triage were not rigorous enough. Total oak is quite light relative to the fruit weight, and there is no doubt this is serious red in a Cahors-like style. Normally, it would be worth putting some aside for five years to re-evaluate, and see if the wine resolves the reduction, but this one is under screwcap. Much is made of the ‘not revealed’ blend comprising this wine. The company has said at one stage that there 6 or so varieties in Talisman, and that the wine inclines to Bordeaux in style. But they have also said that the composition varies from year to year, and they have implied that syrah is now part of the blend – as one would hope ! So it seems that nowadays Talisman is based on malbec (as suggested by Michael Cooper), merlot, cabernet sauvignon, syrah, cabernet franc, and maybe a couple of oddments like chambourcin (still grown in Bordeaux, and deeply-flavoured when conservatively cropped – though if the wine were exported, including the latter now runs the risk of upsetting the EEC rules on grapes that are not 100% vinifera) and / or pinotage. Talisman was previously a wine of its time, not living up to the hoopla, but latterly it more closely reflects contemporary goals in ripening and can be taken more seriously. Cellar 5 – 15 years, maybe, if you’ll risk the screwcap / reduction. Scoring here is well breathed, and allowing (like the Villa Maria Reserve Syrah) that it might improve, since the concentration is excellent. GK 07/09

2014 Te Mata Estate Cabernet / Merlot Awatea 16 ½ + (

)

Havelock North district mostly, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $37 [ cork 50mm; CS 45%, Me 33%, CF 14, PV 8, hand-harvested; c.16 months in French oak c.40% new; RS nil; www.temata.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, below midway in depth. Bouquet is intriguing, showing a clear suggestion of methoxypyrazine / red capsicum, and thus contrasting vividly with the quality achieved in 2014 Coleraine. But otherwise, there is an elegant cassis-led quality of aromatic cabernet bouquet, plus the subtlety of oak-handling that Te Mata brings to all its wines. Smelling 2014 Awatea against the 2013 wine is an object lesson in cabernet ripeness: this will be great for teaching purposes. In actual palate terms, the wine is surprisingly gentle, good berry in a lightweight way, not as stalky as the bouquet suggests, at all. Some sophisticated phenolics management here, I suspect. It is just a cooler-year wine, in nett achievement again suggesting that 2014 is a lesser cabernet year than 2013. Or … is this the relatively high percentage of petit verdot speaking, in the same way Pichon-Lalande used to be adversely affected in some years by its (formerly) high ratio of this hard-to-ripen grape ? Cellar 3 – 12 years. GK 03/16

2005 Wycroft Pinot Noir Old River Terrace 16 ½ + (

)

Wairarapa, New Zealand: 13.5%; $30 [ screwcap; nil whole bunch; 8 months in French oak, none new, all 1 – 3 year; Masterton and Martinborough fruit; www.wycroft.com ]
Pinot noir ruby. This is another wine to stimulate thoughts of Savigny-les-Beaune, in the sense of a marker point (lesser) in reference burgundies. Red fruits are more apparent than black, and there is a suggestion of leafyness, but the weight of fruit, like the 2006 Peregrine, is greater than most Savignys. This wine does not show quite the accuracy of the Peregrine, there is a slight pepperyness in the tannins bespeaking physiological immaturity, but it is attractive mature pinot, which will hold a year or two. GK 02/10

1978 Ch Montrose 16 ½ + (

)

Saint-Estephe Second Growth, Bordeaux, France: – %; $196 [ cork 55mm; cepage then approx. CS 65%, Me 25, CF 10, planted at 9,000 vines / ha; c.18 months in barrel, 50 – 70% new; Broadbent, 2002: ... predictably closed, but with depth and potential. Flesh and texture then noticeable. [ more recently ] … deep but with a surprising amber rim. Good drink though. **** (just); Coates, 2000: Quite a tough nose. Quite rich fruit underneath. Not too tough and tannic on the palate. Good fruit. Restrained and classy. Very good grip. Very good length. This is fine: 17.5; R. Parker, 1993: Light-styled for a Montrose, the 1978 has reached full maturity. It offers a straightforward, spicy, earthy bouquet of curranty fruit and damp, woodsy aromas. Medium-bodied, compact, and adequately concentrated, this spicy, earthy style of wine should be drunk over the next 5-8 years: 85; www.chateau-montrose.com ]
Garnet and ruby, below midway. Bouquet is an amalgam of cedar and berry, very fragrant but like the Ch Latour (but on a much smaller scale), a worry that the oak is doing most of the talking. Palate however is quite a drop down from the wines rated more highly, there simply being a lack of fruit (as Parker notes), and a firmness resting on both stemmy tannins and cedary oak. Nett flavour in this tannic style is fractionally riper than some of the wines marked more highly, so it is a hard wine to score. And, the wine is not actually weak. Confusing. This will hold for several years yet, in its style. No votes. GK 08/16

1979 Jaboulet Hermitage La Chapelle 16 ½ + (

)

Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $440 [ 54mm cork; 2 – 4-star vintage for Broadbent, some good wines in the north, 87 and unreliable now for Parker; Sy 100, all from owned vineyards; winemaking then unclear, but thought to be all destemmed, cooled, usually around 21 days cuvaison, new oak then a very small percentage, all barrique-sized, c.12 – 18 months depending on season, then 3 months in vat, production 2,000 – 5,000 cases; 1979 initially an overlooked year, after the 1978s there, but on average the 1979 Northern Rhones had more substance than the 1979 Medocs; Robinson, 2006: Dark ruby. Very meaty indeed – much more concentrated than many younger wines even if there’s a little hint of oxidation on this decanted bottle. Starting to age but there is impressive body. Not subtle but very vigorous for its age. Dry, inky finish, 16; Parker, 2000: … still retains a youthful vigor. Spicy, with plenty of smoke, dried herb, pepper, and cassis fruit, this outstanding, smoky, gamy (smoked meats galore), full-bodied La Chapelle reveals some angularity and rough tannin in the finish, but all other signs are positive. While it does not possess the weight of the biggest, most muscular vintages of La Chapelle, it is an exciting wine. Anticipated maturity: now-2016, 90; www.jaboulet.com ]
Ruby and garnet, well below midway. Bouquet is clean, clearly cassis-related though browning now, and fragrant, a good wine to use as a sighter in a tasting like this, you'd think. In mouth however, the fruit shrinks, the total acid is a bit high, and the whole palate becomes a little hard with some phenolics showing. Some of the tannin can be interpreted as black pepper / spice, and hence the wine is in one sense true to its variety and appellation. It is not quite in balance, however, and past its prime. It will hold its present style for some years to come, becoming shorter and drier. GK 09/14

2015 Jaboulet Gigondas Pierre Aiguille 16 ½ + (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $50 [ cork, 49mm; Gr 80%, Sy 10, Mv 10, all destemmed; shortish cuvaison, then elevation 70% in vats, 30% in barrel, sizes unknown but some new, for nine months; filtered to bottle; production c. 2,900 x 9-litre cases; J. Dunnuck @ R. Parker, 2016: ... an elegant, polished wine ... a slightly darker slant to its fruit with notes of black raspberries, cassis and toasted spice. These carry to the palate where it shows surprising texture and beautiful tannin quality. All in all, it should end up being an outstanding wine that will drink nicely for 10-12 years, 89 – 91; bottle weight 536g; www.jaboulet.com ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, the third-deepest wine. Freshly opened the wine is sulky, so decant it splashily into a jug, and for good measure pour it from jug to jug a couple of times – just to clear simple reduction. Below is otherwise clean grenache-led fruit but with quite a spicy syrah-like component showing up, plus some oak complexity. In mouth at this youthful stage, the reduction gives a heavy undertone, but that will assimilate in five years, to give a straightforward southern Rhone winestyle, probably a bit leathery by then. No first places, one second. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 08/18

2014 Delta Pinot Noir 16 ½ + (

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Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $24 [ screwcap; www.deltawines.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby, well below midway in depth. Bouquet is clearly red-fruits varietal, but in a different way from the Palliser, as if there were a greater whole-bunch component. There is a clear dusky floral component, red roses, on black more than red cherry fruit. Flavours are juicy, tying in with the whole-bunch thought and offering just a reminder of serious Moulin-a-Vent, subtle oak letting the fruit speak, quite a long finish but with a hint of black pepper and stalk letting it down. Interesting, different, to cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/16

2005 Pask Merlot Declaration 16 ½ + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $50 [ ProCork (a plastic-filmed natural cork); CS 48%, Me 35, Ma 17, machine-harvested, de-stemmed; some cold-soak, main batch cuvaison to 28 days, some partial BF; c.18 months in French and American oak; Catalogue: complexity, velvet texture and natural density … intense, concentrated plum, spice and sweet oak aromas … ripe fruit, wonderful vibrancy and the ability to age well. Integrated oak, fine tannins in abundance and weighty plummy fruit; Awards: Silver @ [London] International Wine Challenge 2008, Silver @ Chicago World Wine Championships 2007; www.cjpaskwinery.co.nz ]
Older ruby. Bouquet is oaky first, and then there are good red fruits. The question is, how will the balance be on tongue ? In my view, there is not enough of the red plummy fruit for the weight of cedary oak, so the wine is gawky, and not food-friendly. Oak just does not go with food, and gives the wine a slightly salty (loosely speaking) quality, on all the phenolics and tannins. But a lot of people do like oak, and it is good-quality oak, so the score is a compromise. Cellar 3 – 8 years – any longer and there is a danger of the wine going varnishy. GK 07/09

2001 Dry River Chardonnay 16 ½ + (

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Martinborough, New Zealand: 13%; $ – [ cork, 45mm; information has always been hard to find for Dry River wines, then proprietor Neil McCallum being reticent. Understood to be 100% mendoza fruit hand-harvested at c.2.5 t/ha = 1 t/ac; 100% BF and 10 months LA in French oak around 30% new, partial MLF. In promotional material of the time, emphasis was placed on Dry River wines being built for ageing. M. Cooper (2003): The 2001 vintage is labelled Amaranth, meaning winemaker Neil McCallum sees it as especially suitable for cellaring. It certainly makes no concessions to drink-young appeal ... fragrant, refined and immaculate, with intense grapefruit and nut flavours and a tight, crisp, minerally character that hints at riches to unfold. A youthful, quietly classy wine, *****; present-day winemaker is Wilco Lam, the vineyard now being American-owned; www.dryriver.co.nz ]
Colour is fresh straw, nearly a wash of lemon, the lightest wine. Right from opening, the bouquet is very clean, lightly varietal with hints of stone fruit and citrus, but virtually no elevation complexity, mealyness or depth. Palate is a little better, some mealyness now adding flavour and a hint of texture, but fruit weight and concentration both lacking, raising doubts about a supposed low cropping rate, and total acid high. It seems pure and simple, in the company of the real thing. Like many Dry River wines, it does not in fact measure up in blind comparative tasting, even though it was presented as superior at the time, as denoted by both the price and the Amaranth designation. Will hold in cellar, but lacks the body to develop great interest. No first-places, two second place votes. GK 08/18

2010 Jaboulet Crozes-Hermitage Domaine Roure 16 ½ + (

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Crozes-Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $89 [ 54mm cork; hand-picked from 40 – 60 year vines at < 4.5 t/ha (1.8 t/ac); de-stemmed, cuvaison to 4 weeks; elevage usually 12 months in barrel, 20% new; Parker: 90-92; www.jaboulet.com ]
Ruby, older and lighter than the 2009, odd, below midway in the Jaboulets. This wine really needs decanting, to dispel a seaweedy note which I assume to be sulphur-related. Below that, there is medium-weight berry, and vaguely red-plummy fruit, but it's not communicating well. In mouth the flavours are richer than the 2010 Pierelles but hard, reinforcing the sulphur thought, and the flavours plain though still aromatic (masked pepper) syrah. Not sure this will blossom later, but possibly worth a try. Cellar 3 – 12 years. GK 06/14

2016 Vina Aquitania Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva 16 ½ + (

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Maipo Valley, Chile: 14%; $26 [ supercritical Diam cork, 45mm; CS 90% planted 1991, Sy 10, all hand-harvested at c. 5t / ha (2 t/ac), vines planted 1991; 8 months in second, third and fourth-year French oak; www.aquitania.cl ]
Ruby, some development showing, surprisingly light. Bouquet immediately has the Chilean slightly earthy note which differentiates so many Chilean cabernets from Bordeaux on the one hand, or Hawkes Bay / Waiheke Island on the other. Behind that, there is muted cassis and red plum in a bouquet of good vinosity, including a suggestion of oak. Palate is more Bordeaux than Hawkes Bay, a drier presentation of cabernet sauvignon than many in New Zealand, clean berry, balanced oak, totally unshowy. I can certainly see the link to those Cousina Macul cabernets of the 1970s, which like this wine, were understated. This is much more what one would expect from the title Reserva. It should cellar well, 5 – 12 years, in its tending-austere style. Again at $26, it is not a bargain. GK 09/18

2013 Vidal Syrah Reserve 16 ½ + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $25 [ screwcap; Sy 100%, all destemmed; no cold-soak, inoculated, extended cuvaison; MLF and 18 months in French oak 40% new; RS <2 g/L; filtered to bottle; note the Vidal wine hierarchy has been recast, the new Reserve Series now being between the standard wine and the former top-tier Reserves, now labelled Legacy Series; www.vidal.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, below midway in depth. Bouquet is quiet on this one too, a faint trace of pure reduction crimping the florals one hopes for in good syrah. Perhaps there is a s/s component in this wine. Dominant berry is cassis again, with some oak. Flavour shows clear cassisy and plummy aromatic fruit of reasonable weight, but also just a thread of hardness from threshold reduction. Oaking is beautifully in balance. Put this aside for three years, and it should be much softer and more approachable. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 06/16

2006 Amisfield Pinot Noir Rocky Knoll 16 ½ + (

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Lowburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $95 [ screwcap; c.15% whole bunch; 15 months in French oak, 44% new; the spec. sheet for this wine includes the evocative statement: "Whole bunch fermentation is powerful magic which must be used conservatively as it has a profound impact on the wine."; www.amisfield.co.nz ]
Attractive pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is fragrant and winey, another one reminding of good bourgogne rouge, with just a suggestion of leathery oxidation. Palate is burgundian too, lovely ripeness of red fruits mainly, a little oaky maybe, but the total style and food-friendlyness overtaking any academic faults. When one thinks of a couple of the French pinot noirs in the Pinots of the World tasting, this is pristine ! It could be scored more highly. These pricings worry me, though. Cellar 1 – 4 years. GK 02/10

2013 Nautilus Pinot Noir 16 ½ + (

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Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $43 [ screwcap; www.nautilusestate.com ]
The pinots from this point on are less exciting examples of the art. Classic burgundian pinot noir ruby, midway in depth. This wine benefits from decanting, to reveal a slightly peppery yet fragrant version of pinot noir, more black fruits than red, with suggestions of a whole-bunch component. Flavour shows fair concentration, again a hint of pepper with grape tannins which the oak exacerbates, so the whole palate though quite rich and gentle, seems slightly stalky. Cellar 3 – 8 years, and decant. GK 06/16

1990 Stonyridge [ Cabernet / Merlot ] Larose 16 ½ + (

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Waiheke Island, Auckland District, New Zealand: 13%; $110 [ cork 45mm; CS 75%, Me 18, CF 5, Ma 2; value given reflects current auction realisations in Auckland, not cited in wine-searcher; inferred detail, from 1994: hand-picked @ c. 2.5 t/ha = 1 t/ac; 12 months in oak probably 90% French, 10 US, 70% either new, or shaved and re-toasted; not filtered; Cooper, 1993: ... a weighty, tight-structured red with very concentrated, ripe, lingering flavours, *****; S. Courtney, 2009: Stinky herbal, it still took a long time to open up. Dry, drying, firm tannins, lovely red fruit connotations and raisins with liquorice and cedar notes, oak spice, old plum and cherry jam. Great vinous presence but quite mellow and now on its downhill slide, 17/20; www.stonyridge.co.nz ]
Ruby and garnet, a lovely mature wine colour, just below midway in depth. Bouquet is attractively clean and fragrant, cool cassis and cedary oak, seemingly closely related to the Lenswood wine, but just an appealing hint of 'more Bordeaux-like'. To a second sniff, though, you do wonder if the wine might be a bit too cool. Palate confirms that doubt, the berry just achieving cassis in ripeness, some red currants, still good fruit at its level of ripeness, but all slightly acid and a little stalky, relative to the Henschke. The oaking relative to the weight of fruit is well done, though. Fully mature, starting to fade now. No votes. GK 10/15

2013 Gunn Estate Pinot Noir Reserve 16 ½ + (

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Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $18 [ screwcap; all destemmed; info is sketchy; some of the wine goes into older oak; RS given as dry; www.gunnestate.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, a little age showing, at the tail end of the second quarter, for depth. Bouquet is light, sweetly floral in a buddleia and pink roses way, all red fruits. Palate is equally fragrant, fruit beautifully balanced to light oak, all red cherry flavours, not totally bone dry to the finish, an ideal introductory pinot noir. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 06/17

2004 Black Barn Vineyards Hawkes Bay Reserve 16 ½ + (

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Havelock district, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.8%; $45 [ plastic closure; CF 34%, CS 32, Me 22, Ma 22; 24 months in French oak; the firm’s top wine; www.blackbarn.com ]
Ruby. A developed bouquet, with fair red fruits and berry offset by some VA and a little oxidation, so that varietal expression is obscured. Bouquet contains a suggestion of mint or even euc, too. Palate continues in the same vein, somewhat stewed berryfruit in fair balance to oak, all long flavoured but in a lighter style. For earlier drinking, and cellar 3 – 8 years only. Plastic closures at this price point are inappropriate. GK 05/06

2013 Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc Private Bin Marlborough Early Release 16 ½ + (

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Wairau & Awatere Valleys, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $22 [ screwcap; cool-fermented all s/s; 3.6 g/L RS; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Palest lemongreen, virtually water-white. Let it be said immediately that I deplore the trivialisation of wine implicit in seeking to be the first to have a new-season sauvignon on the market. The variety is unsuited to that. That said, this wine is so much better than the sulphur-drenched rubbish people like Matua Valley have inflicted on this gullible market sector in past years. The wine shows a fair sampling of the main ripening components, nettles, green and yellow capsicum, some black passionfruit perhaps, on a commercial sauvignon-dry finish and reasonable fruit. This wine is labelled Early Release. It is a safe bet that the later main release – just Private Bin – will be a better wine. It is in any case foolish to drink any new-season sauvignon until six months from harvest. The importance of sauvignon blanc both to Villa Maria and to the New Zealand wine industry is hinted at by Villa Maria's share of the market. For them, all sauvignon labels amount to over half a million cases (9 L), and the Private Bin alone is over one-quarter-million cases. The standard Private Bin label consistently scores from 85 to 90 points (occasionally) on the main American wine websites. GK 05/13

2008 Bilancia Syrah / Viognier 16 ½ + (

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Gimblett Gravels 85% and balance Roy's Hill slopes adjacent to W, New Zealand: 13%; $32 [ screwcap; Sy 94%, Vi 6; hand-harvested @ c. 2.4 t/ac; 4 – 5 days ambient soak, Vi skins only co-fermented with Sy, no whole-bunch, wild yeast ferment, c.20 days cuvaison; MLF and 20 months in French oak 40% new; dry, sterile-filtered to bottle; 900 cases; www.bilancia.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, but one of the lighter wines. Bouquet is intriguing, taking its place alongside the Chave as a fragrant wine with a near-dianthus floral component on light cassisy and cherry berry, but also another raising doubts about ripeness – is it leafy? Palate says yes, total acid on the high side, some stalkyness in the berry, subtle oak, but less ripe even than the Chave. Attractive in its fresh style though, to cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 01/10

2007 Pask Syrah Declaration 16 ½ + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $50 [ ProCork (a plastic-filmed natural cork); machine-harvested; all de-stemmed; some cold soak; some BF in new oak; > 3 weeks cuvaison; 14 months in “new” French oak; Catalogue: truly expressive, ripe clean fruit … with aromas of intense spice and pepper. Complex oak and intense peppery fruit notes combine. A powerful, elegant attractive Syrah, with subtle underlying fragrance. Awards: Pure Gold @ Air New Zealand 2008; Gold @ Liquorland Top 100 2008, Silver @ Wine Style Asia Awards 2008; www.cjpaskwinery.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. Initially opened, the wine is a little reductive, and needs a good splashy decanting several times. Bouquet is then more in the dark chocolate and oak style which tiptoes towards Australia, and though there is good berry below, the beauty of the variety is compromised. Reductive notes carrying over into the oak make the wine seem hard in mouth at this stage, even though it is rich. This is another big wine not singing in the way the more highly-pointed wines do. Put aside for three years, and re-evaluate, and if appropriate cellar 5 – 12 years. As mentioned elsewhere, it is ‘interesting / worrying’ to see gold medals listed for wines like this – seduction by oak again, but they simply are not food-friendly. GK 07/09

1986 Villa Maria Chardonnay Gisborne Reserve 16 ½ + (

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Gisborne, New Zealand: 13%; $ – [ cork, 43mm; original price $22; not the barrique-ferment wine, the more regular approach then, s/s fermentation, then into barrel; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Straw and gold with an old-gold wash, well below midway in freshness. But on bouquet, and even moreso on palate, the wine to a degree dispels the initial impression from colour. Fruit richness is still remarkable, though the flavours are now dried peach rather than fresh or bottled golden queen, and both oak and acid are a little unsubtle. The Babich wins points on these issues, being more harmonious all through. Yet the volume of fruit almost smoothes-over these factors, and the flavour lingers agreeably and long. Another wine living on borrowed time now, but the top wine for three people. GK 09/15

2014 Craggy Range Pinot Noir Aroha 16 ½ + (

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Te Muna Valley, Martinborough district, Wairarapa, New Zealand: 13.8%; $120 [ cork 49mm; main clones Dijon 114, Abel, Dijon 667, planted at 4,200 vines/ha, average age 13 years, all hand-picked at c. 8 t/ha (3.2 t/ac); whole-bunch % varying 40 – 80% various ferments, cold soak 5 – 7 days, all wild-yeast ferments, then 12 – 15 days cuvaison; all the wine 10 months in all-French oak 30% new, medium toast, MLF in barrel the following spring; not sterile-filtered to bottle; RS <2 g/L: dry extract 25.4 g/L; production <1,000 9-L cases; www.craggyrange.com ]
Colour is lighter and older, below midway in depth. Bouquet is clearly varietal in a straightforward lightly floral way, all red fruits, fragrant, clean oak. Palate is more austere, a clear stalky component, leading to hardness and shortness on the finish, with acid noticeable. Price seems high for the quality in this bottle. Cellar 5 – 12 years. Two second places, and five thought it from Otago. GK 08/16

2004 Yarden Syrah Ortal Vineyard 16 ½ + (

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Golan Heights, Israel: 14.5%; $70 [ cork; price is simple conversion from US$49; Sy 100%, hand-harvested from vines 4 – 5 years age, growing at 920 m, on volcanic-derived soils in an 800 mm annual rainfall zone; vintage starts in July and ends in August; 18 months in French oak two-thirds new; pH 3.64; a 5 – 6,000 tonne winery; WA / Squires, 2008: ...a touch of that French Syrah earthiness ...nicely balanced ...ripe tannins ...young and primary ... blackberry and vanilla tinged fruit ... needs a bit more intensity and finish. 88; www.golanwines.co.il/wine_eng ]
Ruby and velvet, medium weight. Bouquet stands well apart from the other wines in the world tasting, in showing a clearly estery and slightly malted hops character, which coupled with stewed red plummy fruit, and just a thought of prunes, bespoke a warmer climate. In mouth the wine reminded me of some earlier Mondavi Pinot Noir Reserves, the oak showing a fragrant conifer-like note reminiscent of the days when Californian redwood was used in cooperage. The wine is soft, quite rich and very accessible, showing some maturity now. The estery note on bouquet does not lead to undue VA as the acid, but the high alcohol is noticeable. Finish is dominated by overtly cedary oak, but over-ripe fruit persists too. An interesting bottle, as seen from this side of the world. Cellar, 3 – 8 years. GK 01/10

2011 Valli Pinot Noir Gibbston 16 ½ + (

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Gibbston, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $136 [ screwcap; hand-harvested @ 4.4 t/ha (1.8 t/ac) from 11-year old vines (a mix of Davis and Dijon clones); ferments include a 30% whole-bunch component, cuvaison 24 days; 11 months in French oak 34% new, the balance first-and second-year; not fined or filtered; growing season c.885 GDD; production 910 x 9-litre cases; exemplary website; www.valliwine.com ]
Older lightish pinot noir ruby, some garnet, the second lightest wine. Freshly opened, the wine smelt tired. It definitely needs air, and time in glass, to expand. It opens to suggestions of buddleia florals now somewhat faded, on all red fruits with just a hint of leaf, as if 2011 were a cooler year [ later: yes – 885 GDD ]. Palate correlates, the red fruits browning and receding a little, lightly cedary oak more apparent, the nett impression a little acid and leafy. The wine is fully mature, earlier than I would hope. Here too, the price is unwise, reflecting its rarity at the winery rather than the wine’s intrinsic merit. GK 06/19

2017 Pyramid Valley Chardonnay Marlborough Growers’ Collection 16 ½ + (

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Marlborough, New Zealand: 14.5%; $38 [ screwcap; beyond purple prose and a production of 226 x 9-litre cases; the website is silent on technical detail for this wine; www.pyramidvalley.co.nz ]
Lemonstraw, deeper again, the second deepest of all the whites. Bouquet is light, fairly pure (a slight worry on the lees component), not at all clearly varietal in a blind tasting including barrel-ferment pinot blanc and pinot gris, vanishingly subtle as to oak and MLF components. Palate is more revealing, a little more clearly understated chardonnay, but in mouth the acid creeps up, some phenolics detract, the caveat on bouquet now seems a bit rubbery, and even though the wine becomes somewhat richer, it is not satisfying chardonnay. It will certainly be a lot better in three and five years, and will cellar for 10 – 15. It is not as obviously stalky as the Field of Fire Chardonnay. GK 06/19

2013 Trinity Hill Tempranillo 16 ½ + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $32 [ screwcap; Te 100%, hand-picked; the grapes de-stemmed but not crushed, fermentation in s/s, curtailed cuvaison; elevation for 15 months in mostly French oak, some new, some American, some held in s/s for freshness; www.trinityhill.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, deeper than 2013 The Gimblett or Homage. This is really an awkward wine, for me. It continues to be marked at gold medal level by Australasian wine judges and winewriters who do not taste much beyond local shores, but the whole style of the wine is alien to classical tempranillo. The grape has an identity crisis. Over many years (the earliest in my cellar 1952) the style of good tempranillo-based wine has been closer to pinot noir than any other grape, in its classic Spanish locations, Rioja notably. But at some stage a misguided English winewriter said tempranillo was the 'cabernet of Spain', and as is so often the case, all the other winewriters have followed like sheep, and repeated this view, for decades now. When quizzed, winemaker Warren Gibson observes there are some tempranillos in Spain just as dark, if not more so, and he feels 'it is what it is', and 'that's how it comes out in New Zealand'. Happily, there is no other grape (now) acting as a teinturier in the wine. So … it is big, soft, ample and blackberry / dark plummy, juicy, with very vanillin oak noticeable. You can't object to American oak in tempranillo, since it is traditional in Spain. But there the good ones don't smell like plums and custard, as this does. So I can't warm to the wine, it falling into the big, round soft Oz supermarket shiraz bracket for me. All very difficult. Cellar 5 – 12 years, maybe to fine down. GK 11/15

2007 Kidnapper Cliffs Merlot / Cabernet Franc Ariki 16 ½ + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $ – [ cork; Me 85% typically cropped at a little >5 t/ha = 2 t/ac, CF 15 typically cropped at c. 5 t/ha = 2 t/ac; 7 days cold soak and 13 days total cuvaison, MLF preferably with the alcoholic fermentation but in any case before barrel; typically 18 – 20 months in French 300s and 220s, 25% new; wine made at the Dry River winery, Martinborough; www.kidnappercliffs.com ]
Ruby and velvet, the densest of the Arikis, closer to the straight cabernet sauvignon, but quite a different hue. The 2007 is in the lesser style of the 2008, but markedly more leathery on bouquet, and more leathery and reductive, and again saline, on palate. Fruit richness is good, but I don't think this will make a graceful bottle. Again reminders of Australia, and it will cellar well within its limitations. Cellar 3 – 15 years. GK 08/11

2014 Babich Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot / Cabernet Franc Irongate 16 ½ + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $33 [ supercritical 'cork' = Diam 49mm; CS 58, Me 29, CF 13, hand-harvested; extended cuvaison; 14 months in French oak 35% new; RS <1 g/L; www.babichwines.co.nz ]
Good ruby, lighter and older than 2013 Irongate. Bouquet is fragrant, but also lighter and leaner than the 2013 Irongate, some cassis and rather more red plums than black plums, the red plums putting one on guard. Palate confirms the bouquet impressions, the depth of fruit ripeness being less than 2013 Irongate, pleasant entry but a thought of stalks on the swallow, adequate body for its lighter style. This wine underlines my (thus far) working impression that 2014 is a merlot (and syrah) year in Hawkes Bay, but not a cabernet one. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 07/16

1983 Mount Mary Cabernets 16 ½ + (

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Yarra Valley, Victoria, Australia: 12%; $ – [ 49mm cork; 1983 not on Winesearcher, 1984 $300, this bottle bought at the vineyard, courtesy an introduction from James Halliday, expensive; vineyard now planted to CS 46%, Me 26, CF 18, Ma 5, PV 5, but composition each year varies with varietal performance that season; c.22 months in French oak 30% new, some of cooperage larger sizes; not sure to what extent earlier practice differs, but probably little; 1983 a drought year not highly rated by the vineyard, Langtons, or Halliday; in 1994 Halliday rated the wine 3 stars out of 5: Colour on the light side …light fruit with distinct farmyard characters; the palate is quite tannic, and again those farmyard characters come through; the wine is rather hollow overall; www.mountmary.com.au ]
Ruby and garnet, reasonably fresh, right in the middle for depth. In its intensity of bouquet this wine closely matches the 1976 Montrose. When you put them alongside each other, the Mount Mary is more aromatic. At the blind stage, three tasters in the 21 saw a hint of eucalyptus in this, and correctly sheeted it home to Australia – astute. Berry notes include clear red currants as well as cassis, and subtle oak. Palate is nearly the same weight as the 1976 Montrose, and stylistically remarkably close, reflecting the difficult year. I suspect John Middleton would have been happy with the analogy, and the showing of the wine today. It does not have quite the ripeness, complexity, and length of flavour on palate as the Montrose, but it is unequivocally 'cabernets'. No sign of 'farmyard', if that is a euphemism for brett. No hurry here at all. GK 11/13

2013 J L Chave Selection Saint-Joseph Offerus 16 ½ + (

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Saint-Joseph, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $48 [ cork 46mm; this is the negociant side of J L Chave; Sy 100%; cuvaison up to 28 days; 12 – 15 months in mostly larger oak, none new; Chave website not functional yet, some information at a merchant website www.shiverick.com; imported by Maison Vauron, Auckland; weight bottle and closure: 589 g; www.domainejlchave.fr ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, just below midway in depth, vastly different from the J L Chave Saint-Joseph proper. And so is the bouquet. Here is a perfect example of highly floral and fragrant syrah, where the intense dianthus florals and trace white pepper bespeak marginal under-ripeness, on berry which approaches cassis and red fruits quality. Flavours in mouth are lovely but simple syrah clearly below optimal ripeness as expressed in my syrah ripening curve, yet clearly sweeter, riper and deeper than the Gerin Collines Rhodaniennes wine. Palate weight is medium only, more a dark pinot-weight wine, to cellar 3 – 12 years. GK 08/16

2013 Yalumba [ Cabernet Sauvignon / Shiraz ] The Scribbler 16 ½ + (

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Barossa Valley, South Australia, Australia: 13.5%; $25 [ screwcap; pretentious and non-informative website; www.yalumba.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, well above midway in depth. Bouquet shows burly berry in a straightforward way, clean, not much elevation complexity. Palate is lesser here too, quite phenolic, a nearly stalky component awaiting mellowing, quite rich, just lacking excitement. There have been better Scribblers than this. Cellar 5 – 15 years, to mellow and improve. GK 06/16

2009 Ngatarawa Merlot / Cabernet Glazebrook 16 ½ + (

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Bridge Pa Triangle 55% & Gimblett Gravels 45, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $27 [ screwcap; Me 55%, CS 45, hand-harvested from 10 – 16 year-old vines; inoculated fermentation, cuvaison c.21 days; MLF and c.12 months in French oak 33% new; 33 1-year, balance older; RS <1 g/L; www.ngatarawa.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, just above midway in depth. Bouquet is quiet and fine-grained, darkly cassisy with bottled black doris suggestions, even a thought of the Margaux commune. Palate is lesser, fair berry and fruit but suggestions of mixed ripeness in the cassis, just a hint of stalks, all subtly oaked. Attractive in its way, and interesting alongside the 2009 Alwyn, to see the ripeness levels differentiated. Both need more ripeness yet, however, notwithstanding the welcome addition in recent years of Gimblett Gravels fruit to the traditionally lean Ngatarawa red wine style. Incidentally, Bridge Pa Triangle wines do not need to be lean and under-ripe, as the Church Road McDonald Series Cabernet in this tasting (or Te Mata's Bullnose Syrah) shows. Ngatarawa's traditional style is more a function of an inappropriate cropping rate for fine wine, I suspect. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/12

1975 Staatsweinguter Erbacher Marcobrunn Riesling Spatlese QmP 16 ½ + (

)

Rheingau, Germany: – %; $ – [ cork, 45mm; following a third 1971 having to be rejected for TCA taint, I then had to draw on the second-tier reserves from 1975 … reluctantly; at the time, the State domains were not noted for their remarkable quality, but this one fitted in reasonably well … and had the merit of being from the same site as one of the TBAs; at 5.2 ha, Marcobrunn is quite a sizeable vineyard. Some authors feel the rich marl soils produce such spicy and full-flavoured wines, that there is some loss of elegance; the website may now be: www.weingut-kloster-eberbach.de ]
Lightish gold, bright, in the middle for depth. Bouquet is unusually fragrant, a mix of vanillin / linalool as in sweet-vernal hay, and the unusual combination of freshness as in mature Hunter Valley semillon, and honeyed. Palate is slightly a surprise, being more ‘golden’ than the bouquet, dried peach flavours, more honeyed and showing its Rheingau origins, though the acid balance is good. Finish is tending short and the fruit drying a little, reflecting its spatlese level. Some tasters felt there was trace oxidation here too. A little past its prime. One top place, two least. GK 11/17

2003 Betz Family Winery Syrah la Cote Rousse 16 ½ + (

)

Red Mountain, Columbia Valley, Washington, U.S.A: 14.3%; $ – [ cork; c. US$45, 370 cases; a district noted for its thick-skinned tannin-rich grapes; ex website: "It has the deepest black red color we've yet achieved with Syrah. There are profound blackberry, black cherry aromas, pure and penetrating. Syrah emerges as a roasted meat, violet, spice concerto that carries across to the flavor. Despite classic Red Mountain tannin levels everything is in remarkable harmony, with a fleshy, plump richness balanced by a notable spine of structure. With its concentration, verve and structure this one should do well in the cellar for many years"; Parker / Rovani 164: "A backward wine … flavors and aromas of blackberries, black raspberries, and asphalt, medium-bodied, pure, a firm tannic backbone … to 2014. 88"; Spectator: 88; www.betzfamilywinery.com ]
Ruby and velvet, quite dense, well above midway. Bouquet is deep, dark and mysterious – is it blackberry and charry oak, or quite severe brett ? Fruit is dry and 'charred steak' in character, again dark. Palate clarifies the wine is indeed deeply bretty, in the dark chocolate style of the Haven's Syrah in the 2007 Syrah Symposium (associated with Pinot Noir 2007), but there is also rich browning over-ripe fruit in the plums / prunes sector, balanced by oak. It would be great to see this fruit made without such intense brett, for its richness and balance is interesting. This too mightn't be bone dry to the finish. Cellar 5 – 12 years, perhaps longer. GK 04/07

2005 Matariki [ Hawkes Bay blend ] Quintology 16 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.6%; $50 [ cork; DFB; Me 41%, CS 30, Ma 12, CF 10, Sy 7, hand-harvested, de-stemmed; inoculated ferments, cuvaison for some components to 28 days; MLF completed in barrel and 19 months in ‘predominantly’ French and some US oak, 55% new; RS ‘dry’; Catalogue: an intense aroma of ripe blackberries and dark plums intermingled with spice and soft cedary oak. Skilled blending of the 5 varieties delivers a wine with elegant integration of the fruit and oak. A delicious velvety tannin approach leads through to a rich full palate and a complex lingering finish; Awards: 90-95 points, Neal Martin for Robert Parker; www.matarikiwines.co.nz ]
Ruby, some development. Bouquet is delightfully fragrant and claret-styled, nearly floral, some cassis, red and black plums, some black pepper, but it is not a rich wine. Palate confirms the lighter impression, being quite modestly-fruited. The flavour is attractive though, with reasonable ripeness just escaping leafiness, and some oak complexity. The nett impression does suggest too generous a cropping rate – I was hoping for more substance in the firm’s top-of-the-range wine in a mostly good vintage like 2005. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 07/09

2013 Millton Syrah Clos de St Anne The Crucible * 16 ½ + (

)

Gisborne district, New Zealand: 14.5%; $75 [ screwcap; Sy 95% destemmed, Vi 5% whole-bunch and co-fermented; 100% hand-picked; a single vineyard wine from a Poverty Bay hillside west of Gisborne city, facing northwest, well-protected; wild-yeast fermentation in oak cuves; c.15 months in unspecified oak, percentage new not given; RS 2 g/L, whether above non-fermentable not given; certified organic and biodynamic; website tending to purple prose; released; www.millton.co.nz ]
An older ruby than the other wines, presumably more oak-affected, below midway in depth. If the euc'y (or lawsoniana) character in the Brookfields is debatable, here it is offensive, drowning out any varietal delicacy or beauty. The comparison with the Filsell here is dramatically close, not least for the Millton also being 14.5% alcohol. Such a level of over-ripeness pretty well guarantees no floral components in the wine, anyway. So what does the wine taste like? The softness, ripeness and richness of palate is unusual both for New Zealand syrah, and more particularly for any red wine in the Gisborne district. Millton's sites are certainly very special, in this regard. But inescapably, in a syrah tasting, ripeness isn't necessarily better. This wine is over-ripe and shiraz-like in character, in all respects, and almost sweet to the finish [ later, website mentions 2 g/L residual ]. Needless to say, a number of tasters marked the wine up for these attributes, but we have the potential to make so much finer syrah-like syrahs in New Zealand. Cellar 5 – 20 years, in its style. GK 05/15

2007 Rabbit Ranch Pinot Gris 16 ½ + (

)

Cromwell district, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $25 [ screwcap; no website found, brief background on www.otagowine.com, same winemaker (John Wallace) as Chard Farm ]
Pale lemon. Bouquet is typical New Zealand pinot gris handled in stainless steel, with pearflesh and some white nectarine, slightly lifted by VA. Palate shows a fairly commercial approach, mild, medium-dry, good fruit, not phenolic. Mark might be generous, could be described as bland, but many seem to prefer pinot gris for that. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 03/08

2007 Carrick Pinot Noir 16 ½ + (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $ – [ screwcap; 5 clones hand-picked, reduced crop; negligible whole bunch 2007, pre-ferment cold soak c.5 days, plus c.10 days cuvaison with 70% wild yeast; c.14 months in French oak c. 30% new; light filter only; www.carrick.co.nz ]
Big ruby for pinot noir, one of the darker wines. Bouquet is very ripe, showing a degree of sur maturité which leaves behind red fruits and florality, and introduces fragrant dark plummy notes instead. Palate is awkward, with suggestions of mixed ripeness now apparent, both darkly plummy notes and some stalky suggestions evident too, in quite an oaky setting. This is a burly but attractive pinot noir which will cellar well, but will not I suspect achieve the burgundian finesse of some of its subtler compatriots, or the more even and appropriate ripeness evident in the Excelsior wine of the same year. Interesting wine therefore, to cellar 5 – 12 years on its size, for it is still clearly varietal and may fine down. GK 11/10

2003 Mt Henschke Shiraz Mt Edelstone 16 ½ + (

)

Eden Valley, South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $90 [ screwcap; vines 90 years old, un-irrigated; hot difficult season though described as 'very good quality'; R. Parker 167: 18 months in a combination of American and French oak (80% new) … sumptuous and voluptuous … Notions of blackberries, cassis, pepper, graphite, and melted road tar emerge from this rich, full-bodied, impeccably well-balanced Shiraz. 94; www.henschke.com.au ]
Ruby, a little velvet, another Australian shiraz much lighter than in earlier years. Initially opened, bouquet is intensely euc'y, almost to the point of wintergreen, so one has to wrestle with the wine, to see its contribution to an international syrah tasting. Remington Norman wanted us to appreciate the great structure the wine showed, and the finesse of its extraction and elevation. And certainly on palate, red fruits dominate, total phenolics were low, and the wine is richly juicy and physically attractive. But in the Barossa climate, it is hard for syrah to retain either florals or precise aromatic cassis berry, instead broadening into a raspberry / boysenberry / plummy mix of fruit parameters – classically shiraz. So, the wine is in one sense elegant in its lighter style, but it so reeks of eucalyptus that there is no hope of hiding it in an international blind tasting – which rather defeats the purpose of the exercise. The influence of the much-vaunted terroir concept at this intensity is totally negative. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 01/07

2007 Waimea Viognier 16 ½ + (

)

Nelson, New Zealand: 14%; $21 [ screwcap; hand-harvested; 95% cool-fermented in s/s, 5% warm-fermented in seasoned oak, resulting blend 2 months LA in s/s; RS 14 g/L; www.waimeaestates.co.nz ]
Palest straw. Initially opened, this wine is attenuated. It really needs more time in bottle, or meanwhile, pouring into a jug for a few hours, to breathe / expand. That is not to say there is any defect to air off, it is merely to promote a little esterification. It then shows light but clear yellow florals on delicate canned apricot fruit. In mouth the wine is both sweeter and more acid than good Hawkes Bay ones (or Condrieu), but the whole thing is attractive. Waimea has a great feel for aromatic whites, and this wine fits in with their established successes with gewurztraminer etc. The problem is ripening viognier properly, south of Hawkes Bay, and this example reflects that. Cellar 2 – 4 years. GK 03/08

2013 Mission Estate Cabernet / Merlot Jewelstone Antoine 16 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $50 [ screwcap; CS 58%, Me 42, hand-picked from c.10-year old vines planted at 2,500 vines / ha and cropped @ 5 t/ha = 2 t/ac; cuvaison 33 – 35 days, cultured-yeast; MLF in tank; 18 months in French oak c.60% new; RS nil; not sterile-filtered; dry extract not available; production 470 x 9-L cases; released; www.missionestate.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, towards the lighter end. Like the Pask, and for the same reason, this is a fragrant wine, showing both red fruits and some floral qualities on bouquet, and then some riper material too, a darkly plummy undertone. But as soon as you taste it, a stalky green quality jumps to the forefront, and total acid is up. Fruit richness is fair, oak handling is careful, but the fruit was either picked too early, or not sufficiently sorted for ripeness. The green under-ripe component is too obtrusive. Many do like these cool and fragrant claret styles, but they are less-favoured nowadays, and off-target in international terms. In the Regional Wines tasting, one person rated this the top wine, at the blind stage. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 05/15

2005 Dry River Pinot Noir 16 ½ + (

)

Martinborough Terrace, Wairarapa, New Zealand: 12.5%; $77 [ cork 50mm; release price; careful viticulture optimising ripeness, and aiming to crop below 2.5 t/ha (6.25 t/ac), but small crop in difficult year; includes vines up to 29 years old; c.20% whole bunch; up to 10 days cold-soak; 12 months in French oak c.20% new; Robinson, 2009: This looks so young it could be taken for a 2008! Mostly picked before the notorious rains of 2005. Complex bouquet already with a sumptuous, silky texture. Dry finish, 17.5; the following review raises fundamental questions for me as to what pinot noir in fact should smell and taste like: Lisa Perrotti-Brown, in R. Parker, 2013: Deep ruby-colored, the 2005 Pinot Noir offers mulberries, kirsch, anise and chocolate aromas with hints of spice box and menthol. With crisp acid and low levels of fine tannins, it has great intensity and still shows a lot of fruit through the long finish. It will benefit from 4-6 more years of cellaring, 92; Cooper, 2008: a deeply-coloured, medium to full-bodied wine with fresh, vibrant plum and spice flavours. A very refined wine, concentrated and supple, showing lovely density and poise, its still very youthful, open 2009 onwards, *****; www.dryriver.co.nz ]
Dense ruby, undesirable depth for pinot noir, some development, clearly the deepest wine in both sets by a huge margin. Bouquet is pure, but showing considerable sur-maturité as pinot noir, darkly plummy, tanniny, rich, no florals, the description 'porty' used by one taster. [ That would be youngish vintage port. ] Palate is interesting. It avoids the tannin load some of the 2005 burgundies show, and one might expect from the colour, and is ultra-fine-grained having regard to the weight of fruit. There is appeal in the total winestyle, but it's not pinot noir in any classical sense. Yes, there have been odd de Vogue (for example) grands crus something like this, and you can see a connection to some of the denser 2005 burgundies in this tasting. But going back and forth in the tasting, the burgundies though tannic do taste like pinot noir, and the Dry River doesn't. I see I described this wine as the best pinot noir Dry River had produced (in the context of their idiosyncratic interpretation of the grape) in my review of some of the wines in the Pinot Noir 2007 Conference, though noting it still inclined to sur-maturité. That makes sense now. Hard to score in some ways, some aspects of the wine have to be rewarded, even if that achievement is more Chateauneuf-du-Pape in style. It certainly has plenty of life left in it, unusually so for 10-year-old New Zealand pinot noir. Top wine for three people, second for two, recognised as New Zealand wine by a third of the group. Cellar 3 – 10 years, at least. GK 09/15

2007 Johner Pinot Noir 16 ½ + (

)

Gladstone, Wairarapa, New Zealand: 13.7%; $37 [ screwcap; no detail on website; RS 2.6 g/L, sugar-free dry extract 30 g/L; www.johner-estate.com ]
Pinot noir ruby, older than the 2007 Reserve. Bouquet shows a great volume of florals, on red more than black fruits plus a suggestion of peppercorn, so this is another pinot confuseable with a Cote Rotie handling of syrah. Palate matches those thoughts well, attractive flesh, complex flavours, very aromatic, but the acid seemingly up a bit relative to the Reserve. The oak is older than the Reserve, I suspect, and the finish a little more peppery / stalky. Cellar 3 – 8 years, for an attractive and confusing wine. If marked strictly on varietal character, this should be a little lower, but it is pleasing. Again, not absolutely bone-dry. GK 03/09

2014 Wittman Westhofener Spatburgunder Trocken 16 ½ + (

)

Rheinhessen, Germany: 12.5%; $51 [ cork; organic and biodynamic; the Wittmans have been winemakers in Westhofen since at least 1663, with 90% of production riesling; Westhofen soils tend to calcareous; the wine fermented in large older oak; again the website is more illustrative, hard to get factual info for each wine; www.weingutwittmann.de ]
Pinot noir ruby, a little fresher. Bouquet is a good deal more harmonious and varietal than the Rebholz, but even here the oak is too noticeable. It is however much better quality oak, but pinot noir needs less. Bouquet and flavour show few florals or subtleties, just good simple cherry fruit, red mainly and some black. There is a little more body and texture, but it looks expensive in New Zealand relative to (for example) Grasshopper Pinot Noir from Central Otago. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 03/17

2010 Ch L'Abbaye de Sainte Ferme 16 ½ + (

)

Entre Deux Mers (Bordeaux Superieur), Bordeaux, France: 14%; $20 [ cork 1 + 1 composite, 45mm; Me 70%, CS 20, CF 10; no info; www.domainesderaignac.com ]
Ruby, appreciably older than the Paveil de Luze, well below midway. Bouquet smells merlot-dominant, clearly plummy though browning now, some dark tobacco and cedary oak complexity, a hint of chocolate and smoke, all very much minor bordeaux. Flavours in mouth are interesting, soft and ample, lightly oaked for bordeaux, a trace of leaf to freshen it. Good sound petit bordeaux, mellow and food friendly, already showing some maturity. The Thornbury and this wine have much in common, though L'Abbaye is a little more rustic. Cellar 3 – 12 years. GK 03/15

2004 Ch d'Agassac 16 ½ + (

)

Haut-Medoc cru bourgeois, Bordeaux, France: 13%; $45 [ cork; CS 60%, Me 40, cropped at c. 2.5 t/ac; 3 – 4 week cuvaison; some MLF in barrel; 15 months on lees and stirred in barrel c. 30% new; www.agassac.com ]
Ruby and velvet. Bouquet is straightforward minor bordeaux of a pleasant year, reminiscent of many chateaux from Entre Deux Mers across to the Medoc. It shows red fruits perhaps more than black, including red and blackcurrants and red more than black plum, some tobacco, older oak, and is technically satisfactory without being squeaky clean. Palate is the same, refreshing, a hint of leafiness without being under-ripe, so one calls it tobacco. This wine illustrates clearly why the Oyster Bay would be even better received if it were sold with appropriate bottle age. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 11/08

2003 Ch d’Angludet 16 ½ + (

)

Margaux Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel, France: 13%; $50 [ cork; CS 55%, Me 35, PV 10, planted to 6700 vines / ha, average vine age 25; fermentation in tank, cuvaison up to 5 weeks, up to 12 months ageing in French oak 30 – 35 % new; Parker: ... fragrant with flowers, black cherry jam, licorice, and barbecue spice … velvety-textured, medium-bodied ... 89; Robinson: ... low-key nose of ripe black berries … soft, easy, dry tannins … a bit awkward ... 15; www.chateau-angludet.fr ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, one of the deepest. Compared with the main Scenic Cellars tasting of 9 classed growths, this wine had a certain hearty cru bourgeois robustness to it which was quite refreshing. (It was opened afterwards, as a red to accompany a handsome lunch. I was able to re-examine all the wines together afterwards, for these notes.) Bouquet is deeply plummy, some cassis, more old oak than new, and some brett. Palate shows good richness, in fact an almost best-Chilean plumpness, but cooperage is plain. It made one realise that a little brett in some of the classed growths really did not detract from their finesse very much, and in fact added a savoury complexity and winey food-friendliness which many people actively like. This hearty d’Angludet should cellar for 10 – 15 years, though acid is low. GK 10/06

1996 d'Arenberg Shiraz Dead-Arm 16 ½ + (

)

McLaren Vale, South Australia, Australia: 15%; $112 [ Cork, 46 mm; the fourth release of the Dead-Arm wine, many gold medal badges; rated Outstanding in the Langton's Australian wine classification, the second-level group of 52; Halliday rates the 1996 vintage 9 for McLaren Vale; the name refers to Eutypa-infected vines usually resulting in dieback to one fruiting arm only. The d'Arenbergs realised that rather than remove the vines as is usally done, the reduced crop was more flavoursome and premium in a sense – hence the name; usually some foot-treading of the must (then), ferment is finished in (then) mostly new American and French barriques, followed by 22 months in oak; Halliday, 1998: Dense red-purple; the bouquet is spotlessly clean, with concentrated dark cherry and dark chocolate fruit, together with plenty of new oak. A rich and concentrated wine on the palate with more of that dark chocolate fruit, finishing with powerful but ripe tannins, 93; Parker, 2000: Year in and year out d'Arenberg's finest cuvee is their spectacular Shiraz made from 100+ year old, head-pruned vines. It is an exquisite, multi-dimensional wine that is sure to make a formidable impression with readers. It is aged in 100% new oak, tipping the scales at a whopping 14.9% alcohol, yet has a glorious level of fruit and extract. The full-bodied, port-like 1996 Dead Arm Shiraz displays scents of black fruits, prunes, licorice, and pepper. Thick, rich, and unctuously-textured, this is a dazzling old vine Shiraz that can be drunk now, or cellared for 15-20 years, 96; bottle weight 588 g; www.darenberg.com.au ]
Ruby and garnet, in the middle for depth. If the E & E is classical old-style Barossa, this is classical old- style McLaren Vale. It is richly shiraz over-ripened to the boysenberry level, the bouquet lifted by high alcohol, and all made fragrant by American oak. It is a style of wine which still has a big following. Flavours in mouth are soft, rich, 'sweet' and velvety, the boysenberry flavours big and rich (but I am not allowed to say, unsophisticated), the wine braced by quite big oak leaving an almost tannic finish underneath the fruit sweetness. For those who love this wine style, this kind of wine works with bold foods too, but for other people, the drier lighter wines at the other end of my marking scale appeal more … particularly for subtler foods. This is the third of the three popular wines, five people rated Dead Arm their favourite wine, four their second, one the least. Nobody thought it French. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 03/17

2008 Ch d'Armailhac 16 ½ + (

)

Pauillac Fifth Growth, Bordeaux, France: 13%; $130 [ cork 50mm; CS 54%, Me 29; CF 15, PV 2, average vine age 46 years, but 19% over 100 years, planted at 10,000 vines / ha; c.3 weeks cuvaison, c.15 – 18 months (depending on vintage) in French oak, 25 – 33% new; www.chateau-darmailhac.com ]
Ruby, older, well below midway in depth. Bouquet on this wine shows attractive red fruits and cedar, plus a hint of stalks. But with a number of tending-rustic petit chateaux in the line-up, this one, though older, is immaculately clean. Palate suggests higher cabernet, good richness yet a certain austerity, lovely cedary oak, and clear stalkyness. Like the 2012 Clerc Milon, this was a really useful wine to have in the line-up, for calibrating achieved ripeness in the New Zealand reds. Cellar 3 – 15 years. GK 03/15

nv Champagne Bollinger Special Cuvée Brut 16 ½ + (

)

Ay, Champagne, France: 12%; $ – [ traditional compound champagne cork; bought at the same time as the 1982 vintage, to check the question: how does nv champagne age ? Approximately PN 60, CH 25, PM 15; full MLF, c.10% reserve wines including barrel-fermented, c. 3 years en tirage, c.8 g/L dosage; wine-searcher mostly does not have values for non-vintage wines; www.champagne-bollinger.com ]
Full straw, a wash of old-gold / tan, the second darkest wine. Bouquet is more toasted Vogel's Multigrain and biscuitty, and less red winey, than the 1982 Bollinger purchased at the same time, but still unmistakably in the Bollinger burly style. Six of 21 tasters found trace TCA impaired their appreciation of the wine. Palate is shorter, nuttier, and slightly older and softer than the 1982, but nonetheless still clearly suggests a good bottle would be pretty good – which is not bad for a non-vintage wine at 30 years since purchase, since 'everybody' knows non-vintage champagne is not for cellaring. It is clearly richer than the 1982 Ayala, but differs in the oak component being tastable. The dosage seems greater than the 1982 vintage Bollinger, say 9 – 10 g/L, contra the info available. A good bottle would score more. Two days later the TCA had breathed off completely, confirming the low concentration. GK 05/16

2009 Bodegas Borsao Grenache / Syrah / Tempranillo Seleccion 16 ½ + (

)

Campo de Borja, Spain: 14%; $15 [ screwcap; Gr 70%, Sy 20, Te 10; no oak; www.bodegasborsao.com ]
Quite rich ruby, carmine and velvet, a fresh modern colour. Bouquet is clean, grapey, and appreciably deeper on this wine, more boysenberry than raspberry, a clear black peppercorn spicy complexity note from the syrah I imagine adding flourish. It is all pleasantly attractive in a simple stainless steel (or concrete) way. Palate has good weight, is bone dry, but at this stage is a bit raw on hard tannins. It might be an oak chips wine, rather than seeing any oak in the conventional sense. Well worth cellaring 3 – 10 years, for a more mellow and fragrant dry red. GK 08/11

2010 Domaine Bott-Geyl Pinot Gris Les Elements 16 ½ + (

)

Beblenheim, Alsace, France: 13%; $33 [ supercritical 'cork'; www.bott-geyl.com ]
Straw with a gold wash, old-fashioned, above midway in depth. Bouquet on this pinot gris is simply beautiful. It illustrates the delicate sweet palely-yellow floral smell of old-fashioned single English primroses (a now forgotten flower), lovely white stonefruits which must bespeak a pinot variety, and trace noble botrytis. Palate is less, the phenolics quite coarse, so despite good fruit and some sweetness, in mouth the wine is clumsy. But once Jean-Cristophe produces some fat-laden Alsatian food, the wine seems wonderful. Buy on apples and sell on cheese. Again, tasted with the two gold-medal New Zealand wines, the concentration here even in the standard wine is remarkable. Very hard to score meaningfully. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 04/13

2006 Bouchard Pere & Fils Chambertin-Clos-de-Beze 16 ½ + (

)

Gevrey-Chambertin Grand Cru, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $534
Pinot noir ruby, right in the middle for depth. Bouquet is much more old-fashioned here, a little entrained reduction leading to leathery thoughts, fair fruit but little fragrance, just a hint of herbes too. Palate continues the bouquet perfectly, all a little rustic and leathery, some brett adding to the complexity, slightly stalky. Food wine, another needing splashy decanting. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 08/12

2010 Domaine du Bouscat Caduce 16 ½ + (

)

Near Fronsac, Bordeaux, France: 14.5%; $20 [ cork; Me 70%, CS 20, CF 5, Ma 5, average age 37 years planted at an average of 5,000 vines / ha; Bordeaux Superieur from 10 km WNW of Fronsac; cuvaison c.25 days, elevation in puncheons and larger, unknown (small) percentage new. Caduce is the entry level wine and largest cuvée of three qualities from Bouscat. Claude Gros consults; RP 88: … bottled unfined and unfiltered. Now get this – it finished at 15% natural alcohol, so you’re dealing with a very ripe style, even though this vintage is renowned for its relatively high alcohols. But the pHs, or strength of the acidities, of these wines are relatively impressive, giving them a freshness that belies their alcoholic clout. The Caduce displays breathtaking blue and black fruits, some sweet licorice and charcoal notes, a dense ruby/purple color, medium to full body, beautiful purity and a silky texture. Drink it over the next 3-4 years; WS 88: a dusting of cocoa slowly melds into the core of plum and blackberry fruit, while singed mesquite and espresso notes emerge more on the finish. Solid grip runs throughout. Now – 2017; best info located at website given; Availability: good; www.thewinecellarinsider.com ]
Ruby and velvet, one of the densest. Bouquet is rich but old-fashioned, plenty of berryfruit richness but no new oak, so the nett impression is soft and a bit leathery, in the style of one of the more quantitative districts (Bourg, Blaye, Entre-Deux-Mers). In mouth the fruit richness is exemplary, such a contrast with the Te Mata Awatea. It becomes so hard to work out which attributes are preferable, richness of fruit all slightly old-fashioned, versus a lack of real berry in new oak with immaculate elevation. Cellar 3 – 12 years. GK 03/13

2016 Le Clos du Caillou Chateauneuf-du-Pape Le Caillou 16 ½ + (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $62 [ cork; for Le Clos du Caillou we have the interest of comparing and contrasting their basic Chateauneuf Le Caillou (also known as Tradition), and their second-to-top one Les Quartz. More detail under Les Quartz. Since wine is bought-in for this base Chateauneuf, not clear if this wine is certified organic; all grapes are hand-picked, the 2016 being Gr 80%, Sy 10, Mv 10, cropped at 4.55 t/ha = 1.8 t/ac; 100% de-stemmed, vinification in concrete, wild-yeasts, cuvaison up to 28 days; elevation in foudre for 14 months, filtered; production averages 1,250 x 9-litre cases; J.L-L, 2017: (barrel sample) The bouquet is nicely full, leads on red cherry fruit, cooked plums ... The flavour resembles red cherries near the stone, indicative of some kirsch, high degree matter, ****; JC@RP, 2018: ... the property's new entry-level Châteauneuf-du-Pape ... admirable purity. Cherry and raspberry notes are accented by hints of dried spices and orange zest. It's full-bodied and open-knit, with a soft, dusty finish, 93; weight bottle and cork 607 g; one of the Worth Cellaring set; www.closducaillou.com ]
Ruby, well below midway in depth, older than most. One sniff and this is Chateauneuf-du-Pape as it used to be 20 years ago, wonderfully floral, fragrant, savoury and spicy, with so much going on you don't know where to start, for descriptors. Palate picks up the savoury notes, with complex oxo / venison casserole flavours in the spicy red fruits, all bespeaking brett complexity in a mellow supple wine, quite good concentration, already tasting older than some. As is commonly the case, tasters in the Worth Cellaring evaluation either loved the wine, or disliked it: three first places, two second places, five least places. So, be careful who you open this wine for: never offer it to winemakers, and if you don't want your dinner party disrupted by know-alls, check out your guests’ foibles (as to brett) beforehand. Cellar a shorter time than most in this review, just to be on the safe side. It is said to be filtered, but whether sterile-filtered to bottle, is not known. Interesting to note no northern hemisphere winewriter (I subscribe to) mentions the presence of brett (as such) in this wine, or its relevance to wine-stability in cellar. One reviewer applauds its ‘purity’. Cellar 5 – 12, maybe 15 years. Available from Wine Direct and their distribution channels (eg Regional Wines). GK 07/19

2004 Ch Certan de May 16 ½ + (

)

Pomerol, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $121 [ cork; vineyard cepage Me 70, CF 25, CS 5%, average age 25 – 30 years, planted @ 5 500 vines / ha, and cropped @ c. 2 t/ac. ]
Ruby and some velvet, older than most, below midway in depth. Bouquet shows a lovely red currants and raspberry cabernet franc fragrance, which is very evocative, firmed by new oak. Palate however is lesser, fair berry but tending extractive with clearly stalky / under-ripe tannins noticeable, eloquently illustrating the cool vintage. There is just a hint of cool-year syrah pepper in this, interestingly. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 12/07

2005 Domaine Chandon de Briailles Corton Les Bressandes Grand Cru 16 ½ + (

)

Aloxe-Corton, Cote de Beaune, Burgundy, France: 13%; $147 [ cork 50mm; farmed organically since the 1990s, and biodynamic from 2005; all whole-bunch, c.5% new oak; Robinson has not had the 2005, close-by vintages average c.17; Meadows, 2007: … average vine age c. 33 years ... the nose is more elegant though more reserved with refined red pinot fruit and obvious minerality that continues onto the sweet, rich, precise and firm flavors that possess good vibrancy and excellent finishing punch and length. This is very firmly structured and crafted in an understated, “built to age” style, from 2015, 92; www.chandondebriailles.com ]
Lightish pinot noir ruby, quite marked development, below midway in depth. Tasters were divided on this wine, two ranking it their top or second wine, six rating it their bottom wine. The latter thought this bottle (at least) showed some oxidation-related defects. The 50mm cork showed no sign of an imperfect seal, and seemed of first-rate quality. On the positive side, there are fragrant red fruits in the raspberry (+ve) / red cherry sector, fitting in with Cote de Beaune, but also an intriguing 'savoury' note reminiscent of oxo cubes. Oak is subtle. Flavours are soft, rich and generous, fitting in entirely with the bouquet, though older than you would expect for this appellation at 10 years, considering the quality of the vintage. Finish is tending short and a bit furry, with the oxo thought again – both these aspects fitting with the notion of premature oxidation. Still be pretty good with dinner, but meanwhile I await the next bottle eagerly. Comment on the cellaring prospects should therefore be deferred until that bottle. Score a compromise. GK 09/15

2003 Ch Charmail 16 ½ + (

)

Haut-Medoc, Bordeaux, France: 13%; $32 [ cork; Me 48%, CS 30, CF 20, PV 2, planted at 7500 vines / ha, typically cropped @ 50 hL/ha (2.6 t/ac); cold soak 15 days, cuvaison to 3 weeks in tank, up to 12 months in barrels 35% new; Parker: ... blueberries, creme de cassis liqueur, smoke, barbecue spices, and vanillin ... fleshy, medium to full-bodied, and pure ... 88 – 90 ]
Ruby and velvet, good. Bouquet is fragrant and richly plummy, and one responds very favourably to the first impressions. Cassis and plum attributes seem beautifully balanced to oak, which is not as charry as some. Palate however immediately introduces a green streak into the fruit, shortening the flavour, and making the finish seem a bit stalky and short. Actual berry richness is quite good, and this may come into a happier equilibrium in 7 or so years. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 08/06

2009 Ch Charmail 16 ½ + (

)

Haut-Medoc, Bordeaux, France: 14%; $45 [ cork; Me 48%, CS 30, CF 20, PV 2, planted at on average 7700 vines / ha, average age 30 years, typically cropped @ 6.5 t/ha (2.6 t/ac); cold soak 15 days, cuvaison up to 32 days, up to 12 months in barrels 35% new; production of the main wine c. 9500 cases; www.chateau-charmail.fr ]
Ruby and velvet, a little below midway in depth. Bouquet is immediately more austere than most of the other Bordeaux / Hawkes Bay blends, suggesting higher cabernet sauvignon [ but not so, on checking ]. There is no shortage of this firmer berry, and there is tending-leathery oak supporting it, again all pointing to a hot year. The whole wine is plainer than those ranked higher, but not weaker, so it should cellar well too, as minor Bordeaux. All a bit of a puzzle: Charmail continues to enjoy very positive reviews in the UK, hence the relatively high price, yet lately the wine has had a noticeable plain side. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 06/12

2016 Domaine Charvin Chateauneuf-du-Pape Non-Filtré 16 ½ + (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 15%; $84 [ cork, 50mm; Gr 82 - 85%, Sy 5 - 8, Mv 5, Va 5; whole bunches lightly crushed, cuvaison to 25 days; elevation in concrete vats up to 21 months, no oak mentioned now; some fining, no filtering; production usually up to 2,500 x 9-litre cases, 2,900 in 2016; just the one label, no subtracting special cuvées; J.L-L, 2017: vat sample ... deep, dark red colour. The bouquet ... massed herbs including sage, laurel, with cooked Damson plums from the Grenache, spice and oiliness. The palate is extremely coherent, a really good whole, full of heart and genuine ... flavour rests on spiced plum fruits for now, with tea, black olives notes towards the wide and long finish. This is very good. It can become a major Châteauneuf-du-Pape, *****; J. Dunnuck @ RP, 2016: barrel sample ... offers full-bodied richness and depth, as well as the classic purity and elegance this estate is known for. Black cherries, blackberries, garrigue, licorice and pepper are all present, and this terrific barrel sample has sweet tannin and a great finish, 93 – 95; bottle weight 653g; production averages 2,500 x 9-litre cases; one of the Worth Cellaring set; www.domaine-charvin.com ]
Lightish ruby, almost a pinot noir colour, the third to lightest wine. This is one of the quiet, understated wines, delicate, nearly floral in its light garrigue lift, all red fruits, faintly leafy. Palate is understated to a fault, now clearly hints of stalks in the red fruits, red cherry and raspberry plus cinnamon. It is not as concentrated as a number of these wines, some with much more modest addresses. The flavour at this point in the wine’s career simply lacks the suppleness, breathing and extension achieved in old oak. In the Worth Cellaring tasting, tasters found little to enthuse about, no favourable rankings at all, but eight for ‘least wine’, arguably the least appealing wine of the 12. It seems to me Domaine Charvin has become a prisoner of its own conservatism, the wine desperately needing elevation in foudre at least, if it is to be competitive in 2019. Comparison with the 2016 Vieux Telegraphe, in some ways a similar style in its lightness of colour, says it all. This Domaine Charvin will have much more to say in 5 and 8 years, and will cellar for 15 – 20. But as with fine pinot noir, any hint of stalks in grand cru chateauneuf has to be supremely subtle, if it is to be positive. J.L-L records all the wine bottled at once, implying total assemblage, one blend, yet the sensory gulf between this wine in this tasting, and the reviews on-line cited above, are profound. On the one hand, the long-established problem of reviewing ‘barrel’ (vat, in this case) samples seems glaringly illustrated here, but also, production in 2016 is nearly 17% greater than usual. Available from Caro’s and their distribution channels (eg Regional Wines). GK 07/19

1999 Domaine Charvin Chateauneuf-du-Pape Non Filtré 16 ½ + (

)

Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Southern Rhone Valley, New Zealand: 14%; $119 [ cork 51mm, ullage 17mm; original price c.$60; indicative cepage Gr 82%, Sy 5%, Mv c.5, Va 4, Co 4, viticulture now ‘organic’ but not certified, average age >50 years; whole bunches lightly crushed; elevation up to 18 months sometimes 21 months in concrete, some reports mention some big old wood, but no confirmation and certainly no new oak; the magical thing about Domaine Charvin (apart from no new oak) is, there are no luxury cuvées, the standard wine is ‘it’, and affordable; not filtered; c. 2,500 x 9-litre cases; Parker (1997) comments for Domaine Charvin in general: Charvin … fashions Chateauneuf du Pape that comes closest to the style of Rayas. There is … a wonderfully sweet, deep, concentrated mid-palate, and layers of flavour that unfold on the palate. Great burgundy should possess a similar texture and purity, but it rarely does; J. L-L, 2012: Wow! Oiliness, rosemary, prune, cigar box aroma that is highly inviting, has an air of brioche, mandarin zest, cocoa, and a drift of flowers such as iris. The palate has the rich envelope of mature Chateauneuf-du-Pape, seasoned with herbs, licorice. This is true mature Grenache, marked by a plum sweet fruit line all through it. It can be drunk with thyme flavours in the dishes – its surrounding terrain. Almost OK to drink solo – it is a contemplation wine. It has a sweet date, spiced goodbye. To 2026, ****(*); Laurent Charvin’s appraisal of the wine to J.L-L: “This is delicate Chateauneuf-du-Pape, and would actually be good with Christmas turkey, and certain cheeses – goat cheese with rosemary. I like it a lot because it is so very delicate. 1999 was considered hard, not very balanced at the end. It is still fresh, has very sweet herbs and delicacy, with just a little animal starting. The nose is very complex, not weighty. It was a no worry vintage.” J. Dunnuck @ R. Parker, 2014: More Burgundian in style, the 1999 Chateauneuf du Pape is a medium to full-bodied, pure and elegant effort that possesses notions of damp earth, truffle and pepper to go with a core of black cherry and darker berry fruit. At full maturity, it will continue to evolve gracefully over the coming decade, yet I’d aim for drinking bottles over the coming couple of years. To 2017, 92; there is no actual website, the name is ‘parked’; some info at www.chateauneuf.dk/en/cdpen34.htm; www.domaine-charvin.com ]
Ruby and garnet, the lightest wine. Bouquet here is quite different from the other 11 wines. It is light, floral and fragrant in one sense, but also leafy in an aromatic garrigue way, on cool red fruits. Palate confirms the leafy thought, with fair fruit and length of fruit flavour for a medium-weight-only wine, but a clear stalky thread from beginning to end. Six tasters correctly identified this as the wine with no oak at all. One taster particularly liked the fresh, less ripe, fragrant character of this wine, thus one second place. Others found the wine simple, missing the complexity that ageing in foudre brings. In my experience with Domaine Chauvin, in the pursuit of delicacy, the wine too often retains under-ripe aroma and flavour notes. The wine is fully mature: it will fade gracefully for some years to come. GK 10/19

1995 Domaine J L Chave Hermitage 16 ½ + (

)

2016 Le Clos du Caillou Chateauneuf-du-Pape Les Safres 16 ½ + (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 15%; $77 [ cork, 50mm; Gr 75 – 95%, some Mv, Sy, Va, Ci, all destemmed, organic; J.L-L: ... rich and ripe, ****; JC @RP: ... 95% Grenache, with the remainder being a mix of other permitted varieties ... great intensity and purity. Flowering garrigue accents black cherry fruit in this full-bodied, fresh, vibrant and intense wine, 95; available from Regional Wines, Wellington; www.closducaillou.com ]
Medium ruby, one of the lighter wines. This wine definitely needs splashy decanting a few times, being sulky freshly opened. Later when breathed, it reflects a simpler kind of grenache-led Chateauneuf-du-Pape, all raspberry, slightly stalky, only trace garrigue or oak complexity, pleasantly straightforward. Palate matches, sufficiently ripe, but lacking excitement. Concentration and depth are moderate. Despite the alcohol, the suggestion of stalk freshens the wine. Not much agreement between the reported reviews, and the taste of our bottle. No first- or second-places. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 04/19

2016 Domaine Le Colombier 6 Rats 16 ½ + (

)

IGP Méditerranée, France: 13.5%; $22 [ cork; Sy 100%; no wood at all “in order to maintain the fruit”; proprietor Jean-Louis Mourre @ Vacqueyras, not Domaine du Colombier @ Crozes-Hermitage & Hermitage; reason for quaint (for English-speaking customers) name not clear; the website www.lesvignoblesmourre.com as yet has no content; following not the winery website, but best offering; www.art-rhone.com/en/ventoux.html ]
Ruby, below midway in depth. Bouquet is sweet, fragrant but not quite floral, red fruits grading to black, no garrigue, not really spicy. Palate is cooler than the bouquet suggests, tasting like pleasantly ripe syrah, little or no evidence of oak extension (none: confirmed), but attractively balanced in its tannins. Affordable Cotes-du-Rhone quality, but unusual in being (apparently) all syrah. Good bistro wine. Cellar 3 – 8, maybe 12 years. A Glengarry wine. GK 07/19

2007 [ Pernod-Ricard ] Corbans Pinot Gris Private Bin Hawkes Bay 16 ½ + (

)

Ngaruroro Valley, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $24 [ screwcap; 100% de-stemmed fruit from Matapiro Estate, an inland site c. 25 km WNW of Hasting and approximately 300 metres above sea level; pre-fermentation oxidation of the press-fraction to lower phenolics, low-solids fermentation 50% in old French oak; four months LA and batonnage for the barrel component; RS 8 g/L; background @ www.corbans.co.nz, leads to detail @; www.pernod-ricard-nz.com//tastingnotes.php? ]
Straw. Bouquet is curious on this wine, with a clear cooked rhubarb quality which is unexpected but not unattractive. Palate is quite firm, varietal phenolics showing rather much on a fairly ‘dry’ finish, which doesn't hide them. The rhubarb quality persists, lightly quincy too. If this wine were under cork, one might think it slightly oxidised. I suspect this will not cellar gracefully, so a couple of years at the most. GK 04/09

2000 Domaine de Courteillac 16 ½ + (

)

Bordeaux Superieur, Bordeaux, France: 13%; $25 [ cork; Me 63%, CS 23, CF 14; Parker 139: A fine offering ... sweet cassis fruit, straightforward flavors, and good purity, ripeness, and balance ... 87 ]
Ruby and velvet, older than the 2000 Alwyn. This wine stood out in the four-wines-blind part of the tasting, due to its old-world / European styling – a touch of both oxidation and brett. Nonetheless there is a suggestion of merlot florals in the savoury plummy bouquet, and the palate shows classical merlot-dominant structure. The wine therefore made a useful contribution to the discussion, illustrating faults without being crippled by them, and still showing regional style well. On this showing it is not as good as my previous review, or alternatively it has developed much more quickly than I indicated, but it is plump and drinks well with meat meals. Cellar another five years or so. This wine was used as part of a presentation on Bordeaux blends in New Zealand, for the Lincoln University Viticulture and Oenology degree course, to illustrate an older phase of ripe merlot-dominant Bordeaux / Hawkes Bay blend. GK 09/08

2016 Yves Cuilleron Cote-Rotie Bassenon 16 ½ + (

)

Northern Rhone Valley, France: 12.5%; $99 [ cork; Sy 90, Vi 10, hand-picked @ c.5.3 t/ha (2.1 t/ac) from vines planted at 9,000 vines / ha, on mixed granite and gneiss soils; some whole-bunches in wild-yeast fermentations, cuvaison c.21 days; MLF and c.18 months in barrel; production averages 700 x 9-litre cases; www.cuilleron.com ]
Ruby, just in the lightest 10. Bouquet is extraordinarily pure, rose-petal florals and a hint of spice, on fragrant red fruits more than black, nearly confusable with pinot noir. Palate is fresher than expected, still red fruits dominant, a hint of stalks and white pepper, not ideal ripeness for syrah, but in a pretty and accepted (but cool-year) Cote Rotie style. New oak adds vanillin. The wine is very pure, but disappointing for the year, and the price. Cellar 8 – 15 years. 2016 Esk Valley Syrah also in this batch to calibrate the tasting is sweeter, more appropriately ripe with better varietal accuracy, equally subtly oaked, and one quarter the price (standard, one fifth when on supermarket special). A Glengarry wine. GK 07/19

2010 Yves Cuilleron Saint-Joseph Les Pierres Seches 16 ½ + (

)

Saint-Joseph, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 12.5%; $52 [ 46mm cork; Sy 100 hand-picked from vines planted at 8 – 10,000 vines / ha, on sandy granitic soils; some whole-bunch, cuvaison c.21 days; MLF and c.18 months in barrel; the name refers to dry stone walls on the terraces; 3450 cases; July offer @ Glengarry $39; www.cuilleron.com ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, below midway in depth. The less-perfect ripeness trend evident in L'Amarybelle continues here, the fruits more red than black, the suggestion of stalk somewhat greater, and the sweetness of the florals including also a hint of leaf. Palate still shows a good volume of fruit at this ripeness level, and the fruit well apparent since the oak tastes less, or older, or both, and total acid is a little higher. Thoughts of white pepper occur in the aftertaste. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/13

2005 Domaine Sylvie Esmonin Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques Premier Cru 16 ½ + (

)

Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 13%; $409 [ 45mm cork; 40-year old vines, viticulture tending organic; later picking than some; 100% whole-bunch for this wine, c. 2 weeks cuvaison; 80 – 100% new oak (reports vary); Robinson, 2007: Lovely balance. Real refinement. Real class. When I tasted this with her, Sylvie apologised for the wine’s lack of nose with some oak still in evidence but I thought it was great. Meaty, refined, this wine came soaring out of the glass singing and dancing. Lovely acidity and very fine tannins – such a complete wine. Real magnetic appeal ... More open than any Chambertin. So long. Magnificent, 18 & 18.5 (two reviews); Meadows, 2007: An extremely ripe nose of wood spice, plum, mocha, game, earth and smoke merges into rich, full and mouth coating flavors that display obvious minerality and plenty of finishing structure on the wonderfully long finale. While well-balanced and harmonious, this is clearly an old school burg that will require time to really shine. The only nit at present is that it doesn’t seem to have the same degree of precision that I normally find but this aspect may very well come around with time in bottle, 91-93; weight bottle and closure: 611 g; no website found. ]
Ruby and velvet, soon some garnet, the deepest wine of the 12. Bouquet is distinctive on this wine, being deep, rich, ripe to over-ripe darkest plums more than black cherries. The more you look at it, the riper and oakier it seems. There is even a hint of caramel, and the oaking is so seductive the whole wine style puts you in mind of Wolf Blass and his sweetly-oaked Show shiraz wines. This is not what I look for in pinot noir or burgundy, so you can't help thinking Robinson was seduced by the young wine on the day, in her report (above). The perils of barrel-tasting with the winemaker ! Palate is rich, but also massively oaky. It is a most unusual wine style to come from Burgundy, where sur-maturité is so frowned upon. Cellar 5 – 20 years. Impressions from the group were interesting, two really liking it and placing it top, but no votes for second. Five thought it could be from New Zealand, which makes sense on the over-oaking. All in all a highly educational wine, but not for totally positive (in a pinot noir sense) reasons. I will be interested to see this in another 5 years: will the fruit blossom ? There is no denying it is rich. GK 10/16

2005 Ch la Fleur Carrere 16 ½ + (

)

Montagne-St Emilion, Bordeaux, France: 12.5%; $22 [ cork; Me > CF or CS; no info, but some retail presence US and France. ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. Bouquet is quiet but clean, hard to extract much information from. In mouth, it tastes of cabernet / cassis and red plums in an austere yet ripe way, on clean oak. Richness is good, but the wine is very reticent, so an element of 'benefit of the doubt' in the mark here. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 04/08

2006 Domaine Frederic Magnien Chambertin-Clos de Beze 16 ½ + (

)

Gevrey-Chambertin Grand Cru, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $201
Good pinot noir ruby, above midway in depth. Bouquet is attractive in its old-fashioned style, good red fruits, some savoury notes pointing to brett, good oak. Palate shows good berry ripeness, but the fruit shortening on the brett component, leading to a drying finish which would be food-friendly. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 08/12

2016 Pierre Gaillard Cornas 16 ½ + (

)

Northern Rhone Valley, France: 12.5%; $89 [ cork; Sy 100% >70 years age from a 1 ha vineyard, hand-picked at 4.55 t/ha = 1.85 t/ac; all de-stemmed, cuvaison to 28 days, MLF in barrel; elevation 18 months in small wood, 50% new, with oxygenation 4-monthly; not filtered; production averages 325 x 9-litre cases; www.domainespierregaillard.com ]
Ruby, absolutely in the middle for depth. Bouquet is fragrant, slightly savoury in a brown pipe-tobacco sense, and old-fashioned, with red-rose florals woven through. There is not much sign of new oak, on bouquet. Flavours seem not quite as ripe as the bouquet promised, slightly elevated acid, more noticeable oak and some newish now, not quite as ripe as the Six Rats, but a little more concentrated and seriously made. Tending disappointing for the year, and the address. Cellar 5 – 15 years. A Glengarry wine. GK 07/19

2005 Domaine Gerin Cote Rotie Champin le Seigneur 16 ½ + (

)

Cote Rotie, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $87 [ cork; Sy 90%, Vi 10%; le Seigneur is the district wine, grown on a variety of sites mainly schist; winery practice is modern, with some American oak, and even some input from Bordeaux consultant Michel Rolland; 100% de-stemmed, up to 33 days cuvaison in s/s at higher temperatures than some practice; up to 24 months in French and 20% American oak, 50% new, the balance 1 – 2 years; not filtered. Parker 2/08: 2005 Le Seigneur possesses the vintage’s rather tannic, strongly structured, more austere side, even for this wine, which is meant to be Gerin’s most charming and up-front Cote Rotie. The wine is well-made, pure, with plenty of black cherry and herb-infused fruit, but in the finish, the tannins kick in. 88; imported by Maison Vauron, Auckland. ]
Ruby, one of the lightest. This wine is a little to one side of the batch. Bouquet is fragrant and lightly floral, hard to characterise, somewhere between redcurrant and red roses, nothing deeper. Thoughts of pinot noir and herbes de Provence both arise, incongruously, so in a blind tasting with other varieties it can be identified as pinot. Palate is light and crisp, red fruits only as one taster said, a touch austere and yet not stalky. The total balance and style of the wine is unusual, yet also reasonably familiar from Cote Rotie. It is not as rich as the Jamet, or as complex, but it is fractionally riper – the Jamet does have some green notes. Very hard to decide how to score the two. This will be an attractive undemonstrative food wine, but it looks expensive alongside the New Zealand wines. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 05/08

2005 Ch Gigault Cuvée Viva 16 ½ + (

)

Premieres Cotes de Blaye, Bordeaux, France: 14%; $43 [ cork; Me 85%, CS 10, CF 5; considered the top wine of Blaye, oenologist Stephane Derenoncourt consults; JancisR: Very dark crimson. Veering towards overripe on the nose. Good freshness on the palate, quite tough tannins at present. Certainly a good effort but a bit over-extracted and too severe on the finish. 15; Parker: One of my favorite inexpensive offerings from the Blaye region, this deep ruby/purple-colored 2005 reveals relatively big tannin for its style along with plenty of blackberry and earthy fruit, and impressive body, density, glycerin, and alcohol (14% naturally). It should age easily for 4-6 years. 87 – 88; Wine Spectator: Ripe cherry and berry, with a mélange of fresh herbs, olive and a hint of coffee and chocolate on the nose. Medium- to full-bodied, intense and silky, with loads of fruit pushing through the long finish. Delicious even now. This is always excellent value. 91 ]
Ruby and good velvet. Bouquet is lovely, clear red fruits suggesting cabernet franc and merlot, on clean oak, very fragrant and east bank in style. Several tasters commented on the tobacco in the bouquet. Palate lets the wine down somewhat, quite a severe tannin streak at this stage, with a stalky note in it, surprising against the bouquet. Oak is clean and good, so palate may improve in cellar, since the wine is rich – richer than the la Dauphine for example. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 04/08

2016 Domaine Les Grands Bois Cotes du Rhone Les 3 Soeurs 16 ½ + (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $23 [ cork, 50mm; Gr 60 – 65%, Sy 30, Ca the balance, all de-stemmed; reading between the lines, probably all vat-aged; no reviews this vintage, but Parker is favourable on recent vintages, with words like ‘full-bodied’, ‘nicely textured’, and ‘classic dark fruits’; scores 89 and 90 often, bottle weight 589 g; www.grands-bois.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, deep and dense, the second deepest wine but a little lurid alongside the Maximilien. Bouquet confirms the lurid thought, a huge but unsophisticated blackberry bouquet, very clean, tending one-dimensional, only a hint of garrigue complexity. Palate is rich, again one-dimensional on blackberry fruit, no sign of cooperage. The whole winestyle is reminiscent of $10 Australian supermarket shiraz, but much drier to the finish. Alongside such a wine, The Three Sisters would probably seem more complex than I am giving it credit for, the concentration of fruit being impressive. Two rated this the top wine, two their second. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 04/18

2010 Ch Grange-Cochard Morgon 16 ½ + (

)

Morgon, Beaujolais, France: 13%; $34 [ cork; gamay mostly 40 years plus, hand-picked; mostly maceration carbonique fermentation in s/s, elevation in large old oak and some smaller barrels including some new; www.lagrangecochard.com ]
Ruby and velvet, the third richest. Bouquet is interesting on this wine, initially beguiling with its lifted aromatics and nutmeg-spicy complexity. Behind that there is good darkly plummy fruit and a kind of very ripe florality. In mouth it is plump and rich and pleasing, initially right up there with the top wines. This is the kind of wine English wine writers would praise highly, but closer examination shows the complexities are augmented by VA, esters, and brett. Such wines are judged more harshly in the new world. It will be stable in cellar for several years, if you like the rich style, but preferably cellar others for the longer term good beaujolais is capable of. GK 09/12

2004 Ch Gruaud Larose 16 ½ + (

)

St Julien Second Growth, Bordeaux, France: 13%; $129 [ cork; vineyard cepage CS 57%, Me 31, CF 7.5, PV 3, Ma 1.5, average age 40 – 45 years, planted @ an average 9 250 vines / ha, and cropped @ c. 2.5 – 3 t/ac; www.gruaud-larose.com ]
Ruby, some velvet, old for age. Bouquet is a mishmash, with some new-age gimmicks (toasty oak), yet simple unconvincing berry characters. The fruit is more just generic Bordeaux, quite rich, but a hint of oxidation. Palate is mellow in one sense, reasonably ripe, yet lacks cohesion. Where is the purity, the cassis and cedar of yesteryear Gruaud, I wonder. It may just need another year to marry up, so the benefit of the doubt here, in scoring. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 08/07

2009 Maison Guigal Chateauneuf-du-Pape 16 ½ + (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $90 [ cork 50mm; Gr 75%, Sy 10, Mv 10, others 5; all bought in as juice or wine; average vine age 50 years; cropped at 3.8 t/ha (1.6 t/ac); 3 weeks cuvaison; 24 months most say but the Guigal website says 36 months in large wood, percentage new not known but the wine tastes as if some; c. 15, 000 cases; www.guigal.com ]
Ruby and garnet, the lightest of these wines. This wine has quite a strong bouquet, but it differs markedly from the others in the set. First and foremost it is reductive, drabbing the wine down, and there is also an aromatic and nutmeggy quality suggesting quite high brett. Behind these factors is good fruit. In mouth the wine is rich, but already tending leathery and hard on the sulphide component. There is also some savoury skin-of-roast-beef appeal, on the brett side. In a winemaking country however, it is hard to get wines like this past winemakers on one of these faults, let alone two, in blind tastings. If that is of no concern to you, be assured such wines are still good with food, though the sulphide hardness is sad. It needs to marry up more, and will become softer and much more leathery, in bottle. Cellar 5 – 15, maybe 20 years, though it may dry to the finish faster than most, on the brett. Decant it splashily before using, or better, cellar the much fresher 2010. GK 08/16

1967 Ch Haut-Brion 16 ½ + (

)

Pessac First Growth, Bordeaux, France: – %; $525 [ 52mm cork; indicative cepage some years later: CS 55%, Me 25, CF 20; Broadbent (1980) rates the vintage **: Quite attractive when young and one of the last really good-value vintages of claret for the trade, following as it did the much-bought '64s and '66s. Mild winter; flowering a bit late; July / August hot and dry; the first three weeks of September cold and wet; the last week hot. First week of October cool and damp … some ensuing good weather interrupted by heavy rain. Uneven results and general chaptalisation. … Most '67s are losing whatever charm and lustre they had and need drinking up; Broadbent on this wine: A nice wine. Consistent notes: surprisingly deep colour; nose a bit peppery and undeveloped; some richness, distinctly earthy Graves flavour; ***; Robinson, nil; Neal Martin @ Robert Parker, 2004: Recorked. Faint tawny rim. Impressive freshness on the nose. Moderate concentration. Cherries. Palate again is surprisingly fresh. Balanced. Low tannins. Very simplistic, foursquare. Medium length. Better than expected but "good" only. A much better bottle at the FWE tasting in April 2004. The nose is a bit disappointing: leafy, a bit characterless. Tobacco. The palate is surprisingly vigorous with fine concentration and a core of sweet (chaptalized?) red fruits. High-toned, harmonious with good weight on the mid-palate. Developing characteristics like an aged pinot noir. Drink now. Well worth seeking out: 88 – 90; www.haut-brion.com ]
Ruby and garnet, clearly the reddest wine, and the second deepest. Initial impression on bouquet is very flattering, clear-cut browning cassis, cedary oak … then maybe … is there a hint of stalk ? Palate and flavour do not follow quite so well, there being quite good berry, but then a rather phenolic / varnishy oak component (more than stalk) which makes the wine short and hard. Slightly elevated acid adds to that impression. Body and richness is better in a sense than the 1966 Pontet-Canet … but then you start to think some of the apparent body is in fact chaptalisation. If only the oak were of better quality. The nett result is quite good for a 1967. Others were less critical than me, three ranking this their top wine, four all-told with second places, and it was clearly seen as French. No hurry with this wine, but it is on the decline. GK 10/16

1999 Domaine de la Janasse Chateauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Chaupin 16 ½ + (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $65 [ cork, 50mm; Gr 100% (NB), most of it >60 years age, 80% destemmed; cuvaison up to 28 days, then elevation c.12 months c. two-thirds in large wood, one third in puncheons, 20% + new; not filtered; production this label c. 1,200 9-litre cases; The name Chaupin refers to the lieu-dit Chapouin planted in old-vine grenache, from which this cuvée is made; R. Parker, 2000: ... exhibits an opaque ruby/purple color in addition to a sweet nose of kirsch, black raspberries, smoke, and spice. It is full-bodied, with outstanding intensity, considerable depth for a 1999, and a large, glycerin-imbued, well-balanced finish with light to moderate tannin. This is a brilliant effort from one of the Rhone's most accomplished young winemakers. To 2016, 90 – 92; J. Dunnuck @ R. Parker, 2014: ... a fresh, lively feel with plenty of violets, mint and floral qualities to go with exotic spices, fruit cake and mature fruit. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, it’s drinking spectacularly, but will continue to evolve gracefully ..., 93; www.lajanasse.com ]
Garnet more than ruby, the second lightest, and clearly the least rosy wine. Initially opened and for some hours after, the bouquet showed some premature oxidation / sucrose-y / malty notes mingled with the fragrant all-red-fruits-browning-now characteristics of an all-grenache cuvée. This was a nark, as the role and contribution of this wine to the tasting was intended to be an illustration of the character of a 100% grenache wine, in comparison with the more regular blends. As soon as you tasted it, things improved a great deal, there being a delightful viscosity of rich browning red fruit with a long ‘sweet’ tail, almost diverting one away from any defects on bouquet. I think it is brett-free, but that is a little hard to tell, where there are somewhat oxidised tannins. Tasters were astute on this wine, too, finding oxidation less to their preference than brett, so 11 least places. The cork was exceptionally good, and ullage negligible for its age (14 mm), so we have to hope that this is one of those unexplained ‘cork failure’ bottles … and not symptomatic of the batch. A good bottle would score much higher. On the fruit richness, good bottles should cellar for some years yet. GK 03/19

2005 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage 16 ½ + (

)

Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $585 [ cork, 50mm; Sy 100%; Wine Spectator vintage rating for the year: Another drought-influenced vintage, though cool nights helped to maintain freshness. Reds have classic structure for long-term cellaring; whites also dense and concentrated, 94; 9.3 ha of Sy at Hermitage, Bessards most, then L'Hermite and 5 other vineyards; all de-stemmed, most of fermentation in s/s; cuvaison can be to 4 weeks; then up to 18 months in barrel, then 5 – 15% new (ie less than now), the remainder to 5 years old; minimal fining, no filtration; John Livingstone-Learmonth, 2008: … the nose is reserved, compact, tight, but its top air is graceful, smoky and peppery, with thorough black fruit ... The palate leads with a “dark”, bosky, resin-ending fruit – the fruit is compact, has a lovely presence, and has the attribute of clear length. This has excellent balance ... the granite zones are to the fore in the wine`s profile this year, 2034-37, ******; Jeb Dunnuck, 2016: Jean Louis Chave commented that 2005 was not a “friendly vintage” on release and compared it to 1998, 1995 and 1983 in style. His 2005 Hermitage is nevertheless an incredible wine that shines for its purity, focus and pure class. Offering up lots of granite-like minerality, crème de cassis, violets and graphite, this rich, full-bodied, gorgeously concentrated Hermitage has good acidity, ripe tannin and a fabulous finish. While I’d happily drink a glass today, it needs another 3-4 years of bottle age to hit prime time and will keep for two to three decades after that, 97; there appears to be no effective website, in 2018 ]
Ruby, a little garnet creeping in, some velvet, the lightest wine. Initially opened, this wine smelt tanniny, oaky to a fault, and the palate lacked berry freshness and excitement. With air both the berry qualities and some brett developed, but the wine showed less freshness than the big Huchet, with quite a gamey quality developing on palate. The goal of having the 2014 and 2005 Chaves in the tasting, complementing the set of 2010s, was to give a suggestion of how syrah ages in a ‘definitive’ example such as J. L. Chave. The intrinsic quality of these two vintages of the wine did not however facilitate that. One vote as favourite wine, one second place. Eight thought it northern Rhone Valley. Cellar 10 – 25 years, though if this bottle is any guide, brett may become intrusive later. GK 11/18

1976 Ch Kirwan 16 ½ + (

)

Margaux Third Growth, Medoc, France: – %; $84 [ Cork, 53mm, ullage 5mm; CS 40%, Me 30, CF 20, PV 10; around 20 months in barrel; production around 10,000 x 9-litre cases; this chateau disappoints Parker, the wine: ‘rarely provides the fragrance or flavor depth one expects from a classified growth'. He felt it should be down-graded to a fifth growth, in 1991. Tasting notes for the 1976 are unknown, beyond Parker, and even the chateau does not acknowledge any vintage prior to 1996; RP@WA, 1989: In total collapse … washed-out, vegetal fruit flavours, and excessive alcohol on the finish, 58; weight bottle and closure: 569 g; www.chateau-kirwan.com ]
Garnet and ruby, the second-lightest wine. This is another wine which stayed consistent from opening to presentation. It is light, clean and fragrant, like the Redman a kind of one-dimensional lightness to it, but here with an attenuated / fading berry character, just a hint of sweet vernal and honey, the latter maybe suggesting chaptalisation, subtlest oak. In mouth there is fair fruit, again this leafy suggestion, silky rather than stalky, just hinting at not quite optimal ripeness. Oak handling is light, clean and harmonious. The nett wine is again attractive small claret, balanced and eminently quaffable with food. Fully mature to fading a little. GK 10/20

2009 Domaine l'Ameillaud Vaucluse Vin de Pays 16 ½ + (

)

Vaucluse AOC, Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $15 [ cork; Gr 60%, Sy 20, Ca 20, from 30-year-old vines east of Cairanne; all de-stemmed; said to be all raised in concrete vats; www.domaine-ameillaud.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a deep rich colour. An opportunity for wine education here, since this one is tending a bit estery / oxidised / volatile, so it can be compared and contrasted with the similarly priced O'Sud, which is tending reductive. One can then decide which 'fault' and which winestyle one prefers. My preference is for the tending volatile one, for such wines smell sweeter and more fragrantly of the berries, and if the VA is only trace, the palate is softer. Many people actually like slightly volatile wines, without recognising them, in much the same way as they prefer overly oaky ones, because they are more accessible and obvious. Both bouquet and palate on this wine show clear blackberry syrah, with some lift from spicy grenache, though not as obviously as the O'Sud. At the price, this is a lot of berry fruit and flavour, and it will be good with food. You cannot tell there is no oak, so much so that the question arises whether there may be some big old oak vats. Cellar 3 – 8 years only, probably, as the 20% carignan component will age the wine prematurely. GK 07/10

1979 Ch Lafite-Rothschild 16 ½ + (

)

Pauillac First Growth, Bordeaux, France: – %; $1,185 [ cork, 55mm; a property in the doldrums in the 1960s through to 1974, according to Parker, a new age starting with the 1975 vintage; cepage then approx. CS 70%, CF 15, Me 15, planted at 7,500 vines / ha; cuvaison in oak vats; 24 – 30 months in barrel then, probably not all new as latterly, details not known; Coates, 1982: Lafite has always produced a lighter wine than than the other Pauillac first growths; Coates, 1981: (barrel sample) Good colour, strong new oak taste, underneath quite soft. Elegant, very long. Has a lot of style and balance. Medium body, not a great deal of tannin. Ready in five or six years, perhaps. Wine Spectator, 1991: Fruity, deep and firm, filled with plum and cherry, backed by youthful, stiff tannins. Needs time for complexity to develop. Try in 1995, 92; R Parker, 1997: I overrated this wine when it was young, and have not been as pleased with its evolution in the bottle. The wine has retained a cool climate high acidity ... the nose has taken on a more vegetal, earthy note to go along with the new oak and sweet red and black currant personality. The wine's crisp acidity keeps its tannic edge aggressive. … Now-2012, 87; the Lafite website does not go back before the 1985 vintage – seems odd; www.lafite.com ]
Garnet and ruby, a hint of amber to the edge, in the middle for depth. Initially opened, this wine had very little to say. By the time of the tasting, there was an air of great refinement in the cedary oak, plus fine-grained and well-browned cassis, but there was no hiding the stalky notes, even on bouquet. Palate retreats even further, the wine clearly much less ripe than the Grand-Puy-Lacoste from close by in Pauillac, even though the concentration is comparable. Again, because New Zealanders have traditionally been accustomed to a stalky thread in their cabernets (though this is now changing), two tasters rated this wine their second-favourite, at the blind stage. The wine is now fading. GK 08/19

nv Champagne Laherte Freres Ultradition Brut 16 ½ + (

)

Chavot / Epernay, Champagne, France: 12%; $75 [ supercritical Diam 'cork'; cepage PM 60, Ch 30%, PN 10, cultivation tending organic / biodynamic; primary fermentation in barrel (none new), foudre and tank, matured on lees 6 months; 40% of the wine is Reserve kept in barrel, none new; average vine age 28 years, all hand-picked; some MLF; tirage not known; dosage 7 g/L ±; more information in Stelzer; www.champagne-laherte.com ]
Light straw. This wine is a little different. It is clean and fragrant, but there is just a hint of premium Loire bubbly, i.e. chenin blanc fruit smells and flavours, with much lighter autolysis than the top five wines. Bouquet and palate show a crumb of baguette quality of autolysis rather than crust, on a more straightforward pale sparkling wine. Dosage seems a little sweeter than the given 7 g/L, but total acid is higher too, confusing things. Nett impression is of a quite crisp and aromatic wine, with little sign of any oak. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 10/15

2005 Domaine Laroche Chablis les Vaudevey 16 ½ + (

)

Chablis Premier Cru, Burgundy, France: 12.5%; $54 [ screwcap; obscure website, PR more than info; www.larochewines.com ]
Lemon, one of the good colours. This wine benefits from pouring into a jug splashily, to dissipate a soft simple-sulphur / stale washing note. It opens to white nectarine fruit, and tastes the same, on firm acid and good concentration. It is richer than the Saint Martin, but not so pure, with a curious phenolic nip to its tail. Both bouquet and palate might tidy up in cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 03/08

1970 Ch Leoville-Las-Cases 16 ½ + (

)

St Julien Second Growth, Bordeaux, France: 11%; $14.40 [ cork; the alcohol from the shipper de Luze's standard additional strip-label; CS 65%, Me 18, CF 14, PV 3; 85 ha, 30,000 cases. Broadbent 1980: Lovely rich stylish nose; a dry wine, fullish, fine, elegant. **** Till 1995. In 2002: A gentlemanly classic. Now mature; typical cedary nose, very good balance and flavour. **** Parker 1991: This wine has always enjoyed a considerable reputation. But the emperor has no clothes. It is lean, angular, light for the vintage. Till 1995. 77; www.leoville-las-cases.com ]
Ruby and garnet, virtually identical in hue to the Rausan-Segla, but a little deeper. Bouquet is quiet, cassisy, a hint of leaf and cedar, a passing thought of chaptalising. Palate is quite different to most of the wines, tasting cassisy, lean and sinewy, as if very high cabernet sauvignon with cedary new oak. There is a suggestion of stalky firmness now as the fruit fades, and likewise a little acid is peeping through on the aftertaste. This has been reticent wine all its life, but is now past its prime. Body is still somewhat better than Parker implies, and there is no hurry, in its style. It will just become leaner and more acid. GK 03/10

nv [ Montana ] Lindauer Special Reserve Methode Traditionelle Brut 16 ½ + (

)

Hawkes Bay & Marlborough, New Zealand: 12%; $16 [ cork; PN dominant, Ch, some of the grapes hand-picked, lees contact in tank, followed by 2 years en tirage; dosage given on website as 12 g/L, but tastes drier now; www.montanawines.com ]
Palest salmon flush. Bouquet shows an attractive red-currant / faint red cherry / berry quality complexed by clearcut light baguette autolysis, absolutely in style for a pinot noir-dominant methode traditionelle. Palate is equally good, the fruit fairly dry, the autolysis lingering lightly, with a piquant cherry freshness to it which is attractive, and more-ish. No, it does not have the gravitas of New Zealand's top methodes traditionelles, or better non-vintage champagne, but for sheer quality, consistency, and ability to improve markedly in bottle, nv Lindauer Reserve is the best value quality bubbly available in New Zealand. Lately it has been offered at prices down to $11, which is ludicrous for a wine of this quality. The trick is to buy it by the case at that price, and cellar it for four years. The quality of the resulting wine will surprise you, and it loses that superfluous fizz Montana still indulge in. This label now seems a little drier than it was five years ago, and the fruit quality amply justifies this step towards sophisticating the style. Cellar 5 – 12 years. VALUE GK 12/06

2005 Ch Lucas 16 ½ + (

)

Cotes de Castillon, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $30 [ cork; Me 80%, CF 20 ]
Pleasant ruby, not as rich as the Ch Machorre. This wine benefits greatly from decanting, to again reveal what a great vintage 2005 is in Bordeaux. This example is just as ripe and fragrant and pleasing as the two rated slightly higher, merlot-dominant and beautifully varietal, just coarsely oaked (conceivably chips) and not quite so concentrated. It is not as oaky as the Colombe, so some may think it a little simple, whereas others will prefer the berry dominance. These are good petits Bordeaux. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 11/10

1975 Ch Lynch-Bages 16 ½ + (

)

Pauillac, Bordeaux, France: – %; $196 [ cork 53mm; CS 70%, Me 15, CF 10, PV 5; generally regarded these days as a wine far out-stripping its fifth-growth standing, more of second-growth quality – but not perhaps in 1975; Robinson, nil; Coates, 1995: Fullish mature colour. Slightly resiny on the nose. Medium full. This has richness, fatness and a good element of old-vine concentration. Very seductive. Good grip. Stylish. Very good indeed, 17; Parker, 1996: After the number of disappointing tastings I have had of this wine, I was surprised that it showed reasonably well at the blind tasting in December. The color exhibits significant amber/orange at the edge, followed by a dusty, herbaceous, cedary nose with some ripe fruit. Full-bodied but slightly hollow, the wine exhibits more sweetness and expansiveness than I expected. This above average wine is beginning to reach full maturity. Given the number of washed-out, excessively tannic examples of 1975 Lynch-Bages I have tasted, I am now more optimistic about this wine. Drink it between 2000-2010, 86; www.lynchbages.com ]
Ruby and garnet, below midway. This wine opened with a clean lean aromatic bouquet, showing that not only the new-world wines could have a hint of mint. Fading / browning cassisy berry and noticeable oak were apparent. In mouth immediately there is a step down from the wines rated more highly in this tasting. The fruit level is drying appreciably, so the oak seems more apparent, and like the Barton, there is a phenolic note in the oak. Yet the whole thing is still quite pleasing, and still good with food. Needs finishing up. GK 03/15

2009 [ Pegasus Bay ] Main Divide Pinot Noir 16 ½ + (

)

Canterbury, New Zealand: 14%; $26 [ screwcap; nil whole bunch, all the wine in French oak c.18 months, 20% new; suspect no longer entered in Shows; www.pegasusbay.com ]
Good pinot noir ruby, well above midway in depth. Like the Crimson, this is a wine that benefits from splashy decanting. Getting some air into it serves to ripen the fruit, in effect, and reduces the stemmy impression. Palate is one of the richer wines, but the flavours of mixed ripeness, some plummy fruit from sur-maturité, some tending leafy, but it balances out quite well, and should mature harmoniously. A touch of European complexity. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 10/12

2005 Ch Malartic Lagraviere 16 ½ + (

)

Pessac-Leognan, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $96 [ cork 50mm; CS 45 – 50%, Me 40 – 45, CF 8, PV 2; original cost en primeur c.$77; average vine age 25 – 35 years, but some over 60 years, planted at 10,000 vines per hectare; fermentation in both s/s and oak, cuvaison 21 – 35 days; MLF detail unknown; elevation in 25 – 35% new barrels for 12 – 18 months, sur lie. Michel Rolland consults. The second wine is now called La Reserve de Malartic; J. Robinson, 2006: Lots of colour. Very ripe fruit flavours – perhaps very very slightly over-ripe if one were to pick nits but it’s a truly tiny one. Slightly dry tannins. Sweet raspberry fruit, 16.5; J. Robinson, 2015: Opulently ripe nose. Very strongly cassis and focus and intensity even if without much subtlety at the moment. Marked acidity on the finish, 16.5+; R. Parker, 2008: Perhaps the strongest wine I have ever tasted from Malartic Lagraviere, the 2005 has a wonderfully sweet nose of creme de cassis, graphite, and soil undertones. Medium-bodied, smoky, with classic scorched earth, Graves-like aromatics and flavors, this wine displays impeccable winemaking, with pure fruit, medium body, and gorgeously long, rich flavors and moderate levels of tannin. The wine should be relatively drinkable in 3-5 years and last for at least two decades or more. To 2025, 92; www.malartic-lagraviere.com ]
Good ruby and velvet, above midway in depth. Bouquet is rich, darkly berried, but not quite singing. There is a touch of ox-liver (raw). I gave the wine my standard treatment for reduction, but it stayed a bit withdrawn. Flavours in mouth reflect the 50-50 split of cassisy cabernet and softer plummy merlot, good fruit, appropriate even understated oak, quantitatively good but lacking charm. Top wine for five, in the group. Should gradually improve in cellar, over 5 – 20 years, but decant it vigorously. GK 06/15

1962 Ch Margaux 16 ½ + (

)

Margaux First Growth, Bordeaux, France: – %; $ – [ 55mm cork; original price around the $11 mark, this bottle bought at auction in 1980s; Winesearcher: Avg Price NZ$621; noting that Parker rated the 1961 at 86 points, the 1964 at 78, and the 1966 at 83, all good to great vintages, Parker's rating for the 1962 is 85 (and this was in 1991): This wine should be enjoyed now for the gorgeous, fully mature, and quickly evaporating bouquet. It is beginning to decline for sure, but the full, intensely cedary, fruity bouquet has merits. The flavors are soft, and I detect some acidity beginning to poke its ugly head through. Drink up!; Clearly this is the era in which the Margaux legacy withered away under the Ginestets; the chateau website reminds of Te Mata, a lot of words but a lack of absolute detail; www.chateau-margaux.com ]
Attractive light ruby and garnet, even though the second to lightest wine. Presenting tastings can be no fun. On decanting, the similarity of this wine to both the 1976 Montrose and the 1983 Mount Mary demanded that that they be alongside each other in the tasting sequence. Yet as happens, with air and by the time of the tasting, light TCA was apparent in this wine. 24 hours later it had completely disappeared, as is so often the case if corked wines are aerated (but the doctrinaire down-the-sink brigade never learn this), and the qualities of the wine, apparent on close examination in the tasting, were now obvious. There is an austere cassis component, a touch of redcurrant, and beautifully-calibrated cedary oak. Fruit weight is similar to the '76 Montrose, but seems less than the '60 Margaux, counter-intuitively. It is a 'cooler-climate' wine than the Montrose. At the end of its plateau of maturity, a light but pleasing wine. GK 11/13

1998 Domaine Michel Ogier Cote Rotie 16 ½ + (

)

Cote Rotie, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 12%; $ – [ cork; Sy 100%; hand-harvested, at least 21 days cuvaison, 20% whole-bunch; 18 months in French oak, 30% new; JR 15, RP 90, ST 90 +, J.L-L 3/6 stars ]
Ruby, a flush of garnet, midway in depth. First impressions on this wine are a reminder of Martinborough syrah, red fruits browning with some white pepper and a hint of stalk, plus light brett to take it back to the Rhone. The wine comes together nicely in mouth, good fruit weight at its sub-optimal ripeness point, as with some others the brett more apparent now, but all food-friendly and attractive, the hint of stalk adding freshness. Mature, but will hold 2 – 5 years. GK 05/13

1982 Ch Montrose 16 ½ + (

)

St Estephe Second Growth, Bordeaux, France: – %; $51 [ cork; CS 65%, Me 25, CF 10; Parker: From 1975 to 1986 the style lightened, with more merlot introduced. Latterly, reverting to the blockbuster style which made it famous. The 1982: a rich intense aroma of spicy oak and ripe fruit, full-bodied, deep, rich, round, a long supple finish despite noticeable tannins. 89. Broadbent: attractive harmonious bouquet and flavour. Unusually ‘sweet’ for Montrose, nice texture, slightly astringent finish. To 2030, if you can wait. *****. (NB for all 1982 Bordeaux, Broadbent rates only 10 wines at the 5-star level, plus 2 possibles. That includes all the First Growths). GK in 1985 rated Montrose as: Excellent, classic cabernet claret, austere yet rich – 20 years. ]
Ruby and garnet, not as old as some, in the middle for depth. Bouquet is very dry, unyielding, cassisy but not singing. Palate is the same, clear fine-grained cassis, some cedar, but pinched. I guess this is one of those bottles that is impaired by the cork, but is not recognisably ‘corked’. It is not a patch on the last bottle tried, but that is the reality of using cork as a closure. Good bottles should be fine for another 5 – 10 years in cellar, maybe more. GK 09/08

nv Champagne Moutard Pere & Fils Grand Cuvee Brut 16 ½ + (

)

Aube / La Cote des Bar, Champagne, France: 12%; $35 [ cork; PN 100%; it seems likely from Galloni's review that the current stock is based on the 2009 vintage, suggesting a longer tirage than most here, with 30% reserve wines and 10 g/L dosage; disgorged late September 2012, and the cork amply confirms; a Glengarry wine; www.champagne-moutard.fr ]
Lemonstraw. Bouquet shows good crust of bread autolysis, on a fruit quality hinting at pinot noir dominance [ confirmed ]. The favourable impression on bouquet is let down somewhat by the palate, which shows phenolics suggestive of more pressings. This introduces a slightly 'tinny' quality into the palate which can make food-matching a problem, the only remedy being another mouthful. This is quite a common phenomenon in second-tier champagnes, worth keeping an eye out for. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 12/12

1966 Ch Mouton Baron Philippe (now Ch d'Armailhac) 16 ½ + (

)

Pauillac Fifth Growth, Bordeaux, France: – %; $180 [ 53mm cork; indicative cepage some years later: CS 70%, Me 17, CF 13; Broadbent (1980) rates the vintage ****: An excellent vintage. Stylish, elegant, well balanced. Lean rather than plump, tough with good firm flesh. A long-distance runner. After a mild winter and early spring the flowering was completed in fine weather. The summer was cool and drier than average although July was rainy. The lack of sunshine in August was made up for by a very hot, sunny September. Although the weather became unsettled before the vintage, there was no rot and the grapes were harvested on 6 October under perfect conditions. Though immediately appealing when young, many '66s, particularly the Medocs, have been going through a long, rather hard and closed-up period. But there is real quality and style; Bordeaux at its most elegant. Should blossom into lissom flavoury wines, which could develop into five-star class. For Mouton-Baron: The baron himself prefers this to his first growth. One can see why: it is not as heavy as Mouton-Rothschild yet attractive and stylish. The '66 particularly flavoury and pleasant. ****; Robinson, nil; Parker, nil; www.chateau-darmailhac.com ]
Garnet and ruby, well below midway in depth. This wine was placed adjacent to the 1916 Mouton, in the hope some family similarity would show through. But bouquet was not the strong point of this wine, there being a clear stalky slightly rank component initially, almost hinting at TCA. In discussion with the Hawkes Bay winemaker who came down for this tasting, we ended up thinking, more under-ripe cabernet. And it dissipated. Palate is very much better, silky fine-grain and beautiful oak, almost cassisy berry (though faded) with less stalk than feared, the wine a classic lean 1966, showing exactly the style Broadbent so eloquently describes, though not a big wine. Aftertaste was particularly evocative, classic claret. Three people had this as their top or second wine, most thinking it French. Hard to score, the wine being smaller than the 1967 Haut-Brion, but showing considerably more finesse. Fully mature, but no hurry to finish up. GK 10/16

2012 Weingut G H Mumm Spatburgunder Assmannshauser Trocken 16 ½ + (

)

Rheingau, Germany: 13%; $ – [ cork 50mm; a €13 = $NZ21 wine; all German clones; mostly older 1000-litre fuder, a new oak component up to 20%; www.mumm.de ]
A good weight of pinot noir colour, but a slightly drab hue, the second deepest of the German wines, about in the middle of the New Zealand ones. This wine maybe illustrated Carsten's thoughts on the desire for savoury pinot noirs in Germany. Bouquet is fragrant to a degree, some ill-defined red fruits, but also a suggestion of heavyness reminiscent of some high-solids chardonnays. There is also quite a lot of oak. Palate is better, good red fruits, attractive flavours, some older oak apparent too. Again the dry extract is good, better than many New Zealand pinot noirs, so much so you wonder if there is trace residual, but I think not. As with Roaring Meg, when the fruit is good, it can be hard to tell. There is just a reminder of some paler but oak-handled Cotes du Rhone, here – again pointing to the savoury approach. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 11/15

1998 Domaine du Pegau Chateauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Reservée 16 ½ + (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $160 [ cork, 44mm; Gr 80%, Sy 17, Mv and other AOC varietals; whole bunches retained; elevation essentially in foudre 18 – 24 months depending on vintage; low sulphurs, no filtering – accordingly Pegau more than some Chateauneufs has a reputation for brett, but note the wine-searcher current value does not penalise it for that ... a moral there; J. Dunnuck @ R. Parker, 2015: A classic version ... at full maturity ... lots of bouquet garni, cured meats, orange blossom and garrigue ... core of sweet kirsch and blackberry-driven Grenache fruit ... Balanced, full-bodied, seamless, 95; J.L-L, 2008: Red fruits with a violet, primrose note ... The fruit is very clear ... at the end it is broad and a little heated, nicely so, ****(*); bottle weight 647g; www.pegau.com ]
Ruby and garnet, the second deepest wine. There is a lot of bouquet, but top notes are the highly fragrant, savoury, and here nearly pharmaceutical qualities of a quite serious level of brett infection. With air, stables / horsey notes creep in. Below is big browning fruit, very ripe, with some prune-y qualities creeping into the red fruits. The palate is a total contrast, absolutely remarkable. You almost want to forgive it any defects on bouquet, for it is wonderfully rich and saturated with dark browning fruit, raisiny and best-prune-y. You can scarcely taste the negative bouquet attributes at all. It would be great with the right dark spicy casseroled meat, but this wine is living dangerously, on the brett level. I nonetheless must point out to the brett-Nazis, that the secondary market does not subtract one cent, for the brett. It is so rich it will probably cellar for years, but some bottles will end up less-than-pleasant over the next 10 – 20 years. Only light crusting, so far. No favourite votes, but interestingly, 10 second places. Even more interesting, only one least vote. Thank heaven for tasters who look for virtues in wine, rather than for ever seeking faults. GK 07/18

2016 Ch Pegau Cotes-du-Rhone Villages Cuvée Setier 16 ½ + (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $31 [ cork 1+1 compound, 45mm; Gr 60%, Sy 20, Mv 20, hand-picked; fruit not de-stemmed, co-fermented, wild yeasts; elevation 12 months in enamelled vat; filtered; imported by Maison Vauron, Auckland; Ch Pegau is more the negociant arm of Domaine du Pegau, some own vines, some grapes / juice bought in; weight bottle and closure 627 g; www.pegau.com ]
Ruby, below midway in depth. This is another wine with attractive southern Rhone florals, aromatics, and garrigue complexity, including some silver-pine notes and suggestions of brett, on fragrant red berry fruits, cinnamon, and what seems big old oak, though none is admitted to. Palate highlights the garrigue even more, very aromatic fruit, again you would swear some older oak, medium weight but not as rich as the Guigal ‘yardstick’ Cotes-du-Rhone, long, drier than some other of the Rhones in this batch. Cellar 3 – 12 years. GK 06/20

2004 Ch Pichon-Lalande 16 ½ + (

)

Pauillac Second Growth, Bordeaux, France: 13%; $218 [ cork; vineyard cepage CS 45%, Me 35, CF 12, PV 8, average age 30 – 35 years, planted @ 9 000 vines / ha, and cropped @ c. 2.3 t/ac; www.pichon-lalande.com ]
Ruby and velvet, a little carmine, above midway in depth. Bouquet is quite penetrating, both cassisy and stalky, lacking in physiological flavour maturity, and with trace retained fermentation odours. Palate confirms those indications, good richness but less ripeness than the Palmer. This is really quite austere in its flavour profile. Cellar 5 – 15 + years on the concentration, to end up quite cedary and old-style cool-year Bordeaux. I do wonder about the percentage of petite verdot at Pichon Lalande, which must be near-impossible to ripen in years like 2004. Noteworthy that in this ranking, Palmer also has this variety. GK 12/07

2005 Ch Potensac 16 ½ + (

)

St Yzans, Northern Medoc, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $56 [ cork 50mm; Me 45%, CS 35, CF 15, some Ca & PV; original cost not en primeur c.$49; Potensac has the same owners as Château Leoville-Las Cases, and shares technical expertise with them. Barrels are passed down from the second wine of Las Cases. The vineyard is changing from its former high cabernet sauvignon percentage, which is difficult to ripen so far north in the Medoc, to a cepage more as above. Vine age is therefore lowering, but the vineyard includes old vines more than 80 years of age. Planting averages 8,000 vines per hectare. Fermentation is in both s/s and concrete vats, with malolactics in vat. Cuvaison is 15 – 18 days, then 12 – 16 months in barrel, a small percentage new; second wine La Chapelle de Potensac. Jeff Leve: The wines of Potensac are structured, firm and often display an austere quality, especially in their youth. Chateau Potensac is the perfect wine for fans of old school, classic Bordeaux wine making; J. Robinson, 2006: Quite light on the nose but good balance of fresh fruit on the palate though pretty severe oaking regime for fruit without that much intensity. Very correct but no more charm than usual! No display of extra ripeness from the year, 15.5, later review 16.5; R. Parker, 2008: A superb value, the 2005 Potensac has a classic bouquet of sweet red and black fruits, as well as gorgeous texture and purity. Medium-bodied and concentrated, this wine behaves like a Medoc cru classe. Moreover, it will age very well for 10-15 years. Very impressive! 90; www.domaines-delon.com ]
Slightly older ruby, the lightest wine. This was one of the light but fragrant wines in the set, like the Chasse Spleen and the Cantemerle, showing good impact on bouquet, but then requiring close attention to palate weight and structure to rank the wine. Merlot is dominant in this wine, from the cepage, but it is the cabernets which dominate the smell and flavour, the wine clearly cassisy. Oak handling is subtle, beautifully balanced to the lighter fruit and dry extract. This seems the lightest wine in the set. It illustrates the concept of cru bourgeois well, and is great with food, really refreshing. And as Coleraine has shown for many years, lighter wines when well balanced can still cellar well, here perhaps 5 – 15 years. No top ratings. GK 06/15

2003 Ch Potensac 16 ½ + (

)

Medoc Cru Bourgeois, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $38 [ cork; CS 60%, Me 25, CF 15, planted at 8000 vines / ha, typically cropped @ 55 hL/ha (2.9 t/ac); up to 18 days cuvaison in tank, up to 16 months in French oak 10 – 15 % new; same ownership as Ch Leoville-Lascases; Parker: ... a sleeper of the vintage ... exotic scents of mincemeat, black currants, cherries are followed by an elegant, fleshy, forward, delicious claret ... one of the finest Potensacs recently. 89; Robinson: ... richness on the nose ... a slight note of herbaceousness ... Quite green tannins on the finish ... good freshness ... Marked acidity but not bad at all for the appellation. 16.5 ]
Ruby, one of the lighter ones. This is a pretty bouquet in a more classic, less winemaker / artefacts style. Red fruits and berries are dominant, with oak more in the background. Palate is crisp, lightish but long, a little stalky to the latter part. Straightforward Medoc, not performing as well as one might have hoped in the northern Medoc in 2003. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 08/06

2003 Domaine de la Renjarde Cotes du Rhone Villages 16 ½ + (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $23 [ cork; Maison Vauron; Gr 60%, Sy 20, Ci 10, Mv 5, Ca 5; same producer as Ch de la Nerthe, Chateauneuf du Pape; no reviews. ]
Ruby, the second lightest. Clean fragrant red fruits in a lighter style dominate this wine, all more straightforward and like some South Australian grenache. Palate follows perfectly, raspberry and suggestions of red plums, slightly stalky as if early-picked, well-balanced, no sign of the hot year, straightforward. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 09/05

2009 [ Mt Difficulty ] Roaring Meg Pinot Noir 16 ½ + (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $28 [ screwcap; includes young vines; 9 months in French oak c. 20% new; one silver; www.mtdifficulty.co.nz ]
Precise pinot noir ruby, below midway in depth. Bouquet is pure straightforward red fruits pinot noir, a lovely suggestion of roses florality on red cherry and even a hint of raspberry (in the best sense). Palate is a little smaller, but explicitly varietal and showing neat ripeness, only the slightest thought of leaf or stalks here. A dependable label, to cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 10/12

nv Louis Roederer Brut Premier 16 ½ + (

)

Reims, Champagne, France: 12%; $78 [ cork; PN 62%, Ch 30, PM 8; 216 000 cases; no detail on website; www.champagne-roederer.com ]
Lemon. An understated and slightly floral bouquet, with hints of acacia flowers on white breadcrust autolysis, and also a slight yeastiness which is less noble. Palate tastes much higher chardonnay than the cepage suggests, with acid noticeable. The yeasty component detracts a little, and though the wine is rich, it is both sweeter and more acid than some of the others. Should improve with a little time in cellar, to marry up more. GK 11/05

2000 Ch Rose d’Orion 16 ½ + (

)

Montagne Saint-Emilion, Bordeaux, France: 12.5%; $25 [ cork; Me 70%, CF 30; older oak; the second wine of Ch Grand Barail; gold medal @ 2002 Concours General Agricole, Paris ]
Ruby and velvet, the deepest of the set, and older in hue than some. Bouquet is attractive, rich, mellow, obviously high merlot, with an interplay of plums, best prunes, dark leaf tobacco and cedar – classic claret. Palate is fairly rich, more rustic than initially supposed, just a hint of stalks alongside the de Courteillac. This wine is less suited to high-tech tasters – a bit too bretty, but its pretty delicious for claret drinkers. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 04/06

2010 Ch Saint-Marie Reserve 16 ½ + (

)

Entre Deux Mers, Bordeaux, France: 13%; $20 [ cork; Me 63%, CS 37; Bordeaux Superieur in central Entre Deux Mers; cuvaison up to 35 days, 12 months in French oak; Denis Dubourdieu consults; RP 87: This soft, consumer friendly, up-front and endearing Bordeaux is a … healthy dark ruby and the wine ideal for drinking over the next several years; Availability: good ]
Ruby and velvet, older than some, above midway in depth. Bouquet shows quite noticeable cassis / cabernet sauvignon for an Entre-Deux-Mers wine, good berry and ripeness, and some new oak. Initially opened, in flavour the wine has rather biting tannins, so at this stage it seems astringent. Well worth cellaring at the price, where it should soften over 5 years, and cellar 5 – 12 years. If you have to drink it now, decant it splashily half a dozen times. That is not a euphemism for the wine being reductive, but simply an opportunity to try to soften the tannins with some oxygen. It is surprisingly clean and rich at the price. GK 03/13

1998 Domaine Santa Duc Cotes du Rhone 16 ½ + (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $20 [ cork; original price; Gr 70%, Syrah 25, Ca and Ci 5, hand-harvested, not destemmed; cuvaison to 20 days; elevation in tank / concrete only; Parker 10/99: a gorgeous Cotes du Rhone blended from their holdings in Vacqueyras, Seguret, Roix, and Rasteau ... a sweet nose of blackberry / cassis fruit intermixed with licorice and spice. It is chunky and fleshy, with low acidity and plenty of glycerin ... buy this one by the case … 87; www.santaduc.fr ]
Ruby and garnet, below midway in depth. Bouquet is classically Southern Rhone, beautifully fragrant with grenache dominant, much more 'typical' and desirable than the Guigal. On palate the fading red berries are drying, cinnamon showing a little much, and there is a trace brett making the wine savoury. Pretty appealing for a mature Cotes du Rhone, and richer than the Gramenon. Fully mature now, starting to dry a little, but will hold. GK 04/12

2016 Domaine Santa Duc Cotes-du-Rhone Les Quatres Terres 16 ½ + (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $23 [ cork, 50 mm; Gr 70%, Syrah 15, Mv 10, plus Ca, Ci, clairette, hand-harvested; some whole bunches retained; cuvaison to 20 days; elevation 90% in foudre, 10% in amphorae; production averages 3,375 x 9-litre cases; weight bottle and cork 591 g; www.santaduc.fr ]
Ruby, one of the lightest wines. Bouquet is tending understated and youthful as yet, but delightfully pure with an attractive near-floral garrigue lift, on fragrant red fruits suggesting pomegranate and raspberries. Palate is shorter than one hopes, given there are so many rich wines in this set, but the flavours are fresh, raspberry and red plum sufficiently ripe, light cinnamon yet noticeable tannin lingering nicely. This should be much more attractive in 3 – 5 years, and cellar for 12 or so. Available from Wine Direct and their distribution channels (eg Regional Wines). GK 07/19

2019 Domaine des Senechaux Chateauneuf-du-Pape 16 ½ + (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 15.5%; $78 [ cork, 48mm; Gr 47 – 68%, Sy 17 – 32, Mv 0 – 2, minor vars 0 – 2; all hand-harvested, some whole-bunch, cuvaison to 33 days, a little saignée; elevation for the Gr 40 – 60% in larger wood, some (probably the Sy) in smaller oak including second-year from Ch Lynch-Bages; the balance in concrete; not fined or filtered; production up to c. 7,500 x 9-litre cases; the Domaine is now owned by the J M Cazes family, proprietors of Chx Lynch-Bages, Haut-Batailley and Les Ormes de Pez, Bordeaux; this is another label I felt ‘had’ to be in the tasting, because the 2016 was so good, and that year as this, the price is very competitive; J.L-L, 2021: very dark robe; the bouquet manages depth with some style, a freedom in its cassis fruits, a little grilling on the inside. It’s not yet showing local tendencies. The palate gives a streamlined run of black fruits, is a polished wine, with tannins fitting in accurately, the non-Grenache influences bringing a crisp, direct tone. I would leave it until 2026 so it can evolve past its current efficient, clear fruit, and bring forward more nuances. The finish has a little tar from its oaking, nothing excessive, 2043-45, ***½; JC@RP, 2022: Senechaux's 2019 Chateauneuf du Pape is a blend of 57% Grenache, 24% Syrah and 19% Mourvèdre, aged in a combination of foudres, older barriques and concrete tanks. It offers up a nice array of fruit flavors, ranging from grilled cherries and red-skinned plums to fresh red raspberries. Full-bodied, supple and easy to drink already, it finishes with ample length and mouthwatering acids, 2022 – 2030, 93; weight bottle and closure 619 g; www.senechaux.fr ]
Ruby and velvet, in the middle for depth, no fresh hues. As for the Janasse, immediately on smelling, this wine which should have been one of the better wines in the display, simply did not show its traditional excitement and complexity. After tasting, I felt that this wine even more than the Janasse had been impaired in transit, heat stress presumably, somewhere since leaving the winery. Both come to the same importer, Maison-Vauron, so it would be good to know if they travelled in the same container. But there are also the unknown details of how the wine reached the port of shipping, and was stored there. With the caveat that this Senechaux in particular is not representative of the domaine as I know it, the description follows. Right from pouring, this wine has baked / jam-tart rather than fresh berry aromas, smelling more like a ten-year-old Chateauneuf-du-Pape, but without the freshness and sparkle. I felt the Senechaux had to be in this district review, because it was so good (and affordable) in 2016. But as for the Janasse but moreso, this bottle is much more straightforward, old for its age, prematurely aged. Palate is clean and moderately rich, nowhere near as big as the Janasse, reasonably well balanced, but again a bit dry in the tannins. Few people will in fact be too disappointed by this wine at table, but it lacks the excitement hoped for. Five people rated this their least wine, second only to the Lafond in that respect. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 04/24

2016 Ch du Seuil 16 ½ + (

)

Graves, Bordeaux, France: 13%; $43 [ supercritical Diam ‘cork’, 47 mm; cepage c. CS 50%, Me 45, CF 5, average age 35 years, planted on gravels and sand over limestone and clay, viticulture tending organic, cropping rate not given; fermentation in s/s, followed by MLF in barrel, and maturing for up to 18 months in oak; not much detail available; Welsh owners (the Allison family) since 1988; www.chateauduseuil ]
Ruby and some velvet, lighter and older than most, the lightest red. Bouquet is somewhat different on this wine, in a Bordeaux context a certain plainness to it reminiscent of (for example) some Cotes du Rhone wines which see only big, not immaculate, old wood, rather than new. But it is fragrant and clearly ‘claret’ in style. Palate continues the bouquet impressions, straightforward berry flavours already browning somewhat, fruit dominant over oak, reasonable length, but a bit phenolic to the tail. Just a pleasant ‘small’ bordeaux, not exciting. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 07/20

2005 Ch Soutard 16 ½ + (

)

Saint-Emilion, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $74 [ cork 50mm, Me 68%, CF 28, CS 7, Ma 2, vines average 6,500 / ha; 18 months in barrel, 60% new; c.10,000 cases; www.chateau-soutard.com ]
Ruby and some velvet, a wash of garnet, the lightest wine. Bouquet is more leathery and old-fashioned on this wine, fragrant but not really floral, the high percentage of cabernets not showing too well. Palate is quite different, clearly aromatic now, quite oaky, seemingly added acid leaving an awkward finish, but the nett impression in style, in a plainer way. Has the fruit to mellow in cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 11/15

1975 Ch La Tour Carnet 16 ½ + (

)

St Laurent, Haut-Medoc Fourth Growth, Bordeaux, France: – %; $121 [ cork 49mm; CS 66%, Me 33, PV 1; Parker thought the wine should be declassified to cru bourgeois in 1991; with new management from the 2000 vintage he retreated from that view; for the 1975: … good, rather than special ..., no score; www.bernard-magrez.com ]
Ruby and garnet, midway in depth. Bouquet is like the Talbot, fragrant and notably clean, not quite the berry complexity or the new oak component, absolutely representative mature straightforward claret. Palate has one of the better acid balances in this group of five lesser growths, with pleasant mouth-feel. The flavours however are just a little plainer and shorter, browning plum, tannins becoming noticeable. In a way it seems richer than the Talbot, yet it is less supple. At a peak, won't improve. GK 04/15

2005 Domaine de Vogue Chambolle-Musigny 16 ½ + (

)

Chambolle-Musigny, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 13%; $240 [ cork 49mm; average vine age over 30 years; includes some premier cru components; not much info on this site, nothing better found; www.dreyfusashby.com/wine.php? ]
Lighter ruby and garnet, the third to lightest wine. Bouquet is beautifully floral, English tea-roses again, seemingly a hint of chaptalising, very Chambolle-Musigny. Palate is less, another wine suggesting whole-bunch fermentation, clear stalks and a shortening of apparent fruit length, even though the amount of fruit is in fact quite good. The level of oak exacerbates the stalks here, too. Cellar 3 – 12 years. This is the kind of burgundy which makes many New Zealand pinot noirs look both remarkably like the real thing, and great value besides. GK 04/15

2009 [ Obsidian ] Weeping Sands Merlot 16 ½ + (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.5%; $32 [ screwcap; Me 100%, hand-harvested from 16-year old vines; all de-stemmed, cultured yeast, MLF and 9 months in all-French oak 15% new; 450 cases; www.obsidian.co.nz ]
Older ruby. In the set of wines, the bouquet is oaky, rather drowning the soft charms one seeks in merlot, as exemplified by so many affordable wines from Entre Deux Mers. Palate follows pro rata, pleasant plummy fruit but too much oak, so the wine is hard in the mouth, and that makes it less food-friendly. Like several other merlots here, there is just a hint of stalk in the finish, further detracting. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 10/12

2011 [ Obsidian ] Weeping Sands Syrah 16 ½ + (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13%; $32 [ screwcap; Sy 100%, hand-harvested; all de-stemmed; 10 months in French oak 30% new; 280 cases; www.obsidian.co.nz ]
Ruby, at the lighter end of 15 syrahs looked at the same day. Bouquet is fragrant, nearly dianthus floral, red berries and suggestions of both stalks and cassis, subtle oak. Flavours carry on in the same vein, still very youthful, red plums, white more than black pepper, clearly varietal and tending Crozes-Hermitage in style, slightly acid, but easy drinking. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 08/12

2011 [ Obsidian ] Weeping Sands Tempranillo 16 ½ + (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13%; $35 [ screwcap; hand-harvested, all de-stemmed; 10 months in French oak 33% new; 130 cases; www.obsidian.co.nz ]
Fresh ruby, a great colour for genuine tempranillo. Bouquet is red fruits, almost pinot noir-like as good tempranillo should be (it is a total misconception that tempranillo is cabernet-like, this being solely a consequence of over-oaking in trendy versions of the variety (such as Ribera del Duero, made to pander to latter-day wine-tastes), beautifully fragrant. Oaking is noticeable relative to the light body, and TA is up a little with slight stalkyness reflecting the lesser vintage. Nonetheless, this is interesting wine, showing that this variety should suit New Zealand particularly well. Thus far, the Hawke's Bay examples have (I suspect) not been 100% varietal, and have been too dark and 'fashionable' to illustrate tempranillo's true promise. Better Auckland-district vintages for this new Weeping Sands label are awaited with great interest. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 08/12

2003 Domaine Weinbach Gewurztraminer Mambourg Grand Cru 16 ½ + (

)

Kayserberg, Alsace, France: 13%; $120 [ cork; not much wine detail on website; www.domaineweinbach.com ]
Good lemon. This is another light wine sharing something of the style of the Stonecroft. The bouquet is floral including vanilla, with a just perceptible note of mace or nutmeg. Palate is lacking, however, scarcely varietal and much too sweet, rich in fruit but short on specific varietal characters, more like some New Zealand pinot gris. It will cellar well, in its 'delicate' style, but it is a disappointment for gewurz fans. GK 08/06

2008 [ Craggy Range ] Wild Rock Pinot Gris sur Lie 16 ½ + (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $20 [ screwcap; PG 100%, hand-harvested; whole-bunch pressed; some BF in older oak, some s/s; 6 months LA, no reference to MLF in site-notes; RS 5.4 g/L; www.wildrockwine.co.nz ]
Pale straw. Better admit it, I was fearful when I saw the label ‘pinot gris sur-lie’, wondering if a marketer was out to create a virtue of the classic fault so often found in Muscadet-sur-Lie. A label like this helps explain why I go to the time-consuming botheration in this case, of creating a rigorously blind flight of 94 white wines. And in the tasting notes, no such fears were realised, wine 48 being described as pinot gris, a hint of rosepetal and pearflesh, some cinnamon too. Palate is medium weight, a little coarser, the varietal phenolics noticeable partly because the wine is drier than the average New Zealand pinot gris. There is no hint of sulphur issues, so it must have been well aerated while sur-lie. It will therefore be a food-friendly wine. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 05/09

2008 [ Craggy Range ] Wild Rock Sauvignon Blanc Elevation 16 ½ + (

)

Wild Rock Sauvignon Blanc, New Zealand: 12.5%; $19 [ screwcap, SB dominant, small % Vi and Ri; all s/s; RS 2.3 g/L; www.wildrockwine.co.nz ]
Lemongreen. This is the "good representative sauvignon" in this batch of wines, in the sense it is clearly varietal, technically pure, shows attractive flavours, but does not have quite the concentration and ripeness to be silver medal wine. There is some yellow capsicum in its flavour spectrum, but 'sweetened' by the neat use of augmenting varieties. This is one of the Marlborough sauvignons illustrating the trend to a drier version of the sauvignon ‘dry’ finish, producing easy refreshing drinking. Cellar 1 – 3 years. GK 05/09

2005 Sacred Hill Merlot / Cabernet Basket Press 16 ½ (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $18 [ screwcap; Me 79%, CS 10, Ma 6, Sy & CF 5; 12 months in French oak some new; mostly sourced Gimblett Gravels; RS < 1 g/L; www.sacredhill.com ]
Ruby, slight carmine and velvet. Bouquet is clear berry in an austere way, some firm cassis, very dry, a little closed-in with retained fermentation odours. Palate continues in the same vein, the flavour tending austere, like sucking on sub-optimally ripe plum stones, yet the oak is light and the balance is good. This is not as 'winey' and beguiling as some of the faulty wines ! Should look more accessible after several years in bottle. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 09/07

2002 Girardin Rully les Cloux 16 ½ (

)

Rully, Cote Chalonnaise, Burgundy, France: 14%; $35
Pale lemon. This is the simplest of the Girardins tasted, showing straightforward fruit which includes a hint of more tropical and warmer ripeness levels. Palate is very citric, older-oak maybe, but concentration is reasonably good in a slightly buttery way. Several tasters thought this would be the Emotion de Terroirs, which shows how good that wine is. Perfectly sound white burgundy, and clearly chardonnay. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 04/04

2002 Haag Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese QmP [ white-cap ] 16 ½ (

)

Mosel, Germany: 8%; $69 [ www.weingut-fritz-haag.de ]
Austere lemongreen, slightly steely. Initially opened, this wine is a bit pongy, but it breathes to a veil of H2S on white florals, cut apples and pearflesh. Palate is very youthful, sweet and appley in part, markedly acid, yet showing an awkward fleshy quality like some Australian examples of the grape. Improves with decanting, and will improve in cellar for many years, but maybe not to blossom. Cellar 10 – 30 years. GK 03/04

2007 MacArthur Ridge Pinot Noir 16 ½ (

)

Alexandra, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13%; $37 [ screwcap; original price, lately greatly discounted due to receivership; 9 months in French oak, some new; sample bottle thanks to Caro's wines, Auckland; www.mcarthurridgewines.com.au ]
Deeper pinot noir ruby. Against the Rousseau and the Individual Vineyard Mt Difficulty of the same year, this is a much more robust wine on bouquet, a riper pinot altogether with some sur-maturité, grading to merlot in approach. The oak level is reminiscent more of a Hawke's Bay blend too. On palate there is plenty of fruit, yet it is lighter in style than the bouquet leads one to expect. Pushing aside the oak you can see it is pinot noir, just a burly one. There might be academic brett. Many will like this more robust approach, and would score it appreciably higher. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/11

2002 Pask Cabernet / Merlot Gimblett Road 16 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $26 [ CS 50%, Me 35, Ma 15; oak similar to the Merlot; www.cjpaskwinery.co.nz ]
Ruby. After the Pask Merlots and the remarkable Declaration, this blend is the quarter-scale model. Bouquet is fragrant and slightly leafy, showing red and black currants, red and black plums, and pleasant oak. Palate is juicy, cassisy, and supple, but all a notch leafier / cooler in style than the straight Merlot, and a little more acid. Like the Awatea, it is reminiscent of lighter Bordeaux, but from a sound workaday vintage, not a great one. It will be fragrant but slightly austere drinking for 5 – 8 years. GK 03/04

2009 Charles Wiffen Pinot Noir 16 ½ (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $22 [ screwcap; RS <2 g/L; www.charleswiffenwines.co.nz ]
Lightish pinot noir ruby. Bouquet shows a tremendous volume of highly floral and varietal fruit, so floral that one wonders if it is fully ripe – as is often the case at the sweet pea / buddleia end of the floral spectrum in pinot noir. Palate indeed proves to be a little on the stalky side, but there is good red cherry fruit and pleasant mouth-feel, providing a reasonable example of Marlborough pinot noir from the young soils. Cellar 3 – 6 years. GK 08/11

2004 Kahurangi Estate Sauvignon Blanc 16 ½ (

)

Nelson, New Zealand: 13%; $18 [ screwcap; www.kahurangiwine.com ]
Lemongreen. A more grassy version of sauvignon blanc, as if quite a percentage of semillon in the wine, plus suggestions of broadbeans and oak. Palate shows good fruit concentration within the style of the bouquet, but is tending phenolic. This oak thing is so hard to determine in sauvignon (by taste), for as the grape ripens some of the phenolics mellow and taste quite oak-like. If skin contact is longer (say from trucking), the oak suggestion may appear to increase, even though it is totally spurious. And so many winemakers are slipping a tiny percentage of oaked (often barrel-fermented) wine into their sauvignons, exactly to increase complexity – without one knowing why. This wine is still dry, but not as dry as some on the market. Not so suited to cellaring beyond a year or so. GK 01/05

2008 Sunset Valley Chardonnay Reserve 16 ½ (

)

Upper Moutere, Nelson, New Zealand: 13.5%; $25 [ supercritical ‘cork’; hand-picked, whole-bunch pressed, BF and 12 months LA; not much wine info on website; BioGro organic producer; www.sunsetvalleyvineyard.co.nz ]
Straw. One sniff and this is another old-timer too, showing lots of oak on golden queen-like peach fruit, plus a little buttery complexity from MLF (+ve). Palate is close to the Matariki, not quite so rich, a little purer without the French grubbyness, long-flavoured but angular on excess oak. Will hold a year or two. GK 08/11

2004 Zilzie Pinot Gris 16 ½ (

)

Murray Darling, NW Victoria, Australia: 12.5%; $17 [ screwcap; www.zilziewines.com ]
Pale straw. Another wine that smells like unoaked chardonnay in the blind line-up, very clean and pure. Palate is full-bodied, slightly white peach in flavour, the phenolics of pinot gris showing (as if there were a touch of oak, but I suspect not). Lacks the florals and subtlety of varietal pinot gris (as do most New Zealand), but as a full-bodied dry white alternative to unoaked chardonnay, could be a great food wine. Cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 01/05

1997 Philipponat Reserve Brut 16 ½ (

)

Moreuil-sur-Ay, Champagne, France: 12%; $99 [ cork; PN 55%, Ch 35, PM 15; www.champagnephilipponnat.com ]
Lightish straw. Bouquet on this wine is also a bit out of line, the overriding character being the malolactic fermentation component, as in some Marlborough chardonnays starting off with high total acid. Behind that, there is good fruit and unfocussed autolysis which is more crumb than crust, but the whole clearly in style. Palate is less good, and though rich, the wine is tending phenolic, with noticeable acid and a highish dosage not resolved completely happily. Straightforward quite rich bubbly, lacking magic. Should mellow in bottle, and cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 12/06

2010 Volcanic Hills Pinot Noir 16 ½ (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.6%; $24 [ screwcap; no winemaking info, Volcanic Hills is a marketing concept, no geographic relevance to vineyards; www.volcanichills.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is clean and varietal, but tending too oaky, with mixed red cherries below. Palate is ripe, nearly rich enough to carry the oak, all still tending hard and youthful. Better in a year or two, cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 08/11

2011 Elephant Hill Le Phant Blanc 16 ½ (

)

Te Awanga, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $21 [ screwcap; Vi, PG and Gw, all hand-harvested and sorted; 5% of the Vi BF, the remainder s/s ferment; dry extract 22 g/L; RS 8.5 g/L; www.elephanthill.co.nz ]
Pale lemon. This is a wine in two parts. Bouquet is fragrant and attractive, in the style of some better verdelho whites due to the slight lift the aromatic varieties in the blend give to dominant pinot gris notes. Palate however is clumsier, rather coarse phenolics then noticeable sweetness, as if to cover that up, and the aromatic varieties tasting banana-y and cheap. Be hard to drink much of this, but certainly a flavoursome aromatic white. Cellar a year or two only. GK 08/12

2009 Paso San Mauro Albarino 16 ½ (

)

Rias Baixas, Spain: 12.5%; $30 [ cork; 100% Albarino hand-harvested, cool-fermented in s/s; www.pazosanmauro.com ]
Lemonstraw. Bouquet is clean modern stainless steel white, quite fruity in a straightforward vinifera and slightly grapefruity way, reminiscent of boring grape varieties such as verdelho. Palate is a little less, quite full-bodied in a generic white burgundy but non-chardonnay style, no oak, dry with some grip from grape tannins. Another wine which does not improve with a second glass. Not a cellar wine, I suspect. GK 08/11

2009 Telmo Rodriguez Toro Dehesa Gago G 16 ½ (

)

Toro, Spain: 14.5%; $28 [ cork; Te 100%, hand-picked; s/s cuvaison, concrete elevage; www.telmorodriguez.com ]
Quite rich ruby, carmine and velvet. A slightly scented bouquet, red fruits, light in the older tempranillo style. Palate is simple, pure, the hardness perhaps from concrete elevation [confirmed], but clean and sound. Should soften in cellar and become genuine light tempranillo. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 08/11

1975 Licht-Bergweiler Brauneberger Juffer Riesling Spatlese QmP 16 ½ (

)

Mosel Valley, New Zealand: – %; $ – [ cork ]
The second to lightest wine, slightly brassy deepening lemon. Bouquet is in one sense a little more varietal than its 1976 partner, a hint of kerosene in mature riesling aromas. On palate, there is still fair fruit, but it is all slightly woody, a little short, and the finish is drying a little. This wine is at full stretch, and much better with a biscuit. GK 03/12

2009 Pago de Los Capellanes Ribera del Duero 16 ½ (

)

Ribera del Duero, Spain: 13.5%; $38 [ cork; Te 100% harvested at 5 t/ha = 2 t/ac from calcareous soils; short cold-soak, wild-yeast fermentation, cuvaison c.22 days; 5 months in new French oak; www.pagodeloscapellanes.com ]
Good rich ruby, carmine and velvet. Bouquet is oaky and modern, in a style targetted to American reviewers perhaps, berry-rich and tending over-ripe and fruity. Palate is fairly rich and plummy, but much too oaky, tasting like a chipped wine. But within these limitations it is clean and wholesome, and could marry up quite well and cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 08/11

2004 Brunton Road Gewurztraminer Reserve 16 ½ (

)

Gisborne, New Zealand: 13%; $23 [ screwcap ]
Lemon. Bouquet is obvious and clearly varietal from the first moment: gewurz in a loud brash style, hair-oily, highly lychee, some citronella. Palate explains why, with the characteristic taste of some botrytised gewurz grapes, again strong and slightly oily, with a barley-sugar finish. Sweetness is medium-dry. A flavoursome and popular approach to the variety. Gives the impression on taste of high pH, early development, and not a wine to cellar beyond two or three years. GK 01/05

2001 Perrin Vacqueyras les Christins 16 ½ (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $33 [ Gr 75%, Sy 25, average age 50 + years; 30 days cuvaison; 50% in oak, balance tank; website requires password entry; www.perrin-rhone.com ]
Bright ruby, some carmine and velvet. Light VA augments the floral, spicy, and herbes de Provence bouquet on this wine, all very upfront and suggesting some maceration carbonique. The wine smells more of syrah than the cepage suggests, and there is some brett. Palate is quite rich, very dry, somewhat tannic, with peppery flavours, cassis and some plummy fruit. At this stage the wine seems raw relative to some of the others, but it is potentially a pleasant Cotes du Rhone. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 03/04

2009 Wynns Coonawarra Cabernet / Shiraz / Merlot 16 ½ (

)

Coonawarra, South Australia, Australia: 14%; $20 [ screwcap; CS 51%, Sh 45, Me 6; 18 months in French and American oak 10% new; www.wynns.com.au ]
Ruby and velvet. Bouquet is much more commercial on this wine, perfectly clean technically but with a hint of saline before you start thinking of berry analysis. Both bouquet and palate show plummy fruit of a plain kind, so much so you wonder if it is all Coonawarra. There is a saline hardness through the flavour which is not endearing, and adds to the suspicion for the sub-15% 'unstated' portion, though the wine is fault-free. Needs several years in bottle to soften and become winey, maybe, so cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 08/11

1998 Moet & Chandon Dom Perignon Brut 16 ½ (

)

Epernay, Champagne, France: 12.5%; $298 [ cork; PN 50%, PM 50; website non-functional; www.moet.com ]
Lemon more than straw, one of the palest of the premium wines. One does not have to wait long to find out why, the bouquet showing that old-fashioned European wet-washing / minutely entrained sulphur odour that has characterised the label off and on for decades now, and is off-putting to those sensitive to soft sulphurs like DMS. In mouth the wine differs from the rest, much more foaming rather than sparkling – which doesn't appeal to everybody. Aftertaste is the best part, with straightforward blended grape flavours, and some autolysis. Though not as brut as some, it is not as blatantly sweet as the Moet NV. A consistent wine in style, very much in the king's new clothes category, for me. Cellar 5 – 15 years, but unlikely to blossom or be worth the effort. GK 11/06

2003 Koura Bay Pinot Noir 16 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: – %; $37 [ usually labelled Blue Duck ]
Pinot noir ruby. There is a faintly medicinal note in the cherry / berry bouquet on this wine, which translates into a hint of stalks in the clearly cherry-varietal but slightly oaky palate. It will mellow in a year, be good with food, and cellar for 5 or so. GK 10/04

2009 Clark Estate Riesling 16 ½ (

)

Awatere Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 10%; $19 [ screwcap; hand-picked; not on website; www.borehamwoodwines.co.nz ]
Quite deep lemon. Bouquet is clear-cut lime and citrus blossom riesling, with an impression of slight botrytis sweetness and fruit depth. Palate is not so good, some ignoble botrytis showing up in the citrus, medium sweetness, quite rich, but the flavours a little degraded by lack of care at the harvesting / sorting stage. Doubtful for cellaring, though thresholds to the defect vary enormously. GK 08/11

2012 Valli Pinot Noir Gibbston Vineyard 16 ½ (

)

Gibbston, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13%; $66 [ screwcap; Grant Taylor is the founder and driving spirit of Valli wines, named for an ancestor. He is one of the most highly-regarded and highly-qualified pinot noir producers in New Zealand, yet is quiet and almost retiring. Following 14 vintages in California, he was appointed winemaker for Gibbston Valley Wines from 1993 to 2006, and at the same time consulted to nearly a dozen other Otago wineries, plus an Oregon start-up winery. All this while he had in mind a vineyard of his own, and in 1998 established Valli at Gibbston, the coolest viticultural area in Central Otago, and the wettest, with rainfall around 600mm. Grant's vision for Otago pinot embraces producing wines from each of the main districts, single vineyard wines from Gibbston, Bannockburn, Bendigo, and the new Waitaki Valley district (see the Ostler). This has to be a wonderful goal, one facilitating much greater understanding of the viticultural potential of the entire Otago wine district, yet like the proprietor, the wines sail a little under the radar, despite some notable overseas successes. The Gibbston vineyard was planted in 2000 at 4050 vines / hectare, denser than the NZ average, but still only half the norm in Burgundy. In 2012 the vineyard achieved 910 growing degree days, highlighting the enormous contrasts between the viticultural sub-districts of Otago. For contrast the Bannockburn wine achieved 1190 GDD, the Bendigo wine 1207, and the Waitaki Valley wine 880. These are profound differences, which impact considerably on the quality and 'pinosity' of the wine. Our wine is hand-harvested @ 3.6 t/ha (1.4 t/ac), includes a 30% whole-bunch component, spends 11 months in French oak 34% new, and the balance first-and second-year. Not fined or filtered; www.valliwine.com ]
Quite deep pinot noir ruby, the second deepest. Initially opened, the wine is distressingly reductive, so I gave it the worst-case treatment, pouring it splashily from one jug to another 10 times, and leaving it out in a jug to air while the other wines were decanted. But by the time of the tasting four hours later, it was still very grumpy. If pinot noir is about florality and beauty, H2S and its congeners are a no-no. The next day, one can see wonderfully rich and complex fruit suggesting the best fractions of the wine may have shown pleasing florality. The whole goal of including a 100% Gibbston Valley wine in the tasting was to (hopefully) display the flowers associated with pinots from the most burgundian climate in Central Otago, soil parent materials aside. In mouth the wine is impressively rich, absolutely of grand cru quality in that component. It is therefore regrettable that by including a reductive component, the wine has been so flawed. I doubt it will blossom, but inspection at the 10-year point could prove me wrong. Meanwhile, any winewriter who recommends this wine without qualification is either unthinking about the beautiful floral side so essential to fine pinot noir, or (more likely) is blind to sulphide. If you have a normal palate with respect to reduced sulphurs, use this wine to calibrate winewriters, and learn from it. Cellar 10 – 15 years, out of curiosity. GK 06/14

2008 Gabion Vineyard [ Cabernet Franc / Merlot ] The Gabion 16 ½ (

)

Matakana, New Zealand: 13.4%; $35 [ supercritical 'cork'; CF & Me; not filtered; no website or info found; not in the local guide: www.matakanawine.com ]
Medium ruby, some age showing. Bouquet is almost exactly Entre Deux Mers in a fragrant but sub-optimally ripe year, trace retained fermentation odours, the cabernet franc and merlot showing leafy brown tobacco and browning red fruits, plus light cedar. Palate reveals more oak than the bouquet, a little much for the weight of the wine and the delicate currant and red plum flavours, and total acid is noticeable. Many North Auckland Bordeaux blends mimic the style of minor claret remarkably closely, but it is hard to find the full physiological maturity of the better cru bourgeois. Expensive therefore. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 08/11

2005 Charles Wiffen Riesling 16 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 12.5%; $15 [ screwcap ]
Lemon. Bouquet is fruity in a simple pineappley tending estery way, but with some attractive hoppy terpenes too. Palate is quite aromatic, with reminders of Australian riesling rather than New Zealand, fair fruit, medium-dry. A flavoursome rather than subtle example of the variety, which could be popular. Cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 03/07

2009 Vidal Pinot Noir Marlborough Reserve Series 16 ½ (

)

Awatere Valley 66%, Wairau Valley 34, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $30 [ screwcap; hand-harvested; cold-soak up to 10 days, some warm ferments, some cooler; French oak some new; minimal filtering; RS nil; detail on website lacking; www.vidal.co.nz ]
Fresh pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is clearly varietal, in the lighter Marlborough blackboy more than red cherry style, quite fragrant. Palate reveals a wine hovering at the 'is it stalky or not' point of berry ripeness, the oak reinforcing the doubts, a certain emptiness where pinot should have flesh. Nett flavours are cherry and oak, the latter lingering. Should soften and appeal more, in cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 08/11

2004 Viu Manent Sauvignon Blanc 16 ½ (

)

Colchagua Valley, Chile: 13%; $13.50 [ plastic 'cork'; price range $12 - 15; SB 100%, s/s; www.viumanent.cl/ingles ]
Brilliant pale lemongreen. Ripe aromatic sauvignon ripened to mimic Hawkes Bay sauvignon: aromatics from red capsicum, piquancy from black passionfruit, and fruit from white peaches / nectarines. Palate is firmer and drier than many New Zealand, a hint of austerity from a sur lie component (which will marry away), good food wine. Cellar 1 – 5 years. GK 12/04

1999 Te Awa Boundary 16 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $ – [ DFB; Me 85%, CS 11, CF 4; 15 months French oak, 30% new; www.teawafarm.co.nz ]
Lightish older red, some garnet. Bouquet is much more developed than the 2000 Te Awa, with some secondary tobacco-like qualities creeping into the light cassis and red plums, plus a leafy hint. Palate is astonishingly like minor-year Bordeaux, the cassis quite leafy hinting nearly at stalky, offset by the fragrant berry. Oak is more apparent than the 2000, but still reasonably well balanced. Length of palate will shorten as fruit fades, and this does not look a good cellar prospect beyond 3 – 5 years or so. GK 07/04

2010 The Riesling Challenge Ant McKenzie 16 ½ (

)

Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 12.4%; $ – [ screwcap; winemaker based at Te Awa Wines, Hawkes Bay; the wines were initially offered at $25 each in the dozen set, but ended up at www.blackmarket.co.nz for $120 the set; wine described as balanced by winemaker, and in the upper part of Medium-Dry by the bar-graph; no other info ]
Lemon, a hint of straw. Bouquet and style are a bit different here, a slightly more Australian kind of riesling with vanillin to the fore, smelling quite concentrated. Palate seems that way too, almost fleshy, plenty of flavour but not so clearly varietal, quite phenolic, medium-dry, dryer and purer than the Forrest. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 02/12

2008 Rosemount Shiraz McLaren Vale District Release 16 ½ (

)

McLaren Vale, South Australia, Australia: 14%; $20 [ screwcap; Sh; no info at all on website; www.rosemountestate.com.au ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, deeper again than the Cabernet Sauvignon Coonawarra. Bouquet is tending aggressive on oak and alcohol and a suggestion of VA, with standard Australian over-ripe shiraz fruit in quantity below. Palate marries things up better, the alcohol smoothing the components together, the over-ripe boysenberry fruit giving chocolatey notes so liked by latter-day tasters, the oak reasonably in balance. A lot of fruit for the money. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 07/11

2007 Distant Land Chardonnay 16 ½ (

)

Dartmoor Valley, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $24 [ screwcap; clone mendoza; an all s/s wine, some LA in tank, RS 6 g/L; a Lincoln Wines label; www.distantland.co.nz ]
Lemonstraw. Bouquet is fragrantly fruity, fruit dominant over oak, stonefruit and grapefruit, all needing a little more time to harmonise. Palate is dominated by pleasantly flavoured peachy and juicy stonefruit, but there does seem to be an aromatic lift presumably reflecting some oak chips. The residual sugar is 'popular' but not too obtrusive, total acid being quite high. Needs a year to marry up. Cellar 2 – 4 years. GK 04/08

2008 Herzog Viognier 16 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $43 [ 50 mm supercritical 'cork'; hand-picked @ c. 1.3 t/ac, 100% whole bunch pressed, 100% BF, 100% wild yeast, 100% MLF, lees autolysis and batonnage for 12 months in mostly older French puncheons; RS <1 g/L; www.herzog.co.nz ]
Straw, a flush of lightest gold. Bouquet is stronger than the Obsidian, clearly aromatic in a spicy way, but more like gewurztraminer than anything. Palate is tending to the phenolic side of gewurztraminer, coarsening in mouth with the phenolics building, at the blind stage clearly gewurztraminer, in a drier full-bodied presentation. Revealed, one can reinterpret it as coarser viognier, the full MLF well hidden and contributing to body, and no doubt softening the phenolics too. The wine is fully mature to a little past its prime in terms of freshness, interesting, good with flavoursome foods, but deviant as viognier – as one would expect from Marlborough. The score is permissive, therefore, rewarding character and effort. GK 08/11

1999 Yalumba Cabernet Sauvignon Menzies 16 ½ (

)

Coonawarra, South Australia, Australia: 14%; $40 [ 22 months in French oak; DFB; www.yalumba.com ]
Older ruby and velvet. Ripe rich red with plummy and some cassisy qualities, plus some of the standardising Aussie mint. Palate is rich and concentrated, finegrain, quite oaky but good quality oak, the cassis persisting well, but the wine ultimately finishing on excess oak, and thus heavy. Cellar 10 – 15 years, in which time it will lighten up. GK 06/04

2011 Te Pa Sauvignon Blanc 16 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 12.5%; $24 [ screwcap; no useful wine information detectable on the website; www.tepawines.com ]
Pale lemon green. The wine needs splashy decanting to dispel light reductive winemaking odours. There is then fairly ripe sauvignon varietal character with a slightly sweaty complexity, and pleasant fruit. In mouth, the finish is commercially dry and shows good gentle acid balance. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 08/12

2005 Matua Valley Chardonnay Settler 16 ½ (

)

North Island, New Zealand: 13%; $12 [ screwcap, part of wine BF, MLF maybe and some months in oak, balance s/s; 4 g/L RS; www.matua.co.nz ]
Pale straw. Bouquet is a slightly scented version of stonefruit chardonnay, perhaps a new oak (or chip ?) note not married in yet. Palate is middle-of-the-road chardonnay, suggesting a blend of oaked and stainless steel fractions, fair fruit and good ripeness, but not much complexity. It seems drier than the Saint Clair, yet is quite long on the slightly acid finish. A great improvement on the '04. Cellar 2 – 4 years. GK 03/07

2007 Gem Pinot Gris 16 ½ (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $27 [ screwcap; hand-harvested; part of the wine in old French oak, whether BF not clear; www.gemwine.co.nz ]
Pale lemon. Bouquet shows a clean lightly aromatic fragrant wine, with some pale stonefruits, some pearflesh, and a confusing black passionfruit note reminiscent of ripest sauvignon blanc. Palate suggests some lees-autolysis enhancement, possibly with trace oak [ confirmed ], fair fruit, and subtle residual sugar to balance some varietal phenolics, 'dry' finish. Cellar 2 – 4 years. GK 04/08

2003 Burnt Spur Pinot Noir 16 ½ (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $33 [ cork; not [then] on website; now a sub-label of Martinborough Vineyard; www.burntspur.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby, about the same as the Ma Maison. This is more straightforward New Zealand pinot, with fragrant soft red fruits which are slightly stewed (in the sense of red (yellow flesh) plums stewed), plus a hint of pennyroyal. Palate picks up the pennyroyal, and a hint of stalkyness intrudes, but the wine is riper than the Ma Maison. This is mainstream Martinborough pinot noir, which will cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 03/06

2005 Matariki Chardonnay 16 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels 84%, Havelock district 15, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $27 [ screwcap; 4 clones including mendoza, hand-harvested; some of the wine started fermentation in s/s, most BF, all ended up in barrel; oak all French, 26% new; 10 months LA in barrel, some batonnage, 20% MLF; www.matarikiwines.co.nz ]
Lemonstraw with a wash of light gold. Bouquet is to first inspection soft, rich, with full barrel-ferment, lees-autolysis and MLF complexities on golden queen peach fruit. In mouth however, it shows up the weaknesses of an earlier style of (sadly, then endorsed) New Zealand chardonnay, with slightly pineappley fruit with acid and stalky streaks, both exacerbated by oak. So the wine though varietal lacks the harmony of the more highly pointed chardonnays, and could be hard to drink. Cellar 1 – 3 years. GK 03/08

nv Charles Courbet Special Cuvée 16 ½ (

)

Epernay, Champagne, France: 12.5%; $35 [ cork ]
Light straw, clearly flushed. Bouquet is interesting and characterful on this wine, with aromatic fruit suggesting pinot noir dominance, and bold autolysis which is wholemeal more than baguette. Palate however is lesser, with elevated phenolics introducing a tinny note which is exacerbated by the low dosage. With the clear-cut autolysis, however, this is a flavoursome glass of bubbly, well in style. It just illustrates the concept of differing qualities in the grapes and juice found in varying price levels of champagne rather well, this obviously being harder-pressed and hence coarser than grande-marque wine. Will probably coarsen and go very biscuitty with age, so marginal for cellaring. GK 12/06

2006 Stoneleigh Pinot Noir Rapaura 16 ½ (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $28 [ screwcap; 6 clones of PN, hand-harvested from 7 – 8 year-old vines; 12 months in French oak; RS 2.5 g/L; www.stoneleigh.co.nz ]
Lightish pinot noir ruby. Bouquet opens as a simple floral and slightly stalky example of the variety, and as with several others benefits greatly from decanting. It becomes more generous with air, but remains in the simple Savigny-les-Beaune style, buddleia to some rose florals at the deepest, but always a leafy thought. Palate shows blackboy simple fruit, clearly varietal but stalky and lacking physiological maturity, total acid slightly elevated. Cellar 3 – 6 years, for a simpler old-fashioned Marlborough pinot. GK 04/08

2006 Mills Reef Cabernet Sauvignon Elspeth 16 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $36 [ cork; DFB; 2006 not on website, 2005 hand-harvested; 18 months in French oak; www.millsreef.co.nz ]
Ruby, quite petite. Bouquet is reserved, northern Medoc in style, a leanness of cassisy berry, but with aromatic oak more noticeable than Bordeaux would be. Palate reinforces the lean thought dramatically, with light firm red and blackcurrant berry, and firm acid and tannin exacerbated by oak. The actual concentration of fruit is good, but the ripeness is austere. A wine for the committed cool-climate claret fan, to cellar 5 – 12 years, ending up with a fragrant crisp light wine. GK 03/08

2006 Babich Viognier 16 ½ (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $20 [ screwcap; 2006 not on website, if similar 2005 is c. 60% fermented in old French oak, balance s/s, the BF fraction LA 9 months; www.babichwines.co.nz ]
Good lemongreen. Bouquet is attractive, showing light wild-ginger blossom and under-ripe canned apricots, clearly varietal. Palate is not as good though, the under-ripe component coming to the fore, the acid exacerbating the oak. Despite the wine being juicy and quite rich, and finishing dry, it is just a little too cool-climate and acid for best viognier quality. I wondered if there might be a touch of American oak in the wine, adding aromatic flavour. Cellar 2 – 4 years. GK 07/07

2006 Sileni Riesling Cellar Selection 16 ½ (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 10.5%; $18 [ screwcap; no wine detail on website; www.sileni.co.nz ]
Lemongreen. Bouquet is curious, with some riesling aromatics and floral aromas on pale fruit, but also an undertone of composite-family / chrysanthemum smells which are negative. Palate likewise is mixed, but the whole winestyle is a pleasant off-dry riesling, with similar complexity notes to some cheaper German examples of the grape. Bottling the wine in a Bordeaux Blanc bottle-shape is out of phase with the times. Cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 02/08

2005 Saint Cosme Condrieu 16 ½ (

)

Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $84 [ cork; not much detail known; a presumption of BF, LA, MLF etc. 8 months in barrels, 30% new, 40% 1-year, 30% 2-year; no website found ]
Straw, a flush of brown, much the oldest viognier in the tasting, on colour. Bouquet is soft and broad, lots of MLF almost approaching butter or cream cheese, with over-ripe apricot fruits. Palate likewise is soft, rich and broad, varietal but lacking freshness / old for age, oaky, yet long and ripe. Those who liked the wine mentioned analogies to creme brulée (though the wine is dry), those who were less keen mentioned oxidation and bitterness. Already past its prime, for sure, so a disappointment from this new-wave grower whose reds are so exciting. GK 07/07

2000 Martinborough Vineyard Pinot Noir 16 ½ (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $ – [ clones 10/5 and others, up to 21 years, harvested @ c. 1.3 t/ac; 15% whole bunch, 4.5 days cold soak, up to 15 days cuvaison; 12 months French oak 33% new; no filtration; www.martinborough-vineyard.co.nz ]
Light pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is lightly floral, fragrant and leafy in a browning way, a suggestion of mushrooms, on fading red fruits. Palate is more clearly red currants and red cherries, a wine very consistent with the 2003, but much older relative to it than the elapsed time would suggest. This would fit in with the suggested lack of ripeness and dry extract. Approaching full maturity, but will hold 1 – 5 years. GK 01/07

1979 Keenan Merlot 16 ½ (

)

Napa Valley, California, U.S.A.: 13.7%; $ – [ cork, 50mm. As for the Cabernet Sauvignon. No info or reviews for this wine found; www.keenanwinery.com ]
Garnet and ruby, below midway in depth. A big jump in winestyle here, to a totally different, softer, riper, more ample kind of bouquet, well browned bottled plums, some sultana and glacé fig notes, and a very different kind of cooperage, as if some redwood barrels still (in those days). Palate is fully mature, richer than the Bordeaux, the oak coarser, maybe a touch of added acid, all a bit leathery. You gain the impression the wine didn't receive the quality of care that the Cabernet Sauvignon did, but it is dry to the finish. All in all, pretty good at 40 years of age, fading just a little. GK 08/19

2005 Schubert Syrah 16 ½ (

)

New Zealand: 14.5%; $65 [ cork; presumably Wairarapa & Hawkes Bay; hand-picked, 100% de-stemmed; cuvaison at least 3 weeks; 24 months in French barriques 40% new; www.schubert.co.nz ]
Ruby, more a good pinot noir weight. Bouquet is sweetly floral in a classic wallflower and roses Cote Rotie styling of syrah, on a white pepper and cassis berry component. Palate is on the cooler side of good syrah, as indeed many Cote Roties are, with a faintly leafy quality, and red currants and red plums joining the blackcurrant. The whole wine is fresh but softer than the Southbank, fragrant and pleasing in mouth, not bone dry I suspect but very subtle (though perhaps suggesting chaptalisation), lingering nicely. Nett impression is more Crozes-Hermitage – mention of Cote Rotie is a little flattering. This will be good food wine, and cellar 3 – 8 years. Over-priced, though, when one looks at the achievements of the Villa PB. GK 05/08

2003 Drystone Pinot Noir 16 ½ (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $36 [ cork; a label of Berridge Vineyard Estates; www.berridgevineyards.com ]
Ruby. A slightly offbeat but recognisably pinot noir bouquet, with red cherries, red plums, and a suggestion of cooked tamarillo on bouquet. Palate has good fruit, reasonable balance, and some length on a slightly acid and oaky finish. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 08/05

2007 Man O' War Syrah 16 ½ (

)

Eastern Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.5%; $24 [ screwcap; Sy 97%, Vi 3; 3 weeks cuvaison; 10 months French and American oak 20% new; website not functional yet; www.manowarvineyards.com ]
Good ruby. Bouquet is unusually complex on this wine, with a floral and white pepper component, clear cassis, a bush honey complexity (also found in Cote Rotie sometimes), and some brett-related scents and complexities. Palate is crisp, fresh berry, attractive balance, but the degree of the bacony phase of brett (4-ethylguaiacol) is a worry even though attractive in itself, for that usually implies much more of the normal phase (4-ethylphenol), even if at this moment one can't smell it so much. Probably a wine to be enjoyed earlier rather than later, so cellar 3 – 6 years only. Like the 2002 Te Mata Syrah, it will be good with food (though the total acid is higher). GK 06/08

2005 Mudbrick Syrah Reserve 16 ½ (

)

Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.8%; $50 [ screwcap; hand-picked; c. 14 months in American oak 50% new; www.mudbrick.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet. Like its 2006 sibling, this Mudbrick Syrah also tiptoed towards an Australian approach, almost sur-maturité on the fruit, plus a lot of oak. In mouth it is very oaky, and the acid interacts with the oak negatively, even though the fruit is good. As we wean ourselves off Australian shiraz, and see New Zealand syrah as a world-class wine in its own fragrant berry-dominant style, the approach shown by this wine will seem old-fashioned and not food-friendly. But it has its followers, particularly in the Auckland district. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 06/08

2003 Forrest Estate Pinot Noir Brancott Vineyard 16 ½ (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14.4%; $ – [ screwcap; not released yet; 20-year clone 5; not on website; www.forrest.co.nz ]
Older pinot noir ruby. This is the straightest of the Forrest pinots, benefitting from decanting to reveal attractively maturing red and black cherry fruit, on slightly leathery oak. Palate is reasonably rich, and a little savoury on trace brett. The fruit is quite long, but maturing more rapidly than ideal. Good food wine, to cellar 2 – 5 years only. GK 01/07

2005 Escarpment Pinot Noir 16 ½ (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $45 [ supercritical cork; 5% whole bunch; 12 months in French oak 30% new; www.escarpment.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is tending disorganised on initial pouring, and benefits greatly from splashy decanting and sitting to air. What then emerges is startling, for it is red fruits and black pepper, with clear syrah overtones, and attractive florals too. Palate however is a little stalky at this stage, fair fruit ranging from red currants to red cherries, still with the thought of Cote Rotie in a peppery way. When this has married up for another year or so, it is going to be an enjoyable glass of wine, though a slightly eccentric pinot noir. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 01/07

2004 Kathy Lynskey Pinot Noir Casto Reserve 16 ½ (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $60 [ cork; hand-picked; cold soak; 12 months in French oak 50% new on lees; www.kathylynskeywines.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is subdued, faintly oxidised / estery and oaky, but showing fair strawberry and red cherry fruit, reminiscent of some straightforward bourgognes rouges. Palate is richer than the standard wine, but tending acid and old for its age, with a little brett in the European style, noticeably oaky. Pleasant maturing food wine with fair pinot body. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 01/07

2004 KEW Chardonnay Un-Wooded 16 ½ (

)

Gisborne, New Zealand: 12.5%; $16 [ screwcap; KEW = Kirkpatrick Estate Winery; www.kew.co.nz ]
Palest lemongreen. A clean high-tech simple chardonnay bouquet, in the South Australian honeydew melon style, with a touch of banana as if from an aromatic yeast. Palate is clean, not quite dry (unfortunately), attractive crisp almost appley flavour, and delightfully low alcohol. This is a good wine for delicate white foods. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 05/05

2007 Mills Reef Syrah Reserve 16 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $21 [ screwcap; DFB; Sy 97.6%, Vi 2.4; 5 days cold soak followed by > 2 weeks cuvaison; French oak 7 months; www.millsreef.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a little deeper and fresher than the 2006 Elspeth Syrah. Bouquet is recognisably varietal, but in a more rustic style than Elspeth. There is cassis and stewed red plum and berry, and a suggestion of peppercorn and silage (sweet). Palate is juicy, gently oaked, not the authority and varietal definition of the higher-ranked wines, a hint of seaweed, perhaps not bone dry, but pleasing. Cellar 2 – 5 years might be best here. GK 11/08

2007 Sherwood Estate Riesling Waipara 16 ½ (

)

Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 12%; $25 [ screwcap; 3 months LA; RS 15 g/L; www.sherwood.co.nz ]
Pale lemongreen. Riesling is such a subtle beauty, it is easily thrown off-course. This wine is clearly white-flowers varietal, but at this moment there is a strange aromatic on bouquet I can't place, needing more time to marry up. Palate is flavoursome and dryish with a lime component, seemingly drier than the Johner or the number suggests, but not as dry as the Mt Difficulty Dry. Should look better in a year or so, and cellar for 3 – 10 years. GK 11/08

nv Domaine Chandon Brut 16 ½ (

)

Australia: 12.5%; $25 [ cork; Ch & PN; based in Yarra Valley, but grapes sourced from WA to Tasmania; extended tirage; website [then] a mystery, providing no info on sparkling wines; www.chandon.com.au ]
Pale straw. A light clean methode champenoise bouquet, not as autolysed as the Number Eight Cuvée, Laurent Perrier, or Lindauer Reserve, more on par with standard Lindauer, pleasant. Palate tastes higher pinot noir than some, good weight, sweeter than some bruts, but no sweeter than Laurent Perrier or Number Eight. Sound sparkling wine. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 08/05

2004 Stonewall Chardonnay 16 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $11 [ screwcap; Forrest Estate sub-label; www.forrest.co.nz ]
Lemonstraw. Bouquet is quite complex, golden queen peach and figgy, with some lees autolysis complexity components suggesting wholemeal sourdough bread. Palate however has tutti frutti and fleshy aspects to it, feeling like a stainless wine with maybe a couple of grams of sugar, plus complexity components including oak blended in. Body is good for an $11 wine, though. Cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 06/05

2006 [ Matua Valley ] Shingle Peak Pinot Gris Reserve 16 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $20 [ screwcap; some of the fruit BF in French oak; RS 5.2 g/L; www.matua.co.nz ]
Straw, quite clearly salmon-flushed, reflecting skin colour in this pinot variant. Bouquet is superior to the two Escarpment wines, there being clear varietal pear and pale stonefruits, a suggestion of cinnamon, plus an undertone suggesting barrel-ferment and lees-autolysis components, but no MLF. Palate is however clumsy alongside the other two, the varietal phenolics excessive, and giving an almost quincy note. Not sure if this will mellow in cellar or not, 3 – 5 years. GK 10/07

2006 Ngatarawa Merlot Glazebrook 16 ½ (

)

Ngatarawa Triangle 71%, Gimblett Gravels 29, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $21 [ screwcap; hand-harvested Me > 95%; c. 12 months in French oak 30% new; 3 g/L RS; www.ngatarawa.co.nz ]
Good ruby. Bouquet is light, fragrant, pretty, almost a roses and violets floral and pinot noir suggestion, inclining more to the red fruits spectrum of the 2006 Odyssey than the black fruits of the 2006 Craggy – red currants and red plums. Palate is more red fruits too, ripest red rhubarb stalks and red plums, lightly oaked, fragrant. Harmonious and pleasing light merlot, in an Entre Deux Mers style. Cellar 5 – 8 years. This wine was used as part of a presentation on Bordeaux blends in New Zealand, for the Lincoln University Viticulture and Oenology degree course, to illustrate a less-ripe phase of merlot. GK 09/08

2007 Matua Valley Riesling Reserve 16 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 12.5%; $19 [ screwcap; not on website; www.matua.co.nz ]
Palest lemon. Though clearly riesling, this wine is not cut from such fine cloth as the Craggy and Escarpment examples. Bouquet is bigger and coarser, with tropical fruit-salad notes, and melon. Palate is dry, phenolic and quite boney, the fruit not wrapping that side of it up at all well. It is more a commercial Australian dry riesling in approach. Cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 10/07

2002 Jadot Saint-Aubin les Combes 16 ½ (

)

Saint-Aubin Premier Cru, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $58 [ cork; no specific info [then] on website; www.louisjadot.com ]
Straw, old for its age. This is the bouquet of an older white burgundy style, some dried peaches in the stone fruits, suggestions of quince, but plenty of lees autolysis flavour giving quite a mealy rich palate. This will be developing biscuitty mature flavours in a year or two, which again is disappointing in such a young wine. Short-term cellar, only. GK 07/05

2004 Bilancia Syrah 16 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels 80%, balance Roys Hill, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $32 [ screwcap; Sy 98%, Vi 2, co-fermented; 16 months in French oak 40% new; www.bilancia.co.nz ]
Ruby. This is a New Zealand syrah in the Crozes-Hermitage mould, showing red fruits and white pepper on bouquet, fragrant. Palate likewise has the Crozes-Hermitage average-year stalk component, though there is fair fruit. Oaking is light. Comparison with the Woodthorpe is intriguing, the greater floral component on the latter pointing to the greater viognier. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 01/07

2005 Moutere Hills Riesling 16 ½ (

)

Nelson, New Zealand: 11.5%; $26 [ 1 + 1 cork; www.mouterehills.co.nz ]
Pale lemongreen, elegant. Bouquet is floral and fragrant in the style of freesias, with enchanting purity. Palate is lesser, a bit short acid and phenolic, with a distressing suggestion of root ginger. Finish is short too, despite being medium-dry. A little more residual might have helped marry this wine up. Cellar 2 – 5 years only. Pricing unrealistic. GK 02/06

2007 Misha's Vineyard Pinot Noir 16 ½ (

)

Bendigo, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $45 [ screwcap; mainly clone 5 planted 2004, hand-harvested; 100 cases only first crop; this wine 100% new oak circumstantially; not fined or filtered; www.mishasvineyard.com ]
Pinot noir ruby, forward for its age. On bouquet this wine lacks the perfect pinot ripeness of the Mt Difficultys, and thus demonstrates the enhanced sweet pea florality of marginally under-ripe pinot noir. The palate confirms this, with a hint of leafiness in red more than black fruits cherry, all subtly oaked. Very much a 'first shot' wine, I would think, awaiting full cropping in the vineyard. Pricing in such circumstances is difficult. Whereas one can understand the desire to price where one wants to be from the outset, there is a case for acknowledging the quality actually achieved via introductory pricing. Cellar 3 – 6 years. GK 11/08

2006 Strugglers Flat Pinot Noir 16 ½ (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $24 [ screwcap; the website is more medium than message / info for this wine; www.wildrockwine.co.nz ]
Good youthful pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is clean fragrant redcurrant and red cherry, completely in style for sound straightforward new world pinot noir. Palate is very youthful, a pity it is being released so soon. The red fruits are good, but oak and acid have yet to meld with the fruit, and acid is a little higher than some. Should be looking more fragrant and attractive in 12 months time, and may score higher. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 03/07

2003 Andrew Harris Shiraz / Cabernet Harvest Road 16 ½ (

)

Mudgee, NSW, Australia: 13.5%; $12 [ cork; website being re-developed [then]; www.andrewharris.com.au ]
Ruby and velvet. Clear red fruits and light oak present an attractive Australian dry red on bouquet, not euc’y. Palate moves more towards shiraz, boysenberry rather more than cassis flavours, good fruit, appropriate oak, clean and attractively balanced. This will cellar for 5 – 10 years, and be a pleasantly harmonious and serious QDR throughout. VALUE GK 08/05

2002 Qupe Syrah Bien Nacido Hillside Estate 16 ½ (

)

Santa Maria Valley (between San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara), California, USA: 13.5%; $ – [ cork; Qupe's top syrah – 680 cases @ US$47; 100% de-stemmed, cold-soak 2 days; 7% of the juice BF, 20 months in French oak 60% new; neither fined nor filtered; R. Parker 154: The most backward and potentially finest effort … a complex, earthy, mineral, red and black fruit-scented nose, medium to full body … The fruit and richness build incrementally … The most northern Rhone-like of Qupe’s Syrahs, it … should be uncommonly long-lived – 12-14 years. 90 later 91; www.qupe.com ]
Ruby and velvet. This is a simpler and purer wine than the other two Californian examples, showing dry plummy fruit on bouquet, ripened well beyond florals, fresh berry and spice, but not as raisiny and pruney as the Havens. Palate is lesser, browning plum, some baked and raisiny flavours, drying leathery oak and some brett too on closer examination. In taste it is reminiscent of Australian shiraz in the 60s and 70s, before they invented new oak. Cellar 5 – 15 years, in its style. GK 01/07

2007 Mt Difficulty Pinot Gris Manson's Farm Single Vineyard 16 ½ (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $34 [ screwcap; hand-harvested 24 May for a late-harvest style; cool- and stop-fermented @ 25 g/L RS; www.mtdifficulty.co.nz ]
Straw. This wine is a qualified success too, like the Church Road Cuve. Bouquet is clearly rosepetal pinot gris, but in the aroma is a shadow of oxidation character. The nett result in this late-harvest style is the flavour of dried peaches rather than fresh ones, still in a juicy full-bodied way, not unattractive, but a little clumsy for its age. It is much sweeter than the Church Road. With the right food, it would be interesting, making technicalities irrelevant. Cellar short-term only, 1 – 3 years. GK 11/08

2004 Morton Estate Sauvignon Blanc Stone Creek 16 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $23 [ screwcap; www.mortonestatewines.co.nz ]
Lemongreen. Bouquet at this stage is a bit weighed down by some sur lie suggestions and a hint of armpit, but they should marry away. Palate has good fruit in the red capsicum and black passionfruit spectrum, but with the sourdough note on bouquet running through it. Judging dry. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 09/04

2011 Willakenzie Estate Pinot Noir Pierre Leon Vineyard * 16 ½ (

)

Williamette Valley, Oregon, USA: 13.5%; $ – [ cork; a c. $US48 = $NZ72 bottle; vineyard started 1991; now a 20,000-case winery, pinot noir predominant, growing 11 clones some in common with New Zealand; first used screwcaps 2001; great website; www.willakenzie.com ]
Lighter and older pinot noir ruby, the palest wine of the 20. Bouquet reflects light red currants, strawberry (+ve) and just-red cherry fruit, reminiscent of lightweight pinot noir from the early plantings on light alluviums in the Wairau Valley, Marlborough. It is fragrant, varietal, but unsubstantial, pretty rather than promising. Flavours and textures in mouth are more weighty than the bouquet promises, the same berry descriptors, beautifully balanced new oak, good length. Small-scale Cote de Beaune, in style. Cellar 2 – 6 years, but again, will hold longer. GK 9/15 GK 09/15

2013 Sileni Merlot 100% Cellar Selection 16 ½ (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $20 [ screwcap; Me 100%; 14 days cuvaison; some oak contact, minimal new; RS < 1 g/L; www.sileni.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, in the top third for weight of colour. This wine benefits from decanting, but remains new and raw, as if it has a stainless steel component. Bouquet includes dark fruit notes and a suggestion of seaweed / saline, and not much oak. Flavours are soft, round and darkly plummy, appropriate to merlot if it weren't for that saline hint. I wonder if this comes from imperfect cooperage for some of the wine, or threshold reduction from a stainless steel component. In three years' time this might be more charming and score higher than now. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 06/14

2008 Forrest Gewurztraminer The Valleys 16 ½ (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $24 [ screwcap; cropped at c. 3 t/ac; RS 12 g/L; www.forrest.co.nz ]
Pale lemon. Like the Misha Gewurztraminer, this is so youthful and raw as to be nearly unattractive at this stage. There is still post-fermentation amyl acetate to marry away, as commonly encountered with this variety. In mouth, the flavours are more muscatty than gewurztraminer ideally is, a similar popular medium-dryish sweetness like the Otago wine, which masks the phenolics, but often makes the wine seem straightforward at the same time. It is so hard to achieve beautifully intense gewurztraminer, but New Zealand with Alsace has one of the best climates in the world to achieve that. These wines skirt that goal, so they are scored from a more international viewpoint than local rankings sometimes achieve. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 11/08

2008 Mills Reef Viognier Reserve 16 ½ (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $21 [ screwcap; BF in 4-year French oak, 25% including MLF; 17 weeks in older French oak; c 2 g/L RS; www.millsreef.co.nz ]
Light lemon. What a problem viognier poses to winemakers. The best examples combine wonderful tropical florality including wild ginger and frangipani with succulent fruit, the texture being important. This 2008 Mills Reef sets out to enhance the palate (relative to the 2007) via the addition of an admirably subtle and clean partial MLF fermentation component, as the French do. However, in an attempt to reduce the alcohol, the fruit was picked a little too soon. Viognier is demanding in that peak aroma and flavour arrives late in the sugar accumulation curve, so achieving flavoursome yet elegant wines is a real search for an elusive holy grail. This one is too under-ripe to achieve that, with some leafyness / stalkyness, reminiscent of the misguided Marlborough and Nelson examples. But it is only the second try for Mills Reef, and the two wines thus far provide useful stepping stones. Will cellar a year or three, in its modest style. GK 11/08

1987 Te Mata [ Cabernet / Merlot / Franc ] Awatea 16 ½ (

)

Havelock North, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12.5%; $33 [ cork 49mm, ullage 15mm; CS 84%, Me 14, CF 2, cropped at c. 7.4 t/ha = 3 t/ac, perhaps chaptalised ‘half a degree’ (Peter Cowley); 18 months in nearly all French barriques, still a few American puncheons being phased out then, 30% new; a single vineyard wine still, in 1987; harvested mid-April; GK, 1989: Bouquet however, is as intense, with great complexity and appeal, and the flavour is if anything more attractive. The merlot component seems to be even more noticeable than in the Villa Reserve, both in the floral bouquet and the supple palate. The aftertaste of lingering rich fruit, and subtle oak, is of the highest quality. Depth of colour alone is no indicator of quality. This too is a truly international claret style, with fine cellar potential, *****; not entered in Shows by that time; weight bottle and closure: 559 g; www.temata.co.nz ]
Ruby and garnet, the third to lightest wine. Bouquet has a pleasing aromatic harmony to it, reminiscent of the quality the Goldwater wine shows, but the wine not quite so ripe. Cassisy notes from the cabernet dominate. Flavour however is immediately a contrast, the wine showing some cassis and cedary oak, but lacking ripe fruit flavours alongside the Goldwater, and acid clearly greater again than the Villa Maria Cabernet Sauvignon. In the sense that this wine points to the New Zealand Cabernet / Merlot winestyle in climatic conditions less warm than now, it was set as the ‘sighter’ wine in first place, but it did not fill that role ideally, due to the acid level on virgin tongues. No votes for first or second place, three least votes. My 1989 review does not give a good lead to this wine’s future achievements. In 2002 I commented: ‘none of these later ‘80s Te Matas compare with the 1982 and 1983, score 16’. GK 06/21

2004 Lake Hayes Sauvignon Blanc 16 ½ (

)

Marlborough & Otago, New Zealand: 13%; $20 [ screwcap; s/s, 3.2 g/L RS; www.amisfield.co.nz ]
Water-white. Still some bottling SO2 to resolve (at the time of tasting), on a bouquet which is austerely varietal. Palate shows good fruit weight and surprising ripeness of varietal flavours, red capsicums and black passionfruit, but also high total acid balanced by more residual than many. This should develop considerably in bottle, but at the moment is too austere to rate more highly. GK 09/04

2004 Trinity Hill Montepulciano 16 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $20 [ screwcap; no detail for ’04 [then] on website; www.trinityhill.com ]
Ruby, a touch of carmine and velvet. Bouquet shows some whole berry fermentation juicy / fruity characters (as in Beaujolais), together with an intriguing plum / olives / stalky character reminiscent of pinotage. Palate does little to dispel the notion, with stalky red fruits and slight retained fermentation odours, producing a quite rich but plainish fruity wine. Pinotage has to be very well ripened to be attractive (which it can be), and the same may apply with this variety in New Zealand. Cellar 5 – 8 years, to follow with interest. GK 03/06

2005 Logan Shiraz / Viognier Weemala 16 ½ (

)

Central Ranges, New South Wales, Australia: 13.5%; $17 [ screwcap; website erratic, info not located; www.loganwines.com.au ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. Bouquet is clearly Australian, euc'y, heavy berryfruit, some stalks too suggesting mixed ripeness / machine-picking. Palate is frankly commercial, boysenberry fruity yet still some stalks, oaky, not quite dry to the finish, and maybe some viognier apricot suggestions there too (+ve). Rich QDR, wholesome, quite good as such. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 03/07

2004 Two Paddocks Pinot Noir The Last Chance 16 ½ (

)

Alexandra, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $40 [ screwcap; some whole bunch, cold soak and extended cuvaison to 4 weeks with wild yeast; 11 months in French oak 30% new; www.twopaddocks.com ]
Cherry red, a little deeper than the First Paddock. Bouquet is more red fruits, less floral than the sister wine. Palate is firm red cherry, with a suggestion of hardness like under-ripe red plums, a little more concentrated than the First Paddock, not as concentrated the ’04 Carrick, needing to mellow in bottle a couple of years. Like the First Paddock, this too is remarkably akin to a minor Beaune or thereabouts wine, in a cooler year. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 09/06

2002 Schubert Pinot Noir 16 ½ (

)

Wairarapa, New Zealand: 14.5%; $45 [ www.schubert.co.nz ]
Attractive ruby. This is another pinot showing fragrant oak as well as red and black cherry fruits, in a clearly varietal bouquet. In mouth the wine is not so happy, with stalky and nearly green notes reinforced by TA on the high side. Concentration of fruit is good, but again that elusive goal of pinot beauty and complexity has not been quite achieved. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 01/04

2002 Esk Valley Merlot / Malbec / Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 16 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $ – [ screwcap; Me 56%, Ma 24, CS 20; inoculated ferment; MLF in barrel, 21 months in French oak; RS nil; www.eskvalley.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, quite old for its age. Bouquet is clean, spirity and very oaky, in an older style of 'serious' New Zealand red, closer to Australia than France. There is browning cassis in the red berry, and a curious edge of capers or seaweed, not unattractive. Palate is very dry, rich but too oaky, the latter exacerbated by the unfortunate alcohol. Some of the younger wines in the tasting, and the best of the Bordeaux, show why this is not an optimal interpretation of cabernet / merlot for New Zealand, though it will mellow for 5 – 15 years. It certainly looked attractive as a younger wine, as its awards and even reviews on this site indicate, so it will be intriguing to see if this result reflects a rough patch the wine is going through, or a decline. GK 11/08

2005 Chapoutier Hermitage Blanc l'Ermite 16 ½ (

)

Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $447 [ cork; Ma 100% more than 70 years age, from granite hill-slopes at top of Hermitage hill; hand-harvested; cold-settled, MLF assumed; 100% barrel fermented and aged in new French oak 10 + months; www.chapoutier.com ]
A paler full straw than the other two, but still very developed. Bouquet on this wine is the most sulphur-affected, with subtle mercaptan complexity adding charry notes to high-solids. Palate reveals the same mealy to biscuitty and dried stone fruit flavours as l'Orée, but all somewhat fresher and harder on entrained sulphur. Trendy / imitative wine-writers will refer to this as minerality, but being sulphur-based, it is clearly not food-friendly. The slightly lower alcohol helps the wine, and it will cellar the longest of these three, probably marrying away the sulphur notes. So it may be a 10 or 20 year wine, but given the original cost you would have little choice but to rationalise liking it at that point. Suggestibility is a great thing, in expensive wine. GK 07/08

2004 Wild Earth Pinot Noir 16 ½ (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $34 [ cork; hand-picked from vineyards @ Felton Road and Lowburn; wild yeast ferment; 10 months in French oak one third new; consultant winemaker Dean Shaw; www.wildearthwines.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. This wine benefits from vigorous decanting, to reveal straightforward quite fragrant pinot berry, with indeterminate floral components. Palate shows red and black cherry, suggestions of farmyard complexity, fair fruit, slightly fresh acid balance, still a little clumsy and needing a year to marry up. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 07/06

2011 Rod McDonald Wines Merlot / Malbec Quarter Acre 16 ½ (

)

Te Awanga district, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $32 [ screwcap; Me 56%, Ma 42, CF 2%, hand-picked organically-grown grapes low-cropped; c.14 months in French oak, 30% new; RS < 1 g/L; www.rmwines.co.nz ]
Ruby, just above midway in the lightest third. Bouquet is winey and fragrant, red plums more than dark, oak nicely balanced. Palate is less than the bouquet, a stalky streak in the plum (that sucking-on-plumstones thought), not quite the fruit richness and smoothness hoped for in a merlot blend – another wine sabotaged by malbec. Cellar 3 – 8 years, to soften. GK 06/14

2007 Palliser Sauvignon Blanc 16 ½ (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $26 [ screwcap; no wine detail on website; www.palliser.co.nz ]
Lemongreen. This is an awkward wine, since straight out of the bottle it is tending reductive, congested and seems under-ripe. It needs extended splashy decanting, pouring it from jug to jug half a dozen times. It then becomes pleasantly varietal, lightly musky / aromatic sauvignon, closer to Marlborough than Hawke's Bay in style. In mouth the fruit concentration is good, the flavours red capsicum and black passionfruit lingering well, dry finish. Hard to give a meaningful score when the wine is so different, untreated (14) versus aerated (17.5). Debatable for cellaring. GK 05/08

2004 Southbank Riesling 16 ½ (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 10.5%; $15 [ screwcap; hand-harvested @ 4 t/ac; 9 g/L RS; www.southbankestate.com ]
Full lemon. Bouquet is uncannily like South Australian riesling, with big riesling terpenes in a fine lager-hops style, on sweet citrusy fruit with a hint of vanilla custard. Palate doesn't quite do the bouquet justice, the flavours too developed, with a suggestion of stalks. Sweetness is medium-dry, which helps hold things together. A bit coarse, short-term cellar only, 1 – 3 years. GK 05/08

2005 Penfolds [ Shiraz ] Bin 95 Grange 16 ½ (

)

South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $ – [ cork; Sh 96%, CS 6; some barrel-ferment; 88% of the fruit Barossa Valley this year; 18 months in American hogsheads 100% new; www.penfolds.com ]
Ruby and garnet, clearly the oldest wine. Bouquet has all the dull sur-maturité characters of the 2006, but almost some hot-climate oxidation as well. As has so often been the peril with Grange, the artefact here is completely dominating the wine: over-ripe fruit lacking berry and freshness, just a quantitative presence, VA, clumsy American oak, no possibility of charm at all. Palate is still undeniably rich, but the flavours are leathery, oaky and euc'y, the pleasures of the grape lost. It will still live in this heavy-handed style for many years, and no doubt in a hot climate has its vociferous supporters as to style. It’s a long way from the beauty of fine Hermitage or Gimblett Gravels syrah, however. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 07/13

2007 Matua Valley Sauvignon Blanc Reserve 16 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $20 [ screwcap; not on website; www.matua.co.nz ]
Pale lemongreen. Bouquet opens slightly sulphur-congested and faintly sweaty, which despite enthusiasm for that character in certain New Zealand quarters, is in fact a negative feature in sauvignon as much as any other white varietal. Below is a full spread of capsicum ripeness levels, and some black passionfruit. Palate likewise is mixed capsicum, but the balance is the yellow ripeness level, the body quite rich, the flavours long and continuing musky. This style has its devotees, but hopefully will soon be seen as old-fashioned. Cellar a year or two only. GK 10/07

2003 Rimu Grove Chardonnay 16 ½ (

)

Nelson, New Zealand: 13.8%; $28 [ screwcap; BF in French oak 30% new, and LA and batonnage 10 months; www.rimugrove.co.nz ]
Straw, close to the Martinborough Vineyard in hue. Bouquet is likewise quite developed on this wine, with a lot of winemaker artefact on the golden peachy fruit. The barrel-ferment and lees-autolysis component is a little charry / smoky in the style Corbans Cottage Block used to be. Palate is immediately very oaky, even moreso than the Martinborough Vineyard, and there is not the same enchanting depth of cashew mealyness to distract the tongue. Total fruit and autolysis complexity is nonetheless good, but the aftertaste is oak. Like the Rimu Grove Pinot, this wine needs a more restrained approach to the oak handling. The problem for new wineries can be, how to get enough old but guaranteed-clean oak, for these totally barrel-fermented wines. Cellar 3 – 5 years only, I suspect, on the oak caveat. GK 02/06

2004 Martinborough Vineyard Pinot Noir 16 ½ (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: – %; $62 [ screwcap; hand-harvested from vines up to 25 years old; 10% whole bunch, up to 8 days cold soak, c. 3 weeks cuvaison with wild yeast; 10 months and MLF in French oak; www.martinborough-vineyard.com ]
Colour-wise, this Martinborough, which is so light by New Zealand pinot noir standards, was only fractionally below the average of the Rousseaus. And in its fragrant buddleia florals and red cherry fruit, it is a pretty wine on bouquet, close to the Ruchottes. As is often the case with New Zealand reds, and not only pinot, light florals on bouquet can betray a leafiness on palate, as here in the red fruits, and acid is a bit high, counterbalanced by a finish which is not as dry as the Rousseaus – perhaps 3 g/L. But there is no doubting the wine is burgundian, and 2004 was not an easy vintage in Martinborough, exacerbated here perhaps by a higher than optimal cropping rate. Cellar 3 – 6 years. GK 07/06

2007 Camshorn Pinot Noir Domett Clays 16 ½ (

)

Waipara, Canterbury, New Zealand: 13%; $37 [ screwcap; not irrigated; no tasting detail on website; a label mainly sold via restaurants and selected wine stores; www.pernod-ricard-nz.com ]
Ruby and velvet, another which is deep for pinot noir. This is an off-centre pinot noir too, combining stewed red plum with a penetrating leafy / floral note, and a (probably) cooperage-derived aroma reminiscent of Californian redwood. It reminds of the former-times Christian Brothers Pinot St George label, where redwood was indeed used for large cooperage. Palate shares some characters with the Villa Maria Reserve Marlborough, being quite rich, stewed fruits, yet physiologically immature / under-ripe. Quite good red wine, but not such good pinot, so again hard to score. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 03/09

2005 Auntsfield Pinot Noir Hawk Hill 16 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 14.5%; $40 [ screwcap; hand-picked; up to 80% whole-berry; 10 days cold-soak, c. 9 months in French oak 33% new; www.auntsfield.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, big for pinot noir. This is very much a new world pinot noir, with big blackboy and plummy fruit, and obvious oak and alcohol – but still recognisably varietal. Palate is soft and richly blackboy peach and cherry, fleshy, oaky, needing to fine down. Worth cellaring, to see if it does, but expensive. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 11/06

2010 Alluviale Merlot / Cabernet Franc 16 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $33 [ screwcap; Me 85%, CF 15, hand-picked, sorted; 16 months in all French oak, some new; 700 cases; www.alluviale.com ]
Ruby and velvet, some carmine, in the top third for depth of colour. Bouquet is soft, fragrant and appealing, reminiscent of a minor St Emilion, though perhaps with more oak than most – reflecting the new world approach. Palate is not quite as ripe as the bouquet promises, a thought of leaf, but it shows a pleasant balance of berry to oak, and fair length. Alongside the Ch Tauzinat L'Hermitage at the same price, Alluviale has less fruit and more oak. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 06/12

1999 Saintsbury Pinot Noir Carneros 16 ½ (

)

Carneros, California, USA: 13.5%; $ – [ WPN ]
Good ruby. Another red berries / summer pudding pinot style, light, clean, fragrant but including a touch of VA, relatively simple. Fruit on palate, subtlety of oak, and lightness of mouthfeel, is very burgundian. Lightens to the finish which is a little sappy and acid. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 01/01

1999 Dry River Pinot Noir Amaranth 16 ½ (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13%; $55 [ NZPN ]
Deep ruby, carmine and velvet, the darkest by far. Clean and slightly spicy / hessian bouquet, rich but not clearly varietal. Fruit on palate is remarkable, however, a high-extract almost raisiny chewy richness which eclipses every other wine on the table. The astonishing feature of this very different presentation of pinot noir is the lightness of aftertaste, almost a delicacy of fruit tannins. The wine is more varietal here than anywhere else in the sensory profile. This might point to a future scarcely hinted at now. Needs years in cellar to fine down, but will it build varietal bouquet in bottle ? Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 01/01

2002 Waiwera Estate Pinot Noir 16 ½ (

)

Golden & Tasman Bays, Nelson, New Zealand: 13.8%; $24 [ screwcap ]
Rich pinot noir ruby. There is a good volume of bouquet on this wine, combining blackboy peach and cherry fruit with slightly varnishy oak – by chance fitting in well with the de Courcel wines in the blind tasting. Flavours follow in the same style, fair fruit, slightly stalky, oak to a maximum, clearly varietal but straightforward. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 11/04

2004 Mt Difficulty Pinot Noir Roaring Meg 16 ½ (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 14.5%; $27 [ screwcap; all de-stemmed, 5 days cold-soak, 11 days cuvaison, 9 months and MLF in barrel; www.mtdifficulty.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is clean fragrant relatively simple pinot noir, with some floral suggestions in blackboy peach and cherry. Palate is relatively light, fruity, seemingly almost a hint of residual sugar (not so in specs), acid to balance, clear-cut light pinot in an earlier-maturing popular style. Cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 07/06

2004 Delta Vineyards Pinot Noir Hatter's Hill 16 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $27 [ screwcap ]
Ruby, a good pinot noir colour. Bouquet is clean ripe varietal pinot noir, showing soft fruit in the strawberry, red cherry and blackboy peach spectrum, plus gentle oak. It is not an overt bouquet, but it is pleasing. Palate is a little less, quite rich blackboy flavours predominating, in youth a little acid and oaky, finishing a little phenolic. Better in two years, when some softness should appear. Cellar 3 – 6 years. GK 03/06

2011 Elephant Hill Merlot / Malbec Hieronymus 16 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels & Bridge Pa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $34 [ screwcap; hand-picked but no composition ratio given; 100% de-stemmed; c.12 days cuvaison; MLF in unspecified oak; lack of detail on website; www.elephanthill.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, medium weight. The wine opens very oaky, but breathes up to a slightly leafy but fragrant bouquet, red fruits mostly. Palate confirms the bouquet, under-ripe malbec betraying the wine, the nett result being cooler-year Bordeaux in style. Like the Babich Patriarch, the 5-star reviews quoted in the Catalogue yet again show how acutely we, as a winemaking nation, have some distance to go to become generally familiar with appropriate ripeness levels in red wines, by international standards. Cellar 3 – 10 years at its level, for the fruit richness is quite good. GK 06/13

2006 Serenata Nero d'Avola [ = Corallo ] 16 ½ (

)

Sicily IGT, Italy: 13.5%; $15 [ screwcap; the same wine is marketed under two labels, Wine Direct advise; nero d'Avola is the main red grape of Sicily, rated by Jancis Robinson as the best, suited to barrel-ageing, a fine aroma, and cellar potential; www.winedirect.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, older. This wine opens a little sulky / reductive, and benefits greatly from decanting. With air it opens up to a wine style not unlike middleweight Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, red and black fruits, a touch of herbes, not much oak, not quite clean and a little bretty (but less than many M. d'Abruzzos), winey, soft and easy QDR. Pity it has now left behind its $10 associations ! Cellar 1 – 5 years. Very much a consumer's wine, not for winemakers. GK 03/09

2005 Saint Clair Pinot Noir Pioneer Block 4 16 ½ (

)

Ure Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $29 [ screwcap; Dijon clones; 4 – 5 days cold soak, MLF and 9 months in French oak some new; www.saintclair.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, too big for quality pinot noir. Bouquet confirms, with intense berry characters suggesting syrah, as if the wine were double-skinned or otherwise had the skins to juice ratio increased – on inquiry, not the case. But well breathed, in its opaque darkly plummy intensity there are suggestions of dark floral qualities, in a peppery way. Palate is more bottled plum than cherry, weighty, the suggestion of prunes pointing to sur maturité, yet, again, there are pinot qualities hiding underneath. Given 5 years or so to fine down and lose some tannin, this may score higher. Pinot noir is about more subtlety than these Saint Clairs so far show. Meanwhile, it will appeal to those who confuse darkness in pinot with quality. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 06/06

2008 Bellbird Spring Home Block White 16 ½ (

)

Waipara, Canterbury, New Zealand: 13%; $30 [ cork; a single-vineyard wine with low yields, PG dominant, Ri, Mu, Gw, hand-harvested, whole-bunch pressed; fermented in old barrels, plus four months LA and batonnage; some MLF in the PG barrels; RS 20 g/L; 360 cases; www.bellbirdspring.co.nz ]
Good lemon. This is a most unusual wine, with a strong bouquet combining freesia florals with high-solids / homebrew / yeasty notes, a little root-ginger and less than optimal botrytis, plus slightly pungent stonefruit. The pungency may be the peppermint of under-ripe muscat, which must be pretty marginal in Waipara. Notwithstanding the Alsace model for blends like this, muscat must be a dubious component in this location. Palate is rich, much more gingery, the ignoble botrytis also edgy like the suspect muscat. The barrel-ferment in old-oak has introduced some drying tannins, but the oak flavour is delightfully low, and appropriate for the style. This is interesting richly-fruited wine despite its distracting notes. It tastes drier than the residual suggests, and with its strong even intense flavours, it would be hard to match with food. Some Indian and Asian dishes could work marvellously. Probably not suited to long-term cellaring, so 1 – 3 years. GK 04/09

2011 Esk Valley Merlot / Malbec / Cabernet Sauvignon Winemakers Reserve 16 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $60 [ screwcap; previous vintages have been of the order Me 55%, CS 35, Ma 10; MLF in barrel; not on website; www.eskvalley.co.nz ]
Ruby and some velvet. Bouquet is sullen, not explicitly reductive but oaky and lacking charm, indeterminate fruit. Palate is hard, quite rich fruit, clear cabernet sauvignon now in the merlot, the malbec tannins maybe contributing to the hard component, not quite as much oak as the bouquet suggested, but the whole thing austere. Could surprise with 5 – 15 years in cellar, but an expensive experiment. GK 06/13

2004 Ostler Pinot Noir Caroline’s 16 ½ (

)

Waitaki Valley, North Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $45 [ screwcap; south of river; calcareous SPMs; www.ostlerwine.co.nz ]
Light pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is fragrant and clearly varietal, with a suggestion of buddleia florals, in fruit which combines red cherries, red plums and a slightly less appealing note of raspberry essence. Palate is red cherry varietal, some blackboy, no great concentration but attractive flavours, slightly on the fresh and stalky side of mouth-filling, but interesting. Be good to see how this new district with its promising geology and climate evolves, as the vines mature. There certainly is the prospect of micro-sites much warmer than south Canterbury. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 05/06

nv Deutz Marlborough Cuvée Methode Traditionelle Brut 16 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 12%; $28 [ cork; price range $20 – $36; PN dominant; website fails to produce tasting notes; www.deutz.co.nz ]
Good lemon. I was able to examine two bottles of nv Deutz in this blind tasting. At no point did I think them the same wine. Once the labels were revealed, I still had 'closeness' comparisons more with other wines than each other. Both lacked the elegance and balance of the Lanvin and Lanson, one Deutz seeming slightly stalky, the other seeming a bit clogged – at a careful level of examination. They are both in style loosely speaking, but clearly sweeter in perceived sensory terms than the Lanson Black Label. When will Pernod-Ricard New Zealand move to a more sophisticated approach to dosage in their bubblies ? The total winestyle is clearly minor champagne, but on the showing of these two bottles, one has to ask if lesser batches of Deutz are disposed of in the annual Christmas flood of Deutz at $19.99 ? These two bottles are from such batches, and simply did not measure up, in the tasting. Other Marlborough producers are demonstrating just what can be achieved with the methode champenoise winestyle in the district. It would be good if the Deutz Marlborough label competed more on quality than price and coat-tailing on the Deutz connection. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 01/14

2006 Gran Sasso Montepulciano d’Abruzzo 16 ½ (

)

Abruzzo DOC, Italy: 13%; $15 [ plastic-sleeved foam; DFB ]
Dense ruby and velvet, rich. Bouquet is richly fruity, gamey and rustic in the traditional Montepulciano style, though here with more VA and more new oak than usual. Palate is velvety rich, a fair dose of brett in the gamey rusticity, all flavoursome and long and soft in mouth. Hard to tell from many other examples on the market. Cellar a year or two. GK 02/08

2004 Mt Difficulty Pinot Noir 16 ½ (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $41 [ screwcap; some whole-bunch, up to 7 days cold-soak; 90% wild yeast; 11 months in French oak 30% new; www.mtdifficulty.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, in the middle for depth. Initially opened, this wine is a little defective on bouquet, and needs a good splashy decanting. It breathes up to simple red fruits. Palate is straightforward pinot, slightly raisiny red cherries, better mouthfeel than the Martinborough, but rougher on the oak. This will be better in a couple of years, with mellowing. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 06/06

2000 Church Rd Tom [ Merlot / Cabernet / Malbec ] 16 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels & Tuki Tuki Valley, New Zealand: 13.5%; $105 [ cork; DFB; Me 55, CS 40, Ma 5, hand-harvested; 3 – 4 week cuvaison; 18 months in French oak some new, released June 2004; not on Church Road website; a Montana group wine; http://www.pernod-ricard-nz.com/Pages/wines/our_wines/tom_2000.html ]
Older ruby, old for its age, the second lightest. Bouquet is fragrant but also old for its age, with browning cassis, dark tobacco and attractive oak, plus subtle complexity notes of leather, VA, oxidation and brett. Palate is leaner than the bouquet promises, acid higher than desirable, but the flavours in total are Bordeaux-like, but 15 – 20 year-old wine rather than six. More a short-term cellar prospect, 3 – 5 years. GK 05/06

2011 [ Rod McDonald Wines ] Quarter Acre Syrah 16 ½ (

)

Te Awanga district, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $33 [ screwcap; fruit de-stemmed; detail not retrievable from malfunctioning website; www.rmwines.co.nz ]
Good ruby. Bouquet shows suggestions of wallflower florality on red plum fruit notes, and some vanillin oak. Palate is quite rich, acid up a little, some stalk as well as oak in the tannins, white more than black pepper. Clean wine, which should gain interest in cellar 3 – 10 years, but a bit modest now. GK 06/13

2006 Waimea Estates Chardonnay 16 ½ (

)

Nelson, New Zealand: 14.5%; $22 [ screwcap; hand-harvested clones mendoza and 95, whole-bunch pressed to BF with some solids in French oak 44% new, some wild-yeast ferments; some MLF only to lower acid, but more emphasis on extended LA and batonnage; pH 3.51, RS 4.2 g/L; www.waimeaestates.co.nz ]
Full straw, the oldest-looking wine in the bracket. Bouquet is older too, with suggestions of vanilla wine-biscuit in the slightly scented, buttery and oaky rich fruit. Palate marries all these up into a wine at full maturity, the scent translating into a faintly leafy older-style chardonnay, but there is good body and length and plenty of ripe flavours too. Big, but not a wine to age gracefully, so cellar 1 – 2 years only. GK 04/09

2008 Astrolabe Sauvignon Blanc Kekerengu Discovery 16 ½ (

)

Kekerengu, Kaikoura coast, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $26 [ screwcap; machine harvested not in heat of day, destemmed, minimised skin-contact, cool-fermented in s/s with no solids and a neutral yeast strain; pH 3.42, RS 1.3 g/L; www.astrolabewines.co.nz ]
Palest lemon. If one needs any convincing about grape performance relative to terroir including climate, this Kekerengu-sourced sauvignon from Astrolabe is the clincher. When contrasted with the special tending-continental qualities of the Awatere Valley (particularly), and Wairau Valley wines, this near-coastal wine from further down the Kaikoura coast is so cool and hollow in comparison. Being Astrolabe it is beautifully made, but the flavour is greener, total acid seems higher, and the wine really is austere. Again, there are reminders of Sancerre in this (not that Sancerre is a coastal, but it is markedly cooler than Bordeaux). Sauvignons like this need to be enjoyed young, if one likes the cooler greener flavours. If cellared they develop canned asparagus flavours in two or three years. GK 04/09

2000 Montana Tom 16 ½ (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $135 [ Me 55%, CS 40, Ma 5; French oak, 73% new, 18 months; www.montanawines.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, one of the oldest in the tasting. First impressions are disconcertingly of eucalyptus, in this all-New Zealand and France tasting. Beyond that is fragrant berry skewed into a mulberry and plummy Australian style. Flavours likewise are off-target for a Hawkes Bay / Bordeaux blend, showing over-ripe and strange banana passionfruit estery qualities in the berry and plum, all in an oaky and tannic setting. Rich, ripe, but not elegant. Cellar 10 – 15 years. GK 10/04 GK 10/04

2004 Framingham Sauvignon Blanc 16 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $17 [ screwcap; www.framingham.co.nz ]
Palest lemon green. Very youthful initially, with some bottling S02 still to marry in. Below that is mild black passionfruit and faintest capsicum flavours, in a crisp slightly citric palate. Not as flavoursome as some years of Framingham have been. Cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 10/04

2003 Pegasus Bay Pinot Noir 16 ½ (

)

Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 14%; $44 [ screwcap; nil whole bunch; 18 months in French oak; www.pegasusbay.com ]
Mature pinot noir ruby. This wine is fragrant on both red fruits and trace brett, the fruit including some of the red fruits spectrum including red currants and strawberries (now browning), as we have seen from Santa Barbara wines at previous Conferences. Palate is quite oaky, a little drying, a mature New Zealand pinot noir in a simpler style. GK 02/10

2010 Pask Syrah Gimblett Road 16 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12.5%; $25 [ screwcap; Sy 100%, not on website, if like other years: mostly de-stemmed, some whole-bunch; MLF and c.12 months in older French oak; www.cjpaskwinery.co.nz ]
Good ruby, but forward for its age. Bouquet is unusual, quite rich berry fruit with an undertone of incense, presumably oak-derived, not very varietal. Palate is not quite as rich, red as well as black fruits, some aromatic oak tying in with the bouquet notes, slightly leathery. Should mellow in cellar 3 – 8 years into pleasant QDR. GK 06/13

2008 Huia Riesling 16 ½ (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 12.5%; $25 [ screwcap; hand-harvested, all de-stemmed; cool-fermented in s/s with wild yeast; pH 3.1, RS 4 g/L; www.huia.net.nz ]
Lemongreen. This is one of those intriguing rieslings which show some overlap in their sensory and chemical characters with well-ripened sauvignon. This is seen in Germany too, particularly in drier botrytis-free styles. On bouquet, the wine is fragrant with both the sweet vernal grass notes of Mosel riesling, and subliminal suggestions of the sweet basil and black passionfruit characters of sauvignon ripened a little beyond the red capsicum stage. Because the wine is 'riesling dry' (in fact, 'sauvignon dry' for this particular example), the confusion is accentuated in a blind tasting. Otherwise in mouth the wine seems a fragrant stainless-steel quite fruity but near-dry white. It is obviously from Marlborough, but not the optimal flavour ripeness for riesling. Cellar 2 – 5 years only might be best. GK 04/09

2004 Te Kairanga Pinot Noir Runholder 16 ½ (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $30 [ cork; www.tekairanga.co.nz ]
Ruby. Bouquet is fragrant pure red cherry pinot noir, some florals, pleasing. Palate is pinot in the red cherry and blackboy style, good light varietal quality, fragrant, a better ratio of oak to fruit than the ‘03 Reserve, but a lighter wine. Cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 08/06

2006 Rostaing Condrieu La Bonnette 16 ½ (

)

Condrieu, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $142 [ cork; MLF is normal, a curious feature of the Rostaing Condrieus is they are said to be s/s only – but they taste of oak; imported into NZ by Glengarry; no website found ]
Lemonstraw, a hint of brass. This is a wine in two parts. Bouquet is fresher and more varietal than the 2005, but lacks all the florals and complexity of the Cuillerons. Instead there is a kind of citronella and grapefruit combination reminding me of gewurztraminer, all quite fragrant but not clearly viognier. Palate however is rich, alcoholic, but degraded towards a confectionery zone, with almost banana essence flavours, and some residual sugar. There have been tarty New Zealand chardonnays like this, made for the popular market with so-called aromatic yeasts. This Bonnette thus looks simple alongside the top viogniers, even though it is rich and one can see much work has gone into it. A pity Glengarry bring in old vintages, for a grape like viognier. Not worth cellaring. GK 02/09

2003 Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon Special Selection 16 ½ (

)

Rutherford, California, U.S.A: 14.5%; $230 [ cork; DFB; CS 100%; Advocate 94, Spectator 93; www.caymus.com ]
Ruby and velvet, some carmine, the second deepest. In this company, the bouquet is heavy, more raisiny than cassis, sweet and dense, a suggestion of port. There is an aromatic lift on bouquet which, if the wine were Australian, one would say is faintly euc'y. Not impossible in Rutherford, either. Palate is immensely big extractive sweet berry, tending dull / massive in a hot-climate and raw ox-liver style, but more subtly oaked than many Barossa Valley wines, for example. Interesting, but exactly the opposite of the ‘refreshing’ concept mentioned for the 2003 Alluviale or 2002 Trinity Hill. It characterises the hot-climate winelover’s take on desirable cabernet characters, so different from the subtle floral complexity of Bordeaux. Cellar 10 – 25 years. GK 11/06

2002 Clearview Enigma 16 ½ (

)

Te Awanga, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $40 [ Me 57%, Ma 15, CS 14, CF 14; www.clearviewestate.co.nz ]
Ruby, some velvet. Initially poured, tending reductive, masking good plummy fruit. Palate is rich in fruit, with a complex flavour in it reminiscent of malt whisky, very oaky, quite Australian in style. Can one taste the sea in this wine ? Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 10/04

2008 Obsidian Viognier 16 ½ (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14%; $33 [ screwcap; hand-harvested, whole-bunch pressed; 50% BF in older French oak with inoculated yeast, balance s/s, barrel fraction 6 months LA with some batonnage, < 20% MLF; RS 3.8 g/L; 127 cases, WWA Certified; ‘Full bodied viognier with subtle aromatics. Fruit from “Saddle Block” and “North Face”. Some oak and MLF influence. Cuisine ****stars & top five’; www.obsidian.co.nz ]
Pale straw. This is a muffled wine alongside the Passage Rock example, only reluctantly conveying (in a blind tasting of 28 whites) that it might be viognier. Varietal expression is hidden behind some high solids complexity, oak, and maybe some barrel-ferment, lees-autolysis and MLF. Faint apricot is apparent on palate, with fair body and richness, but the lack of varietal character and a bit more acid than is ideal suggest greater ripeness is needed in the vineyard. Cellar to three years or so. GK 06/09

2004 Kaituna Valley Sauvignon Blanc 16 ½ (

)

Awatere Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $18
Lemongreen. Bouquet on the standard wine is not quite as pure as the Reserve, but they are both in the OTT red capsicum style, so ripe as to be losing florals. Palate is a little coarser than the Reserve too, whether from a gram or so less sweetness, or more phenolics, is hard to say. Both wines are boisterous and spirity, losing the freshness which makes more conventional Marlborough sauvignon so versatile with food. Less would be more. Would cellar, if desired. GK 11/04

2007 [ Stonyridge ] fallen Angel Chardonnay Hawkes Bay 16 ½ (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $30 [ screwcap; French oak mostly older; RS 4 g/L; no info on website; ‘The key to this wine is the balance, the winemakers have worked on this wine without losing sight that the fruit should show itself rather than being overwhelmed‘; www.fallenangelwines.com ]
Lemongreen. Freshly poured the wind is tending youthful / aggressive, and benefits from decanting. With air it opens to pale stonefruits in an understated way, another which in the blind tasting can be confused with pinot gris. That thought follows through into the palate, which is more pale pear flesh than yellower chardonnay, a little phenolic, with any barrel-ferment and lees-autolysis characters very subtle. Nearly an unoaked chardonnay, not bone dry [ confirmed ], more suited to white fish and lighter meals. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 06/09

2001 Matariki Quintology 16 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $36 [ CS 54%, Me 21, CF 9, Ma 8, Sy 8; French and some US oak, 38% new, 24 months; www.matarikiwines.co.nz ]
Ruby, some velvet. A fragrant but also slightly stalky and peppery bouquet, not as ripe as many, in a minor Bordeaux style. Palate shows fair fruit length, berries more red than darker, attractive oaking belying the time in oak, but a slightly stalky and acid finish. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 10/04

2010 Esk Valley Syrah Gimblett Gravels Winemakers Reserve 16 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $60 [ screwcap; hand-harvested @ 3.7 t/ha (1.5 t/ac), all de-stemmed; total cuvaison 30 days; MLF and c.17 months in French oak c.40% new; www.eskvalley.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet. Bouquet is oaky to a fault, with a leathery and saline overtone which is more hot-climate Australian shiraz than Rhone syrah. Grape variety is quite hidden. Palate is rich, but the awkward components are still there, making the wine hard and tannic with saline suggestions, not at all the subtle beauty syrah can display when not over-ripe and over-oaked. The wine seems out-of-style for the winemaker and the year. Has the richness to cellar 5 – 15 years, to see if it mellows GK 06/13

2005 Kennedy Point Merlot 16 ½ (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.5%; $32 [ cork; Me 85%, CF 10, CS 5 hand-picked @ c.1.2 t/ac; MLF and 18 months in French oak 50% new; 300 cases, WWA Certified; ‘85% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. Sweet cherrystone and bitter dark chocolate on the nose. A full rich palate of dark cherry, plum and chocolate with fresh acidity, fine tannins and a clean finish. 90 points Bob Campbell, Gourmet Traveller.’; www.kennedypointvineyard.com ]
Ruby and velvet, nearly as rich as the 2005 Goldie, but fractionally older. Bouquet is curious on this wine, showing cassis but also a suggestion of sage stuffing plus VA, all giving the nett impression of a dark wine. Palate is rich and fleshy, very plummy, reminiscent of older Pomerol in an oaky way, but all let down by a clear herbes / under-ripe component. Despite the richness, probably not a good longterm cellar wine, more 3 – 8 years. GK 06/09

2006 Mudbrick Merlot Shepherds Point 16 ½ (

)

Western Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.5%; $50 [ screwcap; 100% Me, hand-picked; all French oak 60% new; ‘Rich and full-bodied, exhibiting lush aromas of ripe forest berries, crushed violets and smoky oak. Gold Medal - Bragato’; www.mudbrick.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet. Bouquet is in an older Australian style, a little leathery and smokey, maybe a little oxidation, producing a cabernet / shiraz kind of aroma. Palate continues the analogy, some American oak [ later, wrong ], browning plummy and perhaps boysenberry fruits, all quite oaky, some brett maybe. Sturdy ripe wine, lacking the finesse of better Waiheke. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/09

2007 Awaroa Cabernet / Merlot / Malbec 16 ½ (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13%; $30 [ supercritical ‘cork’; CS 60%, Me 30, Ma 7, CF 3, hand-harvested @ c.1.6 t/ac; all de-stemmed, cultured yeast, 5 days cold-soak and 25 days cuvaison; MLF and 12 months in French oak 50% new; sterile-filtered; 75 cases, website not up yet; ‘Mint, blackcurrant and oak notes on the nose. Balanced with lovely fine grained tannins on the palate. New release.’; www.awaroawines.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. This wine benefits from decanting some hours ahead. Bouquet is then piquant on cassis, pepper, and oak, almost as if there were some syrah in the blend. Palate does nothing to dispel that idea, being attractively cassisy, with fresh black plums and fragrant oak, all quite aromatic. Total acid is however on the fresh side, and there is a clear stalky component bespeaking not enough ripeness. Intriguing very fresh wine to cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 06/09

2005 Obsidian [ Cabernet / Merlot ] The Obsidian 16 ½ (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13%; $46 [ cork; CS 48%, Me 48, CF 3, Ma 1, hand-harvested, all de-stemmed; cultured yeast, MLF and 13 months in all-French oak 50% new; (was) 273 cases; ‘Stylish wine from classic 2005 year. 92/100 Bob Campbell, ****1/2 Winestate’; www.obsidian.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet. Bouquet is fragrant cassis and berry made aromatic by rather much oak. Palate however takes the wine down a notch, for though there is fair fruit, the fresh red berry flavours are made angular by quite high total acid with assertive oak, and lose further harmony on a clear stalky streak. It is therefore an older style of New Zealand cabernet / merlot, which we need to move away from if our reds are to succeed overseas. More fruit ripeness and a better acid balance are needed in the first place. Cellar 3 – 8 years, as a lean but fragrant wine. GK 06/09

2004 Squawking Magpie Cabernet Sauvignon The Nest 16 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $40 [ screwcap; DFB; CS 100%, hand-picked; 20 months in French oak mostly new; www.squawkingmagpie.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, one of the deepest. Initial impressions are of VA and oak, below which is rich dark plummy fruit. Palate shows charry oak and dark chocolate flavours in quite rich fruit, seemingly too over-ripened for clear varietal character, but all very much in the modern garagiste (show-pony ?) style. In its lifted aromas and rich flavours, many will find this an attractive wine, and it does finish neatly, not as oaky as the bouquet promises. Maybe I am being too hard on it, but I am not so keen on artefact-dominated wines. There is a classical appeal in more demure styles, where the exact berryfruit character dominates. Has the fruit to cellar 5 – 10 years, and mellow out to be more attractive. GK 05/06

2004 Dusky Sound Sauvignon Blanc 16 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 12.5%; $14 [ screwcap; www.duskysound.co.nz ]
Lemongreen. This is a wine living dangerously. Rating of it will depend on your threshold to entrained sulphur. The bouquet could seem cardboardy and reductive like the Morton, or it could appear to be sauvignon complexed by sourdough breadcrust and yeast-derived flavours from yeast autolysis. Fruit is of fine rich Marlborough quality, ranging through all the capsicums to honeysuckle and black passionfruit, with good mouthfeel outclassing the Morton and Rymer's wines. It is not as dry as some Marlborough wines, but still in the dry class. For those who don't smell their wine, this is great stuff. For those who pay attention to bouquet, we can only hope that this is yet another prematurely-released wine which will marry up and improve in bottle. It has the fruit to do so. Might cellar for some years, with that 'European' sulphur. GK 08/04

2003 Wishart Syrah Alluvion 16 ½ (

)

Bay View, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $29 [ screwcap; website not up to date; www.wishartwinery.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, towards the light end of the colour range. Bouquet is a little mixed in character, with stalky suggestions in berry which touches on blueberry, boysenberry and pinotage – including a hint of black olives. Palate is the same, reasonable berry, lightly oaked, some brett, a little stalky / oaky. Cellar 3 – 8 years, to mellow. GK 05/06

2009 Kingsmill Riesling Tippet's Race 16 ½ (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 12.5%; $25 [ screwcap; hand-picked, cool-fermented in s/s; RS 2 g/L; www.kingsmillwines.co.nz ]
Lemon to lemonstraw. Bouquet is richly varietal, a big wine with some florals but rather more resiny riesling notes, as in some Eden Valley rieslings. One wonders if this might be too big. Yes, flavour is on the unsubtle side, rich fruit, quite extractive and a bit hoppy on the terpenes, a long bold flavour with some sweetness apparent despite the low RS given, balancing the raisin. Awkward with food, could be scored higher, alternatively those seeking a Germanic style would mark it lower. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 04/13

2004 Sileni Syrah Cellar Selection 16 ½ (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $25 [ screwcap; Cellar Selection is the basic range for Sileni, in contrast to Villa Maria; website not up to date; www.sileni.co.nz ]
Ruby, below midway in depth. This is a lightly floral and fragrant blueberry kind of syrah, with almost sweet-pea florals. There is also a suggestion of reddest rhubarb stalks (cooked, +ve). Palate is soft, very blueberry, almost fleshy though the wine is lightish, finishing well. This will be great QDR syrah in a couple of years, and will cellar 4 – 6. GK 05/06

2005 Mission Syrah Hawkes Bay 16 ½ (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $18 [ supercritical cork; cuvaison > 10 days; 6 – 8 months in French oak; www.missionestate.co.nz ]
Colour is ruby, some carmine and velvet, below midway in depth. Bouquet is in a lighter and more floral style, with florals including both dianthus and buddleia, and even salvia – delightful, on cassis and plummy berry. Palate is lighter, fresher and stalkier than the bouquet suggests, very lightly oaked and slightly acid in balance, with a delightful suggestion of bush honey through both bouquet and palate. As noted for another wine, this character is particularly characteristic of northern Rhone syrah. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 05/06

2004 Brookfields Syrah Hillside 16 ½ (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $40 [ cork; wine not on website; www.brookfieldsvineyards.co.nz ]
Ruby and some velvet, older than most of the Hawkes Bay ‘04s. Bouquet is strongly stylised, quite rich, but with a lot of (what seems like) US oak drowning varietal delicacy. Palate is very oaky, with rich almost sweet slightly caramel fruit not tasting much of syrah at this stage, and the oak showing almost a ‘carbolic’ bite. This wine makes the Pask Declaration look quite reasonably balanced. The fruit flavours are more Australian boysenberry shiraz than New Zealand or French cassisy syrah. It needs time in cellar to soften, but I suspect it will remain big and clumsy. Cellar for 5 – 15 years. GK 04/06

2007 Ngatarawa Syrah Glazebrook 16 ½ (

)

Moteo district 83% & Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $27 [ screwcap; machine-harvested from 4-year vines, de-stemmed; 3 days cold-soak, c. 14 days cuvaison; MLF and 14 months in French oak 10% new; RS < 2 g/L; Catalogue: shows the perfumed nose, supple body and fine tannins that typifies Hawke’s Bay Syrah; www.ngatarawa.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet. Initially opened the wine is a little reductive, and needs a good splashy decanting. It opens to a simple syrah aroma at about the level of commercial Crozes-Hermitage, showing indeterminate red fruits. Palate has fair berry, faint pepper, gentle older oak, and is pleasantly mouth-filling in a straightforward way. The score is well-aerated. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 07/09

2006 Babich Pinotage Winemakers Reserve 16 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $25 [ supercritical cork; 100% pinotage; 9 months in American oak 15% new; Catalogue: A lifted candied nose of jubes, chocolate and vanilla, leather and spice. The palate is soft and generous with plum and berry fruits, supported with leather, spice and game, wrapped in quality oak that aids in a persistent length with fine tannins; Awards: 4 Stars Michael Coopers’ Buyers Guide to New Zealand Wine 2009; www.babichwines.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet. Bouquet is complex in one sense, tending European and winey and showing the curious raspberry and black olives character of pinotage delightfully, along with a little brett complexity. Palate is on the ‘cool’ side though, just a little leafy though the tannins are soft and there seems to be old oak only. Babich advise this is the last of the line for this label – the market simply does not want pinotage. Sad in a way – I have cellared better years of this label since Babich’s inaugural release (to great excitement, given the ubiquitous hybrid red wines then) in 1970. At that point there had been one or two good ones from Corbans, and an equal number of skinny ones from Montana and a few others. But certainly it is a grape lacking charm, despite the protestations of South Africans habituated to it, and Babich’s Gimblett Gravels site for this wine can be put to much better use. Top-grafting to syrah was mentioned. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 07/09

2007 Salvare Syrah 16 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12.5%; $25 [ screwcap; c.12 months in oak; Catalogue: The aroma is a mix of spice and licorice and the palate full of rich berry fruit and spicy fruitcake; Awards: Silver @ Royal Easter Show 2009; www.salvare.co.nz ]
Ruby. Bouquet is reserved on opening, and benefits from a splashy decanting. It becomes a light fragrant aromatic red, rather like valpolicella with a dash of white pepper. Palate shows good round berryfruit richer and softer than the 2006. Pleasant vaguely varietal red, to cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 07/09

2006 Framingham Sauvignon Blanc 16 ½ (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $20 [ screwcap; RS 2.5 g/L; picked at sequential ripenesses for complexity; www.framingham.co.nz ]
Lemongreen. Bouquet is mixed on this one, with some Marlborough armpit / sweaty character detracting from very ripe black passionfruit plus an extra subtropical note – pepino or even mango, as if there were some Hawkes Bay fruit in it. Palate is strongly varietal, drier than most (confirmed), but the sweat lets it down. Cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 03/07

2004 Drouhin Volnay Clos des Chenes 16 ½ (

)

Volnay Premier Cru, Cote de Beaune, Burgundy, France: 13%; $76 [ cork; a Drouhin domaine wine, Wine Direct the NZ agents; www.drouhin.com ]
Pinot noir ruby, in the middle for depth, but really quite light. As Volnay so often is, this is explicit redfruits pinot noir, red cherries, maybe some buddleia florals, very pure. Palate is exactly the same, crisp like eating the fresh fruit, not oaky, faintly stalky, eminently quaffable. That's the rub with these 2004s, they lack size and substance. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 12/06

2007 Clearview Estate Winery [ Malbec / Cabernet ] Two Pinnacles 16 ½ (

)

Te Awanga, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $26 [ supercritical cork; Ma 85%, CS 15, all hand-picked; 17 months in mostly French oak some new; not filtered; Catalogue: warm and generous on the palate with lifted fragrant fruits of plums and violets. A power packed wine with deep damson hues and dense layers of spice and oak … will age wonderfully for 8-10 years; www.clearviewestate.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. Bouquet is very fragrant, but not quite for the right reasons. There are suggestions of that green olive / stalky character both malbec and pinotage display when under-ripe, mixed in with red fruits and subtle oak. Palate is similar, a fair weight of red plummy fruit, but with a leafy underpinning. It is pure though, and the oak use is attractive. Cellar 3 – 10 years in its style. GK 07/09

2006 Babich [ Cabernet Sauvignon / Malbec / Merlot ] The Patriarch 16 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $60 [ 48 mm supercritical cork; DFB; CS 75%, Ma 16, CF 9, hand-harvested; some cold-soak, extended cuvaison; 18 months in French barriques, some new; Catalogue: Sweet dark fruits, cigar box and underlying quality oak bound from the glass. The palate is complex and generous with a spicy fruit cake, chocolate and blackberry entry that is layered with leather and tar notes. The experience doesn’t stop as the generous palate develops a gorgeous fine cocoa and leather finish that lingers seamlessly; www.babichwines.co.nz ]
Ruby, some development for its age. Bouquet gets off to a bad start with trace VA, behind which is reasonable berry in a plummy lightly peppery wine, and a little brett. Palate is evolved for its age, quite rustic, not really the fruit to carry the oak, so not a long-term cellar wine. Regrettably this is another expensive wine without the intrinsic ripeness and therefore quality to justify the price. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 07/09

2004 Wairau River Sauvignon Blanc 16 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 12.5%; $19 [ screwcap; www.wairauriverwines.com ]
Pale lemon. This is a mainstream Marlborough sauvignon bouquet – mixed capsicums with only the slightest suggestions of black passionfruit or sweet florals. Palate has plenty of flavour in a slightly old-fashioned Marlborough style, but is tending acid. Not quite ripe enough to cellar beyond a year or two. GK 11/04

nv Piper-Heidseck Brut 16 ½ (

)

Reims, Champagne, France: 12%; $67 [ cork; PN 55%, PM 30, Ch 15; 420 000 cases; website too politically correct to be worth persevering with; www.piper-heidsieck.com ]
Lemon. Around this point in the tasting, the wines drop to a more generic level, with bouquets more typical of methode champenoise wires generally. Fruit is in style, but the autolysis is less defined, and thoughts of cardboard start to enter one's mind. This wine has good fruit, some phenolics, and a little more acid than most, so it is sound but a little coarser. GK 11/05

2002 Veritas Shiraz / Mataro / Grenache Heinrich 16 ½ (

)

Barossa Valley, South Australia: 14.5%; $29 [ 16.5 ]
Dense ruby, carmine and velvet. This is a wine to put away, and forget totally for eight or so years. Freshly opened now, it is euc'y to the point of being offensively wintergreen, with aggressive oak as well. Below this sensory affront, there is good fruit. Well breathed, the aggressive characters retreat, and beautiful aromatic lushly rich fruit emerges, all with an aniseed suggestion. Might be worth waiting for, I suspect, though it will always be dramatically Australian. Hard to score, could be rated higher, depending so much on personal preferences. Cellar 10 – 15 years, or longer. GK 08/04

2000 Alpha Domus The Navigator 16 ½ (

)

Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $30 [ Me 58%, CS 26, CF 12, Ma 4; MLF in barrel; 18 months in 55% new oak, 70% French, 30 American; www.alphadomus.co.nz ]
Ruby. Bouquet shows clear cassis and some leafy notes. Many cru bourgeois are similar. Palate flavours include cassis and redcurrant fruits, all a little stalky and acid. Even so, the wine is attractive and fresh, closest in style to the Mondot, but leaner due to the more prominent cabernet component. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 05/04

2001 Mountford Pinot Noir 16 ½ (

)

Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 14%; $58 [ www.mountfordvineyard.co.nz ]
Youthful ruby, getting big. A big soft round bouquet, but lacking in varietal cues. It is reminiscent of some of the soft round shiraz-derived wines offered as “Burgundy” in Australia, in the 60s – in their youth. Flavours are rich and round, showing more oak than the 2002, a surprising thread of acid, but not much flavour. Really quite odd. Easy and attractive drinking. Cellar 5 – 10 years, possibly to surprise – structurally this is good wine. GK 01/04

2000 Vidal Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 16 ½ (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $42 [ MLF in barrel; www.vidal.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet. An austere bouquet initially, a reductive note taking the shine off it, then breathing to understated cassis with some stalky suggestions. Palate is lean in flavour, yet there is a good concentration of the cassis component. The wine is in style, and will cellar well, but it demonstrates to perfection why in a temperate Bordeaux-like climate straight cabernet benefits from plumping out with merlot. The comparison with the high-cabernet Grand Puy Lacoste is instructive, for the wines share several characters. Cellar 10 – 15 years. GK 05/04

2007 TW Viognier 16 ½ (

)

Gisborne, New Zealand: 14.5%; $20 [ screwcap; elevage: (not sure I have this right) c. 2/3 fermented in older French oak, plus 6 weeks LA in barrel, 1/3 standard s/s ferment; 20% total wine wild-yeast ferment; all blended in s/s, no MLF, 6 g/L RS; www.twwines.co.nz ]
Lemongreen to lemon, a gorgeous colour. Bouquet is fragrant honeysuckle aromatics and just-ripe apricots, light but clearly varietal, attractive. Freshly-opened the wine is tending aggressive on palate, the high alcohol exacerbating the phenolics and acid, but it is well-fruited and should mellow in a year. A little residual sweetness helps balance the roughness on palate. Cellar 2 – 3 years. GK 03/08

2005 Waimea Estates Riesling Bolitho Signature 16 ½ (

)

Nelson, New Zealand: 11.5%; $23 [ screwcap; not [then] on website; www.waimeaestates.co.nz ]
Lemongreen. A slightly confused riesling bouquet, some varietal notes but some stalkyness too, in the style of some straightforward South Australian Rieslings. Palate has good fruit and well-handled phenolics, but not a lot of flavour, and is nearly ‘dry’. Cellar 3 – 5 years. Rieslings this price need to be good. GK 02/06

2008 Amisfield Pinot Gris 16 ½ (

)

Lowburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.8%; $35 [ screwcap; PG 100%, hand-picked, whole-bunch pressed; early-picked fractions fermented in s/s, later-picked wild-yeast BF; 5 months LA in French oak; www.amisfield.co.nz ]
Lemon. This is another wine which in the blind tasting is identified as a fragrant chablis-like chardonnay, with delicate floral components but also a hint of VA. Palate shows a lightly yellow-floral flavour, as found in Alsatian pinot gris, grading into white stone fruits and lees-autolysis complexities. Total acid is a little high, and body a little low, but the nett result is ‘dry’ and should be attractive with a little more time in bottle to marry up. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 05/09

2007 Ash Ridge Cabernet / Merlot Reserve 16 ½ (

)

Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.8%; $32 [ screwcap; CS 46%, CF 23, Me 22, Ma 9, hand-picked; 14 months in French oak, none new; not filtered; 80 cases; Catalogue: a seriously robust wine with wonderful aromas reminiscent of raspberry, cassis, blackcurrant and toasty oak. On the palate the wine displays a full bodied richness with ripe smooth tannins and lifted notes of cassis, chocolate, fruitcake and leather; www.ashridgewines.co.nz ]
Ruby, some velvet. Bouquet shows a very cedary, almost pink pine (an alpine native conifer) kind of oak too prominent at this stage as if American, but below is lovely ripe cassisy and darkly plummy fruit. In mouth (leaving aside the oak) the wine is so cassisy and aromatic it can be confused with syrah, but the balance of the wine is firm young Pauillac, darkly plummy, too oaky but richer than the standard 2006. This is an intriguing cabernet-dominant blend, which will be interesting to follow in cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 07/09

2006 Matua Sauvignon Blanc Hawkes Bay 16 ½ (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12.5%; $17 [ screwcap, 5.4 g/L RS; www.matua.co.nz ]
Lemongreen. Bouquet is subtle sauvignon blanc, as if moderated by lees-autolysis, mixed capsicums, some honeysuckle and black passionfruit. Palate seems more influenced by lees-autolysis, a little bread crumb melded with green peach fruit, quite long, tasting more 'dry' than the given number would suggest, slightly European (-ve). An understated wine, to cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 03/07

2001 Cloudy Bay Pelorus 16 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 12.5%; $42 [ PN 60%, Ch 40; part of base wine BF in oak; 9 months LA after primary ferment, then after assembling, 3 years en tirage; RS / dosage 7.2 g/L; www.cloudybay.co.nz ]
Pale lemonstraw. In a lineup of methode champenoise wines, this is another that stands to one side. The bouquet combines an odd quince note with a deep version of yeast autolysis, perhaps marmite on Vogels wholegrain. On palate, the quincey fruit becomes assertive, and along with noticeable acid and aggressive oak phenolics, the total wine style is less champagne in style, and rather more reminiscent of parellada and Spain. Within these parameters, the wine has big fruit, a clearly brut (but oaky) finish, and lots of flavour, but it is not one of the successful Pelorus vintages for me. Those who like Krug, might like this, too. Otherwise, for wines reflecting the 'thinking of Bollinger' kiwi approach, the 2000 Huia is well worth trying. GK 11/05

2006 Chapoutier Hermitage Ermitage Blanc de L'Oree 16 ½ (

)

Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $222 [ cork; Mar 100%; www.chapoutier.com ]
Lemonstraw with a wash of gold, lesser. Bouquet is more the usual under-conserved and over-worked Chapoutier white Hermitage style, a hint of oxidation in soft mealy fruit reminiscent of old chardonnay. Palate is rich on the lees autolysis, MLF and barrel age, but much broader and oakier than L'Ermite. This is a more representative "serious" white Hermitage, for those who believe in the lavish praise heaped on these deviant wines. Will cellar, in its style. GK 03/10

2004 TW Chardonnay 16 ½ (

)

Gisborne, New Zealand: 13.8%; $27 [ screwcap; TW = growers Paul Tietjen & Geordie Witters; www.twwines.co.nz ]
Straw. Bouquet reveals a big ripe peachy chardonnay, but in an old-fashioned oaky style. On palate the fruit ripeness and richness is tactile, and the flavours of barrel-ferment, lees-autolysis and MLF creep in. But in the mouth, ultimately it is the oak that dominates, not fruit, and this lets the wine down both intrinsically, and as an accompaniment to food. This fruit is so good, much more care with oak exposure is needed: a lesser percentage of new, and less time in it. Worth cellaring 5 – 8 years, to see if it marries down. GK 02/06

2002 Te Mata Cabernet / Merlot Awatea 16 ½ (

)

Havelock Hills, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $35 [ CS 37%, Me 36, CF 17, PV 10; 18 months in French oak; www.temata.co.nz ]
Good ruby, some carmine and velvet. To first sniff, this is quite cru bourgeois-like, with fragrant cassis and redfruits on light, potentially cedary oak, all lighter than the ‘big’ wines. Palate continues the analogy, medium weight, fresh cassis and plum, a little leafy to the edge as in some bordeaux, well balanced in its lighter style, but more acid than most 02s. This will be an attractive food wine, when mature in 5 – 10 years. GK 05/04

2008 Craggy Range Chardonnay C3 Kidnappers Vineyard 16 ½ (

)

Te Awanga district, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $23 [ screwcap; 3 clones hand-harvested @ 2.25 t/ac in an excellent vintage; whole-bunch pressed; 40% fermented in s/s, 60% fermented in oak cuve and French barrels only 10% new, some wild yeast; 4 months LA, perhaps 20% MLF; goal a chablis-style; RS < 2 g/L; www.craggyrange.com ]
Colour for this wine stands out in the 20 chardonnays. It is the palest and greenest of them all, implying the least exposure to oak, and fitting in with Craggy Range seeing it as their chablis style. This year’s is very pure indeed, not quite floral but palest stonefruits on bouquet, showing less oak, lees-autolysis / mealyness complexity, and body than the Lake Chalice. Palate is light and pure though still more alcoholic than the chablis approach needs, again a white-fish wine. It is so pure, it will be interesting to see how it cellars, 2 – 5 years. It is too young at the moment. C3 refers to the 3 clones employed in making the wine. GK 05/09

2003 Four Sisters Shiraz 16 ½ (

)

Australia: 14%; $14 [ screwcap; this 'restaurant' label originated at Mount Langi Ghiran, but is now understood to be a joint venture between them and Tahbilk. Fruit is drawn from Victoria and McLaren Vale at least; information is scarce; no website found ]
Ruby, some velvet, to the lighter end. Bouquet is clean and fresh mainstream Victorian shiraz, some raspberry and boysenberry, older oak, lightly minty but not euc'y, well made in a more traditional medium-weight style. Palate is much the same, a lighter wine but attractive fresh aromatic berry, not a lot of complexity beyond the mint, slightly stalky rather than peppercorn, easy drinking. This will cellar attractively for 5 – 8 years, in its lighter style. VALUE GK 05/06

2012 Zephyr Sauvignon Blanc 16 ½ (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $21 [ screwcap; no elevation or residual detail on website; Glover Family Wines, not Dave Glover of Nelson; www.zephyrwine.com ]
Lemongreen, the palest of these sauvignons. Bouquet is light, pure, but lacking conviction. Palate confirms, noticeably free-run but a more nettly and herbaceous rendering of Marlborough sauvignon, lacking body, then a little more sweetness to fill the palate. Simple pure wine. Cellar 2 – 4 years. GK 04/13

2000 Reserve de la Comtesse 16 ½ (

)

Pauillac, Bordeaux, France: 13%; $60 [ CS 50%, Me 35, CF 7, PV 8; 2nd wine of Ch Pichon-Lalande; Robert Parker rating 89 ]
Ruby, some velvet. A two-edged bouquet, with fair cassisy berry, but also noticeable leafy and stalky qualities. Palate shows up the stalks rather more, to give an austere claret of some richness but insufficient ripeness. This will cellar for 10 – 15 years, and become more fragrant but always leafy. GK 05/04

2002 Clearview Estate Enigma 16 ½ (

)

Te Awanga, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $45 [ Me 54%, Ma 38, CF 6, CS 2; 18 months in oak, 80% new, 90% French; not filtered; www.clearviewestate.co.nz ]
Ruby. At first there is quite a perfumed note in the redfruits, nearly peppermint. Berryfruit is curranty and aromatic, quite firm, tending acid, a lighter wine with not quite the fruit for the amount of oak. In style, but lacking excitement. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 05/04

2003 Drouhin Santenay-Beaurepaire Premier Cru 16 ½ (

)

Santenay, Cote de Beaune, Burgundy, France: 13%; $40 [ hand-harvested, fermentation and cuvaison in open wooden vats up to 14 days; up to 18 months in mostly older barrels; Wine Direct the NZ agents; www.drouhin.com ]
Good ruby, in the middle of the range, but older. Bouquet is lesser on this wine, with fair red fruits but also some oxidation and brett – more clearly a hot-year wine. Palate reflects these technical flaws, and though reasonably rich, is a little coarser than one would wish in premier cru Burgundy. Decanting and air helped this wine greatly, and it was notably better the next day, so possibly an individual bottle defect, perhaps slightly corked. Not sure. Score gives it the benefit of the doubt, next day. Still perfectly good uncritical drinking, which will cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 03/06

2004 Greenhough Pinot Noir Hope 16 ½ (

)

Nelson, New Zealand: 14%; $39 [ screwcap ]
Attractive pinot noir ruby. Fragrant red cherry fruits and boronia / buddleia florals make this immediately a pinot noir bouquet. Palate is a little lighter than the bouquet promises, but is sweet and ripe enough, faintly stalky, with gentle oak augmenting cherry fruit, all lingering attractively. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 01/06

2007 Te Whare Ra Pinot Noir 16 ½ (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14.5%; $36 [ screwcap; nil whole bunch, 12 months in French oak 35% new ]
Pinot noir ruby, the second lightest in the tasting. Bouquet is immediately mainstream Marlborough younger gravels pinot, fragrant but not as ripe or deep as the wines now emerging on the older terrace levels with their greater clayey fraction. Bouquet florals are therefore centred in the buddleia arrange, touching on red roses. Fruit in mouth is fairly good, red more than back, but clearly tending leafy in flavour, and slightly stewed. VA is up a little, and the tannins being not so ripe are tending more obtrusive, making the whole wine pleasant older-style New Zealand pinot. Cellar 3 – 7 years. GK 02/10

2004 Golden Bay Wines Chardonnay 16 ½ (

)

Golden Bay, Nelson, New Zealand: 12.5%; $ – [ screwcap; mostly BF, > 50% MLF; www.goldenbaywines.com ]
Elegant lemon. A light clean autolysed chardonnay bouquet showing understated varietal character almost in a methode champenoise style, scarcely oaked. Palate likewise is pale stonefruits and slightly mealy, very lightly oaked, not quite bone dry, in a style attractive to less-experienced wine drinkers seeking a mild wine. It would for example be superb with scallops. Cellar 1 – 3 years. GK 01/06

2006 Elk Cove Vineyard Pinot Noir Reserve 16 ½ (

)

Willamette Valley, Oregon, USA: – %; $118 [ cork; $US85; nil whole bunch; 10 months in French oak, 80% new; www.elkcove.com ]
Good pinot noir ruby, a much more reasonable colour, like the Mugnier. Bouquet is to first impression attractively varietal red fruits pinot, lightly floral. In mouth however that there is an almost-saline streak, and on going back to the bouquet, perhaps it is a little stalky too. As one tastes it, it is clearly pinot noir, but at each sip it seems more phenolic and less attractive. This is quite the opposite of what one hedonistically desires in pinot noir. A wine to cellar, in the hope the phenolics condense, and the red fruits triumph. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 02/10

2005 Woollaston Pinot Noir Moutere Clay 16 ½ (

)

Moutere Hills, Nelson, New Zealand: 14.5%; $30 [ screwcap; nil whole bunch; 10 months in French oak c.40% new; www.woollaston.co.nz ]
Mature pinot noir ruby. Like the Villa Maria Seddon, this is fragrant wine more in a soft generalised burgundian style than exactly varietal – and compromised by a little brett. Palate includes red cherry and red plums, but also some stalky notes, with cooperage-related drying tannins introducing a clumsy and varnishy finish. Still good food wine. Will hold a year or two. GK 02/10

2004 Mills Reef Syrah Reserve 16 ½ (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $22 [ screwcap; whole berry fermentation; 9 months in French oak; www.millsreef.co.nz ]
Ruby and carmine, medium weight. This is the most distinctive bouquet in this batch of wines, with a pervasive crushed daisy stalks quality to it I have otherwise encountered only in Chilean syrah. Behind that is good plummy fruit. Palate is quite rich, not oaky as such, with the aromatic quality on bouquet recurring on the aftertaste. This could be a love or hate wine. Another bottle tasted recently showed the same odd character, and the wine is screwcap – so no complications there. A bit outside the square, so one to taste before investing. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 10/05

2010 Pyramid Valley Pinot Noir Cowley Vineyard Growers Collection 16 ½ (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $38 [ screwcap; cropped at c.4.4 t/ha (c.1.75 t/ac); 20% whole-bunch, 28 days cuvaison; 17 months on lees in French oak 5% new; www.pyramidvalley.co.nz ]
Lighter pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is pleasantly red-fruited, but with an exotic old-fashioned hair-oil / dressing lift to it. Palate is back on track, red cherry fruit browning a little, mostly older oak but again quite a strong tannin structure, the wine neither as ripe or as concentrated as the Earth Smoke, but still showing austere-year burgundian style, dry finish. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 05/13

2007 Mount Edward Pinot Noir Morrison Vineyard 16 ½ (

)

Lowburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $65 [ screwcap; nil whole bunch; 12 months in French oak, 33% new; www.mountedward.co.nz ]
Big pinot noir ruby, nearly a flush of carmine and velvet. Bouquet is in the over-ripe spectrum, dominated by bottled dark plums, too ripe for florals. In mouth it is soft, ripe and full, with a trace of cinnamon in the skin / oak tannins, a wine more in the roto-fermenter shiraz camp, popular in the marketplace, but far from burgundy. I guess this approach, which is frequent, and sadly, is still endorsed by industry judges in wine Competitions, will become recognised as the New Zealand commercial pinot style among pinotphiles. This one is certainly not priced as such, however. It is a little fresher than the Dry River, with light tannins in the tail which sustain the flavour. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 02/10

2007 Kawarau Estate Pinot Noir Reserve 16 ½ (

)

Lowburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $45 [ screwcap; 25% whole bunch, 10 months in French oak c.25% new; some of the oldest pinot noir vines in Otago; http://kestate.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, some age showing, one of the lighter. This is an old-timer in style, with rather a lot of brett enhancing florality and wineyness. Palate shows good red to black cherry fruit, the oak level a bit above optimal, but the whole wine is savoury and attractive old-fashioned burgundian pinot noir, with good mouthfeel. Shorter-term cellar might wiser, given the brett level, and deduct 1.5 or so marks if that character is unacceptable. GK 02/10

2007 Pegasus Bay Pinot Noir 16 ½ (

)

Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 13.5%; $47 [ screwcap; 10% whole bunch; 18 months in French oak, 40% new; www.pegasusbay.com ]
Big pinot noir ruby with a flush of carmine and velvet, well above midway in depth. Bouquet is big too, rich and soft with some of the plummyness of roto-fermenter Australian shiraz. Looking again, it is darkly floral as well, with a little savoury complexity. Palate is quite different, ripe to over-ripe fruit, but harder and drier than expected, with an odd aromatic on the oak. Rich and satisfying as red wine, but doesn't sing as pinot noir. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 02/10

2008 Schubert Pinot Noir Block B 16 ½ (

)

Gladstone, Wairarapa, New Zealand: 14.5%; $60 [ cork; nil whole bunch; 14 months in French oak, 50% new; www.schubert.co.nz ]
Lighter pinot noir ruby, some age showing. This wine is unusually perfumed at first opening, and benefits from decanting, to show fragrant red-rose florals on red fruits. Palate introduces slightly unusual flavours, suggestions of cooked raspberry and desiccated coconut, all fresh and attractive, with soft oaky tannins. The thought of American oak occurs, but seems unlikely. Unusual pinot noir, but still in style. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 02/10

2005 Joseph Ryan Sauvignon Blanc 16 ½ (

)

Wairarapa, New Zealand: 13%; $20 [ screwcap; website not [ then ] functional; www.josephryan.co.nz ]
Lemongreen. Bouquet is slightly clogged or cardboardy mainstream sauvignon, the fruit ripened to red capsicum and the black passionfruit level. Palate has good fruit and body suggesting some sur lie component (and explaining the bouquet), drier than many sauvignons, straightforward wine. Short-term cellar. GK 03/06

2010 Pyramid Valley Pinot Blanc Kerner Vineyard Growers Collection 16 ½ (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $31 [ screwcap; all BF, c. 10 months on lees; RS 3.2 g/L; www.pyramidvalley.co.nz ]
Straw with a gold wash, very old-fashioned. Bouquet is fresher by far than the colour predicts, revealing both good fruit and a disproportionate ratio of winemaker artefact, like some chardonnays. Fruit includes clear stonefruit with suggestions of yellow fruits (unusual in pinot blanc), all complexed with Vogel's Mixed Grain crusty autolysis notes and oak. Palate suggests there is some MLF here too, but the oak is too strong and the fruit reveals mixed ripeness, adding a stalky note. The result is all a bit of a jumble, the wine lacking finesse and tiring to drink. Like the Alsatian wines, it cries out for food, and is then much better, hence the score. Cellar a year or two only, but interesting with flavoursome foods. GK 05/13

2005 Culley Chardonnay 16 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 14.5%; $18 [ screwcap; LA several months in s/s only; www.culleywines.co.nz ]
Lemonstraw. Bouquet is reticent alongside the Koura Bay, with a dry seemingly oak-related hessian note, spirity and almost faintly quincy. Since it is said to be un-oaked, perhaps it is faintly oxidised. Palate is rich, very dry, with taut integration of the lees-autolysis and stonefruit qualities. This wine demands time in cellar to marry up and soften. Acidity is prominent at this stage. Cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 03/06

2005 Balthazar Syrah 16 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.9%; $38 [ screwcap; Sy 91%, CS 9, hand-harvested from 10 year vines; extended cuvaison > 35 days, followed by MLF and 14 months in French oak 75% new; www.balthazar.co.nz ]
Ruby and some velvet. Bouquet needs a breath of fresh air, to reveal explicitly cool climate syrah, with some cassisy berry offset by stalky notes and cracked pepper. Palate is a little richer than the bouquet suggests, some black pepper as well as white, clear cassis, and some bottled red plums. Acid is firm, but at least it is natural alongside the cheaper Beresford. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 03/08

2006 Nevis Bluff Pinot Noir 16 ½ (

)

Gibbston and Cromwell districts, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $48 [ screwcap; 30% whole bunch; 10 months in French oak, 25% new; www.nevisbluff.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, appropriate for age, below midway in depth. Bouquet is initially fragrant, but is a little off-centre for varietal pinot noir, more like any number of bourgognes rouges made with older cooperage. Palate is winey, reasonable ripeness and mouthfeel, fair length on red and black cherry fruit, a little acid. Technocrats might be harder on this wine. After the wilfully strong Pegasus Bay Prima Donna and Rimu Grove wines, which reflect a heroic new world approach to pinot noir, this is a more food-friendly wine. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 02/10

2009 Kumeu River Chardonnay Hunting Hill 16 ½ (

)

Kumeu River, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13%; $ – [ screwcap; see 2009 Hunting Hill; www.kumeuriver.co.nz ]
Lemongreen, the palest of the Kumeu Rivers, on a par with the 2011 Keltern, but the wash of straw in the hue reflecting the extra two years. On bouquet, the reason this is the palest is manifest in the much heavier reduction. Anybody who thinks this is 'noble reduction' is blind to sulphide. But, once the wine is in mouth, there is better fruit and a slightly richer wine than the 2010, and pleasing yeast autolysis complexity. The good points are however sabotaged by the acrid, sour and tarry tastes of excess barrel char and sulphides. This will cellar for a longer time, and may one day emerge from its gloomy tunnel – hope so, but I am not chancing it. Cellar through to 10 years, maybe. GK 04/13

2005 Ascension Vineyard Viognier Matakana The Apogee 16 ½ (

)

Matakana, New Zealand: 13%; $35 [ screwcap; BF in older French oak; www.ascensionvineyard.co.nz ]
Pale lemongreen. Bouquet is light, clean, centred on oak more than varietal fruit, but with a hint of pale stone fruits. Palate likewise is tending anonymous, slightly more aromatic than un-oaked chardonnay, the same suggestion of stonefruit, very clean and well balanced, nearly dry, creamy MLF richness, the oak not so apparent on palate, attractive, but not very varietal. Some reminders of pinot gris. Will cellar for several years, in its subtle style. The mildness and lower alcohol than many viogniers make this a great food wine, quite European. GK 11/05

2005 Pask Cabernet / Merlot / Malbec Declaration 16 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $50 [ ProCork (a plastic-filmed natural cork); CS 48%, Me 35, Ma 17, machine-harvested, de-stemmed; some partial BF; c.18 months in French and American oak; Catalogue: Dense purple / red in colour with aromas of berry fruits, spice and toasty fruitcake. Intense, rich berry flavours and spice and cassis characters are supported by fine tannins. Sweet oak provides backbone and balance; Awards: Gold @ Hawkes Bay A & P 2008, Gold @ Chicago World Wine Championships 2007, Gold @ Royal Easter Show 2007, Silver @ Decanter World Wine Awards 2008; www.cjpaskwinery.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, quite deep. Bouquet is oak first and foremost, in the older Pask style. Wine should be about grapes first, I believe. There are red fruits too, but not enough to justify the extraordinary amount of oak. This wine will go varnishy with time, and is simply ugly with food, already. The sad thing is, wines like this win gold medals, simply because wine judgings are primarily new world affairs, and new world wine judges don't think enough about the ultimate role of wine – to accompany food. And, equally, wine judges fatigue more quickly than most acknowledge, and then oaky wines stand out and seem positive in big lineups, with pressure of time. So it is all a bit sad, and the nett result of a gold medal for a wine like this is, inappropriate wine styles are held up to the new world industry, including its young and starting winemakers, as a kind of model to strive for.

So what of the wine, then, specifically. Bouquet is clean cedary oak on berryfruit in which cassis and plums are detectable. In mouth it is quite rich, but the oak really does dominate, even with all the excuses in the world. Wines like Mouton Rothschild famous for their new oak use are at best also saturated with berryfruit to a degree rarely encountered, which enables them to carry the oak in a balanced way. This wine does not achieve that, and is out of balance. It is not so suited therefore to future 2005 Bordeaux / rest of world comparative reviews. A wine for oakniks only, to cellar 5 – 12 years (noting the caveat re varnish). GK 07/09

2006 Pask Syrah Gimblett Road 16 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $24 [ screwcap; Sy 100%, 90% de-stemmed and crushed, 10% whole-bunch; some cold-soak; MLF and c.12 months in new and 1-year French oak; RS <1 g/L; Catalogue: an aromatic and spicy aroma. The fragrant aromatic fruit is supported by fine oak. Typical black pepper along with some floral fragrance describes this dense highly structured Syrah; Awards: Pure Silver @ Air New Zealand 2008, Silver @ Hawke’s Bay A&P 2008; www.cjpaskwinery.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, some carmine. Bouquet is fragrant, slightly floral and spicy red berries, clearly bottled red plums but not quite cassis, light oak. Palate is less clearly syrah, quite soft, a hint of raspberry and pepper, almost a suggestion of shiraz in style, all attractively balanced for a medium-weight more straightforward wine, not bone-dry. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 07/09

2003 Glover’s Riesling 16 ½ (

)

Moutere Hills, Nelson, New Zealand: 12%; $18 [ screwcap, dry; www.glovers-vineyard.co.nz ]
Lemongreen, indistinguishable from the 2005. This is an interesting bouquet, but one in which the varietal character is still confused with some bottling SO2. Underneath, the fruit is less floral and varietal than the 2005, with a more generalised lime and white stonefruits quality. Palate is hard both on some sulphur and noticeable acid, yet the fruit seems broader, more a dry Australian style, not Germanic like the 2005. Finish is bone dry. This wine will cellar well, but will not reach the heights of the great years, I suspect. GK 01/06

2003 Guigal Cote-Rotie Brune et Blonde 16 ½ (

)

Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $134 [ Cork, 49mm, ullage 8mm; release price c.$123; Spectator rating for year 94; typically Sy 96%, Vi 4, average vine age 35 years, said to be cropped at the same rate as d’Ampuis, namely 4.8 t/ha = 1.95 t/ac, but often seems as if the rate a little higher – but crop reduced to 40% normal in 2003 – a heatwave year; c. 25 days cuvaison, elevation three years in barrel, 35 – 50% new, plus some in larger barrels; Robinson, 2008: Very dark. Heady and concentrated. Really rich - almost gamey. Nothing whatsoever to do with the elegant side of Cote-Rotie but then it's 2003 … Lots of bang for the not inconsiderable buck. I think I would choose something more typically Cote Rotie myself, but this is Guigal's full-on style accentuated by the heat-wave vintage, 17; J.L-L, 2007: brewed, tarry, bosky bouquet, a lardon, bacon chunk effect here, is punchy. Richly bodied palate with a ripe, suave, oily texture - is good and direct, given the heated year. Brambly fruit finale with some acidity. Good, open drinking, is nicely on the go now. More together around late 2008. To 2022, ***(*); RP@WA, 2007: ... probably the finest cuvee of regular Cote Rotie that Guigal has produced since 1999 or 1991. Stunningly rich, it offers a beautiful, sweet nose of cassis, mocha, espresso, bacon fat, black olives, and underbrush. Some smoked meat notes also make an appearance in this rich, lush, opulent wine. This is a beauty, 93; weight bottle and closure: 570 g ; www.guigal.com ]
Ruby and garnet, older than the 1999. This was the other disappointment of the tasting, after the major setback of having to exclude La Mouline, then the Rostaing being so bretty. This 2003 was one of those random-oxidation wines that the cork closure produces. To all visual impressions, the cork looked perfect, but one sniff of the wine and that oxo-cubes character could only be oxidation. Beyond that, the bouquet is dry and tanniny, but otherwise clean and mature-red-winey. Palate is still showing good fruit in this bottle, but with dry tanniny qualities creeping in. Even though 2003 was a hot year in the Rhone Valley, in the Northern Rhone Valley that merely confirmed good ripening of syrah – to judge from my experience of other producers’ 2003s. I'm sure other bottles of the 2003 Brune & Blonde will be fine. Parker after all says it is the best vintage since the 1999, which excelled in this tasting. Wine evaluation being so personal, one person had this as their top wine, but eight as their least wine. This surprised me, as on the night this wine appeared to me much less pleasing than the spicy Rostaing. Being a rich year, good bottles should cellar for another 10 – 25 years. As the wine aired over subsequent days, the oxidised character attenuated, drawing attention to the richness of this hot-year wine. GK 10/20

2007 Haskell Vineyards [ Cabernet / Merlot ] IV 16 ½ (

)

Stellenbosch, South Africa: 14.3%; $73 [ cork; price is simple conversion from R400; CS 70%, Me 20, CF 5, PV 5, hand-harvested @ 2.3 t/ac; all de-stemmed; inoculated ferments, 18 months in French oak 70% new; light fining, not filtered; release date July 2010; www.haskellvineyards.com ]
Ruby and velvet, old for age, below midway in depth. Bouquet is intriguing, quite different among the day's wines, no floral component, yet showing both the cassis and the leaf of high-cabernet, and very fragrant in a tobacco-y west-bank approach to cabernet / merlot. Palate is lesser, the mixed ripeness of cassis and greener berries, with a stalky and acid hardness detracting. The nett flavour is in style and not unpleasant, like the Petaluma just lacking finesse and the complex beauty of cabernet / merlots made in an appropriate climate, but also harder. Another wine to make New Zealanders rejoice in their temperate viticultural climates, and the wonderful opportunities they offer in the bordeaux-blend class. Cellar some years, in its acid style. GK 01/10

2007 Mission Cabernet Sauvignon Hawkes Bay Reserve 16 ½ (

)

Lower Dartmoor Valley 60%, Gimblett Gravels 40, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $25 [ supercritical cork; CS 85%, CF 8, Me 7, up to 35 days cuvaison; MLF in tank, 13 months in French oak 20% new; RS 1.2 g/L; fined and filtered; www.missionestate.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, above midway in depth. This wine turns out to be not quite what one surmises from the colour. Initially one thinks of intense cassis, but then a tobacco note creeps in, then a little more complexity from brett. Palate contrasts surprisingly, immediately a stalky note rather than the rich cassis expected, so the nett impression is of fair fruit, but mixed ripeness, and a tending-stalky finish – as so often betrays Dartmoor Valley reds. The total achievement is pleasingly minor Medoc-like, with particularly good oak handling. Cellar 3 – 10 or so years only, otherwise the fading berry may leave the stalkyness exposed. GK 01/10

2007 Clearview [ Cabernets / Merlot Reserve ] Old Olive Block 16 ½ (

)

Te Awanga & Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $39 [ supercritical cork; CS 48%, CF 25, Me 14, Ma 13, hand-harvested from vines up to 20 years age on the home vineyard; 3 days cold-soak, some wild yeast, cuvaison extending to 28 days; c.17 months in mostly French oak; www.clearviewestate.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, above midway in depth. Bouquet is well-berried and fragrant in a plummy way, with tobacco-y and trace brett complexities. Palate is leaner than the bouquet promises, red plums only, a bit acid and stalky, the malbec not quite ripe enough – as one might suppose for the cooler Te Awanga district, the oak noticeable against the weight of fruit. Should mellow into a fragrant somewhat green-tinged and lean bordeaux blend, to cellar 3 – 12 years. GK 01/10

2010 Coopers Creek Syrah Chalk Ridge Select Vineyards 16 ½ (

)

Havelock North district, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $28 [ screwcap; Sy 99%, Vi 1, all hand-picked from a hill-slope site with limestone; syrah de-stemmed, 2 days cold soak, c.10 months in French oak c. 25% new; RS 2 g/L; sterile-filtered to bottle; www.cooperscreek.co.nz ]
Ruby, a flush of carmine and velvet, the second to lightest syrah. Bouquet is light and clean, a touch of pepper, a thought of stalks. Palate has a little more substance than the bouquet indicates, some cassis grading to omega plummy fruit, older oak, all sound and straightforward, a little unexciting and reminiscent of straightforward Crozes-Hermitage. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/12

2008 Mount Langi Ghiran Shiraz Langi 16 ½ (

)

Grampians district, west Victoria, Australia: 14.5%; $86 [ screwcap; price is simple conversion from AU$70; Sh 100%, hand-picked and sorted from single vineyard 'Old Block', vines 45 years old, on granite; heat-wave year, shrivelled as well as green berries excluded; 60% whole-bunch fermentation in open vessels, up to 21 days cuvaison; MLF in barrel, c.13 months in French oak 45% new, balance 1-year; 480 cases, release date 3/11; www.langi.com.au ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, close to the 2006. Bouquet however is quite different, a conspicuous whole-berry character to it giving a roto-fermenter more everyday-shiraz quality to the wine. Palate is simpler too, all the fruit ripened to the dark plums and boysenberry about equal stage, leaving syrah well behind. Finish is very fruity but a bit euc'y, a simple clean fleshy shiraz to cellar 3 – 10 years, though the winemaker says 20 years. GK 01/10

2005 Clos Margeurite Sauvignon Blanc 16 ½ (

)

Awatere Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $20 [ screwcap ; RS 4 g/L ]
Lemon. Plenty of bouquet greets the taster, but its smells more like sweet hay, and more phenolic than the top wines. There are suggestions of capsicum and stone fruits, but a sweet vernal grassy note dominates, more dried than fresh. Palate is bold and flavoursome, more skin contact here, plus a little more sweetness to cover the obvious phenolics. A bit clumsy alongside the top wines. Cellar 1 – 2 years only. GK 02/06

2007 Palliser Pinot Gris 16 ½ (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $27 [ screwcap; no wine detail on website; www.palliser.co.nz ]
Pale lemongreen. In the blind tasting, this one is hard to pin down. Revealed, it is more clearly in the elusive pinot gris category, vague white florals on pearflesh fruit which expand somewhat in mouth, off-dry sweetness and gentle phenolic balance. Pleasant bland off-dry white, to cellar 2 – 4 years. GK 05/08

2004 Mt Riley Pinot Noir 16 ½ (

)

Marlborough 60%, Nelson 40, New Zealand: 13.5%; $21 [ screwcap; 30% raised in oak; 2004 not on website, 2003 oak portion in French and American oak 8 months; www.mountriley.co.nz ]
Pinot ruby. Bouquet has an attractive light estery fragrance to it, like biting into a Gala apple, on clean red fruits. Palate shows red fruits and an interesting lees autolysis complexity, reasonable richness, but a slightly stalky finish. Good middle-of-the-road pinot. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 10/05

2008 Clearview Malbec / Merlot Two Pinnacles 16 ½ (

)

Te Awanga, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $26 [ supercritical cork; www.clearviewestate.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, an excellent colour. This is a wine to decant splashily, to ventilate some reduction. It then opens to big cassis and darkest plum, with appropriate oak, looking more promising on bouquet. Palate is markedly less, hard, noticeably acid, still some unresolved MLF odours to assimilate, even though the berry quality is good, and the new oak is subtle. This wine needed more air in its elevage. It should marry up in bottle, but decant well ahead into an open jug / large-surface-area decanter. Cellar 10 – 20 years, maybe to improve markedly. GK 06/10

2009 Elephant Hill Merlot 16 ½ (

)

Te Awanga, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $24 [ screwcap; www.elephanthill.co.nz ]
Ruby, some velvet. Bouquet is subdued, some plummy fruits, a suggestion of olives, some oak, youthful and clean. Palate is near-identical, attractive berry and oak yet to harmonise, a touch of stalkyness. Would team well with (for example) olive-rich pizza. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/10

2009 Corbans Merlot / Cabernet Sauvignon Couper's Shed 16 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels & Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $22 [ screwcap; www.corbans.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a lovely colour. This wine need splashy decanting, to dispel a suggestion of roto-fermenter-like reduction. Below it is fragrant, freshly-bottled plummy fruit of considerable appeal, once breathed. Palate is not as good, again that thought there is too much stainless steel in the elevage of this wine, when the fruit quality suggests it deserved better. The nett impression is raw and uncoordinated, with a stalky streak too. Acutely needs a couple of years' rest to sort itself out, cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 06/10

2007 Askerne Merlot / Malbec / Franc 16 ½ (

)

Havelock North district, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $20 [ supercritical cork; www.askerne.co.nz ]
Older ruby and velvet. Bouquet is rich, fragrant, intriguing, another wine with the Entre-Deux-Mers fragrance of mixed ripeness, and suggestions of brett complexity. The plummy merlot-like component is definitely a little stewed, and there is even a suggestion of canned prune over-ripeness, as well as the leafy fragrance of some under-ripe berries. Palate introduces a thought of syrah white pepper in the leafy-going-on-stalky component, in otherwise rich berry and plum. In some ways is a complex and serious wine, but the final aftertaste is more stalky than the Mission Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve. This critical lack of berry ripeness marks the wine down, by contemporary Bordeaux / Hawkes Bay blend standards. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/10

2005 Pask Cabernet / Merlot / Malbec Declaration 16 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $50 [ ProCork; www.cjpask.co.nz ]
Older ruby, some velvet. Bouquet is very oaky, nearly varnishy, on lightly browning cassis and plum, an old-fashioned wine. In mouth there is quite good cassisy berry richness, on potentially cedary oak, but much too much of it (at the blind stage). A wine for oak fans, to cellar 3 – 8 years only. The long-term relationship between the oak and the fruit does not look happy. GK 06/10

2007 Mission Cabernet / Merlot Reserve 16 ½ (

)

Lower Dartmoor Valley 60%, Gimblett Gravels 40, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $25 [ supercritical cork; CS 85%, CF 8, Me 7; www.missionestate.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, quite dense. Bouquet is an older style of New Zealand cabernet / merlot red, quite rich but imperfectly / unevenly ripened, the aromas ranging from darkly plummy to leafy. Flavours amplify the bouquet, almost a stewed fruit quality on the one hand with some clearly pruney flavours, yet some stalkyness too, rich yet clumsy, the oaking a bit excessive. Cellar 5 –12 years. GK 06/10

2002 Girardin Volnay les Santenots 16 ½ (

)

Volnay Premier Cru, Cote de Beaune, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $65
Ruby, carmine and velvet, extraordinarily deep for fine pinot. This wine is different from all the others in the sub-set, being made in a broad, rich, soft plummy presentation which is reticent on bouquet. On palate it has some aromatics, and is deeply plummy with furry tannins, as rich as some Dry River and Pegasus Bay pinot noirs have been in New Zealand. It is hard to capture much of the subtle beauty of pinot here, but its fruity ample approach will appeal to many. It should cellar for 10 – 20 years, and maybe will fine down. It is not typical of Volnay, and reflects more the Girardin house style at the more affordable end of its red burgundy range: good colours and relatively rich juicy fruit, big and modern. GK 08/04

2007 Clearview Estate [ Cabernets / Merlot ] Basket Press 16 ½ (

)

Te Awanga, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $140 [ supercritical cork; CS 75%, Me 16, CF 6, Ma 3; www.clearviewestate.co.nz ]
Rich ruby and velvet. Bouquet is let down by thoughts of trace oxidation and VA, on a good level of red more than black plummy fruits, not quite ripe enough. In mouth the wine is rich, but old for its age, the VA confusing the taste components, the finish tending acid. Oak is fragrant and potentially cedary, though overdone. Gives the impression blind of a serious but flawed wine. Later revealing of identities confirmed that interpretation, though it can be observed it is not the only aiming-high wine to falter in the glass. Prestige wines must be international-calibre with respect to ripeness, these days. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 06/10

2002 Lucknow Merlot Quarry Bridge Vineyard 16 ½ (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $20 [ screwcap; 24 months in American oak; www.lucknowestate.com ]
Older ruby, middling for weight. This is more an old-fashioned European bouquet, with winey characters from older cooperage and Brettanomyces, on reasonable berry and plummy fruit. Palate has fair berry but is tending austere, with a little entrained sulphur. The whole wine is reminiscent of (an oaky) minor cru bourgeois claret, and quite pleasant with food. It will mellow in cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 10/05

2005 Villa Maria Pinot Gris Private Bin 16 ½ (

)

East Coast = Gisborne & Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $17 [ screwcap; first release of var. under PB label, reflecting Villa’s increasing familiarity with the variety; 2 months post-fermentation LA and ‘regular’ stirring; not yet on website; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Pale straw hinting at a flush, as can be appropriate for a reddish-skinned variety. Bouquet is attractive on this wine, combining nectarine suggestions with pear flesh and button mushrooms, but it is not exactly floral. Palate however is lighter, with less body than the Marlborough wines, seemingly acid-adjusted and thus appearing drier relative to the more expensive wines. Good introductory pinot gris, clearly varietal. Cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 11/05

2004 Kumeu River Chardonnay Village 16 ½ (

)

Kumeu, north of Auckland, New Zealand: 13%; $18 [ screwcap; sold-out; 25% BF mostly older oak, 75% s/s, 100% MLF, RS nil; formerly labelled Brajkovich Chardonnay; www.kumeuriver.co.nz ]
Lemon. Bouquet is very different on the 2004 edition of the Village Chardonnay, when seen alongside the ‘05. This is a much more European wine style, with a slight reductive veil on a more citric version of chardonnay fruit, showing white stonefruits only. Palate likewise is narrower, sharper, quite austere actually relative to the ‘05, though there is the pleasing fruit weight of chardonnay. Cellar 1 – 6 years. GK 02/06

1998 Vidal Cabernet Sauvignon Joseph Soler 16 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $89 [ cork; two weeks cuvaison, MLF and 21 months in unspecified oak; www.vidal.co.nz ]
Old ruby and velvet. A maturing wine on bouquet, with fair browning cassis, berry and plum, but far too much oak. On palate the richness and ripeness are good, but the oak is seriously excessive, and out of balance. Oakniks will love at, but I do not believe it will ever become harmonious, in the sense one could run it competitively in a tasting of cabernet-dominant wines from around the world. Cellar 5 – 10 years plus, for the oak will live for ages. GK 11/05

2002 Anne Gros Chambolle-Musigny La Combe d'Orveau 16 ½ (

)

Chambolle-Musigny, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 13%; $94
Lightish pinot ruby. Bouquet is tending closed at this stage, showing a suggestion of stalky florals, and fruit ranging from red currants to red cherries. Palate fleshes the wine out more, to show fair red cherry fruit on light oak which includes a touch of new. This is very close in style to similarly-scored Otago wines. It will make agreeable QDR pinot in 3 – 8 years, but it is too pricey for that. GK 09/04

2004 Pirramimma Shiraz Stock’s Hill 16 ½ (

)

McLaren Vale, South Australia, Australia: 14%; $22 [ screwcap; no useful wine info on website; www.pirramimma.com.au ]
Ruby. Colour and bouquet are relatively mature for the wine's age. On bouquet there is a lot of browning boysenberry in older oak, all smelling a bit leathery and old-fashioned. Flavour is rich, but with a brackish undertone, sound in a slightly oxidised boysenberry way, straightforward. Cellar 3 – 10 years, in its style. GK 10/07

2002 Loopline Pinot Noir 16 ½ (

)

Wairarapa, New Zealand: 13%; $27
Attractive pinot noir ruby. A dried herbes / bouquet garni quality is distinctive in the smell of the wine, on sweet red cherry fruit. Palate shows supple red cherry attractively integrated with the year's extra bottle age, slightly savoury on the herbes, attractively under-oaked, relatively light but very drinkable. Cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 10/04

2003 Escarpment Pinot Noir 16 ½ (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13%; $43 [ www.escarpment.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby. Initially opened, this wine is dulled by retained fermentation odours. Below there are redfruits. The wine does breathe up slowly, but not enough to display any floral beauty. Palate is crisp with red and black cherry fruit, and some aromatics. But the whole wine is veiled, tending reductive. Cellar 5 – 10 years, perhaps to clear and merit re-rating. GK 11/04

2006 Guigal St Joseph 16 ½ (

)

St Joseph, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $52 [ cork; Sy 100%; c.16 months in older French oak; www.guigal.com ]
Medium ruby. Bouquet on this syrah is interesting, overlapping with both some New Zealand renderings of the grape in its white pepper and slight rustic complexities, and also with some lighter Great Western district shirazes. Palate is not as perfectly ripe as the more highly ranked Guigals, but it would be harsh to use the word stalky. It is a lighter but fragrant example of the grape, with the white pepper of imperfect ripeness. Cellar 3 – 12 years. GK 10/10

2002 Girardin Chambolle-Musigny les Hauts Doix 16 ½ (

)

Chambolle-Musigny Premier Cru, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $90
Ruby. The least bouquet in this sub-set of pinots, lightly fragrant to perhaps faintly reductive. In a black glass it would be hard to tell it from a big chardonnay, and an unoaked one at that. Mouth picks up more varietal character, pleasing soft blackboy peach, fair body, finer texture and fruit quality than the Savigny, but no aromatics. Just soft and supple pinot, easy drinking, in style. Cellar 5 – 10 years, probably to improve. GK 08/04

2003 Te Kairanga Pinot Noir Wairarapa 16 ½ (

)

Wairarapa, New Zealand: 12.5%; $21 [ screwcap; 75% Martinborough, 25 Wairarapa; 10 months in 20% new French oak; www.tkwine.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby. A very fragrant rendering of pinot noir indeed, showing big daphne florals as well as a leafy note, and an aromatic suggestion reminiscent of pennyroyal. Palate picks up the leafy / stalky note more than is ideal, and that is exacerbated by oak, but richness and mouthfeel are attractive. Just lacks the soft complexity of full physiological maturity. Interesting wine. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 08/04

2003 Olssens Pinot Noir Slapjack Creek 16 ½ (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $ – [ screwcap; no info; www.olssens.co.nz ]
Mature pinot noir ruby. The wine benefits greatly from decanting. Bouquet is then fragrant, but like some of the 2003 Otago pinot noirs in the 2010 Pinot Noir Conference, there is a certain loss of vigour. There are still suggestions of red rose florals on mixed cherry fruit which is browning / becoming autumnal. Palate is light and mellow, just a suggestion of soaked sultanas creeping into tealeaf flavours, the oak not too assertive. Fully mature, much lighter than the 2002 Akarua. GK 09/10

2005 Odyssey Viognier Hawkes Bay 16 ½ (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $29 [ cork; BF in one-year French oak, MLF 100%, RS 2 g/L; www.odysseywines.co.nz ]
Lemon. This is another wine suffering grievously from premature release. Bouquet is still estery and jujube, unfocussed, vaguely heading in the direction of stonefruits. Palate is interesting, modestly raw stonefruit, a little stalky, perhaps some MLF introducing a custard thought (confirmed later), light oak. This will be looking much better in 6 – 12 months. The oak handling is particularly good, so it should be a good food wine. Cellar to a maximum of five years. GK 11/05

2004 Esk Valley Sauvignon Blanc Black Label 16 ½ (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $20 [ screwcap; some BF, LA and batonnage components; www.eskvalley.co.nz ]
Lemongreen, deeper than many (and of course a year older than most). In the blind tasting, varietal bouquet is lacking on this sauvignon, but there are attractive pale stonefruit qualities confusable with pinot gris. Palate is rich, pale peachy fruit dominant, an interesting edge which freshens the wine up, but not enough to depart from the blind identification as pinot gris. Finish is long and rich on fruit, with exceptional balance. This will be a great food wine, so buy it for that, not its varietal label. Absolutely the sauvignon for people who don't like characterful Marlborough sauvignons (by which the class tends to be judged). This is a review where the words mean more than the score. If strictly scored as a Hawkes Bay sauvignon, it would rate higher. In California, it might be a gold medal wine. GK 11/05

2005 Heathcote Estate Shiraz 16 ½ (

)

Heathcote, central Victoria, Australia: 14.5%; $43 [ screwcap; DFB; Sh 97, Gr 3, grown on volcanic soils; up to 3 weeks cuvaison; MLF and 18 months in barrel French 90% American 10, 30% new, balance first and second year; www.heathcoteestate.com ]
Ruby and velvet. Bouquet is very euc'y, disappointingly so both relative to previous vintages, and for this premium district, where it is possible to achieve syrah-like complexity in shiraz. In this wine, however, any such achievement is not perceivable, below the all-enveloping eucalyptus taint. Palate shows rich ripe fruit in very aromatic oak, but this year it all seems more Australian in style, boysenberry rather than anything subtler, and too oaky. Pity. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 03/08

2010 Haha Pinot Noir 16 ½ (

)

Awatere Valley and Upper Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $19 [ screwcap; 3 clones of PN hand-harvested @ 7.5 t/ha (3 t/ac); no elevation info at all on website; www.hahawine.com ]
Good pinot noir ruby, below midway in depth. Bouquet is much lighter and simpler in this wine, more in the older style of Marlborough pinot noir, buddleia as much as rose florals, simple red more than black fruits, beautifully clean. Palate is fleshy, the fruit dominant to the point of lacking tannin structure a little. This impression may be augmented by it possibly not being bone dry. It should have popular appeal, and attract people to the variety. Wine being a European phenomenon, the name Haha for a winery needs revisiting. Cellar 2 – 6 years GK 03/13

2005 Villa Maria Riesling Reserve 16 ½ (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 9%; $25 [ screwcap; hand-picked; 2005 not on website, 2004 was 17.7 g/L RS; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Water-white. It is an absolute mystery why Villa Maria, with its vast resources, would release this bleached wine at this point. It looks and smells as if it has had an SO2 miscalculation. Palate however has the fruit richness, medium sweetness balanced to good acid, and length for the wine to recover its poise, and some colour and bouquet. At that point, it should be released. The above score is of necessity a punt. In two years time it may well be marvellous. GK 11/05

2008 Kumeu River Chardonnay Hunting Hill 16 ½ (

)

Kumeu, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.5%; $43 [ screwcap; hand-harvested, mainly clone 15; whole-bunch pressed; wild-yeast fermentation entirely in French oak; 100% MLF; 11 months in barrel with LA; www.kumeuriver.co.nz ]
Pale lemon. This year's Hunting Hill is not a success for those sensitive to sulphide, the whole wine being too reductive. This pinches the bouquet back to austere white stonefruit, and makes the palate hard and cardboardy. Those who like this approach (or think they like it, from similar French experiences) romantically describe such a palate as flinty, but tending sour is more accurate. It improves somewhat with a good splashy decanting, and the cropping rate and fruit richness is clearly streets ahead of the Village wine. But even so, this wine will never sing. Cellar 4 – 10 years, in its style. GK 10/10

2010 Babich Merlot / Cabernet Sauvignon / Cabernet Franc Irongate 16 ½ (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $35 [ supercritical cork; Me 34, CS 34, CF 32, hand-harvested; extended cuvaison; 13 months in French oak some new; www.babichwines.co.nz ]
Ruby, some velvet, just below midway in depth. Bouquet shows clean and simple berry including blackberry, with some less ripe notes and unknit oak. Palate is unintegrated, the berry and older oak apart, the flavours including a hint of stalkyness. The level of fruit is quite good, so in its more straightforward way it should cellar well for 3 – 8 years. Yet another wine with bizarre accolades in the Catalogue. GK 06/12

2003 Cirrus Pinot Noir 16 ½ (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13%; $30 [ screwcap; 30% new French oak; www.cirrusestate.com ]
Ruby, about as deep as pinot noir needs to be. Bouquet is in the clean fresh black cherry style, but with a hint of stalks and mint aromatics. Palate follows on well, with cherry flavours, clearly pinot noir, attractive length on medium weight, slightly stalky. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 09/04

2003 Mt Difficulty Pinot Noir 16 ½ (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $40 [ www.mtdifficulty.co.nz ]
Lightish pinot ruby. This wine is very distinctive on bouquet, smelling strongly of coffee grounds. OK if you like coffee, but not my concept of pinot noir. Palate presents the wine in a better light, with attractive black cherries, good mouthfeel and burgundian style, but ultimately let down again by the finish from this eccentric oak (which may include some barrel fermentation). Undoubtedly some will love this wine, but the reasons need analysing. Cellar 3 – 10, to perhaps come into line. GK 10/04

2002 Girardin Chambolle-Musigny les Amoureuses 16 ½ (

)

Chambolle-Musigny Premier Cru, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $139
Pinot noir ruby. This example of one of the most romantic vineyard names in all France is very floral with suggestions of lilac, but it is also tending leafy. Palate confirms the leafiness, in straightforward lightish red cherry and pinot fruit, which finishes a little stalky. This is the same weakness as is seen in the Villa, but there less obvious because of the richer fruit. Cellar 3 – 5 years only. GK 11/04

2003 Pisa Moorings Pinot Noir 16 ½ (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $30 [ screwcap ]
Lightish pinot ruby. An understated bouquet, faintly floral, some red cherries. Palate is crisp red cherry and careful oak, lightly aromatic, in an attractive but lighter, more aromatic, varietal style than the '02. If the '02 is a little heavy, this is a little light. Cellar 3 – 6 years. GK 10/04

2002 Muddy Water Pinot Noir 16 ½ (

)

Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 14%; $40 [ screwcap; www.muddywater.co.nz ]
Good pinot ruby. A subdued bouquet, with a whisper of wet washing taking the shine off red cherries and faint florals. Palate is much better, with attractively crisp cherry / berry flavours, beautifully oaked, clearly varietal. Palate quality is clearly silver medal rating in style and weight, and in another year when the bouquet has opened out some more, this may score more highly. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 09/04

2004 Bethel Heights Pinot Noir Seven Springs Vineyard 16 ½ (

)

Willamette Valley, Oregon, USA: 14.2%; $ – [ cork; US$40; clone Pommard, vine age 18 years; 75% de-stemmed, 25% whole bunch, 5 days cold soak, wild yeast fermentation, 19 days cuvaison; 10 months in French oak 25% new; egg-white fining; Parker / Rovani 165: An outstanding offering … displays plummy aromas of dark cherries, flowers, and spices. Medium to full-bodied and pure, this black cherry-dominated beauty exhibits a satiny texture, lovely freshness, and a long, pure finish. To 2014. 91; www.bethelheights.com ]
Lightish pinot noir ruby, burgundian. Bouquet is light, not clearly varietal, instead the aromas slightly baked and stalky light red, with a varnishy / raw-oaky suggestion from the cooperage. In mouth the wine is immediately more pinot, but since the quality of pinot noir is critically judged on bouquet (at least in cooler viticultural climates), the wine gets off to a bad start. There are red fruits including red cherry, but all a little oaky and stalky, even though the mouthfeel is quite good. Physiologically under-ripe pinot to cellar 2 – 8 years. GK 06/07

2003 Auntsfield Pinot Noir Hawk Hill 16 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 12.5%; $40
Good pinot ruby. Several of the wines have a crisp red cherry and slightly savoury character to them almost reminding of sangiovese, and this is one. Palate continues the idea, quite firm to slightly acid, cherry fruit, older oak, attractively done. Cellar to 8 years. GK 10/04

2007 René Rostaing Cote Rotie La Landonne 16 ½ (

)

Cote Rotie, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $260 [ cork; Sy 100%; no website ]
Ruby, a good pinot noir weight. Once well breathed, bouquet immediately stands apart from the precision of the top syrahs, an old cooperage / potentially varnishy note being apparent on lightly floral (wallflower) and cassisy fruit. In mouth the impression is not quite so good, a thought of canned peas until the wine is well aerated, some cassis, white and black pepper, and Cote Rotie softness. A less desirable jonquils / paper-whites note through bouquet and leading to leafyness on the palate bespeaks imperfect ripeness. This is the only Rostaing achieving a reasonable technical level, and which might win a modest medal in an Australasian wine judging. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 06/10

2003 Clearview Estate Chardonnay Reserve 16 ½ (

)

Te Awanga 50%, Bayview 50%, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $ – [ cork; fruit frost-affected; simpler variations on 2004 practice, qv; www.clearviewestate.co.nz ]
Colour is straw, between the 1994 and the 2001. This is an awkward wine, illustrating the older style of chardonnay, which we used to mark highly in New Zealand, but happily are now retreating from. Bouquet has the peachy fruit of the style, but also both tropical fruit and stalky notes, giving a character best described as pineapple. Palate tends to emphasise the stalky even slightly green and acid components, even though it is awash with other fruits. Combined with the alcohol and oak, the whole thing becomes relatively unharmonious and tiring to drink, the oak spikey. Probably at a peak now, and will hold for a couple of years before declining more quickly than most. GK 11/05

2010 Te Awa Cabernet / Merlot 16 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $35 [ screwcap; CS 45%, Me 40, CF 15, hand-picked; wild-yeast ferment; 18 months in French oak, 40% new; RS < 2 g/L; Te Awa now in the Villa Maria group of wineries; Parker: 89+; www.teawa.com ]
Ruby, at the top of the lightest third, for weight of colour. Bouquet is light, fine and elegant, subtle cassis, totally in a better cru bourgeois style, subtly oaked. The palate is less however, rather small fruit for the level of oak, the oak still hessian and not developing subtle cedary qualities, the wine all a bit pinched and the total acid up a little. Is this over-cropping ? Will hopefully soften in cellar 3 – 8 years, but likely to remain small-scale. GK 06/14

2001 Peter Lehmann Cabernet Sauvignon 16 ½ (

)

Barossa Valley, South Australia, Australia: 13.5%; $24 [ DFB; mostly larger French oak; www.peterlehmannwines.com.au ]
Ruby. A straightforward red plums and eucalyptus bouquet introduces a familiar kind of Barossa cabernet. Palate is more cassisy, slightly stalky as if early-picked, and tending oaky and minty. Sound medium-weight wine which will cellar 8 – 12 years. GK 06/04

2005 Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc Wairau Valley Reserve 16 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $25 [ screwcap; 8% of the wine cold soak, a percentage LA; 2005 not on website, 2004 3% of wine BF and LA 2 months, RS 3.5 g/L; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Pale lemongreen. An example of the sweaty / armpit Marlborough style, strangely liked by quite a few tasters, largely because it has been talked up as a positive attribute by winemakers. This is in truth a post hoc rationalisation for a fermentation character which, beyond the merest trace, can easily be negative for many tasters. Beyond that, the whole wine shows good fruit in the riper capsicum spectrum and through to passionfruit, but the sweat knocks the florals. A sound and rich mainstream style, but a strange one to present as a more expensive Reserve wine. Hold a year or two. GK 11/05

2006 Lakes Hayes Pinot Gris 16 ½ (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $25 [ screwcap; hand-picked, whole-bunch pressed, s/s ferment; 3 months LA; RS 6.8 g/L; www.amisfield.co.nz ]
Lemon. Bouquet hovers in that awkward area: is it sort-of floral, or slightly rubbery ? On balance it hints at the yellow florals of subtler examples of the variety. Palate has good initial flavours, suggestions of nectarine, more finesse than the White Rock, but then dries off to a suggestion of phenolics, a little drier than the White Rock. Cellar 1 – 4 years. GK 03/07

2003 Stoneleigh Pinot Noir 16 ½ (

)

Marlborough , New Zealand: 13%; $20 [ screwcap; 10 months in French oak; www.stoneleigh.co.nz ]
Lightish pinot ruby. An attractive clearly varietal bouquet, totally in style for a lightly floral and red cherry pinot. Palate is sweetly fruited, carefully oaked, and attractively balanced within its light, correct, varietal approach, reminiscent of a sound Volnay. Easy drinking, and cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 03/05

2004 Sileni Estate Pinot Noir The Plateau 16 ½ (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12.8%; $30 [ screwcap; vineyard at Maraekakaho, 120 m asl; www.sileni.co.nz ]
Medium pinot ruby. A slightly different take on pinot, but a clearly varietal bouquet. There are red florals leading into red cherry and red plum smells, with a slight desiccated coconut note adding a confectionery touch, not unpleasant. Palate carries all the bouquet components into a pleasant redfruits palate, subtly oaked. Hawkes Bay is getting warm for pinot, but this is one of the best examples to emerge from the district (even if it has been released within a year of vintage). Cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 03/05

2000 Mt Difficulty Pinot Noir Target Gully 16 ½ (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $ – [ cork; www.mtdifficulty.co.nz ]
Ruby and garnet, of rich pinot weight. Bouquet is in a completely different style from the 2003 Target Gully. The floral component is clearly leafy, and the cherry is red more than black. Palate is attractively rounded out into early maturity, rich, quantitatively sweetly fruited, slightly oaky, but just not the physiological ripeness of fine pinot noir. Good wine, but not of the calibre of the 2003. The two wines illustrate the climatic knife edge that great pinot rides on, so easily tipping from under-ripe to over-ripe, as recent vintages in Otago have demonstrated. Cellar 3 – 5 years more, if older wines are liked. GK 03/05

2009 Northburn Station Pinot Noir The Shed 16 ½ (

)

Northburn, Cromwell Basin, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $29 [ screwcap; no info; www.northburn.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is fragrant both from buddleia florals and a leafy suggestion, on red cherry fruit. Palate adds some black cherries into a serious pinot of some fruit depth, ripeness and appeal, but also suggestions of stalk at this early stage, as if there were a mix of ripenesses in the must. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 09/10

2009 Mount Edward Pinot Noir Muirkirk Vineyard 16 ½ (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $65 [ screwcap; hand-picked, single-vineyard wine, second release; not fined or filtered; no other info; www.mountedward.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. Cote de Beaune speaking here, a fragrant all-red fruits wine with buddleia to pale roses florality on red cherry. Palate tastes older than most for the vintage, tending light though not dilute, clear-cut small pinot. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 09/10

2005 Carrick Pinot Noir 16 ½ (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $38 [ screwcap; historic price; hand-picked, crop half normal; whole bunch minimal in 2005, pre-ferment cold soak 5 days, plus c.10 days cuvaison with 70% wild yeast; c.9 months in French oak c. 30% new; www.carrick.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is forward for the vintage, with browning and a suggestion of autumnal decay on red and black cherry fruit. Palate confirms the premature ageing, the oak standing firm, but the fruit fading a little, a suggestion of acid and stalkyness now apparent. Not one to keep much longer, more now or a couple of years. GK 09/10

2004 Surveyor Thomson Pinot Noir 16 ½ (

)

Lowburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $33 [ cork; historic price; 11 months in French oak 33% new; second vintage; www.surveyorthomson.co.nz ]
Bouquet is maturing slightly savoury red fruits, with a hint of decay / oxidation about it. The early maturing of so many New Zealand pinot noirs is a constant disappointment. Palate shows the same kind of European styling as many bourgognes rouges in maturity, some smoky oak noticeable, but the whole wine food-friendly and showing pleasing ripeness. Mature now, use in the next year or two. GK 09/10

2009 Doctors Flat Vineyard Pinot Noir 16 ½ (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: – %; $39 [ screwcap; no info ]
Colour is almost ruby, carmine and velvet, over-size for pinot noir. Bouquet is tending to the heavy Dry River style of pinot noir, more omega plum and a touch of almond and licorice, very rich but not very varietal. Palate is both plummy and oaky, with an awkward oak and tannin streak yet to marry in. As it lingers in mouth, suggestions of both stalks and thyme / savoury herbes appear. Needs a couple of years to marry up, in the hope it will lose some weight and gain some pinot style. Seems doubtful, but will please size-fans. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 09/10

2008 Kingsmill Wines Pinot Noir Tippet's Mill 16 ½ (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $40 [ screwcap; hand-picked, all de-stemmed; 19 days cuvaison including cold-soak; 8 months in French oak 30% new; light filtering; www.kingsmillwines.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. A wine to decant splashily, to disperse a little simple reduction. With air opens to another red fruits wine with suggestions of grenache, just a thought of raspberry. Palate is red cherry, lightish oak, pleasing ripeness, a hint of stalk only, not as rich as some, tending straightforward. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 09/10

2009 Eight Ranges Wines Pinot Noir Barrel Selection 16 ½ (

)

Alexandra, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13%; $35 [ screwcap; hand-picked from the Tussock Ridge vineyard, all de-stemmed; 20 days cuvaison including 8 days cold-soak; 10 months in French oak 60% new; light filtering; www.eightranges.co.nz ]
Lightish pinot noir ruby. Savigny-les-Beaune comes to mind here, to capture the notion of lighter red fruits even including red currants, plus light buddleia floral notes as expected at this point of ripeness on the pinot ripening curve. Palate is pro rata, fresh red fruits only, a touch of stalkyness, but not weak. It is enchanting the way Otago pinot noir spans the full range of Burgundy prototypes, from simplest Cote de Beaune to complex Cote de Nuits look-alikes. Many Savigny-les-Beaune wines are less ripe than this one. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 09/10

2004 Giaconda Shiraz Warner Vineyard 16 ½ (

)

Beechworth, NE Victoria, Australia: 13.5%; $125 [ Cork 49mm, ullage 20mm; original price c.$80; Sh 98%, rousanne 2; all wild-yeast fermented, extended cuvaison; elevation in French oak usually less than 40% new, for not quite two years, no filtering; J. Czerwinski@Winemag, 2007: Maybe the closest thing to French Syrah you'll find coming out of Australia, this Shiraz defies the Oz stereotype, offering up elegant perfumes of hickory smoke, black pepper and herbs that bear a striking resemblance to top-notch Côte-Rôtie. Layers of blackberry and blueberry fruit provide a solid foundation for the smoky, meaty complexity that emerges on the palate. This is not an overweight, overly tannic wine, but a supremely balanced rendition of Shiraz that should age gracefully for up to 15 years, 94; RP@RP, 2006: beautiful blackberry fruit intermixed with hints of graphite, smoked herbs, tapenade, and spicy vanillin. Medium to full-bodied, elegant, and backward, this impressive offering spent 20 months in barrel (60% new French), and it should age nicely for 7-10 years, 93+; weight bottle and closure: 858 g; ww.giaconda.com.au ]
Ruby and garnet, markedly the oldest of the 2004s, below midway in depth. Bouquet is fragrant, complex, much older than the other 2004s, smelling both mature, and cooler-climate against the South Australian wines. There are suggestions of dark berries such as browning cassis or black doris plum, a hint of herbes, and savoury leathery notes bespeaking light brett, plus trace VA. Palate marries these diverse elements up quite well, a lighter wine but with reasonable body and dry extract, but then a sour note to the tail, though whether added acid, or more likely natural acid at the cooler (550m asl) Beechworth site in a cooler year, is unclear. Taken as a whole, as a mature wine it would be food-friendly, but it is not a wine for technical tasters. No first or second places, three least. Cellar a few years more, 10 maybe, but each bottle will be different. GK 04/21

2002 Mills Reef Merlot Block 4 Elspeth 16 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $36 [ DFB; www.millsreef.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, darker than the Block 3. This wine smells of oak and VA, to the point of getting varnishy. Palate shows fair richness, but like the Block 3 (and moreso), the beauty of the variety has been lost in the elevage. The result is a populist wine again in the show-pony style, rich and soft in the mouth, but far too oaky (though fragrant from presumably some American oak). Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 05/04

2002 Willa Kenzie Estate Pinot Noir 16 ½ (

)

Willamette Valley, Oregon, U.S.A: 14.3%; $ – [ screwcap; around $US16 ]
Pinot ruby. A clearly varietal bouquet fitting in seamlessly with the average of the New Zealand wines, the florals tending leafy, fruit in the red cherry spectrum, relatively simple and lacking physiological maturity. Palate is richer than expected, combining a clear leafy component with a slightly stewed fruits and lager-malt quality which is reasonably varietal but not exciting. Finish is both leafy and seemingly not bone dry, lacking varietal finesse. Cellar 3 - 5 years. GK 05/05

2004 Tohu Pinot Noir 16 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $26 [ cork; hand-picked, French oak; www.tohuwines.co.nz ]
Lightish ruby. Fragrant and lightly floral red and black cherry fruit is the first impression, clear-cut pinot noir. Flavours are lighter than bouquet promises, but the cherries are sweet and ripe, and attractively balanced to oak. Cellar 3 - 5 years. GK 05/05

2004 Sacred Hill Pinot Noir Marlborough 16 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $20 [ screwcap; www.sacredhill.com ]
Good young pinot noir ruby. This is clearly pinot noir on bouquet, but less perfectly ripe than the Seven Terraces. The floral component on bouquet includes a suggestion of cracked pepper, in red and black cherry fruit, plus blackboy. Palate is freshly varietal, the black pepper on bouquet coming through to the palate, not unattractive, just introducing a hint of syrah and making the wine seem slightly stalky. With this unfortunate trend to releasing pinots at 12 months, another wine needing a year to mellow. Will cellar for 3 - 8 years. GK 06/05

2001 Huia Pinot Noir 16 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $ – [ cork; 12 months French oak; www.huia.net.nz ]
A pinot weight of ruby, but a black hint in it. Bouquet shows attractive pinot florals including suggestions of violets and roses, but also a stalky suggestion, on varietal fruit. There are cherry flavours on palate, but the stalky notes develop, leaving the wine not as harmonious on palate as the Montana Terraces. Still reasonably good varietal wine, though. Cellar 4 – 6 years. GK 02/05

2002 Jadot Corton 16 ½ (

)

Aloxe-Corton Grand Cru, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $119 [ cork; www.louisjadot.com ]
Big pinot ruby, the second darkest of the Jadot wines, but still relatively light alongside a number of New Zealand pinots. This is another big and characterful wine in the Jadot batch, and initially one thinks: wow ! this is good. On the second pass through the bouquets, before one has tasted it, the thought strikes: this smells like good plum chutney. And indeed, the wine is (tolerably) volatile. Mixed in with the plums is an odd character, a bit like a bag of Seville oranges with one mouldy. Palate is rich, fruity on plums more than cherries, over-ripe, and in addition to the VA there is some brett too. This leaves a dry tannic flavour in the mouth. In its flavoursome and fleshily robust pinot style, it will still provide a lot of (not too discriminating) pleasure. Maybe dubious to invest in as a fine example of grand cru burgundy, though. Cellar uncertain, but probably 5 – 10 years despite the faults. GK 04/05

2002 Jadot Nuits-St-Georges les Boudots 16 ½ (

)

Nuits-Saint-Georges Premier Cru, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $104 [ cork; www.louisjadot.com ]
Medium pinot ruby. Bouquet is exquisitely floral, just exactly what pinot noir should be: boronia, darkest roses, violets. Below is beautiful red and black cherry fruit. Palate has exactly the crisp aromatic 'crunchy' character one finds in eating tree-ripened cherries, and by analogy, in drinking good pinot. This is not a big wine, and perhaps the bouquet is lifted by trace VA, but the wine is delightful, as far as it goes. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 04/05

2008 Cable Bay Chardonnay 16 ½ (

)

Western Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14%; $35 [ screwcap; 4 clones of chardonnay hand-harvested, whole-bunch pressed; 20% wild-yeast fermentation and BF in French oak some new, 10 months LA and batonnage; www.cablebayvineyards.co.nz ]
Lemon, a little deeper than the Mudbrick. Bouquet is initially a bit oaky, but in the glass pale white nectarine stonefruits and a hint of fruit salad develop. Palate shows fair fruit, low-level complexity as if MLF was not desired in this wine, and a pleasantly tapering but acid finish with a hint of mealyness developing. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 06/10

nv Lindauer Blanc de Blancs Special Reserve 16 ½ (

)

Gisborne mostly & Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12%; $18 [ cork; price ranges from $10 (rarely now) to $20; this bottle 2008 release; Ch 100%, full MLF; some reserve wine use; said to be c.24 months en tirage; 12 g/L dosage; www.lindauer.co.nz ]
Lemonstraw. Bouquet is pleasant, some suggestions of crumb and crust of bread on a blanc de blancs base, all clean and sound but lacking excitement. Given the bottle age, there is a trade-off between freshness and complexity, the autolysis being more apparent now. Palate likewise shows clean fruit, the hint of button mushrooms on the aftertaste is pleasant, but the dosage is tending unsophisticated, with a hint of caramel creeping in. It is past time that Lindauer Reserve lowered the dosage, to cater to a more discriminating purchaser than the standard mass-market Lindauer wine. Perhaps with new ownership this will be achieved ? Already cellared 4 years, will hold but not improve further. GK 12/12

2010 Te Mata [ Cabernets / Merlot ] Awatea 16 ½ (

)

Havelock North district mostly, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $36 [ cork; CS 42%, Me 40%, CF 12, PV 6, hand-harvested; c. 18 months in French oak 40% new; Availability: limited, moving to 2011; www.temata.co.nz ]
Ruby, the second to lightest wine. Bouquet is oaky in a style inclining to Rioja, vanilla pod, a hint of orange zest, and red fruits. Could there be some American oak ? In mouth the wine (apart from being a bit acid) is technically perfect, but red fruits outweigh black, and it lacks actual berry weight and flavour. There simply are not enough ripe grapes here for the impact of the oak, so it seems more an elegant facsimile rather than the real thing, no matter how beautifully made. Perhaps an increasing percentage of the climatically less-appropriate Woodthorpe fruit (from the Dartmoor Valley) is being used in this wine. A much lower cropping rate and better ripeness are needed here, but unlike Craggy Range (where the cropping rate for Te Kahu is known to be exactly comparable with good minor chateaux), Te Mata is secretive about this component of their practice, as for other detail. I am not alone in doubting some examples of the Te Mata reds, which ride on the reputation of occasional very good years: Jancis Robinson comments on the Awatea from the (in general) even richer 2009 vintage as: "Lighter than the average red bordeaux nowadays – more like a red bordeaux from the 1970s!".

When one looks at other New Zealand reviews of this exact wine, they describe a quite different liquid from that in my bottle / glass. Comments like: 'deeply coloured', 'dark red berry fruits', 'plum and blackberry flavours', 'loads of plummy, spicy flavour', 'the palate showing lovely weight ', 'top value' … and, needless to say, gold medal ratings. How do we explain this ? In the simplest terms one or two wineries in New Zealand have so succeeded in mesmerising New Zealand and Australian winewriters (and sometimes further afield) that factual evaluation of the actual wine in the bottle is scarcely ever seen. Instead the label, the PR materials, the reputation (based on best vintages only) and pronouncements are (in effect) reviewed. This is exacerbated by Te Mata being masters in presenting every vintage as the best in some way or another. All this is infinitely sad, for winewriters should be serving their readers with accurate first-hand tasting advice based on the specific vintage in hand. Blind tasting, with foil wines included, is needed to achieve that. So, 2010 Awatea is an interesting but expensive wine, in my estimation, which will cellar 5 – 12 years in its lightish fragrant style. GK 03/13

2009 Rippon Pinot Noir Mature Vine 16 ½ (

)

Wanaka, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $64 [ supercritical cork; usually significant whole bunch, cuvaison many extend to 28 days; MLF and c.16 months in French oak, 30% new, then 6 months in older; not fined or filtered; suspect not entered in Shows; www.rippon.co.nz ]
Lighter pinot noir ruby, the second to lightest wine in the > $35 set. This is clearly a cooler-climate pinot noir, highly floral, but more at the buddleia and even sweet-pea end of the floral spectrum, red fruits including red currants, average-year Savigny-les-Beaune in style. Palate shows a fair concentration of these red fruits, but total acid is up and the flavour short. A good illustration of overly cool-climate pinot, a petite wine to cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 11/12

2009 de Vine Pinot Noir Martinborough 16 ½ (

)

Martinborough, Wairarapa district, New Zealand: 14.5%; $20 [ screwcap; 20 days cuvaison, 16 months in French oak, 15% new; produced to the specification of the Manly Liquor Store, Whangaparoa Peninsula; no website. ]
Good pinot noir ruby, faintly deeper than the same firm's Otago pinot. Bouquet is clearly varietal, not quite so sweetly floral as the Otago wine, a faint suggestion of leaf. Palate is fresh, red cherry, crisper than the Otago wine, good fruit weight and clearly burgundian, just a little stalky / tannic as is common in imperfect years in Burgundy. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 08/12

2002 Crossroads Syrah Hawkes Bay 16 ½ (

)

Dartmoor Valley, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $19 [ cork; if similar to 2004, 10 months in French and US oak, 20% new; www.crossroadswinery.co.nz ]
Good ruby. Here is a good example of the average Crozes-Hermitage style. Crozes has a lesser reputation than Hermitage simply because the vineyards are mostly on the flats and terrace slopes, and do not enjoy the brilliant southerly exposition of the hill of Hermitage proper. Hence, the wines are all too often less ripe, and on the lower terraces can taste weedy. This wine has some of the cassis and florals of less-ripe syrah, in reasonable red berryfruit, but also some of the stalks and acid. Palate weight is less than the two Te Matas, so the bit of brett shows more. Even so, it is sound drinking, and will cellar 5 - 7 years. GK 06/05

2010 Three Brothers Reunited Shiraz 16 ½ (

)

McLaren Vale mostly, South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $21 [ screwcap; Sh 100%; no useful info on website; www.journeysendvineyards.com.au ]
Ruby and velvet, dense. This is a more typically Australian shiraz, rich in boysenberry fruit, high in vanillin oak, some euc'y taints, a big South Australian red. In mouth it is riper than the Mother's Milk wine, browner in flavour, all big soft and rich, lots of fruit, clean, possibly not bone dry, not as heavy as the bouquet suggested, but very oaky and popular. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 03/13

2011 Te Awanga Estate Chardonnay 16 ½ (

)

Te Awanga, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $30 [ screwcap; chardonnay clones 6 and mendoza planted 17 years ago; 12 months lees ageing and stirring in barrel; www.rmwines.co.nz ]
Lemonstraw. This is a bigger and bolder wine than the Trinity Hill, mainly because the oak is more apparent, with more vanillin, on fair fruit. In mouth the wine is rich, but the first thing you taste is the oak, the second the buttery malolactic component, and the chardonnay comes last. The Trinity Hill is the other way round. This more old-fashioned kind of New Zealand chardonnay has its following, and the wine will cellar 3 – 7 years. GK 03/13

2011 Te Mania Pinot Noir 16 ½ (

)

Nelson, New Zealand: 13%; $23 [ screwcap; Te Mania was established by Jon and Cheryl Harrey in 1990. It is near Richmond, on the Waimea Plains. Winemaker now is Steve Gill, who did time at Dry River before moving to Greenhough. Steve is in fact winemaker for Appleby Vintners, which appears to be a consulting winery owned by the Te Mania people. This is their second-level pinot, but it is organic, from 4 clones of pinot noir all hand-harvested, some wild-yeast ferments, 50% of the wine spends 13 months in French oak 5% new, dry extract is 29 g/L, and RS 2.4 g/L; www.temaniawines.co.nz ]
This is the surprise wine of the tasting, the colour (the lightest by far) being exactly like some of the Rousseau village burgundies, but merely good rosé by New Zealand standards. The bouquet opens with air to be in the light red fruits spectrum, redcurrant and strawberry not quite reaching red cherry, and buddleia florality grading to light rose, so you suspect under-ripeness. But in mouth the ripeness is the surprise, all the fruit is clearly in the red fruit spectrum, red currant and strawberry grading to hints of red cherry, subtlest oak, and not stalky. Just. There is much more fruit than expected too, and at first I was inclined to mark it borderline silver, but no. It does exemplify the remarks made in the introduction that pinot noir quality must never be assessed on colour. Cellar 2 – 6 years. A burgundian wine on that dry extract (though inflated by the RS), but cool-year small-scale. GK 06/14

2001 Guigal Cotes-du-Rhone 16 ½ (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $25 [ Sy 50%, Gr 30, Mv 15, other 5; average vine age 35 years; cropped 41 hL / ha; traditional cuvaison; 18 months in large old French oak; www.guigal.com ]
Ruby, darker than the Cote Rotie, much the same as the Crozes. Close to 230 000 cases of this always-dependable wine are now made, yet it retains its soft red fruits and impeccable fragrance and savoury finesse. This year’s does however seem lighter than some vintages. In the 80s, this was a serious grenache-dominant southern Rhone red with syrah and mourvedre, often very cellarworthy. The 1985 for example is perfect today. This latest wine is more a stylish and reasonably mouthfilling southern Rhone QDR, which will cellar 3 - 5 years. GK 07/05

2010 Carrick Riesling Dry 16 ½ (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 11.3%; $22 [ screwcap; s/s cool-ferment, wild yeast; RS 4 g/L; www.carrick.co.nz ]
Lemon-green. It is tough on riesling to release it at one year of age, especially if they are 'dry'. Riesling so needs time in bottle to show its charms, and its flavours cry out for some residual sugar. This wine is pure, lightly floral, palely lime juice on bouquet. Palate at this stage is severe, richer and dryer than the Stoneleigh but not as finessed, finishing flinty. Another to not touch for three years, and cellar for another 5 – 10, maybe to surprise. GK 06/11

2004 Cairnbrae Vineyards Pinot Noir 16 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $20 [ screwcap; owned by Sacred Hill, same winemaker; www.cairnbrae.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. This is the kind of bouquet which initially seems too estery to be taken seriously, but it certainly makes the wine fragrant. Breathes off to attractive red fruits more in the red cherry spectrum, even a hint of strawberries (+ve). Palate moves even more in the strawberry direction, sweetly fruited, with oak to balance. Will probably open more attractively in six months, when ideally it should be released. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 04/05

2011 Esk Valley Syrah Hawkes Bay Selection 16 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $24 [ screwcap; Sy 100% hand-harvested, all de-stemmed; some wild yeast fermentations, MLF and c.18 months in French oak c.30% new; www.esk.co.nz ]
Ruby. Bouquet is clean and fragrant, clear white grading to black pepper with some florality, on fresh berry and red more than black plum. Flavours darken up somewhat in mouth, more black pepper now, suggestions of cassis, gentle oak, slightly stalky and a touch acid, much lighter and cooler than the lovely 2009 wine under this label. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/13

2008 Buller Wines Shiraz Sinister Man 16 ½ (

)

Murray Valley, Central Victoria, Australia: 14%; $14 [ screwcap; no info; www.bullerwines.com.au ]
Ruby and velvet. Bouquet is sweetly fruity, euc'y and oaky in a warm climate simple way, with boysenberry aromas. Palate is more oaky, simple juicy fruit, the same feeling of an unknit wine maybe chipped as for the Durif, though the colour suggests big old wood rather than stainless steel. It has the richness to marry up in bottle, into a big soft QDR shiraz. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 08/11

2006 d'Arenberg Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot / Petit Verdot / Cabernet Franc Galvo Garage 16 ½ (

)

McLaren Vale, South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $35 [ screwcap; CS 56%, Me 20, PV 18, CF 6, the Me and half the CF Adelaide Hills; some BF, raised in a mix of predominantly French and some American oak, up to 20% new; www.darenberg.com.au ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. This annoyingly-named wine is more old-fashioned. It is rich and ripe, with blueberry and oak aromas plus an almondy dullness, all rather hot-climate in style for fine cabernet. Palate is more oaky than the affordable High Trellis Cabernet, and the oak fights with the added acid, making the texture in mouth less attractive. Almond and sucking-on-plumstone notes dull it off somewhat, too. It will cellar well in its rich style, 5 – 15 + years. GK 07/10

2007 d'Arenberg Shiraz / Viognier The Laughing Magpie 16 ½ (

)

McLaren Vale, South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $35 [ screwcap; Sh 90% co-fermented with 10% or more Vi and Vi skins; some BF in newer oak, 11 months US & French barriques, some new; www.darenberg.com.au ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. Bouquet is more old-fashioned on this wine in this year, with rich fruit, but also a dull fermentation quality, and some eucalyptus. Below is dark plummy to boysenberry fruit. Palate is not as rich as the bouquet promised, with harsh acid making the oak seem clumsy too. It will smooth out in cellar over 5 – 15 years, but probably end up a bit leathery, 'Australian', and straightforward. Not a great year for this label. GK 07/10

1972 Lake's Folly Cabernet Sauvignon 100% 16 ½ (

)

Pokolbin, Hunter Valley, NSW, Australia: – %; $6 [ 55mm cork; hand-picked CS 100%; cost was expensive for the time, nearly the same as (e.g.) Ch Montrose, reflecting the high profile of arguably the first fine boutique winery in Australia, at Fletcher Humphries, Christchurch; Sydney surgeon Dr Max Lake (1929 – 2009) probably knew more about Hunter Valley wines and their romantic / glorious history than any other person of his generation. He knew the great Maurice O'Shea for many years. Despite the reputation of the Hunter being founded on shiraz, Max's passions were bordeaux and white burgundy. He located one of the few spots of terra rossa in the Valley, and started planting in the early '60s. He was regarded as eccentric not only for planting cabernet, but also importing new French oak. The first vintage for Cabernet was 1966, and Chardonnay 1974. The Hunter climate is fickle to say the least, many years being unsuited to subtle wine in any Bordeaux sense. Max Lake's own rating of the 1972 vintage is ''Good", and on their website it is classed as one of the best vintages ever, 95/100, and unlike most wines prior to 1980, still hanging on. Curiously, the 1972 is not in Halliday's Classic Wines; Andrew Caillard, writing for Langton's, described the 1972 as: Deep colour. Sweet mushroom/leather aromas. Deep sweet leather, mushroomy flavours, some cherry chocolate characters, fine chalky tannins building up grippy and tight. But plenty of flavour length. 90/100; Jeremy Oliver this year rated the 1972 as one of the three best vintages ever produced by Lakes Folly: Beautifully perfumed, floral and finely constructed, the 1972 delivers alluring fruit and charming complexity above the vineyard’s characteristically silky tannins; this is now a rare bottle; www.lakesfolly.com.au ]
Garnet and ruby, right in the middle for depth of colour. Bouquet immediately has an overlay of Hunter tar, not quite sweaty saddle, but there is a leathery component. Below is well-browning fruit, red and plummy rather than cassis. Palate is still wonderfully rich and mellow, but the leathery quality is more apparent now, making the wine relatively less refreshing compared with the other 11. Jeremy Oliver's comments therefore have to be taken with the usual pinch of hot-climate salt. The other wines seem much fresher and more cool-climate-complex than this. It reminds of some of the Mount Pleasant wines of the 60s. Even so, one taster rated it as their top wine, three as their second-most-favoured wine, and even more thought it Bordeaux, so it stacked up remarkably well for a cabernet from a hot-climate district. It is first and foremost a traditional Hunter, but up against shirazes of that era, yes, it might then seem more cabernet-like. Against Bordeaux, it doesn't. No hurry at all. GK 11/13

2011 Mount Riley Pinot Noir 16 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $17 [ screwcap; no detail, 12 months in French oak, some new; silver in Easter; www.mountriley.co.nz ]
Precise if lightish pinot noir ruby, attractive. Bouquet is in the lighter red fruits Marlborough style, almost strawberry in the best sense grading to red cherries, with clear sweet buddleia florality. Palate is a little less, as is often the case with Marlborough pinot noirs, all red fruits again, gently oaked, perhaps not bone dry, an easy and popular presentation of the variety. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 10/12

2002 Vidal Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 16 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $45 [ screwcap; CS 96%, Ma 4; www.vidal.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. A big bouquet, with lots of fragrant berry but even more fragrant new oak making the wine seem a bit varnishy, reminiscent of the Mills Reef style for serious reds. Flavour is rich and ripe cassis and dark plum, but the oak is well and truly out of proportion. Pity. Cellar 10 – 15 years, to mellow into a more Australian style. GK 12/04

2002 Unison 16 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $36 [ Me > CS > Sy; www.unisonvineyard.co.nz ]
Good ruby. A lesser bouquet, very youthful, with some retained fermentation odours on berry and plummy fruit. Palate is more clearly reductive, cassisy, austere, needing a little more oxygen in the system. Fruit richness is quite good, thought the finish is short, slightly metallic. Cellar 5 – 10, perhaps to emerge a little more. GK 12/04

2009 Poggio Basso Chianti 16 ½ (

)

Tuscany DOCG, Italy: 12.5%; $23 [ supercritical cork; Sa 80%, Canaiolo nero 10, Malvasia bianca 10 ]
Older ruby, sitting amongst the pinots very happily. Bouquet is savoury and aromatic, dramatically chianti as in fiasco days, and mouthwatering partly due to light brett. Palate is exactly the same, wonderfully savoury and food-friendly as chianti should be, an appealing QDR of pinot noir weight. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 06/11

2007 The Hay Paddock Syrah 16 ½ (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.9%; $65 [ supercritical ‘cork’; Syrah 88%, PV 12; the website info is updated from the verbal, this is website; hand-picked second crop from fourth-year vines said to be @ c.1 t/ac, 100% de-stemmed; 6 days cold soak, cultured yeast, c.28 days cuvaison, MLF in tank; initial 6 months in new French oak, then 6 – 8 months in a mix; around 300 cases, light fining, filtration uncertain; www.thehaypaddock.co.nz ]
Older ruby. Bouquet is lifted by VA, on oaky and slightly cassisy berry not immediately identifiable as syrah in the blind tasting. In mouth there is fair fruit, more red plums and a hint of raspberries than black fruits, suggestions of white pepper rather than black, more fruit than the Harvestman label, but no great excitement as syrah. Finish is soft and food-friendly, the level of VA not interfering with palate qualities. A little more richness and ripeness is needed here, if the cropping rate is correct, presumably from increasing vine age. Adding petit verdot to syrah seems unwise to me, in the sense it is hard to ripen in Bordeaux, and stalkyness is the last thing one wants in syrah. Merlot usually ripens at about the same time as syrah, and seems a much more fragrant and plausible companion texturally, if a blending partner is needed at all to optimise syrah quality. Cellar 3 – 8 years, in its style. The "overseas" awards are noted. GK 06/10

2004 Matua Sauvignon Blanc Settler Series 16 ½ (

)

New Zealand: 13%; $12 [ screwcap; www.matua.co.nz ]
Lemongreen. A clean firm straightforward sauvignon bouquet, with suggestions of Marlborough black passionfruit, plus some Hawkes Bay peachiness, and a shadow of cardboard which breathes off. Palate is flavoursome, quite rich, 'dry' but not as dry as many, good honest wine at the price. Cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 01/05

2004 Mount Riley Pinot Noir Winemakers Selection 16 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: – %; $31 [ screwcap; no info on Winemakers Selection on website; www.mountriley.co.nz ]
Big pinot noir ruby, one of the deepest. This is very much a new world pinot, with excessive French oak drowning out any chance of florals or clear varietal expression on bouquet. But there is fruit there. On palate the oak again dominates, but fruit richness is good, with blackboy flavours slightly almondy (-ve) underneath, and good acid balance. Mainly it is the oak out of kilter, dulling the wine: fine pinot needs subtlety of handling to reveal varietal complexity. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 11/05

2008 Cable Bay Merlot / Malbec Five Hills 16 ½ (

)

Western Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13%; $35 [ screwcap; Me 46%, Ma 31, CS 17, CF 6, hand-picked @ usually < 2 t/ac; 14 months in French oak, 25% new; www.cablebayvineyards.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet. The wine needs splashy decanting, to reveal red fruits all through, centred on red plum and becoming more fragrant with air. As elsewhere, I'm not convinced malbec ennobles the wine, but this label is not intended to be a premium blend. The predominance of red fruits (rather than black) means the wine ends up a little short with some acid and stalks noticeable, but the oaking is restrained, which helps the balance. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 10/12

2002 Te Awa Syrah 16 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $30 [ 3 weeks cuvaison, MLF in barrel, 14 months in French oak 20% new; www.teawafarm.co.nz ]
Ruby, a little carmine and velvet. Needs vigorous decanting, and even then, initially a modest bouquet tending reductive, with a dank wet-wool suggestion, on unfocussed berry which has some pinotage suggestions amidst the fruit. Palate is much better, good cassisy berry richness, some farmyard complexities, balanced oak. This may blossom in bottle 5 – 10 years, but scored on the current impression. GK 12/04

2002 Fevre Chablis Mont de Milieu Premier Cru 16 ½ (

)

Chablis, France: 13%; $67 [ cork ]
Lemon. A big bouquet, lifted by VA, on peachy fruit and subsidiary MLF and oak. One would never know this to be chablis, though it is clearly chardonnay. Palate is quite fleshy, another one in a Marlborough style. Palate is awkward, the acid and VA seeming unintegrated. Straightforward chardonnay, pleasant drinking, which will cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 02/05

2002 William Hill Pinot Noir 16 ½ (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $35 [ www.williamhill.co.nz ]
Big pinot noir ruby, fractionally darker than the Reserve. Bouquet is tending estery, detracting from unfocussed red fruits. Palate shows VA too, on fair fruit and more obvious oak than the Reserve wine. It is not as elegant therefore, but has pleasing flavour and will be good with food. Cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 10/04

2007 Two Rivers Sauvignon Blanc Convergence 16 ½ (

)

Awatere & Wairau Valleys, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $23 [ screwcap; website not established yet; www.tworiversmarlborough.co.nz ]
Palest lemongreen. Bouquet is clear-cut Marlborough sauvignon, but not quite ripe enough, more a 1980s style maxxing at about the yellow capsicum point. It is therefore fragrant, but a little cool, not showing much black passionfruit and complexity. Palate is sweeter than the class norm, pushing the boundary I'd say, but the whole wine is fresh and flavoursome, the flavours quite concentrated. Not one to cellar though, due to the ripeness level, a year or two only. GK 03/08

2000 Jaboulet Crozes-Hermitage Domaine de Thalabert 16 ½ (

)

Crozes-Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $40 [ no winemaking detail @ website; www.jaboulet.com ]
Lightish older ruby. A step down in the wines at this point, to fruit not ripe enough to achieve the charm of cassis. There are some leafy herbes de Provence notes, some gamey / savoury and lightly bretty suggestions, and pleasant but indeterminate red fruits on bouquet. Palate is more modest, just straightforward savoury European / northern Rhone dinner wine, more noticeably bretty. 2000 was not a great year in Crozes-Hermitage. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 12/04

2003 Chard Farm Pinot Noir Vipers Vineyards 16 ½ (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $38 [ screwcap; www.chardfarm.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. Separating these two Chard Farm pinots is angels on a pinhead stuff. Perhaps the Sugarloaf is faintly less pure, but more concentrated. The Vipers is therefore the more fragrant and lighter of these two supple red cherry pinots. Cellar 3 – 6 years. GK 01/05

2003 Craggy Range Merlot Gimblett Gravels 16 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $26 [ Me 87%, CF 8, Ma 5; hand-picked; delestage = aeration of the must, MLF in barrel, 15 months in French oak 50% new; no info @ website; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. Bouquet is lifted by VA, to show plenty of ripe berry and plenty of oak, but it also plains the wine down. VA is more apparent on palate, exaggerating the oak, and pushing the plummy berry to the background. Clumsy. Much as I dislike reductive characters in wine, the firm's excessive enthusiasm for the delestage approach in 2003 has taken several wines too far down the oxidative path. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 12/04

2002 Neudorf Pinot Noir Moutere 16 ½ (

)

Moutere Hills, Nelson, New Zealand: 14%; $50 [ screwcap; Cooper 2005, *****: a highly complex wine with substantial body, very concentrated flavours, cherryish, nutty and spicy, and a firm tannin grip; no other reviews found; www.neudorf.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby and garnet, one of the lightest. Bouquet is strong, but one has to decide: is it floral or is it leafy ? Florality is the positive side of less ripeness. Tasting to check is the easiest way, and yes, there is less physiological maturity in this fruit, though the actual volume of fruit is good. The florals are sweet-pea to buddleia in ripeness level, the fruit is red currants to red cherry, and the thread of leafyness adds freshness all through. In one sense it is under-ripe, but it is soft too – many cooler years in Burgundy display this suite of aromas and flavours. Holding well, no hurry in its style. GK 10/12

2008 Greystone Pinot Noir 16 ½ (

)

Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 13.5%; $33 [ screwcap; not on the website, but if like the 2009, is hand-picked, 100% de-stemmed, wild yeast fermentation, extended cuvaison; unknown time in French oak perhaps 25% new; www.greystonewines.co.nz ]
Light pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is fragrant in a satellite-Beaune sense, some sweet-pea florals, some leafyness, on redcurrant fruit as much as red cherry. Palate shows pleasing tannin softness relative to the sub-optimal ripeness on bouquet, with clear burgundian delicacy lengthened by a not quite bone dry finish. Blind one would pick this as a Marlborough pinot rather than Waipara. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 06/11

2009 Clos Henri Pinot Noir Bel Echo 16 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $27 [ screwcap; the website gives indicative notes, rather than vintage-specific ones; this wine hand-harvested at c 6 t/ha = 2.4 t/ac from mainly younger valley-flats soils, all de-stemmed, some cold-soak; 35% of the wine raised in large French oak, small part new, balance s/s for freshness; www.clos-henri.com/vineyard/index.en.php4 ]
Pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is clearly varietal, some florals, red cherry, tending cool and leafy. Palate matches, more a satellite-Beaune suite of cooler pinot flavours, but pleasingly balanced to subtle oak. Finish is tending a little short. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 06/11

2001 Babich Chardonnay Irongate 16 ½ (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $33 [ cork; BF in French oak, some new, 10 months LA and batonnage, no MLF; www.babichwines.co.nz ]
Brilliant brassy straw, looking strange in the blind line-up. Bouquet is very developed, with light wet-wool complexities on golden queen peachy fruit, plus wine biscuits. Palate is firm, crisp to slightly too acid, the flavours of peach tart (cooked), fully mature, shortening a little. Good drinking, but if this bottle is representative, the wine would have been better released a year or more ago. Will hold, but on this showing, the 2001 is not a cellar wine, unlike Irongate generally. GK 03/05

2010 Stoneleigh Riesling 16 ½ (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 11.8%; $25 [ screwcap; some vines to 25 years age, cool-fermented in s/s, no solids, no oak; pH 3.04, RS 10.7 g/L; promoted down to $12 in supermarkets recently; background @ the website given leads to specs; www.stoneleigh.co.nz/wines/stoneleigh/riesling.html ]
Lemon-green, paleish, a little lighter than the Vidal. Bouquet is clearly varietal in an austere Saar / Ruwer style, light white florals, cooking apples, mineral in the sense of knapped rocks. Palate lacks the fruit of the good wines here, clearly a higher cropping rate wine covered by higher residual than for example the Vidal. But it is all clean and pure, and not too phenolic. Another wine needing three years in bottle before it is worth drinking, and will cellar to 10 years. GK 06/11

2010 Poderi Crisci Merlot Riserva 16 ½ (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14.2%; $46 [ cork; Me 100%, hand-harvested, wild-yeast ferments, if like other vintages, 18 months in all-French oak 30% new; www.podericrisci.co.nz ]
Ruby, something odd here, the colour is paler and older than the 2009 Merlot Riserva. Does this reflect a supposition that because 2010 is a great vintage, the wine would benefit from more oak ? Both bouquet and palate do show more oak, but less oak 'other complexity' than the 2009. The nett result is the wine has ended up a size smaller, though clearly related. Intriguing. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 10/12

2003 Sokol Blosser Pinot Noir Dundee Hills 16 ½ (

)

Dundee, Oregon, USA: 14.5%; $ – [ cork; this is a $US50 wine these days, $US28 at release; contemporary reviews describe it as tending dry; the website is narrative rather than informative about current wines, nothing on older; sample courtesy Andrew Swann, Wellington; www.sokolblosser.com ]
Medium pinot noir garnet and ruby. Bouquet is fragrant and fully mature, a somewhat oaky pinot noir in this context, close to the village Rousseau in one sense, but in contrast clumsy on the new oak. Palate is fully mature too, good fruit but some decay in an undergrowth sense, the oak standing firm and drying the wine. Interesting to have among the New Zealanders, though. GK 06/11

2009 Kidnapper Cliffs Cabernet Franc 16 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $45 [ cork; CF 100%, typically hand-picked @ c. 5 t/ha = 2 t/ac; all de-stemmed, 7 days cold-soak, 13 days total cuvaison, MLF preferably with the alcoholic fermentation but in any case before barrel; typically 18 – 20 months in French 300s and 220s, 25% new; www.kidnappercliffs.com ]
Dense ruby, carmine and velvet, on a par with the Malbec. Bouquet here is simply inappropriate to the variety. Like the Dry River pinot noir in many years, it is so over-ripe there is no hint of florality. The whole point of cabernet franc in the Bordeaux / Hawke's Bay blends, or as a single variety, is the fresh but ripe red roses / red fruits beauty of its bouquet, subtle, charming the senses. You only need to taste one of the great St Emilion exemplars where the variety dominates to know that. Cheval Blanc is 58% cabernet franc for example, and as Stephen Brook says in his recent highly-acclaimed book on the wines of Bordeaux, "a great Cheval Blanc is about perfume ...". That was evident in the Cheval Blanc shown in the 2010 Cabernet / Merlot conference in Hawke's Bay, though not all local winemakers, aspiring to burlier stuff, could see it. Sad. The bouquet on the Kidnapper example is full, heavy and over-ripe, and further dulled by some reduction. Palate confirms, a big wine, which will cellar well in its dull way. Like the syrah, it may bury its reduction, but I'm not wagering my dollars. Those who like Irvine's incongruous idea of great McLaren Vale Merlot will like this. Some of the flattering published reviews for this wine are simply wayward for a specified-variety temperate-climate wine – it is labelled cabernet franc, for heaven's sake. Cellar 5 – 20 + years. GK 08/11

2007 Bell Hill Pinot Noir Old Weka Pass Road 16 ½ (

)

Waipara Valley, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 13.5%; $40 [ screwcap; hand-harvested from younger vines planted at classic European densities averaging c.10 000 / ha, on limestone; long cold-soak, 28 day cuvaison; 12 – 14 months in oak, around 66% new; this wine a 3-barrel selection, website still difficult to access by address, via google best; www.bellhill.co.nz ]
Older pinot noir ruby, above midway in depth, older than the Bell Hill proper. This wine was markedly vegetal on initial opening, and clearly needed decanting. It breathes up to a less ripe version of the senior wine, but here with stalky notes suffused through red fruits more than black. The level of oak on palate tends to accentuate the stalkyness, so though the wine is quite rich, it is awkward. Old Weka Pass is the label for fruit from younger vines, or parts of the vineyard excluded from the senior wine. Actual length of fruit is good, in its style. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 09/13

2007 Jacobs Creek Rosé Three Vines 16 ½ (

)

Australia: 13%; $14 [ screwcap; the 'three vines' are shiraz for plumminess, grenache for spice, and sangiovese for a savoury note; a pretentious, tiresomely slow, and uninformative website, giving no info on this wine within a reasonable timespan – it needs a Search function on the home page; www.jacobscreek.com.au ]
Typical rosé. The bouquet here shows pleasant light red fruits, with an unfocussed quality which is unclear as to variety, but nothing to object to. Palate is closer to the Morton in style though a little drier, but as is so often the case, there is not the textural harmony New Zealand wines can achieve, the wine finishing a little phenolic. A pleasant and 'safe' rosé label. Cellar another year or so. GK 03/09

2004 Angus Cabernet Sauvignon The Bull 16 ½ (

)

Seven districts in Victoria / South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $20 [ 2 + 2 cork; roto-fermenter or s/s fermentation, some oak maturation; www.angusthebull.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, dense. Bouquet is relatively rich, potentially cassisy, but there is a worrying lesser Coonawarra-like odour combining retained fermentation odours with green machine-picked fruit. Palate immediately expands the green and stalky component, though the wine is indeed rich, and one can see cassis and cabernet berry character. The new oak is a bit raw, which with the retained fermentation odours and the colour makes one wonder if some of the wine may be chips plus stainless steel (later: website hints at this). The result is a real doughnut cabernet, big but not very beautiful. It does breathe up, and as a youthful wine is well balanced technically, and may cellar well. It could surprise. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 03/06

nv Krug Grande Cuvée Brut 16 ½ (

)

Reims, Champagne, France: 12%; $292 [ cork; PN ±50%, Ch ±30, PM ±20; 40 000 cases; BF for primary fermentation, no MLF; website in development; www.champagne-krug.com ]
Lemon, like the Taittinger. In the blind bubbly tasting, bumping into a Krug wine in the line-up is like trying to conceal the average Australian cabernet in an international Bordeaux-style tasting. And as much as I don't want to smell and taste eucalyptus in red wines, I don't want methode champenoise wines that smell of acrid new oak, taste of new oak, and have an aftertaste of new oak. So I come into a minority of wine people who believes that Krug suffers from the "the King's new clothes syndrome", and the intrinsic wine has little to say about the beauty of pinot noir, pinot meunier and chardonnay, when sympathetically handled. As an oak solution in wine, it is technically sound, and underneath one can physically detect rich fruit. But one can't taste it, apart from acid. A fashion phenomenon, methinks, at the price. GK 11/05

2001 Carruades de Lafite 16 ½ (

)

Pauillac, Bordeaux, France: 12.5%; $110 [ Second wine of Ch Lafite; CS 50%, Me 42, CF 7, PV 1; 18 months in 10 – 15% new French oak; www.lafite.com ]
Ruby, a suggestion of carmine and velvet. This is an odd-man-out in the Bordeaux, the wine having a plummy and almost obvious blackberry character to it which is both modern and new world, exacerbated by a touch of VA. On palate it is likewise a long way from classical young claret, showing as soft, juicy, full of berries. This is almost a populist Bordeaux style, perfectly good in its way, but one would never think it the second wine of a first growth. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 07/04

2003 Viu Manent Merlot Reserve 16 ½ (

)

Colchagua Valley, Chile: 13.5%; $17 [ cork; Me 100%; 16 months in 100% French oak, c. 35% new; www.viumanent.cl/ingles ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. There is an oak-smothered dullness about this wine, simply because the subtler and ideally more floral / fragrant merlot cannot dominate oak in the way cassisy cabernet can. The wine smells like a heavy, oaky, hot climate red, variety incidental. As such, on palate, there is great fruit, which would probably have been freshly plummy and delightful in a subtler elevage. As it stands, it is hard to differentiate the wine from many heavy over-oaked Australian merlots. Hard to score, since good in parts. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 12/04

2004 Mountford Pinot Noir 16 ½ (

)

Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 14%; $59 [ cork; vines 6 – 15 years old, hand-harvested; 7 day cold-soak; 15 months in French oak 35% new, on lees with batonnage ]
Lightish pinot noir ruby, older than many. Bouquet opens modestly, vaguely red fruits and some cardboard, a slight hint of burnt custard presumably from vanillin oak. This needs a splashy decanting. Thus treated, palate is much better, a soft style of pinot noir like modest village Beaune, red fruits and cherries, some richness and texture, markedly richer than the Martinborough, easy drinking. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/06

2002 Tindall Chardonnay 16 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $13 [ winemaker John Forrest; LA, MLF and oak ]
Lemongreen. This is an understated chardonnay, in the white stonefruits class, rather than the more figgy mendoza-based wines. There is an extended lees autolysis quality to the bouquet reminiscent of methode champenoise. Palate adds flavours tending to breadcrumb rather than crust onto the stonefruit. Good acid and under-pinning oak should allow the wine to mature gracefully, and probably develop more character over 2 – 4 years. Could become good value. GK 01/05

2001 Rousseau Gevrey-Chambertin les Cazetiers 16 ½ (

)

Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 13%; $102 [ second-year oak ]
Pinot ruby, but one of the lighter. An elusive bouquet, with some floral vanilla on redfruits, sweet and charming, but light. Palate is one of the lean ones, slightly oaky for the weight of fruit, with suggestions of redfruits alone – red currants and red cherries, becoming a little acid as one drinks it. More and better oak than the village wine, but less fruit. Cellar 3 – 6 years. GK 02/05

2007 Mountford Estate Pinot Noir 16 ½ (

)

Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 14.3%; $59 [ cork; awaiting current info, apart from the oak being French, 100% new; www.mountfordvineyard.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby, some maturity showing. Initial impressions are favourable, with good buddleia-level floral components on red fruits, plus noticeable oak. Palate confirms insufficient physiological maturity, the fruit rich, but a clear stalky note too, the wine long-flavoured but finishing on oak more than fruit. This Mountford is surprisingly like the Ara wine, but more concentrated. A 100% new oak approach to pinot noir is dubious, even with fruit much more physiologically mature than this. Cellar 3 – 7 years. GK 02/10

2002 Alan McCorkindale Blanc de Blancs 16 ½ (

)

Waipara, Canterbury, New Zealand: 12.5%; $27 [ supercritical ‘cork’; Ch 100%, hand-harvested; some BF; understood to be c.4 years en tirage; www.waiparawine.co.nz ]
Lemon. Bouquet is clearly in a chardonnay style, and contains an interesting floral note, in the way fine chablis sometimes does. Depth of autolysis is not marked, but it is pure. Palate brings up a greater depth of both fruit and autolysis, but is offset by a dosage which is higher than ideal – as sweet as or sweeter than Lindauer Reserve Blanc de Blancs, without quite the definition. Like that wine, these McCorkindales will probably score better after five years in bottle. Fruit quality would have absorbed appreciably longer on tirage, and less dosage. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 12/06

2008 Babich Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot / Cabernet Franc Irongate 16 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $ – [ supercritical 'cork' = Diam 46mm; CS 66, Me 24, CF 10, hand-harvested; extended cuvaison; 18 months in French oak usually 30 – 35% new; RS <1 g/L; www.babichwines.co.nz ]
Older ruby, medium weight. Bouquet is fresh and fragrant in one sense, but also already clearly showing secondary aromas. The nett impression is of an older New Zealand style of cabernet, only just ripe enough, more red fruits than black. Palate confirms that impression, on an attractive amalgam of light cassis, red plum, some leafy tobacco and some cedar, in a cool-year minor Medoc styling. This would be refreshing wine with a main course that needed a little acid, in the way chianti is good with pizza. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 07/16

1967 Western Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon 16 ½ (

)

Henderson, Auckland district, New Zealand: – %; $ – [ Cork 40mm; so long since a practising winery, few now even know of it, but was 'famous' for table wines in the '50s and early '60s, mainly whites. Not even a vineyard, now, residential. Joe Babich confirms there were cabernet grapes, but only enough for two small (50-gallon) barrels / year to be made, so the wine now is rare beyond belief. I thought this might be the most dubious wine, and commented it would only be presented if it opened sufficiently well. It seemed 'genuine' in its day, and in fact opened convincingly. Whisky or bourbon barrels, therefore probably US oak. ]
Ruby and garnet, the second deepest wine. This wine smelt a little different, initially, but became better and better with air. Knowing it had most likely been raised in American whisky barrels, that thought was inescapable in tasting it, but nonetheless the volume of browning cassisy berry grew and grew. Palate weight was clearly richer than the 1967 McWilliams, and even the 1969 McWilliams, but the purity of flavour is less than the 1969. The ripeness level is far greater than popular mythology would consider 'normal' for Henderson, for example the Babich 1978 Cabernet Sauvignon, which raises interesting questions. At the tasting it seemed somewhat leathery and muted, but the dregs I conserve (with all the sediment, lots in this case) clarified beautifully, and the wine evolved for several days in the glass. The ultimate ratio of berry to oak is in fact better than the Nobilo '74, with clearly noticeable dry extract. GK 02/16

2011 Coopers Creek Malbec St John Select Vineyards 16 ½ (

)

Bridge Pa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $35 [ screwcap; c.12 months in older barrels; sterile-filtered but not fined; RS 3.5 g/L; on the arcane side, the name is correctly pronounced Sin-jin …; www.cooperscreek.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, amazingly fresh for a 2011, in the top third for weight. On bouquet this is another rich modern wine with dark berry, darkest of omega plums, darker than merlot, and a hint of seaweed, all suggesting malbec. Palate is not so good, the oak a bit noticeable, the fruit thinning, rather much stalk (as so bedevils New Zealand malbec), and the finish not hanging together as well as the top wines here. It is still youthful in nett impression, and should mellow a good deal in bottle. Even so, it will be a great day when our people quit malbec, a few special sites excepted. And even for those sites, blending away the wine will be needed most years, once we become less tolerant of stalky red wines in New Zealand. Cellar 5 – 12 years, to mellow somewhat. GK 06/14

2005 Mills Reef Malbec Reserve 16 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $21 [ screwcap; DFB; this vintage not on website yet; www.millsreef.co.nz ]
Dense ruby, carmine and velvet. Freshly opened, bouquet is marcy and skinsy, rich, but with a suggestion of retained fermentation odours. Decanted and breathed, it opens up to dark bottled plums and blackcurrant. Palate is intensely flavoured, but oaky and very acid, so the whole thing is rather piercing at this stage. Concentration is excellent, giving a dry vintage port suggestion to it. I wouldn't touch this for five years, when it could surprise and demand re-rating. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 03/07

2010 Georges Road Riesling Block Three 16 ½ (

)

Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 11%; $23 [ supercritical 'cork'; hand-harvested; wild-yeast coolish fermentation in s/s, stop-fermented followed by 4 – 5 months LA, pH 3.15, RS 30 g/L; www.georgesroadwines.co.nz ]
Lemon-green. Bouquet is clean, delicately floral, lightly varietal, showing promise. Palate adds clear citrus zest and white stonefruits flavours, on medium sweetness. Straightforward pleasant riesling to cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 07/11

2014 Wairau River Pinot Noir 16 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $25 [ screwcap; 10 months in French oak, % new not given; RS 2 g/L; www.wairauriverwines.com ]
Lightish pinot noir ruby, in the fourth quarter for depth. This is another wine in the light fragrant buddleia florals and redcurrant / red cherry fruit style, but with a clear suggestion of leaf. Palate adds a hint of raspberry to the redcurrant and red cherry, medium concentration, subtle oaking, but clearly leafy now, all a little cool. Pleasant medium pinot, to cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/17

1998 Rostaing Cote Rotie la Landonne 16 ½ (

)

Cote Rotie, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $ – [ cork; Sy 100%; usually 75% de-stemmed; 18 – 24 months in two barrel sizes, 10% new; not filtered; Parker, 2001: 93 Sadly, there are only 7,700 bottles of the 1998 Cote Rotie La Landonne. This spectacular offering boasts a deep purple color in addition to a dense nose that the French would call a confiture of black fruits, particularly plums, blackberries, and black currants. Superb aromatics jump from the glass of this young, unevolved 1998. On the palate, it is deep and dense, with a multi-layered texture, and terrific purity and concentration. It possesses a sweet, concentrated mid-palate, well-integrated tannin, and a long finish. This wine needs a few years of cellaring, but it is thrilling to taste at present. It will drink well young, but will last for 15-20 years. L-L 2005: *** Pine / spice bouquet, violets. Mineral, dry-toned, assertive flavour, has a brittle black fruit side. Drinks younger than its age. Clear elegant wine – reflects the Burgundian finesse of its cask days. Fruit is plum / cherry style. Can soften more. 2010 – 14; imported by Glengarry, Auckland. ]
Ruby and some velvet, in the middle for colour. This was ‘the Australian’ in the bunch, the bouquet showing clear suggestions of baking and slight oxidation, 1960s style, taking the florals and subtlety out of the wine. Palate has firm plummy quite rich fruit, but also some old oak flavours as well as threshold oxidation. It is shorter and drier on the fruit than most Aussie shiraz, but a step in that direction. At a peak, but no hurry. GK 04/09

2007 Gilles Robin Crozes-Hermitage Papillon 16 ½ (

)

Crozes-Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $38 [ cork; Sy 100%; Papillon is the estate's commercial wine, with enzyme use pre-fermentation, seeing little or no oak but some aeration in (presumably concrete) tank, fined and filtered; a Maison Vauron wine ]
Older ruby and velvet, quite deep. Bouquet is strong and fragrant in the set, with an off-centre floral component reminiscent of paper-whites / jonquils plus almost a suggestion of spearmint. There is also a darkly spicy nutmeg and friars balsam hint, which is probably brett-related. Palate shows fair fruit which is clearly syrah, quite darkly plummy with a hint of black peppercorn, older oak only, all quite rich and more attractive than the bouquet. All in all, rich, mixed ripeness, old-fashioned / rustic syrah, which should cellar 5 – 8 years. When English winewriters persist in comparing better New Zealand syrahs with the wines of Crozes-Hermitage, wines like this though quite widely distributed show that the comments are near-insults. GK 06/10

2009 Crossroads Talisman 16 ½ (

)

Hawkes Bay (three districts), New Zealand: 14.5%; $50 [ screwcap; mostly hand-picked; cepage not revealed – see text; 14 months in all-new oak, French 85%, balance American; RS ‘dry’; www.crossroadswinery.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, in the top quarter for richness. Freshly opened, the wine has a wayward quality to it which could be attributed to youth. Given air-time, it opens to rich oaky red, the oak rather masking the childish game this winery perseveres with, of keeping the varieties "secret". In mouth the oak is clumsy, the grapes seem to be merlot dominant, but with flavoursome others like malbec. The whole thing is rather heavy and lacking charm, in this set of 63 wines. Wins points for richness, though. Only fair to note I scored it much more highly (18 +) Aug. 2011, noting that bottle had been open some hours. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 06/12

1971 Julius Kayser Waldracher Krone-Ehrenberg Auslese QmP 16 ½ (

)

Ruwer Valley, Germany: – %; $ – [ cork, 45mm; I can find nothing wine-oriented about this firm, formerly based in the Mittel-Mosel town of Traben-Trarbach. The bottle label proudly refers to 300 years of cellar-wine tradition, but other Net references imply the firm may have been more a commercially-oriented negociant than a grower. Latest reference to it 1990, so it may not now exist. One of the ex-auction bottles. ]
Full gold with a wash of old gold, the deepest of the spatlesen and auslesen. Nett impressions of the bouquet can be summed up in whether one refers to the bouquet as honeyed (bush honey) and biscuitty, or showing its age with a little oxidation / trace Fino sherry character. It is still obviously mature riesling, with the suggestion of hoppy terpenes. Palate is lighter and drier than most, one would think it spatlese, but the nett flavours are still surprisingly long, pleasing, and riesling in flavour and style, on the light alcohol and sugar / acid balance. It doesn't taste like a Fino, at all. A little past its prime, but one of the winemakers loved it, saying how good it would be with salted fish. Clearly the least-liked wine, 10 least votes, noting that in some Library Tastings to be least does not mean the wine is no good. GK 11/17

2012 Grasshopper Rock Pinot Noir Earnscleugh Vineyard 16 ½ (

)

Alexandra, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.4%; $33 [ screwcap; Grasshopper Rock is unusual in the NZ milieu in that it is a single-variety vision to excel with pinot noir. It is a partnership of five couples, founded in 2003. Right from the start, the wines did well, reflecting conservative cropping rates, good flavours and richness, and affordable prices. Throughout the one main wine has been made by VinPro, with Peter Bartle currently their lead winemaker (since 2010), and prior to that Carol Bunn. Being in Alexandra, the vineyard is amongst the southernmost in the world. Six clones of pinot noir are grown. Rainfall averages 300mm per annum. 2012 though initially cool in Central Otago finished on a better note than most districts in New Zealand, with a longer dry interval. This wine had c.10 months in French oak, 30% new, and has a dry extract of 29 g/L, RS well under 1 g/L; www.grasshopperrock.co.nz ]
Lighter pinot noir ruby, the lightest of the over-$30 wines. Bouquet share some attributes with the Ostler, in being beautifully clean, and highly fragrant, but ultimately lacking critical ripeness. The florals here are all at the buddleia end of the spectrum, some rose, again only hints of boronia, though the fruit is clearly varietal. Again one is fearful the taste will be incomplete, and so it proves, red currants, raspberry, some red cherry, but total acid up and a stalky underpinning. Actual fruit weight and concentration is good, and this will evolve into an interesting and clearly burgundian wine, but more as Savigny-les-Beaune than anything more noble. Given some of the lovely earlier Grasshopper pinots, I wonder why they picked at this point, before a suggestion of black cherry developed in the fruit ? Perhaps in 2012 the crop was too heavy to achieve appropriate ripening. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/14

2003 Wither Hills Pinot Noir 16 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $46 [ screwcap; nil whole bunch; 14 months in French oak, 50 – 60% new; www.witherhills.co.nz ]
Mature pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is clearly leafy here, not quite clean, a little stewed with trace VA, but the nett impression is fragrant and older-style New Zealand pinot. Palate follows exactly, a little oaky relative to the fruit qualities, a touch of acid correlating with the leafy notes, but reasonably attractive very dry wine. Fully mature. GK 02/10

nv Champagne R H Coutier Tradition Brut 16 ½ (

)

Ambonnay, Champagne, France: – %; $67 [ traditional compound champagne cork; PN 68%, Ch 32; apparently 50% only of the base wine goes through MLF; tirage detail not available; conflicting info on merchant websites ]
Straw. On bouquet this is fractionally the 'wildest' of the four, making it quite distinct from the average grande marque wine. The high pinot noir is not particularly evident on bouquet, which is a little strange (at least in this bottle), but it is on palate, where there is a suggestion of light tannin structure underpinning some autolysis and fruit flavours. There is a hint of mushroom too, in the red fruits. This is fractionally the sweetest of these four wines, in contradistinction to info on-line, but is still clearly less than Lindauer Special Reserve, say 8 – 9 g/L. Perhaps not a wine for long-term cellar, say 3 – 8 years. GK 05/16

1999 d'Alessandro Syrah Il Bosco 16 ½ (

)

Cortona DOC, Tuscany, Italy: 13%; $60 [ cork, 49mm; release price $US45; planting of syrah in hillside vineyards started in 1988, the first Il Bosco wine produced in 1992; cepage Sy 90%, Sa 10, planted at 7,000 vines / ha; fermentation in oak cuves with extended cuvaison c.30 days, then elevation 12 months in barrique, not filtered; [ latterly, the ratio of small oak has been reduced ]; Robinson, 2009: Still a very dark crimson with a blackish core. Lift and a sort of 'high altitude' nose - much livelier than La Braccesca served immediately before it. Velvety rich texture with just very slight dry dustiness on the finish. Racy and really quite refined. Fills all the holes on the palate. Lovely refinement. No heat on the end. Complete. Some slightly austere finish (the Syrah tannins and dryness presumably), 18 (Robinson's highest score ever for this label); Wine Spectator, 2001: A solid Syrah. Aromas of bright fruit and spices, with hints of meat and black pepper. Medium- to full-bodied, with fine tannins and a bright, fruity aftertaste. Very tight and chewy now. Best after 2004. 5,500 cases made, 90; bottle weight dry 635 grams; www.tenimentidalessandro.it/en/bosco ]
Colour is darker but older than the 1999 Guigal, and below midway in depth. Bouquet is very fragrant, but partly because of the lifted Oxo cube suggestions and some brett, plus some oxidation too. Below is browning berry. As is often the case with such wines, in mouth the nett flavours and subtlety of the wine, with its browning cassis fruit appropriate to mature syrah, lovely low alcohol, gentle oak and natural acid finish mean this would be simply superb with (say) roast beef, roast vegetables and (genuine) gravy. Difficult wine to score, purists damning it on technical grounds, totally overlooking its great food-friendlyness and drinkability. At the tasting, a questioner asked if maybe that bottle was a lesser one, the cork ? The following night I checked a second bottle: it was conspicuously more bretty. Fully mature to fading a little, dry to the attractively lingering finish. GK 03/18

2010 Auntsfield Pinot Noir Heritage 16 ½ (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $122 [ screwcap; www.auntsfield.co.nz ]
Quite full pinot noir ruby, some age apparent, just above midway in depth. Bouquet is quite developed, clear secondary characteristics, browning red cherry with brown tobacco and cedar, and just a hint of leaf in the tobacco. Palate is rich, oaky and cedary, mellow, a little heavy and not convincingly varietal, but attractive as mature red wine in general. There is just the thought that some of the fruit was a bit stalky in youth, but the concentration obscures that. A hard wine to score, the moreso when you later know the price, but this is a pinot noir class, in which it does not shine at the blind evaluation stage. Comparison with any one of the top three wines highlights that. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/16

2013 Te Mata Merlot / Cabernet Estate 16 ½ (

)

Bridge Pa Triangle, Havelock Hills & Woodthorpe Terraces, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $22 [ screwcap; Me 58%, CS 31, CF11; 12 months in French oak some new; www.temata.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, well below midway in intensity. Bouquet is freshly berried and fragrant, but not complexly floral the way the premium Te Mata reds are. Instead there is a simpler fruit / oak red wine aroma closer in style to the Craggy Merlot, but much lighter. Palate is a clear step down from the top two Te Matas, with a raw tannic edge, and a lack of ripeness and body contrasting with the Craggy wines. In a year like 2013, again this can only mean the cropping rate was too high for red wine quality. Even so, this Estate Merlot / Cabernet has more to say than the Estate Syrah, and it should cellar well for 5 – 15 years. GK 03/15

2004 Penfolds Koonunga Hill Shiraz / Cabernet 16 ½ (

)

Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale, & Langhorne Creek, South Australia, Australia: 13.5%; $17 [ screwcap; Sh > CS; c. 10 months in older oak only, both French & American; www.penfolds.com.au ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, the lightest of the shiraz-style wines in this batch. Bouquet is fresh red fruits alongside the Penfolds Bin wines, as if a percentage of the wine perhaps does not see oak. Cassis, plum and boysenberry qualities are all present, all fragrant and attractive. Palate brings up the boysenberry of typical Australian shiraz, and the whole is very youthful and a little raw at this stage. But this is serious red wine, dry finish, which will amply repay cellaring. In three years it will still be fresh, but more mellow than today, and in 10 years will be attractive mature red. It will achieve this on its intrinsic fruit quality and excellent technical balance, plus restrained oak. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 07/06

2014 Kumeu River Chardonnay Village 16 ½ (

)

Kumeu, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.5%; $17 [ screwcap; hand-harvested, mostly clones 6 & 15; whole-bunch pressed; wild-yeast fermentation, mostly s/s ferment and lees contact, a small percentage fermented in old barrels; 100% MLF, c.8 months LA; RS nil; www.kumeuriver.co.nz ]
Straw, the most coloured of the five Kumeu River chardonnays in 2014. Initial bouquet on this chardonnay is clearly reductive, masking the beauty of chardonnay the grape. Flavours in mouth are mostly white stonefruits, but the whole wine is markedly smaller, leaner, and more 'mineral' than the other four chardonnays. Thus both acid and oak are more apparent, and the reduction leans off the nett impression even further. Presumably odd sulky barrels of the top wines end up in here, too. It will be more mellow in two years, but it is doubtful people buy this wine to cellar it. Being made with all the skill that goes into the top wines, it will in fact cellar 3 – 8 years, and be much better for it. GK 03/16

1967 McWilliams Cabernet Sauvignon 16 ½ (

)

Taradale, Hawke's Bay, New Zealand: – %; $2.40 [ Cork 47mm; US oak. ]
Light garnet and ruby, healthy. Bouquet still retains that familiar curious American-style oak that characterises the McWilliams cabernets of that era, in a quite fragrant wine. It is more oaky than a cru bourgeois would be, and now faded to a point where it is a stretch to recognise blackcurrant, exactly. But on palate, a browning berry / even cassis quality does come through, the wine is indeed healthy, quite good fruit considering, still some texture and mouthfeel to balance the oak, finishing neatly. At one stage the 1967 had an awkward quality to it, but it is much more in line for an old cabernet sauvignon, now. Fading, but will hold a few more years. GK 02/16

2008 Amisfield Sauvignon Blanc 16 ½ (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $30 [ screwcap; SB 100% Central Otago-grown @ Lowburn, harvested in three tranches – 20% early-picked and cold-fermented in s/s, 70 picked at standard ripeness and s/s; 10% picked very ripe, wild-yeast BF and LA in French oak as for chardonnay; www.amisfield.co.nz ]
Pale lemongreen. The 2006 of this label was magical, but this vintage shows higher total sulphur at this stage, on baseline fruit in a cooler style than Marlborough, gooseberry more than black passionfruit. Palate implies a significant lees-autolysis component to enrich it [ confirmed ], but perhaps because the pH is lower, the SO2 is obtrusive. Otherwise, it is very pure, and there are components in here to like. As discussed for the Craggy Range wines, this needs to be released at least a year after vintage. It is richer than the Mount Difficulty Sauvignon Blanc, and should rate higher 12 months from now. For the moment, it is another Sancerre-like wine (except for the oak). This could be exciting in three or so years. Cellar 2 – 10 years. GK 11/08

2003 Paringa Estate Pinot Noir 16 ½ (

)

Mornington Peninsula, Victoria, Australia: 13.7%; $55 [ AU$; clones C15V and others, up to 17 years, harvested @ 2 t/ac; 100% de-stemmed, 5 days cold soak, up to 14 days cuvaison; 11 months French oak 50% new; medium filtration; www.paringaestate.com.au ]
Pinot noir ruby. This is an impossible wine to assess, for though not seen blind at the Conference, the first and main thing it had to say on bouquet was eucalyptus. Since the point of pinot noir is its floral charm and precise varietal characters, any sample of the grape that says more about its country of origin than the variety cannot be taken too seriously. This is where the whole permissive concept of terroir becomes tiresome in the extreme. But persevering, there are pretty red fruits, and in mouth, the approach and texture fits within the range of styles for pinot noir. It is closest to the Au Bon Climat, the red fruits of a warmer climate, showing good strawberry succulence. This should cellar for 3 – 10 years. Score has to be arbitrary. In the commentary from the international panel, not one speaker was prepared to say the wine was euc'y, though Bob Campbell hinted at it. Several appeared not to notice at all. All very odd. GK 01/07

2007 Astrolabe Pinot Noir Voyage 16 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $26 [ screwcap; 7 clones grown in the Waihopai, Brancott & Wairau Valleys, including older sites; hand-harvested, 100% de-stemmed, 5 days cold soak, 33% wild yeast, partial barrel-ferment; MLF and time in French oak some new; RS 1.2 g/L; Astrolabe is now famous for its standard-label Sauvignon Blanc – their Sauvignons account for 80% of production, but there is a good range of other varieties. The wine are marketed in 3 series, the standard blended wines labelled (very faintly) Voyage), individual site wines labelled Discovery, and occasional special wines labelled Experience; www.astrolabewines.co.nz ]
Big pinot noir ruby. This is a very fragrant pinot, absolutely in the Marlborough mainstream, a little herbes and leafyness in red more than black cherry, with florals at the buddleia level, in contrast to the deeper physiological maturity of the Otago wines. Palate is explicitly varietal, fair fruit, but the leafyness persisting. Oak has been carefully handled. Wines like this still win gold medals in New Zealand pinot judging, so it is well worth trying. It is more concentrated than the Villa Maria Pinot Noir PB, though displaying similar physiological maturity. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 03/09

2008 Neudorf Pinot Gris Moutere 16 ½ (

)

Moutere Hills, Nelson, New Zealand: 13.7%; $28 [ screwcap; hand-harvested; whole-bunch pressed; the younger-vines fruit BF with wild yeast in older French oak with some solids, the older Mission-clone part wild yeast and warm-fermented in s/s over 24 days; 7 months LA and some stirring; RS 11.6 g/L; 129 cases; www.neudorf.co.nz ]
Lemongreen. Bouquet is youthful at this stage, still showing some SO2 to marry in. In the blind tasting this seems a pure but very subtle pearflesh version of pinot gris (perhaps because the wine is 100% varietal), and some lees-autolysis of near-baguette quality, but again subtle. Palate is rich, but so far lacks flavour. Finish is above riesling ‘dry' in sweetness [ confirmed ]. Pinot gris is subtle at the best of times, a character sometimes exacerbated by over-ripeness (the Aussie dilemma referred to). But the alcohol here is 13.7%, which should be within bounds. Puzzled by this wine, which shares something with Larry McKenna’s much-worked Martinborough wine already referred to. In both wines there is this risk of the winemaking overtaking the varietal character. Cellar 2 – 6 years, for it will certainly develop more character on both the richness and the elegant lees-autolysis. Whether it ends up more chablis-like or more varietal remains to be seen.

An ‘issue’ is developing in the appraisal of New Zealand pinot gris. Many commentators mark them as variously full-bodied whites, particularly in Australia where the variety lacks character. Conversely I believe the variety has beautiful varietal character when handled appropriately, and in a climate such as New Zealand’s, the wines should express that. Pinot gris is a pinot-family grape, and when not over-ripened is floral. I therefore specifically seek the yellow-floral varietal character of fine pinot gris, and tend to mark down the ubiquitous pearflesh character of over-ripened fruit so praised in New Zealand. Hence my recent low scoring of Larry McKenna’s much-praised pinot gris. Neudorf Pinot Gris enjoys a similar reputation, but I believe careful tasters must mark the wine, not the label or the proprietor’s reputation. The latter phenomenon is more common than one might suppose. GK 05/09

2010 Riverby Estate Pinot Noir Reserve Single Vineyard 16 ½ (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 12.5%; $ – [ screwcap; hand-picked from vines up to 14 years age, typically at 6 t/ha = 2.4 t/ac; all destemmed; the Reserve (introduced 2010) is a top 6 to 8 barrel selection, 14 – 15 months in French oak, a little more than 30% new; RS nil; www.riverbyestate.com ]
Quite big pinot noir ruby, in the second quarter for depth. Bouquet is complex in a familiar New Zealand pinot style, smelling quite rich so maybe a lower cropping rate, rather than simply a proposed Reserve wine given more oak. The problem is, if ripeness is imperfect, both steps increase the likelihood of leafy notes. It is a knife edge between leafy and floral, and many commentators do not differentiate. Thus this wine has a good volume of mature red cherry fruit browning now, plus faded leafy florals which were of the buddleia kind, and noticeable oak. Palate is long flavoured and supple, richer than the standard Riverby, the oak of good quality and cedary, but the flavours include a stalky note. The wine could be marked higher by those favouring leafy pinot noirs, in the way the Brits mark up green capsicum sauvignons rather than the red capsicum smells and flavours New Zealanders favour. Fully mature, drying just a little. GK 06/17

2017 Valli Pinot Noir Waitaki 16 ½ (

)

Waitaki Valley, North Otago, New Zealand: 13%; $70 [ screwcap; hand-harvested @ 2 t/ha (0.8 t/ac) from 16-year old vines (a mix of Davis and Dijon clones, some Abel), growing in limestone-influenced soils; ferments include a 10% whole-bunch component, cuvaison 20 days; 11 months in French oak 27% new, the balance first-and second-year; not fined or filtered; growing season c.800 GDD; production 483 x 9-litre cases; exemplary website; www.valliwine.com ]
Light pinot noir ruby, the lightest of the pinots. Bouquet fails to achieve appropriate pinot noir ripeness, being lightly floral but equally leafy / stalky. The floral notes are more in the light buddleia style. Red fruits underlie. Palate is all red fruits, but very light, even red currants and pomegranate with red cherry, with acid and stalks noticeable. As so often in the Waitaki Valley, to achieve appropriate ripeness in pinot noir is the great challenge. Here is a district acutely in need of global warming, if it is to produce good pinot noir at all consistently. [ To judge from the Valli two, the rieslings in this tasting suggest the Waitaki Valley's great future strength.] Cellar 3 – 8 years only, in its modest style. As to the price, one can understand the desire to have all the wines in the regional set the same price, since equal work and cost goes into each (approximately – note the cropping rate for this wine). In my view it would reflect well on the winery to in fact have a lower price for any wine in the set which in that year does not meet the winery's customary standard. This is after all a New Zealand winery which par excellence demonstrably knows what good pinot noir is about. The website records reviews from other wine-writers all scoring this wine in the 90s … once again confirming my long-held view that the inability to perceive under-ripeness in red wines is a systemic problem in New Zealand wine judging and wine-writing. GK 06/19

2003 Ma Maison Pinot Noir Reserve 16 ½ (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13%; $ – [ cork; winemaker Chris Buring; no info readily available on this winery ]
Pinot noir ruby, deeper than the standard wine. This is a difficult proposition, since a Reserve wine is supposed to be taken more seriously than the standard one. But like many Spanish Reservas, extra oak is not necessarily a good thing. There are some strange barrels in this winery's cellars, and some have an almost Chilean crushed woody composites (daisies) smell to them. The wine is deeper and richer than the standard wine, with good fruit (and surely more alcoholic than the figure given on the label ?), and is varietal in its way. The comments under Two Paddocks First Paddock also apply. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 04/05

1989 Te Mata Estate Cabernets / Merlot Coleraine 16 ½ (

)

Havelock North Hills mainly, some Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12.5%; $ – [ cork, 49mm; CS 51%, Me 40, CF 9; warm very dry summer, early season, GDD 1664, all picked before end March; release price not confirmed, around $30; first year Coleraine not a single-vineyard wine; Cowley, 2017: focussed, ripe and fine; Cooper, 1992: The 1989 vintage is outstanding. Spicy and concentrated … strong new oak in the bouquet, and emerging blackcurrant/plummy flavours which look set to blossom for many years, *****; Chan, 2008 review: Soft, fine and integrated bouquet, gentle and harmonious with balance and lovely fragrance. ... on palate ... fresh blackcurrant flavours and soft chocolate notes. The good, balanced extraction provides supple grip and backbone, and along with the acidity gives good cut to the flavours. Well-concentrated, and attractive for its elegance, 18.0 +; www.temata.co.nz ]
Garnet and ruby, the second lightest wine. This was one of the two most different-smelling of the wines, though still with a good volume of bouquet. There was a lifted quality to the bouquet which some tasters rated highly. In later discussion however most agreed that this key aroma was related to cut-beans / sautéed red capsicum notes, all complexed by the fine cedary oak. On palate while there is surprising ‘fruit’ in one sense, there is a shortness and hardness exacerbated by the elevated total acid, relative to the set. Nonetheless, both nights at least five people rated the wine their top or second wine, before the discussion stage. We went on to discuss whether or not capsicum character (i.e. sauvignon blanc qualities) was in fact desirable in the cabernet / merlot winestyle. This confusion between perception and interpretation was I think due to the wine having plenty of its own distinctive character, so it stood out in the line-up. With air, this 1989 went on to develop on bouquet the cigarette ash-tray smell so characteristic of under-ripe cabernet sauvignon at full maturity. Even so, at table the balance of flavours would be pretty attractive accompanying a pizza containing red capsicums. The two bottles were essentially the same. Another wine not to hold much longer: enjoy it while it still has (under-ripe !) fruit. GK 08/17

2016 Pyramid Valley Chardonnay Lion’s Tooth Home Collection 16 ½ (

)

Waikari, Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 14.5%; $125 [ screwcap; clones mendoza and 95 about equal; beyond a production of 120 x 9-litre cases; the website is again silent; the name refers to the jagged leaves of the common dandelion Taraxacum officinale, known in France as dent de lion; www.pyramidvalley.co.nz ]
Straw, the deepest of the whites. To first sniff the wine is under-ripe and stalky, which in chardonnay is an immediate off-switch. The mystery of Chablis the district has always been the often-perfect physiological maturity achieved at relatively low sugars / alcohols. In parts of New Zealand and Marlborough particularly, and in this wine too from Pyramid Valley inland of Waipara, there is the exact opposite, imperfect physiological maturity at high sugars / alcohol. Behind the stalks is butter, again negative if too much visible, and oak, plus a general impression of chardonnay. In mouth the wine has fair body and richness, but high acid plus overly extracted phenolics accentuate the oak uncomfortably. The wine will mellow somewhat in cellar 3 – 8 years, on the richness, but the makings for long-term beauty developing in cellar are not present. The viticultural challenge on this site appears to be to achieve better physiological ripeness / maturity in the fruit, at much lower degrees Brix. The price is outrageous, pretentious beyond belief, for the quality delivered. See comments for the Field of Fire Chardonnay. GK 06/19

2015 Wittman Westhofener Riesling Trocken Qualitatswein 16 ½ (

)

Rheinhessen, Germany: 13%; $47 [ cork; organic and biodynamic; the Wittmans have been winemakers in Westhofen since at least 1663, with 90% of production riesling; Westhofen soils tend to calcareous; some fermentation in large oak; again the website is more illustrative, hard to get factual info for each wine; www.weingutwittmann.de ]
Slightly deeper lemon. This is a complex wine, but not all for the best reasons. It shows a lot of fruit in a big bold Clare Valley riesling kind of way, lifted by trace esters. Fruit character seems bigger and riper, not the fresh-cut hay notes, more stonefruits, even a hint of pineapple. In mouth it tastes older than one might wish, quite phenolic, rich. Initially I wondered if there might be a few grams residual, but it is probably just the richness, I think. There is a strawy / almost incipient kero note which detracts. The least 'dry' wine of the set, but clumsy for fine riesling. Cellar 2 – 8 years. GK 03/17

2013 Riverby Estate Pinot Noir Single Vineyard 16 ½ (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $28 [ screwcap; hand-picked from vines up to 17 years age, typically at 6 t/ha = 2.4 t/ac; all destemmed; 11-12 months in French oak, 25-30% new; RS nil; this is the current release; www.riverbyestate.com ]
Lightish pinot noir ruby, at the lighter end of the third quarter for depth. Bouquet is light too, in the blind line-up smelling like a lightly red-fruited pinot noir from young Wairau Valley floor gravels, rather than the deeper darker wines now being developed on the older more inland terraces. There are light pink rose florals, red currants, pomegranate and red cherries only on bouquet. Palate is a little richer than the bouquet suggests, implying care with the cropping rate, with fresh red fruits right through shaped by subtle oak, just a hint of leaf. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 06/17

2003 Martinborough Vineyard Pinot Noir Te Tera 16 ½ (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $30 [ second wine; www.martinborough-vineyard.co.nz ]
Big pinot ruby. This is a distinctive and attractive, floral and fragrant bouquet, with clear lilac and boronia suggestions, and fragrant red fruits. On palate however the wine pulls up short, with some peppery notes which, combined with the florals, are reminiscent of the well-known Cote du Rhone wine Domaine Gramenon. That wine is intensely fragrant too, but all too often it is the fragrance of under-ripe or over-cropped grapes. The stalkiness here certainly suggests one or both of these conditions. Even so, this is a style of wine I tend to like, since (given appropriate dry extract) they age quite well, and are pleasant with food. Many however consider them unattractive, finding them too stalky, and tending acid. Cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 09/04

1979 Ch Grand-Puy-Lacoste 16 ½ (

)

Pauillac Fifth Growth, Bordeaux, France: – %; $144 [ cork 53mm; original price $26.12; cepage then approx. CS 70%, Me 25, CF 5, planted at 10,000 vines / ha; 18 – 20 months in barrel, 45 – 55% new depending on the vintage; no Broadbent notes; Coates, 2002: Fine Pauillac nose. Lots of depth and quality. Ripe and classy. Fullish body. Good grip. Just a touch austere, but not lean. Good tannins. Good long, vigorous finish. Fine: 17.5; R. Parker, 1993: Although fully mature since the mid-eighties, this wine has held on to its fruit and charm with no signs of decline. It offers moderately intense aromas of berries, herbs, and toasty oak, round, graceful, medium-bodied, moderately concentrated flavors, and a silky finish. It should be drunk before the end of the decade: 85; www.chateau-grand-puy-lacoste.com ]
Ruby and garnet, clearly redder than the 1978 Grand-Puy-Lacoste. Again there is plenty of volume in the bouquet, but the berry is firmed by a clear stalky note, which the oak firms up even more. Palate is fairly rich, richer than the 1978 Montrose, but the fruit is laced-through with stalky hard tannins. Here you can see quite clearly what Parker is on about, and agree (to an extent depending on your climatic perspective). Still a few years life left in this one. Tasters liked the concentration, the wine achieving five first or second places. GK 08/16

2010 Ngatarawa Syrah Glazebrook Black Label 16 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels 52% & Bridge Pa Triangle 48%, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $35 [ screwcap; machine-harvested from 8-year vines, de-stemmed; 3 days cold-soak, c. 21 days cuvaison; MLF and 14 months in French oak 33% new; RS <1 g/L; www.ngatarawa.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, above midway in richness of colour. Bouquet is out to one side in the tasting, showing a European gamey / gutty / savoury complexity with some reduction, some brett, and some mixed ripeness, on red fruits. Palate continues the theme exactly, quite rich wine, but old-fashioned in style and flavour, like earlier-generation southern Rhones. Well-decanted and aerated, it is food-friendly and will have wide appeal, even though nowadays it would not fare well in technically-informed judgings. Cellar 3 – 8 years, decant splashily. GK 06/12

1992 Coldstream Hills Chardonnay Reserve 16 ½ (

)

Yarra Valley, Victoria, Australia: 13.5%; $ – [ cork; James Halliday’s vineyard, founded in 1985, bought out by SouthCorp in 1996, now part of Treasury Wine Estates; www.coldstreamhills.com.au ]
Straw, a wash of gold. Bouquet is unusual for Australia, even the Yarra Valley, in showing hints of stalkyness and MLF fermentation, on biscuitty slightly peachy chardonnay fruit, all clean and fragrant. Palate follows exactly, not a big or powerful wine, a New Zealand size and structure to it, the hint of stalk on bouquet not so apparent on palate. Attractive wine, not as rich as the Matua but more varietal and subtle, fully mature. GK 12/17

2003 Kaituna Valley Pinot Noir Marlborough 16 ½ (

)

Awatere Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $45
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, big for pinot noir. Bouquet shows some attractive varietal qualities, freshly opened: boronia florals, black cherries, blueberries, plus a curious marcy quality reminiscent of gewurztraminer. Palate is not as promising, the plummy cherry tending stewed, the florals now tasting a little stalky, and oak more noticeable. May just be too young, and needing to integrate. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 11/04

2003 Mount Riley Chardonnay Seventeen Valley 16 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $30 [ cork; hand-picked, BF in French & US oak, LA; a barrel selection for this label; ’03 not on website [then]; www.mountriley.co.nz ]
Lemon and a suggestion of gold, the deepest of eight chardonnays. Bouquet is a mixed blessing, showing extreme winemaker artefacts, including sourdough bread crust, and charry toast qualities, on fruit that is rich but not immaculate – hints of botrytis, some not noble. Palate is rich and broad, lots of flavour which will give uncritical pleasure, but developing rapidly. Possibly a defective cork, rather than a ‘corked’ one, but otherwise, not a cellar wine. GK 06/05

2015 Brundlmeyer Langenloiser Steinmassel Riesling Trocken 16 ½ (

)

Langenlois, Austria: 12.5%; $46 [ screwcap; organic; a large vineyard famed for its grüner veltliner, which amounts to 38% of production; Steinmassel is largely mica-schist; fruit is hand-harvested at 5.3 t/ha = 2.1 t/ac, followed by long skin contact via slow pressing up to 8 hours duration, or overnight. Fermentation is done in stainless steel. The wines are held on 5 – 10% of the lees after fermentation; website is more in the Australasian style, with both winery info and technical detail; www.bruendlmayer.at ]
Pale lemon. Freshly opened, bottling sulphur is apparent, and is reluctant to dissipate, making tasting hard. Varietal characters are apparent below. Palate still shows high SO2, correlating with the palest colour in the set, in a fruit-rich stainless steel approach at this point lacking charm. Some limey notes (citrus). This will score quite differently in 10 years. Cellar 10 – 25 years, somewhat doubtfully. GK 03/17

2014 Alpha Domus Syrah The Barnstormer 16 ½ (

)

Bridge Pa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $34 [ cork 49mm; Sy 100%; most of the wine in French oak, balance s/s; www.alphadomus.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, some carmine, in the middle for depth. This is another wine to need vigorous splashy decanting, when like the La Strada Syrah, it clears to reveal recognisable dark syrah, nearly fragrant, some cassis and blackberry, subtle oak. Palate is quite promising, a medium weight of dark fruits subtly oaked, not hardened by the reduction. It is not quite as rich as the Fromm, and is slightly more oaky. Cellar 5 – 12 years to marry up, and decant vigorously before use. GK 06/16

2004 Kaituna Valley Pinot Noir Canterbury Kaituna Vineyard 16 ½ (

)

Banks Peninsula, Canterbury, New Zealand: 14.5%; $42 [ screwcap ]
Weighty ruby, carmine and velvet, not appropriate for pinot noir. This is a difficult wine to assess, for it follows in the heavy / ponderous style of pinot pioneered in New Zealand by Dry River and Pegasus Bay Prima Donna. In the blind tasting, with its weight and pennyroyal / macrocarpa aromatics rather than floral complexity, and its unclear varietal characters, it seemed Australian. Palate is extraordinarily rich and ripe, with nearly buttery oak augmenting the raw fruit and blackberry richness. The rich boysenberry and darkest plum fruit on palate checks with Australian shiraz, but the oak is lower than Australia usually supplies, and there is no suggestion of added tartaric acid. So given the soft palate feel, the revealed identity of pinot noir after the blind tasting makes some sense. But as pinot noir, this wine is seriously over-ripe, much though the concentration of fruit and dry extract can be praised. Interestingly, the descriptors given on the back label include blackberry and boysenberry, both true to the wine, but off the sensory scale for pinot noir, as an international concept. The wine gives the impression of setting out to show just how well pinot can be ripened in the home vineyard, but in achieving super-ripeness, the wine has somewhat lost the plot in terms of varietal character, complexity, and finesse. It is therefore hard to score meaningfully. If the above-named comparison wines appeal, this wine will too. The dry extract might break the 30 g/L barrier. Cellar 5 – 15 years, on weight. GK 12/05

2014 Kendall-Jackson Chardonnay Vintner's Reserve 16 ½ (

)

'Coastal' counties, California: 13.5%; $34 [ screwcap; whole-bunch pressed; BF and LA in French and American oak, some batonnage; RS not given (not surprisingly – see below); www.kj.com ]
Lemon, above midway. Bouquet is a little odd, first up, quite bready / doughy on the lees autolysis factor, needing to breathe / raising doubts. Initial palate is better however, clear stone fruit, light oak, obvious elevation complexity on the bready suggestions … then the finish: oh dear, crassly sweet and commercial. The vineyard proclaims: America's #1 selling Chardonnay for 23 years and counting! Does the average American really like dry wines to be this sweet ? It is sad that we do not see quality Californian chardonnay in New Zealand, but they simply do not survive the exchange rate. A mixed bag, therefore, cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 06/16

2009 Gibbston Highgate Estate Pinot Noir Soultaker 16 ½ (

)

Gibbston Valley, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $30 [ screwcap; hand-harvested from vines planted in 1994; c.25% whole-bunch component, 10-day cold maceration plus extended cuvaison, 20% wild-yeast fermentations; 11 months in French oak 30% new; bottled unfined and unfiltered; dry extract 27.6 g/L; www.gibbstonhighgate.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. There is a suggestion of maceration carbonique / whole bunch / beaujolais fermentation technique on the bouquet of this wine, which adds to the florality, on red fruits. Palate is more in a juicy non-serious pinot noir style, the beaujolais thought again, with a hint of stalk and acid, but seemingly (to taste) not much in the way of elevage. Attractive quaffing pinot, to cellar 1 – 3 years, probably. GK 09/10

2003 Bell Hill Pinot Noir 16 ½ (

)

Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 13.5%; $65 [ screwcap; vines planted at the classic European density of 10 000 / ha, on limestone; hand-picked; 12 – 14 months in oak; Jancis Robinson reported on a pre-release sample of this wine in March 2005, commenting: Very exciting … dark and brooding … real weight and depth … vibrant and lively with a serious dry finish. She rated it 19, top of all the 2003 New Zealand pinots, noting she was not scoring with burgundy numbers; website is incredibly hard to retrieve; www.bellhill.co.nz ]
Bigger and older ruby, some velvet, slightly black. Initially opened this wine is tending reductive, and needs a good splashy decanting. It opens to a plummy rather more than cherry pinot, lacking florals, not singing. Palate is rich, in a darker spectrum of pinot flavours, some oak showing to the finish, all a little too heavy for real pinot noir charm. Making pinot noir even slightly reductive is a mistake in the new world, I believe (and increasingly in the old). Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 01/07

2012 Jim Barry Shiraz The Armagh 16 ½ (

)

Clare Valley, South Australia, Australia: 13.7%; $273 [ screwcap; Sh 100%; 20 months in 60% French & 40% American oak, the percentage new not given; Halliday vintage rating Clare Valley 8 /10 for 2012; www.jimbarry.com ]
Ruby, velvet, and nearly carmine, well above midway in depth. Bouquet is massively oaky, in an older South Australian 'premium shiraz' style, an almost acetylene-like pungency on shiraz fruit ripened way past optimal complexity to browning boysenberry, otherwise clean. Palate shows good concentration, but loud oak, completely overbearing. Red wine is about grapes and beauty, whereas these national monument-style Australian reds are about oak and brawn. Hot-climate people like them a good deal more than temperate-climate people, where grape beauty is better expressed, and better appreciated. To judge from some of my larger-scale Australian 1960s and 1970s reds, the answer is to cellar them for 30 years, to crust in bottle and lighten the tannin load, when the resulting wine will be somewhat more fragrant, with better softness and apparent fruit richness, and certainly more food-friendly. But still over-ripe. One has to ask, what is the point, when something infinitely more beautiful right from the outset can be bought from the Northern Rhone, or even Hawkes Bay, for a fraction the price ? Amusement can be gained by reading the reviews from the faithful, on-line, so many winewriters and wine journalists particularly not being prepared to question the inherent ugliness of certain Australian national monument wines. Their notes bear little relation to the wine I tasted. Cellar 20 – 50 years. GK 06/16

2015 Wirra Wirra Shiraz Catapult 16 ½ (

)

McLaren Vale, South Australia, Australia: 14%; $21 [ Screwcap; Shiraz 99%, Vi 1, co-fermented; not in Langton's Australian wine classification; Halliday rates the 2015 vintage 8, for the McLaren Vale district; elevation in French oak barriques and hogsheads for 12 months, presumably some new, not stated; Halliday, 2016: This is from the big boys school, armed to the teeth with black fruits, bitter chocolate and tannins lined up with military precision. It is medium to full-bodied, and a dead set red for prolonged cellaring, balance both now and into the far future ensuring it hits the target dead centre. Drink by 2025, 95; Hemming at Robinson, 2016: Rich, warm, chewy texture and a silky tannin style to the fruit. Seems to finish quite briefly. Loud then silent, 16; bottle weight 546 g; www.wirrawirra.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, above midway in depth. This wine is quite different from the others in the tasting, having a raw unknit aspect to it suggesting some of the wine is in fact raised in stainless steel. It is quite minty on bouquet, on robust darkly plummy fruit. Palate is juicy, rich, but becoming euc'y rather than minty, compared with the bouquet. The raw quality continues, with very little elevation complexity showing. There is trace residual sugar. All that said, there are a lot of grapes per bottle, and pricewise there is an appeal in having more than three cases of this under the floorboards, rather than one bottle of Grange. I will enjoy this a good deal more given 10 years mellowing in bottle. Nobody rated this top, one second place, four least, nobody thought it Penfolds, and two thought it New Zealand. Cellar 5 – 18 years. GK 04/17

2003 Dry River Pinot Noir 16 ½ (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13%; $ – [ cork; clones 10/5 and others, up to 27 years, not irrigated, harvested @ 1 t/ac; 22% whole bunch, up to 10 days cold soak, 15 days cuvaison; 12 months French oak 25% new; sterile filtered; Robinson '05: Exceptionally dark purple – quite unlike any other of these wines to look at. Rather masked by oak and extraction at the moment. Sucking matchstick sensation. Sour finish. But after a couple of hours this started to come round. Obviously very ambitious but this should not be opened for AGES! 15; www.dryriver.co.nz ]
Dense ruby, carmine and velvet, the biggest colour of the Conference. Bouquet is as extraordinary as the colour, darkly omega plums with raisiny overtones, very pure, but more vintage port-like than pinot. Palate is enormously concentrated, raisiny and finest prunes, completely off the sur-maturité scale for any concept of pinot noir as in Burgundy (which I continue to think a worthwhile reference point in pinot endeavours). So, this is a pinot in an incongruous style. But it is pure and harmoniously balanced at its ripeness levels, and Californian speakers liked it. It is the opposite pole to the Martinborough Vineyard wines, more Chateauneuf-du-Pape than burgundy. Yet these two nearly neighbouring vineyards and their wines do illustrate that somewhere between their styles, there lies the potential for fine pinot. Cellar 5 – 20 years maybe, for the fruit richness is colossal. GK 01/07

2001 Fromm la Strada Pinot Noir Clayvin Vineyard 16 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $57 [ www.frommwineries.com ]
Dense ruby and velvet, big for pinot noir. This is a big wine all through, which in a tasting of grenaches from South Australia and the Rhone, would look very attractive. As a pinot noir, it is heavy, spirity, with rich fruit showing a slightly minty edge (which reinforces the Australian analogy). Flavours are densely plummy, carefully oaked, beautifully ripe, and within its declared style, beautifully made. It is more subtle than some of the overt fruit bombs, though every bit as big. It would be marked much higher in tastings of other varieties. Difficult to write up, but in the end scored as pinot noir. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 01/04

2005 Chapoutier Hermitage le Meal 16 ½ (

)

Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $301 [ cork; Sy 100% , from le Meal on old cobbly terrace materials on mid-slopes; hand-harvested ideally at minimum 13 degrees alcohol; 100% de-stemmed; fermented in open-top concrete vessels, fermentation to 32 C, cuvaison up to 6 weeks; 14 – 18 months in 50% new French oak; regular racking; not fined or filtered; www.chapoutier.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, not too different from Greffieux. This is the runt in the litter, the wine opening clearly reductive, killing all florals and fragrance. There is good rich fruit below, however. In mouth the entrained sulphur hardens the wine, with some bitterness in the rich cassisy and darkly plummy fruit. Oak is as attractively balanced as the other red Hermitages, but like Greffieux and moreso, the sulphur hardness makes it appear more noticeable. A potentially fine wine has been rather wrecked in the elevage, here. I think it dubious it will ever bury the sulphur, or blossom. It therefore seems extraordinary this obvious defect is not mentioned by other reviewers, so far as I am aware. It seems improbable a winemaker in Chapoutier's position would fail to 'assemble' the wine before bottling, to minimise bottle variation. Chapoutier however declines to answer correspondence on this matter. All very curious. It will cellar 10 – 30 years, but is unlikely to improve (unless one is insensitive to reduced sulphurs – as many are). GK 07/08

2002 Nautilus Pinot Noir Marlborough 16 ½ (

)

Marlborough , New Zealand: 14.5%; $36 [ cork; 2002 not on website, details presumably similar to ’03; www.nautilusestate.com ]
Good pinot ruby. A big bouquet, which initially opened is manipulated by charry oak, to attract the gullible. The coffee note in this is unpleasant. Below are redfruits and even lightly perfumed florals hinting at sweet peas, attractive. Palate is a notch less promising, some red cherry flavours, but also a leafy-going-on-stalky quality, becoming noticeably under-ripe to the finish. If true pinot noir is the goal, less manipulation and a little more fruit ripeness would serve this wine better. Cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 03/05

2002 Saint Cosme Cotes du Rhone les Deux Albion 16 ½ (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $25 [ Sy, Gr, Mv, Ca, ± clairette ]
Good ruby. This wine too shows up as clearly Cotes du Rhone, with marked fragrant boronia-like florals on good berry, plus a clear leafy / marcy note. Palate is soft with fair red fruits, some savoury brett complexities, reasonable length, but all finishing a little stalky. Considering all we have heard about the floods at vintage in 2002, this is a pretty pleasing achievement, in its leafier Cotes du Rhone style. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 10/04

2005 Sileni Pinot Noir EV (Exceptional Vintage) 16 ½ (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $75 [ cork; hand-picked; MLF and 10 months in barrel; Catalogue: Our icon wines are only produced in outstanding vintages. A rich and concentrated red with classic black cherry and dark berry characters on the nose and palate. Fine, silky tannins and immaculate balance …cellar for five years or more. Awards: Gold @ Japan Wine Challenge; Silver @ New Zealand International Wine Show; www.sileni.co.nz ]
Maturing pinot noir ruby, redder than the 2005 Lime Rock. This is a more rustic and evolved wine, like the 2005 Lime Rock developing into a soft round red which is burgundian – in the sense Hunter Valley ‘Burgundy’ (from shiraz) was classically in a gentle pinot-like style on palate. Bouquet and palate show browning fruits with a touch of compost and brett (as burgundy used to / still does on occasion), quite rich, soft, mouthfilling, more oaky than the Lime Rock, a trace of stalk. The winemaking is overtaking the variety here, but it will mellow for several years yet, and be very food-friendly. Price is over to you. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 07/09

2003 Yabby Lake Pinot Noir 16 ½ (

)

Mornington Peninsula, Victoria, Australia: 14%; $ – [ around $A45; made by Larry McKenna as consultant winemaker to Tod Dexter, essentially in the same manner as 2003 Kupe; hand-picked, no stems, no crushing, 5 days cold-soak, 12 days cuvaison, 13 months French oak 45% new, coarse filtration only; www.yabbylake.com ]
Colour is big for pinot noir, some carmine and ruby in the velvet, getting marginal. Bouquet is first and foremost Australian, with mint going on euc. totally dominating, so there is no way one can tell it is pinot noir on bouquet, by any international standard for the variety. Palate has an ample fleshiness to it which is more clearly pinot, and a long soft flavour which is red fruits and euc. It is richer than the Kupe, softer, fleshier, just big soft red, lovely as such. Considering they are made by the same winemaker, with winery practices which replicate each other as closely as is practicable, the difference in the two wines is remarkable. They are vivid testament to the difficulty Australia has with subtle wine styles, even in one of its coolest climates. This is a pinot for people who do not, or cannot, smell subtle floral components at all, and for whom mouthfeel and flavour are all that matters. Only an Australian could consider it particularly varietal, for the ethereal floral beauty of good pinot as seen on bouquet, and the subtlety of pinot noir the variety, as seen in the world context, are lacking. Cellar 5 – 15 years, in its euc’y style. GK 03/05

1998 Howard Park [ Cabernets / Merlot – Picture Label ] 16 ½ (

)

Margaret River & Great Southern, Western Australia, Australia: 14%; $90 [ cork; CS 75%, CF 13, Me 12; 24 months in French oak; seen as the best wine of the vintage, but obscurely / not labelled, the painting and words Howard Park alone on the ‘front’ label; not on website; www.howardparkwines.com.au ]
Old ruby, some garnet, the lightest in the May set. Bouquet is Bordeaux in style, but old for its age, having already lost clear cassis character in its brown berry and fragrant almost cedary oak, plus some brett complexity. Palate is very oaky, browning plums going pruney, giving fair fruit, but quite old-fashioned, slightly salty and acid, ageing rapidly by Bordeaux or even Hawkes Bay standards. It is still in style in a fading leathery way, but it looks very old, alongside the set of 1986 Bordeaux I have on my tasting table at the moment. Not much cellar potential left in this, though it has the fruit to hold. Cellar 1 – 5 years. GK 05/06

2006 Dry River Pinot Noir 16 ½ (

)

Martinborough Terrace, Wairarapa, New Zealand: 13.5%; $130 [ Cork, 46mm, ullage 24 mm; weight bottle and cork, 614 g; release price c.$82; Cooper, 2008: … deeply coloured and finely scented, with lovely concentration and harmony. Mouthfilling, it is sweet-fruited and supple, with deep plum, cherry and spice flavours, already delicious but still youthful; open 2010+, *****; www.dryriver.co.nz ]
Ruby and garnet, below midway in depth. The bouquet is unusual for pinot noir in this wine, there being nearly a cassis note, on good dark berry, but then a roti undertone. It smells rich. The palate does not capture the best side of the bouquet however, being rich but tending wooden, with a heavy tannin load, raisiny flavours, and almost a hint of coffee on the later taste. I thought it much too over-ripe and big for quality in pinot noir. Tasters however liked the wine a good deal more than me, three top places and five seconds. In the varietal stakes it is clearly second to the extraordinary 2006 Syrah. Cellar 5 – 10 years, maybe to improve when the wine crusts. GK 05/19

2007 Surveyor Thomson Pinot Noir [ Diam ] 16 ½ (

)

Lowburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $43 [ supercritical 'cork' 11% of the bottling, 89% screwcap, see above); hand-harvested; 10 months in French oak 33% new; fifth vintage; appealing website format, more info would optimise; re-evaluation requested, since I was uncertain as to the closure in the previous sample – it would appear to have been Diam; www.surveyorthomson.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, a little age showing. Bouquet is odd on this wine, a scented and clearly bretty European-styled aroma, on red fruits. Palate is much more varietal, red cherry dominant but a suggestion of black, plus an undertone of stalk suggesting mixed ripeness. The nett result is better than the first impression, giving good varietal drinking. Cellar 2 – 5 years. When the IDs revealed the very different scores for the screwcap and Diam version of this same wine, I compared them more closely. The Diam wine is much older in colour, bouquet and fruit character, so those qualities noted as positive complexity in the screwcap bottling are obtrusive and becoming negative in the Diam one. I was intrigued by the difference in cellaring time offered in my original drafts. All is now explained. Another small triumph for screwcap. GK 11/10

2008 Cousino-Macul Merlot Antiguas Reserva 16 ½ (

)

Maipo Valley, Chile: 14%; $ – [ cork; Me 100%, hand-harvested; 7 days cold-soak, 30 days cuvaison, followed by 12 months in French oak; www.cousinomacul.com ]
Ruby and garnet, markedly older than the field, well below midway in depth. Bouquet is mature, plummy fruit browning now, brown tobacco and cedary oak complexities, a hint of glacé figs at a positive complexity level. Flavour shows good fruit in a more traditional wine style, furry tannins mostly from older cooperage (I would imagine), a warmish-climate wine approaching full maturity now. Light brett. Will hold 5 – 7 years. GK 03/18

1975 Stanley Leasingham Cabernet / Malbec Bin 56 16 ½ (

)

Clare Valley, South Australia, Australia: – %; $ – [ cork 43mm; CS 80%, Ma 20; original cost $7.16, a well-regarded wine at the time, gold medals at Canberra, Sydney, and Brisbane; Stanley Leasingham became part of the Hardy group in 1987, and Bin 56 is now a lower-profile label in the latter-day BRL-Hardy → Constellation Wines → Accolade Wines grouping; Len Evans, 1978: This is one of two reds which have earned Stanley a high reputation in recent years, both with the public and Show judges. … Matured for about a year in American oak hogsheads, and then in larger wood, this is a big, rich strongly-flavoured dry red style with tonnes of fruit matched by excellent oak character. The '75 is a big, full-flavoured style with plenty of fruit. ]
Ruby and garnet, the second deepest wine. Bouquet is big, clearly minty going on euc'y, very aromatic, a lot of fruit but even more oak. There is not the finesse the Bin 49 in Pt I showed. In mouth there is still good fruit, and plenty of browning plummy berry. The tannin load from oak is massive, though, and ultimately overpowers the wine, so it doesn't work with food as well as the Blass and Hamilton examples. Hard wine to score, you have to reward its vigour at 40 years, and those who like oak will rate it more highly. It was well liked by the group. This will keep for years, preserved by oak tannins, again apart from the 43mm corks. GK 04/15

2008 Miro Rosé 16 ½ (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 11.5%; $25 [ screwcap; cepage Me 100%, hand-harvested; inoculated yeast, all s/s, no MLF, no oak; RS 7.5 g/L; c.70 cases; ‘Miro Vineyard does not make its rose as a by-product of high alcohol red wine fermentation (the saignée method). Instead, the grapes are picked at a perfect ripeness to produce a low alcohol wine suitable for long lunches in the hot summer weather. This rose is harmonious with the acid, fruit weight, delicate flavour and alcohol in perfect balance.’; www.mirovineyard.co.nz ]
Pale rosé. Bouquet is clean and fragrant but not suggestive of red grapes. In a black glass, one would suppose it to be a white wine. Palate does nothing to dispel that impression, tasting of pinot gris pearflesh and white nectarine, a flush of light stewed rhubarb or faintest red plum notes maybe, but scarcely more than pinot gris with skin contact. Finish seems sweeter than 2.5 g/L (initially) given [ confirmed ]. Some phenolics on the finish again could be pinot gris as much as red varieties, but they are well-covered by the residual. Later inquiry revealed the wine is all merlot. The level of fruit is good, and the goal of a low alcohol rosé is admirable. Good rosé does need to taste of red grapes though, so perhaps some riper fruit component is needed. Cellar a year or two, to taste. GK 06/09

2016 Te Mata Chardonnay Estate 16 ½ (

)

Woodthorpe, Triangle and Havelock North, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $25 [ screwcap; about 50% of the wine is BF in French oak with follow-up MLF and lees autolysis; the other half fermented in s/s, with simpler elevation; <2 g/L RS; www.temata.co.nz ]
Elegant lemon. Bouquet is youthful, showing slightly leesy / mineral / citrus and stalky stonefruit qualities, plus a subtle hint of cracked flint but you couldn't really say reductive. Palate is still disjointed, the stalky stainless steel half not yet married up with the barrel-fermented half. Fruit richness is quite good, with clear whiteish-peachy varietal flavours trying to push through a leafy / stalky framework. Reasonable palate weight. Will be much better in two years, and cellar for 8 – 10. GK 03/17

2015 Trinity Hill Rosé 16 ½ (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $20 [ screwcap; totally red grapes, taken off skins quickly; PN > 50%, montepulciano c.25%, some CS, ME, Ma, CF; made as a white wine in s/s, with MLF; 4.1 g/L RS; www.trinityhillwines.com ]
Palest loud pink, the strange colour being a function of this winery (also) pushing the bizarre New Zealand idea that young rosé is better without appropriate bottle age. Accordingly their goal is to sell it all by the end of the summer following vintage. But in fact this wine has the potential to be serious rosé, being made totally from red grapes, and interesting ones at that. Thus everybody would get much more joy out of the wine if it were not released for a full 12 months after vintage. Thus … as now released it smells raw and hard, but very clean. Palate shows fair body, but again feels angular verging on unpleasantly raw, finishing slightly off-dry. It is intended as a food-friendly wine to exactly match the Marsanne / Viognier, but fails in this goal due to the premature release. It is a sad commentary on the level of wine familiarity in this country, still, that nobody says anything. If you want to know what 'dry' food-friendly rosé should taste like, at the right point in its maturity, check out Guigal's Tavel, never released before it is a year old, and usually several years old by the time it reaches New Zealand. Meanwhile, cellar this Trinity Hill wine for 1 – 3 years, to enjoy it a good deal more – once it has mellowed. I'm sure it would score a good deal higher, if it were offered 18 months after vintage, rather than the current 6. GK 11/15

2001 Dry River Riesling 16 ½ (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 9%; $ – [ cork – second bottle available; was $22; Dry River always made a feature of the cellar-worthyness of their wines, so checking their 2001 Riesling alongside both an Otago one and a Mosel seems fun; the winery (on the very complete website) says of the year: The ripening period was extended … by drought … resulting in fully ripe phenolics, more floral flavours and markedly lower alcohols in what are nevertheless ripe wine styles; of the wine they say: … a voluminous, predominantly floral nose: apple blossom, roses and freesias, limes and a touch of talc. The palate is full, with a long aftertaste managing both richness and delicacy …; Michael Cooper, 2003: a freshly scented, light wine (9% alcohol), with slightly sweet, appley, limey flavours, firm acidity and good length ****; www.dryriver.co.nz ]
Lemonstraw, right in the middle. An unconvincing bouquet, hard to pin down. It is clean and vinifera to first inspection, but markedly less varietal than the 2001 Felton. Unlike the purity of that wine, however, there is a non-grape resiny note on bouquet which is more Australian than New Zealand, in a blind tasting. In mouth, there is good fruit, medium-dry sweetness, nicely balanced and gentle phenolics, but again this resiny taste-quality reminiscent of crushed lawsoniana (a cypress). Some tasters liked the nett impression, some didn't (one top place, two bottom, four located it in Australia). Interesting. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 03/14

2016 Chapelle St-Theodoric Chateauneuf-du-Pape Les Sablons 16 ½ (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $80 [ cork, 54mm; Gr 100%, whole-bunch fermentations, older puncheons; associated with Domaine de Cristia; J.L-L: ... organic, fragrant, rich and long, ****; JC @ RP: ... young vines, both crisp and full-bodied, 91-93; available from Wine Direct, Auckland; website given closest found; www.weygandtmetzler.com ]
Light ruby, the lightest wine. This one too needs decanting several times, to clear light reduction. It opens up to a light but in one way complex bouquet, red fruits with a hint of jujube simplicity, quite marked garrigue aromatics, but also a bay-leaf note (which is negative, in my view). Palate is raspberry grenache, a bit stalky, markedly lacking ripeness and concentration (for the vintage), no oak noticeable. Price-wise, this wine would be shamed by quite a number of better Cotes-du-Rhones. One first-place. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 04/19

2003 Coto de Hayas Fagus Garnacha Seleccion Especial 16 ½ (

)

Campo de Borja DdO, Spain: 13.5%; $48 [ cork; Gr 100% harvested @ 1 kg / vine, vines 40 – 50 years; www.bodegasaragonesas.com ]
Ruby and velvet. Bouquet is not at all Spanish, but in the modern cynical suck-them-in-with-mocha style, which owes nothing to grape quality, terroir, or typicity, and everything to winemaker manipulation in the cellar. The result is one of the many gross and overdone rich wine styles so favoured by winewriters in the New World. Never in 100 years could one tell the variety by bouquet, so reeking of mocha and wood-handling is it. Palate reveals rich over-ripe plummy fruit, very concentrated blackest of plums, so concentrated it seems not dry, plus again this all-pervasive mocha / charry / and vanilla oak. This wine is a sad commentary on the modern taste for the ersatz. The score is for the original fruit richness: coffee in wine is offensive, in my view. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 03/06

2004 Mountford Pinot Noir 16 ½ (

)

Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 14.5%; $59 [ cork; vines 6 – 15 years old, hand-harvested; 7 day cold-soak; 15 months in French oak 35% new, on lees with batonnage; website is (mysteriously) password protected; www.mountfordvineyard.co.nz ]
Lightish pinot noir ruby, older. Bouquet is quiet, not floral, with understated red fruits. Palate opens the wine up, richer than suspected on bouquet, a clear blackboy peach and red cherry kind of pinot, subtly oaked. Spirit shows a little to the finish, but this is surprisingly fleshy wine, and should cellar a little longer than expected from the colour, perhaps 3 – 8 years. GK 01/07

2004 Henschke Shiraz Mt Edelstone 16 ½ (

)

Eden Valley, South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $111 [ screwcap; DFB; Sh 100%, based on vines 80 – 90 years old, dry-grown in a single 16 ha vineyard @ c. 400 m in an average annual rainfall of 600 mm, cropped @ c. 2.5 t/ac; open-vat fermentation followed by some barrel fermentation, and less than 18 months traditionally in American oak, but the ratio of French increasing; Halliday rates Eden Valley 8 /10 in 2004; www.henschke.com.au ]
Ruby and velvet. This is an awkward wine. There is a good volume of bouquet, but in the blind tasting there is excess eucalyptus verging on wintergreen, blurring varietal specificity and pleasure. Palate is rich in berry, almost succulent, bespeaking great fruit quality, and it is all well-handled in oak, but the flavours are caricature Australian. It is very hard to take these euc'y shirazes seriously, when they can't be run constructively in international tastings. A wine (and label) for Australians, this year. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 02/08

2006 Schubert [ Chardonnay, Pinot Gris & Muller-Thurgau ] Tribianco 16 ½ (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 14%; $28 [ supercritical cork; hand-harvested; some BF in new and older French oak, some LA and batonnage; www.schubert.co.nz ]
Pale lemonstraw. Bouquet is fragrant, ripe and grapey clean vinifera in a fruit-dominant approach well-suited to the label's QDW goals, rather than 'a varietal'. Price however does not sit happily with that goal. There might be a whisper of oak and lees-autolysis enhancement (confirmed), but they are incidental. Palate shows the body of chardonnay, enriched perhaps by some MLF, a suggestion of oak and the nearly floral fragrance of muller-thurgau lifting the chardonnay. Finishes off-dry, but subtly so, scarcely sweeter than most 'dry' sauvignons. This should mellow in cellar 1 – 3 years, and hold for somewhat longer. GK 05/08

2007 Villa Maria Pinot Noir Cellar Selection Marlborough 16 ½ (

)

Awatere & Wairau Valleys, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $30 [ screwcap; many clones, hand-harvested; 100% destemmed, up to 10 days cold soak; some wild yeast fermentations, some inoculated; MLF in barrel the following spring, c. 10 months in barrel; RS nil; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby, one of the more appropriate ones. There is some consistency in these 2007 Villa pinots, in that several show signs of sub-optimal physiological maturity this year. There are attractive red fruits, but on both bouquet and palate there is a leafy / floral component betraying some flavour under-ripeness. This is the difficult side of pinot viticulture in Marlborough, an almost North Island character which the best of Martinborough happily escapes in its better years. I have criticised earlier Villa Maria Marlborough pinots for being too over-ripe and plummy, which makes this year's flight to the opposite stylistic pole of interest. Pinot noir in Marlborough illustrates exactly how rare great pinot terroirs are. The truth lies between the red fruits and overly floral slightly leafy approach as here, and darker plums beyond black cherry where florality is being lost to sur-maturité. Hence the regular mention of red grading to black cherry in descriptors for fine burgundian pinot. Physiological maturity aside, this is a beautifully-made wine which will cellar well in its style, 3 – 8 years. GK 03/09

2008 Miro Vineyard [ Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot ] Miro 16 ½ (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.5%; $45 [ NeoCork plastic 'cork', which the proprietors swear by, no issues; CS 52%, Me 30, CF 17, Ma 1, hand-harvested; c.12 months in French oak mostly new; www.mirovineyard.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, clearly fresher than the Weeping Sands 2008 Cabernet / Merlot. Bouquet is fragrant and attractive, with redcurrant / red plum suggestions, and hints of cassis. Flavours are less, clear suggestions of under-ripeness and the flavours are short, even though the oak is gentle and not reinforcing the under-ripe tannins. Total acid and stalks are noticeable. The wine is beautifully clean, and will cellar well in its pinched way for 3 – 8 years. GK 10/12

2007 Babich Syrah Winemakers Reserve 16 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $25 [ supercritical cork; Sy 95%, Vi 5; 12 months in French and American oak perhaps 20% new; Catalogue: … this stunning wine. The nose is lifted with sweet ripe dark fruits, notably blueberry, complemented by a savoury earthy mushroom character. The dark fruits carry through to the palate with mouth-watering savoury / black pepper notes. Sweet notes of oregano and tarragon persist with fine tannins adding to a lengthy and powerful wine; Awards: Silver @ NZ International Wine Show 2008; Silver @ Air New Zealand 2008; www.babichwines.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet. Bouquet is fragrant and berry-rich, showing a little spice and mixed pepper in cassis and bottled plum, but not communicating too well yet. Palate is not quite as good, almost a touch of saline reminding of MRIA wines, but good juicy berry with some plum and black pepper, plus subtle oak. Lacks excitement as syrah, but is still clearly varietal. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 07/09

nv Champagne Pierre Peters Cuvée de Reserve Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Brut 16 ½ (

)

2008 Champagne Moet & Chandon Grand Vintage Brut 16 ½ (

)

Epernay, Champagne, France: 12.5%; $99 [ supercritical Diam 'cork'; CH 40%, PN 37, PM 23, all grand cru vineyards, all s/s fermentation; MLF employed; en tirage 7 years; dosage 5 g/L; the website description of this wine sounds superb; www.moet.com ]
Lemon, the second freshest. Back to older times on bouquet here, a quite clear sacky / wet washing component to the bouquet, slightly reductive, reminding of the 1980s. Below there is fair fruit and autolysis, but the autolysis is compromised. Palate is more in line, fair richness, some bread crust complexity, just a hint of a sour note, on its own. As the French like to say, this one needs food. Cellar 5 – 20 years, doubtfully. GK 05/17

2012 Elephant Hill [ Malbec / Cabernet Franc / Merlot ] Hieronymus 16 ½ (

)

Te Awanga & Bridge Pa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $34 [ screwcap; Ma 81%, CF 11, Me 8, hand-picked; 100% de-stemmed; 13 months in French oak both barriques and puncheons, 30% new; RS < 1 g/L; www.elephanthill.co.nz ]
Carmine, ruby and velvet, a 'loud' colour, as malbec can be, in the top half dozen for weight despite being a 2012. Bouquet is way different, in the field of 60, showing the strange nearly musky and aromatic out-of-line smells of unripe malbec, plus mealy, hessian and seaweedy qualities which may be cooperage related, but are more likely marcy malbec. Freshly opened it is quite raw, and reminds of some of the cheaper but reputable Argentinian malbecs, Trapiche for example. Tasting the wine is again different, showing mealy / chook-mash flavours mixed with dark plums and lots of stalks, plenty of flavour but all elbows-out in style. Astonishing that malbec achieved even this level of fruit in 2012, let alone the apparent concentration. The winemaker regards malbec as 'forgiving' in cool years, but the result is more quantitative than qualitative, considering the spectrum of flavour profiles in fact desirable in quality bordeaux blends / Hawkes Bay blends. $34 is not QDR. There is certainly concentration. Cellar 5 – 15 years, to mellow. GK 06/14

1978 Freemark Abbey Petite Sirah York Creek Vineyards 16 ½ (

)

Napa Valley, California: 15.1%; $15.20 [ WinePros: 3200 acres in California. DNA evidence now confirms Petite Sirah is Durif, which is a crossbred grape from Syrah and Peloursin. Petite Sirah has long been an important blending grape, prized for its deep colour and intense tannin. Most often blended into Zinfandel to add complexity, body, and to tone down the tendency of zins toward "jammy" fruit. On its own, the flavour of Petite Sirah can be vaguely black peppery … pleasant … not highly distinctive … ages slowly and can survive fairly long cellaring of ten years or more. (Jancis Robinson rates Durif “undistinguished”). ]
Rich ruby, garnet and velvet, much the deepest and most youthful. Bouquet has the kind of fruit, vigour and weight that Stonyfell Metala had back in the ‘60s (when it was the top wine in the Stonyfell portfolio) – a rudely healthy over-ripe wine verging on portiness, but clean. Palate is much the same, very rich and robust black fruits nearly jammy, but saved from it by dry furry tannins which coat the tongue (still). Amazingly youthful, and a great example of its hot-climate, old-time Barossa Valley-like wine style. Cellar another 5 – 15 years, easily, browning all the while. GK 03/06

2011 Churton Viognier 16 ½ (

)

Waihopai Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14.5%; $37 [ cork; hand-picked @ c. 6 t/ha (2.4 t/ac); whole-bunch pressed and mostly BF in one year old French 600-litre barrel with some wild yeast fermentation; 10 months elevation on lees, no MLF; pH 3.3, RS 1.7 g/L; biodynamic; www.churtonwines.co.nz ]
Lemongreen. Bouquet is clean, clearly vinifera, vaguely floral / white flowers, plus palest white nectarine suggestions. In mouth, there is remarkable similarity to the Trinity Hill Arneis, good body, beautiful wine-making though the oak / barrel-ferment slightly more apparent, but the specific smells and flavours of good viognier are lacking. Viognier to be good must show yellow florals and yellow fruit touching on ripe apricots. At a long stretch, this gets about as far towards that goal as imperfectly ripe greengages, with the phenolics of the variety becoming obtrusive, given the lack of flavour. It is also tending acid. Growing viognier in the South Island is (in general) simply torturing innocent plants. It is hard enough to get good varietal exposition in Hawke's Bay and Waiheke Island, but those climates do at least allow exciting wines be made in the best years. Until viognier the grape is more accurately judged in New Zealand wine shows, the nonsense of giving gold medals to climatically-limited / inappropriately ripened wines will continue. New Zealand judges are not yet sufficiently familiar with the variety. Cellar 1 – 3 years. GK 03/13

2007 Church Road Pinot Gris Cuve Series 16 ½ (

)

Ngaruroro Valley, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $25 [ screwcap; cool-fermented in s/s, then held and stirred on lees for up to 10 months; RS 7 g/L; the Matapiro Vineyard is at 300m altitude in the Ngaruroro Valley, with markedly greater diurnal range than lowland Hawkes Bay; www.churchroad.co.nz ]
Pale straw. This is a white pinot of a very different stripe from the two Otago examples, being both a year older, and made in a much more extravagant way. Bouquet is full, soft and broad, peaches and cream with loud French vanilla ice cream too. Palate highlights why, there being quite a lactic component, and a noticeable skins phenolics load, as well as some oak [not so]. The high alcohol makes it hard to assess the residual sweetness, but it is dryish and a big mouthful of flavour. I can imagine it accompanying some rich Alsatian foods well. It is dubious for cellar though – those phenolics could become ugly quite soon. Thinking back to the lovely subtle yet floral Mission Tokay d'Alsace versions of this grape from Hawkes Bay in the early 1980s, I would like to see Church Road take a subtler approach to pinot gris. It is almost true to say for pinot gris, being so subtle in its beauty, that if you can taste the MLF or oak, then it is too much. [ Later correspondence with winemaker Chris Scott reveals how easily one can make mistakes in sensory evaluation. There is no oak at all, just extended lees maturation and stirring, their goal being to give the impression of barrel ferment ! ] Cellar 1 – 3 years only. GK 11/08

2006 Mills Reef Cabernet / Merlot Elspeth 16 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $37 [ cork; CS 60%, Me 40, hand-picked; 5 days cold soak; 40% of the CS wild-yeast fermented in Integrale rotating 400L barrels, balance both vars conventional open-top fermentation, extended cuvaison; 16.5 months in French oak 53% new; www.millsreef.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, a deeper and more youthful colour than either the Cabernet or the Merlot ! On bouquet and palate however this wine does not seem to match the individual varieties, smelling and tasting as if it has more press fraction in it, resulting in a harder wine. A streak of under-ripeness shows up too, along with some VA. There is the constitution and tannin to cellar well, 5 – 12 years, in its style. GK 11/08

2013 Fromm Syrah La Strada 16 ½ (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 12%; $39 [ screwcap; www.frommwinery.co.nz ]
Ruby and some velvet, in the lowest quarter for depth. This wine opens obviously reductive, and needs several seriously splashy decantings, whereupon it cleans up remarkably. New Zealand syrahs do stand out among the Aussies, at best showing the near-floral smells of the grape rather than variously threshold flowering mint / mint / euc'y notes. Once breathed there is even a hint of wallflowers here, and darkly cassisy fruit with bottled black doris plums. Oaking is nicely judged. Palate is hardened a little by the reduction, unfortunately. Cellar 5 – 12 years, probably to come right, but decant it vigorously before use. GK 06/16

2004 Sherwood Estate Methode Traditionelle Reserve Laverique 16 ½ (

)

Waipara, Canterbury, New Zealand: 12.5%; $24 [ cork; PN & Ch; 3 years LA; made to mark 20th anniversary of Co.; www.sherwood.co.nz ]
Palest lemonstraw. Bouquet is fragrant fruit-dominant simple bubbly, some apple-tart aromas but not enough yeast autolysis complexity, reminiscent of some Lindauer variants. In the still wine total aroma is reminiscent of pinot gris, blind, but once one knows it was bubbly, the wine is clean, a little pinot noir flush of flavour in the chardonnay, dosage well within the brut class. Not enough complexity for the price, maybe, but cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 05/08

2001 Ata Rangi Pinot Noir 16 ½ (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 14%; $ – [ clones 10/5 and others, up to 21 years, harvested c. 2.4 t/ac; 5% whole bunch, up to 9 days cold soak, wild yeast fermentation, up to 22 days cuvaison; 11 months French oak 25% new; www.atarangi.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, maturing. The 2001 is similar to the 2000, with fragrant maturing red cherry fruit, and a suggestion of strawberry on bouquet. On palate however, the wine is shorter, and slightly stalky. This is where the relatively inconsequential Jadot shows its burgundian style, being similarly light but avoiding any hint of stalks. Maturing now, but will cellar 1 – 5 years too. GK 01/07

nv Palliser Estate Methode Traditionelle Brut 16 ½ (

)

Martinborough, Wairarapa, New Zealand: 13%; $48 [ supercritical Diam 'cork'; 8 g/L dosage; www.palliser.co.nz ]
Lemonstraw, but also deep alongside the champagnes. Bouquet like the Nautilus but even moreso is also showing fruit rather more than autolysis, and the depth of autolysis though clean, is the least of the New Zealand wines – more crumb of loaf than crust. Flavours are the lightest and sweetest amongst the New Zealand wines, with quite a citrussy component on the chardonnay side. Yet alongside champagne, the wine also shows higher phenolics again, and a bold finish, all correlating with being too 'fruity'. It tastes sweeter than its given 8 g/L. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/16

2005 Kahurangi Estate Sauvignon Blanc 16 ½ (

)

Nelson, New Zealand: 13%; $16 [ screwcap; website [then] not up-to-date, ’04 was 4 g/L RS; www.kahurangiwine.com ]
Pale lemongreen. A sauvignon in a different style here, more the nettles and English gooseberries of Sancerre, and less of the capsicum and black passionfruit of Marlborough. Palate is similar, firm acid, cooler all through, but not unduly leafy, and certainly not weak – interesting. Finish is ‘dry’. Such wines can cellar well, 5 – 8 years. GK 02/06

2014 Clos des Papes Chateauneuf-du-Pape 16 ½ (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $151 [ cork, 50mm; cepage has changed in recent years, now more Mv, typically Gr 55%, Mv 30, Sy 10, the balance other AOC varieties including white grapes; cropped at little more than 2.6 t/ha = 1.05 t/ac; all de-stemmed; some months in vat, then 12 months in big old wood, then assembly in vat 2 months; not fined or filtered; production up to 7,500 x 9-litre cases; just the one label; J.L-L has an appealing thumbnail sketch of the current 3 vintages (précised): The 2014 red was utterly charming, a real en finesse ****(*) beauty, while the 2015 is logically a bolder, more demanding ***** wine, requiring patience. The ***** 2016 red is deep and long, a vintage that will age extremely well; J. Harding @ Robinson, 2017: Utterly seductive and beautifully red-fruited on the nose. Red cherry and a touch of spice. On the palate, the fruit sweetness is beautifully balanced by the bitterness of the cherry stone. Opulent and super-smooth, on the cusp between velvet and silky. Gorgeous and so long. You could approach this with pleasure now though plenty more to come. 2017 - 2029, 18; J.L-L, 2016: a curvy, red-fruited bouquet which is really pleasing – it offers strawberry, raspberry … a lovely plumpness. ... finesse on the palate, with neat tannins … pockets of white pepper … it’s wonderful wine, what pleasure it gives. It summons symphonic thoughts. Bottled May 2016. “It is very Burgundian,” says Vincent Avril, ****(*); J. Dunnuck @ R Parker, 2016: ... his 2014 Chateauneuf du Pape is certainly one of the wines of the vintage. And while it possesses terrific notes of peppery herbs, Provençal spice, kirsch and darker berry fruits, it’s on the palate where this beauty shines! Medium to full-bodied, incredibly balanced, seamless and pure, with beautiful fruit, it has present tannin, terrific mid-palate depth and a great finish. It won’t be the longest lived wine from the estate, but it’s beautiful and will certainly drink well for a decade, 93; bottle weight 648g; www.clos-des-papes.fr ]
Lightish ruby, the lightest wine. The southern Rhone Valley is a land of sunshine, so no matter how pure and fragrant a wine is, when it smells as leafy and stalky as this one, like South Canterbury pinot noir in fact, one has to mark it down. The red-fruits grenache only just achieves red raspberries, there are nearly red currants here, and the syrah blending component clearly shows white pepper, not black. In mouth it is supple and harmonious, beautifully made, but leafy / stalky all through. The wine as tasted is quite simply astonishing, having regard to all the terribly deferential assessments of it available on-line. This is one of those occasions where you wish more wine reviewers reviewed the contents of the bottle, rather than the label. A totally pure wine, no first places, no second places. Cellar 5 – 15 years, in its pretty, leafy, style, noting one can buy six of the 2016 Domaine Charvin Cotes-du-Rhone (a clearly riper and more pleasing wine, even without the oak), for the same price. GK 08/18

2013 Peregrine Pinot Noir 16 ½ (

)

Bendigo 52%, Pisa 43, Gibbston 5, Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $39 [ Stelvin Lux screwcap; main clones Dijon 777, 10/5, Abel, planting density varying with vineyard but indicative average c.3,000 vines/ha, age likewise but average 15 – 20 years; all hand-picked at c.7 t/ha (2.8 t/ac); 5% whole-bunch component, pre-ferment cold soak 7 days, then 14 days cuvaison with moslty cultured yeast ferments; all the wine 10 months in all-French oak c.20% new, light and medium toast, MLF in barrel in spring; sterile-filtered to bottle; RS <1 g/L: dry extract not given; production c.5,500 cases; www.peregrinewines.co.nz ]
Medium pinot noir ruby, just above midway in depth. Unusually for pinot noir, this wine is lightly reductive, needing a good splashy decanting, several times. Even so any floral qualities it may have had are masked. Fruit is good, fair body, a suggestion of stalks, and some hardness from the reduction. More a sound plainish pinot noir, which should become softer and more fragrant in cellar 5 – 12 years. No first or second places, and seven thought it from Otago. GK 08/16

nv Lanvin & Fils Cuvée Selection Brut 16 ½ (

)

Epernay, Champagne, France: 12%; $45 [ cork; it is difficult to find out much about this wine. EuroVintage in NZ say: "Produced by Champagne Lombard exclusively for the New Zealand market", but wine of the same name is available in the UK and US markets; at one stage it was said to be part of the Charles de Cazanove house, but that house's website advises it was "bought out in 2004 and has become the flagship of a Champagne family group."; no website for Lanvin apparently – if it is a Lombard label, their website indicates the house style includes MLF, 2 – 3 years en tirage for the nv, no clue on dosage; info welcomed ]
Scarcely less straw than the much older Le Brun. Bouquet is much milder, clean, but only superficial autolysis, more crumb of bread than crust, seemingly a high chardonnay cuvée. Palate has reminders of better cava, a slightly coarse note, not the depth of the Le Brun, clearly sweeter, again crumb of bread rather than crust, no baguette qualities at all. Sound but drab, highlighting both how excellent the best New Zealand method champenoise wines are, and sadly drawing attention to how unreliable the advice about bubblies is locally – this wine for example simply does not deserve the glowing reviews it habitually receives in New Zealand. It is simply serviceable bubbly from Champagne. Will cellar for several years, but marginally worth cellaring, if delight be the goal. GK 08/11

2013 Huia Pinot Noir 16 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $40 [ screwcap; www.huiavineyards.com ]
Medium pinot noir ruby, some age showing, in the middle for depth. Bouquet is another in the older style of Marlborough pinot noir, but showing better ripeness than some, some buddleia florals, red fruits with only a hint of leaf, winey. Palate has slightly better concentration than expected, a good red fruits flavour, red currants and red cherry, lightly oaked, let down by suggestions of stalks, some maturity already. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 06/16

2003 Mt Difficulty Pinot Noir Roaring Meg 16 ½ (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $28 [ screwcap; www.mtdifficulty.co.nz ]
Lightish pinot ruby. Clean simple red cherries and pinot to the bouquet, a hint of barrel char, fragrant, slightly leafy. Palate is beautifully balanced to subtlest oak, all red fruits, refreshing or perhaps slightly excess acid, all in style but on the light side. Cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 10/04

2010 Church Road Syrah Reserve 16 ½ (

)

Bridge Pa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $35 [ cork; Sy 100% hand-harvested and sorted, all de-stemmed; no cold soak, inoculated yeast, c.6 days warm-ferment in open-top oak and concrete vessels, up to 35 days cuvaison, controlled aeration; c.18 - 21 months in French oak c.40% new; no American oak; about 800 cases produced; the Church road website provides great info; RS <1 g/L; 3 top rankings, 4 second; www.churchroad.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, above midway in depth, but from colour alone, one has forebodings about the oak-handling. Bouquet is the odd-man-out in the field. Not only is it hopelessly oaky, but it has a clear mint / euc'y smell. [ I wonder if some new source of tainted fruit has been included this year. The Redstone vineyard is known to be superb, but the website mentions another Bridge Pa site. If so it may be adjacent to eucalypts and undesirable in warmer seasons.] These two factors together pretty well smother any varietal quality, on bouquet. Palate continues the trend, the oak to berry ratio being more traditional Australian practice than best latterday New Zealand, with vanillin oak flavours dominating, the fruit rich but seeming over-ripe and lacking cassisy freshness, aromatics, florality or complexity. Disappointing when one reflects back on some of the exciting earlier Church Road syrahs, but it will be well-rated by some (sadly). Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 06/13

2002 Akarua Pinot Noir Reserve 16 ½ (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 14.5%; $40 [ screwcap; www.akarua.com ]
Dense ruby, carmine and velvet, a ludicrous colour for pinot noir. Bouquet is sweet, ripe, huge and concentrated, more like modern grenache-derived Chateauneuf du Pape than pinot noir, and complete with spicy nutmeg (presumably from oak) to complete the grenache picture. Palate likewise is monstrous, a wine defining the new world fruit bomb style (pace Robert Parker): huge fruit, huge alcohol, very oaky, more or less porty, yet slightly acid to the finish. This is a long way from pinot noir as the world understands it, but there are reminders of the grape in the black cherry notes later in the palate. I look forward to studying this wine as it ages. It will be good drinking in its style, but whether it will ever be beautiful pinot noir is a separate question. Cellar 5 – 12 years.

Stylewise, there is no doubt this is an attractive big, soft, alcoholic red, carefully made, but the variety is almost incidental. It is therefore unfortunate that such wines are currently being awarded Gold Medals as pinot noirs, in New Zealand national judgings. There is a critical problem in New Zealand trying to create a new and wayward, alcoholic and heavy style of pinot noir like this, and then hoping the world will clamour to buy it at the premium prices currently being charged. Quite simply, the Languedoc, Spain and no doubt other regions can produce similarly-styled wines much more affordably.

Few places, however, can produce pinot noir of the calibre illustrated right at this moment by the straight 1999 Felton Road Pinot Noir. I recently ran this in a blind tasting with Grand Cru Burgundies of the same year, and the Felton was every bit in the running, totally burgundian to the point of being inseparable from the real thing – a quite exceptional pinot noir, in world terms. Given our critically temperate climate in New Zealand, we would therefore be wise to re-adjust our sights, and aim our pinots towards the subtle and beautiful winestyles produced in the marginal climate of Burgundy. These are wines vouchsafed by hundreds of years of experience, and acknowledged to be at best amongst the finest wines in the world. They have proved almost impossible to replicate elsewhere. New Zealand is one of the very few places with the critical prospect of achieving comparable quality in pinot noir, once we can achieve physiological maturity at lower potential alcohols. Whereas almost anybody can produce commercial fruit bombs. GK 01/04

2004 Montana Gewurztraminer Riverpoint Terroir Series 16 ½ (

)

Gisborne, New Zealand: 13%; $22 [ screwcap; hand-picked, sorting table; 5 months LA (presumably in tank); 29 g/L RS; grown on the former Denis Irwin / Matawhero land, where NZ’s first world-class gewurzs (but dry) arose in the later 70s; www.montana.co.nz ]
Lemon. In the present company, bouquet is disappointing, with a clear VA lift to modest gewurztraminer varietal character, not going much beyond the Turkish delight sector. Palate shows a little more varietal fruit, lychee and nashi pear (to reflect the VA, apparent in even fresh nashi) and a little root-ginger, but all finishing a little tacky on excess sweetness and VA roughness – reminiscent of many indifferent too-sweet New Zealand pinot gris. Given this site’s heritage, this is disappointing as a wine, being a very commercial offering. It was grown on the famed Matawhero Riverpoint vineyard site, and the quality of the gewurztraminer formerly there made much finer wine than this. The Matawhero model was dry, and good vintages cellared well, as the 1978 Matawhero Gewurztraminer still shows (in an elderly way). It is a worry too that some of the Montana Gisborne whites show this detectable VA. For most, it doesn't interfere with enjoyment of the wine. For many people it just makes it more zingy, but for cellaring less would be better. This particular example is not worth cellaring as gewurztraminer, though like the Vinoptima (but sweeter), it is pleasant, full-bodied, aromatic medium-white, nearly Australian in style. GK 08/06

1987 Kumeu River Chardonnay 16 ½ (

)

Kumeu, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13%; $ – [ cork, 49mm; 1985 Kumeu River was the first 100% intentional MLF chardonnay in New Zealand; the 1986 added 100% wild-yeast fermentation; 100% barrel-fermented in puncheons, perhaps 50% new, but not much battonage; Michael Brajkovich advises: In those days we would rack the wine off the yeast / bacterial lees, add SO2 and top up the barrels, quite soon after the completion of MLF. This had the effect of locking in the diacetyl so that these wines are quite buttery. These days we leave the wines on the yeast lees right the way through barrel maturation, which has the effect of reducing the diacetyl to very low levels; 1987 saw the introduction of 228-litre barrels coopered in Burgundy. The 1987 had some botrytis influence, but was the first year Kumeu River Chardonnay won recognition in USA; www.kumeuriver.co.nz ]
Straw with some gold, fractionally below the middle in depth. An exception was made for this wine, re the vintage. I opened both the 1986 and the 1987, and the latter was substituted since the colour was so much better, aided by the upgrading of corks from 44mm to 49mm in that year. The high MLF component is immediately apparent in this wine, several tasters commenting on it at the blind stage, butter and caramel being mentioned. This ties in with the winemaker's notes, in the 'admin' section. Behind that is an attractive mealy / nutty complexity on dried peach fruit. Flavours are subtler and more harmonious than the Gisborne Reserve, though weaker, with pleasant fruit and length for those who like old wines. One second-place vote, but importantly, no 'least' votes at all. A piece of New Zealand wine history, Michael Brajkovich being the first winemaker to demonstrate to the industry the role the MLF fermentation can play in temperate-climate chardonnay elevation. GK 09/15

2013 Coopers Creek Syrah Hawkes Bay Reserve * 16 ½ (

)

Havelock Hills, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $50 [ screwcap; Sy 99%, Vi 1, co-fermented; fruit from a single vineyard on steep slopes, hand-picked; 12 months in French oak 60% new; RS 2 g/L; sterile-filtered; released; www.cooperscreek.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, one of the darker and least oak-affected wines. Bouquet is intense, but unsophisticated, showing almost juicy black fruits more blackberry than anything, suggesting over-ripeness, plus noticeable VA. Flavours are odd too, the wine lacking structure and integration and harmony, the berry dark almost like elderberry. Tasting this alongside the Homage or Bullnose is a vivid contrast in vinosity, the Coopers seemingly lacking elevation complexity alongside those two beautiful wines. The finish might not be bone-dry either [ later confirmed ]. This is wholesome, hearty but simple wine, to cellar for a shorter time, 3 – 10 years. GK 05/15

2007 Seresin Pinot Noir Sun and Moon 16 ½ (

)

Omaka Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14.5%; $109 [ screwcap (harder to open Stelvin Lux); hand-harvested, 60% of fruit from higher-clay older hill-soils; no whole-bunch; cold-soak and extended cuvaison to c.24 days; 17 months in French oak perhaps half new; c.58 cases; useful website; www.seresin.co.nz ]
Big ruby and velvet, the darkest of all the wines, not really a pinot noir colour. Bouquet to first impression is not very varietal either, a disquieting pennyroyal and mint quality nearly as distracting and as strong as eucalyptus in Australian wines. It may indeed be dilute eucalyptus. There is big dark fruit but no clear varietal analogies, together with an underlying stalky thread. Palate confirms the worst fears, revealing a big unsubtle wine showing very uneven ripeness from over-ripe and plummy (dominant) to stalky / leafy and inappropriate components, really old-style New Zealand misguided pinot. The total impression is rich and mouth filling, quantitatively OK but not qualitatively, recognisably pinot noir but not for the right reasons. Cellar 3 – 12 years, in its style. For a contrasting view, see Neal Martin, Wine Advocate #184, reproduced in the Seresin website technical page for the wine (at foot), noting that some of his descriptors are simply inappropriate for fine pinot. There is still a real problem in pinot noir assessment, both individually and in judging arenas, which thoughtful winemakers thankfully are now recognising. GK 11/10

2008 Te Mata Viognier Zara 16 ½ (

)

Woodthorpe district, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $27 [ supercritical ‘cork’; hand-harvested; c. 70% of the wine 8 months LA and batonnage on gross lees, balance s/s; all oak French third-year or older; small % through MLF; < 2 g/L residual; www.temata.co.nz ]
Pale bright lemon. Bouquet is on the pale side for viognier, lightly floral but needing imagination to say honeysuckle, with a hint of clearly under-ripe apricots. The wine has more to say in mouth, clear flesh and body taking it towards viognier in the blind tasting, but flavour development pinched and not surpassing green-fleshed yellowish apricots. Noticeable acid makes the oak seem boney, and the finish short and phenolic. This is not the best vintage of Te Mata's viognier, and given they pioneered the variety in New Zealand, it is a curious one in which to promote the wine from the Woodthorpe commercial range to the ‘named’ premium group. You can't help feeling over the years that the Woodthorpe vineyard is on the cool side for optimising a variety like viognier. Cellar 2 – 4 years, but there is not much prospect of a butterfly emerging here. GK 03/09

2008 Te Whare Ra Riesling M [ medium ] 16 ½ (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 9%; $22 [ screwcap; hand-picked from young vines only; whole-bunch pressed, cool-fermented in s/s; pH 2.81, RS 35 g/L; 117 cases; www.te-whare-ra.co.nz ]
Pale lemon, paler than the dry version. This riesling is just a little paler all through than its ‘D’ sibling. There are even reminders of good Muller-Thurgau in it (a variety now unfashionably condemned in New Zealand). Both bouquet and palate show mild white grapey aromas and flavours, on slightly citric fruit with a medium level of sweetness. A pure wine, but simple and easy. Cellar 2 – 6 years, probably to gain interest. GK 04/09

2002 Guigal St Joseph Vignes de l'Hospice 16 ½ (

)

St Joseph, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $ – [ cork; this is a limited production wine from Guigal, 20 – 80 year vines cropped @ 1.5 t/ac, and (generally) raised in new oak for 30 months; 2002 a modest year in the Rhone Valley; www.guigal.com ]
Ruby, older. This wine was something of a miniature, showing premature maturity, but also illustrating the dianthus florals and aromatic berry of classical northern Rhone syrah (as well as savoury brett). Palate is leaner, reflecting the difficult 2002 vintage in the Rhone Valley, but it is maturing harmoniously into a slightly stalky and acid northern Rhone, modestly varietal. Cellar 3 – 5 years only. GK 01/07

2014 Vasse Felix Chardonnay Heytesbury 16 ½ (

)

Margaret River, West Australia, New Zealand: 13%; $66 [ screwcap; www.vassefelix.com.au ]
Lemon with a green wash, the palest wine. Bouquet on this wine is clearly copying the current trendy (but superficial) thinking, that reduction equals complexity. Rarely, yes, more often, no (for the consumer, but not always for wine judges, unfortunately), and this one comes into the latter category. It is a quite different quality of reduction from the Greywacke, just the sour sulphides without the tar hint, and these sulphides numb the nose and harden the palate. There is excellent fruit richness, but the numbing effect of the sulphides means you can't taste what kind of fruit, beyond stonefruits in general, made nearly sour by the reduction / so-called (by the trendy) minerality. All the camp-following wine journalists will no doubt say this is great, on price and reputation, but it isn't. Doubtfully worth cellaring at all, to see if it ever overcomes its reductive load, in 10 – 20 years. GK 06/16

2013 Brokenwood [ CS / Sh / Me ] Cricket Pitch Red 16 ½ (

)

Australia: 13.5%; $26 [ screwcap; CS, Sh, Me; up to 18 months in French and American oak, none new; www.brokenwoodwines.com ]
Ruby, a hint of age, fractionally below midway in depth. Bouquet is clean, sweet, ripe, subtly oaked, showing fragrant cassis and plum fruit, lifted by faint mint. Palate is lesser, as if a tank component, the wine lacking the smoothness of all-barrel elevation, with a stalky tannin note apparent. Reasonable concentration. Just good sound red, to cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 06/16

2016 Domaine Alary Cairanne Tradition 16 ½ (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $31 [ cork 50 mm, Gr 65-70, Sy 20-25, Ca 10, organic; elevation in concrete vat, plus some large oak; available from Maison Vauron, Auckland, and retailers supplied by them; weight bottle and cork, 598 g; website more PR than info; www.domaine-alary.com ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, just below midway in depth. This wine needs double decanting, to dispel a whisper of reduction. That reveals a simpler kind of Cotes du Rhone, big, ripe, juicy, not a lot of spice or berry complexity, not much charm from grenache, more dark plum and some blackberry from sur-maturité. There are some alcohol fumes, helping lift the bouquet. Palate emphasises the simple blackberry fruit even more, quite rich, good length, but drying tannins to the tail. Straightforward rather than exciting Southern Rhone wine, to cellar 5 – 15 years, to soften. GK 05/19

2003 J & V Alquier Faugeres La Maison Jaune Reserve 16 ½ (

)

Languedoc, France: 14%; $35 [ cork; Syrah dominant with Mv and Gr; Maison Vauron; Faugeres is more in the eastern part of Languedoc, and Domaine Alquier is perhaps the best-known vineyard in the appellation. 4000 cases from 11 ha indicates old vines, low yields. ]
Ruby. Initially opened, this wine is tending reductive and modest. Given splashy decanting, attractive syrah florals of the carnations style appear, but with a grassy edge, so one also thinks of jonquils – less attractive. Palate is cassisy, leafy and slightly rustic, pleasing berry but only medium weight. One could easily confuse this wine with everyday Crozes-Hermitage, for the blending varieties are near-invisible. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 10/05

2003 Domaine l'Ameillaud Cotes du Rhone 16 ½ (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $15 [ Gr 60%, Sy 25, Ca 10, Mv 5, 10% in oak 4 months ]
Bright ruby, some carmine and velvet. A fat plummy bouquet, much too ripe for florals and herbes de Provence. Palate likewise is soft, plump and juicy berry, veering towards the populist boysenberry Australian style for $10 supermarket reds. There is some subtle oak spicing in the flavour, but not a lot of complexity by Rhone standards. A good rich QDR. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 11/04

2009 Domaine Les Aphillanthes Cotes du Rhone 16 ½ (

)

Cotes du Rhone AOC, Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $20 [ cork; Gr 80%, Ca 10, Mv 10; concrete elevage; no website ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, slightly darker than the Vindemio Regain. Bouquet is fragrant, delightful Cotes du Rhone, the red fruits of grenache, blackberry from syrah and carignan. Palate is simpler than the higher-ranked wines, the concrete elevation showing more obviously, but there is good berry, stalky / phenolic in youth, possibly not totally bone dry. It is so much richer and cleaner than some of the main commercial blended Cotes du Rhones on the market. Cellar 3 – 8 years only, the carignan will let it down in the longer term. GK 11/10

2004 Ch Belair 16 ½ (

)

St Emilion Grand Cru, Bordeaux, France: 12.5%; $120 [ cork; vineyard cepage Me 60%, CF 40, average age 35 – 40 years, planted @ an average 6 600 vines / ha, and cropped @ c. 2 t/ac. ]
Ruby, the second lightest. Bouquet is unequivocally St Emilion, the red fruits of cabernet franc and gentle merlot, smelling fragrant and attractive. Palate then comes as a let-down, showing reasonable berry yet stalky to a fault. This is exactly the style we are trying to escape from in New Zealand, but for the districts beyond Hawkes Bay and Waiheke at best, it is a difficult task. Cellar 5 – 12 years to mellow, in its style. GK 08/07

2008 Dom de Bellene Saint Romain Blanc Vieilles Vignes 16 ½ (

)

Saint-Romain, Cote de Beaune, Burgundy, France: 13%; $62 [ cork; a Nicholas Potel label, aiming to be organic / biodynamic; best source info: www.burgundy-report.com/summer-2010/profile-domaine-de-bellene-beaune; house website skeletal as yet; www.domainedebellene.com ]
Lemonstraw. Bouquet on this wine is modern to a fault, the varietal quality rather lost in charry oak, but all pure otherwise. Palate confirms there is just too much oak for varietal expression or ease and pleasure of matching to food. The charry quality degrades the flavour, with just a subliminal trace of creosote. Fruit weight is reasonable. The combination of flavours could match coarse food flavours such as manuka-smoked kahawai quite well. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 07/11

2008 [ Pernod-Ricard ] Bensen Block Pinot Gris 16 ½ (

)

Gisborne, New Zealand: 13%; $18 [ screwcap; machine-picked in evening cool, all de-stemmed; all s/s cool-ferment, then 9% through MLF, not much LA exposure; pH 3.35, RS 6.5 g/L; Bensen Block does not have its own lead-in website yet, but can be accessed via; www.pernod-ricard-nz.com//tastingnotes.php? ]
Pale lemonstraw. This is more mainstream New Zealand pinot gris on bouquet, light and pure pear flesh and a hint of white stonefruits, no complications. Palate is a little more nashi-like, a hint of VA and sweetness, not hanging together well, in fact very nashi-like. Varietal phenolics creep out on the tail, despite the sweetness. The subtle approach to an MLF component in pinot gris must be applauded, though. 'Popular' pinot gris, reasonably fruited, to cellar a year or two. GK 04/09

2010 Ch du Bois Chantant Cuvee Lawrence H 16 ½ (

)

Saint Emilion satellite districts, Bordeaux, France: 14%; $17 [ cork; Me 90, CS 10; Bordeaux Superieur; Availability: low ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, dense. This wine needs a good splashy decanting, to reveal a darkly plummy core of dense merlot fruit. In mouth the concentration of soft rich berries in this bottle is colossal, it is not over-oaked, and the whole thing (once aired) is soft and velvety. If Awatea had this many grapes per bottle, with Te Mata's elevation such a wine would be really something. NB: unless very well aired, this wine will seem plain. Hard to score therefore. Cellar 3 – 12 years. VALUE GK 03/13

2008 Bodegas Borsao Garnacha Tres Picos 16 ½ (

)

Campo de Borja, Spain: 14.5%; $36 [ cork; Gr 100% cropped at c.5t/ha = 2t/ac, 35 – 60 years age, grown @ c.650m; 21 days cuvaison in s/s; 5 months in new French oak; www.bodegasborsao.com ]
Medium ruby, carmine and velvet. A wine caught between two worlds, trying to appeal to people who think chocolate is a plus-factor in red wine, but let down by old-fashioned complexities. As is so often the case with more expensive Spanish reds, increased exposure to oak has led to plain leathery smells and flavours reminiscent of the wines of much earlier decades. The makers try to make a virtue out of this on the back label, which no doubt works well in markets like the UK. Bouquet is dark fruits, chocolate and smoky bacon bespeaking the kind of brett the UK winewriters don't recognise, but having its own appeal. Palate is soft, round, dark grape flavours, fair richness, 'let down' only by a fault most people positively like. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 08/11

2010 Domaine Bott-Geyl Pinot d'Alsace Metiss 16 ½ (

)

Beblenheim, Alsace, France: 13%; $25 [ supercritical 'cork'; PB 33%, Ax 33%, PG and some PN off-the-skins; also info @ www.alsace-wine.net/p/bottgeyl.shtmlwww.bott-geyl.com; www.bott-geyl.com ]
Straw with a gold wash, the second deepest, old-fashioned. Bouquet shows clear (white) pinosity, lovely white fruits, quite a lift from noble botrytis, and a developed character suggesting elevation in fuder. Palate extends the thought of age, trace oxidation maybe, clearly noticeable phenolics, but wonderful concentration of fruit, some sweetness, a wine demanding food. In the sense of Alsatian wine and food, and simple enjoyment, this wine shows great typicité, and at an affordable price. Judged more strictly, it is simply old-fashioned. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 04/13

2011 Weingut Brundlemayer Pinot Noir Reserve 16 ½ (

)

Langenlois, Austria: 13.5%; $ – [ cork 51mm; a $US63 wine = $NZ96 wine; hand-picked; average cropping rate across all varieties 5.2 t/ha = 2.1 t/ac; 'maceration' of 2 weeks, so cuvaison presumably longer; elevation 12 – 14 months in predominantly 300-litre Austrian oak casks, new and 1-year, for 14 months; bottle courtesy Andrew Swann; www.bruendlmayer.at ]
Dark pinot noir ruby, out of line with the German wines, more matching one of the deeper New Zealand wines, e.g. the Wanaka Road. It doesn't smell anything like the Wanaka Road however, the wine essentially lacking pinot noir florality, subtlety and charm. Yet there is a dusky fragrance, on black cherry (just) and plummy fruit. Palate is rich, dry and savoury, more in line for a darker kind of Cote de Nuits wine, but tannic and clunky. I suspect the simple answer is a good dash of zwiegelt in this wine (which comprises 7% of the vineyard plantings), adding colour and subtracting 'pinosity'. The closest smell and taste comparison in the New Zealand set is the Dry River, but the Austrian has a good deal more charm. Cellar 5 – 15-plus years. UK winewriter Tim Atkin MW rates Brundlemayer as one of the 10 most influential winemakers in Austria. GK 11/15

1998 Domaine du Caillou Chateauneuf-du-Pape 16 ½ (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $189 [ cork, 50mm; Gr 80%, Sy 10, Mv 10; no destemming; then elevation typically 12 months in concrete; 6 months in s/s; then 12 – 18 months in large old wood; now known as Le Clos du Caillou, with a tier of variants; original purchase price $82, expensive for the time; probably not filtered then, is now; R. Parker, 2000: ... a beautifully sweet nose of black raspberries, kirsch, and liquid minerals. It possesses high glycerin, layers of concentration, exquisite purity, and a full-bodied finish. It is a brilliant example of purity, finesse, and power. Anticipated maturity: 2002-2015, 90; bottle weight 653g; www.closducaillou.com ]
Garnet more than ruby, the second lightest wine. An immediate caveat: I do not know if this is an inexplicably oxidised bottle (the cork seemed perfect), or if it reflects the average of all bottles. The wine in this bottle has a clear baked / oxidised quality on the fruit, jam tart a little too browned rather than jam itself, a character which so marries in with the character of hot-vintage fruit, raisiny and prune-y notes etc, it is impossible to know if it is typical. Palate shows rich fruit and good length, in its raisiny / prunes / hint of licorice style, still with a lot of tannin but seemingly no new oak at all. The wine is otherwise clean, no brett. I look forward to the next bottle, to advise on holding or drinking up. Only trace crusting in the bottle. This was clearly the least-favoured wine for the group, seven least votes. But it would still be pretty good with a roast beef dinner. GK 07/18

2001 Bodegas Castano Dominio Espinal Seleccion 16 ½ (

)

Yecla DdO, southern Spain: 13.5%; $14 [ Mv > Te, CS ]
Older ruby. This bouquet is a little different, with a fragrance of ruby port and vanilla wafers, on pleasant redfruits. Palate is more European, cherry / plummy fruit, oldest oak, mellow yet fresh and attractive. Only the drying tannins to the finish point to the dominance of mourvedre, complexed by some brett. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 11/04

1999 Domaine du Cayron Gigondas 16 ½ (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $47 [ cork, 46mm; Gr c.70%, Sy c.14, some old-vine 1920s Ci, 1% Mv, typically cropped at 3.9 t/ha = 1.6 t/ac; usually whole-bunch fermentation, cuvaison to 21 days; elevation entirely in large old oak for (then) 12 – 27 months, formerly several bottlings; not fined or filtered; at that time production c.4,300 9-litre cases; a popular wine in the UK; J. L-L, 2006: ... red berry and plum fruit aroma that is open and lively. Good, clear fruit on the palate - red fruits with a licorice/fennel tang in them. Some tar and punch on the finish. This is still good and fresh. To 2021, ****; R. Parker, 2001: The funky 1999 Gigondas possesses ... kinky notes of incense, roasted meats, sausage, herbs, licorice, truffles, and black cherries. Its full-bodied and super-rich, with copious glycerin, no hard edges, and a 30+ second finish. This sumptuous, old style Gigondas is filled with personality. To 2013, 92; www.domaineducayron.coma ]
Ruby and garnet, just above midway in depth. This wine stood out in the tasting for its conspicuously ‘complex’ bouquet: lots of spicy red and darker fruits matched by a big but essentially still-positive brett component: nutmeg on venison casserole. But yes … there are some hints of horse tack and unspecified farmyard as well. Fruit is still pretty good though, so the wine is not being attacked from within yet, with very savoury oxo / meat extract and spicy qualities enveloping the browning red fruits. Tannins are starting to show to the finish, so this is another wine not to keep too much longer, in case the brett takes control. Two people rated Cayron their favourite wine, and one their second favourite. Four however had it as their least, while five thought it showed ‘significant’ brett. It seemed necessary to say: it is okay to like brett – wines like this are wonderful with savoury slow-cooked dark casseroles. GK 03/19

2015 Domaine de la Charbonniere Vacqueyras 16 ½ (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 15%; $35 [ cork, 49mm; Gr 60%, Sy 40; elevation wood vats; Robinson, Oct. 2016: Round and ripe with some structure. Ambitious and a little dry on the end but not excessively drying. Ambitious, 16.5 +; note this is the same as her rating for Charbonniere’s regular Chateauneuf-du-Pape, and higher than the special bottlings of Chateauneuf-du-Pape; Joe Czerwinski @ RP, Nov. 2017: ... combines lovely ripe cherries with tarry, plummy notes. It's medium to full-bodied, with a long, supple finish and should drink well for up to a decade, 91; no content on website yet; bottle weight 601 g; www.domainedelacharbonniere.com ]
Ruby, the third to lightest, reflecting the high percentage of grenache. This wine opened reductive: it needed jug to jug aeration five times or so. It responded well to that treatment, but retained a darker fruit character than grenache at the given level usually suggests. An aromatic undertone gradually emerged. Palate is more aromatic than the bouquet, suggesting that after five years in cellar this wine should rate more highly. There is a good concentration of raspberry red fruit, and some darker, plus suggestions of older oak, like the Guigal. Cellar 5 – 15 years, to improve, though the finish is very dry. Two first places, three second, but also four leasts. GK 04/18

2004 Yann Chave Crozes-Hermitage 16 ½ (

)

Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $35 [ cork; Maison Vauron; Sy 100%; the wines from the re-named Bernard Chave, now run by the son. ]
Ruby, a flush of carmine and velvet. This is an astonishingly fragrant and pure wine, and people either liked it, or hated it. It has a penetrating floral component on bouquet related to red carnations or wallflowers (as one hopes for in syrah), but there a nearly herbaceous edge like jonquils (lily-whites). Palate is crisp cassis, reasonable body, more acid than is desirable, scarcely oaked, a vibrant example of sub-optimally ripened syrah. I like this style a good deal, being a bit hung-up on floral qualities in wine bouquets, and think it will cellar surprisingly well for 5 – 12 years, becoming ever more fragrant though leaner. It is only fair to say many of the 24 tasters rated it clearly their least wine in the set of 12 Rhone styles. So buy one, and try, before investing. GK 11/05

2005 Yann Chave Crozes-Hermitage 16 ½ (

)

Crozes-Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $36 [ cork; no oak at all; Wine Spectator: Solid, with a piercing violet aroma to go with vivid mineral and blackberry fruit flavors. Nice tangy finish. To 2009. 88. JR / Julia Harding: Perfumed and slightly floral black fruit. Attractively fresh but doesn’t (yet?) appear to have much weight of fruit in the middle, still well balanced and long. To 2012. 16 ]
Ruby, above midway in depth of colour. This wine opens a little reductively, and benefits from a splashy decanting or two. Behind the light sulphur veil, there are suggestions of florals, white pepper and red fruits. Palate is modestly varietal, good red fruits of medium weight, plummy mainly, at this stage hardened just a little on both sulphur and some stalks, short finish. This will cellar 5 – 10 years, and should soften and become more varietal (in its straightforward village style). GK 04/07

1998 Domaine J L Chave Hermitage 16 ½ (

)

Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $ – [ cork; Sy 100%, average vine age > 40 years, hand-harvested; a small percentage of whole-bunch according to vintage, cuvaison 3 – 4 weeks; c.18 months in French oak, never more than 20% new, often less; JR 17, RP 93, ST 94 +, J.L-L 5/6 stars ]
Ruby and garnet, old for age, one of the lightest. Freshly opened, the wine has a very strong and negative medicinal / stalky / nearly rosemary oil character on bouquet, and tastes similar. With a good deal of aeration and next day it is transformed, the nett character now being browning cassis in a more typical brett-related complexity, which is quite winey. First opened, it was distinctly on the band-aid / medicinal side of brett. Palate is firm on syrah fruit which may not have been optimally ripe (in a drought year), some oak showing, fairly mature. This is a hard wine to score, at the first showing it being my bottom wine, but the more air it has the better it gets. A wine to highlight the complicating factor in wine appraisal that first impressions are not always correct. Will hold 2 – 6 years, in its style, being a little richer than the 1995. GK 05/13

2013 J L Chave Saint-Joseph Offerus 16 ½ (

)

Saint-Joseph, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $48 [ 44mm cork; Sy 100%; cuvaison up to 28 days; 12 – 15 months in mostly larger oak, none new. This syrah is a notch warmer / riper than wine (3). It is highly floral and fragrant syrah, where the florals are a little sweeter and deeper, but trace white pepper still bespeaks marginal under-ripeness, on berry which has somewhat more red fruits quality, and clearer suggestions of cassis. Flavours are clearly sweeter, riper and deeper than the Gerin wine, but still only pinot weight; www.domainejlchave.fr ]
Ruby, fractionally deeper than the Gerin wine, below midway in depth. Bouquet is clearly riper and sweeter than the Gerin, but still showing clear signs of pinks, dianthus, white pepper and stalks. Both florals and berry suggestions are sweeter, riper and darker. There are still redcurrants, but the plum component is clearly deeper, with even faintest hints of cassis. The improvement in fruitiness is remarkable, yet the whole wine is still tending light and stalky by (say) even Cote Rotie standards. Pepper is still clearly white, not black, even though the wine is less stalky than the Gerin. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 10/16

2006 Casa Lapostolle Clos Apalta [ Carmenere / Merlot / Cabernet ] Limited Release 16 ½ (

)

Colchagua Valley, Chile: 14.8%; $100 [ cork; price is simple conversion from US$70; Ca 43%, Me 30, CS 21, PV 6, hand-harvested, hand de-stemmed; wild yeast fermentation, cuvaison extending to 30 days for one var; c.21 months in French oak 100% new; not fined or filtered; Croser reports that Michel Rolland consults to Clos Apalta; the Colchagua Valley is 180 km south of Santiago, south of the Maipo Valley; www.casalapostolle.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, one of the denser wines. The volume of bouquet is considerable, led by high alcohol, but also intense ripe to over-ripe cassisy berry. Palate shows a rich yet very drying cabernet-like structure, the oak exacerbated by the high spirit, a touch of coffee creeping in on the oak. Despite some good components, this is not a pleasing wine to drink, it becoming very dry and artefact-influenced, and the alcohol is biting. It will cellar well in its far-from-Bordeaux and far from food-friendly style, for 5 – 30 or more years, but it is not an example of Chile's best in the category. GK 01/10

2007 [ Pernod-Ricard ] Corbans Huntaway Gewurztraminer 16 ½ (

)

Gisborne, New Zealand: 13.9%; $23 [ screwcap; all machine-harvested from the former Matawhero vineyard; complex fermentation initially cool in s/s, then 76% to an old oak cuve and stop-fermented, 24% to ‘seasoned’ barrels to ferment to dryness with complete MLF; all the wine then on light lees with stirring for 12 months; pH 3.63, RS 6 g/L; background @ www.huntaway.co.nz, leads to detail @; www.pernod-ricard-nz.com//tastingnotes.php? ]
Deep lemon. New oak in gewurztraminer has the potential to be awkward, unless it is barrel-fermented and benefits from the phenolics-fining lees effect. That didn’t quite work in this case, and the bouquet is raw, oaky and strong. Although there is a lot of yellow fruit, the oak is dominant with some VA. Palate is almost reminiscent of a golden queen peach creme brulée, but still oaky, medium dry. This would have been so much better with much older oak, for the nett impression is pretty raucous. The complexity of the winemaking approach must be applauded though, there may even be some MLF complexity, the fruit is good, and there is plenty of flavour and body. Making wine is an evolutionary process. Cellar 2 – 5 years, to mellow. GK 05/09

1970 Ch Cos d'Estournel 16 ½ (

)

St Estephe Second Growth, Bordeaux, France: – %; $ – [ CS 60%, Me 40; 54 ha, 18 000 cases. Cos and Montrose have long tussled as to which is the finer of these two second growths. Personally I have had more fine bottles of Montrose than Cos, which for some years had a slightly reductive style of winemaking. Broadbent in 1980 thought the wine: curious, sweet chocolatey nose, ripe, rich, dry finish, not as classic as Montrose 70. ***. But in 2002 he considered a big bottle tasted in 2000 as: serenely mature, evident tannin but gentle, lovely, 'as good as it ever will be' ****. Parker (1991) thought it showed: a reticent plummy bouquet, a concentrated, rich, tannic wine, impressive yet somewhat coarse. 87 ]
Ruby and garnet. A more straightforward Bordeaux-blend bouquet than the top wines, some indeterminate fading berry and fruit, brown mushrooms, some oak. Palate is soft, still fair fruit, but the flavours lacking berry as such, more melding into tobacco and mushroom, the acid starting to show. As with most of these wines, still good with food, but needs drinking. GK 03/05

2002 de Courcel Pommard Grand Clos des Epenots 16 ½ (

)

Pommard Premier Cru, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $106
Rich ruby. Varnishy oak is the first impression on bouquet, though one can believe there is pinot fruit in behind. Palate is more clearly black cherry pinot, and there is a good weight of fruit in this and the other de Courcels, but the dark chocolate and heavy oak swamps the charm of the grape. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 11/04

2002 de Courcel Pommard les Rugiens 16 ½ (

)

Pommard Premier Cru, Cote de Beaune, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $115
Older ruby, the lightest of the Courcels, but still fairly weighty. The volume of bouquet is good, but it is dominated by varnishy oak. Palate brings in plenty of blackboy peach fruit and cherries, but the oak makes the whole wine clumsy. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 11/04

2005 Domaine de Courteillac 16 ½ (

)

Bordeaux Superieur (Ruch – Entre-Deux-Mers), Bordeaux, France: 14%; $27 [ cork; Me 70%, CS 20, CF 10; oenologist Stephane Derenoncourt consults; Parker: 87 – 88, no specific note; Wine Spectator: Dark in color, exhibiting beautiful aromas of blackberry, coffee and milk chocolate. Full-bodied, with silky tannins and a light toasty oak and citrus fruit aftertaste. Balanced and pretty. Best after 2013. 90; Sam Kim / Wine Orbit: opulent aromas of blackcurrants, plums, and espresso with creamy oak … fleshy … ripe .. solid tannins providing wonderful structure. 93 ]
Ruby and velvet, one of the older ones. Bouquet shows almost a new world hint of mint, in red fruits more than black, merlot more than cabernet, red currants and plums, pleasantly counterpointed by oak. Palate again shows the austere tannins of the year, and some plainer and older oak, but there is less of the worrying stalky notes some of the wines show. I am not quite so excited by this as the 2000 vintage, which excelled at its pricepoint. It is richer than the la Dauphine, but not as pure. It should cellar 5 – 15 years all the same. GK 04/08

2007 Yves Cuilleron Cote Rotie Bassenon (10% viognier) 16 ½ (

)

Cote Rotie, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 12.5%; $122 [ 55mm cork; Sy 90, Vi 10, hand-picked @ c.5.3 t/ha (2.1 t/ac) from vines planted at 8 – 10,000 vines / ha, on mixed granite and gneiss soils; some whole-bunch, cuvaison c.21 days; MLF and c.18 months in barrel; 830 cases; July offer @ Glengarry $89; www.cuilleron.com ]
Ruby and garnet, the second to lightest of the wines. Bouquet shows cool floral notes related to pinks / carnations, on red berries more than black. There is an intriguing smokey hint, and perhaps a hint of brett. Palate is approaching maturity (sooner than one would hope, have these bottles been stored in ambient Auckland temperatures ?), fair fruit, less oak than the 2007 Madiniere, less stalk than the 2006 wine. Will hold 2 – 5 years. GK 06/13

2005 Ch la Dauphine 16 ½ (

)

Fronsac, Bordeaux, France: 14.5%; $45 [ cork; Me 90%, CF 10; JancisR: Full, gamey nose – very ripe and opulent. Just this side of overripe! But good taming of fruit and no aggressive extraction. Pretty dramatic and thick and a strong attack. 16; Parker: This dense ruby/purple-tinged Fronsac reveals sweet fruit, medium body, loads of character, 14% natural alcohol, and more concentration than one might suspect. Drink it during its first decade of life. 88 – 90 ]
Ruby, quite light for the vintage. This wine opens curiously, with almost a mint or Australian shiraz hint. With air, it opens up to a red fruits more than black minor bordeaux bouquet, with sweet light new oak. Palate reveals a lighter slightly more acid wine, the red fruits and cabernet franc really showing. This will be fragrant and pleasing, even pretty claret-styled wine, though not substantial. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 04/08

2005 Maison Joseph Drouhin Beaune-Greves Premier Cru 16 ½ (

)

Beaune, Cote de Beaune, Burgundy, France: 13%; $116 [ cork 49mm; farmed organically; all oak air-dried three years, up to 30% new; bottling earlier than most producers, seeking fruit; the winery compares 2005 with 1961, and used 10 – 25% stems in many wines; Robinson not tasted, later vintages average 17; Meadows, 2007: A deft touch of wood frames serious but not somber earth and mineral suffused red pinot and raspberry aromas that introduce dense, sappy and balanced flavors that culminate in a sleekly muscled and beautifully focused finish. This is a wine that should age for 20 years without any difficulty. In a word, impressive, from 2013, 92; www.drouhin.com ]
Light pinot noir ruby, some age showing, well below midway in depth. Bouquet shows complex florality relative to the light colour, roses and a suggestion of boronia, but also some browning. Underneath are mostly red fruits. Palate is not in the usual Drouhin style at all, showing the high tannins of the year even in this red-fruits setting. The wine seems older than most of the 2005s, and finishes a little leathery and foursquare, again not the usual Drouhin style. This wine did not achieve any responses at all, on my whiteboard questionnaire chart, a most unusual achievement. It must therefore be a very representative pinot noir, right in the middle of everybody's expectations for the variety. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 09/15

1998 Ch Duhart-Milon 16 ½ (

)

Pauillac 4th Growth, Bordeaux, France: 12.5%; $73 [ CS 80 – 85%, Me 15 – 20; 18 months in 50 – 55% new oak; www.lafite.com ]
Ruby. This is the most developed bouquet in this bracket of Domaines Rothschild wines, combining straightforward plumminess with suggestions of leather and farmyard – a more old-fashioned Bordeaux altogether, but likeable. There is also a hint of leafiness in the plums, and on palate that is more noticeable, producing flavours not unlike Marlborough Merlot, but with finer oak, and good dry extract. Pleasant claret, good with food. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 07/04

2001 Ch Duhart-Milon 16 ½ (

)

Pauillac 4th Growth, Bordeaux, France: 12.5%; $91 [ CS 80 – 85%, Me 15 – 20; 18 months in 50 – 55% new oak; www.lafite.com ]
Ruby. A hint of charry oak in the modern style is backed up by clear cassis and lightly plummy fruit, in a firm and perhaps even slightly austere bouquet. Palate shows fair ripeness, good balance, and classic Bordeaux flavours, with just a hint of stalkiness on the later palate. It is markedly lighter than the 2000, and less ripe and rich. This will mature into an attractive and more traditional fragrant claret. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 07/04

2001 [ Te Motu ] Dunleavy Cabernet / Merlot 16 ½ (

)

Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 12.5%; $ – [ cork; CS c.55%, Me c.35%, balance CF & Ma, handpicked @ c 1 t/ac; c.2.5 years in predominantly French and some American oak c.30% new; nearly as poor a season as 2003 for Te Motu; www.temotu.co.nz ]
Older ruby, some garnet. Bouquet shares the fragrance of the Te Motu family of wines, but this one is more oaky, on red and blackcurrant browning into maturity. Palate is richer than the 2003 Dunleavy, but much more oaky, with total acid up a bit too. The oak and acid interact, to reduce the harmony in mouth. This might not cellar so well, so perhaps 2 – 5 years might be best. GK 06/08

2003 [ Te Motu ] Dunleavy Cabernet / Merlot 16 ½ (

)

Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 12.5%; $50 [ screwcap; Me c.74%, Sy c.12, CS 8, CF c.6, handpicked @ < 1 t/ac; c.2.5 years in predominantly French and some American oak none new; 2003 is the worst vintage thus far for the vineyard, botrytis-affected, there is no Te Motu, everything worthwhile being consigned to this one wine for the year; www.temotu.co.nz ]
Pale and older ruby, some garnet. Bouquet is very fragrant indeed, and despite the cepage, surprisingly reminiscent of the soft 1973 (NZ) McWilliams Cabernet Sauvignon, with a little botrytis influence and characteristic American oak aromas. Palate is light, yet not stalky or thin, fresh despite the colour, a total impression of minor St Emilion more than 10 years old (rather than five). It has benefitted from no new oak, though it is still a little oaky to the finish relative to minor Bordeaux. The fruit and traditional Bordeaux alcohol wraps it up well. There is no Te Motu in 2003, so this lean but food-friendly wine is the only representative. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 06/08

2008 [ Escarpment ] The Edge Viognier 16 ½ (

)

Gisborne, New Zealand: 13.7%; $23 [ screwcap; 100% s/s ferment, no MLF; dry extract 22.7 g/L; RS 2.6 g/L; www.escarpment.co.nz ]
Lemon. Bouquet is sweetly floral and fragrant with vanilla and citrus notes (augmented by some VA), to the point where the wine is confuseable with riesling in a blind tasting. There is not quite the ripe sultry honeysuckle / apricot quality sought in top viognier. The flavour however quickly stops one from pursuing the riesling line of thought too far, being quite rich and fleshy, near-dry, and palely apricotty, but lacking complexity and texture. It is going to be hard to achieve good viognier consistently in the Gisborne district, and this one shows the understated nature of the fruit even in a relatively good year, relative to good Hawkes Bay examples of the grape. TA is up a bit too, emphasising the grape phenolics and oak, and making the wine narrower. Perhaps there is no MLF to help mouth appeal [ confirmed ] – quite the opposite of Larry's Escarpment Pinot Gris ! Cellar 1 – 3 years. GK 04/09

2009 Domaine Fondreche Cotes du Ventoux O'Sud 16 ½ (

)

Cotes du Ventoux AOC, Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $16 [ cork; Sy 50%, Gr 50; not on website; www.fondreche.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a great colour. Initially opened the wine is a little closed – it benefits from a good splashy pouring from jug to jug ten times. Palate continues a bit hard, the blackberry side of warmer-climate syrah dominating, but rich fruit of good length, with some grenache spice appearing with air. In the old days, this was the kind of wine you put a copper coin in, swirled that a couple of times, and removed it. Entrained sulphide is the key thing to look out for in cheaper Rhone valley syrahs, when deciding whether to buy a case or two as house wine. Cellar 5 – 10 years, if prepared to ventilate. GK 07/10

2005 Ch Fongaban 16 ½ (

)

Cotes de Castillon / Puisseguin St Emilion, Bordeaux, France: 14%; $19 [ cork; Me 85, CS 15; JancisR: Smoky oaky black fruit, chewy tannins and a little dry on the finish. Fresh moderate length without much concentration. 15 ]
Ruby and velvet. Bouquet presents plenty of sturdy dark berry in a plainer / minor Bordeaux style, with the oak a little on the grubby side. Palate is similar, good plummy fruit, not clearly any variety but showing fair ripeness, mainly older oak, a touch of brett. The wine lacks finesse against the more highly-pointed ones, but there is good richness. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 04/08

2005 Ch de Francs les Cerisiers 16 ½ (

)

Cotes de Francs, Bordeaux, France: 14.5%; $33 [ cork; Me 60%, CF 40; owned Hubert de Bouard (Ch Angelus & La Fleur de Bouard) and Dominique Hebrard (ex Cheval Blanc); Sam Kim / Wine Orbit: a super-charged Bordeaux … dark plums, blackberries and cedar oak … plush and generous with concentrated fruit …well balanced acidity … ripe but firm tannins … stunning value … 93 ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. Bouquet shows fragrant ripe red more than black fruits, almost a cherry thought, in older oak. Palate is typical Bordeaux richness for the AOC, good mouthfeel, but the oak is a little old when compared with model unclassified clarets, introducing a plain streak. Should cellar well for 5 – 15 years. GK 04/08

nv Champagne H Garnier & Co Brut 16 ½ (

)

Epernay, Champagne, France: 12.5%; $35 [ supercritical 'cork'; PN 40%, PM 40, Ch 20; MLF; this wine comes from the same firm as Lanvin, and is likewise imported into New Zealand by EuroVintage, but seems to be retailed only via Advintage, Havelock North; it is understood to have a longer sur latte time (up to 24 months) than Lanvin; RS not known; www.champagne-lombard.com ]
Lemonstraw, about in the middle, the bubble tending coarse. Bouquet is down a notch, just a trace of entrained sulphur, giving the spurious autolysis complexity noted earlier. There is some pinot noir cherry fruit, and crumb of bread autolysis. Palate shows pleasant fruit, but there are some phenolics showing through, with dosage a little higher to cover that. Pleasant enough commercial French bubbly, scarcely brut though, cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 12/12

2006 Ch Gaudrelle Vouvray Sec 16 ½ (

)

Vouvray, Loire Valley, France: 12.5%; $24 [ cork; CB 100%; www.chateaugaudrelle.com ]
Lemon-straw. Bouquet is light, clean and innocuous, could even be good chasselas, a suggestion of apple blossom. Palate is pleasant rather neutral white wine with some of the heavyness of straightforward chenin blanc, either unoaked or big old neutral oak only. Finish is just off-dry, not much sweeter than the average 'dry' Marlborough sauvignon. Cellar 2 – 4 years. GK 11/10

2002 Domaine Georges Michel Chardonnay La Reserve 16 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $30 [ cork; 2002 not [then] on website, but more emphasis on 12 months LA in new French oak in the Reserve wine; www.georgesmichel.co.nz ]
Lemon with a hint of straw. A big oaky bouquet in a clean (VA aside) chardonnay base introduces a wine rich in white stonefruits, clearly in a Marlborough style. The level of oak however is old-fashioned, and does not seem much relieved by barrel ferment and other complexity flavours, so the wine palls as one drinks it with food. Cellar 5 – 8 years, maybe longer, but I suspect it will stay oaky. GK 08/05

1990 Alain Graillot Crozes-Hermitage La Guiraude 16 ½ (

)

Northern Rhone Valley, France: 12.5%; $166 [ cork 44mm; Sy 100%; elevation 12 months in older oak; value given is for 1989 vintage; La Guiraude is a barrel selection, Parker quotes Graillot as saying it is: 'simply those barrels I enjoy the most'; in discussing the vintage in the Northern Rhone, Parker reports: 1990 was a monumental year, the likes of which have probably not been seen since 1961; Parker, 1995: The 1990 La Guiraude is a compelling example of just what heights a top producer can reach in a less prestigious appellation. The nose of smoke, Asian spices, black fruits, and oak is enough to turn any wine enthusiast into a Rhone wine fanatic. On the palate, the wine exhibits a multidimensional personality, phenomenal ripeness and richness, decent acidity, and gobs of glycerin, alcohol, and extraction of flavor in a finish that must last for a minute. It is surprisingly approachable given its massive size, but the fruit and body have hidden some lofty tannin levels. Anticipated maturity: now-2006, 93; no website found. ]
Ruby and garnet, just the lightest wine. Bouquet is intensely floral, but unlike the Clape, the florals – dianthus and carnations – are here accentuated by a suggestion of stalk. Below is fading cassis, leading into a palate which is a bit lean, some stalks, white pepper, and slightly acid, a perfect illustration of tending under-ripe syrah. This bottle is quite different from Parker's wine, which may have been a best-barrel sample, not the assembled and bottled wine. Attractive in its way, though, to a cooler-climate person, and there is good dry extract. Fully mature, fading now. No votes. GK 10/15

1998 Domaine du Gramenon Cotes du Rhone La Sagesse 16 ½ (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $38 [ cork; original price; this vintage Gr 90, Sy 10, organically grown; fermentation up to 20 days in concrete sometimes with stems, followed by 10 – 12 months in concrete, perhaps a little sees older oak; in the 1990s Parker was having something of a love affair with this establishment, and wrote: Philippe Laurent [ since deceased, but his wife and son continue ] makes some of the most sumptuous, honest, and compelling Cotes du Rhone wines … from extremely ripe fruit … bottled with no fining or filtration, in addition to extremely low sulphur levels. These are the wines of a true artist. I have served them blind to guests who think they are drinking either a great grand cru burgundy or one of the top Rhones selling for six times the price; Parker 9/99: a floral, Burgundian-like bouquet with notions of black fruits, tar, and pepper. There is natural acidity in this cuvee, resulting in a tangy personality 88-90 ]
A pretty pinot noir ruby, the lightest wine. Bouquet is slightly different, as if this wine has a whole bunch component, very fragrant, the berry still quite fresh, less cinnamon. Palate is more pinot-like too, a more delicate fruit component, and finer grained tannins, little or no oak, yet attractive length. Being low-S02, Gramenon wines are at particular peril of brett, but there is none here. Fully mature, but will hold. GK 04/12

2003 [ Domaine Grand Veneur ] Lirac Clos de Sixte 16 ½ (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 15%; $60 [ cork; Wine Direct; Gr 50%, Sy 35, Mv 15; 30 hl/ha (c 1.5 t/ac), de-stemmed; 18 days cuvaison, oak regime not mentioned; this is a defined vineyard of old vines, marketed under its own name with reference only to the proprietor, not Grand Veneur, and only 600 cases for the entire world. Parker 156: "an impressive effort that comes close to the brilliant Lirac made at Domaine Mordoree … scents of flowers, terrific fruit intensity, full body, and a chewy, long, heady finish, seamless integration of acid, tannin and alcohol, intense and voluptuous. 92"; www.domaine-grand-veneur.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. A big soft darkly-fruited and tending meaty bouquet, a little organic and bretty alongside some of the sparklingly clean and aromatic wines, but plenty of fruit. Palate is rich, flavoursome, and broad, in an over-ripe southern Rhone style, darkest plums and dark chocolate. As with the Belle wine, this is almost the reciprocal style to the Yann Chave 2004 (leaving aside the varying cepages), and likewise many people like soft rich wines more than I do. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 11/05

2001 Ch Gravas 16 ½ (

)

Barsac, Sauternes AOC, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $22.50 [ cork; price / 375 ml; Se 80%, SB 10, Mu 10; some ageing in barrel; second wine recently introduced. Parker regards as short-term. Wine Spectator 2004: minerals, apples and hints of apricot … medium to full-bodied with fresh acidity and a tangy lemon-tart aftertaste. 89 ]
Lemonstraw. Initially opened, there is a light veil of clean sulphur, on simple fruit. Palate shows good botrytised fruit, but with a hard component and a narrow flavour, as if made from botrytised chenin blanc, plus a faint muscatty hint. There is little or no oak. In style, but relatively plain in this company. Cellar 5 – 15 years, not necessarily to improve much. GK 04/06

2006 Domaine Robert Groffier Chambertin Clos de Beze 16 ½ (

)

Gevrey-Chambertin Grand Cru, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $389
Pinot noir ruby, not the rosiest, below midway in depth. Bouquet includes light animal mercaptan notes detracting, on fair fruit but plain oak. In mouth fruit richness is better than a number and the oak is less, brett is academic, and in a slightly grubby way, the wine tastes reasonably well in mouth. Pinot noir is about beauty, however, so the wine has to be marked down. Splashy decanting needed. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 08/12

2002 Anne Gros Vosne Romanee les Barreaux 16 ½ (

)

Vosne-Romanee, Burgundy, France: 13%; $119
Colour on this wine is a bit too carmine for comfort, still acceptable under tungsten, but suspicious under more sophisticated artificial lighting. Bouquet isn't too encouraging either, being overtly new oaky, to the point of virtually obliterating desirable varietal character. Palate is soft, rich and oaky in a new world style, the fruit plummy and blackboy. There are no negative flavours obviously correlating with the dubious colour, though the pH may be high. A quite rich international / new world pinot, not showing much of the classical charm of Burgundy. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 09/04

2005 Domaine Gros Frere & Soeur Bourgogne Hautes Cotes de Nuits 16 ½ (

)

Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 12.5%; $67 [ cork 45mm; extensive replanting in recent years; new oak favoured; Robinson, not tasted; Meadows, 2007: Yields down 50% in 2005. This is quite ripe though not surmature with earth and mineral-inflected red pinot fruit aromas leading to rich, full, round and supple flavors that possess more volume than one usually finds with this appellation, all wrapped in a delicious and mildly rustic finish, from 2008, 84-86; Wine Spectator, 2008: A spicy red, exhibiting some vegetal and cherry aromas and flavors. Starts out silky, with dense tannins emerging on the finish. Fine length. Best from 2010 through 2017, 88; www.domaine-gros-frere-et-soeur.fr ]
Lightish pinot noir ruby, below midway in the combined sets. Initially opened, the wine is reductive, and needs splashy jug-to-jug aeration 8 – 10 times. For this bottle however, that treatment augmented threshold TCA also, but not so much you couldn't see the shape of the wine. There is a fair volume of red fruits on bouquet which would (most likely) have been fragrant, but you can't be sure on this bottle, followed by a gently old-oaked and quite rich fruit palate. Again it is the richness, against the New Zealand Peregrine wine, for example, which highlights why good burgundy is expensive. This seemed the softest and most ready of all the 2005 burgundies, but there is no hurry at all. Cellar 3 – 8 years. Again, I look forward to a fresh bottle. Due to the TCA, rated the least wine by most people. GK 09/15

1970 Ch Haut Brion 16 ½ (

)

Graves First Growth, Bordeaux, France: – %; $ – [ CS 55%, Me 30, CF 15; 41 ha, 12 000 cases. Broadbent (1980): bouquet reined-in, but rich and complex; fairly full-bodied, firm, powerful. Long dry finish. ****. Parker (1991): not as concentrated and rich as it should be. 84 ]
Garnet and ruby. A distinctive bouquet, with the leathery, roti, earthy, almost roast chestnuts qualities that characterised the wine in earlier decades. There are some suggestions of old plum jam – forgotten shrivelled jam, under cellophane. Palate has similar flavours, mellow, still some body and richness, but not a lot of fruit now. Another wine in the style of a classic old Hunter. Needs drinking. GK 03/05

2010 [ Pask ] Instinct Syrah Winemakers Selection 16 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $19 [ screwcap; Sy 100%, machine harvested; some whole-bunches in the ferment, 9 months in new to 3-year oak; will have its own website later; www.cjpask.co.nz ]
Good ruby, slightly velvet and carmine. Bouquet is clean light slightly oaky syrah, with suggestions of rose and wallflower floral notes, white more than black pepper, cassis and bottled black doris plum, but not rich enough to be compelling. Palate is similar, but the berry more modest, a bit stalky so the oak is made more apparent, all tending short. Better in a couple of years when it has softened a little, cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 08/11

1979 Domaine Jasmin Cote Rotie 16 ½ (

)

Cote Rotie, Northern Rhone Valley, France: – %; $ – [ cork; Sy c.95%, Vi c.5; hand-harvested, mostly whole-bunch then; 18 months in French oak, c.12% new ]
Light garnet and ruby, lighter than all the formal set of 12 wines. Bouquet is rather like the Michel Ogier above, fragrant with trace white pepper in well-faded red more than black fruits, all now browning and faded. Fruit on palate however is a delight, archetypal Cote Rotie, pretty and fragrant, still with flesh, great with a chicken dish. The brett nazis need to account for the fact this palate is still so harmonious 34 years later, given the wine has brett. Fully mature to (no doubt) too old for some. GK 05/13

2000 Ch Labarthe 16 ½ (

)

Sainte-Terre, Bordeaux Superieur, Bordeaux, France: 12.5%; $25 [ cork; CF 40%, Me 35, CS 25; matured in barrels 25% new ]
Ruby and some garnet, just below midway in depth. Bouquet is absolutely the smell of clean straightforward claret, fragrant, no variety dominant, hints of florals, cassis and plums, all light and pleasing. Palate is a little less, showing the leafiness of cabernet franc, but still attractively balanced to light and older but clean oak. Rumpole would have been pleased with this, and it will cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 04/06

1975 Ch Lafite Rothschild 16 ½ (

)

Pauillac, Bordeaux, France: – %; $918 [ cork 55mm; CS 70%, Me 20, CF 5, PV 5; though Lafite is now the darling of the investment (and Chinese) wine-buyers, again Robert Parker was the only person in the 1990s to call attention to the falling-off in standards at this famous chateau between 1961 to 1974. The contrast between his clear-eyed wine-writing and the ingratiating waffle of the British wine trade in those days means we owe Parker an enormous debt. Wine-writing world-wide was changed for ever by him. Robinson, nil; Coates, 1995: medium-full, mature colour. Soft, gentle new oak. Stylish. Not a bit dry. This has class. Medium body. Lovely fruit. Good oaky undertones. Misses a bit of real concentration and intensity but lovely style. Very long and complex. Atypical for a 1975, 18; Parker, 1996: As this wine has aged, it appears to be less of a sure bet. In most cases, it has been an outstanding wine, as the bottle tasted in December suggested. The aromatics indicate the wine is fully mature, but the tough tannin level clearly underscores the dark side of the 1975 vintage. This wine will undoubtedly last for another 30+ years, but I am not sure the fruit will hold. It is a perplexing wine that may still turn out to be an exceptional Lafite. In contrast, the 1976 has always been much more forward and consistent. However, I would still take the 1975 over the overrated, mediocre 1970, 1966, and 1961, 92; www.lafite.com ]
Garnet and ruby, the lightest colour of the 12, but still more red-flushed than the Branaire. Right from first opening, the bouquet on this wine was different, very fragrant as if almost a red berry / cabernet franc-dominant wine, with fragrant new oak. In mouth the subtlety of the oak is exquisite, though the wine tastes more red fruits than black, and there simply isn't the total fruit needed. Feeling let down on palate, therefore, you then go back to it, and what was cedary to first impression on bouquet, could seem phenolic now. This is more the weight and style of a second wine, a very pure second wine, but one lacking substance. Our sample is from a magnum, in one cool cellar since 1979, a stunning 55mm cork, so the provenance could hardly be better. It should therefore have been exemplary, but the Las Cases (for stature) and the Montrose (for beauty) run rings round it. Needs finishing up. GK 03/15

2009 Champagne Laherte Freres Les Empreintes Extra Brut 16 ½ (

)

Chavot / Epernay, Champagne, France: 12%; $125 [ supercritical Diam 'cork'; cepage PN 50, Ch 50%, all hand-picked, cultivation tending organic / biodynamic; primary fermentation in barrel (none new), matured on lees 6 months; essentially the wine of one vintage; some vines >50 years, all hand-picked; no MLF; tirage not clear, 7-ish years; dosage 4 g/L ±; more information in Stelzer; www.champagne-laherte.com ]
Straw. First poured, the wine is a bit reductive, always a challenge in the sparkling class. Behind that is a lot of nutty autolysis complexed by oak, so this too comes into the Vogel's Wholegrain category. Palate shows fair fruit, nutty flavours, tasting sweeter than the given dosage, but highish acid and the trace reduction adds just a frisson of sourness, too. It could be scored lower. A big flavoursome wine, the oak clear on palate, to cellar longer than the other bold ones, 3 – 10 years, and maybe come together more and score higher. GK 10/15

1975 Ch Liversan 16 ½ (

)

Saint-Sauveur, Haut-Medoc Cru Bourgeois, Bordeaux, France: – %; $ – [ cork 49mm; CS 49%, Me 38, CF 10, PV 3; original price $9.28; Parker in 1991 notes the great site Liversan enjoys, adjacent to Pauillac. With a change of ownership in 1983, he feels it is latterly among the best cru bourgeois; no notes found; www.domaines-lapalu.com ]
Garnet and ruby, lighter than the Talbot. Initial bouquet is pleasingly sweet and ripe, browning cassis like the Talbot, but lacking the extra complexity that lifts that wine. Palate is tending lean, less fruit than the La Tour Carnet, acid showing, yet the whole balance of the wine is still classical (smaller) claret, refreshing, just past its prime. Drink up. GK 04/15

2008 Pernod-Ricard ] Montana Gewurztraminer Reserve 16 ½ (

)

Gisborne, New Zealand: 13.5%; $24 [ screwcap; machine-harvested; 60% of this wine (from the former Matawhero vineyard, now owned by Montana) had 6 hours skin-contact; cool inoculated ferments on low-solids all s/s, stop-fermented to RS 9 g/L; 5 months on light lees, background on www.montana.co.nz, leads to detail @; www.pernod-ricard-nz.com//tastingnotes.php? ]
Quite gassy lemongreen. This is fragrant wine, but it doesn't ring absolutely true, another one almost suggesting that there might be some muscat blended in with the gewurz, shifting the bouquet off-centre. I happened to have a quite exceptional Moscato d'Asti available to check this thought alongside, and it certainly didn't dissuade me. Only fair to say, though, that gewurz and muscat are closely related. In mouth the wine is flavoursome, a bit sweeter than 'riesling dry' [ confirmed ], with lychee fruit and nearly grippy phenolics, not quite as ripe and delightful as gewurz phenolics should be. Cellar 2 – 6 years, but I have a reservation. There is nearly a mint suggestion in the late aftertaste, again raising the thought of cool-climate muscat. GK 04/09

1978 Ch Montrose 16 ½ (

)

St Estephe Second Growth, Bordeaux, France: – %; $ – [ CS 65%, Me 25, CF 10. Broadbent ’80: Role reversal with Cos in 1978, surprisingly open, soft, sweet, some oak on bouquet, but palate unintegrated, dry, acid ***. Broadbent ’02: Earlier was predictably closed, but with depth and potential. Recently (1999), at or a little past its best, finishing very dry **** (just). Parker in 1993: Light for Montrose, the 1978 has reached full maturity. It offers a straightforward, spicy, earthy bouquet of curranty fruit and damp, woodsy aromas. Medium-bodied, compact, and adequately concentrated, this spicy wine should be drunk over the next 5 - 8 years. 85 ]
Ruby and garnet, in the middle for weight. Bouquet is clearly Bordeaux, and pretty clearly Medoc, with a firm cassisy, cedary, but tending leafy bouquet reminiscent of both lesser years in Bordeaux, and many older New Zealand cabernet / merlots. Palate is very fine-grained, elegant fading red fruits again with a leafy edge, only medium in body, the acid showing through. Not a sturdy Montrose at all, more what you would expect from (say) Lanessan or similar – pleasant. Needs finishing up. GK 03/06

1978 Ch Montrose 16 ½ (

)

St Estephe Second Growth, Bordeaux, France: – %; $ – [ cork 54mm; then was c.CS 65%, Me 25, CF ± PV 10; average age of vines 25 years; time in barrel 22 – 24 months, % new oak later 50 – 70%; at this stage, Montrose went through a phase of being lighter in style, described by Parker as 'wimpish'; for the 1978 he says: good ripe fruit, stylish yet lacks character, complexity and richness 84; Robinson, Tanzer and Wine Spectator, no entry; www.chateau-montrose.com ]
Ruby and garnet, just a bit below midway in depth. Bouquet is evocative on this wine, classic Medoc, when desirable Bordeaux styling was cooler and fresher than the norm now: clear cassis though browning, cedary oak, great purity and charm. Palate is less, however, the wine tending lighter, the oak nicely balanced to the light fruit, but the acid showing a little much, the whole wine seeming a bit pinched / a hint of stalks. Steven Spurrier used to talk about 'fragrant green-tinged claret', and the 1978 Montrose illustrates that concept nicely. Still refreshing with food, but fading. GK 04/14

2007 Domaine de la Mordorée Chateauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée de la Reine des Bois 16 ½ (

)

Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Southern Rhone Valley, France: 15%; $195 [ cork 50mm, ullage 17mm; original price c.$115; Gr 80% up to 100 years age, Mv 10, Va 5, balance Sy, Ci, counoise etc, hand-picked @ 3.9 t/ha = 1.6 t/ac, completely destemmed, cuvaison up to 21 days, elevation for this vintage 50% in s/s, 50% in barrel, with 10% new, for 12 months; not fined, filtered to bottle; production varies, but c.1,250 x 9-litre cases; since the turn of the century the new oak has been reduced markedly; JR@JR, 2008: Very rich and voluptuous and spicy and gloriously fruity. A tarry top note on all the opulent ripe fruit underneath. Very lush and user-friendly with excellent tannin management. Some real thought in the winemaking here. Interesting wine but hot finish, to 2018, 17; RP@RP, 2009: Not surprisingly, the 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape La Reine des Bois is another prodigious offering from this estate. ... a formidable nose of graphite, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, cherries, licorice, and violets. Full-bodied with exquisite depth, impressive purity, and a multilayered, sumptuous finish with moderate tannin, its purity, freshness, vibrancy, and precision are exceptional. To 2031, 96+; www.domaine-mordoree.com ]
Ruby, garnet and velvet, above midway in depth. This wine showed over-ripe baked jam-tart qualities much more clearly, in otherwise rich berryfruit made fragrant by a percentage of new oak. Palate is rich, very dry on the noticeable alcohol and oak, but lacking fresh fruit flavours. Again two tasters thought the wine out of condition, due to oxidation consequent on temperature-control misadventure in shipping. I again offered the interpretation of over-ripeness, plus grenache so often being diminished by exposure to new oak … but with less conviction, there having been some superb vintages of this Cuvée in New Zealand, including when the new oak ratio was greater. And Parker’s earlier descriptors for this wine imply much fresher fruit qualities, so there may indeed be an issue. This debate could not be resolved … and again, on inquiry, the importer is not aware of any container / temperature stability issues in that import season. Meanwhile, this bottle a disappointment, but it must be emphasised that this discussion, and my marking structure, is wine-talk at a pretty rarefied level. Most wine drinkers would just accept the wine is maybe a bit spirity / tanniny particularly with food, but still pretty good stuff. One first place, but six least places. Cellar 5 – 15 years, in its style. GK 10/19

1976 Nobilo Cabernet Sauvignon 16 ½ (

)

Huapai / Kumeu, Auckland district, New Zealand: 11.9%; $ – [ Cork, 49mm, ullage 42mm; thought to be CS 100% or nearly; elevation understood to be 2 years in French oak, much of it new. 1976 was an exceptional year in the Auckland district. Apart from my own notes, the clearest contemporary description I have of this wine in its youth is from Dr Don Beaven, in his delightful 1977 booklet, where he describes the near-identical 1974 of this label as: Excellent cabernet. Big style; well balanced with good tannin finish. Peter Saunders in 1977 also spoke highly of the 1974, thinking it would cellar for six years. Inability to estimate cellar-life is not new in New Zealand wine-writing !; weight bottle and closure: 530 g ]
Ruby and garnet, the lightest wine of the tasting, just. In this set of 11 bordeaux, there is an elemental unknit quality to this quite big and striking bouquet, which is immediately appealing. First impressions are of a very aromatic, high cassis, textbook cabernet sauvignon wine, plus a lot of new oak. By the time of the formal tasting, some complexity factors had become apparent, the most conspicuous of which is a 'sweet' methoxypyrazine-related red capsicum note which is still subtle, making the wine intensely aromatic, in the company. Flavour none the less gives the impression of being surprisingly ‘ripe’, rich and complex, the cropping rate / dry extract extraordinary for the times in New Zealand. This wine would be delightful with pizza. Later on again, the tell-tale old cigarette ash-tray note which absolutely characterises under-ripe cabernet sauvignon became just detectable, but not obtrusive. There is a hint to the finish that the wine was chaptalised. All in all, different to a degree, but not outclassed, two tasters rating it their second-favourite wine. A good result for New Zealand, given the era – we were then so far behind Australia. Fully mature, the 42 mm corks now shaky. GK 10/20

2007 Bodegas Ochoa Mil Gracias Graciano Single Vineyard 16 ½ (

)

Navarra, Spain: 13.5%; $34 [ cork; graciano 100%, a late-ripening var., on calcareous sites; 9 months in 2-year old French and American oak; www.bodegasochoa.com ]
Good ruby and velvet. This red is in a mixed modern styling, some of the chocolatey oak tendencies of the Borsao Garnacha, but here on the more refined grape graciano. A good splashy decanting helps this wine. Palate has good darkly plummy red fruits, the oak quite attractive in its chocolatey way, but masking varietal expression somewhat. A little brett adds attractive complexity. This should cellar well 5 – 12 years. GK 08/11

2010 Ch L'Oume de Pey 16 ½ (

)

Medoc, Bordeaux, France: 14.5%; $19 [ cork 49mm; CS 60, Me 40; 12 months in barrels; no website found ]
Ruby and velvet, about midway in depth. This one smells richer and riper than some of the 2010s, with good nearly cassisy berry and plummy fruit, quite aromatic and hinting at cabernet. Flavours show slightly more new oak initially, and good ripeness, coupled with fair fruit richness. Later it becomes a little more leathery, with light brett complexity. A little softening of tannins needed still, cellar 3 – 15 years. Rather nice in a modest way, a good Medoc contra to the merlot-led Abbaye. GK 03/15

2007 [ Delegat's ] Oyster Bay Merlot 16 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels & elsewhere, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $22 [ screwcap; Me 100% cropped @ 3.2 t/ac from vines 3 – 11 years age; inoculated fermentation in s/s mainly and some BF, 12 days cuvaison; a 'large proportion' matured in French oak 6 months; RS 1.9 g/L; www.oysterbaywines.com ]
Good ruby, carmine and velvet, though not as rich as the same-year Mission Jewelstone. This wine didn't show well freshly poured, being a little reductive and this exacerbating a hint of green / seeming under-ripe. It needed a splashy decanting. Aerated, it shows clear bottled black doris plummy merlot characters on bouquet and palate, in a fresh temperate-climate juicy wine style, closest to Chilean merlot / carmenere, but a little more acid and not quite so ripe. It is simpler and lighter wine than the Jewelstone (which is a Reserve level wine), but in comparison with some popular Australian cabernet / merlots at lower price points, it is pretty well dry. A pity demand is such that the wine cannot be sold with more appropriate bottle age, which would allow it to marry up and benefit its perceived quality. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 11/08

2016 Famille Perrin La Vieille Ferme Ventoux 16 ½ (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 16.5%; $20 [ screwcap; said to be around Gr 50%, Sy 20, the balance Ca and Ci and odds, mostly de-stemmed, usually described as being made in a soft fruit-forward style with hints of Provencal herbes, for earlier drinking; part of the wine may see old oak for 9 - 10 months; production around 180,000 x 9-L cases; Wine Spectator, 2018: [ this is probably the same wine, a slightly different label on the US market ]: Light, fresh and soft-edged, delivering a mix of cherry and cassis notes, with a subtle garrigue echo through the finish, 86; website very general; bottle weight 598 g; http://m.familleperrin.com ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, midway in depth. Cepage is not known for this wine, but it smells of bright red fruits, raspberry and the like, suggesting that grenache is much higher than the available sources imply. There is a hint of aromatic lift, but little sign of oak. Palate follows perfectly, a lighter simpler wine but clean and pure, representative of satisfactory grocers’ / epicerie Cotes du Rhone. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 04/18

1978 Pine Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford 16 ½ (

)

Rutherford, Napa Valley, California: 13%; $153 [ cork, original price $US7.50; no info on winemaking then, other than harvested third week October, must average 24.5° Brix, production 3,959 x 9-litre cases; more recently, cepage is usually c.75% CS, significant Me, trace PV, Ma, CF, hand-harvested; the oldest vintage on the website had extended cuvaison to 34 days, and c.18 months in new, one and two-year French oak; Wine Spectator vintage rating for the year, 93, ripe, rich and full-bodied wines; Wine Spectator, 1987: Nice maturity and bottle age with ripe herbal, blackberry and currant flavors, fine balance and a good dose of tannin on the finish. At or near its peak, 90; first vintage for this label; bottle courtesy the late Dr Ken Kirkpatrick; www.pineridgevineyards.com ]
Ruby and garnet, midway in depth in the field. Bouquet is immediately ‘different’ in the set. After interpreting the wine this way and that (to myself), I ended up wondering if in those early days for the winery, they might still have had some redwood cooperage, for there is clear resiny note on bouquet. There are also good red fruits, not explicit as to variety on bouquet, but smelling warm climate. Palate shows plenty of red plummy fruit browning now, both oak flavours and the more resiny suggestion of non-oak cooperage, with perhaps both tartaric adjustment, and a few grams residual sweetness to the finish. It fitted into the tasting sufficiently well to attract two first-place votes, and one second, but also six least-favoured votes, perhaps on account of the resin notes. Fully mature now, but yet again one has to note the absurdity of so much American wine writing, as conditioned by a ‘consuming’-obsessed society, where nine years after vintage this wine was described as ‘at or near its peak’. Sad. GK 10/18

1978 Ch Pontet-Canet 16 ½ (

)

Pauillac Fifth Growth, Bordeaux, France: – %; $141 [ cork; original price c.$22; cepage then approx. CS 68%, Me 20, CF 12 planted at 8,500 vines / ha; 18 – 24 months in barrel, percentage new then not known, the run-down estate having only recently been sold to the Tesserons; Wine Spectator vintage rating for the year, 87, Structured, fleshy and complex; Coates, 2000: Fruity nose. Mature. Definitely lightening and drying on the palate. Medium body. Losing its grip. Not bad at best, 13; R. Parker, 1990: In contrast to the 1979, the 1978 is a much more tannic, reserved wine for long-term cellaring. The wine has dark ruby color and a spicy, ripe, yet generally tight and closed bouquet. While certainly a good wine, it seems to be missing length and complexity. Anticipated maturity: Now-2000, 82; www.pontet-canet.com ]
Ruby and garnet, above midway in depth. Initially opened and for the first 24 hours, there was a dull ‘wooden’ quality about this wine. The following day it had breathed up markedly, to reveal rich well-browning berryfruit much influenced by old cooperage. Palate confirms, the wine qualitatively big and ripe, but the fruit flavours let down by irredeemably old cooperage, as if the wine saw no new oak at all. This may well be true, in the fading days of the Cruse era. How different Pontet-Canet is today. The wine is fully mature, but has the ripeness and richness to hold its tanniny form for some years yet, given breathing. Intriguing to have two wines in a tasting at this level so clearly let down by the quality of cooperage. GK 10/18

2002 N. Potel Volnay Premier Cru les Mitans 16 ½ (

)

Volnay Premier Cru, Cote de Beaune, Burgundy, France: 13%; $90
Medium ruby. Clean red cherry and berry fruit on bouquet make this a sound and varietal wine. Palate shows fair weight, pleasant length, and attractive flavours. Copybook straightforward burgundy, as Volnay can so often be. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 08/04

2005 Maison Nicolas Potel Beaune Les Greves Premier Cru 16 ½ (

)

Cote de Beaune, Burgundy, France: 13%; $77 [ 50mm cork; this info may not be strictly applicable to the 2005 wine, since Nicolas Potel left Maison Nicolas Potel in 2009, to concentrate on Maison Roche de Bellene; hand-harvested and sorted; all de-stemmed, cold-soak 8 days at 8 degrees C; cuvaison 15 days; c.11 months in barrel 40% new; J Morris, 2010: [ the label in general ] This comes from a plot of exceptionally old vines, planted in 1904 … makes the most powerful of the Potel Beaune wines, with an element of the smoky strawberry fruit which comes from whole-bunch fermentation. Impressive persistence of flavour; Meadows, 2007: A very ripe and gently oaked nose of serious and more deeply pitched red currant and plum aromas dissolve into rich, full and mouth filling flavors that also possess ample generosity but here the sweet finish offers better precision and detail as well as a better overall level of dry extract, 88-91; weight bottle and closure: 585 g; www.nicolas-potel.fr ]
A good burgundy colour, medium, some garnet creeping in, right in the middle for depth. Bouquet is soft, fragrant, mature, lifted and spicy, highly varietal in one sense. Palate is all red fruits / red cherries browning now, but with clear spicy complexities suggesting significant brett, gentle oak a little new, the whole wine zingy and aromatic in mouth – but not because of Cote de Nuits fruit characters. This will be a wonderful food wine, as bretty wines so commonly are, but it might be better not to cellar it for too long, 3 – 8 years maybe. There is a risk of drying. Five tasters rated this their top or second wine, and none thought it could be New Zealand. GK 10/16

2005 Maison Nicolas Potel Pommard les Vignots 16 ½ (

)

Pommard, Burgundy, France: 13%; $94 [ cork ]
Good pinot noir ruby, just above midway. Bouquet is rich, ripe, but just on the cusp for trace reductive. There are no florals as such, but plenty of rich dark plum. Palate is the same, lots of plummy fruit, but the oak made slightly bitter by the trace reduced sulphur. I think this will come right, and cellar 5 – 20 years. These 2005s are certainly wines of substance. GK 03/08

2010 Ch Puy-Marceau 16 ½ (

)

Entre Deux Mers, Bordeaux, France: 14%; $19 [ cork 45mm; Me 70%, CS 15, CF 15, at c.100m altitude; 12 months in vat and older barrels; no website found ]
Ruby, also showing some age, a little older than the Abbaye, and below midway. Bouquet is in much the same merlot-dominant style, a clear suggestion of cabernet franc leaf here (these observations at the blind stage), already considerable marrying-up of browning berry with clean oak, even suggestions of a little newish oak. Once one is used to the narrower flavour profiles of cheaper New Zealand reds, with their overt oak (not always from barrel), these softer richer more autumnal winestyles can seem odd. They actually work with food very well. A little brett. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 03/15

2003 Capricorn Estates Red Rock Gravel Pit Red Merlot / Cabernets 16 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $20 [ screwcap; www.capricornwines.co.nz ]
Dense ruby, carmine and velvet. Bouquet on this wine is rich, but somewhat stewed and porty, and despite some VA, is lacking the vivacity one hopes for in Hawkes Bay. Flavours are rich and concentrated, but also monolithic, oaky, and quite Australian in style. May just be in an ugly duckling stage, but is pretty dull right now. Cellar 10 – 15 years. GK 12/04

2003 [ Capricorn Estates ] Red Rock Gravel Pit Red Merlot / Cabernets 16 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $20 [ screwcap; Me 62%, CF 22, Ma 9, CF 7; hand-picked; MLF in barrel, 16 months in French oak 30% new; www.capricornwines.co.nz ]
Dense ruby, carmine and velvet. Bouquet on this wine is rich, but somewhat stewed and porty, and despite some VA, is lacking the vivacity of many of the others. Flavours are rich and concentrated, but also monolithic and oaky, tending Australian in style. May just be in an ugly duckling stage, but is fairly dull right now. Cellar 10 – 15 years. GK 12/04

2001 Rostaing Cote Rotie la Landonne 16 ½ (

)

Cote Rotie, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $115 [ Sy 100%; 18 – 24 months in two barrel sizes, 10% new; ]
Ruby. A mixed bouquet, combining some of the beauty of syrah (carnation florals, potential bush honey complexity, mixed red and black berries) with a veil of H2S-related odours. These are nowhere near as severe as in the Cuvee Classique. Vigorous splashy decanting is therefore recommended. So treated, fruit on palate is attractive, showing cassis, blueberry and raspberry, but all much softer and silkier than the stern Vins de Vienne Cornas. One would imagine there is viognier in this wine, but not so according to Parker. As this Cote Rotie matures, it will probably develop the elusive beeswax / bush-honey complexity which certain northern Rhone syrah vintages show – for example 1982 la Chapelle right now. Such wines are wonderful with food. Cellar 5 – 15 years, but needing vigorous decanting. GK 06/04

2005 Domaine Rousseau Gevrey-Chambertin 16 ½ (

)

Gevrey-Chambertin, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $115 [ cork; Rousseau owns 2.2 ha of unclassified vineyards in the village; old oak only; www.domaine-rousseau.com ]
Pinot noir ruby, the lightest wine in the tasting. Freshly opened there is light reduction on this, a little more than the Felton. It needs more decanting / swirling / aeration. It clears to a more generic pinot noir than the other wines, fatter than some of the New Zealand examples, but plainer, with no florals, older oak, and straightforward plummy more than cherry fruit. Considering this Rousseau village wine is now over $100, it is useful in demonstrating just how good, and how international (i.e. akin to good French in style) the New Zealand pinots are in this tasting. The same assessment applies to many other New Zealand pinots. Comparisons may be odious, but the conclusions here are inescapable, except to those blinded by labels or price paid. Cellar 5 – 15 years, perhaps longer reflecting on the 1978 Drouhin Gevrey-Chambertin. GK 11/08

2008 Chateau de Saint Cosme Cotes du Rhone Les Deux Albion 16 ½ (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $27 [ cork, 50mm; this wine was included to illustrate that quality Cotes du Rhone ages attractively, and becomes even more food-friendly; cepage varies around Sy 40%, Gr 30, Mv 10, Ca 10, clairette (white) 10, the Sy and clairette co-fermented, the other three fermented separately; from the 2007 vintage this wine (which is frequently Louis Barruol's best-value wine) has been from a single vineyard, now owned by Saint Cosme, and is therefore an Estate wine (the label thus denoting ‘Chateau de’); up to 70% of the wine is aged in 1 – 4 years-old barrels; R. Parker, 2009: ... plenty of kirsch and cassis notes intermixed with notions of underbrush, pepper, and earth. The wine cuts a broad, medium to full-bodied swath across the palate, and possesses impressive purity, length, and depth, 90; bottle weight 595 g; www.saintcosme.com ]
Ruby, some garnet and velvet, clearly older, just below midway in depth. This was one of those wines of the southern Rhone Valley which divided the room, some loving it, others vehemently hating it. That means only one thing in this district: quite a high level of Brettanomyces chemistry, the wine smelling of nutmeg and venison casserole, savoury to those who like it, horse-barn and worse to those who don't. Allocating a score therefore has to be arbitrary ... the above indicates I am tolerant of brett, thinking of how well the wine would go with food. Beneath these characters, there is still good browning fruit, and the wine smells otherwise clean and complex. Palate still retains good fruit, lovely oak elevation complexity, and great length on gentle tannins. For those who like it, a great food wine now. At the rate the brett has developed, however, not a wine to keep much longer. My goal of illustrating that Cotes du Rhone wines cellar perfectly well, far beyond the 2 – 3 years of consumerist American winewriters, was somewhat compromised by the level of brett in this bottle, but most agreed the wine otherwise showed good balance, and was not prematurely aged. Three top places, two second, but nine least. [ A second bottle, opened two days later to check, was dramatically less bretty, and clearly denser and fresher in colour, aroma, and taste. It would score markedly higher. This kind of bottle-to-bottle variation is ‘normal’ in brett-affected wines.] GK 04/18

1999 Domaine Santa Duc Gigondas Prestige des Hautes Garrigues 16 ½ (

)

Gigondas, Southern Rhone Valley, France: 15%; $56 [ cork 50mm, ullage 15mm; original price c.$54; Gr 80%, Mv 15, balance Sy and Ci, grenache more than 50 years age, hand-harvested at typically c.3.7 t/ha = 1.5 t/ac, but some years as low as 2 t/ha = 0.8 t/ac; up to 8 weeks cuvaison, with stems; at the time c.40% of Hautes Garrigues spent 12 – 20 months in small oak some new, balance older large wood; c.1,150 x 9-litre cases made; now labelled Les Hautes Garrigues; J. L-L, 2001: ... the bouquet is meaty with oak present in the brew; airs of stone fruits, prunes, dried fruits and grilled nuts ... a potent kick-off – there is a lot of still forming chew, roasted content. It is very solid, the soaked fruits weight the finish and render it rather demanding. As a “special” wine, its power is central to its being, and I find that a bit too much for me. From 2006-07. The longer the wait the better – this isn’t a wine that is easy to drink young. I prefer the Tradition 1999 by some way. To 2020, ***(*); R. Parker, 2001: The stunning 1999 Gigondas Prestige des Hautes Garrigues spent 23 months in barriques, of which 40% was new. Made from 80% Grenache and 20% Mourvedre that achieved 15.5% natural alcohol, it boasts ... immense body, a layered texture, and pure cassis, kirsch, and blackberry flavors along with a subtle note of wood. The finish lasts for 30-35 seconds. There are 1,500 cases of this 1999, which appears to be the wine of the vintage. To 2016, 92; www.santaduc.fr ]
Garnet and ruby, the third deepest wine. This was the other wine to remind of the 2007s, showing baked jam-tart fruit rather than fresh raspberry, and nearly a varnishy hint from too much oak exposure, but all pure. Palate is quite rich but very dry, the oak handling strangling the wine. The contrast with the fresh, fragrant and supple straight Santa Duc Gigondas from the same year could not be more dramatic: a vivid example of how grenache-led wines can be sabotaged by new oak. Tasters seemed to agree at the blind / no discussion stage: nine least places. The wine is quite rich, and though fully mature, will cellar for another 10 years, in its drying style. GK 10/19

2003 W. Schaefer Graacher Domprobst Riesling Auslese QmP 16 ½ (

)

Mosel, Germany: 7.5%; $93
Pale lemongreen. A slightly congested bouquet, with a little sulphur, and an odd note slightly suggestive of sauvignon. Palate is better, with good stonefruits, but a hint of pale tobacco too. Not noticeably auslese quality. Mild acid, cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 11/04

2000 Ch Senejac 16 ½ (

)

Haut-Medoc Cru Bourgeois south of Margaux, Bordeaux, France: 12.5%; $45 [ CS 47%, CF 25, Me 23, PV 3, Ma 2; Jancis Robinson rating 15; Robert Parker 88 – 89 ]
Ruby, a little darker than Potensac. A heavier bouquet tending to a new world style, with toasty oak predominant over anonymous fruit. Palate is cassisy and plummy, good acid balance, but the ‘black’ notes from the oak make the wine a bit heavy-handed and one-dimensional. Cellar 10 – 15 years. GK 05/04

2010 Bodega Septima Malbec 16 ½ (

)

Mendoza, Argentina: 14%; $18 [ supercritical 'cork'; Ma 100% grown @ 1050 – 1100m; 20 days cuvaison; 6 months in American oak; RS 4.9 g/L; the winery Septima is in the Codorniu group, there is both a Septima range of wines and a more expensive Septimo Dia range; www.bodegaseptima.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. Bouquet is berry-rich and plummy, showing good but not perfect ripeness of the malbec – still a hint of leaf. Palate confirms that thought, some rawness and pepper, but also the potential to mellow with time in bottle and become pleasing. Clean sound wine, cellar 3 – 10 years. RS not noticed on the day, but may become apparent as the wine softens. GK 07/11

2003 Seresin Sauvignon Blanc Marama 16 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $36 [ SB 100%; 100% BF & LA in 50% new French oak, nil MLF; www.seresin.co.nz ]
Good lemon, one of the deeper. A huge bouquet in a broadly similar style to Te Koko, but heavier on a lot of high-solids fermentation odours which introduce fusel-oil-like (amyl and related alcohols) dull smells. Intermingled are sauvignon fruit characters and oak, all very strong indeed. Palate is massive for sauvignon, almost baguettey from the lees autolysis component (which is very good), sweet on the oak, long, leaving a total flavour in mouth reminiscent of parsleyed scrambled eggs on toast. The wine is richer and much oakier than Te Koko, though due to the lack of MLF, in one sense the actual sauvignon flavour is purer. Without the high solids and excess oak components, I could like the wine a great deal. The new Dog Point Sauvignon provides an illustration of such an approach. Marama will cellar 5 – 10 years, in its style. GK 09/04

2004 Louis Sipp Pinot Gris Osterberg 16 ½ (

)

Alsace Grand Cru, France: 12.5%; $57 [ cork; www.sipp.com ]
Pale lemon. Bouquet is light, clean and showing delicate apple blossom florals only. On palate the wine seems a bit under-ripe, for the total acid is high, and the spare white stonefruits flavours are short but attractive, and near-dry. This should develop in cellar 3 – 6 years. GK 04/08

2004 Ch Smith Haut Lafitte 16 ½ (

)

Pessac-Leognan, Bordeaux, France: 13%; $96 [ cork; CS 55%, Me 34, CF 10, PV 1, cropped at 2 t/ac before triage; whole-bunch ferment in oak cuves, cuvaison 5 – 6 weeks, MLF and 18 months in barrel 80% new; Robinson has 5 scores ranging 16.5 – 18, 2005 – 2008, no two the same (this has a comforting air of reality to it !), Parker 91 – 93; www.smith-haut-lafitte.com ]
Ruby and velvet. Bouquet is unashamedly European, complex beyond simple components like berry and oak, instead fruit, dark tobacco, earthy, mushroomy and bretty. Palate is rich and like the Cambon Pelouse, but much more rustic with a touch of acid from the suboptimal year. A wine for stylists only, another funny one to choose, and therefore hard to score for a conference dominated by winemakers. My number is a compromise. The aftertaste of manuka-smoked snapper is appealing, showing the many guises the bacony component of brett (4-ethylguaiacol) can adopt. Score would be 17.5 at dinner, when one doesn't think of brett so much. Interesting to note session leader James Lawther MW characterised the wine as (paraphrased): " … up a class [ from Cambon Pelouse and d'Agassac ], more complex, fresh and digestible." Cellar 5 – 12 years or so, in its rustic style. GK 11/08

1996 Ch Smith Haut-Lafitte 16 ½ (

)

Pessac – Leognan, Bordeaux, France: 12.5%; $ – [ cork; a winery of modest reputation until its sale in 1991; 1996 moderately successful in Bordeaux, firm wines; www.smith-haut-lafitte.com ]
Maturing ruby, a good colour. Bouquet is highly cabernet after the pinot noir and syrah wines, but more in a narrow imperfectly-ripe older Hawkes Bay way than Bordeaux. There is clear cassis alongside the Chilean and Yugoslav wines, but suggestions of stalk in the berry too, which the oak accentuates, all very fragrant. Palate confirms the bouquet, a taut interaction of berry and oak, reasonable concentration but the flavours tending austere and firm. I suspect this wine won’t particularly blossom. An older style claret, now, though not atypical for the year. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 12/17

2010 Domaine de la Solitude Chateauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Barberini 16 ½ (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 15%; $116 [ cork 49mm; cepage in 2010 Gr 60%, Sy 30, Mv 10 (J.L-L), hand-picked at 3.9 t/ha = 1.6 t/ac from vines averaging 50 years age; all grapes destemmed, cuvaison up to 31 days in concrete vats; after pressing the free-run and press-wine kept separately; sources vary as to elevage detail, Livingstone-Learmonth has roughly 2/3 in s/s, 1/3 in small wood approx 1/3 new for 15 months, followed by assemblage and a further 6 months in vat to marry up; not filtered; around 500 cases; website seems unavailable, good info at www.shiverick.com/domaine-de-la-solitude; imported by MacVine, Auckland; weight bottle and closure: 656 g; www.domaine-solitude.com ]
Striking ruby and garnet, deeper than the Boislauzon in colour, in the top half-dozen. Bouquet is quite different from the other Chateauneuf-du-Papes, both on the style of berry, which at the blind stage suggests high syrah ± mourvedre [ confirmed ], and both new oak and a suggestion of estery VA which roughens it. No brett. Palate confirms the dark fruits, with nearly a suggestion of cassis buried in the grenache matrix, but again this estery quality intrudes. For some tasters, it will merely lift the wine and make it exciting, since these 2010 Chateauneuf-du-Papes are all spirity wines, but for others, the esters will make the wine disjointed. I am tending unhappy with the nett achievement at this stage, but VA (or more accurately, the esters) does marry into the wine, in the longer term. Whether this bottle is representative, I cannot say. Being a more modern approach to the winestyle, and given the interesting cepage, I feel duty-bound to cellar a few, to find out. Cellar 5 – 18 years only, maybe. GK 08/16

2016 Domaine La Soumade Cotes-du-Rhone 16 ½ (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $27 [ cork, 46 mm; viticulture substantially organic; Gr 80%, Sy 20, all hand-picked at up to 6.5 t/ha = 2.6 t/ac; de-stemmed, cuvaison up to 18 days; elevation in s/s vat for up to 18 months; not fined, light filtering; Stéphane Derenoncourt consults; weight bottle and cork 611 g; production averages 1,650 x 9-litre cases; www.domainelasoumade.fr ]
Good ruby, a wash of carmine and velvet, in the middle for depth. This is another wine to benefit from decanting. One of the ripe wines, not quite the piquant florals and garrigue lift on bouquet the fresher wines show, instead more ripe berries darkly plummy, and a touch of boysenberry. Palate shows the problems of concrete [ s/s in this case ] elevation, a certain hardness, not the free-flowing breathing impression that maturation in big old wood gives. Nonetheless there is still some of the excitement of the year, so this wine will be much better after five years in cellar. Cellar 5 – 15 years. Available from Caro’s and their distribution channels (eg Regional Wines). GK 07/19

2008 [ Waimea Estates ] Spinyback Riesling 16 ½ (

)

Waimea Valley, Nelson, New Zealand: 12.5%; $14 [ screwcap; cool s/s fermentation with cultured yeast and no solids; pH 3.1, 13.7 g/L RS; www.waimeaestates.co.nz ]
Lemonstraw, the deepest colour in the riesling bracket. There is a lot of bouquet to this wine, and it tastes quite rich, so at the blind stage it caused some confusion, particularly since some of the viognier samples were riesling-like. Bouquet includes clear yellow honeysuckle florals which fill out in mouth to rich stonefruit flavours with lime-zest notes too, attractive. The medium sweetness doesn't quite marry with the phenolics (botrytis influence maybe ?) though, so while this is rich flavoursome wine which should be good with some foods, as riesling it is on the coarse side. Cellar 1 – 3 years only might be best. GK 05/09

1988 Ch Suduiraut 16 ½ (

)

Sauternes Premier Cru, Bordeaux, France: – %; $ – [ cork; Se 80%, SB 20, planted to 7000 vines / ha, cropped @ little more than 2.5 t/ha ( 1 t/ac), average vine age c.25 years; mostly fermented in s/s, some in barrel, up to 30 months in barrel plus time in vats, some new oak; no wine info on website; www.suduiraut.com ]
Light gold, the second to lightest wine. Bouquet starts well, in a lighter semillon-dominant style, fragrant, suggestions of riesling-like florals, fruit dominant. In mouth however immediately there is a problem with the oak, an ashy quality and sensation leading to a bitterness which quite intrudes on the light fruit. It is a similarly-sized wine to the Coutet, but the wine is sabotaged by its oak. Not suited to further cellaring, therefore, if this bottle is representative. GK 08/11

2004 T.H.E. Riesling 16 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 12.5%; $22 [ screwcap; T.H.E. = Terrace Heights Estate; RS 11 g/L ]
Lemon with a flush of straw. This is a frankly populist style of riesling, with sweet pineappley fruit showing a citrus undertone, probably produced with one of the vulgar 'aromatic' yeasts. In other words it narrowly escapes the jujube tag. Palate is on the sweet side of medium-dry, seemingly sweeter than the given number, clearly riesling in a juicy way, long-flavoured. Quite good of its type, and will cellar several years. GK 01/05

2014 [ Yealands Group ] The Crossings Pinot Noir 16 ½ (

)

Awatere Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $18 [ screwcap; all Dijon clones mostly 114, 115, 667, planted at c.5000 vines/ha, c.17 years age; all machine-picked (some are of the view that the new-generation Pellenc destemming harvesters are as good as / better than hand-picking ... ), @ c.5 t/ha (2 t/ac), nil whole-bunch component, pre-ferment cold soak 5 – 7 days, then 20 – 25 days cuvaison with 100% cultured yeast; >90% of the wine c.10 months in French oak c.20% new, medium+ toast; sterile-filtered to bottle; RS 1.5 g/L: dry extract not given; production c.12,000 cases; www.thecrossings.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is quite strong, showing both a hint of Blair Walter's (Felton Road) 'cola' quality, plus florality ranging from buddleia through to roses, on attractive cherry fruit, red mostly. Palate is not quite so good, a clear suggestion of leafyness and stalks relative to the Roaring Meg, and a lack of elevation complexity as if there were a significant stainless steel component, yet on nett impression the wine ranks quite well. No possibility of thinking of Burgundy, here, though. This was the wine included because of its gold medal in the just-announced UK-based International Wine and Spirit Competition. This group at one stage modestly described itself as 'setting the international benchmark for quality' [ in wine, understood ]. It is therefore intriguing to see that in fact the Brits are no more astute at judging absolute quality in pinot noir than many New World judgings, despite their propinquity to Burgundy. Cellar 3 – 8 years. Group View (Flight 1): 4 first places, 7 second, 3 least. GK 11/15

2010 Ch Thivin Brouilly 16 ½ (

)

Brouilly, Beaujolais, New Zealand: 12.5%; $28 [ cork; gamay grown mostly on andesite, hand-picked; mostly maceration carbonique fermentation 8 – 12 days in concrete, elevation in s/s; www.chateau-thivin.com ]
Pinot noir ruby, towards the lighter end. Like the Coeur de Vendanges, this wine shouts out typical beaujolais. It is clean and fragrant with maceration carbonique, red fruits, some leafyness, fresh and appealing. The palate follows naturally, good red fruits, slightly stalky, no hints of oak at all [ confirmed ], completely representative. Cellar a year or two. GK 09/12

2008 [ Villa Maria ] Thornbury Sauvignon Blanc 16 ½ (

)

Awatere & Wairau Valleys, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $20 [ screwcap, all s/s, some LA, RS 2.3 g/L; www.thornbury.co.nz ]
Lemongreen. Bouquet is clearly sauvignon blanc, at a point of ripeness a little below the Wild Rock wine, more yellow capsicums, a touch of green and cat’s pee, mingled with ripe fruit including black passionfruit. Both bouquet and palate show some lees-autolysis complexities, and the wine is fresh in that style, lighter and less concentrated than some. Cellar a year or two only. GK 05/09

2010 Ch Tour St Bonnet 16 ½ (

)

Medoc, Bordeaux, France: 14%; $27 [ cork; Me 45, CS 45, Ma 5, PV 5; average vine age 35 years planted @ 9000 / ha, cropped @ 40 – 50 hl/ha; cru bourgeois of Medoc; up to 3 weeks cuvaison; 18 months in oak (more large vats than barrels I suspect); JR 4/11: 16 Solid, well balanced, just very slightly tart but lots to get your teeth into here. Quite suave even if a bit lacking in charisma. Lots of mineral character. JH @ JR 10/12 14.5: Ripe and plummy. A bit flat on the palate. Slightly bitter aftertaste and dry. 2014 – 20; RP 90: A beautiful sleeper of the vintage, this is possibly the best wine I've ever tasted from this over-achieving estate near St.-Christoly-de-Medoc. … about $15 a bottle, making it an absolutely staggering value in the worldwide marketplace. The 2010 exhibits classic cedar wood, tobacco leaf, creme de cassis, licorice and some balsam wood notes in a strong, medium to full-bodied, layered style with good opulence, purity and overall harmony. A real beauty, it should be drunk over the next 4-5 years; Availability: good; http://tour.saint.bonnet.uk.free.fr ]
Ruby, a flush of velvet, older than some. Bouquet is a little unusual, clean with a slightly perfumed edge to it, the cassis component showing well. Oak is clean and subtle on bouquet. In mouth however it is like the Beaumont, some old cooperage showing up leading to old-fashioned leathery notes, and the wine is leaner. It is still pretty good alongside many simpler New Zealand bordeaux blends, where a reluctance to crop at AOC rates is still evident. A pleasant example of a minor Medoc, maybe trace brett here too, worth cellaring 5 – 12 years. GK 03/13

2003 Chateau du Trignon Cotes du Rhone 16 ½ (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $21 [ cork; Maison Vauron; Gr 60, Mv 20, Sy 20; no reviews. ]
Ruby, the lightest of this bracket. This is a very fragrant wine, with a prominent floral note not as attractive as carnations, more assertive jonquils plus a grassy note, all bespeaking green-picked grapes. Below are good red berryfruits, red currants and raspberry. Palate and mouthfeel are better than expected, with attractive red fruits, quite light, and slightly stalky. Perhaps the body is from normally-ripened grenache, and the bouquet is from early-picked syrah and/or mourvedre. This is more refreshing than several of the wines, but the specific kind of florals on bouquet will not appeal to everybody. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 09/05

1982 Ch Trotanoy 16 ½ (

)

Pomerol, Bordeaux, France: – %; $62 [ cork; Me 90%, CF 10; RP (1991) considers Trotanoy the equivalent of a Second Growth; Parker: a wine of fluctuating reputation since the 70s, but which in some years bears resemblance to the great Ch Petrus. The 1982: dazzling, the finest wine since the 1961, a profound bouquet of rich berryfruit, licorice, coffee, minerals and spicy oak. Massive on the palate, phenomenal concentration and richness, superb balance. More evolved than Petrus, but still a monumental wine. To 2008. 97 (in comparison with Petrus at 98 !) Broadbent: … less evolved than the Petrus [ ! ]. Classic, shapely but indefinable nose; fairly sweet and full-bodied, rich, fleshy, yet with silky tannins and good length. **** possibly *****. GK in 1985 rated it Excellent: New oak, huge fruit, opulent. ]
Ruby and garnet, below midway. This too appeared to be an impaired bottle, the wine showing a degree of oxidation and leather in indeterminate quite rich berry fruit. Palate is much the same, pleasant-enough savoury dinner wine, but not comparable with either the wine’s reputation, or previous bottles. Even impaired however, the Montrose and Trotanoy clearly show the stylistic difference between crisp aromatic cassis and cabernet-dominant Medoc wines, and softer plummy merlot-dominant wines from the east bank. For good bottles, this too should cellar for another 5 – 10 years. GK 09/08

2003 Vieux Chateau Certan 16 ½ (

)

Pomerol, Bordeaux, France: 13%; $135 [ cork; Me 80%, CF 20, in 2003, average age 35 years, planted to 5800 vines / ha; hand-picked, fruit hand-sorted twice; cuvaison up to 21 days in oak or s/s vats; 18 months in 100% new barrels; on wine style, the proprietors say: ‘Far from the increasing trend of wines that are constantly becoming richer and more powerful, Vieux Chateau Certan is the expression of elegance itself’; Parker: ... a sumptuous perfume of burning embers, incense, cedar, roasted herbs, and sweet black cherries and currants. Neither big nor weighty, it is an elegant, medium-bodied, finesse-styled, velvety-textured 2003 … 93; Robinson: Some freshness on the nose (thanks to the unusually high proportion, 80%, of Cabernet Franc in the blend) … the Merlot component distinctly animal and overripe … the tannins are light and sandy … very soft and a bit too sweet for me. Not one of VCC's finest vintages. 16.5; www.vieuxchateaucertan.com ]
Older ruby, scarcely velvet, the lightest. Bouquet is less ripe than expected, with a clear leafy thread in red fruits, really quite modest. Palate shows fair berry, subtle oak, but also a clean stalkyness, and the phenolics to go with it. Classic green-tinged claret, surprising in the year. Presumably physiological / phenolic ripeness trailed along behind sugar-ripeness, and the grapes were picked rather more on the latter criterion. It will cellar well in its ’79 Figeac style, 5 – 15 years, building bouquet. GK 07/06

2008 [ Obsidian ] Weeping Sands Cabernet / Merlot 16 ½ (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.5%; $27 [ screwcap; CS 54%, Me 40, PV 4, Ma 2, hand-harvested from 15-year old vines; all de-stemmed, cultured yeast, MLF and 10 months in all-French oak < 15% new; 500 cases; www.obsidian.co.nz ]
Ruby, more age showing than the 2009 Weeping Sands Merlot. Bouquet here is even more oaky than the sibling merlot, but in more complex fruit showing some browning cassis as well as plum. Palate is distinctly old-fashioned, showing too much oak for the weight of fruit, Australasian in a negative sense, and not at all confuseable with minor bordeaux. It will hold the style for 3 – 8 years, becoming more oaky. GK 10/12

2009 [ Obsidian ] Weeping Sands Merlot 16 ½ (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.5%; $32 [ screwcap; Me dominant; hand-harvested; all de-stemmed, cultured yeast, c.9 months in French oak 15% new; 400 cases; www.obsidian.co.nz ]
Ruby. Bouquet is intriguing, another young wine to make one think of Entre-Deux-Mers in an averagely ripe year. Red fruits dominate, plus suggestions of tobacco, all quite fragrant. Palate is a little less, total acid higher than ideal and some leafyness grading into stalks. Happily oak is restrained, so this lightish wine should soften in cellar and become fragrant and more attractive, in a slightly under-ripe way. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/10

2009 [ Obsidian ] Weeping Sands Merlot 16 ½ (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.5%; $32 [ screwcap; Me dominant; hand-harvested; all de-stemmed, cultured yeast, c.10 months in French oak 15% new; 450 cases; www.obsidian.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, a little lighter and brighter than the 2008 Weeping Sands Cabernet / Merlot, attractive. Bouquet is clean and fragrant, quite oaky so it is hard to see the subtleties of merlot, but good berry. Palate reveals a softer more plummy wine than the cabernet / merlot blend, with good texture and fair varietal quality. The late aftertaste reverts to the oak though, letting the wine down relative to the Ngatarawa Merlot. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 08/12

2011 [ Obsidian ] Weeping Sands Syrah 16 ½ (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13%; $32 [ screwcap; Sy 100%, hand-harvested, all de-stemmed; c.18 days cuvaison; MLF and c.9 months in barrel 30% new French, balance older French only; 282 cases; www.obsidian.co.nz ]
Ruby. Bouquet shows unequivocal syrah white pepper spice in lightly floral red berry fruits, clearly fragrant as all these better 2011 syrahs are. Palate is a little shorter than those marked more highly, not quite the ripeness, showing some stalks which the oak reinforces. A firmer wine, to cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 10/12

2004 Charles Wiffen Pinot Noir 16 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $27 [ composite ‘cork’ ]
Big pinot noir ruby. A big and obvious bouquet, tending to the coarse stewed blackboy peach rather than fine cherry style of pinot, but clearly fruity. Palate is exactly the same, fleshy, a hint of pepper, varietal but lacking magic. Cellar 5 - 8 years. GK 05/05

2004 [ Yellowtail ] Shiraz 16 ½ (

)

Southeast Australia, Australia: 13.5%; $12 [ plastic 'cork'; DFB; Casella Estate; www.yellowtailwine.com ]
Carmine, velvet and ruby, not much attenuated by oak. Bouquet is pure varietal shiraz, with fragrant cassis and boysenberry, faintest black peppercorn, and euc. Flavour is a little stalkier than bouquet promises, again scarcely touched by oak, a hint of nutmeg on the later palate. It is quite full-bodied, very much an Australian version of an unoaked Cotes du Rhone, but not as dry as that wine would be. Assuming this is irrigation shiraz picked early to optimise flavour, the result is clearly succesful, even if reds released within a year of vintage are not acceptable. Unusual to say this about an Australian red, but a little more time in older oak would have complexed it desirably. Cellar 5 – 8 years (if it had a cork or screwcap). GK 01/05

2007 Moutere Hills Pinot Gris 16 + (

)

Moutere Gravels, Nelson, New Zealand: 14.4%; $34 [ screwcap; hand-picked and sorted; whole-bunch pressed, part BF with wild yeast, balance s/s; www.mouterehills.co.nz ]
Straw. This wine shows a big bouquet, a lot going on, things to like and some to be worried about. I wondered (at the tasting stage) if it has been fermented on high-solids in old oak, for the whole style is clearly European. Stonefruit shows on both bouquet and palate, quite yellow-fleshed, good body with breadcrust flavours suggesting extensive lees-autolysis which is good, and happily no apparent MLF to slacken the crispness. Finish is very dry. Scoring a wine like this is a compromise, for some will love it, and some will hate it, and both viewpoints make perfect sense. One to try and see for yourself. It would be scored much more highly in a white wine district of France which employs high solids and trace oxidation as part of the winestyle, and everybody is used to it – Jurancon for example, see some Domaine Cauhape reviews on this site. This will be a good food wine, though personally I'd prefer the wine without the dull smells and flavours high-solids introduce. Short term cellar might be better, 1 – 3 years. GK 04/09

2006 Chard Farm Pinot Noir River Run 16 + (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $29 [ screwcap; hand-harvested; www.chardfarm.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, scarcely separable from the Neudorf. And the bouquet is similarly fragrant and floral, in the buddleia and roses spectrum mainly. Palate is fresh and crisp, red fruits more than black, even some red currants, slightly acid, leaner than the Neudorf. This too will be fragrant clearly varietal wine, in a tending-acid Volnay style. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 03/08

2004 Pyramid Valley Vineyards Pinot Noir Eaton Family Vineyard 16 + (

)

Omaka Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14.2%; $44 [ screwcap; 2 t/ac, hand-picked; cold-soak to 1 week, cuvaison to 4 weeks; 18 months in French oak 36% new; ‘organic’ viticulture / winemaking as much as possible; www.pyramidvalley.co.nz ]
Ruby, older. Bouquet is understated and complex, showing some cherry fruit, some herbes, a touch of brett, and oak. Palate is clearly varietal, and quite European in one sense, but the second mouthful is not as good as the first, a stalky thought creeping up into the cherry. Cellar 3 – 8 years, but expensive. GK 11/06

2004 Lime Rock Pinot Noir 16 + (

)

Inland Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12.8%; $23 [ screwcap; vineyard 250 m, north-facing; hand-picked; 8 months in French oak; www.limerock.co.nz ]
Light ruby, lightish even by classical pinot noir standards, but within bounds. Bouquet makes up for colour by being voluminous – this is quite the most fragrant Hawkes Bay pinot noir yet. Berry includes redcurrant, strawberry, blackboy and maybe red cherry, with quite a red floral lift. Palate is not quite as good, the strawberry and warm climate flavour coming through (though to judge from the other Lime Rock wines, the site is far from warm, so some confusion there). It finishes a little stalky. Even so, in a couple of years this will be an attractively burgundian (lean year) wine, good with food. GK 02/06

2004 Main Divide Pinot Noir 16 + (

)

North Canterbury, New Zealand: 14%; $21 [ screwcap; Waipara and Waimakariri fruit in 2004, mostly bought-in; an early-drinking style; French oak; www.maindivide.com ]
Pinot noir ruby, clearly a little redder and fresher than the Waipara Selection version. This is a simpler wine, still clearly pinot noir, but with less floral complexity, and clean reddish berryfruit. Palate shows pleasant red fruit flavours, all a little less ripe and concentrated than the Selection wine, and slightly more stalky. This is straightforward but still serious pinot, in an affordable price range. Cellar 3 – 6 years. GK 07/06

2012 Starborough Sauvignon Blanc 16 + (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $23 [ screwcap; no information for this wine on website, if like the 2010, is cool-picked, cold-settled, cool-fermented in s/s, a small % BF in French oak for complexity; RS 4 g/L; www.starborough.co.nz ]
Pale lemon green. Leaving aside it is offensive to market sauvignon blanc under six months old, bouquet on this wine is lightly varietal and clean, with hints of red capsicum and black passionfruit. Palate is infantile, not quite as rich as the Mount Riley, but not as acid and clearly riper. It should be much better in six months. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 08/12

2005 Stoneleigh Pinot Noir 16 + (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $19 [ screwcap; cold-soak 5 – 6 days, MLF and 9 months in French oak; RS < 2 g/L; www.stoneleigh.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, good. Bouquet is clearly fragrant and varietal, delightfully floral in a light buddleia style, on red fruits. Palate is not quite as good, the fruit in the lighter blackboy and some red cherries level of flavour, a little acid and leafy in the traditional Marlborough style, which doesn't go with food as well as the rounder wines. It is very clean, and should mellow attractively, and cellar 3 – 6 years. GK 07/06

2010 Pask Winery Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot / Malbec Gimblett Road 16 + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $22 [ screwcap; CS 45%, Me 41, Ma 14; c.14 months in older French and some American oak; RS <1 g/L; Parker: 80; www.cjpaskwinery.co.nz ]
Older ruby, the second to lightest wine. Like the Babich Irongate, this wine is outside the norms. It is really fragrant, and if the label had turned out to be cabernet franc, the score would be higher. There is slightly browning raspberry and redcurrant fruit, potentially tobacco-y leafyness, and some vinosity. Flavour shows more to taste, more fruit than the colour suggests, hints of cassis even, but also a stalky / acid thread, oak matching the fruit weight, and attractive freshness belying the colour. There's actually riper fruit than the Irongate, though seemingly only half the depth of colour. Pleasantly drinkable and food-friendly small wine, to cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 06/14

2006 Dog Point Pinot Noir 16 + (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $43 [ cork; 18 months in French oak some new; RS nil; www.dogpoint.co.nz ]
Older pinot noir ruby, some garnet. Bouquet is in an older European style, showing red fruits lifted by both roses-level florals and savoury brett / skin-of-roast-chook aromas. Palate carries on exactly, red cherry and red plum, an attractive level of physiological maturity in the fruit at that level, no leafyness, drying tannins, absolutely old-style burgundian. Many people will like it greatly for that, but the modern / new world desire is to move away from a brett component in wines, along with its fragrant savoury complexity factors. The issue is that unless the wine is sterile-filtered to bottle, bretty wines can become very unpredictable, with the wine drying in bottle and the risk of 'savoury' degrading to something much less. Meanwhile, this wine is great with savoury foods, but cellar a shorter time only, say 2 – 5 years might be best. GK 03/09

2007 Riverby Pinot Noir 16 + (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $28 [ screwcap; hand-picked @ less than 2.5 t/ac from a mix of several clones, including vines up to 16 years old; 11 months in French oak, 30% new; RS nil; www.riverbyestate.com ]
Pinot noir ruby. The wine opens modestly, a little reductive, and needs a good splashy decanting. It then shows red fruits rather than black, a suggestion of red currant and raspberry, and a simple floral note no more complex than buddleia. Palate likewise is red fruits, straightforward, faintly leafy as in much Marlborough Pinot. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 03/09

2008 Poderi Crisci Merlot / Cabernet Franc Viburno 16 + (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14.2%; $40 [ cork; Me 70%, CF 30, hand-harvested, wild-yeast ferments, 18 months in all-French oak 25% new; www.podericrisci.co.nz ]
Ruby. Bouquet is in the smooth integrated slightly leathery / old-fashioned red plummy style of the Podere reds, approximately how a minor Entre Deux Mers would be if the vintage were 10 years older. Palate is light and food-friendly, a little more oak than the comparison, but still quite soft. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 10/12

2002 RedMetal Vineyards Merlot / Cabernet Basket Press 16 + (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $40 [ cork; Me 95%, CF 5; www.redmetalvineyards.co.nz ]
Ruby and carmine, one of the lighter ones. Bouquet is withdrawn, at that difficult point where subtle H2S is confuseable with floral / violets smells. Below is ripe plummy and berryfruit, not oaky. Palate is more modest than the bouquet, with a rank edge to the plums detracting somewhat, picking up the reductive suggestion. Fruit richness is quite good, though. A little more air in the system would have helped this wine. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 10/05

2009 Sileni Estate Merlot / Cabernet Franc The Plains 16 + (

)

Bridge Pa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $32 [ screwcap; Me 75%, CF 25, some cuvaison time and MLF in tank; 14 months in barrel 85% French, 15 American, some new; fined; RS <1 g/L; www.sileni.co.nz ]
Lightish ruby, old for age, the third to lightest of the Hawkes Bay blends. This is a wine to make you think. Bouquet shows a clearly leafy fragrance surprising in such a good year, but there is also fair fruit, at an almost redcurrants / cabernet franc level of aroma. Palate follows exactly, light berry yet reasonable body, leafy in flavour, and dry. There were 1979 St Emilions like this, but 2009 in Hawkes Bay was a great year. A puzzle. Will cellar several years, though attractive now. Sileni's subtle approach to red wines would really suit the fragrant beauty of cabernet franc. They have made straight examples. I'd love to see them concentrate on and optimise a franc-dominant wine, including reducing the cropping rate and aiming for more appropriate ripeness and body. GK 06/12

2006 Balnaves Cabernet Sauvignon The Tally 16 + (

)

Coonawarra, South Australia, New Zealand: 15%; $95 [ ProCork; CS 100%; 20 months in French oak 100% new; RS 0.55 g/L; www.balnaves.com.au ]
Dense ruby and velvet. To first sniff, this wine simply looks ludicrous in an international tasting of the claret style. When one considers the lavish praise that has been heaped on this wine in its own country, the gold medals and 96-point reviews, it illustrates beautifully the almost unbridgeable gulf there is between the American / Australian notion of wine quality (so often quantitative), and the contrasting European (to which many New Zealand wine people thankfully aspire). On investigation, bouquet is essentially eucalyptus, alcohol and oak, big, clean, technological. Closer examination reveals some cassis berry too. In mouth the wine is massive, blackcurrant jam one has overcooked, with brown streaks grading into chocolate, added acid, harsh. It is a perfect example of the latterday Australian heroic wine style, made to impress domestically, but in much of the rest of the world (except America) regarded as unsuited to food, and hence not enjoyable. Cellar 10 – 30 years, in its style. GK 11/08

2010 River Farm Wines Sauvignon Blanc Ben Morven 16 + (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $15 [ screwcap; SB 100%, low cropping rate; most s/s ferment, some BF with wild-yeast; consultant winemaker Brian Bicknell of Mahi, RS 2 g/L; www.riverfarmwines.co.nz ]
Lemongreen. There is still some unassimilated bottling SO2 on bouquet, on otherwise clean light fruit ripened to yellow and red capsicum levels, slightly aromatic presumably from the oak. On palate the oak is more noticeable, but pleasantly so, the fruit OK, acid high, flavours short partly because it is drier than most local sauvignons, partly the higher than optimal sulphur. Much better in a year. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 08/11

2005 Voyager Estate Cabernet / Merlot 16 + (

)

Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia: 14%; $30 [ screwcap; in French oak 50% new for unspecified time; website lacks wine info; www.voyagerestate.com.au ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet. On bouquet one would swear this was an older New Zealand cabernet / merlot. There is a clear hint of methoxypyrazine in the cassis and tobacco berry complexity on bouquet, making the wine very fragrant. It is a good example of what Stephen Spurrier used to call the green-tinged claret style. Palate doesn't follow through so well, the wine being aromatic and cassisy but quite acid, which accentuates the bell-pepper note. Fruit richness is good, though, and the wine would be refreshing with appropriate food. Hard to score. Cellar 5 – 12 years, keeping an eye on the green note which will degrade to a cigarette-ashtray phase with age. GK 11/08

2004 Thomson Estate Shiraz Old Pumphouse 16 + (

)

Riverland, South Australia, Australia: 14%; $15 [ screwcap; some French oak whether as barrel or chip not made clear; bone dry; distributed by Lace Merchants; www.thomsonestate.com.au ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet. Bouquet is rasp / boysenberry shiraz with a stalky suggestion of peppercorn, in an uncomplexed almost stainless steel style. Palate shows fair berry and fruit, simple flavours including some oak probably as chips, but all clearly shiraz and quite rich. The wine is dry, but young and angular now on raw oak and added acid. Has the fruit to mellow in cellar over several years, and gain a little in the vinosity it lacks now. Would be good QDR shiraz if thus cellared, but for the market it caters to, that is not likely to happen. Sad – it would cellar to 10 years. GK 03/07

2004 Terrace Heights Estate Pinot Noir THE 16 + (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 14.5%; $25 [ screwcap; hand-picked, French oak ]
Pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is light, clean, straightforward pinot noir hinting at red cherries. Palate confirms the wine is pinot, clear cherry fruit, a suggestion of acid and stalks, older oak, all pleasingly balanced. Good to see Marlborough pinots achieving these firmer cherry fruit flavours. Cellar 3 – 6 years. GK 05/06

2009 Mills Reef Chardonnay Reserve 16 + (

)

Meanee district, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $22 [ screwcap; 79% BF in French 54% and American 46% oak, with some lees stirring, 21% s/s; 35% MLF; the wine assembled and all into oak c.10 months, RS not given; www.millsreef.co.nz ]
Straw, old for its age. Bouquet is first and foremost oak, with a scented artefact as well, not so appealing. Palate shows peachy fruit of good richness, sufficient to mop up some of the oak. There is just a whisper of oxidation, shortening the finish. A more burly straightforward example of the grape, which could be popular on the oak – which may include some American. Cellar 1 – 3 years. GK 06/11

2005 Soma Pinot Noir 16 + (

)

Nelson, New Zealand: 13.5%; $26 [ screwcap; first release from the winery of Steve Gill (formerly Asst. Winemaker, Dry River) and Sally Albrecht (winemaker, Kaimira Estate, previously Burnt Spur), both with Burgundy experience; fruit cropped between 1 and 2 t/ac; matured in one-year old French oak ]
Pinot noir ruby. This is another wine which, initially opened, seems a little disorganised, as if recently bottled. Well breathed, it displays pleasant lightish red fruits, which on palate combine redcurrants and red plums, not quite the excitement of cherry. Balance and oaking are subtle and in style. This should look better after another year in bottle, and will cellar for 3 – 6 years. GK 09/06

2006 Wooing Tree Blondie 16 + (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 13%; $20 [ screwcap; handpicked; PN 100%; RS 6.2 g/L; www.wooingtree.co.nz ]
Palest salmon-flushed white, paler than rosé. Bouquet is another of those: is it rubbery or floral ? wines, which can be a negative start. Palate is better, quite rich, nearly 'dry', hard to pin down in a blind tasting, but it makes sense as a blanc off pinot noir. Flavours are white cherry and pale blackboy peach, with a slight firmness from red grape tannins. Style is palest rosé. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 03/07

2007 Southbank Estate Sauvignon Blanc 16 + (

)

Wairau & Awatere Valleys, Marlborough, New Zealand: 12.5%; $19 [ screwcap; mostly Wairau Valley, some Awatere; cool ferment, up to 10 weeks LA; RS 2.8 g/L; www.southbankestate.com ]
Pale lemongreen. Initially opened this wine is a little reductive, and like the Palliser needs a splashy decanting. It opens up to be slightly vanillin, one of those sauvignons confuseable with riesling, on bouquet. It comes into better focus on palate, pleasant black passionfruit, no great concentration or complexity, straightforward. Cellar a year or two. Score is well breathed. GK 05/08

2006 Corbans Pinot Gris Homestead 16 + (

)

New Zealand: 13%; $16 [ screwcap; Pernod-Ricard group; 2006 not on website, 2007 (presumably similar) has 2 months LA and stirring in s/s; RS 10 g/L; www.corbans.co.nz ]
Straw. Bouquet is lifted by light VA, showing fully mature varietal pinot gris, fading rosepetal, some older bottled nectarines, pleasantly fruity. Palate is quite rich, the finish medium-dry, rich enough to cover the varietal firmness. Fully mature already, drink up. GK 03/08

2005 Seven Terraces Pinot Noir 16 + (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $24 [ screwcap; a Foxes Island label, but not on the website ]
Cherry red, a lovely pinot colour, fresher than the parent Foxes Island. Bouquet is more clearly varietal than the Foxes Island too, with an attractive floral lift on red cherry and red fruits. Palate is however crisp, shorter and fresher and less oak-influenced than the main wine, in one sense more varietal, but less stylish. Cellar 3 – 5 + years. GK 09/06

2004 Dry River Pinot Noir 16 + (

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Martinborough, New Zealand: 13%; $81 [ cork; includes vines up to 28 years old; 22% whole bunch; up to 10 days cold-soak; 12 months in French oak 20% new; www.dryriver.co.nz ]
Very deep ruby, some carmine and velvet, dubious for pinot noir. Bouquet is distinctive in the set of 20 wines, darkly bottled omega plums with over-ripe pruney notes too – but they are best moist prunes. There is also a maceration carbonique suggestion (which the background notes confirm), making one think of cru beaujolais in a good ripe year, but the total impression is all a bit porty. Palate is very fleshy, the pruney sur maturité character obtrusive, true to the established Dry River style, but not pinot noir as I seek it, or Burgundy is known for. Interesting wine though, always a talking point, for different reasons rather like the Danny Schuster – in the sense their wines are very distinctive, and each style has its devotees. The skinny (in comparison) Martinborough Vineyard is more refreshing to drink, but the Dry River is the more satisfying as a big red. Hence two wildly differing wines carrying much the same score. Needless to say a blend of the two is very pleasant ! Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 06/06

2008 Telmo Rodriguez Rioja LZ 16 + (

)

Rioja, Spain: 13.5%; $26 [ cork; Te, Gr & graciano, hand-picked; s/s cuvaison, concrete elevage; www.telmorodriguez.com ]
Quite rich ruby and velvet. A more complex bouquet, a clear maceration carbonique estery component (+ve), and a flowery fragrance reminding of 10/5 pinot noir to a degree. [ The varietal expression of tempranillo is closer to pinot noir than cabernet sauvignon, not withstanding all the wine books copying each other in talking about the grape. ] Palate shows attractive structure for a non-oaked wine, good berry, pleasant tannin, a slightly wild under-taste suggesting this is not a long-term cellar prospect. Pleasant soft rich red reminiscent of hot year / coarse beaujolais. Cellar 2 – 4 years. GK 08/11

2005 Majella Cabernet Sauvignon Coonawarra 16 + (

)

Coonawarra, South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $40 [ screwcap; CS 100%, machine-harvested; significant part barrel-fermented; 22 months in French oak hogsheads (300 L); apart from awards won, not much actual wine info on website; www.majellawines.com.au ]
Dense ruby, carmine and velvet. Bouquet is euc'y first and foremost, more so even than The Tally, and so can hardly be taken seriously. Otherwise, the wine is in the one-dimensional over-oaked overly alcoholic but cassisy and heroic Australian cabernet style. Needless to say therefore it has a number of Australian gold medals. Palate amplifies the eucalyptus and oak, partly due to the alcohol, making the wine nearly burning to the tongue. Wines such as these lose sight of the fact that the goal of red wine is to accompany food. Cellar 10 – 25 years, maybe to mellow. However experience the previous night with a 1965 Hardy's C546 straight cabernet partly from Coonawarra shows that as the wine dries out, the eucalyptus component can increase and render the wine even less palatable. GK 11/08

2005 Nanny Goat Vineyard Pinot Noir 16 + (

)

Gibbston, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13%; $30 [ screwcap ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, big for pinot. This is another pinot that has plenty of interest, but doesn't quite capture the heartbeat of the variety. Bouquet has components of blueberries, pepper and herbes, and palate is roundly plummy, a little cherry, good richness but at this stage almost lacking in complexity, as if scarcely any oak. There are some awkward flavours, as if some of the fruit were over-ripe, and some under-ripe, all finishing a little sour. Should marry up and develop better complexity in bottle. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 08/06

2005 Gibbston Highgate Pinot Noir Soul-taker 16 + (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $33 [ screwcap; no detail on website; www.gibbstonhighgate.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is sweetly floral, at a buddleia point of depth and complexity, in mixed cherry fruit. Palate is noticeably acid at this stage, with red cherry and plum flavours, clearly varietal and serious, but the acid is a worry. There is not quite the fruit richness to cover it, I suspect. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 07/06

2004 Staete Landt Pinot Noir 16 + (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $36 [ cork; 4 clones hand-picked @ < 2 t/ac; 7 days cold soak, up to 25 days cuvaison following, MLF and LA in French oak 25% new for c. 11 months; RS < 2 g/L; www.staetelandt.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. Initially opened, bouquet is a little varnishy. It clears to a red fruits and blackboy peach bouquet, not as floral as the Villa Cellar Selection wine. Palate however is similar to that wine, red cherry fruit clearly varietal, again a stalky or even peppery phenolic component which is intrusive, but the Staete Landt might be slightly richer and the total acid slightly lower. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/06

2004 Cloudy Bay Pelorus 16 + (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $44 [ cork; PN 60%, Ch 40, most of the fruit hand-harvested @ c. 4.4 t/ac; in addition to s/s, parts of base wine fermented in oak cuves or BF with wild yeast; full MLF, 9 months LA after primary ferment; after assembling, 3 years en tirage; RS / dosage c. 7g/L; www.cloudybay.co.nz ]
Lemon, hard to tell from the current nv Pelorus. This year's vintage Pelorus misses the boat somewhat, compared with the best years. There is just a little European clog plaining it down. Purity and elegance of components is so critical to successful implementation of the 'champagne' style, which climatically we are exceptionally well placed to mimic in New Zealand. Palate has all the richness expected of vintage Pelorus, on low dosage, but again is let down by slightly cardboardy undertones, robbing it of magic. Not quite worth cellaring this batch, ideally, though it will improve over three years or so, and cellar to 8. GK 11/08

2007 Jacobs Creek Semillon / Sauvignon Blanc / Viognier Three Vines Series 16 + (

)

Australia: 13%; $16 [ screwcap; no oak or MLF; www.threevines.com ]
Lemongreen. I ran this blind with as many related New Zealand wines as I could, but its offshore origins couldn't be hidden. Bouquet has the distinctive honeydew melon and sweet vernal character of many Australian semillons and stainless chardonnays, very clean but blander than the New Zealand wines. Palate is neatly stainless steel-styled along the same lines, but has an acid-adjusted harshness to the finish which even the most acid New Zealand examples lack. So it tastes a little coarse in comparison. It is sound QDW with semillon styling, 'dry', which will cellar for several years. I haven't seen this new addition to the Jacobs Creek range of variants at $8 on special yet. GK 11/08

2005 Te Mania Pinot Noir 16 + (

)

Nelson, New Zealand: 13.5%; $18 [ supercritical cork; 40% of the wine in oak for 8 months; www.temaniawines.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. Bouquet shows fragrant fruit with cherry and plum and some florals, but entwined in the florals is a stalky thought. Palate is quite rich in a slightly stewed cherry and red plums style, but the stalky note continues and interacts with the oak to be awkward at this stage. Should look better in a year, and cellar 5 – 8 years, but retaining the stalks. GK 03/07

2011 Vidal Merlot / Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Series 16 + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $16 [ screwcap; Me 70%, CS 27, CF 2, Ma 1, all de-stemmed; up to 30 days cuvaison; 18 months in French oak 30% new; RS <1 g/L; www.vidal.co.nz ]
Ruby, in the lightest half-dozen. Bouquet is clean, fragrant and very oaky, perhaps a conscious stylistic choice to capture that section of the market that appraises wine quality by the volume of oak rather than the quality of the fruit. In mouth one has a better chance to assess the wine, initially pleasant fruits more red than black, neither variety dominant, a hint of cassis aromatics maybe near the finish, quite soft but tending short. This seems 'sophisticated' wine, in its lighter style, reminiscent of the Wolf Blass commercial approach with oak. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/14

1985 Santa Rita Cabernet Sauvignon Medalla Real 16 + (

)

Maipo Valley, Chile: 12%; $14 [ 48mm cork; price in 1988; not on Winesearcher, 1986 $89; CS mostly, trace CF; 14 months in French oak, some new; 400mm rainfall zone; this label was well-regarded in the northern hemisphere in the 1980s. I reviewed the 1985 in National Business Review 11/11/88 as: This is the closest approach to good Bordeaux I have seen from Chile. Bouquet combines ripe cabernet and European-styled wineyness with gentle oak. Flavour is excellent, delicate yet rich, with Bordeaux acid balance and not too weighty. Serious wine which is already drinking well. *****; Wine Spectator liked it a good deal less, perhaps reflecting the preference for bigger wines in America at that time: Medium-bodied but rough-hewn, showing earthy aromas and tannic, oaky flavors, surrounding ripe blackberry and blackcurrant fruit, 75; www.santarita.com ]
Ruby and garnet, fresh, clearly above midway in depth. Bouquet is intriguing, a great volume of cassis and redcurrant berry made piquant by an almost ripe red capsicum note, and an exotic 'oak' quality. The total achievement is close to the Mount Mary and Montrose, but the different aromas and the oak set it apart. Palate shows ripe fruit, so though the bouquet can be interpreted as stalky, its not quite that simple. It is more like the ripeness complexity of good physiologically mature sauvignon blanc. Steve Bennett put that down to the percentage of carmenere in the wine, which was not then separated from cabernet sauvignon. Carmenere is later-ripening than cabernet sauvignon. Interesting and refreshing wine pretty well in style, but differentiated primarily on the oak. I suspect at that point the cooperage still included a little traditional rauli (Nothofagus alpina). Drying a little, but no great hurry. GK 11/13

2006 Tarras Vineyards Pinot Noir 16 + (

)

Bendigo, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14.5%; $35 [ screwcap; winemaking detail to come; www.tarrasvineyards.com ]
Maturing pinot noir ruby. There is not a lot of bouquet, which lets it down as pinot, but there are no faults. Palate is much more positive, clear red fruits, made a little foursquare by oak, but attractive weight and mouth feel, now clearly pinot. Maturing, will hold several years. GK 02/10

2009 Matua Valley Pinot Noir Central Otago 16 + (

)

Bendigo, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $29 [ screwcap; several clones pinot noir, hand-harvested, some whole bunches retained; 10 months in oak; RS c. 3 g/L; often discounted in supermarket sales; www.matua.co.nz ]
Lightish pinot noir ruby. On bouquet, the depth of maturity in the blind tasting suggests Marlborough more than Otago, a simple sweet-pea / pink rose florality on red currants / red cherry fruit. Palate is a little less, tasting like a generously-cropped wine, the finish not bone dry, but the oak appealingly subtle and in balance with the light character. It is clearly varietal. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 06/11

2009 Julicher Pinot Noir Te Muna Road 16 + (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 14.8%; $47 [ screwcap; four clones of pinot noir, hand-picked, 100% de-stemmed; cold-soak, MLF and 11 months in French oak 35% new; www.julicher.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, in a similar weight to the Martinborough Vineyard, but older / more oak-affected. Bouquet is clearly varietal and in the Martinborough district red-fruits style, though perhaps a little more leaf showing. Palate is drier and narrower than the Martinborough wine, not quite the physiological maturity, tasting a little more leafy still, the under-ripeness exacerbated by the higher oak. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 06/11

2004 Waitaki Braids Pinot Noir 16 + (

)

Waitaki Valley, Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $40 [ screwcap; calcareous parent materials; hand-picked, 10% whole bunch, 4 days cold soak, 14 days cuvaison, unspecified barrel age; the winemaker Michelle Richardson describes the wine as having 'a chewiness that I find very extremely moorish'; www.waitakibraids.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is light and clean and varietal, lightly floral and red cherry, a faint pennyroyal lift. Palate is similar, attractive simple red cherry pinot like many a minor Cote de Beaune wine, faintly stalky but otherwise well-balanced, subtly oaked. Cellar 3 – 6 years. GK 01/07

2004 Crossroads Syrah Destination Series 16 + (

)

Dartmoor Valley & Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12.5%; $20 [ cork; destemmed; 6 months in French oak 25% new; www.crossroadswinery.com ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet. Bouquet is light clean red fruits, another suggesting Crozes-Hermitage, but not as clearly so as the Bilancia. Palate is even more Crozes-like, light cassis, some black pepper, gently older-oaked, slightly stalky, attractive easy syrah. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 01/07

2007 Akarua Pinot Noir Gullies Single Vineyard 16 + (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.7%; $36 [ screwcap; some whole bunch, MLF and 11 months in French oak 33% new; RS nil; www.akarua.com ]
Pinot noir ruby, old for age. Bouquet is another on the oaky side of the varietal equation, and again old for its age. Naturally therefore it has won gold medals in competitions. Ripeness is more red fruits, the wine is quite rich, it is clearly varietal, but is developing surprisingly quickly into a more burly style. Cellar 1 – 3 years. GK 06/11

2011 Haha Sauvignon Blanc 16 + (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.6%; $15 [ screwcap; machine-harvested @ 9 t/ha (3.6 t/ac); all s/s fermented; pH 3.31, RS 3 g/L; www.hahawine.com ]
Lemon, a flush of straw, not quite the colour expected. Bouquet is clean and straightforwardly varietal, suggestions of white stonefruits, black passionfruit, mixed capsicum. Palate is less, acid and phenolics tending apparent as if the fruit of mixed ripeness and hard-pressed, some body, clearly varietal, but short. Cellar 1 – 2 years. GK 03/13

2008 Neudorf Pinot Noir Tom 16 + (

)

Nelson, New Zealand: 13.5%; $33 [ screwcap; this is the former Nelson label, not all Moutere fruit; 8 clones hand-picked, cold soak, wild yeast fermentation; 8 months in French oak 15% new; not fined, minimal filtration; www.neudorf.co.nz ]
Light pinot noir ruby, the third to lightest. Bouquet is sweetly perfumed, more at the sweet-pea and buddleia level, raising some doubts as to the absolute fruit ripeness. In mouth it is all red fruits, even some red currants and a hint of strawberry, but mainly red cherry. There is not the leafyness feared, but there is a certain simplicity of elevage, the finish is not so sustained, and there is not the concentration of the more highly-rated wines. Perhaps some of it is held in stainless steel. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 11/10

2007 Saint Clair Pinot Noir Pioneer Block 5 Bull Block 16 + (

)

Omaka Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $31 [ screwcap; nil whole bunch; 10 months in French oak, 85% new; www.saintclair.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, above midway in depth. This is another pinot noir with a hint of Cote Rotie white pepper in its leafy buddleia florals, fragrant but a bit worrying as to the physiological maturity. Palate is rich, varietal, but showing some stalks and a trace of brett. There is a mix of fruit analogies apparent, as if there is a great range of berry ripeness in the crop, the flavours all lingering on new oak. Needs a year or two to marry up, and should be pleasant enough drinking, but it doesn't score well as pinot noir per se. Am I the only one who is starting to feel that Saint Clair are over-egging their labelling approach ? To be at the same time a Pioneer Block, a Block 5, and a Bull Block is pretentious. Cellar 3 – 6 years. GK 02/10

2006 Mondillo Pinot Noir 16 + (

)

Bendigo, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14.5%; $40 [ screwcap; awaiting info, the 2008 was nil whole bunch, 11 months in French oak 30% new; www.mondillo.com ]
Lighter pinot noir ruby, one of the lightest. Bouquet is low-key but accurate redfruits pinot noir, like many a minor burgundy. Palate introduces some mushroom complexity on fruit richer than the bouquet suggests, a trace of stalk, the alcohol well hidden. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 02/10

2007 Ara Pinot Noir Resolute 16 + (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.2%; $42 [ screwcap; nil whole bunch; 12 months in French oak, 20% new, balance 1 and 2-year; www.winegrowersofara.co.nz ]
Older pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is surprisingly mature for its vintage, showing modest redfruits, and a little leaf in browning buddleia florals. Palate is in the less physiologically mature Marlborough style, lightish red fruits, a little stalky with a hint of white pepper, the oak showing rather much particularly for the ripeness achieved. Given the proprietors have made much of their elevated terrace site, is this just young vines speaking, or are there cropping-rate issues to be faced up to ? Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 02/10

2007 Rimu Grove Pinot Noir Synergy 16 + (

)

Moutere Hills, Nelson, New Zealand: 14.1%; $ – [ cork; hand-picked; 10 months in French oak 25% new, then 8 months in older oak; this is a celebration / not-for-sale wine bottled in magnums only, destined for promotional events; www.rimugrove.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby, about in the middle for depth. This is a bold wine, sending mixed messages which collectively detract from harmony. There is rich fruit, but with suggestions of both over-ripe and under-ripe berries, plus a Martinborough-like suggestion of mint, light brett, and rather a lot of oak. Palate is pro rata to bouquet, the oak becoming too assertive for good pinot noir. A danger this wine will end up varnishy on the oak. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 02/10

1993 Te Motu [ Cabernets / Merlot ] 16 + (

)

Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 12.5%; $ – [ cork; CS c.60%, Me c.30%, balance CF & Ma, hand-picked @ c 1 t/ac; c.2.5 years in French and American oak c.60% new; first commercial vintage; www.temotu.co.nz ]
Older ruby, good depth and freshness for its age. On bouquet, this one takes the taster straight back to late 1960s McWilliams Cabernet Sauvignon, complete with its faintly carbolic / phenolic American oaky edge to surprisingly fresh cassisy fruit. Palate is in the same style, oakier than the later 90s wines, tending acid, but the fruit still fresh and vigorous, surprising for this post-Pinatubo year. For those who like oak, this will be attractive, but mindful of the Bordeaux model which maritime Waiheke is so uniquely placed to emulate, this wine now seems a little wayward. Will cellar for some years yet, say 2 – 5. GK 06/08

2008 Foxes Island Pinot Noir Belsham Estate Vineyards 16 + (

)

Wairau and Awatere Valleys, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $45 [ screwcap; ( data is for the most recently available 2005 vintage) nil whole bunch; 14 months in tight-grained French oak some new; www.foxes-island.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, one of the lighter ones. Bouquet shows another wine in the mainstream Marlborough style, all red fruits and fragrant at the red roses level. Palate matches, red currants and more red cherry, but with a leafy quality throughout detracting from nett achievement. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 02/10

2004 Balthazar Merlot 16 + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $38 [ screwcap; wine not on website; www.balthazar.co.nz ]
Ruby and some velvet, old for age. Bouquet is a little clogged and needs decanting, to show a quite complex European-style red, with some tobacco in the browning plum of merlot, and a little brett. Palate is less, a hard stalky streak developing which won't fade much with time, and a little acid reflecting the cooler year. The wine is reasonably rich, though, so it will cellar 2 – 8 years, maybe longer. GK 03/08

2004 Ata Rangi Pinot Noir Crimson 16 + (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 14%; $28 [ screwcap; young vines, hand-harvested; de-stemmed, whole berries, 14 days cuvaison, 9 months including MLF in French oak 25% new; www.atarangi.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby, fractionally lighter than the Drouhin Bourgogne. Bouquet is fragrant and floral in the Cloudy Bay style, but the florals are lighter, more buddleia, in fair cherry fruit. Palate shows fresh red cherry fruit, all a little more stalky and acid than the Drouhin or Cloudy Bay, and the oak at a maximum or beyond for the fruit weight. Comparison with the Drouhin wine is instructive, for desirable levels of oak in pinot. Clearly varietal though, and will look much better with a couple of years in cellar, to soften. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 12/05

2004 Zilzie Viognier 16 + (

)

NW Victoria, Australia: 13.9%; $18 [ screwcap; some BF in French oak; not much info on HTML part of website; www.zilziewines.com ]
Elegant lemon. Still a little bottling sulphur, on light canned peach and canned apricot, varietal as far as it goes, but not dramatically so. Oak is more subtle than earlier offerings under this label, but the acid / phenolic balance is tending awkward, in the Australian adjusted style, in this case introducing an almost tinny quality to the finish. Fair-enough introductory viognier, to cellar a year or so. Lacks finesse though, so hard to drink much of. GK 11/05

2010 Black Estate Pinot Noir 16 + (

)

Waipara Valley, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 14%; $41 [ screwcap; PN, hand-harvested; 8% whole-bunch, 27 day cuvaison; 12 months in French oak 18% new; dry extract 29.4 g/L; RS nil; www.blackestate.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, some age showing. Bouquet is in the lighter floral category of pinot noir including buddleia aromas, where one is worried ripeness may be insufficient, plus good cherry / berry character, red more than black fruits. Palate does indeed confirm some stalkyness and lack of full physiological maturity, but acid balance and oak are both pleasantly in balance for a lighter pleasantly refreshing pinot. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 05/13

2007 Rippon Pinot Noir 16 + (

)

Wanaka, Central Otago, New Zealand: 12.9%; $45 [ supercritical cork; 18% whole bunch; 11 months in French oak, 30% new, then 6 months in older; www.rippon.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, a good varietal colour, though one of the lighter in the Sustainable Tasting. Bouquet is in the light redfruits Savigny-les-Beaune style, buddleia florals, strawberry fruits, an interpretation of pinot noir we have also seen from the Santa Barbara coast in earlier Pinot Noir Conferences. Palate shows some of the estery qualities of raspberry in a positive sense, light but sustained red fruits, a hint of stalk, attractive in a simple way. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 02/10

2002 Rongopai Merlot Ultimo 16 + (

)

Gisborne, New Zealand: 14%; $40 [ cork; 18 months in oak; www.rongopaiwines.co.nz ]
Ruby and carmine, a little velvet. Freshly opened, bouquet is austere on a slight reductive component, behind which is fair red berry and plumminess. Palate is initially hard on the sulphur, the flavours expanding to add a cassis note to the plums, with good richness, and good oak balance. Pity about the reductive thread, for the rest is pretty good, and it is hard to get reds physiologically ripe in Gisborne. It should gradually soften in cellar, and become more bordeaux-like in 5 – 10 years. GK 10/05

2004 Mebus Pinot Noir Young Vines 16 + (

)

Masterton, Wairarapa, New Zealand: 13%; $17 [ screwcap; vines 5 years and younger; wild yeast; French oak ]
Pinot ruby. Bouquet here is the same lifted style as the Schuster wines, clearly varietal, but a little oakier and leafier. Palate shows fair red fruits, not quite as ripe as the Schuster Waipara. The similarity is startling, though. With greater vine-age, fruit ripeness, and concentration, this looks interesting. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 10/05

2007 Seresin Pinot Noir Home Vineyard 16 + (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $37 [ screwcap; nil whole bunch; 15 months in French oak, 30% new; all younger alluviums in the Renwick district; www.seresin.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. Bouquet shows fragrant red cherry fruit, lifted by a touch of VA more than florality, not too obtrusive. Palate is lighter than the Raupo Creek wine, the fruits less deeply coloured, less physiologically mature and showing some stalks as would be expected on the younger soils, the flavours more red fruits pinot in a light Cote de Beaune style. Oak is noticeable for the weight of fruit, the wine less 'complex' / winey but (VA aside) purer, alongside the Raupo Creek or the Palliser. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 02/10

2012 Babich Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot / Cabernet Franc Irongate 16 + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12.5%; $37 [ supercritical 'cork'; CS 34, Me 33, CF 33, hand-harvested; extended cuvaison; 14 months in French oak 35% new; RS <1 g/L; www.babichwines.co.nz ]
Ruby, in the lightest third. Bouquet is fragrant but light and cool, red fruits more than black, leafy more than floral. Flavours are remarkably smooth and gentle for the apparent ripeness and the year, showing careful tannin handling given the red currants more than black fruits, and pleasant concentration and length in its leafy-going-stalky way. Possibly the wine is lightly chaptalised. The scale of the wine is such that here, as elsewhere, and one needs to say it over and over in a temperate-climate viticultural milieu such as New Zealand, prices for a vintage such as 2012 should be less than the good years. As the French have long-since demonstrated (again). A sophisticated but petite green-tinged wine, to cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/14

2006 Chapoutier Hermitage Ermitage Les Greffieux 16 + (

)

Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 15%; $205 [ cork; www.chapoutier.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, the darkest of all the syrahs. Bouquet is strong, but contains mixed messages. There is clear sur-maturité on some of the fruit, giving dark pruney / raisiny overtones, yet there are green and stalky qualities too, all held together by savoury brett, animal, and chocolate qualities. The net result is flavoursome but clumsy, not at all showing the beauty needed to justify its Hermitage pricing. It out-points the Mordorée on ripeness and robustness, but is much less elegant, so ends up below, the least of the syrahs. Cellar 5 – 20 years, in its style. GK 03/10

2005 Puriri Hills Estate [ Merlot / Cabernets ] 16 + (

)

Clevedon, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.5%; $35 [ supercritical cork; Me 63%, CS 17, CF 11, Ma 9, hand-harvested; cultured yeast; French oak; www.puririhills.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, older than the other 2005 Puriri Estate wines. Bouquet is very complex indeed. There are all levels of ripeness from the capsicum suggestions of Marlborough cabernet through to plummy fruit, all complexed by both brett and oak to make a quite rich winestyle. Palate unfortunately brings up a sautéed red capsicum component, relative to the cassis and plum, so though quite rich, the wine lacks physiological ripeness of flavour. Yet the acid balance is good, the oak is gentle and older, and the whole wine will be soft and food-friendly. Interesting, good with pizza, but veering to the eccentric. Marginal for cellaring, 3 – 10 years. GK 09/07

2010 Sacred Hill Merlot / Cabernet Halo 16 + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $26 [ screwcap; Me 87, CF 7, CS 6, Sy trace; 12 months all in oak 20% new; RS < 2 g/L; website lacks detail; www.sacredhill.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, among the lightest in depth. Bouquet is pure, delightfully floral, even a suggestion of violets, nice berry, subtly oaked. Palate is less, good as far as it goes but lacking length, concentration and ripeness relative to the top wines, partly because it is still so young and unknit. A new world interpretation of lighter Entre-Deux-Mers styles, to cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/12

2008 Waimea Estates Viognier 16 + (

)

Waimea Valley, Nelson, New Zealand: 14.5%; $22 [ screwcap; hand-harvested, whole-bunch pressed; most of the must s/s cool-fermentation with cultured yeast and (happily) no solids; a smaller fraction BF at warmer temperatures in older oak; fermentations to 5 weeks, then two months LA and stirring; RS 3 g/L; www.waimeaestates.co.nz ]
Lemongreen. Bouquet is stunningly pure, but in the blind tasting comes across more as riesling than viognier. Tasting it with that mindset, the wine doesn't gel too well, being a little hollow and acid. Then the thought occurs that there is a very light flavour of under-ripe apricots, so perhaps it is a cool-climate viognier, with residual sweetness used carefully to extend the palate. A neat but understated wine, acid but beautifully made, needing more viticultural warmth than Nelson readily offers, I fear, if the wine is to have flavour. Cellar 1 – 3 years. GK 05/09

2008 Tinpot Hut Pinot Gris 16 + (

)

Awatere Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.3%; $19 [ screwcap, all s/s ferments and elevation with cultured yeasts; RS 6.3 g/L; www.tinpothut.co.nz ]
Pale straw. Bouquet is as pure and subtle as the Neudorf, but has only the pearflesh component without the elegant lees-autolysis. Palate is pure pearflesh, seemingly quite alcoholic, more acid than the Neudorf and hence shorter, with less flavour but equal purity. This wine gives the impression of being 100% pinot gris. Like the Neudorf, it will gain complexity in cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 05/09

2006 Ash Ridge Wines Cabernet / Merlot 16 + (

)

Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12.8%; $28 [ screwcap; CS 42, CF 26, Me 26, Ma 6, hand-picked; 15 months in American oak none new; Catalogue: This wine exhibits ripe blackcurrant and dark fruit on the nose with nuances of subtle oak. It has a very approachable palate, with dark red fruits and spice accompanied by nicely integrated sweet vanillin and soft silky tannins; www.ashridgewines.co.nz ]
Ruby, lightish. The light fragrant bouquet creates interest in the blind line-up – is the wine pinot noir (after the colour) or merlot ? This is a reasonable subject for confusion in lighter merlots. Palate shows red currants, red cherries and stewed red plums, plus fragrant oak all attractively balanced. The tannin in the wine tips one towards a claret blend, medium weight, though the style of the wine highlights what cabernet franc could be like in New Zealand, if handled as carefully as this slightly oaky blend. This is beguiling and different wine in the Hawkes Bay context, but a little stalky, needing more ripeness. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 07/09

1994 Chapoutier Ermitage Le Pavillon 16 + (

)

Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $ – [ cork; Sy 100% hand-harvested; nil whole bunch; cuvaison up to 4 weeks; 15 – 18 months in 50% new French oak; RP 96, J.L-L 4/6 stars; www.chapoutier.com ]
Ruby and garnet, near the middle for depth, apart from the (out of class) Jasmin, the oldest. Bouquet is another with reminders of classic / older barolo, some oxidation on the chestnutty aroma, a hint of browning raspberry jam more than anything clear on the fruit side. Palate shows fair richness in its fully mature soft style, a leathery faintly bitter edge to the fading fruit. Would be delightful in a dinner context, but doesn't judge so well in a formal tasting. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 05/13

2009 Leeuwin Estate Shiraz Siblings 16 + (

)

Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia: 13%; $29 [ screwcap; no info on website; www.leeuwinestate.com.au ]
Ruby, a wash of velvet. Freshly opened, this wine is offensively euc'y / minty / medicinal on bouquet and palate. It needs pouring from jug to jug many times, but even then is better left till the next day. It then shows pleasant wine-related red fruits centred on raspberry and boysenberry, though still with an aromatic lift. Palate has the merit of not being over-oaked or over-ripe, so it is quite fresh, as if earlier-picked. It is still more shiraz than syrah, on the raspberry. Unless you like euc'y wines, or are prepared to ventilate it well, dubiously worth cellaring 5 – 12 years. GK 05/13

2011 Zephyr Pinot Noir 16 + (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $28 [ screwcap; no info, .pdf not displaying correctly; Glover Family Wines, not Dave Glover of Nelson; www.zephyrwine.com ]
Pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is on the lightly floral sweet pea / buddleia side of Marlborough pinot noir, less substantial. Palate shows blackboy peach and some red cherry, a little acid and stalky, clean and varietal, but not completely satisfying, on a dry finish. Short-term cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 04/13

2007 Moana Park Merlot / Malbec Gimblett Gravels Vineyard Selection 16 + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $15 [ screwcap; Me, Ma, CS; no info on website, 16 months in French oak; not filtered; Catalogue: lifted notes of ripe cherries, plums, chocolate and violets. The palate is rich, ripe and full bodied with soft supple tannin and shows bouquet reminiscent of blackberry, fruitcake, mulberry and cedar with complex notes of spice; Awards: 5 Stars, Winestate, Silver @ Romeo Bragato Wine Awards 2008; www.moanapark.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. Bouquet shows a good depth of fragrant and nearly floral berry, red stewed plums and custard, the latter vanillin from oak. In mouth it is not so good, being unknit and tending stalky, though quite rich. I wonder if some of the wine is stainless steel, and some of the oak is chips. Good as far as it goes though, just lacking the magic that (I assume) full oak elevage brings. Will be better in a year or so, and cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 07/09

2006 Te Mania Sauvignon Blanc 16 + (

)

Nelson, New Zealand: 12.5%; $18 [ screwcap; 5 g/L RS; www.temaniawines.co.nz ]
Lemon. Bouquet is clearly in the mixed colours of capsicum, not as floral and black passionfruit as good Marlborough examples. In the blind tasting, critically assessed, there is a faint hint of mould on the grapes. On palate it sweetens up, into a good mainstream sauvignon, fragrant, refreshing, even some honeysuckle and black passionfruit now. Finish however is a little short and green pepper / herbaceous, offset by it not being as 'dry' as some. Cellar 1 – 3 years only. GK 03/07

2007 Mission Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 16 + (

)

Moteo 60%, Gimblett Gravels 40, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $25 [ supercritical cork; CS 85%, CF 8, Me 7, up to 35 days cuvaison; MLF in tank, 13 months in French oak 20% new; RS 1.2 g/L; fined and filtered; Catalogue: rich aromas of cassis and tobacco. The palate is medium to full-bodied with nice acidity and a fine structure. The tannins are ripe and the flavours mature. This is a classic ripe Cabernet that has good palate weight. It is a wine with structure that is well balanced; having the potential to age gracefully for five to ten years; www.missionestate.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, dense. These Mission Reserve 2007s are curious big wines. If the merlot is over-ripe, this cabernet is both over-ripe and under-ripe, as if a mix of fruit. Despite the dark colour, there are clear leafy notes in mixed berry on bouquet. Palate is rich, but exactly the same character is pervasive in stalky cassis, and blackly plummy fruit. Considering the Reserve Merlot and this wine, you can't help feeling a selective blending of the various components would have suited each other better than single varietals. Cellar 5 – 12 years, hopefully to resolve its uncoordinated / awkward style and merit re-rating. GK 07/09

2005 Wishart [ Merlot / Malbec ] Legend 16 + (

)

Bay View, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.4%; $35 [ cork; Me 56%, Ma 19, CF 18, Sy 7, hand-picked, de-stemmed; 20 months in barrel, some new; lightly fined and filtered; Catalogue: a slight nuance of coffee in behind the fragrant spices and dark fruits. An immediate fleshiness and a rich texture flow through the palate. Supple yet bold tannins give structure which indicates good potential for aging; Awards: Silver @ Hawke’s Bay A&P 2007; www.wishartwinery.co.nz ]
Ruby, old for age. Bouquet is maturing light Bordeaux-styled red, attractively fragrant, tending rustic on some brett. Palate is fully mature, red plums more than cassis, pleasant ripe fruit, cedary oak, easy drinking. Cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 07/09

2007 Paritua Red The Paritua Collection 16 + (

)

Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $37 [ cork; CS, Me, CF, Ma, hand-picked; French oak 60% new; not on website; Catalogue: Complex aromas of kirsch, blackberry and black plum with fine cedary notes and hints of black olive. The palate is firm, with deeply concentrated blackberry and currant providing balance to the minerality and fine grained tannins; www.paritua.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, quite dense. Initially opened, the wine is both massive and reductive, and needs jug to jug splashy decanting several times. The reduction has taken the shine off the berry, but there is then rich cassis and dark plum on bouquet, with oak. Palate likewise is clogged, but the fruit continues rich with the oak at a maximum or beyond for subtlety. Clearly intended as a ripe and serious wine, but also worryingly flawed. It may resolve itself in cellar over 5 – 15 years. GK 07/09

2007 Babich Merlot Winemakers Reserve 16 + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $25 [ supercritical cork; Me 100%, hand-harvested; 7 days cold-soak, 20 days cuvaison in total (counting soak); 13 months in French oak some new; Catalogue: Warm bouquet suggesting blueberry, plum and vanilla with a hint of chocolate and spicy oak. On the palate we find more fruit and spice and a savoury earthiness. A touch of cocoa lingers. Structurally the wine is fullish, even and dense with pleasingly fine and coating tannins, with a long finish; www.babichwines.co.nz ]
Good ruby. Bouquet is lightish, more fragrant than floral, suggestions of red currants, red plums and even raspberry, at the blind stage making one hope it might be sympathetically-handled cabernet franc. Palate is simpler than that, however, red more than black plums, moderate ripeness, pleasant light oak, but all a bit austere and lacking in concentration to be satisfying. Another wine to suggest over-cropping. More a sound QDR merlot, to cellar 3 – 8 years only. GK 07/09

2007 Miro Malbec 16 + (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 12.9%; $35 [ screwcap; Ma 88, CS 12; not on website; www.mirovineyard.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet. Bouquet is fragrant on threshold VA, the wine inclining to softer plum and tending merlot rather than cassisy cabernet in style. There is quite a leafy component and a light suggestion of spearmint. Palate has fair fruit reminiscent of cool-year St Emilion, the leafy component continuing. Phenolics are well-handled though. Malbec does need warm years to fully ripen in New Zealand as a straight or dominant-varietal wine. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/10

2007 Jackson Estate Sauvignon Blanc 16 + (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $22 [ screwcap, not on website; www.jacksonestate.co.nz ]
Pale lemon. This is a difficult wine to report on. Bouquet shows VA on mild fragrant fruit, which in a rigorously blind tasting of 94 wines, is not explicitly varietal. It could be interpreted as un-oaked chardonnay, or even cool climate viognier. In mouth, it is riper than the Wild Rock wine, which gains it points, but less varietal which with the VA loses points. Straightforward Marlborough sauvignon blanc, to cellar a year or two only. GK 05/09

2010 Tironui Estate Malbec / Cabernet Sauvignon 16 + (

)

Taradale, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $30 [ supercritical 'cork'; Ma 70, CS 30, hand-harvested; 10 months in French oak, some new; www.tironuiestate.com ]
Ruby, just squeaking into the lightest of the middle group, in depth of colour. Bouquet shows a little oxidation, on the kind of aromatic that usually indicates stalky malbec, plus some red fruits and some oak. Flavour follows through well, quite good concentration but [ once identified ] the wine showing why malbec is essentially unsuited to New Zealand except in the warmest sites and in warmest years. There is a hard stalky / marcy quality through the berry, which goes green in the aftertaste. This too is an older-era wine, now, though the concentration is good. Cellar 3 – 10 years, in its pinched approach. GK 06/14

2002 Babich Pinotage Winemakers Reserve 16 + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $25 [ cork; 12 months in American oak some new; www.babichwines.co.nz ]
Ruby, towards the light end of the syrahs in colour. Bouquet in this wine is absolutely commercial pinotage, that curious mix of rasp / boysenberry and green and black olives, with less fruit and relatively more oak than the Te Awa. Palate continues that trend, the fruit seeming a little dilute and under-ripe, and the oak flavours substituting. Straightforward wine, more for the short-term. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 05/06

2004 Drouhin Beaune Greves 16 + (

)

Beaune Premier Cru, Cote de Beaune, Burgundy, France: 13%; $61 [ cork; a Drouhin domaine wine, Wine Direct the NZ agents; www.drouhin.com ]
Pinot noir ruby, the second darkest of the set. This is one of the bigger bouquets, but mainly because it is tending clumsy, the older oak a bit varnishy. Behind that is clear redfruits pinot. Palate shows fair fruit, nearly a red plums hint in the red cherry, but tannins are obtrusive. Straightforward sturdy pinot noir, which should mellow in cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 12/06

2006 Bridge Pa Vineyard Syrah Louis 16 + (

)

Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $49 [ screwcap; hand-picked; perhaps 18 months in American oak, most new; Catalogue: displays the classic Bridge Pa Vineyard aromas of perfumed violet and black fruit. The palate is full bodied and smooth featuring berries, black cracked pepper and an earthy undertone; www.bridgepa.co.nz ]
Ruby, showing surprising development relative to the 2007 Reserve. Bouquet is quite complex on American oak and slightly oxidised berry, the wine having something in common with the 2007 Paritua. Again the charm of the variety has been substantially lost. In mouth, there is rich berry but the oak continues excessive, making the wine more angular than the 2006 Cottage Block. Less new oak would be good, even if the present approach has ‘popular’ appeal. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 07/09

2007 Matariki Pinot Noir Aspire 16 + (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $22 [ screwcap; hand-picked; up to 10 days cold-soak, MLF and 8 months in barrel; Catalogue: A vibrant bouquet of cherries and strawberries leads in to a warm and generous fruit driven palate. Spice and earthy, savoury notes add complexity to this softly structured approachable Hawke’s Bay Pinot Noir. Awards: Bronze @ Air New Zealand 2008, 4 Stars @ Cuisine Magazine 2008; www.matarikiwines.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is light and sweetly floral, nearly a cherry-pie (heliotrope – the flower) note, as well as English roses, leading to redcurrants and nearly red cherry. Palate is attractively fruited within this light style, subtly oaked, red currant jelly flavours and a suggestion of red cherry, plus a hint of leaf. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 07/09

2003 Logan Shiraz / Viognier Weemala 16 + (

)

Orange & Mudgee, NSW, Australia: 13.5%; $15 [ screwcap; Weemala the second tier wines; 2 days cold soak, 14 days cuvaison; 15 months 2 – 4 year French oak; www.loganwines.com.au ]
Good ruby, a hint of velvet. Bouquet is oaky to a fault, quite drowning the variety, but the whole wine is clean and fragrant in a straightforward Aussie red way. Palate is slightly euc'y as well as oaky, simple plummy fruit, scarcely varietal, slightly stalky, reasonable concentration, just well-made sound QDR, wearing a trendy label. At least it is dry. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 03/06

2004 Villa Maria Syrah Private Bin 16 + (

)

Gimblett Gravels 40% and nearby Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $23 [ screwcap; hand-harvested, destemmed; ferment in s/s and 21 days cuvaison, then MLF and 15 months in oak; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Ruby, slight velvet, midway in depth. This is another wine that surprised in this tasting, not looking at all how it seemed a couple of months ago. Bouquet is fragrant, but this time instead of ample berry and florals springing to mind, there is instead a leafy fragrance in the fruit, in a styling more akin to Crozes-Hermitage. Palate shows very fresh but modest berry in the red currant and inclining to cassis and blueberry range, markedly lighter and more acid than the Cellar Selection, and slightly leafy. Finish is berry dominant more than oak, leaving overly-fresh cassisy flavours in the mouth. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 05/06

2005 Southbank Estate Syrah 16 + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12.5%; $24 [ cork; 3 clones cropped @ 2.8 t/ac, 100% de-stemmed; 8 months in French oak 25% new; www.southbankestate.com ]
Ruby, a flush of carmine and velvet. Bouquet optimises the wallflower florals side of syrah, and the cassis flavour qualities, so in a blind tasting it is as much cabernet-like as syrah. In mouth however, it immediately jumps into syrah, much less ripe than the bouquet promises, white pepper rather than black, total acid more than optimal, the fruit cassis and red plums rather than black, some redcurrant too. But as cool-climate syrah, it is not without its own charm, being well-fruited, dry and not phenolic. Like the Schubert, it will be attractive food wine, where a more acid and fragrant red suits. Total flavour analogy relates more to Crozes-Hermitage, in the northern Rhone. Since it is a Hawkes Bay wine, greater physiological maturity should be achievable in the vineyard. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 05/08

2004 Villa Maria Pinot Noir Private Bin 16 + (

)

Awatere & Wairau Valleys, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $22 [ screwcap; a wide mix of techniques in the winemaking; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Lightish pinot ruby. Bouquet is clean sweet straightforward pinot noir, such as one might expect in a minor Beaune village wine (loosely speaking). Palate has red cherries in slightly buttery (+ve) oak, all easy and quaffable, apart from a hint of stalks. Though I still think this wine should be under $20, to switch our market on to pinot, it illustrates how true to the variety even our mainstream commercial pinots are. Cellar 3 – 6 years. GK 11/05

2002 Felton Road Pinot Noir Block 5 16 + (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $ – [ screwcap; clones 5 and 6, 8 years, harvested @ c. 2.5 t/ac; up to 18% whole bunch, up to 8 days cold soak, up to 24 days cuvaison; 18 months in French oak 30% new; not fined or filtered; www.feltonroad.com ]
Ruby and velvet. Bouquet on this wine has with even a little age moved a long way from pinot, and now shows ugly coffee'd oak to excess, on plummy fruit. Palate is better, rich plummy fruit, but the delicacy and floral charm of pinot the variety is lacking. On this showing, my earlier doubts re over-ripeness in some of the 2002 Felton Pinots seem justified. Development in cellar may be uncertain. It may lose some of these tannin-related components, and lighten up. It has the fruit to cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 01/07

2007 Mudbrick Syrah Reserve 16 + (

)

Western Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.6%; $50 [ screwcap; Sy 100%, hand-picked; 14 – 20 days cuvaison, cultured yeast; 14 months in American oak 50% new; ‘Spicy plum, sweet black cherry fruit characters and sweet vanillin oak characters Silver Medal - Bragato’; www.mudbrick.co.nz ]
Ruby. This is an awkward wine, for when one takes under-ripe fruit, and over-oaks it including with a fair percentage of new, the result is angular. The palate is quite rich, and there is some varietal white pepper and fresh red-curranty fruit, but the aftertaste is acid and oak-dominated. Should soften in a year or two, but disappointing as a Reserve wine. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 06/09

2010 Jean Chartron Bourgogne Blanc Clos de la Combe 16 + (

)

Puligny-Montrachet, Burgundy, France: 13%; $39 [ cork; hand-harvested, organic vineyard practice; BF in 10% new oak, 9 months LA; www.bourgogne-chartron.com ]
Lemon, in the middle for weight of colour. Bouquet shows the same clean winemaking as all the wines in the Chartron range, and is clearly varietal in a light way. In mouth the fruit is short but correct, and not quite rich enough for the ratio of older oak. There is an MLF component but not a lot of lees work, at this price. Clean sound chardonnay, a little acid and short at the money, but riper than the Escarpments. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 04/13

2010 Mills Reef Syrah Trust Vineyard Elspeth 16 + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $45 [ screwcap; 100% hand-harvested from their new close-spaced (1m – but rows wider) vineyard; destemmed, 6 days cold-soak; all wild-yeast BF in the 400-litre rotating French oak barrel system, cuvaison c.24 days; then 15 months in hogsheads 45% French, 55% American, some new; no fining, light filter only; www.millsreef.co.nz ]
Lightish fresh ruby, the lightest of the syrah set. Bouquet is fragrant in a light younger-vines way, with vanillin from oak as apparent as the attenuated varietal qualities, plus a hint of white pepper. Palate is red fruits rather than darker cassisy notes, the whole wine in a lighter style reminiscent of the Collines Rhodaniennes zone, outside of and upslope and cooler than the Cote Rotie delimited zone. Attractive, even pretty as far as it goes, but tending innocuous alongside the serious wines. If young vines, maybe transitional, but at this stage not meriting the Elspeth label (or price). Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 06/12

2006 Trinity Hill Tempranillo Gimblett Gravels 16 + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $30 [ supercritical cork; Te 90%, Ma 7, Sy 3, hand-harvested, de-stemmed; 14 months in French and American oak; www.trinityhill.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a good colour. Like the same firm's syrah, the quality of bouquet here is impaired by a reductive component, below which are whole-berry suggestions, reminiscent of hot-year beaujolais. Palate is rich, fruity in a dull plummy way, a far cry from the variety famed in its homeland for its fragrance and subtlety – in riojas. Because of its bouquet in classic Rioja blends, the grape used to be referred to as the pinot of Spain, but latterly comparison has been with cabernet. If one contemplates 30-year-old Pauillac or Cote de Nuits wines together, both views are understandable. It should cellar for 5 – 8 years, but for the same reasons as the Trinity Syrah, how worthwhile that will be for this particular vintage is uncertain. GK 02/08

2002 Arcadian Pinot Noir Pisoni Vineyard 16 + (

)

Monterey County, California, USA: 13.7%; $80 [ US$; Pisoni clone, 24 years, harvested @ 1 t/ac; 75% whole bunch, 3 days cold soak, 10 days cuvaison; 22 months in French oak 75% new; not fined or filtered; www.arcadianwinery.com ]
Pinot noir ruby, one of the lightest. Bouquet is light and simple, strawberry pinot from a warmer climate, a little brett, pleasantly in style for that kind of pinot noir. Palate shows a suggestion of succulence and good mouthfeel, but the flavour is tending phenolic and one-dimensional in a browning strawberry way, and the brett increases a little. Good food wine. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 01/07

2006 Salvare Syrah 16 + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12.5%; $29 [ screwcap; c.12 months in oak; Catalogue: floral/spicy aromas, a warm spicy palate and a soft dry finish; Awards: Silver @ Royal Easter Show 2008, Bronze @ Air New Zealand 2007; www.salvare.co.nz ]
Ruby. Bouquet is simple red fruits at much the same ripeness and concentration as the Trinity Hawkes Bay, or perhaps a touch more cassis and a clearer hint of pepper. Palate confirms that, a light clean simply varietal syrah of no great concentration, subtly oaked including some American (I think), easy drinking already. Cellar 3 – 6 years. GK 07/09

2011 Beach House Cabernet Sauvignon / Malbec 16 + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $20 [ screwcap; CS 50%, Ma 50; c.10 months in younger French oak, around 25% new; RS <1g/L; Ma ripened 3 weeks before CS; www.beachhouse.co.nz ]
Ruby, in the middle group for weight. This wine needs pouring from jug to jug a few times to dispel some reduction. It then shows generic berry fruit appropriate to the cabernet / merlot class, but no detail. Palate is better, fair fruit, the malbec speaking louder than the cabernet, plummy, aromatic, pleasant oak balance, a little stalky as is usually the case with malbec in New Zealand. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/14

2000 Torracia del Plantavigna Ghemme 16 + (

)

Piedmont DOCG, Italy: 13.5%; $40 [ cork; nebbiolo 90%, vespalina 10, cropped at 55 quintals / ha – since English reference sources define the quintal as either 100 pounds or 100 kilograms, the cropping rate does not exceed 2.8 t/ac; 3 years in French oak ]
Light ruby and garnet. Bouquet is fading raspberries and tar, in the time-honoured old-fashioned oxidative style of traditional Barolo / Barbaresco / Spanna / Ghemme production. It is thus completely out-of-phase with modern times, but not unpleasant. Palate is very dry, leathery, yet fresh acid, fragrant and well fruited in its style. These wines go wonderfully well with oily foods. It is not unduly rustic or bretty. It will cellar for years, maintaining its condition without much change, quietly fading. GK 03/08

2012 Alpha Domus Syrah The Barnstormer 16 + (

)

Bridge Pa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $29 [ cork; 100% Sy both machine and hand-harvested; short cold-soak, c. 21 days cuvaison; 10 months in French oak, a little new; www.alphadomus.co.nz ]
Ruby. Bouquet shows remarkable congruence with the lesser Cuillerons, being clearly floral at the point where you wonder if the wine is stalky, showing white pepper more than black, but varietal. Palate is fairly lightweight, peppery, slightly acid, but still with some fragrant nearly-cassis notes and subtle oak. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/13

2004 Sacred Hill Cabernet / Merlot Helmsman 16 + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $60 [ screwcap; DFB; hand-picked; the top level of Sacred Hill reds; 18 months in French oak; www.sacredhill.com ]
Ruby and velvet, older than the 2002. Bouquet is rich and plummy, but has a dull quality to it suggesting subliminal sulphur, or similar. Palate likewise seems rich, but has a 'black' flavour and a dull edge to the dark plummy fruit, with a slightly bitter / metallic finish. Uneasy about this wine, which suggests low-level entrained sulphides, but it may mellow out in cellar, if not blossom, over 5 – 15 years. Screwcap closure is likely to be unforgiving to a wine with these characters, however. For now, the focus for this label remains on the magnificent '02. GK 11/06

2003 Rippon Pinot Noir 16 + (

)

Wanaka, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $45 [ cork; 15% whole bunch; 10 months in French oak 25% new, 6 months in old; www.rippon.co.nz ]
Mature pinot noir ruby, the lightest of the 2003s. Initially opened there was a whiff of burnt perspex in this, which dissipated slowly. Underneath are red fruits, trace VA, slightly leafy red and some darker berries, but good oak balance. Fully mature. GK 02/10

2004 TerraVin Cabernet / Merlot / Malbec J 16 + (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $45 [ screwcap; DFB; CS 85%, Me 10, Ma 5; wild yeast fermentation; 18 months in French oak 60% new; neither fined nor filtered; www.terravin.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a great colour. Bouquet however is eccentric, with noticeable VA combined with dried herbes giving an almost mint sauce smell. One can see the wine is rich, but there is no obvious fruit on bouquet, apart from a medicinal cassis undertone (and some brett). Palate is very rich in an austerely-flavoured way, and one can only conclude this wine is made from physiologically immature berries ripened to raisins, thus preserving the herbes flavours. Trying to make a premium cabernet sauvignon-dominant wine in Marlborough is unwise, as Montana demonstrated abundantly in the late 70s / early 80s. Despite the VA, this will cellar 5 – 15 years on the richness, and the high-quality French oak will develop cedary qualities. The flavours however are a long way from good Bordeaux. GK 05/06

2012 Coopers Creek Syrah Chalk Ridge Select Vineyards 16 + (

)

Havelock North district, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $35 [ screwcap; Sy 99%, Vi 1, hand-picked from a hill-slope site with limestone; syrah de-stemmed; MLF and 12 months in French oak mostly older, some one year old; RS 2.7 g/L; sterile-filtered to bottle; www.cooperscreek.co.nz ]
Ruby, not as bright as the standard wine, implying more oak exposure. Bouquet is subdued, showing red fruits rather than black, and some vanillin oak. Palate like the standard wine is tending acid, the main difference being more oak exposure and somewhat more concentration. It might be a little riper too. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/13

2007 Pask Cabernet / Merlot / Malbec Declaration 16 + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $50 [ screwcap; CS 40%, Me 385, Ma 22, machine-harvested, de-stemmed; 5 days cold-soak, main batch cuvaison to 28 days, some partial BF; c.18 months in French and American oak; RS <1 g/L; www.cjpaskwinery.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, below midway in depth. Bouquet is oaky to a fault, on berry fruit which is melding with the oak, losing individuality and varietal expression. In mouth the fruit though clearly present does not redeem the oak, despite the wine being clean. It is on the point of going varnishy, so cellaring is advised only for oakniks. My review or at least my conclusions and score made in the review 1/10 now seem woefully inadequate. I mention the oak level, but not in the cautionary way I do now. Wines like this simply do not make an harmonious accompaniment to food. Will hold for years, in its style. GK 06/12

2010 Lime Rock Cabernet Franc 16 + (

)

Waipawa district, southern Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $25 [ screwcap; CF 100%, hand-picked; vineyard 250 m, north-facing; older French oak only; 70 cases; www.limerock.co.nz ]
Older ruby, light. Bouquet shows the attractive redfruits / red berry characters of cabernet franc in a light fragrant way, distinctly different from cabernet sauvignon or merlot, but hard to put into words. In this particular example, aromas of nasturtium flowers, raspberries and pale tobacco come to mind. Palate is richer than the bouquet would suggest, and the gentle oak treatment in older barrels allows the varietal character to speak clearly. Only just ripe enough, though, some stalk to the tail, but interesting wine which in its elevage respects the variety. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 06/13

2008 Jurassic Ridge Syrah 16 + (

)

Western Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.7%; $35 [ supercritical ‘cork’; Sy 100% Limmer clone, hand-harvested; 2 weeks cuvaison; French and American oak 50/50 and 30% new for 12 – 18 months; no fining, minimal filtration; c.175 cases; www.jurassicridge.com ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet. Bouquet is congested, still retaining fermentation and MLF odours, not enough oxygen in elevation. Pour the wine splashily from jug to jug five or so times, to give a better chance of revealing austere red plum fruit, still not very varietal. Palate is better than bouquet, in all other respects the wine is technically sound, a good level of ripe fruit, and well balanced as a medium-weight syrah. The retained fermentation odours simply destroy varietal beauty. Cellar 5 – 10 years, perhaps to emerge from its sulky chrysalis and display hints of Cote Rotie. Will always need decanting. GK 06/10

2011 Vidal Merlot / Cabernet Sauvignon Gimblett Gravels Reserve Series 16 + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $23 [ screwcap; not on website, previous vintages have been along the lines of Me 80%, CS 15, CF & Ma 5, all destemmed; up to 30 days cuvaison; MLF and 18 months in French oak 30% new; RS <1 g/L; www.vidal.co.nz ]
Lightish ruby. Bouquet is attractively fragrant red fruits mostly, with some vanillin oak adding to the aroma. Palate is unusual, reminders of youthful Rioja almost (as if still some American oak), not much depth in the red fruits, a hint of stalk, the oak vanilla continuing. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/13

1979 Dry Creek Cabernet Sauvignon 16 + (

)

Sonoma County, California, U.S.A.: – %; $ – [ cork, 44mm; 5 km W of Lytton, near Healdsburg, Sonoma County, at the lower somewhat cooler end of the Dry Creek Valley viticultural district, c.130 km NNW of San Francisco. Some cooling fogs. Mean temperature warmest month 20.8° C … for comparison Hastings is 18.9°. I wrote to the winery for information, but they too could not be bothered replying to New Zealand. 1979 was the seventh vintage, the wines at the time CS c.75%, Me 25, picked at c.23 Brix, elevation in small oak, kind unspecified, for c.20 months. Alcohols tended in 13s, then, and labels of the time mentioned finesse and elegance, ‘which greatly complements food’. Halliday visited in the early 1990s and writes: To my mind, the red wines of Dry Creek are as exciting as its white wines are boring … [ several reds mentioned ] … all beautifully made and balanced wines, showing stylish use of oak, perfectly balanced tannins and positive fruit flavors in the redcurrant/dark cherry/raspberry spectrum. No reviews found for wines of that time; www.drycreekvineyard.com ]
Garnet and ruby, some amber to the edge, the second to lightest wine. Bouquet is soft and ripe / over-ripe, sweet and fragrant, suggestions of sultanas and glace figs again, much more than any browning cassis, and a level of vanillin suggesting rather more American oak. This wine too has a touch of the redwood cooperage aroma. Palate is clearly more varietal than the bouquet, suggestions of appropriate (old) cabernet sauvignon flavours, but all very mellow. The whole wine comes into the easy-drinking category, with a couple of grams residual, and the flavour lingering well on the soft vanillin oak. The nett impression appealed to tasters, four first places, and one second, but even so it's not very good cabernet sauvignon. GK 08/19

2009 [ Ngatarawa ] Glazebrook Pinot Noir Black Label 16 + (

)

Gladstone, Wairarapa, New Zealand: 14%; $34 [ screwcap; PN hand-harvested; 5 days cold soak, initial wild yeast fermentation, cultured yeast added, perhaps three weeks cuvaison; 12 months in French oak 30% new; RS < 1 g/L; www.ngatarawa.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is slightly floral in a leafy way, red fruits only, Savigny-les-Beaune in style. Palate has pleasant fruit weight, red cherries, more stalk than the de Vine from only 25 kilometres to the SSW, clearly varietal. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 08/12

1989 Stonyridge Cabernet / Merlot Larose 16 + (

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Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13%; $ – [ cork, 48mm; original price c.$40; 1989 is CS 73%, Me 21, CF 4, Ma 2; hand-harvested at c.3.7 t/ha = 1.5 t/ac; elevation 15 months in ‘mostly’ French barriques 50% new; production of Larose proper this year 350 x 9-litre cases; a general statement from Cooper in 2002 for the Larose vintages of the time: chewy palate, rich, tannic and deep flavoured; and one detailed review: Sue Courtney, May, 2009: … a vinous, savoury, sweet cake-like aroma. No discernible fruit but spicy cedary notes emerge with time in the glass. Delicious old wine flavours, silky, sultry, currant-like fruit with salted raisin notes coming through. Earthy, savoury yet sweet with incredible length. Exhilarating, 19.5; weight bottle and closure: 543 g; www.stonyridge.co.nz ]
Garnet and ruby, the second-lightest wine, more garnet than ruby. Bouquet is both clearly under-ripe, and very oaky, but fragrant, and loosely in style. Palate is interesting, being richer than the Coleraine (or Goldwater) but not as ripe as the former. Except for the Matawhero, all the New Zealand wines lack fruit (dry extract) relative to the Bordeaux, and here there is a clear suggestion of methoxypyrazines. The long flavour is oak. Accustomed as we are in New Zealand to under-ripened, over-oaked cabernet / merlot blends, this fragrant wine was well received, six first-places, one second. Clearly more ‘bordeaux blend’ blind tastings are required in the Hawkes Bay district. Near the end of its plateau of maturity. GK 11/19

2009 Mount Aspiring Pinot Noir 36 Bottles 16 + (

)

Bendigo, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14.5%; $31 [ screwcap; hand-picked; c.7.5% whole-bunch; a wild-yeast component; c.11 months in French oak 35% new; 560 cases; www.36bottles.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is fragrant red fruits, not exactly floral, a suggestion of red roses only, on clear-cut red cherry fruit. Palate confirms red fruits-only rather well, a mix of flavours including a suggestion of chaptalisation, a bit stalky and acid at this stage, possibly not bone-dry. Sound small pinot to cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 09/10

2009 Judge Rock Pinot Noir 16 + (

)

Alexandra, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.9%; $38 [ screwcap; hand-picked; up to 10% whole-bunch; up to 29 days cuvaison including 7 days cold-soak; c.11 months in French oak one third new; www.judgerock.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. There is an intriguing fragrant note on bouquet, reminiscent of biting into one of those big sweetly-fruited red crabapples, not exactly floral but clearly minor / satellite Beaune. Palate is all red cherry, good fruit, noticeable acid strengthening the analogy to sweet crabapple. Pleasing small pinot, to cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 09/10

2004 Miro Merlot / Cabernet Archipelago 375 ml 16 + (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13%; $ – [ screwcap; Me 55%, CS 35, CF 10; 15 months in French and American oak; a bottle for interest; www.mirovineyard.co.nz ]
Older ruby, a suggestion of garnet, older than the Destiny Bay wines. In the blind tasting, there are several wines akin to this one, as different from the field as the Destiny Bay wines, but likewise equally different again from them. This one reminds very much of a reputable St Emilion in the modest years of the 1970s, especially chateaux with a higher percentage of cabernet sauvignon in the cepage, for it is quite leafy yet in a mellow red fruits and tobacco-y way. Palate is more browning red fruits, quite a lot of maturity, leafy but not phenolic, gentle oak, possibly not bone dry, but an appealing food-friendly wine. In 750s, it should be okay to cellar another 2 – 5 years. GK 06/10

2009 Greylands Ridge Pinot Noir 16 + (

)

Alexandra, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $35 [ screwcap; hand-picked; fourth harvest, goal is 2 t/ac; c.10 months in French oak some new; www.greylandsridge.co.nz ]
Lightish pinot noir ruby. From the buddleia florals to the clear light redcurrant bouquet, this is totally a red-fruits-only pinot noir. In mouth though, it is another wine to share some qualities with light grenache, a hint of raspberry and some phenolics which nearly mimic cinnamon. Fruit concentration is quite good, and finish may not be bone-dry. Pleasant smaller pinot, to cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 09/10

2009 Judge Rock Pinot Noir Venus 16 + (

)

Alexandra, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.8%; $25 [ screwcap; hand-picked; up to 10% whole-bunch; no info; up to 29 days cuvaison including cold soak, probably less for this label; c.10 months in French oak one third new; www.judgerock.co.nz ]
Lightish pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is softly floral, touching on buddleia, but more red roses, seemingly riper than the Eight Ranges wine, not so clearly red currants. Palate is a little less, however, not quite the concentration desired but pleasing red fruits ripeness, just a touch of stalk, maybe not bone dry. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 09/10

2007 Kingsmill Riesling Premo Tippet's Race 16 + (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 13%; $24 [ screwcap; hand-picked 1 May; RS 7 g/L; www.kingsmillwines.co.nz ]
Pale lemon. In the blind tasting, this one is hard to come to grips with. It is light and fragrant, with a fruit quality closest to bottled English gooseberries or rhubarb. It does overlap somewhat with sauvignon blanc from a cooler climate, as German riesling does too, sometimes. Palate is a little austere and mineral, awaiting fruit and flavour development. Its sweetness level is probably just outside the dry class [ later, on the line ], but this is hard to estimate on low pH wines from cooler climates. Cellar 2 – 10 years, with interest. GK 03/08

2002 Jadot Volnay Clos du Chenes 16 + (

)

Volnay Premier Cru, Burgundy, France: 13%; $82 [ cork; www.louisjadot.com ]
Lightish pinot ruby, the lightest of the Jadots. Bouquet here is lovely, fragrant buddleia and roses, as well as blackboy peach, getting quite close to some New Zealand styles. In mouth the wine is simpler, almost (loosely speaking) in the strawberry pinot camp, all red fruits, soft, fleshy, like some of the highly-rated Santa Barbara pinots. As such, it is beautifully balanced, neatly older-oaked, and easy drinking. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 04/05

2009 Churton Pinot Noir 16 + (

)

Waihopai Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $43 [ cork; hand-picked @ c. 3.7 t/ha (1.5 t/ac) from one of the exciting new-generation old-soil vineyards 200 m. above seas level, sloping 14° and planted c.5,000 vines / ha; destemmed but retaining whole berries; 7 days cold soak, wild-yeast fermentation 5 days, then up to 21 days further skin contact making a cuvaison of 33 days – much more traditional; 14 months in French oak 20% new, pH 3.75, RS nil; biodynamic; www.churtonwines.co.nz ]
Light pinot noir ruby, the lightest of the pinot noirs, some age showing. Bouquet is clearly varietal, in a lighter rose and buddleia way. Palate shows maturing red cherry fruit, in an older New Zealand pinot style. Why it varies so much from the 2010 offerings is not clear. Could the ferments have been significantly warmer ? The whole wine is clearly varietal, but ready now. There is a stalky streak to the tail which may become unflattering in cellar, so short-term only, 1 – 3 years. GK 03/13

2004 Mount Riley Pinot Noir Seventeen Valley 16 + (

)

Seventeen Valley mainly, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $35 [ screwcap, hand-harvested; 15 months in mostly French oak; RS 2 g/L; www.mountriley.co.nz ]
Older pinot noir ruby. Initially opened, bouquet is tending baked and oaky, but there are fragrant pinot notes too. With air it opens up to a slightly varnishy / oaky older-style pinot, the fruit plummy more than cherry. Palate is quite rich but tending straightforward, a serious wine let down by the oak. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 03/07

2012 Mount Riley Sauvignon Blanc Limited Release 16 + (

)

Wairau & Awatere Valleys, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $21 [ screwcap, all s/s; no details on website; www.mountriley.co.nz ]
Lemongreen. Bouquet is a more old-fashioned Marlborough sauvignon, with mixed capsicum fruit notes, quite herbey, fresh and strong. On palate, total acid is high, ripeness is again mixed with green capsicum notes intruding, and though the level of fruit and body is quite good, the wine is tending hard-pressed and phenolic. Sweetness is higher than some to cover the acid. This kind of sauvignon is harder to drink, and doesn't cellar so well. The back label says it is the company's ''best effort" for the vintage. Some serious comparative tasting and thought is needed here. Cellar a year or two. GK 04/13

2002 Girardin Savigny-les-Beaune les Serpentieres 16 + (

)

Savigny-les-Beaune Premier Cru, Cote de Beaune, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $40
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, one of the deeper. Bouquets become plainer and fruitier at this end of the Girardin pinot range, still varietal and in style, but more the bottled plums characters of straightforward pinot noir – no charms, no florals, no magic. Palate is plump and ample, and in its fat ripe way is clearly varietal, and will be good with food. Pricewise, one couldn't be disappointed with it. Cellar 10 + years. GK 08/04

2007 Pask Cabernet / Merlot / Malbec Gimblett Road 16 + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $20 [ screwcap; www.cjpask.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet. Bouquet reveals a pleasant light cabernet / merlot winestyle, red and black plummy fruits, a touch of leaf maybe, but harmonious and pleasing. Palate is medium weight again, remarkably minor Bordeaux in its not quite ripe enough but fragrant styling, carefully oaked, easy drinking, and good with food. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/10

2005 Tohu Chardonnay Gisborne 16 + (

)

Gisborne, New Zealand: 13.5%; $19 [ screwcap; www.tohuwines.co.nz ]
Lemon to lemonstraw. Initially opened, the oak shows to excess, raw, unintegrated. With air or decanting, the fruit comes up attractively, and reveals barrel-ferment, lees-autolysis and MLF components, but still youthful and relatively unintegrated. In mouth, the youthfulness is acute, with a juicy and estery fruit lift maybe not bone dry, and acid and oak still to integrate. Should marry up into an attractive wine, with another year, and cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 02/06

2009 Obsidian Viognier 16 + (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14%; $36 [ screwcap; hand-harvested, whole-bunch pressed; 50% BF in older French oak with inoculated yeast, balance s/s, barrel fraction 6 months LA with some batonnage, < 20% MLF; RS < 2 g/L; 116 cases; www.obsidian.co.nz ]
Lemon. Bouquet is meyer-lemon citric, but not ripe enough to be obviously viognier in the blind tasting, even though it is a little different from most New Zealand chardonnays. Palate is better, now subtle fresh apricot flavours (but not very ripe apricots), with attractive mouthfeel and delightfully subtle oak, avoiding the phenolics the variety is prone to. This is the most varietal of the central Waiheke viogniers offered in the Wellington version of the Expo, but stands well below the more easterly Passage Rock wine secured shortly after. Is this location, vine age, or picking date / style perception ? Elucidating the microclimates of Waiheke is going to be a great story, and viognier is a very subtly-tuned indicator-variety for achieving that. It suggests that central Waiheke is not warm enough to achieve worthwhile viognier varietal character, in comparison with for example, the Passage Rock 2008 and 2009. Yet in the central area, Stephen White at Stonyridge ripens both grenache and mourvedre, both more demanding, to a level where they blend harmoniously with syrah. So there is much more to this Waiheke climatic story than has been told so far.

Current standards for assessing and judging viognier in New Zealand need comment. These pallid viogniers have been much praised in New Zealand. Presumably the judges are insufficiently familiar with the range of appropriate ripenesses good examples from Condrieu display in the variety's homeland. Presumably too there is a desire to justify the generally pale examples so far from places like Gisborne, and the more hopeless ones from Nelson and even Marlborough. This is the pinot gris syndrome all over again, but a more incongruous manifestation of it. The varietal parameters for viognier are well-understood in the international market-place. Living on an island as New Zealanders do, we must guard against insularity. Cellar 1 – 3 years. GK 06/10

2007 Matetic Vineyards Syrah EQ 16 + (

)

San Antonio Valley, Maule district, Chile: 14.5%; $43 [ cork; price is simple conversion from US$30; Sy 100%, cropped at c. 2 t/ac from granite-derived soils in Rosario sub-Valley, 220 km SSW Santiago; an idea of the viticultural climate is gained from the harvest time in the second week of May, annual rainfall 485 mm; some cold-soak, inoculated ferments in open vessels; MLF and c.12 months in French oak, some new; pH 3.67, RS 1.6 g/L, certified organic; www.mateticvineyards.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, one of the densest wines of the day, and tending unnaturally young in appearance. Bouquet on this wine too immediately speaks of winemaking difficulties as much as the densely ripe, darkly plummy fruit. As the colour suggests with its purple cast in the carmine, the wine is tending rubbery / reductive, there is a little brett complexity, and the bouquet is fairly spirity. Palate is saturated blackest plum, some new oak, all reasonably fine-grain and without too much hardness on the sulphide note. Both in terms of fruit ripeness and reduction, the floral component of syrah cannot be expected here, but the wine is reasonably varietal all the same. It should assimilate its lesser characters in 5 – 10 years and speak more eloquently for its homeland then – and perhaps merit re-ranking. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 01/10

2011 Blackenbrook Pinot Noir St Jacques 16 + (

)

Nelson, New Zealand: 14%; $18 [ screwcap; Blackenbrook wines come from Daniel and Ursula Schwarzenbach, both of Swiss background. Daniel has qualifications in microbiology as well as oenology and viticulture. He has been much influenced by Olivier Humbrecht, winemaker at Domaine Zind-Humbrecht, Alsace. This wine is made from 9 clones of hand-picked pinot noir, grown on the lower Moutere Hills in somewhat more closely spaced vineyards than NZ norms. It spends nearly 12 months in newish oak, but none first-year. Dry extract is a commendable 29 g/L, and RS is well under 1 g/L. This is their affordable pinot noir; www.blackenbrook.co.nz ]
Older pinot noir ruby, about midway in depth. Bouquet is distinctive in this wine, showing ripe fruit and much of the style of many yesteryear bourgognes rouges, reasonably clearly varietal, old oak, and some brett (both phases of guaiacol). Palate is quite rich in this rustic style, and the wine will be immensely food-friendly, as lightly brett-infected wines invariably are. Hard to score, technocrats and pedants would reject it totally, hedonists would mark it highly. So a compromise score here, noting that many people love this character. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 06/14

2004 Mount Langi Ghiran Shiraz Langi 16 + (

)

Grampians district, west Victoria, Australia: 15%; $76 [ screwcap; price is simple conversion from AU$60; Sh 100%, hand-picked and sorted from single vineyard 'Old Block', vines 41 years old, on granite; no info on % whole bunch fermentation if any, in open vessels, up to 10 days cuvaison; MLF in tank and barrel, c.18 months in French oak some new; www.langi.com.au ]
Ruby and velvet, in the middle for weight. Bouquet is reticent initially, opening to fragrant raspberry fruits, a touch of euc, relatively simple. Palate fills out the raspberry to some mulberry, oak and acid a little noticeable, almost a stalky hint integrating with the euc. This too is straightforward tending-hard shiraz, rather than syrah, to cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 01/10

2012 Stanley Estates Albarino Single Vineyard 16 + (

)

Awatere Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $21 [ screwcap; wild-yeast fermentation and BF in old wood only; 9.5 g/L RS; www.stanleyestates.co.nz ]
Straw. Bouquet shows vague aromas of yellow kiwifruit and a hint of rock melon and maybe oak, all tending plain. Palate is quite rich, more phenolic and coarser than the same firm's pinot gris, the actual grape flavours not enchanting, and the finish lesser. The back label makes a play of being the first vineyard in Marlborough to produce albarino. Like arneis and verdelho, one has to ask in New Zealand: why bother ? Cellar a year or two. GK 05/13

2013 Wild South Pinot Noir 16 + (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $20 [ screwcap; Sacred Hill group, info is sketchy; some of the wine goes to French oak; RS given as nil; www.wildsouthwines.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, at the tail end of the second quarter, for depth. Bouquet is clearly buddleia / lilac florals in the lighter Marlborough style of pinot noir, pleasant red fruits, a little leafy as is so often associated with buddleia florals. Palate is refreshing red cherry pinot noir but with some leafy notes, not a lot of concentration or oak complexity, simply an attractive quaffing pinot noir, drier to the finish than some others in this family of wines. They collectively provide an affordable entry / introduction to the charms of the grape. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 06/17

2011 Escarpment Chardonnay Kupe 16 + (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $56 [ screwcap; BF in 20% new oak, 10 months LA, dry extract 23.2 g/L; RS < 1 g/L; www.escarpment.co.nz ]
Lemongreen to lemon, not too different from the 2011 Trinity Hill Chardonnay. Both the palely floral bouquet and the palate show a little more character than the straight Escarpment Chardonnay. In particular there is better palate weight from barrel-ferment, lees-autolysis, and barrel work, and some MLF. But it is still an austere high-acid presentation of chardonnay, scarcely showing ripe fruit character at all. If the desired style is grand cru chablis, good examples of that winestyle are much riper and more varietal than this. Tasted alongside, the 2011 Trinity Hill Chardonnay shows much better aroma, ripeness, palate, and importantly, enjoyability. It is also nearly half the price. The acid is simply too high in both these Escarpment chardonnays.

The 2008 Kupe Chardonnay was shown alongside, and did little to augment the case for this pinched approach to chardonnay. The colour is already advanced to light gold, and the flavours likewise are more advanced than I would wish, and almost stalky (16). Larry spoke of his view that chardonnay is best drunk young. This wine supports that statement, for such under-ripe wines, but the total view is seriously mistaken. The mealy going-on-cashew flavours of perfectly ripe chardonnay in full maturity are one of wine's (and food's) great pleasures. 1980s wines from Victoria (Halliday and Carrodus) still show these characters, and certain good New Zealand bottles do too. And that is not even mentioning (good) white burgundy. Much more thought needed here, I believe, for these expensive bottles do not deliver, even though the fruit weight is good. Cellar 2 – 4 years, if at all. A second bottle shown later in the month at the other Escarpment presentation had these shortcomings too, but also some oxidation, despite the 'infallibility' of screwcaps. The simple 2010 Chartron Bourgogne Blanc is a better expression of chardonnay varietal character than this 2011, and close to half the price. Some of the published reviews of this 2011 wine are simply ludicrous / laughable. Reviewers are duty-bound to taste the wine, not listen to the winemaker. The frustrating thing is McKenna has made good chardonnays earlier – witness the 2006 Kupe. GK 04/13

2017 Craggy Range Chardonnay Kidnappers 16 + (

)

Te Awanga district, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.7%; $27 [ screwcap; 85% hand-harvested @ 6.35 t/ha = 2.55 t/ac, balance machine; fermentation c.50% s/s, balance mostly larger oak vessels 17% new, some wild yeast; 10 months and LA variously in oak and s/s, smallish fraction through MLF; fined and filtered; RS nil; www.craggyrange.com ]
Colour lightest lemon. Bouquet is clean, still some SO2 to marry away, recognisably varietal in a saline way but far, far too young for commercial release, smelling raw, narrow and hard. Palate emphasises the technical purity of the wine, clean very faintly yellow-tinged and slightly mealy varietal fruit, but the whole wine stalky and short, high acid, and lacking elevation complexity. The idea for this cool coastal Te Awanga vineyard site is to produce a lighter, so-called chablis-style wine, but good chablis is ripe right through. So whereas the inland valleys such as Dartmoor for Rifleman's, and Woodthorpe for some of Te Mata's chardonnays, do produce beautiful cool-climate Hawkes Bay chardonnays, the salt in this coastal location exacerbates the stalkyness of the Kidnappers wine. Again, dutiful wine writers would call this 'mineral' – a near-meaningless wine buzz-word for adding gravitas to chardonnay (and other) reviews. But in the hands of far too many winewriters, all too often 'mineral' is merely a euphemism for reduction – whether recognised / identified or not. That is not the issue here. If the wine were richer, I would put it away for 10 years, and expect it to improve. As it stands, I don't think it is worth that bother. But still, don't look at it for five years, cellar to 15 years. GK 08/18

1984 Yarra Yering Chardonnay 16 + (

)

Yarra Valley, Victoria, Australia: – %; $ – [ cork, 45mm; this is a rare wine, production around 100 cases a year then, made by the now-famous late Dr Bailey Carrodus, PhD in plant physiology at Wellington University, followed by a Roseworthy oenology degree. As described by James Halliday, 1985: Dr Carrodus is an intensely private individual, happy to look out on the world, and far less happy when it attempts to look in on him. Right from the outset he has followed the dictates of his own beliefs and conceptions, and found it completely unnecessary to share them with others ... . Therefore, little is known about the wine, except cropping rate was low at c.5 t/ha. Vintage rated 8/10 by Langton's. Access to Yarra Yering courtesy James Halliday; Yarra Yering is now owned by the Kaesler group of wine companies, based in South Australia; www.yarrayering.com ]
Lemon straw with a wash of gold, below midway in depth. Bouquet is clean, firm, a passing thought, might this wine have been a bit reductive in its youth ? There is now light dried peach fruit, a suggestion of citrus, not a lot to go on. Palate like the Dry River is narrow, hard, acid (but here obviously added, gritty to the taste), and lacking lees autolysis complexity and depth. It does not taste as if there were an MLF component. Actual fruit weight and freshness are surprisingly good, but like the Dry River, they have not been built up in elevation. No votes in favour, three least votes. GK 08/18

2014 Sacred Hill Pinot Noir Orange Label 16 + (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $20 [ screwcap; info is sketchy; some of the wine goes to French oak; RS given as nil; www.sacredhill.com ]
Lightish pinot noir ruby, in the third quarter for depth. This wine has an attractive floral dimension in the buddleia / lilac spectrum, on faintly aromatic red fruits including a hint of pomegranates as well as redcurrant and red cherry. But there is a suggestion of leafy stalk too, which one needs to check on palate. Flavour is pleasantly fruited, fresh and vibrant red fruits as for bouquet, subtly oaked, but this wine is more stalky than the Sacred Hill Reserve, the finish not quite bone dry. This family of commercial pinot noirs from Sacred Hill (Orange Label, Reserve, and Halo; Gunn Estate and Gunn Estate Reserve; Wild South) provides a great introduction to pinot noir the variety at an affordable price. More expensive wines are not necessarily any more varietal, but usually show more oak, greater depth and richness, and should cellar longer. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 06/17

1959 Marc Bredif Vouvray 16 + (

)

Loire Valley, France: 12.5%; $ – [ cork; 1959 described as a ‘fabulous’ vintage by Broadbent; Bredif the original famous producer in the area, the winery now part of the Ladoucette empire; more info at www.cellartours.com/france/french-wineries/domaine-marc-bredif; https://bredif.deladoucette.fr ]
Old gold, almost a wash of copper glow. Bouquet is quiet, biscuitty, dried peaches and hints of sultanas, slightly honeyed, but also tending hollow as chenin so often can be to all but its keen (sometimes fanatical) adherents. Palate is intriguing: there is still some fruit plus a drying quality on old oak, and a textural richness on (I assume) botrytis on the darkly honeyed and slightly sultana-y fruit flavours. There is a little sweetness still, adding to body, and the aftertaste is long and clean with chenin acid, all in a slightly dry-sherry way. It has to be an interesting wine, having regard to its 58 years age and the reputation of the proprietor – more for his sweeter versions. I had hoped (on sighting the label) to be compelled, but not quite on this bottle – age is catching up with it. The wine breathed up remarkably over 24 and then 48 hours, making it hard to score. GK 12/17

2016 Saint Cosme Cotes-du-Rhone 16 + (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $23 [ cork, 50 mm; not an estate wine (contrast Les Deux Albion most years); this is Saint Cosme as negociant, no ‘Domaine’ or ‘Chateau de’ on the label; Sy 100%, small % whole bunches, the fruit from Vinsobres and the Gard, short 10-day cuvaison, vat-raised 11 months; production averages 12,500 x 9-litre cases; weight bottle and cork 632 g; www.saintcosme.com ]
Dense ruby, carmine and velvet, in the top 10 for depth of colour. Freshly poured the bouquet is closed, clearly reductive, a problem seen before in this label … but never reported on by Northern Hemisphere commentators. It is improved 24 hours later, so the wine needs decanting / pouring from jug to jug say 10 times. It then gradually reveals dark cassis and dark bottled plums fruit, plus black pepper, with little or no extension on oak at all. Flavour is very dark for syrah, yet you can see some cassis under the veil, plus furry-tannins as if there were some mourvedre … none is admitted to. The wine is both darker and shows greater concentration than the Esk Valley Syrah. Unlike that wine however it finishes slightly hard / metallic to the tail, from reduction. Cellar 5 – 20 years. A hard wine to score, nearly but not in fact getting away with its reduction. Yet three days later sitting in a glass, in a cool place, it is clearly 17 +. See the same firm’s Gigondas, re availability. GK 07/19

1983 Corbans Rhine Riesling 16 + (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 11.5%; $ – [ cork; Corbans the Henderson pioneer wine firm became part of Montana, then Pernod-Ricard, and is now a Lion label ]
Light gold. Bouquet is clean and fragrant slightly resiny / hoppy but not kerosene-y riesling, biscuitty (wine biscuit) more than honeyed, fully mature, but still citrussy to a degree. In mouth the wine shows quite good richness (for its era) in New Zealand, an impression of complexity with honey now more apparent than on bouquet and melding into the fruit, long off-dry flavours, but the wine a bit grippy / phenolic for riesling elegance. Intriguing though, fully mature. GK 12/17

2005 Pask Malbec Declaration 16 + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12%; $50 [ ProCork (a plastic-filmed natural cork); DFB; Ma 100%; partial BF – ‘Tail end of ferment was completed in fine new oak adding complexity and fragrance’, 16 months in barrel (understood to include American as well as French) all new; Catalogue: intense, fragrant, mulberry fruit aromas. An elegant spicy Malbec displaying vibrant colour, aroma and flavour. Sensitive oak handling compliments warm fruits, fine tannin and harmonious structure; Awards: Gold @ Tri-Nations Wine Challenge 2008, Silver @ Royal Easter Show 2007; www.cjpaskwinery.co.nz ]
Ruby. Bouquet is overwhelmingly oaky, to a level where one thinks of sawing or chopping macrocarpa. Below that, a long way below, is maturing red fruits, bottled red plums I guess, it is hard to tell. Palate is better than the bouquet, the oak in one sense more apparent than real, so at this stage the wine is reasonably smooth. But as outlined in the review for the Cabernet / Merlot / Malbec Declaration, this wine is out of balance, and equally unsuited to food. I have commented previously that I believe the Pask Declaration label would mean more if restricted to one application per vintage. Then it would be exciting each year to see which wine Kate Radburnd and Russell Wiggins really thought the pick of the crop. In contrast, labelling a wine like this Declaration simply devalues the whole concept. The question of gold medals for wines like this is discussed elsewhere. Cellar 3 – 8 years, in its style. GK 07/09

2013 Greystone Pinot Noir Thomas Brothers 16 + (

)

Omihi, Waipara, Canterbury, New Zealand: 13.5%; $97 [ screwcap; main clones Dijon 115, 667, planted at c.2,500 vines/ha, average age 10 years, all hand-picked @ an average of 1.5 t/ha (0.6 t/ac); nil whole-bunch, cold soak 7 days, all wild-yeast ferments, then 21 days cuvaison; all the wine 16 months in all-French oak with MLF the following spring, 50% new, mix light and medium toast; not sterile-filtered to bottle; RS 0.5 g/L; dry extract 32.6 g/L; production 250 9-L cases; www.greystonewines.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby, the third deepest. Bouquet is complex and complicated. It is highly fragrant, with a suggestion of florality, but like the Ostler Caroline's, there is also a piercing green note, disrupting the sweetness of character sought in pinot noir. Palate shows rich fruit correlating with the cropping rate, but even so too much oak for the fruit weight, with the oak tannins emphasising the stalkyness in an unfortunate way. This wine is simply misjudged. It should not have been released as a Reserve quality bottling. It is therefore woefully overpriced. Cellar 5 – 18 years, probably to harmonise but not achieve magic. Eight first or second places, and seven thought it Otago. GK 08/16

2007 Poderi Crisci Merlot 16 + (

)

Eastern Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.8%; $29 [ cork; Me 85%, CF 15, hand-harvested; 18 months in French oak 30% new, goal Italian merlot styling; 330 cases, WWA Certified; ‘Blackcurrant and blackberry on the nose. Full, rich and spicy characters underlying the fruit aromas. Black fruit on the palate, blackberry and cherry stones, full and velvety with fine cedar tannins leading to a long and lingering finish’; www.podericrisci.co.nz ]
Ruby, a similar weight to the 2006 Mystae but a little redder. Bouquet is quiet, trace retained fermentation odours and brett, in a reserved cabernet / merlot cassisy style. There are some reminders of Graves. Palate is lean austere cassis and red plums but a stalky thread too, total acid and sulphur up a bit. Another wine needing more ripeness and concentration in the vineyard, I think. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/09

2014 Fromm Pinot Noir La Strada 16 + (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $40 [ screwcap; www.frommwineries.com ]
Lightish pinot noir ruby, well below midway in depth. Bouquet is quite strong, clearly varietal, but rather much stalk showing, as if a significant whole-bunch but imperfectly ripe component. Palate agrees, quite juicy almost to the point you wonder if there are a few grams residual, flavours offset by a green stalky thread. It should marry up, and become agreeably varietal with another couple of years in bottle, since fruit weight is good. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/16

2012 Escarpment Pinot Noir Kupe 16 + (

)

Te Muna Valley, Martinborough district, Wairarapa, New Zealand: 12.5%; $ – [ dated 50mm cork; close-planted in 1999 at 6,600 vines / ha; hand-picked; fermented with around 35% whole bunches in oak cuves, 17 days cuvaison including cold soak; 11 months in French oak 50% new; RS <1 g/L, dry extract 28.6 g/L, fined, not filtered; www.escarpment.co.nz ]
An older and lighter pinot noir ruby, the lightest of the eleven pinots. Of the four examples of the chilly 2012 vintage from Martinborough, this is much the coolest wine. Clear green stalky notes leap from the glass, in a cold-year varietal way. Palate follows appropriately, fair fruit, the oak thankfully in reasonable balance so the green tannins are not reinforced unduly, but this is critically under-ripe pinot noir. I continue to think that this year the Kupe fruit should have been relegated to the Escarpment generic pinot noir or even The Edge label, keeping the concept of Kupe to stand only in good vintages. In its green way, the flavours are not unpleasant, with fair concentration. Cellar 3 – 8 years, to maintain its style. GK 09/16

2008 Bodegas San Polo Syrah Auka 16 + (

)

Uco Valley, Mendoza, Argentina: 13.9%; $ – [ cork, 46mm; release price $24; no specific info available, the reds at this price point tend to have 6 months in oak; the present winery with 150 ha of vines dates from the 1930s, the proprietors having been in Argentina since the 1880s; bottle weight dry 591 grams; www.sanpolo.com.ar ]
Ruby and velvet, just below midway. Bouquet is pleasantly winey, tending hot-climate in style, quite good berryfruit but a little oxidation, not really varietal, all lifted by trace balsam aromatics. Palate reflects the bouquet, fair browning fruit, older flavours nicely balanced with older oak, not obviously acid adjusted, could as easily be over-ripe cabernet as syrah. An attractive weight with food. Mature serious beverage wine, dry. Will hold for several years. GK 03/18

2006 Crossroads Winery Syrah Hawkes Bay 16 + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.1%; $25 [ cork; machine-picked; 14 months in French oak 25% new; RS < 2 g/L; second syrah from all home-owned vineyards; Catalogue: A fruit expressive Syrah, lively and concentrated, firm yet poised … the aromas lift with blueberry and red fruit, completed by characteristic black olive, licorice and spice and saddle-leather notes. The concentration begins at the very front palate, adds depth and flesh to the mid palate before moving seamlessly into the long, restrained, rounded tannins of the finish; Awards: Bronze @ Romeo Bragato 2008, Bronze @ Hawke’s Bay A&P 2008; www.crossroadswinery.co.nz ]
Ruby. This bouquet is more in the European ‘winey’ style than specifically varietal, though there is some white pepper on browning red fruits. Palate follows on well, straightforward red plums, some pepper making the wine a little more varietal now, light oak, old for its age, pleasant drinking. Cellar 3 – 6 years. GK 07/09

2006 Gem Pinot Noir Wairarapa 16 + (

)

Taratahi (near Masterton), Wairarapa Valley, New Zealand: 12%; $29 [ screwcap; hand-picked; wild-yeast fermented; 12 – 14 months in oak 33% new; www.gemwine.co.nz ]
Drab ruby, old for its age. Bouquet benefits greatly from decanting / breathing, to become quite intriguing, very much like many bourgognes rouges, showing rustic European 'style' on simple pinot fruit – light VA, some brett, old oak. Palate follows perfectly, no florals as such, but clearly varietal in an old oak / varnishy red plummy way. Ripeness is better than some, so the nett pleasantness for drinkers is quite good. Not so easy to score highly, though the flavour ripeness for the given alcohol is intriguing. Cellar 3 – 6 years, more as drinking pinot than for serious tasting. GK 04/08

2005 Sacred Hill Syrah 16 + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $20 [ screwcap; hand-harvested; MLF in barrel and 3 – 4 months on lees, racked off then up to 10 months in oak ]
Ruby, a little velvet, below midway. Bouquet is very different from the Deerstalkers, a fresh slightly estery syrah with red fruits and cassis, and stewed plums (+ve). Palate follows logically, a little hard, like sucking red plum stones, slightly peppery, lightly oaked, a bit acid, but good fruit. Cellar 5 – 8 years, to mellow. GK 05/06

2013 Te Kairanga Pinot Noir John Martin 16 + (

)

Martinborough Terrace, Wairarapa, New Zealand: 14%; $50 [ screwcap; hand-harvested from mostly Abel clone (84%); all destemmed, fermented in s/s; 10 months in French oak 28% new; www.tkwine.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, below midway in depth. Bouquet here is old-fashioned in another sense, not the winemaking but the viticulture, the wine showing leafy and stalky qualities even on bouquet. Palate has a reasonable concentration of red fruits, but a stalky tannin structure which as it lingers in the mouth, shows green suggestions. A new winemaker since then, and we can expect great changes. Shorter term cellar, best 3 – 6 years. GK 05/16

1996 Bannockburn Shiraz 16 + (

)

Geelong, Victoria, Australia: 13%; $74 [ Cork, 50 mm; no Halliday rating for Geelong then, but as a guide, Yarra Valley is 8 in 1996; the alcohol alone raises interest; two hectares of shiraz grown in a 500 mm rainfall and relatively cooler zone, cropped at 2 – 5 t/ha (0.8 – 2 t/ac). Winemaking unsure at the time, but likely some whole-bunch, long cuvaisons, and puncheons rather than barrique-sized barrels, mostly French, not a lot new. Parker, 1999: The 1996 Shiraz's intensely smoky, bacon fat, and sausage-scented nose is attractive. As the wine sits in the glass, more toasty French oak scents emerge. Rich and seductive, with an expansive, flavorful attack and mid-palate, the finish is dominated by black fruits, pepper, and smoke. This delicious, forward-styled Shiraz is meant to be enjoyed over the next 5-6 years, 88; bottle weight 611 g; www.bannockburnvineyards.com ]
Garnet more than ruby, the lightest (and oldest) colour. Bouquet is piquant, spicy and distinctive, reflecting both the florality of cooler-climate shiraz, and the spice of Brettanomyces. Palate is more in the weight and style of the Langi shiraz, showing beautiful browning cassisy berry, wonderfully subtle oak, and good length. Brett however is becoming obtrusive, and brett nazis would reject this wine out of hand, and contemptuously, ignoring all its plus-points. Most people, happily, merely see it as attractively spicy, a wine crying out for venison casserole, or a dish with large dark brown portobello mushrooms. It is therefore hard to score, extremists not allowing any medal ranking, but most people are more flexible. Not a wine to serve to winemakers, however. Better to finish this wine up sooner rather than later, while the fruit is still long and reasonably sweet. It will progressively dry off, and there is always the worry with bretty wines, that off-odours and flavours associated with Brettanomyces' running mate Pichia will develop. Two rated this their top wine, perhaps because it is so supple and reminiscent of aromatic pinot noir, one second place, four least, and six thought it French. GK 03/17

2005 Valli Pinot Noir Gibbston Vineyard 16 + (

)

Gibbston, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13%; $45 [ screwcap; three wines from different sites but made similarly by Grant Taylor, to illustrate district variation; hand-picked, 25% whole bunch; French oak 30 – 40 % new; not on website; www.valliwine.com ]
Pinot noir ruby. Initially opened, there is a measure of VA apparent, but it is more apparent (estery) than real (acid), so should marry away. There are light buddleia-like florals on expressive red cherry-alone fruit. Palate is light, fresh, crisp, a different kind of pinot from the more usual black-fruited opulent Otago wines, instead rather more like a slightly richer version of the standard Greenhough 2005. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 01/07

2013 Sacred Hill Merlot / Cabernet Sauvignon Halo 16 + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $28 [ Screwcap; DFB; cepage around Me 70, CS 17, CF 13; 12 months all in oak 20% new; RS nil; www.sacredhill.com ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, midway in depth. Bouquet is immediately in the simpler, higher-cropping / made-to-a-price-point new-world winestyle, clean, fragrant in a way, some berry, some leafyness / stalkyness (even in 2013, note), very pure. As soon as you taste it, and confirm the lack of fruit ripeness, richness and depth, in the context of technical purity, you have to ask yourself – which is more pleasing: perhaps slightly grubby but richer and softer minor bordeaux, or the narrower hi-tech offering ? Particularly when they are similar money. Interesting, lesser wine than the Estate Te Mata. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 03/15

2014 Mt Beautiful Pinot Noir 16 + (

)

Northernmost Canterbury, New Zealand: 13.5%; $33 [ screwcap – Stelvin Lux; www.mtbeautiful.co.nz ]
Lovely rosy medium pinot noir ruby, in the lightest quarter. Bouquet has a young vines and simple buddleia quality to it, all fractionally on the cool side and uncoordinated as yet. Palate is totally red fruits, red currants and red cherry at best, but lacking depth and hinting at chaptalisation. Total style is fragrant, but pointing more to Savigny-les-Beaune in a less generous year, rather than Volnay. It needs another year in bottle, to hopefully better assimilate the impression of stalks / lack of ripeness. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 06/16

2004 Henschke Chardonnay Croft 16 + (

)

Lenswood, Adelaide Hills, South Australia, Australia: 13.5%; $56 [ screwcap; website lacks specifics for some wines, but has many words – all vintages seem to be variations on great, excellent or exceptional; barrel fermentation is mentioned for this wine; Halliday rates Adelaide Hills 7 /10 for whites in 2004; www.henschke.com.au ]
Lemonstraw. Bouquet is immediately oaky, which always gets chardonnay off to a bad start. Beyond that, there is good fruit showing complex barrel fermentation and other chardonnay techniques. Palate carries on to white stonefruit chardonnay of tactile appeal, clear oatmealy lees autolysis, and good fruit presence in mouth. It is all let down by the clumsy oak-handling, in the way many Henschke reds used to be. The basic fruit quality looks good, but as presented the wine is tiring to drink. Cellar 3 – 5 years, maybe more, to mellow a little. GK 02/08

2010 The Riesling Challenge John Forrest 16 + (

)

Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 12%; $ – [ screwcap; winemaker based at Forrest Wines, Marlborough; price: the wines were initially offered at $25 each in the dozen set, but ended up at www.blackmarket.co.nz for $120 the set; wine described as off-dry by winemaker, and at the upper end of Medium-Dry by the bar-graph; no other info ]
Lemon-green, the palest wine. Initial bouquet is marred by reduction, making the wine excessively youthful and lacking in clear varietal character. It has much more to say in mouth, clearly varietal, but tending coarsely-textured for riesling, the phenolics showing on a medium finish. Should marry up over 3 – 5 years, and cellar longer, but I doubt the wine will blossom. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 02/12

2013 Vasse Felix Cabernet / Merlot Filius 16 + (

)

Margaret River, West Australia, New Zealand: 14.5%; $28 [ screwcap; CS 60%, Me 30, Ma 10; 12 months in French oak 8% new; Halliday vintage rating Margaret River 9/10 for 2013; www.vassefelix.com.au ]
Ruby, the second lightest of the non-pinot wines. This wine needs splashy decanting, to show a fragrant but confused bouquet. There is no clear single berry component in the sense of cassis, more a clogged and slightly stalky red fruits aroma, lightly aromatic. Palate is distinctly lean, both a stalky and a near-saline note, yet reasonably berried and seeming genuine, in a hard way. Needs to soften, cellar 3 – 12 years. These two Filius reds do not reflect the qualities I associate with Vasse Felix, from earlier decades. GK 06/16

2006 Montana Merlot Hawkes Bay Reserve 16 + (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $22 [ screwcap; Me 90%, Ma 6, CS 4, 6-year old vines grown on low-vigour sites; 100% destemmed, c.16 days cuvaison; MLF and 12 months in French oak, 20% new; though traditionally a Marlborough label, Montana Reserve Merlot will henceforth be a Hawkes Bay wine (wisely); details not on website yet; www.montanawines.co.nz ]
Ruby and some velvet, lighter than the 2006 Coleraine. This is a more old-fashioned wine than the Te Mata and Villa group wines. It opens with a shadow of reduction, and needs decanting. It then reveals good ripe red and black fruits confuseable with syrah as much as merlot in the blind tasting, some barrel toast adding a little chocolate, total acid higher than some, and faint European complexity. Will mellow in cellar to be pleasant winey dry red. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 03/09

2013 Martinborough Vineyard Syrah / Viognier 16 + (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: – %; $48 [ screwcap; Sy 95%, Vi 5, co-fermented in the Cote Rotie manner; cuvaison 21 days; 14 months in French oak 29% new; www.martinborough-vineyard.co.nz ]
Medium ruby, lighter than the Martinborough Lovat syrah, the lightest of the syrahs – so no co-pigmentation effect here. Bouquet is light, fresh, cool, and even more Les Collines Rhodaniennes than the Lovat: white pepper and stalks are very evident, in redcurrant, red plum and just a hint of cassis. The wine is attractively fragrant, but not ripe enough to be exactly floral. Flavours are clearly stalky, red fruits only, the tannins carefully shaped to the winestyle, but it is simply not ripe enough to display the variety at its best. Scores well as lightish red wine, but less well as syrah. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 03/15

2005 Dry River Syrah Lovat Vineyard 16 + (

)

Martinborough Terrace, Wairarapa, New Zealand: 12%; $ – [ Cork, 45mm, ullage 28 mm; weight bottle and cork, 619 g; release price c.$58; Robinson, 2009: Tarry nose. Sinewy texture à la North Rhone. Very polished. I would find it impossible to guess this was not a northern Rhone if it were served blind. Wonderfully fresh, succulent and satisfying, 17.5; www.dryriver.co.nz ]
Ruby and some garnet, fractionally above midway in depth. Bouquet is clean, fragrant in a light way, hard to be sure if it is floral, leafy or stalky, on red fruits only, plus white pepper. The wines of upland Les Collines Rhodaniennes immediately sprang to mind. Palate emphasises that thought, red fruits only, white pepper, stalks, but the tannins nicely controlled, in its cool style. This wine makes evident the very different physiological ripenesses achieved by the grapes pinot noir and syrah, one tending over-ripe, the other under-ripe, in a year like this in Martinborough. Interesting wine, but not so appealing, one second place. In the choice for the year, I thought the pinot noir ahead, but I suspect the group differed. Probably fully mature now, the wine lacking the constitution to cellar much longer. GK 05/19

2006 Matariki Syrah 16 + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $27 [ screwcap; Sy 100% hand-picked; de-stemmed; some cold soak, inoculated yeast, cuvaison c 21 days; MLF in tank; 18 months in French oak 56% new; RS ‘dry’; light fining and filtering; Catalogue: an attractive bouquet of lifted spice and floral aromas. The palate is generous and vibrant with dark cherry, cassis and violets balanced with finely integrated French oak characters. This wine shows pure, expressive varietal characters and lovely length; www.matarikiwines.co.nz ]
Ruby, light in this category. Bouquet is in the ‘pretty’ category (+ve), with both carnation florals and white pepper attractive, in red fruits more than black. Palate is perfectly pro rata, lighter and ‘cooler’ than ideal, a little acid and stalky, another reminiscent of the hills above the Cote Rotie zone, that is, not easily achieving AOC ripeness. White pepper runs right through to the finish, not stalky exactly but tending skinny. Cellar 3 – 6 years. GK 07/09

2007 Dry River Pinot Noir 16 + (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 12.6%; $85 [ cork; 20% whole bunch; 12 months in French oak, 25% new; www.dryriver.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, inappropriate to fine pinot, the deepest in the Sustainable Tasting. Bouquet is a very mixed affair, bespeaking seriously over-ripe fruit with dark plums dominating plus a hint of five spice, with red fruits and floral components lacking. In addition, there is an unsubtle maceration carbonique character shifting the whole wine towards hot-year beaujolais, rather than any desirable kind of pinot noir / burgundy. Palate follows pro rata, darkly fruity and tending massive in a stewed dark plum way, soft, new oak, but with a nett impression more of roto-fermenter shiraz than burgundy. The essential pinot noir requirements of florality and beauty do not enter into this equation, and the whole wine tastes clumsy and contrived. Exactly how the over-ripe smells and flavours of so many Dry River pinots are achieved, at the lowest alcohol in the set, remains unclear. It seems so sad that this committed producer does not seem to understand the concept of sur-maturité in pinot noir, and the loss of complexity which results from this approach. The wines therefore are far from the burgundian model, and are hard to score as pinot noir. Will cellar well, 3 – 10 years in its style, for the fruit weight is there. GK 02/10

2006 Ngatarawa Merlot / Cabernet Alwyn 16 + (

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Ngatarawa Triangle & Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $65 [ cork; DFB; Me 70%, CS 30, hand-harvested @ c. 2.5 t/ac, inoculated ferments, cuvaison to c.23 days; 14 months in French oak averaging 42% new; RS < 1 g/L; Catalogue: Very low cropping older vines are the key to this wine’s ripe flavours and concentration; www.ngatarawa.co.nz ]
Ruby, developed for its age. Bouquet shows another wine in the Entre Deux Mers / Bordeaux pattern, a district characterised by what Steven Spurrier calls the green-tinged cabernet / merlot style. When this character is sweet, I call it leafy, whereas cooler or harder examples are more stalky. This one is leafy. In mouth the analogy continues precisely, soft merlot-dominant wine, but all the fruit clearly leafy and under-ripe, fragrant but not rewarding. Some very sophisticated oak handling has gone into this wine, and both tobacco and cedary notes will develop, but ultimately the wine will remain simple because the magic of physiological maturity is simply not evident in the fruit. Both cropping rate and provenance would suggest the wine should be otherwise, so a mystery. It is awfully expensive, therefore. Winemakers must be tasting selected reference wines of France regularly, if they are to appropriately calibrate both their taste and their price expectations. Nowhere does this apply more than to ‘flagship’ wines. Cellar 3 – 8 years in its cool style. GK 07/09

2003 Schubert Pinot Noir 16 + (

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Taratahi mostly, Wairarapa, New Zealand: 14.5%; $45 [ 48mm cork; 5 clones of pinot noir hand-picked, 100% de-stemmed, cold soak, 21 days cuvaison, followed by 13 months in French oak, 75% new; Taratahi 5 km SSW Masterton; Cooper, 2005: It shows some colour development, with strawberry, spice and herb aromas in a muscular (14.5% alcohol), savoury, firm style with good complexity and harmony. Quite advanced for a 2003, its drinking well already, ***½; Robinson, 2005: Smells like an attractively developed cocktail – definitely more complex than most on the nose. Quite long and marked acidity. Pretty confident though … even if there is a hint of rusty nails on the finish, 16.5; www.schubert.co.nz ]
Mature pinot noir ruby, more garnet than some. Bouquet is vanillin-fragrant on oak rather more than berry, the oak covering up a leafy component well. On palate, however, there is no longer the fruit to carry the oak, so while there is pleasant vinosity there is not a lot of pinot noir varietal character. Berry ripeness is reasonably good, considering most of the fruit is from the slightly cooler Masterton district, red fruits more than black, a little leafy. Needs food, drink up. GK 11/13

2014 Terra Sancta Pinot Noir Mysterious Diggings 16 + (

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Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13%; $24 [ screwcap; mostly Dijon 667, 777, Abel and Dijon 115 clones, planted at 2,500 vines/ha, all hand-picked, average age c.16 years; nil whole-bunch component, cold soak not given, 100% cultured yeast, cuvaison not given; c.8 months in French oak, % new etc not given, maybe none; not sterile-filtered to bottle; RS < 1 g/L: dry extract not given; production not given; www.terrasancta.co.nz ]
Colour is a bit odd, too fresh and carmine, though not deep, below midway. Bouquet is also slightly outside pinot noir norms, smelling tannic, not floral, on black fruits more than red. It is fragrant, but not quite in a regular pinot way. Flavours and textures are somewhat better than the bouquet, the wine showing good fruit, but still a tannic texture. It generally shapes up as a dark-fruited pinot noir, but in a charmless way. Be interesting to see if it gains 'pinosity' in cellar, 5 – 12 years. Group View (Flight 1): 1 first place, 1 second place, 7 least. GK 11/15

1986 Cloudy Bay Chardonnay 16 + (

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Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $ – [ cork, 45mm; winemakers then listed as David Hohnen and Kevin Judd; www.cloudybay.co.nz ]
Gold to old gold, the second to darkest. Bouquet is another one out of kilter with the colour, being fruity, mealy, and in a sense reasonably fresh, still. Palate is even fresher than the bouquet, showing dried peach fruit without the green thread of the Hunters, but the oak more assertive and the Marlborough acid tending firm, the wine not being as rich as the Hunters. Not as easy to drink as the Kumeu, or the Babich with its ripe-fruit profile, but still of interest. No votes. GK 09/15

1976 Nobilo Cabernet Sauvignon 16 + (

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Huapai / Kumeu, Auckland district, New Zealand: 11.9%; $ – [ Cork 48mm; understood to be 2 years in French oak. ]
Ruby and garnet, twice the apparent fruit of the 1967 McWilliams, and clearly more ruby. Bouquet shares some similarities with the McWilliams '67, just a little harder and smelling more phenolic. A cassis component is more clearly recognisable, but the hard edge is more noticeable too. In mouth the wine is less ripe, and more aromatic, than the McWilliams, so the oak seems more obtrusive, even though it was predominantly French. Finish is richer than the McWilliams, but less well balanced, with a thread of acid, and noticeable oak tannin. The relatively poor showing of this wine (or just this bottle ?) is unexpected, 1976 being a well-regarded year in the Auckland district. Fading now. GK 02/16

1987 Villa Maria Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot Reserve 16 + (

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Mangere 60%, Hawkes Bay 40%, New Zealand: 12.5%; $ – [ Cork, 49 mm; $23, then; CS 80%, Me 20, all the merlot, and 20% of the cabernet, comes from Hawkes Bay; 14 months in French oak; this wine won gold medals at the time, and also rated well in my evaluations. In the May NBR article I described it thus: Compared with the Stonyridge, this wine is fractionally less deep in its classic colour, but much more aromatic and berry on bouquet. Flavour is similarly crisper, firmer, and more aromatic, with oak more noticeable. This wine too is clearly Bordeaux in style, beautifully fine grain, very long in the mouth, with good cellar potential. If the Stonyridge is in the broadest sense Pomerol in style, the Villa wine is Medoc; bottle weight 555 g; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Ruby and garnet. In contrast to the Goldwater, bouquet on this red is redolent of the first faltering footsteps of cabernet / merlot blends in New Zealand. There is a considerable volume of fresh berry, and hints of cassis, but also suggestions of stalks and an aromatic edge too. In flavour the wine is lighter in body, red currants dominant with a hint of cassis, but also just a trace of sweet ripe red capsicum. Total acid is beautifully tailored, perhaps showing sophisticated management of the wine in elevation, for the flavours suggest higher total acid. The nett pleasantness of the wine in a food context is quite good, despite the lack of ripeness. Nonetheless, five tasters rated it their least wine of the tasting, so my interpretation should be seen as on the 'positive' side. Fully mature, again no hurry but nothing to be gained by keeping it. GK 08/16

2006 Trinity Hill Syrah Gimblett Gravels 16 + (

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Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $30 [ supercritical cork; Sy 97% and Vi 3, hand-harvested, de-stemmed and co-fermented in closed s/s fermenters; extended cuvaison, 14 months in new and older French and American oak; 2 g/L RS; www.trinityhill.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. This wine opens reductively, and needs violently-aerated decanting, pouring it from one jug to another from as great a height as one can manage, say 10 times. It then reveals varietal berry in a classical cassisy Rhone style, plus some black pepper. It is too reductive to show florals though. Palate is quite rich, reminiscent of some better Crozes-Hermitage (Louis Belle !). It will cellar for ages, but whether to blossom or not is debatable. Syrah is a variety prone to reduction in elevation, so though this wine has good fruit, what could have been a good wine has ended up flawed. Note however the contrary view: this wine has won high placings in some competitions. I find it a worry the extent to which reductive red wines can win high awards in certain judgings. Many wine-people are sensitive to reduced sulphur smells, and for them, their presence completely muffles the wine. It is like a grey blanket over it. And, above a certain concentration, these smells do not disappear with time. So though this wine will cellar for 10 – 15 years, personally I am not doing so despite a desire to monitor significant New Zealand syrahs in years to come. (I have no such concerns about its expensive sibling, the 2006 Homage Syrah.) GK 02/08

2012 Flowers Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast * 16 + (

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Williamette Valley, Oregon, USA: 13.5%; $ – [ cork; a c. $US45 = $NZ68 bottle; all de-stemmed; 9 days cold-soak; wild-yeast fermentation, cuvaison c.20 days; 11 months in French oak 25% new; www.flowerswinery.com ]
Light pinot noir ruby, below midway in depth. Bouquet has a real New Zealand character to it, as seen in zones too warm for the variety to develop full physiological maturity, such as Hawkes Bay. It is counter-intuitive that a warmer climate gives a green-tinged fruit profile, but in such places pinot noir simply does not achieve full flavour complexity, similarly to apricots. Diurnal variation is presumably a key factor. So there is a clear leafy fragrance, and red currants / strawberry fruit, not un-burgundian in the sense of minor Beaune appellations in some years, straightforward. Palate is clean and sound, gently oaked, slightly stalky, matching the bouquet parameters. Cellar 3 – 8 years, in its style, since the richness / dry extract is quite good. GK 09/15

2015 Sacred Hill Pinot Noir Orange Label 16 + (

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Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $20 [ screwcap; info is sketchy; some of the wine goes to French oak; RS given as nil; www.sacredhill.com ]
Good pinot noir ruby, in the second quarter for depth of colour. Bouquet shows clear-cut fragrant pinot noir varietal character, lilac and pink roses florals, on red grading to black cherry fruit. The wine is berry dominant, very little evidence of oak elevation at all. Palate continues the fruit-forward simple style, some Marlborough leafyness, again little oak, and a gram or two residual to the tail. Very much an easy quaffing winestyle. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 06/17

2013 Grasshopper Rock Pinot Noir Earnscleugh Vineyard 16 + (

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Alexandra, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13%; $30 [ screwcap; main clones Dijon 114, 667, 777, plus UCD 5 and Abel, planted at 5,000 vines/ha, all hand-picked from vines c.10 years age; no whole-bunch component, no info on cuvaison times, mostly cultured yeast; all the wine c.10 months in French oak c.30% new, various toast levels; RS 0.2 g/L: dry extract 25.9 g/L; production not given; 2013 now finished at winery, due to Emirates taking for Business Class next year; www.grasshopperrock.co.nz ]
Lightish pinot noir ruby, the second to lightest wine of the 17. Unlike the lightest-coloured wine, this one does smell of stalks, as well as red fruits not so much red cherry (which would be positive), but rather more redcurrant, which is very much a minor Beaune descriptor in a lesser year – Savigny-les-Beaune etc. It is fragrant on leafyness, but barely floral in any sweet sense. Palate is better than bouquet, redcurrant grading to red cherry flavours, but all disappointingly small-scale and leafy, after the lovely ripe Grasshoppers which this wine earlier set its reputation on, e.g. the 2009. It tastes as if this year the cropping rate has near-doubled, and the ripeness has therefore retreated pro rata. It is modestly in style, but (for this vintage at least) no longer the bargain it was. Cellar 2 – 6 years. Group View (Flight 1): 2 first places, no second, 3 least. GK 11/15

2015 Riverby Estate Pinot Noir Single Vineyard 16 + (

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Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $ – [ screwcap; hand-picked from vines up to 19 years age, typically at 6 t/ha = 2.4 t/ac; all destemmed; 11-12 months in French oak, 25-30% new; RS 2 g/L; not yet released; www.riverbyestate.com ]
Pinot noir ruby, in the third quarter for depth. Bouquet is simple clean pinot noir in the sub-optimally ripe camp, florals at the buddleia level only, on redcurrant grading to red cherry fruit, fresh and youthful. Palate matches, redcurrant and pomegranate fruit as well as red cherry, all light and fresh, just escaping being leafy, with light cedary oak in good balance to the style. There may be a couple of grams of residual to the short finish, but otherwise it inclines to a Savigny-les-Beaune winestyle. Shorter term cellar, 2 – 5 years. GK 06/17

2010 Riverby Estate Pinot Noir Single Vineyard 16 + (

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Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 12.5%; $ – [ screwcap; hand-picked from vines up to 17 years age, typically at 6 t/ha = 2.4 t/ac; all destemmed; 11-12 months in French oak, 25-30% new; RS nil; www.riverbyestate.com ]
Good pinot noir ruby, some age showing, in the second quarter for depth. This is another wine where, notwithstanding good colour, the varietal quality of the bouquet is let down by a clear leafy / stalky edge. The leafyness almost obscures light buddleia florality. Palate is better, a pleasant concentration of red cherry fruit, light oak in balance. Finish seems not bone dry, but that is offset by the freshness of the stalky note. Cellar a year or two yet. GK 06/17

2004 Villa Maria Merlot / Cabernet Sauvignon Private Bin 16 + (

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Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $17 [ screwcap; 12 months in older French and American oak; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. Bouquet is tending hard, with some retained fermentation odours. It is quite richly fruity, but not clear as to any variety. Palate is surprisingly rich, with a quantity of grapes per bottle more usually associated with Australia. The flavours have a hard edge, though, from the entrained fermentation components. Should soften up in cellar, and may require re-rating in a couple of years. As noted for the Esk Merlot Black label, this upward creep of degrees of alcohol, pandering to lowest common denominator marketing interests, is unwise for New Zealand. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 11/05

2004 Brokenwood Pinot Noir Beechworth 16 + (

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Beechworth, Victoria, Australia: 13.5%; $ – [ screwcap; AU$24; clones MV6, 114, 115, age 4 – 5 years; 100% de-stemmed, 2 days cold soak, cultured yeast, 7 – 10 days cuvaison; 12 months French oak 50% new; light fining, light filtration; www.brokenwood.com.au ]
Ruby and velvet, maybe a suggestion of carmine, the second deepest. A change of pace at this point in the ranking. This wine smells big, rich, soft, round, and bretty, with a hint of almond. It is not clearly varietal on bouquet, unlike the similarly deeply-coloured Littorai. In mouth there is velvety fruit richness, some pinot noir black cherry and dark bottled plums, plus a certain looseness, fleshiness and a faint compost character (like a jar of bottled plums long-open and just starting to ferment), all accentuated by brett. An aromatic note creeps up in the later palate, perhaps a little minty though not unpleasant enough to be classed as euc’y. It would be easy to can this wine completely, but on balance it is OK as a rather big and shambling warm-climate example of the grape. Cellar 3 – 12 years, for there are tannins to soften. GK 06/07

2007 Paritua Vineyards Syrah The Paritua Collection 16 + (

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Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $37 [ screwcap; not on website, hand-picked; French oak 50% new; Catalogue: Opulent aromas of blueberry, guava and black cherry with hints of black pepper and spice on the nose. The palate is enhanced with flavours of Black Doris plum and blackberry with a sweet raspberry finish. … fine grained tannins and great structure; www.paritua.com ]
Ruby and velvet. Bouquet is in an older style reminiscent of Australia in the 60s and 70s, with both some reduction and at another stage some oxidation accounting for the old-for-age colour. Palate shows reasonable red plummy fruit and developed aromatic flavours, but little of the charm the variety can show in New Zealand. Sound / straightforward tending rustic red wine to cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 07/09

1979 Ch Montrose 16 + (

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Saint-Estephe Second Growth, Bordeaux, France: – %; $124 [ cork 53mm; original price $22.95; cepage then approx. CS 65%, Me 25, CF 10, planted at 9,000 vines / ha; c.18 months in barrel, 50 – 70% new; no Broadbent notes; Coates, 2002: Classy cabernet nose. No undue astringency. Indeed splendidly ripe, even concentrated. On the palate fullish, a little hard and austere on the attack. Mellow and more succulent on the follow-through. Balanced. Long. Still vigorous. Fine plus: 18; R. Parker, 1993: ... as with many of the wines made by this estate between 1977 and 1985, it is austere, light, with high acidity, and a lean, short, compact, astringent finish. Once again, there is no question that the wine will last because of the tannin level and high acidity, but the fruit is already in danger of drying out. It remains an unimpressive, even disappointing wine from this great estate: 78; www.chateau-montrose.com ]
Ruby and garnet, again clearly redder than the 1978 Montrose. In the tasting, this wine was TCA-affected, though not so much as to obscure its attributes. It breathed off completely in 24 hours. It is close to the 1979 Pichon Lalande, fragrant cassisy berry with stemmy / stalky tannins, but not quite as stalky and acid as the Pichon. Though clearly the least wine on the night, its positioning here is a more accurate guide, for good bottles. Fully mature. GK 08/16

2007 Man O’War Cabernet Franc / Merlot 16 + (

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Eastern Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14%; $45 [ cork; CF 68%, Me 24, CS 5, PV 3, hand-harvested, all de-stemmed, MLF in tank and barrel, 10 months in French and American oak 10% new; ‘With further bottle aging this wine will provide a unique flavour and aroma profile as each component compliments and integrates with each other.’; www.manowarvineyards.co.nz ]
Ruby. Bouquet is a little horsey due to brett, on reasonable fruit of uncertain character. In mouth there is good berry, but also leathery old-fashioned flavours sitting uncomfortably with the young fruit. This will mellow into a pleasantly old-world winestyle, all a little acid, maritime, and clearly rustic. Refer to comments for the same winery’s Dreadnought Syrah. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/09

2011 Beaux Freres Pinot Noir The Beaux Freres Vineyard * 16 + (

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Williamette Valley, Oregon, USA: 12.9%; $ – [ cork; a c. $US40 = $NZ60 bottle; a small winery established in 1991, low crops, minimum intervention, 10 – 12 months on lees; not filtered; Robert Parker is married to the founder's sister, and is a partner; www.beauxfreres.com ]
Light and older pinot noir ruby, below midway in depth. Bouquet is relatively unformed, tending slightly balsam-aromatic, more fumey than the given 12.9% alcohol would suggest, the herbes / balsam note growing. It is fragrant, but not exactly floral, on red fruits only. Palate however has remarkable fruit weight, near-strawberry (+ve), raspberry and red cherry suggestions, soft oak, juicy in a sense but bone-dry. Very much in a minor Cote de Beaune styling on palate, just the extraneous aromatics on bouquet letting it down. Closest in style to the Gros Frere & Soeur, but more new oak. Cellar 3 – 8 years, though given the richness, will hang on longer. GK 09/15

2009 First Drop Montepulciano Minchia 16 + (

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Adelaide Hills, South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $31 [ screwcap; Mo 100% (implied) from vineyards 340m above seas level; 14 days cuvaison; MLF and 24 months on lees in 10% new French hogsheads, the balance 3 and 4 years old French hogsheads; www.firstdropwines.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, very dense. Unlike the other two First Drop wines, this one is a bit of a monster, a caricature of the oaky, very minty and euc'y Australian red class. There is great richness of berry fruit on the palate, but no hope of any varietal character. Flavours are very long and aromatic on saturated minty fruit and oak. Heroic red drinkers will love this, but those seeking a little European finesse and food-friendliness must look elsewhere. In its style it is beautifully made, but the total impression is about as subtle as the name – the Australian approach again. Cellar 5 – 15 years, perhaps longer. GK 03/13

1967 Lindeman's Hunter River Burgundy Bin 3603 16 + (

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Hunter River, NSW, Australia: – %; $ – [ cork, 45mm; ullage c.35m below ‘neck’; this might be the most valuable wine in the tasting. At the time, the company’s top red wine label, matured in ‘small oak casks’. Lake was a bit doubtful about these Lindemans reds, preferring the matching Bin Number classic Hunter semillons. Most of the Hunter reds he does discuss are pinot blends. Nonetheless, standards for selection for the 4-figure Bin bottlings were stringent, in Lindemans heyday in the ‘50s and ‘60s. Evans describes our exact wine thus: Bin 3603 of 1967, one of the best wines of that vintage from the Hunter, is very round and soft, and has full flavour. Yet when one considers this is a fairly light wine and of a fairly light vintage it is surprising how much flavour it does have. It has a clean soft finish and will drink very well for some time yet. Halliday in his Classic Wines book is in no doubt (about the series): … The best wines will live for 40 years or more … They have their own inimitable style, and are a vital part of Australia's wine heritage. For our wine he says: A smooth, sweet bouquet of medium weight with some chocolate fruit. The palate is nicely balanced and smooth, with no off-characters, finishing with appropriately balanced tannins and acidity, ****; Gold Medal, Brisbane, 1971. ]
Garnet and ruby, one of the lightest wines. Bouquet is time-travel, back to when the Hunter Valley was famous for its soft, fragrant, vaguely burgundy-style but all too often leathery red-fruited shirazes. From a trans-Tasman viewpoint, it seems safe to say that these distinctive Hunter reds enjoyed a fame and reputation in Sydney which informed wine opinion elsewhere in Australia did not quite so wholeheartedly endorse. But then, I've never tasted a great Maurice O'Shea shiraz. And there must have been beautiful examples of this style, in cooler years when the wines were unencumbered by the trace reduction so frequent then, given no refrigeration in wineries. Palate in this wine is chamois-leather soft, beautifully balanced, fading raspberry fruit much browning now, exquisitely oaked – but too leathery. Fully mature now, in a cool Wellington cellar. Two tasters rated this the top wine of the set, and two their second favourite: great to see a rare and now historic bottle being enjoyed for its absolute typicité. The Stuyvesant House restaurant in Sydney has the 1980 of this series on their list at $AU320. Ullage base of cork to top of wine, 59 mm. GK 04/19

2015 Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc Wairau Valley Reserve 16 + (

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Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $27 [ screwcap; machine-harvested cool at night / early morning from several vineyards in valleys on the south side of the Wairau Valley; all s/s cool fermentation to a maximum temperature of 14° with cultured yeasts, to optimise aromatics; RS 3.3 g/L; 'a strong year due to a great summer and modest crop levels'; 2015 seen as a quality year for Marlborough sauvignon blanc; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
This is the second clearly yellow-washed lemon-coloured wine. It is also one of the two in the set showing reductive thiols to a debatable degree. Depending on individual sensitivity to reduced sulphur molecules, tasters will vary widely in their tolerance / acceptance of the reduction in this wine. Like the Southern Clays wine below, this Wairau Valley Reserve falls into the less desirable class of New Zealand sauvignon blancs. Behind the clogging reduction there are clear yellow / mixed capsicum fruit notes, and suggestions of English gooseberry. Fruit ripeness is probably slightly ahead of the Graham Single Vineyard wine, but flavour is rendered harder and more sour by the entrained reductive thiols. By the same token the aftertaste is long, but if that length is too dominated by components not in the desirable spectrum of flavours, this is a mixed blessing. Fruit concentration is good, and the residual is attractively balanced. This wine will probably to a degree 'grow' out of its sulky nature in cellar, for those who like older sauvignon blancs. Cellar 3 – 8 years.

This is a significant wine in the hierarchy of New Zealand sauvignon blancs, but not necessarily for totally commendable reasons. It was a gold medal winner and then Champion Sauvignon Blanc in this year's Royal Easter Show Wine Awards 2016. This result highlights how wine shows and wine judges are not infallible, largely for the reason that wine judges get carried away on fads and fashions in the same way as the public at large. And judging being democratic / by consensus, there is a point beyond which dissenting voices cannot be heard, if the harmony of the judging panel is to be maintained. Therefore Villa Maria must study this result carefully, and take on board that a significant percentage of the population find the characteristics showing in this wine (and becoming intolerable in the Southern Clays Reserve wine), either unpleasant or disgusting ... depending on the person and their individual threshold to reduced sulphurs. All the talk in the world about 'thiol complexity' is irrelevant to them. So a judging result like this must not become a direction in which to move winemaking. Rather the reverse.

It is worth pausing at this point, and checking what the winemakers see in this wine. They say: "A classic Wairau Valley style bursting with the trademark ripe fruit characters found in this sub region. The nose displays pure and powerful aromas of passionfruit, grapefruit, blackcurrant, and underlying subtle flinty tones. The palate is concentrated with an enticing array of ripe gooseberry and guava flavours, naturally complemented by a fine thread of acidity and a long finish." There is clearly a gulf here between perception and reality. Only the words 'underlying subtle flinty tones' give some hint (by way of euphemism) to the characters I am objecting to. Their wording seeks to ride on the nebulous wine concept 'minerality'.

But it is not only winemakers who need to be careful with judging results like this. Judges themselves need to think a good deal more carefully. This wine in effect intentionally sets out to diminish or destroy the intrinsic beauty of the grape and its juice by imposing winemaker-induced artefacts on the finished wine, artefacts which are negative for a significant percentage of consumers. The fact that some consumers and wine judges are not sensitive to this artefact / this defect is irrelevant. If wine competitions reward wines like this, those winemakers striving to make wines which optimise the beauty of the grape, which more or less by definition will include this country's very best and most internationally worthy and exciting examples of the grape, will be dismayed at the least. In some cases they will wash their hands of judging, and cease to exhibit. The nett result will be that wine judging, which being rooted in the Agricultural and Pastoral Shows tradition, is intended ultimately to 'improve the breed', will in fact become less and less relevant. Already there are too many wineries, some of which are industry leaders, who do not exhibit. This wine, and particularly the Champion Sauvignon Blanc judging result, provides an illustration of why. All food for thought, therefore. GK 04/16

2005 Ch de l'Abbaye de Saint Ferme 16 + (

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Entre Deux Mers Bordeaux Superieur, Bordeaux, France: 14%; $20 [ cork; Me 70%, CS 25, CF 5; Sam Kim / Wine Orbit: Ripe plums, cherries … juicy … firm grip … 90 ]
Quite dense ruby and velvet, a similar weight to the Church Road, but older. Around this point in the tasting, the wines became more regional Bordeaux, older oak, more old-fashioned. This is a fairly rich wine, plenty of berry on bouquet in the merlot / cabernet style, but the oak is plain. Palate confirms, rich and sturdy, good ripeness, a little brett, straightforward cellaring for 5 – 12 years. GK 04/08

2011 Domaine Albert Mann Riesling 16 + (

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Near Colmar, Alsace, France: 12.5%; $31 [ screwcap; www.albertmann.com ]
Lemon, a totally modern colour, the second to palest. Some SO2 detracts on the freshly opened wine, and there might be trace reduction too, on a fair volume of simple varietal fruit at the sweet vernal level of complexity. Palate is very youthful, traces of linalool and vanillin trying to raise their heads, modest white fruits, quite 'mineral' (as might be expected from mention of possible reduction). Reminders of Jeffrey Grosset here, but not so finely made. This is much the dryest wine of the Alsatian bracket, being 'riesling dry' in simple terms. Could surprise in cellar, for the fruit richness is there. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 04/13

2002 de L’Arlot Vosne Romanée les Suchots 16 + (

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Vosne-Romanée Premier Cru, Burgundy, France: 13%; $104 [ cork ]
Older light pinot noir ruby, quite different from the other wines. Bouquet is in a totally different style too, very fragrant indeed, but with a clear leafy / oaky nearly varnishy component in light red fruits. Palate follows through similarly, but gives the impression of being chaptalised, considering the green thread, with noticeable acid. Actual fruit weight is good, in a savoury and oaky red fruits way. The whole style is remarkably reminiscent of some of the Omihi Selection pinots from North Canterbury. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 12/05

2006 Ch Bourgneuf 16 + (

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Pomerol, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $60 [ cork; price is simple conversion from US$42; cepages offered range from Me 70%, CF 30 at Forum, to Me 90, CF 10 Peppercorn & Parker; cropping rate 2 t / ac; 14 – 15 months in oak c.40% new; Bourgneuf and Bourgneuf-Vayron are the same wine, labelling varying on market; Pomerol is unclassified; Harding / Robinson 2007: … sweet on the nose. Not especially fragrant – chunky and solid … slightly underripe tannins … a green streak. Bit dull. 16.5; Parker 2009: simple, one-dimensional wine with earthy, decaying vegetative notes intermixed with cherry, plum, and a hint of currant, this wine has adequate concentration, but the earthiness and simplicity of it are largely unappealing. 84; no website found ]
Ruby, old for age, one of the lightest. This is another old-fashioned and traditional claret in a minor east-bank style. Bouquet is soft ripe and plummy in a browning way, with a little tobacco and brett complexity adding interest. Palate is stalkier than the bouquet promised, some mushroomy and leathery notes on the fruit, again, old-fashioned. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 01/10

2010 [ Ngatarawa ] Glazebrook Syrah New Zealand 16 + (

)

Bridge Pa Triangle 48% and Gimblett Gravels 42%, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $35 [ screwcap; hand-harvested from 8-year-old vines, de-stemmed; inoculated yeast, c.21 days total cuvaison; MLF and 12 months in French oak 33% new; RS < 1 g/L; www.ngatarawa.co.nz ]
Ruby. It's quite a good idea putting New Zealand in the title for this wine, because the actual winestyle is surprisingly old-European, showing some oxidation and more brett on pleasantly ripe but non-varietal fruit. On palate, there are slightly leathery dark plum qualities and some black pepper making it more clearly varietal. It would be rejected in an Australasian judging, but as a wine at table, it is food-friendly and attractive. Permissive score. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/13

1976 Ch Cantemerle 16 + (

)

Haut-Medoc Fifth Growth from Macau, SE of Margaux, Bordeaux, France: 11.5%; $123 [ Cork, 55mm, ullage 19mm; CS 45%, Me 40, CF 10, PV 5; purchase price $16.95; typically 18 months in barrel; production around 20,000 x 9-litre cases; Parker records the chateau in decline in the 1970s, perhaps no new oak, new owners in 1980; Broadbent, 1980: A good ‘76; pretty colour; delicate fruit, slightly sweet, well-knit, with charm and good aftertaste, ***(*); RP@WA, 1984: Unfortunately, the 1976 Cantemerle is in decline, exhibiting a brownish color, pale, weak, washed-out flavors that taste cooked and highly chaptalized. This wine is coming apart at the seams, drink it up quickly, 60; weight bottle and closure: 547 g; www.cantemerle.com ]
Garnet and ruby, the third to lightest wine. Initially opened, this was very small claret indeed, a whisper of bottle stink, hints of under-ripeness. Once decanted, and by the time of the tasting, it had a lot more to say, very much petite claret, light red more than black fruits, suggestions of leafyness going on stalky, but then a reasonably pleasing palate eased by chaptalisation, I would think. Cooperage is clean, but the wine smells and tastes as if none of the cooperage is new. Harking back to Stephen Spurrier, this is ‘green-tinged’ Medoc which has its appeal, two tasters rating it their top wine, and one second. Fully mature, less ripe than the Kirwan, different chemistry from the Nobilo, but like it a pleasantly pure small-scale wine. GK 10/20

2003 Bodegas Castano Syrah 16 + (

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Yecla DdO, Spain: 14%; $18 [ cork; Argosy Wines; Sy 100%; 3 months in barrel ]
Ruby. This is a fragrant but slightly stalky carnations and floral bouquet, fresher than the Alquier, but uncannily similar. Palate is less plump than that wine, the fruit cassisy but lean and stalky, subtly oaked. It is unequivocally syrah in the under-ripe Crozes-Hermitage style, or over-cropped New Zealand. The dividing line between charmingly floral Cote Rotie, and stalky floral lesser wine, is distressingly subtle. This is a character syrah shares with pinot noir, precisely. Cellar 5 – 10 years, to be fragrant light QDR which will be very pleasant with food. GK 10/05

2006 [ Waimata ] Cognoscenti Chardonnay 16 + (

)

Gisborne, New Zealand: 13.9%; $20 [ screwcap; whole-bunch pressed; 100% BF, partial MLF, 8 months LA and stirring; no wine info on website, winery associated with Tairawhiti Polytechnic, Gisborne; www.waimata.ac.nz ]
Lemon. Bouquet is spirity pale stonefruits, citrus notes and slightly smokey oak, like the Stoneleigh a little different in this line-up. Perhaps there is some American oak. In mouth, the oak is forward and the fruit retreats, though there is a suggestion of waxy texture indicating the fruit is not weak. It is all pure and attractive in its older-style oaky approach, but one would like to see elevation in older (on average) oak, to let the fruit speak more clearly. Cellar 2 – 6 years, to mellow. GK 04/09

2005 Ch de la Cour d'Argent 16 + (

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Entre-Deux-Mers (approx), Bordeaux, France: 12.5%; $25 [ cork; presumably Me dominant; same owner as Ch Lynsolence; Wine Spectator: Dark ruby in color, with plenty of blackberry, spice and coffee bean undertones. Full-bodied, with soft tannins and a medium, caressing finish. Nice core of fruit. Best after 2010. 88 ]
Ruby, light for the vintage. Bouquet is classic minor Bordeaux, and even blind, one might hazard Entre Deux Mers as an appellation. There is the slightly leafy red-fruit fragrance of marginally ripe merlot, in clean oak. Palate is a little less, the stern tannins of the year still to soften, less fruit on the finish. Cellar 3 – 10 years, for absolutely typical fragrant minor Bordeaux. GK 04/08

2006 Yves Cuilleron Cote Rotie Terres Sombres 16 + (

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Cote Rotie, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $151 [ 55mm cork; Sy 100 hand-picked @ c. 5.8 t/ha (2.3 t/ac) from vines planted at 8 – 10,000 vines / ha, on darker schist soils; some whole-bunch, cuvaison c.21 days; MLF and c.18 months in barrel; 980 cases; July offer @ Glengarry $115; www.cuilleron.com ]
Ruby and garnet, more maturity than hoped, the lightest of the colours. Bouquet is old too, a wine clearly in maturity, but as with so many 2006s, not showing great ripeness (despite Robert Parker's high rating for the vintage). The pinks florality is quite leafy. On palate, there are red fruits more than black, the oak is a little noticeable in the cooler-year fruit, the finish short with a touch of stalk and acid despite some richness. This is pretty well mature, again some disappointment here. Will hold 2 – 5 years. GK 06/13

2006 Domaine Duroche Chambertin-Clos de Beze 16 + (

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Gevrey-Chambertin Grand Cru, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 13%; $266
Older pinot noir ruby, below midway in depth. Bouquet is quiet in the company, fading red fruits, one wonders if some chaptalising, older oak. Palate is short, trace brett, a little lacking in freshness / or a little old for age. Pleasantly modest. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 08/12

2006 Ch Fonroque 16 + (

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St Emilion Grand Cru Classé, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $32 [ cork; price is simple conversion from US$22; cepages offered range from Me 70%, CF 30 at Forum, to Me 90, CF 10 Peppercorn, and Me 85%, CF 15 Parker; cropping rate 2 t / ac; 16 – 18 months in oak c.70% new – allegedly; Robinson 2007: distinctive nose with … almost rhubarb-like fruit notes … sufficient fruit to cover the tannin … rather coarse and green … astringent, bone dry finish. 15; no Parker review, Suckling / Wine Spectator: sweet tobacco and berry aromas. Full-bodied, with round, chewy tannins. Slightly hollow mid-palate. 86; no website found ]
Ruby and velvet, below midway in depth. This is another old-fashioned Bordeaux, where style is more important than the components. Bouquet shows slightly browning plummy berry, with suggestions of leather, tobacco and clear brett, and seemingly no new oak at all. Nett bouquet is therefore mellow, and the palate follows exactly, soft, round, plummy in a fruitcake way, very European. Food wine, not a study or seminar wine, to cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 01/10

2003 Ch Gazin 16 + (

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Pomerol, Bordeaux, France: 13%; $80 [ cork; Me 90, CS 7, CF 3, planted to 5750 vines / ha, average vine age 35; 3 – 4 week cuvaison in tank; MLF and batonnage in French oak 50 – 60% new for up to 18 months; Parker: ... plenty of black cherry and currant notes, lavishly oaked … big, muscular, a success ... 89; Robinson: ... herbaceous un-ripe notes on the nose … sweet start but very little tannin … a bit too soupy ... 15.5; www.gazin.com ]
Ruby and some velvet, some age showing. Bouquet is complex, with red and black fruits, quality oak, a stalky note, and some brett complexity. It all looks quite positive at the bouquet stage. On palate, however, the stalky note expands, to introduce an almost bitter green quality, which fights with berry and raisiny flavours, producing a clumsy whole. Quite a few Coonawarra cabernet / merlots show this quality too, there due to machine pruning and harvesting. Quite a rich wine, and clearly Bordeaux, reasonably enjoyable, but let down by the flavours of very mixed ripeness. Cellar 5 – 20 years, in its modest style. GK 10/06

2006 Domaine Pierre Gelin Chambertin Clos de Beze 16 + (

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Gevrey-Chambertin Grand Cru, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $190
Good pinot noir ruby, above midway. Bouquet is not convincing, another one suggesting chaptalising, red fruits only, clean but lacking. In mouth, there is pleasing simple red fruit, again slightly candied, total acid elevated, some new oak at peril of increasing relative to the light fruit. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 08/12

2004 J-M Gerin Cote Rotie les Grandes Places 16 + (

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Cote Rotie, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $160 [ cork; Sy 95%, Vi 5; 20 months in 100% new oak; not filtered; c. 400 cases; Parker 163: The finest wine of this trio [of 2004s] is the 2004 Cote Rotie Les Grandes Places. Notes of crushed rocks, smoke, bacon fat, black currants, and resiny pine forest emerge from this lovely Cote Rotie. To 2014. 88-90; distributed by Maison Vauron ]
Ruby, the lightest of the syrahs. Bouquet is sweet and lightly floral / fragrant / oaky, not immediately identifiable, remarkably like some Martinborough pinot noirs. Palate shortens the act up considerably, the flavours stalky, tending acid and short, exacerbated by new oak. Yet there is flesh, and it's all pure. Hard to score, and will soften in cellar and become more complex over 5 – 12 years; to judge from the rather similar 1984s, also a cool stalky year. GK 04/07

2007 Dom. V. Girardin Chassagne-Montrachet Clos du Cailleret Premier Cru 16 + (

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Chassagne-Montrachet, Cote de Beaune, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $61 [ cork; the website advises a general prescription for white winemaking, from which one has to infer what might apply here depending on its position in the ranking: manual harvesting; hand-sorting of the grapes; generally wild-yeast ferments, followed by MLF; extended lees autolysis 14 – 20 months (and varying with vintage too) in French oak, ratio new 10 – 35%; www.vincentgirardin.com ]
Lemonstraw. It is a pity when chardonnay producers follow some of the excesses of countries like Spain, such that because it is premier cru fruit they use more oak. Like some Spanish Reservas therefore, this practice can simply wreck the fruit and vinosity. This wine reeks of new oak, almost a resiny note, with chardonnay fruit trying to get a word in edgeways. Palate shows even more resin, even though the fruit is quite rich. Clumsy wine at the price. Cellar 2 – 5 years, maybe to mellow. I won't be trying. GK 07/11

2006 Domaine Camille Giroud Chambertin Grand Cru 16 + (

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Gevrey-Chambertin, Burgundy, France: 13%; $240 [ cork; $NZ approx.; % whole bunch unknown; 16 months in French oak 50% new; website solely a home page; www.camillegiroud.com ]
Pinot noir ruby. First impression on bouquet is savoury brett, on red cherry fruit and older oak. Palate matches, drying bricky fruits reminiscent of the 1970s, no great weight, just straightforward old-style burgundy, to cellar 5 – 10 years. No learning opportunities here at all – quite the opposite of what one hopes from any tasting of Chambertin. Organisers of important tastings such as this must learn: the wines must be pre-tasted, if a worthwhile tasting with its own internal logic is to be achieved. In the case of overseas wines, that means flying in samples. Not worth cellaring. GK 02/10

2016 Domaine Grand Veneur Cotes du Rhone Les Champauvins 16 + (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $30 [ super-critical 45 mm Diam closure, the only one in the set; certified organic wine; Gr 70%, Sy 20, Mv 10, cropped at c.38 hl/ha (c.2 t/ac): all de-stemmed, 18 days cuvaison; Gr aged in vat, Sy and Mv in c.4-year barrels; this large vineyard is famous for immediately adjoining (a track’s width, 3m) the Chateauneuf appellation, being complete with galets, but excluded in 1936; weight bottle and cork 632 g; production averages 12,500 x 9-litre cases; www.domaine-grand-veneur.com ]
Pleasant ruby, below midway in depth. Freshly opened, the bouquet lacks charm, showing some over-ripe boysenberry notes like the Charbonniere Chateauneufs, and only trace garrigue complexity. It needs decanting. Palate has medium-weight berryfruit, but the over-ripe flavours continue, with some hardness as if an all-concrete wine, needing to breathe. The wine is fairly plain now, and doesn’t much show the magic of the 2016 vintage, or bear much relation to the overseas reviews. Maybe the volume is too big to have one assembled bottling. Even so, it should be more attractive in five years, and cellar 10 – 15 years. A Wine Direct wine. GK 07/19

2005 Domaine Gros Frere & Soeur Bourgogne Hautes Cotes de Nuits 16 + (

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Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 12.5%; $61 [ 45mm cork; extensive replanting in recent years; new oak favoured; Robinson, not tasted; Meadows, 2007: Yields down 50% in 2005. This is quite ripe though not surmature with earth and mineral-inflected red pinot fruit aromas leading to rich, full, round and supple flavors that possess more volume than one usually finds with this appellation, all wrapped in a delicious and mildly rustic finish, from 2008, 84-86; Wine Spectator, 2008: A spicy red, exhibiting some vegetal and cherry aromas and flavors. Starts out silky, with dense tannins emerging on the finish. Fine length. Best from 2010 through 2017, 88; weight bottle and closure: 615 g; www.domaine-gros-frere-et-soeur.fr ]
A good burgundy colour, ruby and some garnet, below midway in depth. Bouquet is soft, sweetly varietal, slightly savoury, with suggestions of the zingy lift that one associates with the Cote de Nuits. Accordingly I used it as wine one, to set the pace for the tasting. In mouth the wine is lesser, small fruit, slightly tannic, acid a little noticeable, but still good varietal flavour. 18 hours later it seemed weaker still, so this is a wine at full maturity, time to be drinking it over the next few years. One person quite liked it in the group, placing it second, while three had it as their least. At that point it is intriguing to go back and check this wine against the Corton which four rated least. There is no comparison, the richness of the latter wine and its length of aftertaste being exemplary in comparison. GK 10/16

2004 Ch Hosanna 16 + (

)

Pomerol, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $229 [ cork; vineyard cepage Me 71, CF 29, average age 40 – 45 years, planted @ an average 7 000 vines / ha, and cropped @ c. 1.75 t/ac. ]
Ruby, old for age. Initially opened, and for some time thereafter, bouquet is muted, with some reductiveness, so no merlot charms are on display. Palate is hard on the retained fermentation odours, though reasonably ripe and certainly rich and well-fruited. Those less sensitive to reduced sulphurs will like this more than me, and certainly in the tasting, when paired with the Belair, it was the more popular wine. Most overseas reviews are more favourable. It is fair to say though, that there is astonishing insensitivity to sulphide-related odours particularly in Europe, and that for these trendy labels, it is hard to get factual / objective reviews. Cellar 5 – 15 years, and decant splashily. GK 08/07

2010 Weingut Knipser Spatburgunder Kirschgarten GG 16 + (

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Rheinfalz, Germany: 13.5%; $ – [ cork 50mm; a €28= $NZ45 wine; RS 0.8 g/L; www.weingut-knipser.de ]
Light and older pinot noir ruby, more what spatburgunder used to be, the second-lightest of the German wines, so not on the New Zealand scale. This wine has that frail pinot aroma that used to characterise spatburgunder, more red currants at best but here older, nicely matched on bouquet by older oak. Palate is delicate to a fault, fading strawberry and redcurrant, a trace of leaf, seemingly not bone dry [ but it is ], but as with all these German pinots, still good dry extract. So it is not weak in terms of body, just in flavour. Be good with light foods though. Noteworthy that in a community where wine is a long-established part of life, this 2010 vintage is still 'current', ie on sale. The contrast with the New Zealand obsession for drinking wines before they have even come together, let alone gained a hint of maturity, could not be more vital, given a wine as light as this. Delightfully easy drinking. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 11/15

2003 Ch Lagrange 16 + (

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St Julien Third Growth, Bordeaux, France: 13%; $55 [ cork; CS 65%, Me 28, PV 7, average age 30 years, planted @ 7500 – 8500 vines / ha; hand-sorting, 15 – 25 days cuvaison in s/s depending on season; 20 months in 60% new oak; Parker: ... the full-bodied, fleshy, succulently styled 2003 Lagrange is more accessible than most Northern Medocs ... low acidity, silky tannin, and loads of chocolatey black currant and cherry fruit as well as nicely integrated, toasty oak … 91; Robinson: ... very sweet - almost like a New World Cabernet - with the same green topnote. Very alcoholic and, just, out of balance. Not refreshing enough … charming, but a bit skinny overall. 16; www.chateau-lagrange.com ]
Ruby and velvet, one of the fresher colours, though below midway in depth. Initial bouquet is attractive, with red berry and plum, plus toasty oak in the modern style. Palate however is strange, distinctly green with unresolved malolactic flavours. Another physiologically unripe wine, despite the hot season, not promising. Cellar 5 – 12 years, if the style appeals. GK 07/06

1978 Ch Leoville Barton 16 + (

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Saint Julien Second Growth, Bordeaux, France: – %; $201 [ cork; original price $23.50; cepage then approx. CS 72%, Me 20, CF 8, planted at 9,000 vines / ha; 20 months in barrel, 50% new; Wine Spectator vintage rating for the year, 87, Structured, fleshy and complex; Broadbent 2002: Frankly disappointing … worrying acidity … hard tannic edge, **; Coates, 2000: Classy nose. More fruit than I expected. Quite round. Medium body. A little dryness at the end. But ripe and pleasant and with the usual Barton elegance. Not great but very good plus. No lack of charm, 16.5; R. Parker, 1993: A moderately intense, herbaceous, cedary, smoky, earthy nose is followed by a medium-bodied wine with sweet fruit, adequate acidity, and light tannins in the finish. This wine is ready to be consumed. Drink it over the next 5-6 years, 85; www.leoville-barton.com ]
Ruby and garnet, the lightest wine. This wine smells quite different to the field, a reminder of much New Zealand cabernet sauvignon 20 and 30 years ago, very fragrant but the volume partly due to a touch of methoxypyrazine, bespeaking insufficiently ripened fruit. Behind that is red rather than darker plums all well-browning now, cedary oak made more noticeable by the edgy effect methoxypyrazines have on the aroma, and a hint of brett. Palate shows good fruit richness, but yes, a clear stalky under-ripe streak right through the wine, and all a little acid and oaky. Like the Pontet-Canet, this wine passed almost unnoticed by the group, neither impressing or offending. It is fully mature / starting to fade, and best finished up. GK 10/18

nv [ Montana ] Lindauer 25 Years Anniversary Label 16 + (

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Marlborough, Hawkes Bay & Gisborne, New Zealand: 12%; $12 [ cork; PN, Ch, CB; c. 15 month en tirage; dosage 12 g/L; www.montanawines.com ]
Palest straw, a bit much bubble. Bouquet is just a fraction off-centre, more a crushed wine-biscuit aroma than baguette crust autolysis, but all fresh and pure. On palate pinot noir seems the dominant grape, on lightly autolysed flavours, and fruit not offering the same mouthfeel as the (better of the) more expensive bubblies in the Montana / Deutz stable. But to sell this wine at the price they do, the cropping rate must be higher than the more highly-rated wines. Nonetheless, it is surprisingly in style, and like the Reserve versions, is I suspect drier than standard Lindauer was five years ago. It finishes crisply but a little unfocussed – for example, one could not say there is lingering autolysis. How a wine of this quality can be retailed (at times) down to $8 occasionally $7, is beyond me. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 12/06

2008 [ Pernod-Ricard ] Montana Riesling Reserve Waipara 16 + (

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Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 11.5%; $22 [ screwcap; machine-harvested; cool fermentation in s/s; pH 3.15, RS 11.5 g/L; background on www.montana.co.nz, leads to detail @; www.pernod-ricard-nz.com//tastingnotes.php? ]
Pale lemongreen. Bouquet is pure but tending anonymous – I thought it was an un-oaked chardonnay in the blind tasting. Once the wine is in mouth, it comes into focus a little more. This too has some muller-thurgau reminders about it, palest freesia florals in slightly acid fruit without much body or flavour, yet recognisably pale riesling a little more than 'riesling dry' in sweetness. Will be more interesting in a year, but I doubt it has the concentration to blossom in bottle. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 04/09

2008 [ Pernod-Ricard ] Montana Sauvignon Blanc [ standard ] 16 + (

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Wairau & Awatere Valleys, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $17 [ screwcap; vines up to 20 years age, machine-harvested; a few hours skin-contact for some of the fruit, cool fermentation on low-solids all in s/s; pH 3.20, RS 4 g/L; background on www.montana.co.nz, leads to detail @; www.pernod-ricard-nz.com//tastingnotes.php? ]
Pale lemon. Bouquet is modest, no faults, just straightforward sauvignon blanc with trace armpit complexity, recognisably varietal. It has more to say in mouth, clearly sauvignon ripened to yellow and red levels of capsicum, some black passionfruit, all a straightforward stainless steel Marlborough example of the grape at a commercial level. Hard to get excited about, just reliable as always. It is only fair to note though, that with the introduction of Reserve and other label wines within the house of Pernod-Ricard, the standard wine does not now reach the heights of some years in earlier days, when there was just the one Marlborough Sauvignon label. But on that note, the firm is excited that this 2008 is their 30th vintage of Montana Sauvignon Blanc. The first 1979 wine had a technical fault (not acknowledged at the time), and was not one to create any impact, but the 1980 was sensational, and foretold a revolution. Montana deserve most of the credit for achieving the only truly new winestyle the world has achieved since the war, though Cloudy Bay actually garner most of the glamour. Cellar this standard Montana for a year or two. GK 04/09

1975 Ch Moulinet 16 + (

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Pomerol, Bordeaux, France: – %; $ – [ cork 52mm; Me 60%, CS 30, CF 10; a modest but clean wine, in Parker's estimation, at best perfumed, lightly fruity and elegant, but often less; no notes found. Included to have a merlot-dominant wine ]
Garnet and ruby, the oldest of these bordeaux, just below midway in depth. Bouquet lacks the aromatic berry / cassis of the high cabernet wines, naturally, so therefore appears tending-leathery, as the plummy merlot browns. By the same token, acid is lower, and mouth-feel is the best of these minor bordeaux, rounder than the La Tour Carnet. An attractive very small-scale Pomerol, at full maturity for those who like old wine. GK 04/15

2007 Dom. N. Potel Meursault Vieilles Vignes 16 + (

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Meursault, Cote de Beaune, Burgundy, France: 14%; $80 [ cork; hand-harvested from vines growing on calcareous SPMs at 300 ± 50 m; 24 hour cold-settling; BF and MLF followed by LA in French oak 100% new for 10 months; some time in s/s including assemblage; www.nicolas-potel.fr ]
Lemonstraw. Bouquet is varietal, quite rich, but tending rank, oaky and MLF-y, as if some imperfectly ripe fruit. Palate confirms these impressions, the wine reasonably rich but the fruit / MLF / barrel components unintegrated, with an almost sour oaky thought. Meursault should be so much 'sweeter' (though dry) and mealy / nuttier than this, at four years of age. Only on the late aftertaste is there a pleasant mealy suggestion. Fruit richness helps this component. Cellar 2 – 6 years, hopefully to marry up. GK 07/11

1970 Ch Pape-Clement 16 + (

)

Pessac-Leognan, northern Graves, France: – %; $ – [ cork; CS 55%, Me 40, CF and PV 5; 30 ha, 13,000 cases red, 900 white. Peppercorn 1998 notes this chateau has the longest continuous history of any in Bordeaux, being first planted in 1300. I have had lesser luck with it, but he goes on to say: The wines have a marvellous bouquet, intense with overtones of tobacco … a supple rich texture. Broadbent likewise says of the 1970: I always expect a lot from this stylish red Graves. It has a sweet almost caramelly nose, dryish, quite nicely constituted but uneven development. Till 1995. ***(*) Parker 1984: While the 1970 was impressive when young, like many vintages of Pape-Clement made during the seventies it has not stood the test of time. Now becoming loosely knit and losing some fruit, this medium-bodied, very soft and supple wine has a classy, earthy, cedary, spicy bouquet, and good flavors, fading quickly in the glass. Anticipated maturity: Now. 84; www.pape-clement.com ]
Lighter garnet and ruby, towards the light end. Bouquet is short and clearly chaptalised, lacking berry definition, but fragrant in a leathery old-fashioned light claret style. Palate follows exactly, a bit of varnish as of older oak predominantly, reasonable 'fruit' and balance for its age, acid showing slightly, very dry, fading now. Finish up. GK 03/10

1999 Domaine du Pegau Chateauneuf-du-Pape 16 + (

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Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Southern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $129 [ cork 44mm, ullage 20mm; original price c.$65; Gr 80 – 85%, Sy 9, Mv 6 and trace Ci, Co; whole bunches retained; c.90% of the wine raised in foudre, 10% in older barrels, for 18 – 24 months depending on vintage; low sulphurs, not fined or filtered – accordingly Pegau more than some Chateauneufs has a reputation for brett, but note the wine-searcher current value does not penalise it for that ... a moral there for the technocrats; production c.6,000 x 9-litre cases; J. Dunnuck @ R. Parker, 2014: From a vintage that flies under the radar, the 1999 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Reserve is a beauty that’s drinking at point today. Pepper, garrigue, saddle leather and spice all show here. This is a textbook Pegau to drink over the coming 4-5 years. To 2019, 92; R. Parker, 2001: A powerful, concentrated 1999 Chateauneuf du Pape … bouquet of pepper, garrigue, black fruits, and earth. Full-bodied and expansive, with sweet tannin giving it a more open-knit, accessible style than most young vintages of Pegau, this is a wine to drink while waiting for the 1998 and 1995 to become fully mature. To 2014, 92; www.pegau.com ]
Garnet, ruby and some velvet, midway in depth. At the tasting, the wine was a little impaired by light TCA. I had failed to notice and exclude it at the decanting stage:. As is so often the case, a little air brings up any latent TCA taint. Eight tasters noticed. The wine itself is fragrant in an old-fashioned quite dark fruits way, just light brett (low for Pegau) noticed by only one taster (so less than the Clos des Papes). Palate is rich, dark fruits again and quite tanniny, though there is no new oak. Though rich, there is a certain austerity, too. The wine is fully mature, but will hold for some years. It would be pretty good with an old-fashioned roast beef dinner: a better bottle would score a little higher. No votes for favoured places, but seven least votes. GK 10/19

1998 Ch Pesquie Cotes du Ventoux Cuvée des Terrasses Reservée Non-Filtré 16 + (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $18 [ cork; original price; usually c. Gr 70%, Sy 30, all de-stemmed; cuvaison to 15 days, elevation includes c.35% of the wine in small wood two or three years old for some months, balance in old wood and tank; Parker 8/00: Wow! What a terrific bargain! [this year] 60% Grenache and 40% Syrah, from one of the over-achieving, small estates in the Cotes du Ventoux (15 kilometers from Gigondas) ... not complex ... gorgeous levels of blackberry and cherry fruit, an unctuous texture, good fatness, and juicy thickness ... no hard edges. 90; www.chateaupesquie.com ]
Ruby, garnet and velvet, above midway in depth. On bouquet, this is immediately a more chunky wine, a greater percentage of over-ripe syrah dominating the aromas, suggestions of blackberry rather than grenache red notes. Palate is juicy and rich, not complex (uncanny agreement with Parker here), more Australian in style with clear new oak. Some grenache spice comes in on the finish, and it all lingers well in mouth. A more hearty / barbecue wine in this company. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 04/12

2016 Ch Pesquie Ventoux Terrasses 16 + (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $24 [ cork 45 mm, Gr 60%, Sy 40; all de-stemmed, cuvaison c. 15 days; elevation in concrete vat, plus some large oak; available from Maison Vauron, Auckland, and retailers supplied by them; weight bottle and cork, 582 g; www.chateaupesquie.com ]
Good fresh ruby, below midway in depth. Bouquet is a bit old-fashioned on this one, the wine benefiting from double decanting, but still showing a rustic character. There is good rich brambly berry, another wine suggesting warm-climate syrah is becoming more prominent in these affordable Southern Rhone reds. Palate adds trace brett to plummy and blackberry flavours, with some older oak tannins. This is a quite rich, but more hearty / rougher and gamey kind of Cotes du Rhone style, which will soften in cellar, 5 – 15 + years. GK 05/19

1966 Ch Pontet-Canet 16 + (

)

Pauillac Fifth Growth, Bordeaux, France: – %; $151 [ 53mm cork; indicative cepage some years later: CS 68%, Me 20, CF 12; Broadbent 1980 on the vintage, see above for the Mouton Baron Philippe; Broadbent on this wine: Ripe, stylish ****; Robinson, nil; Parker, 1990: The 1966 Pontet-Canet is a lean styled, tight, hard wine that to this day remains firm and closed. It is also beginning to lose its fruit. The wine is moderately ruby, with some amber, a restrained, cedary, black currant bouquet, and an austere, astringent finish. Anticipated maturity: Now. 77; www.pontet-canet.com ]
Garnet and ruby, midway in depth. This wine scarcely changes, over the years. Bouquet retains the slightly clogged / locked-up quality it has had right from first tasting in 1971, presumably reflecting a lack of both new oak and careful barrel maintenance, under the previous more-quantitative Cruse regime. Actual richness is quite good, and that impression continues into the taste. Perceived ripeness is excellent for the year – if only the richness of flavour were not let down by hard and coarse tannins from the oak, plus some suggestions of brett. But at 50 years, you can hardly complain about brett, when the physical fruit remains so good. Nett impression is of a sturdy plain charmless wine, yet clearly quality bordeaux – if that is not a contradiction in terms. Fully mature now, and on the downward slope. Nonetheless, three people rated it their top or second wine, and it was clearly seen as French. GK 10/16

2010 [ Peregrine ] Saddleback Pinot Noir 16 + (

)

Bendigo area 65%, Gibbston Valley 30%, Pisa district 5%, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $26 [ screwcap; 100% de-stemmed; 10 months in French oak c.20% new; not entered in Shows; www.peregrinewines.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, well above midway in depth. Bouquet has a hint of mint in a negative sense, a bit hard, where one is looking for soft florality. Below are red fruits and perhaps a floral component. Palate is lesser, mainly red cherry, a little black, but a stalky / phenolic note creeping in, fair richness. More a second wine, needs time, cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 10/12

2006 [ Matua ] Shingle Peak Riesling 16 + (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 12.5%; $21 [ screwcap; machine-harvested; cold-settled, cool-fermented in s/s; pH 3.0, RS 3.6 g/L; www.matua.co.nz ]
Lemon. Bouquet is clean and aromatic, but in the blind tasting first thoughts are something like verdelho – almost overtly simple-fruity, hints of melon. Palate is more like commercial Australian dry riesling, vaguely grapefruit, some resiny varietal terpenes, a little phenolic, nearly dry finish. This is straightforward quite flavoursome wine, which will cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 04/09

1995 Domaine de Vogue Musigny Vieilles Vignes Grand Cru 16 + (

)

Chambolle-Musigny, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 13%; $950 [ 48mm cork; a 4-star vintage for Broadbent, a small crop of small berries with thick skins gave supple round wines with firm tannins and good cellaring prospects; detail available is sparse, de Vogue owns nearly three-quarters of Musigny, there are 900 cases of this wine; average vine age this label is 40 years; new oak use is restrained, typically 35% for grands crus such as this; Jasper Morris asks of this label (in general): how can such density of flavour be achieved without any feeling of heaviness? It is rarely a black-fruit wine, but it unquestionably reaches the heights of grandeur; Robinson has not had our year of the wine, but those she has stimulated her to much higher scores than her normal, 18s and 19s; Rovani in Parker, 1997: One of the greatest wines of the vintage, Vogue's Musigny Vieilles Vignes, reminded me of Chateau Margaux at its best: an iron fist in a velvet glove. How anything can be this massive, powerful, and robust and yet be strikingly elegant and refined. Possessing ... an amazingly spicy, floral (roses) and black fruit-filled nose, this stupendous Burgundy has a thick, almost viscous, velvety texture, with copious quantities of fat, chewy, red berries. Surprisingly, the fruit almost tastes stewed yet is perfectly and clearly delineated. Complex, intensely deep and buttressed with huge but ripe tannins, this wine should be at its plateau of maturity between 2006 and 2016, 93 – 96; no website found ]
Ruby and velvet, scarcely any garnet, clearly the deepest, richest and youngest wine in the set. But on bouquet, unbreathed, what a disappointment. In the simplest terms this wine was intended as the piece de résistance of the tasting, the Vieilles Vignes having a stellar reputation. On opening, the apparently oversize cork showed no sign of leakage, and wine penetration was less than 5 mm, outstanding for its age. Yet the wine smelt brown, heavy, and oxidised. Flavour was another matter, the wine being immensely rich, velvety, darkly plummy more than cherry, huge, yet still in style texture-wise for pinot noir. But there were these oxo cubes bespeaking oxidation on palate as well. Dismay, for a multi-hundred-dollar bottle. Eighteen hours later it had to a degree, but nothing like the Drouhin, dissipated some of its oxidative smells and flavours. It is immensely impressive pinot noir wine in terms of weight. But there are still no flowers, and little positive aroma or beauty. Even as chateauneuf-du-pape it would be rich but not beautiful. So it is not clear if the dilemma is this bottle, or a transatlantic translation one, whereby American palates favouring rich wines see this winestyle favourably, and European palates seeking beauty, florality and varietal precision more than size are not so enchanted. I have no other reviews for this wine. Score has to acknowledge the magnificent palate weight and texture, with the benefit of 18 hours ventilation. It will cellar for many years. Much the least-favoured wine on the night, and with the benefit of later re-examination over a day or two, that seemed the correct impression for this bottle. GK 10/14

2005 Chapoutier Hermitage Blanc l'Orée 16 (

)

Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $277 [ cork; Ma 100% 60 – 70 years age, from les Murets on alluvium; hand-harvested "at advanced maturity"; cold-settled, MLF assumed; 50% barrel fermented and aged in French oak 10 – 12 months; www.chapoutier.com ]
Colour is full straw with a flush of orange. And the bouquet matches, clearly showing oxidative characters, and further dulled by high-solids fermentation odours. Beyond these distracting details, there are rich mealy to biscuitty lees-autolysis and barrel characters. Palate is richly mealy grading to nutty, with dried peach flavours, good texture, too spirity, very dry, some minerality, a hint of pale sherry picking up the oxidative characters. This wine probably has the lowest total sulphur of the three, and is the most oxidised through bouquet and palate – standard clumsy grand cru white Hermitage. Commentators assert these wines take on a second life after 10 years or so in cellar, but where romance and fact coincide is hard to say. For this wine in particular, a pretty dubious cellar prospect, I would say. GK 07/08

2008 Kennedy Point Chardonnay Cuvée Eve 16 (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 12.5%; $32 [ screwcap; hand-harvested @ c.1.2 t/ac, 100% BF and MLF in French oak 30% new, 12 months LA in barrel; RS 1 g/L; 50 cases; ‘Aromas of ripe pear and melon, and a full fruit driven palate that has great balance and a long toasty finish.’; www.kennedypointvineyard.com ]
Straw. Bouquet is unusual, with a presumably oak and autolysis-derived weetbix / Vogel’s Wholegrain character initially obscuring the variety. In mouth, the taste and texture tend to yellow-fruited chardonnay, but there is a lot of oak and not quite the fruit to carry it. Aftertaste lets the wine down, with acid and oak showing, and a suggestion of undesired wild yeasts. Short-term cellar might be better. GK 06/09

2006 Jurassic Ridge Cabernet Franc 16 (

)

Western Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14.6%; $29 [ supercritical ‘cork’; DFB; CF 100%, hand-harvested; 3 weeks cuvaison; 12 months in French oak 50% new; RS < 1 g/L; sold out; 133 cases, WWA Certified; ‘Medium body with smooth tannins and varietal characteristics of raspberry fruit, violets and dark chocolate. WWA Certified. Library sample only – vintage SOLD OUT.’; www.waihekewine.co.nz/TheVineyards/VineyardLinks/JurassicRidge.aspx ]
Ruby. Initially opened, this wine has a friar’s balsam-like taint to excess, but it breathes off somewhat if splashily decanted. Bouquet then inclines to an Italian maceration carbonique style, showing red fruits and making one think of valpolicella (but with oak). Palate is light and fresh, red currants and some raspberries beautifully varietal (under the taint), but a little acid and short even though not quite bone dry. Cabernet franc is a variety we need to respect much more in New Zealand, particularly in Hawkes Bay, so it is great to see this varietal bottling of it. It would be great to have more single-variety and not over-oaked examples of it, but this one is a bit off-target. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/09

2007 Riverby Estate Pinot Noir Single Vineyard 16 (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $ – [ screwcap; hand-picked from vines up to 11 years age, typically at 6 t/ha = 2.4 t/ac; all destemmed; 11-12 months in French oak, 25-30% new; RS nil; www.riverbyestate.com ]
Lightish pinot noir ruby and garnet, the first wine in the fourth quarter for depth of colour. Bouquet has the characteristic leafy edge to the buddleia florals which so many wines from the floor of the Wairau Valley show. Red cherry fruit is browning now, all lightly oaked. Palate retains good fruit and a mature flavour, the fruit sweetness suggesting a fairly serious cropping rate, but there is a gram or two residual as well. It is a little leafier than the 2010. Fully mature, but will hold a year or two yet. GK 06/17

2004 Lewis Cellars Syrah Hudson (Carneros) Vineyard 16 (

)

Carneros district, Napa Valley, USA: 14.7%; $ – [ cork, 50mm; release price $US55; Lewis Cellars is a highly-regarded Napa Valley winemaker, and the Hudson Vineyard in the Carneros (ie cooler end of the Napa Valley) was formerly famous for pinot noir and chardonnay. Its owner is regarded as ‘fanatical’ in his desire to produce perfect grapes. This wine was a 100-case batch, Lewis’s first syrah from Carneros, released in Aug. 2006. At release James Laube of Wine Spectator reviewed the wine (presumably in an article, but it is now lost to the website database): Perfumed floral and lavender scents turn firm, tight and rustic on the palate, with layers of wild, exotic berry, spice, leather and pepper folding in. Rustic and chewy, the tannins are formidable yet ripe (no score given); The winery does not own vineyards, but contracts growers to produce specified fruit for them. They have been producing since 1992; wine supplied courtesy Mark Blake, when he was establishing his Blake Family Vineyard in Hawkes Bay; bottle weight dry 900 grams; www.lewiscellars.com ]
Ruby and velvet, very dense and dark, older than the Washington wine, much the deepest wine. Bouquet is simply hugely over-ripe non-varietal yet fruity wine, smelling of molasses and licorice and moist / steamed date and muscatel pudding. It is lifted by high alcohol and oak, but this is a massively hot-climate wine – from a district described by Californian wine people as ‘cool climate’. Flavour is better than bouquet, very rich fruit, some moist prune and coffee flavours with even darkest bottled plums hiding below. Nett flavours are reminiscent of black forest gateau, the blackest cherries in the world, saturated with chocolate. Oak is in good balance to the fruit, the whole lifted by high alcohol, but it is hard to imagine main course foods suited to such a thick ‘black’ winestyle. Interesting as red wine, but a long way from syrah varietal expression or quality. Bigger is not better, in international wine quality terms, for those to whom the Northern Rhone Valley is the yardstick in syrah expression. The finish is intriguing, though, not too obviously acid-adjusted, and seemingly dry. Cellar 10 – 20 years, but will it lighten up ? GK 03/18

2014 Jerome Quiot Vacqueyras 16 (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $30 [ cork, 50mm; not a lot of info, Gr dominant, Sy and Mv, hand-harvested, fermented in concrete; 3 weeks cuvaison; some of the wine in big old oak 12 – 18 months; Livingstone-Learmonth, 2016: The nose combines mulberry, big red berry fruit, with cooked plums, has a tidy curve of sweetness. The palate offers also sweet-notes, fluid raspberry fruit flavours, with calm tannins in step, a small note of final freshness and a little cassis. This doesn’t reach for the sky, but is trim and orderly, ***½; www.famillequiot.com ]
Ruby, the second lightest wine. Bouquet is simple raspberries, but complexed attractively with garrigue aromatics. Palate could scarcely be more definitive raspberry grenache, with an intriguing tannin backbone giving surprising length to the light flavour. Big old wood is so much more benign than big old concrete. In its purity of grenache flavours, there are reminders of Peter Lehmann grenache too, but the Cotes du Rhone version has more complexity. Cellar 3 – 10 years. Two tasters rated this their second-favourite wine. GK 04/18

2006 Matariki Sangiovese 16 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $30 [ screwcap; Sa 86%, CS 14, de-stemmed; inoculated fermentation; MLF and 18 months in French oak 70% new; Catalogue: Vibrant bouquet of red berries, spice and dried fruits. A delicious Sangiovese showing typical ‘Chianti’ characters of cranberries, plums and chocolate. The palate is full and concentrated with great structure and a fresh and lively finish; www.matarikiwines.co.nz ]
Ruby, pinot noir weight. Bouquet is clean, fragrant, tending oaky, but once the wine is no longer blind, it sits fairly happily in the more traditional light-hued chianti class, attractively aromatic. Palate too is varietal in a light tending stalky way, though the oak is excessive for the weight of fruit. Sangiovese varietal character has not been compromised by the cabernet sauvignon addition, surprisingly. Be good to see how this variety looks in New Zealand with more ripeness and concentration, and less new oak. Cellar 2 – 4 years. GK 07/09

1986 Cooks Chardonnay Hawkes Bay Winemakers Reserve 16 (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.2%; $ – [ cork, 44mm; original price $18; 8 months in French and American small wood, some new; this wine leapt into prominence with the 1980 – 1983 offerings, which won multiple gold medals – and when last tasted were still in pretty good order, no MLF then; company no longer exists ]
Old gold, the deepest wine. On opening the 16 wines, my first thought was to leave this out, on colour alone. But as I smelt and tasted it, and remembered the overt American oak of its youth, and the off-dry finish that so seduced wine judges of the day, I kept it in. Like the herbaceous chardonnays, it is a vital part of / link in our chardonnay history. And despite the colour, tasters found positive ways of interpreting the wine. The neatest word-picture presented was: dry sauternes. Which given the botrytis issues of the 80s, with much less sophisticated canopy management than now, coupled with the trace residual, summed up the wine nicely. It still has the richness to smooth out the oak, and be surprisingly palatable. And it is ripe. The softness of the vanilla-laden American oak appealed in one sense, but the wine seemed less ‘sophisticated ‘ than the Vidal Reserve. One top vote, and four rating it their second-favourite wine. GK 09/15

2008 Man O' War Syrah Dreadnought 16 (

)

Eastern Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14%; $46 [ screwcap; Sy 100%, hand-harvested from hillsides sites @ c. 1.5 t/ac, 100% de-stemmed, 3 days ambient-soak, wild yeast supplemented by cultured, up to 21 days cuvaison; MLF and 15 months in barrel, French oak 15% new, American 5% new, balance older and mostly French; dry; sterile-filtered to bottle; www.manowarvineyards.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, quite rich. Bouquet too is rich and winey in an old-fashioned Chateauneuf-du-Pape sense. I have already said that marking is permissive in this set of reviews, but when in a rigorously blind tasting of cabernet blends and syrahs a wine smells primarily of smoked fish and bacon, even I, tolerant of brett, am inclined to call a halt. Sad, because there is lovely cassis-quality syrah fruit below. In this tasting at the blind stage I scored this wine lower than my last encounter with it in the January Syrah Symposium, but for once will consciously reapply the Symposium score. As noted previously, this wine is sterile-filtered, so if you like its spectrum of savoury smells and flavours and its undoubted richness, it will be stable in bottle. Again, the "overseas" awards are noted. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 06/10

2005 Taylors Cabernet / Shiraz / Merlot Eighty Acres 16 (

)

Clare Valley, South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $18 [ screwcap; Eighty Acres designed as a ‘juicy down-to-earth’ range of wines; dawn harvest; 100% de-stemmed; all s/s fermentation; MLF and 12 months in US oak 10% new; RS not given; www.taylorswines.com.au/WebsiteAdditions/EightyAcresPopup.htm ]
Ruby and velvet, denser and older than the Shiraz / Viognier. Freshly opened the wine is dominated by charry oak, unattractively so, nearly acrid. With air, it opens up to a rich juicy non-varietal coffee-tainted wine, but the acrid oak kicks in on the aftertaste. This is pretty burly (and bretty) stuff, hard to drink more than a glass of, I would think. Cellar 5 – 15 years, to lose some tannins, hopefully. GK 10/07

1986 Simi Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 16 (

)

Alexander Valley, California: – %; $95 [ Cork, 49 mm; well-regarded in the era, but no info on winemaking; Wine Spectator, 1996: Supple and harmonious, this wine is drinking well now – the tannins are softening and the core of herb, currant and berry flavor is developing complexity and finesse. Avoids the drying tannins of many from this vintage. 1,800 cases made: 91; R Parker, 1996: This wine is maturing gracefully. Although still a young Cabernet, it offers gorgeously complex scents of tobacco, cassis, and smoke. Medium to full-bodied, with beautifully integrated tannin and acidity, this concentrated, velvety-textured, expansive, chewy Cabernet reveals no hard edges, and a long, smooth finish. … well-balanced … cellar 12-20 years: 91; bottle weight 572 g; www.simiwinery.com ]
Garnet and ruby. One sniff … and this wine is out of line for the Bordeaux blends theme of the tasting. Bouquet is baked, hot climate cabernet over-ripened beyond any concept of cassis, blackberry or plums, more raisins and beef extract, yet with an odd dried herbs / spicy note, in a 'fruity' setting. Flavour is soft, ripe, rich, round and furry, ample gentle tannins, a perfectly pleasant hot-climate wine style, but one totally lacking the magic and challenge that better cabernet / merlot blends from the Napa Valley can achieve, in tastings of this kind. So, a disappointment, in this context. Curiously, most thought it from New Zealand. Fully mature to fading now, best finished up. GK 08/16

2014 Riverby Estate Pinot Noir Single Vineyard 16 (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $ – [ screwcap; hand-picked from vines up to 18 years age, typically at 6 t/ha = 2.4 t/ac; all destemmed; 11-12 months in French oak, 25-30% new; RS nil; not yet released; www.riverbyestate.com ]
Light pinot noir ruby, the third to lightest wine of the fourth (lightest) quarter. Bouquet is youthful, pure, light at this stage but with the promise of light buddleia / lilac florals to come, on all red fruits, redcurrant and pomegranate grading to red cherry. Palate is a little cooler, but nearly avoids the green tinge in the earlier vintages of this label. It does not seem ideally concentrated to taste, but analysis shows it is in fact one of the richer ones. It should therefore score more highly by the time it is released. Cellar 2 – 6 years, to soften. GK 06/17

2002 Babich Syrah Winemaker’s Reserve 16 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $25 [ cork; pumping-over, 22 days cuvaison, 12 months in US and French oak; www.babichwines.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet. This wine too is tending reductive on bouquet, obscuring what one suspects is fair varietal berry fruit. Palate however is austere also, and the reductive streak persists right through the reasonably berried and plummy fruit to the aftertaste, veiling aromatics and subtleties within it. A bit too reductive to be a good cellaring prospect, for the wine doesn't breathe up very much with air. It will nonetheless be better in several years, and keep for longer. GK 06/05

2008 Riverby Estate Pinot Noir Single Vineyard 16 (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $ – [ screwcap; hand-picked from vines up to 12 years age, typically at 6 t/ha = 2.4 t/ac; all destemmed; 11 – 12 months in French oak, 25 – 30% new; RS nil; www.riverbyestate.com ]
Older pinot noir ruby, in the third quarter for depth. Bouquet is fragrant but in a leafy way, the under-ripe notes curtailing light buddleia florals. Fruit analogies are redcurrants grading to pale red cherries, all browning somewhat now. Like the 2007, the palate retains surprisingly good fruit, the flavours akin to the bouquet, the fruit sweetness making you wonder if there are a couple of grams residual. These green-edged pinots do not score well as varietal wines, but nonetheless they work quite well with lighter foods. Fully mature, again will hold a year or two. GK 06/17

2005 Henschke Pinot Gris Innes Vineyard 16 (

)

Littlehampton, Adelaide Hills, South Australia, Australia: 14.2%; $43 [ screwcap; rainfall around 500m; no RS on website; Halliday rates Adelaide Hills 8 /10 for whites in 2005; www.henschke.com.au ]
Copper-flushed straw, not inappropriate for the variety. This wine doesn’t open well, with some heavy undertones detracting from rosepetal and nougat varietal characters. In mouth the palate expands to over-ripe strawberry and old bottled nectarines flavours, with the phenolics the variety is noted for coarsening the finish. That is offset by noticeable residual sweetness. The whole thing ends up as a strongly flavoured but coarse example of the variety. Nonetheless to achieve this degree of varietal character in the Australian climate is noteworthy in itself. More a food wine, but wearying to drink, and expensive for what you get. Cellar a year or two. GK 02/08

2007 Delas Cote Rotie Seigneur de Maugiron 16 (

)

Cote Rotie AOC, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $93 [ cork; Sy 100%; www.delas.com ]
Ruby and velvet, both deeper and older than the Hermitage. Initially poured, this wine is simply ugly, an unfortunate crucifying of the beauty of syrah, and the tradition of Cote Rotie, on the altar of the new world obsession with new oak. The defining florality of true syrah is completely lost, and indeed the specifics of berry fruit character are hard to make out too. It is best vigorously decanted several times, and left for a few hours to breathe, so that some of the aggression of pure oak dissipates. Gradually some cassisy fruit appears, in a wine of greater ripeness and concentration than the Hermitage, though the acid is noticeable here too, and is aggravated by the oak. When I reflect on the attractively varietal medium-weight berry-dominant wines from this house in the 1980s, and notably the 1985, which is still a lovely old wine today, it is sad to find the company has gone backwards in the meantime, despite new ownership. Cellar 5 – 12 years, in its oaky modern style. GK 07/10

2007 Montana Pinot Noir Terraces 'T' 16 (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $33 [ screwcap – Stelvin Lux; 4 clones of pinot grown on the older and hence higher-clay soils on Brancott Valley terraces; 100% de-stemmed, 5 days cold-soak; MLF and 10 months in French oak 39% new, balance 1 and 2 years; this label seen as the Co's flagship pinot; www.montana.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, very deep for pinot noir, as if the fruit had undergone saignée. And bouquet follows, tending heavy for pinot noir yet not faulty, just sur-maturité and over-extraction, producing a wine confuseable both with some merlots and some brett-free montepulcianos. In other words, it is soft, rich, plummy more than cherry, a fair aroma but not really floral. As such it is an attractive round rich red, and will be 'popular'. The score here is for varietal character, however. Certainly an intriguing wine from Marlborough, with no leafyness at all. Removing leafyness from pinots by over-ripening introduces other deficiencies, however. The international concept of pinot is rather narrow, and hence the great challenge lies in finding sites that optimise the grape's beauty. Cellar 5 – 12 years, in its style. GK 03/09

2012 Thornbury Pinot Noir 16 (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $27 [ screwcap; some whole-bunch, 10 months in French oak 40% new; minimal filtration; a Villa Maria group label; www.thornbury.co.nz ]
Big pinot noir ruby, some age showing, in the darkest quarter. Initially opened, this wine has an odd smoked fish note. It needs decanting, whereupon it opens up considerably. This wine does show the qualities people like to characterise all Central Otago wines by, namely fragrant ripe quite big plummy even fleshy fruit on both bouquet and palate. Flavour is indeed long and fleshy, soft new oak in one sense yet at the same time all a bit tannic. Though plump, there are some ‘black’ fruit notes taking away some charm, and leaving a slight bitterness. Fully mature now, hold a year or two. In comparison with this example, some of the lighter wines are in fact more pretty and pinot noir varietal. GK 06/17

2018 Pyramid Valley Sauvignon Blanc Growers’ Collection 16 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $42 [ screwcap; BF in older 600s; beyond a production of 145 x 9-litre cases; the website is silent; www.pyramidvalley.co.nz ]
Lemongreen, below midway in depth in the mixed whites. This wine attempts the tight-rope walk between free-flowing beauty and sur-lie complexity, and falls off. There is fruit, it is recognisably sauvignon blanc, but the reduced sulphurs level is simply too high. Trendy me-too winewriters will try to tell you the wine is ‘mineral’ … but this is merely glib marketing-speak to anyone faintly sensitive to reduction in wine. Palate is somewhat better, the reduction now looking more like doughy (as in bread-before-baking, that is, still less than pleasant) yeasty complexity, good fruit, slightly more acid, and clearly richer and drier than the Whitehaven, with probably just a couple of grams residual. The English would like this. The price however shows a tenuous grasp on reality, having regard to the variety, the market, and the wine-making achievement. Doubtfully cellar 5 – 10 years, maybe longer. GK 06/19

2003 Drouhin Pommard 16 (

)

Pommard, Cote de Beaune, Burgundy, France: 13%; $60 [ 48mm cork; hand-harvested, fermentation (some stalks) and cuvaison in both s/s and wooden vats 15 – 18 days; less than 18 months in mostly older barrels; the only review I can quickly find is my own, 2006: Good ruby, one of the lighter wines ... rose florals, and cherry and plum fruit but with little or no new oak, beautifully warm-year varietal. Palate is plump, velvety, the tannins not as obviously furry as lesser-ranked wines, but not quite as sensuous as the Clos de la Roche – presumably the latter has more new oak. This wine gives a marvellous taste of both the vintage and the subtle Drouhin style, at a good price. Cellar 5 – 20 years, 18; www.drouhin.com ]
Good mature pinot noir ruby, almost identical to the Target Gully, the second to lightest. Bouquet is fragrant, but (in this bottle at least) some oxidation and age rather more than florality or variety. In mouth it is better, absolutely straightforward Cote de Beaune at full maturity – disappointingly past full maturity, in truth – browning strawberry and redcurrant fruit, and distinctly furry oak as if all older. Burgundian yes, but no charm. Drink up. GK 11/13

nv Champagne Laurent-Perrier Brut LP 16 (

)

Tours sur Marne, Champagne, France: 12%; $99 [ laminated champagne cork; PN 35, PM 15, Ch 50%, may include up to 20% reserve wines spanning a couple of vintages; MLF throughout; viticulture tending organic; minimum 36 months en tirage; dosage 10 g/L; 362,000 cases; www.laurent-perrier.com ]
Bright pale lemon, but quite rich, so in the middle for depth of colour. Bouquet lacks interest in this company, being clean and empty like chenin blanc, showing virtually no autolysis complexity at all. Flavour is even more Loire Valley-like, slightly acid, hints of English gooseberries, pure as far as it as it goes but not the real thing at all. Cellar 5 – 12 years, to hopefully gain a semblance of complexity. Disappointing, even once one has made excuses for the high chardonnay percentage. GK 11/15

2005 Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc Taylor’s Pass Single Vineyard Reserve 16 (

)

Awatere Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14.5%; $25 [ screwcap; ‘small fraction’ BF; 2005 not on website, info for 2004 skimpy, but RS 3.5 g/L; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Palest lemongreen. A simpler kind of sauvignon in the present company, but clean and clearly varietal, showing mixed capsicums around the yellow capsicum point. Palate is clean, sound, a little phenolic and short on juicy fruit, and not helped by the alcohol. A more straightforward example of the variety, with alcohol excessive for the delicious palatability (at best) of the variety. In fact, a curious batch to offer as a Reserve wine. Cellar a year or two. GK 11/05

2007 Moana Park Cabernet Sauvignon Gimblett Gravels Vineyard Tribute 16 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $25 [ screwcap; CS, hand-harvested, de-stemmed; some cold-soak; foot-crushed; inoculated ferment; some MLF in barrel, French and American oak, some new; not filtered; Catalogue: lifted dark brooding notes reminiscent of Blackcurrants, Blackberry, Cassis and cedar. The palate is rich and full displaying earthy notes with leather and berry fruit, the mid palate tannins are supple and ripe, with the wine finishing tight, showing further cellaring will reward; Awards: 5 Stars, Winestate; www.moanapark.co.nz ]
Ruby. Bouquet is on the cool side for modern Hawkes Bay cabernet sauvignon interpretations (particularly in an excellent year like 2007), the first impression being a touch of methoxypyrazine and peppery cassis. There is some berryfruit and new oak too. Palate is time travel really, more the average of our cabernets in the 1980s, simply not enough ripeness in the vineyard. As such it is clean, fragrant, and well-made, in a style which still has some followers. It's just not the future. Changes in vineyard practice and cropping rate seem needed here. 5-stars is inexplicable. Cellar 3 – 8 years, in its style. GK 07/09

2006 The Hay Paddock Syrah 16 (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.5%; $65 [ supercritical ‘cork’; Sy 98%, PV 2, hand-picked first crop from third year vines @ c.1 t/ac, 100% de-stemmed; no cold soak, cultured yeast, 10 days cuvaison, MLF in tank; 15 months in French oak 75% new, balance third year; 300 cases, sterile filtered; WWA Certified, inaugural release; ‘From 3-yr old vines cropped at 500gms per vine and harvested at 24 Brix. 12 months in new French oak and bottled under Diam cork. Cellar aged for 2 yrs before release. Annual production limited to 300 cases and magnums with priority given to members of The Hay Paddock Syrah Society. Decanter World Wine Awards and IWSC 2008 Silver Medals - ‘Best in Class’.’; www.thehaypaddock.co.nz ]
Older ruby. Bouquet is that of a fragrant but prematurely-aged wine with some oxidised and leathery characters, reminiscent of 1960s Australia. In mouth there is reasonable fruit but less berry than the junior wine. Like it, total acid is up, and ripeness is lacking, the dominant flavour being browning red fruits and excess oak. A mistake I think to release a Reserve wine on such young vines. Will hold in cellar 2 – 5 years, but unlikely to improve. The Hay Paddock is an intriguing new venture dedicated essentially to one grape – syrah. The proprietors have great goals in view for this variety in New Zealand, as set out in their informative website. These initial two wines get them off to a somewhat shaky start, but it is worth noting that for many small wineries, the issue of securing clean older oak at start-up may be more difficult than one might suppose – perhaps even for industry stalwarts such as Chris Canning and Bryan Mogridge. Syrah like pinot noir does not benefit from too much new oak, notwithstanding the Guigal grand crus. It will be fun to watch these two build their dream. GK 06/09

2006 Wooing Tree Rosé 16 (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $20 [ screwcap; PN 100% hand-picked, on skins overnight; s/s ferment but 10% aged in barrel 1 month; RS 4.4 g/L ± 'dry'; www.wooingtree.co.nz ]
Youthful palest rosé, a bit lurid in hue. Bouquet is strong, an overly strawberry approach to the rosé style, with reddest rhubarb and blackboy peach characters too. In mouth there is plenty of berry flavour, but also a rank quality, which cries out for some moderating in oak [ website not seen at tasting stage ]. Finish is phenolic and acid, though not 'dry'. This doesn't gel for me, as pinot rosé, compared with the admirable 2006 Bald Hills Blanc de Pinot Noir from the same district. Might look better in two years – rosés cellar quite well, contrary to popular wisdom. Only fair to note the website reminds me this wine won a gold medal in the recent Easter Show. GK 03/07

2007 Cullen [ Cabernet / Merlot ] Diana Madeline 16 (

)

Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia: 14%; $125 [ screwcap; price is simple conversion from AU$99, but for tax reasons will probably be cheaper in NZ; CS 84%, Me 8, CF 4, PV 4, cropped at c.2 t/ac from vines 36 years old; 14 months in French oak 48% new; various Australian reviewers have rated this wine 94, 95, and 97, with prose to match; www.cullenwines.com.au ]
Ruby and velvet, old for age, midway in depth. Bouquet is hot-climate cabernet first and foremost, leathery browning cassis and almost a saline note, with some red fruits and a touch of leaf. Palate is tending shrill on acid, some aniseed and raisin flavours of over-ripe berries, some browning cassis, yet hard green-tinged notes too with even the Napa / University of California no-no, green bean suggestions. Total wine in mouth is quite rich and flavoursome, but oaky and far from harmonious. It is intriguing the Australians rate this highly, and consider it worth showing here. The British know more about the quality of our best Hawke's Bay and Waiheke reds, in an international context, I suspect, and certainly acknowledge them more. Cellar 5 – 15 years or more, in its ungainly style. GK 01/10

2017 Vina Aquitania Carmenere Reserva 16 (

)

Maipo Valley, Chile: 13.5%; $26 [ cork, 50mm; Ca 80 – 85%, grapes contract-grown, planted 1993, CS 15 – 20; minimal oak, all the wine 3 – 4 months in used barrels only; for New Zealand, significant to record that the Chileans consider carmenere requires a warmer site than cabernet sauvignon; www.aquitania.cl ]
Lurid carmine and ruby, some velvet. The colour is a worry, and the bouquet confirms it. The logic of importing a far too young and still fermentation-reductive example of an 'unknown' variety into New Zealand is beyond me. The answer I was given is, the previous vintage is sold out. Therefore if Glengarry wanted to proceed, they should put it all in warm / ambient storage for a year before release. Behind the reduction there is potentially fragrant darkly plummy fruit trying to be heard. Palate is (apart from the dulling and hardening reduction) clean, dry and reasonably rich, more merlot flavours than cabernet sauvignon, but selling this at $26 looks hard. There is nothing 'Reserva' about the quality of this wine. All of this is pretty sad, because carmenere is a variety we need to know more about in New Zealand. Cellar 5 – 15 years, noting Eduardo commented it is best before 10 years. Not so with this degree of reduction, I suggest. GK 09/18

2014 Jean-Michel Gerin Syrah La Champine Les Collines Rhodaniennes 16 (

)

Cote Rotie vicinity, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 12.5%; $28.50 [ cork 45mm; Sy 100%, cropped at 5.85 t/ha = 2.4 t/ac, on the upper slopes and dissected terrace surfaces above the Cote Rotie zone; includes young vines; 70% in older barrels for 12 months, balance s/s; imported by Maison Vauron, Auckland; weight bottle and closure: 580 g; www.domaine-gerin.fr ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, the third to lightest wine in depth of colour. Bouquet is intensely 'floral' to first impression, dianthus like the Offerus wine, but a second sniff and you realise it is a lot less ripe, more stalky, more white pepper. It therefore illustrates the under-ripe end of my syrah ripening curve perfectly, and the wine will find an immediate use for my annual seminar (syrah this year) for the Lincoln University wine degree course (account now published on this website). In mouth red currants and some suggestions of cassisy berry quality are evident, and it tastes rounder and smoother than the bouquet promises. Oaking is subtle, as befits a wine from the cooler Cote-Rotie uplands in the Collines Rhodaniennes zone. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 08/16

2004 Stonecroft Zinfandel 16 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $35 [ supercritical cork; 18 months in US oak; not [then] on website; www.stonecroft.co.nz ]
Ruby, a little lighter than the Young Vine Syrah. Bouquet is initially withdrawn, like the Serine Syrah, but clears with air to a recognisably varietal blueberry and red fruits aroma. Palate is not so good, the wine too acid in mouth, more acid than the Serine, but the taut red currant and blueberry flavours are interesting. It tastes as if made in much the same way as the syrah, with restrained and older oak. This could be scored more highly as a New Zealand zin, but it is wise to keep an eye over the horizon, to the home of the real thing. This acid would not be countenanced, there. A much purer wine than the Kemblefield offerings of this variety, but the flavours here show the variety is not really practical as red wine for Hawkes Bay (since 2004 was a good year) and therefore New Zealand. The Stonecroft Rosé made from zin is however excellent. Cellar 3 – 6 years. GK 02/06

2015 Tony Bish Chardonnay Summertime 16 (

)

Gisborne, New Zealand: 13%; $18 [ screwcap, some oak; no info on website; www.tonybishwines.co.nz ]
Lemon with a green wash, below midway. Bouquet is clean, lean and hinting at stalks and reduction. Palate is reasonably clearly varietal chardonnay, but also showing stalks, very little elevation complexity, and at this stage all a bit raw. This is one of the latest in the seemingly endless expansion of Sacred Hill chardonnay labels. It will be better in a year, and will cellar 2 – 5 years. Not bone dry, more a supermarket wine. GK 06/16

nv Deutz Marlborough Cuvée Brut Methode Traditionelle 16 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 12%; $28 [ cork; price ranges from $20 not infrequently in supermarkets (but is it the same wine ?) to $36 in some wine shops; understood to be PN dominant, balance Ch, hand-harvested; said to be at least 2 years en tirage; RS 12 g/L; www.deutz.co.nz ]
Lemon more than straw. This is another wine with spurious autolysis complexity, some entrained sulphur adding cardboardy notes to crumb of bread only, no crust. Fruit seems more chardonnay than pinot noir, quite rich, the dosage more apparent than some, but the whole thing palls in the mouth, lacking the excitement good method champenoise should provide. Some Lindauer Reserve bottlings are better than this offering, for the $20 pre-Christmas price bracket. You get the impression not all batches of Deutz Marlborough are equal – certainly if the thought is to grab a case of the wine when on special, tasting of that batch is essential. Similarly there is a disconnect between what the website has to say, and comparative taste evaluation. For this wine for example: Deutz Marlborough Cuvée, establishing a new benchmark for New Zealand wine excellence … For the non-vintage, this is simply fanciful. If this release has had two years en tirage, something is amiss. And as noted earlier, the dosage at 12 g/L is pathetic. Not worth cellaring, even at the reduced price. GK 12/12

2008 Champagne André Jacquart Grand Cru Le Mesnil Blanc de Blancs 16 (

)

Vertus; Champagne, France: 12%; $99 [ standard compound cork; Ch 100, 100% barrel-fermented and matured in three-year-old barrels; MLF blocked; en tirage c.5 – 8 years depending on the season; dosage 4 g/L; cumbersome website – www.a-jacquart-fils.com leads to; www.couleursdoyard.com ]
The deepest of the lemon-hued wines. One sniff, and the wine is clearly from Spain – then you taste it, despair. There is no hint of the beauty of chardonnay, or the subtlety and complexity of good yeast autolysis. All the components which normally make methode champenoise wines so enticing are here totally drowned / obscured. All you can smell and taste is oak. This is a wine made for Krug groupies, and those whose preferences are shaped by social pressure rather than accuracy of tasting. What a disappointment. Otherwise it is pure and technically well-made, and interestingly dry at 4 g/L. I suppose it would go with salami or something equally coarse. Not worth cellaring, if subtlety and grape character matter to you. GK 05/17

2002 Drouhin Bourgogne Pinot Noir Laforet 16 (

)

Burgundy, France: 12.5%; $25 [ www.drouhin.com ]
Pinot noir ruby. Initially opened, faintly reductive with a high-solids character dulling it down somewhat, and introducing almond overtones. Breathes to a palate clearly European in style alongside the New Zealand ones, some pleasant brett complexity, ripe, plummy, and varietal, more substance than many Bourgogne rouges. More a QDR burgundy than a cellaring one (naturally), but in fact will cellar 3 – 5 years easily. GK 09/04

2004 Kahurangi Chardonnay Unoaked 16 (

)

Waimea Plains and Moutere Hills, Nelson, New Zealand: 13%; $18 [ screwcap; hand-picked, whole bunch pressed, cold ferment; www.kahurangiwine.com ]
Fine lemongreen. Another wine which initially opened, is a bit locked up and cardboardy. It is worth saying that no matter what age the wine, and whether white or red, it will almost always be much better if it is poured from a little height into a jug, leaving the last 12 mm in the bottle. It is worth disrupting the ignore of our generally wine-unconscious restaurants, to secure a suitable vessel, and do this. Thus treated, the wine breathes up to a clean crisp unoaked chardonnay style, with a nicely-judged percentage of skin contact providing a little backbone. I even wonder if there might be a few percent of very ripe sauvignon in here, and contributing complexity. Would score higher if it opened better. Cellar 3 – 5 years, to improve. GK 01/05

2007 Craggy Range Chardonnay Cape Kidnappers 16 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.2%; $25 [ cork; hand-picked @ c. 2.5 t/ac; whole-bunch pressed, mostly s/s ferment, some BF 15% new; 4 months LA; pH 3.3, RS < 2 g/L; www.craggyrange.com ]
Lemongreen. Bouquet is tending to an un-oaked chardonnay, fragrant, but with an almost tarty perfumed note to it, which hopefully will marry away. Palate is alcoholic and short, a little acid and phenolic, charmless, as many scarcely-oaked new world chardonnays are. There is also a trace of sourness, suggesting slight reduction. Highish alcohol and premature realease does not help wines like this, but maybe it will look better in two years. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 10/07

2002 Craggy Range Cab. Sauvignon / Merlot / Cab. Franc The Quarry 16 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $61 [ CS 80%, Me 15, CF 5; DFB; fermentation to 35°, extended aerated maceration to 35 days; MLF in barrel; 12 months in 100% new French oak plus 8 months in older French; unfiltered; www.craggyrange.com ]
Ruby and velvet, 'older'-looking than Sophia. Bouquet is strong but rough: VA is so high the wine is completely out-of-kilter. Palate is rich, with big plummy and raisined cassis flavours, huge oak, but a level of VA which is abrasive to the mucous membranes. The Bordeaux style is about elegance, whereas this is old-fashioned Australian in its raucousness. It reminds me of wines from the '60s which have not cellared well, on VA levels comparable to this – perhaps approaching a gram / litre. Such an over-expressed commitment to an oxidative style of winemaking (see the website), and its consequent risk of elevated VA, is a mistake in my view (even given that I prefer subtly oxidative red winemaking to reductive). Fine wine is about balance, and harmony. In our blind tasting of 12 premium Hawkes Bay Blends, conducted in clinical silence by 23 tasters (i.e. no 'leading'), this wine recorded the most votes as bottom, which at the price, is disappointing. To round out the picture, however, the wine has recently been reviewed and scored highly (18) by Jancis Robinson, with no mention of technical failings (as is usual for English winewriters), so tasting for oneself before investing is recommended. Stylistically, it is a far cry from the more classically-styled and elegant, though slightly acid, 2001 Quarry reviewed 5/04 and rated 18.5. The 2002 is not worth cellaring, in my view. GK 07/04

2014 George Wyndham Shiraz Bin 555 16 (

)

South-Eastern Australia, Australia: 14.1%; $12 [ screwcap; Sh 100%; not much known, the wine produced on an industrial scale, perhaps some goes into barrels but more likely American oak chips and staves in s/s vats. Included to illustrate syrah from a hotter climate (and called shiraz) where floral and cassis subtleties are lost, so the emphasis is on ripeness and richness, darkly plummy fruit grading through to simple boysenberry flavours; www.georgewyndham.com ]
Ruby, more the weight of the French wines, midway in depth. Bouquet is immediately sweeter and riper than the preceding wines, no currants and barely any plum in a fresh sense, more raspberry or plum jam and boysenberries, clean and fruity. Checking against the Te Awa, there is a clear lack of florals, a more one-dimensional / uniform fruit impression. Oak is surprisingly subtle, for its price sector. The simple fruit flavours on bouquet are even more apparent on palate, boysenberry being the dominant flavour, and no black pepper or grape aromatics at all. Instead there is a slightly leathery, oaky / tannic and metallic quality offset by the wine not being totally bone-dry, very subtly so. You get the impression both tannin structure and acid balance are adjusted, particularly with food, when you taste this wine carefully against the more natural Te Awa. The contrast could not be more vivid, yet this wine is a legitimate commercial expression of a much hotter climate, in which syrah cannot retain syrah character, instead almost instantly ripening through to shiraz smells and flavours. You gain the impression the technical balance within the wine is much more winemaker-adjusted than the Saint-Joseph Offerus wine, or the Te Awa. Cellar 3 – 12 years. GK 10/16

2004 Clearview Enigma [ Merlot blend ] 16 (

)

Te Awanga, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $40 [ supercritical cork; Me 80%, Ma 10, CF 5, CS 5; 15 months in mostly new French oak; formerly released as ‘Reserve Merlot’; www.clearviewestate.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet. Initially opened, this red is a little veiled and reductive, and benefits from splashy decanting. It opens to mixed red fruits, red plums and red currants, lightly oaked. Palate is odd, for though the fruit now shows some blueberry character, there is also a salty / seaweed and acid note that is less winey / appealing. An interesting lighter kind of red, minor Bordeaux / Fronsac or similar in its style and flavour. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 05/06

2014 Vasse Felix Cabernet Sauvignon Filius 16 (

)

Margaret River, West Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $28 [ screwcap; CS 85%, Ma 13, PV 2; 12 months in French oak, 13% new; Halliday vintage rating Margaret River 8/10 for 2014; www.vassefelix.com.au ]
Ruby, the lightest wine. This is weird Australian wine, shades of Marlborough Cabernet and the misguided efforts of Montana in the late 1970s. Bouquet is quite strong, clean, but showing clear methoxypyrazine / red pepper notes in stalky cassis aromas. Palate is medium weight and body, but clear-cut under-ripe bell pepper cabernet (as the Californians say) dominates the fruit. The oak though reasonably balanced exacerbates the stalky qualities. Not a contemporary winestyle, but easier to drink and better with food (green salads and light meats) than some of the heavy Barossa wines. Cellar 3 – 12 years, in its style. Halliday rates this vintage 8, again not poor, so one has to conclude that Vasse Felix is currently not in top form. GK 06/16

2004 Babich Cabernet / Merlot Irongate 16 (

)

New Zealand: 13.5%; $35 [ supercritical cork; DFB; CS 46%, Me 45, CF 9, extended cuvaison; French oak, some new; Catalogue: brimming with rich blackberry and blueberry fruits, cassis, a hint of vanilla and cedar. The palate is generous with a soft sweet fruit entry, cigar box complexity, seamless oak integration with a hint cocoa and a long finish; Awards: 4 Stars Michael Cooper’s Buyers Guide to New Zealand
Wine 2009; www.babichwines.co.nz ]
Ruby and garnet, old for its age. Bouquet shows an older kind of New Zealand red, the level of ripeness close to Entre Deux Mers with a leafy thread, the fruits red more than black, the whole wine a little leathery as if there were a little oxidation of some components. Palate is much more oaky than most Entre Deux Mers wines would be, mature or even old berry flavours, some tobacco, all tending under-ripe and a little saline and short, even though reasonably rich. Fully mature, cellar only a year or three. GK 07/09

2002 Dry River Pinot Noir 16 (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $65 [ ex winery price ]
Dense ruby, carmine and velvet, the heaviest colour in the tasting, bizarre in a pinot noir context. The wine shows a very strange bouquet inclining to the new world fruit bomb style, smelling of blackest plums in the full sun, plus traditional English steamed black Christmas pudding, raisins and prunes, vanilla, dark energy chocolate, and an exotic papaya note. Palate is massively concentrated, velvety, and blackly pruney, with spicy nutmeggy oak persisting long into the aftertaste. This wine is totally Languedoc in style, and as such is almost irrelevant to pinot noir. It could be made from tempranillo, or merlot, or malbec amongst others, if from that climate. It will cellar for 10 – 15 years, and will be interesting to observe, as it fines down. I can’t see it ever fitting into a classical pinot tasting, but I have bought some out of curiosity, in the hope of being proved wrong ! GK 01/04

2013 Langmeil Cabernet Sauvignon Blacksmith 16 (

)

Barossa Valley, South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $37 [ screwcap; 24 months in French oak 10% new; RS 3.6 g/L; www.langmeilwinery.com.au ]
Ruby and velvet, nearly carmine, well above midway in depth. Bouquet is awkward, showing that tending-rank high-alcohol Australian smell suggesting both salinity and eucalyptus, with burly fruit behind. Flavour is robust dark red, over-ripe and clumsy with respect to any classical concept of cabernet sauvignon, but even so, once alongside, still different from equally over-ripe shiraz. Oaking is surprisingly low, for such a big ripe red. An older winestyle more for committed Australian red wine fans, less appealing when seen against New Zealand reds at the same price point, and simply not food-friendly. Cellar 5 – 20 years, basically to maintain its style though. GK 06/16

2004 Saint Clair Pinot Noir Doctors Creek Reserve 16 (

)

Brancott district mostly, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $24 [ screwcap; Dijon clones; 4 – 5 days cold soak, some wild yeast; MLF and 12 months on lees in French oak 30% new; www.saintclair.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is sweetly floral in this pinot, in the buddleia spectrum, but berry richness to complement the florals seems lacking. And the palate is indeed a little stalky and acid, confirming this is the exaggerated bouquet of relative under-ripeness. Clearly varietal, though. Cellar 3 – 8 years, in its lighter fragrant style. GK 06/06

2012 Cypress Merlot 16 (

)

Roy's Hill, SW of Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.4%; $22 [ screwcap; Me hand-picked, mostly grown in gravels round base of the hill; some whole berries in the ferment; some of the wine aged in older oak for some months; sterile-filtered; RS < 1 g/L; bottled within 12 months of vintage; www.cypresswines.co.nz ]
Light ruby, the lightest of the 60. Bouquet is sweetly floral, another wine speaking of pinot noir red cherries more than bordeaux varieties. One has to recall, many since André Simon have said it is permissible to confuse merlot and pinot noir, so one continues to the taste with interest. And that is where this wine is honest, compared with some of the over-cropped and under-ripe specimens elsewhere in this report. The concept of red cherries continues, but with an attractive aromatic edge, as if they were cabernet franc in the blend. Though the colour is seriously on the lighter side, the palate and winestyle pretty well reflects minor Cotes de Castillon, apart from the total acid being a bit high. It needs two years in cellar to soften, and will then be a fragrant light red in an unusual style (for Hawkes Bay), but not unknown in Bordeaux. And well known in the Loire Valley. Could be fun to try with salmon. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 06/14

2003 Cristom Vineyards Pinot Noir Louise Vineyard 16 (

)

Williamette Valley, Oregon, USA: 14.5%; $45 [ US$; clones 5, 113, 115 and others; 10 years, harvested at 2 t/ac; 40 – 50% whole bunch, 3 – 4 days cold soak, wild yeast, up to 20 days cuvaison; 18 months French oak 63% new; no filtration; http://cristomwines.com ]
Pinot noir ruby, but old for its age. Bouquet is clumsy in the context of this tasting, being let down by varnishy older oak, around reasonable red fruits and threshold VA. It is near-impossible to recognise if there were originally floral components, against this background. Palate is appropriate as to mouthfeel, red fruits, but all old for age, and diminished by the cooperage. It is richer than the '01 Ata Rangi, but clumsier. Looks to be a short-term cellar proposition, but unlikely to achieve beauty. GK 01/07

2004 Miro Vineyard [ Cabernet / Merlot ] Archipelago 16 (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13%; $22 [ plastic NeoCork closure; DFB; CS 58%, Me 30, CF 10, Ma 2, hand-harvested; c.3 weeks cuvaison; 12 months in French oak 25% new; RS nil; c.200 cases; ‘A Bordeaux blend made from the second quality grapes at Miro Vineyard, but given meticulous attention in the winery with a portion of new French oak. This is a delicious full flavoured harmonious red with bottle age at a bargain price’; www.mirovineyard.co.nz ]
Older lighter ruby, a little garnet. Bouquet shows some herbes on fragrant red berries, and inclines to an Entre-Deux-Mers styling. Palate is exactly that district (apart from the new oak), the berry ripeness clearly leafy, but the whole wine fragrant. Berry flavours include red currant and almost raspberry. Surprisingly the acid balance is quite good, so the wine is harmonious in mouth, and food-friendly in its cool-climate under-ripe style. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 06/09

2009 Chard Farm Pinot Noir The Viper 16 (

)

Lowburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $68 [ screwcap; no info; www.chardfarm.co.nz ]
Lightish pinot noir ruby, the lightest of all the wines. Bouquet is softly pale red fruits, with a fragrant component which at one moment reminds of roses and at another suggests burning perspex. The latter character is seen from time to time in pinot, and it does seem to marry up with time in bottle – perhaps it is a pinot phenomenon. Palate shows redcurrant and red cherry flavours, with fair concentration at this cooler spectrum of flavours. Finish is soft, hinting at a gram or two of sugar, but it may be fruit richness. The style is QDR pinot, but the price is not. GK 09/10

2001 Fromm la Strada Pinot Noir Fromm Vineyard 16 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $64 [ www.frommwineries.com ]
Ruby. Initially opened, a bit congested and reductive, but a good decanting would clear that. This is an intriguing wine in the tasting, for it looks European in style, with red plummy fruits and gentle oak. But, one would be hard put to say if it were made from pinot noir or merlot or cabernet franc, let alone tempranillo. Flavour keeps up the confusion, with attractive red berries and careful oak, but all a bit spirity. Good as red, but lacking bouquet and not convincing as pinot noir. Cellar 5 – 8. GK 01/04

2004 Escarpment Pinot Noir 16 (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $43 [ supercritical cork; 5% whole bunch; 2 – 3 days cold-soak; 12 months in French oak 30% new; www.escarpment.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, middling in depth. This wine opened unattractively, farmyard going on a farty character. Vigorous decanting is needed to dissipate this, but in the sense that that practice is almost unknown in restaurants, and elsewhere, and certainly never entails pouring the wine from jug to jug maybe 10 times, from as great a height as one can confidently manage, scores in a review like this have to reflect how the wine opens. Below, there is good fruit, showing more depth of cherry and some black cherry compared with the Martinborough Vineyard and the Ata Rangi, and hence potentially greater quality. Would be worth cellaring a few 5 – 10 years, and hoping it grows out of the pong, for it is not severe in the sense of complexed H2S. The base wine is well ahead of the other three Martinborough wines in this review, in terms of underlying varietal quality and balance. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 06/06

2004 Mt Michael Pinot Noir 16 (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $33 [ screwcap; mostly BF and 6 – 8 months LA in French oak some new, with batonnage, some tank-fermented; www.mtmichael.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. Initial bouquet shows some unusual but pleasant red fruits characters, including suggestions of pink South African guava (canned), as well as stewed red plum. Palate is shorter than the bouquet promises, tending acid and slightly varnishy, but all clearly varietal. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 03/06

1967 McWilliams Cabernet Sauvignon 16 (

)

Taradale, Hawke's Bay, New Zealand: – %; $2.40 [ Cork 47mm; third vintage of the 'first' New Zealand semi-commercial cabernet, overseen by one of the great New Zealand cabernet pioneers, Tom McDonald, later joined by Denis Kasza. Tom, Denis, and the label long since deceased. US oak. ]
Amber and garnet, scarcely any ruby glow, the lightest wine, but still healthy and attractive. Bouquet is the 'other face' of McWilliams Cabernet Sauvignon of that era, wines with a lactic / vanillin and faintly phenolic / carbolic note in the American oak, mingling with and influencing the cassisy berry. These 'alternative' McWilliams cabernet wines are impossible to hide in a blind lineup, whereas the 1965, 1969 and 1971 were more berry-dominant, in their day, and more fun to present with other wines. Palate is harder than the 1969, total acid a little higher, the flavour not quite so crystal pure. Actual richness is still surprisingly good, though, having regard to the light colour. Scuttlebutt of the era had it that there was a dollop of another variety, chambourcin maybe, in the 1967, but nobody is saying a word, today. Still an interesting bottle. GK 02/16

2013 Wooing Tree Pinot Noir Beetlejuice 16 (

)

Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $28 [ screwcap; Wooing Tree is a family-owned vineyard led by Steve Farquharson. The land was bought in 2002, and the vineyard established by highly-regarded viticulturist Robin Dicey. First vintage was 2005, so this winery too has come a long way in a short time. Winemaking is contracted to VinPro, and their house winemaker is Peter Bartle. The 2012 won gold medals in both the Air NZ last year, and the Easter this year, but unfortunately is now sold out. The firm thinks the 2013 is as good. It is made from 4 clones of pinot, all hand-picked, and includes 2.5% whole bunches. It spends 9 months in barrel, 24% new. RS not given; www.wooingtree.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, loud and lurid for pinot noir. Bouquet is overripe and plummy, with threshold reduction, emphasising its unfortunate youth (the desired 2012 wine, which won the medals, is sold out). This is populist pinot noir, where a section of the market thinks darker is better, and that same section is all-too-commonly strangely tolerant of congested fermentation odours, too. In mouth the wine shows plummy fruit in a lush winestyle, low oak, and a dulling finish tying in with the slight reduction. With so many New Zealand wine people being blind to sulphide, expect to see this wine highly praised. On the positive side, it should improve in cellar, and freshen up, but into a quantitative rather than qualitative kind of pinot noir. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/14

1979 Ch Pichon Lalande 16 (

)

Pauillac Second Growth, Bordeaux, France: – %; $207 [ cork 53mm; cepage then approx. CS 50%, Me 35, planted at 9,000 vines / ha; 18 – 20 months in barrel, 50% new; Broadbent, 2002: [ initially ] full of crisp fresh fruit and excitement … [ latterly ] … palate more interesting than nose but lack of balance … At best ***; Coates 2002: Now perhaps beginning to lose its vigour. But lovely nevertheless. Mellow, cedary, mulberry and roast chestnuts. But hints that it is thinning out on the nose. Medium-full body. Now mellow. It still has good grip and vigour on the palate. It still has great charm. Excellent harmony and intensity. Lovely: 18.5; R. Parker, 1991: Another top success for the vintage, and a worthy challenger to the outstanding 1978 … a ripe, full-intensity, cedary, blackcurrant-scented bouquet that in certain bottles seems dominated by an herbaceous character. Quite velvety, rich, and gentle on the palate, and developing quickly, this round, generous, yet stylish and elegant wine has impeccable balance. Now – 1998: 92; www.pichon-lalande.com ]
Garnet and ruby, the lightest wine. Bouquet is odd on this wine, there being fair volume, but also just a suggestion of scrambled eggs made with parsley. You couldn't definitely say it was reductive, though. On tasting, the parsley side adds a nearly green note to the stemmy / stalky flavours. Even though there is still reasonable berry, this wine does clearly illustrate the modest ripening of the year, with total acid noticeably up. In that style it is reasonably concentrated, and thus secured four first or second-place votes. Mature now, but no great hurry. GK 08/16

nv Champagne Veuve Cliquot Ponsardin 16 (

)

Reims, Champagne, France: 12%; $80 [ laminated champagne cork; PN 50%, PM 20, Ch 30; now 35% of blend is reserve wines (400 batches of reserve wines spanning 17 years, held in s/s at 14°); tiny % of oak-fermented wine in the nv, more in vintage wines; MLF nearly throughout; 1,125,000 cases; Stelzer records that this label has in recent years reduced the dosage from 12 g/L to 9 g/L now; www.veuve-clicquot.com ]
Good lemon, fractionally above midway for depth of colour. This is a tricky bouquet. Tasters sensitive to complexed organic sulphurs immediately commented on a grubby note on bouquet, whereas others thought it showed just a slightly nutty kind of mealy autolysis. Flavours are just a bit sacky, lacking the purity and charm of the more highly-rated wines, the whole wine tasting very faintly sour, though masked by the dosage. Hard wine to come to grips with, and not the way Veuve used to be, at all. Cellar 5 – 12 years, hopefully to mellow. GK 11/15

1990 Penfolds Cabernet Sauvignon Bin 707 16 (

)

Coonawarra, Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale, South Australia, Australia: 13.5%; $425 [ cork 49mm; CS 100%, a high proportion from Coonawarra reflecting the excellence of the vintage there that year, matured 18 months in 100% new American hogsheads; Penfolds 'Rewards of Patience' book, 2000: Immensely seductive wine with classic proportions. Cedar/blackcurrant/ mulberry/plum aromas with touches of black olive. Rich and mouth-filling palate with ripe blackcurrant fruit, cedar-like oak, supple silky tannins and superb length. To 2005, a Preferred Vintage. [ Interesting to note, the Penfolds website now says: to 2030 ]; Halliday, not on website, irritatingly, but 2002: An infinitely seductive mix of sweet cassis, plum and mulberry fruit aromas, yet not the slightest hint of overripeness. The supple, silky palate has great balance and length, with all the flavours promised by the bouquet, yet not at all over-done. A sheer privilege and pleasure to taste (and better still, drink), *****; Victoria Daskal, 2008 (on Robinson website): Remarkably brilliant colour - a bit lighter than the other Penfolds 1990s previous wines. Nose is intense with persistent cool mint, black berries and very ripe raspberries. Like brushing your teeth with berries and mint - I feel refreshed and cool. Good fresh acidity, nice balance between alcohol and tannins. A bit of a spike in the mid palate - almost a bit peppery and then subsides into cool fruits, 17.5; Lisa Perrotti-Brown, in Parker 2012: Intensely scented with aromas of dried cherries and blackcurrant cordial over a pleasantly meaty/earthy undercurrent plus whiffs of menthol and dried lavender. Concentrated in the medium to full bodied mouth, it has a good amount of enlivening acid cutting through the dense, evolved fruit with a high level of approachable/softening tannins and long finish, 94; www.penfolds.com ]
Ruby and velvet, amazingly fresh, the deepest wine. Bouquet is simply ugly in wine terms, the massive clumsy overstatement about oak that Penfolds do so well, the oak aggressive and all pervasive, with intense minty, euc'y and cassisy berry desperately trying to get its head above the oaken parapets. But it is all wondrously clean and high-tech, though. Palate is better than the bouquet, the berry now can be seen in better focus, and the intensity of cassis is benchmark for pure cabernet, if you disregard the taints. And the concentration of berry is so good, there is little sign of a cabernet hole. Then later on the palate, the acid adjustment intrudes. It's a pity that for so long, Penfolds seemed so obsessed with wine technology, overly influenced by the Roseworthy wine school, no doubt, that they forgot that fine wine is about perceived beauty, rather more than technological rectitude. This wine will live for another 25 years, at least, and perhaps mellow and move up in score. Sadly again however, the company economised on corks for many years, the cork on this one being crumbly and poor, so that factor also acts against the wine. Given the remarkable quality of the fruit, all a bit sad it has been so mismanaged. One second-place vote. GK 10/15

2006 The Hay Paddock Syrah 16 (

)

2013 Domaine Drouhin Oregon Pinot Noir Dundee Hills * 16 (

)

Williamette Valley, Oregon, USA: 13.5%; $ – [ cork; a c. $US40 = $NZ60 bottle; the Drouhin estate in Oregon started in the later 1980s, and now amounts to 50 ha / 124 ac of vineyards. All grapes are hand-picked. Oak c. 20% new only; www.domainedrouhin.com ]
Pretty but light pinot noir ruby, the second to lightest wine in the 20. Both bouquet and palate are pretty and pink and inconsequential, reminiscent of candy floss – but in a wine setting. Flavour follows in step, red currants in a stalky way, clean, appropriately oaked, but lacking in flavour, depth and excitement. Short finish too. Disappointing, having regard to the label. Cellar 2 – 6 years, though will hold longer. GK 09/15

2002 Dry River Pinot Noir 16 (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $65 [ cork; historic price; similar introductory remarks to the Akarua. Campbell, 2004, 93: Very dense ripe fruits with a sweet, soft texture. Long, accessible. Moderately complex. Delicious wine - miles away from Burgundy; Julia Harding 2012 for Jancis Robinson, 17: Mid smudgy garnet. Complex tertiary aromas – some undergrowth and a little nutty – though there is still sweet and lightly spicy red fruit. Very fresh and quite spicy on the palate. Fruit still rings out clearly. Mouthwatering finish. Tannins seem a little tighter than the two younger wines (2007 and 2008) just tasted; www.dryriver.co.nz ]
Deep ruby and velvet, the darkest wine, doubtful for pinot noir. And the bouquet confirms that, the whole wine style being non-varietal, instead showing over-ripe / sur-maturité going on raisiny and roasted notes. It smells like a wine from the Languedoc. Palate is velvety rich, darkly plummy and raisiny, starting to develop slightly leathery age complexities, totally lacking in pinot noir varietal aromas, flavours or charm. Even alongside (good) Gigondas, it is lacking in varietal quality, relatively speaking. This wine had to be in the tasting, since at release I had reviewed it saying inter alia: I can’t see it ever fitting into a classical pinot tasting, but I have bought some out of curiosity, in the hope of being proved wrong !

It is an astonishing commentary on the naiveté of New Zealand wine experience and wine people, and the gullibility of New Zealand winewriters, that an entire (small) country was persuaded this kind of wine was great pinot noir – for a remarkably long time. It remains a hard wine to score: if strictly as pinot noir it has to be low, since it has not become either varietal or burgundian with age, though at the time of release promoted by the proprietor as a fine pinot noir for the cellar. So forget the label – enjoy it as big, soft, rich, technically pure red ... and rue the price. No hurry in cellar at all, another 3 – 8 years. GK 10/12

2013 Dry River Pinot Noir 16 (

)

Martinborough Terrace, Wairarapa, New Zealand: 13%; $91 [ dated 50mm cork; main clones 10/5 and UCD 5, mostly planted at 2,200 vines/ha, average age c.25 years; all hand-picked @ c.4 t/ha (1.6 t/ac), c.30% whole-bunch this year, pre-ferment cold soak c.5 days, then 7 – 10 days cuvaison with a mix of wild and cultured yeasts; c.12 months in puncheon-sized French oak c.20% new, medium+ toast; not sterile-filtered to bottle; RS <2 g/L: dry extract c.30 g/L; production c.800 cases; this information not on the website, instead kindly provided courtesy the new winemaker Wilco Lam; www.dryriver.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, a big colour for pinot noir, the second deepest among the pinots. Bouquet is very strange, soft, sweet, fragrant, almost leathery and malty, even a thought of brett, like a hot-year grenache from Chateauneuf-du-Pape. It totally lacks varietal authenticity and specificity, the florality and magic that good pinot noir shows, instead being over-ripe and dull. Palate is equally weird, rich, velvety in one sense, but also showing noticeable tannin and angular acid, as if a tartaric addition. This wine carries over the previous proprietor's bizarre interpretation of pinot noir, wines which rarely bear any relation to Burgundy. Nor does this. As a big rich tannic wine, it will please those of a quantitative persuasion in wine matters. Cellar 5 – 18 years, maybe to fine down and become somewhat more varietal. Needless to say this vintage has been greeted with the usual credulous / fatuous praise by Australasian winewriters, telling us more about the widespread lack of critical knowledge about pinot noir among local winewriters, than anything relevant to appraising the wine. GK 09/16

1990 Babich Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot / Cabernet Franc Irongate 16 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12.5%; $ – [ cork 45mm; Michael Cooper at the time records the cepage as CS 75%, Me 17, CF 8, maybe 15 months in Nevers oak a high percentage new (he also notes the young wine as very oaky); RS <1 g/L; www.babichwines.co.nz ]
Older lightish ruby and garnet. The first impression is how well this wine has stood up, dating as it does from an era when nearly all New Zealand cabernet / merlots were over-cropped, under-ripened, and lacking body, and then over-oaked. Bouquet shows fading leafy and browning pale cassis, with thoughts of pale tobacco and cedar. Palate follows, but is still too oaky for the weight of fruit. The wine is well alive, and would be enjoyable with the right food, since it still has some mouthfeel in its lighter body. Certainly a pleasure to see a New Zealand producer showing a wine as old as this, in a commercial tasting. GK 07/16

2009 Pyramid Valley Semillon / Sauvignon Blanc Hille Vineyard Growers Collection 16 (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $25 [ screwcap; Se 95%, SB 5; all BF some new, 15 months on lees; RS – g/L (the 2007 was 2.4); www.pyramidvalley.co.nz ]
Colour is straw with a gold wash, way out of line with modern white wine practice. On bouquet, the whole wine is immediately something different, the wine based on the Graves style, but in the esoteric interpretation of early bottlings of Te Koko. It smells as if it is barrel-fermented, with lots of lees-autolysis and some (at least) MLF complexity (later confirmed) complicating things rather much. MLF and sauvignon characters do not always combine well. In mouth the palate would be good if there were not so much oak influence. Fruit weight is pleasing, but the medley of flavours now at four years of age is moving well into maturity, or even late maturity. Fundamentally, this wine speaks too much of the winemaker, rather than the fruit and varietal definition. Even though the small sauvignon component speaks loudly, the wine is in fact based on semillon, so it could cellar surprisingly well in its style up to another six years or so. The MLF component adds palate length and makes it interesting with flavoursome (for example, smoked) foods. Releasing a semillon blend at four years of age is debatable, however. The score of 16 acknowledges it is a quirky wine which is surprisingly good with food. In a formal judging it would be rejected. GK 05/13

2002 Havens Syrah Hudson Vineyard 16 (

)

Carneros, California, USA: 14.5%; $ – [ cork; US$40; Haven's only single-vineyard syrah, on fractured volcanic parent materials in the 'very cool Carneros district'; co-fermented with some viognier, which (website) 'actually makes a darker wine, with more aromatic precursors, by a process called co-pigmentation. The resulting tannins are soft and fine, though substantial in total volume. Along with the exotic high tones of lavender and orchid, the white pepper spice, and the long finish, it develops … into a slightly bigger wine offering power in elegant form – real Syrah from Carneros terroir'; R. Parker 154: The outstanding 2002 Syrah Hudson … a beautifully ripe nose of acacia flowers, creme de cassis, and vanilla. Dense but elegant and well-balanced with seamlessly integrated acidity, wood, tannin, and a long, smooth finish, it will provide a lot of pleasure over the next 5-8 years, 91; www.havenswine.com ]
Ruby and velvet, dense. This is an old-fashioned wine, and notwithstanding it comes from a nominally cool district, it is over-ripened to raisiny plum and prune fruit notes, made leathery with brett and old cooperage. On palate it is reminiscent of some Chilean syrahs, rich and very baked in flavour, a wine on its own terms. Stylistically it is a long way away from the Rhone, or Hawkes Bay. If the similarly rich wines of the 50s and 60s from Australia are any guide, this will cellar in its style for decades, notwithstanding the brett. GK 01/07

2013 Dry River Pinot Noir 16 (

)

Martinborough Terrace, Wairarapa, New Zealand: 13%; $91 [ cork, no capsule presumably due to the 'for-appearances' bottleneck shape, so the cork though having a small wax 'hat' can be contaminated by rat urine if the bottles are under the house; main clones 10/5 and UCD 5, mostly planted at 2,200 vines/ha, average age c.25 years; all hand-picked @ c.4 t/ha (1.6 t/ac), c.30% whole-bunch this year, pre-ferment cold soak c.5 days, then 7 – 10 days cuvaison with a mix of wild and cultured yeasts; c.12 months in puncheon-sized French oak c.20% new, medium+ toast; not sterile-filtered to bottle; RS <2 g/L: dry extract c.30 g/L; production c.800 cases; www.dryriver.co.nz ]
Colour is deep pinot noir, the darkest wine. Bouquet is darkly red winey, but not varietal. It is not floral. It does not smell of cherries. It smells heavy, tannic, and dark like a dull Gigondas with a high percentage of mourvedre, exactly what pinot noir is not, or should not be. Flavours in mouth are strange, burly and darkly plummy in one sense, but also tending stalky, acid and tannic in another. And throughout, there is this darkly spicy salami quality, totally at odds with the concept 'pinot noir'. Once the identifications were revealed, tasters commented this wine has won high marks in New Zealand pinot noir evaluations, how come ? All that needs to be said is: anyone marking this wine highly as pinot noir is either: (1) blind to the concept of florality as epitomised by buddleia, heliotrope, French tea-roses, port-wine magnolia, violets and boronia etc (many people are so-afflicted, and it is surely no coincidence that it was the French who developed the fragrant tea-rose family, and it is the French above all who emphasise the importance of florality in red wine, and abhor sur-maturité = over-ripeness, when florality is lost); or (2) not sufficiently familiar with the classic interpretations of pinot noir quality particularly as seen on bouquet, as expressed so vividly over many years by André Simon, Hugh Johnson, Remington Norman, Charles Taylor, Jasper Morris, and occasionally Allen Meadows (florality is not his long suit); or (3) is simply not tasting sufficient Premier and Grand Cru burgundy from the good years.

It would be a wise move if the the new owners of Dry River now ceased to pay homage to founder Neil McCallum, and instead realised and acknowledged that in his interpretation of pinot noir, Neil was both wayward and flawed. This assessment does not detract from his achievements with grapes that he really understood, notably pinot gris and gewurztraminer, where he set enviable, even benchmark (for New Zealand) standards. That Neil managed to persuade an entire generation of New Zealanders of the supposed merits of his dark and burly pinot noirs is a remarkable testament to the force of his personality, but not to the quality of the wine. If the new proprietors would now simply move on, taste more widely, and re-define their goals (which would include adopting a conventional bottle), they now own some of the oldest pinot noir vines in New Zealand, in one of the prime locations for that variety in this country. The potential available to them is therefore great. This wine wastes that opportunity. Any presumption that a small producer in New Zealand can redefine what pinot noir is about, is no more than vain folly. Burgundy remains the absolute benchmark for pinot noir, and will be so for some time to come. Cellar this wine 5 – 20 years, when it may lighten up and become somewhat more in style. Group View (Flight 2): no first places, 4 second, 9 least. GK 11/15

2006 Beresford Shiraz Highwood 16 (

)

McLaren Vale, South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $15 [ screwcap; 2006 not on website, but 2004 was drawn from McLaren Vale > Langhorne Creek > Adelaide Hills; 70% of the wine sees 2 – 4 year American and French oak; www.beresfordwines.com.au ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet. Bouquet is fragrant clean rasp / boysenberry, very straightforward. Palate is the same, so the wine seems simple, and tastes hard on the added acid, in the Australian commercial style. Could be more interesting as it mellows in cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 03/08

2014 Carrick Pinot Noir Unravelled 16 (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $20 [ screwcap; main clones Dijon 777 and 115, planted at 2,500 vines/ha, hand-picked @ c. 5 t/ha (2 t/ac), c.19 years age; no whole-bunch component, pre-ferment cold soak c.4 days, then c.16 days cuvaison with 100% wild yeast; c.11 months in French oak c.15% new, light to medium toast; sterile-filtered to bottle; RS 0.2 g/L: dry extract 26.5 g/L; production 4,000 cases; www.carrick.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, just above midway in depth. Bouquet is tending subdued, needing a good splashy decanting several times. It gradually reveals moderately fragrant red grading to black cherry fruits, straightforward. Flavour retains the reductive thought, a bit hard and not forthcoming, the flavours dark cherry tending to plum. Sound wine, but not singing. It makes you despair of 'commercial' / tinpot judgings, that a wine like this can still win a gold medal in New Zealand, in 2015. When will judge training / screening be brought in ? Consumers are simply being misled. Cellar 5 – 12 years, probably to open up somewhat later, 5 years +. Group View (Flight 1): no first places, no second, 7 least. GK 11/15

2005 Clape Cotes du Rhone 16 (

)

Cornas, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 12.5%; $48 [ cork; Sy 100%; this wine from Cornas' most famous grower is essentially a Cornas, comprising young vines and other syrah just outside the strict AOC boundary, plus no doubt wines not good enough for the grand vin. Sometimes it has been a bit rough, but it is always worth checking out. Highly respected San Francisco wine merchant and Rhone specialist Kermit Lynch says of this wine: Clape’s 2005 explodes with Syrah fruit, and his mastery is in full bloom ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, near the middle for colour. Only one word for the bouquet on this wine – rustic. There is a touch of H2S expressed as farmyard / rabbit guts (fresh), a suggestion of brett, and then good fruit. In mouth there is attractive ripe quite rich berry, old big oak if any, a plump well-balanced wine. I was tolerant of its 'complexity' on the night, but it is fair to record half the tasters marked it as their bottom wine, some disliking it intensely. So, try one and see, before buying a case ! Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 04/07

2004 Drouhin Echezeaux 16 (

)

Vosne-Romanee Grand Cru, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 13%; $150 [ cork; a Drouhin domaine wine, average vine age 25 – 30 years; hand-harvested, fermentation and cuvaison in open wooden vats 18 – 20 days; c. 18 months in barrels understood to be about 1/3 new; Wine Direct the NZ agents; www.drouhin.com ]
Pinot noir ruby, midway in depth. Unusually for Drouhin, this wine opens a little reductive. It needs splashy decanting. Fruit smells and flavours are dulled down by the entrained sulphur, and the wine is hard and short, recognisably varietal, but losing the magic of the variety. The actual quantity of fruit is quite good. It is not a hopeless case, and should look better in five years. Cellar to 10 years. GK 12/06

2009 Tironui Estate Malbec / Merlot / Cabernet Sauvignon 16 (

)

Taradale, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $30 [ supercritical 'cork'; Ma 52, Me 32, CS 16, hand-harvested; 10 months in French oak, some new; www.tironuiestate.com ]
Older ruby, midway in the lightest third, for concentration of colour. This wine is tending oxidised on bouquet, on indeterminate fruit, and all a little bit clogged as well. Palate confirms the oxidation, but it's still more technical than real, with the wine showing pleasant fruit of appropriate ripeness, red berries more than black, and an almost furry quality on the tannins reflecting imperfect elevage, I think. These flavours were not infrequent in Australian reds, not so many decades ago, and the wine will still cellar perfectly well in its style, for 3 – 8 years. A hard wine to score, some would reject it on technical grounds, but there is honest ripe fruit (unlike some of these wines) and oxidation is greatly preferable to reduction, simply because the smells and flavours are so much nicer. GK 06/14

2005 Dry River Riesling Craighall 16 (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 11.5%; $33 [ cork; www.dryriver.co.nz ]
Pale lemon. It is simply inappropriate to release this wine so early, for it is at present totally discombobulated, and very estery. Inquiry revealed that it had indeed just been bottled. The building blocks for interesting riesling are there, lime and related, but the flavours at this stage are coarse and home-brewy, the sweetness fractionally above the ‘dry’ class for riesling, drier than some previous Craighalls. Since the wine is on the market, and it is the reviewer's task to review the wine and not the label, it is scored as it is – unflattering. I'm not certain it will achieve beauty either, if this bottle is representative, but I will be happy to reassess it in a year or two. A gamble, for cellar. If the Aussies and the Germans can sell us beautifully integrated 2004, 2003 and 2002 near-dry table rieslings for much the same or a lower asking price than on this awkward infant, the New Zealand obsession with premature marketing of current-vintage wines seems to me to be increasingly short-sighted. This is particularly true for a variety such as riesling, which cries out for time in cellar. GK 08/05

2005 Hatton Estate Syrah The Doctor 16 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $60 [ supercritical cork; www.hattonestate.com ]
Dense ruby carmine and velvet, nearly as deep as the standard '04 Hatton Syrah. There is a family resemblance between the two wines, but this one is more reductive, and more definitely needs splashy decanting, and standing in an open vessel. The wine is equally rich, more aromatic on greater oak, and will cellar as long. It is more doubtful if this one will pull through and blossom in cellar, however, the sulphide component not dissipating. Cellar 5 – 15 + years. GK 01/07

2003 Ma Maison Pinot Noir 16 (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13%; $ – [ 2 + 2 cork; hand-picked, 8 months in French oak, not fined or filtered ]
Good pinot noir ruby, fractionally deeper than the Schuster wines. This wine really needs vigorous decanting, opening up with overt grassy / stalky notes which are somewhat misleading. Well breathed, the stalky notes fade away, and the wine is rescued by the rich berry and cherry fruit, which is long and lingering (but still tending stalky). I admit there are thoughts of cabernet franc / St Emilion satellite fragrant wines too, but with food, well decanted, this will be a useful bottle after a year or two in cellar. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 03/06

2005 Bleasdale Shiraz Bird-Scarer VFG 16 (

)

Langhorne Creek, South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $14 [ screwcap; no info on website; www.bleasdale.com.au ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. This is very Australian too, with raspberry / boysenberry simple shiraz, plus what seems like US oak (though the label says French) giving a buttered pancakes quality to the bouquet. Palate is raw and youthful, probably a stainless steel and chips wine, the oak a bit burning and unintegrated. Finish not bone-dry. Wholesome juicy QDR shiraz, rougher than the Logan, supermarket style. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 03/07

2006 Devils Backbone Pinot Noir 16 (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $33 [ screwcap; no wine info on 1 p website as yet; www.devilsbackbone.co.nz ]
The wine opens to be quite massive, over-ripe, and non-varietal, more like a popular Australian shiraz. With air it reveals a big soft dark wine, still rather oaky, more pinot by exclusion than conviction in the blind tasting. Should be better when it has lost some tannins, in bottle, so cellar 5 – 10 years. It is pure, so may conceivably blossom. GK 02/08

2004 Milton Park Merlot 16 (

)

Eden Valley, South Australia, Australia: 13.5%; $12 [ 2 + 2 cork; short ferments, early bottling; www.miltonparkwines.com ]
Older ruby, some velvet. This is a familiar kind of Aussie bouquet, either early-picked to retain freshness, or machine-picked with mixed ripeness. Either way, there is simple red berry with clear leafy undertones, and a hint of mint. Palate is more minty, quite rich, more berry too, ranging from stalky red fruits to quite dark plum. The wine is reasonably subtly oaked, quite long-fruited, good QDR more cabernet / merlot than merlot in style, probably not bone-dry. Cellar 2 – 5 years, probably. GK 03/07

2004 Highfield Chardonnay 16 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $33 [ screwcap; BF in French & American oak, 10 months LA; RS 4 g/L; www.highfield.co.nz ]
Full straw, very forward though it is an '04. Bouquet is tending old-fashioned, the kind of chardonnay the North Island beyond Hawkes Bay used to specialise in, bold pineappley fruit in oak but also a suggestion of stalks and mixed ripeness, all tending aggressive. Palate likewise is old-fashioned, excess oak, awkward MLF, the stalks and acid obtrusive. OK in its style, will mellow a little as it ages prematurely, but basically too old-fashioned to be worth cellaring. GK 03/07

2006 Mount Dottrel Rosé Saignée 16 (

)

Cromwell district, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $19 [ screwcap; PN 100% hand-harvested; de-stemmed, 24 hours skin-contact, s/s; off-dry; formerly Chantmarle Vineyard ; www.mountdottrel.co.nz ]
Light rosé. Bouquet is straightforward strawberry pinot noir, fruity, a bit sweet, some blackboy peach (bottled) underpinnings. In mouth there is good fruit, simple flavours following on from bouquet, some tannin adding gentle backbone, but the residual is a little high / commercial for the near-dry good rosé should be. Cellar 1 – 2 years. GK 02/08

2006 White Rock Chardonnay Wild Ferment 16 (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $20 [ screwcap; 9 months in oak for an unstated percentage of the wine; www.wildrockwine.co.nz ]
Lemon. Bouquet is an unsubtle kind of chardonnay, as if a high-ester banana-y yeast has been used, as well as the wild-yeast fraction. Palate is fruity, obvious fruit salad flavours tending broad and frankly commercial. But one has to note these banana-y chardonnays have popular appeal, and it is not long ago since one won a gold medal in a New Zealand judging. Finish might not be bone-dry, and is a little phenolic. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 03/07

2007 Southbank Pinot Gris 16 (

)

Fernhill, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $21 [ screwcap; cropped @ 3.2 t/ac; all s/s elevation, 2 months LA; 8.8. g/L RS; www.southbankestate.com ]
Straw. Bouquet is in the light pearflesh style of so many New Zealand pinot gris, slightly more character than the Palliser, a trace of cinnamon on the pearflesh. Palate is not as rich as that wine however, so the phenolics show more, making the finish less attractive. Straightforward New Zealand pinot gris. Cellar a year or two only. GK 05/08

2006 Villa Maria Merlot / Cabernet Private Bin 16 (

)

Gimblett Gravels mostly, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $18 [ screwcap; Me 88%, CS 10, CF 2; 12 months in French & American oak (not all the wine I suspect); www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Ruby. Bouquet is modest, a slightly under-ripe red reminiscent of Bordeaux, but as if some of the wine were stainless-steel only, clean but quiet. Palate brings the wine into sharper focus, the berry cassisy but slightly under-ripe, total acid highish offset by some fruit sweetness, carefully oaked to not accentuate any shortcomings. Straightforward commercial red clearly in a lightish new-world claret style, richer than the Lagrange les Tours. It should cellar 3 – 10 years, and mellow pleasantly. GK 04/08

2007 Distant Land Sauvignon Blanc Hawkes Bay 16 (

)

Dartmoor Valley, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $19 [ screwcap; some LA in tank, RS 6.7 g/L; a Lincoln Wines label; www.distantland.co.nz ]
Light straw, hue less than optimal for an '07 wine. Bouquet contrasts vividly with Marlborough sauvignon (in general), showing a much warmer-climate spectrum of sauvignon aromas, vaguely in the pepino and black passionfruit zone, but here just a touch oxidised. Palate brings up more of the varietal aromatics of the variety, some red capsicum flavours now, in indeterminate stonefruit. Finish is on the fruity / popular side of sauvignon 'dry'. Cellar a year or two. GK 04/08

1997 Dellamotte Blanc de Blancs Brut 16 (

)

Le Mesnil sur Oger, Champagne, France: 12%; $106 [ cork; Ch 100% ]
Almost lemongreen. Bouquet on this wine is uncannily like some New Zealand blanc de blancs, but there is a slightly ersatz quality, either an exotic fruit like mango or a suggestion of cardboard, or both (both share sulphur molecules). Palate amplifies this less happy fruity component, yet behind it there is good conventional blanc de blancs fruit too, and light autolysis. Like all the vintage champagnes, fruit weight expressed as dry extract is good – this is where the French wines in general score, relative to the New Zealand wines, where many are clean but lighter. Aftertaste is the best part of the Dellamotte. Has the constitution to cellar well, and may look much better in 5 years. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 12/06

2007 Peregrine Riesling Rastasburn 16 (

)

Cromwell Basin, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13%; $18 [ screwcap; neither 2007 or 2006 on website, info on 2005 minimal; www.peregrinewines.co.nz ]
Lemongreen. Bouquet is not as focused as the 'dry' Peregrine Riesling. There is a white floral component, and maybe a trace of lime juice. Palate is awkward, with no flavour development as yet, higher phenolics and acid, and mawkish sweetness. This tastes like the pressings, after the free-run went to the dry label. It should taste more harmonious in a couple of years, and cellar 3 – 10 years, but as a more flavoursome / coarser wine style. GK 04/08

2007 Distant Land Pinot Gris 16 (

)

Dartmoor Valley, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $19 [ screwcap; some LA in tank, RS 7 g/L; 16% of the wine matured in older French oak; a Lincoln Wines label; www.distantland.co.nz ]
Salmon-flushed straw, permissible for pinot gris. Bouquet is quite strong, lifted by a little VA, and by more gewurztraminer than is subtle, when titivating pinot gris. Palate too has a lot of flavour, both pinot gris stonefruits and phenolics, and the gewurztraminer component seeming both phenolic and botrytisy. Fruit is quite rich, and sweetness seems above the 'dry' cut-off point. With luck this will mellow in cellar 1 – 3 years. It certainly has plenty of flavour, and could be popular. GK 04/08

nv Laurent-Perrier Brut 16 (

)

Tours-sur-Marne, Champagne, France: 12%; $91 [ cork; Ch 45%, PN 40, PM 15; www.laurentperrierus.com ]
Colour is odd among the champagnes, quite distinctively lemon, no straw, no flush. Bouquet too is a bit off-centre, with an odd crushed bay-leaf note not endearing. Behind that is straightforward blended fruit no more complex or autolysed than the Moet. The aromatic on bouquet permeates the palate, which coupled with a higher dosage than some, makes for a pretty straightforward champagne. Not a patch on last year's batch. Dubious for cellaring. GK 12/06

2005 Gem Chardonnay Single Vineyard 16 (

)

Gisborne, New Zealand: 13.5%; $28 [ screwcap; hand-harvested; fermentation in barrel some new, LA for 11 months; www.gemwine.co.nz ]
Straw, a wash of gold, old for age. Bouquet is quite rich and fruity, but with some quincy notes on the stonefruit bespeaking excess development for its age. Palate confirms that, the fruit still rich, but some phenolics showing through stonefruit, quince and biscuitty flavours, dry. Use in the next year or so. GK 04/08

1997 Fromm Pinot Noir Fromm Vineyard 16 (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $ – [ clones 10/5 and others, up to 5 years, harvested @ 1.6 t/ac; 100% de-stemmed, 5 days cold soak, wild yeast fermentation, up to 18 days cuvaison; 16 months French oak 35% new; www.frommwineries.com ]
Ruby and garnet, weighty for its age. Initially opened, this wine is drab, on retained fermentation odours. Well aerated and breathed, bouquet is of an older soft red wine showing some reductive tendencies, scarcely varietal. Palate is rich, a little oaky, but here suggestions of a big plummy pinot can be seen, with good fruit still. This will hold for some years yet. It needs decanting, then vigorously pouring back and forth from jug to jug to aerate, before use. Score has to be somewhat arbitrary, in these circumstances. GK 01/07

2005 Mebus Pinot Gris 16 (

)

Wairarapa, New Zealand: 13.5%; $18 [ screwcap; BF, LA and batonnage ]
Slightly flushed straw. Bouquet shows fair fruit , and some rosepetal qualities almost overlapping with pinot meunier. It is perhaps a little old for its age, but is not oxidised. It is much less obviously lees-autolysis enhanced than the 2004. Palate is not so good, the phenolics for which the variety is notorious being obtrusive, even though the fruit weight is good. Finish is skinsy, and dryer than the Chard Farm. This could be tiring to drink. A dubious cellar prospect. GK 03/06

2000 Neudorf Pinot Noir Home Vineyard 16 (

)

Moutere Hills, Nelson, New Zealand: 14.3%; $ – [ clones 10/5, 5 and 22, up to 20 years, harvested c 2 t/ac; 100% de-stemmed; 6 days cold soak, wild yeast fermentation, 32 days cuvaison; 11 months French oak 40% new; not filtered; www.neudorf.co.nz ]
Lightish ageing pinot noir ruby, with some garnet. Bouquet is lesser on this wine, with noticeable brett complexity on mushroomy browning red fruits, smelling harmonious but old for its age. Palate is still rich but slightly stalky. This is another wine with some of the qualities of a rustic Chateauneuf-du-Pape. It would be great with a venison casserole for example, but looked unhappy in a formal tasting. Should hold for several years on the richness, but become more rustic, and drying to the finish. GK 01/07

2007 Passage Rock Syrah 16 (

)

Eastern Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13%; $39 [ screwcap; hand-picked; 10 months in oak, mostly American 35% new; not released yet; www.passagerockwines.co.nz ]
Ruby, a lighter and older colour than the 2007 Reserve. Bouquet is quite different to the Reserve, tending pinched, varietal but leafy, some berry, brett and mint. Palate is reminiscent of a modest Crozes-Hermitage, fair berry but tending under-ripe, stalky and lean. As this mellows in bottle, it will still be a pleasant food wine – more QDR syrah. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 06/08

2005 Karikari Estate Syrah 16 (

)

Karikari Peninsula, North Auckland, New Zealand: 12.5%; $36 [ supercritical cork; 100% Limmer clone, hand-picked; several days cold-soak; 11 months in French & American oak; www.karikariestate.co.nz ]
Ruby and some velvet. This is exciting wine, though flawed as it stands (hence the score, which is completely arbitrary, noting that on the one hand, a judging panel with winemakers on it would almost certainly reject the wine completely, whereas many people actually like the defect). It shows a ripeness and physiological maturity which (alongside other North Auckland syrahs seen recently) suggests that syrah will be the outstanding vinifera red grape in the North. Fruit flavours are attractively cassis and dark plum, oak handling is simpatico, and all that lets the wine down is a serious brett infection of the cooperage, here expressed more by the bacony phase (4-ethylguaiacol) of this spoilage yeast. Like other 2005 Karikari Peninsula wines, there is also a windblown salt issue, which given the vineyard's location, may just have to be accepted in some seasons. So, an exciting wine, perfectly wholesome, pointing to great things in the future, as this winery sorts out its cooperage in an idyllic northern location (northeast of Kaitaia) for syrah. Cellar 2 – 6 years maybe, at most. GK 05/08

2004 Fromm Pinot Noir Clayvin Vineyard 16 (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $70 [ cork; c 2 t/ac; www.frommwineries.com ]
Pinot noir ruby. Bouquet opens a little reductive, and needs splashy decanting. Breathed, red cherry and red plum fruits are apparent, but no florals. Palate is firm, rich plummy fruit, subtle oak, all remaining a little veiled from the reductive thread. Cellar 3 – 10 years, maybe longer, when it should open up after splashy decanting. GK 01/07

2003 Forrest Estate Pinot Noir Doctor's Creek Vineyard 16 (

)

Waitaki Valley, Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $ – [ screwcap; this is the original Waitaki Valley vineyard; not on website, may not be a commercial wine; www.forrest.co.nz ]
Older pinot noir ruby. This is one of the first pinots to be made from Waitaki Valley fruit. Bouquet is quite European and mellow in style, relatively fragrant on stewed red plums and some savoury brett. Palate is rich, mature, almost a dark tobacco note creeping in with a sweet ensilage complexity factor which is becoming a bit too rustic – ratings will differ on this wine. This is another pinot more suited to food than to scoring well in technical judgings. Cellar 1 – 3 years. GK 01/07

1979 Virgin Hills 16 (

)

Macedon Ranges, Victoria,, Australia: – %; $ – [ cork, 50mm; located near Kyneton, in the Macedon Ranges viticultural district, 95 km NNW of Melbourne, Victoria. Halliday states that this is the coolest viticultural zone in mainland Australia. It was pioneered by the founder of Virgin Hills, Tom Lazar, near the settlement of Lauriston, starting 1968, first vintage 1973. Most of the soil parent materials are derived from granite. Altitude averages 595 metres; rainfall is 760 mm. Cepage of this wine is CS dominant, CF, Sh, Ma, Me. Halliday (1985) reports on our wine, tasted in 1982: Some minty fruit aromas with very well-handled oak. Palate excellent weight and structure with good length to the minty mid-palate fruit; good acid. An outstanding stylish wine, 18.6 /20; https://virginhills.com.au ]
Garnet and ruby, the deepest wine but not the freshest in hue. Bouquet is dominated by mint, with nearly a hint of medicinal wintergreen, pretty well taking it out of contention in an international Bordeaux-blends tasting. Disappointing. Below there is very aromatic berry, nearly cassisy (to the extent one can tell), and berry dominant over the oak. The palate likewise is softly, even beautifully, oaked, with surprisingly fresh berry flavours, but the total acid is unattractively high, and in one sense the wine tastes nearly sour. There is no perceptible VA. Interesting and bolder wine in the set, which I placed in position 12, and against the Keenan Cabernet Sauvignon in the blind lineup, so these two ‘strong’ wines could talk to each other, somewhat apart from the other 10 more subtle wines. Again, the mint going on euc’y aromatics proved familiar and appealing to some tasters, with two first-places, and two second-places, but also interestingly, four least places. It is the kind of wine where a second glass might not appeal as much as the first, due to the added acid, and euc-derived aromas. GK 08/19

2005 Mills Reef Malbec Elspeth 16 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $37 [ cork; Ma 100%, hand-harvested; some wild-yeast fermented in Integrale rotating 400L barrels, some conventional open-top fermentation, extended cuvaison; 18 months in French oak; www.millsreef.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, more youthful than the other 2005 Mills Reef wines. Bouquet is not such a success on this wine, it showing leafy, stalky and marcy under-ripe qualities not appropriate to the Elspeth range. Palate is clearly varietal malbec, a furry plummy quality coarser than good merlot, but here too green-tinged. Concentration is good, and in its cool-climate way, this wine will cellar well, 5 – 15 years. GK 11/08

2005 Greenhough Pinot Noir Nelson 16 (

)

Nelson, New Zealand: 13.5%; $26 [ screwcap ]
Pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is pure, lightly floral and red cherried, clearly varietal. Palate does not quite live up to the promise of the bouquet, being good as far as it goes, pleasant red fruits and red cherries, some mouthfeel, but a little stalky and short. This has not turned out how I hoped from an earlier barrel sample. It does not match the 2003. It will probably be relatively early-maturing. Cellar 3 – 6 years. GK 01/07

2006 Clearview Cabernet Franc Reserve 16 (

)

Te Awanga, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $41 [ supercritical cork; CF 82%, CS 9, Me 9; 15 months in mostly new French oak; www.clearviewestate.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, a little deeper than the 2006 Glazebrook. The role of this wine in the Lincoln degree course presentation was to illustrate the fragrant red fruits nature of cabernet franc the variety. It is however hard to demonstrate this variety convincingly in New Zealand, since all too often the subtle qualities of the grape are not sufficiently respected, and the wine ends up marred (as a varietal) in its elevage. Usually it is from excess oak, but here the wine opened with reductive and bretty tendencies, thwarting my goals. On palate there is sweet ripe fruit hinting at the desired raspberry and red plum attributes, and the oaking is commendably subtle. As the wine aired, the reduction breathed off, but the brett became more noticeable. It was useful therefore in the class situation, and not unattractive in its quirky way. Cellar 3 – 8 years, in its style. GK 09/08

2005 Waimea Estates Pinot Noir 16 (

)

Waimea Plains, Nelson, New Zealand: 13.5%; $19 [ screwcap; all hand-picked; www.waimeaestates.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is most unusual on this wine, there being a whole basket of spring flowers, with some fresh-cut fragrant notes like sweet-vernal hay. With air, red cherries emerge too. Palate has fair fruit richness, but a certain warm-climate looseness to its strawberry and cherry flavours, reminiscent of commercial Christian Brothers Californian Pinot of many years ago. Pleasant quaffing pinot, but not rigorously varietal (but nor is the price), to cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 01/07

2003 Ma Maison Chardonnay 16 (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13%; $ – [ 2 + 2 cork; 100% MLF ]
Lemonstraw. Bouquet is a caricature of the [former] charry oak / Corbans Cottage Block style, with the mercaptan component becoming unpleasant. Many people however like this level of sulphur complexity, interpreting it as toasted / nutty. Below is good varietal fruit. Palate continues in the same vein, the whole wine reminiscent of some of the wayward Jadot wines of the 70s, quite bitey on the complexed sulphur / oak factors. The richness of fruit has to be rewarded (reluctantly), and in its distinctive style this should cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 03/06

2007 Hunter's Pinot Noir 16 (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $29 [ screwcap; some hand-picked fruit; a little barrel-ferment; 10 months in once and twice-used oak, none new; www.hunters.co.nz ]
Lightish pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is very fragrant, but clearly in the light sweetpea style of pinot from the Wairau Valley floor, all raising the thought of leafiness. And so it proves to be on palate, though there is attractive red currant and red cherry fruit too. Total wine achievement is somewhere between Loire Valley pinot and Savigny les Beaune in a representative year, fragrant, clearly varietal in a light red-fruits-only way, pleasing as such, but not so much a cellar wine. Perhaps 2 – 5 years. GK 11/08

2005 Pask Malbec Declaration 16 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12%; $56 [ ProCork; partial BF in new oak, 16 months in barrel; www.cjpaskwinery.co.nz ]
Older ruby, not too different from the 2005 Merlot Declaration. Bouquet however is very different, much much too oaky including some American I suspect (has been 25% in previous years), already varnishy which is not appropriate in such a young wine. In addition there seems to be a euc'y taint, a leafy quality, and some brett. Palate combines all these into a savoury flavoursome wine, which could be scored highly, but for the wrong reasons. Not a good cellar prospect, so 3 – 8 years only. GK 11/08

2001 Stonier Pinot Noir 16 (

)

Mornington Peninsula, Victoria, Australia: 13.5%; $29 [ www.stoniers.com.au ]
Lightish pinot ruby and much garnet, prematurely ageing. Bouquet is clearly pinot, in a light fragrant tired strawberry and red cherry style, attractively fragrant. Palate however is very aged, and is distinctly light, faintly bretty, with some acid showing. It tastes like a 20-year old burgundy from a less-generous year, and therefore gains marks for being clearly in style, and being good with food. But as a 2001, this well-regarded Australian pinot’s main contribution to the tasting is to highlight how good New Zealand’s best 2001 pinots are, in world terms. Not a cellar wine. GK 01/04

2006 Morton Estate Chardonnay Hawkes Bay White Label 16 (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $18 [ screwcap; some of the wine BF, a third of the oak new; 30% MLF; some of the wine 11 months LA in barrel; www.mortonestatewines.co.nz ]
Lemonstraw, more the colour of the 2004 Riflemans. Bouquet however couldn't be more different from that wine, being in an old-fashioned style that used to win plaudits. There is pineappley fruit with a whisper of VA, and quite a lot of oak. Palate is soft, fruit-salad fruity with some ersatz mango flavours, a hint of lanolin (as in semillon), fully mature. More flavoursome full-bodied mature QDW, not bone-dry, not cellar wine. GK 11/08

2001 Felton Road Pinot Noir Block 5 16 (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $ – [ clones 5 and 6, 7 years, harvested @ c. 2.5 t/ac; up to 24% whole bunch, up to 9 days cold soak, up to 21 days cuvaison; 18 months in French oak 30% new; not fined or filtered; www.feltonroad.com ]
Pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is oaky, and a little bretty to first inspection, with red fruits, all quite developed. Palate is again seriously oaky, upsetting the balance of the wine, but there is a savoury herbes character which would be pleasing if there were a better fruit to oak ratio. Like the 2002, the cellar future for this wine seems uncertain. GK 01/07

2003 Trapiche Malbec 16 (

)

Mendoza, Argentina, Argentina: 13%; $10 [ laminated/aggregate cork; www.trapichewinery.com ]
Ruby. A clean, ripe, redfruits bouquet, faintly leathery, lifted by trace VA, tending warmer-climate in style. Palate is pleasantly round and fruity, soft old oak only, some furry tannins. Like the Hayas Crianza, possibly not dusty bone-dry, but the difference academic, and the result pleasant. Cellar 1 – 3. GK 11/04

2004 Saint Clair Pinot Noir Omaka Reserve 16 (

)

Brancott district, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $29 [ screwcap; 4 – 5 days cold soak, some wild yeast; MLF and 11 months on lees in French oak some new; www.saintclair.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby. Bouquet benefits from decanting, to show slightly leafy pinot noir florals at the buddleia / lilac level, with good cherry and blackboy fruit below. Palate is tending light, red fruits, oak in balance, a little acid, but clearly varietal, lingering on fair cherry ripeness and concentration. Cellar 3 – 6 years. GK 06/06

2007 Sherwood Sauvignon Blanc 16 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $15 [ screwcap; cool-fermented 19 days, 3 months LA; 2.5 g/L RS; www.sherwood.co.nz ]
Pale lemongreen. Bouquet opens as modest sauvignon quite well ripened but not very concentrated, and stays much the same on palate. Fruit includes black passionfruit with a touch of red capsicum aromatics. Sound commercial wine, to cellar a year or two. GK 05/08

2004 Earth’s End Pinot Noir 16 (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $26 [ screwcap; a Mount Edward label; www.mountedward.com ]
Pinot noir ruby. A light bouquet, ripe fruits suggesting red plums and cherries, with slightly varnishy or older oak. Palate is not quite so attractive, the fruit a little acid and the oak continuing a little varnishy. Flavours are ripe though, and this will be pleasant food wine. Cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 05/06

2005 Koura Bay Pinot Noir Whalesback 16 (

)

Awatere Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $24 [ screwcap; hand-picked; MLF and 4 months on lees in French oak, with batonnage: RS 4 g/L; www.kourabaywines.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is fragrant in a leafy way, with suggestions of red currants and raspberry, but all tending simple and one-dimensional, with a hint of retained fermentation odours. Best decanted splashily. Palate is aromatic on the red fruits, tending stalky / peppery and beetrooty, carefully oaked and the acid attractively balanced to the residual sugar, but not quite capturing the magic of good pinot. More QDR than cellaring pinot, though will mellow over several years. GK 06/06

1998 Adelsheim Pinot Noir Bryans Creek 16 (

)

Oregon, USA: 13%; $ – [ WPN ]
Good ruby, touch of carmine. Initially poured, and for some time after, a bouquet dulled by retained fermentation odours. Breathes to a quite big plummy and blackboy peach fruit which is remarkably in style with a number of the Marlborough / Canterbury wines, but not as aromatic as the best. Subtle oaking is attractive. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 01/01

2006 Pyramid Valley Pinot Noir Earth Smoke 16 (

)

Waikari, Waipara, Canterbury, New Zealand: 13%; $ – [ screwcap; nil whole bunch; 20 months in French oak, 33% new; www.pyramidvalley.co.nz ]
Mature pinot noir ruby, the lightest of the (relatively few) older wines collected at that session. Bouquet is fragrant in a pretty Savigny-like way, leading into red fruits in the strawberry / redcurrant spectrum of pinot. Palate is not as good as bouquet, a little acid and a touch leafy in the light redfruits, with just a hint of bitterness to the finish. Best finished up. GK 02/10

1978 Drouhin Gevrey-Chambertin 16 (

)

Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: – %; $ – [ cork 49mm; PN 100%; no notes found in the time available; we found this wine surprisingly good with great typicité in 2006, I hope it still communicates well. Incidentally, Neal Martin on Parker's website says of a couple of old Drouhins: Ignore old vintages of Joseph Drouhin at your peril, because they can be absolutely stunning mature Burgundies. Intriguing, given their apparent lightness; www.drouhin.com ]
Garnet and light ruby, the lightest wine colour. To ask any 35-year-old village burgundy to compete in a tasting of that year is demanding, so these notes may be a little indulgent. Bouquet is still clearly burgundian in a faded way, still hints of browning light pinot fruit, but also a suggestion of chaptalising / candy. Palate is more clearly varietal pinot noir, still some body, good tannin balance from older oak, I would think, and appropriate acid – in contrast to several of the Bordeaux. Still surprisingly good with lighter foods, but all the same, well faded now, and needs finishing up. The least favoured wine, on the night. GK 04/14

2009 Moana Park Merlot / Malbec Vineyard Selection 16 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $22 [ screwcap; www.moanapark.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, older. Bouquet shows a clear white pepper syrah note, on fragrant red and black currant berry and light oak, all smelling quite rich. Palate is lighter than the bouquet promised, again with a leafy fragrance through it, but the oak is attractively balanced to fruit weight. The cassis and berry flavours are a bit acid, but linger attractively. Another wine needing more ripeness to really charm, but it is beautifully made. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/10

2007 Tohu Riesling 16 (

)

Awatere Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $18 [ screwcap; 11 g/L RS; www.tohuwines.co.nz ]
Pale lemon. This wine benefits from a splashy pouring, opening to reveal loosely-focussed apple-tart aromas, as much pinot gris as riesling. Palate has good fruit, but is in a coarse tending-fruit-salad riesling style, a bit phenolic, medium-dry finish. Plenty of flavour, but it might pall after a full glass – which is not what riesling is about. Cellar a year or two. GK 05/08

1999 Muddy Water Pinot Noir 16 (

)

Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 13.5%; $32 [ TE ]
Lighter ruby. Another light but clearly varietal and fragrant pinot noir. Pleasant crisp redberry flavours, beautifully oaked. Straightforward, light, but very quaffable. Cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 01/01

2007 Villa Maria Pinot Noir Private Bin Marlborough 16 (

)

Awatere & Wairau Valleys, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $24 [ screwcap; a wide mix of techniques in the winemaking; some cold-soak; most of the wine barrel-matured 10 months, some tank on retained lees; RS nil; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Light but appropriate pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is lightly varietal in a vaguely floral and red currants way, with a suggestion of leafyness. It is followed by a pleasantly fruity but red fruits and red cherry only palate, clearly varietal, soft and easy drinking, but showing little pinot complexity or depth – just like many Cote de Beaune bourgognes rouges. It has less character, but more appropriate varietal ripeness and drinkability than the Trinity Hill High Country. This would be much better priced as an introduction to pinot noir at $18 – $19, matching the PB Merlot / Cabernet (though it is not of the same calibre). It is purer than the Dog Point, but neither as concentrated or winey. Cellar 3 – 6 years. GK 03/09

2006 Trinity Hill [ Merlot / Cabernets ] The Trinity 16 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $19 [ screwcap; Me, CS, CF, Sy; www.trinityhill.com ]
Older ruby. Bouquet is fragrant, another in the marginal ripeness genre of Entre-Deux-Mers, with fragrant but leafy merlot, redcurrant and red plum aromas, gentle oak, plus a curious little phenolic 'edge'. Palate is crisper than some of the other similarly-styled blends, and tending stalky too, but there is enough fruit to be a pleasant minor Hawkes Bay blend. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/10

2007 Waimea Estate Syrah 16 (

)

Waimea Plains, Nelson, New Zealand: 13%; $22 [ screwcap; (if same as 2006) all hand-picked; 100% de-stemmed, co-fermented with c. 2% viognier; c. 10 months in barrel mostly American some new; www.waimeaestates.co.nz ]
Ruby. Bouquet is intriguing, a medium-weight wine with quite a European undertone to it, clearly winey but not explicitly varietal, a suggestion of pennyroyal and a little brett maybe. In mouth it falls away somewhat, total acid noticeable, clearly leafy, and berry flavours reminding of some minor Crozes-Hermitage syrahs. Even so, there is good fruit, and the European styling is attractive. Syrah is going to be difficult to pull off at all consistently in Nelson, I suspect. Dave Glover has given it a good shot. Cellar 2 – 5 years or so. GK 03/09

2008 Sacred Hill Merlot / Cabernet Basket-Press 16 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $21 [ screwcap; DFB; Me 86%, CS 8, CF 4, Ma 2, all from the Helmsman vineyard; c. 21 days cuvaison; 12 months in French oak; RS < 1 g/L; www.sacredhill.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. It's a bit sad that a winery with Sacred Hill's reputation for reds should be releasing even their workaday red within a year of vintage. Short-sighted. The wine is quite rich and flavoursome, but still shows retained fermentation odours in straightforward red and black plummy berry. In mouth it is riper and drier than the Johner, but also much more raw. Perhaps only some of the wine is in oak. Or perhaps some of the wine is chipped. At this stage it cannot compete with the similarly-priced but 2007 Hawkes Bay-blend Villa Maria wines, due to premature release. Better in two years, and will cellar for 5 – 12. GK 03/09

2007 Johner Estate Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot / Malbec 16 (

)

Wairarapa, New Zealand: 14%; $40 [ screwcap; cepage not available, low yields, destemmed; 4 weeks cuvaison, 15 months in barrel; RS 2.2 g/L, sugar-free dry extract 27 g/L; www.johner-estate.com ]
Ruby, close to the RedMetal. Bouquet is quite different from that wine, however, showing intriguing cooked red fruits such as red currants and red rhubarb, all tending leafy / cool-climate, but with attractive oak. Palate confirms the cool climate associations, with reminders of Crozes-Hermitage as much as Bordeaux, even the thought of the bush-honey syrah sometimes shows, on a finish which is a little acid and not rigorously bone-dry [confirmed]. The result is food-friendly and supple, but lacking in physiological maturity and hence not quite in the desired New Zealand idiom for a Bordeaux blend. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 03/09

2005 Montana Gewurztraminer McLoughlin Terroir Series 16 (

)

Gisborne, New Zealand: 13.2%; $22 [ screwcap; hand-harvested, some LA; 23 g/L RS; www.montana.co.nz ]
Lemon. This wine is in the same wishy-washy pinot gris style as the Riverpoint, but with less varietal character, a little more VA, and fractionally less sweetness, on nashi-like fruit which is palely varietal. Gewurztraminer is such a difficult variety to get right, but for these two wines, the flavour simply isn’t there. It is both sweeter and shows less character than the Vinoptima, and is thus not worth cellaring as gewurz, though it is pleasant in its fleshy, hot-climate, aromatic medium-white style. GK 08/06

2005 Matariki Quintology 16 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.6%; $50 [ cork; Me 41%, CS 30, Ma 12, CF 10, Sy 7; www.matarikiwines.co.nz ]
Old ruby. Bouquet indicates an old-fashioned wine, showing reasonable browning berry, but signs of mixed ripeness, and some brett. Palate is pleasant in this style, maturing fragrant berryfruit, careful oaking, fair length and balance. More QDR cabernet / merlot, even though seriously oaked, but still good with food. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 06/10

2007 Huia Pinot Gris 16 (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $25 [ screwcap; hand-picked from several clones; initial ferment low-solids in s/s, half of it wild yeast; 40% of the wine completed ferment in French oak, and went on to LA and batonnage; RS 4 g/L; www.huia.net.nz ]
Light straw. Bouquet is a little congested on this wine, some light sulphur compounds being tied up with fruit that is tending quincy, not quite fresh. Palate is moderately fruity, slightly quincy, some phenolics showing, a plainer side of pinot gris. There is a fair volume of fruit, and the finish is 'riesling-dry', so it should be a useful food wine. It is not suited to cellaring though, a year or two at most. GK 04/09

2008 Felton Road Riesling Block 1 16 (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 9.5%; $38 [ screwcap; hand-harvested, all s/s ferments; 3 months LA on fine lees; pH 2.91, RS 64 g/L; www.feltonroad.com ]
Lemongreen. This is a rarity from Felton these days, a wine with something technical to object to. For many, it will be a very aromatic and clear-cut riesling, freesia florals, full-flavoured, medium-sweet yet good acid. For others it will be impaired by VA above their threshold. Riesling being such a delicate and beautiful variety, any adverse note does detract grievously. After all, the whole screwcap initiative originates with the desire to optimise riesling in bottle, because it cellars and develops for so long. So the score is meaningless – each to her own – one needs to read the words / explanation for this one. I wouldn't cellar it, but it should be fine for 2 – 6 years, maybe longer. GK 04/09

2004 Miro Cabernet / Merlot / Franc / Malbec 16 (

)

New Zealand: 12.9%; $44 [ plastic foam; DFB; CS 40%, Me 36, CF 20, Ma 4; 18 months in French oak some new; www.mirovineyard.co.nz ]
Ruby, quite light in this company. Bouquet is light and leafy with pretty red fruits, approximating a light year of a lighter red of the northern Medoc such as Ch. Potensac. Palate picks up the leafyness, giving it an austere red currants and red plum flavour, slightly acid, but at least subtly oaked to match the relative lightness. This is a simple refreshing claret style, for those attuned to lesser Bordeaux, rather than Australian cabernet / merlots. It will be good with food, if cellared 3 – 5 years. Pricing is a problem though: Bordeaux of much more ripeness and substance than this can be acquired for significantly less money, quite readily in Auckland. And the closure is inappropriate, at the price. GK 04/06

2003 Wishart Merlot / Cabernet Te Puriri 16 (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $19 [ screwcap; Me 70%, CF 30; 10 months French & US oak; www.wishartwinery.co.nz ]
Ruby, a suggestion of velvet. Bouquet is moderately fruity in a non-varietal, bretty, but winey way, on older oak. Palate shows reasonable concentration of berry, in an old-fashioned generic Bordeaux approach, non-varietal, but quite rich QDR, slightly acid and hence seeming very dry. Cellar 5 – 8 years to soften, in its style. GK 05/06

2005 Coopers Creek Merlot 16 (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $16 [ screwcap; not much factual info on website; www.cooperscreek.co.nz ]
Bright carmine, ruby and velvet. Bouquet is infantile, unknit, plummy / berryfruit juice and oak in a roto-fermenter style. Palate has good physical fruit, but is lesser in flavour, completely raw, with a slightly grubby suggestion of lesser / very old cooperage. More a supermarket red than serious varietal, but even so is suffering from premature release. Will cellar for several years, in its style. GK 04/06

2007 Moutere Hills Chardonnay 16 (

)

Moutere Gravels, Nelson, New Zealand: 13.2%; $39 [ screwcap; hand-picked and sorted; whole-bunch pressed, wild yeast BF and 8 months LA, some barrels MLF the following spring; the proprietors are aiming for a clearly-dry crisp and mineral burgundian style; half the chardonnay on its own roots; www.mouterehills.co.nz ]
Pale lemon. This is another chardonnay to stand somewhat apart from the field, being in a more old-fashioned and European style. There is plenty of bouquet, but it includes a high-solids component at a level which is negative for me, and the fruit aromas tend to the austere with a suggestion of poorly-coloured cooked rhubarb. Palate shows somewhat yellow-quincy fresh fruit, noticeable acid, fair body, subtle oak. The whole wine is recognisably chardonnay, but more akin to a crisp bourgogne blanc. As such it should cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 04/09

2008 Johner Estate Sauvignon Blanc 16 (

)

Gladstone, Wairarapa, New Zealand: 13.5%; $22 [ screwcap; cool s/s ferment, some LA; www.johner-estate.com ]
Pale lemon. This is intriguing wine. As happens sometimes in both New Zealand and Germany, on bouquet this sauvignon is confuseable with some QbA rieslings from Germany, in the blind tasting. Bouquet shows indeterminate fruits, slightly floral, no hint of any ripeness levels of capsicum at all. Palate continues the confusion, for though there are black passionfruit characters of sauvignon more than anything, there are also some terpene-like qualities very confuseable with the sweet vernal notes riesling can show. Sweetness is higher than most Marlborough sauvignons. This is attractive as rather acid QDW, but unusual for varietal sauvignon. Cellar a year or two. GK 04/09

1998 Tardieu-Laurent Cote Rotie 16 (

)

Cote Rotie, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $ – [ cork; Sy, some years a little Vi, unknown; wine bought-in immediately post-fermentation, 18 – 24 months in new oak; not filtered; R. Parker, 1999: 94 – 96 An amazing effort is the 1998 Cote Rotie, which comes from three hillside vineyards - La Landonne, Les Grandes Places, and Cote Rozier. The wine's dark purple color is followed by an explosive, exotic bouquet of bacon fat, cherry liqueur, black olives, roasted meats, and toasty wood. This expressive, voluptuously-textured, full-bodied, powerful, concentrated Cote Rotie reveals some tannin in the finish. Anticipated maturity: 2002-2020; very little info on the individual wines of each appellation on website; imported by Caro’s, Auckland; www.tardieu-laurent.com ]
Ruby and some garnet, one of the older wines. Bouquet has a lot to say, including some mixed messages. It is fragrant, but what might be floral if pure also has thoughts of leafyness, leather (usually meaning subliminal oxidation) and brett. In mouth total acid is harsh, the brett component becomes a bit obtrusive, and a varnishy quality permeates the oak. Most people would simply say the wine is tending rustic. If it were purer, one might hope it would mellow with further cellaring, but it is not a safe bet on this showing. Please note these comments are clinical, because I too have this wine in cellar, so one examines such wines very closely. This bottle will still be enjoyable with food. Short term cellar only, if at all. GK 04/09

2007 Cuilleron Viognier Vin de Pays 16 (

)

Vin de Pays des Collines Rhodaniennes, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $46 [ cork; the appellation Vin de Pays des Collines Rhodaniennes includes all the hilly country to the west of the Northern Rhone and outside the famous appellations. Any permitted Rhone variety may be used. Some good wines are found under the designation, but frequently they do not reflect the ripeness and concentration hoped for in the main Rhone appellations; this wine is Vi 100%, planted @ 6000 vines / ha at Chavanay (Cuilleron’s home town); crop-thinning, hand-picked; mostly s/s ferments, 6 months LA mostly in s/s, < 20% has old oak only; around 1400 cases; 100% MLF; imported into NZ by The Wine Importer, and Glengarry; www.isasite.net/Cuilleron ]
Lemonstraw, a slight brass wash. Bouquet is a bit clogged on this viognier, more retained fermentation odours than obviously reductive, but sulphur is implicated in a slight sweaty suggestion. Palate is better, clean quite rich fruit in a short dry presentation, some oak maybe but barrel-ferment seems unlikely, well-handled phenolics. Clearly varietal, but more as you would expect from reasonably good vin de pays, rather than AOC. Cellar a year or two. GK 02/09

2008 Poderi Crisci Pinot Grigio 16 (

)

Eastern Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13%; $29 [ cork; hand-harvested; 100% BF in older French oak, 4 months LA, goal a European styling so nil RS; sold out, 260 cases of the 2009 to be released in July; ‘Floral, rich, honeysuckle, stewed quince with hints of mango and peaches. Rosewater and hints of Turkish delight on the nose. Followed by a dense, full and creamy palate with flavours of quince and pear with some nutty characters. Shows good drive with a fine dry finish’; www.podericrisci.co.nz ]
Slightly flushed lemonstraw. Bouquet is quite full for pinot gris, showing rosepetal and pale stonefruit notes on the usual pearflesh, all a bit lifted. Palate is rich and quite juicy, a little estery, with some late flavours suggestive of lesser yeasts. Unusually for pinot gris, finish is dry. Total sulphur might be on the low side for security in cellaring, so 1 – 2 years only. GK 06/09

2007 Man O’War Sauvignon Blanc Gravestone 16 (

)

Eastern Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14%; $36 [ screwcap; hand-harvested, whole-bunch pressed; 100% BF in French oak 10% new, then 10 months LA and occasional stirring but no MLF; RS < 2 g/L; 60 cases; not in Expo catalogue; www.manowarvineyards.co.nz ]
Yellowish lemonstraw. Bouquet is loud and awkward, in a winestyle from the 1980s. Experience since then has shown that for sauvignon and oak to have a good relationship, the fruit must be ripe with no methoxypyrazines, and the exposure to oak will preferably be via barrel-fermentation to achieve natural fining of the phenolics, or via old oak, or both. This wine has heaps of character, and plenty of fruit, but it is under-ripe, then over-oaked with new oak. Finish is dry. The result is clumsy, hard to match to either food or taster. There are now plenty of models to study in achieving desirable versions of this wine style. Apart from Graves blancs, Te Mata Cape Crest and Dog Point Section 94 (without MLF) and Cloudy Bay Te Koko (with) lead the way. Dubious for cellar. GK 06/09

2004 Brunton Road Chardonnay 16 (

)

Gisborne, New Zealand: 14%; $18 [ screwcap; part of the wine BF, 50% MLF, some LA; 3.5 g/L RS; www.bruntonroad.co.nz ]
Lemon. A slightly aggressive bouquet with some VA, below which is reasonable stonefruit chardonnay character. Palate introduces malolactic and oak flavours, on white stonefruits, tending acid but not bone dry, all a little clumsy and unknit. Cellar 1 – 3 years only. GK 07/05

2004 Bilancia Syrah / Viognier 16 (

)

Gimblett Gravels 80% and balance adjacent, New Zealand: 13.5%; $31.50 [ screwcap; Sy 98, Vi 2; hand-harvested; Vi skins only co-fermented with Sy; MLF and 16 months in French oak 40% new; www.bilancia.co.nz ]
Ruby, below midway in depth. Bouquet is clearly leafy / stalky in a cool-year Crozes-Hermitage style, with some floral and berry components. Palate has good berryfruit, but red fruits only, and some peppercorn, all tending stalky and a little acid. Beautifully made, the oak subtle and stylish, but the fruit not ripe enough. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 05/06

2003 Viu Manent Malbec Reserve Oak-Aged 16 (

)

Colchagua Valley, Chile: 14%; $17 [ cork; Ma 100%; French oak 85%, 15 US, 35% new, for 14 – 16 months; www.viumanent.cl/ingles ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. Bouquet is clean new oak, with obscurely dark plummy fruit below. Palate is even more oaky, completely dominating the otherwise clean, rich ripe fruit. The wine is therefore substantially out of balance, particularly freshly poured, and is better left in a decanter for 24 hours, when it mellows somewhat but is still much too oaky. At best, a new-world show-pony winestyle. Cellar 5 – 15 years, but it will always be too oaky. GK 12/04

2005 Wishart Syrah Alluvion 16 (

)

Bay View, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $30 [ cork; 12 months in barrel, some new; Catalogue: … classic white pepper notes along with violets, cedar and red plums. The palate is refined with fine powdery tannins and balanced acidity; Awards: 4 Stars, Gourmet Traveller Magazine 2008; www.wishartwinery.co.nz ]
Ruby and garnet. Bouquet is more that of a mature wine, to first impression reminding more of pinot noir or grenache than syrah. Palate reveals some fruit, lightest black pepper and a little brett, to produce a medium-bodied firm wine which is European in style. Scored more as pleasant ‘winey’ wine, more for drinking, not very varietal. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 07/09

2004 Seifried Pinot Gris Nelson 16 (

)

Nelson, New Zealand: 13%; $21 [ screwcap; minimal tech. info on website; www.seifried.co.nz ]
Straw. Bouquet is softer and broader than the Coopers, light rosepetal on white pear flesh. Palate is rich and quite strongly flavoured, clearly varietal, but also phenolic, acid, and relatively sweet. It therefore seems clumsy at this stage. Could be worth checking in 18 months or so. Cellar 1 – 5 years. GK 08/05

2005 Craggy Range Chardonnay Gimblett Gravels Single Vineyard 16 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $26 [ screwcap; hand-harvested, wild yeast, BF & LA in 44% new French oak for 10 months; www.craggyrange.com ]
Lemonstraw. An aggressive chardonnay bouquet, the clear varietal fruit upset by VA and new oak. Palate shows good fruit and complex winemaking, but the VA introduces coarse canned pineapple flavours. A flavoursome but unsubtle wine, which may be more mellow in a year. Short-term cellar, say 2 – 5 years. GK 03/06

2004 Forrest Estate Chardonnay 16 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $18 [ screwcap; 40% of the wine BF, LA, MLF in oak 12 months; balance s/s plus LA only; RS 5.6 g/L; www.forrest.co.nz ]
Lemon. A fragrant chardonnay bouquet combines suggestions of florals with slight sackyness, fruit dominant over oak. Palate is white stonefruits, tending acid in the Marlborough style (which completely hides the residual sugar), reasonable richness, straightforward wine to cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 03/06

2008 Ngatarawa Merlot Silks 16 (

)

Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $20 [ screwcap; Me 100%; c. 12 months in oak; RS not stated; Catalogue: highlights the ripe fruit characteristics of Hawke’s Bay Merlot; www.ngatarawa.co.nz ]
Ruby and carmine. Initially opened, the wine is reductive, and needs a good decanting. Breathed it smells of simple nearly plummy berry fruit. Palate shows better ripeness than some of the Silks range wines over the last few years, giving pleasant berry and plummy flavours only slightly leafy, without much oak complexity but some stalk in the tail. Straightforward merlot dry red, to cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 07/09

2006 Abbey Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Cardinal 16 (

)

Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12.5%; $25 [ screwcap; DFB; CS; no info on website; Catalogue: Spicy, prune and Christmas pudding characters with hints of medicinal liquorice-allsorts type flavour combined with saucy fruit and solid tannins. Good length of flavour and satisfying; www.abbeycellars.com ]
Ruby, developed for its age. Bouquet is clean, lean, but fragrant, a wine where leafy under-ripeness grades into redcurrant aromas, to give a flattering initial impression of quality. In mouth the leafyness is confirmed, with light red fruits underpinned by stalkyness and light oak. In its cool Loire Valley almost cabernet franc style, this is pleasantly fragrant quaffing red wine, but again, it is not the future. Cellar 1 – 3 years as QDR. GK 07/09

2006 Abbey Cellars [ Merlot / Cabernet ] Graduate 16 (

)

Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $25 [ screwcap; DFB; Me, CS; no info on website; Catalogue: Ripe, rich and meaty with a complex, layered palate of mace, chocolate and aromatic dried herbs, Satisfying and warm on the finish with excellent length of flavour; www.abbeycellars.com ]
Older ruby. Bouquet shows red currant and red plum characters at a ripeness level that includes a suggestion of leafyness, the whole wine therefore being totally like a modest Entre Deux Mers. Palate follows exactly, fair fruit but all on the stalky side, happily not too oaky (which would exacerbate the stalk), all developing more rapidly than the age would suggest. Cellar 2 – 5 years to soften maybe, in its cool tending austere style. GK 07/09

nv Roederer Estate Brut 16 (

)

Anderson Valley, California: 12%; $40 [ cork; Ch 70%, PN 30; s/s fermentation, no MLF, oak-aged reserve wines 11 – 15% of blend; at least two years en tirage; RS not given; 216 000 cases; www.roedererestate.net ]
Lemon. This wine is uncannily like nv Piper-Heidseck, with the yeast autolysis starting to blur with faint cardboard suggestions, taking some of the charm out of it. Palate is quite rich, tasting of pinot noir, but sweeter than most in the tasting. Straightforward bubbly, but not quite the excitement hoped for, considering California has had French involvement in its sparkling wines for longer than New Zealand. Will cellar for several years, and should look a little better for it. Worth noting from the cork, that the wine has already been in final bottle a year or two, though. GK 11/05

2002 Gramp’s Botrytis Noble Late Harvest 16 (

)

South Australia, Australia: 11.5%; $21 [ cork; price / 375 ml, website not yet functional; www.orlandowyndhamgroup.com ]
Lemonstraw, paler than the Saints. Bouquet is quite rich, but seems plain in this company, with (initially opened) a petrochemical whiff to it, plus an unappealing undertone, faintly rancid and browning cut apple. Palate shows good fruit, noticeable oak, and more body and lower acid than the New Zealand wine, but there is much less freshness of flavour, and hence appeal. On that note, I do wonder if there is a little muscat ‘colouring’ this wine ? It does not compare with the 2001 of this label, and tastes relatively dull even when compared with a ‘simpler’ sauternes such as the Loupiac-Gaudiet. As a sound commercial label from the country which commercialised (in the sense of made affordable) botrytised wines, this bottle makes an interesting comparison with the others. It highlights just how good the 2001 Sauternes are. Cellar 10 – 15 years. GK 04/06

2007 Babich Viognier 16 (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $33 [ cork; 25% BF in older French oak (youngest 3 years), balance s/s; 5 months LA and stirring, no MLF or wild yeast; RS 3.5 g/L; www.babichwines.co.nz ]
Elegant lemon. Bouquet is pure and fragrant, but does not immediately declare: I am viognier. Teasing the wine out, there are subtle citrus zest notes closer to grapefruit than orange, and hints of yellow florals. In mouth, the grapefruit note becomes dominant, with a hoppy terpene-like quality to it, so the dry finish has a grapefruit-pith bitterness on the phenolics. Was this picked too early ? Viognier really needs to ripen to overt fresh apricot, to achieve florality and harmony in mouth. And there is the desirability of an MLF component in its elevation, which when well-handled does wonders for the mouthfeel and pleasure of the wine, as the 2008 Passage Rock wine from Waiheke so elegantly illustrates. This Babich might be hard to match to food, though there is fair body. Something citrus-themed could be good. Cellar 1 – 3 years. GK 05/09

2000 Vieux Chateau Landon 16 (

)

Begadan, Medoc, Bordeaux, France: 12.5%; $30 [ cork; CS 70%, Me 25, Ma 5; one third new oak; ‘96 favourably reviewed by Parker @ 88; www.vieux-chateau-landon.com ]
Ruby, right in the middle for depth. Initially opened, this one is slightly reductive. All it needs is a splashy decanting from jug to jug a couple of times. It then opens to a slightly leafy cassis-rich wine, clearly reflecting its high cabernet cepage. Palate is the same, quite rich cassisy and aromatic berry, clean oak, nicely balanced as a lighter claret. Will cellar for 5 – 10 years. GK 04/06

2004 Manara Rock Cabernet Sauvignon 16 (

)

Barossa Valley, South Australia, Australia: 14%; $14 [ screwcap, bottled in NZ by Villa Maria group; not on website ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. Bouquet is clean simple cassis, plum and mint, slightly stalky as if from machine harvest, not much oak. Flavour is likewise pure and simple minty berryfruit, good ripeness, the oak unintegrated and maybe chips, all absolutely wholesome. With a couple of years in cellar, this could marry up and be more interesting, for it is both quite rich and dry. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 03/06

2008 Pipers Brook Gewurztraminer 16 (

)

Northern Tasmania, Australia: 13.5%; $29 [ screwcap; harvested from mostly 24-year old vines at Pipers Brook vineyard; some skin contact; all s/s; RS not given on winery or Red & White website; www.kreglingerwineestates.com ]
Pale lemongreen. Bouquet is clean, clear, and strong, but more muscat than gewurztraminer as we know it in New Zealand or Alsace. Palate has the short, acid (adjusted ?), biting quality of under-ripe muscat, nearly a spearmint hint and old-fashioned hair-oil, no lychee at all. Finish is neatly ‘riesling-dry’, the best part of the wine. As gewurz if strictly marked by Alsatian / New Zealand standards, it would be under bronze medal, not varietal, but as a strongly-flavoured aromatic white that might be too severe. A wine to compare with torrontes from Argentina, which some people like. Not worth cellaring. GK 06/09

2007 Trinity Hill Syrah Hawkes Bay 16 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $20 [ screwcap; Sy 95%, Vi 5, de-stemmed; c.20 days cuvaison; 10 months in French and American oak little new; RS 2 g/L; Catalogue: … warm, spicy …. blackberry, spice and peppery nuances of Syrah have combined to produce a complex, fruit dominant wine. The sensitive oak aging has added a further dimension without being obvious. Richness and soft, ripe tannins make this eminently drinkable. Awards: Gold @ London International Wine Challenge 2008; www.trinityhill.com ]
Ruby. Bouquet is light, clean, fragrant simple red fruits and faintest pepper, almost like a stainless steel wine. Palate shows a little more fruit, red currants and red plums, flavours reminding that Trinity Hill initially labelled this easy-drinking interpretation of syrah as shiraz, implying it was designed to be more a familiar drinking red wine than a varietal. As such it is ripe enough, not much oaked, carefully made, perhaps even a gram or two of residual sugar to help the popularity side [ later – confirmed ], to cellar 2 – 6 years.

But it really is time someone made some down-to-earth comments about the ludicrous opinions / results emanating from the London International Wine Challenge, which too many people in places like New Zealand regard as holy writ, simply because it is from “overseas”. One can hardly blame wine companies using these results for marketing, but consumers need to think for themselves. Older people can cast their minds back to the phase when it was de rigueur for winemakers to quote gold medals from Ljubljana as the ultimate seal of approval, overlooking the fact that most anything could (and did) get a gold medal at that venue. Likewise in Australia not so long ago, it was a commonplace tactic, that if a wine company entered its wines in enough wine shows, given the plethora of regional and local shows over there, sooner or later you would land a gold medal for advertising purposes. A similar situation is developing in New Zealand, so the thought does arise that there are only two judgings that really matter.

One real problem for an emerging wine country like New Zealand is that for new producers, and producers who do not taste the wines of the world very much, their ideas about desirable wine style may be as shaky as the consumers. So results from judgings like the London International Wine Challenge can in fact do enormous harm, where inconsequential wines are held up as some kind of model. Both consumers and producers can be duped. In this particular case, that latter (specifically) hazard does not arise. This wine was made by Warren Gibson and John Hancock, two of the most experienced and respected syrah producers in the country, winemakers with highly-regarded and well-travelled palates, and who produce the outstanding Homage Syrah ($100) as well. They would hardly be likely to bottle gold-medal wine under their $20 entry-level label, complete with residual sugar – note. Thus the gold-medal certificate from London is more a good joke, telling us much more about the standard of judging there than the wine. As always therefore, caveat emptor, when it comes to judging results. And that applies to wine reviews such as these reviews too. The goal for the consumer must be, to find a wine judging or reviewer who is first consistent (not easy), and then suits your individual palate. GK 07/09

1978 Pio Cesare Barolo 16 (

)

Barolo DOC, Piedmont, Italy: 13.5%; $11 [ nebbiolo 100%. Broadbent ’02: Using small barrels for the first time. Rich, orange-tinged, strange figgy fruit and violets, rich texture, attractive in its way. A whiff of eucalyptus supposedly from the Yugoslav oak ***. ]
Garnet and ruby, the oldest wine, yet one of the deeper. Bouquet is clean, leathery, and odd, and Broadbent has captured it exactly, for there is more than a hint of the traditional fig medicine Califig. Palate is still very rich, but searingly acid, with only browning remnants of raspberry or fresh berry, and rather more of the tar barolo used to have ascribed to it. An old-fashioned wine, something of an acquired taste. Will hold for some years, but not very pleasurably. GK 03/06

2003 Drouhin Bourgogne Laforet 16 (

)

Burgundy, France: 12.5%; $25 [ mostly Cote de Beaune, hand-picked; fermentation in open wood or s/s vats for up to 16 days; some old barrel maturation, some s/s; no RS; Wine Direct the NZ agents; www.drouhin.com ]
Good ruby, the second lightest. Bouquet on this wine is clearly ripe pinot, in a straightforward way: no florals but slight bush honey, clear cherry-plum red fruits, obviously old oak, a little brett. Palate is plump, ripe, red fruits and noticeable tannins, but in the old oak is a hint of some too-old barrels, with coarseness to the finish. Better in a year or two, and will cellar longer than might be supposed for the label, maybe 5 – 10 years. At the price, it is a remarkably faithful introduction to the 2003 vintage in Burgundy. It illustrates beautifully that many New Zealand pinots of comparable price (and some more) are stalky, thin, and acid, and their technical purity is little compensation for the lack of physiological flavour maturity they display. Stalky pinots are much less food-friendly. GK 03/06

2007 Montana Pinot Noir Terraces T 16 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.8%; $33 [ screwcap; nil whole bunch; 10 months in French oak, 39% new; older terraces in the Brancott Valley; www.pernod-ricard-pacific.com ]
Lighter pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is classic Marlborough looking back, explicit buddleia and redfruits florals, blackboy peach rather than cherry fruit notes, and delicate oak. This is another wine pointing to Savigny-les-Beaune. Palate is lighter than many, the flavours as for bouquet, all a little leafy and lacking full physiological maturity and depth of flavour, but easy drinking. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 02/10

2014 Te Mata Syrah Estate 16 (

)

Woodthorpe Terraces and Bridge Pa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $22 [ screwcap; Sy 97%, Vi 3; de-stemmed; 7 months in French oak some new; RS nil; www.temata.co.nz ]
Ruby, a flush of carmine and velvet, the second lightest syrah wine. Bouquet is juvenile, unknit, stalky, almost a maceration carbonique undertone, total sulphur unusually low, giving the impression of being prematurely released as varietal syrah. Below are red berries, at best, and thoughts of white pepper / stalk. Palate matches pretty well, reasonable fruit, unpleasantly youthful, but clean and not too dilute. It is hard to believe all of this wine has been in barrel, though the Te Mata notes are so carefully written that that is not specifically claimed. [ Nearly all wineries draw a discreet veil over the actual percentage of their more affordable wine which is in oak, as opposed to the use of staves or chips, usually in stainless. ] Te Mata do themselves a disservice by releasing the wine so young: this will not attract customers to sample wines further up their hierarchy. Cellar 3 – 8 years, as such. GK 03/15

2004 Spencer Hill Viognier Coastal Range 16 (

)

Nelson, New Zealand: 13.5%; $33 [ cork; hand-harvested, fermented with new French oak, limited oak ageing; 2 g/L RS; www.spencerhillwine.com ]
Colour has more straw in it than the average, more like the Villa wine. Bouquet is dramatically different from all the other wines, in a way which divided tasters. I was attracted to the acacia-florals quality, bespeaking a kind of lees-autolysis component. Flavours on palate showed stonefruits, but acid was higher than the average, and there is a leafy / stalky streak, as of a climate cooler than optimal for the variety. An interesting wine, and different, but not really on the viognier wagon, so my score is probably too generous. Cellar to three years. GK 11/05

2004 Riverby Estate Pinot Noir Single Vineyard 16 (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.8%; $28 [ cork; hand-picked @ c. 2.5 t/ac; 14 months in French oak; no wine info on website yet; www.riverbyestate.com ]
Lightish pinot noir ruby, the lightest of the pinots, though several Drouhins are close. Bouquet is tending muddled at this stage, fair fruit, but some buttery and retained fermentation odours to marry away. It benefits from decanting. Palate is more pleasing, with fragrant blackboy fruit in the Marlborough / Martinborough typical style and flavour, firmed by a stalky note and light oak. It is richer than the Ata Rangi, and like it needs another year in bottle to harmonise. Ultimately it will be the better wine. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 12/05

2008 Auntsfield Pinot Noir Hawk Hill 16 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $45 [ screwcap; nil whole bunch; 10 months in French oak 40% new; single-vineyard wine on loess-clay hill-slopes; www.auntsfield.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, right in the middle for depth. Bouquet does not sing as pinot noir, being slightly reductive on plummy fruits. Palate shows good ripeness and richness but plain plummy fruit, the oak lesser, the wine as easily identified as merlot as pinot noir, all a little meaty. Quite rich sound red wine, and indications of a good site, but this vintage lacks varietal quality. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 02/10

2008 Mud House Pinot Noir Central Otago 16 (

)

Bendigo, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $27 [ screwcap; detail awaited, but nil whole bunch; part of the wine is raised in French oak some new, and some stays in stainless steel to retain freshness; RS 3.8 g/L; www.mudhouse.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, a lovely colour slightly below midway. Bouquet is tending reticent, and benefits from air. It then opens to a lightly floral pinot aroma at no more than the red fruits point of complexity. Then on palate, buddleia florals come through, and the ripeness is a little leafier and more acid than earlier thought, more Marlborough than Otago. Perhaps it is young vines. In another year this should be opening up into attractive light pinot, since the acid hides the residual. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 02/10

2008 Dog Point Pinot Noir Dog Point Vineyard 16 (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $43 [ cork; nil whole bunch; 18 months in French oak 45 – 50% new; vineyard in southern valleys sub-region including dissected older hill-slopes; www.dogpoint.co.nz ]
Big ruby, one of the deeper wines. Bouquet is darker too, closed, maybe a little reductive, no clear pinot noir clues. Palate is rich, extractive, darkly plummy, some charry oak, a wine more in the style of the Pegasus Bay Prima Donna. There is more pinot noir character evident on palate than on bouquet, but it is a very big wine. The late flavours suggest the wine is more massive and brooding, rather than reductive to a fault, so this may be one to cellar and hope (in a positive sense). Can't score it highly at the moment, however. Not yet released. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 02/10

2007 Prophet's Rock Pinot Noir 16 (

)

Bendigo, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $45 [ cork; 5% whole bunch; 16 months in French oak, 35% new; www.prophetsrock.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, on the full side, above midway. Bouquet is a mixed affair on this wine. There are some florals, and mixed-hue fruits, plus an undertone of burnt perspex. Palate is rich, red cherry grading to black fruits, a firm note from some stalks or oak, all needing more time to sort itself out. It has the fruit to cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 02/10

2007 Alan McCorkindale Pinot Noir Waipara Valley 16 (

)

Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 13.5%; $42 [ supercritical cork; nil whole bunch; 12 months in French oak, % new not given; no website ]
Pinot noir ruby, just the lightest in its tasting, still a good pinot colour with good hue. Bouquet initially opened a little congested, as well as a leafy, with a stewed undertone and also a little VA. There is a hint of some lesser spicy complexity, not quite as clean as the top wines. Palate has good fruit, and in one sense more complexity than some wines, but like many burgundies the complexity is not all positive – some over-ripe mushroom notes. Tannin ripeness is on a par with the Te Whare Ra wine, not optimal. This wine does not speak for Waipara as well as some examples. Cellar 3 – 7 years. GK 02/10

2006 Tappanappa Cabernet / Shiraz Whalebone Vineyard 16 (

)

Wrattonbully, South Australia, Australia: 14.2%; $95 [ cork; price is simple conversion from AU$75; CS 60%, Sh 30, CF 4, PV 10, hand-harvested at 1 t/ac from vines 32 years old; 100% de-stemmed, 3 days cold-soak, plus 21 days cuvaison; MLF and 20 months in French oak 70% new, 30 1-year; www.tapanappawines.com.au ]
Ruby and velvet, the second to lightest in its tasting. Bouquet is eucalyptus first and second, pretty well destroying any subtleties that might otherwise have been displayed. In mouth, the wine can be interpreted somewhat better, soft ripe cassis, soft plummy fruit and palate filled out by the shiraz, attractive acid balance and mouthfeel, but much too aromatic on the euc'y finish. This would be an interesting gentle wine despite the alcohol, if it were not so tainted on both bouquet and palate. Hard for non-Australians not habituated to eucalyptus to find pleasant, or score – it cannot be taken seriously in a wines of the world tasting. The 2005 scored in the 90s in Australia, but as implied earlier, all too often Australian reviewers' scoring for Australian wines bears no relation to world views of wine style. Wrattonbully is just north of Coonawarra, perhaps fractionally cooler, limestone parent materials, with Padthaway to the north. Cellar 3 – 15 or so years, if it appeals. GK 01/10

2007 Trinity Hill [ Merlot / Cabernet ] The Gimblett 16 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $33 [ supercritical cork; Me 51%, CS 17, PV 12, CF 11, Ma 9, hand-picked at c.2.6 t/ac, de-stemmed; average vine age 11 years; c.28 days cuvaison; 18 months in 'predominantly' French oak 35% new; www.trinityhill.com ]
Ruby carmine and velvet, middling for density. This is a straightforward bordeaux-styled wine, but Bordeaux in a cooler year. Bouquet shows red currants as well as some cassis, a hint of black pepper, a pleasant note of stewed red rhubarb, and some leafyness. Palate matches, distinctly leafy with some stalk hardness, lighter than the Mission wine, and more acid. Disappointing ripeness given the quality of season in Hawke's Bay, but pure and fragrant light wine to cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 01/10

2008 Man O'War Syrah Dreadnought Reserve 16 (

)

Eastern Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14%; $45 [ screwcap; Sy 100%, hand-harvested from hillsides sites @ c. 1.5 t/ac, 100% de-stemmed, 3 days ambient-soak, wild yeast supplemented by cultured, up to 21 days cuvaison; MLF and 15 months in barrel, French oak 15% new, American 5% new, balance mostly French older; dry, sterile-filtered to bottle; 1666 cases; www.manowarvineyards.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, one of the lighter wines. This wine is all about house style, and less about syrah. The dominant component on bouquet is the bacon of 4-ethylguaiacol, the second phase of brett by-products. One has to work at the wine to extract quite bright red fruits with white more than black pepper complexity, but the brett kills any florals that might have been in the fruit at picking. Acid balance is on the fresh side, and fruit ripeness and richness are less than the even more spoilt 2007 of this label. As always, overseas visitors tend to be less focussed on the analysis of the wine, and more interested in the total style achieved. Both vintages have been highly praised by United Kingdom-domiciled writers, who cannot see the brett, and just enjoy the wonderfully savoury wine. This is a measure of frustration in this, in that the UK approach does not in fact encourage the proprietors to optimise their winemaking, and thus fully develop a potentially outstanding site.

Scoring is a bit arbitrary, therefore, see brief discussion in text Intro, and also in more detail in the review for the 2007 of this wine (30 Jun 2009, this site), and the report on the Pinot Noir 2007 Conference, text heading BRETTANOMYCES (26 Feb 2007, this site). A further point of interest arises where wines such as this one are sterile-filtered before bottling. They are therefore stable in bottle, the brett will not increase and degrade the wine further to a mousey status (as is sometimes seen with Chateauneuf-du-Pape wines), and consumers can enjoy the savoury brett complexity to their heart's content. There is scope for a Conference on this topic alone ! Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 01/10

2003 Matua Valley Pinot Noir Innovator 16 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $28 [ screwcap; RS 2.1 g/L; www.matua.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby, one of the deeper. Bouquet is a little congested, with a hint of sackyness and brett detracting from straightforward pinot noir fruit. Palate is good red fruits, slightly cardboard and tannic, but the whole wine is clearly varietal, richer than some, and will mellow into good sound drinking, in cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 10/05

2004 Gladstone Pinot Noir 16 (

)

Masterton, Wairarapa, New Zealand: 13%; $24 [ screwcap; hand-harvested; 48 hours cold-soak; 9 months in mixed-age French oak; www.gladstone.co.nz ]
Lightish pinot ruby, the third lightest. This wine is a little different, with a red cherries and red berry quality which reminds a little of straightforward Cote de Beaune. Palate is blackboy and red cherries of reasonable weight, oak creeping up on the finish, milder than the Mebus. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 10/05

2005 Villa Maria Gewurztraminer Private Bin 16 (

)

East Coast = Gisborne & Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $17 [ screwcap; 2005 not on website, but 2004 was 9 g/L; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Straw with a flush, nearly light gold. This wine has plenty of varietal bouquet, but in a developed style: lychee, root ginger, golden peach, plus a marcy / stalky quality hinting at cardboard and over-pressing, letting it down. Palate is likewise full flavoured, a little VA lift, not a subtle wine – but one has to reward the quantity of flavour. Finish is tending phenolic, so sweetness is hard to judge – just above ‘dry’, I think, neatly covering the coarse tendencies. A bit developed to be a good cellar wine – just a year or two would be best. GK 11/05

2002 Vidal Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 16 (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $40 [ screwcap; wine not on website; www.vidal.co.nz ]
Dense ruby and velvet, some carmine. A big rich ripe red bouquet, but the generous fruit is overwhelmed by oak. Palate is even more oaky, a great woomph of phenolics and tannins totally obliterating any charm the fruit might have in mouth, making the wine seem acid and hard. It will cellar for ages, but is too out of balance to come right, in my view. Cellar 5 – 20 years. GK 11/05

2005 Trinity Hill Viognier Gimblett Road 16 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $29 [ screwcap; hand-harvested, part BF in older French oak and 3 months LA, part s/s fermentation, RS 3 g/L; www.trinityhillwines.com ]
A slightly yellow lemon, as if oak-influenced. This wine is something like the Mitchelton, a lot of character, but too much of it spurious. Oak and estery VA at this infantile stage of premature release are uppermost, but one can smell stonefruits behind. Palate shows better fruit and is pretty well dry. If this wine had been released when it was more integrated and ready for tasting, it would have shown more harmoniously, and rated better. Not a subtle take on viognier, but it is coarsely varietal. Cellar to four years. GK 11/05

2005 Villa Maria Riesling Taylor’s Pass Single Vineyard Reserve 16 (

)

Awatere Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 8.5%; $30 [ screwcap; hand-picked; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Pale lemongreen. Bouquet is very pure, very clean, but pretty anonymous as to variety – faint yellow florals. Palate shows great fruit weight and pear flesh flavours, more phenolics than are ideal for riesling, and seems more like pinot gris. The richness is amazing, and not all due to the medium sweetness. It comes as a shock at the unveiling of the blind tasting, to find the wine is labelled riesling. Fair to say I would score the wine more highly as pinot gris. Even though I have scored some current vintage rieslings highly in these notes, it remains true that riesling demands time in cellar. It will be a sign of our maturing as a wine country, when New Zealand rieslings are NOT released in their year of vintage. Both these Villa Marlborough Reserve wines are perfect cases in point. Their premature release benefits nobody, and in fact does the company a disservice, since many customers will be disappointed with what they find in bottle now, particularly having paid a premium price. Doesn’t make sense. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 11/05

2001 Mebus Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot / Malbec / Cabernet Franc 16 (

)

Masterton, Wairarapa, New Zealand: 12.5%; $24 [ cork; wild yeast, long maceration; French oak ]
Ruby and velvet, one of the deepest. Bouquet here is quite strong, and a bit outside the square, combining big pungent oak with an almost methoxypyrazine / red capsicum note, and then a suggestion of bush honey, as if the wine had significant syrah in it. Palate inclines more to the cabernet sauvignon component in flavour, good fruit richness, but an under-ripe streak (from the cabernet presumably), and much too oaky. Interesting, but probably tiring to drink much of, yet awhile. Should cellar 5 – 10 years, and mellow. GK 10/05

2006 Guigal Crozes-Hermitage 16 (

)

Crozes-Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $42 [ cork; Sy 100%; 18 months in older French oak; www.guigal.com ]
Ruby, deeper than the St Joseph. Initially opened, this is clearly lesser, with rustic notes which when teased out include some reduction, some brett, and some stalks. It responds well to vigorous jug to jug decanting. Thus aerated, fruit richness is reasonable, the ripeness level is white pepper and cassis (just), and the oaking is all old. This is modestly representative commercial Crozes-Hermitage, and therefore tending expensive. Score is aerated. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 10/10

1997 Te Mata Estate Viognier Woodthorpe 16 (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $ – [ cork; 100% fermented in s/s, no MLF; www.temata.co.nz ]
The colour is weird on this wine, virtually identical lemon to the 2004, reflecting its stainless steel upbringing with no exposure to oak. Certainly gives the lie to the variety not keeping. Bouquet likewise is not tired, but it is fully mature. Varietal character is very attenuated, for as winemaker Peter Cowley explained, they had not then quite realised that full flavour development comes with a rush at a sugar level around 14% potential alcohol. This was picked at 13%. The wine style is reminiscent of a full-bodied South Australian riesling of similar age, with a stalky / resiny underpinning, somewhat past full development. Fascinating to see, and raises the question whether the variety will cellar for longer in New Zealand than Australia. GK 10/05

1998 Clearview Estate Chardonnay Reserve 16 (

)

Te Awanga, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $ – [ cork; simpler variations on 2004 practice, qv; www.clearviewestate.co.nz ]
Depth of colour is about the same as the 1995, but the hue is different, with marked orange. And on bouquet, this is the most oxidised of the set, almost certainly due to the inherent variation of cork as a closure, rather more than the wine (though this is the hottest recent vintage in Hawkes Bay). Below the slightly cidery oxidation, there is the same peachy and biscuitty fruit, of good weight. Finish is integrated and attractive, more like the ‘95 than the 1997. With this wine and the 1997, scoring of older wines is pretty arbitrary, depending on how much one tolerates (or even likes) the complex flavours of age and incipient breakdown. All these older Clearview Chardonnays are saved by their very rich fruit, and if one concentrates on the positive aspects of the wine, they are well worth trying. And some bottles will be much better than the 1997 and 1998 in this tasting. One would have to be fairly picky (or totally habituated to current vintage wine) not to find this 1998 pleasantly drinkable with appropriate food, but (if this bottle is representative) it needs finishing up. GK 11/05

2004 Alan McCorkindale Pinot Noir Montserrat Vineyard 16 (

)

Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 13.7%; $ – [ supercritical cork; on limestone; no website ]
Lightish pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is light red fruits, slightly cardboardy in the way so many minor burgundies are, reasonably varietal. Palate is fresher, red cherries, a hint of redcurrant, a village Cote de Beaune quality to it, with relatively little new oak. Simple but pleasing wine, good extract but a little short in flavour. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 01/07

2008 Kumeu River Chardonnay Village 16 (

)

Kumeu, north of Auckland, New Zealand: 13%; $21 [ screwcap; hand-harvested, mostly clones 6 & 15; whole-bunch pressed; wild-yeast fermentation, c.33% BF in 10% new oak, balance s/s; 100% MLF, c.8 months LA; RS nil; formerly labelled Brajkovich Chardonnay; www.kumeuriver.co.nz ]
Lemon-straw. Kumeu River's Village Chardonnay varies quite considerably from year to year. In low-cropping years, when there is a lot of oak to be kept wet, the Village wine may all have seen oak. Some of these have been quite lovely – for example the 2005. In more productive years, where a significant percentage of the wine stays in stainless steel, it can tend to be a bit reductive. If there is some less ripe fruit, any stalkyness is exacerbated by the reduction. This 2008 is a lesser year, with suggestions of cardboard through bouquet and palate, in reasonable fruit. Many a Macon blanc is like this. Cellar 2 – 5 years, though more as QDW chardonnay. GK 10/10

1997 Clearview Estate Chardonnay Reserve 16 (

)

Te Awanga, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $ – [ cork; simpler variations on 2004 practice, qv; www.clearviewestate.co.nz ]
Colour is gold and orange, the darkest / deepest of the set. Bouquet on this one is broadening, with a clear butterscotch / caramel clumsy component in the biscuitty oxidation characters. Like the 1996, the wine is saved by the rich fruit to a degree, but this is not as harmonious. Oak and alcohol intrude on the biscuitty finish, as the fruit fades. If this bottle is representative (and colour is the index), should be finished-up soon. GK 11/05

2003 Palliser Estate Pinot Noir 16 (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 14%; $40 [ cork; c. 4 days cold-soak; 12 months new and older French oak; www.palliser.co.nz ]
Medium pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is odd, varietal to a degree but also cardboardy and bretty, needing air. It may be a cork-affected bottle, below the level where one can actually tell for sure. Certainly the floral component is not as good as the junior '03 Pencarrow wine. Palate however is markedly richer, with clear black cherry and blackboy varietal fruit, offset by more Brettanomyces than is desirable. Interesting food-oriented wine falling almost into the rustic category, good drinking (for the non-technical), but the magic of pinot noir escaping it. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 03/05

2004 Sileni Pinot Noir The Plateau 16 (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12.8%; $37 [ screwcap; website more PR than info; www.sileni.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is sweet, ripe and fragrant, surprisingly varietal, not giving away its warm-climate origins. Palate is attractively balanced, quite rich blackboy and red cherries, and not oaky. In general, these warmer-climate styles make beautiful drinking wine, especially at this subtle alcohol, but cannot score highly when judged against the precept of pinot as an international variety. That said, this is one of the best Hawkes Bay pinots thus far. Cellar 2 – 8 years. GK 10/05

2004 Villa Maria Pinot Noir Private Bin 16 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $23 [ screwcap; full range of techniques employed on component batches (on website); www.villamaria.co.nz ]
An attractive pinot ruby - good to see Villa retreating from their merlot-styled and dark pinot colours. Bouquet is light and fragrant, indeterminate red fruits, varietal but tending unforthcoming as yet. On palate there is slightly stewed red cherry fruit with suggestions of strawberry and raspberry, a little stalky, carefully oaked, richer than the Saint Clair Vicar’s. This one too will be more mellow in a year, and will serve as a pleasant introduction to the variety. The New Zealand equivalent of bourgogne rouge, but released prematurely. Cellar 3 - 5 years. GK 06/05

2003 Whitestone Pinot Noir 16 (

)

Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 13.5%; $24 [ screwcap ]
Pinot ruby. An interesting bouquet, with light redfruits and fragrant sweet vernal hay qualities, plus suggestions of bottled blackboy peaches. Palate swings to the hay side of the bouquet, with marcy flavours more apparent than fruit, yet in mouth the wine is soft, and seems ripe, quite rich, lightly fragrant, gently oaked, and in style. Perhaps it is in a recessive phase, the fruit not apparent at the moment. Should cellar 3 – 5 years, and hopefully evolve. GK 03/05

2002 Huia Pinot Noir 16 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $ – [ cork; 14 months French oak; www.huia.net.nz ]
Pinot ruby, close to the 2001. Bouquet is more straightforward than the 2001, a simpler redfruits pinot, more red plums than cherries. Ripeness is ahead of the '01, with bigger fruit, and no stalks. A curious cooperage-related character detracts from the palate, coarsening it. Pleasant drinking, and will cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 02/05

2003 Coney Pinot Noir Pizzicato 16 (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 14%; $33 [ cork ]
Good pinot noir ruby. A big bouquet, vaguely in the cherry and blackboy spectrum, but more clearly stalky, with green edges that could be under-ripe pinot or merlot, in the blind tasting. Palate is more varietal, but though there is good fruit quantitatively, ripeness and physiological maturity of the phenolics / tannins is lacking, and the wine tastes a bit too stalky. Will cellar reasonably well, and build up bouquet, to become more interesting in an austere way. Cellar 5 - 8 years. GK 05/05

2009 Two Paddocks Pinot Noir Picnic 16 (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $24 [ screwcap; multi-district blend, hand-picked; some months in French oak; a 5,000 case wine now; whimsical and appealing website, beautifully illustrated; release date April 2011; www.twopaddocks.com ]
Pinot noir ruby. Bourgogne rouge is the best descriptor here, for though the wine is clearly pinot noir, it also includes an appealing measure of European complexity factors such as brett, often found in quaffing burgundies. Palate is soft, round and food friendly, showing red and black cherry fruit and older oak, already nearly mellow. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 09/10

2008 Amisfield Pinot Noir 16 (

)

Lowburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $40 [ screwcap; hand-harvested; some whole-bunch, mostly wild yeast fermentations; extended cuvaison; 12 months in French oak c.20% new; www.amisfield.co.nz ]
Big pinot noir ruby. Decanting refreshes this wine, to reveal a plummy and oaky pinot lacking florality. Palate has fair fruit, but rather much oak, so several factors in this wine are detracting from the varietal charms one hopes for in pinot noir. Fruit concentration is good, even though the fruit itself shows some sur-maturité, so it should cellar well in its oaky and less-varietal style for 3 – 8 years, perhaps longer. GK 09/10

2009 Rockburn Wines Pinot Noir Devil's Staircase 16 (

)

Cromwell Basin & Gibbston, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $25 [ screwcap; some oak; www.rockburn.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. Bouquet initially opened is a little reductive, on top of a maceration carbonique component. It breathes up nicely with decanting. Palate is very youthful, but quite rich red cherry pinot flavours dominate, with an oak aromatic present but not yet incorporated – possibly chips ? This will look better in a year, and cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 09/10

2002 Waiwera Pinot Noir 16 (

)

Golden & Tasman Bays, Nelson, New Zealand: 13.8%; $27 [ screwcap ]
Big ruby. Benefits from a breath of fresh air / decanting, to show a soft bouquet with plummy red fruits appropriate to straightforward pinot noir, but also a biscuitty and marcy component. Fruit on palate includes a baked berry pie note, unusual, not unpleasant, varietal, slightly acid. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 01/04

2006 [ Te Motu ] Dunleavy [ Cabernets / Merlot ] 16 (

)

2005 Kennedy Point Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 16 (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.5%; $49 [ cork; CS 85%, Me 12, CF 3, hand-picked @ low cropping rate; MLF and 18 months in barrel 50% new (approx); www.kennedypointvineyard.com ]
Ruby and velvet. Clear edgy cassis with rather a lot of what smells like American oak (though French mentioned) which takes the mind back to 1968 McWilliams New Zealand Cabernet Sauvignon. Palate continues the cassis, but the edginess becomes stalks, making the whole wine short. It is clearly varietal and quite rich, but more ripeness is needed for the level of oak. Comparison with the 2005 Te Motu and 2005 Dunleavy is interesting, on that point. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/10

2002 Pencarrow Pinot Noir 16 (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $22 [ screwcap; no info on website; www.palliser.co.nz ]
Light pinot noir ruby, marginally the lightest of [ one batch of ] these pinots. A fragrant red fruits bouquet with a faint smoky hint suggests a light wine, but it does not smell leafy. Palate is lightly fruity, but now there is a faint suggestion of leafiness. The whole wine is pleasantly red-fruits varietal, pinot in a lighter style, but by no means weak. In its lightness coupled with palate satisfaction, it is pleasantly burgundian. Cellar 3 - 5 years. GK 03/05

2003 Villa Maria Riesling Cellar Selection 16 (

)

Awatere & Wairau Valleys, Marlborough, New Zealand: 12.5%; $22 [ screwcap; 8.4 g/L RS; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Pale lemon. A light clean vinifera bouquet with suggestions of pear flesh and apple sauce is the first impression. Palate is rich, and the resiny notes point to riesling, but like the Taylor’s Pass wine, it is in a strong non-floral idiom a long way from classical European riesling. Pleasant on its own, medium-dry, but hard to score highly as the named variety. Will cellar for several years, but gaining interest is dubious. GK 11/05

2009 Mudbrick Chardonnay Reserve 16 (

)

Western Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14.3%; $42 [ screwcap; hand-picked; 100% BF in all-French oak 25% new, 100% wild-yeast ferments, some MLF; 10 months LA in barrel, with batonnage the first 6 months; www.mudbrick.co.nz ]
Lemon. Bouquet is understated, but also contains a suggestion of jujube / banana 'fruity' character, which though they win gold medals in New Zealand, is not part of serious chardonnay. On inquiry, the ferment is all wild yeast, so this may be a downside of the local population. Palate shows reasonable fruit, but is tending phenolic, making it hard to drink. Better in a year, I imagine, and will cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/10

2007 Seresin Pinot Noir Rachel 16 (

)

Omaka Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $57 [ screwcap (harder to open Stelvin Lux); 3 clones, hand-harvested, 60% of fruit from higher-clay older hill-soils; no whole-bunch; cold-soak and extended cuvaison to c.24 days; 15 months in French oak some new; useful website; www.seresin.co.nz ]
Big ruby and velvet, with the Seresin Sun and Moon and the Pyramid Calvert the darkest of all the wines. Bouquet is quite exotic and tending Australian, an oaky malt-extract and lucerne hay quality to it, with a whisper of mint and aniseed, which is not varietal. Oak and stalks are evident on bouquet too. In mouth, the balance of undesirably mixed ripenesses in the fruit gives a nett texture of pinot noir, but the flavours are eccentric. Fruit richness is good, and it is perfectly enjoyable as red wine in its own way. Odd shirazes from Geelong have been reminiscent of this wine. Cellar 3 – 10 years, though the stalkyness is at peril of increasing. GK 11/10

2008 Explorer Pinot Noir 16 (

)

Cromwell district, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $24 [ screwcap; a sub-label of Surveyor Thomson; no info ]
Light pinot noir ruby, one of the lightest. Bouquet is light, fragrant, and tending European in the old style, slight entrained reduction giving a spurious florality on all-red fruits. Palate is little hard on the sulphur and some acid, fruit at the red currants to some red cherry only level, then surprisingly reasonable dry extract for the light colour, again reinforcing the European impression. Cellar 2 – 7 years in its style. GK 11/10

2002 Pask Syrah Reserve 16 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $45 [ cork; de-stemmed, hand-plunged in open-top fermenters, 16 months in new French oak; www.cjpaskwinery.co.nz ]
Ruby. A fragrant wine, partly due to the perceptible VA. The actual wine smells are tending odd, red fruits and crushed coarse parsley. Palate is soft and quite rich, but also oaky and Australian in style, made piquant by the VA. Should cellar 3 - 8 years. GK 06/05

2003 Waipara Downs Pinot Noir 16 (

)

Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 13.5%; $24 [ screwcap; hand-picked; 12 months French oak; www.waiparadowns.co.nz ]
Pinot ruby. A light redfruits bouquet, faintly floral, lightly varietal. Palate is soft and clearly red cherry and pinot, gently oaked, slightly stalky, modest in stature. Pleasant drinking. Cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 03/05

2004 Bladen Pinot Noir 16 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $31 [ screwcap; hand-harvested; 15 months in French oak; www.bladen.co.nz ]
Lightish pinot ruby. This is another oaky pinot, though there is good red cherry fruit and black boy peach too. On palate however the wine is much too oaky, quite crippling the fruit, though it is still recognisably pinot noir. Cellar 3 – 10 years, to soften and be more food friendly. GK 11/05

2009 Schubert Pinot Noir Block B 16 (

)

Gladstone, Wairarapa, New Zealand: 14.5%; $60 [ cork; 5 clones of pinot noir hand-picked, 100% de-stemmed, cold soak, 21 days cuvaison, followed by 18 months in French oak, 50% new; www.schubert.co.nz ]
Pale pinot noir ruby, old for age. Bouquet is as much new oak as red fruits pinot noir, fragrant but not quite for the right reasons. Palate shows more fruit than the bouquet suggests, a kind of red Meursault mouthfeel and texture which is appealing, but also a leafy hint in redcurrant and red cherry fruit, the wine possibly not bone dry. Pleasing in one sense, the oak wins gold medals, but not exactly satisfying as pinot noir. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 06/11

2001 Guigal Crozes-Hermitage 16 (

)

Crozes-Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 12.5%; $37 [ Sy 100%; average vine age 35 years; cropped 40 hL / ha; 3 weeks cuvaison; 18 months in older French oak; www.guigal.com ]
Ruby, deeper than the village Cote-Rotie. Freshly poured the wine is pongy, on a straightforward stalky Crozes rendering of syrah, exactly illustrating the typically less-than-ideal syrah ripeness of the appellation. This wine lacks the Hermitage-like excitement the top wines of the village can achieve. With a good splashy decanting it opens up to reveal stalky cassis with red currants and red plums, in older oak, all slightly acid. Anyone who has criticised the 2003 Te Mata Woodthorpe Syrah / Viognier for being acid should compare it with this wine. The physiological maturity of the Woodthorpe is greatly superior, despite the acid. Mainstream modest Crozes which will cellar 3 - 8 years, thinning with longer keeping. GK 07/05

2007 Te Awa Syrah Gimblett Gravels 16 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $30 [ supercritical 'cork'; Sy 99% all Limmer clone, Vi 1, all hand-picked; 100% de-stemmed, 5 days cold soak, wild-yeast fermentation; MLF and 15 months in French oak 300s, some new; improved website; www.teawa.com ]
Dense ruby, carmine and velvet, a great colour. This wine is a bit the odd-man-out, the bouquet being fat and rich but not fresh and elegant, and probably not optimally stable – there is a stewed and estery quality to it. Palate is rich and ripe to over-ripe, dull as syrah, over-ripened, no florality. Palate opts for heaviness and chocolate, American-style, not varietal precision. Will probably marry up in cellar and become stable, and if so could be marked higher, but cellaring beyond 3 – 8 years looks dubious at the moment. GK 06/10

2007 d'Arenberg Shiraz Lovegrass 16 (

)

McLaren Vale, South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $24 [ screwcap; Sh just over 85%, PV 5, CS 5, Te 2, Vi 2, the balance an astonishing mix of red varieties from experimental sections of the vineyard, including in addition Gr, graciano, various Portugese tinta varieties, tannat etc to lift the shiraz; up to 20 months in mostly older larger-format French and American oak, but a small BF component in barriques some new; www.darenberg.com.au ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. Bouquet is muted and puzzling on this shiraz blend. Just under 15% of the wine is aromatic red varieties from France, Spain and Portugal mainly, but at this early stage, sadly the main aromatic on palate is unattractive raw euc. Palate is lighter than some, acid noticeably adjusted, the eucalyptus tastable. Needs a few years to soften and become more winey, hopefully. Cellar 5 – 10 years, if euc'y wines appeal. GK 07/10

2000 Matariki Syrah Reserve 16 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $40 [ 15 months in French and US oak 39% new; www.matarikiwines.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. In the blind tasting, this was the most Australian and shiraz-styled bouquet, showing both eucalyptus suggestions and hints of boysenberries. Palate confirms the boysenberry flavours, with a leathery component as if a trace of oxidation, some American vanillin oak, in a straightforward oaky wine which is a bit flat and old-fashioned. Nonetheless, will cellar for 8 – 12 years. GK 12/04

2008 Kusuda Syrah 16 (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.2%; $ – [ cork 55 mm; hand-picked; 95% de-stemmed, 5 – 6 days cold-soak, s/s ferment, cuvaison 25 days; 19 months in French oak 31% new; no fining, coarse filtration only; www.kusudawines.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a similar depth to the Dry River, or even deeper. Freshly opened, the bouquet suffers from simple H2S reduction, which untreated doesn't give the wine much chance in the comparative blind tasting. Later, very well ventilated, one is staggered to find a syrah even riper and richer than the Dry River, but still within the cassis spectrum which ideally would show wallflower scent in a wine with a better oxygen status. Palate is softer and richer than the Dry River, and much more subtly oaked than the Villa Reserve. If it had been more carefully raised, it would be a clear-cut gold-medal wine (18.5) – hard to score therefore. Cellar 7 – 15 years, in the hope it might one day bury its reduction. GK 06/11

2009 Marques de Riscal Proximo 16 (

)

Rioja, Spain: 13.5%; $21 [ cork; Te; some at least 4 months oak; www.marquesderiscal.com ]
Lighter bright ruby. Bouquet shows simple berry, slightly estery, some plain old oak, straightforward. Palate is quite winey, traces of brett, some leafyness suggesting under-ripeness, a bit tannic, but all fairly pleasant as young QDR. Better with a year or two in bottle, cellar 2 – 5 years, but not at all what M. de Riscal stood for 20 years ago. GK 08/11

2010 Johanneshof Pinot Gris Trocken 16 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $20 [ supercritical 'cork'; no winemaking info; 4.3 g/L RS; www.johanneshof.co.nz ]
Quite a rosy orange flush in straw. This wine has more bouquet than some rated above it, with reminders of rosé champagne, but there is also a faintly varnishy / oxidised complexity. Palate is dry, clear nectarine fruit and cinnamon spice, but again there is a flaw – a trace of ignoble botrytis, and the phenolics are too high. Flavoursome wine, better in applications where it would not be scrutinised too carefully. Cellar 2 – 4 years. GK 08/11

1974 Cooks Claret 16 (

)

Te Kauwhata, Auckland district, New Zealand: – %; $ – [ cork 37mm, surely the shortest cork ever put into vinifera table wine in New Zealand, ullage 51mm. ]
Colour is clear lightish ruby and garnet, much the reddest and deepest of the four New Zealand wines, all of which are lighter than the 1976 Nobilo Cabernet Sauvignon. Bouquet is light but astonishing in the context, being not only totally vinifera, and 'sweet' and ripe, but nothing like mature bordeaux. Studying the fine-print on the label after the tasting, the reason becomes apparent. Dominant grape is pinot meunier, then pinotage, then cabernet sauvignon. The latter must have been a tiny percentage, as there is no trace on bouquet. Palate is nearly as good as the bouquet, cherry / raspberry flavours browning now, slightly acid, but perfectly pleasant very light red wine in full maturity, vaguely in the style a similar-age modest Cotes-du-Rhone from a cool year would be. Surprising: the wine (unlike the cork) pretty well fulfilling the dreams of the founders (for the times). Probably Te Kauwhata and perhaps Gisborne fruit. GK 10/20

2009 Clos Henri Pinot Noir Petit Clos 16 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.6%; $22 [ screwcap; the website gives indicative notes, rather than vintage-specific ones; this wine made from young vines hand-harvested at c 6 t/ha = 2.4 t/ac from mainly younger valley-flats soils, all-de-stemmed, some cold-soak; fermented in s/s and 91% of the wine stays in it, 9% in new French oak to complex; www.clos-henri.com/vineyard/index.en.php4 ]
Pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is a plainer presentation of pinot noir, some red fruits but not floral, a little oak. Palate is pleasantly non-oaky, yet it is firm enough on modest fruits and slight stalks, some redcurrant notes in red cherry / red plum. Clean light QDR pinot, to cellar 2 – 4 years. GK 06/11

2002 Squawking Magpie Cabernet / Merlot Gimblett Gravels 16 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $37 [ CS 80%, Me 20; www.squawkingmagpie.co.nz ]
Good ruby. A clean and fragrant but oaky bouquet, with clear cassis but also the fragrance of leafiness. Palate has good cassis fruit richness, fragrant oak in excess, but again it is leafy / stalky and the acid is a little high. Looking a bit old-fashioned New Zealand. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 12/04

2009 Charles Wiffen Pinot Gris 16 (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 12.5%; $19 [ screwcap; RS 12 g/L; www.charleswiffenwines.co.nz ]
Lemon-straw, a bit developed. Bouquet is disorganised, with cardboardy and mixed ripeness notes in quite rich fruit. Palate likewise shows a good level of fruit in a slightly quincey way, but the wine is tending phenolic as well as hard on the cardboardy impressions, mixed in with some stalks, notwithstanding the off-dry finish. Sturdy food wine only, not a good cellar prospect. GK 08/11

2008 Buller Wines Chardonnay Sinister Man [ Unoaked ] 16 (

)

Murray Valley, Central Victoria, Australia: 13.5%; $14 [ screwcap; no info; www.bullerwines.com.au ]
Lemon-straw. Bouquet is clear-cut clean chardonnay in the Australian commercial mixed-ripeness / presumably machine-harvesting model – a mix of fruit characters from banana to leafy, with little complication from lees work or oak. Palate follows naturally, fair fruit, straightforward, pleasant commercial QDW chardonnay, not bone dry. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 08/11

2010 TerraVin Chardonnay 16 (

)

Omaka Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 12.7%; $27 [ screwcap; hand-picked from 12-year old hillside vines planted at 5500 vines / ha and cropped @ 6 t/ha = 2.4 t/ac; whole-bunch pressed, wild yeast, BF and 9 months LA in French oak; www.terravin.co.nz ]
Paleish lemonstraw. Strange wine, a slightly penetrating aromatic on its bouquet reminiscent of some Spanish whites (parellada for example) on fragrant fruit and oak. Palate is hard, dry, acid and narrow, some varietal fruit but not a charmer at all, with a stalky and acid streak reminding of sauvignon. Hard to drink on its own. Needs to soften in cellar 2 – 4 years, but marginally worthwhile. GK 08/11

2009 Volcanic Hills Pinot Noir 16 (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 13%; $24 [ screwcap; no winemaking info, Volcanic Hills is a marketing concept, no geographic relevance to vineyards; www.volcanichills.co.nz ]
Light pinot noir ruby, markedly older than the 2010. And the bouquet confirms an older wine than expected, but all perfectly pleasant and lightly varietal. Palate is more appropriately oaked than the 2010, but the whole wine is tending light. Cellar 2 – 4 years. GK 08/11

2010 Luis Alegre Tempranillo Poco a Poco 16 (

)

Rioja Alavasa, Spain: 13%; $17 [ plastic 'cork'; Te 90%, Gr 5, Viura 5, hand-harvested; all s/s wine, short 5-day cuvaison; Bodegas Lagunas de Laguardia is a marketing name for Alegre to sell de-classified Rioja wine affordably, note dry extract is still = 27 g/L; www.vinoslibres.com ]
Medium ruby, carmine and velvet. Another lifted bouquet showing maceration carbonique characters, plummy, juicy, in a heavy beaujolais style. Palate follows exactly, probably no oak at all [confirmed], purer and simpler than the Rodriguez Rioja LZ. Finish is a little stalky. There is more to tempranillo than this. Cellar 2 – 4 years. GK 08/11

2009 Lawson's Dry Hills Pinot Gris The Pioneer 16 (

)

Waihopai Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $27 [ screwcap; only PG mentioned, two pickings one 20% botrytised; RS 12.6 g/L; www.lawsonsdryhills.co.nz ]
Good lemon. Bouquet is lifted by light VA, from a rather featureless plain base. In mouth, the palate is coarse and phenolic as if something else has been blended in, but the wine is 'fruity' in an off-dry non-varietal way. At the price one would expect benchmark pinot gris, but this is too estery and sweet. It will appeal to people wanting flavour. Cellar a year or two only. GK 08/12

1997 Wynns Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon Black Label 16 (

)

Coonawarra, South Australia, Australia: 14%; $ – [ screwcap; CS nominally 100%, 14 months in French oak some new and American oak some new; www.wynns.com.au ]
Garnet and ruby, old for its age. Bouquet is leathery, oaky and fading, with coffee and allspice including aniseed hints and already clear organic decay. If you compare this with a 1997 Petit Bordeaux, it neatly proves that size is no guarantee of cellar-worthiness. The wine must have been grossly over-oaky right from the start. Palate is better than bouquet, but it simply isn't winey enough to be pleasing. I so wish Australians tasted the wines of other countries, much more than they do. Not worth cellaring. GK 08/11

2010 The 3rd (Third) Man Sauvignon / Semillon Darnley Corner 16 (

)

Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 13.5%; $23 [ screwcap; the sauvignon s/s ferment, the semillon BF presumably with lees work; not on the uninformative website, so no detail; www.thethirdman.co.nz ]
Lemonstraw. Bouquet is interesting, one of those wines illustrating there is some shared chemistry between sauvignon and under-ripe riesling. The degree of elderflower and nettly florality is intriguing, reminiscent of the Loire Valley. Palate is less, fair body from some barrel ferment and lees, but herbaceous and tending grassy on fruit under-ripeness, the finish phenolic and astringent despite some residual. Only fair to report that tasters in the group panned the wine, but I suspect some of a European bent would like it. Cellar a year or two only. GK 08/11

2010 Crossroads Winery Chardonnay Kereru Road 16 (

)

Maraekakaho district, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $36 [ screwcap; clones mendoza and 15; hand-picked; 100% barrel-fermented some wild-yeast some cultured, 9 months LA in French oak, 16% new; RS <2 g/L; www.crossroadswinery.co.nz ]
Straw. First impressions on bouquet are VA and oak, an old-fashioned kind of chardonnay, but not a well-executed one with that level of VA. Palate has some rich chardonnay yellow-peachy fruit, but it is harsh and non-food-friendly on the aggressive alcohol, VA, and oak. The fact that there are people who like this sort of thing (hence the permissive score) does not justify a winery presenting this as a premium chardonnay priced in the $30s. If wineries are to be respected, a demonstrated ability to perceive and maintain standards is required. Not worth cellaring. GK 08/11

2009 Poderi Crisci Merlot / Cabernet Franc Viburno 16 (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.5%; $42 [ cork; Me 70%, CF 30, hand-harvested, wild-yeast ferments, 18 months in all-French oak 25% new; www.podericrisci.co.nz ]
Ruby, some age showing. Bouquet is complex in an old-fashioned way, indeterminate red fruits, light oxidation, quite a lot of oak relative to the weight of fruit. Palate shows less fruit than the Merlot Riservas, and older cooperage, plus a stalky suggestion of under-ripeness. The whole wine is pleasingly food-friendly though, vaguely reminiscent of minor mature chianti. Pretty well mature, or cellar 1 – 3 years. GK 10/12

2001 Perrin Cotes du Rhone Reserve 16 (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $26 [ Gr 50%, Sy 25, Mv 25, mostly vat, some old oak; website requires password entry; www.perrin-rhone.com ]
Light ruby. Light, fragrant, slightly lifted red berry inclining to raspberry grenache fruit and a touch of cinnamon on bouquet. Palate exactly the same, classical grenache, fair fruit, food friendly, as typical a Cotes du Rhone as Guigal's, but not the substance. Cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 10/04

2003 Viu Manent Syrah Secreto 16 (

)

Colchagua Valley, Chile: 14%; $19 [ cork; Sy 85%, other vars 15; 20% US oak; www.viumanent.cl/ingles ]
Big ruby, carmine and velvet. A drab bouquet containing retained fermentation odours and a brackish component, reminiscent of some Murray River wines. Well aerated, some austere berry and peppercorn emerges. In mouth the wine is relatively short and hard, but it is moderately varietal, and the actual fruit richness is good. A charmless wine now. Cellar 5 – 10 years, maybe to soften, and doubtfully to gain complexity. GK 12/04

2009 Obsidian Viognier 16 (

)

2010 The Riesling Challenge Simon McGeorge 16 (

)

Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 12.8%; $ – [ screwcap; winemaker based at Waipara Hills, Waipara; the wines were initially offered at $25 each in the dozen set, but ended up at www.blackmarket.co.nz for $120 the set; no sweetness indication given by winemaker, at the lower end of Medium-Dry by the bar-graph; no other info ]
Lemon-green, not quite the shine of some. Bouquet is vaguely varietal, clean, sucrosey. Palate is in the same style, vaguely vanillin, fleshy, inclining Australian, lacking varietal precision, medium-dry, a little phenolic. Should soften in cellar 3 – 6 years. GK 02/12

2010 Rosemount [ CS / Me ] McLaren Vale Traditional District Release 16 (

)

McLaren Vale, South Australia, Australia: 14%; $20 [ screwcap; CS, Me; no info at all on website; www.rosemountestate.com.au ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. The stupid name gets the wine off to a bad start, since the 'traditional' varietal of the Southern Vales is shiraz. That said, bouquet is simple rather raw cassisy berry, smelling as if a mechanical wine, all stainless steel. Palate is similar, clean, dry, pleasant, if you like wine far too young to be released. All a bit of an insult to the customer, really [ later, an impression amplified by the firm not bothering to document the wine on their website ]. But it is varietal and dry, if it is a chipped wine that is not overdone, and it will be much nicer after 3 – 8 years in cellar. GK 07/11

2010 Loosen Brothers Riesling Dr L QbA 16 (

)

Mosel Valley, Germany: 8.5%; $22 [ screwcap, no hint of sweetness on label or website; www.drloosen.com ]
Lemon. There is quite a lot of bouquet, and it is clearly varietal, but the whole thing is clogged with cardboard / threshold sulphur notes. This is a more traditional German approach, surprising for a progressive maker such as Loosen. Palate shows good fruit in one way, medium-dry, but is stalky and acid too, tasting chaptalised and fleshy. Lacks finish and purity. Cellar 5 – 8 years, maybe to clarify. Reading overseas reviews of this wine tells you a lot about wine evaluation standards around the world. This "benchmark" Mosel at the Qualitatswein level shows how good the unsung New Zealand rieslings are. The pricing also shows the Challenge's original release price of $25 / bottle was unrealistic. GK 02/12

2003 Loosen Erdener Treppchen Riesling Auslese QmP 16 (

)

Mosel, Germany: 8.5%; $70 [ www.drloosen.de ]
Pale lemon. Obvious VA is the first impression, which is off-putting in a usually-subtle Mosel. Palate is straight riesling fruit, no botrytis complexity, just pale pearflesh and white stonefruits, and lowish acid. Confuseable with pinot gris. Dubious cellar prospect. GK 11/04

2012 Mount Riley Sauvignon Blanc 16 (

)

Wairau Valley 90%, balance Marlborough too, New Zealand: 13%; $15 [ screwcap; cool-fermented in s/s; RS 3.5 g/L; www.mountriley.co.nz ]
Pale lemon green. Leaving aside it is offensive to market sauvignon blanc under six months old, the bouquet here is raw and needing aeration, to reveal slightly under-ripe clear sauvignon. Palate shows the under-ripeness more, yellow capsicum rather more than black passionfruit, total acid on the high side, residual sugar less than the average commercial 'dry' (or seeming so from the high acid). A wine more suited to the English market than the New Zealand one, I suspect. Cellar 1 – 3 years. GK 08/12

2011 Poderi Crisci Merlot / Cabernet Franc Nostrum 16 (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 12.5%; $33 [ cork; Me dominant, CF, hand-harvested, wild-yeast ferments, 12 months in all-French oak 20% new; www.podericrisci.co.nz ]
Light ruby. Bouquet is light and fragrant red fruits and old oak, very much like a minor and light-year Entre Deux Mers red. Palate is light ripe red plums, no harsh tannins, appropriate oak, softish in mouth, slightly acid as a petite wine, easy drinking. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 10/12

2002 Red Metal Merlot / Cabernet Franc Basket Press 16 (

)

Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $40 [ DFB; Me 95%, CF 5; www.redmetalvineyards.co.nz ]
Ruby, clearly the lightest of the wines. A clean but simpler bouquet in this company, showing soft redcurrant jelly and redfruits rather than black, light oak, and a leafiness which is distracting. Palate likewise is redfruits, one-dimensional and tending stalky, though not weak. It is markedly more stalky than the Coleraine. It should develop in cellar into an east bank winestyle, more a satellite appellation than a major one, which with the low oak will be pleasant with food. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 07/04

2001 Hay Shed Hill Shiraz 16 (

)

Margaret River, West Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $32 [ cork; Gold Medal Perth Show ]
Ruby and velvet. Bouquet is oak and sawdust, with a touch of euc. If one perseveres there is dark red fruit, perhaps blackberry. In mouth the fruit comes up a little more, into over-ripe boysen / blackberry shiraz, quite full-bodied with good fruit sweetness, but overly alcoholic and burning on the crippling oak. A textbook example of a wine made to win medals in wineshows, a show pony, ridiculously oaky, an Australian caricature of syrah the variety. Will mellow in cellar, and needs to, if it is ever to accompany food felicitously. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 01/05

1975 von Mumm Johannisberger Holle Riesling Spatlese QmP 16 (

)

Rheingau Valley, Germany: – %; $ – [ cork, a goldenepreis wine in its day, original price $11.55; www.mumm.de ]
Colour is old gold, even a hint of copper maybe, the deepest wine in the set. Bouquet surprises, the first thought being fruitcake and appealing, rather than oxidation. There is still fruit, but more dried peaches than fresh. In mouth the fruitcake is clearly a brown raisin-based one, not a pale sultana one, the wine is fully mature to fading, but there is still fruit sweetness. A pedant would dismiss this wine, but a hedonist can still find much to enjoy in itself, or better with the right food. The drying fruit / sugar saves it. Finish up. GK 03/12

2005 Vidal Sauvignon Blanc 16 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $18 [ screwcap; some LA, 2005 not on website, 2004 RS 3.8 g/L; www.vidal.co.nz ]
Pale lemongreen. A mild and gentle very ripe sauvignon blanc on bouquet, sweet and clean pale stonefruits and black passionfruit, recognisably varietal. Palate is similar, but tending phenolic and short. Good QDW sauvignon. GK 11/05

2003 Zilzie Shiraz 16 (

)

Murray Darling, NW Victoria, Australia: 13.5%; $17 [ laminated cork; DFB; extended cool maceration, 10 months new oak; www.zilziewines.com ]
Carmine, ruby and velvet, tending lurid. Bouquet is muted, a kind of threshold reductiveness / hot climate neutral character dulling the wine down, though it is obviously rich. It benefits from splashy decanting. Palate is rich dark plummy fruit attractively balanced to understated toasty oak, but simply not saying anything at the moment. This could surprise in cellar, for the dry extract is good, and it hasn't been drowned by oak. Hard to score. Cellar 5 – 10 or more years. GK 01/05

2004 Tirohana Estate Sauvignon Blanc 16 (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 12.5%; $24 [ screwcap; www.tirohanaestate.com ]
Pale lemongreen. Initially opened, and even splashily aerated jug to jug, there are mixed sulphurs including bottling sulphur to dissipate. If this has just been bottled, then it is prematurely released, and perhaps scored severely. Next day it has cleaned up to a slightly over-ripe Hawkes Bay kind of sauvignon (rather than Marlborough), straightforward simple wine almost like an unoaked chardonnay with some black passionfruit skins. Probably will be versatile with food, and should improve somewhat in cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 01/05

2009 Jurassic Ridge Syrah 16 (

)

Western Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.5%; $45 [ screwcap; Sy 100% Limmer clone, hand-harvested; 2 weeks cuvaison; French and American oak 50/50 and 30% new for 12 + months; no fining, minimal filtration; www.jurassicridge.com ]
Ruby, some development showing. Initially opened, the wine is tending reductive, and needs a good splashy decanting. Bouquet is then seen to be much more evolved, complex and European in the company, with mellowing berry fruit and some dark tobacco and brett complexity. Palate is soft, food-friendly and appealing, forward for its age and tending old-fashioned, quite rich. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 10/12

2002 Morton Estate The Regent of Morton 16 (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $56 [ Me, CS, CF; www.mortonestatewines.co.nz ]
Ruby. One sniff of this wine is enough to remind one that in the latterday world of wine, new world or old, all too often a prestige bottling means more time in oak. And all too often the wines are worse for it. It is curious that as the Spanish and Italians retreat from this approach, both the French and the new world seem intent on blundering into this vinous cul de sac, driven by populist pressures. [ There are those for whom oak IS wine, and this site will help them only by inverse correlation.] This premium Morton wine from a top year in Hawkes Bay is fragrant, with shadows of cassis peeping out from an all-embracing mantle of high-quality and potentially cedary oak. Palate however is another matter, where the wine though reasonably rich, is crassly oaky. Trying it with food is a desperate experience. I don't think this will ever come into balance. Cellar to 15 years, but not for pleasure, I suspect. GK 01/05

2007 Chapoutier Condrieu Invitare 16 (

)

Condrieu, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $77 [ cork; Vi 100% on granite hillsides; hand-harvested; cold-settled 48 hours, wild-yeast cool-fermentation peaking @ 21 C; full MLF; 8 months elevation on lees, 30% only in old French oak; www.chapoutier.com ]
Full straw, a flush of gold. Bouquet is tired, wine biscuits and cheap tinned pineapple with suggestions of marzipan, a real old-style European white. Palate has the structure of viognier and remnants of ripe apricots flavours, but now rather more dried apricots than fresh. The oak balance was bolder than the Trinity Hill, in its prime. In general viognier does not cellar well, and this wine confirms that. It was presented with the Churton, but did not illuminate it. Past its prime. GK 03/13

2009 View East Syrah 16 (

)

Eastern Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 12.5%; $39 [ screwcap; Sy 100%, hand-picked; c.10 months in barrel, young oak but none new, c.20% American; www.vieweast.co.nz ]
Ruby. Bouquet is old-style Waiheke, fair maturing berry but rather much bacony brett complexity. Palate is soft, round and attractive, some oak noticeable now, good maturing fruit. In a technical judging this would be rejected, but the facts are: many people like brett smells and flavours, such wines are food-friendly, and if they are sterile-filtered to bottle they keep perfectly well. Other factors in the wine are pleasing, so the score is a compromise. Cellar 2 – 5 years might be safest. GK 10/12

2011 Ellero Riesling Pisa Terrace 16 (

)

Pisa district, Cromwell Basin, Central Otago, New Zealand: 12.4%; $23 [ screwcap; hand-harvested @ 2 t/ha (0.8 t/ac); s/s ferment, 6 months in old French puncheons; pH 3.14, RS 8 g/L; Pisa Terrace vineyard is BioGrow certified; www.ellerowine.com ]
Lemongreen, a little fresher than the Mt Beautiful. Bouquet shows a more commercial kind of Australasian riesling, with the fruit salad (including bananas) aromas of an 'aromatic' commercial yeast. Palate is clean, good fruit, riesling-dry, but more a frankly commercial interpretation of the grape. At the time of tasting I did not know about oak exposure, and this may have slanted my views. For riesling in the traditional Alsatian / German style via fuder, the oak needs to be both big and old, if the subtle beauty of riesling is to be optimised. The sweetness indicator bar-graph on the back label is excellent. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 03/13

2000 Daniel Schuster Pinot Noir Omihi Hills Vineyard Selection 16 (

)

Waipara Valley, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 13.5%; $60 [ cork; exact ripeness has been a problem on this site, some examples showing both raisin and stalk notes, presumably reflecting extended hang-time but uneven ripening. No reviews this wine found, adjacent vintages mostly 4 stars; website now lapsed; www.danielschusterwines.com ]
Ruby and garnet, quite rich pinot noir weight, close to but older than the Morgeot. Bouquet however is quite different from that wine, being clean, and complex in a different way. There are floral notes ranging from buddleia to boronia, yet a certain firmness too making one wonder if the wine is stalky. Fruit notes are equally complex, almost raspberry, hints of red and black cherry, but also raisin suggestions and a certain 'black' quality. In mouth there is good fruit, and it tastes exactly as it smells, mixed berry ripeness, stalky, total acid elevated, but oak well judged. The wine is clearly varietal, but doesn't gel. It will cellar for some years yet, and may come together more, but the uneven ripeness is the dominating factor. Pretty interesting wine, actually, but not so easy to simply enjoy. GK 10/12

2012 Coopers Creek Syrah 16 (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $22 [ screwcap; no info on website; RS 3 g/L; www.cooperscreek.co.nz ]
Bright lightish ruby. Bouquet will improves with air to reveal a modest level of ripeness and some of the ersatz red-berry notes of under-ripe pinotage. In mouth this is a real cool-year wine, total acid up, red fruits to the point of raspberry, some white pepper and some stalks on the palate, not much oak, all rather short and brisk. Should soften in cellar 3 – 6 years, in its style. GK 06/13

2011 Clifford Bay Pinot Noir 16 (

)

Awatere & Wairau Valleys, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $19 [ screwcap; unknown details, 10 months in oak; 2010 silver Air NZ; www.cliffordbay.co.nz ]
Light pinot noir ruby, the second to lightest. Bouquet is classic first-generation Marlborough pinot noir, buddleia florals and red fruits only, fragrant but pretty rather than convincing. Palate is in line, light, almost full rosé in weight, but pleasantly ripe at this petite level, without stalky phenolics. Many Savigny-les-Beaunes are like this. Pleasant QDR pinot, and affordable. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 10/12

2010 Dry River Pinot Noir 16 (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13%; $90 [ cork; no wine-making info on website; earlier vintages have been of the order 20% whole bunch; 12 months in French oak, 25% new; not entered in Shows; www.dryriver.co.nz ]
Dark ruby, much the darkest wine in the set, and both sets, not a pinot noir colour. Bouquet likewise is not all varietal, displaying dark red bottled plums more akin to merlot, but then let down by a clear maceration carbonique note. Palate is extraordinary, bearing no relation to pinot noir in the sense of burgundy, simply rich plain over-ripe wine like a modern d'Oc red from a soft variety, clean and well-made as such. Dry River has made many heavy and dull pinots over the years, and through extraordinary marketing has convinced a generation of gullible New Zealanders they were the epitome of pinot noir achievements in New Zealand. Quite simply, they are not, and this 2010 seen formally in a comparative blind judging including good pinot noirs (significantly, Dry River is never entered in judgings) is one of the less attractive over the years. Hard to score therefore, but 16 as big round technically sound red wine, non-varietal. In a strict judging, it could be ruled out-of-class, and less. Presumably the maceration carbonique note is an attempt to improve the bouquet / lighten the wine, but the fruit smells so over-ripe this hasn't worked. Cellar 3 – 12 years. GK 11/12

2003 Chard Farm Pinot Noir Rabbit Ranch 16 (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 13%; $24 [ screwcap; www.chardfarm.co.nz ]
Lightish pinot ruby. A slightly veiled bouquet, below which is an unusual fruit character reminiscent of stewed sturmer apples. Palate introduces red fruits including red currants and even raspberries, all a bit 'cool climate', yet the tannins taste reasonably ripe. Unusual but pleasant light pinot, which should cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 10/04

1972 Penfolds Shiraz / Cabernet St Henri 16 (

)

Auldana and Magill, South Australia, Australia: – %; $737 [ Cork 46mm, ullage 39mm; original price $5.35; St Henri is the great exception in the Max Schubert and John Davoren original legacy of Bin labels for Penfolds, in that the wine sees no new oak. It is matured solely in 2,000-litre old wood, and old hogsheads. St Henri is shiraz-dominant, not as strictly so as Grange, however. Fruit was then Auldana (now disappeared in Adelaide suburbia) and Magill. Evans (1978) describes the wine as: This is one of the two top Penfolds wines and certainly one of the most celebrated wines in Australia. … The ‘71 St Henri is the best of this line I have seen for some time. … The ‘72 was not far behind it in quality … The biggest problem with St Henri is its price. In the 2000 edition of Penfolds Rewards of Patience, the wine is described thus: Very developed, with balsamic/herbal/chocolate-like aromas and some volatile acid. Bitter-sweet chocolate/spice/herbal fruit characters on the palate, moderate concentration, drying tannins and medium length. Past its peak. Not scored. Elsewhere, Halliday rated it ***. It is worth mentioning that this wine is rare now, rarer than Grange; weight bottle and closure: 578 g; www.penfolds.com ]
Garnet and ruby, close to the Tahbilk Shiraz but not quite so rosy, the second lightest wine, and the oldest in appearance. Freshly opened, the wine showed ghostly browning berry and clean oak, all smelling harmonious but frail. For my first note at the decanting stage, I wrote: ‘clean, but this will be gone by tonight’. In the event the wine surprised me, hanging in there surprisingly well, clean, browning all through bouquet and palate, but still a suggestion of fruit, a hint of cloves, older oak, a bit acid (it was a cool year), but not empty. You would still happily drink it with a meal, if nothing better were offering. And in the event, one person liked it so much it was their top wine of the evening, while three had it least. A wine now fading away. GK 04/21

2003 Dry River Pinot Noir 16 (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13%; $69
Ruby, carmine and velvet, dense, the colour of a big syrah – unthinkable for pinot. Bouquet is soft, rich and pruney, with milk chocolate undertones. The wine shows no relation to the ethereal and floral beauties of pinot noir the grape, as it is usually understood around the world. Palate is however velvety rich, and enormously concentrated, but so over-ripe as to be a curiosity. Oaking is gentle, and acid appropriate. McCallum's pinots have been over-ripe and weighty for some years now, but this latest example is perverse – pinot made in a shiraz style. Any number of fat rich wines from the south of France offer similar sensory qualities, and as such, this is good wine. But I am scoring it as pinot. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 11/04

2003 Fairmont Estate Pinot Noir Block 1 16 (

)

Gladstone, Wairarapa, New Zealand: 13.5%; $34 [ screwcap; www.handcraftedwines.com ]
Rich pinot noir ruby. Bouquet on this wine is out of the ordinary, with a perfumed floral component which nearly includes a suggestion of feijoa, which is tending OTT for pinot noir. Palate is varietal on red fruits, but it is also stalky, plus this exotic perfumed note. It may marry up in bottle, and reconcile that bouquet into something more mellow, but meanwhile it could be a love or hate proposition. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 11/04

2003 Mount Maude Pinot Noir 16 (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 13%; $37 [ www.mountmaude.co.nz ]
Big pinot ruby. A very youthful bouquet, still showing some fermentation odours in simple berryfruit, slight VA and some oak perhaps including barrel char. In mouth a stalky / astringent suggestion grows in the fruit, and there is a varnishy hint. The wine is clearly varietal, and should marry up into a straightforward medium-weight example of the variety. Not such a good cellar wine, maybe 3 – 5 years. GK 10/04

2003 Tohu Pinot Noir 16 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $24 [ www.tohuwines.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby. Clean ripe red berries on bouquet, all suggesting raspberry, redcurrant and blackboy peach. Flavour is juicy, plump, not very complex but nicely balanced to oak, with a clean acid balance. This should pick up complexity in the next couple of years. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 08/04

2003 Olssen's Pinot Noir Barry Jackson 16 (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 14.5%; $35 [ www.olssens.co.nz ]
Lightish pinot ruby. There is a stewed character to this wine, detracting from red cherry fruit. Palate is clearly varietal, slightly lactic and confectionery, pleasantly balanced. Quite a quality gap between the '02 Reserve and this. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 10/04

2012 Villa Maria Arneis Private Bin East Coast 16 (

)

Hawkes Bay & Gisborne, New Zealand: 12.5%; $22 [ screwcap; cool-fermented in s/s; some months on lees to add body; no MLF; RS 2.8 g/L; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Straw. Bouquet is clean and empty vinifera, a faint hint of marzipan maybe, more like neutral wines from trebbiano than anything. Palate is short, near-dry, faintly phenolic, some body so it works with food, but tasting as if it would oxidise relatively early. A waste-of-time variety, quaffing at best but not quite priced that way, drink now. GK 05/13

2003 Sunset Valley Pinot Noir 16 (

)

Nelson, New Zealand: 13%; $25 [ organic producer; www.sunsetvalley.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, too big for pinot noir. Bouquet is in a big brash new world pinot style, showing deep beetrooty fruit, obvious spicy new oak, and more alcohol than the label is admitting, I suspect. Flavours are ripely varietal, black cherries and dark plums, much too oaky. The mark allows for the wine too mellow in bottle. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 10/04

2009 Mission Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 16 (

)

Gimblett Gravels 66%, Bridge Pa Triangle 34, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $26 [ supercritical cork; CS 85%, Me 9, CF 6, cropped @ 7 t/ha = 2.8 t/ac; up to 30 days cuvaison; MLF in tank, 15 months in French oak 12% new; RS 1.2 g/L; fined and filtered; www.missionestate.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, well above midway in depth. Bouquet opens quite severely reductive. With a lot of air it improves to a leathery old-fashioned wine. Palate has rich dark fruit, the oak pleasantly in restrained balance, but the whole thing is marred by entrained sulphide. It wins some points on richness, but it is nonetheless a worry that wines like this are reported as being awarded four stars in Cuisine ratings. Sulphide insensitivity remains a key issue in New Zealand wine assessment and wine-writing. Scarcely worth cellaring, sadly, for 5 – 12 years. GK 06/12

2002 Isabel Pinot Noir 16 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $40 [ www.isabelestate.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby. Here we come to the point of deciding: is it floral, or is it leafy ? The window of complexity in the degree days / ripening curve of pinot noir is so narrow. This wine is pleasantly fragrant / leafy through a berry bouquet and palate, but it becomes a little too stalky on the red fruits and clearly varietal finish. Cellar to 5 years. GK 10/04

2003 Te Mania Pinot Noir Reserve 16 (

)

Nelson, New Zealand: 13.5%; $30 [ screwcap; www.temaniawines.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, deeper and more lurid than most, not a good pinot colour. Bouquet is fumey with a touch of VA, slightly smokey from oak, with indeterminate berry / plummy character below. Palate is rich but on the clumsy side, more bottled fruit plus slightly varnishy oak, raw and youthful. May settle down, in its OTT style, but for now, needs time to harmonise. Cellar to 10 years, maybe. Tasted twice. GK 11/04

2009 Morton Estate Chardonnay Private Reserve 16 (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $18 [ screwcap; website not up to date; www.mortonestatewines.co.nz ]
Advanced straw, matching the 2008 Escarpment. Bouquet shows mature chardonnay, in fact a somewhat biscuitty wine too advanced for its age, with a touch of processed cheese, but all quite pleasant. Palate has much better ripeness and fruit quality than the base 2011, with pleasant mealy, nutty and buttery undertones, all gently oaked. For the few cents extra, this is vastly better value than the 2011, and offers the chance to enjoy ripe, mature, tending-broad wine with food – where it works well. Possibly not bone dry. Ageing quite rapidly, not a cellar wine, enjoy now. GK 04/13

2000 Jean Boillot & Fils Puligny-Montrachet Clos de la Mouchere Premier Cru 16 (

)

Puligny-Montrachet, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $ – [ cork; bottle courtesy Andrew Swann ]
Straw with a flush of gold, naturally enough the deepest chardonnay in this batch of Kumeu River and Escarpment wines it was seen with. Bouquet is low-tech, revealing some processed cheese notes, some botrytis-related banana notes, and some sulphide-related clogged characters, yet all on good fruit. Palate is soft, rich, mealy and drying in maturity. This wine is another perfect example of why the French so like to say that wine assessed without food is a nonsense. Here a good cheese-laden pizza would make the wine look pretty good, and maybe cover-up all these faults, particularly if bouquet is considered less important. Judged as chardonnay, however, it is imperfect. Mature, not a cellar wine. GK 04/13

1978 Moet & Chandon Champagne Brut Imperial 16 (

)

Epernay, Champagne, France: 12.6%; $ – [ cork, cork parallel-sided (roughly) and stable at 16.5 mm diameter; www.moet.com ]
Tired gold, still some lazy bubble. Bouquet is reminiscent of wholemeal / oatmeal toasted muesli with bush honey, plus thoughts of single malt whisky and oak, not exactly fresh, more mellow. Palate is similar, surprisingly phenolic (oak ?), very dry to the finish, improving greatly with food such as nuts to complement the good autolysis. Provenance of bottle unknown, bought at auction, no longer exactly exciting as the champagne winestyle, but still good with food for anniversaries. GK 04/13

2012 Domain Road Sauvignon Blanc Bannockburn 16 (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13%; $24 [ screwcap; all Otago fruit; small part BF; RS 4.4 g/L; www.domainroad.co.nz ]
Pale brilliant lemongreen. Bouquet is muffled, a slightly ullaged flatness on it, but otherwise clean and pure. At the blind stage, like the sauvignon gris there are reminders of sauvignon blanc, but it is not convincingly varietal. Palate is more clearly varietal at a clean and fairly ripe level, reasonable weight, but again the wine lacks definition. Finish is sauvignon-dry, simply not exciting, but pleasant food wine. Cellar a year or two. GK 05/13

2012 Neudorf Riesling Moutere Dry 16 (

)

Moutere Hills, Nelson, New Zealand: 12%; $27 [ screwcap; hand-harvested; whole-bunch pressed; s/s low-solids wild-yeast ferment, stopped @ 8.6 g/L, extended LA; 380 cases; www.neudorf.co.nz ]
Light lemon straw. Bouquet is veiled, not exactly reductive, but not communicating. Variety is not apparent at this point. On palate, immediately riesling terpenes and flavours can be detected, on good physical fruit and relatively low (riesling-dry) residual sugar. The sweet floral subtleties one hopes for in riesling are not yet apparent, presumably from the suspected reduction. Always hard to tell if or how wines will bury their sulphide, and particularly with a variety like riesling where subtlety and florality are so desired, but this could surprise in cellar, over the longer term 3 – 10 years. Score is for now, as riesling. GK 05/13

2012 Sileni Pinot Gris The Priestess (Hawke's Bay) 16 (

)

Bridge Pa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12.5%; $22 [ screwcap; not on website; www.sileni.co.nz ]
Lemon. Bouquet is modest, a bit flat, showing simple pear-flesh qualities. Palate is short and simple in flavour, with some body and residual sweetness balanced by phenolics, a more commercial wine. Perhaps better in a year or so, cellar 2 – 4 years. GK 05/13

2012 Black Estate Rosé Netherwood Vineyard 16 (

)

Waipara Valley, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 11%; $21 [ screwcap; Ch, PN, made with carbonic maceration; not on website; www.blackestate.co.nz ]
Pale rosé, pleasantly mature. The two arbiters of the rosé style are Tavel primarily, and Cabernet d'Anjou. Therefore, even the New Zealand fondness for rosés made from pinot noir is hard to take – so many are wishy-washy. On picking up this rosé, it smells like chardonnay with a dash of oak and raspberry. Good rosé should smell of red grapes, so this is not a good start. Palate is odd, rather phenolic, yet somehow lacking fruit, and surprisingly dry, seriously dry. It's all clean and sound and quaffable, and it's best left that point. It doesn't gel as serious rosé. But, it is good to have a rosé released with appropriate age – few-months-old rosé is an abomination. GK 05/13

2002 Girardin Maranges Clos des Loyeres Vielles Vignes 16 (

)

Maranges Premier Cru, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $41
Rich ruby, one of the deeper Girardins. Bouquet is fruity in a mixed small redfruits way, suggesting currants and red plums as well as red cherries, but at a straightforward level. Palate is a little hard and short, though clearly varietal. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 11/04

nv Champagne Charles Heidsieck Brut Reserve 16 (

)

Reims, Champagne, France: 12%; $60 [ cork; PN & PM 70%, Ch 30; MLF, no oak, 40% reserve wines up to 10 years old (unusual); no dosage given on website, but highish; 170,000 cases; promotional price to clear previous label, normally $81; www.charlesheidsieck.com ]
Slightly orange straw, poor. Bouquet is odd, on the one hand quite good yeast autolysis character, but there is also a strange note of corned beef sandwiches made with Vogel's whole-grain bread. Palate is less, high total acid, residual as commercial as Lindauer to cover, and high phenolics in a straw-y fleshy flavour with a touch of strawberry – is this high meunier [ yes ] ? Perfectly good plain French bubbly for non-critical uses, the wine illuminating dramatically just how good New Zealand bubblies like the current Nautilus and MiruMiru vintage really are. Not a cellar wine. GK 05/13

2002 Sileni Merlot / Cabernet Franc Cellar Selection 16 (

)

Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $20 [ Me 60%, CF 32, Ma 5, CS 3; www.sileni.co.nz ]
Good ruby. This wine smells astonishingly like a satellite Saint Emilion or similar merlot-dominant minor bordeaux, light, fragrant, and clearly showing the floral and subtle red currant / cabernet franc component. Palate continues the red currants and red plums, with a leafy hint creeping in. Light wine in this company, to cellar 3 – 8 years. The ironic thing is, though wines of this style score modestly in the comparative line-up and numbers game, they are actually pleasant drinking, and sometimes more pleasant with food than their heavier, oakier, confreres. GK 05/04

2001 Trinity Hill Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot 16 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.2%; $30 [ CS 66%, Me 21, CF 13; c. 21 days cuvaison; 20 months in barrel, mostly French, 30% new ]
Ruby, one of the lighter. A fragrant lightish bouquet with clear merlot violets and a hint of beeswax, in leafy red berries. Palate is light, fragrant, slightly stalky and a bit too acid, but in total style pleasantly cru bourgeois-like, probably due to the lack of overt new oak. Attractive food wine, which will cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 05/04

2002 Murdoch James Pinot Noir Fraser 16 (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 14%; $65 [ www.murdochjames.co.nz ]
Classic pinot noir ruby, limpid. An intriguing bouquet, showing a celery powder character in savoury red cherry and berry fruits, all in a slightly oxidative but clearly varietal styling. The wine seems old for its age, and there is a slightly ammonia-like note detracting. Palate is sweetly fruity and burgundian, the cherry flavours quite mature, savoury, slightly acid, with light Brettanomyces complexity adding to the European approach (alcohol aside). Cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 01/04

2002 Foxes Island Pinot Noir 16 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: – %; $40 [ screwcap; www.foxes-island.co.nz ]
Big ruby. A lot of bouquet, showing some pennyroyal aromatics on juicy black cherries, plums and plentiful aromatic oak. The wine is more in the new world fruit bomb style, rather than classical pinot noir. Palate too is lushly fruity, tasting sweet and seductive on fragrant Blass-styled oak. In August 2003 I reviewed the 2001 Foxes as moving towards a subtler and more international pinot noir, but this reverts more to the earlier approach. Cellar 5 – 10. GK 01/04

2003 Karikari Estate Syrah 16 (

)

Karikari Peninsula, North Auckland, New Zealand: 12.6%; $25 [ screwcap; trace Vi; www.karikariestate.co.nz ]
Ruby, a flush of carmine. A very oaky wine, but also clear suggestions of syrah complexities including peppery florals, making the whole wine fragrant. Palate is moderately rich, too oaky, a little stalky and acid in the style of lesser Crozes-Hermitage syrahs, but interesting. Cropped more conservatively (to increase ripeness a little), and raised in older oak for a shorter time, this could be attractive, and different from Hawkes Bay maybe. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 11/04 GK 11/04

2001 Richmond Grove Shiraz 16 (

)

Coonawarra & Padthaway, South Australia: 14%; $13 [ www.richmondgrovewines.com ]
Dense ruby, carmine and velvet. A stereotypical Australian commercial red wine, clearly euc'y, rich on indeterminate berry and fruit, slightly leathery, no obvious faults. Palate continues in the same vein, rich and juicy boysenberry and black plummy fruit, heavy even oppressive tannins, but the oak and acid reasonably well balanced to the weighty style. Lots of grapes per bottle, liquid sunshine, but not easy to drink. Cellar 5 – 10 years to lighten up. GK 11/04

2004 Carrick Sauvignon Blanc 16 (

)

Otago, New Zealand: 12.5%; $20 [ screwcap; 20% BF in 6 – 7 year oak; www.carrick.co.nz ]
Virtually water-white. Initially opened, an austere and slightly reductive bouquet, not communicating. Palate shows a more austere palate profile than Marlborough, dominated by English gooseberries and capsicums yellow and green, rather than red. There is a grassy thread too, and total acid is very high. This is clearly a cool climate sauvignon, unlikely to cellar profitably beyond a couple of years. GK 09/04

2011 Babich Family Estates Viognier Fernhill 16 (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12.5%; $25 [ screwcap; small % BF in older French oak, balance s/s; several months LA and stirring, no MLF or wild yeast; RS 2.8 g/L; www.babichwines.co.nz ]
Lemon. Initially opened, the wine is tending reductive, and needs splashy decanting. It breathes off to a palely varietal bouquet, just a little rank in a variety needing sweet floral enchantment to be good. Palate like the Coopers hints at under-ripe canned apricots, but with markedly less winemaking complexity and texture enhancement. 'Dry' finish. The reviews in the Catalogue are misleading. Hold a year or two only. GK 06/13

2004 Te Mania Sauvignon Blanc 16 (

)

Nelson, New Zealand: 12.5%; $18 [ screwcap; www.temaniawines.co.nz ]
Lemongreen, very spritz. A mixed bouquet, with a touch of fermentation odours, and an underlying capsicum character which includes green as well as red. Palate likewise lacks the beauties of fully-ripe sauvignon, and is tending acid, with slightly more residual to cover that. Still commercially 'dry', but only just. Not a cellar wine. GK 10/04

2003 Auntsfield Sauvignon Blanc Long Cow 16 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $21 [ screwcap ]
Light lemongreen. VA detracts from an otherwise pure expression of ripe black passionfruit sauvignon, with ripest red pepper complexity. Palate is crisp, attractive, highly varietal. This would be good wine, without the VA. GK 06/04

nv Wolf Blass Chardonnay / Pinot Noir 16 (

)

Australia unspecified: 10.5%; $13 [ www.wolfblass.com.au ]
Palest straw. Very clean pure neutral fruit which could certainly be early-picked pinot noir and chardonnay, though there is a sniff of semillon about it too. The lightest hint of autolysis / breadcrust complexity. Palate likewise is pure and correct, but lacking flavour, and finishing a little acid compared with Lindauer. Staightforward simple bubbly. Cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 6/04 GK 06/04

2000 Red Metal The Merlot 16 (

)

Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $90 [ Me 100%; French oak 75%, Us 25, 35% new, 12 months; www.redmetalvineyards.co.nz ]
Ruby, a little fresher than the Sileni EV. Bouquet in this wine is modest, with browning red currant, tobacco, and bretty fruit lacking the florals sought in merlot. Palate is already somewhat curtailed by brett, with cardboardy suggestions detracting from fair fruit weight. Short term cellar, 5 – 8 years or so. GK 10/04

2011 [ Rod McDonald Wines ] Te Awanga Merlot 16 (

)

Te Awanga district, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $33 [ screwcap; the elsewhere irritating website does not work at all for this wine, no info; www.rmwines.co.nz ]
Older ruby, lightish. Bouquet is a bit oxidised and oaky, the fruit reminiscent of 10-year-old bottled dark plums (which can in fact be quite pleasant). Palate is pretty well pro rata, the fruit ripe but tasting older than its age, all on the oaky side, medium weight only. More QDR than serious tasting wine, expensive therefore, cellar 2 – 6 years, maybe. GK 06/13

2003 Te Mania Estate Pinot Noir 16 (

)

Nelson, New Zealand: 13%; $20 [ www.temaniawines.co.nz ]
Good pinot ruby. A slightly congested and sacky bouquet, improving on breathing to suggestions of florals and light cherries. Palate is lightly savoury and bretty, aromatic, pleasantly cherry-fruited, lingering on noticeable oak. This should look better in a year or so, and cellar to 6. GK 10/04

1987 Te Mata [ Cabernet / Merlot / Franc ] Coleraine 16 (

)

Havelock North hills, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12.5%; $35 [ cork 49mm, ullage 12mm; CS 75%, Me 20, CF 5, cropped at c. 7.4 t/ha = 3 t/ac, perhaps chaptalised ‘half a degree’ (Peter Cowley); 18 months in all-French barriques, 70% new; a single vineyard wine still, in 1987; harvested mid-April; Raymond Chan, 2008: 1419 GDD. Deepish garnet red colour with a little mahogany and bricking. Powerful nose, somewhat cool, brackish and raw. The blackcurrant fruit aromas have depth, however. Quite robust on the palate, this still shows structure and tannin grip. The fruit is a little coarse with its raw, brackish note, and the acidity seems pronounced. Still plenty of life here, but the wine lacks finesse. 17.0/20; GK, 1989: Good ruby, slightly lighter than the Awatea 87. Bouquet is more curranty, and less complex, than the Awatea at this stage. Good oak, and long flavour with some richness, but a slight phenolic edge detracts. Coleraine and Awatea are separate vineyards, both within a kilometre of the Te Mata winery. As Awatea has been replanted, and merlot has progressively come on stream, its wine is catching up with the proprietor’s home vineyard. In some years it may be better. Further assessment of these two in five years will be fascinating, ****; not entered in Shows by that time; weight bottle and closure: 550 g; www.temata.co.nz ]
Ruby and garnet, the second lightest wine, lighter than Awatea. Bouquet on this wine has long had a distinctive carbolic / phenolic note to it, which is both characteristic, and, as the fruit fades, is becoming more noticeable. Behind that is light clean cassisy berry, and hessian oak. Palate shows less ripeness again than Awatea, the curranty berry having quite a stalky edge, smoothed over a little by cedary oak, and less body also than Awatea. It is clearly an under-ripened / over-cropped wine. As the berry fades, the acid is becoming ever more noticeable. 1987 Coleraine needs to be finished up, with suitable food. No first-place votes, one second favourite, three least votes. Interesting to note that not long after the 1987s, Coleraine ceased to be a single-vineyard wine, instead from 1989 being made from the best fruit available to the winemaker. At the same time, the disparity in price between Coleraine and Awatea started to grow. My 2002 report speculated on the ‘medicinal’ note, and marked the wine more severely, 14.5. GK 06/21

2003 Villa Maria Pinot Noir Private Bin 16 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $23 [ screwcap; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Ruby, an attractive pinot ruby, welcome after some of the firm's black pinots ! Bouquet is a straightforward version of pinot noir, fragrant, berried, obvious, with almost a suggestion of raspberry simplicity to it. Palate is similar, with the raspberry thought rather haunting it. Fruit and berry sweetness is so good, one wonders if there might be a gram or two of residual in this one, too. In style, accessible, popular, but not a wine for cellaring beyond 3 – 5 years. GK 09/04

2006 Drouhin Volnay Clos des Chenes Premier Cru 16 (

)

Volnay Premier Cru, Cote de Beaune, Burgundy, France: 16%; $75 [ cork; a Drouhin domaine, now biodynamic; hand-harvested, wild-yeast ferments, cuvaison to 21 days; fermentation and cuvaison in open wooden vats; c.16 months in French oak 20% new; lot of info on fiddly website; www.drouhin.com ]
Light rosy pinot noir ruby, light even by French standards, as Drouhin so often is, the lightest colour. Bouquet is much the oldest wine in the set, disappointingly so, so that immediately did not help this wine to act as a 'sighter' for both pinot noir the grape, and the tasting as a whole. At a stretch, there is a kind of autumnal florality on browning strawberry and raspberry fruit. In mouth the impressions on bouquet are amply fulfilled, adequate red fruits only, all drying and ageing faster than one would hope, oak almost invisible yet shaping the wine beautifully, in this respect showing how pinot noir palates should be done. The whole wine raises the concept of subtlety in elevation so suited to fine pinot noir, where ideally the beauty of the grape does the talking and the winemaker is not intruding, but sadly the wine is already too faded to make these points at all well. Will hold but not improve.

This wine was intended to act as a kind of sighter for the blind tasting, since Drouhin is such a careful exponent of pinot noir values. It is therefore worthwhile checking what northern hemisphere reviewers more familiar with Burgundy than New Zealanders had to say about this wine at release. Allen Meadows in Burghound (April 2008): An expressive and somewhat riper nose of beautifully complex and scented crushed red and blue berry fruit aromas displays undertones of minerality, crushed herb and a touch of earth, all of which are picked up by the equally complex flavors that are rich and full plus offer good volume on the dusty and sweet finish. There is a slight edginess here …89. David Schildknecht in Wine Advocate (Dec. 2009): It displays bright tart cherry fruit, but with a slightly vegetal undertone; fresh ginger, but also a slightly radish-like bite. A chalky underlying character accentuates the sense of austerity here … 88 +.

The relatively high scores from both commentators indicate they thought it in sum a fair-enough young pinot noir / burgundy, though the words don't completely mesh with the scores. The conclusions which may be drawn from including this wine in the tasting are made in the Introduction. GK 09/13

2003 Baron d'Harcourt Merlot Grande Reserve 16 (

)

Vin de Pays des Coteaux de Libron, Languedoc, France: 12%; $14
Ruby. A hard wine to assess, as two separate bottles contained wines of different colours and weights, sealed by two different closures. The more recent of the two shows clean fragrant berryfruit with suggestions of light florals, in a minor Bordeaux style. Palate is simple ripeish merlot showing red currants and red plums, light older oak, and hence more a merlot QDR than the serious aspirations of the more oaky New Zealand wines labelled merlot. Interesting to see a Bordeaux suite of flavours from the hotter Languedoc – even more worries for the Bordelais. Will cellar for several years, in its pleasantly drinkable style, say up to five. Fair to say the darker wine presumably from the previous shipment was significantly better than this. GK 12/04

2011 Trinity Hill Syrah [ white label ] 16 (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12.5%; $22 [ screwcap; Sy 96%, Vi 4, hand-harvested; mostly Gimblett Gravels, destemmed; limited exposure to older French and American oak; RS 2.4 g/L; www.trinityhill.co.nz ]
Older ruby. Bouquet is muted by light H2S, cutting out any floral or precise varietal characters on bouquet. There is however pleasant light plummy fruit, and the reduction is easily dissipated by swirling. In mouth the wine shows more signs of oak elevation than the Coopers, at a similar price-point. Because the French demonstration wines were so beautifully floral / varietally complex, tasters picked up the muted character in this wine, with fair recognition of the reduction question as asked (even though the reduction is not severe). Needless to say I did not ventilate the wine before presentation. Cellar 2 – 7 years. GK 09/13

2003 Saltram Shiraz 16 (

)

Australia unspecified: 13.5%; $12 [ laminated/aggregate cork; www.saltramwines.com.au ]
Ruby, slight carmine and velvet. In the blind tasting, this is clearly the Aussie, showing clearcut minty / euc'y notes on big berry and fruit. Palate is boysenberry, tannic and woody in a slightly brackish way, and clearly sweet to the finish. A frankly commercial Australian supermarket red, coarser than the Blass, but plenty of fruit and flavour. Cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 11/04

2012 Coopers Creek Syrah [ wave label ] 16 (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $22 [ screwcap; no info on website; small % Vi; some oak; RS c.3 g/L; www.cooperscreek.co.nz ]
Surprisingly good ruby, some fresh carmine and velvet, for the year. Bouquet shows red fruits and almost cassis, clear white pepper rather than black, all fresh and fragrant as a cooler-year example of syrah. Palate confirms the coolness, higher total acid, short red berry flavours, the acid neatly masked by the residual. Aftertaste is clearly stalky, but it is a good achievement for the year. Some of the marginal zones adjoining Cote Rotie etc are akin to this wine in style, though dry. The components here achieved good recognition. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 09/13

2000 Rousseau Mazy-Chambertin Grand Cru 16 (

)

Gevrey-Chambertin, Burgundy, France: 13%; $180
Lightish ruby, classic pinot noir, with the Stonier the lightest in the tasting. Bouquet is very developed, slightly reductive freshly poured, but the underlying wine tending oxidative, with fading florals merging with light red fruits. Once the label is revealed, this is disappointing, for Grand Cru burgundy. Palate is correct for pinot noir, but old for its age, slightly acid, and generally lacking for its rank. Quality is on a par with many Bourgogne Rouges. Why it was included in the public tasting for the Pinot Noir Conference 2004 is a mystery. But it certainly confirms that New Zealand has the potential to make pinot noir in the burgundy mould, as discussed under the Akarua wine. Not really worth cellaring, especially at the price. GK 01/04

2002 Pikes Merlot 16 (

)

Clare Valley, South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $27 [ cork; Me 100%; some wild yeast; s/s ferment, pressings returned, 14 months French oak; www.pikeswines.com.au ]
Ruby and velvet, dense. Bouquet is rich, but so euc’y as to be anonymous as to variety, and further anonymised by excess oak. Palate is much the same, wonderfully rich fruit, but never in a thousand years would one tell it was merlot, as seen from an international perspective. Just big South Australian cabernet / merlot dry red. Cellar 5 – 15 years, as such. GK 08/05

2002 Wishart Merlot / Cabernet / Malbec Alexis 16 (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $27 [ cork; this wine not [then] on website, but traditional techniques; www.wishartwinery.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, quite rich. A big strong cassis, plum and oak bouquet, quite rich, but not much subtlety. Palate is very oaky indeed, dominating good rich cassisy and plummy fruit, all still surprisingly youthful. This will cellar for 10 years at least, but remain much too oaky. GK 08/05

2004 Fuse Riesling 16 (

)

Clare Valley, South Australia, Australia: 12%; $18 [ screwcap ]
Lemon. A quite strong lime and jujube bouquet, clearly varietal but also a little estery and coarse. Palate is similar, very flavoursome, just above riesling ‘dry’ in sweetness, tasting cheap initially. More a supermarket wine, sound and wholesome, which should settle down in cellar, into a mainstream commercial South Australian riesling which will cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 08/05

2004 Seifried Chardonnay Old Coach Road 16 (

)

Nelson, New Zealand: 14%; $15 [ screwcap; no info [then] on 2004 on website; 2003 Fr & US oak, mostly s/s ferment, some MLF; www.seifried.co.nz ]
Light straw, a poor hue for its age. Bouquet is veering towards a clumsy quincey style of chardonnay, with some breadcrust complexities, otherwise clean. Palate is awkward, fair fruit but high acid, not bone dry, the actual fruit flavours white pear and pale stone fruit, new oak yet to integrate. Needs time to marry up, but colour militates against it being a cellar wine, or improving much. Cellar 1 – 2 years. GK 07/05

2001 Chapoutier Ermitage l'Ermite 16 (

)

Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $ – [ cork; c. US$200; organic; hand-harvested from 80-year vines near the top of the Hermitage Hill; 100% de-stemmed, wild-yeast, cuvaison 35 – 42 days including MLF; 14 – 18 months in French oak 100% new, bottled without fining or filtration; Parker 147: "The black-colored 2001 Ermitage l’Ermite may be equal to the perfect 1996. Awesome levels of kirsch liqueur, licorice, and white flowers are followed by a superbly concentrated, etched, long, deep wine with multiple layers, a fabulous texture, and virtually perfect balance as well as harmony. Possessing great stature and intensity, it is a monumental achievement. To 2040. 98 – 100"; Spectator: 96; www.chapoutier.com ]
Ruby, below midway, lighter than the Guigal. This wine showed as simple syrah, correct but modest, out of its depth in the company. The revealing of its label caused some consternation. Initially I thought it a pleasant, moderately varietal example of the grape, from a warmer climate than Hawkes Bay – red fruits, with slight spice complexity. Palate followed similarly, oak in balance, no faults, more pleasing QDR syrah / shiraz than cellaring wine. Post unveiling, the consensus amongst the winemakers present was for a 'scalped' bottle, that is, cork-affected, diminished, but not corked as such. Certainly bears no relation to my last tasting of the wine, so hard to comment further. Bad luck. GK 04/07

2004 Lincoln Gewurztraminer Heritage 16 (

)

Gisborne, New Zealand: 13.5%; $18 [ screwcap; 6 months LA and stirring; www.lincolnwines.co.nz ]
Slightly brassy lemonstraw. A big bouquet, and clearly varietal, but not in a totally happy style, with some botrytis-affected and gingery notes on coarse lychee, all a bit volatile. Palate follows pro rata, over-developed, plenty of flavour, but tending broad and gingery, feeling as if acid added. Not a good cellar prospect. More an interesting short-term wine for spicy Asian foods. GK 08/05

2005 Coopers Creek Pinot Gris 16 (

)

Huapai, Auckland, New Zealand: 13%; $18 [ screwcap; s/s ferment and some LA; this wine not [then] on website; www.cooperscreek.co.nz ]
Pale straw. Light clean fragrant wine giving the impression of being basically pinot gris, but touched up with gewurztraminer. Palate has clean varietal flavours, with not quite enough richness to cover the phenolics totally, and a near-dry finish again suggesting gewurz in the blend. Cellar 1 – 3 years. GK 08/05

2002 Jadot Chassagne-Montrachet Morgeot 16 (

)

Chassagne-Montrachet Premier Cru, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $111 [ cork; hand-harvested; (guideline) BF, LA, MLF in 30% new French oak; no specific info [then] on website; www.louisjadot.com ]
Lemongreen, much the most youthful of these ‘02 Jadots. Not surprisingly, the fresh colour bespeaks a sulphur problem, with an unattractive mercaptan-related sweaty note obscuring pale stone fruit. Winemaking complexities in the sense of lees autolysis and barrel components take a backseat here, so the good fruit and acid balance would be attractive in a clean wine. Unfortunately, the sweaty character turns sour in mouth, and persists right through the palate. But these negative characters are subtle, and individual thresholds to these sulphur compounds vary enormously, so this wine may please you more than me. Cellar 5 – 10 years, if the style appeals. I wouldn't. GK 07/05

2005 Mount Riley Pinot Noir 16 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $19 [ screwcap; not [then] on website, previous vintages have included some Nelson fruit; www.mountriley.co.nz ]
Big pinot noir ruby. Needs a breath of air, opening to a deep, ripe, but obscurely varietal red wine bouquet, pleasant. Palate becomes more aromatic, with a suggestion of syrah-like pepper. This is quite a full wine with good fruit, reasonable oak, all very youthful and disorganised, with some fermentation odours still to bury – it is a pity it has been commercialised so soon. May score higher if more varietal character emerges. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 02/06

2005 Matua Valley Merlot / Cabernet Hawkes Bay 16 (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12%; $17 [ screwcap; 3.7 g/L; www.matua.co.nz ]
Ruby. Bouquet is winey, on account of a light brett component on good berry, but it's not too clear in the blind tasting exactly what style it is winey in. It is perfectly reasonable to confuse light vaguely plummy merlots with slightly stewed plummy pinots. Palate shows pleasant berry in sympathetic oak, all soft and pleasing, if slightly grubby. A pleasant local QDR at a refreshing and food-friendly 12% alcohol is very welcome, though it is expensive as QDR. Mellow now, or will cellar 1 – 3 years. GK 03/07

2004 Rimu Grove Pinot Noir 16 (

)

Nelson, New Zealand: 14%; $40 [ screwcap; hand-picked; 11 months in French oak 35% new; www.rimugrove.co.nz ]
Slightly drab older pinot ruby. A pinched pinot bouquet, the austerity from excess oak as well as cool red fruit. Palate confirms the cool impression, the fruit a little leafy and under-ripe, some red currants in the red cherry, excess oak not helping. Total flavours however are varietal, rich and in style (cool year), but the wine is too expensive for the lack of physiological / flavour maturity, as opposed to sugar ripeness. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 02/06

2005 Coopers Creek Pinot Noir Marlborough 16 (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $19 [ screwcap; hand-picked; www.cooperscreek.co.nz ]
Younger ruby, quite big for pinot noir. Newly opened, this wine is raw and youthful, and makes one wish yet again for a tradition of not selling wine prematurely in New Zealand. Witness the wonderful harmony the two 2004 chardonnays in this batch show. Decanted and left to settle, it opens out into a blackboy and cherry bouquet. Palate is lesser, raw and oaky, too alcoholic, clumsy. In two years this will be a more pleasing bottle. Cellar 3 – 6 years. GK 02/06

2006 White Rock Pinot Gris Sur Lie 16 (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $21 [ screwcap; not on website yet; this new website is the public face of Capricorn Wine Estates, as a subsidiary of the Craggy Range group; www.wildrockwine.co.nz ]
Palest lemongreen. Bouquet is modest, some under-ripe nectarine, but also a trace of rubber. Palate is in the one-dimensional plain pearflesh style of over-ripe New Zealand pinot gris, quite rich but short in flavour and tending hard on alcohol and phenolics. Within these parameters it is clearly varietal, quite 'dry', and will cellar 1 – 4 years. GK 03/07

2005 Karikari Estate Merlot / Cabernet / Malbec 16 (

)

Karikari Peninsula, North Auckland (NE of Kaitaia), New Zealand: 12.6%; $30 [ supercritical cork; ex winery price; Me 52%, CS 35, Ma 13, hand-harvested; 11 months in American & French oak; www.karikariestate.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet. A complex bouquet, with clear cassisy and fairly dark plum showing good berry ripeness and fruit, but also fragrant, savoury, bretty and bacony oak. Palate is intriguing for the exact degree of fruit ripeness achieved, so different from many North Auckland cabernet / merlot blends. There is no leafiness. This is real physiological maturity at a traditional Bordeaux alcohol level – exciting. There is however a sea-salt character, though it is hard to isolate its significance against the intense brett savoury smells and flavours. The Karikari Peninsula looks an exciting spot for North Auckland viticulture, sufficiently far away from mainland humidity. Once winery issues are sorted out, this will be a place to watch. There must be other very promising spots along the Aupori Peninsula and on North Cape block proper, awaiting planting. Marginal for cellaring, 3 – 12 years. GK 09/07

2005 Stonecroft Sauvignon Blanc 16 (

)

Tutaekuri Valley, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12.5%; $19 [ supercritical cork; 3 g/L RS; www.stonecroft.co.nz ]
Lemongreen. Bouquet on this wine is right outside the sauvignon square, in a blind lineup. There is a dubious perfumed quality almost hinting at gewurztraminer, and a golden queen peach tending to dried peach note, plus an almost camphory suggestion. Palate is rich, clean, stone fruits in a dry way, no oak. There is something in the complex smell and flavour of this wine reminding me of Castrol GTX, yet with a winey twist to it. Interesting dry white, certainly in the Hawkes Bay ripe almost stonefruit spectrum of sauvignon flavours, far from Marlborough. Cellar uncertain, several years. GK 02/06

2002 Riverby Pinot Noir 16 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.4%; $29
Lightish ruby, attractively in class. A lighter bouquet than the other pinots, with more fragrance of the whole berry / partial maceration carbonique type, but less depth. Tending to the beaujolais style, in other words. Flavours fit that interpretation, blackboy and red berries, good fruit feel, slightly marcy and stalky with subtle oak, but still varietal. Cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 01/04

2005 Mount Riley Chardonnay 16 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $18 [ screwcap; www.mountriley.co.nz ]
Light straw. A big bouquet, in a raw fruit plus oak style, plus underlying barrel-ferment and lees-autolysis. In mouth, the wine is juicy, acid, very oaky, and again tending raw and unintegrated. There is plenty of fruit below, with white stonefruit and citrus flavours. This will look more attractive in a year’s time. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 02/06

2001 Castano Pozuelo Reserva 16 (

)

Yecla DdO, Spain: 13.5%; $21 [ cork; Mv 80, Te 10, CS 10; 12 days cuvaison, 20 months in oak; www.bodegascastano.com ]
Ruby and velvet, clearly older than the 2002 Crianza. Bouquet is rich, grapey, and ripe to over-ripe in one sense, but also aromatic, slightly rank and volatile, as if old (US) cooperage. Palate reveals plenty of grapes, but also the casky flavours of old wood, plus some brett. An old-fashioned rich wine, which will cellar 5 – 10 years. As has often been the case with less than majestic Spanish reds, the less-oaked crianza version is preferable. GK 03/06

2004 TW Merlot / Malbec Makauri 16 (

)

Gisborne, New Zealand: 13.5%; $27 [ screwcap; Me 50%, Ma; hand-picked; 18 months mostly new oak; TW = growers Paul Tietjen & Geordie Witters; www.twwines.co.nz ]
Ruby, a little carmine and velvet. Bouquet is immediately too oaky, but it is clean, with a novel suggestion of fivespice. Berry fruit suggests better ripeness than the average these varieties usually achieve in the Gisborne district. Palate has good rich black doris plummy fruit, but is let down by a stalky quality and noticeable acid, so the bouquet is misleading on fruit ripeness, unfortunately. Physiologically ripe Bordeaux-styled reds are an elusive goal in the Gisborne district. This one has the richness to cellar 5 – 10 years in its style, and marry down the oak. GK 03/06

2006 [ Escarpment ] The Edge Pinot Noir 16 (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.8%; $45 [ hand-picked; screwcap; s/s ferment; limited exposure to oak; dry extract 27 g/L, RS < 1 g/L; www.escarpment.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. This is a simpler wine, alongside the Craggy and Escarpment offerings. Bouquet is clearly varietal, blackboy peach and bottled red plums, rather than cherry. Palate has fruit, but there is a one-dimensional suggestion of austerity to it, contrasting with wines which see a higher percentage of barrel maturation. Finish is thus tending hard and stalky. Cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 10/07

2003 Domaine de l'Ameillaud Vin de Pays de la Principaute d'Orange 16 (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $13.50 [ Gr 60%, Ca 20, Mv & Sy 20; vat only ]
Fresh red, traces of carmine and velvet. A maceration carbonique bouquet, with plenty of soft berry, in the style of beaujolais. A difficulty of the maceration approach is hints of rubber (inner-tube) odours are often introduced, as here, but being sulphur-related, people vary enormously in their sensitivity to this character. Palate is round and juicy, low acid, berryish, a 'beaujolais' style speaking with a slightly stalky Rhone accent, good quaffing. Cellar 1 – 3 years. GK 11/04

2009 Ch Beauvillage 16 (

)

Cissac, Medoc, Bordeaux, France: 14%; $20 [ cork 45mm; Me 60, CS 40, average age 35 years, planted at 5,500 vines / ha, machine-harvest; elevation mostly in s/s, some oak; best info at; www.sergedoreselections.com ]
Ruby and velvet, one of the darker wines. Bouquet is really distinctive on this wine, clear-cut crushed nasturtium leaves in tobacco and sautéed red capsicums. It is a clear time-travel reminder of the 1978 Montana Reserve Black Label Cabernet Sauvignon from Marlborough the winemakers were so proud of that time, thus illustrating scanty knowledge of what good cabernet should taste like. The flavours however are surprisingly different from the bouquet, generous fruit with more cabernet sauvignon than some of these petit chateaux (hence the aroma), fairly clean oak with a touch new (and trace brett), all quite mouth-filling. Intriguing but slightly flawed wine, different, will cellar in its style 3 – 10 years. GK 03/15

2010 J-P Brun Terres Dorées Morgon 16 (

)

Morgon, Beaujolais, France: 12%; $31 [ cork; hand-picked, destemmed burgundy-style, long fermentations up to 6 weeks cuvaison; elevation variously in large old oak or concrete; no website found, idiosyncratic background info @ www.louisdressner.com/mpdf/Brun/?dl. ]
Pinot noir ruby, the second to lightest. This wine has less bouquet than the others, but it is clean and fragrant to a degree. Palate is more clearly beaujolais, pleasant redcurrant and red cherry fruit, initially seeming stalky but the palate quickly adapts. Clean, sound, but lacks magic in the company. The proprietor speaks of wanting the wines to age, but this one did not seem particularly suited to that goal. Cellar a year or two. GK 09/12

2005 Ch Cambon la Pelouse 16 (

)

Haut-Medoc (Macau / Margaux) Cru Bourgeois Superieur, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $40 [ cork; Me 50%, CS 30, CF 20, av. vine age 30, cropped 2.3 t/ac; 12 months in French oak, 50% new; JancisR: Very obvious, slightly tarty sweetness. A lot of effort has gone into this, especially to ease the sweetness and suppleness of the fruit on the front palate but it´s still very drying on the finish as though the oak is not the best-seasoned. Shame. 14.5; Parker: An exceptional, up-and-coming performer in the southern Medoc (just outside the Margaux appellation), this sensual blend of 50% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 15% Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot possesses a dark ruby/purple color, sweet fruit, and tremendous purity, definition … With medium to full body, velvety but noticeable tannin, and abundant glycerin (no doubt because of the 13+% natural alcohol), it should drink well for 7-8 years. 88 – 90; Wine Spectator: Offers tea and fresh mushroom, with ripe fruit on the nose. Medium-bodied, with medium tannins and a delicate finish. Best after 2008. 85; www.cambon-la-pelouse.com ]
Ruby and velvet. Bouquet is over-ripe and dull on this wine, a suggestion of ox liver and black fruits, all a bit pruney and bretty. Palate is rich but tannic, and the oak old. The whole wine is grubbier than its reputation would have had one believe. Cellar 5 – 15 years for sturdy minor Bordeaux. GK 04/08

2005 Domaine Cauhape Jurancon Sec Seve d’Automne 16 (

)

Jurancon AOC, SW France: 14%; $37 [ sleeved plastic foam; location virtually on the Spanish border; gros manseng old-vines, hand-picked at 1.75 – 2 t/ac in late October; 15 months sur lie in barrel; www.cauhape.com ]
Straw, the freshest of this not-so-fresh-looking bunch. Bouquet is in an old-fashioned northern Rhone marsanne / rousanne style, almost floral on neutral white stonefruits, but still the product of oxidative winemaking techniques and a high-solids ferment. Palate is quite rich, clearly flinty, dry, the flavours consistent with and developing the bouquet, but not quite as fresh. This doesn’t taste like a wine to cellar, but the website comments that if the flavours appeal, can be cellared 3 – 4, or even to 15 years – which seems incompatible with the plastic closure. Hard to score – in an Australasian judging it would be tossed out, but it has the body to be interesting with food. It is only fair to note that the descriptions for the dry wines on the website – fresh, floral etc – bear no relation to the wine as sampled here in New Zealand. Perhaps this is truly a wine that does not travel. GK 02/08

2002 de Courcel Pommard les Croix Noires 16 (

)

Pommard Premier Cru, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $94
Rich ruby. Given a batch of these de Courcel burgundies, the omnipresent varnishy oak becomes oppressive, rendering clumsy wines which should be showing the beauty and subtlety of the pinot grape. This one smells and tastes first and foremost of oak, though there is healthy cherry fruit below. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 11/04

2005 Domaine de Courcel Bourgogne Rouge / Pinot Noir 16 (

)

Burgundy, France: 12.5%; $58 [ cork; a good brief backgrounder to this domain is available at: www.owloeb.com/Domaines/Courcel.html ]
Pinot noir ruby, the lightest of this bracket. Bouquet is obvious rather than promising, slightly varnishy rather than fragrant with oak, but nonetheless varietal and ripe. Despite the light colour, palate has good cherry fruit both red and black, sustained nicely on this older oak. This is well-fruited for bourgogne rouge, well in style, but straightforward. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 03/08

2011 [ Rockburn Wines ] Devil's Staircase Pinot Noir 16 (

)

Cromwell Basin, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $20 [ screwcap; no info on website, despite "advanced" tag; silver Air NZ; www.rockburn.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, just below midway in depth. Bouquet is fragrant, clearly varietal at the red berry / red cherry level, not quite pure as if a whole berry component. Palate is again a little less, total acid up a little and redcurrant and red cherry fruit retreating, phenolics creeping into the finish, making it seem short. All a little pinched. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 10/12

1999 Ch Duhart-Milon 16 (

)

Pauillac 4th Growth, Bordeaux, France: 12.5%; $97 [ CS 80 – 85%, Me 15 – 20; 18 months in 50 – 55% new oak; www.lafite.com ]
Older lighter ruby. This is a great wine to have in a New Zealand cabernet / merlot tasting, for it illustrates to perfection that Bordeaux in a modest year is climatically so like parts of New Zealand that often, indeed usually, have difficulty ripening cabernet to full physiological maturity: North Auckland, Waikato, Manawatu, Marlborough, Nelson, and much of the Wairarapa. There is a fair concentration of modestly ripe fruits suggesting red currants more than black, red plums ditto, and a leafy quality throughout. Palate shows considerable finesse, but the leafy note becomes a little stalky, so the fruit seems short. It is a bit acid, too. Oaking however remains textbook in its subtlety. Pleasant drinking with food, as a classically styled claret of a coolish year, and if one disregards the price. Alternatively, a wine of academic interest, as we define our evolving Bordeaux-blend winestyles. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 07/04

2002 Domaine Georges Michel Pinot Noir La Reserve 16 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $33 [ cork; 13 months in French oak; www.georgesmichel.co.nz ]
Colour is lighter and brighter than the standard wine, a good burgundy colour. Bouquet is sweeter too, with some floral components on red cherries, and some brett complexity, inclining to a bourgogne rouge style. Flavours are riper than the standard wine, red cherries, savoury, a food wine more than a judging one. Cellar 3 – 5 years, but it may dry somewhat. GK 08/05

nv Champagne Henry Giraud Esprit de Giraud Blanc de Blancs 16 (

)

Ay, Champagne, France: 12%; $79 [ standard champagne cork; cepage Ch 100%, mostly fermented in s/s and held on lees; 10% fermented and held in barrel 12 months; full MLF; c.24 months en tirage; dosage not given; more information in Stelzer; www.champagne-giraud.com ]
Clearly the most lemon / least straw wine in hue. Bouquet is much lighter, simpler and plainer than the wines rated more highly, though not weak. In fact it could be too fruity on bouquet, or insufficiently complexed by autolysis. On reflection, yes, autolysis complexity is lacking. Palate immediately confirms that doubt, big fruit but with hints even of banana, a wine falling into the same trap as some New Zealand sparkling chardonnays masquerading as methode champenoise. Both interesting and disappointing to have such a wine from Champagne. Dosage is drier than New Zealand, though, 8 g/L maybe. Cellar 3 – 12 years, hopefully to become less fruity. GK 10/15

2002 Gros Frere & Soeur Bougogne Hauts-Cotes de Nuits 16 (

)

Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 12.5%; $38
Good pinot ruby. To first impressions, this is attractive straightforward pinot noir, the bouquet showing volumes of slightly stalky red fruits suggesting cherries and plums. Palate continues relatively rich, clearly varietal, old oaky, again a bit stalky. At this price level from Burgundy, one can hardly expect the florals, finesse and subtle new oak of the higher-ranked crus, but this is pretty good Bourgogne Rouge. It is clearly varietal, totally in style, and will cellar for 3 to maybe 10 years. GK 09/04

2003 Domaine Jaquiery Pinot Noir 16 (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $39 [ screwcap; pinot noir only wine made; 11 months French oak; www.domainejaquiery.co.nz ]
Older ruby. Bouquet is a wilder style of pinot, clearly varietal, but also clearly bretty, like some bourgogne rouges. Palate mixes suggestions of boronia and dark florals with cherry fruit and savoury / gamey notes, rather European, and old-fashioned on the brett. Will be drunk with pleasure, though, except for the price. Cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 11/06

2003 Domaine Lafond Cotes du Rhone Roc-Epine 16 (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $20 [ cork; Maison Vauron; no info on cepage, but perhaps similar to the Lirac. Parker 156: "Great value, the beautiful 2003 Cotes du Rhone Roc Epine offers sexy, ripe cherry, plum, and raspberry scents which soar from the glass of this medium-bodied, lush, supple-textured, gratifying red. Readers looking for generously-constituted, rich, flavorful, impeccably pure, well-made wines should check out Lafond … the quality of their reds has risen significantly over the last 2-3 vintages. 1-2 years. 87" ]
Ruby. Bouquet is clean, sound, a straightforward Cote du Rhone, showing plum and some stalks. Palate shows its spirit more than some, the fruit flattening somewhat to a boiled sultana richness, lacking exciting flavours. Sound rich soft southern Rhone, clearly of a hot year, which will cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 09/05

2005 Domaine Laroche Chablis 16 (

)

Chablis, Burgundy, France: 12.5%; $40 [ screwcap; obscure website, PR more than info; www.larochewines.com ]
Bright lemon. Bouquet is reputable but not immaculate chablis, clear pale white chardonnay again with faint slightly sacky / stale washing notes in an old-fashioned European style. Palate improves things, some white nectarine, possibly 2 – 3 g/L residual sugar, a pleasant more commercial example of un-oaked chardonnay, light and crisp. Cellar 1 – 5 years. GK 03/08

1975 Ch Lascombes 16 (

)

Margaux, Bordeaux, France: – %; $122 [ cork 50mm; CS 63%, Me 33, PV 3, CF 1; the '70s were not a good phase for Ch Lascombes, the visionary Alexis Lichine having sold in 1971; Robinson, nil; Coates, 1995: Good; Parker, 1996: This wine possesses one of the most exaggerated aromatic profiles of the vintage … herbaceous, gingery, minty, spiced tea-like nose that readers will either detest or find interesting. Tannic and loosely jointed, this fully mature wine (there is considerable amber/orange at the edge) exhibits the vintage's tell-tale tannin and structure, but the fruit is sweet and ripe. Consume it over the next 5-7 years before the fruit begins to dry out. This is another wine that held up surprisingly well in an open decanter (2 days), 87; www.chateau-lascombes.com ]
Ruby and garnet, below midway in depth. Bouquet is fragrant but lean, another one with an herbes touch to it, salvia or bay-leaf, making it too aromatic. This bottle also showed trace VA. Below the aromatics is fading cassisy berry, now overshadowed by noticeable oak. Blind you might think it a Pauillac rather than a Margaux, but in simple terms this wine is running out of fruit. Still pleasant enough with food, but the least favoured wine of the evening, to finish up soon. GK 03/15

2003 Bodega Lurton Malbec 16 (

)

Valle de Uco, Mendoza, Argentina: 13%; $17 [ www.jflurton.com ]
Ruby. A pleasantly straightforward red wine bouquet showing more aromatic berry than the Lurton Cabernet. Plums and black olives are hinted at, and the total bouquet is reminiscent of very ripe pinotage, on the local scene. Palate shows some fruit plumpness, little or no oak (or merely big old oak), and pleasant balance. Total achievement is more QDR, but it will cellar for 5 – 8 years. GK 12/04

2008 [ Pernod-Ricard ] Montana Chardonnay 16 (

)

Gisborne, New Zealand: 13%; $18 [ screwcap, RS 2.5 g/L; 96% chardonnay mostly clone 15, some 6 and mendoza, 4% viognier for fruit notes, all machine-harvested; cool-fermented in s/s, 37% through MLF, some LA; RS 2.5 g/L; background on www.montana.co.nz, leads to detail @; www.pernod-ricard-nz.com//tastingnotes.php? ]
Lemon. Bouquet contains some mixed messages, and is confuseable with pinot gris. There is a suggestion of nougat and pearflesh, more than pale stonefruit. In flavour the nougat broadens into a suggestion of butterscotch, implying an MLF component [ confirmed ]. Flavours are light but not weak, and pleasant within these parameters, not so much oak as the Saints wine from the same winery, the fruit more diffuse. Easy not quite bone-dry QDW chardonnay, to cellar a year or two. GK 05/09

2001 Domaine de Montvac Vacqueyras 16 (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $27 [ Gr 60%, Sy 30, Mv 10; a little old oak ]
Lightish ruby. Light, clean, fragrant Cotes du Rhone on bouquet, clearly a blend of grenache and syrah, the red fruits and a hint of cinnamon from grenache, suggestions of flowers from syrah. Palate is more the grenache side, tending raspberry, like a lighter version of the Guigal, a little lighter than hoped for in 2001. There is an intriguing hint of cedar and ripe grape stalk tannin on the finish. Cellar 3 – 6 years. GK 10/04

1998 Domaine de la Mordorée Chateauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée de la Reine des Bois 16 (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $257 [ cork 49mm; original price c. $70; Gr 70%, Mv 10, Sy, Ci, counoise and vaccarese all 5, old vines; this wine in the 90s contrasted with traditional practice in Chateauneuf du Pape, being completely destemmed, then at least 50% of the wine was aged in new small oak for 9 months or more, the balance s/s, with a total elevation of 24 months [ note in recent vintages the new oak has been reduced markedly ]. R Parker, 2000: An extraordinary nose of pepper, blackberry liqueur, cherries, smoke, scorched earth, and garrigue. As the wine sits in the glass, licorice and creme de cassis notes also become apparent. Awesomely concentrated, with immense body, massive fruit, sweet tannin, and fabulous symmetry, this is one of the most remarkable Chateauneuf du Papes I have ever tasted: 96; Ten years later, Parker, 2010 reports: This wine went through a long closed period. It was sensational to drink a year or two after bottling, then the wood tannins in the wine’s structure took over. It remained in that state until about two years ago, when it began to slightly open up, and now it seems to be coming into full form. It still has … 20 more years of drinkability. … notes of blueberry liqueur intermixed with graphite, smoke, crushed rock, and white flowers, the wine is full-bodied, beautifully pure, and all evidence of any barrique aging has been completely assimilated into the wine’s fruit and character. This is a beauty that is just now living up to its full potential. Bravo!: 98; Note, though other wines in our tasting have greater reputations for Chateauneuf-du-Pape in general, this wine currently has the highest price on the new arbiter wine-searcher.com – $NZ257; weight bottle and closure: 646 g; www.domaine-mordoree.com ]
Ruby, garnet and velvet, the deepest wine. Bouquet on opening was simply a shock. No previous bottle in the case (the most recent a month ago) has smelt so old and pruney-mature, with a dry roast-beef-skin quality to it suggesting high brett levels. How exactly neighbouring bottles of the same wine can vary so much in the perceived impact of brett on the wine I have yet to have explained convincingly to me, but I have encountered this puzzling phenomenon before. Palate still has the wonderfully rich physical body this wine has always displayed, but here too the fruit charm is well-nigh gone (in this bottle), and roasted pumpkin flavours intrude on the grape flavours. The wine being so savoury and big, it will still suit many people, for example with a grilled steak dish, but this bottle is a major disappointment. The group agreed, this wine being the second least-favoured wine. Not possible to make a cellaring recommendation, whereas for previous bottles it would have been decades. I just hope all bottles haven't gone this way. GK 08/16

2004 Domaine de la Mordoree Cotes du Rhone La Dame Rousse 16 (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $18 [ cork; Wine Direct; cepage usually c. Gr 40%, Sy 30, Ci 15, Ca 10, Counoise 5 ]
Carmine, ruby and velvet, a bit lurid. A big step down in the seriousness of the wines here. This wine is fragrant and blowsy, a very ripe blend made in an obvious maceration carbonique / Beaujolais style. As such, it is ‘sweet’, ripe, full-bodied, scarcely or not oaked, and juicy, but one-dimensional. It is the French equivalent to the soft $10 Wyndham-type juicy Aussie supermarket reds, and fair enough as such. Don't cellar it beyond a couple of years, though. GK 11/05

2006 Pierre Naigeon Lavaux Saint Jacques Vieilles Vignes Premier Cru 16 (

)

Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $140
Older pinot noir ruby, though one of the darker. This was the sighter wine, but it didn't work out too well. Bouquet is a real old-timer, both phases of brett aroma rampant, modest fading fruit, blue mould on citrus aromas through the palate though not unpleasant (thoughts of Rioja), some new oak incongruous and tannic in the mix. Food wine, for those relaxed about brett. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 08/12

2006 [ Pipers Brook ] Ninth Island Pinot Grigio 16 (

)

Northern Tasmania, Australia: 13.5%; $22 [ screwcap; no info on winery website other than is s/s wine, Red & White one miscues; www.kreglingerwineestates.com ]
Light straw. Bouquet still has a little sulphur showing, and the wine benefits from splashy decanting. Behind that pinot gris characters in the New Zealand rosepetal / pearflesh sense can be smelt. Palate brings light pearflesh characters forward in a simple stainless steel way, all slightly stalky / phenolic and drier than the average New Zealand ‘riesling-dry’ wine. This is quite good pinot gris by Australian standards, straightforward by New Zealand, to cellar for several years. GK 06/09

1999 Michel Ogier Cote Rotie 16 (

)

Northern Rhone Valley, France: 12.5%; $331 [ cork, 45mm; original price c.$75; considerable rearrangement of labels since 1999, but if this wine has been succeeded by the Cote Rotie Reserve, is typically Sy 100%, Cotes Blonde & Brune equally, cuvaison to 28 days, up to 24 months in small oak maybe 30% new; not filtered; production c.830 x 9-litre cases; J.L-L, 2005: blackberry aroma of interesting depth, some mystery - shows a cool side. Inky, full palate, with live tannins still, is young and displays the northern mineral cut, even though it`s a 1999, 2015-19, ***(*); RP@RP, 2002: The finest Cote Roties Ogier has made (and he agrees) are the 1999s ... a glorious bouquet of bacon fat, creme de cassis, licorice, violets, and spice box. It is full-bodied, with sweet tannin, great presence in the mouth, and a knock-out finish. Although it will be approachable in its youth, 3-4 more years of cellaring will be beneficial. Anticipated maturity: 2004-2018, 95; no info on website yet, Stephane is Michel's son; weight bottle and closure: 587 g; www.stephaneogier.fr ]
Ruby and garnet, some velvet, below midway in depth but above midway in redness. Bouquet is rather different from the set, being intensely savoury and reminiscent of a rich venison casserole with portobello mushrooms, on drying berry. Palate shows surprisingly good berry fruit in a browning cassisy way, gentle oak, but rather a lot of brown mushrooms / leather / horse stables savoury aromas and flavours too. So this was our most bretty wine for the evening, and as always, some love it, some hate it: two first-places, two second-places, four least places. This wine is nearing the end of its plateau of maturity, the fruit starting to dry a little. Best finished up in the next year or two, noting that bottles will vary considerably, now. Be careful who you open it with ! One winemaker described the wine as ‘gross’, and another taster was emphatic that it smelt of the elephant enclosure at the Auckland Zoo. As my score indicates, I am less fussed: bretty wines are great with savoury foods, the aforementioned venison casserole, grilled dishes with parmesan, ratatouille and the like. GK 11/19

2016 Ch Pegau Cotes du Rhone Cuvée Maclura 16 (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $26 [ cork 1+1 compound, 45mm; Gr 60%, Sy 20, Mv 10, Ci 10, hand-picked; fruit not de-stemmed, co-fermented, wild yeasts; elevation 12 months in enamelled vat, filtered; imported by Maison Vauron, Auckland; weight bottle and closure 628 g; www.pegau.com ]
Ruby, well below midway in depth. Bouquet is again fragrant and aromatic on red fruits, but it is not as ripe as Setier, with some aromatic garrigue complexity, and a little more brett. Palate is not as well-fruited as some of the wines in this style, cinnamon grading to nutmeg spice as well as red fruits, drying to the finish, noticeably short, but still food-friendly. Both this wine and Setier are said to be vat-raised, but both have some gentle brett character – which at first sight would seem illogical. But to judge from the Chateaneufs, brett must be a constant part of the Pegau winery ambience, and no doubt odd bits and pieces are added to these cheaper labels also. Apart from purists who become hysterical about any perceptible brett, this character merely serves to make the two Pegau everyday reds more food-friendly. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 06/20

2016 Ch Pesquie Ventoux Quintessence 16 (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 15%; $44 [ cork 49 mm, Sy 80%, Gr 20 c.50 years old, grown at 250-350 m asl, cropped at 4.25 t/ha = 1.7 t/ac; all de-stemmed, up to 28 days cuvaison; elevation 12 – 15 months in barrique, 40% new, balance no more than third-year; seen by the winemakers as a prestige wine, concentrated; available from Maison Vauron, Auckland, and retailers supplied by them; weight bottle and cork, 748 g; www.chateaupesquie.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, the deepest wine by quite a margin. Bouquet is clean, pure, but grotesque in terms of desirable Southern Rhone Valley winestyles. It smells caricature Californian from the ‘80s, much too much new oak, exacerbated by the high alcohol. It is hard trying to penetrate the initial vanillin impression on bouquet, but there is huge, ripe to over-ripe fruit, blackberry more than anything. No garrigue, no complexities. Palate is likewise hugely rich, oaky, and very strongly flavoured on rich dark berry and noticeable alcohol, but subtlety, charm and ‘drink-me’ appeal are all lacking. In its style it is very well made, but this is a misconceived and too-modern wine, hopefully a once-only aberration in its excess of oaking – until you read the American reviews (up to 95+ points), which express little respect for grape florality, subtlety or tradition. It should cellar for 30 – 40 years, should anyone wish to, and time will tame it somewhat. GK 05/19

2000 Ch Petit Figeac 16 (

)

St Emilion, Bordeaux, France: 13%; $110 [ Me 60%, CS 40; French oak, 18 months ]
Ruby and velvet. A fragrant bouquet, showing a jonquils-related fragrance similar to some Rhone under-ripe syrahs – a bit unexpected. Palate is richer than the bouquet suggests, and more clearly akin to Bordeaux, with long red currant and red plum flavours, but a leafy quality persisting all the way through. If the wine were less rich, it would seem acid, but the fruit concentration is pretty good. 1979 Ch Figeac was like this. Too eccentric a style to be a useful foil in a Hawkes Bay blends tasting. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 10/04

2005 Ch Picque-Caillou 16 (

)

Graves / Pessac-Leognan, Bordeaux, France: 13%; $40 [ cork; CS 45%, Me 45, CF 10, hand-picked, av. age 25, cropped @ 2.3 t/ac; 12 – 14 months in barrel, 30% new; JancisR: Rich, sweet and plummy. Lots of very dry tannins on the finish. Could do with very slightly more acidity perhaps. Very creditable though. 16.5; Haynes Hanson & Clark (this is the Anthony Hanson MW of burgundy fame): The 2005 has deep, garnet-purple colour, with attractive, open ripeness of aroma. On tasting, it is evident that fruit and savour have been extracted to just the right level. The wine is a lovely, ripe mouthful, with power on the middle palate and soft tannins. The finish is sweet and elegant, all elements being beautifully knit. Ch Picque-Caillou from a top vintage ages magnificently, and this could gain complexity for at least 2 decades. ]
Ruby, one of the lighter. This is the most distinctive wine in the set, the bouquet in particular having a fragrant aroma embracing both nutmeg and friar's balsam, not unpleasant. A similar nutmeg aroma has cropped up in some years of the Benfield & Delamare wines, and is presumably cooperage-related. Fruit is good in an understated way, very fine-grained, though one can't taste the cabernet sauvignon much yet. Blind, one would think it more merlot and cabernet franc. Finish is gentle and lingering, clean new oak and berry, stylish. This is a wine to check a bottle before buying a case, since on bouquet it is somewhat outside the Bordeaux square. Cellar 3 – 12 years. GK 04/08

2002 N. Potel Clos de la Roche 16 (

)

Morey-Saint-Denis Grand Cru, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $165
Good pinot noir ruby. This wine should be among the top of the class, in these Potels, but there is an off-odour in it I associate with defective cooperage – a smell reminiscent of crushed cape ivy, Senecio mikanoides. Many composites are aromatic, e.g. chrysanthemums. Palate is relatively rich, but this resiny character permeates it, quite taking the charm off the pinot fruit. Disappointing – conceivably a corked bottle. Would cellar 5 – 15, but not worth it for me. GK 08/04

2005 Maison Nicolas Potel Santenay Vieilles Vignes 16 (

)

Cote de Beaune, Burgundy, France: 13%; $45 [ 49mm cork; this info may not be strictly applicable to the 2005 wine, since Nicolas Potel left Maison Nicolas Potel in 2009, to concentrate on Maison Roche de Bellene; hand-picked from 40 – 60 year-old vines; all de-stemmed, cold-soak 8 days at 8°C; cuvaison 10 days; c.11 months in barrel, 10% new, balance newish; no reviews of this wine found; weight bottle and closure: 588 g; www.nicolas-potel.fr ]
A light burgundy colour, garnet overtaking the ruby, the third to lightest wine. Bouquet is clean and fragrant but fading Cote de Beaune pinot noir, nearly floral in a brown way, and similarly browning red fruits. Palate is soft, harmonious, perfect fruit / acid / oak balance, but all past full maturity, a hint of almond, fading harmoniously. This wine needs to be finished up. Generalising, with a winemaker-dominated audience, winemakers don't like old wines as much as keen amateurs, and this wine had no first or second rankings (the only one), and seven least-liked votes. But it is still harmonious mature burgundy, in a smaller Cote de Beaune way. It would be much better than no wine, at dinner ! GK 10/16

2013 Okonomierat Rebholz Spatburgunder Tradition Trocken Qualitatswein 16 (

)

Sudpfalz, Germany: 13%; $49 [ cork; the Rebholz family have been winemakers since at least 1632, with a focus on riesling; this wine is grown organically on calcareous Muschelkalk sediments. Grapes are destemmed, one week cold soak, c. 4 weeks on skins in total. Aged in French and German wood for up to 2 years, no fining or filtration; for the website, the more detailed parts of the info are in German; www.oekonomierat-rebholz.com ]
Medium pinot noir ruby, slightly older. First impression is strong oak, like a cheap Spanish Crianza in American oak. Sue Davies described the wine as 'resiny' – just the word. Below that is simple cherry fruit of no great concentration or elevation complexity, with the vanillin phenolics lingering long after the fruit flavour. Pleasant enough but clumsy wine, highlighting just how far the better New Zealand producers have travelled in their quest for fine pinot noir. Cellar 5 – 10 years, to harmonise. GK 03/17

2005 Domaine Robin Crozes-Hermitage Cuvée Alberic Bouvet 16 (

)

Crozes-Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $45 [ cork; Gilles Robin is one of the new younger-generation winemakers. Vineyard work is tending to organic, and some of the soils are limestone-influenced. Winery practice is quite modern. This is his top label, up to 30 days cuvaison, de-stemming varies, down to only 20% in the ripest years; 12 months in barrique-sized barrels, 20% new, MLF in barrel, not filtered. Wine Spectator: 6/07: US$36 A traditional style, showing lots of perfumy violet and lavender notes, with a gamy nuance, all offset by a solid core of black currant, fig and tar flavors. The smoke and braised chestnut notes on the finish hold your interest. Drink now through 2012. 3,000 cases made. 91; imported by Maison Vauron, Auckland. ]
Ruby, the lightest of the batch. Bouquet is immediately in the lightly floral (carnations) / fragrant / is it leafy ? section of the tasting, so one tastes with focussed interest. It is so hard to get wines in this style perfectly pitched as to ripeness, yet when they are spot-on, they are very beautiful. For this one, palate confirms that ripeness is sub-optimal, the cassis unduly redcurrant and red plum rather than black, with some stalks and a little brett. In this tasting of a well-rated vintage, this wine illustrates exactly how much more appropriately syrah ripens in Hawkes Bay than much of Crozes-Hermitage. Sure, we have some stalky syrahs too, but for our best wine producers in the better years, the English are simply wrong to compare our syrah so frequently with Crozes-Hermitage. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 05/08

2004 [ Te Mata ] Rymer's Change Sauvignon Blanc 16 (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12.5%; $13 [ screwcap; www.temata.co.nz ]
Lemongreen. Another wine not yet fit for release, with suggestions of high-solids and sur lie dullness hopefully to marry. Palate is lighter then the top wines in the tasting, as would be expected in the price range, and flavours are in the greenish capsicum spectrum. Straightforward sound sauvignon, more Marlborough commercial than Hawkes Bay in style, slightly acid. Cellar 1– 3 years. GK 08/04

2000 Ch Sainte Colombe 16 (

)

Cotes de Castillon, E of St Emilion, Bordeaux, France: 12.5%; $40 [ Me 70%, CF 30; Jancis Robinson rating 15; Robert Parker 87 – 88 ]
Ruby. A plainish Bordeaux-styled bouquet, dark plums and a suggestion of raw meat, not very enticing. Palate shows better plummy flavours, old oak, reasonable richness, but not the relative elegance ($18 considered) of l’Abbaye. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 05/04

2010 Ch Saintem (formerly Saintayme) 16 (

)

Saint-Emilion Grand Cru, Bordeaux, France: 14.5%; $42 [ Cork, 50mm, ullage 14mm; landed $31; Me 100%, average age 35 years, planted 6,000 vines / ha; fermentation in s/s, then elevation c.14 months in 30% new barrels; production c.3,000 x 9-litre cases; JR@JR, 2011: sweet and potent. Pretty rich at the start but then savoury. Dense and lively. Vigorous and slightly skinny so for early drinking. Very easy and charming, but a little dry and green on the end, 16.5; JM@WS, 2013: This is wonderfully pure and unadorned, with a thoroughly engaging, vibrant beam of linzer torte and steeped cherry notes coursing along, with only embers of singed spice and a twinge of licorice checking in on the finish, letting a minerality play out more instead. Very pretty. Drink now through 2022, 91; Saintem is owned by consulting oenologist Denis Durantou, better known for his Ch L'Eglise Clinet, of Saint-Emilion; Saintem is another wine regarded as offering particularly good value; Saintem or Saintayme is a local nickname for Saint-Emilion; weight bottle and closure: 577 g; no functioning website found ]
Ruby and velvet, fairly fresh, a bit more development the Chateau Certan, just below midway in depth. Bouquet is soft, ripe and darkly plummy, very East Bank, let down a little by a trace rank note which I associate with less-than-immaculate cooperage. That off-note becomes more noticeably rank in the plummy flavour, plaining the wine down. It is quite rich and very ripe / over-ripe, but does not offer the exciting view of a 100% merlot wine which I hoped it would introduce in this great vintage, to be a point of contrast with the Médocs. Fruit to the tail is tending dry and tanniny, even though it is quite concentrated. Disappointing. No favourable votes, seven least places. Cellar 10 – 25 years. GK 09/20

2003 Daniel Schuster Pinot Noir Waipara 16 (

)

Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 13.5%; $40 [ www.danielschusterwines.com ]
Good pinot noir ruby. Bouquet on this one is more complex, with smokey, herbes, and black pepper notes in reddish berries. There are also some botrytis-like and VA suggestions, detracting. Palate is moderately fruity, but also leafy, and has not married up yet awhile. Better in a year, and cellar to 5 or so. This is a new label, introduced between the premium Omihi one for the top years, and the everyday Twin Vineyards label for the wine including some Canterbury Plains material. GK 10/04

1999 Daniel Schuster Pinot Noir Canterbury 16 (

)

Canterbury, New Zealand: 13%; $18 [ TE ]
Extraordinary wine. Colour is very pale, no more than good rosé. Bouquet however is an intriguing new world and youthful pinot noir, with intense florals. Palate is burgundian, with crisp cherry / berry fruit. This is a clear if youthful picture of the variety in Canterbury, not tipped off-course by new oak, as so many of the darker wines are. As is usual with Schuster reds, a contentious wine, easily dismissed on colour. Mouthfeel and dry extract are however delightful, in a light way. And the wine sets out to be merely a good-value introduction to the charms of pinot noir. Omihi is his serious pinot statement. Cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 01/01

1995 Daniel Schuster Pinot Noir Omihi Hills Vineyard 16 (

)

Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 12.5%; $ – [ cork; wine from the Canterbury pinot noir pioneer Danny Schuster, initially at St Helena, then own vineyard in Waipara. Not now producing. ]
Pinot noir ruby fading to garnet on the edge, the deepest of the pinots. Bouquet is slightly clouded by an overt forest-floor (a descriptor favoured by some burgundy fans) / organic decay note more prominent than the fruit. Behind that are fading cherry suggestions and new oak. Flavour is better, slightly stalky red fruits still dominating for now, but the oak threatening to becoming assertive. Lacks the ‘ripe fruits’ character of the Mornington Peninsula wine, but still recognisably varietal. Fully mature. GK 12/17

2003 Daniel Schuster Pinot Noir Waipara Selection 16 (

)

Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 13.5%; $40 [ cork; 12 months French oak; www.danielschusterwines.com ]
Pinot ruby, but markedly older than the other 2003s. Bouquet is very distinctive, highly fragrant and varietal to a degree, yet leafy and composty too, with suggestions of maceration carbonique and marc. Palate is not as pleasing, with noticeable acid and stalky flavours, yet a late finish which is quite burgundian, in a stalky way. Quirky wine in the love or hate category, which would look better with food. Needs flavour ripeness. Cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 03/05

1998 M Sorrel Hermitage 16 (

)

Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 12.5%; $ – [ cork; holdings include 0.8 ha of the famous le Meal planted in 1928, plus parts of Bessards and others; the 1998 50% de-stemmed, implication of some marsanne in this blend, less than the 5% in le Greal; 15 days cuvaison in wood and steel; this standard wine 16 – 20 months in older oak only; R. Parker: The 1998 Hermitage, which emerges primarily from such vineyard sites as Greffieux, Vignon, and Bessards, was totally closed when tasted. It displayed a dense ruby/purple color, a hint of blackberry fruit, and a boatload of tannin. However, it finished with a Bordeaux-like austere character. 87; J. Robinson: Light crimson. Lively light tart – nothing to do with Hermitage majesty. Pinched tannins on the finish but just too much acidity. Awfully light. 15 ]
Mature ruby. This is intriguing wine. It is not immaculately clean, showing an old-fashioned French grubbiness, but the intriguing thing was, it smells and tastes surprisingly like a sturdy cabernet-dominant claret, a plainish St Estephe from a sterner year, maybe. This interpretation is perfectly in order: in the 1800s syrah from Hermitage was routinely used to add backbone to claret, and cabernet sauvignon and syrah share cassis as a key descriptor. Palate is lean browning cassis, tannic, tending austere with the acid showing, so like the Tardieu-Laurent Cornas, this is a wine to be using up. Only fair to note that some tasters found this wine too grubby for enjoyment, so, after decanting, pour it from jug to jug splashily a few times. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 03/08

2004 Sunset Valley Sauvignon Blanc 16 (

)

Upper Moutere, Nelson, New Zealand: 13%; $19 [ organic producer; www.sunsetvalley.co.nz ]
Lemonstraw. A more developed and riper sauvignon bouquet retaining some red capsicum and black passionfruit characters, but also showing peachy and almost banana hints, as if a flavour-enhancing 'aromatic' yeast had been used. Palate continues the theme, almost fruit salad saved by sauvignon acid. Mixed in with the flavour there is also a hint of canned peas, so perhaps fruit ripeness was uneven. This is flavoursome and prematurely developed for an '04, sweeter than some, a more commercial wine. Not a cellar prospect beyond 12 months. GK 10/04

1978 Ch Trotanoy 16 (

)

Pomerol (top few), Bordeaux, France: – %; $ – [ cork 52mm, then Me 90%, CF 10; average age of vines 28 years, time in barrel 20 – 24 months; in his admirably frank way, so different from the then hide-bound British approach to winewriting, Parker in 1991 considered that since the firm Moueix took over Trotanoy, notwithstanding that firm's reputation, the wine has become much lighter, no longer like the wine of yesteryear. Our 1978 falls into this era, and he comments the 1978 is: loosely knit and herbaceous 84; no entry in Robinson, Tanzer, Wine Spectator; www.moueix.com ]
Garnet and light ruby, slightly deeper but less flushed than the village pinot, which is not a good look in a claret. Bouquet however has immediate appeal, almost floral in a very faded way, suggestively red-plummy browning merlot as opposed to the crisper cassisy aromas in the Medocs, but again, well-faded with a hint of iodine. In mouth however, the wine does not hang together quite so well, there being a lack of fruit and berry flavours, some stalk and noticeable acid and tannin, with fragrant cedary oak. It is weaker in its fruit than the Drouhin village wine, adding much support to Parker's thoughts on the unconstructive role of proprietor Moueix at the time. The oak balance saves the wine, one person rated it their favourite wine, and in its faded way, like the village pinot, it would be good with lighter food, or pizza or similar. It too needs finishing up. GK 4/14 GK 04/14

1978 Ch Trotanoy 16 (

)

Pomerol “Second Growth”, Bordeaux, France: – %; $ – [ Me 90%, CF 10. Broadbent ’02: A wonderful wine, impressively mouthfilling and also exudes charm, in 1991 silky, sweet, rich, round, delicious ****. Parker in 1990: The 1978 Trotanoy has matured rapidly. Ready to drink now, it has a bouquet suggestive of herbs, fresh tomatoes, and black currants …. medium bodied, soft, velvety, without the depth of fruit normally found in this wine. Little tannin remains in this loosely knit, herbaceous, somewhat austere Trotanoy. 84 ]
Garnet and ruby, one of the oldest, and towards the lighter end. The bouquet on this wine has the same hint of phenol / carbolic as New Zealand McWilliams Cabernet showed, once they lightened off, after 1971. The fruit is lightly cassisy and leafy, quite tobacco-y, yet showing little of its merlot cepage – except in the sense of under-ripe fruit. But it is clearly Bordeaux, and mellow now. Palate is silky-textured, much the best part, and here the merlot is apparent, with fine tannins which linger nicely, until the thread of green reappears. Clearly it has lost more ground since the tasting reports above, but on the other hand, the present assessment does show how slow the rate of decline can be from the plateau of maturity, if the wine is reasonably well-proportioned in the first place. Drink up. GK 03/06

2002 Vasse Felix Shiraz 16 (

)

Margaret River, West Australia: 14%; $39 [ Sy 92%, CS 4, Ma 3, Me 1; partial BF in French and US oak; www.vassefelix.com.au ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a lovely colour. A huge bouquet, but another one suffering from the Australian love affair with excess oak. On the fruit side, there is good blueberry and boysenberry, but the oak is so resiny and fresh-sawn, it reminds of chopping firewood – gum. Palate is juicy berry, but also intensely aromatic on the oak, mint and euc. It is not as saturated with oak as the Octavius, and may level out somewhat. Hard to see it being other than coarse, though. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 06/04

nv [Gonzalez Byass] Vilarnau Cava Brut 16 (

)

Catalunya, Spain: 13.5%; $31 [ cork; cepage most likely macabeo, parellada, and chardonnay; 18 months en tirage; no info, website unresponsive at time of writing; www.gonzalezbyass.com ]
Lemon, a little deeper than the Dibon. Bouquet is more promising too, a certain leafy fragrance reminding of Angas Brut back in its semillon days, and like Angas, a surprisingly respectable quality of yeast autolysis – clear suggestions of bread-crust. Palate is softer and richer than the Dibon, more clearly some chardonnay now, perhaps 8 g/L dosage, drier than popular New Zealand Bruts. Still some cardboard, a second glass palls, but reasonable so far as cava goes. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 08/11

1999 Domaine de la Vougeraie Cote de Beaune les Pierres Blanches 16 (

)

Burgundy, France: – %; $ – [ WPN ]
Ruby, touch of carmine. Initially poured, and for some time, retained fermentation odours obscure fruit quality. Opens to a simple cherry / berry and red plum fruit, stalky and slightly acid in mouthfeel and balance, lightest oak. In the context of this comparative Conference tasting, I assume this to be included as a straightforward modern French pinot noir of no great repute, so more typical of the wider market-place. If so, it was a most useful addition. Against some of the local wines, it shows very constructively how far down the path to fine quality pinot noir we are in New Zealand. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 01/01

1999 Yalumba [ Shiraz ] The Octavius 16 (

)

Barossa and Eden Valleys, South Australia: 14.5%; $126 [ US oak; www.yalumba.com ]
Older ruby and velvet. Bouquet is first and foremost new oak and vanilla biscuits, then a suggestion of eucalyptus. It is not winey at all, by any standards except Australian (and some American). In mouth, likewise the first impression is of excessive new oak, lubricated by very rich browning boysenberry juice and alcohol. This is simply ridiculous, a caricature of wine as any accompaniment to food, or as a thing of beauty in its own right. It is indubitably rich, and it will cellar for up to 35 years, but unless one collects icons, there is little point. Will it ever complement food, with that burning oaky finish ? GK 06/04

2011 Te Awa Syrah 15 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12.5%; $40 [ screwcap; not on website, if like 2010: handpicked 100% Sy, destemmed, wild-yeast fermentation; 20 months in French hogsheads, presumably some new; www.teawa.com ]
Ruby. Bouquet is light and on the red fruits side of ripeness for syrah, gently oaked, not communicating very well. Palate is likewise marginal for ripeness, stalky rather than clear-cut pepper, total acid up a little and the nett impression tending sour. Has enough constituents to harmonise somewhat in cellar, 3 – 8 years. GK 06/13

2008 Johner Estate Pinot Gris 15 ½ + (

)

Wairarapa, New Zealand: 13%; $22 [ screwcap; mostly s/s ferment, some old oak; www.johner-estate.com ]
Slightly orange-flushed straw. Bouquet too suggests the light oxidation the colour hints at, introducing a range of orange-quincy notes to pearflesh. Palate adds a suspicion of older oak to the pale quince and pearflesh flavours, all quite tannic and short, despite a little residual sweetness. The wine is richer than the Stoneleigh, and attractive in a tending-acid quincy style. Less suited to cellaring, a year or two only. GK 04/09

2006 Pask Malbec Declaration 15 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $50 [ screwcap; www.cjpask.co.nz ]
Ruby, some velvet. Bouquet indicates another old-fashioned New Zealand bordeaux blend, the berry ripeness insufficient to absorb the oak tannins, so even on bouquet one presages a stalkyness / oak phenolics war on palate. Noticeable VA doesn't help. Palate is tending short, red and black currants, leafy going on stalky longer flavours, excess oak, the finish a bit sharp. Less crop, better ripened (or sorted) needed here. Cellar 3 – 8 years, if you like VA, for it may harmonise. GK 06/10

2007 Alpha Domus Cabernet / Merlot The Aviator 15 ½ + (

)

Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $50 [ cork; www.alphadomus.co.nz ]
Older ruby and velvet. Bouquet benefits greatly from splashy decanting. It then reveals more fruit richness than some of the wines of similar ranking, with good integration of merlot-dominant berryfruit and older oak, and pleasant length. Un-aired the palate shows MLF-related hardness. Should improve in cellar 3 – 10 years, but aeration on opening will probably be needed throughout. GK 06/10

2005 Alpha Domus Merlot The Pilot 15 ½ + (

)

Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12.5%; $20 [ screwcap; Me 92%, CS 6, Ma 2, hand and machine-harvested @ 4.8 t/ac, de-stemmed, some whole berries; 24 hours cold-soak, c. 12 days cuvaison; 7 months in French oak; RS < 2 g/L; Catalogue: an inviting aroma of plum, raspberry, cherry and hints of black olive. … French oak contributes vanillin, licorice and savoury notes. A supple and well balanced wine showing plum, red berries and hints of leather. Integrated spicy oak is supported by sweet, supple tannins; www.alphadomus.co.nz ]
Ruby and garnet, old for its age. Bouquet and total style in this wine is Entre Deux Mers, showing leafy red fruits in older oak. In mouth, the analogy is vivid, the touch of leaf almost refreshing in red currant and red plum fruit, not over-oaked. This is attractive light but inconsequential claret-styled QDR, which it would be nice to pay $10 for, to cellar 2 – 4 years. GK 07/09

2010 Perseverance Pinot Noir 15 ½ + (

)

Alexandra, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13%; $27 [ screwcap; no info on website; French oak, unknown percentage new; www.perseverance.co.nz ]
Light pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is clean and varietal but light and weak, the way New Zealand pinot noir used to be when clones were less suitable and cropping rates too high. Aromas range from sweet pea to buddleia, and fruits from redcurrants to blackboy peaches. Palate is red fruits only as for bouquet, the tannins riper than expected, but the wine lacking body. Pleasant quaffing pinot to cellar 2 – 4 years. GK 05/13

2007 Julicher Pinot Noir 15 ½ + (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $40 [ screwcap; 8 clones of pinot noir, hand-picked; French oak some new; www.julicher.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, getting dark for pinot noir. Bouquet is very much syrah, again in the Crozes-Hermitage style, tending to leafy red fruits, with florals more jonquils than carnations. The fruit is therefore seriously lacking in physiological maturity and appropriate varietal character. Palate however is well-fruited and quite rich, and carefully oaked. There is a little European complexity and perhaps brett, but the leafyness persists right through, like lesser Crozes-Hermitage. This is pleasant drinking wine, but for varietal precision, greater physiological maturity, and less extraction, is needed. Cellar 3 – 8 years, in its style. GK 03/09

1970 St-Pierre (St-Pierre-Sevaistre) 15 ½ + (

)

St Julien Fourth Growth, Bordeaux, France: – %; $8.36 [ cork; CS 70%, Me 20, CF 10; 17 ha, 8,000 cases. Parker 1987: A sleeper of the vintage, the 1970 St.-Pierre is dark ruby, is loaded with spicy, black currant fruit, and has full body, plenty of round, ripe tannins, and substantial length on the palate. Fully mature, but made to last, the 1970 St.-Pierre can rival many of Bordeaux's best estates in 1970. Anticipated maturity: Now-2005. 87; www.chateau-saint-pierre.com ]
Garnet-washed old ruby, near identical to the Rausan. Bouquet is quiet, not forthcoming, a hint of iodine in faded cassis and cedar. Palate has less fruit than most, the flavours much faded browning cassis, acid and tannin starting to show. Enjoyable as old wine, but another to finish up. GK 03/10

2008 Riverby Estate Pinot Gris 15 ½ + (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 12.3%; $21 [ screwcap; night-harvested, cold-settled, cool- and stop-fermented, all s/s; RS 9.5 g/L; www.riverbyestate.com ]
Pale lemon. Bouquet is light, clean, fragrant, but very subtle. There are suggestions of pearflesh and rosepetal, but you have to work at it. Flavour is better, more clearly pearflesh pinot gris with varietal phenolics, 'riesling dry', but short on fruit and thus short on the palate – apart from lingering phenolics. This should be better in a year. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 04/09

2007 Camshorn Pinot Noir Domett Clays 15 ½ + (

)

Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 13%; $37 [ screwcap; nil whole bunch; 11 months in French oak, 25% new; www.pernod-ricard-pacific.com ]
Older pinot noir ruby in this company, one of the darker ones. This is another wine with the bouquet overlapping with Cote Rotie: a hint of white pepper, red fruits, and florals at the buddleia level. Palate is even more in that style, red fruits, fragrant, aromatic, but quite stalky and not the concentration needed. Pleasing in a modest way, to cellar 1 – 4 years. GK 02/10

2011 Bladen Pinot Noir 15 ½ + (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 14.5%; $30 [ screwcap; hand-picked; inoculated yeast; 15 months in French oak 30% new; RS 2.4 g/L; www.bladen.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is deeper and heavier than the Zephyr Pinot, a complex near-reduction smell reminiscent of high-solids character (as in chardonnay) which dulls the wine, on red fruits. On palate there is good red grading to black cherry ripeness, and some depth of varietal character with the residual not apparent unless you are sensitive to this, but all in this clogged style, as on bouquet. Straightforward pinot noir, which may open up somewhat in cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 04/13

2004 Valli Pinot Noir Waitaki Vineyard 15 ½ + (

)

Waitaki Valley, Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $45 [ screwcap; three wines from different sites but made similarly by Grant Taylor, to illustrate district variation; hand-picked, 25% whole bunch; French oak 30 – 40 % new; not on website; www.valliwine.com ]
Pinot noir ruby, lightish. Bouquet is moderately varietal, slightly oxidised red currants and red cherry pinot, again like many minor bourgognes rouges. Palate is clean, faintly stalky yet sweet-fruited, easy drinking, more QDR pinot than cellaring wine. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 01/07

2007 Moana Park Syrah Vineyard Selection 15 ½ + (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $15 [ screwcap; regrettably previous vintages not on website, but assuming is similar 2008, is de-stemmed, up to 30 days cuvaison; no details on oak; Catalogue: not in; www.moanapark.co.nz ]
Older ruby. Initially opened, this wine is tending reductive, and it too needs a splashy decanting. Once breathed, bouquet is dark red fruits inclining to currant and plum. Palate is robust berry, vaguely raspberry flavours, the wine tending oaky and tannic. Nett result is pleasant-enough quite big dry red, a little pepper to suggest the syrah maybe, but tending plain. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 07/09

2008 Wycroft Pinot Noir Forbury 15 ½ + (

)

Masterton, Wairarapa, New Zealand: 13.5%; $30 [ Screwcap; nil whole bunch; 10 months in French oak, 30% new; Forbury is in effect a second label to Wycroft unqualified; www.wycroft.com ]
Light pinot noir ruby, one of the lightest. Bouquet is fragrant buddleia florals and red currants / red cherries, totally in a Savigny-les-Beaune styling. Palate is exactly the same, light but not too weak, real red currant fruits and some leafy flavours, not bone dry, refreshing, not as leafy as the Camshorn. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 02/10

2008 Wild Earth Pinot Noir 15 ½ + (

)

Bannockburn 70% & Lowburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14.2%; $40 [ screwcap; 5% whole bunch; 9 months in French oak, 30% new; www.wildearthwines.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, below midway. Initial bouquet is closed, tending reductive, and needing air. The wine opens to a red cherry level of ripeness, crisp fruit with a hard quality to it. The balance of fruit to oak is attractive, though, and with a couple of years cellar time, this should become a more attractive bottle of straightforward pinot noir. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 02/10

2007 Sileni Pinot Noir The Plateau 15 ½ + (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $35 [ screwcap; hand-picked; MLF and 10 months in barrel; Catalogue: A very New World style with typically varietal black cherry aromas along with dark berry and cherry flavours backed up with ripe, smooth tannins and a long finish. A food-friendly style that will benefit from cellaring for up to six years; www.sileni.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is light and pure, faintly floral in a buddleia way, but not the volume of sweet florals some of the other 2007s show. Below the florals there is red currant jelly, light red cherry and nearly red plum. Palate is firm tending austere, suggestions of sucking on plum stones (red-skinned, yellow-fleshed), but reasonable fruit, and not exactly stalky or leafy. The wine is varietal, but not the charm of some of the other pinot examples here. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 07/09

2006 Clearwater Vineyards Pinot Noir 15 ½ + (

)

Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 13%; $28 [ screwcap; hand-harvested; 7 days cold soak, 12 days fermentation; 10 months in French oak; www.sherwood.co.nz ]
Light pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is lightly varietal red cherry pinot noir, with some floral notes hovering around the buddleia / leafy end of the ripening spectrum. Palate is a little riper than that, red currants and red cherry, some varietal delicacy in a leafy minor satellite-Beaune way, more even ripening than the Southbank, and the tannins better-handled. Short-term cellar only, 2 – 4 years. GK 05/08

2004 Peter Lehmann Cabernet / Merlot 15 ½ + (

)

South Australia, Australia: 14%; $22 [ screwcap; DFB; CS 70, Me 30; 12 months in French & US hogsheads; www.peterlehmannwines.com ]
Ruby, some velvet. Initially opened, the wine is leathery and euc'y simple Australian QDR. With air it freshens up somewhat, to reveal clear leafy cassis in the early-picked Australian short-flavoured cabernet style, with reasonable fruit, and not too over-oaked. The eucalyptus does persist, however, detracting. Sound straightforward varietal red, to cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 03/08

2004 Vynfields Pinot Noir 15 ½ + (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 14.5%; $45 [ screwcap; hand-picked; c. 12 months French oak 45% new; www.vynfields.com ]
Pinot ruby. Bouquet is sweetly vinifera, and lightly spicy, in a style which blind I thought was warmer climate, Hawkes Bay. There are hints of fragrant strawberry grenache, like very delicate ruby port. Palate shows the alcohol, too, but the wine is sweetly fruited and lightly varietal, a little oaky, more blackboy peach and strawberry than cherry. See comment under the Sileni Plateau wine. Cellar 2 – 8 years. GK 10/05

2005 Charles Wiffen Pinot Noir 15 ½ + (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 14.4%; $21 [ screwcap ]
Pinot noir ruby, lighter than the Reserve version. Initially opened, this bouquet looks quite stalky. With decanting and air, it opens to show some florals akin to the Reserve, on light cherry and blackboy peach. Palate is lighter and stalkier than the Reserve wine, and goes a bit phenolic on the tail. But it is clearly varietal, and should mellow in cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 03/07

2010 Mission Estate Merlot Reserve 15 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $26 [ supercritical cork; Me 86%, CF 14, hand-harvested; MLF in tank, 13 months in French oak 25% new; www.missionestate.co.nz ]
Ruby, some velvet, old for age. This is another wine which in the blind tasting comes across as a new world take on the merlot-dominant Entre Deux Mers style. It is lightly fragrant without being floral, and vaguely plummy, stewed red more than black plums. Palate is a little less, barely adequate ripeness, in fact some stalks, older oak, straightforward. QDR in a minor Bordeaux way, scarcely worth cellaring 2 – 8 years. The fact wines like this are quoted in the Catalogue as securing gold medals in minor New Zealand wine competitions shows how downright harmful such competitions are, both in contributing to the evolution of international and quality wine standards in New Zealand, and in guiding the consumer. There is a long-standing and desperate need for New Zealand wine judges to be a lot less parochial in their wine tasting and drinking. GK 06/12

2009 Sileni Merlot Cellar Selection 15 ½ + (

)

Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $20 [ screwcap; www.sileni.co.nz ]
Ruby. Bouquet suggests cabernet franc dominance, with pretty red fruits including redcurrants, ripest red rhubarb stewed, red plums, subtle oak, but a worrying undertone of leaf. Palate is light, fresh, probably chaptalised, scarcely oaked, stalky but not as acid and stalky as feared on bouquet. Almost reminds of Touraine Rouge, for its lightness. Cellar 2 – 5 years, for a fresh and fragrant illustration of very cool-climate merlot / cabernet franc. GK 06/10

2003 Bald Hills Pinot Noir 15 ½ + (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $37 [ screwcap; hand-picked; 11 months in French oak 40 – 45% new; www.baldhills.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is lightly fragrant and varietal in a simple slightly strawberry way, as if (in the blind tasting) the wine were from Hawkes Bay. Palate doesn't quite fit though, lacking berry appeal, with stalky and slightly old-oaky flavours, finishing acid. In style, but evolutionary. Cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 08/06

2003 Olssen’s Pinot Noir Jackson Barry 15 ½ + (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14.5%; $40 [ 2 + 2 cork; hand-picked; whole-berry cold soak 5 days, 14 – 17 days cuvaison, MLF and 10 months in French oak 33% new; www.olssens.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. Bouquet on this wine is quite full, but tending flat, a little baked or oxidised, with the fruit smelling a bit leathery and stewed. Palate is broadly in style for pinot noir, and is quite rich, but apart from a brown mushroom character it tastes much the same as the impressions on bouquet. Sturdy straightforward pinot, if this bottle is representative, unlikely to improve much in cellar, though it will hold 5 – 10 years. Alternatively, this laminated cork may have provided an imperfect seal, and this bottle is in fact somewhat oxidised. GK 06/06

2010 The Riesling Challenge Matt Donaldson 15 ½ + (

)

Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 10%; $ – [ screwcap; winemaker based at Pegasus Bay Wines, Waipara; the wines were initially offered at $25 each in the dozen set, but ended up at www.blackmarket.co.nz for $120 the set; wine described as luscious by winemaker, and in the middle of Medium-Sweet by the bar-graph; the wine freeze-concentrated; no other info ]
Lemon, a bit of straw. Bouquet is coarse in the company, with an estery quality similar to some of the tutti-frutti yeasts so popular a few years ago. It is fruity, but not precise. In mouth there is almost a plasticky taint in the fruit, which is rich, sweet, yet stalky and acid, lacking harmony. Something of an ugly duckling at this stage, of interest to see if it harmonises over 5 – 8 years in cellar. GK 02/12

2004 Patricia Green Cellars Pinot Noir Etzel Block 15 ½ + (

)

Yamhill County, Oregon, USA: 13.5%; $ – [ cork; US$60; Pommard clone, age 17 – 18 years; 55% de-stemmed, 45% whole bunch, 5 – 6 days cold soak, wild yeast fermentation, 14 days cuvaison; 11 months in French oak 40% new; no fining, no filtration; www.patriciagreencellars.com ]
Older ruby, some velvet, towards the deeper end. Freshly poured, there is a somewhat reductive suggestion on this wine, entwined with toasty oak and a smoky coal-fires note. Below are indeterminate red fruits, more bottled plums than anything. Palate shows some ripe fruit, but is relatively raw and primary in this company, bottled plums, no florals, no cherries, but nonetheless a pinot noir mouthfeel let down by this pervasive coal-tar quality. The softness and richness are initially attractive, one ends up feeling the wine is pinot (from a warm climate), but the finish is grubby and the style wayward, at least in international / classical company. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 06/07

2007 Passage Rock [ Merlot / Malbec / Cabernet / Syrah ] Sisters 15 ½ + (

)

Eastern Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14%; $23 [ screwcap; Me, Ma, CS, Sy, hand-harvested; c.20 days cuvaison; 18 months in mostly older oak, American 80%, Fr 20; sterile-filtered; 500 cases; ‘Lovely aromas of cherry and spice supported by fine oak from 1.5 years ageing in oak barriques.’; www.passagerockwines.co.nz ]
Light ruby, the lightest in the cabernet / merlot flight. Bouquet is fragrant on oak and VA more than fruit, to first sniff. Closer inspection reveals red currant / red plum berry, on a tending leafy palate which is oaky for the weight of fruit. More an oaky QDR, to cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 06/09

2010 Staete Landt Syrah Arie 15 ½ + (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $49 [ cork 45mm; Sy 100%, 3 clones hand-picked; 7 days cold soak, extended cuvaison to 40 days for some parts; MLF and 20 months in French oak 40% new; RS <1 g/L; www.staetelandt.co.nz ]
Ruby, some age showing, one of the lightest syrahs. Bouquet is intriguingly different, until one thinks of minor Crozes-Hermitage, some browning red fruits, some thoughts of brown mushrooms, a touch of brett, and a hint of honeycomb, all quite European at this stage. Palate however changes that impression, fair fruit but more stalky than modest Crozes-Hermitage would be, and total acid up. A touch of new oak serves to accentuate the acid and stalk, unfortunately. There is some varietal white pepper in the red-only fruits, and the wine is saved by not being dilute. Should be food-friendly, particularly where acid is helpful. Cellar 3 – 6 years. GK 03/15

2011 Babich Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot / Cabernet Franc Irongate 15 ½ + (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12.5%; $37 [ cork; CS 34, Me 33, CF 33, hand-harvested; extended cuvaison; 14 months in French oak 35% new; RS <1 g/L; www.babichwines.co.nz ]
Older ruby, lightish. Bouquet is remarkably developed for a 2011, the wine clearly in a minor Bordeaux blended style, Entre-Deux-Mers again, tending light. Palate confirms that lightness, but there is just sufficient ripeness to avoid obvious stalks, with merlot seemingly the dominant grape in pleasantly light oak. Pretty skinny stuff at $37. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 06/13

2006 Trinity Hill Shiraz 15 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.2%; $21 [ screwcap; Sy 100% de-stemmed; 10 months in mostly older French and American oak; 3 g/L RS; for this grape, the winery labels its cheap / supermarket version 'shiraz', and its more serious ones 'syrah'; www.trinityhill.com ]
Ruby. Bouquet is simple red fruits, again with a reductive veil. The berry characters are not as complex or ripe as the Trinity Hill Syrah. Red currants as well as black are detectable, plus red plums. In mouth, the wine is austere, the thought of sucking on red plum stones arising. It will be mellower in a couple of years, and keep longer, but is barely worth cellaring. GK 02/08

2007 Tohu Sauvignon Blanc 15 ½ + (

)

Marlborough , New Zealand: 13%; $18 [ screwcap; 4 g/L RS; www.tohuwines.co.nz ]
Palest lemongreen. Bouquet is a little aggressive with VA, on sauvignon ripened to the mixed capsicum plus some black passionfruit stage. Flavour likewise shows some spurious fruitiness, on ripe red capsicum and black passionfruit, just a little phenolic / hard pressed. Straightforward commercial sauvignon, tending coarse. Cellar a year or two only, to mellow. GK 05/08

2011 Alpha Domus Syrah The Barnstormer 15 ½ + (

)

Bridge Pa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $29 [ screwcap; Sy some hand-harvested, some machine; short cold-soak, c. 21 days cuvaison; 6 months in French oak; RS <2 g/L; www.alphadomus.co.nz ]
Ruby, the third to lightest. Bouquet is light, illustrating beautifully the cooler end of the syrah ripening curve, white pepper, red fruits only, a thought of stalks. Palate follows exactly, lots of white pepper, red currants and some red plum, not quite as acid and stalky as expected, perhaps chaptalised. Pleasant petite syrah, as are many in Crozes-Hermitage. A more conservative cropping rate is needed at Alpha Domus, if the wines are to be competitive. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 06/12

2011 Cypress Merlot 15 ½ + (

)

Roy's Hill, SW of Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $22 [ screwcap; website lacks content as yet; www.cypresswines.co.nz ]
Lightish ruby, the second to lightest wine in the cab / merlots. Bouquet is both floral and light red fruits, very clean, the subtlest oak to match the fruit lightness, intriguing. The bouquet reminds of cabernet franc from the Haut Poitou / Loire districts. Palate is redcurrant and red plums, pleasant body in a light way, perhaps not bone dry to give a little more substance, but otherwise carefully made, with great purity. This wine might be better marketed as serious rosé, and as such would be sensational. Food-wise, it occupies the same slot as pinot noir: salmon, veal and so forth. One could drink a lot of this, even though it scores modestly as merlot. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 06/12

2005 Domaine des Lambrays Puligny-Montrachet Les Folatieres Premier Cru 15 ½ + (

)

Puligny-Montrachet, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $ – [ cork; c. 11 months in barrel traditionally 50% new; bottle courtesy Andrew Swann; www.lambrays.com ]
Straw, deeper than the young wines, naturally enough. Bouquet is not quite pure, not showing perfect ripeness, and there is a hint of bayleaf too (-ve). Palate shows considerable barrel complexity and fruit weight, but some of the oak is old and tending acrid, giving an awkward thread through the wine, which becomes detracting on the finish. A touch of rot may be present too. What an unpredictable wine white burgundy is. Best drunk up with flavoursome food, while there is still some fruit richness. GK 04/13

2009 Mudbrick Merlot / Cabernet Sauvignon 15 ½ + (

)

Western Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.8%; $25 [ screwcap; Me dominant, then CS, Ma, CF, hand-picked; cultured yeast; some months in French and American oak 80 / 20, none new; www.mudbrick.co.nz ]
Ruby. A good splashy decanting is needed, to reveal pleasant red fruits gently oaked, in a minor bordeaux styling. In mouth the wine shrinks somewhat, red currants rather than cassis, red plums too, some stalks, a little lacking in ripeness and total fruit, but gaining points in the oak nicely judged to the light fruit. The wine is clearly a size smaller than the Weeping Sands Merlot. Cellar 1 – 4 years. GK 10/12

2009 Mud House Pinot Noir 15 ½ + (

)

Bendigo, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.3%; $25 [ screwcap; thought to be nil whole bunch; part of the wine is raised in French oak some new, and some stays in stainless steel to retain freshness; RS 3.8 g/L; www.mudhouse.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is inclining to a juicy strawberry kind of obvious pinot, scarcely oaked, and the palate continues in the same direction, very juicy to the point of not being bone-dry to the finish [confirmed], with a stalky aftertaste. A beginner's pinot, maybe, but unsubtle and unsatisfying. Other 'good value' pinots here will provide more pleasure. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 09/10

2007 Tin Pot Hut Syrah 15 ½ + (

)

Dartmoor Valley, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $30 [ screwcap; MLF and c.6 months in barrel; website has no wine-specific info; www.tinpothut.co.nz ]
Ruby. This is the strangest wine, for a New Zealand syrah. It smells and tastes to a degree like Seppelts Moyston in the 1960s, when some of the fruit still came from Great Western, and there was no new oak. Bouquet has raspberry-led fruit, a suggestion of white pepper, and odd 'oak'. In mouth it is even more raspberry, very Australian parameters indicating shiraz styling rather than syrah, and the finish is not bone dry. On reflection, the oak has a suggestion of Californian redwood in its flavour. Strange wine, concocted if one didn't like it, or fragrant QDR otherwise. Certainly not varietal in the New Zealand context. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 06/10

2006 Bridge Pa Vineyard Merlot Zillah 15 ½ + (

)

Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $36 [ supercritical cork; www.bridgepa.co.nz ]
Older lighter ruby. Bouquet is light and pretty in the class, almost a thought of slightly leafy pinot noir in a maturing redcurrant lightly plummy and chaptalised bouquet. Palate has a suggestion of syrah white pepper [is in cepage, I find later], the taste of chaptalising (hint of caramel), but in its light way pleasantly tobacco-y merlot-styled fruit, careful oak balance, and reasonable length. Many shippers' Bordeaux AOC are less than this, amongst minor clarets. Small wine by New Zealand standards, but balanced. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 06/10

2006 Rabbit Ranch Pinot Noir 15 ½ + (

)

Cromwell district, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $24 [ screwcap; no website found, brief background on www.otagowine.com, same winemaker (John Wallace) as Chard Farm ]
Lightish pinot noir ruby. Bouquet shows a clear light varietal quality, with sweet pea and buddleia florals at the leafy end of the ripening spectrum. Palate reflects this, clean redcurrant and red cherry only, with perhaps a little chaptalisation and not quite bone dry to the finish. Apart from the residual, the whole winestyle is startlingly like village Savigny-les-Beaune, that is, tasting as if over-cropped and under-ripe, but pleasant light quaffing pinot. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 03/08

2011 Escarpment Chardonnay 15 ½ + (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.4%; $38 [ screwcap; Te Muna Road vineyard; BF, wild-yeast fermentation; RS 3 g/L, dry extract 23.1 g/L; www.escarpment.co.nz ]
Pale lemongreen. Bouquet is clean but austere, scarcely varietal stoney chardonnay just hinting at demure white English garden flowers. Palate to initial sip is acid and short, but as the taste buds recover, austere under-ripe stonefruit flesh becomes apparent. Oak is subtle, but because of the lack of flavour plus high acid, nonetheless seems noticeable. In speaking to the wine, winemaker Larry McKenna indicated a desire for a leaner high-acid approach to chardonnay. He has certainly achieved that, but it is not a style of chardonnay which is enjoyable. It simply lacks ripeness. Judging from the 2008 Kupe Chardonnay shown with it, cellar 1 – 3 years only, if at all. GK 04/13

2005 Sileni Syrah Cellar Selection 15 ½ + (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12%; $20 [ screwcap; www.sileni.co.nz ]
Light ruby. This is a petite wine, yet in style for a lightweight Crozes-Hermitage. There is a floral component on red fruits, and a touch of white pepper. On palate there is a little more flesh than the colour suggests, with subtle flavours and a softish finish, faintly stalky. More a pleasing QDR syrah, easy drinking, but will cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 01/07

2008 Craggy Range Sauvignon Blanc Te Muna 15 ½ + (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13%; $25 [ screwcap; 72% machine-harvested, balance hand @ c. 3.5 t/ac; 72% de-stemmed, balance whole-bunch; some wild-yeast fermentations, 88% s/s, balance French oak 6% new, 3 months on lees; RS 1.3 g/L; www.craggyrange.com ]
Pale lemon. Last year's Te Muna Sauvignon was a magic wine, but that description eludes it this year. There is a suggestion of armpit complexity on bouquet, on a fruit character closer to over-ripe pepino than optimally ripe black passionfruit sauvignon. Palate is quite rich, but there is a shadow of something less than positive also, reminiscent of the ignoble rot in their Glasnevin Riesling. Give it six months for the positive flavours to develop, and the wine to marry up, but it might be wise to use it within a couple of years of vintage, I think. GK 11/08

2004 Fairmont Estate Pinot Noir 15 ½ + (

)

Gladstone, Wairarapa, New Zealand: 13.5%; $21 [ screwcap; 2001 latest info on website [then]; www.fairmontestate.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby. Crisp aromatic red cherry fruit is clearly varietal on bouquet, and fragrant too. Palate is leaner than the bouquet promises, a suggestion of red crab apples and acid, but nonetheless varietal, and not exactly leafy. An interesting wine, which has some cool-year burgundy qualities to it. Good to have such a clearcut red-fruits pinot. Cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 08/05

2008 Delas Cotes du Ventoux 15 ½ + (

)

Cotes du Ventoux AOC, Southern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $16 [ cork; Gr c.80%, Sy, Ca; www.delas.com ]
Pinot noir ruby, clearly the lightest of the wines. Bouquet is light and clean and fresh, with explicit raspberry and cinnamon varietal grenache fruit, but all a bit weak. Palate confirms that impression, a distinct lack of fruit for a Southern Rhone wine, a suggestion of stalkyness too, but such fruit as is there is clean. You can't help thinking that most people would prefer a slightly grubbier but richer wine such as the similarly priced O'Sud from the same district, which better exemplifies a more traditional Southern Rhone approach. Cellar 2 – 5 years maybe. GK 07/10

2005 Chard Farm Riesling Vipers Vineyard 15 ½ + (

)

Cromwell, Central Otago, New Zealand: 9.5%; $ – [ screwcap; www.chardfarm.co.nz ]
Pale lemonstraw. This is a most unusual wine, almost totally lacking bouquet. It smells clean, with just a tiny bit of fruit. In mouth there is somewhat more apparent fruit and it is quite sweet, but still lacking flavour against high total acid. There are some varietal terpenes giving the clearest hint as to identity. All in all a strange wine indeed, but no reason why it shouldn't improve a little in cellar over 2 – 8 years. GK 04/09

1975 Sonoma Vineyards (now Rodney Strong) Cabernet Sauvignon 15 ½ + (

)

Sonoma Valley, California: 12%; $ – [ cork 44mm; original price $NZ4.56; no info. Name change in 1980. Standard wine, not the Alexander's Crown bottling ]
Ruby and garnet, redder than the Lafite, but one of the lightest. Bouquet is light and pure, highly varietal slightly aromatic red berries and cassis, a hint of leaf, and not a lot of oak. It really smells remarkably Entre Deux Mers, though perhaps one with slightly more new oak. Palate fulfills the bouquet perfectly, the berry revealed well since the wine is not as oaky as the Bordeaux wines, highly varietal in a simple way, but a little stalky. Still in surprisingly good order, considering it was the mainstream commercial label. Finish up. GK 03/15

2008 Deep Cove Pinot Noir 15 ½ + (

)

Bannockburn & Pisa districts, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.8%; $30 [ screwcap; a sub-label of Wild Earth; hand-harvested; some wild-yeast ferments; c.16 days cuvaison; perhaps 8 months in French oak one third new; fined and filtered; www.wildearthwines.co.nz/inc/sped/uploads/files/Wild%20Earth%20Deep%20Cove%20PN08%20note.pdf ]
Pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is unusual, a little sacky initially but with air revealing a mix of red currants, red cherries, and cooked silver beet stalks, quite fragrant but all a little stewed and lacking focus as pinot noir. Palate is pleasantly red fruits including red cherry, clearly varietal in a modest reasonably well-fruited bourgogne rouge way. More QDR pinot, but will cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 11/10

2004 Glover’s Pinot Noir Back Block 15 ½ + (

)

Moutere Hills, Nelson, New Zealand: – %; $37 [ 2 years in barrel; www.glovers-vineyard.co.nz ]
Lightish pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is red cherry pinot noir in an oaky style, with just a hint of varnishy oak detracting. Palate is firm, the fruit ripe-ish, tending acid, but fair texture, sustained by oak more than fruit. This is more an oaky bourgogne rouge style, to cellar 3 – 6 years. GK 01/06

2008 Delas Viognier Vin de Pays d'Oc 15 ½ + (

)

Vin de Pays d'Oc AOC, France: 13%; $17 [ plastic Normacorc; www.delas.com ]
Straw. Bouquet is nearly clean, modestly varietal in the faintest canned fruit salad and apricots way, but a bit cardboardy. Palate is hard, short and bone-dry, which will come as a shock to New Zealand consumers moving on to this variety from pinot gris. The good thing about the wine is it is ripened to a more appropriate point in the flavour spectrum than so many New Zealand examples of the grape, a hint of yellow apricots, but then that is let down by the hardness and phenolics on palate. The nett result is wholesome, straightforward but tending coarse wine. Cellar a year or two only, doubtfully. GK 07/10

2007 Yves Cuilleron St Joseph L'Amarybelle 15 ½ + (

)

St-Joseph, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $68 [ cork; Sy 100%; www.cuilleron.com ]
Ruby and velvet, close to the Cornas in weight. Bouquet here is much less ripe than the wines rated more highly, even though the volume of bouquet is considerable. The mix of paper-whites and carnations is analogous to the leafy florality of under-ripe pinot noir. Palate is clean and pure, but leafy going on stalky, which interacts negatively with the oak to make the wine austere, though still highly varietal at its point of ripeness. A cautionary lesson for New Zealand, in this wine. Cellar 3 – 8 years, in its style, if desired. GK 06/10

2009 Mudbrick Vineyard Viognier Reserve 15 ½ + (

)

Western Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 15%; $36 [ screwcap; hand-picked; all wild yeast ferments, 50% BF in old French oak with some lees stirring, 50% s/s; no MLF; RS < 2 g/L; www.mudbrick.co.nz ]
Elegant light lemon. Freshly opened, this wine has a jujube aroma like the chardonnay from Mudbrick, and though the wine is clean and fresh, it is even less varietal than the Obsidian. Palate again does suggest canned under-ripe apricots, but the phenolics of the variety have not been so well-handled, and the late palate is quite bitey. The finish is short on desirable flavours. Viognier needs to be much more sultry than this. Cellar 1 – 3 years, but not much point. GK 06/10

2006 Guigal Cotes-du-Rhone Rouge 15 ½ + (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $27 [ cork; Sy 50%, Gr 40, Mv 10; one year old wood; www.guigal.com ]
Medium ruby. This year's Cotes-du-Rhone from Guigal is not the success the current whites are. Bouquet has too much of the rusticity of certain Chilean syrahs, with clear brett on grubby / leathery fruit, these characters much more apparent than the 2005 – which was marginal. Palate shows a good quantity of fruit, but tending feral flavours. In my view the quality of this wine has decreased with every upward movement in the syrah percentage, which presumably comes from all over the appellation. It is but a pale shadow (figurative, it is darker in colour) of the quality the same label showed in the 1980s, though now a volumetrically substantial shadow at 250,000 cases per annum. More QDR than cellar wine now, but will hold 3 – 8 years. GK 10/10

2005 Penfolds Rawson’s Retreat 15 ½ + (

)

South Australia, Australia: 13.5%; $12 [ plastic closure; Sh & CS from all over SA, ‘including a sizeable contribution from the Barossa Valley’, but also Murray River etc; elevation is discreetly referred to on the website: ‘Parcels of this wine were fermented and matured with a combination of French and American oak’, a wording which neatly allows chips in s/s, nowadays almost inescapable in supermarket wines; www.penfolds.com.au ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet. Bouquet on this wine is much more everyday, in the context of the blind tasting. There is a clear maceration carbonique / roto-fermenter component, in a juicy boysenberry and bottled plums style. Palate has plenty of berry, all a little raw from lack of exposure to oak storage, and inclining to the populist boysenberry ice-cream kind of red, not quite bone-dry to the finish. Sound and wholesome as such, still with wonderful Penfolds richness, and will be much better in a couple of years. Will cellar for 5 – 8 years, if the regrettable plastic closure is OK. Why not screwcap ? GK 07/06

1986 Jasmin Cote Rotie 15 ½ + (

)

Cote Rotie, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 12.5%; $ – [ 45mm cork; 2 – 4 star vintage for Broadbent, many (but not all) dilute, 84 and unreliable for Parker; Sy 95, Vi 5; no de-stemming then; 12 – 18 months in mostly barrel, probably none new then, c.1000 cases; Parker, 1996: Some green-pepper and raspberry scents make an initial appearance, but they are easily forgotten given the wine's tart acidity and tannic finish. Jasmin's 1986 appears to be drying out, 76; no website found ]
Garnet and ruby, one of the lightest. For a small wine, there is an awful lot going on in the bouquet. There is an impression of fading berryfruit, a redcurrant note, a kind of dianthus florality, a suggestion of stalks, and something reminiscent of shellfish / iodine. The flavours are petite, again red fruits, the wine possibly even chaptalised, a stalky undertone, clear white pepper to the later palate, so in one sense it is a highly varietal wine, but way sub-optimal on my ripening curve. Because there is actually still quite good flesh, despite these less than ideally ripe characters, the wine is perfectly pleasant with lighter foods, at least for non-wine-snob people. This does need finishing up, though, in 2014. It was the least-favoured wine, though fault-free. GK 09/14

2005 Gibbston Valley Pinot Noir Reserve 15 ½ + (

)

Bendigo Terraces, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $114 [ screwcap; release price; first Reserve released for three years; hand-picked clone 5 and Dijon clones; 15% whole bunch, cuvaison 21 days; 11 months French oak 50% new barriques, 50% one year old; Robinson, not tasted; R. Parker et al, not tasted; Wine Spectator, not tasted; Cooper, 2007: full-coloured, firm and savoury, with cherry, herb and spice flavours showing excellent depth, ****½; www.gibbstonvalley.com ]
Older medium pinot noir ruby, the most developed of the wines, just below midway in depth. Bouquet is immediately time-travel, being first and foremost acutely stalky, then fragrant and floral at the buddleia level only, on red currants / just-red cherry fruit. New oak makes the bouquet more edgy. Palate shows good juicy fruit, but red-spectrum flavours only, giving way to piercing stalkyness exacerbated by excess oak. New Zealand wine judges and critics / writers were in earlier days not at all good at recognising greenness in New Zealand red wines, and this approach dates from the days when piling on the new oak won gold medals. There is good physical fruit, but too much of it was not ripe enough to produce quality pinot noir the wine. Has the richness to hold some years, in its style. Over half the tasters recognised this as New Zealand wine. GK 09/15

2007 Sileni Syrah Cellar Selection 15 ½ + (

)

Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $20 [ screwcap; French and American oak, minimal info on website; Catalogue: … red berry fruit and cracked pepper characters. This wine has fine tannins and a soft finish providing great drinkability as a young wine, but also has the fruit and backbone to cellar comfortably; www.sileni.co.nz ]
Ruby. Bouquet is clean, fragrantly light red fruits with just a thought of palest rose florals, light oak. Palate is another in the highly finessed but too often vanishingly light Sileni style, beautifully handled but how one wishes for more ripeness, more fruit and more substance. This wine really is tending leafy, with only faint varietal expression, and a touch of white pepper. QDR syrah, to cellar 2 – 4 years. [ Confusingly, whereas Villa Maria’s Cellar Selection is a clearly distinct level above their basic Private Bin range, for Sileni their Cellar Selection is the basic range.] GK 07/09

2008 Cape Campbell Pinot Noir 15 ½ + (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $25 [ screwcap; 33% whole bunch; most of the wine 9 – 10 months in French oak, 25% new, balance 1 and 2-year, small fraction of the wine stainless; www.capecampbell.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, an attractive colour. Bouquet is slightly reductive in the older European style, the wine needing a good splashy decanting. It opens to indeterminate red fruits, no florals but pleasant enough. Palate is on the firm side, more an Italian pinot nero than familiar local approaches. Should be softer and more burgundian with a couple of years in cellar. GK 02/10

2014 Maude Pinot Noir Reserve Mount Maude Vineyard 15 ½ + (

)

Wanaka, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $49 [ screwcap; main clone 10/5, planted at an average of 3,000 vines/ha, average age c.22 years; all hand-picked at 4.5 t/ha =1.8 t/ac; 100% whole-bunch this year, but all foot-trodden so minimal maceration carbonique effect, cold soak 7 days, 100% wild-yeast ferments, 21 days cuvaison; all the wine 15 months in all-French oak 35% new, medium-plus toast; not sterile-filtered to bottle; RS 0 g/L: dry extract not available; production 180 9-L cases; www.maudewines.com ]
Pinot noir ruby, in the middle for depth. Bouquet is all over the show on this wine. There is a non-grapey chemical taint reminiscent of some household cleansers, on fruit which seems both stewed and stalky. You can see there is some cherry-type fruit too. Flavour shows good concentration, but mixed ripeness, there being a prominent stalky hardness. This wine too needs to harmonise in cellar, and has the body to do so. Whether it will end up more than adequate is debatable, however. Cellar 5 – 15 years. No first or second places, three thought it from Otago. GK 08/16

2013 Pask Syrah Gimblett Gravels * 15 ½ + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $22 [ screwcap; previous vintages have been along the lines Sy 100%, 90% de-stemmed and crushed, 10% whole-bunch; some cold-soak; MLF and c.12 months in new and 1-year French oak; RS <1 g/L; released; www.pask.co.nz ]
Ruby, a suggestion of carmine and velvet. This is a relatively simple wine too, showing clear fragrant red and blackberry fruit, not quite floral. Flavours in mouth are light and fresh, again both red and black berries but also a hint of stalk suggesting mixed ripeness, reasonably varietal, light oak yet to marry in, suggestions of a stainless steel clean neutral component. As a red wine, it is more refreshing than the Coopers Creek. More a QDR syrah, to cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 05/15

2013 Langmeil Shiraz / Viognier Hangin Snakes 15 ½ + (

)

Barossa Valley, South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $30 [ screwcap; not on website, other years Vi c.4%; Halliday vintage rating Barossa Valley 8/10 for 2013; www.langmeilwinery.com.au ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, below midway in depth. This is another red wine clearly needing a splashy decanting, then showing the rank, again nearly saline, nearly stalky, high alcohol older style of Barossa Valley shiraz, appealing more to Australians and people from hotter climates, than those in cooler parts of the wine world. Palate shows a clean and quite rich wine, but the flavours reflect the bouquet, plus added acid detracting further, maybe not all the wine raised in barrel. It is hard on the reduction, not suited to food, and not easy to drink. Will mellow in bottle 5 – 20 years, but not blossom. GK 06/16

2002 Giaconda Shiraz Warner Vineyard 15 ½ + (

)

Beechworth, Victoria, Australia: 13.5%; $ – [ cork; c. AU$75; no info about the wines on the website; Parker 161: "… 19 months in 60% new French oak … a stunning nose of camphor, lead pencil shavings, blackberry liqueur, and incense. Fabulously concentrated and rich as well as elegant, pure, and multi-layered, this stunning Victoria Shiraz should drink well for a decade or more. [The wines] combine the elegance and complexity of Europe, with the sensationally ripe fruit of Australia. Winemaker Rick Kinzbrunner studied at the University of California Davis and also apprenticed at Matanzas Creek, Simi, Stags Leap, and with Christian Moueix in Pomerol. 94; www.giaconda.com.au ]
Ruby and velvet, older than some, in the middle for depth. Bouquet on this wine opened with some berry and some eucalyptus, but it became more euc'y with air, beyond the point where the wine can be taken seriously in an international tasting. There is good rich berry on palate, in a simple red fruits vaguely raspberry / boysenberry way, just straightforward shiraz with no syrah distinction. But how can one tell, when the euc is nearly wintergreen ? Not worth cellaring, though rich enough to do so for some years. Score has to be arbitrary, mine reflecting some intolerance of euc'y wines. However, for the tasting group as whole, it was rated second equal for the older flight. One Australian review on the web rates it 95, with no mention of eucalyptus at all ! Each to their own. GK 04/07

nv Champagne Pierre Peters Reserve Oubliée Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Brut * 15 ½ + (

)

Cote de Blancs, Champagne, France: 12%; $ – [ supercritical 'cork'; all Reserve wine, Ch 100% representing 50 grand cru sites and most vintages from 1988, omitting 1999 and 2003; all s/s elevation; full MLF; years en tirage not clear; dosage c.5 g/L; www.champagne-peters.com ]
Lemon straw, in the middle on the straw to lemon range. Bouquet is immediately a no-no, in any technical sense for sparkling wine, the wine showing threshold VA. Behind that there is good fruit, and complex but oxidative autolysis. Palate pretty well matches, a lot of quite developed flavour as you would expect from the bouquet, and a lot to enjoy if you don't think about it. Comments at the tasting were predictable, those who mock any technical input to wine appreciation saying: this wine needs food (always a refrain to be double-checked). It is certainly complex and full-flavoured, with the wonderful richness all the Peters wines show. But to release this as a stand-alone finished wine is a mistake, I think. My understanding is Pierre Peters keep their Reserve wines all in large stainless steel tanks, a kind of solera by loose analogy, nowadays. Managing this resource, adding the new wine each year, and more particularly drawing off the percentage to be used as Reserve for blending each year, must increase the risk of oxidation issues nightmarishly. One can therefore empathise with the more labour-intensive approach other houses use, whether a multitude of small temperature controlled stainless steel vessels, or the extreme approach such as Bollinger where Reserve wines are kept in magnums. This Oubliée is not a good candidate for cellaring, unless you like the kind of complexity that threshold faults produce. GK 10/15

2002 Alan McCorkindale Blanc de Noirs 15 ½ + (

)

Waipara, Canterbury, New Zealand: 12.5%; $27 [ supercritical ‘cork’; PN 98%, PM 2, hand-harvested; some BF; c.4 years en tirage; www.waiparawine.co.nz ]
Palest lemonstraw. This wine has a most unusual bouquet (as methode), for though it is clearly pinot noir, it has a scented kamahi bush honey quality to it which, not to put too fine a point on it, is an acquired taste. Thoughts of mead arise. Palate is tending raw, the fruit a little quincy, the dosage noticeable against acid higher than I prefer in methodes (unless the wine is a compelling cellaring style). Needs five years to marry up, and will cellar for 10 to 15, but I am dubious about the success of this. GK 12/06

2008 The Hay Paddock [ Syrah ] 15 ½ + (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.9%; $65 [ supercritical ‘cork’; Syrah dominant, usually some PV (unwisely), hand-picked, 100% de-stemmed; 6 days cold soak, cultured yeast, c.28 days cuvaison, MLF in tank; initial 6 months in new French oak, then 6 – 8 months in unspecified; www.thehaypaddock.co.nz ]
Ruby and garnet. Bouquet is beautifully fragrant in a European way, but partly for the wrong reasons. The lovely venison casserole complexity notes on browning cassis, plum and black pepper fruit are the result of brett infection, which used to be characteristic of Southern Rhone wines. In flavour the wine is soft and at full maturity, all food-friendly and enjoyable at table, but nowadays this character has to be marked down technically as old-fashioned. The Hay Paddock 2010 Silk wine shows the way forward for this winery. Cellar 1 – 3 years might be safest. GK 10/12

2006 Isola e Olena Syrah Collezione di Marchi IGT 15 ½ + (

)

Tuscany IGT, Italy: 14%; $60 [ cork; price is simple conversion from US$42; Sy 100%; the vineyard is 350 – 450 m altitude, on schist-derived soils, first syrah grafted in 1984, more planted in 1987; 12 – 15 months in oak, c.15 – 25% new, both French and American; held for 2 years before release; for a winery of such profile, the dearth of web information (as opposed to ingratiating comment) is extraordinary; no website found. ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, midway in depth. Bouquet is muted, vaguely plums, a suggestion of volatile plant oils, brett, and new oak, all hard to come to grips with. Palate is not as rich as some (noting there are some very rich wines among the syrahs), but still shows good red and black fruits on fine-grained natural acid, though with a certain hardness. The organisers later advised the wine was clearly reductive on opening, and had been double decanted. The wine still said enough to show that Italian syrah, when better handled, would pose a real challenge to Northern Rhone syrahs, as one would expect given the evolution of other non-Italian but classic European wine styles in Italy and Tuscany particularly in the last three decades. Should marry up in cellar over 10 – 15 years, but will need splashy decanting. GK 01/10

1969 Concha y Toro Cabernet Sauvignon 15 ½ + (

)

Maipo Valley, Chile: 12.5%; $ – [ cork, 38mm; in the earliest 1970s, the first three Chilean wine producers imported into New Zealand were Canepa, Concha y Toro, and Cousino Macul. T & W Young of Wellington were active in their import. All were pleasantly winey, European in style and richer than the local offerings, but New Zealanders proved conservative in taking to them, preferring the more obvious and alcoholic Australian red wines; www.conchaytoro.com ]
Ruby and garnet, attractive for its age. Bouquet shows good berry character in which browning cassis can easily be imagined, combined with the clear old cooperage and maybe not all ‘oak’ character that so much Chilean (and South African) red wine of the later ‘60s and earlier ‘70s showed. The best descriptor is roasted chestnuts. Palate is good, showing Bordeaux weight and structure in a light old wine, but a rather different leathery oak character, fair fruit and length, ripe, soft, nearly round in a tanniny small-scale way. Fully mature to fading a little, no hurry, good with food. GK 12/17

2005 Lime Rock Pinot Noir 15 ½ + (

)

Waipawa district, southern Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.8%; $26 [ screwcap; vineyard 250 m on limestone, north-facing; hand-picked; all de-stemmed, cold-soak; French oak 1 and 2 -years; website being re-built; Catalogue: Small ripe berries and low yields give concentrated flavours to this second Pinot Noir from our small vineyard. … the aroma and concentrated flavours of plums and spice with integrated oak and savoury characters. Awards: Bronze, Romeo Bragato 2007; www.limerock.co.nz ]
Drab ruby and garnet, older but weightier than the 2006. Freshly opened, there is a curious cooperage-related bottle-stink, which demands a splashy decanting. Bouquet is then mature oaky but round red inclining to pinot noir in style, leading to a riper and richer palate than the 2006. It shows indeterminate red fruits and rather stalky tannins – reminiscent of cool-year burgundy, but not very varietal. Fully mature, cellar a year or two only. Pleasant food wine. GK 07/09

1975 Cuvaison Chardonnay 15 ½ + (

)

Napa Valley, California, USA: 13.7%; $ – [ cork, too fragmented in removing to measure; included (if it measured up) as a wine of sentimental value, in that it was made by Philip Togni, a graduate of Imperial College, London, where he studied with the late Dr John Tomlinson, fondly remembered, of the Chemistry Department, Wellington University. Togni has since become famous for his cabernet sauvignon, starting with the 1969 Chappellet. Little is known about this wine, which dates from before Cuvaison bought vineyards in Carneros. It is likely typical Napa chardonnay of the era, maybe with MLF and oak leading to the buttery style for which the Napa Valley was then well-known. Bottle courtesy Philip Togni; www.cuvaison.com ]
Straw, a wash of gold, surprisingly fresh for its age, below midway in depth. Bouquet is clean, showing mature dried peach / stone fruit suggestions with light oak, the oak slightly scented as if some of it American, and little if any of it new. There is a faint butterscotch note. Palate retains fruit, not a rich wine, the flavours fading, oak in balance, not much evidence of lees autolysis or elevation complexity, maybe a few grams residual sugar. The butterscotch suggestion makes you wonder, could there have been a small malolactic component in this wine ? The whole wine is in surprising condition for its age, assisted by being ex-magnum. Fully mature to fading. No positive votes, but intriguingly, only one least vote. GK 08/18

2010 Domaine de Bouscaut Caduce 15 ½ + (

)

Fronsac, Bordeaux, France: 14.5%; $20 [ cork 46mm; Me 70%, CS 20, CF 5, Ma 5, average age 37 years planted at an average of 5,000 vines / ha; cuvaison c.25 days, elevation in puncheons and larger, unknown (small) percentage new. Caduce is the entry level and largest cuvée of three qualities from Domaine de Bouscat (not to be confused with Ch Bouscaut in Graves); appellation is Bordeaux Superieur from 10 km WNW of Fronsac; no website found ]
Older ruby and velvet, one of the deeper wines. Bouquet is minor bordeaux, plenty of fruit and richness, but all set in tending-grubby oak with cola undertones. Bouquets like this can go either way. With hindsight, the wine needs decanting. With air the animal tendencies are dissipated, and obscurely dark-plummy fruit and older oak dominate, with a little brett. Again the richness of these minor wines is a lesson to New Zealand, but the winemaking standards for some of these minor wines certainly are not. Riper than the Bellevue, but a little too grubby to cellar many bottles. GK 03/15

2004 Domaine Hudelot-Noellat Richebourg 15 ½ + (

)

Vosne-Romanee Grand Cru, Burgundy, France: 14%; $290 [ cork; vine age 55 – 80 years; underlying limestone; winemaking details not supplied but alternative sources suggest some stem retention, some cold soak, wild yeast fermentation, 15 – 18 days cuvaison; matured in French oak 50 – 100% new for grand cru wines ]
Older paleish ruby appropriate to burgundy, towards the lighter end. This is a style of pinot noir we have been familiar with in New Zealand in earlier days, so it is good to see they are still made in France in some years, and even at the grand cru level. Bouquet is fragrant, with some florals in the sweet pea / buddleia lighter end of the floral spectrum, but in those florals is the leafiness of physiologically immature grapes. There is also an MLF note like cottage cheese (+ve), which would look better in chardonnay than pinot noir. Palate confirms all the suspicions formed on bouquet, the flavour clearly leafy and acid, even stalky, the fruits no more noble than red currant plus faint red cherry and red plum. A clearly varietal wine, exquisite oak handling, but a minor example at any price. Will cellar in the shorter term, but won’t improve conspicuously, so not worth it. GK 06/07

2011 Weingut der Stadt Mainz Spatburgunder Handselektiert 15 ½ + (

)

Rheinhessen, Germany: 13%; $ – [ cork 50mm; a €14 wine = $23; no detail; www.weingut-fleischer.de ]
Lighter and older wine, the palest of the German pinots. Bouquet is lesser on this wine, like redcurrant jelly showing age, a little VA, the latter giving the impression of the wine being 'savoury'. Fruit in mouth is light too, a little strawberry (faded) joining the red currant, new oak a bit too apparent for the fruit level, all maturing quite rapidly. Dry finish though. Cellar 1 – 3 years. GK 11/15

2008 [ Pernod-Ricard ] Stoneleigh Sauvignon Blanc 15 ½ + (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $19 [ Stelvin Lux; some vines up to 20 years age, minimal skin contact, low-solids juice cool-fermented in s/s, no oak or MLF; pH 3.4, RS 3 g/L; background @ www.stoneleigh.co.nz, leads to detail @; www.pernod-ricard-nz.com//tastingnotes.php? ]
Palest lemongreen. This is strange wine. You can tell it is made from sauvignon blanc, it is impeccably pure, yet it has only the palest black passionfruit and red capsicum flavour, less than the Montana standard. But strangely, you can feel it has reasonable fruit in mouth. Ripeness levels are pleasant, no green, acid is satisfactory, and the wine is easy but rather anonymous drinking. Another sauvignon for those wanting a ‘mild’ example. Cellar 2 – 4 years. GK 04/09

2008 [ Forrest ] Tatty Bogler Pinot Noir 15 ½ + (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago & Waitaki Valley, North Otago, New Zealand: 13%; $35 [ screwcap; hand-harvested from fruit cropped at 1.5 t/ac; all de-stemmed; up to 10 days cold soak; extended cuvaison; up to 15 months in French oak 20% new; the unflattering wine name 'Tatty Bogler' appeals to customers, I am told – the term is pioneer Scottish for scarecrow; www.forrest.co.nz ]
Light pinot noir ruby. Light fragrant red of the valpolicella kind comes to mind with this wine, rather than being obviously pinot noir. Palate has a little European clog in it further taking the focus off the variety, but the concentration of fruit is good, in a glacé red cherry style. Pleasant light red wine, but looking expensive at the price. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 09/10

2010 Ch Tertre de Courban 15 ½ + (

)

Entre Deux Mers, Bordeaux, France: 23%; $17 [ plastic sleeve / foam 'cork'; Me 70, CS & CF 30; same owners as Ch La Galante; Bordeaux Superieur; Availability: low; www.la-galante.fr ]
Ruby, the lightest wine. Bouquet is fragrant, more red currants than black, with clean new oak. Palate is more apparent than real, a lack of actual fruit, less even than Awatea, but there are pleasant oak-influenced red berry flavours. At the price, oak via chips is likely. It smells and tastes youthful now, it is pure, but there isn't much substance to cellar for too many years. At the price, could be cellared 2 – 6 years or so. GK 03/13

2008 [ Mount Edward ] Wanaka Road Pinot Noir 15 ½ + (

)

Cromwell Basin, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $25 [ screwcap; wine not admitted to on Mount Edward website, no info; www.mountedward.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. This is a great example of an over-cropped 2008 Otago pinot noir, reflecting the generous season they had. Bouquet is clean, varietal in a slightly peppery / stalky way at the red currants to red cherry level only. Palate follows exactly, pleasantly flavoured, but lacking concentration and modest, perhaps not bone dry, with leafy thoughts throughout. Cellar 1 – 3 years. GK 06/11

2003 Fevre Petit Chablis 15 ½ (

)

Chablis, France: 12%; $30 [ cork ]
Lemon. This smells like straightforward, light, unoaked chardonnay from any number of countries, except for a slight hint of wet-wool / sulphur-related complexity, tipping it towards Europe. Palate is clean, crisp, citric flavoured, light but not weak, a straightforward stainless steel wine perfectly defining the basic chablis style. A wine to go with oysters. Cellar 3 – 5 years, to improve a little. GK 02/05

2003 Forrest Estate Pinot Noir 15 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $25 [ screwcap; www.forrest.co.nz ]
Good pinot ruby. This is another pinot with some sangiovese / chianti undertones, partly due to the savoury and lightly bretty complexities on the red cherry fruit. Fruit is supple but quite leathery in flavour, European in style, good with food, but a bit too funky – if this word is to be used as a euphemism for brett. Short-term cellar 3 – 5 years, since the tail is drying a little. GK 10/04

2004 Tiwaiwaka Cabernet Sauvignon 15 ½ (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 12.5%; $24 [ cork; 10 months in French oak 25% new ]
Lightish ruby. Bouquet shows clean light cassis and mulberry fruit, very fragrant and pretty, reminiscent of the Chifney in 1986. Palate however pulls things up abruptly, being lighter and tending acid and leafy, even though the red fruits persist well. A fresh and fragrant light Loire-styled cabernet, in many ways more pleasing to drink than the TW, but to be cellared 3 – 5 years only (before the fruit thins). GK 03/06

2000 Riverby Estate Riesling [ cork ] 15 ½ (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $ – [ cork; Gm 239 vines planted 1994; machine-harvested at c. 3 t/ac; cold-settled, cool- and stop-fermented in s/s; pH 3.26, RS 3.5 g/L; www.riverbyestate.com ]
Colour is an attractive light gold, but unreasonably developed in a tasting where nothing is more than nine years old. Bouquet is soft, ripe, nearly honeyed, but more wine biscuitty (vanilla) than immediate grape notes, so one wonders if the wine is tired. And in mouth that is the case, the flavours broadening and starting to lose freshness. Every bottle will be different under cork, so if you have a number of them left, line them up against a pure white background and re-cellar only the palest. The rest should be finished up. It is still a pleasant ‘afternoon tea wine’ with paler cakes or biscuits. GK 04/09

2005 Millton Pinot Noir Clos St Anne Naboth's Vineyard 15 ½ (

)

Gisborne, New Zealand: 14%; $50 [ cork; organic; hand-tended; non-irrigated; release March '07; not on website yet; www.millton.co.nz ]
Light pinot noir ruby. I have seen other vintages of this pinot from Gisborne several times, and each time it surprises me. It epitomises the sweet pea and buddleia florals grading through into strawberry pinot of warmer climates, but as such it is clearly varietal. Palate has fair red-fruited flesh, no stalks, it is clean and carefully made, perhaps not totally bone dry, easy drinking. From a total New Zealand pinot point of view, it is more a quality QDR pinot than a cellar one, but it illustrates the climatic component of pinot physiological performance beautifully. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 01/07

2005 Rippon Pinot Noir 15 ½ (

)

Wanaka, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13%; $49 [ supercritical cork; 12% whole bunch; 16 months in French oak, 25% new, oldest 4 years; www.rippon.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. Bouquet shows a hint of camphor and VA, on mature red fruits and oak. Palate is oaky and lean, modest and fading now, another needing finishing up. GK 02/10

2004 Wither Hills Pinot Noir 15 ½ (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14.5%; $47 [ screwcap; 100% de-stemmed, up to 10 days cold-soak, 14 months in French oak 40% new; www.witherhills.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, one of the lighter, seemingly more oak-affected than most. This is an old-fashioned winestyle, showing both some oxidation characters at some stage, and then opening reductive. Splashy decanting cleans it up, but also shows the prematurely aged component. Palate has good red cherry fruit, with toasty oak quite noticeable. The nett result is recognisably varietal, and it drinks quite well, once decanted. Dubious in terms of total achievement, however, or for cellaring 3 – 8 years. GK 06/06

2003 Mount Maude Gewurztraminer 15 ½ (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 13%; $20 [ screwcap; www.mountmaude.co.nz ]
Lemongreen. A light but clearly floral bouquet, with a hint of wild ginger blossom and jasmine in it. Palate is also light, too light to be obviously gewurz in the blind tasting, but once one knows the variety, there is indeed a little spice and citronella. This is a delicate and pure example of the variety which should cellar well, in its very understated style, for maybe 5 – 8 years. GK 10/04

2004 Sileni Pinot Noir Cellar Selection 15 ½ (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $21 [ screwcap; www.sileni.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is immediately reminiscent of some Australian pinot noirs, with the red fruits sliding off into a warm-climate strawberry character, rather than the real thing. Both bouquet and palate are clean and correct as to weight and balance, but the flavours are simple, and possibly not bone dry. Pleasing light red, easy drinking, cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 04/05

2002 Mission Syrah Hawkes Bay Reserve 15 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $22 [ cork; MLF in barrel, 6 months in French oak 30% new; www.missionestate.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. This opens up distinctly reductive, pretty well muting what the fruit has to say. Well aerated, the wine remains hard on entrained sulphur, but there is good plummy fruit. Many people are insensitive to reduced sulphur even at this level, and in all other respects it is good red wine of some richness. It will cellar 5 - 10 years, and maybe soften and improve somewhat. GK 06/05

2003 Bilancia Pinot Noir 15 ½ (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $24 [ screwcap ]
Lightish pinot ruby. Initially opened, the wine is drab on bouquet, with a cardboardy note damping down straightforward redcurrant and red plum fruit. Breathed it opens up to a straightforward pinot from a warmer climate, correct in a stalky though not thin style, a little tannic as yet. Lacking pinot florals and magic. Cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 03/05

2004 Zilzie Viognier 15 ½ (

)

Murray Darling, NW Victoria, Australia: 13.9%; $17 [ screwcap; BF in French oak; www.zilziewines.com ]
Lemon. Bouquet on this wine shouts out three things: canned apricots past their use-by date, hot climate, full-bodied. It is clearly varietal, therefore. The wine goes into the month well, oily rich, just like canned apricot juice, but in mouth it becomes very phenolic and turns quite ugly. Just like old canned fruit. So it ends up a coarsely phenolic hot-climate and alcoholic example of the grape, totally lacking finesse, but with good points as well as poor. Hard to score therefore, so I'll sit on the fence. Not suited to cellaring. GK 01/05

2004 Te Kairanga Pinot Noir Martinborough 15 ½ (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $20 [ cork; www.tekairanga.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, lightish. This is pinot noir clearly in a Martinborough style, with a clear pennyroyal lift nearly strong enough to hint at eucalyptus, detracting. Behind are red fruits and a floral component, all lightly varietal. Palate is pleasant but light QDR pinot, tending stalky and short. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 08/06

nv Bouvet Methode Traditionelle Brut 15 ½ (

)

Saumur, Lore Valley, France: 12.5%; $25 [ cork; chenin-dominant with a little chardonnay, or chenin 100%; no details of tirage etc, but brief; widely distributed, often featured by Wine Direct; www.bouvet-ladubay.fr ]
Lemongreen, immediately a worry in the bottle-fermented class. Bouquet is intriguing, there is no appreciable autolysis complexity as such, but there is a certain hint of florality reminiscent of elderflower, on clean apply fruit. Palate does show some crumb of bread autolysis, there is pleasant richness of simple fruit, and it is clean, none of the sulphur that used to haunt Loire bubblies. But, like most chenin blancs (unless complexed by botrytis) it is basically empty wine. Dosage is higher than is pleasant, too. I will be interested to see what happens with bottle age. This is another wine where the info (including reviews) in print bears little relation to the intrinsic interest in the wine. It may be made in the highest-tech facility in France, but clean and empty is not enough. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 12/12

2009 Chard Farm Pinot Noir River Run 15 ½ (

)

Lowburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $29 [ screwcap; less oak and softer than Finla Mor, no detail; www.chardfarm.co.nz ]
Light pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is a palely floral and light redfruits, with suggestions of cherry-pie floral aromas. In mouth first impression is a hard stalky streak, in red fruits suggesting red rhubarb, redcurrant and red cherries. Acid is crisp, making this a short but varietal wine, fair fruit but lacking ripeness. Cellar 2 – 5 years, in its style. GK 09/10

2004 Matua Valley Merlot / Cabernet Matheson 15 ½ (

)

Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $18 [ screwcap; Me & CS cropped at less than 3 t/ac; RS 2.5 g/L; www.matua.co.nz ]
Ruby, old for age. This is in the familiar fragrant New Zealand cabernet / merlot style, under-fruited relative to the oak, but initially beguiling. In mouth, however, the cassis and plum are short and drying prematurely on both brett and oak, finishing a little acid. This is looking old-fashioned. Cellar 2 – 5 years, only. GK 10/07

1999 Seresin Pinot Noir 15 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $34 [ TE ]
Big ruby, some carmine and velvet, nearly too much. A big blackboy peach interpretation of pinot, but here over-extracted with stewed plum and overtly oaky notes which take it away from the burgundian camp, and more clearly introduce thoughts of merlot. Soft, plump, slightly buttery / oaky palate, some similarities to the Giesen, but this heavier and more alcoholic. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 01/01

2009 Eight Ranges Pinot Noir 15 ½ (

)

Alexandra, Central Otago, New Zealand: 12.7%; $30 [ screwcap; $25 at winery; hand-picked from the Tussock Ridge vineyard, all de-stemmed; 20 days cuvaison including 8 days cold-soak; 11 months in French oak 10% new; light filtering; RS 1 g/L; www.eightranges.co.nz ]
Light pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is fragrant light red fruits, with vanilla and buddleia suggestions. Palate includes redcurrants and light red cherry fruit, older oak it seemed in the blind tasting (though vanilla ties in with new), very much an introductory pinot noir, but sound and dry. Cellar 2 – 4 years. GK 09/10

2010 [ Ngatarawa ] Glazebrook Viognier 15 ½ (

)

Bridge Pa Triangle and Moteo district, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $27 [ screwcap; Vi machine-harvested, BF with cultured yeast in French oak 12% new; unstated time in barrel presumably on lees, no MLF; RS < 2 g/L; www.ngatarawa.co.nz ]
Good lemon. Bouquet is pleasing in a meyer lemon-inflected kind of way, but pale and lacking ripeness characters for good viognier. If it tasted the way it smells it would be better, but on palate the under-ripe leafy side of the fruit plus stalky phenolics make the wine clumsy and not good as varietal viognier. Like Te Mata's Woodthorpe plantings of viognier, one has to wonder if Moteo is warm enough to develop ideal viognier ripeness. Palate richness is helped by pleasant body which seems like subtle residual sweetness, but the numbers say not. Cellar a year or two only. GK 08/12

2005 Drouhin Savigny-les-Beaune 15 ½ (

)

Savigny-les-Beaune, Burgundy, France: 13%; $50 [ cork; a village wine; www.drouhin.com ]
Full pinot noir ruby, one of the deeper. Bouquet is voluminous, in an intriguing cool-climate style laden with pale red fruits such as red currants, light florals such as buddleia, and a hint of white pepper as in under-ripe syrah. Palate firms the wine up, literally, the fruit less promising than hoped, even in 2005 the flavour showing the clear stalks and elevated acid so characteristic of village Savigny-les-Beaune. This label is very much a primer in Drouhin's (or anybody's) burgundy range. It highlights the kind of characters much North Island pinot used to show, and we don't need. Unless Wine Direct see a need to carry this label as a bread and butter wine, to improve access to the rarer wines (in the sense that chez Guigal, selling a good volume of the Cotes du Rhone improves access to the grands crus), the need for this label in New Zealand is dubious. I would rather see them access some good Drouhin beaujolais, which our market does need. For the Savigny, cellar 3 – 8 years, for it is quite rich, in its style. GK 12/07

2008 Mount Edward Pinot Noir Morrison Vineyard 15 ½ (

)

Lowburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.8%; $65 [ screwcap; hand-picked, single-vineyard wine, third release; not fined or filtered; no other info; www.mountedward.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is light red fruits only, and slight buddleia florals, giving an initial impression of simplicity and less ripeness. Palate is a bit tart and hard, with redcurrant and red cherry flesh. Fruit concentration is good, but the site tastes very cool this year. More physiological ripeness would be good. Cellar 1 – 4 years in that style. GK 09/10

2002 Squawking Magpie The Cabernets 15 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.8%; $37 [ CS 70%, Me 20, CF 10; www.squawkingmagpie.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet. Another clean and fragrant wine, but in the oaky cassis is a cool thread reminiscent of red capsicums and pale (cigarette) tobacco. Palate confirms, even though the concentration of cassis and red plum is good, the flavours are stalky and under-ripe. Those flavours aren't helped by excess oak. Cellar 5 – 10 years, but to retain the cool qualities. GK 12/04

2002 Jadot Savigny-les-Beaune les Dominodes 15 ½ (

)

Savigny-les-Beaune Premier Cru, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $55 [ cork; www.louisjadot.com ]
Pinot ruby, one of the lighter Jadots. A deep reticent bouquet, vaguely fragrant and redfruits, with only a hint of marzipan clear. It is pinot more by presumption, than conviction. Palate is a little more clearly varietal, but there is a suggestion of stalky austerity to the wine, even though it is not thin. This is where lesser pinot from Burgundy so frequently differs from lesser examples from New Zealand, where we do not have the cropping rate restrictions. One could almost run this in a tasting of minor Entre-Deux-Mers wines, merlots, cabernet franc and the like. Pleasant drinking, all the same, and cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 04/05

2003 Babich Pinot Noir Winemakers Reserve 15 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $30 [ cork; hand-harvested; 10 months in French oak; www.babichwines.co.nz ]
Lightish pinot noir ruby. Needs exposure to air / decanting to reveal a clear red-fruits bouquet, with a suggestion of leafiness. Palate is richer than the standard wine, the same red currants and red cherries, but the leafy / stalky thread continues, and the wine is slightly acid. A little more physiological maturity, and perhaps a lower cropping rate in the vineyard, seem to be needed for this Babich pair. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 03/05

2004 Saint Clair Pinot Noir Vicar’s Choice 15 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $15 [ screwcap; open-top s/s fermenters; cold soak 4-5 days; hand-plunged; some of the wine raised in oak some new, balance s/s; Vicar's Choice a third-tier range; www.saintclair.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby. A youthful bouquet, some florals and red fruits, white pepper, some stalks. Palate is fresh and crisp, blackboy peach in the red fruits, suggestions of red cherries, a little bit dilute. Pleasant in a modest stalky way, but with a year to mellow, it will seem more varietal. Great introductory pricing, to get the variety more widely known. Cellar 3 - 5 years. GK 06/05

1999 Yalumba Cabernet Sauvignon / Shiraz Signature 15 ½ (

)

South Australia, Australia: 14%; $40 [ CS 56%, Sy 44; 22 months in US and French oak; www.yalumba.com ]
Ruby and velvet. A heavy wine, with big anonymous berry, but also tarry and slightly congested qualities, as well as being both minty and euc'y. This is very traditional stuff. Palate is too aromatic on the euc'y notes, and the strong mintyness is almost biting. Quantitatively it has plenty of fruit to cellar on, but there isn't much elegance to make the process worthwhile, unless one likes heavy, old-style Aussie reds. Cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 06/04

2008 Delas Cotes du Rhone St Esprit 15 ½ (

)

Cotes du Rhone AOC, Southern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $20 [ cork; Sy 85%, Gr 15; 30% sees old oak; www.delas.com ]
Fresh ruby. Initially opened, the wine is closed, hard, tending reductive and disappointing. Poured from jug to jug ten times, the transformation is astonishing. A fragrant simple clean modern Cote du Rhone emerges, with red plum and raspberry fruit as if grenache dominated (not so), and some darker cassis below, with a hint of stalk. Palate is fresh, aromatic, a bit acid and skinny, but what is there is pure and austerely plummy. Pity it wasn't tidied up more before bottling, for when did you last see a person aerating a wine in a restaurant ? Cellar 3 – 8 years max. GK 07/10

2011 Mount Riley Riesling 15 ½ (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 12.5%; $19 [ screwcap; cool-fermented in s/s; RS 9.5 g/L; www.mountriley.co.nz ]
Lemon-green. Bouquet is still at the jujube post-fermentation stage, and the 'riesling dry' palate is likewise immature, phenolic and hard to drink. To release a noble variety such as riesling three months from vintage shows no respect at all for either the grape or the customer. A disappointing attitude, but the wine should cellar 3 – 8 years, to improve in score and become sound Marlborough riesling. GK 07/11

2011 Alpha Domus [ Merlot / Cabernets / Malbec ] The Navigator 15 ½ (

)

Bridge Pa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $29 [ screwcap; Me 45%, CF 22, Ma 20, CS 13; 12 months in older barrels 80% French; RS < 2 g/L; www.alphadomus.co.nz ]
Older ruby, below midway in the lightest third. Bouquet benefits from decanting to show a small cru bourgeois-styled wine, red fruits more than black, some oak, all slightly clogged – as so many Entre-Deux-Mers wines used to be. On palate the clog becomes a sulphur hardness on the tannins, which curtails the fruit and pleasure in the wine. This too is old-style winemaking, whether France or New Zealand, not appropriate to a near-$30 wine. Are there a couple of grams residual to the finish [ no ] ? Cellar 3 – 8 years, maybe to soften up a bit. GK 06/14

nv Riverstone Pinot Gris Vintage Selection 15 ½ (

)

Italy: 12.5%; $11 [ screwcap; imported as bulk wine, and fine-tuned by Villa Maria; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Lemongreen. Bouquet is clean dry white, faintly floral and biscuitty. Palate shows a little more character, including some of the body and pearflesh of the variety, in a non-oaked, straightforward, nearly dry wine. This should be a pleasant inconsequential food-friendly QDW which will cellar a year or two, and offers good value at the price. GK 03/06

2007 Babich Merlot Winemaker's Reserve 15 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $25 [ supercritical cork; www.babichwines.co.nz ]
Ruby. This is intriguing but small-scale wine, initially showing as if slightly oxidised, but improving with decanting and air to lightly attractive red berry fruits, with understated oak, all clean and minor Bordeaux by analogy. Palate is just as expected, redcurrant and almost raspberry / red plum berry fruit, not quite ripe enough, slightly stalky, but all attractively balanced in a skinny way. The whole wine is a little youthful and uncoordinated, but worth cellaring 3 – 8 years for a fragrant slightly acid minor Castillon style. GK 06/10

2008 d'Arenberg Grenache / Shiraz / Mourvedre Stump Jump 15 ½ (

)

McLaren Vale, South Australia, Australia: 14%; $16 [ screwcap; Gr 100%; large old oak only, for what percentage unknown; info lacking on website; www.darenberg.com.au ]
Light ruby. Bouquet shows clean light VA on somewhat stalky raspberry and cinnamon grenache, the stalky part presumably the mourvedre. Palate is almost totally grenache, pleasant 'lifted' raspberry of no great weight, slightly stalky, but happily not much oaked either. This big old cooperage is a lovely way to handle wine, if palatability and food-friendlyness is the goal, rather than Show awards. Just a pity this wine is a little flawed – a flaw, it has to be said, which many people (and wine judges) like, and even mark up. Cellar 3 – 8 years, unless you are sensitive to VA. GK 07/10

2011 Soho Syrah Valentina 15 ½ (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 12.6%; $42 [ screwcap; Sy 100%, hand-picked; c.21 days cuvaison; c.12 months in French oak 35% new; www.sohowineco.com ]
Light ruby. Bouquet is light but clean and fragrant, nearly carnations on red fruits only, some white pepper as the fruit analogy would predict. Palate is simple, juicy redcurrant, loganberry and red plum notes, slightly stalky, understated oak, not bone dry. Easy drinking, in an inconsequential way. Scarcely worth cellaring 2 – 5 years. GK 10/12

2006 Distant Land Pinot Noir 15 ½ (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $19 [ screwcap; hand-picked near dawn; c. 7 days cold soak; 9 months in French oak; RS 2 g/L; a Lincoln Wines label; www.distantland.co.nz ]
Light pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is very fragrant, at a pale buddleia level of complexity, on red fruits. Palate is crisply blackboy and some red cherry, similar to the Stoneleigh but less concentrated, another tending stalky and simple regional Beaune-like. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 04/08

2003 Milestone Pinot Noir 15 ½ (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: – %; $ – [ screwcap ]
Lightish pinot ruby. Bouquet is sweetly floral, fragrant and varietal in a low-key way, inclining to the strawberry style of pinot noir. Palate has reasonable fruit again in the strawberry style, clearly varietal light but stalky flavours, light brett complexity, and a fruity finish almost seeming not bone-dry. Easy but light-weight drinking, which will cellar 2 – 4 years. GK 11/05

2007 de Bortoli Pinot Noir Reserve Release 15 ½ (

)

Yarra Valley, Victoria, Australia: 13%; $63 [ screwcap; $AU50; nil whole bunch; 11 months in French oak, 35% new; www.debortoli.com.au ]
Mature pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is very simple red-fruits pinot, vaguely at the strawberry / red currants level of complexity. Palate is even simpler, just pleasant enough light red wine, faintly saline, vaguely varietal, but lacking berry concentration and pinot noir character. Again, what were the organisers thinking ? There must be currently-available compelling wines from the Mornington Peninsula to represent Australian achievements with pinot noir, for a tasting such as this. Or virtually any Reserve Pinot Noir label from Coldstream Vineyard, also in the Yarra. Perhaps they bought on the strength of Australian reviews of this wine, without tasting – never wise, Australian wine chauvinism being what it is, and notably even less so for pinot noir (Halliday excepted). Not worth cellaring as pinot. GK 02/10

2008 Johner Estate Pinot Noir Gladstone 15 ½ (

)

Gladstone, Wairarapa, New Zealand: 13.5%; $36 [ screwcap; nil whole bunch; 16 months in French oak, 30% new; RS 2.4 g/L; www.johner-estate.com ]
Pinot noir ruby, middling in weight. Bouquet is surprisingly reminiscent of the affordable Lindemans Pinot Noir Bin 99 strawberry and lightest red fruits wine, which always surprises at its sub-$10 price for being stylistically reasonably accurate even if not very serious. Total style here has more fruit weight, but a spread of ripeness from leafy / buddleia to redcurrant / red cherry only, with some stalk carrying through into a not-quite-bone-dry finish [confirmed later], so it too comes more into the QDR pinot category. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 02/10

2001 Martinborough Vineyard Pinot Noir 15 ½ (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $ – [ clones 10/5 and others, up to 22 years, harvested @ c. 1.9 t/ac; 15% whole bunch, 6 days cold soak, up to 20 days cuvaison; 12 months French oak 33% new; coarse filtration; www.martinborough-vineyard.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby and garnet, maturing. Bouquet is leafy red fruits, vaguely floral on the leafiness, where North Island (NZ) pinot used to be. Palate is clearly leafy going stalky, one kind of minor pinot in the sense of red currant fruit still with some mouthfeel, but pinched and with some green flavours. More Loire than Burgundy pinot noir. Too physiologically immature to improve in cellar, but will hold 1 – 5 years. GK 01/05

2004 Lucknow Merlot / Malbec 15 ½ (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: – %; $20 [ screwcap; Me 73%, Ma 27; hand-picked; cuvaison 21 days, 5 months in older American oak; www.lucknowestate.com ]
Ruby, below average in weight. Bouquet is tending austere on retained fermentation odours and a stalky note, with some red fruits. Palate brings up the stalkiness, and the palate is tending light and under-ripe, and a little acid. Will soften in cellar 3 – 8 years, but scarcely worth cellaring. GK 10/05

2004 Forrest Estate Pinot Noir John Forrest Collection 15 ½ (

)

Waitaki Valley, Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $50 [ screwcap; irrigated vines on the south bank of the river, in a 400 mm rainfall zone, on interbedded calcareous and terrace materials; www.johnforrest.co.nz ]
Light pinot noir ruby, ageing. Bouquet is modest, slightly cardboardy, red-fruited pinot noir. Palate has light redcurrant and red cherry flavours, reasonable fruit, slightly acid. More a QDR pinot than a cellar wine, but it will cellar 2 – 5 years or so. These initial Waitaki wines on part-calcareous parent materials do not display the promise one had hoped for the district. GK 01/07

2005 Molino y Lagares Lavia Monastrell / Syrah 15 ½ (

)

Bullas DdO, Spain: 14.5%; $26 [ cork; Mv 68%, Sy 13, CS 10, Te 9; said to be raised in French oak ]
Ruby and some velvet. Bouquet is vaguely in a heavy Cotes du Rhone style, as if raised in concrete, with some retained fermentation odours. Needs air. Palate darkens the wine further, into a drab mourvedre-dominant very tannic wine (seemingly) unleavened by oak, all foursquare and plain. This needs 5 or more years in cellar, to soften and perhaps become more fragrant. It will keep for much longer, but hardly seems worth it. GK 03/08

2002 Te Mania Pinot Noir Reserve 15 ½ (

)

Nelson, New Zealand: 13%; $39 [ www.temaniawines.co.nz ]
Good ruby. This wine shows an enhanced bouquet reminiscent of some Wairarapa wines, with both pennyroyal aromatics and a smokey lift, on cherries and red smallfruits. Palate is not so attractive, with an acid streak developing, and showing rather much stalkiness. Oaking is careful, though. Just a bit too under-ripe and cool-climate, but clearly varietal. Cellar 5 – 8. GK 01/04

1970 McWilliams (NZ) Cabernet Sauvignon 15 ½ (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: – %; $2.40 [ cork; thought to be 100% CS; the 1965 set the pace for this wine, and in general was never again matched, though one bottling of the 1969 may have been as fine. The 1970 was lightish and fragrant at the time, though nicely balanced. I imagine it will be very frail today, so it may be in the same company as the Chambertin. ]
Almost a rosy garnet, the second lightest. Bouquet is totally distinctive, the mulberry and caramel of cabernet sauvignon plus chaptalisation plus American oak which characterised McWilliams Cabernet as it was commercialised into more volume from 1968 on. Yet in mouth the wine is attractive in its style, suggestions of coconut fudge in the mulberry, good acid and freshness. Fading gracefully, no immediate hurry, but not popular in the formal tasting. GK 03/10

2008 [ Waimea Estates ] Spinyback Sauvignon Blanc 15 ½ (

)

Waimea Plains, Nelson, New Zealand: 13.5%; $15 [ screwcap; cool-harvested at dawn, de-stemmed; no-solids juice cool-fermented in s/s, no LA; Spinyback refers to Waimea Estates’ support for tuatara research particularly on Stephens Island, north of Nelson; pH 3.24, RS 6 g/L; www.waimeaestates.co.nz ]
Lemon. Bouquet is about on a par with the standard Montana, mixed capsicums in a light way, stainless steel, uncomplicated. Palate is stronger than the Montana, more flavoursome but tasting harder-pressed, so it is more phenolic, acid, and therefore clumsier. Finish might be slightly sweeter [ confirmed ] to cover these attributes, but it only succeeds to a degree. More beverage sauvignon, not for cellaring. GK 04/09

2002 Mills Reef Cabernet Franc Elspeth 15 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $36 [ DFB; French oak; www.millsreef.co.nz ]
Ruby, some velvet. This is the oakiest of all the Mills Reef wines, drowning out all varietal qualities on bouquet. Palate hints at the red currants of cabernet franc, and is quite rich, but for such a subtle and fragrant variety, the level of oak and VA is incongruous, reducing to clumsiness fruit which could have been elegant. Reference to the more traditional wines of St Emilion would be helpful. Scarcely worth cellaring, unless oak is your thing. GK 05/04

2012 Sileni Syrah Cellar Selection 15 ½ (

)

Bridge Pa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 11.5%; $20 [ screwcap; some months in French and American oak; RS < 2 g/L; minimal info on website; www.sileni.co.nz ]
Older ruby. Bouquet is clean and lightly fragrant, with just a hint of bush-honey and white pepper, like a pale Crozes-Hermitage. Palate is awkward, green tannins and again red fruits reminiscent of strawberry and raspberry in this difficult year, acid up. Should soften in cellar 2 – 6 years, in its modest style. GK 06/13

2000 Mongeard-Mugneret Vosne-Romanee les Suchots Premier Cru 15 ½ (

)

Cote de Nuits, France: 13%; $95
Lightish ruby, some garnet, almost identical to the Stonier. Plenty of bouquet in one sense, showing tired florals and leathery red berries all accentuated by oxidative winemaking, with a whisper of acetaldehyde rather more than ethyl acetate. Palate is straightforward Bourgogne Rouge, slightly acid, leathery and bretty, thinning, and very developed for its age. Again, this is a poor example of pinot noir from Burgundy, not suited to this public tasting. There are much better burgundies available in New Zealand. Not worth cellaring. GK 01/04

2003 Black Ridge Pinot Noir 15 ½ (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $35 [ www.blackridge.co.nz ]
Pinot ruby. A reticent bouquet, vaguely redfruits, a shadow of reductiveness. Palate combines fleshy red fruits with a crisp acid balance, all lightly oaked. Straightforward pinot noir, to cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 10/04

1969 McWilliams Cabernet Sauvignon 15 ½ (

)

Taradale, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: – %; $ – [ Spare; a good vintage, from memory; original price c.$2.75; the fifth commercial vintage of the 'first' New Zealand semi-commercial cabernet (though that rather downplays the role of Alex Corban at Corban's, and Dudley Russell at Western Vineyards, with their Henderson Cabernet Sauvignons), overseen by one of the great New Zealand pioneers, Tom McDonald, later joined by Denis Kasza. The 1969 was considered second-only to the 1965, in its day. Tom, Denis, and the label long since deceased. At least some American oak. No website. ]
Ruby and garnet, light, but clearly deeper than Le Chambertin, and redder, the second-lightest red. Initially the wine shows a soft, warm, lightly cassisy and clear mulberry note, on vanillin oak. With air a slightly stalky undertone crept in, but the wine is still pure and vinifera. In mouth, the first thing that jumps out at you, in this tasting of international wines framing the main red wine styles, is that the wine tastes dilute: there is just not the body / dry extract to be internationally competitive, and keep the wine ‘sweet’ over the years. This was long before the 1983 amendments to the 1980 New Zealand Food & Drug regulations, as they apply to winemaking, which finally required that New Zealand wine must be made from at least 95% grape-juice. [ See the section 'Water in Wine', page 67, also page 29, in the original edition of Cooper, 1984. Pagination varies in later editions. I am grateful to Michael Cooper, with his prodigious knowledge of the New Zealand wine industry, for correcting my earlier statement.] But the berry that is there tastes surprisingly good, fresh and refreshing, still an interesting bottle of very light and now too oaky claret-styled wine, with just a hint of stalk on bouquet and palate. Acid balance is just acceptable, for its old-fashioned style. You get the impression this 1969 was either more heavily cropped, or watered a little, relative to the benchmark 1965 McWilliams Cabernet Sauvignon. Certainly after the 1971, the ‘70s examples of this label were dilute. Not competitive in this company, 13 votes as least wine of the night, and clearly the New Zealand wine for everybody. Fading now, but as a wine on its own, still quite acceptable with food, for those who are interested in old wine. GK 03/20

2011 Te Pa Pinot Noir 15 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $33 [ screwcap; no useful wine information detectable on the website; www.tepawines.com ]
Lightest pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is on the light side of florality in pinot noir, just a suggestion of buddleia with some leafyness, as if a wine from the alluviums in Marlborough. Palate is pro rata, pale red fruits only, pleasant fruit weight for its light stalky style, but needing more physiological maturity and flavour development. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 08/12

2007 Hawkshead Pinot Noir First Vines 15 ½ (

)

Gibbston Valley, Central Otago, New Zealand: 12.5%; $44 [ screwcap; 25% whole bunch; 11 months in French oak, 40% new; www.hawksheadwine.com ]
Pinot noir ruby, distinctly mature for its age. Bouquet shows slightly leafy but good initial floral complexity more at the red rose level, on attractive red cherry fruit. Palate doesn't follow through, the wine lacking concentration, with a clear stalky component – surprising after the bouquet. Cellar 1 – 4 years. GK 02/10

2006 Bridge Pa Vineyard Merlot Zillah 15 ½ (

)

Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $36 [ supercritical cork; Me, CF, Sy, hand-picked; oak, some new; Catalogue: a breadth of aromas including rich fruit and spice, and lifted floral notes. The long complex palate is full bodied, smooth and intense with berry and black plum combining with spicy oak and an intriguing earthiness. A beautifully balanced multi layered wine supported by ripe tannins and rounded acidity; Awards: Top 12 New Zealand Merlot, Gourmet Traveller; www.bridgepa.co.nz ]
Developed ruby. Bouquet is fragrant in a clean light oak-influenced (some American ?) and berried red. There is almost a thought of leafy raspberry and black olives, which made me wonder if the wine were pinotage, at the blind stage. Palate is on the light side for the amount of oak flavour, the fruit is not quite ripe enough for merlot interest, but it is pleasant QDR. It is not priced as one however, and neither is it a cellar wine, beyond 2 – 4 years. GK 07/09

2006 Miro Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot Summer Aphrodisiac 15 ½ (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 12.9%; $23 [ screwcap; CS 48, Me 32, CF 18, Ma 2, some months in older French and American oak; www.mirovineyard.co.nz ]
Lighter and older ruby. Bouquet has an intriguing note to it extraordinarily reminiscent of shippers AOC bordeaux rouge of yesteryear. It is startling in the blind lineup – a real memory-lane exercise. Nett impression is of red currants more than black, slightly red-plummy, a little leafy, and a little plain / cardboardy. Palate is light, totally in style for the analogy, marginal ripeness but phenolics well handled, so the leafyness is covered by fruit. Inconsequential light food red, pleasant enough, nearly mature, or to hold a year or two. GK 06/10

2005 Bridge Pa Syrah Hawkes Bay 15 ½ (

)

Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $32 [ supercritical cork; hand-picked; 9 months in French and American oak, some new; Catalogue: not in; www.bridgepa.co.nz ]
Ruby, old for its age. Bouquet is fragrant though including just a hint of oxidation, on red fruits and white pepper. Palate is leaner but lightly varietal, red currants and red plums, white pepper again but a touch of stalkyness too. More ripeness needed here. Cellar 1 – 3 years. GK 07/09

2007 Awaroa Merlot Stell Hawkes Bay 15 ½ (

)

Te Awanga, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $20 [ supercritical ‘cork’; Me 100%, hand-harvested @ c2.4 t/ac; all de-stemmed, no cold-soak, cultured yeast, 15 days cuvaison; MLF and 12 months in barrel French 80%, American 20%, none new; sterile-filtered; 200 cases, website not up yet; ‘The grapes for this easy drinking Merlot were sourced from the organic Stell vineyard in Te Awanga, Hawke’s Bay’; www.awaroawines.co.nz ]
Ruby. Bouquet is loosely in style with the cabernet / merlot flight, showing smokey suggestions on light red fruits. Palate has more fruit than the bouquet promises, leafy bottled red plums, and a reasonable acid balance for its ripeness level. More a clean QDR red, cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 06/09

2004 Matariki Syrah Aspire 15 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $20 [ screwcap; hand-harvested; 2 days cold soak; cuvaison > 10 days, 13 months in French oak 20% new; www.matarikiwines.co.nz ]
Bright light ruby, amongst the lightest. Bouquet is light too, more a QDR with indeterminate red fruits, and just a hint of pepper to give a varietal clue, plus trace brett. Palate is light, crisp and juicy, faintly stalky, maybe not totally bone dry, pleasantly straightforward QDR syrah which could be cellared 2 – 6 years. GK 05/06

2001 Vidal-Fleury Cotes du Ventoux 15 ½ (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $15 [ Gr 80%, Sy 20. Now a subsidiary of Guigal ]
Lightish ruby. Slightly estery raspberry grenache on this one too, fragrant and straightforward. Flavour is lighter, juicier and more 'popular' than Perrin Cotes du Rhone, but the flavours are similar. Cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 10/04

2009 Ngatarawa Merlot Glazebrook 15 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Ngatarawa Triangle & Dartmoor Valley, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $20 [ screwcap; www.ngatarawa.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet. This gives the impression of being a modern commercial red in the sense it smells of slight reduction, juicy plummy fruits, fragrant oak, and stainless steel. It benefits from splashy decanting, opening up somewhat but still being very primary, no fruit integration, tasting of berries and (presumably) chips. Pleasant enough at its supermarket level, but will be better if cellared 3 – 5 years. GK 06/10

2004 Drouhin Savigny-les-Beaune 15 ½ (

)

Savigny-les-Beaune, Cote de Beaune, Burgundy, France: 13%; $42 [ cork; Wine Direct the NZ agents; www.drouhin.com ]
Light pinot noir ruby, clearly the palest of the set. Bouquet is light yet fragrant, with almost a gamay-like simple sweet-pea fragrance on red fruits. Palate is much lighter, however, simple red fruits more red currants than cherries, light clean stalky and wholesome QDR pinot. Cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 12/06

2003 Fuse Cabernet / Merlot 15 ½ (

)

Clare Valley, South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $18 [ screwcap ]
Ruby and velvet. A big juicy, cassisy, and leafy unsophisticated Australian cabernet / merlot, with the kind of mixed ripeness berry and stalky miscellaneous smells which suggest machine picking. Palate introduces minty, oaky and more stalky dimensions to this fruit, and one wonders if there is shiraz in there too. Plenty of actual fruit, but not much finesse, so big Aussie QDR. Cellar 5 – 10 years, as such. GK 08/05

2002 Martinborough Vineyard Pinot Noir 15 ½ (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $67 [ www.martinborough-vineyard.co.nz ]
Good pinot ruby. Bouquet is subdued, marcy, even stalky, not right. Palate is pinot weight, but the flavours are more English gooseberry at the red stage, stewed, finishing very stalky. A seriously-styled wine which doesn't make the grade it is priced at. Should have been declassified. Cellar 1 – 3 years. GK 09/04

2002 MadFish Shiraz 15 ½ (

)

Western Australia, Australia: 14%; $20 [ cork; 12 months in French oak some new; www.madfishwines.com.au ]
Colour is medium ruby, one of the lightest. Bouquet is very euc'y, detracting from its varietal character. Palate shows fair berry and fruit in a soft medium-weight wine, with some blueberry and boysenberry flesh around the euc'y aromatics. Finish is a bit hard and acid adjusted. This too is QDR syrah, very Australian in style, and would probably be marked more favourably in a eucalyptus-tolerant milieu. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 05/06

2012 Delta Pinot Noir Hatter's Hill 15 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $35 [ screwcap; www.deltawines.co.nz ]
Medium pinot noir ruby, some age showing, above midway in depth. This too is in the older Marlborough style, reflecting grapes grown on less suitable sites. It is fragrant in a maturing red fruits / slightly leafy way, hints only of buddleia florality, yet varietal. On palate the leafiness is more apparent, flavours are older, there is reasonable concentration but the stalkyness likewise increases. Another out of date Marlborough pinot as to style, cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 06/16

2007 Babich Syrah Gimblett Gravels 15 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $20 [ screwcap; some months in French and American oak; Catalogue: a brooding nose of red fruit, violets, white pepper, spice, vanilla and cedar show this wine will continue to impress over the years to follow. Integrated raspberry, cherry and spice characters dominate the palate, supported by quality oak and fine tannins providing good weight and length; www.babichwines.co.nz ]
Ruby, some velvet. Bouquet is slightly spicy but indeterminate red fruits, perhaps a suggestion of cassis since I thought it cabernet / merlot at the blind stage, pleasantly fragrant. Palate however has a foggy note to it, marcy / stalky in an MRIA way, not quite pure, but there is reasonable berry fruit all gently ‘oaked’. Finish comes back to that earlier suggestion of stalks. I wonder if this MRIA / near-saline character is added tannin ? A straightforward light syrah to cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 07/09

2001 Te Awa Boundary 15 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $42 [ DFB; Me 82%, CS 15, CF 3; 15 months French oak, 30% new; www.teawafarm.co.nz ]
Ruby. This is the least bouquet of the 1999 – 01 Boundaries, with clear leafy, stalky and even green notes in the cassis. On palate there is modest berry and plum, but the wine is austere and under-ripe throughout, with greenness beyond that encountered in serviceable minor Bordeaux. In all other respects it is beautifully made. Given this property on the famed Gimblett Gravels, and the quality of some other 2001s from nearby, the lack of physiological ripeness in this wine suggests there is a cropping rate / viticulture issue to be considered here. Not really worth cellaring. GK 07/04

2003 Huia Pinot Noir 15 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $34 [ cork; 11 months French oak; www.huia.net.nz ]
Full ruby, getting big for pinot. First thing to say is this wine had just been bottled, and may not have been showing well, so the score is provisional. Bouquet shows a burly wine more in a new world idiom for pinot, all overlain by charry and fivespice oak. Palate is full, but not very varietal, too fleshy, tasting almost Australian in weight and style. Cellar 5 – 10 years, maybe to fine down. GK 02/05

nv Lindauer Special Reserve Blanc de Blancs Methode Traditionelle 15 ½ (

)

New Zealand: 12%; $18 [ Ch 100%; fruit mostly Gisborne and Marlborough; LA following the primary ferment, then 2 years en tirage; RS not given, but on the standard Special Reserve is 12 g/L; www.adwnz.com ]
Pale lemon, the palest in the tasting. The ‘is it cardboard or autolysis’ question is to the fore here, too, like the Californian Roederer and the Piper-Heidseck. Beyond that, the chardonnay-dominant bouquet is reminiscent of the Taittinger, but the magic is not there. Palate confirms the blanc de blanc style, the autolysis improving to bready, but not quite crusty. Richness is surprisingly good, though, as good as the Palliser, but it is also markedly sweeter. Fair to say this batch looks a bit less attractive than some soon after it was released, as if time en tirage was rushed. Standard pinot noir-dominant Lindauer Reserve improves dramatically with 3 – 5 years in cellar. This batch of blanc de blancs does not seem quite so pure as the standard Reserve I cellared four years ago, so comparable improvement cannot be guaranteed. It would nonetheless be worth trying a few. GK 11/05

1999 Dry River Pinot Noir Amaranth 15 ½ (

)

Martinborough Terrace, Wairarapa, New Zealand: 13%; $225 [ Cork, 44mm, ullage 23 mm; weight bottle and cork, 552 g; release price c.$55; Amaranth signifies particularly suited to extended cellaring; Robinson, 2012: Light, sweet, relatively delicate mature Pinot aromas. Not that burgundian but very slightly dusty and much gentler and more evolved than most other Dry River Pinots I have tasted. Fresh, zesty finish, 17; Cooper, 2000: … hugely concentrated, with super-ripe fruit characters of cherries, raspberries, even liquorice. Fleshy and supple, its already approachable, but should be cellared until at least 2003, *****; www.dryriver.co.nz ]
Garnet and ruby, younger than the 2000 Pinot Noir, just below midway in depth (for the 12). There is quite a volume of bouquet, but it is over-ripe, malty and biscuitty, almost going on leathery, the fruit well-browning now. In mouth the wine is texturally rich pinot noir, but the flavours again are raisiny, baked and severely over-ripe, no florals, no varietal charm. Oak comes in on the tanniny finish, so the nett impression is like rich brown raisin (not sultana) fruitcake. No votes for favourites. In the vintage comparison, second to the 1999 Syrah. Fully mature, but will hold in its style for some time. Unless by some not-apparent chance this wine has suffered oxidation from a defective cork (to close inspection, it appeared perfect), this 1999 has not fulfilled the promise of its Amaranth classification, as varietal pinot noir. Many people will find it very pleasant as rich red wine with a roast dinner, however. GK 05/19

2006 Wishart Syrah Te Puriri 15 ½ (

)

Bay View, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12.4%; $20 [ cork; hand-picked; part carbonic maceration, balance de-stemmed; 12 months in barrel; Catalogue: … lifted, fragrant black pepper and floral aromas which lead to a medium weight palate that shows black cherry, black currant and earthy, savoury complexity typical of a Hawkes Bay Syrah; www.wishartwinery.co.nz ]
Light ruby. Bouquet is curious, like a minor Spanish wine, but with a suggestion of mint and raw oak. Sussing the variety blind is near impossible due to the American oak (as chips ?), but there is some pepper. Palate is light, fragrant, a little acid, pinot noir weight but peppery and too oaky, though the wine is clean. The lack of varietal flavour means it is more QDR, to cellar 2 – 4 years. GK 07/09

2004 Stefano Lubiana Pinot Noir 15 ½ (

)

Derwent River, Tasmania, Australia: 13.5%; $42 [ screwcap; clones mainly MV6, also 114 and 115, vine age 8 – 13 years; 85% de-stemmed, 15% whole bunch, 5 days cold soak, wild yeast fermentation, 15 days cuvaison; 12 months French oak 20% new; sterile filtration; Robinson: mealy and lively and interesting with real follow through. Some hessian-like aromas but convincing. 17; www.stefanolubiana.com ]
Lightish pinot noir ruby, in the lightest three. Bouquet approximates pinot noir in style and weight, but instead of florals there is a suggestion of burnt-plastics odour which is negative and pervasive. Palate is tending leafy, clear red fruits, red currants and nearly red cherries, varietal but acid and stalky to the finish, lacking the supple textural qualities that characterise the better of these wines (and differentiate good pinot noir from lesser). Would cellar 2 – 6 years, and may harmonise further. GK 06/07

2008 Neudorf Pinot Noir Moutere 15 ½ (

)

Moutere Hills, Nelson, New Zealand: 14%; $49 [ screwcap; nil whole bunch; 12 months in French oak, 28% new; www.neudorf.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, in the middle for depth of colour. This wine opens reductively, and needs a lot of jug to jug aeration before it communicates reluctantly. Fruit is rich and good, at the red cherry ripeness level grading through to some black cherry fruits, all attractively balanced to good oak. Alcohol is more restrained than some pinots under this label were in the last decade, which helps texture. But sadly, the reduction robs the wine of pinot character and beauty at this stage. A hard wine to score – it is more classic than the Dry River, and more simply but quite seriously flawed. Also, it depends on how much reduction is acceptable to you. Some New Zealand commentators pretty well ignore it. It might bury its H2S after five years in cellar, and improve considerably – so hence the fence-sitting number for now. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 02/10

2003 Kahurangi Pinot Noir 15 ½ (

)

Nelson, New Zealand: 14%; $22 [ screwcap; Moutere Hills & Waimea Plains; www.kahurangiwine.com ]
Pinot ruby. A veiled bouquet, needing splashy decanting to reveal pleasant redfruits and berry, recognisably varietal. Palate improves to red and black cherries, faintly leafy, carefully oaked, slightly acid maybe, but clearcut pinot which will improve in cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 03/05

1986 Vidal Chardonnay Reserve 15 ½ (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.1%; $ – [ cork, 44mm; 5 months in new Nevers and Limousin puncheons; made by Kate Radburnd; www.vidal.co.nz ]
Straw and gold, below midway. This was one of the more spoken-about wines. Bouquet initially showed an almost golden-syrup harmony of fruit and oak in older age, but within that, a few tasters noted menthol / herbes notes, and then on palate, awkward acid. It did not taste herbaceous, so savoury herbes. The wine finishes dry, so the golden syrup idea is more for the bouquet rather than flavour. The aftertaste certainly goes a bit dry and woody, but it's not unpleasant. Still surprisingly good wine with food. Two votes for first or second place. GK 09/15

2001 Perrin Cotes du Rhone-Villages Rasteau l’Andeol 15 ½ (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $27 [ Gr 80%, Sy 20; must pasteurisation; extended cuvaison; 10% in older oak, balance s/s; website requires password entry; www.perrin-rhone.com ]
Older ruby. Initially opened, a bit closed / reductive, but breathes quickly to a more developed southern Rhone style. Bouquet is reasonably berried, but also fairly rustic, with a quite high Brettanomyces count. Palate shows good fruit in a brown, leathery and savoury way, all consistent with the bouquet. A love or hate wine, noting I am relatively tolerant of brett. Cellar 5 – 8 years. GK 03/04

2012 Clos Henri Pinot Noir Petit Clos 15 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $19 [ screwcap; Clos Henri wines are the Marlborough vision of the Henri Bourgeois family, from Sancerre, where the family is famous for their sauvignon blanc. Their winemaker in New Zealand is a Frenchman, Damien Yvon. The vineyard is now certified organic. Petit Clos is the fruit of younger vines, planted at 5050 vines / ha (roughly twice the density of usual NZ vineyards) and cropped at 6 t/ha (2.4 t/ac). It sees only big (7500-litre) older wood for 11 months. RS is 0.3 g/l, and the dry extract is 27 g/l. This wine is Michael Cooper's Red Wine Buy for 2014. For technical reasons I can not give a working link in this review format – see: http://www.michaelcooper.co.nz/wine-info/the-2014-best-wine-buys. Clos Henri website irritatingly slow, then short on detail, but the winery helpful; www.clos-henri.com ]
Pinot noir ruby, below midway in depth. This wine has a lot of bouquet, but on closer examination all the fruits are red, and the 'floral' quality is better described as leafy. In mouth red currant dominates grading to red cherry (just), but the under-ripeness is exacerbated by stalky qualities which harden the palate. The wine is clearly varietal, and of reasonable weight, but not of international calibre in its ripeness profile. Cellar 2 – 6 years. GK 06/14

2012 Forrest Pinot Noir Waitaki Valley John Forrest Collection 15 ½ (

)

Waitaki Valley, Otago, New Zealand: 13.2%; $50 [ screwcap; awaiting details; not on website yet; www.forrest.co.nz ]
Older light pinot hue. And bouquet is older too, fragrant in a way that hints at light oxidation, browning plummy red fruits, fully mature – or older. Palate does not reveal any hidden surprises, being relatively rich, but imperfectly ripe with some stalky thoughts, tired and a little astringent. This is not a contemporary winestyle at all, and not really worth cellaring. Does it reflect the perils of trucking a fragile grape from the Waitaki Valley maybe to Marlborough ? GK 03/16

2008 Lime Rock Pinot Noir 15 ½ (

)

Waipawa district, central Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $27 [ screwcap; vineyard 250 m on limestone, north-facing; 9 clones of pinot noir, mostly on own-roots, hand-picked; all de-stemmed, cold-soak; inoculated yeast, MLF and 8 months in French oak; www.limerock.co.nz ]
Older lightish pinot noir ruby. Oh dear, what a difficult wine this is. There is a tremendous volume of bouquet. It is the kind of pinot noir which still wins gold medals, where judges do not think enough about the stages of physiological maturity in the fruit. But in the sweet-pea grading to roses florality, there is leafyness too. This becomes more apparent on palate in the red currants more than red cherry fruit, which is clearly leafy. In flavour, the concentration of berry is good bespeaking a conservative cropping rate, the oaking is simpatico and a delight, and the wine is supple and burgundian. The point is, it is burgundian only in the sense of Savigny-les-Beaune wines. Wine judges need to reflect more deeply on whether that district represents the acme of pinot noir achievements. Meanwhile, some of our more southern pinot producers know full well that is not. The problem for more northerly producers of pinot noir in New Zealand, even at the altitude this one is grown, is that presumably the limited diurnal temperature range is insufficient to stimulate the precursors of the kind of complex sweeter florals and darker fruit notes one sees in the Cote de Nuits. This is a topic needing much more thought in Australasia. So, though this is the most serious of pinot noirs, it falls short. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 06/11

2002 Terravin Cabernet / Merlot / Malbec 15 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $45 [ DFB; French oak; www.terravin.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet. An unusual bouquet, showing both jammy cassis characters, and leafy and stalky qualities, close in style to a machine-pruned and picked Coonawarra cabernet. Palate is rich, and the cassis is good, but in the leafy part there is a stalkiness approaching methoxypyrazine. In a blind tasting it stands out as an awkwardly cool-climate cabernet, and despite the richness and the evident care and attention which has been lavished on it, the green notes handicap it. More interesting than enchanting, therefore. Given Marlborough is the source, the same winemaking in a merlot-dominant wine, with malbec and maybe a little syrah for seasoning, could be much more pleasurable. Cellar 5 – 10, in its style. GK 06/04

nv Charles Heidseck Reserve Brut 15 ½ (

)

Reims, Champagne, France: 12%; $95 [ laminated champagne cork; PN 40, PM 20, Ch 40; MLF, no oak, 40% reserve wines some more than 10 years old; en tirage around 36 months; dosage 11 g/L; production for house 83,000 cases, Reserve Brut roughly half of it; www.charlesheidsieck.com ]
Full straw, the deepest wine by quite a margin. Bouquet falls into the love it or mock it category, being big, burly, oaky or something like it (since said to be no oak), and full of character. The quality of autolysis starts at Vogels Multigrain, but seems somewhat rank, on this unusual phenolic / tannic oak-like quality. In mouth it is nutty in the sense that crushed walnuts are both mealy and bitter, and like walnuts, there is good body. It would be good with strong foods, but as a stand-alone aperitif wine, it is at the outer pole of boldness and character, saved only by the actual richness of fruit, which does carry the phenolics quite well. It has to be an interesting wine, though there is much to dislike. Can't see it being a wise cellar investment, but it will hold its style for several years. GK 11/15

2005 Beach House Syrah The Track 15 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $21 [ supercritical cork; low-cropping – the website suggesting the grapes were over-ripened; 12 months in French and American oak; www.beachhouse.co.nz ]
Ruby, a flush of carmine and velvet. This is another wine closed in by some retained fermentation odours, but it responds well to a good splashy decanting. Bouquet is then red fruits, with a hint of black pepper and spice. Palate too is dulled by these reductive-tending odours, giving a marzipan note on hard berry phenolics, even though it is not over-oaked. It is richer than the Sileni, but not as pure. Syrah is prone to reductive tendencies in fermentation, which must be attended to. The wine may emerge in two or three years, and will cellar to 10 years or so, but probably not to blossom. GK 01/07

2007 Crossroads Winery Merlot Hawkes Bay 15 ½ (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $20 [ screwcap; DFB; Me, CS, CF, variously from Fernhill, Gimblett Gravels and cooler Mangatahi Valley; 12 months in French oak; vexing website; Catalogue: a greater concentration of flavour and substance of tannin than in recent years. Dried tobacco leaf, cassis and black Doris plum notes … rich ripe fruit in an excellent vintage. In the mouth full bodied and soft, but very well formed tannins; www.crossroadswinery.co.nz ]
Ruby. Bouquet is lightly peppery and almost raspberry, fragrant, but more a big rosé depth of fruit than dry red. Palate offers a little more, being light, juicy, softly red-berried and scarcely oaked, and it is dry. Pleasant easy QDR to cellar 3 – 5 years. Score is more for the gentle redfruits ripeness and easy nature. GK 07/09

2007 Craggy Range Chardonnay C3 Kidnappers Vineyard 15 ½ (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.2%; $25 [ cork; hand-picked @ c. 2.5 t/ac; whole-bunch pressed, mostly s/s ferment, some BF 15% new; 4 months LA; RS < 2 g/L; www.craggyrange.com ]
Palest lemongreen. Freshly opened, the wine shows a little SO2 still to assimilate. Otherwise, in a blind tasting amongst 19 pinot gris and chardonnay wines, the bouquet gave me no varietal cues at all – it seemed pure but empty. Palate is perhaps more like pale chardonnay, some body, but it is raw to even harsh, prematurely released, far too young. The people at Craggy thought I was much too severe on a previous sample, and in terms of the re-assessment of wine guidelines set out in the preface / site introduction, asked me to look at the wine again. I waited until I had an appropriate batch of wine styles to hide it in. One of the pinot gris is remarkably similar, so I did not recognise the wine. The model for this wine is chablis, apparently, but good chablis is floral (consequent on lower alcohol), and has a delicacy and sapidity this wine lacks. I think this Kidnappers wine misses the boat, primarily on over-ripeness and alcohol, scoring no higher this time than previously. Some reservations about the Craggy Range chardonnay approach are expressed for the Gimblett Gravels wine. Cellar 2 – 7 years, maybe to develop some flavour. GK 03/08

2001 Domaine Mongeard-Mugneret Grands Echezeaux 15 ½ (

)

Vosne-Romanée Grand Cru, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: – %; $ – [ cork; vine age 40 – 68 years; wine-searcher valuation $277; www.mongeard.com ]
Almost past its best, aromas and flavours tend towards the dried ripe fruit end of the spectrum. Clear, pale garnet, almost a tawny brown near the rim, not quite as bright as some of the others. Clean nose with fully developed and very ripe aromas of beef stock, savoury tomato soup, raisins, prunes and kirsch. Attractive layering of vanilla, cinnamon spice and toffee notes. Palate is dry with high acidity and rich flavours, little primary fruit remaining. Flavours of dried thyme, leather and cedar on the palate. Surprisingly with some tannic grip remaining and heat from alcohol. A medium-plus finish. RD 08/16

2004 Saint Clair Pinot Noir Omaka Reserve 15 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $27 [ screwcap; 4 – 5 days cold-soak, 11 months LA in French oak; www.saintclair.co.nz ]
Classical pinot noir ruby. Bouquet opens up a little congested and leafy / stalky, but the underlying red fruits are clearly pinot noir. Palate is lighter than some, again with stalky and faintly peppery threads in the slightly too acid red berries. Oak is attractively balanced to the light fruit. A sound straightforward pinot, lacking excitement and ripeness in the present company. Cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 03/06

2003 Zilzie Merlot 15 ½ (

)

Murray Darling, NW Victoria, Australia: 13.5%; $17 [ laminated cork; DFB; 10 months French oak; www.zilziewines.com ]
Ruby, much lighter than the Zilzie Cabernet or Shiraz. Bouquet is quite different from those two wines, being fragrant in the stalky cooked-plummy way that bespeaks the delicate variety merlot being grown in a climate too hot to optimise its floral complexities, and thus picked early in an attempt to retain some varietal character. Like pinot noir in Hawkes Bay, however, the nett result is a wine which has the leafy / floral bouquet of under-ripeness, but lacks the flavours of proper physiological maturity. Palate on the Zilzie is softish, fruity in this stalky way, lightly oaked, and not bone dry – the goal presumably being an accessible presentation of the cabernet family of reds. As such it is quite good in a QDR sense, but it cannot be scored highly on the world scale of merlots. Cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 01/05

2007 Domaine Mongeard-Mugneret Grands Echezeaux 15 ½ (

)

Vosne-Romanée Grand Cru, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: – %; $ – [ cork; vine age 40 – 68 years; wine-searcher valuation $265; www.mongeard.com ]
Wine with very firm acidity and chewy tannins. Clear in the glass, with a pale brick-like garnet hue, tending towards orange tones. Clean aromas of rose and violet florals, red cherry, toffee, nougat and vanilla, alongside rich savoury notes (cooked sweet tomatoes, dried thyme and oregano). Dry on palate, tight high acidity, tannins present are chewy with grip and roughness. Light body, medium alcohol and medium length. Sweet dried prunes, sweet roast tomatoes, dried red cherries and violets on the palate. RD 08/16

2008 [ Stonyridge ] fallen Angel Pinot Noir Otago 15 ½ (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $59 [ screwcap; 10 months in French oak 30% new; minimal info on website; ‘Vibrant and youthful crimson with good depth of colour. This Pinot Noir is fruit focused with an elegant underlying oak character. The wine finishes with a clean lingering flavour of classic Pinot fruit.’; www.fallenangelwines.com ]
Pinot noir ruby, the lightest of the three. Bouquet is light simple pinot noir, smelling as if chaptalised and Marlborough in style, a hint of strawberry and redcurrant, again leafy. Palate is lighter and softer than the Kennedy Point, but with better mouthfeel, not quite as stalky, almost pinot meunier flavours. Finish is soft and pleasant, so this is more QDR pinot, to cellar 2 – 5 years maybe. GK 06/09

2011 Olssens Pinot Noir Nipple Hill 15 ½ (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $27 [ screwcap; thought to be some whole bunch; c.9 months in French oak c.20% new; change of ownership – Olssens now Terra Sancta, future of labels to evolve; not entered in Shows (recently); www.olssens.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, just above midway. Bouquet is much the most distinctive in the set, an overt whole berry / whole bunch / maceration carbonique quality suggesting beaujolais, not burgundy. Within that context, the bouquet is rich. Palate however lets the wine down, although the fruit weight is good, the fruit ripeness is uneven, and clear stalky flavours permeate the wine, totally at variance with the magic of good beaujolais. A clumsy example of the grape, not suited to cellaring beyond 1 – 3 years. GK 10/12

2007 Alpha Domus Merlot / Cabernet The Pilot 15 ½ (

)

Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $20 [ screwcap; www.alphadomus.co.nz ]
Good ruby and velvet. Bouquet is sound straightforward cabernet / merlot, which benefits from decanting splashily. Fruit is not easily identifiable by analogy, but is plummy in a slightly phenolic raw / youthful way, with what tastes like both raw new oak (chips ?) and older oak too, plus a trace of brett. Fruit on palate is tending hard, not quite ripe enough, and the whole wine tastes much younger than the colour suggests. Cellar 3 – 8 years for a straightforward tending-leafy cabernet / merlot. GK 06/10

2002 Jim Barry Shiraz Lodge Hill 15 ½ (

)

Clare Valley, South Australia: 15.5%; $20 [ mostly US oak ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. Bouquet is intensely minty and euc'y, and with the bizarre alcohol, it is getting pretty un-winey. Palate has rich boysenberry fruit right through to the seemingly sweet finish, but the whole impression in mouth is more medicinal (e.g. liniment) than pleasurable. Would cellar 10 – 15 years, but unlikely to be worth the effort. GK 06/04

2001 Ch Belingard 15 ½ (

)

Bergerac (east of Bordeaux), France: 12.5%; $18 [ cork ]
Ruby. Bouquet is clean and straightforward basic Bordeaux, much purer and more fragrant than the basic Bordeaux of a generation ago. Palate is stalky cassis, clean, dry, oaky a little to excess, but all tending a little under-ripe and austere. Cellar 5 – 10 years to mellow, for it is quite rich and correct, in a minor sense. GK 03/07

2010 Ch Bellevue Canteranne 15 ½ (

)

Haut-Medoc, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $20 [ supercritical 'cork' 45mm; CS 55, Me 40, PV 5; no info found ]
Older ruby, below midway in depth. This is another minor wine which benefits from decanting. It opens up to reasonably harmonious red and black fruits in leathery older oak, plus some brett. Palate is lighter and fresher than some of the other clarets, pleasantly balanced in a tending-stalky way, even a hint of new oak. This wine would harmonise with a few years in cellar, but will remain a quaffer rather than one to show off. GK 03/15

2009 Bodegas Borsao Garnacha 15 ½ (

)

Campo de Borja, Spain: 13.5%; $14 [ screwcap; Gr 70%, CS 20, Te 10; no oak; www.bodegasborsao.com ]
Lighter bright ruby, nearly carmine and velvet. Initially opened, bouquet is faintly reductive in the way stainless steel / concrete reds often are, so it needs a splashy decanting. It then opens up to a clean juicy bag-in-the-box kind of wine, the bouquet obvious and fruity simple raspberry grenache, more hot climate than subtle. Reminds of cheap Australian grenache. Once breathed the palate softens to a popular raspberry / blackberry ice-cream style of red wine rather than a serious contender, maybe not bone dry. Sound at the price, though. QDW, marginally worth cellaring 2 – 5 years. GK 08/11

2009 Bodegas Borsao Macabeo Seleccion 15 ½ (

)

Campo de Borja, Spain: 13.5%; $15 [ screwcap; macabeo 100% grown at c. 500 m; s/s ferment not unduly cool; www.bodegasborsao.com ]
Lemon-straw. This also seems to have had some barrel elevation, in a mistaken attempt to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. It has all the plain fruity lack of charm of verdelho, offering a straightforward oaky dry white, for those who like oak more than grapes. Not suited to cellaring, not a wine that contributes in New Zealand. GK 07/11

1975 Ch Branaire 15 ½ (

)

St Julien, Bordeaux, France: – %; $142 [ cork 54mm; CS 60%, Me 25, CF 10, PV 5; Parker in his wonderfully direct way commented in his 1991 account of Bordeaux (used to get a better approximation of the cepage of the era): I have always found Branaire-Ducru to be curiously underrated, undervalued, and somewhat forgotten … Several of the recent vintages, in particular 1975, 1976, 1982 have been magnificently scented deep rich wines that are almost as good as the first growths in those years …; Robinson, nil; Parker, 1998: Branaire-Ducru has consistently been one of the finest 1975s. I have come to the conclusion that it will never resolve all of the tannin, but the wine has such a large-scaled, muscular, rich, concentrated personality that the tannin level is acceptable. There is plenty of cedar, sweet cassis fruit, vanilla, and lead pencil notes to this powerful Branaire-Ducru. The wine's deep ruby color displays some amber at the edge. I enjoyed drinking this wine young, but it has not budged in its development, continuing to display freshness, richness, and the tell-tale tannin of the vintage. It should continue to evolve and last for another 10-15+ years. Last tasted 12/95, 91; www.branaire.com ]
Garnet and ruby, the second lightest. Bouquet is complex but with detracting undertones, suggestions of varnish and bay-leaf, some VA, clear brett, so the nett impression is of a fully mature to over-mature wine, but one clearly in the cabernet camp. Palate has more fruit than the bouquet suggests, but again a medicinal herbes quality detracts. Despite all the technical failings, it still works quite well with food. Wine is so hard to pigeon-hole. This bottle of Branaire however does not fulfill Robert Parker's views of the chateau at that time. Drink up. GK 03/15

1975 Ch Cantemerle 15 ½ (

)

Macau, Medoc Fifth Growth, Bordeaux, France: 11.5%; $49 [ cork 53mm; CS 40%, Me 40, CF 18, PV 2; Parker notes this property was in decline till its sale in 1980; before then the wines were erratic. At best though, he considers it fragrant claret, now worthy of re-rating upwards. Parker, 1998: The 1975 is still remarkably hard, tannic, and tough. It is rustic, full bodied, and muscular on the palate. The wine exhibits plenty of concentration, but the astringent, even severe tannins of the 1975 vintage continue to give rise to doubts about how well this wine is evolving, 84; www.cantemerle.com ]
Ruby and garnet, the deepest of the Bordeaux. Bouquet is complex relative to the other French wines, but not all for good reasons. There is a suggestion of decay in the sense of humus, some brett, and a leafy component, in fading berry. In mouth there is a clear stalky streak bespeaking a picking and sorting regime very different from today. This wine is fascinating for New Zealand, because even though it also shows stalkyness and mixed ripeness alongside the two clearly under-ripe New Zealand wines, the richness and cropping rate, and hence dry extract, are vastly superior to the New Zealand wines. The Cantemerle is in fact richer than the Talbot, but infinitely plainer, and with much higher acid. People would score it very differently therefore, depending on the 'size' wine they like. Will hold for some years. GK 04/15

2006 Bodegas Condado de Haza Ribero del Duero Crianza 15 ½ (

)

Ribera del Duero, Spain: 14%; $43 [ screwcap; Te 100%; American oak some new for 18 months; www.condadodehaza.com ]
Older ruby. Bouquet is very oaky, exacerbated by VA, so it is hard to see the variety. At this level, oak and VA become faults. Palate has fair fruit, it tastes like fragrant tempranillo, and in its unsubtle approach it will probably have considerable appeal. Traditional Spanish red, but not a fine one. Not a long-term cellar prospect, more 1 – 3 years. GK 08/11

2008 [ Tahbilk ] Four Sisters Chardonnay 15 ½ (

)

Central Victoria, Australia: 13.5%; $18 [ screwcap, around half BF in French oak followed by 6 months LA and stirring, plus some MLF, balance s/s fermented to contribute freshness, with some of it in French and American oak to follow; RS 4.2 g/L; Four Sisters is understood to be a joint venture between Trevor Mast of Mount Langi Ghiran and Alister Purbrick of Tahbilk; website @ www.foursisters.com.au remarkable for its lack of public wine information, better at the distributors; www.redandwhite.com.au ]
Glowing lemongreen, a very stylish colour. Bouquet is clean and fruity like some Gisborne chardonnays, but the fruit more tropical and obvious, with a touch of mango. Palate is lightly to scarcely oaked, again pure and fruity, not much sign of barrel-ferment or lees-autolysis complexities, a little harsh on acid. More a straightforward QDW chardonnay in the tropical style, to cellar 1 – 3 years. GK 05/09

2009 Domaine l'Ameillaud Cairanne Cotes du Rhone-Villages 15 ½ (

)

Cotes du Rhone-Villages Cairanne AOC, Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $23 [ cork; Gr 65%, Sy 25, Ca 10, all de-stemmed; elevage in concrete vats supplemented by barrels, a few new; www.domaine-ameillaud.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. These Cotes du Rhone cheapies really are all over the show. This is one of the slightly volatile ones, the bouquet having much the same aroma as a jar of insufficiently processed bottled plums where the lid hasn't quite sealed, and a couple of months later, there is that edgy smell of slightly fermenting fruit. But it is perfectly wholesome, and if the smell and taste of quite rich plums appeals, without much complexity beyond stewed fruit, then this should do well enough. Cellar 3 – 8 years, perhaps to marry up pleasantly. GK 07/10

1978 Ch Leoville Barton 15 ½ (

)

St Julien Second Growth, Bordeaux, France: – %; $23.50 [ CS 72%, Me 20, CF 8. Broadbent ’02: disappointing, acid, most recently (1994) mature, cheesy, so-so **. Peppercorn thought better of it: superb. Parker in 1988: A lovely, rather full, big bouquet of smoky, berryish, ripe fruit is first class. On the palate, the wine shows a good cedary, spicy, deep fruity constitution, moderate tannins, and a long finish. Just about ready. 86 ]
Ruby and garnet, in the middle for weight. Bouquet on this wine is clearly under-ripe, with a phenolic quality akin to the Trotanoy, on reasonably cassisy berry. Palate however is less, with fair fruit showing green and acid qualities in the berry, all exacerbated by oak tannins. This ends up being a less pleasing mature Bordeaux, yet still clearly in class. Whether or not one should score it more or less than the old Barolo is hard to say – the latter has much more fruit and richness, but one could prefer the cool elegance of the Bordeaux. Needs drinking. GK 03/06

2004 Bodega Lurton Chardonnay 15 ½ (

)

Mendoza, Argentina: 13%; $17 [ www.jflurton.com ]
A slightly brassy lemon. This wine is something of a mixed bag. Bouquet is slightly scented and rubbery, but below there is oaky chardonnay. On palate the fruit has a melony quality reminiscent of much commercial South Australian chardonnay, and a hollow oaky flavour. It is the kind of wine that palls, as one drinks it. QDW chardonnay, not worth cellaring. GK 12/04

nv Champagne Serge Mathieu Tradition Brut [ Blanc de Noirs ] 15 ½ (

)

Avirey-Lingey, Champagne, France: 12%; $60 [ standard champagne cork; cepage PN 100%, average vine age 50 years; full MLF; c.3.5 – 4 years en tirage; dosage 8.6 g/L; www.champagne-serge-mathieu.fr ]
Straw, just below midway on the straw to lemon scale. Bouquet is very familiar, slight damp sacks, not really crust of baguette, more crumb for the autolysis, the sulphur-related aromas hiding the fact it is a blanc de noirs. Flavour is mild, pinot noir more apparent now, not a lot of autolysis (the right autolysis, that is), dosage higher than most, maybe 9 – 10 g/L. Minor champagne, in this company. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 10/15

2016 Ch Mont-Redon Cotes du Rhone Réserve 15 ½ (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $23 [ cork; cepage primarily Gr and Sy, some Ci and Mv; all de-stemmed, cuvaison up to 18 days; elevation up to 10 months in vat only; the wine fined and filtered; production varies but averages 25,000 x 9-litre cases; website hard to use; www.chateaumontredon.com ]
Ruby, just in the lightest 10. This wine benefits from decanting. Bouquet is understated to a fault, hard to tell what it is or where it is from to first sniff, just vague red fruits. Palate has more to say, raspberry fruits with noticeable acid, the fruit quickly giving way to stalks, hard at this stage, as if all concrete. There is a hint of aromatics, very subtle. This is surprisingly modest wine, sound but out of its depth in this company. Cellar 3 – 12 years, to mellow. A Glengarry wine. GK 07/19

2000 Ch Pontoise Cabarrus 15 ½ (

)

St Seurin, Haut-Medoc, Bordeaux, France: 12.5%; $30 [ cork; CS 55%, Me 35, CF and odds 10; machine-harvested, hand-sorted; cuvaison 21 days; all the wine in oak, each parcel spending 3 months in new oak; this is the first wine, a second wine is a good sign; www.chateau-pontoise-cabarrus.com ]
Ruby, below midway in depth. Bouquet is representative petit bordeaux, lightly fragrant, anonymous mixed berry, nothing standing out. Palate shows more fruit richness and ripeness in a cassisy way than Vieux Robin, but this is offset by a slight bitter / astringent suggestion in the aftertaste. This should lose tannin in cellar over 5 – 10 years, and become pleasant minor / QDR claret. GK 04/06

2002 N. Potel Savigny-les-Beaune Vielles Vignes 15 ½ (

)

Savigny-les-Beaune, Cote de Beaune, Burgundy , France: 13%; $50
A deeper pinot noir ruby, as so often seems to be the case with cheaper burgundies. Bouquet is modest, with an unattractive older oak component and suggestions of clog weighing on straightforward cherry and red plum. Recognisably pinot noir and burgundy, but straightforward. Might look a little better with time in cellar, 5 – 10 years. GK 08/04

2005 Ch Sainte Colombe 15 ½ (

)

Cotes de Castillon, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $23 [ cork; Me 70%, CF 30; owner Gerard Perse of Pavie, Pavie-Decesse and Monbousquet; Sam Kim / Wine Orbit: lifted aromas of black plums and cherries with smoked meat … well balanced acidity and ripe tannins … approachable … 89 ]
Ruby, some velvet, older than most. This is an older-style wine, showing some richness and typicity for minor Bordeaux, red fruits dominant, quite fragrant, older oak obvious. Mouthfeel and flavour are a little less, the older oak being a bit on the coarse side, but that will marry away into the fruit, giving a plainish regional bordeaux, slightly acid. Not as rich as the higher-scored wines. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 04/08

1998 Domaine Santa Duc Gigondas Prestige des Hautes Garrigues 15 ½ (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 15%; $54 [ cork; original price; Gr 80%, Mv 20, hand-harvested from 50-year-old vines cropped at c.1.5 t/ac; up to 8 weeks' cuvaison with stems; 40% of the batch spent 12 months in small new oak, balance older barrels and vats, 18 – 24 months elevage; in the dry year of 1998 only 1,700 cases made; Parker 10/00: One of the advantages of low yielding, concentrated Grenache is that it easily hides high alcohol. This full-bodied black beauty offers a terrific bouquet of licorice, blackberry, cassis liqueur, and a smoky, subtle dose of wood in the background. In the mouth, it is enormously endowed, very full-bodied and textured, exceptionally pure, with a creamy mid-palate, silky tannin, and a profound finish. 93; Parker 10/99: ... wonderfully sweet, glycerin-charged character. [Winemaker] Gras commented that it tastes as if there is residual sugar, but it is totally dry ...; www.santaduc.fr ]
Ruby and garnet, slight orange, the second to lightest. Bouquet is out-of-line in the set, showing some oxidation, over-ripeness, and a lot of oak. Palate is rich, the fruit is stewed prunes, no fresh berries, but there is good fruit-cake richness, lifting the score. Even so, it is dull wine, no freshness, hard to drink. It is ironic that the most expensive of the three Santa Ducs (by far) ends up the least of the three, at least to anyone with a liking for traditional Southern Rhone wines. Whether this bottle is typical I cannot yet say, but the cork was an exceptionally good 49 mm one, with a symmetrical two-millimetre penetration of stain at the business end. It is hard to envisage oxidation from that source. Will hold in its style for some years, since the richness of fruit is good. I await the next bottle with interest. GK 04/12

2008 [ Pernod Ricard ] Stoneleigh Pinot Gris Marlborough 15 ½ (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.2%; $22 [ Stelvin Lux; some vines up to 8 years age, grapes left to ripen late, a little shrivel; cool-fermented in s/s, no solids, no oak or MLF; RS 7.5 g/L; background @ www.stoneleigh.co.nz, leads to detail @; www.pernod-ricard-nz.com//tastingnotes.php? ]
Pale lemon. Bouquet is on the modest side here, a clean innocuous New Zealand pearflesh interpretation of pinot gris here lifted by trace VA. Palate confirms it is pinot gris, clear pearflesh, no oak or complications, sufficient residual sugar to balance varietal phenolics, and lengthen the light flavours a little. This would seem to be a pinot gris exemplifying the disadvantages of late-harvest of the variety, all the pinot florals of the grape long departed. Since the alcohol doesn't fit presumed late-harvest sugars, this may be an alcohol-reduced wine. Scarcely worth cellaring, but say 2 – 4 years. GK 04/09

1970 Ch Tahbilk Cabernet (standard bottling) 15 ½ (

)

Goulburn Valley, Victoria, Australia: – %; $1.85 [ cork; CS mainly, some oddments including CF; In those days the patriarch Eric Purbrick still kept an eagle eye on things. The wines then traditional, big old wood, the best exceptional, not dominated by oak. 1970 is not a reputed Tahbilk vintage, but the lighter years are in fact often more aromatic and interesting. Max Lake, in his wonderful book Classic Wines of Australia 1966, describes them as: truly classic wines of Australia. And Len Evans (in the Complete Book of Australian Wine 1978, says of this wine: I am most interested in the 1970 and 1972 vintages … an extremely interesting, almost aromatic quality in the fruit, almost a sappiness which I find fascinating … it is a most attractive extra dimension. The contrast with the famous but rather bulky 1971 vintage, recently assessed, confirms Evans' view; www.tahbilk.com.au ]
Old garnet and ruby, the third lightest. Along with the New Zealand wine, these two Australasian wines totally underscore the magic of the authentic Bordeaux style. One sniff, and along with the Chambertin, they are obviously the outsiders. 1970 was early days in cabernet sauvignon for both New Zealand and Australia, and as I have suggested in my 2005 vintage review, a similar tasting of Bordeaux and cabernet blends in 2045 will produce very different results indeed. Not only are the best New Zealand (in particular) Cabernet / Merlots incredibly Bordeaux-like now, but so many of the traditional Bordeaux have been so internationalised under the mixed-blessing influence of 'consultants' that they are losing typicité. In such comparisons, Australia has yet to solve the problem of eucalyptus signatures, which are distasteful to many outside Australia. This standard bottling from Tahbilk does not have that problem, instead showing overt raspberry and mulberry characters browning now, on old-oak aromas only. Palate is softish, pleasantly balanced, very drinkable, but even less 'claret'-like than the McWilliams. There is a suggestion of gritty tartaric acid addition, and tastes of redwood in the cooperage, like some Californian wines of the time. The term 'redwood' is merely a taste analogy in this useage. No hurry. GK 03/10

1970 Ch Talbot 15 ½ (

)

St Julien Fourth Growth, Bordeaux, France: – %; $ – [ CS 71%, Me 20, CF 5, PV 4; 101 ha, red 40 000 cases, white 2 500. Parker (1991): This wine lacks one of the telltale characteristics of the 1970 vintage – a rich glossy fruitiness. Shows blackcurrants, but the tannins overwhelm the fruit. Till 1993. 78 ]
Garnet and ruby. A fading bouquet, but clearly in the cabernet and claret style – faded cassis and slightly leathery oak. Palate is certainly running out of body and fruit now, the acid and tannins becoming prominent in austere berry. Still a pleasant pizza wine, but the first taste is very austere. Drink up. GK 03/05

2009 Ch Tertre du Courban 15 ½ (

)

Entre Deux Mers, Bordeaux, France: 13%; $17 [ plastic closure; parent vineyard Me 70, CS 30, planted @ up to 5000 vines / ha; a sub-label of Ch La Galante, not much info on the website, Bordeaux rouge; www.la-galante.fr ]
Ruby, the lightest wine. In a set of Bordeaux some of which have good vinosity, this wine smells much simpler, just berries and a bit of oak, more like modest New Zealand cabernet / merlot. Palate shows redcurrant and light plum fruit, and a clear leafy component, but otherwise it is clean, pleasantly fruited, scarcely oaked, modestly in style, but possibly not bone-dry. It is simply representative minor Bordeaux, perfectly wholesome. The point of interest is that it is richer than a number of the more stalky New Zealand wines. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/12

2009 Ellero Pinot Noir Pisa Terrace 15 + (

)

Pisa district, Cromwell Basin, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.9%; $36 [ screwcap; hand-harvested @ 2.4 t/ac; 11 months in French oak, 25% new; www.ellerowine.com ]
Pinot noir ruby, a little more oak-influenced than the 2008. Bouquet is very fragrant, with vanilla custard and red rhubarb aromas, and slight VA. Palate is oaky, but adds light red cherry to the fruit flavours. Finish continues oaky, but is clean. Cellar 2 – 5 years, in its style. GK 09/10

2011 Cable Bay Syrah 15 + (

)

Western Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 12.5%; $32 [ screwcap; Sy 97%, Vi 3, hand-picked; varieties co-fermented; c.11 months in French oak, 10% new; www.cablebayvineyards.co.nz ]
Light ruby. Bouquet shows the carnations and wallflower florality of cool syrah well, on red berries only, in the style of Les Collines Rhodaniennes syrah from above Cote Rotie. In mouth there is a hint of white pepper, rather more of stalks and acid, and a meagre fruityness. This is not ripe enough to be worth cellaring, more QDR for a year or two. GK 10/12

2009 I Masqetti Pinot Grigio della Venezia 15 + (

)

Venezia IGT, Italy: 12.5%; $21 [ plastic closure ]
Lemon-straw. Bouquet is clean, white and neutral to first inspection, at least free from the technical faults so many Italian pinot gris showed in earlier days. Maybe there are fleeting pear-flesh aromas. Palate shows fair body, bone dry alongside most New Zealand pinot gris, again perhaps some pear-flesh suggestions. Pleasant dry quaffing white, but not clearly varietal. Not worth cellaring, but will hold a year or two. GK 06/11

2008 Astrolabe Gewurztraminer Voyage 15 + (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $22 [ screwcap; Gw 100%; a small % hand-harvested and whole-bunch pressed, fermented with some solids; most machine-harvested and fermented on no solids; all s/s; RS 22 g/L; www.astrolabewines.co.nz ]
Pale lemon. Bouquet is congested by light SO2, on a base more like modest New Zealand pinot gris than gewurz – pearflesh. Palate is sweet, seemingly spirity and empty, yet with an awkward phenolic finish which is more gewurztraminer-like, but not at all married up. Should be somewhat better in a year or so, if it fills out, but meanwhile not the usual Astrolabe class. Dubiously worth cellaring, 2 – 6 years. GK 04/09

2012 Clearview Viognier Haumoana 15 + (

)

Haumoana, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $37 [ screwcap; hand-harvested; cool fermentation in s/s with aromatic yeast; no MLF; RS 5.5 g/L; www.clearviewestate.co.nz ]
Pale lemon. Bouquet is light, just hinting at the florals and under-ripe apricots of lesser viognier. Palate shows little sign of barrel-ferment, lees-autolysis or other winemaking enhancement, some near-neutral fruit, slightly phenolic, near-dry to the finish. Not convincing as a varietal wine, lacks physiological ripeness as one would expect at Haumoana, but (apart from price) clean and sound as an alternative dry white. Will hold a year or two. GK 06/13

2003 Waitiri Creek Pinot Noir 15 + (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 13%; $33 [ screwcap; www.waitiricreek.co.nz ]
Older pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is clean, with a fragrant component hovering between leafy and floral, on red fruits. Palate points to the leafy side of the equation, showing crisp, red-only fruits with some underlying acid and stalkyness, but still pleasantly varietal in a short way. Lacks phenolic maturity / ripeness. Cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 07/06

2008 Woollaston Pinot Noir 15 + (

)

Nelson, New Zealand: 14.5%; $38 [ screwcap; nil whole bunch; 11 months in French oak, 20% new; www.woollaston.co.nz ]
Light pinot noir ruby, one of the lightest. This is a different kind of pinot noir, more in the pretty lightly floral and strawberry style. Florals are concentrated in the buddleia to rose spectrum, and the fruits are all red, including redcurrant, strawberry and red cherry. Yet in mouth the wine is less attractive than supposed on bouquet, being noticeably stalky almost to a fault, and not bone dry. A little more new oak than is ideal is reinforcing the stalk. Hard to believe the alcohol is all grape sugar, doesn't help. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 02/10

2007 Lindis River Pinot Noir 15 + (

)

Tarras, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.3%; $38 [ supercritical 'cork'; hand-harvested, 'organic'; 12 months in French oak, 30% new; 400 cases; www.lindisriver.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, naturally somewhat older. Bouquet is rustic, more a European pinot noir reminiscent of bourgogne rouge, savoury with some brett, attractive as such. In mouth the wine though quite rich is short on flavour and ripeness, the stalkyness becoming phenolic on the later palate. Not worth cellaring. GK 08/11

2010 [ Ngatarawa ] Glazebrook Sauvignon Blanc 15 + (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $21 [ screwcap; all s/s; RS 3.5 g/L; www.ngatarawa.co.nz ]
Lemon. Bouquet is simple sauvignon blanc well-past its first bloom of youth, mild, slightly leafy and semillon-like. Palate is slightly cardboardy, fair fruit, tasting more like a minor Hawke's Bay sauvignon than a Marlborough one, the gentle acid balance making it better with food than some in this batch, commercially dry. A mystery why a two-year-old sauvignon showing no benefit from ageing has been released at a retail price of more than $20. Under $10 would be more realistic for this wine, in 2012. Will hold a year or two. GK 08/12

2007 Clearwater Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc 15 + (

)

Waipara, Canterbury, New Zealand: 13%; $ – [ screwcap; machine-harvest; BF in old oak 5 weeks, 10 months LA in barrel, some MLF; RS 2 g/L; www.sherwood.co.nz ]
Lemon. This is a difficult wine, it basically showing under-ripe fruit with green bean notes, but it has had a lot of winemaking go into it (confirmed). The result is a kind of old-fashioned New Zealand 'white cabernet sauvignon', with leafy whitecurrant fruit, subtle oak, lees-autolysis enhancement, perhaps some MLF, quite rich and complex and with a certain charm, food-oriented. It would go well with perhaps a quiche-like dish dominated by green capsicums, but doesn't score well as sauvignon blanc alone. It will look better in a year, and cellar 1 – 3 years, despite the under-ripeness. GK 05/08

2005 Abbey Cellars Cabernets / Merlot 15 + (

)

Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $25 [ screwcap; DFB; CF, Me, CS, Ma; no info on website; Catalogue: rich raspberry liquorice aromas with ripe berryfruit flavours and a warm, easy weight on the palate. Slippery tannins combine with an earthy, savoury character on the finish; www.abbeycellars.com ]
Ruby. Bouquet is light and fragrant, red fruits with a thought of raspberry as well as redcurrant and red plum, tip-toeing towards Chinon except the wine is a bit too oaky. Palate brings up a leafy quality rather much, but the redcurrant fruit is pleasant, and the oaking nearly subtle enough to reveal the character of the dominant grape – cabernet franc. Interesting light wine needing more ripeness and less oak, to cellar 1 – 3 years. GK 07/09

2013 Clearview Merlot / Malbec Cape Kidnappers 15 + (

)

Te Awanga, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $21 [ screwcap; Me usually c. 2/3, then Ma, some CS and CF, hand-harvested; cuvaison up to 28 days for some components; 12 – 13 months in French and older American oak, 25% new; www.clearviewestate.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, below midway in the middle third, for depth. This wine benefits greatly from decanting a couple of times. Bouquet shows quite rich plummy fruit with any floral qualities still masked, smelling young and raw. The reduction shows more clearly in mouth, putting a leaden cast and hard edge on plummy fruit, all appropriately oaked. Straightforward but flawed wine, to cellar and maybe improve over 10 years. GK 06/14

2012 Gunn Estate Pinot Noir Marlborough Reserve 15 + (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $19 [ screwcap; no info on website; RS <2 g/L; www.gunnestate.co.nz ]
Quite rich pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is quite different in style from the other pinot noirs in this batch, showing clear maceration carbonique qualities in a wine reminiscent more of beaujolais than burgundy. Palate is much less, a clear lack of physiological maturity in its flavour profile, with green stalky notes in pale red fruits (by flavour), though reasonable concentration. Aftertaste suggests a short cellar life, though it is all clean and sound. Cellar 1 – 3 years. GK 05/13

2003 Ata Rangi Pinot Noir 15 + (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $64 [ screwcap; 10% whole bunch; 11 months in 25% new French oak; www.atarangi.co.nz ]
Mature pinot noir ruby, midway in depth, much the same as the Wither Hills. Bouquet is untidy, with suggestions of eucalyptus / lawsoniana, oxidation and oak showing more than pinot. Palate is more in line, burgundian in weight and style, but the aromatics and oak dominate the red fruits pinot unduly. Finish is tending astringent. Fully mature. GK 02/10

2007 Peregrine Chardonnay 15 + (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $21 [ screwcap; 2007 not on website; the 2006 was hand-harvested; all BF and LA but not all oak-matured, finished at RS 2 g/L; www.peregrinewines.co.nz ]
Lemon. This reminds me of the 2007 Craggy Range Chardonnay Kidnappers, at this stage seeming uncoordinated and prematurely released. Additionally, there is an unattractive plastic-y / high-solids taint on the bouquet, on indeterminate fruit and alcohol. Palate is rich, spirity, firm acid, but the fruit is hard to come to grips with, and the plastic-y note continues. This should develop in bottle, but there is not the evidence to allow a better score yet. Cellar 3 – 8 years, doubtfully. GK 04/08

2007 Sherwood Estate Chardonnay [ Unoaked ] 15 + (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $ – [ screwcap; 33% wild-yeast fermentation; 1.5 g/L RS; www.sherwood.co.nz ]
Pale lemon. Bouquet opens a little surly, and benefits from decanting. It is then fragrant but light and unsubstantial for chardonnay, another in the honeydew melon and lightly floral category, as if un-oaked (website confirms). Palate certainly seems stainless steel, clean neutral but phenolic fruit more like pinot gris than chardonnay, pure but empty alongside the Schubert Tribianco. Will cellar a year or two, but not to much advantage. GK 05/08

2007 Pask Merlot Gimblett Road 15 + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $20 [ screwcap; www.cjpask.co.nz ]
Ruby, some velvet. Bouquet is straightforward small merlot, light red fruits and red plums, older oak mainly, clean. Palate is lesser, slightly rank and under-ripe, with a stalky / phenolic / brackish quality to the aftertaste, which is not more-ish. Wholesome QDR, which should soften in cellar and improve over 3 – 8 years. GK 06/10

2007 Pisa Range Pinot Gris 15 + (

)

Cromwell district, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14.5%; $27 [ screwcap; hand-harvested, 3 months LA; www.pisarangeestate.co.nz ]
Colour is in effect water-white. Bouquet confirms this wine is released far too prematurely, for not only is there no colour development, there is no varietal character yet either (in the blind tasting). First impressions are of clear spirit and vaguely white pearflesh, all a bit raw. Palate is spirity too, but there is the fruit to imply this wine should develop in bottle. Meanwhile, total acid is high too, exacerbating the rawness. As noted previously, when pinot varieties are over-ripened, the floral beauty of the grape is lost. Acid balance has to be tackled another way. Since it is pure otherwise, purer than the Italian which it resembles in being very dry, it may be much more interesting in two years. Cellar 3 – 6 years. GK 03/08

2008 Wild South Chardonnay Marlborough 15 + (

)

Waihopai Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $19 [ screwcap, cool-fermented in s/s ‘with aromatic yeast’ (always a warning signal); some MLF; RS < 1 g/L; www.wildsouthwines.co.nz ]
Lemon. Bouquet is tending to a citric chardonnay with a VA lift, white stone fruits, scarcely oaked. Palate is more citric, pure white fruits chardonnay like the Saints wine, but simpler with virtually no oak, and suggestions of melon in the South Australian style, all a bit angular on the VA. Cellar 1 – 3 years only. GK 05/09

2008 Triplebank Sauvignon Blanc 15 + (

)

Awatere Valley mostly, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $24 [ screwcap, s/s wine; RS 2 g/L; http://www.pernod-ricard-nz.com//tastingnotes.php? ]
Lemongreen. This too is a fragrantly under-ripe sauvignon (partly due to threshold VA), showing green capsicums and snowpeas on bouquet. Palate is gentler and sweeter than the Waimea Bolitho, and the acid is more appropriate, so the wine is easier to drink. But basically, we should leave these herbaceous sauvignons to the French. Another to cellar a year or two only, and serve with salads rather than food. GK 05/09

2004 Alpha Domus [ Merlot / Cabernet ] The Navigator 15 + (

)

Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $25 [ cork; Me 42%, CS 30, CF 20, Ma 8, mostly hand-harvested, de-stemmed, some cold-soak, 20 months in 70% French and American oak, 40% new; Catalogue: A complex aroma of ripe berryfruits, plums, violet, licorice and hints of leather. Influences of sweet vanilla and toast result from oak barrel maturation. Plum and blackberry are supported by clove and spicy notes. Game and leathery characters add complexity. The ripe fruit, sweet oak and firm tannins create a robust, complex wine with excellent length; www.alphadomus.co.nz ]
Ruby and garnet, old for age. First impression on bouquet is oak, with fading red fruit behind it. Palate reveals the berryfruit more, redcurrant more than cassis, red plums not black, but all too leafy and oaky, reflecting what a cool and, for many producers, modest year the 2004 vintage was. Now another old-style oaky QDR, not worth cellaring. GK 07/09

2006 Wild Earth Riesling 15 + (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand: 12.4%; $24 [ screwcap; cool 6-week s/s fermentation with cultured yeast, stopped at desired residual; 3 months LA; pH 3.1, 28 g/L RS; www.wildearthwines.co.nz ]
Paleish lemongreen. Bouquet shows fruit of a palest kind, pearflesh more than anything, a bit flat as if it had been on ullage at some stage. Palate likewise is quite rich, but the flavours tend to plain pinot gris more than riesling, medium-dry, though with some resiny undertones. More aromatic QDW, not worth cellaring. GK 05/09

2005 Miro Vineyard [ Cabernet / Merlot ] Archipelago 15 + (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 12.8%; $28 [ NeoCork plastic 'cork'; CS 58%, Me 30, CF 10, Ma 2, hand-harvested; c.12 months in French oak 25% new; www.mirovineyard.co.nz ]
Mature ruby, some garnet. Bouquet and flavour are suggestive of a merlot-dominant minor bordeaux, again Entre Deux Mers or similar, all clean, but not quite ripe enough, a leafy thread through both bouquet and palate. Oaking is subtle and suited to the light weight, so the result is a pleasant mellow but fully mature light claret style. Will hold a year or two. GK 10/12

2006 Abbey Cellars Merlot / Cabernet Graduate 15 + (

)

Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $30 [ screwcap; www.abbeycellars.com ]
Older ruby. Another wine to need a splashy decanting, to reveal a merlot-led minor Entre-Deux-Mers winestyle, pleasant red fruits just ripe enough, older oak. Palate is a notch stalkier, not quite ripe enough, but the wine redeems itself in its subtle clean older oak, and it's perhaps not bone-dry finish. Pleasant QDR food wine. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 06/10

2009 Ch de Francs Les Cerisiers 15 + (

)

Cotes de Francs, Bordeaux, France: 15.5%; $29.50 [ cork; Me 72%, CF 20, CS 8; owned Hubert de Bouard (Ch Angelus & La Fleur de Bouard) and Dominique Hebrard (ex Cheval Blanc); around 4,000 cases; no website found ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, with Ch Chadenne the deepest of the Bordeaux and Hawkes Bay blends. This wine is simply uncoordinated. There is an estery and heavy, not-finished-fermenting quality to this that is disturbing. The richness of plummy berry is staggering, with spirity alcohol and a Rhone-like nutmeggy spice adding interest. There is new oak too, so there is good potential for an exciting modern wine, once (or if) it marries up. A gamble, on the present showing, but the richness makes me very curious. If it settles down, will cellar for 20 years. GK 06/12

2009 Palliser Estate Pinot Noir 15 + (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 14.5%; $53 [ screwcap; vines up to 11 years age; no whole bunch, all wild-yeast ferments, c.17 days cuvaison; MLF and 11 months in all-French oak 24% new; sterile-filtered; www.palliser.co.nz ]
Older quite rich pinot noir ruby, one of the deeper. Like the Dry River, but for different reasons, this wine too stands aside from this group of better New Zealand pinot noirs. Bouquet is of leathery red fruits looking old for its age, with savoury brett adding complexity to a distinctly old-fashioned wine. It would be marked more highly by some of the northern hemisphere wine commentators so fawned-upon by too many wineries in New Zealand. A perfectly wholesome and food-friendly wine, but not worth cellaring as pinot noir for purists. If you like the style, being sterile filtered it will not succumb to brett-induced drying-out in bottle, 3 – 8 years. GK 11/12

2008 Mount Beautiful Pinot Noir Cheviot Hills 15 + (

)

Cheviot Hills, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 12.5%; $35 [ screwcap; nil whole bunch; 11 months in French oak 30% new; RS 1.3 g/L; www.mtbeautiful.co.nz ]
Light pinot noir ruby, one of the lightest in Pinot Noir 2010. This is another wine in a minor Savigny-les-Beaune styling, clearly pinot noir, clearly burgundian, but in either location, ripened to a leafy red fruits level only. Palate likewise is tending to the short and slightly acid side, as are redcurrants, but the wine wins points for being beautifully made and harmoniously oaked for its ripeness and concentration, and thus achieving a burgundian (minor) styling. Only the second crop, so potential here in an intriguing sheltered Canterbury spot well north of Waipara, the establishment of which has been watched with interest by passers-by on SH1. Cellar 2 – 4 years. GK 02/10

2013 Sacred Hill Merlot / Cabernet Sauvignon Orange Label 15 + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $15 [ screwcap; Me dominant, some CS; some of the wine sees French oak, whether as barrels or more likely as staves or chips in s/s, not given; RS given as nil; often discounted; www.sacredhill.com ]
Ruby, in the lightest quarter. Bouquet is clean, hi-tech, but tending empty and stalky. There is no clear berry or fruit expression at all. Flavours are a little better, strictly a carefully-constructed supermarket wine designed to convey an impression of berryfruit without being able to recognise anything, some stalkyness, all eased I suspect by a couple of grams residual, and low tannins. When supermarkets are so disinterested in wine as 'wine' that they refuse to even record the vintage, being interested only in volume sold at the lowest price they can hammer the winemaker down to, I guess wine like this fulfils its goals as well as can be expected. Definitely better after several years under the stairs, but scarcely worth it (depends on the discount) ... but ... at least with wine like this, you know it is technically clean and stable in bottle. GK 03/15

2009 Elephant Hill Merlot 15 + (

)

Te Awanga district, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $24 [ screwcap; hand-harvested; MLF and unstated time in new oak, detail lacking; 'dry'; www.elephanthill.co.nz ]
Ruby, some velvet, in the lightest third. Bouquet shows a wine in a modest Entre Deux Mers styling, vaguely plummy as suits merlot, but also a suggestion of cardboard and stalkyness. Palate confirms this interpretation, a reasonable level of fruit but modest ripeness and flavour, not over-oaked but rather acid. Not worth cellaring. GK 06/12

1975 Elliots Oakvale Dry Red Private Bin 15 + (

)

Hunter Valley, New South Wales, Australia: – %; $ – [ cork 45mm; Sh 100%; original cost $AU4.98; The Elliot family bought Oakvale in 1893. They became highly-regarded winemakers, finally selling in 1974, though the family continued winemaking for the new owners for a time. After several owners, it is now the home base for Oakvale Wines, some of which James Halliday is rating highly; for our wine, Len Evans (1978) comments: made from straight hermitage … very low yield … the Private Bin … the pick of Elliot's dry red material in any one year. The Private Bins over the years have produced some very attractive wines. Recently the '76 and '75 have both been impressive … The '75 was a much fuller, richer style. Undoubtedly one of the best Elliot's reds I have seen for some years. Beautiful depth of fruit on the palate and a lovely balance of richness and softness throughout. It will mature into a classic old style Hunter. ]
Garnet and ruby, much the deepest wine. And on bouquet, this is also a very different wine, though in a polar opposite sense to the Montana. This is the wine of another era, massively overripe, big, brown, rich, no new oak, vaguely reminiscent of an ancient Chateauneuf-du-Pape, leathery going on tarry, with lots of alcohol. Flavours are enormously concentrated, but the tannin load is staggering. The tannins pile up on the aftertaste, raising doubts about the microbiological security of the wine, but 24 and 48 hours later it is still OK. Best described as an ancient monument, hard to treasure today. Dubious keeping any longer, all the same, with that tannin-related doubt on the aftertaste. GK 04/15

1980 McWilliams Pinot Chardonnay 15 + (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: – %; $ – [ cork, 44mm; this wine dates from the early days of modern chardonnay production in New Zealand, when it won a gold medal in the National Wine Competition in 1981; McWilliams as guided by Tom McDonald and Denis Kasza were with Alex Corban the first to make chardonnay in post-Prohibition New Zealand, from the 1960s. Initial wines were unoaked, some in the later 1960s impressive. After indifferent offerings in the early 1970s, in 1978 the first of the 'modern' wines appeared, an (over-) US-oaked Chardonnay. 1980 was the second, with much better oak but probably still American, but at that stage probably little lees-ageing and no MLF. I had the pleasure of judging this wine at the time of its release, where it impressed in the then-skimpy class; McWilliams as a label has disappeared into the grouping of Pernod-Ricard wines in New Zealand, more particularly the Church Road label. ]
Old gold, the deepest of the wines presented. Freshly opened, the bouquet shows good golden queen peachy fruit reflecting its clone mendoza origins, quickly airing to rather more dried peach, yet with hints of grapefruit zest. Palate shows the lack of fruit symptomatic of even the best New Zealand wines in the 1970s / early 1980s, the stronger flavours of American oak, not much in the way of lees autolysis or elevation complexity, yet the wine initially still meriting the score given, as varietal chardonnay. A couple of tasters commented on some un-ripe flavours, and highish acid in the wine. Even so, two tasters rated it their second-favourite, but four their least. It fell away more quickly than any other wine in the set, though remaining perfectly drinkable. In one sense, this is a taste of New Zealand wine history. GK 08/18

2008 Montana Merlot / Cabernet North Island 15 + (

)

Hawkes Bay c. 90% & Gisborne, New Zealand: 13%; $18 [ screwcap; Me 70%, CS 30; machine-harvested, 100% de-stemmed, MLF and elevage predominantly in s/s, with toasted new French and American oak via chips and / or staves added; the Montana website for this wine is less detailed than most from the company, and draws a carefully worded veil over the relationship between the oak and wine – this vintage about 35% included time 'in' oak, rather than 'with' oak, but that ratio is declining; RS 1.2 – 1.8 g/L presumably depending on destination market; www.montanawines.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, below midway in depth. Bouquet is lightly berried, red currants and red plums, hints of sweet basil as in ripe sauvignon blanc, very much minor (but clean) Bordeaux in style. Palate is more modest again, light red fruits, lean, tending acid and stalky, perhaps a couple of grams of sugar to balance [confirmed], pleasant and refreshing in its minor quaffing tending under-ripe but very clean new world claret style. The Gisborne fraction may be letting this wine down, on the ripeness side. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 01/10

2004 Framingham Pinot Noir 15 + (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $28 [ screwcap; hand-harvested; 5 – 8 days cold-soak, short cuvaison; 9 months and MLF in barrel; www.framingham.co.nz ]
Rosy pinot noir ruby, the lightest of the bracket. Bouquet is simple pinot in the strawberry and redcurrant spectrum, almost as if it were from a warmer climate. Palate is crisp, almost bitey, with a peppery phenolic / stalky streak, again in simple red fruits. More a light QDR than varietal, but it will cellar for several years, and soften. GK 09/06

2014 Vidal Chardonnay Reserve 15 + (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $20 [ screwcap; fruit from three districts, a percentage barrel-fermented, 15% new oak, an MLF component, RS <2 g/L; note the Vidal wine hierarchy has been recast, the new Reserve Series now being between the standard wine and the former top-tier Reserves, now labelled Legacy Series; www.vidal.co.nz ]
Lemongreen, below midway in depth. Bouquet is pinched, suggestions of reduction at a lesser level than Tom 2013, but there is much less fruit concentration and elevation complexity to hide the reduction in, so in a way it seems more obvious. Palate shows fair white fruits, but there is a sour hint on the reduction, giving the impression a significant part of the wine is stainless steel only, so the whole wine seems narrow and less appealing. Those sensitive to reduced sulphur may not enjoy this wine. Cellar 3 – 8 years, maybe to come right. GK 06/16

1986 Coopers Creek Chardonnay 15 + (

)

Hawkes Bay & Gisborne, New Zealand: – %; $ – [ cork, 44mm; c. 6 months in barrel; www.cooperscreek.co.nz ]
Straw with a wash of gold, right in the middle. With 16 wines, four had to be omitted: this was one of them. In one (positive) way, it is the most middling of all the wines, vanilla biscuit and dried peach on bouquet, initially seeming better than the Babich. But then on palate there is an acridity in the oak, and an herbaceous streak in the fruit, the latter exacerbated by elevated (maybe added ?) acid, which lets it down. Still perfectly drinkable, and being less rich / characterful than some of the wines, in a way more accessible. GK 09/15

2008 Trinity Hill Montepulciano Hawkes Bay 15 + (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12.8%; $20 [ screwcap; Mo 90%, Me 10, hand-harvested, de-stemmed but not crushed; short cuvaison; some in old oak 5 months, balance s/s; RS 4 g/L; sixth vintage of montepulciano; Catalogue: a fresh fruity, soft wine made to be enjoyed while young …spicy blackcurrant, cherries and plum aromas and flavours are evident. The wine shows soft tannins and good acidity; www.trinityhill.com ]
Ruby. Bouquet is fruity and juicy as if there were a maceration carbonique component to this wine, with intensely fragrant notes which are somewhere between floral and leafy. Palate is even more like (minor) beaujolais, with a clear stalky note on raspberry-red fruits. Like the Hawkes Bay Syrah, this seems mostly a simple stainless steel wine, and not bone dry. Montepulciano does need the ripeness to be a bit sultry though, so this is more QDR lacking ripeness, to cellar 2 – 4 years only. Achieving physiological maturity in grapes is a complex business. One would think the heat summation on the Gravels better than Waiheke Island, yet this wine does not display the ripeness and completeness of the exciting 2008 Weeping Sands Montepulciano. Curiously, the clearly under-ripe Trinity Hill has won a gold medal in New Zealand … a matter discussed in the Introduction. GK 07/09

2008 The Hay Paddock Syrah Harvest Man 15 + (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.9%; $38 [ screwcap; Sy 100%, hand-picked @ c.2 t/ac from fifth year vines, following 50% crop-thinning; (if like 2007) 100% de-stemmed, cultured yeast, cuvaison 18 days (8 cold-soak, 8 ferment, 2 maceration); MLF in tank, 12 months in barrel 25% new American, balance older French; sterile filtered, increase over the 372 cases in 2007; 'An earlier-drinking, fruit driven style …'; www.thehaypaddock.co.nz ]
Older ruby. This is curious wine too, tending French in a negative sense, slightly oxidised, slightly bretty, vaguely varietal mainly on the white pepper, but some red fruits, even a hint of raspberry like the Tin Pot, so enough in the blind tasting with the white pepper to identify it as syrah. Palate is more clearly varietal, but under-fruited and tending stalky, over-cropped probably (though the site notes make a point of saying not so), or at least under-ripened, to the red fruits level only. Oak is careful, not dominating the light fruit. More a QDR syrah, cellar 2 – 5 years. Again, the "overseas" awards are noted. GK 06/10

1975 Nobilo's Cabernet Sauvignon 15 + (

)

Kumeu, New Zealand: – %; $ – [ cork 49mm; CS 100%; this wine was all raised in French oak, much of it new, for 24 months; Saunders, 1977: the longer wood age given to these wines makes a longer bottle age period necessary, even essential. The 1974 is a big wine, with excellent qualities and I think it will be showing fine form in another year or two, but will hold this form for a couple of years at least after that … worth the higher price … the 1975 … is also going to need bottle age. The 1974 gained silver medal in the National Wine Competition. For the record, the 1976 Cabernet Sauvignon was the greatest of these early-70s cabernet wines from Nobilo. ]
Garnet and ruby, the second lightest. And one sniff tells you why: a lot more oak exposure. The wine is amazingly fragrant, but it is very hard to separate the vanillin of new oak from the aroma of browning cassis. In mouth there is some texture, the wine reflecting a cropping rate somewhat closer to the petites bordeaux. There is more acid than the minor Bordeaux, though, and much less berry complexity. I imagine this is a consequence of being a single-variety wine, plus probably some chaptalising. Considering 1975 was a lesser year than 1974 in Huapai, and much less than 1976, yet this wine is still nearly in step with these minor clarets, this is a good result. It confirms Nick Nobilo's pre-eminent place in the New Zealand red wine hierarchy of the time. The wine is fading, but will be OK for several years yet. GK 04/15

2007 Taylors Chardonnay / Viognier Eighty Acres 15 + (

)

Clare Valley, South Australia, Australia: 13.5%; $18 [ screwcap; Eighty Acres designed as a ‘juicy down-to-earth' range of wines; dawn harvest; all s/s fermentation; RS not given; www.taylorswines.com.au/WebsiteAdditions/EightyAcresPopup.htm ]
Pale lemonstraw. Bouquet is plain fruity stainless-steel chardonnay in style, with an augmented fruitiness which may be the viognier – a tropical note. Palate is broad and fruity, quite rich, a stainless steel plus oak chips wine maybe, tending coarse and phenolic to the finish. Not exactly more-ish, or worth cellaring. GK 10/07

2010 Ch Charron 15 + (

)

Blaye, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $17 [ cork; Me 90, CS 10; Cotes de Bordeaux; Availability: low ]
Ruby and velvet, in the middle for depth. There is quite a jump at this point, to a plainer style of wine. This one shows a very familiar minor Bordeaux smell, particularly from the 1970s. The wine is quite rich, but smells as much of well-worn leather as browning plums, all in old cooperage. As with some others, in mouth the leathery qualities become a bit bretty / animal, but the fruit richness and softness will be food-friendly. Cellar 3 – 10 years, in its style. GK 03/13

2014 J-M Gerin Syrah la Champine IGP Les Collines Rhodaniennes 15 + (

)

Cote Rotie vicinity, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 12.5%; $28.50 [ 46mm cork; Sy 100%, cropped at 5.85 t/ha = 2.4 t/ac, on the upper slopes and dissected terrace surfaces above the Cote Rotie zone; includes young vines; 70% in older barrels for 12 months, balance s/s. The cool end of the syrah ripening curve. On bouquet note the fragrant dianthus / carnation florals, and suggestions of stalks and white pepper. Flavours include red currants and faintest suggestions of cassisy berry, all very 'cool'. Subtle oak; www.domaine-gerin.fr ]
Ruby, the second to lightest wine. Bouquet is lightish, and lifted as if by low-level VA, more acetic than ester, showing stalky green florals in a pinks / dianthus style, the nett impression a bit green. White pepper mingles with the stalks, on red currants and pale red plums. Palate is light in flavour, all red fruits, a little sharp as if there is indeed VA, on stalky redcurrant / red plum flavours. This wine is a vivid illustration of the under-ripe phase of the syrah ripening curve, yet there are still hints of real syrah flavour which make the nett impression of the wine seem better than its component parts. A curious wine, probably No Award even in New Zealand, but perfect for this role. Will cellar several years, in its style. GK 10/16

2005 Domaine de la Janasse Chateauneuf-du-Pape Tradition 15 + (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $54 [ cork, 50mm, original price c.$62; cepage varies round Gr 80%, Sy 10, Mv 10 … and trace minor vars, the GR >70 years age, perhaps the others too; 20% whole-bunch, up to 28 days cuvaison; elevation 75% in foudre, 25% in small wood up to 30% new, balance to 3 years old, for 12 months, then to assembly in vat 6 months; fined, not filtered; c.1,125 x 9-litre cases; J.L-L, 2007: ... broad, smooth black fruits aroma, with a little pepper at its heart, there is licorice here, too. There is a sense of refinement in the ripe, even very ripe fruit on the palate ... black fruits ... Its tannic structure is the best of the three Chateauneufs from here [ in 2007 ], 2029-32, *****; JD@RP, 2016: A bigger, richer wine than the Chaupin (which is normal) ... Full-bodied, rich, decadent and unctuous on the palate, this beauty gives up fabulous notes of dark fruits, dusty soil, licorice, roasted herbs and toasted spice. It needs a short decant ..., 2016 - 2026, 96; weight bottle and cork 673 g; www.lajanasse.com ]
Light ruby, some garnet, the lightest wine by far. And as soon as you smell it, it becomes the mystery wine of the tasting. Despite the cork seeming to be perfect in all respects, the wine smells faded, drying, tired, showing incipient / trace acetaldehyde. In mouth it is clean, but the red fruits browning, the wine perfectly drinkable but tending short and dry. The nett impression is of some oxidation. At least oxidised wines are always better with food than reduced ones. You just have to hope it is another example of inexplicable ‘cork failure’, and the next bottle will be quite different. Tasters were united on this wine, 11 votes for least wine. GK 07/19

nv La Gioiosa Prosecco Treviso DoC 15 + (

)

Treviso district, Veneto, Italy: 10.5%; $23 [ screwcap; grape variety glera often referred to as prosecco; no info on website; www.lagioiosa.it ]
Palest green, quite a fizz. Bouquet is pure clean and empty, scarcely even vinifera or winey. Palate shows reasonable body in its flavourless style, a manufactured wine. Good prosecco has more to say than this. Not worth cellaring, and rarely a cellaring wine in any case. GK 03/13

2005 Ch Respide 15 + (

)

Graves, Bordeaux, France: 12.5%; $25 [ cork; Me 60%, CS 37, PV 3 ]
Older ruby. This wine demands decanting splashily a couple of times. As with so many minor Graves, it remains a bit pinched, the bouquet lacking pleasing berry elements, the palate tasting of elevage in concrete. The Cotes du Rhone in this batch show that need not be limiting to wine quality, however. The wine has fruit, but the nett result is simple claret, quite rich but on the hard and plain side, serviceable enough if well-ventilated. Cellar 3 – 12 years. GK 11/10

2004 Louis Sipp Pinot Gris Kirchberg de Ribeauville 15 + (

)

Alsace Grand Cru, France: 12.5%; $48 [ cork; www.sipp.com ]
Pale lemongreen. Two bottles of this wine were opened, due to a varying sulphur component. It needs a pretty splashy decanting, jug to jug. It then opens as a light, clean and reasonably pure wine, the flavour of the white stonefruits a little pinched and phenolic, 'dry'. It should look better in 3 – 5 years, and cellar to 8, but can't be scored more highly at the moment. GK 04/08

2008 Ellero Pinot Noir Pisa Terrace 15 (

)

Pisa district, Cromwell Basin, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.9%; $35 [ screwcap; hand-harvested @ 2.4 t/ac; 11 months in French oak, 25% new; www.ellerowine.com ]
Pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is curious, with some maceration carbonique aromas, some prematurely-aged characters, and quite a lot of oak. Palate is old for its age, with both exotic guava-like fruit notes, and some bitterness underlying the oak. May soften in cellar 2 – 4 years, more as a QDR pinot. GK 09/10

2004 Quartz Reef Pinot Noir Bendigo Estate 15 (

)

Cromwell, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14.5%; $70 [ screwcap; clones 10/5 and others, 5 years, harvested at 0.8 t/ac; up to 8 days cold soak, 100% de-stemmed, 27 days cuvaison; 11 months French oak 15% new; coarse filtration; www.quartzreef.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby, a lovely colour. Unlike the other two Bendigo wines, this vintage was clearly reductive, making the bouquet withdrawn. Palate had good red fruits, but with a hardness from the entrained sulphur, giving a plain almost stalky flavour. Another wine to aerate vigorously, pouring from jug to jug, before use. It will cellar 5 – 12 years, and improve somewhat, but is unlikely to sing. GK 01/07

2005 Penfolds Shiraz Thomas Hyland 15 (

)

South Australia, Australia: 13.5%; $20 [ screwcap; Sh 100%, some of the wine has oak contact (American and French) for 12 months; www.penfolds.com.au ]
Ruby. Bouquet is simple juicy berry, with saline and reductive undertones, very straightforward. Palate is quite rich but plain boysenberry fruit, clearly saline and tannic, harsh on acid and phenolic too, the kind of 'wood' / tannin component not clear, not quite bone dry. This is plainer than I remember earlier Thomas Hyland reds being. Wholesome enough QDR, better in a couple of years, but scarcely worth cellaring. GK 03/08

2004 Sileni Pinot Noir Cellar Selection 15 (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $25 [ screwcap; Cellar Selection denotes the basic wine, at Sileni (opposite of Villa Maria); website more PR than info; www.sileni.co.nz ]
Pinot ruby. Bouquet is lightly floral including red roses, with strawberry fruit aromas as associated with pinot grown in a warm climate style, very clean. Palate shows good soft fruit and lovely mouthfeel, but in its lightly red plummy approach it could equally be a pale free-run merlot. It is less varietal than the Plateau version, presumably from a warmer site, but equally drinkable. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 10/05

2008 Crossroads Winery Merlot Hawkes Bay 15 (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $20 [ screwcap; www.crossroadswinery.co.nz ]
Ruby. This wine opens reductively and cardboardy, and needs a lot of splashy aeration. Well breathed it shows pinched red fruits, but MLF-y and cardboardy flavours persist, in older oak. Perfectly drinkable, but not a contemporary winestyle, not worth cellaring. GK 06/10

2012 Spade Oak Syrah Voysey 15 (

)

Gisborne, New Zealand: 13%; $17 [ screwcap; no info on website; www.spadeoak.co.nz ]
Ruby, a wash of carmine and velvet. Bouquet is light and fresh as if the wine is largely stainless steel elevation, some suggestions of rose florals, hints of red plum and even pale cassis, white more than black pepper, a whisper of reduction. Palate is less, lacking fruit but surprising softness for the lowish physiological maturity, all red fruits [ has the acid been reduced ? ], scarcely any oak. Intriguing to have the variety clearly so attenuated in Gisborne, relative to the Nelson and Waipara syrahs, but Gisborne merlot has long been like this. QDR, rather than worth cellaring. GK 05/13

2005 Cable Bay Merlot / Cabernet Sauvignon / Malbec Five Hills 15 (

)

Waiheke Island, Auckland District, New Zealand: 13%; $33 [ cork; DFB; Me 64%, Ma 18, CS 11, CF 7, hand-harvested at < 2 t/ha; surprisingly, since the claret style is for cellaring, previous vintages are not shown on the website, so apart from cepage the detail is for 2006, assuming similar; 12 months in French oak, presumably some new; www.cablebayvineyards.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet. This wine is the outsider in the Cabernet / Merlots, showing cool and leafy qualities like the 2004 Te Mata and the 2007 Johner, but in an old-fashioned tending oaky wine showing rather much brett / European complexity. Flavours in mouth are reasonably berry-rich within these parameters, but are also very aromatic with the thought of red capsicums cropping up again, on a dry finish. Be good with pizza including capsicum. Cellar 3 – 8 years, but keep an eye on it. GK 03/09

2005 Citra Montepulciano d'Abruzzo 15 (

)

Montepulciano d'Abruzzo DoC, Italy: 13%; $15 [ 1 + 1 cork ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. Bouquet is textbook brett, on plummy dark fruit. I am tolerant of brett, but this is OTT, interfering with varietal quality and giving horsey qualities to bouquet and palate. Otherwise, flavour is plummy / fruity, good ripeness, bone-dry, still juicy, but very bretty. Score would therefore vary wildly, depending on views on brett. Perfectly acceptable in its style, but not a cellar wine for same reason. QDR, or buy it to see a definitive example of this spoilage yeast. GK 03/07

2005 Kerner Estate Pinot Noir 15 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 14.5%; $24 [ screwcap ]
Good ruby. Bouquet is in a much older kind of slightly dull pinot noir, as if there were some pinotage in it. Perhaps there is a lot of clone bachtobel. But in mouth it is clean and reasonably fragrant, fair berryfruit but this 'black' thread continuing in the flavour, tending phenolic. May not be quite bone-dry. Sound but tending dull, not worth cellaring. GK 03/07

2004 Canadoro Sauvignon Blanc 15 (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.4%; $19 [ screwcap ]
Palest lemongreen. Initially opened, the wine is somewhat reductive, with the variety obscured. Well aerated, it becomes austerely green capsicum varietal, but mineral and acid as well. Not worth cellaring. GK 11/04

2001 Vasse Felix Cabernet / Merlot 15 (

)

Margaret River, West Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $26 [ CS 53%, Me 44, CF 3; a roto-fermenter, earlier-drinking wine; www.vassefelix.com.au ]
Older ruby. Straightforward, slightly leathery, indeterminate redfruits on bouquet, lead into a slightly brackish, faintly cassisy simple red of fair richness, but modest flavour. Tending to a QDR style, but should cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 06/04

2006 Main Divide Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough 15 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $20 [ screwcap; no specs on website; www.maindivide.com ]
Pale lemongreen. Bouquet is clogged, slightly farty and reductive. Below is abstract white fruit. Palate is rich, very dry, some black passionfruit and red capsicum showing in stonefruit, maybe some barrel fermentation, but still clogged. This just misses the boat, reverting to the kind of sauvignon this winery formerly presented. The Amisfield illustrates a lees autolysis style beautifully done. Not worth cellaring. GK 03/07

2002 Morton Estate Methode Traditionelle Black Label 15 (

)

Hawkes Bay mostly & Marlborough, New Zealand: 12%; $35 [ cork; PM 62%, PN 33, Ch 5; 100% MLF; 5.5 years en tirage; www.mortonestatewines.co.nz ]
Lightish straw. As noted for the 2004 Pelorus, purity and quality of bouquet is so important to the bubbly style, and sadly this one misses out on similar reasoning to the 2004 Pelorus, but moreso. The reduced sulphur complexity here is introducing slightly rubbery notes into the plain breadcrumb / even doughy yeast autolysis, so the wine is simply not refreshing. Palate matches, the autolysis obvious, but the flavours dulled, all a little sour and impure. Finish is sweeter than 2004 Pelorus. This is unlikely to improve with cellaring, so not worth it. GK 11/08

2003 Zilzie Cabernet Sauvignon 15 (

)

Murray Darling, NW Victoria, Australia: 13.5%; $17 [ laminated cork; DFB; US oak; www.zilziewines.com ]
Ruby and velvet. Like its sister shiraz, this Zilzie is muted too, but with more obvious retained fermentation odours, more clearly reductive. It responds well to splashy decanting. Below is good cassisy and plummy fruit, clearly different from the shiraz. Palate develops that into quite rich cassis and dark flavours, the oak again understated but the reductive thread hard, all finishing pleasantly on cassis skins. This wine will probably come out of its shell in a couple of years, and will cellar for 5 – 10. GK 01/05

2006 Johner Pinot Noir Reserve 15 (

)

Gladstone, Wairarapa, New Zealand: 14%; $55 [ screwcap; in 2006 made from several of the oldest clones in the vineyard, hand-harvested @ c. 1 t/a; destemmed; 5 weeks cuvaison, matured 'mostly' in new oak; www.johner-estate.com ]
Older pinot noir ruby. This is an odd wine, exhibiting a confectionery and false-fruit stewed character on bouquet and palate. It is recognisably varietal, and though stalky is soft, round and well-fruited, pleasant quite rich red, but just a little too sultana-y and outside the square to be ranked well as varietal pinot. Cellar 2 – 5 years or so. GK 03/09

2004 Crab Farm Chardonnay Reserve 15 (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $24 [ screwcap; 100% mendoza, hand-picked @ c.1 t/ac (in ’04); BF in 65% new French oak, and LA 10 months with batonnage; www.crabfarmwinery.co.nz ]
Straw, old for age. A time travel bouquet, very oaky and ‘80s style, without much apparent BF or LA complexity. Fruit richness is exceptional, beautiful Hawkes Bay mendoza obvious even in the blind tasting, with golden queen peach intensity. But the excess oak is harsh, exacerbated by high alcohol. A lost opportunity here, not really worth cellaring. GK 08/05

1999 Delas Hermitage Marquise de la Tourette 15 (

)

Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $63 [ cork, 45mm; original price c.$85; typically Sy 100% from Les Bessards, L’Hermite and another site, mostly planted 1960s; all de-stemmed; cuvaison to 20 days, then 18 – 20 months in small oak, ratio new c.15% (according to J.L-L, see JD below), some filtering; Delas now part of the Deutz / Roederer group (since 1996); production c.3,000 x 9-litre cases; J.L-L, no date: … spiced bouquet, some warmth, has complex tones - leather, dark fruit, polish. Tasty attack - great fat, has a lot of stone fruit, plums/prunes, also tobacco, cinnamon - great variety. Really authentic. I could imagine people drinking this, the perfumed wine of literature, out of a goblet two or three hundred years ago. Dryish end. 2017-23. ****(*); JD@RP, 2015: In stark contrast to the evolved, tired '00, the still inky ruby-colored 1999 Hermitage Marquise de la Tourette was still lively and fresh, with classic dark fruits, tobacco leaf, cured meats and chocolate aromas and flavors giving way to a full-bodied, fleshy, textured Hermitage that has sweet tannin and nicely integrated acidity. Aged in equal parts new and once-used barrels, to 2025, 92; weight bottle and closure: 569 g; www.delas.com ]
Garnet and ruby, some velvet, the lightest wine, and the least ruby / most brown. And as soon as you smell it, the reason is clear. The browning berry aromas are displaying a Bovril edge suggestive of oxidation. Fruit flavours in mouth are still perfectly serviceable in a plain dry way, the wine is richer than the Delas Cote Rotie, but it didn't look too good in a formal tasting. The 1999 Les Bessards Hermitage (hoped to be a top wine of the tasting) also from Delas had to be rejected for even worse oxidation, so presumably the importers Eurovintage failed to import these two wines in a temperature-controlled container. Disappointing. Least wine for 11 people, three times as many as for the bretty wine – interesting. If this bottle is representative, not worth cellaring any longer. GK 11/19

1989 Goldwater Cabernet / Merlot / Franc 15 (

)

Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13%; $40 [ cork, 49mm; original price c.$35; indicative values from Cooper, 1992: typically CS 60 – 65%, Me 15 – 30, CF 10 – 20; elevation up to 15 months (depending on vintage) in barriques probably 90% French, 10 US, 70% either new, or shaved and re-toasted; not filtered; no reviews beyond Cooper’s general statement for the times: a weighty, tight-structured red with very concentrated, ripe, lingering flavours; weight bottle and closure: 552 g; www.goldieestate.co.nz ]
Garnet and ruby, the lightest and least red / most garnet wine. Bouquet is fragrant, but for the wrong reasons, being both clearly under-ripe with the most marked methoxypyrazines in the set, and far too oaky. Palate still shows some stalky browning fruits more redcurrant than blackcurrant, but the long flavour is oak. It is perfectly wholesome in its fruitless, under-ripe, oaky way, but the oak will become more noticeable if it is kept any longer. Best finished up with capsicum-rich pizza. GK 11/19

2002 Ngatarawa Merlot Glazebrook 15 (

)

Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $25 [ Me 95%, CS 5; 12 months in one-year-old oak, 66% American; www.ngatarawa.co.nz ]
Good ruby. A difficult bouquet, with first impressions more a clinical reaction to some VA and strong oak. There is cassisy and plummy fruit, but the wine tastes raw and in an older style of New Zealand reds. In this company it seems modest. Should mellow in cellar after several years, but doesn’t seem worthwhile. GK 05/04

2007 Trinity Hill Pinot Noir High Country 15 (

)

Mangaorapa district, southern inland Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $39 [ screwcap; 4 clones of pinot noir including Ata Rangi's Abel clone, hand-picked; 100% destemmed; 10 months in French oak some new; minimal filtering; www.trinityhill.com ]
Slightly lurid pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is a little outside the square, tending to stewed red fruits, with notes of strawberry, raspberry and red rhubarb, plus an explicitly leafy / cool floral note bespeaking warm-climate pinot. Palate is lesser, concentrated but distinctly stalky, acid noticeable, lacking physiological maturity. Except that it is much richer, this is very much a style of North Island New Zealand pinot from the 80s, fragrant, not unattractive as such but far from classical pinot. The Villa PB is a better introduction to the concept of pinot noir, being only a little leafy in an international sense. Cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 03/09

nv Chard Farm CO2 Bubbles 15 (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 12.5%; $31 [ cork; PN 50%, Ch 50; 2 years en tirage; www.chardfarm.co.nz ]
Slightly drab full straw. Bouquet is mixed, with clear complexity from both pinot noir and chardonnay fruit, plus reasonably extended lees-autolysis en tirage. There is also a lesser cheesy / camembert note from (I assume) a not-quite-pure MLF component. Palate combines these elements into an acid and slightly phenolic bubbly, which demands food to show at its best. In a social context, in one sense it is surprisingly lesser champagne-like, but as a drinking wine rather than a judging one. Not worth cellaring. GK 03/08

2005 Tohu Merlot 15 (

)

Gisborne, New Zealand: 13%; $19 [ screwcap; partial BF and 6 months in French oak; www.tohuwines.co.nz ]
Light ruby, more a pinot colour. Bouquet is unusual, with strawberry fruit suggesting pinot, but also with a leafy / cassisy undertone raising a question mark in the blind tasting. Palate is clearer, a light fragrant scarcely oaked watery red in a Loire Valley cabernet franc style. It is pleasant as an acid light QDR, though possibly not bone dry, maybe 3 g/L. Cellar 1 – 3 years only. GK 05/06

2010 Ch de Sours Bordeaux Blanc 15 (

)

Near Libourne, Bordeaux, France: 12.5%; $27 [ screwcap; SB 80%, Se 20; some French oak; www.chateaudesours.com ]
Lemon-green. Needs pouring off into a jug pretty vigorously, preferably several times, when it opens to reveal still somewhat reductive and muted sauvignon / semillon blend aromas, and some lees work. Palate is milder than the New Zealand wines, possibly trace oak, pleasant acid, dry, reasonable body but all tending to the insipid. A 1980s wine, not worth cellaring. GK 08/11

2002 Mission Merlot Reserve 15 (

)

Tuki Tuki, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $35 [ MLF in barrel, 15 months in French oak, 40% new; www.missionestate.co.nz ]
Ruby and garnet, old for age. Fading cassisy fruit on bouquet, and a pleasantly mature, light, tobacco-y palate, are more like an 8-year old merlot blend than a 2002. Enjoyable as such, but not a cellar wine. GK 05/04

2008 Jurassic Ridge Pinot Grigio 15 (

)

Western Waiheke, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.9%; $25 [ glass closure; hand-harvested, 100% s/s-ferment @ 10 degrees, 2 months LA and stirring, no MLF; RS < 1 g/L; 25 cases; ‘Refreshing, dry and minerally with apple, citrus and nashi pear.’; http://www.waihekewine.co.nz/TheVineyards/VineyardLinks/JurassicRidge.aspx ]
Rich lemon. Bouquet comes across as a subdued chardonnay, with some sulphur-related cardboardy suggestions – another one needing the jug to jug treatment. Palate is rich in fruit, subdued pearflesh more than peach, but again the sulphur hardens the palate and shortens the flavour and mouthfeel. Finish is better as the hardness tapers away, and the original fruit richness reasserts itself, notwithstanding being really dry. Cellar 2 – 6 years, doubtfully. GK 06/09

2006 Chapoutier Hermitage Ermitage Blanc Le Meal 15 (

)

Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 15.5%; $226 [ cork; Mar 100%; www.chapoutier.com ]
Colour is already light gold, ridiculous. Bouquet is big broad and clumsy, illustrating perfectly the tiresomely idiosyncratic style of these over-worked and oxidised big whites. Palate is raw on the alcohol, broad on the oak, rich on fruit and lees autolysis, and totally lacking in charm, as so many have been before it. There really is an urgent need for some reality in the appraisal of these quixotic whites, which in this particular example is more sherry-like. I wouldn't cellar it. GK 03/10

2007 Delas Crozes-Hermitage les Launes 15 (

)

Crozes-Hermitage AOC, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $31 [ cork; Sy 100%; www.delas.com ]
Ruby, old for age. Bouquet is classical old-fashioned Crozes-Hermitage, slightly reductive, clearly under-ripe, frankly commercial. The dominant aroma is a fragrant leafy scarcely red berry note, but there is pale cassis and white pepper below. Total acid on palate is high, the fruit is leafy grading to stalky and greatly under-ripe, and the wine is a bit dilute as well. It is perfectly wholesome as QDR, and will cellar 3 – 6 years if required. But this too is disappointing wine, from a northern Rhone vintage that was not too difficult. GK 07/10

2009 Mount Brown Pinot Noir 15 (

)

Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 13%; $15 [ screwcap; all de-stemmed; 10 days on skins after cold soak and fermentation; MLF and 10 months in French oak 22% new; RS < 1 g/L; www.mountbrown.co.nz ]
Light pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is fragrant, but not for the right reasons, being under-ripe and thus showing leafy notes, the bouquet lifted by light VA. Nett impression in an uncritical sense is varietal, though. Palate confirms the lack of physiological maturity in the berries and hence the shortness of flavour, but oaking is appropriate to light pinot, and it is pleasantly balanced. Cellar 1 – 4 years. GK 07/11

2002 Georges Michel Pinot Noir Reserve 15 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $33 [ www.georgesmichel.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. Newly opened, this wine is dominated to an unpleasant degree by charry and varnishy oak, which disrupts both smell and taste. Decanted and well-aerated, it improves into something much more like pinot noir (or grenache), except it is still too oaky. The breathed bouquet includes faded florals and cherry suggestions, while the palate is nutmeggy on oak, and cherry / plummy on tired fruit. In the blind tasting, it is readily confused with mature southern Rhone grenache, and the fruit is short relative to the oak. Would be more interesting with a subtler approach to elevation. More QDR (price apart), but would cellar 3 or so years. Tasted twice. GK 11/04

2003 Vynfields Pinot Noir Reserve 15 (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 14.6%; $39 [ screwcap; www.vynfields.com ]
Good pinot ruby. A fragrant and lightly varietal wine on bouquet, with some floral and cherry suggestions, and some smokey oak. Palate lets the wine down, being too stalky for the weight of fruit, and finishing a little astringent and oaky. If the given alcohol is natural, this wine is a dramatic illustration of the difference between sugar ripeness, and physiological or flavour ripeness. Cellar to 3 years. GK 10/04

2002 Girardin Volnay les Champans 15 (

)

Volnay, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $75
Ruby, the darkest of the Girardins, and dark for pinot. An awkward bouquet, combining stewed and estery notes with plain red fruits, plus stalky qualities. Palate is plainer still, rich but oaky and coarse, with a silage suggestion amongst the stalks. Would cellar, but not worth it. It is possible this is a cork-affected bottle, but the characters displayed are unusual for that condition. GK 11/04

2003 J.P. Chenet Cabernet / Syrah 15 (

)

Vin de Pays d’Oc, France: 12.5%; $12 [ basic composite cork ]
Ruby, older for age. Bouquet is plummy, with a touch of almond, prune, brown fig and brett, very ripe indeed. Palate is rich, velvety on low acid and old oak, old and a bit grubby for its age, but plummy, pruney, mellow, and dry. This is honest mouth-filling non-varietal vin de pays QDR, quite rich, hot climate in style, scarcely oaked. Cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 03/06

1992 Te Mata Estate Syrah Bullnose 15 (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12.5%; $ – [ cork; Sy 100%; hand-harvested, de-stemmed; extended cuvaison, followed by 12 + months in new and older French oak; www.temata.co.nz ]
Ruby and garnet, lighter and older again than the 1996. This is a wine of one of Hawkes Bay’s coolest recent years, after the Mt Pinatubo eruption. Bouquet is in the style of the 1996, but older and leafier, and starting to break up and develop decay characters. Palate is running out of fruit, and is clearly stalky and short, but there are still varietal suggestions of cracked pepper all the same. Great to see one of the earliest New Zealand syrahs (of the post Prohibition era), but if you have any, drink it up pronto. GK 10/05

2003 Loosen Bernkasteler Lay Riesling Kabinett QmP 15 (

)

Mosel, Germany: 7.5%; $32 [ www.drloosen.de ]
Palest lemongreen. Another wine in this uneasy overlap zone sauvignon blanc and riesling can so easily show (either way), the result in this case being a slightly catty bouquet, reminiscent of under-ripe scheurebe. Palate is compromised too, with a suggestion of cardboardy sulphur dulling it. Finish is weak on low acid. Not worth cellaring. GK 11/04

2005 Charles Wiffen Sauvignon Blanc Reserve 15 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $18 [ screwcap ]
Lemongreen. This wine opens somewhat reductively, and desperately needs splashy pouring into a wide mouth jug a couple of times. With a lot of air it opens to a white stonefruits very ripe version of sauvignon, easily confuseable with pinot gris. In mouth it is more clearly sauvignon blanc, some black passionfruit, fresh for its age (reasonably, being a little reductive), in a fairly 'dry' Hawkes Bay-like interpretation of the grape. Not worth cellaring. GK 03/07

nv Villa Maria Riverstone Sauvignon Blanc 15 (

)

New Zealand: 13%; $11 [ screwcap; no info on website; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Pale lemongreen. This is more an anonymous dry white, which only when the labels are revealed, turns out to be sauvignon. Blind, it could be anything. But as a quaffer, it has good fruit, gentle acid, low phenolics, and attractive ‘dry’ balance. And instead of oak, one realises the backbone is sauvignon. Good QDW. GK 11/05

2009 Wild South Pinot Noir 15 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $20 [ screwcap; Wild South appears to be a supermarket label owned by Sacred Hill; info is sketchy; RS 1.2 g/L; www.wildsouthwines.co.nz ]
Light pinot noir ruby, the second lightest of the set. Bouquet is light redcurrant pinot noir with a confectionery note of chaptalising, leading into a red fruits palate which is not bone dry, but is clean and lightly varietal in a modest and not very concentrated sense. More QDR pinot, but should cellar 2 – 4 years. GK 11/10

2004 Squawking Magpie Syrah The Stoned Crow 15 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $40 [ screwcap ]
Ruby, some velvet, in the middle for depth of colour. This is an old-fashioned wine, with some reductive and some organic characters, which benefits from splashy decanting. It opens to a quite rich and European style, soft, with browning plummy flavours, and suggestions of pepper. It is the kind of wine which scores poorly in a formal judging, but by virtue of being richer than for example the Babich Syrah or Mad Fish Shiraz, it is still pleasant drinking with food. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 05/06

2008 Torres Coronas Tempranillo 15 (

)

Catalunya, Spain: 13.5%; $30 [ screwcap; Te dominant, some CS; American and French oak; a long-established brand name registered 7/2/ 1907; www.torres.es ]
Older lightish ruby. Bouquet is old-fashioned and plain, some oxidation, non-varietal, just QDR red. Palate follows, clean, dry, short and boring but sound. What a disappointment so many Torres wines have become: the firm seemed so exciting in the '60s. Scarcely worth cellaring. GK 08/11

2003 Vidal Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot 15 (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $19 [ screwcap; CS 75%, Me 14, Ma 8, others 3; up to 35 days cuvaison, 15 months in French and American oak; www.vidal.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet. Rich dark fruit is veiled by reductive characters on bouquet, raising doubts. Palate confirms those doubts, with hard sulphur-related flavours fighting the darkly plummy underlying fruit, making the whole wine austere. Yet one can sense the fruit richness. There is a chance the wine will emerge from the reductive cocoon, in two or three years. Cellar 5 – 10 years, dubiously. GK 11/05

2008 Man O' War Chardonnay 15 (

)

Eastern Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14.5%; $28 [ screwcap; hand-harvested from mendoza and clone 15; whole-bunch pressed; 30% BF in older oak; no MLF or batonnage; RS < 2 g/L; www.manowarvineyards.com ]
Lemonstraw. Bouquet is tending wayward, with aromas of pineapple, smoked fish (perhaps brett-related) and a little VA, which could be OK if they marry up on palate. To me however, the palate is clumsy, the VA and pineapple fruit far from classical, the finish a little tacky as if not bone-dry. 'Popular' chardonnay, not cellar wine. GK 06/10

2009 The Hay Paddock Syrah Harvest Man 15 (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.4%; $39 [ screwcap; Sy 100%, all Chave clone; hand-picked; c.12 months in French oak, 60% 1-year, balance older; www.thehaypaddock.co.nz ]
Older ruby. Initially opened the wine is tending reductive, and needs a good splashy decanting several times. Well ventilated, it becomes vaguely varietal in a lesser European under-ripe way, quite good richness and softness, more red fruits but all tending leafy, not too oaky, another wine along the lines of lesser Crozes-Hermitage (of which there are many). More QDR. GK 10/12

2007 Distant Land Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough 15 (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $19 [ screwcap; some LA in tank, RS 5 g/L; a Lincoln Wines label; www.distantland.co.nz ]
Lemongreen, not as concentrated as the Saint Clair. First opened, bouquet is tending reductive / sulphury, and needs pouring from jug to jug a couple of times. It opens to a less ripe wine than the Saint Clair, with yellow capsicum notes in a less floral / more aromatic version of the grape. Palate has some green and yellow capsicum, mixed with riper black passionfruit qualities, the more phenolic herbaceous elements offset by what seems a slightly higher residual sugar than is optimal for 'dry' Marlborough sauvignon [ confirmed ]. Total style is tending old-fashioned. These Lincoln sauvignons do not show ideal technical control, one being a little oxidised , the other a little reductive. Not suited to cellaring beyond a year or two. GK 04/08

2004 Sanderson Sauvignon Blanc 15 (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 11%; $14 [ screwcap; www.sandersonwines.co.nz ]
Lemongreen. Initially opened and subsequently, there is an organic odour which falls in the 'fruity' family of smells, but which is not totally appealing. Flavour is relatively short, plain, dry, and acid, reminding of stewed gooseberries. Not a cellar wine, beyond 12 months. GK 10/04

2004 Torlesse Sauvignon Blanc 15 (

)

Waipara, New Zealand: 12.5%; $18 [ screwcap; www.torlesse.co.nz ]
Palest lemongreen. Clean modest recognisable sauvignon, a little estery, new, and on the grassy side of properly ripe. Palate is a bit stalky, light, presumably from a cropping rate more 1980s than best '00s. QDW. GK 09/04

2005 Matahiwi Chardonnay 15 (

)

Wairarapa, New Zealand: 12.5%; $18 [ screwcap; not [then] on website; www.matahiwi.co.nz ]
Pale straw. Bouquet is fragrant but artificial, nearly banana, with a hint of mint (perhaps from raw oak) detracting. Palate is acid and short, and although there are signs of barrel-ferment, lees-autolysis and related complexities, the underlying fruit seems stalky and physiologically under-ripe. Thus the wine lacks harmony, and is straightforward, not easy drinking. Better in a year or so, but not worth cellaring. GK 02/06

2007 Brown Brothers Vermentino 15 (

)

Murray River, Victoria, Australia: 11.5%; $18 [ screwcap; some LA in s/s; 2007 not on website, but 2006 had 6 g/L RS; www.brownbrothers.com.au ]
Palest lemon. This wine opens poorly, with sulphur and cardboardy notes. It responds well to simple splashy decanting preferably into a jug, a couple of times. It then opens to a simple fruity vaguely floral and citric winestyle, off-dry, confuseable with plain riesling rather more than pinot gris. But who needs another obscure plain white grape like this, let alone a less than sparkling-clean one. Not worth cellaring. GK 04/08

2003 Chapoutier Condrieu 15 (

)

Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $68 [ cork; hand-harvested, wild yeast fermentation, part matured in oak, part in vat; 100% MLF; www.chapoutier.com ]
Colour is straw with a flush of gold, and bouquet has that tell-tale bottled quinces character of light oxidation. One can only try and reconstruct the wine, hoping this bottle isn’t representative of the batch. In contrast to the new world wines, the wine style is softer, more complex, more winemaker and artefact-influenced, including a biscuitty / creamy MLF component. Consequently, total acid is less, and the finish softer. Good bottles should be more like the Guigal, but less oaky. Probably not a cellar wine, even in good bottles. GK 11/05

2003 Chapoutier Coteaux du Tricastin la Ciboise 15 (

)

Coteaux de Tricastin, Cotes du Rhone, France: 13%; $16 [ cork; Gr 60%, Sy 30, Ca & Mv 10; 15 days cuvaison, 10 months in vats only; www.chapoutier.com ]
Light ruby. Bouquet is fragrant but pale raspberry grenache, with hints of cinnamon and spice. Palate is a relative let-down however, light, stalky, very dry, short. A pleasantly inconsequential southern French quaffer, to cellar a year or two only. GK 03/06

2004 Voss Pinot Noir 15 (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $38 [ cork; 11 months in French oak 30% new; un-filtered; www.vossestate.co.nz ]
Lightish pinot ruby. Bouquet on this wine is a little congested, masking the delicacy of pinot the variety behind suggestions of wet washing and cardboard, all illustrating a bit much sulphur in the system, or a relative lack of oxygen. Palate is clear red fruits, red cherries and a hint of pennyroyal in the Martinborough style, finishing stalky to the tail. Will be pleasant food wine in a couple of years, and cellar to 2 – 6 years. GK 10/05

2004 Morton Estate Sauvignon Blanc Hawkes Bay 15 (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $15 [ screwcap; www.mortonestatewines.co.nz ]
Pale lemongreen. An unconvincing bouquet, with some cardboard, some capsicum, and some pepino fruit notes. The congested suggestions extend to the flavour, which is straightforward sauvignon from a warmer climate than Marlborough, and more a pleasant QDW. Not worth cellaring. GK 09/04

2010 Crossroads Cabernet Franc Winemakers Collection 15 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $40 [ screwcap; no info on website; http://www.crossroadswines.co.nz ]
Ruby, some velvet, amongst the lightest wines. This is another wine in an old-fashioned, sulphur-entrained, minor Bordeaux styling of the '60s, Entre Deux Mers again where merlot is dominant, and barely ripe. Nothing to be seen of the beauty of cabernet franc at all. Simple QDR, not worth cellaring, unrealistic at $40. There is an urgent need for all New Zealand winemakers, not merely the top half-dozen, to be frequently tasting the 'standard' wines of the world. But then, the same could be said for those who presume to write about, and judge, wine. GK 06/12

2009 Jurassic Ridge Cabernet Franc 15 (

)

Western Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14%; $40 [ screwcap; CF 100%, hand-harvested; c.12 months in French oak, 30% new; RS < 1 g/L; no fining, light filter; www.jurassicridge.com ]
Ruby. This wine needs pouring from jug to jug 10 times, to dispel quite noticeable reduction. In a clouded sort of way it then reveals the red fruits of the variety. Flavour shows good berry, appropriate oak, and a lost opportunity on the technical side. The quality of fruit looks to have been pretty good. It will be great when New Zealand has more cabernet francs as subtly oaked as this one. Doubtfully worth cellaring due to the reduction, or 2 – 6 years, if appropriately handled on opening. GK 10/12

2004 Matahiwi Estate Sauvignon Blanc 15 (

)

Wairarapa, New Zealand: 12%; $16.50 [ screwcap; 10% BF in older oak; www.matahiwi.co.nz ]
Pale lemongreen. Initially opened, tending veiled / reductive, not clearly varietal. Breathed, opens to an austere and slightly grassy sauvignon, the flavours lacking ripeness, and tending to the green and acid end of the capsicum spectrum. Fair concentration and good sweetness, within the 'dry' class, though. Not a cellar wine, beyond a year or so. GK 10/04

2004 Zilzie Rosé 15 (

)

Murray Darling, NW Victoria, Australia: 13.5%; $17 [ screwcap; DFB; www.zilziewines.com ]
Good rosé. Bouquet on this wine is quite intense, in a stalky redcurrants / raspberry / red plums style, slightly sacky. Palate is awkward, very stalky, acid, and perceptibly sweet. See the Zilzie Merlot for thoughts on growing merlot in a hot climate, which I suspect apply even more here. This is perfectly wholesome quaffing rosé, but it would be hard to drink much of. Won't improve in cellar. GK 01/05

2005 Te Mania Sauvignon Blanc 15 (

)

Nelson, New Zealand: 13.5%; $18 [ screwcap; cropped @ < 2 t/ac; RS 3.8 g/L; www.temaniawines.co.nz ]
Lemonstraw. Bouquet is let down by not careful-enough selection of the grapes at the harvesting stage, with a little mustiness from less-than-perfect grapes showing through, on clearly varietal fruit. Palate is straightforward sauvignon a little over-developed for its age, mixed capsicum flavours and black passionfruit skins, ‘dry’, a hint of bouquet garni. Not a cellar wine. GK 02/06

2004 Thomson Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Toolunka Flat 15 (

)

Riverland, South Australia, Australia: 14%; $15 [ screwcap; CS 95%, Sh 5; some French oak whether as barrel or chip not made clear; 2.7 g/L RS; distributed by Lace Merchants; www.thomsonestate.com.au ]
Dense ruby, carmine and velvet. Bouquet is heavy, a dried currants / old prunes kind of browned cabernet cassis (at a stretch) with a suggestion of mint and cod liver oil – i.e. hot climate, over-ripe and dull. Palate is intense, concentrated, raisined fruits, plain flavours, like the Shiraz probably stainless steel plus chips, wholesome in its over-ripe, dulled-down, acid-adjusted way. The stated residual is undetectable. Rich enough to cellar for years, but basically big heavy QDR, not really worth it. GK 03/07

nv Riverstone Chardonnay Vintage Selection 15 (

)

New Zealand: 13.5%; $11 [ screwcap; may include Gisborne, Hawkes Bay & Marlborough fruit, some MLF; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Lemonstraw. Bouquet is plentiful, but coarse, tending to the banana essence style some so-called aromatic yeasts produce. Palate is much the same, good fruit, low oak, but simple fruit salad flavours, and with a harsh finish, as if acid-adjusted Australian. Wholesome, but not worth cellaring. GK 03/06

2004 Sileni Merlot Cellar Selection 15 (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $22 [ screwcap; website more PR than info; www.sileni.co.nz ]
Ruby, one of the lightest. A simple red fruits bouquet with quite a leafy hint, reminiscent of minor satellite St Emilion or similar. Palate has reasonable fruit, but lacks ripeness, so the berry is redcurrant and red plum at best, with a green streak. Cellar 3 – 6 years, but scarcely worth it. GK 10/05

2004 Black Estate Pinot Noir 15 (

)

Waipara, Canterbury, New Zealand: 13.5%; $38 [ 1 + 1 cork ]
Light pinot noir ruby, older too. Bouquet is fragrant in a light way, with a clear leafy component augmenting buddleia florals and fading red fruits. Palate is lightly varietal but under-ripe, perhaps chaptalised, red fruits only, very stalky. This is more a QDR pinot, but is not priced as one. Cellar 2 – 4 years. GK 04/08

2006 Stone Paddock Sauvignon Blanc 15 (

)

Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.8%; $19 [ screwcap; machine-harvested; 90% s/s ferment, 10 % BF in 2-year French oak, plus 2 months LA; RS not given; www.stonepaddock.com ]
Lemon to pale lemonstraw. This is another clogged bouquet, showing both sweaty and grapefruity characters on sauvignon ripened to a more tropical spectrum of smells and flavours, a bit like gold kiwifruit. Palate is reasonably rich, but the clogging trace sulphur persists, introducing cardboardy flat flavours. QDW sauvignon in a riper style, not worth cellaring. GK 10/07

2010 Ata Rangi Syrah 15 (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $48 [ screwcap; vines up to 30 years age; up to 6 days cold soak; up to 3 weeks cuvaison; MLF in barrel; 11 months in French oak c.20% new; www.atarangi.co.nz ]
Ruby, an older wine, below midway in depth. Bouquet is tending old-fashioned, fragrant but reminiscent of Entre-Deux-Mers more than syrah, showing reasonable fruit but all tending leafy and leathery. It seems old for its age. Palate shows reasonable red fruits browning now, but acid is higher than the Staete wine and there is rather a lot of stalk too, so this wine too is a cool-climate syrah. Even once one knows the variety, the total style still seems stalky merlot-dominant minor bordeaux, rather than syrah. It works as pleasant food wine, rather than as a varietal. It needs to lose some tannin, so cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 03/15

2007 Hans Herzog Pinot Noir Grand Duc 15 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 14.5%; $70 [ supercritical cork; this wine not on the Herzog website, price indicative, if along lines of standard PN is; hand-picked @ conservative cropping rate from 6 clones of PN; long cold-soak, c. 21 days cuvaison; c.18 months in French oak some new; RS <1 g/L; www.herzog.co.nz ]
Colour is on the big side for fine pinot noir, the second deepest, some age showing. Bouquet is simply non-simpatico with the tasting, showing far too much winemaker influence, and not enough attention to pinot noir the grape. A pharmaceutical note detracts further – I wonder if there are eucalyptus within cooee. Beyond the poor initial impression, there is dark fruit ripened beyond florality, and nutmeggy and spicy oak hinting at brett, all making a big burly over-ripe / hot climate interpretation of pinot noir that pays no heed to Burgundy. Palate is moderately rich, very spicy and oaky, altogether too tannic and out-of-style. OK as big red wine, but priced as something special. Some of the reviews on-line are bizarre, if the concept of beauty of varietal expression in pinot noir is to be a guideline in producing world-class pinot noir in New Zealand. Will hold 2 – 6 years. GK 09/13

2007 Sileni Rosé Cabernet Franc Cellar Selection 15 (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $18 [ screwcap; CF; the lack of wine detail on the website is frustrating; www.sileni.co.nz ]
Good rich rosé, the deepest of the 4 wines. Initially opened, there is some reduction and retained fermentation odours, needing splashy decanting. Aerated, the wine slackens off, the subtlety desired in the variety cabernet franc instead passing to a rather coarse raspberry cordial flavour, with elevated acid. The nett impression is dry verging on sour, and not winey. This will be much better in two years, I suspect. Again, cellar 1 – 3 years, despite popular opinion. GK 02/08

2002 Te Mania Pinot Noir Reserve 15 (

)

Nelson, New Zealand: 13%; $27 [ www.temaniawines.co.nz ]
Good pinot ruby. A more fragrant bouquet than the Tohu, but in the floral fragrance is a leafy quality which is worrying. Palate confirms, with leafy to stalky flavours prominent in more interesting fruit flavours than the Tohu (which is a year younger), but also more acid. Nett impression is not so good, therefore. Clearly varietal, but lacking the flavours of physiological maturity. Marginally worth cellaring, 3 – 5 years. GK 08/04

2005 Beresford Shiraz Beacon Hill 15 (

)

McLaren Vale, South Australia, Australia: 14%; $12 [ screwcap; 2005 not on website, but the 2004 spent 3 months in US oak, and was finished at < 1 g/L RS; www.beresfordwines.com.au ]
Ruby. This wine benefits from decanting / swirling / aeration in glass, to reveal a straightforward but still tending-reductive boysenberry shiraz of no great concentration or sophistication. Flavours are lesser, hard and stalky as if machine-harvested. It has the fruit to mellow somewhat in a year or two, if desired. It does seem to have some genuine wood maturing. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 10/07

2012 Mount Edward Pinot Blanc 15 (

)

Gibbston, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13%; $23 [ screwcap; not apparent on website; www.mountedward.co.nz ]
Lemongreen. Bouquet is drably vinifera, not having much to say at all, total sulphur maybe a bit high as yet. Palate is equally anonymous, tending acid, and much too sweet, a 'nothing' wine. Pinot blanc is at best a beautiful little wine like (best) chasselas, but Mount Edward so far have declined to take it seriously. Pinot blanc needs to be cropped appropriately for good wine, ripened to a point that optimises the florality of the grape, touched with old oak only if at all, and presented as a near-dry wine. Not worth cellaring, not easy to drink. GK 05/13

2007 Clos Henri Pinot Noir Marlborough Reserve 15 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $26 [ cork; detail awaited, the 2005 Pinot Noir was aged for ten months in French oak, 15% new; New Zealand website hard to locate, and does not display / scroll correctly; www.clos-henri.com/vineyard/home/closhenri.en.php4 ]
Pinot noir ruby, one of the lighter wines. Freshly opened the wine is reductive in the older European way, and needs splashy decanting several times. It gradually opens up to reveal a pinot in the Marlborough young alluviums style, lighter florals at the buddleia end of the physiological ripeness scale, red fruits including red currants and red cherry only, all a bit too leafy / stalky. An old-fashioned wine, not really worth cellaring. GK 02/10

2009 Cable Bay Viognier 15 (

)

Western Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14.5%; $35 [ screwcap; small percentage BF in French oak; www.cablebayvineyards.co.nz ]
Light straw with a worrying faint flush of brown. Bouquet is a mixed affair, with some oxidation and some hoppy gewürztraminer-like notes, fragrant but not 'correct' as the English say. Palate has good fruit, but with a jujube and smokey component, good body and some length. If it were labelled verdelho, one could be more forgiving. But viognier is a very precisely defined noble variety. There are enough poor ones from France, without us endorsing wayward ones here. Pleasant enough as a full bodied aromatic white, but misses as viognier. Not cellar wine. GK 06/10

2002 Umani Ronchi Montepulciano d'Abruzzo 15 (

)

Abruzzo DOC, Italy: 12%; $12.50 [ plastic 'cork' ]
Good ruby. About this point in the tasting, the quality passes from surprisingly good (even seriously good) quaffing red (considering the parameters for the tasting: BBQ reds under $15), down to something more rustic. The Umani is vaguely redfruits, noticeably bretty, and aromatic on VA. Palate adds quite a leathery note into the berry flavours, all looking quite old-fashioned and traditional. Still perfectly acceptable QDR to be stuck with, and not bad considering the rain-soaked vintage some peri-Mediterranean districts experienced in 2002. Cellar a year or two. GK 11/04

2004 Mills Reef Pinot Noir Reserve 15 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $18 [ screwcap; hand-picked; 9 months in French oak with LA and batonnage; www.millsreef.co.nz ]
Lightish pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is completely in the warm climate strawberry style of pinot noir, and fragrant, along with light VA and a little brett. Palate shows good fruit, but it is one-dimensional in flavour, slightly leafy, and with the oak creeping up a little. Useful food wine as QDR pinot, attractively priced, but not a good style of pinot noir. Cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 05/06

2004 Kahurangi Riesling 15 (

)

Moutere Hills, Nelson, New Zealand: 12.5%; $17 [ screwcap; claimed to be the South Island's oldest riesling vines; www.kahurangiwine.com ]
Pale straw. This wine doesn't open too well at all, vaguely ripe fruity but with cardboardy qualities tending reductive. It breathes off to a fairly neutral bouquet, smelling quite rich and hinting at pinot gris. Palate is confuseable with unoaked chardonnay initially, with considerable body, but gradually a terpeney aromatic makes one wonder if it is pinot gris, or Australian rhine riesling. Aftertaste is the most varietal part, the aromatics there being quite lime-zesty. Has the fruit to improve in cellar, but modest as a varietal now. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 01/05

2003 Dry River Pinot Noir 15 (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13%; $69 [ 44mm cork; clones 10/5 and others, up to 27 years, not irrigated, harvested @ c.1 t/ac; 22% whole bunch, up to 10 days cold soak, 15 days cuvaison; 12 months French oak 25% new; sterile filtered; Robinson '09: This still looks a very youthful crimson. Very definitely Martinborough not Musigny. Sweet start and smooth texture. Relatively low acidity (2003 was a particularly hot vintage, as in Europe oddly enough.) Seems a bit frozen in terms of development, without much subtlety and with a pretty drying finish. No charmer, 16; www.dryriver.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, dense, not a pinot noir colour, much the darkest wine. And nor is bouquet at all varietal, being dark and baked, toffee apples, cocoa and nutmeg. It smells heavy and glucosey, not even comparable with good Chateauneuf-du-Pape, comparable only with traditional over-ripe Languedoc. Palate has some of the softness of pinot noir, but the flavours are caramelised raisins and prunes, no freshness, no varietal affiliations, sadly irrelevant in a pinot noir tasting. Some people liked its richness, however. Also on the plus side, in its style, it will cellar for another 3 – 10 years.

At the time of its promotion and release in 2004, Dry River described the wine as: … concentration with elegance and delicacy of expression. In those days, they also enclosed a promo-sheet with their mail-out, reproducing the views of winewriters of a known sycophantic streak, needless to say all fulsome in their praise of Dry River wines. Later the same year I published a review of this 2003, having bought the wine, and commented: McCallum's pinots have been over-ripe and weighty for some years now, but this latest example is perverse … Any number of fat rich wines from the south of France offer similar sensory qualities … 16. I often wonder, do all those winewriters who praised these Dry River Pinot Noirs to the skies on release ever go back and taste the wines in maturity (this would presume them actually buying the wine), or ever re-read their ridiculous me-too reviews in the light of later evidence ? New Zealand winewriting, like Australia's, suffers immensely from parochialism. GK 11/13

2005 Farnese Sangiovese 15 (

)

Abruzzo IGT, Italy: 13%; $14 [ plastic-sleeved foam; Sa 100%; de-stemmed, 10 days cuvaison; dry extract 32 g/L inc. 4 g RS; 400,000 cases of this label; good fact-sheet on Farnese @ www.empson.com; the firm's given website not working at time of writing; www.farnese-vin.com ]
Dense ruby and velvet, rich, older than the Gran Sasso. This is a more old-fashioned wine again than the Gran Sasso, the fruit richness being offset by brett to the degree the wine smells horsey / leathery / brackish. Fruit in mouth is good, the flavours are savoury more than plummy, and only 10 years ago almost everyone thought this normal (from parts of Italy). Many still like this kind of wine greatly, it is perfectly wholesome, so in one sense one cannot reject it on pure wine technology grounds perceptible only to the highly trained. But in terms of the brett load, this one has to be scored down. Not worth cellaring. GK 02/08

2010 Miro Vineyard Syrah / Viognier 15 (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.9%; $45 [ NeoCork plastic 'cork'; Sy 97%, Vi 3, hand-harvested; no elevation info on website; www.mirovineyard.co.nz ]
Medium ruby, but old for age. Bouquet is off-centre, with smoky / salami / crushed manuka leaves and some VA and thoughts of brett on vaguely red berries. Palate is better, red berries, some older oak, quite good fruit concentration but undesirably 'complex' flavours, not clearly varietal and not bone dry. More QDR. GK 10/12

2003 St Hallet Gamekeeper’s Reserve 15 (

)

Barossa Valley, South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $17 [ screwcap; Sy, Gr, Mv, To; said to be made in a soft, oxidative GSM style, but without oak; www.sthallett.com.au ]
Good ruby, some carmine and velvet, fractionally deeper than the Fuse. This is a strange wine, with the voluminous bouquet of grapes picked a little green. There is thus a clear leafy / floral quality in the red berries, and mint verging on euc’y. Palate picks up the leafiness, giving a clear green stalky streak running through red berries and euc. A difficult style to assess, and to drink. Could be interesting to cellar a couple 5 – 10 years, possibly to surprise in the way some rich but leafy southern Rhones do. GK 08/05

2006 Lime Rock Pinot Noir 15 (

)

Waipawa district, southern Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $28 [ screwcap; vineyard 250 m on limestone, north-facing; hand-picked; all de-stemmed, cold-soak; French oak 1 and 2 -years; website being re-built; Catalogue: ripe cherries, plums and spice, with savoury tones and fine silky tannins. From the limestone we find minerality gives character and length to our wines; Awards: Bronze, Romeo Bragato 2007; www.limerock.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby and garnet, old for age. Bouquet is quite strong and varietal, but in a weaker warm-climate style, with some of the fragrance due to leafyness. Palate illustrates that even more, lightest red currants, and hints of browning strawberry flavours, like a wet year in southernmost Burgundy, finishing stalky and tasting chaptalised. Cellar a year or two only. GK 07/09

2009 Ch Haut-Maurac 15 (

)

Saint Yzans, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $40 [ cork (50 mm); CS 60%, Me 40, said to be being replanted at densities up to 10,000 vines / ha; 33% new oak; the least info on the web for all these minor Bordeaux; biodynamic, which may correlate with my conclusions – if all the wine is assembled and all bottles are the same, then many American reviewers are blind to sulphide. More likely it is several tanks, varying batches, ours lesser; cru bourgeois, Medoc; no website found ]
Ruby and velvet, a good colour, above midway. Bouquet is clearly affected by reduction, simple H2S and some raw meat odours masking the berry. In mouth there is good rich fruit physically, but one cannot taste the quality of the fruit due to sulphides. Oaking is good, and includes some new, so this is all a bit sad. Not worth cellaring for me, but may bury its sulphur in 10 years, it is rich enough to cellar 10 – 20 years. GK 06/12

2004 Chard Farm Riesling 15 (

)

Cromwell, Central Otago, New Zealand: 12.5%; $20 [ screwcap; price approx; www.chardfarm.co.nz ]
Lemon. Bouquet is plain, with noticeable VA, plus an odd cooking-oil suggestion, scarcely varietal. Palate is awkward too, slightly grapefruit, medium dry sweetness, quite phenolic and clumsy. The nett impression is vaguely varietal, but not worth cellaring. GK 03/06

2003 Herzog [ Merlot / Cabernets ] Spirit of Marlborough 15 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 14.5%; $56 [ cork; not yet released; 2005 not available, 2003 offered; if details similar 2001, will be Me 60%, CS 15, CF 15, Ma 10, hand-harvested @ very low cropping rates (@ 500 g / vine, one quarter the load per vine of Villa Maria Reserve wines, but planting density unknown); wild-yeast ferment, c. 21 days cuvaison; 24 months in French oak 40% new; RS < 1 g/L; not fined or filtered; www.herzog.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet. Bouquet is clean and fragrant, but is another one with a clear sautéed red capsicums quality, in old / fading bottled plums, which is not very red-winey. Both bouquet and palate have a slightly carbolic quality to them, as if there were some American oak (not so), so more likely to be a transformation of the methoxypyrazines of physiologically immature cabernet sauvignon. Palate is quite rich, but the lack of physiological maturity and ripeness gives austere and stalky flavours. These fruit qualities are immutable, as the 1976 Montana black label Cabernet Sauvignon has shown in the ensuing years (even with all the advantages of the first-crop syndrome). Notwithstanding the great advances in viticultural understanding since then, growing cabernet sauvignon in Marlborough is a mistake, now as then. Given the attention which is lavished on these grapes, all efforts should be focussed on merlot, with perhaps 5% cabernet franc maximum. Not worth cellaring. GK 09/07

2007 Kumeu River Chardonnay Village 15 (

)

Kumeu, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13%; $19 [ screwcap; hand-harvested; whole-bunch pressed; wild-yeast fermentation; 100% MLF; 33% BF and some oak maturation, balance s/s, some with LA; www.kumeuriver.co.nz ]
Pale lemonstraw. Bouquet is lesser on this wine, a more overt reductive character tied up with light cardboardy aromas as in simple European chardonnay. Palate has reasonable fruit and is more clearly varietal, some texture in mouth, but just a hint of armpit odour tied in with the sulphur on bouquet. Not quite pure enough to be rewarding, or worth cellaring. GK 11/08

1994 Rockford Shiraz Basket Press 15 (

)

Barossa Valley, South Australia: 14.5%; $ –
A leathery (-ve) and very tannic wine maturing ungracefully from one-dimensional browning boysenberry and slightly salty shiraz, plus excess oak. A hard charmless finish, food-unfriendly, as most of these monsters are. GK 10/04

2004 Kumeu River Chardonnay Village 15 (

)

Kumeu, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13%; $17 [ screwcap; 25% BF and LA in 5-year French oak less than 6 months; www.kumeuriver.co.nz ]
Pale straw. Bouquet is raw and faintly rubbery, detracting from pale stonefruit chardonnay showing some barrel ferment and lees autolysis undertones. Palate is simple chardonnay flavours, but like the Te Whare Ra, it is uncoordinated, with fruit, acid and oak all standing apart. Level of oak is good, though. This is a sub-standard example of this usually reliable label. Should be better in a year, and will cellar 2 – 4 years. GK 06/05

2009 Stonyridge Merlot / Cabernet Sauvignon Faithful 15 (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13%; $25 [ cork; Me 67, CS 17%, Ma 12, CF 4, hand-picked; a third-tier wine catering to the picnic trade at three times the price of better quality from a supermarket; www.stonyridge.com ]
Lightish ruby. Bouquet is more rosé weight in a Loire Valley style, but tending leafy / under-ripe. Palate confirms, a very light wine with redcurrant rather than blackcurrant fruit, some red plums, but under-ripe, fresh acid, slightly cardboardy. Picnic wine at best, better after a year or two in bottle, but not worth cellaring. Stonyridge do their image a disservice, by producing entertainment wines like this (and the chardonnay) under their main label. GK 06/10

2002 Seifried Pinot Noir 15 (

)

Nelson, New Zealand: 13.5%; $23 [ screwcap; www.seifried.co.nz ]
Good pinot ruby. A fragrant light red berry bouquet which is clearly pinot noir, but let down by wet-rag complexities. Palate is lightly red cherry, tending stalky, straightforward. QDR pinot. Cellar 1– 3. GK 01/04

2012 Crossroads Cabernet / Merlot Winemakers Collection 15 (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $39 [ screwcap; CS 46%, Me 39, balance other varieties, grown in several districts including the Gimblett Gravels; 16 months in French oak, 40% new; RS < 2 g/L; www.crossroadswines.co.nz ]
Ruby, towards the upper end of the lightest third, in colour. The wine needs decanting, to then show a clogged and modest petit bordeaux winestyle, smelling lean and one wonders about the ripeness (at the blind stage). In mouth the reduction has affected the palate, with hard tannins and short under-ripe flavours, some indeterminate berry but no varietal character. Oak is appropriate to a small wine. Asking $40 for a wine reflecting 1980s-New Zealand red wine quality and standards such as this wine displays is simply not appropriate, bespeaking frightening unawareness of the wines of the world today. Beautiful cellar-worthy cru bourgeois from lovely vintages can be bought in New Zealand for markedly less. Not worth cellaring. GK 06/14

2003 Minaret Peaks Pinot Noir 15 (

)

Wanaka, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $38 [ screwcap; hand-harvested ]
Lightish ruby, the lightest in this bracket of pinots. Bouquet is lightly red fruits, slightly stalky and cardboardy, not clearly varietal in the blind tasting including sangiovese and montepulciano. Palate is more stalky, the red fruits lacking physiological maturity. This is a straightforward QDR pinot, expensive at the price. Not worth cellaring. GK 03/06

2004 Babich Syrah Winemakers Reserve 15 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $25 [ cork; a trace of viognier, co-fermented with wild yeast; 22 days cuvaison; 11 months in American and French oak some new; www.babichwines.co.nz ]
Bright light ruby, the lightest of all the wines. Bouquet is light, clean and fragrant, with both buddleia florals and clear cracked peppercorn. Palate has some cassisy suggestions in red plummy fruit, but all tending acid and stalky / peppery, and clearly lacking concentration / dry extract. This suggests over-cropping, relative to the average quality being achieved in syrah in New Zealand. More a dry QDR syrah, but could be cellared 2 – 5 years at the most. GK 05/06

2009 The 3rd (Third) Man Pinot Noir Omihi Reserve 15 (

)

Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 13.5%; $23 [ screwcap; wild yeast ferment; uninformative website, so no detail; www.thethirdman.co.nz ]
Lightish pinot noir ruby, old for the year. Bouquet is fragrant, but for the wrong reasons, reflecting both VA and brett as well as unripe fruit. Palate is clearly varietal, but lacks varietal charm, the oak exacerbating the green phenolics, the wine flavoursome but rough. Not worth cellaring. GK 08/11

2009 Mountford Estate Pinot Noir Village 15 (

)

Waipara Valley, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 14.5%; $29 [ screwcap; not Estate fruit, no info; not entered in Shows; www.mountfordvineyard.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, older than the other wines. Bouquet is leafy as well as red berries on bouquet, clearly varietal, but lacking appropriate ripeness. Palate shows good richness in the set, red fruits all through, but marred by leafy grading to clearly green flavours, which won't go away with bottle age. The level of oak makes the stalky notes seem harder. Lesser wine, not worth cellaring. GK 10/12

2005 Ngatarawa Syrah Glazebrook 15 (

)

Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $25 [ screwcap; www.ngatarawa.co.nz ]
Good ruby. Bouquet is complexed by a touch of eucalyptus, some retained fermentation odours, and the leafy fragrance of under-ripeness, on red fruits. Palate is varietal, some white pepper, but is also stalky. Even though there is some flesh, the green suggestion is negative. Comparison with the Woodthorpe is useful, where a similar weight of wine has achieved markedly better physiological maturity. And Bullnose from the same soils close by Ngatarawa has achieved near-perfect physiological maturity. Cropping rate seems an issue here. Cellar 3 – 8 years, doubtfully, to see how it resolves the stalky component. GK 01/07

2001 Riverby Estate Riesling [ cork ] 15 (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 12.5%; $ – [ cork; Gm 239 vines planted 1994; machine-harvested at c. 3 t/ac; cold-settled, cool- and stop-fermented in s/s; pH 3.23, RS 3.3 g/L; www.riverbyestate.com ]
Full gold. [ See the screwcap version, above. ] In comparison with that wine, this cork-closed one is biscuitty going on woody, otherwise clean but lacking in varietal bouquet. In mouth riesling aromatics are still there, and the wine actually tastes sweeter than the screwcap-closed one. Strangely, it is woodier than the 2000, a function of cork variation I guess. Both this and the 2000 vintage have aged prematurely under cork, by Australian rieslings standards, so as for the 2000, all but the palest bottles left in your case need finishing up. GK 04/09

2004 Waipipi Pinot Noir Henry 15 (

)

Masterton, New Zealand: 12.5%; $21 [ cork ]
Light pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is very youthful and faintly estery, with light blackboy and vaguely red cherry fruit, and older cooperage. Palate is quite fruity, partly because it is not bone dry, but the older oak is clean. A slight raspberry cordial quality now, but may dry out in cellar 3 – 5 years, into pleasant light QDR pinot. GK 08/05

2006 Maori Point Pinot Noir 15 (

)

Tarras, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $28 [ screwcap; hand-harvested, de-stemmed, 10% saignée; 10 months in French oak casks, one third new; www.maoripoint.co.nz ]
Colour closely matches the 2005 Mt Difficulty, bespeaking good richness. Bouquet shows maturing cherry pinot noir lifted by VA, all a bit too varnishy. Palate indicates the wine had good fruit ripeness, but the nett impression is marred by the VA. Casual tasters actually like VA at this level, but I'm marking it down. Not worth cellaring. GK 08/11

2005 Waimea Estates Sauvignon Blanc Bolitho Signature 15 (

)

Nelson, New Zealand: 13.5%; $23 [ screwcap; partly BF in French oak; www.waimeaestates.co.nz ]
Lemonstraw, deeper than most. Initially opened, the wine is tending pongy on entrained sulphur. It breathes off relatively quickly – a good splashy decanting will do – to a more straw-y version of sauvignon blanc, in quite a big wine. Palate is big and rich, the fruit ripened beyond capsicum, but quite extractive and tending coarse. These big flavours could be good with boldly-flavoured smoked seafoods or similar, but in the judging lineup it misses the cut. Not a good cellaring prospect. GK 02/06

2012 Gunn Estate Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough Reserve 15 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 12%; $17 [ screwcap; all s/s; RS 4 g/L; www.gunnestate.co.nz ]
Lemongreen. Bouquet is old-fashioned, a grassy and green capsicum sauvignon with hints of cut-green-bean, but all clean and fragrant as such. Palate follows naturally, tending thin intrinsically but rather strong due to the flavour compounds, sweeter than average, a supermarket wine. Won't cellar beyond a year or two. GK 05/13

2004 Surveyor Thomson Pinot Noir 15 (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $33 [ cork; 11 months in French oak 33% new; second vintage; www.surveyorthomson.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. Bouquet shows light red fruits made plainer by slightly grubby oak, but all clearly pinot. Palate develops the red cherry side, but is very acid which draws attention to a stalky component. Might be hard to drink several glasses of this now, but it should mellow in cellar 3 – 6 years. GK 06/06

2003 Babich Pinot Noir Marlborough 15 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $20 [ cork; 3-4 days cold soak, MLF in barrel and 10 months in French oak; www.babichwines.co.nz ]
Lightish pinot ruby. Pinot in a more leafy red fruits style greets the taster, with initially a hint of retained fermentation odours. Palate has fair fruit suggesting red currants and red cherries, but the leafiness increases to become a little stalky. Pleasant light inconsequential pinot, but a little more acid and maybe not as dry as the Pencarrow '02. Cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 03/05

nv [ Caves de Marsigny ] Saint-Meyland Methode Traditionelle Brut 15 (

)

Auxerre, c.100 km NW Beaune, France: 12%; $17 [ supercritical 'cork'; cepage said to be PN & gamay, but doesn't taste it, likely to contain aligoté and chardonnay as other wines from this house do; tirage may be over a year, but again obfuscation on websites, no differentiation between time on lees and time in bottle; it is made in much the same way as (cheaper versions of) cremant de Bourgogne, but since is non-appellation is classed as vin mousseux de qualité; distributed by Glengarry Wines; no website found ]
Lemongreen, also a worry in the bottle-fermented class. Bouquet is light, clean, faintly apply, slightly soapy, the merest hint of crumb of bread autolysis, pretty well neutral. Palate is drab, tending phenolic (aligoté ?), mostly white varieties, lacking interest but drier than some. Neutral / innocuous bubbly, not worth cellaring. GK 12/12

2010 River Farm Pinot Gris Godfrey Road 15 (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14.5%; $18 [ screwcap; SB 100%, hand-picked from low-cropping vines; most s/s ferment, some BF with wild-yeast in older barrels; consultant winemaker Brian Bicknell of Mahi, RS 3.5 g/L; www.riverfarmwines.co.nz ]
Pale straw. Bouquet is lifted by VA, on a neutral vinifera aroma scarcely hinting at pear flesh. Palate has some richness, is near dry, but likewise lacks fruit flavours, and is phenolic as well as rough on the VA. The partial barrel fermentation augments this. Not worth cellaring. GK 08/11

2002 Shepherds Ridge Pinot Noir 15 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $26
Lightest ruby. Initially opened, bouquet is veiled. Breathes to an old-fashioned fragrant but grassy / stalky bouquet, like the Auckland wines of the early 80s. Flavours are light redfruits including red currants, fragrant, more flesh than expected, but stalky. Cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 11/04

2003 Tuatara Bay Pinot Noir 15 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 12.5%; $11 [ screwcap; sold via www.blackmarket.co.nz, maker unknown ]
Lightish rosy pinot ruby. A sweetly floral and slightly leafy redfruits pinot bouquet, clean and fragrant. Palate is strawberry and redcurrants pinot with a nod to red cherries, lightly oaked, ripe enough at the slightly leafy redfruits level, not absolutely bone dry. This really is QDR pinot, and as such beautifully made, offering value at the price. It will cellar 1 – 3 years too. A similar achievement to the basic Saint Clair wine, but thinner. GK 03/05

2003 Squawking Magpie Chatterer Red 15 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $23 [ CS 50%, CF 40, Me 10; www.squawkingmagpie.co.nz ]
Ruby. Clean and fragrant red currant aromas, with a distinct peppery note on bouquet. Flavour is similar, fresh, oaked to the max for the light fruit, but reasonably harmonious. More a QDR, but will mellow somewhat in its aromatic cool climate style, over 3 – 5 years. GK 12/04

2003 Seresin Pinot Noir 15 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $37 [ cork; 15 months in 25% new French oak; www.seresin.co.nz ]
Older pinot ruby. In the review of 9/04, this wine was reviewed poorly, noting reductive characters. They have moderated somewhat, and splashily decanted and well-breathed, it now presents itself as a still unforthcoming and heavy wine, but reasonably fruited on dark cherries and plums. Palate is stern, tannic, but now recognisably pinot. In five years time it may have condensed some tannins, and lightened up sufficiently to be more forthcoming. Undoubtedly serious wine, but I would like to see a lighter style showing a little more joy. Some of the dullness comes from a high solids fermentation character also commented on (negatively) in other Seresin wines. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 03/05

2005 Strugglers Flat Pinot Noir 15 (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13%; $21 [ screwcap; a label of Capricorn subsidiary of Craggy Range ]
Dense ruby, some carmine and velvet, not an appropriate pinot noir colour. One sniff, and this wine is off the pace, when compared with previous Strugglers Pinots. It smells like a double-skinned wine being pushed into a syrah style, and tastes even more like syrah. The actual fruit is terrific, and though the oak is to a max for syrah or pinot, there is a syrah-like floral component which appeals greatly. This is going to evolve into an rich round wine reminiscent of modern Languedoc, which will drink well. In a Cotes du Rhone tasting, for example, it could score highly, as syrah dominant. So, well worth trying. But as varietal pinot noir, it misses the boat. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 02/06

2006 Stone Paddock Syrah 15 (

)

Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $23 [ screwcap; clones Chave & 174, hand-harvested; s/s ferment, 10 months in French oak mostly one-year; RS not given; www.stonepaddock.com ]
Ruby, old for age. This wine benefits from decanting, to reveal a curious bouquet, reminiscent of roast chook with a blueberry and sage stuffing, not unpleasant, some VA. Palate continues the blueberry, with clear white pepper also apparent, all a little oxidised, stalky, and old-fashioned. Pleasant QDR syrah, to cellar a year or two only. GK 10/07

2012 Black Barn Vineyards Montepulciano 15 (

)

Havelock North district, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12.5%; $39 [ supercritical cork; hand-picked, destemmed; 9 months in older French oak only for this modest vintage; www.blackbarn.com ]
Bright ruby. Bouquet is reminiscent of under-ripe blackberries, or even loganberries, clean and fragrant but maybe stalky – to check on palate. Palate does indeed show a modest level of ripeness, total acid definitely up, fruit richness better than expected, but the flavours are stalky. Pretty modest when one thinks of ripe Italian Montepulciano available at half or even a third the price (if one looks), so as for the Waiheke proprietors of this grape, there is a reality issue here, especially in a difficult year. Cellar 2 – 6 years, in its style. GK 06/13

2006 René Rostaing Cote Rotie La Landonne 15 (

)

Cote Rotie, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $214 [ cork; Sy 100%; no website ]
Older ruby. Bouquet is 1950s grubby, some oxidation, really quite plain. Flavour has an edge of beef extract on recognisable syrah, some oxidised cassis and black and white pepper, not exactly brett maybe, but the whole wine degraded by unclean old oak. Plain old wine, which won't improve in cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 06/10

2010 The Riesling Challenge Paul Bourgeois 15 (

)

Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 12.5%; $ – [ screwcap; winemaker based at Spy Valley, Marlborough; the wines were initially offered at $25 each in the dozen set, but ended up at www.blackmarket.co.nz for $120 the set; wine described as dry by winemaker, and in the middle of Dry by the bar-graph; no other info ]
Lemon-green. Bouquet is aromatic from trace VA, vaguely varietal, a little stalky. Palate shows hints of limezest and vanillin, but the stalky phenolics are obtrusive, and made more apparent by the dryish finish. Along with the Forsyth this is the driest wine in the set. Dubious cellaring. GK 2/12 GK 02/12

2007 Man O’War Syrah Waiheke Island 15 (

)

Eastern Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.5%; $28 [ screwcap; Sy 100%, hand-harvested, all de-stemmed; cold-soak plus 18 days cuvaison with cultured yeast, MLF in both tank and barrel, 10 months in barrel French and American oak, 10% new; ‘This wine exhibits aromas of blue berries and cloves with complex savoury tones. On the palate the wine is full bodied and succulent with firm ripe tannins and a core of minerality derived from volcanic soils of the island.’; www.manowarvineyards.co.nz ]
Ruby. Bouquet is curious, with a slightly antiseptic note in leathery red fruits, lacking in varietal character. Palate explains the ‘antiseptic’ note, being a rather good demonstration of the so-called ‘band-aid’ version of quite serious brett infection. Underlying fruit is browning and drying, with stalky and acid components, leading to suggestions of fustiness on the aftertaste. Another under-ripe wine, but winery practices need sorting out even more than vineyard ones. Not worth cellaring. GK 06/09

2013 Terra Sancta Pinot Noir Mysterious Diggings 15 (

)

Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $23 [ screwcap; Terra Sancta is the new life of former Stock Exchange Chief Executive Mark Weldon and partner (and wife) Sarah Elliot. They have bought three vineyards including Olssen's (in 2011) in Bannockburn, and have created one new one. They have achieved quite a presence in a short time, aided by winemakers Jen Parr and Jody Pagey (male). All wine is made from their own grapes. Mysterious Diggings is their affordable label, but nonetheless it is a single vineyard wine, made from 5 different clones, from one of the most elevated sites in the district, planted in 1999. The proprietors see it as therefore being a subtler but still serious wine, and to perhaps accentuate that aspect it is made with a 5% whole-bunch component. It sees only older oak, and has a dry extract of 27 g/L against a low RS of .24 g/L. It is not fined or filtered; www.terrasancta.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, loud and lurid for pinot noir. Bouquet is similar in style to the 2013 Wooing Tree Beetlejuice, plenty of fruit, but the reduction here is near-crippling, for anybody at all sensitive to reduced sulphurs. Like the Beetlejuice, the big fruit is over-ripe, so the whole thing is tending vulgar / populist. Oak handling is good, though. The whole wine is more like a simple concrete-vat Cotes-du-Rhone than pinot noir. Not worth cellaring, some of the comments for Beetlejuice above apply here too. GK 06/14

nv Deutz Marlborough Cuvée Brut Methode Traditionelle (red label) 15 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 12%; $30 [ cork; PN dominant, balance Ch, hand-harvested; at least 2 years en tirage; RS not given; www.pernod-ricard-nz.com ]
Pale lemonstraw, excessive bubble. Bouquet is lightly autolysed, on light red cherry fruit, with a faint herbes and sur lie sulky complexity. Palate is distinctly odd in the set, quite phenolic, almost foaming in the mouth, the flavours reminding of some Deutscher Sekts, high acid yet too sweet, as if there were some riesling in the blend. Like the current batch of Deutz Rosé Marlborough, this is not a success, when measured against the Lindauer Reserve. [ How one tells if a wine is impaired by the cork, but not ”corked”, I do not know. Hence the caveat in the Introduction to the site.] Not worth cellaring. GK 12/06

2009 Maori Point Pinot Gris 15 (

)

Tarras, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14.2%; $22 [ screwcap; hand-harvested, presumably s/s ferment, though the 2007 was 27% fermented in old oak, lees-stirring over four months to build palate, 2.8 g/L RS; www.maoripoint.co.nz ]
Light lemon. A familiar aroma on bouquet, the banana-y ester-producing yeast used to seduce consumers and wine judges not so long ago, so the wine is 'fruity' but in a false-fruit / vulgar way. Palate is fruity too, varietal in a sense but coarsely flavoured, not tasting quite as dry as the number. Not worth cellaring. GK 08/11

2005 Southbank Estate Pinot Noir 15 (

)

Wairau & Awatere Valleys, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $23 [ cork; 6 clones of PN cropped @ 1.6 t/ac; 5 days cold soak; 7 months in French oak, 15% new; www.southbankestate.com ]
Light pinot noir ruby, some age creeping in. Bouquet is moderately fragrant in an old-fashioned New Zealand pinot style, simple blackboy and plum fruits, some stalks, slightly varnishy oak. Palate is exactly the same, reasonably fruited but the grapes lacking physiological maturity, a stalky note tending phenolic, the oak plain. Short-term cellaring only, 1 – 3 years. GK 05/08

2007 Sileni Chardonnay Cellar Selection 15 (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $18 [ screwcap; no wine detail on website; www.sileni.co.nz ]
Pale lemon. Bouquet is slightly fragrant in a neutral / tending insipid way. In mouth in the blind tasting there is the body of chardonnay, but little of the flavour, the whole thing seeming stainless steel in evolution, perhaps with a few chips to the side. Nett impression is of a slightly sour wine, yet not bone dry, perfectly sound and wholesome, but lacking the come-hither factor. Somewhat better in a year, but scarcely worth cellaring. GK 02/08

2005 Tahbilk Viognier 15 (

)

Central Victoria, Australia: 14%; $22 [ screwcap; machine- and night-harvested Montpellier clone @ c. 4 t/ac; crushed, minimal skin contact, most of the juice cool-fermented in older French hogsheads; a percentage 3 – 6 weeks LA and batonnage; RS c 2.5 g/L; www.tahbilk.com.au ]
Deep lemon. Bouquet on this wine met with a mixed response, some describing it as like an older riesling because of kerosene notes, others finding it rubbery and unattractive to varying degrees. Palate is broad and flavoursome with banana suggestions, like commercial chardonnay fermented with one of the high-ester-producing yeasts, quite rich, dry, but losing the subtlety of viognier the grape. More a flavoursome coarse riesling QDW approach to the variety, not worth cellaring. GK 07/07

1998 Vidal Pinot Noir 15 (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $23 [ NZPN ]
Lighter ruby. Given a breath of air, a simple red plum bouquet, light, anonymous, faintly almondy. Pleasant light flavours and mouthfeel, in style for a warm year Bourgogne rouge, but little to say about the variety. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 01/01

2008 Kennedy Point Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough 15 (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13%; $18 [ screwcap; s/s wine, nil RS; 2400 cases; ‘Aromas of elderberry flower, citrus and passionfruit with fresh, tangy flavours of tropical fruit. 90 points Wine Spectator’; www.kennedypointvineyard.com ]
Lemongreen. Freshly opened, this wine has too much SO2 and a little lees sulphur, but it is otherwise clean. Another to pour briskly from jug to jug 10 times, as splashily as possible. Once aired, surprisingly delicate sauvignon aromas emerge, showing white elderflower and citrus on bouquet, just as the back-label notes say. Palate includes black passionfruit on pleasant clean fruit. In the blind tasting I was startled at how many of the sauvignons showed Marlborough characters, Later reading of the fine print sorted that out, but it does seem regrettable that more is not made of the contrasting Waiheke sauvignon styles. Needs three years to maybe bury the SO2 and mishandled sur-lie character, so for a variety which most prefer young, is it worth it ? GK 06/09

2001 Jaboulet Hermitage la Chapelle 15 (

)

Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $170 [ cork; average vine age 40 years; www.jaboulet.com ]
Ruby. This wine smells tired, cardboardy and plain, with a gutty overtone. Palate is austere and drab, in this blind tasting illuminating neither syrah the grape, nor Rhone the district, sadly, though recognisably varietal in a modest way. Like the 1999 la Chapelle from a brilliant year, it has prematurely and unreasonably become plain and simple. Finish is almost astringent. Disappointing indeed. Not worth cellaring - and I have cellared better vintages of la Chapelle since the 1969 vintage, so I feel sad saying that. GK 06/05

2010 Redmetal Chardonnay 15 (

)

New Zealand: 13.5%; $15 [ screwcap; no wine info on website; www.redmetalvineyards.co.nz ]
Pale lemon-straw. Bouquet is innocuous, in the over-cropped style Sileni / Redmetal incline towards rather often, showing simple stalky fruit. Palate is reminiscent of an unoaked chardonnay, no complexity, no interest really, just QDW chardonnay, not completely dry. Will soften in cellar 1 – 3 years, but scarcely worthwhile. GK 08/11

2007 Babich Merlot / Cabernet Sauvignon Lone Tree 15 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $15 [ screwcap; Me 52%, CS 48; some oak; Catalogue: Brambly/ blackberry notes from the Cabernet mingle on the nose with the softer plum, boysenberry aromas of Merlot. The palate is of medium weight and round with upfront sweet fruit. The fruit lingers on the finish over a savoury background with light cedar oak notes; www.babichwines.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet. Bouquet is uncannily like some MRIA wines, presumably reflecting a simple stainless steel and chip approach to red winemaking. But in contrast to some of the modest wines here, this one smells reasonably ripe, showing red currants and red plums plus some carbonic maceration notes. Palate is clean, fruity in a simple stainless steel way, and dry, but very plain. Cellar 2 – 5 years, as QDR. GK 07/09

2004 Alan McCorkindale Pinot Noir Teviotdale Vineyard 15 (

)

Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 13.9%; $ – [ supercritical cork; on terrace; no website ]
Lightish pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is leafy rather than floral, distinctly lacking physiological maturity. Palate is tending short, red currants as well as red cherries, stalky and slightly green tendencies, yet with a feeling of flesh. More ripeness needed here, for dry red pinot. Not worth cellaring. GK 01/07

2008 Waimea Estates Sauvignon Blanc Bolitho 15 (

)

Waimea Valley, Nelson, New Zealand: 13.5%; $22 [ screwcap, s/s cool extended ferment 5 weeks; several months LA and stirring; RS 2.8 g/L; www.waimeaestates.co.nz ]
Rich lemon. Bouquet is straight back to the 1980s, penetrating capsicum sauvignon with a high percentage of green, and also a clear snowpeas fragrance. There are some riper notes, honeysuckle aromas maybe, but the astonishing facet is the volume of under-ripe bouquet. Palate shows why, the wine being rich and concentrated, very strong, but the methoxypyrazines are simply too high and too green, and the total acid is eye-watering. The fruit was simply not ripe enough to merit the serious winemaking that has gone into this wine, for there seems to be trace barrel-ferment as well as the lees autolysis complexities. It has to earn points for the approach, but the wine does not reflect contemporary values. Yet there are Brits who love this hyper-herbaceous approach, it has to be said. Cellar a year or two only, for this will develop the equally not-favoured asparagus flavours. GK 05/09

2003 Te Kairanga Pinot Noir Reserve 15 (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13%; $50 [ cork; 15% whole bunch; 10 months in French oak 29% new; www.tekairanga.co.nz ]
Mature pinot noir ruby, one of the darker ones. Oak is excessive on this wine, as is so often the case in Reserve versions of any variety, detracting from slightly oxidising but still varietal and quite rich fruit. Palate is therefore old for its age, a little tired in a clinical tasting, not very varietal, but still useful wine in a food context. Time to finish up. GK 02/10

2007 Huia Gewurztraminer 15 (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14.5%; $25 [ screwcap; hand-picked from six clones, all de-stemmed; 33% of the wine fermented in old French oak, balance s/s, some wild yeast ferments; RS 4 g/L; www.huia.net.nz ]
Pale lemongreen. As for the 2008 Astrolabe, sometimes gewurztraminer in Marlborough just does not come together. This is strange wine, pure, but only vaguely pinot gris (rather than gewurztraminer) on bouquet, and with a subtle undertone of parsley. On palate it is more phenolic than the similarly-rated Astrolabe, yet there is virtually no fruit, so it seems empty, and drier too. The final aftertaste is vaguely gewurztraminer-varietal, on the phenolics. Another dubiously worth cellaring, 2 – 5 years. GK 04/09

2004 Te Whare Ra Chardonnay 15 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 14.2%; $25 [ screwcap; a blend, the BF portion MLF and LA in oak 10 months; www.te-whare-ra.co.nz ]
Pale lemon. Bouquet is oak-dominant at this stage, and rough on a little VA as well, on melony fruit more South Australian than New Zealand in style. Palate has fair fruit of pale white stonefruits flavour, but is harsh on oak and acid. Will be better in a year, and will cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 06/05

2010 Sunset Valley Sauvignon Blanc 15 (

)

Upper Moutere, Nelson, New Zealand: 13.5%; $15 [ supercritical 'cork'; not on website but presumably hand-harvested, a BioGro organic producer; 2011 has 7 g/L RS; no relation of the yesteryear Golden Sunset Vineyards of the Henderson Valley, and too, there are Sunset Valley vineyards in nearly all English-speaking wine-producing countries, to further confuse the issue; www.sunsetvalleyvineyard.co.nz ]
Lemon. Bouquet is stronger than the average sauvignon, but not for positive reasons. There is a clear green pea and herbaceous component to this wine, which is sort-of OK in youth, but will quickly go canned-asparagus, with only a little more age. Palate confirms, sweeter than average to cover the under-ripeness and phenolics, a real 1980s wine. More ripeness and gentler extraction needed. Not worth cellaring. GK 08/11

2004 Delta Vineyards Pinot Noir 15 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $19 [ screwcap ]
Pinot noir ruby. A modest pinot bouquet in Hawkes Bay strawberry style, just a hint of tinned sardines. Palate is light, somewhat stalky and lacking concentration, but will soften in a year or two into pleasant QDR pinot, reminiscent of some similarly-priced Australian ones. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 03/06

2004 Miro Cabernet / Merlot Archipelago 15 (

)

Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13%; $27 [ screwcap; cepage presumably similar to the senior Miro blend; 9 months in older French and American oak; second wine of the vineyard; www.mirovineyard.co.nz ]
Light ruby. Bouquet is pale but clean leafy red fruits, in the same minor Bordeaux style as the main blend, but clearly lesser. Palate is austere red fruits, leafy and stalky / green notes, remarkably close to a modest year of a minor satellite St Emilion, over-cropped and under-ripened, but thankfully not over-oaked, and it is dry. OK as fresh lightweight QDR claret style, and it is winey. Not worth cellaring. GK 04/06

2004 Forrest Pinot Noir John Forrest Collection 15 (

)

Waitaki Valley, North Otago, New Zealand: 14.2%; $50 [ screwcap; south of river; calcareous SPMs; www.johnforrest.co.nz ]
Lightish pinot ruby. Bouquet shows a lot of pinot character, but in a simple strawberry and leafy floral style. In the blind tasting it looks remarkably comparable with where Marlborough pinot noir used to be. Palate has weak fruit with some blackboy, but also a stalky and distinctly acid mid to late mouth-feel, not at all flattering. Straightforward pinot to cellar 2 – 5 years, in the hope the acid may soften. GK 05/06

2009 Guigal Crozes-Hermitage – Reduction 15 (

)

Crozes-Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $40 [ 49mm cork; original price; Sy 100%; average vine age 37 years; typically cropped c. 5 t/ha (2 t/ac); 3 weeks cuvaison; 18 months in older French oak; note the dulled and heavy leaden smells and dull leathery flavours, the H2S complexed into the wine now; www.guigal.com ]
Good ruby, well above midway in depth. Bouquet is immediately heavy, leathery and dull on entrained sulphides, but still quite rich in its dull way. There are no hints of florals or the fresh berry characters mentioned for the earlier wines. Palate likewise is dull for the same reasons, and nearly-metallic in flavour and texture, particularly with food. Not only does this wine illustrate a reduction beautifully – unusual for Guigal – but it also vividly displays, being a 2009, that at this level of reduction, cellaring it for a few years has no effect. For those who seek guidance from winewriters, note that no winewriter anywhere in the English-speaking wine world (that I have access to) has mentioned the fact this commercially widespread wine is not only reductive, but so remarkably reductive. Facts and factual guidance are hard to come by, from most winewriters. And such matters are NOT subjective. Cellar for years, probably not to change much – the obvious reduction will gradually marry up to a degree, the wine becoming progressively more leathery. GK 10/16

2011 Saumon Montlouis Mineral 15 (

)

Montlouis, Loire Valley, France: 13%; $40 [ cork; fermentation and elevation in older oak; 20 – 30 year vines; organic producer, minimal sulphur (and it shows); 10 – 15 g/L RS; no website found ]
Straw, not a good colour for the age. Bouquet is honeyed if you are positive, or tending biscuitty / oxidised if you are critical, on good white stonefruits flesh. It is very evolved, with a suggestion of ester rather than florality. In mouth a hint of marzipan comes in, as with so many European whites, and there are traces of oak, VA and maybe botrytis. Finish is near-dry. The whole thing is a very broad interpretation of chenin blanc, considering its youth. In a more technically influenced new world judging, it falls below medal level, reflecting issues all-too-often associated with 'organic' winemaking. For a contrasting view, see the very experienced taster and winewriter The Wine Doctor, who marks the wine 18 (www.thewinedoctor.com/weekend/frantzsaumonmontlouismineral2011.shtml). [ Damn: since drafting this, his website has moved to paid-access, sadly: £45, but this full ref still locates the article.] Not worth cellaring. GK 03/13

2013 Langmeil Shiraz Valley Floor 15 (

)

Barossa Valley, South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $37 [ screwcap; many months in mixed oak, 16% of it new American; RS 2.4 g/L; Halliday vintage rating Barossa Valley 8/10 for 2013; www.langmeilwinery.com.au ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, above midway. This is another wine to need a splashy decanting, when it then shows oak in a raw and unsubtle way, almost suppressing reasonable shiraz fruit ripened to the boysenberry level of over-ripeness. Palate is simple and unintegrated, quite rich, just boysenberry and harsh oak. This one too has saline suggestions. It will cellar in its style 5 – 20 years, but is not competitive in today's more sophisticated wine market – at least in New Zealand. GK 06/16

2002 Dry River Syrah Lovat Vineyard 15 (

)

Martinborough Terrace, Wairarapa, New Zealand: 13.5%; $ – [ Cork, 45mm, ullage 33 mm; weight bottle and cork, 755 g; release price c.$55; same vineyard, now bought by Dry River and re-named; Cooper, 2004: pungent black pepper aromas and fresh acidity woven through its highly concentrated plum, berry and spice flavours. A distinctly cool-climate, intensely varietal style with a long peppery finish, it needs time, open 2006+, ****½; www.dryriver.co.nz ]
Ruby and garnet, some velvet, the third deepest wine. There is something untoward in this wine (or this bottle), almost a hint of methoxypyrazines, and nasturtium flowers, in a light, not expressive, bouquet. It is not that there is no fruit on bouquet, but that it is almost totally neutral. Palate is better, hints of red and darker berries, but some cardboard too, some stalks to the tail, even a hint of cigarette ash-tray (as in old Marlborough cabernet sauvignon) plus cardboard to the tannic finish. Strange. Two people rated this wine their second-favourite, but five had it their least of the 12. It doesn't look unduly old or tired, but it is hard to see it improving. Cellar another five years maybe, in case this is an unhappy bottle. GK 05/19

2008 Man O’War Pinot Gris Ponui Island 15 (

)

Ponui Island immediately SE of Waiheke, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.5%; $28 [ screwcap; hand-harvested, whole-bunch pressed; 100% s/s-ferment, 6 months LA and stirring but no MLF; RS < 6 g/L; 3000 cases; ‘Ethereally fragrant aromas of apricots and lime cordial combine with subtle yeast autolysis characters reminiscent of a fine Champagne. The palate is poised between a balance of fine acidity, a hint of natural sweetness and a pleasing tonic like finish.’; www.manowarvineyards.co.nz ]
Slightly flushed pale straw. Freshly opened the total sulphur is much too high on this wine. It needs to be poured from one jug to another jug as splashily as possible, ten times. Thus aired, pearflesh and pale stonefruits emerge from the grey fog on bouquet. Palate is still hardened by the total sulphur, but there is good pinot gris fruit of fair weight, enriched by the mishandled / non-aerated lees-autolysis. The ‘riesling dry’ finish is good. The wine is not transparent enough to know if there is any older oak in its make-up (by tasting). Cellar 2 – 6 years, possibly to bury the sulphur after three years or so – a pretty doubtful exercise really. Hard to score, the above is ‘ventilated’, so generous. GK 06/09

2004 Whetstone Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast Hirsch Vineyard 15 (

)

Sonoma Coast, California, USA: 14.1%; $ – [ cork; US$48; clones Mt Eden & Pommard, vine age 10 (Mt Eden) and 12 (Pommard) years; 100% de-stemmed, 6 days cold soak, wild yeast fermentation, 16 days cuvaison; 11 months in French oak 33% new; no fining, no filtration; www.whetstonewinecellars.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, clearly the deepest colour in the tasting, not a desirable pinot colour. Bouquet is distinctive, with a stewed dark fruits plus crushed lawsoniana (cypress) quality to it, not at all varietal, but not unpleasant. Palate is big, fat, juicy, lacking acid, with an interesting lucerne hay ‘sweetness’ in the indeterminate red fruits. This is outside international norms for pinot noir, but as big soft warm-climate ‘dry red’ (perhaps not bone dry) it is OK. Charitable speakers at the tasting offered the view it was an amarone version of pinot noir. Not worth cellaring. GK 06/07

1986 Kumeu River Chardonnay 15 (

)

Kumeu, Auckland district, New Zealand: 12.5%; $ – [ cork, 44mm; see 1987; www.kumeuriver.co.nz ]
Gold and old-gold, clearly much deeper than the 1987, so it was omitted in favour of the younger wine. But in all other respects, the two wines are extraordinarily alike. The 1986 is a little drier than the '87, and tastes older, but the same MLF comments would apply. Being drier / less fruit, the oak is now a little more apparent, but the wine is still perfectly acceptable with the right foods. In one sense the finish is the best part, with some fruit (and MLF) sweetness appearing to match the oak. Most bottles now would be too old, this one being much the best colour of my batch. GK 09/15

2008 Kennedy Point Pinot Noir Marlborough 15 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $32 [ supercritical ‘cork’; PN cropped at c.1.2 t/ac; 3 days cold-soak; MLF and 18 months in French oak 40% new; 150 cases, release date August 2009; ‘This wine has a complex nose of ripe raspberries, cherry stone and plums with subtle hints of earth tones. A rich velvety palate of red and black fruit, gives way to an excellent structure with very fine tannins.’; www.kennedypointvineyard.com ]
Pinot noir ruby. The aromas in this glass are clear reminders of previous decades of pinot noir in New Zealand, leafy more than red fruits, the fragrance of under-ripeness. Palate brings in light red fruits, redcurrant and red plums, but all quite stalky. Oaking is subtle, and the finish is soft, which helps the nett flavour / mouthfeel. Cellar 2 – 5 years, for a QDR pinot noir. GK 06/09

2007 Crossroads Winery Syrah Hawkes Bay Reserve Elms Vineyard 15 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $40 [ screwcap; hand-harvested from 6-year old vines; 12 months in French; vexing website; Catalogue: [ nothing on the actual winestyle ]; Awards: Elite Gold & Trophy @ Air New Zealand 2008, Gold @ Hawke’s Bay A&P 2008, Silver @ New Zealand International Wine Show 2008; www.crossroadswinery.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. Freshly opened, the wine is seriously reductive. It needs the jug to jug treatment 10 times. Well-aired, it still shows some of the coarse boysenberry uber-fruity notes associated with reduction, but in mouth it is rich and soft, more boysenberry in the Australian shiraz style, even a hint of mint, than any interpretation of syrah we need in New Zealand. All a pity, since the concentration of fruit and the quality and subtle use of oak all seem promising. Not worth cellaring, unless you (and potential dinner guests) are insensitive to sulphur. Otherwise 5 – 12 years. As noted in the introductory text, wines like this highlight an issue in wine evaluation in New Zealand which the industry needs to face up to. There has to be a worry when wines this reductive are currently receiving silver and gold medals in New Zealand. They can never blossom, especially when bottled under screwcap. Australia went through this phase in the late 1960s and early 1970s, with too many judges not recognising reduction. The work of the Australian Wine Research Institute, and of the (then) Roseworthy wine group of the University of Adelaide helped enormously in this respect, and it is to be hoped that the new research links being forged between the industry and the University of Auckland will produce similar results, once it is acknowledged there is an issue. GK 07/09

1989 Krug Brut 15 (

)

Reims, Champagne, France: 12%; $392 [ cork; PN ±50%, Ch ±30, PM ±20; BF for primary fermentation, no MLF; website still in development (year later); www.champagne-krug.com ]
Colour is deep straw with a brown wash, inappropriate for the age. Bouquet is mellow, mushroomy, tending aldehydic, smelling more of (dry) amontillado than champagne. Palate is first and foremost oaky, reminiscent of old-style Spanish whites, firm acid, fairly brut, a nutty aftertaste which would be good with some flavoursome / savoury foods. An eccentric offering within the champagne concept, however – another bubbly in the king's new clothes basket. Not suited to or worth cellaring. GK 11/06

2009 Domaine Mongeard-Mugneret Grands Echezeaux 15 (

)

Vosne-Romanée Grand Cru, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: – %; $220 [ cork; vine age 40 – 68 years; wine-searcher valuation $330; www.mongeard.com ]
On initial inspection this wine had a lovely meaty richness and savoury bacon fat characters: it could have been marked up to 18. However, within a few hours the wine fell apart and these characters turned to more obvious Brettanomyces and green banana notes. On the positive side, clear pale garnet colour, pretty and bright. A very rich wine, positive fruit notes include red cherry and kirsch. Forest floor and dairy cream tones add complexity. Dry and complex palate with medium-plus acid, great level of ripeness and plush silky tannins. Oak is quite apparent with youthful grippy medium-minus tannins. Rose, cherry and truffle on palate. Those who are tolerant of Brettanomyces will enjoy this wine most. RD 08/16

2000 Kir-Yianni Ramnista 15 (

)

Naoussa AOC, Greece: 13.5%; $24 [ cork; made from 100% old-vine xinomavro, the commonest grape of northern Greece, aged in oak a ‘long time’ (c. 16 months) in grande reserva style; a Boutaris group winery; good profile on the website shown; www.greekwinemakers.com/czone/winemakers/Kir-Yianni.shtml ]
Light ruby. Bouquet is very traditional eastern Mediterranean, showing dry berry, some oxidation and some brett, yet winey. Palate is devastatingly dry and tending tannic and old oaky, though there is some red berryfruit. Not exactly a contemporary winestyle, for the new world. Would probably cellar quite well, in the sense of holding its present style, but only for enthusiasts. GK 03/06

2008 Domaine Mongeard-Mugneret Grands Echezeaux 15 (

)

Vosne-Romanée Grand Cru, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: – %; $186 [ cork; vine age 40 – 68 years; wine-searcher valuation $298; www.mongeard.com ]
Simple wine, red fruit dominant. Colour is in between garnet and pale tawny, very orange, clear and bright. Clean bouquet of fresh red apples, kirsch, roast peaches and violets. Fully developed, not one to cellar, dry on palate with extremely high acidity, rather austere. Light body with medium-minus tannins, some grip and a rough texture. A rather angular wine. Medium alcohol and medium length, straightforward on the palate, once again with red apple and quite pronounced malolactic characters including butter and dairy cream. RD 08/16

2008 Milcrest Estate Pinot Noir 15 (

)

Waimea Plains and Moutere Hills, Nelson, New Zealand: 13.5%; $25 [ screwcap; hand-harvested @ 4 t/ha = 1.6 t/ac from mostly 8 – 10 year vines, de-stemmed, 5 – 7 days cold-soak; 12 months in French oak some new; www.milcrestestate.co.nz ]
Light pinot noir ruby, a little older again than the 2009 Volcanic Hills. Bouquet likewise is less than that wine, distinctly cooler and more leafy, red currants as well as red cherry fruit. Palate is skinny, leafy going on stalky, not enough ripeness in the fruit, as if over-cropped (cropping rate noted, but the vine speaks). Clean QDR pinot, but not really worth cellaring. GK 08/11

2013 Fromm Syrah La Strada * 15 (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 12.5%; $35 [ screwcap; in a reasonable time spent searching the website, there is absolutely no factual information relevant to this wine at all, most odd; released; www.frommwinery.co.nz ]
Ruby, the second to lightest. Freshly poured the wine is reductive to a fault. Vigorous decanting jug to jug is needed. Well-breathed the wine becomes somewhat more fragrant, another New Zealand syrah with suggestions of canned guava in the berry notes, unusual but within bounds. Palate is ripe and rich, black fruits more than red, the subtleties still tending muted, but this is not a pinched wine as so many syrahs from Martinborough are, for example. Style analogies are closest to very plain Crozes-Hermitage. Cellar 5 – 12 years. GK 05/15

2003 Mount Riley Pinot Noir Seventeen Valley 15 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $27 [ www.mountriley.co.nz ]
A big ruby, for pinot. Bouquet is off-putting, with tarry and coffee notes dominant, and petrochemical themes below – another wine woefully mishandled in oak. Palate is better, with what would have been good dark cherry fruit. But pinot of international quality stands or falls on bouquet, a fact which some of our winemakers overlook. Cellar 5 – 10 years, to remain eccentric. GK 11/04

2011 Te Mata Gamay Noir Woodthorpe 15 (

)

Tutaekuri Valley, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12%; $20 [ screwcap; hand-harvested; 66% whole bunch and maceration carbonique ferment, balance standard fermentation; 3 months in old French oak only; www.temata.co.nz ]
Good rosé, modest even by pinot noir standards. Bouquet is even more modest, with redcurrant and raspberry maceration carbonique aromas inclining to the rubbery and vulgar, with overt leafy qualities. Palate is rosé weight, the balance of leafyness and red-fruits-only flavours reminding of some ice creams, though the finish is dry or nearly so, and the actual concentration of fruit is reputable. But by Beaujolais standards, the wine is simply lacking in depth, ripeness, and physiological maturity, not to mention the magic which is so much part of fine gamay – reflecting its pinot noir heritage. The proprietors huff and puff a great deal about the excellence of the clone, and the charm of this wine, but the plain fact is, the grape is out of its climatic zone, and the wine no matter how carefully made is the lame duck in the Te Mata portfolio. Labelled as a varietal, it is time to say it does not pass. It should be labelled Gamay Noir Rosé, when it could be marked positively. Cellar a year or two. GK 08/11

2003 Courbis Cornas les Eygats 15 (

)

Cornas, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $85 [ cork; 100% Sy, vines planted 1991; 100% de-stemmed, s/s fermentation & cuvaison 21 – 30 days; 12 – 16 months in French oak 25% new ]
Older ruby. This French wine (contributed by a Waiheke producer) was a major disappointment, 2003 having been so good for some producers in the northern Rhone. Bouquet shows some browning cassis, old for age, tending stalky, with some brett. Palate is clearly stalky, as if in this drought year achieving full physiological maturity of the fruit was interrupted in the vineyard, with the TA also high, and the flavour short. Not worth cellaring. This highly-reputed wine contributed the same message as the Hermitage, as to the quality of our emerging New Zealand syrahs. A worthwhile message, maybe, but expensive, and not exactly the goal of including two French wines. GK 06/08

1975 Staat Steinberger Riesling Kabinett QmP 15 (

)

Rheingau Valley, Germany: – %; $ – [ cork ]
Old gold, one of the deeper. Bouquet opens up a little varnishy, with fading raisiny fruit. In mouth the hint of sweetness saves it somewhat, so the balance of flavours is dried fruits and nuts, walnuts perhaps – a touch of bitterness, probably OK with appropriate food if one had nothing fresher. State Domains in that era tended to be old-fashioned, and this wine reflects that. GK 03/12

2003 St Hallet Poacher’s Blend 15 (

)

Barossa Valley, South Australia, Australia: 12.5%; $17 [ screwcap; Se, R, SB, Colombard; ’03 not [then] on website, but ‘04 ratios c. 64%, 23, 13, –, with RS 9 g/L; www.sthallett.com.au ]
Bright lemon. Bouquet is straightforward, s/s, high-tech Australian dry white based on semillon, but (as there so often is with this class of wines from Australia) there is a rubbery suggestion plaining it down. Palate is clean, rich, the residual pretty well hidden by the crisp acid, no oak, more of the fruit salad composition apparent in the flavours, but not satisfying to drink. Just sound QDW, so it looks a bit expensive alongside a more fragrant and subtle wine like Montana Sauvignon Blanc, which with a little effort can be laid away by the case for $10 a bottle. The Poacher’s would cellar a year or two, but not much point. New Zealand does this class of wine so much better. GK 08/05

2004 Mount Riley Pinot Noir Winemaker’s Selection 15 (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $27 [ screwcap; hand-picked; not [then] on website; www.mountriley.co.nz ]
Older ruby. Bouquet is smokey oak with coffee undertones, with fruit barely getting a look-in. Palate isn't too different, though one can detect a physical fruit sensation, if not any varietal flavour. Wines such as this which show no relation stylistically to international pinot noir, make one wish that winemakers held more themed study tastings, as keen amateurs do. OK as QDR if you want coffee in your wine, and would cellar several years, but not worth cellaring as pinot. GK 02/06

2008 Julicher Sauvignon Blanc 15 (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 14%; $20 [ screwcap; third-crop, hand-picked; whole-bunch pressed, no skin contact; most of the wine cool-fermented in s/s, small part BF French oak and LA for ‘mid-palate roundness’, no MLF; pH 3.11, RS 1.5 g/L; www.julicher.co.nz ]
Palest lemongreen, nearly water-white. Total sulphur is too high in this wine too. Fruit ripeness and character is at an attenuated yellow capsicum point, cool compared with commercial Marlborough. In mouth the wine shows straightforward fruit on green to yellow levels of ripeness, riper than the main Waimea Estates wine with better acid balance, but still harder, shorter and less ripe than the standard Montana. A little better in a year, but another not to cellar much beyond that. GK 04/09

2006 Henri Bourgeois Sancerre Rouge La Bourgeoise 15 (

)

Sancerre, Loire Valley, New Zealand: 12.5%; $ – [ cork; £20 in the UK; 25 – 40 years old pinot noir on calcareous soils; much emphasis on hand-sorting the grapes; 12 day cuvaison; MLF and 10 – 12 months in small Troncais oak; good background @ http://www.thewinedoctor.com/loire/bourgeoishenri.shtml; proprietor's website hard to find info on a given wine; http://www.henribourgeois.com/blog/index.php?q=rouge ]
Light mature pinot noir ruby and garnet. The wine is pinot noir, not cabernet franc or merlot. Bouquet is lesser, in this range of mostly New Zealand pinot noirs. The level of physiological maturity is at the leafy red currants point, congested by a little entrained sulphur. Palate shows a similar kind of serious fruit weight and approach as the Lime Rock, but it is even more leafy, with red currants only, and the wine is not so pristine in its elevation. It finishes short. Fully mature. GK 06/11

2017 Escarpment Nina [ Pinot Noir ] Rosé 15 (

)

Te Muna Road, Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $24 [ screwcap; again an evolving approach in Escarpment Rosé, some BF in older oak, a drier finish 1 g/L = dry, compared with many New Zealand rosés; www.escarpment.co.nz ]
Palest pink, almost a ‘blush’ wine. Bouquet is drab, nearly a hint of rubber, on a pale rosé aroma more pinot noir by elimination than conviction. People not sensitive to reduction might call it faux-strawberry. Palate is small, some fruit but tending stalky, dry or nearly so, quite acid and phenolic. It doesn't have the flavour to carry the latter two components. Maybe it will be more approachable in a couple of years; doubtfully cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 06/19

1973 Slovin Cabernet Kakovostno Slovenska 15 (

)

Ljubljana, Slovenia: 11.2%; $3.80 [ cork, 44 mm; a surprising volume of Eastern European red wine found its way to New Zealand in the 1970s, under various trade deals; at the time it compared well with local reds, as we slowly moved from hybrid-based production to all-vinifera wines. ]
Soft glowing light ruby and garnet. Bouquet is equally soft, clean, showing fragrant browning berry combining aspects of cassis and rather more mulberry (mulberry ages in a strange way), with suggestions of older oak. Palate is soft, ripe, round, totally berry-dominant though shaped by older (not new) cooperage, wonderfully low alcohol, dry. The relative freshness and suppleness of the wine is astonishing, given its age and provenance. Alongside a 1973 Bordeaux this wine would show a furry / softly tanniny / older oak quality on the palate. Fully mature to fading, but pleasantly drinkable, a real surprise. GK 12/17

2014 Waipara Springs Pinot Noir 15 (

)

Waipara Valley, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 13%; $23 [ screwcap; www.waiparasprings.co.nz ]
Much too light, more a rosé than a pinot noir colour, the lightest wine by far. Bouquet is a little different, fragrant, not exactly floral but attractive redcurrant jelly aromas. Palate is much more concentrated than the colour suggests, good fruit again nearly all redcurrant, just a hint of guava and red cherry, not bone dry. It is easy quaffing, but doesn't quite qualify as varietal pinot noir. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 06/16

2015 Domaine Alary Cotes du Rhone La Gerbaude 15 (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $22 [ cork, 45mm; Gr 65%, Sy 20, Ca 15, hand-harvested; 15 – 17 days cuvaison, probably no oak involved; Robinson, 2016: Light and nicely approachable but not that intense, 16; Joe Czerwinski @ RP, 2017: ... mainly young vines near Cairanne ... some attractive herb and licorice notes, but this solid, slightly heavy wine is dominated by dark plums, cola and earth, 87; bottle weight 559 g; www.domaine-alary.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, in the middle for depth. Initially opened, this wine was reductive to an unacceptable degree, requiring jug to jug splashy decanting 10 or more times. Even so it remained a bit sulky. The next day it was communicating better, showing both raspberry and blackberry fruits, but no aromatics. Palate is quite berry-rich and long, but entrained sulphides give a metallic streak to the finish. Due to the reduction, the joy of southern Rhône winestyles is lost in this example. Not worth cellaring, but if you did, will be improved after eight years. Cellar 8 – 15 years. The only wine to have no first or second votes. GK 04/18

2016 Domaine Alary Cotes du Rhone La Gerbaude 15 (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $25 [ cork 46 mm, $25; Gr 60-85%, Sy 0-25, Ca 15-30, organic; elevation in concrete vat; available from Maison Vauron, Auckland, and retailers supplied by them; weight bottle and cork, 580 g; website more PR than info; www.domaine-alary.com ]
Good ruby, some carmine and velvet, just above midway in depth. This wine needs pouring from jug to jug several times, to dispel noticeable reduction. It gradually opens to a veiled fairly big red, smelling as if there is a lot warm-districts syrah in the blend, the dominant fruit note being dulled blackberry. Palate follows logically, some drying tannins and slight bitterness from the reduction, good fruit and all perfectly sound, but no Southern Rhone complexity or charm. Cellar 10 – 20 years, maybe, if the style appeals. GK 05/19

nv [ Amisfield ] Arcadia Blanc de Blanc Brut 15 (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 12.5%; $24 [ cork; PN & Ch; minimum 3 years en tirage; www.amisfield.co.nz ]
Lemonstraw, good bubble. The wine shows plenty of bouquet, but the autolysis complexity is rather more crumb than crust (of baguette), with a slightly dough-y note dulling the aroma. Palate is crisp under-ripe stonefruit, just slightly sour as if a whisper of entrained reduced sulphur, coupled with relatively high total acid and dosage. Nett impression is more of sparkling chardonnay then methode, but it is otherwise clean and sound, and should improve in cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 12/06

2004 Ch Bahans Haut-Brion 15 (

)

Pessac-Leognan, Bordeaux, France: 12.5%; $153 [ cork; second wine of Haut-Brion; parent vineyard cepage CS 45%, Me 37, CF 18, average age 35 – 40 years, planted @ 8 000 vines / ha, and cropped @ c. 2 t/ac; www.haut-brion.com ]
Ruby, below midway in depth. Bouquet shows unfocussed berry which is lesser in this company, plus excess VA relative to the meagre fruit. In mouth the wine is leathery, a caricature of the traditional spare Graves flavour profile. Palate has some berry, but is short, stalky, and again volatile, a sad return for its NZ$153 cost. QDR claret, not worth cellaring. Again, the review in the World of Fine Wine is an absolute mystery, describing this wine as 'One of the greatest second wines this vintage'. Not this bottle. GK 12/07

2005 The Jumper Shiraz 15 (

)

Barossa Valley, South Australia, Australia: 14%; $15 [ screwcap; a wine selected for bottling by Peter & James Macdonald of Marlborough, but not on the website; www.springcreekestate.co.nz ]
Older ruby, some velvet. In the present company, this is a much plainer wine. There is fair old-fashioned shiraz berry with some boysenberry and a touch of saline, with older oak. Palate is ripe, juicy straightforward QDR shiraz, finishing a bit harsh. Cellar 3 – 10 years, in its style. GK 03/09

2007 [ Walnut Block ] Blicks Lane Sauvignon Blanc 15 (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $18 [ screwcap; cropped at 4.5 t/ac, night-harvested; extended LA in s/s; RS 2 g/L; www.walnutblock.co.nz ]
Colour is palest lemongreen, in effect water-white. Initially opened, total sulphur load on this wine is too high, with both SO2 and reductive phases. Vigorously aerated it cleans up somewhat, into a winestyle reminiscent of Muscadet-sur-Lie a generation ago, still reductive. Fruit concentration and the suggestion of gooseberry flavours are good, the dry finish is attractive, but the sulphur handling is not ideal. Not worth cellaring. GK 03/08

2010 Domaine Chignard Fleurie Les Moriers 15 (

)

Fleurie, Beaujolais, France: 12.5%; $34 [ cork; hand-picked from vines averaging 60 years age; mostly maceration carbonique fermentation in s/s, elevation in older oak barrels; not fined or filtered, no website found. ]
Pinot noir ruby, below midway. This wine starts off well, with attractive red fruits, valpolicella-like aromas, some strawberry / raspberry even, good ripeness. Flavours are initially similar, quite fruity, scarcely any oak suggestions. On the late palate however a concern grows that the SO2 status of this wine is too low, and it will not be stable. Enjoy this wine now, do not cellar at all. GK 09/12

2003 Domaine du Colombier Crozes-Hermitage 15 (

)

Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $32 [ cork; Maison Vauron; Sy 100%; about one third of the wine spends some time in older oak; Gauntley’s: “His 2003 wines were remarkable. I have already stated that the yields in 2003 were very nearly half those in 2001, which has meant that the top wines in both Crozes-Hermitage and Hermitage are staggeringly concentrated – the du Colombier wines are no exception and confirm the now widely held view that 2003 may well be the finest ever vintage for these appellations.” ]
Ruby. Initially opened, this wine is clearly reductive, and needs a splashy decanting. It gradually breathes off to a modestly ripe version of syrah, more red currants than black, totally belying the alleged heatwave summer. Palate is better, simple red berries, less complexity than the Castano syrah but more flesh, soft and easy. Scarcely worth cellaring, though it will keep 3 – 6 years. GK 10/05

2005 Domaine Colombier Crozes-Hermitage Cuvée Gaby 15 (

)

Crozes-Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $50 [ cork; Sy 100%; fermentation in concrete, s/s, and oak vats; c. 14 days cuvaison, some foot-treading; Cuvée Gaby is usually all oak-matured, mostly in 600s, for c. 12 months; Livingstone-Learmonth considers the wine at best at c. 12 years; no American reviews; Robinson: Chez J&B: Glossy and lively - lots of fruit and pure Syrah character. Very tough. Tougher than last week! Chez Genesis: Low-key nose. Round and slightly salty - very much at a surly, inexpressive stage at present with rather marked wood on the finish. May well come right but you'll need to wait. 16.5; imported by Maison Vauron, Auckland. ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, in the middle for weight. This is a good wine to sort out who is sensitive to H2S and its congeners in wine. There is no hope of florals at this level of reduced sulphur, but there is good plummy fruit, even on bouquet. Palate is ripe and quite rich, much riper than the Robin, more in the Hawkes Bay camp as to ripeness in general, plummy flavours, but all tending sour from entrained sulphur. I doubt this will ever sing as syrah. Jancis Robinson (above) gives it the benefit of the doubt. Cellar 5 – 12 years, to see. GK 05/08

2002 de Courcel Pinot Noir 15 (

)

Burgundy, France: 12.5%; $41
Good ruby. Bouquet is nutmeggy and varnishy oak, on fruit which is by default pinot noir. This wine is a lot richer than most bourgogne rouges. Behind the oak one can see fair fruit in there, but it is wearying to drink, because of this all-pervasive wood. Like most of the other de Courcels, the wine could have been much better with subtler oak-handling. Cellar 3 – 5 years at least, probably longer. GK 11/04

2010 Ch Croix Figeac 15 (

)

Saint Emilion GCC, Bordeaux, France: 14.5%; $40 [ cork; Me 78, CF 22; half-bottle reviewed, available also in magnums but not 750s; not related to Ch Figeac; Stephane Derenoncourt consults; vines average about 35-40 years of age; WS 90 – 93: Dark and winey, with lots of crushed plum, braised fig and cassis notes pumping along. There's a nice graphite spine and solid drive on the black tea-tinged finish; Availability: 750s out, 2010 375s $20 and 1500s $80. ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, well above midway. Even though there is rich fruit in this wine, the bouquet is marred by reduction, which is more persistent than one would wish. In other words, decanting the wine splashily a few times doesn't much change it. In mouth the concentration of velvety fruit is if anything richer than the Bois Chantant, but the sulphides introduce a bitter note to the tail. Pity, again one views the northern hemisphere comments with dismay, noting they illustrate the perils of publishing barrel sample reviews. Scarcely worth cellaring 5 – 15 years ... yet ... could possibly surprise. If cellared, decant many times very splashily. GK 03/13

2005 Domaine Sylvie Esmonin Clos Saint-Jacques 15 (

)

Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 13%; $346 [ cork 50mm; 80% whole bunches in the ferment; up to 80% new barrels; no website found. ]
Deep ruby and garnet, the darkest wine. One sniff of the pruney, malty, glacé figs aroma and this is pinot noir from Langhorne Creek, not Burgundy, hopelessly over-ripe, and showing a trace of brett. Flavour adds much new oak, and caramel. There is no hint of florality, no suggestion of cherry fruit or even plum, even though plum in pinot noir normally presages sur-maturité. Within its own remarkably rich parameters it is clean and well made apart from the tannin load, it is far more alcoholic than the label indicates, but this bottle (at least) has little in common with fine burgundy. Again, this wine has earned high praise elsewhere. Cellar 10 – 25 years, as such. GK 04/15

2006 Domaine Faiveley Chambertin Clos de Beze 15 (

)

Gevrey-Chambertin Grand Cru, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $400
Old pinot noir ruby, some garnet, above midway in depth. Bouquet is really old-fashioned, fading red fruits, some reduction, more brett. Flavours in mouth are mellow and leathery, rustic but recognisably (defective) burgundy. Splashy decanting needed. Scarcely worth cellaring. GK 08/12

2006 Ch de Fonbel 15 (

)

St Emilion Grand Cru, Bordeaux, France: 13%; $32 [ cork; price is simple conversion from US$22; various cepages offered, ranging from Me 70%, CF 30 at Forum, to Me 80, CS 20, to Me 70%, CS 20, PV 7, Ca 3 on the back label; Robinson 2007: … toasty and lively on the nose. Slightly green and brutal on the palate though. Not the charm of some vintages. Maybe this will take on flesh? 15+; Parker 2009: A sleeper of the vintage … this elegant St.-Emilion offers up scents of lead pencil shavings intermixed with blueberries, black currants, and boysenberries, and plenty of minerality. 89; no website found ]
Ruby and velvet, redder than some of the other Bordeaux samples, below midway in depth. Bouquet is very old-fashioned, more grubby shippers' claret than chateau quality. There is generalised browning berry with brett dominant. Palate has some of the hardness of sucking on red plum stones, reasonable ripeness, coarse old oak, and a leathery bretty finish. QDR, not worth showing in a seminar, or cellaring beyond 5 years. GK 01/10

nv Champagne Henri Giraud L'Esprit 15 (

)

Ay, Champagne, France: 12.5%; $70 [ standard champagne cork; cepage PN 70%, Ch 30, fermented in s/s and held 12 months on lees; 5% Reserve wine held in barrel; full MLF; c.24 months en tirage; dosage c.9 g/L; more information in Stelzer; www.champagne-giraud.com ]
Straw, one of the deeper. Bouquet is tending a bit wild on the yeast and fermentation side, lacking purity of autolysis or precision of varietal character. Palate is flavoursome, but again there is a high wild-yeast component to this wine, making it wayward. It is perfectly wholesome, but doesn't rank as a classical champagne style. Dosage is one of the higher ones, around 8 – 9 g/L. Not worth cellaring. GK 10/15

2009 Ch Le Grand Moulin 15 (

)

Blaye, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $20 [ cork 45mm; Me 70, CF 25, Ma 5, machine-harvested; c. 3 weeks cuvaison; elevation said to be in s/s, some in French oak barrels; appellation is Cotes de Bordeaux; www.grandmoulin.com ]
Older ruby, in the lightest quarter. Bouquet is very familiar, the kind of grubby bordeaux that used to be found behind shippers' labels such as B&G Saint Emilion, etc. There is some fruit on bouquet, but it is overlain by brackish old cooperage / concrete smells. Palate does show the richness of fruit the AOC regulations tend to produce, irrespective of the winemaking, but the flavours are drab, ancient cooperage, some brett, other animal notes, quite tanniny, but dry. Very minor claret, not worth cellaring. GK 03/15

2002 Anne Gros Bourgogne Hauts-Cotes de Nuits 15 (

)

Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 12.5%; $47
Lightish pinot ruby. Light clean stalky red berries show on bouquet, reminiscent of red currants and red cherries. Palate is similar, tending cool-climate but reasonably well-balanced, light old oak, slightly stalky and acid to the finish, light and wholesome. Cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 09/04

2002 Gilles Guerrin Saint-Veran Cuvée Prestige 15 (

)

Burgundy, France: 13%; $30 [ cork ]
Older lemonstraw. A broad flat buttered whole-grain toast chardonnay on bouquet, tending plain. Palate is even more buttery, real diacetyl, a caricature of the traditional Macon style – except for the awkward acid, as if added. That didn't happen in the old days. Perfectly wholesome, flavoursome, but not worth cellaring. Expensive, given the old-fashioned winemaking and level of appellation. GK 05/05

1998 Domaine Guigal Cotes du Rhone 15 (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $24.50 [ cork; original price; Sy 50%, Gr 30, Mv, Ca. Ci etc 20; unknown % spends up to year in big old oak; widely regarded as the reference Cotes du Rhone, hence inclusion; this vintage around 42,000 cases made; note the composition of Guigal's Cotes du Rhone has been changing over the last 30 years, from classical grenache-dominant with mourvedre important, to Syrah dominant; Parker 10/00: a moderately intense bouquet of cassis, licorice, and flowers. An amazing value, with moderate tannin, excellent concentration, and the potential to improve for several years and last for 6-8, this is a wine to purchase by the case. 87; www.guigal.com ]
Ruby, garnet and velvet, the darkest wine. Bouquet is deep, dark, oaky and sun-struck, not at all a typical Cotes du Rhone, and not at all like Guigal's Cotes du Rhone of the '80s, when grenache dominated. There is a certain blood and raw steak heavyness to this, all suggestive of too much syrah in the blend and from too hot a district. Palate is rich, lots of dark berry, excellent oak handling, and quantitatively it is appealing in a certain fleshy sense. But like many Australian reds, it is heavy and palls on continued tasting. Fully mature, but will hold for some years. GK 04/12

1999 Patrick Jasmin Cote Rotie 15 (

)

Cote Rotie, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 12.5%; $129 [ cork; price is simple conversion from US$90; Sy 95 – 96%, 4 – 5 viognier; hand-harvested, 100% de-stemmed, 3 weeks cuvaison; variously 18 – 24 months in French, Russian and some American oak, half 225s, half 600s, perhaps 20% new; no luxury cuvee, c.1900 cases; 1999 was an unusually ripe dry year in Cote Rotie, with many exceptional wines produced; Patrick Jasmin as quoted by Livingstone-Learmonth, 2005: … the last thing I want to do is make technical wines; L-L on the 1999: Warm strawberry aromas, balanced, potential complexity; chocolate / prune style flavour, lot of warmth. Plenty of ripeness, touch burnt, leathery. Rich, full, heated finish. Top-notch. 2017 – 21. ***** (out of max. 6); WA / Parker, 2001: [ barrel sample ]... may be the greatest Jasmin offering since the prodigious 1978. The nose gushes violets, black raspberries, black currants, and minerals. Deep, with terrific fruit intensity, medium to full body, stunning precision, and gorgeous purity ... 2002-2018. (91-94); no website found ]
Older ruby, one of the lightest. Bouquet is out on a limb in a winemaker's symposium, being very fragrant in both its Cote Rotie florality, and its savoury browning brett component. Palate is pro rata, lovely Cote Rotie ripeness with cassis clearly above the leafy level, but the berry now prematurely fading to savoury and mellow old-fashioned 'earthy' wine with horsey and coffee touches from serious brett. Good drinking, but inappropriate to this more technical context. Not worth cellaring unless the style appeals irrespective, fully mature. GK 01/10

2005 Ch Lagrange les Tours 15 (

)

Bordeaux Superieur (SE of Bourg), Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $17 [ cork; Me 66%, CS 26, CF 8; limited oak exposure ]
Ruby. Bouquet is fragrant, showing good regional / minor Bordeaux typicity, but it is much lighter than the other wines in the tasting. Fruit is merlot-dominant, a leafy note in red currants and light red fruits. Palate is fragrant too, light but balanced, all a little leafy and stalky throughout, with older oak. It tastes exactly as one would imagine an Entre-Deux-Mers wine to be, and turns out to be not far away stylistically, towards Bourg. At the price, it is a pleasant if simple introduction to the food-friendly claret wine style. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 04/08

1996 R Lopez de Heredia Vina Gravonia Crianza Blanco 15 (

)

Rioja DdO Calificada, Spain: 12%; $41 [ cork; Viura 100%; 4 years in cask; the websites www.tondonia.com and www.lopezdeheredia.com are far from easy to use, but there is info buried in there; www.lopezdeheredia.com ]
Straw, with an orange note. On bouquet, this wine is clearly related to the Reserva, but in this lighter example, the aged character does seem oxidised rather more than maderised. Palate is lighter too, bone dry, quincy rather than nutty, not as richly oaky or autolysed, but still some of the white mushroom late flavours. It could still appeal in some circumstances, but it is not as easy to take seriously as the Reserva. Not cellar wine. GK 03/08

2005 Ch de Lucques Bordeaux Superieur 15 (

)

Sainte Croix du Mont, Gironde, Bordeaux, France: 12.5%; $20 [ 1 + 1 cork ]
Older ruby, lightish. Bouquet is winey and European, old-fashioned, with mixed ripeness and mixed styling. In the leafy florals is a clear suggestion of Crozes-Hermitage. On palate it is more a stalky somewhat old-fashioned cabernet / merlot, fair fruit, a little bretty. More a minor Bordeaux QDR style, better in a year or two, but not particularly worth cellaring. GK 03/07

2003 Bodega Lurton Cabernet Sauvignon 15 (

)

Valle de Uco, Mendoza, Argentina: 13%; $17 [ www.jflurton.com ]
Good ruby. A simple rank red on bouquet, vaguely red plums, smelling more like a concrete vat wine than one from wood. Palate is similar, quite good berry fruit, but flavours are modest and the tannins bring back the rank quality. Would cellar, in its modest QDR style, for 5 – 8 years. GK 12/04

1967 Ch Lynch Bages 15 (

)

Pauillac Fifth Growth, Bordeaux, France: – %; $485 [ 54mm cork; indicative cepage some years later: CS 70%, Me 15, CF 10; PV 5; Broadbent (1980) on the vintage, see 1967 Haut-Brion above; on this wine: Light, fruity and very flavoury, ** in 1976; Robinson, nil; Neal Martin @ Robert Parker, 2004: The surprise of the Lynch Bages vertical where everyone thought it superior to the 1966. A bright garnet hue. Not much on the nose: molasses and a touch of black cherry. But the palate is surprisingly fresh and vibrant. Not complex but very focused with notes of sweet raspberry, fig and dates. Not a wine to set the world on fire, but palatable and impressive in the context of the vintage: 88 – 89; www.lynchbages.com ]
Garnet and ruby, above midway in depth. Bouquet is clean but odd, showing both a confectionery note rather more than berry, and a phenolic quality, on a stalky base wine. Palate further emphasises the under-ripe stalky component, with a very phenolic edge. There is not much berry as such, more the hollow impression of 'fruit' from chaptalising, and some cedar. Total acid is on the high side, which coupled with the phenolic streak, gives a fairly negative nett impression. There is no comparison with the 1967 Haut-Brion. Nobody had this as their top or second wine. It is still perfectly serviceable QDR claret, in its style, but it should be finished up, with pizza, not with visitors. GK 10/16

1970 Ch MacCarthy-Moula 15 (

)

St Estephe Cru Bourgeois, Bordeaux, France: – %; $5.95 [ CS > Me etc ]
Garnet and ruby. Another fading wine, but recognisably cabernet to a keen wine sleuth. In the faded redfruits there is the same kind of seaweed / iodine suggestion that some old Coonawarra cabernets show after 20 or 30 years. This has more body than the Talbot, but the flavours are more leathery and plainer, with some acid starting to show here too. Still pleasant relaxed drinking with food that suits it (for those who like old wine). GK 03/05

1999 Ch. Magdelaine 15 (

)

Saint Emilion 1er Grand Cru, France: – %; $ – [ Me 90%, CF 10; 22 – 24 months in 50% new French oak; Robert Parker 86 – 88 ]
Ruby, the oldest colour and the oldest wine. Bouquet is reductive to a fault, though below the grey blanket one can detect a merlot-dominant wine, softly mushroomy and plummy. Reductiveness on palate is severe enough to introduce a bitter thread, in rapidly maturing to prematurely aged plummy but drab fruit. 1999 was a modest year in Saint Emilion. This wine did not contribute to the tasting at all, and is not worth cellaring for anybody reasonably perceptive about sulphide, though it will hold for some years. GK 05/04

2006 I Masoetti Pinot Grigio 15 (

)

Venezia IGT, Italy: 12.5%; $19 [ plastic closure ]
Pale straw. Freshly opened, bouquet is a bit odd, as if slightly corked. Since it is a plastic closure, and since the wine doesn't taste as if it has seen oak, that is unlikely. So nett bouquet is slightly oxidised / older bottled nectarines, in pearflesh surprisingly like older New Zealand examples of the grape. Palate however lacks the purity of New Zealand examples, there being a congested undertone, with hints of oxidation and cardboard in reasonable fruit, the acid noticeable since the wine is totally dry. QDW, not worth cellaring. GK 03/08

2002 Cantina di Montalcino Sangiovese 15 (

)

Tuscany IGT, Italy: 12%; $11 [ www.cantinadimontalcino.it ]
Older ruby than the Umani, or the 2001. There is no doubt this wine is in the same style as the '01, but the fruit is lacking, allowing traditional winemaking characteristics such as leathery notes and some brett to dominate the pleasantly berryish bouquet. Easy drinking, but this wine too shows the problems of the 2002 vintage around the Mediterranean. Not a cellar wine. GK 11/04

2004 Domaine J-F Mugnier Musigny 15 (

)

Chambolle-Musigny Grand Cru, Burgundy, France: 13%; $390 [ cork; vine age 55 years; some underlying limestone; 100% de-stemmed, 4 days cold soak, wild yeast fermentation, 18 days cuvaison; 18 months in French oak 20% new; no fining, no filtration; www.mugnier.fr ]
Pinot noir ruby, above halfway in depth. Bouquet is a very mixed affair, showing stalky red fruits in an estery and red rhubarb stalks way, in varnishy older cooperage. In mouth there is red currant and under-ripe red plum fruit, but all tasting phenolic and somewhat sour, with some brett too. Actual weight of fruit is quite good, in the modest stalky style that seems to characterise so many 2004 burgundies, but the flavours make it not worth cellaring. Previous vintages have had wonderful reviews. GK 06/07

2006 Bodegas Ochoa Tempranillo Single Vineyard Crianza 15 (

)

Navarra, Spain: 13.5%; $27 [ cork; Te 100% on calcareous sites; 16 – 20 days cuvaison; 12 months American oak; www.bodegasochoa.com ]
Older ruby and velvet. This is an old-fashioned wine in the present company, smelling of oak, brett and oxidation, as so many Spanish wines used to do. There is also a certain 'one blue-mouldy orange in a carton' smell – this fragrance from tempranillo in American oak gives such wines a certain charm. Palate therefore has lots of flavours from all these minor spoilages, and it ends up quite winey and food-friendly, though a food technologist's nightmare. Cellar 3 – 8 years if the style appeals. GK 08/11

2003 Domaine de l’Oratoire St Martin Cairanne C. du Rhone-Villages Reserve des Seigneurs 15 (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $28 [ cork; Caro’s; Sy-dominant; Parker 156 considers it: “one of Cairanne’s finest estates”, and this wine: “sweet fruit … robust constitution with loads of blackberry and currant fruit, low acid, a ripe fat finish.. 89” ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet. A muted bouquet, with retained fermentation odours and some sulphidic notes on dense dark berry. Palate is rich and juicy, scarcely oaked, but made dull by entrained sulphur. All the fruit and style is there, but the wine doesn't sing, and I doubt it will. For southern Rhone wine, like Burgundy, needs to be fragrant to be good. Not worth cellaring, unless one is insensitive to reduced sulphurs (as many people are). GK 11/05

2005 Maison Nicolas Potel Pommard les Rugiens 15 (

)

Pommard Premier Cru, Burgundy, New Zealand: 13.5%; $118 [ cork ]
Good pinot noir ruby, the deepest of the 2005 Pommards. Bouquet is disappointing on this wine, clearly reductive, out of step with the times. There is a lot of rich dark fruit, no florals naturally with the sulphur load, but maybe dark cherry and certainly dark plum. On palate however the reduced sulphur combines with the oak to give a dank bitter aftertaste. Despite the richness and fruit quality, I doubt this wine will blossom later. A gamble therefore. Cellar 10 – 20 years, in hope. GK 03/08

1995 Domaine René Rostaing Cote Rotie 15 (

)

Cote Rotie, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 12.5%; $ – [ cork; Sy 100%; hand-harvested, cropping rate never exceeds 5 t/ha (2 t/ac); 24 – 26 days cuvaison, 25% whole-bunch; 18 – 24 months in French oak, 10% new; JR 17, RP 90 – 92, ST 89, J.L-L 4/6 stars; www.domainerostaing.com ]
Ruby and garnet, the lightest and oldest of the 12 (apart from the out-of-class Jasmin). Bouquet is light, slightly oxidised with very little to say, old for its age. Palate is surprisingly short, phenolic, acid apparent, much less fruit and flavour than the Jasmin 16 years older. Crozes quality at best, and straightforward Crozes at that. Finish up with flavoursome food. GK 05/13

2008 Riverby Estate Riesling [ standard ] 15 (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $20 [ screwcap; Gm 239 vines planted 1994; hand-harvested at c. 3 t/ac; cold-settled, cool- and stop-fermented in s/s; pH 2.86, RS 2.5 g/L; www.riverbyestate.com ]
Lemongreen. What a puzzle this wine is, for a producer with a strong record in riesling. The wine is pure but empty, a faint greengage aroma, the main flavour malic acid, which the very dry finish does not help. This wine makes the quiet Montana Reserve positively verbose. The nett impression is of a wine picked too early, without the aroma and flavour potential sufficiently developed. The pH certainly is a far cry from the earlier days. Perhaps time will prove me wrong, I hope so, but I do like to see the precursors for flavour in wines I cellar. Therefore, a gamble cellaring this one. GK 04/09

1998 Domaine Santa Duc Gigondas Prestige des Hautes Garrigues – Brettanomyces 15 (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 15%; $54 [ 48mm cork; original price; Gr 80%, Mv 20, hand-harvested from 50-year-old vines cropped at c.3.7 t/ha (1.5 t/ac); up to 8 weeks' cuvaison with stems; 18 – 24 months elevage, mostly older vats and barrels but part in new oak; note the complex savoury venison casserole / clove / bacon / 'coca-cola and charred steak' smells of high brett in an older wine; www.santaduc.fr ]
Light garnet and ruby, old for its age, the palest wine by far. Bouquet is savoury, dry, venison casserole and charred steak aromas complexed with the spicy smells of intense brett metabolism, on drying and browning berry, plus some oxidation. In its style, palate follows on beautifully, but the wine is incredibly dry consequent on the brett having metabolised all the non-fermentable sugars as well, by now. Yet strangely, the total balance is savoury and spicy in its own way, and many consumers find this kind of wine more than acceptable with food. The new oak in this prestige-label Hautes Garrigues adds to the drying effect. Interesting ... technically it should score No Award, but the fact is, it still works as wine with food. GK 10/16

1998 Domaine Santa Duc Gigondas Prestige des Hautes Garrigues 15 (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 15%; $78 [ cork 49mm; original price $54; Gr 80%, Mv 20, hand-harvested from 50-year-old vines cropped at c.3.7 t/ha = 1.5 t/ac; up to 8 weeks' cuvaison, with stems; 40% of the batch spent 12 months in small new oak, balance older barrels and vats, 18 – 24 months elevage; in the dry year of 1998 only 1,700 cases made; R Parker, 2000: One of the advantages of low yielding, concentrated Grenache is that it easily hides high alcohol. This full-bodied black beauty offers a terrific bouquet of licorice, blackberry, cassis liqueur, and a smoky, subtle dose of wood in the background. In the mouth, it is enormously endowed, very full-bodied and textured, exceptionally pure, with a creamy mid-palate, silky tannin, and a profound finish: 93; In an earlier report, Parker noted ... a wonderfully sweet, glycerin-charged character. [Winemaker] Gras commented that it tastes as if there is residual sugar, but it is totally dry; weight bottle and closure: 582 g ; www.santaduc.fr ]
Ruby, garnet and velvet, above midway in depth. Brett has had its way with this wine too, but even moreso, the wine opening baked, charmless and dry. It still smells rich and winey in a hot-climate and spicy way, but the combination of over-ripening and new oak for the American market, plus imperfect barrel maintenance, has led to a once-attractive wine being almost destroyed by brett. In mouth the alcohol (of over-ripening) shows now, yet physically the wine is still rich, and like the Mordorée, it still washes down hearty meals in a most acceptable way (if you are not irrational about brett, or like most people, have never heard of it). It is very much better the next day. Stephen Bennett MW in speaking to the wine produced the best descriptor I have heard in a long time, for this kind of high-alcohol brett-affected red: 'coca-cola and charred steak'. Another major disappointment. If all bottles are like this, and Santa Duc do seem to have a problem with cellar hygiene and brett, this wine can only deteriorate further with keeping. Hard to score, simply because later sampling with food showed how well even severely bretty but still rich wines do accompany savoury meals. Technical tasters would score the wine much lower. GK 08/16

2008 [ Waimea Estates ] Spinyback Chardonnay 15 (

)

Waimea Valley, Nelson, New Zealand: 14.5%; $22 [ screwcap; machine-harvested clones 95 & 15 mostly, some BF with light solids in oak some new, balance s/s; all through MLF with LA and stirring; RS 2.8 g/L; www.waimeaestates.co.nz ]
Straw, as old as the 2005 Babich Irongate but thinner. Bouquet is a real old-timer, obvious yellow-fruits chardonnay showing mixed ripeness from golden queen peaches through to grassy, obvious MLF introducing vanilla custard notes, and obvious oak including some coconutty American. Great time-travel wine, there were a lot of these wines in the 1980s. Oh boy, the Australian wine judges gave us a hard time about them, particularly when we wanted to give them gold medals. They were right, too. So there is nothing wrong with this wine, and it illustrates dramatically just how far we have come with chardonnay in both the vineyard and the winery. It is a fleshy and flavoursome pleasantly-fruited wine with both biscuitty and stalky notes, just old-fashioned. More QDW chardonnay, not one to cellar beyond a year or two. GK 05/09

2007 [ Paritua Vineyards ] Stone Paddock Syrah 15 (

)

Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $23 [ screwcap; hand-picked; whole-bunch fermentation; 10 months in French oak 20% new; Catalogue: … aromas of sweet berries and floral notes. The palate is velvety smooth with hints of mocha and smoky oak … lovely soft and elegant fruit …; www.paritua.com ]
Ruby. Freshly opened, the wine is reductive, and demands repeated splashy decanting. Thus breathed it is another in this bracket to show straightforward shiraz-like syrah with reminders of the MRIA, and no charm. Palate is still a little soured by reduction, but there is simple berry, with some stalks. More a QDR syrah to cellar 2 – 4 years. Score is well-ventilated. GK 07/09

1970 Ch Talbot 15 (

)

St Julien Fourth Growth, Bordeaux, France: – %; $ – [ cork; CS 71%, Me 20, CF 5, PV 4; 101 ha, red 40,000 cases, white 2,500. Broadbent is puzzled by Talbot. In 1980: always very popular, but I can never quite understand why – medium dry, lean, masculine. ***, till 1995. In 2002: Clearly a richly rustic, hen-coop, gentleman farmer's claret, also popular with British Airways First Class passengers. Chunky, usually leaner than Gruaud. Most recently, deep, farmyard, dry. The nearest thing to a Hunter Valley 'sweaty saddle shiraz. *** Parker 1991: This wine lacks one of the telltale characteristics of the 1970 vintage – a rich glossy fruitiness. Shows blackcurrants, but the tannins overwhelm the fruit. Till 1993. 78. And in 1996 he has finally decided how he feels about this wine: My last bottle of the 1970 Talbot, from an ill-advised purchase in the early seventies, proved to be no better than the other eleven clunkers. Tannic, angular, thin, and acidic, with harsh tannin and no fruit, this wine was astringent young, astringent in middle-aged, and astringent old. 76; www.chateau-talbot.com ]
Ruby and garnet, close to the Lascombes, if anything a little ruddier, midway in depth. Aha, here is New Zealand speaking, an older-style New Zealand cabernet showing a clear leafy fragrance in tobacco and cassis, so quite a big bouquet, cedary too. Palate follows perfectly, flavoursome yet light, acid, leafy and hollow, Max Lake's doughnut cabernet. You can see why the warmer-climate wine-style Robert Parker is so disappointed with this, yet with an oily pizza it would be a refreshing light red, still. But, to be finished up, soon. GK 03/10

2001 Domaine du Trapadis Cotes du Rhone-Villages Rasteau 15 (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $25 [ Gr 70%, Ca 15, Ci 8, Sy 7; mostly vat, a little old oak ]
Ruby. This is a love or hate wine. Bouquet is very mixed indeed: either horsey and brett on the one hand, or lavender and aromatic shrubs in the sun to others, plus grilled beef either way. Palate is quite rich, plenty of berry, savoury, yet drying on the brett component. Best described as a very traditional style, and hard to score therefore. Not such a good cellar prospect beyond 3 years or so, for it will dry out. GK 10/04

2007 Black Barn Vineyards Merlot / Cabernet Franc / Malbec 14 ½ + (

)

Havelock North district, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $25 [ supercritical cork; www.blackbarn.com ]
Ruby. Unusual wine, smelling for all the world like some simple old-fashioned red from a warmer-climate appreciably west of Hawkes Bay. Ripeness is good, but there is some oxidation of indeterminate red fruits, on bouquet. Palate shows fair fruit and ripeness, but is marred by a brackish flavour, seemingly all in older oak. If sample is representative (even screwcaps fail occasionally), wholesome as QDR, but not worth cellaring. GK 06/10

2003 Bodegas Munoz Legado Garnacha 14 ½ + (

)

Castilla, Spain: 13.5%; $12 [ plastic closure; 3 months new US oak (only a part, I suspect) ]
Older ruby. A modest, old-fashioned, old oaky, but fruity bouquet, with some oxidation and some brett. Palate shows raspberry fruit in its pleasantly rustic style, with old oak which is nearly varnishy. At the price, could work as a rustic European red. Not one to cellar, however. GK 03/06

2006 Odyssey Cabernet Sauvignon 14 ½ + (

)

Kumeu, Auckland district, New Zealand: 12%; $18 [ screwcap; CS 100%; no info on website; www.odysseywines.co.nz ]
Lightish ruby. Bouquet is light red fruits on the scale of a Loire cabernet franc, more red currant and raspberry with some sautéed red capsicum complexities – pleasant in its way but leafy and under-ripe as cabernet sauvignon. Palate is less ripe, lacking substance, as if chaptalised. Phenolics are well-handled for its ripeness, though, and the wine is a pleasant light QDR, to cellar 1 – 3 years only. This wine was used as part of a presentation on Bordeaux blends in New Zealand, for the Lincoln University Viticulture and Oenology degree course, to illustrate an under-ripe phase of cabernet sauvignon. GK 09/08

2007 Greenhough Pinot Noir Hope Vineyard 14 ½ + (

)

Waimea Plains, Nelson, New Zealand: 13.5%; $42 [ screwcap; nil whole bunch; 12 months in French oak 25% new; www.greenhough.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, old for age. Bouquet is varnishy first and foremost, the cooperage overwhelming the light fruit. Persevering, the fruit is reasonably rich but insufficiently ripe, vaguely buddleia florals and redcurrant and yellow plum flavours, all tending stalky, short and tannic. This is a far cry from earlier Hope Vineyard pinots I enthused about last decade, sadly. Not worth cellaring. GK 02/10

2007 Waipara Springs Sauvignon Blanc Premo 14 ½ + (

)

Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 13%; $18 [ screwcap; underlying limestone; regrettably the 2007 is not on the website, but the 2005 was wild-yeast fermented, 75% s/s, 25% in oak age unstated, finished @ nil RS; the Premo series would appear to be reserve wines in effect, emphasising regionality and terroir etc; www.waiparasprings.co.nz ]
Lemongreen. Initially opened, there is some SO2 to marry away, on a less ripe kind of sauvignon, more 80s than 00s. Breathed, the under-ripe component is quite explicitly cut green-bean, as well as green and yellow capsicum, leading to an acid short palate well off the pace in today's sauvignon market. No faults, just too tart and under-ripe. These sauvignon flavours do not cellar. GK 03/08

2007 Elephant Hill Viognier 14 ½ + (

)

Te Awanga, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $24 [ screwcap; website not established yet; www.elephanthill.co.nz ]
Palest lemon. Initially opened, the wine is sulphury and unacceptable. It needs pouring from jug to jug 10 times, which transforms it. There is now clear pale apricot fruit, which in mouth tastes from a riper spectrum than the Waimea. However, whereas the Waimea is pure, this wine is carrying a total sulphur load that is too high, so there are cardboardy undertones. Score generous / conditional on treatment. Not worth cellaring. GK 03/08

2008 Sileni Sauvignon Blanc Benchmark Block 2 Omaka Slopes 14 ½ + (

)

Omaka Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $24 [ screwcap; cool-fermented in s/s, some time on lees afterwards; pH 3.21, RS 4.5 g/L; www.sileni.co.nz ]
Lemongreen. Bouquet is a cooler style of sauvignon with some sulphur showing, and both yellow and green capsicums evident. Palate picks up on the green capsicums – this really is too under-ripe for the 2000s. Fruit richness is good, but acid is high, presumably with low pH, so all the SO2 is just not needed – or more aeration is needed at the lees autolysis stage. Hard to drink, and will not cellar gracefully due to the under-ripeness. So 1 – 2 years only. GK 04/09

2009 Ngatarawa Merlot Stables Reserve 14 ½ + (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $22 [ screwcap; Me 100%, no info; RS <1 g/L; www.ngatarawa.co.nz ]
Ruby, some age, amongst the lightest. Bouquet is too old-fashioned, entrained sulphide, modest fruit, exactly what so much shippers St Emilion was like in the '50s and '60s. Palate shows reasonable fruit, soft tannins, suggestions of stalks as well sulphides in the ageing plums, very much QDR in an old-fashioned claret style. Not worth cellaring. One can only shake one's head over four stars reported in the catalogue from Winestate; consumers are simply being mislead. GK 06/12

2006 Abbey Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Cardinal 14 ½ + (

)

Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12.5%; $30 [ screwcap; www.abbeycellars.com ]
Older light ruby. Bouquet is old-fashioned in its congestion which needs splashy decanting, its under-ripeness, and its excess oak, relative to its light weight. Another wine where a smaller crop ripened more carefully is needed. In mouth stalkyness and oak are more apparent than the tending-acid red plums. Perfectly wholesome QDR cabernet / merlot, needing time to mellow but not worth cellaring. Cardinal here referring to rank is not a great name for a New Zealand red wine. In the wine world cardinal is better known as a table grape. GK 06/10

2004 Kaituna Valley Pinot Noir Canterbury 14 ½ + (

)

Kaituna Valley, Banks Peninsula, Canterbury, New Zealand: 14.5%; $44 [ screwcap; some vines 27 + years old, hand-harvested; up to 7-day cold-soak; up to 15 months in French oak 35% new ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, the colour of McLaren Vale Shiraz, inappropriate. Bouquet bears no relation to pinot noir as an international concept, being euc'y, porty, dense red wine, Australian in style. Palate tastes as if the wine is double-skinned, and while attractive as massive red wine along the lines the colour suggests, as pinot it is over-ripe, beyond sur-maturité to raisiny and dense, non-varietal, and in this tasting is out of class, and scored accordingly. It will cellar for many years, in its style, 10 – 20 + probably. GK 06/06

2007 Escarpment Pinot Gris 14 ½ + (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 14%; $30 [ supercritical cork; hand-picked; 100% BF and MLF in old to very old French oak; dry extract 26.8 g/L; RS 4.2 g/L; www.escarpment.co.nz ]
Lemonstraw. In a big blind tasting, bouquet on this wine is soft, broad and chardonnay-like, with an obtrusive MLF-y component reminding of butterscotch and caramel. The wine smells flabby. Palate tightens things up in the sense of acid, but the flavour is coarse buttery bottled stonefruit, very phenolic, clumsy. I can't help feeling Larry McKenna needs to rethink this premium wine. Pinot gris as a grape can have beautiful floral varietal character reflecting its pinot inheritance, as the wines from Alsace reasonably frequently remind us. Because so much New Zealand pinot gris and Italian pinot grigio is vapid and empty, made off-dry for people who do not really like wine much at all, that does not make a case for building so much buttery artefact into the wine that the original pinot-family nature of the grape is lost. Larry's affordable The Edge expression of the grape is much more varietal, and a much better wine. It seems to me a more complex version of The Edge, worthy of the Escarpment label, would be better built from an even lower cropping rate, older oak still, and lees-autolysis but little or no MLF. Or much subtler MLF, since I have to concede the Alsatian models mostly go through this fermentation. I acknowledge too that the present version of the wine has its devotees, since it has been promoted as an alternative to chardonnay. That rather loses the focus of the variety's own distinctive charms. This 2007 Escarpment Pinot Gris is just too eccentric, in my view. Cellar a year or two only. GK 04/09

2006 Ara Pinot Noir Composite 14 ½ + (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.2%; $27 [ screwcap; cuvaison c. 22 days inc. cold-soak; 14 months in French oak 20% new; RS <2; www.winegrowersofara.co.nz; www.compositewines.co.nz ]
Light ruby, old for age. First opened, the wine has some varietal suggestions, but it quickly becomes too oaky, somewhat oxidised, and showing VA. Palate is similar, the fruit short, revealing a stalky component. Sound enough QDR pinot, but expensive – not worth cellaring. Considering the lofty goals this big grouping sets out on their websites, it is surprising the first releases include some strangely inappropriate wines. See also their Sauvignon. GK 02/08

2005 Brown Brothers Tempranillo 14 ½ + (

)

Central Victoria including Heathcote, Australia: 14%; $18 [ screwcap; 12 – 18 months in American oak, some new; www.brownbrothers.com.au ]
Ruby. Bouquet is so euc'y, it could be made from anything lighter and fragrant. The actual weight, colour and feel of the wine is tempranillo-like in the sense of Rioja, and the wine is technically sound, but it hardly matters when it is so tainted by eucalyptus. A pity. 'Fragrant' soft Australian QDR to cellar a few years, pleasant only if you like eucalyptus in wine. GK 04/08

1975 Montana Pinot Chardonnay 14 ½ + (

)

North Island, New Zealand: 11%; $2.41 [ cork, 45mm (of exceptional quality); probably Mangatangi and Gisborne fruit sources; the original label within the modern Brancott Estate winery in the Pernod-Ricard wine group ]
Light gold. Bouquet is clean, mature, clear hints of biscuitty yet surprisingly fresh chardonnay in the sense of dried peaches and wine biscuits, slightly vanillin, winey. Flavour is somewhat drying and suggestive of some oak in the maturation of the wine. There is still fruit and clear light body confirming the chardonnay thoughts on bouquet, total acid a bit high, no elevation complexity. Still acceptable mature dry white, not as rich as the Leroy but more varietal in a cleaner, simpler way. Less oak is more, at this age. GK 12/17

1979 Ch Figeac 14 ½ + (

)

Saint Emilion Premier Grand Cru Classé 'B', Bordeaux, France: – %; $336 [ cork, 53mm; original price c.$20-ish; cepage then more CS 35, CF 35, Me 30, still trace malbec then, the blend unusual for the Right Bank, where merlot usually dominates; fermentation in s/s, c.20 months in barrel, ratio new highish even then, detail not known; the chateau was in a lesser patch at the time; Coates, 1980: … good full nose, has richness; medium body, not much tannin, nice fruit. A forward wine which perhaps lacks a bit of concentration; Parker, 1993: Never an exciting vintage for Figeac, the 1979 is losing its fruit and is on the edge of cracking up and becoming attenuated. ... earthy, herbaceous, smoky aromas followed by a light, diluted wine with some soft, charming fruit, but little depth or length ... an indifferent effort from Figeac. Drink it up, 80; Neal Martin@RP, 2015: ... cropped at 6.5 t/ha = 2.6 t/ac [ more a NZ rate ] ... The nose is fully mature with singed leather, dried orange peel and musky scents that are defined, but unlike the 1978, seem a little fatigued. The palate is medium-bodied with a fine thread of acidity, quite ferrous in the mouth with a grainy texture and missing some substance on the mid-palate ... finishes short. It is not a terrible 1979 by any stretch of the imagination ... drink sooner rather than later, 85; www.chateau-figeac.com ]
Garnet and ruby, amber to the edge, yet above midway in depth. Bouquet on this wine is very different. It is light, clean, fragrant, but the dominant ‘fruit’ note is sautéed red capsicums plus good cedary oak. Methoxypyrazines at 40 years of age are remarkably stable. In mouth there is a remarkable concentration of good redcurrant fruit, chaptalised I think, but the wine is much too stalky and under-ripe, with fragrant methoxypyrazines dominating all. Finish is long on cedar as well as the sautéed red peppers. Interesting, and still worthwhile with capsicum / bell-pepper pizza, but clearly out of style, in a ‘claret’ line-up. It needed a Marlborough cabernet of the same age, to keep it company. How things have changed: such an under-ripe wine would not be bottled as the grand vin, today. GK 08/19

1972 Ch Haut-Brion 14 ½ + (

)

Pessac First Growth, Bordeaux, France: – %; $520 [ 51mm cork; indicative cepage some years later: CS 55%, Me 25, CF 20; Broadbent (1980) rates the vintage *: A mean, uneven vintage remembered more for its overpricing. Cold spring, late flowering. Miserable summer though July very warm. Cold snap in August with heavy rain. September and October fine and dry ... Reasonably big crop, immature grapes. … Uneven and generally uninteresting. Broadbent (1980), nil; By the 2002 volume he had tasted it: Very pale. Losing its battle with unripe grapes. No stars; Robinson, nil; Parker, nil; www.haut-brion.com ]
Light garnet and faded ruby, the second lightest wine. On bouquet the wine shows great purity, but astonishing under-ripeness, total methoxypyrazine, exactly like the 1976 Montana Cabernet Sauvignon Peter Hubscher Reserve wine, from Marlborough. The under-ripeness is beautifully varietal ! Flavour is relatively good, in its leafy and very stalky way, reflecting very high-quality oak, skilful chaptalisation, and exquisite winemaking, but there is no hiding the green flavours and elevated total acid. Astonishing a First Growth would release this wine under their top label, so a highly interesting wine in one sense. Michael Broadbent's bottle must have been markedly less than ours. Nobody rated this their first or second wine, and it was clearly seen as French. Drink up. GK 10/16

2010 Ch Marjosse 14 ½ + (

)

Entre Deux Mers, Bordeaux, France: 14.5%; $25 [ cork 45mm; Me 60%, CS 20, CF 10, Ma 10; owned by Pierre Lurton from Cheval Blanc; www.chateau-marjosse.com ]
Older ruby, the second to lightest wine. Bouquet is old-time, faintly skunky as well as bretty, indeterminate fruit, old leathery cooperage. Palate is fractionally better, leathery fruit with a phenolic streak, probably merlot-dominant from taste, again good richness but uneven ripeness. Progress would appear to have been backwards at this establishment since the still quite acceptable 2000, which was worth cellaring. This is not. [ On checking, I find I have reviewed this wine before, when it rated 17 points. This bottle does not appear to be corked, so whether there are different shipments / batches or not, I cannot say. ] GK 03/15

2000 Ch Vieux Robin 14 ½ + (

)

Begadan, Medoc, Bordeaux, France: 12.5%; $25 [ cork; CS dominant; Parker 146: The straightforward 2000 shows plenty of density and solid cherry and cassis fruit intermixed with a bit of smoke, licorice, and earth. It is a medium-bodied wine to drink over the next 5-6 years. 87 ]
Ruby, in the middle for depth. Bouquet on this wine illustrates the leafy / stalky side of less-ripe cabernet, but is otherwise clean and sound. Palate is quite rich, cassisy but with a clear green edge, some new oak as well as older, all a bit acid. The green notes make the flavours pinched, even though there is plenty of berry. It will cellar for 5 – 10 years, but with more bouquet than palate. GK 04/06

2004 Ardent Estates Shiraz 14 ½ (

)

Barossa Valley & Clare Valley, Australia: 14%; $18 [ screwcap; 24 months in French, Russian and American oak (!); RS 1 g/L; distributed by Lace Merchants; www.byrneandsmith.com.au ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet. Bouquet is caricature Australian shiraz, with eucalyptus so coarse as to be liniment / wintergreen, totally anti-winey. Palate has plenty of berry fruit and oak, and would be wholesome sturdy shiraz if it weren't so tainted. Big Aussie dry red if you can tolerate the wintergreen, and would cellar for ages. Not worth cellaring for me. GK 03/07

2009 Sunset Valley Pinot Noir Reserve 14 ½ (

)

Upper Moutere, Nelson, New Zealand: 13.5%; $25 [ supercritical ‘cork’; hand-picked, 12 months in French oak; not much wine info on website; a BioGro organic producer; no relation of the yesteryear Golden Sunset Vineyards of the Henderson Valley, and too, there are Sunset Valley vineyards in nearly all English-speaking wine-producing countries, to further confuse the issue; www.sunsetvalleyvineyard.co.nz ]
Lightish pinot noir ruby, some age showing. Bouquet is unusual, leafy rather than berry, plus an odd incense character. Palate has modest and pallid cherry fruit, with leafy and stalky under-ripe notes. QDR pinot, not worth cellaring. GK 08/11

2009 Pask Cabernet / Merlot / Malbec Gimblett Road 14 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $20 [ screwcap; CS 45%, Me 38, Ma 15; c.14 months in oak; www.cjpask.co.nz ]
Older ruby, the lightest wine among the cab / merlots. Bouquet is another in the old-school minor Bordeaux camp, the fruit obscured by some oxidation, some entrained sulphur, and a generally leathery quality. Palate is a little better, modest berry in a stalky way, total acid up a bit . Surprising for the year, some pretty ordinary / over-cropped fruit must have gone into this. QDR, not worth cellaring, the four stars quoted from Winestate is beyond belief. GK 06/12

2003 Lake Hayes Pinot Noir 14 ½ (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $33 [ screwcap; second wine of Amisfield; www.amisfield.co.nz ]
Good pinot ruby. A distinctive bouquet at this stage, still very uncoordinated and youthful. Fermentation odours linger in an aroma smelling for all the world like Fresh-Up (apple juice) tinged with red berries, more like a rosé. Palate is light and juicy, scarcely oaked, almost a red chardonnay, pleasantly innocuous. Another one a bit sweet to the tail. Summer picnic quaffer, which will cellar for a year or two. GK 09/04

2005 l'Aurore Macon-Lugny Chardonnay 14 ½ (

)

Macon-Lugny AOC, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $20 [ cork ]
Lemon. Bouquet has a veil of European sulphur over the white-fruits chardonnay, all rather modest. Palate has fair fruit, but suggests the wine might be a concrete vat one rather than oak, the flavour relatively easy-drinking but excessively straightforward. Cellar 1 – 3 years only, I suspect, in fact not worth cellaring. GK 03/07

2011 Starborough Pinot Noir 14 ½ (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $23 [ screwcap; PN hand-harvested; wild yeast fermentation; 11 months in French oak some new; no information on this wine on website; www.starborough.co.nz ]
Light pinot noir ruby, the lightest of these eight pinots. Bouquet is very much the unripe phase of Marlborough pinot noir as typically produced by the less suitable young alluviums, leafy more than floral, barely red fruits, but clean and pleasant. Palate is less good, more stalky / phenolic, lacking physiological flavour development, though still recognisably pinot. Barely worth cellaring. GK 08/12

2009 Lime Rock Pinot Gris 14 ½ (

)

Waipawa district, central Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $23 [ screwcap; vineyard 250 m, north-facing; hand-picked; half the wine BF & LA in 3-year French oak, stirred weekly, half s/s; RS 3 g/L = dry for most tasters; www.limerock.co.nz ]
Straw. Bouquet is estery and simple, slight lanolin, no clear variety. On palate the VA level is too high for elegance, but it is vaguely varietal, and there is some fruit. Not worth cellaring. GK 06/11

2009 Charles Wiffen Pinot Noir 14 ½ (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $23 [ screwcap; nil whole bunch, all the wine in barrel c.10 months in French oak c.25% new; silver Air NZ; www.charleswiffenwines.co.nz ]
Older pinot noir ruby, below midway. Bouquet is in a more old-fashioned New Zealand pinot noir style, fragrant but leafy too, with red fruits and suggestions of clone bachtobel, botrytis, brett, and a slightly stewed quality, all quite winey in one sense. Palate is richer than some, but fruit ripeness is uneven, with some green notes like the Mountford detracting from fruit quality, and leaving a phenolic aftertaste. Silver medal unbelievable. Not worth cellaring. GK 10/12

2001 Mount Riley Pinot Noir Seventeen Valley 14 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $36 [ www.mountriley.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby. Very distinctive wine on bouquet, like an old Hunter. By old I mean decades. Bouquet is intensely leathery, somewhat oxidised, fragrant on indeterminate fruit, but non-varietal. Palate is mellow, speaking of a long time in old cooperage. This is perfectly good oldtime dry red, Australian 'burgundy' class, and could be marked higher in such a tasting. Marked as pinot here. Not worth cellaring. GK 10/04

2002 Rockburn Pinot Noir 14 ½ (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 14.5%; $37 [ www.rockburn.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby. Bouquet on this wine is stewed, reminiscent of simple red plums, plus estery and leafy suggestions. Palate is similar, a fair quantity of fruit, but the leafiness tending astringent, even though masked by a suggestion of residual sweetness. QDR pinot, cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 10/04

nv Morton Methode Traditionelle 14 ½ (

)

Marlborough & Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12%; $21 [ Ch, PM, PN; 100% MLF; www.mortonestatewines.co.nz ]
Pale lemon. A modest bouquet, with a crumb-of-bread yeastiness verging on sur lie carboardiness, rather than fragrant yeast autolysis. Palate is yeast-influenced to a degree, but is in the straightforward fruity new world sparkling style, chardonnay dominant, simple. Scarcely worth cellaring 5 – 8 years to dry a little, and seem more "complex". Fair to say this seems a more modest batch than my memory of the wine. GK 12/04

2004 Lime Rock Merlot / Cabernet Franc 14 ½ (

)

Inland Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $23 [ screwcap; Me 92%, CF 8; screwcap; vineyard 250 m, north-facing; hand-picked; 8 months in French oak; www.limerock.co.nz ]
Light rosy ruby, a little deeper than the pinot noir. Like the pinot noir, the wine has a great bouquet, in this case of red currants, red plums, and red rhubarb stalks. On palate the actual weight of fruit is good, but fresh acid dominates fresh berry flavours, and I suspect there are 3 grams or so of residual. After a couple of years in bottle, this will be very fragrant wine indeed, which will accompany some foods well. But the colour is such that it is hard to score at a medal level for red wine. If this wine (with slightly less time in oak) were marketed as rosé, it would be brilliant – matching in a more classical way the perceptibly sweeter but gold-medal winning Esk Valley wine (which is under $20). Cellar 1 – 3 years. GK 02/06

2009 Stonyridge Chardonnay Athena Equinox 14 ½ (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.5%; $50 [ cork; hand-picked; foot-trodden by female staff only; relationship with oak uncertain, but some influence; not fined or filtered 'as per Stonyridge winemaking philosophy'; 21 cases only, available in Stonyridge café only; www.stonyridge.com ]
Lemon, not quite bright, but that is almost by design. Bouquet is on the jujube side for chardonnay, fair fruit behind, plus oak. Palate is lesser, scented fruit with banana and fruit salad flavours, the oak unknit, and a curious aftertaste almost reminiscent of brett. The notes for the wine imply it is a fun wine. The price is not fun at all. Not cellar wine. GK 06/10

2009 Man O' War Chardonnay Valhalla 14 ½ (

)

Eastern Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14%; $40 [ screwcap; hand-harvested from mendoza and clone 15; whole-bunch pressed; 100% BF in French oak including puncheons, 40% new; no MLF or batonnage, c.8 months in barrel; RS < 2 g/L; www.manowarvineyards.com ]
Old straw, inappropriate for age. Bouquet is a love or hate proposition, those who like it will say it is deep, rich and toasty, those who don't more seeing charry oak to the point of mercaptan, tired fruit, clumsy. To me the sulphur-related flavours permeate the aged golden queen peach fruit characters, so though the wine is rich, there is a suggestion of bitterness. But, it is a big mouthful of flavour, and with barbecue grilled foods or smoked fish in the half-light, the nett experience could be good on the occasion. Only the individual can decide if this wine suits them, therefore. I would not cellar it, but it will hold 1 – 3 years in its eccentric style. GK 06/10

nv Charles de Fere Blanc de Blancs Methode Traditionelle Brut Reserve 14 ½ (

)

Loire Valley and elsewhere, France: 12%; $14 [ cork; thought to be chenin blanc, trebbiano, colombard, and maybe chardonnay, ratios unknown; this is the French equivalent of better Deutscher Sekt, no appellation or location, just grapes grown in France. It is classed as vin mousseux de qualité. It does undergo bottle fermentation in the same way as mainstream Lindauer, and is said to have 9 months on lees; a Blackmarket mainstay, aided by effusive reviews; www.boissetfamilyestates.com ]
Lemon, modest bubble. Bouquet is fruity in a chenin blanc-dominated way, with the autolysis 'complexity' more cardboardy than bread crust. There is a certain coarse quality too, reminiscent of parellada / plain cava. Baguette doesn't get a look in here. It smells more like a better charmat wine than methode champenoise. Palate is lightly fruity, palely quincey, some body, going phenolic on the short finish, which is further marred by being the sweetest in the bracket. The producer's notes mention nine months sur lie, which explains the lack of desirable autolysis characters. Citations vary on the cepage for this wine. Many wordings give the impression of gilding the lily by putting chardonnay first, and referring to the lowly distilling grape trebbiano by its upmarket name ugni blanc. Few mention the colombard at all. Judging by the smell and taste, the cepage seems likely to be chenin blanc, trebbiano and colombard (given the price of the wine), and a little chardonnay. In its style it is clean enough (sweetness aside), it might be slightly better in 12 months, but two of those grapes don't keep at all. It is a long way from good bubbly, and nowhere near Lindauer Reserve in quality (which is often available more cheaply). Not worth cellaring. GK 12/12

2012 Mills Reef Syrah Reserve 14 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12.5%; $25 [ screwcap; website badly out-of-date; previous vintages have had a little Vi; French oak 8 months; www.millsreef.co.nz ]
Lightish ruby. Bouquet is lightly fragrant with thoughts of red berries, oak chips, and maybe some whole bunch / maceration carbonique components – a bit estery. Palate is clean (apart from the VA), lightly berryish, not bone dry (but no RS figure on website), a simple non-varietal QDR, rather more than a cellaring wine. GK 06/13

2004 Kaimira Estate Pinot Noir 14 ½ (

)

Nelson, New Zealand: 13.5%; $18 [ screwcap; six months tank maturation; www.kaimiraestate.com ]
Lightish pinot noir ruby. A modest bouquet which is vaguely pinot, in the strawberry / redcurrant under-ripe and leafy category which hints at chaptalisation. Palate likewise shows redfruits, a faint bushhoney suggestion, all initially pleasantly balanced, but the leafiness increasing to a stalky finish, and becoming less satisfactory. QDR pinot, better in a year or two, but scarcely worth cellaring. GK 03/05

2004 Riverby Estate Sauvignon Blanc 14 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $19 [ screwcap ]
Pale straw. Bouquet on this wine is too European, with sur lie reductiveness flattening the fruit aromas. Palate shows a fair weight of fruit, but detail is lost to the entrained sulphur, and the mouthfeel is harsh. This will improve somewhat in bottle, but it is unlikely to blossom. Plain QDW. GK 09/04

2004 Mebus Pinot Noir Young Vines 14 ½ (

)

Masterton, New Zealand: 13%; $18 [ screwcap; vines 5 years and younger; some wild yeast, French oak ]
Pinot ruby, but cloudy. If the wine is not prematurely released / out of condition, bouquet is tending wild and exotic, estery in a marginally out-of-control maceration carbonique approach. Palate is a juicy beaujolais style, but New Zealand pinot flavours, blackboy peaches plus a leafy quality, awkward. In approach reminds of the Schuster Twin Vineyards, but not so acid, easier drinking. Not suited to cellaring. GK 03/05

2003 Shingle Peak Pinot Noir 14 ½ (

)

Canterbury, New Zealand: 13%; $18 [ screwcap; mechanically harvested; 3 day cold soak, MLF in barrel 20%new; 2.5 g/L RS; www.matua.co.nz ]
Light pinot ruby, one of the lightest. A light and simple redfruits pinot bouquet which is cleaner than several, but also hints at chaptalisation. Palate is redcurrants and strawberries, a slight caramel thought picking up on suggested chaptalisation, but stalky and tending acid as well. Straightforward QDR pinot, not worth cellaring. GK 03/05

2002 Te Kairanga Pinot Noir 14 ½ (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $22 [ cork; hand-harvested; 10 months in French oak 20% new; www.tkwine.co.nz ]
Lightish pinot noir ruby, older. Bouquet is light, leafy, clean, fragrant red-fruits pinot noir (though with a suggestion of syrah pepper), the leafiness becoming more apparent as the wine stands. On palate, the red currant fruit gives way to acid and stalkiness, even though there is still some body. The stalkiness lingers on the aftertaste, becoming obtrusive. An under-ripe QDR pinot not worth cellaring, though it will keep several years. GK 03/05

2009 The Hay Paddock Syrah Harvest Man 14 ½ (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.4%; $39 [ screwcap; Sy 100%, hand-picked; c.12 months in French oak, 60% 1-year, balance older; www.thehaypaddock.co.nz ]
Pale ruby and garnet. Bouquet is sensationally bretty, no varietal character remaining, though still winey in the style of an old-fashioned light southern Rhone red. Palate is light and still surprisingly pleasing, (browning) pinot noir weight, gently oaked, but the berry pretty well faded into leathery animal flavours. A fully mature wine in a very old-fashioned European styling, but as with many bretty wines, still food-friendly. I cannot explain this bottle seeming so different from one tasted last year, but the strange experiences under supposedly infallible screwcap are increasing. Not worth cellaring. GK 03/13

2003 Saint Clair Pinot Noir 14 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 12.5%; $18 [ screwcap; 5 days cold soak, 30% of wine matured in French oak, balance s/s; www.saintclair.co.nz ]
Pinot ruby. This is a very different bouquet from the two premium Saint Clair pinots. It is pinot-fragrant, but is showing a clear leafy more than floral streak which is remarkably like cool-year fruit in the St Emilion satellites. Not unpleasant, just under-ripe. Palate is more varietal, red cherry and perhaps raspberry flavours, supple, juicy, quaffable, but a little green and acid all through. QDR pinot. Cellar 1 – 3 years. GK 03/05

2007 Kumeu River Pinot Noir 14 ½ (

)

Kumeu, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13%; $36 [ screwcap; 11 months in barrel; www.kumeuriver.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, a little deeper than 2006. This is 'classic' Kumeu River Pinot Noir, showing strawberry and red currants leafy fruit complexed by tarry oak strong enough to be reminiscent of older Chilean cooperage. Actual fruit weight is clearly richer than the 2006, but the oak flavours are awful, disqualifying it from the concept of antipodean burgundy. The Brajkovichs and I have more or less agreed to disagree about their pinot noir, for which they show a puckish determination in the face of overwhelming evidence that their climate is not suitable for achieving appropriate physiological and flavour maturity in this demanding variety. This 2007 will cellar for several years, in its style. Scored as QDR. GK 10/10

2004 Morton Estate Methode Traditionelle Black Label 14 ½ (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12%; $37 [ cork; website not up to date; www.mortonestatewines.co.nz ]
Rather advanced straw, like the 2011 Chardonnay. Bouquet is broad, reminiscent of some clumsy cavas of a bygone era, seemingly high chardonnay in a rather aldehydic biscuitty and slightly cheesy advanced way. Palate matches, though fresher than the bouquet because of quite high acid, but the flavours more wine biscuit than anything, quite Brut. The competition has intensified a good deal around this label in the last few years, and several latter-day New Zealand bubbly makers are closer to the original now, and therefore offer better value. Not worth cellaring, needs savoury food to optimise it as a quaffing bubbly. GK 04/13

2006 Askerne Cabernet / Merlot / Franc Reserve 14 ½ (

)

Havelock North district, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $30 [ supercritical cork; www.askerne.co.nz ]
This is a much older wine, ruby and garnet, old for its age. Bouquet is very old-fashioned, where New Zealand cabernet was in the '70s or '80s, red fruits only but browning prematurely now, leafy, very oaky, some VA and brett. Palate follows, clearly leafy and under-ripe, skinny, probably chaptalised, acid and oak noticeable. OK as QDR, but a totally different style of 'sweeter' wine, meaning less crop ripened properly, and cleaner wine, is needed to compete now. Not worth cellaring. GK 06/10

2004 Mitchelton Viognier Central Victoria 14 ½ (

)

Victoria, Australia: 14.5%; $24 [ screwcap; 90% BF in 4 year-old oak, plus 6 months LA; www.mitchelton.com.au ]
Lemonstraw. As is all too often the case with this winery, all one can smell to first impression is oak. Worse, all one can taste first-up is oak, giving a wine that is boring, but technically sound – like so many Australian whites. With a lot of searching on the palate, there is stonefruit in there, and it is ripe with good richness. A pity the oak-habituated winemakers pretty well wreck it – and curiously the website specifically mentions care “to ensure oak impact is limited”. Not worth cellaring. GK 11/05

2004 Saint Clair Merlot 14 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 12.5%; $27 [ screwcap; 12 months LA in French oak 50% new; www.saintclair.co.nz ]
Ruby, a little deeper than the Tiwaiwaka wine. Bouquet is almost the flipside of that wine, however, with the leafiness of that wine's palate immediately apparent on bouquet, in clean red fruits and oak. Palate has the exact leafiness of minor St Emilion-satellite reds in cool years, and is green. In general, Bordeaux-styled reds are not a good endeavour in Marlborough, as Montana demonstrated conclusively in the 70s and 80s. Not worth cellaring. GK 03/06

2005 TW Estate Viognier 14 ½ (

)

Gisborne, New Zealand: 13.6%; $21 [ screwcap; TW is Tietjen & Witters, two noted Gisborne growers now with their own wine; BF in third-year French oak, plus 8 weeks LA & batonnage, RS 3.5 g/L; www.twwines.co.nz ]
Lemongreen. This wine opens unattractively, with a pepperminty smell like raw American oak chips plus vanilla ice cream. No varietal character is detectable on bouquet. Palate is harsh on oak phenolics, but behind that a fair quantity of vaguely varietal stonefruit can be seen, pleasantly fleshed out on trace residual. Plain wine, the fruit character lost in the oak. Not worth cellaring. GK 11/05

2002 Matua Valley Pinot Noir Wairarapa 14 ½ (

)

Wairarapa, New Zealand: 13%; $29 [ www.matua.co.nz ]
Older pinot ruby. A strange wine in the new world line-up of pinots, though it would look more at home in a batch of bourgogne rouges. Bouquet shows kippered herrings and brett, on indeterminate red fruit. Palate is drying on the brett, and very savoury. Could be pleasant with casseroled or savoury foods, but modest in a blind judging. Cellar a year or two. GK 10/04

nv Deutz Marlborough Cuvée Rosé Methode Traditionelle 14 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 12%; $36 [ cork; PN dominant, balance Ch, hand-harvested; at least 2 years en tirage; dosage includes red wine for colour enhancement, to give a RS of 16 g/L; www.pernod-ricard-nz.com ]
Rosé, but not attractive as to hue, and over-pressured. Bouquet likewise is a bit unsubtle on this wine, noticeable VA emphasising the simple berry and red fruits, and distracting from the autolysis. Palate is both foaming in mouth, and seems as uncoordinated as the bouquet. Berry, noticeable acid and sweetness are quite unintegrated and raw, not the harmony the McCorkindale Rosé shows. If it weren’t for the VA, I'd say put it away for three years, but no, this is a lesser batch in the Montana stable. Not worth cellaring. GK 12/06

2003 Moutere Hills Chardonnay 14 ½ (

)

Nelson, New Zealand: 13%; $19 [ 1 + 1 cork; BF in French and US oak; www.mouterehills.co.nz ]
Lemonstraw. Bouquet is very oaky with a strange hint of camphor (presumably indicating un-conditioned / raw oak), but below is clean fruit. Palate is simply too oaky, the oak exacerbated by fresh acid, even though the fruit seems of good quality. This would be wearying to drink through a meal. Not worth cellaring. GK 02/06

2003 Allan Scott Pinot Noir 14 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $27 [ screwcap; www.allanscott.com ]
Full pinot ruby. A drab bouquet veiled by reductive characters, not recognisably varietal. Palate shows fair plummy fruit in a slightly stalky and acid balance, carefully oaked. Finish is tending metallic, which may correlate with the bouquet deficiencies. Plain pinot noir which will cellar for 5 – 8 years, and may improve a little. GK 09/04

2004 Daniel Schuster Pinot Noir Twin Vineyards 14 ½ (

)

Rakaia & Waipara districts, Canterbury, New Zealand: 13%; $19 [ cork; hand-picked; 10% whole-bunch fermentation; 8 months French oak 5% new; 28 g/L dry extract (a good figure); www.danielschusterwines.com ]
Lightish pinot ruby, second to lightest of these pinots. Bouquet shows the same Schuster signature, a ‘fumey’ and lightly spicy style, irrespective of the alcohol. This character is attractive, and hints at Cote de Nuits. Palate on this one does not deliver however, with short varietal flavours and noticeable acid in redcurrant and rhubarb fruit, tending stalky. This is a pity as the good dry extract is indicative of serious winemaking, and gives the wine an impression of sweetness as residual sugar on the finish, whereas the analysis is 1 g/L. Not really worth cellaring. GK 10/05

2004 Vinya l'Hereu Petit Grealo 14 ½ (

)

Costers del Segre DdO, Catalonia, Spain: 14%; $26 [ cork; Sy 40%, Me 30, CS 30, grown organically, hand-harvested; 30 – 35 days cuvaison; 12 months in s/s; reviews on the web are extraordinary: Wine Spectator – pure aromas of violets, pepper, black currant, and blueberry. The wine is medium-bodied with plenty of spicy black fruit flavors, soft tannins, and excellent balance. Drink this outstanding value over the next 3-4 years, 89; given website not functional at time of writing; www.vinyalheureu.com ]
Older ruby and velvet. Bouquet is curious on this wine, smelling of bottled red plums, bouquet garni including parsley, and brett, yet not exactly winey. Palate is totally unknit, tannic to a fault, and finish is quite bitter. This is a wholesome but very plain wine, not worth cellaring. A more favourable view is also obtainable at www.grapesofspain.com/wines.cfm?wineid=100. GK 03/08

2007 Bouldevines Pinot Noir 14 ½ (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $30 [ screwcap; detail awaited, 2008 nil whole bunch; 10 months in French oak, 20% new; www.bouldevineswine.co.nz ]
Light pinot noir ruby, one of the lightest. This is intriguing, a textbook example of the spurious florality akin to buddleia aroma, but in fact leafyness, on fruit no riper than redcurrants. Palate matches perfectly, short slightly raspberry as well as redcurrant fruit, some hard stalky tannins, unlike the 2008 perhaps a little residual sugar to try and smooth the finish. Like the 2008 Mount Beautiful, there are reminders of cool year burgundy here (though they would be dry), but this wine succeeds less well. Not worth cellaring. GK 02/10

2003 RedMetal Merlot / Cabernet Franc 14 ½ (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12.5%; $20 [ Me 76%, CF 24; www.redmetalvineyards.co.nz ]
Light ruby, the palest in the set. Bouquet is light red fruits, reticent, verging on being reductive. The palate however is shrinkingly light, just redcurrants, stalky, reasonable fruit weight as QDR, slightly acid. Not worth cellaring. GK 10/05

2005 Mount Fishtail Pinot Noir 14 ½ (

)

New Zealand: 14%; $15 [ screwcap; second label of Konrad ]
Pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is estery, some oxidation, lightly fruity in a non-varietal way. Palate is simple, berried, not the oak component of the Konrad wine, so it seems a little purer and more fruity. Again QDR pinot, but it will cellar a year or two. GK 03/07

2002 Sileni Merlot The Triangle 14 ½ (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $34 [ screwcap; website more PR than info; www.sileni.co.nz ]
Ruby, middling in weight. A slightly different merlot bouquet, showing stewed red plums and a suggestion of canned baby corn, not unpleasant. Palate however misses the point of merlot, being stalky and astringent to a fault, though of fair fruit weight. Cellar 3 – 8 years to soften, but not really worth it. GK 10/05

2003 Mills Reef Pinot Noir 14 ½ (

)

New Zealand: 13%; $15 [ screwcap; www.millsreef.co.nz ]
A big pinot noir ruby. Very fragrant wine in an 80s style of New Zealand pinot, the florals grading into leafy and stalky notes as in the Henderson-grown Babich wines of the time. Flavour is clean and sweet, but also green-tinged and leafy. An attractive QDR light pinot, but not physiologically ripe enough for a higher score. Presumably from the North Island. Cellar 1 – 3 years. GK 09/04

2005 Red Dot Shiraz / Viognier 14 ½ (

)

McLaren Vale & Langhorne Creek, South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $19 [ screwcap; DFB; Sh 95%, Vi 5, co-fermented; some BF for reds, 16 months in French (predominant) and US oak, 20% new; www.pennyshill.com.au ]
Old ruby and velvet. Bouquet shows tired / oxidised wine in a style more 50s to 70s than latter-day. The flavour has plenty of fruit, and some browning / baked boysenberry, but is saline, tannic, and very plain. Rich QDR only, not worth cellaring. Needs to be under $10 for the New Zealand market. GK 03/08

2006 Lime Rock Merlot 14 ½ (

)

Waipawa district, southern Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12.5%; $23 [ screwcap; Me dominant, CF, hand-picked; vineyard 250 m, north-facing; French oak; Catalogue: vibrant red colour with aromas and flavours of sweet boysenberries, dried herbs, chocolate and fragrant spice, along with well structured tannins on the palate; www.limerock.co.nz ]
Light red, rosé depth. In the same way that merlot and pinot noir from the Loire Valley can be very hard to distinguish, so in the blind tasting could this fragrant pale red be identified as pinot noir. It smells of redcurrants and tastes of them too – redcurrant jelly and a little leaf, slightly acid. Oak is exquisitely subtle to match the light flavour profile. This is pretty and charming, quite extraordinary wine for New Zealand, totally Loire in approach, but I cannot mark it highly. If it were labelled Rosé – Cabernet Franc, it might be more successful. It could be a worthwhile goal, and create a more positive vibe in customers to market this as a sophisticated dry (2 – 4 g/L) rosé. And cabernet-family rosés tend to be more satisfying than pinot noir-derived ones, so that would be a plus for the portfolio too. The present label and style interpretation is too out-of-line. Not worth cellaring. GK 07/09

2004 Gladstone Sauvignon Blanc 14 ½ (

)

Wairarapa, New Zealand: 13%; $21 [ screwcap; www.gladstone.co.nz ]
Lemongreen. A modest sauvignon in bouquet and flavour, the fruit on the thin and green side, flavours hard and short, acid high, and the whole edgy from light VA. Not worth cellaring. GK 10/04

nv Moet & Chandon Brut Imperial 14 ½ (

)

Epernay, Champagne, France: 12%; $79 [ cork; PN 50%, PM 40; Ch 10; 2 000 000 cases; website non-functional; www.moet.com ]
Lemon. First impressions are the smells of cardboard, damp sacks, and the clogged anonymous sulphur-related smells of European white wines of yesteryear. There is fruit on palate, but the entrained sulphurs overpower the subtlety of yeast autolysis characters, so the whole thing tastes plain, and finishes less brut than most others. This label was looking up recently, but this is back to the 80s. Wholesome enough, but very straightforward bubbly, not worth cellaring. GK 11/05

2007 Alpha Domus Syrah 14 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $25 [ screwcap; Sy machine-harvested; short cold-soak, c. 14 days cuvaison; 7 months in French oak; Catalogue: A fruit-driven Syrah with aromas of liquorice, black pepper, plum and floral notes. Medium bodied with flavours of dark red fruits, chocolate and savoury tones. French oak imparts spice and vanilla. Soft supple tannins and a lingering finish; www.alphadomus.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet. This wine benefits from a splashy decanting, to reveal a bouquet that is somewhat different in this bracket. There are some redcurrant-like red fruits, and a linalool / riesling-like aroma which slides into being leafy. Palate confirms marginal ripeness, red currants and a hint of raspberry, all tending stalky, slightly bretty, and lightly oaked. More a QDR syrah (but not priced as one), which would cellar 2 – 4 years. GK 07/09

2011 Mt Beautiful Sauvignon Blanc 14 ½ (

)

Northernmost Canterbury, New Zealand: 14%; $21 [ Stelvin Lux; machine-harvested; 48-hour cold-settling; cool s/s ferment, some lees contact; RS 1.5 g/L; www.mtbeautiful.co.nz ]
Lemongreen, a great colour. Bouquet offsets the great start, however, total sulphur being too high and the beauty of the fruit veiled. Palate shows rich fruit despite the low RS, which would have made good wine, but the sulphur load has killed the fruit and substituted cardboardy notes. What a pity, I imagine a wine like this might still be well-received by many United Kingdom wine people however. Could possibly recover and cellar 3 – 8 years, but scarcely anybody in New Zealand likes old sauvignon – foolishly. Probably not worth cellaring, therefore. GK 04/13

nv Miro Vineyard [ Cabernet / Merlot ] Aphrodisiac 14 ½ (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 12.9%; $18 [ screwcap; DFB; CS dominant, Me, CF & Ma 1, hand-harvested; elevage similar to Archipelago; c.300 cases; ‘A Bordeaux blend made from the second quality grapes at Miro Vineyard, but given meticulous attention in the winery with a portion of new French oak. This is a delicious full flavoured harmonious red with bottle age at a bargain price’; www.mirovineyard.co.nz ]
Ruby. Bouquet is initially minty going on eucy, with some retained fermentation odours too, all quite distracting. In mouth it illustrates an older-style under-ripe cabernet / merlot approach, hard on both stalky red fruits and slight reduction. It is not too oaky, so it ends up reasonably straightforward as a cardboardy lean QDR red. Cellar 2 – 5 years. GK 06/09

2004 Ngatarawa Syrah Silks 14 ½ (

)

Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $20 [ screwcap; 12 months in oak; www.ngatarawa.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, in the middle for depth of colour. This is the oddest bouquet in the field, smelling strongly of less than ideally ripe Cape gooseberries. Palate shows the wine has been carefully oaked with attractive potentially cedary wood, but the fruit is acid and stalky, with only slight suggestions of appropriate berry character, such as cassis. More ripeness needed here. Not worth cellaring. GK 05/06

2009 Clearview Syrah Reserve 14 ½ (

)

Bridge Pa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $59 [ supercritical cork; 18 months in French oak some new; not on website – the website seems so disinterested in wine you find them only at the bottom of the page, and if present at all sometimes not even the vintage is given; www.clearviewestate.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, just below midway in depth. Bouquet is old-school Australia in the '60s, both oxidation and entrained sulphide, clogged, so the wine is leathery. Palate is quite rich, but leathery rather than any specific fruit analogy, a hardness from the sulphur and some stalks, and acid too. Once again, for a wine like this to be quoted as securing five stars from Winestate and Cuisine highlights both the enormous problem the consumer has in getting accurate advice, and the problem we have with insensitivity to and disregard for the negative impact of reduced sulphurs in New Zealand wine assessment. This cannot help the industry advance as it could, even if markets such as the UK have traditionally shared these blindspots. Not worth cellaring. GK 06/12

2003 Saladini Pilastri Rosso Piceno 14 ½ (

)

Marches DOC, Italy: 13%; $14 [ plastic closure; Sa, & montepulciano to a max of 40% ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet. A veiled bouquet, a grey reductive fog in fact, on reasonable berry and fruit in which varietal character is obscured. Palate is ripe and of medium weight, little or no oak in the European rich QDR style, but again specific flavours are lost – it is just vaguely plummy. With a good deal of splashy to & fro decanting, it cleans up reasonably well, but the degree of aeration required is tending unrealistic. Sturdy QDR which will cellar for several years, but remain drab. GK 11/04

2004 Konrad Pinot Noir 14 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $24 [ 1 + 1 cork; no info ]
Pinot noir ruby, lightish. Bouquet has an oxidised character to it, and a trace of brett, all reminiscent of many Mediterranean QDRs. Palate is modest, scarcely varietal, somewhat phenolic and tending acid, pleasant enough as short QDR, but not priced to that end use. Not a cellar wine beyond a year or two. GK 03/07

2007 Sileni Merlot Cellar Selection 14 ½ (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $18 [ screwcap; lack of wine detail on the website is frustrating; www.sileni.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. Initially opened the wine is stinky, suggesting a curtailed / inappropriate elevation, presumably in the haste to put it on the market. This overlooks the view, that to even be marketing a Merlot within 10 months of vintage is unpleasant. In mouth the retained fermentation odours are massive and bitter, in plummy featureless fruit like Australian roto-fermenter wine plus chips, but less carefully made. This is exactly the kind of red wine we don’t need, if New Zealand is to optimise the fragrant varietal beauty of its temperate-climate fruit. Not worth cellaring. GK 02/08

2004 Trinity Hill Shiraz Hawkes Bay 14 ½ (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12.7%; $20 [ supercritical cork; de-stemmed; cuvaison >14 days; some of the wine spent 12 months in French oak; www.trinityhill.com ]
Ruby, towards the light end. Bouquet on this one is quite strong, but due more to the fragrance of leafy / under-ripe berries. Flavours follow on, with reasonable weight of red and slightly cassisy fruit, but all too green, like a very cool-year Crozes-Hermitage. Cellar 3 – 5 years, though marginally worthwhile. GK 05/06

2004 Crossroads Syrah Destination Series 14 ½ (

)

Mostly Dartmoor Valley, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12.5%; $18 [ cork; machine-picked; 10 months in French & American oak 20% new; www.crossroadswinery.co.nz ]
Ruby. Bouquet is leafy first and foremost, and in the blind tasting fits in with the cabernet / merlots. Below is stalky cassis and lightly plummy fruit, with faint cracked pepper. The wine improves somewhat with breathing. Palate is leafy too, with reasonable red fruits, but it is youthful and lacking ripeness, another wine seeming over-cropped. It will soften and become fragrant cool climate QDR in a couple of years, maybe showing more syrah character in a minor Crozes-Hermitage way. Cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 03/06

1999 Knappstein Lenswood Pinot Noir Reserve 14 ½ (

)

Adelaide Hills, South Australia, Australia: 13.5%; $ – [ WPN ]
Light ruby. Some retained fermentation odours detract initially. Below, a minty nearly eucalyptus bouquet, with light red berry components. Euc’y / camphory qualities more pervasive on palate. Though weight and mouthfeel are vaguely burgundian in an awkward-acid way, this is a hot-climate example of the variety. GK 01/01

2003 Gravitas Chardonnay Unoaked 14 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $23
Lemonstraw, deeper than the oaked one. This wine suffers on bouquet from the same problem as the '04 Sauvignon, showing suggestions of staleness. There are also somewhat ersatz fruity notes, as produced by some of the 'aromatic' yeasts. Palate is pleasantly peachy in one way, yet has a boiled sultana juice quality to it which quickly palls, so it ends up as QDW chardonnay, not worth cellaring. GK 12/04

2007 Man O’War Chardonnay Waiheke Island 14 ½ (

)

Eastern Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14.5%; $28 [ screwcap; hand-harvested, whole-bunch pressed; s/s-ferment, then 90% kept in s/s, 10% to barrel; 9 months LA and stirring but no MLF; RS < 2 g/L; 600 cases; ‘Clean lemon and lime aromatics with a hint of lees complexity lead into a ripe succulent mid palate finishing with fresh crisp acidity and vibrant minerality. Silver Medal – NZ International Wine Competition 08’; www.manowarvineyards.co.nz ]
Full straw with a wash of gold. This is time-travel wine, real 1980s stuff. There is a lot of bouquet, but it shows mixed ripeness levels ranging from coarse tropical notes of mango and pineapple, through to leafy and stalky under-ripe berries too. Palate is aggressive on esters and some VA exacerbated by oak, though fruit richness is good. A flavoursome old-timer, in a style which still has its followers. It is not the future, though. Not a cellar wine. GK 06/09

2007 Rostaing Viognier Vin de Pays Les Lezardes 14 ½ (

)

Vin de Pays des Collines Rhodaniennes, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 15%; $65 [ cork; the appellation Vin de Pays des Collines Rhodaniennes includes all the hilly country to the west of the Northern Rhone and outside the famous appellations. Any permitted Rhone variety may be used. Some good wines are found under the designation, but frequently they do not reflect the ripeness and concentration hoped for in the main Rhone appellations; imported into NZ by Glengarry; no website found. ]
Straw, not a great colour. Bouquet is spirity and scented, with an intriguing rank plant scent somewhere between paper-whites / jonquils and Cape Ivy, not totally appealing to many people. Palate is very dry, exacerbated by the high alcohol, so total flavours are coarse, with the grape phenolics showing. If the 2006 of this label can be likened to a New Zealand winestyle, this vintage is a lesser Australian one. Not worth cellaring. GK 02/09

2007 Gibbston Valley Wines Riesling 14 ½ (

)

Bendigo, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $30 [ screwcap; www.gvwines.co.nz ]
Lemon. If this were labelled pinot gris, it might score somewhat higher. But as riesling, it is scented as if a high-ester yeast were used, but otherwise lacking in varietal bouquet. In mouth the phenolics are high for riesling, and exacerbated by uncomfortably high total acid, which some sweetness does not balance. Not a success, not worth cellaring, hard to drink. GK 04/09

2011 Trinity Hill Syrah Hawkes Bay [ White Label ] 14 ½ (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12.5%; $22 [ screwcap; Sy 96%, Vi 4, hand-harvested; mostly Gimblett Gravels, destemmed; limited exposure to older French and American oak; RS 2.4 g/L; www.trinityhill.co.nz ]
Ruby. The wine is a bit reductive, and needs splashy pouring from jug to jug several times. It is reluctant to open up however, remaining closed, some indeterminate fruit, some oak. Palate has quite a good level of non-varietal red fruits, again some oak, all slightly acid and bitter to the finish. At the QDR level, should mellow with 2 – 6 years in cellar, dubiously. Good the firm have abandoned the idea of calling their cheapest syrah 'shiraz' – much better to keep the notion of syrah only in New Zealand. The awards cited in the Hot Reds Catalogue are a testimony to how often the buying public is totally mislead by supposed experts and judging panels. GK 06/13

2008 Waimea Estates Sauvignon Blanc 14 ½ (

)

Waimea Plains, Nelson, New Zealand: 13.5%; $18 [ screwcap; fruit de-stemmed; a little skin contact, no-solids juice cool-fermented in s/s, LA and stirring post-ferment; pH 3.21, RS 4 g/L; www.waimeaestates.co.nz ]
Excellent lemongreen. Bouquet is clearly in the under-ripe sauvignon category, yellow and green capsicums only, some grassiness too, seemingly cooler even than the Spinyback wine. Flavours are distinctly cooler, austere green notes, high total acid, not as phenolic as Spinyback but less ripe. There seems to be some lees-autolysis to build body in this wine [ confirmed ], but the flavour austerity countermands this. Not easy to drink, and due to the under-ripe characters, won't improve in cellar beyond a year or so. GK 04/09

2003 MadFish Cabernet / Merlot / Franc 14 ½ (

)

Great Southern, Western Australia, Australia: 14%; $20 [ screwcap; 12 months in French oak; ’03 not on website, but label is seen as ‘easy-drinking’; www.madfishwines.com.au ]
Ruby. This wine opens modestly, with under-ripe red fruits rather clogged by a reductive tendency. A good jug to jug aeration is called for. Breathed, it retains an under-ripe note, with indeterminate fruit in very old oak, all tending euc'y. Palate is straightforward fleshy QDR in a cabernet style, dry, acid on the tail. Not worth cellaring. GK 05/06

2004 Wishart Ranchman’s Red 14 ½ (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: – %; $11 [ screwcap; not on website; www.wishartwinery.co.nz ]
Ruby, similar to the Te Puriri, fractionally older. Bouquet on this one is also in a generic merlot / cabernet / Bordeaux style, some red fruits, but less clean than Te Puriri. Palate shows reasonable fruit, and mellow old oak and bretty flavours, all very old-fashioned and more acid than that wine. QDR, not worth cellaring. GK 05/06

2004 Shipwreck Bay Sauvignon Blanc 14 ½ (

)

New Zealand: 12.5%; $18 [ screwcap; www.okahuestate.co.nz ]
Palest straw. A light, scarcely varietal, recently-fermented, clean bouquet. Palate is equally light, very acid, more akin to Australian bag-in-the-box sauvignon than New Zealand. Pleasant QDW, but sharp. GK 09/04

2008 Alpha Domus Merlot / Cabernets / Malbec The Navigator 14 ½ (

)

Bridge Pa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $29 [ screwcap; Me 44%, Ma 24, CS 19, CF 13; 12 months in barrel 85% French and 30% new; RS < 2 g/L; www.alphadomus.co.nz ]
Ruby, well below midway in depth. Bouquet is in the leafy 1980s approach to bordeaux reds from New Zealand, except merlot was scarcely known then. Palate shows suggestions of red plums in a stalky chaptalised way, the wine seemingly not bone dry to conceal the lack of ripe fruit. Such poor ripeness must bespeak seriously over-cropped fruit. Expensive QDR at best, noting that the somewhat similar but richer 2009 Ch Tertre du Courban is $17, for example. Not worth cellaring. GK 06/12

2007 Moutere Hills Pinot Noir 14 ½ (

)

Moutere Hills, Nelson, New Zealand: 13.2%; $39 [ screwcap; hand-picked and sorted; all destemmed and cold-soak 5 days; MLF and 9 months in barrel; some vines up to 15 years age; the proprietors are striving to keep the pinot on its own roots, noting the (not uncommon) French belief that latterday wines do not match the best of the pre-phylloxera wines; www.mouterehills.co.nz ]
Attractive light pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is vaguely simple redfruits pinot, but in a slightly reductive and not-quite-clean way. Decanted and well-breathed, palate is dry, quite rich, light red plum, old cooperage, some brett. The 2007 Villa Maria Private Bin is a climatically similar modest example of the grape at a comparable level of physiological ripeness, but it illustrates perfect hygiene in winemaking. The Moutere is older-style European, more tannic, with greater 'complexity'. It will cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 03/09

2004 Kakapo Sauvignon Blanc 14 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 12.5%; $18 [ screwcap ]
Pale lemongreen. A distinctive sauvignon combining the bad features of New Zealand and France, namely both some armpit smells, and reductive or sur lie characters. Palate is quite rich though, and clearly sauvignon, which redeems it somewhat. This will be marked higher by those insensitive to sulphur-related off-odours. It will cellar reasonably well, European-style, say 3 – 5 years. GK 09/04

2004 Southbank Estate Merlot / Cabernet 14 ½ (

)

Ngatarawa Triangle & Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $21 [ screwcap; DFB; Me 69%, CS 17, CF 14 cropped at c. 3 t/ac, the Me from the Triangle; 12 months in French oak, 30% new; www.southbankestate.com ]
Older ruby. This red urgently needs splashy decanting, to dissipate some bottle stink which makes it smell like a 15-year-old wine. Well breathed, it is lightly floral and leafy red in a minor Entre Deux Mers merlot / cabernet style, only marginally ripe, over-oaked for the fruit weight, more tannic QDR than cellar wine. Some brett issues to sort out in the winery, too. Not worth cellaring. GK 05/08

2005 Cable Bay Chardonnay 14 ½ (

)

Waiheke Island, New Zealand: 14.5%; $ – [ screwcap; (if same as 2006) 4 clones of chardonnay hand-harvested; BF in French oak, c. 20% wild yeast fermentations; 10 months LA in barrel; www.cablebayvineyards.co.nz ]
Old straw. Bouquet is old too in the present company, vaguely figgy rather than peachy, with some oxidation characters. Palate is more complex, with barrel-ferment, MLF and autolysis flavours, but the fruit is in an older style of mixed ripeness, with acid and stalky / phenolic threads in the prematurely aged flavours. Not worth cellaring. GK 05/08

2006 Sutton Grange Winery Estate [ Sangiovese / Cabernet ] Giove 14 ½ (

)

Bendigo district, Central Victoria, Australia: 13%; $38 [ cork; Sa 75%, CS 20, Me 5, grown on granite-derived soils @ 300 m, hand-picked; wild-yeast fermentation, 12 – 18 days cuvaison varying with variety; MLF and c. 19 months in French oak 5% new for CS only, included to illustrate new thinking peripheral to the cabernet / merlot class; www.suttongrangewinery.com ]
Ruby and velvet. Bouquet is perfumed in a style not simpatico with any sangiovese or chianti-oriented wine I have ever tasted, instead quite tarty and synthetic. Palate picks up the synthetic thought, with cheap raspberry sweets flavours. Other tasters thought the wine reductive, which was not my first impression. Anyway, it is not 'winey', with strange acid / tannin interactions on the later palate, making the wine hollow and short. Not worth cellaring. GK 11/08

2011 Perseverance Pinot Gris 14 ½ (

)

Alexandra, Central Otago, New Zealand: 14%; $24 [ screwcap; no info on website; www.perseverance.co.nz ]
Lemon. Bouquet is hardly the right word, there being a lack of character on both bouquet and palate, both suggesting only a slightly rubbery vinifera-based white wine. There is some fruit, and the finish is riesling-dry, tending hard. Not worth cellaring, lucky to get a medal in the Easter. GK 05/13

2003 Richmond Plains Pinot Noir Reserve 14 ½ (

)

Nelson, New Zealand: 13%; $26 [ screwcap; an organic winery; website not yet functional; www.organicwines.co.nz ]
Lightish pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is quite strong, and clearly varietal, with some buddleia florals, but it is also the fragrance of leafy under-ripe fruit, more red currants than red cherries. Palate confirms, a reasonable concentration of leafy fruit, all tending acid and not ripe enough to be good pinot. Pleasant enough QDR (price aside) which would cellar for several years. GK 07/06

2004 Coopers Creek Pinot Noir Reserve 14 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $28 [ screwcap; hand-picked; 13 months in French oak; Reserve a barrel selection; gold medal @ International Cool Climate Wine Show 2006; www.cooperscreek.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, not a natural pinot noir colour. Bouquet is not varietal, but is clean soft round red, vaguely plummy. Palate is more informative, with clear pinot flavours ranging from dark cherry to dark plums, but all in a velvety fat tending porty context, implying double-skinning or similar. Oak is low, and the style is old Australian ‘burgundy’, soft finish. It could equally be made from blauburger. A stalky note creeps into the late palate. A created wine, I suspect, not illustrating the variety appropriately. Cellar 5 – 8 years, in its style. GK 05/06

2002 Jadot Chablis Grenouilles 14 ½ (

)

Chablis Grand Cru, Burgundy, France: 13.5%; $130 [ cork; no specific info [then] on website; www.louisjadot.com ]
Lemonstraw. This is really old-fashioned white burgundy, with a grey veil of organic sulphur hanging about the wine, grubbier than stale wet washing, and with air developing a slightly farty note. Palate has good fruit, rich for chablis, little or no oak, and is recognisably chablis in a blind tasting (on the lack of oak). But sadly, it is not clean enough to be taken seriously. Particularly at $130. Not worth cellaring. GK 07/05

2005 Morton Estate Merlot / Malbec Mercure White Label 14 ½ (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $20 [ screwcap; Me 66%, CS 25, Ma 9; elevage in French and American oak; www.mortonestatewines.co.nz ]
Lightish old ruby. Bouquet is modest and very old-fashioned, showing some unfocussed old berryfruit with swampy and bretty overtones, the way shippers' Bordeaux used to be. Palate adds a stalky under-ripe flavour, even though there is reasonable fruit. Not a charmer, more QDR, and though more winey than the Jacobs Creek, likewise not worth cellaring. GK 11/08

2006 Ara Sauvignon Blanc Composite 14 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $21 [ screwcap; 50% hand-picked; 3 months LA on fine lees; dry extract 20 g/L; RS <1; www.winegrowersofara.co.nz; www.compositewines.co.nz ]
Lemon. This wine opens plainly, with entrained sulphur creating cardboardy overtones, in still recognisable sauvignon fruit. Palate shows good fruit richness, but sulphur hardens the palate, losing the charm and point of Marlborough sauvignon, and instead delivering an old-fashioned white, more QDW than anything, very dry. Perfectly wholesome, but not going anywhere, not worth cellaring. The company (and the back label) state: All wines carrying the Ara name are quality and origin certified by a classification panel of respected wine industry professionals. Some excellent tech info on the websites, at least for the Composite wines. GK 02/08

2006 Yann Chave Hermitage 14 ½ (

)

Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $120 [ cork; Sy 100%; c. 20 days cuvaison, 16 months in new and 1-year 600 L barrels ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. A lesson learned here: never present an un-tasted wine in a demonstration or semi-tutorial situation. In the workshop it was rubbery with entrained sulphur compounds, and showing some animal complexities from brett as well. Even a vigorous aeration did not help it greatly. Leaving aside the sulphur dullness, fruit is quite rich, but acid and oak are tending firm. In the tasting this wine demonstrated vividly how good, and how optimal-French in style, the better New Zealand syrahs are. Worth saying that this wine was bought for the workshop on the basis of its favourable reviews by overseas reviewers, who scored it higher than Yann Chave's top 2006 Crozes-Hermitage le Rouvre (which is pretty good). Yet again therefore we have a demonstration of the almost ubiquitous blindness to sulphide amongst reputed wine critics in some parts of the world, and consequently the dangers of following tasting notes uncritically. If you have this wine, decant it splashily the day before using, and leave it overnight in an open jug. Not worth cellaring. GK 06/08

2005 Kumeu River Pinot Noir 14 ½ (

)

Kumeu, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13%; $30 [ screwcap; hand-harvested; 100% de-stemmed, wild yeast; up to 3 weeks cuvaison, 11 months in barrel; www.kumeuriver.co.nz ]
Light pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is varietal in a simple minor Beaune-like way, but is let down by a curious rank plasticine-like note, perhaps old-cooperage related. Palate brings up that flavour rather more, drying the wine, detracting from simple red currants / red fruits. More QDR pinot, not worth cellaring. GK 01/07

2004 Seresin Estate Sauvignon Blanc Momo 14 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $17 [ screwcap; www.seresin.co.nz ]
Lemon. A non-varietal bouquet, clean apart from the bizarre high-solids characters this winery seems obsessed with maximising in some of their whites, drowning out all else. Palate has fruit richness, and also some bitterness associated with this winemaking approach. A perverse wine in the love it or hate it camp, not worth cellaring for me. GK 08/05

2001 Jaboulet Hermitage la Chapelle 14 ½ (

)

Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $ – [ cork; c. $US120; hand-picked last week of Sept.; yield usually 1.5 – 2 t/ac; de-stemmed, temperature-controlled cuvaison 3 – 4 weeks; c. 18 months in oak; Parker 147: [paraphrased] "… looks to be a strong effort … a good sign after a succession of uninspiring [wines] … a sweet nose of creme de cassis intermixed with licorice and earth. Full-bodied, sweet, rich, and moderately tannic … to 2020. 90 – 92"; Spectator: 97; previous reviews on this site; www.jaboulet.com ]
Ruby and garnet, old for age, amongst the lightest. Both initially opened, and aired, bouquet is dulled, hot climate in style, some brett, lacking life, a raw ox-liver quality to it. Fruit on palate is flat / nearly dead, baked, brown raisiny fruits only, almost oxidised to the finish. It did not improve much with airing. On revealing, one can only shake one's head sadly, having followed (and cellared off and on) this once-famous wine for 35 years. I notice from previous reviews on this site, the trend for this wine is disastrous over the few years since release. Perhaps there was more than one bottling, but poor bottles prevail. Not worth cellaring. GK 04/07

2004 Crossroads Syrah 14 ½ (

)

Mostly Dartmoor Valley, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12.5%; $18 [ cork; machine-picked; 10 months in French & American oak 20% new; this wine is in the Destination Series; www.crossroadswinery.co.nz ]
Ruby. Bouquet is leafy first and foremost, and in the blind tasting fits in with the cabernet / merlots. Below is stalky cassis and lightly plummy fruit, with faint cracked pepper. The wine improves somewhat with breathing. Palate is leafy too, with reasonable red fruits, but it is youthful and lacking ripeness, another wine seeming over-cropped. It will soften and become fragrant cool climate QDR in a couple of years, maybe showing more syrah character in a minor Crozes-Hermitage way. Cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 03/06

2006 Sileni Pourriture Noble EV 14 ½ (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 9.5%; $27 [ cork; EV means Exceptional Vintage; no grape or detail on website; www.sileni.co.nz ]
Paleish straw. VA is the first impression on bouquet. That can be OK in a sweet wine, if there is the fruit and flavour complexity on bouquet to marry it away, but in this wine there isn't. There is just a suggestion of cut pear flesh, with some oxidation. Palate is more volatile, and the flavour is lacking, as if made from vapid pinot gris, pure, but not clearly botrytis (which can be interesting on mild varieties such as chardonnay). Not a success, not worth cellaring. GK 03/07

2004 Matua Chardonnay Settler 14 ½ (

)

New Zealand: 13%; $12 [ screwcap, s/s, 25% MLF, relationship to oak unclear, perhaps chips; 3.8 g/L RS; www.matua.co.nz ]
Deep lemon. Bouquet is an old-fashioned North Island style of chardonnay, showing mixed ripeness ranging from pineapple to stalky, all simple and tending sacky. Palate has good fruit, but similar flavours to the bouquet, all tending acid and phenolic. Not easy quaffing, though a winestyle formerly endorsed (unwisely). Not worth cellaring. GK 03/07

2006 Distant Land Merlot / Malbec 14 ½ (

)

Dartmoor Valley, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $19 [ screwcap; Me 80%, Ma 20; c. 7 days cold-soak; 9 months in French oak 30% new, RS <2 g/L; a Lincoln Wines label; www.distantland.co.nz ]
Lightish ruby, old for age. Bouquet is intriguing for the extent to which it matches a minor and leafy merlot-dominant under-ripe wine from Entre Deux Mers. Fruit is ripened to the red currants level of complexity only, but with a nice tobacco note. With such delicate under-ripe leafy flavours, oaking is subtle and well done. Finish is not bone-dry, but few will notice. QDR, not worth cellaring. GK 04/08

2006 Millton Chardonnay Gisborne Riverpoint Vineyard 14 ½ (

)

Gisborne, New Zealand: 12.5%; $21 [ screwcap; biodynamically-grown grapes; small part handled in older oak, RS 2 g/L; www.millton.co.nz ]
Brassy straw. Bouquet is old-fashioned, with a mix of fruit characters from over-ripe to under-ripe, figgy to green stalky. Palate shows oak, MLF and unknit acid, reasonable physical fruit, but the flavour is even more old-fashioned on the mixed ripeness. Not worth cellaring, hard to drink (on the acid and stalks). GK 03/07

2008 Leopard's Leap Pinotage / Shiraz 14 ½ (

)

Franschhoek (c. 20 k E of Stellenbosch), South Africa: 13.5%; $18 [ screwcap; if similar to 2009, is Pi 52%, Sh 48; extended skin contact, the Sh standard elevation and 12 months in European oak, Pi matured in s/s with oak staves and micro-oxygenation for 6 months; RS 3.2 g/L; www.leopards-leap.com ]
Older ruby. Bouquet is immediately that drab sour plum and green olives smell of imperfectly ripe pinotage, which courtesy of Montana particularly in earlier days we know all too well in New Zealand. Below is some leathery oak. Palate likewise has the same sour berry character (notwithstanding the RS, not noticed at the time), highly varietal in a negative sense, not pleasing. Cellar 2 – 5 years, in its style, but why ? GK 7/11 GK 07/11

2003 Loosen Riesling Mosel / Saar / Ruwer QbA 14 ½ (

)

Mosel / Saar / Ruwer, Germany: 9.5%; $21 [ www.drloosen.de ]
Palest lemongreen. Bouquet is straightforward riesling, with suggestions of white florals and lime zest. Palate however is sweet lollipop and lacking, with a poor finish on low acid. Disappointing – a commercial wine reflecting its warm vintage. Not worth cellaring, unlike the 2001. GK 11/04

2002 Matua Valley Syrah Matheson 14 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $21 [ cork; 2 g / L RS; www.matua.co.nz ]
Ruby. Bouquet is dull, stewed fruit, oak, but un-winey. Palate has some skinny boysenberry flavours, in oak and stalks, the finish nearly astringent and a bit bretty. Another wine like Coonawarra machine-harvested shiraz, but in this case poor Coonawarra. QDR, not worth cellaring, though wholesome enough. GK 06/05

2004 Sileni Riesling Cellar Selection 14 ½ (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12%; $18 [ screwcap; www.sileni.co.nz ]
Lemongreen. This is another wine that needs pouring between jugs. Freshly opened, it is reductive and cardboardy. Breathed, recognisable riesling becomes apparent, with hints of citrus and floral. Palate is quite rich, flavoursome and juicy, close to the dry class, tending phenolic for riesling, and straightforward from that reductive component. Might improve with cellaring 5 – 8 years, but seems marginal. GK 01/05

2008 Finca Sobreno Tinta de Toro 14 ½ (

)

Toro, Spain: 14%; $22 [ cork; Te 100%; cuvaison c.20 days; 14 months in American oak less than four years old; www.sobreno.com ]
Older ruby. Bouquet is locked up, the whole wine needing splashy decanting. It opens somewhat to reveal a vaguely red fruits bouquet, but in a concrete cooperage style. Palate doesn't improve much on the bouquet, being short, hard and again concretey. It is said to have some oak. Plain red, not worth cellaring. GK 08/11

2007 Walnut Block Sauvignon Blanc 14 ½ (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $18 [ screwcap; hand-picked @ 3.5 t/ac, c. 15% BF in old French oak, some wild-yeast ferment; RS 4 g/L; www.walnutblock.co.nz ]
Pale lemongreen. Whereas the Blicks Lane from Walnut Block is reductive, this main label is volatile. They therefore on the one hand provide a great teaching / learning opportunity for keen wine people, but on the other imply much tighter QC is needed in the winery. Palate is under-ripe, more the greenish capsicum spectrum of flavours than the gooseberry of the Blicks wine, on a Marlborough 'dry' finish. Not worth cellaring. GK 03/08

2009 The Hay Paddock [ Syrah / Petit Verdot ] Petite Reserve 14 ½ (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.9%; $49 [ screwcap; Sy 60%, PV 40, hand-picked; c.15 months in French oak 1 – 3 year old; www.thehaypaddock.co.nz ]
Ruby, some development showing. Bouquet is old-fashioned to a fault, so bretty as to obscure the varieties. Flavours in mouth show browning red fruits, leather and bacon, in a winestyle leaning more to the Southern Rhone from a very old-fashioned winemaker – except the wine is unusually stalky for that district. This is more than likely the result of the eccentric blending of petit verdot with syrah which the proprietors favour – an unlikely marriage. These flavours are perfectly wholesome, but they are simply not part of the future for wine in New Zealand. Happily with the release of the 2010 Silk Syrah, this vineyard now seems to be on track. Will hold several years. GK 10/12

2009 Milcrest Estate Pinot Gris 14 ½ (

)

Waimea Plains, Nelson, New Zealand: 14%; $24 [ screwcap; hand-harvested, s/s cool ferment, weekly stirring on gross lees for two months, 6.4 g/L RS; www.milcrestestate.co.nz ]
Straw. Quite a strong bouquet, fruity but old-fashioned and suggesting not enough care in blanketing and protection. Palate is straightforward, good fruit richness with some stonefruit, but phenolics creeping up and some cardboardy notes dulling it, nearly dry. Not worth cellaring. GK 08/11

2004 Manara Rock Chardonnay 14 ½ (

)

Limestone Coast, South Australia, Australia: 13.5%; $14 [ screwcap; bottled in NZ by Villa Maria group; not on website ]
Good lemon. Bouquet is ersatz banana-y fruit-salad chardonnay, in a lowest-common-denominator Yellowtail style, but purer. Palate has fair fruit in the same banana-y style, some residual sugar, added acid harshness, and simple oak perhaps chipped. Industrial wine, expensive as such, but sound. Cellar 1 – 3 years. GK 03/06

1974 Cooks Pinot Gris Classic Collection 14 ½ (

)

Te Kauwhata, New Zealand: 11.5%; $ – [ cork, 38 mm; a brave new wine company of the late ‘60s / early ‘70s, disappearing into the McWilliams group and later Montana; the wine packed in the distinctive skittle-shaped bottle Cooks initially hoped to make uniquely their own, for their premium wines; the name now lost in the Pernod-Ricard (NZ) group ]
Straw. For the era, the bouquet is surprisingly fresh, ‘rich’ and seemingly all-vinifera. That was certainly the image the newly-hatched Cooks Wine Company was trying to convey at the time. It does not retain quite the precise British primrose / exact varietal character the Mission Tokay d’Alsace had later in the 70s, naturally enough, but it is clean, fragrant, and winey, hints of dried peaches and light vanilla biscuit on bouquet. Palate confirms a genuine approach (for the times), some light body, mature pinot gris flavours even with a slight varietal grip, dry or nearly so (< 5 g/L), surprisingly palatable as light mature / fading dry white. GK 12/17

2013 Black Barn Vineyards Syrah 14 ½ (

)

Havelock Hills & The Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $38 [ screwcap; Sy 100%, 25% hand-picked from 6 – 10-year old vines planted at c.2,775 vines / ha and cropped @ 6.25 t/ha = 2.5t/ac; no cold-soak, cuvaison 14 – 24 days, 20% whole-bunch component, mostly wild-yeast; MLF in tank; c.10 months in French oak c.20% new; RS <0.5 g/L; sterile-filtered; dry extract not measured; production 550 x 9-L cases; released; www.blackbarn.com ]
Ruby, the lightest wine. This was the lame-duck in the tasting, being quite severely reductive. Prolonged and aggressive aeration did not remedy that. There is good fruit and berry, careful oak elevation, and pleasant balance in mouth, but the reduced sulphurs are already complexing to mercaptan-like compounds, adding animal aromas and flavours. It was not liked by the group, there being unusual unanimity about the 'least wine' of the tasting. Not worth cellaring. GK 05/15

2003 Domaine Mongeard-Mugneret Grands Echezeaux 14 ½ (

)

Vosne-Romanée Grand Cru, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: – %; $ – [ cork; vine age 40 – 68 years; wine-searcher valuation $381; www.mongeard.com ]
Interesting wine but lacks typicity. Clear in appearance with a bright garnet colour, still pale but slightly deeper than the 2002. Clean nose, unusual combination of red apple, raisins, cherry brandy and dark fruit characters (blackcurrant and strong dark prunes). Molasses, coffee liqueur, dark chocolate and rich cassis filling out the nose. Dry with high acidity and marginally overripe fruit. Obvious oak on the palate, not well-integrated and slightly rough. Medium-minus body and lacking complexity, missing the mid-palate. Quite a bit of heat from alcohol and a short finish. RD 08/16

1972 Stonyfell Metala Vintage Port 14 ½ (

)

Langhorne Creek, South Australia, Australia: – %; $47 [ cork, 46mm; original price $5.80, so a serious wine in its day; auction price shown the average of two offerings in Australia, not on wine-searcher; CS and shiraz; matured in 500s for 24 months; Len Evans, 1978: It is a big, blackberry style of wine with deep almost purple-hued colour and intense fruit flavour. The wine shows considerable sweetness on the palate, and drinks very well. It will undoubtedly mellow into a very rich, attractive fortified style given a further five to ten years in bottle; no recent assessments are available on the Net; the present-day website does not illuminate former wines; www.stonyfellwines.com.au ]
Dense brown more than garnet, but a flush of garnet is just detectable, eight times the density of the Portuguese wines. Bouquet is clean and sound, but totally lacking any of the piquant, enticing, aromatic and fresh uplifting qualities of the better wines. Instead it smells of baked caramel, coffee-grounds, licorice, treacle and date pudding, on rich cooked-prunes fruit. Palate is likewise thick and sweet, raisins and licorice, caramel and cooked prunes (particularly to the aftertaste), with American oak being commented on. The whole wine is rich and perfectly wholesome in a tanniny way, showing little sign of age or decay, but it is just irredeemably hot-climate, thick and dull, sating the palate. Two tasters rated it their top wine. This was the only wine to have a clear ‘least’ vote. GK 05/18

2004 Waiwera Estate Pinot Noir 14 ½ (

)

Golden Bay, NW Nelson, New Zealand: 12.9%; $27 [ screwcap; vineyard totally on Motupipi limestone; French oak some new c. 10 months; website not yet functional; www.waiwera-estate.co.nz ]
Attractive cherry red, a lovely pinot colour. Bouquet initially opened is tending estery and unstable, as if recently bottled, with underlying red fruits. Breathed, it develops better red berry but with a curious malt whisky character, presumably barrel-related, which detracts. On palate the actual fruit ripeness, acid balance, and texture are good, but the flavour is still hidden. Needs another year in bottle, to marry up [and since drafting, I understand the wine has been withdrawn from sale until next summer]. I presented a glowing report on this wine January 2006, explicitly tagged as from a barrel sample. The assembled and bottled wine does not yet reflect that, but hopes must be high, for the vintage was exceptional and the calcareous site can only be described as magical. Cellar 3 – 8 years. GK 09/06

1985 Tyrrell's Pinot Chardonnay Vat 47 * 14 ½ (

)

Hunter Valley, NSW, Australia: 13.5%; $ – [ cork, 45mm; together with Leeuwin Estate Chardonnay Art Series, this is Australia's most famous chardonnay. Tyrrell pioneered barrel-fermentation and French oak for chardonnay in Australia, from the 1973 vintage. A percentage is fermented in new puncheons, some in older, some in s/s. Little or no MLF. Vintage rated 7/10 by Langton's; www.tyrrells.com.au ]
Old gold with a brown wash, one of the lesser hues but not the deepest colour. This was the first of the wines to be culled / not presented in the formal tasting. Bouquet is clean, fragrant, some dried peach fruit notes but also a suggestion of maderisation, the nett effect pleasantly biscuitty. Palate retains (dried) fruit richness, fair body, madeira cake flavours in a slightly oaky way, but maderisation creeping through the palate, trace bitterness to the finish, quite tannic. Saved by still retaining some body. GK 08/18

2009 Saint Cosme Cotes du Rhone 14 ½ (

)

Cotes du Rhone AOC, Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $20 [ cork; Sy 100%, matured in concrete vat; www.saintcosme.com/en/wines.php ]
Ruby, some velvet. Initially opened, this wine is rubbery and reductive, and it doesn't respond too well to aeration. This is the ugly side of syrah, for the variety is prone to reduction in elevation: being alert to that is the key factor in locating wonderful Cotes du Rhone, as opposed to disappointing ones. In mouth the rubbery plain blackberry fruit has an almost sour note from the entrained sulphide, even though ripeness is good. Considering Cotes du Rhone over the years, virtually every producer misses the boat now and then, invariably on reduction. If you are switched-on to sulphur issues in wine, there is little choice but to taste them, and buy accordingly, if the at best wonderfully sunny and affordable Southern Rhone reds appeal as house wines. Gleaning info elsewhere is hard, since so many New Zealand winewriters are varyingly unaware of the negative side of sulphides ï¿½ and we do not have this alone, indeed it seemed almost the entire British wine trade was blind to sulphide till recently. This one will not recover much, and is not worth cellaring. GK 07/10

1975 Penfolds Cabernet Sauvignon Private Bin 14 ½ (

)

Gisborne mainly, possibly some Hawkes Bay and Waimauku, New Zealand: – %; $ – [ cork 45mm; nominally CS 100%; release price also $3.20; the Penfolds venture in New Zealand (with Dominion Breweries) lasted from 1963 to 1977 or so; this wine entered in the 1975 National Wine Competition (Commended, ie below Bronze), so probably little oak exposure; no info ]
Ruby and garnet, clearly the lightest wine, yet not tired in hue. Bouquet is simply astonishing, given the colour. It is really fragrant, but as is often the case with 'fragrant' reds, the level of bouquet here is augmented by a leafy under-ripe component. Relative to several of the minor clarets, it is squeaky clean. In mouth however it has less to say. There is a clear chaptalised component melding quite pleasantly with red currants rather than cassis berry, and leafy notes. It's all quite like an old Loire cabernet franc, yet there is a hint of ripeness suggesting perhaps some Hawkes Bay material. Surprisingly good, considering, but comparison with the commercial Sonoma vineyards wine in Pt I shows the vast difference in cropping rates in the two countries at the time. GK 04/15

2017 Escarpment 'Noir' Pinot Noir Artisan 14 ½ (

)

Te Muna Road, Martinborough, New Zealand: 13%; $30 [ screwcap; the winery describes this as their first foray into ‘organic’ wine-making, no SO2 etc; 270 days on skins in a 'clay amphora', no mention of oak handling, bottled without fining or filtering; dry; www.escarpment.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby, one of the lighter wines. Bouquet is light, clean, but chemical rather than winey, with undertones of stewed rhubarb and under-ripe raspberries, plus white pepper. Palate is most odd, tasting of cardboard and vaguely raspberry flavours, little or no sign of oak elevation, slightly acid, plain and devoid of pinot noir character, youthful now. The proprietors say it is not supposed to be kept, in fact specifically say to drink within 12 months, but it would have to be more winey in a couple of years than it is now, because there is some fruit for it to mellow on. At this stage the aftertaste is cardboard, more than berry. Not a success. GK 03/18

2006 René Rostaing Cote Rotie Cote Blonde 14 ½ (

)

Cote Rotie, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $260 [ cork; Sy >90%, 5 – 8% Vi; no website ]
Mature ruby, big pinot noir in weight. Bouquet is first and foremost oxidised, the kind of smell associated with knapping terracotta bricks, on (vaguely) old bottled red plums. There is no suggestion of varietal freshness. Palate is hard, short and tired, with phenolics apparent from the oxidation of the original fruit, a touch of saline. Again, maybe not exactly brett, but as with La Landonne, a wine degraded by its cooperage. This too won't improve in cellar, 3 – 8 years. GK 06/10

2012 Mission Estate Merlot Reserve 14 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $29 [ supercritical 'cork'; Me dominant, perhaps some CF; short cuvaison only in 2012, c. 17 days, some months in French oak 25% new; RS ‘dry'; www.missionestate.co.nz ]
Ruby, above midway in the lightest third. Bouquet shows light clean plummy fruit, fitting in well with the concept of light merlot. On palate the wine shrinks a size or more, red fruits only, the wine stalky, that sucking-on-plumstones thought again, all tending hard and sour. This wine reflects the cool year faithfully, with total acid up. Barely worth cellaring. Prices in such a year should be reduced. GK 06/14

2015 Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc Southern Clays Reserve 14 ½ (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $27 [ screwcap; machine-harvested cool at night / early morning from several vineyards in valleys on the south side of the Wairau Valley; all s/s cool fermentation with cultured yeasts, to optimise aromatics; RS 2.5 g/L; 2015 seen as a quality year for Marlborough sauvignon; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Lemongreen, like the Taylors Pass Reserve wine. One sniff of this wine and it is simply unacceptable, on account of its intense reductive thiols and other sulphide notes totally masking the quality of the fruit. The fact that wines like this have won gold medals does not validate this bizarre wine style, where intentional winemaking artefact destroys the beauty of the fruit. It is worth noting that in wine judging where winemakers may dominate panels, the whole process of judging / assessment can be derailed by fad and fashion – where a strong judge presumably with a personally-high threshold to reduced sulphurs wants to endorse wine styles like this. Both chardonnay and sauvignon blanc are at this moment suffering from this mistaken aspect of the judging process in New Zealand. The result is wines which many people find simply disgusting are being given gold medals. There is no quicker way to discredit the relevance of the entire judging process, as discussed more fully for the Wairau Valley Reserve wine. It is a total mistake to tolerate the qualities this Southern Clays wine shows.

Beyond the reductive thiols and reduction, on smell you can hazard a guess that the wine is made from sauvignon blanc fruit. In mouth that supposition becomes clearer, with good richness and length based on mixed capsicum flavours. There are possibly some better fruit qualities too, but you simply can't tell, the wine being so clogged, hard, and sour from reduction. As noted elsewhere, these attributes lengthen the aftertaste too, but not positively. This wine represents a lost opportunity, in terms of consumer satisfaction. The only good aspect to a wine like this, in the context of the Villa Maria wine company where it is more than evident from other wines in their portfolio that the wine has been made in this style by design, is that the winemaker can equally well avoid the style, once its 'values' are perceived more accurately. There are other companies not so fortunate. Not worth cellaring. GK 04/16

2006 Banfi Rosé Centine 14 ½ (

)

Tuscany IGT, Italy: 12.5%; $23 [ screwcap; Sa, CS, Me; s/s; www.banfi.com ]
Salmon rose, attractive. Initially opened, the wine is reductive. It needs very splashy decanting from jug to jug, half a dozen times, to free it up. Thus aerated, it reveals a more sophisticated and winey approach to rosé than the local wines, only partly from the extra year’s age. It is for example dry, and the low alcohol is delicious. Red fruits incline to a grenache-like rosé, with the same whisper of silver pine that variety often shows, leading to a redcurrant palate which is attractive. The actual variety will be Tuscan [ see detail above ], but irrespective this wine shows what can be done with the rosé style, and makes a welcome contrast to the New Zealand approach. There are however much cleaner and better rosés of the same style available from Spain or the southern Rhone, often for less outlay. This wine will disappoint unless decanted appropriately, and who is going to bother to do that – certainly very few New Zealand restaurants I have been in – so hard to recommend. It could have scored much better. GK 02/08

1969 McWilliam's Mount Pleasant Philip Hermitage 14 ½ (

)

Hunter Valley, NSW, Australia: – %; $ – [ cork, 45mm; ullage c.25mm below base neck; back then, McWilliam’s was a famous individual Hunter Valley winery, the inheritor of the Maurice O’Shea (d. 1956) legacy … Lake: The unbelievable finesse of O’Shea wines defies description … . In that era there were several lineages of reds, the most famous with names like P & O.P. (Pinot and Old Paddock Hermitage), and Robert Hermitage, after family members. Philip from the Pokolbin district was the more commercial of the these top named wines. The winery says: ... the 1969 Philip Hermitage is a blend of Hermitage, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon, and was matured in 600 gallon oak casks [ 2,725 litres ] until bottled in July, 1971. This 1969 in youth was heavy and tarry to a fault … the tasting will reveal what age has achieved. Evans reports on this exact wine thus (1978): The 1969 wine is an extremely good wine that contains a good deal of quality, fruit and general character. The November 1968 bush fires limited the crop in 1969. Consequently there were no special bottlings of that year and the whole of the material went into into the 1969 Philip which was an outstanding wine. Each to his own. ]
Ruby and garnet, the second deepest wine. Bouquet is complex, hard to describe, quite big and rich, still with a dark tarry quality plus a slightly carbolic edge, on big leathery darkly berried and browning fruit. There is trace eucalyptus too, so the whole wine retains much of its former big and distinctive styling. In mouth it is finally lightening up somewhat. The tarry notes bespeaking earlier complex reduction with mercaptans are retreating, and the very leathery fruit now has a lot more to say. Oaking is clean and aromatic, more noticeable than many Hunter reds, perhaps reflecting the fact that in 1969 the other red varieties were blended into this single bottling for the year. It is packed in a claret-shaped bottle, but my recollection is, all Mount Pleasant wines even including the Pinot and Old Paddock Hermitage were at that time in claret bottles. The fruit fades in mouth, and the leather and older oak stand firm, so the final impression is back to the tarry notes on bouquet. This is ’distinctive Hunter character’ with a vengeance, which people either love or loathe: two second places, but five least. Fully mature now. The Stuyvesant House restaurant in Sydney has the 1990 of this label on their list at $AU190. Ullage base of cork to top of wine, 59 mm. GK 04/19

2014 George Wyndham Shiraz Bin 555 14 ½ (

)

South-Eastern Australia,, Australia: 14.1%; $12 [ screwcap; Sh 100%; detail lacking; weight bottle and closure: 385 g; www.georgewyndham.com ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, medium weight. Bouquet is ripe, plummy, euc'y and leathery, but clean. Palate is less, a hard added-tannin quality fighting with a saline note, on over-ripe boysenberry shiraz typifying commercial Australian red. Oak is reasonable, presumably mostly achieved by artifice. Sound plain QDR, to cellar 3 – 10 years. GK 08/16

2009 Hilok Pinot Noir 14 ½ (

)

Alexandra, Central Otago, New Zealand: 13%; $24 [ screwcap; machine-harvested; some cold-soak, some oak; a wine made for local district use only; website all-black and in places illegible – sigh; www.hilok.co.nz ]
Lightish pinot noir ruby. This is an odd wine, the bouquet having an aromatic in it hinting at gewurztraminer, plus suggestions of a floral component in red fruits. Palate has the same character, and does not hang together too well as red wine. Red fruits include redcurrant more than red cherry. Pleasant enough QDR pinot, in a curious way, not really worth cellaring. GK 09/10

2012 Langmeil Shiraz Orphan Bank 14 ½ (

)

Barossa Valley, South Australia, Australia: 14.5%; $74 [ screwcap; 24 months in French oak, 50% new; Halliday vintage rating Barossa Valley 9/10 for 2012; www.langmeilwinery.com.au ]
Ruby and velvet, below midway in depth. Bouquet is caricature clumsy old-style Aussie shiraz, tending reductive, tending saline, absurdly oaky, just big and plain. In mouth the wine is rich, leathery and solid, in the style of many wines of the 1950s and '60s. Considering this is priced at $74, presumably reflecting that the winery thinks it has merit, it is a matter of certainty the winemaker has never tasted the benchmark syrahs of the world, J L Chave Hermitage and Jaboulet's La Chapelle (up to 1996, or 2009 on). To judge from my 1964 – 1968 Stonyfell Metala (back when it was seen by the Australians as a premium wine, and the wines of France were almost unknown in Australia), and how they tasted then, and how they taste today, this will cellar for 50 years, and soften and lighten, but still maintain its present drab style. Not a contemporary winestyle, at all. GK 06/16

2016 Domaine Alary Cairanne L’Estévenas 14 ½ (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14.5%; $40 [ cork 50 mm, Gr 50-65%, Sy 35-50, organic; elevation in concrete vat, plus some large oak; available from Maison Vauron, Auckland, and retailers supplied by them; weight bottle and cork, 545 g; website more PR than info; www.domaine-alary.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, well above midway in depth. This wine needs pouring from jug to jug splashily many times, say 10, to try and clear the grey blanket of reduction. It is really sad, because (after a lot of air) underneath there is some fragrant (and good, not over-ripened) syrah trying to get out. Palate has good fruit, but is pretty severely clogged, and the reduction makes the tannins taste coarse, drying, and nearly bitter. This will cellar for ages, being so reduced, but rather than improve it will go leathery. For the many tasters sensitive to reduced sulphurs, it is important to note that of the northern hemisphere winewriters referred to, only one, Livingstone-Learmonth, provides a hint (for the L’Estévenas only) which is too subtle for most: “Decanting essential.” For the other writers, there is no suggestion of this key defect, significant reduction, in these last two wines, once bottled. Nor, needless to say, in the other less seriously reductive wines in this review. Scarcely worth cellaring. GK 05/19

1998 Domaine d'Ameillaud Cotes du Rhone-Villages Cairanne 14 ½ (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $18.50 [ cork; original price; usually Gr 60%, Sy 20 – 25, Ca 10, 5 – 10 Mv; main ferment in s/s or concrete c. 21 days; 5 – 10% of the wine spends 4 months in oak some new; assemblage and bottling after 12 months; this domain is highly-regarded, the proprietor English; even Parker (who regards Cotes du Rhones as essentially 2 – 3 year wines) concedes this Cotes du Rhone-Villages Cairanne "is a highly-extracted, rich, mouth-filling wine meant to stand up to a decade of cellaring"; Wine Spectator 11/99: Flavorful, spicy, a wonderful little Rhone red packed with black fruit and black pepper. 89; www.ameillaud.com/vineyard.html ]
This wine really highlighted the truth in the old maxim that there is no such thing as a great wine, there are only great bottles. The first bottle was much the lightest and oldest colour, and dramatically corked. The second bottle was a reasonable ruby and garnet, appropriate to such a wine and age. Bouquet was very fragrant indeed, even at first, seductive. There were aromas of red berries, stalks, and jonquils / paper-whites. In mouth, it was initially pleasantly berried, but within a few seconds the characteristic musty / mousey taste of Pichia infection spread through the mouth, and was both pervasive and persistent. Bad news, and a big disappointment – in the tasting we had to make a learning opportunity of it, since good examples of mousey wines are rare these days. After the tasting I checked the corked wine very carefully again, and no, it was not mousey. Puzzled, I retrieved a third bottle. This was much the deepest and freshest in colour of the three, and on both bouquet and palate was perfectly normal Cotes du Rhone, drying as is reasonable for its age, light brett, but not mousey. Quite pleasant in fact, and close to the Santa Duc. How to explain this variation, bottle to bottle ? A clue comes from the observation that 36 hours later, this third bottle was developing some mustyness, so oxidation of brett-related substrates may be implicated. At that same interval, however, the corked bottle still showed no trace of mustyness. Pretty hard wine to score, all things considered. Clearly this is a wine at full term or beyond in its life trajectory. Incidentally, for most corked wines, and for all except the most irredeemable wine-snobs, the remedy is simply to pour the wine into an open vessel the shape of a kitchen bowl, cover with gauze against fruit-flies, and leave on a bench out of the sun for 24 hours. If you remember, stir it halfway through. TCA seems to oxidise quite quickly into relatively odourless components. Occasional profoundly-affected bottles won't clear, but most will. GK 04/12

1987 The Antipodean 14 ½ (

)

Matakana, Auckland district, New Zealand: 12.6%; $ – [ Cork, 52 mm; CS dominant, Me, Ma; little factual information is readily available (in the time available). M. Cooper reports on the 1985 wine in his 1990 Pocket Guide: an appealingly perfumed and mellow but extraordinarily overpriced … 1985, and in the 1992 edition he gives a little more detail: So hyped-up was the launch of The Antipodean – the 1985 vintage was released in early 1988 at $93.00 – and so swiftly did the Vuletic brothers' partnership collapse in the wake of their 'personal falling-out', it is hard to be totally objective about the merits of this Matakana red. The Antipodean is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Malbec matured for up to 30 months in new thin-staved French oak barriques. Of the three vintages so far released – 1985 to 1987 – the 1986 is the pick: its forthcoming bouquet is slightly herbaceous and very woody; its palate bold and deep flavoured, with slightly green-edged fruit and a powerful oakiness. This is very good red – but not great; a Vuletic still owns the site, and wine is still made, but no detail known, the one-page website being long on hyperbole, and short on facts; bottle weight 545 g; www.theantipodeanwine.com ]
Ruby and garnet, remarkably red, towards the lighter end. Bouquet is clean, lean and fragrant, with the tell-tale character absolutely bespeaking critically under-ripe cabernet sauvignon in mature wines: the smell of cigarettes stubbed out in an ashtray, smelt the following morning. Other bouquet characters include hints of browning red currants, cooked rhubarb stalks, and red peppers. Palate is an intriguing mix of all those characters, coupled with highish acid and unusual concentration (for the era) in New Zealand. It is as rich as some of the classed growths, noticeably much richer than the Villa Maria, but there is little point in concentrating critically under-ripe and thus completely inappropriate flavours. The nett achievement of this wine was crystal-clear to tasters, a full two-thirds of the group rating it the least wine of the 12. Where it came from was another matter, all four countries being offered. Interestingly, though this tasting was presented in Auckland, and nearly half the tasters were winemakers, not a single person had tasted this much hyped 1987 Antipodean alongside other Auckland bordeaux blends such as 1987 Stonyridge Larose, 1987 Goldwater Cabernet / Merlot / Franc, and the other New Zealand 1987 Cabernet / Merlot representative of the era, in this case the Villa Maria (not all Auckland fruit). Fully mature to fading now, best drunk up with pizza. GK 08/16

2003 Bodegas Aragonesas Coto de Hayas Tinto 14 ½ (

)

Campo de Borja DdO, Spain: 13%; $10 [ Gr > Te, CS, Sy; DFB; laminated/aggregate cork; DFB ]
Ruby. A fragrant wine, with some of the maceration carbonique notes of the l'Ameillaud, on stewed red plums and almond. Palate is short, stalky, with some rhubarb in the red plums, all a bit acid, yet sweet to the finish. Awkward therefore, but wholesome QDR. Cellar 1 – 3, possibly to mellow / integrate. GK 11/04

2003 Ch la Cabanne 14 ½ (

)

Pomerol, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $44 [ cork; Me 92%, CF 8, planted at 5000 vines / ha, typically cropped at 48 hL/ha (2.5 t/ac); cold soak and up to 4 weeks cuvaison and MLF in tank, up to 18 months in split-stave French oak [said to be] up to 60% new; Robinson: ... sweet and rich ... overdone and uncomfortably extracted on the palate ... dry rasping tannins on the finish. 15; www.estager.com ]
Ruby. Bouquet is in an older ‘brown’ style of Bordeaux, with fruit and oak blurring into each other, though reasonably fruity. Palate immediately shows why, with nearly skunky flavours indicative of very old cooperage, though the berryfruit remains reasonable. This is more shipper's claret, and in an old-fashioned style. Not worth cellaring, if one is at all sensitive to this drab nearly microbiological skunky flavour, for it doesn't dissipate with time. [ Conceivably a corked bottle, but the character is so characteristic of ancient cooperage, that I doubt it. ] GK 08/06

2005 Domaine Cauhape Jurancon Sec Chant des Vignes 14 ½ (

)

Jurancon AOC, SW France: 13.5%; $28 [ sleeved plastic foam; location virtually on the Spanish border; gros manseng hand-harvested early in October; 6 months on lees in s/s; best in the first 3 years; www.cauhape.com ]
Orangey light straw. This is the basic wine in the Cauhape / Jurancon range. It smells biscuitty with oxidation, on slightly fragrant fruit with a touch of 10-year old bottled nectarines – i.e. not unpleasant, just very old-fashioned. There is quite a high-solids component to the fermentation too, dulling it further. Palate is rich, mineral in one sense, but all dulled by the oxidative winemaking. This is the kind of wine that seduces, no doubt, in its own village with beguiling local foods, but viewed with a new-world eye from half a world away, it is drab. Not worthwhile. GK 02/08

2002 de Courcel Pommard les Vaumuriens 14 ½ (

)

Pommard, Burgundy, France: 13%; $81
Rich ruby. A very strong and distinctive bouquet, with a pungent aromatic daisy-like (e.g. crushed chrysanthemum stalks) odour, reminiscent of certain wines from the Rhone Valley and from Chile, and usually associated with syrah. Palate is for all the world like a minor and stalky Crozes-Hermitage. At least the oaking is restrained on this wine, and the flavours though wayward, are interesting, not unpleasant. Not worth cellaring as pinot, though. GK 11/04

2003 Domaine des Espiers Gigondas Cuvée Tradition 14 ½ (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $39 [ cork; Maison Vauron; Gr 85%, Sy 15, no de-stemming; Parker in his book describes this winery as tiny, c. 1000 cases off 2 ha, the wines traditional. Parker 156: "Among the most successful wines of this appellation in 2003, Espiers’ impressive 2003 Gigondas Tradition exhibits a dense ruby/purple color, serious concentration, loads of floral-infused blue and black fruit flavors, medium to full body, moderate tannin, and excellent to outstanding depth. To 2015. 88-90" ]
Carmine, ruby and velvet, a dubious quite dense colour. And the bouquet confirms the doubts, showing a maceration carbonique style, and an H2S level which is worrying, on juicy red and black plummy fruits. Palate is rich, more oaky than most, darkly plummy, but also tending metallic / bitter – presumably correlated with the H2S. A quite big wine which will appeal to some. Not worth cellaring unless sensitivity to sulphides is low. GK 09/05

2002 Domaine Georges Michel Pinot Noir Golden Mile 14 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 12%; $24 [ cork; 8 months in 2-year French oak; www.georgesmichel.co.nz ]
Lighter older pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is tired, with a stewed red plums quality and a stalky note, but clean and modestly varietal. Palate is more stalky, a little varnishy, some brett. Straightforward under-ripe QDR pinot, not worth cellaring. GK 08/05

2004 Domaine Georges Michel Sauvignon Blanc Golden Mile 14 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $17 [ cork; this wine not [then] on website; www.georgesmichel.co.nz ]
Lemongreen, attractive. A congested and cardboardy bouquet, with grassy semillon-like under-ripe sauvignon apparent. Palate brings up the cardboard even more, and even though there is good fruit richness, judging dry, the flavours are fairly straightforward / plain. QDW, not worth cellaring. GK 08/05

1999 Domaine Parent Bougogne / Pinot Noir 14 ½ (

)

Burgundy, France: 12.5%; $31
Pleasant older pinot noir ruby, appropriate to age. A more rustic and European light pinot, when seen in the context of the Kiwi wines. But the fruit is varietal and ripe, even if a bit too savoury from brett. Palate is light, but it is easy drinking – more enjoyable with food than some of these lesser pinots, even if more faulty. Burgundy QDR, but will keep for a few years too. GK 08/04

2010 Ch Peychaud 14 ½ (

)

Cotes de Bourg, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $17 [ cork; Me 75, Ma 15, CS 5, CF 5, up to 6 weeks cuvaison followed by elevation mainly in s/s for up to 9 months; website non-functional; Availability: good; www.chateau-peychaud.com ]
Ruby, some velvet, below midway. This is another old-style wine, fair berry and plum, old oak yet with hints of new (chips ?). Fruit weight is medium in mouth, the oak mostly seems older with hints of animal and brett, the wine all a little acid. The nett result is tolerable old-fashioned very plain minor bordeaux, to cellar 3 – 8 years, at the price. GK 03/13

2004 Daniel Schuster Pinot Noir Twin Vineyards 14 ½ (

)

Rakaia & Waipara districts, Canterbury, New Zealand: 13%; $18 [ cork; website has ’03 info for ‘04 as well; hand-harvested, 10% whole-bunch fermentation, cuvaison 15-20 days, 10 months French oak; www.danielschusterwines.com ]
Lightish bright youthful ruby. The initial impression of the bouquet is remarkable, total maceration carbonique, and highly pinot-varietal in a floral and exaggerated way. Palate brings one down to earth rapidly, for total acid is very high, making the light cherry and red plum components seem stalky and rhubarby. As one looks at the wine, the bouquet develops a rubbery hint which is off-putting, relative to the purer Te Mata Gamay. The Schuster is interesting therefore, and like the Te Mata is seeking to produce a reasonable facsimile of the beaujolais style, to fill that market slot. But this wine needs ripeness, and acid reduction. QDR pinot, not worth cellaring. GK 03/05

2006 [ Karikari Estate ] Silver Bay Syrah 14 ½ (

)

Karikari Peninsula, North Auckland, New Zealand: 13%; $25 [ screwcap; 100% Chave clone, hand-picked; 4 days cold-soak, 35% whole berry; 7 months in French & American oak; www.karikariestate.co.nz ]
Ruby. This is the junior / commercial syrah to the Estate wine, and again shows pleasant physiological ripeness of red and black plummy fruit, but is less concentrated. It is even more brett-affected, with strong bacony and oxo cube aromas. Not worth cellaring. Again, just a need to give this new winery a couple of years, to sort out its cellar practice. See Karikari Estate Syrah. GK 05/08

2004 3 Terraces Pinot Noir 14 ½ (

)

Masterton, New Zealand: 13.5%; $30 [ screwcap; 10 months French oak; vineyard name is shown as 3 Terraces on the label, and more info is retrievable searching for that, rather than Three ]
Pale drab pinot noir ruby. This wine is varietal and fragrant in the style of some of the Schuster Canterbury pinots, but not for the right reasons. There is a strong leafy more than floral component, on slightly varnishy old oak. On palate it does not have the fruit ripeness to carry the stalky and slightly peppery flavours. In an under-ripe way it is in style, however, and could be acceptable QDR pinot, at half the price. Cellar 1 – 3 years. GK 05/06

1998 Jaboulet Hermitage la Chapelle 14 + (

)

Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $ – [ cork; with the deterioration of the firm through the 1990s, winemaking notes can only indicate what might have happened in 1998 – 100% de-stemmed, cuvaison 20 – 35 days in s/s or concrete; perhaps 12 – 15 months in barrel, the oak regime not elucidated by L.-Learmonth, but my impression has been the introduction of some new from the mid-1980s; R. Parker: The outstanding, elegant 1998 Hermitage La Chapelle's dark plum/purple color is followed by scents of new saddle leather, black currants, blackberries, and underbrush. In the mouth, the wine reveals sweet tannin, medium to full body, excellent depth, and an intriguing smokiness. To 2030. 90; J. Robinson: Light ruby slightly crimson. Lots of acidity and a definite lack of fruit! Dry as dust in fact. In May 04 I also noted this lack of fruit in the middle and noted it was too tart and hard on the palate. A second bottle in May 04 was much better. 15; L.-Learmonth: 1998 3-stars: Oily warm floral bouquet – soft dark fruit aromas. Gently stewed plum fruit gains dimension through the palate, smoky fruit skin presence. Can sing, more boom from 2007. 2015 – 19 ]
Garnet more than ruby, the lightest of the wines, the hue inappropriate for the year. Bouquet is a classic example of oxidation in the winemaking, oxo cubes and coffee, non-varietal. Palate is savoury on the oxo cubes, not unpleasant in the sense of very old Spanish QDR to accompany pizza or somesuch, but a travesty in terms of both the AOC Hermitage, and the earlier legacy of la Chapelle the wine. The premature death of Gerard Jaboulet in 1997 was a tragedy for this firm, as this wine and its successors amply show. Happily, Jaboulet the firm was sold in 2005. The wines emanating from the new owners, the Frey family who own Ch la Lagune in the Medoc, will be watched with great interest by all those who loved the earlier Jaboulet wines. Finish up as QDR, not with guests. GK 03/08

2006 Kumeu River Pinot Noir 14 + (

)

Kumeu, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.5%; $35 [ screwcap; 11 months in barrel; www.kumeuriver.co.nz ]
Lightish pinot noir ruby, some age showing. Bouquet is lightly varietal in the strawberry and stalks way of warm climate pinot noir, complexed by the unusual tarry cooperage Kumeu River reserve for this wine. Palate shows some flesh in a skinny way, though with varietal quality only hinting at even lesser Savigny-les-Beaune. Fruit is complexed by the dubious oak, though admittedly it is less obtrusive than some years. QDR pinot, but not priced as one, to cellar a year or two. GK 10/10

2012 Babich Merlot Winemakers Reserve 14 + (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12.5%; $30 [ supercritical 'cork'; Me assumed to be 100% and machine-picked; c.4 weeks cuvaison; 9 months in French oak 25% new; RS <1 g/L; Parker: 84; www.babichwines.co.nz ]
Ruby, the third to lightest, in the 60. Bouquet is light and rosy, minor pinot noir weight, not very appropriate to merlot – let alone a $30 merlot. Palate is less than the bouquet, short and stalky, thoughts of red currants only, total acid up, reflecting inadequate ripening presumably correlated with over-cropping. This is a 1980s New Zealand wine, simply inappropriate to the 2000s. $30 wines today need cropping rates around or below the 7.5 t/ha mark, to ripen appropriately and be competitive. Clean, but not worth cellaring. GK 06/14

2006 Poderi Crisci Merlot 14 + (

)

Eastern Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14%; $29 [ cork; Me 90%, CF 10, hand-harvested; 18 months in French oak 30% new, goal Italian merlot styling; 75 cases (remaining), WWA Certified; ‘Rounded fruitfulness, with low natural acidity giving a lush mouth feel. Final blending includes a small percentage of Cabernet Franc. Nose has aroma black and red fruit mingled with cedar wood and cigar box. The multi layered palate is distinctively Merlot with wonderful black cherry flavours. Long savoury finish’; www.podericrisci.co.nz ]
Older ruby. Bouquet is in an older style, some oxidation, some reduction, combining to give the familiar leathery aroma of 1960s Australian reds, time-travel, not varietal. Palate is leathery too, slightly brackish. Plain but wholesome QDR, not worth cellaring. GK 06/09

1991 Matua Valley Chardonnay Ararimu 14 + (

)

Gisborne, New Zealand: 11%; $ – [ cork; 14 months in barrique; Matua now part of Treasury Wine Estates; www.matua.co.nz ]
Old gold and some brown. Bouquet is a little maderised but clean, oaky, richer than the Coldstream, ‘golden’ fruit with sultana-aromas more than varietal now, no apparent elevation complexity (other than oak) alongside the Sonoma. Palate is more varietal, some richness considering the cropping rates of the day (even for ‘premium’ wines), the fruit browning and drying a little now, tannic from over-oaking, but still recognisably chardonnay in texture and taste. More palatable than the colour suggests, due to some fruit richness. GK 12/17

2014 Opawa Pinot Noir 14 + (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $29 [ screwcap; www.deltawines.co.nz ]
Lightish pinot noir ruby, tending old for its age, in the lightest quarter. Bouquet is in the former Marlborough style, suggesting fruit growing on a young gravels site which inhibits full physiological maturity. Bouquet is leafy floral, hints only of buddleia, clear stalks too. Palate has pleasant fruit weight, is juicy, but let down by a clear under-ripe green stalky component, and some residual sweetness, presumably to cover the stalks. An out-of-date winestyle now, wholesome and pleasant but not worth cellaring. GK 06/16

2015 Domaine de Fondreche Ventoux 14 + (

)

Cotes du Ventoux AOC, Southern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $20 [ cork, 50mm; Gr 50%, Sy 30, Mv 20, grown on calcareous soil parent materials; cuvaison to 28 days, lees maturation and 18 months in vats and large wood; www.fondreche.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, quite rich, above midway in depth. Initially opened, the wine is reductive to a fault, and needs vigorous aeration. It gradually reveals dark fruits in a raw-meaty way, but it continues to smell as if it were raised largely in concrete. Palate matches exactly, rich fruit but the flavours made hard and dull by entrained sulphides. Some oak flavours are now apparent, but in youth they serve only to reinforce the hardness. Not a success, put aside for 10 years. Noteworthy that all northern hemisphere published reviews of this wine (accessible to me) make no mention of reduction. The technical acuity of so many winewriters is sadly lacking. People who seek beauty in wine are continually misled. A Wine Importer selection. GK 03/18

2010 Ch Cap de Haut 14 + (

)

Blaye, Bordeaux, France: 13.5%; $20 [ cork 49mm; Me 70, CS 30; appellation is Cotes de Bordeaux; not to be confused with Ch Cap de Haut in Haut-Medoc; no info found ]
Older ruby, the lightest wine. Hmmm … its hard to find something positive to start with, for this wine. Bouquet is classic grubby minor claret, leathery at best, bretty, scarcely any recognisable fruit. Even Mr Rumpole might sniff at this. Palate does have some fruit, as all these minor but AOC wines do, but there is an acrid quality in the ancient cooperage / concrete vattage which detracts. On the positive side, it breathes up quite well, so open / decant the day before. Not worth cellaring. GK 03/15

2013 Domaine Courbis Cornas Champelrose 14 + (

)

Cornas, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $70 [ cork 50mm; 100% Sy, hand-harvested; 100% de-stemmed, s/s fermentation & cuvaison c.21 days; some months in French oak, 25% new; the basic Cornas in the range of three, below Les Eygats and La Sabarotte (the top wine); imported by Maison Vauron, Auckland; weight bottle and closure: 588 g; www.vins-courbis-rhone.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, well above midway in depth. Bouquet (or the lack of bouquet) is a major disappointment, for despite the wine being reasonably rich, it is quite markedly reductive, totally suppressing any varietal qualities or detail. In mouth there is good ripe berry at a cassis level of ripeness, subtle oaking, and reasonable length cut short by the slightly metallic hardness that marked reduction introduces to the palate. Not really worth cellaring, but if need be, the wine needs severe aeration, from jug to jug as splashily as possible, at least 10 times, preferably more. GK 08/16

2010 Bodegas Monteabellon Avaniel Tinto 14 + (

)

Ribera del Duero, Spain: 13.5%; $21 [ cork; Te 100% from young vines; concrete elevage, intended as a joven style; www.monteabellon.com ]
Quite rich ruby, carmine and velvet. Bouquet is old-fashioned concrete wine, clearly reductive, but with plenty of plummy berry. Palate shows rich fruit and plummy flavours hardened by reduced sulphur to give some astringency on the tannins. Our market needs better-selected wines than this, even if sulphide-blind reviewers recommend them. The comments on the web are astonishing, especially from the UK. Not worth cellaring. GK 08/11

2010 Ch Puygueraud 14 + (

)

Cotes de Francs, Bordeaux, France: 14.5%; $30 [ cork; Me 70%, CF 25, Ma 5; average age 30 years, 4500 vines / ha; 12 –16 months in French oak 40% new; located east flank of the St Emilion satellite districts; Stephane Derenoncourt consults; JR 4/11, 16: Polished and lively. Well done. Dry finish but appetising. 2015 – 20; (Another bottle) 15.5: Dark crimson. Easy, well balanced but not very ambitious. Nice, medium-everything wine; RP 87: This wine hit 14.5% natural alcohol in 2010, which I think is an all-time high. This attractive wine is surprisingly elegant, lush and fruit forward, as one might expect from this unheralded appellation. Deep ruby/purple, with plenty of fruit, the team of Nicolas Thienpont and Stephane Derenoncourt have done a super job with this inexpensive wine; WS 89: This has a solid frame, with graphite and roasted cedar holding the core of steeped plum and currant fruit together. A loam hint chimes in on the medium-weight finish. Now – 2015; Availability: good; www.nicolas-thienpont.com/puygueraud/puygueraud.htm ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, the second deepest. I had such high hopes to acquire this wine, since the cepage is one followed by several winemakers in the Auckland district. It would be good therefore to have a good Bordeaux analogue in the same price range. However, one sniff and it is rich and dark in the modern way, but heavily reductive. How can all these northern hemisphere commentators not see this ? I guess the answer is: they eschew (or are incapable of) technical evaluation. Rabbiting on about graphite is all very well, but the factual approach is better, I believe. Fruit in mouth is wonderful, the modern American-influenced approach to wine, but the reduction introduces a persistent bitter note, which I doubt the wine will ever surmount. Heavy clumsy stuff if you are sensitive to sulphide, not worth cellaring. GK 03/13

2004 Bodegas Munoz Artero Tempranillo 14 (

)

la Mancha DdO, Spain: 13.5%; $14 [ plastic closure; Te 100%; 10 days cuvaison ]
Ruby and velvet. Bouquet is softly berried and fragrant, reminding why tempranillo is described as the pinot of Spain. Palate is fleshy, but tending acid / organic / composty, with either very old wood or concrete vatting. A QDR wine in a grubby Montepulciano d’Abruzzo style, not worth cellaring. GK 03/06

2002 Chapoutier Cote du Rhone Belleruche 14 (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 12.5%; $20 [ Gr dominant; www.chapoutier.com ]
Lightish ruby. A clean dry lightly cinnamon-spiced redfruits bouquet, very light but fragrant and pleasing. Palate is lighter than bouquet, but the flavours match in a slightly stalky / watery wine not tarted up with oak, recognisably a minor southern Rhone, and winey (unlike the Carchelo). Given the floods in the southern Rhone vintage of 2002, pleasant QDR, if it were cheaper. Not for cellaring. GK 01/05

2004 Matahiwi Estate Pinot Noir 14 (

)

Wairarapa, New Zealand: 13.5%; $14 [ screwcap; 5 days cold-soak; part oak-matured 4 months; www.matahiwi.co.nz ]
Pinot ruby. Bouquet is awkward, quite pongy initially, smelling of light red fruits plus smoked fish and compost. Neither of these concepts is totally alien in traditional Burgundy - provided the wine is ripe. Needs a good splashy decanting. Breathes gradually to stalky indeterminate red berries. Flavours are modest, perhaps red cherries, reasonably clearly pinot, but all tending stalky and grubby, unsatisfying. Not worth cellaring, a QDR pinot. GK 04/05

2004 Gravitas Sauvignon Blanc 14 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $19 [ screwcap; www.new-zealand-wines.com ]
Pale lemongreen. A weak bouquet, with suggestions of staleness to it, on a pallid sauvignon base. Palate is more clearly ullaged / stale, but the base wine is mild as well. Plain QDW. GK 12/04

2006 [ Forrest ] TattyBogler Pinot Noir 14 (

)

Bannockburn, Central Otago & Waitaki Valley, North Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $33 [ screwcap; hand-harvested from fruit cropped at c.1.6 t/ac; de-stemmed; up to 10 days cold soak; extended cuvaison; 12 months in French oak 20% new; tattybogler is said to be pioneer Scottish for scarecrow; www.forrest.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is odd, with both a Castrol GTX note, and a catty note, on red fruits lacking specificity. Blind, one might think it plain valpolicella or similar. Palate is lesser, red fruits but short and astringent, finishing metallic. Not worth cellaring. GK 10/07

2003 Sileni Pinot Noir Cellar Selection 14 (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 11%; $25 [ screwcap; no significant info on website; www.sileni.co.nz ]
Light ruby. One of the lightest and older than most. Initially opened, the wine is tending pongy, and a good splashy decanting, pouring from jug to jug, is called for. It then reveals simple stalky redfruits characters something like the Bilancia, with a hint of red cherries, but tending acid. QDR pinot, not worth cellaring, though richer than the cleaner Tuatara Bay. GK 03/05

2006 Saints Sauvignon Blanc 14 (

)

Awatere & Wairau Valleys, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $18 [ screwcap; all s/s; extended LA in tank; www.pernod-ricard-nz.com ]
Pale lemongreen, lighter than the others. Bouquet desperately needs jug to jug splashy aeration. Once aired, it is still pretty modest, lacking overt varietal character, and with quite a degree of cardboardy European clog on green gooseberry fruit. It is therefore more lesser Sancerre in style. Palate is richer than the bouquet suggests, showing fair fruit but still not too much of the right flavour, some green peach suggestions, more 'dry' than some. With a lot of airing, the desirable side of lees autolysis shows through. This latest Saints Sauvignon is a let-down from the lovely 2002. Not worth cellaring. GK 03/07

2007 Jackson Estate Chardonnay Shelterbelt 14 (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $22 [ screwcap; hand-harvested clones 95 & mendoza; wild yeast BF in French oak 25%; MLF in spring following; c. 11 months LA; RS 1 g/L; www.jacksonestate.co.nz ]
Lemonstraw. One fault to another. Bouquet here is lifted by rather too much VA, on simple melony fruit which is tending Australian commercial in style. Palate is pro rata, the VA tasteable and hollowing out the flavour, with a poor finish. QDW, not worth cellaring. GK 11/08

1999 Kumeu River Pinot Noir 14 (

)

Kumeu, Auckland, New Zealand: 13%; $34 [ NZPN ]
Light ruby. A very distinctive bouquet, varietal to a degree, but with smoky and bacony notes which are all-dominating on the light, prematurely maturing berry palate. Though the Auckland district is lacking in diurnal temperature range, it is worth noting there have been varietal pinot noirs from Kumeu. A 1978 Nobilo Pinot Noir opened recently is clearly in style, fading gracefully. GK 01/01

2006 Babich Pinot Noir Marlborough 14 (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $20 [ screwcap; extended cold-soak, 11 months in oak some new; www.babichwines.co.nz ]
Lightish pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is dull, with retained fermentation odours well entrained, not shifting even with decanting. Palate shows fair body, but is likewise dull, and finish is a little bitter. This misses the boat, not worth cellaring. GK 03/07

2003 Stonecroft Sauvignon Blanc 14 (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12.5%; $21 [ 1 t/ac; all s/s, 3 g/L; www.stonecroft.co.nz ]
Light straw. In the blind review of sauvignons, this wine was out to one end. Bouquet is an estery tropical-fruit version of the variety, reminiscent more of a hot-climate verdelho than New Zealand sauvignon. Palate has the acid of sauvignon, but the flavours go beyond tropical to suggestions of jujube, hinting at some oxidation. QDW. GK 09/04

2004 Matua Valley Syrah Matheson 14 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $29 [ screwcap; matured in oak some new; no wine-making info on site; www.matua.co.nz ]
Ruby, among the lightest. Initially this wine is a little farty and old-fashioned, and needs vigorous decanting back and forth, jug to jug. Breathed, it still tends to farmyard complexities (plus some brett), on plain fruit which is hard to pin down as to variety. Flavours are modest, wholesome enough, showing some very old cooperage. More QDR than varietal, not worth cellaring. GK 05/06

2011 Babich Merlot Winemakers' Reserve 14 (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12.5%; $30 [ cork; Me assumed to be 100% and machine-picked; c.4 weeks cuvaison; 9 months in French oak some new; RS <1 g/L; www.babichwines.co.nz ]
Ruby. Bouquet is austere verging on reductive, and needs vigorous aeration. It reluctantly reveals austere red plum fruit and some oak, but no charm. Palate is modest, like a small-scale sulky Entre-Deux-Mers (but with more new oak), finishing poorly with the acid showing. Hard to drink. Needs 3 – 8 years in cellar to maybe soften, but scarcely worthwhile. GK 06/13

2005 Miro Vineyard Miro 14 (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 12.8%; $35 [ plastic NeoCork closure; DFB; CS 52%, Me 30, CF 17, Ma 1, hand-harvested; 12 months in French oak 50% new; ‘This is a Bordeaux Blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Malbec. It was vinified from the best grapes from the best sites on the Miro Vineyard. It was aged in 50% new French fine grained barriques for 12 months and has beautiful bottle aged characters.’; www.mirovineyard.co.nz ]
Ruby. Bouquet shows VA to excess, on red fruits. Palate is strangely fleshy, a suggestion of sage / herbes and bottled red plums, but all too varnishy from the cooperage plus VA. Rough QDR, not worth cellaring. GK 06/09

2004 San Hill Pinot Noir 14 (

)

Central Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 11%; $24 [ cork; limestone hill-slopes up to 250m a.s.l.; 8 months oak some new; www.pukeora.com ]
Older light pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is varnishy on old oak, with strawberry warm-climate pinot fruit in the background. Palate introduces a grassy note, so the flavours are awkward, varietal only in one of its under-ripe and lesser guises. More a QDR pinot, not worth cellaring. GK 08/05

1987 Brookfields Cabernet / Merlot / Franc Gold Label 14 (

)

Tukituki Valley, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12.2%; $19 [ cork 49mm, ullage 27mm; CS 75%, Me 20, CF 5; cropped at c.7.4 t/ha = 3 t/ac; minimal if any chaptalisation, a ‘very special year’ says Peter Robertson; 12 months in all-French oak, 66% new; GK, 1989: Similar medium ruby to the Brookfield cabernet, and similarly accessible, but bouquet and flavour appear less ripe. Oak is predominantly French, in the blend. If these green-tinged fresh cabernet-styles (as the perceptive English wine writer Oz Clarke calls them, favourably) appeal to you, this one is not stalky, and will develop in bottle, ***; weight bottle and closure: 545 g; www.brookfieldsvineyards.co.nz ]
Light ruby and garnet, not an appropriate cabernet / merlot colour, by far the lightest wine. Bouquet is clean, fragrant but in a leafy / stalky way rather than ripe berries, with cedary oak. The wine smells chaptalised. Palate is thin, lacking ripe or dark berry flavours entirely, being instead leafy browning red-currants fading now, and acid. The impression of chaptalising returns on the aftertaste. My original review hints at a lack of ripeness, but not to the extent now revealed. No favourable votes, three least places, but still a perfectly wholesome wine in its style, to be finished up with pizza. GK 06/21

2007 Craggy Range Sauvignon Blanc Old Renwick 14 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $24 [ screwcap; c. 2 t/ac; all s/s; 2 months LA; RS 2 g/L; www.craggyrange.com ]
Pale lemongreen. Bouquet is not exactly the strength of this wine, it smelling mostly of entrained sulphur from a reductive lees-autolysis phase much more marked than in the Avery wine. This is what so much Muscadet Sur-Lie was like 20 and 40 years ago, and explains why latterly, New Zealand sauvignon has been so prominent and well accepted in the UK wine market. Palate is quite rich, clearly varietal under the reductiveness, again dryer than the New Zealand average, more like a Sancerre of yesteryear. Unusual for Craggy to slip up like this. Not worth cellaring. GK 10/07

2011 Babich Syrah Gimblett Gravels 14 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12.5%; $22 [ screwcap; this vintage not on website, perhaps 11 months in French oak some new; www.babichwines.co.nz ]
Light ruby, old for age. Bouquet is clean but lacking, lightest red plums with a suggestion of browning, non-varietal. Palate is light red fruits at best, acid, tending short and stalky and sour, a little pepper to the tail. Gives the impression of being made from over-cropped vines unable to ripen the fruit. Not worth cellaring. GK 06/13

2007 Te Mania Ice Wine 14 (

)

Waimea Plains, Nelson, New Zealand: 12.5%; $23 [ screwcap; riesling, hand-harvested; a freeze-concentrated wine; RS 103 g/L, TA 11.7 g/L; www.temaniawines.co.nz ]
Lemon to lemonstraw. Bouquet is drab, with both an oxidised and a cardboard note, plus VA, on indeterminate fruit. Palate is sweet and initially fruity, but then incredibly phenolic, acid, and sweet / sour. Not a success, not worth cellaring. GK 03/08

2012 Pask Viognier Gimblett Road 14 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12%; $23 [ screwcap; some of the wine barrel-fermented in old oak, some lees autolysis; RS <1 g/L; www.pask.co.nz ]
Pale lemon green. Initial bouquet was lacking, scarcely a hint of the variety, and further diminished by trace reduction. With swirling and air, faintest pale citrus emerges. In mouth, the wine is a shock, high total acid, austere green stonefruit flavours at best, the faintest taste of oak if you hunt for it, the whole wine sour and short. In this sense, the goal was to illustrate that achieving viognier varietal character is critically dependent on appropriate ripeness. In this difficult vintage, a year totally unsuited to viognier, this wine communicated well. Not worth cellaring. GK 09/13

2007 Tohu Pinot Noir 14 (

)

Awatere & Wairau Valleys, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $26 [ screwcap; hand-harvested; some cold soak, some wild-yeast fermentation, some BF; 11 months in French oak 33% new; www.tohuwines.co.nz ]
Light pinot noir ruby. This is the old-style Marlborough pinot of the valley flats, over-cropped and under-ripened, lightly floral in a leafy way, and lightly redfruits varietal. Palate is skinny, clearly leafy going on stalky, the flavour stalky blackboy to redcurrant, reminding of Loire Valley pinot at best (but not bone dry). Clean and wholesome QDR, but woefully commercial, over-priced in the rapidly evolving New Zealand pinot noir scene. Not worth cellaring. GK 05/08

2012 Clearview Syrah Cape Kidnappers 14 (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12.5%; $23 [ screwcap; no info on website; www.clearviewestate.co.nz ]
Ruby, a flush of carmine and velvet. Bouquet opens up reductive, killing all the beauty of syrah, which ideally should be floral and charming. Palate shows modest red more than black berry-fruits and a touch of pepper, but all made sour by both high acid and reduction, which is persistent. We should be past this kind of wine, particularly in Hawkes Bay – the natural home for syrah in New Zealand. Not worth cellaring. GK 04/13

2004 Alpha Domus Merlot / Cabernet The Pilot 14 (

)

Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $20 [ cork; Me 41%, CS 34, Ma 15, CF 10, machine and hand-harvested, de-stemmed, some cold-soak, inoculated ferments, cuvaison up to 21 days; 16 months in French and American oak, 15% new; RS <2 g/L; Catalogue: A complex aroma of ripe berryfruits, plums, violet, licorice and hints of leather. Influences of sweet vanilla and toast result from oak barrel maturation. Plum and blackberry are supported by clove and spicy notes. Game and leathery characters add complexity. The ripe fruit, sweet oak and firm tannins create a robust, complex wine with excellent length; www.alphadomus.co.nz ]
Garnet and ruby, old for its age. Bouquet is old-fashioned New Zealand red, with some methoxypyrazine suggestions in stalky fading red fruits, redcurrants more than cassis, and browning red plums. Palate is fully mature and distinctly leafy, some acid showing which the oak exacerbates. There is still some fruit but as it fades the oak is becoming awkward. QDR, not worth cellaring. GK 07/09

2007 Schubert Sauvignon Blanc 14 (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13%; $28 [ cork; some intentional skin-contact; full lees autolysis 5 months, 5% in old French oak; www.schubert.co.nz ]
Colour is straw with a faint gold flush, inappropriate to its age. And bouquet shows why, with botrytisy fruit showing more root ginger than varietal character. Palate is strongly flavoured, ginger dominating, both phenolic and coarse, drier than most. Not a success or worth cellaring, when evaluated and scored in a blind tasting as sauvignon blanc – so expensive. All that said, it could accompany certain spicy Asian dishes well, in its eccentric style. GK 05/08

2007 Tohu Chardonnay Gisborne Unoaked 14 (

)

Gisborne, New Zealand: 14%; $18 [ screwcap; MLF 100%, 4.2 g/L RS; www.tohuwines.co.nz ]
Lemon. Bouquet is scented and ersatz, a banana-y version of simple chardonnay, perhaps due to an 'aromatic' yeast. It is hard enough to achieve interesting / attractive un-oaked chardonnay anyway, without these spurious characters. Palate is much the same, some body, a kind of white raspberry cordial flavour, not winey, not bone dry [confirmed]. Simple QDW, wholesome, but not worth cellaring. GK 05/08

2006 Babich Syrah Winemakers Reserve 14 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $25 [ supercritical cork; sometimes some viognier, co-fermented with wild yeast; c. 20 days cuvaison; 11 months in American and French oak some new; www.babichwines.co.nz ]
Lightish ruby. Initially opened, this wine too was tending reductive. Decanted / well breathed it becomes reasonably fragrant and lightly berried, but in a leafy / stalky way, not a floral one. Palate confirms, being clearly stalky, acid, short, tasting over-cropped but not bretty. It was therefore a useful discussion wine, in the workshop setting. I am puzzled by the inconsistency in this wine, some bottles being reasonably good in a modest Crozes-Hermitage way (the goal of including it), and others lesser, as here. Not worth cellaring. GK 06/08

2010 Mills Reef Pinot Gris Reserve 14 (

)

Haumoana, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $21 [ screwcap; 12 hours skin-contact, BF and 3 months in [said to be] old oak barrels so some lees-contact; RS not given beyond off-dry; www.millsreef.co.nz ]
Orange-washed straw. Bouquet is clumsy, seeming like oak chips probably including American oak, in an alcoholic solution. Palate does reveal fair fruit which could well be neutral pinot gris, but due to the oak one could hardly tell. Apart from the oak mishandling, it is otherwise fault-free, and I guess might appeal to oak lovers. Wines like these last three illustrate why pinot gris is so much mocked. Not worth cellaring. GK 06/11

2010 Clearview Syrah Cape Kidnappers 14 (

)

Te Awanga & Bridge Pa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $26 [ screwcap; minimal info on website; RS <1 g/L; www.clearviewestate.co.nz ]
Ruby, old for its age, amongst the lightest. Bouquet is simple, stalky, minor European in style. Palate reflects the bouquet, the fruit under-ripe, green, no varietal beauty, a wine reminiscent of poor shipper's Crozes-Hermitage. Not worth cellaring. Incidentally, it is about time to call a halt on naming wines for Cape Kidnappers. GK 06/12

2009 Elephant Hill Merlot 14 (

)

Te Awanga district, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $24 [ screwcap; Me 100% assumed, hand-picked; 100% de-stemmed; MLF in barrel some new; RS <2 g/L; www.elephanthill.co.nz ]
Older ruby. First impressions are VA and oxidation, with some fruit below. Flavour shows there was ripe plummy fruit, but it is prematurely developed with the VA becoming obtrusive. Not a good wine to exhibit, QDR, not a cellar wine. GK 06/13

2004 Kakapo Chardonnay 14 (

)

Nelson, New Zealand: 13.5%; $17 [ screwcap ]
Lemon. Initially opened, a farty organic and reductive component from the BF and LA components, needing vigorous decanting. Breathes to an austere and very acid chardonnay, dry, long on modest flavours. This will cellar for some years, but I don't think it will be worth the effort. GK 08/05

2008 Craggy Range Riesling Glasnevin Gravels Single Vineyard 14 (

)

Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 10%; $25 [ screwcap; hand-harvested at slightly > 2.5 t/ac; whole-bunch fermented in s/s with cultured yeast; 4 months LA in s/s; RS 32 g/L; www.craggyrange.com ]
Palest lemongreen. Craggy Range have I think made a mistake, in bottling this wine under their Single Vineyard label. It is light and withdrawn on pale fruit at this stage, but on bouquet to a degree and palate more clearly, there is pungent ignoble rot betraying insufficiently careful triage. It may develop bouquet and flavour around this negative streak, helped by the medium sweetness. My experience however has been that this character when detectable, persists, and thus the wine is compromised. To check in a couple of years, but personally, I would not cellar it. GK 11/08

2005 Kathy Lynskey Pinot Noir Block 36 Reserve 14 (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $55 [ cork; 2005 not on website; www.kathylynskeywines.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is disorganised, raw and estery, with some VA on coarse raspberry fruit. Palate is reasonably rich, but out of style for the variety, quite wayward in its raspberry styling and VA. Not worth cellaring. GK 01/07

2002 Fiorile Rosso 14 (

)

Sicily IGT, Italy: 12.5%; $11 [ plastic 'cork'; nero d'Avola & nerello ]
Light older ruby. This is a fragrant but old-fashioned wine, a bit oxidised and leathery, tired redfruits, some brett, faint rubber – thoroughly rustic. Palate is pro rata, and easy drinking as such. QDR, not worth cellaring in this lesser vintage. GK 11/04

2004 Richmond Plains Pinot Noir 14 (

)

Nelson, New Zealand: 13%; $21 [ screwcap; an organic winery; website not yet functional; www.organicwines.co.nz ]
Light pinot noir ruby. A rosé-weight pinot noir, showing sweetpea and buddleia florals, on faint red currants and strawberry-like aromas. Palate is similar, perfectly pleasant and varietal in an under-ripe, leafy / stalky and acid QDR pinot style, and with a little less oak than the Reserve. Cellar 1 – 3 years. GK 07/06

2004 Amor-Bendall Sauvignon Blanc Gisborne 14 (

)

Gisborne, New Zealand: 12.5%; $25 [ screwcap; www.amor-bendall.co.nz ]
Lemongreen. The smell on this wine is simply offensive, total stale armpit drowning out anything pleasant. Trying to taste it, underneath the smell, there is rich fruit, judging dry, with the promise of black passionfruit flavours if / when the unstable (sulphur-related, surely, akin to garlic mercaptan) odours on bouquet break down. The wine should be released then. From time to time, the New Zealand industry endorses wines of this malodorous style, thereby risking the overseas credibility of the entire operation. Check in 12 months. GK 09/04

nv Gosset Grande Reserve Brut 14 (

)

Ay, Champagne, France: 12%; $73 [ cork; Ch 46, PN 38, PM 16; 12% of blend reserve wines at least 2 years old; 50 000 cases; www.champagne-gosset.com ]
A totally different colour from the others in the tasting, orange-flushed straw. But since the bubble is good, the fault is presumably generic to the base wine, not this particular bottle showing a cork problem. Bouquet is dull, extremely aldehydic, on quincey fruit. There is no freshness, flowers, or sunshine at all. Palate is nearly browning on the quincey note, showing oxidised base wine, with nutty (but rancid nutty) suggestions continuing though to the aftertaste. Only fair to say some tasters liked the style, but it is a long way from good fresh methode champenoise. Won’t improve in cellar, either. GK 11/05

2009 Guigal Crozes-Hermitage 14 (

)

Crozes-Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, New Zealand: 13%; $40 [ cork 50mm; Sy 100%; average vine age 37 years; typically cropped c. 5 t/ha (2 t/ac); 3 weeks cuvaison; 18 months in older French oak; included to illustrate an unarguably reductive wine; www.guigal.com ]
Ruby and velvet. Bouquet is dull, and the palate is leaden, though the wine is quite rich and clearly ripe. It is astonishing that firstly the house of Guigal released a wine so textbook faulty / reductive, and secondly that not one northern hemisphere winewriter has correctly characterised this wine in their reviews. Surely a winemaker of the standing of Guigal would assemble his wine resources into one batch before bottling, in 2009 ? And once again, the class was onto the defect in a most convincing result. So this is a great teaching wine too, though scarcely the end use envisaged by the Guigals, I imagine. Not worth cellaring, except for those blind to sulphide issues. GK 09/14

2005 Riverby Estate Riesling 14 (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 12%; $ – [ screwcap; Gm 239 vines planted 1994; hand-harvested at c. 3 t/ac; cold-settled, cool- and stop-fermented in s/s; pH 3.26, RS 6.4 g/L; www.riverbyestate.com ]
Lemonstraw. This is the least successful of the Riverby rieslings. It is fruity, and has plenty of character, but on both bouquet and palate there is a tending-rank sheeps-wool character which lingers in mouth unattractively, and goes phenolic. A combination of under-ripe grapes and a trace sulphur compound, I suspect, which in the case of a 'dry' wine is more pervasive. The vintage was not adverse, though. Not worth cellaring. GK 04/09

2011 Millton Chardonnay Opou Vineyard 14 (

)

Gisborne, New Zealand: 13.5%; $25 [ screwcap; 2010 on website, if similar: mixed clones, hand-picked grapes pressed to small French wood 12% new; wild yeast fermentation, c.12 months in barrel with MLF fermentation and lees ageing; biodynamic wine; www.millton.co.nz ]
Colour is light gold, a worry right away in a 2011 wine. In one way, the bouquet smells fresher than the colour suggests, but that is mainly due to some under-ripe fruit giving a stalky edge to an otherwise broad buttery high-MLF interpretation of the variety. Flavours in mouth are soft and forward, there is a hint of caramel in the MLF component which detracts further, body is quite good, perhaps some botrytis, but it is all terribly forward and unknit, with a seemingly-sweet tacky yet stalky finish. Hard to drink. Not a cellar wine, a year or two only. GK 03/13

2007 Kennedy Point Malbec Reserve 14 (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.5%; $49 [ cork; Ma 100%, hand-picked @ a low cropping rate; around 18 months in French oak some new; www.kennedypointvineyard.com ]
Dense ruby, carmine and velvet, a superb colour. The wine however has been taken over by VA, at a level that is probably illegal (or close to it) in terms of the more civilised EEC regulations, even if it scrapes past the more permissive Australasian standard. There is some spearmint in the raw plummy fruit. All a pity, as the ripeness achieved is promising. Not worth cellaring, note the price, more real-world discrimination needed, as elsewhere among these Waiheke reds. GK 06/10

2003 Astrolabe Pinot Noir Young Vines 14 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $23
Ruby flushed with carmine and velvet. This is a strange wine, showing an ersatz raspberry cordial suggestion through bouquet and palate which is not very flattering, on plummy fruit. Perhaps it has a splash of something else in it. It is a perfectly pleasant soft dry red in a QDR style, but it doesn't look happy in a blind pinot line-up. Cellar a year or two. GK 10/04

2005 Abbey Cellars Cabernets / Merlot 14 (

)

Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $30 [ screwcap; www.abbeycellars.com ]
Lighter older ruby, some garnet. Back to the '70s here, via a bouquet indicating leafy under-ripe fruit, chaptalisation, brett and excess oak, the wine not clearly varietal. Palate is clean and oaky, the oak dominating the lack of ripe fruit. Wholesome simple QDR, not worth cellaring. GK 06/10

2006 Montana Pinot Gris East Coast 14 (

)

Marlborough 85%, Hawkes Bay 15, New Zealand: 13%; $17 [ screwcap; 3 months LA in s/s; RS 7.5 g/L; www.montana.co.nz ]
Palest lemon. Bouquet is muted, vaguely old-style European, no clear variety. Palate confirms the wine is tending reductive, with dull cardboardy flavours on vaguely white pearflesh and acid fruit, all surprisingly dry. Straightforward QDW, not worth cellaring. A protest must be lodged about the extension of the diffuse locator 'East Coast' to here embrace Marlborough. Majority useage is Gisborne / Hawkes Bay only, which would be worth maintaining. GK 03/08

2004 Millton Viognier Briants Vineyard 14 (

)

Gisborne, New Zealand: 13%; $24 [ screwcap; BF in French oak and 6 months LA and batonnage; not organic; www.millton.co.nz ]
Pale lemon. This wine is shrouded in a light reductive fog, with hints of old wet sacks and armpit, so on bouquet one can’t tell what it is made from. Decanting from jug to jug is needed. Thus aerated, palate is better, for these are relatively simple sulphurs, not mercaptans, and here one can see tart varietal under-ripe fruit in fair quantity, raw apricots, but more acid than is desirable. Residual sweetness balances the acid, but is inappropriate to quality viognier, if it is to stand proudly apart from all the anonymous off-dry pinot gris around. Not worth cellaring. GK 11/05

2001 Rostaing Condrieu La Bonnette 14 (

)

Northern Rhone Valley, France: 14%; $ – [ cork; c. US$65; 100% MLF; rated well Parker 147 in 2003 @ 91; no website found ]
Full straw. Bouquet is vaguely in style, but fading, no florals, no fresh apricot, but a quite clear dried peach / dried apricot and old-biscuits aroma. Palate is lesser, a rank almost grassy quality with phenolics apparent, tired fruit, some signs of oak and MLF [confirmed]. Well past its prime. GK 04/07

2003 Moutere Hills Merlot / Cabernet Franc 14 (

)

Nelson, New Zealand: 12.1%; $25 [ 1 + 1 cork; www.mouterehills.co.nz ]
Ruby. Bouquet is intriguing, austerely cassis, but hidden in the cassis is a Bordeaux and Medoc undertone, on a hint of cedar. Palate has some of that flavour too, but the fruit is too acid and the wine too austere to be popular. 1965 Bordeaux reds were something like this, but not as acid. Light QDR, claret-style, which will mellow for several years, but not really worth cellaring. Pricing unrealistic. GK 02/06

2006 Gem Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough 14 (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $27 [ screwcap; 100% s/s; 9 months LA and stirring; www.gemwine.co.nz ]
Lemonstraw. Initially opened, this wine is excessively reductive. It needs much aeration, jug to jug. Appropriately treated, it opens to a complex sauvignon blanc with barrel-ferment, lees-autolysis and high-solids complexities, roughly in the style of Te Koko but without the MLF or the purity. Palate is rich, very dry, the oak just balanced by the fruit, but the whole bogged down by sulphur-related compounds and high-solids flavours of a less attractive kind. Complex barrel-fermented approaches to sauvignon are an interesting development in New Zealand, but this one needs refining. Not worth cellaring. GK 04/08

2000 Kim Crawford Pinot Noir Te Awanga 14 (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $30 [ TE ]
Fresh ruby. Buttery and oaky scarcely varietal bouquet and flavour, but pleasant light soft oaky red. GK 01/01

2004 Te Mania Pinot Noir 14 (

)

Nelson, New Zealand: 14%; $20 [ cork; mostly s/.s elevage; www.temaniawines.co.nz ]
Light pinot ruby, the lightest colour in this set of pinots. Bouquet is lightly fragrant, in a modest Hawkes Bay strawberry style of pinot. Palate seems almost chaptalised, for the flavour continues in a light warm-climate red fruits way, simple and tending stalky. QDR pinot, not worth cellaring. GK 10/05

2003 J.P. Chenet Merlot 14 (

)

Vin de Pays d’Oc, France: 12.5%; $12 [ basic composite cork ]
Ruby and garnet, older than the cabernet / syrah. Bouquet is both fruity / over-ripe pruney and figgy, but also less pure than the Cabernet / Syrah, with some of the skunky aromas of ancient and unclean cooperage. The wine is also slightly oxidised, so it is in one sense charmingly old-fashioned. Palate is pro rata, quite rich, but these kinds of old-fashioned flavours were more common in the 50s, 60s and 70s than latterly – they were commonly found in cheap shippers' Bordeaux Rouge, for example. Quite rich but plain hot-climate vin de pays QDR, easy drinking, but not worth cellaring. GK 03/06

2012 Black Cottage Rosé 14 (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $16 [ screwcap; little specific info on website; RS 4 g/L; www.blackcottagewines.co.nz ]
Faintly pink-flushed 'white'. Leaving aside it is offensive to market rosé under six months old, the bouquet is clean and empty. Together with the flavour, the wine suggests pinot gris ± ripe sauvignon blanc flushed with a trace of pinot noir, finish off-dry and acid. It neither smells or tastes of red grapes, and therefore fails as proper rosé. It is perfectly clean, wholesome and pleasant as a kind of 'blush' wine, and better in a year or two. GK 08/12

2007 Jacobs Creek Shiraz / Cabernet / Tempranillo Three Vines Series 14 (

)

Australia: 12.5%; $16 [ screwcap; some of the wine sees older oak; website tiresome; www.threevines.com ]
Ruby. Bouquet has the distinctive MIA smell, tending stalky, raw fruit, a suggestion of cut beans, all reminiscent of under-ripe pinotage. Palate is hard, clogged and dull, the tannins and acid oppressive, the flavour not appealing. New Zealand's plain wines can be more attractive than this, but it is hard to match Australia's volumetric prices – sad to say – though this new series hasn't been discounted yet. Industrial wine, perfectly sound, but not worth cellaring. GK 11/08

2008 Man O’War Sauvignon Blanc 14 (

)

Eastern Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.5%; $23 [ screwcap; hand-harvested, whole-bunch pressed; 90% s/s-ferment, 10 % BF and 6 months LA in old French oak, occasional stirring but no MLF; RS 3.5 g/L; 3000 cases; ‘This Sauvignon blanc grown on the coastal vineyards of Eastern Waiheke Island shows intense lime and passion fruit aromas typical of cool climate Sauvignon blanc.; www.manowarvineyards.co.nz ]
Lemon. This is an unhappy wine, with pongy sulphurs congesting sauvignon fruit ripened to the sub-tropical stage. Some of the aromas tangled up in the now-complexed sulphurs remind of the downside of over-ripe mango, on a passionfruit base. Palate is clogged and cardboardy, plain, though some of the fruit peeps through too. Not worth cellaring. GK 06/09

2006 Stratum Wines Merlot / Cabernet 14 (

)

Marlborough & Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $14 [ screwcap; Me, CS & CF perhaps, PN, Ma; 12 months in oak; www.sherwood.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is fragrant, both leafy / floral and berry, a hint of buddleia, and in the blind tasting it is easier to identify it as pinot noir (presence later confirmed). But leafy merlot could fit too, on light redcurrant berry. Palate is short-fruited, under-ripe and stalky, reflecting the 1970s over-cropped and under-ripened approach, not suited to the 2000s. Skinny but wholesome QDR, not worth cellaring. GK 05/08

2007 Kumeu River Pinot Noir Estate 14 (

)

Kumeu, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13%; $35 [ screwcap; hand-harvested; 100% de-stemmed fruit from selected Burgundy clones planted in 1994; wild-yeast fermentation; up to 3 weeks cuvaison; 11 months in barrel; www.kumeuriver.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. Bouquet immediately gets this wine off on the wrong foot. In the blind tasting, it bears little relation to what seems a straightforward New Zealand pinot (which turns out to be the Hunter's Pinot Noir, for example). There is both a thought of under-ripe beaujolais in the fruit characters, and also of South African pinotage. It is the oak though which really is bizarre, almost a smell of smoked fish, far from the quality used in the attractive Kumeu River chardonnays. To make matters worse, there is quite a lot of it considering the gamay-like fruit weight, and it persists on the tongue. I can't help thinking the Brajkovich's pursuit of a quality pinot noir (i.e. in the Estate series) in the Kumeu district is best described as quixotic, considering the style and varietal precision of contemporary Otago (and elsewhere) offerings. But, one has to acknowledge very occasional pinots from improbable climates do succeed: 1976 Nobilo Pinot Noir from the same district, 1976 Tyrell Pinot Noir from the Hunter Valley, and in a lighter style, occasional Millton St Anne examples from Gisborne. This Kumeu wine is more an eccentric QDR, an acquired taste not worth cellaring as pinot noir, so it is expensive. GK 11/08

2008 Poderi Crisci Rosé 14 (

)

Eastern Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13%; $21 [ cork; Me 90%, CF 10, hand-harvested; all s/s, 2 months LA; goal southern France / Italian rosé styling so nil RS; sold out, WWA Certified, 160 cases of the 2009 to be released in July; ‘Merlot grapes, light colouring, great structure vibrant nose showing aromas of crisp apple, white peaches and candid fruit with a full palate showing ripe redcurrants and other red fruits, long fresh dry finish.’; www.podericrisci.co.nz ]
Palest salmon rosé. Bouquet is dumbed down by high solids and reduction, obscuring the kind of grapes. Palate is bone dry, setting it apart from the other two, but that highlights the sour taste of the complexed sulphurs. Later a merlot plummy note is tasteable, but it is more akin to the sour flavours from sucking on the stone of a red plum. It would be good to have a clean properly dry rosé on the Island. Not worth cellaring. GK 06/09

1992 Chapoutier Ermitage Le Pavillon 14 (

)

Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $269 [ cork, 50mm; Sy 100%; cropping and wine-making details as in the introductory ‘Background’ section; www.chapoutier.com ]
Ruby and garnet, the second to lightest wine. Bouquet reflects a battle royal, between browning plummy red fruits on the one hand, and interesting gamey / horsey / seaweedy / pharmaceutical bretty qualities on the other – in short, both phases of Brettanomyces in full flight. The nett impression is still quite winey, in a very rustic way. Palate confirms the wine is still in possession of reasonable fruit, maturing fast, but the gamey at best / horsey at worst brett flavours are becoming untoward, and drying the finish markedly. Important for purists to register that there are wine-lovers who think this level of corruption is positive, thus one second-place vote, but seven least. As to the future, remember that no two bottles will be the same, with this level of brett. In general, it was a poor vintage, and the label Le Pavillon probably should not have been offered for sale. Bottles would be best drunk soon. Wine Spectator quality rating for the vintage 79. GK 10/18

2005 Culley Pinot Noir 14 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $18 [ screwcap; modern clones of PN; 4 days cold-soak, French oak; www.culleywines.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is reductive, and though the fruit is quite rich and recognisably pinot, it is tending stewed. Palate similarly shows fair weight, but is phenolic to the point of being astringent, on top of the retained fermentation odours. Needs three or so years to mellow, and will cellar longer, but unlikely to improve beyond heavy QDR pinot. GK 03/06

2004 Mills Reef Syrah / Cabernets / Merlot Reserve 14 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $20 [ cork; wine not on website; www.millsreef.co.nz ]
Older ruby. Bouquet is startlingly volatile for modern table red wine, on varnishy oak and some red berry. Palate confirms. Fruit is modest in flavour, but there are still some cassis suggestions, and the concentration is quite good. Finish may be eased by little residual sugar. OK as rough QDR, not suited to cellaring. GK 04/08

2006 Poggio Basso Chianti 14 (

)

Tuscany DOCG, Italy: 12.5%; $21 [ cork; Sa 80%, Canaiolo nero 10, Malvasia bianca 10 ]
Lightish ruby, pinot noir weight – which can be appropriate for chianti. Bouquet is not traditional chianti, however, being flat, somewhat oxidised, nearly neutral bretty dry red, needing breathing. Palate is short, acid (which might be OK if the wine were fresh, but this isn't) and plain / rustic Italian QDR, very dry indeed. Not worth cellaring. Needs to be under $10 in the New Zealand market. GK 03/08

1975 Staat Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Spatlese QmP 14 (

)

Saar Valley, Germany: – %; $ – [ cork ]
Light gold, towards the lighter end. This wine passed muster at decanting, but by the time of the tasting there was a suggestion of dank wood, not exactly TCA, but a sub-optimal relationship with its cork. Fruit is still surprisingly good, acid balance is good as befits both the year and the Saar district, and as the colour suggests, a better bottle would have considerably more to say than the Staat Steinberger. The score is not indicative of the generality of bottles, therefore. GK 03/12

2004 Witters Viognier 14 (

)

Gisborne, New Zealand: 12.5%; $23 [ screwcap; hand-picked; website not accessible; www.waiohika.co.nz ]
Elegant lemon. Initially opened, a sulphur-ridden bouquet with both SO2 and potentially reductive components. With a lot of air, breathes to a plain, slightly aromatic dry white, scarcely varietal. Perhaps in some seasons the variety could achieve the flavours of physiological maturity at such a low Brix (if the given alcohol accurately reflects that), but it is unlikely. Palate is too phenolic, but hints of the variety can be seen in a nearly-dry and quite rich wine. Given the season, a lost opportunity, it would seem. Not worth cellaring. GK 11/05

2006 Gem Merlot 14 (

)

Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $28 [ screwcap; some juice taken off for the Rosé; 14 – 16 months in French oak 40% new; www.gemwine.co.nz ]
Ruby and some velvet, old for age. Bouquet shows why, with some oxidation and VA detracting from the fruit, plus an obvious euc'y quality. Below is plummy berry. Palate picks up the lesser side of the wine, estery and unstable, some brett too, but fair fruit concentration. More QDR than varietal, not priced as such however, not worth cellaring. GK 04/08

2010 Spy Valley Pinot Gris Envoy 14 (

)

Waihopai Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $26 [ screwcap; hand-picked, BF and 7 months LA in barrels kind unspecified; RS 31 g/L; tiresome hard-to-read but so-fashionable all-black website; www.spyvalleywine.co.nz ]
Good lemon. Bouquet is dominated by VA, below which is nashi fruit. Nashi itself is high in VA, particularly the esters, but that does not make it a good wine feature. Palate is coarse, thick, estery and sweet, with an un-ripe phenolic component detracting further. Not worth cellaring. GK 08/12

2003 Jackson Estate Pinot Noir 14 (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $25 [ screwcap; wild-yeast fermentation, 10 months and MLF in French oak 33% new; www.jacksonestate.co.nz ]
Light pinot ruby, the lightest of this set. Bouquet on this wine is in that light red fruits and sweetly grassy area that both minor bourgogne rouge, and minor satellite Saint Emilion reds, can occupy. Palate is clean light red fruits in the tart redcurrants spectrum, clearly stalky, acid and under-ripe. A smaller crop ripened more intensively is needed here, I suspect. QDR pinot, which will cellar for several years, but not really worth it. GK 11/05

1999 Iron Horse Pinot Noir 14 (

)

Sonoma, California, USA: 14.6%; $ – [ TE ]
Ruby. Fragrant but buttery bouquet, non-varietal. Palate weight and mouthfeel vaguely burgundian in style, but smells and tastes an alcoholic hot-climate wine. More a soft red. GK 01/01

2010 Vidal Sauvignon Blanc Organic Reserve 14 (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $23 [ screwcap; s/s cool-ferment, followed by some LA including in seasoned barrels, RS 3 g/; www.vidal.co.nz ]
Lemongreen. What a disappointing wine, from such a skilled maker. One sniff and this wine illustrates why consumers through bitter experience have learnt to be leery of organic practitioners, until they have absolutely proved themselves. Bouquet has a whiff of the gasworks about it (a concept lost on most of the population now) bespeaking reduction, and on palate the whole wine, though quite rich and ripe, is cardboardy and grubby. Villa Group don't often make a mistake, or more accurately, release them, but this is one. Not worth cellaring. GK 08/11

2007 Man O’War Syrah Reserve Dreadnought 14 (

)

Eastern Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14%; $45 [ cork; Sy 98%, Vi 2, hand-harvested from ‘Our most extreme sites are the steepest hottest hillsides dedicated to the Syrah grape.’, all de-stemmed, 2 – 4 days cold-soak, up to 21 days cuvaison; MLF and 11 months in barrel French and American oak 20% new; ‘The vines extreme environment translates into a wine of uncommon depth and muscularity. Showing the fleshy cushioning of youth the Dreadnought Syrah will reveal its distinguished features with maturity.’; www.manowarvineyards.co.nz ]
Colour is a much older ruby than the standard wine, implying more oak exposure. Initial bouquet is unpromising. The main thing to say about this wine is that if you have wondered what all the fuss about the wild yeast Brettanomyces = brett is about, and want to see a crystal-clear example of a severe infection, this is the wine for you, along with its junior sibling. Though Dreadnought is a quite rich wine, the brett component is heavier and more complex than the standard ’07 Syrah, and all varietal character on bouquet has been destroyed. On palate the smoked fish / venison (male) casserole and bandaid characters of severe brett infection in both phases are rampant (phase differences summarised in a report on the Pinot Noir Conference 2007, Pt I, 26 Feb 2007 (scroll down to BRETTANOMYCES:) on this site). All that said, these characters are also strongly savoury, perfectly harmless, and many people like such wines with very strongly flavoured foods such as well-hung game casseroles. The wine is already drying, and will continue to do so. Not worth cellaring, unless you like the style of traditionally severely bretty wines such as the Chateauneuf-du-Pape Domaine St Benoit.

Interesting therefore to see Neal Martin’s (in www.erobertparker.com, subscribers only) comparison with de Beaucastel from the same district, in a report in which he endorses the wine winningly (92 points), though mentioning there is brett. Worth mentioning that Beaucastel is in fact cleaning up its act, something not yet evident at Benoit (for vintages that have reached New Zealand). The Rhone in general, and Chateauneuf-du-Pape in particular have become notorious as the most vivid exemplars of brett in red wines (though some Californian compete), a character rapidly becoming regarded as old-fashioned at best, and undesirable or even objectionable by many (in Australia particularly), as new-world technology increasingly flows back into old-world wine districts.

The question can fairly be asked, how come you reject this rich wine on brett, yet score the 2005 Goldwater Estate Goldie (in the same tasting) at gold-medal level ? Be assured I did not decide this lightly. The decision is based on the degree of infection: the level of odoriferous yeast metabolic by-products in the Dreadnought is so high, the variety is not recognisable. The fact it is compared with a Southern Rhone grenache-based wine, and not a Northern Rhone syrah-based one, confirms that. The Goldie in contrast is still clearly varietal (and strictly comparable with Bordeaux), and the tongue is left clean, not saturated with biting yeast chemistry. As implied in the previous wine review, if Man O’War is to achieve its potential on perhaps the best sites in the Island (maritime influence / salt aside), winery practices and cooperage care must be modernised. GK 06/09

2005 Josmeyer Pinot Gris 14 (

)

Alsace, France: 13%; $46 [ cork; www.josmeyer.com ]
Lemongreen. This is the old-fashioned European approach to white winemaking, with total sulphur excessive, obscuring bouquet and flavour. There is vaguely varietal fruit underneath, on a hard near-dry finish, but I doubt this wine will escape its sulphur burden. Not worth cellaring. GK 04/08

2012 Black Barn Vineyards Syrah 14 (

)

Havelock North district 85%, Gimblett Gravels 15, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12%; $33 [ screwcap; large % of crop rejected, to retain fruit only 9 months exposure to oak 11% new; www.blackbarn.com ]
Ruby. Bouquet to first sniff is fragrant red fruits in a simple way, almost as if there were a whole-bunch / maceration carbonique component, not much oak. Palate is awkward, lacking fruit and disjointed on the stalky whole bunch tastes, acid, tending sour. More a QDR than a cellar wine, but not priced as such. GK 06/13

2008 Mission Estate Merlot Reserve 14 (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $25 [ supercritical cork; www.missionestate.co.nz ]
Ruby, some velvet. Bouquet is dominated by VA, so much so it is hard to see through it to indeterminate red fruits and raw oak. Palate is much the same, but riper than quite a number. The VA must be approaching the max for compliance, at least in EEC terms. Still viable as rough red, some may even like the 'lifted' character, but for most, definitely not worth cellaring. GK 06/10

2004 Morton Estate Syrah White Label 14 (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12.5%; $18 [ screwcap; some of wine 15 months in barrel; www.mortonestatewines.co.nz ]
Light pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is cardboardy and not fresh, below which is thin vaguely stewed red plum fruit. Palate continues cardboardy, never a good sign, and is stalky, lightly bretty and pretty well non-varietal. Simple light QDR contrasting vividly with the Australian versions of the grape, as befits the two climates, wholesome as such, surprisingly dry. GK 03/07

2013 Pask Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot / Malbec Gimblett Road 14 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $22 [ screwcap; cepage around CS 45%, Me 40, Ma 15; c.14 months in oak (barriques); www.cjpask.co.nz ]
Ruby, below midway in depth. Bouquet is clean, youthful, stalky new-world commercial supermarket cabernet / merlot, some oak, clean but severely under-ripe, even in this magical year. Palate confirms, some body, total acid up, red berries more than black, some oak flavours, but the whole wine skewered on a green stalky backbone. The Orange label wine (from Sacred Hill) nearly gets away with it, this one doesn't. Not worth cellaring. GK 03/15

2008 Miro Syrah 14 (

)

Central Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.7%; $55 [ cork; Sy 97%, Vi 3, hand-picked from (the Sy) 18-year vines on a terraced vineyard; no detail on website; www.mirovineyard.co.nz ]
Rich ruby, carmine and velvet. Bouquet sadly is reductive, completely stifling the rich fruit. Palate confirms the fruit quality implied by the colour, but is short and austere on the entrained sulphide. Many people are blind to reduced sulphur, and will like this better than me. Doubtful it will recover in bottle / cellar, even after 10 to 12 years – I wouldn't cellar it. GK 06/10

1996 Fromm Pinot Noir Fromm Vineyard 14 (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $ – [ clones 10/5 and others, up to 4 years, harvested @ 2 t/ac; 100% de-stemmed, 5 days cold soak, wild yeast fermentation, up to 18 days cuvaison; 16 months French oak 50% new; www.frommwineries.com ]
Ruby and velvet, young for age. And the reason for the youthful appearance is apparent as soon as one smells the wine, for it is seriously reductive. Palate shows big plummy fruit, all locked in by the retained fermentation odours, a time capsule. It is conceivable but unlikely that the reductive components will precipitate 20 years from vintage, but in general this was not a good wine to show in a formal pinot noir comparative evaluation. Sadly, the 2004 in the Exhibitor's tasting was much the same. It will hold in cellar for another 10 – 15 years, but is unlikely to blossom. GK 01/07

2003 Earth’s End Pinot Noir 14 (

)

Central Otago, New Zealand: 13.5%; $26 [ cork; no info on website; a Mount Edward label ; www.mountedward.com ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, not a pinot colour. And bouquet is not a pinot bouquet, being porty and concocted, more like Australian shiraz. Palate is rich in one sense, as if double-skinned, with plenty of skin tannins, and subtle oak. It is possible this could fine down in bottle, once the tannins crust on the glass. Meanwhile, it is perfectly pleasant and wholesome big QDR, but not good pinot. Cellar 5 – 10 years. GK 05/06

nv Drappier Carte Blanche 14 (

)

Reims, Champagne, New Zealand: 12%; $55 [ cork; understood to be PN dominant & Ch ]
Light straw, clearly flushed. Bouquet bears little relation to champagne as an idealised concept, instead showing clearly oxidised base wine giving a fizz more cidery than winey / grapey. Palate is no better, with a high-solids dullness, a phenolic marzipan undertone which is coarse, and higher dosage than some. Not worth cellaring. GK 12/06

2010 Craggy Range Pinot Noir Te Muna Road 14 (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 14%; $39 [ screwcap; some wild yeast ferments, nil whole bunch; all the wine in French oak c.9 months, 31% new; no longer entered in Shows; www.craggyrange.com ]
Pinot noir ruby, towards the lighter end. Bouquet on this wine is piercingly green, totally reminiscent of clone bachtobel New Zealand pinot noirs of the early 1980s (except it was never cropped so conservatively in those days). Craggy Range over the years has not shown the consistent grip on pinot noir that they amply demonstrate with bordeaux blends and syrah. This wine is totally mistaken in its conception, creation and goals. The palate is at best red currants, but even for that fruit analogy it is severely under-ripe, the green smells and flavours suffusing the wine from beginning to end, total acid noticeable. Not worth cellaring. GK 11/12

2002 Tirohana Cabernet / Shiraz 14 (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13%; $32 [ laminated cork; www.tirohanaestate.com ]
Good deep ruby. Bouquet however is intensely herbaceous, with pale cigarette tobacco and stalky and new-oak smells on under-ripe cassis. Palate has a stewed stalky cassis quality which is irretrievably green, perhaps chaptalised, though quite rich. Gives the impression of being beautifully made in the winery, but sadly the right flavours weren't there in the vineyard. Not worth cellaring. GK 01/05

2010 Milcrest Estate Sauvignon Blanc 14 (

)

Waimea Plains, Nelson, New Zealand: 12.5%; $18 [ screwcap; fruit early-morning machine harvested; juice settled, aromatic yeast, s/s ferment; a few weeks LA and stirring post-ferment; RS 4.5 g/L; www.milcrestestate.co.nz ]
Pale lemon. Bouquet is youthful, still showing bottling / making SO2. Below is varietal fruit tending under-ripe. Palate is hard on the excess sulphur and grape phenolics, and with age will go cardboardy. Not a success. More generally, one can only despair that wines like this are apparently still winning silver medals in lesser competitions. Not worth cellaring. GK 08/11

1984 Mount Mary Chardonnay * 14 (

)

Yarra Valley, Victoria, Australia: 13.2%; $ – [ cork, 46mm; the wine of a famous Yarra Valley independent winery. Little known about the wine, maybe 35% new oak. Dr John Middleton (medico) was to the Australian wine industry what Dr Neil McCallum (research chemist) was to New Zealand's. To quote James Halliday, 1985: Both have … Olympian aloofness in their temperament. … Both are given to Delphic utterances of such obscurity as to defy questions regarding their meaning. And both have made great wines, but not at all consistently. [ but you are not allowed to say so … ]. Access to Mount Mary courtesy James Halliday; www.mountmary.com.au ]
Light gold, a brown wash, slightly above midway in depth. Bouquet in this bottle is more clearly maderised, yet still fragrant on dried peach recognisably varietal fruit. Palate is surprisingly light, total acid high (as befits the year), the flavours again biscuitty and maderised, only a shadow of fading dried stone fruits still detectable, all tasting more like sultana in flavour (not unpleasant), but lacking elevation complexity and fruit depth. A similar style to the Dry River, therefore, but the extra years have taken their toll. Still perfectly serviceable dry white. GK 08/18

2007 Kaituna Valley Pinot Noir 14 (

)

Kaituna Valley, Banks Peninsula, New Zealand: 14.5%; $40 [ screwcap; some vines c.32 years old, the oldest commercial pinot noir vines in Canterbury; nil whole bunch; 20 months in French oak 100% new; www.kaitunavalley.co.nz ]
Big ruby, a flush of carmine and velvet, inappropriately dark for pinot noir. Initial bouquet is almost Australian, a lot of oak and mint, on indeterminate plummy fruit and high alcohol, all reminiscent of many commercial shirazes. Palate is rich but not varietal, with a strange aromatic reminiscent of cypress timber right through the fruit – presumably oak-related. The total impression lingers well, and the wine should cellar well, and even be popular in it's clumsy oaky massive red wine style. The wine has been scored as pinot noir, however, for which the oak regime is simply inappropriate. Since this wine has tended to this style over recent years, some of the website comments on previous vintages simply confirm my (associated article) assertion that the evaluation of pinot noir in New Zealand is too often wayward. Incidentally, this fruit played a large part in the famous 1982 St Helena Pinot Noir. That wine still shows what could be achieved here, with winemaking more attuned to optimising the special beauty of pinot noir the grape. Cellar 5 – 10 or more years. GK 02/10

2009 Telmo Rodriguez Vina 105 14 (

)

Cigales, Spain: 13.5%; $24 [ cork; Te & Gr; s/s cuvaison and elevage; some at least 3 – 4 months in new oak; www.telmorodriguez.com ]
Medium ruby, carmine and velvet. Bouquet is soft and appealing, immediately reminiscent of the variety tempranillo with fragrant berry, the faintest aromatic lift. Palate is lesser, though alleged to be non-oaked, there is some less-than-pristine wood or concrete contact of some sort here, the faintest skunky taste in the berries, which lingers. This used to be a common 'complexity factor' in lesser Bordeaux, and is negative. Doubtful cellar. GK 08/11

2003 Rostaing Cote Rotie 14 (

)

Cote Rotie, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 12.5%; $ – [ cork; c. US$70; the standard Cote Rotie; Parker 163: "… great concentration in addition to notes of melted licorice, white chocolate, bacon fat, blackberries, and cassis ... unctuously-textured, fleshy, low acid … to 2014. 93"; Spectator: This is rich and concentrated, but remarkably elegant, with pure red plum, boysenberry and red currant fruit gliding along vanilla, mineral and lavender notes. Latent power drives the long finish. To 2016. 93; Robinson: "… a strong burnt rubber scent for the moment and a bit of reduction. May fill out. 16.5 + ?"; no website found. ]
Ruby, amongst the lightest. Initially opened this wine smells of baked fish and sulphide, not grapes, the cooperage like some lesser Chilean wines. Once vigorously decanted and well aired, things improved somewhat, and red berries of reasonable richness peep through the congested aromas and flavours. There is some brett in the older oak. The wine is in some ways healthier than the 2001 la Chapelle, but with that sulphide level the finish is bitter, so it is not worth cellaring / hoping for a reprieve. The American reviews are beyond belief (unless America receives privileged bottlings, relative to the rest of the world). GK 04/07

2003 Saxenburg Shiraz Private Collection 14 (

)

Stellenbosch, South Africa: 14%; $ – [ cork; R105 in South Africa = c. NZ$20; 100% Sh, cropped @ 3 t/ac; up to 4 weeks cuvaison; 12 months elevation in 80% US oak and 20 French, 30% new; no fining, coarse filtration only; in Wine magazine this 2003 wine was recently selected as the top South African Shiraz from 215 entries, and described as: complex nose with clean, ripe fruit balanced by pepper and spice. Palate medium bodied with black fruit matched by firm, elegant tannins. Oak well managed. A long finish.; www.saxenburg.com ]
Dense older ruby. This is a time-travel wine, rich and brown and baked, no recognisable berry notes, meaty going on horsey in its heavy strongly bretty aroma. Palate is thick, very tannic with what tastes like non-oak old cooperage, totally non-varietal, baked and lifeless. The whole approach is reminiscent of Australia 50 years ago, and poor for then. Not worth cellaring. [ Quite apart from the Wine quote above …] comparing these observations with a South African wine (merchant – www.cybercellar.com) website description of exactly the same wine provides a perspective on South African red wine styles and perceptions in general, in a country which we rarely taste from: ***** The flavour is a complex full ripe combination of spice and black fruit. The taste is warm, compact fruit with a superb balance between the fruit and tannins. The five stars are reputed to be from John Platter, in a Wine Spectator forum. The comments on this wine provide a dramatic illustration of the differences in palate perception between warm-climate and temperate-climate tasters. Not worth cellaring, for a temperate-climate palate. GK 01/07

1986 C J Pask Chardonnay 14 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12.7%; $ – [ cork, 44mm; original price $15; before the days of Reserve or Declaration labels; www.pask.co.nz ]
Straw with a touch of tan, yet one of the lighter. On bouquet however, by the time of the actual tasting, the wine had developed a slight manzanilla / acetaldehyde note, which let it down. Palate is small-scale, still some fruit and the oak nicely underdone to balance that, plus a hint of the marzipan character noted for the Mountadam. Still perfectly serviceable, but not an appropriate wine to present to winemakers. Decanting, tasting, deciding on and sequencing the 12 wines of necessity has to take place prior to and remote from the tasting venue, and the wine deteriorated in that interval. No top votes, but interestingly, no 'least' votes either. GK 09/15

2002 Matariki Syrah Gimblett Gravels 14 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: – %; $40 [ cork; no info on website, but if similar previous years, 15 – 17 months in mostly French oak; www.matarikiwines.co.nz ]
Ruby. Like the Aspire version, this wine is reductive, the sulphur starting to complex to mercaptan- related odours which drown all fruit characters. Palate probably had some cassis and plum flavours, but it is now reductive and tending acid, the latter exacerbated by excess oak. QDR, not worth cellaring. GK 06/05

1998 Tardieu-Laurent Hermitage 14 (

)

Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $117 [ 55mm cork; a difficult vintage, hot and dry later, the best 5-star for Broadbent, 90 and tannic for Parker; Sy 100; wine bought-in immediately post-fermentation, 18 – 24 months in new oak; not filtered; Parker, 1999: ... classic, pure, cassis aromas intermixed with smoke and licorice. Full-bodied and pure, with nicely integrated acidity and tannin, this corpulent, super-concentrated Hermitage requires 3-7 years of cellaring, and will keep for 20-25 years, 91 – 93; www.tardieu-laurent.fr ]
Mature ruby and garnet, about midway in depth. Freshly opened and decanted, this wine is floral and fragrant, the floral notes very close to carnations, quite beautiful. A couple of hours later, this particular bottle had deteriorated. The good side is the dianthus florals, cassis-like berry notes, and suggestions of black pepper, all spot-on. In mouth there is initially good berryfruit, then suddenly gamey and bretty flavours appear, and as the wine lingers on the tongue, hints of the dreaded mousey spoilage flavour from the wild yeast formerly called Pichea become apparent. With air this bottle also developed a suggestion of TCA. What a worry the Tardieu-Laurent bottlings of that era are. The best are marvellous, but too many are not. At the time I wrote to the New Zealand importers and said that the percentage of corked bottles from Tardieu-Laurent was way too high. They didn't agree. So this 1998 Hermitage is a great teaching wine, but $100 teaching wines are a mite expensive. Wine amateurs (in the strict meaning of that word) can draw comfort from the fact that even in a room of winemakers, only a third of the tasters (roughly) objected to each of these three faults. All three were subtle. This is the diversity that is wine appreciation. An interesting bottle, therefore, and noteworthy that this was not the wine recording the most 'bottom' rankings. Needless to say, no northern hemisphere winewriter mentions any of these factual faults, in discussing this wine. Not worth cellaring. GK 09/14

2015 Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc Wairau Valley Reserve 14 (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $27 [ screwcap; machine-harvested cool at night, short skin contact, all s/s fermentation again cool; RS 3.3 g/L; 2015 seen as a quality year for Marlborough sauvignon; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Pale lemongreen, a lovely colour. And the good news ends there. I can't imagine what the Villa winemakers were thinking about, bottling this at all, let alone as a Reserve wine. For anybody old enough to recall, this wine might aptly be named 'the gasworks sauvignon', so laden is it with complex reduced sulphurs already including mercaptans. This is not a question of a touch of thiol producing musky armpit characters, as Saint Clair have perversely exploited with the help of uncritical wine judges, via their Wairau Reserve. Even that bouquet was offensive to anyone sensitive to complexed sulphurs, and there are many people in that camp. What the name of the pong is, is irrelevant: it is just unpleasant to many people. The negative chemistry persists on the palate, making it bitter, and spoils otherwise good rich fruit. An expensive mistake, not to be cellared. GK 11/15

1978 Domaine Leroy Meursault 14 (

)

Meursault, Burgundy, France: – %; $ – [ cork; a highly-regarded vintage for white as well as red burgundy; www.domaine-leroy.com ]
Straw, a wash of gold plus a touch of tan. Bouquet is another where you wish for screw caps, the wine not TCA-affected, but smelling more of bark / wood than fruit. Below is mature to over-mature biscuitty chardonnay fruit, with virtually no sign of new oak or oak as such, even though there is still a suggestion of barrel-ferment character. Palate is better, fully mature dried-peach chardonnay and old oak now clear, quite rich in one sense, but drying and going tannic now, not much mealyness or excitement. Faded, but still OK with appropriate food. GK 12/17

2007 René Rostaing Cote Rotie Cote Blonde 14 (

)

Cote Rotie, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $260 [ cork; Sy >90%, 5 – 8% Vi; no website ]
Ruby, more a big pinot noir colour. Bouquet is simple, oxidised, and shows mixed ripeness characters ranging from stalks to prunes. A vaguely nasturtium aroma could suggest the floral component of seriously under-ripe syrah. Palate is extraordinarily stalky and short in fruit, though the oak is cleaner than the two 2006s. There are good Rostaing bottlings, but they are rare. They should never be bought for cellaring, without careful prior tasting of a sample bottle. Three of these four wines are travesties of their appellation. As one experienced Wellington wine man put it, at the tasting: Given their unpredictable elevage, any Rostaing bottle is a lottery. It is extraordinary how British winewriters do not report on them accurately, and no doubt correlated, even more extraordinary the piffle which UK wine-merchants write about this frustrating producer, who is not optimising the fine sites available to him. Not worth cellaring. GK 06/10

2007 Clearview Estate Winery [ Merlot / Malbec ] Cape Kidnappers 14 (

)

Te Awanga, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $20 [ screwcap; Me 76%, Ma 18, CF 6, hand-harvested; cuvaison up to 28 days for some components; 12 – 13 months in French and American oak; Catalogue: a cooler ferment for lively fruit pickup and a fuller mouth feel … to 2012; www.clearviewestate.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. Initially opened, the wine is very reductive. It needs vigorously splashy jug to jug decanting, 10 times. It then reveals pleasantly ripe and darkly plummy fruit, with little complexity. In mouth, the heavy notes of reduction persist, but the fruit is remarkably rich and ripe – 2007 was a great vintage in the Te Awanga wine zone. Oak is subtle, and there are some toasty notes, I think – it is hard to tell. An opportunity missed here, sadly. Cellar 5 – 12 years, but a long shot if it will blossom. GK 07/09

2013 Pegasus Bay Chardonnay 14 (

)

Waipara Valley, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 14%; $36 [ screwcap; mostly clone mendoza hand-picked, wild-yeast BF in 500L puncheons 30% new; some MLF in spring and 12 months LA; www.pegasusbay.com ]
Straw, one of the deepest chardonnays. Bouquet combines the worst features of a high-solids ferment with an excessively reductive elevation, producing a wine which smells hard and sulphidic, and tastes the same, plus being harsh and sour on the sulphides. On the plus side, it is remarkably rich, but it will take decades if ever to bury the reduction. I am still waiting for the 1982 Domaine Lafon Meursault Clos de la Barre to do so – and this Pegasus Bay Chardonnay is at a similar or greater level of reduction. Pegasus Bay has consistently shown a perverse tolerance of reduction in some of their white wines, which they need to think more about. Tasters sensitive to reduced sulphurs in wine can check reviews and reviewers of this Pegasus Bay Chardonnay to usefully identify winewriters variously blind to sulphides, or otherwise not prepared to be factual. Not worth cellaring. GK 06/16

2002 Ch d'Aiguilhe 14 (

)

Cotes de Castillon, Bordeaux, France: 14%; $50 [ cork; Me 80%, CF 20, hand-harvested @ a little over 1 t/ac in 2002 from lime-rich soils; twice sorted, de-stemmed; cuvaison 26 days in wooden cuves; MLF and 18 months on lees with micro-oxygenation in barrels 60% new; Parker 87 in 2005; great website; www.neipperg.com ]
Ruby and garnet. Bouquet is straightforward claret-styled but excessively old red wine, vaguely bottled red plums, older oak maybe, but the character hard to define due to oxidation. Inquiries revealed a majority of bottles were similar. In mouth the wine was pleasantly ripe, but showing Bovril and brown plum jam flavours, and a short finish. In New Zealand therefore, for this particular bottling (if not 'assembled'), or shipment maybe (if not imported in temperature-controlled containers as some importers still practice in New Zealand), this is merely QDR, not worth cellaring. GK 11/08

2003 de Bortoli Pinot Noir Windy Peak 14 (

)

Yarra Valley, Australia: 14%; $19
Good pinot noir ruby. Initially opened, the wine smells so euc'y, it is hard to take it seriously as pinot noir. Otherwise, it is clean and fragrant. Palate is pinot weight and berry, not over-oaked, a bit fleshy and stalky, but continuing euc'y. Doesn't really improve with breathing, so the wine is too idiosyncratically Australian to be varietal. Nonetheless, it would cellar 5 – 8 years. Good enough as (euc'y) QDR. GK 08/04

2002 Domaine de Courcel Pommard les Vaumuriens 14 (

)

Pommard, Burgundy, France: 13%; $ – [ cork; a good brief backgrounder to this domain is available at: www.owloeb.com/Domaines/Courcel.html ]
Ruby and velvet. Bouquet is intriguing, showing a kind of mercaptan-related complexity reminding of the pungent odour of crushed Cape Ivy (Senecio mikanoides), which one sees not infrequently in Chilean syrah. Palate has good fruit and structure, but it could be Cote Rotie as easily as pinot noir. Pleasant enough rich QDR, if one doesn't mind the odour, but not worth cellaring as pinot noir. GK 03/08

nv [ Bodegas Pinord ] Dibon Cava Brut Reserva 14 (

)

Vilafranca del Penedes, Spain: 11.5%; $18 [ cork; macabeo 45%, parellada 30, xarello 25, from organic vineyards 330 m asl; a label within the Pinord group, info not quickly locatable; www.pinord.com ]
Pale lemon. Bouquet is old-style, no obvious varietal expression, no clean autolysis, just vaguely vinifera with cardboardy undertones. Palate is hard from entrained sulphur-related compounds, where the cardboard flavour is supposed to mimic yeast. Very dry by New Zealand Brut standards, distorted / commercialised as we are by the Lindauer family of bubblies at 12 g/L residual or more. Not worth cellaring. Needless to say this wine has favourable competition results both locally and in the still technically-illiterate UK wine competitions. GK 08/11

2007 Alain Graillot Crozes-Hermitage 14 (

)

Crozes-Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, New Zealand: 13%; $43 [ cork; price is simple conversion from US$30; Sy 100%; 20 – 30% or more whole-bunch, wild-yeast fermentations, cuvaison a few days over 21 if count cold-soak; 95+% matured in 1 – 6 year oak c.12 months; the reviews in Wine Advocate provide a useful warning about wine-writers: WA / Perrotti-Brown, 2010: Very peppery aromas with a nice core of blackberries, warm cassis, liquorice and cumin. Crisp acid and a medium+ level of fine tannins. Great balance. Long finish. Lovely Syrah. 89. WA / Parker, 2009: The green, peppery 2007 Crozes-Hermitage should perform better from bottle than the barrel samples I tasted. 83 - 85; no website found ]
Ruby and velvet. Bouquet is tending strong, with a leafy / stalky edge in fragrant berry, not much oak, a touch of almond, fairly plain. Palate confirms the doubts, the wine almost a caricature of Crozes-Hermitage, reasonable berry but tending sour, stalky, and acid, clearly under-ripe, and not quite clean. It is wines like this that make thoughtful Kiwi commentators so incensed, when some British wine writers continue to compare New Zealand syrah with Crozes-Hermitage. The comparison is simply inappropriate, unless we are talking about wines of the calibre of good years of Les Varonniers. There was some astonishment evident when one of the UK wine-writers at the discussion stage described the wine as: delicious, great wine. Not worth cellaring, or showing in this Symposium. GK 01/10

1989 Ch La Fleur-Pétrus 14 (

)

Pomerol (well-regarded growth, but not to be confused with Ch Lafleur), Bordeaux, France: 13%; $312 [ cork, 54mm; original price around $95; Me 80%, CF 20, cropped at c.5 t/ha = 2 t/ac; elevation 20 – 24 months, with around 33% new oak; production of the grand vin varies round 4,200 x 9-litre cases; now part of the Moueix stable; Broadbent, 2002: Now mature-looking; rich yet, somehow, lean, with good Pomerol texture and lovely flavour. A good drink, ****; RP@RP, 1993: In 1989, 50% of the grapes were cut off to reduce the crop size and to augment the wine's intensity. The results may be the finest La Fleur-Petrus since the 1950 and 1947 ... a tight yet expressive bouquet of exotic spices, mocha, and deep, super-ripe black-cherry fruit, this medium-bodied wine has an inner core of depth and length. Its admirable intensity of flavor is backed by a formidable degree of alcohol and tannin. To 2009, 91; weight bottle and closure: 545 g; www.moueix.com/en/pomerol/lafleur-petrus ]
Garnet, ruby and some velvet, below midway in depth, and the second most garnet. As the only East Bank wine in the set, hopes were high for this wine to speak about merlot. But one sniff, and it was not to be. The wine was both TCA-affected, but also it had a more profound cork-related issue best described as earthy at best / rotting mushrooms. Beyond those characters, there is rich markedly-browning plummy fruit, and no cabernet aromatics, with a very plump mouth-feel bespeaking good dry extract. Mushroomy berry, dark tobacco and cedary oak meld into a long rich tanniny flavour … but distinctly impure. A good bottle would be a rich round velvety wine, and might have been around 18 points, maybe more. Unlike the other two TCA-affected wines, for this wine I am not attempting an unimpaired score. Freshly opened, it was without doubt the least-liked wine in the set. Once treated for TCA, it later became barely OK with food, in an earthy way. GK 11/19

2008 Bodegas Los Cerrillos Malbec Finca El Peral 14 (

)

Mendoza, Argentina: 14%; $19 [ plastic 'cork'; Ma 100% hand-picked @ 9 t/ha = 3.6 t/ac from vines of average age 25 years, grown @ 1440 m; s/s ferment and cuvaison; 3 months in oak; RS 2.1 g/L, dry extract 28.8 g/L; the winery Finca El Peral is part of Bodegas Los Cerrillos, there is also a more expensive (but still plastic-sealed) Uruco range; www.bodegaloscerrillos.com.ar ]
Ruby. Bouquet is real time travel, showing both oxidation and rubbery reduction, just like so many Australian reds in the 50s and 60s, before stainless steel and refrigeration. Palate has good fruit in this old-fashioned way, but it is all a bit leathery, drying and short. Will keep as big QDR, but not worth cellaring. GK 07/11

2009 Domaine Marcel Deiss Langenberg Cru d'Alsace La Longue Colline 14 (

)

Saint Hippolyte, Alsace, France: 13%; $61 [ cork; limestone and marl; www.marceldeiss.com ]
Dull straw, the third to deepest. This field-blend wine is the polar opposite of the grand cru field-blend, being old-fashioned, dulled by high-solids and fusel-like aromas and marzipan (–ve), and with no grape varieties visible at all. Palate is quite rich, but heavy, dry and short, nearly sour as if trace oxidation (in this case), reflecting inappropriate elevation. Not worth cellaring, let alone at the price. GK 04/13

2000 Ch Mazeris-Bellevue 14 (

)

Canon-Fronsac, Bordeaux, France: 12.5%; $20 [ cork; Me 45%, CS 35, CF 15, Ma 5; modest reports on other vintages from Parker, not exceeding 82 ]
Ruby, below half way. A familiar bouquet for older tasters, the smell of shippers' Medoc, quite fragrant, but both stalky and slightly skunky, the smell of very old cooperage. Palate picks up on both the stalks and the grubbiness of the old oak, on soft round plummy fruit, but all leaving a slightly musty flavour in the mouth. Modest QDR claret, will keep, but scarcely worth cellaring. GK 04/06

2004 Domaine Alphonse Mellot [Pinot Noir] En Grands Champs 14 (

)

Sancerre, Loire Valley, France: 13%; $ – [ cork; £48.50; vine age 62 years; underlying limestone; 100% de-stemmed, 10 days cold soak, wild yeast fermentation, 26 days cuvaison; 12 months French oak maturation 100% new; no fining, no filtration; www.mellot.com ]
Good pinot ruby, exactly the mid-point wine in depth of colour. Initial impressions on bouquet are negative, an ersatz wine smelling of amyl acetate, bubble-gum and varnishy and raw oak, as if the wine were chipped. Palate reveals fruit lacking physiological flavour maturity, red currants, rhubarb stalks and acid, vaguely varietal at best, but some fruit weight. A stalky QDR pinot, not worth cellaring. Good however to learn the British pay £48 for this wine, and the Americans up to $100. This could stimulate some challenges from down under. Only fair to say previous vintages have reviews in the low 90s, and are said to be 'very burgundian'. GK 06/07

2002 N. Potel Santenay Premier Cru les Gravieres 14 (

)

Santenay Premier Cru, Cote de Beaune, Burgundy, France: 13%; $55
A deeper ruby, like the Savigny. This is the least of the wines in the Potel range, with old-fashioned sulphury clog exacerbated by the same kind of old cooperage taints as the Clos de la Roche shows. Flavour is more modest, with almost a weedy note creeping into light fruit. Not worth cellaring. GK 08/04

2000 Domaines Rothschild Bordeaux Reserve 14 (

)

Bordeaux, France: 12%; $25
Ruby. This is a straightforward negociant's claret blend, fragrant, wholesome, skinny, with all the smells and flavours generic. Talking about specifics such as cassis just does not arise. There are indeterminate stalky red fruits raised in somewhat rustic old cooperage, yet in its nett flavour, and fresh acid and tannin balance, it is clearly Bordeaux. A Bordeaux QDR really, half the concentration of the lightest Duhart-Milon, similar in quality to a light quaffing chianti. In a year such as 2000, one could have hoped for more, given the house and the price. There are petits chateaux of far more substance than this, available in New Zealand for less outlay. Cellar 3 – 5 years. GK 07/04

2010 Ch St Remy 14 (

)

Fronsac, Bordeaux, France: 14.5%; $20 [ cork 50mm; Me 80, CF 15, CS 5; no info found ]
Older ruby, the third lightest. Bouquet is simple plain concrete vat and ancient cooperage minor bordeaux, the kind of wine that makes concrete vat Cotes du Rhone look simply ravishing. Palate is surprisingly hard, leathery and tannic, which obscures the fruit these minor bordeaux do show, some brett. Decant this the day before, too. Not worth cellaring. GK 03/15

2005 Matua Valley Vintage Red Settler 13 ½ + (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12.5%; $12 [ screwcap, s/s, Me, Pinotage; RS 4 g/L; www.matua.co.nz ]
Light pinot noir ruby, deeper than the Morton Syrah. Bouquet is vanishingly light, but purer than some of this month's modest offerings. Palate is stalky red currants, a skinsy merlot maybe [confirmed], surprisingly 'dry' considering the lack of fruit flavour. Modest slightly sour but wholesome QDR. GK 03/07

2004 San Hill Red The Benches 13 ½ + (

)

Central Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12%; $21 [ cork; Me 90, CS 10; limestone hill-slopes up to 250m a.s.l.; 9 months oak some new; www.pukeora.com ]
Lightish ruby. Another time-travel wine, 80s New Zealand dry red with cabernet, the bouquet leafy going on green, but clean. Palate is oaky, indeterminate light berry fruits, scarcely ripe, not bone dry, not quite clean. This would be modest QDR at half the price. Not worth cellaring. GK 08/05

2011 Morton Estate Chardonnay Hawke's Bay 13 ½ (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $16 [ screwcap; website not up to date; www.mortonestatewines.co.nz ]
Light gold, fractionally older than the 2008 Kupe. Bouquet is time travel, straight back to the awful mixed-ripeness New Zealand chardonnays of the 1980s: stalky, estery and banana fruit, disjointed MLF, some oak, botrytis and oxidation. Palate is the same, phenolic on the mixed ripeness, tacky from the lactic by-products, and not bone dry. The fact such wines still have a following is no justification for still making them. What on earth is happening at Morton Estate, once famed for its chardonnays. Not worth cellaring. GK 04/13

2002 CrossRoads Pinot Noir Collector's Edition 13 ½ (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $28 [ www.crossroadswinery.co.nz ]
Older ruby, some garnet. Varnishy and VA characters dominate vaguely mushroomy and earthy undertones, all bearing tenuous relation to old pinot noir. Palate is modest too, with some suggestions of botrytis on the fruit, fading red berries scarcely varietal, all ageing prematurely. QDR, not worth cellaring. GK 09/04

2004 Anchorage Sauvignon Blanc 13 ½ (

)

Nelson, New Zealand: 12.5%; $15 [ screwcap ]
Pale lemon. The good features of this wine (varietal, ripe etc) are outweighed by the inclusion of sour-rot and ignoble botrytis fruit, which make the whole wine unpleasant. Not fit to cellar. GK 11/04

nv Henkell Blanc de Blancs Sekt Trocken 13 ½ (

)

Europe, via Germany: 12%; $17 [ cork; not Deutscher Sekt, traditional European varieties such as Ch, SB, PN, CB particularly from the Loire; www.henkell-trocken.de ]
Lemon. Plain, vaguely citric and cardboardy, but otherwise clean, anonymous sekt, cleaner than a generation ago. Palate is vaguely lemonade and grapey, cardboard again, a sweet / sour suggestion. Plain. Not worth cellaring. GK 08/05

2005 Mt Riley Merlot 13 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $18 [ screwcap; Me 90%, Ma 10; 11 months in American and French oak, some new; RS 3 g/L; www.mountriley.co.nz ]
Bright ruby. Another simple predominantly stainless steel supermarket red, I would think, suggesting roto-fermenter or similar technology. Bouquet and palate are juicy light red fruits reminiscent of biting a Gala apple, but also stalky, unwiney and acid, in a QDR / bag in a box (from a cold climate) / drink-now style. Not quite dry either [ later confirmed ], but clean and wholesome. Not worth cellaring. GK 04/06

2005 Pohangina Valley Estate Pinot Noir 13 ½ (

)

Pohangina Valley, Manawatu, New Zealand: 11.5%; $35 [ supercritical cork; 14 months in French oak; www.yellow.co.nz/site/pohanginavalleyestate ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, not a pinot colour. The level of VA is unacceptable, and the wine appears double-skinned or otherwise dubious. There is good rich plummy fruit in there, in its style, but whether varietal or not, cannot easily be told. Over-all, an improvement on the ’04, but not worth cellaring. GK 08/06

2005 Jurassic Ridge Syrah 13 ½ (

)

Western Waiheke, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.9%; $33 [ supercritical ‘cork’; DFB; Sy 100%, hand-harvested; 3 weeks cuvaison; French oak; RS < 1 g/L; 105 cases, sold out, WWA Certified; ‘100% Syrah MS [13.9%] Full bodied, savoury wine with long smooth tannins, dark fruit, liquorice and white pepper. WWA Certified. Library sample only – vintage SOLD OUT’; www.waihekewine.co.nz/TheVineyards/VineyardLinks/JurassicRidge.aspx ]
Ruby. This is a reasonably richly-fruited wine, but is tainted with a non-wine odour which removes it from contention. All I can smell and taste is something akin to friar’s balsam. The underlying wine is softish, round, but scented. QDR at best, not worth cellaring. GK 06/09

2001 Smith & Hooper Cabernet / Merlot 13 ½ (

)

Wrattonbully, South Australia, Australia: 13.5%; $22 [ 10 months in French and US oak, 15% new ]
Ruby. An unfocussed vaguely plummy and merlot-like red, but let down by reductiveness. Palate is stalky, faintly cassisy, short, and lessened by the reductive thread. Not worth cellaring. GK 06/04

2003 Brick Bay Cabernet / Merlot 13 ½ (

)

Matakana, North Auckland, New Zealand: 13%; $23 [ cork; no 2003 red info on website [then], but traditional elevage, mostly French oak; www.brickbay.co.nz ]
Older light ruby. A tired bouquet, in the botrytis-affected, root ginger, leafy and scarcely berried North Auckland style of lesser years. Palate is similar, light on fruit, much too smoky and oaky, tending acid. This is a modest QDR, not worth cellaring, and hence much too expensive. GK 08/05

2004 Sacred Hill Pinot Noir Whitecliff 13 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 14%; $16 [ screwcap; no significant info on website; www.sacredhill.com ]
Light pinot ruby, more a full rosé. Bouquet is vaguely varietal, but congested and cardboardy. Palate is lightest red currants and red fruits, stalky, continuing cardboardy, and tending acid. Modest QDR pinot at best, not worth cellaring. GK 01/05

2003 Gravitas Sauvignon Blanc 13 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $19 [ screwcap; www.new-zealand-wines.com ]
Lemon. A strong and unattractive bouquet redolent of high-solids fermentation, and followed by stagnant lees autolysis in the old European sur lie style. Palate is rich and equally strong, but the bouquet qualities permeate the palate, making it heavy and dull. A misjudged wine. Not worth cellaring. GK 12/04

2004 Fromm Pinot Noir Fromm Vineyard 13 ½ (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 14.5%; $ – [ cork; c 2 t/ac; www.frommwineries.com ]
Pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is clearly reductive, and with retained fermentation and malolactic odours as well. Palate though rich is made short, hard, almost bitter by these components, masking varietal qualities almost completely. Not worth cellaring. GK 01/07

2004 Forrest Pinot Noir 13 ½ (

)

Marlborough & Waipara, New Zealand: 14%; $24 [ screwcap; hand-harvested, some whole-berry fermentation; 15 months in French oak 30% new; www.forrest.co.nz ]
Lightish pinot ruby. Bouquet is not quite clean on this wine, too organic, masking varietal delicacy and character. Palate is reasonably rich, red fruits and blackboy peaches, but with cardboardy flavours and some phenolics, the latter exacerbated by the highish alcohol. Is there a trace of residual sugar ? Not worth cellaring. GK 10/05

2004 Te Mania Merlot / Malbec / Cabernet Sauvignon Three Brothers 13 ½ (

)

Nelson, New Zealand: 13.5%; $20 [ cork; Me 36%, Ma 32, CF 32; 10 months in French and American oak; www.temaniawines.co.nz ]
Lightish ruby, the second palest. Bouquet is clean, fragrant, but under-ripe, with palest redcurrants and cooked rhubarb fruit suggestions, all leafy as if cabernet sauvignon dominant. Palate is distinctly green-tinged and stalky, lacking fruit, but with a little botrytis and maybe residual sugar – or is it glycerol from the botrytis. Cabernet blends are simply not a good idea in Nelson, even if once in eight years or so they can be ripened. Modest QDR. GK 10/05

2004 Unison Marie’s Vineyard 13 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $17 [ screwcap ]
Ruby, carmine and some velvet, medium weight. Bouquet lets this wine down severely, for though there is good plummy fruit on palate, the wine is too reductive on pure H2S. It creeps into the palate as well, and dulls it. H2S has been an issue in some earlier Unison reds, too – eternal vigilance is needed. The wine can never shine, with this defect. I don’t think this one will get over it, so not worth cellaring. GK 10/05

2004 Murdoch James Sauvignon Blanc River Run 13 ½ (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 12%; $17 [ screwcap; www.murdochjames.co.nz ]
Palest lemon. A wine to appeal to stale-sweat and armpit-in-sauvignon lovers, and for me further marred with sulphide problems. These sour qualities carry through onto the clearly varietal palate, but are unpleasant. Not worth cellaring. GK 11/04

2011 Spade Oak Syrah / Viognier Heart of Gold 13 ½ (

)

Gisborne, New Zealand: 12.5%; $20 [ screwcap; no info on website; www.spadeoak.co.nz ]
Ruby, markedly older than the 2012 Spade Oak. Bouquet is dulled by fusel-oil-like odours and marzipan, a wine lacking oxygen in elevation, and varietal character in bottle. Palate is hard, dull, and soured by the chemistry. Not worth cellaring, won't improve. GK 05/13

2003 Seresin Pinot Noir 13 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $42 [ 15 months in 25% new oak; www.seresin.co.nz ]
As big a ruby as pinot needs. Bouquet here is big and fruity, but non-varietal due to reductive characters. Palate likewise is rich and fruity, darkly plummy, more merlot flavours than pinot, but too reductive. Finish is short and tending bitter. This will cellar well on size 5 – 15 years, but to dubious advantage quality-wise. GK 09/04

2005 Tin Shed Shiraz Melting Pot 13 ½ (

)

Barossa Valley, South Australia, Australia: 15%; $25 [ screwcap; Sh dominant, a little Mv & Gr; 12 months in old oak; www.tinshedwines.com ]
Dense ruby and velvet. This wine smells intensely euc'y going on liniment / wintergreen, unwiney, verging on unpleasant, so bouquet is not quite the word. Palate physically has rich fruit, but the flavours recapitulate the smell, biting, unpleasant. I don't think this would appeal to many New Zealand wine drinkers. Not worth cellaring. GK 03/08

2004 Charles Wiffen Merlot 13 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 14.5%; $19 [ supercritical cork; DFB ]
Ruby and garnet, old for age. Bouquet is baked / oxidised, with a clear green under-ripe methoxypyrazine component – red sauvignon. Palate has physical fruit, yet is stalky, oxidised, acid, and tending bitter to the finish – despite a touch of residual sugar. Plain QDR. So, in this batch one can choose between the grievously under-ripe (in the sense of physiological maturity) Marlborough 'claret' style, or the grossly over-ripe Australian Murray River one. Needless to say, a 50 / 50 blend of the two is more workable than either, as plain QDR. But the message has to be: Marlborough is not the place for Bordeaux varieties. Not worth cellaring. GK 03/07

2005 Wild South Pinot Noir 13 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.5%; $20 [ screwcap; part of Cairnbrae Vineyards, owned by Sacred Hill; website [then] under construction; www.cairnbrae.co.nz ]
Good pinot noir ruby. A scarcely varietal light bouquet, indeterminate red fruits, both stalky and varnishy, modest as pinot noir. Palate is considerably more stalky, acid, with some suggestions of botrytis in the lightest red fruits, all lacking ripeness and vinosity, not bone dry. QDR pinot at best, not worth cellaring. GK 03/06

2012 Pask Viognier Gimblett Road 13 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12%; $25 [ screwcap; some BF and LA, mostly s/s; RS < 1 g/L; www.cjpaskwinery.co.nz ]
Palest lemon, the lightest colour in the viogniers. Bouquet is neutral, clean, reasonably fresh, but it shows no sign of varietal character or grape physiological maturity. If the given alcohol of 12° is correct, flavour development at such low Brix could not be expected, going on Australasian experience elsewhere. Flavour is narrow, short and tart, stalky and too acid. Not worth holding. These lesser wines illustrate dramatically why the Cuilleron viogniers in this review are relevant to us in New Zealand. GK 06/13

2000 Harrier Rise [ Cabernet Franc / Merlot ] Monza 13 ½ (

)

Kumeu, North Auckland, New Zealand: 13%; $21 [ cork; a second wine, the cepage closer to several of the minor Bordeaux ]
Ruby and garnet, about the palest. Bouquet benefits from decanting, to be in style for the tasting but still modest, with weedy notes in a vaguely cabernets / merlot but very light wine. Palate is similar, wholesome enough and cleaner than the Mazeris, but half the richness, all lacking fruit and fading already. Not worth cellaring. GK 04/06

2003 Moulin de Gassac 13 ½ (

)

Vin de Pays de l'Herault, Languedoc / Roussillon, France: 12.5%; $15 [ Gr dominant; laminated/aggregate cork; www.daumas-gassac.com ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet. This wine might have a famous chateau-name tagged into its title, but the bouquet is very modest indeed, let down by a falsely fragrant quality variously described by tasters as blue-cheese, lactic, or butyric. Palate is clearly grenache in style, but rustic and plain. Rough QDR, not worth cellaring. GK 11/04

2004 Southbank Estate Pinot Noir 13 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $24 [ cork; Crossroads Winery group; no info on this wine on website; www.southbankestate.com ]
Light pinot ruby. A modest bouquet indeed, with retained fermentation odours which could be called farmyard, if there were enough varietal fruit to carry that character. Fruit is light, acid, lacking positive flavours, finishing a little rubbery, all made worse by premature release within a year of vintage. Inconsequential light under-ripe QDR pinot, expensive for the quality, not worth cellaring. GK 03/05

2000 Tardieu-Laurent Cornas Vielles Vignes 13 ½ (

)

Cornas, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $140
Older ruby. This is a wine totally in two parts. The bouquet is remarkable, initially carnations, jasmine, roses and violets, on what seems fair cassisy berry, subtly oaked, in style with the Cote Rotie. As soon as one puts it in mouth, however, the awful fustiness of the bacterial spoilage called 'mousey' invades the tongue, and spreads right over it. A problematic wine, therefore. Drinkable when first opened, but with an hour's air, becomes unpleasant. Will get worse, so no point in cellaring it. GK 12/04

2010 Mount Brown Sauvignon Blanc 13 ½ (

)

Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 13%; $15 [ screwcap; s/s wine; RS < 1 g/L; www.mountbrown.co.nz ]
Lemon-green. Bouquet is reductive and under-ripe, more the grassy side of sauvignon and green capsicums, rather than the descriptors associated with appropriate maturity. Palate follows naturally, green flavours, sour on sulphide, hard and short. Not worth cellaring. GK 07/11

1994 Chapoutier Ermitage Le Pavillon 13 ½ (

)

Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $275 [ cork, 49mm; Sy 100%; cropping and wine-making details as in the introductory ‘Background’ section; www.chapoutier.com ]
The first thing to say is, this bottle is almost certainly not representative, the wine opening quite oxidised, as random bottles do, even when the cork appears perfectly good. Colour is garnet, scarcely any ruby, in the fourth quarter for depth. Bouquet is fragrant but tending caramelised in an almost amontillado-like way, and quite rich and raisiny. Palate is strongly autumnal, brown and raisiny again, even coffee notes, no fruit in a red wine sense, but the wine is not thin at all. No positive votes, two least votes. The wine seems both clean and quite rich, so good bottles should have significant cellar life left in them. Wine Spectator quality rating for the vintage 88. GK 10/18

2002 Can Rafols Gran Caus 13 ½ (

)

Penedes DdO, Spain: 13.5%; $45 [ cork; Me 42, CF 38, CS 20%, aged 12 months in French oak, and 3 + years in bottle; RS 1.3 g/L; the back-label website www.stvincentscave.com is not functional, the winery website cumbersome; www.canrafolsdelscaus.com ]
Ruby and garnet. Don't breathe this wine. Bouquet has a spurious vinosity to it which is initially beguiling, though very bretty. In mouth, the wine shows soft fruit initially, but rapidly one becomes aware of the unclean finish. This is too old-fashioned in its winemaking to be appropriate for New Zealand. Northern hemisphere reviewers like it a good deal more. An extraordinary contrast with the rosé. GK 03/08

2005 Stone Paddock Cabernet Sauvignon 13 ½ (

)

Ngatarawa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $23 [ screwcap; CS 90%, Me 10; 16 months in French oak, RS not given; www.stonepaddock.com ]
Ruby. This wine opens reductively, and needs splashy decanting. Even so, the wine underneath is under-ripe, short and stalky, with some odd aromas from the cooperage. Finish is thin and tending sour. Not worth cellaring. GK 10/07

2001 Perrin Cotes du Rhone-Villages Vinsobres les Cornuds 13 ½ (

)

Southern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $28 [ Gr 50%, Sy 50; 300m asl, a zone suited to syrah; 20% in 2-year barrels, balance in s/s; website requires password entry; www.perrin-rhone.com ]
Big bright ruby, some carmine and velvet. Initially opened, and for many hours after, this wine is reductive (H2S) to excess, muting anything it might have to say. With vigorous decanting back and forth, it does open up somewhat. On palate it becomes one of the richer wines of the set, showing big berry, but in a dark and dull way. Syrah in s/s is prone to this sort of thing. Too reductive to be worth cellaring, in my experience, but useful teaching wine. GK 03/04

2002 Torres Sangre de Toro 13 ½ (

)

Catalunya, Spain: 13.5%; $18 [ Gr and Ca; www.torres.es ]
Lightish ruby. A plain red wine bouquet of indeterminate character, tending sacky. Palate shows some raspberry, more acid, some stalks, unsophisticated oak flavours suggesting chips, but it is less aggressive, and more pleasant quaffing, than the Carchelo. Perhaps it is stored in big old wood. The wine is unknit and unlikely to improve, and as straightforward QDR, is not worth cellaring. Thirty years ago, this was a worthwhile label. GK 01/05

1998 Calera Pinot Noir Central Coast 13 ½ (

)

California, USA: 13.5%; $ – [ TE ]
Light ruby. Initially, a bit pongy. Later a curious smoky stalky redfruits bouquet. More stalky on palate, nearly astringent. Another hot-climate interpretation of pinot noir, the flavours including strawberry and linseed, on an awkward acid balance. GK 01/01

2009 Clearview Estate Cabernet Franc Reserve 13 ½ (

)

Te Awanga district, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $49 [ supercritical cork; no info on website but if like the 2007, is along the lines CF 91%, Me 7, Ma 2, hand-harvested; 15 months in mostly new French oak; www.clearviewestate.co.nz ]
Older ruby, among the lighter wines. Bouquet is hopelessly reductive, no varietal parameters being evident. Palate is leathery and sulphury, irredeemably plain. Sad, as the fruit seems to have been ripe. Not worth cellaring. There is a sad disconnect between quality perception and price developing in this winery. From the website: “Reserves are only made in the best years” GK 06/12

2004 Ra Nui Sauvignon Blanc 13 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13.2%; $19 [ screwcap ]
Brilliant palest lemongreen. Not a lot of bouquet as yet, in its youthful state, but suggestions of mixed capsicums less ripe than the Astrolabe. Palate however shows clear, pungent, sour rot, which I doubt the wine will recover from. Otherwise, it would have been good. Not worth cellaring. GK 08/04

2004 Belmonte Pinot Noir 13 ½ (

)

Marlborough, New Zealand: 13%; $18 [ screwcap; a near-organic vineyard within the John Forrest group of vineyards, info on Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand on www.forrest.co.nz ]
A pretty but light pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is watery, stalky and dull, and not quite clean, like some MIA bulk wines. Palate is red fruits and stalks, tending acid, old cooperage, all giving a modest QDR pinot. Not worth cellaring. GK 05/06

2008 [ Obsidian ] Weeping Sands Rosé 13 ½ (

)

Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 13.5%; $24 [ screwcap; Me 100%, hand-harvested; pressed off the skins, cold-fermented; no oak, 4 g/L RS; www.obsidian.co.nz ]
Typical rosé. Bouquet is high-solids and reductive, simple sulphides obscuring the varietal detail. Palate does not redeem the wine, being hard and confirming the bouquet, explicitly. This is one of the driest in the batch, but it is too marred to improve / be worth cellaring. GK 03/09

2011 Te Awa Syrah Left-Field 13 ½ (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12.5%; $20 [ screwcap; no info, website badly out-of-date; www.teawa.com ]
Good ruby. The wine is reductive, and needs vigorous ventilation jug to jug. It then reveals indeterminate red fruits, again reminding of poor New Zealand pinotage, all rather drab. Palate has some fruit, but acid is up, and the flavour is low, with leafy undertones. Unsuited to cellaring. The notes in the Hot Red Catalogue reflect a triumph of optimism over reality. GK 06/13

2003 Gladstone Pinot Noir Avatar 13 ½ (

)

Te Horo, Manawatu, New Zealand: 14.9%; $39 [ www.gladstone.co.nz ]
Slightly dull pinot ruby. In the blind line-up, this wine smells leafy and even stalky, largely lacking the charm of physiologically mature pinot fruit. Palate tastes similarly, a green streak through the red fruits, and a sugary finish. Whether the high alcohol is from the raisining of the berries, or chaptalisation, is not clear. Either way, the wine is a dramatic illustration of the contrast between sugar ripeness, and tannin ripeness and physiological maturity, in flavour development of red grapes. Clean, wholesome, but QDR pinot at a top-shelf price – misjudged. Not worth cellaring. GK 10/04

2011 Dry River Syrah 13 ½ (

)

Martinborough Terrace, Wairarapa, New Zealand: 12%; $78 [ cork 47mm; no accurate or informative info about the wine on website; www.dryriver.co.nz ]
Ruby and velvet, just above halfway in depth. Bouquet is seriously reductive, obscuring any varietal information the wine might display. The reduction destroys not only the bouquet, but unlike the Fromm La Strada wine, the palate too, which is sour on both elevated acid and sulphides, despite reasonably rich fruit. Not worth cellaring. Use reviews of this wine to work out which wine reviewers review only the label, which reviewers review the actual wine, and which are blind to sulphide. This is critical information for people with 'normal' palates, interested in 'investing in' / building a rewarding wine cellar containing wines which will not embarrass them in front of their guests. GK 06/16

2011 Domaine Mongeard-Mugneret Grands Echezeaux 13 ½ (

)

Vosne-Romanée Grand Cru, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: – %; $205 [ cork; vine age 40 – 68 years; wine-searcher valuation $294; www.mongeard.com ]
Appearance is clear with a pale garnet hue, almost ruby, very bright. Not a popular wine, although interesting, very different from the others, generally regarded as under-ripe. Clean nose but with unusual green notes: cucumber, celery and pine needles. Youthful with low intensity, the only detectable fruit on the nose is plum. Palate is dry and stalky with tarry notes, green capsicum and celery. Chalky texture with grippy young tannins and a light body. Lacks fruit. Medium alcohol and short finish. RD 08/16

1986 Martinborough Vineyard Chardonnay 13 ½ (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.3%; $ – [ cork, 43mm; winemaker then was Larry McKenna, recruited from Delegats; Larry's recollection is all barrel-fermented, and full malolactic, but little or no battonage, probably 11 months in oak, and sterile filtered; he notes that canopy management then was poor relative to today, and there was much more sorting for rot needed; www.martinborough-vineyard.co.nz ]
Straw and gold, right in the middle for depth. Bouquet is clean and varietal, and initial impressions are good. Then you think, it really is very fresh, despite the colour, and second time round you realise there is a leafy component. Palate still shows good fruit, oak perhaps too prominent, but there is quite a stalky green quality right through the wine, with total acid up. So this too is very much a wine of its times, showing how much has been learnt about viticulture since then. Still perfectly serviceable. One top vote, one second place, but by a large margin the least-favoured wine, on the herbaceous streak. GK 09/15

1975 Montana Cabernet Sauvignon (red-brown capsule) 13 ½ (

)

Gisborne, New Zealand: 12%; $ – [ cork 45mm; nominally CS 100%; grown in the company's Gisborne vineyards, an improbable area for quality cabernet sauvignon; around nine months in American oak, release price $3.20; the following review is reproduced in full, to at the same time provide the modern reader with a glimpse of wine values in mid-70s New Zealand: Saunders, 1977: A wine which we can be proud of. We have waited for a commercial quantity Cabernet of good standard, and Montana have produced it. On sale all year round. There are two bottlings of the 1975 vintage. One has a white plastic capsule around the cork, and the other has a tighter red binding. The difference, we are told, is that the white capsule line was bottled earlier than the red, with the latter consequently having more wood maturation. Both show excellent fruit character. The red capsule seems a fraction lighter, but the wood influence is starting to meld well into the wine. Both of these styles should be aged – as Cabernet develops in New Zealand it will be interesting to have some “pioneer” Cabernets to look back on. But apart from that, they have both got good keeping qualities which will continue to provide rewarding drinking in the short-medium future. Air-time useful. ]
Garnet and ruby, the third lightest, but the colour has a drab black note to it. Bouquet is the most different in the set of 12, smelling strongly of sautéed red capsicums in a vaguely grassy berry context, plus a carbolic oak note, and stalks. It is clean, though. In mouth it is more pleasant than the bouquet suggests, like the Penfolds it tastes of chaptalising, acid showing in the leafyness and stalks, but it is not completely empty. The fruit tastes exactly what you would expect from Gisborne, where cabernet and merlot simply do not achieve physiological maturity on most sites, and particularly on the flats, where this came from. Yet some growers are still persisting with them, 40 years later. The other thing the Montana and Penfolds wines dramatically show is the importance of cropping rate, relative to any of the minor clarets. The NZ two are simply skinny, yet both are still alive, and drinkable (for undemanding consumers). But all the same, it is no wonder our red wines were mocked back then. How different the New Zealand red wine scene is now. GK 04/15

2004 Kemblefield Zinfandel 13 ½ (

)

Mangatahi, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $24 [ ‘Diam’ cork; ’04 not [then] on website yet; www.kemblefield.co.nz ]
Older lightish ruby. Bouquet is rank and stewed vague red fruits, with botrytis undertones. In the blind tasting, it fitted in comfortably with some minor Italian reds. Palate is very acid, stalky, and lacking any of zin’s varietal characters or charm, apart from a curious bacony quality in the oak. In the same way cabernet / merlot is pretty well impractical for Marlborough, zinfandel is impractical for Hawkes Bay in eight or nine years out of 10. Not worth cellaring. GK 03/06

2007 Jurassic Ridge Cabernet Franc 13 ½ (

)

Western Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14.2%; $29 [ supercritical ‘cork’; DFB; CF 86%, Me 14, hand-harvested; 3 weeks cuvaison; 12 months in French oak 50% new; RS < 1 g/L; sold out; 108 cases; ‘Easy drinking, typical young and vibrant cabernet franc with good structure and acidity with raspberry and violet nuances.’; www.waihekewine.co.nz/TheVineyards/VineyardLinks/JurassicRidge.aspx ]
Ruby. Bouquet is tending to the estery home-made fruit-wine style, with simple yeasty overtones. Palate likewise has a still-fermenting organic and too wild-yeasty quality to it, though it seems dry. May settle down in bottle into a plain QDR, but not worth cellaring. GK 06/09

2005 Bodegas Almansenas la Huella de Adaras 13 ½ (

)

Almansa DdO, Spain: 14%; $20 [ cork; Mv 40%, Tintorera = Alicante (a teinturier) 40, Sy 20; s/s and concrete only; useful background information on Spanish grapes @ www.winesfromspain.com, and also www.winesofvalencia.com. ]
Dense ruby and velvet. This is a very heavy wine, in a dull extractive ox-liver and a little H2S style. Many Australian reds were like this in the 50s and 60s. Palate makes one think of Australia even more, it being clearly saline, with minty / euc'y overtones on this black tannic heavy fruit. The tannins finish clearly bitter in mouth. Will keep for ages, but not worth cellaring. GK 03/08

2001 d'Arenberg Shiraz Footbolt 13 ½ (

)

McLaren Vale, South Australia: 14.5%; $23 [ 12 months in older French & US oak; www.darenberg.com.au ]
Ruby and velvet. An old-fashioned wine made dull by H2S-related odours. Palate likewise has a reductive grey blanket over it, obscuring the flavours of otherwise good fruit, and introducing a bitterness to the finish. Not worth cellaring. GK 6/04 GK 06/04

2006 Comte Armand Volnay 13 ½ (

)

Cote de Beaune, Burgundy, France: 13%; $63 [ cork; $US45 approx; 15 – 20% whole bunch; up to 18 months in oak, up to 20% new for village wines [ allegedly ]; www.domaine-comte-armand.com ]
Older pinot noir ruby. If the Chambertin is old-style burgundy and lesser, this wine is unclean burgundy, totally unsuited to a Conference tasting. Bouquet shows brett and oxidation before any varietal character (as opposed to style character). Palate is true to a burgundian style (sourness aside) in a very old-fashioned way, but no longer illustrates any desirable facet of pinot noir the fruit, or its elevage. Not worth cellaring. The dismay among delegates at being given a wine like this was evident; the comments above for the Giroud wine apply even more clearly here. GK 02/10

2002 Michel Gros Vosne-Romanee 13 ½ (

)

Vosne-Romanee, Burgundy, France: 13%; $127
Pinot noir ruby. Bouquet combines smoked fish and mercaptan / reductive odours, on indeterminate red fruit of fair weight. Palate is almost bitter on the reductive faults, and the smoky component is pervasive. Needs severe aeration jug to jug. Not worth cellaring. GK 11/04

2001 Rostaing Cote Rotie Cuvee Classique 13 ½ (

)

Cote Rotie, northern Rhone Valley, France: 12.5%; $86
Lightest ruby. Initially opened, the wine is very reductive. Even with vigorous decanting and pouring to and fro, it remains reductive. So there is no bouquet. Fruit richness is quite good, some red fruits, but any floral or savoury complexities are lost in the grey fog of sulphide, which introduces a bitterness to the finish. Not worth cellaring. GK 06/04

1979 Buena Vista Chardonnay * 13 + (

)

Sonoma, California, USA: 13%; $ – [ cork, 44mm; little is now known about this wine, apart from its measure of fame as California's oldest surviving winery, as Haraszthy Cellars. By 1979 the company did hold extensive vineyards in the cooler Carneros zone now well-regarded for chardonnay, and the Heritage tag initially meant something, so there are possibilities. Not known if this wine is Carneros zone; www.buenavistawinery.com ]
Old gold with a marked brown wash, deeper than the McWilliams. Bouquet is clean, fragrant, very dry, sherry-like maderisation qualities mingling with faded dried peach notes to suggest gingernut biscuits, grapefruit zest, and a hint of camphor. Palate is surprisingly pleasant within that construct, suggestions of candied citrus peel and sultana fruitcake, quite tannic and oaky, all kept alive with some residual sugar. Still drinkable with flavoursome food. GK 08/18

2010 Ch Cap Saint-Martin 13 + (

)

Blaye, Bordeaux, France: 14%; $19 [ supercritical 'cork' 45mm; Me 97, CS 3; elevation in vat and some barrels for 6 – 9 months; appellation is Cotes de Bordeaux; www.chateaucapsaintmartin.com ]
Older ruby, below midway in depth. Bouquet is modest, bretty, leathery more than anything. In mouth it is downhill, hard phenolic skunky flavours dominate despite the fruit level again being reasonable. I have some minor bordeaux reds like this from the 1970s, and these skunky flavours do not go away. Not worth cellaring. GK 03/15

2004 Lucknow Gamay Noir 13 (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $16 [ screwcap; gamay noir a jus blanc; s/s elevation; www.lucknowestate.com ]
Good ruby, in the upper middle of the pinot bracket. Bouquet is a mixed proposition, showing some of the fruity juiciness of the maceration carbonique approach, but also some of the rubbery characters of reduced sulphur. Palate has softened in the year since release, and shows slightly sour and composty red fruits hinting at blackboy peaches, but also cardboardy flavours, and not quite bone-dry. The Te Mata Gamay Noir is the New Zealand model for this particular wine style. Not worth cellaring. GK 10/05

1976 Babich Cabernet Sauvignon 13 (

)

Henderson, Auckland district, New Zealand: 11.5%; $ – [ cork 45mm, ullage 47mm; https://babichwines.com ]
Garnet and amber, very little ruby now, the lightest of the four, all of which are lighter than the 1976 Nobilo Cabernet Sauvignon. Bouquet is even less ripe than the Penfolds, cigarette ash-tray and green-bean / methoxypyrazine exacerbated by oak, and not quite as clean. Palate however is markedly richer than the Penfolds, but the fruit tastes even less ripe, again the noticeable oak not helping palate harmony. Green-bean, methoxypyrazine and silver-beet stalk flavours dominate the palate totally, only the faintest hint of raw blackcurrant (rather than cassis) suggestions, but the cropping rate / concentration is closer to the lightest of the Bordeaux. Again ‘clean’ and wholesome wine, but in flavour woefully out-of-style. Henderson fruit, purchase price $3.55 = $22.60 today, Reserve Bank inflation calculator. GK 10/20

2002 Vynfields Pinot Noir 13 (

)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 13.8%; $32 [ www.vynfields.com ]
Light ruby going on rosé, light even for pinot. Bouquet is intensely leafy / floral, almost jonquils, posing the same question as the Isabel, but clearly on the wrong side of the line. Palate is fragrant but acid and short, lacking fruit, stalky, varietal only in a physiologically un-ripe sense, even more suggesting over-cropping (than the Reserve). Not worth cellaring. GK 10/04

nv Zilzie Brut Reserve 13 (

)

Murray Darling, NW Victoria, Australia: 12%; $14 [ cork; www.zilziewines.com ]
Silvery white / palest lemon. First what it is not. This wine presents itself as a methode champenoise, labelled Brut Reserve. It bears no relation to that style, and hence is scored poorly. What the wine is, is very clean, virtually neutral / faintly floral, sparkling wine in a grapejuice / lemonade style, tasting as if made from colombard or sultana or similar with 10% riesling, by the charmat method, held for a brief time on tank lees. Finish is much sweeter than Brut. As such, if the wine were labelled appropriately, one would have to score it 16 or so, as sparkling moselle or some latterday more appropriate name. This is a wine to graduate to, after Bernadino / Italiano, en route to Angas / Lindauer, and then further. Not worth cellaring. GK 01/05

2003 Carchelo 13 (

)

Jumilla DdO, Spain: 13.5%; $15 [ Mv 50, Te 30, Me 20; vineyards @ 700 m; Mv whole bunch fermented ]
Bright ruby. Bouquet is aromatic, juicy, tannic even on bouquet, redfruits in a hard way. Palate is frankly populist, juicy, not dry, stalky redfruits and harsh oak chips. Best described as wholesome vin ordinaire, which is unlikely to improve in cellar. More flavour, but less winey, than the Chapoutier Belleruche. GK 01/05

2005 Lonely Mountain Pinot Noir 13 (

)

Taupo, New Zealand: 12.5%; $35 [ screwcap; first vintage from a new pinot noir-only nearly 1 ha vineyard at Taupo; hand-picked 7 May; wine made in Hawkes Bay; 10 months in 40% new French oak; 140 cases; a Wishart Estate label; www.wishartwinery.co.nz ]
Lightish pinot noir ruby. Bouquet is non-varietal, with various taints mingled with a bay-leaf-like character, not attractive. Palate has some redcurrant fruit, but is acid and stalky, with the bouquet taints continuing. Ripeness is going to be critical at Taupo's elevation. This edition not suited to cellaring. GK 09/06

2004 RedMetal Merlot / Cabernet Franc 13 (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: – %; $20 [ pre-bottling tank sample; Me 64%, CF 36; www.redmetalvineyards.co.nz ]
Ruby, tending to the lighter end of the set. Bouquet is insipid on retained MLF-y and fermentation odours. Palate has some ripeness to a red fruits level, but is reductive and hard / sour. Needs cleaning up – a mistake to show it at this stage. GK 10/05

2004 Babich Chardonnay Unoaked East Coast 13 (

)

Gisborne / Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13%; $15 [ screwcap; no MLF; www.babichwines.co.nz ]
Brilliant light lemongreen. Initially opened, some old-fashioned sulphur congestion, both S02 and tanky / reduced, drowning all else. Needs to be poured from jug to jug, from a great height. Thus aerated, it is short, tart, varietal wine, which though only QDW level, will be much better in two years, for the body is quite good. GK 03/05

2007 Gladstone Sauvignon Blanc 12,000 Miles 13 (

)

Gladstone, Wairarapa, New Zealand: 12.7%; $21 [ screwcap; machine-harvested early morning; no solids juice cool-fermented in s/s, extended LA to augment texture; pH 3.24, RS 1.5 g/L; www.gladstone.co.nz ]
Lemon. This wine was much too sulphury in youth, so it seemed only fair to give it another chance. But alas, the sulphur, which was so high, has now produced typically cardboardy aromas and flavours as it marries in. The wine is vaguely varietal, but irretrievably plain, not worth cellaring. Lees autolysis needs aeration, if all the negatives of old-fashioned Muscadet-sur-Lie winestyles are to be avoided. GK 04/09

2003 Lucknow Syrah Lomond Bridge Vineyard 13 (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12.5%; $19 [ cork; calcareous site, 14 months French oak; www.lucknowestate.com ]
Ruby, below the middle in depth. This is the kind of wine which can kindly be described as rustic, but is verging on unclean. Reasonable fruit is complexed by organic and cheesy smells and tastes, with quite dramatic Brettanomyces. Drinkable, but not one to cellar. GK 10/05

2004 San Hill Chardonnay 13 (

)

Central Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12.5%; $18 [ cork; one-third new oak, two-thirds s/s; www.pukeora.com ]
Straw and incipient gold, very old for age. Bouquet shows some oxidation, and is butterscotch on broadening fruit, eccentric. Palate combines the butterscotch flavours with intense acid, and residual sweetness. Perfectly wholesome, but hard to drink – too eccentric. Already old, not worth cellaring. GK 08/05

2007 Crossroads Winery Syrah Hawkes Bay 13 (

)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.2%; $20 [ screwcap; machine-picked; not on website, if like 2006 is 14 months in French oak 25% new; RS < 2 g/L; third syrah from all home-owned vineyards; Catalogue: not in; www.crossroadswinery.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet. This wine is in the same rich dark boysenberry-reductive style as the Elms Reserve wine from the same vineyard, but is even more reductive. Not worth cellaring. GK 07/09

2005 Cave de Lugny Macon-Lugny les Charmes 13 (

)

Macon-Lugny AOC, France: 13%; $21 [ cork ]
Straw. Bouquet is riddled with H2S, destroying varietal character. The reasonably rich palate is sour, pro rata. Not worth cellaring. GK 03/07

2009 Tohu Methode Traditionelle Blanc de Blanc Rewa 13 (

)

Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand: 12%; $29 [ cork; Ch 100%; initial s/s fermentation, followed by 9 months on lees in old French oak; then 12 months (only) en tirage; dosage 5 g/L; www.tohuwines.co.nz ]
Lemon-straw, coarse bubble. Bouquet is modest by methode champenoise standards, a suggestion of oxidation and VA rather than pleasing autolysis. Palate shows high total acid, plain flavours, and a dosage greater than the number on the website, presumably to cover the defects up. Seems dubious the base wine was appropriate to the task. Disappointing, not suited to cellaring. GK 07/11

2007 Elephant Hill Sauvignon Blanc 13 (

)

Te Awanga, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12.5%; $22 [ screwcap; website not established yet; www.elephanthill.co.nz ]
Water-white. Initially opened, the wine is unacceptably reductive, and it does not respond to normal aeration procedures. Fruit concentration and flavour is good, but it will not come right in cellar. In terms of building a new winery's reputation, not a good idea to release a wine like this at a serious price. Technical advice needed. Not worth cellaring. GK 03/08

2003 Laroche Syrah 13 (

)

Vin de Pays d’Oc, France: 13.5%; $20 [ screwcap; hard-to-use website; www.larochewines.com ]
Older ruby, but better than the matching Laroche Merlot. Bouquet is estery / volatile, as if still fermenting, and the flavours are of boiled prunes and severely over-ripe plums almost rotting. Palate is soft and ripe, but very plain, even as QDR or vin de pays. GK 04/06

2014 Dry River Pinot Noir 13 (

)

Martinborough Terrace, Wairarapa, New Zealand: 13.5%; $91 [ dated 50mm cork; with the new winemaker, there is now a little wine-making info on website; 12 months in French oak, 20% new; RS <2 g/L; www.dryriver.co.nz ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, a colour totally inappropriate for pinot noir, the darkest of the pinot noirs, by far. But the colour is nothing compared with the smell. The wine is seriously reductive. Below is rich grossly over-ripe fruit, which even if it were clean, would bear no relation to Burgundy. It tastes as it smells, and bitter on sulphides as well. This wine should never have been bottled, and certainly not as a Dry River wine, when one might hope new management would be seeking to improve the factual standing of the wine – as opposed to the myth. At that point in the review, I had the uneasy feeling I have tasted this wine before. To my astonishment, I find I have previously scored it 18, in an equally 'technical' tasting. All I can say is, presumably all the barrels were not assembled into one master-blend, before bottling. If so, that is not acceptable modern practice. If not, I am at a loss to explain this enormous variation, bottle to bottle. The character of this bottle is unarguable. Not worth cellaring. GK 09/16

2004 Giaconda Pinot Noir Nantua Vineyard 13 (

)

Beechworth, NE Victoria,, Australia: 13.5%; $ – [ screwcap; AU$65; DFB; average vine age 12 years; 90% de-stemmed, 10% whole bunch, 3 – 4 days cold soak, wild yeast fermentation, 20 days cuvaison; 15 months French oak maturation 50% new; no fining, no filtration; Spectator: Tangy and a bit aggressive, with sharp acidity and a nip of tannins, that makes the blueberry and plum flavors stumble a bit. Best after 2007. 85; www.giaconda.com.au ]
Pinot noir ruby, in the middle for depth of colour. Bouquet is non-varietal, and non-winey too, showing grubby and reductive characters in old stewed dark fruits, all infused with bayleaf – unattractive. Palate has rich physical fruit, but sour, stalky and very bretty flavours exacerbated by the bayleaf. Only the physical structure has pinot noir suggestions – the smells and flavours are out of class, and displeasing. Not worth cellaring. GK 06/07

2005 Domaine J J Confuron Nuits-Saint-Georges Les Fleurieres 13 (

)

Nuits-Saint-Georges, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 13%; $54 [ cork 49mm; organic viticulture; whole bunch only in ripest years, up to 50% new oak even in village wines; no website found. ]
Rich ruby, well above midway. The aroma is hopelessly old-fashioned, a sulphide-laden wine already complexed to mercaptan, so essentially irretrievable by decanting / aeration. Apart from brett nothing else can be deciphered on bouquet. The reduced sulphurs make the wine bitter in mouth, even though there is reasonably rich fruit. There is even more oak, and an enormous tannin load, so the nett impression is tarry. This has nothing to do with fine or modern burgundy, and is not worth cellaring. GK 04/15

2010 Ch Patris 13 (

)

St Emilion Grand Cru, Bordeaux, France: 14%; $34 [ cork; Me 80%, CS 10 CF 10, planted at 5400 vines / ha, hand-harvested; average vine age 45 years; unknown months in French oak up to 60% new; JR 4/11: 15.5 Lighter crimson than most. Very light nose. Juicy fruit but a little bit of greenness and drying tannins on the finish. 2016 – 24; RP 88: 95% Me and the rest CS is soft, attractive, plump and seductive, with loads of incense, licorice, black currants and jammy cherry-like notes. Some roasted herbs, mocha and spice box are also present in this wine. WS 89: More forward than most of the pack, with plum and blueberry fruit, a good stitching of tobacco leaf and an integrated roasted vanilla bean note through the finish. Not as grippy as when tasted from barrel, this seems quite approachable already. Now – 2019; Availability: good; www.chateau-patris.com ]
Ruby, some velvet, just above the middle for weight. This was the real dud in the tasting, the wine immediately showing VA and brett on bouquet in the tasting, and oxidised and skunky flavours on the palate. The ratio of oak to fruit is good, the oxidised suggestion makes one wonder if the cork might be defective in this particular bottle, but the grubby qualities of the wine suggest otherwise. Not worth cellaring. GK 03/13

2004 [ Yellowtail ] Chardonnay 13 (

)

SE Australia, Australia: 13.5%; $12 [ plastic 'cork'; DFB; Casella Estate; www.yellowtailwine.com ]
Colour is brassy straw, different from the other whites in the tasting. Bouquet differs too, the overwhelming character being burning paper and carbolic on crushed wine biscuits and vanilla wafers. Varietal fruit doesn't figure. Palate is broadly peachy and reasonably in-style in a prematurely-aged way, with the biscuits again, plus oak-related flavours which are varnishy. Finish is clearly off-dry, as might be expected in what appears to be a low-end supermarket chardonnay rather than a wine merchants' one. Concocted QDW, not suited to cellaring. GK 01/05

1976 Penfolds (NZ) Cabernet Sauvignon 12 ½ (

)

Waimauku, New Zealand: 11.5%; $ – [ cork 44mm, ullage 45 mm. ]
Garnet and fading ruby, some amber, the second lightest of the four, all of which are lighter than the 1976 Nobilo Cabernet Sauvignon. Bouquet is light, clean, vinifera-dominant, very faintly aromatic, but vanishingly small and hard to pin down as to variety. Palate gives a clearer focus on the wine, it being thin and watered, with green-bean / methoxypyrazine notes in stalky ‘berry’, no ripe fruit tastes at all apart from chaptalisation, noticeable acid, but the oak in pleasant balance to the ‘fruit’. This is very modest wine indeed, but clean and wholesome. Waimauku fruit, purchase price $3.46 = $22 today, Reserve Bank inflation calculator. GK 10/20

2003 Laroche Merlot 12 ½ (

)

d’Oc Vin de Pays , France: 13.5%; $20 [ screwcap; hard-to-use website; www.larochewines.com ]
Tired ruby. Bouquet is an old-fashioned, oxidised, tending skunky and unclean red, and the palate while showing plenty of ripe fruit is both bretty and grubby. Distressingly ordinary, but it is dry, and wholesome enough as QDR. GK 04/06

1993 Chapoutier Ermitage Le Pavillon 12 ½ (

)

Hermitage, Northern Rhone Valley, France: 13.5%; $267 [ cork, 50mm; Sy 100%; cropping and wine-making details as in the introductory ‘Background’ section; www.chapoutier.com ]
Garnet and ruby, the third to lightest wine. If the 1992 reflects battle royal, the 1993 reflects the aftermath: brett is rampant, and what was (presumably) reasonably pleasant on bouquet in a gamey sense before, is now being infiltrated by relatively more unpleasant nearly-faecal notes. Palate is a little better, at best still gamey going on horsey, no fruit left as such but the browning residue is not thin or actively unpleasant, unless you are paranoid about brett. But this wine is very much on the decline, and will soon be unpleasant in both smell and flavour. Again, it was a poor vintage, and Le Pavillon probably should not have been offered for sale. As to the future, bottles will vary markedly, but likely the future is negative across the board. As for the 1992, some will opt to drink the 1993 up soon, others will send it to auction. No votes in favour, naturally enough, seven least votes. Wine Spectator quality rating for the vintage 78. GK 10/18

2006 Blank Format to Experiment on: 12 ½ (

)

New Zealand: – %; $ – [ Checking various suffixes ]
Try asterisk - deletes it. Try [ 18 ] but deletes those too. So * could be the cue to a different format. When enter new text here, it deletes that too. [[ Must have clicked on wrong one, Enter New ? No, no new one on Maintain. Don't know. ]] Was saying that where aiming for a provisional score rendered as [ 18 ], might be best to not show the star rating, to further emphasise its provisional nature. So could code it 18*. GK 12/06

2004 Pohangina Valley Estate Pinot Noir 12 ½ (

)

Pohangina Valley, Manawatu, New Zealand: 13%; $35 [ 2 + 2 cork; c. 10 months in French oak; www.yellow.co.nz/site/pohanginavalleyestate ]
Quite big ruby, good. Initially opened, bouquet is redolent of homebrew / fruit-wine / estery aromas, and uncontrolled yeasts. Palate was hard to assess at that stage, the wine unstable. Well breathed, the fruit is reasonably varietal in a plummy way, quite rich, but tending acid and stalky, finishing sour. Bottled prematurely, maybe, or with residual sugar. Not worth cellaring. GK 08/06

2018 Pyramid Valley ‘Orange’ North Canterbury Growers’ Collection 12 ½ (

)

North Canterbury, New Zealand: 13%; $33 [ screwcap; 98% PG, balance Gw and Mu; BF including on skins of PG, hence colour; beyond a production of 111 x 9-litre cases; the website is again silent; www.pyramidvalley.co.nz ]
Colour is cloudy coppery rosé, deeper than the Valli. Bouquet is scented, non-winey, strange, reminiscent more of patent hair lotion from the 1950s than wine, ersatz. Flavour is a little better, a wild-yeast ferment style in the worst sense of those words, some body, dry, phenolic to the finish. A wine in this format totally sabotages the reputation and standing Pyramid Valley needs, if it is to charge such pretentious prices elsewhere in its range – or even on this one. There is a limit to the gullibility even of label-snobs. If 'orange wine' / rosé from pinot gris is even needed (which is debatable), the Valli wine in this tasting demonstrates one way of achieving that. For the new proprietors to persist with this particular bottling is surely folly. There is an urgent need for the new proprietors to demonstrate to the wine-world that the ship is on a new course, one with no compromises and no pretences. The website would be a good place to start. GK 06/19

nv [ later 1960s ] McDonald's Pinot Blanc 12 ½ (

)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: – %; $ – [ cork; no vintage – memory now unreliable, but I suspect this label was not made after about 1970, within McWilliams Wines NZ, a company now lost within Pernod-Ricard ]
Light straw, fresher than the 1974 Cooks. Bouquet is seemingly a little maderised, partly because it is affected by cork as a closure, not in the sense of TCA, simply that it smells a bit of bark or wood. Below is dry biscuitty fruit still just alive. Palate is clean and short, dry, slightly phenolic. Danny Schuster had the view this wine was made from muller-thurgau, but it doesn't taste like it. Mission had pinot gris at the time, and Tom McDonald had earlier had pinot blanc from the original Steinmetz vineyard at Greenmeadows, and ‘pinot chardonnay’ since the early 1960s at least, so it is not impossible he still had some pinot blanc. Perhaps the wine was some ‘white pinots’ bulked out with chasselas, or even a neutral hybrid such as Baco 22A ? It was affordable, in its day. Marginally OK for fish and chips. GK 12/17

1982 Comtes Lafon Meursault-Charmes Premier Cru * 12 ½ (

)

Meursault, Burgundy , France: 12.8%; $ – [ cork, 50mm; Broadbent rates 1982 as irregular for whites, both good and bad wines. The Comtes Lafon wines were introduced to New Zealand by patent attorney Ken Moon then of Wellington, in his newly established Eurowine wine importing company. Eurowine is now absorbed into EuroVintage, Auckland. This wine is the most highly-valued by wine-searcher today, examples from the 1980s being $400 and up. Lafon holds 1.7 ha in Charmes, regarded as amongst the best parts. Vines date from 1946, 1963, and later; the wine now sees up to 70% new oak, likely less then. Not fined or filtered, and then, not assembled before bottling; wine-making these days may provide an indication of previous practice: cold-settled juice with low solids, wild yeast fermentations, full MLF, lees stirring in barrel, time in barrel 18 – 22 months depending on the cru; Morris, 2010 describes it (in general) as: rich, full-bodied; Broadbent, 2002 comments: Lafon is famed for its white burgundies; but then being based in Meursault this is hardly surprising. The unusual thing about Lafon is that it traditionally keeps the wines far longer on their lees (nearly two years) than does any other domaine, and it bottles late. Lafon's aim is to make white wines that will last. Nothing is rushed, and the wine is allowed to develop at its own pace – an approach which has been tremendously successful; www.comtes-lafon.fr ]
Straw, well below midway in depth. Bouquet is unusual for chardonnay, quite a pharmaceutical top-note bespeaking Brettanomyces, and all very oaky in an old oak / tanniny way. At the same time the wine smells rich, with undertones of oatmeal. Flavour is complex, showing both the mealy / nutty flavours made explicit so positively in the Clos de la Barre, but here brett-affected to a degree introducing nearly carbolic and tarry notes. Like the Clos de la Barre, palate richness is still remarkable, but there is a distinctly walnutty and even bitter quality to the late palate. It all simply makes you wish for a better bottle … for at this age they are bound to vary profoundly. GK 08/18

1986 Dry River Chardonnay 12 (-)

Martinborough, New Zealand: 14%; $ – [ cork, 46mm; all mendoza, likely to be all barrel fermented in French oak and left on the lees (with stirring) for 10 months, but MLF not favoured; McCallum at the time emphasised an oxidative approach to juice handling, which was not the norm for chardonnay then; www.dryriver.co.nz ]
Straw and a hint of gold, in the lighter half, just. If the Martinborough had a suggestion of leaf the second time you looked at it, this wine is so herbaceous as to smell like old sauvignon blanc. On palate it tastes even more like old, rank, sauvignon blanc, but with more body and oak. A major disappointment, having regard to the proprietor's extravagant claims for the wine at the time / point of release. Like the Martinborough, but even moreso, a vital illustration of one aspect of New Zealand's chardonnay evolution. This wine was omitted from the final tasting, since the point had been made more subtly with the Martinborough and Hunters wines. GK 09/15

2004 Sherwood Pinot Noir 12 (-)

Marlborough & Waipara, New Zealand: 13%; $18 [ composite ‘cork’; hand-harvested; 5 days cold-soak, 16 days cuvaison, 2 months in oak; www.sherwood.co.nz ]
Pinot noir ruby. The wine is so saturated with H2S, one can hardly smell it. Much later, one can tell that there was quite good cherry fruit, but it has been disadvantaged in the wine-making. Not worth cellaring. GK 05/05

2010 Crater Rim Pinot Gris 12 (-)

Waipara Valley, North Canterbury, New Zealand: 14%; $26 [ screwcap; a single-vineyard wine, website implies but does not confirm hand-picked, not cold-settled, s/s ferment and perhaps 6 months lees autolysis; RS not given; the name The Crater Rim derives from the firm's first vineyard on the slopes of the Akaroa volcano, above Akaroa; www.thecraterrim.co.nz ]
Light gold. I don't know whether this was a hoped-to-be botrytised pinot gris, but the result is a fluid smelling greenly herbaceous, old-fashioned and totally un-winey. Flavours in mouth are similar, clearly phenolic, but also with premature oxidation and clumsy sweetness. Avoid. GK 08/12

2004 Lucknow Estate Gamay Noir Quarry Bridge 12 (-)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $17 [ screwcap; judged with pinots; www.lucknowestate.com ]
Bright light ruby. A stalky and peppery drab smell with retained fermentation odours, not at all winey. Palate likewise is stalky, phenolic, acid, and lacking the charm found so uniquely in the gamay grape from Beaujolais. Un-ripe QDR, not suited to cellar. GK 11/04

2010 Pyramid Valley Riesling The Body Electric 12 (-)

Waipara implied, New Zealand: – %; $19 [ screwcap; not apparent on website; www.pyramidvalley.co.nz ]
Straw with a gold and brown wash, the poorest of the Pyramid Valleys, dubious. Initially opened, the smell is unclean verging on pooh-y. It improves with prolonged decanting / breathing, to a cheesy vaguely citrusy smell, which suggests defective lees-autolysis work. One tastes wine like this with foreboding, but palate is better than the smell, coarsely varietal in an overdeveloped way, near dry. To try and pass this wine off with a trendy (silly) name on the label betrays the concept of 'Pyramid Valley wines'. The proprietors should have dumped it. GK 05/13

2003 Saint Auriol La Syrah 12 (-)

Vin de Pays d'Oc, France: 13%; $13 [ laminated/aggregate cork ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, one of the heaviest. A classic old-style Languedoc, bedevilled by the syrah problem of H2S, and exacerbated by the hot season. Palate is plain but rich boysenberry, little or no oak, all soured by the entrained sulphur. Won't improve, not a cellar wine. GK 11/04

2009 Domaine Fondreche Vaucluse Nature Vin de Pays 12 (-)

Vaucluse Vin de Pays AOC, Southern Rhone Valley, France: 13%; $20 [ cork; Mv 50%, Sy 30, Gr 20; made without sulphur; 6 months on lees in s/s; www.fondreche.com ]
Rich ruby, carmine and velvet, tending lurid – always a worrying sign. And yes, indeed, the wine is reduced to the point of being ponderous and dull, not appealing at all. Initial palate is heavily stewed plums, a little almond, but within 30 seconds, the feature the owner makes so much out of, no sulphur, becomes a major liability. There is already quite marked evidence of spoilage yeast infection, and if the wine has not been sterile-filtered to bottle, this will rapidly worsen in cellar, to develop the famous 'mousey' aftertaste. Not everyone is sensitive to this chemical, so if you like it, it is perfectly wholesome. But don't cellar it. Hard to get good examples of this wine-fault, nowadays ! GK 07/10

2004 la Baume Viognier Vin de Pays 11 ½ (-)

Languedoc, France: 13.5%; $17 [ screwcap ]
Lemon. Time-travel wine, French white wine saturated with reduced sulphurs down to the mercaptan level of complexity and horridness, unpleasant. Surprisingly, there is a good weight of varietal fruit underneath, so this is a wine to practise repeated pouring from jug to jug over as great a height as one can manage. Thus treated it would score reasonably, but how much pre-treatment can one make excuses for ? It is hard enough to get one jug in a restaurant, let alone two. In these reviews I differentiate between those wines requiring a swirl or two, and five minutes in the glass, and those with more engrained faults. As an aside, it is astonishing to read the reviews of this wine in British supermarket wine columns, where insensitivity to reduced sulphurs is legend. GK 11/05

2004 Citra Montepulciano d’Abruzzo 11 (-)

Montepulciano d’Abruzzo DOC, Italy: 13%; $12 [ basic composite cork ]
Ruby and velvet, slight carmine. Bouquet is unclean / nitrogenous / uriney, though quite rich. Palate is consistent with bouquet – verging on a DNPIM wine. Surprisingly ordinary, considering the wine renaissance underway in Italy. GK 03/06

2004 Beach House Sauvignon Blanc 11 (-)

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 12%; $16 [ screwcap; www.beachhouse.co.nz ]
Pale lemongreen. This is an unfortunate wine, which should not have been bottled. The whole bouquet and palate is permeated with pungent ignoble botrytis and sour rot, which won't go away. GK 11/04

2001 Seven Oaks Methode Traditionelle 11 (-)

New Zealand: 11%; $ – [ cork; PN & Ch, 24 months en tirage; made by the CPIT (Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology) Horticultural Training Centre ]
Colour is orange-flushed straw, inappropriate. Bouquet is lesser in this company, the base wine clearly oxidised, and now aldehydic in re-fermentation. The palate has the right fruit feel, dosage is appropriate, but the base wine was so oxidised that the varieties can't be recognised, and the finish is now fusty, verging on mousey. Even the most modest methode should be fine in bottle for 5 years, so this was not really of marketable quality, from the outset. GK 12/06

2006 Domaine Mongeard-Mugneret Grands Echezeaux 11 (-)

Vosne-Romanée Grand Cru, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: – %; $190 [ cork; vine age 40 – 68 years; wine-searcher valuation $258; www.mongeard.com ]
Unfortunately marred by Brettanomyces, although some fruits and florals detected underneath. Clear pale garnet colour, bright. Unclean nose with barnyard, green banana and leather, very pungent. Can detect a hint of vanilla and violet underneath. Dry on palate with flavours of bandaids and green banana. Chewy and drying tannins with a rough texture. Heat from alcohol and lacking acidity. Overall not a pleasant wine. RD 08/16

2010 Kidnapper Cliffs Syrah (pre-bottling assembled tank sample)

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: – %; $ – [ will be cork; all hand-picked @ c.5 t/ha = 2 t/ac and de-stemmed; 7 days cold-soak, c. 13 days cuvaison including the cold-soak, MLF preferably with the alcoholic fermentation but in any case before barrel; typically 13 – 14 months in French 300s and 220s, 33% new; www.kidnappercliffs.com ]
Very dense ruby, carmine and velvet. Unwise to say too much about a wine at this stage of its career, pre-bottling. It seems a bigger and richer wine than the impressive 2009, but again muted by some reduction. The winemakers think it may be a better wine than the 2009. I can't assess whether the fruit was over-ripened – the lack of florality could be that cause, or the reduction. As has long been the case with Dry River Pinot Noir, much more thought is needed here about optimising the beauty of the grape, which for both pinot noir and syrah means the critical floral components on bouquet, and ideally on palate too, must be evident. Over-ripening in the vineyard, and lack of oxygen in the winery, both kill that beauty. In its style, this looks to be an 8 – 15 year cellar wine too. Scoring deferred till bottled, but close to the 2009. GK 08/11

2007 Jurassic Ridge Cabernet Franc

Western Waiheke Island, Auckland district, New Zealand: 14.2%; $30 [ supercritical ‘cork’; CF 86%, Me 14, hand-harvested; 2 weeks cuvaison; 12 months in French oak; RS < 1 g/L; no fining, light filter; c.140 cases, sold out; www.jurassicridge.com ]
Ruby. I have a procedural difficulty with this wine, in that the winemaker advises me my interpretation and conclusions are contradicted by the laboratory analysis. Since in this case the analysis is straightforward, and there are not layers of meaning as in brett assessment, I have withdrawn my first comments and score. Another bottle may not be available, since it has sold out. On the positive side, my first-draft review referred to pretty floral notes reminiscent of cherry-pie (heliotrope) on bouquet, and a palate showing some of the raspberry and red fruits of cabernet franc. I further commented that it would be good to have a cabernet franc from Waiheke with the subtle oaking this wine showed, now that Hawkes Bay is starting to respect the variety. I regret the equivocation, but this is a clear case where, as anticipated in the Introduction to the website, the winemaker is entitled to request a second assessment. GK 06/10

2005 Vidal Syrah ‘barrel sample, potential Soler'

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: – %; $ – [ indicative mark 18.5 + ]
Carmine, ruby and velvet, very bright and dense at this stage. This syrah has at this stage captured more precise Rhone and syrah varietal florals (dianthus, carnations) on bouquet, than any syrah so far released in New Zealand. It would be magical if they could be conserved through to bottle. Below is vibrant cassis, equally enchanting. Palate is very peppercorny, great berryfruit, a level of oaking which at this moment seems to me perfect, more Rhone in balance than New Zealand. If this wine continues on its present track, it will be unequivocal gold-medal syrah, totally Hermitage in style, and fulfilling all the expectations Hawkes Bay winemakers have expressed about the 2005 vintage reds in their district. A 2006 sample is remarkably similar, allowing for incomplete malo etc. Exciting. Cellar 5 – 15 years. GK 05/06

2999 XXXXXXXXXXXX

New Zealand: – %; $ – [ The goal of this 'review' page is to test formats in the review content, pending asking Pete to have it as a 99999 review at top, not retrievable, as for Articles.

Can one have non-italic text in the admin section of the review ? YES
Can one have bold text in the admin section of the review ? YES
Can one have underlined text in the admin section of the review ? YES
Can one have contrasting font in the admin section of the review ? Fabulous aromas and great length; wines with depth, structure and finesse, and rates the vintage 98. NO
Can one have a website link in the admin section of the review ? In the Vintage Chart included with my July 2014 review titled: <a href="http://www.geoffkellywinereviews.co.nz/index.php?ArticleID=217">The 2014 Hawkes Bay Winegrowers Hot Red Expo ... </a>, I described the 2013 vintage thus: NO
Can one install linespace and force a new line in the admin section of the review ? YES for space and NO for new line ! ]
 
Can one have italic text in the body of the review ? YES
Can one have bold text in the body of the review ? YES
Can one have underlined text in the body of the review ? YES
Can one have contrasting font in the body of the review ? Fabulous aromas and great length; wines with depth, structure and finesse, and rates the vintage 98. NO
Can one have a .jpg pic in the body of the review ? <img src="images/ken1.png" align="right"/> NO
Can one have a website link in the body of the review ? In the Vintage Chart included with my July 2014 review titled: <a href="http://www.geoffkellywinereviews.co.nz/index.php?ArticleID=217">The 2014 Hawkes Bay Winegrowers Hot Red Expo ... </a>, I described the 2013 vintage thus: NO
Can one install linespace and force a new line in the body of the review ? YES for space and NO for new line !

Started this page: GK 11/15

2004 Villa Maria Syrah Cellar Selection – VA augmented

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14.5%; $32 [ screwcap; original price; hand-harvested, 12 months and MLF in barrel, 40% new, mostly French; this wine is the same price today, 10 vintages later; note the lifted aromatics on bouquet, and elevated acid on tongue; www.villamaria.co.nz ]
Older good ruby, a wash of garnet, midway in depth. Bouquet is clearly syrah in its berry, but also immediately a little fumey / lifted or sharp / pungent, the added acetic acid being noticeable, but with negligible ester. Palate shows mature berry flavours in good ratio to clean oak, but with elevated acid right through the palate and becoming obvious to the aftertaste. Yet even with a bottling VA of 0.55 g/L built up to nearly 2 g/L acetic for this seminar, the wine is still reasonably palatable – interesting. Perhaps the adjusted wine should have been made up more than 4 days ahead, to allow the possibility of some ethyl acetate formation. The base wine is nicely mature now, and would score say 17.5. No hurry to finish. Not scored. GK 10/16

2003 Viu Manent Viognier Secreto

Colchagua Valley, Chile: 14%; $19 [ cork; Vi 85%, other vars 15; www.viumanent.cl/ingles ]
Lemongreen. This wine was profoundly corked on opening. It later cleared off sufficiently to reveal a viognier as varietal as some of our better Hawkes Bay wines, and similarly weighted and balanced (in contrast to many heavier Australian examples of the variety), which might score in the 17 – 18 area. GK 12/04

1986 Mount Mary Chardonnay

Lilydale, Yarra Valley, Australia: 12.5%; $ – [ cork; expensive at the time; maybe 35% new oak; pioneer Yarra Valley winemaker the late Dr John Middleton (medico) was to the Australian wine industry what Dr Neil McCallum (research chemist) was to New Zealand's. Both have made great wines, but not consistently, though you were not allowed to say so; www.mountmary.com.au ]
Straw, like all the Australian wines, a good colour for its age, close to the Pask. Sadly, this wine opened profoundly TCA-affected. You couldn't see through it, at all. Some days later, once the TCA had dissipated in a ventilated sample, the fruit appears to be youthful and taut, and the oaking subtle. It gives the impression of fine lees-autolysis complexity. Scoring will have to await the next bottle. It is not as rich as the Mountadam, but a good bottle might be finer / subtler, so maybe a silver-medal wine. A fresh bottle is keenly awaited. GK 09/15

2004 Esk Valley The Terraces (barrel sample)

Esk / Bay View, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: – %; $ – [ screwcap; Ma / Me / CF; open-top fermenter, MLF in barrel, French oak for 18 – 24 months; www.eskvalley.co.nz ]
The barrel sample suggests this wine might be more complex and subtler than the 2002, with berry aromatics showing through much more clearly at this stage. The rich palate and black doris plum character plus some cassis is superb, without prune suggestions. Perhaps 18.5 – 19, if it were bottled sooner rather than later, for the balance and oak level seems perfect now, relative to the more Australian-style 2002. This too should be a 20-year wine. GK 08/05

1970 Nobilo Cabernet Sauvignon

Huapai, Auckland, New Zealand: – %; $ – [ In 1969 Tom McDonald released his remarkable 1965 McWilliams Cabernet Sauvignon, and set New Zealand wine off in a completely new direction, not dreamt of since the late 1800s through to Prohibition. The next wine of similar calibre came from the young Nick Nobilo, inspired as he was then by recently visiting his parents' island home Korcula in the Adriatic Sea, and by sampling the wines of Europe. Thus the 1970 Nobilo Cabernet Sauvignon and a Pinotage from the same vintage were nearly as exciting as the McWilliams, to those following the re-emergence of vinifera red wines in New Zealand. ]
Ruby and garnet, with the Latour the youngest colour on the table. Even when they were first released, several of the pioneering Nobilo reds in the 1970 – 76 era had VAs above ideal. This wine, so exciting in its day, was sadly bottled with squitty corks 35mm long. For our bottle, it was not up to the job, and VA is now excessive. The actual fruit is surprisingly good, however, plummy and blackberry, with obvious new oak. A good bottle would have been competitive in this tasting. Belies the claim that New Zealand wines don't keep, an assertion based on ignorance. As has always been the case, if the wines were made to international standards of cropping rate and elevation, the serious wines have kept appropriately. Just is, there were so few of them before 1980. GK 03/05

2011 [ Rod McDonald Wines ] Two Gates Syrah

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $33 [ screwcap; no info, not on website; www.rmwines.co.nz ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet. The winemaker unwisely brought pre-bottling tank samples to the Wellington presentation, and they were out of condition by the time of the tasting – VA. The underlying wine suggests a quality at least comparable with the middle wines in the portfolio, perhaps better. Not scored. GK 06/13

2005 Greenhough Pinot Noir Nelson

Nelson, New Zealand: – %; $ – [ not yet assembled / bottled / on the market ]
Ruby, some carmine and velvet, about a maximum for pinot noir. This is a big sweetly floral and exciting pinot noir, with aromatic and spicy notes on boronia-like and dark rose florals. Palate is saturated with black and red cherry flavours, and some blackboy peach, with subtle underlying oak, and beautiful acid balance. This could be a gold medal wine. Cellar 5 – 12 years. CAUTION: notes based on a barrel sample from two only of a number of barrels, rating maybe 18 points; the final wine may differ. GK 01/06

2005 Glover’s Sauvignon Blanc

Moutere Hills, Nelson, New Zealand: – %; $ – [ mostly BF; not yet on market; www.glovers-vineyard.co.nz ]
Pale lemon. Bouquet is not as dramatically varietal as the Stafford or Greenhough, given the complication of barrel-ferment and lees-autolysis, but it is still clearly sauvignon blanc, and in one sense more interesting. With a little air, ripe sauvignon and floral red capsicum develops, on a resiny aromatic golden-peachy depth, which is very Graves-like. Palate is rich, complex, bone dry, and a little more acid than the other two, with a very long flavour which will be great with foods like smoked mullet. Cellar 2 – 10 years. CAUTION: notes based on a barrel sample; rating maybe 17.5; the final wine may differ. GK 01/06

2009 Dada 2

Gimblett Gravels & Bridge Pa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 14%; $70 [ supercritical cork; Me dominant, some Sy and CF; this wine comes from the Alluviale proprietors, but there is no mention of it on the Alluviale website ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, in the top quarter for richness of colour. Bouquet is rich and plummy, berry dominant over oak. Palate is even richer, total bottled black doris plums and new oak. All looks good with this wine until one comes to the aftertaste. In the blind tasting, I had this wine tagged: query Pichia to aftertaste, though hidden for now by the richness. When the labels were revealed, and one learns this is the wine made without sulphur dioxide (an absolute folly, unwise, unrealistic and idealistic in this day and age), I can only say: I would not cellar this wine; notwithstanding the excellent fruit, the risk is too high. Time will show whether I am right or wrong – say five years. So over to you. No score. GK 06/12

2005 Glover's Pinot Noir Back Block

Moutere Hills, Nelson, New Zealand: – %; $ – [ not yet assembled / bottled / on the market; www.glovers-vineyard.co.nz ]
Ruby, older than the other ‘05s. Bouquet is different from many New Zealand pinot noirs, more complex in one sense with cherry and brown mushroom smells married out into older oak. Palate has the integrated cherry and oak of some Pommards, ripe and quite rich and sturdy, long-flavoured and finishing well. This will be a good food wine. Cellar 5 – 10 years. CAUTION: notes based on a barrel sample; rating may be 17-ish; the final wine may differ. GK 01/06

2005 Greenhough Pinot Noir Hope

Nelson, New Zealand: – %; $ – [ not yet assembled / bottled / on the market ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, overly dark for pinot noir. Bouquet suggests 2005 was a wonderfully warm and ripe year in Nelson, but maybe a bit too warm for the greatest floral complexity and magic in pinot. The wine does however show some Martinborough-like pennyroyal notes. Palate is sumptuous, with dense black cherry and blackboy fruit, an aromatic peppercorn suggestion, yet good texture and acid balance, plus oak yet to marry in. Whether these Hope samples will become magnificent big complex pinot eclipsing the 2005 Nelson wine, which will cellar for 10 – 20 years, or alternatively become over-ripe big pinot tending to a merlot style, will have to await assemblage, fining, bottling etc and settling down. The finished wines will be exciting to see, and taste. Cellar 5 – 15 years. CAUTION: notes based on a barrel sample from two only of a number of barrels, at this stage too youthful to make more than a tentative rating 17 – 18; the final wine may differ. GK 01/06

2005 Golden Bay Wines Chardonnay

Golden Bay, Nelson, New Zealand: – %; $ – [ mostly BF, > 50% MLF; not yet on market; website under development; www.goldenbaywines.com ]
Lemonstraw. Bouquet is pure stonefruits chardonnay, very mild in the sense of little apparent oak influence, yet attractive with suggestions of mealy and cashew and malolactic complexities. Palate shows good chardonnay texture and mouthfeel in an undemonstrative way, following on perfectly from the bouquet, with gentle acid balance. It is not a big wine, but it shows much more interest than most unoaked chardonnays. It is richer and drier than the 2004 wine, largely barrel-fermented in old oak, in an almost Macon style. Being mild, it will be an excellent seafoods wine. Cellar 1 – 4 years. CAUTION: this review is based on a proportional blend barrel sample, and is rated maybe 17; the finished and bottled wine may differ. GK 01/06

2005 Waiwera Estate Pinot Noir

Golden Bay, Nelson, New Zealand: – %; $ – [ not yet assembled / bottled / on the market ]
Deep but appropriate pinot noir ruby, excellent. Bouquet is dramatically pinot noir, violets, boronia and dusky rose sweet florals on red and black cherry fruit, very promising. Palate is already gorgeous, black cherry fruit of great varietal richness and perfect acid balance, firmed by but not dominated by subtle oak. Like the Greenhough Nelson, this could be a gold medal wine. Cellar 5 – 12 years. CAUTION: notes based on a pro-rata barrel sample rating maybe 18 to 18.5; the final wine may differ. GK 01/06

1976 McWilliams Cabernet Sauvignon

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: – %; $ – [ Cork 45mm, ullage 62mm ]
Colour is the second-deepest of the four wines, all of which are lighter than the 1976 Nobilo Cabernet Sauvignon. Sadly this bottle was out of condition, way beyond any decline due to ullage. There was both TCA in the cork, and appalling cork quality, the cork being now rotten in smell and flavour. The McWilliams red wine operation was well in decline by the mid-1970s. Trying to taste through the negative factors, a bottle in good condition might have matched the Cooks Claret (as wine in general), the acid balance in particular being so much better than the Auckland wines. Taradale fruit, purchase price $4.82 = $30.64 today, Reserve Bank inflation calculator. No score. GK 10/20

1970 Ch Petrus

Pomerol First Growth, Bordeaux, France: 12%; $ – [ Me 95%, CF 5; 11.4 ha, 3,700 cases. This bottle thanks to Paul Starr, noting provenance unknown, and half-shoulder ullage. Parker (1991): old-style Petrus that is crammed with concentration. Spectacular … 97 ]
Brown. Sadly the cork was rotten (presumably from a long interval standing up, then being laid down again), and the wine so oxidised it tasted more like Marsala than anything else. But the richness was indeed phenomenal. A good bottle should be as Parker says. Tantalising. GK 03/05

2006 Domaine Prieure Roch Chambertin Clos de Beze

Gevrey-Chambertin Grand Cru, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France: 12%; $638
I cannot evaluate this wine in context. The first bottle proved defective in colour and bouquet on opening, the wine seriously oxidised, and the palate and aftertaste deteriorated to the point of mustyness. Helen Masters was so disappointed by this showing, she opened a second bottle the following day. She reports this wine was quite different, pointing to a defective cork in the first bottle, a wine in the lesser half of the batch, pleasant, not showing any of the technical issues of concern for so many of the wines, but not particularly impressive. I did not taste this second bottle, so cannot score it. GK 08/12