But does it taste as good as it looks?

I’ve just tasted 83 samples of Rosé from six countries (NZ, Australia, Italy, Spain, France and South Africa since you ask). I discovered that Rose can be great, offering a wine with the refreshing qualities of white wine and some of the flavour intensity that makes red wine so appealing.

Many were annoyingly sweet. That’s hardly surprising when you consider that making Rosé involves a certain amount of skin contact and as well as extracting colour and flavour from the skins winemakers inevitably extract tannnins. Tannins need to be balanced by residual sugar in order to prevent the wine from being unpleasantly grippy on the finish. In the case of NZ Rosé cool climate growing conditions can produce wines with fresh acidity that also needs to be balanced by sweetness.

Most South Island Rose is made from Pinot Noir, producing delicate, charming wines that can lack mouthfeel and weight. If you want wine with weight you should choose Rosé from a region that grows Bordeaux grape varieties, such as Hawke’s Bay.

None of the wines achieved a gold medal score (93 points or above) although 14 earned silver medal status. They are:

88 Clearview 2008 Black Reef Blush Hawke’s Bay $16.00 NZ

88 Martinborough Vineyard 2008 Rose (500ml) Martinborough $19.00 NZ

86 Domaine de L’Ameillaud 2007 Caianne Cote du Rhone Villages $25.00 France

86 Gibbston Valley 2008 Blanc de Pinot Noir Central Otago $25.00 NZ

85 Shaky Bridge 2008 Pinot Noir Rose Central Otago $18.00 NZ

85 Sileni 2008 Cabernet Franc Rose Hawke’s Bay $19.95 NZ

85 Rockburn 2008 Stolen Kiss Central Otago $20.00 NZ

85 Esk Valley 2008 Merlot/Malbec Rose Hawke’s Bay $20.99 NZ

85 Unison 2008 Rose Hawke’s Bay $22.00 NZ

85 Cable Bay 2008 Rose Waiheke Island $22.00 NZ

85 Mount Dottrel 2008 Saignee Rose Central Otago $23.95 NZ

85 Margrain 2008 Pinot Rose Martinborough $24.00 NZ

85 Mitolo 2008 Jester Sangiovese Rose $24.90 Australia

85 Conde de Valdemar 2007 $26.00 Spain

All (plus 38 bronze medal wines) are reviewed in detail in the Rose Tasting Notes section of this website.

Wine judging is hard yakka

I’ve spent the last week judging at the Royal International Wine Show. “International” means that New Zealand wines are allowed to be entered although I understand that this years entries were fairly small.

This is one of my favourite Australian wine competitions, not the least because I like Hobart and Tasmanians. Judging standards are high thanks to a good judging team. Let’s cut to the chase. A selection of the top wines (few of which are available in NZ) are as follows:

Tamar Ridge 2007 Botrytis Riesling - a stunning wine that competes with the best in NZ.

Banrock Station Albarino - I’ve no idea what vintage at this stage but this is a top example of a style that may have a bright future in this country.

Nautilus Estate 2007 Pinot Noir - top Pinot Noir in the show.

Yalumba Octavious  2006 Shiraz - top Shiraz, a terrific wine with great concentration and poise.

Stefano Luniana 2006 Pinot Noir - A cracker Tasmanian Pinot with great intensity and style.

Coldstream Reserve 2006 Chardonnay - Oz Chard doesn’t get much better than this.

Morris Old Premium Liqueur Muscat - More of a religious experience than a good glass of fortified wine.

Chateau Reynella 2004 Vintage Port - Made with Portugese varieties - a modern style that’s approachable now but will age. Port lovers should make an effort to buy this.

Super stickies from the master of sweet

I recently attended a new release tasting of six Framingham Botrytised wines from the 2008 vintage - a year when botrytis made its indelible and sometimes painful mark on many Marlborough wines. The wines will be reviewed in full when I have had a second chance to taste samples blind with similar styles.

The wines are:

Framingham 2008  Botrytised Viognier 375ml (148 bottles) RS 250g/l $40

Framingham 2008 Botrytised Gewurztraminer 375ml (450 bottles) RS 240g/l $40

Framingham 2008 Noble Riesling 375ml (2500 bottles) RS 190g/l $30.95

Framingham 2008 No.1 Auslese 375ml (260 bottles) RS 220g/l $40

Framingham 2008 No.2 Auslese 375ml (265 bottles) RS 220g/l $40

Framingham 2008 No.3 Auslese 375ml (254 bottles) RS 275g/l $40

I plan to add prices and residual sugar levels when I can get these from Framingham’s brilliant winemaker, Andrew Hedley. All are very good (and very collectible). My own favourite is the Gewurztraminer, an absolutely amazing wine with pure botrytis and strong varietal flavours.

Andrew says that the harvest sugars on all three Auslese Rieslings are above or just on the minimum for trockenbeerenauslese wines in Germany.

The botrytised Viognier will be sold in a two-bottle gift pack with the (outstanding) 2007 Viognier table wine for around $80. The three Riesling Auslesen will be sold in a pack of three for $100 and the leftovers (if any) will be sold as single bottles at the above prices.

Stephen Bennett MW - photo taken two years ago but he hasn't changed much

Stephen Bennett MW, founder and principal owner of Auckland-based wine distributor, Bennett & Deller, has put his money where his fairly outspoken mouth is by launching his own wine label.

Bennett & Deller mainly distributes wine from France, Spain, Italy and Argentina although they have represented several local wineries, including Isabel, Daniel Schuster and Gravitas. Steve has worked with some of his brand owners helping them to fine tune wine styles to more closely meet the market. Now he has taken total control by “designing” three wines he describes as “uncompromisingly food wines” for his mostly restaurant customers.

To demonstrate the strength and style of his Sauvingon Blanc, Riesling and Pinot Noir Steve presented them to me blind with other benchmark wines.

His Discovery Point 2008 Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc was matched with Dog Point 2008, Cloudy Bay 2008 and Saint Clair 2008 Wairau Reserve - three wines that I had previously rated highly. Discovery Point has a retail price of around $22 while the others sell for $25-$32. Discovery Point did not disgrace itself, in fact I thought that this bone-dry style oozed Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc character. It has good power and purity - I gave it 90 points.

Discovery Point Dry Marlborough Riesling $22 was matched with Craggy Range Fletcher Vineyard Marlborough Riesling - a slightly uneven playing field because the latter wine has a residual sugar level of 13.5 grams/litre while the Discovery Point is 5 g/l - although the difference probably works in favour of Craggy Range. They are both good wines. The Discovery Point Riesling is weightier with a richer and more voluptuous texture. It is, as Steve claims, an excellent food wine that gives a nod in the direction of Alsace.

At that point I ran out of time to complete the tasting and had to dash. Steve left me three glasses of Pinot Noir: his Breaksea Sound 2006, Mt Difficulty 2007 and Peregrine 2007 - all from Central Otago. I tasted the wines a couple of hours later but didn’t record notes because they had been exposed to too much air by then. Once again Steve’s wine stood up well to the competition and at a $30 price point is significantly cheaper (Mt Difficulty is $40 and Peregrine $37).

A good start. I highly recommend all three wines. All are reviewed on this site (I haven’t yet figured how to hot-link them to reviews).

They say it will age ... but will it?

A chance remark resulted in an extensive tasting of 41 examples of Central Otago Pinot Noir from 2003 or earlier. The objective of the tasting … to determine whether we should drink Central Otago Pinot Noir now or later.

When the question of ageworthiness was raised, Ruenell Rapoza, marketing and events co-ordinator of Central Otago Pinot Noir Ltd (COPL), swung into action. Member wineries were contacted and invited to send Pinot Noir from 2003 or earlier to me for a tasting that might determine just how well these wines age.

Wineries that sent samples were: Akarua, Amisfield, Carrick, Chard Farm, Desert Heart, Felton Road, Mount Edward, Mt Difficulty, Olssens, Peregrine, Pisa Range Estate, Quartz Reef, Rippon and Two Paddocks. 13 wineries sounds like a good turnout although my database reveals a further 20 wineries made wine from 2003 or before. They may not have had stocks to share or perhaps they were not members of COPL (two no longer exist).

Why is ageability an issue? Central Otago Pinot Noir is often so drop-dead delicious when it’s released why not just drink it? Ageing is an issue because it ADDS VALUE. Central Otago is already a probationary member of the Pinot Noir Big Boys Club. To gain full membership it must demonstrate that its wines improve with age. Not just hang-on-in-there with age, but improve.

Check out the president of the Pinot Noir Big Boys Club - Burgundy. Grand Cru burgundy of stature is parctically undrinkable when first released. It’s expected to be cellared for at least 10-15 years by when it will be mellow and (with luck) very complex. Would anyone shell out $1000 for a bottle of La Tache if it was best enjoyed two years after vintage? Even Premier Cru burgundy undergoes a metamorphosis from ugly egg to beautiful butterfly. Village burgundy is best enjoyed within a few years of release - but most of it cowers well under the $50 price point.

The tasting was complicated by vintage variation, a transition to screwcaps in 2001 or 2002 and, I guess, vine age plus the expected evolution in vineyard and winery that tends to create a lumpy playing field. Cutting to the chase, here are my conclusions from the tasting:

• 2002 was such a good vintage generally that it frequently emerged as the best wine in a single winery vertical. In general terms Pinot from the 2002 vintage are ageing well depite predictions that they would become over-blown and be short-lived.
• 14 out of the 41 wines were sealed with a cork. None were corked although two wines had a noticable woody cork flavour that did them no good. The two oldest wines in the tasting, both from 1999 and under cork, looked very good. I believe that both had improved significantly since they were released.
• Many wines that had seductive fruit flavours and were deliciously drinkable on release (Akarua 2002 is an example) still looked good although they hadn’t gained much benefit from bottle age.
• Felton Road “Block” wines that are (in my opinion) often over-shaddowed by the winery’s regular label upon first release seem to have outstripped the less expensive wine with bottle age. They showed very good bottle development. Conversely, I regard the recently tasted Felton Road 2007 Block 5 Pinot Noir as the best New Zealand Pinot Noir I have ever tasted. Will it get even better. You bet!

Finally … not all Central Otago Pinots are equal. Some deliciously fruity wines will never be much more than that - deliciously fruity and seem destined to decline in quality (quality = fruit) with bottle age. Others did seem to improve markedly with bottle age (Felton Block 3 & 5 are examples). I wonder whether the increasing use of stems during fermentation, in vintages that allow it, will add an extra dimension of complexity? More work needs to be done and winemakers who wish to build ageing potential into their wines need to keep a close eye on those who are already able to build wines with a future.

Tasting notes, with scores, are on my website database.

Trinity HIll prefers to lead rather than follow. Manager/winemaker John Hancock has a history of testing the boundaries in his 35 years involvement with wine. Trinity HIll pioneered Tempranillo and Touriga Nacional in this country and was one of the first producers to grow Arneis, Montepulciano, Roussanne and Marsanne.

Hancock celebrated the release of the 2007 vintage of Montepulciano with a vertical tasting of seven vintages at a lunch featuring Spanish dishes and a presentation of Flamenco dancing by one of Spain’s top groups of dancers and musicians. Lead dancer, ex-patriot Kiwi Francine Sweet, gave a brilliant and stirring presentation.

Here’s a picture of Hancock (who has become an overnight enthusiast of Flamenco dancing) and Francine (past student of my wine diploma course).

John Hancock (right) cuddling up to Flamenco dancer Francine Sweet

Here are my brief tasting notes for the seven vintages of Trinity HIll Tempranillo with scores (earlier ratings in brackets).

2002 77 - Savoury, earthy wine with hints of fruit but drying out and now well past its best. Historically interesting.

2003 80 (93) - Tannic and drying out. Earthy, savoury wine that’s also past its best (although other bottles were apparantly better than mine). Vestiges of fruit and spice provide character and a hint of what the wine once was.

2004 90 (83) - My first impression was not favourable but as the wine sat in the glass it displayed an attractive floral and spice character that won me over. Still has some fruit sweetness and length. A delicate, pretty wine - this is what I chose to drink with lunch.

2005 88 (93) - Might have had a rush of blood to the head when I tasted this wine two years ago. Alternatively I may have been a bit tough two days ago. It’s a dense and fairly tannic wine with savoury, earthy bitter chocolate characters. I like the wine’s rich texture a lot. Needs food and will develop well.

2006 93 - Delicious, accessible wine that is easy to love. Plenty of fruit sweetness (assisted by 7% Malbec and 3% Syrah in the blend) with spice, floral/violet, plum and berry characters all supported by manly tannins. Good length.

2007 90 (88) - Attractive mixed spice (or “Asian spices” as Parker jnr says) with appealing savoury complexity. Classically varietal although I’d like to see more floral characters. Dense and powerful red.

2008 94 - (barrel sample) Plump, rich and fruity wine with plum, spice floral and classy oak flavours. Very intense and powerful Tempranillo - Trinity’s best yet. Blend includes Touriga 10%, Malbec 2%, Viognier 1% - the Viognier is co-fermented.

Here’s my list of gold and silver medal Pinot Gris. Tasting notes are available on the website.

Gold Medal

94 Villa Maria 2007 Seddon Vineyard Pinot Gris Marlborough $29.99

94 Neudorf 2007 Moutere Pinot Gris Nelson $28

94 Nautilus 2007 Pinot Gris Marlborough $29

93 Prophet’s Rock 2007 Pinot Gris Central Otago $35

93 Saint Clair 2007 Pioneer Block 5 Bull Block Pinot Gris Marlborough $24.95

93 Huia 2007 Pinot Gris Marlborough $28

Silver Medal

92 Allan Scott 2007 Pinot Gris Marlborough $26

91 Chard Farm 2007 Pinot Gris Central Otago $27

91 Jules Taylor 2007 Pinot Gris Marlborough $29

91 Escarpment 2007 Pinot Gris Martinborough $29

91 Camshorn 2008 Glenmark Gravels Pinot Gris Waipara $26.95

90 Van Asch 2007 Pinot Gris Central Otago $30

90 Bilancia 2007 Reserve Pinot Gris Hawke’s Bay $33.95

90 Isabel 2007 Pinot Gris Marlborough $20

90 Staete Landt 2007 Pinot Gris Marlborough $29

90 Martinborough Vineyard 2007 Pinot Gris Martinborough $39

90 Woollaston Estates 2007 Burke’s Bank Pinot Gris Nelson $22

90 Waimea 2007 Bolithlo Pinot Gris Nelson $24.90

89 Rock Ferry 2007 Pinot Gris Marlborough $25

89 Quartz Reef 2007 Pinot Gris Central Otago $29

89 Villa Maria 2007 Cellar Selection Pinot Gris Marlborough $23.49

89 Two Rivers 2008 Wairau Selection Pinot Gris Marlborough $26

89 Tussock 2007 Pinot Gris Nelson $18

89 Seresin 2007 Pinot Gris Marlborough $28

88 Richardson 2007 Pinot Gris Central Otago $27

88 Waimea 2007 Pinot Gris Nelson $17.90

87 Aurum 2007 Pinot Gris Central Otago $25

87 Wild Earth 2007 Pinot Gris Central Otago $25

87 Rockburn 2007 Pinot Gris Central Otago $25

87 Koura Bay Sharkstooth Awatere Valley Pinot Gris Marlborough $26

87 Triplebank 2007 Awatere Valley Pinot Gris Marlborough $23.99

87 Brick Bay 2007 Pinot Gris Matakana $29

87 Burnt Spur 2008 Pinot Gris Martinborough $27

87 3 Terraces 2007 Gladstone Pinot Gris Wairarapa $19

86 Nevis Bluff 2006 Pinot Gris Central Otago $34.95

86 Nevis Bluff 2007 Pinot Gris Central Otago $25

86 Saint Clair 2007 Godfrey’s Creek Reserve Pinot Gris Marlborough $26.95

86 Framingham 2007 Pinot Gris Marlborough $26.90

86 Stoneleigh 2007 Raupara Series Pinot Gris Marlborough $26.95

86 Drylands 2006 Pinot Gris Marlborough $21.99

86 Spinyback 2007 Pinot Gris Marlborough $14.90

86 Rimu Grove 2007 Pinot Gris Nelson $31.50

86 Shingle Peak 2007 Reserve Pinot Gris Marlborough $19

85 Peregrine 2007 Pinot Gris Central Otago $24

85 Bilancia 2007 Pinot Grigio Hawke’s Bay $28.95

85 Monowai 2007 Pinot Gris Hawke’s Bay $22

85 Trinity Hill 2008 Black Label Pinot Gris Hawke’s Bay $29

85 Sugar Loaf 2008 Pinot Gris Marlborough $19.95

85 Starborough 2008 Pinot Gris Marlborough $20

85 Moutere Hills Dry Pinot Gris Nelson $35

Michael Daymond-King owner of Hatton Estate

Sorry, couldn’t resist using the first line of theme tune from the film “ladies Night”. It just seemed to fit for a vertical tasting of Cabernet Sauvignon blends back to 1998 from Hawke’s Bay producer, Hatton Estate.

Hatton Estate is a 16-hectare vineyard and winery in the Gimblett Gravels region of Hawke’s Bay. They make a range of impressive wines including Tahi-One, A Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot/Cabernet Franc blend. Michael invited me to a vertical tasting of seven vintages of Tahi-One, because: ” Our top wines are typically described as “closed tannic monsters, requiring age”- and instantly dismissed as they are normally tried too young and we believe this vertical will provide some good perspective as to what we have been trying to achieve. The wines end up elegant expressions of a Hawkes Bay Bordeaux blend, and apart from a mad trip down the US market palate in 02 and to a lesser extent in 03 we have remained true to the fruit and subtle oak aging.”

Although I have tasted a number of Hatton Estate wines, and particularly liked the Gimblett Road Reserve, another Bordeaux blend, I had never previously tasted their flagship wine, Tahi-One. Here are some very brief tasting notes (it was a hurried affair, I only had 15 minutes to review all wines - my fault because I had a wine course to run).

2006  (93 points) My favourite wine (not due for release until 2010). Very Bordeaux-like with fine tannins and an array of delicate (and complex) fruit, spice and floral flavours. More about structure than fruit - will age.

2005 (89 points) Attractive wine in a very different style to the 06. A classically New World style with gobs of berryfruit plus an undercurrent of spicy notes. Bigger and more obvious - easy to appreciate. Will age but accessible now.

2004 (85 points) Quite mellow wine with sweet fruit and obvious smoky oak. Dusty tannins. A bit too simple but shows nice concentration.

2003 (83 points) I was surprised to see a wine from this very frost-affected vintage. Few wineries released a top red in 2003. Quite herbal with raw, peppery flavours that contrast with riper fruit characters.

2002 (80 points) Lean, savoury wine with a thread of hardness from VA. Interesting savoury characters but a tad too much VA for a better score.

2000 (88 points) Quite bright and youthful. Still showing plenty of primary fruit flavours. Elegant and accessible. Not greatly complex but a very satisfying drink.

1998 (84 points) A bit of a curate’s egg. Slightly fecal, reduced nose (the wine, like all in the range was sealed with a cork) together with an array of developed berry and savoury characters. Hard to score - if I was in a panel and the others wanted to give it a much higher mark I wouldn’t object strongly.

Conclusion: the wines do age and the superior later vintages will age very well indeed. New winemaker, Frenchman David Ramonteu, made the 2005 and 2006 vintages. The future looks particularly bright under his stewardship.