The Auswine Forum

Great event last night, put on by Tim (TiggerK) being our resident Kiwi Wine Evangelist.

We had the Private Dining Room at Rocket in Chatswood. Usual fantastic levels of service from our French man of the floor, making sure we were all well looked after, watered well, and any on hand for any requests – great asset to the restaurant. I did observe that the food had definitely gone up a notch or two in presentation and flavour. (turns out there were new owners, staff) so kudos to them for raising the bar higher.

Didn’t take notes, so will just comment, rant on a few wines.

Greywacke still is the only SavBlanc I’ll drink in the absence of waterboarding. Getting a little too close to clean and normal dare I say. I loved them with a bit more interest and funk.

Rippon was still a baby, nice enough.

The Pyramid Valley wines were simply not good enough, for the money I know they are worth they are taking punters for a ride. If I want tinned corn, I’ll go to Woolies – if you are going to be edgy and what not, don’t make the wine suffer, get the basics right then go edgy. I tried, but ended up tipping them all out – corn, acid, bit of fruit. The 2011 I think, was the only drinkable one of the 3. (essentially $300 down the sink)

Kumeu to me is like Felton Road, they don’t try to be showy. They just tick all the boxes, wine that is well balanced, nicely fruit driven with complementary oak regimes. Sure some might say they are bit plain and boring, for me it’s a sign of quality winemaking when you can produce such good wines in such an effortless way. The Mates was a pick of the bunch for me, just had that extra bit of interest and drive.

Of the Pinots the Felton Rd for me stood out, plush, plums, great texture, with good tannins. Also liked the Martinborough Vineyards one with the benefit of a few more years.

The blind options were interesting, I was probably playing the man too much thinking surely he’d have to have a Le Sol or Sophia in the mix. I really enjoyed the power of the Squawking Magpie, nice pure fruit, with good acid and heaps of tannins still – will be a long lived wine, and a merlot dominant wine to boot.

The Te Mata were all pretty good, the 1994 had a bit of funk. The 1998 was right in the zone for me, really enjoyed this, just hitting the secondary notes, and it was good to see a younger version of it to get the whole progression overview.

The Framingham was fantastic, really lovely wine, still very young and primary but a great way to finish off proceedings. Give these 20 years easy.

Great night, thanks for all the hard work Tim and everyone for the good conversations. I was a bit seedy still from the previous night but soldiered on.

List of Wines courtesy of Tim.
Rippon Mature Vine Riesling 2013
Greywacke Wild Sauvignon Blanc 2014

Bell Hill Chardonnay 2008
Pyramid Valley Field of Fire Chardonnay 2010
Pyramid Valley Field of Fire Chardonnay 2011
Pyramid Valley Lions Tooth Chardonnay 2010

Kumeu River Coddington Chardonnay 2010
Kumeu River Hunting Hill Chardonnay 2012
Kumeu River Mate’s Chardonnay 2012

Pyramid Valley Angel Flower Pinot Noir 2011
Hans Herzog Pinot Noir 2011
Martinborough Vineyards Pinot Noir 2009

Ata Rangi Pinot Noir 2009
Bell Hill Pinot Noir 2009
Felton Block 3 Pinot Noir 2009

Blind Options…
Fromm La Strada Reserve Malbec 1996 (Marlborough)
Squawking Magpie SQM Merlot Cabernet 2005 (Hawkes Bay)
Hans Herzog Montepulciano 2011 (Marlborough)

Te Mata Coleraine 1994
Te Mata Coleraine 1998
Te Mata Coleraine 2007

Churton Petit Manseng 2015
Framingham Riesling F-Series Beerenauslese 2012

Some questions:

How was the Hans Herzog Montepulciano? I tried this at the winery a couple of years ago, and bought one (and drank it immediately). A little overpriced in my opinion, but I was on holiday.

I'm more interested in the Fromm La Strada Malbec 1996. I have a couple of (I think) 2014 in the cellar, and would like to know if the 1996 went the distance.

Good to get your impression of the Framingham sweet wine - I'm a big fan of their Rieslings generally.

Cheers
Allan

Thought the Bell Hills were both quite nice..the Chardonnay reminded me a bit of Puligny the same way Mates tend to remind me of Meursault...

The Framingham Sweet wine was really good...great balance between acid and sugar...the thing was over 25% sugar yet it never felt cloying...really good depth as well which I'm sure will get even better with more time...

The wines were all pretty good..except the Pyramid Valleys were all busted for some reason...I don't ever remember seeing these like this when they were on release (Not these specific ones but other Pyramid valley Chards). It was just really weird...

Thanks to all the attendees and to a few for contributing a few extras into the lineup. Had a really good night, there was some fatigue after a big Burg dinner the night before but as Dave said, we soldiered on, and it was a good palate calibration exercise seeing the two regions one night apart. NZ may never reach the heights of really good Burg, but for the price point, there is a lot of enjoyment to be had if you choose wisely.

A few brief points...

* Rocket seems to have upped their game food-wise (new owners), good to see and taste. (Pity my food was cold not really, yes I am a rather slow eater)

* Loved the Rippon Rizza a lot, even this young, great energy. Even the Savvy was textured, well made and yes, actually drinkable.

* I’m done with ageing Pyramid Valley Chardonnay and Pinot, and even the Bell Hill Chardonnay is risky (the latter based solely on their 2008 mind you). If you’re going to buy them, drink ’em young. All showed way too much bacterial DMS pungent canned corn notes to the point of distraction. Very Disappointing. The PV Pinots fail to match the hype too, a 2011 Angel Flower last night was OK, but only just. A good taster and friend had the Angel Flower 2013 recently and rated it very poorly indeed. I love the people, but no longer love the home block wines with any age on them, too pricey to risk it. They are indeed fragile and variable wines which can certainly impress, but sadly I must concur with my friend when he announced 'PV, I'm out'.

* The Bell Hill 2008 Chardonnay showed a touch of that offputting corn note too (as did the last bottle – different source), but with enough air (a few double decants) it did clean up quite nicely and we all enjoyed it. Still hoped for more from it though. Good Waipara Chardonnay? Drink Young.

* Kumeu River make really nice Chardonnay, consistent, reliable, ages nicely, well priced. No doubt this is a shock to us all.

* Pinots showed pretty well, albeit in that indelicate kiwi style. More black fruits than red, quite ripe, balance is elusive, but most of the Pinots had their fans. Hard to pick a favourite for me, but the PV was last .

* Blind wines were fun, Mark thought the 96 was slightly corked, fair enough, happily many didn't pick it up. It was certainly aging nicely so no hurry on the 2014's Allan, they will go the distance. The Squawking Magpie was aging nicely, albeit slowly. NZ can do Merlot quite well I think. The Montepulciano was still a bit closed I thought, good but not distinctive. Probably needed some more cellar time or decanting time.

* Older Coleraines were really good, 94 a bit green but enjoyable, 98 more classic older cab. 07 way too young though. One taster said they stole the show for him and I understand why. mmmm aged Cabernet.

* I particularly liked the two sweeter wines to finish, both had freshness, and the Framingham BA showed some nice hints of aging progression. Both went esp well with the yummy Crepes Suzette.

Hope you all have a fab weekend. :handgestures-thumbup:

Awesome line up!!

The 2007 Coleraine is still too young?

God, will I drink my 07/08s before I die? Serious first world problem on the horizon!

I did drink the 07 many years ago, probably the first red wine to completely blow my mind and encourage me to spend more money than I had on wines. But I keep hearing "too early."

Thanks for the write-up too, always love seeing Kiwi overviews.

A very generous lineup Tim.

Pyramid Valley I agree, I have never been on board with this winery. I've never purchased any for anything outside tastings. The chardonnays seem very quick to take on an overly oxidative bent. I have heard from one friend the 2011 Howell Cab Franc is extremely good at the moment, but I am not convinced enough to buy. Value for money is poor

Bell Hill though I am a fan from my limited experience. I haven't tried any bottles that haven't impressed whether the Pinot or Chardonnay. The chardonnay though wasn't as firm as I expected it to be so I question its cellaring potential. The Pinot though does age very well. We had a 2006 about 18 months ago that still looked youthful, it was stunning. Value for money is questionable but I still buy the odd bottle for special occasions

Coleraine, 1998 is drinking very well at the moment ex well stored bottles, and I even think the 2007 is starting to drink too. I agree the 1994 was a little herbal. Definitely an old style NZ bdx blend. 2015 is excellent, though I am going to struggle to buy in the future with the big price jump. If the 2015 wasn't so good I would have skipped it.

Kumeu River seems to be going from strength to strength though I don't think the current 2015 SV's are as good as the 2010 - 2014's. Curiously the Estate 2015 is very very good, better than the 2014 IMO. KR are a cellar must have nearly every year

Framingham are really now the masters of NZ Riesling. Ive had 3 different vintages of their F Series TBA over the last year and they really are as good as it gets. The Auslese too is extremely smart

Craig!!

Great to see you again - it's taken a mighty line-up to lure you out

Hope you are feeling well, I miss your take on the NZ scene,

cheers,

VC

dave vino wrote:Great event last night, put on by Tim (TiggerK) being our resident Kiwi Wine Evangelist.

Damn that's a pity. After the discussions around kiwi wines at the 90s and older evening, I had thought about suggesting a kiwi theme over the coming months. Oh well there is always 2018.

Mark

98 Coleraine finally ready?

I have a case I carried back from the winery all those years ago ! Must hook in.

Hi folks. No specific comment on the Ata Rangi. I have a bottle or two - where was it at?

rooman wrote:Damn that's a pity. After the discussions around kiwi wines at the 90s and older evening, I had thought about suggesting a kiwi theme over the coming months. Oh well there is always 2018.Mark

It's OK Mark, I have more Kiwi Wine! I've been trying to think of a good theme too, more than happy to do NZ.

Craig!! Wow, you're still out there, good to hear from you and it seems you're still tasting good wine. Thanks for the comments and interesting to hear about the KR 2015's, cheers.

Jamie, still plenty of time for the 98, I'd say it's def in its' drinking window, but should improve.

kaos... Ata Rangi 2009 wasn't as good as I had hoped, it felt a touch out of balance, although I did enjoy that it seemed less ripe / sweet than the Martinborough Vineyards (in the previous flight) and the Felton Road Block 3. On the night it was my pick of the 3 in the flight, but thinking back, I'd have to change my vote to the Bell Hill which felt like it was evolving in the glass and had the potential to be very good with more cellar time, and then the Felton Road which while being a bit on the ripe side, showed very good balance and felt the most composed. End of the day, all the Pinots showed on the young side, so I'd leave the Ata Rangi another couple of years at least (it was my last one sadly!).

Cheers
Tim

For the sake of anyone wondering, here are a few very brief notes or impressions from memory on the wines. I was a bit busy to take notes for most, but a few were so we may see some more considered thoughts appear in time. All wines under screwcap unless noted, mostly bought on release and stored at 14C ever since (except the three 90's wines which were from auction). Didn't note most of the voting for WOF, but have listed where I did. All the reds had at least an hour in the decanter before serving. The Kumeu River Chardonnays were double decanted then put into the fridge until close to serving time while the Bell Hill and Pyramid Valley Chardonnays were vigorously double decanted a couple of times and left in the decanter for 30 mins or so as well, again then back into the bottle and fridge before time to serve.

Rippon Mature Vine Riesling 2013 (Diam) - lime, blossom, hint of residual but lower than most NZ rieslings, wonderful vibrancy, long life ahead. Excellent.
Greywacke Wild Sauvignon Blanc 2014 - hint of the expected gooseberry cat pee signature, but skillfully draped by textural and phenolic elements.

Bell Hill Chardonnay 2008 - Hint of DMS, soon cleaned up, very fresh, plenty of acidity and slate-like minerality. Oak def plays a part though. Very nice.
Pyramid Valley Field of Fire Chardonnay 2010 - The better of the Pyramid Chardonnays for me, but still too much DMS/canned corn note.
Pyramid Valley Field of Fire Chardonnay 2011 - Much more DMS showing, and no sign of it cleaning up, even with vigorous double decants. Sad.
Pyramid Valley Lions Tooth Chardonnay 2010 - Same.

Kumeu River Coddington Chardonnay 2010 - quite a closed Coddington, given it's usual flamboyance but good drinking. Still quite young, will improve.
Kumeu River Hunting Hill Chardonnay 2012 - My pick of the flight, bit more focused and concentrated than the Mate's, but both were very good and both will def improve with a few more years.
Kumeu River Mate’s Chardonnay 2012 - As per HH note, very nice wine, no sign of bitterness on the finish that some NZ tasters had noted previously.

Pyramid Valley Angel Flower Pinot Noir 2011 - some sulphide notes, funky, cherry and stalk, OK, but only just. (0/12 votes)
Hans Herzog Pinot Noir 2011 (cork) - Quite dense fruit, not too ripe. More black than red, but some pretty florality is in there with some coaxing. Half the table liked this the most for this flight.
Martinborough Vineyards Pinot Noir 2009 - More a sweet fruit/less tannin style. All felt well integrated and fine to drink but not my style of Pinot. The other half liked this the most for the flight.

Ata Rangi Pinot Noir 2009 - Good structure, stalk/strawberry leaf green notes and good acid. Feels a touch disjointed but I like the lack of ripeness. More time should benefit this.
Bell Hill Pinot Noir 2009 - Touch of sulphide but this subsides, fruit is powerful and youthful, framed with beetroot and dark cherry, it's changing in the glass and hints at complexity that may emerge with quite a bit more cellaring. 3-5+ more years I think.
Felton Road Block 3 Pinot Noir 2009 - Feels 'complete' right away (1 hour decant though), well balanced and composed. Fruit is slightly on the riper side for my liking, but it's not too much and this is a nice wine that is very popular around the table. Drinking well now but should improve a bit more.

Blind Options…
Fromm La Strada Reserve Malbec 1996 (Marlborough) (cork) - thanks for bringing this RedSmurf, a rare treat. I didn't take notes for this flight, too busy having fun with the blind options game but it had a lovely complex nose. Needless to say no one guessed 20 year old Malbec! One taster suspected low level TCA was muting it a touch, but if so it was below the TCA threshold of others and the nose felt expressive enough to me.
Squawking Magpie SQM Merlot Cabernet 2005 (Hawkes Bay) - Still young, good soft Merlot plushness balanced with a firmer Cabernet element. Drink now or hold for 10+ years.
Hans Herzog Montepulciano 2011 (Marlborough) (cork) - Either young, or the style felt a touch generic? Perhaps people were just playing the man when guessing Syrah. Possibly a lesser vintage got a bit more oak than usual. Perfectly nice wine to drink though, good fine tannins. Herzog are a quality producer but their prices reflect that attention to detail and they still hang on to cork closures making them a rarity in NZ.

Te Mata Coleraine 1994 (cork) - Some green/herbal/capsicum notes, classic old Cabernet profile otherwise, really liked this.
Te Mata Coleraine 1998 (cork) - Well balanced and at a good stage of evolution. Drink or Hold, corks permitting. Thanks for this Dave.
Te Mata Coleraine 2007 (cork) - Not as big or ripe as I was expecting from the vintage, and still quite youthful. Good structure. Still a robust wine though and benefited from the decant. Could drink now but I will hold my last one for 5 years or so.

Churton Petit Manseng 2015 - Can't remember flavour descriptors but I do recall enjoying the acid/sugar balance and it's interesting and different fruit profile (I was already a fan of Petit Manseng from Jurancon). It's an expensive and quite a rare wine, but I'm pleased I put it in as I like what they have done with this and was keen to try it with others.
Framingham Riesling F-Series Beerenauslese 2012 - The stats on this are amazing, 275g/L residual sugar, 7% alc, only 210 bottles made. I was expecting a delicious sweet and sticky orange botrytis nectar, and yes I got that. But I wasn't expecting the excellent acid profile which kept the whole wine fresh, clean and vibrant! Very impressed indeed, particularly as Andrew Headly the winemaker told me he likes them young, why bother aging them! I say if you've got them, age away!

Cheers
Tim

P.S Had a Church Road Reserve Syrah 2007 in the bag as a backup but will save for another time as we had plenty of wine. Was thinking of you Craig with that one!

P.S Had a Church Road Reserve Syrah 2007 in the bag as a backup but will save for another time as we had plenty of wine. Was thinking of you Craig with that one!

The last one I tried wasn't handling it's glossy oak regime very well. I think it was better when it was younger. Perhaps no surprise being a show star?

Great to hear from you CraigNZ!
For me
I cant engage with Bell Hill
Chard is too tropical
Pinots don't deliver me perfume

Good to hear your drinking some good bottles Craig(NZ).

michel: tasting notes from Tuesday please!!

jafa wrote:Good to hear your drinking some good bottles Craig(NZ).

michel: tasting notes from Tuesday please!!

I don't recall any Tuesday wines?!

Great to hear from you CraigNZ!
For me
I cant engage with Bell Hill
Chard is too tropical
Pinots don't deliver me perfume

I am no Bell Hill expert. I have tried the 2006 Pinot twice. The second time especially a couple of years ago was amazing. It wiped the floor with a 92 Grange it was tasted next to. The 2011 chardonnay came 4th out of 6 in a blind tasting of NZ Chardonnay I did about a year ago. Blind I scored 4/6 (the next one we did I got 0/6 so lets get some perspective). But anyway, the one I got mixed up was the Bell Hill and the Sacred Hill Riflemans and it was because as you have said...I expected something more flinty, minerals and lean and didn't get it. I have a single 2012 Pinot in the cellar I will keep another 5 years, that's all I have. That is the sum total of my experience

Good to hear your drinking some good bottles Craig(NZ).

I've never stopped drinking the good stuff. In fact I hardly ever touch Australian wine

Craig(NZ) wrote:

Good to hear your drinking some good bottles Craig(NZ).

I've never stopped drinking the good stuff. In fact I hardly ever touch Australian wine

Touche

michel wrote:

jafa wrote:michel: tasting notes from Tuesday please!!

I don't recall any Tuesday wines?!

Look at your sig.
Tuesday was International Chambertin Day.

jafa wrote:

michel wrote:

jafa wrote:michel: tasting notes from Tuesday please!!

I don't recall any Tuesday wines?!

Look at your sig.
Tuesday was International Chambertin Day.

Classic

That was last year
It is on a different day every year!
Last night had 2010 h Boillot chambertin
A feminine chambertin if there is such a thing!

michel wrote:Last night had 2010 h Boillot chambertin
A feminine chambertin if there is such a thing!

Beaune, not Chambertin; last night was my last bottle of 1999 J Drouhin Clos des Mouches.
Dry, earthy, good food wine. With lamb racks, rosemary, garlic on grill.