Tasting Notes 18 found

Best of New Zealand Celebration for Rob and Gordon (Wanaka Wedge House, Queensberry, Central Otago, New Zealand): Out of a magnum, this was drunk at a particular peak of perforation. Aged character of undergrowth, mushroom, smokey oak adds nuance to a suave, totally elegant rendition of Bannockburn fruit. Like the Quartz Reef 2015 BdB and the Kumeu Mate's Vyrd 2020, this presented as fine wine of rare elegance and refinement. Not a hard edge in sight, all suppleness, balance and depth. Great wine. (608 views)

$ FIND THIS WINE on WINE-SEARCHER.COM $

Best of New Zealand Celebration for Rob and Gordon (Wanaka Wedge House, Queensberry, Central Otago, New Zealand): Gorgeous chardonnay of unequalled elegance and refinement from this estate. Still a baby, but approachable, with classic KR minerality, tight oaty complexity, supple texture, and vibrant acids, which provide pin point balance. Drunk in a lineup of Grand Cru Burgundies, one would be very hard pressed to pick this out as an imposter. This is world-class wine., with a finish that will not quit. 95++ Will improve. (3038 views)

$ FIND THIS WINE on WINE-SEARCHER.COM $

Best of New Zealand Celebration for Rob and Gordon (Wanaka Wedge House, Queensberry, Central Otago, New Zealand): Easily setting the benchmark for outstanding, classy sparkling wine . All elegance, with impeccable elevage, gentle toast character and a fine bead. Very classy wine whose outstanding character comes down to balance. (314 views)

$ FIND THIS WINE on WINE-SEARCHER.COM $

Dry and savoury. Quite tannic, with a a fine-grained textural component that frames the structure very well. Not at all confectionary, amd has decent balance. Still taut, and while not closed for business, this promises to develop some beautiful forest floor character over time. 89-91 (232 views)

$ FIND THIS WINE on WINE-SEARCHER.COM $

Very well- made Grenache- dominant wine. Gentle and powdery tannic structure adds definition to the opulent fruit. Warm alcohol. Nice winter wine, with a hint of the style and depth that great Grenache can bring. (391 views)

$ FIND THIS WINE on WINE-SEARCHER.COM $

Really well- made Aussie Shiraz, with burnt rubber notes, classic varietal expression from Australia. While this is a budget wine, it has balance, structure, intensity, and depth. Really fine wine at the price. (157 views)

$ FIND THIS WINE on WINE-SEARCHER.COM $

Dry riesling that really represents the terroir beautifully. The classic Germanic, tingly acid structure is bolstered by a reasonably developed, mineral and citrus peel nose and palate, with a broad spice aspect, verging on talcum. Tingly acid apart, this is actually a low-acid wine by German standard, with a ripe fruit profile, and drinks very well now, but will continue to age for at least another 5 years under stelvin. (490 views)

$ FIND THIS WINE on WINE-SEARCHER.COM $

Tasted after an ethereal 2019 Chard Farm Mata-au, which was redolent of red fruits, this powerful wine emphasised blue and black fruits. Far darker, far denser, and more opaque, this wine is delicious, but demonstrates the power that Pinot can achieve in the Queensberry area, as compared to the lighter Gibbston fruit of the Chard Farm. Delicious, but opaque and slightly monolithic at this juncture. Will certainly age, but I’m not very certain it will develop a sense of transparency. (216 views)

$ FIND THIS WINE on WINE-SEARCHER.COM $

Beautiful expression of Pinot. Red fruits predominating, with creamy French oak to frame the supple textures. Modern, but refined and layered. (254 views)

$ FIND THIS WINE on WINE-SEARCHER.COM $

Outstanding wines with a couple of last bottles! (Abbot Street, Ngaio, Wellington, New Zealand): Classic Barsac - Refined texture, beautiful sweetness , balanced by perfectly-judged acidity. Creme caramel, ripe mango, citrus peel, and lovely vanilla notes combine to an integrated and extended finish. Drinking especially well tonight. 94++ (3126 views)

$ FIND THIS WINE on WINE-SEARCHER.COM $

Outstanding wines with a couple of last bottles! (Abbot Street, Ngaio, Wellington, New Zealand): While not the most "perfect" bottle of this wine that I have had the privilege to drink, it still came across as the archetypal Paulillac. The refinement of the wine is unmatched in my experience of Bordeaux, and I mark the wine down a couple of points only because the finish of this particular bottle is starting to hint at drying. Drunk next to the Leoville Las Cases 1990, this was similar in intent, but far more refined, while drunk next to the Harlan Estate 1994, this was simply from a different planet - one with less exoticism of fruit expression, but again a wine that simply shows its class through its balance - of flavour, aroma, structure, and texture. Some wines (like the Harlan) rely on being bigger, or riper, or more "handled" to make an impression, while Mouton 1982 simply plays its game - it is likely the benchmark wine of the 1982 vintage in the Medoc. Sometimes just being the best is all one has to do to impress... (3900 views)

$ FIND THIS WINE on WINE-SEARCHER.COM $

Outstanding wines with a couple of last bottles! (Abbot Street, Ngaio, Wellington, New Zealand): Classic Medoc with vibrant graphite notes, currants, and beautiful elevage. Drunk between a Harlan Estate 1994, and the Mouton Rothschild 1982, this wine possibly suffered from being less intense than the former, and not as refined as the latter! However, the LLC was the best wine with the dish of braised beef cheeks with a celeriac puree - its lean, iron-ore note and dimension cut through the richness of the dish in a way that elevated both the wine and the dish. The Harlan came across as too much of a good thing, while the MR felt too subtle . While I have had better bottles of this very great wine, this bottle still impressed with its firmness, its intensity, and its balance. The iron-ore notes to the palate are for me, a classic LLC note - they are wines of great distinction. Bottle in this condition are ready to go. (3726 views)

$ FIND THIS WINE on WINE-SEARCHER.COM $

Outstanding wines with a couple of last bottles! (Abbot Street, Ngaio, Wellington, New Zealand): Extraordinary nose with superb fruit quality, extreme ripeness, exotic spice, and dark chocolate. While there is volatile acidity, it is only a tiny part of the experience (unlike many later vintages). This results in a dense, involving and forthcoming bouquet that speaks of its Oakville (hills) terroir - one taster going so far to say To-Kalon fruit quality, a vineyard that is contiguous with Harlan Estate. But it also speaks of the winery's unique style. Classic California cult in style, but none the worse for it. In the mouth, huge, structured with big tannins, superlative fruit quality that is so ripe and rich. As complex as the two Bordeaux drunk beside it (or more so), it is a very different style. Harlan in no way resembles the wines of the Medoc, so much as it does the gargantuan proportions of right bank "Garagiste" wines. The finish of the wine is out of sight - and the longets of the three great wines at the table - it lasted well over a minute in the mouth...The wine is drinking well, and one could wish that further age might moderate the more extreme aspects of the wine, bringing to it a more-refined balance (a la the 1982 Mouton Rothschild drunk beside it especially!), but as a drink, this is profound, and best enjoyed with a rare grilled steak (over vine cuttings, thank you!) presented simply at the table. My gut tells me this will age, and develop, but is unlikely to transform into the kind of subtle and refined style that great Bordeaux is known for. (2318 views)

$ FIND THIS WINE on WINE-SEARCHER.COM $

Outstanding wines with a couple of last bottles! (Abbot Street, Ngaio, Wellington, New Zealand): Great Chablis at its peak of development. Even at the age of 20, the wine presents visually as a youngster - light straw colour that seemed no older that a 2016 Hanzell Chardonnay drunk just before. As fine as the Hanzell was, the Raveneau was simply in another class - the intensity levels are fabulous, and age has brought a subtle butterscotch note to all of the green fruit, flint, and mineral aspects to the wine. Extremely complex and long, there appears to be no hurry on bottle of this, but it's hard to imagine this improving further! (1756 views)

$ FIND THIS WINE on WINE-SEARCHER.COM $

Outstanding wines with a couple of last bottles! (Abbot Street, Ngaio, Wellington, New Zealand): Even at the age of 6, this wine is still a baby, which promises great potential for upside development. Tight, but refined in texture, there are pronounced beeswax and honeysuckle notes to the nose and palate which is unusual. The wine itself has a similar structure to Kumeu River wines, in terms of its reliance on fruit quality and the firm acid structure, but the nature of the fruit quality is certainly more tropical in nature. Served too cold at first, the wine became fully expressive as it warmed up and opened to the air. It has all the makings of a wine that will transform into something quite nice over the next 10 years... (1013 views)

$ FIND THIS WINE on WINE-SEARCHER.COM $