Tasted July 2008

Here is a range of tasting notes of various New Zealand wines that have come my way over the last few months.


2007 Blind River Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc
Highly aromatic, albeit faintly sweaty, grassy/gooseberry aromas; fresh and lively palate; 10% barrel ferment not diminishing varietal expression, but adding to texture.
92 points, $24.95, 13% alcohol, Screwcap

2007 Churton Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc
Someone has to be different, even with sauvignon blanc, the cork adding a note of quasi-barrel ferment character, the US destination explaining the closure. Has not suffered unduly, with a great volume of gooseberry, pineapple and passionfruit flavours.
95 points, $26.50, 13.5% alcohol, Cork

2007 Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc
Aromas of passionfruit, ripe apple and citrus; has excellent thrust and drive, building intensity on the back-palate, finish and aftertaste.
95 points, $34.95, 13.5% alcohol, Screwcap

2007 Forrest Estate Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc
Contrast of fine structure and focus with tropical fruit aromas and flavours; passionfruit and pawpaw come through loud and clear.
96 points, 14% alcohol, Screwcap

2007 Giesen The Brothers Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc
Bracingly clean and crisp, with slippery acidity coursing through fruit ranging from herbaceous to tropical.
93 points, $25.50, 13% alcohol, Screwcap

2007 Isabel Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc
Powerful, tightly structured and focused wine, with an added dimension to its steely/minerally backbone holding herb and fruit notes together.
94 points, $27, 13.5% alcohol, Screwcap

2007 Matua Valley Estate Series Paretai Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc
Fragrant, verging on pungent, aromas flow through directly to the lancing fruits of the palate, which linger in the mouth for an unusual length of time. The price is justified.
96 points, $34.95, 13.5% alcohol, Screwcap

2007 Matua Valley Hawke's Bay Sauvignon Blanc
A clean bouquet and palate, with gentle stone fruit and apple in a different flavour register to Marlborough.
89 points, $16.95, 13% alcohol, Screwcap

2007 Matua Valley Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc
Has good fragrance, and likewise line and flow to the fruit on the palate, with citrus, grass and gooseberry intermingling.
91 points, $20.95, 13.5% alcohol, Screwcap

2007 Montana Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc
Generous fruit aromas, spotlessly clean, are repeated on the crisp palate, ranging from herb/capsicum to passionfruit; very good value.
92 points, $19.50, 12.5% alcohol, Screwcap

2007 Oyster Bay Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc
It is easy to see why this wine outperforms its price, and why it attracts so many buyers, for it is chock-full of a basket of ripe fruit flavours from start to finish, and will stand up to almost any seafood/pasta/white meat dish.
93 points, $19.95, 13% alcohol, Screwcap

2007 Shingle Peak Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc
Very different to other sauvignon blancs, with strong pear and apple aromas and flavours on the fore-palate, moving to citrus on the appealing finish.
94 points, $25.95, 13% alcohol, Screwcap

2007 Staete Landt Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc
Powerful, intense, layered wine, with a strong mineral core to the palate; structure, rather than overt fruit flavour, is the driver.
90 points, 13.5% alcohol, Screwcap

2007 Twin Islands Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc
Appealing mix of capsicum, herb and passionfruit flavours; does shorten fractionally on the finish.
89 points, $16.95, 13.5% alcohol, Screwcap

2007 Wither Hills Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc
Shows none of the reduction which has sometimes marked this wine; instead there is a crystal pure display of fruits on a palate that has excellent intensity and energy.
95 points, $23.95, 13% alcohol, Screwcap

2006 Forrest Estate James Randall Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc
An intense and complex wine, with great mouthfeel, ripe fruits coating the tongue without any phenolic heaviness; superior wine which has developed without faltering.
96 points, 14% alcohol, Screwcap

2005 Cloudy Bay Te Koko
Absolutely true to its style and inheritance, almost shockingly different to all other New Zealand sauvignon blancs, closer to Didier Dagenau's Loire Valley style; texture and structure are the cornerstones.
94 points, $54, 13.5% alcohol, Screwcap

2007Craggy Range Kidnappers Vineyard Hawke's Bay Chardonnay
It's easy to see why Craggy Range acknowledges Chablis inspiration; the wine has exceptional purity, intensity and length, oak of minimal importance to the grapefruit and white peach flavours.
95 points, $32, 14% alcohol, Screwcap

2007 Oyster Bay Marlborough Chardonnay
Indifferent oak impacts on both bouquet and palate; the wine can't escape its clutches.
86 points, $19.95, 13.5% alcohol, Screwcap

2007 Villa Maria Private Bin Hawke's Bay Chardonnay
A complex fusion of French oak and ripe stone fruit flavours in a medium-bodied, easy drinking style.
89 points, 13.5% alcohol, Screwcap

2006 Cloudy Bay Chardonnay
Immaculately crafted and super-elegant wine; fruit, oak, lees and malolactic fermentation are all seamlessly interwoven and balanced; long finish to a lovely wine.
96 points, $44.95, 14% alcohol, Screwcap

2005 Domaine Georges Michel Golden Mile Marlborough Chardonnay
Brilliant green-straw; a powerful and complex wine, with an array of ripe stone fruit flavours; the alcohol does burden the finish somewhat.
90 points, 14.5% alcohol, Diam

2005 Staete Landt Marlborough Chardonnay
Ominously developed colour; some sweetness evident; may not be typical, for oxidation is also part of the picture.
85 points, 14% alcohol, Cork

2004 Forrest Estate John Forrest Collection Chardonnay
Elegant but intense wine, slowly developing with grace and certainty; smoky/spicy notes (ex oak) on the bouquet, then ripe stone fruit takes control on the long palate.
94 points, 14% alcohol, Screwcap

2007 Isabel Marlborough Pinot Gris
Faintest hint of straw-pink colour; pear, apple and spice aromas lead into a full-on palate, resplendent with fruit, not reliant on residual sugar.
92 points, $27, 13% alcohol, Screwcap

2007 Montana North Island Pinot Gris
A crowd-pleasing style, with enough flavour to satisfy, but not so much as to cause anyone to stop and think about it.
88 points, $20.95, 13% alcohol, Screwcap

2007 Secret Stone Marlborough Pinot Gris
Clearly defined varietal fruit expression, a pear and strawberry mix with a hint of sweetness in the background.
89 points, $19.50, 14% alcohol, Screwcap

2007 Stoneleigh Marlborough Pinot Gris
Pale straw-pink; tighter and more focused than many, with a string of citrus holding riper fruit (apple and spice) together; good length and balance.
90 points, $20.95, 13.5% alcohol, Screwcap

2007 Villa Maria Private Bin East Coast Pinot Gris
Fragrant aromas lead into an easy-drinking style, albeit a little loose and fuzzy.
87 points, 14% alcohol, Screwcap

2007 Secret Stone Marlborough Pinot Noir
Light, bright crimson; varietal fruit on both bouquet and palate, but borders on rose weight.
87 points, $20.95, 13.5% alcohol, Screwcap

2006 Churton Marlborough Pinot Noir
Cork taint.

2006 Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir
Convincing colour; medium-bodied, but has excellent thrust to the bell-clear varietal fruit expression, with some spicy stemmy nuances which add to overall appeal, conferring complexity and structure.
84 points, $47, 14% alcohol, Screwcap

2006 Craggy Range Te Muna Road Vineyard Martinborough Pinot Noir
Strong, quite deep colour; very complex aromas, and an even more complex palate, which has outstanding drive and energy to the layers of black cherry and plum, and a dusting of spice; great peacock's tail finish.
96 points, $70, 14% alcohol, Screwcap

2006 Domaine Georges Michel Golden Mile Marlborough Pinot Noir
Fresh, bright red berry fruits on both bouquet and palate, which is lively and unforced by either oak or extract.
90 points, 13% alcohol, Diam

2006 Forrest Estate John Forrest Collection Pinot Noir
This is one of those pinots which insidiously creep up on you, initially a little one-dimensional, but then revealing more with each sip; plummy fruit has a delicious cut of tangy acidity, and the palate has great length; all this at only 12.5% alcohol.
93 points, 12.5% alcohol, Screwcap

2006 Staete Landt Marlborough Pinot Noir
Relatively light colour; spicy/stemmy notes intermingle with black cherry and plum fruit; overall, a quite austere style, but has length.
90 points, 14% alcohol, Cork

2006 Terra Nova Pinot Noir
Fresh, lively, light-bodied style with red fruit (cherry, strawberry, raspberry) flavours, but not much complexity.
88 points, $30, 13% alcohol, Screwcap

2006 Wither Hills Marlborough Pinot Noir
Bright colour; quality pinot noir, marrying complex and intense dark fruits with perfectly judged French oak and tannins; slick winemaking.
95 points, $49.95, 14.5% alcohol, Screwcap

2006 Villa Maria Private Bin Hawke's Bay Merlot
Bright crimson-purple; tangy cassis and blackcurrant fruit has fine powdery tannins woven through it to great effect, with oak in the background.
92 points, 13.5% alcohol, Screwcap

2005 Forrest Estate John Forrest Collection Cabernet Sauvignon
Retains youthful crimson hue; elegant medium-bodied cabernet, with savoury/spicy overtones to both bouquet and palate, lingering tannins adding length.
92 points, 14% alcohol, Screwcap

NV No. 1 Family Estate Cuvee No. 1
Brilliant green-straw; excellent intensity and complexity given 100% chardonnay; citrus, brioche and white peach all coalesce on a long and distinguished palate.
94 points

NV No. 1 Family Estate Cuvee Number Eight
Light straw-pink; the strawberry component is very obvious, but not the least heavy or unbalanced; almost juicy flavours have a come-hither impact.
92 points