Nice to meet up with WLDG'er John Fiola currently touring through New Zealand. Had a very rare Auckland "offline" (The last one was Robin Garr, CraigNZ and myself several years ago). This time, with the help of Gavin Trott's Auswine Forum, we had eleven people - a record! And of course a great night was had by all. Here's what we tasted.
Te Mata Cape Crest Sauvignon Blanc 2005 from Hawkes Bay, NZ. A barrel-fermented style and excellent with the sun-dried tomato and goats cheese tartlet.
Dry River Selection Gewurztraminer 1990 from Martinborough, NZ. Made in a VT style, it was deep bronze yellow in colour and full of honeyed apples on first tasting, but it just got better and better in the glass with the intrinsic spicy characters of GW coming through. I held some of the back to taste with my veal masala - and who would have thought, but this sweeter wine worked well with that tangy sweet wine sauce.
Elephant Hill HB Viognier 2007 from Hawkes Bay, NZ - apricot scented and a rich full-bodied palate with a spicy vibrant finish. Excellent with the smoked salmon on the antipasto plate, but avoid prosciutto with this wine.
Kerpen Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Spatlese 2001 from the Mosel. Long and sweet, poised and elegant with gorgeous purity. Just 8% alcohol.
Ata Rangi Lismore Pinot Gris 2004 from Martinborough, NZ. Rich, powerful, low acid with hints of creaming soda perfume. I found it a little cloying, but others loved it.
Herons Flight Sangiovese 2004 from Matakana, north of Auckland, NZ. A personal favourite, with reasonable acidity from the wild berry fruit underlying the meaty oak. Lots of layers and power. I wrote about half a page on the aroma alone.
St Nesbitt 2002 from Karaka, just south of Auckland city. Another stunning red from Auckland joining the likes of Puriri Hills in Clevedon and Stonyridge from Waiheke Island with an outstanding expression of Bordeaux-styled red - but at half the price. A blend of Merlot (60%), Cab Franc (15%) and Petit Verdot (25%), this tastes sweet-fruited, creamy and voluptuous with a classic, cedary, cigar box nose.
Tenuta San Guido "Guidalberto" 2002 was served blind and I went France, thinking it was Bordeaux, but when it was revealed as Italy, it could only be a Super Tuscan. Lot of Bdx-like characters, cedary and savoury with dried herbs, leather and fruit sweetness.
Roccato Rocca delle Macie 2000 - Another super Tuscan style, a 50/50 blend of Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon, this was a monster compared to the Tenuta. Big, rich, spicy,powerful and massive.
Four Vines 'The Heretic' Petite Syrah 2005 from California. (Guess who brought this along!). Wow, purple coloured, fragrantly scented and sweet, rich, powerful flavours with loads of spice and mocha. I thought it quite New World Syrah -like, others compared to a big, sweet-fruited Pinot Noir.
Craggy Range Le Sol Syrah 2002 from Hawkes Bay, NZ. Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow. An amazing, sweet-edged, spicy, savoury, concentrated beast. Unbelievably delicious. Probably my Wine of the Night.
Chasse-Spleen 1996 - personally carried over from England, it shows the refined texture that top quality Bordeaux wines can achieve. Smoky and savoury with a delicate floral, violet and dried herb scent, in the earthy, mellow palate there's hints of leather and sweet vinous complexities and it's rather long. Neil gave me a taste of his fillet steak to try the wine with, and it went to an extra dimension with the right food.
CraigNZ had been trying to get an offline going for some time, so it was good to be able to cement a date arounds John's visit. So thank you John.
Cheers,
Sue