Sue Courtney's blog of Vinous Rambling's
wine, food and other vinous topics from New Zealand
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Welcome to Sue Courtney's web log (blog) of vinous ramblings. It's my on line journal and an adjunct to my website www.wineoftheweek.com which is for more formal tasting notes and articles.
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Archive: May 2008
May 10th: Isabel zest ups Fennel.
May 8th: Twin Islands and Opawa Pinot Noirs.
May 7th: Unveiling David Herd.
May 6th: How to cook Cavolo Nero.
May 3rd: Cuisine Magazine's Top Ten Chardonnays.
May 1st: A tasting of Penfolds 'Luxury Wines'.
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Sue Courtney's blog of vinous ramblings
wine, food & other vinous topics from New Zealand
May 10th 2008Isabel zests up Fennel
Opened a bottle of Isabel Marlborough Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2007 last night. Wow - this producer is right back on form after a rather stylistically different 2006 sauvignon blanc, a departure from the typically racy, tropical fruited, punchy Marlborough savvies and not even the best example of an 'alternative' style.
But after one sip of the 2007, Isabel was redeemed.
The tangy and very more-ish Isabel Marlborough Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2007 is fragrantly aromatic with an orange zest infusion to the distinctive sauvignon scent and the taste is bright and punchy with a crisp herbaceous undercurrent and a firm acid spine. A warmth and richness to the finish imparts a pleasing textural complexity, no doubt from the 20% that had been fermented in older oak barrels - although you cannot taste the oak because the fruit simply sings. There's a slightly funky nunace too, that makes me wonder if there's a touch of natural ferment, although the notes on the website don't mention this.
I loved the herb flavours in the wine that particularly reminded me of fennel, or perhaps I had fennel on my mind as the bulbs are now in season and I had two in the vegetable compartment of my fridge. Also the citrus reminded me of the oranges on the orange tree in the back yard, now at the height of the season (much to the marauding opossums' delight). I was keen to try Fennel and Orange together, as they seem to be a classic match.
However after searching the web for a suitable recipe, I decided it was time to revive my Fennel Braised in Sauvignon Blanc recipe with the addition of the orange zest, juice and the still fleshy pulp that I scooped out after squeezing. Terakihi fillets with an aromatic crust, mashed potatoes, salad leaves and the last of the outdoor tomatoes proved to be a fitting accompaniment but the Fennel and Orange was a star match with the wine.
Isabel Marlborough Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2007 has 13/5% alcohol by volume and 7.7 grams of total acidity - hence the raciness that we love. It's sealed with a screwcap about costs about NZ$20. Although sold out at the cellar door, Isabel is widely distributed throughout the world, so check out discerning retailers and restaurants. Find out more from www.isabelestate.com.
Sue Courtney's blog of vinous ramblings
wine, food & other vinous topics from New Zealand
May 8th 2008Twin Islands and Opawa Pinot Noirs
We were away in Taupo in the Central North Island with our car club last weekend. Brrrr. It was cold. Minus 1 degrees Celsius on Sunday morning although it really did seem colder. I'm sure there was frost on the car first thing. Then, when the clouds parted, fresh snow covered the Tongariro National Park mountains. You could feel the snow in the air and the temperature didn't make it into double figures that day. I am sure the wind, with its chill factor taken into account made it seem even colder.
The night before, our group gathered at one of the local establishments for dinner. It was a pre-set menu with the choice of fish and chips, sirloin steak or lamb shanks for the main course. I had checked the website to see if the establishment was BYO, but it was not. Still I was heartened by the fact that the immensely drinkable Tohu Marlborough Pinot Noir 2006 was on the wine list. In fact it was featuring prominently on the website. But when we got there, the Tohu was nowhere to be seen. I asked the bar person if they had any as I saw it on the website and he said, "Oh we changed our wine list today". (On a Saturday? Yeah, right!)
So with very little choice and with Pinot Noir firmly on my mind, it was the Twin Islands Marlborough Pinot Noir 2006 that accompanied our twice cooked lamb shanks. This is a lighter styled pinot, initially quite sweetish with a savoury undertone to the morello cherry and blueberry fruit and a hint of chocolate to the earthy savoury finish. The sweetness of the wine worked well with the gamey flavours of the lamb. In fact the lamb really did need the shot of cherry / berry favour that the wine added. It was also especially nice with bread dipped in oil then in an aromatic dukkah which had the aniseed flavours of fennel seeds.
Twin Islands (RRP $18) is made by Nautilus Estate and as I started typing my notes, I remembered I had been sent a sample of the Nautilus Estate’s new label, the Opawa Marlborough Pinot Noir 2006 (RRP $28.95) from the vineyard adjacent to the Nautilus winery in Renwick in Marlborough. It is the only wine made under this label, which translates in English to 'Smokey River'.
A veritable step up from the Twin Islands, the moderately deep purple-garnet coloured Opawa flirts as soon as it is poured. Smoky and savoury with morello cherry scents and hints of creamy oak, it is silky textured and rather succulent to the taste. A chocolatey richness balances the initial herbal savoury attack with both morello and fruit cake cherries and cranberries adding a tart sweetness. There’s a hint of marmite yeastiness and the rounded finish is aromatically spicy and long. This young vibrant pinot noir is delicious and approachable already but all the indications are that it will drink beautifully the next 3-4 years. The wine has 14% alcohol. Such classy presentation (see photo right) too.
Again lamb was the choice - this time once-cooked lamb steaks sizzled in olive oil with a sprinkling of chopped fresh rosemary, thyme, and sage with the pan deglazed with a little of the pinot noir to make a sauce. I'm thinking a sprinkle of that aromatic dukkah would have gone down well too.
Check out www.nautilusestate.com for more on the specialised Pinot Noir wine making facility that Nautilus Estate has created for crafting these wines.
Sue Courtney's blog of vinous ramblings
wine, food & other vinous topics from New Zealand
May 7th 2008Unveiling David Herd
The weather is showing as being 'partly cloudy' in Blenheim today with a high of 17 degrees Celsius at the airport. It's a warm change from the cold snap that hit the country last weekend and a pleasant autumn temperature for a day when people are gathering at the airport for the unveiling of the statue of Marlborough wine pioneer, David Herd.
David Herd established Marlborough's first vineyard on a property he called 'Auntsfield'. The current owners, the Cowley family, unravelled the history after buying the property and discovering the old wine cellar set into the side of a small hill. Their research made them realise they had purchased the land that was the site of Marlborough's first vineyard with the wine cellar built about 1873. The Cowleys decided to resurrect the 'Auntsfield' label and have now restored the wine cellar and Herd's tiny one room home, which I was lucky enough to visit in October last year. They also commissioned the statue, which is a fitting tribute to the region's first commercial winemaker. Could Herd ever have imagined the extent of Marlborough's vineyards today? Could any of us?
Marlborough Mayor, Alistair Sowman, who is speaking at the unveiling, says he commends and thank the Cowleys for this initiative. "It is important to acknowledge our past and this is an excellent contribution to our knowledge of our local history. It also fits well with the work that the Marlborough Museum is doing with the wine industry, to record the history of viticulture in Marlborough. It is a timely reminder that the roots of the industry lie with our colonial pioneers," he says.
After the unveiling, a long table lunch is being held on the site of the former vineyard, outside the restored cellar, with the food to be accompanied by the Auntsfield Heritage Pinot Noir 2005, which is also being launched today. This wine was one of my star finds at the Marlborough Wine Weekend last year. I was also privileged to taste it again outside the wine cellar when I visited the vineyard (click here and scroll down) just before returning to Auckland.
Auntsfield Heritage Pinot Noir 2005 is a gorgeous wine. It is rich, creamy, chocolatey and savoury with subtle spice, dried herbs, smoky bacon, cherry, plum and yummy poached tamarillo. It's dry with firm but fleshy tannins, a smoky complexity and a delicious succulence to the lasting finish. It's a special wine because is also has a drop of the original Auntsfield Brown Muscat wine from the 1905 vintage. It's a wine that will last too, because a bottle of it is being buried in a time capsule to mark this historic occasion. Lucky it has a pewter label, because that will last too.
www.auntsfield.co.nz
Sue Courtney's blog of vinous ramblings
wine, food & other vinous topics from New Zealand
May 6th 2008How to cook Cavolo Nero
When I was given a half dozen leaves of a green vegetable that looked very much like a silverbeet but was a more 'army green' colour and had much a thicker, sturdier texture, I had no idea what it was.
But foodie Lauraine Jacobs, who was in our little group visiting the gardens of Clyde Potter (pictured right) in Hawkes Bay and the business he has established called Epicurean Supplies, knew immediately that it was Cavolo Nero. Clyde's herbs, micro greens and exotic vegetables are highly sought after by the country top restaurateurs. Especially exotics like Cavolo Nero, which is an Italian black cabbage that Clyde imported into New Zealand.
But how does one cook it. Googling ' "Cavolo Nero" +recipes ' resulted in a number of different and quite conflicting procedures.
You can cut it into strips and boil it for 2-3 minutes in salted water, says one source with no additional instructions. Another source said to boil for 20 minutes - although that seemed like overkill. It's evidently fabulous in soups, too. However the Epicurean Supplies website says to simply fry in olive oil with garlic and chillies.
One thing every procedure had in common was to remove the tough stalk and central rib. I did that but when I tasted the rib, it wasn't awful or anything, so I decided to treat it this particular cabbage as I would silverbeet or spinach.
I removed the central rib and chopped the rib into pieces no bigger than a centimetre and added similarly sized chopped fennel, about one third the quantity of the cavolo nero rib. These were sauteed in a pan in a generous amount of EVOO, together with salt and freshly ground pepper.
Meanwhile, I cooked the Cavolo Nero leaf in salted boiling water, for 3 minutes then after draining, sliced across the leaves to cut them into strips. When the Cavolo Nero rib and fennel were starting to give, the strips of leaf were added and sauteed a little longer. A couple of slices of tomato chopped into pieces added colour; cream added moisture and fennel fern was used for garnish. So use the stalks - they just need to be cooked for longer and add more of the Cavolo Nero flavour to the dish.
Farmgate is a new label for Hawkes Bay and the philosophy of the label is to take the food of local suppliers and match them to the wines. Clyde Potter is matched to Farmgate Hawkes Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2007 and this pungent herbaceous wine is a perfect marriage to the vegetables the way I cooked them. Also the accompanying Jerusalem artichokes, which were boiled with Pink Fir apple potatoes in the Cavolo Nero blanching water.
Sue Courtney's blog of vinous ramblings
wine, food & other vinous topics from New Zealand
May 3rd 2008Cuisine Magazine's Top Ten Chardonnays.
There is no doubt that Cuisine Magazine is the pre-eminent wine review magazine in New Zealand and the wines that receive five star and Top Ten accolades are highly sought after. There is also an excellent tasting program held in wine shops around the country which gives consumers the chance to taste the wines and see if they agree with the judges.
Cuisine Magazine tastings are run in exactly the same way as wine competitions are. A panel of three senior judges with one or two associate judges taste the wines, that are served in 'blind' (i.e. the tasters do not know whose wine they are tasting), in 'flights' (i.e. there may be twenty glasses lined up in a row) and score the wines using the standard 20-point rating system that is used in New Zealand. The points are converted to 'star' ratings with a five star rating equivalent to a wine show gold medal. The top wines are retasted and retasted and once the very top wines have been found, each judge ranks them in order of preference.
Judge Sam Kim, who works at First Glass Wines and Spirits and presented some of the wines at the First Glass Cuisine Top Ten Chardonnay tasting last Wednesday, says that not everyone ends up with the same order, so there is debating and give and take on the part of the judges until there is a consensus to the final order of the Top Ten.
So with a Cuisine Tasting being a wine competition, it was a surprise to see some brands that don't normally enter wine competitions in New Zealand, featuring prominently on the Top Ten list of Chardonnays - where all top ten wines received a five star rating.
Although Martinborough producer Ata Rangi has entered wine competitions in England and has won several elite awards for their Pinot Noir, the inclusion of their Chardonnay in the Cuisine tasting was a complete surprise. But the entry confirmed the quality of the Ata Rangi Craighall Chardonnay 2006 when it ended up as Number One of all 175 entries.
The other surprise inclusion was Cloudy Bay Chardonnay 2006, rated as Number 6 in the tasting. Personally, I would have rated it higher as this 2006 vintage is the most delicious Cloudy Bay Chardonnay I have ever tasted. I gave it good raps on this blog in February.
My other top personal favourites were Auntsfield Marlborough Chardonnay 2006 and Kim Crawford Tietjen Gisborne Chardonnay 2007. All in all it was a stunning line-up of wines with even the three cheapies - Twin Islands, Dashwood and Crossroads deserving of their inclusion.
All of the wines are reviewed on my Wednesday tasting Page entry for 30th April 2008. Click here to read them.
Sue Courtney's blog of vinous ramblings
wine, food & other vinous topics from New Zealand
May 1st 2008A tasting of Penfolds 'Luxury Wines'
It was a surprise to get an invitation to the Penfolds Luxury Wine release, because it had missed finding its way into my mail box the last few years. Not being able to drive meant I needed a chauffeur and that chauffeur would want to taste the wines too. So Neil put up his hand. Well actually I may have held it up for him.
The invitation only tasting was held at the Fine Wine Delivery Company in Cook Street, Auckland with Penfolds red winemaker, Steve Lienert (pictured right), in attendance. It was a 'measured pour' tasting with wines dispensed from an Enomatic machine that had eight Penfolds wines in a row.
But first we were welcomed with a glass of Lanson Champagne to whet the whistle. This is a deep coloured, rich, toasty yeasty style with sweet fruit and a dry finish.
Is the Penfolds Yattarna Chardonnay 2005 the best ever made? Steve tells me it's on a par with the 2004 but I haven't tasted the 2004, so I'll take Steve's word. However the 2005, made from Adelaide Hills fruit, is utterly remarkable. From the warm, inviting, toasty barrel-ferment scents to the mouthfilling, mealy savoury flavour with nougat, nutty oak, peachy fruit and a hint of butterscotch, there's a surprising delicate touch throughout. Yum, yum, yum. A canape of blue cheese and roasted pear on wholemeal pastry base matched beautifully too.
Penfolds Bin 28 Kalimna Shiraz 2006 (reviewed in March) put the palate into the red wine mood and this was followed by two Fine Wine Delivery Company exclusives - Penfolds Cellar Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 and the Penfolds Cellar Reserve Cabernet Shiraz 2006. I just loved the straight Cabernet Sauvignon and its medium to full-bodied style with firm chewy tannins, plummy fruit, hints of mint and a cedary finish.
Penfolds St Henri Shiraz 2004 was next. Showing its fruit purity and fine tannin structure from the outset it is more European in style, probably because of the lack of oak. Earthy and savoury with some grip to the finish, there's a light touch of strawberry and cherry combining with fruits of the forest and a gentle sprinkling of peppery spice.
Penfolds RWT Shiraz 2005 is a veritable super star. The opulent, sweet-oaked, red-fruited, creamy aromas are everything I associate with great Penfolds wine, not to mention the succulent, ripe creamy flavours of chocolate, blueberries, Christmas cake cherries and dried herb nuances that add a savoury saltiness. Plush velvety tannins add to the allure and rose pepper spice lingers with a hint of red liquorice on the lasting finish. Simply fantastic.
Penfolds Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 is predominantly Barossa Valley fruit. It is the essence of Cabernet on the nose with hints of chocolate-coated violet and an earthy nuance to the oak. Lifted and spicy to the taste with voluptuous tannins, red fruits and ultra ultra classy American oak, this is a wine that is yet to unfold and has a long drinking window ahead of it.
Lastly, the iconic and super opulent Penfolds Grange 2003. The sweet oaked, vanilla laden, spice driven, pencil lead and red fruit aroma is deep and complex while the exhilarating taste is spicy and bright with finely structured satin smooth tannins, an earthy richness and suggestions of violets and rose petal musk. Add chocolate, cedar, spices and purple fruits with a pepper infusion to the massively long finish - once this mouth coating wine breaks the virgin seal, it seduces more and more with every mouthful. Even more exciting when matched to minced confit of duck in a sweet plum sauce wrapped in Phyllo pastry.
So the wines are limited and not very afforable (RRP of Grange this year is about $540) but they can be found in the best fine wine shops and in the upmarket supermarkets with the locked glass-fronted wine cabinets.
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