Welcome back folks! At least we’re having a great summer with no lockdowns so far and life is almost back to normal..
here’s a roundup of my favourite wines since my December column.
Château Gassier Esprit Rosé 2019 - $24
Crisp and dry, flavoursome, fab and French. Hints of cherry nougat, and red berry fruits. A clean tangy finish. Available Meldrum Philips Jervois Road. BTW I forgot to mention that Meldrum Philips stocks Billecart Champagnes as featured in the Christmas issue.
Matawhero Single Vineyard Gisborne Pinot Noir Rosé 2020 - $22
Pale salmon pink. A lovely aperitif, with strawberries and cream palate. Medium bodied and with a hint of sweetness and spice. Crisp and refreshing. Available: Glengarry.
Matawhero Single Vineyard Gisborne Gewürztraminer 2020 - $21
Classic gewürzt profile. Aromas of passionfruit, lychees, and jasmine. Clean and crisp palate of lychee and guava with a hint of rosewater. Finishes yeasty, crisp and tangy. Available: Glengarry.
Pegasus Bay Waipara Valley Gewürztraminer 2019 - $30
Complex and dry, with flavours of tangy grapefruit marmalade and Turkish delight. Rich, unctuous and a bit funky from wild yeast. The grapes were picked late with a degree of Noble Rot (botrytis) and left to age for six months in oak puncheons. Available: Glengarry.
Matawhero Single Vineyard Gisborne Sauvignon Blanc 2020 - $21
Fresh cut green pepper on the nose. An elegant and softer take on the typical New Zealand sav. Herbal and grassy flavours with a hint of green tomato and passionfruit, with medium acids. Available: Glengarry.
Giesen ‘The August’ Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2018 - $41
Something different – a barrel fermented sav with soft acids and lots of complexity. At a respectable 13.5% alcohol, this is a mouth-filling, creamy wine with flinty minerality and soft acids. Big palate of black currant, creamy yeast and a bit of gooseberry. Available: Fine Wine Delivery Co.
Lake Chalice Plume Chardonnay 2016 - $50
Flinty and funky on the nose with a rich palate of grapefruit, peach, nectarine and canned apricots. Lengthy intense finish with yeasty tang. Available: Glengarry, www.blackmarket.co.nz
Bogle Phantom Chardonnay California 2018 - $30
Phantom is a reserve style from Bogle, a tad more restrained than the standard label. Notes of toffee, toast and a hint of vanilla with a lengthy palate of roasted peach, butterscotch and ripe grapefruit. Available: Pt Chev Organic Wines, Meldrum Philips.
Lake Chalice Plume Pinot Noir 2017 - $50
Smoky aromas. Very much a savoury take on the pinot noir style. Big flavours of black olive, mushroom, black berry fruit and cassis. Lengthy palate. Drink now or keep for two years. Available: Glengarry, www.blackmarket.co.nz
Coal Pit Tiwha Central Otago Pinot Noir 2018 - $57
Stunningly good value pinot from Central Otago. I sampled this wine on a recent visit and just had to bring a bottle home. Smoky, soft and savoury, with ripe blackberry and cherry. Silky and seductive. Available: Caro’s Parnell.
Molly Dooker ‘Maitre D’ Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 - $40
Wow. Ticks all the boxes for a standout Australian hot climate cabernet. Deep dark garnet colour. It’s a muscly youthful swaggering wine, full of potential and confidence, but very seductive just the same. 15.5% alcohol. Loaded with huge blackcurrant, dark chocolate, spice and
a hint of typical cab mintiness. Available: Pt. Chev Organic Wines. (PHIL PARKER)
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