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WTN: NZ Bx blends (+blinds: Rioja Alta '94, Godolphin)

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WTN: NZ Bx blends (+blinds: Rioja Alta '94, Godolphin)

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.
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Re: WTN: NZ Bx blends (+blinds: Rioja Alta '94, Godolphin)

by Sue Courtney » Tue May 29, 2007 6:01 pm

Hi Otto - Your 'CJ Pas' is actually 'CJ Pask'.

Aside from that, it is interesting to read your notes on these older NZ wines. One I have never tasted, the Providence, which incidentally comes from one of the most beautiful, meticulously kept vineyards in the country - it is modelled on Petrus. I drove past it yesterday, now I wish I had taken a photo of it in its autumn tones. Providence is ridiculously expensive here and almost unobtainable, that said we were gifted a bottle of the 1993, from a spectacular season for Auckland but pretty dismal elsewhere. (Matakana is part of Auckland, as is Waiheke Island). The Providence 1993 was a sensational wine.
And while 1995 was the year of the rain (deluges of rain in Marlborough in particular and Auckland fared badly), I would say if you can get hold of the Coleraine 1995 or Esk Valley Terraces 1995, you will find quite fascinating, long-lived wines from that Hawkes Bay vintage. As for 1996, one of the country's best wines from that season was Stonyridge Larose. Had it about a month ago and it still hanging in there beautifully.
Laughed when I read your notes on the phantom Tom.

Thanks for you notes.
Cheers,
Sue
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Re: WTN: NZ Bx blends (+blinds: Rioja Alta '94, Godolphin)

by JoePerry » Tue May 29, 2007 10:58 pm

Otto Nieminen wrote: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?


I've got one bottle of this. Thanks for the note. I'm inclined to wait. :D

At what age did you try the 1989 890?

Best,
Joe
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Re: WTN: NZ Bx blends (+blinds: Rioja Alta '94, Godolphin)

by David Lole » Tue May 29, 2007 11:38 pm

For my fiftieth "all day' finale, my Melbourne heart surgeon mate brought along a 1994 Stonyridge Waiheke Islands Cabernets - what a terrific, vibrant, beautifully balanced BDX blend. 92 points on its' ear.

Wondering if Sue could point me in the right direction as to where this fits into the Stonyridge portfolio? And while you're at it, my friend, have you tried the wine? :wink:
Cheers,

David
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Re: WTN: NZ Bx blends (+blinds: Rioja Alta '94, Godolphin)

by Sue Courtney » Wed May 30, 2007 5:44 am

David Lole wrote:For my fiftieth "all day' finale, my Melbourne heart surgeon mate brought along a 1994 Stonyridge Waiheke Islands Cabernets - what a terrific, vibrant, beautifully balanced BDX blend. 92 points on its' ear.

Wondering if Sue could point me in the right direction as to where this fits into the Stonyridge portfolio? And while you're at it, my friend, have you tried the wine? :wink:


Hi David- yes - tried most of the Stonyridge Larose wines.
Remember the 1994 as it has a special label in memory of someone, though I haven't tried for quite some time - several years in fact.
I remember about five years ago that Stephen White rated the 1994 as his best to date. That was in 2002.
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Re: WTN: NZ Bx blends (+blinds: Rioja Alta '94, Godolphin)

by Saina » Wed May 30, 2007 8:18 am

Sue Courtney wrote:Hi Otto - Your 'CJ Pas' is actually 'CJ Pask'[...]Laughed when I read your notes on the phantom Tom.


Edited, thanks! Was my experience far away from yours on the Tom?

Joe, It was at a trade tasting late last summer, less than a year ago. Hence my guess that age is what is needed.
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Re: WTN: NZ Bx blends (+blinds: Rioja Alta '94, Godolphin)

by Sue Courtney » Wed May 30, 2007 3:36 pm

Otto Nieminen wrote:
Sue Courtney wrote:Hi Otto - Your 'CJ Pas' is actually 'CJ Pask'[...]Laughed when I read your notes on the phantom Tom.


Edited, thanks! Was my experience far away from yours on the Tom?
.


Far far away - I've never tasted that vintage of Tom, only the 1998, which was sublime at the time; and the 2002, which was rather disappointing at the time.
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Re: WTN: NZ Bx blends (+blinds: Rioja Alta '94, Godolphin)

by Victor de la Serna » Wed May 30, 2007 6:19 pm

Otto Nieminen wrote:I was a bit iffy on the scent: has something happened since the '80's?

This is one of the (several) wineries in Rioja that encountered TCA contamination problems in the 90s.

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