August 21, 2022 - Garagiste selection
Color: light yellow
Nose: light/medium intensity. Fruity, mostly tropical fruit
Body/flavor: light - medium body. Tart, tropical fruit; acid structure still good
Aftertaste: short finish
Last bottle. Hasn't changed much since last year's bottle
July 23, 2022 - This stuff is rocket fuel. There are so many acids in this bottle, I bet if I tried to light it, it would explode (or whatever lit acids do!). So think of this bottle of wine as more of a collection of acids and any incidental fruit(s), well, they just happened to somehow end up in there.
Anyway, after 15 years it was time to check in again with this bad boy and see where the acids have taken us. Mellow(er) is the answer. I use the (er) because it hasn't traveled very far AT ALL. Pretty much exactly the same as how I remembered it. I am getting a little more generic vegetable instead of green bell pepper on the nose than before and the jagged crystalized rocks of acid (metaphorically speaking here) are starting to round a bit, not quite as palate blowing as before and able to pair with food more easily.
With so many acids, perhaps this would have made a fantastic sparkling wine base - pity they didn't go there. Oh, but then you would have this weird green bell pepper nose on your sparking wine, hmm, yeah now I see why they didn't go there. Nevermind.
August 22, 2021 - Garagiste selection. 13.5% ABV
Color: light yellow
Nose: subdued. Mostly floral
Body/flavor: medium body. Tart tropic fruit. Still has noticeable acid structure
Aftertaste: short finish
January 9, 2017 - I just love this wine from start to finish. Understand the "Capsicum conundrum" but for those who do not have a capsicum aversion, this is a stunning and complete wine. 10 years on it has gorgeous golden hue, a fabulous ferous nose and a bracing, complex mouth feel with a long satisfying finish. Superb value with many years of life ahead for those lucky enough to have stocked up.
April 17, 2015 - Brilliant, unique, spicy and will last for ages.
Great with Indian food
December 22, 2014 - A Kiwi Sémillon made in a completely hands-off approach.
Intense, green-yellow color with slightly hazy appearance. Very interesting, complex and attractive aromas of green chili pyrazines, wild complexity, ripe peach, some floral nuances and a hint of honey with a herbal undertone of asparagus and willow bark. Really a contradictory nose where ripe, yellow fruit aromas and green nuances are pitted against each other in a perfect balance. Though the wine is rather full-bodied and even a bit oily, it is also almost electric with its bracing acidity - something not unlike a Hunter Valley Sémillon. Flavors of lemony citrus, green apples, lanolin wax, vegetal chili notes, some floral complexity, a little minerality and a nice, mature touch of aged Sémillon honey and toast. Incredibly crisp, structured and refreshing. The finish is really crisp, quite long and even a bit saline with flavors of pithy grapefruit, honey, chili, some exotic spices and a hint of mature toastiness.
Pyramid Valley delivers, again. Spectacular stuff that is something not unlike a really wild and weird cousin of Hunter Valley Sémillon - and otherwise a real antipole of that ripe, rich and fruit-heavy style of Sémillon more often encountered in new world wine countries. Truly a wine that shows vegetal-green richness. I can imagine the capsicum-like green aromas might not be to everyone's tastes, but in this wine nothing seems out of place to me. Really amazing, unique stuff with stunning balance. Good value at 28€.
October 10, 2014 - Green bell pepper didn't bug me as much in the second bottle, and if served for the right occasion (we paired it with summer dinner of salad, kale and salmon) it is so food friendly. Also, it is very complex once you acclimate to the green pepper. I found that the wine just got more and more interesting, compelling and tasty as the night went on.
July 10, 2014 - Certainly a wild and hectic-ly robust wine (still) but just too much capsicum (bell pepper) for my tastes. While only present in the nose, every time I came back for another sip I had to deal with that.
NO. Sorry, I feel that that is a flaw of under ripe grapes and while I appreciate how difficult it really is to snatch the Semillon off the vine before it gets too ripe and flabby, nevertheless, they missed that narrow window in this vintage and picked too early.
Having said that, they got lots of wild flavors in this bottle and if the green bell pepper notes don't bother you, you will score this wine a few points higher.
Not for me thanks but go for it!
Not getting better with age
March 2, 2014 - Pretty unique nose. Jalapeno, elderflower, pomelo, white currant, peas and asparagus. Airy and aromatic in its greenness.
Dry and steely palate with delightfully ripe fruit notes - not getting even slightly tropical though. Stingy feel, be it something minerally, leesy or pyrazine-like, no matter, I love it here. Some woolly and honeyed character - like in older Hunter Valley Semillons. No doubt this could be cellared still for years. Ripe greenness - well put Otto.
September 15, 2013 - The nose was truly fascinating and kept me coming back the glass again and again with an intense floral bouquet, showing honey, peach, almond paste, salty minerals and bell pepper. Yet somehow, all of this made me think of spring, sitting in a flower garden with soil stained hands. On the palate, it was fresh and electric upon entry with notes of peach, inner florals, and spice. A lull followed on the mid-palate, but was quickly replaced by a pop of tart lime-kiwi acidity, which kept this interesting throughout. It was impeccably balanced and wonderfully unique, a wine that I will look for again.