by Saina » Tue May 29, 2007 5:30 pm
Blind starter:
La Rioja Alta 890 Reserva 1994 12,5%
A red toned and savoury nose of cranberry, with quite a bit of blueberry oak and earth. I rather liked it but was very confused: the fruit seemed like that of an aged wine, while the oak was utterly unintegrated as in that of a young wine. The palate had lovely acidity, nice red toned fruit and seemed like it will go on for ever. Even with the label visible, I was a bit iffy on the scent: has something happened since the '80's? It seems different from my previous tastes and not as harmonious nor as deep nor as good. Maybe it just needs age?
Then some NZ Bx blends, open:
Providence Vineyard: Marangi 1995 Auckland (Matakana) Merlot, Cab F, Malbec; 12,5%abv
Marangi apparently means "rain" and is supposed to depict what the weather in '95 was like. I can believe it: almost rosé-like colour; dead nose (rye bread); palate is surprisingly sweetly fruity but dilute and the finish is counted in nanoseconds.
TeMata Estate: Coleraine Cabernet/Merlot 1996 (Hawkes Bay) CS53, M33, CF14; 13%
A nice if a touch international nose of cassis and polished and fancy smelling oak. The palate is structured, acidic, red toned and rather lovable. But there is a rift between the nose and the palate. Pretty nice - I won't mind drinking it, but wouldn't buy it for myself.
Esk Valley Estate: The Terraces Malbec Merlot Cabernet Franc 1998 Hawkes Bay 14%
Purple, undeveloped colour. Dark toned fruit, plummy nose. The palate is rather soft, a bit too thick on the middle-palate, but refreshing and long on the aftertaste. The problems I have with this wine are the too obvious oak and international style - this could be, and is, made everywhere. Competent but a bit dull IMO.
C.J. Pask Winery: Gimblett Road Merlot Reserve 1998 Hawkes Bay 13,5%
A bit oxidative in style (which I like) with dark, plummy fruit - it is rather mature and at a stage of development where I like my wines. The palate is mature, savoury despite the sweet fruit and has nice acidity. Quite yummy. I won't mind drinking this.
C.J. Pask Winery: Gimblett Road Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 1998 Hawkes Bay 13%
The nose is exactly like the Merlot. The palate is also very much like it but a touch leafier. I like it very much, but I do wonder why they were bottled separately as they are so similar. In fact, how can two different grapes taste and smell so identical? It was a very lovable wine, though.
Montana Wines (Tom McDonald Cellar): Tom 2000 Hawkes Bay M55, CS40, Malbec5; 13,5%
Smelled like a Chilean Cabernet in its exaggerated cassis and jam notes. It also had lots of coco-powder-like oak. The palate was schizophrenic: soft on the one had yet with disjointed, harsh acidity on the other. Weird. I'm not convinced about this.
Matua Valley Wines: Ararimu Cabernet S. Merlot 2001 Auckland 13%
Oaky, anonymous, jammy and chocholatey. The palate is rather nicer as it isn't so opulent and the nose and has nicely noticable acids. But like so many wines today, I didn't appreciate the rift between the "international" and opulent nose and the leaner palate - the two just didn't fit logically into a whole.
Stonyridge Vineyard: Larose 2002 Waiheke Island; CS51, Mlb27, PV11, M8, CF4; 13%
The nose is a bit jammy, but it has a light touch of brett to it also. It is earthy/loamy, personal and complex. The palate is big and extracted, but drier in its fruit than some others tonight. It is well structured but the acids and tannins follow logically to all else rather than being a separate whole. Pretty nice!
Mills Reef Winery: Elspeth Cabernet Franc 2002 14%
It started out bell-peppery. A little air and it became like a Californian Cabernet Sauvignon: jammy fruit, gobs of this and that and no sign of Franc at all. The palate is very full bodied, but has rather nice acidity and some delightful tobacco notes, but the whole just doesn't work for me. But considering that this is "only" 36€, while CaliCabs can be so much more, I guess that for some palates this might be a huge success.
And a couple fully blind wines followed
Mills Reef Elspeth Syrah 2002 Gimblett Gravels Hawkes Bay 15,5%
Black. Very oaky nose, blueberry, coca cola and all sorts of things I don't appreciate. It did develop some mulberry and pepper notes with time. The palate was rather harsh - I never could keep it in my mouth long enough to figure if it was unblanaced acidity or high alcohol or both that kept bothering me. Rather unpleasant for my tastes.
Ben Glaetzer Godolphin 2005 S80 CabS20 14,5%
The nose is extremely lactic once poured, but did develop into red berried and blueberry but the whole was rather confected. The palate was sweet and a bit harsh from the alcohol, yet thankfully it did have some nice acidity to balance the enormous fruit. I can imagine this will be to many peoples' tastes, but, alas, not to mine.
It was a very interesting tasting, even though few were to my taste, as I have rarely been able to taste non-Pinot reds from NZ.
-O-
Last edited by Saina on Wed May 30, 2007 8:16 am, edited 1 time in total.
I don't drink wine because of religious reasons ... only for other reasons.