Classic NZ Wine Trail - Hawke's Bay

Hawke's Bay
Tasted Sunday, December 29, 2013 - Monday, December 30, 2013 by evanqian with 753 views

Flight 1 - Church Road (7 Notes)

Church Road, one benchmark winery of Hawke's Bay.

  • 2012 Church Road Rosé Hawke's Bay 85 Points

    New Zealand, North Island, Hawke's Bay

    (12/29/2013)

    bright pale pink, blend of Merlot (83%), Syrah (10%) and Malbec (7%). fruity style, dry finish. nice sweet aperitif.

    Ap: 5/5; Ar: 12/15; palate: 15/20; overall: 3+0/10
    TOTAL: 85/100

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  • 2010 Church Road Marzemino McDonald Series Hawke's Bay 89 Points

    New Zealand, North Island, Hawke's Bay

    (12/29/2013)

    dark garnet with purple hue. intense red fruits aromas, ripe berry and spice in mouth, heavy but supple tannins, good balance, medium finish with herbal and earth savoury hints. a straightforward pleasant wine, seductive Italian style, can't believe it's made in NZ!

    Silver medal quality: Easter 2013 silver, AirNZ 2013 silver, Michael Cooper 4 stars, Winestate 4 stars, Bob Campbell 90 (4 stars)

    AP: 4/5; AR: 13/15; Palate: 17/20; overall: 2+3/10
    TOTAL: 89/100

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  • 2013 Church Road Pinot Gris Hawke's Bay 86 Points

    New Zealand, North Island, Hawke's Bay

    (12/29/2013)

    typical NZ Pinot Gris style. intense pear, citrus flavour, moderate sweet. medium(+) bodied. Residual Sugar 14 g/l, TA 4.2 g/l, Alc 14.5%, Kiwis' popular palate, especially for ladies.

    BC 93

    AP: 4/5; AR: 12/15; Palate: 15/20; overall: 3+2/10
    TOTAL: 86/100

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  • 2012 Church Road Pinot Gris McDonald Series 88 Points

    New Zealand, North Island, Hawke's Bay

    (12/29/2013)

    compare to 'estate' series, this one has more intense flavours, more concentrated, on both sweetness and acidity. full bodied. some floral and spice notes make a good structure and a little complexity. good length.

    Residual Sugar 20 g/l, TA 6.2 g/l, Alc 13%

    AP: 4/5; AR: 12/15; Palate: 17/20; overall: 2+3/10
    TOTAL: 88/100

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  • 2011 Church Road Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon Grand Reserve Hawke's Bay 92 Points

    New Zealand, North Island, Hawke's Bay

    (12/29/2013)

    dark red. typical Hawke's Bay red style, M/CS roughly 3:1 blending. more concentrated than lower level series, plum, dark fruits, violet. dry, chewy. intense cigar box, wood-smoked. full bodied, strong but elegant. long finish with spice and chocolate. still young but will gain from cellaring.

    Hawke's Bay Wine Award 2013 Trophy, IWC 2014 Gold, Japan Wine Challenge 2013 Gold.

    Ap: 4/5; Ar: 12/15; Palate: 17/20; Overall: 5+4/10
    TOTAL: 92+/100

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  • 2011 Church Road Merlot McDonald Series 90 Points

    New Zealand, North Island, Hawke's Bay

    (12/29/2013)

    superb mid-high level Merlot. hand-harvested, 21 months barrel maturation. medium ruby with purple hue. nice plum and dark berries nose. dark chocolate and woody palates. medium creamy vanilla finish. with approachable price (~NZ$30), it gives you everything you expect to a Hawke's Bay Merlot, a simply honest red wine with good structure.

    AirNZ 2013 Trophy, Hawke's Bay Wine Award 2013 Trophy, NZIWS 2013 - Trophy, IWSC 2013 Silver. Raymond Chan 19-, Michael Cooper 4.5 stars, Winestate 4.5 stars. Bob Campbell 84

    AP: 4/5; AR: 12/15; Palate: 16/20; overall: 5+3/10
    TOTAL: 90/100

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  • 2011 Church Road Riverpoint 87 Points

    New Zealand, North Island, Hawke's Bay

    (12/29/2013)

    this 'cellar door exclusive' red is the last one of the flight.

    Syrah and CS blending, maybe has Merlot and some other Bordeaux varieties. strong oaked flavours: woody, smoky. nice moderate pepper, plum and dark fruits notes. velvety tannins, medium(+) bodied. still young so it's hard to judge if those different flavours will mellow together in a comfortable way or not. Smoother than Ata Rangi Célèbre, however it's somewhat disjointed, the finish is a little weird and messy.

    In new world, it's worth to try blending of varieties from same appellation, actually, Australians are making many CS/Syrah blends. However, I wish NZ winemakers would quickly learn the boundary through those trials after curiosity satisfied.

    AP: 4/5; AR: 12/15; Palate: 15/20; overall: 3+3/10
    TOTAL: 87/100

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Flight 2 - Te Mata (5 Notes)

top Hawke's Bay winery, friendly cellar door.

  • 2013 Te Mata Estate Sauvignon Blanc 88 Points

    New Zealand, North Island, Hawke's Bay

    (12/30/2013)

    bright pale straw yellow. tropical fruits, grassy and mineral notes, dry. slight sweet and mild acidity, well balanced. typical Hawke's Bay refined and elegant style.

    Ap: 5/5; Ar: 13/15; Palate: 17/20; Overall: 3+0/10
    TOTAL: 88/100

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  • 2012 Te Mata Estate Chardonnay Elston 92 Points

    New Zealand, North Island, Hawke's Bay

    (12/30/2013)

    clear pale yellow. lemon, peach, toast, nuts, with honey hints. concentrated, medium+ bodied. crispy but moderate acidity. very good weight and length. I'm not a big fan of Chardonnay, but I like this one.

    Ap: 4/5; Ar: 13/15; Palate: 17/20; Overall: 5+3/10
    TOTAL: 92/100

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  • 2013 Te Mata Estate Gamay Woodthorpe Vineyard 89 Points

    New Zealand, North Island, Hawke's Bay

    (12/30/2013)

    medium crimson. fresh red cherry, crushed sour stawberry, a little floral hints, lovely fruity style. vibrant acidity, feather-touching tannins, light bodied, dry finish. simple fruity and delicious wine. so surprised that someone can make such a wonderful Beaujolais style in NZ!

    Ap: 5/5; Ar: 13/15; Palate: 18/20; Overall: 3+0/10
    TOTAL: 89/100

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  • 2012 Te Mata Estate Syrah 87 Points

    New Zealand, North Island, Hawke's Bay

    (12/30/2013)

    medium ruby with dark crimson core. dark fruit, pepper, chewy tannins. medium bodied, light fruit sweet and oaked. medium dry finish. shows some Northern Rhone elegance.

    Ap: 4/5; Ar: 11/15; Palate: 16/20; Overall: 3+3/10
    TOTAL: 87/100

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  • 2012 Te Mata Estate Cabernets / Merlot Awatea 90 Points

    New Zealand, North Island, Hawke's Bay

    (12/30/2013)

    51% cabernet sauvignon, 40% merlot, 6% cabernet franc and 3% petit verdot. medium ruby with purple hue. intense dark fruits and a little floral in nose. Merlot varietal characters lead palate, fine grind tannins, background shows chocolate, vanilla and cedar. long dry finish. everything is there but tight, not completely melt together, still young, hard to judge, need 2-3 years to mellow. However can feel some concentration and a lot of potential.

    2012 is a quite challenging vintage, Te Mata passed Coleraine finally (the previous passed vintage is 2003), so that all fruits went producing Awatea, should be an average vintage for this second-label.

    Ap: 4/5; Ar: 12/15; Palate: 17/20; Overall: 4+3/10
    TOTAL: 90+/100

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Flight 3 - Craggy Range (8 Notes)

Grand cellar door! enjoyed the lunch in the world-class winery restaurant 'Terroir'. all fancy, luxury and modern international style!

  • 2013 Craggy Range Rosé Gimblett Gravels Vineyard 86 Points

    New Zealand, North Island, Hawke's Bay, Gimblett Gravels

    (12/30/2013)

    very light pink/brown, nearly colourless transparent, watery but bright, nice. made by Merlot (86%) and Syrah (14%) from Gimblett Gravels. delicate red fruits and floral nose, strawberries and subtle spice on palate, dry finish.

    BC 93

    AP: 5/5; AR: 11/15; Palate: 15/20; Overall: 4+1/10
    TOTAL: 87/100

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  • 2013 Craggy Range Riesling Single Vineyard Te Muna Road Vineyard 91 Points

    New Zealand, North Island, Wairarapa, Martinborough

    (12/30/2013)

    textbook appearance: pale straw with green hues, young, fresh and clear. intense citrus, lime aromas and slightly floral. balanced sweet and acidity in mouth, off-dry, good texture. medium finish with mineral hints.

    BC93

    AP: 5/5; AR: 12/15; Palate: 16/20; Overall: 4+4/10
    TOTAL: 91/100

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  • 2012 Craggy Range Chardonnay Single Vineyard Kidnappers Vineyard 84 Points

    New Zealand, North Island, Hawke's Bay

    (12/30/2013)

    pale yellow/straw. fresh, light and fruit forwarding. 12% Alc. proper structure and still balanced. dry finish. not impressed in the flight.

    WS 88, WA 88, BC 84, RC 17.5

    AP: 4/5; AR: 10/15; Palate: 15/20; Overall: 3+2/10
    TOTAL: 84/100

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  • 2013 Craggy Range Sauvignon Blanc Single Vineyard Te Muna Road Vineyard 89 Points

    New Zealand, North Island, Wairarapa, Martinborough

    (12/30/2013)

    clear pale straw with green hue. nectarine, lime with subtle grassy and herbal. moderate but active acidity, slight sweet. medium dry finish with spice and mineral. very nice Martinborough SB.

    AP: 5/5; AR: 12/15; Palate: 18/20; Overall: 3+1/10
    TOTAL: 89/100

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  • 2011 Craggy Range Pinot Noir Single Vineyard Te Muna Road Vineyard 91 Points

    New Zealand, North Island, Wairarapa, Martinborough

    (12/30/2013)

    bright ruby. cherry and floral in nose. red fruits dominating palate. delicate texture, smooth tannins, balanced. medium finish with spice and earth savoury. a pleasant easy drinking, lovely Te Muna terroir.

    BC90, WS89, JC Lee 85, JR 17.5

    AP: 5/5; AR: 13/15; Palate: 16/20; Overall: 4+3/10
    TOTAL: 91/100

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  • 2009 Craggy Range Pinot Noir Single Vineyard Calvert Vineyard 93 Points

    New Zealand, South Island, Otago, Bannockburn

    (12/30/2013)

    medium dark ruby. brooding nose: some dark cherry, sour strawberry. red/dark fruits, herbal and wet earth, mushroom. medium(+) bodied. fine-grained tannins. better structure, density and complexity than 'Te Muna'. long dry finish with milk chocolate hints. wonderful Central Otago!

    WA 91-93, RC 19-, SK 95

    Ap: 4/5; Ar: 13/15; Palate: 18/20; Overall: 5+3/10
    TOTAL: 93/100

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  • 2011 Craggy Range Syrah Gimblett Gravels Vineyard 87 Points

    New Zealand, North Island, Hawke's Bay, Gimblett Gravels

    (12/30/2013)

    dark ruby with dark purple hue, lighter than normal GG Syrah. savoury spice, many red fruits in mouth. velvety tannins. a generally smooth and delicious wine, trying to produce Northern Rhone style, but lacking of structure.

    RC 18.5-, BC 88

    Ap: 5/5; Ar: 11/15; Palate: 15/20; Overall: 3+3/10
    TOTAL: 87/100

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  • 2009 Craggy Range Te Kahu Gimblett Gravels Vineyard 88 Points

    New Zealand, North Island, Hawke's Bay, Gimblett Gravels

    (12/30/2013)

    a beautiful GG blend: 70% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Malbec, 8% Cabernet Franc.

    deep garnet with purple, looks still young. Merlot's fruits flavour dominating, coming with quite a few vanilla and cigar box notes. velvety tannins (a little powdery). medium bodied, velvety tannins, well balanced with good structure. medium length.

    A general smooth and pleasant wine, but a little bit diluted comparing to some GG blend models. However, I can image its higher level sister ''Sophia" must be more concentrated and more complex.

    BC 87, RC 18.5, WE 90, WS 89, JC Lee 86

    Ap: 4/5; Ar: 12/15; Palate: 16/20; Overall: 3+3/10
    TOTAL: 88/100

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