Oakridge

David Bicknell is a wine maker of considerable reputation. He is trying to fashion the Oakridge wines in a more European style with an emphesis on elegance and less focus on fruit. Well, if the wines of this night are representative, the experiment is not working too well.

The 2008 Oakridge Fume Blanc (100% Sauvignon Blanc) tastes of the usual gooseberry, but it is creamier as a result of some treatment in old oak. Unfortunately, this has dulled the flavour somewhat and the structure is not strong enough to carry the profile through to an attractive finish.

The 2008 Oakridge Chardonnay, probably the flagship wine, tastes of stone fruit but it is somewhat hollow on the mid palate and is lacking depth.

The 2008 Oakridge Pinot Noir was probably the best wine in the line-up. It tastes of sour cherries, has medium weight and lingers on. However, the wine is somewhat astringent. 

Cabernet Sauvignon is what I remember Oakridge of old for. The 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon is a reasonable wine, but lacks a bit of concentration, resulting in a flat mid palate.

Overall, these wines are not too bad, but there simply is no compelling reason to drink them.