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Two Gewurztraminers and an aged red
At the last couple of wine shows, I have been fortunate to be included in the panels judging Gewurztraminer. And although I'd like to think I was a founder member of the 'no holds barred, all singing, all dancing, bigger is better' school of gewurztraminer, I have been persuaded to be more sympathetic to the delicate, ethereal examples.
But every so often it is delightful to drink a full throttle, plump wine and I was delighted to find on Saturday night, the 2009 Pegasus Bay Gewurztraminer fitted the brief exactly. When first poured there was a little CO2 but this soon blew off and the sheer hedonistic delights of the grape; musk, rose petal, spice, lychee were revealed. At 14% alcohol this is no shrinking violet but instead a full bodied, muscular wine whose phenolic grip is offset by just a touch of residual sweetness. A magnificent honker of a wine that was so truly delicious I could have finished the bottle myself.
I didn't as I had friends coming over and wanted to get the opinion of another Gewurztraminer devotee. A resounding thumbs up.
But every so often it is delightful to drink a full throttle, plump wine and I was delighted to find on Saturday night, the 2009 Pegasus Bay Gewurztraminer fitted the brief exactly. When first poured there was a little CO2 but this soon blew off and the sheer hedonistic delights of the grape; musk, rose petal, spice, lychee were revealed. At 14% alcohol this is no shrinking violet but instead a full bodied, muscular wine whose phenolic grip is offset by just a touch of residual sweetness. A magnificent honker of a wine that was so truly delicious I could have finished the bottle myself.
I didn't as I had friends coming over and wanted to get the opinion of another Gewurztraminer devotee. A resounding thumbs up.
The 2004 Te Awa Boundary served with dinner was a lovely counterpoint to the richness of the Pegasus Bay. With time this wine has mellowed to yield a complex pencil box and cassis character with some lovely leafy, almost forest floor notes too. Smooth and silky with ripe tannins, thankfully this wasn't big and brawny. Drinking very well now and a good advert for the ageing potential of Hawke's Bay reds.
I had enjoyed the first bottle of gewurztraminer so much, I thought I'd open another one to try. In the rack waiting to be tasted was a half bottle of 2009 Johanneshof Vendange Tardive Gewurztramer. Not as sweet as I thought it would be, it has a delicious light honeyed character, pure and clear with some old rose, a touch of acacia and perhaps a little peach too. Proof positive that you can never have too much of a good thing.