An Older NZ Wine - Thornbury Merlot

[Mahmoud Ali]

2000 Thornbury Merlot, Hawke's Bay, by Steven Bird, Hawke's Bay, NZ(13.5%)

This is a wine I picked up many years ago based on the recommendation of a mate of mine who was an importer of wine specializing in Australian wines. I thought he was the importer of this wine but looking at the back label it lists a US importer so now I'm not sure and I can't ask him since he passed away very unexpectedly last summer. He was supposed to be on the rugby pitch that evening but passed away in his parked car, sort of like Len Evans did some years ago. He used to bring some of his product into the locker room, beer, cider, etc. so we continue his tradition with one of supplying beer for the lads every two weeks and toasting him.

Anyway, onto the wine. For some reason I thought that I had Thornbury Cabernets, so when I came across a pair of merlots in a mixed case I was surprised. Upon checking my out-of-date cellar list (from 2010) I see that my third bottle is in a sixpack along with some '99 Mentor and '97 St Hugo so that must be the cabernet. I'm comfortable aging a cabernet but wouldn't think of aging a NZ mellot for this long - now 19 years.

ThornburyMerlot.jpeg

The cork came out easily, stained to only a quarter of its length. The colour was ruddy brick, oranging at the edge with a slight watery rim. Afraid that it might be fragile I decanted it into a small carafe and chilled it for a perhaps 15 minutes before pouring it into our glasses. Well, I needn't have been worried. The nose had a ripe, fleshy, sweet, an almost stewy element, but it gradually wore off and became slightly minty. The palate was also sweet fruited, more like ripe cherry tomatos, with flects of herbs and minerals, and a soft slippery finish with little to no tannins. This wine is fully resolved and on the cusp I would say. Fully ready to drink and full of interest.

Well done NZ, a Hawke's Bay merlot that went the distance. Kudos.

PS: I'm sipping the last dribble in my glass as well as the dregs from the bottle six hours later, after having watched Japan beat Ireland at the World Cup, and the wine is still really nice, sweet, savoury, and long. The next bottle of Thornbury will be served blind to my friends and with a little bit more time in the decanter. None of them has ever served me an aged NZ wine. This should surprise them, cork willing.

[Craig(NZ)]

Surprising for what on paper is a fairly run of the mill nz merlot.