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Some New Zealand Selections
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NEUDORF 2008 CHARDONNAY $25.99
NEUDORF 2008 "Tom's Block" PINOT NOIR $29.99
 We recall
hearing British wine writer Hugh Johnson, back in the 1980s, speculating
that New Zealand might have a good future with respect to
wine-making.
He must have tasted wine from this venerable (old for New Zealand, anyway)
winery.-
- Neudorf ("new town" in German) takes its name from an old German
settlement in the Nelson region of the south island. The winery was
founded by Tim and Judy Finn. They followed their dream of making good
wine, despite the bank's advice to take the more safe path and raise
sheep.
The New Zealand wine world is much better off as a result, for if one tastes
the wines of Neudorf, it's easy to see the future is very bright indeed!
The 2008 Chardonnay is superb! Beautifully balanced, it tips its chapeau
to the French in Burgundy and yet it retains an element which says New
Zealand! Dry, lightly oaked and showing some stony, minerally
notes and a touch of toastiness, this is a complete and totally satisfying
wine.
We tasted good Sauvignon Blanc from Neudorf--different from Marlborough
Sauvignons.
And they make really good, soulful Pinot Noir. The 2008 Tom's Block Pinot
is quite good. Medium+ bodied and intensely fragrant varietal
aromas. Nice flavors and a touch of tannin, but not too much.
Kudos
to the Finns and their 'team' of Neudorfers!
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- LAWSON'S DRY HILLS
 - The Lawsons started their winemaking adventure in 1992, though they had
been growing grapes since 1980.
We've found Gewürztraminer from Lawson's to be of interest and recently
tasted a 2007 Pinot Noir that's well-priced and a top quality red.
They get most of their Pinot Noir from a site overlooking the Brancott
Valley. With an understanding of winemaking in France's Burgundy, they
do a really good job in making a complex and stylish wine. About 25%
of the small French oak barrels are new...we like the dark cherry fruit of
their Pinot and the sweet, woodsy notes from the oak.
Currently in stock: 2007 LAWSON'S DRY HILLS Pinot Noir $21.99
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ISABEL 2010 SAUVIGNON BLANC $17.99
 Owned by a former Air New Zealand pilot, this
is a marvelous vineyard in the Wairau valley in the Marlborough appellation. Isabel
is an outstanding producer, Michael Tiller and company knowing that quality begins in the
vineyard. They have gravelly soils with a calcium-rich clay subsoil. The water
table isn't as high as some vineyards in the area and the subsoil holds enough moisture so
they don't have to irrigate to keep the vines going. Mr. Tiller (the pilot) has had
his crew plant twice as many vines per hectare as is normal in New Zealand....the idea
being fewer grapes per plant equal higher quality fruit. Does it work? Well,
taste the wines and you be the judge.
For our palates, the Isabel line-up is in the quality range of "excellent."
First cabin! Sauvignon Blanc, as you might expect, is a showy bottle of
wine.
Some years ago we served the 1998 Isabel side-by-side with the 1998 Cloudy Bay. The Isabel
tasted like what
Cloudy Bay has tasted like in the past and the Cloudy Bay, though good, lacks some of its
zesty vitality.
Mr. & Mrs. Tiller explained to us they used to sell a lot of their grapes to Cloudy
Bay, but didn't in 1998. Ha! So that explains it. (Happily, Cloudy Bay's
latest is back on form and rivals the Isabel!)
The 2010 is the current vintage. We're big fans, as usual. This
vintage has the seriously "zingy" character we like in Marlborough
Sauvignons. They had a bit of rain in the midst of the harvest, so the
first fruit into the winery produced the typically zesty, herbal
Sauvignon. They waited for things to dry off and the second part of
the harvest, they say, produced a Sauvignon with more "stone
fruit" notes and a bit of honey. The blend, as it turns out, is
delicious.
It's quite nice with seafood courses and we've enjoyed this as an aperitif,
too.
HINTON The
wines of the Central Otago region tend to be rather costly, so we've had
trouble finding good wines which represent 'value' for the lofty prices they
carry. Add to the mix, the fact that the climate is variable and so
the batting average there is a bit low.
The Hinton family has been in the fruit growing business in Otago since
around 1910. They've been cultivating cherries, apricots, peaches and
plums, for example. At one point they planted some table grapes, but
these were grown in greenhouses. In the 1940s they decided to plant
some grapevines "outside" and this didn't work so well, as wild
rabbits found the fruit to be delicious, apparently.
In 1999, they took another stab at grapes and planted some Pinot Noir and
Merlot. And, with attention to detail, it seems they can make a go of
it. And now they're in the wine business.
We tasted a 2008 Hinton Pinot Noir and were pleased to find such nice fruit
and a deft handling of the oak program...the wine is easy to peg as Pinot
Noir and there's a hint of wood, but it's merely a light 'seasoning' and not
the focus. Combine these features with an affordable price tag and
we're delighted.
We suspect this wine is probably at its best now and for a few more years,
but don't leave this in the rack for a decade. It's charming now, in its
youth.
- Currently in stock: HINTON 2008 Central Otago PINOT NOIR $15.99
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- OYSTER BAY
 The
Oyster Bay company is owned by private shareholders with a significant
percentage of the enterprise being owned by the Delegat wine family.
The Delegat family farms the vineyards and makes the wines. We've read
a bit about various legal wranglings over the actual ownership and
management of the winery. It may make the Mondavi brother's feud in
the Napa Valley some years ago look like arm wrestling by comparison.
It's grown into a big brand, but they sure have some schizophrenic marketing
policies and we've simply stopped carrying this label.
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SAINT CLAIR
 This
winery made some superb Sauvignon Blancs a few years ago, winning some
blind-tastings we had organized. Some difficulties with the importer
at the time meant the wines were not available, much to our disappointment.
We were delighted to see Saint Clair has returned to the Bay Area and we
bought a bottle to taste and evaluate.
It's close to previous vintages, displaying lovely citrusy notes and a
streak of an herbal tone that can only be Sauvignon Blanc. Think of passion fruit,
lime, citrus blossoms and a hint of grass.
I was interested to see the winemaking notes on this wine. Some
Sauvignon producers like to give their wine some "skin contact,"
citing increased aromatics and flavors. Saint Clair's winemaker Matt
Thomson prefers to press off the skins as quickly as possible. The juice
is fermented in stainless steel at low temps to retain as much "grape"
as possible. The results are delicious.
The 2009 is a rather dry white with nice snappy acidity. It's a lovely
wine for cocktail service and it'll match nicely with Asian-styled foods and
many fish courses. The wine is intensely Sauvignon and it's not as
universally-appealing a wine as have been earlier vintages.
- Currently in stock: 2009 Saint Clair "Marlborough"
SAUVIGNON BLANC (list $18) SALE $15.99
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- CLOS HENRI
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 There
has been quite a flood of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc wines
arriving in our market. It's no secret that many of the
wines produced there are excellent expressions of the grape.
A real validation for the Marlborough region was the arrival of
the Bourgeois family from France's Loire Valley. Their
arrival was rather like the Baron Rothschild's or Christian Moueix'
interest in owning a piece of the Napa Valley far from their
Bordeaux homes.
Bourgeois is the leading ambassador for the Sauvignons from
various top Loire appellations, especially that of Sancerre.
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The land purchased by the
Bourgeois family was virgin vineyard territory, featuring three soil
types. They're planting several hectares annually and expect this to
be a 12 year project before reaching the finish line. They expect to
plant about 65 hectares of the 100 hectare estate.
We find the Clos Henri wine
to combine elements of top Loire Valley Sauvignons with top New Zealand
wines. Having notes of each makes for an unusually complex bottle of
Sauvignon Blanc, no matter the wine's birthplace. We like the
minerality of this wine, as well as the spicy pineapple and citrus tones.
It's got more 'weight' than your average New Zealand Sauvignon, yet it's
not as potent as most California Sauvignons.
We're big fans and delighted to have some bottles to share with our
customers. Don't miss this. I included the 2006 in a
blind-tasting with 7 Loire Valley Sauvignons. I ranked this in my
top 3 and did not find it 'stood out' as something particularly different
as would most New Zealand wines.
Pinot Noir from this estate can
be truly special as well. We tasted several vintages recently and they
seem to be getting closer in style and character to Burgundy! We have
the 2007 Pinot Noir in stock...it's a wonderful example of Pinot Noir.
There's a beautiful black cherry fruit aroma and the oak is just right
(meaning it's not much in evidence, but there's probably some in the mix)...
This is deliciously drinkable now and should be fine for a number of years...
Currently in stock: 2008
CLOS HENRI SAUVIGNON BLANC $18.99
2007 CLOS HENRI PINOT NOIR $29.99
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- ATA RANGI 2006 Martinborough PINOT NOIR
$48.99 (last bottle, or two)
ATA RANGI 2008 Martinborough PINOT NOIR $47.99
ATA RANGI 2010 Martinborough SAUVIGNON BLANC $20.99
 One of the original pioneering winegrowers in this
"new" region of New Zealand, Clive Paton saw the benefits of Martinborough's
deep soil and relatively dry climate for the cultivation of red wine grapes.
We see
only a few bottles annually of exceptional Pinot Noir. If you like the wines of
Burgundy's Robert Jayer-Gilles, then you'll probably be as entranced with Ata Rangi Pinot
Noir as are we. Yields are low, French oak is high, a delightful combination. I
included the Ata Rangi Pinot in a recent blind-tasting and it was the first
place wine. Not surprisingly.
 Sauvignon
Blanc from this estate is also excellent. It's from Martinborough,
so you shouldn't expect the same sort of aromatics and flavors you'll find
typically in Marlborough wines.
They ferment approximately 10% in neutral oak and the rest is vinified in
stainless steel. No M-L, as they want to retain the fresh, zippy notes
of the Sauvignon. It's dry, full-flavored and a very expressive white
wine.
- CLOUDY BAY 2009 SAUVIGNON BLANC SALE
$24.99
CLOUDY BAY CHARDONNAY $27.99
- Associated today with the Champagne producer Veuve Clicquot,
Cloudy Bay was founded in 1985 by the folks at Australia's Cape Mentelle winery.
They are world famous for their exceptional Sauvignon Blanc, but also produce Chardonnay,
Pinot Noir and a bottle-fermented sparkling wine. The supply used to
be much sought-after and doled out to "worthy" customers who
supported the Clicquot line of Champagne.
Today there are dozens of terrific New Zealand Sauvignons and hundreds of
brands of Kiwi plonk and this has taken the pressure off Cloudy Bay.
They still make good wine, though, but it's not as "hot" a brand
as it once was.
The 2009 is a good example of their handiwork. Nice fruit, dry
and crisp.
Chardonnay from Cloudy Bay is relatively unknown, but it's a nice bottle of
wine. Apples and hints of pear fruit with a touch of wood...dry, of
course.
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AUNTSFIELD
 As
noted elsewhere on this web page, New Zealand's wine history is quite recent
as far as most wineries go. But Auntsfield has history going back to
the 1840s! The place was probably the home of some of the first New
Zealand vineyards and the present owners have worked to restore what was a
small winemaking facility from the 19th century.-
- Auntsfield is today owned by Graeme Cowley and his wife,
with their two sons now working in the Wairau Valley vineyard and
cellar. Cowley has great respect for history and has researched the
story of this property. At some point, they will replant a patch of
land which is thought to be the site of the original vineyard with clones of
Muscat from an historical vineyard collection.
That was then and now is now...We tasted a remarkably fine Pinot Noir from
this domaine and thought it was worthy of its lofty price tag...
The wine is from the 2006 harvest and it's their Hawk Hill Vineyard Pinot
Noir. We found the wine to display classically Burgundian Pinot fruit
on the nose and it's nicely balanced and delicious in its youth. We
suspect this will cellar handsomely for another 5 to 8 years, but enjoy it
immensely right now. There's dark cherry fruit and a touch of oak
here...very fine. And the finish is long and lingers nicely...
Currently in stock: 2006 AUNTSFIELD "Hawk Hill" PINOT
NOIR $38.99-
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SELAKS 2006 RIESLING/GEWÜRZ "ICE WINE" $19.99 (375ml) This winery and accompanying restaurant were purchased
some years ago by the famous House of Nobilo (one of their clan is a pro golfer, so you'll
sometimes see the Nobilo name on the sports pages of your newspaper).
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Selaks has a pretty good name for table wines and is a highly-regarded source of "Ice
Wine," blend this vintage of Riesling and Gewürztraminer. I
don't know why they're allowed to call this "Ice Wine," since
American producers of frozen grape (not on the vine but in a freezer) wines
can't use the term on their bottlings.
In any case, the resulting
wine is amazingly well-balanced for a wine of such sweetness. The other nice feature
of this is the modest price tag, the wine costing far less than comparable German or
Austrian "ice wines." The 2006 is crisp, mildly citrusy and very fresh and
floral.
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While we don't have the facilities to keep an
encyclopedic collection of New Zealand wines in the shop, we'll be happy to special order
your favorites. There's been a flood of wines arriving in the market.
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