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edited by Sue Courtney
e-mail address: winetaster@clear.net.nz
Wednesday Round-up - the 2007 edition
Sue Courtney's tasting notes from the First Glass Fine Wine Wednesday $15 tastings
August / September 2008
[ Click here for index to other months ]
Some of the prices are 'special' prices. Check the First Glass website for current pricing.
Fine Wine Wednesday Tasting - 20 Aug 2008
All Brand New
All of the wines were tasted blind.Eradus Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2008
Pale, a little oily in appearance. Vibrantly scented with passionfruit, lime zest, a sweet herbaceousness and perhaps a suggestion of armpit. A little oily in the palate and perhaps a little more dilute than the scent infers but with tropical fruit, melon, lime, a slightly chalkiness, sweetness to the tangy passionfruit filled finish and a citrussy herbaceous twist to the lasting aftertaste it is well-balanced and clean.
13% alc. Screwcap. $19.99 special.Riverby Marlborough Chardonnay 2007
Light lemon gold. Gently scented with smoky sweet oak and mealy nutty scents and lots of power to the warm, rich, creamy flavour with spicy grilled peach, well balanced acidity and sweet toasty oak becoming quite caramel/ butterscotch on the finish. Drinking beautifully already.
13.5% alc. Screwcap. $18.99 special.Trinity Hill Gimblett Gravels Chardonnay 2006
Rich yellow gold with smoky, savoury aromatics and nutty flavours with a nougat sweetness, savoury French oak and ripe stonefruit. Dry, sophisticated and toasty with an almost salty undercurrent and a spicy zest, it seems quite tight but this is a serious wine with long term potential that is inferred by the length of the warm, rich, rounded finish.
14% alc. Screwcap. $28.99 special.Mills Reef Elspeth Chardonnay 2006 - Hawkes Bay
Deep bright gold in colour, there's a lemony undercurrent to the creamy, nutty oak scent and there's plenty of peach and tropical fruit in the full-bodied, creamy textured palate with a light, lemony, mealy undercurrent and powerful French oak that dominates on the finish at this stage of its life.
14% alc. Screwcap. $29.99.Stonecroft Hawke's Bay Gewurztraminer 2007
Pale straw coloured. Perfumed with pretty, floral, talcum powder scents this makes a delicate impression on the gently sweet palate with flavours of rose petal, orange water and exotic fragrant spices. The delicacy gives way to power on the strong finish with the lingering flavours lasting for ages.
13.5% alc. Diam. $27.99.Milton Opou Riesling 2007 - Gisborne
Bright pale lemon. Strongly aromatic and flinty with kero-infused citrus and honeysuckle aromas and bright zesty flavours with a spritzy /sherbet up-front attack, a weighty mid-palate and sweet mandarin and tangelo on the lingering finish. With such well balanced acidity to sugar, you don't really notice the sweetness. Bio-dynamically grown fruit. 9% alc. Screwcap. $26.99.The Crater Rim Central Otago Pinot Noir 2007
A deep black-cherry red, not totally opaque. Rich, ripe, generous aromas scented with smoke and savoury oak and black and red cherry fruit that follows through to the juicy palate that abounds with black cherries, plum, spice, a touch of bacon and a light touch of aromatic herbs. With plenty of warmth, supple tannins and savoury oak, it is totally drinkable and exudes quality for the price.
14% alc. Screwcap. $29.99.Mills Reef Reserve Cabernet Merlot 2007 - Hawkes Bay
Deep red/black with youthful crimson edges, the smoky aroma is dark and brooding with a Shrewsberry biscuit sweetness adding brightness and lift. Mouthfilling with a creamy richness, ripe firm tannins, a solid backbone of cedary oak, currant, plums, a touch of liquorice and a long full finish, this is stunning and reminiscent of the trophy winning 2005.
14% alc. Screwcap. $18.99 special.Yalumba The Scribbler 2006 - Barossa Valley
Deep red black in colour, this blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (63%) and Shiraz (37%) is big and juicy and so classically Australian in style. It is full of blackberry fruit yet is smoky and savoury with an earthy depth, a touch of mint and leather and powerful tannins that have plenty of grip while the peppery lift of Shiraz on the finish leaves a spicy mouth tingling aftertaste. It's called 'The Scribbler' as it is has been inspired by Yalumba's famous 'The Signature' Cabernet Shiraz blend.
14.5% alc. Cork. $19.99 special.John Duval Plexus Shiraz Grenache Mourvedre 2006- Barossa Valley
Deep red in colour, this is gorgeously perfumed with a floral violet-like overtone to the classy oak scent. Full of juicy ripe fruit that gives an impression of sweetness and allays the power and might of this big meaty wine, it is smooth and flowing with succulent tannins, cherry, chocolate, dried herbs, leather, tar and an interesting touch of exotic spices with a peppery flourish to the finish.
15 months French oak.
14.5% alc. Screwcap. $41.99.Schild Estate Barossa Merlot 2005
Showing some development to the orange-tinged tawny red hue, there's also some development to the meaty aroma but it is powerful and youthful to the taste with redcurrant, vanilla, spice, cedar and chocolate. Still quite tight with a grainy tannin framework, so despite the colour (that some say is typical for Merlot at this age), it has cellaring potential ahead of it. Gold Medal Sydney Top 100.
14.5% alc. Screwcap. $22.99 special.Schild Estate Barossa Shiraz 2006
Deep red with flashes of black, this has intense aromas of vanillin oak, smoke and spice and it's warm, and cosy in the full-bodied palate with plenty of cedar and spice, fruit cake, boysenberry and a slightly herbal nuance to savoury finish. Juicy and long. Drinking well now. Double Gold Medal - San Francisco.
14.5% alc. Screwcap. $22.99 special.Fine Wine Wednesday Tasting - 6 Aug 2008
The First Glass Olympics.
Wines were tasted in sets of three to determine gold, silver and bronze medal placings.
All of the wines were tasted blind.Odyssey Gisborne Chardonnay 2007
Straw gold coloured with hints of sherbet on the nose and light, soft, creamy flavours with tropical fruit, spice and subtle oak. Well-balanced. A perfect starter wine.
The bronze medal winner in the First Glass Chardonnay event.
13.5% alc. Screwcap. $15.99 special.Clearview Reserve Chardonnay 2007 - Hawkes Bay
A lemon gold colour introduces this smoky, barrel-fermented style with nuts, figs, sweet oak and perhaps some wild yeast. It's rounded and rich with a lemony undercurrent and a rich toasty spicy finish with a touch of butterscotch lingering on the long creamy finish. A lovely wine with an 'elegant' allure but nowhere near as oaky as we have seen in the past from this label - in fact there were some eyebrows raised when it was revealed as 'Clearview Reserve'.
The silver medal winner in the First Glass Chardonnay event.
14.5% alc. Screwcap. $42.99.Seifried Barrique Fermented Chardonnay 2006 - Nelson
A reasonably deep gold and voluptuous for chardonnay on the nose with its rich, full-bodied, savoury aroma full of sweet mealy oak - and of plenty of it. A big toasty chardonnay in every way with peach, citrus, nougat and honey but do not over chill as it accentuates the underlying acidity. Gold Medal – NZ International Wine Show.
The gold medal winner in the First Glass Chardonnay event.
14.5% alc. Screwcap. $22.99 special.Pegasus Bay Riesling 2007 - Waipara Valley
Light lemon gold - bright and showing a little spritz in the glass when poured. Sherbet on the nose and crisp, vibrant, citrus and honey/honeysuckle in the reasonably weighty palate with a spritzy, tingly mouthfeel and a medium sweetness level although with its high acidity it gives an initial impression of being quite dry. There is abundant fruit sweetness mid palate and the signature Pegasus Bay flourish of grapefruit lingers on the lasting finish.
The bronze medal winner in the First Glass Riesling event.
11% alc. Screwcap. $23.99 special.Charles Wiffen Marlborough Riesling 2006
Pale straw gold in colour with citrus peel and honeysuckle on the nose together with a touch of kero that makes you think Australia, as does the dry, lime-rich, talcy, smooth textured, weighty palate. An excellent example of a rich, dry Marlborough style with hot spicy notes to the full, rounded finish. It is also picking up some desirable bottle-aged toastiness. Gold medal NZ International Wine Show. Limited stocks.
The silver medal winner in the First Glass Riesling event.
11.5% alc. Screwcap. $18.99.Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt Josephshofer Riesling Spatlese 2005 - Mosel-Saar-Ruwer
Light yellow gold, Germanic style - sweet, honeyed, low-alcohol with a viscous texture reminiscent of a light nectar. It has a light attack in the palate with a fine backbone of acidity to balance the sweetness, there's predominant ripe red apple fruit with just a hint of earthiness and the luscious aftertaste lasts for ages. Absolutely delicious. The gold medal winner in the First Glass Riesling event.
8.5% alc. Cork. $62.99.Menhir 5 Passi 2007 - Salento, Italy
Made from Negroamaro grapes, this is opaque blackberry red in colour with a smoky aroma that hints of wild blackberries and raspberries with an overlay of liquorice and aromatic oak. Earthy and savoury to the taste with tar and earth, it immediately whisks you to Europe and the medium-bodied palate is smooth, bright, juicy and lightly spicy. Very impressive for the price.
The silver medal winner in the First Glass 'International Reds' event.
13% alc. Cork. $15.99 special.Carchelo 2006 - Jumilla, Spain
A deeply concentrated blackcurrant and blackberry jube scent with hints of violets, this medium-bodied aromatic red has an abundance of blackberries and raspberries with a salty and savoury undercurrent of herbs and tea-like tannins, yet it its short on the finish and lacks the concentration that the aroma promises. A blend of Monastrell and Syrah. Gold Medal – NZ International Wine Show.
The bronze medal winner in the First Glass 'International Reds' event.
14% alc. Cork. $13.99 special.Coto de Hayas Fagus 2005 - Campo de Borga, Spain
Deeply translucent dark cherry red. Sweet oaked, vanilla scented, chocolate and cherry aromas and plenty of fruit sweetness in the palate with creamy oak, juicy currant-like fruit, velvety tannins and spice with just a hint of mocha on the finish. Approachable, drinkable and a shoe-in for lovers of the full-bodied Australian style, this 100% Spanish Garnacha is long, tasty, and simply delicious.
The gold medal winner in the First Glass 'International Reds' event.
13.5% alc. Cork. $49.99.Henry’s Drive Dead Letter Office Shiraz 2005 - South Australia
Showing just a touch of development to the translucent edges of the deep black pool of wine, this oozes sweet vanillin oak, peppery spice, cherry and chocolate on the nose and is typically sweet luscious Aussie Shiraz to the taste. It's super smooth and crammed with chocolate, toast, char and biscuity sweet oak with cherry and blackberry fruit, peppery spice and a bright raspberry lift to the finish. Made from a blend of McLaren Vale (75%), and Padthaway (25%) fruit, it is the typically adored First Glass style - yet in the company was only the bronze medal winner in the First Glass Shiraz event.
15% alc. Screwcap. $24.99 special.John Duval Entity Barossa Shiraz 2006 - South Australia
Concentrated shiny red black with youthful pinky/purple edges, a voluptuous nose of vanillin oak and meaty Shiraz spices leads into a fine tannined palate with classy French oak, a smoky savouriness, aromatic spices, dried herbs de Provence and purple fruits. With 17 months in French oak, this is a big wine with a long life ahead of it - but is just a 'baby grunter' at this stage of its life.
The silver medal winner in the First Glass Shiraz event.
14.5% alc. Cork. $46.99.Kingston Shiraz 2006 - South Australia
* * * * * * * * * *
The deep reddish-black indicates some development and so does the integrated palate, which seems quite mellow. Peppery and savoury to the taste and showing the true spicy character of the Shiraz grape but quite sweet on the finish with some coarseness to the tannins. However, this soft juicy wine is so ready to drink and was the hands-up crowd favourite on the night and thus the gold medal winner in the First Glass Shiraz event.
14.5% alc. Screwcap. $13.99 special.I like the Fine Fine Wednesday Tastings held at First Glass Wines and Spirits in Takapuna on Auckland's North Shore. All the wines are served blind and unlike the blind tasting assessments I conduct at home (which are usually from producer's samples or, more rarely, wines I have purchased myself), I usually have no idea in advance of what wines are being included in the Fine Wine Wednesday tasting line-up. Exceptions have been the Cuisine Top 10 tastings, 'Super Tastings', or producer-hosted tastings where the line-up of wines is advertised to attract the tasters. All I know is that with Kingsley Wood choosing the wines, anything goes and the wines being tasted may cost from under $10 to over $110 a bottle, though they usually average somewhere in the $15 to $55 price range.
I have continued to attend the tastings over the years as I feel it gives me a good insight to wines currently available in the market place and the general reaction compared to my own. Not everyone likes the searingly dry rieslings that I love, I've found.
It also provides an oportunity to taste some wines I otherwise wouldn't get to see and to retaste those that I have.
Footnote: Prices listed are the retail and or special prices at First Glass Wines and Spirits at the time of tasting. Check out www.first-glass.co.nz for current availability and pricing and New Zealand readers can purchase the wines online from there.
Wednesday Wines index
Sue Courtney's recent Fine Wine Wednesday tasting notes can also be found on the First Glass website.