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- Skeeter - 04-22-2008
So long summer in the Southern Hemisphere… the cold weather hit us with a bang this month. Which is the perfect excuse to start cracking open some reds.
2005 Sacred Hill “The Wine Thief†Syrah: I got cheeky with this one… my boss at the wine store trusts me to do some ordering. So when I got the opportunity to snag some of Sacred Hills’ “Restaurant and wine fine store only†Wine Thief series, I jumped at the chance. And then jumped for my wallet to sample the syrah. I’m glad I trust my instincts, as this was excellent. No fruit-bomb shiraz, it’s a rich, complex red, savoury and gamey. The peppryness is there, but in moderation and the wine impresses with its structure, as opposed to sheer tannic power. It’s a true food syrah, and went nicely with some lamb chops. Now I’ll have to try to Wine Thief pinot, methinks.
2007 Trinity Hill Montepulciano: A rarity from the Hawke’s Bay, although there’s a bit of Italian-derived red being planted further north. A vibrant crimson in the glass, with warm, nostril-filling aromas of blackcurrant, berries and herbs. Medium-bodied, but well-structured, with a good tannic backbone. The bottle notes give it 2-4 years cellaring potential, but I saw you throw a lasagna in the oven and enjoy it now. (And so far three customers have tried it, and two ended up buying a bottle. I think that speaks for itself.)
2005 Morton Estate “The Mecureâ€: (Merlot/Cab Franc/Cab Sav/Malbec: One of four Morton reds I tried from a selection of tasting bottles delivered to the shop. This had a deep core of colour, lightening at the rim. Smelt like raspberry jube sweets, with hints of pepper and tobacco. Quite dry on the palate, with the fruit obscured behind the tannins. Didn’t carry a lot of weight, either. Thumbs in the middle.
2004 Morton Estate Syrah: Very mellow nose, a little smokey. Not much power in this one either, seeming faded, over-developed and dull. No follow-through on the finish, just petering out. Can’t recommend it.
2004 Morton Estate Black Label Merlot/Cabernet: There we go! Much better nose, very fragrant, with ripe, spicy notes. Fuller-bodied than the previous White Label reds with punchy tannins. Still quite developed though, with a drying finish. Drinking well now. The best of the bunch, although I’ve had better Hawke’s bay reds.
2002 Morton Estate “The Regent of Mortonâ€: And so we hit the last taster… Mortons NZ$60+ Bordeaux blend. I’d been wanting to try it for a while, and tried to ignore the top-shelf price, wanting to judge it on its own merits. Still, my first notes are almost apologetic. “Elegantâ€, “Might need foodâ€. “More time?â€. On leaving it for a while in the glass and trying again, my second round of notes are a little more brutally honest. Ie. “Very disappointing. Didn’t open up, no power. Fading.†In comparison to similarly-priced Hawke’s Bay wines (Esk Valley Reserve for instance) it just doesn’t have the chops, I’m afraid. Still, nicely designed label.
I did miss out on the Morton whites, however. Most of which were apparently well-received. C’est la vie.
Okay, let’s get a little more general with the monthly staff tasting notes. (Only a couple as a late close meant I had to rush it a little more than I like.)
2007 Allan Scott Unwooded Chardonnay: My notes are a little incomplete on the night, due to the mistake of sample a cheese right before the first sip. The cheese was infused with truffles. The two didn’t match well, it has to be said. Luckily we have an open bottle for our in-store tasting this week. I’ll be right back.
Right, then. Nice peach/confectionary nose. Low acidity, with sweet stonefruit flavours predominating. Doesn’t stick around too long, seeming a little hollow in the middle. Fairly simple stuff at the moment.
2006 Allan Scott Riesling: This rang a few more bells for me. Nice dry, minerally style, very crisp and clean. Good depth of citrus fruits. I’ve always been a sucker for Mr. Scotts’ Rieslings. As a bonus, it cleansed that strong cheese away beautifully.
2007 Wild South Reserve Pinot Gris: Sweet pears on the palate, full-bodied and rounded. Very smooth drinking. I called it “decent†which is pretty good complement from this pinot gris-neutral taster.
2007 Ti Point Sauvignon Blanc: Simple but enjoyable, it’s an easy drinking savvie with plenty of typical Marlborough fruit and a nice backbone of limey acid. As far as Kiwi savvies go, this does the usual good job of being way too drinkable.
2006 Wairau River Pinot Noir ’06: Tingly on the tongue, with richer, deeper fruit than the 2007’s I’ve been sampling recently. Nice berry characters, but just a shade rough on the finish.
2004 Wyndham Estate “George Wyndham†Shiraz: Across the ditch to where the ‘roos roam we go. My first note is a simple Keanu-ish “Whoa!â€. That’s a good sign. Lot of character, spiced red berries and smoky bacon nose. Full-bodied and ripe, peppery with grippy tannins. Shiraz is made for winter. And at 25 bucks retail, this one looks to be a keeper. Big Tick o’ Approval.
2005 Saltram Mamre Brook Cab Sav: An easy-drinking cab sav, very fruit-forward and much less tannic than I was expecting. Plums and blackberry predominate. Don’t bother with the cellar, just enjoy it now. (Which reminds me, I have a bottle of the ’04 in my “working cellarâ€. Okay, wardrobe. Time to pop the top on that one.)
2005 Chapel Hill Shiraz/Grenache: Long and full, but the fruit is just hiding behind the oak a little. Might want to give it a little time.
2004 Geoff Merril Shiraz/Grenache/Mouvedre: Beautiful. Excellent blend of fruit flavours and spice, fine tannins, tons of charm and drinkability. Big Tick. (Doubly so when it retails at NZ$23, and was being discounted to under 20 for the public… that’s a lot of bang for your buck.)
I flirted with some French vino as well, but they’re just not doing anything for me at this stage. (Too many mid-priced, overly tannic Bordeaux’s at these tastings for my liking.) Some good Italian reds, though.
But, just to prove that I’m not entirely anti-French, I made it to a very specific tasting. Of Pol Roger Champagne. Hosted by Christian Pol-Roger himself. My TN’s reflect that fact that some parts of the French wine industry are right up my alley. I’ll post those in the Champagne forum.
- Kcwhippet - 04-22-2008
Nice notes, Skeeter. We carry the Allan Scott SB right now, and their distributor is bringing in some of his Unwooded Chard this week for a try. He says it's better than the Kim Crawford Unoaked Chard we now carry, so we're willing to give it a go.
- Skeeter - 04-22-2008
It's a much different style to the KC Unoaked, in my experience. The Crawford is very heavily malo-ed, too much so for me these days. The Allan Scott is less on the creamy side, more primary fruitiness. But as always, your mileage can (and probably will) differ. [img]http://wines.com/ubb/wink.gif[/img]
- wondersofwine - 04-22-2008
The Wyndham Shiraz is the one that sounds especially attractive to me. I've had the Allen Scott S.B. but not the Riesling. Will look for the Riesling.