New Zealand Wine Tasting

New Zealand Wine Tasting
Oxford and Cambridge Club
13 May 2010

Map

1. Waipara Springs, Sauvignon Blanc, Waipara 2009
13% Stone, Vine and Sun, £9.95
Very pale. More grassy and asparagus than gooseberry. Crisp and acidic but not sharp - actually quite soft mouthfeel. Good length.

2. Two rivers of Marlborough, Pinot Gris Marlborogh, 2008
13.5% Philglas & Swiggot, £11.99
Some creamy oak. Yeasty, "leesy" note. Some floral notes. Stone fruit. Good intensity. Crisp finish. Surprisingly good for a pinot gris.

3. Mud House, Chardonnay, Hawke's Bay, 2008
13%. Stone, Vine and Sun, £9.95
Round. Ripe fruit. Quite a hot-climate chardonnay. Butter, cream and yeast. A little unbalanced. Not noticeable if oaked. Medium acid. Pineapple on the finish (long).

4. Lawson's Dry Hills Riesling, Marlborough, 2007
12.5%. Philglas & Swiggot. £15.99
Very acidic (lime). Some petrol. Intense lime, green apple. Long. A little 1-dimensional but plenty of acid and fruit. Pleasant.

5. Hunter's Gewurtztraminer, Marlborough 2008
14%. Stone, Vine and Sun, £11.95
Smells of rose and turkish delight. Fragrant, like perfume. Surprisingly high acid. Soft mouthfeel. Very good.

6. Mud House, Swan Pinot Noir, Central Otago, 2007
14%. Stone, Vine and Sun, £15.50
Surprisingly jammy fruit (cherries). A slight green note on nose. High acid, low tannin. Soft and silky. Good fruit intensity. Medium-high length. Pleasant but a little too simple. This is not my favoured style of pinot-noir, but other people really like it.

7. Alpha Domus "The Navigator", Merlot/Cab Sauv/Malbec/Cab Franc, Hawke's Bay 2006
13.5%. Philglas & Swiggot £13.99
Quite a subtle nose. High acid, plenty of astringent tannin. A little green. Good balance between tannin and acid. Nice length, but the finish is a little too tannic. Probably better with food. Pretty good but not amazing.

8. Craggy Range Syrah, Block 14, Gimblett Gravels, Hawke's Bay, 2007
13.5%. Oddbins £13.59
Relatively subdued black fruit aroma. Plenty of intensity on the palate. Primary fruit on the palate. A little bit of meat on the nose. Soft mouthfeel. Lifted note in the middle of the palate. This is the best red of the night, but at the price it would be possible to get a better syrah from elsewhere. Pretty refined though - it grew on me in the glass as the wine opened up.