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edited by Sue Courtney
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Wednesday Round-up - the 2007 edition
Sue Courtney's tasting notes from the First Glass Fine Wine Wednesday $15 tastings

April 2008
[ Click here for index to other months ]

Some of the prices are 'special' prices. Check the First Glass website for current pricing.

Fine Wine Wednesday Tasting - 30 Apr 2008
Cuisine Top Ten Chardonnays and others
The first two wines were not tasted blind, nor was the last (as the options had run out).

Twin Islands Marlborough Chardonnay 2007
Bright light gold with sweet-fruited aromas studded with peach and oatmeal. Fresh and young yet already creamy with bright flavours of apricot and tropical fruit supported by spicy oak, zesty acidity and a rounded finish. Five stars and No. 8 in Cuisine Magazine.
13.5% alc. Screwcap. $15.99 special.

Dashwood Marlborough Chardonnay 2006
There's a hint of lime to the light gold colour of this smoky, bready-scented wine. Mealy flavours fill the palate with a touch of butterscotch, a bright citrussy undercurrent and a warm, rounded, creamy finish. It's rather sophisticated for the price. Five stars and No. 3 in Cuisine Magazine.
14% alc. Screwcap. $15.99 special.

Cloudy Bay Marlborough Chardonnay 2006
Bright gold in colour with aromas that are full, fat and mealy with tempting smoky savoury oak, the initial taste impression is a broad, fat, leesy barrel-fermented style with a fine seam of citrus and a touch of caramel sweetening the savoury oak. Gorgeous nectarine-like fruit fills the full-bodied, powerful palate and the rich fleshy flavours last and last. A remarkable wine. A meal on its own. Five stars and No. 6= in Cuisine Magazine. – could easily be rated higher. 14% alc. Screwcap. $35.99.

Black Barn Hawkes Bay Chardonnay 2006
Light yellow gold with a malty aroma, the flavour is high-toned, phenolic and quite steely to start, with immediately more noticeable acid and bite making it somewhat reminiscent of a Chablis. It's a little slow to unfold but when it does it rounds out beautifully to a long lasting, lightly oaked, buttered peach and melon finish. Five stars and No. 6= in Cuisine Magazine.
14.5% alc. Screwcap. $20.99 special.

Crossroads Hawkes Bay Chardonnay 2006
Deep straw gold with a glint of lime and a bright citrussy aroma with the lime theme infusing the scent and carrying through to the palate. Deliciously juicy and fresh with perfumed fleshy stonefruit balancing the flinty backbone, it builds to a long creamy finish. Five stars and No. 5 in Cuisine Magazine.
14% alc. Screwcap. $16.99 special.

Kim Crawford SP Tietjen Vineyard Gisborne Chardonnay 2007
Golden bright with savoury, smoky, nut and oatmeal scents and full-bodied, rich, savoury, spicy oak flavours. A little bit funky, a little bit rock and roll, there's grilled peach and a touch of honeyed cream in this simply gorgeous, big, fat, seamless wine. It whisks us back to a main course with its power and richness. Wow! The First Glass tasters loved this. Five stars and No. 9 in Cuisine Magazine.
14.5% alc. Screwcap. $26.99 special.

Craggy Range Gimblett Gravels Chardonnay 2007
Light straw gold - quite pale in comparison to the previous wines. Initially it smells quite light and fruity and a little Chablis like, but later youthful nutty oak scents emerge. However the taste belies the light aroma because it is sweet oaked and peachy fruited with a touch of butterscotch and lovely roundness and harmony to the texture and flow. Call it subtle or "shy and understated" because it is has deceptive power and length. (Not in Cuisine).
14.5% alc. Screwcap. $26.99 special.

Sileni EV Hawkes Bay Chardonnay 2006
Bright lemon gold with funky, smoky, savoury and ever so slightly earthy aromas - it warns you there is a powerful wine inside the glass. Right now it is a very tight expression of a rich, powerful wine - quite citrussy, mealy and spicy to start then filling out with lanolin and big sweet nutty oak and a full, rich, malted cream finish. Give it a bit more time to integrate and unfold. (Not in Cuisine).
14% alc. Cork. $68.99

Neudorf Nelson Chardonnay 2006
Pale straw gold with zesty, citrussy aromas and a steely, flinty backbone to the bright tropical fruit flavours with biscuity nuances and integrated oak. An interesting wine with lots going on, there's a purity of fruit and a fleshy juiciness to the finish. Five stars and No. 9 in Cuisine Magazine.
14.5% alc. Screwcap. $27.99 special.

Selaks Founders Hawkes Bay Chardonnay 2006
Bright lemon gold with a warm biscuity mealy aroma and loads of opulent toasty oak flavours with peachy fruit, butterscotch, spice and well balanced acidity. It is savoury and powerful with a spicy infusion that adds the x-factor to this bold generous wine that has all round appeal for avid Chardonnay drinkers. Five stars and No. 4 in Cuisine Magazine.
13.5% alc. Screwcap. $25.99 special.

Auntsfield Marlborough Chardonnay 2006
Light lemon gold with smoky, malty, leesy scents - the first taste tells you this is a classy, sophisticated Chardonnay in the Burgundian style. Although tight and mealy, there is delicious ripe tropical fruit and stonefruit with an infusion of pineapple typical of the Mendoza clone and the bready finish is long and seamless. It seems quite subtle but there is power and a creamy richness that comes out of the closet and claims the finish. A stunning Marlborough Chardonnay. Five stars and No. 2 in Cuisine Magazine.
13.5% alc. Screwcap. $31.99

Ata Rangi 'Craighall' Martinborough Chardonnay 2006
Lemon gold in colour, this is smoky and savoury with sweet smoky oak scents. Spicy sweet oak fills the palate with fruit in the juicy fresh peach spectrum and savoury, malty nuances to keep it all in balance. With brightness to the lingering savoury aftertaste, this is gorgeous ripe Chardonnay with a perfect creamy texture and waves of flavours that change with every mouthful. A brand synonymous with top class Pinot Noir - this Craighall is simply top class too. Five stars and No. 1 in Cuisine Magazine.
14% alc. Screwcap. $45.99

Fine Wine Wednesday Tasting - 16 Apr 2008
Four German Rieslings, Four Shiraz/Syrah and Four Gold Medal Wines
The Rieslings were not tasted blind. The others, including the pre-taster, were.

Thornbury Gisborne Chardonnay 2007
A big bright rich toasty style served slightly chilled, which accentuates the butterscotch aromas and flavours. It is long and creamy and full of ripe peach and melon fruit with butterscotch richness and a spicy depth. A great wine to start the evening.
14% alc. $13.99 special. Screwcap.

Gunn Estate Skeetfield Chardonnay 2006
A rich, mealy style, full of oatmeal and malt with spicy oak, crunchy stone fruit and a hint of citrus. It's still very tight and doesn't want too much chilling, but all the pointers to its class are there in the expansive, mouthfilling finish. Warning: This is not a "Kingsley style". Gold Medal – International Chardonnay Challenge 2007.
14% alc. $31.99. Screwcap.

Church Road Reserve Hawkes Bay Chardonnay 2004
Deeper gold in colour with lemon oil and lanolin-rich scents and oily, burnt oak, buttery flavours, it seems to have lost its youthful flair as it fatten outs with age. Think Burgundian funk and mealy malo characters over a spicy mellow backbone with peachy fruit and something reminiscent of milking sheds and hay. Gold Medal & Trophy – Royal Easter Show Wine Awards 2007.
14% alc. $28.99 special. Cork.

Dr. Loosen Urziger Wurzgarten Riesling Kabinett 2006 - Mosel-Saar-Ruwer
This pale coloured wine is just so aromatic it tantalises the senses with passionfruit and fresh apricot scents. Light and fruity and just off dry with a tongue-tickling spritzy texture, it's slick and clean and a real crowd pleaser. AP Nr. 2 576 162 18 07.
8% alc. $32.99. Screwcap.

Kerpen Bernkasteller Bratenhofchen Riesling Spatlese 2003- Mosel-Saar-Ruwer
Light yellow gold, this richer Riesling shows some maturity with its lime pith scent. It's crisp and bright to the taste with piercing acidity cutting through the oily, slightly viscous texture and lingering flavours of citrus, melon and ripe green grapes with a touch of matchstick. Drinking beautifully now yet with years ahead of it. AP Nr 2 576 562 07 04.
8% alc. $28.99. Cork.

Von Hovel Oberemmeler Hutte Riesling Spatlese 2005 - Mosel-Saar-Ruwer
Fresh aromas of tropical fruit and custard apple with oily nuances, it's full of bright fruit that mingles with a slightly sulphury funk. A rather complex, thinking wine with a pleasing light viscosity, a spicy and ever so slightly spritzy backbone and bright tropical fruit (tending towards passionfruit) filling the long lingering finish. Lovely balance of acidity to sweetness. AP Nr. 3525781-10-06.
9% alc. $43.99. Cork.

Bischofliche Kanxemer Altenberg Riesling Auslese 2005 - Mosel-Saar-Ruwer
Crisp and cutting with a yin-yang tug of bracing lime and sweet curd, and an oily scent of floral spice and apricot that is mesmerising and intriguing. Sweet and ripe with an unctuous richness of citrus and tropical fruit perfectly balanced by a piercing acidity that leaves a drying impression to the long, juicy finish. AP Nr. 3 561 012 1 29 06.
9% alc. $59.99. Cork.

Bannock Brae Goldfields Central Otago Pinot Noir 2006
Deep Burgundy red with bright purple-plum edges, this generous pinot noir is full of the sweet scents of vanillin oak and ripe plummy fruit with savoury nuances and hints of chocolate. The juicy ripe taste lives up to the promise. It is sweet, spicy and savoury with macerated plum and cherry fruit and a sprinkling of herbs. An opulent, velvety textured Central Otago style. Gold Medal – Royal Easter Show.
14% alc. $26.99 special. Screwcap.

Vidal Marlborough Pinot Noir 2006
A lighter, transparent, Burgundy red, this is the complete opposite of the Bannock Brae in style and taste. It's oily, earthy and funky and seems almost Burgundian with a delicate salty savouriness, silky tannins and a mushroom-like intrigue, but states its New World origin with a mouthfilling fruit-sweet finish. Gold Medal – Royal Easter Show. 5 Stars – Cuisine Magazine.
13.5% alc. $23.99 special. Screwcap.

La Puerta Syrah 2007 - Famatina Valley, Argentina
A little like an intense pinot noir in colour but with more crimson on the edge, this is not overly complex but light and drinkable. There are raspberry scents on the nose and flavours of raspberry, vanilla and spiced plum jam with an earthy savoury backbone and creamy oak filling the finish. It seems like a cross between the Barossa and the Rhτne.
14% alc. $14.99 special. Synthetic cork.

Yalumba Barossa Shiraz Viognier 2005
A deep dark red with crimson rims, this is full of juicy cherry and red jelly-baby lolly flavours, with plenty of deliciously juicy red berry fruits and a touch of pepper on the long, chocolatey finish. It seems like a lighter than usual style for Barossa but that's perhaps of the Viognier component which adds an overt sweetness.
14.5% alc. $18.99 special. Cork.

Corbans Cottage Block Hawke's Bay Syrah 2006
Deep purple black colour with vivid crimson rims, it's screams 'New Zealand' with its profound cracked blacked pepper and spicy oak scents that carry though to the big rich palate with cow pats, blue berries, dusty tannins, dried herbs, moderate acidity and an earthy finish. Totally impressive! Gold Medal – Royal Easter Show Wine Awards.
13% alc. $29.99 special. Cork.

Two Hands Angels Share McLaren Vale Shiraz 2006
Deep purple red with mellow chocolatey scents, it's so different to the three wines just tasted. Sweet oaked, salty and savoury with a soft smooth attack, it's a big wine that's full of juicy blackberries, pepper and allspice with a touch of liquorice and a fruit cake richness with loads of dark chocolate on the lingering, silky textured finish.
14.8% alc. $26.99 special.

* * * * * * * * * *

I like the Fine Fine Wednesday Tastings held at First Glass Wines and Spirits in Takapuna on Auckland's North Shore. All the wines are served blind and unlike the blind tasting assessments I conduct at home (which are usually from producer's samples or, more rarely, wines I have purchased myself), I usually have no idea in advance of what wines are being included in the Fine Wine Wednesday tasting line-up. Exceptions have been the Cuisine Top 10 tastings, 'Super Tastings', or producer-hosted tastings where the line-up of wines is advertised to attract the tasters. All I know is that with Kingsley Wood choosing the wines, anything goes and the wines being tasted may cost from under $10 to over $110 a bottle, though they usually average somewhere in the $15 to $55 price range.

I have continued to attend the tastings over the years as I feel it gives me a good insight to wines currently available in the market place and the general reaction compared to my own. Not everyone likes the searingly dry rieslings that I love, I've found.

It also provides an oportunity to taste some wines I otherwise wouldn't get to see and to retaste those that I have.

Footnote: Prices listed are the retail and or special prices at First Glass Wines and Spirits at the time of tasting. Check out www.first-glass.co.nz for current availability and pricing and New Zealand readers can purchase the wines online from there.
Sue Courtney's recent Fine Wine Wednesday tasting notes can also be found on the First Glass website.

Wednesday Wines index
2007 Tastings
January 2008 tasting notes.
February 2008 tasting notes.
March 2008 tasting notes.
April 2008 tasting notes.

2007 Tastings
January 2007 tasting notes.
February 2007 tasting notes.
March 2007 tasting notes.
April 2007 tasting notes.
May 2007 tasting notes.
June 2007 tasting notes.
July 2007 tasting notes.
August 2007 tasting notes.
September 2007 tasting notes.
October 2007 tasting notes.
November 2007 tasting notes.
December 2007 tasting notes.

2006 Tastings
January 2006 tasting notes.
February 2006 tasting notes.
March/April 2006 tasting notes.
May 2006 tasting notes.
June 2006 tasting notes.
July 2006 tasting notes.
August 2006 tasting notes.
September 2006 tasting notes.
October 2006 tasting notes.
November 2006 tasting notes.
December 2006 tasting notes.

2005 Tastings
January 2005 tasting notes.
February 2005 tasting notes.
March 2005 tasting notes.
April 2005 tasting notes.
May 2005 tasting notes.
June 2005 tasting notes.
July 2005 tasting notes.
August 2005 tasting notes.
September 2005 tasting notes.
October 2005 tasting notes.
November 2005 tasting notes.
December 2005 tasting notes.

2004 Tastings
Jan-Feb 2004 tasting notes.
Mar-Apr 2004 tasting notes.
May 2004 tasting notes.
June 2004 tasting notes.
July 2004 tasting notes.
August 2004 tasting notes.
September 2004 tasting notes.
October 2004 tasting notes.
November/December 2004 tasting notes.

2003 Tastings
January 2003 tasting notes.
February 2003 tasting notes.
March 2003 tasting notes.
April 2003 tasting notes.
May 2003 tasting notes.
June 2003 tasting notes.
July 2003 tasting notes.
August 2003 tasting notes.
September 2003 tasting notes.
October 2003 tasting notes.
November 2003 tasting notes.
December 2003 tasting notes.

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