Saturday, August 29, 2009

THE SPLURGE


Last night we opened a Martinborough Vineyards Marie Zelie 2003 Pinot Noir. At $180 a bottle we were sort of expecting something pretty good and I’m pleased to say that we weren’t disappointed.
This is a serious wine. It has a deep ruby colour and is comparatively dark for a Pinot Noir. The bouquet was lovely – typically Pinot with nice floral tones. The palate was silky smooth but with rich Pinot fruit flavours (cherry and plum).
At first taste we thought that it is ready to drink now as it was so approachable but as the wine aired and warmed it showed its power and suggests that it will last for many years yet.

THERE"S HOPE YET


A drink or two a day could help ward off dementia, according to new research.
Light to moderate alcohol consumption has been found to cut the chances of older people developing the condition by more than a quarter.

Drink up your Chardonnay Richard (although it might already be too late).

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

CLASSICS?


I went to a wine tasting last night the theme of which was 'Coopers Classics' being a selection of New Zealand wines that have been labelled as 'Classics' by wine writer Michael Cooper in his wine atlas.
As a group we taste these wines 'blind' with only the cellar master knowing the identity of each. The challenge for this tasting was to identify varietal, region and if possible the producer of each wine.

We always have a pair of pre-tasters (not tasted blind) before each tasting and this time it was a pair of Rieslings (also rated as classics by Cooper).
These showed the diversity in NZ winemaking and styles. Both were superb examples of Riesling at different ends of the spectrum. The first was Dry River Craighall 2007 from Martinborough. This was a mineral and rich Riesling, almost austere in its structure and finish. At 12.5% alc. it was rich and strong somewhat like an Alsatian wine.
The second wine was Felton Road 2008 from Central Otago. Also rich and full this wine had a lemon meringue character and finished sweet but with a delicious acid edge. The low alcohol (9.5%) gave it a Germanic character.
These two wines were faultless and a superb illustration of what NZ can deliver.

The next flight of 6 wines were all served blind.

First was a Chardonnay which I immediately thought was a good Hawkes Bay style. It was rich and round with good butterscotch characters. It turned out to be from Nelson and was Neudorf Moutere Chardonnay 2007, their top label. I rated this my second equal best wine of the night at 18.5 points (92.5 on the Parker scale). Oh well, at least I recognized it as a good Chardonnay.

The second wine I crashed and burned on. I (and others) thought that it was a Viognier. It was slick and almost unctuous. I guessed it as Gisborne fruit. It turned out to be Odyssey Iliad Chardonnay 2007 from Gisborne. I rated this my lowest wine of the night at 17.5 (88). Odyssey Iliad is the wine that was rated a classic and has dropped off the list. This may be a reflection of the difficulty in maintaining consistency year to year with Gisborne Chardonnay due to rainy harvest times.

The next wine I am pleased to say I nailed as being Ata Rangi Pinot Noir 2007 from Martinborough. This is a dense berry and herbal tinged wine. Firm with a slight medicinal character (microbiological?) this is a stunner. I rated it my top wine of the night at 19 points (95).

Next was a wine I guessed at Hawkes Bay Syrah. I thought it could have been Te Mata Bullnose or Craggy Range. It turned out to be the Te Mata Bullnose Syrah 2007. It had a sweet, caramel fudge aroma. It was a bit green and young but may develop into something quite good. I gave it 18 points (90).

Next was what I picked as a Merlot predominant Hawkes Bay red. I didn't have a stab at the brand but guessed it to be from the Villa Maria stable. This turned out to be correct as it was Esk Valley (owned by V/M) Reserve Merlot Cabernet 2005. It had a dense nose and a rich, plum pudding character. It was a bit light in the mid=palate but finished sweet and nice. I gave it 18.2 (91).

The last wine was very good. It was my second equal wine at 18.5 points (92.5). I correctly guessed it as a Hawkes Bay Bordeaux blend but was unsure of the label. It was Esk Valley 'The Terraces' 2004 Malbec/Merlot/Cabernet Franc. It had a lifted almost peppermint nose mixed with chocolate and a solid structure. Lovely.

This was a good tasting. Those who are familiar with serious blind tasting know that we can be very, almost overly, critical of wines when we are dissecting them and applying scores. Some of the best and most expensive wines in the world can be given low scores. When the same wines are tasted with the labels shown or with food, they can seem superb. These New Zealand wines, under harsh evaluation all showed up brilliantly to high silver or gold standard. They are 'Classics' and fortunately we have a lot more of them on offer.

Sunday, August 9, 2009

GREAT WINE, GREAT DINNER - NO HANGOVER



We opted for Lanson Black Label NV starter and Henschke Hill of Grace Shiraz 1992 last night.
The Lanson was good as usual. It has some age on it (I bought it 2 years ago) and it is rounding out a bit - not oxidative but has a richer character than when it is first released. Lanson is one of the few non-malolactic fermentation Champagnes and when new is very crisp and fresh.

The 1992 Hill of Grace was stunning. This wine is 17 years old and still very rich and alive. It had a deep crimson colour suggesting a much younger wine. The aroma was very fragrant and almost heavy with cherries and blackcurrants. The taste was very fruity suggesting a wealth of dark fruits (plums blackberries and cherries. There were no rough edges to it and the soft tannins made for a lovely full finish. No wonder people pay so much for this wine. The current sell price for the 1992 is between 400 and 500 dollars.

Her Indoors excelled with the meal. I like simple foods and opt for Schnitzel for special occasions. Often buying good schnitzel is difficult and we don't like to opt for the milk-fed veal variant. H.I. chose a piece of beef fillet which she sliced thinly and coated in egg, breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese. It was delicious and very, very tender. I won't waste time trying to buy schnitzel from now on. I will buy the best piece of fillet and slice it very thinly like she did.
For dessert H.I. mad a Napoleon cake (layers of pastry and sponge cake with jam (cherry) and cream in between. Scrumptious.

No hangover this morning - a mark of both moderation and good wine.

Saturday, August 8, 2009

ITS MY BIRTHDAY TODAY




I won't have a cake with candles because of the fire risk but Her Indoors is cooking a special birthday dinner for me.
I will raid the wine cellar for some delectables. Possibilities are - Roederer Champagne for starter and either Sassicaia or Hill of Grace for main. We have some nice sweet wines but probably won't open one with dessert as its a bit over the top. If we do it might be an Inniskillen.

Berrocca for breakfast.