The Auswine Forum

Just wondering what the people here (who know far more than I do) can tell me about some of the better NZ vintages? I'm looking at mainly Pinot Noir, Sav Blanc, Chardonnay but am open to trying other varietals from NZ. Anyone have a good guide to what was good when, or specific producers/bottles that they know are good? I'm looking for recent stuff as I presume it'll be easier to source than back vintages.

Alex

NZ Is fairly region specific, much like Oz, so no 'one year is great' really, although 2010 and 2013 come very close. And for every poor vintage, there will still be some great wines made, and vice-versa. So generally speaking...

07 very good, particularly excellent for Hawkes Bay Reds.
08 a mixed bag, big crop, whites often below par, reds better.
09 a better, but hotter year, some whites a bit flabby, others are very good indeed. Reds more consistent.
10 was pretty awesome most places, although Waipara was good, not great. Lower quantity means a bit harder to find though.
11 pretty poor overall, but not terrible. The further south, the better is a general rule.
12 Also pretty poor, especially with North Island reds. Central Otago pretty good.
13 Superb most places. Haven't seen too much of the good stuff over here yet though.

This is a good guide... http://www.winesofnz.com/Vintage.aspx

NZ Riesling can be good, typically higher RS that Oz though. And the Hawkes Bay reds (and some from Waiheke and Marlborough) like Syrah, Cab Merlot can be superb, but you have to pick and choose, plus tiny production so not usually 'cheap'.

Depends on your budget as to what to buy.... With 11 and 12 being so poor overall, it's not super easy to find other vintages, but they are certainly around.

Cheers
TiggerK

Cheers! Do you have any personal picks or favourites that would be easier to pick up now? Price range is anywhere up to $40, with maybe the odd premium bottle thrown in. I'm looking to get a case of mixed NZ reds and whites.

That was a bit harsh on 2012. It was a long cool vintage and actually very good for aromatics. Some of the Rieslings and sav blancs are stunning.

As was mentioned, 2010 was a great Pinot vintage almost across the board, 2012 was pretty good for pinot and I suspect 2013 could be a stunning vintage for Pinot.

The key to purchasing NZ wine in Austrtalia is often to stick to the premium producers and not the big players. For instance, most kiwi's think Kim crawford is rubbish but it seems to have a premium reputation around the world.

Thats different to my mail on 2012 and 2013 - I understood there were rain issues at harvest in many regions in 2012 but the further south the better - with Central Otago having a stellar year.
2013 perhaps the opposite - Central is likely to make a lot of more elegant, "pretty" wines, with ripeness being hard to find before acids started falling away quickly. Further north is supposed to be much better.

burgster wrote:The key to purchasing NZ wine in Austrtalia is often to stick to the premium producers and not the big players. For instance, most kiwi's think Kim crawford is rubbish but it seems to have a premium reputation around the world.

What would you say about Cooper's Creek, another "big player" or do they make good wines? I'm thinking specifically about their Pinot Noir.

Mahmoud.

Wizz wrote:Thats different to my mail on 2012 and 2013 - I understood there were rain issues at harvest in many regions in 2012 but the further south the better - with Central Otago having a stellar year.
2013 perhaps the opposite - Central is likely to make a lot of more elegant, "pretty" wines, with ripeness being hard to find before acids started falling away quickly. Further north is supposed to be much better.

2012 was a long cool season with a spike of warm weather at the end which finished aromatic wines nicely. It was a good vintage in the South but not so good for HB red styles that need more heat. No real rain pressure.

2013 was a pretty good vintage across the board for most wine styles in most regions. The best HB vintage for many years.

Mahmoud Ali wrote:

burgster wrote:The key to purchasing NZ wine in Austrtalia is often to stick to the premium producers and not the big players. For instance, most kiwi's think Kim crawford is rubbish but it seems to have a premium reputation around the world.

What would you say about Cooper's Creek, another "big player" or do they make good wines? I'm thinking specifically about their Pinot Noir.

Mahmoud.

I really don't drink much Coopers Creek wine. We can be a bit guilty of rubbishing all the big players, but of course they do make some good wines. The lesser Brancott wines can be pretty ordinary, Oyster Bay is invariably rubbish. Giesen can be surprisingly good at cheaper price points.

Some of the smaller producers are probably best for quality and value, depending on what styles you like of course.