Many months of planning, negotiating, tasting and organisation have culminated in some very exciting wines that are set to be released over the next couple of days.
It’s called the Longhop. It’s made by a guy called Domenic Torzi, who is emerging as yet another one of these underground talents from the depths of the South Australian vinosphere. The fruit is 100% sourced from the Adelaide Plains (between the Barossa and Adelaide), made using a combination of French and American oak and it redlines my gluggability meter – seriously tasty stuff. But don’t take my word for it, check out the following reviews:
“I took this to a barbecue and nearly got mobbed” Campbell Mattinson (Wine Front)
“Another charismatic wine, packed with flavour and value, from the irrepressible Domenic Torzi” Gary Walsh (Winorama)
“Inky purple. Fresh raspberry and blueberry on the nose, with sexy vanillin oak and baking spices adding complexity … utterly delicious, with a gently spicy finish featuring persistent red and dark berry flavors” Stephen Tanzer (International Wine Cellar)
But wait, there’s more.
Three Tasmanian wines have landed; two pinots and a cabernet. The Winstead Pinot Noir from Neil Snare and the Stoney Vineyard Reserve Pinot Noir and Domaine A Cab Sauv from Peter Althaus. After I finished vintage in Tassie earlier this year, I had the chance to travel the state and taste extensively, hand-selecting an assortment of wines that are representative of the region. I spoke to Neil and Peter, shook their hands, tasted from their barrels and learnt all about these amazing wines and amazing people.
Okay, so this Saturday, we will have the Longhop Shiraz, Winstead Pinot Noir and Stoney Vineyard Reserve Pinot Noir all on tasting, at no charge. As an extra special treat for what will be my last Saturday for a while, we will have some crispy roast duck to taste with the pinots at half-past twelve!
2006 Longhop Shiraz $21.99 ($19.99 case buy) 2005 Winstead Pinot Noir $36.00 2004 Stoney Vineyard Reserve Pinot Noir $39.00 2000 Domaine A Cabernet Sauvignon $65.00
The very first post on this wine blog relayed the inaugural wine and jazz evening, held several months ago. The second stanza of the wine and jazz chronicles occurred last week, with equally pleasing results. As culinary enthusiasts match food with wine, it is becoming increasingly clear that wine and jazz serve as a concordant pairing. I envisage that, for our next evening, perhaps a formal itinerary should be prepared with food and jazz matches for particular wines. Could be a lot of fun!
So at the behest of Gazza’s ethereal, endorphin emancipating Gale speakers, the aural stage was set with Bill Evans and the Village Vanguard Sessions. The newly released 2006 Dr Loosen Wehlener Sonnenuhr Kabinett was cracked and provided immense enjoyment; 7.5% alcohol, high residual sugar and sprightly acid interplayed brilliantly with a mosaic of flavours and taste sensations. A wild boar terrine, organic ciabatta and a half wheel of Waimata brie kept appetites more than satisfied. Kenny Barron followed Evans, with Oscar Peterson sustaining listening pleasure until the venison main was ready.
Two reds were served blind; one older, one younger. I thought the first wine was from Australia - South Australia in particular - from the Orlando stables and the ‘96 vintage. Turned out to be a 1994 Orlando Lawson’s Padthaway Shiraz, so I wasn’t far off. Still with plenty of gas left in the tank, this was a fantastic match for the venison (which I mistook for some really, really tasty beef!) and effortlessly proclaimed the virtues of older wine. The second wine I also went down the Australian path based on the alcohol/warmth on the palate. The greener characters on the nose, but still with fruit depth, indicated a cooler climate/vintage (possibly WA). Turned out the wine wasn’t Australian, but it definitely had some New World fruit to it - a 2002 Seghesio Old Vine Zinfandel from Sonoma in the States (I missed the mark on this one!). Not nearly as enjoyable as the Orlando and suffering from a poor vintage, one would think.
Milt Jackson and Monty Alexander (Soul Fusion on vinyl) were fantastic to listen to (highlight of the evening for mine), as was Chick Corea with his Live At The Blue Note performance from 1998. It was at this time that the Chicago Jazz Giants came on with their Blues My Naughty Sweetie Gives To Me - a classic off the Mainstream Jazz CD collection.
Despite the gourmet gorging, I still found room for some pudding and ice cream dessert. A 2001 Kilikanoon Parable Shiraz was opened and whilst it was fairly drinkable, it showed poorly when compared to my last bottle. Jo Henderson (So Near, So Far) followed by the Red Garland Trio (Ron Carter and Philly Joe Jones) provided a fitting end to another fantastic night of food, wine and jazz.
2006 Dr Loosen Wehlener Sonnenuhr Kabinett Absolutely sexsational. My best kabinett yet. Shimmies in at a modest 7.5% alcohol with more sugar than expected for a kabinett (product of the vintage?). Delicate yet intense aromatics, with crushed flowers, hint of lemon sherbert and white peach. Exquisite acid/sugar balance; not quite pins-and-needles acid like Wizz mentioned for a white recently (great term, I love it), but it almost fizzes across the tongue with a spicy tingling sensation. Another wave of flavour reverberates on the long finish. Extremely gluggable. 95
1994 Orlando Lawson’s Shiraz Lots of VA initially that subsided as old, sweet, stewed fruit characters emerged with some secondaries. Holding it together well on the palate, with conspicuous yet welcoming acid keeping the dream alive. An element of graininess to the tannins. A nice, respectable old shiraz that accompanied venison hot pot well. 89
2002 Seghesio Old Vines Zinfandel Cool climate nose, warm climate palate = poor year in warm climate (one assumes?). Nothing here that’s terribly characteristic of zin, with leafy/tobacco/undergrowth characters to the nose and structurally awkward and warm on the palate. Apparently these guys normally do a pretty good job, but this one was disappointing. 83
2001 Kilikanoon Parable Shiraz Mealy, with some char/toast on the nose and blackberry jam. Back palate and finish is MIA, with a lack of fruit intensity. Tasted earthy and of spirit. This was fantastic 1-2 years ago - suspect heat damage? NR
2006 Penfolds Bin 51 Riesling This Eden Valley riesling smells good; typical lemon/lime characters with mandarin and some tropical fruits. Very fruit driven. The acid integration is good, though less taut and more flimsy than I’d like. The palate fruit is delicate, given more presence by the weight and texture. The finish has surprising length with a ripe peach flavour. Pretty tasty and somewhat of a surprise for the price ($20rrp). 91
2006 Fossil Ridge Riesling Located near Richmond, south of Nelson, this boutique vineyard lies on clay loam soils amid calcitic remnants. Crushed limes, dried flowers, musk and a hint of sweat. Not overpowering, the aromatics are balanced and hold interest. Boisterous fruit and a little clumsy structure wise, the texture (or lack thereof) is a little dilute. In the off-dry category (5-10g res I’d say), though searching for identity. Honeydew melon on the finish. 88
2002 Domaines Schlumberger Riesling The oldest of the set comes from Alsace. Bush honey, rose petals, hint of kero and some citrus. It actually improves with some air. Moderate weight with lots of lemon derivations on the palate, hints of kero, but the acid is sloppy and all over the place. Finishes tart and sour. 84
2006 Loosen Dr L Riesling Pleasant mineral sulphides, white stonefruit, talc, some fairy-floss and floral aromatics. Ample palate coverage, a gentle amount of weight, not overly luscious and the acid a little poky. Still, the marriage of acid and sugar is respectable at this price point. Finishes with some subtle astringency. Hard to come down from a Wehlener Sonnenuhr experience the other night, but this holds its own. 89
The annual pinot noir roadshow arrived in Christchurch on Monday night with touring winemakers from some of New Zealand’s most respected and well regarded wineries: Greg Hay (Peregrine), John Kavanagh (Neudorf), Duncan McTavish (Waipara Hills) and Helen Masters (Ata Rangi). The three hour tasting of nearly one hundred pinots from the ‘06 vintage provided a broad overview of vintage conditions and the styles of wines conducive to a particular season, appended by reinforcing comments from the winemakers themselves. And hell, I worked the ‘06 vintage, so I ought to have an idea myself!
Despite the vast geomorphological influences that make each pinot noir growing region so unique within New Zealand, the weather patterns lead to a season that unfolds with little inter-regional variation. Thus, stylistic trends arise each vintage, with the wines manifesting subtle differences to express their terroir. The 2006 vintage was, in short, quantity and quality driven; the winemaker and bank manager dream vintage. Good rains during winter 2005 provided adequate soil moisture for the vines to burst and grow rapidly. Conditions during flowering were ideal and fruit set was exceptional; many bunches were so well set that premature shrivel of certain berries occurred because the clusters were so tight. Summer temperatures were warm, but not blistering like the ‘98 or ‘00 vintages. Temperatures cooled as Autumn approached and if picking was judged correctly amongst sporadic rain events, the quality was very high. As Helen Masters put it “the bunches at harvest were truly beautiful”.
Now, what does this say about the wines? Allow me to generalize. Firstly, crops in ‘06 were much, much higher than the two preceding vintages. In the more marginal climates (Central Otago and Martinborough), frosts hit hard for 2004 and a very cold flowering period hurt crops for the 2005 vintage. Yields were down severely - we’re talking upwards of 60-70% down in some places. So, whereas the previous two vintages had little fruit on the vine and produced wines of tremendous concentration and extract, 2006 allowed a more balanced ripening cycle and typical crop load to produce pinot noirs that are more characteristic of varietal nature. More structural. The wines are less cuddly and affectionate in their youth, relying upon their tannin profiles, true pinot aromatics and structural integrity to provide you with a glimpse of their future selves. Future selves that, unquestionably, will have benefited from time.
So what was good? Whilst the super cult pinots are missing from these sorts of tastings (Felton Road, Dry River, Neudorf Home Block, Escarpment Kupe, etc), there is still an excellent range of wines on hand that have already been culled down to the select best by a tasting panel at FWDC. My picks from each major region were:
Given my historical proclivity for the minnows and somewhat esoteric pinots at these tastings, I was surprised by my arrival at a list of what are considered mainstream and very popular wineries. A credit to how they have achieved their status. The one surprise of that list was the Danny Schuster Omihi Hills Pinot. Now, I’ve tasted previous vintages of this wine for the last three or four years, and I’ve never been enamored by the results. Sure the wines have some Burgundian character to them and are often tasted far too young, and you can’t take anything away from such a critical component to the NZ wine industry as Danny Schuster, but the wines were weedy, thin, lacking in fruit and incredibly overrated. That is, until this vintage. His ‘06 Omihi Pinot has oodles of dark berry fruits, plenty of weight, deft handling of oak and retains for every second the Schuster fingerprint of elegance, pinosity and craftsmanship. Schusterphiles and anti-Dannys unite - here is something worth rediscovering.
John Kavanagh, it must be said, is a champion. One of the few warm and genuine winemakers to have graced the circuit. And it’s reflected in his wines. As he adds a notch to his belt of winemaking years at Neudorf, it would seem that he grows and develops his relationship to the vineyard, the fruit, the sites and the people. The relationship is becoming more intimate. And with this greater intimacy comes greater depth to the wines, if that were considered possible. The tannins, in particular, would give my tongue wet dreams. In fact, they have.
I particularly enjoyed the Ata Rangi and Peregrine wines this year more so than previous years for one reason. The aromatics. These wines are complex already, with bouquets that have been complemented with perfume, florals and briar in addition to the surplus fruit abundance that remains as a backbone. Both epitomize balance.
Though not afforded the luxury of its own wine region, it would be remiss of me not to mention the Kumeu River Estate Pinot Noir. This wine was chunky, as only a young Burgundian replicate could be. I still cannot fathom how Michael Brajkovich continues to craft such amazing wines from fruit grown in lowly Auckland, but here he is, doing it year in, year out. One for the cellar, as most of these wines are.
Other worthy mentions included the Clayridge Excalibur (exotic and unusual), Desert Heart (pure Central Otago), Escarpment (a very close second to Ata Rangi - impeccable wine), Gravitas (very, very good), Terravin Hillside (’04 and ‘05 vintages - lashings of fruit), Montana Terroir Series Corbetts Legacy (a surprise pinot from Waipara), and Ra Nui (an undiscovered gem from Marlborough).
The slight disappointments included Valli Gibbston Vineyard (lots of capsicum and greenery), ‘04 Pegasus Bay Prima Donna (lacked X-Factor), Kaituna Valley (the eucalypt is back this year), ‘05 Carrick (seemed empty on the day), and Craggy Range Te Muna (lacked the poise and polish of previous years). Whilst I won’t make excuses for these wineries and stand by my judgment on the day, remember that impressions from these sorts of tastings need to be taken with a grain of salt.
The verdict? The 2006 vintage looks like a cracker for New Zealand pinot noir.