2013 NZ Bordeaux Blends

[Craig(NZ)]

CCA Label Drinkers Society – 2013 NZ Bordeaux Blend Legends

My first post for a while, but I thought this might be of interest to some given the calibre of the line up and vintage

2013, as anyone with even a passing knowledge of the NZ wine scene knows, was described as the vintage of a generation. It was very dry but not exceptionally hot. Unlike 2017 a super summer unfolded that seemed to never end. The Bordeaux Blend and Syrah wines from both Auckland and Hawkes Bay in particular excelled. Right through the price ranges and tiers we saw some fantastic pieces of work.

I organise a tasting group that has been meeting now about 4 or 5 times a year for the last 3 years. We focus on one variety each meeting. Always 6 bottles, always 8 or 9 people. The wines are served blind with food, drunk, judged, revisited then revealed. No spitting!!! We score 3 points favourite, 2 points for second favourite and 1 point for third favourite. We tally the results before the labels are revealed. My able 18yo daughters make sure it is all random and blind even to myself. We do play options, but we all know that is harder than our egos advertise even among wines we feel we are very familiar with! Options truly does make fools of us all.

The six wines I chose for this night reflected firstly a repeat of a tasting we ran two years ago with different vintages, but also represents half a dozen of the very top 2013 wines I had tried. A couple of wines missed out that I may have liked to include (namely the Church Road Tom and the Clearview Basket Press) but we have a formula and at the prices of those two wines, I didn't feel encouraged to stray. Three of the line up have received perfect scores from professional NZ wine writers.

No surprises, the wines are young and all showed that they would benefit from more time in the bottle, some especially more so than others, but they certainly all showed their quality in a very convincing manner. Some of them sit among the best red wines I have ever tasted. For me awarding 1st was easy, but then 2nd through to 6th for me were very, very, close. The order of the notes is the order they randomly were presented.

2013 Stonyridge Larose. A vibrant, youthful saturated red crimson in colour. Flashes of Blackberry and Raspberry lolly mix as a high note on the nose above gravelly olive stone, and a smattering of dried thyme spectrum herbs. The cassis and fresh blackberry palate is embraced by warm powdery tannins. It displays great depth and precision, feels a substantial wine well trained and perfectly set. It all leads to an endless finish. A wine almost insulted at being in the glass so young, almost like someone being woken up at 3am. Needs time and lots of it. 6 points

2013 Sacred Hill Helmsman. Dark ruby red in colour. The nose is very open and already giving up aromas of cassis, blackcurrant and cream. On the palate it is fresh and primary with blackcurrant and dark plum fruit with hints of baking spice. The tannins are fine, warm and dry. The acids are beautifully ripe and fresh. Beautiful purity and pretty attractive drinking already. This will however benefit from another five years in the cellar. The finest Helmsman made. 9 points, 2nd place

2013 Puriri Hills Pope. Purple red ruby in the glass. The nose is very complex giving up berry fruits and a pleasing warm ripe stalkiness. There is some plushness here pushing forward a soft pillow of black fruits, hints of graphite and stone. The depth and texture is amazing displaying a silky mouth feel, seamlessness, and layers of flavour. Gorgeous balance, precision and intricacy. The finish is long and complex. Drinking well already, but has the stuffing to develop well. This will join the ranks of legend. 20 points, 1st place (my first place)

2013 Craggy Range Sophia. Dark royal purple in the glass. The nose redolent of dark creamy black fruits. The palate immediately announces its concentration with an explosive drive of black berry fruits and deep baking spice. The tannins have a lovely fine chalky texture. It is slightly more open knit in structure than the other wines, but at the same time it keeps it’s cards close to the chest. Everything is very fresh and youthful. An attractive vintage of Sophia. It’s good to see the massive improvement in oak handling. 1 point

2013 Esk Valley Terraces. Dark purple and opaque in the glass. The nose is rampant with very pure fresh black fruits even hints of blackcurrant. The palate is substantial with very deep set and brooding black berry fruits, even blueberry. It isn't a fruit bomb, there are base notes of graphite and hints of wet stone giving well executed complexity. Tightly structured. This really needs a good sleep in the cellar but is highly impressive. Definitely one of the best Terraces ever made. Great to see the back of the over alcoholic beasts from last decade. 8 points, 3rd place (my second place)

2013 Te Mata Coleraine. Dark ruby in the glass. The nose shows creamy red fruit with graphite and fennel. The palate displays warm, fine almost seductive tannins wrapping pure, juicy and fresh red currant, red plum fruit with black liquorice and violets. The finish is long, dry, minerally and complex. Surprisingly this seemed one of the more attractive wines to drink younger tonight as it is already quite integrated and assured, but having said that it has a very long life ahead of it. 4 points (my third place)

I am attending a more formal tasting in a couple of weeks that Geoff Kelly is organising that has five of these wines as the core of his lineup with the other in reserve. It will be interesting to see if the same themes follow there with an expanded lineup and larger set of different participants

[Mahmoud Ali]

Thank you Craig. I like that your group tastes wines with food as the main purpose of wine is to be enjoyed with a meal. Selecting a single variety to taste makes food pairing easier and all wines are tasted with the same food. Given my preference for aged wines (and the amount of wines I already have) it's not likely that I will be buying any 2013s but it is interesting nonetheless to read the notes as I do have three of the wines you tasted, though older vintages.

Cheers ............... Mahmoud.

[michel]

I love the Pope
I recall your cellar door visit and notes from years ago

[jafa]

CCA Label Drinkers Society – 2013 NZ Bordeaux Blend Legends
I am attending a more formal tasting in a couple of weeks that Geoff Kelly is organising that has five of these wines as the core of his lineup with the other in reserve. It will be interesting to see if the same themes follow there with an expanded lineup and larger set of different participants

Geoff Kelly report is out:
http://www.geoffkellywinereviews.co.nz/index.php?ArticleID=282

Your thoughts Craig??

Pleased to have quite a few of these in cellar, both Bordeaux blends and Syrah, mostly those at the top of the rankings
cheers jafa

[michel]

Interesting regarding the apparent lack of interest!

[TiggerK]

Thanks for the heads up, Geoff is often tardy in his tasting notes so I don't check in often, yet follow his site with much interest.

I'd love to attend one of his tastings (and intend to ASAP when trans-tasman plans converge) mainly just to meet him and see how his palate aligns to mine and other attendees. My main compliment to him is he avoids the 'hypey pointy points get my name more famous' b*ll*&ks that so many NZ & Oz reviewers achieve and he focuses more on objective evaluation of Kiwi wines in a world sense. I love most of his initial comments and criticism of the narrow minded local scene. (he has very little time for most Oz and Kiwi wine reviewers whom he regularly calls out for excessive scoring that in no way reflects an overall world quality level (in his opinion of course). I almost always agree with him on this.

For his tasting notes, I'm not convinced he gets it right all the time but like me, he's just another opinion in a sea of different palates negotiating environmental conditions and personal preferences.

Will be VERY interested to (hopefully) read Craig's take on the wines. C'Mon Craig, do us a favour and type it up bro! Even if briefly.

I'd also love to have a discussion on Geoff Kelly! Fascinating.

[michel]

Thanks for the heads up, Geoff is often tardy in his tasting notes so I don't check in often, yet follow his site with much interest.

I'd love to attend one of his tastings (and intend to ASAP when trans-tasman plans converge) mainly just to meet him and see how his palate aligns to mine and other attendees. My main compliment to him is he avoids the 'hypey pointy points get my name more famous' b*ll*&ks that so many NZ & Oz reviewers achieve and he focuses more on objective evaluation of Kiwi wines in a world sense. I love most of his initial comments and criticism of the narrow minded local scene.

For his tasting notes, I'm not convinced he gets it right all the time but like me, he's just another opinion in a sea of different palates negotiating environmental conditions and personal preferences.

Will be VERY interested to (hopefully) read Craig's take on the wines. C'Mon Craig, do us a favour and type it up bro! Even if briefly.

I'd also love to have a discussion on Geoff Kelly! Fascinating.

Let me know about his tasting if you go...

[sjw_11]

Wow this Geoff Kelly fellow is certainly ... frank and forthright in his views.

However, I kind of question the point of having a structured tasting to compare with international benchmarks, where there are only three foreign wines in the mix (and only one from each alternative country)? Surely that still guarantees your palate will primarily respond to the more familiar local wines, almost assuring that 1) you will pick correctly the interlopers and 2) you will rate the local wines higher than you may have done in a far broader tasting?

That is leaving aside the greater risk of a poor showing from a bottle which has travelled across the world versus one direct from the venue's cellar (as the Villa Maria wines would, presumably, have been). This surely exacerbates the risks of relying on only a couple of foreign flag bearers to serve as the yardstick for comparison.

I am also intrigued by the emphasis on dry extract... even when I studied introductory wine-making I don't recall this ever being discussed, yet Geoff seems to flag it as a critical point for wine quality:

"not least because the dry extracts for several of these wines now approach or reach the defining 30 g/L international benchmark for great wine."

Interestingly, Wine Spectator describes the level of dry extract as a "big whoop" http://www.winespectator.com/drvinny/show/id/40575

Does anyone else have any particular insights on that topic?

[TiggerK]

Wow this Geoff Kelly fellow is certainly ... frank and forthright in his views.

I am also intrigued by the emphasis on dry extract... even when I studied introductory wine-making I don't recall this ever being discussed, yet Geoff seems to flag it as a critical point for wine quality:

"not least because the dry extracts for several of these wines now approach or reach the defining 30 g/L international benchmark for great wine."

Interestingly, Wine Spectator describes the level of dry extract as a "big whoop" http://www.winespectator.com/drvinny/show/id/40575

Does anyone else have any particular insights on that topic?

No, but he's certainly a bit OTT obsessed with it!!!

[Craig(NZ)]

Hi

Yip, I was there. It is actually quite unique reading GK's report. I actually think he did a good job teasing out the wines and I agree with most of what he said. He did mirror a surprising number of themes I noted.

Bullet point comments from me, brain download only excuse if it jumps around!!

1. Please please please ditch the XL5 glasses. Yes I know the practical issues, but sorry nice big riedels are so so much better. XL5's should be banned!! This is the 21st century. You have to work so so hard to dissect the wines with 30mls in these dinosaurs! It also amplifies the "artificial" setting which the wines are judged in. I am so so much more happy with where I have settled...6 wines blind, 8 or 9 people, riedles, food. Also the practice of decanting the wines into identical empty bottles I think is poor. I doubt they all end up being sterile no matter what the precautions

2. Shame the Coleraine was corked as it showed pretty well at my tasting. GK seems obsessed with comparing every wine on the planet against this. Although I understand dry extract, I think using figures to arbitarily define quality is fraught

3. My pet wine PH Pope didn't show well on the night in my books. I had tried this wine probably 10x before this tasting. Something was not quite right with it. The plush fruit just wasn't there, it had gone AWOL. Even so it still pulled 3rd equal in the popular vote. I'm just buying as many PH wines as I can and will keep doing that until they are all gone.

4. I found it hard to rank the wines overall with 12 to put in order. My highest ranked wines ended up being Larose, Elephant Hill, Pope, Babich, Terraces, Moss Wood

5. Next to no one had a clue which one was the Leoville Barton! The 13 is so different to the LB's I have tried from other vintages

6. There are some good palates in the world. A couple of people were pretty good at picking the wines. I was strictly average as usual

7. Even though the people at this tasting were seasoned pros, there did seem a bias toward the bigger wines in the popular vote. The Tom which won the popular vote to me was the least "drinkable" of the lot

9. For me I am comfortable enough having gone long on Larose, Coleraine and PH. I also love the Villa Maria Reserve Cab Merlot from 2013. $37 on special it is super buying in a more sterile modern style. The elephant hill was a new intro. I was impressed. It is like a more elegant refined Terraces.

8. I didn't go to the Syrah tasting but it backs up what I have always said. Bullnose and Villa Reserve are the bargain sweet spot VFM wines of the vintage for Syrah

9. Dominus. Too young and yes there were some overripe characters. Still a great wine though but way way too young

10. Larose. Boom the real deal but again so so so young

[Craig(NZ)]

Wow this Geoff Kelly fellow is certainly ... frank and forthright in his views.

However, I kind of question the point of having a structured tasting to compare with international benchmarks, where there are only three foreign wines in the mix (and only one from each alternative country)? Surely that still guarantees your palate will primarily respond to the more familiar local wines, almost assuring that 1) you will pick correctly the interlopers and 2) you will rate the local wines higher than you may have done in a far broader tasting?

Re Point 1

1. 11/12 wines had votes for "this is the leoville barton". Only 1/15 of us picked it. 15 monkeys would have done as well
2. Puriri Hills Pope received most votes for "This is the Dominus"
3. Moss Wood was picked as the Australian just with 5 votes, though 5 other wines received votes for the Australian pick including PH Pope with 4 votes

So yeah, although there were a couple of very skilled palates, most of us (writers, winemakers and enthusiasts) really had no idea.

I picked none of the international wines, although I did pick Pope lol

Re Point 2

I agree. Statistically to be fair you need 3 wines from each country but then can you really be as skilled at picking those "top 3" from each country? And really the point of the exercise was to look at NZ's top wines with the overseas wines just there to benchmark??

I don't think there is "fair" in any comparative tasting. These days for me tastings are more about education and enjoyment. I rate wine labels simply these days. Which labels give me the greatest percentage of "wow" moments. This is how I now simply rank who is who in the zoo and where they sit on the pecking order of things

[via collins]

Interesting to read GK's notes on the Te Mata Bullnose syrah.

I bought a 6 pack of the 09, and it's turned out to be a rare moment of inspired buying genius - it bats a country mile above its price, I had no special expectations for it, but every bottle has been absolutely superb.

This note's a good reminder to go and nab some more.

[Craig(NZ)]

Interesting to read GK's notes on the Te Mata Bullnose syrah.

I bought a 6 pack of the 09, and it's turned out to be a rare moment of inspired buying genius - it bats a country mile above its price, I had no special expectations for it, but every bottle has been absolutely superb.

This note's a good reminder to go and nab some more.

For me, Bullnose took a big step up in quality in 2013. 2013, 2014 and 2015 are all super wines. You can successfully argue now that 2x Bullnose is probably better buying than 1x Coleraine