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+--- Thread: Assortages: End of March (NZ/Aus/France) (/thread-8323.html)
- Skeeter - 04-05-2004
A busy end to last month saw me attend a work-related tasting of the new selections our bar now stocks, follwed by a major tasting at the Fine Wine Delivery Comapys annual sale. So, here's the notes and recollections I have of the end of March.
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2003 Matua Valley Sauvignon Blanc: Massive, fruity nose, with gooseberry and tons of passionfruit aromas. Extremely crisp and acidic, almost a green apple tangyness to it. I've always been a big fan of SB's of this style, and could definately drink it.
2003 Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc: Our top-tier SB at the bar... going for an extra dollar a glass more than the Matua. Soffter, more rounded and less upfront than the Matua, very stylish and no less drinkable. My notes mention melon flavours. (I preferred the Matua, but the Oyster Bay is out-selling it already, due to a good name recognition factor, I think.)
2002 Lincoln Winemakers Selection Chardonnay: The house white... VERY lightly oaked, and one that in all honesty does nothing for me. My notes just read "Light, restrained" and "Wussy".
2001 Trinity Hill Chardonnay: The "Wine of the Month" at one of our resturants. Full-bodied, rich, extremely long finish, beautifully intergrated oak. Should match nicely with a wide variety of foods. Very nice.
2002 Brookfields Otihi Estate Cabernet Sauvignon: Described by our taste-master as a classic Kiwi red, this was a stunner. Beautiful ruby color, huge nose, long and complex. Nice spicey flavours, drying tannins, but not too heavy even for me. Great stuff!
2002 Lincoln Merlot: The "House Red". Unoaked, plenty of ripe fruit flavours, soft and smooth. A good, easy-drinker, and apparently agood value-for-money bottle. (I'm unsure as to what it retails for... we're selling it for NZ$5.50 a glass.) Much more my style than the chardonnay.
2002 Stoneleigh Pinot Nor: Our "top-shelf" red... bottle sales only, thank you! Blackcurrant-juice appearance, nice smooth berryfruit (Bosenberries to my palate), quite drying tannins. Who'd thought I'd be turning into a red man?
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The notes below are from the Wine Company tasting... over 100 vintages were available. I didn't try them all, in case you were wondering... although I did leave with a nearly-filled tasting book and a craving for a cheeseburger. (Spitting? How uncouth.) [img]http://wines.com/ubb2/smile.gif[/img]
2003 Te Kairanga Sauvignon Blanc: Wow! An oaked SB, herbaceous, very mouth-filling and complex. The words 'A Stunner!" are on my notes, and they're even underlined! I MUST have liked that one. Very limited stocks of this one, more's the pity
2003 Tasman Bay Chardonnay: A nice oaky tang, exceptionally long, elegant and smooth. I liked their pinot gris, and I like this one just as much. (Possibly more.)
2002 Leasingham Reisling: A Claire Valley wine, slightly kersene-y on the nose. Soft and lemony, but far too short and light for me. Thumbs leaning downwards.
2000 Leasingham Shiraz: Also restrained and mellow, an easy-drinker to be sure, but a little shy for me. Next!
1999 Browns of Padthaway "Ernst" Shiraz: NOW we're talking. Big but balanced Aussie shiraz, with tons of white pepper. Not overpowering, though. Excellent.
1999 Hugel Reisling: Here's where things got interesting... my first Alsace riseling! A bit of a shock to the system , too... VERY different from the Kiwi/Aussie reilsling I've been used to. I have a tentative "guava"? note, but I was somewhat undecided on it. More experimentation is required, methinks.
2000 Domaines Schlumberges Pinot Grigo: THIS however, was a revalation. (Or possibly an epihany... I get those two confused.) To quote directly from my notes: "Wow! Pear, cream, v. long, super mouthfeel, v. drinkable (underlined)". I'm giving the French their due on this one... it could certainly make a pinot gris drinker out of me!
2000 Domaines Schlumberges Gewurtztraminer: Great aroma, with massive floral scents. As usual for a Gewurtz, the taste did bugger all for me, though. Maybe with a good Thai meal...
I headed to the Penfolds table next. Ouch. Came away humming "Oak Bomb" to the tune of a Tom Jones number. WAY too tannic for me. (My boss later said he likened a young Penfolds to be like "licking the inside of the barrel". I tend to agree.) The 2002 Bin 138 Grenache/Shiraz/Mourvedre was about the only one I could see myself drinking. (Well, without giving it a decade to soften first.)
2003 Brookfields "Bergman" Chardonnay: Very lightly oaked chardoannay. Easy-drinking, fruit-driven and quite nice. (Amnd very friendly and approachable after getting mugged by the Penfolds Gang.) An "anytime" wine.
2002 Sacred Hill "Riflemans" Chardonnay: Insanely long, fully-oaked beauty from a winery I'm rapidly becoming a devotee of. Complexity to spare, buttery and the wiiner of Skeeters' "Two Thumbs Up" award. The pick of the litter, in my humble opinion.
But, of course I had to finish up with my personal favourite... the Dessert Wine. Sadly, there was only one(!!) variety for tasting. (I'm sure Georgie shares my dissappointment.)
2003 Te Mania Botrytis Late Harvest Riesling: Honey, citrusy, good length and a good wine! (Of course, I think I peaked too early, as I'm forever comparing stickys to my all-time favourite from Selaks, but this one stood up pretty well.)
And the result of all this tasting? Well, I could only afford one bottle at the time. (Damn you, Mastercard! Once I pay you off, I'm taking a corkscrew to that 19%-interest-attracting money sponge!) And I came away with... a red! (And Winoweenie stands up and applauds...)
And not even one I tasted that day, either. Nope, I found a few bottle of Vidal Estates' hard-to-aquire Soler Syrah. (On special, too!) One now resides in my cupbaord for a special occasion. (Like, say, a day that ends in"Y".)
A good day, all round, really.
- Innkeeper - 04-05-2004
Making me thirsty early in the morning again Skeets.
- dananne - 04-05-2004
More and more reds are beginning to creep into these reports [img]http://wines.com/ubb2/smile.gif[/img]
Sounds like a fun day!
- winoweenie - 04-05-2004
" And on the 7th Day". Great notes there Skeets. Knew you'd see the light eventually.
You're correct about the Penfolds but they do reward the parient.WW