Tag Archives: 2012

What’s in the glass tonight March 11th – Chardonnay


Spy Valley Chardonnay 2012

From The Cellar: Spy Valley Chardonnay Waihopai Marlborough 2012 – $$

A consistently top Chardonnay from a great producer. I have been collecting and drinking these wines for a few years now. And riding out to the site on the Sunday morning following the Graperide. This example is from the stellar NZ 2013 vintage.

13.5% alc. Pale Gold colour.

Nutty almond on the nose. Mealy. Citrus notes. Complex secondary notes. Divine.

Pure fruit in the mouth. Freshness. Mealy nuttiness flavours, balanced acid, warmth, finishes long. Powerful and intense, and shows real grace. Roughness on the finish adds character.

Highly Recommended 94 Points

What’s in the glass tonight August 31st – Pinot Noir


Peregrine PN 2012

From the Cellar: Peregrine Pinot Noir Central Otago 2012 – $$$

In good Pinot Noir, there is that distinctive catch at the back of the throat which is so typical of the wine varietal showing sufficient extraction, a little like the feeling I get when I think I am just coming down with a cold. This wine had that…

13.5% alc. Dark dusky browning carmine colour.

A difficult wine to assess at first. It opened up quite stinky, very savoury and overblown, but this gassed off after a while. Showed delicate and dusty dark cherry fruit aromas. Sweet and lifted oak notes, with the usual Central herbal terroir character edging the bouquet with thyme. Damp earth/heaped wet leaves.

Light and sweet fruit flavours on entry, a little thin. Although this impression might be because my red wine diet has been mostly restricted to Syrah and Shiraz this winter and I have lost the taste for a lighter style of red. Refreshing acidity on the middle palate, medium tannins, and quite persistent. The catch at the back of the throat I wrote about above.

Density and presence of nose informs every mouthful. It is what I love about good Pinot.

High Recommended 92 Points

What’s in the glass tonight July 29th – Tempranillo


Anciano Tempranillo 2012

Off Topic: Anciano Crianza Tempranillo Valdepeñas  2012 – $

I have walked past these bottles, wrapped in their fine gold wire netting, many times in the supermarket without being tempted. As Monty Python said once, “this bottle has a message in it, and that that message is ……………”

But L had stocked up wine for the ski season, and we were up the club for our first ski weekend of the season when I opened up the ski locker and saw this wine, and went,” Si. Ole!”.

ski1

L had her go-to The Ned Pinot Gris, while I had this full malo wee beastie …

Old-world characterful flavours, with enough intensity and interest to be worthwhile. Red cherries. Bright in the mouth. Nothing startling. Red in regulation.

Commended 85 points

What’s in the glass tonight March 24th – Pinot Noir


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From the Cellar: Greystone Pinot Noir Waipara 2012 – $$

This wine won ‘Pure Elite Gold’ at the Air NZ Wine Awards in 2013 by showing up and showing off, so I thought it might be a bit good and cellared a bottle then to try later.

Now it’s later, and now, and I see it’s a typical carmine colour, and 13.5% ABV.

On the nose it’s elegant, with floral notes of violets and herbage of thyme, savoury, lightly fruitful, luscious and brambly. Good so far…

There is a sweet attack in the mouth. Fresh acidity with bright red fruit flavours. Great body and extract, depth and length.  A raspy finish, with heat lingering at the back of the throat. A tasty one with no bad habits.

Highly recommended 91 Points

What’s in the glass tonight February 20th – Pinot Noir


mudhouse-pn-2012

From the Cellar: Mudhouse Pinot Noir Central Otago 2012 – $$$

Dark carmine. 12.5% alc.

This was recommended to me a while back by some writer, so I bought a brace for the Pool Room. Opening time…!

I saw a savoury and spicy note under a carpet of herb. Dark fruit, showing depth and intensity of bouquet, with cardboard and boiled lolly.

In the mouth the wine was full and rich. Ripe black cherries carried through to the end with no bitterness or loss of extract. Heat on the back palate. Just lovely.

Highly Recommended  – 90 points

What’s in the glass tonight February 11th – Nero d’Avola


santagostina-nero-davola-21012

Santagostino Nero d’Avola Syrah Firriata 2012

L and I went to dinner Saturday night at the fantastic Cicio Cacio Osteria in Newtown. I love the food there, and the atmosphere. They like their salt – you are warned!

I had this fantastic wine there. On special. A 50/50 Nero d’Avola/Syrah blend from Sicilia.

Opulent and perfumed and engaging. Totally delicious.

Highly Recommended  – 92  points

What’s in the glass tonight November 17th – Chardonnay


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Julicher Chardonnay Wairarapa 2012

Every year Medical Assurance, L’s insurer, hosts a family Christmas movie night for members and their families at the Embassy Theatre in Wellington. We always go. This year we got to see Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them. It was fantastic! Moving and emotive, it explored themes about love,  racial tolerance, showing kindness, and the protection of animals. There were even real wizards in the audience….

While waiting for the show to start, we unwound with this lovely wine:

Reductive and funky, with interesting dried apricot citrus characters.

Rich ripe fruit attach, sweet mid palate, nice citrus line, shows the same reduction on palate. Engaging character.

89 points

What’s in the glass tonight October 25th – Riesling


villa-maria-pb-dry-riesling-2012

From the Cellar: Villa Maria Private Bin Dry Riesling Marlborough 2012 – $

Pale gold colour. 12.5% alc. This was VM’s 50th anniversary vintage.

I saw a citrus bite to the nose, some mellowness from wood ageing, and notes of apple, honey and sugar confectionery.

A mouthwatering lime + lemon attack in the mouth. Dry, and a great structure, intensity and freshness for their value/basement tier wine. A mandarin and green apple skin finish, lingering.

Very attractive.

88 points

What’s in the glass tonight September 17th – Minervois


ch-millegrand-2012

Off Topic: Ch. Millegrand Minervois 2012 – $

When I was looking for a Rhone, I chose a neighbour instead, Minervois from the Languedoc. A blend of Syrah, Carignan, Grenache and Mourvedre grapes. It won a Medal D’or in 2013.

Dusty carmine colour, showing some tawny browning. 13% alc.

The nose showed soft and savoury, dark fruits and raisins. It was bright and brittle the first night’s tasting so I left half alone. A night’s standing in bottle took the bright edge off the attack and restored some body.

Still, it remained light-bodied, fruit-forward, with soft acids. Little tannin, no bite or grip to this rouge. Simple, straightforward, but disappointing. The nose saved it from mediocrity.

82 points