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Wine Focus for November 2017: New Zealand

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Re: Wine Focus for November 2017: New Zealand

by Andrew Burge » Tue Nov 14, 2017 4:24 pm

Jenise wrote:Here's something unusual, a New Zealand Syrah. It was a gift and therefore an orphan in my cellar: I believe it's the first NZ syrah I've ever had. Served it last night with garlic-crusted lamb chops on a potato and green olive hash.

2005 Bilancia Syrah 'la Collina', Hawkes Bay
Decanted; no sediment. Mostly black fruit with black olive, wet cement and a tiny amount of tar. Much more generous on the nose than on the palate, and a short, parched finish made it dull and better with food than without. Usually, when the nose has some freshness and is more open than the palate, I would presume the wine was just closed and needed more time, but other reports over the last two years on Cellar Tracker would not make one optimistic about that in this case. Price appears to be $60ish in the U.S.


That sounds like an out of condition bottle Jenise, maybe it has aged too long. The la Collina is normally a top class Syrah style,
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Re: Wine Focus for November 2017: New Zealand

by Jenise » Tue Nov 14, 2017 5:52 pm

The bottle was a gift about five years ago, so I can't rule out provenance issues, Andrew, but as I inferred but I guess didn't quite say, my bottle was fairly typical of the last two years' (or so) worth of reports on CT, so I'm guessing this one just isn't a long-hauler.
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Re: Wine Focus for November 2017: New Zealand

by Jenise » Thu Nov 16, 2017 2:32 am

Chose a 2011 Pegasus Bay Semillon/Sauvignon Blanc blend to go with our dinner of seared cod and broccoli rabe with lime-butter sauce. This is a delightful wine, and this particular bottle was a gift from Sue Courtney. She gave me two in fact and I loved the first one, but deliberately held onto the second for extra aging because it had a ballsy, immortal kind of richness to it. I remember commenting that even though the semillon was the minority grape, it tasted like 100%.

Well, it still has that richness. Interestingly, though, sipped over close to three hours where initially the semillon ran the show, for the last hour we saw more of the herbaceous character of the sauvignon blanc and there was some fun back and forth in between. Great minerality, and excellent varietal character for TWO varieties.
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Re: Wine Focus for November 2017: New Zealand

by Tim York » Thu Nov 16, 2017 3:22 am

CT tells me that, since I started using it in mid-2014, I have only consumed two bottles of Kiwi wine. That may seem odd since the typical Kiwi product is a cool climate one which I am predisposed to like with its usually bright fruit, sharp focus and lively acidity. The problem is that, in France where I live now and in Belgium where I lived for the previous 40 years, the predominant wine offer is from France where, west and north of the Mediterranean rim, the climates are not dissimilar to what is found in New Zealand and where the same grape varieties and more are in use. Naturally Kiwi wines struggle to be QPR competitive and in most cases I haven't found that they add much distinctiveness in the expression of those same grapes, but would love to be proved wrong over a glass or three :D . In this respect the neighbouring big brothers in Australia do IMO show more distinctiveness in their expression of, say, Riesling, Sémillon and Syrah/Shiraz, although I rarely like what they bring to the last.

That said, I have greatly enjoyed over the years Sauvignon blanc from Dog Point, Neudorf, Cloudy Bay and Seresin (in the days when Brian Bicknell was in charge), Pinot Noir from Felton Road, Chardonnay from Dog Point and Kumeu River and Syrah from Bilancia, my TNs on which can probably be found in the archive.

Here are the only two on which I have CT notes. The latter was purchased for €9 and consumed yesterday with scallops and wild prawns.

2014 Wither Hills Pinot Noir Clocktower Marlborough - New Zealand, South Island, Marlborough (4/19/2016)
My guess is that this wine will prove popular with its targeted audience, namely shoppers at the M&S chain in the UK. It is medium/full bodied and, on entry and mid-palate, shows very pretty features of sweet cherry infused Pinot fruit and velvety texture. However, for me the sweetness became a bit jammy and excessive, particularly on the finish where there developed a molasses touch, and that texture became a bit too thick. Add to that an underlying aroma, again most perceptible on the finish, which reminded me of tobacco, and for me the wine increasingly cloyed as the bottle emptied. The wine is quite young and the aspects which bother me may attenuate with age but it is not the wine for my Pinot fix right now.

2013 Brancott Estate Sauvignon Blanc - New Zealand, South Island, Marlborough (11/15/2017)
There was no doubting the varietal typicity of this wine. It showed a strong nose, medium/light body, lively fruit with the usual notes of grapefruit, gooseberry and grass allied with lively acidity but was a bit lacking in underlying roundness and backbone. A good and exhilarating drink though.

Posted from CellarTracker
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Re: Wine Focus for November 2017: New Zealand

by Jenise » Thu Nov 16, 2017 2:17 pm

So Tim saying he's only posted two New Zealand TNs made me wonder how many more I've posted. So I looked. And the answer is: quite a few. 25 of them in 2016 and 2017. Several reasons: Sue Courtney, my brother who works for NZ Airlines, and Hawaii--where there are a lot of kiwi wines and where SB is pretty much the perfect thing to drink in the tropics. Sue introduced me to all the incredible wild yeast Sauvignon Blancs, my brother brought me things like the wicked Man O'War you see listed here first, and others were purchased here or in Hawaii which gets a lot of Kiwi imports.

2013 Man O' War Vineyards Sémillon-Sauvignon Blanc Waiheke Island Sémillon-Sauvignon Blanc Blend
The Semillon in this blend gives a distinctive lift to the Sauv Blanc. Dry with quince and wet wool on the nose, and concentrated notes of guince, cactus pear, agave and grapefruit on the palate. Superb.

2014 Sacred Hill Pinot Noir Marlborough
Why beat around the bush: it's still crappy. :)

2012 Dog Point Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc Section 94 Marlborough
Lots of wow factor here. Has developed well over the past year, showing a lot of washed-rind cheese flavors as well as gooseberry and lime peel. Intense, exciting.

2012 Greywacke Chardonnay Marlborough
Heavily oaked with artificial lemon-lime flavors and a touch of plastic picnic table cover. I'm sure it wasn't meant to be drunk five years out, but at the same time, if this doesn't taste like chardonnay now did it ever? (And believe me, I went at this open-minded--I love Greywacke Sauv Blanc).

1999 Stonyridge Vineyard Larose Waiheke Island Red Bordeaux Blend
Holding up well but less vibrant than last bottle about two years ago, and the fruit faded on the second pour. Drink up.

2016 Fernlands Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough
A great little QPR sauv blanc in the typical New Zealand style: citrus fruit, kaffir lime leaf, a little green bell pepper.

2015 Astrolabe Wines Sauvignon Blanc Province Marlborough
Pale and transparent with a green tint. Nose of white grapefruit with minerals and raw spinach on the palate. Dryer than most with a spotlessly clean finish. Heavenly.

2015 Craggy Range Sauvignon Blanc Single Vineyard Te Muna Road Vineyard Martinborough
Been awhile since I've had a CR SB. This has great white fruit character and minerality but (thankfully) lacks the washed rind cheese aspect I remember from earlier vintages. Well balanced, interesting.

14 Jules Taylor Sauvignon Blanc OTQ Marlborough
Wow. Superbly concentrated fruit--citrus, kaffir lime leaf, gooseberry, grass-- with nervy, wild things from the wild yeast process. Every sip's different and joyous.

2016 Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough
Very crisp, with a harmonious choir of just about everything one can find in Sauvignon Blanc with no one note standing out. The only thing lacking was the intensity I associate with the CB and the best NZ wines. Doesn't merit the $27 price.

2008 Craggy Range Te Kahu Gimblett Gravels Vineyard Red Blend
Deep purple color, vibrant cab-esque nose but surprisingly tight and primary on the palate like a new release--no bottle age development at all. Needs more time.

2014 Sacred Hill Pinot Noir Marlborough
So the bloom is off the rose: have for the most part felt the wines I bought from Last Bottle matched expectations based on some tempering of what they say and what I've read 'between the lines'. But not this time: it is not "super complex". It does not "blow the doors off domestic versions." It is not "deliciously layered" and it does not "remind us of Burgundy or even Barolo." Rather, it is light, ripe and simple. Nose reminds me a bit of the 'bug spray' character I get from hot climate CA zins (YUCK). Soft palate, short finish, short life.

2013 Greywacke Sauvignon Blanc Wild Marlborough
If I had to choose just one SB to drink for the rest of my life, this might be the one. Intense gooseberry, lime, lemongrass and spice with just a touch of smoke.

2014 Greywacke Pinot Gris Marlborough
Surprisingly strong off-dry flavors of pear, kaffir lime, ginger, tangerine and lychee fruit with savory accents of cinnamon, fresh bay leaf and hay. Perfumey Alsatian nose not unlike gewurz and some viogniers. Better second day. A serious wine and deftly executed even if not quite what I expected.

2012 Dog Point Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc Section 94 Marlborough
Concentrated notes of lime peel, guava, lemon grass, dust and toasted pine nuts. Very much like the normal dog point, but on steroids.

2014 Pegasus Bay Sauvignon Blanc-Sémillon Waipara
A really vivid, full throttle New World version of white Bordeaux. Bright lemon-lime top notes from the SB balanced by the creamy underlying richness of the Semillon. Serious and fun at the same time.

2014 Jules Taylor Sauvignon Blanc OTQ Marlborough
Gorgeous. Rounded yellow fruit with depth and richness and an assertive streak of bay leaf. Very different from the typical NZ mold.

2013 Stoneleigh Pinot Noir Latitude Marlborough
Too disagreeable on day one, but opened up pleasantly overnight with raspberry and herbs. Decent for a food wine.

2012 Giesen Sauvignon Blanc The August 1888 Marlborough
Rich, intense, stunning. Golden color from extended lees and oak, Grassy, dusty and exotic. A real head turner. Similar in style to California's Bevan.

2012 Kumeu River Chardonnay Hunting Hill
Nose of toasty oak and sweet fruit. On the palate quince, movie popcorn and more toast. Unique, balanced, swoon-worthy. I have no reference point for what chardonnay from NZ should taste like but this doesn't taste like chardonnay from anywhere else.

2015 Greywacke Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough
Almost clear color. In the glass fresh cut grass, white grapefruit and tarragon define the nose and palate. Fresh and vibrant.

2013 Astrolabe Wines Chenin Blanc Wrekin Vineyard Marlborough
Straw color. Serious, concentrated flavors of quince, white nectarine and lychee nut obscured by extreme dryness unusual for CB. Much better on second day, in fact impressive, but this wine needs time. Drink next: 2018.

2013 Greywacke Sauvignon Blanc Wild Marlborough
Intense and mouthfilling (full bodied) with gooseberry, white grapefruit, kaffir lime leaf, tarragon, hay, pine needle and I don't know what else. Can probably sum it up best with my husband's first comment (he was drinking blind): "Holy SHIT! This is amazing!!!"

2014 Greywacke Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough
Restrained and a little fierce, this shows gooseberry and grapefruit with crushed rocks, seashells and just a hint of grass. Classic New Zealand at the obvious higher end.

2015 Sauvignon Republic Cellars Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough
The '14 was great, but the '15 is screechy with more acid than fruit. Thumbs down.
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Re: Wine Focus for November 2017: New Zealand

by Bob Parsons Alberta » Thu Nov 16, 2017 2:22 pm

When found Giesen always delivered.
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Re: Wine Focus for November 2017: New Zealand

by Jenise » Thu Nov 16, 2017 2:35 pm

Bob, I'd only had Geisen's entry level SB, which is clean and fresh and sometimes shows up on BTG menus as a reliable choice. Nothing in that experience, however, prepared me for size and intensity of 'The August'. I didn't even understand that Sauv Blanc could "go there".
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Re: Wine Focus for November 2017: New Zealand

by Andrew Burge » Thu Nov 16, 2017 3:48 pm

Jenise wrote:The bottle was a gift about five years ago, so I can't rule out provenance issues, Andrew, but as I inferred but I guess didn't quite say, my bottle was fairly typical of the last two years' (or so) worth of reports on CT, so I'm guessing this one just isn't a long-hauler.


Thanks Jenise, I had tried a few different vintages in their youth and was impressed, that's disappointing that this one hasn't aged well. Hawkes Bay Syrah in general is a nice thing :)
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Re: Wine Focus for November 2017: New Zealand

by Jenise » Thu Nov 16, 2017 4:56 pm

Andrew Burge wrote:
Jenise wrote:The bottle was a gift about five years ago, so I can't rule out provenance issues, Andrew, but as I inferred but I guess didn't quite say, my bottle was fairly typical of the last two years' (or so) worth of reports on CT, so I'm guessing this one just isn't a long-hauler.


Thanks Jenise, I had tried a few different vintages in their youth and was impressed, that's disappointing that this one hasn't aged well. Hawkes Bay Syrah in general is a nice thing :)


I know! Which was why I felt no danger in taking my time to get around to opening it. Didn't expect to miss the window.
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Re: Wine Focus for November 2017: New Zealand

by Andrew Burge » Fri Nov 17, 2017 3:55 pm

2011 Burn Cottage Pinot Noir

This is the Venture in which Ted Lemon from Littorai has an interest in Central Otago. The vineyard is relatively young even for Central Otago (it would have been less than 10 years old when this was made), and is in the Lowburn subregion on the western side of Lake Dunstan. The 2009 and 2010 were large, almost voluptuous in the Central Otago mould but this is significantly dialled down, and better for it.
Quite a melange here. Redcurrant, forest berries, layered with mulchy mossy undergrowth, and an aniseed like intensity of spice the the flavour mix. These eddy and flow, and different nuances move to the fore with breathing. Tannins are fine and silty, acids all in check. This is in its window and will live a little longer. If your'e looking for a savoury complex expression, this could be your thing.

Cheers
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Re: Wine Focus for November 2017: New Zealand

by Jenise » Fri Nov 17, 2017 8:07 pm

Andrew Burge wrote: If your'e looking for a savoury complex expression, this could be your thing.

Cheers
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That definitely sounds like my thing. So is anything Littorai, I was unaware that Ted had a project over there. Interesting possibility--six months here, six months there, two crops per year instead of one. And NZ is not a horrible place to be, either!
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Re: Wine Focus for November 2017: New Zealand

by Sue Courtney » Thu Nov 23, 2017 4:36 am

Great to see this topic and especially Jenise's reviews. Love the honesty :D
I had great fun buying top end NZ wines online in the USA on two occasions
1. in 2013 at a wine shop in Ann Arbor, my wish list fulfilled - easier than carrying wine in luggage halfway round the world.
2. in 2016 from Southern Hemisphere Wines in Huntington Beach, CA and Atlas Wines in Oregon - both shipped to Washington. Southern Hemisphere Wines especially has a terrific selection.
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Re: Wine Focus for November 2017: New Zealand

by Jenise » Thu Nov 23, 2017 4:18 pm

Sue Courtney wrote:Great to see this topic and especially Jenise's reviews. Love the honesty :D
I had great fun buying top end NZ wines in the USA on two occasions
1. in 2013 at a wine shop in Ann Arbor, my wish list fulfilled - easier than carrying wine in luggage halfway round the world.
2. in 2016 from Southern Hemisphere Wines in Huntington Beach, CA and Atlas Wines in Oregon - both shipped to Washington. Southern Hemisphere Wines especially has a terrific selection.


I can't thank you enough for those wines, Sue, and I look forward to repaying the favor. They were an education, and I've been buying more since. And glad you enjoyed the notes--I wrote exactly what I thought at the time with no idea you'd ever read them.

I'd like to add that to anyone who says they don't like NZ Sauv Blancs based mostly on experience with the inexpensive mass production wines--you've missed the boat. Wines like the Te Koko, Giesen August 1988, Dogpoint 94, Jules Taylor QTQ, Greywacke Wild--these are a special world unto themselves. I've had nothing from California or Washington that competes, but for Bevan.
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Re: Wine Focus for November 2017: New Zealand

by Sue Courtney » Thu Nov 23, 2017 4:25 pm

Jenise wrote:
Sue Courtney wrote:Great to see this topic and especially Jenise's reviews. Love the honesty :D
I had great fun buying top end NZ wines in the USA on two occasions
1. in 2013 at a wine shop in Ann Arbor, my wish list fulfilled - easier than carrying wine in luggage halfway round the world.
2. in 2016 from Southern Hemisphere Wines in Huntington Beach, CA and Atlas Wines in Oregon - both shipped to Washington. Southern Hemisphere Wines especially has a terrific selection.


I can't thank you enough for those wines, Sue, and I look forward to repaying the favor. They were an education, and I've been buying more since. And glad you enjoyed the notes--I wrote exactly what I thought at the time with no idea you'd ever read them.

I'd like to add that to anyone who says they don't like NZ Sauv Blancs based mostly on experience with the inexpensive mass production wines--you've missed the boat. Wines like the Te Koko, Giesen August 1988, Dogpoint 94, Jules Taylor QTQ, Greywacke Wild--these are a special world unto themselves. I've had nothing from California or Washington that competes, but for Bevan.


Yes, that Bevan was amazing. If I had tasted blind I would have sworn it was from NZ. I'm glad it started the NZ alternative sauv blanc discovery journey for you :D
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Re: Wine Focus for November 2017: New Zealand

by Jim Cassidy » Tue Nov 28, 2017 2:15 am

So for December, how about we focus on California wineries whose wine, vines or facilities were damaged by the fires?
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Re: Wine Focus for November 2017: New Zealand

by Jenise » Tue Nov 28, 2017 2:36 am

I love that!
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Re: Wine Focus for November 2017: New Zealand

by Bob Parsons Alberta » Tue Nov 28, 2017 1:22 pm

No chance, us wine commoners would not be able to afford most of them. Do an Open Mike or talk like "Lets taste fire damaged wines".
Focus has lost its way already in most months. I used to be so active there right?
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Re: Wine Focus for November 2017: New Zealand

by Sue Courtney » Tue Nov 28, 2017 1:58 pm

We are seeing a swag of Californian wines in NZ these days but would 't know if they were from fire damaged wineries or not. Is there a list some where?
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Re: Wine Focus for November 2017: New Zealand

by Jenise » Tue Nov 28, 2017 4:20 pm

Sue, considering the inferno that those fires were, considering everything possible relatively few were damaged by the fire such that current wine in bottles still on winery premisis received damage. And most wineries had already picked, so even the 2017 harvest isn't going to be as affected as might otherwise be the case. The vineyards are another story, of course. The outflux of California wines you might be seeing is most likely related to the need to raise cash for the area in total. Offhand the only two I know that literally burned to the ground are Signorello and Chateau St. Jean.
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Re: Wine Focus for November 2017: New Zealand

by Jenise » Tue Nov 28, 2017 6:47 pm

Sue, check out this article that Tom Hill posted. It tells the story of just how bad the fires were but how even greater damage was spared.

http://www.wineandspiritsmagazine.com/n ... ok-on-fire
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Re: Wine Focus for November 2017: New Zealand

by JC (NC) » Thu Nov 30, 2017 11:52 pm

Jenise wrote about a Kumeu River Chardonnay. I've enjoyed some from this producer in the past but I don't think they were from Hunting Hill Vineyard.

I bought two or three bottles each of Huia Sauvignon Blanc and Huis Pinot Noir after a tasting at a Fayetteville, NC retail wine shop. Still had one bottle left of each.

2010 Huia Pinot Noir, Marlborough, New Zealand. Labeled as 13.5% abv. Dark purple-red color shading to crimson at the rim. Spice on the nose and palate--somewhere between cinnamon and black pepper. Cranberry and raspberry fruit. slightly brooding but still a refreshing Pinot. It may not be intended for mid-term aging but it's holding up well.

2011 Huia Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand. Labeled as 13% abv. Pale to medium straw color with clarity. Pungent nose of grapefruit and ammonia (cat's pee.) Refreshing at the beginning of a sip but I didn't fully understand or like the way it finished. It was almost a sugary sensation and artificial-tasting element on the finish. The fruit notes echoed the grapefruit from the nose. (P.S. The unsettling finish I got on the first few sips dissipated some over time.)
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Re: Wine Focus for November 2017: New Zealand

by JC (NC) » Thu Dec 21, 2017 6:47 pm

Copied my note from CellarTracker but forgot to name the wine:

2006 Bedford Road Estate Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, N.Z.

Screwcap. Labeled as 13% abv. Grapes are from Wairau Valley near Renwick. I'm liking this so much more than the Huia Sauvignon Blanc I opened a week earlier. Medium straw color. I get celery or celery seed on the nose with a slight whiff of ammonia. The taste has some biting radish or is that gooseberry? There is a flintiness that informs the wine and sufficient acid to keep it crisp and refreshing. It is a good foil for some fish dishes , green vegetables, salty cheese or salads with vinaigrette. I wonder how it would fare with something like chicken alfredo--would it cut through the fat or clash with the dish? This wine surprised me by its longevity when I thought it would be over-the-hill, pour-down-the-drain wine. (note first posted on CellarTracker)
Last edited by JC (NC) on Thu Dec 21, 2017 7:22 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Wine Focus for November 2017: New Zealand

by Jenise » Thu Dec 21, 2017 6:52 pm

Andrew Burge wrote:2011 Burn Cottage Pinot Noir

This is the Venture in which Ted Lemon from Littorai has an interest in Central Otago. The vineyard is relatively young even for Central Otago (it would have been less than 10 years old when this was made), and is in the Lowburn subregion on the western side of Lake Dunstan. The 2009 and 2010 were large, almost voluptuous in the Central Otago mould but this is significantly dialled down, and better for it.
Quite a melange here. Redcurrant, forest berries, layered with mulchy mossy undergrowth, and an aniseed like intensity of spice the the flavour mix. These eddy and flow, and different nuances move to the fore with breathing. Tannins are fine and silty, acids all in check. This is in its window and will live a little longer. If your'e looking for a savoury complex expression, this could be your thing.

Cheers
Andrew


Damn. Just yesterday I passed on some Burn Cottage--I knew the name rang a bell but couldn't place it. Should have come here and looked first.

But I did grab a Dry River. I believe you mentioned the brand in this thread, seems to be something highly sought after. Can you fill me in a bit?
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Re: Wine Focus for November 2017: New Zealand

by JC (NC) » Thu Dec 21, 2017 7:28 pm

Dry River wines have been a popular seller at Westgate Wine in Raleigh. It is described in the literature as a "cult" producer. I was not sold on them at a tasting at the store so have not purchased any. Speaking of New Zealand Syrah, Westgate has one from Dry River; they also carry Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Riesling from Dry River.
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