New Zealand Trip
Tasted Monday, January 20, 2020 by Cailles with 116 views
Introduction
We selected our wines based on local critics scores which proofed to be a wise strategy as all wines showed quite well. I get the feeling that NZ wines will greatly benefit from climate change as all the wines showed excellent freshness and terroir expression but were almost without exception missing a bit of sexiness, i.e. a bit more fruit expression.
2016 Pyramid Valley Pinot Noir Earth Smoke 92 Points
New Zealand, South Island, Canterbury, Waipara
This needed some air to come out of its shell and opened up. This has a very stinky and vegetal character which not everybody will like. Highlights are the finesse and great interplay of pure sweet fruit and well-defined minerality. In the end it is a bit too vegetal and stinky to be more than intellectually appealing.
TN: On the nose lots of vegetal aromas, some funky notes, rather dark fruit, sous bois with medium+ intensity and medium- precision. At first lactic on the palate but that goes away with some air. Beautiful red fruit (cherries and strawberries), vegetal notes, hints of sous bois, crushed rocks and some smoke on the palate. Good concentration with medium-length fruit- and mineral-driven finish. Very fine tannins, bright but perfectly integrated acidity. Overall just medium- complexity, and medium precision and not the pure fine aromas I like, too vegetal, too stinky.
Decanting: One hour in the decanter is needed.
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2016 Te Mata Estate Coleraine 93 Points
New Zealand, North Island, Hawke's Bay
This needs time to open up. At first the wine showed too astringent on the palate and only after a two hours in the glass (and on day 2) more fruit came forward to make it a more balanced experience. Nevertheless, this remains (like all NZ reds) a terroir driven wine, with high acidity and a strong focus on the herbal/earthy/mineral notes. It came a across as a blend of a St. Emilion (red fruit) with a St. Julien (cool, fresh style). While pleasing, it lacks a bit of sexiness which together with higher complexity would be needed to reach the 95+ points category.
TN: Fresh cherry pie, graphite and smoke on the nicely intense, balanced and precise nose. Not Napa sexy but halfway there. A bit less intriguing on the palate where the acidity and a stream of earthy and mineral notes dominate the picture and make it a bit too astringent. Only with a lot of time in the glass more fruit (again these cherries in the form of cherry pie, fresh sour cherries and candied cherries) pops up and makes it more balanced.
Decanting: 5 hours at least!
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2014 Elephant Hill Syrah Airavata 94 Points
New Zealand, North Island, Hawke's Bay
I’m not an expert on Syrah from New Zealand, in fact, this might be my first ever but it was a great wine. Like all NZ reds I’ve tasted on trip through the country, it is well marked by the cool climate with an expensive minerality component and fresh, pure fruit. At first this showed not overly complex and interesting but with a lot of air it opened up and the concentration and complexity were on a very high level. It reached the 95+ point category in the best moments and certainly has a long life. As with a lot of NZ reds I missed a bit of sexiness.
TN: With enough air this had an intense, fresh, dark nose full of licorice, bacon and mint, along some cola and stone aromas. A bit stronger and more exciting on the palate with a good concentration, fresh style with cassis, dark berries, herbs, crushed rocks, bacon, roasted meat, some olives and a bit of licorice. Good precision, and medium+ fruit-driven finish. Nice and round with polished tannins and a high but very well integrated acidity.
Decanting: This needed a lot of time to open up. I would decant it for at least 5 hours.
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2017 Two Paddocks Pinot Noir The Fusilier Bannockburn Vineyard 93 Points
New Zealand, South Island, Otago, Central Otago
This is quite an exciting wine marked by the very cool climate and the heightened terroir expression and sharpness that comes with it. Absolutely no hard edges here and the slight lack of sweetness and sexiness all NZ reds on our trip showed is at least partially compensated by toasted oak aromas which bring a bit of that sexiness to the table. Still, this remains a bit too cool in style to be fully hedonistically appealing.
TN: Reductive, stingy toasted oak aromas, green bell pepper, rather dark fruit on the cool, fresh, elegant and harmonious nose. Easily in the 94/95 category. On the palate terroir expression is at the center with earthy, slate, limestone notes, toasted oak, rather dark fruits than sweet red fruit and a long mineral-driven and toasty finish. Very fine tannins and a high but well-integrated acidity.
Decanting: This doesn’t need a long decant (30 minutes tops). Was much better and sharper on Day 1 compared to Day 2.
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2013 Dog Point Vineyard Section 94 95 Points
New Zealand, South Island, Marlborough
This is hands down one of the best Sauvignon Blancs I‘ve had to date. Yes, I‘ve had them with even more depth and a especially a higher precision, more intellectually appealing but this was quite great, very round and harmonious and a very hedonistic experience. Wonderful (even though my guess is that a year or two earlier it would have been a tad fresher and better).
TN: Lots of highly precise toasted oak, stingy smoke with a subtle fruit sweetness underneath on the very appealing nose. A rainbow of aromas on the palate with smoke, toasted oak, a broad fruit potpourri from tropical fruits to fresh orchard fruit, some grassy aromas and lots of minerality with an intense saline layer. Long salty finish. Good concentration, medium+ precision, wonderful round texture with a present and soft acidity which, for my taste was just a slightly too low. Marvelous!
Decanting: No extensive decant needed (30 mins tops).
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2018 Kumeu River Chardonnay Maté's Vineyard 90 Points
New Zealand, North Island, Auckland, Kumeu
I found this Chardonnay rather uninspiring but in now way bad. It’s a bit too light and with a hollow mid-palate. Highlight was the nice, intense mineral component. Maybe some more cellaring time will make it better.
TN: Lots of wet stone, some apple and citrus mixed with some tropical fruit on the back and finish. Some reduction which gave it a fresh twist. As mentioned above, no seamless experience and not perfectly balanced with at times too little and on the finish too much acidity. The precision is fairly good.
Decanting: Best moments right after opening the wine.
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2013 Squawking Magpie SQM 93 Points
New Zealand, North Island, Hawke's Bay
I followed this wine over two days. The nose was intriguing, complex and sexy on both days with a more Napa Valley profile on day 1 and a more classic profile on day 2. Overall easily in the 94/95 point category. The palate was less interesting, especially on day 2 with less complexity, a slightly subpar concentration, a not perfectly integrated acidity and a very short finish. Overall still a pleasant wine.
TN: At first a sweet and sexy nose with layers of dark fruit, violets and some herbs. Very harmonious with the elevated ripeness being matched with an elevated acidity. More tertiary aromatics on day marked by a lot of herbs and mineral notes. On the palate the same dark fruit compote along cedar and nutmeg with less fruit and more herbal and mineral notes on day 2. Well-defined aromas but not enough mid-palate concentration as well as a short finish. Round tannins and a slightly (too) edgy acidity.
Decanting: Good from the go. No extensive decant needed.
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