Bordeaux Style Blends New Zealand

 The last post in the series of premium wines from New Zealand looks at quite an eclectic group of Bordeaux style blends from the North Island.

Three wines stood out from this line-up. My favourite wine was the 2019 Church Road TOM from Hawke's Bay, the predominant region of Bordeaux style wines in New Zealand. This Cabernet Merlot delivers red cherry and blackberry fruit flavours against a background of smoky notes. This is an elegant wine with soft tannins and a long finish. It is the most expensive of the wines reviewed here (96/+++ points).

Not far behind is the 2020 Man O' War Ironclad Merlot blend. This winery from Waiheke Island is going from strength to strength. It has a similar fruit profile to the previous wine. The wine is quite big and intense, while still elegant. It delivers attractive lifted notes on the finish (95/+++ points).

I also enjoyed the 2018 Paritua 21.12 from Hawke's Bay. This is a Cabernet blend with a similar tasting profile to the Church Road. The wine has medium concentration, and is elegant with silky tannins and a satisfying finish (95/+++ points).

The 2019 Te Motu Cabernet blend is fresh, with redcurrant flavours, a bit confected. This is a relatively straight forward, smooth wine (92/+ points).

Also from Waiheke Island is the 2017 Tantalus Ecluse Reserve, another Cabernet blend. This wine has medium concentration. It is a harmonious wine, but a bit bland (92/+ points).

Overall, Bordeaux style wines have come a long way in New Zealand. The blends are sophisticated, seamless, and elegant. They should certainly be considered as alternatives to Pinot Noir.

Powell & Son GSM

Powell & Son did not exist for long. David Powell is now Neldner Road, and Callum is Agricola. When David Powell was winemaker at Torbreck, he sometimes mentioned that making GSM was his favourite, in particular the Steading. This 2018 Powell & Son GSM is very similar.

The Grenache flavours of strawberry and red cherry dominate the front palate. Then the sweet core of Shiraz plum fruit takes over, and finally the savoury flavours of the Mataro. This is all seamless and well integrated. The wine delivers a full mouthfeel. It is generous and balanced, not overblown and not complicated. Firm tannins and enough acidity deliver a solid structure.

Score: 93/+++

 

New Zealand Chardonnay

 No grape variety in New Zealand can match Sauvignon Blanc by volume, but when we talk quality, it is a different story. Here are four New Zealand Chardonnays from excellent producers.

Kumeu River, from the unlikely Auckland region, has been making outstanding Chardonnays for many years. The 2022 Kumeu River Hunting Hill Chardonnay is continuing this 'tradition'. The wine delivers an elegant mouthfeel with a palate of stone fruit, melon, and peach. This wine delivers an excellent blend between body and acidity (95/++ points).

The 2022 Felton Road Block 2 Chardonnay has a lighter texture, very fine, with excellent oak integration. The finish is very long (95/++ points).

Quite expensive is the 2018 Bell Hill Chardonnay from North Canterbury. It is very interesting on the palate: Green apple fruit mixed with herbal and grassy notes. It is interesting, but not quite my favourite taste (94/+ points).  

I was a bit disappointed with the 2022 Neudorf Rosie's Block Amphora Chardonnay. The fruit profile is similar to the Kumeu River, but the wine is less precise, and the finish a little bland (91/0 points).

Chateau Tanunda

 The last time I drank Chateau Tanunda wines was about ten years ago in preparation for my book. I had not been impressed. In fact, I found it totally puzzling how this winery could collect so many medals in big shows overseas. I thought the grounds of the Chateau are the highlight - and they are really magnificent.

Recently, I had an opportunity to taste three wines from their bamboozling range. The first wine, from the Terroirs of the Barossa series was the 2019 Chateau Tanunda Ebenezer Shiraz. This is a full-bodied wine, quite ripe, the ironstone soil reflected on the palate. This is a red fruited wine, quite tannic, only just within the envelop of what I regard as an acceptable expression of dry red wine. This wine is very concentrated and could certainly have been more elegant (90/0 points).

The other two wines were from Bethany, which features black biscay soil, not really ideal for growing quality wine. (I note Bethany Wines is up for sale.) The 2019 50 Year Old Vines Shiraz is very dark. Blackberry and chocolate flavours are matched with coarse tannins. Again, a concentrated wine lacking elegance (90/0 points).

The last wine was the 2019 50 Year Old Vines Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine was overripe, oaky, and quite sweet. The chocolate flavours could not match this impression. The wine had a coarse finish (86/-- points).

I am happy not to taste Chateau Tanunda for another ten years.  

Ultra Premium New Zealand Pinot Noir Tasting

 Hot on the heals of the previous (slightly disappointing, from a New Zealand perspective) tasting comes another New Zealand Pinot Noir tasting, where some wines blew me away.

The star of the show, named after the winemaker and its inaugural release, was the 2020 Ata Rangi Masters Pinot Noir. It comes from a cool site 4km away from the home block. This is a very Burgundian wine with strawberry, pomegranate, and red cherry flavours. Earthy notes add to the complexity. The tannins are peppery and silky. This wine is superbly elegant with the seldom experienced expanding peacock fan on the finish. This wine will gain from some cellaring. It would give many grand cru a run for their (much more expensive) money (97/+++ points).

Another very impressive wine was the 2019 Burn Cottage 'Burn Cottage Vineyard' Pinot Noir from Central Otago. It delivers beautiful focused red and black cherry flavours, which seem to dance on the tongue. This is a smooth and elegant wine with a soft, perfumed, and slightly spicy finish (95/+++ points).

I also enjoyed a wine from 2015, of which I do not know anything. This was the 2015 Te Whare Ra SV5182 Pinot Noir from Marlborough. This red cherry flavoured wine is still fresh. It is an elegant wine of medium concentration (94/++ points).

A more intense wine with a big mouthfeel is the 2017 Prophet's Rock Cuvée aux Antipodes Pinot Noir. This is a complex wine with dark cherry and mocca flavours. While impressive, it felt a little overworked and slightly out of balance. And twice the price of the Ata Rangi? I don't think so (93/++ points). 

On 92 points were the final three wines: the 2013 Pegasus Bay Prima Donna Pinot Noir (a bit fruity, but sophisticated elegance); the 2020 Pyramid Valley Korimako Pinot Noir (very aromatic, quite light, mouthfeel a bit too round); 2021 Craggy Range Aroha Pinot Noir (quite fruity, elegant, but mouthfeel a bit flat).

These wines showed the complexity and elegance I was missing from the New Zealand wines in the last tasting. Having said this, there is no change from a $100 note for these wines. In some cases quite a bit more.

Australia vs. New Zealand Pinot Noir Tasting

 A couple of days ago, I tasted six premium Australian and six premium New Zealand Pinot Noirs. Who came out ahead? Perhaps surprising, I scored the Australian Pinot Noirs slightly higher. Why? There were clearly country differences. The Australian wines were quite savoury and often with good energy. The New Zealand wines were fruitier and often a little round with not enough to show on the finish.

My top wine, unexpected, was the 2019 Picardy Tête de Cuvée from Pemberton. This is Picardy's best Pinot Noir of the vintage. Some of the fruit is densely planted, and the yields are low. The wine opens quite light on the palate, as the red and dark cherry fruit emerges. This is quite a complex and earthy wine with cigar box flavours underneath. The tannins are fine, supported by 30% whole bunch, and the finish is long (96/+++ points). Just behind was the 2020 Ata Rangi Pinot Noir, quite an intense, dark fruited wine. The mouthfeel is plush and smooth, and very textural. The wine has good persistence and a long finish (96/+++ points). 

In the next level came the highly acclaimed 2022 Ossa Pinot Noir from the Belrose vineyard near Swansea. The fruit is quite young and vibrant, and the wine has good intensity, but feels slightly blocky in the mouth. The 2022 Giant Steps Wombat Creek tasted of red cherry, with medium intensity and fine tannins - overall a more balanced wine. Also impressive was the 2018 Moondarra Sambaside Pinot Noir, a new label to me. This wine was on the lighter side with savoury notes, not dissimilar to the Picardy (93/94 points for these wines).

The next group included three wines from New Zealand, the 2022 Two Paddocks Estate Pinot Noir, the 2021 Valli Gibbston Vineyard Pinot Noir, and the 2022 High Garden Vineyard Pinot Noir. As mentioned, these wines have a strong fruit profile, but were not as well structured as the wines above (92 points).

The final group included the 2021 Stonier Reserve Pinot Noir, the 2021 Shaw & Smith Lenswood Pinot Noir, the 2020 Neudorf Home Block, and the 2016 Fromm Cuvee H Pinot Noir - all 90 points.

Hayes Family Wines Tasting

 Hayes Family Wines is a certified organic winery in the heart of the Barossa. A recent tasting showed some strength, but also some easy pitfalls of winemaking in the Barossa.

Hayes produces a large number of different wines. The first wine I tasted was the 2021 Koonunga Creek Block Grenache. The Koonunga subregion is famous for its sandy soil, and therefore well suited to Grenache. The grapes for this wine come from 130 year old vines, but as can easily be the case with Grenache, this wine is too alcoholic (15%). The old 500l oak barrels cannot tame the alcohol. The raspberry flavours are very ripe, and although the wine seems balanced otherwise, the hot finish takes the pleasure out of this wine (88/0 points).

This contrasts with the 2021 Glengrae Old Bush Block Grenache from Ebenezer. The vines grow on the famous red-brown clay, and deliver a darker wine. Raspberry, black cherry, mocca flavours, and some spice vie for your attention. This is an attractive and elegant wine with a medium finish. Alcohol is 14.5% (94/++ points).

Then there is the 2021 Prayer Garden Grenache, also from Ebenezer. The soil is sand over clay, and the wine is more red fruited. It is not a bad wine, but the mouthfeel is not very distinct (91/0 points).

The first Shiraz is the 2019 Estate Reserve Shiraz from Stonewell. 2019 was a drought year, and it shows in this wine. It has a sweet core and a very oaky flavour (86/-- points).

The 2018 Ancestor Shiraz is a better option. This wine is also intense and quite big, but the blackberry and vanilla flavours deliver a much more elegant and balanced mouthfeel (92/0 points). 

Mayfield Vineyards Tasting

 Orange with its high altitude is becoming a source of high quality wine. Today, I will introduce Mayfield Vineyards to you.

Mayfield Vineyards has been many things to (a few) people, but with the acquisition by the Eastham Family in 2021, there is now a focus on Chardonnay. I taste their three Chardonnays from 2022.

The 2022 'Eighteen Fifteen' Chardonnay undergoes 75% malolactic fermentation, and is matured in 25% new French oak. It is quite a lean and focussed wine with citrus and peach flavours and some flint, in the modern Australian style. It has a good line and fine acidity (90/+ points).

The 2022 'Thomas' Chardonnay has only 50% malo, also with 25% new oak of 500 and 300l barrels. The oak integration is more seamless than in the previous wine, and the outcome is a more elegant and creamy palate (92/++ points).

The 2022 'Block 14' Chardonnay, the showcase of the winery, is a little different. This is a more acidic wine, with pronounced minerality, and clearly made to age well. Lemon, grapefruit and stone fruit flavours deliver a complex palate (93/++ points).

I enjoyed these wines, but the pricing is ambitious.

Woodlands Tasting

 Woodlands brands can be very confusing, but there is actually quite a simple logic. The original vineyard, now 50 years old, is the Woodlands vineyard or Caves Rd. vineyard. It is the source of the 'Margaret' and the single vineyard Cabernet blend. The second vineyard is the Woodlands Brook or Puzey Rd. vineyard, some 2km away, purchased in 2007. This is the source of Cabernet Franc and younger Cabernet Sauvignon.

All wines are named after family members, the confusing bit is that the single vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon has a different name every year. Will they ever run out of names?

The Home Block

The 2021 'Emily' is Cabernet Franc based. The vineyard is south facing, based on fine clay. As a result, this wine is light- to medium-bodied and very pretty. Black cherry is the dominant flavour of this elegant, slightly spiced wine. It is very well made, very charming, and I liked it a lot (93/+++ points). The 2018 Clementine, from the same vineyard is a Cabernet/Merlot. It is darker, still only medium-bodied. The tannins are firmer, but there is a bit of a hole on the mid palate, despite the Merlot component (92/++ points).

The Caves Rd. vineyard is north facing. The wines from here, including the core 'Margaret' are more concentrated. The 2018 'Margaret' is a Cabernet/Merlot matured in 40% new oak. It is noticeably more intense than the previous wine, but still quite elegant (93/++ points).

I tasted three single vineyard Cabernet blends (usually 90+% Cabernet Sauvignon) from three different years. The 2017 'Chloe Anne' is matured in 80% new oak barriques. This wine had a long ripening period. Blackcurrant and mulberry fruit sits on the frame of high quality French oak. Like all previous wines, this wine is elegant, but also quite substantial (95/++ points). The 2018 'Xavier' is a darker wine, yet more fruit forward. It has been aged in larger format oak. It has good depth and a satisfying finish. While different, it is equally appealing to the 2017 (95/++ points). The 2019 'Ruby Jane' has a similar flavour profile, and an elegant mouthfeel, but not the same intensity as the other two wines (93/++ points).  

  

Bannockburn Tasting

 Bannockburn from the Geelong region is a high quality producer famous for being the first winery to employ high density planting in the 1980s, and also for its legendary winemaker Gary Farr who during this time fashioned the Chardonnay and Pinot Noir along Burgundy principles (he worked at Domaine Dujac, where he completed 12 vintages).

The Serré vineyard

This tasting was focussed on the 2022 vintage, which was wet and cold. Unfortunately, it showed. The three Chardonnays lack fruit concentration and character. 

The Pinot Noirs fared a little better, but the light colour and lack of tannins are proof of the difficulties. The flagship, the 2022 Bannockburn Serré Pinot Noir is made from vines planted in 1984, based on the MV6 clone. The vineyard is planted to 8000 to 9000 vines per hectare. This is dense planting (see image), but not as dense as some Burgundy vineyards and some recent plantings in Australia. The fruit in this year tastes of strawberry and red cherry. There is some silkiness in the wine. Overall, it is quite soft (92/++ points).

The other single vineyard wine is the 2022 De La Terre. This vineyard was planted in the 2000s and is based on the 777 clone. Having younger fruit was actually advantageous in this year. The wine is a bit darker, with bigger red cherry fruit, and more crunchy (93/++ points).

The other Bannockburn story, less often told, is Shiraz. The wines are meant to be similar to Rhône style Shiraz. The first Shiraz tasted was the 2012 Shiraz. This wine is quite developed, with the blackberry fruit almost gone. Licorice and earthy flavours have taken over. This wine is elegant, but past its peak (91/0 points). 

The 2013 De La Roche Shiraz, a single vineyard wine, is very dark and a bit more lively. Mushroom flavours and some spice feature. I found the mouthfeel a bit sticky, but fine tannins balance this out (92/+ points).

Then came two big surprises. The 2003 Shiraz, from a warm vintage. This is a big wine, sunshine in the glass. There is an orange tint, but the wine is still lively. It is concentrated, but elegant and very balanced. I loved this wine, and I believe it is still available for purchase (95/+++).

But the star was the 1995 Serré. This was simply stunning. Orange in colour, this is still a lively wine at 28 years. Astonishing! It is very elegant and complex, with silky tannins and a long finish (97/+++). 

So what is the clincher here? Gary Farr left in 2004. He clearly made the 1995 Serré, and he would have had a hand in the 2003 Shiraz. Yes, 2022 was a difficult vintage, but is Bannockburn as good as it was under Gary Farr?

Rippon Pinot Noir Tasting

 Those of you who are familiar with Pinot Noir from Central Otago know that most of these wines are quite full-bodied with significant fruit weight, reflecting the many sunshine hours of the region, and despite it being the most southern wine region in the world. Felton Road wines would be the most sophisticated and consistent of this style. Rippon wines could not be more different. Felton Road and Rippon are like chalk and cheese as the saying goes.

The story of Rippon always starts with the location of the vineyard on Lake Wanaka. Many regard it as the most beautiful vineyard in the world. The vineyard is now 35 years old, and the soil is predominantly schist in character.

I had an opportunity to taste five of their Pinot Noirs today. The 2019 Pinot Noir is fashioned in a light style, with strawberry and red cherry notes, and some savoury backbone. The wine is finely balanced (92/++ points). The same wine from 2012 is still remarkably fresh. The wine is more complex than the younger version, with cherry and mushroom flavours, and an earthy and smoky character vying for your attention (93/++ points).

The  2019 Rippon Pinot Noir 'Emma's Block' comes from a block down by the lake facing eastward. It has slightly more intensity than the Estate Pinot Noir, but it is still quite a light wine. It is elegant, with silky tannins and delivers this ethereal feel, only Pinot Noir can. I enjoyed this wine a lot (95+++ points).

The brother if you like, is the 2019 'Tinkers Field'. It comes from a block next door, and facing north. The main difference to the previous wine is the angel of this block, therefore the different aspect. Black cherry, herbs and spices form this wine. It is darker and more intense, quite precise, but not as delicate as the 'Emma's Block' (94/++ points).

A special release is the 2019 Lolo's Block from the top part of the vineyard. It celebrates the 70th birthday of the Mother. This is a fruitier wine with red cherry flavours. It is a bit forward on the palate (92/+ points).

Overall, there is a clear style to these wines. They require contemplation and should not be overwhelmed by hearty food.  

Chateau de Coulaine Chinon Cabernet Franc

 I was contemplating what to pair with a pork fillet dish. I felt Cabernet Sauvignon or Shiraz would overwhelm this dish, and Pinot Noir and Grenache seemed too aromatic. Then I found the 2018 Chateau de Coulaine Chinon Cabernet Franc in my cellar.

This Loire wine is medium bodied. It is dark fruited and slightly spiced. The wine is not very complex, but very pleasant and balanced; a wine well made. It certainly did the job and is good value at about A$40/bottle.

Score: 91/++