The Auswine Forum

I know some of you have more than a passing interest in Kiwi pinot so I’ve thrown together my notes from the “Grand Tasting” at Pinot Noir 2007, which was held in Wellington at the end of January.

There are a few general comments on the wines following the notes.

Flight 1

Ata Rangi

2000
Mid red; slight fading and dustiness; nicely resolved nose with some alcoholic strength, complex red berries merging with secondary mushroom/truffle aromas; fresh acids on the entry and a tight-ish palate that finishes a bit short; tart cherry fruit is predominant; perhaps served a little cool. (After 30 minutes it had opened up quite a bit, with more lifted, smoky plum fruit pushing the acid further into the background; drinking very nicely).

2001
Similar but slightly deeper colour to the 2000, a bit more brilliance/clarity; very reserved nose hinting mainly at the savoury/secondary spectrum with some strawberry notes, but not a defined or pungent nose; begins with a tannic chewiness, showing quite a lot of acid, and those tannins build through the mid palate to quite a chewy, textural experience; again acids are showing through to the mid palate and finish, leaving the fruit a little much in the background. The drought conditions of 2001 may have left this wine a little hard.

2003
Dark garnet and brilliant; very appealing colour; pungent violet/daphne nose that leads into heady notes of ripe brie rind; the most expressive wine on the nose by a long shot; the brie character dominates after a while and may put some off; an appealing texture, the rather plentiful but fine tannins being matched in their intensity by powerful fruit and the acid playing along nicely in the background. A bit of a clean hole on the finish, although the experience of that fruit lasts in the mouth for some time. Very good and will appeal for some years, perhaps out to 2012/2013.


Felton Rd; Block 5

2001
Mid garnet; interesting, quite light nose with a pleasant mid-roast smoky coffee note; some plum skin showing too; after a minute there’s a hint of barnyard there too; comes together attractively on the nose and could be mistaken for the characters of ageing mid-weight Bordeaux, i.e. nothing particularly pinot-esque about it; very nice mouthfeel; excellent balance; the fruit is quite pure and fresh, as Felton Rd tends to be; far more in the simple plum zone than cherries or other berries. Attractive and well made, but not providing the intrigue of classic pinot noir.

2002
Similar colour to 2001, perhaps a shade deeper; smoky cherry fruit and nice florals; no doubt that this is pinot; some attractive supporting vanillin notes; huge delivery of ripe fruit with plum and cherry characters; superb length of fruit, lifting and lingering long after swallowing; back on the nose there’s a hint of attractive dark roast coffee too; palate balance is lovely, dominated by fruit but with plenty of structure for ageing; should be a lovely wine; best of the flight so far, albeit in that rather fresh new world style of Felton, which I’ve occasionally been disappointed with in terms of ageability, the wines sometimes becoming rather simple with age rather than more intriguing.

2003
Dark garnet; brilliant in the glass; dark haunting florals; quite pungent and smoky, very pleasant and enticing; fruit is fresh, sweet and has similar length to the 2002 but with the added bonus of going beyond it with some attractive savoury/fungal notes and some cigar box complexity, which I assume will grow in prominence and interest. Very smart wine; I think better than 2002.


Martinborough Vineyard

2000
Light mid red; nice to look at; smoky secondary notes dominate the nose with some subtle florals too; very good, ageing palate, sweetness nicely balanced with nutty ageing characters, very attractive just now; acids are fresh but palate appears to be at its zenith; a lovely savoury mid palate; a cracker over the next couple of years.

2001
Mid red, some fading, brilliant clarity; a whiff of alcohol on the nose with some attractive floral notes; much better balanced than many 2001s; will become similar in flavour in about two years to the 2000, but with the bonus of a bit more palate weight; some pooey flavours too, which adds to the joy. Drink through to 2011.

2003
Similar colour to 01; some lovely vanillan notes and dark fruit on the nose; a stately, reserved pungency; excellent balance; there’s heaps of fruit, which cascades across the palate; darker pure fruit characters now, which may pick up some of the meaty/savoury notes of the previous vintages, but still a pretty primary expression. An impressive wine that will drink well through 2013/14.


Neudorf; Home Vineyard

2000
Fading into brown; burnt coffee oak on the nose and some barnyardy background notes; no florals nor fruit on the nose; nice but simple savoury/sweet palate that is probably at its peak for attractiveness; I doubt there was ever much primary fruit character, perhaps some in the simple strawberry end of the spectrum. (Some subsequent discussion about oxidation; perhaps some bad bottles).

2002
Light-to-mid red, fresh; sweet vanillan oak dominates, with some nice florals present too; good balance and attractive sweet fruit, which becomes a little cloying in conjunction with the rather obvious sweet oak characters; a simple palate; drink now to end of 08. (20 minutes later the acid was showing more prominently, and tannins).

2003
Brilliant dark garnet; smoky, slightly sweaty, sweet oak again; good texture initially, quite taught and interesting on the palate with some dark fruit expression; then the tannins get quite grippy and begin to dominate the fruit; will this fall apart and become simple like its predecessors? I think perhaps.


Flight 2

Dry River

2001
Dark maroon; spicy, almost cakey nose; quite pungent, suggesting quite dense, sweet fruit; there is a hint of pinocity, which isn’t always present in Dry River pinot; lovely balance; great texture; very attractive fruit in the roasted plum end of the spectrum; slightly chewy finish; will be at its best in perhaps 09/10.

2003
Very dark, dense, hinting toward black in the centre; spicy vanillan oak and some alcohol on the nose; violet fruit in support; spicy, chewy entry with acid predominant and fruit rising to tarry notes; it’s quite tight and has a lot to give up before resolving into a really pleasant drink; underpinned by a really tannic grip on the finish; unclear what sort of flavour characters will develop with time; I’m not sure it will become very attractive; would love to see what’s become of it in about 2012/13.

2004
Mid red, much lighter than its predecessors; a cloying, sweet, sweaty jujube nose with a little oak and quite attractive florals in support; medium weight; chewy entry and a grippy finish; fruit is raisined, with some simple plum skin characters and showing a bit thin just now; don’t know what will become of it; even less optimistic than I was of the 2003.


Fromm; La Strada Fromm Vineyard

1996
Still quite a dark mid-to-deep red; nail varnish and violets with floral hints; hugely tannic entry; stalk and pith crowds out some quite attractive plummy fruit; a minerally/metallic acidic finish which is not at all attractive, and the tannin in the cheeks just won’t quit; no surprises for why it’s controversial.

1997
A little lighter than 96, but very similar structure to look at; ripe plums, sweet oak and some sweet spice; attractive; again, great whacks of tannin, although this is marginally finer; oaky characters overlie the fruit; palate spectrum matches the nose; quite a simple wine; again the acidic finish but less marked than the previous wine; if it hasn’t begun to calm down and come into balance now, will it ever? I suspect not.

2001
Bright mid-to-dark red; clean, focused nose of dark flowers and an almost young-vines type sweetness; suggestions of alcohol; still tannic and chewy, but much less so than the two older wines; fruit is juicy and clean; the finish more graceful; a step up stylistically but to varying degrees all three wines lack pinot noir finesse or typicity.


Pegasus Bay; Prima Donna

2001
Quite dark red; wafts of attractive sweet secondary, mushroomy characters with some nice floral notes in the background; swirling delivers some attractive plum fruit; the fruit on entry is a little flat, but nice weight and the wine is quite well balanced; tannins are fine but perhaps a bit prominent, leading to some real chewiness in the cheeks; in terms of where the wine is at I suspect it’s somewhere in between a primary fruit meets earthy complexity phase – neither is winning just now, which leaves the palate a bit ho-hum.

2003
Quite bright mid red with purple hints; light vanillan characters with violet florals; quite a clean, linear nose; very attractive lifted plum fruit with hints of cherry and vanilla on entry; very clean; nice acids; tannins are ripe and in fair balance; attractive and graceful; there is less indication than one often gets with Pegasus Bay as to what sort of secondary characters will emerge; perhaps the cleanest, most new world style pinot of there’s I’ve tasted.

2004
Identical colour to 2003; very attractive, sweet, quite intense nose, showing some vanillan oak but lovely pinot florals; entry is quite chewy/acidic but there is very good fruit there, not yet fully resolved; not great length but this may improve too; this is a serious but graceful wine that I expect will look far more attractive by 2009 and a few years beyond.


Quartz Reef; Bendigo Estate Vineyard

2002
Dark garnet; brilliant; good pungent pinot typicity suggesting quite dark fruits and attractive lilac characters; very intense, sweet, slightly stewed entry with vanillan background; good texture and lovely sweet finish; quite graceful after that intense, but clean attack; a smart wine, very new world in the purity of its fruit – and this is at five years old. It’s holding very nicely, but I’m a little doubtful there will there be the bonus of attractive secondary/savoury notes with time.

2003
Mid red, a little faded looking; clean pinot florals again, similar to the 02 but slightly less broad and pungent; also a little hint of varnish; varnish is carried through further on palate; tannins a little more prominent, if a little finer; makes the wine feel a bit disjointed fruit and acid on entry – pause – then tannin arrives; quite a taught package still; perhaps better in two or three years.

2004
Mid red; boy oh boy, at least he’s consistent – very similar characters to the previous two, although perhaps suggesting the lightest structure of the three; more blue floral notes too; I think the best balance of the three; tannins a bit prominent but all three foundations line up at the front palate and unfurl themselves well across the palate.

Some random comments:

The Quartz Reef wines were certainly smart, but for my palate (and it’s probably an Otago thing more than a house thing) they’re almost too clean and clinical. That sometimes crystalline purity of fruit doesn’t seem to have within it the capacity to develop into really multidimensional pinot with age. I’d really love to be proved wrong.

Burghound’s Allan Meadows summed up my feelings on the tasting very nicely. To paraphrase him:
• There was a degree of similarity in the Martinborough Vineyard and Ata Rangi wines, “and that’s a good thing.”
• The Martinborough wines showing more but well used wood whereas the wood on the Ata Rangi was virtually invisible.
• The Ata Rangi wines showed good detail, they were linear and delivered a sense of tension.
• The Martinborough Vineyard wines were slightly softer.
• You don’t get the same textural interest in the Otago wines as you get from the Martinborough wines.
• Neudorf: “the wood is too much.”

American wine commentator Anthony Dias Blue’s paraphrased summation was:

• “Without doubt the two Martinborough wines showed best … the most serious, interesting and complex pinots on show … [they showed] “controlled ebullience; power and magnificent inner strength.”
• The fact that Martinborough has been planted in pinot longer is showing through.
• Otago in more of a development phase just now … getting it together and understanding their terroir.
• “While Felton is blossoming and discovering their character; the Martinborough wines are already there.”

Halliday:

• Good to see a house style developing in each winery.
• Nice control of alcohol in the wines.

An old school friend who works for Craggy Range in the UK said to me after the first flight that you could stack the Ata Rangi and Martinborough Vineyard wines up against Premier Cru Burgundy and they’d foot it just fine. Given that he’s a trained winemaker and is currently striving for his MW I thought it a pretty strong recommendation.

Cheers,

Nick

Thanks for the great commenatary Wycroft, I'm a big fan of the Dry River.

A quick follow up question for you - if you had a day to spend tasting wine around Auckland where would you recommend?? I'm coming over to your part of the world over easter and have penciled a wine day into the itinerary!! Can't travel too far from the city (1-2 hours each way max) as I have 3 young kids (& a wife) that will not tolerate anything further!

Gidday red,

While there's been some understandable negative sentiment toward Waiheke Island on this board - because it can be a bit of a tourist trap - if you want to go somewhere close, where the wineries are fairly close together, and with an appealing ambience, then you'd have to choose Waiheke.

One great place to base your day would be Miro Vineyard, where Cat Vosper and Barnett Bond would be only too happy to look after you. They make a very graceful and serious flagship cab merlot called Miro and a good value (about NZ$25) merlot dominant red called Archipelago. They have a tasting room/eatery called Casita Miro, which I'm told is good. You can email Cat at casitamiro@xtra.co.nz

I don't know the island's geography all that well, but I know Miro is pretty much next door to the celebrated Stonyridge (which I think drew some of the aforementioned negative comments for the tasting charges it levied a visitor), and you could do worse than looking in on Passage Rock and Cable Bay, among a few others, while you're out there.

I'm not sure of the best way to get about once there - perhaps organise a cab or van - but the journey to Waiheke on the Fullers ferry should be fun for the kids; it still wows me.

Happy to try and be of help if you've got any further questions.

Looks a great tasting. I don't drink much Pinot, generally find them light and lacking real Pinot definition but do enjoy them very much if they're good.

I had a Craggy Range a while back, not sure of the exact one, but that was really impressive.

How do the better Craggy Range Pinots compare to this lot?

Craggy Range pinot is coming along very well. It's fruit is from Te Muna Rd in Martinborough, just nextdoor to the Escarpment Vineyard, where the wine is made by Larry McKenna, who until the late 90s was Martinborough Vineyard's maker. Craggy appears to aim high in everything it does, so I expect vine age will start delivering some very good pinot out of that Martinborough site. As you say, the wines are already impressive. The 2005 has some very good fruit and is a very textural experience, with quite some resolving to do yet before hitting its straps - rather like its 2005 neighbour at Escarpment in fact. Te Muna Rd is a pretty hot site and the fruit seems to express itself mainly with very ripe and even roasted plum notes, so getting pinot finesse, rather than structure, is possibly their biggest challenge.

Cheers,

Nick

If I was going to visit Auckland again I would head to Kumeu, Huapai and Waimauku region and visit Kumeu River Wines, Nobilo Wines, Matua Valley Wines, Coopers Creek, West Brook Winery. Why? Well places like Kumeu River are obvious choices, some of the others are large and well known as well and source fruit from other regions so you will get a taste of the country - rather than just Waiheke Island if you limit your visit to the island. See Sue's NZ Wines of the Week for a little more detail and New Zealand Wine for individual web site.

Or you could just visit the NZ Winemakers Center (a bottle shop) in Auckland and buy a few bottles to drink. You could even buy the Passage Rock Syrah, certainly cheaper than taking the whole family to Waiheke for the day!

Mike

A quick follow up question for you - if you had a day to spend tasting wine around Auckland where would you recommend?? I'm coming over to your part of the world over easter and have penciled a wine day into the itinerary!! Can't travel too far from the city (1-2 hours each way max) as I have 3 young kids (& a wife) that will not tolerate anything further!

Clevedon (Rural East Auckland) and Auckland Airport

Puriri Hills - Clevedon. 30-40 mins from city.This is my new darling winery - Fantastic st emillion styled reds. Probable future cult winery. Enough said, see my website
Villa Maria - Near Airport 30 mins from city, new winery and centre, good collection of solid styles from all over the country. Super sweet wines and leading examples of most varietals. Extremely strong across the board.

Kumeu. North West Auckland 30 mins from city

Kumeu River Kumeu - Super chardonnays
Coopers Creek - Just up the road from KR, rounds off the trip. Many styles, some good wines.

Waiheke. Day trip. Not the most cost effective way of learning about NZ wines. If you dont like the feeling of being fleeced avoid and just buy bottles on the mainland but if you dont mind spending lots of coin and would like to see the island....

Passage Rock Waiheke - Syrah. You will need to hire a car or take one over to get this far. It is right at the south east side of the island
Stonyridge Waiheke - Larose. Just pay up and buy a glass of Larose. If you like it buy it at the airport for half the CD price

Nice notes on the pinot tasting by the way but....

which one did you like the most??

Hi Craig,

It surprised me a little when I went back through the notes to find that I’d probably written most enthusiastically about the 2002 and 2003 Felton Rd wines, the surprise being that while I really like Otago pinot I’m more of a Martinborough fan.

For absolute favourite of the tasting it’d have to be a toss-up between the 2000 Martinborough, which is drinking very beautifully, and the 2003, which I think will become a damn sexy wine. I'll pick the latter for being that bit more substantial and likely to offer rewards for patience.

The Ata Rangi wines started out a little slow but really showed their pedigree over time.

I was a little surprised that I didn’t rave more about the Pegasus Bay wines, as they’ve always impressed me in the past. On this day they were certainly solid, but just didn’t really sing. And I sense a real change of style toward a slightly lighter weight more fruit driven expression than earlier Pegasus Bay pinots, which appears to be sacrificing some of the slightly feral and fungal characters which I thought always added interest.

Also, I nearly posted in response to Gavin’s “what’s hot” thread the other day that Mike Just, former Lawsons Dry Hills winemaker, is doing some really great things with his Clayridge label. His vineyard is on a superb hillside site in Marlborough and there’s a lovely eccentricity about him, which really comes through in the wines. Hopefully I’ll get a chance to have a serious taste soon. I’ll post some notes when I do.

Cheers,

Nick

Subtle red wrote:A quick follow up question for you - if you had a day to spend tasting wine around Auckland where would you recommend?? I'm coming over to your part of the world over easter and have penciled a wine day into the itinerary!! Can't travel too far from the city (1-2 hours each way max) as I have 3 young kids (& a wife) that will not tolerate anything further!

Umm, I'd agree with the avoid Waiheke idea. It's not that the wines aren't good - it's more the limited range of Kiwi wines available and the premium pricing. And really, it's not that quick or easy to get to.

I think Craig's suggestion of Villa Maria is excellent, particularly if you want a single stop close to Auckland. IMO the VM Reserve (and Cellar Selection) wines are the best quality/value of any winery in NZ and most representative of what NZ can offer. It's a nice new cellar door, with an excellent range, and good people, when I've been there.

A trip out to West Auckland is quite fun. Kumeu River has a friendly cellar door, and the whites are wonderful, and there are several other wineries close by with a good range of wines which are happy for you to taste away. This would be the best place to go if you want to visit a few different wineries. You could even drop the wife and kids at the Westgate shopping centre on your way out to see a movie or shop.

A final 'way out' suggestion - consider heading up to Matakana, about 90 min north of Auckland. Take the wife and kids to the Matakana farmers market, have a look at the farm animals/zoo thing, even visit the Ti Point reptile farm, swim at some lovely white sandy (and probably chilly by then) beaches, eat lunch at Ascension , and visit a few cellar doors. It's a great day out!

Cheers
Rob

Wycroft wrote:I know some of you have more than a passing interest in Kiwi pinot so I’ve thrown together my notes from the “Grand Tasting” at Pinot Noir 2007, which was held in Wellington at the end of January.

Hi Nick,
Good to see you posting here again and glad to see you were also one of the lucky ones to make it to PN2007.

In Andy Blue's paraphrased summary, were the 'two Martinborough wines' the ones in the first flight?

And what did people think of Dry River? I tried the 2005 Dry River in the weekend and just loved it. Seems there may have been a stylistic change. Lighter in colour (perhaps on a par with the 2004), florals, crisp cherry fruit, firm acidity, velvety tannns and an earthy savoury undercurrent. I think it is very good.

Re Waiheke, surprised to see you didn't mention Awaroa in your Waiheke touring tips after our little discussion about them on the trip back from Waiheke last month and our mutual appreciation of their Cab Merlot. They are open for wine sales and tastings from November to April, according to the Waiheke Wines brochure.

Subtle Red: Agree with KMP's tips. Lots to visit in Kumeu. Pick up a Kumeu Wine Country brochure, or download one from www.kumeuwinecountry.co.nz.

Villa Maria is definitely worth visiting too. Just 10 minutes from the airport. Nice grounds for kids to play in while you taste wine.

Cheers,
Sue

A final 'way out' suggestion - consider heading up to Matakana, about 90 min north of Auckland. Take the wife and kids to the Matakana farmers market, have a look at the farm animals/zoo thing, even visit the Ti Point reptile farm, swim at some lovely white sandy (and probably chilly by then) beaches, eat lunch at Ascension , and visit a few cellar doors. It's a great day out

Suffers and is blessed with many of the elements waiheke has. lovely scenery, cafes, beaches, lifestyle and a good chunk of average quality wines and prices a bit north of average. A region im planning to do properly again sometime this year but often i cant motivate myself to push through the average stuff to find the odd goodie!

Craig(NZ) wrote:

A final 'way out' suggestion - consider heading up to Matakana, about 90 min north of Auckland. Take the wife and kids to the Matakana farmers market, have a look at the farm animals/zoo thing, even visit the Ti Point reptile farm, swim at some lovely white sandy (and probably chilly by then) beaches, eat lunch at Ascension , and visit a few cellar doors. It's a great day out

Suffers and is blessed with many of the elements waiheke has. lovely scenery, cafes, beaches, lifestyle and a good chunk of average quality wines and prices a bit north of average. A region im planning to do properly again sometime this year but often i cant motivate myself to push through the average stuff to find the odd goodie!

Just make sure you go to Heron's Flight when you do get there, Craig. Love that Dolcetto. And at Ransom's be sure to try the new Carmenere. Should be being released any day soon.

Morning Sue,

Yep, it was the first two Martinborough wines he was referring to, not the Dry River.

I think you're right; I sense there is a stylistic change going on at Dry River, with attempts to deliver greater pinocity and elegance, rather than weight and extract.

I haven't tried the 2005 but am hearing similar things to what you report - perhaps it's a real turning point wine.

On the day Dry River showed well, but the format also proved very vividly just how individual a style the wines are made to. Tasted blind or in an options situation I'm sure there'd have been a few punts for the Rhone or further afield - Dry River pinot simply isn't always terribly pinot-ish.

As for Awaroa, you're right, very good wines - I didn't know they had a cellar door operation.

Given the weight of travel advice I thought I might attempt to justify my suggestion to Subtle Red of Waiheke as an outing. I was assuming, perhaps incorrectly, that he hasn't been to Auckland before, and that despite his best intentions, with three ankle biters and his darling wife in tow he's not going to get that much serious tasting done. Having banked those two assumptions I thought he might actually like to be somewhere seriously pretty. I love Villa Maria's wines and think it's new facility is awesome - but it's next to the airport, through an industrial park and down the butt end of the motorway. They could be giving the stuff away and I wouldn't recommend a chum spend his only day in Auckland out there. Kumeu, Matakana, Clevedon, all good but all logistically less desirable for a single day out with the family in my opinion - although Paradox's sell for Matakana was a good one, I too intend to spend a morning up there, starting with the farmer's market.

Cheers,

Nick

Wycroft wrote: Kumeu, Matakana, Clevedon, all good but all logistically less desirable for a single day out with the family in my opinion - although Paradox's sell for Matakana was a good one, I too intend to spend a morning up there, starting with the farmer's market.

Cheers,

Nick

Nick, have to disagree about Kumeu. Nice little detour to Muriwai Beach, gannet colony, surf, black sand, fantastic geology (pillow lavas for those that way inclined) and on a day like today - wild weather! Best to come in the top road above Maori Bay for awesome views.
Matua Valley also cater for kids with playground and several others have picnic facilities.

Everyone talks about the Matakana Farmers Market, so worthwhile pointing out it is only open Saturday mornings. There's a new destination on the Matakana Wine trail too at Brick Bay Wines, complete with sculpture park, mind you the owners of Brick Bay own the Farmers Market, so you can taste the wine there as well. But getting to Matakana is a bit of a pain at the moment with all the roadworks.

Cheers,
Sue

Ta for the notes. Of particular interest were the Martinborough Vineyard wines, as I thought the 2000 was a belter (I felt it was pretty much at peak a year or two ago - though it seems to be holding up ok). Have two bottles of the 03, plus a sole remaining 98 Reserve. Have enjoyed every bottle I've tasted from this winery.

Also worth flagging up the notes on Geoff Kelly's wine site, where he's got extensive tasting notes from the Pinot Noir Symposium. He's not as big a fan of recent Martinborough Vineyards Pinots it seems.

www.geoffkellywinereviews.co.nz

regards

Ian

Hi Ian,

it's funny, I was just looking at Geoff's reviews and comparing them to my own. I was pleased to find many similarities but was a little surprised to note he didn't find much favour with Martinborough or to a lesser extent Ata Rangi.

I must say I have the greatest respect for Geoff's palate, knowledge and judgment, so good on you for suggesting readers head there for a browse.

Cheers,

Nick

I'll second the approval for Geoff Kelly's site. Love his analytical approach and the detailed notes. Stick his site into your favorites list, especially if you are into New Zealand wines. But boy is he sensitive to Brett, or what?

All Shiraz drinkers should read his article on Judging Syrah, the Syrah Ripening Curve, and the Top New Zealand Syrah?. Yes its critical of Aussie Shiraz, but the points are well taken in many respects. OTOH he is pushing an agenda that may not serve New Zealand Syrah all that well. There really is no need for a mimic of French style Syrah, or for that matter Aussie Shiraz. New Zealand winemakers need to figure out how to best use their climate, vineyards and skills to make New Zealand Syrah.

Mike

KMP,

Thanks for the link to Geoff's Syrah article. I agree with you that NZ--like any region--will have to develop its own sense of what style works over time, but I tend to agree with Geoff when he suggests that the NZ style is more apt to be similar to the northern Rhone than to Barossa. Having spoken with many NZ Syrah winemakers over last seven years or so, I can't recall any one of them suggesting otherwise.

Hi Joe

Yes, my recent trip through a number of the wine regions of New Zealand, including Hawke’s Bay, would support what you say. And what is fascinating about a place like Hawke’s Bay is that you can find Syrah that span the spectrum from under ripe (with pronounced pepper notes) like Stonecroft to almost overripe like Unison – at least to my palate. Its obvious from his notes that Geoff Kelly's appreciation of the same wines (in terms of ripeness) is different from mine because his palate leans more towards the Old World, although we probably don't rank the wines all that differently - except that he finds Brett in places that I didn't.

I would have loved to have spent more time in Hawke's Bay because it was obvious that different winemakes were clearly working at producing different styles within the same region, and that can only be helpful in the long run. You don’t see such wide differences in Shiraz in a place like the Barossa, unless you want to add in Eden Valley.

The problem I have with the way that Geoff Kelly expresses his view on the development of New Zealand Syrah is this type of sentiment the best of the wonderful wines reported on below illustrate exactly the path New Zealand syrah needs to be pursuing, if it is to create excitement in the discriminating markets of Europe Why should European markets be the judges of what is quality in New Zealand Syrah? Why can’t New Zealanders make that choice?

I think Steve Smith, MW expressed the way I feel about New Zealand Syrah best when he expressed his wish for New Zealand Pinot Noir at the recent 2007 Pinot Noir Conference in Wellington, NZ. . If I can cut and past from Geoff Kelly’s site and you can swap out Pinot Noir for Syrah and Burgundy for Rhone - My vision for New Zealand pinot noir is: in my lifetime to see old vines on beautifully tended sites making great wines that can sit comfortably (not once, but many times) alongside great burgundy – not as a look-alike, but as our own individual expression of pinot noir … Steve Smith, NZ (Conference Chairman).

Mike

Hi Mike,

I think that sentiment of Steve Smith's is an excellent goal for NZ syrah, but I personally think the current hype around the local expression of that grape is one of "we've done it with savvy, and we've done it with pinot, we'll do it with syrah for sure," which I think is misplaced.

Savvy was a stroke of luck, turning a relatively boring grape into an expressive and completely different wine by virtue of geography. Pinot has been a pretty long journey by comparison, and I think we're only just starting to hit our straps. Syrah is a baby in terms of vine age and the number of makers.

We might do it with syrah but I'm of the view that what's in the market now is probably very similar to where pinot noir was as far back as about 1994 in terms of developing a local/regional style and delivering real quality.

I can see how the hype has developed, because I've tried numerous local syrahs that have been incredibly powerful and expressive. The problem for me is that that expression is often wildly out of balance, with quite violent black pepper and violet notes on the nose and an over-extracted and often astringent palate. I really do find it hard work finishing a glass of many. Perhaps they just need time.

However, I have had one that really wowed me for its lovely fruit expression and balance. From memory it was the 2005 Mills Reef Reserve off the Gimblett Gravels in the Hawkes Bay - not the more expensive Elspeth label, which I haven't tried. I think Sue spoke highly of it too (is this the right wine Sue?) That was a really lovely drink.

In summary, I'm not saying Kiwis won't become rightfully known and respected for fine syrah; I just sense we're making a bit much noise a bit too soon.

Cheers,

Nick

Wycroft wrote:I think that sentiment of Steve Smith's is an excellent goal for NZ syrah, but I personally think the current hype around the local expression of that grape is one of "we've done it with savvy, and we've done it with pinot, we'll do it with syrah for sure," which I think is misplaced.

It is misplaced, but these people are talking with their marketing hats on.

Wycroft wrote:However, I have had one that really wowed me for its lovely fruit expression and balance. From memory it was the 2005 Mills Reef Reserve off the Gimblett Gravels in the Hawkes Bay - not the more expensive Elspeth label, which I haven't tried. I think Sue spoke highly of it too (is this the right wine Sue?) That was a really lovely drink.

Yes - Mills Reef Reserve Syrah 2005 (my blog entry here ). It will be interesting to see how the Elspeth 2005 develops with a a little more time. I'm glad they've dumbed down a little on the oak on that wine.

Cheers,

Sue

Yes its critical of Aussie Shiraz.

I love Geoffs site. Its very hard to find detailed tasting note on a lot of NZ Pinot and Syrah releases and as there is so many great wines coming out of there it is a wonderful to have a heads up but, he is too harsh of the Aussie reds. In the same way I love a good Cote Rotie I also love a good Benigo shiraz. Very different beasts but each bloody good. As for his comments on Roseworthy???
Still a great site but obviously still a bit upset about the 2003 Rugby World Cup semi final

The problem I have with the way that Geoff Kelly expresses his view on the development of New Zealand Syrah is this type of sentiment the best of the wonderful wines reported on below illustrate exactly the path New Zealand syrah needs to be pursuing, if it is to create excitement in the discriminating markets of Europe Why should European markets be the judges of what is quality in New Zealand Syrah? Why can’t New Zealanders make that choice?

Agree completely with you there. And I must confess that I've not found European markets particularly discriminating in the sense the term is being using here. Plenty of European markets are distressingly parochial and narrowminded, as a look at most restaurant wine lists and retail selections in France, Germany, Italy, Portugal and Spain makes obvious.

I really do find it hard work finishing a glass of many. Perhaps they just need time.

I agree. i think a lot of the nz syrah will cellar very well, but not tempted to open them early, some can be hard work.

Jeff Kelly is a good sort. His cellaring recomendations may be a little extreme for most palates and his style a little academic for the larrikins amongst us but he is thorough, experienced and thoughful.

Nice to get some intelligent conversation on NZ wine here for a change too