Whangarry Game of Rhones
My house
Tasted September 28, 2017 by ThomasE with 263 views
Introduction
Blind tasting with food, Rhone grape varietals, with a New World (particularly NZ) predominance
Flight 1 - Aperitif (2 notes)
Supermarket Viognier, The floral aromas of the Yalumba made an excellent start to the evening
White
2016 Yalumba Viognier The Y Series
Australia, South Australia
Pale, Tremendous vibrant floral, perfume aromas, white peach, persimmon, on the palate, lacks depth but so rich on the nose, made a lovely aperitif and would suit shellfish
White
2014 Falconhead Viognier
New Zealand, North Island, Hawke's Bay
Yellow, floral, citrus and stone fruit on the nose, more peach, nectarine, touch of pear and ginger on the palate, well balanced, easy drinking on its own or with food
Flight 2 - Caramelised onion and gruyere tart with rocket, pear and walnut salad (2 notes)
Both wines suited the food really well, although the Viognier from Aperitif also worked. La Nerthe was great displaying a rich variety of flavours, totally outshone the Preston White Rhone
White
2016 Château La Nerthe Côtes du Rhône Les Cassagnes de la Nerthe Blanc
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône
Pale yellow, menagerie of aromas, wild flowers, perfume, stonefruit, great palate, rich, stone and orchard fruit, crisp finish.
White
2014 Preston of Dry Creek Valley Madam Preston Grape Wine
USA, California, Sonoma County, Dry Creek Valley
Pale yellow, apricot, grapefruit, touch of floral on the nose, palate flat but balance ok, stonefruit, ginger, medium finish, good but not memorable
Flight 3 - Moroccan spiced leg of lamb with kumara cous-cous (5 notes)
Fantastic flight, with a great variety of different wines; The classic Cotes du Rhone was simple and well executed, Grove was clearly the Aussie but still show some elegance and spice without the domineering aspects of the typical Australian Shiraz. An interesting local battle between two big Hawkes Bay names, Craggy was a little disappointing, obviously a different price point but even still considering how the good the Old Block 14 used to be, this was disappointing, all th best fruit perhaps went into the Le Sol. The Hyperion was the star of the flight and the night, well integrated, drinking well now with room for bottle development
Red
2013 Craggy Range Syrah Gimblett Gravels Vineyard
New Zealand, North Island, Hawke's Bay, Gimblett Gravels
Deep red, touch of purple, spice, dark fruit, bramble on the nose, nice array of flavours with boysenberry, plum, hint of liquorice and some interesting earthy, wild mushroom aspects. Finish flat and short, Enjoyable wine but nothing special, particularly given the vintage. Not sure it will show much more in the bottle
Red
2014 Delas Frères Côtes du Rhône Saint-Esprit
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône
Red, spice, bramble and touch of plum. Good fruity backbone on the palate, opened up about 2 hours in to show good poise, touch of spice and generous but humble fruit. Would suit simple food
Red
2015 Grove Estate Shiraz Viognier The Cellar Block
Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Hilltops
Deep purple, elegant spice and dark bruit on the nose, spicy and young but approachable palate, liqourice, blackberry, clove. Elegant enough Good length. Would do well for 2-3 years to calm down and will show a lot more I suspect
Red
2014 Hyperion Syrah Asteria
New Zealand, North Island, Auckland, Matakana
Deep red, purple, rich spice, liquorice, dark fruit, touch of vanilla. Palate fantastic balance of bramble, fruit cake, cinnamon with a pleasant medium-long finish. Impressive wine
Red
2013 Mission Estate Winery Syrah Huchet
New Zealand, North Island, Hawke's Bay, Gimblett Gravels
Deep red/purple, Dense fruit and spice on the nose, liquorice with stewed plums, boysenberry, cinnamon. Closed to begin with but opened up over a few hours, so much time left in this wine, will improve in time
Flight 4 - Sticky Date with Caramel (2 notes)
Both wines did the trick, the Brown Brothers in particular worked well, even if it is cheap lolly water to a certain extent
Closing
Great evening, some fabulous wines, time to Explore Syrah from the NZ Regions perhaps
© 2003-24 CellarTracker! LLC.
