Rather like London buses, you wait ages for an invitation and then two turn up at once. Waitaki Wines Association sent through an invitation to an evening tasting at which a wide range of producers, (Waitaki Braids, Grants Road, Craggy Range, Forrest Estate, Valli, Pasquale, Kurow Village and Ostler) would be showing their 2008 vintage releases. But I had already accepted an invitation from a financial institution to host an evening and present a selection of wines to a group of "high net worth individuals -hnwi". I think that meant rich people. The theme of the tasting was 'Emerging Stars' which made for an interesting selection of wines.
2007 Pyramid Valley Riverbrook Vineyard Riesling, Marlborough : an enticing example of Riesling; lifted fruit aromas with a touch of warm honey and apricot thanks to some clean botrytis, quite tropical and spicy but still subtle and pure. Delicate but with bags of personality and character. Just a teensy bit off dry.
2006 Cloudy Bay Te Koko, Marlborough : Obviously I realise that Cloudy Bay emerged some time ago, but I wanted to show an emerging style, oaked aged Sauvignon Blanc. Perhaps the third or four time I have had this wine recently and I grow more and more fond of it. The nose is so complex; ripe berryish fruit, a touch of passionfruit, some cedar and spice from the oak. The palate is strongly textural, multilayered but with acidity keeping all the exotic fruit characters in harness. One of the hnwis said the aroma reminded him of dark purple jelly babies and indeed that was EXACTLY what it smelled of. This is a style of Sauvignon Blanc that I think New Zealand could do really well. Especially if there was some old vine Semillon in the blend too.
2008 Herzog Chardonnay, Marlborough : Not really sure why I chose this wine. Technically well made and correct, nonetheless it didn't really excite on the night.
Next a pair of Pinot Noirs. If I couldn't go to the Waitaki tasting, then the tasting could come to me. 2008 Valli Pinot Noir, Waitaki was high toned with lifted red fruits, some wild strawberry and raspberry. Moderately intense and ripe with a refreshing, bright fruit character.
2006 Bell Hill Pinot Noir, North Canterbury : the wine of the night for me. Ever since I trousered the last four inches of an earlier vintage (2004?) left in a bottle shown to overseas MWs on their visit to NZ and drunk from a paper cup at Queenstown airport thus allowing me to board the tiny plane to Christchurch, I have had a soft spot for the wines of Bell Hill. Not perhaps the most esoteric or cerebral of reasons to love a winery but very much an honest one.
Bell Hill Pinot Noir is a wine of class and distinction and each successive vintage seems to offer more depth and concentration yet the wine still retains a remarkable purity and clarity of flavour. The 2006 vintage is ethereal and alluring, perfumed dark fruits, silky finely grained tannin and a sustained finish.
2004 Puriri Hills Reserve, Clevedon : Delicious and elegant. At five years of age, the 2004 Reserve is really hitting its stride, the primary fruit character almost totally replaced by complex lead pencil, cigar box earthy, forest floor complexity. Yet with vitality and life.
2007 Craggy Rangle Sophia, Hawke's Bay : A total contrast to the Puriri Hills, this was a powerful dense red with an opulent, plump fruit character, good concentration and surprisingly subtle, well judged oak. A suitably big finish to the evening.
It was fascinating to see which wines people went back to and chose a second glass. The surprise was how many people said the Pyramid Valley Riesling was their favourite. Amongst wine aficionados (and let's face it, wine geeks), the mantra 'I love Riesling' is heard with boring repetitiveness. But amongst a group of normal, albeit, wealthy punters, I would have expected them to prefer some of the other choices. One gentleman was almost embarrassed when he confided how much he liked to drink Riesling ("even the sweeter ones"). But I assured him that he was not alone and should he ever decide to change careers and enter the wine trade, he would feel right at home.
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