A fine tasting year
Claudine Earley25/11/2009 11:46:00 a.m.
THIS year has seen the rise in popularity of pinot gris, especially among the ladies.
At netball drinks nowadays it’s Yealands Pinot Gris 2008 ($15) replacing the old favourite sauvignon blanc. Easier to drink as an aperitif thanks to low acidity, gris still has the fruitiness that made us fall in love with sav, only pear rather than passionfruit. A touch of yeasty lees character adds texture. And it’s the perfect match with another ladies’ fave, Thai food.
Having said that, those who turn to the time-honoured bastion of Marlborough winemakers will find the 2009 sav vintage the best in years.
Thanks to yield management through shoot thinning and maximum cluster exposure, fruit is full of flavour. One to look out for is Invivo Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2009 ($19.95). The wine cries out for scallops with its salty marine aromas and sweet hints of tropical fruit mimicking the salty sweetness of the delicate kai moana.
The growing prestige of Hawkes Bay syrah has been another highlight this year. Plantings are on the increase, helped by the annual Syrah Workshop held in February to get winemakers together to develop a Kiwi style of syrah.
My favourite this year, Cottage Block Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2007 ($38.95), has oaky plum, black currant and spice aromas. Flavours were still a bit closed when I tasted it in September, but its tight plum/cassis/chocolate notes should open with age. Most impressive was its texture, smooth like milk, and its mouth-filling warmth reminiscent of black doris chocolate cake.
Another hot topic of 2009 has been terroir – does the soil, climate and topography make a difference to the flavour of the wine? The growth in single vineyard wines, expressing that “sense of place”, proves winemakers are willing to test the theory that wine reflects the environment in which it is grown. Saint Clair winery has been doing it for years with their series of “Pioneer Block” wines, where you can try 11 very different savs, six pinot noir and four chardonnay. Go on, I dare you.
The most interesting experiment of the year, however, highlights the influence of the winemaker over the grape. Three winemakers using pinot noir grapes from the same parcels of fruit came up with their own expression. Felton Road’s Calvert Vineyard provided the ingredients, while the craftsmen came from Craggy Range, Pyramid Valley and Felton. Raymond Chan from Regional Wines conducted a tasting of the three, and those present deemed the Felton Road “Calvert” Pinot Noir 2008 ($67.40) the most elegant, Raymond scoring it a whopping 19/20.
Predictions: Prices will go down, a trend already apparent in the UK where a supermarket price war over champagne has seen Moët drop to £14.39 a bottle. The number of wineries using “sustainable” practices will go up, though it’ll be interesting to see how wine-lovers react to the introduction of plastic bottles by Peter Yealand – eek or chic?
At netball drinks nowadays it’s Yealands Pinot Gris 2008 ($15) replacing the old favourite sauvignon blanc. Easier to drink as an aperitif thanks to low acidity, gris still has the fruitiness that made us fall in love with sav, only pear rather than passionfruit. A touch of yeasty lees character adds texture. And it’s the perfect match with another ladies’ fave, Thai food.
Having said that, those who turn to the time-honoured bastion of Marlborough winemakers will find the 2009 sav vintage the best in years.
Thanks to yield management through shoot thinning and maximum cluster exposure, fruit is full of flavour. One to look out for is Invivo Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2009 ($19.95). The wine cries out for scallops with its salty marine aromas and sweet hints of tropical fruit mimicking the salty sweetness of the delicate kai moana.
The growing prestige of Hawkes Bay syrah has been another highlight this year. Plantings are on the increase, helped by the annual Syrah Workshop held in February to get winemakers together to develop a Kiwi style of syrah.
My favourite this year, Cottage Block Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2007 ($38.95), has oaky plum, black currant and spice aromas. Flavours were still a bit closed when I tasted it in September, but its tight plum/cassis/chocolate notes should open with age. Most impressive was its texture, smooth like milk, and its mouth-filling warmth reminiscent of black doris chocolate cake.
Another hot topic of 2009 has been terroir – does the soil, climate and topography make a difference to the flavour of the wine? The growth in single vineyard wines, expressing that “sense of place”, proves winemakers are willing to test the theory that wine reflects the environment in which it is grown. Saint Clair winery has been doing it for years with their series of “Pioneer Block” wines, where you can try 11 very different savs, six pinot noir and four chardonnay. Go on, I dare you.
The most interesting experiment of the year, however, highlights the influence of the winemaker over the grape. Three winemakers using pinot noir grapes from the same parcels of fruit came up with their own expression. Felton Road’s Calvert Vineyard provided the ingredients, while the craftsmen came from Craggy Range, Pyramid Valley and Felton. Raymond Chan from Regional Wines conducted a tasting of the three, and those present deemed the Felton Road “Calvert” Pinot Noir 2008 ($67.40) the most elegant, Raymond scoring it a whopping 19/20.
Predictions: Prices will go down, a trend already apparent in the UK where a supermarket price war over champagne has seen Moët drop to £14.39 a bottle. The number of wineries using “sustainable” practices will go up, though it’ll be interesting to see how wine-lovers react to the introduction of plastic bottles by Peter Yealand – eek or chic?
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