A big bold Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot dominant wine. The ripe fruit has rich blackberry and blackcurrant flavours. The structure is all fine-grained tannins underpinned with very good oak. The finish is long and elegant. Swirling this wine in your mouth opens up spicy and earthy notes. Don’t spill it on your white shirt or tablecloth as you’ll never get out the purplish stains.
A Second or even First-Growth Bordeaux? Sure tasted like one. No. This is a good old kiwi wine (not a cheap one at $65). It is Sacred Hill Helmsman 2007 Cabernet Merlot from Hawkes Bay (appropriately named).
'Bordeaux' varietals, particularly from Hawkes Bay and Waiheke island are showing great promise and people are sitting up to take notice. The film Bottle Shock is doing a circuit on SKY TV at present. This is the one that shows Californian wines challenging (and winning against) some high flying French wines including top Bordeaux wines. Last year a comparative tasting of First Growth Bordeaux wines and Hawkes Bay wines showed the Hawkes Bay wines showing up extremely well against their aristocratic cousins and at least a tenth of the price. Four of the top six wines were NZ including the number one wine. An older version of this wine, the 2005 Helmsman came in at number three.
So what am I saying? I'll say it now as the wine is after all 14% alc/vol and might not make much sense after I've finished the bottle (Her Indoors is away) - Don't underestimate the best red wines from New Zealand (also don't overestimate a lot of the others including a lot of ordinary Pinot Noir). The good news is that the best New Zealand red wines even if they are going to set you back between $40 and $100 are one fifth, one tenth and even one twentieth of what you might pay for an American or French equivalent.
So what am I saying? I'll say it now as the wine is after all 14% alc/vol and might not make much sense after I've finished the bottle (Her Indoors is away) - Don't underestimate the best red wines from New Zealand (also don't overestimate a lot of the others including a lot of ordinary Pinot Noir). The good news is that the best New Zealand red wines even if they are going to set you back between $40 and $100 are one fifth, one tenth and even one twentieth of what you might pay for an American or French equivalent.
4 comments:
So,
to sum up, it got you pissed quickly and it tasted nice?
"Don’t spill it on your white shirt or tablecloth as you’ll never get out the purplish stains."
Comeinyourpants has a lot of experience at removing stains. Talk to him.
I only drunk half of the bottle last night, leaving the other half to see how it would develop.
The days 'breathing' has 'fluffed' it up making the wine fuller, rounder and softer without losing any of its richness. The Cabernet is less dominant now and the Merlot has a chance to express itself. I have said before that young wines, particularly NZ and Australian wines, need plenty of opening time to develop.
The second glass was superb. Chocolatey and rich, soft but powerful. I'm really glad I left some to try later.
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