What NZ wines should I look for?

The world of wine is just too large to try everything and I've, mostly, ignored New Zealand. I usually get a couple bottles of Kim Crawford SB every year, I've tried a few Cloudy Bays and a couple of Central Otago PN's but that is it.

This week, however, I had a chance to taste a few more at a dinner and I was pretty impressed, especially with a Kumeu River Chardonnay and a Felton Road Pinot Noir. Apparantly ignoring NZ is a mistake. So, what else is out there that I should try?

For perhaps an even bigger surprise, Dan, you might consider checking out some (and I'm not kidding) Syrahs and Merlots from the Hawke's Bay area on the North Island!

Another producer that's doing some surprising things is Spy Valley. Good SB, better than good Riesling, and really, really good Gewurztraminer!

With the Kumeu Chard and the Felton Road PN, you've already found two shining stars (although I don't buy the Kumeu, partly because it's gotten damend pricy and if I'm gonna spend that much for Chardonnay it will probably be in indecipherable and unpronounceable French).

My advice: take a look at Sue Courtney's website. She's about as sound and up to date on NZ wines as I can imagine anyone being, and I trust and rely on her reccos. My only complaint with her is she keeps talking about good stuff that I never get the chance to taste because they hog it all at home.

For perhaps an even bigger surprise, Dan, you might consider checking out some (and I'm not kidding) Syrahs and Merlots from the Hawke's Bay area on the North Island!

And Malbecs, too! Hawke's Bay is the warmest wine region in NZ and makes the best non-PN reds. A standout is Te Mata's Coleraine and Awatea (I wasn't so taken with the Bullnose Syrah)

Another producer that's doing some surprising things is Spy Valley. Good SB, better than good Riesling, and really, really good Gewurztraminer!

Seconded. Esk Valley's wines are also worth locating. For less "in your face" NZ SB, try Wairau River's, especially with some bottle age.

With the Kumeu Chard and the Felton Road PN, you've already found two shining stars (although I don't buy the Kumeu, partly because it's gotten damend pricy and if I'm gonna spend that much for Chardonnay it will probably be in indecipherable and unpronounceable French).

I also like quite a few NZ Chards, but haven't tried buying any here in the US. I still suspect that the best NZ Chards are going to be cheaper than the Puligny- and Chassagne-Montrachets that they taste like.

My advice: take a look at Sue Courtney's website. She's about as sound and up to date on NZ wines as I can imagine anyone being, and I trust and rely on her reccos. My only complaint with her is she keeps talking about good stuff that I never get the chance to taste because they hog it all at home.

Thor Iverson has also written extensively (to put it mildly) on his tour of NZ. You can find the writeups on his website.

Mark Lipton

Echo the comments of others who have provided very good recco's. Just don't take it all ok!

For some other thoughts:
Newton-Forrest Cornerstone (again Gimblett gravels). There's occasional Syrahs and staright Cab Sav, but the regular blend is Cab/Merlot/Malbec I believe. It drinks well at 5-8 years normally.

Martinborough Vineyard Pinot Noir. Drinks well at 4-6 years and is a one of the few Pinot Noirs (anywhere) that's impressed me.

Mission Jewelstone Chardonnay - this seems to be gaining greater credibility, but I loved it when I tried it 4-5 years ago. Still run by monks I believe.

Recent red wine vintages haven't been great, but then it's still a fairly marginal climate. However the wines are much improved on the green wines of 10-20 years ago.

For books, I'd recommend Michael Coopers wine buying guide (annual), which gives great coverage and I like his TN's. He also does a big glossy guide, which I'm told is fantastic, but it looked too glossy to me

Thanks guys--I've printed this thread out because it looks like I've got a lot of exploring to do. These wines sound too good to ignore.

Hoke mentions Sue's web site, but it is easier if you get the link as well.

http://www.wineoftheweek.com

Martinborough Vineyard Pinot Noir. Drinks well at 4-6 years and is a one of the few Pinot Noirs (anywhere) that's impressed me.

When I visited NZ, I went expecting to find many Pinot Noirs that I liked. Instead, I found the majority of them to taste a bit green and "sappy" to me. A friend who joined me for those tastings identified that character as being that of young (< 15 years) vines. (note: I only went as far South as Marlborough, so I didn't get a chance to try more than one Central Otago PN while there) The one exception was Martinborough Vineyards, whose Pinot Noirs impressed me as being round enough to be interesting and structured enough to be ageworthy.

Mark Lipton

Hi Mark,
I coming a bit late to this conversation, but late last year I had the opportunity to taste a vertical of all the Pinot Noirs that Martinborough Vineyard had ever produced, from 1984 to 2003. They are indeed ageworthy and some of the older wines were outstandingly delicious.
The notes are on my website at http://www.wineoftheweek.com/archives/wine051211.html.
Cheers,
Sue

Mark,

If you stumble onto some Monkey Bay SB you might grab it as a gamble. It's quite cheap ($8.00). I found it kind of flat and uninspiring, but the local wine mart says it's their best selling SB. Worth a shot on the chance that I had a bad bottle.

One other NZ SB of note is Matariki. I had a '97 that was very good; rich, zippy and balanced with grass, green pepper, and citrus notes.

If you stumble onto some Monkey Bay SB you might grab it as a gamble. It's quite cheap ($8.00). I found it kind of flat and uninspiring, but the local wine mart says it's their best selling SB. Worth a shot on the chance that I had a bad bottle.

Sam, if you're paying $8 for the Monkey Bay, you're paying too much. It sells for $5-6 in Marsh supermarkets, after all. FWIW, it's made by the House of Nobilo near Auckland, which is now an arm of the Constellation mega-empire. I've enjoyed the '05 Monkey Bay enough to suggest it to a friend for her wedding reception's white wine.

One other NZ SB of note is Matariki. I had a '97 that was very good; rich, zippy and balanced with grass, green pepper, and citrus notes.

I quite enjoyed my visit to Matariki, but remember the Quintology and their Chardonnay more than their SB, though as I recall all of their wines were well made.

Mark Lipton

Hi Mark,
I coming a bit late to this conversation, but late last year I had the opportunity to taste a vertical of all the Pinot Noirs that Martinborough Vineyard had ever produced, from 1984 to 2003. They are indeed ageworthy and some of the older wines were outstandingly delicious.
The notes are on my website at http://www.wineoftheweek.com/archives/wine051211.html.
Cheers,
Sue

Thanks, Sue. When at the winery, I had the 2000, which I bought and flew back with. I also had a chance to buy the '98 Reserve, but balked since I couldn't taste it beforehand. Oh, the fish that got away...

Mark Lipton

Mark,

If you stumble onto some Monkey Bay SB you might grab it as a gamble. It's quite cheap ($8.00). I found it kind of flat and uninspiring, but the local wine mart says it's their best selling SB. Worth a shot on the chance that I had a bad bottle.

Sam, I think Monkey Bay is probably one of the biggest sellers because of the cute label, good marketing and the price. Personally my notes concur with yours and there are so many better NZSB's around, including those made by Monkey Bay's stable mates - House of Nobilo and Selaks.
Cheers,
Sue

Sam, if you're paying $8 for the Monkey Bay, you're paying too much. It sells for $5-6 in Marsh supermarkets, after all.

Thanks Mark! Now I feel like I got screwed royally on my Monkey Bay purchase. Actually, I tried the one bottle on a lark, didn't much care for it, and never did any comparison shopping. Although six buck is a good price.

Sam, I think Monkey Bay is probably one of the biggest sellers because of the cute label, good marketing and the price.

I'm sure that you are correct Sue. The label is attractive and the price point here in the US is favorable compared to the better SB's like Kim Crawford (our house SB) and Cloudy Bay. Are you familiar with the Matariki SB? Did I just get lucky with the '97? I bought it on the recommendation of a friend and it wasn't cheap (over $30). It was very tasty though.

When did you try the '97 Matariki SB Sam? This is getting very old for a SB if you had it recently.

When did you try the '97 Matariki SB Sam?

Neil,

I had the Matariki on early 2005. A friend, who was a fan of Matariki, bought one of the handful of '97's at the local wine shop. He loved it and went back to buy more. Only two bottles remained. He bought them both and offered to sell one to me. Of course he then came over and helped drink the bottle that I bought from him! The '97 Matariki was by far the oldest SB that I have ever tasted. It was a real treat. I wish I could find more.

I am a retailer in Oregon and my best deal is called Redcliffe. It comes in 750 ml. and 1.5 ltr. The 1.5 sells for $15 and it tastes like good Sauv Blanc. My family and I are going to New Zealand in mid-June. We are hitting Martinborough/ Wairarapa, Marlborough, and Nelson. This is our first trip. I am so looking forward to it.

[Jenise]

The notes are on my website at http://www.wineoftheweek.com/archives/wine051211.html.
Cheers,
Sue

Sue, if you had a search engine on your site I'd look this up instead of asking you, but what can you tell me about a producer called Rimu Grove? I've got a bottle of their latest pinot in the tasting queue, and it's a winery I'm not familiar with--it was recommended by a retailer who thinks he knows my palate.

Hi Jenise, I do have a search engine on my site - it's right on the front page, just below the date updated.
Anyway, Patrick and Barbara Stowe at Rimu Grove are doing great things in Nelson, producing very good wines. A good place to visit, especially if you like American Blues music, as Patrick usually has that playing in the winery. We drove through Nelson in April of this year on our way further south and rang up to see if we could visit, unfortunately they had their answer phone on so missed out. They were probably in the vineyard harvesting their grapes.

This note comes from my Pinot Noir tasting notes page.

Rimu Grove Nelson Pinot Noir 2004 (screwcap) Smoky oak, musk and spice on the nose and musky, cherry-infused flavours with rich, crushed velvet tannins that impart lovely mouthfeel and weight. Sweet-fruited, ripe and well-balanced with a touch of fennel on the long, savoury finish which has lots of complex layers. Very drinkable. 14% alc. NZ$40. 10Mar2006.

These guys are from California. Check out their website - http://www.rimugrove.co.nz

Cheers,
Sue

Bumping this up as we have a new Open Mike on NZ SB!!!

I second the recommendations for Kim Crawford, Nobilo (the Icon especially), Selaks, and add Blind River and Crossings for S.B. Still haven't found any Pinot Noir that really thrilled me. Among the Sauvignon Blanc I forgot to mention Bedford Road, one of my favorites, from a property adjacent to Cloudy Bay's Kenwick property.

Notice that Hawkes Bay gets mentioned a lot in this thread. I'm partial to Mills Reef. Their Elspeth series Malbec, Syrah and Merlot are excellent.

I second the recommendations for Kim Crawford, Nobilo (the Icon especially), Selaks, and add Blind River and Crossings for S.B. Still haven't found any Pinot Noir that really thrilled me. Among the Sauvignon Blanc I forgot to mention Bedford Road, one of my favorites, from a property adjacent to Cloudy Bay's Kenwick property.

Thanks JC, we have an Open Mike going on. Subject NZ SB. See you there?!!