5 Huron Street, Takapuna, Auckland
Ph (09) 486 6415 Fax (09) 486 6416
www.first-glass.co.nz
Newsletter January
27th 2012
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Everyone likes a bargain and the great news for many will be the arrival of more stocks of the lovely Sherwood Waipara Riesling 2009 - a wine we sell at $9.99. We tasted it 'blind' at Wednesday's tasting and as expected we sold plenty. Crisp and limey with powerful honey and mandarin fruit concentration and a touch of residual sweetness on the finish. Simply delicious and outstanding value. Usual retail is around $19.99.
There were other great buys on Wednesday including Spinyback Nelson Chardonnay 2009. We hadn't tasted this wine for some time and it is now a rich, ripe, golden and very tasty wine. It's toasty and creamy and very easy to enjoy, and at $10.99 it's as wine to enjoy every day. It will also handle plenty of chilling.
Two premium Chardonnays were tasted - Seresin Reserve Marlborough Chardonnay 2009, $40.99, and Neudorf Moutere Chardonnay 2010, $69.99. These are two very different wines. The Seresin with its extra year is almost 'complete', a very impressive wine that's approaching its best. The Neudorf Moutere is still very young and there's still a few 'rough edges' which will no doubt mellow over the next 2-4 years. The Seresin - drink now / 3 years, the Neudorf give at least 2 years and it may well cellar for 10.
The Invivo Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2011 is now a terrific wine - full of those pungent flavours we expect from top quality NZ Sauvignon Blanc. This is more upfront and aggressive than many. $15.99 special price.
We also tasted several Australian wines and two well-priced European reds - The Muriel Rioja Seleccion 2009 us particularly good value at $17.99 special. All of the wines are reviewed by Sue Courtney below.
More than Just a Label
Ass Kisser Barossa Valley Shiraz 2009
Most people buy this wine because of the label and name. Most people return for more because they love the wine. Awarded a gold medal in the 2011 NZ International Wine Show, this is a very enjoyable everyday red.
"Spicy and peppery, smooth rich and creamy with a deep oaky backbone, succulent blackberry and cherry, chocolate, vanilla and mocha and a lingering finesse."
One of the best selling wines at First Glass.
$15.99 special.
Tasting Notes
A Summer Theme 25th January 2012. Notes by Sue Courtney. Wines were tasted blind.Invivo Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2011
12.5% alc. Screwcap. $15.99 special.
Spinyback Nelson Chardonnay 2009
Smoky with creamed nuts and oatmeal on the nose and nutty and savoury in the palate with polished lemony oak, a touch of butterscotch and yellow peach. Drinking at its best and well received by the tasting group.
13.8% alc. Screwcap. $10.99 special.
Seresin Reserve Marlborough Chardonnay 2009
A rich powerful golden Chardonnay with lovely balance and harmony. Funky wild yeast and savoury smoky French oak aromas carry through to the full-bodied palate with melon, nectarine, lemon oil, allspice and nutmeg. The oak is integrating beautifully and there's a touch of caramel to the finish. Class all the way through and quite delicious. 13.5% alc. Screwcap. $40.99.
Neudorf Moutere Nelson Chardonnay 2010
The aroma and flavours are so much more nutty, and while the aroma seems a little restrained, the smooth, creamy flavours are rich and full and beautifully expansive in the palate. With nuts, figs, lots of acidity and yeast lees characters, it just needs more time to evolve, but Neudorf's Moutere Chardonnays are incredibly long-lived and reward cellaring upon release.
13.5% alc. Screwcap. $69.99.
Sherwood Estate Waipara Riesling 2009
Rich gold coloured with tantalising aromatics of honeysuckle and mandarin and honeyed and sweet to the taste with juicy sweet citrus and a nice touch of viscosity – it's clean, fresh, zingy and zesty despite the 'medium' sweetness. A touch of Botrytis adds lusciousness. Chill to the bones for the utmost enjoyment. Amazing quality at this price. 13.5% alc. Screwcap. $9.99 special.
Menhir No Zero Negroamaro 2008 - Salento, Italy
Impenetrable black red with a perfume of rose petals, black cherries and hot tar, this tastes sweet and juicy with liquorice and rich berry flavours. It's more fruity than oaky with firm tannins, underlying savouriness and a ripe, juicy, lingering aftertaste. 13% alc. Screwcap. $20.99.
Muriel Rioja Seleccion 2009 - Spain
Blackcurrant red with a hint of chocolate and cherry on the nose, sweet vanillin oak wells through the palate and the initially dry tannins dissolve into the deliciously juicy red fruit flavours. Nice touch of dusty, rustic savouriness too. Good value medium-bodied Spanish Rioja. 13.5% alc. Screwcap. $17.99 special.
Sleeping Dogs Estate Central Otago Pinot Noir 2008
Light garnet red with a kind of a bath salts perfume, this is not a big fruity wine, in fact quite light in the realm of Central Otago Pinot Noir. It's very savoury, a little reminiscent of Beaujolais and perhaps reflective of the difficult vintage. Soft, smooth and drinkable now. 13.5% alc. Screwcap. $29.99 special.
Ringbolt Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon 2008
Dark purplish red with a full aroma of nuts and cassis, it's full-bodied in the palate with mint, chicory, dried herbs, nut chocolate, firm tannins, a little touch of cake spice, lots of berry flavours and a long savoury finish. Delivers exceptional value. 13.5% alc. Screwcap. $19.99 special.
Grant Burge Cameron Vale Barossa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2008
A blockbuster of a wine, both in colour and flavour, it's opulently scented with sweet oak, spice and chocolate and oozes berry fruit flavours that are layered with creamy American oak, chocolate and hints of tobacco. Big, rich, soft and juicy with a deep full-bodied finish and a smidgen of mint on the lingering aftertaste. Gold Medal NZ International Wine Show. 14.5% alc. Screwcap. $31.99.
Vasse Felix Margaret River Shiraz 2007
Black red, inky. This has an OMG sumptuous aroma of vanillin oak, dark fruit and sweet spices. Full-bodied, juicy and spicy, balanced and harmonious with a sensual tannin structure, ripe berry fruit, a touch of the quintessential mint and subtle pepper notes. 14.5% alc. Screwcap. $39.99.
Beach House Noble Hawkes Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2009
Radiant yellow gold, emanating nectar-like scents and delectable sweet flavours balanced by a zingy undercurrent. There's lots of honey, apricot, candied fennel and candied oranges – quite delicious for sweet wine lovers and still remarkably fresh. Gold Medal NZ International Wine Show. 13.5% alc. Screwcap. $27.99 / 375ml.
Opening Hours
Monday to Friday: 9 am to 6.30 pm
Saturday: 9 am to 6 pm
Closed Sundays
Wednesday Tastings
Start Time: 7 pm
Cost: $15
No bookings required
Wed 1 Feb: Traditional French Varieties
Wed 8 Feb: A Quartet of Varieties - a Trio of Prices. Each variety will have a wine priced in the teens, one around $30 and one at a premium price.
Wed 15 Feb: TBA
Wed 22 Feb: Cuisine Aromatic Selection: Top wines from the Cuisine Top 10 and Top 5's of Riesling, Gewurztraminer and Pinot Gris.
Classic Barossa Valley
Thorn
Clarke Shotfire Shiraz 2009
"
Appealing to the eye with its intense black purple colour, and seductive with its American oak scent infused with ripe berries, vanilla and gentle spice. A succulent wine with ample fruit balanced by a spicy savouriness, a fine tannin structure and a creamy finish. Almost irresistible to drink."Cuisine Magazine Top 10 Shiraz. Usual retail $28.99. Our price: $21.99 special.
Winners
Sarah Gothard was the Saturday Challenge winner. The wines were Martinborough Riesling, Hawkes Bay Merlot and North Island Malbec.
The winner of the BYO bag full of 'goodies' is Karel Chabera.
The winner of the two more tickets for the CCR concert is Kerry Stewart.
The weekly email newsletter winner is Peter Cordes. He now has 7 days to email us with his choice of variety for the bottle of fine wine he has won. He now goes into those two big prize draws, each for a $500 case of wine, drawn later in the year.
Humour
Retirement Bonus
The Navy found they had too many officers and decided to offer an early retirement bonus. They promised any officer who volunteered for early retirement a bonus of $1,000 for every inch measured in a straight line between any two points in his body. The officers got to choose what those two points would be.
The first officer who accepted, asked that he be measured from the top of his head to the tip of his toes. He was measured at six feet and walked out with a bonus of $72,000.
The second officer who accepted was a little smarter and asked to be measured from the tip of his outstretched hands to his toes. He walked out with $96,000.
The third one was a grizzly old Chief who, when asked where he would like to be measured replied, "From the tip of my weenie to my testicles."
It was suggested by the pension man that he may want to reconsider, explaining about the nice cheques the previous two officers had received. But the old Chief insisted and they decided to go along with him, providing the measurement was taken by a medical officer.
The medical officer arrived and instructed the Chief to "drop em", which he did.
The medical officer placed the tape measure on the tip of the Chief's weenie and began to work back. "My God!" he suddenly exclaimed, "Where are your testicles?"
The old Chief calmly replied, "In Vietnam."
Cheers, Kingsley and Andrew - and
Happy Birthday to Andrew on his 47th Birthday today! |
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