Even the most chauvinistic Bordelais acknowledge that good red wines can be made from the Pinot Noir grape. So, I invited 20 friends to a New Zealand Pinot Noir tasting, followed by dinner at my house on Saturday*. This was made possible by the generous contribution of wines by an English friend who came over for the occasion.
Only three of the thirteen wines had cork stoppers. The rest had screw caps. Viewed from France, however logical an explanation you provide for the latter, this unfortunately makes a poor impression. Let us hope that this will change over time.
The following notes are my own alone.
2017 Clos Henri “Petit Clos”, Marlborough – This the second wine produced by a vineyard belonging to Henri Bourgeois of Sancerre. The color was very light, as was the wine altogether. In fact, I found it dull, faded, and weak. To me it was the poorest wine in the tasting.
2017 Wairu River, Marlborough – Medium-deep color with bright cherry aromas along with a brambly component. “Sweet” yet tangy on the palate with soft velvety tannin. Good medium-weight wine which seemed very natural and forthright.
2015 Peregrine, Central Otaga – Medium deep color with a bouquet showing menthol and Christmas spices, as well as a touch of weediness. Soft texture on the palate and the wine seems to melt in the mouth. Good length. One of the more serious wines.
2015 Grasshopper Rock, Earnscleugh Vineyard, Central Otaga – OK color. The nose is a little green and artificial. Round and commercial in style on the palate, but better on the finish with tea tannin that give some grip.
2015 Ata Ranghi, Martinborough – Decent color and a nose of After Eights, but not outrageously so. Rather subtle, in fact, with considerable freshness and a positive sort of greenness. Quite chewy and develops beautifully on the palate. Good long aftertaste and clear ageing potential. My second favorite wine.
2015 Shubert, Marion’s Vineyard, Wairarapa – Medium-light in color with a nose I can only describe as shoe polish. This was a bit off and possibly showing some brett. Although better on the palate with strawberry flavors, nevertheless somewhat disjointed. Perhaps too much oak here. Candied red and black fruit on the finish.
2015 Dog Point, Marlborough – Stood out on several accounts and my favorite wine of the tasting. Medium deep color. There may have been a whiff of SO2 and/or gunpowder, but the bouquet showed lovely varietal fruit and this was the most “Burgundian” of all the wines. Refreshing and very well balanced on the palate with peppery overtones and fine length. An excellent effort.
2015 Carrick, Central Otaga – Medium-pale with a tired, stinky, soapy nose. Not very good.
2015 Two Paddocks, Central Otaga – Medium-pale color with a nose of coffee, sweet red fruit, and cinnamon. Subtle, but lacks character. More simplistic and less good on the palate.
2015 Burn Cottage, Moonlight Range, Central Otaga – This is the estate’s second wine. Medium-pale in color, it has a penetrating and slightly spirity nose with hints of leather. Starts out soft, but then becomes a little hard. Somewhat diluted on the palate, but showing candied fruit on the finish which is nevertheless too tannic in light of the wine’s intrinsic substance.
2015 Pegasus Bay, North Canterbury – This was my number three. Medium-deep color with an earthy nose showing sticking plaster, cherry, and musky aromas. Thick body and good balance on the palate, as well as some mint and pepper nuances. Tannin coats the teeth. Maybe a tad overoaked, but a fine effort.
2011 Dry River, Martinborough – Average color and a slightly cosmetic nose with Port overtones. Good and chewy on the palate but somewhat top-heavy and definitely New World in style. Not one of the best. I must say though that, tasting most of the wines the next day, this had improved noticeably so that my notes should be more charitable.
2011 Ata Rangi, Martinborough – Eight years is pretty old for a New Zealand wine. Seeing as I liked the 2015 of this wine so much (see above), I was expecting great things here. However, this was not to be the case. The nose had a smell of hair tonic. The wine was heavy on the palate and although better than the bouquet, this still did not live up to expectations.
Overview? Only one or two of these wines had a flavor profile close to Pinot Noir from Burgundy. However, plenty of them had good varietal character and were quite enjoyable young. Given the price that wines from the Côte d’Or cost these days, I certainly feel that several of the New Zealand wines represent excellent value for money and three of them were world class. I much appreciated discovering them.
*For what it’s worth, not being familiar with NZ cuisine, we had leg of NZ lamb (in fact three of ‘em) and a kiwifruit pavlova for dessert.
Best regards,
Alex R.
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