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Every week we sample and taste dozens of wines at First Glass. Many
of them are samples that have been provided by wineries for assessment, others are opened
and poured at our Wednesday or Saturday tastings. These notes come from our Fine Wine
Wednesday Tastings. Check the Tastings Diary for the
schedule.
The following reviews are based on how we found the wines on the day
or evening. On occasions the review is made on a single bottle but at the Wednesday
tasting there will usually be 3 or 4 bottles of each wine opened. Clearly wines will
taste differently, depending on the various circumstances but as the views of a number of
people are considered, the comments do not become the opinions of just one person. Many of
the following wines are stocked by First Glass, others are wines that may be considered
for stocking at a future date.
 Fine Wine Wednesday Tasting, 24th February
2010
Gewurztraminer from Cuisine Magazine and New Arrivals
Tasting notes by Sue Courtney (www.wineoftheweek.com). All of the wines were
tasted blind.
These wines qualify for the "Win A Trip" to
Australia promotion - click here for a list of all
qualifying wines.
Shinas Estate "The Innocent" Viognier 2008 - Victoria
This is a gorgeous example of the Rhone's forgotten grape. A toasty style of unoaked
Viognier, it's quite dry and hot in the palate with an oily deliciousness to the texture.
Served chilled it seems quite linear to start but fattens up in the palate with apricot, a
hint of honey and a steely touch of lime. A wine for all palates.
14.5% alc. Screwcap. $19.99 special.
West Brook Barrique Fermented Chardonnay 2008 - Marlborough
Served chilled, this is oaky, toasty, buttery and creamy with a crisp, citrussy
freshness. It is fruity yet savoury with juicy stonefruit, lots of creamy French oak and a
long, spicy oak finish.
13.4% alc. Screwcap. $16.99 special.
Morton Estate "Coniglio" Chardonnay 2004 - Hawke's Bay
A mellow, seemingly older Chardonnay, rich in colour with hints of toasty oak spice to
the perfume and nutty scents too when the chilled wine warms up. It's tight, rich, creamy
and buttery with an oily texture, nectarine and citrus fruit and a touch of butter
caramel. Smooth, seamless and mouth coating, this 'current vintage' is drinking to
perfection right now. A great experience.
14.5% alc. Cork. $84.99.
Morton Estate White Label Gewurztraminer 2009 - Hawke's Bay
Aromatic and evocatively perfumed with musk, 'Queen of the Night' and violet scents
and an intensely flavoured, lightly oily textured palate that seems on the medium side of
dry. There's Turkish delight, rose water, ginger, lime and hints of apricot and linearity
to the long, hot, spicy finish. A heady wine with alcohol stated as 15.2% on the Morton
Estate website. The bottle states 14.5%. Five stars and No. 4 in Cuisine.
Screwcap. $15.99 special.
Spy Valley Marlborough Gewurztraminer 2009
A richer, fatter, more buttery smelling Gewurztraminer with a rich, full-bodied
mouthfeel. It's spicy and musky with opulent Asian fruits and well-balanced low acidity
and the refrigerator is one of its best friends. A portion of this excellent wine was aged
in oak. Five stars and No. 2 in Cuisine.
13.5% alc. Screwcap. $17.99 special.
Lawson’s Dry Hills Pioneer Gewurztraminer 2009 - Marlborough
A texturally sublime Gewurztraminer that is aromatic and richly flavoured. It's a
full, fat, smooth, creamy, spicy, musky, medium sweet wine with spiced orange peel, rose
water and honey with a touch of botrytis that adds a caramel / crème brulee character.
This wine had a portion of barrel fermentation with some of that oak portion naturally
fermented by the action of wild yeasts. An outstanding wine that raises the Marlborough
benchmark.
14.5% alc. Screwcap. $32.99.
TWR (Te Whare Ra) Gewurztraminer 2009 - Marlborough
This medium sweet style is warm and focussed with a spicy, musky floral scent. It's a
heady wine yet there is a delicacy to the powerful flavours and it doesn’t seem to
over power. Lightly oily with spiced orange peel, rose water and honey, this was awarded
five stars and the No. 1 rating wine in Cuisine.
14.5% alc. Screwcap. $28.99 special.
Wild Rock "Cupid’s Arrow" Pinot Noir 2008 - Central Otago
Light maroon red. Deep, sweet pinot scents - spicy, earthy, savoury, fruity. Great
persistence in the palate with firm svelte tannins, bittersweet fruit, chocolate and
earth. Rounded and easy to drink.
13.5% alc. Screwcap. $19.99 special.
Penfolds Bin 128 Shiraz 2008 - Coonawarra, South Australia
Dense purple red. A little closed on the nose and with herbal nuances that suggest
Cabernet Sauvignon more than Shiraz. A tight restrained red at this stage of its life, it
is spicy and savoury to the taste with pepper, jammy red fruits, grippy tannins, leather
and dried herbs. A distinctly cool climate style.
14.5% alc. Screwcap. $20.99 special.
Chakana Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 - Mendoza, Argentina
Deep, intense, impenetrable purple black colour. This smells of rich, deep, ripe
blackcurrant and cedary oak suggest Cabernet Sauvignon again, and this time it is. The
flavours are deep, ripe, juicy and creamy with blackcurrant and plum fruit, smoky oak,
smooth meaty tannins, hints of chocolate and liquorice, dried herbs and floral nuances to
the succulent finish. A blockbuster from the foothills of the Andes. Gold NZ International
Wine Show.
14% alc. Cork. $17.99 special.
Penfolds Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz 2007 - South Australia
Deep red black in colour with dried herbs, mint and chocolatey oak aromas. Seriously
minty in the palate with bright red blackcurrant and cherry fruit, a deep undercurrent of
blackberry, cedar and sweet vanillin oak and a sweet, spicy succulent finish. A serious
style with upfront Cabernet flavours and a soft succulent spicy Shiraz finish. With fine
but firm tannins, this is a wine made to age - and history says it will.
14.5% alc. Screwcap. $42.99 special.
Wolf Blass "Grey Label" Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 - Langhorne Creek, South
Australia
Shiny purple black. On the nose there are evocative aromas of chocolate, mint and
cedar. A full-bodied succulent blockbuster that's concentrated, juicy, fruity and savoury
with firmly structured, grainy tannins, sweet succulent fruit, and a long full opulent
finish.
15% alc. Screwcap. $29.99 special.
Fine Wine Wednesday Tasting, 24th February
2010
Cuisine Aromatics - Pinot Gris and Riesling
Tasting notes by Sue Courtney (www.wineoftheweek.com). All of the wines were
tasted blind.
These wines qualify for the "Win A Trip" to
Australia promotion
Omaka Springs Estate Marlborough Pinot Gris 2009
Juicy aromas of Wattie's fruit salad. Creamy and textural with fresh orchard fruit, a
little bit of spice, hints of vanilla and just a touch of sweetness. A very clean, and
appealing, style. 4 stars Cuisine and 'Best Buy'.
14% alc. Screwcap. $17.99 special.
Spy Valley Marlborough Pinot Gris 2009
When chilled this seems quite dry and steely at first, with an oily texture, plenty of
apple and a touch of ginger. Becomes quite rich and textural with honey adding a sweet
impression to the finish and an abundance of pear. Oak and partial malolactic fermentation
has added extra complexity. Some people likened it to flat beer, perhaps because of its
wheaty yeast lees character. 4 stars Cuisine.
14% alc. Screwcap. $19.99 special.
Ti Point Marlborough Pinot Gris 2009
A dry, spicy style with juicy apple and pear fruit, vanilla and spice over a nutty
backbone with a rounded mouthfeel all the way through. Chilling introduces a steely
character that is quite refreshing on a steaming hot day. 5 stars and No. 1 rated Pinot
Gris in Cuisine.
13.8% alc. Screwcap. $17.99 special.
Lamont Central Otago Pinot Gris 2009
Juicy, fruity, aromatics with flower blossoms and vanilla. Dry yet has a richness to the
creamy texture with juicy pears, spice, citrus zest and honeycomb and a persistence to the
lasting finish. Full of flavour, even when chilled to the bone. 5 stars and No. 2 rated
Pinot Gris in Cuisine.
14.5% alc. Screwcap. $23.99 special.
Domain Road Central Otago Riesling 2009
Aromatic, fragrant, floral scents introduce this crisp, dry, juicy style with lemon curd,
tropical fruit and lavender nuances and a touch of honey on the finish. Really suits being
chilled. Technically an 'off dry' style. 5 stars and No. 3 rated Riesling in Cuisine.
13% alc. Screwcap. $19.99 special.
Bouldevines Marlborough Riesling 2009
Now this is definitely dry, tight, linear and bracing with lime and green apple flavour
building in the palate that has mid palate richness and texture. Natural fruit sweetness
nicely balances the acidity. A very good example of the dry Marlborough style. 5 stars and
No. 1 rated Riesling in Cuisine.
12.5% alc. Screwcap. $15.99 special.
West Brook Marlborough Riesling 2009
Laced with citrus and honey, this just loves being chilled, the chilling adding verve to
the delicious juicy mandarin and tropical fruit flavours. Off dry in style, it seems a
little sweet on first tasting but the racy acidity quickly brings that notion into check.
Has developed beautifully since it was last tasted. Very good wine. 4 stars Cuisine.
12% alc. Screwcap. $15.99 special.
Mt Difficulty Target Gully Central Otago Riesling 2009
Gorgeous tropical fruit aromas hinting of passionfruit with a tantalising aura of lime. A
medium sweet style (35 to 40 grams per litre of residual sugar) with racy acidity to
balance the sweetness, a light viscosity to the texture and an overlay of nectar. With its
pineapple FruJu iceblock flavours it's easy to imagine this being frozen into iceblocks -
imagine sucking on the Target Gully iceblocks to quench the thirst on a hot, humid
February day. Absolutely yum. My rating 5 stars. Cuisine's rating 4 stars.
9.5% alc. Screwcap. $26.99.
Forrest The Doctors Marlborough Riesling 2009
Quite honeyish and medium sweet with a lovely tug of sweet citrus acidity, juicy tropical
fruit and honeysuckle. A delicate style of Riesling - light bodied with light alcohol, yet
persistent, and long. 40 grams per litres of residual sugar. 5 stars and No. 2 rated
Riesling in Cuisine.
8.5% alc. Screwcap. $19.99 special.
El Gordito Grenache Shiraz Tempranillo 2005 - Calatayud, Spain
Dense black red with a browny appearance. So chocolatey on the nose, chocolate with a
sprinkle of pepper. The first taste is a little porty and those chocolate flavours come
through too. It is deep and rich with supple tannins, juicy red and black berries,
raisins, liquorice, tar, leather, hints of spice and a firm finish. An amazing wine
despite the minimalist label.
14% alc. Cork. $28.99.
Shinas Estate 'The Guilty' Shiraz 2007 - Mildura, Victoria
Deep and dense in colour. Lashings of coconut-laced American oak scents characterise this
bold, grunty wine. It's rich, ripe, smooth, creamy and juicy with chocolate, mocha,
pepper, tar, masses of black berry fruits and a terrific label to boot. Everyone loved it.
14.9% alc. Screwcap. $22.99.
Shinas Estate 'The Verdict' Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 - Mildura, Victoria
Deep, dark, dense and shiny in appearance, this is fine yet firm textured and full of
juicy fruitcake cherry and currants with an earthy depth to the well integrated,
vanillin-edged American oak. Underlying acidity preserves its youthfulness and the finish
is full of red fruits, liquorice and spice. Another big, bold wine, about as big as they
get.
15.5% alc. Screwcap. $22.99.
The Shinas Estate wines are produced in Australia for judge (legal) George Shinas.
Also in the range is the Viognier called 'The Innocent'. Excellent presentation, perhaps a
wine for some of the law firms to deal with.
Fine Wine Wednesday Tasting, 17th February
2010
Australian Whites and NZ Pinot Noirs
Tasting notes by Sue Courtney (www.wineoftheweek.com). All wines, except the
Eileen Hardy Chardonnay, were tasted blind.
These wines qualify for the "Win A Trip" to
Australia promotion
Leasingham Magnus Chardonnay 2005 - Clare Valley, Australia
A light yellow gold colour, quite youthful in appearance, but the aromas hints that it has
a little age. It’s bold flavoured with toasty oak, spiced peach, hints of pineapple
and a mealy savouriness with a smooth creamy texture and long full zesty finish. Very nice
and can take chilling. Brillliant value.
13% alc. Screwcap. $9.99 special.
Richmond Grove Limited Release Chardonnay 2005 - Padthaway, South Australia
Golden yellow with savoury oak scents that hint of a little age. Its smooth, creamy and
buttery with lovely grilled peach and melon, a salty savouriness and a bright toasty,
full-bodied finish.
13.5% alc. Screwcap. $12.99 special with lower prices for bulk purchases.
Hardy’s Eileen Hardy Chardonnay 2006 - Australia
Light gold in colour with a complex savoury aroma and spicy flavours with hints of
grapefruit joining smoky oak. There's a lactic, almost turned cream character to the
full-bodied, mouth filling, mealy savoury flavours with spicy toasty oak and delicious
grilled peach flavours coming through on the lasting finish. This blend of Tasmania, Yarra
and Tumbarumba fruit really shows its class.
13% alc. Screwcap. $89.99.
Taylors Jarraman Riesling 2005 - South Australia
Straw gold. Aromatic, floral, citrus (lime) aromas cannot be restrained by chilling - this
wine was served well chilled and chilling really suits the silky textured, delicate and
slightly honeyed zesty flavours. A very dry wine with a juicy fruitiness, it has blossomed
with age and has a rich full finish with a toasty nuance coming through. A blend of Clare
Valley and Eden Valley fruit.
13% alc. Screwcap. $30.99.
Yalumba The Virgilius Viognier 2007 - Eden Valley, South Australia
Light lemon gold. Delicate stone fruit aromatics with faint hints of honeycomb. A soft
wine and although dry, there's a touch of sweetness that adds appeal to the slightly oily
textured savoury flavours. The aromas evolve as the wine warms up introducing a bready
richness and a hint of smoke, and the lingering flavours of apricots and nutbread are full
and long.
14.5% alc. Screwcap. $49.99.
Rocland Chocolate Box Shiraz 2007 - Barossa Valley
Medium red. Strawberry, plum and liquorice on the nose then juicy flavours of red fruits,
vanillin oak and sweet spices fill the palate and, true to label, milk chocolate too. A
medium-bodied, easy drinking style with soft fine tannins, from the makers of "Kilroy
was Here" and other popular reds. The 'stand up' options wine.
14.5% alc. Screwcap. $19.99 special.
Kiritea Te Muna Pinot Noir 2008 -Martinborough
A rich, deep smoky Pinot Noir with a light purple red colour; chocolate, black cherry and
herb aromas and a silky smooth texture to the smoky, meaty, earthy flavours with
underlying acidity to balance the very ripe plummy fruit. An uncomplicated wine that has
evolved well since tasting several months ago. The second label of Te Hera Estate, made to
biodynamic protocols.
14% alc. Screwcap. $18.99 special.
Peregrine Pinot Noir 2008 - Central Otago
Moderately dense purple/ruby. Deep, rich, sensuous pinotesque aromatics of fruits of the
forest and savoury oak. Full-bodied to the taste with a fine, silk-edged velvety texture,
spicy oak, fruits of the forest and a touch of chocolate to the long smooth savoury
finish. Very good.
14% alc. Screwcap. $33.99 special.
Wooing Tree Pinot Noir 2007 - Central Otago
Dark red, youthful in appearance. Savoury aromas and spicy flavours with well balanced
underlying acidity underpinning the black cherry and plum fruit, perhaps a hint of
tamarillo too. Full-bodied and persistent with a creamy texture, this is a vintage that
produced intense wines - drink now or confidently cellar. NZ's most awarded Pinot Noir
with 8 gold medals.
14.5% alc. Screwcap. $36.99 special.
Amisfield Pinot Noir 2006 - Central Otago
Garnet red, a little murky in appearance. Smoky, hints of age, stewed fruit, yet bright
fruit aroma. There are still a fair amount of tannins in this wine and though it
doesn’t have the intensity of the 2007's, it has a savoury gamey character and a soft
but firm impression.
13.9% alc. Screwcap. $43.99.
Terra Vin Hillside Reserve Pinot Noir 2006 - Marlborough
Garnet in hue, dense in appearance but showing a little age. Fruit cake, maraschino aromas
and deep, intense, savoury, gamey flavours with nuances of woody herbs, mushrooms and a
touch of spice. It is the sensual texture and layers of flavour that set this wine on a
pedestal. Great mouthfeel, excellent length with juicy red fruits and additional
complexity from bottle age. Made from Omaka fruit and crafted by Mike Weersing.
14% alc. Screwcap. $58.99.
Felton Road Pinot Noir 2008 - Central Otago
Deep, dense purple / ruby, youthful in appearance. Deep aromas of black cherry, chocolate,
spice and herb flowers. Spicy and savoury to the taste with black cherry and plum fruit,
dark fruit, a hint of anise, underlying well balanced acidity, fine velvety tannins and an
earthy richness. Deep and long.
14% alc. Screwcap. $57.99.
Fine Wine Wednesday Tasting, 10th February 2010
State of Origin
Tasting notes by Sue Courtney (www.wineoftheweek.com). All
wines, except the Puligny-Montrachet, were tasted blind.
These wines qualify for the "Win
A Trip" to Australia promotion
Loosen Dr L Riesling Trocken 2007 - Mosel, Germany
Light gold with a bright lustre. Smoky, struck match on the nose slightly marring the
citrussy scent, it's crisp, austere and steely to the taste with plenty of tingling
acidity under a soft apple veneer with a nutty, lemon richness that builds to a long,
flinty finish. Unusual as it is not the Loosen style of Rielsing we expect.
11.5% alc. Screwcap. $21.99 special.
Riverby Estate Chardonnay 2008 - Marlborough
Light gold coloured. Toasted hazelnut aromas and soft creamy flavours with a touch of
butterscotch coating the stone fruit and tropical fruit. It’s very dry with well
balanced underlying acidity and toasty nuances to the savoury finish. Very tasty wine.
Michael Cooper rated it 5 stars.
14.5% alc. Screwcap. $19.99 special.
Joseph Drouhin Puligny-Montrachet Folatieres PRemier Cru 2007 - Burgundy, France
Light lemon gold. Smooth, creamy, buttery scents with a hint of citrus and a hint of nuts.
A fine textured wine, focused in its delivery across as it glides across the palate with
flavours suggesting toasted baguette, hints of tropical fruit and savoury oak with
underlying acidity and just a hint of a creamy lactic character on the rich, spicy finish.
Great mouthfeel, persistent length and lingering butterscotch, toffee and honey. This
smells and tastes like a 5 star wine. Delicious. A real treat.
13.5% alc. Cork. $139.99.
Estuary Kingsview Estate Viognier 2009 - Mangawhai, Northland
Delicately scented with ripe juicy flavours of tropical fruit, yellow guava, melon and
musky grapes with soft acidity and loads of fresh juicy richness. Perhaps a hint of smoke
coming through on the well-balanced finish. Delicious summer drinking. Impressive.
12.5% alc. Screwcap. $18.99 special.
Schlumberger Gewurztraminer Les Princes Abbes 2006 - Alsace, France
Moderate lemon gold with a rich perfume reminiscent of candied violets and rose petals,
and full-bodied flavours with a soft, oily texture and flavours of musk, honey, orange
peel and spice with a distinctive ginger-like zing. Soft acidity adds to it appeal and the
finish is long and powerful. This wine displays its state of origin well.
13% alc. Cork. $39.99.
Johanneshof Noble Late Harvest Riesling 2007 - Marlborough
This powerfully concentrated nectar is burnished gold in colour with heady aromas of
toffee-coated apricots. Thick and viscous in texture, it is honeyed, waxy and toffee-like
with ripe stonefruit flavours, a lovely seam of fresh acidity cutting through the
sweetness and lingering notes of butter caramel. NZ makes as good sweet wines as anywhere
in the world and this is one of the best. Gold & Trophy NZ International Wine Show
2009.
9% alc. Diam. $39.99. Show.
Frescobaldi Nipozzano Riserva Chianti Rufina 2005 - Italy
Dark red. A hint of chocolate on the nose together with dark berries, smoke and spice,
this savoury wine whisks you to a rural setting with its grippy tannins and earthy,
savoury, herb, game and barnyard flavours offset by an underlying berry sweetness with a
touch of spice and acidic brightness brimming through the finish.
13% alc. Cork. $41.99.
Guigal Cotes du Rhone 2005 - Rhône, France
Dark orange-red with an earthy savoury tarry aroma, at first it seems a little herbal and
dry to the taste but the underlying vinous sweetness expands well on the palate becoming
full-bodied and creamy with cherry and plum fruit and a savouriness to the lingering
spicy, slightly peppery finish. The finish is much better than the start and makes you
want another mouthful. A blend of blend of 55% Syrah, 35% Grenache, 8% Mourvedre and 2%
other varieties.
13.5% alc. Cork. $21.99 special.
Sierra Cantabria Cosecha 2007 - Rioja, Spain
This dark red coloured wine is creamy smelling with an abundance of berries, even more so
in the plump generous palate that has soft tannins, dark cherry fruit, blackcurrant, a
hint of tobacco and a savoury finish with a hint of liquorice. The finish is persistent
and leaves a velvety mouthfeel. Made from 100% Tempranillo.
13.5% alc. Cork. $26.99.
Wolf Blass Gold Label Shiraz 2007 - Barossa Valley, Australia
Dark purple red with a smoky savoury oak, spice and deep black fruit aromas, this
full-bodied red is characterised by juicy ripe fruit and a suggestion of American oak
sweetness. It's spicy, savoury, warm and peppery with a creamy texture, velvety tannins
and a long succulent finish that's full of chocolate with just a hint of mint. A big wine
that gets better and better in the glass. Both French and American oak have been used.
Great drinking now or over the next five years.
14.5% alc. Screwcap. $18.99 special.
St Hallett Blackwell Shiraz 2007 - Barossa Valley, Australia
Deep dense purple red. With powerful American oak aromas and flavours, this is a young
wine that's made for the moderately long haul. It's ripe, sweet, juicy and peppery with
meaty tannins, blueberry and blackberry fruit and liquorice. Although it has excellent
cellaring potential it is very seductive right now if you can temper that oak with a
little bit of food.
14.5% alc. Screwcap. $39.99.
Campbells Rutherglen Muscat - Victoria, Australia
Deep orange amber colour. Woody, cedar-infused Muscat raisin aromas and thick,
mouthcoating, syruppy flavours of honey, caramel, raisins, spice and brandy-macerated
Muscatels. Sensuously smooth, wonderfully balanced, heady, rich and long.
17.5% alc. Cork. $25.99. 375ml.
Check the online
store for current availability and pricing
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