12/2/2020 - Enobesra82 wrote:

I opened this at midday and drank at 7.30pm. Very good compared to opening relatively fresh.

Solid fruit and vine.

5/11/2019 - Enobesra82 wrote:

Full bodied and intense. I think it has some time yet before it reaches optimal. Dark berry and chocolate flavours. Tannins reasonably subdued
The wine looks inky colored.

5/10/2018 - Enobesra82 wrote:

The superb and silky top Chardonnay from Hawkes Bay icons, Elephant Hill. The Salome is sourced mostly from their original Te Awanga site, where only the best fruit is used to produce a top cuvee full of gently lush white fruits with a feminine, gently floral and mineral feel. Palpable fruit weight and quality makes this very satisfying now, while harmony and elegance mean any palate will find it simply delicious -- for a few years to come. Yummy!

9/27/2016 - Enobesra82 wrote:

Norfolk Rise Vineyard is renowned for its rugged coastline, long white sandy beaches and fresh seafood. Situated in the heart of Mount Benson and within 5km of the ocean, our vineyard has a unique microclimate which produces cool climate wines of the highest calibre. Our Shiraz is planted on the near perfect “terra rossa” soils that surround our winery.

Winemaking

For this wine Shiraz grapes were selected from our Mt Benson Estate vineyard. The fruit was crushed, transferred and then fermented as small batches in stainless steel fermenters at <25°C allowing gentle extraction of the ripe fruit flavours and supple tannins. A long ferment lasting 7 - 10 days followed. Extended maceration was carried out on selected parcels of fruit. The wine was matured in predominantly French oak barriques for 12 months prior to bottling, to allow integration of the great complexity of flavours.

Analysis: Alcohol: 14.0% Titratable acidity: 6.75 g/L pH: 3.57

Tasting Notes:

Colour: Deep magenta purple/red.

Bouquet: A vibrant nose of dark cherry and berry fruit with florals. Hints of black pepper, olives and cured meats.

Palate: Dark cherry, berry fruit with spice. Fine supple tannins, seamlessly integrated rich, chocolaty oak.

Ageing Potential: The wine will cellar well for 10 years, but is drinking very well now.

Food Suggestions: Cheese platters, tapas, rare beef rib eye roast or spicy spanish paella.

9/27/2016 - Enobesra82 wrote:

Beautiful deep colour in the glass, with a swish, sweet nose of blackberry, vanilla and cinnamon. The mouthfeel is round and smooth, with gorgeous jammy flavours and hints of baking spice and chocolate. Very big and bold, with ripe, peppery tannins.

Drink on its own, with prime topside beef burger or with good farmhouse cheddar.

John Quarisa's 30 Mile range aims to provide maximum drinking pleasure for a modest financial outlay and his Shiraz delivers on that promise, with upfront, sunny flavours and friendly personality. This is a multi-regional blend that takes in a handful of South Eastern Australia's best regions for affordable Shiraz.

9/27/2016 - Enobesra82 wrote:

PINQUE ROSE 2016
BLEND 43% Merlot, 30% Malbec, 27% Syrah HARVEST DATE 8/3/16 – 7/4/16
BRIX @ HARVEST 19.9 – 21.4
T.A 7.2 pH 3.32 R.S Dry ALC 12% REGION Waiheke Island
VINEYARDS Cactus Bay & Lunatic
CELLAR NOTES
Pinque; our classically styled, pale, dry Rosé. Pinque is a blend of
43% Merlot and 30% Malbec from some of our steepest vineyards surrounding the idyllic Cactus Bay with 27% Syrah from our Lunatic vineyard. The inclusion of Syrah into the mix of Merlot and Malbec giving a little more vibrancy and spice to the sweet raspberry and strawberry fruits. Handpicked grapes were loaded into the press for
a ‘champagne’ press program which is a gentle and extended pressing program lasting six hours which is designed to extract only the most pure and delicate avours from the grape. After 48 hours cold settling, the pale coloured juice is racked to tank for a long cool fermentation to dryness. The wine then stayed chilled right up to bottling to retain as much carbon dioxide from the fermentation as possible resulting in a natural spritz in the wine.
TASTING NOTE
Pale salmon pink in colour the 2016 Pinque exhibits aromas of summer fruits; strawberry, raspberry and watermelon with a very ne juicy palate nishing dry and refreshing. A wine of nesse and elegance perfectly suited to be paired with food, as an aperitif or simply enjoyed on a warm afternoon with friends.
PINQUE
Named after the small merchant ships that for centuries have plied their trade along the Mediterranean coast, we present Pinque. A Provençal style Rosé produced from the steep, sun drenched coastal hillsides surrounding Cactus Bay.

9/27/2016 - Enobesra82 wrote:

Our 2016 Rosé has a beautiful strawberry pink hue that hints at the array of aromas that will dazzle and delight. Intensely aromatic - the florals and bright red fruit dance in the glass. Energetic aromas of cherries, wild strawberries, and red currant are underscored by gooseberry and fresh rose petals. It is a dry style Rosé with incredible concentration and sweet red fruit that is perfectly balanced by vibrant acidity which is the hallmark of wines from Gibbston. Understanding that the result often mirrors the intention, we set out to make a complex Rosé that is balanced and engaging - truly a kaleidoscope for the senses.

The 2016 Wild Earth Rosé fruit came from an established vineyard in Gibbston with about 25% coming from a higher elevation site in Lowburn. These vineyards were selected purposefully for their potential to produce complex and balanced Rosé. The Lowburn vineyard was harvested on the 29th of March and was fermented in older oak with a mix of racked juice and full solids to give texture and some earthy notes. The Gibbston vineyard was picked almost a month later on the 26th of April and was fermented at cooler temperatures in stainless steel tanks. Grapes from both blocks were left on skins for 2 days before pressing in order to extract the beautiful pink hue.

9/27/2016 - Enobesra82 wrote:

Viticulture
This Chardonnay was sourced off selected blocks from Ohiti Road, Church Road and Haumoana. The crop loads were on the whole fairly light, around seven tonnes per hectare. These blocks are all on the Mendoza or 15 clones. The vines vary between 10 and 20 years of age, are low cropping and have the best flavour fruit development.
Winemaking
The wine was made from both handpicked (60%) and machine picked fruit The handpicked fruit is whole cluster pressed and the machine harvested fruit crushed normally. The pressing is light to achieve low extraction from the skins and ensure a wine with delicate and subtle nuances. The whole bunch pressed juice was barrel fermented, partly with indigenous yeasts in French oak, 20% new. Barrel ageing on the yeast lees has given optimum oak integration and complexity. There was no MLF.
Tasting Notes
Colour is pale gold. The aromas are complex and sweet, showing toasty stone fruit aromas with hints of tropical fruit and flinty notes. The palate is rich with a fine structure with forward fruit and a long clean finish. The texture is more in the style showing off mineral qualities. As always with our Reserve Chardonnay styles this wine has a fine finish showing great persistence and freshness.

9/20/2016 - Enobesra82 wrote:

The new benchmark for Gruner Veltliner in Marlborough, Matt Thomsons's Blank Canvas bottling from 2013 has true varietal characters of white pepper and nuttiness on the palate, the leesy weight will appeal to Chardonnay drinkers, the clean stonefruits and dryness nearly anyone else who likes their wines aromatic and fresh. An exceptional example, try it with pork belly between now and 2020.

9/20/2016 - Enobesra82 wrote:

DESCRIPTION
The Vavasour rooster has become a symbol of quality for NZ wine buyers over the last 25 years, since Peter Vavasour produced his first vintage in 1989. Vavasour has massive 85ha vineyard holdings in the Awatere Valley, where the infertile gravel soils and huge diurnal temperature swings produce some of NZ's finest wines. 100% barrel fermented for 11-months in French oak (30% new) including all the classic Chardonnay winemaking techniques. There's no expense spared.

SMELLS
Perfumed aromas of sea breeze, white peach, brioche, almond meal and vanilla.

TASTES
Fresh and invigorating on entry, the intense grapefruit and citrus flavours are backed up by creamy lees, toasted nuts and oak flavours. Beautifully detailed with caramel nuances and a salty tang that calls to mind the complexities of Manzanilla, the purity of fruit makes the wine extremely drinkable, finishing with spicy oak and a hint of cream on the finish. Drink now or cellar through 2020.

9/20/2016 - Enobesra82 wrote:

With a brand new winery from the 2014 vintage and close planted vines producing Pinot Noir that tastes far more expensive than it currently is - you can expect to see more great wines coming out of Alexander Vineyard.
SMELLS
A gloriously spicy nose showing exotic eastern spices like five spice, with charry oak, cherry and plum.

TASTES
Darkly fruited and generous as we've come to expect from this Pinot Noir, there is a gentle herbal influence that adds another layer of complexity and structure to this cherry and raspberry fruited Pinot. Serious value at the price, Pinot lovers should buy this by the case. Enjoy through 2020.

9/19/2016 - Enobesra82 wrote:

Aging gently in Morton Estate's cellars for 7 years now, this amazingly well rounded, deep purple Merlot is just a delight. Dark plums and blackcurrants, cocoa and subtle cedar spice all comes to play when you're drinking this deep and rich liquid. Match it up with any great red meat dish and enjoy.

10/10/2015 - Enobesra82 Likes this wine:

A lovely, full Barossa Shiraz, which was an excellent addition to roasted rib-eye off the bar. It had rich blackberry flavours with just a hint of black currant (cassis). Smooth, deep and easy on the nose. (Opened for four hours prior to drinking).

6/21/2015 - Enobesra82 Likes this wine:

A lovely, full wine bursting with tropical fruits (pineapple dominant). Long finish. Suitable with or without food. Drink now!

6/16/2015 - Enobesra82 Likes this wine:

A lovely pinot noir; beautifully balanced, with ripe fruit flavours (blackberry and cherry). Very smooth with a long finish.

6/13/2015 - Enobesra82 Likes this wine:

Looks (rosy) and tastes like a complex and smooth pinor noir (raspberry, red current, mushrooms and cedar; perhaps as the wine is coming to an development end. The body is medium with a silky texture. It finishes short.

6/13/2015 - Enobesra82 Likes this wine:

Drinking now; a lovely ruby coloured St Emillion with medium legs. decanted for six hours (medium sediment in the bottle) before accompanying slow grilled lamb. This tastes of the barrel; toasty, peppery, coffee flavours balancing out the sweetness; this wine needs food and ideally a full meat dish.

6/13/2015 - Enobesra82 Likes this wine:

Very easy drinking after 1 hour in decanter. Great ruby colour and medium depth and length to the wine.

3/5/2015 - Enobesra82 Likes this wine:

Breathing for three hours brought out the fruit. The wine looks ruby colored. The legs are medium. There is no sediment in the bottle. It smells like red currant and black currant (cassis). It tastes like forest floor and light toast. The body is medium/full. The wine has silky texture. The wine finishes medium. The wine has low acidity. Fulsome, smooth, enjoyable. Drink now.