40th Celebrations

[Craig(NZ)]

I am making sure I slip into old age under "sedation". I have spent many years salivating over other peoples wine dinner selections and tasting notes, so now it is my turn. Here are my selections. Will serve in pairs

Flight 1. Australasian chardonnays: 2002 Leeuwin Art Series Chardonnay and 2007 Neudorf Moutere Chardonnay

Probably my Chardonnay of the decade from NZ vs a vintage of Leeuwin I haven't tried before. Sure to be good though.



Flight 2. 1992 Benchmark Aussie Shiraz: 1992 Henschke Hill of Grace and 1992 Penfolds Grange

My only remaining bottle of Hill of Grace. I have tried a few vintages but never a 1992. Read a gushing tasting note this week on the winestar forum, so I am hoping for the same. The price is eye watering now! I am hoping the Grange is a good bottle. I have drunk this vintage several times before and it has been either stellar or ordinary. I am hoping for the former.



Flight 3. Bordeaux Blends Battle: 1995 Te Mata Estate Coleraine and 1995 Ch Ducru Beaucaillou

This is a pairing that is a copycat. Wine Spectator Wine of the Year in 1998 vs a highly regarded vintage of the classic kiwi. Hugh Johnston has had this exact pairing before with the team at Te Mata with what I have heard was very favourable results for the kiwi wine. Time to go there myself and see.



Flight 4. My Favourite NZ Cult: 2005 Puriri Hills Pope and 2008 Puriri Hills Pope

These two wines are sensational. Puriri Hills is yet to receive the accolades and attention it deserves but the day is close at hand I can guaranatee that. This is a comparison of the only 2 vintages so far that their flagship wine "Pope" has been produced (2010 will be the next.)



Tasting notes to follow....

[via collins]

That's a truly superb line-up Craig.

I am so excited for you, would be more excited if I was coming.

I'm mostly available!

[monghead]

Happy 40th mate. Hope you have a great time. The wine line up certainly looks the goods... (wiping saliva off the keyboard now...)

Happy Birthday.

Cheers,

Monghead.

[cuttlefish]

Happy Birthday, Craig !

A stellar lineup. Hope you have a wonderful birthday !

Cf

[Michael McNally]

A number of 100+ pointers in that lineup no doubt. Could we even see the magical 109 point barrier broken?

Happy 40th

Michael

[Craig(NZ)]

Could we even see the magical 109 point barrier broken?

Bottles or points? Bottles...we will give it a nudge....oh points...um you just never know. We wont stop at 4 flights - I just haven't decided the next ones yet. That will serve us well until about 2-3 hours in then I will have to go looking for more.

Got a magnum of 2002 Unison Selection lined up for the chop, 2010 Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc and 2004 Cloudy Bay Pelorus for the kardashian white wine drinkers (decided against Champagne this time). Then later 2009 Felton Road Block 1 Riesling, 2006 Pegasus Bay Aria Riesling....

[michel]

All the best Craig- I had a quiet 40 th two years ago but decided to plan the wine for my 50th after reading your post....

[Waiters Friend]

Congratulations, Craig,

When is the big day?

Are you proposing stickies / fortifieds to supplement the wine list or finish off the beer drinkers?

Cheers

Allan

[Craig(NZ)]

Thanks all

All my fortifieds were stolen and haven't replaced them so wont be finishing with them...will depend on how hard the guest are as to how many extra flights I get into! Actual day is Tuesday but the wines are to be cracked today (public holiday tomorrow for recovery day). I am just about to knock the top of the HOG now for a bit of a preview...you never know I might drink half of it before the first guests arrive

[Craig(NZ)]

.

[Muscat Mike]

Happy birthday young'n. Some nice drinking there. If I had known sooner I could have sent over some '71 Port.Have a great day. I do vaguely remember my 40th.
Mike.

[Craig(NZ)]

.

[monghead]

Great notes Craig, thank you.

Both wines you have described appear very young still...
I haven't had many HOGs, but from those I have had, they appear much more feminine and elegant when compared to the often muscular Grange.

Anyways, enjoy the day off mate.

Monghead.

[Craig(NZ)]

1992 Henschke Hill of Grace. A wine of medium weight, its power and concentration very subtle. The wine is wonderfully harmonious with a nose of spice and sweet black fruits. The palate is velvet smooth, with layer upon layer of complexity. Sweet dark fruits, hints of confectionary and the slightest tinge of pepper on the finish. This is a wine all about balance, texture and harmony. A gorgeous wine to sit and ponder. Luxurious.

1992 Penfolds Grange. A wine slightly more youthful than the Hill of Grace with a more obvious structure and silty tannins. I looked up 'Rewards of Patience' - the 10% Cab really shows shaping this wine now. There is some sweet and sour going on in here in terms of fruit with the oak wrapping it all up in a sweet slightly vanillian package. I am certain next to other vintages of Grange this wouldn't show as well as top vintages but it actually compliments the Hill of Grace extremely well. Very complex and long. I would expect this to further develop for another 5-10 years if well stored (which mine was). A lesser Grange, but hey its Grange - I don't get to drink it often! Later on this wine really improved. Class act

2008 Puriri Hills Pope. Very fruit driven and sensual wine and obviously very young at this stage. Lovely balance, finesse and aromatics. Classy wine. I will have to buy more of these!!! Impressive!! Folks we will be organising a trip near the end of harvest out here tbc tba save your pennies. Super tannin structure. Drink 5-10 years time. This can only improve. I think it suffered a bit from following on from american oaked icons but this is good good stuff.

2005 Puriri Hills Pope. I did not expect this but the 2005 Pope demolished the 2008 today. it is a more serious wine with impressive concentration, deep, thick but elegant at the same time. big big concentration...this wine seems to be getting younger every time I drink it. No rush at all, this is a 10-15 year wine. One of NZ's greatest ever reds and it is getting better!

1995 Te Mata Coleraine. A mature Coleraine with lovely soft balance. Intellectual, ripe and refined. A kiwi classic but it was a notch down on the preceding four wines. Drink up, I have one or two left that will be polished off this year save maybe one for a vertical. A piece of history, was a more complete rounded wine than the 1991 we had a while back even if not of the same proportions

1995 Ch Ducru Beaucaillou. Different to what I expected, younger than I expected and better than I expected. A dark brooding, firm wine. Extemely classical with awesome level of ripeness - just right not over cooked. Impressive concentration here...I had a good couple of glasses of this and sat on it way too long as other bottles were drained!! Easily another 20 years in this. Textbook cabernet (80/20from memory)that actually reminded me a bit of the 1994 Wynns John Riddochs flavour profile!!

2002 Unison Selection from Magnum. Still very youthful, rich, complex dark fruited and aromatic. The magnum of this evaporated very quickly. Hugely popular and Unison at its absolute best. Magnums are worth the effort.

1996 Penfolds Bin 389. Still piles of primary dark fruit, vanilla etc. The tannin structure is the only thing that announces it as a cheaper wine. Awesome stuff but not quite the finesse of the other big ticket reds. Much enjoyed though and a classic

1994 Jim Barry Amargh. Is this wine getting younger too? Awesome tonight with the structure and feel of a Grange. Tight, linear and youthful with saturated black fruits and super tannins. All class and one of the best wines of the night

2007 Neudorf Moutere Chardonnay. Absolutely stunning with flavours of liquid lemon meringue. It is so light a fleetfooted on the palate, just amazing amazing wine. One of the best chardonnays I have ever tried and in fact it would be seriously considered for best ever. Easily the best white of the day

2002 Leeuwin Art Series Chardonnay. This was tough work after the Neudorf and a definite step down. The oak was too obvious it was heavy on the palate and half the bottle is in the fridge today. Big concentration but feels a little delineated - 9 years old I guess. A good wine in its style but really it was a hippo among gazelles next to the Neudorf.

2010 Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc. I have already commented on this wine. the best vintage for over a decade. Sublime with raw oysters

2006 Pegasus Bay Aria Riesling. Perfectly balanced and developed Auslese styled riesling. Mouth watering and fine acidity complimenting satin textured fruit all nectarine, apple, peach. Yum

2004 Cloudy Bay Pelorus. Showed well, clean crisp and weighty - I was a bit over wine by the time this rocked around late but was yummy today with lunch nice ripe green apple acids.

[bacchaebabe]

Wow Craig. A fantastic and worthy line up for your 40th celebrations. Good to see you got to all the bottles too as with a crowd, they can sometimes disappear a little too quickly.

Hope you're recovering well today and have a great day tomorrow. Shame there was no 71s in the line up though.

[Craig(NZ)]

Shame there was no 71s in the line up though

Yeah no one turned up with a 71 Grange under their arm. Will need to recruit some new friends!!

[Peter NZ]

Congratulations Craig, on both the milestone & the line-up.

Cheers
Peter

[Bick]

Cracking line up Craig, thanks for the notes, and congrats on the b'day. Shame that 05 Pope is sooooo expensive... Will have to try and get a few 08's though.

[Craig(NZ)]

Bick,

The 08 Pope was sensational again. I think many people skipped past it and after the bigger wines probably didn't get the applause it deserved. Also going from 'sweet' american to the more savoury took a few mouthfuls to get used to. i sat on a big glass of it for ages and the beguiling complexity was just amazing. I am not telling you anything though.

The 05 PopeI didn't expect to match it but it amazed. It delivered the jaw dropping quality that it has done many times in the past. JK and NM are fools, it is definitely one of the very best NZ reds ever in my books and I have had the privledge of drinking it 10+ times now The weight, brooding density and extra bit of structure the heavier blend gave just stole the show with the punters. I would say everyone put it in their top 3 for the day and some people rated it their no 1 wine of the day. It was blow to blow with Grange, HOG and Amargh.

Perhaps if I manage to get a large enough group together for the trip to Puriri Hills I twist Judy's arm into throwing a 05 Pope into the tasting. Even if we paid a bit extra. I will see what i can arrange. From what she was implying I think a winery tour is on the cards too and possibly barrel samples...but I am assuming here. It is a wine you must taste at least!

The Neudorf too. omg, the sexiest chardonnay I have ever tried probably!!

[jafa]

Wow. Cool lineup, and not a Pinot to be seen.
Oh, and happy bday!

Hmm. My 40th predates the wine fetish, so if wine was consummed it's un-remembered.
Looking forward to visit to Clevedon, seems like it's likely sooner than I'd expected. Note to self: save some dosh.

cheers jafa

[TiggerK]

Congrats Craig, from a fellow 40 year old kiwi!

Seriously choice bro bunch of wines, but of course we would have expected nothing less from Mr 109Pts! Is the Pope 2008 released yet? I did join the mailing list, and haven't heard, so perhaps not yet... (let that hype build a touch more perhaps).

On a budget a bit more ATM, but did grab another Sophia 07 today and thought of you jealously.

Cheers and here's to our 50th's !
Tim

[Craig(NZ)]

Congrats Craig, from a fellow 40 year old kiwi!

Seriously choice bro bunch of wines, but of course we would have expected nothing less from Mr 109Pts! Is the Pope 2008 released yet? I did join the mailing list, and haven't heard, so perhaps not yet... (let that hype build a touch more perhaps).

On a budget a bit more ATM, but did grab another Sophia 07 today and thought of you jealously.

Cheers and here's to our 50th's !
Tim

No it has not been officially released but yes she is now selling it if you visit the CD but hand labelled. Proper NZ labels done in March apparently. If you are around sign up for our organised visit there. We are thinking either March or May (just pre harvest or just post harvest). I will let everyone know when Judy suggests a date.

[daz]

Bloody whipersnapper! Cheers Craig, sounds like it was a great celebration of your entry to middle age

Best

daz