WTN: Short notes on various NZ, SA, US, Oz

Notes from one of Lester's Light Liquid Lunches:

Cape Point Sauvignon Blanc South Africa 2005 - Very dry but fruity. Very fragrant with lots of guava and honey. Citrus rind. Lively wine. Very good.

Henschke Louis Semillon 2005 - Flowers on the nose. Some smoke. Boring.

The Matador Albarino Barossa Valley 2005 - Woody and smoky. A novelty but otherwise uninteresting.

Dowie Doole Cabernet Sauvignon McLaren Vale 2002 - Chocolate and raspberry. Rather nice.

Matua Valley Ararimu Merlot/Cbernet Sauvignon NZ 1998 - Still young and in need of a few more years, this wine is still tannic with some pronounced acidity in the finish. The palate shows some good chocolate and cherry flavors.

Notes from a quick pre-lunch tasting at Nico's.

Lindeman's Pyrus Coonawarra 2000 - Bordeaux blend. Very dark. Savory. Starts out with a slight sweetness giving way to some tart acidity. Prune, leather and meat. Drinking well but will possibly improve with a bit more cellaring.

Foppiano Petite Sirah 2003 - Deep purple, tannic. Some incense-like scents. Closed and not giving much on th palate. Needs a few years to tame the tannin show well on the palate.

Matua Valley Ararimu Merlot/Cbernet Sauvignon NZ 1998 - Still young and in need of a few more years, this wine is still tannic with some pronounced acidity in the finish. The palate shows some good chocolate and cherry flavors.

Thanks for the notes on this. 1998 was really hot and the wines from Hawkes Bay were lauded at the time, but some of the big names have been falling over what could be considered prematurely considering the hype. Good to read that this one is hanging in there.