IWM October 2009

We were somewhat taken aback by the comment of a fellow judge when one of us scored a wine at 14.0 points. He commented that the low score was indication that we thought the wine faulty. 

Quite the reverse. 14.0 implies clean and correct, definitely without faults but without any special feature that would make us want to recommend it.  Definitely not deserving of a medal.  Eyebrows were raised.

Having judged a number of shows recently, we are left with the impression that perhaps show judging, indeed wine criticism in general is going down the path already trodden by primary school teachers. If everyone gets a 'participation' certificate, where does that leave wines that actually are really good?  How many times does a panel score, 15.0, 15.5, 16.0 which averages out to a Bronze?   Experience tells that no judge is particularly passionate about that particular entry but we each award a 'sit on the fence' score.  And that wine goes away with a medal. Does this send out the wrong message?

Those wines that have the extra 'something' that elevates them above the morass of clean but pedestrian and boring wines should be rewarded with Gold, Silver and Bronze medals.  Whereas at present it seems almost anything that isn't out is in, as it were. 

At one show, a less experienced judge rather pointedly asked if we would ever award a gold medal to a rose wine.  Rather than bop them firmly on the nose, (which would have been a much more satisfying response), we replied, that of course, but only if the wine was deserving of it.  As only a small number of wines had been entered in the Rose class, there were a couple that just about reached silver standard, but none stood out as worthy of a gold.  What did the judge expect?  A sympathy gold to the best wine in a rather dull line-up?

Before every Show starts the Chief Judge usually gives a rousing speech, telling all judges to look for subtlety and concentration and not to be influenced by too much oak. To be aware of length and line and not seduced by alcohol and sweetness.  To reward quiet power and grace.  Naturally no-one ever follows this advice and the biggest, boldest wines often triumph. This is not a criticism, just recognition of being asked to judge 120+ wines in a limited amount of time.  Perhaps the introductory speech should outline the scoring bands (to make sure that every judge awards points in line with the rest of the team) with the dictate to award a 'no award' where the wine doesn't deserve a medal, thereby allowing more time to focus on those wines in contention for the Bronze, Silver and Golds?  

Thankfully, here at the Independent Wine Monthly, we don't have the time restraint of the big wine shows and can take our time judging. Most of the wines in this month's issue were tasted at least three times; firstly blind with both of us scoring independently, then again when we discussed each wine in turn and then finally a couple of hours later when the wines had had an opportunity to breathe a little.

As we aren't looking for a quota of medals nor have any advertisers to answer to, it means we continue to judge with complete freedom. And if that means we don't find many high scoring wines so be it. 

 

 

 

Craggy Range continues to expand its portfolio and now produces five individual pinot noirs.  Having tasted all five, each is quite a different wine, as one would hope, and they provided solid if at this stage unspectacular drinking. However one has to wonder why Craggy is branching out into so many different wines so soon,  given the usual quality level aspired to by the label. Many of these wines suggest plenty of potential but lack the concentration and definition one would hope to see when a label is placing such a clear stake in the ground for single vineyard identity justification.  Four of the wines in the range come from Otago (central and north) suggesting Craggy Range may have decided richer pickings for the variety are found further south than their initial pinot noir explorations in Martinborough, though their website does not shed too much light on this. 

The 2008 Craggy Range Zebra Pinot Noir is from Bendigo and shows a mid-bright ruby colour and a pretty though not very concentrated nose.  Both the nose and palate display mainly red fruits, with raspberry and rich spice plus a hint of earth/mineral notes. At this stage there is too much oak dominating and some stalky tannins also give more grip than is really needed by this mid weight wine, especially on this finish. Bendigo can produce some particular lush, decadently fruited pinots (ref. Quartz Reef) but this isn't one of them.

Bannockburn yields two wines with the 2008 Craggy Range Bannockburn Sluicings displaying a slightly reticent nose at this point with vanilla-poached berryfruit.  The palate is densely fruited and again shows a cedary, cinnamon edge of oak. Finely balanced though and has a nice undercurrent of earth and mineral to the liquorice and plum fruit. Seems rather closed at this stage, only opening up slowly in the glass when retried later with dinner, but has enough poise and character to merit a higher score than the initial character would first suggest.  

Its sister wine, the 2008 Craggy Range Calvert Pinot Noir, is from the vineyard shared by Felton Road and Pyramid Valley. This is a more aromatic wine and has more of a savoury character to its poached plum/damson fruit as well as a slight edge of boiled sweets. Moderate concentration and oak again in evidence. The wine is very ‘Central Otago’ in style, with its sweet fruit and one can imagine most people liking this style of wine..  

Moving further north to the newish region of Waitaki, which is showing good potential for pinot, comes the 2008 Craggy Range Otago Station Pinot Noir. As with the Zebra, the fruit for this wine is firmly in the red spectrum, with raspberry, strawberry and cranberry in evidence. Not an especially profound aroma but gently fragrant and with some sweet spice. Moderate intensity on the palate with similarly pretty fruit to the nose and a nice lift of acid.  Not a great deal of tannin and looking slightly warm from alcohol on the finish.  

Moving much further north to Martinborough the 2008 Craggy Range Te Muna Pinot Noir is the seventh vintage produced from this site and shows quite a different character to the Otago wines.  Much bolder and more structured, the nose is dark and dense with hints of coffee and chocolate amongst the raspberry and mulberry fruit. The palate is not big and fruity but rather rich and structured with good length. At this stage looking a little youthful and closed as one would expect, though the wine continued to evolve and open up in the glass, providing excellent drinking later over dinner.

This was a fascinating line-up of wines showcasing one variety, one winemaker but five different vineyards.  Accompanying the wines was a booklet which gave comprehensive information on yield, winemaking and full technical analysis. Strangely there was no mention of when each vineyard was planted.  Whilst all of the wines showed plenty of potential it was the one from the (presumably) oldest vines, Te Muna, that clearly displayed the strongest sense of place. Affirmation perhaps that vine age is the most important criteria for premium pinot noir ? 

 

 
 

Another big and bold example from Central Otago – it is not difficult to see why people are seduced by pinots from this region. Though as with anything bold, the 2007 Mount Dottrel Pinot Noir walks a fine line in not becoming overwhelming and tiring. Fruits in the brambly, dark plum and berry spectrum with a floral lift. Quite a lot of cedar oak and also an herbal edge from the fruit which adds a nice counterbalance to that silky, opulent Otago style. Some mushroom and forest floor with the palate not as opulent as nose would suggest.  A background of tannin and acid provides structure and the wine shows very good length. 

 

 

Before the label was revealed, we would have expected the 2008 Curio Gane's Sauvignon Blanc to have come from the cooler Awatere sub-region such was the preponderance of mineral, fresh nettles, capsicum and grassiness (even some fresh sweat just on

the edge).  Surprisingly though, the wine comes from the Wairau Valley. Crisp and fresh, quite delicate and lengthy with a mineral edge. Though less opulent  (and therefore tiring to drink) than one has come to expect from most 'Reserve' wines and much much better for it. Just pulls up a wee bit short perhaps?  The 2008 Curio Castles Sauvignon Blanc does indeed come from the Awatere and has the expected intense methoxypyrazine notes. A matter of personal preference though, just how much of the green notes you do tolerate with one of us sighing in satisfaction and the other muttering slightly darkly about teetering into unripe territory. Palate is ripe with lots of richness and lovely refreshing acidity with a slight pithy edge to the finish. But the wine finishes with quite a sweet note and the release notes show 7.1g of residual sugar.  Whilst one cannot judge a wine by technical data, in this case this sweetness did poke out.  

The 2008 Curio Horrell Vineyard Pinot Gris shows some nice spice and quince as well as stonefruit and baked pears, which follow onto a palate quite medium in style with moderate length and intensity. Solid, if unexceptional. The immediate impression of the 2008 Curio d'Auvergne Vineyard Gewurztraminer is redolent of musk, gingerbread and old fashioned bath salts. The palate is rich and textural, medium-sweet with fine acid and a lovely balanced finish. Only 13.0% alcohol so no rush of heat which makes for enjoable drinking. Well judged.  So far so good for this new label, so it was a bit of a disappointment to get to the 2008 Curio Bendigo Vineyard Pinot Noir, which wasn't especially pinot noir like at all.  Some dark fruits, and not particularly varietal nor distinctive on the nose distinctive.  Sweet fruit on entry to the palate, lots of boiled sweets, this wine moved beyond the sometimes ‘tutti-fruttiness’ of some Central Otago pinots and into an almost cordial character to the fruit.  Not that much complexity and with all the sweetness the acid came off as slightly sour rather than balancing. A bit of a let down forwhat could be an otherwise promising label.

 

 

 

The 2008 Paritua Riesling engendered a lot of debate. At first we thought the nose was slightly oxidised as it has a bruised apple and wet wool note. But with time in the glass it evolved to reveal some toast, kerosene and lime. Quite good fruit and intensity but without a great deal of length.  This Riesling was unusual in that the winemaker had obviously worked the wine to provide interest and complexity, such as lees stirring but in the end had succeeded in obscuring the purity in the wine.  We retasted this wine an hour or so later but rather than developing further, the wine had faded. The golden colour of the 2008 Grace Semillon Sauvignon belies its barrel ageing with the oak giving a rather lovely tropical fruit nose of fresh guava and candied pineapple laced with light vanilla and spice, very intense. A blend of sauvignon blanc, semillon and just a smidge of chardonnay, the palate shows quite noticeable oak and has a slightly drying wood character that somewhat overwhelms the fruit and lingers onto the finish. The fruit is there but a little obscured (the notes say 50% new oak is used so perhaps a little less might be better at this stage?)  Quite an interesting wine that is one to flag for the future.

The 2008 Paritua Chardonnay is a serious take on the grape variety that shows plenty of ripe stone fruit, red grapefruit and fresh lemon flavours bound up by creamy nutty oak. Some malo influence with nutty, mealy barrel characters adding complexity. Still tastes too young and would benefit from a year or two more in bottle.

The 2007 Paritua Red looked suitably serious with its chunky expensive bottle and high quality cork.  Unfortunately the wine was horribly corked and though we tasted the wine, which seems impressive in texture, the taint made it impossible to fairly assess and score.  Thankfully, the ensuing 2007 Paritua Syrah had a lovely aroma: pepper, dark plum and floral with some coffeeish mocha oak.  Wild raspberry and plum with a positive rustic lift, it all starts off very well and continues that way, the absence of rasping tannins, the downfall of so many thankfully absent. An attractive wine for drinking now and over the next year or two. The fruit for the 2007 Paritua Pinot Noir is sourced in Central Otago and displays a bright ruby colour. Red fruited at first with a distinctly floral edge, opening up to quite a bit of new oak and its accompanying cedar and spice.  A dense savoury wine with a real herbal/sappiness and quite noticeable tannins add a slight grippy edge. This is not the typical juicy Central style and thus will not necessarily find favour with all but it is a nicely made wine that subsequently paired well with the evening’s pork roast.

 

 

 

 

The 2008 Salvare Viognier is lightly spicy with some honeysuckle and stonefruit. Light with not much concentration, this seems a fairly half-hearted effort. The  2008 Salvare Unoaked is of a fairly similar style, again light, slightly crisp but with little intensity or real character. Fruit is clean and it would be fine for a lunchtime or aperitif wine and probably will prove a better buy than the 2007 Salvare Chardonnay which starts promisingly with struck match but also alas, slightly rough oak and not that much fruit to flesh it out.  Sadly, the 2008 Salvare Merlot Rosé is also disappointingly light in flavour and character, just off-dry with a hint of stemminess and pepperiness. The red wines in the line up proved the best bets, with the 2007 Salvare Merlot benefiting from what was regarded as an excellent vintage for Merlot in the region. It has a brambly nose with some plum and spice, the fruit is ripe, tannins are silky and in balance. A plummy palate with hints of liquorice and spice. Moderate intensity and eminently drinkable. The 2007 Salvare Syrah has a lovely cracked pepper, dark berry and damson character, moderately intense yet without aggressive tannins. Not a blockbuster, not too extracted but well constructed. 

 

 
 

 

 

With talented winemaker Claire Mulholland (lately of Martinborough Vineyards) now firmly at the helm, we were itching to taste the latest releases from Amisfield. The 2009 Amisfield Sauvignon Blanc is very pale in colour and has a subtle, subdued fruit nose but plenty of armpit (mercifully though a clean one belonging to someone nice). Some pretty floral notes lift the green capsicum and white nectarine fruit and there is nicely judged acidity. Delicate and attractive. 

Part of the attraction of good rosé wine is that the best look so inviting, their colour all part of the charm. The 2009 Amisfield Saignée has a wonderful vibrant pink hue, moderately intense with wild strawberry and juicy ripe conference pears. Quite sweet but sure to hit the spot with those wanting an uncomplicated yet characterful pink wine for a hot summer’s day.  

The nose of the 2007 Amisfield Pinot Noir is wonderful: big and concentrated with masses of dark plum and berry.  Not particularly floral, but ripe and powerful. Some licquorice, wild herb notes, the palate is surprisingly silky and shows good length.  Masses of sweet fruit though not much complexity (though this may of course come with time in bottle). Though in the end this wine, while undeniably seductive, it was just a bit too opulent for its own good.

 

 

 

 

When we tasted the 2007 wine last year, we found it to be a truly delicious wine. Given the heights usually scaled by this winery when we unmasked the 2008 Neudorf Nelson Sauvignon Blanc it would be fair to say we were a teensy bit disappointed. Not very pungent but some red capsicum gooseberry, lime sherbet, nettle notes.  Moderate intensity with some nice crisp acid; fruit is ripe with lemon drops, capsicum and a Granny Smith finish. Some nice mineral notes but just feels a little short on the finish. Still, this is a label that sets the bar very high and usually vaults it with ease so it is natural that expectations may not always be met with every wine/vintage. 

 

 

One of New Zealand's most idiosyncratic labels, Matawhero has had a chequered history but was purchased by the Searle family, owners of Brunton Road Winery last year. We have been impressed by the Brunton Road wines, the aromatics being particularly strong, but unfortunately this first release from under the revamped Matawhero label isn't very promising. The nose of the 2009 Matawhero Sauvignon Blanc is quite broad, slightly stalky and with a strong suggestion of shrinkled green apple skins. Some lemon and lime fruit but a little bit dull. Just lacks intensity and length.  But hopefully better things are to come and we will be watching this label with interest.

 


 

 

The 2008 Matahiwi Holly Sauvignon Blanc shows lots of new oak and lots of acid. The latter is to be expected for the variety but to get away with the former, one needs to fruit to match. Unfortunately, in this case the oak rather overwhelms the fruit which is a shame as the wine is clearly nicely made and onecan see what they are aiming for.  Good length suggests wine will develop but at present oak dominates and there are better examples on the market.  The nose of the 2008 Matahiwi Holly Chardonnay is almost Hawke's Bay-like with plenty of golden peach and ripe apricot fruit. Again a fairly hefty layer of oak that slightly overwhelms the rather delicious silky palate. Quite a blowsy full-on style that just manages to keep everything in balance thanks to bright spine of acid.

 

 

 

 

 

The 2008 Blue House Vines Riesling has a slight hint of sandlewood and slightly phenolic flavour. Light and not very intense palate and pulls up short.  A better bet is the 2008 Blue House Vines Pinot Gris which has an attractive baked apple and fresh hay aroma together with some light floral notes. The palate has a curious sweet and sour edge and uses the touch of sweetness to offset the slight phenolic grip. 

We didn't taste the 2008 Ostler Audrey's Pinot Gris as it had a very low fill, and the screwcap was loose. Rather than judge a less than pristine bottle, we moved straight onto pinot noir.

The 2008 Ostler Caroline's Pinot Noir has a lifted aroma, with red fruits, redcurrant, strawberry and raspberry.  Light, stalky fruit flavours, mid weight  A savoury, brambly style rather than fruit forward. Good bones but perhaps needs a little more flesh. Bottle age has imbued the 2006 Ostler Caroline's Pinot Noir with a touch of forest floor and some savoury complexity along with more primary fruit notes of raspberry and strawberry nose. Attractive, pretty. The palate has structure and balance, not immediately fruity but with layers of flavour. Some toasty oak adds cedar and nutmeg.  Quite a bit of tannin. A more 'masculine' style.